“Come on…!”

The mana core of the [Five Ring Atlas] glowed, shimmered for a promising few seconds, spreading that light to other parts of the construct, then died unceremoniously. Vernon’s head clanked against the table and he groaned in frustration.

While the mission was being planned and whatever, there was nothing better to do than to try and get this thing up-and-running. He was in the hanger again with Thunderstrike Hammer and Yatsar, who were both continuing to work on the superweapon. Wasn’t his first choice of location but it had the tools and parts he needed.

What parts he couldn’t find was bought from the shop. Costed a lot but once he had [Five Ring Atlas] online and ready to go, it’d more than pay for itself.

It was an amazing find, Vernon later appreciated, because it was an independent construct, where it contained its own power source and thus wasn’t linked to the creator. Many constructs were like that—linked—and as a result often had stat restrictions. This practice was more commonly found in higher-ranking constructs as there’d be no better battery than the high-ranker who made it. Was cheaper and sometimes more effective that way.

Since [Atlas] was an independent construct, Vernon could use it without repercussions to his body. However, it meant that he had to recharge the crystal (or worse, buy new ones) which meant downtime.

If he could activate this piece of crap anyway.

“What is wrong with you?” Vernon asked the construct, spinning it around to have a better view of the intricate parts he had installed with great difficulty. “C’mon, you can tell me. Do you hate me, or…? I dunno, did I take your lunch money as a kid? Tell me your problems like this is a therapy session. Please?”

“...What are you doing?”

Vernon yelped and jumped back, stumbling on a stool but managing to catch himself, avoiding looking like an idiot in front of…! “B-Blackviper? What’re you doing here? I thought you were with the operators.”

Blackviper had her face-mask down, revealing a beauty mark underneath the right side of her lips. Her expression didn’t indicate any particular emotion; she was as cold as you could get. “I was. I gave myself a break.”

“Okay…”

She wandered over to the table and hummed with a hint of interest. “You did a poor job at connecting everything together. The crystal looks to be improperly installed as well; once this construct starts moving, it’ll jostle around. Not good.”

Vernon grumbled to himself, feeling suddenly defensive so he turned away to save his pride. “It’s the best I managed before, y’know, redoing everything. I would ask the Journeys but…”

“I wouldn’t ask ‘em either in your shoes,” Blackviper said, looking over her shoulder to peek at the two focused Martials grinding away, completely immersed in their work. “Take your things and let’s head outside. It’s too noisy to work on your construct in here.”

“Sure—! Wait.” Vernon blinked a few times. “You know your way ‘round constructs?”

She shrugged. “A thing or two.” Her left arm was extended, and Vernon could see the depressed lines running across her limb. “No cybernetics expert could perform the proper maintenance on me. I had to learn how to do that myself, and that knowledge naturally applies to other fields.”

“Man…” Vernon intently studied her cybernetic arm and imagined the possibilities using cybernetic technology because what Blackviper had was at the tip of the iceberg. In his staring, he caught himself inappropriately gawking, so he cleared his throat and looked away. His cheeks had the faintest warmth.

“Anyway.” She brought her arm back to her side. “Enough chatting. Let’s go.”

***

“The collapsible weapon parts modify [Nightwatch] based on different situations during the field of play, like the cyclops that I shot last night. For targets as big and durable as that, I needed additional firepower that [Nightwatch] in its basic form couldn’t provide.”

“Couldn’t you use a skill to make up for the difference?”

“I could, but now we’re falling into the debate whether a skill or a piece of equipment could do a specific job better.”

“Right.” Vernon stared at the [Atlas]’s internals. There were only a few more things left to screw. Couldn’t mess this up. Especially not with Blackviper behind him; surprisingly, she was a lot more approachable than he expected. Like back during the ambush where him and Kaiya were trapped in the SMV.

She kept a conversation going. It was probably for morale but it didn't discount her actions.

Blackviper wasn’t the heartless assassin that the public sphere made her out to be. But there was still a professional distance she kept. A distance that he had to respect.

“I have to ask.” Vernon slowly began screwing in the final parts. “Which of the weaponry d’ya like better? Your world’s or this one?”

