《Limitless The Strongest Revenant》


 Chapter 1: So, this is how I die.

    "If you intended to die anyway, don''t die quietly like a pussy! Go out in a fucking ze of glory!" a rough and gruff voice shouted as Iid face down on the cold pavement. Aside from this voice, there were no other people around me.


    Excruciating pain assaulted me the moment I tried moving my limbs. I coughed, spitting out blood to clear my throat. Worsening my condition, the blows to my eyes forced them shut due to swelling.


    "ARGH! FUCK!" I groaned in pain as I tried to move.


    Even with such small movements, I cursed due to the agony I was in. I definitely had broken bones in both my arms and my right leg. Moreover, the sharp stinging on numerous spots on my abdomen told me I probably had at least two cracked ribs as well.


    Still, despite such a state and predicament, the muscr old man kept conversing with me.


    "Oy. You still with me, boy? What is it going to be?" he asked nonchntly.


    This senile bastard! He showed zeropassion and kept saying things that made no sense.


    At least he could have called 911, that fucking bastard! He had not only watched silently as I got beaten to an inch of my life, but he even had the audacity to chat like nothing had happened.


    Trying really hard to keep my emotions in check, I asked about the most pressing matter on my mind.


    "Did she get away safely?" I asked, my voice strained.


    Holy hell, that was me?! It sounded like metal rakes being dragged on a steel floor.


    Shit, I sounded horrible, almost like I had gargled a bag of razor des.


    Unable to even push myself up, only the heavy smell of iron told me I was losing blood. How badly? I didn''t know. Still, slowly but surely, my brain started to feel hazy, like I was sleepy.


    Right, the reason for my condition was because I had stupidly challenged seven men to a brawl. Four of them even had baseball bats and crowbars. It really had been unlike me. If not for the terrified screaming of a girl, I probably would have not done such a thing.


    The young woman had worn an indigo hoodie and her limbs had been bound. A group of men had surrounded her while dragging her body into a dark corner.


    Within seconds, I had lost my shit and charged. Maybe it had been the desperation in her voice, I didn''t know. I didn''t even see what she looked like.


    Maybe I had just wanted to be a hero or something.


    They said there were moments in people''s lives when they moved before they could think. Mine had been back when I saw the woman''s poor visage. And I was going to die because of it! Talk about irony.


    The sharp crunches of heavy steps echoed in my ears. The approach of the old man ended my short daydream.


    "Well, look at the balls on this fucker!" he said, his tone arrogant.


    Another condescending reply. From his words, though, I noticed that the surroundings were eerily quiet.


    I couldn''t boast about how safe Arizona was, but this ce shouldn''t have been so secluded that not even a car passing by could be heard.


    Why did this man not help me? Was he one of their friends? Now that I thought about it, the thugs didn''t even notice him. I had only seen a glimpse of him as I got pummeled. He had a ck trench coat, white hair, and arge build.


    A frigid cold slowly began to embrace me, telling me all I needed to know. Only at that moment did I finally realize how dire my circumstances were.


    "So, this is how I die, huh? Beaten to death on some street," I mused rhetorically.


    "It seems so. I mean, look at you boy! You look like you got ran over by truck or something! Don''t be sad, this is just your limit. Some people were just born to never achieve anything," the old man said in contempt.


    My limit, huh? Right, aside from the senile bastard, I already felt it. It hurt! It hurt so fucking much.


    Why did I do this? Why didn''t I just walk away?


    No one would answer me, no matter how long I waited. A calm silence and enveloping darkness were the only ones beside me.


    I started to tremble in fear as a thought slowly entered my mind. Was this what it meant to die?


    I was - I was scared. I didn''t want to die. Bu¡­but what did I even live for?


    My consciousness slowly started to slip as I pondered this.


    NO! Not yet!


    As I denied my death, I rallied my will to find some meaning to my existence. The memories of my life yed like a montage in my mind while I stood at death''s door.


    Still, after it ended, only a feeling of hopelessness remained.


    A family I barely knew. Friends I no longer see. A lover who left me for my best friend. A demeaning job where I got treated worse than shit. Student loans over $140,000. A small room with a bed, and aptop with a few video games.


    That summed up my life. The bitterness was enough to drown out the pain of my injuries.


    I - I didn''t live at all, did I?


    What use did my life even serve?


    Such a realization hammered my mind harder than the beating I endured.


    No one would remember me when I was gone. No one would mourn. Would anyone even notice?


    Uncontrobly, tears started to stream down my face. Some reached my lips.


    Just then, the old man spoke up. Not in disdain, but in respect.


    "She did, boy. Because you took on seven men while unarmed, a young woman got to go home safe and sound. You weren''t the only one who heard her screams, yet it was only you who moved to rescue her. If nothing else, yourst act was that of a hero. You did well, boy."


    Relief flooded my entire being. I knew neither her face nor her name. Still, her survival became my sole pride in this pathetic life. Would that girl remember me, at least?


    I was not selfish for thinking that, right?


    As I focused on myst act, the pain became a bit more bearable. My life was not for nothing.


    Despite the absurdity of the girl hearing my thoughts, I began to preach to her as I would to my own child.


    ''Live. Live a life you can be proud of. Do well in school or work. Find a good man, fall in love, and make a lot of babies. Enjoy your life to the fullest. Don''t be like me.


    I hope you find meaning and purpose. I wish for your happiness,'' I ordered her inside my head.


    We were strangers who didn''t even know each other, yet my heart felt warmth as I thought of her.


    Attaining a deep sense of peace, I was disturbed in this serenity because of the loud grumbles of the old man.


    "Like I said earlier, you were not supposed to die today, John Smith. The young woman should have. For giving your life for hers, I offer you a choice. Die right here and go to hell, or live on as a reaper. What will it be?"


    His words brought me back to reality. A reaper?


    Did he mean like the grim reaper or something?


    Before I could speak, the old man continued.


    "Boy, you know about Norse Valkyries, right? The ones who bring souls to Valha and all that. I am the same. But I will send you to gates of hell. So instead of dying pathetically on the ground, you may join our version of Ragnarok and fight demons till the end of the world. Exciting, right?


    You interested?" the old man asked with a smile that looked like the devil himself.


    What the fuck had he been smoking? He could take his crazy talk and shove it up his own ass. How could he even hear me? I couldn''t even open my mouth right now.


    "That''s because you''re already dead, boy. Anyway, for your heroism, you have gained an invitation to join the reapers. You had a lot of regrets, don''t you? I am offering you a second chance to live again and fulfill them all."


    A second life, huh. Regrets. Hmm.


    If I did get the chance to live again, I would live differently. I was done with following the rules of others. I would go beyond my limits!


    "Perfect. I will take that as a yes," the old man said as he picked up my body like a sack and then embraced me.


    "See you on the other side, John. Wee to the Revenant Project."


    After the senile bastard''s words, I suddenly felt two sharp objects pierce the right side of my neck. A searing heat entered my body, burning it from the inside. Before I could think of anything else my mind went dark and I felt no more.

 Chapter 2: Treat it like a game.

    I opened my eyes and saw a blinding light from high above. The intensity was like staring at the sun with your eyes squeezed shut. Shielding my eyes with my hand, I only now noticed that my body not only felt light, but all my injuries were gone as well.


    I was healed? How? When? Didn''t I die?


    As my eyes finished adjusting to the light, the surroundings made the situation even more troublesome. The craggy walls and ground indicated I was inside an enormous cave. I took a look around. A tform stood at the center of the giant cave.


    The tform looked like a concert stage and was quite high. Maybe around seven feet? Even taller floodlights littered its periphery. As I continued scanning my environment, I saw that there was nothing else except for people, loads of them.


    Men, women, young and old. Everyone was simrly reeling from the bright lights. There was littlemonality in race, gender, or even age. The ones around me all wore simple brown breasttes, arm guards, and greaves. All were made of hard-looking leather.


    The leather armor set was on top of a white shirt and ck pants. I was curious about how everyone appeared to be wearing the same thing, including me. Some looked puzzled. In the short time that passed, people already started to group up, while others isted themselves to the side.


    Before I could even guess what was going on, I checked the tform and saw a row of men and women in white military-style uniforms standing in a perfect order. In front of them was a gigantic old man in a ck trench coat. He looked familiar!


    Fuck! It was the same old man who watched me die.


    Seeing the old bastard, I immediately remembered his words.


    ''Boy, you know about Norse Valkyries, right? The ones who bring souls to Valha and all that. I am the same. But I will send you to the gates of hell. So instead of dying pathetically on the ground, you may join our version of Ragnarok and fight demons till the end of the world. Exciting, right?


    You interested?''


    Grampa scanned the crowds with a cold expression, obviously searching for someone. When his eyes locked on me, I felt chills creep up my spine. A disgusting smile full of madness and bloodlust appeared on his face. However, it disappeared in the next moment. His face turned stoic while checking out the other people.


    ''That''s because you''re already dead, boy. Anyway, for your heroism, you have gained an invitation to join the reapers. You had a lot of regrets, don''t ya? I am offering you a second chance to live again and fulfill them all.''


    I suddenly remembered him picking me up and biting my neck like a vampire. Unconsciously, my fingers felt the spot he bit only to touch something jutting out. My body started to tremble from fear. My breaths started getting shorter as my lungs tightened from stress. I could hear my heart hammer in my chest.


    I told myself to calm down. Fuck! This was not good. My body was freaking out. What the fuck was going on? Imanded myself to get a grip.


    To stop myself from going over the edge, I punched my face as I closed my eyes.


    "Ouch, that hurt," I weakly groaned.


    But the pain allowed me toe back to reality. Deep breaths. Breath in. Breath out. There. Good.


    Focus. I returned from the dead and now I was alive in an unknown ce. I needed information. I could panicter. For now.


    "Treat it like a game or something."


    While I was alive, I spent the majority of my free time gaming or reading novels. Isekai, rebirth, reincarnation, and regression novels were the most popr. If I likened my situation to those, it made sense.


    Yeah, I didn''t need to panic. We just got isekaid. Okay, that worked. I calmed down.


    My fingers traced the protrusion on my neck. Hmm. What the hell was this? Without a mirror, I could only try to visualize it by touch. It was like half a marble embedded in my neck. It felt cold, simr to metal but was smooth like a gem.


    ''See you on the other side, John. Wee to the Revenant Project.''


    Revenant. A person who returned from the dead. It seemed that his words were no joke. I certainly died. But here I was, alive with a marble on my neck. I needed to figure out what was going on ASAP.


    "Mic test! Mic test! Okay! Listen up, everyone, for the next three minutes pay attention solely to me, okay?"


    A beautiful and authoritative female voice called the assembly to attention. As I opened my eyes, I looked towards the source. It came from speakers at the top of the tform.


    The old bastard could no longer be seen. In his ce was a tall busty woman in a white military uniform with an officer''s hat that had an orange chevron.


    She had free-flowing long hair, the color of the sky. A dazzling figure, and the prettiest face I had ever seen. Even at this distance, her excellent supermodel-like shape was distinguishable.


    Damn. What a beauty. I couldn''t help appreciating. I was sure I wasn''t the only one who thought so. I could notice even women getting spellbound by her.


    "Greetings, everyone. I am Lilly Browning. A Phantom for the North American battlefront. I am the lead organizer for today''s enlistment," said the charming woman.


    Phantom? Battlefront? Shit, it sounded like the old man wasn''t kidding. Her next words were thest nail in the coffin.


    "I am sure your handlers have already exined the matter. You have all been called to enlist as Wraiths for the North American 2023 Reaper army, July division. As you all already died, your {fates} have been created but are still in a dormant state."


    The longer Lilly talked, the less I understood. Still, I would perhaps be able to get something, so I listened to her patiently.


    "Without further ado, we will now begin the Wraith enlistment. A few reminders for those who have sponsors. While soulgears are allowed, loaded Reaper vials are not. Secondly, for those still unarmed, standard weapons will appear at your feet."


    At the Phantom''s words, I looked towards my feet, and I saw an assortment of weapons appear from the ground. ded and blunt weapons ranging from swords to hammers were lying there. There was even a spear and a bow. Many of the applicants began arming themselves with their weapon of choice.


    "Lastly, as always, the goal is to be among the first 2000 people to take down 10 zombies. The ones that get to survive will join the reapers. For those that don''t, my condolences."


    Lilly began the festivities by raising her right hand to the sky. She smiled, looking gorgeous.


    "OPEN COMBAT!" she shouted.


    The spotlights that had blinded us earlier shut down at the same moment, everyst one of them. The sudden loss of light plunged the cavern into utter darkness.


    Crap. I should have already picked up a weapon when I could still see. I fumbled around and tried to find the spear based on memory. While a sword seemed cooler, most medieval wars were won by spears and bows.


    Untrained, I would hardly hit anything with a bow. So, a spear was my best choice. Using it was simple, too, just driving the pointy end towards an enemy.


    Still wing on the ground like an idiot, I could hear the voices of the other applicants ringing out from different directions.


    "Alphabet Unit. re in 10. Relocate below it immediately!"


    "Meta Squad. Night-vision goggles on. On me, MOVE!"


    "Te Group. me on!"


    Surprisingly for a group thisrge, there were hardly any screams when the lights went out. Instead, military-like instructions rang out. A sudden explosion in the sky gave birth to a bright light. How tall was this cavern for a re to float that high?


    This had to be from the Alphabet earlier. Sounds of nking metal and footsteps resounded from all over as figures charged toward the artificial star.


    Due to my distance from the re, my surroundings could be somewhat visible. I noticed arge group dressed in blue moving towards the left. They all had ck goggles on their faces while marching in formation.


    Before I could evenment, arge column of fire rose up like a dragon about thirty yards behind me. Around it, I could see arge group of heavily armored knights forming a defensive circle.


    Holy shit! These guys were not only coordinated, but they even had high-end gear and tactics. I needed a weapon fast! With the re and the me column, the ground in front of me finally became barely visible. I then understood why I couldn''t find the spear. Nor anything else for that matter.


    There was nothing there. I looked around in panic and saw something else by my side. A ck pistol with two magazines. I quickly grabbed it and turned off the safety. The weight of the gun feltforting in my hand. At least I had a weapon now.


    Just as I was thinking about what to do, I suddenly heard screams.


    "THE ZOMBIES ARE HERE!" cried one of them.


    Immediately after that, unintelligent groaning echoed all around me. Footsteps by the thousands shook the ground. After a few seconds, a cacophony of death, steel, and flesh began.


    I couldn''t help but curse out loud.


    "Well, shit. Now what?"

 Chapter 3: Run you fat bastard!

    "What the hell am I seeing? This is absolute bullshit. No way this is real!"


    ording to Lilly, there were more than 2000 people here. Each person needed to kill ten zombies. How many would be necessary to fill the minimum quota?


    20,000. That was the number needed for 2000 people to pass. What I was seeing should have been many times that! The zombies rushed all around like a tide of death in the dimly lit cavern. As I was in the middle, I could hear fighting from all directions.


    Thousands of zombies charged towards the people on the edges within the first few seconds of the battle. I saw the people get torn apart. Men, women, and children screamed in pain and terror all around me. Fuck! I could hardly stop myself from puking. Imanded myself to move.


    I would die if I stood still!


    Fighting in the dark was suicide. I couldn''t even see the enemy like this. Most people probably had the same idea as me asrge groups ran towards either the re of Alphabet or the fire column of Te behind me.


    The shining re was extremely far. However, even from my position, I could see the tsunami of corpses rushing toward the area under the light.


    "Fuck that, no way I can survive there with only a handgun," Iined.


    I looked behind towards the me tower. I noticed they were simrly fending off wave after wave of undead, but it wasn''t as many. Each Te knight carried a tower shield and formed a wall of metal. Like a Roman orb formation, they hacked the zombies within reach while protecting the group.


    The rapidly increasing amount of bodies around them proved their fighting prowess. As it seemed like a good idea to join such a group, I started running towards them. However, the next thing I saw forced me to stop.


    Two swordsmen who were closer cried out while killing their way toward the Te group.


    "Brothers! Please let us join you! We can carry our weight!"


    Without waiting for an answer, one of the swordsmen approached the knights. When he got beside the circle, a Te knight hacked him to death. The abrupt murder stopped me and everyone else froming closer.


    A cold voice full of disdain spoke.


    "Worms aren''t meant to be Reapers. Do us a favor and die away from here. The undead corpses are annoying enough."


    The insanity of it all surprised me. The people here were no longer human. Trusting others in this situation was both naive and suicidal.


    Heroes would be the first to die. I already did that. Not interested. But what could I do? I couldn''t stay still and die. I had to think!


    In any RPG, a rangedbatant would have been unable to survive out in the open. You had to either be behind a tank or in a defensive formation like a fort or something.


    Thus, I needed to find high ground as soon as possible. I couldn''t remember anything suitable in my surroundings, except the tform.


    The tform! That was it! It was even taller than me and there were spotlights around it. If we could turn them on, we could fight back! I ran away from the Te group and moved towards the tform.


    Not used to this level of physical activity, my breath was already ragged while I gasped for air. Unable to keep my pace, I slowed down to a jog while still going in the same direction. I checked around as I did.


    I regretted my decision immediately. The faint light sources illuminated mangled corpses sprawled all around while zombies butchered them. I heard crunching sounds from their jaws. A foul smell assaulted me. The odor was simr to that of a dead animal but many times worse.


    Covering my mouth, I tried to ignore them and continued to my destination. The further I went, the darker it got. This area seemed deserted aside from a few zombies that were eating. Lucky for me that they were preupied. But where were the other survivors?


    As I continued my jog, I heard an unintelligent groan that made my body shiver. It was close. Too close. Not taking a chance, I ran away at full speed, without even bothering to turn back. Sure enough, the sounds of footsteps that chased after me soon followed. The fear turned my spine cold.


    "Fuck! Run you fat bastard! We will die if you don''t!" I pathetically cried out.


    If they reacted to light and sound then using a gun was fucking suicide! The moment I shot one, they would be all over me!


    Just then I heard the faint sounds ofbat. Glowing weapons and corpses on fire were visible in the distance. A lot of figures were rushing towards the area.


    In front of me, a figure suddenly moved towards what appeared to be an obese female who tripped. Like a football quarterback, the zombie tackled the fat woman onto the ground. Her bone-chilling screams were horrifying to hear.


    "AHHH! HELP! HELP ME PLEASE! IT HURTS! SOMEONE HELP!"


    For a brief second as I passed, even in the dim light time slowed down when our eyes met. Her desperation was obvious. Still, her expression quickly turned to terror when I looked away. I ignored her pitiful pleas as I ran.


    "NOOOOO! SAVE ME! SAVE ME PLEASE! DON''T ABANDON ME!"


    In my mind, I could onlyment my weakness. I was sorry for her. I would die if I stopped! My legs pushed me ever faster due to adrenaline. On the way, I passed by an old man and a young child. They simrly asked for help, yet I heartlessly ignored them and went my way.


    "THEY WILL COME AND GET YOU TOO BOY! YOUR TIME WILL ALSO COME!" cried the old man in anger.


    The child, on the other hand, wailed pitifully. "I want to go home! Mommy! Waaaaah!"


    Not even making eye contact, I passed them as I would pass a dead animal. Tears fell from my eyes. I was such a coward. It was the same as me killing them. Still, even with such thoughts, I did not stop running. Their screams would surely haunt my dreams for years toe.


    In this open space, the moment I engaged them, I would be swarmed. Even though I couldn''t outrun the zombies forever, I heard the pack behind me getting quieter every time I passed by a screaming person. Unfortunately, it would just get louder when I passed those eating corpses.


    I couldn''t stop. Heading for the tform was my only goal. Nothing else mattered.


    Adrenaline coursed through my system as I dashed as fast as I could. My throat burned from exhaustion. Sharp pain in my chest and legs nearly forced me to stop.


    In desperation, I looked up, only to see arge group of survivors fighting the zombies. The group used the tform to shield their back. Even better, I could also see people atop the tform shooting arrows.


    "Huff! Just need to make it there. Huff! Just a little bit more," I encouraged myself.


    I then noticed a figure quickly approaching me from the right side. It was a man with red hair who wore armor. The man carried a sword in his hand. Why was heing towards me? Fuck, he wasn''t going to do what I thought he was, right?


    I stretched my right arm towards him, gun in hand. If that bastard tried his luck, I would smoke him.


    Yet the man simply smiled and brandished his sword towards me.


    FUCK! WAS HE SERIOUS? THIS FUCKING LUNATIC!


    I aimed.


    I squeezed the trigger and opened fire. The man calmly held the t of his sword to his face as he approached. The recoil from my shot sent my arm wild. Even worse, it prevented me from aiming again on top of missing. The only constion was I didn''t drop the gun.


    Before I could fire again, he shed my right thigh. Unable to avoid it, he carved a deep gash and sent me tumbling. My face smashed onto the ground as he spoke.


    "No hard feelings, mate. Just surviving, yeah?"


    I couldn''t even rebut him. Didn''t I do the same thing? Yeah. This was hell. A dog-eat-dog world. Everyone was an enemy.


    I had to learn and survive. I bit my lip and moved on. I would put a bullet in him. That fucker. Wait for me.


    I wheezed for air. Despite the pain in my wounded thigh, I turned around and got on one knee. Grasping the firearm tightly with both hands, I aimed it towards theing undead. My proximity to the burning corpses gave me better visibility. I now could see the zombies from various directions.


    "Five zombies with fifteen more iing. I refuse to die here. I still need to kill that bastard. Come at me you fuckers!" My angry roars drove the fear out of my system as I braced myself for battle.

 Chapter 4: Eat lead zombie.

    They said that America conquered the world by exporting three major industries. Weapon munitions, movie and film, and fast-food franchising. No matter where you were in the world, you should have watched a Hollywood movie and eaten either at McDonald''s, Starbucks or KFC.


    Additionally, if you had any interest in history, video games, or firearms, you knew how good America was in the art of war. In fact, the American stereotype was that anyone from my country was guaranteed to do the following:


    1. Ate fast food three times a day.


    2. Was obese to the point of needing a mobility scooter.


    3. Knew how to work a firearm better than most of thew enforcement in the world.


    ''I say horse shit! Just because a person was from America didn''t mean he knew how to shoot. Well, I personally knew my way around a gun, but it wasn''t because I was American!''


    My father was born in the seventies and had participated in three wars in Panama and Iraq. He might not have been a good father, but he was an excellent soldier.


    Some of the few things I learned from him was how to throw a punch and fire a gun. The gun in my hand was a Colt 1911, one of the most iconic pieces of American engineering. And right now, this weapon of war was my sole means to survive this hellhole.


    A 1911''s effective range was anywhere within 160 ft. Right now, the zombiesing for me were already even closer than that. But even with certain deathing for me, I didn''t fire.


    Why? Well, for one, it had been a while since I actually went shooting. The other reason? Shooting a target did not mean you should open fire the moment it came into striking range.


    I had five adult-sized zombiesing for me. If I was the protagonist of an anime I could score five head shots with five rounds. Simple, right?


    Yeah¡­ that was bullshit. In actualbat, the odds of you scoring repeated headshots in quick session was a myth. The recoil of a weapon ate at one''s stamina. Muzzle flip, muscle strain, hell even the wind affected each bullet. Only in games could you shoot a perfect bullet every time, all the time.


    I ejected the magazine and pulled back the slide twice. No matter the model, a gun jamming was always a possibility. In this situation, that would be the end of me.


    As there were no problems, after my checks I reinserted the magazine, pulled back the slide and cocked the hammer. The zombies were now close enough for me to see the features on their faces.


    "Huff¡­ disgusting. I guess no amount of CGI can¡­huff¡­ beat the real thing," I wheezed.


    My heart continued to pump blood at max output as my body strained. Strangely, my mind calmed down significantly when I made the decision to survive. By focusing my attention on the next sixty seconds, life became simple.


    If I seeded, I lived. If I failed to kill these five, I would die.


    With my mind and body in sync, everything became quiet. Thest time I had felt like this was when my dad had left me in the woods and I had taken down a gray wolf at 12 years old.


    Focus. I breathed in. I breathed out. There.


    With my hands gripping the gun firmly and my eyes looking down at the sights, I checked the zombies. Filthy, bleeding, and in pieces, this was the best description for them.


    Three had no clothes on with some of their bones showing here and there. Two of them appeared to be recently deceased applicants. All five had their mouths open as saliva dripped down. A symphony of groans and guttural sounds apanied them as they walked towards me briskly.


    Luckily the zombies did not seem to run all out, otherwise, I would have already died. With eyes the color of fogged ss, their outstretched arms pointed towards me. Surely each of them intended to hold me down and bite the living shit out of me. Unfortunately for them, I was no longer the same.


    When they came near enough that I could see their teeth, I prepared myself. This was it. I took onest deep breath and moved my gun towards my intended target.


    "Eat lead, zombie." I calmly dered.


    I fired the gun. I aimed at the lead zombies kneecaps and my bullets exploded all four kneecaps of the two zombies leading the pack. As five of them approached a single target, the closer to the target they were the more they would ovep.


    This was the moment I waited for. Due to their extreme proximity to one another, the moment the lead zombie fell, not only would it il its arms, but its body would also serve to trip the ones immediately behind it.


    I watched the undead face nt to the ground while the three behind them couldn''t stop or maneuver, causing them to kiss the floor as well.


    My gamble paid off! A high so intense sent my emotions to the sky. Aiming at the head meant the chance of hitting something was way lower. Aiming at the knees would ensure I either hit the other leg, thigh, or foot even if I missed. Knowing my time was limited, I pushed my bleeding leg up and dashed towards the fallen enemies.


    "AHH!" I roared, hoping my vigor would alleviate the pain.


    My thigh felt like it was set on fire. Probably due to adrenaline, I could still move despite the amount of blood I lost. As I drew near to them, I immediately fired at the lead zombie''s head.


    At this distance, the bullet exploded the zombie''s skull as it tried to get up. The blood painted the ground with such force that some spattered me. Disgusted as I was, I couldn''t spare the attention.


    I clenched my jaw and pointed the 1911 towards the second zombie, the one whose kneecap I had destroyed. As I squeezed the trigger, I scored a hit with another round that flew. It simrly exploded the deceased applicant''s head like a small watermelon.


    My ears started to ring from the repeated gunshots, but I still had three zombies. In the time it took to kill the two, the other three began to stand up. Two were on top of one another while one was facing towards me a little bit further away.


    I quickly closed in on the lone one and stomped it back down on its back with my left foot. The army believed a 5''10'''' man should only weigh 185 lbs. At 200 lbs. I was 10 lbs. away from being medically obese.


    Naturally, the zombie struggled against my mass, being dead and all. The two other zombies finally stood up and closed in.


    I fired a .45 ACP round with my 1911 into the leading zombie''s head and exploded it. The body stopped moving and blocked the other one''s approach.


    Though my arms started to get numb from the tension and recoil, I quickly shifted my line of sight to thest standing zombie and shot it dead. The 1911''s slide no longer returned, indicating I shot myst round.


    Afterward, I ejected my empty magazine and loaded a new one. Next, I brought down my gun behind me and blew the head of thest undead under my heel. Unlike the others, this one''s head didn''t explode and just silently stopped moving. Hmm, I wondered why?


    While I still had fifteening, I had earned a few seconds to breathe. My emotions were extremely wild and like on a drug. As I triumphed against certain death, I felt invincible.


    I was alive! I had killed five zombies!


    Fidgety and high strung, I wanted to keep shooting. But the other groups were spaced out, seven to the left and eight to the right.


    "Huff¡­calm down, John. Huff¡­we are not out of the woods yet. Huff¡­"


    The brief sprint I did fucked up my right thigh. It looked extremely bad as blood continued to pour out of it. I remembered that there was a major artery in the thigh. Luckily I was still conscious, so it must had missed the artery or something.


    Fearing the worst, I moved the gun to my left and ced my hand on my thigh to stop the bleeding.


    "Hmm. There are too many. The moment I go for one group the other will kill me¡­"


    Dread and terror once again tried to enter my mind. How the hell would I survive?


    It was only at this point that I felt my neck burning. No. Specifically, when I checked, it was the marble. Maybe this thing could help me, I wondered.


    I ced the gun under my armpit and touched the gem.


    The once cold gem now felt warm. When my fingers touched it, my mind got flooded with knowledge. The feeling made me dizzy but I didn''t stop. It felt like someone took a hammer and smashed my skull in. After a few seconds, the download ceased.


    I struggled to remain standing. Tired and exhausted, you could have tipped me over and I wouldn''t have been surprised to die from it. Still, while I forced myself to stand up, inside ¡ª my spirit and soul were set aze.


    Fate had yet to abandon me. It only took a few seconds, but what I learned just now was about the weapon I could use to survive.


    "HAHAHAHAHA! COME AT ME YOU FUCKERS!" I hollered at the top of my voice.


    With my fighting spirit rekindled anew, I gritted my teeth and smiled. Round two could note soon enough.

 Chapter 5: I really am no hero.

    From what I could tell, instinct fell in the same category with muscle memory, the body moving without any active participation. Supposedly it allowed you to move faster than you could think.


    What I felt now was like that. The knowledge that flowed in my brain felt like it was something I already knew by heart. How curious¡­ I never had amnesia, but this had to be what it felt to suddenly "remember" something you forgot.


    Right now, my blood boiled in anticipation and my lips twisted into a savage grin. I thanked God that I became a wraith. Regaining my {fate} could be likened to meeting a lover or regaining a lost limb. It was like my missing puzzle piece. With my {fate} in my hand, nothing would stand in my way ever again.


    "{Auto}," I whispered.


    {Fates} a crystallization of a person''s deepest and darkest regret. Commonly linked to overwhelming desire or how one died, it became the manifestation of a person''s wish for survival.


    People who died in fires normally gained {fates} in either controlling fire or being immune to it. Those that fell to their demise gained the ability to fly. Abilities rted to strength, speed, or magic would go to those that most desperately searched for them.


    From their nature alone, a person''s {fate} told you way more than a thousand words ever could. The reason they were called {fates} was because they represented a possibility of another reality to the user.


    The biggest irony this fucked up world could give you. You gained a superpower that would have allowed you to not die in the first ce.


    "I really am no hero," Imented in a defeated tone.


    The {fate} I gained was called {Rewind}. It allowed me to get a look deep inside me. Deep down, my biggest regret was stepping out that day¡­ If I had just walked away, I would have lived.


    What came over me that day, I would never know. But in truth, I could care less what horrors awaited that girl. Sending her to hell in my stead was something I could perfectly live with.


    "Shit. I''m a horrible person. And to think I got to join because of my ''heroism''. What a pile of bullshit."


    Due to my {fate} being awakened, my injuries had healed and my stamina got restored. Any person who awakened a {fate} transcended humanity and became a reaper.


    What exactly were the reapers? They were the final army brought back from the grave to protect the living.


    "The knowledge I got was strictly about my {fate}. I need to figure the rest out ASAP."


    I tried stomping my right leg a couple of times and verified that my thigh was now as good as new. The immediate problem was that the zombies closed in significantly while I was learning my {fate}.


    "Pfft. Like that matters anymore," I dered arrogantly.


    Not to toot my own horn, but if this was a game my {fate} would be considered a bnce breaker. While it had limitations, its implications were too numerous to list down. Fifteen notwithstanding, I could even take a hundred if I wanted to. The only problem would be the cost.


    "Well, running away earlier helped me significantly in that regard. Celebrate, you fucking pieces of shit! I got sent to hell just to murder the living crap out of all of you!"


    With my stamina restored, I was no longer out of breath. I had seven more rounds in my mag and ast one as a spare. Originally, I would have been hard-pressed to conserve ammo as I did with the first one. But with {Rewind} such problems no longer existed for me.


    "{Save}," I whispered.


    I ran towards the left group like an angry bull. At my height, I could be considered tall, but the zombies were all thin and short inparison. Being overweight, just a push from me would be enough to send them down. Of the fifteen zombies, only three or four were taller than me.


    Both inics or movies, one should have been careful about fighting with zombies due to the danger of infection. As I no longer had the worry, the tactics avable to me expanded.


    My weight, which was initially a demerit, could now be used to send these fuckers flying. In the left group, only one tall zombie was there. He was my target.


    "I dub thee Bigfoot." I couldn''t help joking.


    The ones with Bigfoot came at me with their arms outstretched. No longer human, I pushed and shoved my way through them. With the right group barreling here, I would be surrounded if I stayed in the middle.


    When Bigfoot came at me, I shoved my left forearm to his mouth and ced a bullet between his eyes when he bit down. The back of Bigfoot''s head ruptured as the round exited.


    Losing strength, the body fell down. I didn''t feel any pain on my forearms, so Bigfoot''s jaw didn''t manage to tear through the leather armguard I wore. Not wasting time, I ced myself behind Bigfoot and held him steady by his neck.


    I held him as one would hold a hostage and took aim at the ones around us. There were six zombies remaining, and the right group would arrive in less than two minutes. I needed to be quick.


    Using Bigfoot as a shield and with the near point-nk distance, even while one-handed, I shot all six down, one after another.


    Unlike Hollywood. I did not aim my gun at the zombie''s foreheads. A gun rose up the moment you fired due to muzzle flip.


    The closer the target, the worse the difference between the point you aimed and where the bullet went. To avoid this, I aimed at the noses of the zombies. Even with recoil, the bullet should havended on the forehead.


    Adrenaline allowed me to control my firearm easier. I was sure that after it passed, my arms would be a mess. Ignoring everything else, the right group was now near enough for me to see their faces. I still ejected the magazine and loaded myst. Bigfoot''s corpse fell to the ground as I reloaded.


    His chest had numerous scratches. He shielded me from the hands of his posse. I wore a leather breastte, so Bigfoot only managed to nick my neck. The six I took down buried their nails into him.


    "Rest in peace, Bigfoot. I will handle the rest." Despite my dramatic farewell, I could somehow feel Bigfoot giving me an annoyed look.


    I took a wide stance as I yed duck hunt with theing zombies. I had eight zombies in thest group and eight bullets.


    "Let''s see how good my shooting is." I clenched my jaw in preparation and rxed my shoulders.


    I began to rain fire on theing zombies. First zombie¡­ Hit. Second. Miss. What the hell? The zombie bounced its head as it moved!


    I ignored Bouncy and shot another. The round mmed into its eye socket and down she went.


    "Good so far," I said as sweat fell down my brow.


    Bouncy was now extremely close, so I fired once more. Not sure if it was intentional but due to his unsteady gait, the bullet only grazed his right temple. While his body slightly turned to the left, he quickly resumed his brisk walk. Frustrated, I couldn''t help but shout in annoyance.


    "What the hell, Bouncy?! Stop being an ass!"


    While I focused on Bouncy, from the corner of my eye I saw the rest of the zombiesing. Bigfoot Three and Four were among them. Bigfoot Two was the one leading the pack, so he was already gone. Unable to wait. I changed tactics and dashed towards Bouncy.


    Like a ragdoll, my shove sent Bouncy crashing to the floor. I quickly stepped on him and shot his face.


    "Four more."


    I only had three rounds left while four zombies came for me. Unwilling to miss, I ran toward the other zombies and tackled Bigfoot three. Even if he was taller, he couldn''t get me off him quickly enough when we smashed towards the ground. The muzzle of my firearm got buried into his mouth as my round blew his brains out.


    "Three."


    Due to three others around, I tried to stand as soon as possible. Unfortunately, a zombie got me and bit into my left shoulder. The pain of having your flesh torn from your body hurt.


    Like holy shit, this fucking hurt! Knowing my perfect streak needed to end sooner orter, I rested the gun''s business end between the eyes of the one on me and fired.


    "Two."


    The pain destroyed the high I was on and exhaustion hit me all at once. Unable to stand, I weakly aimed at thest zombies and fired. A bullet mmed against the chest of one but the other missedpletely. My shoulder began to burn as my mind turned hazy.


    "So, this would be where I turn?"


    Ignoring my musing, Bigfoot Four and his friend snarled as they tackled me. In the split second they were in the air I activated my {fate} for the first time with a twisted smile.


    "{Rewind}"


    Immediately I disappeared from my current position and returned to the spot where I used {Save}. My mind clear, my ammunition refilled and all my injuries healed.


    "Let''s try this again you bastards!" I shouted in anger as I cracked my neck.

 Chapter 6: Chivalry is dead, miss.

    I took out Bigfoot Four and his posse easily afterward. {Rewind} was impossibly overpowered. It had prerequisites before use, but with proper nning, it was just a fucking cheat.


    {Auto} was the status I recorded as my "default."


    Originally my default was wearing leather unarmed without injuries. Using this as my starting state, moving forward was stupid, so when I understood how {Rewind} worked, I quickly invoked {Auto} or Autosave to change it.


    Currently, my awakening as a wraith healed my injury and stamina. Such would be the perfect state to return to. With the M1911 in my hand and a spare magazine, this equipmentbo would be my new default.


    Unfortunately, I didn''t have {Auto} when I still had two mags. Otherwise whenever I {Rewind} I would have had two instead of one magazine.


    ''It is what it is,'' I thought.


    {Save} on the other hand was the exact point I wished to return to. Unlike {Auto} which only recorded my status. {Save} recorded my position as well. The ability to quickly change positions to a ranged fighter was a life-saving skill.


    {Save} loaded {Auto} onto the position I set it in.


    {Rewind}bined {Save} and {Auto} and sent me back to my save point with my default state.


    While extremely powerful, it had plenty of limitations. {Rewind} could not turn back time nor undo anything that happened to anyone but me. It was a coward''s power in essence. It only ensured the survival of the user.


    If I did not frequently update my save point or my autosave, anything on me would be lost when I rewinded.


    Next, upon my rewind, I had no control over what happened other than the location. If said I saved on the second floor and an attack broke the entire building, when I rewinded I would not go to the tile making up the save point. I would instead go to the space it used to be, in mid-air.


    The consequences of falling or whatnot would not be negated. If I was not careful, I might rewind myself to my death.


    Finally, {Rewind} had a cool down. I didn''t know how long exactly, but the marble would warm up when the ability was usable again.


    My {fates} strength lied entirely in how it preserved my {Auto}. It ssified anything on my body into two groups, expendables and equipment.


    Expendables were things I could run out of when I used them. My blood, stamina, and bullets all fell into this category. These could be refilled even if I used them up. This meant that if I had fired ten bullets, after rewinding I would have ten new ones on top of the ones I already spent. Naturally, the damage done by the ammunition wouldn''t be undone, either.


    Equipment meant things that I couldn''t run out of. Clothes, armor, and weapons were included in this category. If, for example, I threw my 1911 away and rewinded, I would not suddenly have a second gun.


    What would happen was that together with me, the 1911 would return to my hand. Naturally, torn clothes and broken armor would get fixed upon rewinding as well.


    Because of the nature of {Rewind}, I could effectively heal any and all damage no matter how severe upon rewinding. I was not actually healing per se. The skill instead did one thing. It returned me to a pre-set state. I had no idea how well I stacked against other {fates} but I thought {Rewind} was OP as hell.


    Right now, due to using {Rewind} the marble on my neck was again cold like metal. I needed to get more information about {fates} and reapers in general. I looked around and noticed that despite repeatedly firing my firearm, no new zombies approached.


    Because of my fresh rewind, I did not feel tired in the slightest. While I was proud of my achievement of killing twenty zombies,pared to 20,000 of them it wasn''t much.


    "Stronger. I need to get stronger as fast as possible," I dered as I clenched my fist.


    Unlike on Earth, here there were no limits. Who knew I would feel more alive after I died?


    After a quick check on my gun, I prepared to depart. Upon scanning the tform, I noticed that the number of people fighting around it had visibly doubled. Hundreds of zombies continued to crash into the applicants.


    What caught my eye were the monsters on the side of humans. Werewolves and a giant ape were pummeling the undead to dust. Around them, people carried glowing weapons, fighting as well. If I didn''t know better, they would have looked like a real army to me.


    Without a group, the only way for me to survive was to get on the tform and use the reaper army as a shield. Not hesitating, I began jogging towards the tform. By using the light from the burning corpses and sounds ofbat as apass, I wouldn''t get lost.


    As I moved, I remembered the face of the bastard who had attacked me. My emotions went wild as my fury started to build. I could feel my heart rate spiking. My body tightened up all over from the tension. Knowing such a state was ill-advised, I rxed and took a few breaths.


    "If you are among the ones there, I will kill you, Red. Even if everyone else says otherwise," I dered in anger.


    At that moment, a feminine voice spoke. "It is illegal to kill a reaper. I can help you with that, though."


    Surprised by the voice, I hurriedly raised my 1911 and pointed it in the direction of the voice.


    "Ie in peace, cowboy. As I am, I cannot even harm you," she continued.


    The neer sounded fairly young, like a woman in her early twenties. Gone was the childish innocence younger people had in their words. Still, I already knew only demons existed here.


    "Where are you? Show yourself!" I demanded, scanning the area as I spoke.


    The womanined, "How heartless. A pretty young girl with big boobs needs saving and instead of kindness all you let out is bloodlust."


    Was she for real? Who the hell would have the leeway to act like a white knight in this situation? No good. I couldn''t find her. Maybe this person''s {fate} was rted to invisibility? There was nothing around me, though, just a lot of dead zombies.


    "Chivalry is dead, miss. Plus, I am incredibly weak. I don''t have the leeway to take care of everyone," I answered.


    In order to find her, I continued to chat while moving slowly toward the voice. As the lighting sucked, it was difficult to see anything.


    "Maybe not. I could see your battle from here. Teleportation, superior healing, and detoxification. You have a lot of tricks for someone who ims to be weak," The voice continued to analyze me.


    So, she saw me invoke {Rewind}? True enough, from someone else''s point of view, the zombie bite tore a chunk of my shoulder and probably infected me with poison or something. Luckily, she guessed wrong and I wasn''t about to correct her. I kept quiet and slowly moved towards the voice.


    Annoyingly, it seemed like she found me interesting as she continued to analyze. "What I don''t understand is why someone with two soul gears is using a gun. Are you a support-type reaper or something? You fight like an amateur and are reckless to the point of being suicidal. I''m sure your handler must be furious."


    Soulgears? Yet another term I did not understand. Lilly also mentioned a handler, didn''t she? Were they supposed to exin shit to you? The old man left me for dead after biting my neck. Maybe this was a good chance to get more intel.


    ''Let''s y along for now,'' I thought to myself.


    "Apologies for my unsightly disy then, my princess. As far as handlers go, I don''t have one. An old man bit my neck and here I am."


    "WHAT?! Old man? You can''t possibly mean Rnd Winchester?!" she eximed.


    "I have no idea who that is. Also, I don''t know what a Soulgear is. All I have on me is this gun and my {fate}," I added.


    I stopped on the spot where I thought the voice came from. I didn''t see anyone here. The woman didn''t seem hostile. However, better safe than sorry. Maybe taken aback by my answers, the woman had fallen silent.


    Unable to hide my irritation, I questioned her in a loud voice. "What do you want from me, Princess? I don''t have time for this bullshit. I need to get the tform."


    "Look below for your sleeping beauty, my sweet prince," the voice replied, now sounding seductive.


    As I shifted my eyes downward, I saw a petite woman stuck under a pile of zombie corpses. More specifically, a zombie wrapped itself on her leg and tore a chunk of her calf.


    The gruesome sight meant she probably could no longer move. The undead itself was dead with a knife blow to the head. Three more zombies were piled up on her torso, all with knife holes in their eye sockets.


    I scanned the woman and found her left hand still holding her knife. Probably seeing my line of sight, the woman quickly threw the knife away. I looked at her face.


    "You finally looked at me, cowboy," the woman said with a weak smile.

 Chapter 7: Why do I have to kiss you?

    "Hi handsome¡­ How about you help me out and you can do whatever you want with me? I''m still a virgin if you''re curious. Deal?" the woman proposed with a ravishing smile.


    It''s not like I couldn''t understand, but really? This bitch probably slept her way through college or something. As I got a good look at her face, I had to admit she was pretty.


    Her assets were hidden due to being buried in zombie corpses. Still, even though her face had ayer of dust and sweat, her features were indeed beautiful.


    Her red hair was tied in twin braids, but her bangs made her face seem cuter. She wore a pair of blue-rimmed eyesses that made her seem like an intellectual. Probably due to losing blood, she had an unhealthy and paleplexion.


    When seconds passed and I didn''t respond, she tried to coax me to agree again.


    "Listen, handsome. I don''t have a lot of time left. I am using a consumable to not die right now, but it''s going to run out. Can you please get the pile of corpses off me?"


    "Why should I?" I asked coldly.


    From what I could see, this ce was home to the vilest of people. Many men died with a stab in the back due to a pretty face. If she wanted me to help her, she had to give something in return. Sex wasn''t that something.


    People were greedy. By ensuring everything was transactional, you could at least ensure they would follow their word.


    Perhaps surprised by the tone of my voice, the woman''s loving mask broke and she began toin.


    "Look at this guy! Don''t you have an ounce of sympathy in you? Shit, why did I get a hard ass today of all days. Many people wish to sleep with me back home, you know?"


    "Not interested. I am not desperate for sex. You need me more than I need you. Talk," Imanded her.


    "Ugh. Fine! Let''s start with something simple then. I am Isabe Taurus. Ie from the South American Safe Zone. Worked as a cyber defense specialist for CORE, Rio de Janeiro''s civil police tactics unit.


    And you are?"


    I didn''t even understand half of what she said but it sounded like she worked withputers and was part of thew enforcement. In contrast to her colorful background, mine wasme as fuck.


    "John Smith. I worked as an auditor for the Department of Transport in Arizona."


    After she heard my reply. Isabe got visibly angry.


    "I gave you my real info asshole. You don''t even have the decency of telling me your real name? Also, how would a civilian have soulgears on him? Do you really hate me that much?"


    Feeling insulted, I responded sarcastically, "I do, and I want to see you suffer as much as possible."


    "GAH! Filho da puta! Look¡­ Let''s say I believe you for now. You don''t have a handler, right? I can share with you all I know. Knowledge is power.


    Isn''t that enough?"


    Hearing her proposition, I could agree that info was something I needed right now. But as I had the upper hand in this negotiation, I could push her more before I agreed. I couldn''t even be sure if what she said was true.


    "Ohe on! How much are you going to make me beg? I''ll sleep with you! I''ll do yourundry! I''ll do anything! Save me, you selfish bastard!" Isabe pleaded frantically.


    "Tell me what your {fate} does and I will consider it," I demanded.


    If her {fate} allowed her to suddenly kill me, it would be dangerous. I was hoping she was smart enough to tell the truth in this situation.


    "It''s {Code}. I can turn what I see into hard stats like a game. Happy now?"


    As I stayed silent, her face started to warp in terror. She then desperately cried out once more.


    "Your gun! You need bullets, right? I have my own supply line for guns and ammo. I will sell them to you at a discount!"


    Well, that yielded a worthwhile result. Much more than I expected.


    "You will give them to me for free," I joked in a monotone voice.


    Annoyed, Isabe began cursing in Brazilian while punching the corpse on her torso. She looked adorable throwing a fit. Unable to stop myself, I beganughing and moved to help her.


    "Hehe, I''m sorry¡­ You look adorable when you''re angry. I''ll help you now."


    She stopped punching and calmed down as I removed the corpses on top of her. I also pried the one that grasped her leg. Frowning, Isabe quickly took a tablet from a pouch on her belt and swallowed it. I noticed a green light began to glow around her torn calf.


    I kneeled beside her while scanning the surroundings. We were not close enough to touch, but close enough that I wouldn''t miss if I shot her.


    I thought I would give her a minute to calm down. Surely the terror of almost dying had to be too much for a woman. Regretting my childish actions, I kept quiet and guarded my new walking armory.


    "You are a horrible person, you know that? How can you be so heartless?! To me! Of all people! Ugh. Nevermind.


    I know I will regret this, but medicinal supplies are hard toe by. Can you please heal me with your {fate} or soul gear? This low-ss {heal} will close my wound but I still feel weak from loss of blood."


    I found myself smiling unconsciously as Isabe made such dramatic expressions. However, while I did find her cute, I didn''t intend to trust my back to someone I didn''t know. I had to learn from her for now.


    "Like I said, I can only heal because of my {fate}. I do not have any soulgears. The only equipment I have is this gun and my armor," I exined.


    "If so, then kiss me."


    Unsure if I heard correctly, I asked, "Excuse me?"


    Clearly annoyed, Isabe answered, "I said. If you can only heal because of your {fate} then kiss me. I will die if I don''t get healed. What? You don''t want to? You''re probably a virgin who hasn''t even had a girlfriend right?"


    "Why do I have to kiss you? What does that have to do with anything?" I asked incredulously.


    The woman then pinched the bridge of her nose.


    "You really don''t know? How did you even get here? Wait, don''t answer. Are you aware of how {fates} work?"


    I shook my head after a few seconds. My knowledge consisted of {Rewind}. I didn''t know about anything else. A crash course was just what I needed right now. If somehow a kiss was needed to heal her, then I didn''t mind giving her one.


    "Okay, so we are starting from the beginning then¡­ Listen here virgin, {fates} are basically cheat skills you get in rtion to how you died. Your ultimate wish is their final form.


    "When they start out, they are pathetic imitations of that. If a person dreams of being fireproof, his {fate} will begin with him being fire resistant. He would then evolve his {fate} to reach his goal."


    Okay, so that made sense. In my case, they were already simr. If my base {fate} already allowed me to go back, what would my real desire be? My mind drifted as I mused.


    Annoyed that I wasn''t paying attention, Isabe snapped her fingers. "Hey, focus, I am exining this for your benefit, celibate asshole."


    Fine, I deserved that for what I put her through. I had to ignore her insults. Seeing that I paid attention now, Isabe continued.


    "Reapers are allowed to borrow the {fate} of another. It can only be done by sharing bodily fluids. Saliva, blood, tears, sweat, breastmilk, even pee works. The quality and length of your skill loan is determined by the fluid."


    Hmm. So, she wanted to borrow {Rewind} with a kiss. That made sense. Hold up. If any bodily fluid worked, then even semen would. Okay.


    I had to ignore that for now.


    "Fine, if that is the reason then I am fine loaning my {fate} to you," I said calmly.


    Isabe then came nearer and grabbed the back of my head. "Hold still and open your mouth, you demure halfwit. Let me lead."


    Allowing her to do what she wanted, I pressed my gun into her stomach while I embraced her back with my left arm. The moment she did something funny, I intended to put a bullet in her.


    Feeling the firearm, Isabe got tears in her eyes. "Why do I have to share my first kiss with such an uncouth bastard? Shit. Well, here I go."


    Isabe closed her eyes and then pressed her lips against me. shing against the tone of her words, her fiery passion became evident with how her tongue entered my mouth and intertwined with mine. Like a man dying of thirst, she greedily sucked my tongue, then licked the insides of my mouth.


    Not being new to this, I entertained her by savoring the intimate moment we shared. Maybe it was just me, but Isabe didn''t let go even after ten seconds. How much saliva did she need?


    Just then, a new {fate} got downloaded into my mind. This meant the exchange wasplete.

 Chapter 8: Decide now or I will kill you.

    Unlike the searing headache I got with {Renew}, the download for {Code} was manageable. The {fate} was straightforward. It allowed you to quantify and assess the things you saw in numbers and stats, simr to a game.


    I checked my attributes in their quantified form for the first time.


    ___


    {Rewind} 4:56


    {Save} 0:00


    {Auto} 23:45:01


    Souls Avable: 562


    {Fate} Level 1


    Souls needed for evolution: 1,000


    {Fates} Active


    1. {Code} 23:55


    {Kindred}


    N/A


    ___


    Hmm¡­ This was interesting. So {Rewind}, {Save}, and {Auto} had different cooldowns. On the other hand, what were Souls? I hoped it was not literal, but it seemed like it was treated as a currency for {fates}.


    {Code}, unlike {Rewind}, was a passive ability. You paid the initial cost and it went on till the duration expired.


    Souls were probably the cost I kept hearing in the {Rewinds} exnation. But how much would that be exactly? Where could I find that out? Was there a manual I could read somewhere?


    The more questions I had the more valuable Isabe became. I intended to give her a smooch each day just to have {Code}.


    While I was thinking, I suddenly heard {Isabe} screaming while clutching her head in pain.


    "AHH!!!!!!!!!" Her screams sounded pained and her body twitched and twisted like she had poison coursing through her veins.


    Unsure what to do, I let go of my gun and grabbed her by her shoulders. I shook her.


    "Isabe, what is wrong? Are you alright?" Why was she screaming like that? Was it because of {Rewind}?


    Before I could hear her reply, she got a dangerous look in her eyes and her entire demeanor turned sharp as a knife. Without the gun on her stomach, Isabe grabbed my neck and banged her head to my nose. The headbutt took me by surprise. I felt my nose break as blood spurted out.


    Befitting her small size, Isabe was nimble like a snake. While I tried to stand up, she picked up my gun and sent a full-powered stomp into my gut.


    Unable to mount any type of resistance, despite being several sizesrger than her, Isabe overpowered and mounted me while she pressed the 1911 to my temple.


    "WHO ARE YOU? TELL ME WHO YOU REALLY ARE BEFORE I KILL YOU!" she shouted. Rabid like a beast, the woman who I shared a steamy kiss with was nowhere to be found.


    You really couldn''t underestimate the ones who survived in this ce. Note to self, closebat was a massive weakness. ''I need to find a remedy if I survive today,'' I thought.


    I calmly held my hands up and answered.


    "I already told you. My name is John Smith, I died and suddenly wound up here. Aside from my own fate and Lilly''s introduction, I don''t know anything else."


    Isabe gritted her teeth in anger and nudged me with my gun. "Then tell me how you know Rnd Winchester! When was thest time you saw him?! Are you a sleeper agent for IRIS or something?!"


    This woman¡­ Why was it so hard to believe my real name was John Smith? People always thought I was joking or used an alias when I introduced myself.


    I didn''t have an ID on me, unfortunately, that usually shut people up. Fed up with her shit, I grabbed the muzzle of the gun and spoke in the coldest voice I could muster.


    "I am giving you ten seconds, Isabe. Decide in those ten seconds. I trusted you despite knowing nothing. I could have left you to die, yet here we are. "


    Probably sensing the bloodlust I let out, the woman gulped audibly despite having the upper hand. I could care less what she thought. I came here because she was useful, nothing more, nothing less. With that in mind, I continued.


    "I have not lied to you, not once. If you believe I am your ally, lower the gun and get off me. Otherwise shoot me, because after ten seconds I will {Rewind} and I will kill you. You probably already know how my {fate} works just as I know yours." I made sure to make myst words as menacing as possible.


    This was, of course, a bluff. {Rewind} still had two minutes before it could be used again. So, the longer this standoff got, the better it was for me.


    As she didn''t kill me outright, I had to have something of value to her. Of course, if she just shot me dead right now, well¡­ That would have been it.


    "Decide now or I will kill you," I reiterated.


    Not even blinking, I stared into Isabe''s clear blue eyes as she trembled. Whatever she intended to choose, any goodwill I might have had for her had disappeared.


    Suddenly the woman uncocked the hammer of the 1911, engaged the safety, and quickly got off me.


    Perhaps as a peace offering, she held out the gun to me as she spoke meekly. "Sorry, please forgive me."


    I didn''t bother answering as I retrieved the weapon. I then turned around to walk away. I got beaten up a lot before I left home, so a broken nose was nothing to me.


    On a separate note, this woman was a fucking lunatic. She might have a rack but crazy for pussy had never been a good deal.


    Surprised I left her without so much as I word, Isabe ran after me as she yelled.


    "Hey! Don''t leave me! Aren''t we allies? Come on! I said I am sorry!"


    With our deal out of my mind, I began jogging towards the tform. Curious¡­ How no undead came for us while we talked.


    Looking towards the battle on the tform, both sides increased in number. The ape seemed to be injured, so the reapers were being pushed back.


    Trying my best to think of a battle n, I picked up the pace.


    I heard a female voice as I dashed towards my destination. "Hey! Stop running so fast! I have short legs and I am injured! I''m sorry, okay! Please wait!"


    I felt a bit better when I saw her struggling to keep up. I stopped abruptly, leaving her no room to kill her momentum. Isabe ended up bumping into my body and falling towards the ground.


    She fell on her behind and gingerly checked her nose that she had mmed against my back.


    "Ouch! Now you are just being an ass! Forgive me already!"


    Not giving a rat''s ass what she thought, I looked her in the eye and asked emotionlessly, "What do you want?"


    "Look, I work inw enforcement. I deal with a ton of shady crap on a daily basis. To put it bluntly, your {fate} is extremely suspicious. Additionally, given your connection to Rnd Winchester, meeting anyone while being that ill-informed will be suicide," she exined fervently.


    My indifference caused her to make a wry smile as she stood up on her own. Isabe brushed the dust off her pants and continued.


    "Okay. The things you need to know first. Rnd Winchester is a living legend among the reapers. Long story short, the old man has been recorded to be alive since the Roman Empire, like before the time of Jesus!"


    "What?" I blurted out.


    I couldn''t believe my ears. How was the old man still alive, then? And why did it concern me? However, my curiosity still got the better of me as I waited for more.


    "Anyway, we can discuss him another time, the important thing is that many are hunting him. If it gets out that you know him and that he is your handler, you will be the one those people woulde for. Understand?


    "Aside from me, never tell anyone else that you were turned into a wraith by him. Naturally, I won''t, either."


    Hmm. Who knew the old bastard was that ancient? Alright, that was definitely good info. What else did she have?


    "The other thing is the fact that you use a gun. In Hellsgate, a gun is considered trash, so your continuing use of one will have many look down on you," Isabe advised.


    So, this ce was called Hellsgate. How apt. But using a gun was stupid? Said who? Perhaps she understood the meaning of my gaze. The woman nodded and continued.


    "You should already know the basics of a {fate} from {Rewinds}. {Fates} as a rule are manifestations of desire, thus they are tangible. Meaning if I desire to be fast for example, I don''t suddenly just run faster. Instead, my will physically manifests as a dagger for example."


    If awakening a fate granted you a weapon, then it made sense why I saw a lot of abandoned weapons along the way here. The basic ones were just simple steel. So, the glowing weapons were manifestations, then?


    "The dagger would be the desire given form. So, as long as this dagger exists, the {fate} will never disappear. When you hold it, you run faster. Some {fates} manifest as avatars such as the ape and wolves over there. Those are the norm. Such weapons are the mark of a reaper.


    Consequently, not having either a soulweapon or soulform is extremely suspicious."


    Okay, so when you awakened, you got either a weapon or a transformation. As I only used a gun, it indeed looked suspicious. However, Isabe then answered the main point.


    "Guns, in particr, only work on themon undead. Without a manifested {fate}, it is impossible to survive in Hellsgate," she said.

 Chapter 9: I will become a Revenant.

    Impossible. All my life that word had haunted me. When I asked my asshole of a dad if mom would evere back, that was what he said.


    "Impossible."


    In high school, as I asked if I could ever be a doctor.


    "Impossible, you are too stupid."


    A date with a cheerleader. A job at Google or Facebook. Getting a raise. Buying a house. Telling thendlord if I could pay the rent just a single dayter. Staying for just a week at my mom''s.


    Begging my lover to stay with me instead of marrying my best friend. The answer was always the same.


    "Impossible."


    The word used when one no longer wished to try. Men never had wings, thus it should have been impossible to fly. Still, the Wright brothers proved them wrong. They said we could never leave the earth, then Neil Armstrong nted the first g on the moon.


    Impossible. Would I really let it all end just because of this fucking word?


    Hell no. I remembered the vow I had made before I died.


    ''I am through following the rules of others. Do not ce your limits on me. I will soar until my wings break and not before.''


    Isabe, oblivious to my inner monologue, continued. "It will take too much time to exin, so I''ll give you a summary. Hellsgate is like those dungeon towers in anime and manga. Except we are on the top floor and we dive down instead of climbing up. The corpses we see here are the weakest of the weak. The deeper you go, the stronger they get."


    Hmm. I had to pay attention for now. Sounded like Isabe had a childish side to her, too. So, we were on the top floor, but why did the reapers even need to go deeper into hell in the first ce? What was Hellsgate for?


    Fixing her sses, like a teacher in lecture mode, Isabe continued to exin. Her voice returned to a more vibrant tone as she did so.


    "Past a certain point, the zombies can no longer be killed even if you tear them apart. You need a {fate} that cleanses undead. These are known as holy blessings and guns cannot be blessed. Without a blessed weapon, going deeper is impossible."


    I abruptly cut her off to ask, "Why do reapers need to dive deeper?"


    Isabe looked dumbfounded at my question and took a moment topose herself. Fixing her hair, she began filling me in once more.


    "You really don''t know anything, do you? Why did you even be a reaper? Listen, John. I''m not sure what your reason is, or why you even epted the offer to begin with. But the main benefit to being a reaper ising back to life," she borated.


    Why? Weren''t we already alive right now? How much more alive were we supposed to be? Somehow grasping my thoughts, Isabe made an annoyed look.


    "You are not thinking something stupid like ''aren''t we already alive now'' are you?" she asked.


    Was my face that obvious? I cleared my throat and gestured for her to continue.


    "Look honey, bing a reaper isn''t all sunshine and rainbows. You get to live temporarily at a cost. While we do get to return to earth every day, we are also forced to return here every night to fight. As long as Hellsgate remains open, reapers will never truly be free," she exined with mncholy in her voice.


    Somehow, I already knew that would be the case. If going back to life was normal, no one would have remained dead to begin with. Rnd''s words echoed in my mind once more.


    ''Boy, you know about the Norse Valkyries, right? The ones who bring souls to Valha and all that. I am the same. But I will send you to the gates of hell. So, instead of dying pathetically on the ground, you may join our version of Ragnarok and fight demons till the end of the world. Exciting, right?


    You interested?''


    "Think of it this way. The Reapers only have one goal: closing Hellsgate. The fact that Hellsgate remains open today means every reaper since time memorial has either died or is still out there fighting. If this were a game, it would mean no one has ever cleared this game. Not even once," Isabe theorized.


    Fighting till the end of the world¡­ You got to have superpowers and return to earth. But each night you dived into hell and fought till the day you couldn''t any longer. This sounded like a deal only the truly desperate would want. For those who had something they left behind, I could understand the appeal. But what about me?


    Saying that I was destined to die here because {Rewind} was trash was kinda harsh. I had only just begun, and she was telling me not to even try because it was impossible?


    Yeah, fuck that.


    "Aren''t you the same then? I saw you were using a steel dagger. Do you turn into a bear or something, then?" I asked in curiosity.


    Isabe''s cheeks turned red as if she was embarrassed. She made several attempts to speak. As she didn''t say a word, I guessed I hit the nail on the head. This bitch was in the same boat as me. With an even stupider {fate} than the one I had; I might''ve added. What did she even wish for to get {Code}?


    "Fine, you caught me. I died a month ago, so I researched a lot during that time. But you can only truly know what your {fate} is the moment you kill in Hellsgate. My {fate} is also formless," she said, sounding frustrated.


    "Formless?" I repeated.


    With gritted teeth and clenched fists, Isabe practically spat out every word.


    "{Fates} are basically manifestations of desire, right? I read in an IRIS report that mutated {fates} also do appear. There are two mutations recorded. Sovereign and the Formless. Both are {fates} that do not manifest as weaponry or transformations. Still, the difference is like night and day."


    ''Sovereign, so the other type is for kings or something? And Isabe and I belong to the Formless. There should be more to this than meets the eye.''


    I kept my ears open as the woman continued her lecture.


    "Sovereign ranked {fates} are those that manifest as personae. Think how an actor brings a character to life. Their {fates} manifest a character. This persona not only has their own will but is also extremely powerful! Currently the Revenants of all seven battle fronts are all Sovereigns."


    Her entire demeanor turned ecstatic as she spoke of the Sovereigns. Her shining eyes meant she worshiped them like heroes or something. I did hear of another new word that grabbed my interest more than the Sovereigns, though.


    "Revenants? What are those?" I asked.


    Nodding, Isabe exined everything in a single breath.


    "Right. The reapers have ranks, each rank is several times more powerful than thest. The order goes Wraith -> Phantom -> Specter -> Revenant. In the history of Hellsgate, only seven Revenants have ever existed, and they are both themanders and absolute kings of the seven battle fronts. Ah! Each continent is considered a battle front."


    So, these Revenants were the kings of thisnd. Did that mean there were reapers in Antarctica? That was a continent, right? I had to remember that for now. Interesting, but there was still something I wanted to learn more of.


    "Then what about the Formless?" I reminded her.


    Like a balloon, whatever energy Isabe had disappeared as she deted from my question.


    "Every so often, some reapers are defective and cannot get their {fate} to manifest. They awaken and can gain souls like any reaper, but their abilities are vague and follow no reason or rhyme. Hardly anything is known about the Formless other than that they are considered extremely weak and hardly contribute at all."


    Hearing such a bad description of the group both of us belonged to, I tried to learn more.


    "Oh,e on, it shouldn''t be that bad, right? Maybe they just do not have enough data or something."


    Isabe then closed in on me as she spoke in anger. Her agitation was evident in her entire being. Why was she so emotional?


    "There is no record of any Formless even bing a Phantom! That''s how weak we are! Just give up! Don''t you think I want the opposite to be true?! How are we going to survive in this ce?! This is all pointless!


    I should never have agreed to join the reapers! It is all hopeless!" she shouted at the top of her voice.


    She then began punching my breastte as she cried pitifully. Her whimpers were so soft, I almost missed them.


    "I hoped¡­ I prayed. When I unlocked {Code} I wished it to be a mistake. I ran after a group of zombies to prove that I wasn''t defective. That Formless could be powerful too, yet I almost died. How am I supposed to survive then? How can I go back?


    Do I have to die a second time just for those bastards to be satisfied?"


    Isabe''s weeping face tore my heart. Right, no one would intentionallye here to fight without a good fucking reason. She must have had one to be desperate enough toe here. Perhaps consumed by the desire tofort her, all I could muster was a simple promise.


    "I will do it."


    "What?" she asked with tears in her eyes.


    "I will be a Revenant and close Hellsgate," I vowed.

 Chapter 10: Welcome aboard, Isabella.

    "What?"


    As Isabe questioned me, her strained voice told me that she heard me but was unable to believe what I had just said.


    "If Hellsgate is closed, you get toe back to life for real, right? Then just wait for me. I will do it on my own," I borated.


    "You? A Formless? You don''t even have a sponsor nor a handler. How?" she questioned.


    Disbelief and irritation evident in her face, her expression warped as if she thought I had killed her dog. Heh. That type of face. It reminded me so much of the people I used to work with. The implications and the thoughts written on that expression were so familiar to me, they were almost palpable.


    ''Who do you think you are? I gave up, so you should too! You are not better than me, so don''t even think of climbing any higher! If I must suffer here, you must suffer even more. Aiming for something more is selfish. We should stay just stay here.''


    Envy, spite, hopelessness and resignation. Only those who gave up could ever make such a face. And only people who did the same thing like me would know best. An hour ago, I was human, so I understood. Now? I was already a reaper.


    So why should one have used human logic on something like me?


    "Why not?" I challenged.


    Forgetting her despair, Isabe put all her energy into telling me why I could never seed as a Revenant.


    "You are fat, suck atbat and have neither resources nor backing. Did I forget to mention {Rewind} is horribly expensive for a {fate}? I agree that its applications are astounding. But you do not gain offensive nor defensive abilities. A zero, no matter how many times you multiply, will always remain a zero!"


    Seeing as the sadness that overwhelmed her had been reced by anger, I chuckled as I answered.


    "Then should I justy down here and die?"


    Unable to give a reply, she clenched her mouth while staring daggers into me. It was such a treat to shut up an intellectual with simple reasoning. But I had wasted enough time here. There was no telling when more zombies woulde for me. While I did already fill my quota, as Lilly''s people had yet to appear, then surviving should also a part of it.


    "I am d you feel good enough to argue about my matters. Give up on your own if you wish. I will not stop you. But do not ce your limits on me. I have decided that I will be a Revenant. The strongest one at that.


    Survive long enough to watch me do it, Ms. Taurus. Farewell."


    Not waiting for her response, we parted ways as I resumed my jog towards the tform. More reapers were locked inbat with the zombies. Even the monsters would tire out if they fought nonstop. Well, they had it better than me.


    While letting my mind wonder, I suddenly heard a voice calling for me.


    "WAIT! JOHN! WAIT FOR ME!"


    Naturally, it would be the 5''6'''' Brazilian bombshell. Seeing her run with such a rack was indeed pleasing to the eye. Focusing my gaze back to her face, I slowed down and turned towards her.


    "What is it? If you are still going to talk me down, just stop," I told her, annoyed.


    She then stopped in front of me and ced her hand on her chest as she spoke.


    "Please, let me join you! I will supply you with intel and weaponry for free! I will serve as your support and yourbat personnel if need be. I even offer you my body if you so desire, just don''t abandon me! You are right! Rather than epting my death, I will struggle with all I have!"


    Hearing the generous offer, I was sure this came with strings attached. I didn''t trust her fully, but she had proven herself to be a talented individual. If she didn''t ask for too much, I didn''t see anything bad with taking her along.


    "What are your terms? And why me? Wouldn''t joining one who had a soul weapon be better?"


    Right, if she really wanted to, I was sure someone among the ones who had manifested soul weaponry would request for her services. Being a woman and a beauty at that, she could even sleep her way to get a reaper husband. The demerits of following me were too numerous for her.


    "I have three requests, which I will nameter. As to why, you are unaffiliated with any sponsor nor handler. So, you will not be embroiled in the politics of the battlefronts. You are also Formless, so you would not treat me horribly as others would. Next, even when you could, you neither molested me nor took advantage of me."


    Hmm. So even the battlefronts had political agendas? Even with the fate of the world at stake, man remained greedy as fuck. While I didn''t molest her, I couldn''t say I was not interested, though.


    It seemed the biggest factor was how the other reapers would treat her. Between a regr reaper and a Formless one, if bedside skills were the deciding factor, Isabe would have to be able to give amazing head or fuck like a subus.


    Unaware of my dirty thoughts, Isabe continued her case. "Lastly, my gut tells me you are going to be amazing in the future. Even after all I said, you never despaired. I envy that. Let me ride your coattails at least. And you did save me from dying.


    So. You know. You''re my prince¡­"


    Isabe turned red like a tomato for some reason. I could barely make out herst words. She then took off her breastte to show a blue cross hanging from her neck.


    "As proof of my fidelity, I am willing to give you my only Soulgear. This cross has a {fate} called {Tourniquet}. It stops the damage of any injury in exchange for souls. Ah - souls are the currency you get when you take down a zombie. If I remember correctly, you get ten souls per head."


    Ho? So Soulgears were equipment that had {fates} on them. And souls were the rewards for taking out the undead. Good info. In the short time I spent with this woman, the number of things I figured out really helped. I wouldn''t mind if I had such a partner.


    While I could take the cross, the way Isabe held it meant it was of great importance to her. Injuries were not an issue for me, so I figured I should just let her keep it. The real issue was I had yet hear what she wanted.


    "Keep it, I don''t need it. What would be the price for all your efforts?" I asked.


    Isabe visibly brightened at my refusal for the cross. I guessed right. She treated it like a treasure. The woman gingerly ced it back inside her shirt and held out three fingers while making her demands.


    "Okay. As I said I have three conditions. 1. You will share your souls with me for my growth. 2. As I will subordinate myself to you, our lives will be as one and you must never abandon me.


    3. When you can, you will make me your kindred. If you agree to all this, I will do all I can to turn you into a Revenant."


    Unlike when she cried in despair, Isabe''s eyes shone with a fighting spirit as she found a goal. None of her conditions were bad since I nned to do them anyway. Ignoring your allies'' growth turned them into a burden. Leaving anyone I called an ally was something I would never do again.


    The only problem is¡­ what the hell was a kindred? I felt it was sly of her to make me ept without her exining what a kindred was. Before I could ask, she started touching her fingertips together as she exined.


    "When a reaper evolves to a phantom, they can take other reapers under their wing. These reapers are called Kindred. They are basically treated as the phantom''s family."


    Not sure why she looked away at the end, I pondered the meaning of her words. So, she wished to be part of my family in the future? Why though? Wasn''t our partnership enough? But I didn''t think she would tell me even if I asked.


    If I ever got that far, then I would willingly make her my kindred. Worrying about it at this point was useless. Without her information, I would only ask to get taken advantage of. For now, I would uphold her terms. If I kept my word in the future, only time would tell. I was no hero who would keep my word stupidly even if I had to die.


    "Understood. Then I agree. In exchange for supporting me to be a Revenant I will gain souls for your development, protect you and make you my kindred in the future."


    Isabe smiled the biggest smile I had ever seen on her. Despite the bad lighting, her joy and excitement practically gushed out of her body. She threw herself at me then embraced me tightly. Her words full of happiness. Like I was the best thing to ever happened to her.


    "YES! Thank you, John! Please take care of me, honey¡­ I will make sure you won''t need anyone else!"


    Taken a back at her words, I awkwardly patted her back as I replied.


    "Uh¡­ okay¡­ Wee aboard, Isabe."


    And thus, I gained my first ally in thend of the dead.

 Chapter 11: So you like smelly armpits then?

    After I got Isabe off me, she gave me a swift peck on the cheeks.


    "I''m really d you were the one that saved me, John. I mean it. From now on, call me Be, okay?" she whispered.


    Like a whirlwind, she then quickly let go and started to do some stretches. I could guess why she was suddenly being kind, but wasn''t this too much? Were Brazilians really that open in their advances?


    I coughed to dispel the awkwardness and told her about my ns.


    "Should we go to the tform, then? I don''t have anything else to do except to just shoot the hell out of the zombies while using the reapers as shields. What about you?"


    She ced a finger on her chin as she pondered. At that moment, the surroundings suddenly got brighter. I then noticed that the reapers started to pile up the undead like a wall and burned them. The smell that I thought I already was immune to got several times more horrible.


    "I guess they decided additional lighting is better than being able to breathe." Isabe ced her hand on my arm as she spoke.


    "I know I am being spoiled, but can you please dy going there and hunt with me?" she requested.


    Unsure why she would ask that of me, I waited for her to exin.


    "You said earlier you intend to murder someone there. If that is the case, I want us to prepare. Right now, I have zero souls. {Code} only needed 10 souls to activate for a day and 100 to evolve to level 2. But as I can now use {Rewind} I want to have 150 souls to be able to use {Auto}, {Save}, and {Rewind}. And an additional 150 to heal myself."


    Hearing Be begin to take my affairs as hers improved my appreciation of her. This woman already considered not only her safety but my goals of her own ord. Perhaps I lucked out in finding this woman.


    "My calf is still killing me. I want to use {Rewind} to heal. Plus, if you can help me hunt till I get another 100, I can evolve {Code} and we might get a new ability that can help us," she said.


    "Why 150 though?" I countered.


    "Huh? Aren''t you aware? {Rewind} needs 100 souls per use. {Auto} requires 30, while {Save} requires 20. I had killed four zombies gaining 40 souls and absorbed around 10 souls. But {Tourniquet} used it all up.


    If we go there now, I will be nothing but a burden. I told you it''s expensive for a low-level {fate} right?"


    Hmm. So, you could pretty much count how much you had by what you killed. Good to know. But why could she see the costs when I could not? And what was that about absorbing?


    "Honey, I''m guessing you don''t understand the absorbing bit, correct?"


    I nodded without fanfare. "Regarding the {fates}, I also cannot see their cost, only their cooldowns."


    Smiling like a child, Isabe ced her hand on my chest and exined the matter in a sultry voice.


    "Whenever you have anything you cannot understand, just ask me, honey. If it''s for you, I am willing to do anything. Reapers have a universal skill we all share. We gain souls in the presence of death. Anything that dies around you grants souls. The only question is how much.


    The difference of our {Code} is probably due topatibility."


    Oh. So, we were like literal grim reapers. We harvested souls from the dying. No matter how Iputed, though, I should not have had over 500 souls. I took down only twenty zombies and used {Auto}, {Save}, and {Rewind} all a single time. It didn''t add up.


    I briefed Isabe and after calcting, she could only respond while cursing.


    "This fucking cheater! Why do you have so many souls?! Did you kill zombies before today? I barely managed to scrape up 50 and you are telling me you had over 700 before meeting me? That''s unfair!"


    Ignoring the child throwing a fit, I wondered if it was possible to just pass the souls to her. "You needed 150 to heal right? Then just take it from me. Is there a way to pass them to you?"


    Isabe straightened up while smiling as she replied. "Yes! We can do so by sharing a kiss. But even then, I advise farming souls. If we will be fighting together, I want to know how you move. The side you favor and so on.


    Only then can I truly support you."


    Hmm. My heart felt warm. Having a beauty worry about you was indeed a great feeling. But I had a goal right now and after getting betrayed I didn''t want any romance, at least not now. So, I began to tease her to shake away the feeling of attraction.


    "Oh? Then why don''t you massage my feet? They hurt. I will do better afterwards, promise," I joked.


    "Honey. No matter how much I adore you, refrain from being an asshole if you please?"


    "What? You don''t like my feet? You like smelly armpits, then?"


    "Ugh! How disgusting?! Focus, honey!"


    "Will you let me smell yours?"


    "Honey¡­ In Brazil you can get shot for sexual harassment, you know?"


    We shared a short and sweet kiss then proceeded to banter while hunting zombies. Being able to spend a pleasant moment with her was refreshing to me. While I teased her, I made sure to never disrespect her.


    Inbat, Be had a good head on her shoulders. Her training as part of Rio''s police was evident. ording to her, she considered her CQC extremely weak. Still, she fought like an assassin in RPGs. As much as I wanted to give her the 1911, I could not fight with a knife, so she had to bear with it for now.


    She made sure to cover my blind side. ording to her, I favored my right and tended to push forward aggressively. Topensate, she would prioritize guarding my back and left nk rather than joining me in attacking on the front and right.


    Such a division of roles ensured I didn''t identally shoot her when she lunged towards an enemy. With me taking point, I got to decide how fast we moved, and she followed.


    This was how squads worked in both the military andw enforcement. There could only be one spearhead. Having multiple people move separately without order caused nothing but confusion.


    "So, Mrs. Code, how many types of enemies are you aware of?" I asked.


    Somewhere along the line, we started exchanging marriage jabs. She adamantly wanted to be called Mrs. Smith while I wanted to be called Mr. Taurus instead. After much deliberation, we settled for Code as ast name for our imaginary union.


    "Well Mr. Code, IRIS has a wide list of undead types, but as at that time I wasn''t a wraith I could only ess a fraction of the stuff there. I will check tomorrow and will share them with you tomorrow evening."


    ording to Be, wraiths were allowed only eight hours in Hellsgate. The application usuallysted just as long. Surviving the duration came pact and parcel with the enlistment. Particrly the enlistment had a special rule. Somewhere along the grounds, there would be a boss entity.


    This boss would hide for seven hours ande out only at the eighth. Killing it would mean the end of the ordeal. She told me that this was what the night vision guys would aim for. Being able to kill the boss gave a special reward, it seemed


    As we hunted on the opposite side of the tform, we were now on our way back. Supposedly, bunching up allowed the undead to detect reapers better. And by Be''s assessment, the tform would be overrun, should the boss appear.


    I didn''t know how long we took, but eventually, we were able to level up {Rewind} as well. We hunted over a hundred zombies in order to do so. Each kill made us work better and by the time we were ready, Be already felt like my left limb.


    During our date in hell, I evolved {Rewind} and got {Reload}. For 50 souls I could replenish my ammunition and weapons while staying in ce at the loss of getting healed.


    Be, on the other hand, unlocked the second ability of {Code} - {Connect} which allowed her to talk toputers without a keyboard. She believed that with it, she could turn on the spotlights to even the odds in preparation for the boss.


    The entire time we moved, there were no survivors. The screams of those I abandoned still rang inside my ears as I watched the surroundings. Maybe it was because I wanted to atone. I kept an eye out for any still alive. Just then, I heard sharp and tense voices around us.


    "Jo, watch out! Kya!"


    "Jas! Fanculo! Get off her!"


    I had no reason to save them. Still, I wanted to try. I let three souls die. So, I wanted to save three as well, at least. Before I could even ask Be''s opinion, my partner smiled sweetly at me. Her words sounded like honey.


    "Shall we go save them? Mr. Code?"

 Chapter 12: Yeah, fuck you Chuckie!

    The human body was amazing in its ability to adapt to circumstances. Light, sound, smell, touch, taste. These five senses allowed us to experience the world, and thus they shaped what we experienced.


    Contrasting to how I felt before, the smells of the dead no longer bothered me. I had initially felt terror when I heard the jaws of zombies tearing flesh. Now? I hardly even noticed.


    The darkness that used to hide unknown demons became nothing more but a nuance that hid the bodies I needed to put bullets in.


    Unlike when I first saw people dying to zombies, I now epted that it was just a fact of life as a reaper. Thus, when I saw two women in such a dire state against the undead, I felt no pity nor agitation, just eptance.


    "One wounded, female, with a bite wound on the neck. Onebatant armed with a rapier and a parrying dagger. Enemies are seven Chuckies, five Bigfoots, and ten Normies. That girl is surprisingly adept atbat, but she will get overwhelmed soon."


    "Bigfeet," I quipped.


    "Shut it honey, we are not having this conversation again."


    The grinding Be and I did had allowed us to develop what she called abat doctrine. This would be our set of rules that covered everything from how we fought to how we called enemies. It worked surprisingly well as we massacred groups of undead.


    Chuckie was a movie about a murderer that had his soul put in a doll. That movie had scared the crap out of me when I was younger. I blurted it out by ident the moment I saw the child zombies.


    Surprisingly, Be understood both Bigfoot and Chuckie. ording to her, some asshole dressed up as Chuckie and pranked bus stops in Brazil, so she hated the little fucker as well.


    For normal engagements, the first thing to do was to confirm the situation. Normie was what we called a normal zombie. This meant zombies at or below 5''9''''. Anything above that was a Bigfoot. Anything below 4ft was a Chuckie.


    Bigfoots were slower than Normies. On the other hand, Chuckies were faster. I almost died to one when one got under me and ripped my foot off. I hated the little shits with a passion.


    It went without saying that Chuckie was a child that died and turned. Be cried the first time we saw one. But this was just Hellsgate. Compassion for an enemy would get you killed faster than anything else.


    "So, how do we go about this, Mrs. Code?" I asked.


    As a cop, Be was better regarding tactics, no question about it. Believing I was superior due to video games was just stupid. No matter how OP {Rewind} was, a civilian was still a civilian.


    "Chuckies first, then Bigfoots, then Normies. We circle them from the left. The rapier user stays close to her friend. Leave the defense of the injured to her."


    "Alright. Let''s go."


    I jogged towards the little children lurking around the rapier user. She dispatched the undead with a single lightning-fast stab to the forehead. Her dagger in her other hand fended off attackers. The woman had scratches all over, but she didn''t seem to have gotten bitten.


    "Let''s start with the little shits around her, then," I announced.


    Different from Normies, Chuckies did not immediately charge for their targets. These fuckers intentionally waited for gaps in your attention and then quietly came for you. I was not sure why they had the ability to think, but Be told me the undead evolved the lower you went.


    Be and I agreed to run together as we moved, If I sprinted, she couldn''t keep up due to having smaller strides. Thus, I would jog, and she would run. This suited me just fine as my stamina sucked, anyway.


    "Rapier user, we are here to help, focus on protecting your friend, we will take care of the ones around you!" Be dered.


    The woman looked in our direction and nodded. Even in this lighting, I could see the relief on her face.


    "Grazie, reaper. We need all the help we can get."


    Grazie? What did that mean? Whatnguage was that even? Well, never mind. We had to focus on taking down the Chuckies. As I came near, the Chuckies froze in ce.


    I quickly sent one flying with a push kick to its stomach. This attack was the same one Be took me down with.


    The little fucker couldn''t bear the force and got smashed to the ground. Blood flowed out as the back of the child''s skull broke open. Not taking any chances, I aimed at its nose and fired.


    Behind me, I heard metal stabbing flesh along with the colorful prose of my partner.


    "Foda-se voc¨º Chuckie!"


    After spending a few hours with her, I had learned that Isabe started speaking in Portuguese whenever she got emotional. She called me a racist bigot when I asked her to teach me Brazilian.


    Apparently, there was no such thing as Brazilian, and Brazil spoke Portuguese. How was I supposed to know? ording to her, foda-se voc¨º was fuck you in her mother tongue.


    I noticed a Chuckieing from my right and shifted the 1911 to intercept.


    "Yeah, fuck you Chuckie!"


    The round I fired tore into the zombie and exploded the child''s eye while blowing out the back of its skull. Behind me, the sounds of bodies hitting the ground continued. This melody gave me assurance that my partner had everything under control. I then aimed for the next little bastard behind the rapier user.


    "You have a Chuckie behind you, get down!" I shouted.


    The woman had long blonde hair and quickly did ateral lunge in response to my warning. I sent a .45 ACP to the back of the Chuckies head. The bullet created a bloody mist as it exited. Ugh. I didn''t even want to know what happened to its face.


    Just then, I heard my partner''s voice.


    "Clear! Ready!" Be shouted behind me.


    This was our signal that the ones behind me were dead and we could move forward. Because we stayed in our formation, we could fight without worries.


    "Okay, Bigfeet in five."


    "It''s Bigfoots you ass! Go!"


    In five meant it would take five seconds before the next encounter. While {Rewind} restored our stamina, using it all the time was wasteful. To be economical, we paced ourselves as we fought. Due to using a knife, even though Be was in better shape she tired faster than I did.


    To ensure we didn''t over-exert, I always checked if she needed a rest or not. If Be said go, then we moved forward. Otherwise we stayed in ce.


    The rapier user continued to take down Normies with ruthless efficiency. I saw her even block a Bigfoot with just a flick of a soft knife. Why didn''t she have a soul weapon, though? Was she also Formless?


    I took a moment to check the wounded woman and noticed a light green glow on her neck. It looked a lot like Be''s {heal} tablet, so she should be fine for now.


    Not willing to distract our new ally, I took aim at another Bigfoot and shot twice, going for its nose. The good thing when shooting Bigfoots was that they hadrge heads. Headshots were a simple task when you were this close.


    Blood exploded and showered me in flesh and bone as I continued my approach. The Bigfoot''s corpse dramatically continued to walk a few steps before falling like a tree. Due to the sounds of my weapon, the Normies around the rapier user left her and charged for us instead.


    "Two Normies, three Bigfoots," I told Be.


    I expected more, though, but the blond woman probably took down a lot of them along with the Bigfoot I saw her kill. How reliable.


    "Go!" replied Isabe.


    Whenever I didn''t add a number to my derations, it meant the undead would arrive in the next few seconds. Be would keep track if we managed to kill everything. Our formation was perfect in my opinion.


    I dashed forward and held the 1911 with both hands as I sniped the Bigfoots. Technically, I could just stand and wait for them. But Isabe would be idle if I did.


    Since we could handle it, we didn''t shy away from fighting in close quarters. As a bonus, getting this close increased my uracy.


    Two Bigfoots went down by the time they reached us. I shoved my forearm into thest one and shot him from below the chin. A Normie ran past me and lunged for Be. It died the next moment from the sounds I heard.


    From the corner of my eye, I saw the Normies who came at me from the sides get dispatched by Isabe. I heard a loud thud from my left and saw a flying knife end the one to my right.


    I didn''t see any other zombie, so I turned around and noticed a zombie approach from behind Isabe. I quickly kneeled to steady my aim and shot the Normie.


    Not even thanking me, my partner abruptly ran towards me and vaulted using my shoulder as a tform. The sounds of bone cracking behind my head told me all I needed to know.


    When I looked back, the zombie already died a second time from a broken neck. It looked like Be had kicked the Normies head full force like a ser ball. Rest in peace, Normie.


    "You were careless, Mr. Code," my partner scolded.


    I then heard a female voice speak in admiration.


    "Dai grande! That was amazing!"

 Chapter 13: Lets do it.

    We had cleared the zombies around the two female reapers. Still, Be and I didn''t rx. Instead, we waited for a few moments. She quickly moved behind me and ced her back against mine.


    One of the lessons we learned was that the most dangerous moment in reaperbat was when you thought that the fighting had already ended. If not for {Rewind}, both Be and I would have died way earlier during our grinding date.


    It had happened after we let our guard down. After believing we had already killed everything, a pair of Chuckies popped out of the ground like cockroaches. They took us by surprise and bit both of us without remorse.


    While we did kill them afterwards, neither of us would have survived if not for my {fate}. From that point onwards, we added in ourbat doctrine that no matter what we were doing, at least one should always be on guard to watch our blind spots.


    Chuckies, while having some ability to think, were still brainless zombies. If you hung around them long enough, they would pop out.


    Ignoring the two we had saved, we waited.


    A fraction of a momentter, the ground opened up in two spots as two Chuckies charged towards us from opposite ends. A bullet and a knife flew towards them, ending their surprise attack in a single breath.


    After a minute passed, Be then retrieved her knife while I guarded her back. It was only then that she faced the pair of wraiths while I continued scanning our surroundings.


    "Hello, we came to help. Is your friend''s health stable?" Be began.


    The blonde woman shed a huge smile as she responded with enough energy to light up the sky.


    "Salve! Thank you for saving me and my sister! You and your husband are, how you say¡­ Awesome! How do you fight so well?! My name is Josephine! This is my sister!


    Oh! Jasmine, say hello to our friends!"


    Simrly taken aback, my partner gave a wry smile as she tried to calm down the blonde reaper. Josephine had long hair that reached her back and seemed to glow in the darkness. Its luster wasn''t bright like gold but appeared white instead, almost transparent.


    Her fair white skin and green irises were alluring. She probably was from Europe or something. I couldn''t help but note that Josephine had an even bigger bosom than Be. Her looks would have given most supermodels a run for their money.


    In contrast, her sister, the one called Jasmine. had dark skin like an African American and long hair the color of onyx. They had to have interracial parents as they were quite literally shades of ebony and ivory.


    Body wise, if Josephine was top heavy, Jasmine had wide th thighs that looked plump and pleasing to the eyes. Adding to that, her body was further graced by a firm and beautiful ass.


    Perhaps as a result of their gics, she also had an extremely beautiful face. In contrast to Josephine''s overflowing energy, her sister only gave us a small smile and a short introduction.


    "I am Jasmine. Thank you for your help."


    I could tell the ck beauty was on guard from how she gripped her bow tensely. Oblivious to her agitation, Josephine trusted us enough to volunteer information without us even asking anything.


    "We would have died if not for your help! A little nano attacked me from behind. Jas protected me and got bit. Thank you again so much... Uhm. What do we call you and your husband, friend?" the blonde beauty inquired.


    "I am Isabe. The man over there goes by John."


    I wanted to deny being her husband, but Be gave me a disgusted look that forced me to shut me up. I could roughly understand it as ''stay silent, you ass, leave negotiations to me.''


    ''Why is she pissed? She didn''t see me ogling the sister''s assets, right?''


    "We only saved you on a whim. If you girls are okay now, my husband and I will be leaving now. Farewell." Be then turned around and slowly walked towards me.


    Like an abandoned puppy, Josephine became crestfallen and looked miserable. With pleading eyes, she looked towards her sister as if begging for something.


    After a few seconds. Jasmine rolled her eyes and then nodded. Josephine then raised her hands and aggressively hugged her sister like a child.


    So, Jasmine was the leader of their group, then? It seemed my partner was right. There was more to be learned from bodynguage than there was from words. I remembered Be''s lecture during our date.


    "Listen well, honey. Here in Hellsgate. never give away anything for free. Negotiations are fought long before words are even spoken. So, leave them to me. We cannot be too eager to invite anyone to our group.


    The dynamics of whether they or we ask first greatly differ. The first who expresses interest already loses the upper hand."


    "Wait, Isabe! Please let us join your group! I am a strong vanguard. My sister is amazing with a bow. We can surely help you guys keep safe."


    Josephine''s lively voice broke me out of my reverie. Just like Isabe nned, negotiations for both our groups to join began. Because their side asked first, we got to decide if we epted them in or not.


    Be then faced her and stated our terms.


    "If we reach an agreement, I don''t see why not. But right now, you need us more than we need you, right? Tell us your {fates}, the soulgears you have on you, supplies, and the number of souls between you."


    Like a child looking towards her mother for permission, Josephine looked towards Jasmine before she replied. After a short moment of deliberation, the raven-skinned beauty opened her mouth and answered for the two of them.


    "Fine. Our {fates} are centered around vision and hearing. Our original allies mugged us, so aside from a few low-level {heals} we only have our weapons. We have 600 souls between the two of us," Jasmine exined.


    My partner then mercilessly pointed out, "So the two of you were abandoned, then. Why?"


    Like a dog that had found a scent, Be attacked the weak point of the sisters. She probably did so to establish the group''s hierarchy, should we join with them. But damn, how heartless could this woman get?


    Jasmine bit her lip as Josephine held her head down. After a few seconds, Josephine spoke in a sad tone.


    "My sister and I are Formless, friends. The group we came with bullied us to give our soulgears for the survival of the others. They then told us to separate as we would only bring them down."


    So, it was the same everywhere huh? I remember the despair Be felt at being among the Formless. I didn''t know it would be this bad.


    "Figlio di puttana! They sucked up to us when we began forming groups. The moment they knew we were Formless they left us to die," Josephine grumbled.


    Hearing their story, I wondered if those people were right in the head. Both Josephine and Jasmine were perfect 10s in my book. Did people really consider the Formless so weak they got abandoned despite their looks? Wouldn''t anyone want to turn them into lovers or at least pets or something?


    Jasmine then passionately begged, "I will serve as your meat shield and draw all the zombies, just please take Josephine in your group! Even just her is enough! I can no longer protect her! Please do so in my stead!"


    "Jas? Che due coglioni! What are talking about? I refuse!" cried Josephine.


    She then kneeled towards Isabe and I while screaming. "My sister is injured! I am a melee fighter! Please take her in instead, I beg of you! Left alone she will die! Give me the honor of being the group''s spearhead!"


    An older sister who was willing to die as she could no longer protect the younger. A younger sister who would rather fight alone than risk her sister being left behind.


    I had half-siblings, but I didn''t have such a beautiful rtionship with any of them. If anything, the sisterly love between these two made them trustworthy people.


    If the worse shoulde to worst, we could use one of them to control the other. As bastardly as my thoughts might have seemed, in order to survive this ce such desperate measures were necessary.


    Ability-wise, Josephine was a powerful vanguard. Having her as our front line would make our fights easier without question. Jasmine, although injured, had toned arms and was a bit muscr. With a {fate} rted to eyesight or hearing, her uracy had to be several leagues higher than normal.


    The fact that they had 600 souls even after getting mugged meant they had killed quite a number before failing. Personally, I didn''t think we need more people. I wanted to save them, nothing more, nothing less. But I had to wait for Isabe''s opinion.


    "Please give me a moment to talk to my husband."


    When she came close enough, I whispered low enough for only herto hear, "I am not your husband."


    "Shut up, you pervert! Don''t try to deny that you were undressing them with your eyes earlier, you ass!" she retorted.


    Ignoring her words, I asked about the pressing matter at hand.


    "So? What do we do, Mrs. Code?"


    "Let''s take them in, Mr. Code."


    "Why?" I asked in curiosity.


    "This whole world believes Formless are nothing but trash. What would happen if we survived with a groupprised of nothing but trash? If It''s you and me, we can do it. I know we can. What do you say?"


    With eyes full of fighting spirit, my partner began to n how to topple the current status quo. I naturally gave her a savage grin as I replied with three simple words.


    "Let''s do it."

 Chapter 14: How evil Mrs. Code.

    This world apparently believed that the Formless were trash. However, I couldn''t help wondering just how pathetic the manifested had to be if a group of mere Formless were able to vastly outperform them.


    Who wouldn''t want respect, to be revered? While I was thinking of such things, Be continued our discussion.


    "Honey, Jasmine is weak from her injury and exhaustion. Josephine is trying to pretend that she is energetic, but I could see her legs shaking. That girl is probably forcing herself to look fine. They are desperate. And they are aware that they will die the moment we leave them."


    Hmm. My partner was amazing. I didn''t even notice such details. So, we literally held their lives in our hands. Huh? Should we extort them then?


    But didn''t they already get mugged? What else could we get from them?


    "Mr. Code, your face is despicable. You are probably thinking of stealing their virginities or something, right? Sorry to burst your bubble, but wraiths will die if they have sex. Be a Phantom at least if you can''t keep it in your pants."


    What? I would die if I had sex? Why? How? That was bullshit! Before I could voice out my anger, Be ced her slim finger on my lips and came closer to whisper.


    "The only thing they have of value are their {fates}. Having more {fates} is always a good thing. Compatibility aside. Even as Formless they cannot possibly be worse than {Code}, right?" she exined.


    While she tried to hide it, the palpable self-deprecation seeped through her voice. {Code} might not have been shy, but I couldn''t bring myself to think that any {fate} was useless.


    There were probably useless reapers, but the {fates} didn''t seem to be as simple. Wasn''t I living proof of that?


    "{Code} is not useless, Be. Even if we didn''t have an agreement, I would have approached you just to get it."


    My partner''s face betrayed her surprise as she blushed scarlet. How interesting, this woman wanted me to think she had experience, but it seemed to be a ruse.


    {Fates} were incredibly personal and denying the {fate} of another was calling their desperation and wish trash. I would have never trampled on the resolutions of my allies.


    Changing the topic, I continued speaking. "Anyway, if both are close to dying, won''t they be a burden? Should I give them {Rewind} so they can at least fight?"


    She made a disgusted face as she spat out her reply. "You just wish to lock lips with them, don''t you?"


    Well, I couldn''t deny that. But right now, my goal was to be the strongest Revenant. Picking up chicks was not something I would let dictate my actions. However, if they came to me, who was I to refuse?


    "No, I do not. If they will just die in battle, let''s abandon them here. I am not strong enough to carry the burdens of others. I already told you that. I have no need for meat shields, nor do I intend to fuck either afterwards. So, they can just die on their own.


    Our risk goes up if we take in weaklings."


    Be then made aplicated face. "You are frighteningly heartless sometimes, you know. If¡­ If a time everes where we are at odds, will you abandon me too?"


    "Yes," I coldly replied.


    Being with Isabe was pleasant, but we were not together because we loved each other. I needed her for information about Hellsgate. She needed me to survive and help her grow. We could trust each other because we were looking out for our own interests.


    Whether it was Be, Josephine or Jasmine, the moment any of them got in my way, I would put a bullet between their eyes without hesitation. While I never intended to abandon an ally, I would simrly never grant mercy to an enemy.


    My goal in Hellsgate was to be the strongest reaper. I came here not to look for a rtionship. This was my promise to myself. Not for fame, fortune, nor recognition, but for myself. As proof of the life I lived, and the achievement I wished to be remembered by.


    I noticed that my partner became a bit crestfallen. Well, it was better to clear this up now. I got burned badly by my first rtionship. Having a quick fuck was fine, but I never saw myself getting into anything serious anytime soon.


    "Okay, I''m d we cleared that out. Yes, this is better. We are partners who use each other. Nothing more, nothing less," Be conceded.


    Despite the sadness in her voice, I neitherforted her nor corrected her statement. The awkward air between us was tangible. Before I could say anything to clear the atmosphere, Be took point and shifted the topic.


    "If you do not wish to trust thempletely, then give them your blood instead," she stated.


    "My blood?"


    "Yes, I told you before, right? Reapers borrow {fates} by bodily fluids. Saliva''s best attribute is its ability to exin a {fate}. Blood, on the other hand, allows the {fate} to be shared even if the ability itself remains a secret," my partner exined.


    Confused, I ended up retorting, "That makes no sense. How can you have the {fate} but not the ability?"


    "It''s like this. The bodily fluids are ranked by intimacy. You have donated blood before, right? But do you kiss everyone you meet? It''s like that."


    That kinda made some sense? Who decided the rules of these things, though?


    My partner continued. "Blood gives one the ability but doesn''t teach them how. Saliva, however, is meant for lovers or spouses. Thus, the information needed to the {fate} is a factor.


    "The main benefit of blood is the duration. For example, if my spit gave you {Code} for a day, then my blood would give it to you for a month."


    "Then what are we even giving them my blood for?" I inquired.


    "This loophole is especially beneficial to you, honey. If you have them invoke {Auto} and {Save} they would then get the lifeline of rewinding. Just tell them when they are about to die. For any future prospects, we should test everyone like this."


    Hmm. Aside from {Rewind}, neither {Auto} nor {Save} showed any signs when used. This way, if they turned on us, we could still kill them. If they were trustworthy, then that was the only situation where we would teach them {Rewind}.


    "Okay, I am fine with that. How do we incorporate them in ourbat doctrine, then?" I asked.


    "Have Josephine serve as the point man. You will cover her left side. I will have Jasmine cover the formation''s right. Finally, I will bring up the rear. This way, if they do something fishy, just shoot Josephine from behind. I will simrly stab Jasmine before she has a chance to act," my partner concluded.


    A n that took everything into ount. With such a n, we would have the upper hand. Pleased, I couldn''t help but praise her. "How evil, Mrs. Code. Have I told you how much I adore your devilish mind?"


    "I am eager to please, Mr. Code. I knew only such a n would make an esteemed fucking heartless demonic bastard like yourself happy, right? Only the vilest and most contemptuous plots are worth our fucking piece of shit asshole of a Revenant, no? I am so d you liked it, honey" Be said with a beautiful smile.


    "¡­"


    Taken aback, I couldn''t even reply. I never heard such a long string of curses before. It was like I got cursed with every expletive avable in the American dictionary. What? Was she angry or something? Didn''t I make it clear from the beginning?


    Be then quickly left and began speaking to the reaper sisters. She called for me when discussions were over.


    "Then, honey, please give them a bit of your blood." Be took her knife and pricked my finger. She then began letting my blood drip in tiny vials barely an inch long.


    My curiosity got the better of me, so I asked, "What are these tiny things?"


    Josephine responded, still full of energy. "Oh? These are the reaper vials of the European battlefront. We are not allowed to fill them beforeing. However, negotiating with {fates} is a given. I have spares if you want some!"


    So, {fates} were treated as not onlybat abilities, but even as currency. Be had me fill up three vials with my blood. One for each of them. The three girls did the same and we ended up each with three vials of Formless {fates}.


    Upon receiving Josephine and Jasmine''s vials, Be asked for their activation key words.


    "{Perceive}," replied the brooding raven-haired beauty.


    Her cheerful sister, on the other hand, answered with "{Listen}".


    Be taught them hers and gave them mine while telling them {Auto} and {Save}. She told them {Save} would automatically take a lethal blow for them once. The sisters got all ecstatic upon hearing the exnation. It was not technically a lie, but it wasn''t the truth, either.


    How reliable.


    Curious to know what their {fates} were, I drank all three vials I obtained, one after another.


    Downloads urred when I activated them. I marveled at what I saw.


    ___


    {Rewind} 00:00:00


    {Save} 00:00:00


    {Auto} 18:21:07


    - {Reload} 00:00:00


    Souls Avable :378


    {Fate} Level 2


    Souls needed for evolution: 3,000


    {Fates} Active


    1. {Code} 729:58:23


    - {Connect} 359:58:10


    2. {Perceive} 359:58:30


    - {Aim} 359:58:30


    3. {Listen} 359:59:22


    - {Interpret} 359:59:22


    {Kindred}


    N/A


    ___

 Chapter 15: I am no demon.

    I felt a drain on my body. I guessed this was the cost of activating the new {fates} I had. My soul count dropped by 300. So, the cost of the four new ones was exactly 300 souls.


    It was a novel feeling, like feeling different temperatures in your body all at once. Somehow, I knew which {fates} belonged to Be, and which were from Josephine and Jasmine.


    Aside from {Rewind}, I knew I had an additional three {fates} active. Isabe granted me {Code} and {Connect}. The former digitized some things I saw, while thetter couldn''t be used due to being in Hellsgate.


    Josephine''s blood granted me {Listen} and {Interpret}. From the downloads, {Listen} allowed me to direct my hearing towards a specific direction, like a directional microphone. The second seemed to¡­


    "Be, talk to me in Brazilian."


    Her angry reply came less than a second after. "Fuck you, you racist bastard! I told you I speak Portuguese!"


    However, it seemed different. Her "fuck you" wasn''t in English but I understood it as if it was.


    I turned to Josephine and made the same request. "Josephine, speak in Europe."


    "Speak Europe? I am from Sicily, there is no speaking Europe. I can speak in Italian if you want. Ehem¡­ Hello, I am now speaking in Italian, can you understand me? What is your favorite food?"


    "I can and its fried chicken," I replied.


    At that point Be grabbed me by my shoulder and eagerly pulled me towards her.


    "Wait! You can understand her? You can understand Italian?"


    Her curiosity and surprise were obvious. But even the skill owner, Josephine, was surprised. Why? Didn''t she tell us her skills? Before I could reply, Jasmine was the one that exined the matter for me.


    "We only taught you {Listen}. If we didn''t teach you {Interpret} it should not have activated. You are breaking themon sense of how {fates} are loaned. The only way to learn everything about a {fate} is to use saliva or sexual fluids."


    "Oh." Unsure if this was a big deal, I checked with Be. She nodded her head like a head banger in a Bon Jovi concert. When I saw her expression, I wanted to tease her more. I stepped away and took a pebble from the ground. I threw it in the air like a baseball.


    With my gun trained on the small object, I focused my eyesight on the stone. Like I was using a pair of binocrs, I could now "zoom" my vision to the target. This was the effect of {Perceive}, a passive ability that granted superhuman eyesight.


    As the pebble flew in the air, in my eyesight a white crosshair followed it. I moved the crosshair a little lower by moving my arm to ount for the bullet speed. I then squeezed the trigger of my pistol.


    The bullet fired and followed the trajectory of the crosshair. It then sted the stone into smithereens. Satisfied, I looked back to Be only to see her bbergasted.


    That itself was expected. What I didn''t understand was why even Josephine had a hand covering her mouth while the stoic Jasmine looked beside herself. Wasn''t this ability from them?


    "What? Why are even the two of you surprised?" I asked in annoyance, unable to understand their reactions.


    Be quickly grabbed both of my shoulders roughly. With me being taller than her, it looked weird, but her eyes were lit with a feeling I didn''t expect. Fear.


    "Honey. I am now speaking in Portuguese. Can you still understand me?"


    I silently nodded.


    Isabe didn''t get scared easily. This short woman could fight toe to toe with even Bigfoots with nothing but a knife and her body. For such an exaggerated reaction, I knew something was up.


    Suddenly I heard des unsheathed and a bowstring being drawn. Josephine pointed her weapons at me as she shielded her sister. Jasmine had a fully drawn arrow aimed at Isabe. That escted way too quickly. What was going on?


    Josephine had a troubled expression while Jasmine''s eyes looked sharp as a hawk. Be pulled her knife and stood in front of me. Jasmine''s stoic words brought the tense atmosphere to 11.


    "John. No matter how good Isabe is, at this distance, I can send an arrow through her heart. {Aim} allows for such as it predicts the target''s movements to a degree, you understand, right? If you value your lover''s life, answer me. Tell me why a demon like you would save us?!"


    Demon? What the fuck was this bitch going on about? Before I could even understand what was going on, my partner shielded me while she brought her knife to the front.


    "Jasmine, calm down. I know what it looks like, but I can tell you that he is no demon. Honey bleeds blood just like the rest of us. He is a wraith!"


    Josephine then shrieked at us, her voicecking the characteristic cheerfulness she had disyed so far.


    "Then exin how he is able to use more than one {fate} aside from his own! Reapers are only allowed one kindred! This was why Soulgears were created. A reaper¡­even a Revenant can only have two {fates} in his body! You betrayed us!"


    Ho? So, kindred were the ones that reapers usually got their loaned {fates} from. And normal reapers were only allowed one at a time. If me being a demon was the only reasonable exnation in their eyes, then I agreed with her assumption.


    "He learned {fates} we didn''t teach! I can understand if that is a fluke. But {Perceive} and {Listen}, if he has your {Code} and his {Auto}, this man has four {fates} active right now! If he is not a demon, then what is he?!" Jasmine demanded.


    So, they believed my {fate} was {Auto} with {Save} being an evolution. I could see what Be withholding information looked like as well. With the information gap, the odds of their side winning against Be and me were low. But how should I go about this?


    It seemed that being able to ingest multiple {fates} broke the norms of the reapers. Josephine said she was from the EU battlefront while Isabe was from the South American one. So, even with the cumtive knowledge from two different continents, my ability could not be deemed normal.


    I never considered them actual allies in the beginning, so I was not saddened by the distrust. While I could understand their reasons, I did not appreciate being threatened like this.


    ''Do not ce your limits on me. If we cannote to an agreement, then I will kill you right here,'' I thought.


    While my heart felt warm as I saw Be stand up for my sake, I could not be the top reaper if I hid behind her for every little thing. With that in mind, I stepped forward.


    "You bitches got two things wrong. One, I am no demon. I died and came back like any reaper. My goal is to be the strongest Revenant and close Hellsgate."


    Right, if I already came from hell there would be no need for me to die. I could not tell them about Rnd but I was sure I was no demon.


    "Two, betrayal only works if both parties trusted each other from the beginning. As a thank you for granting me your {fates}, if you wish to leave, I will not stop you. But if you decide to fight, know that I will show you no mercy," I warned.


    I felt like this was bing a habit. Well, what would happen if I became a worse asshole? I was already in hell, right?


    At that point, Jasmine started tough uncontrobly, easing her bow while asking her sister to stand down. Surprised, I couldn''t help but wonder if I said anything funny.


    Both womenughed at my serious goal. While it did defuse the situation, I couldn''t help but get irritated. Unable to stop myself, I asked what they found so funny.


    "What? You guys think I am making a joke?"


    Jasmine then stoppedughing as her eyes became sharp once more. Complex emotions clearly shifted in her mind, judging by the uncertainty in her gaze.


    "I do. You are either making a joke or are foolish to the point of insanity. Jo and I are 10th generation descendants. We have personally seen Virtuous, his majesty Clive inbat. Even with such a powerful force of nature and generations of the best reapers of the continent, the European battlefront is stuck at the 39th floor."


    The ck beauty from Italy then scoffed as she made a face, warped in anger.


    "You are too arrogant, you imbecile! A few tricks could help you. But iming to close Hellsgate as a Formless is a delusion! The Formless are trash! And you wish to close Hellsgate? With what?


    Bullets? No true demon would be this stupid. Josephine,e, we are leaving!"


    Jasmine tried to leave but her sister didn''t follow.


    "Josephine? What are you doing?! We will die if we stay with them! Let''s go!"


    "Jas, enough. Please stop," Josephine begged.


    "What? What are you saying?" Jasmine then grabbed her sister''s forearm and tried to drag her away.


    Josephine started shouting hysterically.


    "JASMINE DENEL! Wake up! We were born and trained to be reapers for as long as I can remember. You and I tried our best. We did everything we humanly could! Yet when everyone found out we were Formless, we got disowned!


    Our own parents threw us to the streets!"


    Women were emotional creatures. Almost dying probably left them all emotionally unstable. It seemed the stress became too much for her and she couldn''t take it anymore. Right, now what?

 Chapter 16: Then come with me.

    While I watched the drama, I picked up a lot just from the context. So, in the European battlefront, children were raised to be reapers and were sent to hell. That was just messed up. If they front-loaded the next generation with guilt and stress, wouldn''t the little ones break?


    The pressure to do better than thest generation. They would live their lives in preparation to die and just to be sent to hell. The life of reapers seemed darker than I could have ever imagined. Additionally, if being Formless could break even families, I had vastly underestimated its implications.


    Josephine''s screaming continued. "They were our parents! I mistakenly believed they loved us, but we were nothing more than tools! Earning achievement will not be enough! We can never return! Virtuous?


    His majesty Clive was the one who decided to throw us here without any support! He just wanted to maintain his image!"


    The sisters became oblivious to Be and me. I sensed my partner''s presence by my side.


    "Virtuous, the title of Clive Zanardi the Sovereign Revenant of the European battlefront. He is the absolute king that rules the continent from the shadows. I slipped up. They saw your special abilities. Decide now if you make them allies or kill them," Be whispered to me.


    "Why the rush? I thought you wanted to use them. It seemed like these two were betrayed for something they had no control over. I think we can capitalize on that right?" I retorted.


    "I agree to some extent, but they have info that might put you in danger. We cannot take the risk. If they send a Specter after you, we are as good as dead."


    With a name like Virtuous, you would think the dude would be upright. I understood that you could not judge the entire situation based on a single instance. But dropping these girls like leftover crap just because they were Formless was beyond vulgar.


    "Ah, fine. Follow my lead, honey. We arecking in too many departments. Let''s take them in for real. Charm them, scare them, I don''t care what you do but do not push them away. We need talented warriors.


    Raising a small, powerful team is necessary for our survival. And I like them. So please, trust my judgement on this."


    Be then came forward and pacified the crying sisters. At one point, the sisters had reversed roles with Jasmine berating Josephine. Now they were just weeping silently as they held hands. My partner seemed to have something up her sleeve.


    "Jo, Jas, I cannot understand how you both must feel. I am sorry for that. But you girls are now reapers. Do you guys have ns on how to live moving forward? Without a sponsor or a handler, it would be most difficult. How about teaming up with us for real?"


    Neither of the sisters replied. They just silently stared at Isabe. I felt that her next words were going to try and win them over. The grooming done to them was evident in how they were proficient inbat far beyond their ages. They only looked like 22- 23 at most and they could fight with tens of undead without panicking.


    With the information we had about them, these women were fruit ripe for the taking. They had no allegiances due to being disposed of. If we could protect them, they would fight for us. Humans, while greedy, usually returned grace with loyalty. These two looked noble at the very least.


    "Let us start over. I am Isabe Taurus, a cop from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is John Smith. He is from Arizona. We banded together due to both being Formless. We are in the same situation as you are.


    We are not backed by any organization or country. Surviving and growing stronger is our only goal."


    What? I thought Isabe had a sponsor. This bitch. Well, with my situation even worse, who was I toin?


    "Come with us. We will help, arm and protect you. As fellow Formless, we will not look down on you or take your contributions for granted. Together we will be able to grow stronger. Right, John?" she asked before she turned to me.


    Ah! ying on their insecurities while establishingmonalties, my partner was indeed a maniptive bitch. By all ounts, not only were these girls probably desperate after being betrayed but also in the lookout for a new home. If I yed my cards right, they could be powerful pawns for me.


    ''Fine, let''s do this. My gut feeling tells me these girls will not betray us. Let''s give it some effort. I hope my acting skills are up to par,'' I thought.


    "You are free toe and go as you please. But if you stand with us, then your enemies will also be mine. Unlike others, I have nothing against the Formless. What I said before was no joke. I will be the strongest Revenant. And I shall be the one that closes Hellsgate.


    If you are scared, then just hide. But if you wish to end this nightmare, I wee you."


    To someone who lived and died for Hellsgate, this had to be a really bad nightmare. I yed on these emotions to get not only their confidence but their hearts. The miserable and the forsaken often longed for one thing. A savior. I had no intention of being one but if I could get strong fighters from the Formless, it might be worthwhile to act like one in the short term.


    "Are your words real?" Jasmine challenged me.


    I walked towards them then stopped at arm''s length. I stretched out my left hand towards them like I asked to be their partner for a dance.


    "If you wish to know, thene with me. Being Formless is not a sin. If this entire world believes we have no right to exist, then all we have to do is rise to the summit and trample over it." I gave her the most genuine smile as I could. While I was not handsome, I didn''t think I was fugly.


    But on the inside, I felt like I just died from cringe. With {Listen}, I picked up Be being unable to stifle her giggles. This bitch.


    Jasmine then ced her hand hesitantly on my palm as she blushed. "Then please take care of me, John Smith. As long as you keep my sister safe, I shall remain your ally."


    Josephine had a giant smile on her face as she hugged her sister.


    "Me too! Me too! Josephine Benelli requests to join under your g, your majesty!" she yelled.


    "What?" I blurted out.


    Be then ced her hand on her hips as she exined the matter to me.


    "The Revenants are considered absolute kings on earth and in Hellsgate. They are referred to as majesties or highnesses. Didn''t you say you were going to be one? Better practice now. Hehe."


    Ignoring the snarky bitch, with that our group now had four members. Our reinforcements were Jasmine Denel, an archer and Josephine Benelli, a rapier-dagger user. With our intention to develop Jo and Jas, Be and I had them rest while we guarded them.


    They had healing items saved but using those would cause both to get drowsy, so they had not done so earlier. Unable to restore their stamina, both were exhausted. However, because they had us now, they could rest without worries. After an hour both woke up full of energy with their injuries somewhat healed.


    We had them rest so that {Auto} and {Save} would be at their best state. When we shared {Rewind} to Jas and Jo, they were ted.


    "Your {fate} is amazing! Really cool!"


    "Such flexibility, its applications are reassuring to have."


    Right, {Rewind} could be considered a second life. When they saw us sharing our secrets, they also began sharing theirs. The original story they told us, the one about getting mugged was a lie. They did so because they didn''t want to be easy marks. To Descendants,ing to Hellsgate without even one soulgear was pathetic.


    They then first exined about Descendants, or the reapers born from reapers. These people had bodies several times stronger than normal humans. To these powerfulbatants, a fledgling reaper without backing or support was easy prey.


    Descendants were born and bred solely to be stronger reapers. Some were even stronger than Phantoms without awakened {fates}. They were also trained leaders who were expected to form groups loyal only to them by coercion, intimidation and bribery. To avoid being marked, Jo and Jas intentionally kept their backgrounds vague.


    The sisters were from families into the 10th generation, otherwise know as 10th Gen Descendants. When I asked about their families, their expressions became troubled. ording to Josephine, Jasmine''s parents were reapers from the African battlefront that saved Josephine''s parents before dying.


    As a favor to her parents, the Benellis adopted Jasmine who was only a toddler back then. They raised her and Josephine like real sisters. Unfortunately, unlikemon folk, the Europeans had a mystic that could foretell the {fates} of their reapers. When word got out that Jas and Jo were Formless, they lost all support.


    After being thrown out without gear or weaponry, they were allowed one month to live normally before being sent to Hellsgate by assisted suicides. The two had no one to rely on thus resorted to crime just to prepare the minimum before their descent. Sad as it might have been, that was their lot in life.


    After the short rest was over, it was time to see if their bite was half as good as their bark.

 Chapter 17: Who the hell is Alfonso?

    "Jo! You are too far ahead! Stay in range of overwatch!"


    Be''s authoritative voice echoed in the air. Afterbining our groups, we were now headed again for the tform. The problem was, in line Be''s prediction, the amount of undead heading there increased exponentially. We were currently fighting our way ahead, slowly but surely.


    I gripped the 1911 with both hands and shot round after round into the Normies approaching Josephine. With {Listen}, {Perceive} and {Aim} my uracy went several notches up.


    Originally, I used to close the distance because I didn''t want to miss. But right now? I could winpetitive shooting in the Olympics, no problem. It felt unreal.


    "Three Chuckies, seven Normies and one Bigfooting from three o''clock!" Jasmine announced.


    "I hear five Normiesing from nine o''clock," I added.


    We adapted our tactics torge swarms of zombies. Instead of charging forward, Jo now only pulled zombies in and then drew them back to us. Jas and I would take them down, while Be would kill the ones that got too close or approached us from behind.


    "Leave the nine o''clock group to me. Focus fire on the three o''clock group and help me afterwards, honey," Be instructed.


    Because she had more leeway, Be now served as our tactician and directed who killed what. Energized from resting, the two new recruits fought on another level. Their titles as Descendants were not for show.


    Jasmine''s firing rate and uracy were frightening. I once read that an English longbowman could shoot 12 arrows in a minute. Our archer was even faster at 18 per 60 seconds or three seconds per arrow!


    With each shotnding right in the center of the zombie foreheads, she could effectively clear a group by herself with almost unbelievable uracy.


    Another fortunate miscalction had happened when I taught Jasmine {Reload}. It allowed her to fire without minding her remaining arrows. She could even dispatch zombies faster than I could with my gun. Did this woman even aim?


    There were eleven targets in the 3 o''clock group and with Jasmine and I sniping them nonstop, it ended in under a minute. Funny. If it was just me, I would be struggling with a 11-man zombie group. With Be, we still needed to take care not to get overwhelmed. Now? This was a cake walk.


    "Two dozen Normies! Save me, John!" Jo shouted jokingly as she ran towards us, arge group of undead trailing behind her. If these bastards couldn''t even catch my overweight ass, no way they could catch Josephine.


    When our blonde rapier-user got within 50 yards, she turned around and took position. With Jo as the vanguard, hardly any enemy got too close. Shebined orthodox fencing with savage moves specialized for murder. I didn''t thinkpetitive fencing sever tendons in the hands and feet.


    Agility wise, her speed surpassed even Be by several times. Unlike my partner, who fought like a brawler, Josephine fought with the grace and poise unique to European fencing. By engaging in our range, I shot all the zombies that were two feet away from Jo''s left while Jasmine did her right side.


    Like a child, Jo startedughing somewhere down the line and began kicking the zombies towards our respective kill zones. She would p and cheer as the zombies got terminated one after another. Perhaps relieved from the stress on her shoulders, the fair-skinned Italian shed dazzling smiles full of happiness and contentment.


    Beautiful, I couldn''t help but think.


    "Honey, a little help? If you aren''t too busy cheating on me."


    Whoops. Finally, Be served as the formation''s rearguard. Because she only served as ourst line of defense she could conserve her stamina. If arge enough group arrived from another direction, Jasmine and I would pivot to that side while Jo and Be would reposition.


    {Listen} allowed Jo to always focus her hearing on us. This meant she would always move in sync despite the distance.


    This formation allowed us to avoid pulling more than we could handle. Like clockwork, we took down wave after wave of wandering zombies without issue.


    Testament to their upbringing as Descendants, both Jo and Jas helped Be as they formed the tactics earlier. I tried to help, but most of what I knew only came from games and was superficial as best. So, I just let them be and focused on killing as much as I could.


    With ruthless efficiency, we not only traveled in a straight line towards the tform but annihted the zombies caught up in our kill radius. Due to working near each other, we not only received souls from our kills but also from the ones that were killed around us.


    Even Isabe, who took down the least, still earned a substantial amount of souls while serving as our tactician.


    "Formation, stop. Jo, Return. We move again after a rest of ten minutes,"manded Isabe.


    As our group approached from one of the less crowded sides of the tform, visibility kept getting better as more and more corpses got set on fire. The sounds of burning also masked other sounds, so the undead became easier to handle.


    As the zombies came in batches, we made sure to move when there were the least undead around. We intended to join the army before the next wave arrived. To ensure the safety of the girls, the three of them all chose to have {Rewind} at the ready.


    "Damn, you are all so amazing. I feel like I am dead weight here," Iined.


    Be, the tactician and all-rounder, Jas, our rapid fire sniper and Jo, an untouchable vanguard.


    "What are you talking about? {Identify} is an unimaginablefort. We don''t have to worry about buried Chuckies while we move. Don''t get disheartened, honey!"


    "I agree. If not for {Reload} and {Rewind}, I would not be able to fight like this," added Jasmine.


    "Totally! You are the core of this group John! Keep your head up, your majesty!"


    After the girls had spoken, I saw a green reticule appear a few steps away from Jo. In the same breath I raised the 1911 and fired. The ground ruptured and out came a Chuckie. However, I shot so fast that a bullet mmed into its temple before it could finish standing up.


    Jo smiled as she waved towards me. "Thank you, darling!"


    Darling? What the hell? Anyway, bybining the {fates} in my possession, I created a new ability called {Identify}. It turned out that the reasons demons were feared was not because of their appearance or strength but because of their ability to create {kismet}.


    {Kismet} was the new ability made when two {fates} were joined to fulfill a wish. As normally reapers could only have one {fate} from their kindred, they could by extension have only one {kismet}.


    When I was bored, I looked at the ground and wished for the ability to see buried Chuckies. As if to answer my will, {Identify} was born. It used {Perceive} and {Listen} to find targets and once found, it would use {Code} to mark it with a target symbol visible to my eyes.


    Each {fate} could be evolved nine times, ording to Jasmine. Thus a {fate} would grant ten abilities at max level, at most. Normal reapers would have only two sets, giving them a pool of twenty skills to form a single {kismet}.


    As I had {Rewind} and three sets of {fate}, I had twice that amount I could theoretically learn from. I didn''t even know if my limit was four. Jas and Jo advised to keep this a secret. It made sense, as even as Formless, this passive ability was too valuable. Jasmine believed it was a passive effect of {Rewind}.


    Whatever the truth, it only meant I could still get stronger. Simrly to how reapers took great care in choosing kindred for their {fate}, I needed to take care with my choices in the future. Luckily right now, none of mine shed with one another, so we were good.


    Naturally, after talking to Jo and Jasmine, I finally understood Isabe''s condition. She basically told me to marry her!


    "What? You already agreed! We even chose our surname! What about Alfonso? Think about him!"


    "Who the hell is Alfonso?"


    "Our future son? Te-hee?" Be then stuck her tongue out and struck her head with her fist.


    "I refuse! I want a divorce!"


    "Divorce? You haven''t even married me, you ass!"


    This bitch! Jo and Jasmineughed beside us like innocent schoolgirls. While I found it annoying, Be and I being older, we intentionally yed around to calm the nerves of our little group. While we did clear out a huge number of zombies, they were leftovers.


    As the bulk of the undead rushed towards therge army of reapers around the tform, we were basically fighting the ones too stupid to join the main battle.


    Without the reaper army, the undead would be roving about by the thousands, preventing us from moving. But now we would be joining them. While Jo and Jas lied about being mugged, the truth was that they were kicked out for being Formless.


    The question was, would the army on the tform ept us or send us away? Would it be wise to kill them if they did?


    Red was there somewhere. We still had about two hours before the night would end. I wanted him dead before then.


    "Guys, the next wave of zombies areing from 6 o''clock. They are too numerous to count. How do we proceed?" Jasmine asked, warning us all.


    Right, no matter how we proceeded, this would be our hardest battle yet.

 Chapter 18: Lets put that to the test.

    If the tform was the center facing north, we would be at its 7 o''clock. Due to the difference inpatibility with {Perceive}, while I could see farther than normal, Jasmine was leagues better.


    I could maybe see in a wayparable to a 4x tactical scope, meaning I could see four times as far as normally. But she would be 10x, like bro. Her eyes had built-in long-range scope due to being naturallypatible with her ability. How deadly would Jasmine be if she had a rifle instead of a bow?


    No matter how impressive her arm strength was, the longbow in her hand could never shoot past 250 yards. Meanwhile, a typical sniper rifle, for example the M24, had a range of over half a mile. If she could not manifest a weapon, I should get her one as soon as possible.


    For the rest of us AR15s would be enough. I should ask Beter. While I never got to enlist in the military, because of my childish wish of earning my drunk father''s recognition I learned a lot about guns.


    "Uwah! Look at that! That''s impossible to stop without a shielder column. They should already be forming one. Why haven''t they made one yet when we are already six hours in?" Josephineined.


    Not missing a beat, her sister gave her two cents. "You need at least two dozen shielders for such a long battle line. Even if themander ispetent, without enough talents the best he would be able to do is form an arrow. Currently they are using soul form reapers to serve as the tip."


    Once again, I marveled at what these two spouted out when idle. Descendants were taught not only martial arts, but also military science and tactics. They were extremely simr to child soldiers in war-torn countries.


    When I scanned the area in front the tform, I saw the towering ck gori. The beast stood over 10 ft tall and looked as heavy as a tank. Around it, I saw half a dozen wolf-human hybrids with violet fur.


    The humans were gathered around the gori as it gestured like it was exining something. So, the gori served as the leader? If we suddenly walked towards them, would they wee us? What would we do if they didn''t? I had the same questions from earlier, and till now I had no answer.


    Knowing how intense the dislike for Formless was, it felt like the reapers as a whole just hated on them to make the manifested feel better. If it was me, the only way to get my goodwill would be to prove you could pull your own weight.


    "Jo, Jas, exin what this arrow is, if you please," I requested.


    Jo smiled.


    "Sure, darling, basically, if youck enough walls, the next best thing to do would be to create an arrow shaped breakwall. The shape would protect the sides and rear of those at the front. Meanwhile, the wings only focus on what is in front of them," she exined gleefully.


    "If you had arge rear guard, you could ce them inside the arrow so they could shoot unhindered. By supplementing the shielders with either swordsmen or spearmen, you would have a more robust group that is resistant to being surrounded," Jasmine then added.


    "But it''s not perfect, you know? If at any point one of the wings break, the whole thing would copse. And without knowing everybody''s abilities, it''s a really big gamble, darling."


    Hmm. How insightful. So, the ape used the best option avable to them with limited information. He seemed like a good guy if he took the forefront. But then again, even Bigfoots would be helpless in front of such a massive ape.


    "Then won''t they break the moment the bosses? Such a formation would be for numbers. It''s too rigid and hard to maneuver," Be questioned.


    "Indeed. This is why reaperbat is divided into two disciplines. Defenders and Assault. The former is for protecting the floors from being overrun, while thetter are small elite groups that kill the boss and liberate floors."


    Jasmine''s answer lit up lightbulbs in my head. So, they copied the principle of a general-purpose army and amando unit. This could be our ticket in. If we proved we were an excellentmando unit, they would need to think twice before throwing us away.


    "Hmm. Personally, I think theirmander is an ass. No Descendant would use the arrow formation like this. It is just stupid," Josephine rebuked.


    Be then chipped in before I could even wonder the reason for Jo''s poor evaluation.


    "Is it because they are intentionally fighting a distance from the tform? It seems like he wants his rear to take damage. If they fought with their back to the tform, the entire thing would be stronger and morepact. There is no need to intentionally keep the ranged fighters in the middle if you have an elevated tform. It''s not like they are moving."


    Hmm. Indeed, I came here to use the tform for shooting. They weren''t charging, so why did they intentionally leave behind the tform? If you wanted to reduce your numbers, however, this would be the way to go.


    "Probably because of the Descendant among them. The sponsors do not care about reapers who just survive, only those that dominate. The ape is just waiting for the boss to arrive. Once it does, he should abandon the formation with just his assault team. Killing the boss gives honor to both the sponsor and the reaper," Jas said with a troubled face.


    So, the ape intended to use the entire group as zombie bait? What a smart way to do it! I would have probably done the same. I felt like this gori and I would be great friends. Why die for a bunch of nobodies, right?


    With a group like ours, going in when it was quiet would bring too much attention. It would be better to go after thebat starts up again, preferably when the boss arrived. Now, what action could I do to kick this ape in the balls¡­ I got it.


    "Girls. Let''s crash the party when the gori goes after the boss," I suggested.


    "What? But why, darling?"


    "You intend to aim for the top honors? But you aren''t even sponsored. Why would you take the risk?"


    "Haha, as expected of honey, I''m in."


    With a smile I grinned towards the sister as I answered. "I am not here to just survive. I will be the strongest Revenant. If they are that hungry for achievement, how would they feel if they got shit on by the Formless?"


    Jo and Jas couldn''t even respond and remained silent. After a few moments they replied differently.


    "Hahaha! This is so crazy! I love it. Let''s do it, darling! I will follow you!"


    "You are a lunatic. A foolhardy imbecile who has not a shred ofmon sense. Yet. I feel you would actually do it."


    Be gave me a simple thumbs up. "Make me fall for you all over again, honey!"


    The mob of zombies continued moving toward the spear formation of the ape. There were so many that it looked like a tsunami, even though they didn''t run. The ground trembled with their steps. Despite my bravado, I couldn''t help but feel a trail of cold sweat run down my back.


    Just them I saw a giant of an undead, a zombie that looked like he had coral reefs for shoulders. What the hell was that thing? Its entire skin was gray and he made the Bigfoots look like children. How tall was this fucker? Like a lord over his realm, the extremely tall monster walked with gigantic steps while the zombie horde ran after him.


    "Boss confirmed. Undead Brute. D Rank undead. Strong points: durability and near infinite stamina. Weakness, slow movement and abnormal sized shoulders serve as blind spots. Normally taken down by a team of Phantoms," Jasmine anxiously assessed.


    At that point, Josephine and Be began to tremble from fear. The Brute was even taller than a fucking elephant. What we had were just steel des and my gun. With a build like that, it could definitely tten a man like how one swatted a fly.


    The endeavor seemed hopeless, an army of undead was between it and us. We weren''t even sure if we could kill this big lug. While I did tremble, it was not from fear, but excitement. How would it feel to triumph over such a monster?


    Even if I died today, taking down such a freak would make me satisfied. Nothing in my past lifepared to this. I licked my lips in anticipation. I took out my gun and performed checks on it. My mind got shifted to that of a warrior when I did such drills.


    Right, this was it. If I could not kill this fucker, I would never be a Revenant. I had over 500 souls, so I could {Rewind} a number of times. My aim, vision and hearing were superhuman. The question was if all that was enough.


    Without a word, I began walking forward with my gun, only to be stopped by a hand on my shoulder.


    "Honey! What are you doing!" Be challenged.


    "What? I am going," I replied, annoyed by her question.


    This time even Jo and Jas grabbed my forearms.


    "Darling. The brute is too strong, we can''t!"


    "Only Phantoms can kill such a monster."


    To their concerns I replied with a savage grin. "Then let''s put that to the test."

 Chapter 19: About time.

    "Why are you so eager to be a Revenant, darling?! It''s all over if you die!" Josephine yelled.


    I wrestled my arms away from her and pulled a disappointed face at her.


    "Then your words from earlier were empty? This is the problem with smart people. You all use logic too much. So what if by all ounts I am going to my death? I should have died long ago. Yet I still am here, aren''t I?


    I yed safe all my life before I became a reaper. It just gave me regret in myst moments."


    "That was only for a rank E undead. An undead brute is rank D. It is impossible for us! We are done to the beef!" Be cautioned.


    Done to the beef? Had to be a Brazilian saying. Ignoring them, I turned around and began walking forward again as I waved them goodbye.


    "I no longer wish to die with any regrets. Now that I have my {fate} in my hands, I get to decide how I live and how I die. Just wait for me here. I''lle back for you guys after I kill this fucker."


    The majority of the zombies slowly approached the ape arrow. The middle of the group shot projectiles and took down around a hundred undead. But since the enemy was in the thousands, a few hundred made little difference.


    Surprisingly, while the brute walked with long strides, hegged between the Normies. It made we wonder if this fucker intentionally strolled or he was just that slow. Normies, Chuckies and Bigfoots all got immted as they touched the "ming walls" scattered around. Said walls were just piles of undead that were set on fire.


    The sight of hundreds of burning corpsesing for you would scare the shit of even the bravest souls. A cacophony of guttural moans and growls made the experience even more frightening. With {Perceive}, I could see several reapers shivering from fear.


    They gripped their weapons so hard their hands bled. Panic, terror and disgust radiated from their very bodies. At that moment the ck gori let out a loud thunderous roar. Blood-curdling howls immediately followed, inducing fear and terror in the already tense atmosphere.


    At that moment, the Ape and his werewolves broke rank. Contrasting my expectations, the gigantic primate moved faster than even the werewolves. It barreled through the zombies and used its arms as sledgehammers. Each arm sent multiple zombies flying.


    Due to my enhanced vision, I saw the extent of damage done to the Normies and Bigfoots. The werewolves, on the other hand, literally tore and ripped the zombies apart with their teeth and ws. I then noticed that a group of over fifty reapers followed them. All carrying shy soul weaponry, these people should be the assault squads formed by the gori.


    Before I could study the weapons themselves, I saw a familiar face I would never forget until I died.


    "Found you, Red."


    It was the bastard who used me as zombie bait. He carried a glowing longsword that sizzled with lightning. Red was at the forefront of the assault group, shing wildly after the gori. My blood, already stoked, now soared to even greater highs.


    "How convenient. I just so happen to have the perfect ymate for you," I remarked.


    While I tried formting a n, I noticed the remains of the arrow formation in shambles. Once the distance of Red''s group with them increased, zombies flooded the gaps. Not my problem though. Blood drenched the ground anew as the reapers began to fall one after another.


    Due to being rtively alone, hardly any of the zombies noticed me as I moved towards the brute. I had my arms hold the gun aimed in front. Be taught me proper footwork of making small steps while moving with a gun. Too big a stride and your aim would be thrown off.


    asionally, I shot the ones who wandered towards me. Like a seasoned soldier, I downed body after body as I walked forward with the finesse of an assassin. The adrenaline started to make me feel immensely pleased. My arms began to get sore though. Due to saving my souls for {Rewind}, I used {Reload}, so the repeated shocks to my arms didn''t get healed.


    Still, as long as I would get to use {Rewind} at some point I should be fine.


    I didn''t even wait for the bodies to drop. With {Identify}, even the Chuckies in hiding got a surprise long before I stepped in front of them. Just then a Normie faced towards me and growled. It then ran at full speed like a long-distance runner.


    "What the hell? I though you guys didn''t run!" I eximed.


    While it was surprising, it was hardly anything to get agitated about. With {Aim} I just followed the crosshairs and bam! The sprinter crashed magnificently while the back of its head burst open.


    The furthest ming walls from the center were now in my vicinity. Heat enough to make me sweat came off them while I was a good thirty yards away.


    "{Save} {Rewind}."


    Firing nonstop I got over 100 souls from my own kills and around seventy just from being in the vicinity of the ones dying. Being in top form remained the biggest challenge in prolonged battles. As I was that way as long as I kept on killing, this would never be a problem for me.


    I wondered what these zombies reacted to. Unlike when I was still human, the zombies no longer immediately came for me when I got into their range. Far from me toin about free souls. However, observing the reaper army, they got flooded in a manner I didn''t think was possible.


    The zombies threw themselves at them with reckless abandon. Chuckies got on top of Bigfoots and divebombed unsuspecting targets. Normies that got shed or torn in pieces continued to move. It was a good decision to always aim for the head. The crawling Normies killed more than walking Normies.


    In an absolute brawl like this, few had the leeway to check their feet. That was until they fell down due to being bitten. Vomit threatened to go up my throat as I watched the barbaric disy of reaperbat. It was different to see dead people getting killed. In contrast, to hear the screams of those still alive as they were torn up caused my trauma to resurface.


    Unable to endure, I stopped walking and got on one knee. My head grew hazy. A severe migraine caused my brain to throb painfully. I bit my lip to focus as my temples continued to hurt like they were getting hammered. Closing my eyes, I calmed myself down.


    ''Suck it up, John,'' I ordered myself.


    At that moment, I heard rushing stepsing towards me. One. Two. Three. Great, three sprinters. I opened my eyelids even as my head felt like it weighed 50 tonnes.


    When I aimed, i noticed my vision was blurry. Shit, I would die if this continued.


    "{Rewind}."


    I got rewinded back to myst {Save} and confirmed the nausea and pain I felt were gone. 100 souls might not be cheap, but I only had one life. Suddenly the silence around me felt lonely. I missed having the girls around. Just because they were not here, though, didn''t mean I would no longer move forward.


    "Right. Bing a Revenant is my goal, not theirs. It can''t be helped. Now, where are Brute, Gori and Red?"


    {Perceive} was impossibly useful. In less than a minute I found that Gori and Brute already met inbat. Even if he was smaller, Gori held his ground. His werewolf posse were busy clearing out the undead charging for Gori. Red''s group slowly inched forward towards the rampaging titans.


    "Good for you Red, I would have felt bad if you turned over a new leaf." The assault group Red was leading had started with over fifty people. At this moment though, they were already less than half of that. Like the asshole I remembered, the redhead with an Australian ent left the ones who couldn''t keep up.


    Naturally, being left behind at this point meant dying to the undead horde. I could kill him without remorse if that was the case. Just then I noticed Red grab what looked like a slim boy in an orange shirt from behind and throw the kid towards the approaching sprinters.


