Chương 697: The Heroine and the Reaper

The Narrator placed three playing cards on the table. When he revealed them, some of the masked figures seemed impressed. A bunch of idiots.

"The Apocrypha are as follows," the Narrator said, pointing to the cards. On one card was a wooden puppet. On another, a black cat. On the last, a blond girl.

"The Apocrypha of Pinocchio, the Apocrypha of the Cheshire Cat, and the Apocrypha of Alice." The Narrator explained them one by one, like he was reading fate off a chart.

"The One We Serve wants the Apocrypha found before those we do not name get their hands on them." Jonathan had heard of that other group before. The one marked by a butterfly.

"The Pinocchio Apocrypha is someone I'm already in contact with. It should be obvious to everyone which family he belongs to." The Narrator dragged his fingers over the other cards.

"The other two Apocrypha, however, are still beyond our reach." He passed out sheets to the people in animal masks, each one filled with details from those supposed birth charts.

"But there is something peculiar here. Cheshire and Alice have intertwined fates. One is bound to the other." Jonathan glanced at the sheet in Scarllet's hands.

"In her story, Alice was a lost girl. Perhaps even a runaway," the Narrator said.

"When she arrived somewhere strange, the Cheshire Cat helped her. That is where their stories first intersect. There are other clues in Alice's story as well. She was fleeing a place ruled by a wicked queen."

Luke stood on a rooftop, watching chaos spread through the enemy base. He and Serena had hit the faction head-on. No stealth. No careful infiltration. The heroine had simply walked in swinging, cutting down everything in her path. Luke followed from above, watching her take on entire groups by herself. Her strikes weren't refined, or even all that precise, but they packed enough raw force to make technique feel like an afterthought. Vanguard type. Hotheaded, too.

From what Luke could tell, most of the enemies here were mid Rank E. There were a few Rank D scattered throughout the base, though. Those were the real targets of her hunt. With a sigh, Luke drew his kukri and stabbed backward without even looking. A dull sound cut through the air. A moment later, a wet, blood-choked cough came from behind him. [You have slain a Human - Lvl 81...] 63, 049, 741 EP earned [+1 Soul Fragment acquired] [946/1000]"An assassin trying to stealth-kill me is way too ironic."

The body rolled across the rooftop and tumbled over the edge. Luke glanced at the soul counter, the way he did after every kill. He was getting close to a thousand. Serena was still fighting below. Now she was facing one of the faction's five Rank D leaders. Every Rank D here seemed to have a class tied to [Predator], which made them interesting to watch. They were predators in armor, built for direct combat and brutality.

"You're the bastard who slaughtered everyone in my damn building!" shouted a knight in full armor.

"Yep." The man leapt and brought a spiked club crashing down. Luke sidestepped at the last second, and the impact smashed through part of the roof. My perception field's getting sharp. The knight charged like a bull, heavy, furious, and straightforward. To Luke, though, he looked like he was moving in slow motion. Is this what high Perception and Agility feel like at Rank D? This is insane. When the strike came, Luke threw one of his kukris with [Burst Throw].

The blade hit the knight with so much force that the man was launched upward. Luke jumped after him, his cloak flowing with the movement. In midair, he kicked the enemy hard and sent him crashing back down. [You have slain a Human — Lvl 89...] 250, 555, 331 EP earned [+1 Soul Fragment acquired] [947/1000] Luke landed lightly on another rooftop and went back to watching the fight. One of the leaders was down.

"That's cheating," Artemis said.

"It's not cheating."

"It is absolutely cheating. You're using your debuff that buffs the hero so she can help you wipe out enemies. That's cheating."

"Maybe it is. Another one just died." Three were left against Serena.

"I was almost sure there were five, but there were only four over there." The wall of the building beside him exploded outward. A shirtless man came charging through, screaming like an animal. Luke dodged the punch that shattered the rooftop under his feet.

