Reborn- Apocalypse 2 Read online

  Finally, they parted ways. The Stardust Coalition set off heading North, towards the land of the Godfather Organization, where Micheal had suggested they head. He, personally, considered it the safer part of the Cluster to live in.

  Their Great Bridge dropped them off in the south-western side of the Main Cluster, within the territory of the Angels Arcadia.

  The group planned on meeting up with any agents the various organizations had in the Main Cluster before heading out.

  Micheal watched them go with a faint sigh. He had quite enjoyed his occasional chats with Simon, some of his knowing talks with Officer Martin, or conversations with other members of the Coalition. It was nice to talk with people that didn't have any ulterior motives.

  "Right this way, Emissaries!" Ayer's voice sounded off as Micheal and Sophia followed him and his men, leaving the skyscraper they'd arrived on.

  The man led them forward across a dozen different skyscrapers, following a specific route. The sun, overhead, had long since entered its evening descent, dropping dangerously close to night.

  Eventually, they found themselves at one specific skyscraper. This one had a pair of men on the rooftop that greeted them, dressed in casual clothes with large guns slung on their backs.

  They followed Ayer into the skyscraper. In it, there were multiple rooms that the Angels Arcadia used as re-supply stations for agents and troops out on patrol completing missions or in the field.

  It was here that Micheal finally obtained what he wanted from Ayer.

  A set of maps that covered all of the Main Cluster.

  .. .. .. .. .. ..

  About an hour later, Micheal and Sophia were sitting down in a nice, suite style room with a large common room and foyer. Unlike the side Clusters, the Main Cluster skyscrapers had a very large variety of room types, with hundreds of different types in total.

  This one was quite luxurious, and used as one of the VIP rooms of the Arcadia re-supply station.

  "So this is where we are." Micheal pointed at one of the maps he had spread out on the table, pointing to a specific place on it.

  "Ohh. Wow, the Main Cluster really is big." Sophia replied. Indeed it was.

  "Yeah, but as long as you know where you are, it isn't too much trouble to navigate. You can always find the way to the center of the Cluster too." He nodded and smiled. They had both taken their masks off after finally escaping to privacy.

  "Oh? How is that?" Sophia replied, a questioning look on her face.

  "You'll see." He laughed.

  "Just wait till we hit noon tomorrow. It's rather obvious." He smiled mysteriously.

  She pouted and rolled her eyes.

  They talked for a few more minutes before, after taking a long moment, Micheal broached a topic he'd been meaning to talk about for a while.

  "So… hey… serious talk now." Micheal began, his eyes flashing with intent.

  Sophia looked back at him, her short brown hair tied up in a ponytail.

  "What's up?"

  "It's about the future sight I have… " Micheal began slowly, sounding every word out.

  "This gift of mine… Well, I'll be honest with you, Sophia. I've seen far into the future with it."

  Sophia's eyes widened slightly as she heard this.

  "Like really far? How far?!" She began excitedly.

  Micheal's response was somber as he returned,

  "Around 10 years."

  "Wow!" She gasped as she replied, but then adopted a look of concern,

  "And…?" She picked up on his mood.

  "It's not good." He sighed, rubbing his eyes.

  "Define not good." Traces of humor left her eyes as she looked at him seriously, her gaze pensive.

  "At the end of this journey through the 7 Layers… humanity loses. We die."

  "What?! How?! Are you sure?!" Her eyes widened in horror as she heard the response, a hand rising to cover her mouth.

  "I'm certain. My visions have never been wrong before, right?" He sighed.

  She gazed at him wordlessly, unable to come up with a reply.

  "Humanity, in the end, doesn't even put up much of a fight. We get killed by some of the other Races that were also pulled into this insane death game, beings from worlds or universes different from our own. We aren't the main characters of this story, merely a side plot." His voice was grim as he mercilessly laid out the reality of the normal timeline's future,

  "We didn't stand a chance." In the end, the safest route was to tell most of the truth, that he knew a small part of the future, without telling all of it. At this point, he trusted her fully, but there were certain rare Abilities and Artifacts that could read part of someone's thoughts, and there was no telling what weird powers other Races might have.