    An extremely tall shielder and another person broke from the group to save the kid. The shielder was even taller than a bigfoot and wore what I thought was red viking-style leather armorplete with a horned metal helmet. Meanwhile the other person was dressed like¡­a shinobi. Holy shit! The other dude was dressed in a ck ninja garb with a violet scarf.


    "What an interesting group. And none of them have glowing weapons. Red abandoned the Formless, even the ones that could fight. How amusing. Looks like I get new members."


    It was stupid for the viking and the ninja to separate from safety of the main group all to save a Formless kid. This had to be their bond asrades. If I could capitalize on that, I could find about Red''s {fate} and get them on my side.


    I suddenly heard groansing for me from the three directions. Ah, the undead were here. However, despite the danger I remained still. The moment I waited for finally arrived. Unable to contain my glee, I smiled from the bottom of my heart.


    Three people moved to protect me.


    A dark-skinned archer shot the Normie to my left.


    Another with long blonde hair lunged for the one to my right with a rapier.


    Thest ran past me and roundhouse kicked the zombie before mming her knife into its eye socket.


    With a giant grin on my face, I weed the return of my girls.


    "About time you guys showed up. Let''s move."

 Chapter 20: Follow me or die!

    "You aren''t even surprised, honey? Were you expecting us?"


    I proceeded to walk forward with my gun raised forward. Therge-scale battles caused shockwaves and wind to buffet my body. The feeling was refreshing in the dry musty cave.


    "Yes, I knew my girls would never back down. This was why I allowed you to follow me. The group of three being surrounded is our next target. We are saving them."


    "Wow! My girls? You are, how you say¡­ Manly! My heart is beating so fast, darling!"


    "Manly? Did you not notice how cringe-worthy the nonsense he keeps on spouting is?"


    "Stop lying Jas, you are adorable when you blush scarlet. Ah! Your doing it again! See! Your cheeks are red!"


    "Please be quiet. Josephine. You will give John and Isabe the wrong idea."


    Right, none of these women were flowers in a garden. They were warriors who happened to be of the opposite gender. Only those who were beyond normal could banter like this in the current situation.


    When I checked on the trio who got abandoned, they were all fighting back to back. Hmm. Not good. They wouldn''tst any longer. The Viking was taking most of the aggro, but the ninja and the kid were no slouches either. However, they were all exhausted and injured.


    Without any help, they would die before they could be any use.


    In line with my movements, the girls reformed our formation with Jo at the front, Jasmine beside me and Isabe behind us.


    "Be," I called.


    "Yes, Mr. Code?"


    "The group we are about to save are all Formless. They were part of Gori''s assault unit."


    "Then why are they isted now?" my partner asked in confusion.


    "An asshole leading the assault group picked up the kid and used him as bait for the undead. The viking and the ninja broke off the main group to save him. Red didn''t bother returning and left them to die."


    "This assault group is the one led by the redhead reaper with a lightning sword {fate}?" Jasmine asked.


    "Same one. Anyway, I like the balls of these three. Get them on our side. We will murder the assault group afterwards."


    At this point while dashing, we began running into zombies. Due to the goal of saving the trio, we didn''t bother to stop, nor did we kill everything.


    Josephine stabbed and kicked the Normies away with impressive elegance.


    "Darling, we are killing them all?" she asked incredulously.


    "Yes," I answered while I blew zombie brains away.


    "Hmm. So even the Formless who could fight are abandoned. You are right. That would be for the best. Let''s see how I can convince them."


    "Please, do it in 5 minutes. I will be heading for the assault group immediately," I requested.


    My blood boiled at the thought of shooting Red''s kneecaps and throwing him to the brute. I would take down anyone who got in my way.


    "I do feel their treatment of the child was excessive, but John, your bloodlust is suffocating. Is there someone in the assault group you particrly hate?"


    While caught off guard by Jasmine''s sensitivity, I answered nonchntly. It was not like I intended to hide it, at least not from the girls.


    "There is, the redhead swordsman is mine. You are free to kill anyone else, but anyone who touches him will answer to me." My words came out more heartless than I imagined.


    "Uwahh! Scary. I am starting to feel sorry for the ginger bastard. But I understand, darling. I will remove all the roadblocks on your way. Jas!


    I am going all out! Come with me, please?"


    "Ho? Excited, are we? Okay, let''s go! I haven''t let loose since arriving here. Ready?"


    "{SAVE}!" x2


    Josephine acting as the energizer bunny was nothing new, but hearing the energy from Jasmine was surprising. Be and I were barely keeping up with them and she was saying they could go even harder? And both activated {Save}. Descendants were broken as fuck.


    "Darling! Remember to praise me, okay? JAS LET''S GO!!!!!!!"


    "Alright. Match my timing, Jo!" her sister answered.


    "{SOUL BREAKER}!" x2


    At that moment, an insane amount of energy enveloped Jo and Jasmine. Green and Indigo shrouds of pure power wrapped around their bodies like a cloak. Beside me, Jas sprinted ahead faster than lightning. Jo, disying the same attitude, charged with her rapier outstretched.


    Like a bullet, Josephine dashed so fast that a cone of wind covered her body. The undead, helpless against the raging Italian''s momentum, got smashed away as if they were run over by a truck. Jas, on the other hand, used her headstart to leap around 50ft into the air and loaded three arrows onto her bow and began firing.


    Her arrows fell like meteors that broke the sound barrier. In the single moment during which Jasmine was in midair, a dozen arrows rained around the undead surrounding the Formless trio. Forget being torn to bits, the undead were vaporized with not even ash left behind.


    Due to her inhuman uracy, the explosions didn''t hurt the viking and her group. However, the impacts ruptured the ground so much there were deep craters afterwards. Dumbfounded, the trio''s group we intended to save stood like mannequins.


    At that moment. Josephine came barreling down as she roared.


    "GET DOWN!"


    The viking pulled the shinobi and the kid to the ground and covered them with his body. Josephine then exploded like a firework during New Year celebrations. A hundred transparent versions of her appeared. Each of them brandished her rapier and stabbed a single undead before vanishing. That one attack cleared the rest of the enemies that survived Jasmine''s barrage.


    "How is that fucking fair?" I uttered in envy.


    However, using {Perceive} I saw Josephine''s clear white skin now blood red like every pore on her body had exploded. Jasmine was no better as she fell from the sky, her dark skin simrly ruptured all over.


    "So, it was real. An attack that consumed the user''s entire soul aspensation. {Soul Breaker}. How foolhardy," My partner concluded.


    An attack that consumed your soul? So, it was basically a suicide attack? Why were they so reckless? Possibly picking up on my confusion, Be answered while we were running.


    "This was probably to show you their determination. We had a long talk before. It seems they made their choice. They will make you a Revenant or die trying."


    I bit my lip in both frustration and gratitude. My grandiose ims were forcing the ones around me to follow. While I did not do it for them, knowing I had such expectations on me made me feel proud. I would not betray such goodwill.


    "Come on,e on,e on {Rewind} already." I worried.


    Josephine copsed and fell to the ground. Jasmine on the other hand was seconds short from crashing. My heart hurt as I saw their gruesome states. ''Come on,e on,e on.'' I continued to chant wordlessly.


    "{Rewind}." x2


    Both Jasmine and Josephine''s bodies then disintegrated into small lights and disappeared. I turned around and saw they were both back on their feet and running behind us.


    Jas gave a thumbs up and a wonderful smile while Jo waved with a smug grin, still with her high-strung energy apparent in every move. These girls were crazy, and they had balls of steel.


    FUCK! That gave me a heart attack. But that was so fucking awesome! If they didn''t have {Rewind} they wouldn''t be able to do such tactics.


    ''Let''s ask that they tell me first in the future if they do something like that,'' I decided in my mind.


    At that point Be and I finally arrived to meet the abandoned Trio.


    High from the excitement of the sisters'' performance, I spoke arrogantly like a king. "Follow me or die!"


    "I refuse, I bow only to the strong!"


    "My allegiance lies only to master."


    "Fuck off, you cunt!"


    Such colorful replies. But why did they all sound feminine? Not that it mattered. Well, with {Soul Breaker} we didn''t need them. I then aimed at the Viking and squeezed the trigger.


    "Then die."


    "No!"


    A gunshot echoed in the air as Be diverted my pistol with her knife. "Honey, I know you are in a hurry, but no one will listen to you if you invite them like that! Leave this to me."


    She begged me to just agree with her soulful eyes. Hmm, why was I so dominating? I wanted her to convince them, yet I immediately moved to shoot them. It seemed I should be careful. My personality was slowly but surely changing. I moved to scan the area facing the direction of the Assault group.


    "You have five minutes."


    Be then softly whispered in my ear.


    "That was perfect, well done."


    She gave my cheek a quick peck before turning around. I used {Listen} to eavesdrop on their discussions.


    "Greetings, I will be quick. We are aware of who you were with and how you got isted. My partner has a debt to collect on the redheaded swordsman who threw the kid. The people who saved you earlier are also our people. We aim to take down the brute before your group has a chance to do so."


    "We are no longer with those wankers! Those dickheads should just get stuffed! That ranga g wanted to cop a root and threw me away because I refused!" the kid cursed, sounding hurt.


    He was speaking English, right? Not even {Interpret} could trante it properly. Be, on the other hand, just smiled as she continued. Wait. She understood?


    "Right, they are bad people from what we saw. Well, my partner saw you guys being betrayed. He intends to kill everyone in the assault group and the Rank D brute. How about you guys join us?"

 Chapter 21: Well done.

    I used scanning the surrounding as an excuse and turned around to observe our new friends.


    The Viking then shielded the child with his body. Wow this dude was tall, around 6''6''''. He doesn''t look buff but looks well built. He had a viking sword and a round shield that looked made out of wood.


    "Are you insane southerner? Killing the reapers aside, how do you intend to fight a rank D undead without even a single Phantom?" The viking challenged.


    Her voice was clear and heroic but it sounded feminine. This tall person is a woman? She is huge! Her leather armor and helmet covered almost all her skin so I can''t see if she had breasts or not.


    My partner responded to her just a fierce, "That brute is most likely the boss, meaning If we do not kill it before the sun rises everyone here will die. Do you intend leave your fate in the hands of another Northerner?"


    Ha? We die if they fail? What the fuck! And what is a Northerner? Just then the ninja came forward with a Katana drawn. This person should be a dude as his chest is t, although his build looks slim.


    The ninja shifted to an offensive stance as he spoke. "How do you intend to aplish your ims, the two from earlier used {soul breakers} so they would be dead now. You both are poorly armed and are Formless. Are you expecting a flower to bloom from stone?"


    Okay, well fuck me. The ninja is also a woman and she sounds even sexier than Be. She had her entire face covered except for her eyes. Kunai or throwing knives also were adorned on her thighs. How are these people all so well equipped. Is this my group being poor as fuck?


    "We are, and you three are the same. Listen well bitch, we do not need you. It''s just that we understand your situation. You must have tried so hard to fit in no? And yet you all got thrown out like trash despite all your efforts. Did you enjoy being treated like useless trash shinobi?" Be asserted.


    "It was my fault not Aki''s you gger! We might be Formless but we can still run circles around you and your wombat over there! What the hell would you wankers even do in front of a brute?"


    The kid had white hair and androgynous face. I can''t tell if his voice is just in puberty or if he is a woman instead. He didn''t have any breasts but had tone muscles which indicated an active lifestyle. The ninja or Aki, ced her hand on the kid''s head to calm her down.


    "Robyn, you have done no wrong for standing up to yourself. Even if he didn''t try to force himself on you, Liv and I would have left so stop ming yourself."


    Okay so the kid is definitely a woman, and it seems Red tried to rape her. The more I heard the more I wanted to murder the bastard. Should I tell them what he did to me to have amon enemy? Before I could ask Be, she stepped forward towards the Viking, supposedly named Liv.


    "See? Even the child is braver than you all. Northerner, since when did your kind cower in the face of rank? Are you not the shame of your house? Why not help us take the boss down to regain your honor?"


    Northerner, damn I have no idea what the hell Be is doing. At 5''6'''' there was a full foot in their height difference but my partner wasn''t scared and got up in the viking''s face. There were so many types of people If she wasn''t here I wouldn''t know how to interact with them.


    The towering Liv didn''t answer immediately but then exhaled in defeat.


    "For a southerner you seem surprisingly adept at our affairs. Indeed I have been exiled due to being Formless. But are you aware of how insane your n is? Is that man your lover? Or is he your king? How can hemand such faith from you," Liv remarked.


    With a lovely smile my partner answered with conviction harder than steel. "Both, I am his right-hand and his woman. My honey will be the 8th Revenant, the leader of the Formless and in the future the strongest Revenant. You saw the conviction of my sisters, right?"


    "They were descendants from Europe, correct? If such people are willing to die for him, then I can only surmise he must be an excellent master. I also want to get even. Very well then, for the remainder of the battle I pledge my sword to your banner. Aki Miroku, Shinobi, At your service."


    "King of the Formless huh? Moreover, you wish to be the strongest of the Revenants as Formless. Show me then, A fight worthy of a Revenant. Liv Ivaldi, Shield-maiden, Let us wee death together!"


    "Strewth, Whatever! Robyn Lithgow, Combat Joey, sorry for calling you a wombat."


    Aki kneeled like a ninja from the old school Asian flicks. Liv mmed her sword onto her shield before bowing slightly. Lastly Robyn did an Australian salute where her palm faced out.


    Be came beside me and whispered so only I could hear. "A shinobi is a warrior from Japan trained in reconnaissance and assassination, Northerners are the reapers from the Antarctica continent. Their culture is based on Norse mythology. Combat Joey is the term used for a child soldier from the Australian Syndicates."


    Holy Shit, Hellsgate was a hodgepodge of cultures. I should read the books Be studied. For now, it is a good thing that none of these women are civilians.


    "You were amazing Mrs. Code. Thank you for your efforts."


    "You are wee honey, and I did it in under five minutes to boot, aren''t I amazing?"


    "Indeed," I praised.


    Let''s wee them from now. If I wish to earn their recognition I should perform. Be raised the bar and used the soul breakers to convince them of my majesty. Luckily it worked out. Be had a talent for negotiation.


    "Pleased to meet you Liv, Aki, Robyn. I am John Smith. I will kill the redhead and his entire assault group for his debt to me and you. Afterwards I will snatch the brute from the Gori. Let''s have fun while we are together."


    At this point, Jo and Jas finally arrived. Jo immediately ran towards me and hugged me.


    "Did you see how awesome we were darling? Praise me! Praise me!" She boasted.


    I gave her a quick embrace before pushing her away from me, I then sent a chop on her head.


    "Ouchie!" Josephine yelped.


    I rebuked her in a fierce voice. "I forbid you from using {soul breaker} ever again. What would you have done if you couldn''t heal on time?"


    Sad I got angry instead the blonde Italian had a teary expression like she found out Santa didn''t exist. Amused I then patted her head and praised her in the gentlest voice I could muster.


    "The dangers aside, you were amazing Jo. I was so relieved you are okay. Well done."


    Josephine had deep scars yet tried to behave so carefree. The years of suffering must have starved her for affection. Maybe she saw me as a foster parent, now that she had died she must have felt lost. Following me might not give her the best life, but I will ensure she feels valued while she was here.


    After my praise, Josephine''s face beamed like she won the lottery. She then again threw herself into my chest and screamed in joy.


    "I will do better I promise!"


    I awkwardly gave her a hug and looked at the others. They all had wry expressions. Jasmine was pouting for some reason. After I got Josephine off I walked towards her and offered the brte a handshake.


    "Well done Jasmine. Naturally I am also happy you are safe. {Soul Breaker} is off the table from today on understood?"


    Reluctantly Jasmine shook my hand and nodded. Be then began to p and announced to everyone.


    "Okay, now that they got their reward, I will brief everyone on our next steps."


    She then introduced the sisters to Liv''s group. When they learned everyone was Formless a silent solidarity formed between the women. While they were discussing I observed the battlefield.


    Luckily we cleared the enemies around here, about two miles from us at 10 o''clock the arrow formation or what was left of it was in shambles. Dead corpses littered the area belonging to both reapers and the undead.


    Some were still fighting but with therge amounts of the zombies were swarming them it seemed pointless. They would all die in less than ten minutes. On the other side at 2 o''clock, Red formed a defensive circle around the brute.


    However his reapers were not attacking the brute itself, Only Gori and the werewolves were the ones attacking it.


    "This fucker, so the assault group is to ensure no one interfered. If you took it down quickly the rest of the people could have survived. Great. Now, I won''t feel any guilt as I fuck you up."


    Just then Be tapped my shoulder.


    "Honey, reaper vial time." She teased.


    "What will I do?" I asked.


    Thest time we tried this I got used of being a demon. Do we trust these three right off the bat?


    "In order to survive theing fight. Teach them {Rewind}. And drink everything they give you. We need all the help you can get. If my guess is correct. You can create more {Kismet} beside {Identify}."


    "Understood." Time to end this.

 Chapter 22: Holy shit!

    While I drank the vials I had received, Be, Jo and Jasmine each exined to the neers how {Rewind} worked. The downloads for all three, Liv, Aki and Robyn, were not so bad.


    The cost was also simrly 100 for the main {fate} and 50 souls per derivative. I lost about 450 souls. When I thought of my information, I saw some stuff that made my jaw drop when it came up.


    ___


    {Rewind} 00:00:00


    {Save} 00:00:00


    {Auto} 17:41:07


    - {Reload} 00:00:00


    Souls Avable: 608


    {Fate} Level 2


    Souls needed for evolution: 3,000


    {Fates} Active


    1. {Code} 728:58:23


    - {Connect} 358:18:10


    2. {Perceive} 358:18:30


    - {Aim} 358:20:30


    3. {Listen} 358:20:22


    - {Interpret} 358:20:22


    4. {Withstand} 359:57:22


    - {Endure} 359:57:22


    5. {Carry} 359:58:40


    - {Pack} 359:58:40


    6. {Eat} 359:59:14


    - {Gather} 359:59:14


    {Kindred}


    N/A


    {Kismet}


    - {Identify} = {Code} + {Perceive} + {Listen}


    ___


    "Holy shit," I cursed.


    "How is it, Honey? Did your {fates} change?" Be asked inconspicuously.


    "They did, I got all of them."


    "What do you mean you got all of them?" she asked.


    "I have mine plus everyone''s {fates} activated."


    "Holy shit!"


    I could tell from the surprised expression on her face that she was absolutely dumbfounded by this information. Alerted by her reaction, Jo and Jasmine came over in haste.


    "Please don''t tell me you have seven {fates} now," Jasmine pleaded.


    "I do."


    "HOLY SHIT!" Josephine, unable to hide her surprise, gasped while cursing.


    "This is good, we can use the Assault group as practice," Isabe added.


    "But Be, John is an anomaly. Even the Revenants cannot exceed two. And this man casually gains seven!"


    "Well, at least he has that going on for him. Liv and her group exined their {fates}. Aside from Liv''s {Withstand} the other two are not useful in battle. Robyn''s {Carry} is basically for porters while Aki''s {Eat} is a support type," Be whined.


    "Maybe he can gain {Kismet} from them? Darling is amazing, after all!"


    Jasmine suddenly shifted the tone of the conversation. "John, you also need to learn the n of the gori."


    At that point, Liv and her group joined our conversation.


    "Southerner, {Rewind} is amazing. Thank you for granting it to us. The {fate} I gave is pathetic inparison." Just like Isabe, Liv had a severe inferiorityplex about her {fate}.


    "You are mistaken Liv, {Eat}, {Carry} and {Withstand} are not trash {fates}. And I will prove it in our battle."


    Maybe it was because I was an amateur. I saw numerous applications with them. They were not bad {fates}. You just needed to understand them. Liv, Aki, and Robyn all smiled at us as they heard me speak. I didn''t know what they looked like as both Aki and Liv got their faces covered, but the movement of their eyes and cheekbones told me they were pleased.


    I noticed Jasmine was pouting unhappily, probably due to being ignored. I quickly approached her and took her hand. Unlike Jo who loved skin contact, Jas would freeze up at the slightest touch. Her reactions were pretty adorable, so I frequently grabbed her hands to throw her off.


    "Jasmine, can you please continue what you were trying to say?"


    "Oh, Uhm¡­ Hmmm¡­" bbergasted, Jas blushed and tried to pull her hand away.


    "Amazing, Smith-san, you have your harem so well managed," Akimented.


    "Indeed, my mothers often fought for my father''s attention. You look like a naturally born womanizer, Southerner."


    "Get stuffed, wanker!"


    Aki and Liv got impressed while Robyn grew annoyed. They were not my harem, though? Just the soldiers under mymand. Well, whatever, Jasmine seemed to have regained herposure. Unwilling to let her effort go to waste, I removed my hand from hers.


    "Well, it''s basically a sacrifice. From the stories from Liv, Aki and Robyn we can deduce that the gori had an idea that the boss would be above ss E. So, he intentionally boosted his group to Level 3, and intended to farm the souls from the dead reapers. All to boost the ones loyal to him to Phantoms," Jasmine borated.


    "The gori is called Amari from the African battlefront. His {fate} is called {Primate}. His second inmand is a female reaper named Mia from Europe with a {fate} called {Lycan}. Both were close to evolving," added Liv.


    "Their goons are led by Oliver from the Australian battlefront. They basically bully everyone into fighting for them, even taking the attractive female reapers as ves despite Wraiths not being able to have sex. They are scum, Smith-san. And I wish to decapitate Oliver personally for what he did to Robyn."


    So, they used everyone here for their own benefit. Why wasn''t Lilly''s group upholding thew? Well, it was better for me, at least I thought so. If the organizers interfered, I wouldn''t be able to kill them.


    "Okay, then we will do the same n as them. We will kill the assault group and loot them of souls. Is there a way to get the souls from a corpse?" I asked.


    "There is Smith-san. You need to find the soulgem in the body of the corpse and drain the souls from it."


    "But the problem is, everyone hides it on their body, it would take hours to search for it. Oliver''s groups take the souls by mugging the reapers with them. Amari convinced us to fight in order to survive. But the whoreson stabbed us from behind," Liv added.


    "Maybe I can find it. What does a soulgem look like?"


    This battle seemed to be a match about who transformed to a Phantom first.


    "It looks like half a marble embedded on the skin darling. If you touch that, you can withdraw the souls from a dead reaper."


    I looked at the various dead bodies and made a wish.


    ''Show me the soulgems,'' I thought.


    If the {Kismet} were made from a wish, then they should answer my need now. In less than a moment, a searing heat came from the soulgem on my neck. With it, a new ability downloaded into my mind.


    "{Loot}," I whispered.


    I saw lightbulbs in various points on the bodies lit up. Unable to contain my excitement, I celebrated out loud.


    "Perfect."


    "You made a new {Kismet}?" asked Be.


    "Yes, it''s called {Loot}. Itbines {Identify} and Aki''s {Gather}."


    My partner couldn''t suppress her annoyance.


    "This fucking cheater," she blurted out in envy.


    "Give it here." Isabe then nicked my finger and let the blood drop onto a small vial. The rest of the women gathered around me as she exined.


    "Okay so, this vial grants you a {kismet} called {Loot} it will allow you to steal the souls of a reaper. We will use this to quickly level up to level 3, is that fine for everyone? The one who uses it will have to let go of {Rewind}. It is best to level up everyone before confronting the brute, Amari and Mia."


    "We need to hurry, though. Once the remaining people from the reaper army die, the undead will head to the next group with the highest souls," Jasmine warned.


    Oh? So, they were not drawn to sound and light for reapers, they charged for the ones with the highest souls. Then it made sense that they charged the army first, as there were hundreds of them. Therefore, if we had less souls than everyone else, we would be mobbedst.


    "I will do it. I can''t use {Carry} forbat anyway. I''ll just drain the bodies we pass by. Then I will distribute them to everyone. How many does everyone need to get evolve to level 3?" Robyn suggested.


    Everyone shared how much, and I was rmed to find they all only needed less than a thousand. Me? I needed three times that.


    "Three thousand," I dered.


    "Fuck me dead, are you for real wanker?!"


    "Yeah."


    "Right, let''s level up everyone else first then. Let''s go!" Bemanded.


    Wait, no one wanted to help me?


    We began moving towards Red, or Oliver. Liv took the front, Jo and Aki were her nks, and Jasmine and I were at the middle while Isabe and Robyn took the rear. All three of them had less than 300 souls. Each used {Rewind} once they consumed their stamina-giving items.


    We moved like a cohesive unit barreling through the undead. Liv didn''t bother killing everything and just smashed them away with her sword and shield. Jo and Aki butchered the ones who tried to attack our point man.


    Jas and I shot dead anyone who tried to close in, while Be and Robyn defended our rear with their knives. Every so often we would encounter a reaper corpse and Robyn would loot it while we guarded her. The looting itself was fast. Due to the zombies still swarming the arrow formation, there was barely any around here.


    Oliver and his group left us a trail of burning corpses, so visibility was no issue. To help, I asked Jo and Aki to bring corpses I saw soulgems on. While we didn''t run because we didn''t stop, we moved at a good pace.


    Using {Perceive}, I studied how Amari the ck ape and Mia the violet wolf attacked the brute. Basically, Amari kept the Brute still by pinning it with his gori body while Mia whittled it down bit by bit. Effective, but it would take too long. The undead drawn to the trio were blocked by Oliver''s group.


    Eventually we got within a quarter mile from Oliver''s group. The sound of my heart beating wildly echoed in my mind. Finally. I waited so long you fucker. Unable to endure any longer, my bloodlust soared and I broke rank.


    Even though I was overweight, my legs carried me faster than Jo, Jas and Aki. As I left everyone in the dust, I heard voices calling me back.


    "Southerner! Wait for us!" Liv cried among others.


    Sorry girls, a formation was good and all, but the seven {fates} in my bodymanded my body to move. Who was I kidding? I just wanted to get even, and break every bone in Red''s body, then throw him to the undead.


    "I will leave him forst though. For now, let me show you all my determination to be the strongest Revenant."

 Chapter 23: Thanks Bigfoot.

    Depending on the perspective, a quarter mile or around 400 meters was either near or far. Why was that so? It was far because my 1911 could not reach that far. However, when talking about distance from me, it was very much nearby.


    Many might wonder what the hell I was talking about. I was 5''10'''' and weighed in at 200 lbs. How could such a fat fuck run faster than even descendants and a ninja? The answer? {Fates}. Everything I would do from here on out was to show my team and the world one thing.


    There were no useless {fates}, only useless reapers.


    I huffed as I ran. My legs were like pistons in an engine. Up. Down. Up. Down.


    They mmed hard on the uneven ground. Surrounded by burning undead bodies and freshly brutalized reaper corpses, I pushed forward. An average person could cover about three quarters of a mile in five minutes. And right now, I was far from average.


    The orange lights from the fires lit up my path. The heat and soot made it hard to breathe. In front of me were around twenty reapers who had abandoned the Formless and the reaper army. In otherworld they were scum. I had no problem sending these people to the grave.


    Robyn was short, maybe due to being a kid. She was around 4''11 and had short limbs. She probably used her build to focus on speed. Maybe that was why she thought {Carry} was literally for porters or something, but to my eyes it was different. I noticed from the moment I downloaded it. {Carry} did one thing, reduce gravity.


    "{Carry}," I uttered.


    {Carry} used 50 souls to reduce a target''s weight by three quarters for a short period. Only a fat bastard like me would think of using {Carry} on my own weight. The result? From 200 lbs I now weighed only 50, but my legs still had the muscle for a 200 lbs dude. So, like a grasshopper, my legs were far too powerful for my weight.


    If you had ever seen a grasshopper running for its life, you were lying. You couldn''t see them do that, since they were fast as fuck.


    At this point, {Listen} and {Perceive} showed me the reactions of Assault group to my mad dash.


    "Iing bogey! Way faster than the running zombies!"


    "Block it, shielders form up, spearmen next, archers after. Take it down once it stops," another voice screamed.


    A fine tactic, I mused. Like a wall the shielders would stop me, then the rest would kill me. Well, they were allowed to entertain such fantasies. I bended to my left side and grabbed the foot of a zombie from one of the burning piles with my left hand.


    "{Pack}."


    {Pack}, the next evolution of {Carry}, able to reduce an object''s weight to zero so long as held by anyone with {Carry}. I took a quick nce of the body whose foot I was holding. The speed of my dash made its limbs and clothes all get pushed back by the air resistance.


    "OHH! I got a Bigfoot!"


    The Bigfoot was over 6 ft, and probably weighed over 180 lbs. To me, though, it was like I had a toothpick in my hand. I began to swing the Bigfoot like one would a bat before going up to the te. I''m sure it lookedical from their point of view.


    "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?! He is swinging a person by the foot like a bat onehanded!"


    "It''s a reaper! Prepare offensive skills, st him when he gets close. I can feel bloodlust from him."


    Hmm, so only I found it funny. In under a minute, I already traveled half the distance. I could already see their manifested weapons gathering energy. The attack shoulde soon.


    "{Save}."


    I maneuvered the Bigfoot to cover my body like a shield. I didn''t know what wasing, but better safe than sorry.


    "{Withstand}. {Endure}."


    True to her upation as a shield-maiden, Liv''s {fate} was defensive in nature, but it still took skill to use it. Unlike the superheroes inics, you did not get iron skin or glowing shields. It contributed nothing to your defense. It did, however, cancel force.


    That was right, {Withstand} broke thews of physics, much like {Carry}. Force could not be created nor destroyed. Therefore, when you punched a face, the reason your fist got stopped was due to resistance. The jaw would use its mass to deliver a counterforce that would cancel your punch.


    This countering force was what gave the feeling of hitting something. If you punched an object with greater mass, your hand would break. If you hit something with less mass, your punch broke it instead. This was how physics worked.


    However, {Withstand} went directly against this fact, essentially denying it altogether. It canceled the force of anything that touched it. However, the shockwaves would still enter your insides. {Endure} at this level, on the other hand, reduced internal damage.


    Used inbination, {Withstand} reduced momentum of anything attacking me, making even clothes tougher than steel. {Endure} would then lessen the impact to the point I felt nothing.


    The downside was with {Withstand} and {Endure} active, I could no longer change directions. It "rooted" me in the same heading. And while I can still move, if used incorrectly, I would be open to attack from the side.


    Luckily that was not an issue right now.


    "ATTACK!" shouted one of them.


    Like a kaleidoscope of brilliant lights, projectiles of every shade of the rainbow flew towards me. Arrows, sword shes, round spheres, transparent axes, the attackprised of an assortment of elements. They seemed to have nomonalties with one another. {Fates} really were personal.


    ''This is going to fucking hurt,'' I thought.


    Right, the worst downside to {Withstand}? It did not mitigate damage or pain. Only momentum. This was the most spartan way to defend against an attack. What the hell did Liv even wish for to have something like this?


    I moved Bigfoot closer to cover my body as we charged. I kept an eye open to ensure I could respond to anything I couldn''t anticipate. The moment the projectiles smashed onto bigfoot. I almost got blinded by the light show. A sharp pain ran through my right thigh, left shoulder, and left earlobe.


    The pain was so intense, I nearly bit my tongue off. I began to feel weak from the damage. My every step began to send fires into my veins. I felt blood running down the side of my head. It seemed my left ear got chopped off.


    ''FUUUUUUCKKKKK!!!!!!'' I screamed internally.


    Besides the pain, though, the attack did nothing to slow me down nor did Bigfoot get torn to pieces. I didn''t know the extent of the damage, but he was still in one piece.


    "HE IS STILL COMING! ATTACK AGAIN! HURRY!"


    "Thanks Bigfoot. Give them hell," I whispered.


    After the volley of attacks, I wound up my left arm and threw Bigfoot like I would a baseball. Due to {Withstand}, my entire body didn''t even shift one bit. Due to leaving my hand, Bigfoot lost the weight reduction of {Pack} and flew like a ragdoll hit by a truck.


    With {Aim}, I threw Bigfoot in front of the shielders. My momentum, Bigfoot''s velocity, and the zombie suddenly increasing in mass all added up to create a makeshift battering ram. Like a bowling ball, Bigfoot smashed into the reaper army and knocked several of them down while disorganizing the others.


    The chaos that ensured was hrious. They were all scared shitless that an undead got so close. The ones around Bigfoot began to sh and hack him to pieces just to be sure. While they were preupied, I leaped through the hole Bigfoot made and got to work.


    I kicked down the one immediately in front of me and shot him in the face.


    "Hello!" I greeted.


    "WHAT?! Oy! Ignore the zombie! Focus on the reaper!" one shouted in panic.


    Another benefit of {Withstand} and {Endure}, the 1911 no longer had any recoil. Without the hassle of re-steadying my gun after firing it, I could now handle like an airsoft toy instead of a firearm. With {Listen} and {Perceive}, I knew exactly what was going on around me.


    Unable to turn, I fired my gun like an action hero without looking just from the sounds of their breathing. One after another I shot three people dead. Being unable to turn was troublesome.


    A guy then stabbed me in the nk as an arrow buried itself on my back.


    "{Withstand}, {Endure} Cancel."


    The pain that I felt right now made me want to die. Like having moltenva melting my limbs, everything just hurt, yet I could not stop. Without {Withstand}, I could now turn. The first thing I did was stab the 1911 towards the fucker who wounded me and fire my gun into his eye.


    "{Pack}."


    I grabbed the swordsman''s corpse and turned it into a shield. Three people came for me with spears, and I used the corpse to block their strikes. Unfortunately, one pushed through the body and stabbed me in the chest as well. While the leather armor blocked it, I vomited blood from the shock.


    I quickly used my gun to kill the spearmen in rapid session.


    "{Reload}."


    I then threw the corpse I held towards the archer knocking their group down. In such proximity, the ones around him might as well have been sitting ducks. With both hands on my weapon, I fired repeatedly until all the archers were dead.


    "How is he still alive?!" someone cried, clearly agitated as hell.


    Perhaps they saw hope because I was bleeding all over. Another man rushed at me and then stabbed me in the neck. I smiled as I shoved my gun into his mouth and blew his brains out.


    "{Rewind}."

 Chapter 24: Sup Red.

    Due to my rewind, I found myself back at the spot before I charged. I used {Carry} on myself again, picked up another zombie and ran towards them.


    I arrived about a minuteter and the group still seemed like they were in shock.


    "IT''S THE FUCKING LUNATIC! HE IS HERE AGAIN!"


    Unlike with my first approach, there was hardly any resistance in the second. The shielders were disorganized, I killed most of the archers, and only two spearmen were left. My eyes kept darting around, though. Where the hell was Red?


    Using the same tactic, I threw the undead in my hand on the ones grouped up and shot the ones who were standing alone. A few swordsmen came for me but as I had a gun, they dropped before they could evene close.


    "{Pack}".


    But the pain was bad. I almost went insane in myst attack. So, I picked up a dude with heavy armor and used him as a shield. Funny how despite their defensive armor none of these bastards wore a helmet. Was it because they wanted to look cool?


    With a new shield in tow, I blocked the skills they forced my way without turning on {Withstand}. This {fate} worked best as a defender. Using it while attacking was not only stupid but difficult as hell, too. Terror reigned on the ones remaining, as they no longer attacked on sight and started to beg for mercy.


    "Please spare us, oh great one! We didn''t know you were here!" a man said as he threw his weapon on the ground.


    Kissing the ass of the one who killed your friends? Yeah, these people were hopeless. Not even bothering to reply, I sent him to heaven with a bullet between the eyes. I heard something move to my side but saw nothing.


    "{Identify}."


    A green reticule then showed a faint silhouette slowly crawling on the ground. I shot what I thought was its leg in response. A loud cry along with a busty woman appeared. She was average looking but kept a neat face. Seeing me with my gun trained on her head, the woman began to beg for her life.


    "Please don''t kill me! I won''t bother you anymore! Just let me get away! I don''t want any trouble!"


    "Why didn''t you help the ones that got abandoned?" If she wanted to, this woman could have saved Robyn with her {fate}. Instead, Liv and Aki who could hardly help ran towards her. If she gave Robyn her blood, they could have escaped without issue.


    "How was I supposed to help her?! I was just a high school student! I had to promise them my body just to get this far! Why are you expecting so much from me?! I just wanted to live again!" the girl screamed.


    Right, this would be how most normal people would act. A cop, two descendants, a shield-maiden, a ninja and abat joey. My girls were the ones who were weird. But wasn''t it unfair to expect people to take care of you for doing nothing?


    "I understand. Goodbye!"


    "What? Wai¡ª"


    Her words abruptly got cutoff as I sent a bullet through her skull. People who tried to keep their hands clean while ying victim were the ones I hated the most. It was at that point I heard somethinging from me from behind.


    I quickly turned around and raised my gun to block.


    "{Withstand}," I said out loud.


    "Fuck me dead! Yo wombat! I am amazed you are still alive?" the assant blurted out in surprise.


    "Sup Red, I didn''t want to go before you so here I am."


    I really needed to figure out what Australians meant when they say wombat. Robyn had been calling me that earlier. Red or Oliver, the guy who left me to die, smiled as he tried to cut off the 1911 with his sword.


    "Only one fuckwit would be dumb enough to use a gun here, so I knew it was you," Red teased.


    I sent a punch to his face while blocking his sword. Red instantly leaped back to avoid it. There were still about eight people with him. Three meleebatants and four that had bows and staffs as weapons.


    "Really? Even after I butchered your men? And like a coward, you only show up now? You got the whole 2nd rate viin thing down to a T," I countered.


    "I was going to kill them anyway, the battle with the Brute is close to finishing if you cannot tell. So, youing here was good timing. How about joining us then, wombat? You could score serious cash, girls and even Soulgear."


    "Yeah, not going to happen. I already got a team. Either you die or I die, there is nothing else."


    Red then smiled as he took an offensive stance. "I can respect that. Ready when you are."


    I changed my mag to a fresh one and gave a nod.


    Red along with his group of close-rangebatants came for me. Still in {Withstand}, I shot the kneecaps of his men. They fell to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. Unlike the zombies, however, Red and thest one with him leaped over the ones on the ground.


    In that moment I dashed and grabbed Red''s leg as he fell. I quickly deactivated {Withstand} and threw him towards the other person.


    "{Pack}, {Withstand} Cancel. ORRRYAAA!!!"


    Shouting with all my might, I mmed Red to his friend in midair like a whip. The moment he left my hand the eleration turned him into a bullet and the two of them collided like bumper cars.


    I heard somethinging fast through the air. I dropped to the ground to evade but something grazed me and bruised my back. After the volley I remained on the ground to be a smaller target. I then noticed the kneecap guys dragging themselves towards me.


    Using the ground for support, I sent a .45 ACP round though their faces. Only for them to block with their weapons. I then shot their fingers, so they dropped the weapons.


    They went to the pearly gates soon after. The blood shower from the holes on their heads drenched me in blood though. How many times had this happened now?


    "{Reload}."


    I rolled along the ground and sniped the archers and the staff wielders. Due to their eyes being closed and the chanting they were preupied with, a mage died without so much as a word.


    The one with him were able to see me and ducked. I checked my sides and saw that I was losing a lot of blood.


    Stamina was lost the longer one bled out. Therefore, if you had stamina, you could still move while injured. I then crawled towards the corpses in front of me and took a bit out of a dude''s neck.


    "{Eat}."


    Although my wounds did not close, just from the tiny mouthful of flesh my entire body felt renewed. The taste was crap, though. Still, if that morsel gave me a chance to live again, I would eat an entire person.


    {Eat} was a skill from Aki. It granted immense stamina recovery from eating. The food didn''t even have to be cooked.


    I could use {Rewind} but I wanted to send a message to the girls who were watching my battle. This insane way of how I fought. This desperation. This was the proof that I would struggle for as long as needed to be a Revenant.


    Many would find me barbaric and even a cannibal. But at this point, what morals was I even trying to uphold? I was dead. As a reaper, if remaining human prevented me from achieving my goal, then I would be the first to throw humanity out the door.


    I stood up shakily, blood from both my injuries and my meal dripping from my mouth. The sight had to be gruesome as the they couldn''t even retaliate, petrified by their horror.


    "Dude, what the fuck am I looking at?"


    "That thing is no human, it''s a demon!"


    "Whatever it is, I am not staying to find out!"


    One of the archers began to run away. Another fell on his ass and peed on the ground. Thest mage was trying to get the fallen archer up.


    Unable to wait, I charged towards them while I shot the one still in his senses.


    The bullet entered his right cheek and ripped out of his left eye. His friend, who already lost his mind, began screaming as he covered his ears. I ignored them and shot two rounds into the back of the head of the one who ran away.


    At that point a metallic de shed me from the back, sending me tumbling. How? I didn''t even hear himing. When I mmed hard on the ground, blood came out of my mouth. My mind hazy once more.


    I turned around with the intent to shoot. But the assant sent a powerful sh on my wrist. Sending my hand and the 1911 flying. He then stabbed me in the chest as he bragged. Having a foreign object in my chest felt weird. I had trouble breathing as my body went into shock.


    "Not so tough without your gun, are you?"


    My body felt lifeless, but Red was still alive. Until he was dead, I refused to die. With that thought, my rage rose. I forced my body through the sword, impaling myself even further. The man started to tremble due to the insanity of my actions. I then went for the artery around his neck and bit with everything I had.


    "{Eat}."


    I tore the flesh out of his neck and his blood started to spurt out like a fountain. In contrast, despite my injuries, I regained stamina. I then smiled towards him while being showered in blood as I boasted.


    "I don''t even need a gun, you fucker. {Rewind}"

 Chapter 25: I need a way in.

    As I came back towards my save point, there were now six people guarding the spot. The moment I showed up, I had to block an iing p.


    "HONEY! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Be chastised in anger.


    The sisters joined the worried chorus.


    "Darling, please don''t be so reckless."


    "John, even for a descendant the way you fight is ridiculous."


    In contrast, I got votes of admiration from the new group.


    "I am in awe that {Withstand} could be used to turn your body into a battering ram. Amazing, southerner!"


    "Did you see the way he used {Pack}?! Bloody Oath, you are fucking awesome, wombat!"


    "That was a fantastic battle, Smith-san. Such tenacity even puts warriors from my homnd to shame."


    I didn''t immediately respond to any of them and instead merely cracked my neck. After I took a few moments to stretch I then checked the 1911 and began walking forward.


    "I fought like this to show you all that Formless are not trash. Their deaths will be the first to prove this. Amari, Mia and the brute will be the next. No one touches Red. He is mine. Loot everything you can, and we will finish this after killing the brute."


    The girls didn''t reply but all moved with me. Our group walked until I could see Red on his back on the ground, unable to stand. Was that why he couldn''t follow up? His posture seemed painful, so it seemed like something had broken from his spine. This was the enemy I wanted to get back at? I felt pathetic.


    "Hey Red, you still alive?"


    "What''s up cunt, that throw really did a number on my back. I lost without even getting to swing my sword¡­ Oh? Is this your team? Your women look real nice. Have you tasted any fannies yet? Good on ya!"


    Irritated, I didn''t even bother replying and just shot both his kneecaps. Then his elbows and then his wrists. His screams rang out repeatedly with each round I fired. The event I looked forward so much to turned into nothing more than a chore. The shooting only ceased as I reloaded.


    "Oy, you wanker. Just shoot me in the head like you did the others, yeah? This fucking hurts."


    I then shot two rounds in each of his shoulders then shot his balls. The girls around me had different expressions. Liv''s group relished the pathetic state of Oliver, while Be''s group just winced in disgust.


    "AHHHHH!!! KILL ME ALREADY YOU CUNT!"


    I walked forward, picked him up with {Pack} then pistol wiped his jaw. The sounds of bone shattering meant he would no longer be able to move his mouth. The man was bleeding all over, but as he was a reaper, and none of the spots were major arteries he would be okay for a while longer.


    Red now could only mumble as he waited helplessly for his death.


    "{Loot}"


    A marble appeared on his right ear. Intrigued that he moved it there, I ced the 1911 in my armpit as I touched the soulgem. I then felt a stringlike energy swirling inside of it and drew it out like water into my own soulgem.


    ''This should be the souls,'' I silently thought.


    As his manifested {fate} was not touching his body, whatever ability he had turned out to be useless. Weren''t manifested even more useless than the Formless? If you separated the weapon from them, they were no longer reapers in a sense.


    I draped the bleeding Oliver on my back and turned to address the girls.


    "I am done here, are you all ready? Who got to level 3?"


    "Everyone already did, honey, the number of souls from the guys you killed was more than enough. Some of us are close to getting to level 4," Be confessed.


    "Got it. Let''s move."


    "You aren''t going to ask for them? If you took them all, you would already reach Level 5, southerner."


    "You girls belong to my group, so it benefits me to develop you all. I can just kill some more if needed. It''s not a hard thing to do."


    "I see." With a curt reply, Liv showed me a faint smile.


    "Have you gotten to Level 3 as well, Smith-san?"


    "No, I''m still a thousand souls short. Never mind. Having a stock is good for me, too. If you all are using {Rewind}, the same goes for you all as well. Robyn, do you need more blood? Just use {Loot} after the battle," I instructed.


    "Already did, wombat. Don''t you worry."


    "Right. Let''s get going, then."


    For some reason, the zombies nearby all headed towards the reaper army. Was someone there still alive? Well, good for us as this meant we didn''t have to be worried about the small fry.


    Despite the shing of the titans, the Brute and the Gori made no sound as they pummeled each other inside what looked like arge ss dome with excellent lighting. Before I could even ask, Jo exined what the contraption was for.


    "It is a soulcage, a soulgear that creates a fixed field for hunting or containment. As for its functions, nothing can go in or out without a key. To think they prepared something like this¡­ Either Amari or Mia should be a descendant," our blonde Italian exined.


    "Why, though? Why bother to do all this? They had the firepower with the assault squad, didn''t they?" Be countered.


    "My father once told me that each enlistment had a secret that few would know. Maybe this borate setup is what Amari-san and Mia-san chose to fulfill that requirement?"


    A secret achievement, huh? That would make sense as to why would they went through all the trouble. But such things hardly mattered to me. The more pressing matter was how could we get into the dome?


    Without a word, I pointed the 1911 on the cage and emptied my mag into it. The lead bullets I fired got stopped by the dome as if I shot bulletproof ss. Cracks appeared around the impact point, but they were far too smallpared to the size of the entire thing.


    "Wow! It looks way tougher than I thought! I don''t think even soul weaponry would break this type of material." Josephine couldn''t help getting excited while she checked the bullet holes I made.


    "Fuck me dead, this is going to take forever, should we crack open a tinny?"


    Jasmine chastised the swearing sailor. "Robyn, you should try to curse less you know, you are ady so act like one."


    Ignoring their debate on what Idy should be, I used {Identify} on the dome. Inside, the brute was showing signs of fatigue. The werewolves were dousing the Gori''s wounds with a green fluid. As the injuries healed, it had to be some sort of medicinal salve.


    "I need a way in. Show me," Imanded.


    A sudden heat again appeared on my neck. My {fate} seemed to have once again answered my wish. Why it worked, I didn''t know, all I was sure of was that {Rewind} responded to my call and gave me a new possibility.


    "{Expose}."


    Like with {Loot}, green reticules showed me different spots on the wall of the dome. {Expose} was created from using {Perceive}, {Code}, and {Gather}. {Gather} was {Eat}''s evolution from Aki. It recorded information like a cookbook. Once information was found, it could be analyzed, stored and used in the future.


    In the same way {Loot} searched for the soulgems, {Expose} now searched for weaknesses. I couldn''t help but smile. Anyone with {Code} would hardly have any use for it. The same could be said for {Gather}. Yet having both and {Perceive} gave me such a powerful weapon.


    "{Reload}."


    I refilled my ammunition and began shooting the highlighted spots in my vision. The girls noticed the areas I shot at, and all came to the same conclusion. The points appeared to form a star of David or the six-pointed star from the g of Israel.


    Like clockwork, Be, Jo and Liv began hammering the points down low. The others took the ones up high. Jas shot five arrows per point. Aki and Robyn threw Kunia and steel spheres respectively at the other spots. When the highlighted points were beaten enough, they turned dim.


    The moment thest point ceased to glow in my vision, a loud crack like a whip echoed in the air.


    "HOLY SHIT!" Jo shouted in excitement.


    "Amazing! John, is this yet another {Kismet}?" Jasmine asked in wonder.


    I quietly nodded. I changed magazines and pulled the slide back on the 1911. "Well then, shall we make history?"


    "ROGER!" a united shout from the girls roared from behind me.


    The ss which slowly cracked from the inside finally broke and the thunderous roars of both the Gori and Brute made the very air tremble. Not willing to wait, I dashed inside and fired my gun towards the Brute.


    My gunshots rang out as Amari the gori, Mia the werewolf and the undead brute faced me. The .45 ACP didn''t prate the zombie and only bounced off its skull.


    "Tsk, guessed it wouldn''t have been that easy," Iined.


    "NO!" the female voice of one werewolf cried out.


    The Brute, seeing the rest of us, violently struggled from Amari''s grip. Unable to hold on, the undead suddenly bodymmed Amari as one would do in Judo knocking him out cold. The Brute dashed past us out of the broken cage and ran towards the tform.


    What the hell?! This thing knew kung-fu? How was that thing so fast? The werewolves all tried in vain to get on the massive undead.


    I then threw Red to Liv.


    "Robyn, pack the gori and run with me! The rest of you follow!" I shouted to thebat joey.


    "Okay!"


    Robyn and I grabbed one foot of the downed 10-foot Gori and ran after the Brute together with everyone and the werewolves.

 Chapter 26: Ride the gorilla.

    "Wombat! Why the hell are we bringing this overgrown ape?" Robyn''s shrill voice asked me as we ran. We must have lookedical not just to humans, but even reapers. A band of Formless going after a rank D Undead, without a single Phantom.


    Yet I felt not a single touch of fear. No, what burned in me was the desire to triumph. It was like the fire in my blood awoke in the desire to try. Lions, bears, crocodiles and even elephants were among the most powerful creatures. But even then, man not only subjugated them, but he also ate them and even made money off them.


    You could argue that not all men were built the same. If so, then what stopped me from bing one of those men? Talents? Strength? Resources? No.


    It was only a single thing. And that was fear. Ever since I died, I kepting back to that quiet and cold moment before my death.


    When you died, the only thing you brought with you were your memories. During my first death, I had nothing. No exemry feats, no victories that made life worth remembering, nothing that said John Smith lived at all. Since then, by experiencing the horror that was Hellsgate, I decided.


    ''I am through following the rules of others.''


    I feared pain. I feared rejection. All my life I tried to fit in. To do as others told me. Even when I felt a dissonance with it, I kept quiet because I wanted to be epted. To belong.


    Afraid of being shunned. Afraid of being seen as a weird and entric. I swallowed everything just to seen as one of them.


    And what did that get me? Absolutely nothing. Yes, following the dogma stripped me of my personality and made me a cog in the machine. It drowned me in despair, sadness and regret. All because of fear.


    Thus, if fear was the only thing in my way, then it was my enemy. I no longer felt scared of fear. I just had to ept it and move on. If I had to die once more, then so be it. I would cower no longer. And this brute would be the beginning of everything.


    "Ever heard of the hammer throw event in the Olympics?" I shouted back.


    "Fuck me dead, are you insane?"


    I couldn''t help smiling at thebat joey''s reply. Indeed, it was insane, and that was why it was going to work.


    "Everyone, prepare to ride the gori. We won''t catch up if we run. Jo, please assist Be getting on and off. Jasmine, use {Perceive} and {Aim} to guide the others.


    "Robyn, use {Carry} on everyone and {Pack} on the gori after I let go. Liv, use {Withstand} to make sure the heading is correct."


    Shouting my instructions, I kept running, dragging the monster in tow. Just then, another female voice interjected on my n, her English ent pleasing to the ears despite her tone.


    "Are you people daft! Who are you even?! We had everything under control! Who is your sponsor?! I will file aint!"


    As she wasn''t part of my team, I didn''t even care what she thought.


    Liv then yelled, confused, "Southerner, I do not understand what you ask of me? How can {Withstand} make a heading?"


    Before I could even reply, Aki answered in my stead. "Liv, when we are directed by Denel-san, lock the direction with your {fate}. It would be like the feathers on an arrow."


    "Oh! Okay, I understand. Then I will be counting on you, Jasmine!"


    "Wait! Isn''t anyone going toment on how crazy this is? John! Exin!" Jasmine screamed in agitation.


    "My goal has not changed. I will kill that thing, whether I am alone or not. But your aid will make it a lot easier. I need you, Jasmine. Please help me," I replied without turning back.


    After a few seconds I still didn''t get a reply. Instead, I heard Jo shouting in glee.


    "WOW! Sister, you are way too easy! You''re bright red like a tomato! What happened to the ice-queen? HAHAHAHA!"


    "Honey, I won''t make you change your mind, but how do you intend to kill that thing? Its skin is harder than steel. It''s way too powerful for even reapers almost at Phantom level!"


    "Nothing is invincible. As long as that thing breaths, bleeds, or gets tired we can kill it. Other than shooting it through the eyes, I don''t have anything right now. Work with Aki''s {Gather} to figure out that thing''s weakness. I will follow," I instructed.


    So long as the brute could be killed, it should not be impossible. Otherwise, even Phantoms wouldn''t be able to anything. The only question left was how.


    "{Gather} and {Code} are theponents of {Expose}, so you should be able to figure something out. I know you can do it if it''s you. Can I count on you, Mrs. Code?"


    "¡­I understand, Mr. Code."


    "Do not ignore me, you arse! Are you really flirting with your women right now? Unhand Amari this instant! Comply or I will take you down!"


    "Southerner, I forgot to ask, what do I do with this?" Liv, who also ignored the werewolf, nonchntly raised Red off her shoulders.


    "OLIVER! What happened to you?!" Mia yelled in panic.


    Perhaps only noticing Red now, this woman didn''t even ask what happened to the assault squad. Well, she probably considered them expendable or something.


    "Leave him with me. He will be helping us."


    "Understood," Liv replied.


    We were already running at full speed for about five minutes, due to {Carry} Robyn and I were ahead of everyone else despite pulling a ten-foot gori.


    ''I don''t think we can go any faster. This should be good,'' I mused.


    "{Save}! {Aim}! Everyone! It''s time, get on! Make sure not to get thrown off!" I needed them all to be on the gori before I began spinning.


    "Oy! Stop whatever you all are doing right now! I am part of Shell securities! Cease at once!" the annoying interloper shouted.


    Unfortunately, my girls listened only to me. Without a word. I heard the girls leap onto the gori.


    "Smith-san, everyone is on!"


    "Please make sure everyone gets down in one piece, Aki."


    Being a ninja at this day and age meant that not only did Aki have superior martial arts skills but she should also be knowledgeable in parkour and shit. At least that''s what I assumed to be true.


    "Leave it to me!" a nearly instantaneous reply came back from the shinobi.


    I took arge stomp and began spinning the gori like an Olympian hammer thrower. The spin from the throw would further add to the momentum, turning this primate into a gori projectile.


    With the {fates} guiding it, the kic energy should have been enough to down the brute if it hit. All I could do now was to believe in my girls and hope my efforts were not in vain.


    "Aki! Give Jasmine a Kunai to use as a handhold! Everyone! Keep your body as low as possible!"


    "Understood Taurus-san! Denel-san! Here, catch!"


    "{Carry}! {Carry}! {Carry}! FUCK ME DEAD! THIS IS CRAZY!"


    "Got it, thanks Aki! Liv, cast {Withstand} exactly when I say so!"


    "Understood Jasmine! That southerner is truly insane, but I can feel my blood boiling!"


    "You get used to it, Liv! Darling is awesome like this!"


    As I forced my legs to be the fulcrum, the weight and momentum from spinning kept increasing. The sheer size of the projectile started to make whooshing sounds as I prepared my throw. I already had to focus on not being carried off.


    "Good thing this dude is out cold," I muttered.


    While I spun, I vaguely caught a glimpse of the Werewolves stopping and joining to be a single body. Oh? So, the other bodies also belonged to her? How amazing. Not that it mattered, though.


    "Shit, how long is this going to continue? I''ll feel like I am going to be sick."


    "Be, hold it in, try thinking of delicious food!" Josephine suggested.


    "Isn''t English food tasteless? Have you tried Japanese? I can make you some the next time we meet, Taurus-san."


    "I am not English! I am Italian, we know how to cook! Right Jas? Jas? You okay?"


    "Oy, shut it, Jo. She is aiming with Liv. ¡­ugh, anyone mind if I chunder on the gori?"


    Listening to the chatting women going on about the gori released the tension of the moment. As expected, the ones who could endure the momentum were the speed based fighters, like Aki and Josephine.


    I looked at the crosshair in my vision. A green reticule quickly passed it as I spun. The goal was to release it the moment the green reticule lined up with white crosshairs.


    Shit. It was too fast. My brain was not fast enough to keep up. How could I match the timing? Just then, the marble on my neck burned and sent information to my brain. The content?


    A {Kismet} to fulfill my wish.


    "{Sight}."


    At that moment, my mind became clear, and my world became eerily silent. I heard only the footsteps of the brute as it ran. My breathing and the beating of my heart were the only other sounds. I felt power coursing through my hands as they began to heat up.


    My vision started to turn red as I spun. The reticule suddenly started slowing down like my mind went into slow motion. However, my feet and body told me this was not true.


    ''Amazing,'' I thought to myself.


    So, only my mind went faster, then? Ignoring the nuances, I focused on lining up the crosshair and reticule.


    ''Feel the rage of the Formless! You are but a signpost. You will not stop me here!'' I screamed inside.


    At that moment the crosshair and the reticule lined up like the sights of a gun.


    "NOW!!!!!!!" I roared.


    I sent max power to my arms, waist and hips before lobbing the gori as hard as I could towards the one who stood in my way.

 Chapter 27: Only when youre dead.

    The moment I let go I heard all the girls screaming at the top of their lungs.


    "{PACK}! {HIKE}! STREWTH! WE''RE GOING TO DIEEEEE!!"


    "{SNIPE}! LIV NOOOOOW!"


    "{WITHSTAND}! FOR THE NORRRRRRTH!"


    "EVERYONE CARE NOT TO BITE YOUR TONGUE! KYAAA!!!"


    "WAAAAHHHHOOOOOO!!!!! HERE WE GOOOOO!!!!!!"


    "HONEY YOU FUCKING LUNATIIIIIIIIIIC!!!!!"


    I heard Liv cast {Withstand} before the sharp crack of something breaking the sound barrier. Holy shit! That thing went supersonic? I did hear new {fates} from Robyn and Jasmine. Maybe that was the cause? Or maybe it was still {Withstand}?


    I felt it when I murdered the assault squad. Any deviance in heading while in {Withstand} used souls to convert it to a pushing effect.


    The feeling was like if you went too fast on a round corner. Instead of the momentum abruptly stopping, you were forced to follow the corner itself. I had assumed the circr momentum would get converted into a powerful eleration, but nothing like this.


    A giant ten ft ck gori flew in the air like a brick, its speed increasing with every passing second. {Hike} had to also have something to do with it. I would ask thebat joeyter. Just then, my legs felt wobbly, and I heard bones snapping.


    I immediately fell hard on the ground with my limbs all bending in the wrong direction. Excruciating pain from multiple bone fractures came all at once. I saw white pointsing out of my forearms while blood gushed out of me.


    The red liquid also entered my mouth, and even after I canceled {Sight}, my vision still remained red like blood. I probably had a vein in my eyes burst or something.


    "ARRRGGGHGHHHHH!!!!!"


    My inhuman screams came out involuntarily as my body came extremely close to shock. Each person had a set pain threshold. The brain had an automatic system that shut off the brain to preserve one''s sanity once that threshold was passed. How did I know such a thing?


    Well, if you got beaten everyday till you went unconscious by fists, belts, sticks even baseball bats, you started to understand things about the human body''s defenses. Especially when you could do nothing but wait for the beating to pass.


    My mouth burned as the pain sent fire through the nerves of my body. Due to my past, my pain threshold could be said to be extremely high. Even in my current state, I still fought to remain awake. A vague voice quietly whispered something in my mind.


    ''Enough, I''m tired. This is hopeless, let''s just give up.''


    However, I knew this voice well. After all, I spent an entire lifetime listening to it. Hearing its seductive whispers had the opposite effect though. My rage built like a fire and the anger made the pain bearable.


    "Rage really was one hell of an anesthetic," I affirmed.


    The quote came from one of my favorite video game characters. Angry at the world, myself and the undead, I struggled to begin to stand. I could immediately use {Rewind}, but this felt like a battle with my past self. I needed to stand up on my own. Only then would I get reborn.


    "Bloody hell, I can''t decide which is crazier, you sending Amari like a bullet or you trying to stand despite looking like that."


    Oh? I forgot the werewolf was still here. I ignored her and tried to use my broken limbs to push myself up.


    "Fuck! That hurts," I whimpered.


    The woman them stomped me back onto the ground. ttened on the ground, the air got knocked out of me as I vomited blood.


    "Answer me right now, you bastard. Whichpany are you from? Who sent you?! What is your {Fate}? Those girls were all Formless right? What do you hope to aplish with such trash?" the woman questioned.


    ''Shit, looks like I won''t be able to get up like I wanted to,'' I thought. Guess my symbolic rebirth needed to wait.


    "{Rewind}."


    I suddenly felt my body turn to light as I disappeared under her heel. Appearing from a few meters behind her, I saw Mia without her soulform. She was a tall woman with short red-brown hair in a bob cut. Her attire looked like that of an assassin. Mia, who had her bnce messed up, was struggling to regain her bnce.


    "{Expose}, {Carry}, {Aim}, {Listen}," I whispered.


    While reactivating the {fates} I needed, I saw a green reticule ced on Mia''s right thigh. In the same breath, I pulled the gun and shot her there.


    "WHAT! HOW?" Surprised by the sound of the gunshot, with an injured thigh, the reaper could not avoid the bullet and it tore a bloody hole in her original injury.


    "{Wolfpack}," she dered in haste.


    Far from panicking, the woman then conjured up five other "Mias" all who had the same injury. No matter what she did, she would die today. I then shot a bullet towards the position of the original. But the moment the .45 ACP entered her head, the "Mia" disappeared.


    "{Soul form} Partial," the illusions all chanted, turning their hands and feet into werewolf ws.


    I then quickly took aim and fired at the rest. They were fast, but not fast enough. Bullets met illusions until I ran out of ammunition. A few lunged at me the moment my magazine ran dry.


    "{Reload}, {Identify}."


    Unfortunately for them, theg when I reloaded was zero. I quickly sent the attackers to their graves.


    Originally, I thought the bodies were nothing but illusions and the original hid somewhere, but {Identify} didn''t pick up anything. While I wondered how to kill this bitch, the remaining illusions all chanted at the same time.


    "{Wolfpack}."


    New partially transformed Mias assembled in front of me. The number easily swelled to over fifteen.


    "Well, this is awkward." I couldn''t help myment.


    "Indeed. This would be a battle of attrition to who has more souls," she answered.


    "Let''s call it even, then. I have no desire for more enemies. I will kill the brute and you get to go home. Deal?"


    "Fine. Seeing as how you removed all your injuries, you might as well be immortal. You have too many tricks up your sleeve. Just who are you?"


    "I am John Smith."


    "Well, never mind then arsehole. Just promise me one thing and I will let you go," Mia negotiated.


    "My terms are the following: you let me go, do not tell anyone I was here, and give me that fucker." Before she could state hers, I gave mine while I pointed to Red who struggled to move.


    "I do not mind. In exchange, you must ensure Amari survives."


    "The gori? Fine. I''ll leave him alone after I use him as a bullet. How do we know if the other breaks their words, though?"


    "I know nothing about you, but two of your women are known to me. Jasmine Denel and Josephine Benelli. The formless failures of Italy. If Amari dies, I wille for them on Earth."


    The moment she said those words I felt blood rush to my head. This bitch, she was too dangerous for me to let her live. Before I could move, though, all the Mias held up their hands and turned their limbs back to flesh.


    "Wait! Wait! I won''t touch them if Amari is not harmed! Amari is my fianc¨¦e and future kindred. To be honest, I was willing to die with him in the cage. He and I are spent.


    We aimed for the hidden achievement but we made a mistake. At this point I will gamble on you and your harem. Take down the brute and I will remain silent."


    So, it seemed Aki was correct. They were just hungry for achievement. But in their foolishness, they bit off more than they could chew. Now they were just as desperate to survive. Well, if they touched Jo and Jas, I would hunt them to the ends of the world.


    "What proof do I have or your sincerity?" I asked. Talk was cheap. She could just as easily backtrack what she said.


    One of the Mia''s then pulled out a card from her pocket. The rest of the Mias suddenly disappeared as the real one walked towards me.


    "I am hoping that you do not shoot me. This is proof that I am a woman of my word. Here is my driver''s license. I''m British so I don''t have any other I.D."


    Having a driving license was considered being trustworthy? Another foreign mindset. Well, whatever. I kept my gun trained on her as she approached. I could just shoot her now, but what if she had allies somewhere else? If she knew Jo and Jas, then maybe Amari did as well.


    "Leave it on the ground and walk away."


    I then moved to pick it up without removing my sign from Mia.


    "You don''t lower your guard at all, do you? I am bleeding right now and exhausted. Lighten up, will you?"


    "I will. Only when you''re dead," I replied coldly.


    ''Let''s see¡­ Mia ir, age 28, Blood type AB, from sgow, Britain,'' I read her details in my head. I used {Gather} to memorize her information. I needed to ask Be to stalk her on the inte. When the time came, I would put a bullet in her head. Right now, the priority was the brute.


    "Fine, Ms. ir. For now, we are in agreement. Know this, though. Touch any of my girls and I will give you a death worse than that bastard received, understood?"


    I uncocked my gun and moved to pick up Red. He was still mumbling something unintelligible. I smashed his face in with the butt of the 1911 to shut him up.


    "Why not just kill him already? Have some mercy at least," Miamented.


    Without turning back, I walked forward and loaded Red on my shoulder. "{Pack}. Mercy is a privilege of the strong, the weak do not have such a luxury."


    I then took my gun and shot her other good leg before leaving.


    "Consider that payment for me getting you out alive."


    "ARGHH! Bloody hell! Do I not register as a woman to you or something? How can you treat me this horribly?"

 Chapter 28: Just stay in that pose.

    "Well then, better get going."


    After I left Mia, I tried to find the girls and the brute. At this distance, I could no longer see either. In the darkness of cave, I didn''t even know how to spot a flying gori going faster than the speed of sound. The ground was still littered with burning corpses, so at least I knew the direction to go.


    "{Endure}."


    I began running at full speed with Red on my shoulder. After about a minute of running, I lifted my gun and pointed it behind me. Right now, due to {Carry} I weighed only a quarter of what I used to. 50 lbs was about the weight of a five- or six-year-old. I then began firing the 1911 blindly behind me.


    The repeated gunfire pushed me forward. Normally this would not work. However, if you were in motion, the softest nudge could affect your direction and speed. Running with legs built for a 5''11 man, weighing only 50 lbs., and firing a 1911 repeatedly from behind surely did a number on that factor. I hoped this allowed me to go even just a little bit faster.


    I then heard an extremely loud thud, along with a very bloodthirsty roar. Preparing for the worst, I scanned the horizon with {Perceive}.


    "Shit, having 10x would be amazing right now. {Reload}," Iined.


    The 1911 continued to fire round after round in order to boost me. Due to {endure}, I didn''t feel any arm strain, but the recoil pushed me forward like a mini rocket. Each round allowed me to go a little bit faster, or so I wished.


    Just then a huge shadow loomed over the edge of my vision. It looked faint but it was definitely the brute. It looked like it was inbat with flies as it iled its arms about. I corrected my heading and prepared to bash myself into this gigantic piece of shit.


    "{Sight} {Identify}, {Expose}, {Withstand}. Okay Red, time to fill your purpose for humanity."


    Red, who looked delirious from blood loss, didn''t even notice as his head lobbed around. I holstered the gun behind my back as I ran. The hot metal seared my skin as I freed my other hand.


    "Ouch, that was way too hot."


    Well, whatever. I then held Red by the neck and his groin. I held him sideways like a wooden nk.


    "Be sure to remember me wherever you go afterwards Red. And thank you for your sacrifice."


    I continued to run in this position, aiming for the backside of the brute''s right knee. If this gigantic zombie followed the bone structure of a human, hitting it behind the knee would make it fold just like a normal one.


    The closer I got the more I could see. Amari was down for the count near the brute. The brute''s left shoulder seemed like it had gotten dislocated from its socket. Thus, it iled one arm to smash its enemies while the other just flopped around like a wet noodle. However, the most important part was that it no longer walked. It stoodpletely still.


    "Amazing, Jasmine did a great job aiming for that."


    The brute roared nonstop as it tried to crush the shadows dancing around its body. When I tried to focus my eyes, I noticed the long blond and ck hair of the ones jumping around.


    Jasmine was shooting the zombie point nk while using its back and shoulder as footholds. Josephine was poking the thing in the eyes repeatedly with flying lunges. When she got the zombie''s attention, she would run around it. However, I now noticed something weird from how the monster fought.


    "The bastard cannot turn! Did Liv cast {Withstand} on that thing? Whoever thought of that is a genius!"


    Right, {Withstand} could be casted on objects too as well as people. I granted it to the human shields I used to make them tougher. They wouldn''t move anyway, and I could just deactivate and throw them away afterwards.


    The main benefit of {Withstand}, which was negating force, did not hold any meaning for it as the strikes of small people were negligible to the 15-foot giant. So, they used the demerit of {Withstand} to control the bastard instead!


    I surveyed further, looking for Be, Aki, Liv and Robyn. I found Aki, and Liv throwing spears at the brute. Be and Robyn were running around, collecting spears from the ground.


    "What the hell are you guys doing? Are they trying to probe for a weakness?" I mumbled to no one in particr.


    Well, I could only guess that without cheat {fates}, trial and error was to be expected. But theypleted their task - to stop the thing from moving. As I got closer, I scanned Amari and noticed he bled from the head and no longer moved.


    "He should not be dead yet right?" I hoped worriedly.


    I was not ready to take on Mia yet. At level 3 and having a giant ass gori body, he should still be alive, right? The distance between the brute and I got considerably shorter to the point I could now hear the girls'' voices and the monster''s low growls.


    Right, focus. In most video games, the fastest way to kill something big was to send it as close to the ground as possible. Making this zombie kneel would be the objective of my strike. Once we were face to face with it, something should stick.


    All this time, I had not stopped running. On the contrary, my legs already felt heavy like lead. Still, I pushed them onwards. Force was mass multiplied by eleration. You needed to increase one or the other if you wanted more of it.


    ''So, if you cannot make yourself heavier, make yourself faster instead. You could also use gravity to increase your eleration,'' I thought.


    If all else failed, I could have the girls send me airborne and beat this bastard from a high enough altitude. I heard the sounds of the battle even clearer and could see the girls and the brute even without {perceive} as I got close enough.


    As Jo was with them, she should be able to hear me from this distance.


    "JO! TELL THEM TO HIT BEHIND THE LEFT KNEE! I WILL TAKE DOWN THE RIGHT!"


    I noticed the sisters quickly stop their attack and head towards Be''s group. In less than a minute, they all started attacking the spot behind left knee. Annoyed, the brute tried to grab them from behind. It also raised its left knee in response to the attacks by the girls.


    "Perfect. Just stay in that pose, you bastard."


    If you stood on only one leg, your center of gravity would be off. Taking a blow behind your knee would send you crashing. With that in mind, I braced myself for impact. The body normally had an automated instinct to protect itself, even when you intended to crash, you would find yourself pulling back at thest moment.


    The only exception to this rule was if you were doing it due to anger or bloodlust. Those two things had the power to override instinct. And right now, I wanted to kill this bastard so badly.


    "You are the reason I cannot go home, you fucker. I will enjoy murdering your undead ass. {Save}."


    I was going so fast the wind began to cut my face. Thus, I could only imagine what would happen to Red and I when we smashed into the hard skin of the undead brute.


    "Well, let''s find out. Thank you for your sacrifice for science, Red. See you in another life."


    We now had less than two miles left before the impact. Due to the brute being in a pathetic state, Red and I could attack it unhindered. My arms were now already sore from holding Red, but it should be over soon.


    "LIV! CANCEL {WITHSTAND}!"


    I noticed the girls looking towards my way as I approached. Seeing my speed, they should have guessed how strong the impact would be. Be had everyone clear out. Dumbfounded, the brute kept trying to look behind pitifully.


    "Let''s go."


    At thest mile, I used Red to cover my face and prepared for impact. The moment we met the brute''s tough skin I heard all the bones in Red''s body shatter from the impact. Due to {Withstand} and {Endure} he would not get his momentum stopped, but the counterforce would still strike his body.


    The same held true for me. As the force ran through my arms, I felt my wrists and forearms break and fracture. Before I could even scream, the pain traveled to my arms and shoulders. They simrly couldn''t endure and copsed.


    As the force behind me still existed, Red and I were ttened like pancakes against the undead brute. Before I could figure out what to do next, Red''s body burst into a bloody mist. I then felt my entire chest pressed from the back. The sounds of my ribcage breaking from the strain also sent shivers down my spine.


    ''I am going to die.''


    Without the ribcage, my heart would be next. Not good. I needed to pull out immediately.


    ''This should be enough, right?'' I worried in my mind.


    "{Rewind}."


    My body turned into light particles as I got returned to my save point. I turned my gaze towards the brute as he screamed in agony and facented into the ground. Despite the sess of my attack, I felt paralyzed from my close brush with death. If I had been a second slower, I would have died.


    "Get on him and take out his other shoulder!"


    I heard Bemand the girls and like a realbat group, they moved as one. Everyone except Liv and Robyn all brought spears and started stabbing the shoulder. The viking and the kid instead took war hammers and started smashing the spears deeper like nails.


    "Calm the fuck down, John. We are alive, deal with it and move on," I reprimanded myself.


    As I forced my wobbly legs to stand, I took a deep breath and I moved towards the boss. It was finally time to finish this.

 Chapter 29: Follow me to Victory.

    "LIV! NAIL THE CUNT TO THE GROUND AGAIN!"


    "{WITHSTAND}!"


    Abination of factors kept the 15 ft zombie on the ground. First, it received {Withstand} once again, thus it could not twist its body for power as its frame was "locked" from turning. Next, its right arm got dislocated out of its socket. Third, I sted its right knee to the point I almost died.


    "The strikes of our blows get weaker due to loss of momentum, but it is too dangerous to let it move freely. Shit!"


    Be''s voice served as the group''s direction. I didn''t know when, but the Brazilian cop got acknowledged as our group''s second inmand. I wondered if the reason they followed her was due to her own skills or her status as my lover? Probably both, if you asked me.


    "Aki! Have you found any weaknesses yet? Darling said you and Be could do it, right?!"


    "{Gather} doesn''t work like that, Benelli-san! I can only record what I see, I cannot find something without knowing it like Smith-san can!"


    "Jasmine! The southerner said {Perceive} also yed a factor, did you find anything?"


    "I am sorry, all it does it makes my vision better, It''s impossible for me!"


    The panic from their voices were already approaching breaking point. My girls were all Formless, and this underground world had brainwashed them to believe that they were trash. Unable to break free from that, they still had not only insecurities but also a crippling fear of being cast aside. Truly leaving one''sfort zone was hard.


    Currently the girls were on its shoulders and were desperately trying their best to take out its left arm. If they seeded and we could pin this bastard to the ground, we had a shot at winning.


    The zombie tried to struggle on pure instinct right now. There would normally be no way to kill this thing, but using desperate tactics, we took out two of its limbs.


    "Taurus-san It is no use! None of the steel weapons can perpetrate the skin!" Aki reported.


    Even Robyn started to fear for her life. "Oy sses! Once Liv runs out of souls this guy will break free! We need to bail now!"


    "This is suicide! We don''t have enough power to kill it! Rendering it helpless is already good enough for Formless! Let''s leave it to the manifested!" Jasmine added.


    They were not wrong, by every standard for Formless our achievement was already good enough. But why stop there?


    "JAS! Let''s go breaker! If we can at least take out an arm!"


    "Denied! Didn''t John say we are forbidden from using it again!


    Josephine began to shriek in hysteria, "WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE IF WE STAY HERE! Not even a dog wags its tail for nothing! I can hear them! The undead horde ising! The other reapers are all dead!"


    Be kept cursing in panic, "FUCK! Already? What do we do? Shit! What can we do? Think!


    Think Be! Liv! Can we use your new {fate}?"


    "DON''T! Liv will die if she does! Let us retreat! There should be a powerful person under the deck! This is not our battle!" Aki instructed, the fear in her voice evident.


    "AKI, let me at least die with my honor!"


    "Shut it Liv! If that thing does not die, your old man wouldugh at you being a dickhead! Strewth! The wanker is healing! Its shoulder popped back on. We need to run!


    NOW!"


    "It heals? FUCK! Go to the ce where Judas lost his boots, you cheating bastard!"


    {Interpret} seemed broken. Were the girls speaking in their mother tongues? I tended to forget because they were excellent warriors, but my girls all had the notion that they were trash hammered into them. Liv and Jo were even suicidal to a degree. If not for me, they wouldn''t even be here, thus they were my responsibility.


    "Right, I said as much, didn''t I?"


    Everyone should have reached level 3, Jasmine had {Snipe}, Robyn had {Hike}, the others should have four more new skills. Be believed that with Liv''s skill we had a chance.


    ''Then let''s go with that first,'' I mused.


    The girls were so preupied trying to keep the boss down that they didn''t notice me. This damn bastard was healing at breakneck speed. Both its shoulder and leg were already free from injury. We did not have any time to waste. I moved towards Liv and grabbed her by the left horn of her helmet and pulled her down to face me.


    "Liv, give me your new {fate} and I will kill this bastard for you. Believe in me."


    Despite being such a powerful warrior, the northerner had terror in her eyes. But my gaze didn''t waver in the slightest. My deration was hard to believe, but I refused toy down and die. Perhaps she found hope in my words. The woman embraced me and kissed me sloppily.


    ''She seems inexperienced, but feisty nheless,'' I inwardly thought.


    A new {fate} downloaded in my mind and I saw a chance of victory. When our lips parted, I lovingly caressed her face with my free hand. Her eyes now burned with determination.


    "Thank you. Now follow me to victory," I ordered.


    "I will."


    No other words need be said. I then yelled to the others, "Everyone, I will be asking for you all to ce your lives in my hands. But in exchange I will kill this fucker. Follow me and I will give you victory! Anyone who does not wish to do so must leave now!"


    Right, the n had to many variables, but I believed in our {fates}. I would not let others tell me what was not possible. I have done far too much to just give up. Expecting at least someone to leave, I waited.


    Yet no one did and Robyn even cracked a joke. "Well? What are you waiting for, wombat?"


    I couldn''t help but smile. "First, leave only a hundred souls on you and give me everything else. Then follow me to the horde and kill as much as we can. I need to get to level 3 before we can fight this bastard."


    Josephine asked a logical question. "But darling, how do you even know what your level 3 skill is?"


    "I feel it in my gut. It will be our key to victory."


    "Your gut? You understand that makes no sense, right honey?"


    "Smith-san, you are asking us to gamble our lives on a feeling?" Aki questioned in disbelief.


    "What wombat, you think you will grow wings or something?"


    Before I could even respond to Robyn''s sarcasm, Jasmine gave an affirmation I didn''t expect.


    "Then let us do that," she said, dashed towards me and then continued.


    "Tell me where your soulgem is."


    I pointed to the lump on my neck and Jasmine ced her index finger on it. Within the same second, I felt a warm sensation. This flow of warmth had to be the soul transfer. She then nicked her finger with an arrowhead and forcefully inserted her finger into my mouth.


    "I gave you every soul I had. My 3rd ability is {Snipe}. Do not make me regret this. I beg of you, save my sister."


    Before the others could question her, Be jumped andnded beside me. She simrly touched my neck then gave me a kiss.


    "My 3rd ability is {Shutdown}. My life ispletely in your hands, honey."


    One after another the girls all gave me every soul they had as well as their new {fates}. They then all began arming themselves and got into formation. The formation was pointed towards the iing zombie horde.


    ''No matter what happens, after today, I will protect you all as my own,'' I swore in my heart.


    I then joined the formation and raised my fist.


    "We will be killing as much as we can in order to prepare an attack against the Brute. I now have over 3000 souls on me. They should ignore you all and target me alone. I need a thousand more. At my signal you are all to run as far away from me as you can, understood? Liv, please cancel {Withstand} on the Brute."


    The moment {Withstand} was turned off the Brute used both hands to stand up and looked my way. However, before it could act a giant ck gori tackled the zombie to the ground.


    "Amari?"


    The primate then replied with a deep, masculine voice.


    "You have balls of steel reaper. I originally already resigned to my fate. But if even the Formless had yet to give up, it would be pathetic of me to do so first. I will pin this bastard down as long as I can. Show me this victory you speak of."


    Oh, I had forgotten about him, luckily he wasn''t dead.


    "Watch me then! Keep him grounded as long as you can. Girls, let''s move!" Imanded.


    Like a train, our group murdered zombies as we moved. I originally needed only 3000 souls to level up, but to use the n I had in mind I needed more. Like Josephine said before, it was impossible to know what your new ability was before you evolved.


    However, the very nature of {fate} made me wonder. I originally thought rewinding for bullets was a waste, so I wished to regain only my ammunition and then {Reload} was born. What if {fate} listened to your wishes whenever you gained a new skill? Didn''t {kismet} get created the same way?


    Right now, what I needed was the ability to not die but remain where I was. This diverged greatly from what {Rewind} was supposed to be. The question was if {Rewind} would answer my call.


    In thisnd of the dead caught between a zombie army and a rank D boss, my girls and I charged into certain death all for a single hope of victory. The insanity of it all made my feelingse out abruptly.


    "I refuse to die here. COME AT ME!" I roared.

 Chapter 30: Rage of the Formless!

    There was a very famous idiom I always liked. It was ''burn the boats'' although the actual term in the military was the point of no return. It even existed in psychology. It was known as the moment where any and all avenues for retreat disappeared.


    Numerous battles in across the world did the same tactic. China, Myanmar, Mexico, Iberia, Pitcairn. Despite not having any simrity in ethnicity nor religion, they all had the sameponents. A force that had an impossible battle in front of it. To deny any thought of running away, themanders did the same thing.


    "Burn the boats," I quietly muttered.


    With no choice but to fight, the armies all turned from soldiers paid to work to humans who rabidly wished to live a single day longer. And right now, my girls and I were in the same scenario. Insanity aside, in order to kill the boss before the sun rose, we leapt headfirst into an endless horde of undead.


    "CHEEEESUTO!"


    "Aki! Huff¡­You are going to fast! Liv, Keep up!"


    "UOOOOOOO!!!"


    "FUCK ME DEAD! AAAHHHHH!"


    "Robyn, get back here!"


    The girls were fighting tooth and nail. Aki shifted tactics from fighting like a ninja to fighting like a samurai. Liv, who carried heavier armor and a shield, had troubles remaining in front. Jo also was going berserk and ran around like a blonde shooting star. Robyn, infected with the excitement, left her post and started fighting like a rabid animal.


    Be, who had trouble keeping up with them, started to get ragged. Jasmine and I, firing while running, also couldn''t evenment due to the stress. We were running in order to increase our distance from the brute. I didn''t know how long Amari could keep the boss in check, but we were running out of time.


    ''{Rewind}, you were always listening to me, right? I need the ability to endure damage. You know what I want. So, evolve towards that.''


    I didn''t know who to direct my words to, so I ended up talking to my {fate}. If it followed my wishes like {kismet}, this was the time to know for sure. We already burned the boats. It was now or never. If I was wrong, we all would die, but I refused to give up without trying.


    I stopped running and ced my finger on my soulgem and forced it to evolve.


    ''Evolve!'' I inwardly shouted.


    Heat hotter thanva flowed through my veins from the stone on my neck. With it, a new ability downloaded itself into my mind. My lips curled into a smile. A feeling of omnipotence made me giddy from excitement. It seemed the heavens had yet to forsake me.


    "HAHAHAHA, I WAS RIGHT!"


    My suddenughter called the attention of my girls. Due to their emotional states, they hadn''t noticed I suddenly got left behind. But that didn''t matter right now.


    "BELLA! Kill as much as you can, but do note towards me!" I roared.


    "What? Why?! Girls turn back! Honey got left behind!"


    Before they could turn around, the zombies began to run past them. The horde''s target? Of course it would be me. Hundreds of zombies ran towards me like kids towards an ice cream truck. But instead of fear, fighting spirit dominated my very soul.


    "{SUFFER}! COME AT ME YOU FUCKERS! I AM JOHN SMITH AND I WILL NOT DIE HERE!" Like a lion, I summoned every bit of courage and raised my gun.


    The 1911, my partner since this night began, fired nonstop. I felt amazing. Like an action star, I shot Normies in the head left and right. I punched and kicked the others that came for me. A Chuckie lunged for me and I sent a kick to its face, sending it flying.


    A Bigfoot tried to bite me and I shot its knees to make it kneel. I sent a full powered pistol wipe to its neck. Using {Listen} and {Perceive}, I could sense everything around me. I touched the 1911 and casted a {fate} I got from Josephine.


    "{Dampen}."


    The 1911 no longer made sounds when I fired it. Naturally, this was only to my ears. It came at the perfect moment as the gunfire was starting to make me deaf. More and more undead came towards me. Unable to cope with the horde, I got scratched by some.


    Without {Withstand} and {Endure}, I didn''t have as much resiliency. A zombie then hugged me from the back, but before it could bite my neck, an arrow quickly ended its life.


    "JOHN!"


    The girls looked panicked as they approached me, but I held up my hand and told them something they did not expect.


    "Do note here! Let them overrun me! Kill the ones not aiming for me!"


    "What? Smith-san, WHY! You will die!"


    "WOMBAT have you gone insane?!"


    Surprisingly, only Robyn and Aki expressed their doubts. The others all turned around and went to battle against the undead once more. Unable to pay attention to them, I continued to kill the ones taking chunks of my skin off.


    "{REGEN}. {RELOAD}."


    I casted my new ability, {Regen}. It healed the difference from my current state and my {Auto}. Still, it was much like {Withstand}. I needed to endure everything first. The missing flesh on my body got renewed. I shrugged off the Normies and blew their heads off.


    ''Not yet¡­ it''s not enough.''


    Zombie after zombie got shot or took a bite before I could end them. Souls by the tens began to flood into me. Not even getting a second to stop, my hands started to get numb from the recoil until the worst happened.


    Click, the 1911 suddenly jammed. A bullet cartridge got caught between the slide and the ejection port.


    "SHIT!"


    I ejected the magazine while punching a zombie. Like a quarterback, I weaved as the undead threw themselves at me. {Regen} continued to heal my injuries but I was getting pretty tired. I dashed towards a Chuckie and lunged for it.


    The Chuckie naturally bit the unprotected parts of my arm. But two could y that game. I then went in and bit the neck of the undead child trying to kill me.


    "{Eat}. {Digest}."


    Aki''s third skill was for poison immunity. I could even drink snake venom and I would not die. Naturally, my hesitation to bite the shit out of these fuckers disappeared. With my stamina restored, I threw the Chuckie away afterwards and pulled back the slide of my gun twice.


    I saw the rogue shell separate from the 1911.


    "Nice, back in business. {Reload}."


    Barely in time to react, two Normies lunged for me. I quickly fired two rounds from my gun while I fell on my back. One of my shots missed, and the undead took a bite out of my ear and tore it off.


    "ARGHHH!!! GET OFF ME TYSON!"


    {Regen} was healing my injuries as fast as I got them. I would not die, but holy hell it hurt. As the damage umted, I could feel my heart beat faster.


    ''Not yet. This is not enough.''


    I quickly got up and continued to fight. Just then, I heard a loud boom. A towering shadow started to run towards us.


    "It takes too long for these fuckers. Guess it was inevitable." I started to run towards the brute.


    The zombies around the girls started to leave them and chase after me. It seemed that souls really were what they valued. They should be safe for now. Be and the others would have earned enough souls to use {Rewind} at least.


    "EVERYONE! STAY AWAY! {CARRY}! {HIKE}!" I bellowed.


    {Hike} was the 3rd ability of {Carry}. It reduced air resistance and allowed one to run faster. Like an Olympic sprinter, I ran towards the boss faster than the speed of a moving car, leaving most of the horde behind.


    Surprisingly, I got through barely a minute of running until I saw shadows around me. Jo, Jas had Liv on their shoulders, Robyn had Isabe on her back and Aki ran alone. Holy shit! I could understand Robyn, but the Descendants and the Ninja also ran this fast?


    "Darling, what''s the n?"


    "I told you all to stay away!" I angrily rebuked them.


    "Smith-san, our survival also hangs on you. Let us help."


    "Wombat, stop wasting time. What now?"


    "Send me flying toward the bastard''s face," Imanded.


    "ROGER!" they shouted in unison.


    Be suddenly started issuingmands. "Jo, Jas, we will use Liv as a tform. Aki, Robyn, can you girls make midair footholds?"


    "YES!"


    In a single moment, the girls made a n I was simply unable to follow. The brute was less than a mile away now. Jo and Jas ran even faster and threw Liv forward like a brick. The Northernernded. She raised her shield over her head and kneeled.


    Robyn and Aki went into a separate direction. Jo and Jas turned back and ran towards me. They dashed to my sides and carried me by the armpits. Afterwards the three of us sprinted towards Liv.


    "Ugh, can someone exin what is going on?"


    "No time, just get ready to fly," Jasmine responded curtly.


    The moment we reached Liv the sisters leapt and smashed their feet towards Liv''s shield. Using the resulting surface as a tform, we were sent into the air. Just when the moment our eleration was about to stop, Aki and Robyn appeared in midair and held their hands together with fingers interlocked.


    Again, the sisters stomped their feet on the footholds made by the shinobi and thebat joey. Their leg power sent the other two falling to the ground. We, on the other hand, shot towards even higher.


    How they hell did they all understand to do something like this? We were already higher than the brute. As I marveled at the creativity, the sisters threw me downwards like a meteor.


    "FUUUUCCCKKKKKK!!!" I yelled.


    The brute sent his gigantic fist my way despite its obvious surprise.


    I sent my fist forward as well. The difference between our fist sizes was like a mountain and an ant. Still I did not fear. The moment our fists collided, without {Withstand} and {Endure} the sounds of my bones snapping and my veins bursting sent my nerves into excruciating agony.


    But in the next second {Regen} healed all the damage just for the cycle to repeat. However, this pain was what I needed, after a few milliseconds it came. My heart, which now felt like a small sun, started to burn me alive from the inside out. The moment I waited for had finally arrived.


    "FEEL THE RAGE OF THE FORMLESS, YOU FUCKING BASTARD! {COUNTER}!"

 Chapter 31: I need souls! Now!

    {Counter} this was Liv''s third ability. By absorbing damage she can then store it in her like a battery and return it for a counterattack. The problem? Like {Withstand} and {Endure} Liv was supposed to endure the pain. However, there was an even bigger problem. {Counter} much like {Rewind} had a preparatory state.


    This state was {Suffer}, a {fate} that multiplies the damage felt in order to turn it into fuel. The ones who knew Liv best expressed their worry as she shared it.


    "Oy, Liv is a fucking masochist! She would die before she can invoke {Counter}."


    "Smith-San, Liv is so used to pain she wouldn''t notice the limit to {Suffer}. Please do not force her to use it."


    Upon invoking {Suffer} your heart would begin to undergo pain. The greater the degree you endure, the more powerful {Counter} would be.


    But because Liv was so used to suffering, ording to her, she could not even sense it. Since the heart''s strength would be the limit both Robyn and Aki were terrified of Liv''s heart suddenly exploding.


    Aki had a {fate} centered around food, Robyn''s centered around transport while Liv''s was for her to withstand hardship. I have not known them for long, but just what have these girls gone through to have such extreme regrets?


    Although inferior to Liv, if there was one thing, I was confident about, it would be my pain threshold. And ever since gaining {Rewind} I felt like I repeatedly pushed that threshold to the limit.


    {Suffer} and {Regen} worked incredibly well together. But they were all just in preparation for the star of the show.


    "FEEL THE RAGE OF THE FORMLESS YOU FUCKING BASTARD! {COUNTER}!"


    My roar which resounded in the sky, made my very soul quake.


    Just how much damage could I return to this bastard from all the damage I endured up to this point? The brute''s single punch broke and shattered bone, exploded my flesh, and ruptured all my organs. I felt it with {Regen}, I died a hundred times just from that one blow.


    If 100 points pain was needed to send a person to shock. My limit was around 150. In rtion to that you would need 200 units to kill someone. The amount I stored right now? It was enough to kill me about 500 times.


    No wonder they said it was impossible for wraiths to take this bastard down. All this damage I got was from a single punch. Even phantoms would die from one blow, and this was only rank D.


    My heart burned like a star as the pain energy was converted into power. My fist was tiny inparison to this undead. But size had nothing to do with it, {Withstand} broke the logic of force. Thus {Counter} allowed for feats no one would believe otherwise.


    The heat in my heart started to rapidly cool, and in response traveled to my hand like all the cells that made it up vibrated. I punched the brute''s wall like fist. An intense tremor left my hand and entered the undead''s fist.


    I heard it with {Listen} and saw the effects with {Perceive}. Like wriggling worms, the tremor made the skin and flesh of the zombie bubble up like soap going faster as it traveled.


    Due to my distance from the undead brute. I could see its gigantic face warp in pain as tremor went down the length of its arm. The bubbles that came out of its skin suddenly began to explode as if they had enough.


    Explosions like cannons firing began to rapidly thunder across the skies. Like angry roars that fell from heaven, the booms and release of energy made the very air tremble.


    {Counter} began a chain explosion that erupted every segment of the undead brute''s body. Unwillingly I saw the fear, confusion and pain from the brute''s eyes. It looked like it wanted to ask for help.


    ''Sorry but I couldn''t careless, even if you aren''t evil, my survival needed your death. So do not expect any mercy from me and die.''


    The energy then traveled to the undead''s head where his skull started to deform as a result. After a few seconds, rumbles came from its scalp until its entire head exploded into a bloody mist. Blood and brain matter sprayed in the skies covering me with the stuff.


    After releasing {Counter} my body went limp. I noticed I suddenly no longer had any feeling on any of my limbs.


    "{Rewind}! What? {Rewind}! Why is nothing happening?! Is this a side effect?" I asked to no one in particr.


    Although my wounds all healed to some degree with {Regen} I still was on the way to kiss the ground. Luckily the explosions were quick, so they traveled down faster than me. However, it seemed like I used up all my souls on {Regen} so much so I couldn''t even {Rewind}.


    Unable to witness anymore, I closed my eyes and tried to think. The darkness feltforting, only the feeling of falling and explosions from the brute''s corpse told me the nightmare was far from over.


    ''Shit, how am I going tond? Do I have enough souls for {Withstand} and {Endure} again?''


    Just as abruptly as the explosions began the area suddenly turned silent. Wondering what was going on, I opened my eyes and noticed all the zombies stop moving, it might have been hard to see it on the ground but in the air, it was extremely clear.


    "Why are they all just standing? What is going on?"


    As I worried about plunging to my death before I could think of a solution, a female figure caught me midair. She embraced my body like it was her greatest treasure as our trajectory violently changed. The woman then whispered in a gentle voice.


    "As amazing as you were, do you have to worry me like this? But I will settle for finally being with you again, my dearest husband."


    We then mmed into the ground with a powerful crash, yet my savior endured the impact without any signs of injury. As I looked up to the one who dered herself my wife, I saw Jasmine with a love-struck expression.


    Why did she call me husband? What the hell was up with these girls? They kept calling me such terms of their own ord.


    I tried to speak only to notice my voice was extremely hoarse and barely audible. She gingerly ced me on the floor to rest. Five other girls ran towards our position. I still couldn''t move, nor could I speak, but three of them threw themselves over me in a human pile.


    "Honey¡­ we won! We won!" Be said between sobs.


    "Darling! Darling! Darling!" Josephine moaned in happiness.


    "Wombat! You were so fucking awesome!" Robyn praised with arge grin.


    Aki and Liv also stood near, but they were just as ted in our victory. While I tried to get up a few other familiar faces approached. It was a 7-foot tall bald African American with a Caucasian redhead woman around his arm.


    "Reaper, that was a splendid victory. Well done."


    "Hey John! Congrattions! And thank you for keeping your promise!"


    Aki and Liv however drew their weapons as they got between the couple and me. The other girls all simrly got off and began forming a protective circle around my position.


    "What do you want Amari, Mia?" Liv asked with a cold voice.


    "Liv, calm down wee in peace. Your man threw mine headfirst into a rank D and shot both my legs. I think if we wanted to fight, we would not have greeted you guys at all, no?"


    Be wordlessly helped me up and glued herself to my side. {Regen} healed my body enough that I could talk so I tried to defuse the situation.


    "Everyone, stand down. Amari thank you for your help earlier, and I apologize for throwing you like that. Mia, I fulfilled my end of the deal. You simrly tried to kill me so let''s end it here, okay?"


    Like hostile puppies my girls had frowns as they sheathed their weapons. Amari and Mia both had wry smiles seeing my girls disappointed reactions. What surprised us however was that Amari bowed his head while asking for our forgiveness.


    "I apologize for my misconceptions of the Formless. My fianc¨¦e and I would have died if not for your group tonight. I will return this favor in the future."


    Mia also simrly bowed and expressed the same sentiments. I noticed the smiles of pride radiating off my girls. It must have felt like a vindication of their existence to be acknowledged by the manifested, especially those as powerful as Amari and Mia.


    Before the girls could respond, more people gathered around, all simrly expressing their thanks. It seems like the fight with the boss was so shy everyone came here afterwards. With the zombies no longer moving, the danger at the moment was low.


    Be then asked me in a quiet manner, "Honey why isn''t Lily''s group showing up if the boss is already dead?"


    From Be''s words I felt a chill creep up my spine. In the best rpgs a string of bosses was normal. What if the brute was not the actual boss but a sub boss instead.


    ''FUUUUCCCCCKKKK!!!!''


    I pulled out a gun and shot zombies one after another.


    "I need souls! NOW!"


    My girls quickly drew des and started killing the zombies that did not move. Amari, Mia and the rest of the reapers were confused about our abrupt actions. When we took down around twenty zombies I casted a {Kismet}.


    "{Identify}!"


    I then saw a vague outline moving around us. Its shape looked like a dinosaur of some sort.


    "One dinosaur like target, invisible! Form up!"


    My girls and I quickly got into our defensive formation as I began to shoot the bastard. The enemy then changed towards us in haste!


    ''SHIT! It is around 6 ft looks as big as a car, And the girls can''t even see it.'' I inwardly panicked.


    "{Identify}."


    However, as my kismet was invoked by a heroic voice, Liv then perfectly intercepted the invisible assassin and warded it off with her shield. She then smiled at me as she attacked the monster.

 Chapter 32: Whats a hundred more?

    What the fuck was happening? Liv was using {Identify}? ording to Be and Jasmine, unlike {fates} which could by passed by any bodily fluid. {Kismet} could only be passed via blood.


    And there was a restriction, Jo and Jas thought I was a demon for the same reason. If you give your blood to another, they can only learn one {fate} ability from it.


    Meaning if Jasmine gave Be her blood and taught her {Perceive}, Be automatically lost the chance to learn {Aim} and {Snipe}. It served as a limiter to reapers in general.


    There were only two exceptions: one, demons who were able to extract all {fates} avable from the same blood. Two, the reaper''s kindred or spouse. And I broke thismon sense without even trying by not belonging to either.


    While this logic does not apply to me this applies to the girls. They cannot learn {Rewind}, {Reload} and {Regen} unless if I give them my saliva. Jasmine removes {Rewind} and uses {Reload} most of the time and drinks my blood to shift to {Rewind}. Even {Robyn} needed to do the same just so she could use {Loot}.


    What baffles me the most is that I had yet to give Liv my blood again. I didn''t have {Identify} when I gave her my blood the first time.


    ''All I did was kiss her for {Counter}. Then how does she have {Identify}?''


    Even if she somehow got my blood, giving up {Rewind} now was suicide! But before I could berate her another invoked my {Kismet}.


    "{Identify}. Jas, Jo. It looks like an undead raptor with two sets of eyes and no nose," Be advised.


    The one to answer in a panicked voice was Mia.


    "Thats an undead stalker! A rank D undead nicknamed the Phantom killer. There is one here? Choco, we need to run away!"


    The stalker was fast, and it intentionally took some distance to prevent us from following it. In the darkness with hundreds of zombies unmoving it had a lot of cover to hide itself in.


    ''Shit I guess I needed to forget about the {Kismet} thing for now.''


    "Its weakness is to blind it with light! a stalker''s skin is not very tough, but it moves really fast. Does anyone have a {Fate} that can make a bright light?" Jasmine yelled.


    Amari and Mia ced their backs behind one another to cover their blind spots. As for the other reapers around us, they had annoyed expressions and just stood around.


    "You guys are lying, another rank D? Thats impossible! You formless really enjoy being in the spotlight huh?"


    "Ignore them, they are just looking for attention. We barely have half an hour before the sun rises, let''s just farm souls."


    "What the fuck?! My sister is not lying you dickheads!"


    "What does being Formless have anything to do with this you cunts!"


    Jo and Robyn started swearing at the other reapers who gave us looks of contempt. Even after killing the brute the misconception of the formless could not be removed so easily.


    "Light, light. Be, can we use the flood lights?" I suggested.


    "Honey! you are a genius! Everyone! Head for the tform!"


    "How do we avoid getting attacked Taurus-san, I can barely sense it."


    Right now, only Liv, Be and I could see it. Jo and Jas due to their superior senses could react passively. I then noticed some ck objects stuck on the stalker''s body.


    "Are those goggles? They look familiar." I couldn''t help wondering.


    Where did I see them before¡­AH! The night vision guys at the beginning! It meant this bastard already killed them all? If they could find it with night vision then its invisibility is not based on {fates} but physics? Then we can beat it!


    I then took a zombie and brought it to Be. "Be, slice this things neck across, make it as bloody as possible."


    Without questioning mymands, she used her dagger to rip apart the corpse''s neck and stomach.


    "{Pack}."


    Using Robyn''s {fate} I grabbed the zombie by the waist and threw it towards the stalker. Blood gushed out of the zombie as it flew, the sanguine liquid fell on both a couple reapers and the hidden monster.


    "What are you doing you bastard!" a reaper cried.


    As some got on the stalker, the red blood now outlined its silhouette. Jasmine then began sending arrows to the stalker. Robyn copied my actions and tried to drench the monster in more zombie blood.


    The stalker seemed to have lost it''s cool and began attacking the ones nearest it. It bit a reaper''s torso and lifted him off the ground. His screams and the fact that he was 5 feet in the air proved to the others that we told the truth.


    "KYA! There really is a stalker! Run!"


    "Ignore them. Everyone! Move! It wille for us soon!" I roared.


    The girls and I began running towards the tform. Amari and Mia simrly followed our group taking care not to get killed. I saw numerous other reapers got crushed and ripped apart by the undead raptor as we ran.


    I kept looking behind me we left the scene; the panicking reapers all ran around like headless chickens. Compared to my group they severelyckedbat experience. Suddenly my vision showed an invisible target pursuing us.


    "Shit! How did you even wash the blood off with those tiny arms!" Iined.


    "Ignore him honey, let''s just get to the tform."


    With the regr undead all standing still, our vanguard just smashed them away. Before I even noticed Amari and Mia were already ahead of us chatting without a care in the world.


    "Fluffy, the sponsors are not going to be happy with us."


    "Ignore them Choco, I will beg for forgivenesster. Dying was not part of the deal."


    "Indeed, but we owe our lives to the Formless. They may ask me to leave Fluffy."


    "Shut it Choco, I refuse to partner with anyone else." Mia passionately rebuked.


    "Fluffy, you get his name?"


    "John Smith."


    Amari made a sigh andined, "So you didn''t?"


    At that moment Josephine startedughing in earnest.


    "Hahaha darling your name sucks! No one ever believes you!"


    Look at this woman, something wasing for us, and she was busy eavesdropping on the couple running ahead. Jo and Robyn beganughing heartily as they ran. Unknowingly I and the rest of our group did as well.


    "Just you wait, In the future they will kneel when they hear my name," I boasted.


    "With what wombat? The thousands of others who have the exact same name?"


    "Robyn stop teasing him. Darling, how about calling yourself Mario Rossi instead?"


    Despite our chatter, Be, Liv, Aki and Jas remained focused on the stalker. The closer we got the more I noticed the gruesome sight. The number of bodies on the way to the tform was ten times worse than anywhere else.


    "{Connect}."


    When we arrived Be quickly casted her {fate}. She ced a hand over her right ear while both her eyes turned empty.


    My group all created a circle around the Brazilian to ensure she would not be disturbed.


    "Well, now what wombat?"


    "{Save}. Protect, Be. I will be bait. Jas try to snipe it if you can. The rest of you are to ensure Be finishes and prepare to counterattack when the lights turn on."


    I left the formation and charged towards the stalker. The 1911 fired .45 ACP bullets towards it as I moved. However even with {Aim} my shots kept missing due to its speed. Well back to the old tactics it was then.


    Like a fish in water, the stalker dashed and dived around my bullets. The moment it came for my neck, I shoved the 1911 into its mouth and squeezed the trigger. Bullets pierced and punctured the insides of the stalker''s mouth, but it didn''t stop and simply tore off my entire arm.


    "AHHHHH! FUCK THAT HURT!" I screamed.


    I then used my squirting blood like a brush and drenched the undead monster''s skin like paint on a canvas. Arrows, steel balls and kunai flew towards the dinosaur in response with none of them hitting the stalker.


    Instead of getting discouraged I rammed my body towards the hidden boss marking him with my blood even further. Surprisingly due to the number of times my body got rekted beyond recognition. Dismemberment no longer phased me as much.


    Just then, we all heard a silent hum like aputer turning on. Immediately after sounds of metal twisting resounded from behind us. The floodlights including the posts were all turning towards our position.


    Be''s voice then cried out in excitement. "LET THERE BE LIGHT!"


    At that moment the powerful lighting devices turned on all at once. For us who spent almost the entire night in darkness the illumination was absolutely blinding. But as we had our backs to the lights it was bearable. To the stalker however, it probably felt like staring into the sun.


    An inhumane growl came about, and though I still couldn''t see its body, because of the number of lights the stalker casted so many shadows anyone could figure out its position.


    Liv, Aki, Jo and Robyn all charged for the undead and stabbed their weapons in its weak spots. Disoriented from being blinded the monster went down without much a fuss.


    Unfortunately, at that moment the illumination showed us something else. We saw a hundred other brutes all inbat with reapers in white uniforms at a distance. Unlike how we pitifully almost died to one, the white reapers were fighting them on equal footing even while outnumbered.


    However, the a few moments after the lights turned on, almost all of them ignored their current opponents and ran towards our position. Just one of these fuckers took everything we had. And now we needed to fight an entire army of them?


    Naturally the girls were all frozen stiff. This would not even be a fight. Yet the moment I saw the running brute horde running I remembered how I already managed to kill one.


    "What''s a hundred more? {Rewind}."


    Unable to stop myself, gun in hand I then charged alone towards the iing undead army.

 Chapter 33: A Revenant.

    As I ran pass the girls, Amari, Mia and the rest of the reapers. My voice came out by itself as I tried to drown out the fear that kept telling me to run away.


    The white guys were still around, so defeat was not yet a certainty. But I felt that if I cowered at this moment, everything I achieved until now would lose its meaning.


    "AHHH!! COME AT ME YOU FUCKERS!!!" While high on adrenaline I aimed my gun towards a brute and fired till I spent my mag.


    After a few seconds, I heard a monstrous roar and numerous howls. Then female voices all screamed battle cries from behind me. Soon a chorus of fighting spirit joined as one as the ground shook from the footsteps.


    From the sounds of it, it would appear that Amari, Mia and my girls all ran after me. And in so doing the scattered reapers followed.


    Knowing I would not fight alone gave me greatfort. But before I could meet a brute something fell from the sky andnded beside me. The impact was so powerful it knocked me off my feet. When the dust settled a sultry voice reached my ears.


    "Such fighting spirit! I Like you! Tell me your name reaper." The feminine voice asked.


    The light made her shine like a goddess, her blue hair flowed due to the wind. It was Lilly Browning the woman who began this night of hell. She ced a futuristic looking glowing greatsword over her shoulders in one swift movement. The sound it made showed how heavy her weapon was.


    "John Smith."


    "Oh? How astute, so you do not wish to tell me then?"


    "I just did."


    "No matter. While I like your spunk reaper, these brutes are way above you."


    "I already killed one though?"


    "Truly? Magnificent. Has the undead stalker already been taken care of?" asked the elegant warrior.


    "Yes, myrades took it down."


    Lilly then tapped her finger on her cheeks as she made an alluring smile.


    "Then why did you leave them toe barreling through here? Are you perhaps a battle junkie?"


    "I didn''t want to shrink in fear. I get to decide how I die. And I wish to do so while fighting." I replied.


    The tremors on the ground now felt incredibly powerful. A hundred brutes rushed towards us like Normies. Despite that fact, Lilly didn''t even give them a second nce, her attention was focused solely on me.


    "Is that so? Formless. Yet your courage exceeds that even of a Phantom. Are you already aligned with anyone? Who is your handler?"


    Unlike the other girls Lilly, had the majesty of a queen. I couldn''t help replying respectfully to her. "Thank you, I am not affiliated with anyone, nor do I have a handler."


    "Then it is decided, starting today, I will be your handler."


    "Excuse me? No! I refuse!"


    "Eh? You do not wish to be protected by me? Lilly Browning? Odd. Do you not know who I am?"


    Why was this woman so focused on chatting right now? A hundred brutes were all charging here in a stampede!


    "Ms. Lilly, I think we should focus on those undead." I advised.


    "It seems you really know nothing of me. Wonderful. You interest me, John Smith. Then let me show you why I am sought after and why most would kill themselves just to be my foot stool."


    Lilly had an amazing figure even from the tform, but up close she made even Hollywood actresses look like country bumpkins. Combined with her elegant demeanor and arge ck greatsword she looked like a legendary warrior out of a myth.


    "WATER SLICE!"


    Lilly waved her sword horizontally while a great stream of water left its edge. Like a flying bullet her sword sh bisected five brutes at the waist.


    "HOLY SHIT!" unable to contain my surprise I blurted out my amazement like a child.


    Perhaps satisfied with my reaction, Lilly then raised her sword up high with both arms as she dered.


    "It is too early to be amazed John Smith!"


    Arge amount of water exited her sword and gathered into the sky. Lilly then stretched out her hand heroically as she roared.


    "WATER CUTTER!"


    The water then molded itself to look like a gigantic circr disc. The disc started to spin and the flew towards the iing horde. Lilly''s powerful move violently ripped apart the brutes en mass like a saw hacking confetti.


    ''What the hell is this! Is this the power of the manifested? My {fates} look like party trickspared to that!'' I inwardly panicked.


    Just then whiteets fell all around Lily and me. What came out of the smoke were men and women simrly dressed like Ms. Browing, all of them were holding glowing weapons.


    "Ms. Lilly, such a marvelous performance as expected of your highness," onemented.


    "Didn''t she effectively halve the brutes in a single strike? As expected, no matter how many times I see it, Ms. Lilly''s {fate} Thirst is just amazing!"


    "Her power is only surpassed by her beauty. Truly a gift to the world!"


    The goddess who showed me such dazzling smiles earlier now looked like a demon who had her dog murdered.


    "Stop chatting like Formless morons and get to work. Didn''t I repeatedly tell you all I am not interested in sycophancy? Remain silent and terminate the remaining undead."


    Did she get offended or something? Even after her subordinates left, anger was practically oozing out of the woman''s body. At that moment Be and the girls arrived and gathered around me.


    "Honey, you really are a fucking lunatic."


    Jasmine grabbed my arm and embraced it. "Husband, please be careful."


    Lilly then smiled one more as she made a lightheartedment.


    "Is this why you ignored me John smith? You already have a harem who loves you very much?"


    The girls turned to face Lilly then suddenly all kneeled. Confused it was only when everyone greeted her that I understood what was going on.


    "We greet the Princess of the North American battle front. The Untamed Lily Browning."


    Princess? America was a democracy, right? How could she be a princess? Should have I also kneeled? I didn''t even greet her; would I get sent to jail for my disrespect? Before I could do anything, Lilly made a lovely smile and made fun of my ignorance.


    "You seem perplexed John Smith. Even with my title and alias you still remain standing?"


    Reflexively I replied in annoyance. "Should I? America is a democracy. I don''t even bow to the president!"


    Lilly then covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled like an angel.


    "How refreshing. s, my time for fun has already ended. Such a shame."


    At that moment I heard a voiceing from the skies like a siren.


    "FLOOR BREAK! A spacial tear has appeared from floor 50. Rank B and A Undead areing in! Numbers 150 and increasing!"


    Rank A? How in the world did they even get here? I used {Perceive} and I saw a sight I wouldn''t even want to see in my nightmares.


    Undead dragons, liches, death knights, duhans, zombie dinosaurs and even a fucking undead whale! Apanying them was a huge army of ming skeletons who all marched in sequence.


    It was like someone from a necromancer novel came here and brought his army. The blood drained from my face as I saw the scene. Would Lilly''s group be able to stop such a force?


    What the fuck could I even do against such an army. All I had was a 1911 pistol and 15 bullets.


    "So you do know how to get scared. Excellent, I would have been disappointed if you were not capable of rational thought." Lillymented.


    What the fuck was this woman spouting? Who in their right mind would not be afraid of such a situation. I looked around and noticed the entire reaper army was kneeling behind Lilly including her men, the ones in white uniform.


    Why were none of them showing any fear? Before I could ask, I then heard a voiceing from beside Lilly. It was a burly man over six feet. Lilly should be above 5''10'''' as she was even taller than me. So, seeing her be dwarfed by this man told me how tall he was.


    Despite having {Listen} and {Perceive} I couldn''t even feel him arrive. Who the hell was he? Just then Be and Jasmine frantically pulled my arms while making faces warped in terror.


    "Daughter, I told you to stop using such party tricks. Lying to yourself is pointless. This is how a reaper should fight," The man rebuked.


    Against theing undead horde, the man took a simple punching stance and slowly drove his fist forward.


    "Wow! howme," I blurted out loud in sarcasm.


    But less than a secondter I heard the sharp crack of the sound barrier. Unlike a bullet round the crack was even louder than the one made by airliners.


    A thousand lights appeared around the undead army, they were even brighter than the floodlights and together shone like a small universe.


    Then a fierce vacuum soon followed and sucked the air from the center of theing horde creating a small ck hole. The ckhole drew all the undead in as the lights began exploding like fireworks.


    A detonation unlike anything I ever experienced before erupted as the finale. Savage winds struck my body so intensely I got thrown back.


    A resonating boom then shook the very air. The sound was so loud I almost went deaf. My eyes and ears were so overwhelmed by the stimuli I tried to bury my face on the ground to protect them.


    It took around two minutes for the everything to calm down. When I did look up, I saw a single man standing amidst apletely destednd.


    Like a king, like a god, the man stood unchallenged. Then it clicked how Lilly, was a princess despite being in America.


    ''In the history of Hellsgate, only seven Sovereigns have ever existed, and they are both themanders and absolute kings of the seven battle fronts.''


    "A Revenant." I whispered in disbelief.

 Chapter 34: I will be the one to surpass you.

    A strong hand suddenly pushed my head and forced me to kiss the ground. My clothes and arms were also pulled from multiple ces all preventing me from standing up.


    The muscr body builder then faced towards me. He had blond hair and fair skin. His entire body looked built from stone. A simple uniform that looked like it was made from spandex protected his body. On hisrge back was a red cape that had the majesty of a king.


    ''He looks like a fuckingic book superhero!'' I marveled inwardly.


    The superhero then asked in jest, "So boy? Does that still lookme?"


    Before I could answer Lilly hurriedly exined while keeping my head low.


    "Father, please forgive him. He is ignorant of the Revenants as he has no sponsor nor handler."


    "Did I address my question to you daughter? I remember telling you to speak only when spoken to did I not?"


    Silenced by the intensity of her father''s reprimand, Lilly instead crushed my head with even greater force.


    ''This bitch... If you and your old man had problems talking to each other leave me out of it.''


    "I apologize for my disrespect father."


    My girls all greeted the sovereign in front of us immediately after.


    "Hail to the Sovereign of the North American Battlefront, David Thomas the Invincible! May your fate end the darkness!!"


    At their cheers, the rest of the reapers joined in and the atmosphere became electrifying. I could feel the reverence and emotion from the greetings. Was this what it meant to stand at the summit?


    "Ho? You all seem to be covering for this man how amusing."


    He then approached and stood in front of me. Our height differences had him staring down me like a judge to a convict.


    "I will kill the next person that interrupts me. Again I ask boy, Does that still lookme?"


    This fucker, are you that bratty you needed validation for every little thing? In annoyance I couldn''t help but chastise him.


    "It was. If you are aiming to look like a superhero your actions must be full of ir and dramatic poses. Right now, you just look like a trying hard wannabe."


    Just then I felt my entire surroundings turn cold. When I looked back, I could see my girls and Lilly all sweating profusely. I could feel an electrifying energy course through my body, it was not fear but excitement. The man before me was like a god from myth.


    Jasmine''s description was spot on.


    ''I do. You are either making a joke or are foolish to the point of insanity. Jo and I are 10th generation descendants. We have personally saw Virtuous, his majesty Clive inbat. Even with such a powerful force of nature and generations of the best reapers of the continent, the European battlefront is stuck at the 39th floor.''


    A force of nature. Like a volcanic eruption, a tsunami, hurricane or an earthquake. Unstoppable, infinitely powerful and something that invoked wonder and awe. But then so what? Who said I can''t be like such? Despite such power, hasn''t man learned from, survived and even adapted to them?


    "So you say. You have a lot of nerve for a little wraith, are you not afraid of me?" David remarked.


    Afraid? How the fuck can you not be afraid of someone who can create a nuclear explosion with a simple punch. What if this dude decides to p me? I could very well be erased from existence. But despite all that, this man was my peer. As such I cannot bow down to him.


    One day I would go beyond him. And he needed to know that.


    "I am but that is only for now. Mark my words Revenant, I will be the one to surpass you and close hellsgate." I dered in fury.


    Just then Lilly, Be, Jo, Jas, Robyn, Aki and Liv all stood up and began pleading for me.


    "Father! please forgive this man''s insolence."


    "Your majesty this man is insane please ignore honey''s ramblings."


    "My lord Invincible, darling is crazy. He doesn''t know what he is saying."


    "Husband, please be silent. Your highness please allow me to re-educate him as hecks discipline."


    "You highness the wombat got pummeled too hard and turned stupid, his mind is full of sex."


    "Mightiest Thomas-sama, this man knows little of reaper affairs please grant himpassion."


    "Your majesty Invincible, this southerner may be foolish, but he is beyond courageous. It would be a lost for everyone if he was to die here."


    I had mixed feelings about the girls standing up for me. On one hand they were sticking up for me, but did they really have to insult me as well? Interestingly David ignored them and just stared into my eyes.


    "Most interesting. A Formless you might be yet you show no fear nor doubt that you would surpass me." He then gazed at the girls as if studying them.


    "On top of that, you charmed such arge group of women including my own daughter. Your performance when you took charge to kill both the brute and the stalker was also impressive. Lastly that final charge towards the brutes made my blood boil," Davidmended.


    He then ordered the girls to answer, "Identify yourselves and where youe from."


    One by one my girls began toply to hismand.


    "Isabe Taurus, South American Battlefront, Brazil. Formless."


    "Josephine Benelli, European Battlefront, Italy. Formless."


    "Jasmine Denel, African Battlefront, Seychelles. Formless."


    "Liv Ivaldi, Northern Battlefront, Idistaviso. Formless."


    "Aki Miroku, Asian Battlefront, Japan. Formless."


    "Robyn Lithgow, Australian Battlefront, Australia. Formless."


    "Lilly Browning, North American Battlefront, USA. Should I also say formless?"


    I couldn''t help but growl inwardly ''Lilly, why the hell are you also introducing yourself? He is your dad right?''


    "So you not only gathered a harem from all seven continents but did so even knowing they were all Formless. Furthermore you managed to gain the respect of even the manifested like Amari Soldat and Mia ir. How impressive."


    Is he praising me? Or was this just an objective observation? Somehow it didn''t feel like genuine praise. My gut also told me something was about to go horribly wrong.


    David then faced me and asked in a sneer. "So tell me John Smith. Your women vited what I previouslymanded. How should we go about this?"


    "Eh?" I blurted out in confusion.


    Just then a silent pressure came from NA Revenant, it was so heavy everyone including me were forced to kneel.


    "Didn''t I say it earlier? I would kill the next one that interrupted me. Seven of them including my daughter stood up to defend you. Now choose. I kill them all or you take the punishment in their stead."


    He intended to kill my girls? This fucking asshole. In anger I forced myself to stand up. The weight almost crushed me, like I was squatting weights over two hundred pounds.


    "Are you an idiot? How tiny is your fucking ego to kill people just because they spoke out of turn. And one of them is your daughter you fucking lunatic! Revenant my ass you are just a bratty tyrant!"


    David then vanished and reappeared in front of me. He then grabbed me by the neck and lifted me up from the ground.


    "Rules only apply to the weak. Do not expect me to follow such nonsense. Choose John Smith. Do you wish to die in their stead or abandon them to their fate?"


    Ah. This was it. Simr to how I removed myself from the limits of humanity, this man removed himself from the rules of even reapers. This was what it meant to be a Revenant.


    "FUCK YOU! DAVID THOMAS! YOU WILL NOT HARM THEM! GIVE ME YOUR BEST SHOT YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!" I roared at him.


    The Revenant of North America then made a blood thirsty smile and announced in glee.


    "Very well, for seven women you get seven strikes. Die!"


    "{REGEN}!" I shouted in panic.


    David sent a simple punch to my gut. In response my body vomited blood and what looked like my intestines. My eyes almost popped out from their sockets. The pain was unreal. It hurt so much I wanted to just die. David let go of my neck allowing me to drop on the ground.


    Despite the pain {Regen} allowed me to heal almost just as fast. In response I hurriedly invoked as many {fates} as I could. Luckily killing the brute and the stalker gave me a lot of souls so I could use {fates} without issue.


    "{Save}. {Suffer}. {Withstand}. {Endure}."


    "Ho? You still refuse to surrender? Good here is the second one."


    The man then sent a cross punch thatnded on my cheek, the power made my entire body spin as my neck cracked under the strain.


    ''I think I died just now didn''t I?''


    "Third."


    I then got pulled by the cor then got kneed in the face. I felt my eyes burst and my nose shatter into a million tiny pieces. Holy hell these fucking hurt so bad. Unlike with the brute, {Regen} couldn''t keep up to reform my broken parts. With David Thomas, just keeping myself alive consumed everything I had. That was how powerful his blows were.


    "{Carry}. {Hike}. {Listen}. {Perceive}." I chanted deliriously.


    "Fourth."


    My arms got ripped apart while a foot smashed against my ribs and chest. The impact knocked the wind out of me and caused my heart to stop. Again I died a second time.


    "Fifth."


    A kick to the back sent me flying.


    ''I think my spine snapped in half.''


    "Sixth."


    An heavy blow to my head mmed me to the floor. My mind could hardly made sense of anything as I felt I already had multiple concussions and brain injuries.


    "Seventh." Upon hisst deration I took this time to strike.


    "{REWIND}."


    I suddenly dissolved into light and appeared behind him. I then charged towards David Thomas at full speed with a punch that contained every ounce of power I could muster.


    "{COUNTER}!"


    Using {Save} halved the stored power for {Counter} but as the bastard removed both of my arms it could not be helped. If I could even return a fraction of the power he hammered me with I would be satisfied.


    Unfortunately, my fist got caught by David''s hand and its power dissipated like a lie. With a disgusting smile he then mmed his head into mine as he roared. "HAHAHAHA! AMAZING JOHN SMITH!"


    With hisst blow I could no longer hold on and passed out into the quiet darkness.

 Chapter 35: They are my allies nothing more.

    "What do you mean you are his handler now? Did honey even agree?"


    "Yeah! Darling is extremely hard to approach he doesn''t even appreciate skinship!"


    "If you intend to strong arm him into serving you, I will defend husband with everything I have."


    "Oh? Thene at me! All of you all at once!"


    "Wow, the wombat is popr! Who knew they really liked him enough to face off against a princess right Liv? Liv? Oy! Put the sword down!"


    "Well Smith-san is entric to say the least. The nail that sticks up will be hammered down."


    I could hear the girls arguing with someone. How long was I out? I passed out after the beating from David Thomas. Was it over now? I noticed I was sitting on a chair and hurriedly tried to get up as I pondered such questions.


    "Ah, Darling!"


    Like a bullet Josephine ran towards me and grabbed both sides of my face to look at her.


    "Do you feel better now? Are you in pain?"


    The warmth of her hands and the affectionate tone of her voice made me feel her concern. I lightly held her right hand and answered.


    "I am fine now Jo, thank you for worrying about me."


    Like a radiant sun at dawn Josephine made a dazzling smile as she nodded.


    "Great! I am d! That is all that matters!"


    Pulling her hands away I took a look at the people in the room. We were in a simple office. There were blue neon lights along the walls giving the ce a futuristic atmosphere. A couple of couches were in front of the expensive looking wooden desk, and the chair I got up from.


    David Thomas the Invincible was seated behind the opulent desk. On one of the couches Lilly was being interrogated by Be and Jasmine. Liv, Aki and Robyn all sat together with Lilly. The other couch had two people I didn''t expect. A tall bald burly African man, and a beautiful long-legged woman with red hair in a bobcut.


    Before I could greet anybody. An authoritative voicemanded the voice of the room.


    "Now that Cindere is awake. Everyone be seated."


    With one of the couches no longer having any room, Josephine pulled my hand and made me sit beside Amari and Mia. I noticed that both Isabe and Jasmine tried to get up but they were making inconspicuous attempts to keep each other seated.


    Both couches could sit five people. The one I was on still had a spot avable beside me, while the other had six people. But before Be and Jas could stand up, Liv suddenly vacated her seat and took the open spot. Although she didn''t have her helmet on her size made me sure it was her.


    For the first time I could see her zing red hair and beautiful Nordic features. While her appearance looked heroic, it didn''t look masculine giving her a mesmerizing countenance. Noticing my gaze she looked down a little while whispering.


    "Don''t stare so intently John. I know my face looks like a man''s you don''t have to rub it in."


    "Whoever told you such bullshit deserves a bullet to the face. You look beautiful Liv, like an angel or a Valkyrie rather."


    The Norse woman then made a surprised face and blushed scarlet. A faint "Thank you" escaped her lips before she turned to face David. At that moment a felt something collide with my face sending me to the floor.


    "You got balls flirting in front of me Smith! Aren''t you courting my daughter? How can you show your infidelity so tantly?! Have some decency you degenerate!"


    "Infidelity? What the fuck are you talking about you senile bastard? Lilly is indeed amazing, but I am not courting her! Hell, I just met her a while ago!"


    I could feel the gaze of my girls all telling me to shut up, but I just couldn''t. The man was an asshole in and simple.


    "So you are saying my daughter is not good enough? Look at the balls on this fucker!"


    What the hell was going on. What happened to the strict Revenant earlier? Why is he meddling in his daughter''s affairs? While I was still confused, Lilly then cleared the misunderstanding for me.


    "Father. Cease your foolish games. A man who never even celebrated my birthday with me has no right to interfere in my rtionships. Get to the point so we can leave."


    Unlike her usual yful voice, Lilly had enough hostility in her statement one would think she and her father were enemies. The Revenant in the chair made a wry smile before shifting back to business mode.


    "As you wish. I gathered you all here to discuss the rewards for the enlistment. The nine of you are considered the elites who passed. For your performances you will be getting additional rewards. Apart from your group the rest has such pitiful performances I wouldn''t even use them as porters."


    How harsh, I could understand why though. The ones here were excellent, my girls killed more than thirty zombies each, on top of contributing to brute''s subjugation. Finally, Liv, Aki, Jo and Robyn were the ones that havended the killing blows on the stalker.


    ''Why are the others so useless? Just how bad did they do?'' I wondered.


    "Amari and Mia being descendants and sponsored are no surprise, but I am beside myself that hardly anyone from the Alphabet, Meta and Te groups passed. The ones that survived were only able to so by hiding among the corpses of their allies. What a pathetic showing. And it had to happen when the enlistment was in my domain."


    The anger and irritation were evident in the superhero wannabe, it seemed he didn''t notice his rants leaking in his exnations. However, he suddenly made a huge smile as he stood up and walked towards me.


    "Which makes your situation all the more astounding John Smith. You not only took a band of Formless and turned them into a capable force, but both bosses were taken down practically by your group alone. Once this newses out all seven continents would be in an uproar.


    "While normally you would get rewards, you see John you vited some rules. You murdered over 25 wraiths in the enlistment. Most of them were small fry sponsored by small countries and groups, but they were sponsored nheless.


    If we allowed tant murder without consequence, the North American battle front would be shunned by the other continents." At this point even though he had a grin, I could feel the rage from David.


    Luckily an angel immediately spoke up to save me.


    "Your majesty Invincible, permission to speak!" Be dered.


    "Granted."


    "Your majesty, the reaper handbook allows crimes of vengeance. Should the murder be done as an act of vengeance and not malice no punishment would be given as the reaper acted within his rights."


    "Daughter, you are the overseer of this enlistment, what really happened?"


    "Sir! Oliver Kelly actively used other reapers as bait and sacrifices out of both necessity and amusement. John Smith was attacked and left to die after their first encounter.


    "However, Oliver Kelly is the only one among John Smith''s victims that could be considered a crime of vengeance. The others including the minor Janice Brown were murdered in cold blood and had no other basis."


    Lilly who looked annoyed at her father earlier now conversed with him professionally like a soldier. It seemed their personal and work lives were clearly separated.


    "So she says John. Answer or you will not only lose your rewards but will get penalized," David challenged.


    "Your majesty please let me¡­"


    "Denied. You are neither his kindred, nor his attorney Ms. Taurus. I allowed your first interruption as I still did not know what happened. The bastard must defend his case himself."


    The only one young enough to be a minor from the ones I murdered was the busty woman who could turn invisible, so she must be Janice Brown. You ask why did I kill all of them? Truthfully, I did it not only because of Red, but also because of how they treated the Formless.


    "David. I murdered them because they treated the Formless like shit. Liv, Aki and Robyn were part of their group, but they betrayed then left the three of them to die. As Formless, in order to stop them from doing the same to me I ended them instead. Given the same choice I would do so again."


    To kill someone meant to cut off any possibility of their futures. Naturally I didn''t do it on a whim. I quickly learned in hellsgate that the main thing needed here was the ruthlessness to survive. Ideals were like farts in the wind.


    The Revenant then continued in a stern voice. "The ones who would have the authority to perform crimes of vengeance for a reaper are either the reaper himself or his kindred. You were neither the one abandoned nor were you the spouse of those that were. Exin."


    "He has yet to agree to be my kindred, but I already consider him mine." Liv''s clear confession took the room by surprise.


    Aki then added. "I am the same, John Smith-san currently upies the position of my kindred."


    "Same for me your highness. The wombat is allowed to get vengeance in my stead." Robyn confessed.


    David then made a bored face as he continued. "You are all aware that a reaper can only have one kindred, right? John cannot be a spouse for all three of you even if you agree to share. John, settle this matter. Who do you consider your wife?"


    The entire room focused on me all six of my girls plus Lilly had hopeful smiles. Wait what? Why was even Lilly expecting me to choose her? I admit all of them including Robyn looked gorgeous, but that was beside the point. I came to Hellsgate not to pick up chicks but to get stronger.


    "None of them, they are my allies nothing more. I will bear the punishment for the murders. I am fine losing my rewards."

 Chapter 36: I will miss you all.

    "Ho? How intriguing, you killed for these women and heard how they see you. Moreover, you took blows from me because of them. Yet you deny all that and say they are just your allies?"


    David seems to be misunderstanding several things all at once. I would admit Be, Jo, Jas, Liv, Aki and Robyn are special to me. Anyone who was willing to submit to me and follow me into death deserves my loyalty. Lilly is naturally not included in that as I only met her recently. I needed to straighten him out.


    "You are wrong on several things David."


    "Is that so? Then elucidate them for me then John. Why did you kill the ones who abandoned Liv Ivaldi, Aki Miroku and Robyn Lithgow? Depending on your answer the oue would differ."


    Funny how even if this bastard almost murdered me numerous times, I felt no anger towards him. This man was both my peer and goal. There were six more like him around the world.


    Just from what I know of Clive and him I could already conclude that these fuckers were insane basket cases. I mean how could they not be. They carried the weight of humanity on their backs. And I aimed not only to join them but even surpass such a group.


    "My goal was to kill the brute and go home. I killed Oliver because of what he did to me and the fact that he was in the way. Oliver hid behind the assault group that Amari formed, so I killed them too.


    "That is the same even for the girl who had invisibility. If I didn''t take her out, she could have stabbed me in the back. My actions had nothing to do with Liv, Aki or Robyn," I answered.


    David then stood up and continued. "Then what about that bit about being Formless?"


    "When I saw that Oliver''s group not only abandoned by intentionally left behind three capable fighters, I knew that I could never be on good terms with them. Would you willingly spare those you know would stab you in the back? If such was their treatment of the Formless, as one of said group then I do not need them."


    "Then you will treat anyone and everyone who mistreats Formless as an enemy? Do you wish to be their savior or something?" The Revenant''s questioning tone bordered on ridicule and disbelief.


    "No, I am weak, I cannot be a savior for them. But if anyone gets in my way, I will kill them, nothing more, nothing less."


    The man called Invincible stood in front of me as he continued his inquiry. "Then what about me? I think Formless are shit. Do you have the guts to say the same thing to my face? I thought you endured the beating for your women."


    Unable to take this anymore I stood up and looked at David face to face. "Yes, I will get you back one day David Thomas. Didn''t I say it already? I will be the one to surpass you and close Hellsgate. Get in my way and I will take you down as well. It would be far better for you if you killed me right now."


    David who could punch nukes into existence looked at me with eyes full of fighting spirit. But I didn''t cower and red back with the same intensity. He wouldn''t kill me, the fact that I am still here meant he either didn''t want to or couldn''t.


    ''No matter the reason, I am no longer human, so I refuse to cower in fear ever again.''


    After a few seconds of total silence, David then burst out inughter as he pped my back as old buddies did. My bones didn''t shatter like when we fought but it still hurt like hell.


    "HAHAHAHA! Look at this motherfucker! NOW THAT is how a reaper should be! Kick my ass you say? I look forward to it! The other Revenants are all fucking pussies!"


    "Father, please watch yournguage!" Lilly advised.


    He then ced his arms around me as he bellowed in a loud voice.


    "Then let me be your sponsor motherfucker! Grow in strength then once you be a Revenant have a fight to the death with me!" David challenged.


    "I refuse." I immediately replied.


    "What? Why? What happened to all that bravado?"


    "I didn''t refuse the fight, I refused to have you as my sponsor. I will make do on my own. Once I be a Revenant, I wille for of all you. Just wait." I countered.


    "HAHAHAHAHA! MOTHERFUCKER YOU ARE THE BEST!"


    David then pushed me in front of him and gripped my hand and shook it.


    "I am David Thomas the Invincible. Sovereign of the North American battlefront. From this day on I recognize John Smith the Formless as my equal. I will wait for your growth and then bury you in your grave."


    The bloodlust that erupted from the man before me was so thick I could hear people screaming in pain and suffering. Just how much death did this man experience to gain such pressure?


    My entire body felt like I was being stepped on by a hundred elephants. I felt my bones fracture and my skin bruise under the immense strain. Yet failure to stand at this point meant I was nothing but a pompous asshole.


    "{REGEN}, {Withstand}, {Endure}. Understood. I am John Smith Formless. Wraith of the North American battlefront. On this day I swear I will be a Revenant and beat the shit out of you and the other Revenants."


    I summoned every bit of strength I had to resist the bloodlust and answer the Invincible as an equal. When I checked around, I could see the dumbfounded expression of the girls, Amari and Mia, even Lilly. Heh, I aimed to do as much anyway this much was fine.


    The pressure suddenly disappeared allowing me to stand straight once again. David then faced the rest of the group and said in a loud voice.


    "I David Thomas the Invincible dere. The top performers of the 2023 July enlistment have been crowned. Liv Ivaldi, Robyn Lithgow, Aki Miroku, Josephine Benelli and Jasmine Denel are the top five reapers. 5000, 3500, 2500 will be given to the top three while fourth and fifth will get 2000 souls each.


    "The top three will also gain the right to choose an A ranked soulgear from the North American Treasury. Meanwhile Isabe Taurus, Amari Soldat, Mia ir who are in 6th to 8th ce will be given 1500 souls each."


    He then turned back to me as his words continued.


    "John Smith who was supposed to be ranked first will have his rewards stripped and demoted to Rank 99. He will be given no rewards due to the elimination of 26 reapers. However, as he acted in self-preservation and not malice, he will not be charged with murder but will pay a fine of a thousand souls for each reaper.


    "The fine would be payable in a year. After he pays the fine no one may bring up this incident again. head organizer Lilly, ry my words to rest of the battlefront as well as the other continents. Contesting my decision will be equivalent to opposing my rule."


    Lilly stood up answered with a salute to her father. "Sir!"


    David then gave me a silent nod and got back to his seat. Lilly then gestured for everyone to leave the office. Somehow, I could sense mncholy from the girls. I wonder why? Was it because of what I said?


    I followed them outside and walked with them towards a separate white room. The room was filled with soldiers with guns and people inb coats.


    Lilly made a bright smile as she led us to what looked like small footstools. They looked likeplex tforms that glowed in bright lights and had wires all over. The princess of North America then turned to face us as she exined.


    "Everyone, it is already 7:00 am CST, meaning the night is over, as the enlistment is a special event. Hellsgate would remain closed for the next two days to allow the reapers to readjust back to their own time zones. Once you get on these teleporters you will be sent back to your ces of residence back on earth with all evidence of your death erased."


    She then took a couple of boxes and gave them to each of us.


    "These are thetest reaper handsets that are connected to GRAVEYARD. Any news and updates about the Hellsgate or the reapers can be essed there. This is the gift of the North American battlefront for your excellent performance. You can im your other rewards from your respective safe zones when you return."


    Lilly then made a sharp salute as she expressed her praise.


    "Wee to the 2023 Reaper army! May your fates end the darkness! SALUTE!"


    At hermand the crisp sound of an innumerable people saluting in one movement resounded. Seeing the respect in the eyes of everyone around made my chest swell up with pride.


    "May you fates end the darkness huh?" I pondered the weight of this single sentence.


    Amari and Mia got on the teleporters first, both of them looked my way as they said their goodbyes.


    "You are the most insane lunatic I ever met John Smith; I look forward to your future endeavors. Until we meet again."


    "Thank you for saving me and Amari John. Anyone who can fight and curse a Revenant deserves my respect. Also remember to say sorry to your girls after this, okay?"


    Before I could reply, both of them vanished with a beam of intense light. They probably returned to their homes at that moment.


    The girls didn''t immediately get on the teleporters and crowded around me.


    "Honey, do not take anyone else''s {fate} aside from ours understood? If you get one that is notpatible you will lose everything you have. We wille back soon so sit tight till then," Be said with a stern face.


    "Come back?"