“This one,” she answered right away. “It’s an interesting story, actually. When I first began my tutelage under Jin Tiehan, I was taken aback by the amount of Slayers using medieval weapons in combat. I thought it was stupid and ineffective at one, considering we're talking about the multiverse here. But then, I've seen the creativity and innovation exhibited by the best of us. We have endless sources of inspiration out there in the greater cosmos, places to steal resources and wisdom.

“Yatsar’s SMVs, my [Nightwatch], and other advanced technology are a few examples of your world's ingenuity. I’ve even heard that some maniacs are trying to replicate Elysian Fourteen’s HERO and actually finding success.”

“Heh, I heard ‘bout that. A part of me wonders what’ll be like piloting a mecha like hers.”

“Who knows, I always thought it'd be impractical. But you can't deny that the multiverse has a funny way of bringing seemingly unrelated things together,” she replied, flipping through the manuals that Vernon had collected for various parts.

Vernon paused for a second. “Yeah. Uh, another question. This one is unrelated but also a little weird.”

“Sure.”

“How would you react if, uh, if your otherself did something that affected you now? Just a hypothetical.”

He could feel Blackviper’s mildly confused gaze stinging the back of his neck.

“That is a weird question,” she said after some time.

“I kinda warned you it was weird.”

Regardless of the question’s peculiarity, Blackviper thought on it. She didn’t disregard it unlike other people he knew. Truthfully, she answered, “I would murder my otherself.”

“Huh?”

“If she managed to cause trouble between universes, then she poses a massive problem to the multiverse as a whole. Luckily, problems like her have a simple solution.”

“I guess you have a point…” But that wasn’t what I meant. That’s on me for not elaborating on the question further but not like I could anyway. Seraph wouldn’t allow me to, and you wouldn’t understand anyway.

Nothing else was said afterwards. In the background they had the music of organized chaos: the two Journeys operating violent tools dancing with the rampant gunfire that he had grown accustomed to, mixed together with occasional explosions and the amalgamation of busy action throughout Grendel Arsenal.

It took about five minutes before Vernon exclaimed with satisfaction and closed the outer shell, stepping back with [Construct Interface] activated, the skill that allowed for direct control of his constructs. “I think it’s ready.”

“Let’s hope for the best, then.” Blackviper watched.

[Skill Activation: Construct Interface - Five Ring Atlas]

The [Five Ring Atlas] laid on the ground and there illuminated was its shell in an oceanic blue. It buzzed warmly with mechanical life. Like a drone, it ascended several feet into the air with its five golden rings placed perpendicularly against the inner center ring, all six spinning.

As designated by its protocols—both Vernon and Blackviper looked at the code—the [Atlas] automatically maneuvered itself to hover above Vernon’s left shoulder, levitating at the ready.

An euphoric glee came over Vernon and he began to cheer like a five-year-old seeing a white Christmas morning. When he moved, so did the construct, always positioning itself over his shoulder. He did various dances and drills, moving sporadically, in odd patterns, to mimic the chaos in the battlefield, and not once did the [Atlas] falter.

“It looks like the levitation works,” Blackviper said, crossing her arms, allowing herself the faintest smile. “But we need to test the other features. Otherwise, the construct only provides emotional support. And not much of it.”

“Right.” From his [Inventory], he retrieved his [Modified Energy Rifle] with a linked-targeting module already installed. This will mark any targets he shot, thus communicating to the construct to open fire as well. “Thanks for your help anyway, Blackviper. I prolly wouldn’t have gotten this far without it.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m doing my duty as your senior, nothing more.”

“My senior?” Vernon asked but quickly realized that was a stupid question and shook his head. I’m gonna be a real Slayer after this. I’m gonna be Operator. “Y-Yeah, right. I almost forgot.”

“I underestimated the Baptists. Alba more than Alumnus,” Blackviper confessed although it seemed unwarranted.

“What d’you mean?”

“I thought you would be burdensome in the field. I trust Seraph’s judgment but even I questioned her decision to bring Pseudos in the fight. She was right to. You’re not ordinary civilians. You have what it takes to survive in this world.”

“Ah…” He thought back to the ambush, where he killed two rogues who had invaded his [Perch]. Strangely enough he wasn’t that torn up about the act, because whenever his feelings were contemplated on, he remembered Alexander’s speech not too long ago. A warmth eased into his stomach.