"I think I found the other Rank D enemy." The man skidded to a stop. Tall, muscular, long-haired, with sharp claws where his fingers should've been. Steam began pouring off his body. His muscles swelled, veins bulged under his skin, and a feverish red spread over him.

"You have no idea who we are. If you did, you'd have never set foot here." The steam intensified, hot enough to distort the air around him.

"I think you've got that backward," Luke said.

"We came because we know exactly who you are." The man clicked his tongue and roared. A heartbeat later, steam burst around his body and launched him forward. The attacks came fast. Claws from every angle. For the first few seconds, Luke only dodged, testing his limits. Every strike came too close, but never close enough. [Demonic Perception] is adapting nicely. When Luke drew his kukris, he started striking back. He did not try to match strength.

He parried blows, slipped past claws, and guided the enemy exactly where he wanted him. Then he pulled away, flipping backward through the air.

"I'm gonna kill you, you son of a bitch!" the berserker predator shouted, tearing up a huge chunk of stone and hurling it at him. Luke kicked off the wall, slipped past the rock, and closed in. His kukri tore across the man's stomach, but the berserker kept coming anyway, far too fast for someone with a wound like that. Luke sheathed one kukri and conjured a knife.

"This is how you kill guys like you." He dodged a punch and drove the knife straight into the open wound in the man's stomach before backing off.

"I didn't feel shit!" the berserker laughed.

"That's what she said," Artemis said. [Shadow Mana Explosion activated] The knife exploded. The blast threw the man backward, and Luke moved in before he could recover. [Demonic Blade Dance] took shape in his movements. His kukris cut in sequence, opening dark lines across the berserker's body. By the time the enemy tried to recover, Luke was already too close. The kukri came up from below and sank into his jaw. Then, with one simple movement, Luke struck him in the chest.

"Should've watched the knife." He sheathed his kukris as the body toppled backward. [You have slain a Human - Lvl 106 (Red Carapace Predator - Lvl 107 / Coliseum Champion - Lvl 81 / Rock Miner - Lvl 78)] 9, 754, 123, 684 EP earned [+1 Soul Fragment acquired] [948/1000] Between the buildings, Luke saw movement.

"Now they're starting to organize." While Serena handled the three remaining dangerous enemies, Luke entered the buildings, searching for any remaining enemies. After a while, a group came after him. They moved like acrobats. They bounced between walls, kicked off ledges, and spread across the buildings lining the street. One of them fired an arrow that released smoke. Another swallowed a liquid and spat fire. Throwing knives came next, and a lasso tried to catch Luke around the torso.

"What, did you guys escape from a circus?" He jumped with the cloak and started firing [Shadow Ball], hitting acrobats in midair and against the walls. When he landed, one of them tried to attack from behind. Luke spun, sliced the enemy's throat with his kukri, and without breaking the motion, aimed his hand at another. The [Shadow Ball] punched through the target's chest. The acrobats tried to surround him. Luke lowered his body and moved in stealth, flowing like a dark blur through the rubble.

"Is he a shadow?"

"What the fuck is that?" Luke slipped into the darkness and came out behind one of them. [You have slain a Human - Lvl 71...] 51, 888, 545 EP earned [+1 Soul Fragment acquired] [949/1000] Behind another group, he fired more [Shadow Balls]. When the last one tried to hit him with a punch, Luke dodged, kicked the man, and sent him into the wall. He brought his hand close to the man's face. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

[Shadow Ball activated] [You have slain a Human - Lvl 84...] 112, 741, 998 EP earned [+1 Soul Fragment acquired] [954/1000]"Rank D feels unfair." The combination of his new body's strength and his cloak was proving far too useful. Is this what Charlie feels like? She used to complain about having to hold back her stupid strength just to eat with silverware.

"And if your girlfriend becomes Rank D, she'll get even stronger," Artemis said.

"So be careful if she finds out about your date with the heroine."