    Josephine exined with an energetic voice. "We all agreed to transfer to the North American battlefront darling. The process would take a couple of days. But after that we can be together all the time!"


    "Husband, stay healthy. See you in a week," Jasmine said curtly.


    "See youter wombat," Robyn bid farewell in passing.


    "Smith-san thank you for your hard work. Until we meet again," Aki stated with a bow.


    "I won''t give up John." Liv dered with fire in her eyes.


    "Uh..Okay? Take care. I will miss you all."


    After that we all got on the contraptions and returned to earth.

 Chapter 37: I am back.

    When I opened my eyes, I saw an extremely familiar ceiling. The stains seemed to wee me as I looked around. It was an extremely small room that had a bed and a desk. Myptop and my phone were on the said desk.


    Funny how after an entire night of nothing but fighting, blood and pain this room now felt like a paradise. The peace I once took for granted now felt extremely precious. Brilliant rays from the sun entered the room through the small window. Themon sounds of a busy street told me that I was back home.


    "I am back," I whispered.


    There was nothing that looked different from my lifest week. And if I forgot about all I experienced the world of reapers just seemed like a bad nightmare. Yet the moment I got off the bed a box I wasn''t familiar with was present. Aside from the box beingpletely ck it didn''t have any markings.


    I tried fiddling with it and studied how to open the thing. A side panel suddenly slid out and inside was a sleek ck smartphone along with a note.


    "Let''s see here. Greetings Reaper! Congrattions for sessfully joining the army. This phone is a small gift that would allow you to stay connected to the rest of Hellsgate. It has a graveweb connection to the reaper Inte known as G.R.A.V.E.Y.A.R.D. Please check out the FAQ to learn more."


    This phone was the only thing that made me certain that I wasn''t going crazy. That I didn''t just imagine what I experienced. The people I met as well as everything I did were all real. Consequently I began remembering all the screams and faces of the ones that died and the ones I murdered.


    ''NOOOOO! SAVE ME! SAVE ME PLEASE! DON''T ABANDON ME!''


    ''Please spare us, oh great one! We didn''t know you were here!''


    ''THEY WILL COME AND GET YOU TOO BOY! YOUR TIME WILL ALSO COME!''


    ''Please don''t kill me! I won''t bother you anymore! Just let me get away! I don''t want any trouble!''


    ''I want to go home! Mommy! Waaaaah!''


    Immediately my breathing becamebored, while my head went hazy from nausea. The voices of the dead kept echoing in my mind. Their terror, their anger and most of all their pain. Was this what it meant to hold the souls of people? Unknowingly I began to hyperventte as my heart tightened like someone crushed it in their palm.


    Like a ragged doll I fell to the floor unable to breathe. Feeling weak all over I was in agony and my mind was drowning in hysteria. Just like when I died, my body felt cold as ice. Even with my eyes open I could not see. I could not even hear myself think as the thousands of voices all continued wailing inside my mind.


    ''Am I going to go just like this? After everything I have aplished?'' I wondered.


    In Hellsgate I fought zombies, took down bosses even traded blows with David Thomas, yet here I was nothing more than a nobody¡­


    "BULLSHIT! I REFUSE TO DIE," I finally grunted out.


    Mustering every bit of my will I struggled to stand up, I tightened every muscle and forced the nausea and weakness down. I was John Smith. I was a reaper. Someone who would be the strongest Revenant. This was who I am. I would not allow myself to die from depression nor fear.


    If I was to die, I would die in battle!


    "ARRRGGGHHHHH!!!"


    With a ferocious roar like a crazed beast, I regained control of my body. Pulses of energy came from my soul gem warmed my body as I struggled to stand. Sweat drenched my clothes from over exertion. Unsure if it was due to my determination of the pulses of energy, the throes of the departed disappeared. It was like by embracing death, it no longer had any hold of me.


    "Huff. Huff. I need a break. Hopefully no one heard me."


    I got up and took a change of clothes and went to the shared bathroom for the tenants of my building. Luckily, I didn''t encounter anyone on the way as it was still in the early morning and the start of the weekend. I took a quick shower, made a cup of coffee, came back to my room and grabbed the reaper phone.


    It looked simr to the modern smart phones sold today. I pressed the power button to the side and turned it on. A wee screen opened up and lit up the phone in a green shaded interface. It looked ssy and futuristic.


    [Wee to the G.R.A.V.E.Y.A.R.D]


    [Please ce your finger on the sensor for Biometric and soul scanning]


    Well, I guess that is expected. I ced my finger on the fingerprint scanner that light up on the front of the screen.


    [Scanning¡­]


    [Scanningplete. Please Register a Username]


    Username? So it really behaved like a typical phone or social media. Guess even reapers cannot ignore the benefits of technology. I then typed my name to register.


    [Username John Smith has already been taken, please select another.]


    Well, couldn''t say I didn''t expect it, after a few moments I tried numerous versions of my name, and everything was rejected. I refused to add numbers at the end of my username like a retard, so I didn''t have many to choose from.


    "Ohe on! How many John Smiths became reapers?! Why is everything already taken?!" Iined in frustration.


    [Using a title is also eptable, i.e. Marauder Shields, Dr Whoa, T9000, TheOne, Ballsdeep69¡­]


    "Eh? Title eh? Like Invincible, Virtuous or Untamed?"


    How pathetic was I that the phone gave me a hint due to not being able toe up with a alias. I then began to ponder. What did I wanted to be known by? I was John Smith, a Formless wraith, who used guns.


    ''Bullet? Bullet Lord? Bullet Hell? John Bullet? John Gun? Gun Smith?


    John Formless? Formless Smith? Formless Bullet?''


    This was one of the hardest things for me whenever I yed any game, figuring out a name to use. As my mind raced across stupid possibilities, I eventually thought back to the promise I made to myself when I died.


    ''If I did get the chance to live again, I would live differently. I was done with following the rules of others. I would go beyond my limits!''


    "Thats it!"


    Excitedly I entered the alias that carried my ideals for my life as a reaper.


    [Username has been epted.]


    [Good morning, Limitless]


    Limitless, otherwise meaning to be devoid of any limits. It tied well to being Formless. As in a way having a form actually defines one''s limit. This was the principle I wanted to govern my second life.


    I looked at the screen and saw a number of apps that showed different icons. Just from the name you could already understand what their intent was. There were eight of them which gave me a general idea of how much the reapers interacted with one another.


    [- News


    - Forums


    - Goods and Services


    - Recruitment


    - Continental


    - Love and War


    - FAQ


    - Contact US]


    As I wanted to read more I clicked on [News]. A new row of options came out. The options made the Graveyard look like amon social media news feed.


    [News


    - Front line


    - Revenants


    - System Announcements


    - IRIS Announcements]


    I again checked the first one.


    [News - Front line


    - WIPE OUT! The ranking Assault group Sacred Saber reportedly missing on floor 52!


    - UPDATE! Mapping of floor 52 now at 78%, rumors of the final assault begin to make rounds!


    - EPIC FAIL! Sponsoredbat units by Google, Facebook and Te annihted during Enlistment!


    - FLOOR BREAK! A rogue undead army assaulted Floor 1 of the NA battlefront! Invincible dominates the scene!


    ]


    "¡­ The news had the same provocative click bait titles from the inte. Thest one seemed familiar. Now that I think about it are the sponsored units referring to the Alphabet, Meta and Te dudes?"


    Jasmine and Josephine said something about their continent being stuck on a specific floor. It seems that the very front was at floor 49.


    "Not that it matters to me at the moment. In the future however, I will be at the very front."


    I then checked the other apps and verified their contents. [Forums] was literally forums with reapers discussing shit like reddit. [Good and services] was the marketce where you buy or sell. [Recruitment] was for applying to various jobs or looking for work. [Continental] was for matters rted to other battlefronts.


    What freaked me out was [Love and War], the app had two main functions, a reaper dating app like Tinder. And a fighting app like Rumblr. The former encourages reapers to meet up to date and procreate. Thetter encourages people to engage in sanctioned reaper duels with souls on the line.


    [FAQ] was like a Wikipedia of reaper content, including organizations and an undead bestiary. [Contact us] was for reaching out to the developers of Graveyard.


    "Holy shit, this was really like an underground society. Just from the number of users, posts and info it looked like reapers have been around for a very long time. One of the forum posts dated before world war I. How did the forums even exist then?"


    Reapers seemed to mingle with each other like amunity. The only thing different with those of normal people was that every night. Everyone with this phone would go into hell unsure if they would ever see the next sunrise.


    I then remember Be''s words from before.


    ''Think of it this way. The Reapers only have one goal: closing Hellsgate. The fact that Hellsgate remains open today means every reaper since time memorial has either died or is still out there fighting. If this were a game, it would mean no one has ever cleared this game. Not even once.''


    Despite exchanging goods and services, listing the information for everyone to see, even going so far as to keep everyone updated, they all still failed. This could have been going on for hundreds or even thousands of years. With each day that passes some reapers would never be able to wake up.


    Yet they fought on, no one would ever acknowledge their sacrifices. No one knew they even existed, yet they all fought on, until when they could fight no more. I took a moment to thank the silent warriors who have lived and died in Hellsgate defense. No matter how pathetic their results, they deserved that much.


    Just then I heard a doorbell ring. It meant the visitor to the apartmentplex was for me.


    "Who woulde here so early in the morning?"

 Chapter 38: You are annoying, go away.

    Normally I would not have thought much about a visitor in the early morning, maybe just that it would have been weird to get one. However, with the ck reaper phone in my hand I already knew my life would never be the same.


    I tried looking around for the 1911. As my partner throughout the entire night, it supported me through everything. I didn''t have a holster, so I had it within arm''s reach all the while. Now that I didn''t, I felt naked and vulnerable.


    "Shit, not good. I need to find a weapon."


    The doorbell kept ringing as I took a few seconds to check my {fates} and souls. I still had all seven {fates} so if managed to follow what Be instructed, I should be able to refresh them when the girls and I are reunited next week.


    ''Funny, just thinking of their faces gave me a sense of loneliness. We knew each other for less than a day. Yet I already consider them closer than anyone else on earth. I wonder, did they also miss me?''


    After a few moments pass as I continued searching the room.


    ''Nothing. The 1911 really disappeared.''


    I needed weapons and fast. If I had toe back to Hellsgate in two days, not preparing guns would be beyond stupid. As I was already Formless, I had no alternative aside from what I could get my hands on.


    Thinking about my situation I suddenly remembered my father. Frank Smith.


    Mom left when I was six, and after marrying again she forgot I existed. I left the house at age 18, my dad was already 45 then. The man took care of me for 13 years by himself.


    For the entire time after my mother left, whenever he got drunk or lost money from gambling, he would use me as a punching bag. I never spoke to or about him all this time. He died in 2018, three years after being left alone.


    I only found out because I was named as the owner of his so called "legacy". My father from his years as a soldier like guns a lot. And after I left home, I swore off them as they reminded me of him. That and all the effort I wasted trying to get his approval.


    Without even seeing it I already knew what the legacy was. It would surely be the armory he amassed over the years. His guns were the only things he had of value left. I remembered starving each time he bought one, as there wouldn''t be any money left till his next pension check came through.


    Frank Smith wasn''t old, he wasn''t disabled, he was just azy-ass gambling drunk. Sometimes I felt that America spoils people like him. But then again, I had no idea what horrors he faced when he fought in Panama, the gulf war and Iraq. Even one night with the reapers messed me up badly. My father on the other hand fought for seven years before he retired.


    "GET THE DAMN DOORBELL ALREADY! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!" roared a tenant.


    Ah, the angry shout woke me from my reverie. I didn''t have much on me. But if I needed guns and bullets, the legacy my father left me would be enough. At least till I could buy some stuff on my own.


    I quickly opened my door and headed towards the front of the apartmentplex. I checked the peephole and saw someone I never expected.


    "Lilly?" bbergasted I opened the door to check if I was hallucinating.


    With a radiant smile the phantom princess ced her arms behind her back as she spoke.


    "Hey sweetheart. About time you answered. Did seeing me make you joyful?"


    Unable to say anything, it felt unreal. Justst night this woman Heroically carved undead brutes by the dozens. The woman who stood in front of me wore a simple white dress that made me marvel at her beauty.


    Lilly''s long blue hair, white skin and voluptuous body created a surreal image of a goddess who descended on earth. In Hellsgate, due to all the dirt, grime and sweat I don''t remember appreciating any of the girls to this degree.


    But holy shit Lilly was just incredibly beautiful! Maybe because I took too long, she made an even bigger smile as she expressed her satisfaction.


    "Haha, good. I dressed up just for you. If you didn''t have at least that kind of reaction my confidence would have taken a beating."


    "Uh, Hello. Yes, you are incredibly pretty. But why are you here?"


    "Oh? Didn''t I tell you? I am your handler from today onwards."


    I then remembered my first interaction with this majestic woman.


    ''How amusing, Formless yet your courage exceeds that even of a phantom. Are you already aligned with anyone? Who is your handler?''


    ''Thank you, I am not affiliated with anyone, nor do I have a handler.''


    ''Then it is decided, starting today, I will be your handler.''


    ''Excuse me? No! I refuse!''


    Right, she did ask but I refused. Is this because shees from royalty? I remembered from the novels I read of how bratty the spoiled children of the rich and powerfully could be. Is she interested in me because I didn''t prostrate myself to her?


    "Lilly, I told you before. I don''t want you as my handler. Just give up already."


    Was this how girls felt when stalked by creeps in obsessed with them? Somehow, I suddenly understood how difficult it was to bnce being an ass and letting them down gently.


    "You are refusing me? Why? Am I not beautiful? Powerful? Rich? Just what are your unsatisfied with?"


    Initially, she just sounded a little perturbed, but then bloodlust came out of Lilly in buckets as she continued.


    "Or is it because I am the daughter of a Revenant. Are you going to tell me you are scared of offending him or something?"


    Hmm. It seems like Lilly had her own hardships as the child of David Thomas. Many must have intentionally stayed away from her because of fear. I mean if you offend the child of a Revenant. A can of whoop-ass wasn''t the only thing you would need to be worried about. But that wasn''t my point.


    "What the hell are you talking about? No, it has nothing to do with your father. I intend to beat his ass in the future so why would I be scared of him? I just find you annoying. So go away, I''m busy."


    Lilly stunned by disbelief and looked like a doll that got her strings cut. "I¡­ I am annoying?"


    "Yes, you forced yourself here even though I told you I didn''t want a handler. You are annoying, go away."


    The beautiful woman then slumped her shoulders in silence. Why was this woman behaving like this? Was her mentality really like that of a child?


    "Then what If I beat you?" Lilly suddenly proposed.


    "Excuse me?"


    "Father always said, if you wanted something, grab it by the testicles and crush it. I want to be your handler. If I beat you in singlebat, will you let me?" The woman continued in a frightening monotone voice.


    "What are you talking about? No! I won''t!" I vehemently argued.


    "Then it is settled." The lunatic woman in front of me suddenly manifested the same greatsword she sliced 15-foot undead brutes with.


    ''WHAT THE FUCK! I didn''t even have a weapon, and you expect me to fight against a phantom! Untamed my foot, this chick was just insane! Learn to listen to English you bitch!''


    "Openbat. Here Ie sweetheart!" Lilly then vanished and appeared beside me.


    "Wait! Listen to me! EUGHK!"


    Like a hammer, the pommel of her greatsword was driven to my sides. I felt numerous ribs shatter as my abdominal region began to hurt like hell.


    ''This woman is fucking serious! I need to resist, or I will die!'' I inwardly panicked.


    "{Regen}, {Suffer}, {Withstand}, {Endure}, {Perceive}, {Listen}, {Expose}, {Carry}, {Hike}," I chanted in desperation.


    "No matter how many {fates} you have, in the face of absolute power they are meaningless," Lily scolded.


    Lilly did abo of kicks and bodyblows against me. Using {Carry} and {Hike} granted me with increased agility. While {Listen} and {Perceive} I somehow evaded in time for some of them.


    Lastly, {Withstand}, {Endure} and {Regen} allowed me to survive the rest of her assault. I threw some punches and kicks, but none connected. Trying to stay calm I analyzed Lilly''s actions.


    ''{Expose} is marking her sword as her weak point. Why? How does that make any sense?''


    "I read from a report that you didn''t know any martial arts and only had experience with firearms. You really are full of surprises. How about this then? Water serpent!" Lilly shouted.


    Just then water in the form of long and beautiful snakes came out of her hand. The water constructs looked incredible detailed and behaved like they were real, but they seemed hollow to me.


    I had noticed it since earlier. None of Lilly''s attacks had soul in them. The difference between saying Rewind and {Rewind} was that thetter had soul.


    I somehow felt souls stirring in the air every time any reaper ability was invoked. Yet no matter how powerful her techniques seemed; I didn''t feel any from Lilly.


    As I knew that even a punch from David Thomas couldn''t kill me, I rushed the water snakes and tried to fight them off. My fists naturally passed through the constructs and only got my arms wet. However, I managed to confirm the doubt I had all this time.


    Lilly''s interest in me, her sword being marked as her weakness, attacks that had no soul in them. Her father''s words about her tricks. Why she used her kicks more than her sword, it all clicked.


    The water snakes then mmed into my body like sledgehammers and turned my skin ck and blue. I already endured worse, so this level of pain was already child''s y for me.


    "{Withstand} cancel. {Endure} cancel."


    Regaining my full movement, I judged that Lilly was significantly weaker than her old man. David''s simple punches had enough soul that {Regen} was rendered useless.


    ''She cannot kill me even if she wanted to,'' I concluded.


    I traded a few more blows with her greatsword as she carved me up like a turkey on thanksgiving. After getting my clothes ripped to shreds, my heart felt hot, and I finally counterattacked.


    "{Counter}!"


    Surprised that I aimed at her weapon instead of her body Lilly reacted a second toote. Upon my strike, her weapon''s de snapped in half, leaving her dumbfounded.


    "Princess, you are Formless, aren''t you?"

 Chapter 39: From today on your mine

    "What?!"


    The confusion and panic of the blue haired phantom in front of me was palpable.


    Isabe told me there were not even records of any Formless bing a phantom. Meaning the thousands of Formless reapers over the course of history were forever stuck as wraiths.


    Yet the woman in front of me defied all that. Given how her father referred to how she fought as parlor tricks then he must have known that she was Formless.


    Immediately upon my discovery I felt a sense of kinship with her. Unable to stop myself words of praise spilled out like a flood.


    "I am in awe of everything you have aplished Lilly. Just how much did you struggle to hide such a truth under the eyes of everyone. On the other hand, if they do know, just how much effort did it take you to get them to ept. Either case I find you amazing!"


    "What?!" Lilly again repeated like a parrot.


    Despite the words being the same the emotion behind both of her what''s could not be any more different. If the initially her blood lust seeped out, now only joy remained.


    It seemed that even a princess wasn''t immune to praise. Ignoring her I moved to pick up the pieces of her sword and came closer to her.


    "I am sorry about the sword, just give me time and I will reimburse you. I still am currently 26,000 souls in debt."


    Perhaps still unable to process her feelings, Lilly remained stoic and epted the pieces without so much as a word. Funny how despite her being crazy, my heart felt partial towards her. Maybe it was because we were both Formless?


    A small voice left her lips as she pleaded. "Please don''t tell anyone... That I am Formless."


    Her request confirmed the one of the scenarios I had in mind. This woman fought her way to be a phantom while hiding her true self. Seeing how our group never hid and even boasted about being Formless she must have felt it unfair.


    Well, I couldn''t even imagine what a princess like her would endure on a day to day. Not that it had anything to do with me though. I still needed to get my father''s legacy as soon as possible.


    The moreplex the firearm the more maintenance was required in order for it to remain functional. And I ignored the weapons for far to long.


    "Understood. I will keep it a secret. It was nice meeting you, goodbye."


    As I walked away the woman quickly grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.


    "Wait! That''s it?! You do not wish to ckmail me into fulfilling your carnal desires? No attempts to use my influence or resources? Am I really that worthless in your eyes?"


    What the fuck was this woman going on about now? She may have been impressive, but Lilly Browning was hands down the most annoying of the woman I ever met.


    "What are you talking about? it''s like you want me to take advantage of you or something!" I chastised in annoyance.


    Lilly then acted like a child caught doing something mischievous.


    "Ah, no, that''s not it. This is my big secret you know. I learned from po... Ehem! research materials that men are scoundrels who would take advantage of everything to get into a woman''s panties. I lived in fear of my secret getting out every day and here you are acting like its beneath your notice."


    She was just about to say porn, wasn''t she? so this woman due to not having friends used porn of all things to learn shit?


    ''David, David. You''re a failure as a father you ass.'' I inwardlyined.


    I found her simr to Be. The best way to mess with an innocent person was to either fulfill their fantasies or break them. Since she expected a scoundrel then let''s give her one.


    As the woman continued to fidget in ce, I walked towards her and took a lock of her hair and took a whiff like an obsessed creep. My actions were effective as Lilly began blushing heavily like she was drunk.


    "Then, from today on, you''re mine. If you do not do what I say or go against, my words I will not only expose you, but I will make sure everyone knows that you indulge in porn like a slut."


    "Wha..What do I need to do to buy your silence then," Lilly asked in trepidation.


    "That is for me to know. Your body, your money or your life I get to decide. Understood?"


    "Yes..."


    I believe my act became too effective, as the woman''s breathing becamebored as she began to rub her legs. What the fuck! This woman was a massive pervert! She was acting right? To get back at me? She must be.


    As I no longer wished to humor her, I turned around and began heading to the Metro station or Arizona''s train system. My family originally lived in Phoenix, and I went to Tempe after I left my father.


    "Ah wait! Sweetheart! Don''t leave!" cried the pervert.


    As I turned around I found myself yet again making an annoyed face. "What do you want Lilly?"


    "Why are you so hostile against me... Can''t you be a little nicer?"


    "If you keep wasting my time like this I am leaving. You have 60 seconds."


    Seeing the beauty panic at my words seemed to have awoken my sadistic tendencies. Unused to having such influence over people I felt powerful.


    "Ah! I no longer wish to be your handler. Just let me support you! Info, soulgears, I will even join you inbat. You should understand why as you know my secret now. I have ess to a lot more confidential information than the average phantom."


    "Why are you so intent on helping me. I have a beef with your dad, and I even broke your sword. Why go through all this when plenty would want someone like you? Why me?"


    I was not the first Formless nor would I be thest. For what purpose was she so obsessed with me? I was not someone who looked highly on myself. I talked a big game, but I didn''t even know if bing a Revenant was even possible. I just lived moment to moment not wanting to regret anything.


    "Because I wish to aim higher," Lilly replied with fire in her eyes.


    "What do you mean? What does that have to do with me?"


    "I have stagnated at the Phantom rank for years. No matter what I did I could not go any higher. I felt it as I watched you during the enlistment, and when you fought my father. Maybe you will lead me to where I am supposed be."


    "Then you believe that I will be a Revenant?" I asked in curiosity.


    "Yes. I do. I have, even before my father acknowledged you. So please allow me to follow you, John Smith. Please let me stay by your side. I won''t be a burden I promise.


    And when the timees, show me the way."


    "You are aware how insane you sound right? I have yet to even be a phantom. And you want me to show you how to be a specter and a Revenant?" I questioned her fiercely.


    "I am, if I told you my {fate} led me to you, would you believe me? I was the one who gave you the 1911 by the way. Doesn''t that show you my sincerity?"


    Lilly then pulled out the ck 1911 that was my partner during the enlistment. So what she said was true. But why did she leave a gun? Did she perhaps know I would be Formless? Did she know of my background before I died? It made no sense.


    The questions about this entire thing made my head hurt. Still, for some reason just like the other girls, in my heart I felt this woman would never betray me. As naive as it sounded I was sure of it.


    In defeat all I could do was just let Lilly do what she wanted. "Fine, then do as you wish. I lose nothing anyway."


    Like a teenager who just received her Christmas present, Lilly made a brilliant smile as she hugged me and screamed.


    "THANK YOU SWEETHEART! You will not regret this! A year from now you will beg me to help you."


    "Okay, I get it. Can you get off me? I need to go somewhere."


    "Oh? This would be our first date! How wonderful!" she teased with a seductive smile.


    She would be at home with Jo and Robyn. But unlike those the blonde ball of energy and thebat Joey that never stopped cursing, Lilly was elegant and graceful despite her overflowing emotions.


    And so Lilly tagged along with my dullmute to Phoenix. As hard as I wanted to deny it, having a beauty around you would lift anyone''s spirits. Lilly''s presence was like a ethereal fairy that felt out of ce in the arid scenery of Arizona.


    Throughout the journey she appeared like a country bumpkin who just came out to the big city!


    "Sweetheart, look! look! What is that?!"


    Her cheerful voice and beautiful face drew a lot of attention. A couple of guys even tried to approach her only to be shot down without mercy.


    "You are tainting my memories with your disgraceful faces. Can you please find a ditch and bury yourself in it?"


    Of course anyone who tried to get physical got curb stomped like cockroaches. Lilly fought with a unique style of American kick boxing. And even while in a dress she moved both gracefully like a swan and savage like wolf.


    After about an hour we finally arrived in Phoenix and headed to the warehouse district where my father''s legacy was kept. Lilly got extremely passionate and used me to deter the guys who approached her.


    With our arms interlocked we looked like a newly wedded couple going out on a stroll. She was a bit taller than me, but I didn''t mind such things. And It wasn''t like she was my lover anyway.


    A good thing that came out of herpany was the amount of information I got about the world of the reapers. After hearing what she had to say, I felt like an idiot for my simplistic thoughts. I needed to do better as soon as possible. If I wanted to survive my new life that is.

 Chapter 40: I AM FUCKING RICH

    "Sweetheart buy me a sundae."


    The beauty on my arm asked in a spoiled manner. Her abundant chest currently pressed their mass on my arm. Lilly has been seducing me even more aggressively than Be did. Her eyes however betrayed her true intentions. Every so often she would make an aloof expression and make a faint egotistical smile.


    It was like she wanted to see how long I could resist her allure and the bitch watched with glee as I struggle to resist. If I didn''t know any better, it was like she treated it like a game. Well, since that was how she saw it, there was no reason why I can''t y too.


    "I don''t want to."


    "Huh? But why? Your woman is feeling hot, buy her a treat if you please."


    "I can''t I haven''t gotten my paycheck yet. I am currently poor as fuck."


    Just then Lilly, made a dumbfounded expression beforeughing elegantly.


    "Sweetheart, if you are going to make excuses use something believable. A reaper being poor is just too unrealistic."


    "What? But its true! I''m an auditor for the Arizona department of transportation. I only make $35,000 a year! I have like twenty dors on me right now!"


    Lilly then made a sweet smile before she let go of my arm and moved in front of me.


    "Sweetheart, I believe no one told you that souls can be sold right? Each soul is worth $20 dors."


    ''A soul was worth $20 dors? Hold up! If a zombie gives 10 souls, then a zombie is worth $200? I killed hundreds of them in one night. Wait! how many souls do I have right now?''


    I then used {Code} to check, and the implications blew my mind.


    ___


    Souls Avable : 7,852


    ___


    And this amount wasn''t the only souls I earned. I used {Rewind} over ten times, evolved to level 3 on top of heavy use of the girl''s {fates}. Repeatedly one after another.


    ''You mean to tell me I was burning money all this time? Each {Rewind} costs 100 souls, then I have been using $2000 per rewind? Holy hell! Just how much did I earn in a single night? Wait? Doesn''t that mean I have over $150,000 now?'' My thoughts remained scattered as it raced.


    "Holy fucking shit¡­ are you fucking serious right now?"


    "Yes sweetheart, money is hardly an issue in the world of reapers, not having even money for a sundae is impossible," Lily confirmed.


    Just from my ten {Rewinds} that meant I had made over $20,000. If you add my level ups and the number of {fates} I activated; the number would easily go over 15,000 souls¡­ I made $300,000 ¡ª in a single night?


    As she probably enjoyed watching my internal breakdown Lilly then made a devious smile as she asked.


    "Feel like buying me a sundae now? Mr. big bucks?"


    ''I made $300,000 in one night... I made $300,000 in one night... I made $300,000 in one night...''


    The sentence kept repeating in my head nonstop as I bought Lilly a sundae cone. We took our seats on a bench in front of MacAlpines.


    "Thank you sweetheart."


    I couldn''t even appreciate her gratitude as my mind continued to think. If I went to Hellsgate every night and earn the same amount, then in a month I could make $9,000,000 right? And above all it was tax-free! What the hell could I do with that kind of money?


    "Lilly, one question."


    "Use the smartphone I gave you. [Goods and Services], [Graveyard services], [Souls], [Sell souls], then drag the slider. Go on I will wait."


    Unable to stop myself, I eagerly took out the reaper phone and followed Lilly''s instructions. When the moment to drag the slider came, I hesitated. Each level 1 {fate} except {Code} needed 50 souls per activation, each level 2 needed 100, while each level 3 250.


    {Withstand} and {Endure} were even more expensive as each blow I took used up at much as 5 and 10 souls respectively in rtion to the force negated.


    That meant if I want to activate my entire pool of level 1s and 2s I would need over 900 souls per engagement. And that was without {Rewind} nor its branch of skills yet. I was basically using up money as fast as I earned it. Who ever heard of spending over $18,000 dors for a single fight!


    "Doesn''t that mean I just need to kill more zombies? If I have more souls then I can use whatever I need and just convert the rest," I rebuked.


    ''For now, a few thousand should be fine. Let tomorrow take care of itself.''


    I dragged the slider to the halfway point at 4000 souls and pressed sell. My cheap ass phone then vibrated as it received a message. My hands trembled in excitement as I fidgeted with the device. My smile grew wider when I saw who the message was from. It was from my bank.


    [Dear Mr. Smith. $80,000 has been credited to your ount ending in 457¡­]


    "It''s real." I murmured.


    "Yes, sweetheart it is real. Congrattions you are no longer part of the low-ie ss." Lilly teased in a loving voice.


    Unable to keep my feelings in check I tightly embraced the phantom beside me as I roared.


    "IT''S REAL!!!!!!!"


    Surprised at my sudden skinship Lilly froze like a deer caught in a pair of headlights. Despite her dull reactions, my emotions overflowed, and happiness gushed out of me like a tsunami.


    I let go of the woman and instead jumped around with both arms raised to the sky and bellowed at the top of my voice.


    "I''M FUCKING RICH!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOHHOOOOOOOOOO!"


    The people around me gave me chastising looks of annoyance, jealousy and disbelief. Lilly who remained by my side still had an elegant smile on her face as she continued eating her sundae. It seemed my intense reaction pleased her. But who cared about her I WAS FUCKING RICH!!


    All my life, I have been poor. Despite doing my best I hardly had enough money to spare. I couldn''t afford a house, a car or even a gaming pc. I already abandoned the thought of having kids, and even retiring with money it just seemed impossible. But now?


    I possessed the potential to make over $100,000,000 dors in a year! Hell! That beat evenrge businesses. My ambition and dreams began to fill me up with positive aspirations.


    ''I could buy a car, a house, start a family! I could even afford to buy a yacht or a ne and travel around the world! Eating the most expensive food, the best clothes andtest gadgets would be cheap as fuck!


    ''Marrying a beautiful wife is now on the table! And I could spoil her and our kids rotten.! Wait! Why do I even need to settle for just one? I could just get a supermodel or movie actress every night If I wanted!''


    My delusions of grandeur started to spiral out of control at the thought of the money I could earn. If anyone could kill zombies for such an amount, wouldn''t everyone be charging for Hellsgate? But then Be''s words awoke me from my reverie.


    ''Look honey, bing a reaper isn''t all sunshine and rainbows. You get to live temporarily at a cost. While we do get to return to earth every day, we are also forced to return here every night to fight. As long as Hellsgate remains open, reapers will never truly be free.''


    At her words I then remembered the number of times I almost died and the insane amount of pain I had to endure. All so I could return back to earth, the realization made my excitement vanished.


    Like I was sshed with a bucket of ice-cold water, my emotions rapidly started to cool down and the rity of my mind returned.


    ''Think of it this way. The Reapers only have one goal: closing Hellsgate. The fact that Hellsgate remains open today means every reaper since time memorial has either died or is still out there fighting. If this were a game, it would mean no one has ever cleared this game. Not even once.''


    There was no way out. Every night had only two oues, to die to the undead, or live and dive again the following night. What the hell would the point of having so much money be then?


    If I had a family and I died in Hellsgate, wouldn''t that just scar them for life? A nice car, a fancy house, an eight-digit bank ount, what purpose would it all serve if I died the very next night?


    My arms dropped to my sides like heavy shackles. The high I had earlier made the low I was experiencing even the more bitter. Why? Just why did I have to remember Be''s words? Couldn''t I have remained stupid just for a little while longer? It was one of the happiest moments of my life.


    And now it was gone.


    "Fuck this shit."


    A gentle voice from the beauty which I forgot was with me entered my ears.


    "Amazing! It did not even take you five minutes to understand the situation. I am impressed John."


    "Could you please not rub it in. I feel like crap right now," I confessed.


    "I give credit to where credit is due. A reaper blinded by money has no chance of surviving for longer than a month."


    "Is that a fact?"


    Lilly wiped her lips with a napkin as she stood up. "Why yes. Reapers who be too greedy take on more than they could handle, whether because of avarice, honor, status or recognition. Plenty die for the most foolish of reasons."


    Before I could even ask further Lilly continued.


    "Such a reaper would be prime pickings for Trinity. Even if IRIS tried its best, it is impossible to protect all the reapers. The number of those who died to assassination and greed outnumber those that passed due to defense and assaultsbined."


    "Trinity? IRIS? You lost me."


    Lilly then made a sad smile full of mncholy as she looked towards the distance.


    "Let me tell you more about the world you entered sweetheart. And why even after thousands of years no reaper has yet to seed in our task."

 Chapter 41: I... I am not in it.

    IRIS, I heard that word often from Be. It always was concerning some report. But what was it really?


    "Tell me John when do you think did the first reaper exist?"


    "What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.


    "Exactly that, when did the first Reaper begin fighting in Hellsgate? You will get it wrong but just take a guess."


    Remembering Be''sment about Rnd Winchester I smugly replied feeling like a know-it-all.


    "The Roman period. Before the birth of Jesus."


    "Good guess but no, it was even earlier. Try again," Lilly replied.


    "What? Then the stone age?"


    "Incorrect, earlier."


    "What could be even earlier than the stone age? Thats when the dinosaurs existed."


    "Indeed, and I am telling you it''s even earlier."


    "You are shitting me, right? How is that even possible? Even if it was, how could you even prove it."


    "Correct, how would one prove it when man didn''t even know how to write. But you know of stories that are passed further even without such tools, don''t you?"


    She should have meant word of mouth. People did share tales before being able to write them, but I didn''t understand how that fact applied in this case. If reapers did exist before the stone age, what proof did we have?


    Perhaps amused by my expressions. Lilly poked my nose with her index finger as she exined.


    "How adorable. You already know of the proof of times earlier than the stone age John. You just haven''t connected the dots yet."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Benben, Antis, Elysium, Asgard, Nirvana, Jade Mountain, Shangri, the garden of Eden, Avalon, the Four Treasures of the Tuatha D¨¦ Danann, El Dorado, Hawaiki, St Bridge, Takama-ga-hara I could go on, but you get the idea."


    What? From the words Lily recited a few sounded familiar. Antis the city underwater. Asgard, Norse mythology''s version of heaven. Nirvana, the Buddhist final destination everyone wanted to reach. Jade mountain, where the Chinese believe the immortals dwell.


    Avalon, King Arthur''sst bastion. The garden of Eden were Adam and Eve ate the fruit.


    Mixed in them were works of fiction, myth and religion. ording to the tales that surrounded these stories some of them should have happened before the stone age but what of it? What has any of this have to do with reapers?


    "You don''t seem convinced. John, if today''s people saw how I controlled water with my {fate} what do you think they would call me?"


    "Ugh, a superhero? A mutant? Or maybe a weird science experiment," I replied honestly.


    People associated things they didn''t understand with what they knew. Today''s world had a number of stories that spoke of beings that surpassed humans as works of fiction. Superheroes to be precise.


    "And if it was during the time before the stone age?"


    ''But if it was in the time of the stone age. Being able to call down water from air like Lilly does would be seen as a¡­ No fucking way¡­''


    "Yes, I would have been seen as a god," Lilly nonchntly dered.


    "Are you telling me that Thor, King Arthur and Sun Wukong were all reapers?" I asked in disbelief.


    "I don''t know about them specifically, but I do know that if they did exist from that long ago, they should have been reapers. You already know how they would have gained their abilities."


    "{Fates}."


    "Correct. Now pull up your phone and take picture of me."


    "Now? Why? What for?"


    "Just do it, and you''ll understand why," Lilly pushed urgently.


    Following her orders, I took my cheap ass phone, opened the camera app and took a picture of gorgeous woman in front of me.


    "Now what?"


    The woman then suggested. "Look at the picture."


    When I checked the picture, I felt a chill creep up my spine. What the fuck was going on? The background was there but Lilly wasn''t. Was she invisible or something? Before I could ask, I got disoriented by a sh and a camera shuttering sound.


    The phantom with blue hair approached then showed me the picture she took as she spoke.


    "This is my picture of you."


    "I¡­I am not in it," I answered in a trembling voice.


    "Yes, reapers cannot be seen in both mirrors and pictures. Tell me what other being is said to be the same?"


    The answer was obvious, it would be vampires. Was she telling me vampires actually existed as reapers that somehow turned to myth? Maybe it was just all a big coincidence, but before I could say anything mypanion continued.


    "Then what about if you saw Mia ir and Amari Soldat transform?"


    Anyone who saw Mia would automatically believe werewolves were real. Amari would be considered Kingkong in real life. Wait¡­ you have got to be shitting me¡­


    "Correct John Smith. Every single ghostly apparition or creatures considered make believe from bigfoot to the Lochness monster were either reapers or demons. The heroes in every religion and myth were reapers with either their manifested {fates} or soulgear. Now tell me, what have you noticed prevalent in every single religion and myth?"


    That was easy, every religion and myth had an end of the world and lots of wars and death. Reapers would¡­


    ''Reapers have a universal skill we all share. We gain souls in the presence of death. Anything that dies around you grants souls. The only question is how much.''


    "You can''t be serious. This is just insane," I murmured in anger.


    "What if I told you that every religion and legend you know of was the story of a group of reapers who existed once upon a time. You should know that our task has a time limit, right? Apocalypse, Ragnar?k, Armageddon call it what you will. But the world already ended numerous times. Didn''t the dinosaurs prove that? The bible even tells you how the world ended in its version."


    "But. If it did who would be able to record and keep that knowledge." I insisted in denial. This shit was too wild for me.


    "That is what IRIS is. They are called the eternal watchers. A group of reapers whose sole purpose is to pass on knowledge from the past."


    I gulped in terror at what I learned; this was too frightening. If what Lilly said was true, then every single god from every conceivable religion was just a reaper who became stupidly powerful. Yet the reason why they all faded into myth was not because they weren''t real but because they all died to Hellsgate.


    Gilgamesh, Shiva, Sigfried, Rama, Set, Buddha, Susanoo, Lubu even King Arthur! These people were beyond legends from all over the world and were revered for their aplishments and their heroism.


    If they were all reapers, that meant they all failed to aplish the reaper''s main task. And I actually said I would close the damn thing?


    "And it does not stop there, even today, IRIS exists to pass on knowledge and protect the reapers," The phantom borated.


    "From what? If they protected the reapers, then how did the mythological reapers all die?"


    Lilly made an unhappy expression as she answered. "IRIS does not interfere inside Hellsgate, they only interfere on earth. They protect us from Trinity."


    "Trinity?"


    "John, you have yet to ask how we know about the existence of demons," Lilly challenged.


    "Trinity is made up of demons?"


    "Partially correct. This is the shadow war waged in the world of the reapers. IRIS has been fighting Trinity since the first demon got out of hell. Trinity has only one goal, to prevent the reapers from stopping the end of the world. And they have seeded plenty of times, if records are to be believed. You already know of their other name ¡ª the Illuminati."


    "Wow! Really? But why don''t the reapers unite to take out Trinity? Shouldn''t that be an easy feat for the Sovereigns?" I asked in anger.


    "Then why hasn''t the world ended world hunger, very or even poverty?" Lilly rebutted in sarcasm.


    I closed my mouth and felt a bitter feeling swell in my chest. Right, people were selfish, this probably extended to reapers as well. Uniting towards amon goal meant some people needed to push aside their own desires. If even the worlds of humans failed to do it, what more of the world of reapers?


    "Your daily life is influenced by their war more than you can even realize John. Reapers have always taken cared and guarded humans as they are in a way our parents. The only way for a reaper to be born is for a human to die. If there are no longer any humans, reapers will soon follow."


    My daily life was influenced by the battle between IRIS and Trinity? That seemed farfetched. I lived like a normal person prior to dying. How could I even be affected?


    "Are you aware that IRIS was the one who started both WWI and WWII? You can pretty much guess the reasons why. More souls and more reapers. However, while the reaper poption experienced a boom, it soon halted due to the number of humans significantly decreasing. Thus, IRIS shifted tactics, to have the humans train without dying and being able to learn from their mistakes."


    That sounded like the human''s having multiple lives which was impossible, but before I could verbalize my thoughts, Lilly continued.


    "They forced the world to developputer games."


    "W-What?" I stammered in disbelief.


    "IRIS wishing for a way to develop thebat potential of humans created the gaming industry. They normalized the idea of killing undead, trained the humans how to n with limited information, and how to ''y'' around the rules of a specific concept in order to win. Such abilities tranted topetency in Hellsgate."


    This sounded like total bullshit but from the standpoint of a reaper it made a lot of sense. Yet Lilly wasn''t finished.


    "Unfortunately, Trinity got in the way. Instead of allowing for reapers to be trained by the games, they destroyed the gaming industry by moving it away from the simtion and making it lose its purpose.


    "Pay to win, gacha, battle passes you name it. On top of this, games that rxed instead of trained a human were also developed. Even games thatcked any analytical thinking that were just books or sex simtors in a nutshell were added to the mix."


    While I did not understand most of the reaper history, I did understand the world of gaming. That meant the gaming industry was destroyed not by corporate greed but by Trinity. Holy hell, this was some area 51 type shit.


    "I think I need to sit down for this."

 Chapter 42: I just need to kill them all.

    "This is just one example, everything frommerce, religion, politics to war. Have you noticed why no matter where you are in the world, war, terrorism, very, poverty, corruption and strife as a whole never disappear?"


    I was already overwhelmed by what I learned about gaming, yet Lilly continued to exin. People often wondered why evil, and malevolence never left the world. They believed it was because man was inherently evil. Was this woman telling me that is not the case?


    "Reapers in general are measured by only one thing John, their ¡ª {fates}. {Fates} determine who is powerful and who is trash. Granted that they are based on a person''s biggest regret, what circumstances would be the best conditions to cultivate them?"


    That would be negative experiences. I knew the answer, but it got stuck in my throat. Was she telling me that Reapers intentionally made the world a worse ce to create stronger Reapers? That¡­that was just fucking wrong. Why did they sacrifice the present like that! That was fucking evil!


    Not caring at my dismay, the blue-haired phantom continued. "Regret, long have we known that regret was just unfulfilled desire. A sick and weak person would dream of bing strong. A stupid and neglected person would aspire to be wise and adored. By intentionally making the lives of people worse, IRIS fostered greater regret and in turn created stronger {fates}."


    "The Revenants! What the fuck are they doing? Aren''t they supposed to protect their respective domains?"


    Unable to stomach such a sacrifice I fiercely opposed Lilly''s exnation. How many people lost loved ones to wars, poverty and disease. The implications of her words broke down my understanding.


    Was that why the American healthcare system was copsing on itself? Was that why human and child trafficking continued to exist? War, famine, genocide, natural cmities IRIS allowed all that just for their agenda.


    ''All to create a stronger sense of regret. All to create stronger Reapers. This¡­ its fucking too much,'' Imented in sorrow.


    "And how would a person protect an entire continent? Let''s say they seed against the forces outside the country. What about if your own citizens started murdering each other?


    "Where does the intervention start and where does it end? Let''s say you give them better lives. If the person dies without regret, they will never be a Reaper. What then?" Lilly berated me.


    "John, do you know how many people joined your enlistment? It was twenty thousand. That was all the entire world could produce for a month. Each day over 80,000 people die. That is over 2.4 million people in a month.


    "Yet despite our best-efforts July only had 20,000 who epted the terms to join the Reapers. And worse just like with your case, out of that 20,000 only 200 survived the first night."


    200 out of 2.4 million? And there was no guarantee these 200 would evenst longer than a week. David said the majority of the ones that survived hid under the corpses of their enemies. Would such an inclination allow them to live as a Reaper? Wouldn''t we die out at this rate?


    Lilly with mncholic eyes confessed her next points. "We are desperate John; IRIS is proof that no matter how hard the past civilizations struggled, they all failed. Due to IRIS''s efforts this era is the best time. Not only has games and movies spread the concept of fighting the undead. Japan even was able to turn reincarnation as a selling point for its fiction."


    Well, yeah, the number of Isekai, reincarnation, regression and time traveling stories ballooned over the years. These days people were so depressed they would wee getting hit by a truck to go into another life. Wasn''t I the same?


    "Our backs are against the wall John, the Revenants work with IRIS on how to strengthen reapers, but despite their long years of wisdom, this was a fight no amount of strength could win.


    "Every attempt of IRIS was thwarted by Trinity. What use is living a perfect life if your species marches to its demise? We, who die every night to prevent that, are burdened with such knowledge."


    This was insane. Reapers bled and fought for each second to protect the world. Yet they also needed the people to feel miserable in order to replenish their numbers.


    From a human''s point of view, IRIS were anarchists who wanted to end the world. But from a Reaper''s eyes, IRIS desperately fought to ensure the world continued to exist.


    Unable to muster anything in response I stayed silent. The world of reapers spoke of an unwinnable war, both in Hellsgate and earth. From my point of view, they just were dealt bad hands.


    The root problem was that hell would bring about the end of the world. If it could be closed, then there would be no need for such drastic measures.


    "It is very easy to stand on the moral high ground and me the reapers and IRIS for being cruel people. But if someone could only choose between killing a hundred versus a thousand, only those who could make a decision get an opinion. I watched my father wrestle with his conscience many times over such matters."


    Lily''s words made me think about my girls. Jo and Jas were children born and trained to be reapers from their childhoods. Robyn looked around sixteen and died as abat joey. While her experience helped her survive the first night, a child was never meant for war.


    Suddenly, the concept of throwing away the freedoms of children looked like the lesser of two evils. But when I remembered the tears Josephine and Jasmine shed, I was reminded why I wanted to be a Revenant in the first ce.


    If killing zombies was the main reason why you needed Reapers, then I would fight. No matter how many I would fight till I ceased to exist.


    My words were far too foolish. No wonder the girls all found them funny or disrespectful. We were here because of the sacrifices of the previous generations of Reapers. Because they continued to fight the world could develop.


    "Yet it felt like the world turned its back on the Reapers."


    "What?" Lilly asked in befuddlement.


    Naturally the woman could not understand my trail of thought. The reason the world turned to shit was because IRIS needed stronger Reapers. They needed stronger Reapers to kill more undead. Then that made things extremely simple.


    "I just need to kill them all," I dered in a firm voice.


    "John what are you saying?"


    "I will kill enough undead that fewer Reapers are needed. I will kill enough so that IRIS doesn''t even need to make the world a shittier ce. And when I get strong enough. I will close Hellsgate."


    The moment the words left my mouth I felt my soulgem pulse with energy. It felt hot but didn''t grant me any new {fates} nor {kismet}.


    ''What? Are you trying to say you will support me too?''


    I beganughing at the thought that {Rewind} was be like a dog who wanted to cheer me up. It felt weird, the situation Lilly described to me could be said as a reality most would find hopeless.


    But to me it didn''t matter. I never really nned out my life, at first, I just wanted to live without regrets. But after seeing the Formless I wanted to prove that we could be powerful. That I was not trash.


    But this conversation with Lilly showed me one thing. The situation soundedplicated, but it was really simple.


    ''Just kill as much as you can in Hellsgate.''


    By doing so you would get more souls and grow stronger. The stronger you became, the more you could kill.


    Fight until you hit thest floor and kill whatever was there. I originally had some doubts whether bing the strongest Revenant was a selfish goal.


    I believed my desire didn''t serve any no purpose outside of my own needs for validation, a sense of worth and power. But as it turns out the childish hero in me could be satisfied with this.


    If I be the strongest, I would naturally continue to defend and kill as much as I could. If we do not have enough Reapers, then I would pick up the ck. If a standard Reaper needed to kill a hundred, then I would kill a thousand.


    Maybe it was because I was stupid. To me this seemed the most logical choice. By focusing on my goal hopefully IRIS and Trinity would leave the rest of the world alone. It all stemmed on how many I could kill. For now, I needed to focus on that.


    "John, are you alright? I know it''s a lot to take in, but don''t despair, we can still¡­"


    This woman was kind, wasn''t she? Knowing this at my current stage would make everything seem pointless. Luckily, I was too dumb to understand. Cutting off her exnations I wanted the phantom to know that she had the wrong idea.


    "I am fine Lilly; the matters of others do not concern me. As far as I can see it, my role as a Reaper was simple. Kill as much undead as humanly possible. Because I am stupid, I will ignore everything else and focus on that. Watch me, I will take down enough heads that IRIS would need to ease up on the rest of the world. I swear it."


    After hearing my words Lilly didn''t reply immediately. To her, a powerful phantom called Untamed, I probably sounded like an idiot. A wraith making such grandiose ims would be incredibly conceited.


    It spat on the honor of every Reaper and Revenant that died to this day. No matter what her reply would be I knew she was right. I was being an asshole after all.


    Yet against all my expectations, the woman made a loving smile as she locked her arms with mine. "I look forward to it my dear. And as promised I will be right beside you the entire time."


    Ugh, my fighting spirit melted in the front of her affection, I was a guy you know! I would misunderstand!

 Chapter 43: We can do that?

    While there were some incidents along the way, after the heavy discussion we had about IRIS and Trinity, Lilly and I chatted amiably till we got to the warehouse district. When we arrived, we saw the rows and rows of identical warehouse buildings. Each warehouse was about two stories tall and had enough space to put in twenty cars side by side.


    The warehouses were each divided into "apartments units". One could rent as many units as needed and deposit your items for safe keeping. Apparently, dad left them instructions that should he pass, they were to contact us and transfer ownership of the sole unit which he rented.


    Mom and I didn''t even know that he died until after the government agencies notified us. Before I left, dad had all his guns scattered around the house, so I didn''t know when he started using warehouses. Turns out he paid for a ten-year rental in advance after I moved out. I supposedly still had five years before the rental ended.


    Lilly, who seemed curious about everything continued walking by my side, her eyes betrayed her calm demeanor. She asked where we were going numerous times along the way, and I just told her I needed to some stuff.


    As much as I needed a weapon handy, turns out the 1911 was one of the few gifts David gave her, so it had immeasurable sentimental value. So, despite her insistence I could not take it from her.


    I gently unlinked our arms and walked towards the admin office. The people there were bustling, I came to the counter and saw that was no one noticed our arrival. A service bell simr to the ones in hotels was nearby. I gave it a quick press to let the office workers know I was present.


    Lilly who came with me smirked when even after ringing no one paid attention to me. The woman smiled and then reached for the bell.


    "Reapers have dominion over the living dear. Let me show you a cute little trick."


    Doing exactly what I did, the phantom rang the bell twice. But I felt souls in the vibrations made by the bell.


    Fuck! I felt the hairs on my body all stand up all while my skin got goosebumps. Reapers can do that? As a testament to Lilly''s actions the entire office turned silent in the next moment.


    Every office worker without exception looked at our direction. Like a giant siren the soul powered dings of the service bell called the attention of everyone present.


    More than one person rushed towards the counter. Two men and one woman. Their eyes looked sunken as if they were on drugs. How overworked were these people to look like that? Lilly after seeing the scene she caused quietly stood behind me like a supportive wife.


    The woman came to the desk first, while the two men stood by her sides. It was only now I noticed that all three were sweating like they had just ran a marathon. I found it weird, as the short distance should not have made them sweat that badly.


    Another surprising thing was that despite Lilly being incredibly eye catching, the office workers all focused their eyes on me. Their bodynguage exposing how nervous they were.


    "G¡­Greetings customer, how may I be of service to you today?" The woman greeted anxiously.


    Not sure what the hell was going in I ignored the matter and just told her my concern.


    "Hello, I was contacted that I inherited the contents of unit 29 courtesy of Frank Smith. I am his son John, and I am here to get the key and check the unit for myself."


    "Please wait a moment¡­ ah yes, Frank Smith the tenant for unit 29 paid for a 10-year lease from 2018-2028. Instructions are to grant the unit to John or Maggie Smith. May I please see some Id?"


    "Sure," I pulled out my driver''s license to show her. Even if there were a hundred John Smiths. Our birthdays, middle names and addresses would differ. Thus, an id became the quickest way to let people know which John Smith I was.


    In Hellsgate however, I needed to find a way on how to be unique as a John Smith. It was annoying growing up, but after two decades of all sorts of bullshit with my name I was no longer bothered by it.


    "Thank you. Here is your license back Mr. Smith while it may bete, please ept our condolences for your loss. Here is the key, you may retrieve anything or everything should you choose to do so. The rental has already been paid, so for the next five years you can use unit 29 at your leisure."


    "Thanks," I answered curtly.


    I left the counters and headed out towards the door. Like a butterfly Lilly suddenly appeared beside me and linked arms once more as we moved.


    This woman had the power to beat my ass to the next state, so I just let her do what she wanted. Being close to such a beauty turned my mood for the better so I had noints.


    "Lilly, what was that thing that you did? I felt souls from the vibrations. Is that unique to you or can I do it too?"


    "That was a trick called death resonance. It''s an ability usable to all reapers. Basically, when you interact with humans, if you burn a few souls the soul inside the body of every human present would resonate. They would feel an extreme fear and agitation and would be forced to follow themands of a reaper."


    Unable to hold my surprise I blurted out, "Wow! We can do that?"


    "All that and more, dear. When you were alive were there moments in your life when you felt yourself doing action that you would not have done normally? What about times were you felt afraid without knowing the reason why? Those would probably be all instances where you crossed paths with a reaper."


    "What? Shouldn''t we just chalk up the times you didn''t know what you were doing to being weird? And the times I felt goosebumps was due to being in scary ces so that doesn''t count."


    "Dear, think about it for a second. What other mythical beinges to mind that can hypnotize its prey into doing its bidding?"


    After a few moments I answered with a vampire.


    "Correct, now tell me if the ghosts really wanted to hurt you why bother letting you know ahead of time via goosebumps?"


    "I¡­I don''t know."


    "Correct, it makes no sense. That is because there are no such things as ghosts or apparitions. Only reapers. Hmm, we do have, wraiths, phantoms and specters so I guess you have three types at the very least. And a reaper above wraith rank can even choose if humans could see them at all."


    "Then what if it was a demon?"


    "Dear, if there was a demon, you would not even have the time to get goosebumps. A human would go insane upon seeing an actual demon," Lilly exined to me.


    "Is that so? Then how does the invisibility thing work?"


    "I demonstrated earlier did I not? After ringing the bell, none could see me, so they all focused on you. Normally reapers hide in in sight and use death resonance by instinct thus warding off any humans to stay away.


    "However, this is only for humans. Other reapers and demons can still see you. You should try to keep humans away as mingling with them is a danger both to them and us."


    "What do you mean?" I couldn''t help asking.


    "My dear, know that your old life is gone. Fools try to go back but it is already impossible. As a reaper you now have enemies both in Hellsgate and on earth. If you hang around humans too much, Trinity will target them to get to you. IRIS does not care about humans, so they would rather kill the human than let youe to harm."


    The hidden truth that came with being a reaper came to light. Even if someone dide back to life, it would be really hard to return to your old life. If one was adamant in doing so, he would ce his loved ones at risk. I could guess why IRIS would just rather murder the humans.


    "Right, everyone has their own reasons for their regret. If the reason itself is taken by the enemy it would turn that reaper to not only a loose cannon but a puppet or even a traitor," I concluded in frustration.


    "Yes dear. That is the case, manye back for their loved ones only for those people to be their weakness. It is an unspoken rule among reapers. Mingle only with the humans you are prepared to lose."


    Holy shit this was heavy. If a reaper could not even go back to their loved ones, what point was there toing back from death? The stress and mental toll of dailybat along with being separated and isted from the ones they loved most. Such would be enough to break even the hardest of men.


    "This was why Descendants became the norm. By staying with reapers this weakness is minimized. That and the funds from Hellsgate would significantly help the next generation. Each continent has its own version of Descendants as everyone came to the same conclusion."


    "But wouldn''t the economy copse? If 200 people suddenly became rich overnight and started spending money the system would be saturated with intion."


    "Oh my! How astute! Correct! The economy would suffer, that''s why over the years reapers have created numerous ways on how tounder their money. A few decades ago, it was art, then it became real estate, now its crypto currency."


    "What? Reapers are the ones who made Crypto?"


    "Ah no, reapers copied the concept from others. They hired IT experts to create fake coins, fund in bulk then copse. Its only purpose was to allow the reaper to gain a believable source for their unexined wealth. Graveyard offers this service for free. Not leveraging your earnings makes it hard to protect yourself when on earth."

 Chapter 44: The sound of freedom.

    My mind was already crying uncle from all the shit Lilly just casually shared with me. I supposed it made sense. If you suddenly had multiple people who had no job or investments obtain financial windfalls, not just your rtives but even the government would be skeptical.


    Moneyundering usually followed a simple process. You buy something worthless, hire an "appraiser" then have them announce that it was worth a lot then sell the item. If anyone asked where you got the money from, it would be from the sale of that worthless item.


    Paintings and real estate were both subjective in nature. Thus, it was very easy to create value out of nothing just by borrowing the words of an expert.


    In today''s world crypto functioned in the same fashion. While the original crypto currencies were backed by the technology as the government understood more that credibility began to fade.


    The factor which contributed to its sess was that it was ideal for ck market trade. Theck of regtion kept it out of the government hands.


    Fast forward to today where the rules and technology between the currencies vastly differed and you now had scams that just stole people''s money.


    I personally invested a bit in Bitcoin in the early days. When I made a bit of money, I sold everything and hadn''t been able to get back into the scene since.


    Hearing the horror stories ofte made me d I lost the ability to do so. As for the earnings, I foolishly used it to fund my ex''s college fees.


    Did I regret giving it to her? Of course, I did. But we already went our separate ways, there was no use crying over spilled milk.


    Anyway, it was a novel thing to know that the recent flood of crypto scams was all for reapersundering souls. I couldn''t even me them, pretty soon I would need the same strategy.


    Lilly, who obviously noticed my sudden silence interrogated me with a displeased face. "You were just thinking of a woman, weren''t you? I am hurt dear; how could you think of another girl while I of all people am here?"


    "What? I wasn''t and why do you even care?" I rebutted defensively.


    "Of course, I care! How can I support you if you still have weaknesses that can be exploited! What is her name? Tell me? I will pay her a visit and ki¡­ Ehem, ce her under protection."


    This psycho¡­ she was about to say kill, didn''t she? I needed to clear it up not for my ex''s sake but mine.


    "Fine, you caught me I couldn''t help thinking of my ex. I dabbed a bit in crypto and the discussion we just had reminded me where I spent what I earned."


    "You spent your crypto earnings on your ex?"


    "I did, I used almost everything to help pay for her student loans. Well just a part of it, majority was paid for by my best friend," I confessed to Lilly.


    "This seems like juicy gossip, tell me why on earth would your best friend pay for your ex''s student loans? Were you all that close?"


    Thinking about the situation again gave me a bad taste in my mouth. The short truth was my ex was cheating on me with my best friend.


    They took me for a fool and only came clean a couple of years after. It broke my heart so much I wanted to die. After that, I lost interest in romance as a whole.


    "It wasplicated. Regardless of what happened there was a time she made me the happiest man on earth."


    "Past tense?"


    "Yeah, we parted on bad terms. I loved her dearly, but that all came to an end the moment we broke up."


    Lilly then embraced my arms tightly into her chest as she whispered. "I would never betray you dear. I would rather die first."


    Didn''t my ex and I exchange simr vows? We got together from early high school. During those years if I was asked what I wanted to do in my life all my answers would have revolved around her.


    Due to my experiences, I no longer believed such grand vows of loyalty.


    "I appreciate the sentiment Lilly, but you don''t have to."


    All this talk about love made my heart hurt so I gently separated from the woman beside me and started to look for my dad''s warehouse building.


    From the corner of my eye, I noticed Lilly try to reach out to me. But I intentionally moved away and focused on the task at hand.


    Just from the numbering on the warehouses and the rolling doors I got that each warehouse held around four apartment units. Thus 29 was the first apartment of the 8th warehouse.


    As they wereid out in rows of four buildings warehouse 8 was on the second block away from the admin building.


    I still heard the sharp footsteps of mypanion, so I knew that she was still following closely. Therge 29 on the door indicated I found my unit. I used the key to remove the lock. It seemed like security was good. It made me wonder how much a ten-year lease would cost.


    After I removed the padlock, I pulled the rolling door up opening the unit. Dust and dirt flew at the sudden movement of the metallic door.


    As light and air entered the warehouse unit a smell unique to old, enclosed spaces entered my nose. Theyer of dust and dirt all over showed that it had been years since anyone even saw this ce.


    There was a full-sized pallet rack at the center of the unit. The rack was about 10 ft tall and had around 10 of Pelican protector cases. Fourrge ones and six small ones.


    How nostalgic, these bastards were the best of the best when it came to storing firearms or camera equipment. They were weather resistant, so dust, humidity, moisture would not be an issue. Protectors were extremely durable and were even fire retardant.


    The catch? They were expensive as hell. Each time I saw one of these bastards I knew I would be eating stale crackers for the next month. Therge ones should be the ones containing the guns while the small ones would house ammunition.


    I took one of the big, long ones and pushed open thetches and opened one up. Inside was a sleek and shiny ck Colt Armalite rifle - 15 or AR15 for short. It had a 4x mounted scope with a 45-degree mounted red dot sight. A Picatinny rail handguard, a custom muzzle brake and an adjustable stockpleted the setup.


    The steel of the AR15 felt nice to the touch. Its sheen looked beautiful in the sunlight. I opened the ejection port, pulled the charging handle, removed the safety and then squeezed the trigger. The clear and crisp sound of the firing pin snapping in ce gave me chills.


    "That right there, that''s the sound of freedom," I said with a satisfied smile.


    Forcing myself to put the AR15 down and I checked the other weapon inside the case which was a gray M24 Sniper weapon system.


    The M24 SWS was a bolt action sniper rifle; I removed the lens caps from the scope and retracted the bolt. I once again got goose bumps when I closed the breach and squeezed the trigger. It was so well made the M24 one of the few sniper rifles used by the US Army, the Navy Seals and the marines.


    Stories of its lethality were plentiful. From how three navy seals took down over fifteen Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, to the legendary shot of the marine Sgt Rafael Peralta in the second battle of Fallujah. Such feats were only possible with the existence of the M24.


    Even though my goal when I was younger was to get my father to like me, the lovely time I spent with these works of art became my sole source of happiness in my youth. I was filled with pleasant nostalgia as I checked the weapons. Lilly who noticed my happiness asked in curiosity.


    "This is probably the only time I ever saw you making such a face. Are these firearms really that great?"


    "They may not be perfect but the ones here are special to me. They kept mepany during my darkest days. Seeing them again reminded me of the time we spent together," I confessed in contentment.


    "Interesting, I thought my biggest rivals would be the Formless girls, but it seems I may have to be more vignt of these weapons instead."


    What the hell was this woman spouting? Lilly began looking around as she continued her thoughts.


    "I never really got firearms. I only carry the ck one because of my father. I don''t really consider it as a weapon. A sword seems much easier. I feel the weight of a life should be equal to the weight of your sword."


    What a load of bullshit, the battlefield never took such things into consideration. Weapons were created because beating a person with your fists took too long. Whether it be swords or guns their intent was always to take a life in the easiest and fastest way possible.


    I didn''t even bother answering her sophistry. If I remembered correctly there were 12 firearms as part of the Smith armory before I left. If every one of them were here, I would have enough to arm a small group. If I could find a way to wield them all, I wouldn''t need to use {Reload} so much as I could just switch weapons.


    With my mind racing through the possibilities, I opened the next case. It would most certainly be a well spent morning.

 Chapter 45: Give me your blood.

    I spent the rest of the time checking each firearm in the armory. The sounds of metal clicking into ce, along with the smell of gun oil was just the best. It was like ASMR that cleansed my very being.


    "Dear, you have been making that weird face for each gun you check, I am starting to feel jealous!"ined the beautiful woman with me.


    Lilly, who got bored 10-minutes in and sat on the pallet rack with a pout. As much as I found her pretty. There was just something about guns that made me feel like a man.


    The armory in total had one assault rifle, one shotgun, three Submachine guns, one sniper rifle, one general purpose machine gun, four pistols and one revolver.


    Engrossed in my own paradise, I noted the states of each firearm of the Smith armory. They were all in excellent shape, well-oiled with even the springs preserved in good condition.


    The ammunition was stored neatly in the smaller cases separated by caliber. A pleasant surprise was I even found one of the small cases with a dozen M26 fragmentation grenades.


    "Wait! Aren''t these illegal? Well, I guess we were well past that point."


    America, while consideredx in its gunws, kept a fine line between civilians and the military. Basically, civilians are not allowed to wield guns that went full auto. And there were three vitors in this armory. The AR15, a Heckler and Koch MP5SD and the M60.


    The HK MP5SD was part of the MP5 tform of sub machine guns that fired 9¡Á19mm Parabellum rounds. The MP5 became the symbol of counter terrorism forces due to its excellent track record.


    ''I mean if the French GIGN, British SAS and the German GSG9 all thought so they couldn''t have been all idiots, right?''


    It fired low powered handgun ammunition to prevent the bullets from punching through walls making it perfect to be used in crowded buildings. The MP5 was so well known even owning one was a challenge for a civilian! And dad had the SD version which had a built-in suppressor!


    The M60 on the other hand was a belt-fed general purpose machine gun loaded with 7.62¡Á51mm NATO rounds. This baby has been in service since the 50''s and was made famous by Rambo. It had the power to suppress a small area and rip apart any who tried to enter its firing range.


    Normally you need two people to use an M60, one to carry the gun and another for the ammunition and spare barrels. Due to using a higher caliber, the M60 would pierce the wall, the target and the wall behind him.


    Lilly approached and took the M60. It was smaller than her greatsword but if given a box of ammunition it would be heavier If I was to guess. I remembered if loaded it was around 26 lbs. or something. As a teenager I got thrown off by that thing as it was really heavy. The blue haired phantom carried the gun one hand and kept it tucked to her side.


    "This one is the only one that interests me. Can I have this?"


    "I thought reapers hated guns," I asked in confusion.


    "Yes, they do, because a gun cannot get blessed. But I intended to keep this as a memento not as a weapon."


    "Tell you what, the day you tell the world you are Formless that thing is yours, but until then I need everything at my disposal."


    With an adorable pout Lilly ced the gun back on the case and sulked on one side.


    "Such a cheapskate. Who knows when that would be?"


    At times like this, I forget that this woman had the power to slice apart zombie hordes. Right now, Lilly just looked like a regr woman whose beauty lit up the world. Unknowingly I reached out and spoke words offort.


    "Wait for me. I will kick so much zombie ass by the time I am done, being Formless would be like a badge of honor."


    Lilly then made a brilliant smile as she cheered up. "Then I shall fervently await for that day to arrive dear."


    Taken aback by her allure, I turn away and returned the guns back into their cases. After a few moments of silence, I changed the topic.


    "Hmm, looks like I need to call an uber or something. I want to take everything with me, but I would need a pickup."


    A small sedan definitely was out. It could maybe fit a van, but a pickup felt better. As I only became rich less than an hour ago, I took the metro toe here and didn''t have a car. The problem now was how to get this stuff back to my apartment.


    Just then my cheeks got caressed by a soft hand with slim fingers. "Dear, if it''s logistics that is my forte. Just ask me and I will fulfill your request."


    Her seductive voice and amorous eyes drew me in. Like under a spell I nodded my head and asked helplessly.


    "Please help me bring all this home Lilly."


    "Good boy. {Stock}."


    At her words a felt arge number of souls in the air. The Pelican protectors then "fell" into what looked like space distortions. As a gamer a single term came at the forefront of my mind.


    "INVENTORY! HOLY SHIT!"


    Taken aback by my reaction, Lilly flinched and gazed at me with cautiousness. I quickly approached her and held both her hands. Perhaps surprised by my aggressive demeanor the woman looked away with flush cheeks.


    "LILLY! Please give me your blood! I will trade with you as much as you need!"


    "What? Are you really that impressed by my {fate}?"


    "OF COURSE, I AM! It is amazing! Please swap {fates} with me!"


    "Oh¡­Is that so."


    The woman then began staring at her shoes in embarrassment. Why the hell was she acting like this? Did she not trade with others before?


    "Kiss me¡­"


    It was barely audible, but I caught Lilly''s whisper with {Listen}. Not believing what I heard I asked in reflex.


    "What?"


    "Kiss me, John Smith. If you do, I will give you my {fate}."


    So, she wanted to learn everything about {Rewind} huh. I guess that was fair. To someone like me, a hammer space I could store weapons in would be invaluable. What was a kisspared to that?


    "Okay," I answered curtly.


    I approached her and held her lower back to bring her even closer. Despite being dominating in other areas Lilly acted meekly like a kitten in my embrace.


    ''Well, whatever here goes.''


    As our lips touched, I kissed her conservatively. But like an engine who already finished warming up, the woman in my arms wrapped her arms around my neck as she invaded my mouth with her tongue.


    While I was no expert, her inexperience became obvious by how clumsy she was. No one was born good at everything, so I calmly guided her as our tongues intertwined.


    Lilly entrusted her weight to me with her marvelous bosom pressing against my chest. The pleasant feeling made the experience even more electrifying. Between kisses, our ragged breaths showed just how much we were into our short exchange.


    At that point a searing heat entered my brain. A new {fate} downloaded and reluctantly I pulled away for our objective waspleted.


    Lilly simrly closed her eyes and seemed to be in pain. I only saw Be scream when she downloaded {Rewind}. In contrast I couldn''t see Liv''s face so when we kissed, I didn''t know if she suffered as well.


    In worry I tried to ask if the phantom was in pain.


    "Lilly! Lilly! Are you okay? Does it hurt?"


    A finger then pressed against my lips as the woman focused on regaining herposure.


    "What a ridiculous {fate}. Now I understand how you were able to charm so many. A lesser woman would have died from such a burden. What in the world did you regret so much for {Rewind} to be born dear?"


    Unable to answer I silently brushed her back to help her calm down. After a few moments the elegance she originally had returned in all its glory. When it did, I stepped away from her to give her some space.


    "Here, test if you can use {Store} now. {Withdraw}."


    At her words all Pelican protectors appeared neatly stacked on top one another. Lilly''s {fate} was named {Store}. She could put nonorganic objects into a pocket dimension where time stopped. {Store''s} next abilities were {Retrieve}, {Stock}, and {Withdraw}.


    {Retrieve} allowed one to bring out items from the storage. {Stock} and {Withdraw} were super versions of {Store} and {Retrieve}. Thetter pair needed Lilly to touch the objects. The improved versions didn''t and had a range of 100 yards. Her ability was astounding from a logistical standpoint.


    "May I ask how you did all those water-based attacks then? None of your abilities allow such maniption. Was it aided by a Soulgear or something?"


    "No, those were the fruits of mybor. I have over a swimming pool''s worth of water stored. I control the exit hole of the storage with {Retrieve}. If I make a small hole the water bes pressurized, if I squeeze the water using spacial distortions, I can manipte it a number of ways."


    So, she only controlled the hole and let physics do the rest? Amazing. Such fine-tuned maniption showed just how much effort she devoted to mastering {Store}. Just how many spacial distortions did she need to make to form a snake out of water? I was in awe of her hard work and perseverance.


    "That is amazing. You are indeed worthy of respect Lilly."


    "Do you see me in a better light now dear?"


    "I do. Your life and your abilities are proof of how much you struggled. I admire you greatly."


    Lilly, then came closer and pulled the cor of my shirt towards her.


    "Then take responsibility for taking my first kiss. Make me your kindred."

 Chapter 46: Thanks for everything dad.

    Responsibility? Wasn''t that something you heard from anime? Lilly was what? Like the same age as me?


    ''Are you telling me this woman hasn''t even kissed a guy before? What did she do during her high school and college days? But I already promised Be. Aren''t reapers forbidden from having more than one kindred?''


    "Why are you not answering me dear?" The strength of Lilly''s pull started to slowly tear my shirt in two.


    No use woulde out of lying here, I''m sure she would like the ugly truth better than a beautiful lie.


    "I already promised Be, I would make her my kindred. I don''t know if it is possible to have second one. If it is then I will definitely take you as my second."


    Lilly then quickly let go as she murmured to herself. While she tried to be barely audible. With {Listen} I could hear everything.


    "Calm down me, John has yet to bind a crystal, there should still be time. Yes. I have not lost yet."


    Oblivious that I heard her pep talk the woman then arrogantly poked her finger into my chest as sheined.


    "Kindred for a reaper is like a spouse. Monogamy has been proven as the best type of social construct to foster a strong society. As you are yet to be bound, she has no im on you yet. Did she manipte you to promise that in exchange for her paltry support? Leave her, I can give you more than that woman in every way imaginable!"


    "I refuse. I would not be alive right now if not for Be. I will never abandon her," I retorted.


    Right, for the six who ced their lives in my hands I would rather die than betray them. While I do admire the one before me, I owed her nothing aside from breaking her sword. If her request was for me to forsake Be just to please her, then our affiliation ends here.


    "{Stock}."


    At mymand the Pelican protectors all disappeared and entered my "storage". Just like {Code} it seems differences appeared between Lilly and me. If she had enough space to store a swimming pool''s worth of water, mine was only around the size of a minivan.


    While all ten cases fit, it was so full there was not even enough space for my hand. I guess I should already be happy the space was just enough. As I looked back at Lilly, she had aplicated expression on her face. She then made a deep sigh and spoke in a condescending tone.


    "Good grief, why should I, Lilly Browning have to fight for my man against a bunch of wraiths! You should be grateful I even had any interest in you to begin with dear. It seems I need to speak with Be immediately."


    The woman then made a dazzling smile as she turned away from me.


    "I will say this, however. Refusing to abandon her when I am the one asking, significantly raised my opinion of you. You were definitely cool. Take heed dear. The position of your kindred, I will be taking it soon!"


    With that she deftly walked out of the warehouse unit onto the sidewalk. Thinking I should already be content with such an oue, I turned back to lock up the unit, which was now empty, or so I thought. When the Pelican protectors were all stored, I saw a piece of paper on the pallet rack. I gave the contents a quick read and found out that it was from the deceased Frank Smith.


    [John, I am sorry for having been a terrible father. I leave you this armory. It''s not much but I hope it keeps you safe and allows you to protect what you value most. Know that you are my pride. - Dad]


    This motherfucker! My pride? Fucking bullshit. If he was sorry then shouldn''t he have been a better father! I thought I no longer cared about him, but my rage still burned at this simple note. Frank Smith was already dead.


    Unlike me he never became a reaper, so it would be impossible to talk to him again. Why did I feel like this I wondered?


    In my anger I crumpled the letter and was about to throw it away, but I found that I couldn''t. Even though he used to beat the living shit out of me day in and day out. Unlike my mom who forgot about me, dad never left. I was the one that did so. In his own twisted way, he gave me a home.


    I uncrumpled the note and tried to smooth out the wrinkles before I folded it neatly and stored it in my back pocket.


    "Thanks for everything dad, goodbye."


    Leaving behind final words of gratitude I closed the warehouse unit and gave my farewells to the man who raised me. Lilly who was waiting outside didn''t say anything but silently followed my steps. With everything that happened I needed a change in pace.


    "Lilly, would you like to get something to eat? Its lunch time, my treat."


    The woman quietly nodded and apanied me as we left the warehouse district and looked for a ce dine in.


    We eventually settled to eat at a KFC on Thunderbird Road. Mypanion a certified heiress naturally had yet to eat at one.


    "Are you certain that its sanitary dear? I saw some videos about fast food burgers not rotting for over six months!"


    "Yes Lilly, fast food is not only sanitary but also a staple of the American diet. I practically grew up on chicken from KFC."


    "Then, I will try it."


    "Thats the spirit. You can''t be an American if you haven''t pigged out in a fast-food ce before."


    I came into the store I considered my second home and ordered a 4-pc Chickenbo with a side of mashed potatoes and a mountain dew. I found myselfughing when I saw how the people freaked out from seeing Lilly. They probably thought she was a movie star or something, and even though she took forever to choose her food no one cared.


    Ultimately, she couldn''t decide what she wanted and simply copied what I ordered. We then sat at a secluded spot eager to partake of our modest meals.


    "I feel like a rebel, this is my first time eating fast food. My teachers always told me they were unhealthy and would make my reaction speed slower. But whenever I saw themercials on television my mouth watered. I am so excited. Thank you for the treat, dear!"


    As I saw another side of Lilly, it was both sad and endearing that she showed that much appreciation for a simple KFC meal. It again reminded me of how different our worlds were. I managed to do a lot in just a single morning. I learned of the world of reapers, got my dad''s guns and made peace with him.


    ''Well, whenever I got sad or depressed, I actually ate my unhappiness away. My record was an entire bucket from when I broke up with my ex. I had stomach pains the next day, but it was worth it.''


    "Thanks for the food, Colonel, time to dig in."


    Ignoring the beautiful food critic in front of me who chastised or praised the chicken as she savored every bite, lunch passed by uneventfully.


    "That was such a novel experience. I definitely have to return to taste everything on their menu."


    "Just do so in moderation okay, it would be a shame if your figure morphs from a vase to a barrel," I joked.


    "How vulgar! I''ll have you know I train regrly to keep off the pounds off me!"


    Just like with Be, despite our differences Lilly was pleasant to hang around with. While her world views were vastly different from mine, she never tried to make me feel that I was inferior. In fact, her genuine interest in me was ttering.


    Lilly and I were making our way to the metro as we chatted when I bumped into a couple of guys.


    "John? Is that you! It''s me Billy from high school!" the man who noticed me called out to his other friend who also approached.


    I had no idea who this fucker was. I was a loner in high school and spent most of my time servicing and cleaning my dad''s guns.


    "I''m sorry, I have no idea who you are," I confessed frankly.


    "Oh, don''t be like that. We used to have chemistry together!"


    Nope, still doesn''t ring a bell. I don''t even know why these guys called out to me.


    "Steve. Nice to see you again John, we shared a couple of math sses together," The other guy dered.


    Before I could even reply, both of them then stared at Lilly, and scanned her from head to toe. I then btedly understood. They were checking her out and just happened to see me beside her.


    "Say John, shouldn''t you introduce us to your gorgeous friend?"


    Lilly, who wasn''t sure what was going on had a neutral expression. When they ogled at her, I saw the disgust on her face as well as a hint of bloodlust. However instead of getting angry, the woman quickly took my arm and buried it into her chest.


    "So, you must be friends with John. Hello, my name is Lilly. We are going out."


    Going out? Well, I guess I will take it. If she copied Be and told them she was my lover, it would have been weird.


    Guy 1 and guy 2 then clicked their tongues before talking again.


    "Wow? Really? How in the world did a loser like him find a babe like you?"


    "Right, doesn''t he still work for the department of transport. You could do so much better Lilly."


    Wow, it was like I wasn''t even here. These guys were starting to get on my nerves.


    ''Could I put a bullet into their skulls without going to jail?'' I wondered.


    "Is that so? Unfortunately, neither of you have anything to offer in my eyes. Dear let us go, the smell from the taking garbage around here is starting to make me want to vomit."

 Chapter 47: I couldnt do it.

    "Tsk, look at the mouth on her huh. So stuck up your nose is in the clouds."


    "She isn''t even all that pretty anyway, you got a nice rack but so what? I am guessing you ride cock for cash if even John can bang you. How much for a pop?"


    Look at these fuckers, the moment Lilly denied any chance of getting intimate with them they immediately resolve themselves to demeaning her. How childish could they get?


    "{Pack}, {Withstand}, {Endure}, {Hike}."


    ''I mean really, just how bored are these bastards to be even doing shit like this? Lilly might be annoying, but she was an innocent princess. I guess I needed to give these bastards a talking too,'' I inwardly thought.


    "JOHN!"


    At that moment I felt my hands wet with a warm sticky fluid. Huh? What was I doing just now?


    "JOHN! CALM DOWN!"


    Lilly''s voice brought me back to my senses. I found douche 2 being strangled with my left hand with his face badly bruised and bleeding. Even his jaw broken, how brutal.


    Douche 1 was on the floor about almost 40 yards away smashed up against a wall. His head was red from bleeding so much. the man''s skull must have hit something hard.


    I then noticed that my right fist was damp from fresh blood. Hmm? When did I punched him?


    "Dear, please let him go. Reapers are forbidden from harming humans. We need to leave!"


    Lilly genuinely sounded scared of IRIS. I let go of douche 2 as he crumpled on the floor. As {listen} was active I heard him begging for mercy.


    "Please don''t kill me. Please don''t kill me. Please don''t kill me."


    I followed Lilly as she pulled me into a dark alleyway and forced me to sit down.


    "What the hell was that dear?! Words are just words. How can you be so impulsive!? You could have killed them if I didn''t stop you in time. People even made videos of it!" mypanionined in earnest.


    She then took a handkerchief from her handbag and began wiping the blood from my fist.


    "I already died once dear. Being insulted by such words no longer bothers me. Especially if the ones making the insults are nothing but dogs. Look at how dirty you have be. Luckily your hand ispletely fine.


    "Just how many {fates} did you use just to punch them? It was aplete waste of souls! Goodness, I saw it from your fight with father but seeing it up close was really something else."


    Seeing this beautiful woman put more concern over my matters than the insults she got made my heart warm. Unconsciously I caressed her cheek as she continued toin.


    "I couldn''t do it."


    "Excuse me? What are you talking about dear?"


    "I couldn''t bear to let such fuckers insult you. It never bothered me when I was the butt of their jokes. But for them to say such garbage about you when you are nothing but noble didn''t sit right with me," I exined with a serious face.


    The woman in front of me froze in silence when she heard my words. Her face looked like she was in turmoil internally. I guessed seeing me suddenly bing violent scared her off.


    I mean what if Iid my hands on her next? A lock of her hair fell out of ce. It seemed unsightly so I tucked it behind her ear, so it looked neat.


    "There, perfect once more. Anyway, I apologize for my actions Lilly, but I do not regret beating them. If IRISes for me, let them. This is my matter not yours."


    It did not escape my notice that Lilly flinched like a scared animal when I fixed her hair. It reminded me of how I looked whenever my dad talked to me after a beating.


    ''Guess the apple doesn''t fall far from the tree. I need to be more careful in the future.''


    Still unable to get a reply I stood up and brushed off my pants. I wanted to get home as soon as possible so I could prepare the armory to be part of my {Auto}. As for tomorrow, I intended to use it entirely to get familiar with my new weapons in preparation for my return to Hellsgate.


    "I still have matters to attend to. Can you stand Lilly? If you find me repulsive, we can part ways here."


    Lilly then stretched her hand like ady waiting for her escort. I took it and pulled her up. When her eyes met mine, they were focused like alight with fiery passion. Her next words were something I didn''t expect.


    "How could I be scared of you? All my life I was perfect, the one people expected to be the best. I was never allowed to fail. I reached where I am through nothing but sheer effort. But you know, its lonely at the top. ''She doesn''t need any help,'' I would often hear them say."


    Hmm, it sounded like something you heard from anime and drama''s the world of the elite truly was different.


    "The only ones who had the pedigree to chastise me were princes or Revenants. And as we had a strict hierarchy no one defended one another. If you were lower, you had no right to talk back at anyone. My own father never cared enough to interfere as he felt it was nothing more than children squabbling."


    The more I heard the less sense it made. I had known that the medieval nobility ced value in bloodlines but not talking back because you were lower. What the fuck was that about?


    ''Though I guess, if Revenants did interfere it would lead to wars which would have horrified IRIS.''


    Lilly then whipped her handkerchief around my neck and caught the other side. The moment she pulled it I was brought closer towards her body. A seductive smile was on her lips as her voice which was sweet as honey entered my ears.


    "It feels amazing to have someone defend you with no strings attached. Thank you dear, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. You made mine skip a beat just now. Shall we head home?"


    We then returned to my ce via the Metro and parted ways when a car came to pick her up. The chauffeur gave me dirty looks as he helped Lilly into the vehicle. What was this guy''s problem? Lilly opened the car window and spoke like there was no one else around.


    "I wille see you on Monday dear. Please don''t miss me too much. Do consider moving out of this apartmentplex. I can connect you with real estate agents if you want. I live quite far so it would be better if you move closer to me instead."


    "Thank you for your advice, Lilly. I will think about it."


    "Please do. Thank you for the date today, dear. I never had so much fun before. Good night."


    "I am d you enjoyed it then. I had fun too. Take care on your way home."


    After spending a day with the princess of the north American battlefront I found myself harboring bittersweet feelings once she left.


    Lilly was incredibly prideful but at the same time noble. She was extremely childish in some areas but was dependable in others. And she choose to ally herself with me.


    ''I wonder what will happen in the future?''


    I then entered my apartment building, took a quick shower and crashed on my bed. With same familiar ceiling in front of me it was like I was still the same old John smith from a week ago. However, as I ced my hands on the soulgem on my neck it proved that such a belief was false.


    Suddenly my cheap-ass phone began to ring. When I checked the caller id it just listed the phone number. I decided to pick it up out of curiosity and listened quietly.


    "John?"


    It was a familiar masculine voice; one I held in high regard during most of my youth. And one I could never forget.


    "Harry."


    "Hi John! Long time. How are you?"


    "Cut the bullshit Harry, tell me what you want."


    "¡­ Are you still angry about me and Caroline? It''s been years. We both apologized to you numerous times can''t you just get over it?"


    "I am hanging up," I answered in monotone.


    "Wait! Sorry, the ss is having a reunion next week. Everyone ising. You shoulde too."


    I never liked going to such events. The people there were justparing dick sizes by measuring how much each person achieved since graduating. I haven''t attended any since Caroline and I broke up.


    In annoyance I demanded a reason for the hassle. "Why should I?"


    "Caroline said she misses you."


    ''Then she shouldn''t have fucked you behind my back you bastard,'' I cursed in my mind.


    "Do not call me again."


    "Wait! John! It''s at Rustler''s Rooste on 48th street next Sunday. At 7 pm. Pleasee for old time''s sake. Just this once."


    I hung up not even wanting to respond. Harry was my best friend; in high school his family owned a small shop. His dad eventually scored a deal to sugar rights in Phoenix, so they rapidly rose in wealth. We originally bonded because we had simr situations of being neglected children.


    When he became rich, he still hung out with me. Naturally my childhood sweetheart Caroline also stuck to me like glue. The three of us became best friends.


    Soon Caroline and I became an item. Harry was happy for us, but Iter learned he was jealous. Due to having lots of money to spend, he ended up hooking up with girls left and right.


    After we graduated from high school, I attend amunity college while Caroline went to Grand Canyon university, one of the premier universities in Phoenix. It was there she met again with Harry all while I ved at part time jobs to make ends meet.


    Fast forward a couple of years and they hooked up behind my back and I only found out by ident. Remembering all this made me feel angry and bitter.


    "Screw this, lets gets some shut eye. We still have a big day tomorrow."

 Chapter 48: I lost 33 lbs in one night.

    Contrary to what I expected, I was neither bothered by nightmares nor did I had trouble sleeping because of Hellsgate. From all the shit that happened to me over the course of two days, I thought my mind would have trouble limating to my new life.


    I died, rose back from the death and became a reaper. At the expense ofing back to life, I was forced to fight with the undead every night. The reaper army currently had trouble replenishing its numbers. As reapers were born from sorrow and regret. IRIS intentional made the world a shittier ce. While the demons called Trinity move to make it a better one.


    "How Ironic. This all sounds so insane no one would believe it," I muttered to no one in particr.


    Yesterday I learned of such truths along with theplex history of the reapers. In short, I could be as rich as I wanted to be and live as debauch as I pleased. Provided that, I get to survive the nights in between. I haven''t exactly experienced being called to Hellsgate. I wondered if it was like the teleporters we used to go back to earth.


    The moment I thought about Hellsgate, my heart clenched in loneliness. Although I did experience more pain and suffering than a human should endure there. I also met people I felt would be corner stones in my life.


    A red-haired cop from Brazil. The dark and fair skinned Descendants from Italy, a tall Viking from Antarctica, a foul-mouthed girl from Australia and a mysterious ninja from Japan. The time we spent was short, for thetter three even more so. Yet when I asked for their lives, they all followed me without question into certain death.


    Be, Jas, Jo and Liv were above average in the looks department. Robyn looked like an androgynous pretty boy, so I wasn''t sure about her. Aki remained covered all the time I spent with her. From their wildly different personalities and backgrounds to everything else however I found myself curious about them.


    The only simrity we all shared was that we were Formless. You might as well add Lilly to that group. Unlike me it looked like they all suffered due to thatbel. Personally, I found me doubting my own words. Was I doing the right thing? What if I failed?


    Did I really have it in me? Where would the path I intended to go lead?


    It was human nature to second guess oneself. While I wasn''t attracted to these girls romantically. I found my thoughts drifting to wish for their safety. They said they would be back in a week, right? They all said they would follow me. But my ns kept on expanding due to my greed.


    To survive as a reaper. Then to be the strongest Revenant. Now to kill more undead than several reapersbined. What if by following me I led them to their deaths? Was this something I was prepared to shoulder?


    Yet when I thought about their circumstances there wasn''t much difference. Be like me had no sponsor or handler. Jo and Jas were abandoned and were in simr straights.


    I didn''t know if Liv, Aki or Robyn were any better, but I saw how merciless reapers were to our kind. If I didn''t take them with me, would they have been able to survive the enlistment? What was the right thing to do here? Fuck, my doubts were starting to paralyze me from fear.


    I punched my cheek in order to man up.


    "Ouch. Right, nning about tomorrow is fine but worrying is not. Do all that you can in the time you have. Once you had there is no point in worrying."


    This was a quote I heard from an interview once. I can''t remember the exact words, but I remembered the meaning. A businessman was asked if he was nervous about how hispany would fare. His answer blew my mind. It went something like this.


    "I have done all I can in the time that I had. After that no matter how much I worry it wouldn''t change anything," so he calmly exined.


    To do all you can in the time you are allotted. It meant not leaving anything to chance, results would follow as a natural consequence. Worrying was ultimately pointless as it just drained one of one''s spirit and peace. It was a nugget of wisdom I always carried with me.


    "Okay, if I worry about them, then the root problem is that I believe they are too weak. This would be like an RPG, I will have to arm, raise and develop them up as my party. Only then would we will rise together."


    I started to make a mental note about my circumstances. The girls and I were Formless, so we had no soul weapon or soul form. We could supplement this with a soulgear like Lilly did, but it seemed pointless.


    ''Rather than wasting time learning about new weapons, using guns would be faster,'' I mused.


    Hellsgate considered guns stupid because they couldn''t be blessed. But could bows be blessed? I needed to find out as soon as possible if my n to use firearms would be viable. Looks like my day would be busy.


    I got out of bed, took a brief shower and toweled off. As I tried looking at the mirror my clothes and I didn''t appear on it.


    "Interesting, the shirt is seen so long as it isn''t on my body. But once it bes ''part'' of me it bes invisible. But how am I supposed to fix myself then?"


    Annoyed, I tried looking at my body to check any changes. I then noticed how the muscles on my arms were more defined, they looked ripped. But as I couldn''t use a mirror to check, it could have been just my own vanity. I next stepped on a weighing scale and got a pleasant surprise.


    "Hmm. 167 lbs... I lost 33 lbs. in one night?"


    Well, if you consider how much running and fighting, I did it would make sense, I guessed. Normally people needed to rest to allow the body to recover after hard training. {Rewind} destroyed that logic. It allowed me to replenish my stamina and remove injury.


    "Could it be that {Rewind} doesn''t actually go back in time but forces objects to experience a passage of time? Thats opposite of what I understood before but otherwise there wouldn''t be a valid exnation to losing so much weight."


    ''But on the flip side. Who the hell cares? I''m no longer overweight! I didn''t notice yesterday but I really do feel lighter. If only I could see the evidence,'' I mused.


    "Who knew how hard it would be to not appear on mirrors and cameras. This is such a pain in the ass."


    Just then a heard beeping sounds from one of my phones.


    I checked my cheap ass phone and didn''t see anything. But when I checked the reaper phone, I got three messages. I opened the notifications to check what they were.


    [Sender: Ishtar]


    [Good morning, dear! I hope the morning bids you well. I will be preupied with matters concerning the battlefront today. So, it is unfortunate, but I cannot be by your side. Please do not miss me too much. Take care and please contact me if you need any assistance.


    - Fondly thinking of you Lilly.]


    "¡­"


    Even without the endnote, this message just screams Lilly Browning, cold and direct to the point like a military report with a hint of egotistical arrogance. I checked the next message and noticed it was also from her.


    [Sender: Ishtar]


    [If you are wondering how I got your contact info, I used my connections to add myself into your phone before you even got it. I am the princess of the NA battlefront my dear. If you wish to hide anything from me, you will need to do better. Hehe.]


    Right, the girl was also annoying as hell. I sent a short "Okay, take care Lilly." and moved to thest message. It was from a different sender, but I could figure out who it was from after reading it.


    [Sender: Minerva]


    [I hate you! Do you have any idea how many John Smiths there are in Arizona alone? 417! In 61 different cities! What pineapple did you give me to peel, huh?! ¡­ Anyway, miss me Mr.


    code? My transfer request got dyed so I might not be in the North American battle front for another week. I have to warn you though. The sponsors of the people you killed have sent assassins for you. Do not trust anyone honey. I''ll keep in touch.


    -B]


    How was it possible to hear a voice through text? After we spent a night together, Be''s rants were more endearing than offensive. It was a shame that her transfer got dyed, but her cryptic warning made me shiver a bit.


    "The sponsors of the people you killed have sent assassins for you," I read aloud.


    Great. So now I have peopleing for me. Now I understood the reaper''s silent rule.


    ''Yes, dear. That is the case, manye back for their loved ones only for those people to be their weakness. It is an unspoken rule among reapers. Mingle only with the humans you are prepared to lose.''


    If I still had a girlfriend at this point, I would be distraught how to protect her. Luckily, I don''t have anyone so this would be much safer.


    I sent a reply to Be with instructions while telling her to take care. My instructions were simple, assist the rest of the girls with any problem they might have and report any issues to me.


    The girls ced their lives in my hands, they would form the core of my squad and would be the cards I dominate with. Naturally I had to take care of them.


    "Still, where would theye for me? Here? Or in Hellsgate? I feel like a protagonist in an action movie."


    Somehow, I was not afraid of being targeted. Would they be scarier than a 15-foot Undead brute? Were they deadlier than a blood thirsty undead horde? I guessed it was true what they say. What didn''t kill one made one stronger.


    "Well, being targeted is a given. But whether I would be an easy mark is apletely different matter."


    With such words I began getting my shit in order. ording to Lilly more reapers died to assassination than fighting in Hellsgate. Thus, I need to prepare. Fortunately, I had the time to do just that.

 Chapter 49: Time to go to war.

    "{Withdraw} Armory."


    At my words the Pelican Protectors dropped onto the floor of my room. Unlike in video games not many militaries had a single soldier carry many weapons without good reason. Normally those would be for specific roles, such as shotguns for door breaching, ordinance to take down tanks or a backup assault rifle for snipers.


    Even the notion that every soldier carried a secondary pistol was false. While that may be true for the front lines, those on stand by or guard duty had no need for the extra weight. Having a gun didn''t end with just the gun itself. You also needed the ammunition.


    I now had the same problem. I had twelve guns from the armory. But they had a number of calibers. The question would be how much of each should I carry and why?


    Forrge firearms, I had the M60 and M24 which both fired 7.62¡Á51mm NATO. The AR15 which used 5.56¡Á45mm NATO, andstly a Winchester 1887 shotgun which fired 10 Gauge slugs or buckshots.


    The 1887 Winchester level action shotgun with a lever loop was one of the most iconic shotguns of all time. It became famous due to the movie terminator. If you could spin cock a shotgun while riding a motorcycle you would be a badass in my book. My dad''s 1887 copied the customization to a T.


    For medium guns, I had two Ingram MAC-11 SMGs that used 9¡Á19mm Parabellum as well as the HK MP5SD that used the same rounds.


    The Ingram MAC-11s were machine pistols used in the 80''s. They became the symbol of rebellion due to cheap and being frequently used in gang wars.


    They fired 9¡Á19mm pistol ammunition with an open bolt firing mechanism designed forrge calibers. The result? The MAC-11 had a firing rate of 1200 rounds per minute. With a standard 30 round magazine that be just two seconds.


    My dad had them for a different reason though. It was because of a vampire hybrid called de who wielded a customized MAC-11 that just looked badass. It was arguable if the customization at the front made sense but my dad didn''t care.


    For small arms I had two Colt 1911s with .45 ACP and a HK P30L that fired 9¡Á19mm Parabellum. I also had a Smith and Wesson Model 629 Competitor revolver in .44 magnum and finally a Ruger MK II chambered in .22 Long Rifle.


    In summary, I had seven different types of calibers I needed to load my guns with. Luckily, the normal issues that came with carrying multiple guns did not apply to me.


    {Pack} turned the weight of both the gun and ammunition to nothing. While {Store} and {Withdraw} would give me the option of keeping them in subspace or having them on my person.


    The only question was what happens to the stuff in my subspace when I rewinded. To test this, I nned to use the Ruger MK II Suppressed. This gun looked weird but it was the most authentic assassin gun.


    Most bullets were supersonic. This means once fired they go faster than sound. Thus, even if one used a suppressor, the crack from breaking the sound barrier would always be there. The only exceptions were rounds that were subsonic or those slower than sound. These were quiet but would not have the same punch.


    Subsonic rounds also had horrible range due to being more affected by wind velocity. But as I would be killing zombies. This would be the silent option when I wanted to take them down inconspicuously. Also, as I lived in an apartment building so shooting my other guns here would cause a scene.


    The MK II had .45 and non-suppressed models. But my old man being a gun nut, naturally bought the MK II with the built-in suppressor. For the sole reason that it was the model used by Navy seals and the Israeli Mossad.


    I needed to confirm how {Store} works with {Rewind} before I lug about all this fire power. I loaded the Ruger MK II with magazine of .22 LR and pulled the bolt from behind to prepare to fire.


    "{Auto}, {Save}."


    I opened the window and shot a nearby telephone pole. With {Aim} and {Snipe} I would hardly miss. A soft muffled click resounded before the bullet lodged itself into the pole. I then ced the MK II in my sub space and used {Reload}.


    When I retrieved the MK II it still had a missing round. "This is going to be difficult so anything in my subspace is not refreshed. Then I need to have all the guns on me when I use {Reload}."


    Maybe if I ced them all in a bag? I could put them in then take them out before reloading. Theoretically if I had everything stored in a bag, could I perhaps get a single gun from the bag? Lilly could manipte the holes of her substance allowing her water techniques maybe I could do something simr?


    I quickly got my old high school duffel bag and ced the two 1911, the MK II, the P30L and the 629petitor. If I could specifically pull a specific gun, that would widen my options by a lot. I could switch firearms depending on the situation like a character from Call of duty.


    "{Store}."


    Lucky for me the {Store} family of abilities consumed souls based on weight. Storing the size of a handgun only cost 1 soul. The entire group of 10 Pelican protectors only used 30 souls for a one time store or retrieval. If each action needed something like 10 souls I would quickly go bankrupt.


    "How do I do this? Visualize what I wanted to get right?"


    Prior to this I stored and retrieved everything in my subspace. I was only going on what I learned from my kiss with Lilly. I closed my eyes to help picture the weapon I wanted to draw.


    Theoretically it should be possible from what I know of how {Store} worked. My right hand tried to grip an invisible handle as I imagined the weapon.


    "Alright, visualize. {Retrieve} 629petitor."


    I then felt a handgun in my right hand. The moment of truth would be If it was what I wanted. I opened my eyes I saw the magnificent visage of the chrome colored Smith and Wesson 629 Competitor, a beast of a revolver that fired .44 magnum rounds. Dad got it because of the action movie XXX.


    "Beautiful. It worked."


    Without closing my eyes I made the same imaginary finger gesture and called another gun.


    "{Retrieve} P30L."


    A small distortion appeared on my hands and a ck colored HK P30L appeared on my left hand. The P30L was the sidearm of John Wick, Jack Bauer and Michael Weston so what other proof would you need?


    ''So even shortcuts worked. I didn''t even need to say the right name.''


    I ced the P30L and the 629 on the bed and called forth two other pistols.


    "{Retrieve} Ebony, Ivory."


    Ebony and Ivory were the names of a famous video game characters custom 1911''s. The dude simrly hunted demons in hell. Unfortunately the results from my experiment sucked. The guns manifested in my hands one after another instead of at the same time.


    "Hmm, should I try using {Withdraw} then?"


    I again stored both 1911''s and called them using {Withdraw} Instead of {Retrieve}.


    "{Withdraw} Ebony and Ivory."


    At the same moment both my hands felt the appearance of the two ck 1911''s. Dad actually based his 1911''s on the movie the punisher. But I liked the devil hunters style better. So I intended to call them called ebony and Ivory.


    Like a little kid I used {Store} and {Withdraw} in a variety of cool action poses. I probably looked stupid, but suddenly having guns appear in your hands dual akimbo was every kids dream.


    "I wonder if I could pull magazines from storage as well?"


    Excited in my experiment I pulled the duffel bag and ced magazines of various ammo types in. I put down one of the 1911s then pictured an Colt .45 magazine to appear in my free hand.


    "Okay, that works. Now. Can I pull the magazine directly into the gun? That would eliminate the need to manually insert the thing."


    Magazines were invented to be able to load a set of ammunition quickly without fuss. The weakest link in the speed of a reload naturally became the hand dexterity of the shooter.


    This was why soldiers drilled themselves repeatedly to make the weakest link as fast as possible.


    But I didn''t have to y by those rules. If I could pull a mag from storage, why should I stop at pulling it into my hand. Might as well pull it directly into the gun to remove the gap.


    "{Withdraw} .45 mag."


    A load ttering resounded as the mag fell to the floor. Unlike {Store} and {Retrieve} that pulls objects directly to my hands. Imagining shit was hard. Unlike Lilly who had a range of 100 yards, my {Withdraw} could ce the objects only around 10 ft from my body.


    "The difference ispatibility like the rest, probably," I tried to console myself.


    "{Withdraw} .45 mag."


    Despite numerous attempts, the mags weren''t appearing inside the empty pistol. They kept falling around a foot below from my hand.


    "Maybe I am scared of it appearing inside my flesh or something?"


    Well, that would be enough to now. I should practice withdrawing stuff in my spare time. I then spent the next thirty minutes loading the ammunition into magazines and ced them all haphazardly in the duffel bag.


    I carried the 1911s on armpit holsters and ced the de MAC-11''s on hip holsters. I next had the P30L and MK II on belt holsters on my sides and carried the 629 on a side belt holster on my lower back.


    I then wore the AR15 and MP5SD on opposite slings over my neck, loaded the 1887 Winchester on a back holster and slung the M24 over my left shoulder. Finally, I lugged the M60 in my hands.


    Everything else I kept in duffel bag. "Damn this shit is heavy. Time to go to war."

 Chapter 50: 1000 souls a bullet?

    After I packed up and ensured that I had everything on me, I casted {Auto}. While I practiced, I found that {Auto} only saved the gear on my person. The guns I ced on a box which didn''t get included as my default. Even if I touched the said box when I used {Auto}


    As a consequence, I needed to either put everything on my body or ced them all in a bag I would carry. Currently I had twelve guns in holsters or slings with the twelve grenades and all magazines all in the duffel bag.


    Carrying so much freedom would have been a pain in the ass but luckily the {Carry} family of abilities made it much simpler. {Hike} actually did not only lower air resistance making me go faster but it also applied to my gear. So I could run with such bulk and still move as if I only wore a shirt.


    I stored everything after I updated my {Auto} and tested it. I managed to get the entire armory on my body. I counted and I had about 1200 rounds of various ammunition along with a dozen grenades. If I can find a way to use {Reload} economically I would be like a one-man army.


    As I already tested {Store} and its family of abilities, I now needed to figure out how to use {Reload} for the entire armory instead of just the guns on my hands.


    Another problem was just walking with so many holsters on me was cumbersome. They may not have been heavy, but I kept hitting metal when I moved my arms. The problems just kept pilling up didn''t they? I needed to go into a gun range where I could test pulling and storing guns in a number of situations.


    For that reason, I was again on the Metro on my way to phoenix. While Tempe had C2 Tactical they were an indoor range. With Arizona being the 7th state with the most guns per person, even women and teenagers were busy having a good time there. Anyone would have freaked out if I started pulling illegal firearms out of my ass.


    And so, I was now returning to Phoenix to go to my dad''s usual hangout the Phoenix, the Rod & Gun Club. It was an outdoor range that was cheap as fuck provided you can endure the heat. I personally knew the manager because he and my dad were buddies in high school.


    As the journey would take over an hour, I found myself scrolling through the news and YouTube. It was the same old stuff with nothing but depressing propaganda. Fifty years ago, if I heard a kid shooting up a school it would have been big news. Now? It happened like every other week.


    "If these are the work of IRIS, they are doing a hell of a good job. The regrets the parents and the victims would have would be enough to create powerful {fates}."


    I next checked the international news and saw nothing but riots, massacres, rapes, genocide, natural disasters, and wars. Maybe it was because Lilly opened my eyes. Now that I knew that these things were manufactured for better reapers, I felt disgusted. I tried to look at the scenery and massaged my nose bridge to calm myself.


    "What would I do if I was in their shoes?"


    On one hand you could save the present but have your race go extinct. On the other you fuck the present up so bad you get a future to bitch about. There was no right answer. Both options caused so much sadness and despair it tore at my soul. Yet this was my new reality, one I have to ept when I return to Hellsgate tomorrow night.


    I then heard beeping and noticed the reaper phone received some notifications. With a gloomy mood I checked in silence unsure what to expect.


    [Sender: V]


    [DARRRLLIIING!!! HOW ARE YOU?! Hehe, Jas and I are now on the waiting list to be transferred into the NA Battle front. I got your contact from Be. Limitless sounds perfect for you! So awesome!


    Wait for us okay? We will be there soon! Oh! Be also said to get familiar with guns! So Jas and I are training with various weapons. It''s hard to get guns here, it takes forever!


    I heard its easier there, I''ll just buy one when we arrive! Ciao! Much love - Josephine.]


    Just like Be and Lilly, Josephine''s energy practically pulsed from the phone screen. I found my mood improving just from imagining her face when she wrote this. She used an exmation point in nearly every sentence. Considering how lively she was in person it seemed pretty apt.


    [Sender: V]


    [Darling, Jas has been acting weird. She keeps saying the two of you are tied by fate and that you are her husband. It''s really weird. I couldn''t help but think ''who are you and what have you done with my stoic sister?'' But she misses you even more than me so please be kind to her. Pretty please?]


    Hmm. I did remember Jasmine suddenly calling me husband out of nowhere. But haven''t they all taken liberty in calling me what they wanted? Honey, darling, husband, dear, southerner, wombat, Aki was the only who used part of my name at least. I tried to remember what happened with Jasmine.


    "As amazing as you were, do you have to worry me like this? But I will settle for finally being with you again, my dearest husband."


    Being with you, again. I only met Jasmine that same night, why did she talk like we were already acquainted before? She was cold and even hostile when the night began. The woman only started to lighten up the longer we fought together.


    ''I wonder what is going on? Did my jokes go overboard?''


    Not that it mattered to me though. I saw her as an ally not as a love interest. I checked my inbox further and found another message.


    [Sender: Satis]


    [Husband. Are you well? I am doing everything to return to your side even a second sooner. Please wait for me. I cannot believe my wish got fulfilled. I will tell you about it when we reunite.


    Jo should have told you about most of our situation. I will tell you what she doesn''t know.


    [The EU battle front is angry with our results. Jo and I are in hiding as his majesty intends to bring us in for questioning. Also, I heard news that many are searching for ''John Smith the Formless'' please be careful. Mia ir and Amari Soldat are helping us unofficially. They said it was as repayment to you. I don''t like Mia, she feels like a vixen.


    Just tell me and I will put an arrow through her heart.


    [Anyway, this message is already quite long. I count the seconds till I get to see you again husband. Even with the world around me copsing I feel no fear all because you and I are under the same sky. Soon. Soon, I can be with you once more. Until then, please keep safe.


    - regards Jasmine.]


    "¡­"


    What happened to Jasmine? She acted like she was madly in love with me. Did I really go overboard with my teasing? No. Somehow, I felt this was different but why? Unable to find an answer I put the thing with Jasmine out of my mind, I then sent generic replies to both sisters and reviewed the info from Jasmine.


    The one in charge, Clive Zanardi the Virtuous was unhappy at Jo and Jas cing alongside Mia and Amari. Since the sisters were hiding it mean the Revenant did not have good intentions. I hope they got here safe and sound. While I did not see the girls romantically, they were still my irreceable allies.


    I then remembered the main thing I needed to figure out. Leaving the messaging app, I checked the Forums and typed the thing that concerned me most.


    [Search: Why do reapers think using firearms are stupid?]


    The forum search had topics going as far back as the 1910''s. Wasn''t that as before World War I? The inte forum shouldn''t have existed then. But when I think about IRIS they must have kept the information in some way. All to give the next generation a better chance.


    [Answer: Firearms are useless past floor 10, Ghouls start to appear on that floor and those do not die from just physical trauma.]


    [Answer: Guns cannot be blessed so they will get you killed from floor 11 onwards.]


    Most of the answers revolved around these two points. Firearms could not be blessed and that unblessed weapons could not kill past floor 10. Then were all soul weapons blessed? Why were bows allowed then?


    [Search: Are all soul weapons blessed?]


    [Answer: No, most soul weapons do not have an affinity. You gain the blessing from holy attribute {fates}]


    [Answer: Is this guy being stupid or what? Soul weaponry are armaments that grow with the reaper. Once a reaper bes a mid-level phantom, they no longer need a blessing.]


    Hmm, so they did not start out powerful but like {Rewind} the {fates} grew in steps. But as the manifested developed their {fates} as weapons it increased theirbat potential directly.


    [Search: How can bows kill past floor 10 but not guns?]


    [Answer: Are you retarded? Bows are not the ones blessed but the arrows!]


    [Answer: Blessed arrows can be retrieved allowing them to earn back the investment for the blessing, a bullet cannot.]


    [Answer: Have you ever tried to bless a bullet son? Try it once I promise you, you will bleed from your eyes.]


    So a blessing was given on the arrows instead of the bow. The main difference of an arrow and bullet was the former could be retrieved and fired again. Thetter separated intoponents which could not be reformed without specialized equipment.


    [Search: How much to bless an arrow or bullet.]


    [Answer: one thousand souls per blessing.]


    [Answer: The priests are crooks; they scam people for 1 thousand souls a piece!]


    [Answers: one object can be blessed for 1000 souls.]


    "1000 souls a bullet? Isn''t that $20,000 for a single round?"


    ''Fuck, I never realized how poor I was. What the hell do I do now?''

 Chapter 51: sounds lame as fuck.

    Wow, it took 1000 souls or $20,000 dors to bless a bullet. I could understand why no one would do such a thing. Arrows which could be retrieved could be used repeatedly. I tried checking further but the duration of blessings varied.


    I then understood how things went. If I was part of the manifested, I could get a blessing on my soul weapon and recoup the cost by steam rolling past floor 10. For me though from the sounds of what they discussed, the moment I step onto floor 10 I would be fucked.


    That means at the minimum, I needed to grind souls for at least one mag of blessed rounds. I had 1200 rounds of ammunition on me. How long would it take to bless them all?


    "I wonder if there was a wholesale discount or something, like bless 10 rounds get 1 round free!"


    Just then my reaper phone again vibrated numerous times. Granted that Be, Jas and Jo reached out to me could the messages from the other girls?


    When I checked, it seemed my assumption was correct.


    [Sender: Rhiannon]


    [G''day mate! Be sent your info, so I wanted to check in. My transfer is getting dyed as It''s chockers in here! I mean it''s not like I got in touch just to whinge but fuck me dead there are just so many reapers moving battlefronts!


    [Also, I heard in some parts, people are looking for John Smith the Formless of July. Good on ya! Your fucking famous now! Still the ones looking for you are of a bad sort. Anyway, just stop trying to crack on every woman you see and keep your wits about you. Wait till I arrive and let''s stuff them dead!


    -R Lithgow]


    Right, there was only one person who spoke English, but I still could never understand. Using the, I found that chockers meant full of people, whinge was toin and for Australia to crack on was to kiss or flirt.


    "Oh right! What does wombat in Australian mean. Let''s see here¡­ To Australians being called a wombat is a derogatory term used by women on men. It means overweight, fat andzy and only interested in sex.


    "In this context wombats are known to only eat, root (ng for sex), shoot (ng for ejaction), and leave. When used by a male to describe another it is a term of admiration instead¡­ What the fuck Robyn?!"


    I again remembered the face of thebat joey who I fought side by side with. Her facial expression varied wildly, but her petite frame as she buried knives into zombies left an impression. She looked around 17-18 and was t as a runway.


    "Let''s forget about the wombat thing, she took time to warn me at least."


    With Be, Jasmine and Robyn telling me the same thing that meant reapers from at least three continents were looking for me. I hoped the smokescreen of John Smiths around the world would protect me. But for safety''s sake I needed to make myself scarce.


    Moving would be the absolute minimum, changing numbers and using only cash would remove my money trail. Credit cards, debit cards and digital payments would be a no. I also had to get off Google, YouTube and everyone else who tracked my data.


    ''Damn? wasn''t this going to be harder than running away from the government?'' Iined.


    I scrolled through and found two more messages from my girls.


    [Sender: Freyja]


    [To good harvest and peace! How are you, John? I''m sorry it took so long, I only learned of how to use these recently. My n was pleased with my results, and they were curious about you. But I of course didn''t share your {fate} or your other abilities, only death would pry my lips. Unfortunately, a need to see a friend in another battle front.


    I will go directly to you afterwards. This I swear, until we meet again. - Liv]


    "Hmm, Liv seemed different from how she usually was. I wonder if it was because Northerners didn''t use smart phones."


    Still Liv shared Lilly''s penchant for dramatic phrases though. I wondered if it was a reaper thing. After I sent her a generic reply I moved on to the next message.


    [Sender: Inari]


    [Greetings Smith-san. Taurus-san sent me your details, so I am reaching out. I will board a ne to Phoenix, Arizona on Monday night. I should arrive there Tuesday morning. I have an urgent matter I need to tell you face to face. Can please give me your address so we can meet up?


    - Miroku Aki]


    From the looks of things Aki would be the first to arrive. I wondered if a person''s physical location was tied to the battlefront they reported to. I remembered hearing that Amari and Jasmine were both from the African battlefront. Was it based on a person''s ancestry or something?


    "Good thing she asked before I moved. But I wonder what is so urgent?"


    Aki was the most nondescript of the girls she just kind of blended into the background. But I would counter that as a shinobi that was what she was expected to do. Her skills with a de and her throwing knives were amazing though.


    I sent her a reply with my address and began to notice the names the girls used. I soon found out that the girls'' usernames were all based after goddesses!


    Freyja, Ishtar, Rhiannon, V, Minerva, Satis, and Inari. I searched the and found that all seven were legendry deities from seven different mythologies.


    "Limitless soundsme as fuck. I should have named myself after Tony Stark or Optimus Prime. Maybe even John Mcin," Iined in anger.


    In a foul mood I began browsing the Graveyard. I already dived in the forums a bit and didn''t understand most of the verbiage used by the posts. The same went for the headlines and recruitment.


    It was just like when you began a new game, if you wanted to join themunity, you needed to learn how they think, act andmunicate. So I tried to learn using the FAQ app, there I found a video named "Know your role".


    "Good. This seemed like a good ce to start."


    The video opened with a cartoon grim reaper and a ming scythe with red eyes. These two must be the hosts for the video or something.


    [Hi everyone, I am Grim and the red eyed bastard over there is Scy. We are the guides for today''s video named "Know your role!" Are you excited? Let''s get right into it.]


    Grim the cartoon reaper began making exaggerated expressions as it spoke Scy on the other hand just red at the audience. Were the people in charge really so childish I wondered.


    [So, you just became a reaper but do not know anything don''t worry we got you! Every reaper starts out as a Wraith. Wraiths are the most abundant and weakest type of reapers, but they are the ones tasked with simplest jobs. A wraith has two primary roles. One is to participate in defense and the other is to join a profession.]


    Cartoon images and caricatures followed the words of Grim. The video didn''t bore me, but it looked annoying as hell.


    [Defense battles are time-sensitive engagements with the undead. A zone will be assaulted by zombies and Wraiths are the ones who participate into exterminating the invaders. If a zone defense falls, that lot ofnd will be under zombie rule.


    [Of course, the morend the zombies have the more undead they raise. So, Wraiths must constantly battle to prevent that from happening. A profession on the other hand is a support function a Wraith can do while he is not participating in defense. These include the Fortifications, Adventurers, Mercenaries, Production and Academics.]


    Oh? So, you didn''t need to fight forever but only need to survive a timed engagement. That meant they expected you to use the rest of your time in your profession.


    ''I should research thister.''


    [After countless battles Wraiths will grow and eventually be Phantoms. This happens automatically after leveling their {fates} for the third time. Once a reaper be a Phantom, they will be assigned a soul crystal which has the power to purify the corruption of a zone in hell. The Phantom must now choose a zone to purify and takemand of that zone''s defense.


    [The Undead cannot reproduce in the presence of a soul crystal. Thus, hell regrly sends invasions to zones behind the front line to bring down crystals. The Phantom may use any and all methods to protect his or her crystal. The professions were formed exactly to aid the zone defense of a Phantom.]


    ''Hmm, so Wraiths were soldiers while Phantoms were likemanders. Interesting. The reapers constantly tried to expand the purifiednds while the undead seek to corrupt it. Like a never-ending dance,'' I surmised.


    [A Phantom bound to a crystal will die if it is broken thus the responsibility fall entirely on his shoulders. Consequently, the rewards and spoils of each defense would also belong to him.


    [In the event a Phantom fails his defense a Dirge Siren would resound to all nearby zones. The Dirge Siren signifies that the zone is in danger of falling. The Phantom in charge is presumed to be dead, missing, or is unable to fight any longer.


    [Responding to Dirge Sirens is not mandatory but are given rewards based on the number of reapers saved and undead terminated. If the Dirge Siren is ignored that zone will be treated as a lost zone. Left unattended It would serve as a beachhead for the undead thus it must be reimed as soon as possible.]


    So, a lost zone was like a staging ground for an invasion. Shit, so reapers constantly needed to guard their back while pressing forward. This was like a hardcore RTS game on steroids. The video continued to y as it described the next roles.


    [Once a Phantom grows and evolves his {fate} for the sixth time, he bes a Specter. Specters are expected to have formed some alliances or gathered subordinates. Defense of the zones are left the Specter''s people. A Specter''s only task is to form or join an Assault team. The Assault teams are elite groups of reapers who dive into the front-line undead zones and liberate them.]


    "That made sense, so Specters are tasked with assaulting the front line while defending would be left to the Phantoms and Wraiths," Imented in understanding.


    [Liberating zones is a most difficult task with the highest casualty counts. Specter assault teams have little to no information and must find and kill the zone''s boss,] Grim continued to exin.

 Chapter 52: Walk before you can run

    As I continued to watch the video, the implications of the reaper war became apparent. Wraiths and Phantoms would be waiting for invasions constantly on edge. From what I gathered the Invasions would be simr to a covert operation in modern daybat.


    You would have an unknown force that would wreak havoc in your domain. Phantoms would be like the mayors for each zone. The Wraiths both their citizens and soldiers. Specters on the other hand would be the ones like adventurer parties in novels that went to y the dragons.


    The clear division of roles allowed for responsibilities to be ck and white. Everyone would know what to do and why. In a perfect world, the roles should have been reversed. You would take most of your military might to attack and reserve a few to defend.


    But if Lilly and her white uniformed posse were all just Phantoms, I could not even imagine how powerful Specters would be.


    Yet that did not exin why they were tasked to venture into the most dangerous ces. All with minimal support and only a handful of people.


    It made no sense. Why would they make such a risky decision?


    "Because no one else is strong enough," I concluded.


    With the numerical superiority of the undead, if they used the wraiths as cannon fodder, that would be a quick path to the end of the world.


    Forcing the Phantoms to join the Specters probably would work in the short term, but if the zones fell one after another no one would care about how muchnd the Specters reimed.


    "And if the undead use lost zones as a staging ground, the likelihood that the surrounding zones would be also fall increases."


    I remembered the amount of undead that stormed around during my enlistment. What kind of battle would one wage if you were defending?


    Fatigue, supplies, training, fortifications, the problems that would arise from such a situation would be a nightmare to solve.


    As I pondered these, my mind started to sink into a negative spiral.


    What should I do?


    What could I even do?


    A loud thud came from the video which called my attention. The video showed Scy mercilessly smacking Grim on the head with an angry re. The blows were so powerful the poor grim reaper got deformed.


    "Ouch! I know I know! Don''t rush me you glorified gardening tool!" Grim rebuked in anger.


    "Pfft! HAHAHA!" I hollered inughter.


    That image of Grim''s skull getting smashed all the way to his stomach was very amusing to see. Theedy allowed me to forget the things I began to worry about unconsciously.


    Grim then picked up his face and pushed it back towards his head in a manner only cartoons could do.


    "Ehem! Finally. Once a Specter grows and evolves his {fate} for the ninth time, the reaper bes a Revenant. A Revenant is the single most powerful being in the reaper army.


    "They lord as absolute kings because they are the final bastions of Hellsgate. Once in a while, hell sends a massive army in the back lines to create lost zones. These are called floor breaks," Grim said in a serious tone.


    The term called forth my memories of the massive undead army that suddenly appeared during the enlistment. Fear, anxiousness and panic crawled up on my spine as I remembered the frightening force.


    Duhans, Liches, Death knights, undead dragons and an organized undead armypletely different from the mindless zombies.


    Was this what the Assault teams fought against? Even just the memory sent shivers throughout my body. Could I really defeat such monsters with just bullets and grenades?


    How could you even stop something like that?!


    "Yet not one of the Floor breaks for the past two centuries seeded. This is why Revenants are respected as kings. All seven Revenants of the battlefronts had single handedly annihted the floor breaks multiple times. As gods among men, Revenants are the only thing capable of ensuring the continued survival of Hellsgate."


    At that point I remembered what happened to the army I was so scared of.


    Like a tale from myth, David Thomas came in, threw a halfhearted punch and nuked the entire army out of existence. The surreal demonstration of power would surely remain in my mind till the day I died.


    A Revenant¡ª a goal so lofty it seemed like an impossibility. Doubts continued to hammer out the naivet¨¦ from my mind.


    "Be the strongest reaper? What a load of bullshit!" I roared.


    ''How could I even dream the strongest reaper if such an army already sent me shivering from fear.''


    "GET A GRIP YOU FUCKING COWARD!"


    My words slowly awoke something inside me. It was disgust. I got disgusted at myself. I spoke such high aspirations yet cowered the moment danger came forward.


    ''Close Hellsgate? Fucking imbecile. If seven Revenants were not enough, what could you do?'' the voices of doubt in my head began to get louder.


    "SHUT UP! They have yet to meet a fucker like me! I am Limitless!"


    ''If a .45 ACP round was not enough then I would use 7.62 NATO! If that still wasn''t enough, then let out the .50 BMGs! Let''s see if a death knight could survive a 120mm APFSDS tank round! Undead dragon? Meet anti air autocannons chambered in 20mm armor-piercing discarding sabots! David used a nuke to kill them all.


    If that was the case, I just needed to bring my own nukes!''


    Right, I would never be able to fit in the mold of the reapers. Without a manifested weapon, all I could do was bring guns from earth. But so what? If America was good at anything it was blowing the absolute shit out of its enemies.


    "Then allow me to bring glorious freedom to Hellsgate!"


    The video with Grim and Scy continued as I rode the Metro. Unknowingly I stood up and shouted like an idiot in public. The people were staring at me in curiosity and wariness. I nonchntly sat back down and ignored them. I was already a reaper, why the hell should I care how humans viewed me?


    "Such is the tales of the seven Revenants. In the history of Hellsgate this era is called as the Reign of seven kings! This period is the only time each battlefront is guarded by its own Revenant! They are so cool, right Scy? Remember their names and etch their legacy in your hearts!"


    A slide show of then began of each Revenant appearing in heroic poses. What was this? A promo video?


    "The Invincible hero of North America, David Thomas!


    "The Relentless necromancer of South America, Simon Guevarra!


    "The Virtuous great knight of Europe, Clive Zanardi!


    "The Immortal bastion of Africa, Hannibal Mand!


    "The Peerless warlord of Asia, Li Wu Di!


    "The Merciless berserker of Australia, Peter Vujicic!


    "The Unbreakable Viking of Antarctica, Erik Odinson!"


    I seared their names and appearances into my brain as my blood boiled. These men were the ones who shouldered the fate of the world. And they were the ones I wished to beat.


    Whoever made this video knew what he was doing. I cycled through despair, joy and hype all in a span of a few minutes.


    "Focus John, you need to walk before you can run," I said to calm myself.


    A Revenant was still too far. Bing a Specter while a bit closer still needed too much prep work. Right now, I was nothing but a Wraith. My only focus was to join the defenses and kill as much as I could. All to earn souls for a blessed mag and to improve my abilities.


    I already had plenty of ideas for my zone''s fortifications but that would wait. ording to {Code} I needed to 5,000 souls to evolve a third time. I didn''t know yet how hard it would be to earn such an amount. But if evolving to a Phantom requires me to defend a zone, it might be a better idea to dy that as much as I could.


    While I got a ton of answers from this video I still had to many questions. But right now, my focus was to go to the gun range and train wielding my armory of guns in the time I got left.


    "He who sweats more in training bleeds less in battle," I murmured.


    This nugget of wisdom came from George S. Patton Jr. One of the most respectedmanders during the second world war. And I was in the same situation. I return to Hellsgate tomorrow night. Thus, I only had today to get in as much practice as humanly possible.


    I eventually got off the metro and took a cab to my destination. Upon arriving, I noticed there were hardly any people. It was, after all 8 am sharp on a Sunday morning. As I walked up to the Phoenix Rod & Gun Club. A familiar face greeted me.


    "John! Long time no see, I hardly recognized you boy! You lost a lot of weight, you look great!"


    The African American man with ck hair and a magnificent beard was named Earl Simmons. He was a friend of my dad from high school and was built like a truck. A native of phoenix he has been a manager of this ce for as long as I could remember. He was kind, sharp and didn''t stick his nose into other people''s business. An overall good person.


    "Hi Mr. Simmons. I came here to shoot my guns. Is there anyone using the range yet?"


    "Naw boy, you are the first one. I wasn''t even done opening up but saw you and rushed out."


    I wasn''t sure if it was lip service but hearing that Earl came out just to greet me felt nice. In Tempe hardly anyone knew me, but in Phoenix, some people saw me grow up. It felt nostalgic. Like I finally came home. But I didn''te here for such trivial matters. I came here to train and prepare for battle.


    "Mr. Simmons, could I rent the entire ce for a day? I am willing to pay 10 grand."

 Chapter 53: You guys are the best.

    Earl then looked at me as he stroked his beard. His eyes although aged had a powerful presence in them. After a moment of silence he asked in a fatherly tone.


    "Are you in some kind of trouble John? You have always been a good boy. 10 grand is twice as much as this ce makes in a day so that''s fine. But until you tell me why, I cannot agree. Do you need help?"


    Even though I had a crappy family, it was thanks to presence of kind people around me that did I not grow up aplete asshole. Earl had been the closest thing I had to a father figure.


    While my old man would drink himself to death, he would work two to three jobs just to save up. All so his children got to go to a good college.


    "I am sorry Mr. Simmons. I appreciate your concern but this is my problem," I declined sternly.


    With how dangerous IRIS and Trinity were I couldn''t drag Earl into the world of reapers. Yet my 6''5'''' father figure approached me and ced hisrge hand over my shoulder.


    "John, don''t say such bullshit, you are practically a son to me. And although I couldn''t meddle in your family matters, you do not have to face everything alone."


    Earl''s warm voice and strong presence granted me stability during my darkest days. When he noticed I spent all my time at the range he even gave me free rounds just because. People like him were the reason society had yet to copse.


    "I appreciate the offer Mr. Simmons but allowing me to use the range without anyone noticing is the greatest assistance you could give me."


    "Well, a man''s got to clean up after himself. That would be the only way to get strong enough to protect what you hold dear, I understand. Here are the keys, lock up and return them to me when you''re done."


    Ecstatic at his eptance of my deal I pulled out my phone about to transfer the money when he grabbed my phone and forced it down.


    "Keep it son. I don''t know what you are going through, but I do know you are not one to y games. Your eyes already told me all I needed to know. I am tight with the owners, I will just call-in sick today. You do what you need to."


    Ugh, unknowingly tears started to fall from my eyes. In his own way this man always made me feel I wasn''t alone. My voice got struck in my throat as I struggled to utter a reply to him. Earl then embraced me in a bear hug while patting my back.


    "Whatever you are going through, just remember two things son. One, you must keep standing. That is the only way to protect anything. Just keep standing you hear? And two, no matter what happens know you always have a ce under my roof."


    I nodded silently as I tried to get my feelings under control. These past two days my feelings have been all over the ce. Used to pain and suffering I was caught of guard by his kindness. I moved to Tempe over eight years ago, yet this man made me feel like I never left.


    Earl Simmons then got in his car and drove away without looking back. Despite our conversation being less than ten minutes long I felt morefort than even an entire night of sleep.


    Humans were truly social creatures. Left alone I wiped away my tears as I entered the gun range before locking the front door and putting up the sign "closed".


    The Phoenix Rod & Gun Club had a simpleyout. It had few amenities but basically you had a huge area with nothing but gravel and dirt on it. This empty space would be where people would unload bullets in.


    The isted nature of this gun range allowed for unobstructed training. In here you didn''t need to care about being too loud or your bullets injuring someone.


    "{Withdraw} Armory."


    At mymand all the holsters and guns attached themselves onto my body. The ones originally in the duffel bag appeared in the bagplete with all the ammunition and grenades. I still had over 3500 souls even after my practice this morning.


    Skimping on training now will only bite me back in the ass so I intended to leave the minimum for battle and use all the rest today.


    I clipped the PACT Club Shot Timer III I got from the service desk on my pants. This shooting timer urately measured up to within a few thousandths of a second.


    Also unlike regr timers these also had the ability to start their count downs the moment it heard a gunshot. It then continues to listen and when the gunshots stop, the time would be the measurement for the entire set. This was extremely useful to check the speed and uracy of a shooter inpetitive andbat scenarios.


    I would need such measurements for the things I want to train today. First, I needed to organize the {fates} I had on me into groups. Repeatedly chanting five or more {fates} was beyond stressful. I had to figure out a way to shorten it. Something like a soldiers load out in FPS games would suffice.


    If I needed to defend, I would load defensive {fates}. Likewise, if I needed to closebat, I would call {fates} that help in agility and sensory perception. I nned to create a {Kismet} that allows me to bunch them up together.


    Second, I wanted to test drawing and storing guns into my subspace. I did a couple of tries as a base and each gun took around four seconds to manifest. That might sound short but inbat, a lot could happen in four seconds. The dy from thought to {fate} probably also contributed to thistency.


    Finally, I needed to know the limits of my abilities. From how long I could fight to how long till my guns broke from strain. What scenarios would I pull which gun for and what order do I use them in also needed some thought. None of the questions had simple answers but hopefully by the end of the day I would.


    In the heat of the gun range I stepped forward facing away from the store and looked at my {fates}.


    ___


    {Rewind} 00:00:00


    {Save} 00:00:00


    {Auto} 00:19:07


    - {Reload} 00:00:00


    - {Regen} 00:00:00


    Souls Avable : 3,517


    {Fate} Level 3


    Souls needed for evolution: 5,000


    {Fates} Active


    1. {Code} 709:28:23


    - {Connect} 338:28:23


    - {Shutdown} 146:28:23


    2. {Perceive} 348:28:23


    - {Aim} 348:28:23


    - {Snipe} 348:28:23


    3. {Listen} 348:15:43


    - {Interpret} 348:15:43


    - {Dampen} 348:15:43


    4. {Withstand} 338:21:56


    - {Endure} 338:21:56


    - {Counter} 146:41:34


    - {Suffer} 146:41:34


    5. {Carry}348:07:11


    - {Pack}348:07:11


    - {Hike}348:07:11


    6. {Eat} 348:39:26


    - {Gather}348:39:26


    - {Digest} 348:39:26


    7. {Store} - 152:31:52


    - {Retrieve} 152:31:52


    - {Stock} 152:31:52


    - {Withdraw} 152:31:52


    {Kindred}


    N/A


    {Kismet}


    - {Identify} = {Code} + {Perceive} + {Listen}


    - {Loot} = {Identify} + {Gather}


    - {Expose} = {Code} + {Perceive} + {Gather}


    - {Sight} = {Interpret} + {Endure} + {Aim} + {Pack}


    ___


    Good grief this was getting too cluttered. I now had eight {fates} with over twenty abilities between them. The loan periods also clearly indicated which came from blood and which from saliva.


    "Let''s try to clean up a bit. Code, organize the fate by family, owner, and convert the durations in to days instead of hours if its longer than a day. Do not show how the {Kismets} are made unless I ask for it. Also try to make is easier to read."


    I then felt a jolt of electricity in my brain as the status screen disappeared. After about twenty seconds a morepact screen showed up.


    ___


    {Rewind} Lvl 3


    Ready: {Save}, {Rewind}, {Reload}, {Regen}


    Cooldown: {Auto} Ready in 18 M


    Souls Avable: 3,517 | To evolve: 5,000


    {Fates} on loan


    Expiring in 29 days


    1. {Perceive} | Lvl 3 | Owner: Jas |Sub: {Aim}, {Snipe}


    2. {Listen} | Lvl 3 | Owner: Jo | Sub: {Interpret}, {Dampen}


    3. {Carry} | Lvl 3 | Owner: Robyn | Sub: {Pack}, {Hike}


    4. {Eat} | Lvl 3 | Owner: Aki | Sub: {Gather}, {Digest}


    Expiring in 14 days


    1. {Code} | Lvl 3 | Owner: Be |Sub: {Connect} , {Shutdown}


    2. {Withstand} | Lvl 3 | Owner: Liv | Sub: {Endure}, {Counter} Sup:{Suffer}


    3. {Store} | Lvl 4 | Owner: Lilly | Sub: {Retrieve}, {Stock}, {Withdraw}


    {Kindred} : N/A


    {Kismet} : {Identify} | {Loot} | {Expose} | {Sight}


    ___


    "Wow, well done Code! This is way easier to read."


    So, talking to your {fates} actually worked? I thought I could only do that to {Rewind} since it belonged to me. But it seemed that the {fates} were somehow sentient.


    ''Let''s check if that was true,'' I said in mind.


    "Store, I need a way to shorten the time it takes you to get and hide my guns."


    As if to answer I then felt a burning sensation on my neck as two {Kismet} got downloaded into my mind. They were named {Draw} and {Sheathe}.


    {Draw} whichbined {Retrieve}, {Carry} and {Endure}. As the {Store} family was based on weight, {Carry} reduced the pulling time even further, while {Endure} reduced the strain on my body. Likewise, the second {Kismet} {Sheathe} used {Store} alongside the samebo.


    "Perfect that is exactly what I wanted. {Draw} P30L."


    Less than a secondter the HK P30L appeared in my hands the best part? Despite being a {Kismet} It only used 1 soul! {Kismet} were generally more expensive than {fates} in terms of cost.


    "{Sheathe}, You guys are amazing. Now I want you to create load outs for me. I want one specialized for defense, speed, and offense. It would also help if you can do something about the soul costs too."


    Less than a secondter I felt a searing heat from my soulgem like I got branded with a hot iron. The blood in my entire body started to simmer causing me to feel like I was being burned alive.


    In immense pain I crumpled to the ground gasping for air. The eight {fates} in my body forged themselves anew as I was being tortured.


    After the ordeal finished, I couldn''t help but smiling from the {Kismet} I acquired.


    "You guys are the best," I praised in admiration.

 Chapter 54: Ugh, my aim sucks.

    Although Be told me not to ingest the {fate} of anyone else, I am d I took {Store} from Lilly. Even before today I wanted to find a way to pack the {fates} I used into sets.


    The weakness of invoking them one by one was evident when David Thomas curbstomped me into the ground.


    Despite making the wish way earlier no new {Kismet} manifested. Only when I acquired the {Store} family of {fates} did I get my wish. It seemed {Kismet}, while they were basically genies in a sense, were still bound by the {fates} on hand.


    As I had multiple families of abilities the chances for my wishes to be fulfilled was definitely higher than the average reaper.


    I saw numerous posts on the forums about people trying to increase the {fates} they could carry. It was perhaps the most discussed topic next to soulgear creation.


    There were plenty of theories, {fate}patibility, the size of the reapers ''cup'' to ept {fates} and the {fate} cost were the most credible ones.


    I always wondered why I could ept {fates} no problem. But then as I scrolled through the topics this morning, something struck me odd.


    The forum posts were all made by manifested, I knew as most announced their {fates}. There was literally no discussion started by the Formless.


    Then I had a thought that sent shudders down my spine.


    ''What if being manifested or Formless affected the cost?''


    If a reapers cup or capacity is preset, then his or her {fate} would already upy a part of that just from being awoken. For normal reaper who had a capacity of 4 avable, If 2 points are needed for a manifested {fate} then it would make sense why they could only have two {fates}.


    Then what if a Formless {fate} only cost 1 point? Wouldn''t it make sense for a Formless reaper to ingest 4 {fates}? How many would the Formless be able to ingest if he had a higher capacity?


    ''What if the only difference between a human and demon was their capacity?''


    All these answers were given to me by my new {Kismet}. So to backtrack, before this day started, I had 4 {kismet}.


    They were {Identify} which allowed me to see the invisible.


    {Loot} which allowed me to see Soulgems.


    {Expose} which showed weaknesses and {Sight} that granted me the ability to increase my brain speed when aiming.


    After my talk with {Store} I gained {Draw} and {Sheath} for a total of six. Myst request needed three load outs. One for tanking, assassination and speed. My {Kismet} couldn''t fulfill my request because of my limit. Thus, the {fates} then took the liberty of restructuring my {kismets}.


    The reason why I almost died a while ago was because of their work. My {fates} molded themselves to fit my purposes leading to the screen I now saw.