Apocalyptics were worth nothing more than the everyday monsters he exterminated throughout the week.

“Yeah.” Vernon smiled. “Don’t mention it. I’m just doing my job as a Baptist.”

Blackviper showed him a smirk. He knew this was a rare sight to see and cherished it. “Appreciate your TL. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better leader than him.”

“From experience?”

“No, I’ve always been under Jin Tiehan’s command. I say that because I’ve observed hundreds of teams. Good leadership is hard to come by.”

“Right, yeah. Obviously. Anyway…” Vernon tapped his [Energy Rifle].

“Yup. Let’s get started.”

The pair went through the various functions that the [Five Ring Atlas] possessed. Some failed, some worked, all were tested. Each ring was not limited to only a single element, rather they each could adopt the Greek Five Elements. As for the number of targets, the linked-targeting module could mark up to five targets that lasted for ten seconds, refreshed only when Vernon shot said target again.

The projectiles themselves, the elemental bolts, could not be changed in any way. The size and energy output remained constant. If anything differed, something was wrong.

When having multiple rings active and multiple targets at play, the construct had a complex algorithm developed by the original owner (whenever a preset was not activated). It looked at the number of targets, the amount of mana used, who Vernon was currently shooting at, et cetera, and automatically divided the rings. There were flaws, but Vernon could probably iron them out once he had a chance to learn the language.

An extra layer of complexity was added when Vernon got to the presets. In actuality, the [Five Ring Atlas] wasn’t completely an automatic construct; he would compare it to a self-driving car that had manual transmission. Through the [Construct Interface], he could control the behavior of the construct via presets.

It simply meant he had to familiarize himself with the tech.

*

[Construct Interface] - Five Ring Atlas BEHAVIOR STATUS PRESETS FOCUS FIRE CROWD CONTROL FF - AETHER FF - FIRE FF - WATER FF - EARTH FF - AIR FF - ALL CC - AETHER CC - FIRE CC - WATER CC - EARTH CC - AIR CC - ALL DIRECT RING CONTROL - [ACTVATE ALL] | [DEACTIVATE ALL]

RING ALPHA

ACTIVATE DEACTIVATE AETHER [CURRENT] FIRE WATER EARTH AIR

RING BRAVO

ACTIVATE DEACTIVATE AETHER FIRE [CURRENT] WATER EARTH AIR

RING CHARLIE

ACTIVATE DEACTIVATE AETHER FIRE WATER EARTH [CURRENT] AIR

RING DELTA

ACTIVATE DEACTIVATE AETHER FIRE WATER [CURRENT] EARTH AIR

RING ECHO

ACTIVATE DEACTIVATE AETHER FIRE WATER EARTH AIR [CURRENT]

Construct Status: Active

Shell Durability: 100%

Energy Capacity: 90%

Levitation Spell Plate: Operational

Aether Spell Plate: Operational

Fire Spell Plate: Operational

Water Spell Plate: Operational

Earth Spell Plate: Operational

Air Spell Plate: Operational

Ring Alpha: Operational

Ring Bravo: Operational

Ring Charlie: Operational

Ring Delta: Operational

Ring Echo: Operational

Primary Mana Crystal's Health: 100%

Secondary Mana Crystal's Health: 100%

Linked Weapon(s):