"It's not a date." Luke went to help Serena. From there, they fought together. He supported her, distracted the stronger enemies, and created openings for her to finish them off. An hour later, the base was empty.

"We actually make a pretty good pair," Serena said, watching the sword that was still glowing. Luke had leveled up during the hunt as well. Your second class [Arcane Witch] has reached Level 96! (+12 Intelligence, +10 Wisdom, +7 Perception, +6 Willpower, +5 Agility, +3 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +10 Free Points.) Your second class [Arcane Witch] has reached Level 97! (+12 Intelligence, +10 Wisdom, +7 Perception, +6 Willpower, +5 Agility, +3 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +10 Free Points.) [You have reached Level 102! Half-Demon (Rank D)] (+8 bonus points to all attributes, +20 free points)"And what about your other partner, the Flame Hero? Dead?" Luke asked.

"Max is around. He's not from our country. Every hero travels with their own group. At the end of the day, they're all blades for their nations."

"Did you know a woman named Zoe? She used to be his assistant."

"Zoe?" Serena narrowed her eyes.

"If she's the one I'm thinking of, last I heard, she was locked up in that settlement out in the archipelago."

"Locked up?"

"And why are you asking about her?"

"Personal reasons." Luke and Serena split up not long after. She headed back to the citadel, while he continued through the desert.

"And there goes the fan service," Artemis said. So the skill works. Luke was using [Soul Infection] on Serena. She was already far away, and he could still see and hear through her whenever he activated the power. It only consumes mana when I use [Soul Infiltration] to see and listen. Otherwise, the fragment can sit dormant inside someone for free. He wanted to test the skill as much as possible. Spying on Serena was just part of that.

He needed to know if she would tell anyone about him in a meeting when she got back. Once he confirmed the information, he could jump between people. Anyone Serena touched could become the new host for the soul fragment. That way, Luke would keep a presence inside the citadel. The downside was simple. The only way to recover the fragment was to touch whoever had it. The big risk is that Serena's sword might keep glowing gold now that my soul fragment is inside her. If that happens, she's definitely going to notice.

Luke watched for a while until he saw her kill a monster in the desert. The sword did not glow. Good. It was safe to leave the fragment in Serena.

"You gave her a lot of information about yourself," Artemis commented as Luke ran through the desert.

"Only what I wanted her to find out. And I got to see how strong she is."

"And what did you conclude?"

"That she's not my biggest problem. She's not stronger than a World King. If she were, she wouldn't be here. If I'm aiming to beat a World King, I can handle her."

"You're forgetting that her sword glows specifically to make her stronger and kill you. You're her Ganondorf, man. In the end, Link always wins and gets the princess pregnant."

"Do not insult Princess Zelda."

"I'm an elf, man. A blonde elf. Basically, I'm Princess Zelda." Two days later, Luke reached the beach. During the day, he ran nonstop through the desert. At night, when the ocean flooded the region, he rode the swordfish and pushed through the water. The beach had grayish sand. A lot of wreckage was scattered around, some of it half-buried. Luke took the opportunity to explore part of it while replenishing his mana and stamina.

"It's right here, Luke Moon," Cadmus said.

"What's right here?"

"If you keep going in this exact direction, all you need to do is travel straight across this ocean until you feel like you aren't getting anywhere. Then you'll come out of the middle of this gigantic ocean crater and reach its edge. The remains of an ancient city are there, and your [Beacon] will be somewhere in that area."

"Can I make it before the Phase ends?"

"That depends entirely on nothing getting in your way. Your fish mount is fast. The fastest you've had so far. But even if you reach the location, it's unlikely you'll have enough time left to return to the citadel."

"In other words, Luke, you put your soul fragment inside someone who'll return to Earth before you do. Congratulations," Artemis said.

"What could go wrong?"

"I don't know. With you? Anything."

"I'll just hope Serena finds someone in the citadel who finished the Phase 6 [Beacon] and is going to Stage 3."