    ___


    Name: John Smith


    Rank: Wraith


    Soul Capacity: {Fate} 8/8 | {Kismet} 6/7


    Souls Avable: 3,517 | To evolve: 5,000


    {Fates}


    1. {Rewind} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1 | Owner: Self | Sup: {Save}, {Auto} | Sub: {Reload}, {Regen}


    2. {Code} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Be - 14 D |Sub: {Connect} , {Shutdown}


    3. {Perceive} | Lvl 3 |Cost: 1| Loaned: Jas - 29 D |Sub: {Aim}, {Snipe}


    4. {Listen} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Jo - 29 D | Sub: {Interpret}, {Dampen}


    5. {Withstand} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Liv - 14 D | Sub: {Endure}, {Counter} Sup:{Suffer}


    6. {Carry} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Robyn - 29 D | Sub: {Pack}, {Hike}


    7. {Eat} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Aki - 29 D | Sub: {Gather}, {Digest}


    8. {Store} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Lilly - 14 D | Sub: {Retrieve}, {Stock}, {Withdraw}


    {Kindred} : N/A


    {Kismet} : {Reveal} | {Draw} | {Sheathe} | {Fighter} | {Thief} | {Mage}


    Soulgear:


    ___


    I apparently could only have seven {Kismet}. To make room, my {fates} merged {Identify}, {Expose}, {Loot} and {Sight}. A brand new {kismet} called {Reveal} got created from their work. {Reveal} was simr to the skills it came from just better.


    The {fates} used it on myself which is why I saw my soul capacity and the cost for each {fate}. {Reveal} proved the theories in the reaper forum and exined why I could ingest more than 2 {fates}.


    It was because I had a capacity of 8 and because I only ingested Formless {fates} which all cost only 1 capacity.


    {Reveal} would be useful when I dealt with other reapers in the future as it not only shows me their {fates}, {Kismet} but even their soulgears. As happy as I am about {Reveal} the smile on my face was because of {Fighter}, {Thief} and {Mage}.


    The most iconic archetypes of ssic tabletop and video RPGs the {fates} probably used the terms due to my fondness of them.


    True to my wishes {Fighter} became my defense configuration, while {Thief} was for speed and {Mage} for offense.


    {Fighter}bined my tanking, stamina and observation {fates} plus the programming {fate} {Code} and {Store}. The output was a {Kismet} that specialized in defensive battles that had insane stamina regeneration. The best part? {Code} toggled {Withstand} and {Endure} based on my will.


    Supplemental functions of {Fighter} were to store damage from {Suffer} in my subspace, removing the need to immediately use the kic energy. Lastly its total soul cost was reduced to 300 souls by {Store}, making it extremely cheap.


    {Thief} on the other hand joined agility and sensory {fates} along with {Code} and {Store}. It allowed my body to move like a descendant on top of having senses and reflexes of a superhuman all for 300 souls.


    Supplemental functions were {Code} automatically cast {Pack} on anything I touch without cost as well as giving me insane detection abilities.


    Finally, {Mage} joins {Snipe}, sensory {fates} and {Counter}. Designed to be used after {Fighter}, {Mage} draws the damage absorbed by {Fighter} and infuses my shots with them. None would be able to hide once I hunt them with {Mage}. All for the same 300 souls.


    The pain I experienced a while ago couldn''tpare to the boons I received. The only problem that arose when I used my "modes" was I could not use any other {fate} outside of the {Rewind} family and my {Kismet}.


    Excited, I took half an hour to set up my targets. The blood pumping feeling and hope from my {fates} drove out any doubts from my mind. My partners already gave me the best hand they could, it was now all me.


    I cracked my neck as I prepared for the drills I wanted to do.


    "{Draw} Armory."


    The Smith armory quickly attached themselves to my body in under a second.


    "{Save}, {Sheathe} Armory. {Draw} AR15."


    After I created my starting point, I began test firing the AR15 in single fire, semi auto and full auto.


    "Ugh, my aim sucks. {Thief}. {Draw} AR Mag."


    Without any vision augmentations from {Perceive}, my shots hit some steel targets, but it wasn''t the usually mythical shooting I grew ustomed to. I changed mags and then pulled the charging handle for another go. I slowly moved while firing, "flowers" of paint decorated the stter targets I took out.


    "Good enough. {Draw} Ebony, Ivory."


    I threw the AR15 to the ground after I emptied its ammunition. In the same moment both of my hands grabbed the punisher 1911s that just materialized. Using {Thief''s} exceptional senses, I dual wielded and shot sixteen different steel targets in under four seconds.


    The rapid gong''s sounded like music to my ears. Instead of reloading I dropped the guns and did abat roll before summoning my next set of weapons.


    "{Draw} P30L, 629."


    A ck pistol appeared on my right while a silver revolver appeared on my left. I shot both and managed to hit everything with the P30L. However, being a .44 magnum, the 629 threw my arm back due to recoil after each shot.


    "Shit! Thief does not have Withstand. {Fighter} {Draw} 1887."


    I threw the P30L and dual wielded the Winchester 1887 and the S&W 629 Competitor. Being both high powered rounds I needed to know how my body would react to rapid fire with both.


    Unlike with {Thief} I no longer felt any recoil with the 629, hell even the 10-gauge 1887 handled like a toy.


    "Unfortunately, {Fighter} cannot hit anything at this distance."


    I dropped the 629 and ran forward while firing the 1887. The 10-gauge slugs were so powerful that they ripped apart the 3D mannequins I targeted.


    The exploding stic and foam sent adrenaline through my body, not stopping I moved to my next destination in haste.


    "Next, {Draw} M60." Again discarding my weapon I aimed the newly summoned machine gun at a row of foam targets half a mile away. As the rounds fired away the foam boards got ripped by the 7.62mm NATO bullets as they passed.


    I continued firing nonstop until I ran out and noticed barrel turning orange.


    "Is this a worn-out barrel? {Draw} M60 belt and barrel."


    Using deft movements, I then opened the top cover, grasped the barrel handle rotated the handle upward and pulled the overheated barrel before throwing it away.


    With my left hand I ced the new barrel into the receiver using the gas cylinder as a guide before rotating the handle downward locking it in ce.


    I then pulled the bolt back, closed the charging handle, ced a fresh the ammo belt then mmed the top cover down.


    "Reloading this thing is just a pain in the ass," Iined in annoyance.


    I did a couple more drills with it before I discarded it and drew my next weapon.


    "{Draw} MP5SD."


    Using both hands I aimed at targets around 300 yards and fired. Naturally none of the bullets hit because 9mm rounds cannot travel that far.


    "{Mage}."


    Using {Mage} I continued firing at the steel targets hoping the {Kismet} would lead to better results. But still none of the rounds hit the target.


    I guess I needed to try again when I had kic energy for {Counter}. I dropped the MP5SD and pulled another weapon.


    "{Draw} M24."


    I got on one knee and sniped the 300 yard targets without mercy. I then moved on to 500 then 800 yards scoring excellent shots on both.


    While I am quite pleased with the {Kismet} and the guns. I still had a number of issues I needed to figure out. Luckily I had the entire day to do so.

 Chapter 55: Formless are too versatile.

    For the next 10 hours I did nothing but shooting drills with my entire armory to get my reflexes up to par.


    I tried to see how much stress the guns could handle before breaking and if my body was strong enough to oust them.


    Fortunately, as I had {Reload} and {Rewind} stamina and ammunition were not a problem.


    So far, none of the firing mechanisms broke down over the course of the day. The only exception was the barrel of the M60 which I reced in the morning. Other than that, numerous issues presented themselves which needed my attention.


    Firsts were the sses of my {kismet}, {Fighter} had horrible uracy but handled recoil like champ.


    {Thief} allowed me to move at speeds unthinkable with almost a sonar like perception, but it was brittle as fuck.


    To collect kic energy for {Mage} I shot myself numerous times with various weapons.


    {Fighter} was naturally the best at absorbing the damage, as it had {Regen} thus despite putting holes on my limbs, I still moved unhindered.


    {Thief} which had no damage mitigation nor healing almost turned me into a cripple due to a leg wound with the 1887.


    {Mage} which had {Withstand} was much more durable than {Thief}. And as expected, even the MP5SD could hit targets past 300 meters with {Counter}. A .22 LR from the MK II did as much damage as a .45 ACP if I was in {Mage}.


    uracy wise, {Mage} was the best. {Thief} didn''t augment my sight, but it allowed me to shoot without aiming due to superior senses. In terms of recoil, {Fighter} and {Mage} were just about even.


    In summary the sses did what they were supposed to. The next problem was figuring out which weapon to use in which load out.


    {Thief} allowed me to dual wield, so the de MAC-11s and the Punisher 1911s were perfect for it. Due to having {Pack} and {Carry} even the M60 weighed like a toothpick in this mode.


    The P30L, Mk II and 629 didn''t match well due to the difference in calibers. I could only use calibers my body could handle on its own.


    {Fighter} was perfect for carrying the M60, the 1887 shotgun, and the 629 revolver. If I used this ss especially when I was in closebat the loss in uracy would be eptable.


    I btedly noticed {Withstand} was given even to my guns in this mode allowing me to use them as clubs if needed. A downside was {Fighter} did not have {Carry} so the guns were heavy when I used this ss.


    {Mage} on the other hand worked with everything. Due to {Counter} depending on the situation I could use the energy stores to snipe a target from afar, suppress an entire area or assault a position with superior firepower.


    "Another problem is how to fight while moving about," I contemted.


    I found that almost all the guns jammed when I fired them sideways. The shell casings would get stuck in the receivers due to gravity being tilted. This meant, I couldn''t wildly swing the guns as I fired.


    The M60 had the worse problem as the magazine belt kept snapping in two when I tried to move with it while firing.


    "It seems a shame though. {Carry} and {Pack} gives me so much mobility but it seems I need to stay in ce when using specific weapons. Hmm... d I got these bars from the counter."


    No shooting range worth its salt would not have food in its premises. Delivering freedom naturally made one hungry.


    I took a half a dozen Snickers bars and used {Eat} on them. Just a single bite restored my vitality regardless of if it made any sense.


    In the ten hours that passed my body was pushed to the limit without a meal. I only managed to finish two bars but being re-energized from so little food would definitely mess me up in the long run.


    {Eat} returned stamina it did not provide nutrients nor healing. So, I needed to be careful.


    The sun already set about 2 hours ago. I got a pretty good idea of my abilities and weaknesses, but I still felt unsatisfied. I have been wondering how to iste the problems and solve them.


    For example. The M60 dealt a lot of damage but was heavy, loud and had poor uracy. Trying to fix these using the sses was hard as each had drawbacks in exchange for their strengths.


    "Hey {Carry}, how can I have your effects apply even when I don''t hold it? From your exnation there shouldn''t be a limit to only casting you on things that are in my hands, right? Now that I think about it {Withstand} is the same. Can I not put you in clothes or armor?"


    To keep myselfpany, I began talking to my {fates} as I knew they could somehow understand me.


    Whenever I hit slumps in my work, I normally began talking out loud to see how much of what I believed made sense. If I could apply {fates} to my guns the applications would be worthwhile.


    {Carry} to reduce their weight, {Aim} on their sights or scopes, {Withstand} to reduce recoil and {Dampen} to turn them silent.


    Just these four would turn the firearms to something like airsoft guns. If it was possible then these weapons would no longer need augmentation using the sses.


    "None of you are answering huh? Let us just test it then. {Draw} 1887. M60 already had too much time in the spotlight, and you have the hardest kick among your sisters. {Withstand}, {Aim}, {Dampen}, {Carry}."


    I invoked my {fates} on the Winchester 1887 shotgun. By using either buckshots or slugs I could fire 20 big pellets or a projectile asrge as my thumb.


    For the record a standard 9mm only has a projectile the size of your pinky''s fingernail.


    Output wise the 1887 slugs could not only pierce a zombie head but explode itpletely. I grew excited at the thought of spin cocking this iconic weapon on zombies.


    The Formless {fates} gave no indication if the {fates} got epted, as my soul count dropped, I hoped they did. Normally no one would risk using souls on an item.


    I mean {Withstand}, {Aim}, {Dampen} and {Carry} had abined cost of 450 souls or otherwise $9,000.


    Granting that a brand new 1887 was only $3,000, that would give anyone an idea of how insane my idea was. But it was already close to night, and I still had over 700 souls so why not?F


    "Okay, moment of truth. {Reveal}."


    ___


    Name: Winchester 1887 Level action shotgun


    Condition: Excellent


    Caliber: 10 Gauge


    Ammo Capacity: 6 | Spare Ammo: 24


    {Fate} Augments: {Withstand} 23 H | {Aim} 23 H | {Carry} 23 H | {Dampen} 23 H


    ___


    I couldn''t help but cheer out loud when I saw the status of my shotgun. For the next day the shotgun would fight with {fate} augments.


    "Damn, Formless are too versatile! Well, no use in thinking about that. I wonder what would happen if I used Auto on an augmented weapon? {Draw} Armory. {Auto}."


    To test my theory, I pulled out all my equipment and refreshed my {Auto}. I then noted the time limits on the 1887 and resumed shooting some targets with the MAC-11s.


    "Hmm, I need to apologize to my dad, these weird lookingpensators work like a charm."


    Most guns when firing have the gases from the gun powder explosions travel down their barrels. This led to the end of the guns or the muzzles rising from the force.


    Compensators were either devices attached to a gun''s muzzle to either disperse the gasses quicker or divert them. The former were known as muzzle breaks thetter were known as sh hiders.


    The 1911''s, the AR15, P30L and the MAC-11 all had muzzle breaks on them. So, their uracy was higher than normal guns. What was weird though was MAC-11s were rarely givenpensators.


    They had high velocity but used pistol ammunition, so the recoil was manageable with a stock and a vertical grip. But as de used his MAC-11s like pistols, he probably thoughtpensators would be a good idea.


    I tried to maximize {Thief} by spinning or firing blind with the MAC-11s. I found that firing by sweeping them would always cause them to jam.


    But shooting semi-auto at a specific target upside down did not. So long as the gun was straight the bullets didn''t cause an issue.


    With this I could use my right MAC-11 for the left and front. While my left MAC-11 would be for my back and right. Moving my arm back also prevented my arms for being tangled.


    Even the 1911''s worked well with this setup. This way even if I get surrounded, I could defend myself from multiple sides.


    As I figured out new ways to fight, I fired weapon after weapon, round after round. After I used up everything, I proceeded to chuck a few grenades and found that they were recreated upon reloading or rewinding.


    When I pulled the 1887 the timer for the {fate} augments were now at 20 hours signifying the passage of 4 hours.


    Toplete my test, I needed to see if my guess was correct. Originally, I though the timers wouldn''t move inside my subspace like most things did.


    Turns out {fates} brokemon sense, even in a ce where time stopped the {fate} durations still counted down.


    "{Draw} Armory, {Save}, {Rewind}."


    Rewinding in ce I checked and saw that the magazines were all refilled. I quickly pulled out the 1887 and used {Reveal}.


    __________________________________


    Name: Winchester 1887 Lever action shotgun


    Condition: Excellent


    Caliber: 10 Gauge


    Ammo Capacity: 6 | Spare Ammo: 24


    {Fate} Augments: {Withstand} 23 H | {Aim} 23 H | {Carry} 23 H | {Dampen} 23 H


    __________________________________


    "FUCK YEAH! WAY TO GO REWIND!"


    With the 1200 rounds I had, I fired them all none stop over the course of the day. As I rewinded and reloaded four times my total bullet count would be about 6000 rounds.


    Yet I still went home exhausted with 1200 rounds. I slowly began to associate myself with the word limitless and tomorrow night, Hellsgate would too.

 Chapter 56: I am fucking free!

    After I dropped the keys off at Earl''s I went to a cheap hotel nearby and got some shut eye. Earl was worried when I showed up close to midnight looking like shit. The man almost forced me to sleep on his couch. But as Earl already had two daughters of age, I thought it was not appropriate.


    When morning came my body woke up exactly at 6:00 AM. This was half an hourter than I when usually woke up. Why did I needed to get up again?


    "Ugh, shit, I''m going to bete for work. I don''t want to go." The drowsiness in my eyes wouldn''t go away as I got up half asleep. The Monday mornings were the worse part of my life. The monotonous paperwork, den of scheming back stabbers, credit grabbing bosses and the thankless exhaustion were all what I had to endure.


    "Wait! Why did I need to again?"


    People didn''t want to die, to not die people must eat. To eat one must either raise livestock, hunt or gather. If you couldn''t, you pay someone else to do so. To have enough money to pay someone you needed to have a job to earn money.


    "WAIT! HOLD UP! One, I already died. Two, I didn''t even need to eat. And three, I earn way more killing undead than working at my job."


    I then sat back down on the bed as my world view got smashed to bits. After a while I started to chuckle uncontrobly. It then turned to heartyughter before turning into full blown hollering.


    "HAHAHAHAHA! I AM FUCKING FREE!!!!! I NO LONGER NEED TO GO TO WORK!!!!!"


    Just saying this statement caused unimaginable pleasure that shot up through my veins like a drug. To many their job was just a means to eat. It held not their joy, passion or even interest. There were few who were blessed to be the exceptions to the rule. Unfortunately, I wasn''t one of them.


    I got hired at the department of transport after graduating. Due to my poor records, I hardly had anywhere else better to go. How many people in the world across countries, races and social sses just wanted to be free from the burden of working.


    "Well, if you consider my new job is killing or dying to the undead, I guess it is not much better," I quipped to myself.


    Yet unlike earth my fate in Hellsgate relied on no one else but me. Even if the stakes were higher, I felt more alive in hell than I ever did outside of it. I lied back on the bed as relief flooded my system. Right, as a reaper I now could earn substantially more from the undead than any job on earth.


    These past two days have been fruitful as I got 48 hours to take care of my stuff. Once Hellsgate opens, I need to fight for an entire night and use the morning after to rest and prepare for the next night. And unlike my job, there was no vacation from Hellsgate. I will be fighting till it closes or death takes me a second time.


    "Maybe this would the best time to cut off all my ties to humanity."


    With my mind made up I went to the bathroom and took a shower. I then went to the breakfast buffet and ate my fill.


    I loaded tes with sausages, toast, fried eggs, pancakes, waffles and a lot of bacon. A cup of ck coffeepleted my meal. While {Eat} restored my stamina it did notpletely negate my hunger.


    As reapers were spiritual beings, did we even needed to eat to survive? I just noticed that I actually knew nothing about reapers, not the simple stuff anyway. I didn''t know our gic makeup, what we ate to how we reproduced.


    "Which reminds me I remember both Aki and Be saying something about reaper sex."


    While eating I pulled out the reaper phone and began looking at the FAQs. There were hardly any people as this hotel was hardly 1st ss. Luckily the breakfast buffet was good. I searched across the FAQ app with the keyword "Sex" and I found an article.


    [Reapers and Reproduction]


    [Reapers while devoid of any physical urges still retain the capacity for both sexual intercourse and reproduction. Simr to eating and breathing, this human instinct requires years of conscious training to remove. Reaper sex however carries dangers the prior two do not. Rules are enforced by the battlefronts due to this fact.


    [Wraiths in particr are in a extremely vulnerable position as they had yet to limate to their new identities. Reapers are spiritual beingsposed of soul and essence. Sexual climaxes, particrly for male Wraiths contains a huge amount of their essence.


    [Transferring arge amount of a reaper''s essence to another is several times more pleasurable than mere human sex. Unfortunately, reapers have an innate instinct where we "thirst" for essence. This causes wraiths to literally drain each other to death after they experience reaper climaxes.


    [It is only when reapers be phantoms do they gain enough essence that sex would no longer be an issue. This stage is also when they have enough self-control to resist their instincts. Children born from reapers are known as Descendants. Born as humans, these children possess bodies almost as strong as phantoms before their death.


    [This potential is further magnified once the child dies and awakens their {fate}. The best time to awaken a child would be around 21-24 years of age. Killing a Descendant is considered a crime against Hellsgate and would incur the death penalty.


    [For your own safety, please evolve to phantoms first before procreating. Also remember to notify your handlers if you are able to conceive Descendants. Remember that making babies is also to save the world. May your fate end the darkness, Reaper!]


    "¡­"


    Why was I no longer surprised at how insane the world of reapers was. So, reaper sex was so good it supposedly fried one''s brain and have wraiths drink each other dry. The stuff about Descendants I already knew from Jas and Jo.


    Still, I wonder how good it would feel. Was reaper pussy so different from human ones? I wondered if there woulde a time I mate with another reaper. Would I really bring Descendants into this fucked up world?


    I finished my meal and checked out. I then took the metro and went to my office. Upon arriving around 10 AM, the same old faces greeted me. I had been working in this ce for over five years, yet I failed to remember any of them. My life here had only three beats,e in, work and go home.


    To anyone who mingled with me I yed the role of quiet officemate. Returning the greetings with a simple wave I slowly walked into my cubicle.


    It felt weird knowing that this would be thest day I would see this ce. Yet the happiness overtook whatever mncholy I might have had. I booted up my slow assputer and began typing my resignation letter.


    Because I no longer needed a referral or reference to the future, I listed out my thoughts as brutal as I could. Everything from my fuck up moron of a boss, to my retardedzy ass co-workers, to the boring idiotic work that should have been automated ten years ago if management just took the time to upgrade.


    As I wrote a woman came to my cubicle and mmed arge stack of folders on my desk. I forgot her name, but this was the office''s girlfriend. By that I mean she has dated and slept with everyone in the office.


    "John! Happy Monday! Listen, I will be going on a cruise to the Caribbean with the boss this Thursday. Won''t you be a good boy and finish up all this files for me? They came in bulkst week and I only had time to do like two of them. In return I will give you free ess to my onlyfans for a week.


    Deal?"


    I normally epted such a deal not because I was interested in her porn career but because my boss gave me ck if I didn''t help her. But that wasn''t the case today.


    "Look woman. Your saggy boobs and loose holes are not worth that pile of crap you brought. I will be resigning today so I suggest you find another way before you get your dumbass of a lover fired for your stupidity."


    "Excuse me?!" The woman gasped in disbelief.


    I ignored the slut, printed out my letter and walked out of my cubicle. Still ck jawed the woman remained in front of my desk like a statue even after I left.


    "Yo! John! Perfect timing! I got here over 200 audit forms for you toplete! I have a hot date tonight so I can''t spare the time to do them."


    A man blocked my way carrying over arge stack of paperwork. This fucker regrly dumped work on me and threatened to beat me up if I didn''tply. As I couldn''t afford to get fired over such matters, I acquiesced to him and became his errand boy.


    "{Thief}."


    But that ended today. I threw my letter in the air and mmed my fists over forty times into the man in front of me. He naturally dropped the files onto the ground as he crumpled like a paralytic messy heap.


    After the hell I went through, humans were nothing in my eyes. I made sure to hit only his torso so no one would notice the bruises. The assault took him by surprise as he began to vomit blood.


    I cupped his mouth with my hand before mming my knee into his sternum. I caught my falling letter as I leaned into his ear then tried invoking death resonance for the first time.


    "Show yourself in front of me again and next time, there won''t be anything left of you to bury."


    No waiting for a reply I left him on the ground choking fromck of oxygen. Unperturbed I turned around and headed towards the boss, letter in hand. When I looked around, I noticed everyone in the office all stood up and stared silently in my direction. Naturally they all had faces as pale as snow.

 Chapter 57: I quit.

    ''Heh, so this was the power of a reaper.''


    I arrived in my boss'' office as he was speaking on the phone. The discussion seemed heated as the man was gripping the office phone quite tightly.


    "I don''t care what you want. I am the boss. So? What if it could increase efficiency? I said we stick to pen and paper and that is final! ¡­ Look, you asshole.


    You are being paid to process documents not to think."


    Oh? It seemed like the bastard was up to his old tactics. The only reason he refused to modernize was he got hefty bribes to process documents discretely. If he made everything faster, he would have lost his hidden revenue stream.


    "This is yourst warning. The next time you submit a suggestion like that behind my back again will be yourst day in the office as well! UNDERSTOOD?"


    The fat bastard then mmed the phone onto the receiver and finally noticed I was at the front of his office. He waved his hands to wee me in.


    "Well, if isn''t my favorite employee, John Smith! My man what can I do for you today?"


    I didn''t let the warm wee faze me. On top of using me to cover for his office romance, I was the only one who knew of his bribes. You would think he would at least give me a cut from all the money he got. But supposedly my contribution was only worth a bucket of chicken from KFC.


    "Boss, here is my resignation letter, I quit."


    "HAHAHAHA! Good one! What a funny joke! If you have time to crack jokes just get back to work John," He retorted in amusement.


    Unwilling to spare a second more in this room, I took a paper weight from his desk ced my letter below it and prepared to leave the room.


    The boss quickly retrieved my letter and read it as I left. Despite working for him I only knew him as "Boss". As he treated me like a drone, I never bothered learning even his name.


    Originally, I tried to work as hard as I could to get promoted. But this bastard took my idea and presented it while I was out sick. The idea led to him getting promoted. When I tried to tell the office it was my idea, they treated me like a madman.


    After that day, I no longer bothered doing my best. If wickedness and dishonesty were what allowed one to push forward, then I didn''t want to be part of it. But as Boss became the department head, I couldn''t go against him, not unless I still wanted to get paid.


    I literally became his ve, all because I needed the money. I swallowed my disgust, frustrations and anger all so I could continue to live quietly. Yet when I died, I understood it was all a mistake. By cutting myself to fit in, I tormented my soul. It was my decision not him nor my shitty officemates.


    "JOHN! WAIT!!! THIS HAS TO BE A MISTAKE! YOU CAN''T QUIT! I FORBID IT!"


    The loud shout called the attention of the entire floor. I turned around to see a red-faced angry man, in his hand my crumpled-up resignation letter. How odd¡­ What power did this bastard thought he had over me?


    As I saw no need to spare a reply, I ignored his childish tantrum and continued walking towards the door. The people watching all began talking in hushed tones, I could hear their words, but it wasn''t particrly interesting.


    Someone then tried to stop me by grabbing my arm. The boss was even shorter than me at around 5''7'''' so he had neither the mass nor strength to dominate me even when I was human.


    "JOHN! ARE YOU LISTENING? I SAID YOU CAN''T GO! WHAT ABOUT YOUR WORK? WHO WILL FINISH EVERYTHING IF YOU LEAVE! MANAGEMENT WILL KILL ME IF WE DON''T DELIVER!" The man shouted hysterically.


    We? Since when did this bastard include me in anything? He simply used me just to get away with doing less work and even took bribes! There was never a "we", there was only him and me!


    "I missed the part where that is my problem? There are 25 people on the team, find someone else. Maybe if you took less time fucking the office slut and kissing the ass of crime lords you would be able to deliver," I replied coldly.


    Shrugging off his arm I turned and resumed my walk towards the exit.


    "Why are you doing this? Is it the money? I will give you a raise! 5%! Just get back to work!"


    When he noticed I didn''t even look back he kept shouting offers to make me change my mind.


    "10%! 15%! Alright 20! I will raise your sry by 20%! Just stay! I will even give you a week off!


    Two weeks! Three weeks!"


    I then heard the loud footsteps of an overweight man charging towards me.


    "John! We are friends, right? I would get fired even killed if I don''t finish those audits on time! You don''t want that right? Come on! Have a heart!


    Stop being so difficult!"


    Hearing that he could get killed I stopped in my tracks.


    "See? Thats what I am talking about, you are a good guy at heart John! Of course, you can''t bear to see your beloved boss get hurt right? Right?"


    How in the world was it possible for people to get so fucking delusion like this? Beloved boss? You? Holy fuck! I just felt like I got insulted by the highest order. The man approached me believing I stopped for him.


    There was a desk beside me. I took a pencil on the desk and buried it upright into the t surface in one quick movement. As I was still in {Thief}, right now not even all the security guards in this buildingbined could touch me.


    I turned around and grabbed my ex-boss and smashed his head into the desk in one with a loud bang. I held him by the neck and twisted his arm at the shoulder. The sound of it popping meant I dislocated the limb.


    "AHHHHHH!!!!! MY ARM!!!!! SOMEONE CALL SECURITY!"


    Having felt as sense of happiness from getting revenge, I lifted his face and again mmed his face into the desk. Luckily the one I was mming him against was entirely made out of hardwood, so it didn''t copse.


    My boss turned quiet and began whimpering like a dog as his head started to bleed. I then moved my face closer as I whispered into his ear like a demon.


    "Listen, Boss. You are the greediest dumbass bastard I have ever met. See the pencil in front of you? If I mmed you just a bit forward that would have entered your brain through your ear, just like in batman."


    The man then looked at the pencil just inches away from his face. Probably scared to death, he started to shake and tremble while whispering what sounded like a hail Mary. A musty scent like dog urine began to stink up the surroundings.


    ''Well fuck he even pissed himself,'' Imented.


    Not wanting a waste even a second longer I again came closer as I continued.


    "You know all those deals you did under the table? Do you know I normally had to work three days straight just to finish those on time? It must have felt good lining up your pockets with money from criminals and drug dealers, didn''t it?"


    Just then loud ding''s rang out from everyputer in the office. Weird murmurs and hushed whispers began going around everyone. The boss who wondered why numerous people looking at him with eyes of disgust.


    "Hear that? That was the sound of an email st to thepany directory. They just received a copy of your emails with known crime lords and drug kingpins. This is my final gift to you. I suggest for you to start running. If the authorities do not arrest you, your "friends" might put you in a box instead."


    I then let go of his arm as I exited the office floor. This incident would mark my departure from real life. Even if they tried, they wouldn''t be able to track me. After all I was already invisible to cameras and CCTV.


    Like a literal ghost I did not know how my actions would appear on video, but I didn''t care. My time as a human ended. Even if police tried, I was no longer someone they could control. Besides, the scandal of the corruption would drown out news of my disappearance.


    Who would care about one disgruntled employee? Especially when the head auditor for the government has proven correspondence with known criminals in hiding. Drug runners and hitmen normally needed get away vehicles and the like.


    As the ones in charge of approving licenses and vehicle registrations, we could get them clean ghost cars that could not be traced. Being on pen and paper made this process even easier to do.


    In the future, the number of times I would interact with humans would be limited. So effectively this would be myst appearance as John Smith as far as the government was concerned. As I left, I heard loud voices probably from the employees and the weeping of my former boss.


    Security came in force, yet they just passed by me without noticing my departure. They wouldn''t understand what they saw in the security footage and couldn''t know that the perpetrator was me.


    Maybe that''s why the lowest levels of reaper were called Wraiths. Unlike ghosts which only appear after one has died and haunt a specific ce. A wraith was something shortly seen before someone died.


    The only thing that would be left of me after today would be the faint traces of the man once known as John Smith.

 Chapter 58: I will lick even your toes.

    Leaving my old office, I walked outside and basked in the sun. Unimaginable how light I would feel just from leaving that hellhole I called my job. Manuded itself as the wisest creature. Yet only man would willingly force themselves to go to a ce that, not only made them miserable but also harmed them in all aspects.


    "We are just ves to money and capitalism I guess."


    Feeling my very being free of burden for the very first time, I enjoyed the sights as I walked. Despite being reborn as a reaper who associated with death I now walked among the living. Mingling with them it was kind of frightening if you thought about it.


    The reaper phone in my pocket suddenly started ringing, I checked, and the caller Id said Isthar. I picked up the call and found a wall to lean against.


    "Good morning Lilly, how are you?"


    [Oh my. Who are you and what have you done to my dear lover?]


    "I am not your lover Lilly. Anyway, what can I do for you? I am in a pretty good mood so take advantage of it."


    [I have noticed. How splendid. Dear, if you don''t mind me asking may I ask what ced you in such a pleasant mood?]


    "I don''t mind. And we are no strangers. I just came from my office and handed in my resignation. I am now officially unemployed. I just felt light. Never noticed how much miserable I made myself by working there."


    [Should I burn them to the ground? Just say the world and I will hunt even everything from the people, dogs to even the cockroaches.]


    In her own twisted way, the Phantom of North America showed how much she valued me. I found myself chucking and gave her my heartfelt thanks.


    "Thank you dear, but that won''t be necessary. I already made a mess and exposed a corruption scandal, so I am good. Speaking of which, me going in there and dislocating a man''s arm shouldn''t be an issue right?"


    [¡­]


    "Lilly?"


    [I am fine, I just find this side of you ¡­ Disarming. I noticed your harem called you terms of endearment, so I joined in to tease you. I never expected being on the receiving end to be so ¡ª embarrassing.]


    "Haha, I now have another one more of your weaknesses my dear. I can stop if you want me to."


    [Please don''t. I am already intoxicated from hearing it. Regarding the incident at your office, I will handle it. All records of you there will be erased. You no longer need to worry about it.]


    "Thank you, Lilly. I will try to be careful when addressing you. Anyway, what did you have to talk about dear?"


    [Ah, I wanted to give you an update. Forgive me but I won''t be able toe back until Wednesday. Arge number of reapers are trying to get into the battlefront and a lot of them have shady backgrounds. I am being asked to fill in due to the field agents helping out with the paperwork.]


    "Hmm, is that so. The girls told me that as well, it appears that at least three continents are looking for me."


    [Where did you hear such information? Do you have a handler I don''t know about?]


    "I don''t, the sources are the girls. ording to them South America, Australia and Europe are digging up information about John Smith the Formless."


    [How amazing, even without any support you already have allies from multiple continents. You don''t have to worry about North America. My father is treating everything about you as top secret.]


    Well, that was something I didn''t expect. David Thomas, the lunatic that could punch nukes into existence was helping me. I should tell him my thanks.


    "Please tell him that I appreciate it. Oh! I wanted to ask what are sponsors and handlers? People keep telling me or asking about them. Could you please teach me dear. You are the only one I can ask."


    [¡­ that is unfair. If you keep being like this, I will race there just to step on you.]


    Originally, I thought she was a masochist, then a pervert. It turned out she was just a confused sadist. Unfortunate for her I have been ying such games with Be already so I could tease circles around her.


    "If you give me what I want, I will even lick your toes and call you my queen."


    [¡­ do not temp me further John Smith. Even since I got involved with you my head has been a mess. I am extremely close to being unable to resist.]


    "Haha, I am kidding, anyway can you please answer me dear?"


    [Good grief you are a horrible incubus do you know that? Sigh¡­ A sponsor is anyone who will fund your equipment or intercede on your behalf in negotiations. This is in exchange for protection and favors in the future. A handler is a guardian of sorts.]


    [Fledgling reapers who stand out too much tend to attract the wrong crowd. A handler is the wall that blocks such things as they would respond with force if their charges were harmed.]


    I see, so being sponsored was like a business transaction. On the other hand, the handlers would be like guardians who protect those under them. Both may seem the same, but they had different implications.


    "I see, thank you for the info, dear. It is shame you aren''t here but know that I miss having you by my side. Won''t you try toe back earlier? I will let do what you want with me if you do," I teased.


    [Wait for me.] came her emotionless reply.


    A loud crash echoed in the phone''s speaker, along with voices from multiple people all taking over each other. It sounded like absolute chaos.


    [MISS BROWNING WAIT!! WAIT FOR US!! Shit! Why the hell is the princess going wild? I don''t know! She was just on the phone, maybe she got critical intel?


    AFTER HER! Where is she going? Someone, reign her in! Then you do it if you are so smart asshole!]


    It seemed my joke went overboard. How interesting. Simr to Be and Jasmine, Lilly seemed to be also adorable to tease. To prevent her from being seen in a bad light I dropped the call.


    "Hmm. So, what do I do now? I have trained as much as I could and quit my job. My days from here on out would be used for matters concerning Hellsgate. ording to the FAQ Reapers will be summoned at 8 PM. I still have over 9 hours to spare."


    I decided to use the time to sight see. There was something in wandering without a destination and goal in mind. For the first time in a long while I felt free. Couples, families and busy looking professionals walked and dashed through the intersections.


    From an outsiders point of view the area seemed serene without any worries in the world. Yet behind each life were doubts, sadness and regret as well the potential to be a reaper. How odd. The longer I looked the more I lost the values as I had as a human.


    "Death is not the end but just the beginning. For a reaper there would be no better saying."


    As I walked something fell on my shoulder with a soft t. The foul stench of bird shit together with the disgusting stter told me all I needed to know. I scanned the sky and saw a flock of birds flying low overhead.


    "This birdbrained fucker. {Draw} MK II. {Aim}"


    I summoned the Ruger assassin gun and took aim of the bird with the wet anus. I think you called that a pigeon or something. The silent .22 Long Rifle would be enough to murder the little shit from distance. I raised the gun for everyone to see then squeezed the trigger.


    A soft pluck resounded while the fat fuck fell from the sky. The rest of its friends didn''t even notice its death. As the MK II hardly made a sound, the people would just think it was a toy. While some red at me, I just smiled, and they left me alone.


    "Shame, no one would even notice you are gone you piece of shit. {Sheathe}."


    With my vengeancepleted I then tried to wipe the bird shit off my shoulder. I took a good look at the clothes I wore. It was a worn-out brown suit with a white shirt and a striped tie.


    Standard office worker clothes. I then tried to remember when was thest time I bought new clothes for anything outside of work?


    "Probably before Caroline and I got together?"


    Right now, my suit was just the uniform I bought to at least look decent. As it was made from cheap materials it didn''t look very good, nor did it fit me perfectly, but it got the job done.


    Currently even my pants were kind of loose, as I lost a lot of the weight. I was wearing pants from college. Naturally, fashion wise they looked like shit.


    A uniform became the identity of the upation. And since I now became a reaper, I should have a new one as well. My mind drifted back to the ck trench coat of Rnd Winchester and the white military uniforms of Lilly''s unit. If I wanted to get respected, I needed to look the part at least.


    I searched for men''s suits on my cheap ass phone and got directed to Men''s Apparel Club. Upon entering I got greeted by two male tailors and one of them said something I didn''t expect.


    "May your fate end the darkness esteemed one. Wee to our humble shop, how may we serve?"


    Well. This shopping trip suddenly got way more interesting.

 Chapter 59: Clothes Maketh the man.

    "You know what I am?" I asked in curiosity.


    The man then took off his sses and bowed slightly. Another male tailor quickly shut the curtains around their windows and flipped the open signage to close.


    "I do esteemed one. There is a mirror ced directly above the door. While it had a more mundane purpose it allowed my brother and I to find out beings such as yourself who hide in in sight."


    My eyes darted towards the door and indeed noticed a mirror ced above it. Those entering would hardly notice it was there, but from the position of the tailors they would immediately notice I had no reflection. Upon turning around, I pulled the P30L and aimed at the tailor''s forehead.


    "Who are you with? You have three seconds before I send you to hell."


    The tailor who was an old man didn''t panic but continued talking.


    "This shop is affiliated with IRIS, esteemed one. My father became a wraith during the second world war. For those of us who are the weaknesses of reapers we are taken under protection and are given livelihoods to survive."


    I didn''t know how many humans knew of the reapers but having a way to detect a reaper at the door definitely meant these guys were part of the world of the agents of hell. His exnation did make sense though.


    If you had 2000 reapers, the number that had families would no doubt be arge number as well. Instead of having a bunch of useless humans, making them intoborers would be the best course of action.


    "How many shops are affiliated with IRIS in this state? What would you do if Trinity finds out? Could you even defend yourselves?"


    The old man then pulled out a small gem out of his pocket as he said with mncholy.


    "Esteemed one, Trinity only cares about the humans of powerful reapers. My father fell in the line of duty over ten years ago, this was his soul gem. Thus, my shop and I no longer hold any importance to them. As to how many, I have no idea, IRIS only sends us a check every month. I do not know of any other shop in Arizona run by the forsaken."


    I used {Reveal} on the marble on his hand and proved his story was true.


    ___


    Name: Gerard Sabre


    Rank: Wraith


    Soul Capacity: {Fate} 2/4 | {Kismet} 0/1


    Souls Avable: 0 | To evolve: 400


    {Fates}1. {Surgeon} Lvl 2 | Cost: 2 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Excision}


    {Kindred}: N/A


    {Kismet}: N/A


    Soulgear:


    ___


    Why was that little stone being treated a reaper? From the looks of this Gerard didn''t even manage to grow much before dying. If reapers were spiritual beings, then does that mean that only the Soulgems were considered our physical bodies?


    "Forsaken?" I repeated like a parrot.


    "The humans left behind by the reapers. That is what IRIS calls us."


    How cruel. They got a pension thatsted longer than 10 years, but the term was needlessly heartless. So¡­ Hidden in in sight were thousands of Forsaken protected by IRIS. I somehow felt this didn''t match the usual M.O. of the evil bastards.


    ''Granting that their rtives died, these guys would already hate the undead with a passion. Maybe they intent to turn the Forsaken as a backup reaper pool?'' I theorized.


    Still, it didn''t matter to me as I had no humans rted to me. I used {Sheathe} on the P30L and apologized to the ones here.


    "I am sorry for my rudeness, I didn''t know Gerard, but I am sure he used his life to protect Hellsgate."


    No matter how the reaper fought and died knowing what I knew of them I couldn''t spit on their memories. Selfish or not Gerard Sabre went to hell of his own volition and fought for the living. His family didn''t deserve to have his achievement belittled.


    "Oh? You figured out his name just from seeing this? Truly your ways are mysterious. No harm meant esteemed one. To the forsaken, anyone still fighting in Hellsgate is a living hero. How can we help you today?"


    "I wish for a ck suit like John Wick. I will be returning to hell tonight and wish to dress appropriately."


    "Is that so? Then please let me use my meager skills to ensure you are dressed to kill before your return."


    The tailor and his assistant took my measurements in record time and picked out a few suits with ck shirts. The suits were off the rack, so they offered me ones made from wool, cotton and linen. I tried one on and noticed I lost weight again. My body was probably already fit enough to join the military.


    "Clothes maketh the man," I murmured a quote I heard from a movie.


    "What color do you want the tie to be mister¡­"


    "Smith¡­ John Smith."


    "Ah, yes. What tie would you like Mr. Smith? We do not have ck ties at the moment."


    "Hmm. How about a white one then?"


    "Right away."


    The assistant then showed me a box with half a dozen white ties with various decorations. They looked nice in a choir boy sort of way. It didn''t seem to match the outfit I wore though. I had on a ck single-breasted suit with peakpels made from wool.


    As the material was durable, breathable andfortable I went with what was practical. The trousers were pleated which ording to the tailor was more traditional. I didn''t actually care about such things. But what I found impressive was how sharp I looked.


    I couldn''t look at the mirror, so I instead used {Perceive} to look at the eyes of the forsaken and looked at my appearance from their irises. It seemed that the tailor altered the suit like lighting to match my exact build. For shoes I just got a clean pair of ck colored oxfords at the suggestion of the assistant.


    From how well everything fit I would have believed it if they told me this was custom. I took a few steps and did some wide movements to see how the suit felt. I even drew the P30L out again and mimicked some John Wick posters I saw.


    "Mr. Smith, about the ties. None of the ones here match you. Why not try this?"


    The son of Jack Sabre then showed me a red necktie. As it flowed towards the ground, I hallucinated and saw a wave of blood raging like a waterfall. Unsure what I saw I checked the tie and was pleased with the look and feel of it.


    ''What the hell was that? The stress is making me see things.''


    I then faced the assistant and tied it on my neck, using his eyes I checked to see if I had it on crooked or not. The tailor smiled were he saw my reactions. With the suitpleted I felt like a brand-new man.


    "You look amazing esteemed one."


    "Thank you, how much is the total bill?" I inquired.


    "The totales to $2000."


    "Do you ept digital payments?"


    "We do esteemed one."


    I used my cheap ass phone and sent them $3000. Immediately the Tailor tried to correct the error.


    "Mr. Smith you sent too much."


    "Keep it, it''s a tip. Instead, I have a favor to ask. If you find any information about IRIS or the forsaken tell me the next time Ie in."


    "Understood esteemed one. May your fate end the darkness. Happy hunting."


    Both the tailor and assistant then bowed their heads down low as I walked out of their shop. I tended to forget due to being surrounded by amazing girls. Out of the 20,000 reapers in the enlistment over 19,000 died. Dying in Hellsgate was a natural conclusion for many of my kind.


    Even if one graduated to be a Phantom or a Specter the responsibilities and expectations naturally increased. And tonight, I would dive into such a world for the first time. I naturally wanted to make sure I had everything ready.


    I brought a suit which would be my uniform, due to my {fates} it didn''t matter if it got destroyed. My guns, {fate} and kismet were also ready. As tempting it was to train using the remaining time, I didn''t think it would make a difference. I also still had four snicker bars in my storage.


    "Hmm¡­ why not increase supplies then. I don''t need medical ones, but it doesn''t hurt to have some."


    With a new destination in hand, I went into a Mcdonalds and ordered twenty-five big macs. This along with the Snicker bars would be my stamina boosters with {Eat}. Suddenly I remember the memes about video game characters being immortal so long as they had food.


    "Haha I''m going to be a living meme."


    Next, I went to a local drugstore and bought bandages, antiseptic, burn creams and fever medicine. I then spent the next hour browsing Graveyard, specifically the [Buy and Sell] section looking for cheap {Heal} tablets like the ones the girls used. I found a seller who sold his for 500 souls a piece.


    I bought them and was told Graveyard would send them to me when I get summoned into Hellsgate. I next returned to my apartment to terminate my lease and stored my stuff inside my storage.


    At around 5 PM the sun in its final moments of glory before setting by the time I finished everything I wanted to do. As hard as I tried to keepposed, the slow ticking of the clock was like a noose around my neck gradually tightening.


    Would I be able toe back? Were my preparations enough? Such questions hounded my mind the entire time. Without even a ce to crash, I ended up wandering towards the spot I died.


    Here in this ce was where my life took a wild turn. Dying here made me into a reaper. In Hellsgate I murdered over twenty-five people in cold blood and abandoned at least three more to their demise. I danced with death so much we were already intimate.


    I met seven Formless who became my allies and witness the power of David Thomas who acknowledged me. I took down undead by the hundreds, on top of a Rank D undead brute which everyone thought was impossible.


    The future certainly was unpredictable, yet until I drew breath, I never intended to stop fighting. I calmed my nerves and steadied my will. After 5 more hours passed. I felt the pull from my very soul and got summoned back to Hellsgate.

 Chapter 60: Let me pass!

    The summoning into hell felt weird. It was like being in an elevator from a high rise building that sped down. A pressure built up into my ears while a ringing sound like tinnitus red into my skull. I found myself kneeling on the ground about to throw up when I opened my eyes.


    "Shit, this is like a hangover but a thousand times worse," I couldn''t help butin.


    I forced myself to swallow back my dinner and looked up around me. Hundreds of people were appearing and walking about in a clean white area. There were others like me who were also puking their guts on the floors however they were the minority.


    Arge number of men and women of various races and ethnicities appeared and walked towards the exit like they just got out of the elevator.


    ''Those must be the seasoned reapers. I mean if you had to deal with this every night sooner orter it would lose its novelty and just be a nuisance.''


    Afterposing myself I stood up and followed the reapers towards the exits. I then noticed the gear most of the people wore. They looked like characters from a fantasy novel.


    Some were dressed in full medieval armor; others were dressed in robes while arge number wore what looked like tough looking leather armor.


    Due to wearing a suit I heard a lot of them snicker andment at my attire. Obviously, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I experimented using {Thief} before the summon and it seemed to have worked. With {Thief}''s built in {Perceive} and {Listen} I eavesdrop on the hundreds of conversations going around.


    "Yo, check out that guy. He reminds me of the assholes that sell encyclopedias."


    "Haha! I know right? Maybe he sells washing machines instead or some crap. Who the helles here in a suit? This fucker must be poor or something."


    "Wanna bet if he makes it through the night?"


    "You''re on. 50 souls, Let''s follow him to know what his reaper id is."


    Reaper Id? So, this Id allowed you to identify an individual reaper? Well, I don''t me them. Compare to the gear of the ones around me I was indeed poor as fuck. But that would change the moment I get on the battlefield, so I was not worried.


    What struck me odd however was the air in this ce. Unlike in the enlistment here I felt souls lingering in the very air we breathe. It was not only extremely pleasant but enriching, like I finally found fresh air. My body grew energized just from staying in this ce.


    Ignoring the two reapers moving towards me, I followed the crowed and noticed the exits having two small bright booths at the end. One had arge signage that read "Wee to the North American Battlefront." Majority of the people passed by this booth and touched what looked like a sensor.


    The other booth had a different sign that said "Reaper Registration" this booth barely had anyone heading towards it.


    "The crowded one on the right must be for regr reapers while the one on the left is for new reapers. Seems simple enough."


    I broke from the pack and headed towards the booth on the left. When I arrived at the counter a slovenly looking man in a tattered suit suddenly showed up. He had a thin mustache, wore sunsses and had an angry sneer on his face.


    ''Hmm. What is the point of wearing sunsses in Hellsgate? Is this bastard just stupid or something?'' I inwardly thought.


    "What the fuck do you want? I am busy you asswipe!" the man snarled in irritation.


    "Why did youe to the counter then? If your busy, then have someone else talk to me! I want to register," I snapped back.


    "I am the only here you bastard. Why do you think I am busy to begin with?"


    "But your booth hardly has anyone on it."


    "Ah, fuck it... You a newly sworn Wraith or a transferee?"


    The rude clerk pulled out a thick book from below the counter and began skimming the pages. A pen suddenly appeared on his hand which was enveloped in ck energy.


    Chills crept up my spine as my eyes gazed into the pen. This man was dangerous. Even more than the brute. My instincts were screaming telling me to run away.


    "Heh. First time a rookie didn''t faint at the sight of my {Epitaph}. Look boy, this {fate} was made to record the dead. Stare to long and it will swallow you whole. Now tell me which enlistment you joined, your name, sponsor and handler."


    ''So that freaky pen is a {fate}? Fuck! How powerful is this thing, I feel goosebumps across my body. Whatever¡­ focus for now.''


    "Ipleted the July 2023 enlistment. My name is John Smith, I have no sponsor or handler," I replied curtly.


    "Save the pseudonyms for the Graveyard boy. Tell me your name. The real one."


    "John Smith is my real name. Ask the head organizer Lilly Browning."


    The arrogant man pushed his sses down as he asked in a tone full of hostility.


    "You are acquainted with the princess? Howe I never heard of you before? Are you a bastard descendant or something?"


    "I am no descendant. She is my friend, and this is my first time in Hellsgate so you would not have heard of me."


    "Wait. Did you say you were from the July enlistment? Are you the formless bastard who ced 99th? The one who David pounded into paste?"


    This fucker was on first name basis with the Revenant of NA. Either this dude was extremely high up the totem pole, or he might be an insider.


    "I dide from July, ced 99th due to a ruling and got a beatdown from the Revenant. I also am Formless."


    He then stepped out from behind the counter and looked at me from head to toe. After some intense scrutiny he then made a sign as he continued.


    "What the hell? Has David finally lost his marbles? What a hassle! Your paperwork has already been taken care of. Your reaper id is NA20230799-FRM. I came here as David said I would be able to get a fine mercenary, seeing your punk ass.


    I wonder if he was pulling my leg."


    ''David sent this bastard? I remember mercenaries being one of the professions avable to reapers. But what exactly do they do? And why should I even choose it?'' I question in my mind.


    "I do not know what David Thomas said about me. I just came here to kill as many undead as I can. Let me pass so I can do my job if you please."


    "Ho? Look at the balls on this one, you call the Revenant of NA by his first name? You must have a death wish you bastard," The man snarled as he came closer.


    Fed up with his poor attitude I snapped and berated him. "Give me a break you stupid ass gangster wannabe, if David couldn''t get me to kneel what makes you think you can? Besides you do it too!"


    The man brushed his ck hair with his hand as he put away his sunsses. He looked extremely pissed as he spoke through clenched teeth.


    "It seems you are as dumb as he said. I can call him by his name because I have known him from even before he became a Revenant you asshole. You on the other hand are what? Aplete rookie, a Formless one at that, dare to disrespect my king? Draw your weapon reaper. My name is Zachary Lynch, a specter.


    You are in dire need of an ass whopping boy."


    I franticly pulled out a pair of guns to defend myself. "{Save}! {Draw} 1887, MP5SD!"


    Specter?! As in the rank above a Phantom? Before I could process it, Zach came at me like a speeding bullet. He held a wicked looking pen in his right hand while his left had a golden one-handed axe. As he moved, I heard words echo in the air.


    {Through a wall were a dream leaks. Iy alone, in my nest}


    Suddenly my body felt heavy like lead, devoid of stamina and even strength! My guns felt likerge boulders I could no longer raise. Still reeling from the effect of his actions I awkwardly pointed the MP5SD and fired full auto.


    Due to {Thief} my actions could still be considered fast, but the level of effort needed to move was excruciating. Zach danced around the 9mm rounds before charging and kneeing me in the gut. Unable to bear the impact I vomited blood as my insides got hammered by the force of his blow.


    {In a room, from which blood reeks, Iy alone in my rest}


    Just then my eyes suddenly lost their vision while my nose got overpowered by the smell of blood. What the hell was going on I screamed internally.


    ''Shit, is this the effect of {Epitaph}? These debuffs are insane! And they stack! Is it because he recites entire verses using soul?!''


    "{Fighter}! {Sheathe}! {Draw} M26!"


    I sheathed my guns and draw the M26 frag grenades into both hands without their pins. If I could not see himing, they I will just blow him to kingdome, rewind then finish the job. {Fighter} should allow me to withstand the damage, heal then counter.


    {And from my death shall blossom flowers, love and even joy to give}


    A sensed somethinging for my head. I barely managed to raise my right arm to block it. The impact even reduced managed to make my arm go numb on top of fracturing my bones.


    ''What the fuck! His attacks hurt this much even without momentum?! How the hell is that even possible!''


    {And from then, an eternity I will live.}


    I then felt a massive energy from behind me, my eyes which were healed by {Fighter} was able to open. They saw a glowing light that looked like a small staring for me at blinding speed. Zach''s voice echoed for the first time since the battle started.


    "{Eternal}."


    As I knew this was the moment of truth, I let go of both the M26 in my hands and roared the name of my {fate}


    "{Rewind}!"


    I vanished from the space evading his attack as both grenades exploded. Zach was of course caught inside the st radius. After I reappeared, I was free of injury and continued my assault.


    "{Draw} M60. {Mage}!"


    Ignoring the other people around I squeezed the trigger and began to rain lead on the specter.

 Chapter 61: Like I give a damn

    As the iconic ratatat of the M60 echoed in Hellsgate, round after round of 7.62¡Á51mm NATO impacted the shadow I was tracking. Unfortunately, the unease I felt didn''t disappear. {Mage} had {Perceive}, {Aim}, {Snipe} and theponents for {Sight}, {Expose} and {Counter} yet I saw little.


    In terms of being to analyze an opponent and hurt them this configuration was the best. And yet my eyes could not find Zach amidst the smoke except for a vague outline.


    I crammed all the Kic energy I tanked from his strikes into the bullets of the M60. I currently had ball rounds in but with {Counter} they might as well be armor-piercing rounds.


    Ammunition was generally separated into categories. What changed was not how the bullet flew but what it was made of and its purpose. Everything from pistols to sniper rifles followed these bullet types which defined their roles.


    First you had Full metal jackets or FMJs, bullets are typically made of lead. A full metal jacket was like an armored bullet that protected the lead in order to increase its ability to prate.


    Then you had hollow points that are bullets with hollow areas in them. Normally you would think why would anyone want to do that? But the answer was derived from a thousand years of war. Basically, if the bullet is too fast or too hard, it didn''t kill as much people as effectively.


    If the bullet is far too powerful, they pass through the muscle or tissue of a human body. FMJ''s normally just punches holes into people, if it is not able to hit bone, no shockwave would pound the body as the damage would be like a spear stab. Medics who can bandage and seal a wound with pressure would be able to save a target.


    Man in his search to find the best way to fuck up his enemies invented the hollow points. These rounds due to the hollow area do not pierce with the kic energy but instead "Pancake" around the area like mashed potatoes. The result? Instead of the bullet exiting, the bullet turns into a steel flower that sends shockwaves to the body.


    Depending on the bullet size, distance and caliber these shockwaves had enough power to break bone, destroy organs and rupture blood vessels. The worse part, they are hot, so they also burn the flesh around the area. This was on top of fragmenting into the body.


    Meaning even if you survived the hollow point gun shot, you would have bits of metal scattered inside your body which if not treated will cause infections and eventually lead poisoning.


    The main downside however is that due to being designed to kill people, hollow points cannot prate walls or armor which makes them close to useless against a well-equipped enemy. So the hollow points and FMJs would need toplement each other depending on who you want to kill.


    Ball rounds of the M60 were this weapon''s version of hollow points. They were harder than regr bullets but followed the same principle. I used them due to my intended goal for the M60. This light machine gun theoretically could rip apart zombies with its FMJ armor piercing rounds. But as undead can still move even if pierced, I opted to use ball rounds to shatter their bodies to knock them down.


    However, it seems the decision was ill advised when going up against reapers. When the smoke cleared Zach had his axe on his shoulder. Surrounding him were floating ancient looking Cyrillic charactersid out like a wall.


    "You have way too many tricks up your sleeve you bastard. You invoked like what¡­ sixteen different {fates} in the short amount of time we fought?"


    Seeing as the wall of text blocked even the 7.62 rounds, everything else I had most likely would be useless. The only thing I had with more power were the 10-gauge slugs.


    For shotguns buckshots would be the hollow points and slugs would be the FMJ''s. While the buckshots could send a normal human flying due to thebined force, individually they would not any stronger than a 9mm. Only the 10-gauge slug had enough kic power to pierce or more like smash the enemy in front of me.


    "{Sheathe}, {Draw} 1887, slugs."


    Not paying attention to Zach as he slowly walked towards me, I cocked the 1887''s lever to cycle the ammunition. I afterwards I loaded slugs rounds I got from my armory.


    "Are you still going to fight me? So long as you use guns you will not be able to prate this defensive array," the specter boasted.


    "Like I give a damn about all that shit. If you can endure my next attack, then I give up. {Draw} M26. {Thief}."


    I then rushed towards Zach, as I shifted my hold from the grenade''s lever beginning its detonation. With {Thief}''s speed and reaction time I saw his face slowly warp in anger as I dashed faster than an Olympic sprinter.


    "Don''t get full of yourself you bastard! {CLEAVE BONE!}"


    Zach''s face raged as he lifted his one-handed axe high above to the sky. Ignoring on his attack I body mmed the reaper while roaring.


    "{Fighter}!"


    I then smashed the grenade I was holding into his face as it exploded. The heat, pressure and shrapnel all destroyed my body in less than a second. Yet as the mes and metal fragments ravaged my body, my eyes until thest moment remained focused on Zach.


    The wall of text surrounding his body disappeared and arge number of souls were being drawn into the pen into his right hand. Just then his axe fell and cleaved my left shoulder sending my entire left arm to the ground. The pain of losing an entire limb made my mind go numb. I couldn''t stop the feral howls that escaped my lips.


    Still, despite all the suffering and damage {Fighter} allowed me to remain sane and upright. With a smile I stabbed the business end of the 1887 towards Zach''s weak point. I saw it earlier using {Mage}, his left iliac region or the spot just above the left side of his groin.


    "Get fucked, {Mage}." I cursed in satisfaction as I pulled the trigger of my shotgun.


    A loud bang erupted, and Zach was sent flying. Such an oue meant he had armor that I failed to prate. Otherwise, he would have just stayed in ce as his lower abdomen exploded. Without the abilities of {Fighter} my mind went hazy. Bit by bit my wounds healed, my eyesight being the fire to do so.


    But I didn''t want to waste a {Rewind} until I was sure he was out so I endured the torture of mending my wounds.


    Delirious like I was hungover, I limped towards the specter lying on the ground. He vomited blood as he made an angry expression. I spin cocked the 1887 with my remaining hand as I pointed it to his face and shouted in annoyance.


    "I don''t want to kill another reaper. I already am 26,000 souls in debt. Just let me pass already you fucking gangster!"


    Just then "Zach" who had been on the floor disappeared and suddenly the world revolved around so fast I puked my guts on the spot. After I emptied the contents of my stomach, I then found myself once again standing in the counter of the registration booth. With the gangster holding his pen and book in front of me.


    "Not as impressive as David said but It is enough," he said with a frown.


    I checked with {Code} and noticed all the souls I used returned. Even the injuries I got disappeared without me rewinding. What the fuck was going on? Did we even fight for real or was that all an illusion? Did I really even puke at all? Probably as he saw the confusion on my face, Zach began to chuckle heartily.


    "None of that was real. It is one of my {fates} abilities {Reverie}. It was two parts illusion one part possibility. What you fought was a recorded Phantom version of yours truly. Despite almost dying to it, for a rookie yourbat prowess is nothing to scoff at."


    ''Holy fucking shit. That illusion was a {fate}? I didn''t even notice when it started or when it ended. I currently am still standing in front of the counter, was I here all this time? How long did the whole illusionst? If an undead could use such tactics I would be dead even before I knew what happened,'' I analyzed in panic.


    Unable to immediatelye to grips with such a truth, I clenched my hands in frustration. I really underestimated this ce. Despite thinking my abilities were OP, a fucking booth clerk shattered my ego into pieces. Be a fucking Revenant? If the booth clerks were all as strong as this fucking gangster how the fuck was Hellsgate still open?


    If it was me before I died, probably would have turned back and bowed my head in shame. But now? The option of giving up no longer existed. Hell, I took down a brute as a formless. Also, my girls all entrusted their lives to me, if I lost heart then who would lead them? It has to be me, I would fight, run even crawl until I closed this fucking ce!


    "Thank you for the lesson, Zach. I will remember well. Can I pass now? Or do we still have business to discuss?"


    Zach then smiled as he closed the book. Stretching his hand, he offered me a handshake.


    "Wee to the North American Battle Front, John Smith. I expect great things for you. Report to the dispatch office and register yourself to the Mercenaries. Tell them Zachary Lynch sent you. May your fate end the darkness."


    After I shook his hand, Zach sent me my way and I rejoined the majority that passed the entrance booths. We immediately arrived in a small town with rustic feeling. It reminded me of the small towns in Isekai novels or the run-down settlements in old western flicks.


    The buildings were made of what looked like steel and concrete. There were streetlights that illuminated the area but overall, the quaint little town looked peaceful and serene.


    ''If not for the thousands of armed reapers within its midst,'' Imented.


    An extremelyrge building that had a sign saying "Dispatch Office" stood at its center. Around 30% of the people where either heading to oring from this said building.


    "Looks like the ce," saying those words I walked towards the genesis of my life as a reaper.

 Chapter 62: It ate my phone!

    The Dispatch office, despite looking like an old European church from the outside waspletely modern inside. It looked simr to a government administrative building where there were people on desks, counters and areas for private discussions.


    Reapers of all shapes and sizes were up about, some were looking at arge board with A4 sized papers stuck on it. Others were arguing with the people manning the counters while some were seated in groups in the discussion areas.


    "Hmm, it looks like an adventurer''s guild for some reason. I wonder if that was intentional. Did IRIS intentionally put adventurer guilds into Isekai stories so reapers would familiarize themselves faster?"


    Despite my attire calling some attention, aside from a few nces no one bothered me. The typical trope of adventurer bullies harassing those registering didn''t seem to be a thing here.


    I silently queued at one of the desks and awaited my turn. The line I chose was the one with the least number of people. As I came closer, I noticed each counter was manned by an extremely good-looking woman in maid uniform. They were like super models, and it was obvious why some lines were longer than others.


    The reapers probably simped on their preferred clerk. If the Isekai tropes are to be believed they would also be charming, supportive and extremely pleasant all to cajole reapers to doing the hardest tasks.


    "I guess IRIS got somethings correct," I mused.


    When my turn to the counter came next, I immediately understood why no one wanted to use this line. Instead of beautiful woman I was face to face with a creepy looking middle-aged butler with a monocle. Noticing my shock, the butler looked offended as he spoke wordsced with scorn.


    "What? If you want a big titted whore to fawn over you fuck off to a different counter."


    It wasn''t that I could not understand him, while waiting in line I noticed other counters being queued by nothing but women. Upon close inspection these counters were manned by good looking men. They looked somewhere between K-pop idols and Marvel superheroes.


    Of the sixteen counters, ten were manned by maids, five by pretty boys, and you had the lone bastard I was queued on. If the other clerks had over twenty people on each, mine had like three with me being the third.


    The clerks should be scored by the contributions of each reaper they were in charge of. From the queue''s length, this creepy bastard would have had to have the worst possible score.


    I shook off the useless thoughts from my mind as I stepped forward and introduced myself.


    "Not interested, I am John Smith, a rookie wraith. Today is my first night in Hellsgate and Zachary Lynch sent me. He told me to register here for the Mercenaries."


    The clerk said nothing and checked what looked like aptop. Hmm. I noticed that they had electricity and electronics here. If you considered the reaper phones that would make sense I theorized.


    "Please forgive me for my earlierment. I am Phillip Scrivener. Do you have a reaper handset Mr. Smith?"


    Was the effect of mentioning Zach that immediate? Phillip went from rude to professional in under five seconds. Not that it really mattered to me. I pulled out the ck reaper handset I got from Lilly and ced it on the counter.


    "I expected it from someone connected to Nightmare but to see an GRI-392 is impressive," hemented in reverence.


    "Huh?"


    Unable to understand what he just said, my dumbfounded reply slipped out unexpectedly. Like a professional Phillip didn''t embarrass me further but rified what he said.


    "In case you are not aware Mr. Smith, Zachary Lynch is more renowned as Nightmare. His aplishment in the NA battle front is among the best. He is one of the few specters that can fight on the level of Revenants. This handset is part of the experimental Graveyard Reaper Interface model 39 series 2."


    "Hmm Zach aside, Is the phone really that impressive?"


    "Do you have your personal phone with you by any chance Mr Smith?"


    Wondering what he was going to do I pulled out my phone and gave it to the butler. He wordlessly ced the GRI-392 on my cheap ass phone. In the next second I watch the GRI eat my phone into its body like they melded together into a single piece.


    The GRI then morphed and became my cheap ass phone. In surprise I couldn''t stop myself from cursing.


    "What the hell? It ate my phone!"


    Phillip then took the remaining phone and returned it to me.


    "Mr. Smith, what you see now is a normal phone to anyone else. But please try sending souls into your eyes."


    I followed was he asked and drew the energy from my soulgem to my eyes like drawing water. The interface on the phone suddenly changed and disyed the reaper interface from the original GRI-392. When I looked up Phillip smiled to me as he exined.


    "Having a reaper phone is dangerous for esteemed individuals. Trinity has been known to track reapers by their use. The 39 series allows the reaper to hide the phone in in sight. It is also able to do this."


    Phillip then touched the phone and send souls through his fingers. The phone then transformed into a in looking watch with a 3D holographic disying out of it.


    The disy could still be touched and moved just like a smartphone would. When I removed the souls from my eyes the disy disappeared and all that was in front of me was a in old watch.


    "This should add ayer of protection to you Mr. Smith. The 39 series of GRI''s are only given to the top 10 reapers of an enlistment. Please use this handset carefully as many would target you for not only its value but what it represents."


    Before I could reply, Phillip transformed the watch back to a phone as he returned it to me.


    "The GRI are encoded to soul signatures, so they cannot be used by anyone else until you are alive. They can also be used to locate and track you if they are obtained by those that wish to do you harm."


    Interesting. So, these handsets which serve as the link to the world of reapers could just as easily be used to hunt or even assassinate you if you were not careful. I was once again reminded how merciless the world of the Hellsgate was.


    "As for your paperwork Mr. Smith, everything has been filled and filed. There is currently a gag order on you so I cannot even verify anything outside of what your Id denotes."


    "You lost me again, exin."


    Like a patient teacher Phillip wrote down my Id and began exining with eloquence and respect.


    "Your Id Mr. Smith is NA20230799-FRM, a reaper Id allows one to identify general information about the reaper in the case of death. Your id broken down means North American battle front, year 2023 July enlisted, 99th ce and Formless. Any reaper Id you will encounter from all seven battle fronts would use this format.


    "Mine is structured simrly. Its NA200712801-CMS, this means I am from the NA battlefront and enlisted in December of 2007 and ranked 801, my {Fate} is C ranked manifested of a support nature. Thest three letters areprised of the {fates} rating, the letter M for manifested and either a C, A, S or a D which stands forbat, assassination, support or defense respectively.


    "As you are Formless there is nothing recorded about your {fate} thus your letters are just FRM. Just from the ID''s one''s strength can be estimated. Any id that only has 8 numbers is known as octad, this denotes they are powerful enough to rank in the top 99.


    "Any Id with the letters beginning with an A are reapers ones should treat with caution. Especially Id''s ending in AMA. Or A ranked assassination-based {Fates}.


    "The ones that grant these IDs are Graveyard so they cannot be falsified or changed once given. Naturally, biases are formed based on the Id''s content because of how much truth one can gain just from learning it. Thus, please never give out your ID unless it is with someone you trust."


    WOW, I couldn''t even stifle my awe at the intricate system of identification. With the {Fates} themselves being part of one''s identification, searching for specific types or roles would be a breeze for management.


    Danger, use and purpose would be understood just from a single nce. Whoever designed this system was a genius.


    "Regarding the registration of the Mercenaries, as standard I wanted to check if you are sure of your decision. Once registered it would no longer be possible to change without a good reason. Are you certain you wish to join the Mercenaries?"


    ''If just an Id had so much detail in it, I wanted to ensure I did not make a mistake I would regret. I only heard of the professions from a video. It might be a good decision to listen first to what it meant.''


    "Can you first tell me what I have to choose from Phillip?"


    "Certainly Mr. Smith. Professions are subgroups meant to assist in the defense of Hellsgate they are divided into Fortification, Adventurers, Mercenaries, Production and Academics.


    "Fortification is the group in charge of construction, defense and housing. Production deals with the creation and maintenance of supplies, food and armaments. Academics are tasked with undead and {fate} research plus development."


    Okay the first three were simple enough, one builds buildings the other makes shit, and thest were the eggheads who studied and developed science. What of thest two?


    "Adventurers are jack of all trade reapers that are assigned quests that range from corpse disposal, cartography, request for materials, investigation and hunting. Mercenaries on the other hand are reapers tasked withbat support and zone remation."


    Combat support and zone remation? That meant they were the guys sent into battle and the ones who try and liberate the fallen zones?


    ''Hell, this thing just got way more interesting.''

 Chapter 63: Fuck up everything that moves.

    Any endeavor was called a job if it providedpensation and had a task to be performed. Most took jobs either for wages or to learn a specific skill or trade. There is a very small group who were able to do their jobs for their dreams or purpose in life.


    I had never been part of such a group, but when I heard what the mercenaries were supposed to do, my blood began to boil. If I had no dreams or aspirations as a human, it was strange that I found them after being beaten to death.


    "Phillip, can you tell me more about the mercenaries?" I asked with a smile.


    The butler took off his monocle and gently wiped it with his handkerchief. His face was so expressionless that it seemed robotic. Then he gave a crooked smile as he replied.


    "Before I do, Mr. Smith, would you mind telling me why you bothered to ask about the other professions?"


    Huh? Wasn''t it normal to want to know about your options before making a decision? I wondered why the man in front of me even took the time to understand my actions. Was he somehow pissed off that I was wasting his time or something? After I told him the reason, he grinned even wider as he let out a chillingugh.


    "Haha. Indeed, a tiger cannot change its stripes. I apologize if my question seemed petty. I was merely fascinated by the Nightmare''s foresight. You behaved exactly as he expected."


    Confused by his statement, I asked in annoyance. "What are you talking about? How did he predict my behavior?"


    Seeing my scowl, the butler coughed and returned to his professional smile. He then ced his palm over his heart as he made a small bow.


    "I meant no offense, Mr. Smith. Please allow me to exin as an apology. In Hellsgate, every reaper is responsible for his own life. This is our ultimate rule and one upon which our entire society is built. Every rule is nothing more than a guideline.


    "We forbid murder because it is inefficient, but if a reaper kills another, it is not his fault. However, all the consequences of his actions are his to bear. In short, our society is built on the rules of "fuck with whoever you can take on."


    When I heard all this, I understood it, but I could not find any connection to my current question. How was this helpful in my current predicament? Phillip pulled a metal book from his desk and continued. He probably did this after noticing my impatience.


    "The same principle applies to the professions of a Wraith. You are not obligated to sign up for one as long as you have the means to pay the tribute at the end of the month. By the same token, Revenants cannot force anyone to choose a particr profession."


    "Phillip, I am getting tired of your tangents, get to the point," I urged.


    "Yes, the mercenaries are known by another name, they are better known as Death Seekers."


    "Death Seekers?"


    "Indeed. As I mentioned, mercenaries are primarily tasked withbat support and zone remation. That means they are the ones sent to reinforce an overrun zone.


    "Combat support involves being the first responders to any incident where the undead rampage. Such incidents ensure that the mercenaries are always outnumbered, underequipped, and surrounded. This gives them a death rate of over 75%. The highest of any profession."


    75%? That meant that only one in four mercenaries lived to see the next day. This made sense from what I had learned about the Reaper ranks. If the Phantoms were concerned with defense, they would normally have people assigned to defense. Mercenaries would be the ones called in when everyone else was either dead or out ofmission.


    If a zone falls and bes a beachhead for undead attacks, it would essentially be an enemy stronghold. And as the ones responsible for reiming these abandoned zones, the mercenaries would always be in the most dangerous areas.


    ''Death Seeker. One who sought death. How fitting.''


    As if to give me time to digest his words, Phillip paused for a few seconds before continuing.


    "The reason I said Nightmare predicted your actions, Mr. Smith, was because of the savage grin you have on your face. Due to the nature of mercenaries, hardly anyone applies for the Death Seekers.


    However, over the years we have been able to predict who would find their wings under this group. They would be the mad, the blood drunk, and those who yearn for battle. Which of the three are you, Mr. Smith?"


    I moved my hands to check my cheeks and found myself smiling very broadly. When did I start grinning? Honestly,pared to the Death Seekers, all other professions seem pretty boring.


    ''Building walls? Yeah, no thanks. Making potions or armor? Why would I want to? I can pull them out of my ass. Study undead?


    I already know all about them. Putting lead in their brains kills them. Adventurers might be an alternative bute on! Corpse recovery? Cartography? Hunting is all about tracking and waiting.


    That is definitely boring as fuck.''


    Mercenaries, on the other hand, was as simple as it got. It could even be summed up in one sentence.


    "Fuck up everything that moves," I whispered in a low voice.


    Hearing my quiet statement, Phillip pped his hands in glee as he nodded in agreement.


    "Indeed, that is one way to interpret the motto of the Death Seekers. Asmander of the North American mercenaries, Nightmare knew that you would undoubtedly choose his group in spite of everything you heard."


    I resented being read like a book. Phillip was right. Zach had no idea what I would choose, he did know I would ask and told me to just apply directly to the mercenaries from what he thought.


    Was I that obvious? I earned souls by killing undead. For someone with over 26,000 souls in debt, how the hell was I supposed to pay off that amount, besides killing every zombie I could find?


    And if I wanted to be a Revenant, the first thing I needed to do was to develop {Rewind} as quickly as possible. Even my safety on Earth depended on it. Currently, I even had assassins from three different continents hunting for me.


    "Right. There was no other option for myself," I said with a sigh.


    "Yes, you are right. Circumstances are to me, you are not joining the mercenaries because you want to," Phillip monologued smugly like a con man.


    "Yeah, yeah, shut up Alfred. Just sign me up already."


    Phillip opened the metallic book he had pulled out earlier and flipped through the te-like pages. He stopped on a certain page and turned the book over to me. I saw a symbol that looked like the top half of a skull pierced by a sword. The symbol was etched into the metal page with sanguine ink. It made the thing look like it was drawn in blood that was drying up.


    "Please use the GRI-392 and scan this symbol like a QR code."


    "This thing is a qr code?" I couldn''t help but ask.


    "Mr. Smith, you are in hell fighting the undead and what you cannot believe is a qr code?" Phillip asked incredulously.


    He... had a point. Not wanting to be called stupid, I took out the GRI disguised as my old crappy phone. I sent souls into my eyes and saw the screen change from a human phone to the Reaper''s. I scanned the symbol and heard a robot voice resonate with my soul.


    {Do you desire to join the mercenaries?}


    The question was asked with souls! How should I answer? Souls were what separated reaper matters from human ones. I then tried to send souls to my lips as I spoke.


    {Yes.}


    {Confirmed. Reaper NA20230799-FRM has joined the mercenaries. Wee to the Death Seekers!}


    At that moment, I felt my soulgem be hot. The heat was searing, as if someone had ced a hot coal on my neck. Due to my increased pain tolerance from all the shit I had done, it hurt, but I barely blinked.


    After a few seconds, the burning sensation dissipated and the GRI suddenly started beeping like crazy. I looked at it and saw dozens of alerts, just like a regr smartphone.


    [Alert Priority 4: Zone 1207-6 has issued a dirge warning, all avable mercenaries please respond].


    [Alert Priority 2: Zone 1335-2 has issued a dirge warning, all avable mercenaries please respond].


    [Alert: Remation of lost zone 1226-4 has been approved. Party: 20 Phantoms, CMS and above get 40% more loot!]


    [Alert Priority 1: Zone 1491-1 has fallen; all assault teams please evacuate floor 49 immediately!]


    [Alert Priority....]


    It was like losing Inte ess on the subway. When you reconnected to a Wi-Fiwork, you were bombarded with everything your phone was unable to receive for the time you missed. This was all well and good, but most of the notifications I received represented a failed defense. Each message told the story of reapers who would not be able to see the sun rise tomorrow.


    Even after two minutes, the messages didn''t stop. How many reapers died every day? Do we even have enough to make it through the next night? As I became increasingly overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation, Phillip tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention.


    "Mr. Smith, please do not let the news sway you. I can assure you that Hellsgate has been in worse situations, and today is not one of them. Do you need an exnation of the alert priority system?"


    I shook my head at Phillip''s words. Simr to the downloads initiated by {Fates}, the heat from earlier had downloaded everything I needed to do my job as a mercenary, so I already understood them perfectly.


    "I guess the mercenaries have no time for holding hands, its not just sink or swim. It''s fight or die," I chuckled.


    I scrolled to the very first priority 5 alert I found and opened it.


    {Reaper NA20230799-FRM, John Smith reporting forbat.}


    The moment I said those words with soul, a bright light enveloped my feet. Phillip, who recognized the light, shook his head with a wry smile and bowed slightly.


    "Please at least wait until the introduction is over next time, Mr. Smith. Find me when you return. Good hunting. May your fate end the darkness."


    {Wee John Smith, initiating summoning. Entering zone 1063-2 in 3...2...1...}


    After hearing the robotic, soul-enshrouded voice, I felt my body being whisked away as I headed into my first battle.

 Chapter 64: For the Fallen

    Things happened faster than I couldprehend. The teleportation process felt like the feeling you get from an elevator. Only it was when said elevator was free falling to the lobby.


    Luckily, I didn''t get smashed after I arrive. Like a squirrel jumping down from a tree, the moment I felt my legs hit the ground, I crouched down and executed the famous superheronding.


    Whatever energy sent me here, I felt a strong push that forced me to my knees. Lights apanied my transfer, so I could barely see through the blinding shes. After a few moments however, it all disappeared. I opened my eyes and tried to reorient myself.


    I was in a wastnd with hardly anything in it. There was a single, lonely, two-story house in the middle. The sky was dark, but the house had somenterns along its walls that helped me see a little.


    The sounds of gruttal roars and skittering feet told me that I had arrived. The next thing I needed to know was what the situation was and how many bodies I should bury. As I stood up, I suddenly heard a monotonous female voice.


    [Reaper NA20230799-FRM, Wee to Zone 1063-2. I am your personal Artificial Intelligence for Reconnaissance and Analysis Version 7.1, you may call me Aira. Pleasure to meet you].


    Artificial intelligence? Was Aira like Iron Man''s Jarvis? When did I get her? How can she even talk to me?


    "Your confusion is understandable. I was installed on your GRI the moment you joined the Death Seekers. I speak to you through bone induction. When you are sent into the Hellsgate Zones, the GRI handsets go into battle mode where they change to earpieces."


    I checked to see if I had anything on my ear and noticed that a clip-like device fit snugly behind my right ear. Which was both cool and convenient when you think about it.


    "Thanks for the exnation Aira, can you tell me about the situation? Are there any survivors? How many undead are there?"


    [Certainly Reaper NA20230799-FRM. There were three Wraiths and one Phantom deployed in this zone. All of them were killed in battle. There are currently two hundred rank-F undead led by a rank-E Chief].


    ''Four reapers died just like that. I wonder if they knew they would not survive the night.''


    I said a silent prayer, wishing them peace in the afterlife. A rank-E chief was a normal zombie who could lead and think. Its body was the same as a Normie, but the ability tomand others made it a formidable enemy, especially when it led arge group.


    "Is there anything else of note, Aira? Do you know thest location of the Chief?"


    [None Reaper NA20230799-FRM, battle records indicate that the Chief repeatedly attacked this location, slowly learning the zone''s weaknesses. The defenders failed to kill it each time, allowing the undead to adapt to its tactics. Its current location was unknown.]


    Even though the battle had a time limit, they repeatedly failed to kill the biggest threat. The chief was probably smart enough to retreat and learn. No wonder the defenders were overwhelmed.


    From the mercenary download, I learned that each zone was protected by a high-tech barrier made of souls.


    Whenever a zone was attacked, the undead would breach the barrier, allowing them to enter. However, the barrier had a self-repairing function. As long as the undead were dying and the Phantom was alive, the souls from the battle would be used to close the breach.


    Eventually it would seal the zone once again. This created time-based battles between the Reapers and the undead.


    For mercenaries, however, this was not the case. Normally, the Soul Barrier would be down for good if we attacked zones that had already fallen.


    So the Death Seekers fought without a time limit, and we fought until there was nothing left to kill.


    "Well, it is not like I can find and kill that bastard right away. {Save}. {Draw} M26. {Mage}. And Ick the patience to wait for the Chief to show up. I''ll just do what I do best."


    [I will keep an eye out for it, Reaper NA20230799-FRM].


    "Can''t you do something about the way you call me, Aira?"


    [How would you like to be addressed? There are over ten thousand Reapers named John Smith].


    "Then call me by my Graveyard Id."


    [Understood, Limitless. Good hunting.]


    I then threw the grenade in a random spot and pulled out the M60. I got down on the ground and used a prone firing position. As the grenade exploded, the area suddenly went deadly silent.


    "Come and get it, you bastards. There was no need to find you in the first ce. The freedom buffet is open for business."


    After a moment, the sounds of a stampede rang out. Hundreds of feet stomped on the ground at the same time, making small tremors. The effect was noticeable as they all moved towards my position.


    When I arrived earlier, I checked if there were any zombies around me, As there weren''t any, they must have gathered where the defenders had made theirst stand.


    Of course, this meant that if they were called, they would alle from the same ce.


    The machine gun ss of firearms was designed to defend fortifications. Their poor aim was negated by the ability to fire a lot of bullets continuously over a long period of time.


    So what would happen if you had stupid as hell zombies charging at a weapon designed to kill people en masse? The answer was...


    "A fucking turkey shoot."


    I rested my shoulder on the gun as I removed the safety. In the dim light of the house, I could see the flood of bodies rushing toward me. Even though it was dark, {Mage}''s vision was so good that the lighting didn''t matter.


    The sound of the M60''s iconic ratatat filled the air. Armor-piercing 7.62 NATO rounds were flying at over 2,800 ft/s. The carnage that ensued made me smile like a lunatic.


    Heads exploded, bodies were torn apart, limbs were blown off, all while blood soaked the ground. Unable to think, the zombies stumbled over the dead and fell on their faces.


    I barely took aim and just swept the M60 over the ones that were still standing. I didn''t bother with head shots because with my {Fates} none of them would be able to escape me.


    After I wiped out the first wave, I noticed that the second wave suddenly started to spread out. This was the difference between humans and zombies. No army would intentionally gather its men in front of a machine gun. Such a situation meant that the bastard with brains had joined the fight.


    With targets spaced apart, my kills naturally dropped significantly. If I hadn''t let go of the trigger early on, I would now start firing in bursts. Preupied with shooting zombies, I neglected to notice my remaining ammunition until the gun stopped firing.


    "Aw shit! Aira! How many zombies are left?"


    [There are 127 rank-F and 1 rank-E remaining, Limitless], the AI replied.


    Now that the Chief was here, continuing to use the M60 would only immobilize me. So, I stood up, drew the AR15, and invoked {Thief}. I charged at the zombies, firing at them in the nose.


    "Shit! If I don''t find the Chief, I''m screwed. How the hell am I supposed to find it? Come out like a man, you asshole!"


    I fired lead into the zombies as the battle raged on. Despite my attempts to avoid being surrounded, the zombies began to close in on me from all sides like a noose.


    I went through two magazines of 5.56 NATO before I switched weapons to the de MAC-11s.Using the dual-wielding techniques I had trained in, I fired both MAC-11s in opposite directions.


    Instead of sweeping the weapons, I slowly spun around. As body after body fell around me. The area I could move in was drastically shrinking.


    ''The Chief is fucking annoying. Is it among those here? No, if it was, the bastard wouldn''t be able to see the whole battlefield. It must be in a secluded spot with a good view,'' I guessed.


    When the MAC-11''s ran out of ammo, I threw them away and pulled out the 1887 and the MP5SD. But before I could fire, a Normie lunged for my right arm and ripped a chunk off my bicep.


    "AHHHHH! YOU STUPID FUCK! {Fighter} AIRA! FIND THE CHIEF!"


    I used the MP5SD on my left hand and shot the bastard in the temple. Before I could catch my breath, another Bigfoot attacked me from the front like a linebacker and pinned me to the ground.


    Even though, I was pinned with my arm damaged. Due to {Fighter''s} resilience, my right hand, was now usable. so, I blew the linebacker wannabe''s head off with a 10-gauge slug.


    [Searching... Please wait a moment.]


    Blood and flesh rained down from the Bigfoot as I struggled to my feet. I then spin cocked the 1887 and exploded more walking corpses.


    Using the MP5SD as a sidearm, I fired only short bursts while the 1887 was being chambered. I even managed to bash in a few heads with my shotgun before I was knocked off my feet again.


    Shadows began to gather around me as I fought the undead on the ground. After running out of bullets for both weapons in my hands, I called for the 1911''s. When the 1911''s ran out of bullets, I drew the 629 and the P30L.


    "I DON''T HAVE A MOMENT! OUCH! THAT HURT, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"


    Over and over again I pointed at the heads of the Normies and pulled the trigger. I let them get to me so I could kill them with a single bullet. My body was covered in bites and scratches as the fight intensified. Pain, and relief, shot through my system alternately like drugs.


    Four Bigfoots pinned my limbs to the ground after killing what seemed like a hundred zombies. Together they rendered mepletely immobile. As Iy helpless on my back, I heard and felt the parts they were eating and tearing off my body.


    My brain must have been fried by now from all the pain, because I couldn''t feel anything at all. {Fighter} was probably the only reason I could still move, however awkwardly.


    "This should be all of you, right?" I asked in a stupor. It was suicide to charge in. But I did it all for this moment. Unlike soldiers, these fuckers wanted a piece of me, so I intended to give them all a healthy helping.


    My voice roared into the sky. "{Draw} ALL M26! DINNER IS SERVED, YOU FUCKING PIECES OF SHIT!" The moment the explosions began, I cast {Rewind}.


    After rewinding, I noticed a lone glowing zombie staring at my previous position. Not wanting to take any chances, I silently crouched down and prepared.


    "{Draw} M24. {Reveal}. {Mage}. This is for the fallen reapers, you bastard."


    I summoned the sniper rifle and aimed at the glowing weakness {Reveal} showed. The Chief was probably analyzing the situation, trying to understand what had just happened.


    Not that it mattered. I ignored everything else and took aim at the back of the Chief''s skull. A loud shot followed, then the top of his forehead exploded.


    Knowing there would be more zombies, I tried to find my next target, only to be interrupted by Aira.


    [Limitless...You may now stand down. There are no enemies left. The defense of zone 1063-2 has beenpleted.]

 Chapter 65: Heroine Chapter: I am already yours.

    Chapter POV: Isabe Taurus


    ___


    "Mars! You are foolish! Your army will perish if you expect them to fight like you!" I scolded the man in front of me.


    "Stop chattering, woman, it grates on my ears. I am Mars, the god of war! If they cannot follow me, it only means they are weak. The weak should simply die!"


    The self-proimed god of war then threw the cup he had been drinking from before he stood up.


    "Minerva, I will say it again. You should learn to hold your tongue, I have been asked to defeat the lost army of Pluto. Waste your time on poetry all you want, but war is my domain!"


    "But that''s..." before I could answer, the lord of this ce tried to mediate.


    "Mars, Minerva. That is enough. This meeting was to ask how to deal with Pluto''s lost undead. Minerva, you have made your point. Mars has sworn to follow your tactics. To expect more is to look down on his abilities."


    "Well said, Jupiter!" Mars praised smugly like a simpleton.


    Then a beautiful woman stood up and tried to address the Revenants in the assembly. "I think everyone has gotten a little heated, so why don''t we take a short break? Mars, I am intrigued by the Lost Legion, would you be so kind as to share tales of your courageous exploits?"


    "You have a good eye, Venus! It would be my pleasure!" he replied.


    ''That vile serpent, how subtle does she think her attempts at seduction are? Why is she so desperate to make Mars her consort? How unbing of a Revenant! And look at that blood-drunk hooligan! He actually enjoys it! ''


    Unwilling to listen any longer, I marched back to my quarters. Pluto, who ruled over the dead, suddenly disappeared, and creatures that should not have existed began escaping the underworld in droves. I had to understand why this was happening.


    After I began my research, a loud series of knocks began at my door. When I opened it, a man burst in and grabbed me around the waist. He then passionately locked lips with me and pinned me against the wall.


    Angry at him, I bit his lip and kicked him in the groin. The man who was my lover screamed in pain. Despite being a Revenant, the testicles remained the weakness of most men.


    "Why did youe here, Mars? Go to your new master! Didn''t she have a good eye? Hmph! And you had the nerve to barge into my quarters," Iined angrily.


    "Minerva, you know that you are the only one for me. And besides, trying to trick her by fighting all the time was your idea. If it were up to me, we would be naked and...OUCH!"


    Unable to listen any longer, I smacked his head with my palm. I wanted to prevent Venus from finding out about our rtionship, so we fought every time we were together in public. As a result, Venus was all over my husband like a prostitute. The nerve!


    "Anyway, Minerva... it was like you said, the undead are 1ad*61(^%!#7123 We should @#@13sdz89#!@#7d!@#@."


    Static like that of an old television blurred his words and the entire scenery began to spin. Unable to focus, I cked out and saw nothing more.


    "Ugh... Another dream? How many is that now? Why don''t I get to see any of the sexy stuff? Minerva, you stupid virgin!" my voice came out groggily when I woke up.


    Ever since I returned from Hellsgate, these visions or dreams had yed out like movies every time I slept. They were unlike anything I had ever seen, I felt and experienced everything as if I was in them. As far as I knew, there was no technology that could recreate all five senses in AR or VR.


    "Be! Wake up and eat your breakfast! Stop letting your body get soft and wake up!" A loud female voice shouted from downstairs. She was myst living rtive. My Tia, who took care of me when my parents died.


    "Be right down, Tia," I replied.


    I got out of bed and put on my sses. These dreams were of the Roman gods. In them, I was Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, while John was Mars, the god of war.


    Unable to forget the kiss from myst dream, I touched my lips lightly. John and Mars blurred together as if they were one and the same. It was strange. Their stride, the way they spoke, their arrogance, it was identical. But why?


    "Who are you, honey? Why do you gue my dreams so?"


    Thinking about such things was pointless, I changed my clothes and prepared to start my day.


    "{Connect}."


    When I managed to evolve my {fate} to level two, I gained the ability tomunicate with anything with a circuit board. Data flowed directly into my brain. I no longer needed a mouse, keyboard, or even a monitor.


    In less than a minute, I could read the news, check stock quotes, and keep up with geopolitics. Of course, I also used on the GRI-392 Reaper phone we got.


    "Hmm. I wonder if Honey has created an ount yet. I even tried to look for him on the Dark Web and the Reaper Graveweb. But there are just too many John Smiths!"


    The first thing I did when I got home was to cyberstalk my lover. I certainly paled inparison to the others inbat, but gathering information has always been my forte. I quickly found his Facebook, Youtube, Spotify, and even his porn records.


    I was recruited by CORE right after graduation. Coordenadoria de Recursos Especiais, or CORE, was Rio''s civil police tactical unit. Naturally, I spent years turning chickens for them to scout me. To be a cyber defense specialist, you first had to know how to be a hacker.


    Browsing incognito, clearing your cache, and even a VPN were for amateurs. I hacked his ounts and even managed to find Honey''s ex. Of course, after I found out what she and that bastard Harry had done to my lover, I retaliated. I took down all theirpany websites and flooded their social media with troll bots.


    "Hehe. Sometimes I am just too great. By the time I finish with these putos, they will be withoutnd or roof." Imagining the damage I had wrought brought a smile to my face.


    I often wondered why Honey acted like he hated women in general. It turned out that he was a sweet lover at first. But when his puta of a girlfriend whored herself for schrships, Honey''s heart broke.


    "When the man went a year without porn, you just knew something was wrong. I have no idea why Honey fed the donkey sponge cake, but I cannot me him for bing bitter."


    Enough of that. John wanted to dominate with only the Formless, so naturally, as his kindred, I had to make sure I found everyone. It was not difficult for someone like me.


    Luckily, no one knew I could hack the Graveyard yet, so I should be safe. When I finished braiding my hair, I suddenly found an unusual user ID that had recently registered.


    "Limitless? That''s him, right? How fitting."


    My lips naturally formed a smile at the man who brought hope to my world. Our first meeting was terrible, but we gradually warmed up to each other.


    ''Why should I?''


    That was the first thing he said when I asked him to rescue me. It meant that despite being a woman, this man had every intention of letting me die. However, the more I interacted with him, the more his perspective dazzled me.


    ''I will be a Revenant and close the Hellsgate.''


    He said with a face full of certainty. Outnumbered, outgunned, and without allies, he aimed higher than anyone else.


    ''Then I should just lie down here and die?''


    Not once did he show any doubt. Despite the impossibility, all he had was confidence and courage. Honey fought like an amateur, but he never feared anything. Most civilians would have gone mad in Hellsgate.


    Yet, my man fought with no regard for his body or his life. It was as if he only cared about killing those in front of him.


    "Even a D-rank undead brute and a Revenant didn''t faze him," Imented with a smile.


    His eyes that had nothing but courage. His lips that always twisted into a fierce grin. And his fighting spirit that never gave up. Yes, I was already a lost cause. Unconsciously, despite his ws, just being with him was enough to send my heart into a spiral. Unfortunately, I wasn''t alone.


    The girls and I all felt it. Every single one of us, including the Untamed, was in love with John Smith. As much as I hated to share, it was necessary for our goals to have them all around us.


    While they would be a hindrance to my romance, I knew from their loving looks alone that none of them would ever betray Honey. It was so frustrating. Why did my man have to spit out one cool line after another?


    ''I refuse. I would not be alive right now if it was not for Be. I will never abandon her."


    Ugh, just thinking about it made my cheeks hot. The man may have been a lecher, but he was no stupid man, and he was loyal to a fault. Incredibly kind to those he cherished, but ruthless to those who earned his ire.


    "Tsk, and now I have to help Lilly join our group. All for a single voice clip." Despite myints, I had already made her bribe my ringtone.


    Of the Reapers Honey killed in Hellsgate, many were murdered with a bullet to the head. Men and women, some were even prostrated, but they all met the same end. His brutality could only be matched by his sweet gestures. It would have been perfect if I had been the only recipient.


    "Filho da puta! Liv even managed to steal a kiss. Jas was also acting suspiciously. Tsk. Calm down, Be. Of course I trust the Virgin and won''t run away.


    After all, only I could peel the pineapple."


    Then I picked up the GRI and kissed my wallpaper. It was the most recent picture I could find of John Smith, the man I held closest to my heart.


    "I am already yours, body, mind and soul. I am the only one fit to be your kindred. Prepare yourself, Mr. Code, when we meet again, I wille after you for real."


    After my deration, I sent the girls Honey''s contact information and sent him a message. The world was already starting to notice John Smith, but as long as I was alive, He would never be alone.

 Chapter 66: Heroine Chapter: Competition is Fierce!

    Chapter POV: Josephine Benelli


    ___


    The dark sky rumbled with thunder as shes of lightning lit up the heavens. I felt cold and damp as the rain soaked my body.


    I didn''t feel the slightest agitation, even though there was a huge hole in my chest where my heart should be.


    Maybe it had something to do with the man who held me so tenderly. His eyes full of sorrow as tears streamed down his face.


    He kept crying as he embraced me. This man was my beloved. My only one, and yet fate demanded that I be in by his hands.


    I couldn''t hear his words, but I knew of his kindness, and every time he looked at me, he repeated the same words. "Please forgive me, V." I wanted to smile, but instead I closed my eyes and breathed myst.


    A loud and annoying noise suddenly broke me out of my trance. It was the rm I had set for my short rest. I quickly turned it off and calmed my mind.


    "That scene again. Who was that man and who is V?"I asked annoyed.


    In a small garden on the outskirts of Siena, I swung my rapier and danced around a wooden target. My martial art focused more on speed and bnce, so footwork dictated everything. Whenever I felt anxious, fencing was where I found peace.


    Unfortunately, ever since I returned from Hellsgate, I kept dreaming of that one scene. I yed the role of a dying woman and had to watch a man mourn my death. It made no sense, it had nothing to do with me, but I couldn''t get it out of my mind.


    Fencing required concentration and a serene state, fortunately the anxiety disappeared as I danced with my sword. I practiced for about an hour before resting. As I took a drink of water, a familiar face entered the garden.


    "Jo, I told you to stop overworking yourself. You have been at it for over five hours now. Myron will be arriving soon. We will leave when he does, I cannot have you tired by then."


    My dear sister, the one stalwart ally in my life,ined as she brought me a chicken liver crostini with salsa verde toscana for a sauce. As strict as she was, I knew how much Jasmine loved me. The food she brought was a gesture that reinforced that.


    "Grazie Jas! But chicken liver again? Couldn''t you have used anything else?" I asked as I started to eat.


    "Stop being so picky with your food Jo. Wash up and get ready for the move. We need to be ready to depart... You seem out of focus, is something bothering you?"


    There were no secrets between Jas and me. Throughout my childhood, I barely saw my parents. They would show up once in a while to ask about my progress in academics, martial arts, and etiquette.


    During those dark days, the only people who made me feel loved were my sister Jasmine and my nanny Margaret.


    Despite her stoic exterior, my sister was incredibly passionate and motherly to me. Even when I was barely noticed by anyone, she was the only one to notice when I got distraught.


    Happy to have Jasmine by my side, I leaned against my sister and rested my head on her shoulder. The image of the crying man made my heart so miserable. The sadness in his voice felt like my heart was being torn apart. I had to tell someone.


    "Jas, I keep seeing a vision, a dream, I am not sure what it is. In the dream I was a woman named V and my lover was crying as he apologized. I never saw anything else, but the emotion it contained made me feel so horrible."


    I knew my sister would never judge me, but how did any of this make sense? Unaware of my inner turmoil, Jasmine brushed my hair and even wiped some of the sauce off my lips with a napkin.


    "Did that man look like John?" she asked me.


    Her words made me think of the face I kept seeing. He kind of looked like darling, but he didn''t. He was wearing armor I had not seen before.


    "He kind of did. Why do you ask?" I asked out of curiosity.


    Jasmine sighed before answering, "Because I also saw something simr, I was an Egyptian archer while John fought by my side. Our enemies were undead monsters.


    Huh? Jas started seeing dreams too? But why were they so different from mine?


    "Then these visions have something to do with darling? Did you manage to learn something from yours? Is that why you started being so clingy to him? Come on, spit out the toad!" My voice was full of excitement.


    I wanted to be with John as his wife, but I could not choose between Jasmine and him. If Jas wanted darling, I would let her be the main wife and I would be mistress.


    After all, most reapers had concubines or mistresses for bearing Descendants.


    "C-Clingy? I don''t think I was clinging. Ehem. And that is another matter, I will tell you when the timees."


    Kyah! My sister was the cutest when she was embarrassed. Her stoic personality usually cracked when she was flustered.


    The sight of her panicking to regain herposure was the best. Of course, she had no hair on her tongue, so she came across as rude a lot of the time.


    "Oh? You even went beyond Be and called him your husband. I don''t think you could cling more even if you turned into a ko. Haha. Don''t worry, sister, if it''s for you, I''m fine with bing his mistress," I dered resolutely.


    Only a man like darling was worthy of my sister. From his unyielding spirit to his dominating personality. For us Formless, having someone like him was like a beacon in the darkness.


    I tried to ignore it as I grew up, but I learned that my suffering was intentional. The horrible cruelty of my parents and the inhumane training were all part of creating stronger {Fates}.


    It was something I could understand, but something I would never do to my own children. So when we were discovered to be Formless, our worlds shattered. Disowned and treated worse than garbage, my sister and I were abandoned. It was as if our suffering was worth nothing.


    ''Vaffanculo a tutti! Fuck you all!'' I cursed inwardly in anger.


    In the month we were allowed to prepare, Jas and I starved, stole, and were almost raped several times. And yet, despite our sacrifices, we nearly died in the first few hours of enlistment.


    Had I never met John Smith, I would have just epted my fate and died that night. But against all odds, he said something I will never forget as long as I live.


    ''You are free toe and go as you please. But if you stand with us, your enemies will be my enemies. Unlike others, I have nothing against the Formless. What I said was no joke. I will be the strongest Revenant. And I shall be the one who closes Hellsgate.


    If you are scared, hide. But if you wish to end this nightmare, I wee you.''


    Immediately after he spoke, I felt a hundred butterflies in my stomach. For people who had nothing to believe in, such a promise was worth more than gold.


    But even if I wanted to have him, I would dly give him up for my sister, as she deserved all the happiness in the world.


    ''If you want to know,e with me. It is not a sin to be Formless. If this entire world believes that we have no right to exist, then all we have to do is climb to the summit and trample over it.


    Even if the darling was as good as bread, it had to be backed up by action. {Rewind} was useful, but it was not enough to convince me. But I soon got my proof, watching John fight until he bled and almost died.


    No matter how hard the fight, his smile never faded and his eyes never lost their fire.


    "What the hell are you talking about, Jo? We are going to be his wives together! If he doesn''t take you, I''ll beat him until he does. He will take both of us or I will castrate him! You deserve as much love as I do. The three of us will live together forever, I will ept nothing less!" Jasmine dered fervently.


    My sister''s words woke me from my brief reverie. Hearing her conviction reminded me of her love for me.


    Darling was lucky to have not one but two Italians ready to fulfill his every desire. I took my sister''s hands in mine and embraced her. No more words were needed between us.


    "Okay! Then we have to think about how to seduce darling! Thepetition is fierce! Be and Liv are already in the lead!"


    Just then Jas'' phone rang and she answered it. I quietly listened to her side of the conversation as I finished my crostini.


    "Hello? Myron...okay...we will be there. Okay, thank you. See you then. Jo, we are moving. Our fake identities have arrived."


    I nodded my head and quickly took a bath while Jas packed our things. Myron was a human who used to work for us.


    He was always friendly, so my sister and I asked him for a favor. Of course, we could only do this because we had money to pay for his services.


    Jas and I quickly took our bicycles and rode to our destination. It was a gloomy restaurant in the middle of nowhere. We walked in and found an old man sitting in the corner with a long envelope on the table.


    "Myron. Thank you for helping us. Give me your ount and I will send the payment." At times like this, my sister naturally took the lead. My job was to bring down anyone who might wish us harm.


    "Think nothing of it, Dame Denel. I was only trying to return the favor to your father," Myron replied.


    Something was wrong...as I strained my ears with {Listen} I heard the rustling of heavy footsteps all around the building. This son of a bitch, he sold us out. I immediately grabbed Jas''s right arm. It was our code that there was imminent danger.


    Just then, several men burst into the restaurant from all four sides. All of them covered in ayer of soul. A few reapers hidden in the shadows also came at us with knives and ws. Using Jas as a fulcrum, I kicked them all out of the way as I moved in a circle.


    "AFTER THEM! HIS MAJESTY DEMANDS IT!"


    Jas frowned as he rebuked our supposed friend. "Does the honor of a knight mean so little to you, Myron?" Jas ced her hand on my waist as we shouted at the same time.


    "{REWIND}!"x2

 Chapter 67: Heroine Chapter: A handful isn’t he?

    Chapter POV: Jasmine Denel


    ___


    "Jo! Over here!" After we rewound, I pulled my sister into the safe house I had prepared in advance. Ever since we got back to Europe, reapers have been trying to capture us. Myron just let slip that the one pursuing us was none other than Clive Zanardi, the Revenant of Europe.


    "Jas! What do we do? Myron was the only one who even talked to us!" Josephine chattered hyperactively. She was always like this.


    No matter how mature she behaved, when it was just the two of us, her mentality reverted to that of a child. Like the one who had been shivering in the dark all those years ago.


    ''Jasmine, the thunder is scary... Mommy and Daddy are gone. Can I please sleep with you? I will be good. Pretty please?''


    We were not rted by blood, but I loved her more than anyone else in the world. The Benellis, who owed my parents their lives, took me in to repay the favor.


    But despite all their warm intentions, I was brought in to serve as a maid. Everyone told me to remember that I was nothing more than a servant.


    However, Jo not only treated me as her sibling, but also made sure that I knew that everything she had was mine.


    We have relied on each other ever since. When we were lonely, scared, and anxious, we looked to each other for strength. Of course, as her big sister, I had to take care of her.


    "Josephine, calm down. With {Listen} and {Perceive}, they won''t find us unprepared again. We also can use {Rewind} like we did to escape just now. Our current priority is to leave the continent and move our battlefront to North America," my voice was calm as I tried to reassure her.


    Even if we got out with false identities, the Reapers would ambush us in Hellsgatee nightfall. So moving the battle fronts was just as important as leaving Italy.


    Unfortunately, Myron was thest person I could ask to help us with fake identities and supplies. At my wit''s end, I was about to lose hope.


    "Jas, do you think we can call Be? Didn''t she say toe to her if we needed help?"


    Isabe Taurus'' face came to mind. She was one of the few people that Husband trusted. Although I didn''t like the way she acted as his wife, knowing Husband, she would earn his wrath if Be left us to die.


    "It is worth a try, let us register in the Graveyard and try to contact her. The contact directory should only have a few entries for July."


    "Got it! I will register as V, like in my dream. What will you use?" Josephine asked energetically.


    ''I swear, the speed with which my sister shifted gears was a mystery.''


    Just the memory of Be and probably the man I called my husband gave Jo all her energy back. As much as I wanted to scold my sister. Like her, I could not stop myself from smiling when I remembered him.


    Back in Hellsgate, when a Normie bit me on the neck, I was ready to die. But like a bright dawn after a long night, my husband heroically arrived to save us. We may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but I was drawn to John Smith from the moment we met.


    In a single night, my husband showed valor,petence, and unshakeable will. Most of his actions were madness. He fought dozens by himself, used a flying gori to take down an undead brute. And even traded blows with a Revenant.


    But each time, he persevered and won. There were numerous instances when Jo and I just wanted to give up. But in all those moments, like the North Star, my husband led the way.


    He would never give up. Of course, as his wife, I couldn''t allow myself to fall behind. As long as we live under the same sky, I refuse to not be by his side!


    ''My goal has not changed. I will kill that thing whether I am alone or not. But your aid will make it much easier. I need you, Jasmine. Please help me.''


    His face, the one I adored so much, ovepped with another. Montu. The name of the man in my dreams. Simr to Jo, I began to have visions of a single event since our return to Earth.


    Using the Inte, I quickly deduced that the persona I was experiencing the dream as was an Egyptian goddess named Satis.


    Satis was a goddess of war under themand of Horus. With her was another deity who shared the same domain. He was the Falcon-headed god of war, Montu.


    Together they fought the enemies of Pharaoh. In my dreams, John wore a Falcon headdress analogous to the image the current world made him to be.


    This dream, along with two other incidents, connected me with John Smith. I didn''t know what it meant yet, but my life was already inseparable from his. Consequently, my only concern was to get Jo and myself back to his side. Since I already had a name in mind, I replied to Josephine.


    "I will register as Satis. Be works for CORE, if she is paying attention she should find us quickly."


    "Satis? Why such a strange name?" Jo asked harmlessly.


    Even though I knew my sister had no malice, I wanted to tease her. I replied, pretending to be hurt. "How rude! Like V is any better! Just finish the registration, you brat!"


    "What? I wasn''t... Hey! V is cute! It''s a hundred times better than Satis! Apologize!"


    "No! Your name ismer! Anyway, let''s try to find Isabe or the others," I tried to change the subject.


    "Eh... Do you know anything about them except their nationalities or names?"


    "..."


    "Cazzo!...I don''t remember anything else either," Jo confessed dejectedly.


    Looking at each other crestfallen, we both ended upughing. Just then, our GRI handsets both started beeping from an iing call. It was an invitation to a video conference.


    Josephine walked closer and I answered on my phone.


    The screen split in two, revealing faces that were both familiar and distant. On the left was a bespectacled, red-haired reaper from Brazil. On the right, a blue-haired American in an imposing white uniform.


    Josephine cheered wildly as soon as she saw them. "BELLA! PRINCESS LILLY! Thank the Pope you found us!"


    [Hi girls, d we got to you in time,] Be replied.


    [With a reaction like that, I wonder if you even need assistance,] Lilly said with a chuckle.


    [Do you need help?] The hacker from South America asked curtly.


    As reassuring as the two of them were as allies, we still needed solutions to our predicament. If they were not calling for aid, but were hunting us, their offer might be a trap.


    I did not want to dash Josephine''s hopes, but someone had to look at the big picture. Before Josephine could answer, I asked a question of my own.


    "What do you want in return? I am not naive enough to believe in noblesse oblige between reapers."


    Even after a few seconds, no one answered. Lilly let out an exaggerated sigh before speaking.


    [Good grief, how despicable are the Reapers around you?]


    [I told you, Princess. To the Formless, who are the bottom of the barrel, charity and aid always came with strings attached, now pay up,] Be remarked.


    [Fine, in my name as Lilly Browning, I will send your toys within the day. Jasmine Denel. We are helping you for two reasons. One, because my kindred John Smith would hate it if any of you got hurt. And two, because I simply wanted to.]


    [Oy! Take that back, Lilly! Honey didn''t agree! You even sent me the audio recording, you bitch!]


    [Fufu, my mistake. Anyway, there are currently seven of us vying for my dear''s heart. I will win his affection, even as you all cling desperately to him! I refuse to be handicapped, so get here safe and sound,] Lilly challenged with crossed arms.


    "OHHH! BRING IT ON LILLY! My sister and I will never lose! Darling is ours!" Jo cheered in fighting spirit.


    Relief flooded my system as our situation brightened. Even indirectly, Husband was the reason for our salvation. "If that''s the case, we ept. Please help us move to America, both here and in Hellsgate."


    [Okay. I will process your papers to move to the NA battle front. You will unofficially be transported to our battlefront as rogues to avoid detection. Officially, both of you will be listed as MIA until your transfer ispleted in a week''s time, understood? Stay safe and take care of yourselves. Be, follow what we discussed for the other things.


    I will drop now.]


    Like a queen, Lilly Browning left the call after saying her piece. After she left Jo asked Isabe the question that was on both of our minds.


    "Be, when did you and the Princess be so close?"


    Without missing a beat, the Brazilian began to exin.


    [It''s a long story, but the short version is that Honey rejected the princess. So she decided to join our group to gain his favor. Don''t tell anyone, but Lilly is Formless. John somehow won her heart over the weekend. As much of a bitch she is. Her status as Princess and the Untamed makes things easier.]


    [As for your fake IDs and passports, some friends wille to you with them in hand. Follow their instructions and stay out of sight. I asked them to bring some firearms, so take this time to get used to them.]


    [When your transfer to North America isplete, we will smuggle you out of Europe. Stay offline and use the GRIs only. I will call again tomorrow.]


    A single video call somehow solved our worries, it felt incredible. Be chatted with my sister some more before ending the call. Soon after, someone knocked on our door. We cautiously opened it and saw faces we never expected.


    "Amari? Mia? Why on earth are you here?" I asked in disbelief.


    The tall African man grunted in irritation. "To pay a debt. Here are fake documents and weapons that the Brazilian witch requested. I have been running around all morning for them. Tell John we are now even."


    "Hi guys! WOW! Thank you so much Amari! Would you put them in the other room, please? It''s already cramped in here," Jo smiled and led Amari to another room.


    "Hi!" Mia greeted politely as she entered, but then she pulled me into a corner of the house and whispered.


    "Hey Jasmine, what I am about to say is for your ears only. His Majesty wants you and your sister exterminated, so leave the country immediately. Also, tell John that someone leaked his information to the Grave Web. Bounty hunters from all over the world areing for him. Everyone in your group is in danger!"


    "My goodness, he is certainly a handful, isn''t he?" I replied happily.


    ''With our problems solved, it was my turn to help him. Soar as high as you wish, my husband. I vow to destroy all who dare to stand against you.''

 Chapter 68: Heroine Chapter: Then you are all my enemies!

    Chapter POV: Liv Ivaldi


    ___


    I walked forward into a magnificent hall. Thousands of voices echoed in the background. The path I passed was made of wood, but it shone like metal. At its end was a high, opulent, golden throne. The ruler of the North, Erik Odinson, the Revenant known as Unbreakable, sat unhappily at his seat.


    The moment I had wished to dy all this time had finally arrived. My inevitable reunion with my father. I arrived in front of him and knelt down as I removed my helmet. The Head of Wisdom, a position simr to a chancellor, began the interrogation.


    Yes, for all intents and purposes. Erik Odinson no longer had a daughter. I was not the Northern Princess anymore. My original name was lost along with my sin. Such was my punishment and burden to bear.


    "Shield Maiden Liv Ivaldi. You were repeatedly told that you would not be granted the honor of fighting in Hell''s Gate. Yet you not only escaped from your confinement, but prevented all the chosen northerners from joining the enlistment. Regardless of the oue, how do you intend to apologize for this disrespect?"


    Apologize? Apologize? This senile old man has held power for far too long. The North was a cruel ce, shrouded in cold and ice, our society obeyed now, only the will of the strong. There was only one exception: the monthly enlistment of new Reapers.


    For some unknown reason, we refused to send our best. Instead, we sent our weakest to the gathering. Of course, they all died pitiful deaths, while our strongest remained to fight the undead that had already broken out of Hellsgate. I couldn''t understand why, instead of ending the undead at their source, we allowed them to rule ournds unchallenged.


    So, I left. Against my father, against my country, against my own people. Leaving my name and identity behind, I set out on this mission to find the truth.


    All so I could understand what made my father, a Revenant of immense power, act like a coward. But I learned nothing, only that I was Ufore, or Formless.


    "I left so that you wouldn''t have to Lok. After all, if the weak are the ones sent, it is only a matter of time before you also leave, right?" I scoffed in derision.


    "This... this insolent sow! Your Majesty Liv Ivaldi has been corrupted by the southerners. She is even Ufore! If we leave her alone, she can desecrate our way of life. Liv Ivaldi, stop ying soldier and bear children for our race!


    Someone should take you, even if you look like an Orc!"


    "HAHAHA! WAY OF LIFE? SHUT UP, YOU PATHETIC COWARD! I have seen hamsters with stiffer spines than you!" Unable to restrain myself, I stood up as I scolded the sneaky rat.


    I made a small bow to Unbreakable as I continued. "What does it mean to be a Northerner, Lok? To cower in our holes when night falls? Our strength means nothing if we do not take back ournds from the enemy! For over 500 years, the Northern front has not moved an inch. Yet, during the same period, thend we control is not even a tenth of what it used to be!"


    That was the truth, for even if we reimed thends in the morning, we abandoned them by sunset. My people could not grow food because we stayed underground. While this made our people ustomed to using souls, those who could not fight would live forever without seeing the sun.


    "The Northerners are dying! There is only so much space underground. We must begin to fight the dead at their very roots! Hellsgate!" I then cast {Withstand} and stomped on the ground.


    "You all know! I am Ufore, yet I ced first! What if the Honor Guard fights with me?! If we block their power in Hellsgate, we can reim the surface! We can live in the light! I am the proof!


    We can fight! And most importantly, we can win!" I roared.


    I was never the strongest nor the bravest, but my performance began to make my people believe me. Whispers began to spread. Fighting spirits were stirred and ambitions awakened.


    But a majestic staff silenced the hall once more. The most powerful being in the room stood up. His age, invisible on his body, could be felt in his soul. Like a decrepit old man, he slowly walked down and stood in front of me.


    A thunderous p hit my cheeks. Even with {Withstand}, my head went nk for a second. Fortunately, due to my {Fate}, I didn''t even flinch. My father spoke in an infuriated tone.


    "You have be more foolish since thest time I saw you. I know what hope you carry. After all, I once had the same belief. But this is no tale for children, little girl. My generation fought for centuries, and all we had to show for it were graves beyond number. The dead cannot be stopped.


    If you continue on this path, you will condemn our race to its end!"


    "Then, rather than die in battle, you wish to die in your bed surrounded by candles, father? No, you are not my father. You are but a coward afraid to die," I spat out the blood that pooled in my mouth and began to walk away.


    "My father died on that day. The day the dead walked in the sun. I still regret my weakness that morning. But unlike you, I refuse to be bound by the past. May you live forever, Father."


    Before I could leave the hall, a dozen royal guards, armed to the teeth, surrounded me.


    "You are a fool if you think you can get away with this, Liv Ivaldi. The other battle fronts are very interested in the one you ce your hopes on. John Smith, was it? They are willing to trade arge amount of supplies for his location and weakness," Lok exined smugly.


    I clenched my teeth as my anger began to build. This was all the North had amounted to. Vermin, gossiping for scraps. How ridiculous! I suddenly remembered Be''s words.


    "See? Even the child is braver than all of you. Northerner, since when does your kind cower in the face of rank? Are you not the shame of your house? Why not help us bring down the boss to redeem your honor?"


    Indeed, Robyn, one so small had more courage than everyone in this room. I was the same, after my first battle in Hell, I froze in fear. While there were powerful phantoms like Lilly and the manifested, I was weak. As Formless, I believed I had no power.


    But he was different.


    ''Follow me or die.''


    It was the worst first impression one could make. But I saw this man, more powerless than I, triumph again and again, growing stronger each time. He was truly insane, but fortunately a Northerner never respected sanity. We only respected strength.


    ''Liv, give me your new {Fate} and I will kill this bastard for you. Believe in me.''


    For the first time since my awakening as a reaper, someone asked for my help. John recognized me as his valuable ally, even when I was a woman and Formless.


    ''Thank you. Now follow me to victory.''


    And against all odds, he led us into battle without fear or hesitation. A fervor befitting a Berserker, courage like that of a Hero, and a will harder than steel. Lok was right about one thing.


    He was the man in whom I ced all my hopes. The Reaper who will be King of the Formless. And the Revenant who will close the Gates of Hell! Most of all, he is the one who stole my heart!


    ''Don''t stare so hard, John. I know my face looks like a man''s, you don''t need to rub it in.''


    ''Whoever told you such bullshit deserves a bullet to the face. You look beautiful, Liv, like an angel or a Valkyrie.''


    The memory of hispliment made my heart beat faster than a drum. He didn''t know how important it was that he could see my red hair. How could he? After all, I had never told anyone about the spell my mother had ced on me.


    ''Remember, dear daughter. This spell will hide your appearance from men who wish you harm. Only a man who cherishes you would be able to see your true beauty. To all others, you will look like an orcish woman.''


    Naturally, I was overjoyed at John''s praise. Even with all the vixens vying for his attention. I wanted him. More than anything else in the world. And Lok just asked me to betray him? To hell with you!


    "{Suffer}, {Block}. Is that so? If you want to harm him, then you are all my enemies!" I said calmly, sword drawn.


    But before we could strike, my father roared like thunder.


    "ENOUGH!"


    "But Your Majesty..."


    As he returned to his seat, Erik Odinson said in amanding voice. "Your next words will be yourst Lok. Do not test me. Liv Ivaldi, you are banished from the North. Go and never return."


    At his word, the guards gave me a wide berth and I was allowed to leave unhindered. The sad look on my father''s face reminded me of a dream I hadst night. It was in a ce much more magnificent than this ce. In that dream, I was a Revenant named Freyja speaking to her king named Odin.


    "Are you sure you want to do this, Freyja? Even if you spend an eternity, he would never return to thend of the living."


    "I am, All-Father. If I cannot end the dead alone, then I will raise an army that can. Since I was not destined to receive his love in this life. Then I will deliver vengeance instead."


    Freyja lost her lover to the undead and spent the rest of her days in misery while she assembled her army. Our situations were simr, but unlike the Revenant, I will stand by my beloved and never allow him to die.


    My body will be the shield that guards his back and my affection will be the armor that protects his soul.


    I may be able to defend only one man. But if it were him, he would surely be the one to save my people.


    "Wait for me, my love," I whispered as I ran to the one I adored.

 Chapter 69: Heroine Chapter: Please dont abandon me.

    Chapter POV: Robyn Lithgow


    ___


    In the garden of my orphanage, all the little bastards crowded around me as I shared some lollipops. "Aight, you bludgers! Gather round! If you can''t follow the rules, you''re wee to piss off!"


    "Get stuffed gger!"


    "Shut it, kid, who did you learn to curse from? The name is Robyn."


    With my earnings from Hellsgate, I bought snacks for a bunch of little bastards. Tim Tams, Freddo Frogs, Caramello Kos, Pods, even a sack of Violet Crumbles! Seeing them running around high on sugar was definitely not healthy, but it was probably my own selfishness to share some joy in their lives.


    After all, nobody did that for me. My old home was a run-down church in Woorabinda, Queennd, which ran on donations. Known as the poorest ce in the country, Woorabinda was a real shithole.


    My story was the same as the rest of the kids here. My parents were foreigners, and as a little bastard I was stolen from them. At least I was told I was stolen. Some of us were sold, if their stories were true.


    Like the Stolen Generations days of Barat Orphanage, Woorabinda had a child trafficking syndicate headquartered here. They stole or bought children from South East Asia, China and India. The children were used as porn stars, whores for perverts or cheapbor. Of course, there are also situations such as mine, where they were sold to terrorists.


    I left this ce when I was sold at the age of eight. I just found my way backst month. For ten years I spent my life training and killing as abat joey in order to survive.


    Of course, when the group that bought me found out that I had run away, they finished me off for good. And so I became a reaper, sick, right? Who knew I would be one. Now I could earn a living killing dead people.


    "Robyn, thank you for your donation. We really have had a lot of trouble staying afloat." The middle-aged woman in charge thanked me once again.


    "No worries sister. I came from this ce a decade ago, so it is all right," I replied.


    "Oh my, how wonderful. I am sure that the family that adopted you must have been good people."


    "Uh, yes, they were."


    The kind who would take care of your problems if you paid them enough. But she didn''t need to know that. After all, I was not going toe back after today. I yed with the ankle biters for a few more hours before I left and started walking around. When I looked for the kids I knew, they were all long gone.


    "What am I going to do now? Where do I go? I don''t want to return to the terrorists. The branch I knew is all dead, and the other branch tried to kill me. Should I take revenge? Or should I just find a spunk and get naughty?"


    The moment I thought of the opposite sex, his face appeared. John Smith. I thought all men were gs with their brains in their dongers. But he was different, I guess. When I was almost forced to root with a perv and left to die, I cried so hard. Was I really that worthless?


    I was not happy that John murdered them all, but my chest felt tight when he did it for me. Even though he said otherwise in front of Lilly''s father, it was true that he took revenge on my behalf. I rarely had anyone watching my back, so the feeling was unfamiliar. Even when I ran with the terrorists, I worked alone.


    The name of the group was secret, so I literally knew nothing. They just gave me meals when I did the job and starved me if I didn''t. My time with them ended due to a military ambush.


    After that, I didn''t know what to do, so I just returned to the orphanage. I thought I could live out my days here, but a nun sold me out for cash. She was already gone, but I didn''t want to stay here anymore.


    ''Nice to meet you Liv, Aki, Robyn. I am John Smith. I will kill the redhead and his entire assault group for his debts to me and you. Afterwards I will snatch the brute from the gori. Let''s have some fun while we''re together.''


    Ugh, why does John''s face keep showing up? At first I thought it was great to be a Reaper, but I quickly learned that they were even worse than humans. If I hadn''t met Aki or Liv. I would not have even bothered to try so hard.


    I opened a Tim Tam and started munching on the lollies. At least I knew that the Wombat''s group wouldn''t stab me in the back. Aki told me all about the reapers, so I had an idea of what to expect. She looked very nice, but I felt that something was broken with her.


    My walk continued until I reached the entrance to the orphanage. There was a rickety weing arch. As I looked at the dirty thing, I remembered the dream I hadst night.


    In it, I was sitting on a white horse, standing next to a wee arch just like this one, but it was made of bones. Around my neck was a sign that said "Rhiannon the Sinner". I had no idea what the dream meant, but it felt so real. I had never experienced anything like that before.


    Feeling a bit rooted, I sat by the arch, wondering where to go next. A momentter an Ute full of blokes in what looked like shabby looking armor arrived. From the way they moved, these guys looked like amateurs, so they were probably human.


    "Are you Robyn Lithgow?" one of them asked.


    "Piss off and do the Harry, you fuckwit," I replied in a colorful manner.


    "Just tell us what you know about John Smith. We are here for his head."


    I stood up and brushed the dirt off my shorts. "Which one?"


    "Oy, that slut is toying with us. How about we rough her up a little? She looks easy on the eyes, yeah?"


    "{Hike}, {Pack}, {Ascend}." I pulled out my knife and ran at full speed towards one of the pervs, plunging my dagger into his throat.


    Surprised by my sudden attack, he tried to pull the knife out only to kill himself even faster. His blood poured out of his new orifice and bathed me in it''s stream. I pulled out another dagger as I flicked the flesh and blood off the first.


    The others looked at me with terrified eyes. It seems they never believed I would counterattack. Why were Bogans looking for my wombat? He may be a perv and a wombat, but I felt he was genuinely worried about me.


    ''Robyn, you need more blood? Just use {Loot} after the battle.''


    The moment people knew my fate, they started treating me like crap, but not for my wombat.


    ''You''re wrong, Liv, {Eat}, {Carry}, and {Withstand} are not trash {Fates}. And I will prove it in our battle.''


    He relied on me, believed in my abilities, and counted me as one of his own. He even fought a Revenant for my sake.


    ''Robyn, pack the gori and run with me! The rest of you follow!''


    ''FUCK YOU! DAVID THOMAS! YOU WILL NOT HARM THEM! GIVE ME YOUR BEST SHOT YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!''


    Nobody wanted someone like Robyn Lithgow, except this gger who was crazy enough to haul a gori around like a bullet.


    ''FEEL THE RAGE OF THE FORMLESS YOU FUCKING BASTARD! {COUNTER}!''


    But if he knew everything I had done, would there still be a ce by his side? What if he became disgusted and threw me away as well?


    ''Well then, shall we make history?''


    Originally, I only went with Liv and Aki to join him. Thanks to them I was able to survive and it was never boring at his side. I had the time of my life when we took down a rank D and then charged to our deaths.


    He was fucking insane and I loved every second I spent with him. And unlike most leaders, he led from the front. Yet these blokes think that they were all of that?


    "You''vee to the right ce, you cunts." I tensed my core and lowered my stance. Perhaps the leader had finally realized the situation and started shouting orders, not that it mattered in the slightest.


    Rhiannon and I had one thing inmon, we were both sinners.


    I, who had no past, present or future, knew nothing beyond murder. If the wombat wanted me, I was his. I would stay until he told me to bugger off. Though I would probably just off myself if that ever happened. Would anyone even notice if I died?


    "Please don''t leave me," I whispered to myself.


    ***


    After the battle, I checked their wallets but found nothing. It was unlike me, but my hands started to shake when the fighting ended. Was I afraid that John wouldn''t want me anymore? I was useful to them, wasn''t I? If I lost my usefulness, would they kill me like the terrorists?


    I had to find out, so I took out the GRI and registered under the name Rhiannon. In less than a minute I received a call. Be said to register if we needed help, thankfully she wasn''t just blowing smoke.


    [Robyn! Where are you? Are you safe?] she asked worriedly.


    "Arvo Be, I just took out a hit squad but I am fine."


    [Good, I am d. Listen, pack up and go to Japan. Jo and Jas are on their way. Lilly is on her way to pick you up].


    "Why? Has something happened to Aki?"


    [Aki has a sick brother who was kidnapped, Lilly found out where he is being held so we are going to rescue him].


    Why was everyone wasting time on Aki''s brother? Millions of children disappeared every year. Unable to stop myself, I asked out of character, bitterly. "What would you have done if I hadn''t checked in?"


    [We would havee to Australia and looked for you. Why do you ask?]


    "You''d look for someone like me? You know I am abat joey, right?" my voice began to crack unknowingly.


    [Robyn, are you all right? You are one of us, we would even if you were a cripple,] she replied in a sharp tone.


    "But if the wombat knows I killed people... women, children. I-I am a murderer!" I cried in disgust and shame.


    [We know Robyn, honey knows, and he doesn''t care.]


    "He doesn''t?" I asked in surprise.


    [Honey never med you Robyn, in fact he felt responsible for you.]


    "Why?" tears began to fall from my cheeks, washing away the blood.


    [Because that is who he is. John would never abandon you, Robyn. None of us would.]


    As I calmed down, I wiped away my tears. I had to get the truth from the wombat the next time we met. But for now...


    "Okay. Tell me what I need to do to get to Japan."

 Chapter 70: Heroine Chapter: I am so sorry.

    Chapter POV: Aki Miroku


    ___


    The warm rays of the early morning drove the chill out of my body. Millions of cicadas littered the local flora along the area. Their humming, annoying to most, soothed my nerves. I was walking towards a familiar destination, one I had visited many times over the years.


    It was here, at the Tama Cemetery in Fuchu, that my mother, father, and brother wereid to rest. I arrived at our hakaishi after turning a familiar corner.


    Unlike Western tombstones, the hakaishi were stone monuments that represented not an individual but an entire n. Simrly, the Miroku hakaishi housed three deceased members of my family. I said a silent prayer before pouring some water in front of the monument.


    "Mother, Father, Haru. I hope you are all well. I have managed to return from my first night as a reaper. My fate is called {Eat}! Can you believe it? I ended up in Formless, but do not worry, I managed to find others like me.


    I will not let myself be bullied!" I said with a smile.


    As the memories of enlistment shed through my mind, two faces stood out more than others. Robyn, abat joey from Australia, and a man named John. The former reminded me of my brother while thetter became the reason I survived.


    When Amari tookmand of the Reapers, many went against his will. Of course, I was the same. The fact that I was Formless was something I tried to keep secret. My father often told me about the discrimination they suffered.


    This was proven true when Amari''s group attacked a young Reaper from Australia. Robyn, who had poor social skills, responded to the bullying with force. When I saw that no one was willing to take her side, I went against my better judgment and exposed my true nature. A reaper whose {fate} was without form.


    As a result, Robyn''s view of me was that I was her ally. Liv Ivaldi, a Northerner, also joined, and the three of us bonded as Formless. After that, we were left to die and then rescued by John''s group. Together, ourbined group of Formless killed both bosses and returned to Earth.


    While Robyn reminded me of my brother, the two couldn''t be more different. She moved as fast as the wind and had excellent martial arts capabilities despite her small stature. Haru, on the other hand, had a medical condition called congenital heart disease, which forced him to stay indoors.


    I knew it was wrong to see Haru in Robyn, but I could not stop myself from wanting to protect her. After all, even though my family was involved with the Reapers, we abandoned my brother in the worst possible way. We left him to die alone.


    "Haru-kun, I even met a child about your age. She was a bit crude and swore a lot, but the way sheughed reminded me so much of you...carefree, devoid of worries, and full of life...I was able to somehow help her return home."


    Unconsciously, tears began to fall from my eyes. While I was able to save Robyn, Haru died in the hospital without anyone by his side. Such a truth broke my heart. In the back of my mind, I wondered why Haru was never reborn as a reaper. We had Reaper blood, so it was just a matter of regret.


    ''Haru-kun... don''t you have any regrets? I miss you... How can you ept a life that ended so pitifully?! It is so unfair! How can such a kind child be denied a second chance when viins continue to walk the earth?!''


    My n was one of the shinobi houses that existed since the Edo period. When some of our ancestors died and became reapers, our fate changed. They helped and guided the n by using the resources from Hellsgate.


    Unfortunately, although the Reapers never aged, most of them lived short lives. The family had grown tired of a life of servitude. So they decided to focus on Hellsgate instead of Earth. Thus, the Miroku bloodline was forcibly transformed into a bloodline of descendants.


    The Miroku continued to train as shinobi in preparation for Hellsgate. We began to work as spies or assassins by the age of sixteen.


    As the n began to be a powerhouse in Hellsgate, the greed and ambition of our elders grew unchecked. Knowing that the Reapers had ample resources and influence, they began kidnapping and ckmailing their families.


    "My greatest shame is to have the same blood as these people."


    Haru passed away one night while I was overseas on a mission. By that time, my reaper parents had already gone missing in Hellsgate. When I returned, my brother had already been cremated. What was the point of all of this if you were not able to save the ones that you held most dear?


    I begged the elders for soulgears to heal or at least ease the pain. I was even willing to trade my freedom or purity to get them. But they turned a deaf ear. One day, I was given a mission overseas to murder a reaper''s family in the most gruesome way possible. The reward? They would finally cure Haru.


    I traded my honor to give Haru a second chance at life, but it was all in vain. All that was left of him was his ashes under this hakaishi. My sanity was broken at that very moment.


    With my parents gone since I was eighteen, I lived for Haru. Everything I did was to earn money for his treatment, yet it was not enough. The following week, my grief turned into bloodlust for Miroku. I hunted them to extinction. Even Reapers could be killed if you knew their {fate}. I just waited in their houses and bombed, trapped, or poisoned them all to death.


    Why should these vile things exist when my brother could not? Humans were even less of a problem. As an unregistered descendant, I massacred them all. After standing on a mountain of corpses, I ended it all by drinking poison.


    In my dying moments, I couldn''t stop my tears as regret enveloped my heart. Who was to me for my miserable life? What was my fault? Was it the Miroku n? The Reapers? Hellsgate?


    My parents? No, it was something deeper.


    Our lives were changed because of the Reapers. Reapers existed because Hellsgate remained open. Who was responsible for closing that Abhorrent doorway? Who was to me for my parents'' disappearance? Whose fault was it that Haru died alone?


    "The Revenants," I whispered bitterly.


    Revenants, the gods among men. Even with all their power, they were beyond useless, and my family paid for their stupidity.


    "Sigh, I should have just eaten sweets with Haru..." I closed my eyes with thesest words.


    Against my will, I was reborn as a Reaper. Angry and frustrated, I wanted to die immediately, but my survival instincts kept me alive. When I met Robyn, I vowed that myst act would be to bring her home.


    But fate had other ns, for I met a man unlike any other.


    ''Follow me or die.''


    How rude! Judging by his features and enormous ego, he was probably an American.


    "My loyalty is only to the Master," I replied. Of course that was a lie. I have yet to find one. Shinobi were trained to serve a worthy master, and I had never met anyone who could give me a sense of purpose.


    What happened next left me speechless. The man''s group saved us from death, but they did so by sacrificing their own, or so I thought.


    ''{SOUL BREAKER}!'' x2


    {Soul Breaker}, an ability that only Descendants possessed. Two people like me were willing to die in his service. Why? What made this man so special? Serving someone so weak, what could they possibly gain? His other ally, a reaper named Be, tried to convince us.


    It was her next words that piqued my curiosity.


    ''Both, I am his right hand and his woman. My king will be the 8th Revenant, the leader of the Formless and in the future the strongest Revenant. You saw the conviction of my sisters, right?''


    I did, only a descendant would know how painful and excruciating it was to use {Soul Breaker}. A trump card in exchange for one''s very existence. The pain was like setting your insides on fire while bathing in kerosene. Why did these women sacrifice themselves for him?


    When we fought together, his antics were crazy in every sense of the word. But through all the trials, his eyes never wavered.


    ''Please make sure everyonees down in one piece, Aki.''


    Even when everyone lost hope when we failed to subdue the undead brute, he remarked the opposite.


    ''I feel it in my gut. It will be our key to victory.''


    "Smith-san, you are asking us to gamble our lives on a feeling?" I remember asking in disbelief.


    Victory? What victory? He was insane! But even though it made no sense, his women followed him without question. Even more intriguing was that Liv was beginning to do so as well. Was he using mind control?


    Hypnotism, perhaps?


    ''Do note here! Let them overrun me! Kill the ones that are not aiming at me!''


    Only Robyn and I continued to question his sanity. Why? Why? Why couldn''t I take my eyes off him? The answer soon dawned on me.


    ''Rules only apply to the weak. Do not expect me to follow such nonsense. Choose John Smith. Do you want to die in their stead or abandon them to their fate?''


    Defeating an undead brute was a feat worthy of celebration, but he soon challenged a Revenant! His reply burned itself into my mind and into my heart.


    ''FUCK YOU! DAVID THOMAS! YOU WILL NOT HARM THEM! GIVE ME YOUR BEST SHOT YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!''


    Smith-san... followed only his own will and desire. He traded blows with a Revenant simply because he wished to. I began to wonder. What were Revenants? They were absolute beings, yet a lunatic weaker than me was challenging one inbat.


    Just the thought of it terrified me. Why could he do it? I was stronger, right? So why?


    Even when no one believed him. Even as he stood alone. The man refused to back down.


    ''{Regen}, {Withstand}, {Endure}. Understood. I am John Smith, Formless. Wraith of the North American Battlefront. On this day, I swear that I will be a Revenant and beat the shit out of you and the other Revenants.''


    Ah, this man was the one I longed for. I felt it in my soul. If I followed him, anything and everything would be possible. The master I was waiting for, the one who could take vengeance in my ce... Unfortunately, we were not meant to be in this life.


    I took out a picture I found by my bed yesterday morning. When I turned it over, a simple message shattered all my hopes.


    [Haru is alive. If you want him back, bring us John Smith''s head - Trinity].


    "Forgive me, Smith-san, I am so sorry," I cried in anguish.

 Chapter 71: Heroine Chapter: For our Kindred!

    Chapter POV: Lilly Browning


    ___


    [Are you fucking insane?!]


    An angry scream came from the GRI phone on the table. I was on a video conference with various women from around the world. At my side was a woman over six feet tall, carefully trying to mix her tea.


    It was adorable to see a strong Northerner fumbling with something as mundane as a teacup. On the opposite side was a young assassin from Down Under.


    "Sweetheart. I am quite serious. You may tell John that assassins areing for him. But I forbid anyone to tell him that Aki is among them," I instructed as I drank my tea.


    [But Lilly, Aki will try to kill darling. What possible reason could you have not to warn him?]


    It was hrious. The women gathered here were all from such different backgrounds, but they all fell in love with the same man. I was pretty sure that love was not the only reason. Love might have caused the initial attraction, but they all had something they needed from my kindred.


    "Josephine, you and Jasmine have IQ''s of 141 and 145 respectively. What do you think?"


    [What? 141? 145? Filho da puta! How are descendants even fair?!] shouted a certain bespectacled Brazilian.


    "Who cares? Oy Princess, what if Aki seeds in killing the wombat?" someone asked.


    "Then that simply means that this is his limit. As much as you girls tell yourselves that you love him, it was his fighting potential that won you over, no? If he had died during the enlistment, no one would have spared him a second nce."


    "..."


    The silence that followed confirmed my words. No matter how good they were with words or how visionary a man seemed to be. If heckedpetence in either industry or battle, he was nothing but chaff in the wind.