Modified Energy Rifle

Modified Energy Pistol

~~~

“Miss Shen, I almost thought I had to chase after you.”

Making a Journey chase after me? Call me the Guild Master. Althea shot Alma a smile. “My schedule isn’t as busy compared to my brother’s. Sorry ‘bout the wait, though. What d’ya need?”

Since Althea gained [Sovereign Spirit Beast Physique], Alma had been on a complete rampage on her behalf, pulling out old documents and notes pertaining to her positive condition, educating himself, all the while dealing with the pressing threat. He seemed really enthusiastic about this, which made sense given his position and field of study, but at some points it seemed absurd how far he was willing to go.

He even tried to nab Alexander for a test yesterday but Jin Tiehan shooed him away.

“I have something to give you. Consider this a personal gift and a promise.” Alma motioned to a simple-looking steel box at the center of a table, sitting on an uneven pile of papers and scrolls.

Althea approached the table, her intrigue piqued. “A promise?”

“Yes. As you know, you have the [Sovereign Spirit Beast Physique], a positive condition that has only been recorded four other times throughout recorded history. It is so rare that there’d normally be wall-to-wall news coverage and within the hour, the world would know your name.”

“Right…” Or alternatively, they’re gonna be more interested in Alex since he’s the future EX-ranker here. I’ll just be his cooler little sister. “It can’t be that big of a deal, right? I mean, it’s just a massive freakin’ boost to spirit assimilation and whatnot.”

Alma nodded, stepping closer, a hand rested on a stack of documents. “It is, but remind yourself of Gul and Firebrand. Their powers grew by assimilating their spirit beasts; once you find the right beasts—great fairies, creatures created by gods or remnants of gods themselves—they may have the ability to increase your Growth Potential permanently. Permanently.”

Althea gulped, remembering what Seraph had said. So me being an SS-Rank isn’t a pipe dream. “I’ll, uh, I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. Tell me what the promise is.”

“Ah yes, I almost forgot!” Alma glanced away briefly, showing a flash of embarrassment. Then returned to her a serious gaze, one that extinguished Althea’s usual snarkiness. “Promise me this, Shen: Keep yourself safe. The emergence of the System ironically gave us peace through the threat of total annihilation; however, in that peace created those who seek ultimate strength on the same level as divinity. Blasphemy has become commonplace, and apotheosis is no longer fantasy. Power is sacred.

“In their pursuit, there’ll be indomitable individuals who will stop at no end to attain just a fraction of your power. I may not know the means but they do exist, as you cannot assume inexistence in the multiverse. That is why I haven’t told Jin Tiehan or anyone else for that matter. While he is one of these people, an ally for now, I’m not sure how he’ll react.”

Althea was surprised by his sincere words. She thought Alma had a more selfish promise, like wanting her to constantly visit or maybe even offer her a place in Martials. Instead what was given was wisdom from an older gentleman who had surely seen his fair share of ugly. It reminded her of Uncle Ali. If only she could talk to him now.

She took a second to process his selfless promise then reassured him with confidence taking over her demeanor. “Don’t worry. Jin Tiehan knows, wouldn’t do anything to slight my brother. Even if he does, I have people.”

Alma smiled and pushed the box closer to her, dragging papers along and crumpling them without a care. “Yes, of course. Open it. It should be unlocked.”

The box was dragged the rest of the way and there she realized it was a container. After a few seconds of feeling around the cold exterior, she found the button and pressed it, clicked. Automatically the container’s upper half was split open, moved horizontally to the sides and revealed the treasure sitting within a tight foam filling.

It was a small vial no longer than her middle finger. Inside the vial was a dense cloud of electric energy so potent that she was reluctant from touching it so carelessly. It might shock her dead.

She appraised it.

[Creature]

Lightning Spirit

E1 Spirit

Skills:

???

Power: F7

Constitution: F3

Agility: F6

Magick: D8

“A Lightning Spirit?” she asked herself, observing the vial itself.

[Item]

Spirit Hibernation Capsule

A capsule designed to capture an elemental spirit and put them in hibernation. In order for a spirit to hibernate, the capsule needs to be placed in proper conditions.

“Yes,” Alma began, admiring the Spirit from where he stood. “It’s Catalyst’s. I pestered her enough and she gave it to me.”

“Why did she have it in the first place?”

“For a project she never started. She had it for a couple of years, actually. Normally, it’s quite expensive to attain an elemental spirit in a pristine condition. At least millions, I’d say. And now it’s yours.”

“Mine… Can I touch it?”

Alma hummed and stepped back.

Althea hesitantly wrapped her fingers around the delicate capsule and felt lightning itch at her fingertips. She held it to the light and saw sparks flash inside, and distinctly two condensed golden masses were in the center. Eyes. They were the Spirit’s eyes.

She couldn’t assimilate with the Lightning Spirit now, not when she was currently a Pseudo. At most she could form a partnership once the genie was out of the bottle. But how could she do that?

“Thanks, Alma.” Althea carefully put it back. “I don’t know what to say—“

“Just remember my promise and do good things for this beautiful world. The respect that Blackviper and Jin Tiehan have for you is also my respect to share. I have high hopes, Miss Shen,” Alma told her, smiling warmly.

“Yeah… I guess I should give it a name, huh?” She thought back to the times when Alexander taught her Mandarin though she was far from fluent.

“Shandian,” she decided. “Just to keep it simple.”

[Shandian has been registered in [Incomplete Sovereign Spirit Beast Physique]!]

"Yes, what a fitting name..." Alma glumly said for some strange reason.

Althea perked her head up. "What's goin' on? If you don't mind me asking."

"Ah, nothing. It's nothing..." he replied but he lied as good as a little kid. His eyes drifted to his laptop and his various reports scattered across the tables, and tensely he bit his lips. "Please, keep yourself and your team safe, Miss Shen."

"Of course. We have you and Jin Tiehan plus Blackviper on our side. We could dive head-first into a high-ranked expedition and we'd come out okay."

"Absolutely, but remember what I told you earlier: your positive condition has to be a well-kept secret to defend against the nefarious actors in the world. Jin Tiehan is one of them. I am no psychologist but he is the perfect definition of a psychopath." Like Damien, but his brain got wired because of his demon-blood.

"I know, he gives me the creeps but at least he's helpful—"

"Only because he has something to gain. There are no barriers he wouldn’t break. You may accept his aid but with the knowledge that you are furthering his goals. You may fight side-by-side with him but treat him as no better as the monsters you are slaying. Our Guild Master Jin Junjie has created a wonderful son, but in his pursuit he has also created a catastrophe that our world may not cope with, an entity he does not wholly understand.

"So listen to me, Miss Shen: Do not trust Jin Tiehan. Your brother needs to learn this lesson most of all, as he is cut from the same cloth as that monstrosity."

*

[Skill]

Incomplete Sovereign Spirit Beast Physique

Your Constitution has been blessed with the physique to withstand almost any creatures of Heaven or Earth. Whether that be the lowest of spirits or the beasts that roam the clouds, they are yours to tame and conquer, and become one with your body.

All spiritual infusion processes will be streamlined.

You are able to maintain a profound connection to your Spirit Beasts.

You are able to infuse with countless Spirit Beasts.

Any infused Spirit Beasts will experience greater development.

Due to the lack of development, the effects of this skill has been reduced dramatically. Once the necessary conditions are met, it is possible that the skill can ascend into an [Honor].

The effects of this skill is active even if it is not equipped.

Current Spirit Beasts:

Shandian, E1 Lightning Spirit [DORMANT]