"Relying on luck?" Artemis started cackling.

"Why are you laughing? It makes sense."

"Man, you are the one person on the planet who does not get to use luck as an argument."

"My reasoning makes sense. There's a high chance she'll run into people who are continuing in the event. She's the final heroine. The government definitely has chosen ones. I'm going to recover my soul fragment. You'll see."

"Sure, Voldemort. We'll talk when your Horcrux gets destroyed." Sitting on top of a tower, Luke watched the ocean rise and turn the desert into sea. At the same time, he watched what Serena was doing in the citadel through her eyes.

"At least we've got Serena TV," Artemis complained.

"Even if all she's done is go to boring meetings." She was "reading" Luke's thoughts so she could see what he saw inside his own mind.

"When are those soldiers coming back?" Serena asked.

"Soon. Two of them are close. They got lucky, and their [Beacon] was near the Lighthouse 2 area. They should arrive in a few days. Plenty of time for us to find out whether they received any clues about Stage 3," answered the person who seemed to be her superior.

"I told you, Artemis," Luke said.

"You got insanely lucky. Like, lottery-level lucky. A wave of bad luck is coming now." They kept watching what Artemis had already named "Serena TV."

"So heroes do sleep. Good to know." Serena had gone to her room. After so many days without sleep, she was finally resting. Luke smiled, because he had discovered something important.

"Sunrise already... I'm tired," Serena murmured, looking at the moon through the window.

"Now that's useful." Serena was weaker at night.

"She's like a vampire, except the opposite." In only a few days, Luke had found a major weakness in the heroine.

"Do I stink?" Serena sniffed her armpit.

"Hm... soldier or not, a woman should smell good." She entered a dark room. When she lit a light crystal, she was naked in front of a wooden bathtub.

"Commercial break!" Luke said, cutting the connection.

"No, man! Don't cut to commercial!" Artemis shouted. The connection ended.

"Damn it, Luke!"

"I'm not spying on a naked woman."

"But we could've discovered a new secret. Like... does she shave?"

"That information is not relevant."

"That information is extremely relevant." By morning, the ocean had receded. Luke was still on top of the building.

"They showed up again today." Fish the size of cars leapt from the water, creating an almost beautiful scene. They had translucent wings and moved at absurd speed. With the ocean pulling back, they were hunting small crustaceans dragged to the surface. Excited, Luke activated the [Cloak of the Arcane Witch] and made a huge leap into the sky. In the air, he activated his [Spectral Beast]. He and the enormous kraken slammed into the water with brutal force.

The monster roared and captured six of the fish with its tentacles. The creatures were strong, but not strong enough. Luke killed them one by one.

[You have slain a Reef Glider - Lvl 109] 1, 005, 536 EP earned [You have slain a Reef Glider - Lvl 109] 1, 006, 749 EP earned [You have slain a Reef Glider - Lvl 109] 1, 004, 124 EP earned [You have slain a Reef Glider - Lvl 109] 1, 003, 845 EP earned [You have slain a Reef Glider - Lvl 109] 1, 004, 354 EP earned [You have slain a Reef Glider - Lvl 109] 1, 005, 111 EP earned The quick hunt yielded three cores.

"Eat," Luke ordered the kraken. The monster swallowed the core and began assimilating the fish's soul. Inside Luke's soul world, the creature appeared. Luke killed it. The swordfish form was lost. [The Spectral Beast is awakening skills from the Reef Glider...] Core: Spectral Beast Rank: E Rank D Cores: [105/1000] Core Skill: [Form Devourer] Beast Skills: [Spectral Rend (Rare)], [Predatory Sovereignty (Epic)], [Typhon (Mythic)], [Form Devourer Slot I (Legendary)] Form Devourer: [Juvenile Sunken Kraken (Rank E)], [Reef Glider (Rank E)] Form Devourer Skills: [Titan Grip (Uncommon)], [Maelstrom Dominion (Epic)], [Leviathan's Embrace (Legendary)] Form Slot I Skills: [Gliding Leap (Common)], [Diving Rush (Uncommon)], [Scaled Gleam (Rare)] Cadmus said its base speed was higher than the swordfish's.