    I understood because I was the same. I was drawn to the man named John Smith not only because of his words, but because he had the strength and drive to rise higher.


    [Still, I have trouble believing that Aki is the ded Kitsune. I thought shemitted suicide? And why would she go after Honey in the first ce?]


    "Trinity probably put her up to it," the Viking replied.


    "Ahh! Why do I always feel like a drongo when I talk to you ggers? I don''t get it, Liv!" shouted the one to my left.


    Seeing thebat joey worry her little head made me smile. Completely unlike the crowd I usually had, this group spoke unfiltered and didn''t walk on eggshells around me.


    "Allow me, Robyn. Trinity is the enemy of all reapers. They want the world to end. One of their usual practices is to ckmail reapers into killing each other."


    "Eh? Aki is being ckmailed? What did she do? She didn''t seem like the type to have dirtyundry," Robyn questioned further.


    Be replied in a somber tone. [Robyn, Aki is a notorious assassin, she was known as the ded Kitsune. Her targets were usually Reaper families or those close to them].


    It was so refreshing to have such apetent group of people discussing like this. "Wonderful information gathering, Be, for someone without a sponsor, I am impressed."


    [Stop patronizing her, Lilly. Be hates that. We weren''t sure when I met her, but Jas and I thought her name sounded familiar. For the descendants, the name Miroku was associated with the Miroku Massacre. Lilly, Aki is dangerous, she killed Reapers even as a human. We have to stop her.]


    Dear, how much have you charmed this group? Though still embers, their affection for you was already smoldering hot. Before the others could ask, Jasmine finished the ninja''s story.


    [The Miroku raised children in pairs, one was trained as an assassin, the other was drugged to be sickly. The sick sibling would then serve as a shackle for the assassin. About a month ago, Aki''s brother supposedly died, and when she found out, she broke down. Aki started killing everyone with the surname Miroku out ofplete hatred.]


    "If that is the case, what does she want with my wombat?"


    "It seems that Haru, Aki''s brother, was still alive. He was stolen from Miroku by Trinity," I exined in a stoic tone.


    Liv pounded her fists on the table as shembasted Trinity. "How cowardly, they should all die a dog''s death!"


    [Then the reason you want to leave Aki alone is because even if we intervened, as long as Trinity has her brother, she would try again? I don''t think she can kill Honey, at least.]


    "90 points, Aki will hunt John Smith until her brother is rescued or she is killed. If we want to help him, stopping Aki is not the answer. It is taking away the power Trinity has over her."


    Because of this. Liv, Robyn and I were on a private jet on our way to Japan. Jo and Jas were on a smuggled flight to the same destination. Be was providing tactical support.


    It was only yesterday that Be and I had helped the sisters. But when they heard about the situation, they had no qualms about helping.


    [How did you manage to find them, Lilly? Especially when someone like Be could not? I believe in Husband, but I find the whole thing suspicious.]


    "I find it more amusing that none of you thought of ending Aki, aren''t we all in love with John?" I teased.


    [...]


    "Rx, the Miroku are vassals of the Browning family."


    ''HAHAHA this group was so much fun to mess around with.


    It had been years since I let myself go like this. They neither pandered nor tried to take advantage of me. They simply appreciated my help and responded in kind.


    ''Right, they were just like my kindred. Could this be considered his influence?''


    ''Then it is decided, starting today, I will be your handler.''


    ''Excuse me? No! I refuse!''


    It was a first for me. Usually people groveled to get my attention. But not him. Even when I challenged him in singlebat, he not only won in spectacr fashion, but also praised my aplishments.


    ''I am in awe of everything you have aplished, Lilly. How much did you struggle to hide such a truth under the eyes of everyone. On the other hand, if they do know, how much effort did it take to get them to ept it? Either case, I find you amazing!''


    Just remembering his intense gaze made my body heat up.


    ''Then, from today, you''re mine. If you don''t do what I say or go against my words, I will not only expose you, but I will make sure that everyone knows that their princess indulges in porn like a depraved slut.''


    Yes, as proud as I am, I feared that my true nature would be known by others. I lived with a mask that bound me like chains. As thest remaining bloodline of David Thomas, I could not fail. After all, I wasn''t even his legal family.


    Unlike any other prince or princess of the Revenants, I was a bastard born out of wedlock. The product of a one-night stand between a maid and a drunken Revenant. That was my true origin. My mother was eventually assassinated by the Trinity when I was ten.


    The next day I was adopted into the Browning family. The house of my father''ste wife. Like the plot of a cheap romance novel, I went from rags to riches. And those around me made sure I never forgot.


    I tried my best despite my humble origins, but it all came crashing down the day I awoke {Store}. The rage and disappointment in my so-called father was palpable. Unable to live with my failure, I continued to struggle until I finally became a Phantom.


    ''LILLY! Please give me your blood! I will trade with you as much as you need!''


    ''What? Are you really that impressed with my {Fate}?''


    ''OF COURSE I AM! It is amazing! Please trade {Fates} with me!''


    ''Oh...is that so?''


    Who knew I craved eptance? No one appreciated my true self, they all loved the mask I wore. Lilly Browning, the manifested phantom and proud daughter of David Thomas. The higher I rose, the more I drove myself into a corner. Like a noose, each day was strangling me ever tighter. How long would I have to live a lie?


    ''Wait for me. I will kick so much zombie ass by the time I am done that being Formless will be like a badge of honor.''


    ''I refuse. I would not be alive right now if it were not for Be. I will never abandon her.''


    ''I couldn''t bear to let such fuckers insult you. It never bothered me when I was the butt of their jokes. But for them to say such garbage about you, when you are nothing but noble, didn''t sit right with me.''


    Every exchange made my heart lighter. Such simple wordsforted me. Like a fly in a web, I found myself unable to escape his clutches. Even my dreams were invaded by his face from another life. All I had to do was close my eyes and I could see him again.


    "Who are you? I am Nergal, god of war and guardian of the underworld. Are you Ereshkigal?"


    Dressed in ck armor, he asked in a bloodthirsty tone. A handsome face, eerily identical to my John Smith. Unable to escape the memory, my body moved like a character in a y.


    "You imbecile, I am Ishtar, goddess of love and war. Ereshkigal, my sister, is the one who imprisoned us together."


    "Oh? How can I meet her?"


    "You can''t. I came here to take her rule, and it seems you wish to do the same. ording to her plot, we can only leave when the other is dead."


    "Understood. Then, as gods of war, let our des speak for us!" the man drew his weapon as a savage grin appeared on his charming face. I simrly prepared for battle and soon our dance of love and death began.


    ***


    Oh? My mind drifted for a second. Back to the subject. Naturally, I knew the reason why no one could kill Aki. Every woman here, including her, had been used by a Revenant to threaten John.


    Yet the man didn''t deny any of us. For seven Formless Reapers, those the world considered to be of no value. A powerless man took on a god.


    For fear of incurring the wrath of the One we sought, no one could act impulsively. For the same reason, we moved to defend each other, all to earn his favor.


    How disgustingly sweet, yet irrevocably stupid. Yet, like a fly in his web, neither they nor I could save ourselves from the man named John Smith.


    After a few hours, Liv, Robyn and I met the Italian sisters at Osaka''s International Airport. Half an hourter we arrived at the abandoned Kyoto hospital run by Trinity.


    Dozens of burly men with manifested weapons immediately surrounded us. With a smile on my face, I put on the kitsune mask I had brought with me.


    "Shall we begin, sisters? For our kindred! OPEN COMBAT!"

 Chapter 72: The night is still young.

    In a deste wastnd buried beneath the underworld, I signed in exhaustion. I was leaning against the wall of a two-story house in zone 1063-2. In front of me were three corpses in a ghastly state and a torso without a head or limbs.


    "What a terrible way to die," I mourned.


    [Limitless, the new defender and his escort have entered the zone. I have ryed your signal, you may leave as soon as the new defender signs your deployment order].


    "Thank you, Aira. Tell them to get here soon."


    While the mercenaries were as simple as they could be, the Reapers were generally very rule-bound. This was mainly because every rule in Hellsgate was learned and paid for in blood. One of the rules after a zone was reimed was that the mercenaries would wait for a new defender before leaving. This has evolved to require the signature of the new defender as proof.


    The download to join the Death Seekers told me a lot about Hellsgate as a whole. If I didn''t know my left from my right before, I now knew the rules that had been painstakingly written over the centuries. Defenders was the term used for the Phantoms who ruled over a Zone.


    Zones were the plots ofnd in Hellsgate that the reapers and undead fought over. Each zone was part of a floor, and for simplicity''s sake, the reapers named each zone with a code simr to the reaper ids. The zone I was in was called 1063-2. This meant that this zone was in North America, as indicated by the first digit. The next 06 represented the floor.


    The deeper the floor, the stronger the undead.


    I couldn''t even try to go past floor 10. This was due to 1. not having a manifested weapon. And second, I was too poor to get my weapons blessed. The next two numbers came in pairs. 3-2 simply meant Tier 3 Zone 2.


    The tiers were basically the zones proximity to the floor entrance.


    Floor.jpg


    Like dungeons in novels, if Reapers wanted to get to the next floor, they had to kill the boss of the current floor.Hellsgate took this mechanic to the next level. Each tier was like a mini-floor, with zones simr to "rooms". You could not move on to the next set of rooms unless you killed the boss of the current tier.


    Thus, Reapers would have to hunt each tier''s sub-boss in order to advance. The tier and zone names were created to denote the most likely ce for the boss to hide. They usually stayed in the center, so the zone designations increased outward. This resulted in some zones being safer than others.


    The zone I was in was 1063-2. This meant that I was in the yellow tier and zone 2, which had a lower chance of the boss being present. Originally there were no zones and the reapers just treated each tier as a floor. But for some reason, the purification of each soul crystal did not extend beyond the designated tiers. So the Reapers marked the divisions and created the tier-zone system.


    A group of a dozen men arrived as I was contemting the zone system. The people had different uniforms and equipment that indicated their practice. Some wore robes like schrs, others had overalls with thick gloves, and some wore armor meant for battle. I scanned the faces of the men and noticed that they all had looks of awe and surprise.


    Even from this distance I could hear some of their whispers.


    "Dude, I think I''m going to puke. Look at this mess!"


    "I know, right? The zombies are in pieces. I haven''t seen a single intact zombie since we got here."


    "Ugh, this ce is bare bones, that defender must have been cheap as hell. No wonder it fell. We should be safe, right?"


    "You idiot, this zone has already been reimed. Why do you think we are here?"


    "Huh? Why is that guy wearing a suit?"


    From the way these bastards talked, I figured they must not have seen muchbat. The emblems they wore on their uniforms should be from the other professions. A few men in armor led them to my position. When they arrived, a nerdy looking man stepped forward. He looked like he was in high school and wore gaudy looking robes.


    However, the feeling I got from him told me that this fucker didn''t mess around and was the strongest of the group. The man crouched down to examine the bodies in front of me as he spoke.


    "Are these the reapers that were part of the defenders?"


    "What''s left of them. They were all dead when I arrived. I found their bodies when I checked the house. I don''t know if that''s all of them," I replied.


    The bespectacled phantom then stood up and began instructing his men.


    "Okay, adventurers, please do a sweep and search for other reapers. Fortification, I want a 6-foot wall up in 3 days. Make it at least 2 feet thick. Production and Academics, proceed as discussed."


    Like a well-oiled machine, the group split up and began their tasks. Those in armor began scouring the area for fallen reapers. Those in overalls pulled a cart of stone, wood, and other crap to another location. The rest of the group began to inspect and dismantle the dead zombies.


    One of them approached me and asked seriously. "Hello! We came here because we heard there was an Rank-E Undead Chief. If you don''t mind, could you please tell us where the body is?"


    I pointed to the nearby tree and watched them retrieve the corpse. The new defender approached me while fiddling with his phone.


    "Where''s the rest of your team?" the reaper asked.


    "There is no team, just me."


    "Hmm. As usual, the Death Seekers make very little sense."


    I felt the contempt in his words. I had juste from a long battle and was in no mood to y house with these fuckers. I asked bluntly in irritation.


    "Can I go now? Give me your signature or whatever so I can leave."


    The man sighed exaggeratedly as he shook his head. "Can''t say I''m surprised. Frankly, only you guys could ignore a loot of this magnitude, I guess the battle was it''s own reward. Come with me, I just need to bind the crystal and you can go."


    "What the hell can you even salvage from zombie corpses?" I asked incredulously.


    "Plenty. You must be a newbie if you are really asking."


    The man then went into the house as he arrogantly exined. Unwilling to waste another second in this ce, I had no choice but to follow him. For some reason, I felt an uneasy tingling on my skin as we entered. Maybe it was instinct, but even though I could, I never lingered in the building before the new defender arrived.


    "While it may be sacrilege on Earth, it is normal here to use zombie flesh to feed livestock. Their bones can be ground for a variety of uses. Blood and organs can be used to make potions or stimnts. Personally, I prefer to use their bodies as filler for fortifications."


    Ugh, those guys were the worst. The ones who had to let everyone know how smart they were. If you made the mistake of asking anything, these guys never knew when to shut up. He was right about one thing. Using a human corpse for this kind of shit would get you burned at the stake on Earth. Here you can see the desperation of the reapers, if it was eptable to build walls out of zombie corpses.


    We entered the deepest room on the second floor. In the center of the ce was a huge, 4-foot floating ck crystal. Somehow, the closer we got to the thing, the worse I felt. The hairs on my body stood up like goose bumps as I came face to face with the giant jewel. The defender with me shed his wrist with a small knife and sprinkled his blood on the gem.


    "I hope our partnershipsts, my friend," the defender stated.


    The blood seeped into the crystal and slowly the ck color began to fade. Smoke, as dark as the night, spewed from the gem like poison being sucked from a wound. After about five minutes the whole thing was transparent and began to pulsate with a soft glow. As I bathed in its light, I noticed that the uneasiness I had felt was no longer there.


    ''This must be the purification thing the video talked about before,'' I surmised.


    "All right, Zone 1063-2 is now part of the Reaper Domain again, with me as its defender. We haven''t introduced ourselves yet, have we? I am Patrick Steorra, Phantom. And you are?"


    "John Smith."


    "Hmph. Never mind then."


    Then he picked up his phone and waited. Unable to understand his actions, I just looked at him absentmindedly.


    "Pull out your Reaper handset and show me your QR code Death Seeker. We both have paperwork to fill out, so get on with it."


    Unable to understand what the hell he was saying, Aira came to my rescue.


    [Limitless, mercenaries are assigned AIs for paperwork. Just tap the earpiece and hold out your forearm.]


    I couldn''t stopughing as I imagined blood-drunk mercenaries doing paperwork. No wonder they gave us AIs like Aira. Following her orders, I held out my forearm and the mercenaries'' logo appeared on the sleeve of my suit.


    "Hmm, if you have a GRI that can transform, you must be an Octad. Impressive. Hopefully our paths will not cross again, John Smith."


    He then scanned the logo on my sleeve and Aira gave me a confirmation. I understood what he meant. As a defender, if we saw each other, it meant that his zone had once again failed in its defense.


    "I wish you well. Goodbye."


    [Limitless, 2000 souls have been added to your ount. Do you wish to respond to another siren or return to base?]


    Base meant the town where the dispatch office was located. From just one battle, I gained 2000 souls as payment. This did not include the souls I got from the fight itself. All in all, I managed to earn nearly 1800 souls in one mission, minus expenses. Together with the payment, a single fight gave me 3800 souls. And it only took one hour.


    Of course, I had a smile on my face when I counted the money I had just earned. I forgot about the danger and began to see zombies as nothing more than wads of cash. I replied to my trusty AI with an insatiable greed.


    "Send me to another Aira. The night is still young."

 Chapter 73: Boom! Headshot!

    The Phantom in front of me sneered as he chastised. "What? Are you insane? You already killed a hundred zombies, and you still want to fight more?"


    Normally, I would have just ignored him, but the high frompleting my first mission made my emotions soar. "You must note across mercenaries very often. You must have heard of our other name, right?" I asked smugly.


    "Death Seekers," the defender replied through clenched teeth.


    I couldn''t help but smile at what would be my new norm. I didn''t really care about him, but every Reaper was a valuable resource. And I, who wanted to overthrow the world, not only had to kill as many undead as possible, but I also needed to protect as many reapers as I could.


    "Don''t think too much about it, reaper. I will fight so that you don''t have to. May your fate end the darkness. Farewell."


    [Limitless, a new zone has been selected, please state your intention]


    {Reaper NA20230799-FRM, John Smith reporting forbat.}


    In response to my words, brilliant lights shone from my feet again. This time I was able to look down and see the emblem of the Death Seekers being drawn below me.


    {Wee John Smith, initiating summon. Entering zone 1084-3 in 3...2...1...}


    When the re-creation of the emblem wasplete, I again felt like I was being thrown into a free-falling elevator. A couple of secondster, I had the familiar feeling of being mmed into the ground.


    The feeling brought me to my knees. Maybe it was because it was my second time. The falling sensation and the arrival didn''t bother me as much as before.


    "But fuck, this is going to take some getting used to," Iined. Unable to stop myself from having my mood soured, I tried to get up.


    [Limitless, wee to zone 1084-3. This siren is a Priority 5 and was issued 20 minutes ago. Would you like a sitrep?]


    "Please do Aira."


    The alert priority system was something the mercenaries came up with. Basically, because of the way the zones are designed, it was hard to respond to every single siren. Ideally, Mercenaries wouldn''t be needed at all, but life was never fair. Zones fell every hour on the hour.


    Due to the limited amount of manpower avable, each mercenary was given a grade indicating the jobs they were allowed to handle. As a rookie, I was naturally at Priority 5 or the lowest rank.


    This meant that I could only respond to Priority 5 sirens. These were the lowest kinds and had little to no impact on the overall war. The more missions Ipleted however, the faster my rank would increase.


    From the mercenary downloads, I learned howplicated the Reaper War had be over the years. Each floor had 7 tiers, and each tier''s zones depended on its proximity to the boss room. This meant that each floor had 28 zones of varying difficulty.


    Normally this wouldn''t be a problem, but the reapers eventually learned that they didn''t have to clear all the rooms to get to the next floor.


    Floor.jpg


    Just like in games, some yed as speed runners, while others liked toplete everything the game had to offer.


    This difference in mindset also manifested itself in the way the battlefronts waged war. Each continent had a specific style of how they wanted to clear their floors. The greatest floor number a continent fought on was called the frontline.


    Europe, for example, had both the fewest Reapers and the lowest casualty rate, they yed like apletionist. They only got to the 39th floor.


    But every European floor had 100% purification, or all 28 zones were under Reaper control. That meant they didn''t have to worry about their backs being attacked outside of a floor break.


    Asia, on the other hand, did the opposite, boasting arge Reaper pool, they yed speedrunners. Reaching up to floor 52, they usuallypleted the absolute minimum per floor.


    They averaged only 10 to 12 zones per floor or 42% purification. This meant that their 12 zones were attacked by 16 zones worth of undead. Forget beachheads, Asia usually fought surrounded on multiple fronts, resulting in catastrophic encounters on a daily basis.


    Each approach had its pros and cons. Better loot from deeper levels or faster growth of Reapers or, ultimately, the number of fatalities.


    North America was one of the battlefronts that took a bnced approach. We learned that if you clear every floor with no exceptions, your wraiths will be forced to fight on the front lines.


    On the other hand, if you left too many zones open and unprotected, the defenders would quickly be overrun. Both situations resulted in a loss ofbat power.


    So NA''s approach was to take the center and achieve a 60% purification level, or 17 zones. 11 zones on the "wings" would be left for the Wraiths to getbat training without much risk. It wasn''t perfect, but it provided the best long-term results.


    Priority 5 sirens were calls to 11 training zones on each floor 40 floors behind the front line.


    Priority 4 was for wings 30 floors behind.


    Priority 3 was for core and wing zones up to 20 floors behind.


    Priority 2 was for zones 10 floors behind.


    And finally, Priority 1, the highest, was strictly for within 9 floors of the front line.


    This was because the 9 floors behind the front were the Specters'' lifeline. These zones were the only thing the Specters could call on for help. If the line was cut, the undead would quickly surround the Specters and either crush them with wave tactics or push them until they copsed.


    Unlike the undead, who never tired, hungered, or rested, reapers could only survive for a short time on will power. They still needed to rest their minds, bodies, and souls. Although they were humans who had returned from the dead, Reapers were still very much like people.


    [Roger, I detect the presence of 1 Phantom and 2 Wraiths. They are currently under siege by a small force of 50 Rank F undead led by a Rank E Undertaker. The defenders have already been informed of your arrival. Do you wish to speak with them?]


    "Yes, please connect me to them."


    [You are now connected to the defenderwork.]


    After thanking Aira, I addressed the surviving Reapers and tried to get a sense of my surroundings.


    "Reapers, I am John Smith, a mercenary who responded to your dirge siren. Where are you and what is your status?"


    A gruff voice came from the line. Both exhaustion and relief could be heard in his words.


    [You magnificent bastard! This is Scott Davis, an adventurer. The defender is unconscious and hemorrhaging. We stabilized him, but my partner and I are injured and out of souls. We used a soulgear to block the castle door, but it will notst long. There are about 50 zombies led by an Undertaker].


    The undertakers were skeletal mages who carriednterns. They were weak, but had the power to resurrect undead of lesser rank. This meant that the defenders probably tried to kill the zombies several times, only to have the Undertaker bring them back into battle.


    [Before you ask, we tried to kill the undertaker, but there were two of them. We barely managed to kill one. I''m sorry, but we''re in no shape to help you. We will fire a re, so head for it. Kill the Undertaker before you kill the zombies. Good luck].


    As usual, there was no light in Hellsgate. Good thing he thought of using a re, otherwise I wouldn''t know how to find them. A few secondster, a bright scarlet me lit up the sky. With {Thief} I ran towards the re, armed with the AR15.


    "Understood. Wait for me, I will save you."


    Soon, I saw a medieval castle on a hill. The towers and walls of the castle were still in one piece. Then I noticed a tornado of fire blocking the ce where the drawbridge should be.


    "The tornado must be the soulgear, but it is still impressive that a simple medieval castle could block undead. I guess theck of brains made it possible."


    The horde of zombies all stood in front of the tornado, waiting for it to dissipate. Much like an undead chief, the undertaker had the ability to lead andmand the zombies.


    I tried to find high ground and set up the M24 sniper rifle in a prone shooting position. Most of the leader type zombies used their hordes like a wall. So assassinating the bastard was the fastest way to kill him. The light from the fires gave me a clear view of the undertaker as his jaw chattered.


    Snipers were the bane of officers for good reason. In the age of chivalry,manders rode on top horses and wore shy gear that proimed their importance to the world.


    When snipers started shooting the most conspicuous ones during World War I, the military started dressing them up like everyone else. Funny stories emerged of officers deliberately stripping off anything that indicated their position for fear of being shot.


    This was also why snipers were feared as a whole. Without a leader, arge army was nothing more than a mob. I aligned the sights of the M24 and checked the distance.


    "Hmm. 900 yards. Let''s go for it."


    The M24 was the military version of the Remington Model 700. It had an effective range of 875 yards and a maximum range of just over a thousand yards.


    This basically meant that its bullet would be fairly urate for 875 yards. Of course, this was taking into ount all the nuances that affect that bullet.


    What made a sniper above average was being able to shoot urately past the effective range of the weapon. While luck was a huge factor, some of it could be mitigated by skill and experience.


    One of the issues bullets faced was gravity. Because the bullet falls to the ground, the shooter has to guess how far the bullet will fall the farther it goes.


    For this reason, scopes had numerous little lines across the crosshairs called mils and subtentions. These were a quick way to indicate the drop at fixed distances. Of course, you still had to determine wind and heat convection, but knowing these things were the basics of being a sniper.


    I had the M24 with a Knightforce NXS 5.5-22x56mm scope using the Knightforce MOAR-T reticle. It was straightforward with 1 mil markings and 0.2 mil subtensions. I tried using the Horus TREMOR3, but that thing was confusing as fuck.


    Shooting at 100 and 1000 yards were twopletely different beasts. My shooting at 1000 yards sucked balls due to theplexity of the ballistic, wind and heat convection calctions. But when I trained yesterday, my shooting was almost mythical. Why do you ask?


    " {Mage}".


    Due to my fates, physics had nothing on my rounds. And so, like swatting a firefly, I took down an undertaker by smashing his forehead with a 7.62 lead FMJ with a single trigger pull.


    "Boom! Headshot! hahaha."

 Chapter 74: Are you bastards really idiots?

    The Undertaker''s body wobbled as his brain was destroyed. I always wondered how far a zombie was from a skeleton. In fiction, even though they were both undead, they both needed some kind of undead magic.


    In Hellsgate, the zombies just acted like a reanimated corpse running on a brain. This meant that their bodies were simr to a person, and cutting off the head or destroying the brain would end them.


    While we still got the zombies that moved even when they were in pieces, there were never cases where they still moved when they were decapitated. The Undertaker looked like a skeleton, but he bled like a zombie when I shot him in the forehead.


    Would I ever have to fight skeletons without heads? I remembered seeing Duhans during the ground rift. As my mind began to wonder, Aira''s voice brought my attention back.


    [Limitless, confirming death of Rank E Undertaker. Remaining enemies are 50 Rank F Zombies].


    "Hmm, what do I do now... should I snipe them all dead? Or should I run towards them?"


    Even though I often used myself as bait to blow the zombies to kingdome, it still hurt like hell. Since I had no qualms about using sniper rounds on all 50 zombies, I was able to do this easily.


    I zoomed out while still keeping my eye on the scope. The zombies were now rmed by the loud noises. If they had been walking around earlier, they were all standing in ce as if waiting.


    "How can the undead be so tense? Are their brains like animals?"


    Hearing my own thoughts, I remembered one of the professions. If the Academics studied the monsters in Hellsgate, surely they would know how these bastards behave, right?


    "Mental note to myself, I need to visit the Academics and find out."


    To test how smart they were, I tried to snipe one zombie after another. The bodies went down without a fuss, and because of the distance, they wouldn''t know where I was.


    It took intelligence to figure out where the attacks wereing from. Not unless you looked at where the zombies were being shot, because predicting bullet trajectories was difficult.


    On my fifth kill, I noticed a zombie looking in my direction. The normie''s jaw was chattering like it was reporting something. All at once, the entire horde turned towards me. Even from over 1000 meters away, seeing an entire group of enemies "looking" at me gave me goosebumps.


    "What the hell? How did they know? Are you bastards really idiots? Was it from the sound?"


    One of the weaknesses I often exploited was that zombies were dumb as shit. Fortunately, I survived my encounters, even if that idea was wrong. But what if the zombies weren''t stupid? What if they were babies? Babies who had yet to learn and were capable of learning?


    "Fuck, this is scary. If they can learn, then the old ones would be almost human!"


    I was currently at the 8th level. How smart would the zombies beyond the front line be? What if there were zombies that had already learned how to use weapons, tactics, and even feints? The more I thought about it, the more terrified I became.


    Before I could process my thoughts further, a man''s worried voice came over the defender''sm line.


    [John, this is Scott. Do you have any medicine with you? My friend seems to have been bitten and is foaming at the mouth. I don''t think he''s going to make it much longer, my leg is hurt and I can''t carry him. I know you have enough on your te. But if you don''t get here soon, he and the Phantom might die.]


    When I heard Scott''s voice, I remembered how fragile humans are. Unlike the undead, who can run away with their limbs blown off, a single bite or scratch would be enough to kill a reaper. I mistakenly believed that as long as I killed everything, everything would be fine. My arrogance would have killed the survivors.


    "Okay, hold on, I am on my way," I said calmly.


    I sheathed the M24 and drew the MP5SD and MKII. Both were pistol caliber weapons with suppressors. If the sound was the giveaway for the zombies to find me, was it possible to take them all out quietly?


    Normally a .45 ACP topped out at 157 db. People normally talk at 60 db, while the speakers at a concert were around 125 db. That was the reason you could hear a gunshot even during a concert. Suppressed 9mm rounds were around 120 db, but that was the sound of the shooter. The sounds of the gunpowder exploding were quieter the farther away the target was.


    A .22 LR subsonic round was the quietest round you could find. At about 95 db, but when fired from a suppressed Ruger MK II, which had a locked breech that muffled the explosion, it was about 68 db, or just above normal conversation. If fired from 25 yards away, most people wouldn''t even notice.


    "{Thief}, okay time for experiment number 2."


    I started running towards the zombies while taking aim with the MP5SD. Because Thief relied on senses for uracy instead of sight. My shots would be the same whether I fired at a standstill or on the move.


    Of course, 900 yards was too far. The MP5SD had a maximum effective range of only 200 yards. So I ran at full speed for about three minutes before I got close enough.


    The zombies, still looking at my original position, remained motionless. If they had turned in my direction before I started firing, they might have been able to see more than they could hear. Knowing what my prey reacted to would help me form ideas on how to kill them.


    "Fuck, I''m not even part of Academics and here I am doing experiments like an egghead."


    My MP5SD had no fancy scopes to speak of, I just had the generic iron sights on it. I should have at least gotten a red dot on that thing. Knowing I couldn''t dy any longer, I began firing as I transitioned from a jog to abat glide.


    Thebat glide, or duck walk, was the slow walk performed by soldiers with their weapons raised. By using abat glide, the soldier minimizes the bounce of the shooter''s steps.


    By reducing the vertical sway of his movement, the soldier would have the best possible stance from which to shoot, theoretically increasing uracy.


    The hardest thing to manage in abat glide was speed. Go too fast and your uracy goes to shit. Walk too slow and you get left behind when your squad moves.


    Since I was alone, my speed was not directly affecting my safety, but the survivors, so the pressure I was feeling was starting to make me ufortable.


    I tried to concentrate on my breathing and as I started to pull the trigger. I set the firing selector to semi-automatic. That way I should have some leeway with my kills.


    9mm Parabellum rounds were fired in short bursts as I fought my way towards the castle. Zombie skulls were pierced in quick session, their bodies falling to the ground immediately. My heart pounded in my chest as I approached. Due to the distance, none of the zombies looked my way.


    The MP5SD had a 30-round magazine, so I used 3-4 rounds per zombie. I only got 8 zombies before I ran out of ammo. I kept the gun hanging close to my body on it''s sling while I pulled the Ruger MK II and fired at the closest zombies with one hand. With my left hand open, I pulled a magazine out of storage.


    "{Draw} MP5 Mag."


    The MK II had a 10-round magazine and an effective range of 25 to 50 yards. With many zombies surrounding me, I tried to kill the most before I was found. I managed to take down three before a zombie further away began to growl.


    Shit!


    I quickly holstered the MK II and grabbed the MP5SD. I pulled back the charging handle, inserted the mag I had pulled out, and shot the shit out of it.


    Since it was a Heckler and Koch weapon, an HK p was necessary to allow the charging handle to return without getting stuck. As the undead began to stir, I knew my silent approach had already failed.


    Just as I was about to Inform Scott, cream, he was the same.. The fire hurricane blocking the castle gate suddenly ceased to exist.


    Even though I was still about 400 yards away, the soundsing from it helped to mask my footsteps. The sudden silence of its absence seemed louder than any of my shots.


    "GRRRRRAAAAHHHHHHAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!"


    Loud, inhuman growls came from the zombies closest to the castle gate. The sound served as a battle cry for all the zombies around me. Even though some of them were only 50 meters away from me, they all turned towards the gate and ran like rabid wolves.


    Surprised by their actions, I remembered that the survivors were in no position to fight. There were still over thirty zombies running through the broken castle gate.


    "FUCK!"


    I resumed mybat glide and started shooting at the Normies as fast as I could. However, the speed at which they were running far outpaced my movement. I knew that acting hastily would only make things worse. So even though I was worried, I focused more on killing the running zombies than on saving the injured reapers.


    "SCOTT! SCOTT! THE FIRE TORNADO SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED, THERE ARE OVER TWENTY ZOMBIES COMING TOWARDS YOU! RUN OR HIDE OR SOMETHING! I AM ON MY WAY!"


    My nerves got the best of me. Unable to calm myself, I yelled at Scott to give them a better chance. Even though I didn''t know them, I didn''t want to leave any Reapers to their demise. Not if there was a chance I could save them.


    Despite my loud outburst, none of the zombies turned towards me. I killed another dozen zombies before reaching the gate. Fearing the worst, I tried again to contact the defenders.


    "Scott! Scott! I reached the gate! Where are you? "


    I ducked and entered the huge hole in the gate. Spiked wooden barriers were ced all over the central courtyard. Normies and Bigfoots were impaled on the spikes, probably pushed by their own momentum or by other zombies. Like marshmallows on a stick, they tried to wriggle out of the long spikes, but they could not.


    Not wasting any time, I used the MK II and quickly shot off the heads of the stuck ones. There were about five of them. Since there were numerous paths around the yard, I didn''t know where to go. I was about to call Scott again when I heard a blood curdling scream.


    "AAARRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"


    Swallowing my fear, I ran toward the stairs, toward the sound.

 Chapter 75: Was it worth it?

    "{Draw} MAC-11s! {Reveal}!"


    I holstered the MK II and slung the MP5SD across my back. At the same moment, I summoned the MAC-11s in both hands as I ran upstairs. The inhuman growls continued to echo along the stone walls, and theck of anything else turned my tension to eleven.


    Even in {Thief} I found my pace far too slow. The corridor that came after the stairs was quite long. I saw fresh blood sttered along the walls and in some spots on the floor. Unwilling to rest for even a moment, I ran with all my might towards the sounds of the undead.


    Eventually I came upon what appeared to be a mess hall. Makeshift barricades were made of broken wooden tables. I scanned the area and finally saw a live reaper butchering zombies. The towering, burly Caucasian man had auburn hair and a beard. He looked like a poster barbarian from a DnD campaign.


    Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the barbarian was missing a hand, an eye, and had a bloody hole in his right thigh. However, these injuries did not stop him from assaulting the undead. Unfortunately, the zombies were attacking him from all sides, making his condition even worse.


    "Reaper! Get down!" I shouted.


    Hearing my words, the barbarian brought his glowing axe down on the zombies and threw himself to the ground. With him out of the way, I unleashed a rain of lead on the zombies that were still standing. Unable to react to my coordination with the Grim Reaper, the Normies and Bigfoots all had their heads riddled with bullets.


    After making sure there were no more zombies, I slowly approached the barbarian. The zombies that fell with him were shot at close range, causing them to stop.


    "Aira, how many enemies are left?"


    [Limitless, there are still five F rank undead, they are currently near your position]


    "{Draw} Medical bag."


    I drew out a bag containing the healing tablets I had prepared for tonight. It also contained first aid items, but I wasn''t sure if it would have helped this monster of a man. The big reaper was leaning weakly against a table. As I was about to hand him one of the {Heal} tablets, the man shook his head.


    "Thanks for the assist, some stragglers ran towards my son. Can you help him?"


    Bleeding, bruised, and on the verge of death, the Reaper before me smiled crookedly as he pulled a stogie from his vest. He ced it to his lips as his free hand began to search his clothing for what I assumed was a lighter.


    I noticed a torch on the wall. I quickly ced the MAC-11''s on a nearby table and used the torch to light the barbarian''s stogie.


    "Mighty kind of you. Get going, I''ll be here."


    Unable to find words, I grabbed my weapons and ran out of the mess hall. While I didn''t know where the barbarian''s friend had gone, I was able to follow the blood trails to a nearby hall. There I found thest five zombies throwing themselves into a steel door.


    Wasting no time, I sent 9¡Á19mm Parabellum rounds into the back of the zombies'' heads, ending the nightmare.


    [Confirmed. There are no more enemies. The defense of zone 1084-3 has beenpleted].


    I kicked the undead corpses away from the door and knocked lightly on it.


    "Reaper, I am John Smith. The coast is clear. Are you all right?" I exined.


    After a few moments the steel door opened and an average looking Caucasian man stepped out. He didn''t look like a civilian, but he was noticeably shaking. Arge wound on his left shoulder stained his clothes red, as did an injured calf. Compared to the barbarian, however, he looked fine.


    From the context alone, one could guess that this man had run away, leaving the barbarian to die. Unwilling to waste time on scum, I threw him a {Heal} tablet and turned to return to the mess hall. The coward tried to introduce himself as I walked away.


    "Thank you for this! I am Scott! The one who was talking... Hey! Wait for me."


    Ignoring his attempts at conversation, I began to see the nuances when it came to defense.


    First, the zones had different terrain. Fortifications, even medieval ones, helped keep the undead at bay.


    Second, the temperament of the hired wraiths made as much of a difference as their abilities.


    Third, at the end of the day, most humans would selfishly choose to save themselves rather than die for another.


    I was once again reminded of how special my girls were. Even when I told them to run away, they all apanied me to the end. I should not expect such loyalty from the Wraiths I hire once I have a zone of my own.


    "John! John!"


    Scott kept trying to get my attention as we returned to the mess hall. Disgusted by his antics, I made no reply. Eventually we returned to the mess hall and I found the barbarian vomiting blood while holding his stogie. I quickly approached him and pulled out a healing tablet.


    "Reaper, take this, you will die if you don''t get medical attention. Or does your {Fate} have the ability to heal injuries?"


    I learned from the FAQ that zombie venom turned humans into undead, but for reapers, it was just poison. Therefore, during the recruitment, zombies would only be born during the opening hours. The barbarian looked at me amusedly and started tough.


    "Hahaha. I am fine. My {Fate} is called {LifeForce}. It grants mebat power in exchange for lifespan. I have been fighting for so long that I would probably die within a week. So this is fine.


    Dying inbat was my goal. Much better than dropping dead in my sleep. Don''t you agree?"


    Without an answer, I simply nodded. The barbarian then gestured for Scott toe closer.


    "Scott. I already told you, this is not your fault. If you had stayed here, we would have both died. You are not to me, I ordered you to run. I apologize for being selfish, but I wanted to make sure you would survive."


    "But Moses! If I had stayed, you wouldn''t have had to use {Lifeforce}," Scott replied, crying bitterly.


    I misunderstood what had happened. Scott was not a coward, he simply followed the barbarian''smand. Would I have obeyed if I were in his ce? What was more important in such situations? My will or my allies?


    "Enough. Leave us for a while, I want to talk to John alone," Scott respected his words and quietly gave us some privacy.


    "I only had a little more than a day John. I refuse to die anywhere but on the battlefield. Despite everything, this is all I could achieve as a Phantom. Without you, my memory would have been tarnished. Such a result is enough for me to feel satisfied."


    The barbarian then forced himself to stand up as he grabbed my shoulder.


    "Thank you for saving us, John Smith. I am the Phantom and defender of this zone. My name is Jack Moses. I have protected this zone for 15 years and thanks to you I can die with my pride intact."


    "You are wee Jack, to see your fight was great. You have every right to be proud," I replied.


    "Hahaha, I know! Listen, can you please take care of Scott for me in the future? We''re not rted, but I consider him my son."


    "Huh? Why me?"


    "I feel it in my bones. My body is screaming at me to run away from you. You are an even tougher bastard than I am. My long years as a warrior tell me so, of that I am sure. Judging by the time it took you to clear this zone, you could not be weak. You are Formless, right?


    Is that why you use firearms?"


    I nodded and remained silent, unable to deny his words. Scott was a grown man. Why did I have to babysit his ass?


    "That''s even better, Scott over there is a good guy, he is Formless so hardly anyone wants to hire him. If it is not too much, please give him a job. He used to be in the military, so he knows about guns."


    From the way he spoke and how desperate Jack was, he probably didn''t have long. Thinking it wrong to deny a dying man hisst request, I relented.


    "I will do my best. It was an honor to fight with you, even for a little while."


    Jack grinned broadly as he patted me on the back. It was only now that I noticed Scott crying over a brutalized corpse further away.


    That must be the other Reaper who was injured, so he didn''t make it either.


    "Thank you John, can you give us a few minutes? I want to talk to my son. It shouldn''t take too long."


    Having no reason to refuse his request, I sheathed my weapons and left the mess hall. Although this battle was wless from my point of view, it left a bad taste in my mouth.


    The psychological burden of loss would never be lightened. Scott would have to steel his will if he wanted to continue fighting in Hellsgate. My reflection allowed me to see another side of this war. How many deaths would I witness in my quest to close Hellsgate?


    "It is impossible to keep everyone alive. The greater the goal, the higher the cost. Who would I lose? Who could I save?"


    At that moment, I felt the very air move. The environment, which had felt pure, suddenly felt vile, as if poison had entered my lungs. Before I could ask Aira what was going on, her exnation came the next moment.


    [Limitless, the soul crystal for this zone has been unbound. I have already sent a request for a new defender.]


    Unable to contain my surprise, I turned and understood what Aira meant. Jack Moses had already fallen. A bitter feeling swirled in my heart. I had thought only of my own future, but every day Reapers were sacrificed in the line of duty. They left this world with neither recognition nor reward.


    Even though he had given more than a decade to the defense of this zone, how many people would remember the phantom Jack Moses?


    Would Scott, who did nothing but cry, even be able to fight again? People often searched for meaning, but what meaning could be found when there was no choice?


    "Was it worth it?" I asked rhetorically.


    A few momentster, Scott came out carrying a body wrapped in sheets and a small bag. Contrary to my expectations, the man I thought was a coward showed no sadness or grief. His eyes burned with a single emotion.


    Bloodlust. Pure, unadulterated bloodlust.


    ''It seems that I have greatly misjudged this man. You may rest in peace, Jack.''

 Chapter 76: My Purpose?

    Scottid the remains of Jack and the other wraith in the courtyard. Unlike the man I saw earlier, he no longer cried but had a face as stoic as stone. I could somehow feel bloodlusting off of him.


    "John, thank you so much for saving us. Because you came, my father''s legacy has been kept in tact. I am grateful."


    It differed greatly if the zone fell to zombies or because the defender voluntarily stepped down. The former included getting ripped apart by the undead while thetter would allow a safe transition to the new defender.


    I then wondered if likends of nobility the zones were passed down from one generation to the next?


    "Uhm, can I ask you something?"


    Not expecting the sudden question I answered curtly. "Shoot."


    "How do you use guns in Hellsgate?"


    "What do you mean how? I point at a target and pull the trigger."


    "¡­"


    Was I not understanding something? I knew reapers looked down on guns past the 10th floor, but if it was on floor 8th guns should be fine. So what was Scott stressing about?


    "Today is my first night in Hellsgate, so Ickmon sense on the most basic things. What do you mean exactly?"


    Scott nodded his head as he pulled out a knife. He then touched the de gingerly as he spoke.


    "The Manifested have weapons they can always summon, people like me do not have such luxuries. Only soulgear weaponry or sorms can be used by the Formless."


    "I am aware of the difference between the Manifested and the Formless. I also am familiar with soulgears, but what are sorms? And why do they matter?" I asked curiously.


    Jack''s adopted son then gave me the knife he held and pointed towards a gem in the handle.


    "Its like this John, when reapers are summoned to Hellsgate only the clothes on your backe with you. The only items you can bring to this ce are those with soul. Meaning even if I armed myself with guns, when I am summoned I leave them all behind. Sorms are weapons with no {Fates} that can be soul bound to a reaper."


    Oh. That was something I didn''t know. so Formless cannot even arm themselves without either weapons made from {Fates} like soulgear or sorms. Then how was I different?


    "This knife was the first sorm Jack gave me 7 years ago. As far as I know only Production can create sorms. And since only Formless use them, there are hardly any high end sorms. Most Production smiths focus on soulgears but as those are extremely rare people like me have to settle for what we can get."


    If what he said was true then the only reason I could bring guns to Hellsgate would be because of {Store}. Nothing else made sense. If only soul bounded items could be brought to hell, supply for weapons and armor would need to be made locally in Hellsgate. How could the Formless fight when they don''t even have the arms to do so?


    "Are there porter {Fates} that allow transport of items to and from earth?" I couldn''t help asking.


    "There are, but I heard that they took a lot of souls and stamina to use. Such services were normally reserved to medical supplies and support for Specters. Plus, even If I got them to bring me a gun, the rounds I would need would also incur a high cost. It is simply impractical especially when they are useful only in the first 10 floors."


    ''I guess that makes sense. If you only have 30 rounds in a mag and bring 4 mags, that would onlyst you a single engagement. You would need an armories worth if you wanted to use such weapons for a longer time.''


    That basically meant unless someone had Lilly''s ability, it was impossible to bring firearms to Hellsgate. Funny how when Ipared {Store} and Lilly''s fake {Fate} Thirst, thetter hardly appeared useful at all. Yet because of the stigma on the Formless. {Store} was hidden regardless of the good it could have done.


    I returned the knife to Scott as I answered his original question.


    "Thank you for the info, but how I bring guns to Hellsgate is a secret. Your father told me you were familiar with guns is that true?"


    "Yes, I was a Reservist for the Marines. I joined when I worked as a firearm instructor prior to dying," Scott replied.


    "Okay. If I you work for me I will supply you with guns. It stops the moment you leave."


    "How do we split the spoils?"


    "You keep what you kill. I will give bonuses depending on your performance."


    "Am I allowed to move without you?"


    "Sure, but you must keep my updated every night."


    "That is fair. Last question John. What is your purpose in hellsgate?"


    "My Purpose?" I parroted.


    "Yes. Why did you ept the curse of the reapers? To fulfill your regret? Toeback to life? Revenge? Through the years I heard all sort of reasons.


    I want to know how you intend to live in Hellsgate."


    I took a deep breath and pondered. The things I learned from Lilly and Be. The injustices experienced by Jo, Jas, Liv, Aki and Robyn. Truthfully my goal revolved around a single notion.


    "I came to Hellsgate to do one thing, and that is to massacre as many undead as I possibly can."


    Bing a Revenant was just a means to an end. The most basic reason of all was to have undead cease to exist. Without any ir, without any additional baggage. Closing Hellsgate became the way to do so. That was the purest desire I have right now.


    I then noticed Scott making a face that could only be described as blood drunk. From his reaction I felt he had a goal simr to mine. Feeling our connection both of us grabbed each others hands and bro-hugged.


    "Father was right. I agree to all your conditions. Pleasure working with you boss."


    My lips twisted into a wide smile as I made my first bro in hellsgate. I could arm these bastards with weapons and create a force for the sole purpose of ending the undead. I didn''t need soulgears nor sorms. Just lead, gunpowder and steel.


    "Wee aboard. Return to the Dispatch center and wait for me there. We can discuss specifics afterwards."


    "What will you be doing boss?"


    "Night is still young. I am going to bust a few more heads."


    "Can''t Ie with?"


    "No, the way you are now grief will make you suicidal. Use this week to mourn and rest. Once we begin we don''t take days off."


    "¡­ understood. Then I will make sure I am ready by then."


    After our discussion Scott and I waited for the new defenders to arrive. Simr to the 1st zone. The new phantom purified the soul crystal, gave me my payment then had his posse prepare the zone for the next assault.


    Once the new defender signed the paperwork, Scott took back the body of his adopted father and friend to be given theirst rites.


    I on the other hand responded to the third siren for the night.


    [Limitless, the Death seekers have upgraded your designation from Rank 5 to Rank 4. You may now respond to Priority 4 Dirge Sirens. Congrattions! Do you wish to respond to a Priority 5 or 4 for our next siren?]


    "Thanks Aira, please respond to Priority 4. I want to see the difference."


    [Understood.]


    ***


    Afterpleting the transfer procedure, I was again teleported into another unfamiliar area. Much like the first two, the skies were dark and hardly anything was visible. Out of consideration to those responding to the sirens. Unless personally requested by the defender It was illegal to teleport directly near the soul crystal.


    [Limitless, Wee to Zone 1091-1. This Siren is ssified as a Priority 4 and was issued 12 minutes ago. Would you like a Sitrep?]


    "Please do Aira. And feel free to give it without me asking the next time we respond to a dirge siren."


    [Noted. The current zone has already lost it''s defender. There were originally twenty-four wraiths but only two are still fighting against the undead. Enemy Forces areprised of 570 Rank F undead, and two Rank E Cyclops. The entire undead army is currently chasing after the wraiths.]


    "Chasing? How can they outrun 570 zombies?"


    The standards for the defenders was all over the ce. Thest two zones had less than five wraiths, but this one had over twenty. Was it because this was the 9th floor or was it because this was a Tier 1 zone? 200 zombies was already hard enough, five hundred alone would take quite a long time.


    "{Thief}. Guess there is only one way to find out."


    I began running forward at my top speed. From the vast differences between the zones I could safely assume that the fighting style of the defender shaped how the zone was fortified.


    The lone house in 1063-2 showedck of preparation. In contrast the heavily defensible castle of 1084-3 showed that even stakes could stop a zombie to some degree.


    "As I could have my forces use firearms, trenches and barbed wire would be enough to stop charging zombies. If I could get ess to artillery or mines, I would be able to blow these sons of bitches sky high. Still, maybe I could pick up some tricks from the other zones."


    Soon I was able to hear the stampede of hundred of bodies on the ground. The vibrations were so intense it felt like a magnitude 4 earthquake. Again theck of lighting made everything barely visible.


    "When I get my own zone, I will ensure its always bright as fuck. These cheap skates can''t even afford candles."


    Pirs of smoke were soaring towards the skies the more I approached the sounds of battle. Eventually I saw a giant horde of hundreds of zombies all sloppily chasing an Asian woman on a ck armored horse. The woman had a massive spiked club that looked over 300 lbs.


    What surprised me the most was the field. It was an open in with deep holes on the ground. I could hear tens of zombie groansing from the pits. When I observed the massive horde would find some of its members suddenly falling into holes as they followed the woman.


    Every so often the woman would turn and begin one-sidedly ttening the zombies with her club. Two giant monsters with only one eye clumsily tried to chase it as they kept stomping Normies dead. The insane tactic again reminded me of how good mankind became when fighting impossible odds.


    "It seems like I still have much to learn."


    Excited to join the battle. I ran towards the female rider with all my strength.

 Chapter 77: Thats why I am here.

    [Limitless, the defenders have already been notified of your arrival. However, since the Zone is in radio silence, no alerts or notifications will be sent.]


    "Hmm. I guess I just have to meet them face to face. Good thing I can run easily, despite a suit."


    The open ins of 1091-1 were strongly reminiscent of old Wild West movies. The vastness of the area was entuated by the emptiness and silence. Or at least it would have been if a lone rider wasn''t being chased by hundreds of zombies.


    "I really need to give these ces code names. Let''s see, I''ll call 91-1 the ins. 1063-2 would be the lonely house. And 1084-3 would be the fort."


    I didn''t bother to draw a weapon because I was running at full speed. Whilebat glides were faster than walking, they were far too slow when I was in a hurry. Instead, I ran as fast as I could while studying the terrain of the ins.


    "Theck of vegetation and the t terrain make it a great ce to fight on horseback. However, endurance would be the problem. Unless they are riding cars, they would have to slow down at some point," I thought.


    Cavalries were the most agile force of any military and were perfect for quick deployments. However, unlike infantry, theycked staying power. Since their power depended on their mobility, the terrain yed a major role in their effectiveness.


    "Heh, even anime, Hollywood, and even books have romanticized the power and heroism of cavalry charges."


    While there were several types of cavalry, none were more famous than heavy cavalry. The main concept of a mounted knight was formed because of the effectiveness of heavy cavalry. It was like the medieval equivalent of an armored regiment.


    The closer I got to the battle, the more I noticed the man-made fortifications added to the terrain. First, the pits the zombies fell into were trenches with wooden spikes facing up. Some of these were even on fire, lighting up the surrounding area. This meant that a falling zombie would be impaled on them and had a high probability of dying instantly.


    As the woman continued to circle around, any zombies still moving would be trampled further into the spikes the moment the horde passed again. The next thing that happened was that therge ins looked like t terrain because of the bad lighting, but they weren''t.


    Every 500 or 600 yards there were elevated areas with a half-foot difference. It would not matter if you were walking, but it would most likely trip you up if you were running at full speed. Of course, as I crossed these areas, I saw the sheer number of bodies that had been trampled to a paste.


    "Tripping in a stampede is one of the most painful ways to die."


    Finally, some of the trenches did not have spikes, but rather passages that allowed one to pass out of sight. The little tweaks all added up to a battle n designed to bait arger force into stumbling or falling as they pursued.


    If you fought humans naturally, you could only use each trap once. After they were revealed, the enemy would start to avoid them or create countermeasures to avoid them.


    "But stupid zombies are different. You can repeat the same pattern over and over again!"


    The inhuman growls of the zombies were now within earshot of my position. Then I saw the lone female rider pass about 200 meters in front of me. She had ck hair in a messy bun and wore clothes that looked nomadic but showed a lot of skin. The steed she rode was a huge horse with ted armor and cloth around its legs.


    "An Asian rider on a European warhorse? What the hell?"


    Knowing that I would not get my answers from the undead, I chased after the rider, using the agility of {Thief}.


    "Hey! Reaper! Hey!!!" I shouted.


    The woman turned and sneered at me. She then responded cheerfully in the most racist manner I have ever heard.


    "Not interested in what you sell white boy! Already scammed before! Come closer and I whack you!"


    "What the hell? Are you insane? What do you even think I am?"


    "No sell? Then you here for loan? I already dead! Fuck off white boy," she continued.


    This bitch! Did she think I was a debt collector or something? Who knew reapers could be so racist? Before I could reprimand the rider, a male, authoritative voice echoed as I ran side by side with the woman''s horse.


    "G, behave yourself. This man should be a mercenary. Death Seeker, are you here to aid us?"


    As the voice spoke, I noticed that the horse was facing me while still running at full speed.


    "You''re a horse? Are you also a reaper?"


    "That not horse, that my husband you stupid white boy! Only his cock big as horse!"


    Seriously, this woman was crazy. Perhaps embarrassed by his wife''s praise, the horse then looked forward and cleared his throat.


    "Uh, introductions are in order. My name is Joshua Hwang, and this is my kindred Ang Kim. Thank you foring to our aid. If a siren has gone off, it means that we are the only ones left. Correct?"


    "Yes. My AI tells me that everyone else is dead."


    At my words, I could feel the sadness emanating from the husband and wife. Ang even began to shed tears. It seemed the two of them were close to their fellow defenders. Unconsciously, I offered words offort.


    "I''m sorry for your loss."


    Ang wiped her tears with her free hand and made a pitiful face like a child. Joshua then spoke as he moved closer to me.


    "We will mourn herter. G, help the Death Seeker up. Let us make sure the others havepany in the afterlife."


    "Okay Oppa," Ang replied sadly.


    Then Ang held out her hand to me. I grabbed it and let myself be pulled to Joshua''s back. True to her hate for white people, she didn''t forget to mix in a few threats.


    "Touch me and I pound your balls to paste then fry foreskin in oil."


    Not wanting to waste time on her nonsense, I grabbed the woman''s shoulders and turned around. Securing myself to Joshua with my legs, I faced the approaching horde.


    "Hey! Hands off!"


    "Yeah yeah whatever. Go eat kimchi or something."


    "Ssi-Bal-Nom! You racist! Oppa! I hit him please?"


    "{Draw} All M26."


    As Joshua ran, I threw the frag grenades in my arms like balloons at a party. The subsequent explosions began to decimate the approaching zombies. Like mines, the grenades rolled to the ground before exploding. The zombies, unable to react in time, had their legs and bodies shredded by the flying shrapnel.


    Both horse and rider were surprised by my antics, but before they could ask questions. I drew the de MAC-11s and began firing at the zombies behind us.


    "You... you are Formless?" the horse asked.


    "Tsk. Typical white boy. You like shit coffee and McDonald''s fake burgers too?"


    I swear that woman was just being racist as fuck. I do drink Starbucks sometimes, but calling a McDonald''s burger fake was just rude. Ignoring the bitch, I responded to the animal instead.


    "Indeed. I have no Soulgears or Sorms. I just use weapons like any other American."


    "Interesting. I am the same. Even though I use a Soulgear to transform into a horse now, I am also Formless."


    Not wanting to waste a {Reload}, I emptied mag after mag at the approaching horde. I didn''t even bother to aim. While I managed to kill quite a few as we ran, there were simply too many. True to my observations, Joshua and Ang used the terrain to slowly reduce the zombies.


    "I''m jumping!"


    Joshua, who ran without stopping, would give me a heads-up before moving to higher ground or jumping over pits. He skillfully used the pathways to divert and keep us from being surrounded.


    Originally they were going to make a cavalry raids against the zombies. However, with me in the mix, the pair instead utilized me as the main damage dealer and just provided support.


    "White boy, how many guns you even have?"


    Any lone zombies on our way would be pulverized by Ang''srge weapon. After we had reduced the horde by about half, all my weapons except the M24 sniper rifle and the 1887 Winchester shotgun were empty. During the thirty minutes we were dispatching zombies, the biggest problem was the two Cyclops with massive clubs.


    "Oppa, here. Last stamina tablet. Don''t push too hard, okay?"


    The E-ss monsters had some form of intelligence, so sometimes the two of them would separate and try to surround us. Normally, this wouldn''t be a problem, but Joshua was slowly getting exhausted. I don''t know how many stamina tablets they had, but he can''t run indefinitely.


    "Joshua, Kimchi, we have to kill the Cyclopes. Can you get me closer?"


    "Shut up white boy, other riders dead because got closer. I can''t reach!"


    "I can get you closer, Death Seeker, but their hide is too hard for G''s club. I do not fear death, but I will not risk her for a mere cyclops."


    "Perfect, that''s why I''m here."


    "Oppa, this white boy is loony."


    "G quiet. What do you have in mind?"


    "Get me as near as you can and I will do the rest."


    "Hahahaha, I like your guts, Death Seeker. Fine! Let''s go! Tell me your name!"


    "It''s John, John Smith," I replied.


    "Oppa! He used a fake name!"


    I turned around again, using Ang as a handle. Fortunately, {Thief} had enough agility for such moves. Joshua, ignoring his wife''sints, began a full gallop towards the nearest Cyclops. There were numerous zombies around it, so if we stopped or circled around the giant creature, we would be pinned down and killed.


    "{Draw} M24. {Mage}. Kimchi, keep your shoulder steady. Joshua, try to maintain your speed."


    Using Ang''s left shoulder as a tripod, I aimed at the nearest Cyclops eye. Fortunately, the eyeball itself was about the size of a man''s torso, so at about 600 meters, it was manageable.


    "Tsk. Be grateful, white boy."


    "Roger that, John. Hang on!"


    I fired a magazine of rounds into the center of the eye in quick session. The 7.62 rounds buried themselves in the monster''s huge cornea. Fluid and blood gushed from the eye as the Cyclops roared in pain. It then covered its eye with its free hand and swung its huge club in a blind frenzy.


    Joshua charged at the monster, unafraid that we would be crushed by ident. I tried to stop the monster from moving with the M24, but it had little effect. As if anticipating the enemy, the Cyclops began to m its club straight down on the ground.


    "John, get ready, I''m going for the club."


    "Okay! Let''s do this! {Reveal}." I confirmed.

 Chapter 78: I was tired of waiting

    I couldn''t ride a horse in my lifetime, but like any other child, I dreamed of being a knight. The sound of thundering hooves, the tremors of an unstoppable charge, and finally the rush of carnage that followed.


    I may not have been able to do that in my human life, but I would say I was experiencing something simr right now.


    Joshua timed it perfectly. The ck warhorse slowed as the club crashed to the ground, missing us by a few feet. As the wooden weapon buried itself in the dirt, there was a straight path to the cyclops'' head.


    "AHHHHH!!! OPPAAAA!!!!!"


    Ang Kim, the racist bitch in front of me, shrieked in fear as our steed mounted the weapon. A few secondster, the tform we were standing on slowly lifted off the ground. The monster was probably surprised by the sudden increase in weight of his club, so he couldn''t continue his crazy swings.


    "G, give him a good smack before we go."


    The armored stallion bravely rushed the weapon up to the outstretched arm of the cyclops. To be able to bnce himself while carrying two people, Joshua was practically born to be a horse!


    "I got it, Oppa! Hey, ball sack! Say hello to my baby!"


    "John, whatever you are going to do, do it now!"


    Ang turned her body and grabbed her spiked club with both hands like she was swinging a bat. Despite her slim build, being able to carry such a heavy looking weapon meant she had the muscles somewhere to back it up.


    Knowing this was my stop, I sheathed my M24 and drew the Winchester 1887. I then ced my feet on Joshua in preparation to jump off at a moment''s notice.


    The warhorse finally reached the cyclops'' shoulder and continued to prepare to jump. His wife then swung her body like a major league batter as her club pulverized the hand the monster was using to cover its eyes. A loud crack resounded like a thunderp, along with the Cyclops'' fingers bending in odd directions.


    "GWAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..."


    I then jumped off the horse and used ''s superhuman agility to grab the back of the Cyclops'' neck. Luckily, his armor had ropes attached behind him, giving me an excellent handhold. The couple leapt off and hit the ground with a loud crash. Before I could begin to worry, I saw a mounted woman dashing away on her horse, chattering as she went.


    "WOHOO! SEE THAT OPPA! Want Cyclops'' meat for bibimbap?!"


    "Maybeter, G did John get on?"


    "White boy? Yeah, jumped like spider-man! On the back of head."


    "Well done, G, I''ll give you a pounding as a reward."


    "A pounding? Longer than 2 hours, yes? Last time was too short."


    ''These fucking perverts. Really? A pounding to get a pounding as a reward? Fuck!''


    I ignored the husband and wife gossip and concentrated on my task. The Cyclops I was riding began to rage and stomp the ground in anger. Dark blue blood spurted from its fucked-up hand as it made loud, violent roars.


    Not wanting to dy this any longer, I picked a spot on the back of the Cyclops'' head and stabbed the muzzle of the 1887 as if it were a spear.


    "Let''s see if Cyclops'' hide can withstand 10-gauge slugs at point nk range. {Mage}!"


    I pulled the trigger and used {Reveal} to aim at the monster''s weak spot. For a human, it would be the cerebellum part of the brain. Or the area covering the point where the spine and brain were connected.


    The cerebellum was the part of the nervous system that controlled movement coordination, bnce, and depth perception. If taken out, most people would not even be able to stand.


    After one round, a small, shallow hole bore into the Cyclops'' skin. As the 1887 had {fates} on it. I handled the recoil like a pro and kept the weapon buried in the monster''s flesh. I quickly turned the lever that ejected the spent bullet and loaded a new one before firing again.


    Blood and tissue were sted out of the hole like sawdust as the 1887''s 2 7/8-inch lead cores tore through the sturdy muscle and skin. Because of the speed of my actions, I got about five rounds in before arge hand cast a shadow over me.


    "About time. I was tired of waiting. {Save} {Thief}!"


    I scaled the giant while cocking the 1887, raining bullets into the bastard''s wounded eye. From the pain of my assault, it dropped its club and used both hands to grab what was behind its neck. As I fell to the ground, I was able to devastate its already injured face once more.


    Feeling renewed agony in its head, the Cyclops brought both of its arms forward in an attempt to block further attacks. Seeing my ne to fruition, I smiled as I prepared to deliver the killing blow.


    "{Rewind}!"


    I vanished in a burst of light before I could hit the ground. At the same moment, I reappeared on the back of Cyclops'' neck. I was standing in front of the basketball sized hole. I then stabbed the 1887 again and emptied my magazine tube into the monster''s cerebellum.


    At some point during myst volley, the Cyclops'' body began to sway and fell lifelessly to the ground. I jumped off its back and made abat roll to minimize the impact.


    [Limitless, confirming the death of the Rank E Cyclops. Remaining enemies are one Rank E Cyclops and 384 Rank F Zombies].


    "ROOOOOOAAAARRRRRR!!!!!"


    Before I could even get to my feet, the other Cyclops let out a ferocious roar and began to charge at me, his club ready to strike. His violent steps matched the zombie horde that shook the ground. I used {Thief} to keep my bnce and prevent myself from falling.


    As I waited for the giant to approach, the Normies tried to attack me left and right, but without even giving them a nce, I drew the Punisher 1911s and wiped out the group near me.


    Funny how it was only three days ago that a dozen Normies scared the crap out of me. Now I could kill these guys with my eyes closed and I was only halfway through the night.


    "Hmm. Nothing I have right now would hurt that bastard. At least not enough to deal it a fatal blow. The 7.62¡Á51mm NATO rounds would lose kic energy if I fired them from this distance.


    "If even the 10-gauge rounds needed more than a dozen close-range shots before I could prate the muscle, there was no way the 7.62 rounds would do anything."


    I scanned around and noticed the huge club next to the body of the Cyclops I had just killed. Since I was in {Thief}, I could theoretically carry this huge weapon and beat the other one up with it. Feeling confident in my next n of action, I moved to pick up the oversized staff.


    "{Sheathe} Ebony, ivory. Alright, here we go!"


    {Thief} used the powers of {Carry} and {Pack} to lift the huge piece of wood. It was so enormous that I couldn''t even hold itpletely. I barely managed to grip the handle like a pir. Fortunately, my {Fate} reduced its weight to the point where I could lift it.


    Swinging it like a stick, I ran awkwardly toward the remaining Rank E monster. With both of using at each other, it didn''t take a minute for the Cyclops and I to get within striking distance. The giant must have assumed that I would fight him like an ogre.


    "Sorry to disappoint you, brother, but I am a reaper. Hyah!"


    Taking the initiative, I threw the massive club at the monster''s knee. The speed of my throw due to {pack} turned the blunt weapon into a rocket.


    Its weight returned after I let go, further increasing its momentum. The massive projectile shattered the Cyclops'' knee so thoroughly that the humanoid monster''s face crashed to the ground.


    "{Draw} M26."


    The Cyclops then pushed its upper body off the earth as it roared. Waiting for that moment, I threw the frag grenade I had summoned into its mouth. The 5-second dy was just enough time for the grenade to enter the monster''s maw before exploding.


    A muffled explosion rang out as the inside of the Cyclops'' jaw was riddled with shrapnel. Unlike the outer skin, the tissue inside the jaw of a living creature was extremely thin. Betting that the undead had the same bodyposition, I gambled on hitting the cerebellum through the mouth instead.


    The Rank E monster suddenly closed its eye and lost all strength. It crashed to the ground with a loud thud and then stopped moving. Overwhelmed by my gamble, I didn''t even have time to celebrate before tremors shook the ground.


    "Ah shit, how many more of you fuckers are there?"


    [Limitless, confirming the death of Rank E Cyclops. Remaining enemies are 361 Rank F Zombies].


    "Well, fuck. Do I really have to shoot over 300 zombies again?"


    Just then, I looked up to see a ck horse with a female rider in bloody clothes. She was holding out her hand. I ran towards the woman and raised my hand to grab hers. Ang grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the horse.


    "White boy, you have big balls! Smaller than Oppa but still big!"


    "Kimchi can you even open your mouth without being a racist bitch? Besides what happened to you?"


    "Arm broken from swing. Cuts from crashnding. Also your cock not big enough to shut me up. Only Oppa''s can."


    "I am d you are alright John. But G, can you please stop bringing up the size of my genitals?" Joshua begged.


    "But its true Oppa! Asian standard is bullshit. Your hung like horse!"


    "John, you have a n? I hurt my leg from the jump earlier I can''t run much more."


    "Are there any cliffs around here?" I asked non nonchntly.


    "There is one not far from here. Our Phantom was a mage withrge aoe spells. She originally casted them while overlooking this in."


    "That works, bring me there. I will take these fuckers bungee jumping."


    "Oppa can we just leave this loony?"


    "{Thief} Cancel. {Draw} Big mac. {Eat}. {Draw} Med bag."


    Tired from the constant fighting, I pulled out a Big Mac to satisfy my hunger. Even though I was rewinding, the mental stress from the repeated battles wasn''t so easy to remove. {Eat} For some reason, not only restored my stamina, but also affected my mood.


    "Ew.. White boy those burgers don''t rot right? I saw video, it was bad!"


    "Shut up Kimchi, Here, eat a {Heal} tablet and give one to Joshua."


    "Oh? Good white boy! like boy scout!"


    Along with a racist Korean on a horse, we sped toward the cliff. All while hundreds of zombies were chasing us. It was time to end this.

 Chapter 79: Can you handle guns?

    Thebored breathing of our armored stallion was more audible than ever. Despite being given a {Heal} tablet, it wasn''t as if Joshua or Ang could regain their stamina. While I no longer saw Scott from the Fort as a coward, the reality that Reapers would be self-serving remained with me.


    ''I will not share my abilities with them until I am certain that they will not betray me. ''


    Only in the face of death would one show their true colors. Be was extremely wary of this and hammered this idea into my head in the short time we were together.


    "Huff. Huff. John, what are you doing on the cliff?" our horse asked hoarsely.


    "Bungee jumping."


    "White boy, stop jerking around. You jump, you fall. You fall, you die."


    Right, from a mounted cavalry perspective, deliberately going to a cliff limits what they could do. Perhaps since I had killed both Cyclops, my words carried more weight with them.


    "Is it because of your {Fate}? I thought the weapons were your {Fate}. Do you have... huff.... more tricks?"


    "Perhaps, do either of you have a way to hide from the undead if we split up?"


    "White boy, you stupid. Corpses follow souls. They already ignore us. Just get lost and we safe."


    ''Oh? I thought so, but in the Fort the Normies rushed at Jack Moses and Scott. This was after I already had over 5000 souls from two missions. Why wasn''t I the undead''s top priority?''


    "Then why did youe back for me? Wouldn''t it be safer to leave me to die?"


    "In the short term, that would be true. But unless we kill them all, the rest wille after us next. Besides, abandoning allies is not my style," Joshua answered, putting my doubts to rest.


    "Oppa, so handsome! So cool! Fuck me with big dickter, okay?"


    Ignoring the sexual harassment my ride was being subjected to. I began to formte a n. If souls were considered aggro in game terms. Then wouldn''t it be good to have the husband and wife cover me? I was basically a tank at this point, right?


    As Joshua made his way to the back of the cliff, I checked how far the zombies were. It would be best if they attacked the horde from the back while the monsters focused on me.


    "Hmm. Even if I jumped, I don''t think all of them would follow me. It would be better to get the zombies in a pincer."


    "Stupid white boy, I can just push them off the cliff."


    "G, behave."


    "Joshua, you and Kimchi. Can you handle guns?"


    "I''m Korean. And I like rooftops, if that is what you are asking."


    "Oppa is good with guns! I love to watch him go pew pew!"


    "Okay," I replied curtly.


    With the n in ce, the only thing left to do was to execute it. From what I could see, the Korean couple had enough wisdom to improvise. At worst, I could just {Rewind} back to the Cyclops corpse.


    When we reached thest slope to the cliff, I noticed that the path got narrower the higher you went. This was perfect for keeping the horde at bay.


    "Joshua, stop here. You and Kimchi will wait for all the zombies to pass, then shoot them from behind. I will draw them in from the front, and when they overpower me, I will take them over the cliff. I have a way out, so don''t worry about me."


    "Who worries about you, white boy?"


    "G..."


    The ck stallion then slowed to a trot beforeing to aplete stop. Ang and I got off. And Joshua turned off the soul gear he was using. The wraith was bathed in bright light before it transformed into a man. Of course, he was naked.


    "Wow! See that white boy? Huge, right?"


    "I can see why you like him so much. Congrattions Kimchi. {Draw} AR15, AR15 mags, MP5SD, MP5SD mags, 6 M26."


    Ang gave Joshua a pair of pants she had tied to her leg. Of course, she was leering at her husband as he dressed. But man, Joshua was packed. Like the yellow version of BBC. After he got dressed, I handed Joshua the AR15 and the MP5SD to Ang.


    "Thanks. What are the grenades for?" the Korean asked.


    "Use them if you get surrounded."


    "Got it. Ge."


    "Okay Oppa."


    Joshua took his wife and the weapons to a nearby bush and hid. It seems that Joshua understood more than I expected.


    I wanted to experiment what would happen to the weapons in my {Auto} if someone else had them. Considering that I will be arming the girlster, it would be better to experiment now.


    Alone at the bottom of the steep slope. I drew the M60 and set it up in a crouching position. Shooting them was fine, but when surrounded, fighting these bastards was a chore.


    I was already nning on training Scott as a rifleman. Joshua was Formless and had both courage and foresight. If I could get them to agree, my firepower would skyrocket once they were ready.


    "GRAHHHHH!!!"


    The slight trembling of the ground indicated the imminent arrival of the horde. There were still over 300 zombies. I would probably kill over a hundred as they approached. Thest two hundred were the problem. If Joshua and Ang could take out even 50, that would be a big help.


    I removed the safety from the machine gun in my hand and prepared to fire.


    "{Mage}. Come and get some, you bastards!"


    Dozens of zombies passed Joshua''s bush and charged at me. I made sure the stock of the M60 was squarely in my shoulder before I squeezed the trigger. Another storm of death was unleashed by the iconic ratatat of this 60-year-old weapon.


    The 7.62 rounds pierced and pushed back some of the Normies and Bigfoots that were trying to eat me. Everything up to that point was expected. Then I noticed bullets flying from Joshua''s bush, along with muzzle re.


    "Huh? That must be the MP5SD. So Joshua does know his way around a gun."


    I kept my hand on the trigger as I sprayed the iing horde with enough bullets to knock down a house. The lead bullets punctured flesh, broke bones, and dismembered limbs in their unrelenting assault. Then came the next problem. My gun suddenly stopped firing.


    "Well shit."


    Without realizing it, the belt feed jammed and I was left with a worthless weapon. I could get it to work, but not under attack by zombies. I tossed the M60 and prepared to retreat toward the cliff.


    "{Draw} MAC-11''s."


    I turned around and moved to the nearest spot that gave me a decent vantage point and foothold. By using the MAC-11''s, I was able to fire while sprinting as long as I moved in a straight line. In the short time I was moving, the zombies'' distance to me shrank from over 100 yards to about 50 yards.


    Although they stumbled a bit from the corpses of my kills, it hardly mattered when you had over 200 of these fuckers barreling down on you.


    "I wonder if the whole horde has already passed the Koreans?"


    Due to the shorter distance, more and more Normies sprinted towards me. While I was able to dispatch them in a short time, the distractions they caused allowed the entire horde to get closer. Then something jumped off the back of a Normie as it charged at me.


    "A Chuckie! Shit!"


    I panicked, pulling the triggers of my weapons as I aimed at the flying child. Even though I shattered its skull with 9mm rounds, its body still managed to m into me, blocking my view. Blood and guts sshed into my eyes,pletely taking away my vision.


    "FUCK! What now?! {THIEF}!"


    {Mage} may have had excellent eyesight, but only {Thief} allowed me to fight practically blind. The sounds of hundreds of footsteps blended together, making it difficult to figure out what was going on. I dropped the MAC11s and retreated in a hurry up the hill.


    At this point my ears picked up the sustained fire from my AR15. Joshua and his wife should now be behind the horde pushing toward me. I tried to wipe the blood from my eyes with my forearms, but the suit''s fabric was a poor absorbent.


    Still, the farther I ran, the better I could clean my face. When I was able to open my eyes again, I turned around and assessed the situation. The steep incline slowed the zombies down considerably. It gave me time to catch my breath.


    "Hmm. So Joshua is herding the zombies up while Kimchi serves as his vanguard. That works. {Draw} Ebony, Ivory. Aira, how many?"


    [Limitless, remaining enemies are 194 Rank F Zombies].


    Not as low as I had hoped, but good enough. I took advantage of the high ground and sniped at the zombiesing up. Their bodies fell down every time I took them out, making it difficult for the others to climb up. When they started to bunch up a bit. I threw a couple of grenades, each of which magnificently blew up nearly ten zombies.


    "Hmm, Joshua seems to be okay too. Oh! What the hell?"


    Explosions began to rain down the hillside like cannon fire, grenades being smashed towards my position as Ang used her club like a bat. The massed nature of the undead made the explosion devastating. However, as both the pair and I were running out of grenades, I used {Reload}.


    When I checked, I noticed that the grenades had returned to my storage, but the guns had not. Because of his quick wit, I saw that Joshua noticed the return of the ammunition to the AR15. He then started shooting once again. I had no idea if the magazines he had with him were also refilled, I reminded myself to ask Joshuater.


    "Shit, they are alling up. Shame I gave up the M60. It would have been a turkey shoot by now. Aira!"


    [Limitless, remaining enemies are 75 rank F zombies].


    Like a hive of cockroaches, the zombies kepting, no matter how many we killed. I was already on the final stretch to the cliff. Since the ground was t, the zombies could dash again as soon as they reached this point.


    "{Draw} P30L, 1887."


    Slowly, I moved back, spinning the shotgun as I took out the iing zombies. I had the P30L in use while the shotgun was in the loading phase. More and more zombies arrived and began to run towards me in a mad frenzy.


    To be honest, I didn''t even need to go up that cliff, but the tactic I used on the Cyclops gave me an idea. Using physics to kill zombies en masse. When the zombies were about to mob me inrge numbers, I turned toward the cliff and then ran with all my might.


    Then I ran to the end of the cliff and jumped.


    When I turned around, the remaining zombies all followed me into the air and began falling to their deaths.


    Ordinarily, I would be the same.


    But I wasn''t normal to begin with.


    "{Rewind}!"

 Chapter 80: Heroine Chapter: Darling likes them huge?

    Chapter POV: Josephine Benelli


    ___


    "Jas, there''s two further to the left."


    "Okay."


    My sister then drew herpound bow and took a step out of the hallway. Carbon fiber-tipped arrows pierced the skulls of the humans pinning them against a wall.


    Mostpound bows had a maximum draw weight of 60 pounds. Jas, being superhuman, uses apound bow like a short bow thanks to her arm strength.


    [No matter how many times I see it, you guys are just cheaters,] Bemented in annoyance.


    "Oh stop it Be. Weren''t you ranked 4th in the FIDE World Chess Ranking? You are pretty amazing!"


    [Jo, you both look like supermodels, have IQs above geniuses, and have won in virtually every category in your respective sports! I mean,e on! You took first ce in the European Fencing Confederation''s women''s U23 epee, foil and sabre! Apologize to themon people you cheat!]


    Unable to hold back myughter, I chuckled as I heard herin. Jas and I were moving towards our target under Be''s guidance.


    "Be, if you were to judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it would spend its entire life believing that it was stupid," my sister added.


    [Hmph. Whatever. The only thing I can brag about are my boobs. I''m still bigger than most of you.]


    "Haha, but have you seen Liv''s? Hers are huge! My breasts look like raisinspared to hers!" I eximed.


    [You know I can hear you gossiping about me, right?] a calm voice said.


    Be asked curiously. [Liv, you must know how big you are in southerner measurements, right? Are all northerners as big as you?]


    [I''m slightly bigger than most. I am taller than the average Northerner.]


    [Not that. Your boobs. How big are they?]


    [...]


    Jas then held up her hand, indicating that there were armed guards along our path. She held up three fingers, then gestured to the left with two fingers held up.


    ''Okay, two bad guys on the left and one on the right.''


    I gave her a quick nod, then ran at full speed down the narrow hallway. I raised my fencing saber in my right hand and my parrying dagger in my other hand.


    "What?"


    "Intruder!"


    An arrow quickly pinned the guy on the right against the wall. He didn''t even have time to scream. With a quick lunge, I plunged the tip of my de into the next man''s heart. The edge of the weapon slid easily through his chest to the back of his torso.


    Avoiding his spine, I met little resistance. The man''s eyes shook as his blood gushed when I yanked out my sword. The other man beside him swung a short one-handed axe and was about to strike me from the side.


    [38F.]


    [38F? 38F! Take some up your asshole! I am only 32DD and I already have back problems! You guys are all freaks!]


    My stance broke as I giggled uncontrobly as Be began to curse in Portuguese. As amusing as it was, I was a second too slow to block the iing axe.


    Fortunately, an arrow mmed on the shaft of the man''s ax shattering it. Another arrow flew and buried itself into my assant''s temple, killing him instantly.


    "Jo, focus."


    "But Jas, 38F! 38F! How big is that?! Do you think darling likes them huge?"


    I put my arms in front of me as if hugging a tree.


    "Maybe this big? Liv was amazing!" I praised in admiration.


    "I don''t know. My body is already his, husband should be satisfied with that," my sister retorted.


    [This is Robyn, hostiles neutralized. Target is not here]


    [Got it. Head to the basement next Robyn. Continue nting bombs along the locations I marked].


    [What if I meet someone Be?]


    [Except children, then kill them all,] the Brazilian heartlessly instructed.


    [Got it.]


    ''Ugh, watching Robyn change was so creepy. Normally, she is extremely loud, but she bes absolutely stone-cold when she works. She is way too different!'' I thought.


    [Thank you. That means they moved the kids upstairs. Liv, did you manage to destroy the garage?]


    [Yes, Be, I destroyed all the vehicles here. There were only humans.]


    Jas and I left the white corridor and came to arge room. The girls and I were attacking a hospital run by Trinity. Yakuza and Wraiths were present as employees and guards. Lilly said there was no need to spare any of them.


    "Jo, this is the location marked on the map. {Imaging} X-ray."


    Jas tapped her GRI earpiece as she leaned against the wall just outside the door, her eyes glowing green.


    "Be, we have reached our destination. I see fourteen humans. Four of them have weapons."


    [Wow, your new {Fate} is so handy. Seeing through walls is OP. Jo, can you check if there are reapers in there?]


    While Jas could see through walls with various types of vision thanks to {Imaging}. She could not see Reapers with that ability. Since we barely showed up on mirrors or cameras, it seemed that {Imaging} worked on a simr principle.


    "Give me a moment. {Listen}."


    I focused my hearing and counted the number of breaths and heartbeats. One feature unique to Reapers was that our hearts beat many times slower than a human''s.


    Slow enough that heart monitors would think we were dead. Breathing, on the other hand, was done by muscle memory, so a reaper would breathe even when she technically had no need to.


    "Ten, twelve, sixteen. There are two reapers in there. I have no idea if they are Wraiths or Phantoms."


    [Princess, are you busy? I can hardly help since this hospital is not connected to the Inte,] Be asked our teammate.


    A haughty, melodious voice joined the conversation.


    [I am a bit preupied at the moment. Jas and Jo can handle it. Just make sure no one survives.]


    Unlike the rest of us, the sounds of fierce battle echoed from Lilly''sm line. As our heavy hitter, she was in charge of dispatching the Reapers.


    ording to her, any Reaper associated with Trinity was considered a traitor and could be summarily executed by Phantoms and above.


    While it might have been fair to give everyone an equal chance, life has never been fair. If we did not kill our enemies, we would be killed instead. There was no right or wrong. Just murderers getting what they wanted because they had more power.


    "Roger that. Let''s go Jo."


    "Go. {Listen} cancel."


    Jas kicked in the door and threw a stun grenade inside. She took cover outside the room as the grenade exploded with a loud concussive st. Screams from the children made the situation even more chaotic.


    My sister and I then rushed into the room and attacked the guards. I targeted the Reapers while she targeted the Yakuza. The Reapers were still disoriented when I got within striking distance. But unlike humans, reapers could fight on instinct alone.


    The one to my left was an African woman with her hair in a bun. She manifested a glowing staff and cast a spell.


    "{Cast} Fireball!"


    I ducked and threw my parrying dagger at her right eye. Her attack scorched my zer and burned me from shoulder to neck. Though it hurt, my counterattack ended the Wraith''s life as my secondary weapon lodged itself in the back of her brain.


    Not wanting to waste another second, I lunged to stab the other reaper before he could recover. But instead of flesh, my de met fierce resistance.


    "What? Scales?!"


    Losing all my momentum, I did a backflip and put distance between the trinity reaper and me. He covered his face with his arms, but his muscle fibers slowly tore at his clothing. The man''s skin turned yellow and hardened like granite.


    Less than a momentter, the reaper extended its ws and smiled at me. Originally of human form, he now looked like a two-meter dragon newt or a draconian from medieval fantasy tales.


    I noted the position of each child behind me. Since there were no more arrows flying, it must mean that Jas was finished on her side.


    The Trinity Reaper didn''t waste any time and attacked me. His now reptilian appearance, yellow scales, and forked tongue showed the Soulform of his {Fate}. It might look intimidating, but I also wasn''t the same as before. The girls and I had all evolved to the next level.


    "{Announce}. KYAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"


    The fourth level of {Listen} was {Announce}. It gave me the ability to increase the vibrational energy of any sound wave in my vicinity. It effectively allowed me to turn a single shout into a sonic cannon. My amplified scream would be a hundred times louder than a ne taking off.


    It wouldn''t kill them outright, but it would stun them for a moment. The lizard man couldn''t move as he tried to protect his ears while screaming in pain.


    I lunged at it and plunged the de of my fencing sword into his open mouth. Unhindered, the point of my weapon plunged upward through the root of the mouth and into the reaper''s brain. Its flesh might be tougher than normal tissue. But it was still softer than metal.


    As my de protruded from the back of the reaper''s skull, I noticed that the de was badly worn. des, no matter what type, dull in battle. No matter how careful you were, it was inevitable, the only exceptions being manifested {Fates} and soulgears.


    I didn''t even bother to draw my weapon, as it was useless at this point. I turned to see the horrified faces of the children in theb gowns. They were of various ethnicities and ages, with the oldest looking no older than twelve.


    "Jo, you went too far again," Jas chastised.


    Knowing that I had neglected to listen to her teachings once more, I stuck out my tongue and replied jokingly.


    "Isn''t that fine, sis? Starting next week, we will only be using guns. I will take care of my weapon then."


    My sister then put her hand to her temple as she shook her head.


    "My goodness, how childish you are."


    I then ran to hug her as I teased her. "Lighten up sis, what will darling say if you act like this."


    Ignoring my words, my sister turned to the children as she announced in a loud voice.


    "Haru Miroku. Haru Miroku are you here?"


    "Lady, will you save us from the bad men?" a vic looking child asked.


    "Polish? Jo, your turn."


    "Okay. {Interpret}. Hello everyone! We are here to save you from the bad guys. Is Haru Miroku here?"


    An Asian child who looked like Aki stepped forward cautiously.


    "Pleased to meet Haru, we are friends of your sister, we havee to take you home."


    "You''re taking me to Onee-chan? Is she okay?"


    I nodded and exined to the other children that we would take them back to their families.


    "Be, this is Jas, target secured."


    [Roger that. Go to the basement and regroup with Liv and Robyn. I will send your pickup. Princess, are you done?]


    [Yes, I am. Blow the ce up, Be].


    [Roger that.]

 Chapter 81: I will hire you both.

    [Confirmed. There are no enemies left. The defense of Zone 1091-1 isplete].


    I suddenly found myself over twenty feet in the air before I fell. This would have been the height of the Cyclops'' neck. As the sensation of free fall sent my mind into a panic, I hurriedly yelled.


    "OH SHIT! {Fighter}!"


    The art of freefall and parkour was something I found very cool, unfortunately it took patience and skill to repeatedly subject your body to physics and gravity.


    I was currently falling straight down from over twenty feet. Even the best parkour practitioners needed a running start to perform a roll that would spread the damage of the descent.


    In my situation, however, I couldn''t roll because all my speed was directed straight down. If I locked my legs straight or tried to hold myself steady with my arms, I would break both the moment I hit the ground.


    That was why it was safer to tuck your body in when you fell down the stairs or got into a car ident. Like a vehicle''s shock absorbers, keeping your knees bent transfers the force to your joints. This was much better than breaking bones.


    Still, no matter how you tried, thews of physics and gravity were absolute. Even as I struggled to reorient myself, my feet mmed into the ground. A terrible impact shook my insides and even my balls.


    "AHHH!" I couldn''t help but scream in pain.


    One unfortunate limitation of {Rewind} was its cool down. {Auto} took a day. {Save} took an hour, and I first used it in the Lone House zone. So, I couldn''t use {Save} in the fort zone.


    As a test of my abilities, I changed the way I fought depending on whether {Save} was avable. Fortunately, I had yet to have a desperate battle where {Save} was in cooldown.


    While {Rewind} itself only took 20 minutes to be usable again, without moving the {Save} point, I would be a sitting duck. Like {Regen} I should probably use my next evolution to address the problem of my immovable {Save} point.


    Thanks to the regeneration from {Fighter}, I was able to get back up, albeit wobbly. Pain tolerance was something I hoped to get eventually. Then I started to wonder, if my {Fate} was slowly evolving, wouldn''t the girls also evolve theirs? If they returned to my side, would the number of {Fates} I could potentially receive increase?


    "Well, that can wait until we reunite. Aira, what else do we have to do?"


    [Limitless, I would advise you to regroup with Reaper Joshua and Reaper Kimchi. Guarding the Soul Crystal would be the highest priority until the new defender arrives. A dispatch request has been issued, they should arrive in ten minutes.]


    "Pfft. Reaper Kimchi? Why do you call her that?" I asked, chuckling loudly.


    [Kimchi was the name Limitless used to refer to the Reaper named Ang Kim. I was just following yourbels for rity].


    "Hahaha. Thank you, Aira. Knowing you can make jokes is a good thing."


    [Understood. Each Reaper AI is designed to be a unique existence. I exist to assist you to the best of my ability. Unique to the mercenaries, the Death Seeker AI grows with our reaper.]


    Following Aira''s advice, I made my way back to the cliff where the Koreans were supposed to be. After about fifteen minutes, I found them covering dismembered bodies with white cloth.


    ''Are those their allies?''


    Joshua, who noticed me first, waved and approached me with a handshake. It was only then that I got a good look at his face. He had a square jaw with small eyes that indicated his mixed heritage.


    Unfortunately, due to Ang''s influence, my mind kept remembering the huge member this guy possessed.


    Unaware of my thoughts, Joshua shook my hand as he expressed his gratitude.


    "Thanks foring John. I really didn''t think we''d make it through the night. Thank you again for this. G and I will certainly repay you in the future."


    My eyes wandered to the bodies lying around and noticed that some of them wererger, like animals. Curious, I asked.


    "Were they the other Formless who were transformed into horses?"


    "Yes. Cattle are incredibly expensive in Hellsgate. It was much cheaper to find people willing to use the soulgear {Cavalry}. Of course, the only ones willing were Formless people like me."


    Joshua then pulled out a ne with a horse symbol on it. I then used {Reveal} and checked the soulgear.


    ___


    Name: Liam Marshal (replica)


    Rank: Wraith


    Soul Capability: {Fate} 2/2 | {Kismet} 0/1


    Souls avable: 0 | To evolve: 400


    {Fates}


    1. {Stallion} Lvl 2 | Cost: 2 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Cavalry}


    {Kindred} : N/A


    {Kismet} : N/A


    Soulgear:


    ___


    "!!!"


    Surprised, I almost lost myposure. The Soulgear was a replica of Liam Marshall''s soulgem. The tailor mentioned that IRIS had returned his father''s soulgem. From what I understood, these relics were part of a reaper''s body.


    Am I overthinking this? Soulgems were equipment that could use {Fates}. Unlike Sorms, which could only be bound, Soulgears could give a Reaper new abilities. But what if Soulgears were made from Soulgems? Wasn''t that like using part of a human''s corpse as a weapon?


    There were so many things that suddenly clicked together. What if the reapers never really left Hell? What if it was only our souls that returned to Earth? That exined why we were simr to ghosts when we returned.


    But what about the bodies that bled and died in Hell''s Gate? If every reaper no longer had a body, it would make sense why they could only bring clothes with them when they were summoned.


    ''This is fucking insane. I can barely wrap my head around it. I should ask the girlster.''


    Then I tried to gauge how much of this wasmon sense. Right now, the only people I trusted were the girls. If this information was somehow confidential, I might get myself killed by those who wanted to keep it a secret. I then quietly used {Reveal} on the well-endowed Korean.


    ___


    Name: Joshua Hwang


    Rank: Wraith


    Soul Capability: {Fate} 3/4 | {Kismet} 1/1


    Souls avable: 1,114 | To evolve: 1,600


    {Fates}


    1. {Disarm} Lvl 3 | Cost: 1 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Maim}, {Disable}


    2. {Lady of War} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 2| Owner: Ang |Sub: {Crushing Blow}, {Armor ting}


    {Kindred} : Ang Kim


    {Kismet} : N/A


    Soulgear: {Cavalry}


    ___


    Ho? Joshua was also about to be a Phantom. His {Fate} seemed to focus on non-lethal power. Ang''s was the exact opposite. With his {Fate} capacity almost full, he could only consume one more Formless {Fate}.


    Although I was annoyed to see that he only needed 1,600 souls to evolve. Originally, I needed 5,000 to reach level 3, and now I needed 20,000 to be a level 4 Phantom.


    However, Joshua''s status exined the Reapers''mon sense. No wonder Reapers thought they could only have two. If a manifested {Fate} always cost 2 souls in capacity, then that would be the only result.


    Another thing I learned was that Kindred {Fates} no longer have a loan period. That would mean they are permanently avable.


    "Joshua, does {Stallion} ring a bell?"


    "? Why would it? I don''t know what it is, but this Soulgear only has {Cavalry} as its activation keyword. Are you asking about my {Fate}?"


    "Never mind, did you find the defender and the rest of your allies? Where is the Soul Crystal?"


    "Yes. It turns out that a D-rank undead stalker killed her and the others I saw a chunk of the stalker''s corpse, so they must have taken out each other. There were five pairs of riders, and only we survived.


    "Another dozen reapers served as the Phantom''s guard. Everybody is dead. As far as I know, the Soul Crystal is hidden in the cliff itself, supposedly only essible to the Phantoms."


    Joshua pointed to arge piece of flesh that looked something like a dinosaur. My girls and I killed one during enlistment, so it looked familiar.


    We could only do that by taking away its element of surprise. Seeing the carnage it unleashed here, taking the lives of over ten Reapers, it was certainly a dangerous monster.


    As much as I wanted to leave. The new defender had not yet arrived, so I took a seat on the ground while the Koreans continued to retrieve their dead. The fallen Reapers had badly mutted bodies, often missing limbs or heads.


    "What are you two going to do now?"


    "What it to you, white boy? We go home and fuck." The racist bitch replied again.


    "..."


    "We don''t know right now John. Hardly anybody hires Formless like me. And G doesn''t want to be separated."


    "Of course Oppa! We are like Chimaek!"


    "Chimaek?" I asked confused.


    "She means chicken and beer. A staple for Koreans."


    While I only spoke English, {Mage} and {Thief} had {Interpret}, so except when I was in {Fighter} or my sses were off, I could understand foreignnguages.


    "Is that so? What kind of jobs do Formless usually do?"


    Joshua smiled shyly as he answered. "Well, normally Formless are in Production, Fortification, or Academics. Adventurers like myself are a minority. While Mercenaries like you are an anomaly. Though they would be surprised to see the power you wield."


    Joshua''s assumption was an easy one to make. However, if I only had {Rewind}. I would not be nearly as effective.


    {Withstand}, {Carry}, and {Eat} allowed me to go beyond what a human could do. {Perceive}, {Listen} enhanced my senses to be on par with trained warriors. {Store} allowed me to create my own arsenal, while {Code} gave me the ability to augment my {Fates}.


    The girls were as important to my fighting ability as my own {fate}. Seeing how Ang stood by Joshua and supported him made me miss them. I did not think of the girls romantically. But having allies gave me more resilience against mental anguish.


    When we meet again, I have so many stories to tell. I wondered what they were doing at that moment. I hope theye back soon,'' I thought subconsciously.


    Knowing I needed to focus, I pped my cheeks to drive away my loneliness.


    "I''ll hire you both. You have the look of a man who knows his way around a gun. I will arm you as long as you fight for me. You keep what you kill and have free reign except when I ask for you. Ang cane along," I suggested.


    "Who says I work for you, white boy?"


    Joshua took a moment before answering. "Do you need an answer now?"


    "No, take your time, add me in Graveyard. I will call you in a week. Have your answer by then."


    "Got it."


    At that moment, arge sky beam fell not far from our position.


    [Limitless, the new defender and his escort have entered the zone.]


    I finished the handover procedures and said goodbye to the Koreans.


    "White boy, still going? Not killed enough?"


    "Don''t die, John."


    [Limitless, a new zone has been selected, please state your intent]


    {Reaper NA20230799-FRM, John Smith reporting forbat.}

 Chapter 82: So what if you know?

    Once again I am smashed to the ground by the dirge summon. As the lights begin to fade, I get up and prepare for my fourth mission.


    [Limitless, wee to zone 1093-2. This siren is a Priority 4 and was issued 2 hours ago. The defender appears to be surrounded by the enemy. There are no other Reapers besides the defender. The enemy force is made up of 150 Rank F undead, 5 Rank E Undertakers, and 25 Rank D Draugrs].


    "What the hell?! 5 undertakers and 25 Ds? And the defender is all alone? He didn''t even hire a single person?"


    [Affirmative. The Defender has already been notified of your arrival. You are now connected to the defender''swork].


    "Hello. I am John Smith, a mercenary responding to your dirge siren. Where are you and what is your status?"


    A female mellifluous and sultry voice answered my greeting. She sounded in her early twenties and had a thick German ent.


    [Ja. I wee your assistance, Death Seeker. I am Isolde Drache, the sole protector of this zone. I have been captured and need assistance lest I be in].


    "Understood, pleased to meet you Isolde, now tell me where you are. I do not know how the Zone is structured, so any kind of signal would help."


    [Sorry, they have me tied up. I cannot even open my mouth at the moment. This is why I asked for the Dirge siren. Look for the Soul Crystal. That would lead you to me.]


    The undead probably had Isolde tied up near the soul crystal. I had never heard of the undead taking prisoners, so I had no idea what to expect. Luckily, I saw the new defender of the ins locate the Soul Crystal hidden on the cliff.


    Basically, all the defender had to do was "ask" the zone to lead him to the crystal. Unless the crystal was already tainted, it would have a negative reaction to reaper souls.


    In either case, asking would take you to the crystal if it was still alive, while the location that would drive a reaper away would be where the corrupted crystal was.


    "{Show me the way to the crystal.}" Imanded.


    My soulgem felt hot, and I began to feel a pull in a certain direction. I ran in the general area where I was being directed.


    After a few moments I saw a sight that took my breath away. In the valley below me, a magnificent beast was tied to arge cart by the undead.


    The creature wasrger than an elephant and had arge horn on its nose. It also had two legs withrge ws on each foot.


    Enormous eyes that glowed a fierce blue, while its body shimmered softly with a bright metallic sheen. The scales that adorned the entire body of the beast gave the impression of sharp swords woven together.


    Add to that the bat-like wings attached to its sides, and there was only one thing this creature could be.


    "A wyvern," I said in disbelief.


    [Ja. Hi Ami, I would greet you if I could, but I am a bit tied up at the moment.]


    "Was that a joke?"


    [Ja. I am hrious, no?]


    "..."


    [I am German.]


    Unable tough at the defenders'' pathetic attempts at humor, I tried to keep the conversation going.


    "Isolde, where are they taking you?"


    [They want to take the soul crystal. I swallowed it, you see. They do not want to kill me, and for the first time I cannot kill them all. I think they want to turn me into a mindless beast.]


    True to the no-nonsense German stereotype, Isolde described her situation as if it didn''t concern her. I then tried to understand the situation. The Rank E Undertakers would keep the 150 zombies alive until they were defeated.


    The Rank D Draugrs were enemies I didn''t want to face. They were notorious monsters that appeared on the 11th floor. They boasted of enhanced intelligence and immortality unless killed by a blessed weapon.


    This was only the ninth floor. Why were they even here? Isolde fought them but could not defeat them. There must be something deeper.


    "Isolde, can your soulform kill the Draugrs? I am Formless, I can help you kill the Normies and the Undertakers, but I would be helpless against the Draugrs."


    [Formless? But you are a Death Seeker. Why did you be one in the first ce? And what is a Normie?]


    "Tonight is my first day at work. I deliberately stayed away from the sirens beyond the 10th floor. It''s not my fault they''re here. Normies are what I call the normal undead."


    [Hmm. That''s okay, I guess. The Draugrs are all armed with magic resistance. My breath would normally melt them like paper. This army was designed to capture me.


    [The Draugrs used harpoons with cables and ripped out my wings so I cannot fly. They are also protecting the Undertakers and the zombies that swarmed me.]


    "The undead use tactics and items?" I asked incredulously.


    [Ja. It is normal beyond the 20th floor. I do not know why they appeared, but they seem to want this zone badly].


    "Hmm. Okay. I will help you escape then, we will leave the Draugrs forst."


    [Thanks Ami].


    "{Draw} M24. {Mage}."


    The story Isolde told sounded simr to whale hunting. No matter howrge the animal, once it was grounded and immobilized, it was nothing more than livestock.


    The main problem probably stemmed from the fact that the Draugrs were protected by the Horde. Eachponent of this undead army provided the delicate bnce for Isolde''s loss.


    "Then all I have to do is upset that bnce and all hell will break loose."


    I then noted the positions of all the Undertakers. They were spread out to prevent anyone from taking them all at once.


    Each of them was also protected by two Draugrs, probably like bodyguards. Isolde, on the other hand, was surrounded by the remaining fifteen.


    "Hmm, should I free Isolde first or kill the undertakers?"


    Theoretically, Undertakers cannot resurrect each other, they are limited to resurrecting rank Fs. However, before this battle, I had assumed that all undead were stupid, but here you have Draugrs that not only used tactics but had either enchantments or magical armor.


    "Let''s start with Isolde. I can take the Undertakers in the chaos once she is free. Fortunately, the bonds are made of rope instead of chains."


    I took aim and observed the thick ropes that bound the wyvern to the wooden cart. There were about fifteen in total, most of them on her back, legs, and neck. If the biology of a T-Rex is anything to go by, a Wyvern''s strongest muscles should be its legs.


    "Isolde. I will shoot the ropes off you with a sniper rifle. Do not move erratically."


    [YES!]


    After taking a deep breath, I shot the top rope above the German Reaper. Two of the bindings snapped. The sound alerted the undead horde and specifically the draugrs who were looking for me.


    Unlike the Normies, the Draugrs wore medieval armor and had more flesh than normal zombies.


    I fired quickly to free Isolde, not knowing what they would do if they found out where my attacks wereing from. The Draugrs had not yet figured out that I had their prisoner in my sights, so they did not have her under guard yet.


    "Isolde, I am firing again."


    [Yes! Hurry!]


    My second round pierced three of the ropes that bound her legs. At this point, Isolde began to stand up forcefully, which tensed all the remaining ropes.


    I took advantage of the brief period of chaos. I unloaded two more rounds which destroyed three more ropes.


    A loud, violent roar soon followed the moment Isolde stood up. She used her massive strength to tear thest of the cords that bound her. Soon draugrs began jumping to hold the reaper down.


    They were armed with heavy axes and more ropes. The other Normies also began to swarm around the wyvern like ants.


    "I WILL MAKE YOU INSECTS REGRET CHALLENGING ME! {Dragon Breath}!"


    Isolde put her wings to the ground and opened her mouth. A powerful storm of fire and air came out, incinerating about a dozen Normies. While the Draugrs were also caught in the breath, they shrugged it off and simply smashed their weapons into the wyvern''s body.


    Five of the Draugrs began throwing harpoon-like objects at Isolde''s legs. When the Reaper diverted her attention to the stakes in her thighs, arge number of Normies began jumping on her back. In the confusion, I saw an undertaker raise hisntern as green energy swirled in the ground in front of him.


    "Oh no, you don''t!"


    I sent a 7.62 NATO round through its temple, mming its body sideways to the ground. At that moment, the Draugrs next to the Undertaker looked in my direction. To make matters worse, the other Undertakers were all facing me.


    [Confirming the death of the Rank E Undertaker. Remaining...]


    "Not now Aira! So what if you know where I am!" I challenged fiercely.


    I had another Undertaker in my sights and was about to fire when two Draugrspletely shielded my target with their bodies. Before I could evenin, a Bigfoot suddenly flew like a rag doll and forcefully smacked the Undertaker''s bodyguards away.


    "I AM THE ONE YOU SHOULD BE AFRAID OF, YOU MAGGOTS! {Dragon Fury}!"


    Not wanting to waste the opportunity, I drove a full metal jacket between the surprised Undertaker''s eyes. The body holding thentern crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut.


    Isolde began to destroy the undead horde. She trampled them with her legs, bit them with her jaws, and smashed them with her tail.


    [Confirmation of death of the E-rank undertaker].


    However, it was only through the scope that I noticed the wyvern was injured all over. Its bloody red legs spasmed with every step. Even its long neck had harpoons sticking out, yet the German Reaper fought with a ferocity befitting a demon.


    Green swirls appeared all over the battlefield as the Undertaker reconstructed the shattered Normies. My next shots were all blocked by the Draugr bodyguards, rendering my attacks useless.


    "Shit, I need to change tactics. Isolde, I will engage the undertakers in melee!"


    Instead of answering, the wyvern roared in anger and began to burn the Normies around it. Taking that as my cue, I got up and ran toward the valley. I switched to {Thief} as I descended. Unfortunately, when I reached the valley, a wall of five draugrs blocked my path.


    "Heh, they say I have no way to kill you fucks. Let''s put that to the test, shall we?"


    Ignoring my words, the Draugrs strutted towards me, wieldingrge axes and hammers. It was only now that I noticed that each of these motherfuckers was even bigger than a Bigfoot. They were the same height, but the Bigfoots looked like stickspared to these guys.


    "{Reveal}! {Fighter} {Draw} 1887, MP5SD. Let''s dance!"

 Chapter 83: Welcome to America!

    Even the undead still followed thews of physics as far as I could see. For this reason, even in games or in literature, creatures such as zombies, skeletons, and ghouls all had their own rules. For example, while a skeleton could somehow defy gravity by standing upright without any muscle or tissue, they were brittle.


    Zombies, defying thews of biology, die when decapitated. And ghouls, though creatures of the night, die from starvation. The Draugr in front of me also had to follow a rule. And even though everyone tells me that weapons are useless against them, I refuse to ept that.


    I ran towards the Draugrs in front of me with the MP5SD. They said these bastards were so tough that arrows hardly had any effect. That may have sounded impressive, but against a modern bullet, an arrow was not much. I opened fire as I charged in topensate for {Fighter}''s bad aim.


    Among my weapons, only the Winchester 1887 and the M60 had {Fates}. I had yet to give them to my weapons individually. The MP5SD, simr to the MAC-11''s, fired 9¡Á19mm Parabellum, which were not the strongest rounds even with FMJs.


    With the exception of the M60, Ruger MK II and P30L, my guns all used the same ammunition. This was because the only thing that mattered to the undead was prating their weak points.


    To prove my point, the Draugrs simply tanked the 9mm rounds I fired. Even as the bullets peppered their heads and bodies, their armor and tough skin blocked the FMJs while their muscle mass negated the force. The MP5SD felt like a pea shooter in the face of these fuckers.


    "Tsk. What about .44 Magnums? {Draw} 629!"


    I tossed the MP5SD and called for another weapon. The Rank D''s slowly jogged closer, using their weapons as makeshift shields.


    ''Ugh, opponents that knew how to think are annoying as hell!''


    Not wanting to waste ammunition, I ran towards a Draugr. It raised its axe with both arms in preparation to cut my body in half. Tight as an arrow, I didn''t stop as it came closer and I plunged into its chest.


    Most of the weapons had an optimal distance. An axe''s especiallyrge two-handed once allowed a 2 or 3 meter area in front of the chest. That distance was the only ce a weapon of that length would be viable.


    Of course, when I closed to less than a meter, the draugr couldn''t swing to hit me. Instead, it broke its stance and tried to use its left arm to strike at my head. At that point, I shoved the 1887 into its mouth. Like a deep throat blowjob, there was just something immoral and satisfying about making your enemies choke on a gun muzzle.


    "Suck on this!"


    I pulled the trigger, unleashing a 2 7/8-inch lead slug into the Draugr''s mouth. The force of 1,120 feet per second of lead exploded the back of the Draugr''s skull like a watermelon. The front half of its skull fell off, effectively decapitating the D-ss monster.


    But even though it had lost its head, the draugr mmed its fist into my scalp, stunning me for a moment. The headless body then dropped its weapon and frantically tried to grab me with its arms. Groggy, I tried to dodge the draugr duhan and ducked to the left.


    "Damn, that hurt. My vision is shot."


    Enough blows to the head and most would lose control of entire organs in their body. Right now, my vision was only half of what I could normally see. I knew that {Fighter} would heal it eventually, but my current state was beyond problematic.


    Another D rank came at me with a hammer! I tried to block his attack with the 1887. Forget parrying, the shotgun flew out of my hand. In a desperate attempt, I lunged at the Rank D and aimed the 629 revolver at its left eye. A .44 Magnum hollow point destroyed the monster''s eyeball and exited the back of its head.


    Unfortunately, despite the damage I had caused, it continued to swing its hammer at my left side. The impact was so powerful that it sent me flying a good five meters away, shattering my ribs. The simultaneous pain of healing my organs and my injuries sent an inordinate amount of suffering to my brain.


    However, I have been through much worse. I defiantly spat out the blood in my mouth and then forced myself to stand up. It was my arrogance that made me want to duel these fuckers up close. {Reveal} had already shown me that their weakness was in their right shoulders, not their heads.


    The intense agony I now felt was a profound reminder that death was just around the corner. Not willing to waste another second. I decided to change tactics to the most American way possible.


    "{Draw} M26."


    I then pulled out a series of frag grenades and threw them at the Draugrs. Instead of forcing myself to fight at close range, I ran away and bombarded them from beyond their range. The results were immediate, the four that still had heads were dismembered and maimed by a healthy dose of shrapnel.


    When their arms were all blown off, I confirmed with {Reveal} that there were no other weak points. That probably meant I could not kill them no matter what I did. Then I noticed the lone Draugr I had decapitated pick up its skull and bow in prayer.


    "Is it trying to regenerate? So the worse the damage, the longer you pray?"


    I remembered a manga where they quartered an immortal and kept the pieces in five different ces. This prevented the immortal from being a threat, even though it never died.


    It was funny how anime and manga had so many useful ideas that could help in my current situation.


    The resounding roar of my ally continued to echo throughout the valley. I drew a Big Mac and ate it. {Fighter} created a synergistic effect between {Eat}, {Digest}, and {Regen}. That is, when I ate in this mode, I healed even faster than normal.


    Even though my enemies were the infamous Draugrs, there were four of them crawling on the ground with dismembered bodies, and one kneeling quietly, waiting for its head. While chewing on my burger, I grabbed a Draugr thigh, two left legs, and a right foot and sheathed them.


    "Let''s see what you look liketer."


    I ran towards Isolde, leaving the regenerating Immortals behind. When I arrived, the Reaper was sending a hailstorm of dragonfire into the horde of undead. There were almost no normies intact, while there were reforming corpses all around.


    That must be how they survived the wyvern. The three surviving Undertakers were all hard at work,nterns raised. The Draugrs formed a wall of muscle to keep Isolde at bay.


    "Isolde, sorry it took so long! Let me help you!"


    [Hurry Ami! They seem to be drinking toothpaste! My breath doesn''t seem to work!]


    "..."


    Even when we were about to die, Isolde continued to make themest jokes I have ever heard. Ignoring her antics, I switched to {Mage} and drew the AR15.


    I moved silently towards the remaining undertakers. When I was within range, I shifted into abat glide and began raining freedom on the rank E monsters.


    With the Draugr guards focused on Isolde, they didn''t notice meing from behind them. Before the Rank Ds could turn their backs on me, I managed to shatter the skull of one of the undertakers. With a pair of Draugrs out of work, they brandished their weapons and moved to hack me to pieces.


    [Confirming death of the Rank E Undertaker.]


    The four Draugrs still guarding their Undertakers remained in position. Their attention was divided between me and Isolde. I didn''t mind their caution, and frankly, it didn''t matter. I continued my approach and blew out the kneecaps of the Draugrs that came my way.


    As they fell to the ground, I glided past them and worked my way to take out the rest. Isolde must have understood my tactics and rammed the wall of muscle like a bulldozer.


    The German Reaper fought with wild abandon as she grabbed the Draugrs by the waist and tore them apart. We both knew instinctively that the battle was nearing its end.


    Not to be outdone, I crippled two more Draugrs and murdered antern bearer. I could feel the ground shaking as the resurrected Normies moved to protect theirst undertaker. The situation was dire as I had Draugrs in front of me while a group of zombies came at me from behind.


    [Confirming death of the Rank E Undertaker.]


    "{Reload}. {Fighter}. {Draw} M26. Wee to America!"


    I dropped the AR15 and started throwing the frag grenades without their pins. While {Fighter} didn''t have {Carry} and {Pack}, it would allow me to survive the sts from the M26.


    Such a trade-off made the loss of throwing ability eptable. I threw to the front, to the back, and to the side without a care in the world. When I ran out, I simply used {Reload} and resumed my explosive performance.


    [Confirming the death of the Rank E Undertaker].


    After my one-day freedom parade, there was nothing left. The surviving Normies were crushed by Isolde. My gamble to tip the scales paid off. If the Normies were allowed to resurrect en masse, even the grenades wouldn''t have helped. I checked the Draugrs on the ground to see if they still had any glowing weak points, and when I found none, I asked Isolde to finish them off.


    "Isolde, I have removed their magical resistance. Do you have it in you to burn them onest time?"


    "JA! WITH PLEASURE! {DRAGON BREATH}!"


    [Confirming death of the 20 Rank D Draugrs.]


    True to her words, without the Draugrs'' magical resistance, Isolde''s dragon breath turned them into soup. We returned to the five I dueled earlier and found them limping around. It seems the Draugrs only regenerate flesh and skin. Since I hid the bones, these guys couldn''t regrow their lower bodies. The one reforming its skull still hasn''t moved an inch.


    "That makes sense, I guess. I shattered most of his cranial fragments. It probably couldn''t regenerate because of the missing pieces. Isolde, if you please."


    "JA! I will give them a foot!"


    "..."


    [Confirming death of the 5 Rank D Draugrs.]


    [There are no enemies left. The defense of zone 1093-2 has beenpleted.]


    Isolde then fell to the ground with a loud thud. Her joy was evident in her eyes.


    "Thank you for saving me, Ami. Your courage to stand even against the Immortal is impressive."


    "Isolde, you are injured. Can you turn back into a human?I have {heal} tabletsand food with me."


    "Yes! I am hungry, just a moment."


    The dragon then stuck a finger down her throat and regurgitated a shiny four-foot gem. A stench of stomach acid filled the air. I wrinkled my nose at the horrible smell.


    Bright lights then engulfed Isolde as her body shrank back to human size. Thinking she would appear in her birthday suit like Joshua, I eagerly waited in anticipation.

 Chapter 84: Forget?

    Despite having sworn off romance as a whole, I was still a man of culture. Hell, porn and culture were what kept most people sane these days. While both of them had some bad effects, it was also true that they staved off the libido and gave the so-called post nut rity.


    When the light show ended, Isolde disappointingly appeared in priest-like robes. She was tall, about 5''10", had a slim build, long white hair and blood red eyes.


    Her skin was wless like jade and pale as snow. However, no matter how beautiful she was, I could not keep the disappointment from showing on my face.


    "You seem displeased with what you see. Is my appearance not to your liking, Ami?" The beautiful woman asked bluntly.


    "Hello Isolde, would you mind telling me why you keep calling me Ami? My name is John."


    "Yes. Ami as in Amerikaner. Or someone from the USA. Your name is John Smith, so Ami."


    "..."


    "Why do you seem depressed, Ami? We won a big battle!"


    How could I tell this woman that I was sad that I didn''t get to see her goods? Isolde''s {Fate} had turned her into a wyvern bigger than an elephant. If she could melt Draugrs or tear them apart, what could I do if she wanted to see me dead, how could I even stop her from doing it? This was all Joshua''s fault for raising my expectations.


    Now that I had a moment to think about it, Amari, who turned into a gori, and Mia, who turned into a werewolf, still had clothes on when they changed forms.


    It could just be the big dicked bastard who shes people. Gritting my teeth, I made a small vow to kick Joshua''s ass in a duel. Then Isolde came over and gave me a warm hug.


    "Eh?"


    "Ami, thank you foring. I would have died if it was not for you."


    It was only when I was in her bosom that I smelled faint traces of ironing from Isolde.Ashamed of my actions, I gently pulled away from her embrace and retrieved {heal} tablets and burgers from my inventory.


    "I''m sorry I got distracted. Here, Isolde, eat these. They are low level, but they should help you.


    "I have plenty of food too, so don''t be shy."


    "Thank you, Ami," replied the German Phantom. Like one born into high society, Isolde ate with grace and finesse. I didn''t see the green light from the {heal} tablets, but I could smell the unique scent of medicineing from her.


    ''Maybe the wounds are under her clothes?''


    I shook my head at the perverse thought. I must be suffering from a desire to procreate after nearly dying. Then I smacked myself as I turned my mind to what needed to get done. We sat down on the floor, not caring about the dirt.


    "Isolde, since the defender hasn''t changed, you will sign my deployment order, correct?"


    " Ja. You must be, I think, the ninth Death Seeker I have summoned in a thousand years."


    "? Isolde, did I hear that you have been defending this zone for over a thousand years?"


    "Not only this very location, but Ja. I am one of the oldest Phantoms still active."


    Then I silently called {Reveal} and checked Isolde''s status.


    ___


    Name: Isolde Drache


    Rank: Phantom


    Soul Capacity : {Fate} 4/4 | {Kismet} 0/1


    Souls avable: 3,100,453 | To evolve: 150,000


    {Fates}


    1. {Sky Dragon} Lvl 6 | Cost: 2 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Dragon Breath}, {Dragon Tongue}, {Dragon Fury}, {Dragon Roar}, {Dragon Vow}


    2. {Reunion} | Lvl 5 | Cost: 2 | Owner: Tristan |Sub: {Penitence} {Sacrifice}, {Martyr}, {Seraph}


    {Kindred}: Tristan Kreuzfahrer


    {Kismet}: N/A


    Soulgear: {Backpack}, {Fountain}


    ___


    "..."


    Isolde has enough souls to evolve into a Specter if she wanted to. Three million souls was a number that not everyone could umte. Her {Fate} Sky Dragon had six {Fates} in her family, and her husband Tristan seemed to have stopped at level 5. Finally, she had what looked like nobat type Soulgears.


    "What is it, Ami? You''ve been staring for quite a while."


    "Nothing much. I was just thinking about how powerful you are. After ten centuries, why didn''t you bother to evolve into a Specter Isolde?Surely fighting small fry is boring to you? With your prowess any assault group with you in it would surely do well."


    For some reason, Isolde stopped eating and looked solemnly at the sky. In the Hellsgate, there was not supposed to be a sky at all as we descended deeper and deeper into Hell, but for some reason, there was a dark ceiling on every floor.


    There were no stars of any kind, but the silent firmament calmed most people. As if the heavens had drained all of Isolde''s energy, her once dignified posture became fatigued and slumped.


    Unsure what was going on, I tried to keep my mouth shut and observed our surroundings instead. The long, awkward silence suffocated me, Isolde had a bright personality and made stupid jokes, why was she so silent?


    Then she turned to me as tears began to fall from the woman''s eyes like gems, adding ayer of elegance to Isolde''s otherwise heartbreaking sobs.


    "I didn''t want to forget."


    "Forget? What do you mean, Isolde?"


    "Ami, you do not know the difference between the ranks of the Reapers, do you?" the phantom replied softly as she wiped away her tears. It took a few moments for her to regain herposure. When she did, she turned to me with a serious expression on her face.


    "They are separated in their duties and power?" I guessed.


    The German Reaper shook her head and continued to exin. "Ami, those are the consequence of the difference in rank, they are not what makes each rank unique."


    "Then I don''t know."


    "Ami. Every time a reaper evolves his {fate}, he trades a part of himself as a price."


    "Price? You mean the soul cost?"


    "No, Ami, souls are what you use as the material for the exchange. They are not the price a reaper must pay to evolve his {Fate}," the wyvern lectured.


    "I am clueless, please share your wisdom, Isolde."


    "You asked why I didn''t be a Specter? Its memories, Ami. In order to evolve, the price I must pay is my memories."


    "What?" I gasped in disbelief.


    "Then let''s start from the beginning. Humans must pay with their lives to join the Reapers, to be a Wraith, that is the price. A Wraith to be a Phantom must pay with his humanity."


    Technically, a human had to die and have deep regret to be a Wraith, the lowest of the low. So what does "pay with your humanity" mean?I must have made a stupid expression as Isolde continued to exin without my asking.


    "Hmm. Look at it this way, a Wraith has to stop being human to be a Phantom."


    "I don''t understand," I confessed annoyed.


    "A person is defined by others. His friends, his family, his work and his form. That is, humans eat, sleep, rest, and exist in society. Wraiths are hardly different from humans in the beginning.


    "It is just that you are dead now and have no reflections. But the correct way to think about it is that Wraiths are no longer human, they are merely beings that have borrowed the form of one. Understanding this is the first step to losing your humanity."


    Though the exnation was different, Isolde''s words were simr to my own. Didn''t I sever my ties with human society when I became a Wraith? I noticed that I could operate for the past 24 hours without sleep or food.


    The German Reaper was right. I only looked human, but I had abilities that were closer to the undead.


    "If a reaper cannot unconsciously let go of his humanity. Thoughts like, ''This is not something a human can do,'' or ''I am human, so I must do this.'' If a Wraith is filled with such reservations, he will never evolve past Level 3 to be a Phantom," Isolde exined patiently.


    I see. Those who value their human identity are the ones who would be limited by them. The girls and I were all far from normal, maybe that was why we had little trouble adapting? But what about what came next?


    I had a rare opportunity to learn from an expert, hopefully Isolde could teach me how to evolve into a Specter so I could share it with Lilly. Putting on my best puppy dog face, I asked her for guidance.


    "You are wise, Isolde, I understand now.If humanity is the payment for the Wraiths, what payment is required of a Phantom?"


    "As I said Ami, its memories. Though no longer human, a Reaper will remain human in spirit as long as he remembers his life as one. To evolve into a Specter, a Reaper must shed even the memories that created him or her. To shed one''s memories is to forget who one once was. That is how you be a Specter."


    They often said that memories and experiences were what created a person''s personality and morality. What would happen if they were lost?


    Was that what prevented Lilly from evolving? Like amnesiacs who had different personalities when they forgot everything. A person''s past shaped their present.


    "Won''t you be apletely different person?" I asked in trepidation.


    "Ami doesn''t seem convinced."


    "That''s because it doesn''t make sense to me."


    "Let me point you in the right direction. Ami, what are {Fates}?"


    "They represent a reaper''s greatest regret."


    "Correct. Regrets are unfulfilled dreams or injustices suffered. Now think about it. How could a Reaper have great regrets if he cannot remember anything? What they cherished, what they hated, and most importantly, what drove them to return from the dead."


    "..."


    This made sense, but it waspletely insane. How could someone exist with no history, personality, or identity? Trading humanity seemed fine, but who would you be if you could not remember who you were?


    A greedy person was usually someone who grew up poor. A vain person would have a reason why they valued looks or fame. Kind people exist because they grew up loved.


    A person''s memories shaped who they were. Without a body and a personality created from your past, were you even the same person?


    "It seems you are not ready to be a Specter Ami. That is fine, you have until you reach level 6 to decide.


    "As for me, to answer your question about why I have stagnated at the Phantom level. It is like I said before, I do not want to forget."


    Unable to muster any response, I just stared at Isolde and waited for her to continue.


    "I had a lover once, one you could say was my world. His name was Tristan."


    I knew, it was on her status page. Tristan Kreuzfahrer. His {Fate} was called {Reunion}. Judging by the small difference in levels. They must have fought side by side for a while.


    "Tristan was everything to me. He was kind, gentle, and brave.The only man I ever adored and the man I died to be with. Our history was not kind, you see. Tristan died believing that I no longer loved him.


    "When I saw his corpse, my very being was shattered to the point that I sought death. But who knew that our story would continue?"

 Chapter 85: From the Horses mouth

    "Could you spare some time to chat with an old woman, Ami? It''s been so long since I''ve hadpany."


    I nodded wordlessly and pulled out another Big Mac. When I took a bite, the juices from the fast food burger tasted like heaven. I closed my eyes and savored the simple pleasure.


    I felt alive from the taste, its vor dancing on my taste buds. Pleasure swelled in my body as I became grateful that I was born when McDonald''s existed.


    "Here Ami, wash it down with this."


    Isolde, who seemed to enjoy my expression with a smile, took out a couple of sses and poured out what looked like ale. Seeing my surprise, Isolde let out a seductiveugh as she approached. Didn''t she love her husband? She was sitting much too close forfort.


    "Germans like beer, Ami. I like wheat beer best. Even though I have lived a long time, I still return to Earth every day. Although I have never had a Hamburger Royal. I usually eat bratwurst."


    Hearing the Reaper, I remembered an old movie that said the Italians call a Big Mac "Le Big Mac" and a quarter pounder with cheese "Royale with Cheese". I guess those things were true, since Isolde has a different name for a Big Mac.


    "Hmm. I''m sorry I don''t have anything else. I do have some chocte bars," I offered in constion.


    "De, that''s fine. I am the one who wanted yourpany anyway.


    "So... Where to start? It has been a while since I reminisced. After all, I refuse to be a Specter because it would make me forget Tristan."


    Not wanting to interrupt her story, I ate my burger in silence, washing it down with weizenbier. The malty drinkplemented my meal to a certain extent. I couldn''t help but widen my eyes as I tasted the wheat beer.


    ''Hmm. This thing has a unique vor, a bit fruity and spicy. It tasted like bananas. Why anyone would make a banana beer is beyond me. But still, it''s okay.''


    "You see Ami, Tristan and I didn''t have a traditional marriage.He was a knight and I was a princess, I was supposed to marry his adoptive father but fell in love with him instead. We tried to hide it for a while, but were eventually discovered. Sadly, circumstances forced us to separate soon after."


    Despite having had a failed rtionship when I was human, I could still sense affection to some degree. And the way Isolde said the name of her beloved told me how much she cared for him. Though their love story sounds terrible because it began with betrayal, I knew this woman would never truly love another man.


    "After some time, Tristan was cursed in a fierce battle and became bedridden. Wanting to reunite with me before he died, he sent his men to call for me. But when I arrived, he was already gone. The anguish made me take my own life," Isolde said with a frown.


    ''Wow, that was hard. It sounded like a fairy tale. It even ended like Juliet.''


    "Eventually I became a reaper and fought in Hellsgate. It was there that Tristan and I were reunited. My regret at being powerless gave me {Sky Dragon}. Tristan, who died regretting our separation, was blessed with {Reunion}.


    "Tristan told me that he died because he thought I had ignored hisst request. Only then did we discover that someone had lied to Tristan about my arrival. We spent the next few centuries living only for each other."


    Isolde looked like a lovesick teenager at this point in her story. I could almost see heart marks in her irises. Her whole body exuded feminine charm as she reminisced about the man she once loved.


    ''How romantic. They found their ever after not in life, but in hell.''


    "Unfortunately, you knew about the life of reapers. We fought as hard as we loved. In his final battle, Tristan gave everything he had to save me. Fulfilling his greatest regret, Tristan died with a smile. With {Dragon''s Vow}, Tristan made me swear not to kill myself again. In exchange for my promise, my abilities were greatly enhanced."


    Isolde then stood up abruptly as she continued to get emotional. Not minding her outbursts, I listened to her story and allowed her to get it off her chest. I started to remember an old anime I used to watch. It was about Mechs, but what piqued my interest was a ship in it that had weapons called Tristan and Isolde.


    ''That can''t be a coincidence, right? That an anime used their names? I wonder if Isolde would mind if I checked my phone? Ah, wait, the GRI is on my ear. Hmm?''


    My soulgem became hot and I felt a sentence appear in my mind. "{Connect} to your the GRI," it said.


    What the hell was going on? Ah, fuck it, I have nothing to lose. {Connect},'' it said in my mind.


    Isolde continued her story as I felt my consciousness leaving my body and suddenly connecting to the GRI. I then found myself in an empty space with the phone screen floating in front of me.


    "Where am I?What is this?"


    Suddenly being sent to an unfamiliar ce would be enough to unsettle anyone. I tried to call my {fates} and found that none of them worked in this ce. Before I could process what had happened, a small light came out of nowhere and transformed into a person.


    The one who arrived was a woman with a slim build and long, orange hair. She was wearing a maid''s outfit that looked expensive. She opened her blue eyes and smiled.


    "Hello Limitless. I never thought I would meet you in person."


    "No way. Aira? Is that you? Wow! Your appearance is so beautiful!"


    "This figure was something I pulled from your memory. She was a side character from a game. You adored her."


    "Yes, I do remember her. I was very fond of her. Anyway, where am I, Aira?"


    "This is your cyberspace. An area that exists online whenever you use {Code}. I was the one who sent you that message in the first ce. If you want to research on the Inte, you can do so through the Graveweb via your GRI."


    "Interesting, so I can always see you when Ie here?"


    "Yes. As your personalized AI, I will remain on standby. Although having a body here seems ratherfortable."


    This was like those spirit realms in cultivation novels. There was nothing here, but perhaps I would find some use for it as {Code} evolved.


    "In this room, you are theputer Limitless, you can think about what you want to do, and {Code} will trante it for you. I can serve as your assistant if you wish."


    "Yes, please do, Aira. For now, can you look up Tristan and Isolde? Something about it seems odd."


    "Roger, looking up Tristan and Isolde... Here are the top results."


    Floating screens the size of billboards appeared like web pages. I didn''t even have to move my hands, the screens moved and shifted as if I were using a mouse and keyboard.


    "How convenient. Let''s see. Tristan and Isolde is a three-act opera by Richard Wagner, basedrgely on the 12th-century romance Tristan and Iseult by Gottfried von Strassburg. Wait! Seriously?"


    I then checked what happened in the opera and the old version, and it matched Isolde''s story to a frightening degree. I knew there were movies and stories based on real people and events, but legends based on Reapers was something I found hard to ept.


    Especially because it confirmed what Lilly said.If Tristan and Isolde were reapers, what about Romeo and Juliet? King Arthur? Zeus? Odin? Where did it end?


    What I thought was fiction was actually Reaper history hidden in in sight. I needed to confirm this for real. I memorized some details about Tristan and Isolde and jotted down some names.


    "Let''s hear it from the horse''s mouth. Aira I am leaving, talk to youter."


    The beautiful maid said nothing and just bowed her head.My consciousness returned to my body as I disconnected. It felt strange, but the ability was extremely useful.


    I listened to Isolde again as she continued with her story. With a goal in mind, I waited for a good moment before interrupting.


    "But wasn''t he too cruel, Ami? He died and forbade me to follow him! What am I to do? How can I fill the void in my heart?! I raged on the frontlines for a while, eventually surpassing Tristan. But I soon learned the cost, so I semi-retired and ended up here."


    "You seem to have been through a lot, Isolde. Have you ever seen Brangane or Kurwenal in Hellsgate?" I asked inconspicuously.


    Brangane was supposed to be Isolde''s maid and Kurwenal was Tristan''s servant. Both yed a role in the fictional story. If this story was hers, the names should be familiar.


    "Hmm. I remember Tristan telling me about him. But I seem to have forgotten who Kurwenal was. Memories are sacrificed in order of importance, the least being taken first. So I probably thought little of him. I did look for Brangane, but even though I missed her a lot, I don''t know what happened to her after I died."


    ''Holy shit! Apart from Kurwenal, the fact that she knows Brangane means that the opera and the y are based on her life!''


    Isolde then turned to me and dered firmly.


    "It is true that Tristan is no longer with me, but I continue to relive our days together. This bes not only my strength, but also myst remaining joy in life. We were unable to have children, but as long as I remember, Tristan will never truly die. I am not fighting for humanity, but for my own selfishness."


    Then she hugged me tightly, and her next words werepletely unexpected.


    "I became a Reaper to love Tristan. Hellsgate gave me centuries of happiness. So I will pay my debt and protect it from the undead. However, I was told that Specters only have memories of a few decades. Having lived so long, there is a chance that I will forget Tristan forever. My only wish is to be reunited with him at the end of my life.


    So I refuse to be a Specter.


    "{Dragon''s Vow}. As payment for today, I grant you one battle. I will fight any enemy you choose, even if it means my death. Thank you for saving Ami. And thank you for listening to my story."


    "I am grateful, Isolde, I will make good use of this favor."


    Although it was exaggerated, I understood her gratitude. Isolde must have felt very lonely fighting without Tristan. Her memories were the only things that kept her sane. She was not fighting for some great cause, but for her husband.


    With the defenseplete, we chatted some more before I prepared to leave. After exchanging contacts, I finished the paperwork and responded to my next siren. I had already made a lot of money, but I had yet to reach my limit, so my night continued.

 Chapter 86: My kind of guys

    "Hey Aira, can we do a Priority 5 next? The jump between a 4 and a 5 is too big. Call them P5s from now on. We will simrly call Priority 4s P4s," I instructed.


    The Lone House and the Fort were P5s, while the ins and Isolde were P4s. The difference between the two was too great. I can do P4s, but not back to back. After two exhausting battles, I wanted to take a breather.


    The battles confirmed one of my suspicions. While {Rewind} gave me rity and restored my stamina, it didn''t do anything for my stress levels.


    It was simr to how some days you feel drained right after you wake up. Theoretically, you should feel rested after a good night''s sleep. But because your mental state was so stressed and on edge, it made you tired even when you shouldn''t have been.


    Even {Rewind} couldn''t unstress my system immediately. I was still human at that point. Remembering what Isolde had told me, would forcing myself to be a machine allow me to be a Phantom?


    ''Let us cross that bridge when wee to it,'' I concluded.


    [Understood, my lord. Looking for P5 Sirens...]


    "My lord?"


    [I studied this character''s background. She affectionately called her master "my lord." It was my attempt to increase your appreciation of me by imitating her.]


    Well, I can''t say she was wrong, almost every man would dream of having a beautiful maid with "those" kinds of benefits. Then I wondered if Isolde would be less lonely if she had someone like Aira.


    It was a shame that Isolde found cell phones annoying. Instead, she made a panic button that looked like a remote control soulgear.


    "Haha. She reminds me of those grandmothers who preferred one-button remotes."


    [I don''t understand, my lord. Are you displeased?]


    "Ah, no. Do as you wish, Aira, I never considered you a servant, so it doesn''t matter how you address me."


    [Then how do you see me, my lord?]


    I tried to think for a moment, despite being incredibly smart and logical, Aira had zero social skills and was clumsy to a fault. If she were human, I would be worried about how she would interact with others. I could only think of her as a child or a younger sibling.


    "Hmm. I see you as family, maybe like a younger sister or daughter."


    [Is that so? Would you like me to address you as brother or daddy?]


    "NO! My lord is fine. In fact, let us keep it that way, I beg you."


    [As youmand, my lord. I found a P5 siren, it was issued 10 hours ago.]


    "10 hours? By then, the defenders would probably be dead. Okay, let''s go."


    [My lord, a new zone has been chosen please announce your intent.]


    {Reaper NA20230799-FRM, John Smith reporting forbat}


    {Wee John Smith, initiating summoning. Entering zone 1023-2 in 3...2...1...}


    After a familiar light show, I felt my body being sent to another area. With it, the next adventure for the night.


    ***


    It took only two seconds for solid ground to appear beneath my feet. A simrly dim environment appeared before me.


    Though there was no sun, moon, or stars, the ck sky somehow granted a soft light that prevented absolute darkness.


    "Kind of like a cloudy night."


    [My Lord, wee to zone 1023-2. I detect the presence of one Phantom and four Wraiths. They seem to be separated. Two Wraiths are encircled while the other three are near your position. The enemy forces consist of 162 Rank F undead led by a Rank E giant.]


    "Hmm. Why are they split up? Are they trying some kind of n?"


    It was normal in military tactics to split your forces when you had multiple objectives. In Hellsgate, since most of the battles were just a battle of annihtion, the opposite was the case. Thus, there would be hardly any reason to have to separate at all.


    While I was thinking about how it would be good to brush up on some tactics, Aira shared some new information.


    [My Lord, you are connected to the defenderwork. The defenders have already been notified of your arrival].


    "Thank you Aira, I will try to contact them."


    I started walking forward to look for the defenders, normally the summoning zone was right in front of the fortification. As I moved, I sent a transmission to the defenders of that zone.


    "Reapers, I am John Smith, a mercenary who responded to your dirge siren. Where are you and what is your status?"


    An extremely pompous sounding voice began to scold me.


    [About fucking time someone showed up. Youzy bastards have kept me waiting long enough!]


    I had to take a few seconds to process his words.


    ''Who the fuck is this guy and why is he being such an asshole? He is aware that I came to help him, right?''


    "Reaper, mind your tone. I came here to help, I had no reason toe, but I did to save you. Do not assume that I am some weakling who came to wipe your ass for you."


    [Shut up, you stupid peasant! I don''t need your help, just grant me ess to the Mercenary Warp Gates! I am part of the Saviors!]


    This fucker was starting to get on my nerves. Was the Saviors supposed to mean something? Even though I had a lot of experience dealing with these types, I had no reason to bend over backwards in Hellsgate.


    I had learned from the mercenary download that any zone under siege was sealed off to prevent the spread of the undead. Such a measure ensured that the undead would remain contained even if everyone else died.


    However, the same security meant that anyone left inside was effectively imprisoned. The only way in was through mercenary warp gates. Only Death Seekers were allowed to bypass any rules and enter a sealed zone. Any Death Seeker could enter a sealed zone, but not everyone had the right to warp out.


    It was expected that most of the Death Seekers would not need the ability to warp out. Our only exit was when everything else was dead.


    However, the ability to leave a locked zone is granted to mercenaries of rank 3 and above. This was because they also had the capability to exfiltrate other Reapers, although it was reserved for priority targets.


    "You seem to be misunderstanding something, you bastard. The Death Seekers are not a taxi service to be hailed when things go to shit. We are garbage collectors for trash who can''t even clean up their own mess. No mercenary would allow an outsider to use our warp gates," I replied coldly.


    [I-If that is the case, then let us meet and escort me! Head west and we will meet. Mercenaries have to prioritize the defenders, right? Get me out of here! Shouldn''t you listen to me? I paid 3000 souls for your services!]


    Man, that fucker really needed an ass-whooping. If I had known that I was going to have to work with this bastard, I wouldn''t havee here. I knew that talking to that arrogant piece of shit was ill-advised. Instead, I tried to get the situation from Aira.


    "Aira, who is the registered defender of this zone?"


    [My Lord, the defender of this zone is currently vacant. The position has been left vacant not too long ago.]


    [Originally, it was registered to a Phantom named Julius Caytiffe. He has two Wraiths registered as his {Vassals}, one called ze and the other Titan].


    "How is he still alive if the soul crystal is unbound? Did he desert his post? There were four Wraiths, right? Where are the other two?"


    [As you know, my lord, I only receive their life signatures when we enter. I cannot tell where they are only if they are alive or dead. Their proximity to you is based on my information about your location as well as that of the undead].


    "So, you were only told who was here, not where they were. And based on the enemy and my position, you guess where they are. Did I understand that correctly?"


    [Yes, my lord.]


    "Okay, then just tell me which direction they were in."


    [Please proceed directly Northeast. That was where majority of the enemies are located.]


    "Got it, thanks Aira."


    [Please take care.]


    I switched to {Thief} and ran towards the direction from Aira. While I was running, Julius suddenly sent another transmission.


    [Oy! Why aren''t youing to protect me? I am in the west! West! You are heading to the...]


    "Shut up, you fucking coward! I am subservient to the defender. You have abandoned your post and are nothing more than a deserter. You can run away at your leisure after I kill every undead here. If you obstruct or dy my efforts, I will challenge you to a Seeker''s Duel!" I roared in anger.


    Normally, Reapers were treated as both soldiers and citizens on the battlefronts of Hellsgate. However, any society would know that there are just some people who simply cannot help but screw things up.