~~~

[Skill Activation: Incomplete Hwaseong Fourth Arte - Sunset Wing]

[Skill Activation: Incomplete Thousand Branch Spears]

[Skill Activation: Great Psionic Aura]

[Skill Activation: Incomplete Barrier - Draconic Shield]

“There you go!” Hei exclaimed proudly at her miniature class of students. Nostalgia sparkled in her eyes, surely remembering her time as a professor, and melancholy came shortly after. Her enthusiasm was quelled with a soft unspoken grief but soon corrected herself.

Her students were observant and detected it, and they communicated through looks and ultimately decided not to press further. The best medicine was this: doing, focusing on the mission.

To take down Carn’s Apocalyptics. Well, they wouldn’t be doing that directly but they had to prepare for anything.

Chunhua twirled her spear around, cute little leaves spawning and decaying within the second as consequence of her technique, and she swept back her pretty hair. “What’s next, Professor?”

“Gul,” reminded Hei. “I’m no longer your professor anymore.”

“Yes, Gul.”

“Good.” Professor Hei, or rather Gul, thought about the formations. “Leona, Chunhua; Victor, Kaiya—go ahead and spar. I’ll watch from afar and give corrections as needed.”

“Yes, ma’am!” they said in unison and settled into their partners.

Kaiya shot ocean-blue psionic attacks against Victor’s [Talonstrider], which was held real low due to the weight of it, but he managed to stand his ground. For the esper, she wasn’t pushing herself far in fear of psionic overuse. Her attacks were basic and lightly-powered but hard-hitting nonetheless—brute force was her strategy.