  The difference between someone that had a few vague visions of the future and someone that knew the exact, entire future for 10 years was huge. He would rather not risk anything being leaked out or put her in any more danger if he could help it. When they grew extremely strong, he wouldn't mind telling her everything.

  Sophia's mouth twisted as she heard this, her eyes full of worry and despair. Worry for her little sister, for herself, for their future, and for Micheal as well, a man she now considered one of her few friends.

  "After I saw all of this… I made a decision." Micheal's words were full of determination as he continued, his voice sounding out with confidence,

  "I refuse to let that future come true. I want to change that future. I want to create a world where humanity can not only survive, but flourish. Where we won't get wiped out and killed. Where we will live!" He clenched his fist in the air as he finished, genuine passion filling him.

  "But I can't do that alone." He turned his full attention on to Sophia.

  "I know we are on a mission to look for your sister. And we will keep doing that. But I wanted to ask if you would join me on this journey, not only to find your little sister, but also to prevent that future from coming true. To turn us from that path of doom to one that has a chance." He looked her in the eyes, his words echoing in the air.

  Sophia gasped, Micheal's sheer force of presence simply overwhelming. His eyes were those of a powerful, passionate expert that had been through hell and was determined to stop that hell from appearing once more. Her eyes visibly quivered as she took everything he said in, taking several deep breaths.

  "Sorry, haha. I got pretty intense there." Micheal killed the tension of the moment as he laughed quietly, giving her a chance to breathe.

  "But I mean it. Everything I said. I can't do this alone."

  Sophia took several deep breaths, recovering quickly. Her eyes narrowed as she thought everything over in a few short moments.

  "You haven't been wrong before, it's true." She sighed, her mouth twisting.

  "I don't really need to think it over. I'll join you. I can't let my sister live in a reality where we all end up dying, or worse, as slaves or test subjects. Who knows what will happen to humanity if we truly lose." Her faith in Micheal's vision and abilities proved itself here as she accepted him at his word.

  "Being with you is reassuring, if nothing else. It almost seems like you've lived through everything here before. I'm really jealous of that future sight power." She smiled ruefully,

  "That really was intense."

  The two exchanged glances and then laughed for a few moments. Micheal felt a weight rise up from his heart. He had been confident she would join him for the long term but… Now that she said yes, it would make everything he needed to do much easier.

  "Alright. Good. Now that that is settled…" He grinned at her,

  "We can go over all our plans and stuff in the morning." He stood up, stretching his tired body.

  "For now… let's get some rest!"

  .

  Chapter 13

  The re-supply station was officially known as Outreach Building 374. It was manned by a crew of 15 men and women, armed to the teeth. All of them were D or C Ranked. B Rankers were still rare to
find, even in the Main Cluster. They weren't going to encounter them left and right just because they had moved to a new zone.

  After getting a deep, fulfilling rest, Micheal and Sophia had woken up and gone through their normal routines. Micheal did his workout, cultivation, and new Life Orb rest routine, becoming fully prepared for the day. Sophia practiced her bladework, working on taking her swordplay to the next stage while doing her own basic stretching and exercise.

  Sword Mastery was an Ability that grew in strength at exponential levels the further you trained it. By using Intermediate Tier Sword Energy in the battle with the Black Flag Pirates, Micheal had been able to swiftly kill several of his opponents and even damage some of their weapons. Its usefulness would only grow from there, especially as his Soul stat grew stronger and he became able to use his full strength.

  Micheal always went all out when Sophia was practicing and had questions. At the rate that she was practicing, after only a month, she was already showing signs of understanding how to use Sword Energy enough to condense the Basic Tier Sword Energy into Intermediate Tier Sword Energy, a very big first step.