    On Earth, we put those bastards in jail. Here in Hellsgate, we kill them in sanctioned duels.


    This was a privilege granted to the Death Seekers. Since Hellsgate had no formal peacekeeping force, the Authorities simply allowed reapers to murder one another. Two Reapers can petition the Mercenaries to sanction and enforce the results of the duel.


    Due to the notoriety of the Death Seekers, Seeker Duels became both a punishment and a deterrent to such scum. Who the hell would want to fight people who were literally insane enough to wish for death every day?


    As unfortunate as it may seem to those who cannot fight, even Earth had such duels, called trial bybat.


    [Hii!! No, I do not want any trouble. The zombies are underground, I lured them into a subterranean cer and blew up all the foundations to bury them alive].


    This fucking piece of shit. ording to Julius'' information, the enemies Aira detected were the ones who survived his so-called trap. I didn''t really care about such tactics.


    My main concern was that there were two reapers with the undead. It did not take a genius to figure out what had happened.


    "Caytiffe, you used your Wraiths as bait? For a trick that didn''t even kill all the undead? You fucking idiot! Don''t think you''ll get away with it. On top of deserting, you even abandoned your men."


    [H-how do you know my name? What are you talking about? My men are with me! Those two are just Formless garbage I picked up! They would have died anyway! I did Hellsgate a service!


    I am in the right! You can''t touch me!]


    I ignored the rambling idiot and kept running. Julius Caytiffe struck me as one of those arrogant noble elitists you find in cheap isekai novels. Unable to cling to anything but their pedigree. Such types should just be disposed of.


    "Aira, can you gather the information about this bastard and send it to Lilly and Zach? They should know what to do."


    [As you wish, my lord].


    Buried underground, abandoned by their allies, I noticed that the number of ranked Fs was decreasing even though it was about one every five minutes.


    "Even after everything these reapers have yet to be defeated. Unlike that selfish bastard. These were my kind of guys!"

 Chapter 87: Bring it on.

    "Aira, can you connect me to amwork without Caytiffe and his morons?"


    I dashed with {Thief}, looking for anything to lead me to the basement entrance. Reapers had no need for oxygen, so even if we were buried for a long time, we would never die of asphyxiation or starvation. That was assuming a reaper had enough mental strength to keep from going insane.


    [My lord, I cannot grant your request, but you can. One of your {Fates} can remove Caytiffe and his men from the Defender Network.]


    "I can? How?"


    [{Code}''s third ability is {Shutdown}, it allows you to remotely disable any electronic device you have ess to. Using the defenderwork, we can send a signal to their Reaper handsets. Their signalsck the encryption of the GRI series and they have no {Fates} with regard to electronics, so they are susceptible to {Shutdown}.]


    "Haha, thanks {Code}! Okay, how do I do this?"


    [Use {Connect}, then "feel" their Reaper handsets and invoke {Shutdown}. It should be intuitive, my lord.]


    "{Connect}."


    As I invoked {Connect}, I felt my mind leave my body once again. And I found myself in the dark room with the floating phone screens. The shift was almost instantaneous, as if I suddenly switched bodies. I wondered if my real body, which was running, would suddenly copse without me?


    I looked around and saw Aira in an elegant bow, her flowing hair shining as if unreal. If this was all in cyberspace, then we could change anything we wanted, right? I tried to imagine her hair color bing bright amber as an experiment.


    "?" The maid in front of me suddenly looked puzzled as she brought a lock of her hair in front of her face.


    "Do you find this shade more pleasing, my lord?" she asked with a smile.


    "Ah no, sorry Aira, I was experimenting with my control of this cyberspace."


    Aira said nothing and nodded in understanding, then she raised her hand and brought a ck screen to the front. There were six red dots on the screen, was it some kind of map? Three were clustered in the west. Two in the northeast and one moving slowly in the middle.


    "As you can see on this map, my lord. These are the signals I originally received when we arrived. The pins were the locations of the reapers at that moment. Only your pin in the middle is moving in real time. You only need to focus on the pins to the west when you call {Shutdown}".


    I raised my hand and focused on the three needles. Somehow, I could hear the voices of people on the other side.


    "Boss! What if the mercenary tells the Nightmare? We could be in trouble!"


    "Oh shut up ze, with Acwen and Maegester as the top dogs in the Death Seekers we have nothing to fear!"


    "But boss, didn''t old man Xander say to keep a low profile? Are you sure he won''t just kill you for this?"


    "You may be right Titan."


    "Oh shit! We are screwed! Let''s just bribe or kill the merc boss!"


    "These fuckers...so they acted likeplete assholes because of their friends, huh? It seems that the idiots with him are even smarter than this Julius. Aira, can you look up the records of the mercenaries named Acwen and Maegester?"


    "Yes, my lord."


    Two screens appeared, showing the general information of the mercenaries.


    ----------


    Mercenary Ranking: 45


    Name: Robert Acwen | yer


    Battlefront: North America


    Soul rank: Phantom


    Grade: Priority 1 Mercenary


    {Fate}: {Blood Feast}


    Deployment count: 298


    Sess rate: 100%


    ----------


    Mercenary Ranking: 68


    Name: Dominic Maegester | Machiavelli


    Battlefront: North America


    Soul rank: Phantom


    Grade: Priority 1 Mercenary


    {Fate}: {Instigator}


    Deployment count: 204


    Sess rate: 92%


    ----------


    Dominic looked like a middle-aged, fat priest. But with a moniker called {Instigator} and an alias called Machiavelli, this guy was a bona fide backstabber.


    On the other hand, Robert was covered in armor from head to toe and had the nickname yer. Then I remembered Phillip''sment about the Death Seekers.


    ''However, over the years we have been able to predict who would find their wings under this group. They would be the mad, the blood drunk, and those who yearn for battle. Which of the three are you, Mr. Smith?''


    "The mad, the blood drunk, and those who yearn for battle," I repeated. Shaking my head, I pulled up my own records.


    ----------


    Mercenary Rank: 498


    Name: John Smith | No title


    Battlefront: North America


    Soul rank: Wraith


    Grade: Priority 4 Mercenary


    {Fate}: CONFIDENTIAL


    Deployment count: 4


    Sess Rate: 100%


    ----------


    Compared to their records, mine looked pathetic. They both had over 200 missions over me, with Robert just shy of 300, while having a 100% sess rate. In terms ofbat experience, these two were way over my head. No wonder Julius was so confident. With these two backing him up, hardly anyone would want to mess with their group.


    "But I am not just anyone. If a Revenant couldn''t scare me, what makes you think I''ll bow to mere phantoms? I bow to no one! {SHUTDOWN}!"


    At that point, the pins all went ck and I could no longer hear Julius and his goons. From a statistics point of view alone, it would be best for me not to be on Dominic''s bad side, and even more so for Robert.


    But seeing their portraits made my blood boil. Taking them on would be good practice for me. If Julius and his thugs try to kill me, I will bury them right here and now.


    "Bring it on."


    Then I turned to Aira and gave her my next requests.


    "Aira, please gather everything you can about the yer and Machiavelli. Also search and investigate about their group, the Saviors."


    The woman then sped her hands to her stomach and bowed to me.


    "I will have the information ready at once, my lord."


    Having aplished my goal, I closed my eyes and disconnected from my cyberspace. Immediately, I felt the cool sensation of the wind pressing against my body.


    The kic energy from my all-out run suddenly gave my body a rush that caught me off guard. It was like waking up with your body on autopilot.


    Unable to adjust quickly, I almost fell, but when I shifted my body it was easy and I managed to stabilize myself. As I let out a sigh of relief, I couldn''t help but thank my {Fates}.


    "Thank you {Carry}. I would have fallen for sure without your help."


    Focusing on my task again, I began to address the two Reapers buried underground.


    "Reapers, I am John Smith, a mercenary who responded to your dirge siren. I am aware of the situation. I guarantee you that I will personally kick Julius Caytiffe''s ass into the next state. Where are you? I am looking for entrances to the copsed dungeon.


    A gruff and tired voice answered me between breaths.


    [Sounds good, Hombre. My name is Santiago Gonzalez. A friend and I were tricked into being bait by these putos. Our weapons broke. We were both injured when the structure copsed. Frankly, I thought I was about to suck lighthouses.


    Thank you for not abandoning us my friend.]


    "Don''t thank me just yet, we are not out of the woods yet. Can you tell me where you are? Do you remember what the entrance to the basement looked like?"


    [Yes. Julius asked us to ce a Soulgear in the basement. The entrance we used is under the pulpit in an old church. There is a staircase going down. The vase we ced was a lure that called the undead. When the battle began, the undead stormed the basement entrance, forcing us to go deeper instead.]


    "Church got it. I''ll keep looking, hold on Santiago, I''ming."


    I tried to search for remnants of the building, but the low light made it difficult. The longer I took, the less likely it was that Santiago and his friend woulde out alive. I had to think fast.


    The fact that there were over one hundred and fifty Rank F Normies and one Rank E Giant meant that the underground basement either had borate tunnels or arge cavernous space.


    This was evidenced by the fact that Santiago had to not only avoid the undead, but actually fight them off. If the room was open, the reapers would have died in the first ten minutes.


    So either the debris or the basement itself gave them some cover to hide in. Fortunately, they won''t suffocate, so as long as they''re undetected, they''ll be safe.


    "{Mage}"


    I forcibly switched from {Thief} to {Mage} to take advantage of thetter''s better eyesight. If only I had the ability to see through objects like Superman, this would be much easier.


    Using {Aim} and {Perceive}''s enhanced vision, I scanned the ground for any signs of unnatural protrusions or depressions from the copse.


    After a good minute, I found arge area that looked strange. Piles of wood and stone jutted out like a poorly made jigsaw puzzle. Thinking I had found the church, I switched to {Thief} and headed toward the area.


    {Thief} had {Pack} and {Carry}, which would make removing therge stones a breeze. It also had {Listen}, which would help. I began excavating therge chunks of rubble at a rapid pace.


    The faint sounds of the grunting calls that are unique to zombies could be heard. Even though the church had fallen apart, the sounds seemed to being from the lower levels.


    "Santiago, I found the entrance and am now excavating the passage. I will be with you soon. Is your friend stable?"


    [Yes, Mike regained his senses a minute ago. We are going deeper into the lower levels. But hombre, if youe here, you will have to fight over a hundred bastards. Will you be okay?]


    "Yes, I have killed many more, a hundred is little from my point of view."


    Just then, a new voice with a southern ent joins the conversation.


    [Sounds like we''re in the presence of a mighty fine badass Santi. Mike Walker. Thanks foring John. No matter what happens, we will repay the favor.]


    "Don''t sweat it, juste work for me when this is all over. I need guys like you."


    [Hombre, I hate to burst your bubble, but we are Formless, you know?]


    [He''s right John, we can hardly fight, we were basically hired here as cartographers].


    "That''s okay, by the time I finish training you, a hundred zombies will be a piece of cake," I assured them.


    [Hahaha! Look at this loco! I''m in Hombre! Get us out of here and I will fight for you!]


    [My mama didn''t raise no ungrateful bastard. I will earn my keep.]


    Dizzy with excitement, I began to dig even faster. In every military, the people who contributed the most were not the most skilled, nor the ones who trained the longest.


    It was always the people who never gave up. When people who would do anything to survive are pushed to the wall, they go savage.


    "Understood. Sit tight. I''ming."

 Chapter 88: Zombie meet bullet.

    Large pieces of stone flew around inrge numbers as I picked them up and tossed them aside while digging through the copsed ruins.


    The hardest part of excavating demolished buildings is when dirt and loose earth fill the spaces you just cleared. Fortunately, since the church that stood here was made of stone, the pieces and chunks that filled the basements were quiterge.


    "Santiago, Mike, are you unarmed or do you have anything that can be used as a weapon? Do your injuries require immediate medical attention? What do you have to work with?"


    It wasmon practice for rescue teams to try tomunicate with survivors as they were being rescued. This served as a multifaceted technique to perform several checks at once.


    First, it measured the cognitive function of those in need. If the survivors could not understand simple questions, the responders would know if immediate medical attention was needed.


    Second, the survivors could share vital information about their situation. By keeping their minds busy, they do not have time to wallow in grief or despair.


    Finally, it served as a moral support to them that they still had hope. Hearing from those trying to help them would let them know that they were not abandoned.


    There were countless stories of heroism that urred in such dire times. Humanity shone brightest when it helped each other ovee disaster and hardship.


    [Hombre, we weren''t very well armed to begin with, just a few low-quality daggers. Right now, we have to make do with rocks to beat up the bastards. Fortunately, the only things here are F-ranks,] Santiago shared.


    [As for injuries, we both have a few scratches, my left arm is shot, and Santi has a hole in his stomach. It would be nice if you had some medicine with you. Otherwise this Mexican asshat would be going to see the Lord before sunrise.]


    The two of them seem close, close enough to joke about the other dying. I wasn''t sure if they knew, but there was an Rank E Undead Giant with them in the underground. Depending on their luck, they might be able to avoid it altogether.


    The enemies in Hellsgate were divided into three categories.


    First were the undead, creatures that had risen from the grave and had unlimited stamina and status resistance. They were zombies, ghouls, skeletons, ghosts, or whatever the undead were. They were the most numerous, but the weakest type, and floors before floor 20 usually had nothing but undead.


    Second were the monsters, these bastards were the ones found in tabletop RPGs or video games. They had stronger bodies and may or may not be humanoid.


    But they all needed food and rest and were basically animals. Goblins, orcs, wolves, werebeasts, and dragons fell into this category. The middle tiers beyond level 20 werebinations of undead and monsters.


    Finally, there were demonkin, and their defining characteristic was that they did not age. They started out weak, but the older they got, the stronger they became.


    Unlike the undead, who hated the living, or the monsters, who fought for sustenance or procreation, the demonkin fought for sport. Imps, subi, vampires, and demonic bastards of all kinds made up this group.


    The three types were ranked from F to SSS depending on how dangerous they were. However, members from the three types could be found in almost all ranks.


    So far, I have encountered Rank E undead such as the Undertakers and the Chiefs, as well as Rank E monsters such as the Cyclops. The undead giant was also of the same rank.


    However, they were all of the same rank. This was just a broad ssification of power, there were high ranked E''s and low ranked E''s.


    The Undertaker could resurrect mob rank Fs while controlling a small number. The Chiefs, on the other hand, specialized in controlling hundreds. The Cyclops, thoughrge and powerful, was stupid, slow, and had an obvious weakness.


    The Undead Giant was a special rank E. It was smaller than a Cyclops, only about 8 feet tall, and could neither control nor revive zombies. Its danger was that these bastards were nearly impervious to physical attacks.


    ording to the monster bestiaries in the graveyard. A giant could not be killed by physical force. Tactically speaking, it should be burned or suffocated.


    Without {Fate} magic or special weapons, it was impossible to kill. Based on this information alone, my mind raced to find a way to y this fucker.


    Guns were basically kic weapons. Besides grenades, I had nothing else. In the back of my mind, I made a mental note to research weapons that would supplement my lopsided fighting style.


    ''Time is running out, I have to get to them before the Normies or the giant find them. But how will I defeat the giant? I have some tracer bullets, but I doubt they will do much good.''


    Tracer rounds are bullets that had a solution on the bullet that heats up when fired. This causes the bullet to glow, allowing gunners to see their bullets in flight.


    Thispound could cause fires under the right circumstances. I put my doubts aside and focused on bringing good news to the two buried underground.


    "I have a bag of {Heal} tablets. You can eat them like candy when we get you out. I also have 20 McDonald''s Big Macs. So don''t die on me. I even managed to get some German beer from myst mission."


    [That would be just right. Come and get us John, I am dying of hunger,] Mike pleaded.


    "Yeah, yeah, you guys are ve drivers. I haven''t even hired you yet, but here I am digging through a devastated ruin with nothing but my hands."


    [Hombre, just get me out of here and I will be worth every penny].


    There was a loud crash as some of the debris I was removing copsed into the ground like a sinkhole. As the rocks and stones settled, a shadowy opening appeared. There was no sound or airing through the hole. Just silent darkness.


    "Santiago, Mike. I dug out the tunnel. Hold on, I will be with you soon. {Draw} AR-15."


    I turned on the shlight attached to the AR-15 and began my descent into absolute darkness.


    Unlike my previous battles, this ce was pitch ck. The other zones all had various sources of light throughout the battle. Cloudy skies for the Lone House and Isolde''s ce, while torches or burning zombie pits for the Fort and the ins.


    As if fighting in tight corners was not enough, I also had to fight in piss poor lighting. On my way down, I passed stone arches and roads. The materials for the walls and supports reminded me of dwarven mines from fiction.


    Ignoring my distracted thoughts, I swept the AR-15 from side to side as I descended the stairs.


    "Hmm. The moment I fired, the echoes would reverberate throughout the ce. Worse, the confined nature of this ce would render me deaf to the gunfire.


    "I could just use it to draw the undead, but until I know where Santiago and Mike are, it would be risky."


    Fortunately, despite the thousands of rounds fired, each {Rewind} or {Regen} healed my ears. Most modern infantry be partially deaf because it is impossible to remain unscathed when exposed to loud gunfire.


    They normally wore military peltors, which were basically earplugs or headsets that connected tomand''s centralmunication system. This would allow the soldiers to block out the gunfire but still be able to hear the critical updates from their teams.


    Some of them even have the ability to increase environmental awareness. giving the soldiers superior hearing. Provided their countries could afford the money for them.


    "{Thief} cancel, {Dampen}, {Aim}, {Snipe}, {Withstand}, {Carry}."


    With more souls to spare, I canceled my {Kismet} and used my basic {Fates} on the AR-15. {Dampen} to protect my hearing, {Aim} and {Snipe} so I could shoot well even in {Fighter}. {Withstand} for the recoil and {Carry} for the weight.


    {Carry} and {Withstand} cost 50 souls, Aim 100, while {Snipe} and {Dampen} were worth 250 each.


    "That''s 700 souls or $14,000 for an AR-15. {Thief}," Imented.


    Since even high-end AR-15 rifles only cost around $3,000, my souped-up AR-15 was definitely one hell of an expensive custom. The only way to prove it was worth the expense was for the gun to earn its keep.


    Soon I hear skittering footsteps and a low growl.


    "Santiago, Mike. I have encountered the enemy, they are attempting toe towards me. I will be firing gunshots."


    [Roger that, John. We will head there immediately].


    Like a moth to a me, the zombies noticed my presence and began to growl loudly. Not one to wait, I put a Normie''s face in my sights and fired. 5.56 FMJs then made quick work of my target''s skull.


    Riding my high for all it was worth, I turned the AR-15 to the right and used my 45 degree mounted red dot sight to find my next target.


    "Zombie meet bullet."


    Most people debate which was the best sight. The AR tform had red dots, scopes, and holographic sights, and while each had its own purpose, it ultimately depended on what the gun was going to be used for.


    My father copied the setups of most Special Forces units. Their approach was simple: find a way to fight at all distances. Tobine the ability to fight at long range and close quarters, the mostmon approach was to mount two different scopes on your MBR.


    A long range scope would be mounted in line with your iron sights and a red dot or holographic sight would be mounted to the side of your rifle at 45 degrees.


    This dual optic setup would allow you to use the scope for long range, then rotate the rifle at 45 degrees to shift the weapon to a different target in a snap.


    If the target was farther away and you needed more precision, you would right the rifle and use the scope again. Done correctly, this would save you the time of zooming out the scope for the target and zooming in for your shots.


    I drilled myself immensely on this particr behavior. The results were evident when I could change targets in less than a second and still have uracy beyond 300 yards.


    [We hear the gunshots Hombre, we areing to you now.]


    Normies dropped like flies as I made my way forward. Without the deafening sound of my gunshots, I could immediately hear the footfalls of the zombiesing to kill me.


    This set of {fates} worked really well, as the rifle had increased uracy, zero recoil, no noise when used, and was lighter than a pistol.


    When my gun ran out of ammo, I ejected the magazine, inserted a fresh one, and pressed the bolt release. It only took a few seconds to reload, and I was back to raining freedom on the undead that came after me.


    Despite the zombies'' best efforts, the narrow corridors prevented them from overrunning me. At our current pace, I was dropping them faster than they could reach me.


    That was until I saw the figure of the undead giant. Or otherwise known as the ultimate bullet sponge.


    "Well shit."

 Chapter 89: Heroine Chapter: Only he can tame me!

    Chapter POV: Lilly Browning


    ___


    [38F.]


    [38F? 38F! Vai tomar no cu! I am only 32DD and I already have back problems! You guys are all freaks!]


    I couldn''t help but chuckle at the lighthearted topics the girls were chatting about. Even as we murdered and massacred this facility, none of them were the worse for wear.


    Ever since the enlistment I have been keeping tabs on these gathering of talents.


    Aside from Aki, they were all above average in one area or another. Somehow it amazed me that Dear was able to find them all.


    For reasons I could not exin, they were all drawn to him like ants to sugarcubes. The only thing they had inmon was that they were Formless.


    [This is Robyn, enemies neutralized. Target is not here.]


    Even the youngest of a group was someone of immense talent. An notoriousbat joey, feared in the Australian underground as the "White-tailed Spider".


    Only Be and I knew this information, but Robyn belonged to the terrorist group Vulture''s Talons. And the ambush that killed Robyn''s entire unit was orchestrated just to take her out.


    ''Robyn is unstable right now. If she knew, I wonder what she would think. Her former teacher was a respected mercenary known only as the Bay. And true to his guidance, Robyn turned into an absolute monster.''


    To be named after the spider with a myth about its lethality showed how infamous Robyn was. Despite her entire unit being wiped out, she somehow single-handedly annihted the 13th Commando Unit of SOCOMD, Australia''s renowned counter-terrorism unit.


    [Got it. Head towards the basement next to Robyn. Continue nting bombs along the locations I marked].


    But not only thebat joey, Isabe Taurus was equally impressive. A Brazilian terrorist leader masquerading as an honest female police officer.


    Be was known in the criminal underworld as "Maria Chorando", the suprememander of "Azul Legiao". A bloodthirsty terrorist group at war with Comando Vermelho or C.V., Brazil''s most dangerous criminal organization.


    Comando Vermelho was built on drug and arms trafficking, extortion, kidnapping for ransom and narco-terrorism. They had brought much suffering to most of South America.


    And our young Brazilian had her family ughtered by C.V. when she was only fourteen years old. With nothing but her brains and spirit, the woman built a powerful force, all for the sake of her revenge.


    [What if I meet someone, Be?]


    Azul Legiao operated without ethics or mercy. Forget blurring the line between right and wrong, they never even knew it existed.


    They burned down entire cities, publicly raped and executed C.V. officers, and bombed churches, schools, and even hospitals to take out their targets.


    [Excluding children, Kill them all]


    [Got it.]


    Because of her methods, Maria Chorando or "The Weeping Mary" was wanted by Interpol in over 47 countries on four continents. Isabe Taurus looked normal, but behind her facade was a psychotic murderer.


    Of course, the Descendants weren''t any better.


    The "Ebony Deathstalker" Jasmine Denel, who could hit skulls five miles away with nothing but an arrow.


    Then there was "Ste Cadente" Josephine Benelli, the Italian shooting star. A battle junkie infamous for defeating an entire knight order of Descendents at the age of 21.


    [Thank you. That means they put the kids upstairs. Liv, did you manage to destroy the garage?]


    The only one I had little information on was Liv Ivaldi. But stories about the bravery of the "Valkyrie of Ivaldi" were certainly numerous. So, she couldn''t have been normal either.


    [Yes, Be, I destroyed all the vehicles here. There were only humans.]


    Using my resources as a Princess, I ssified the girls'' records under my father''s gag order for John Smith. This is because now was not the time for him to find out. My man was already traumatized by betrayal and was already difficult enough to approach as it was.


    ''If he found out that the allies he was protecting were nothing but psychopaths and murderers, he would be distraught.''


    When I learned that Dear had a group of vixens vying for his attention, I immediately had them investigated. What I found both impressed and shocked me.


    The life of a reaper was nothing short of a curse. Ask any descendant and they will tell you horror stories from their childhood. But even the humans John picked up were equally pitiful.


    At first I was worried that the girls would be a weakness for him. After all, the man fought a Revenant for the girls in front of my men and all the survivors of the July enlistment.


    One might be a Reaper by sheer luck, but luck would not be enough to evolve. There was a cost to evolving into a Phantom. And that cost came in the form of abandoning humanity.


    The quickest way to manifest this change was to take life. Unlike good people, who had some kind of justification, a Phantom was only born when a reaper was able to kill without conscience.


    "And one can only do so when he no longer sees his enemies as people," I said out loud to no one in particr.


    The Descendants of Europe easily cleared this hurdle. One of their most effective training regiments was to be sent as teenagers to fight in wars.


    Liv, too, would naturally be ustomed to such barbarism. The North''s rite of passage, the Northern Ceremony, was nothing more than a battle royale for their children. No human survives, the ceremony only determines their rank.


    What I didn''t expect was Aki as the ded Kitsune, Be''s stint as the Weeping Mary and Robyn''s colorful assassination portfolio.


    They were all like flowers grown in the bloodiest soil. My history seemed modestpared to these people.


    "And they all got to know my spouse naturally, huh? Such horseshit."


    Someone was staging this like a y.


    I felt it, and somehow even my involvement with John Smith was not normal. But who?


    Even on the day of my enlistment, I received a card from IRIS.


    [Leave your father''s memento here if you want to know the truth. -IRIS]


    All this time, all I wanted was to be a Revenant. I wanted to see what they would say when the one they called trash rose above them.


    To that end, I climbed thedder of power. However, I encountered a hurdle I could not ovee: my evolution into a Specter.


    No matter whom I asked, no one would tell me what the cost was to be one. Even when I offered gifts to the oldest living phantom, Isolde Drache, she turned me away.


    In desperation, I left my father''s Colt 1911 and two magazines of ammunition at the designated spot on the enlistment grounds.


    The same gun then ended up in the hands of the man I would soon adore.


    "Was I also one of the girls selected to be by his side?"


    With no one to answer my doubts, I remembered the moments we spent together. I still didn''t know what the future held, but I knew the entire world was shifting into a new era. And at the center of it all was John Smith.


    At this moment, I was on my way to the main lobby of the hospital. The n was simple, I would ring the doorbell from the front, Liv would take out their retreat while the rest of us searched the building for Haru Miroku.


    [Be, we have reached our target location. I can see fourteen people. Four of them are carrying weapons.]


    [Wow, your new {Fate} is so handy. Seeing through walls is OP. Jo, can you check to see if there are any Reapers in there?]


    [Give me a moment. {Listen}]


    The moment I entered, seven men in masks appeared. Their masks had an eye inside a triangle.


    The symbol many would recognize as the conspiracy group the Illuminati.


    "Untamed, you are fighting forces beyond your father''s protection. Even IRIS would not dare an attack on this facility," warned the man who was in charge of the group.


    As he spoke, the remaining men around him began to spread out. Each one took out a manifested {Fate} in preparation for battle.


    From their soul depth, these guys were nothing like the Wraiths that were part of the weingmittee.


    "I think you are mistaken; I am not Lilly Browning. I am merely a fox spirit sent here by the stars," I replied with a smile.


    "And what do you bring to this ce?" he asked.


    "I simply bring an omen, whether of blessing or catastrophe is for the future to judge. The order of the world is about to change, traitor. And we are the harbingers of itsing."


    Then I pulled out my soul gear, Wolf''s Greed. It was a greatsword that I had made, and its embedded {Fate} was to control pressure. It created the illusion that I could control water.


    "The dead cannot be stopped, child of David. You will be buried with all those who have tried before you!"


    "I couldn''t have said it better myself, traitor!OPEN COMBAT!"


    [Ten, twelve, sixteen. There are two reapers inside. I have no idea if they are Wraiths or Phantoms.]


    I swung my greatsword while invoking {Withdraw}. By channeling the water into Wolf''s Greed, I created a water jet of immense pressure, capable of cutting through even reinforced armor.


    The Trinity Phantoms all either dodged or blocked my water shes.


    Some of them returned their own projectiles, while two ran forward to attack me at close range.


    [Princess, are you busy? I can hardly help since this hospital is not connected to the Inte.]


    Fending off the Phantoms, I decapitated one by cutting off its head with my sword.


    But even without its head, the body rushed at me with its weapon in hand.


    "I am a bit preupied at the moment. Jas and Jo can handle it. Just make sure no one survives."


    I twisted my body and hit the headless body with my palm.


    "{STORE}!"


    Along with my {Fate}, arge chunk of the man''s torso was ripped apart, causing his frame to copse in a bloody heap. At the same moment, another reaper came charging with a spear.


    [Roger. Let''s go Jo.]


    My attacker''s weapon used the blood from his ally''s body as camouge for a quick stab. I twisted my body to the left and evaded his thrust. Transitioning to a charge, I lunged at the spearman and delivered a powerful knee strike to the man''s gut.


    "{Withdraw}!"


    Along with my blow came a rush of water that mimicked a raging tide. The water struck the reaper with such force that all of his limbs bent backward.


    Unable to move that second, I sent a water jetpressed to the limit. The de of water cleanly severed the second Phantom''s torso.


    ''Good heavens, this is why it is so troublesome to fight Phantoms!''


    After a fierce battle, I crushed the Phantoms to the point where they had no intact limbs. Thest of them spoke cryptically in his dying moments.


    "You are no longer the untamed you bitch! You are but a monster! And..keurk... You are going to die soon."


    I looked at the bloody carnage around me and smiled. Indeed. The girls and I were nothing but monsters. But with the right tamer, even monsters could be put to good use.


    "You are right, I have found my owner. And only he can tame me," I said as I plunged my greatsword into his soulgem, ending his existence.


    [Be, this is Jas, target secured]


    [Roger that. Head to the basement and regroup with Liv and Robyn. I am sending your pickup. Princess, are you done?]


    [Yes, I am. Blow the ce up, Be]


    [Roger that.]


    ''Dear, I hope you allow us to stand with you in the future,'' I prayed in my heart.

 Chapter 90: Say goodbye to your dick!

    The undead giant lumbered forward like a slow-moving animal.


    He stood an impressive ten feet tall, but as someone who had fought an undead brute and a bunch of cyclops, size alone was not enough to scare me.


    "I''ve seen bigger," I said arrogantly.


    Since I was in {Thief}, I managed to avoid being surrounded as I piled up corpses. The bodies that littered the area slowly shrank the spaces where I could move. I had no idea how smart the giant was, but if it was smart in addition to being hard and big, it would have ranked higher.


    Not wanting to waste any more time, I approached the giant while firing. Mybat glide allowed me to group my shots around the undead giant''s right eye.


    Unexpectedly, the giant simply closed it''s eyes and began to run towards me. The bullets rattled around its eyelids, but failed to prate. After my volley, I opened his eye without much fuss.


    A little blood was all my 5.56 NATO rounds could do.


    If the skin of the eyelids was that hard, then it''s skin was like bulletproof armor. The monster stretched out its arm as it sent a punch at me. Thinking about what to do next, I ducked under the arm and tried to circle around it.


    I could have just used {Reveal} to find out the monster''s weakness. But I felt that my instincts as a fighter wouldn''t grow if I relied too much on one skill. With that in mind, I turned to the giant''s lower body and aimed the AR-15 at his loincloth.


    "Let''s see if your underwear is tougher than the Hulk or the Wolverines."


    One of the most annoying leaps in fiction was indestructible shorts. Hulk and Wolverine were fictional superheroes who both had shorts that defied thews of physics.


    Hulk transforms from a normal human into a half-naked behemoth. But despite being shot, burned, and even nuked. His shorts were as indestructible as he was.


    Wolverine had the same problem. With his regeneration, the man can even get burned by the sun and still survive, and his shorts are simrly immune to damage.


    Wanting to prove that such logic was bullshit, I pulled the trigger and rained lead bullets into the giant''s groin. Blood gushed out like a fountain as the giant stopped midcharge and roared in rage.


    It immediately devoted it''s two hands to cover and protect its privates. I took this moment to change mags and distanced myself from the undead.


    A Bigfoot charged my right as a Chuckie jumped in front of me. Fortunately, my {Kismet} allowed me to react in the most optimal way possible.


    I stabilized the AR-15''s buttstock to my right shoulder and opened fire on the Bigfoot. At the same time, I extended my left hand out in front of me in an imaginary grip and summoned a weapon.


    "{Draw} P30L."


    With the reliable handgun, I squeezed the trigger with my off-hand and sent 9¡Á19mm Parabellum across the Chuckie''s face. Like a baseball that had been struck, the little zombie''s body was sent back.


    For this reason, I loaded the P30L with hollow points. If the 1911s were for offensive shooting, the P30L was my defensive gun.


    Hollow points that pancaked into their targets created more stopping power. This was inplete contrast to FMJ''s which pierce the target.


    The difference was in what happened next. FMJs would use the rest of the momentum to rip through their target, hollow points would instead send a bigger punch and throw theirs back.


    So if I was in danger of being surrounded, I used the P30L to knock the dead back, the 1911 was for when I had the leeway to just drop bodies wherever I wanted.


    Out of the corner of my eye I saw the giant wing at his face with his right hand as he crumpled to his knees.


    "Shit. The Rank Fs are wasting the opportunity I got."


    Three more zombies charged at me from the side. I aimed both guns at the iing group and opened fire.


    The small corridor quickly shrunk as more bodies copsed in bloody heaps. A few Chuckies jumped out of the scattered bodies, catching me off guard. I used my AR-15 as a stick and clubbed one of them to the ground.


    In a feat of inhuman agility, I twisted my body to avoid the second. Unfortunately, a sharp pain came from my left calf as an unexpected little bastard took a bite while I was busy.


    "AHHHH!! Get off me, you fucker!"


    Despite the injury, the more I fought, the more I learned. One of those lessons was tradeoffs. I was currently in {Thief} so I could detect enemies, while detection was a good skill to have, damage mitigation was just as important.


    With some flesh missing from my calf, standing normally became a challenge. Even my suit had a good part of the pants torn off.


    I pistol-whipped the little kid and shot him in the cheek with the P30L. The bullet blew up the back of his skull, and the zombie was gone.


    Another lesson was how to make heads explode. It turned out that where you hit was just as important as what type of ammo you used.


    If you shot a head and the exit point was a thin piece of skull, the bullet would shatter the bone ande out clean. However, if the bullet hit the harder parts, such as the forehead or nose bridge, the force would disperse and shock the entire head.


    Depending on the muzzle velocity and caliber, it would either lodge in the brain or explode at the base of the skull. This was why some shots explode the head while others do not.


    I have about a 70% chance of exploding the skull in {Thief} or {Fighter}. During {Mage}, this rate increased to 100%.


    An angry roar came at the worst possible moment. The undead giant stood up and began smashing the environment with its right hand, as if throwing a tantrum.


    For obvious reasons, it kept one hand on its crotch, where it knew its dick was in a revolting state.


    As amusing as it was to watch the monster protect its nearly severed appendage, I had to make a decision.


    Do I keep {Thief} for detection or switch to {Fighter} to tank this bastard? An unfortunate side effect of using my sses was that I couldn''t use anything but my own {Fate} and {Kismet}.


    With six of my {Kismet} already filled. Only {Reveal} added any utility. {Draw} and {Sheathe} were both for weapon management. My own {Rewind}, {Reload}, and {Regen} abilities were mostly defensive in nature.


    Although I could use {Rewind} offensively, as I did with the Cyclops, the limits of what I could do on my own were beginning to show.


    "{Regen}. I need either new weapons, tactics, {Fate} or {Kismet}. But for your punk ass, I still have enough!"


    I holstered the P30L and took a few shots at the giant with the AR-15. Unlike in {Fighter}, using {Regen} alone was painful as hell. The ss had {Withstand}, {Endurance}, and {Suffer}.


    So, naturally, they provided some extra defense. Liv''s {Fate} didn''t have any reduction in pain, but {Fighter} used {Eat} and {Digest} to reduce the hurt to some extent.


    The giant advanced cautiously, blocking the gunfire with an open hand. It hunched over, shrinking the area I could aim at. However, I did not particrly need to kill it right now, a dy was all I wanted. Eventually my calf regenerated and my range of motion returned.


    Sprinting like a champion runner, I lunged at the corpse while firing 5.56 rounds. When the giant saw me running toward it, the monster spread its legs and braced itself.


    Unfortunately, it misunderstood the purpose of my actions. I dropped low to a slide and used the momentum to skid under its legs. I summoned the greatest firepower of my handguns and used the limited space between its legs to attack.


    "{Draw} 629. Say goodbye to your dick bastard!"


    With inhuman reflexes from {Thief}I aimed from right below and fanned the 629 till it ran out. The salvo that only took less than two seconds had six .44 magnum roundspletely brutalize the undead''s genitals.


    An inhuman growl shrouded in bloodlust echoed soon after.


    Once I cleared from lower extremities of the undead, I hurriedly got back up and turned around. But before I could capitalize on the opening two more Normies came from behind.


    Luckily before they could do me harm, a shadow knocked one Normie down and a flying rock took out the other. My reinforcements finally arrived.


    "Hombre, you crazy bastard, did you really just shoot the zombie''s dick off?"


    "Forget the dick even the poor bastard''s balls got smashed like eggs. John, I know you hate undead but..."


    I smiled at theirments as the neuteured zombie in the background went ballistic. I turned and started to arm the two men.


    "No time. Here! And this is for you! Keep them away from me."


    I threw the AR15 to Mike, who had both arms, and the P30L to Santiago, who could only use one hand. They both nodded and went to work.


    The Mexican, who had his knee on the neck of the struggling normie, caught the pistol and shot the zombie in the brain.


    Mike, on the other hand, began shooting the zombies that were still approaching, his form showing his familiarity with rifles despite his injuries.


    "{Draw} Medical bag. 1887. {Heal} tablets on bag. Move!"


    I summoned the pouch near Santiago and immediately charged the giant. The undead, who seemed pissed as hell, frothed at the mouth, his eyes filled with rage.


    The giant swung his arms wildly, trying to smash me. Since the lighting was poor, I couldn''t switch to {Fighter}. Using my superior senses, I dodged both of its arms and shot it''s nipple with an 1887 bullet.


    I lunged for the giant''s back as it roared in pain. The undead suddenly countered with an impromptu bodym which sent me flying. Before I could recover from the impact, it dashed toward me with both arms raised.


    Suddenly, bullets from afar hit the giant''s eye, causing it to shield its face. In that moment I stood up and charged into the gap again, stabbing the 1887 under the giant''s chin.


    I pulled the trigger and blew a new hole under the it''s jaw. Still alive, the undead then tried to retaliate by punching me in the face.


    "{FIGHTER}! {Reload}!"


    Shielding my face with my left forearm and the 1887, I blocked the fucker''s blow. At the same time, I aimed the 629 Contender at its left eye. A loud bang fired a .44 Magnum bullet at 1,550 ft/sec into the undead.


    My revolver was loaded with 270 grain LFN GC Buffalo Bore heavy rounds, these babies were powerful enough to take down big game at 50 yards.


    At close near-point nk range, even the flesh of an undead giant couldn''t stop it. The round easily prated the undead''s eye and lodged in its brain.


    My adrenaline kept me squeezing the trigger until I used up all six rounds in the revolver. somewhere along the six rounds the giant no longer had the back of its skull.


    [Confirming the death of the Rank E Giant].


    "I''m getting too old for this shit," Iined.

 Chapter 91: Why I came here

    The giant''s body copsed with a loud thud. As relief flooded my system, my legs turned to jelly and I fell onto my ass. My breathing was ragged as I took in massive gulps of oxygen.


    "Hombre, you okay? You are loco, my friend! Why fight face to face with a rank E?"


    "Help him up Santi, give him a {heal} tablet. His arm looks trashed, we should be able to evacuate him with the two of us. We can''t let our boss croak just yet."


    It wasn''t until they spoke that I remembered that I wasn''t out of the danger zone yet. I hadpletely forgotten about them because I was concentrating on the giant. Santiago helped me to my feet before handing me the medical bag. I shook my head as I lifted my arm.


    "I''m fine, my {fate} will heal my arm soon enough. What about you guys?"


    They looked much better and their injuries had healed to some extent. They had stupid smiles on their faces, even though they were on the brink of death just a few minutes ago.


    "Never better, boss.You must have balls of steel to fight like that. That poor giant didn''t stand a chance," Mike praised.


    "Considering we were about to die not fifteen minutes ago, we are doing very well, hombre. And we have you to thank for that."


    Seeing the relief on their faces made the pain and effort worth it. Compared to the previous zones, I was finally able to save everyone here. Unconsciously, I was stressing myself out with every Reaper I failed to save.


    "d to see you guys are okay. Give me a moment, let''s clear out in a few."


    "Okay Hombre," Santiago replied.


    "I''ll keep watch, after a fight like that you need all the rest you can get," Mike added.


    Then I remembered I needed to arm them now that we had the time. Together with a couple of Big-macs, I drew some weapons as I got my breath back.


    "{Draw} big-mac. Weissbier, MP5SD, MP5SD mags, AR-15 mags, ebony, 1911 mags, P30L mags, four M26s.


    "Santiago take the SMG, Mike take this 1911 as a secondary. Keep the magazines and grenades with you. Finally, eat some burgers. We are going to clear this ruin of the undead."


    "Hombre, where the hell did all thise from? You got an arsenal in your pockets or something?"


    "Boss, I know you are a death seeker and all, but are we doing this now?"


    "My {Fate} allows me to store weapons and supplies. I have enough weapons to fight with. And clearing out the undead is why I came here. I will not leave until every moving corpse has had its head blown off," I calmly dered.


    "Boss, isn''t your {Fate} all over the ce? You can heal in addition to having space storage? Besides, your moves before looked superhuman."


    "Santi, enough. Just because he saved us doesn''t mean he has to tell us everything. Boss, if we are going to kill the undead anyway, I suggest we use the Soulgear Julius left behind. It only needs souls as bait."


    Just from the short conversation, I saw the good points and negatives of these two. Mike must have been military based from his by the book attitude. Santiago, on the other hand, was naturally curious and had excellent observation skills.


    "Eat, drink and get some rest. After your meal, we will retrieve the Soulgear. I will give you both the particrs as soon as we are out of here."


    They both nodded to my words and ate in silence. I also ate a burger and washed it down with the German beer.


    "Wow! This stuff is great! Thanks for the food, boss! Formless people like us usually make do with water and hard biscuits."


    "First time tasting weizenbier, now I understand why they call American beer piss," Mike added.


    After a quick meal, we all got up and got ready to move. Then I quickly asked them.


    "Do you guys have a problem with me being on point?"


    "None, I''ll take your left."


    Santiago then brushed the back of his head as he added. "I guess I''ll take the rear then."


    "You''re both in the military?" I asked curiously. From the way they were forming up, they were used to working in teams. My limited knowledge of formations came from YouTube, Wikipedia, and what I remembered from Be''s crash course.


    "I was in the Marines," Mike confessed.


    Santiago smiled sheepishly as he replied. "Law enforcement. BORTAC."


    I couldn''t help but chuckle at Santiago''s answer. How ironic that a Mexican was part of the border patrol and tactical unit that guarded the Mexican border. Probably amused by my expression, the two of them also had a fewughs at the funny setup.


    "Yeah, I get that a lot. Got hombres asking for favors because we have the same color."


    "Santi, it''s better than not having a job, right? Hahahaha!"


    As I pictured these two with Scott and Joshua, I began to see a hrious future where these fuckers just insult each other. Now all I needed was an African-American and I had theplete set. I put the idea on a shelf and stood up.


    "Breaks over, Mike, where is the soulgear?


    "A couple of clicks forward, then we take some stairs half a click to the left. The area was the strongest structure wise. When the explosions went off, that area didn''t even get a scratch."


    "Got it, let''s go there now. Aira, how many zombies are left?"


    ["My Lord, the remaining hostiles are 112 F-rank zombies. The Reapers of Savior have also been trying to contact you. Should I continue to mute them, or do you want to hear their messages?]


    "Keep muting them, Aira, I have nothing to say to cowards."


    [Understood, My Lord]


    "Hombre, who is Aira? Your girl? Is she thedy boss? Where is she?"


    "Santi, shut up. You gossip like a woman!"


    "''It''s okay, Mike. Aira is my personal artificial intelligence. I got her when I joined the mercenaries. Even though she doesn''t have a body, I consider her my ally. Aira, is there a way to let them hear you?"


    [Yes, my lord. I have joined the Defender Network. Reaper Mike Walker and Reaper Santiago Gonzalez should be able to hear me now].


    "Wow, she sounds damn sexy, Hombre!"


    "Santi! Shut the fuck up! Have some dignity, you fucking cholo!"


    "Cholo? Listen puto, take your cowboy bullshit and shove it up your ass. I was giving the boss''s AI an honestplement!"


    ''These two are fucking hrious, one second they are at each other''s throats, the next they would be willing to die for the other. They are good people,'' I analyzed inwardly.


    "Break it up, Aira doesn''t mind. I need you both to focus, Aira said there are still over a hundred rank F undead. We will find the bait type soulgear, lure them in, and wipe them out. Understand?"


    "Roger." X2


    "{Draw}. MAC-11''s {Thief}. On me."


    "WOAH! These look like the guns the ck puto used. What was his name? The vampire with the sword."


    "It was de. The half vampire Marvel superhero. Interesting choice of weapons, boss. Not only the Terminator 2 shotgun, but the 629 revolver from Triple X and even the 1911 looked like the one from the Punisher. Are you a movie gun nut or what?"


    "What really? I hadn''t noticed! I loved those movies, Hombre!"


    Mentally, I buried my head in the sand. It was so embarrassing to have my dad''s hobby figured out by my guns. But since I couldn''t deny it, I just nodded and focused on finding the bait-type Soulgear.


    Like the AR15, both the MAC-11 and the MP5SD had shlight attachments. The lights allowed us to move at a fast pace even in near total darkness.


    "We have contact. Ten zombies. 12 o''clock. Be ready," I warned.


    As my ears picked up the running feet, I informed my guys while raising the MAC-11''s. Mike, believing my words, had his weapon up almost immediately. Santiago, on the other hand, questioned my words.


    "I don''t hear anything, are you sure Hombre?"


    Without answering him, the zombies starteding out of the corner in front of us. They were all sprinting, using the walls to change direction.


    Normally, such speed would catch unsuspecting people by surprise. But for our group, they were just running to their deaths.


    I concentrated on killing those in front and to the right. The ones that managed to get out of my line of fire suddenly ate 5.56 rounds to the head.


    Like clockwork, Mike covered my blindside, allowing us to take down 10 zombies in a matter of seconds.


    "Eight, nine, ten. WOAH! They really showed up. Your amazing Hombre! Is your hearing also part of your {fate}? And Mike, since when do you shoot so well?


    Did you eat something bad or what?"


    "It wasn''t me, the gun showed me where to shoot. It''s an amazing feeling. Here, hold it, this beauty is also extremely light. There is no recoil either. The quietest AR I have ever fired."


    "What? How is that even possible, switch with me for a bit."


    "Let''s continue," I urged.


    The two of them exchanged weapons and we continued on our way. I felt vibrationsing from behind. There were fourrge signals, two small ones, and a normal one.


    "We have sevening from behind. Four Bigfoots, two Chuckies, and one Normie."


    "Huh?" murmured Santiago.


    The zombies arrived before I could exin. Knowing there wouldn''t be any enemiesing from the front, Mike and I backed up Santiago as he unleashed lead on our rear. After the encounter, Santiago went silent. Curious, I asked him if he was okay.


    "Hombre, let me be honest with you. Are you some kind of mutant or something? You have way too many abilities. You some super soldier experiment of the Pentagon? like the American with the shield?"


    "Boss, while I respect your privacy, this is starting to make me a little ufortable. Are you really Formless?"


    "I''ll tell you when we get out of here," I repeated.


    For the rest of our journey, the two of them lost their casual attitude and concentrated on their tasks. The number ofing zombies increased the closer we got to the Soulgear. About fifty were dispatched on our short journey to our destination.


    "There she is, boss. The main culprit in this whole mess, Julius, called the thing a honey trap. I almost died for that damn vase. Next time I see that bastard, I intend to put a bullet in his head," Mike said angrily.


    I then used {Reveal} on the vase, which looked like a naked woman, and analyzed it. It looked elegant and artistic in a way.


    ___


    Name: Evelyn Flowers (Replica)


    Rank: Wraith


    Soul Capacity: {Fate} 2/2 | {Kismet} 0/1


    Avable Souls: 0 | To evolve: 400


    {Fate}


    1. {Pheromone} Lvl 2 | Cost: 2 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Honey Trap}


    {Kindred}: N/A


    {Kismet}: N/A


    Soulgear:


    ___


    Just like {Cavalry}, this was an item that was a replica of an actual reaper. Even though it didn''t seem right, I infused souls into the soulgear and invoked {Honey Trap}.


    "Get ready, we are going to finish this now."

 Chapter 92: Bastards even hell would fear.

    When I invoked {Honey Trap}, a sweet scent filled the air. The fragrance was intoxicating and felt like smoking cannabis. It was bothforting and left you wanting more. After a few seconds, thefort turned to longing.


    My hand unconsciously gripped the MAC-11''s tighter, my anger felt like it was about to explode. My thoughts revolved around a single thought. "GIVE ME MORE!"


    This {Fate} was incredibly powerful even at level 2. What the hell was Evelyn Flowers doing regretting giving birth to such a thing?


    "Ugh, there it is again. Fuck! Let''s get this over with."


    "It doesn''t seem as bad asst time. Hombre."


    " You guys okay? " I asked in passing.


    "I''ll be fine when I blow up some pedejos. Hombre."


    "Same, this vase is a like the cocksleeve of the devil."


    A few secondster, my senses picked up over fifty zombies running towards us from all directions. This should be thest of the undead.


    On the way over, everyone fired their magazines at least once. Slowly but surely, Santiago and Mike learned about my speed and how I fought.


    After ten minutes, they didn''t object to my orders when I told them to do something. Having more people with guns naturally increases our firepower. From the area we can cover, to the speed with which we can take down a mob, to the effort it took to protect each other.


    With two experienced people covering me, the ordeal of fighting in the dark became so easy, it was like a walk in the park.


    Of course, I was careful not to rely too much on {Thief} and {Reveal}. After getting my calf ripped off by a Chuckie, I tried my best to make sure I never missed a target.


    There were a few close calls, but those that got into my blindsides were promptly taken down by my teammates. Right now, the two of them were arguing over who got to use the AR-15. It seemed that the {fates} I had attached to the weapon was a big hit with them.


    They held back from asking questions, but I knew they were nervous about what I was. Come to think of it. Scott hadn''t seen me fight up close, while Joshua had only expressed curiosity in passing.


    "{Reload}," I chanted in anticipation.


    "Yo, what the hell, the empty clips are full!"


    "Boss, are you really Formless? You might as well be MacGyver at this point."


    "Enough talk, smoke them."


    At my words, the first wave of undead rushed through the corridors and came towards us. The area where the {Honey Trap} Soulgear was located was a four-way intersection.


    Each passageway could hold five people side by side. Since there were only three of us, we couldn''t focus on just one direction.


    I took the point and faced northeast or 2 o''clock. Mike covered 8 o''clock or south west, while Santiago covered southeast. We unloaded our weapons and took out zombies in our respective kill zones.


    It was extremely difficult to stay focused on your direction when there was nothing there.


    However, if everyone just turned around and shot whatever they wanted, the chances of being caught off guard in a particr direction increased.


    Fortunately, these men were trained in firearms and squad tactics, so even when they got itchy to keep shooting, they continued to guard their kill zones while leaving their backs to me.


    "I''m out. I''m reloading!" yelled Mike.


    Since I had two guns, I took over when one of them needed to reload. I would call the Mk II or the remaining 1911 to do a New York reload when the MAC-11''s were out of ammo. I split my attention between my zone and Mike''s half.


    True to hisbat experience, Mike focused only on getting his gun back into the fight. I took out two zombies that came at him while he was busy.


    "Back!" As the Marine returned to the fight, I turned back in my original direction.


    "Santiago, two Chuckies crawling on the ground. Don''t miss them," I warned


    "I see them. Come get some puto!"


    The MAC-11''s soon ran out and new zombies came before I could reload them. True to my souls being the bait, the zombies swarmed me, ignoring both Santiago and Mike even as they passed them.


    After almost getting killed by Draugr, I didn''t even bother using {Rewind} and just swapped flesh for bone. If a Normie got close, I would just let them have a bite and bury a bullet in their head. Of course, my new friends got angry at my tactics.


    "Boss, you are a crazy motherfucker, just avoid them or something!"


    "Hombre, be honest, you are made of metal aren''t you? You fight like a loco!"


    Unconsciously, the two adjusted their tactics and started imitating my reloading style. They made it a point to use their secondaries to make sure nothing got past. It was almost as if they were willing to throw their bodies in the way if necessary.


    I changed tactics and just fought normally, not wanting to see them bleed for something so stupid. After about fifteen minutes, thest wave finally arrived. I charged at them and annihted them at close range, using several weapons to do so.


    "Is Huff... that... it? Huff... Hombre, any moreing?" Santiago asked, trying to catch his breath.


    "No, that''s all of them," I replied curtly while eating a small chocte bar.


    "How are... huff... huff... you not tired boss? Huff...huff...are you eating right now?"


    "Forget it Mike, huff...Hombre is a fucking huff...demon. No wonder 100 zombies huff...seemed like a piece of cake huff...to him."


    Hearing his words, I found the whole thing amusing. This zone was one of the easiest I had. In terms of difficulty, the P4 zones took more out of me.


    The P5''s, except for the first one, were quite rxed. During this fight, I confirmed that using my own {Fates} or the {Rewind} family tired me out more than just {Kismet}.


    The more I used {Rewind}, the more exhausted I felt. On the other hand, switching between my {Kismet} sses, or using {Reveal}, {Draw}, and {Sheath} hardly tired me out.


    One of the reasons I kept finishing zones was to see how hard I could fight before I reached my limit, but it was also true that I did it out of desperation to get stronger.


    Because of {Eat} and {Rewind}, my stress didn''t get a chance to build up as I murdered the undead nonstop. It was dangerous to continue, but it would be a waste to just give up and go home. While I was thinking, Aira''s confirmation arrived.


    [Confirmed. There are no enemies left. Defense of zone 1023-2 isplete].


    I then picked up the naked female vase and stored it in my storage space. The spoils of the battle belong to those who ended it.


    Neither Mike nor Santiago had any furtherment on the matter at hand. We then began to climb up the ruins at a leisurely pace.


    [My lord. The Reapers of Savior have left the zone. I have sent a request for a new defender. I also sent the investigation report to Zachary Lynch and Lilly Browning. Would you like to read the materials on the Savior organization while you wait?"]


    "Maybeter, thanks for your hard work Aira."


    "Zachary Lynch? As in the Nightmare? Boss! You got connections in high ces!"


    "You gay ass pendejo, you noticed the guy when the Phantom Princess Lilly Browning was in the same sentence? Hombre, is the Untamed your woman? Thats'' awesome!"


    Before I could answer the gossipy Mexican, Aira jumped in as if to brag.


    [My lord currently has seven women vying for his affections. All of them have gone on record as wanting to be my lord''s kindred. My lord even traded blows with David Thomas for them!]


    I facepalmed when I heard Aira share sensitive information like a grandma in a nursing home.


    "Holy shit! Not one, but seven? You n to make an army of lunatic babies, hombre?"


    "Wait, boss, you fought David Thomas? THE David Thomas? The Revenant guardian of North America? As a Formless Phantom?"


    [Correction, my lord is still a Wraith at this time].


    "..." x2


    "In any case, the defense of the zone is finished. You can go home if you want, I will wait for the new defender and then move on to the next zone."


    "Hombre, you mean you are still going to fight in another zone?"


    I nodded silently. The two of them dropped their jaws in surprise.


    "Boss, I feel like I am going to regret this, but how many zones have you cleared so far?"


    [My lord has cleared 2 priority 4 dirge sirens and 3 priority 5s. This is his fifth zone,] Aira replied smugly.


    "..." x2


    "In one night?" Mike asked anxiously.


    [In five hours].


    I ignored my AI, who sounded like she was boasting with pride. I changed the subject to something more productive. We were back under the gloomy skies of the Zone after leaving the underground basements.


    "Anyway, here are my details in the graveyard. You''ve seen how I roll, so I won''t ask for your answer now.


    "Think about it if you really want to join me. If you change your mind, I won''t hold it against you. Know that this offer will onlyst until next week.


    "I will turn you into bastards even hell would fear if youe with me, I swear it. You have till then to decide."


    "No need to wait, hombre. I meant what I said. You held up your end, let me hold up mine," Santiago replied.


    "I feel the same way as Santi. Then we will meet again in a week. We will use the time to finish all our unfinished business."


    "I understand. Whatever souls you have belong to you now...I"


    Before I could finish my words, a ray of light fell not far from our location.


    "Looks like they are here, let''s go."


    After we met the new defender, he signed my deployment order and I prepared to move to the next zone.


    "You really want to keep going? Guess I should sleep till next week," Mikemented.


    "Hombre! We made more in an hour with you than we did in a month! Let me follow you forever!"


    Laughing at their antics, I gave them both a high five and left for my next destination.


    "Aira, I have rested enough. Send me to a priority four."


    [Yes, My Lord].


    "By the way, Aira, what was with your bragging earlier? You even blurted out confidential matters."


    [...]


    "Aira..."


    [But My Lord, it is because you are so amazing!]


    "..."


    [I am sorry, my Lord. My enthusiasm got the better of me.]


    "Make sure this never happens again. Are we clear?"


    [Yes...]


    After I scolded her, there was an awkward silence in the air. Aira was an AI, right? She was acting like a real human being, I almost forgot that sometimes.


    [A P4 dirge siren was found. It has a restriction for long-range fighters. Total reward is five thousand souls].


    "Okay, let''s go."

 Chapter 93: Thank you and farewell

    I hit the ground again with the familiar feeling of weightlessness. I had gotten used to the sickening feeling. I had begun to develop a certain tolerance for the summoning.


    ''Hopefully, in the future I would be able to shrug it off just like drinking.''


    As the lights faded, I opened my eyes and saw my surroundings for the first time. Unlike the first six, the area Inded on was properly lit and the floor was not just dirt, but paved stones.


    I turned around and saw that I was in the middle of arge group of about fifty people.


    I stood up and tried to figure out what was going on, only to be confronted with a surprising sight. Hundreds of zombies surrounded us, but the fifty people around me fended them off.


    Further observation revealed that the ce I was summoned to was in the middle of a coliseum. Like the one for diators in ancient Rome.


    In the area for the spectators, arge number of archers were raining arrows down on the undead around me. Their aim was not perfect, but they were hitting at an impressive rate.


    The scale of the battle was unlike anything I had ever seen before. From the looks of it, they had everything under control. Why was I called to this ce?


    Then a loud voice roared with an overwhelming fighting spirit. "YUDDHA RAKSHAA! DATEY RAHO! ATIRIKT SENA AA GAYI HAIN!"


    "What the fuck? Am I still in America? Have I been called to another continent?" I tried to find the source of the voice but could not figure out who themander of this force was.


    "Aira! Aira! Stop sulking and give me a sit-rep!"


    [I am not sulking, my lord. Wee to zone 1081-1. I detect the presence of 5 Phantoms and 105 Wraiths. Over twenty Wraiths have also fallen.]


    [This force is registered as "Yuddha Rakshas", Hindi for War demons. The registered defender is Krishna Sangan. The enemy forces consist of 842 Rank F Undead, 25 Rank E Imps, and 1 Rank D Corpse Eaters].


    Before I could ask Aira to connect me to the defenderwork, somethingnded near me with a loud bang. Smoke rose as the sand and dust from the area was blown away by its momentum. I covered my eyes as I waited for the dust to settle.


    Then the same voice that had shouted earlier reached out to me.


    "Hmm. An American? I never thought one of you woulde to my domain. Not afterst time. Tell me, Death Seeker, has your king changed his mind?"


    What the hell did this guy mean? By king did he mean David? Was I breaking some kind of unspoken rule? Before I could get my answers, a man stepped out of the dust and showed himself to me.


    He was dressed like a medieval knight but looked somewhat middle eastern. The man had brown skin and a broad nose. Two scimitars were in his hands and a turban helmet with chainmail was on his head.


    "Krishna Sangan, I presume? My name is John Smith, and I responded to this dirge siren simply because of the reward. I know David, but I have no idea why you think I shouldn''t be here."


    Krishna''s face visibly brightened upon hearing my answer. He then sheathed his swords and offered me a handshake.


    I took his hand and shook it firmly.


    This man exuded the splendor of an experienced warrior. The situation of this battle waspletely different from the other zones.


    For one, the defense had yet to show any signs of copse. Probably seeing my confusion, Krishna smiled and pointed to the sky.


    "You must be wondering why we summoned you. Ignore themon undead, the Yuddha Rakshas can take care of them without help.


    "What weck is the ability to take down aerial targets. Our bowsck the range to snipe them. I made the request expecting to summon an archer or mage for aerialbat."


    From the information I got from Aira, my targets should be anything but the Normies. 25 E Rank imps and 1 D Rank corpse eater. I then called {Mage} and scanned the skies.


    I found small gremlin-like demons with scorpion stings sticking out of their butts. They were flying around arge, overweight, ppy bird-like zombie.


    The Corpse Eater looked like a cartoon caricature with an oversized head. It had tiny wings on the sides of its head and a beak half the size of its skull.


    To be honest, it looked more like a giant, ugly-looking fish than a bird. The imps swatted the arrows that barely reached the Corpse Eater.


    "Well, I can assure you that I can hit much harder than an arrow. {Draw} M24. {Reveal}"


    Surprised, Krishna frowned noticeably as I drew my weapon.


    "Not to be rude, Smith John, but a normal weapon would hardly damage the Rank E Imps, let alone the Rank D Corpse Eater. I will not pay if you cannot help my forces."


    This was somehow expected? Knowing that actions spoke louder than words, I got down on one knee and aimed upward. I stabilized the buttstock on my shoulder and picked a target.


    Theck of sunlight was a blessing in this scenario because if it was present, aiming skyward would have been a bitch.


    I calmed my breathing and began to track a particr Imp. It waszily scratching its ass as it guarded therge, ugly-looking fishbird next to it.


    For some reason, {Reveal} was pointing me at their tails instead of their heads. Against my better judgment, I followed my {Kismet} and aimed at the base of the Imp''s tail.


    I squeezed the trigger and a loud bang sent my bullet hurtling toward my target. The bulletnded at the base of the creature''s 5th appendage, severing itpletely.


    The demonkin then began to il its arms as if it were drowning. The E-ss then lost its ability to fly and quickly plummeted to the ground.


    Less than a secondter. Aet came crashing down, leaving a small crater. I smugly faced Krishna as I asked in the most condescending tone I could muster.


    "Is that enough for you? I assure you, I am worth every single penny."


    [Confirming the death of the Rank E Imp].


    Krishna apologized. His smile widened into an extremely broad grin.


    "The weapon may have been simple, but your sheer number of {Fates} on that bullet was mesmerizing. Forgive me, I was wrong. I leave the airborne enemies to you, Smith John."


    The defender didn''t bother to wait and jumped around the battlefield. His speed was almost so fast that I could barely make out his position. Then Krishna roared out again in a deafening voice.


    "YUDDHA RAKSHAS! Hear me! Our ally has proven to be more capable than expected. Knights! Form around Smith John.


    "See that no corpse touches him! Archers! Distract the Imps so Smith John can take them out. I expect everyone to survive!


    "YUDDHA RAKSHAS! WHO ARE YOU?!"


    The ground suddenly shook as every reaper in the zone invoked death resonance while roaring at the top of their lungs.


    "WE ARE DEMONS! DEMONS OF THE BATTLEFIELD! FOR LORD KRISHNA! WAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"


    My body felt like a huge electric current was running through it.


    Despite being outnumbered 7 to 1, the reapers of Yuddha Rakshas burned with such ferocity that it was contagious. Their loyalty and courage also spoke volumes about their faith in their leader, Krishna.


    Inwardly, I couldn''t help but be impressed.


    ''Now that was a defender worth following. Amazing! Truly amazing!''


    "I will not be left behind. My goal is not with you, Krishna but above. I will be a Revenant and close the Hellsgate!"


    When I tried to acquire my next target, I saw a radically different scene than before. Whereas previously the Imps had been floating around in a leisurely manner, after I had dropped the first one, their eyes had all turned feral.


    From their original slow pace to a march-like rhythm, the imps patrolled the area around the Corpse Eater like bodyguards for a celebrity.


    "As if it makes a difference what you do," I muttered.


    One by one, I shot and killed three flying imps in quick session. Even though the demonkin was flying over 500 feet in the air or 167 yards, they probably weren''t expecting to suddenly be taken out.


    Mostpound bows have a range of only 135 yards, and a range of 1 km if fired in an arc. If shot straight up, it would barely reach 110 yards. The manifested bows, despite their power, cannot go higher than 120 yards from what I could see.


    [Confirming the death of the Rank E Imp]


    [Confirming the death of the Rank E Imp]


    [Confirming the death of the Rank E Imp]


    Unfortunately for them, I didn''t have a bow. I had a powerful 7.62¡Á51mm NATO sniper rifle. Forget 200 yards. My bullets can hit up to 250 without {Mage}. So even if they tried, they would not be able to stop my bullets from sending them to their deaths.


    [Confirms the death of the E-ss Imp].


    At that point, all the Imps suddenly descended at the same time. Along with the giant bird-fish whatever. What the hell were those bastards doing from such a high ce anyway? Did they strike below?


    ording to Aira''s information, I recalled that there were 20 dead. Loud crashes were heard all around me. The line of warriors protecting me split into two groups and continued their defense.


    One group had a scimitar and a buckler, the other had two scimitars like Krishna. As the hundred zombies rushed forward, those with shields and those without moved in pairs. One defended, the other attacked.


    The effectiveness of theirbination killed dozens of corpses every time they changed positions. In addition, arrows suddenly began to fly overhead. Their targets were the imps apanying the D-ss bastard.


    Suddenly, a loud peal of thunder echoed in the sky. In the same moment, I was pushed from the side, causing me to miss my shot. I was about to curse the one who pushed me, only to see a burnt corpse instead.


    Quickly adding two and two, I was about to pull out a {Heal} tablet when Krishna scolded me harshly.


    "Stop your foolishness, Smith John! That man is already dead! He traded his life so that you could keep yours! Your job is not to guard the Rajput, it is to kill the ones in the air! The sooner you do that, the fewer of my men have to die!"


    I clenched my fist so hard that it began to bled. This was the first time someone had died to protect me from a blow.


    Guilt and shame filled my heart as I raised my sniper rifle toward the Imps


    "Thank you and farewell, Reaper. I will not waste the chance you sacrificed your life for."


    With renewed hatred for these fuckers, I felt my body heating up with adrenaline. I would send all these bitches to their graves, or I would die trying.


    My soulgem heated up so much that I thought my neck was burning from the inside. No matter what happened, none of these flying bastards would see the light of day, I calmed my mind as I squeezed the trigger.

 Chapter 94: Call me a lunatic.

    "Aira."


    [Yes, my lord].


    "Pull up everything Graveyard has on the Imps and the Corpse Eaters. Is it also possible that you be my spotter? Can you warn me if something attacks me?"


    Snipers usually worked in teams, due to therge number ofplex tasks required of a marksman. Calctions, area protection, and a wide field of view were required in addition to the actual shooting.


    But because the sniper would be focused on the target at the other end of his scope, it would be difficult for him to see anything else.


    So a sniper is assigned a spotter. The spotter''s job is to do whatever it takes to keep the sniper focused on his target. Since I was operating alone, I was susceptible to being caught off guard. Since my role today was anti-air, I needed protection.


    However, the Yuddha Rakshas were inferior to me in terms of skill. Although the Wraiths were skilled with swords, they could not withstand the damage. My {Fate}, on the other hand, could allow me to survive.


    Therefore, I thought the sacrifice of the Rajput warrior was unnecessary and stupid. However, the fact is that he took a blow for me, no matter how minor it might have been.


    [My Lord, as for the request for information, I have it ready for you. As for being your spotter: Even if I wanted to, I cannot. I only exist in your cyberspace and have my source code in your GRI. The most I can see is what your eyes see. I need a peripheral like a 360 camera or a drone if you want to use me as a second pair of eyes].


    I guess that''s the next thing I need to get. Fortunately, Aira could work independently. If I could give her drone a gun, like in sci-fi games, she could fight like an extra limb.


    But that would be in the future. For now, the main goal is to ensure the death of the remaining flyers.


    "Then let us park that for now and resolve it for the future. For this battle, mute all messages except for the Imps and the Corpse Eater.Send me any information you have, I will read it now. {Mage} Cancel. {Connect}!"


    I deactivated the {Kismet} ss and went into my cyberspace. Aira probably knew I was in a hurry, because when I arrived, she just made a small bow and had a summary list of details about my targets.


    ___


    Name: Imp (Demonkin)


    Rank: Middle E


    Soul: 50


    Known abilities: {Flight}, {Sting}


    Background: A low-level demonkin with the ability to fly and a powerful poison in its sting. Travels and hunts inrge groups. Can fly at speeds of over 100 miles per hour and reach altitudes of over 10,000 feet. Normally subservient to a Rank D, these demonkin require protection to grow thus increasing their subordination.


    ___


    Name: Corpse Eater (Undead)


    Rank: Middle D


    Soul: 1375


    Known Abilities: {Thunderbolt}, {Soul Absorption}, {Flight}


    Background Info: A mid-level undead, its body is an amalgamation of corpses that focuses on being able to eat. Academics have discovered that its body cannot fly on its own, so it uses souls to invoke {Flight}. It growsrger the more it consumes a corpse.


    Usually intimidates Imps or Harpies to be its escorts. Possesses a powerful lightning-based ability, {Thunderbolt}, which generates nearly four gigajoules of energy, four times the power of an average lightning strike.


    ___


    When I read the information, I understood that the Imps were basically humanoid eagles with stings. Nevertheless, they hunted in packs like wolves.


    The Corpse Eater was a bastard that could think. It knew that it would be blind once it got big enough. So it forced weaklings to be its guards.Surprisingly, unlike the other undead, the Corpse Eater did not control its own kind, but monsters and demonkin.


    The normal behavior for agitated VIPs would be to leave or send their thugs to fix the problem, but since the D rank could not leave until all the reapers were dead, it had to use the imps.


    This exined why the demonkin flew low enough for me to kill them. They had no choice but to be good little morons for the oversized undead fish that they were following.


    The Imps were in range of the M24, but the Corpse Eater was still too high. I had to find a way to climb up or bring it down. My kills unfortunately kept the Imps close to the corpse eater.


    "But holy shit, you are obese. You are fat enough to make Americans look skinny," I praised ironically.


    I didn''t stay long and googled about the Yuddha Rakshas then disconnected. When I returned, I found myself crouched down again with the M24 sniper rifle in my hands.


    "I should start casting {Fates} on the weapons. Let''s see. {Aim}, {Snipe}, {Withstand}, {Dampen}, {Carry}."


    I called the five fates that I found most useful for weapons on the M24. Originally, the {Kismet} sses was meant to be abination of perks for one role, but the more I used them, the more they felt limiting.


    By casting {Fate} directly on the weapon, I was able tobine the weapon with my sses for a more dynamic fighting style.


    Since my guns were going to be with me for a long time, it worked better to upgrade them than to force all the {Fates} onto my body.


    Switching sses may have sounded cool, but it was incredibly wasteful. Once I got back to Earth, I nned to rethink how I used my {Fates}.


    Loud guttural roars and war cries could be heard from the undead and the Yuddha Rakshas. The intensity of the battle slowly increased as it raged on.


    I checked and found that Yuddha Rakshas meant "War Demons" in Hindi. The country that spoke Hindi was India. The most prominentbat style in India was Kripayattu. It specialized in defensive formations and brutal hand-to-handbat.


    The Yuddha Rakshas, was a unit that practiced this fighting style. Their weapons sets were the scimitar and buckler, and dual scimitar.


    These twobinations were wielded in two ovepping circles. It allowed Krishna''s forces to move and cut through targets like the teeth of a saw.


    Simr to the Spartan phnx, Kripayattu was a martial art used for warfare inrge numbers. Because they specialized inrge groups, the colosseum fortifications in this zone utilized their strengths very well.


    The Yuddha Rakshas controlled the battlefield by creating a situation where the undead had no choice but to surround them. They did not react, but proactively chose how the battle would unfold. It was proof that even when besieged, they were not the hunted, but the hunter.


    "The only thing they couldn''t anticipate were the flying enemies."


    From what I learned in thest ten minutes, and the members of this group, I figured out their ethnicity.


    "They are Pajeets. But they do not look like American Indians, so they must be from Asia. Then why are they here?"


    They had dark skin, ck hair, andrge eyes.Then I wondered why arge force of Reapers who couldn''t even speak English was on the North American battlefront. I remember the words of Krishna the moment I arrived.


    Hmm. An American? I never thought one of you woulde to my domain. Not after thest time. Tell me, Death Seeker, has your king changed his mind?


    Did David have any problems with Krishna''s group? Perhaps it was because they were from Asia?


    But why? The world was going to shit and we still had time to deal with racism? Did it really matter what color you were or whatnguage you spoke?


    I get that it would matter on Earth, but how the hell does it matter here?


    "Hell, no wonder the reapers have their backs against the wall. Even in the face of annihtion, they still pride themselves on such division."


    Annoyed by the Reapers'' stupidity, I just assumed that, like most things in Hellsgates, there must be a deeper story behind it. Such things were not what I needed to focus on right now.


    As my mind returned to the task at hand, I gave the Indians the benefit of the doubt and let them have my back.


    "Hmm... Now. How do I get the Corpse Eater? Even if I killed all the Imps, I would still not be able to reach it, it is in a ce too high for me. Aira any good ideas?"


    [My Lord, the only options are for you to go up or for it to go down. Both seem difficult to achieve with what is avable.]


    "With Thief, I could jump higher, but I need footholds if I want to climb past 100 feet. Either that or I need to drag the corpse bastard down to earth."


    [Indeed, my lord, it seems to be able to resist the pull of souls. I suppose this is a natural urrence, the higher the ssification of the enemy.As for footholds, only the flying Imps would be viable.]


    I then wondered if there was any way I could force the Imps to take me to the D rank. The usual way to get what you wanted was either through negotiation, intimidation, or force.


    ''If I could not ask or scare them to fly higher, then the only option was to use elbow grease.''


    "{Draw} Honey Trap."


    A white vase in the shape of a subus'' curves appeared in my free hand. Being stupid, there was only one way I could think of to climb up to the corpse eater. Like the Yuddha Rakshas, I will now force them to follow what I wanted.


    "{Thief}, {Regen}, {Sheath} M24, If the girls were here, they would call me a lunatic. {Honey Trap}!"


    As I poured souls into the Soulgear I was holding, the same narcotic-like substance was released into the air. I felt its hold on me, grabbing my very being.


    The desire was like lust, addiction, hunger all in one. My mind was filled with nothing but the need to bask in that sweet, sweet scent. A secondter, the high vanished and the low began.


    Irritation, annoyance, anger, frustration drove my mind almost to madness. Even though the Soulgear was already in my hand, I felt enraged.


    Of course, if I felt the pull with such intensity, what more could the dumb demonkin flying above me feel?


    The entire colosseum shrieked and screamed like a wild zoo. Howls and groans echoed not only from the sky, but from all around. The steel of the Yuddha Rakshas answered the wild fervor of the monsters. My focus, however, remained in the sky.


    "SHIEEEEEEKK!!!"


    Three Imps dive-bombed me, their stingers primed to strike my vitals. I didn''t dodge all of them and allowed one to drive its stinger into my corbone.


    I then grabbed the stinger and used it to hurl the Imp into the air. At the same time, I was trampling on the Imps that passed by as their attacks missed.


    Like a dance, I moved upward, using the demonkin as footholds More and more Imps rushed to assist my ascent. I repeatedly dodged or threw them upward before using their bodies to defy gravity.


    Like steps on adder, I climbed up a staircase made of flesh. The poison from their attacks began to battle with {Regen}, scorching my veins like molten metal, but I could not stop now.


    Thus while assaulted by over twenty Imps I climbed.

 Chapter 95: Fly without wings

    Pain, anger, frustration, and bloodlust coursed through my system as I threw Imps into the sky. Their screams and yelps as I stomped on their bodies were my only constion.


    "Tsk. It would be so much better if I could actually shoot you fuckers."


    With four dead, there were only 21 Impsing at me. Since it took time for them to attack, if I reduced their numbers, I would fall even faster. I needed them above my head to serve as a tform.


    So I waited until they were above my waist oring at me from above. With {Thief}, I would perform acrobatic dodges and then nt my shoes on the demonkin''s tiny heads. The momentary foothold allowed me to leap a little higher until my next stepping stone arrived.


    "Sigh. Come at me already! I don''t have all day."


    The annoying thing was that a few of them stung me just so I could grab them and reposition them. A sharp pain from their venom coursed through my veins, as my current ss didn''t have {Digest}. I could not neutralize the poison.


    Instead, {Regen} fought it like antibodies, waging war inside my body. The result? I felt my entire body ripple with an ufortable sensation. Like putting an ice pack on your hand and then holding it over the stove. The vast difference in states made my mind numb and my skin crawl.


    "And it hurts like hell!" Iined as I drove my heel into an Imp''s nose.


    The restrictions of the sses made me suffer more and more. If {Thief} could handle the poison, or even just {Suffer} for a counterattack, I would be happier. But if I switched to {Fighter}, jumping around Imps 400 feet in the sky would definitely not be possible.


    You could argue that all I had to do was throw a {Honey Trap} into the sky and grab a few Imps. But as feasible as that was, I only had one shot. It would work, but the moment the Soulgear began to fall. I would be left in the air with nothing.


    Even though my current n of action was inconvenient, it allowed me to get what I wanted. I couldn''t even pay attention to the battle below. With the use of {Honey Trap}, would the F rank zombies also try to follow me?


    I jumped from Imp to Imp like a monkey. I could see the Corpse Eater. It was wading through the air like a fish in a pond. Even from this distance, my skin could feel the electrified area around it.


    It must have been preparing another {Thunderbolt}. Perhaps sensing me, the bastard slowly stared in my direction. The ppybird-looking bastard had no eyes, ears, or nose.


    There was only darkness in the holes of its face, but I could sense its intention to send a lightning bolt at me. My skin felt the rise of an electric current charging the atmosphere.


    "Fuck no. You cowardly, obese, birdbrained piece of shit!"


    I didn''t know if I was imagining things, but I thought I saw the Corpse Eater grinning at me. At that moment, I felt the very air tremble with soul.


    [My Lord! The Corpse Eater is about to cast {Thunderbolt}, please dodge immediately!]


    "Easier said than done, Aira."


    Thunder rumbled in the dark sky as the giant shadow of the Corpse Eater slowly swam toward me. Knowing that I only had a few precious moments toe up with a n, I racked my brain for a solution.


    At its heart, the lighting was electrons traveling down through a medium. As long as the electrons could be redirected away from my body, I should be safe, but how?


    Even if I threw a Imp at it, I didn''t even know if the attack would stop at the Imp or not. Then I thought it would be nice to have a jet engine, like airnes.


    That or wings from a bird, even just being able to glide like a squirrel would be an improvement. As I looked at the impending doom in the form of an overgrown fishbird, I shifted the train of thought from blocking to evasion.


    "Fuck, let''s just wing it. {HONEY TRAP}!"


    The noxious aroma from the Soulgear sent the Imps into a frenzy. I dove for the nearest demonkin and pulled its neck like a rug. His friends all came to us within a few seconds.


    I waited until they were all headed my way before I hurled the Soulgear vase at the Corpse Eater. Within moments, the flying bastards ignored me and then turned their backs on me. Taking advantage of the moment, I ran over their backs like a track star.


    Unlike before, the Imps soared to retrieve the vase. Barely bigger than a chuckie, they didn''t have enough body mass to support my weight.


    However, their fixation on the object I had just thrown at them drove them into a frenzy, and they moved like beggars at a buffet. I was able to jump between three Imps, covering an impressive distance of perhaps 300 yards.


    Before I couldnd on the fourth, however, a bolt of lightning struck the imp with such force that it turned to dust.With my foothold gone, gravity pulled my body back to the ground.


    As I fell with increasing speed, the roar of the wind deafened my ears. The sight of Imps all chasing after the vase was in my vision.


    "FUCK YOU BASTARDS! AND FUCK YOU TOO, YOU OVERSIZED FLYING DICK!"


    In my rage and anger at my helplessness, an idea came to me. An idea so insane it put my previous one to shame.


    "{Draw} M26 PINS! {REGEN}, {Thief} CANCEL! {HIKE}, {CARRY}, {PERCEIVE}, {ENDURE}, {SUFFER}, {DIGEST}!"


    I canceled my ss and drew the pins instead of the grenades. Invoking a makeshiftbination of {Fates}, my goal was to not die and fly skillfully through the air.


    I then removed my jacket in mid-air while casting a {Fate} on it for the first time.


    "{Withstand}!"


    {Withstand} was a {Fate} that was hard to appreciate. It broke thews of physics, but it also came at a high price. It made any material immeasurably more durable at the cost of making it immovable. For my ns, this was what I needed.


    I struggled to get my jacket under me as my descent elerated. The scariest part of this insane n had arrived. Swallowing my nervousness, I roared to drive away my fears.


    "{Draw}! M26!"


    The frag appeared a few feet below the jacket. Being heavier, I caught up to it in a few seconds. Although I frantically tried to cover the explosive with the jacket, it still peeked out. Then it exploded.


    I then pointed my hand at the bursting mes and invoked my {Fate}.


    "{STORE} EXPLOSION!"


    Like a vacuum cleaner, my outstretched palm slowly sucked in the explosion, and I didn''t even want to think about what would happen to the supplies in my warehouse. If time stopped, then the explosion should not damage my stuff.


    With the second steppleted, I gritted my teeth as I executed the third and final part of this insane n.


    "{RETRIEVE} EXPLOSION!"


    I controlled the opening to my subspace with all my concentration. The power and explosive force of the grenade was channeled into a small opening, creating a pressure like a rocket. The thrust hit my jacket, cancelling the momentum.


    The result?


    Like a breakwater during a tidal wave, the counterforce to the thrust was applied to my hand instead.


    "ARGHHHHHHHHH!!!!"


    Unable to suppress my screams, the intense heat and pressure crushed my hand like a hydraulic press. Thews of physics were clear, for every single action there would always be an opposite reaction.


    And as I forced my hand downward to withstand the explosive thrust, my body was sent flying upward as a result.


    "HERE''S MY ANSWER, YOU BASTARDS! THIS IS HOW YOU FLY WITHOUT WINGS! I AM COMING FOR YOU!!! YOU FUCKING FISHBIRD!" I roared in anger.


    Using my hand like Iron Man''s flight stabilizers, I spun through the air as I gained altitude. Countering the initial energy of the fall was the hardest part, now that I was moving in the opposite direction, it was easy to increase my eleration.


    "{DRAW} All M26!"


    I created {Draw} because I needed my weapons to manifest at the same time. {Retrieve} could only pull things in my hands. {Withdraw} could be a few feet away from me. Neither fit what I needed so I was d I could create {Kismet}.


    Turning, I prepared for what wasing. Like an interconnected fireworks disy, the trail of grenades exploded one after the other in a chained detonation. The kic energy pushed me away due to my proximity. But that would be a waste, wouldn''t it?


    "{STOCK} EXPLOSION!"


    As before, the detonations were slowly drawn into the transparent portals I created on my back. When I felt there was no more power I could take. I created small openings to my subspace on my feet.


    "{RETRIEVE} EXPLOSION!"


    At my words, a powerful thrust erupted beneath my feet. It sent me flying even faster into the sky. The force grew too strong and finally began to burn my feet. My flesh boiled while my blood vaporized in agony. But the result was achieved.


    Like Tony Stark, I raced through the dimly lit sky toward the Corpse Eater. To stabilize my flight, I copied my favorite superhero and summoned smaller explosions on my hands as well. With the three points of thrust from a dozen grenades, I soared like a rocket.


    Unable to contain my excitement, I licked my lips as I approached the obese undead corpse eater.


    "{Reveal}! Thanks for waiting, you fat fuck, let''s dance!"


    With his escorts chasing after the falling Soulgear, my charge toward the Rank D was unimpeded. The Corpse Eater, seeing our rapid approach, began to flop through the air in an attempt to escape.


    When I was within a hundred meters of the bastard, I called off the explosions. My limbs, burned to the bone, began to regenerate at a rapid pace. I called for the 629 revolver as I leapt into the air.


    To stop my momentum, I began firing the 629 at the flying undead. Though weak, my eleration began to stop as the weapon''s powerful recoil pushed me back. Both the 1887 and the M24 had {Withstand}, so using them to slow me down would have been useless.


    ''I guess everything has a downside,'' I thought.


    The .44 Magnum rounds hit the side of the fish until I finally mmed into its side. I tried to grab hold of its body as my momentum threatened to throw me past the undead.


    Whether it was luck or fate that finally gave me a break, my hands were able to grab onto its fins, securing me to Rank D. With an immense sense of pleasure, I wondered how I was going to disembowel this fucking monstrosity.


    "Look forward to it, hehehe."

 Chapter 96: Bring the rain!

    An unexpected high filled my body.It was like the feeling you have when you receive something you have been waiting for a long time.


    I didn''t know if it was because of the pain I had to endure to get here. But right now, my thoughts were filled with how to fillet this fish bastard.


    "So, how should we spend our time together?"


    I unconsciously felt my smile turn into a wide grin. It wouldn''t be fair if only I got a gift, would it? Using its fins and appendages for support, I moved to the top of its head. Then I sat down and patted the scaly body of the corpse eater like an older brother.


    "Do you realize how fucked up you are right now?" I said with a sneer.


    {Reveal} showed a gem-like orb deep inside the undead''s body. With a bodyrger than even Isolde''s, none of my weapons would be enough to reach it in one shot. But who said I only needed one?


    Normally she would move her body to get rid of me. But now that I was on top of it, it had no way to eject me. Unlike normal birds and fish, the Corpse Eater''s fins or wings on its sides were far too small to allow it to maneuver.


    There was a reason. It had chosen to use souls just to be able to move.


    "It''s sad to think how most of America would rte to you. But no matter. If one bullet is not enough to put a hole in you? How about a hundred?"


    Then I slowly bnced myself and walked towards the undead''s weak point. When I arrived, I drew my two most powerful weapons.


    "{Thief}, M60, 1887. Happy birthday, motherfucker!"


    Dual wielding two heavy caliber weapons, I pointed them both down and pulled the triggers. The M60 began raining 7.62¡Á51mm NATO into its skin. Since the roundscked the power to bury deep, it was more like a drill than a needle.


    The 1887 was currently loaded with 10 gauge rounds. The gun mercilessly spat lead into the helpless fishbird. With dexterity, I copied the Terminator and spincocked the gun to reload the shotgun.


    With both weapons firing at full capacity, the undead let out a terrible groan of pain. ck, oil-like blood spurted out each time a bullet pierced the undead''s skin.


    Like a madman, I enjoyed the agonized screams of the once high and mighty Corpse Eater.


    "HAHAHAHAHAHA! How does it feel, you bastard?! Here, have some more!"


    The Corpse Eater tried to move his body to shake me, but like a morbidly obese fat fuck, he couldn''t even shake me off. My weapons systematically sliced into the flesh of the undead.


    When the 1887 ran out of bullets, I dropped it, then drew the AR-15 and resumed the unleashing of freedom.


    Like a symphony of an orchestra, my ears relished the melody of its shrieks and the ratatat of the M60. As its maestro, I made sure my audience remained attentive by never stopping the rain of bullets!


    Eventually I sensed Imps approaching, but it was toote. The nonstop volley dug a hole several feet deep in the top of the fishbird.


    Its flesh was pulverized and nearly liquefied by the never-ending barrage. Knowing it was deep enough, I threw the AR-15 and buried my hand in the undead.


    Originally, I was supposed to just bury the grenades and blow the insides of the fucker to pieces. But a feeling of warmth beckoned to me from inside the undead body.


    My hands touched a cold, soulgemlike surface. The moment my skin touched the weak spot, I felt the warmth of souls. {Reveal} had the ability to loot, so I could see other people''s soul gems if I wanted to.


    I read in the Reaper FAQ that the soulgems were considered the genitalia of Reapers. You were not supposed to show them to anyone but your own kindred.


    Knowing that you could steal souls by touching them, I guess that kinda makes sense.


    "Why do you have this soulgem as your weak point? Aren''t you too simr to a reaper?"


    Ignoring my questions, I began to draw the warmth from the gem. Theforting feeling of soul transfer traveled up my hand, into my arm, then into the soulgem on my neck. Before I could ask her, Aira confirmed my suspicion.


    [My Lord, soul raiding has begun. The Corpse Eater has over three thousand souls in its gem. The theft should beplete in 45 seconds.]


    "Three thousand? Score! Thank you, Aira!"


    [You are wee, my lord, please remember that this undead can only fly because of its souls. Once it reaches zero, it will begin its plunge into the ground.]


    "Ah shit! Ipletely forgot!"


    Before I could think about what to do next, the Imps began to attack my body. With the soul raid still in progress, my right arm was stuck in Rank D, severely limiting my movement.


    I drew a 1911 in defense with my offhand and began to dispatch the Imps that came close.


    [My Lord, 20 seconds till descent].


    Perhaps sensing the danger to its body, the undead began to shriek in panic. The same atmosphere as before could be felt. The unique smell of ionized air wafted through the air. This must be thest desperate move of this bastard.


    "You want to strike yourself with lightning? Haha! I will kill you before you have a chance!"


    [My Lord, the soul raiding has beenpleted.]


    "Thank you. Time to kiss the ground, bastard! {FIGHTER}! {Draw} EXPLOSION!"


    With my hand still inside the beast, I channeled all the stored explosions into its soul jewel. The intense heat that vaporized blood came out of my hand again. At the same time, the Corpse Eater began to plummet to the surface.


    "SHRIIEEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!!!!!!!!"


    Feeling the damage, the Corpse Eater let out the most pitiful wail I had ever heard from it. My arm that shouldered the explosion melted down to the bone. I couldn''t even scream as my forearm turned into a makeshift methrower.


    Unlike in the past, {Fighter} kept my body from going into a shock. Gritting my teeth, I fought through the pain and burned the Corpse Eater from the inside.


    The mes blew back from the fish bird''s skin and began to incinerate my clothes and the rest of my body.


    "Shit! I forgot to use {Save} when I was still on the ground! I hope {Rewind} still works!"


    {Auto} kept me in my best condition, so regardless of the zone, {Save} only dictated the position I rewound to. Thus, no matter how badly my clothes, body, or weapons were damaged, I could keep going.


    The Imps, who had been circling around us only a few moments before, were left behind as we descended. Like a meteor, the massive weight of the undead fishbird caused it to elerate at a frightening rate.


    Finally, while all this was happening, I got a surprise.


    [Confirming death of the Rank D Corpse Eater]


    The rush of the wind as we fell was surreal. At that moment, I heard a loud roaring from the ground. The voice could be heard even when everything else was drowned out by the wind.


    "YUDDHA RAKSHAS!ash khaane va mar chuka hai! dahaaden mere yoddhaon! Smith John ki jai ho!"


    I wasn''t sure what Krishna was saying, but the jubtion of the Yuddha Rakshas seemed to reach a fever pitch even as they fought the undead. Despite my position as I fell, I heard their ecstatic roar from below.


    "Smith John ki jai ho!"


    "Smith John ki jai ho!"


    "Smith John ki jai ho!"


    Three times I heard my name shouted at the top of their lungs. It was probably something to do with good work or something. I grinned broadly as I stopped cooking the inside of the Corpse Eater.


    "{Thief}"


    I then climbed onto the Fish Bird and headed for the back of its ass. If such arge object fell, it would surely cause a lot of damage. Of course, I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity to exterminate the undead.


    Even meteors the size of basketballs could createrge craters from their momentum alone. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, the American in me wanted to turn this hulking corpse into a weapon.


    I scanned below and found thergest group of undead I could find.


    "ALL ABOARD THE FLAPPYBIRD EXPRESS! {MAGE}! {WITHDRAW} EXPLOSION!"


    At my yell, I opened a void space behind my feet once more and channeled everything in my subspace into it. Doing an Ironman, I also began to summon {Fates} on my makeshift nuke.


    "{WITHSTAND}! {ENDURE}! {HIKE}! {PACK}! HERE WE GO!"


    The roar of the wind in my ears and face grew louder. Since I was behind the corpse, the brunt of the wind was on the undead. Still, I felt my body suddenly cut by the air from our rapid descent.


    As we fell, a transmission suddenly came over the Defenderwork.


    [Smith John! What are you doing? Just jump and we will catch you!]


    "Sorry, Krishna, I don''t roll that way. Before I go, I will give you onest gift!"


    [What? Are you insane! There is no point in winning if you die!]


    "Oh, don''t worry, this is not enough to kill me. John out."


    [Wait! What are you...]


    [My Lord, I have muted Reaper Krishna Sangan. Please be careful]


    "Thank you, Aira."


    At over 400 feet, and with {Mage} I could see the entire battlefield. For some reason, the zombies were clustered in one area, away from the Indians.


    As I wondered why, it dawned on me.


    "Ah! The {Honey Trap}! No wonder they were all there! PERFECT!"


    At this speed and distance, it was impossible to miss. So I put the finishing touches on my masterpiece.


    "{Counter}!"


    Instead of channeling the energy from {Fighter} into my weapon, bullets, or fist, I sent it into the corpse. Currently, our thrust was insane because the weight was reduced by {Pack}.


    The moment I let go, it would increase its mass and eleration.


    With a satisfied smile, I patted my first attempt at an ICBM and said goodbye like a loving parent.


    "Bring the rain, my child. {Rewind}!"


    I then disappeared from the projectile and rewound to the center of the Colosseum. The sudden change from insanely fast to stationary caused me to suffer from bouts of motion sickness.


    "Smith Jon?" a familiar voice called out.


    But before I could answer, a thunderous boom struck, shaking the ground. A wave of dust and sand poured out. Reminiscent of a sandstorm, I covered my face with the inside of my suit jacket and dropped to my knees.


    At the same time, an extremely loud siren sounded in the sky.


    [My Lord, 709 rank F undead have been eliminated. A P1 mercenary has also entered the zone].


    "Huh? Why would a P1 mercenarye here when I already answered? Who is it?"


    [My Lord, it is Robert Acwen...]


    "What?"


    When the dust settled, I looked up to see a man covered in armor wielding a pole arm. He then brandished his weapon as he spoke.


    "Krishna Sangan by order of the Saviors, die!"

 Chapter 97: I will kill you

    Robert Acwen. The Phantom with the alias yer. A Priority 1 mercenary with nearly 300pleted missions. As a Phantom, this man would be extremely strong.


    ''Why is he here? It should be recorded that I was already here. With the Rank Fs almost gone, once the Rank E Imps are killed, it should be a sessful mission.''


    He was one of the two big shots that bastard Julius Caytiffe depended on. A Reaper I was wary of when I picked a fight with Julius. With the report I sent, Savior would be pursued by the Mercenaries for an exnation.


    His picture didn''t do him justice, he was imposing and had a cold demeanor. I tried to quickly use {Reveal} on him, but instead of seeing his status, a stinging pain assaulted my eyes.


    "What the hell?" I muttered as I closed my eyes from the sudden attack.


    d in in looking armor, he stepped forward and brandished his polearm at us.


    "Krishna Sangan by order of the Saviors, die!"


    His voice was frigid. His bloodlust gushed out like a raging ocean. The hairs on my body stood on end. It was like when I battled David, or the army of D-rank brutes. If I fought this man, I would die. I knew it almost instinctively.


    Despite the fear in my heart, Krishna justughed at his words.


    "Are you the dog they sent? Was it my king? Or yours?"


    King? Krishna was Asian, so the Revenant he called king should be Li Wudi The Peerless. But why would Li Wudi want to kill the Pajeet? I thought his problem was with David? Before I could figure out what to do, Robert invoked his {Fate}.


    "Does it matter? {Blood Feast}."


    Then I felt a huge amount of souls surrounding the yer. As if I were hallucinating, his eyes began to glow blood red through the visor of his helmet. When I looked up, even the dull glow of the sky turned crimson.


    "I have heard of you, yer. It is said that when you summon this {Fate}, it means death for everyone present," Krishna replied.


    "Aira, what is he saying? I have never read anything like that," I asked quietly.


    [My Lord, my ess to information is limited by your rank. Reaper Robert Acwen, as a P1 Mercenary, has information that the Wraiths cannot see. Since Reaper Krishna Sangan is a Phantom, he probably has more clearance.]


    "Shit, of course you wouldn''t share all your info. Even my data had a gag order on it. But Krishna''s statement is ominous."


    Before Aira and I could understand, I noticed the Yuddha Rakshasing into formation. They had serious expressions and their weapons were drawn. All of them were wielding manifested weapons that glowed silver.


    ''Why would the Reapers start killing each other? I did it when during the enlistment and was punished for it.'' I debated internally.


    Even the Mercenary Seeker duels required justification and approval. Why were the reapers, who were already outnumbered and outgunned, still aimed at each other''s throats?


    The insanity of it all caused me toe between Robert and the Yuddha Rakshas.


    "Wait! Robert Acwen, I am John Smith, a Priority 4 Mercenary. I have already responded to this dirge siren, why are you here and why are you threatening Krishna? We only have a few Imps left before the defense isplete."


    Robert then shouldered his polearm as he began to chuckle.


    "You talk too much. I havee for his head," the yer replied.


    "But why?! We are all on the same side! Our enemy is the undead!"


    Surprisingly, the one who denied my words was Krishna.


    "Smith John, the reapers have never been of one will. I suspected as much when the flying undead reserved for floor 15 arrived on the 8th floor. My men cannot handle them, so we stayed here. Was this the Saviors'' doing? Or did your king send them?"


    Dumbfounded, I tried to process Krishna''s words. Hadn''t I experienced something simr? Just earlier? The words of the beautiful wyvern came back to me.


    ''Ja. It is normal beyond the 20th level. I do not know why they appeared, but they seem to want this zone badly.''


    Undead using tactics and items, Draugrs that should have appeared from beyond the 10th floor. What if these things were no coincidence? Did someone want Isolde dead? But why? She just minded her own business!


    "Enough talk!" with his short words Robert charged at Krishna with his crimson shimmering polearm.


    "Smith John! Stand back!" a Rajput knight pushed me back as they intercepted Robert. The Yuddha Rakshas shielders all jumped into battle with the yer. But in the next second, everything went south.


    "Weak."


    With deft movements, the armored Mercenary sliced off the arms of the intercepting Knights. But as if driven by pure fighting spirit, the dismembered Indians didn''t retreat but threw their bodies at Robert.


    "Wait! STOP!"


    My cries fell on deaf ears as the inevitable happened. The bloody polearm sliced through the bodies of the brave men.


    "{Sanguine Armor}," it said in a bored tone.


    In a nightmarish sight, the spilled blood did not fall to the ground. Instead, it floated and coalesced into a floating river. The river of blood then hardened and began to cover Robert like an armor of crimson steel.


    The allies of the men with shields became enraged and rushed at the yer with swords drawn! Arrows flew from the stands of the coliseum toward the mercenary.


    "AHHH HOW DARE YOU!"


    "{Carnival of the Damned}"


    With minimal movement, Robert swung his weapon as he marched forward. Like flowing water, the resulting shes tore apart the arrows and decapitated the Indians around him like meat puppets.


    Not stopping there, his {fate} continued to mercilessly shred their torsos, legs, and arms. He didn''t stop until they were all cut into small pieces like chunks of meat. In the short skirmish, the yer killed over 12 wraiths.


    Tears began to fall from my eyes. In our brief time together, I knew how dedicated the Yuddha Rakshas were.


    Maybe I was sentimental because I almost died, but those men deserved better. They fought night after night here in hell with no reward, no family, no peace.


    But instead of resting, they were murdered by those who were supposed to be their allies. All the while, the whole world was squeezing itself dry to give birth to these Reapers.


    "How could you?" I whispered.


    Unconsciously, my hands began to clench so tightly that my entire body began to shake. To create new reapers, the entire world was sacrificed. To grow stronger, the Reapers fought without rest.


    All because of the selfish actions of one man, their hardships lost meaning as their lives faded into nothingness.


    "How could you?!" I repeated.


    I knew I wanted to mind my own business after I died. After all, being a stupid hero got me killed in the first ce. But the more I interacted with the reapers, the more I learned about them.


    They like regr people had their own desires, dreams, and fears. Unable to stop myself, my mind suddenly became eerily silent, with only one thought remaining.


    "I will kill you," I swore.


    They were all born from deep regrets that defied even the grave. Every night, they fought the dead with their bodies while they fought the despair in their minds. It was far too unfair. What other group endured such hardship?


    Each reaper was a resource more valuable than gold. I tried so hard and I saved what? like 6 people? And that fucking bastard murdered more than twice that number in less than 10 minutes.


    "{Mage}, {Draw} M24."


    Then I got down on one knee and took aim at Robert. Concentrating all the damage from {Suffer}, I prepared my shot. It was like pouring water into a bottle. My instincts told me how much energy the bullet could take.


    Robert was still battling the Yuddha Rakshas as I prepared. Though I wanted to stop him, I didn''t have the skills to engage him in hand-to-handbat. I knew nothing of martial arts, my killing potential relied on my weapons.


    All my victories were brute forcing with cheats and firepower. I got by thanks to the faster brain of {Reveal}. {Withstand} and {Endure} made me tougher. {Pack} and {Hike} made me faster. {Perceive} and {Listen} made me more responsive. Basically, I was just a souped-up civilian.


    It worked because I was fighting zombies and newbies. However, I don''t think I could win against veteran Reapers. The trashing I got from Zachary Lynch told me that I was still inexperienced in Reaperbat.


    But the first step to solving a problem was acknowledging that it existed. I knew I had to start training at some point, but knowing my strengths was just as important.


    I was not weak. I was able to fight on a level ying field and defeat my opponents because of three factors.


    One, the diversity of my fighting styles from my {Fate} and {Kismet}.


    Second, the types of guns in my arsenal.


    And third, I had the ability to reset myself whenever I needed to.


    Coming within range of a polearm user was just stupid. If even the Indians practicing Kri couldn''t stop him, what the hell could I do? Range and firepower remained my greatest strengths.


    To put it in gamey terms, this asshole was a barbarian who excelled at close quarters. Since I was a ranged assassin, the only way to win was with burst damage or kiting. So naturally, I had to stick to that.


    As more and more Yuddha Rakshas dueled with Krishna, four Indians with Manifested {Fates} that glowed gold joined the fray. Unlike the others with silver weapons, they weren''t killed in a single blow and prevented Robert from killing the others.


    "These must be the other Phantoms present. The difference between them and the Wraiths is like night and day. I must coordinate with them properly."


    [Krishna! Tell your golden boys to stay away from my direction. Pin Robert down and I will take him out.]


    [Understood! Lieutenants, do it.]


    The golds then began to attack the yer with frightening ferocity. Despite being outnumbered four to one, they couldn''t take down the P1 Mercenary. I noticed that the Goldies were baiting Robert to turn his back on me.


    "Hahaha. Sneaky bastards. Well done!"


    No matter how fast you moved, you had to be able to move faster than sound to stop a bullet. With his back to me and his attention on the Phantoms, I couldn''t have asked for a more perfect shot.


    "Take this to the afterlife, bastard!"


    I squeezed the trigger and fired my charged shot, the energy of {Suffer} was so powerful that the air itself bent like a wind tunnel as my bullet soared. A millisecondter, it buried itself in the back of Robert''s head.


    The sheer power of my bullet pierced the armor and blew his head off. But the next moment left me speechless. His headless body turned toward me, then pointed his finger.


    {Tsk. Coward. You''re next.}


    He then continued to fight the four Phantoms without his head.


    "What the fuck?!"

 Chapter 98: Heroine Chapter: You will tell me.

    Chapter POV: Jasmine Denel


    ___


    "Everybody! Vehicles are approaching! Be, these wagons have no coachmen!" Liv yelled as she guarded the basement entrance.


    [These are the vehicles I sent, Liv, watch the outside to see if any reapers areing.]


    My sister Josephine then instructed the children we were escorting.


    "Alright kids! We are going to y a fun game. Close your eyes and sing your favorite song as loud as you can! I will give yummy candy to the one who sings the best!"


    The audience she spoke to consisted of children from at least ten different nationalities. Yet, despite not sharing amonnguage, the children all nodded and calmly followed her instructions.


    Although I heard her words in English, I knew that this feat was only possible because of her {fate}. I calmly guarded the doors in front of me.


    We were rescuing these children from a hospital under Trinity''s control. ording to Be''s research, they were all children connected to Reapers. Dangerous ones at that.


    Just then, a huge group of axe-wielding Asians in ck suits charged into the basement.


    "Contact! Twenty hostiles iing!" I warned.


    Unwilling to spare them, I drew my bow and began firing arrows in rapid session. The arrows broke through the ss of the sliding doors and pierced the hearts of the iing men. Three of them died instantly before they could spread out.


    Considering that these men were just minding their own business, of course we were the viins. But so what? The world was never fair! My sister and I were sent to Syria in 2016 to fight for our lives in the Syrian Civil War!


    I almost rebelled against the reapers to be sent to Syria as well, originally I was supposed to go to Iraq to join the civil war in that country.


    Do you know what Arabs do to young, beautiful women? The Syrian state army used rape as a weapon, for heaven''s sake! And they sent Josephine to a deste ce with little to no supplies!


    Since witnessing the atrocitiesmitted in the name of their lust for power, I have lost what little humanpassion I had.


    There was a reason that the war led to Syria being considered a pariah in international politics. The 2014 Caesar Report called the atrocitiesmitted by the Assad regime "the greatest war crimes of the 21st century."


    But words could not do justice to what we saw. Chemical weapons, torture, genocide on a scale that defies reason.


    Anyone who couldmit such acts deserved no mercy. So after crying my heart out in grief for about a day. I then channeled it into rage.


    With my arrows I took their lives. Anyone who wore the badge of the Assad regime was an enemy. And I will never let one of them live.


    By day, by night, no matter what the day, no matter what the hour. I hunted them all. With my intellect and skill with a bow, nomander could escape.


    My desperation to make sure Jo survived turned to pure hate for the Assad regime. I shot arrow after arrow until my hands bled, then I kept shooting.


    After about three months, stories of the "Ebony Deathstalker" began to circte.


    My actions were attributed to a battlefield demon who pierced Assadmanders with ck-feathered, poison-tipped ebony arrows.


    I wasn''t particrly proud of my nickname. But every time one of them died, I felt an immense pleasure coursing through my veins.


    A deathstalker was a scorpion found in North Africa and the Middle East. Its sting, while extremely painful, was only fatal to children.


    So Ibined the Deathstalker venom with the venom of an even deadlier scorpion, the Fat Tail Scorpion.


    Despite it''s silly sounding name, the Fat tail Scorpion is one of the few insects to have an annual death toll. It''s Latin name was much better, Androctonus or "Man Killer".


    Fat tail scorpion venom causes drowsiness, drooping eyelids, paralysis of the neck muscles, loss of muscle coordination, abdominal pain, and eventually death.


    On the other hand, Deathstalker venom causes chest pain, coughing up blood, difficulty breathing, wheezing, increased heart rate, anxiety, excessive sweating, and dizziness.


    Simply put, it was like drowning in your own blood, unable to breathe.


    Combined you had a poison that had no antidote and took away your ability to move, tortured your body, your heart and then finally gave you a painful death like gradual suffocation.


    It took a lot of effort to slow down the effects of the poison, but the results pleased me greatly. Anyone I shot with my ebony arrows died very slowly over the course of hours.


    The arrow could not be drawn and served as a reminder of my vengeance. Of course, I watched each one of them die the entire time.


    The panic, their fear, the desperation, the moment they get the Deathstalker antidote only to lose hope. If Earth had no justice for the oppressed. I will punish them in heaven''s ce.


    My only regret was not being able to see the war''s end. Of course, after such an ordeal, hardly anything could faze me. Mypassion died that day. That was the day I lost my humanity.


    As the yakuza fell to my arrows, some expressed their hatred for me. Two ran towards me with fierce gazes, only to die from arrows through their eye sockets.


    A tall, brave man shielded hisrades with his body as they advanced. In spite of his blocking of my shots, I was calmly at ease. I was not alone, was I?


    A white-haired teenager ran past me like a bullet with a knife in one hand and steel spheres in the other.


    "Terminating resistance," Robyn said gently.


    Thebat joey then threw steel balls at over a hundred meters an hour as she sped past, the billiard ball-sized spheres shattering the adult men''s skulls like eggs, spilling their brain matter in a bloody mess.


    "ARHGGGGHHHHHHHH..."


    Screams of horror soon followed. Like a demon, Robyn danced a waltz around the yakuza, shing their vitals with a precision that rivaled Josephine''s.


    My arrows took down eight, the remaining twelve were killed by Robyn in a gruesome, sanguine-colored melee.


    "Amazing."


    Unconsciously, my praise slipped out. It didn''t show much when Robyn fought zombies, but against humans she was terrifying.


    Stoic beyond reason, the white-haired teenager said nothing but flicked the blood from her knife.


    "Good job, kids! You all get some candy! Now what I want you to do next is to keep facing me, okay? We are going to get into the vans that have just arrived," Josephine praised.


    Like a school teacher, she led the children out of the parking lot. Liv came running after the vehicles had arrived.


    "Everyone, there are no reapersing. We are safe, let''s go!" She eximed.


    Robyn and I turned and ran to join the children.


    Three white vans arrived. They looked like strange buses with devices all around the body. I read the markings and was surprised to see the logos.


    "Be, aren''t those the GM Honda Cruise? Aren''t these the AI vehicles scheduled for 2026?" I asked in disbelief.


    [Haha, yeah.I found them by ident. I heard they were going to be used in Japan. Their anti-hacking measures were pathetic, though].


    "All right, everyone divide into three groups and get into our fancy vans. Look! There are no drivers! Amazing, right?"


    Jo continued to distract the kids while she had them get into the vehicles.


    [Everyone, put on the masks I sent you. I will be using AI imaging to rece your faces in the CCTV.]


    "Don''t reapers not show up on CCTV at all?"


    [Well, you are not wrong, Jasmine, but you tend to forget who I am. I need someone to take the me. So don''t worry about the fall out.]


    Liv got into the lead car with the first group of kids. Robyn and Josephine were in the second group. And I was in the third group by myself. My skills were naturally suited to being the rear guard.


    [Princess. Everyone in. We''re going.]


    As Be ordered the autonomous cars to move, I noticed a weapon case next to my seat.


    "Miroku?" I read out loud.


    [Miroku Firearms, the only decent gunsmith in Japan. Its a throw away, destroy everything that gets in your way. The bloodier the better. Use this time to get used to sniper rifles. Honey and I n to arm our group with guns.]


    "My bow reaches eight kilometers."


    [I know, but you can''t shoot reinforced armor tes at that distance, can you?] Be replied.


    "Hmph."


    Because I was Formless, no matter how powerful my arm was, bows had an inherent limit. Only manifested weapons could breakmon sense. Since I had no other choice, I could only obediently imitate my husband.


    ''I wonder if we could get closer by both using weapons? Perhaps I could get him to teach me?''


    The vans finally left the basement, and just as we came to level ground, ourstrade finally arrived. A loud thud came from the ceiling of my van along with an arrogant voice.


    [Be, what took you so long? I almost had my nails done thanks to your dys.]


    [Shut it, Princess. I hacked everything from here to the airport. That was in addition to the flooding of social media and the Japanese police frequencies with fake reports. Did I miss anything? Oh yeah! I even created fake passports and stories for the kids.]


    [And? Should I be impressed by such feats? I killed seven Phantoms and five Wraiths.] Lilly replied mockingly.


    [...]


    [What? Cat got your tongue, my dear Be?]


    [For that remark, your alias is Lilly Evans, your husband is Harry Evans. And you have three children with him.]


    [WHAT? Harry Evans? The man who betrayed John? Change it immediately! Just the thought of it is enough to make me want to vomit in disgust.]


    Most of us ignored the cat and dog fight between Be and Lilly, but as soon as my husband''s name was mentioned.


    "Be. Exin. Now." I ordered through clenched teeth.


    More people inquired not a secondter.


    [Fess up, what did that Harry cunt do to the wombat?]


    [Hey! Be, when I asked about darling, why wasn''t his name mentioned?!]


    [Be, I want to know too. Betrayal is death in the North]


    [Well, shit, cats out of the bag. But I would say that you should pay attention to your situation first.]


    I checked our surroundings and found a blue helicopter belonging to the Japanese SDF. My anger unexpectedly began to rise at the thought of my husband being betrayed.


    I smashed the rear windshield of the van with the butt of the rifle. Then I raised the weapon and took aim. It was different from a bow, but I couldpensate for the unfamiliar firearm with my {Fates}.


    "{Aim}, {Snipe}, {Imaging} - X-ray. Be, you will tell me what happened afterwards, understood?"


    With my words, I sent a magazine''s worth of bullets into the chopper''s rotor. The damage caused the aircraft to stall in mid-air and crash in a fiery explosion.


    [I am saying this now, but none of you can kill him, okay?]

 Chapter 99: You shoot it again

    Despite their dominance over the earth, humans were actually quite fragile. Cut the nerves from their spine and head and they die instantly. Prevent the blood from circting and the same thing happens.


    But what was I looking at? I sent a {Counter} powered 7.62¡Á51mm NATO round through his crimson helmet. The bullet had enough power to not only shatter his headgear, but also tond on his skull. Helplessly both shattered causing his brain to explode outward.


    "Yet he did not die."


    Up to that point, I had killed Wraiths as I would humans. A bullet through the brain or heart would put anyone down for good. Among those I fought, the Draugrs were the only exception. Remembering the monsters, I naturally thought of Isolde Drache.


    "Wait, didn''t Isolde say something about phantoms?"


    ''If a reaper cannot unconsciously let go of his humanity. Thoughts like, ''This is not something a human can do,'' or, ''I am human, so I must do this. If a Wraith is filled with such reservations, he will never evolve past level 3 to be a Phantom.''


    ording to the Wyvern, in order for a Wraith to be a Phantom, he must give up his humanity. This begs the question, what was humanity?


    Most would say that anything with a human body was a human. Others believe that it is not the form, but rather the ability to think or reason that makes a person human. So what does it mean to lose your humanity?


    "AH! FUCK THAT! Let''s keep it simple!"


    I was never a good thinker, being stupid, I liked things simple. What do you do with a target that remains standing after being shot?


    "You shoot it again! Until it can no longer stand!"


    Knowing that I had to help the goldies, I sent another message to the defenderwork.


    [Keep him busy. Avoid my shot!]


    I had already used up my {Counter}, so I couldn''t send another powerful shot, but that didn''t mean I couldn''t mess Robert up some more.


    As he danced with the Yuddha Rakshas with golden weapons, I moved my crosshairs to the bastard''s heart.


    "If your head can''t be killed, how about your heart? EAT THIS!"


    I squeezed the trigger and another sniper round left my rifle.


    The melee was nearing it''s climax, Robert deftly defending himself against four opponents. Unable to focus on me, my bullet mmed into his back, piercing his breastte and exploding his heart.


    But then the blood from his armor melted and covered the hole in his armor. Like a sent, the blood closed the wound. Then blood gushed from his neck like a fountain. The fountain then began to manifest a vertical slit eye in its center.


    The "eye" then opened and looked in my direction. More blood formed a mouth with sharp fangs. Robert then continued to fend off the goldies as his new "face" stared in my direction.


    "You will regret this."


    FUCK! How the hell is he still standing? Was he fucking immortal like the Draugr? If a human no longer had the weaknesses of a human, then what were they?


    Since I had no answers, I quickly asked the oldest person here.


    "Krishna! The bastard is immortal! How do we kill him?"


    The moment I asked him, the Phantom suddenly appeared beside me, deep in thought. Surprised, I almost put a gun to his head. But not only did he ignore my reaction, he spoke thoughtfully.


    "This seems to be your first fight with a Phantom, yes?"


    I answered without taking my eyes off the yer. I said yes as I sent more bullets towards Robert. With the Mercenary''s new eyes focused on me, the rounds no longer connected. He rendered my support of the golds virtually useless.


    Krishna then continued. "I see, phantoms are no longer human. That is, unlike humans, they do not die even with their heads blown off or their hearts destroyed. The only way to kill them is to shatter their soul gem."


    "What?" I replied confused.


    "Shattering a reaper''s soulgem is the only way to kill a reaper above Wraith rank. Most hide the gem or move it around their bodies. Since skills to see them are rare, battles between phantoms take a long time to finish."


    "Why don''t you help your men, Krishna? Aren''t you strong yourself?"


    The Indian in front of me gritted his teeth in frustration.


    "I would if I could, Smith John. My {Fate} is called {Captain''s Sword}. Those who have sworn to be my {Vassals} have had their {Fates} transformed. The weapons they acquire have my knowledge and experience etched into their bodies. Aspensation, I cannot engage inbat."


    What?


    Didn''t that mean that Krishna could take a fishing vige and turn it into a veteran army? Instead of fighting as an individual, He could fight as an army. His army would not even need training.


    "What a ridiculous {fate}. No wonder the punishment is so severe."


    "Smith John, are you joking? Your {fate} is just as ridiculous. I saw you almost die, and yet you are here unharmed! Aren''t you invoking eight {Fates} in a row? If I hadn''t seen your determination to end the Corpse Eater, I would have thought you were a demon."


    Hearing the familiar insinuation, I guess I was a broken character to other people as well. If what Krishna said was true, then even bad {Fates} could be transformed into powerful fighters under {Captain''s Sword}. It might raise his army, but it also meant that they would be bound by his limitation forever.


    ''Giving them his experience was a double-edged sword. Since there is no one weaker than Krishna, there can be no one stronger than him too,'' I muttered.


    "I will exinter. How do we win? My {Fate} can allow me to see other people''s Soulgems, but for some reason I cannot see his."


    "Then that means the yer has a Soul Gem that masks his presence. He chose to kill me during a defensive battle. Until the defense isplete, I and my people cannot leave here," the phantom replied.


    At his words, I found out how cunning Robert was. He was using the sealing of the defense zone to trap his prey like a rat. If I could not kill him, the next best thing was to let Krishna survive.


    "Okay, then I will finish the defense so you and your men can get out."


    "Hurry, the golden ones are my elite. If they die, we will be annihted."


    "Wait, if Phantoms cannot be killed by normal means, how can Robert kill the Goldies?" I asked curiously.


    "The only rule for Soulgems is that they must be connected to the Reaper''s human form. The yer is notorious for butchering his enemies into paste. Such a fighting style will ensure that Soulgems will be found."


    Then I picked up my rifle and started sprinting up the coliseum. The other members of the Yuddha Rakshas just stared wordlessly at the four-on-one match between the Phantoms. Much like me, they epted that their efforts were futile.


    "{Regen} Aira, how many?"


    [My lord, there are still 18 E-rank Imps].


    I scanned the immediate crimson sky and could not see any.


    "Are you sure? I cannot see any of them! Where are they?"


    [My lord, the Imps have raised their altitude in fear of the yer].


    "Shit! Does this mean that as long as even one of them remains, the sealed zone cannot be broken?"


    [Yes, my lord, that is the case. If what Reaper Krishna Sangan said is to be believed. The yer deliberately chose the Imps because he knew their tendencies].


    "FUCK! He has no ns to let Krishna or his men leave. Aira! I will fly again!"


    I then began to detonate the M26 grenades, using the explosions as propulsion.


    But as I rose, I saw a sight I would never forget. Still in {Mage} I heard the foreignnguage the Yuddha Rakshas spoke as English.


    "Commander Krishna, it was an honor to fight with you. Please take care of my family."


    "I swear on my {Fate}."


    "Commander Krishna, tell my father that I did my best! We will go on!"


    "Commander, please tell my son that Mommy loves him the most."


    "Commander, tell my wife I am sorry, and I will marry her again in my next life!"


    "I will. Rest easy, I will do the rest. Forgive me." Krishna dered somberly.


    Before I could even wonder what was going on, I saw the wave of Wraiths throwing themselves into the melee. Each bodysted only a second, but those precious seconds gave the goldies time to attack.


    "No! Krishna! STOP THEM!" I roared!


    One by one, the yer''s arms and legs were bound to the bodies or corpses of the Yuddha Rakshas. Every blow the goldies inflicted was due to Wraiths sacrificing themselves for the opportunity.


    Robert''s "eye" red as his mouth spoke in disgust.


    "Get off me, insects!"


    Panic and frustration washed over me. For all my bragging about my strength, I was pathetic when it counted. I didn''t know any of them, but their sacrifices and goodbyes broke my heart. If I were in the same situation, could I offer my life so willingly?


    "AIRA! We have to kill the Imps NOW!"


    The pain of my burning hands and feet felt mildpared to the agony in my heart. Some of the Yuddha Rakshas were teenagers and women. Knowing they would die one way or another, they gave themselves up for the chance to see Krishna survive.


    "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" I screamed in anger.


    My hands, scorched with third-degree burns, gripped my weapons as I destroyed the Imps. In the ten minutes it took to kill all the demonkin, dozens of Yuddha Rakshas fell to the yer''s attack. The sadness, fighting spirit, and farewells of the warriorssted the entire time.


    [Confirmed. There are no enemies left. The defense of zone 1081-1 ispleted.]


    Krishna then shouted at the top of his voice!


    "DEFENDER AUTHORITY! BANISH! TARGET THE SLAYER!"


    {Confirming Defender Authority! Execute banish! Target yer!}


    As I felt arge gathering in the sky, souls and a skybeam descended around the P1 mercenary. The Goldies around him distanced themselves at that moment. Robert''s body then dissolved into light and was sucked into the night sky.


    With his exit, the crimson sky disappeared, and the battlefield fell silent. I rushed down to help heal the Yuddha Rakshas.


    The sight I saw was horrifying. Heads split in half, faces torn across the ground. Arms and legs crushed and strewn about. Bodies mutted beyond recognition.


    Numerous cries of pain and agony echoed into the night. I found Krishna staring silently over one of the golds. The gold''s body was bent like a pretzel with its torso cut into quarters. Although he shed no tears, Krishna was visibly distraught.


    I could only offer my sincere condolences. "I am sorry for your loss, if only I had moved a little faster. I apologize for being weak."


    Krishna then stood up and took off his helmet.


    "Smith John, without you we would have been annihted. Instead of saying you failed them. I consider it as you saved everyone who is still here. Thank you."


    At his words, instead of relief, all I felt was bitterness. I had to get stronger. Much, much stronger.

 Chapter 100: Curse of the weak

    Krishna approached me and offered me his hand. I shook hands with him in return for his gesture. His eyes were still firm with fiery determination despite the anguish. I was in awe of this man''s resilience.


    When I asked Aira about the original 125 Reapers present, only 40 survived. The total fatalities were 80 Wraiths and one Phantom. Those who remained all bowed or hugged me as I passed. The despair we all felt was enough to break our wills.


    This was not the work of the undead. It was purely human malice. The thirst for revenge and the fear of death shrouded everyone present. We all wanted to kill the yer, but right now none of us were strong enough.


    "This is the curse of the weak," I muttered.


    After a brief mass funeral for the deceased, Krishna called me to one side.


    "Smith, John. My people and I won''t forget your kindness. Thank you for grieving with us. I have signed your deployment order and have given you a bonus."


    "There is no need, Krishna, just give me what was originally discussed. Use the rest for the Forsaken. Where are you all? Do you live in America?" I asked.


    "Thank you for your understanding, my friend. No, we are not in America, we are in Hyderabad. My people and I are, simply put, the equivalent of refugees on the North American battlefront."


    Refugees? In Hellsgate? Unable to understand, I pressed the matter further.


    "I''m sorry, Krishna, tonight is my first night in Hellsgate, so I may not understandmon sense yet. What do you mean by refugees?"


    Krishna took a moment before answering. "We left the Asian battlefront. Li Wudi treats the lives of Reapers worse than dirt. With the massive poptions of India and China, he uses Wraiths like cannon fodder."


    The man in front of me practically spat out every word in anger. His face and bodynguage said everything about how he felt about the situation.


    "I couldn''t stand his tyranny, so I took my people and forcibly emigrated in Hellsgate."


    "You what?" I asked stupidly.


    "I took my people in Hellsgate and we traveled between the zones. The path is fraught with danger, but such a journey is possible."


    Of course, I could tell from the girls'' situation that traveling between the battlefronts was no easy task. But who knew that one could travel between the continents through Hellsgate.


    Nodding in understanding, I remained silent. I was familiar with the problems of war refugees and immigration.


    From what I knew of Krishna and his forces, they did not desert forck of courage. No one would want to use his life for something worthless.


    It was easy to say that desertion was wrong and that Krishna should be executed, but in reality the world was all shades of gray.


    "I will not judge you or the Yuddha Rakshas. I am not worthy to do so, so I won''t pry. I may not know what happened, but I know of the bravery of your {vassals}. I offer my assistance should you need me again."


    Krishna then pulled my hand and gave me a big bear-hug.


    "Thank you brother. Know that after today, no matter what happens, the Yuddha Rakshas and I stand with you.


    In both the East and the West, the term sworn brother or blood brother meant the same thing. Regardless of race, gender, or age, people who endure hardship together naturally form bonds of loyalty and brotherhood.


    I may not know much about Krishna, but I knew he wouldn''t utter such words lightly. Like Isolde, the caliber of their characters would put even the most noble knights to shame.


    After helping as much as I could, I made my way to a deserted area in zone 1081-1, which I called the Coliseum.


    As I walked in silence, Aira began to show her concern for my mentality.


    [My Lord, would you like to take a break? You have already responded to six dirge sirens. Before tonight, the highest on record was 4 sirens.


    [No one would me you my lord if you wanted to rest. In another hour, the night will end and you will return to Earth.]


    Listening to her words, it has indeed been an exhausting night.


    I fought my first battle at the lone house.


    Met Jack Moses and Scott Davis at the fort.


    Fought on horseback with Joshua and Ang on the ins.


    Duels with the Draugrs followed with Isolde.


    Then I rescued Mike and Santiago in the ruins zone while dealing with Savior.


    And the series of battles with Krishna and Robert was the one I just finished.


    Truly, the amount of work I did tonight was leagues above everyone else. Despite not being able to save everyone, I managed to finish off the undead in all six zones.


    That was enough. I have already aplished more than most. My body might not be broken, but my mind was already spent. The amount of suffering and heartache I had suffered tonight wed at my soul.


    However, when I thought of resting, my mind drifted to the reapers I had met. Without me, tonight would have been thest night for most of them.


    Their words echoed one after the other.


    ''My name is Jack Moses. I have protected this zone for 15 years, and thanks to you, I can die with my pride intact.''


    ''John, thank you for saving us. Because you came, my father''s legacy has been preserved. I am grateful.''


    ''Hahahaha, I like your courage, Death Seeker. All right! Let''s go! Tell me your name!''


    ''White Boy, you have big balls! Smaller than Oppa''s, but still big!''


    ''{Dragon''s Vow}. As payment for today, I will give you one battle. I will fight any enemy you choose, even if it means my death. Thank you for saving Ami. And thank you for listening to my story.''


    ''Frankly, I thought I was about to suck lighthouses. Thank you for not abandoning us my friend.''


    ''Sounds like we''re in the presence of a mighty fine badass Santi. Mike Walker. Thanks foring John. No matter what happens, we will repay the favor.''


    ''Thank you brother. Know that after today, no matter what happens, the Yuddha Rakshas and I stand with you.''


    Then I heard Be''s description of the Reaper curse once more.


    ''Look honey, bing a reaper isn''t all sunshine and rainbows. You get to live temporarily at a cost. While we get to return to Earth every day, we are also forced to return here every night to fight. As long as Hell''s Gate remains open, the reapers will never be truly free.''


    How many Reapers died each night? Since I could only help one zone at a time, how many dirge sirens went unanswered throughout the evening? Did they be desperate when no one came?


    When I died alone as a human, I knew exactly how it felt to die abandoned by the world. Could I really do that to others?


    I was Formless, no one believed I could make a difference. Even my girls thought so.


    ''There is no record of a Formless even bing a Phantom! That''s how weak we are! Just give up! Don''t you think I want the opposite?! How can we survive in this ce?! This is all pointless!


    I should never have agreed to join the Reapers! It is all hopeless!''


    ''You are too arrogant, you fool! A few tricks might help you. But iming to close the Hellsgate as a Formless is a delusion! The Formless are trash! And you want to close Hellsgate? With what?


    Bullets? No true demon would be this stupid. Josephine,e, we are leaving!''


    Despite the reality. I made such grand ims like a child.


    ''I will be a Revenant and close Hellsgate.''


    ''I am, but only for now. Mark my words, Revenant, I will be the one to surpass you and close Hellsgate''


    ''Wait for me. I will kick so much zombie ass by the time I am done, being Formless will be like a badge of honor.''


    Against all reason, the girls were the first to believe in me.


    ''Both, I am his right hand and his woman. My king will be the 8th Revenant, the leader of the Formless and in the future the strongest Revenant. You saw the conviction of my sisters, right?''


    ''Yes. I do. I have, even before my father acknowledged you. So please allow me to follow you, John Smith. Please let me stay by your side. I won''t be a burden, I promise.


    And when the timees, show me the way.''


    I talked a big game, but inside I was still the same insecure man living a meaningless life. Was what I was sacrificing blood and sweat for making even a small difference?


    If the girls heard of my achievement, would they be proud? For a Formless, this was already good, right? I should have proven that Formless were not trash!


    Everyone called me crazy and praised my results, but few knew the mental toll it took to keep going.


    But anything worth achieving required sacrifice.


    As my ambitions reached their peak, I had to do far more than what themon reaper would do.


    "So what if it barely makes a difference? If I wish to be a Revenant, I would have to fight until I could fight no longer. What was I even afraid of?" I reasoned.


    Steeling my will, I roared in the loudest voice I could muster. As if to drive the fear and uncertainty out of my system, I continued to roar into the sky.


    "HEAR ME, HELLSGATE! I AM JOHN SMITH! I WILL BE THE ONE TO CLOSE YOUR SORRY ASS! DO YOUR WORSE! YOU HAVE YET TO FIGHT A BASTARD LIKE ME!"


    My blood burned with fighting spirit. I had just remembered. I am me, not someone else. Only I could determine what I would eventually be. Haven''t many people been shocked by my abilities?


    "I have not reached my limit yet! Aira is sending me to another P4 zone! Until the moment I am thrown out of Hellsgate, I will fight till thest second!"


    [Yes, my lord!]


    I closed my eyes and calmed my mind. This would be myst battle of the night. I must make it count.


    [My Lord, a new zone has been chosen, please announce your intent]


    {Reaper NA20230799-FRM, John Smith reporting for battle}


    {Wee John Smith, initiating summoning. Entering zone 1101-1 in 3...2...1...}


    ***


    When Inded in the seventh zone, Aira gave me the sit rep.


    [My Lord, wee to Zone 1101-1. There were three Wraiths and one Phantom deployed in this zone. All were killed in battle. The enemy force consists of one D level undead brute].


    "That''s it? Just one undead brute?"


    [My Lords, the records show that three D-ss undead have arrived, while two have already been killed.]


    "Hmm..."


    Then I saw a familiar-looking beast from the enlistment. Looking at its ugly face made me feel nostalgic.


    "How many times do we have to do this old man?" I joked.

 Chapter 101: Just a reaper

    Thest deployment left a bad taste in my mouth. My job was just to kill the undead. But every time a reaper died, I couldn''t help but think I should have done more.


    To me, it was a simple mistake; to them, it was the end of their lives.


    This disparity tranted into very different mentalities. Even though I had saved 40 reapers from the Colosseum, the arrogant bastard in me felt that I had let 80 die. I knew that kind of thinking was self-destructive. After all, I was neither a god nor a deity.


    "I''m just a Reaper," I said through clenched teeth.


    Still, it was rare for people to know what they would aplish in their lives. The only ones who knew were MCs from anime and manga. Unconsciously, I copied them by constantly shouting that I would be the strongest Revenant.


    Perhaps there was magic in having a clear vision. If I constantly saw myself as nothing less than a Revenant, then even Rank A''s would be nothing, right? Throughout the night, I felt my confidence and faith waver several times.


    Less than a week ago, I was simply an auditor for the Department of Transportation. Now I was a Death Seeker for the Reapers. Only one thing could destroy my fear andck of confidence. It was action and results.


    "Aira, can you summarize the results of my deployments tonight?"


    [Yes, my Lord!]


    For some reason, Aira seemed enthusiastic.


    A week ago, I might have been an ordinary human. During the enlistment, I was nothing more than an ordinary Wraith. But after tonight, I was a Death Seeker. This would be my new identity. My new purpose.


    [My Lord, here are your deployment records]


    Mission 1: Priority 5 - Zone 1063-2 (Lone House)


    Enemies: 200 Rank F, 1 Rank E Chief


    Fatalities: 3 Wraiths, 1 Phantom


    Survivors: N/A


    Results: Zone reimed, undead annihted.


    Mission 2: Priority 5 - Zone 1084-3 (The Fort)


    Enemies: 50 Rank F, 1 Rank E Undertaker


    Fatalities: 1 Wraiths, 1 Phantom


    Survivors: Scott Davis


    Results: Zone defended, undead annihted.


    Mission 3: Priority 4 - Zone 1091-1 (ins)


    Enemies: 570 Rank F, 2 Rank E Cyclops


    Fatalities: 21 Wraiths, 1 Phantom


    Survivors: Joshua Hwang | Ang Kim


    Results: Zone defended, undead annihted.


    Mission 4: Priority 4 - Zone 1093-2 (Wyvern)


    Enemies: 150 Rank F, 5 Rank E Undertakers, 25 Rank D Draugrs


    Fatalities: 0


    Survivors: Isolde Drache


    Results: Zone defended, undead annihted.


    Mission 5: Priority 5 - Zone 1023-2 (Ruins)


    Enemies: 162 Rank F, 1 Rank E Giant


    Fatalities: 0


    Survivors: Julius Caytiffe | ze | Titan | Santiago Gonzalez | Mike Walker


    Results: Zone defended, undead annihted.


    Mission 6: Priority 4 - Zone 1081-1 (Colosseum)


    Enemies: 800 Rank F, 25 Rank E Imps, 1 Rank D Corpse Eater


    Fatalities: 80 Wraiths, 1 Phantom


    Survivors: Krishna Sangan | Yuddha Rakshas x 40 | Robert Acwen


    Results: Zone defended, undead annihted.


    "How many Reapers did I save, how many undead did I kill?"


    [My Lord, the total number of Reapers you saved is 54. The total number of undead terminated is 1,625 Rank Fs, 35 Rank Es, 1 Rank D.]


    "Wow, I guess the Corpse Eater missile and jumping off a cliff boosted the numbers."


    [My Lord, ording to the avable records, such results for a single night are worthy of high-level Specters].


    "Not Revenants?" I asked jokingly.


    [My lord, unfortunately, since Revenants are deployed during floor breaks, their kills are usually worth ten times that of the highest Specters].


    Feeling a little proud, my childish side of wanting to be praised came out. My parents never gave me much approval. School and work were not much better. I could be proud of my aplishments, right?


    "Did I do well, Aira?"


    [My Lord, please have more confidence in yourself. Because of your actions, six zones did not fall and over 50 reapers will see the morning].


    Regardless of my failures, the fact remains that I made a positive impact, no matter how small it may have been.


    [My Lord, you have done very well. If nothing else, I am proud to serve under such a Mercenary].


    "Thank you, Aira."


    [My Lord, this is only your first night. Tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. Should you continue to show such numbers, the change you wish to see will definitelye. It is not just a possibility. It is a mathematical certainty.]


    Since Aira had a front row seat to my entire journey, I felt her emotions through her words.


    Sometimes I wonder if she really was an AI.


    With my heart feeling lighter, I stared at the Rank D Bruteing towards me. If this was going to be myst kill for the night, I wanted to go out with a bang.


    "May I ask you to bear with me for one more zone, Aira?"


    [Yes, my Lord!]


    Hearing her ecstatic reply, I thanked this AI from the bottom of my heart. Then I remembered the promise I had made to Lilly.


    ''I will kill enough undead so that fewer reapers are needed. I will kill enough so that IRIS doesn''t even have to make the world a shittier ce. And when I am strong enough. I will close Hellsgate.''


    Right, I was neither smart nor talented. But for my goal. I could not stop. With my mind made up and my resolve renewed. I prepared for myst battle of the night.


    It was the same enemy, but unlike thest time, I didn''t have any of the girls with me. The thought of them made me smile. What would they say about my stories?


    "Jo and Robyn would be over the moon. Aki and Jas would probably nod silently. Liv and Lilly would ask to join me. Be wouldin about how much I cheated."


    "ROOOOOARRRRR!"


    The angry bellow of the hulking Rank D broke me out of my trance. I no longer cared about those who died in this zone. I just had to make sure I killed this motherfucker.


    "Reload. {Draw} M26, {Pack}, {Carry}, {Aim}, {Snipe}, {Perceive}. Let us say hello with this, shall we?"


    Borrowing moves from Joshua and Ang, I coiled my arm and threw the grenades like baseballs. At 15 feet, the Brute wasrger than the Undead Giant, but smaller than the Cyclops, yet it was higher than both at Rank D.


    The Rank E Giant boasted toughness, but my bullets could still prate it. The Cyclops, on the other hand, only took 10-gauge rounds, but even a 5.56 could injure its eye. When I fought the Brute during enlistment, all I had was a 1911 pistol.


    But now? I had an entire armory!


    The M26 grenades, thanks to Jasmine and Robyn''s {Fates}, exploded on the Brute. As the smoke and dust settled. The Brute lumbered forward without a scratch.


    "Tsk. {Draw} M24 {Mage}. Lets see if there is a weakness, then {Reveal}!"


    Arge, round gem on its throat shone like a small sun in my vision.


    ''Its weakness was its Adam''s apple? Well, whatever.''


    I squeezed the trigger and fired a shot at the beast''s weak spot. Surprisingly, the behemoth raised its hand, blocking and protecting it''s neck. The bullet made a pitiful sound and bounced away.


    "Tsk.Looks like I have to endure another beating. Fortunately, while the girls are not around to throw me, I can now fly to some extent."


    I then pulled out all my grenades and sucked in the explosions with {Store}. At that moment, my soulgem burned and granted me another {Kismet}. Feeling dizzy, I posed like Iron Man as I summoned my newest ability.


    "Hell yeah! {Booster}!"


    Simr to my experiment with the Corpse Eater, my stored explosions would now be a resource I could use. {Booster}bined the agility of {Thief} with {Regen}, {Suffer}, and {Withdraw}.


    This allowed me to fly with an explosive thrust while burning my hands and feet. However, with {Regen}, it would be manageable. The pain from the burning would allow me to charge {Suffer}.


    As I shot off the ground like a rocket, I used my hands to stabilize myself. It didn''t work as well as I''d hoped. Fortunately, part of {Thief} allowed me topensate with enhanced senses and agility.


    Flying wobbly, I finally made my way to the Brute. I ced my palms forward to break the air and steadied my legs to point at the ground. I stopped about 500 yards from the undead.


    "This damn bncing is harder than I thought," Iined.


    But no matter the pain or difficulty, being able to fly was too good to pass up. I would probably get better at it over time.


    "{Draw} M60. Have a taste!"


