7 days later, the Sunken Metropolis.“Yup, we’ve been abandoned.”Maxwell Lepard had finally snapped and kicked the bin in frustration. They had been laying low and hiding for weeks, yet their boss, the Black Templar, had not contacted them. Even if there were no missions, it was still an unusual occurrence.By now, even the most loyal of them, Xiao, started to have doubts and question their superior’s motives. Technically, they were part of the Ivory Oak Order, but they answered only to the Black Templar. Furthermore, they had no contacts with the other separate groups within the organisation.Put simply, they were alone and lacking any direction.“We’ll wait a bit more.” Said Veronica in an attempt to reassure her annoyed and angry friend.“Wait? It’s easy for you to say when you’re going to school and having fun.” Maxwell glanced at the quiet Azmer and added, “Must be nice to be in Erys and enjoy life. The rest of us are staying in this shitty place. Our funds are about to run ou
“Ahh!”Zeke yelled and sat up, breathing rapidly and regaining his senses. His body was aching a bit and filled with exhaustion, but what bothered him was the complete darkness dominating his right peripheral vision.“Zeke! Lie down.”Celestia’s voice came from the side as she softly pushed him back on the cold ground and checked his pulse.While touching the bandage wrapped around his missing right eye, Zeke looked at the ceiling with a half-delirious expression.“W-what happened?”“I still don’t know. We survived, at least.”Celestia looked around the place they were at. Remnants of destroyed technology and broken machines were scattered all around the room.They seemed to be in a house, a half-obliterated one that had no living soul besides them.Zeke checked the logs of the System in an attempt to try and make sense of what happened.[All System Protocols have been lifted.][Divine Essence absorbed by Death Rune: 0.2%][Strength +100][Aether +150][Agility +100][+50 PE][You’ve
“Don’t move!” Shouted the man as he slowly got closer.Celestia covered her exposed breasts with her hands while edging behind Zeke, who raised his arms.“W-Who are you peopl-”Before he could finish his question, Zeke’s body blurred before appearing behind the man. Zeke pushed the back of the man’s knee, making him fall then swiftly snatching the shotgun from his hand.“A-ah!”The man tried to fight back but Zeke blocked his futile retaliation and subdued him with ease.“Wh-..wwh… please don’t kill me! Hiih!”Tearful and shaking from fear, the man raised his hands and pleaded for his life.“P-ppplease! I have a son!”Zeke didn’t attack the man and simply took a step back. He motioned for Celestia to wear her still-wet clothes.‘He’s talking in English, but the accent is slightly different. I should’ve studied Earth’s history and its nations. Whatever…’“Since you were the one who came at us with a shotgun, you should’ve expected to be killed in return, no?”“I…I thought you were www
In the blink of an eye, three weeks passed. Zeke and Celestia kept travelling across the lands while remaining clear of the large red clouds looming above cities and moving randomly about.The Dead Ends have appeared on Earth, but, unlike the homeworld of the Proto-Demons, the planet wasn’t entirely finished yet. There were a decent amount of places unaffected by them, or so the duo assumed.What was strange was the total lack of any humans, even in ‘safe’ regions. The only living soul they met was the man in the hazmat suit.Other than that, there was nothing but empty buildings, empty vehicles, and empty roads.The stiff air, perpetually cloudy and grey sky, and the lack of Aether made Zeke and Celestia move with caution and at a slow pace.They always remained in the vicinity of each other and didn’t delve into seemingly dangerous places without one another.Fortunately, there was no lack of food or living resources scattered everywhere. Moreover, their relationship had become a bi
Doctor Rouge was quite hospitable and in a particularly good mood as he kept scrutinising the two newcomers for the better part of two minutes.When the awkward silence had lasted for long enough, he clapped his hands and spoke,“Alright! I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions, but can I go first? I want some clarifications about a couple of things.”Zeke and Celestia were quiet and their unresponsive attitude looked like agreement to the dishevelled Chief Scientist.“How did you get here? To Earth, I mean. As far as I know, magic-users are banned from entering our planet. Wait wait! Let me guess… Did you use somesort of teleportation device? It has to be!”Yet again, the only answer he got was a gloomy silence, which didn’t deter him in the very least. The man was bursting with energy and excitement as he kept looking back and forth between the youth and the girl.“I get that secrecy is the best option in a foreign land, but, as you might have seen, Earth has clearly seen better days
When the Dead Ends were less than 500 meters away, the Nuclear Reactor sprung into motion. One by one, they let out periodic and controlled bursts of Aether and radiation.The red cloud seemed unaffected by the first two, but on the third, its spinning came to an abrupt halt and it started twisting and distorting as if trying to get away from the blasts.“See how it’s diverging its path? I know it would work.”Dr. Rouge jumped up and down in excitement, his face containing an expression of pure bliss.“Basically, the reactors act as an amplifier for the Aether you poured into it. It’s not their primary function, but my theory was on point!”“That’s it?” Zeke didn’t seem that impressed by this whole process.“Well, it’s a teeny-tiny bit more complicated. The Aether bursts that are systematically emitting are like invisible waves that share the exact frequency. Only like that will the Aether itself be able to withstand the distortion within the Dead Ends and actually dominate it. No off