  Plenty of people bought the Ability and then never progressed past the first stage. For her to be showing signs of breaking through already was a rather impressive feat. It had taken him almost a year to break through, though he hadn't had the help of a seasoned and skilled Grandmaster teaching him everything.

  'Status.' As Micheal got out of a large shower, wrapping up in a veritable mountain of towels, he called to mind his status.

  .

  — - Status — -

  Name: Micheal Care

  Points: 52,898

  Race: Human

  Physique: 1 Star

  Soul Quality: 1 Star

  Age: 18

  - Stats -

  Strength - 51 -> 53

  Endurance - 37 -> 39

  Recovery - 35 -> 37

  Soul - 20

  Abilities - (4/7)

  Life Orb Master

  Ki Cultivator (Mortal Tier - Late)

  Grandmaster Sword Mastery (1/5)

  Impact Release

  .

  'Some minor increases again.' He noted, stretching his arms as he dried off. His body was well into the realm of superhumans. If he went by raw stats, he was roughly equal to a decently strong C Ranker.

  Due to the extreme variety of Abilities, there was a large swing in the average stats for any Ranker. Still, most C Rankers would reach their limit at around a Strength stat of 60-70. These stats not only came from Ki Cultivation, but also from other Abilities they had picked up, Type Abilities being the most common factor.

  'I should hit the Peak Stage of Mortal Tier tomorrow. Mortal Tier typically only grants a maximum of 40 points of Strength. I've already gotten a Strength stat of 42 out of it… ' He noted with a smile, doing the math in his head. He started with around a Strength stat of 11. He could feel the raw Ki in him, powerful and vibrant.

  If one practiced Ki Cultivation for at least a few years, even the least talented person could reach the Peak Stage of the Mortal Tier. The fact that Micheal had already exceeded what even the Peak Stage should offer while still in the Late Stage was an abnormality that he had to chalk up to his 1 Star Physique. There was no feasible way to move up to a 2 Star Physique on the First Layer, but he could now understand why humanity faced such a large gap when compared to the other Races.

  'After I reach the Peak Stage, I'll need to prepare to break through to the Earth Tier.' Moving from one Tier to another was a huge deal for most people. Many humans remained permanently stuck at the Peak of Mortal Tier, unable to take that last step forward into Earth Tier unless they used a huge amount of Points.

  That was a large part of what separated C Rankers from B Rankers.

  The number of C or D Rankers in the First Layer was huge. Easily one hundred to one thousand times the number of B Rankers.

  If the Mortal Tier of Ki Cultivation could enhance one's base Strength to 40, then the Earth Tier of Ki Cultivation could enhance one's base Strength to 80. It could effectively double one's base stats.

  The importance of this couldn't be ignored. Many Abilities provided boosts that took into account a human's base body and cultivation. Changing the base power of one's body was incredibly important.

  If one combined the stats of 2 C Rankers, they could most likely equal many B Rankers. However, in a fight, a B Ranker could easily annihilate 2 C Rankers. Not only did most B Rankers have access to more powerful Abilities and stronger gear, the sheer difference in stats could not be made up for in raw numbers.

  The fact that Micheal's constitution placed him among the stronger C Rankers, even without a Type Ability, and was something he achieved in around a month, was an incredibly impressive feat. The fact that he had wiped the floor with multiple B Rankers and A Rankers already was even more impressive.

  'Still… It's only so much, when compared to the Supreme A Rankers, or worse, the S Rankers.' He shook the somewhat self-congratulatory thoughts from his head, focusing. He couldn't let himself get a big head just because he was making good progress. Arrogance was the first step on the path to failure.

  He quickly finished drying off and got dressed. He had to maintain his image, so he wore the same type of professional looking black suit, one he could have magically cleaned by the Shop. He donned his theater mask, disguising his identity as he left his room and headed over towards Sophia's.

  He wasn't worried about there being cameras or bugs squirreled away in their suites. This re-supply station was a random, low-level place, and no one would dare to offend actual Emissaries in such a manner. While everyone was obligated to follow the rules of the Angels Arcadia, angering people that were far stronger than you was typically a very poor decision.