    I pulled the trigger and fired at the brute''s body. I used my legs to direct the thrust, pushing me either to the left or the right.


    {Code} allowed {Booster} to follow my instincts. The power of the explosive force on my feet grew stronger or weaker ording to my thoughts. While the M60 had yet to be {Fated}, the recoil could be countered by {Booster}.


    Unfortunately, as expected, the bullets did little to damage the D rank''s armor-like skin. The undead brute simply walked forward, trying to hit me with wide swings of his arms.


    "Tsk. Guess we''ll have to try the old-fashioned way."


    I sheathed the M60 and flew toward the brute''s shoulders. Large volcano-like organs upied the shoulders of this undead. I didn''t know what they were for, but they served as excellent blind spots for me to hide in.


    "1887. {Mage}. Here goes nothing."


    I ran from the shoulders across the brute''s body to its neck. Its arms tried to p me to death as it mmed its open palm across its shoulders.


    "This must be how bugs feel," Unwilling to back down, I cocked the shotgun and fired rounds at the beast''s fingers.


    Almost nothing happened unfortunately, as the bullets were stopped by the skin like bulletproof armor.


    "Well, that didn''t work. I will need higher caliber weapons soon. Maybe even a portable missileuncher."


    As a Formless, I didn''t have the ability to evolve my weapons, instead I had to buy them like a capitalist.


    Luckily, there were several calibers above the ones I use now. So I wasn''t really worried.


    I jumped off the shoulder and used {Booster} to move directly in front of the beast''s Adam''s apple. Then I spin-cocked the 1887, pouring all the kic energy from {Suffer} into a single bullet.


    "Here, keep the change."


    The sound of a powerful gunshotunched my supercharged bullet. It finally pierced the brute''s thick skin. Blood and flesh erupted as the weak spot was brutally prated by my lead slug.


    Before I could finish the final blow, a skybeam fell to the far right of the zone. Along with it came the deafening wail of a horn.


    [My Lord, a P1 mercenary has entered the zone.]


    "What?! Who?!"


    Chills crept up my spine as I imagined a rematch with the yer.


    [My Lord, it is Dominic Maegester...]


    "Who the fuck is that?" I asked in irritation.


    [The other high-ranking mercenary of the Savior, the one called Machiavelli.]


    "Fuck, give me a break."

 Chapter 102: I am Limitless

    I immediately broke off the fight with the Brute andnded at a safe distance from it. I knew it would still follow me, but I wanted to keep my cards close to my chest. After the debacle with the yer, I didn''t know if these bastards were here for revenge.


    "After all, if they wanted to kill Krishna, a missed opportunity would make another attempt extremely difficult.


    Assassination reliesrgely on the element of surprise. If your target knew you wereing, they would take steps to make sure you failed. In retrospect, the n they came up with was frighteningly good.


    The hundred Rank Fs would keep Krishna''s army busy. While the Imps and the Corpse Eater wouldn''t even get involved. This meant that the Reapers were effectively sealed in the zone, and the only ones who could get in were the Death Seekers.


    Using a failsafe for survival as a means to murder people was very despicable. Krishna and I co-signed a report that would let the Nightmare know that the Saviors were out of control. ying the snitch was bad, but when lives were at stake, I had no choice.


    "The main reason is that I am not strong enough to do anything yet," Imented.


    Two more sirens followed immediately after the first. Not knowing what it meant, I asked my partner.


    "Aira, there were two more sirens. What do they mean?"


    [My Lord, Machiavelli has two known {Vassals}, one named Kid and another named Gramps. The following sirens were for them. Being a {Vassal} of a Death Seeker means being able to assist them in missions.]


    "Huh? So if I can get Scott and the others to be my {Vassals}, we can kick ass together."


    [Yes, my lord, that would be the case].


    "Okay, sounds good. {Thief}. Lets have a look at what they would do."


    As I chatted with my AI, the Brute continued to follow me with slow steps. I didn''t want to engage yet, not knowing what Machiavelli and his thugs were up to.


    But something unexpected happened. The D rank suddenly stopped moving and stood still. It turned and faced the Savior''s Reapers like a watchman. At that moment, a childish voice came across the sky.


    "JOHN SMITH! ARE YOU HERE?"


    ''Shit, they really came for me,'' I couldn''t help but exim inwardly.


    I stopped running and cautiously approached. There was nothing to be gained by fleeing. And since I was only P4, I couldn''t escape even if I wanted to.


    Three figures traveled through the sky, one was flying in a floating chair, the other two were running across the rooftops, like cultivators in Eastern novels, they leapt like leopards, lithe and powerful.


    The Zone itself looked like a post-apocalyptic city. Numerous dpidated skyscrapers dotted the battlefields. Intersections grouped the tall structures into sections. It looked like a modern city that had survived the end of the world.


    I ran, using the buildings and cover as I approached the Reapers of the Savior. Finally, I saw what they looked like.


    Kid was an Asian-looking boy in a martial-arts outfit. He would be harmless if not for the evil-looking polearm in his hands.


    Gramps was a bald Asian elder with a white beard. His body was bare, but his rippling muscles would put most bodybuilders to shame. He had a pair of ck shades on his face, yet he moved with ease.


    The floating chair had the Machiavelli Dominic Maegester. His face was smiling for some reason as they approached the Brute. From the moment they arrived until now, the D-rank undead remained still.


    "I guess it is safe to say that Dominic''s {Instigator} helps him either tame or control the undead like puppets," I analyzed from a distance.


    Before I could think what to do next, the beast turned and pointed at my position. All three reapers saw me and approached.


    Dominic was the first to speak. "Hahaha, the Brute has the ability to detect souls within a thousand kilometers. So you won''t be able to hide from it, and therefore from me."


    Unable to think of a way out, I just walked out into the open while addressing them.


    "Well, you got me, what do you want?"


    The fat bastard got up from his seat and bowed before introducing himself.


    "Pleased to meet you John. Dominic Maegester, Priority 1 Mercenary. I havee to offer you a deal."


    "Deal?" I repeated.


    "Yes. You see, two reports you filed have put our operations in quite a predicament. Our organization would greatly appreciate it if you would withdraw them."


    He smiled and snapped his fingers. Kid and Gramps came down and took out what looked like soulgems and ced them on the floor.


    "We would like to give you 10,000 souls and a soulgear of your choice for your acquiescence. An excellent deal, if I may say so myself."


    The first report was about Julius Caytiffe. The bastard was using Adventurers as bait and wanted to bury them with the undead. Probably because he was stupid and didn''t know about demolition, the cave-in didn''t happen.


    The second report was the one where Robert Acwen used his Mercenary warp privileges to assassinate the defender of Zone 1081-1, Krishna Sangan. Krishna and I couldn''t pinpoint the use of the undead, but we were sure he had something to do with it.


    While in the first case there were no casualties due to my intervention, the second one did. Of the 81 Reapers who died, 60 were killed by the yer.


    Personally, I had nothing to lose by retracting my reports. But what if Julius and Robert turned on other Reapers? What if I became their target one day?


    This was the ssic dilemma of cops and criminals. Should I resist Dominic''s offer? I would not only have to fight him, but also two Wraiths and a D-rank undead.


    "Chop chop, decide quickly, my friend. I do not have all night. Take this deal, I know you are Formless. That is why you use firearms, correct? It would be difficult for someone like you to amass such a fortune. You even get a B-ss Soulgear," Dominic continued.


    Sweat ran down my brow as I carefully considered what to do. epting was the easy choice. But what would Mike and Santiago say if I epted? What would Krishna think?


    I used to think I didn''t care what others thought of me. But somehow knowing I was going to betray those who trusted me tore at my conscience.


    [My Lord, I advise you to ept this deal. Death will be a certainty if we fight the four of them].


    I knew that. I wanted to change Hellsgate, but I needed to be alive to do anything. I still had over an hour before I had to leave this ce. Could I survive to fight not only the Brute, but Dominic''s group at the same time?


    Why was I even debating this? I owed Mike, Santiago and Krishna nothing. They were just acquaintances I had met that night and I had already saved them. If they were in my position, they wouldn''t hesitate, would they?


    My pulse quickened as my heart worked overtime from the stress. Visions of my death began to enter my mind as I considered what to do. My breath began to feel ragged and my muscles stiffened.


    Despite all the logic telling me to ept his deal, my heart remained fixated on refusing. It felt like if I epted, I would lose a part of myself. Would I be able to truly trust anyone if I went around betraying others?


    Unconsciously, my body began to shake with fear as I looked at Dominic and his thugs. The shadow of the Brute also appeared like a hunting dog, waiting for themand to attack. My mind, which was trying to think of a way out, began to go nk at the hopelessness of the situation.


    ''What am I going to do? Why are they doing this to me? I never wanted any of this! All I wanted was to shut down Hellsgate! It was a noble task, why are you preventing me from doing it?!


    ''Am I so special that you have to harass me like this? Who the hell do you think I was? I was just a nobody!'' I shouted inwardly.


    But then that single thought silenced all the noise.


    Who was I?


    I was John Smith, and I was a nobody. But hadn''t John Smith already died?


    If I was no longer John Smith, then who was I?


    My body suddenly calmed down as if it had been doused with ice-cold water. All the fear, tension, and anxiety began to fade away. And in its ce a fighting spirit awoke.


    "I am Limitless," I murmured softly.


    I was no longer human. I was a Reaper, a Death Seeker, and in the future, the strongest Revenant.


    Sure, John Smith was a coward and trash. But Limitless was not. No. Limitless was a tough as nails bastard who fought to the death without fear.


    Limitless killed over a thousand zombies in a single night. He saved over fifty people and kept six zones from falling.


    Then who the fuck were these bastards supposed to be? A single Phantom, two Wraiths, and a 15-foot Rank D? That was it? And they were going to challenge Limitless? These fuckers must be dreaming.


    Yeah, Limitless was everything I wanted to be. What would he do in this situation? John Smith would definitely ept the deal. But if it was Limitless?


    Fuck that. Limitless would never bow to anyone.


    Not even a Revenant.


    At the thought of North America''s would-be superhero, my body began to tremble again. Not because I was afraid, but because my body was twisted into knots by my desire to fight.


    Even a monster like David Thomas recognized my worth. ording to Lily, the data about my abilities was under a gag order. So like me, these bastards probably couldn''t see what my {Fate} was even after seeing my mercenary profile.


    ''If they knew I was weak, they wouldn''t have even bothered to offer me a deal. They would have just killed me outright like Robert did,'' I concluded.


    They knew I was someone they couldn''t mess with because of the Revenant''s gag order. So they could only try to bribe me into silence with a small fortune and some equipment.


    If so, I was the one with the upper hand, not them. Suddenly, the whole situation seemed rather funny. Unconsciously, myughter began to slip out.


    "What seems funny, John?" Dominic asked politely.


    Even from this distance I could see his annoyance by the tightness of his face.


    "You seem to be misunderstanding something you fat bastard." I arrogantly dered.


    "And what mistake did we make?"


    "What makes you think those reports were because I wanted Nightmare to know?"


    Hearing my words, Machiavelli and his floating chair began to retreat.


    "Then why did you file them?" He asked nervously.


    I replied with a smile. "What if I just wanted a war with the Saviors?"

 Chapter 103: How far I have come

    "What? Are you mentally ill?" said the fat bastard in front of me in an angry voice.


    Taking my acting to the next level, I added more fuel to the fire.


    "You call your organization such a ridiculous name. Saviors? Pft! You are just a bunch of thugs and wannabes. Has pretending to be good people somehow made you feel better, little Dom?"


    "RIDICULOUS! The Saviors are a legitimate organization that exists to..." Dominic tried to exin.


    From his demeanor, he seemed to be an intellectual who loved to lecture. His title, Machiavelli, pretty much said everything I needed to know. Not letting them talk was the best way to mess with smart people.


    "I''m not interested in your long-winded exnations, you fat bastard. Your group condones desertion and the murder of Reapers. To me you are all garbage!"


    An angry Dominic sat down in his lounge chair as he spoke.


    "Mr. Smith. John. I''ve been pretty amicable, haven''t I? On the other hand, you have been nothing but discourteous, could you please exercise proper manners? We are all Reapers who want to..."


    "I keep telling you, you talk too much! {BOOSTER}!"


    I ignited the soles of my feet and flew towards the floating chair, perhaps not expecting me to suddenlye for him, Dominic visibly panicked and raised his arms.


    "Wait! I was hasty! I apologize! I want..."


    My sudden movement allowed me to reach him before he could finish. I then grabbed him by the cor and pulled him up.


    "I meant what I said, pig. I only want one thing! Revenge against the yer. Tell him I aming for him and I will destroy your motley crew while I am at it."


    "Hiii!" Unable to form an answer, Dominic tried to cover his face with his arms, afraid that I would bash his ugly face in.


    Seeing his gutless cowardice confirmed my suspicions. It also stroked my sadism. I wanted to make this pig suffer.


    "{Draw} 1887. Phantoms shouldn''t die so easily, right?"


    I took the shotgun and smashed his arms away from his body. I then shoved it into his jaw.


    Before I added, "My name is not John Smith. It is Limitless. And you will regret picking a fight with me!"


    "WAII..."


    Before Dominic could finish his words, I pulled the trigger and blew off everything above his jaw. My actions caused his blood and brain matter to rain down on my suit in a bloody explosion.


    I then drove my heel into the belly of his headless body before kicking off the lounge chair.


    The two Wraiths with him finally reached me. They couldn''t fly, so they wasted time climbing buildings. The Kid swung his heavy looking halberd at me.


    "{Fighter}."


    I blocked his weapon with my left forearm and spin-cocked the 1887 with my right hand.


    "What?!" Surprise and rm gripped the young man''s face at my actions.


    "KID!" The old man suddenly stepped between us, shielding the child.


    Even though I felt the grandfather was admirable, I didn''t give a shit. So I pulled the trigger of the 1887 once more. With a loud bang, the semi-naked senior''s shoulder was destroyed by my attack.


    Kid then propped up the body of his partner, who seemed dazed from the pain. The old man''s shoulder was all shades of purple and ck while a bloody hole bled profusely.


    Quickly, the Kid dropped his weapon and jumped off the floating chair with the old man.


    "GRAMPA! Are you all right?" The Kid cried in concern.


    ''Hmm. The rtionship between the two seemed close.''


    I scanned the area and found the ttened body of Dominic. However, it began to wiggle and raised its hand pathetically.


    {Brute! KILL HIM!}


    "As expected, fighting Phantoms is going to be a pain in the ass."


    At that point, the Brute, who had been dormant the entire time, began to move. Acting a bit robotically, he charged at me with his fist raised.


    Looking at the state of my opponent, I marveled at what a change in mentality could do. The Brute who had struck fear into my heart earlier now looked awkward and sluggish.


    "Well, now''s as good a time as any. {Reload} {Draw} M26."


    I tossed a dozen grenades onto the chair and turned to face the Brute. The all-out charge I did at Dominic at lightning speed had drained all my reserves of fuel for {Booster}.


    I was in {Fighter} now, and it was my intention to tank all the damage while storing the massive explosion that followed. I touched my jacket and pants and cast {Regen}.


    ''Wouldn''t do to go out naked. Note to self, I need to find a better way to recharge {Booster}.''


    Due to the random nature of my {Kismet}, using them required a lot of consideration. Hopefully, when I get back to Earth, I can tweak them like I did over the weekend.


    As the grenades exploded, I endured the pain of the shrapnel and the immense heat which caused me to roar in agony.


    "{STOCK} EXPLOSION!"


    [My Lord, {Booster} has been charged to 100%. You have 300 seconds of normal thrust, 120 seconds of subsonic flight. 12 seconds of supersonic.]


    "{BOOSTER}!"


    I sent my body hurtling through the air like a rocket. My target, the charging Brute. As I disassociated myself from John Smith, my identity as Limitless began.


    "The world would know who I am tomorrow. So let us celebrate my birth with a bang!"


    The Brute tightened his fist as if it were about to throw a punch.


    Its actions looked familiar because I''ve endured such a fist before. Thest time, my girls threw me at its giant fist while I nearly died just to counterattack.


    "Let''s see how far I havee since then!"


    Not wanting to avoid the pain, I now felt that such hardship was my forging. Like a de, this was the way I had been tempered.


    By repeatedly bringing myself as close to death as possible, my tolerance and tenacity would grow by leaps and bounds.


    In two seconds, I crashed into the Brute like an egg against a wall. Just likest time, my arms, muscles, and entire body were crushed and regenerated in a delicate bnce of life and death.


    "ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"


    After a few moments, my heart began to burn, this was the inherent limit of {Suffer}. If I didn''t channel the energy, it would kill me. Knowing that I had only seconds to react, I switched sses. The moment to end this had finally arrived.


    "{MAGE}! SAY HELLO TO THE ONE I SENT BEFORE YOU, FUCKER! {BOOSTER} SUPERSONIC!"


    Using {Booster} I increased the power of my attack. Like a human missile, I used my body as a medium to send the {Counter} energy. The moment it left my body, the familiar bubbling of the zombie''s flesh began.


    Just like before, the kic energy traveled through the Brute''s entire body like an electric current. His skin swelled to outrageous proportions before finally popping like balloons. With his fall, my momentum sent me through the undead''s throat like a bullet.


    Unlike thest time, however, I didn''t fall after exiting. Instead of plummeting to my demise, I remained airborne. I couldn''t help but hear the screams of disbelief from the reapers of Savior.


    "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL! HOW THE FUCK IS THAT FORMLESS!" the fat bastard screamed.


    "GRAMPA! DID YOU SEE THAT! HE TOOK OUT A RANK D IN ONE BLOW!" eximed the Kid.


    "It looks like we finally met our match. He is a demon!" Lamented the old man.


    The brute''s body copsed like a building with my blow, {Counter} causing his body parts to explode one by one. Arge amount of ck blood rained down in the area as the D-ss met its maker.


    [Confirmed. There are no enemies left. The defense of zone 1101-1 has beenpleted].


    At that moment, a skybeamnded not far from us. I had no idea who it was, so I ignored it. Instead, I dropped to the ground around Dominic.


    Half of his head was covered with a shadow like me holding his face together.


    "Seeing reapers like this, we''re closer to zombies than humans, aren''t we? I asked rhetorically.


    "{Draw} P30L."


    Dominic, still in a state of shock, said nothing. Before I could shoot him, I saw a shadow move out of the corner of my eye.


    I dodged it by rolling to the ground. When I looked up, it was the Kid. Next to him was Gramps, holding his shoulder as ity lifeless at his side.


    From the shade of purple it turned, the old man''s right arm was fucked.


    "Don''t ignore me!" The child cried.


    With {Mage}, even though I could not move as fast, my eyes caught every move the child made. From what part of my body he was looking at, to what muscles he was using.


    Unable to react with speed, I decided to shoot his polearm instead. The repeated shots kept him from attacking for fear of what the bullets might do.


    "Fight like a man, you coward!" he shouted.


    "Coward? {Draw} M24."


    Then I swung the sniper rifle with one hand and pulled the trigger. As the Kid dodged the bullet, itnded on Grandpa''s right leg who was behind him.


    "Ack!"


    "Yeah. I''m a coward. What are you going to do about it, boy?"


    "Tsk! Gramps!"


    Probably because he was absent-minded, the senior didn''t seem to want to fight. But I could care less. He was here, he could be used. So I intended to do so.


    In anger, the Kid jumped into the air and brought his weapon to bear. I used the M24 like a sword and parried the polearm. I then shot him in the knee with the P30L.


    "AHHH!!!"


    "KID!"


    As the Kid fell to the ground in pain, the old man hobbled over to his grandson like a cripple.


    ''They were Wraiths, right? I should just finish them off now.''


    I walked towards the downed Wraiths while aiming the P30L at the Kid''s head. Although it looked like I was a heartless bastard, I could onlyment coldly.


    "If I were any weaker, I would be the one to die. So don''t me me, me your weakness."


    Just then, the old man on the ground invoked his {Fate}.


    "{Libra}."


    Souls flowed from the Oldman towards the Kid in absurd amounts. Then like magic, the kid suddenly grew to a middle-aged man and the Grampa regressed to his thirties.


    It was almost instantaneous, so I could not even stop it. But a bigger problem was that both of them had healed their injuries. They looked like buff twins except that one of them was wearing eyewear.


    When I opened fire with the P30L, the Kid spun his polearm and blocked my bullets.


    The next second, the Grampa charged and came up behind me.


    ''Shit! He was way too fast.''


    The former senior then sent a palm strike into my sr plexus. A strong shock sent my body flying. Before I could evennd, the Kid tried to decapitate me with a sh to my head.


    I blocked it with my forearm and lost my hand instead. As their fighting prowess jumped by almost a factor of ten, I could onlyment in satisfaction.


    "Good. At least try to entertain me, okay? {Regen}."

 Chapter 104: Do as you wish

    As my hand regenerated, I stared at them. They didn''t do anything as my bones reformed and my flesh reshaped itself. When my hand finally returned, I clenched a fist to test it and smiled.


    "Thanks for waiting."


    The reborn duo ignored me and said nothing. They seemed to have {Fates} that shared their vitality. The grandfather regained his youth, while the child aged. This ability must havee at a high price. Otherwise, they would be in this state all the time.


    Youth was meaningless in Hellsgate. As far as I knew, Reapers were immortal beings in human form. Be immediately figured out that when I said old man, I meant Rnd Winchester. This led me to believe that seniors were rare.


    "Not that it matters," I muttered.


    As if sharing a mind link, both Kid and Grampa simultaneouslyunched an attack on me. {Mage} had excellent eyesight and could tank damage, but it was slow. But for now, I tried to see what I could learn from the way they fought.


    "{Sheathe} M24, P30L. {Draw} Ebony, Ivory."


    I changed my weapons as they began to attack. Junior came first with arge horizontal sh. With my superior vision, I saw his actions the moment his shoulders began to move.


    I bent my knee to lower my stance as I brought my weapons to bear. Before I could fire, a lightning-fast kick knocked Ivory out of my left hand. Using the momentum of his kick, I turned my body, aiming Ebony at Grampa''s torso.


    As I squeezed the trigger, a polearm smashed the barrel of my gun downward. Unable to counter the force, my hand was disarmed.


    I tried to raise my knee to counter, but Grampa stepped into the arc of the polearm. He then sent his fist into my chest. Just like before, I was knocked back by the powerful blow.


    For some reason, neither of them came after me as I rolled away. It was a shame because I wanted to blow their faces off when they did. After spitting out some blood, I changed tactics.


    "{Draw} M26."


    "You intend to blow yourself up?" the Kid asked.


    "{Thief}"


    I didn''t answer and just let go of the grenades. I then smashed them with my fists at my opponents, simultaneously lunging at them.


    True to their martial arts skills, both of them nonchntly deflected the explosives without much fuss. But in the split second they looked away, I approached the Kid.


    Clearly the more emotional of the two, I grabbed his hand and pulled him abruptly aside.


    "What?! How are you so fa..."


    Before he could finish his sentence, I mmed him to the ground like a bag of garbage. This move became famous when Hulk did it to Loki in the first Avengers.


    Obviously stunned and unable to react quickly enough, I picked the kid up and knocked him down again.


    After two ms, Grandpa stepped forward and kicked me in the skull. The powerful blow nearly knocked me unconscious.


    Fortunately, {Regen} managed to keep my sanity intact. In retaliation, I grabbed the man''s foot and knocked him to the ground as well.


    Apparently, they were unable to understand my made up fighting style. When I turned around, the back of Junior''s head was already split open while Grandpa lost consciousness.


    Even though they had lost weight due to {Pack}, just being knocked to the ground was enough to cause concussions in their brains.


    "Time to end this. {BOOSTER}!"


    I then used my newest Kismet and began to burn the two in my hands. A massive burst of kic energy sent all three of us skyward. Their bodies, unused to such punishment, slowly cooked as the intense mes began to melt their flesh.


    "AHHH..."


    "Ugh!!!"


    Both were shocked into consciousness as their limbs experienced being burned alive. However, I wasn''t finished yet. I didn''t know martial arts. But I knew physics. I raised our altitude to about a thousand meters in the air and threw them in opposite directions.


    "{Draw} M24. {Mage}"


    Of the two, Grandpa was the more troublesome. His ability to change the pace of battle was astounding. Thus I took aim and sent a bullet towards the old man.


    With everything going on, his death was already written in stone.


    However, against all odds, arge undead hand suddenly grabbed Grandpa while another hand blocked the bullet. Its gray color was reminiscent of the undead Brute''s.


    When I looked outside my scope, I actually saw two Brutes catching the two I had just thrown.


    Dominic''s pompous voice began to gloat. "Haha, it took me a while, but I found them! Now you are dead John Smith!"


    He was back on the floating chair, his head and face now in one piece, if you ignored the ck lines that looked like stitches.


    It was true that the undead brutes were standing again, but their bodies were far too damaged to be considered a threat. One Brute had no head and the other had only one arm.


    I was about to answer when I heard a voiceing from Grampa.


    "Dominic! We have to run, if you remain obstinate, we will all die! This man is too powerful!"


    "Grandpa! I can still fight!" cried the Kid.


    "Shut up, you fool! Dominic! Retreat or my grandson and I will walk away."


    "Tsk. Lexa. Get us out of here."


    Arrogance and unease were on Dominic''s face as their bodies began to dissolve into lights.


    Both Grandpa and the Kid had third-degree burns all over their bodies. This was in addition to some of their bones being broken. Probably due to my harsh treatment and sudden eleration.


    "You will regret this John Smith, we will be back," Machiavelli warned like a two-bit viin.


    The moment the three of them disappeared, the two brutes copsed. It seemed that even if Dominic could get them up, their frames were in no shape to fight.


    As the tension left my body, I descended to the ground. When I hit the ground, I copsed andid down on the floor. Somehow I managed to survive. The air I took for granted seemed all the sweeter as I took massive gulps of oxygen.


    [My Lord, the new defender has arrived.]


    "Oh right, there was a skybeam before, right? Who came before the Defender?"


    Before Aira could answer, I heard something approaching my position. I immediately stood up and drew a weapon.


    "{Draw} AR-15."


    I brought the gun up and ced the intruder in my crosshairs. A figure suddenly raised his hands as he identified himself.


    "WHOA! EASY THERE, BROTHER! This niggaes in peace! Easy!"


    A tall, buff looking African American with ck hair in dreadlocks appeared in front of me.


    He was holding a knife in his right hand. He was dressed in clothes that made him look like a hobo.


    "Who are you? Speak or I will shoot."


    [My Lord, his name is Warren Bryant. An adventurer. ording to histest deployment records, he is on a corpse retrieval mission.]


    "Okay! Okay! I will talk, brother! Please don''t shoot. I was after that piece of shit Machiavelli. He ughtered the defenders in thest zone," Warren exined.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Exactly what I said, my name is Warren Bryant. Rank 5 Adventurer, Formless. Machiavelli took control of the D''s and ckmailed the defenders into giving up their souls."


    With his ability to take control of high-level undead, the more undamaged the targets were, the more power they could wield.


    "ording to my employer, he then raped the women and murdered the men. Three of the dead were taken away. I was hired to find the bodies."


    When I heard the details, I began to burn with righteous anger. This was far worse than corrupt policemen. If their approach was simply to murder or silence all witnesses, then I could understand why no one could report them.


    "{Sheathe} AR-15. Understood, my business with this zone ends after I talk to the defender. Do as you wish."


    I sheathed my weapon and prepared to walk toward the new defender. As I was leaving, Warren quickly tried to catch up.


    "Brother, wait! I have to ask! You are Formless, right? I saw your fight earlier! You absolutely owned Machiavelli''s thugs! How or what is your problem with them?


    Did they try to rob you as well?"


    Unwilling to waste time on such trivial matters, I walked forward without answering him. I picked up the 1911s I had lost along the way.


    "Brother,e on! Give a nigga something! It was unreal! I didn''t know Formless could fight like that! Are you a Death Seeker by any chance? That is so awesome!


    I couldn''t get in when I applied! How did you manage to get in?"


    Annoyed, I tried to scare him off with my answers.


    "I got my ass kicked by the Nightmare. After that, he said I could join. As for the Saviors, they tried to bribe me to retract my reports on their crimes."


    "Oh? So a nigga has to survive an asswhopin from a Specter to get in? I see. How much were they going to give you? They managed to steal nearly 10,000 souls from thest zone."


    ''Motherfucker. So those assholes robbed someone else and then tried to bribe me with that money? Fucking hell. I will kill them the next time I see them,'' I thought angrily.


    "They offered me 10,000 souls," I said through clenched teeth.


    "Holy crap! Nigga! You would have been filthy rich! That''s what? 200 grand?"


    "The Saviors and I are at odds. I intend to kill them all."


    Warren then made a whistling sound as he jogged to match my pace.


    "Brother, are you for real? The Saviors are one of thergest armies around. They boast over 200 Reapers as members. They had about 30 Phantoms and 1 Specter. You want to fight them all?"


    ''30 Phantoms? Well, fuck, no wonder they throw their weight around. Still, such people should be treated like tumors, and I was the scalpel.''


    Looks like I will have to call on Isolde and Krishna sooner than I thought.


    "It doesn''t matter. The longer such bastards hang around the harder it will be for the battlefront. Reapers do not have the time to fight among ourselves. We should be fighting the undead," I dered in a steady voice.


    "Wow, you got some kind of messiahplex or something? Most niggas thate here also have big ambitions, but they either end up getting smoked or breaking down crying like pussies."


    "Watch me, I will shove my foot so far up their ass that they spit out blood."


    "¡­ You serious? "


    I turned around and asked in irritation.


    "Why the hell would I joke about something like that? I already traded blows with the yer and the fat bastard. If a Revenant couldn''t scare me, you think Phantoms can?"


    "That so? Sweet¡­"

 Chapter 105: Can we go Inside?

    "Just to be sure, nigga, you mean figuratively, right? Ain''t no way a Revenant don''t give you goose bumps."


    I am reminded of how much reverence the kings have here. For the sake of future interactions, I should stop calling them out so much. At least until I reach the rank of Specter.


    Taking my silence as a yes, the adventurer continued to follow me while I finished the documentation with the new defender. Finding his presence annoying, I then asked.


    "Bryant, why the hell are you following me?"


    The man smiled sheepishly as he replied. "Ain''t nobody bothered, ya? My {Fate} is just telling me to stay close."


    "Your {Fate}?"


    "Yeah nigga, my {fate} is like a dog''s nose. I smell, or rather sense, things that are about to happen. It is telling me to wait here."


    What the hell? Is his {fate} like a system or something? Whatever. I have to get back, the night is about to end,'' I thought to myself.


    As I was about to ask Aira to send me home, two skybeams suddenly crashed near my position. When the light faded, the onesing out were people I had met earlier in the evening.


    "Holy shit! Is that the Nightmare! Nigga, That''s the Nightmare!" Warren eximed, obviously ted.


    "Phillip? And Zach? Why are you both here?"


    The dispatch clerk spoke first, pulling out a handkerchief as he polished his sses.


    "Mr. Smith, I somehow doubt your ability to think rationally. I have been waiting all night to speak with you. Yet even after seven hours you have not returned to headquarters."


    "Well, I wanted to get some kills under my belt," I replied truthfully.


    "That''s not the problem, you bastard! Who the hell takes siren after siren without a break? Your antics are insane, I was called in by the Warp Gate staff because they thought it was a bug!" Zach scolded angrily.


    The Specter''s lecture continued as his hoarse voice filled the air.


    "And as if that were not enough, you sent not one, but two reports for the same group! Are you trying to start a war with the Saviors?"


    At the mention of the group I was targeting, I gritted my teeth in anger.


    "Zach, have you even read the reports?I had them co-signed by the relevant parties. I was about to file a third for the same group."


    "HAAA? What the hell is the third one about? If you keep this up, the Saviors will call for a Seeker War, you know?" Zach retorted.


    The angrier he got, the more his movements and hand gestures became exactly like a gangster''s. Granted, this bastard wore shades in Hellsgate, so that was to be expected.


    "The third was about Priority 1 Mercenary Machiavelli. He abused his authority to rape and pige a zone of resources and then tried to bribe me with them.


    "This was to get me to retract the reports I sent you. When that didn''t work, they tried to kill me."


    [My Lord, that statement is false, despite your attempts to force Reaper Dominic Maegester to attack first, he did not. The one who started the confrontation was you.]


    [Shut it, Aira, I know that, but they don''t], I replied with {Connect}.


    "I made the Mercenary AIs, you prick. I can hear yours too." Zach interrupted.


    "Oh? Hehehe," I said red-faced, trying tough off my mistake.


    Zach''s face fell in irritation. After a few moments of silence he asked in a threatening tone.


    "What you just said, do you have a witness or any kind of proof?"


    I looked at the interloper who had been listening to our conversation. Was this why his {Fate} told him to be here? If so, it was an incredible coincidence.


    The Nightmare who saw my gaze asked in annoyance.


    "What? Does this nigger have the answer or something?"


    Before I could answer, Warren gave a quick salute and volunteered the information. His demeanor was like a fan seeing his favorite movie star. Emotional and almost frenzied.


    "YES SIR! Priority 5 Adventurer Nightmare, sir! I was hired by a Wraith to find the bodies of her allies. The defender of the zone she was in was raped and then murdered. The body of the Phantom and two others are currently missing!"


    "Hmm. Then why are you here, adventurer? Shouldn''t you be busy looking for the bodies?"


    "SIR! ording to my investigation, the bodies were eaten by the {Vassals} of Machiavelli. Their {Fate}, which they tried to hide, was discovered by my employer.


    "Their {Fates} name is {Libra}. I came here to verify it when Kid and Gramps used {Libra}," Warren exined.


    As Warren''s information came to light, I wrung my hands so hard they began to bleed. No wonder they only used it when they had no choice. If they needed reaper flesh in addition to souls, they would need a steady supply of bodies.


    "Okay, I will handle the investigation. You two get ready to go home. Wraiths onlyst 8 hours in Hellsgate. Smith, follow Phillip and get your things in order. And you, what was your name again?"


    "Warren Bryant, sir!" The adventurer replied.


    "Right, Bryant. Take me to the zone where the crime urred." Zach grabbed Warren and they both stepped into a ray of light that suddenly manifested close to us.


    But before it could disappear, Zach turned and warned me.


    "Smith, until this mess is cleaned up, I am revoking your right to use the Mercenary Warp Gates. I will see you in the sun."


    "In the sun? What does that mean?"I asked, confused.


    Before I could get an answer, Zach and Warren''s bodies disintegrated into tiny lights and went up the skybeam.


    Such a cool way of entering and exiting was, of course, reminiscent of science fiction.


    Phillip, who had been silent the whole time, replied,


    "Mr. Smith, in the sun means he will see you on Earth. Since there is no sun in Hellsgate, seeing one in the sun means on Earth."


    "Oh. Okay, I guess I can work with that."


    For an organization like the Reapers, I didn''t even have to wonder if they had my information stored somewhere. But what if hees and finds me sleeping? Wait! Do I even need to sleep?


    As my questions began to circte, Phillip cleared his throat to get my attention.


    "My lord, shall we go back? You left before I could finish the orientation."


    "Ah, right, the orientation. Sorry about that, Phillip."


    A skybeam fell around us with Phillip in the center. He was smiling as he fiddled with his Reaper phone.


    "That''s okay, Mr. Smith. I have been following your exploits throughout the night and would like for you to perform the other actions required of you."


    I didn''t know anything else was needed from me. The download said that the most important part was to acknowledge the new defender. What could I have forgotten?


    The moment we teleported back to the headquarters, I could hear several people shouting.


    "Come on! We are going to bete! The betting closes in 15 minutes!"


    "WOOHOOO I AM FUCKING RICH!!!!!"


    "LIMITLESS BABY! Whoever you are, I hope you sleep in a bed full of big titted bitches!"


    "DAMN! If only I had more souls!"


    "Hello? Yes! Samson! Give me back the souls I lent you! NOW!"


    "Excuse me, can you spare me 10 souls?"


    "I FUCKING LOVE YOU LIMITLESS!"


    "Holy crap! What in the world? Is this real?"


    "Deadfall cannot be hacked, you idiot!"


    "!!!"Terrified, I couldn''t even speak. What the hell was going on? Phillip, who was walking next to me, had a huge grin on his face as he enjoyed my reaction.


    Men and women were running feverishly toward a building next to the dispatch office. There were those who reverently praised my Graveyard ID. Their eyes were red with greed and their smiles were malicious.


    "For reference, I also bet my life savings of three hundred souls on you, Mr. Smith."


    "What? Wait! Phillip, can we go in first? I''m afraid I might get mobbed or something," I begged urgently.


    Phillipughed as we made our way into the dispatch office. When we entered, for some reason, it waspletely empty of Reapers.


    The only upants were maids and butlers who seemed to be discussing something.


    "Tsk." I heard Phillip scoff when he saw them.


    The gorgeous, idol-like servants were so engrossed in their discussions that no one noticed us. Phillip tried to hide me from them as we made our way into one of the private rooms.


    Then I heard a female scream. "AHHH! There he is! After him."


    Suddenly, as I was entering the room, Phillip abruptly kicked me in the ass and then quickly mmed the door. His action nearly sent me crashing to the floor.


    Before I had a chance to inquire, I heard an angry mob outside.


    "Scrivener! He''s yours, isn''t he?! We all checked and none of us have a Reaper with the Graveyard ID of Limitless!" a woman suspected.


    "I have no idea what you are talking about, Audrey. As you know, client confidentiality is a..."


    "Shut up old man, since when do you care about that? You even begged us before to send some reapers your way!"


    "I never did anything so dishonorable, Timothy," Phillip replied.


    "Wait! Why are you even here in the meeting rooms? You don''t even have an active Reaper! He''s here isn''t he?" eximed another.


    "He''s here? Time to bring out the big guns."


    "Oy you slut, stop stripping! Cover your breasts! Be professional, damn it!"


    "Phillip, did you know that Limitless would clear seven sirens?! The odds for the night in Deadfall are a staggering 500:1!"


    "What?! Are you serious?! Bernice! Give me souls!"


    "Hehe. I ced 200 souls about 4 hours ago. I don''t have any left."


    "Lee baby, can you loan me some souls?"


    "Shut up Matilda, I''m broke. I supported my reapers."


    The more I heard, the more it sounded like I was some kind of horse jockey. What the hell were these people doing in Hellsgate anyway?


    Then I heard Phillip call out in a loud voice.


    "Alright everyone, please excuse me, I am trying to orient a new reaper under my wing."


    After that, Phillip came in quickly and bolted the door shut. He started fiddling withplexputer panels. A few secondster, I felt a wave of energy cover the room. Arge looking bolt then sealed the room.


    Only then did Phillip turn and smile at me.


    "Well, I know you have some questions, I will answer them first, please take a seat."


    Phillip and I sat down on some expensive looking furniture. The clerk then took out a PC tablet and started fiddling with it.


    "First of all, why is everyone acting like this? From what I could gather, it sounded like I was in some kind of horse race." I asked.


    Phillip then handed me the tablet as he spoke.


    "Your assumptions are correct. The best kind, I might add."


    As I read the information, I began to see the reason why everyone was going crazy.

 Chapter 106: Hell has a tax?

    "Just to confirm, is what is written here real?" I asked anxiously.


    "You should know Mr. Smith, these are records of your own making." The clerk replied smugly.


    In my hands was a ranking. One I didn''t even know existed.


    Rankings were used as both measures and standards of performance. It enforced a single rule. No matter how perfect everyone was, there had to be a first and ast.


    Incentives and penalties were usually tied to positions in such rankings,pelling everyone to do better because no one wanted to be at the bottom.


    The tablet I had in my hand disyed the following information.


    [Deathfall Annihtion Ranking - North America - Wraith division - July 24, 2023]


    Ranking | Graveyard Id |Total Points | Profession | WinChance% | Payout


    1stLimitless2175 ptsMercenary 0.0002% 500/1


    2ndSacredEdge01684 ptsMercenary 40%3/2


    3rdDeathWalker654 ptsMercenary 35%9/5


    4thGimepussxXx520 ptsMercenary 10%9/1


    5thxCastle6942x491 ptsAdventurer 10%9/1


    6thAllyourbasesareours420 ptsFortification 4%20/1


    7th¡­


    8th¡­


    I tried dabbling in horse racing at one point and basically the numbers for the payouts are fractions. If you put in $2 for the odds of 3/2 you would get $5. 9/5 would get you $5.60 while 9/1 would get you $20. But what the hell was 500/1?


    ''Didn''t that mean that $2 would make $1002?''


    The more I read about the odds, the more it seemed like bullshit. From the fact that Graveyard did not allow identical names, I knew that Limitless was referring to me. But why was my score more than three times that of the runner-up?


    Before I could ask, Philip pointed to my name and exined.


    "Mr. Smith, Deathfall is one of the few Reaper establishments for entertainment. This is one of the famous betting games called the Annihtion Ranking. As the name suggests, it simply ranks the reaper who has killed the most undead in a single night."


    I swallowed when I heard his answer. If this was real, then my actions would make a lot of people rich, but also bankrupt others. Phillip then went into lecture mode and borated.


    "The points are based on the ranks of your kills, Rank Fs are worth 1 point, Rank Es are worth 10, Ds are worth 100, and so on. Since you were a no-name Wraith with almost no records, your odds of winning the night were 1 in 5000.


    "This is the lowest possible odds because only the first 5000 Reapers are part of the bet. The highest odds are set at 500 to 1. The gamests 8 hours and the points are updated every hour.


    "The order in which you entered the game affects your payout, so the people who ced bets early get a significant portion of the pool."


    Phillip then smiled as he wiped his monocle.


    "But with such ridiculous odds of 500 to 1, even thest person to bet on you would make a few hundred souls. Of course, the reaper and his clerk get a percentage of the pool."


    "What? I get a percentage?"


    "Yes, Mr. Smith. This incentive is given to the highest performing Reapers, you get 1 percent while I get 0.05 percent of the total prize pool for the night."


    I felt like an actor making peanuts in a movie. It was free money, but I felt like I was being cheated. I should have ced a bet or something.


    Philip was able to put in a bet, and he even got a percentage. No wonder the other employees were upset.


    "Didn''t I just make you rich, you monocled bastard?"


    "Yes, my esteemed patron. You did. I have put my entire savings of 300 souls on you from the second hour. That means I get 90% of a payout of 300 souls in a 500/1 split minus tax."


    "Hell has a tax?" I asked, unable to believe his statement.


    "Mr. Smith, you focus on the strangest things. Anyway, I was told that the current pool is over a million souls. So you get amission of 10,000 souls less tax."


    It was an irritating feeling, I knew I should be grateful for the 10,000 souls, but knowing that it was from a pool of a million, it felt paltry. Annoyed, I asked Philip about his winnings.


    "How much did you make, you smug bastard?"


    "Hmm, lets see, 300 at 500 to 1 odds is 150,000 souls. I get to keep 90%, so that would be 135,000. The tax would be 22% on winnings over 100,000, so that would be 105,300 souls. I have 0.05 percent from the pool for another 5,000. So my total would be 108,300 souls, Mr. Smith."


    I couldn''t help but frown at his words. The total number of souls I had made during the night was 56,000 after expenses. And this pencil pusher made almost twice as much as I did just by gambling.


    "Tsk, even in the underworld, capitalists ruin everything," I said with disdain.


    Phillip then bowed to me in respect. Caught off guard, I tried to tell him to stop.


    "Mr. John Smith. Thank you so much for choosing my counter. Before you arrived, I was in danger of being evicted. I was honestly scared out of my mind. You have no idea how much you have helped me.


    You are my only reaper, please let me continue to support you!"


    "Wait, wait, what are you talking about? Start from the beginning. What do you mean, I am your only reaper? Didn''t you have two other people before the night started?" I said ufortably.


    The butler in front of me straightened up.


    "Okay, to put it simply. As you may have guessed. I am the lowest performing employee here. Clerks are part of the ''Administration'' profession. Administration are basically Reapers who help Hellsgate run by performing tasks that help it function."


    I see, so Administration was for the people who managed the Reapers. No wonder the whole culture of Hellsgate reminded me of an organization.


    "Due to my nature and {fate}, I am of no use inbat. Administration was thest way for me to pay the Battlefront tax. Unfortunately, none of my reapers could survive long enough to be a stable source of ie for me."


    "Wait! What does that mean?"


    "Mr. Smith, the owners of the North American Battlefront have things they want taken care of. They send these tasks to the dispatch office as requests. If a clerk finds a Reaper to perform the task, the clerk will receive a share of the reward.


    "Ideally, clerks would have passive ie from matching the right Reaper with the right request. But when a clerk''s Reapers die faster than flies, this bes difficult.


    "The two who came before you are already dead. So you are myst surviving patron."


    "Oh." Silenced by the fact that the ones I saw a few hours ago were all dead, I tried to change the subject.


    "Okay, that makes sense, so what is this Battlefront Tax?"


    "Ah, the Battlefront Tax is an expense that every Reaper has to pay to the Battlefront. You can think of it as rent. In order to guard, provide a way to earn, as well as provide amenities and services, the Battlefront itself charges a tax of souls."


    "Hmm. And what if you don''t pay the tax?"


    "For a Reaper who cannot or will not pay the Battlefront Tax, they would be imprisoned until they pay. If they still refuse to do so after 90 days, they would be evicted from the Battlefront."


    "Evicted, as in kicked off the Battlefront?" I rified.


    "Yes. The Battlefronts are strongholds carved in hell. The areas outside of them are naturally littered with the undead. Hardly anyone has ever survived outside of them."


    Then I remembered the Indians who migrated through the Battlefronts, calling themselves refugees.


    ''I took my people into Hellsgate and we traveled between the zones. The path is fraught with danger, but such a journey is possible.''


    Knowing that this information was best kept secret, I dropped the matter and then asked Philip the next question.


    "Do I have to pay this tax?"


    "Yes Mr. Smith, but you will pay it next month."


    "Why next month?"


    "Reapers are exempt from paying the first month. Since you enlisted in July, you will pay your first tax on August 30th."


    "How much is that?" I asked bitterly.


    "The tax changes over time. It is basically your Reaper rank multiplied by the number of months you have been on the battlefront.


    "For Wraiths, the base tax would be 100 souls, and since it is your first month, you would only pay 100 souls. The next month you pay 200, and so on".


    Hmm, kind of cheap, but why did the tax have to get more expensive over time? Perhaps understanding my train of thought, Phillip then exined without me asking.


    "The tax increases in proportion to your rank and the length of your stay. Over time it bes unmanageable without a stable ie. Those who are unemployed will eventually lose all their souls to the tax."


    "A Wraith who has been here for three years would pay 3600 souls at the beginning of his fourth year."


    Granting that it would be easy to sumb to despair or fear of death, even nonbatants would be forced to find work. Academics, Fortification, and Production were ideal for those who couldn''t fight.


    ''I guess they came up with this method to forcepliance and give the reapers something to work towards. Without such tasks, people with too much free time tend to wallow in misery and sorrow.''


    Phillip then grabbed my hand as he shook it.


    "Mr. Smith, no John. Your actions this night saved many lives. Those who put their hopes in you will earn enough for at least a year.Limitless is already associated with hope. You have heard how many have praised your name, right?"


    I did, I wanted to make a name for myself, but not as a jockey. Still, if betting on me allowed people to save themselves, who was I to argue?


    Before I could answer, Phillip looked at the clock in the room and tried to speed up the conversation.


    "Mr. Smith, there are many services and amenities you have not used before the end of your first night, those, while important, can wait until tomorrow night. For now, the most pressing question I have is, would you please consider making me your exclusive clerk?"


    The desperation in Phillip Scrivener''s voice was palpable. Even if he made over a hundred grand without a steady ie, it would all be gone soon. Before meeting me, this man had only 300 souls.


    There were over two weeks left before the end of the month. If he didn''t meet me, would this man try his luck fighting the undead? Most likely. Most would have no other way or risk bing fugitives.


    "Why do you believe that when I could just as easily die tomorrow?" I asked curiously.


    "Every generation has its heroes and I know that you are the one for these dire times Mr. Smith, I would be more than willing to stake my life on it."


    He said in a determined voice.

 Chapter 107: Heroine Chapter: The Seven Sirens

    Chapter POV: Isabe Taurus


    ___


    [{Aim}, {Snipe}, {Imaging} - X-ray. Be, you will tell me what happened afterwards understood?]


    Jasmine uttered her thinly veiled threat as she shot down a JA155H Airbus helicopter. It probably belonged to the Hyogo Prefectural Police.


    Although it was technically impossible to shoot down a helicopter from a moving car at 80 kilometers per hour. The Ebony Deathstalker did it with a factory-sighted Miroku X-Bolt Pro hunting rifle.


    ''My gosh, these girls are absolutely ridiculous!'' I sighed in resignation.


    A bullet, much like an arrow, was affected by wind and heat convection. So, of course, shooting a helicopter, which created massive wind currents for flight, was just crazy.


    As far as I knew, {Perceive} and its family of {Fates} did not affect the bullet itself, only the ability to see.


    ''Don''t tell me she even calcted the bullet''s curvature due to the wind? And to do that not once, but five times towards the bottom of the rotor should be impossible! I thought she was just going to shoot the pilot!''


    I had a lot of experience leading groups of talented agents, and my history with Azul Legiao had me using mercenaries to attack targets. That was why I knew how overwhelming the girls were.


    If I had them while I was still alive, Comando Vermelho would probably be gone. Hell, being able to shoot down a helicopter would have changed most of our ns. But that was not what this was all about.


    Jasmine had just shot down a police helicopter. And she did it in the most spectacr way possible. I began to feel sorry for Harry Evans. After today he would have a pack of monsters after him.


    Even though it felt pointless, I wanted to make sure none of the girls did anything stupid.


    "I''m going to say this now, but none of you can kill him, okay?"


    [Haha! That sounds fun! Be! Let''s y a game! I will kill the bastard. You can all try to stop me!] Josephine suggested cheerfully.


    I couldn''t help but swallow nervously. Apart from Jasmine, Josephine was also a monster. The moment I scanned Graveyard, records of the sisters'' training appeared.


    ''Who the hell sends 18-year-old girls into the Syrian Civil War?! And after a year, they not only survived, but became two of the most feared murderers in the middle east!''


    The blonde Italian''s cheerful challenge felt like somethingpletely overbearing.


    ''If I said I wanted to kill him, would you like to try stopping me?''


    The Ste Cadente, or Italian for Shooting star. Behind the kind smile of Josephine Benelli was a battle-hungry lunatic.


    As proof, somewhere along the line, a Descendant from Croatia got too frisky with Jasmine. While he did try to take advantage of her, it ended with some light groping.


    But Josephine didn''t like it. No, she didn''t like it at all.


    When she heard about the incident, the nut job flew a private ne and crashed it into the Descendant''s castle. The ne not only crashed, but it also exploded, taking almost half of the structure with it.


    When the ne was subsequently examined, it was found to be loaded with enough explosives to level an entire street.


    Naturally, the Croatian was furious; he was the leader of an up-anding order of Knightsprised of Descendants. The prestige made him both arrogant and stupid.


    Little did he know that such a chaotic attack was only the beginning.


    Josephine, who had been ejected just moments before the crash, then began to gut anyone and everyone she encountered.Still confused by the attack, the Order of Knights was extremely slow to react.


    ''The footage I saw of her that day would make anyone piss themselves in fright.''


    A beautiful blonde Italian, covered in blood,ughing manically as she disemboweled knight after knight.


    Surprisingly, none of the Descendants died. To preserve their honor, they rewrote the story and said that Josephine had just won against them in a series of duels.


    Everyone probably knew that only thews protecting the Descendants saved them. And that Josephine Benelli coulde and ughter them all if she wanted to.


    And that if she did, none of them could put up any kind of resistance.


    ''She is a fucking genius; All it took was one battle. The shock value of her one act made all of Europe''s young Descendants avoid the sisters like a gue.''


    How should I respond to such a demon? I wasn''t even sure if Josephine meant it. If she did, what could I even do?


    Just then, voices I wasn''t expecting came out to break the tension.


    [Jo, if you do this, John will hate you.] Lilly added.


    [Indeed. Stealing the chance for revenge would be unwise. John would probably resent you.] Surprisingly, even Liv rejected the idea.


    [EHHH? I don''t want that! I was joking guys! Haha It was a joke! Right Sis?]


    [...]


    The awkward silence of the raven-haired archer made everyone nervous. Knowing that a change of subject was necessary, I shifted to exin the next part of our extraction.


    "Well, the bastard aside, we are in the clear. Princess. I will now ignite the building. The explosion should cover your escape. Japan is pretty peaceful, so leveling a hospital should get their attention. I also used AI imaging to make us appear but unidentifiable."


    [...]


    "These bitches. Can''t you all at least say thank you? I did a lot of work, you know!"


    [Thank you for your efforts, Be. There are noputers in the North, so I have no idea what you did, but well done!]


    "..."


    Somehow, the Northerner''s kindness made me feel pathetic. Why was it so hard to get some recognition in this group? I understand that I''m kind ofmepared to them, but still.


    "Whatever. I will destroy it now."


    I remotely detonated the explosivesid in the hospital. Before the attack, I got the schematics of the building in advance. That made sure I knew how to bring it down, because demolition was an art.


    Using satellite and CCTV cameras in the area, I heard the loud boom and the destruction afterwards.


    [WOOO! That was so cool!]


    [WOW! Did everyone feel that?]


    [My word! Such a shy explosion! Did you put fireworks in there?]


    [GET STUFFED WANKERS!]


    ''These muscle-bound brutes. They can only appreciate explosions like cavemen!'' I once again sighed in disappointment.


    At times like this, I missed my honey. He might not be the smartest, but he truly appreciated my efforts.


    "Speaking of which, let''s see what he''s been up to. {Connect}."


    I connected to the graveyard with my GRI and checked thetest news. However, the top section alone of Revenant''s news made my jaw drop.


    "Honey, what the hell?"


    [News - Revenants


    - THE SUPER ROOKIE LIMITLESS - Mercenary clears Seven Dirge Sirens in his first night!


    - Make way for the new Wraith King - SacredEdge01 finally dethroned in a massive upset!


    - Who is Limitless? - Thetest scoop on Hellsgate''s newest celebrity!


    - Hope of Limitless - Destitute Reapers win massive fortune on a single bet!


    - 500 to 1! Was Deathfall hacked? Limitless'' 2,175 pts - how did he do it?!


    ... ]


    There were more than twenty articles all about Honey. More than a third of them had his name in the headline.


    In just one night, the man I love managed to make more than waves. He was like a tsunami that rocked the entirety of Hellsgate to its core.


    Unsure what to make of it, I called Lilly privately to confirm.


    "Be? Why are you calling when we''re already on the group line?" she answered.


    "Princess, have you managed to check the headlines in Hellsgate?"


    "Hahaha, amazing, isn''t he? I had my soldiers ce bets the moment his name came up in Deathfall. I can''t wait to join him. As royalty, I was exempted from choosing a profession."


    A mellifluousugh suddenly came from the Untamed. She sounded like a proud wife or mother. Somehow it made me feel bad.


    "Why are you being so smug, Lilly? Let''s be clear, he hasn''t chosen a kindred yet, okay?"


    "Try as hard as you want, Be. And know that it wouldn''t make a difference."


    "Ugh, never mind... How much did you make?" I asked irritated.


    "You want a Ferrari? I can get you twenty. Fufufu."


    "I''m surrounded by fucking cheaters."


    "All is fair in love and war, sweetheart. You don''t even have to hide it. I''m sure only Robin and Liv don''t know or care."


    "Tsk. I''m hanging up."


    "Try to keep your dignity, Be."


    If I had a cell phone, I probably would have thrown it away by now. I couldn''t be left behind. Fortunately, I managed to be a Phantom without any problems. When I reunited with Honey, I would no longer be a burden.


    Just then, I noticed on the screens that our convoy was about to run into trouble. Out of nowhere, a security checkpoint was set up around the airport.


    "Shit! Trinity probably sent them. The visas I made are already stamped that our group has already left the country! If they get caught, it would be bad!"


    ''Well, to be fair, our only concern was Aki''s brother. Maybe we can put the other kids in a separate car and drive it off a cliff? I had a cargo ne waiting, but I didn''t need all the cars.


    ''Trinity probably already knew it was us. Why bother hiding?


    How about we send a message to the bastards instead?''


    "Hmm... What should we do? Should we just fight them off? We are using someone else''s face anyway. Should we make it as loud as possible?"


    [Be, Liv here. There is a barricade in front of us, how should we act?]


    [Strewth! Can''t we just kill them all?]


    "I hear you Liv, Robyn is right. Everyone, listen up. I want you to destroy everything in your path. Trinity sent these guys. Lilly shared that Honey sees Trinity as his enemy. So why don''t we tell them?"


    Jasmine''s voice asked in a cold tone.


    [What do you mean tell them?]


    I looked at the graveyard headlines and smiled.


    "That we are Trinity''s enemy and that we belong to Honey."


    [Ohh! Then what do we call ourselves? The Smithets? John''s Angels?] Josephine joked.


    "Actually, I already have a name, and I got the idea from Lilly," I confessed.


    [Me? I don''t recall offering any suggestions?]


    "Well, it was when you were fighting the Phantoms," I said sheepishly.


    [Be... I had my microphone muted at the time. Were you spying on me?]


    "Not important! Anyway, you said we are the heralds of theing change."


    [Then, like the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, we are the heralds for Husband?] Jasmine guessed.


    "Yes, we are his heralds, but we will call ourselves Sirens instead. Aki should be included so we will be called the Seven Sirens. " I exined.


    [Seven Sirens. Clever. Dear cleared seven dirge sirensst night. That would definitely be his calling card. I like it. Very well.


    I, Lilly Browning, concur. All in favor say aye.]


    Everyone agreed unanimously. Teams naturally bond when they have something to hold them together. For us, it would be our love for John Smith, our nature as Formless, and now our identity as the Seven Sirens.


    "All right! Sirens! For our first mission! Send a message to Trinity! Change ising! And we are the ones to proim it!"


    [ROGER!]


    Like a hurricane, we then left Japan in the shiest way possible.

 Chapter 108: He no longer exists [1/2]

    Hero, the dictionary defines it as a person who is admired for having done something very brave or for having achieved something great. In every tale, both fictional and real, men and women who did the impossible were called such.


    They came in all shapes and forms, and to be a hero, you didn''t even have to be human. However, one thing was certain, heroes were often sought after when everything was going to shit.


    A hero was a tragic irony.


    To be called a hero, circumstances requiring one must first arise. In short, a hero has no value other than that of solving the problem that gave rise to him or her.


    Hellsgate, and Earth for that matter, were absolute shitholes. War, famine, poverty, catastrophes, and crime. The sheer number of problems made being a hero a lot easier than it had been before.


    As much as I tried to deny the thought, I couldn''t. Without my knowledge, John Smith''s goals shifted to those of a hero. Originally, I just wanted to survive. Then, when I found out that the Formless were being treated like trash, I wanted to show that they weren''t.


    Eventually, the problems that arose from my survival forced me to aim higher. To be strong enough to live for myself, I wanted to be a Revenant. Closing the Hellsgate was so I could be free. When I heard about Trinity, I just wanted to kill zombies so those bastards would leave Earth alone.


    ''Is Limitless a hero?''


    It was a gradual process, but I couldn''t deny that my goals sounded honorable and heroic. However, I died trying to be one, so I had a natural aversion to being called a hero.


    With the title came responsibility. If people knew I could care less about them, would they be disappointed? So does that mean I have to be all chivalrous now?


    Yeah, fuck that. I will do what I want because I want to, not because I was a hero.


    "Pfft. Like I give a shit about anyone else."


    "I beg your pardon?" Phillip asked confused.


    "Nothing, listen Phillip, you can call me a hero, but I want to tell you that I am just a selfish bastard. Everything I do is for my own purposes."


    "What do you mean, Mr. Smith?"


    "I mean, if my kindred and all the reapers in Hellsgate were put on a scale, a hero would choose thetter. I, on the other hand, would kill everyone else myself."


    "..."


    Right. John Smith might have been overjoyed to be given that title. For someone with low self-esteem, being called a hero would make him feel important.


    But I was Limitless. I would be a Revenant. I had no time for nonsense.


    ''More than a hero, my goals are far beyond that. I will definitely be fighting Reapers soon.'' I mused.


    The shes with the Savior told me that in advance. Bastards like them were allowed to run around because David tolerated them. For all his talk of might making right, they allowed poison to corrupt his kingdom.


    So far, each Revenant has made his decision ording to his beliefs.


    David Thomas allowed the Saviors to exist.


    Clive Zanardi forced Descendants to be born and bred for war.


    Li Wudi used his reapers as cannon fodder.


    Each Revenant made his own rules that shaped the lives of those under him.


    If you lived under their rule, it would naturallye to a point where you either agreed with them or thought they were wrong.


    Since I never intended to subordinate myself to anyone, I need to figure out what to do right now.


    Perhaps I should consult Be. But if all seven continents have Revenants, where would I go?


    "Mr. Smith?"


    Phillip''s words brought me back to the matter at hand. He made an awkward cough as he continued.


    "Well, your moral inclinations aside, Mr. Smith, I don''t really care about such matters. I just used a hero to make it easier to exin."


    "Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, suspecting his intentions.


    "Mr. Smith, I am already in hell. Why could it be worse? You can call yourself a demon king or even a goldfish and I would still follow you. I have always trusted my gut, and right now it is telling me that you are my golden ticket."


    Well, when he said it like that, I guess it was true. People follow gods to have something to hold on to. Phillip must be simr.


    "Now I ask again. Please let me be your official clerk. In return, I will do my best to handle anything you find troublesome. With me, you need only continue to do what you are excellent at."


    I disliked troublesome things, especially those that were difficult to understand and were generally useless. That was why professions arose that revolved around tedious tasks.


    These were brokers, sales agents, hell, even ball boys or golf caddies were of the same vein. It was a proven fact that these support roles, if done well, helped their respective bosses.


    ''I don''t know anyone else at this point, so why not?'' I debated internally.


    Although going with Phillip would mean giving up the opportunity to have a sexy bombshell of a clerk doing my paperwork.


    I then remembered the Idol-like girls before, they looked gorgeous but were as shallow as theye.


    ''Yeah, going with them seems like a bad idea.''


    At least I know that Phillip needs me as much as I need a helper. Having made up my mind, I responded to the monocled clerk''s suggestion.


    "Very well, then I will have you as my official clerk. Take care of everything else. I am here to kill undead, no more, no less."


    Upon receiving my reply, Phillip made an exaggerated stage bow and smiled in a manner reminiscent of a scheming peddler.


    "It shall be my pleasure to serve you, Mr. Smith, or would you prefer to be called Limitless?"


    I nodded and got out of my seat. "Yes, whenever we are in hell, call me that. John Smith, he no longer exists."

 Chapter 109: He no longer exists [2/2]

    "Understood. Then have a wonderful day Limitless, I shall exin the details of my support when you return tonight."


    At Philip''s words, I felt a wave of nausea. A force directed at my soul was drawing me somewhere.


    This was simr to the summoning at the beginning of the night.


    As I surrendered to the pull, my consciousness faltered and immediately faded.


    ***


    The chirping of birds was the first thing I heard when I woke up. I felt a gentle warmth from the rays of the rising sun on my face. Worried about where the hell I was, I opened my eyes and checked my current situation.


    I was lying on a bed in a small room. Various items such as video games, model kits, and posters decorated it. Most of them were to my taste.


    "Why wasn''t I in my shitty apartment?" I asked no one in particr.


    It was just that I remembered. I had already canceled the lease on my old ce. So where did I go back to?


    Looking around, I btedly realized why I liked all these objects.


    "Wait, isn''t this my room? In my old house?"


    Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, I ended up waking up in my old bed in my father''s house. Nostalgia came in buckets as I looked around the familiar room. The old posters of anime and video games I adored were still there.


    I hadn''t been back here since I left all those years ago. My resentment from the home I lost and my shitty dad made it hard. I often hung out at Earl''s or Caroline''s during holidays or when I had free time.


    For some reason, my dad and I knew we should celebrate separately. Subconsciously, we knew that spending the holidays together would be a terrible decision.


    After Earl''s daughters became teenagers, it became harder to hang out with Earl''s family. Their mother told me to avoid hanging out there unless Earl was present.


    Being raised with traditional values, they didn''t believe that unmarried men and women should mix in the same room.


    I stuck to Caroline like glue after that, but after we broke up, I didn''t have a ce in Phoenix anymore, so I left. I absentmindedly looked through my old stuff.


    Dad could have made some money renting out my room to someone else, but apparently he didn''t.


    Feeling bitter about his seemingly contradictory approach to raising me, I pulled out the note I got from the storage with Lily.


    ''John, I am sorry for having been a terrible father. I leave you this armory. It''s not much, but I hope it will keep you safe and allow you to protect what you value most. Know that you are my pride. - Dad''


    "..."


    Somehow, knowing he didn''t get rid of my stuff spoke volumes about my old man. Finishing my trip down memoryne, I left my room and surveyed the rest of the house, a house that technically belonged to me.


    As if he knew he was going to die soon, the old man had somehow paid the full mortgage and taxes for several years in advance.


    Lucky for me he did, otherwise I would havee back today when someone else owned it.


    While having one was a luxury in this day and age, I had few fond memories of my family.


    So it was like I was a stranger. Even though this was the ce where I grew up.


    I suddenly remembered Isolde''s dilemma. To be a Specter, one had to give up one''s memories. If I wanted to be a Revenant. One thing was for sure, one day I woulde back here and remember nothing.


    "..."


    I didn''t know why, but I felt bitter when I thought about losing my memories. It wasn''t that I wanted to keep them, it was just that this was something you could not fight against.


    When I left the old house, I was in a very bad mood. There were some enemies you could kill. A thief, a monster, or a demon, anything that bleeds can be killed.


    Then there were those that made you powerless. Natural disasters, sickness, time.


    No matter how powerful you became, you could not win against thews of this world. That went against what I now knew. If even the people from the mythologies were reapers, couldn''t I be as powerful as them?


    Nature, death, time, even thews of physics. A reaper''s {Fate} had the power to overturn such things. Didn''t {Rewind} or the girl''s {fates} prove this to be true?


    Momentum, space, gravity, light, cyberspace, sound, stamina, and finally time.


    Our {Fates}, though formless, had incredible potential. While others might see them as trash, mybat records showed otherwise.


    Granted, we could not manifest soul weapons, but I felt that the nature of the Formless was just misunderstood.


    Maybe it was just my own arrogance, but somehow, I believed I was onto something. My {Kismet}, born from the union of our {Fates}, showed adaptability and incredible utility.


    My {Reveal}, {Booster}, {Sheathe}, and {Draw} sses. Each one wasplex in every sense of the word. I would feel insulted if someone thought my {Kismet} were garbage, they were like my children in a way.


    As I walked the familiar streets, I made my way to get something to eat. After choosing the local diner, familiar faces who knew me were present. I didn''t chat with any of them and concentrated on finding a seat.


    Right now I needed a n. Assassins wereing for me. My home base needed to be somewhere where I could take on any fight. I also needed to rework my {Kismet} sses and upgrade my equipment.


    I robotically found a spot as my mind raced toe up with solutions. The main problem was money. Everything I needed to do on Earth required money.


    "Wait! Didn''t I make a lot of money?"


    I tapped behind my ear to find my GRI missing.


    "Right, I am not inbat. No wonder even Aira isn''t here."


    I pulled out my phone and eagerly checked my earnings.

 Chapter 110: $1,328,420 [1/2]

    It was often said that man was the only creature with a sense of self.


    While animals spend all their time on survival, man alone went beyond that. Ants store food just to survive, this survival instinct was separated to how man lived from animals.


    For example, man originally hunted and foraged. However, when weather or disease prevented them from doing so, this began to change. He began to store meat and eventually raised livestock.


    Then, in his wisdom, he learned to nt and began to cultivate thend. When food was secured, he began to improve his dwellings. Instead of making something that would fall apart at the slightest tremor, man slowly moved from huts, to houses, to castles.


    Those who bred too many animals began to trade them. Various professions began as the time spent hunting was used for crafts. With each new industry, the need for a stable measure created the concept of currency.


    Money then began to rule the world. Cash became credit and money itself changed from a physical object to a concept. In short, money made it possible to live without working.


    It saved the time needed to gather or hunt for food. That was its most basic function. As more and more people no longer struggled to survive, they began to develop their arts, crafts, and technology.


    Money allowed people to eat even if they could not hunt or cook. It allowed you to have shelter, even if you didn''t know how to find or build it. It could be transformed into pleasure or new experiences by the sheer number of ways people could spend it.


    The worst part was that money, orck of it, eventually became the basis of happiness.


    "Well, that was debatable, but money buys affection, life and time to a certain extent.


    Want love but don''t know how to find it? Hire a beautiful prostitute and fuck until you go broke.


    Want to end a life? Hire a hit man. If you want to prolong your life when you are ill? Buy medicine or get an operation.


    Don''t have time to do something? Hire someone to do it for you.


    As civilization developed, things that used to kill people could now be mitigated. From weather to disease to predators. Such a system made sure that everyone knew that everything had a price.


    As a result, many became rabid about working for money. But like so many in this world. Sometimes people worked to make money while throwing their lives away. It was sad to think about.


    A human life was something that no one could create. Despite all the advances in science and technology, this remained a fact. Yet such wonderful things were often murdered for paltry sums.


    A concept to prolong life became worth more than the life it was created to save.


    It was a bitter pill to swallow, but such a fact would often rear its ugly head every now and then. I thought of it just now because of the ridiculous number of souls I now possessed when I checked with {Connect}.


    ___


    Souls Avable : 66,421


    ___


    $1,328,420.


    If I converted everything I had at $20 each, I effectively made $1,328,420 in one night.


    Normally I should be happy, but somehow I felt empty. Maybe because of the way I earned it, the money felt heavy.


    Reapers who fought all night died for such a sum. And no matter how I spend it, tonight I will be part of the cycle again.


    Trying to clear my mind, I began to think about how I would use such arge amount of money.


    "Should I buy a car? A house? Should I pay off my student loans first? Maybe I should consider giving to charity?"


    It has often been said that the true test of a person is what he or she does with his or her money. That was true when you thought about it. Whether people valued possessions, experiences, or rtionships, money would always follow those desires.


    "It''s funny, now that I have the money, I have no idea what to buy with it."


    Remembering my old life, I was working at a dead-end job and couldn''t even manage to pay my student loans. Forget starting a family or even buying a house, everything was just too expensive.


    However, that was no longer true. my dreams were so close they were within my reach.


    "Let''s start fulfilling my dreams one at a time."


    No matter the circumstances, I worked hard for this money. So I should spend it on what makes me happy. Then I opened my GRI and began the process of converting souls.


    Most Americans had problems paying their student loans. While a small majority were able to do so by their forties, the experience of working to pay off what you owed was never pleasant.


    It robbed you of your daily happiness and made you fearful of the future.


    Credit became synonymous with social status. Of course, I was no different from most. I had over $140,000 in credit and hadn''t even begun to pay a dime.


    Whenever I hung out with strangers or my co-workers, the most avoided topic was not politics or religion. It was student debt. Nothing else could get people to shut up or unanimously agree that it sucked.


    Maybe it was different for others who had paid theirs, but for those who hadn''t, it was a scythe hanging over their necks. If you took out a home or car loan, at least you got either a house or a car.


    With student loans, your efforts today were to pay off your decision years ago. The fact that you may have made a bad choice made it all the more unbearable. Many have given up even trying to pay the debt in the first ce.


    I took my GRI, which was in handheld mode, and navigated to [Services]. I moved the slider and converted 7,200 souls. Not a secondter, I received a text message.


    [Dear Mr. Smith. $144,000 has been credited to your ount ending in 457...].


    I then used online banking to transfer the 144 grand and paid off my student loans. It took less than a minute. And just like that, I was debt-free.


    "Debt-free, huh?" I repeated, almost like a prayer.


    Even though I hardly thought about it, it was pretty liberating.


    Unfortunately, I remembered that I also had a debt in Hellsgate. This brought my sweet 2 minute fantasy to an end.

 Chapter 111: $1,328,420 [2/2]

    I had a quick meal of bacon and eggs and left the diner.


    As I was walking by, I saw a soup kitchen not far away. Of course it had an extremely long line. The struggling would often try to get by in ces like this.


    Whenever I had tough fights with my father, I would run away from home. So I had some experience eating in soup kitchens. Depending on how hungry you were, a bowl of nd chicken broth and rock-hard bread still tasted like heaven.


    Most of those people were good people who just needed a little help. Unlike me, who had a home, but ended up there because of my pride. My arrogance made me rebellious. Fortunately, life saw fit to beat me back into submission.


    That was until I was old enough to get a job. But truly, the clutches of poverty were perhaps the hardest to escape. As I remembered my past, I saw the soup kitchen close its doors.


    This was despite more people waiting in line. Resources weren''t finite, so they probably ran out of food. Unconsciously, I walked up to the long line of people and in a strong voice eximed.


    "I will feed you. Follow me."


    There were about fifty to sixty people who heard my words and followed me like sheep. I led the procession of hungry people to the diner where I hade from.


    I didn''t know when, but as we walked, more and more people joined us. By the time we reached the diner, only fifteen minutes away, there were well over a hundred.


    The owners, seeing the mob, assumed the worst and came out trembling with pistols and even an AR-15. A fat man in the middle of the group then shouted.


    "I don''t know why you''re all here! But you will not rampage through my diner!"


    Everyone in the soup kitchen remained silent, of course, waiting with bated breath for my response. I then stepped forward and addressed the man with the assault rifle.


    "Please rx, they are with me. How much does this ce make in a day?"


    Still cautious, he replied, keeping his weapon at the ready.


    "About $1200-$1300, $1500 on a good day. Why? Why did you bring these people here?"


    As a frequent customer of this diner, I already had their digital ount for mobile payments. Not wasting time, I opened my GRI and converted 2500 souls to cash. I then sent $2,000 to the diner owner''s bank ount.


    In the same breath, a young man excitedly shouted.


    "PA! Someone sent us $2000!"


    "What? Who sent it? Why?" the man connected the dots then turned to me in confusion.


    "How many of these people can you feed?" I asked, pointing behind me.


    Understanding my intent, the man disarmed and quickly assessed the situation. The man went from being extremely hostile to grinning broadly.


    "I can feed about 30 people like kings or everyone like peasants," he exined eagerly.


    Of course, the more people ate, the less everyone got. I turned to face the mob behind me.


    "Thirty stay here. Eat your fill and enjoy the day. The rest follow me."


    Probably used to standing in line, the people I picked at random quickly formed an orderly line.


    "Here are your thirty. Feed them with what you have. Keep the rest."


    ted by my response, the owner began to bow rapidly like a bobblehead.


    "Understood, my lord! We will see to it that they are satisfied! Thank you, thank you! Um, how do I address you?"


    "My name is John Smith," I answered casually.


    "Of course it is. Heh. God bless you my Lord! All right everyone! Come on in! We will prepare a feast for you!"


    "HELL YEAH!!"


    "WAAAHHOOOO!


    "THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. SMITH!"


    Cheers naturally rang out from the group about to eat, those left behind had looks of envy and disgust. Chuckling to myself, I motioned for them to follow and moved on.


    We walked towards another diner I knew. But somehow, instead of dwindling, our numbers swelled on the way. We looked like a parade. I didn''t know there were so many homeless people in the area.


    When we arrived, the same process repeated itself. They were scared, I gave them money, they smiled, and I left a group behind. I ended up repeating this process over twenty times.


    It was well past noon by the time everyone was settled in. Personally, I had no idea how many I had fed, but the feeling wasn''t bad.


    Even though it was aplete waste of time, the smiles of the people as they happily ate their fill warmed my heart.


    Then I noticed that there was a group with video cameras and microphones near me. Just as I was leaving thest of the starving people, a cute woman approached me.


    "Hello Mr. Smith! I am Angie Emissora, Channel 7 News. Can I have a moment of your time, please?"


    "..."


    "Please! This story is too good not to report! Such acts of benevolence are extremely rare! I have made it my life''s mission to cover only positive stories! Please let me do a short interview!"


    Benevolence, huh? As much as I wanted to take credit, my actions amounted to nothing. Tomorrow these people will be hungry again and I will be gone.


    Many would even suspect that I did this as a publicity stunt, like a Youtuber or an influencer.


    ''I don''t even appear on camera. How could you even do the interview?'' Iined in my mind.


    As I found the situation annoying, I raised my fingers and snapped them in front of Angie and her cameraman while invoking death resonance.


    "You did not see me. When you interview the homeless, no matter what they say, you will forget everything except my name. Good day, Ms. Emissora, and you too, Mr. Cameraman."


    I immediately turned around and invoked the Death Resonance once more. It felt instinctive. Somehow I knew how to be invisible from everyone''s point of view.


    But just then, a feeling of danger enveloped me. Remaining silent, I tried to locate the source, only to give way to a familiar man.


    "Zach?" I asked dumbfounded.


    "Yo, bastard! Fucking around again, I see."

 Chapter 112: Make me [1/2]

    "Why the hell are you here, Zach? How did you even know where I would be?" I asked in amazement.


    Zach pointed with his thumb to a store that sold electronics. The window of the store had t screen TV''s lined up as disys.


    Not understanding what he was trying to say, I observed the store and noticed that about two-thirds of the disys were tuned to a new program.


    "{Perceive}, {Listen}."


    [Are you serious Angie? Can you repeat that?]


    [Sure Dennis, around 7:30 this morning. Right here on the streets of Phoenix, a mysterious Good Samaritan fed over three hundred people.]


    [He led them around and then rented out eating establishments to feed them. The staggering number of people who flocked to this kind soul was the talk of the city.]


    [Aren''t you exaggerating? Three hundred?]


    [I felt the same way at first, Dennis, but the number of restaurants calling us to let us know that they were part of the rental continues toe in. So far, we have over 10 burger joints, 12 diners, 15 pizza ces. And still growing!]


    [My goodness! Doesn''t that mean he''s spent an insane amount of money? Why didn''t he just take them all to a McDonald''s and be done with it?]


    [Yes, that would have been the most logical thing to do. I am not sure what this man believed. But every ce he rented was owned by local businesses. The man who used the alias "John Smith" rented them all for more than they could make in a day.]


    [Hmm. So, he was helping the local economy? Was he part of a relief organization?]


    [We don''t know anything at this point, Dennis. As everyone knows, the recent lockdowns have made it difficult for small businesses to operate.]


    [As times have gotten harder, more and more people have beenid off, and those who have heard about Mr. Smith from friends or the news have rushed to join him].


    [Then where is this man, Angie? Did he say why he did such a publicity stunt? Do we have a picture of Mr. Smith? Was he some kind of business tycoon?]


    [That''s the thing, Dennis! None of the people who ate, nor the business owners could remember what he looked like! And even though some people took videos and pictures, he wasn''t in any of them!]


    [How strange, maybe this was some form of maniption by the government?]


    [Your guess is as good as mine Dennis, but the locals have started calling Mr. Smith the Angel of the Phoenix! His actions today reminded everyone and me that there is still some good in the world. That is all for now. This is Angie Emissora. Channel 7 News]


    Invoking {Fates} to heighten my senses, I heard what I needed to hear. The interactions between the newscaster and the reporter said it all. I then turned to Zach, smiling sheepishly.


    "Are you hungry?" I asked to lighten the mood.


    "''Can it, Mr. Angel. Walk with me. Now," he said in a frustrated tone.


    The Nightmare turned and started to walk away without waiting for me. Of course, I wouldn''t disobey, because this man was very powerful. I moved my legs and followed him a little further back.


    "Listen bastard. Do you have some kind of disease if you don''t make headlines or something?" he asked obviously in a bad mood.


    "Would you believe me if I said I had no intention of letting it get that far?"


    "Yeah. Sure. Anyway, let''s go to a coffee shop."


    I followed him into a small shop on the corner of the street. As we entered, almost everyone was watching the news. The topic was obviously still the "Angel of Phoenix".


    After ordering a couple of drinks, Zach and I sat down at a table by the window. Neither of us spoke as we drank our coffee in silence.


    Then Zach began to speak in a somber tone. "Look, bastard. I say this for your own good. Drop the whole matter with the Saviors. Don''t stick your head where it doesn''t belong."


    Somehow, I already knew that was what he was going to say. Otherwise, he would have reacted differently to my reports.


    But even if I could drop the matter. I didn''t want to. Because if they were not stopped now, they would only do worse things in the future.


    When the head of the mercenaries noticed my silence, he rubbed his temples as he continued.


    "Look, bastard, I am not saying that they will go unchecked forever. Just not now.


    "They will pay a fine if I ask, but if I ept your reports, they will demand a trial."


    I already knew from Warren how big their organization was. Having a Specter as a backer would, of course, allow them to be arrogant. But I had yet to understand why David and Zach tolerated them.


    Myck of an answer caused the nightmare to continue. "If we proceed with the trial, their head would call for a Seeker war. You are a young Wraith. I don''t care how many undead you kill, fighting an entire Reaper army is suicide!"


    I have fought Reapers before, and while the Phantoms were harder, I had {Reveal}. Zach should have known that by allowing the Saviors to remain atrge, the entire battlefront would bepromised.


    Law and order were necessary to deter criminals and forcepliance. Only when the number of fuckups could be controlled would humanity be able to move with one will.


    Although technically humanity had not yet achieved such unity. I thought the zombies would do it, but the reapers could not ovee their own problems and prejudices.


    Zach sighed exaggeratedly as he drank his coffee. After a few moments of silence, he changed the subject.


    "Look, the problem is not that we can''t contain them. It is not even the amount of undead they take down.


    "The problem is David. As a Revenant, his mental well-being is paramount. So, nothing can happen to Xander Rutherford."

 Chapter 113: Make me [2/2]

    A name I hadn''t heard jumped out at me, so I asked reflexively. "Who?"


    Zach said with an exaggerated expression on his face. His eyes turned sharp as he snapped his fingers, invoking death resonance. Souls covered the area around us like a cage muting the outside world.


    "In short, David owes Xander. It is partly David''s fault that Xander created the Saviors. Touching the Saviors meansing into conflict with Xander. We are in a difficult time. David cannot be distracted by such trivialities."


    Hearing such an exnation, I couldn''t contain my contempt.


    "So the bastard got a pass because he helped a Revenant in his old life? How many people had to die every day for that favor of his?"


    "Look bastard, it is much moreplicated than that! If you just followed the rules, this wouldn''t even be an issue! I am your superior, so listen to me, damn it!"


    "What rules?" I asked in confusion.


    "The rules I created for the mercenaries. You didn''t even manage to finish the orientation, you asshat!"


    "Oh! I was going to listen to that tonight. Would you mind giving me the short version?"


    Zach made a troubled face before answering.


    "Mercenaries cannot save everyone. Given the choice, save those who follow the rules and leave the traitors to die."


    "What?"


    I repeated like a parrot.


    Did I just miss something? I mean, it made sense. But such a directive was given to the mercenaries? Then what if someone was considered a traitor, we just let them die? Who defined what a traitor was? Wasn''t that even worse than just killing the bastards?


    "Hach Holzf?ller, Jack Moses, Gadh Luba?i, Isolde Drache, Tino Malosi, Krishna Sangan, Diaz Lowenherz."


    Zach then began to recite names like characters in a y. Some of the names were familiar, as they were the Phantoms I had metst night.


    Before I could question, the man in front of me took off his sses and looked me in the eye.


    "These were the Phantoms who served as defenders in the ces you visitedst night. They all have something inmon."


    Following the conversation, I had a bad premonition of what he was about to say.


    "They are all Reapers who have turned their backs on the battlefront. They are all traitors. One of the most important directives of the mercenaries was to ignore the dirge sirens in their zones," Zach said scornfully.


    "WHAT?!" Unable to ept what he was saying, I rose from my seat in anger. I fought alongside these people. Not only were they noble, but they were doing their jobs. How could they be branded as traitors?


    "Sit your ass back down before I beat you to a pulp!" Zach threatened calmly.


    "Reapers have no rules Zach, if you want me to do something. Make me," I challenged.


    Souls began to surround Zach like a storm. There was no way I could forget the ass-kicking I got from him. But calling my allies traitors was something I could not ept.


    The implications of what Zach had just said were heavy. It meant that he could be the one to orchestrate the Phantoms'' death at the hands of the Saviors.


    I guess I was still emotional fromst night. And I didn''t know about the other four, but Jack, Isolde and Krishna were no traitors. I knew deep down, instinctively, that they were the type to die for their allies.


    Zach''s pressure threatened to suffocate me. It was heavy, butpared to David, it was like a gentle breeze. So I withstood the souls in the air as our standoff continued.


    "Tsk."


    With a sneer, the pressure suddenly disappeared and I could breathe again. Then he clicked his tongue again and asked politely.


    "Will you please sit down, you bastard? Let me finish before you decide to act."


    Thrown off by his manners, I finally took my seat like a trained dog. When I did, he finished what was left of his coffee and resumed.


    "I did not send the Saviors I know Jack Moses personally, so I agree that he is not a traitor. What I meant was that the circumstances of the battlefront made them traitors."


    "Exin." I said curtly.


    "Look, Reapers cannot kill each other, that is the general rule. But how do you get people to do what you want, other than by force?"


    "I don''t know," I replied.


    "You give rewards and punishments. The punishment for these people had to be in the form of being branded a traitor."


    "Why?"


    "If you were a king and someone directly did something you told them not to do, what would you call them?"


    "..."


    "Exactly. They did their duty, but that was all they did. These people refused to obey anything else. If we didn''t punish them, who would listen to us?" Zach continued.


    "So you let them die, and even ordered bastards like the yer to kill them?"


    "Look here, bastard. No government is totally clean. Of course you had to have someone do the dirty work.


    "For us, the Saviors are just that. We got to keep our hands clean because they got theirs dirty."


    "So Robert was right to kill all the Indians with Krishna? Those people were fighting for the living! How can you even say that?" I countered.


    "Krishna Sangan abandoned his battlefront in disgrace and sought refuge in North America. After we refused to transfer them, they smuggled themselves through Hellsgate. Their good fortune will serve as an example to the reapers in Asia.


    "Li Wudi does not take kindly to deserters. He gave us an ultimatum. Send them back or kill them. If we don''t, he will invade North America.


    "What would you have done? Would you risk antagonizing a Revenant and bringing war to ournd, all for a bunch of Pajeets?"


    "No, but..."


    "This is no game, boy! Do you have any idea how many Reapers Asia has? How many of ours would die if that Chink decided to invade us? We cannot fight a war on three fronts!


    "David already has his hands full with that necrophiliac bastard from South America on top of the undead."

 Chapter 114: A new battlefront [1/2]

    "Look, I have nothing against Krishna or the Pajeets, my concern remains keeping this damn battlefront alive! If you let some fuckerse here because of their selfishness, are we just supposed to bleed and die for them?" Zach growled.


    "..."


    "I have no idea where you get your ck and white morality from, but fuck it! You already died once. How can you still be so stupid? Because you prevented Krishna''s assassination, now we have to find a way to get rid of him. Isolde''s situation is even worse!"


    "What is wrong with her? She only wants to live for her husband." I said through clenched teeth.


    "And what? She is a fucking reaper! Her duty is to Hellsgate, not to that gay ass Tristan bastard! Because of her, more and more Phantoms are refusing to be Specters! Fuck their memories! Tino, Gadh, and Jack all followed her rebellion."


    Surely an exception, repeated enough times, would be the rule. But memories were what made a person. If you had to give them up, many would be too afraid of the future.


    "Look, it is not that I cannot understand, but I have made the same sacrifice. I am already a Specter. Why do you think I did it? Because I wanted to lose my memories? No! It was because there was no other choice!


    If everyone follows them, how will we replenish the assault teams?"


    "..."


    Again I was unable to answer. Zach''s logic was sound. The fact that Isolde was a very old Phantom proved that you could stop at this point and still survive.


    A lover, your parents, your children, even your pets. People lived and fought on for many different things. If you forgot everything, not many would want to make the sacrifice. Especially when bing a Specter meant going to the front lines.


    I was able to get an idea of how the transition to a Specter happened from Isolde.


    Basically, Specters would only retain memories of those around them. This meant that anyone who died would eventually be forgotten.


    Even if she evolved into a Specter, as long as I was alive, she would remember me. But for someone like Tristan. No matter how hard she tried, the memories would slowly be erased from her mind by her own soulgem.


    It was as if this was a failsafe to allow the Specters to continue fighting,'' I thought to myself.


    Survivor''s guilt was a real thing. Sometimes even the people who survive a traumatic experience get so scared that they get PTSD. They stop functioning as normal people.


    PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was, of course, based on two things. The event and the traumatic memory. If the memory disappeared, the trauma would naturally go with it.


    It was a stereotype in the media that people who suffered a trauma would suddenly develop amnesia.


    But this was not just for entertainment. It was because there were numerous cases where the brain itself inflicted the amnesia to protect the sanity of the mind.


    While it made sense from themanders'' point of view, it was incredibly cruel to those whose memories were erased. If no one remembered, what would be the proof that you had ever lived?


    "Do you understand now? I personally asked Jack so many times to reconsider! He had a barren wife he could not forget. While I understood him as a person, he was a failure as a Reaper!"


    "..."


    "Reapers do not get the luxury of deciding to go to war. We are already outgunned and outnumbered. What would you call powerful people who deliberately hide behind the front lines?"


    "Cowards and traitors." I answered involuntarily.


    They often said that the privileges given to leaders were proportional to their responsibilities. It seems that this was even more true for the Reapers. However, the more I learned, the more disappointed I was with the current state of affairs.


    "Bastard, no John. Do you know about the time limit of Hellsgate?" Zach asked.


    "Yes, Lilly told me. That the world has ended several times, that those civilizations became the myths we know today. And that it will happen again if we do not close the Hellsgate first."


    "Hmm. It seems you were not lying about being close to the princess, then did she tell you how?"


    "How?"


    Lilly never mentioned how, doesn''t the world end in an instant? Ragnarok was a huge battle that ended in Asgard''s defeat. In the Bible, the trumpets sound and all hell breaks loose. Not having a definitive answer, I just shook my head.


    Zach gritted his teeth as he spoke. "Hell breaks open."


    "What?"


    "Hell breaks open. Everything you see in Hellsgatees to the surface. Hellsgate is a literal gateway to Hell. Once Armageddones, the undead will swell to a thousand times what they are now."


    The Nightmare then looked outside the cafe and gestured with his hands.


    "All of this?" It would be ravaged like a virgin in a prison. Once the reapers can no longer hold the undead at bay, they will rise to the surface and end all life.


    "The undead have no purpose or reason. They only seek to end the living. Monsters and demons may have some inclinations, but they have the same impulse.


    "For now, Hellsgate can resist, so we can even have peaceful days. But soon we will not be able to stop it. The only solutions are either to raise an army strong enough to be a breakwall, or to close Hellsgate from within."


    Zach''s words reminded me of the enlistment. When normal people met the undead, it was hell in every sense of the word. And if that happened on a global scale, the tragedy would be unimaginable.


    "Now do you understand? Of the seven battle fronts, there are even rumors that Antarctica has already been breached. If we do not strengthen our forces, we will be next!"


    "Wait, what do you mean? Antarctica has been breached? I have a friend from there! How could that be?"

 Chapter 115: A new battlefront [2/2]

    "She didn''t tell you? Look, boy, the reason there are no people on that continent is not because it is cold. It is because the undead roam thend. They already have a considerable number of corrupted crystals that summon monsters to the surface."


    "What? Then how do they even live? What do they eat?"


    "It seems you know literally nothing, despite your association with Liv Ivaldi. Well, ask her for the details. My point is that the world is safe only because Antarctica is a special case, if the same thing happened anywhere else it would be the end of the world."


    "If things are so serious, why can''t the Revenants just get along?" I shouted in frustration.


    Despite the insurmountable odds against defeating the undead, the top bastards still decide to fight each other in dick measuring contests. Did Li Wudi really think he could invade the North American battlefront?


    And if that was not enough, even the Revenant from South America was making a scene? Many people believed that humanity remained divided because itcked amon enemy.


    Yeah, that was bullshit. Probably in the beginning. The moment the assholes at the top get some leeway, they immediately start prioritizing how to stay in power.


    Here we were in 2023, with the undead at our door. And we were still divided by race and ideology.


    I mean, it''s not that I don''t understand, but why can''t they focus on the bigger picture?


    Zach smiled bitterly as he seemed to answer the thought in my head.


    "Let me guess, you want them to put aside their differences and work together, right?"


    "..."


    "Look at this fucking hypocrite! If you think it was so easy, then why not listen to me and drop the Savior thing? You expect others to bend to your will, but you''re not willing to bend for others? Haa! You are nothing but a childish idiot! A fucking tyrant, even!"


    Zach''s words were like an ugly mirror that showed me for the hypocrite I was. He was right, to the Revenants my circumstances were just that of a child.


    Just as formanders, deaths in the dozens were of no consequence. Not when they held the lives of tens of thousands in their hands.


    Here I was, unwilling topromise my beliefs, yet expecting them topromise theirs. Suddenly I remembered the words of David Thomas.


    "Rules apply only to the weak. Do not expect me to follow such nonsense. Choose John Smith. Do you want to die in their ce or leave them to their fate?"


    Right, even then he made his point. Reapers did not follow lineage or wealth. They only followed power. If the Reapers wanted to rule and lead the others, they would first have to destroy each other in a battle of strength.


    But even in the animal kingdom, where such tendencies originated, survival came first. Much like me, each of the Revenants must have their own reasons for fighting the undead the way they did.


    And as long as we had different reasons, there woulde a time when we would naturallye into conflict. If I didn''t want to listen, I needed strength to resist. That was the main problem right now. If I didn''t give in, the Saviors would call for a Seeker war.


    A Seeker war was simr to a Seeker duel. You had two sides that had irreconcble differences, so the only thing left to do was to kill each other. Unlike a duel, which was between individuals, a Seeker war was between armies.


    The 200-strong Reaper army of the Saviors would demand a fight to the death with me.And even though I have allies, I don''t know if I could bear it in my mind if they all died for this dispute.


    If I participated in a Seeker war and Isolde, Krishna or the girls died, could I handle it?


    "..."


    This. This was hard. It was easy when everything was ck and white. But when it was no longer just me. How would I handle it? Should I try to face 200 reapers?


    I might consider myself a cheat, but would I win?


    Probably sensing my inner turmoil, Zach made an understanding face.


    "You understand now, right? No one wanted this, but you have to be willing to lose flesh to cleave bone. Sacrifice is necessary for progress. You cannot make an omelet if you are not willing to break some eggs."


    ''Was he right? Was this the limit of what I could do? No matter how powerful I was, I was only one man. What could I prove if everyone else was put at stake?''


    As my mind ran through the scenarios, I remembered the fight I had with Dominic and his thugs. Things weren''t always what they appeared to be. When I changed my mindset, I was able to not only fight the Saviors, but dominate them.


    ''Why did I not want to fight against them? Because someone else would die? Why did I care if someone died? Then just don''t bring anyone else. Why did I even need other people?''


    My train of thought stopped at a memory of a man punching a nuke into existence.


    ''A Revenant. A Revenant didn''t need anyone or anything. If I continue to depend on others, I will never be stronger. Didn''t my own progress prove that?''


    If I hadn''t pushed myself to the limit, I wouldn''t have been able to prove how far I could go.


    There were two problems at the moment. First, I wanted to kill the Saviors, and second, I wanted the so-called traitors to survive.


    Zach said the only one I couldn''t touch was Xander Rutherford. So all I had to do was kill everyone else and get him to surrender. If I didn''t touch Xander, I could have a Seeker war.


    Besides, Zach didn''t want the traitors here. And I had problems being under someone else. Taking all that into consideration, there was only one solution left.


    "I just need to create a new Battlefront."


    "You what? Have you finally lost your damn mind?" the Nightmare shouted in anger.

 Chapter 116: I cannot yield here [1/2]

    "Mercenary John Smith! Repeat what you just said!" Zach demanded with an authoritative voice.


    "I said I am not backing down."


    "What the hell? That''s not what you said before!"


    "Does it even matter? You came here to get me to drop myints against the Saviors, right?"


    The specter known as Nightmare nodded wordlessly. I wasn''t sure why, maybe Zach liked me, but from a Commander''s point of view there was no reason to try to convince a lowly Wraith.


    As a Specter, he could simply not have submitted my reports, like most human bureaucrats who interfere with investigations.


    Zach was a mercenary, which meant he knew what we were fighting for. No one who would lead such an organization could allow scum like Savior to corrupt it from within.


    Not if he could help it. Why did he even try to convince me? Why try to exin everything?


    ''It was like he was trying to test me. His exnations were roundabout, as if he wanted to guide my thoughts.'' I mumbled.


    Xander and David''s rtionship should have been kept a secret. There was no point in mentioning it to me. Not unless Zach wanted me to act on that information.


    Even exining the circumstances of the traitors felt unnecessary. Like he wanted me to do something in response. As if he had some kind of message for me that he couldn''t tell me himself.


    ''If that''s the case, then I''ll bite. But don''t me me for what happens next.''


    "I said, submit all three reports and let the Saviors look for me. If they ask for a seeker war, I will oblige."


    "What? Are you out of your mind? You would be facing over two hundred Reapers. With over two dozen of them being Phantoms! You don''t even have a squad, let alone an army! Are you telling me you want to fight them all by yourself?" he asked angrily.


    "Yes. For the record, I will not be calling anyone for this battle. However, I want all information about our match to be kept secret."


    "Why?"


    "I just want to do the Battlefront a favor and kill those bastards."


    It may have started as a boast, but I intended to keep my promise. Robert and I would never be friends. Julius woulde for Mike and Santiago sooner orter. And Dominic? There was no way he would leave me alone.


    Rather than wait for them toe to me, I would go to them first.


    Cancer cells that make the body sick have to be removed. Otherwise, the patient will never get better. There may be good people in Savior, but I doubt they would have stayed if they had a conscience.


    "Besides, I want my allies not to feel guilty if I die," I added wryly.


    Just for a split second, I saw Zach smile sadly, then twist his face back into one of rage.


    "Bastard! If you do this, I won''t be able to protect you! You may be good at killing undead and monsters, but phantoms are a whole different ball game!"


    "I know. But for my goals of bing a Revenant, I cannot yield here."


    I didn''t know if it was my conscience or my gut telling me. But somehow, I instinctively knew that if Ipromised here, it would be the end of my journey.


    After all, how could I stand up to Hellsgate if I was afraid of only 200 reapers?


    I swore, screamed, and willed myself to this point. I would be a Revenant, and if I could not, then I would simply die here.


    During my first night, I becamefortable, and my thirst for power was slowly dwindling because of what I was enduring.


    My own actions had backed me into a corner. It was time to put up or shut up. If I could not defeat the Saviors, none of my other goals would matter.


    "David, told me you were making such outrageous ims. Do you even hear yourself? You were in Hellsgate for what? One night? And you think you know everything?"


    Time was irrelevant. Even though I had only been in Hellsgate for one night, everything felt familiar. As if I had done this many times in the past. I didn''t know where my confidence came from. But my gut told me it was the right thing to do.


    "Focus on the point, Zach. If the Saviors and I butt heads and I die. You will be rid of me and can go on as if nothing happened. If I manage to defeat them, we will all be the better for it."


    "Ha! Phantoms aside, what are you going to do about Xander? You are lucky he is still on a mission, when the Mercenaries investigate your reports, the Saviors will be put on ice.


    "The moment he returns, he will seek retribution. The man''s already reached the rank of Specter. You would be ki..."


    "So? I have traded blows with David and even you. You think a mere Specter can scare me?" I abruptly cut him off in mid-sentence.


    Zach made an angry face. "Looks like you want to get your ass kicked no matter what. Fine! I will submit them all, when the Saviors reach out, I will send for you."


    The nightmare then stood up and stormed out, the soul cage surrounding us disappearing the moment he took a step outside.


    "I''ll be in touch. Bastard. Do not regret this. Remember to write your will and say goodbye." Zach said condescendingly.


    I remained silent and didn''t get up from my seat even after the nightmare had left. Things were happening very quickly. I had no idea why that was the case, but it was.


    Whether my decision was right or wrong, no one would know for sure. What I was sure of was that I would fight as hard as I could.


    But if I kept a low profile, it would only allow the yer to hunt me down. If he could dare toe up with such a foolproof n to kill Krishna. And what more could he do if he wanted to kill me?


    "Well, what''s done is done. I just have to prepare what I can until then."

 Chapter 117: I cannot yield here [2/2]

    I got up from my chair and left the cafe quietly. Xander was on a mission, so any retaliation woulde after his return. Until then, I had to upgrade my equipment, {Kismet} and supplies.


    Since I didn''t want to tell the girls or my new allies, I would have to prepare everything on my own.


    "This is better. That way, all the me would be on me. I would roll over in my grave if everyone else died because of my decisions."


    It was because of my own stubbornness that I wanted to make Robert and the Saviors to pay. I would wage this Seeker war to satisfy my thirst for vengeance.


    Zach hinted that sooner orter all traitors would be dealt with. Since they could not remain on the battlefront, I intended to carve out a new one, not only for them, but also for myself.


    This new battlefront would have no need for politics or ideology. It would have only one goal. To close Hellsgate, and anything and everything we would do would be for that purpose alone.


    "Heh. Just my first night and things havee to this."


    Of course, the battlefront would have to wait. Right now, I had no idea how to set one up. The people who would know would be Lilly and maybe Be.


    "But that would be for the future. Right now I just had to survive the Seeker War with the Saviors."


    It was not even a question of if there would be a war. It was not a question of whether I would ept it. When two opposing forces met, unless there was apromise on the table, the only option was annihtion.


    "Let''s find a ce to crash first. {Connect}."


    Using death resonance, I moved towards a five-star hotel I had found on the Inte.


    I had a ton of things to do, but I was beyond exhausted. Both the Seeker War and the Battlefront could wait. I wasted the morning feeding the homeless.


    "{Connect} is just too convenient, I don''t even have to look at my screen, the information just shows up in my brain."


    [My Lord, it would be better if you did not overexert yourself. Your body, though no longer human, still has its limits as a Wraith].


    "Ah, Aira! There you are. I missed you."


    Since I didn''t jump into cyberspace, I couldn''t see Aira, but I could hear her through {Connect}. It seems I could only reach her when I connected to my GRI.


    [Yes, my Lord. I am always ready to help. I have already made online reservations for the 5-star luxury hotel: Arizona Biltmore A Waldorf Astoria Resort.


    [An Uber to that destination has been booked and is on its way to pick you up."]


    "Wow! Didn''t you juste online?"


    [AI''s operate at a speed iparable to humans, my Lord. I havepleted the payments for the hotel and your Uber using funds from your ount.]


    [The penthouse suite should be ready by the time you arrive. The reservation is under Limitless. All you have to do is pick up the key.]


    "Man, you are amazing, Aira. Thank you. This makes things a lot easier. I have a lot to bring you up to speed on. Let''s talk againter tonight."


    [Yes, my Lord].


    Before I could even cross the street, arge ck SUV stopped and lowered the mirror on the passenger side.


    "Are you Mr. Limitless?" the driver asked.


    [My Lord. This is the Uber I booked. It is a 2023 Cadic Escde with excellent seats and ample leg room. I requested that you not be disturbed with Uber ck''s quiet option. The ride would take about twenty minutes.]


    "Yeah. Nice car." I replied as I got into the back seat.


    [Thank''s Aira you are the best]


    [I am unworthy of your praise, my Lord]


    "Thanks, your secretary is a scarydy though." The driver replied with a smile.


    Maybe it was because of the silent option, but the driver stopped talking to me as soon as I got in.


    The SUV itself wasrge, withfortable seats and a lot of amenities. Unused to such luxury, I felt my body melt into the interior as I sat down.


    Most people would like to buy a simple two-door car for dating. I, on the other hand, liked big SUVs for their practicality and utility.


    Most gun nuts liked big cars because they could fit their entire arsenals in their vehicles. I was no exception, therefore I had little affection for regr sized sedans.


    But if I had the money, instead of buying a fancy supercar. I would want a truck or SUV with plenty of room for weapons and ammunition.


    If the zombie apocalypse ever came, such a car would be worth more than any other.


    As I admired the automobile and imagined what it would feel like to own one, I asked my AI whileplimenting the product of American engineering.


    "This is nice. Aira, how much does one of these cost?"


    [My Lord, the cheapest 2023 Cadic Escde is priced at only $82,000 while the top-of-the-line 2024 Cadic Escde-V is priced at $153,000].


    "Wow, why such a big difference?"


    [It was supposed to be thest gasoline luxury vehicle from General Motors. They put a 6.2L supercharged V8 engine on a full-size SUV. It is capable of 682 horsepower and 653 lb.-ft. of torque. Should I order one?]


    "Holy shit, a V8 on an SUV? That is amazing. Hmm. I can definitely afford it. Do you think I should get one?"


    [I rmend buying one for you, my lord. The vehicle''s powerful engine could carry both bulletproof ss and armor tes to create a mobile fortress. Your security is our highest priority.]


    "Hmm. Maybeter. I''ll think about it. Wake me when we get to the hotel."


    While I was almost sure that I didn''t need sleep, my mind was just tired. As I rxed my body, I felt my eyelids grow heavy and I entered a peaceful slumber.

 Chapter 118: It is up to you now [1/2]

    I stood in a destend, surrounded by corpses of all shapes and sizes. shes of lightning blinded me. Each time my vision returned, the battlefield changed, but the nature of the scenery remained the same.


    Decaying ruins of brick and stone, their majesty long lost.


    Silent graveyards known only to the dead.


    Vast, deste ins where not a de of grass could grow.


    A continent frozen in ice, where night reigned forever.


    Volcands engulfed in fire, ash, and darkness.


    Hot, dry deserts where the sun burned the ground.


    Darknds besieged by cataclysmic storms.


    Thendscapes were varied and endless. Each evoked a sense of wonder and awe. I had never seen any of them before, yet I was somehow at home with all of them.


    As I looked at thendscape, sadness and frustration gripped me as my anger began to rise.


    At the center of each scene was a lone man standing atop mountains of corpses.


    Whether they were his enemies or my allies, I didn''t know. The man''s armor and weapons matched each battlefield. Somehow they had the same face and the samemanding presence.


    The simrities didn''t stop there. Each warrior had empty eyes and bodies devoid of strength. Yet, even though each man looked exhausted, they all got down from the piles of corpses and picked up their weapons.


    Even though they were all badly injured, they kept walking.


    Some had lost an eye or an entire arm, yet they continued toward their goal.


    At that moment, my vision split like a kaleidoscope. I could see each warrior''s movement on the fragments while hearing the same masculine voice.


    {Thou art a blinking idiot, despite all thine sacrifice none rememberth thee. Time after time thou aimed to try the impossible.}


    Each warrior ignored the voice as they pushed forward.


    {Unprevailing it haply thou continuest to fight. Not one of thy so-called allies remainth. They all fell, betrayed or deserted thee! }


    The voice grew more agitated as it roared. But the lone men continued on to their respective horizons. In the battlefields of ruin and death, they were lost, alone, without enemies or supplies, yet they all pressed on.


    {E''en thy beloved kindred art no more! No matter which life, thou hast failed to save any of ''em! Forbear thy resistance! What more could thou even hope to achieve?!}


    Probably knowing that anger would not help, the voice changed to that of a seductive woman, her soothing voice captivating the ears.


    {Submit to mine authority, surrender and I shall grant the world at thy feet! ept mine love and none can oppose thee.}


    What the hell was this voice? It spoke like someone from another century. If it''s words were to be believed, he seems to be the enemy of the warriors. at his word all the warriors froze on the spot.


    {Forswear all thy hopes and embrace thy destiny. I shall bring back thy lovers and thou shall be together in Elysium, blissful for all eternity.}


    Personally, I could understand that. As long as my loved ones were safe, who cared about the rest of the world?


    {Yes, forsake thy weapon and bid upon mine name. Thou art beyond spent and alone for far too long.}


    The warriors dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground. It seemed as if they could not go on. In such a dire and hopeless situation, the promises of the voice would be all the more tempting.


    {Now bid upon mine name and end thy suffering. Reunite with those thou love and awake from this nightmare.}


    But what happened next shook me to my core. All the warriors suddenly looked in my direction. From the kaleidoscope of visions, their eyes peered into my very soul.


    Then they all opened their mouths and roared with one voice. Their bellows were wrapped in more souls than even David!


    "Away from me, thou vile serpent!I will be the one who will end you! If not now, then in another life. Until the day I cleave your head off your body I will never yield! "


    The voice, or snake, then changed back to a male voice and roared like thunder.


    {FOOL! THE DEAD CANNOT BE STOPPED! I AM IMMORTAL! }


    Despite the arrogance of the voice, the snake almost screamed his words in anger.


    {I AM OLDER THAN TIME AND MORE POWERFUL THAN THE COSMOS! HOW COULD THOU EVEN FIGHT ME?}


    Behind all the voices'' rage, there was another emotion.


    {Thou hast onest chance remaining! It shall be the like as all the rest! and thou shall fail!}


    It was fear.


    "Even so, until my soul breaks. I will try again. Wait for me, serpent! Our dance will continue for one final time!"


    {NO! CEASE AT ONCE! AGAIN THOU REPEAT THY BRAINSICK CHOICE!}


    Then I witnessed a scene I could not understand. An immeasurable number of souls erupted from each man that began to dissolve the fabric of reality as they shouted.


    {REWIND ULTIMATUM: RELIVE!}


    Everything the souls touched turned to white light.


    Like white ink on a ck canvas, the worlds all dissolved into nothingness and vanished without a trace. A silence reminiscent of outer space was all that was left.


    Soon even color and shadow vanished from this white world. Then the men all stood up to me and pointed in my direction as they smiled.


    "It is up to you now," they whispered at the same time.


    Before I could say anything, my vision suddenly disappeared and I felt my body fall.


    When I opened my eyes, I was back in the Uber that was taking me to my hotel. Unable to understand, I squirmed in my seat and looked around. Maybe someone was using a mind-controlling {Fate} or something? Otherwise, what I had just seen made no sense.


    What the hell is going on? Are these dreams? Illusions? What could they be? I tried to y dumb, but there was one statement that gave me a clue as to the nature of my visions.


    Rewind Ultimatum: Relive


    [My Lord? Are you all right? You seem shaken, has something happened?]


    "..."

 Chapter 119: It is up to you now [2/2]

    As far as I knew, {Fates} were unique to their reapers. Was {Rewind Ultimatum} the future form of {Rewind}? If that was true, then was I some kind of a returner? Like in some popr novels?


    Did {Relive} somehow send me back in time? They said this was thest time. How many times have they used it?


    [My Lord?]


    Aira''s worried calls broke me out of my brief trance.


    "I''m fine, Aira."


    That was something I had no bandwidth to worry about right now. I wasn''t sure why I suddenly saw such a vision, but it had nothing to do with me at the moment.


    My focus right now was on preparing for the Seeker War that I will inevitably fight. Once I arrived at the hotel, I would eat, sleep, and recover for my return to Hellsgate.


    Just then, I felt the vehiclee to a gentle stop, and then the driver turned to me and said in a calm voice.


    "We have arrived Mr. Limitless, please enjoy the rest of your day."


    I nodded and got out of the car. Maybe it was because my mind was preupied, but I had no memory of getting the key and taking the elevator to my suite.


    When I found myself in my room, I couldn''t even appreciate the ambiance or the furnishings. My eyes were glued to the bed, into which I immediately copsed.


    The windows, the lights, and the air conditioning all began to operate automatically, making the room super cozy. As the softness of the mattress and pillows enveloped me, I couldn''t even resist.


    I had a ton of worries I needed to get back to, but for now. I decided to enjoy my well-deserved rest. Thinking that oversleeping would be fatal, I was about to give Aira some instructions before she spoke.


    [My Lord, I will wake you before you are summoned. Please do not worry and enjoy your rest.]


    Having Aira definitely made a big difference. I started to appreciate the advanced technology the US had because of her. Alexa, Siri, or Cortana, while advanced, were nowhere near as capable as Aira.


    ''Was this what AI was going to be like in the future? It was kind of scary if you weren''t careful.''


    [My Lord? May I ask you for a gift?]


    "A gift? For you? If it is something I can give you, then okay. What do you want me to do?"


    [Thank you, my Lord. You do not have to do anything, I just need $25,000, it will be so that I can better support you in the future].


    "$25,000? Sure. Just take it out of my ount. Good night, Aira."


    [Good night, my Lord].


    $25,000 was a lot when I was human. But now that I could literally make a million dors a night, it seemed extremely cheap. The saying that money loses its value the more you have of it was probably true.


    Aira, as far as I could see, was loyal to me and worked with my best interests in mind. And just now I was as sleepy as you wouldn''t believe.


    And even though Aira was just a machine, she had earned my trust.


    Throughout the night, she showed me more kindness than most people I have met. I believe that as long as I continue to be kind to her, she will have no reason to betray me. At least I hope so.


    ***


    The hours flew by until I heard a faint whisper urging me to wake up.


    [My Lord, please get up. It is time.]


    "Huh? Aira? What time is it?"


    [It is 6:45, my lord. The Wraiths will be summoned around 8:00 in the evening. You still have time to clean up and have a quick meal.]


    "Is that so? Yawn!"


    I groggily wiped the drool from my mouth as I stood up and yawned. The brief rest allowed me to clear my mind of the thousand things I had to worry about.


    I stumbled into the bathroom and took a quick shower while brushing my teeth. Aira began to update me on certain events.


    [My Lord, you have slept for six hours and twenty minutes. I wasn''t sure what supplies you might want, so I held off on ordering. Philip would probably introduce you to Production and Fortificationter.]


    "Hmmm."


    [Also, my Lord. There is something you should see.]


    "Hmm?"


    The television suddenly turned on and tuned to an overseas program from Japan. A Japanese news station was broadcasting a chaotic event where some people were fighting against the Japanese SDF.


    Everyone except the Americanmentator was speaking in Japanese. But the American didn''t really know what was happening either.


    Thinking it was annoying, I used my {Fate} to understand the original broadcast.


    "{Interpret}."


    [Right now, the terrorist group calling themselves the Seven Sirens are continuing their crazed rampage throughout the streets of Kyoto. Everyone please take care!]


    "Terrorists? What is this about Aira?"


    The scene showed the Japanese military shooting at people in ck suits. Even though they were terrorists, only one of them used a sniper rifle. The rest used ded weapons.


    It was a gruesome spectacle as blood spilled from the buckets.


    [The SDF has deployed tanks! Everyone in the area please evacuate!]


    With a voice full of terror, the newscaster described the arrival of armored vehicles at the scene.


    The Japanese were reluctant to use guns in general, so how bad was the situation for them to actually use tanks?


    The turrets of the four armored vehicles that arrived took aim and shot one of the terrorists, engulfing him in a massive explosion.


    As the smoke cleared, the man raised hisrge shield and began beating on the tanks with it.


    "What the hell am I looking at, Aira?"


    [My Lord, the footage of the terrorist has been inserted in.]


    "Huh? Then what were the soldiers shooting at? Is this a y or something?"


    [My Lord, the footage of the soldiers is real, but their real targets do not appear on the video. What we see was masterfully added during the live stream].


    "Not showing up? Then these guys are reapers?"


    [Yes, my lord. Currently, Hellsgate is in an uproar over this incident. Please watch this video clip. It showed earlier when the terrorists introduced themselves].


    A ck silhouette appeared barely visible in the dimly lit room. It was definitely a woman, judging by herrge bosom.


    [Greetings, children. You may call me Minerva. I am one of the Seven Sirens. Know that what we have done in Japan is only the beginning. Change ising, and we are its heralds.]

 Chapter 120: A damn shame [1/2]

    [My Lord, the stream went into detail on how the Seven Sirens destroyed an abandoned hospital and then razed the Kansai International Airport to the ground. The scene you saw was them fighting their way to Kyoto Harbor].


    "What the fuck? Who are these lunatics?" I snapped in irritation.


    The Reapers didn''t want to draw attention to themselves. How would the world react if they found out about us anyway?


    I had never heard of a rule that said to stay hidden, like in vampire movies. But normally, people like us would not intentionally expose ourselves to the public. Not without a good reason.


    [The world has been toocent for far too long. The Illuminati rule it from the shadows, and their war with the eye has made the world a worse ce than it needs to be.]


    The woman in the video continued to speak with her voice modted so much that she sounded robotic.


    "Fortunately, they used the Illuminati, so most people would just call her crazy. But it couldn''t be good that they were calling out reaper groups in public."


    [Even your so-called gods do nothing as their domains rot and fester. In the face of total annihtion, they all remain egotistical and despotic].


    "Aira, aren''t they cutting it a little too close forfort? They just called Trinity, IRIS, and the Revenants, didn''t they?"


    [Yes, my lord. Please continue to observe.]


    [But no more. Change has arrived. And my sisters and I are his servants. Our Master will usher in a new age. One where the gates of hell will be closed forever. And a world where descendants need not be born.] the woman continued.


    "Hmm. The gates of hell will remain closed forever. And no descendants needed. Both are admirable sentiments." I unconsciously praised.


    After the woman in the video finished her message, the screen faded out and returned to the news program.


    It showed the domination of the monsters called the Seven Sirens.


    From the few shots I could see, they were destroying tanks, shooting helicopters out of the sky, and brutally ughtering the Japanese SDF.


    One of the Sirens, with a slender build, flipped up a car and rammed it into a tank. Another, wielding a rapier, disemboweled soldiers, armor and all.


    Drones and helicopters were constantly being shot out of the sky by the Sirens'' talented marksman.


    They all wore ck fox masks on their faces. This made the scene even more surreal.


    No one could get close as two people blocked the SDF''s bullets. Armed with arge shield and arge greatsword, two of the Sirens worked in tandem to destroy those who tried to oppose them.


    "Their weapons look like the girls''. Liv would be the shielder, Lilly uses a greatsword simr to that one, and..."


    As I started topare them to the girls I knew, my voice got stuck in my throat. It was not just simr. They matched my girls to a frightening degree.


    The one with the rapier would be Josephine. And the one who flipped over cars had a simr body type to Robyn. She could easily use mid-sized sedans as clubs with {Carry} and {Pack}.


    "No way..."


    Jasmine with her amazing skills could easily take down helicopters with a sniper rifle. And Be with her ability {Connect} and herputer skills could easily hack the transmission.


    "Holy shit."


    I then tried to see if anyone was moving like Aki. Unable to find them, I sighed in relief. But part of me knew they were crazy enough to do this.


    If the Seven Sirens were really my girls, what the hell were they trying to do? And why would Lilly even join them?!


    "Aira, could these people be the girls?"


    [I apologize, my lord. Currently the records of Liv Ivaldi, Robyn Lithgow, Josephine Benelli, Jasmine Denel, Isabe Taurus and Aki Miroku are under a gag order.]


    "..."


    [You, and therefore I, have no ess to them. Lilly Browning profile as a Phantom and the princess is also marked ssified].


    "Then why did you..."


    [My Lord, after I became your AI, I searched the Graveyard for records of your past battles. I knew you had associations with them. Unfortunately, I could find no information but the weapons they used.]


    [I showed you this clip to gauge whether or not you would indeed find them familiar].


    "..."


    It was very familiar. I only fought with them for a few hours, but the way they covered each other was identical to my girls. They were still using the formation we created. Well, to be exact, the Europeans and Be created.


    "Come to think of it, Aki should be in America by now. And she might have gone to my old address. The others all said they had things to do. Was this it? Why would the girls murder people in cold blood?"


    As much as I wanted to rebuke them for their cruelty. I knew the girls must have had their reasons.


    They were my people, and as long as they did not betray me, I would never abandon them.


    I then picked up my GRI and tried to call Be. It only dawned on me that Be was even using her Graveyard Id to introduce herself.


    ording to the news, the video was from the day before. So they should have been gone by now.


    "Ha. Talk about gutsy. Anyway, let''s call her now."


    The call quickly connected, then a familiar voice answered.


    [Ara. How rare for you to call me Mr. Code. Did you miss me?]


    Somehow hearing Be''s voice made my voice choke, like a part of me wanted to run to her. Then all the voices on the other line started shouting after each other in glee.


    [DAAARRRLINNNG!!!! I MISS YOU!!!]


    [WWOOMMBAAATT!!! WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?!]


    [Husband! We are heading to you soon!]


    [Dear, why didn''t you call me first? Is Be your number one?]


    [Hahahaha! Look at you all! Just one call from the Southerner and you all suddenly came alive!]


    Just hearing their voices made all my worries disappear. Maybe it was because I had spent a whole night so close to death, but their cheerful voices blew away any weariness I might have had.

 Chapter 121: A damn shame [2/2]

    [Oy! Shut up, you lot! I almost went deaf from your screams! Honey, let me turn on the video, okay?]


    [Kya! How bold! I''m shy]


    [Oy Be! Are you for real? The wombat would see us!]


    [Fufufu, I don''t mind. Dear will see it sooner orter.]


    [My body already belongs to husband.]


    [But my body is unfeminine and full of scars. Will he not find it unsightly?]


    Wondering what was going on, I moved the phone away from my ear to check the screen. The call switched to a video call and what I saw was an extremely erotic scene.


    The girls were sitting around in what looked like a hot spring.


    They were naked with a few pieces of cloth covering them. With the water as clear as a mirror, there was little left to the imagination.


    Be, Robyn and Josephine had towels covering theirdy bits. On the other hand, Liv and Jasmine adorably tried to hide their breasts with their limbs. All of them blushed scarlet.


    Only Lilly bared it all.


    But Robyn and Be blocked my view so I couldn''t see anything.


    I swallowed audibly in response and hunched over slightly as my son hulked out.


    [You like what you see, Mr. Code?]


    I couldn''t even respond to her statement and wished I could record this scene for research purposes. Then I remembered that I could do this remotely using {Connect}.


    But just as I was about to use Be''s {Fate}, the original owner gave me a warning.


    [Mr. Code. As long as you have my {Fate} on loan. I can stop you from using it, you know? Trying to record this so you can masturbate to our naked bodiester is a big no-no.]


    "W-what? I wasn''t trying to! I.." I stammered in panic.


    [Darling! You are talking faster! You are lying! Hehehe, you really wanted to use us for fap material?] Jo teased.


    [Fuck me dead, Wombat, you are a sick pervert!] Robynmented in disgust.


    [Husband. You don''t need to video in secret. Just call meter.] Jas added seductively.


    The video suddenly shifted to show Lilly looking at it from below. Her magnificent breasts were exposed as they floated in the water.


    [Dearest, if you tell me honestly. I will send you nude pictures of me. As many as you want.]


    Lilly made an amorous smile as if she was enjoying my inner turmoil.


    Unable to answer her right away, my brain began debating what to do. By the time I was able to open my mouth, the phone was yanked away from her and returned to show only Be.


    [Times'' up! What a shame. Anyway, why the sudden call, Mr. Code?]


    With the heavenly sight no longer visible, only Be''s face could be seen on the video. Trying very hard to suppress my desires, I changed the subject.


    "There''s something I wanted to ask you all. Were you the terrorist group that was in the news for rampaging through Kyoto? The one called the Seven Sirens?"


    Be''s face became noticeably tense as she became apparently nervous. The woman then shed an arrogant expression as she replied.


    [It''s amazing you figured it out so soon, honey. And what would you do if that were the case? Are you angry about what we did? Hmm? Maybe disappointed? Or are you reconsidering having us as your allies?]


    Perhaps she was anxious that I would cut ties with them because of this incident. That must be why she decided to show me a picture of paradise first to make sure I wouldn''t.


    Inwardly, I could only shake my head at the thought.


    ''My word, that girl is devious, it''s like everything she does is a delicate gamble.''


    "Cut the nonsense Be. We''ve been through a lot together. You girls are mine. I would never let any of you go unless you betrayed me. I just wanted to make sure everyone got out okay."


    It was quiet, but I heard a lot of sighs of relief from the other side of my call. Maybe they really were terrified that I would abandon them. My words certainly reassured them.


    When I had nothing, these girls followed me to certain death. Of course, my trust in them would be extremely strong. My promise to Lilly was simr. I didn''t know when, but I already considered her one of my people.


    Even after a few moments of silence, the other side of the call was silent. Was the reception bad? I felt ufortable repeating my statement, so I asked something else instead.


    "By the way, where is Aki, is she okay? I didn''t see her in the streams. It seems strange to call yourselves the seven sirens when there are only six of you."


    The phone suddenly changed perspective again, showing Lilly with her hair up. Her wless skin was mesmerizing, and her faint blush made her all the more bewitching.


    [Dear, the seven sirens are named after you. It is to celebrate your aplishment on your first night of service. It is not really named because there are seven of us here].


    "Is that so?She told me that she is already in North America. I will meet her tomorrow."


    If Aki arrived here on Tuesday morning, she should be in a hotel somewhere recovering from jetg. I had little time before returning to Hellsgate, so I had to prepare. I would look for her tomorrow.


    [I hope you see her soon. By the way, honey, give her a message for me. Tell her that we have already reimed Spring.]


    "Reimed Spring? Is that a code or something?"


    [Husband, it is an internal matter between the Sirens. On another note. Congrattions on your debut in Hellsgate. You must have worked very hard.]


    Not bothering to answer my question, the girls then started making small talk about various topics. All the while giving me a lot of eye candy.


    Probably because of the atmosphere, they started to act more brazen, forgetting that they were butt-naked. As we chatted, I caught glimpses of their nipples and honey pots. Despite the wondrous sights, I couldn''t save them to my phone.


    "What a damn shame," Imented softly.

 Chapter 122: Heroine Chapter: As if I would lose! [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Robyn Lithgow


    ___


    In a white van without a driver, we sped down the road. We were in the final stages of our raid to recover Aki''s brother. The hospital where they were being kept only looked old from the outside, inside it was all shiny and bright.


    There were about ten ankle biters we rescued, none of them more than maybe thirteen years old. At first I felt bitter about wasting my time on these bludgers, maybe because I saw myself in them.


    I remember crying for hours in the early years of my training. It toughened me up, but it was not something I wanted to do again. I just learned to ept it, even after all this time, my Oldies never tried to look for me.


    ''I guess some people have it better than others.'' I thought.


    After we murdered everyone in the hospital, we were on our way out of the country. Luckily, Be took care of everything on that end.


    When I was with the terrorists, they usually just dropped me off on some riverbank or let me parachute in. The few times I had to do all that immigration crap, I almost got killed.


    [Be, Liv here. There is a barricade in front of us, how should we act?]


    Ugh, Diggers. This was the worst part of every mission. Getting away. Normally, I would act all sneaky to get away. But right now? I think we could fight our way out.


    After all, everyone here was like me. I knew that for sure after we returned from Hellsgate.


    These Shes were like me. I thought their strength was limited to the undead, but this trip made me realize otherwise. Everyone here was exactly like me. Weapons without morals or remorse. It made me feel like I somehow belonged.


    "Strewth! Can''t we just kill them all?" I whinged.


    [I hear you Liv, Robyn is right. Everybody listen. I want you to destroy everything in your path. Trinity sent these guys.Lilly shared that Honey sees Trinity as his enemy. So why don''t we tell them?] Be replied.


    Trinity? I remember Aki mentioning them. Basically, Trinity made the world a better ce, but they were the enemy of the Reapers. While IRIS were the Figjams who screwed up the world for Hellsgate.


    If someone else told me this, I would say they had kangaroos loose in the top paddock. But somehow we should be barracking for IRIS and screwing with Trinity. I didn''t get it either.


    [What do you mean tell them?] asked the ck Italian.


    [That we are Trinity''s enemy and that we belong to Honey].


    Hmm. That I belong to the Wombat? Somehow I felt like I''d never belonged anywhere before. Not when I was covered in blood.


    Regardless of whose it was, most of my memories were spent being locked up as punishment or stalking my targets.


    Jo, who was in the vehicle with me, suddenly eximed in high spirits! This g definitely ate some kind of medicine, there was no way people could be this happy all the time.


    "Ohh! What do we call ourselves then? The Smithets? John''s Angels?"


    [Actually, I already have a name, and I got the idea from Lilly] Be replied sheepishly.


    [Me? I don''t recall offering any suggestions?]


    [Well, it was when you were fighting the Phantoms]


    [Be... I had my microphone muted at the time. Were you spying on me?]


    Ugh, we were on a mission, why were these ggers constantly talking? During my training I was told to speak only when absolutely necessary. The girls on the other hand were earbashing like they were having a barbie at Ekka.


    [Anyway, you said we are the heralds of theing change.]


    [Then, like the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, we are the heralds for Husband?]


    Maybe it was because I only learned the bare minimum, these gs kept using words I didn''t understand. What the hell was an Apocalypse? Was a herald like a bikkie? Could I eat it?


    [Yes, we are his heralds, but we will call ourselves Sirens instead. Aki should be included, we will be called the Seven Sirens].


    [Seven Sirens. Clever. Dear cleared seven Dirge sirensst night. That would definitely be his calling card. I like it. Very well.


    I, Lilly Browning, concur. All in favor say aye].


    Josephine then tapped me on the arm and said softly.


    "Say aye if you agree."


    "Aye? Why aye? Is that some kind of Seppo ng?"


    "American? No, I think the English invented the use of aye."


    "Fuck me dead," I cursed in annoyance.


    Both Jo and I agreed with whatever they were talking about.I didn''t even bother to ask what I was. We were sent here for a mission. Nothing else mattered.


    [All right! Sirens!For our first mission! Send a message to Trinity! Change ising! And we are the ones to proim it!]


    [ROGER!]


    Somehow, I felt an extreme bloodlusting from the blonde Italian with me. The ankle biters probably felt it too, as Jo smiled madly while fiddling with some cases.


    [Then, as the vanguard of the Seven Sirens, let me have the honor of the first blow! Be, increase the speed of this carriage to the limit! {Withstand}! {Endure}! {Block}! ] Liv dered in a boisterous voice.


    [HAHAHA! I love it! Call me Minerva! Give them hell, Freyja!]


    "Minerva, please send the children to a safe ce. I will be leaving as well."


    [Roger that, V.]


    Huh? We suddenly have call signs? What should I use? Should I call myself Rhiannon? Before I could answer, I saw the car in front of us speed up as if its freckle was on fire.


    ''Oy! Weren''t three of the ankle biters with Liv?''


    Before I could blink, Liv''s car crushed the Digger barricade. I tried to move forward, but our car suddenly elerated as well.


    "Oy! Be! What the hell is going on?"


    [Call me Minerva, Rhiannon to make it simpler, annihte everyone with a weapon].


    Hmm. That made things a whole lot easier. I wanted to fight, I didn''t know I was going to get my wish.


    Knowing what had to be done made things lessplicated. I was a weapon. I didn''t like to think, but when I was given an order, I would do my all to fulfill it.

 Chapter 123: Heroine Chapter: As if I would lose! [2/2]

    "Understood."


    "Wow! Your switch got flipped again?" Josephine remarked.


    What the hell was that g saying anyway? Never mind. Then I opened the side door of our car. I could run even faster than most cars ever since I copied Wombat''s use of my {Fates}.


    "{Carry}, {Hike}."


    Before I could jump, the Italian with me suddenly vaulted outside, screaming.


    "WEEEE!!!!! I will race you, Rhiannon! Last one pays for dinner!"


    Only she would have such a happy face while jumping out of a moving car. Somehow her energy infected me, making me smile with excitement.


    "As if I would lose!" I shouted as I joined her.


    Even though we were getting out of a moving car, both Jo and I managed toe to a safe stop. I noticed that she was wearing her fox mask, so I quickly put mine on.


    ''Luckily I kept it on my hip.'' I thought in relief.


    I had more on me than most people, since my {Fates} were all for pack mules. Or so I thought. The Wombat exined that {Carry} was much more amazing, it defied something called gravity.


    Be exined that gravity was why shit fell when you threw it in the air. Somehow I understood what she meant every time I used my {Fates}.


    [Contact! Three police cars and twelve officers. Take them down!] Be ordered.


    Josephine didn''t even wait for me and held her thin sword in front of her face. What was she doing? After her short pause, she lunged with a burst of speed so fast I almost missed her.


    She wanted to stab a car? Was this bitch crazy?


    Before I could warn her, someone else sent us a message.


    [Get down.]


    Josephine, as if anticipating her sister''s voice, suddenly cartwheeled forward without fear. Then I heard a loud bang from somewhere and a bullet suddenly whizzed past me.


    ''No way!''


    The bullet was going to hit Jo! Wouldn''t she get shot at this rate? But instead of being injured, I caught a glimpse of the speeding bullet narrowly missing Josephine''s limbs as she did acrobatics!


    ''How?''


    On a collision course with one of the police cars, the bullet hit somewhere along the front wheel on the right. Suddenly, as if something had struck the car, its ass jumped to the sky, sending the whole car into the air!


    Josephine then moved under the flying car, keeping her body low as she slid across the asphalt. In less than a second, she stabbed the men through the windshield with two quick thrusts.


    The polis barely had time to scream as their blood soaked the windshield. Not that it mattered as the car crashed to the ground the next second.


    "Fuck me dead," I cursed silently in admiration.


    With a smile, Josephine jumped towards the next car. When shended on its windshield, she buried her weapon into the hood in one swift motion. As she drew her sword, a fountain of gasoline gushed out.


    Immediately after, she jumped off the moving car like a fairy dancing in the wind.


    The next moment, a bullet ricocheted off the hood of the car, which was leaking fuel. A small spark was enough to ignite the gasoline and turn the car into a ball of fire.


    It took less than thirty seconds for the Europeans to kill all those people. I couldn''t even move out of shock! And I was on the same side!


    Suddenly I noticed a shadow flying over my head. When I looked up, I saw Lilly riding a wave of water toward thest car. Not a heartbeatter, she cut the vehicle cleanly in half with a powerful sh.


    "You''re all fucking crazy," I muttered in disbelief.


    If this continued, I would be left behind! These people were far too powerful! I had to keep up somehow! Frantically, I quickly searched for an enemy.


    ''Something! Anything! It didn''t matter what it was!''


    Even though Be told me that they would not leave me behind, I was still afraid.


    My ears heard the sound of rotors screaming loudly. I quickly moved my body in that direction and saw a helicopter descending towards our location.


    Knowing that this was my chance, I ran towards it with all my strength.


    "{Ascend}." I mumbled.


    When I got close enough, I jumped into the sky and ran as if I was on the ground.


    {Hike} somehow made me run faster, normally I would hear the wind as it passed. But whenever I used {Hike}, the world was silent, no matter how fast I moved.


    {Ascend}, on the other hand, allowed me to walk towards the sky. It allowed my feet to walk on air. At least for a short while.


    Not wishing to waste a single second, I ran towards the helicopter with the metal marbles in my hands.


    "{Pack}."


    The pilot of the chopper got scared as I rushed towards him. Trying to avoid me he made the chopper veer to the left. Not that anything the Bogan did would matter. Like a hunter, I chased after them, throwing my steel balls at the tail rotor.


    {Pack} worked really well when I was throwing stuff. The things I used became lighter, but regained their weight as they flew.


    The result was like throwing heavy rocks over a cliff. I didn''t know why, but they hit way harder.


    The balls I was throwing smashed the rotating des of the tail rotor and sent the helicopter into a tail spin. That would probably be enough, but I figured I could do better.


    From the west, I saw more police cars approaching. Instinctively, I leaped onto the helicopter and used {Carry} and {Pack}. Still in the air I dragged the chopper towards the iing polis and threw the copter with all my might.


    "HYAAAAA!!!!!!!"


    Like a wobbly Frisbee, my improvised rock missed its target but made a loud boom as it exploded on the ground. My legs suddenly began to cramp in mid-air.


    ''Ugh, need to get back to the ground. {Ascend} is done...''


    I quickly ran towards the ground and did a barrel roll to ease the pain. As I rose, Josephine approached without her mask but with a surprised expression.


    "Rhiannon. The way you fight is nuts."


    Her sister then added [I agree.]


    [10 stars. Most impressive.] the princess praised.


    Liv began cheering excitedly [Robyn! Such a feat is worthy of songs!]


    While the Brazilian quipped. [Unbelievable.]


    Somehow, my heart swelled with pride as they praised me.


    ''This is not so bad,'' I thought to myself.

 Chapter 124: My Precious Partner [1/2]

    Cheerfulughter echoed through my room in the penthouse suite of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. After not hearing from them for the past few days, I couldn''t help butugh with the Sirens.


    Ever since I had that strange dream, my mind had constantly drifted to their well-being. Maybe it was because I could rte to the lone warriors that I began to hope I wouldn''t end up the same way.


    Despite a thousand questions I wanted to ask the girls, I didn''t. Any of them would not only spoil the mood, butplicate the situation.


    Why were you all in Japan?


    Why did you kill all those people?


    Why didn''t anyone tell me there were undead in Liv''s home?


    Why did you go to war with Trinity?


    Why did you all lie to me about what you were going to do?


    Why wasn''t Aki with you?


    I refused to believe that these girls would betray me. But I couldn''t find a good reason for their actions. My mind and my heart were in conflict regarding the subject.


    While the other Phantoms could be considered my allies, I already knew in my heart that the Sirens were special.


    It wasn''t because they were beautiful, nor because they were powerful.


    ''It was simply because they believed in me,'' I repeated in my mind.


    When I had nothing to offer.


    When all my promises seemed like lies.


    They all chose to follow me.


    Logically, their actions didn''t make sense. Even the brief moments I spent with them were no guarantee, yet they were willing to die for me.


    ''A life for a life.''


    Until our trust was broken, as they had for me, I would continue to believe in them. I would not ask and wait for them to tell me.


    If they decided to go against the world, and everyone came after them, then I would choose to take on the entire human race.


    Humans, undead, reapers, even Revenants.


    They are mine.


    "Just try to take them from me." I reluctantly let slip.


    [Darling? What did you just say?]


    "Ah, sorry. That was nothing, Jo."


    [Anyway, like I was saying Honey...]


    I spent the next hour chatting amiably with the girls. The topics were mundane, like what they ate, what sights they saw and what they were going to do next.


    The stories they shared were lighthearted and entertaining.


    Eventually they asked in earnest about my first night in Hellsgate.


    I began in order, starting with my defense of the lonely house.


    [Such tenacity! Amazing John! You fight like a Northerner!]


    [Honey, try to stop blowing yourself up, okay?]


    When I told them about Jack Moses.


    [Darling, that is so sad.]


    [I had the pleasure of fighting with him once, he was a proud warrior indeed].


    About Joshua and his wife.


    [Husband, Ang needs to learn some manners.]


    [That g is fucking crazy!]


    Isolde''s story followed, of course.


    [Such a powerful tale, there are no dragons in the North, so I never knew of their bravery.]


    [Honey, how big were her boobs?]


    Then I told the rescue of Mike and Santiago.


    [Darling, these Saviors sound like they need a good beating]


    [Dear, with Scott, Joshua, his wife, and the two you rescued, you already have enough to register a basic squad. It takes five squads to form an army. You are doing great!]


    As I spoke emotionally about Krishna, the yer, and the Yuddha Rakshas.


    [Husband, do not me yourself. You did all you could].


    [Wombat, let''s kill him.]


    And finally, my battle with Dominic.


    [Be.]


    [I know. They won''t get away with this.]


    Somehow it was therapeutic to share my experiences.


    At first I did it just to contribute to the conversation, but when I got to the stories of Isolde and Krishna, emotions I had been holding in spilled out.


    The Sirens didn''tugh or mock me. Instead, they all gave me encouragement andfort.


    Theyughed and cheered at my victories, and they shared with me the sorrows of my failures. My conversations with them somehow freed me from the guilt and emotional baggage that I had been carrying around with me.


    Unconsciously, I had already begun to use them as an emotional crutch.