Now let's see if it rolled any useful skills. Luke opened the skills. [Gliding Leap (Common)]: The flying fish leaps out of the water and glides for a few seconds. Useful for escaping aquatic predators, crossing obstacles, or gaining distance quickly. [Diving Rush (Uncommon)]: During flight, it dives at high speed and strikes the target with its body. Deals impact damage and can knock small creatures off balance. [Scaled Gleam (Rare)]: Its scales reflect sunlight or moonlight while it glides.

Enemies have difficulty aiming at it, as if they were seeing several reflections at once.

"That's a good mount, Luke Moon," Cadmus said.

"Much faster than the previous one. Though you may need to hold on tightly, since you won't have a saddle." The beast shifted into the flying fish.

"I can attach myself to the beast without a problem. Besides, the tentacle scarf will help keep me steady." Luke left the beast and gave the creature another core to eat. [The Spectral Beast is awakening skills from the Reef Glider...]"I do not understand what you just did," Cadmus said. The beast dissolved, then shifted back into a swordfish.

"I want to test something I've always wanted to try." When Luke opened the beast's skill list, the skills had changed. [Long-Distance Glide (Uncommon)]: The Reef Glider leaps out of the water and glides much farther than normal. Ideal for crossing dangerous stretches of ocean without spending as much energy swimming. [Frictionless Scales (Uncommon)]: This Reef Glider's scales are abnormally smooth, with a silver sheen that seems to run across them when it gains speed.

They reduce friction with water and wind, increasing its maximum speed and decreasing stamina consumption during long crossings. [Chained Leap (Uncommon)]: After gliding and touching the water, the fish can use its remaining momentum to leap again almost immediately. Allows it to travel by alternating between water and air without losing speed.

"Now we're talking. This one's much better as a mount." The other absorbed fish had skills focused on combat.

"It's just like Pokémon..." Artemis muttered. Luke still had one last Reef Glider core. He could feed it to the beast and gamble on a new skill roll, but he didn't risk it. There was a chance the core would not have good skills for ocean travel. [You have absorbed a Rank D core] [Rank D Cores: 108/1000] He secured himself to the fish and ordered the creature to swim. The launch nearly ripped Luke off the monster. Too fast. He had to force the beast under control.

The fish sank and rose like a torpedo, leaping out of the water. In the air, it spread its translucent wings and glided over the waves.

"Fuck!" Then it dove back in. Luke stayed mounted on the fish as the creature jumped out of the water again and again, covering more distance than the swordfish ever could. In a few minutes, the beach was left behind.

"Now I am almost certain you'll reach the [Beacon] in time, Luke Moon. With luck, you may even make it back to the citadel in time," Cadmus said.

"Don't jinx us," Artemis said.

"The only thing that might delay you is a long [Beacon] challenge. Or if a giant beast swallows us along the way, which is likely, since the region of your [Beacon] is such a dangerous sea that not even the event sent anyone there during the Phases."

"Wow. Super motivating. Amazing," Artemis said.

"Thank you. I am doing my best as a Guide. Even if the odds of death are ninety percent, since Luke Moon is currently riding something most of those threats like to eat."

"Either way, I've still got ten percent on my side."

"Correct."

"But from what Wall-E just said, you're riding something that's on the menu for giant sea beasts," Artemis said.

"We're going to be a target out there."

"At least it's not in the [Abyssal Zone]."

"If it were, your chances of making it out alive would be... oops, there's no chance of making it out alive from there. Haha," the robot said.

"How do we turn off this Alexa?" Artemis asked. Mounted on the beast, Luke raced toward a horizon swallowed by storm clouds.