Here, Leona was at an inherent disadvantage because spears outclassed swords in terms of range, and Chunhua more than knew how to use hers. But she was nice and went easy, allowing Leona to practice her techniques. They exchanged positions and stances without a word said, switching between offense and defense.

And Leona maintained her [Weak Sword Spirit], its grayness light like silver.

Gul called out names, asking them to change their behavior, correcting them, telling them to ease up or go harder. She had an instinctual understanding of her students.

“Chunhua,” Leona began as they lightly sparred, “can I ask you a few questions?”

“Of course,” she replied with a wide sweep, avoided by deftly lurching back.

The [Ornate Jikdo] darted out to whack at the shaft, did little damage, pushed back. “What’re your thoughts about this?”

“This?” Chunhua canted her head in confusion. “I wonder about your thoughts myself. I can’t imagine the position you are put in: facing the rogue that had injured you before with the knowledge that he collaborated with our enemy.”

“Heh.” Leona forced the spar to continue by lunging forward, her gray-blade twanged against the shaft once more.

There Chunhua received the message and reciprocated, acting aggressively for the next few blows but they were deflected easily.

“You don’t need to imagine hard,” Leona said after the exchange, using her sleeve to wipe away the sweat and dirt on her forehead. “How do I say this? It’s no use contemplating about that bastard, fantasizing what he might’ve done or could do. That energy is well-spent doing this—!”

Suddenly she dashed forward and clashed weapons with Chunhua. She had the superior strength due to her status as a B-Rank but she maintained the clinch, playing up the struggle.

“Carn is our enemy now, Chunhua. That’s all he is to me.” Because if I treat him as anything more, he’ll pleasure himself over it. “Believe me, I wish we can put him in a grave but our mission takes priority over personal grudges. He has the information we want so we'll capture him. Even if it means breaking his legs to drag him back here!”

Leona disengaged, hopping back several times, sliding her feet across the dirt, a cloudy trail left in her wake. “And when we’re done, that’s when we’re throwing him into the sea.”

Chunhua was taken aback by her sudden courage but conceded the question afterwards, smiling. “You are very true, yes. What was your question again? It’s only fair if I have to answer.”

“Well.” The [Ornate Jikdo] was raised. “How do you feel about the position you’re in? I know you really wanted to enter Martials but Alex is sort of taking all the attention away from you.”

“Ah, that. Yes.” She chuckled as though it was a silly thing. “It’s what you said: our grudges—rather, feelings—are second to the mission as a whole. And it is not like I misunderstand. I recognize Alexander’s potential—!”

Breaking in the middle of her sentence, Chunhua charged suddenly with a powerful thrust, spear spinning. Leona instinctively reacted by parrying and moving to the side simultaneously, shooting back with a thrust of her own.

As expected, Chunhua dodged that. She continued what she was saying, “Ha! I recognize Alexander’s potential, yes. I am happy for him, which is a very odd thing to say considering the time and place.”

Leona laughed. “Oh, I can relate.”

“Haha, yes. Currently, I’m fighting not as a singular entity but as a piece to the greater whole. As a Baptist, as Alexander said.” Chunhua cocked her spear back. “Do you not agree?”

And Leona matched. “I do. Let’s advance to the heavens, for our sake.”

“Let’s.”

[Skill Activation: Incomplete Fourth Arte - Sunset Wing]

[Skill Activation: Incomplete Thousand Branch Spears]

As their clash rang throughout the field, Victor looked down at Kaiya who was on her knees, trying to viciously wipe away the blood which was pouring down her nose.

“You gonna die?” he asked her flatly.

Kaiya nodded, submitted. “Yeah. Gonna be the first Baptist to die.”

“Yeah, don’t joke about that.”