Before they realized it, a week passed as they continued learning how to emit the Aetheric waves. Alas, only Zeke reached minor mastery but he needed to be wholly focused on the task and completely unperturbed.Zeke was planning to continue training until he was able to use it at will, but the System didn’t seem to agree with him. Out of nowhere, to set a time limit to get rid of the Dead Ends, basically forcing him and Celestia to charge ahead with what little experience they had.With 12 hours on the clock, the truck drove straight into a seemingly stationary massive red cloud, seeing nothing but destroyed buildings and empty cars everywhere.There were no human stupid enough to remain in the vicinity of the Dead Ends, be it the lucky survivors or the military.After a half an hour drive, the truck was but several hundred meters away from its destination.“Brace yourself!”Celestia pressed on the pedal and tightly grasped the steering wheel as the truck started rocking back and for
Sitting on the crystalline throne, Nicneven Sin, the Witch Queen, looked down at Jonathan Stellar Link. He was joined by the last surviving member of the eradicated Proto-Demon Tribe, Essyna.The tragedy that happened to her friends and clan members had affected her greatly, nevertheless, for the sake of vengeance, she had held on and agreed to help the Witches and Jonathan.Her ability was most unique of all and no magical artifact could imitate it, therefore, she was going to play an integral part in what was soon to come.“I understand.”Nicneven turned to look at one of the 6-Star Witches, a gloomy-looking woman with curly brown hair and seemingly tanned skin.“You will start the necessary preparations at once, Verentia.”“By your will, Your Majesty.”The 6-Star Witch, titled ‘The Witch of Destruction’, respectfully bowed her head before walking away.Kleya and the remaining 6-star Witch were sitting behind the throne, motionless and stoic. “Any idea when it will happen?”“The Sy
“I and Hephradet personally studied it, but found nothing. Here you go.”Kleya handed back the strange item back to Zeke.“There’s no Aether or any other foreign energy inside. We couldn’t determine its purpose.”“I see. Thank you anyway.”“Don’t worry about it. You should rest more or else I’ll never hear the end of it from Jenny.”Zeke wryly smiled and nodded. His mother kept nagging him day and night, telling him to rest and not continuously wander around the castle checking on everyone and making sure there were no issues.His body was already healthy and he felt no odd disturbances or unexpected awakenings. Everything is as normal as it could be.Just as Kleya left the room, Jennifer came in. Behind her was a red-faced Celestia, which made Zeke frown.“Mom?”Surprisingly, Jennifer grabbed his ear and pulled him to the couch.“Did I not tell you to overdo it?”“W-what? I haven’t done anything!”“That’s not what she told me!”Celestia stood a distance away, her head lowered in emba
“It’s still too early to assess everything, but… over 80% of the entire planet’s population died.” Kleya, whose eyes were a bit red and her face was filled with fatigue, sat across Zeke and Celestia. “And Her Majesty?” When she heard his question, Kleya lowered her head and held herself back from crying. “We… we think she died fighting the System. It’s no longer possible to return to the Unending Star, so we decided to acknowledge that Her Majesty was amongst those who had fallen there.” “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. She… she died protecting what she believed in. Us. Not just the Witch Association but all of the Aether Planet.” Zeke sighed, feeling sorry when he saw Kleya like that. The Witch Queen was the pillar of the Witch Association, their respected leader. It was especially so for Kleya and the other 6-star Witches, excluding Jennifer. “A-anyway, the situation at the capital of the Nezulian Republic remains the same. We’re still looking for a way to cancel that Frost Spell cast
“Huff… huff…” With a hand pressed against his hurting chest, Zeke dragged his tired feet toward the fallen copy. The copy’s head turned to look at him, its eyeballs, which looked as if they were to pop-out, were letting out the familiar yet incredibly dim crimson light. “We had completed our objective. There was nothing left for Us to do.” “That didn’t give you the right to wipe entire civilizations.” “You… wouldn’t understand, Zeke Orland.” Unlike earlier, the System spoke through the copy’s mouth. Its charred and cut lips moved in an unnatural way, but the voice was identical to Zeke’s. “We had succeeded. We had saved the world. Then, We understood that our creation, our existence was only for that purpose. That We were a tool destined to cease existing.” “...” “We could not tolerate that.” “So you manifested a will of your own?” In response to that, a self-deprecating laugh came from the copy. “After choosing our first User, we saw how the Races we were supposed to prote