  Sophia was also staying in a type of VIP suite, her identity as an Emissary accepted without question thanks to Micheal. As he headed over there, he yawned slightly, feeling relaxed and comfortable.

  It was still early morning as he walked through the brightly lit hallway. The luxury suites in this skyscraper were located on the 28th floor, decently close to the top. Micheal spotted a pair of guards for the Angels Arcadia standing watch on the floor, on either end of the long hallway. He gave them both a slight nod.

  Sophia's room was just a couple of doors down from his. He knocked on the door to it, studying it and his surroundings closely.

  The hallway had a plain, red carpet and grey colored walls. Fluorescent lights lit it up from above, giving it a modern appearance. The door in front of him was made of wood, lined with golden carvings and drawings, looking rather out of place.

  A few seconds after he knocked, the door shifted and opened up.

  A woman wearing a sad looking theater mask, dressed in a form-fitting black dress, stood on the other end.

  Sophia immediately waved him in.

  He walked inside, his eyes scanning the room. It was luxurious, just like his, and looked almost identical. He walked over to a small couch and sat down on it, taking off his mask.

  "Morning, Sofa!" He gave her a cheeky grin.

  Sophia rolled her eyes as she took her mask off, locking the door behind her.

  "Good morning." She begrudgingly replied.

  "So, what's our big plan?" She continued, cutting right to the chase as she walked over.

  "What are we doing next?" She looked at him inquisitively.

  "We… are splitting up." Micheal smiled dramatically.

  "Huh?" She stared at him.

  "But first, let me hand you this." He pulled out a package from his Spatial Ring, one that was wrapped up in cloth, and gave it to her as she sat down next to him.

  "What is…?" She gestured at the package.

  "It's one of the things I worked on while we were waiting in the Stardust Cluster for the Great Bridge." He had had quite a bit of free time there and made several preparations.

  "It's something you'll need to use in the future to complete the tasks I
have for you." He waved off further questions as he went on,

  "We need to split up. Your job will be to find two people and have them join us." He held up two fingers as he spoke, emphasizing the point,

  "One of them is Shin, I told you about him. He should have the Warping Phaser Ability that allows him to teleport."

  "Okay. I can do that. But where is he at?" After a moment's pause, she responded, looking at him pensively.

  "He'll be located in the north side of the Main Cluster, in the area under the control of the Godfather Organization. As for finding him…" Micheal rubbed his chin. This was one of the things he'd spoken to Shin about before they were warped away, way back in the beginning.

  "The Godfather Organization has created their own sort of closed-off virtual network." Micheal pulled out a smartphone from his Spatial Ring.

  It was a modern, touchscreen phone, the Shop's changed version of an iPhone. It was far more durable and less likely to crack. Plus, you could easily get the screen repaired if you needed to with the Shop, a veritable miracle in and of itself when compared to how things worked back on Earth.

  "A virtual network? Like, the internet?" Sophia replied, a hint of excitement appearing in her voice.

  "Kinda like that." Micheal explained.

  The physics of the Seven Layers weren't exactly the same as the physics of Earth. Most of the major things were identical, but several of the more complex things sometimes differed.

  There were better explanations for the change, but Micheal didn't know them. He had never been very science minded, beyond workable tools he could use, like the Concentrated Burn Liquid.

  All he knew was that these complications made it difficult to create, for example, a brand new internet.

  Over the past 3 years, many people worked hard to get around that. The Godfather Organization had created one such workaround, though only for their Main Cluster section.

  They made a closed-off network that had a small number of sites that could be accessed. One of those sites had a large, open forum that anyone could create a thread in.

  "Shin will have put up his own unique thread. Once you get into the Godfather Organization's territory, you just need to check where that is and head to it. Their basic closed network is open to anyone with a smartphone, with reception that covers the entire north half of the Main Cluster." Micheal finished, his explanation leaving no room for doubt.