She retorted something in Japanese.

~~~

“Shit,” huffed Alexander, breathlessly groaning then laughing at how easy it'd been to get thrown over. Made him feel like he was a kid again. Hell, compared to this guy, probably he fought like one.

“On your feet, Shen!” exclaimed the man, smiling down at him.

“Couldn’t you have gone a little easier on me…?” Alexander complained as he helped himself up and was met with soft disapproval from his words, so he laughed it off. “It’s a joke, Milkor.”

Milkor’s grin was pulled tighter at the corners of his lips, containing such power and confidence that Alexander got reminded of the late Jury who'd been killed during Scorcher. He, too, was an Otherguard. His arms were laced with a lattice of scars plus coin-sized patches. Everything about him from his face to his physique detailed strength that Alexander was familiar with, gained only by weathering through the worst conditions and he could do it again a thousand times over.

That was Milkor, an S-Rank Slayer who'd been designated as the Team Leader of the Graylord detachment present within Ordo at the time of outbreak. A tall African man (exact country unknown, most likely South Africa). Amongst his peers he was unmatched when it came to gunplay.

When the Graylords arrived, they took the entire base by storm with their presence. Since Jin Tiehan had personally requested for Alexander to take part in directly apprehending the Apocalyptics, he had to introduce himself to the operators and was subsequently tested by them, to see if he "really was the [Silver-Eyed Demon]" that supposedly took down ten Slayers by himself.

The Duskheads, too, received training.

Milkor tossed Alexander a water bottle. “Do you have military experience?”

“Military experience?” he replied as he unscrewed the cap. “None, actually. Why did you ask me that now?"

“I’m trying to figure you out, my brother, since we'll be hunting together. You are like a puzzle. Please correct me if I make any mistakes..." Milkor said with a noticeable African accent, his eyes zooming out as he processed the information he surely gathered before hand. "You are a [Survivor of Hangzhou], you have no military experience, you are not enrolled in a Systemic Works program?"

Alexander nodded. "I went into Economics."

“Economics, that's right. But you fight like a Slayer. Enough for..." Milkor pointed deeper into the field where Jin Tiehan was speaking with the other operators, "...the Righteous to personally request your involvement. There is something I'm missing here."

“Well.” Alexander canted his head, acting mysterious. "My dad taught me how to fight since I was in elementary school. But I'm afraid saying anything more than that is a secret."

That caused Milkor to smile. “We all have secrets. I—” A blue screen popped up beside him, a notification. “Perfect timing. I have a secret to show you. Come, come.”

Before Alexander could ask what the secret was, Milkor was already walking away faster than he could run. Damned high-rankers sometimes, them and their high Agility. He had to break out into a [Mana Sprint] just to reasonably catch up to Milkor and keep a steady pace behind him, and Milkor decided to take him around the base for a good fifteen minutes, working Alexander like a horse before finally bringing him to their destination, in which he could finally take a breather.

He found himself in a small semi-circle of caravans and mobile centers. Most of which looked to be SMVs.

About a dozen worked here. Milkor approached the center-most workshop with one of its walls propped up, revealing the tight yet efficient machinery inside. He spoke with the leading artisan inside, exchanged crude banter, before a large manasteel crate was pulled out and dropped onto the ground like a boulder crashing into a lake.

“This!” Milkor slapped the lid. “Is yours.”

“Mine…?” Alexander muttered. He turned to Milkor, who nodded and urged him to open it.

Inside the crate was three items: a combat suit, a strange carbine partnered with an equally strange pistol.

He looked at the combat suit first. It wasn’t too different than the [Combat Suit] he was already wearing, a D-Rank armor that he had brought before Operation Scorcher. This one, however, he could feel a steady heat-like wave pulsing from it. Some sort of magic was imbedded within the suit. Taking it out, the palette was the same: primarily black with white lines patterned throughout but had a different design and layout. Hard, flexible pads were imbedded onto the elbows and knees.

And at the center of his chest, he found the source of the mana resonance: an octagon-shaped shell. He pried the covering open with great force, and behind it was a glistening pearl-colored crystal. Underneath the gem was magical lines reminiscent of the ones found on his [Red Barrier Brooch].

[Armor]

Reduced Silver Demon Bodysuit [B]

For the Silver-Eyed Demon of the Dawn Baptists, our gift to you.