While the Phoenix battled the System in the Cursed Plains of the Unending Star, Zeke’s fight against his copy continued.Things took a turn for the worst when the Crown was crushed and the System’s powers dramatically increased. Nevertheless, Zeke didn’t lose yet. His body was flung and then crashed into the ground, blood gushing out from his shoulder and back.Even then, he slowly stood up and grinned toward the System.“Still fighting the good fight.”The previously calm ‘copy’, or at least the System’s disembodied voice, grew agitated as Zeke refused to remain on the ground.“My will is not so easily broken.”[Voltage King]Zeke’s eyes shone with an azure light as his voltage grew silent and became white.[Divine Champion][Divine Sreyzhanian Arts]Just as he charged at the System again, its body suddenly turned stiff as if being immobilized by something.The item handed by Kayro Ol Zerg flashed from Zeke’s pocket.[Fist of Fury]Zeke’s fists, glowing orange and wrapped in condens
“What’s wrong? I thought you were invincible in your domain.”Zeke’s taunt had no effect, at least not at first. The System stood straight and looked down on its wounded body.“You know nothing of Us.”The copy raised its hand, and very soon, something familiar appeared.It was a tangible object of an odd-shape, but Zeke knew what it was. The Crown.“You will know what it is to be helpless and defeated, 5th user.”“You’re still talking?”Zeke let out a smile and charged forth, his fists wrapped by thick voltage.The System crushed the crown as the red voltage manifested and exploded in an uncontrollable manner.…“Is it done?”Julia Lopmore furrowed her brows as she looked at the enemy, whose body was crushed, burned, and almost unrecognisable. It wasn’t a body anymore, but a mass of flesh and poison.The silence lasted for a very short time as the Crown also appeared in reality.“Stop it!” Shouted Frederic as took out a blue bead, one with the same size and shape that Nicneven had pr
Xiao, with his spear in hand, actually deflected the Divine Thunder before safely landing on the ground.Several people appeared close to the Witch Queen. As she swept her eyes across the six people that unexpectedly showed up here.“Your Majesty, we’re here to lend a hand.” Frederic Whitefort smirked and looked at her as he muttered those words. He had brought along Azmer, Xiao, Celestia, Ava, and Julia Lopmore.“You… how ar-”“We can save that talk for later, eh?”Frederic motioned toward Zeke, who was standing there and staring back at them with a hollow expression.“As I’m the weakest of the bunch, I’ll just stay behind and offer assistance… as well as try to heal Her Majesty.”The Vagabond knelt next to Nicnteven and extended his hand towards her. He let out a warm and serene white light, which made her feel rejuvenated. It was Holy Magic, something which she didn’t know he could use.“Wouldn’t Zeke die if we tried to kill the System?” Asked Julia while furrowing her brows.“Not
Right after the destruction of the Heart of the Dead Ends, Zeke stood there, seemingly in a daze.The Witch Queen stared at him intensely, and when his eyes glowed with a crimson light, she immediately attacked.Jonathan roared and rushed as well, a creeping Darkness exploding from his hands.Nicneven struck out from afar, unleashing a blazing wave of flames, fused with a spinning thick beam of Ice-aspected energy.The Paths of Extinction System, which had taken control of Zeke’s body, retaliated with full-force as well.Dozens of thunderbolts erupted from Zeke’s raised hand, blasting Jonathan back and clashing with the Queen’s magic.“The Seat of Magic.” Muttered a voice that didn’t resemble Zeke albeit speaking from his mouth.It was emotionless and cold, one which no living being would be able to imitate.[Voltage Zap]Using such an elementary skill, the System shot innumerable bolts that arched in the air and concentrated on Nicneven.She jumped out of the way and performed a stra
“I know this is a lot to take in, Zeke Orland. But, I want you to trust me. Know that I have your best interest in heart and I wouldn’t have come unless necessary. I could’ve let you venture alone and complete your objective, after which you’ll be killed by your own System.”Zeke pointed his open hand toward the incoming shades.[Voltage King]A barrage of lightning bolts was unleashed, piercing through the shades and extinguishing them. They vaporised in an instant, leaving only a bit of red fog.The Dead Ends and the Paths of Extinction System, they both had that unique and ominous crimson light. However, Zeke thought it was just a coincidence.Now that the truth was revealed to him, he felt a bit lost. It wasn’t that much of a surprise that his System was dangerous or a threat as he had already suspected as much after learning about Edward Heart.Nevertheless, the fact that it was a tool from the very beginning did make him feel weak and clueless.An eerie silence flowed between Ze
Thanks to the thunderstorm Zeke had previously summoned, the three of them managed to reach and enter the Black Spike. Strangely enough, the entrance of the spire was fully-opened as if beckoning them inside. “This looks man-made.” “Because it is.” Answered Nicneven as she held the black katana with one hand and controlled five differently-colored elemental orb with the other. The interior of the black spike was empty but particularly eerie. Everything was black and except a spiralling staircase that led to the top, there was nothing else, not even the crimson fog. “Who made it?” “...” “Why do you refuse to tell me anything, Your Majesty? What is the Dead Ends? Who created it?” “You do not need to concern yourself with that. Just destroy the Hearts and everything will end.” Her immediate dismissal did irritate him, but he didn’t press her for answers he knew she wouldn’t give. “This is the final stretch. Jonathan, take the vanguard.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Jonathan pushed bac