Initially an A-Rank item but reduced in order to accommodate for you. This bodysuit has been designed to be impervious to common calibers, magics, and edges.

Force Barrier Crystal: At the center of the bodysuit is a Force Barrier Crystal, creating an additional layer of defense. Whenever you are hit with a projectile, the barrier will automatically absorb the force to a certain extent. Self-Healing: Whenever this bodysuit takes damage, the fabric will automatically sew itself back together once out of combat. However, this is not absolute.

“Christ…”

He immediately checked the firearms. They weren’t ballistic weapons that you would typically find in standard use, like the guns Alexander was currently using.

Instead they were energy weapons—what Vernon used.

Sleek and matte-gray, red lines coursing through them, designed with a sci-fi aesthetic but made to be ergonomically efficient as humanly possible. Lifting the rifle first, it was shockingly light yet felt powerful, resilient. You could put this thing through the roughest conditions but it’d work perfectly.

The same applied to the pistol as well. Sleek, efficient, tough.

[Weapon]

VX-10 Rosario [A]

Only two things can put a man on his knees: the Lord and a Rosario.

Manufactured by Esperanza Arms, the VX-10 Rosario is a high-quality used in even special operation units, designed to tear through most obstructions and common armor with ease. You would be hard-pressed to find a more devastating energy rifle.

Firing Modes: Semi-Automatic, Automatic, Burst Natural Mana Absorption: The Rosario is naturally equipped to absorb mana through the air.

[Weapon]

Lapaz V [A]

There is no better peacemaker.

Manufactured by Esperanza Arms, the Lapaz V is a high-quality energy pistol used in even special operation units, as a reliable sidearm. It fits comfortably in your hand like a glove.

Natural Mana Absorption: The Lapaz is naturally equipped to absorb mana through the air.

Even Alexander heard stories about these type of weaponry. As the summary stated, these were made by Esperanza Arms, which was considered to be the best weapons manufacturer when it came to energy-type armaments. The [Rosario] and [Lapaz] were two such examples of their craftsmanship. The engineers there had one goal in mind: they wanted non-systemic users to be able to use their products without repercussions, and they had and they worked wonderfully.

As a result, just about everyone and their mother wanted to get their hands on them. But these were absurdly expensive and had a long waiting list. Mark wanted to buy one for personal use. He said it'd take a year, and that was after using his influence as a Royals Head Officer.

It was perfect for Alexander since as an E-Rank Pseudo, there were little high-ranking equipment that went without stat restrictions. Alba struggled finding quality equipment as a result. They either needed specially-made gear, such as the [Sword of Conquerors] that the System gave Alexander (thus automatically specialized), reducing an item's rank such as the [Silver Demon Bodysuit], buy one from the shop (however the improvements could not justify the cost), or finding one out in the wild.

The options took time, money, and luck. And they did not have time or luck.

Despite having Seraph's backing, they had to don low-ranked gear. But it wasn't terrible. They made do with what they got.

"Shit..." Alexander muttered, rubbing his mouth, glancing between Milkor and the artisans. "Are you serious?"

“Of course.” Milkor took the [Rosario] in his hands and admired it, wiping a few specks of dirt off. “I know your reputation as the [Silver-Eyed Demon] requires you to, err, use your hands, but you have to be more practical, my brother. Good equipment is hard to come by, I know, so this is yours.”

“Jesus…” Alexander knew he'd be saying that a lot. “Are you sure—"

The artisan in the workshop cut him off, "Yeah. You'd be doing us a favor. We needed to get rid of this stuff. The bodysuit? It's been sitting in a crate for about two years now. Merry Christmas."

Milkor gave [Rosario] for Alexander to inspect again. "Once you're done feeling her up, let's get you comfortable, Shen. We have an exciting night ahead of us."

“Yeah. Definitely.”

Throughout the eighth day of the Ordo Disaster, Alexander Shen was pulled between Graylord and Jin Tiehan, preparing him for the operation. It was by far the hardest he had been worked but the training had never felt more satisfying. Occasionally he checked in with the rest of the Baptists, seeing Vernon fight with [Five Ring Atlas] online, seeing Althea trying to figure out what to do with Shandian, seeing Leona and the Alumnus fighting together as a cohesive unit...

And there he was, hours away from meeting Carn once again, the psychopath who had murdered hundreds throughout the Disaster.

It'll be impossible for him to win.

Soon enough, the day passed and the clock ticked to night, and it hadn't felt like thirty minutes.

The pieces were in place.

The people were ready.

Operation Wolf Prowl was about to begin.