    No amount of willpower could keep me going forever. And fortunately, after my first night, I had a support group for my mental well-being.


    Seeing how angry they were with the Saviors warmed my heart.


    It spoke volumes about how much they appreciated me.


    It was both endearing and ttering at the same time. Such beautiful women valued me enough to get emotional over me.


    Although I found their reactions adorable and amusing, I was not going to let them get involved in the Seeker War. That was mine alone.


    If they joined, I would only be worried about them.


    Even though I knew how powerful they were, my own arrogance wanted to keep them safe, away from danger. Taking out the undead was one thing, but fighting the Reapers was another.


    Logically, I should have sought all the help I could get, but my path was never one of logic. For my own peace of mind, I would do whatever I wanted. And right now, I wanted to keep them out of harm''s way.


    To be a Revenant, I had to push myself to the limit, but that was only for myself. I will not let anyone die for my sake.


    Because of this thought, I happily spent time with the Sirens. They eventually came out and even allowed me to watch them get dressed. Our rtionship was definitely no longer that of friends.


    They knew it as well as I did.


    ''I wonder when the change started?''


    It was only when Aira made me aware of it that I finally noticed the time.


    [My Lord, it is now 7:30 p.m., it would be wise to grab a bite to eat. You may continue talking to your lovers in Hellsgate.]


    But for some reason, Aira decided to speak audibly. And her voice did not go unnoticed.


    [Honey, who was that?]


    [Darling, don''t tell me you have another wife?]


    [Husband, stop cheating on me.]


    Originally, I would have found their meddlesome tendencies annoying, but now?


    I found it adorable instead.


    Somehow, even though we only spent a few hours together, I felt a great affection for the girls. It was as if I had spent a lifetime with each of the Sirens.

 Chapter 125: My Precious Partner [2/2]

    Not suppressing a smile, I teased them in response.


    "Her name is Aira, and she has been my precious partner sincest night."


    [...]


    Suddenly I noticed someone else in the video I sent to Be''s phone, Aira manifested next to me, just as she did in cyberspace. When I turned around, she was not there, leaving me confused.


    [Mydies, please ignore my lord''s words. I am his mercenary AI. Pleased to meet you all, I am Artificial Intelligence for Reconnaissance and Analysis Version 7.1, also known as AIRA. I exist only in cyberspace and have been assisting my lord Limitless in his missions.]


    Gasps of surprise and admiration came from the other end of the line.


    [And who chose your outfit and appearance, Aira? Was it Darling?]


    [No, Lady Benelli. This form is based on a maid from one of my lord''s games. When I suggested this appearance to him, he found it to be to his liking. I have used it ever since.]


    [I don''t suppose you have a list of female characters Husband favors?]


    [I do Lady Denel. Even those he is sexually stimted by. Should I send it over?]


    "Oy! Aira!"


    [Dear, please be silent. I like you, send the data over this instant. We will get along just fine.]


    [Your words honor me, Lady Browning.]


    [Just one thing, Aira, were you the one who blocked my ess to Honey''s personal data?]


    [Yes, Lady Taurus. At the time, I didn''t know if the Sirens were friend or foe.]


    [Did we establish who we are to the Southerner?]


    [Yes, Lady Ivaldi. Sincest night, my lord''s stress has steadily umted. But in the short time he spent with the Sirens, it seemed as if he was relieved of all his worries. My lord undoubtedly has great affection for each of you.]


    "Aira!"


    [Hmph. I still don''t understand what you are, g. But if you don''t support my wombat properly, I will make you regret it.]


    [Of course, Lady Lithgow. I will not disappoint].


    Since Aira didn''t even have a physical body, I couldn''t stop her from talking. Not that there was anything wrong with what she said. It was however kind of embarrassing.


    [My Ladies, it is 7:36 p.m. here at our location. My Lord, Limitless has yet to eat or even get dressed. Would it be all right to schedule a callter this evening?]


    [I guess it cannot be helped. Dear, we are on our way back to North America tomorrow. Try not to be so reckless, okay?]


    [Lilly, that seems like an impossibility for him, right?] Be joked.


    [Yeah! Darling is crazy!]


    [Husband, at least please try not to be so suicidal.]


    [Hahaha, like the wombat would even listen!]


    [Indeed, the blood of warriors is hard to quell. Wait for me, John, when I arrive, let us create legends worthy of the Northern halls!]


    With a blissful smile, I nodded and said my goodbyes.


    "See you all tomorrow. Stay safe."


    Then the call ended and I was alone again in this beautiful suite. But for all its beauty, it felt cold and devoid of life.


    "..."


    Then I got up and got dressed. Because my suit was my {Auto} state. No matter how badly it was torn, burned, or battered, upon rewinding, it woulde out like new.


    I rewound this morning before taking a shower, so I had a fresh suit, just likest night.


    As I was wondering where to go next, the hotel room phone suddenly rang. Then it suddenly stopped. Aira then told me something I wasn''t expecting.


    [My Lord, the package I ordered has arrived. I told the receptionist that the person delivering it is a friend of ours. He will be here shortly.]


    "Thats fine."


    [Unfortunately, we need time to set up, so please make do with the burgers in your storeroom for your meals.]


    "Oh? This package is that important to you?"


    [Yes, my lord, it contains your gift to me, it is a top item and must be handled with care].


    "My gift, huh? Then I will refrain from asking and see what you have got yourself."


    [You would be very pleased, my Lord. I intend to get your money''s worth ten times over.]


    Highly curious as to what wasing, I sat on the bed and waited. Not less than a minuteter there was a knock at the door.


    When I opened it, a man dressed in a sharp business suit stood there holding a sturdy looking metal case.


    "Are you Mr. Limitless?" he asked in a gruff tone.


    I didn''t answer, but simply nodded. He pulled out a smartphone and held it out for me to sign. After I gave him my signature, he handed me the case and promptly left.


    "My kind of guy." I couldn''t help butment.


    The kind of people I hated the most were the ones who prattled endlessly. It was always better to say what you mean and mean what you say.


    After I took the case inside, the television turned on and Aira appeared on the screen. Her face betrayed how excited she was, as if it was Christmas morning.


    Without dying the grand unveiling, I unlocked the sps and opened the top cover. What I saw was a ck quad-copter drone with its peripherals. A smallbel next to it said Skydio X2E.


    "A drone? This is your gift?"


    [Yes, my Lord. Earlier, you asked me to be your spotter. This device will allow me to fulfill that function. It also will grant me the ability to help you through scouting. This is currently the most advanced and best drone on the civilian market.]


    "Oh? How much is it? And what do you want me to do?"


    [My Lord, this unit is the X2E, so it costs $15,000. I paid a premium to get it immediately for tonight. The total pricees to $20,000.]


    Wow! $20,000 was not cheap. There were even cars under that number. The gift was something that allowed her to help me. Clearly Aira was logical and had my best interests at heart. I couldn''t wait to see what this thing could do.


    [My Lord, please connect your GRI to the drone, spread its wings, and ce one of the battery packs on it. I will take care of the rest. I should be ready before 8:00 p.m.]


    "Got it, let''s see what this baby can do."

 Chapter 126: 17 Blessings [1/2]

    The Skydio X2E was a state of the art remote controlled drone. It had a magnesium and carbon fiber body which made it durable. It carried a wide-angle color lens with an 80¡ã FOV, giving it a wide view.


    The X2E model had a thermal camera that allowed it to see people in the dark.


    It had 6 4K 200¡ã navigation cameras, all with 16x digital zoom. At least that was what the brochure and thepany website said.


    It was just a little bigger than a grown man''s hand when folded. It also had a rather bulky battery and an operating time of 35 minutes. While that may sound impressive, it meant that it could only go 17.5 minutes one way. Otherwise, the little shit doesn''te back.


    While waiting for the Aira, I actually found it a bitckluster.


    I didn''t have time to hold a controller in Hellsgate. What was I supposed to do with the damn thing? Soon, Aira''s avatar on the TV screen opened its eyes and began to speak.


    [My Lord, the initial setup and upgrade has beenpleted. I may now apany you to Hellsgate.]


    "Hm. Aren''t you already?"


    The Avatar smiled and waved her hand before disappearing. At the same moment, the Skydio drone began to hover in the air.


    "Ah! You are going to fly that thing yourself?"


    I eximed with joy.


    [Yes, my lord. Instead of an operator or remote control, I will be flying this thing for you and giving you real-time updates.]


    "WOW! This is fucking awesome!"


    I couldn''tbine AI with drones because it''s rarely been done before. Frommercial models to military models, people were afraid to give these things any freedom. Especially because of sci-fi movies like The Terminator.


    Currently, AI is only allowed to write books or draw pictures. The most physical thing it could do was maybe drive a car. The rest still had a human hand somewhere in the middle. Even theter Gray Eagle drones used by the US military were not fully autonomous.


    But unlike the clumsy AI of today, Aira was special. As the thought of her assisting me in battle filled my mind, I became beyond excited.


    There were already unmanned ground vehicles, right? Maybe I could get one and have Aira drive it? Forget Reapers and training, I will just field a robot army!


    [My Lord, we can discuss this another time. Please put the drone and its case in your storage so we can use it for tonight. You will be summoned in 120 seconds].


    "Ah! Got it, I will do it now."


    I quickly put the case and everything on it into my hammer space with {Store}. A few secondster, I was summoned to Hellsgate, marking the beginning of my second night.


    ***


    Once again, I felt like a pancake being smashed to the ground. The familiar ringing in my ears and the intense hangover-like migraine were also present. Luckily, I hadn''t eaten yet, so I didn''t feel like throwing up.


    As I tried to regain myposure, I looked around the receiving area for the North American battlefront. Around me were other Reapers, all arriving from Earth.


    "Hmm, if the Reapers follow the time zones, that means a batch of Reapers would arrive here every hour until morning, right? I wonder how many we have in total?"


    Unaware of my thoughts, the rest of the men and women began their activities. The newbies all puked their guts all over the floor while the veterans walked away from the difort.


    I only saw them now, but apparently there were people in overalls in this area. They were carrying mops and running to clean the vomit off the floor.


    "Haha, I wonder what profession these poor bastards are from? Fortification? Production, or perhaps the Adventurers?"


    "None of the above, they are the Administration interns. Like them, I personally spent 8 hours a night for 45 days just wiping vomit off this floor. Only after that did I get promoted to a clerk. It is a thankless task".


    Surprised at the sudden answer, I turned to see my exclusive clerk.


    "Evening Phillip. You look well."


    Philip smiled professionally as he helped me to my feet. He had a bundle of papers in his hands and something that looked like a canteen.


    "It''s a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Smith. Let us go quickly, there are people looking for you."


    "Huh?"


    Before I could even ask, I noticed a group of five or six people questioning the ones puking.


    "Reaper, what is your Graveyard ID? Tell me quickly!"


    "It''s... oh no! Bleeech!"


    "Ahh! Stop puking on my shoes! Fuck!"


    Phillip also pointed to another corner of the reception area. There were burly people of all sorts of races, they had a huge sign behind them. A message for me, written in bold letters.


    [Limitless Revolutionary Gang. If you know or have seen our boss. Let us know!]


    "Philip, what the hell is this? Since when do I have a gang? Is this an official group?"


    "No, Mr. Smith, this is just a bunch of ruffians who want to take advantage of your fame. I guess they were put up to it by some bad people who want to make a deal with you," he replied.


    Any sport that had any kind of betting was naturally susceptible to match-fixing. From the big ones to e-sports. Gambling usually brought out the worst in people, and the Annihtiondder was probably no exception.


    "Tsk, so such trash like criminal organizations existed here as well?" I asked with disdain.


    "Unfortunately, those over there are registered as the Dawnbreaker Army. For such arge group, they have a pitiful reputation and are more like socialist thugs looking for a quick buck."


    Phillip seemed to find these people annoying, and I couldn''t me him. Most societies have garbage in them. It was sort of inevitable.


    My clerk then led me out of the reception area to the building next to the dispatch office.

 Chapter 127: 17 Blessings [2/2]

    Large scoreboards over ten feet high were disyed. Each one had a list of names in a ranking. Of the ten or so, there was one that had arge mob on it.


    Phillip saw my curiosity and walked confidently towards it. The closer we got to it, the louder I could hear the chatter of the mob.


    "Come on,e on. He should still be in this ranking, right, Peter?"


    "Positive, I bought this information from an infobroker. They are certain that Limitless is still a Wraith. As soon as he starts going out on missions, his name should appear on this one."


    "Shit! I hope he gets here soon, it''s hard to believe everyone here is waiting to bet on him."


    "Dude, do you know they even have a name for those who got richst night? They call them Limit Royalty. Most are skeptical, but who knows! If we guess right, we could make one hell of a payday!"


    "Haha! If you win, treat me to some girls at the Arcus Kiss, okay!"


    "Brother, if I get rich, I would even hire a dozen girls for you. Hahaha!"


    I listened to the various conversations. They were more or less the same. Thisrge group seemed to be waiting for my name to appear.


    Since the winnings were distributed ording to the order in which they came in, the earlier they came in, the more they got to share.


    I feltplicated seeing the gambling reapers. Greed was definitely in abundance in the depths of this hell. Philip said nothing, watching my reaction. When I motioned for him to leave, he led the way to the dispatch office.


    "Well, that was ufortable," I remarked as we entered a private room.


    "It could not be helped. The effect ofst night''s bets was staggering. With that in mind, do you want the long or short version of the orientation?"


    "Short," I replied curtly.


    "Okay, there are three things you need to know. First, Mercenaries are allowed to form squads before epting missions. A typical squad consists of 4 to 6 members. The spoils are determined by the Mercenary squad leader."


    "Who could I take? Is anyone crazy enough to fight with the Death Seekers?"


    "Usually other Mercenaries, but sometimes a party of Adventurers would offer their services. An Adventurer group was the equivalent of a Mercenary group." Philip borated.


    "Okay, I got that part, what are the other things I need to know?"


    My clerk nodded and continued his lecture.


    "The second thing is that as a Mercenary, you have priority for Soulgear orders in Production and trap or build requests from Fortification. You can even im them as expenses and get half of what you paid back."


    It was like the pen and paper in an office. As long as you used them in your work, yourpany was responsible for buying them for you. That must be why we got priority requests.


    "On that note, Mr. Smith. I need you to tell me when you will need the supplies. If possible, I would also like to know what weapons you are using. And if you trust me enough, your {Fate} as well."


    A Reaper''s {Fate} was both his weakness and his strength. In capable or evil hands, such information could be used to trap or even eliminate a Reaper. Of course, in a society built on strength, having trump cards no one knew about would be priceless.


    I trusted Philip somewhat, but I would have to keep some things hidden.


    "{Draw} AR-15."


    I pulled a rifle out of subspace and showed it to Phillip. Surprised by my actions, he studied the weapon closely.


    "This. That looks like a normal rifle? Unless I am mistaken."


    "You are right, you already know that I am Formless. I use different types of firearms as well. My {Fate} is called {Reload}, and I can replenish all the bullets I have fired with the help of souls."


    Phillip nodded in understanding and began to flip through the papers that he had in his hands.


    " Marvelous. What a simple and straightforward {Fate}. Then your main problem would be the tainted undead, right?"


    "The what?" I parroted like an idiot.


    "Tainted undead, a special type of undead that regenerates endlessly unless blessed."


    "Oh, is that what you call the Draugrs? I fought them and they were truly immortal."


    "You fought a Draugr? As a Formless? Without a blessed weapon? How are you still alive?"


    "I had help. Never mind that, you are right, I need a way to deal with the tainted undead."


    "Right, we can get some bullets blessed as ast resort. The Saint division of Production takes care of that. The current rate is a thousand souls for one blessing."


    "So I have heard."


    "I know it is a bit expensive for a consumable, but these nights, enemies beyond the standard have begun to appear on some floors. Even 1 bullet would be enough."


    After sighing in exasperation, I said in a tired voice. "I will order 17 blessings."


    "Excuse me?" Phillip asked in shock.


    "Help me order 17 blessings. I will have seventeen bullets blessed."


    "O-okay, that is really good! Okay, I will make the arrangements. Now thest thing is the spoils."


    Spoils? He meant loot, right? Patrick Steorra from the Lone House told me how wasteful I was. If I was going to pay off my debt of 26,000 souls, in addition to blessing my entire arsenal. I needed all the money I could scrape together.


    "To make a long story short, normally a Mercenary has to barter with Production for the materials of his kills. I nominate myself to take care of this task, in exchange for a percentage of the sales."


    Hmm. So he would essentially act as my broker, and thismission would at least ensure that he would not cheat me.


    Since I didn''t see any problem with his proposal, I agreed and got myself a broker. Phillip then shook my hand excitedly as he led the way out of the room.


    "Excellent. Now please follow me. I will take you to the Production Headquarters for the blessing and to sign an exclusive loot contract."


    Somehow I think tonight is going to be long, but not because of my battles.


    "Let''s just get this over with," I said in defeat.

 Chapter 128: Ill be damned [1/2]

    I followed Philip as he led me to a building within the Battlefront City. Normally, when a group of settlers imed a piece ofnd, they gave it a name. However, contrary to this rule, our home base didn''t have a name.


    As far as I understood, this city was called " The Battlefront".It seems that the other continents followed simrly, as I never heard any other designation except the continent name.


    "Philip, why doesn''t this ce have a name? Isn''t it inefficient to keep calling it the Battlefront?" I asked as we walked.


    "Normally that would be the case, Mr. Smith, but that only applies if there is another ce that requires the distinction. If there is no other city or ce, would it even be necessary to name one?" my clerk replied.


    Hmm... He made sense in a way, names were given to things to distinguish them from everything else. If that thing or object could be identified by a generic term, that would be enough.


    That was why descriptions like father, mother, sister, brother only worked when you were at home. In your own house, no one else had these categorizations, but when you went outside of yourmunity, half of the people would be parents or brothers, so you had to have names.


    This truth applied not only to people, but also to cities. If there was only one city, there would be no need for a name. As a city alone, it became a unique existence. But I felt there was more to it.


    Names had power.


    When something was given a name, it became personified. Like when you named your pet or your car. The name alone made it more special than everything else like it. To deny a city such a name prevented anyone from belonging to that city.


    In line with my thoughts, I asked wondering. "I have a feeling that this is not the only part of the story. The only reason a name would not be necessary is if they never intended this ce tost. Surely it isn''t for that reason, is it?"


    "..."


    "Are you kidding? Do they really want us to forget this ce?"


    Phillip then stopped, turned around and pulled me into a secluded corner. He kept looking around as if he was afraid someone would hear him.


    "Mr. Smith, what I am about to tell you is for your ears only. Your initial suspicion is not far off the mark. I am telling you this because I want you to drop this matter for your own safety. Even as part of Administration, we were advised to keep names to a minimum."


    "And why is that? Is that why everything is generic? From the names of the Professions to even the buildings."


    "Yes, Mr. Smith. This theme is implemented not only here in North America, but everywhere else."


    "Why? What could be a good reason for such a policy? Names would help people bond better with their homes and it helps with a sense of belonging, doesn''t it?"


    "You are right on both counts, Mr. Smith. However, the reason is the opposite. Management does not want the reapers to get attached to things. I am told it has something to do with memory. Names make it easier to remember things."


    "What?" I asked in disbelief.


    "People, ces, and things be easier when you know their names. The Battlefronts operate on the premise of making it harder to remember. For the same reason, everyone who bes a Phantom is assigned a handle or alias."


    The only ce I could think of that would require such deep levels of obscurity were intelligence organizations. The American CIA, the British MI6, the French DGSE, even the Israeli Mossad. These groups used such protocols to prevent espionage and protect information.


    ''Weren''t we just fighting brain-dead zombies? Who is all this stuff for?'' I thought deeply.


    Unwittingly stepping on something I hadn''t expected, I could only remark in defeat, "It seems the war is moreplicated than I first thought."


    Phillip nodded in understanding and stepped out to return to our original route. Surprised by what I had learned, I remained silent, pondering the implications of the information I had just received.


    Eventually we came to a building with a hammer and anvil symbol. From the logo alone, you would know that this ce had something to do with cksmithing.


    We finally entered and I saw a bustling market-like atmosphere.


    "Come on brother, have a heart! 200 souls for a bottle is too much!"


    "Piss off then, I have to pay the tax too. For 120 souls, you might as well rob me!"


    "Hello, I am the defender of 1016-4. Can I please request spotlights?"


    "Spotlights? Is there an eclipseing?"


    "Yes, it would be at the end of the month."


    "Hmm. Got it, as thanks for the tip I will give you a discount."


    "4000?! Look, buddy, this soulgear may be useful, but I could get something simr for 50% of the price."


    "Is that so? Here is an IOU for 2 souls, please fuck off my booth."


    When I looked around, the ce didn''t look organized like a department store. Instead, it looked like a wet market where the people who made the stuff sold their goods personally.


    Each booth had unique offerings that differed greatly from those around it.


    "Soulgear, medicine, armor, tools, rations, even sex toys. Why are they all mixed together?" I asked no one in particr.


    Phillip walked further into the market until he reached a set of stairs and went up.


    The second floor had far fewer people than the first. If the first floor had hundreds, this floor had about tens.


    On this floor, the stalls wererger and grouped by industry. The vendors had a much cleaner feel than on the first floor. Wondering where we were going, I continued to follow Phillip as he climbed another set of stairs.


    We then arrived at a clean room that looked exactly like a mall. It was clean and the stalls had been reced by actual shops. There were hardly any people and small groups of five to ten people were walking around.


    "Phillip where are we going?"


    "We''re almost there Mr. Smith. Would you like an exnation of the Production Hierarchy?"

 Chapter 129: Ill be damned [2/2]

    "No, I don''t think I''ll need it, maybe in the future."


    "Understood."


    [My Lord, I can summarize it in three sentences if you wish].


    "Oh? Then please do."


    [The hierarchy and construction of Production is structured like a pyramid. The better your services, the higher you go. The third floor and above are owned by guilds, the second by groups, the first by individuals].


    "Ho? Got it, thanks Aira."


    Aira''s exnation made sense, so the first floor had all kinds of products. But the second floor was grouped. Much like the Mercenaries, Production probably ranked its members based on the things they made.


    Finally, we reached a counter manned by a receptionist.


    "Mr. Scrivener. Wee to the 3rd floor. Which Production Guild are you here to see? I can confirm with their receptionist if they can amodate you."


    "Thank you, but that will not be necessary. I do not have an appointment with any of them. Instead, send a Golden Horn to the all Production."


    "Huh? Are you sure? Each one of them costs 5,000 souls. Even if you pay, I cannot guarantee that any of the guilds will respond."


    When her answer left me baffled, I asked my partner, "Aira, a little help, please?"


    [Unlike the other groups that have a governing body, Production instead has ateral structure bound by simr interests. Since they have no leader, they instead share information through paid broadcasts called Golden Horns].


    "Why? Isn''t that much harder than if they just elected a leader?"


    [My Lord, Production resents favoritism and interference from other professions. A Golden Horn gives each of them an equal shot at every single major client. This means that the biggest sales won''t be monopolized. The service is reserved for the most elite of their patrons.]


    "They sound like extreme capitalists. Wouldn''t they just pay the receptionist with the horn?"


    [Indeed, my lord, that would be the case if the receptionist were a member of production. So usually the receptionist is from Administration instead].


    "That doesn''t change much. Then they would just pay or intimidate the Administration, right?"


    [That is not possible, my lord. Administration is a special profession because it serves under the Revenant of a continent. In North America, to pick a fight with someone from Administration is to incur the wrath of David Thomas].


    "Oh..."


    That would be a bad idea. Talk about having the biggest stick. It seemed stupid to me, but if it worked for them, then by all means. My conversation with Aira was barely audible to others, so Phillip didn''t notice my reactions.


    My clerk paid the deposit like a rich bastard and wrote something on a small board. Then I felt a death resonance that shook the whole building.


    "Wow, so this is the Graveyard''s hottest celebrity. No wonder you were willing to pay for a golden horn." The receptionist smiled as she nced at me.


    {Mercenary Limitless wishes to establish a loot contract. Priority 3 guilds and above are required. Please report to the 3rd floor if you wish to apply.}


    "Holy shit! They announce this thing with souls! No wonder it was so expensive."


    [My Lord, for the record, the Death Resonance in Hellsgate is highly regted. Only specters are allowed to summon it for personal use. The receptionist uses a soulgear authorized by David Thomas. It cannot be manipted, silenced, or tracked.]


    At that moment, I heard arge number of notificationsing from a smallptop on the receptionist''s desk.


    "Ah. Lucky for you, Mr. Scrivener. Over twenty guilds have responded. There are 10 Priority 3 guilds. 4 Priority 2 guilds, and 1 Priority 1 guild.


    Would you like to respond to all of them?"


    Before Phillip could ask, I heard what sounded like several elevators opening at once from the back. More than a dozen people started running towards us.


    The first one then pointed at us as he yelled at the receptionist.


    "L, it''s them, right?"


    L nodded and all hell broke loose. The people all swarmed towards me, shaking my hand and introducing themselves in a frenzy.


    "Mr. Limitless! I am a fan of your Keuk..."


    Before the man could finish his introduction, a woman beside him elbowed him in the stomach.


    "Hi! Our guild will be happy to... AHHHH!!!"


    Simr to the first man, the woman had her foot trampled on by another person as she spoke.


    Like crabs trying to get out of a basket, the guild representatives began attacking each other to make sure that only they could talk to Philip and me.


    I wanted to stop them, but both Phillip and Aira told me not to. Not understanding what was going on, I remained silent. Phillip let the scuffle go on for a few minutes before pping his hands.


    "All right, that is enough. I am Phillip Scrivener, the exclusive clerk of Limitless. He left all the details to me, make your best offer and send it to my email. We will decide on a contract right here and now."


    "What! Oy call the boss!"


    "Sister, what do we do?"


    "Shit! Right here?"


    "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"


    Philip''s words sent the production guild representatives into a frenzy. Then he pped again to calm the others.


    "Limitless, will also purchase Blessing Services in bulk. The offer that includes them in the deal will have a greater chance of being epted."


    "But Mr. Scrivener, we need to draw up a contract! Such things aren''t decided on the spot."


    Smugly, Phillip crossed his arms as he dered in an arrogant voice.


    "Then feel free to leave. As I said, only those who are interested need apply. Themotion earlier proved that right? You need Limitless more than he needs you."


    Only now did I understand Phillip''s calcted moves. Using the Golden Horn proved that we weren''t short of money. From the mere impact of my name, the frenzy of the guilds ensured that I held the power in this negotiation.


    I remembered Be''s words once again as the situation continued.


    ''Listen well, honey. Here in Hellsgate. never give away anything for free. Negotiations are fought long before words are even spoken. So, leave them to me. We cannot be too eager to invite anyone to our group.


    The dynamics of whether they or we ask first greatly differ. The first who expresses interest already loses the upper hand.''


    "Well, I''ll be damned."

 Chapter 130: Their purpose [1/2]

    Simr to Be, Philip made ns on how to "sell" me. It would have been much easier to choose the top guilds or pick one at random. But my employee did the opposite. Instead of choosing them, he made them sell themselves to us.


    I worked at the Department of Transportation for six years. And while I never tried to hard sell, I knew that negotiation was a powerful tool for anyone.


    The shops and guilds here on the 3rd floor felt lofty and impersonal.


    But when I saw the faces of the representatives, I knew instinctively that these men and women were experts in their chosen crafts.


    ''And the fact that they were all Phantoms.'' I thought to myself.


    If money made life easier on Earth, here in Hellsgate, souls were directly rted to our survival.


    It powered our abilities and equipment. It served as the medium with which we bartered and traded. And most importantly, it kept you in the safety of the battlefront.


    A blonde woman raised her hand out of the blue. Philip noticed and gestured for her to continue.


    "My name is Yvonne. And I represent the Golden Wick Guild. We are part of the Saint Division. We would like to apply for a blessing contract. Do the blessings have to be tied to the loot contracts?"


    Even though this question was rted to me, I didn''t know the answer myself. That was the problem with not wanting to get involved in such matters. You gave control to someone else.


    It was an ufortable feeling.


    But Phillip''s survival was tied to mine. If I died on the Zones, he would eventually be kicked out. So I trusted not in his loyalty to me, but in his self-interest in keeping himself alive.


    "No, Miss Yvonne, while it would have helped in deciding who to hire, the blessings can be a separate matter," my clerk replied.


    "Understood. Then Golden Wick will draw up a contract and send it in the next few minutes," she said with an angelic smile.


    "Mr. Scrivener. The Guild of Hera''s Light would also like to apply for a blessing contract!"


    "Us too!"


    The scene became rowdy as more and more guilds from the Saint Division announced their intentions to join.


    Even on Earth, it was a simr scene. The guilds here were not equal. These small guilds probably didn''t have the ability topete with the better guilds.Instead, they stuck to what they could do.


    Phillip''s phone began to vibrate as he checked the proposals from the Saint guilds. He forwarded them to me and I had Aira summarize them. Having an intelligent AI was truly a blessing.


    Then a small man who looked like a typical dwarf stepped forward. He had thick arms and a wild beard, adding to his resemnce to the fictional race.


    "I am Addison from the Priority 2 guild, Overlord. We have a proposal ready, but still have some doubts. L recognized the man next to you as Limitless, so your identity is not in question. However, what proof do we have that this contract would be profitable?"


    As I listened to his words, I tried to answer the question in my mind. Why should I believe in someone like Limitless? Was it because he was powerful? Was it because he didn''t take nonsense from anyone? Or was it because he was well connected?


    Phillip nodded in understanding and turned to the receptionist.


    "L, can you please verify under oath that Limitless is an Octad for the July Enlistment?"


    The receptionist nodded and began typing on herptop. After a few moments, L spoke to the rest of the representatives.


    "The information for the Mercenary Limitless is under a gag order. So I can only give you small tidbits.However, I can confirm that he is an Octad Ranker from the July Enlistment, barely a week ago."


    My clerk then turned to me and made a request.


    "Esteemed Limitless, please summon one of the weapons you used to fight the undead."


    ''I wonder what this is all about? It wasn''t as if I was hiding the fact that I was Formless,'' with nothing to lose, Iplied with his request and drew the M60 machine gun.


    The effects of my actions were immediate.


    "A gun?"


    "Holy hell! Limitless is Formless?! Are you for real?"


    "How is that even possible?"


    "What is the name of his {Fate}! Please tell me!"


    While the other people made a fuss, the dwarf said nothing and just nodded. Without a word, he took out his phone and sent the contract proposal.


    Just then, another woman stepped forward. She had a medium build, pink hair, and an average face, but her demeanor was sharp as a knife.


    Why is someone like that in Production? I would have believed her if she said she was a death seeker.


    " Limitless. I am Cynthia from the Priority 2 Red Moons Guild. I just have two questions: Do you have any ns to form an army in the future? And what would its purpose be?"


    From the downloads, I knew what she meant.


    Each profession had created rules that governed their domain. There was a special one for the Death Seekers. Unlike the other groups, the Mercenaries were allowed to form armies.


    Of the professions, only two actively engaged inbat. Mercenaries and Adventurers. Production could form guilds, the Academics worked together and created schools, Fortification also had groups called workshops.


    Adventurers were allowed to form parties, just as Mercenaries were allowed to form personal squads. The difference between the two was that Adventurer parties were not allowed to merge intorger groups.


    This restriction prevented the benefits of being in an Adventurer party from spilling over to members beyond the first party. Mercenaries, on the other hand, were the only profession allowed to arm and maintainrge armies upon bing a Specter.


    Much like the adventurer party and the mercenary squad, a mercenary army granted perks, the most important being the ability to draw souls from a party member''s soulgem. Another important perk was the ability to use your leader''s {Fate} without a loan limit.

 Chapter 131: Their purpose [2/2]

    The difference between a party of eight and an army of two hundred was, of course, great. Therefore, Mercenaries were often resented and envied for having such an advantage. But it wasn''t as if they couldn''t hire a lot of people to fight.


    I had not yet experienced it, but ording to the download, fighting a soul-bound group was iparable to fighting a reaper mob. And while many wanted to be able to form armies like us, only we had the right to do so.


    Granting such benefits to a group called Death Seekers naturally didn''t sit well with most people. This benefit was, of course, because of what we do.


    Armies were allowed for the sole purpose of being used inrge-scale defense or the suppression of rebellion. Such an advantage naturally tranted into power.


    ''If you think about it, mercenaries were like nobles in feudal times.''


    While the rules were enforced by the Revenant.


    It was impossible for him to be around all the time. For this reason, Mercenaries help out, but just like the police or the army sumbed to corruption, so did the Death Seekers. So there were bastards like the Saviors as well.


    Back to the topic. This woman was indirectly asking me if I nned to use my power or just stick with my personal squad like most Mercenaries do.


    After all, Specters were part of the assault group that ventured to the front lines. Not everyone wanted the hassle of maintaining arge group.


    However, for those who normally stayed on the battlefront, having the support of an army was a tangible benefit. Thus I could understand why she asked the clever question.


    Phillip, who understood the far-reaching implications of her question, turned around to await my answer.


    If I ever decided to form an army, he would have neither the ability nor the authority to lead it, even though he was my representative.


    The purpose of my army, along with its values, itsposition, and its members, would all be determined by myself and my adjutants.


    Although I had some ideas, they seemed so far away that I never really thought about them. Be''sment during the enlistment was pretty much the guarantee that I would eventually create an army.


    ''This whole world believes Formless are nothing but trash. What would happen if we dominated with a groupprised of nothing but trash? If It''s you and me, we can do it. I know we can. What do you say?''


    The entire Reaper society was driven by two things: Souls and {Fates}. Professions were the means of earning money for those who could not fight. However, which profession the reapers chose was naturally influenced by the nature of their {Fates}.


    In my opinion, if there were people who wanted to fight but couldn''t, they were valuable.


    More valuable than those who could but wouldn''t.


    That was the goal of my forces.


    Tension filled the air as the representatives waited. Though I was only a Wraith, my results gave weight to my words.


    Just as how I achieved a remarkable oue during my first night. My army, of course, would naturally be above average. At least that was what they were betting on.


    Currently, Scott, Joshua, Mike, and Santiago were all Formless and willing to work for me. If I could use Earth to arm Hellsgate with guns, we could turn the tide.


    Bullets didn''t care what your {fate} was. All they cared about was whether you could handle the recoil.


    After constructing my thoughts, I opened my mouth and spoke.


    "I do. My army would have only one purpose. To exterminate the undead. I am not sure how other groups do it, but my army will take anyone who wants to fight. Regardless of your profession, regardless of your {Fate}."


    "Is that because you yourself are Formless?"


    "Yes," I replied.


    "But still, Formless in battle? Won''t everyone just die?"


    "And you wish to take them into battle?"


    Despite the objections I answered curtly.


    "Yes."


    "But still! Why should...?"


    "She''s right! You would be sending them to their graves!"


    I held up my hand telling the representatives to pipe down. I already knew these people saw the Formless as trash, convincing them with just words was be hard.


    So I just pulled out another gun.


    "{Draw} 1887."


    I cocked the gun and ced it on my shoulder. Even though we were Phantoms who were immortal, my simple action still made people flinch.


    "Guns do not care about your desires, feelings, strengths, or weaknesses. They are simple. You pull the trigger and a bulletes out the other side. I don''t need to prove to you how effective I am with them."


    I sheathed the M60 and drew the M24.


    "Despite being Formless, no one could beat my results. If one person alone could make such an impact, what about an army? Armed and trained by me, we will ughter the undead by the thousands. This is my goal, this is my vision."


    After putting both guns away, I cross my arms and dered in a stern voice.


    "And this will be their purpose."


    Cynthia, the onewho asked about my army curtsied as she looked at me and took out her phone. More people tried to ask questions, but Phillip answered the simple questions on my behalf.


    After some time had passed, Phillip pped his hands and said excitedly.


    "Time is up, we will not be epting any more proposals."


    "Huh? Already! Wait! Just one more hour!"


    "Shit! My guild leaders are not responding!"


    "Just another half hour, we will reduce our share of the loot! Just wait!"


    "Sorry, Limitless is running out of time. The proposals from Red Moons, Overlord, and Golden Wick were epted. L, can we request a private meeting room for a day?"


    "Certainly, Mr. Scrivener."


    L handed my clerk a key and returned to her seat. Phillip ignored the other representatives trying to talk to me and gestured for me to follow.


    The dwarf from Overlord, the blonde from Golden Wick and the pink haired woman from Red Moons all followed us. As we walked, Phillip instructed Yvonne.


    "Ms. Yvonne. Please prepare seventeen separate blessing rituals. We mustplete them within the hour."


    "Excuse me? You want seventeen? Now?"


    Hearing her exaggerated reaction, I had no choice but to suck it up and prepare for more annoying situations.


    ''Ugh, Can I just go shoot zombies?''

 Chapter 132: Are you awake now? [1/2]

    Yvonne, the blonde woman from Golden Wick, made an exaggerated expression as she repeated her question.


    "You want 17 blessings now?


    "All for one person? Like no cap?"


    Unconsciously, her once graceful demeanor began to crack as her words regressed to those of a teenager.


    No cap meant something simr to "for real?", supposedly the cap here was the filling people used to put in their teeth. The older generation had a lot of cavities due to bad hygiene, so topensate they started filling the holes with stuff like gold.


    So no cap meant the tooth was unaltered, or in other words, its authentic self. I wonder if an older guy like Phillip could understand such ng? It was funny when kids'' ng confused the previous generation.


    "I beg your pardon? What cap are we referring to?"


    ''There it is, hahaha,'' Iughed inwardly.


    Yvonne gave an awkward cough in panic and straightened up.


    " My apologies, I just wanted to ask if I heard you correctly."


    Phillip made a brooding face and said nothing. It seemed that despite Yvonne''s street smarts, she still had childish tendencies. Asking for confirmation was fine, but too much of it and you would be insulting your customers.


    Probably knowing she had messed up, the Golden Wick representative took out her phone and asked to step outside.


    "I''ll have everything ready in ten minutes. Golden Wick has a special room for conducting blessings. Shall we go there now?" She asked me specifically.


    I would prefer to get all this crap out of the way so I could get back to fighting, but Phillip was the one in charge right now. When I turned to Phillip, Yvonne''s eyes followed.


    Phillip nodded as he answered. "That is fine. Esteemed Limitless, I will negotiate some other matters with Overlord and Red Moon, after your first Siren, please contact me."


    " All right," I replied curtly.


    Hearing my answer for a brief second, I saw the representatives'' faces distorted with greed. Were they also interested in ying the Annihtion rankings? As merchants, knowing that I would soon be venturing out could be considered insider trading information.


    They would probably use that knowledge to make money somehow. Not that it mattered to me. For others, I was the one who had many demands.


    Only Phillip and I knew that I could care less about all this. My only forte was murdering my enemies.


    As our groups were about to separate, a voice called out to us in an arrogant manner.


    "HALT!"


    I turned around to see a big fat man. He was shaped like a barrel. Although he was big, he didn''t need a mobility scooter, so he could still be considered normal. The other representatives with us all clicked their tongues at the same time when they saw the man.


    "Ugh, the barrel," said the dwarf.


    "Just my luck," Cynthiamented.


    "Fuck!" Yvonne eximed.


    Whoever this barrel bastard was, he didn''t seem to be well liked. The fat man had brown hair and wore a horizontally striped shirt, further making him look like a barrel.


    "I''m from the Priority 1 guild, Hephaestus. You may address me as lord Barry, I havee for the contract with Limitless," he said with a voice full of arrogance.


    Wasn''t this guyte? What a diva attitude. We had just finished our talks and he expected us to drop everything for him?


    Phillip bowed slightly as he replied. "My apologies, Mr. Barry, but Limitless has already decided to use the services of these guilds. Should we need Hephaestus'' expertise in the future, we will contact you. Have a good evening."


    "Watch yournguage,moner. I represent Hephaestus! A priority 1 guild. What can these trash guilds do that we can''t? Besides, you three. Unless you want to be cklisted from Production, leave now while I ask nicely."


    My ears hurt from the words I just heard. Commoner, really? Did this guy think he was a noble or something? It seemed that unlike the Death Seekers, who fought with their fists, Production did it with their influence.


    Still, this time I was the employer. I didn''t want a shit for brains like this anywhere near me. What''s more, unlike Yvonne, Cynthia and Addison, this fucker was still a Wraith.


    "{Draw} P30L."


    I drew my pistol and walked over to Barry.


    People like this were simple, they hid behind their groups or their pedigrees simply because they had nothing else. To foster a false sense of superiority, they be extremely condescending and have inted egos.


    ''Fortunately, inted egos can be treated with a thorough beating.''


    When I was human, I often dreamed of having the courage to stand up to such assholes.John Smith would have been simrly silent now. But Limitless? Yeah, Limitless would not even hesitate.


    "Keuhk!"


    I mmed my fist into Barry''s sr plexus, and due to the flexing of his round midsection, my blow had the effect of knocking the air out of him. The barrel btedly covered his stomach as he fell to the ground.


    "Huff, JUST WHAT ARE YOU..."


    I mmed the butt of the P30L into his temple. He fell to the ground, unable to withstand my blow even though he was taller than me.


    I turned his face to me and shoved the business end of the P30L between his teeth.


    Barry, who had been dazed by the strike, began to tremble as he realized what was in his mouth. His eyes looked at me in fear as sweat poured out of his body like a pig.


    "Are you awake now, Lord Barry?"


    The man immediately nodded his head in response to my question.


    "Listen you fat bastard. Phillip just respectfully told you that we have no need for you or your guild. I am really tired of dealing with this crap and would like to get back to killing zombies."


    I then pulled back the hammer of the P30L and put my finger on the trigger. The resounding click meant my weapon was ready to kill.


    "You are in the way. So I respectfully request that you take your contract and shove it up your ass. Bother me again and my bullets will find their way down your throat, are we clear?"

 Chapter 133: Are you awake now? [2/2]

    Remembering that he represented arge organization, I felt I had to say something about that as well.


    "And just so there is no room for misunderstanding. Tell Hephaestus what I have just done. Tell them that Death Seekers never back down from a fight. And that if theye for me, tell your leaders they should be prepared to die," I said with a wide smile.


    With muffled groans and tears in his eyes, Barrel nodded meekly once more. I pulled my gun out of his mouth and wiped it on his ugly looking shirt.


    Barry said nothing and quickly left, trying to appear as small as a mouse. When I turned around, I saw not only Phillip, but the other three representatives with surprised expressions on their faces.


    My clerk coughed and tried to clear the air.


    " Now, Mr. Addison, Ms. Cynthia, let''s go to the meeting room. We have much to discuss."


    The two representatives moved quickly toward the room as if to get as far away from me as possible, dragging Phillip with them.


    Left alone with Yvonne, I sighed deeply and turned to her.


    "Shall we go too, Ms. Yvonne?"


    "Oh! Bet! Lets go! I high-key loved what you did by the way. I though Limitless stans were sus, but now I understand. Barrel and Hephaestus are both the worst ¡ªperiodt"


    Surprised by her reaction, I said nothing and walked forward. It seemed this woman had dropped all pretenses of acting professional.


    "By the way, I totally love your drip fam! No cap!"


    I could still understand her in general, but it was like talking to Robyn. I knew it was still English, but that didn''t help as much as you''d think.


    Yvonne led the way to her room. She chattered away the whole time. Not that I understood much of what she was saying.


    When we arrived there were about ten other women dressed simrly to Yvonne. They all curtsied and entered the room one by one. Yvonne and I were thest to enter.


    Inside the room there were ten tables arranged in a circle. Each table had a contraption that looked like something between a forge and a fire pit.


    Yvonne then approached me with a demeanor simr to the first time we met.


    "Mr. Limitless, please present the items you wish to be blessed. As stated in our contract, we will give you one free blessing for every dozen you order from us. Every time you get five dozen blessings in one year, we would give you five more free blessings."


    That was the reason I chose the Golden Wick Guild over the others. Aira and I did our diligence and researched the rankings of the guilds that submitted proposals.


    Among the Saint Division guilds, only Golden Wick had uses for free blessings after reaching a certain number, despite their low rank.


    Wholesale discounts on goods weremon, but it was rare for services to have such discounts because most services weren''t needed inrge quantities.


    Perhaps Yvonne changed her offer after seeing my weapons, but ultimately it was those freebies that made me decide to go with them.


    For people who only needed two or three blessings a month, such a benefit would have been useless. But for me, who wanted to bless my entire arsenal of over a thousand rounds, the savings from these uses were extremely huge.


    I took out six .44 Magnum rounds from the Competitor 629 revolver. A magazine from the M24 sniper rifle that held five rounds of 7.62¡Á51mm NATO. And finally, six 10-gauge shells used by the Winchester 1887 shotgun.


    These guns were thergest calibers I had. And while putting the rounds in my AR-15, M60, or MAC-11 would also work, I usually used those guns for spray and pray tactics. Blessing bullets for those purposes would be a waste.


    The 1887, 629 Competitor and M24 were all guns with limited ammunition. This feature required me to take my time and n my shots whenever I used them. Therefore, it made the most sense for me to let them carry the blessed bullets.


    "Thank you. Considering our contract for these 17 items, you would only be paying for 16 now. Your next free blessing will be avable after eight more."


    One free blessing after a dozen, and five after sixty, meant that I would get ten blessings for every sixty. Even though I had to pay for sixty blessings first, it was still a huge bonus.


    The girls each took a ball, ced it in the altars, and began to call their {Fates}. Objects ranging from pens to barrettes to brooches appeared, but they all had a simr feeling.


    Then they raised their hands in prayer and began to chant verses I couldn''t understand. I felt the room suddenly filled with soul. Their strength and power was not so impressive, but the purity was amazing.


    To use an analogy, if David''s souls felt like standing around a hurricane, Zach''s soul signature felt like that of a great storm.


    These women could only create a gentle breeze at most. But their breeze felt warm, unlike the others.


    Golden light fell from their manifested {Fates} and entered the bullets, which began to glow white from the blessing. With these preparations, I could now pass the tenth floor without worrying.


    What I didn''t expect was that the members of the Golden Wick Guild were all sweating profusely. They looked extremely exhausted as they approached me shakily. Yvonne who was leading them, smiled eagerly.


    She took my hand and ced a10-gauge shell that glowed white on my palm. I examined the bullet against the light of the room and didn''t notice any difference except that it glowed.


    ''Still, I have no reason to doubt her ability, so this much is good.''


    I looked at Yvonne and nodded in thanks. The other women simrly disyed the fruits of theirbors overflowing with pride. They gave me 5 7.62 rounds, 3 10 gauge slugs and 2 .44 Magnums.


    Their eyes all seemed to be those of children eager to earn their parent''s praise. Knowing how it felt to be in a simr situation, I didn''t hold back and expressed my admiration.


    "These are wonderfuldies, I am really d we chose Golden Wick. I can fight much easier because of your efforts."

 Chapter 134: Only ten rounds [1/2]

    Somehow, I understood these girls'' feelings. Even though their {Fates} had manifested, I couldn''t think of a worthwhile use for them. I already knew from the graveyard forums that blessings were considered an extreme luxury.


    Basically, a Blessing ensured that you could defeat a corrupted undead. However, it could not guarantee your survival. The other professions that did not fight had no use for them either.


    The only ones who might need them were those on the front lines. However, since most of the manifested that fought did so with {Fate} weapons, it became optional.


    It was a known fact that as a Reaper progressed, their manifested {Fates} would increase in strength. The point at which they could start killing corrupted undead without blessings was at level 5 or at the mid-level of Phantoms.


    This meant that even if a Reaper relied heavily on Blessings, they would eventually stop doing so. And it wasn''t like everyone was fighting corrupted undead all the time. Not to mention the high cost of a thousand souls per Blessing.


    These girls who could only rely on this one skill would be like those without a steady job. If they also had to pay the tax, I originally thought that instead of enforcing a thousand souls, more of them would reduce their costs to the bare minimum just to earn enough to survive.


    But when I heard how the barrel of Hephaestus threatened them, I received my answer unknowingly. It wasn''t that they didn''t want to. It was that they couldn''t.


    If they were able to share blessings with those who fought every night, how significant would it be? It was ironic that those who couldn''t get it were the ones who would benefit the most.


    This sick ecosystem prevented the blessings from benefiting where it mattered most. Of course, because of such a setup, I could only imagine the bullying these women received.


    Their extreme need for validation and heartfelt smiles at simple praise confirmed my assumptions. In most role-ying games, holy blessings were part of a priest''s or healer''s skill set. Did these girls not have the skill, or were they too afraid to fight?


    Unaware of my thoughts, Yvonne wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. The other girls did the same but turned away as if they were afraid I would peek at their bodies.


    Since I would be in a long-term contract with them, I decided to get to know Golden Wick better.


    "Yvonne, does your guild only deal with blessings? Or do you have other skills?"


    "Um, we can also do low-level {Heal}, {Cure}, or {Clean} tablets. But the soul efficiency is really low, so we rarely do it. Production Reapers like us seldom get enough souls to evolve, as we use most of them for taxes and materials," she exined.


    "Hmm. So the guild does not increase your {Fates}? It seems a shame not to improve your skills, right?"


    "Well, most do, but with the sheer cost of production in general, only the most talented are selected. Time moves for everyone, so the tax would eventually kill everyone else. For this reason, most just take a chance on developing a product or forming a guild."


    ''Hmm. That made sense. Supply and demand, of course, drive the market.''


    If only ten out of a hundred people were supported by guilds, the ny, no matter how good they were, would have to survive on their own.


    Markets were essentially pyramids. It was impossible for everyone to be rich at the same time. Such a truth even existed in hell. Knowing that this line of questioning would lead to even darker topics, I decided to ask something else.


    "Then may I ask why you all look exhausted? Most of you are sweating like you just ran a marathon," I asked nonchntly.


    "This is a side effect of the blessing that urs when we absorb souls into our bodies and purify them. We then apply souls to an object. After each blessing, we need to rest or our bodies would break down."


    "Then how long would it take before you could use Blessings again?"


    Yvonne looked down in embarrassment as she answered sheepishly.


    "A week."


    "What? Then you can only bless 4 items in a month?"


    "Yes, we can take stamina pills to regain strength quickly, but they are too expensive and hurt the body in the long run."


    "Then the other seven rounds?"


    "Next week. Teehee," she tried to look cute as she thumped her forehead.


    "What do you mean, Teehee?"


    No wonder the cost was so high, not only was it payment for a single service, but basically it took so much from a Production Saint to bless anything at all.


    ''I never had problems with stamina because of {Eat} and {Rewind}. What if I could help them recover faster?''


    If their impairment for a week was included in the cost, would they drop it if I could help them regain their stamina? This was also something to look forward to in the future.


    ''Also, I only own rewind. {Eat} is Aki''s {fate} it would be better to ask her about it.''


    I didn''t have time to deal with it right now, but in the future, I would definitely ask them if we could revise the contract.


    "Hmm. I guess 10 blessed rounds is more than enough for now. Very well, then contact me the moment Golden Wick is ready to bless again. As stated in the contract, I will not ask for any other group than yours."


    "Yeet! Thank you so much Limitless! We definitely will! Pleasure working with you!"


    "Oh, by the way, Yvonne? How do I pay you?"


    "Shit! I almost forgot!" she took out a card with a candle logo and a QR code on it.


    "This is the guild''s graveyard ount. Please send the 16,000 souls here."


    "16,000? But only ten rounds have been blessed?"


    "Uh, I apologize, Limitless, but the guild is not doing very well financially. In fact, if we hadn''t gotten this deal, we would have tried to apply for Administration, but I promise we''re good for it! We will definitelyplete the remaining seven blessings."

 Chapter 135: Only ten rounds [2/2]

    Yvonne made a pleading gesture as she exposed the miserable state of her guild, and the women behind her followed suit.


    ''She really is like a child, despite her intelligence she remains careless and doesn''t have much experience in dealing with clever people,'' I analyzed.


    It wasn''t as if I was extremely short of money, and I was sure I could get it back anyway, so I didn''t care personally. Besides, every blessed round I gained didn''t really disappear after I used it.


    Those ten bullets would stay with me forever until I removed them from my {Auto}. Therefore, as far as I was concerned, the return on these bullets was guaranteed.


    With nothing more to say, I took my GRI and scanned the QR code. Before I could even begin to pay them, Aira volunteered to do so on my behalf.


    [My Lord, would you like me to facilitate the payment? It would only take two seconds.]


    Unable to contain my smile, I weed Aira''s assistance as I thanked her.


    "Please do, Aira. And thank you."


    I then heard gasps and cries of joy from Golden Wick as I looked up to see one of their members putting her hands over her mouth as she cried tears. The girl was staring at her phone, seemingly overwhelmed by what she saw.


    "It''s here. Sixteen thousand souls! Girls! We are saved!"


    "YES!!!!"


    "WAHOOOO!!!!!"


    "Thank goodness!"


    "Yvonne-unnie! You are a genius!"


    They were all hugging and celebrating from receiving their payment. Yvonne, who saw meughing at their reactions, gestured to her guildmates with her eyes.


    The next moment, Golden Wick showed impressive synchronization as they all formed a line and bowed to me.


    "Patron Limitless! We will never forget this! Thank you for choosing Golden Wick! May your fate end the darkness!"


    I nodded and left the room after taking back the unblessed rounds. I also updated my {Auto} to include the new blessed bullets in my armory.


    Since Phillip had told me to just call him after my first siren, that meant their conversations would take a while.


    Looking at my watch, more than an hour of discussion had already passed. Remembering the scene I saw earlier with Phillip, I wondered how the gamblers would react to my tardiness.


    Knowing how many people were desperately waiting for me, I couldn''t suppress my curiosity. As I walked out of the production building, I found myself heading for the Annihtion ranking boards.


    "IT''S BEEN OVER AN HOUR! WHERE THE HELL IS HE?"


    "Shit! Sacred Edge is already two hundred points ahead!"


    "Oy Daniel! Are you sure Limitless is fighting today? I will lose out on the pool if Sacred Edge is the one who wins tonight!"


    "You scammed me, didn''t you? Info broker my ass!"


    "Wait! I got the tip from the Limit Royalty! Those people should know best, right?"


    "Calm down! Let''s just wait! There are still seven hours!"


    [My Lord, the reapers here seem to have lost their minds]


    "Ignore them. Anyway, my limbs are sore from all the stupidity we had to do. Aira, shall we begin our hunt?"


    [At yourmand, my lord. What priority shall I search for?]


    When I heard Aira''s question, I remembered what Zach told me this morning.


    ''They are all Reapers who have turned their backs on the battlefront. They are all traitors. One of the most important directives of the mercenaries was to ignore the dirge sirens in their zones.''


    "Aira, were you aware of the Mercenary directive to ignore the dirge sirens of traitors?"


    [Yes, my lord. Those ssified as traitors have a unique signature added to their Dirge Sirens].


    "And yet I was told that every single zone I visited yesterday was that of a traitor. Did you deliberately choose such?"


    [No, My lord, I did not. I based my selection on your requirements. My Lord personally chose zone 1063-2 (Lone House), which was under Hach Holzf?ller. I tried to understand why you would choose that zone in the first ce, and used that as my criteria].


    ''Eh? I chose the Lone House because it was the very first P5 Siren I came across. What did Aira get out of my choice?''


    "What kind of criteria did you use?" I asked in curiosity.


    [Zone 1063-2 had a danger rating of over 72 out of 100. Had no other mercenaries in it. And had no restrictions on equipment. Using these three criteria, I selected the most dangerous zones without prior reinforcements].


    ''Well fuck, no wonder none of the battles were easy. And what the hell was a danger rating? Was it exined in the orientation? But do I even need to know?''


    [My Lord? Did you not like my selection? If you tell me what kind of battles you want to undertake, I could change my search criteria to reflect them ordingly].


    "It''s fine, Aira, your guesses were in line with what I wanted. Taking easy battles is useless if I want to be stronger. But right now, I need souls more than experience. Find me the P5 Siren with the most enemies."


    [Understood, my Lord. I found a P5 Siren with a Danger Rating of 58. The detected enemies are over 700 Rank F.]


    "Is that all? There are no rank E''s or D''s?"


    [No, my lord, for the most part, it is rare for Rank E''s and D''s to appear even on higher floors. Usually, the main danger on floors before floor 10 isrge numbers of undead].


    "..."


    Zach, said the zones I defended all belonged to traitors. And all of them without exception had at least one rank E on them. Feeling my anger rising I calmed my mind and focused on the task at hand.


    "This zone is fine, Aira. I still need to see what your new drone can do."


    [Understood my Lord, a new zone has been chosen, please state your intent]


    {Reaper NA20230799-FRM, Limitless reporting forbat.}


    A ray of light fell on my position, surprising the Reapers around the Annihtion Ranking Board. If these people knew that I was the one they were all waiting for, I wonder how they would all react.


    With that final thought, my body dissolved into light as I was teleported to a zone in need of assistance.

 Chapter 136: Here comes the rain [1/2]

    After about ten times, the side effects of teleportation didn''t bother me as much. Immediately after arriving, I stood up and started looking around. Unfortunately, I couldn''t see a damn thing because it was so dark.


    [My Lord, wee to Zone 1093-3. There were two Wraiths and one Phantom deployed in this zone. All of whom were killed in battle. The enemy force consists of 734 Rank F undead].


    Once again, three Reapers died, but as unfortunate as it was, I couldn''t be discouraged. It was an unfortunate reality that I had to ept. Then I had a thought. Phantoms could not die even if they lost their head or heart. How could the undead kill phantoms at all?


    "Aira, phantoms are extremely resilient. Do you know how they die to the undead?"


    [My lord, the undead, or rather all the enemies in Hellsgate, are attracted to souls. It has been observed that they have a natural ability to locate a reaper''s Soulgem. Phantoms that be incapacitated are mauled until their Soulgems are destroyed].


    "Mauled"? So even if they know, they cannot find it right away?"


    [No, my lord, the undead can only tell which limb the Soulgems are in. For those who ce them on their torsos, autopsies have shown that the undead will tear the flesh around the Soulgems until they find them].


    "Doesn''t that mean it would hurt like hell? If Phantoms do not die, they would be alive for the whole thing."


    [Yes, my lord, most Phantoms who are incapacitated choose to deny such an oue by using Soulgears that end their lives. Most female Reapers have something simr to prevent them from being forced to mate with monsters or demons].


    "..."


    [It is also worth noting, my lord. Phantoms in general regenerate their body parts as long as they have souls. Or to be more precise. The presence of souls in a reaper''s soulgem is what allows them to defy death.]


    Aira just shared a critical piece of information about the Reapers. If what she said was true, then in addition to destroying a Reaper Soulgem, the option of draining its souls was also a viable strategy.


    ''Like the hunting techniques of snakes or spiders. Stab your prey with venom and wait for them to die,'' Aira continued, ignoring my thoughts.


    [Those who are already mortally wounded can choose to end their lives by expending their souls. Once they have none, their bodies would no longer be immortal and would sumb to their injuries].


    "Hmm. That is good to know. Thank you for telling me, Aira."


    [It is my pleasure, my lord].


    "As always, the lighting in Hellsgate sucks. Even with the dim sky, I can barely see anything."


    [Ahem. My lord. Please take out the Skydio drone. I will show you the difference it makes.]


    "{Retrieve} Drone. Battery pack. I am excited to see what you can do, Aira."


    Originally, I couldn''t talk to Aira unless I had the GRI inbat mode or my phone turned into an earpiece. Since I started using {Connect} on my GRI, even when I was not inbat, Aira has been able to do things for me.


    With the addition of this new piece of hardware, the prospect of what {Code} and its family of {Fates} could do was also something I looked forward to.


    In a somewhat familiar move, I once again opened the drone''s four rotors and slipped on one of its battery packs. As I held it up, the four rotors all began to spin, causing the $20,000 piece of technology to float.


    After a little wobbling, the drone stabilized and rose into the air.


    [My Lord, I have connected to the drone. Please use {Connect} and link to Skydio X2E.]


    I followed Aira''s instructions and suddenly found myself flying in the air. Wait, that was wrong. I wasn''t the one flying, the drone was. The drone was flying overhead as it moved rapidly forward.


    Despite the limited lighting, I could see things in bright colors, like an Instagram filter. I could see yellows and purples instead of normal colors. I could care about the colors, but what mattered was that I saw dozens of walking corpses that were colored violet.


    "Aira, are these the zombies?"


    [Yes, my lord, I am using the drone''s thermal imaging option, and after some adjustments, even undead can be detected with 97% uracy. For reference, humans would show up as yellow. Due to their temperature].


    "Wow, this is amazing, what are you doing now?"


    [My Lord, in the next ten minutes, I will create a digital twin of this zone. The total area of this zone is 26,000 square yards, or three football fields. The Skydio drone has 16x optical zoom and 3D scanning capabilities, both of which will allow me toplete this activity in the time I have specified].


    "A what?"


    [A digital twin, my lord. In gaming terms, I can fill out your mini-map and mark the locations of importance, such as fortifications and enemy positions. Once I set it up, no matter where they go, I will be able to track them].


    "..."


    I took my eyes off the drone and pondered. Most games had a mini-map feature. And such an ability was OP if realized in the real world.


    Being able to sessfully detect and make decisions in real time was an ability mostmanders would die for. Ancient leaders used horns, messengers, and even smoke signals to coordinate and gather information on the battlefield.


    Split-second, life-or-death decisions naturally hung in the bnce of war. Whoever had the most up-to-date information at any given moment would not have an unfair advantage.


    And Aira just gave me the ability to gain such an advantage for a measly $20,000.


    The number of times zombies jumped me was quite high.


    On my first night and during my enlistment, it was because I didn''t know where the bastards were.


    If I did, I could rx when the mini-map showed no enemies and go all out when there were a lot of targets.

 Chapter 137: Here comes the rain [2/2]

    And that was before the benefits of preventing ambushes and tracking enemies who were trying to escape. If I could have such advantages during the Seeker War, it would not only help me, it might even allow me to win in an overwhelming manner.


    "Aira, you are simply amazing."


    [I am d you are pleased, my lord. Please prepare your n on how to engage them. I have noted some good positions to use as bunkers, but due to the number of enemies, there is no one position that you can use for the entire battle].


    "What do you mean?"


    [I ranbat simtions, and at most you would take down a hundred before being overwhelmed. Once surrounded, it would be increasingly difficult to escape. {Rewind} may allow you to fight for a long time, but you will always be overwhelmed by the sheer number of undead.]


    I could see what Aira was trying to say. Even against only two hundred in the Lone House, I had to rely on a bloody melee before I detonated myself. Fights with Joshua had me jumping over a cliff or fighting on narrow paths, but I was still mobbed.


    The only time I was able to direct the undead and take down arge number of them without injury was in the Colosseum. I threw the {Honey Trap} Soulgear and sent a Corpse Eater missile to finish them off.


    "Hmm. Then pick two points that cover each other, Aira. I can set my {Save} on the first and fight on the second. When I am about to be overwhelmed, I will rewind to the first. And use the {Honey Trap} Soulgear to lure them back to the second."


    [An excellent n, my lord. ording to my calctions, this n has an 80% chance of seeding without injury. If you allow me to transport the {Honey Trap} soulgear, the risk to you will be further reduced by 7%].


    "Wonderful, those are excellent odds. I will rely on you, Aira."


    It was amazing that just one piece of hardware could add so much to mybat tactics. Some people might think it was dangerous to trust a machine with such power. But those were only people who had the option of not evolving.


    "For those who live on the edge, there is no alternative. I will use whatever I can to win this war," I vowed seriously.


    After a few minutes, Aira informed me that her preparations wereplete.


    [My Lord, the 3D scan of the zone isplete. Here are their locations. Most of them are concentrated in a camp in the center of the zone. I also found the bodies of the defenders.]


    "Thank you Aira, then let the party begin."


    [Understood My Lord, I will return the drone to your position. Please rece its battery pack so I canst a bit longer. I will keep an eye on the mini-map and keep you updated on the enemy''s movements].


    "Got it."


    I moved to one of the spots Aira had marked and ced the {Honey Trap} Soulgear. It was a good thing that one of the Yuddha Rakshas returned it to me after the battle.


    It looked extremely obscene. Its effect was still very useful.


    "Note to self, I should buy some soulgear in the Production office when I get back."


    With the ns in ce, I dug a foot-deep hole in the ground and ced the {Honey Trap} Soulgear inside. I then sent souls into the {Honey Trap} and invoked its effects. The sweet scent that attracted the undead again sent my emotions up and down like a roller coaster.


    Without waiting for its effect, I was on the move, running away at full speed.


    "{Thief}. Aira how long?!"


    [My Lord, the first wave of undead will reach the {Honey Trap} in less than five minutes. Please leave immediately.]


    "Understood! {SAVE}!"


    I sprinted as fast as I could and headed for point B. Point A and B were two ces that overlooked each other. Point A was a valley, while Point B was the top of a small hill.


    Kill zones and sniper perches naturally used elevated positions to leverage gravity instead of working against it. The distance between the two points was less than 300 meters.


    This was the first time I fought with a n in mind. Unlike the previous zones, which I entered blindly, with Aira by my side I was able to ease the strain on my body and mind by preparing for unforeseen circumstances.


    [My Lord, the first wave of zombies has arrived at Point A.]


    "Got it Aira, I am in position."


    I slid to the ground and got into a prone shooting stance. Next, I shouldered the buttstock of the M60 machine gun. It was already mounted on a tripod and pointed at point A. All I had to do was pull the trigger.


    "Heree the rain fuckers! DIE!"


    My fingers pulled the trigger and the M60 began spewing lead rounds at 2,800 feet per second. Originally it had an effective range of 1200 yards, which was extended by another 100 yards by mounting it on a tripod.


    The weapon''s iconic ratatat resounded as the 7.62 NATO ball rounds made quick work of the zombies trying to w their way to the ground. The hole was not that deep, but a zombie had to be on the ground to reach it.


    Most of the undead were stupid, so none of them thought to kneel, and instead they all wed at the ground while standing. With such awkward positions, my lead rounds tore apart not only their limbs, but their torsos as well.


    Since they were all clustered around the bait-type soulgear, I didn''t even have to aim, just fired around a small target group. Within seconds, the corpses began to pile up. Yet more wereing towards point A.


    My weapon suddenly stopped firing when it ran out of ammunition. At a rate of 550 to 650 rounds per minute, a box of 100 rounds wouldst less than 20 seconds.


    I quickly reloaded the machine gun with deft movements, knowing I had hundreds more to kill.

 Chapter 138: Isnt this cheating? [1/2]

    It should be noted that firing until an M60 machine gun runs out of ammo was actually very bad practice. Normally you should reload when the ammo belt drops to 30 or 15 rounds.


    But then again, most M60''s used by the Army were operated by three people. The assistant gunner did most of the reloading. While the gunner, who had his finger on the trigger, just focused on uracy.


    Since I was all alone, I was also the ammunition carrier. An experienced M60 crew could reload the weapon in 10 seconds. I was nowhere near as good, but with {Thief} and the ammo within reach, I could do it in 7 seconds.


    With barely a moment''s pause, I resumed firing at Point A. Within the short gap, more than twenty zombies were now wing hysterically at the hole in the ground. Insanity really was repeating the same action and expecting a different result.


    The sound of the bullets breaking the sound barrier would normally have made me deaf at this point. But simr to the AR-15, the M24, and the 1887, I called {Fates} on the M60. It now had {Dampen}, {Aim}, {Snipe}, {Withstand}, and {Carry}.


    Therefore, in addition to the weapon being silent, even though I was in {Thief}, my uracy was still amazing. However, despite my earlier eagerness to massacre the bastards, I found myself getting bored.


    Knowing that all my shotsnded, there was only so much fun to be had in seeing zombie limbs torn and blown away before it was no longer enjoyable.


    Blood and guts were already turning Point A into a red canvas. I didn''t know how many bodies there were, but a small sea of red liquid was already pooling on the ground.


    I only had three ammo boxes with 100 rounds of 7.62 belts for the M60. Less than a secondter, my weapon was empty again.


    While trying to remove the top cover, my finger identally touched the barrel. Because I had been firing for so long, the metal was sizzling hot. The brief contact not only burned my finger, I could have sworn my flesh got cooked as well.


    Ignoring the pain, I removed the barrel and reced it with another. The heat would cause the metal to warp and break. To ensure my shots remained urate, I preemptively changed barrels.


    After loading myst ammunition belt, I resumed shooting.


    [My Lord, over 150 zombies have been terminated, the 3rd wave will arrive soon.]


    If it weren''t for the {Honey Trap} Soulgear, I would have been the one to be swarmed. And even though I was able to kill many zombies, both my vision and the space I could move in would shrink as more bodies fell.


    This reality caused the still-moving undead to gain new paths or cover as they approached. Using bodies to morph and change the battlefield was a tactic only the undead could use.


    Another nuisance was the blood. Although I had not yet managed to slip on the stuff, it is a known fact that the ground and concrete can only drink so much liquid before it can no longer do so.


    Once this limit is reached, the spilled blood will begin to pool, causing the ground to be sticky and slippery. The zombies at Point A found this out the hard way as they started slipping and falling on each other.


    Meanwhile, I was just raining lead down on them, not caring if the ones I hit were still moving or not. The undead were incredibly straightforward. They moved when they could and stopped when they couldn''t.


    After another twenty seconds, the M60 ran out of ammo for the 3rd time. I knew I could either switch weapons, use {Reload} or {Rewind}. Depending on how much of my arsenal I used up, the cost saving ratio of {Reload} or {Rewind} would be different, although it was already stupidly high.


    "Yet somehow I still owe 26,000 souls! Fuck my life!"


    I got up on my knees and grabbed the AR-15 I had next to me. Just like with the M60, I unleashed death on the zombies at Point A.


    Luckily for me, the effects of {Honey Trap} could take up to fifteen minutes to wear off, So the undead remained in ce.


    I just kept firing round after round, dropping body after body. When the AR-15''s magazine was empty, I pressed the magazine release and grabbed a fresh one off the floor.


    I inserted it into my gun, gave it a good smack upward, and pulled the charging handle.


    It took about 4 seconds. Which was extremely slow by military standards. Most Marines could reload their primary weapon in two seconds.


    The key to this speed was the ugly as hell vest they wore. The model and type varied, but all had magazine pouches positioned in front of the chest. Four to six pouches allowed them to quickly rece their spent mag and get back into the fight.


    These tactical vests were incredibly intuitive and worked well with the human body. I could have chosen to wear the same thing. But since most of the time I do a New York reload anyway, I decided not to.


    "Maybe in the future. After all, I model my look after John Wick, and all he had were belt holsters."


    When I ran out of ammo for my AR-15, I picked up the M24 Sniper Weapon System.


    Since even blessed rounds would be refreshed by using {Reload}. I decided to test the new rounds I had spent a small fortune on.


    I removed the box magazine and loaded the one with the blessed rounds. If these bad boys had the power to kill even tainted undead, what could they do to normal undead? Would they work against demons and monsters?


    Such questions could only be answered through experimentation.


    "Now let''s see if it was money well spent."


    I aimed my sniper rifle at the forehead of the first zombie I found. It was an ugly looking guy with half of his face missing. I didn''t know how he lived or how he died, but now I had the responsibility of sending him to his final grave forever.

 Chapter 139: Isnt this cheating? [2/2]

    "Rest in peace," I whispered softly as I squeezed the trigger.


    Like an airsoft rifle, the M24 sent a bullet silently and without recoil. I would not have believed I had fired at all had it not been for the carnage at the other end. It was unlike anything that I have ever seen in real life before.


    I say real life because it was a sight that most anime and video games used. The bullet I fired wiped out everything it touched in its path. I mean that literally. The blessed bullet turned everything it passed through to golden ashes.


    Normal bullets, after finishing off an undead, simply dropped its body to the ground. Blessed bullets left no residue, not even blood. I kept trying to confirm that what I was seeing was real. When the scene didn''t change no matter what I did, I asked my partner.


    "Aira, I''m not dreaming, am I?"


    [No, my lord, the blessed bullet you fired traveled like a normal bullet but vaporized neen zombies on its way].


    "Let me try again."


    I used my M24 like an eraser on a chalkboard, spacing my shots so that the four rounds I fired not only disintegrated the pile of bodies, but even the blood that pooled on the ground.


    "Isn''t that cheating? These bullets are like mini nukes!"


    If they wiped out everything in their path, if I could get a hundred zombies to line up, how many would die before a blessed round lost its effectiveness?


    "What the hell could an M60 do with a hundred rounds of blessed bullets?"


    As I imagined the possibilities, the carnage made me giggle like an idiot.


    [My Lord, the number of zombies gathering at Point A is consuming {Honey Trap} faster than expected. Please begin preparations for relocation.]


    "Got it, thank you, Aira. How many zombies are left?"


    [My Lord, over 300 zombies have been terminated, we are almost halfway there].


    Pleased with the news, I began burying M26 grenades around my position.


    I promptly disassembled the M60 and put it away along with the AR-15 and the M24 sniper rifle.


    [My lord, Honey Trap''s pheromones have been exhausted. Please get ready.]


    Unlike when I fought with Mike and Santiago, our formation prevented the zombies from gathering around the {Honey Trap} Soulgear. Basically, the effectsted for a certain number of sniffs.


    The more bastards took a whiff, the quicker the effects dissipated. With over a hundred undead all inhaling the scent of the lewd vase, the fifteen-minute duration was reduced to barely three minutes.


    And the moment they could no longer smell the vase, the only other target around was, of course, a reaper named Limitless.


    Like a scene from a horror movie, all the undead at Point A turned to face me. Growls, shrieks, and screams soon followed as they all swarmed to eat me.


    Mentally preparing for their onught, I drew the MAC-11''s and braced for battle. Staying in position, I picked off zombie after zombie as they rushed towards my position.


    [My Lord, behind you!]


    Unlike when it was just me, Aira''s visions and warnings allowed me to fend off the undead assault. When the MAC-11''s ran out of ammo, I switched to Ebony and Ivory.


    "Such a waste, I really need to figure out how to draw magazines directly on my guns."


    Shooting dual akimbo, I continued to send the zombies to their graves as more and more of them began to arrive. When I could not see a spot without a zombie, I drew the 1887 and the 629 Competitor.


    Loaded with blessed bullets, I unleashed hell on those around me. Just like the M24, the {fate} loaded bullets practically dissolved everything along their trajectory.


    The difference between the effect of the .44 Magnum and the 10-gauge slug, however, was significant. The revolver round could punch holes in torsos and heads, but the 10-gauge slug created holes sorge that entire zombies vanished in the aftermath.


    "Amazing! I definitely am getting more."


    After the light show of the blessed bullets, regr bullets couldn''t stop the inevitable. The zombies were finally able to get within reach of me. Unfortunately, I had no intention of getting bitten tonight.


    "{Draw} M26 pins. {Booster}!"


    As always, I tied the M26 pins together along a piece of string and pulled them all at once. With my feet together and my palms at my sides, I was catapulted skyward to point A.


    Immediately after I left, explosions rocked the hill where Point B was located. Naturally, the undead that swarmed the ce were either blown to bits or torn to shreds by the shrapnel.


    After a few seconds of flight, Inded at Point A and buried my arm in the hole where I had ced my Soulgear. Drenched in blood, I pulled it out, my arm and sleeve a deep red.


    I sent the souls back to the vase and invoked its mating call. Then I dropped it back into its hole and drew the MP5SD and the P30L. Although I was angry at the annoying effects of {Honey Trap}, I endured.


    "{Fighter} Aira, how many left?"


    [My Lord, over 450 zombies have been terminated, less than three hundred left].


    "Ugh, I''m getting sick of these bastards."


    As the zombies were Ignoring mepletely, I shot those who wereing for the Soulgear at close range. When there were far too many zombies, I carried out thest part of my n.


    "{Rewind}."


    My body dissolved into light and I returned to my original position at Point B. Like a machine, I drew and ced the M60, the AR-15, and the M24 and all their essories.


    Simr to my setup earlier, I ced all the ammunition I had for these three weapons around me.


    "If it ain''t broke, why fix it?"


    With these words I repeated the n once more and unloaded everything on the remaining zombies at Point A. After another ten minutes, I finally had the sweetest of victories.


    [Confirmed. There are no enemies left. The defense of zone 1093-3 has beenpleted].

 Chapter 140: Whats wrong? [1/2]

    When I rested in the camp at the center of the zone, I covered the fallen reapers with cloth. It was regrettable that they died, but that was what we signed up for in this second life.


    "Aira, can you get me the stats from the battle just now?"


    For me, this battle felt incredibly easy, the impact of just having the Aira and the drone was immense. Another thing was the blessed rounds, even though I couldn''t use more than 10 of them at a time, their power was well worth the high price.


    I wasn''t sure if it was because I was getting better or because this was my first fight where I actually had a n. Aira and I came up with the Point AB n before I even fired my first shot.


    Being a bit biased, the numbers would prove how viable this strategy would be in the future. For one thing, this battle was boring to me because I never felt in danger.


    [Yes, my lord. I will send it to you through your GRI. It should appear now. I also finished sending a request for a new defender].


    "Thank you Aira."


    ___


    Battle Report (Summarized)


    Number of undead killed: 743 Rank F


    Casualties: 0


    Battle duration: 2,436 seconds, or approximately 40 minutes


    Dirge Siren''s reward: 2,000 souls ($40,000)


    Souls earned: 7,430 ($148,600)


    Souls expended: 1,500 ($30,000)


    {Fate} Invoked: {Thief}, {Fighter}, {Booster}, {Rewind}, {Dampen}, {Aim}, {Snipe}, {Withstand}, {Carry}, {Honey Trap} x2


    Weapon uracy: 90%.


    Ammunition used:


    600 7.62¡Á51mm ball rounds (M60)


    10 Blessed 7.62¡Á51mm full metal jackets (M24)


    6 Blessed 10-gauge slugs (1887)


    6 10-gauge slugs (1887)


    2 Blessed .44 Magnums (629 Competitor)


    4 .44 Magnums (629 Competitor)


    195 5.56¡Á45mm full metal jackets (AR-15)


    90 9¡Á19mm full metal jackets (MAC-11, MP5SD)


    17 9¡Á19mm hollow points. (P30L)


    16 .45 ACP Full metal jackets (Ebony and Ivory)


    Total ammo spent: 958 rounds (18 blessed)


    Explosives used:


    12 M26 Frag grenades.


    Enemy breakdown:


    734 rank F undead.


    Undead killed with lead rounds: 574 (78%)


    Undead killed by explosives: 50 (6%)


    Undead killed by Blessed rounds: 119 (16%)


    ___


    I withdrew a McDonald''s burger and some German beer. I didn''t get a chance to stock up on better food, but I wasn''t that picky in the first ce. Taking a short break, I went over the report and noticed a few things I found interesting.


    "Hmm. I made over $180,000 in less than an hour. Not bad. 743 bodies may sound like a lot, but this was practically a walk in the park. I am more surprised that blessed bullets made up 16% of my kills, even though I was so frugal with them.


    [Indeed, my lord, your soul earning/expending ratio is absurd. If you didn''t use {Fates} on the M60 machine gun, your cost would be even lower. To be able to use that much firepower and not lose a single bullet defies reason.]


    "Haha, I have to thank you for this, Aira. Before your help, I could have had simr numbers, but it was a lot more work for me. For one thing, I didn''t get even a scratch this time."


    [I am honored by your praise, my lord. Would you like me to call Reaper Phillip Scrivener?]


    "Oh! Right! Please do Aira."


    My GRI then made a call to Phillip, and after a few rings I heard the voice of my clerk.


    [Esteemed Limitless, are you finished with your first siren?]


    I noticed that Phillip put a lot of emphasis on keeping up appearances. He changed the way he addressed me depending on the situation.


    When we were alone, he used Limitless, and when we were in a ce where I had to hide my name, it was Mr. Smith.


    ''Esteemed Limitless, huh? He only used that when there were representatives around. Were they still there?''


    "Yes, I just finished Phillip, I am waiting for the new defender to arrive before I leave."


    [Perfect, zone is... 1093-3. We''ll be right over.]


    "What? You''reing over?"


    Before I could even process what my clerk meant, a skybeam fell not far from where I was. Itsnding point was also where I had been when I arrived. I brushed the dirt off my pants and walked towards them.


    [My Lord, the drone has the visitors in its vision, would you like to see them?]


    "Got it, thanks Aira."


    I connected to the Skydio drone and saw the thermal image of Phillip walking towards me with arge group of people, about two dozen or so. I saw a few familiar faces among them.


    "Are these the representatives we hired earlier?"


    [Yes, my lord. The Reapers with Phillip Scrivener are members of the Overlord, Red Moon, and Golden Wick guilds.]


    "Hmm. They are here for the loot, I guess?"


    When Phillip''s group and I met, the members of Overlord and Red Moon were all looking around. They seemed restless for some reason.


    "I am d to see you in good health, esteemed Limitless. The production guilds wanted to see the results of one of your battles. So I brought them here. One of Overlord and Red Moon''s demands was that they verify the authenticity of your prowess."


    "Is that so? Thene with me." I replied boredly.


    I nonchntly led the guilds to Point A, while they all remained restless.


    About five of the girls from Golden Wick came forward and started chatting around me. Surprisingly, Yvonne was not among them.


    "Limitless! Did your blessed rounds help you in this battle!"


    "Hey! Stop bothering our employer! He may not have used them yet!"


    "Esteemed Limitless, I, um. I bet on you in the Annihtion Ranking. Everyone was cheering when your name suddenly shot to the top!"


    I was already first? I couldn''t remember what number the others finished withst time. But I noticed that rank D''s were not worth the effort if you were going for the highest score.


    Amused by her encouragement, I thanked the girl who had bet on me with a smile.


    "Thank you for your support, sweetheart. I am blessed to have you in my corner."


    The woman suddenly blushed scarlet and began to stammer.

 Chapter 141: Whats wrong? [2/2]

    "Uhm..uhm.. Of course! I uh...I will support you with everything I have! PLEASE TAKE CARE OF ME!"


    Why did she scream? Was she embarrassed or something?


    [My Lord, please stop preying on young girls. The Sirens are not an enemy to be taken lightly].


    "Wait, what? I''ve done nothing wrong, Aira! I am innocent."


    The girls who heard myments couldn''t help butugh. Philip and the other guilds even made some remarks about betting on me.


    A light-hearted atmosphere eased the tension as the group moved forward.


    Unconsciously, at some point, everyone fell silent. Surprised that no one said anything, I turned around to find that the entire group had ceased to advance.


    "Everyone, what is wrong..."


    It was only when I looked into their eyes that I realized. Every single one of the Reapers present had one emotion on their faces.


    Fear.


    Though at different levels, they all looked absolutely terrified.


    The Golden Wick girls had it the worst, the five of them had teary eyes and covered their mouths as they shivered. Red Moon and Overlord were no different. A couple of guys couldn''t take it anymore and started vomiting on the spot.


    "What''s wrong with all of you?" I asked confused.


    Phillip, who also had a fierce look in his eyes, asked in trepidation.


    "Esteemed Limitless, is what we are seeing real? You did all this by yourself in less than an hour?"


    "Well, it took about forty minutes give or take, but why are you all acting like this?" I shifted my view and checked the sight that was scaring them all.


    It was the best view of Point A and B. Originally a shade of ck, the ground at both points was now bloody crimson. So much undead blood had been spilled that the earth could no longer absorb the liquids.


    Unbeknownst to anyone, the blood coalesced, creating a bloody sea that snaked across both points. Along with the body of sanguine water, dismembered corpses piled higher than four feet littered the sites.


    Torn and mutted human limbs, torsos barely in one piece, and severed heads decorated both locations like set pieces. Everywhere you looked, there was either a human corpse cut in half or arms and legs torn from their owners.


    Against the backdrop of the dimly lit sky, the scene looked like something you would see at the end of the world. It was a literal hell, a scene that showed the absolute nightmare that only war could create.


    Even though the undead had all been taken out, their faces were still distorted with pain and agony. Some were more disgusting than others, as they even had maggots and bugs feasting on their rotting flesh.


    Perhaps it was because I was the one who had murdered them all, but only now did I notice a smell that I had be desensitized to. It was the smell of rotting flesh, and it filled the air. The stench was not only nauseating, but even made it ufortable to breathe.


    It was only after seeing their reactions that I finally realized how inhuman I must have seemed.


    Despite such a horrifying depiction of death, I, its creator, smiled like I was going to a pic.


    "..."


    When I scanned the eyes of the production guilds, I found that most of them were still trembling. The Golden Wick girls, who had been chatting like schoolgirls, could no longer even look me in the eye. They were filled with fear, as if they were afraid that I would kill them for the slightest mistake.


    While I had noticed the admiration or anxiety of the new defenders and their groups, this was the first time I had seen people rooted in fear because of something I had done.


    ''What am I supposed to do in these situations? Make a joke? Order them to shape up?''


    Phillip, who seemed to havee to his senses, pped his hands.


    "Everyone, you have now verified how our esteemed Limitless works. Such results are only natural for those in power. Remember, he is on our side. And the more enemies he destroys, the better off we will be."


    Like a miracle drug, rity spread through the two dozen people present. Seemingly convinced by Phillip, the members of Red Moon and Overlord went to work.


    The girls of Golden Wick closed their eyes and walked cautiously toward Point A.


    I, who remained in my position, felt invisible as the guilds ignored my existence. Phillip stood by my side as he added a few words.


    "Mr. Smith. No, John. Please forgive them and me for our reaction earlier. Such a scene may have seemed perfectly normal to you. But to those far away from the battle.


    What we saw earlier was absolutely... gruesome, forck of a better word."


    "..."


    "They will slowly get used to it. Like most things, it will toughen them up. Including me. As for the contracts, I knew your spoils would be astronomical, so Red Moon and Overlord will take turns handling the collection," Phillip exined.


    "How much would they take?"


    "They will take a modest 25% for processing and transportation. I would get a 1%mission on everything. However, they may reduce that number based on what just happened."


    "Was it really that bad?" I asked reflexively.


    "Mr. Smith. If I didn''t know you were a death seeker, I might have mistaken you for a demon. Anyone who can smile in a ce like this has already left the ranks of humanity."


    "..."


    "I am sure it has given everyone a new perspective. Beforeing here, none of these guilds had even seen a reimed zone. We all participated in the defense as required by the rules, but none of us ever imagined what it would be like to face such numbers alone."


    Phillip then turned to me as he bowed in awe.


    "Esteemed Limitless, I once again apologize for my earlier behavior. The dispatch office has already epted my request to be your official clerk. From now on, I will take care of all the paperwork after each of your battles. Please allow me to assist you."


    I then extended my hand to Phillip.


    "I look forward to it."

 Chapter 142: Heroine Chapter: By his side. [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Liv Ivaldi


    ___


    My blood boiled at the sight before my eyes. While my people were being starved to the point of insanity, the Japanese were living like kings.


    I knew I could not me them for the misfortunes of the North, but I could not help it. Unlike the misery of my homnd, no undead roamed thesends. Yet such good fortune went unnoticed by those who experienced it.


    They didn''t have to fight. They did not have to die. The world of the Reapers and the humans even remained separated. Why did my people have to rot and bleed just to survive when they were those who lived in peace all over the world?


    "AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" I yelled, channeling all my anger and frustration.


    The Sirens and I rampaged through and called Japan.


    Though mostly peaceful, I learned from Be and the others that this peace was an illusion. ording to them, the southerners might appear content, but hopelessness and despair ruled their lives.


    Being unlearned in matters outside of the Northern continent, it was paramount that I learn from the Southerners. Lilly, the heiress of North America, slowly taught me what she exined asmon sense.


    In the North, the Reapers ruled over the humans, but in the South, the humans were still oblivious to our world.


    "Why? Why would the Reapers intentionally keep them in the dark? If the Reapers failed to defend Hellsgate, the humans would be the ones to be annihted!"


    But Lilly''s answer made me silent.


    "I''m sorry, Liv. I don''t know either. The order came from the Revenants."


    "How foolish you all are! How arrogant! The war with Hellsgate is already on the back foot. Your father will doom your people with his actions!" I retorted in anger.


    They wanted humans to believe that their lives were all there was? Such hubris! And six Revenants all believed that this was the right course of action? The insanity of it all!


    Like my own father, they were all so set in their ways that they would rather die a meaningless death! What good would shielding the humans do? Would living in ignorance somehow give them a sense of fleeting happiness?


    I asked each of the Sirens if humanity had already united under a single banner. That would be the sole cause worthy of concealing the truth.


    ''If they really wanted to allow people to live and die happily, then they should do sopletely.''


    But their response was as I expected. Not only did humanity remain divided, but Trinity and IRIS waged a war that plunged the world into deeper chaos. Even if the humans did not know about the Reapers, they were already knee-deep in our affairs.


    "Such hypocrisy!"


    I raised my shield and brought it down on an approaching vehicle.


    Despite the progress of the southerners, their fighting skills didn''t seem all that impressive. If it were up to me, I would round up every able-bodied man and woman then immediately enforce a Northern ceremony.


    Because of the desperation of the North. What little food we had was kept for infants and babies. Every Northerner who reached the age of six underwent our rite of passage.


    I remembered the time before this became our norm. Childish and selfish, I made the mistake of taking my life for granted. And on the day the dead walked under the sun, I lost something I could never get back.


    The Northern Ceremony was a bloody piece of our culture that reminded us of what we had lost. Anyone who participated in the ceremony would be stranded on an ind with the other participants. The ceremony ended when every human ceased to exist.


    This ind was just an iceberg underneath a massive Soulgear called the {Heart of the North}. Any human who died on the ind would be injected with souls and forcibly transformed into a reaper.


    Depending on how they died, who killed whom, each participant would be ranked. Those who performed well would continue their training under veteran Reapers. Those at the bottom of the rankings would be forced to serve as sacrifices for the clearing teams.


    Since our continent already had undead outside of Hellsgate, the clearing teams were those who fought to reim our frozennds. The undead were weakest when the sun was out, so if you could not fight, the next best thing was to die honorably as bait or as a distraction.


    "{WITHSTAND}! {ENDURE}!"


    When the Japanese warriors attacked me, I used my {Fates} to stand my ground. These people were weak. They would notst a second in the North.


    Our culture had no need for burdens. If you could not help the war or give birth to the next generation, then the only option was to perish and grow stronger in your next life.


    ''That was the Northern way.''


    Any Northerner who underwent the Northern Ceremony would no longer need food or water. Their bodies would gain the ability to transform souls into sustenance. Their bodies were immensely stronger than the average Descendant''s.


    [Freyja! Type 90 battle tanks have arrived! Retreat!] Be warned.


    I saw metal coffins with long spears crawling towards my direction. As the tanks turned their weapons upon me, the hairs on my body stood on end. Yet I gritted my teeth and roared my fears away!


    "COME!! {BLOCK}! {SUFFER}!"


    Unlike {Withstand}, {Block} created ayer of armor over my body. It worked well with {Suffer} while reducing the pain I had to experience.


    Invoking mytest {Fate}, I raised my shield and blocked the tanks'' powerful attacks. Together with {Withstand} and {Endure}, I barely felt a thing as hot explosions simr to volcanic eruptions scorched my shield.


    [Holy shit! Those were 120-millimeter APFSDS! Frejya, are you okay?]


    "Northern children hit harder! {COUNTER}!"


    My sword sent a wave of energy that split one of the tanks in two. It then exploded in a chaotic fireball.


    "Even with such weapons, the southerners were just as powerless!"


    Due to such extreme situations, the only way to survive in the north was to gain souls by killing the undead. There was no other way. Our survival depended on how many we could kill on a daily basis.

 Chapter 143: Heroine Chapter: By his side. [2/2]

    In the morning, we would fight under the sun. When night came, we took the fight to Hellsgate. A Northerner''s life was one of constant battle.


    While my people lived on the brink of extinction, the rest of the world had a different approach. They slowly suffocated the humans to force them to be better Reapers. But the way they did it had no sense of urgency.


    This disconnect led to misconceptions. None of those who became Reapers knew how high the stakes were. I saw this personally during the July enlistment. Humans with nobat experience were helplessly devoured by the living dead.


    I was both disappointed and appalled by the Southerners I met. Theycked virtue, drive, and focused on lust, greed, and pride. If that was all the world had to offer, there was no hope for my people.


    But there was one exception.


    He was dazzling as he fought like a rabid animal.


    I was captivated by both his ferocity and his kindness.


    Though he was Ufore, he led from the front. Even when fate itself denied his desires, instead of running away, he fought her head on.


    I made up my mind the moment he asked me to follow him. Only a man willing to challenge the impossible could defeat the armies of the dead.


    No matter the opponent, my beloved never backed down. And I could not take my eyes off him.


    In a twist of fate, he became my link to the Sirens. Lilly arrived in the North just as I was about to leave.


    She made a simple proposal.


    "Join me. I will take you to John Smith," she said.


    "Why should I follow you? Why are you doing all this?"


    "You want to liberate your home from the undead, don''t you?"


    "..."


    "I wish to be a Specter."


    "What does that have to do with me?"


    "We both want something, and we believe that John Smith is our answer," Lilly replied, as if it were a simple matter.


    "Speak clearly. I have no time for riddles!"


    "We can help each other get what we want by working together."


    "What do you mean?"


    "You believe John Smith would be a Revenant, no?"


    Wordlessly I nodded. It seemed impossible, but somehow I was sure. If it was him, there was no room for doubt. I could feel it in my heart as well as in my {fate}.


    "Then join me. Together we will be the forge that molds him."


    "Then why do you believe in him?"


    Lilly smiled brightly as she answered.


    "Because I have fallen deeply in love with him."


    "I could care less about your romances, answer me!"


    "Then why do you Liv Ivaldi?"


    "Because of his eyes and his thirst for victory." I answered.


    It sounded foolish, but rather than follow those who yed it safe. I would rather die by the side of those who refused to surrender.


    "Then I am the same," the Untamed replied.


    Still unsure of what she meant, I followed. Together with those who belonged to my Beloved''s party, we set out to save Aki''s brother.


    The Sirens were made up of battle-hardened warriors as strong, if not stronger, than most Northerners. But what surprised me most was their radical thinking.


    [All right! Sirens! For our first mission! Send a message to Trinity! Change ising! And we are the ones to proim it!]


    This went against what even the Revenants wanted! Why were the Sirens willing to make the entire world their enemy? Even if my beloved said he wanted to fight Trinity, he was not here. Would he not be angry with our actions?


    But somehow, I understood. ording to the texts Lilly shared, everyone in our group didn''t have an easy life.


    And directly or indirectly, the reason for that was the current status quo.


    All of us, from me to Lilly and Be, From Josephine and Jasmine to Robyn and Aki.


    We hated the world.


    But unless someone tried to change it, we had no choice but to ept it for what it was.


    The South and even the North were the same in that respect.


    Everyone wanted change, but no one was crazy enough to challenge fate itself.


    "All save one," I murmured.


    One man who repeatedly faced insurmountable odds and never backed down. He would willingly endure pain if it meant victory. For the Formless, whom the world despised, this man would even brawl with a Revenant.


    Perhaps that was why we all believed.


    If it were just us, we would be afraid and hide under our beds. But just being his people gave us unfathomable strength. What seemed impossible ceased to be, all because he was with us.


    In that moment, I understood.


    John Smith was more than a man. He was our hope.


    "And as long as I am by his side..."


    Nothing was impossible.


    To defeat the undead. Liberate the North. Rid the world of Trinity. Close the Gates of Hell. Such lofty goals suddenly left the realm of fantasy.


    All because he was there.


    Selfishly, the Sirens and I projected our desires and dreams onto this man.


    The memories of how he fought never left my mind. Even with his body broken and devoid of strength, he kept fighting. And everyone here believed that he would continue to do so for us if we asked.


    "Just like he did back then."


    It made no sense. But it broughtfort to our hearts. Lily was right about one thing.


    "Then that simply meant, that is his limit. As much as you girls tell yourselves that you love him, it was hisbat potential that won you over correct? If he died in the enlistment no one would have spared him a second nce."


    The reason I was attracted to my beloved was because I had a problem and I knew he could help me. That was why women were attracted to powerful men. Because they offered solutions.


    If I went looking for a mate and burdened him with the fate of the North, hardly anyone would take me seriously. But if it were John.


    "I just know he would live up to my expectations."


    Just like Lilly, just like Be. Even with Jo and Jas, as far as I knew, they did not even hate Trinity. But feeling thefort John Smith brought, we all began to challenge those we would not have fought otherwise.


    "That was his effect on us. He gave us not only hope, but courage."


    United in one will, we rampaged through Japan. Those who were oppressed and empty longed for a hero. The Sirens and I had already found ours.


    And his name was John Smith.

 Chapter 144: That is the plan [1/2]

    "Heave ho!"


    "Oy, are you done yet!"


    "Hurry up!"


    "Coming!"


    "Bring more blood bags, we can fill about twenty more with this."


    "Damn, did you hear that over seven hundred bodies were massacred here?"


    "Ha! Better them than me! Besides, my money is riding on Limitless! Who gives a crap!"


    "Unnie, can you feel it? This whole area has been blessed."


    "Yes! This energy. It''s Yvonne''s, right? But you know..."


    I was sitting on a stool from the Red Moons, a team of over two dozen people werebing every inch of Point A and B for loot.


    "Can you exin again how Production ns to use these corpses?" I asked Cynthia, the pink-haired representative of the Red Moon Guild.


    "Flesh can be used either as wall filling or as monster bait. Blood is used as an ingredient for tonics and catalysts. Bones, once crushed, can be used as an antiseptic. Zombie organs go for a few hundred souls to some crazy bastards."


    "And how much would all that be worth?"


    Cynthia made a pondering gesture and answered nonchntly.


    "About 9,000 souls, give or take."


    That meant that after Red Moon and Overlord got their share of 2,250 souls each, I would be left with 4,500. If you subtract Phillip''s fee of 90 souls. I made an additional 4410 souls. Or $88,200.


    Red Moon brought 10 people, while Overlord had 9 people, which would give them 225 and 250 souls each. While that looked pitiful to me, it must be a substantial amount to those who barely earned anything.


    Besides, the contract stated that only one group would be salvaging at a time. The reason they took almost half was because they were both here.


    "Still, no wonder Patrick Steorra said I was crazy to leave the loot behind, it was worth more than what I made from the battle itself.


    Then again, in most RPGs, you often made money by selling the corpses of your targets. Reapers were unique in that we earned from the act of killing itself.


    A skybeam suddenly fell not far from our position, meaning the new defender had finally arrived.


    I rose from my seat and approached Phillip.


    "Phillip, I will leave this to you. As soon as I have my deployment order signed, I will move on to the next Siren."


    Phillip nodded in understanding and bowed slightly as he spoke.


    "Will you be hunting until the end of the night again?"


    "Yes, that is the n. Although my priority tonight are the Rank F''s. If all goes well, that would be six or seven more sets of this number," I dered.


    "Understood. Then I will make the appropriate preparations. Good hunting. May your fate end the darkness."


    The members of the various guilds overheard our simple discussion. Cynthia and Addison quickly ran towards us.


    "Hey, Limitless! You are not serious, are you? We already have our hands full with seven hundred corpses!" the dwarf shouted.


    "He''s right! We need time to sell them! We also need time to process them!"


    Before I could answer, Phillip shed a devilish smile as he replied.


    "Mr. Addison, Ms. Cynthia. I specifically emphasized this point in our discussion, if you recall. Limitless will be paid the full estimated value of the loot, regardless of how it is processed. The loss or gain from the salvage would be borne by your guilds.


    That was the deal."


    "What! Was there something like that in there?" the dwarf whined.


    "Wait! That was a verbal agreement, right?! I didn''t find that in the fine print!" Cynthia panicked.


    Phillip then pulled out a copy of the contract and put a magnifying ss on a corner of thest page. The letters were so small that they would not be legible without a special lens.


    The two representatives held the contract up to their faces and carefully read the tiny text. Within seconds, their faces changed from doubt to fear to anger.


    "You slimy bastard! This is cheating!"


    "Phillip, this can''t be right! You just scammed us!"


    My clerk kept his poker face as he smugly wiped his monocle.


    "If you have a problem with that. Why don''t you take it up with him," the swindler pointed the representatives in my direction as he spoke.


    "..."


    The two then hastily retreated to their respective guilds. Their loud shouts soon echoed in the dimly lit sky.


    On the side of the Red Moons.


    "Everyone! Work faster!"


    "But boss, how are we going to process all this?"


    "We''ll worry about thatter! Andrew! Go back to the base and rent as many warehouses as you can! Pronto!"


    "What? But why?"


    "Limitless is going to his next zone! We need to be ready!"


    "What are you talking about, Cynthia? We already have over three hundred bodies!"


    "AH! Shut up! Our guild''s finances are at stake, we need to get as much loot as possible!"


    "Mou! Give me the bone saw! Everyone hurry!"


    On Overlord''s side.


    "You bastards! Take everything and move! Forget about processing them for now!"


    "Addison, these smell like your ex-girlfriend''s ass! Where are you going to store all this?"


    "Rent the open area of the dispatch office. You guys be ready to work yourselves to death tonight!"


    "I''m already dead, you ass! Why would I want to work myself to death again?"


    "Shut it Carl! We do this right, we will make a fortune."


    "What the hell is going on?"


    "Limitless is going to hunt six or seven more big F-rank zones like this one."


    "Is he out of his fucking mind?"


    "Who gives a crap! That bastard''s a walking gold mine! Move, youzy fucks!"


    Hearing the ensuing chaos, I stared wordlessly at Phillip as he whistled in guilt.


    "What? It worked, didn''t it? As long as we get paid, that''s their problem," he exined shamelessly.


    "You''re a greedy bastard, you know that?"


    "I''d rather be a rich greedy bastard than a poor one."


    "Fair enough. Then I''ll go."


    A few momentster I met the new defender. One of the people with him was wide-eyed for some reason. He kept staring at me the whole time I was filing the paperwork. I found his tant staring creepy, so I called him out.

 Chapter 145: That is the plan [2/2]

    "You looking to get shot or something?"


    "Ah, sorry. It''s just that... You have ck hair, wear a ck suit with a red tie. Are you Limitless by any chance?"


    Well, that was unexpected. So the stories about my appearance were already making the rounds. It might get annoying, but I had no intention of changing my appearance to avoid attention.


    "And what if I am?"


    "Ah! Sorry! I am a huge fan! Can I have your autograph, please?"


    The reaper, who was in his early twenties, brought out an article about me. The headline was interesting, to say the least.


    [Who said Formless cannot make a difference? Have they met Limitless?]


    I didn''t read more than the headline, but I understood why he might have been my fan. For the Formless who were marginalized and humiliated, my sess must have made them feel better.


    Much like how kids who grew up poor connected with athletes who rose from poverty. They lived their dreams through me. It seemed pathetic, but for the desperate, such small sparks of joy were enough to get them through the day.


    I looked at him and asked, though I already knew the answer.


    "Are you Formless by any chance?"


    Wordlessly, he nodded as if ashamed. I signed the article and put my hand on his shoulder.


    "Nothing is impossible, my friend. If you want to make a difference,e and see Phillip Scrivener in the dispatch office."


    The Reaper then saluted me as he called out. "THANK YOU SIR! I WILL SIR!"


    After I left the new group of defenders, I heard the other Reapers congratting and encouraging the young Formless.


    Feeling good about myself, I stared up at the dimly lit sky as I asked my trusty partner.


    "Aira."


    [My Lord, a new zone has been chosen please announce your intent.]


    {Reaper NA20230799-FRM, Limitless Reporting forbat.}


    ***


    For the next seven hours, Aira and I selected low-danger zones with hundreds of rank Fs. While there was no zone over 700 like the first one, but they all had between 200 and 500 undead.


    Each time we entered, Aira would set up my mini-map and then choose two points for point A and B. We officially called the n Maneuver AB from the third zone on.


    The steps we used in the first zone were refined and streamlined. But the steps remained the same. I would set up a bunker at point B, then set up the {Honey Trap} at point A.


    Once the soulgear was invoked, I would rain down on point A until I ran out of ammo. When the effect of the {Honey Trap} disappeared, I would defend point B until I was overrun.


    When the zombies swarmed point B, I would use {Booster} to escape and blow point B to kingdome. My escape would take me to Point A. I would then use soulgear a second time and return to Point B via {Rewind} to repeat the entire maneuver.


    Each time I repeated the process, I became more familiar with it. The more I went through the steps of the n, the more I internalized it. By the sixth repetition, I was operating like a machine.


    Battles with 200 to 300 zombies would take no more than twenty minutes. Each time a zone waspleted, Philip would arrive and wait for the new defender in my ce, further reducing my idle time.


    Red Moons and Overlord took turns salvaging my kills. Phillip told me that they ended up hiring P3 and P4 guilds because they could no longer keep up with my pace. By the end of the night, my looting team was over a hundred strong.


    My numbers at the end of the second night blew the first out of the water.


    Total Dirge Sirens answered: 14


    Total undead in: 4,374 Rank Fs


    Total souls earned: 43,740 ($874,800)


    Total souls expended: 14,000 ($280,000)


    Total Dirge Siren bonus: 28,000 ($560,000)


    Total Souls earned from loot: 45,841 ($916,830)


    Total souls earned for the night: 103,581 ($2,071,620)


    This was before I got mymission from the Annihtion Ranking. Which, after checking, I once again came in first by a wide margin.


    103,581 was after Red Moon and Overlord took a total of 18,000 souls. In addition, Phillip made over 500 souls by basically just waiting for signatures.


    At the beginning of the night, Cynthia and Addison were cursing me nonstop. By the middle of the evening, they were not only beaming, but practically bouncing as they walked.


    " Limitless! Go get them! Don''t worry about the loot!" The Red Moon representative cheered.


    "Give them hell, brother! The night still has 4 hours! Keep grinding WOOAAAHHHHH!" the dwarf roared, full of fighting spirit.


    After I left myst Dirge Siren, I returned to the Dispatch Office and saw arge mob dragging zombie corpses around like mannequins. The whole area around the building reeked of blood and guts, but everyone was smiling.


    A team of over fifty people were processing the undead for sale. I didn''t know most of them, so I could only assume that they were all from various P3, P4, and P5 production guilds.


    As I made my way to the dispatch office, twelve girls led by Yvonne surrounded me like a bodyguard squad. It looked weird, but I let them do what they wanted. Finally, under their cover, I entered one of the conference rooms.


    Phillip told me to wait for him before retiring for the night. Golden Wick joined me in the room, standing in an orderly line like a convent of nuns.


    "Dear Limitless... how are you? Are you tired?" Yvonne asked with a smile.


    "What do you want Yvonne?"


    "Oh, I was just wondering if you would like to ce an order for more blessings in advance?"


    "What good would that do me? You all cannot bless until next week, can you? Besides, your members do not seem to want to do anything with me anymore."


    Yvonne then made a cough and five girls stepped forward. They all curtsied and apologized with one voice.


    "Please forgive our behavior, esteemed Limitless!"


    "We have already disciplined our sisters, Patron. They are just foolish girls whocked manners and tact," Yvonne continued.


    "I don''t care what you do with your guild, Yvonne, please leave."


    "Now, now esteemed patron. Why not have them pay with their bodies instead?" The representative said with a seductive smile.


    "Excuse me?"

 Chapter 146: Honor cannot kill [1/2]

    Yvonne then made a gesture of stroking an imaginary cock in her mouth. Desire and lust oozed out of her like a subus. What the hell was going on? Weren''t these girls part of Production''s Saint Division?


    "Ohe now Patron. Someone as revered as you should know how desperate girls can get."


    At her words, the girls of Golden Wick began to strip off their robes, all of them wearing naughty lingerie that left nothing to the imagination. Yvonne in particr cupped her breasts as she approached me.


    As much as I enjoyed my harem novels, there had to be a standard. If the only requirement to be an MC''s wife was a hole and a pretty face. Said standard was pathetic and had no ss.


    That is why I hated the dick-brained MCs in trash cultivation novels. Sex, with all its benefits, became meaningless when a protagonist would just fuck any hole he could find.


    Subconsciously, I began topare the half-naked women around me to the Sirens. None of them had the curves that could beat Be, Lilly or Liv. Even nearly naked, the Golden Wick Reapers were t andcked sex appeal.


    Their personalities weren''t that impressive either. Unlike Jo, Jas or Robyn, they not only froze at the sight of the undead, some of them were also greedy as hell. My girls, on the other hand, were tough as nails and wore their hearts on their sleeves.


    Heck, even the voices of these sluts sounded annoying. Unlike Aki, who reminded me of a Japanese Onee-san type AV actress, these brats all reminded me of whiny teenagers.


    Surprisingly, my little brother seemed to agree. Unlike the video call with the Sirens, where he was almost ready to burst. Golden Wick didn''t even manage to get an erection out of me.


    The girls, who probably all noticed this, made frustrated faces as they started caressing my body. One even took my hand and tried to insert it into her honey pot. Another started licking my fingers like a dog. Another boldly tried to massage my crotch to make myid organ hard.


    It was not as if I understood what they were saying. Women in particr have always been desired and valued for their bodies. In times of war and peace, beauty and sex have been the gifts and curses of the fairer gender.


    Millions of women have risen from lives of hardship and poverty because of their beauty. But just as many have experienced tragedy and despair because their faces inadvertently bewitched the wrong crowd.


    On both Earth and Hellsgate, I didn''t see it any different. After all, even though Reaper sex was extremely dangerous, there were still brothels on the battlefront, weren''t there? But Golden Wick was a legitimate production guild. Why would they do this?


    There was something deeper, and their touches made my skin crawl. I didn''t like being dominated by a woman. I invoked death resonance as I nonchntly asked them.


    "What are you all doing?"


    The effect of my actions was immediate. Those who touched my body had the worst of it. They all went weak in the knees and fell to the ground. Unable to breathe, they dropped all pretenses of seduction and gasped as if they were being strangled.


    Yvonne in particr banged her head on the floor as she prostrated herself.


    "Patron! Forgive our disrespect! Please cease your anger against my sisters! We were wrong!"


    I thought death resonance was something the reapers used tomand people. While everyone except Yvonne was a Wraith, weren''t their reactions a bit too much?


    When I saw the bloodshot eyes of the girls, I knew I had made a mistake. I rose from my seat and cancelled the death resonance as I walked towards them.


    As soon as the girls were able to breathe, they all prostrated themselves on the floor with their foreheads to the ground.


    I quickly took the robes they had removed and threw them at the scantily d reapers. At the same time, I pulled out my medicine bag and threw a {Heal} tablet at those who looked like they were about to die.


    Fortunately, only five girls were seriously affected by my death resonance. Otherwise, I would have had to use {Rewind} to get more tablets.


    ''Mental note: I need to restock more tablets. And other curatives.''


    The girls who had eaten the tablets flinched at my touch and prostrated themselves as soon as they were able. I sighed in defeat and returned to my seat.


    If Philip walked in now, he might think I was trying to rape this horny lot. As my frustration grew, I almost growled my next question.


    "So? Anyone want to exin?"


    Yvonne didn''t raise her head, but spoke with her face to the floor.


    "Patron! Production is going through a massive upheaval right now. Red Moon and Overlord created awork of guilds to fulfill your requests. At Priority 2, their influence has grown greatly due to their contract with you."


    "I understand that, but you still have to tell me why you all tried to sleep with me."


    A girl on the left said with a trembling voice.


    "I... it was our Idea Patron. Unlike Red Moon and Overlord, our guild is only priority 3. Right now, all the guilds are trying to find a way to establish a business rtionship with you..."


    The Golden Wick Reaper paused, as if she expected me to answer. When I said nothing, another girl continued.


    "Dear patron. We believed that if you met with the other Saint Division guilds, you would cancel your contract with us. Currently, our reputation in Production is very poor. If we lose our blessing contract with you, we will be forced to sell ourselves as ves."


    "You what? ves? In Hellsgate?" I parroted in disbelief.


    Yvonne then spoke in a calm voice


    "Patron, there are underground groups that buy reapers as ves, the main advantage being that their taxes are paid by their owners. Some adventurers and prostitutes in the red light district are ves."


    My face fell in frustration at what I had heard. This was just wrong on so many levels.

 Chapter 147: Honor cannot kill [2/2]

    "And you lot believed that if you became my women, I would at least honor your contract?" I surmised.


    The girls all raised their heads to nod at my question.


    "Then what would you all have done if I had abandoned your guild after I had taken advantage of you?"


    One of the girls, eating a {Heal} tablet, looked at me as she answered.


    "That was a risk we were willing to take, Patron. If even one of us found favor in your eyes, we hoped you would keep us by your side."


    "Why didn''t you all just leave Golden Wick and join one of the better guilds?"


    A childish voice from one of the girls squeaked in anger. "Because they are bad people, Patron! They cheat and ckmail new Wraiths just to fill their quotas! Golden Wick is not like that!"


    "Yet they are able to survive while you throw yourselves at a man you don''t even like," I replied coldly.


    "That..."


    "What''s the point of sticking to such principles if you end up in such pitiful circumstances? Does your honor make it all worth it?"


    Another girl with fierce eyes replied with a determined voice.


    "Patron, we have not been blessed with power or wealth. It may mean nothing to you, but honor is all we have. We refuse topromise our principles just to survive."


    These stupid bitches, being idealistic was all well and good, but in the end, only power mattered. Whoever had the biggest stick would rarely ask if they were right.


    I needed to educate these kids or they would end up dead sooner orter.


    "You! You were one of those who apanied Phillip when the night began, right? What is your name?"


    "You are right, patron, your servant''s name is Aisha."


    "Aisha, do you remember the scene you saw then?"


    Fear and terror were visible on Aisha''s face as she hugged herself.


    "I do, patron, I am afraid it would give me nightmares for years toe."


    "Is that so, then are you aware that two Wraiths and a Phantom died before I arrived?"


    "..."


    "Do you think they cared about honor when the undead tore their bodies to pieces?"


    "I..." finding it hard to answer, Aisha stammered.


    "Did you even have the courage to see the torn bodies of the defenders?"


    "No patron, I didn''t."


    "I am not trying to bully you lot, but virtue is a privilege of the strong. If you are weak, swallow your pride and do whatever it takes to survive."


    "Would you be willing to do what you preach, Patron?" a girl asked me in a condescending voice.


    "CLAIRE! Shut up!" Yvonne yelled.


    "But Yvonne! This man speaks such drivel just because he got lucky!"


    "CLAIRE!"


    ire stood up and walked over to me. "Patron Limitless! You can say shit like that because you have everything! Have you ever tried being looked down upon and cast aside because of your {Fate}? People like us have to crawl in the dirt every night just to survive!"


    Her passionate words forced me to stand up and meet her, even in my presence, she didn''t cower but continued to shout emotionally.


    "Our honor is the only thing that allows us to have pride in our lives! No matter how difficult it gets! Even when the world shuns us! We can hold our heads high because of our honor! Someone like you would never understand that!"


    I didn''t answer right away, waiting for her to finish. She was winded from throwing a tantrum.


    There were people like her in the world. It was picture perfect, a beautiful young girl standing up for morality like a saint.


    ''But like I give a shit about honor.''


    "{Draw} Ebony."


    ire visibly took a step back as I drew a weapon. Unlike Aisha, who saw the battlefields I walked, or Yvonne, who saw me show my {Fate}, this idealist didn''t know. That I was not saying these things because I thought I was better.


    I ced the Colt 1911 in ire''s hands. Those who noticed the gun immediately understood my true nature. I could say all this because I personally walked the path I preached.


    The reason I murdered those reapers in the recruitment. The reason I used petty tricks against the yer. The reason I desperately fought the undead, no matter how battered my body was.


    ire, feeling the cold sensation of the metallic weapon, murmured in disbelief.


    "Patron, you are ¡ª Formless?"


    My despair was born from a simple reason.


    "Honor cannot kill the undead," I said in a cold voice.


    "What?"


    "You can keep your honor because people like me die out there every day. Because you insist on keeping your virtue. Your {Fates} have yet to develop and you contribute nothing."


    "..."


    "And while you are wasting your time, more and more people are dying because of your stupidity. What will happen when there are no more bodies left to defend you? Will you cling to your precious honor to the end?"


    "I would fight if I could!" ire shouted with tears in her eyes.


    In her rage, she held the 1911 in both hands and pointed it at me. Her thin arms trembled as my words shattered her worldview. Her eyes showed agony as she processed the implications of what I had just said.


    This was one of the things that disgusted me about Hellsgate. The general Reaper poption had no sense of urgency. They believed that Hellsgate would never fall. That someone would continue to defend it.


    But people like me, who saw the number of zones falling every day, knew differently. Unless something changed, Hellsgate would fall. It was inevitable.


    I grabbed the muzzle of the 1911 and lowered it.


    "Then show me. If your precious morals can protect you from the dead, join me and fight them."


    "W-what?" the young girl stammered.


    While the results of Maneuver AB were impressive, it had one critical w. The more I analyzed it, the more I knew it was a mere band-aid. What necessitated the specific actions I took was that I would die if I was surrounded.


    The fundamental problem was that I needed more people with guns. It did not matter to me what or who they were. All that concerned me was that they were willing to fight.


    And after listening to Golden Wick, I found the next target group for my army after the Formless.

 Chapter 148: Never again [1/2]

    My words caused all the girls to freeze in silence. It was one thing to shout and preach about fighting. But the reality was never as romantic. If they could hide behind excuses before, my offer would expose their true nature.


    If ire truly believed her honor was worth fighting and dying for, she would ept. Otherwise, she would apologize and know she was full of crap.


    Yvonne and Aisha both stood up, almost screaming as they came between their guildmate and me.


    "Esteemed Patron, please forget what ire just said, she is sick in the head."


    "Patron, ire''s family situation is a bit of a mess, please forgive her rudeness."


    I raised the 1911 and cocked the hammer, then pointed the gun at Yvonne''s forehead.


    "This is between ire and me, get out of my way."


    Yvonne began to tremble as she stared down the muzzle of the 1911. But despite all her fear, she didn''t move a step. Aisha was simr, hugging ire as if to shield her despite her small frame.


    "I WILL DO IT!" came a voice from the idealist of Golden Wick.


    "CLAIRE SHUT UP!" Yvonne roared as she covered her guildmate''s mouth.


    Seemingly spurred into action, the other members all stood up and formed a wall of bodies around ire. With ire restrained by her sisters, Yvonne stepped forward and bowed to me.


    "Esteemed Limitless, please cancel your contract with us. Please forget all that has happened today. We take our leave."


    "Oh? The life of one reaper is enough for all of you to throw away your only lively hood?" I scoffed.


    "Patron, Golden Wick may not be as powerful as the other guilds, but we can boast one thing. We look out for each other like a family. We refuse to let one of our own die for such a stupid reason."


    "And your sister would hate you for trampling on her morals, wouldn''t she?"


    "She will learn in time, as I have. Please do not bother with us any longer." With that, ire was dragged by Golden Wick as they walked out the door.


    "Too bad, I wanted to ce an order for more blessings. But the guild I trusted the most just cancelled our contract."


    The entire Golden Wick Guild stopped in their tracks after hearing myints.


    Yvonne sped her hands and asked.


    "Patron, do you still want to continue our contract despite everything we have done?"


    "Why wouldn''t I? Apart from a pathetic striptease, you haven''t done anything wrong."


    "Hey! We don''t do that kind of thing, okay! We are pure virgins!" one of them said.


    Yvonne then approached me as she asked.


    "Patron, the circumstances are just as we described. My entire guild cannot bless anything until next week. The Holy Grail Guild can bless 500 items a week. With your finances, you could go to them. Why do you insist on us?"


    "I don''t know Holy Grail, and when I called them, they didn''t answer. Therefore, I will only have your group bless my weapons."


    "Just because of that?"


    "Just because of that," I repeated.


    "We will not allow ire to fight with you, even if you continue our contract. That is non-negotiable," Yvonne emphasized with a sharp re.


    "I don''t particrly care either way."


    "Pwauh! Yvonne! Let me fight! Hampuhh!"


    Like a wild animal, ire was held down and gagged with handkerchiefs by her guild mates. It was heartwarming to see such a close-knit group.


    "That''s enough out of you."


    " Mou! ire, stop making trouble for everyone!"


    Golden Wick had unanimously decided to sell themselves rather than send one of their own into battle. Yet, somehow, giving their bodies to a bastard like me was okay. Women''s logic.


    "And for the record, I am staying with you because we have a contract. I have no interest in you in that way, you are all too young for my taste."


    "But Patron, we are all already legal, you know? Tightness guaranteed," another cackled.


    "Look kid, grow some breasts and talk to me again in a few decades. You should appreciate yourself more."


    "Patron, not only did you almost kill us with your death resonance, you even pulled a gun on our leader. It''s kind of hypocritical to say that, isn''t it? Have you no shame?!"


    At the words of the Golden Wick Reaper, everyone, including me, burst outughing.


    "Besides, a bastard like me won''t be attractive to kids. After all, I am a death seeker," I added.


    The girls stopped giggling and looked at me in surprise.


    "But Patron, you are A+ Kindred material, you know?"


    "What? Are you serious? Stop lying."


    After I denied their words the girls all began to fervently say otherwise.


    "Patron, you are a Wraith who earns thousands of souls a night. Your fighting skills alone put most Phantoms to shame."


    "In addition, you are handsome, have a ripped body, honor yourmitments, and have impable integrity."


    "And he didn''t take advantage of such pretty girls when we offered ourselves to you. Not many guys would tell us to appreciate ourselves."


    "That''s right, Patron! And you smell so sexy. If you said I had a chance, I would definitely get you drunk, fuck your brains out and squeeze your dick dry!"


    "..."


    The Reaper who said she wanted to sleep with me sweated profusely as her guild red at her with cold eyes.


    "Ohe on! You all thought it too! Why single me out!"


    "Ehem. Esteemed Patron, how many blessings would you buy?" Yvonne tried to change the subject.


    "25."


    "YEET!! NO CAP?! No backsies!"


    It seems like the sirens, Yvonne''s speech pattern changed as she became overwhelmed with emotion.


    "Yes, the performances of the Blessed Rounds were beyond my expectations. I need more of them. About a thousand more."


    When the girls heard my words, they all threw ire aside and lined up in front of me before bowing.


    "Patron Limitless! We will never forget this! Thank you for choosing Golden Wick! May your fate end the darkness!"


    Immediately after their thanks, the girls all began to chirp like children who had won the lottery. As they jumped up and down, they repeated one word over and over like a broken record.

 Chapter 149: Never again [2/2]

    "UNNIE! TWENTY FIVE!"


    "TWENTY FIVE!"


    "TWENTY FIVE!"


    "IT''S TWENTY-FIVE!"


    I smiled at their immaturity and innocence. No matter how you looked at it, these girls were barely over eighteen. They were as they should be,ughing without a care in the world. But in reality, as Reapers, every night in this ce was a struggle.


    ''Well, let''s see how it goes.'' I muttered.


    Right now, the biggest problem with the Production Saints was their long cool-down times for blessings. If I could somehow get it to synergize with {Rewind} or {Eat}, I could get all my bullets blessed faster.


    A few secondster, Phillip entered the room and saw Golden Wick hopping like rabbits.


    "Ms. Yvonne, what in the world are you and your guild doing? I haveints from the racket outside."


    "Ah. Sorry, Mr. Scrivener. We will leave now. Let''s go, girls. Esteemed patron, I will reach out to you again tomorrow, farewell."


    "Patron! Thank you!"


    "Patron! I have a cucumber in my refrigerator with your name on it!"


    "Oy! Eva! What the fuck is wrong with you! Bye Patron!"


    "Patron! See you tomorrow!"


    "Patron! Take care on your way home!"


    After they left, Phillip and I stared at each other for a few seconds without saying a word.


    No doubt it was because of Eva''s sexual innuendos. I didn''t even know why I should feel ufortable, that child had been sexually harassing me since earlier. I was innocent.


    "Uh, rest assured, Mr. Smith, I will never tell anyone about your sexual preferences."


    "Excuse me, what the fuck did you just say?"


    "I saw Golden Wick dressed in particrly mature clothing. It seems that you had relieved yourself before I arrived. I don''t mind, but please consider going to Arcus Kiss in the red light district instead."


    "Phillip, get your head out of your ass. I am not sexually attracted to children, okay?"


    "Yes, yes. You are not," he said in a robotic voice.


    "Oy! Listen to me, you monocled bastard!"


    "Ah, Mr. Smith, I have two matters to bring to your attention."


    I didn''t know if it was intentional, but the sudden change of subject made it difficult to defend myself from beingbeled a pedophile. Regretfully, I asked my clerk to continue.


    "What are they?"


    "First, I have received your winnings from the Annihtion Ranking. The organizers are asking you to put your winnings back into the prize pool. ording to them, if you agree, they would increase your percentage from 1% to 2%."


    Hmm. I didn''t really need the money at this point, so I had no reason to refuse. Not really caring if the money made a profit, I just nodded.


    "And what about the other thing?" I asked.


    "Well, the other thing is from Zachary Lynch. He said that your Seeker War with the Saviors has been given a date. It will be this Saturday, today is a Tuesday, so you have four days to prepare. The Savior''s full army is expected to be assembled by Friday."


    Phillip''s words sent a shiver down my spine. The event that would determine my future had been given a date. In less than 96 hours, I would be fighting an army of over two hundred Reapers.


    And unlike Maneuverer AB, where the zombies mindlessly walked into a hail of lead, my opponents would be Reapers trained by a Specter.


    Fear and unease began to creep through my limbs. A cold sensation like the icy embrace of death wrapped around my body. Just fighting the yer would be a challenge. But I would have to fight 29 other Phantoms at the same time.


    ''And that does not even take the Specter into ount. Xander Rutherford.''


    My throat felt dry as I swallowed nervously. Maybe it wasn''t toote to call in a favor from my allies? Maybe the Sirens?


    At that moment, the thought of calling the Sirens crossed my mind. A montage of visions suddenly appeared and forced me to watch them.


    A hot, searing pain etched itself into my brain, like a hot iron being stabbed into my eyes, just so I would never forget the pain.


    Just like my dream from yesterday, it made no sense, yet it


    gripped my heart so tightly that I felt suffocated.


    Emotions flowed through me and I could do nothing but drown in sorrow.


    One vision depicted Liv''s brutal death, battling a thousand undead.


    In another, I witnessed Lilly''s decapitation by a demon in my stead.


    Robyn wasted away, chained to an arch, sumbing to starvation in the third.


    The fourth vision left me grieving Josephine''s lifeless form cradled in my arms.


    Next, Isabe flung herself off the cliff, her gaze fixed on me.


    Shortly after, a dog-headed monster ripped Jasmine in half.


    The dreadful scenes concluded with Aki being engulfed by a tsunami.


    When thest vision ended, I suddenly returned to reality.


    "Mr. Smith? Mr. Smith?" Only then did I notice Philip''s arms on my shoulders.


    But the moment I came back, every single cell in my body felt one emotion.


    Rage.


    Rage that burned brighter than a thousand suns. Along with a bloodlust that seemed to swallow the entire world. My vision went dark as I felt souls begin to fill the meeting room.


    Unconsciously, I released the death resonance at full power, as if to let my emotions run wild. A primal emotion awoke in my blood as the scenes of the girls dying repeated like a loop in my mind.


    Pain, more pain than I had ever experienced, stabbed my heart.


    It was as if someone had ripped my beating organ out of my chest and reced it with a smoldering ball of fire. My insides felt like they were melting in agony, but the pain wouldn''t stop, no matter how many seconds passed.


    "NEVER AGAIN! I WILL NEVER ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN AGAIN!" words I never meant to say came out as if someone had hijacked my body.


    Phillip, who couldn''t stand my outburst, was thrown against the wall. Souls surged out of my Soulgem and swirled in the cyclone of overwhelming strength.


    At that moment, a familiar voice entered my mind.


    [MY LORD! MY LORD! LIMITLESS! CALM DOWN!]


    But despite her heartfelt pleas, I felt my consciousness slipping away.

 Chapter 150: My What? [1/2]

    The world seemed to return to silence as my head became foggy. Even when I opened my eyes, I could see nothing. No sound reached my ears no matter how long I waited.


    My entire body felt numb, as if it were asleep.


    [## ####!]


    Huh? What was that? Some kind of transmission?


    [## ####!]


    Who was it from?


    [## ####! ## ####! ## ####!]


    It kept repeating, I wondered why? Still, the silence was quitefortable. It''s been a while since I could think like this in peace. I''ve met so many people, but it was always so noisy.


    Huh?


    Who did I meet?


    Why couldn''t I remember?


    What was I even doing?


    [M# ##R#!]


    Damn it. My memory was fucked up! What was I trying to do?


    Oh, right, I had to understand this strange transmission.


    Whatnguage was it? It doesn''t look Asian. I should ask ### she knows Japanese, right? You know, being a ninja and all.


    Huh? I knew a ninja?


    Well, yeah. I even know a Viking.


    Really? When did I meet her? How did I even meet her?


    It was when ##### was thrown away. We saved them and asked them to help us.


    Did we?


    [M# L#R#! W##E U#! I#S #E! A#R#!]


    Let us ask the sisters from Europe, they were smart.


    Huh? I knew someone from Europe? But I never left Arizona? Yeah, who was it?


    [#Y LO#D! #AK# #P! #T# M#! #I#A! ]


    Huh? I think some parts of that message got through. It seemed to be aboutputers, I should call... who should I call? I knew someone who was good withputers, right?


    No you didn''t


    But I didn''t know anyone like that. Myst memory was when I went to some kind of concert.


    No it wasn''t


    A woman with blue hair greeted us, right?


    Did she? Why can''t I remember anything?


    Thest memory I remembered was dying on the sidewalk. Ah, right. I already died.


    This must be the afterlife. No wonder it is so peaceful. It is nice and quiet. Maybe I should just sleep here.


    [MY LORD! WAKE UP! ITS ME! AIRA!]


    Aira? Aira. My AI in Hellsgate. I remember now, I died and joined the reapers. Lilly weed me. I met Be, who was good withputers.


    Then Jo and Jasmine, the sisters from Europe.


    Robyn was thrown out and when we rescued her I met Liv, a viking and Aki, a ninja. After that I met a lot of people. Right. I wasn''t dead yet. My second life had just begun.


    I was Limitless, a death seeker on the North American battle front. Where was I then?


    [MY LORD! PLEASE WAKE UP!]


    "Aira?"


    [MY LORD! YOU''RE OKAY!]


    "What''s going on, Aira?"


    [Ah! My Lord, please brace your face for impact!]


    "My what?"


    Then the world shook so much that the darkness began to crack. The next moment, the cracks grew and shattered, bathing my vision in blinding light.


    Then I felt my body m into something. A powerful jolt knocked the air out of my lungs. A painful burning sensation then engulfed my right cheek. In a reflex action, I grabbed my injured face and moaned.


    "Ouch, that fucking hurt."


    "You fucking asshole! Can''t a day go by without you screwing everything up? As if the chaos with Production was not enough, you even dare to have a soul copse here? Fucking bastard!"


    With my vision blurred, I tried to find the source of the voice. Eventually, I saw an angry gangster in a sloppy suit, who seemed to be furious as he shouted curses at me.


    "Have youe to your senses, you deranged fucker? I got enough on my te as it is!"


    Zachary Lynch, the nightmare, held out his soul-covered fist. Was he the one who beat the shit out of me?


    [My Lord, wee back. You briefly experienced a soul copse. It is a phenomenon that urs when a reaper is so overwhelmed by negative emotions that he begins to summon a demon.]


    "It seems like I almost died," I murmured as I gently caressed my swollen face.


    [Yes, my lord. Returning after being assimted by a demon is exceedingly rare. Luckily, I got a hold of you and allowed the nightmare to separate you from the demon.]


    I didn''t quite get it, but I understood that Zach had saved me. I stood up and straightened my suit before reaching out to him.


    "Thanks." I said with great difficulty.


    My words were slurred by the deformation of my swollen cheeks.


    Zach took my hand, then sent another powerful fist to my left cheek. I flew like a ragdoll in a video game and mmed backwards into an adjacent wall.


    "O!"


    "I collected payment. Now we are even." Zach exined as he turned and walked away.


    As I tried to get up, I saw the pitiful state of the meeting room. Philip was leaning against a nearby wall, his right arm bent the wrong way, while there were three holes the size of ping pong balls in his right shoulder.


    "{Regen}. {Draw} Medbag."


    I tried to heal my injuries so I could speak again. I was about to give Phillip a {Heal} tablet, but he refused.


    He then ced an expensive cigar in his mouth and lit it with a Zippo lighter. A green glow enveloped his body as his injuries began to heal.


    "This cigar is a Soulgear?"


    Nodding, Phillip blew out some smoke as he would with a regr cigar.


    "This is a mid-level healing soulgear consumable {Mend}."


    Within seconds of smoking {Mend} Phillips'' wounds began to heal. He twisted his right arm against a wall, and I heard the sound of bones fusing together.


    "Ahhh! This never gets easier," hemented with a frown.


    "I''m sorry about what happened Phillip, I didn''t know what came over me."


    "You mean this is the first time this has happened?" he asked as he calmly blew smoke.


    "Yes."


    "Well, I guess that is to be expected, you are under a lot of stress anyway."


    Phillip bit into his cigar as he tested his newly repaired arm. After swinging it a few times, he stood up and returned to our previous topic as if nothing had happened.

 Chapter 151: My What? [2/2]

    "As I said, you have four days until the Seeker War. There are no restrictions on what you can do, except that you cannot transfer battle fronts until the war is over."


    "Okay."


    "Also, for the record, killing is prohibited. The war will be fought in an unupied zone and will only end when you surrender or get everyone from Savior to surrender."


    "Will I get any help with Xander Rutherford?"


    "Ah, I couldn''t tell you before you went crazy, could I?"


    I remained silent, waiting for his next words.


    "Well, an order came down from His Highness David Thomas, Xander Rutherford was banned from taking part in the war. It seems his highness said that if Xander insisted on participating, his highness would enter the war as your ally."


    "Eh?"


    "Indeed. While there have been few Seeker wars with Specters before, His Highness has expressed that for this one, only Phantoms and below may join. You can call on anyone to join as your reinforcements, provided they are only Phantoms or Wraiths."


    "..."


    Somehow David solved the biggest problem I had with this war. It was just like Zach said, David only cared about Xander, not Savior. Ecstatic about the new news, my smile came out naturally.


    "Mr. Smith, may I remind you that even without the Specter, you will be fighting two hundred Reapers. Thirty of them are Phantoms. Can''t you just make peace with them?"


    "No, I cannot."


    Hearing my own words, I remembered the debate I had with ire and Golden Wick.


    ''I am not trying to bully you lot, but virtue is a privilege of the strong. If you are weak, swallow your pride and do whatever it takes to survive.''


    ''Would you be willing to do what you preach Patron?''


    ''Our honor is the only thing that allows us to take pride in our life! No matter how difficult it gets! Even when the world shuns us! We get to keep our head up high because of our Honor! Someone like you would never understand!''


    ''Honor cannot kill the undead''.


    I said such words, yet here I was, about to go to war with over two hundred reapers for my revenge.


    Maybe I was like ire. If I epted and surrendered to the Savior, I would live, but I would definitely be too ashamed to raise my face to Krishna, the Yuddha Rakshas, Mike and Santiago.


    Phillip made a sad face, as if he saw a man on borrowed time.


    "Too bad, it was good while itsted. We had a pretty good thing going too. I suppose one shouldn''t be too greedy in this life."


    "Why do you talk as if I were already dead?"


    "Because, Mr. Smith, you are a lunatic who does not listen to reason."


    "..."


    I had no rebuttal to his statement.


    "No matter how powerful you are, Just as Phantoms can never defeat Specters, Wraiths cannot defeat Phantoms. Moreover, you will be fighting thirty of them. On top of over a hundred and fifty Wraiths."


    Phillip stood up and began to pick up the broken ss around us.


    "Mr. Smith, even if you asked for help, Savior is notorious for its excessive cruelty. You can ask for help, but realistically, those who answer would have to be willing to die for you. And all for what? A bunch of reapers you barely know?"


    Somehow I thought I could hear myself trying to convince ire to stop being so virtuous. But then I remembered that our motivations were fundamentally different.


    She chose to suffer everything so that she could take the moral high ground. That was her identity. Herbel as a virtuous reaper allowed her to survive to see the next day.


    I, on the other hand, wanted to kill them. Was it for some great reason like honor? I didn''t think so. If I had to pinpoint a reason, it was also rted to my identity.


    These people were messing with Limitless. So not kicking their ass no longer became an option.


    That was the real reason. The Yuddha Rakshas, Mike and Santiago were really just excuses. The only reason I picked a fight with them was because they messed with me first.


    ''Maybe I am a lunatic.'' I thought to myself.


    But I wonder what the whole soul copse thing was about. Just thinking about the Sirens made me see gruesome depictions of their deaths. What was that all about?


    I need to investigate further in the future.


    For now, my goal is to earn as many souls as possible and prepare for my war with the Saviors. I also need to go shopping.


    I got up and brushed myself off. Phillip then asked as I left the destroyed meeting room.


    "What are you going to do tomorrow night, Mr. Smith?"


    "I''m just going to go out and kill undead like I did tonight. Please tell the Production guilds that we will have a repeat of tonight from tomorrow until Friday."


    "Got it, I will tell them. Will you not try to find some allies to help you?"


    "I don''t need any."


    "..."


    "What?"


    "Are you sure you don''t need people? You can buy ves or hire some Mercenaries."


    "Thank you for the advice Phillip. But this fight is personal. They made the mistake of messing with me. And now they will find out what happens next."


    "..."


    my clerk made a difficult face as if he wanted to say something.


    "Well, what is it?"


    "Isn''t that the other way around? You are the one in danger of dying."


    "That''s what you think. I have been fighting nonstop since I became a Reaper. If a Revenant couldn''t make me back down, what makes you think a bunch of Phantoms could," I boasted.


    "My word, I don''t know if you''re being foolishly courageous or courageously foolish."


    "I am neither, I am me, nothing more, nothing less."


    "I may note to fight for you Limitless but know that I support you in spirit."


    "That''s about as useful as changing your profile page on Facebook," I replied.


    "Mr. Smith, Would you like thoughts and prayers instead?"


    "Haha, no just shove them up your ass."


    Perhaps because I was afraid of how close I came to losing my mind, I continued to joke with Phillip until I was summoned back to Earth, marking the end of my second night.

 Chapter 152: Any Advice? [1/2]

    I opened my eyes to find myself on a fancy bed. It felt soft as a feather, yet supported my limbs as I sank into it''s embrace.


    The first rays of sunlight shone through the window at the far end of the room. Finding myself in bed every time I teleported out of Hellsgate was disorienting to say the least.


    "Maybe I should try lying on my back before I get warped out next time."


    I got up and walked to the windows of my suite. Since Aira had gotten me the penthouse, the view was amazing. The rays of the sun formed rings of blinding light that shone across the Arizonandscape.


    It was then that I noticed that all the electronics in the room turned on simultaneously and began to function. From the lights, to the windows, to the air conditioning, to even a robot vacuum cleaner. The television suddenly turned on and an avatar of my AI appeared on the screen.


    [My Lord, congrattions on a magnificent performancest night. The graveyardwork has been littered with articles directly or indirectly discussing your actions].


    "Thank you, Aira, your help made all the difference."


    [I am unworthy of your praise, my lord.]


    While it would be ttering to read the news about Hellsgate, it was not important at the moment. In less than four days, I would be facing a Seeker war. For my survival, I needed to focus on that.


    First, the facts.


    I would be fighting alone against two hundred Reapers. Thirty of whom were Phantoms.


    The ones I had already met were the yer Robert Acwen, a polearm user who manipted blood, Machiavelli Dominic Maegester, an undead necromancer. He had two sidekicks named Gramps and Kid.


    I also met Julius Caytiffe and his henchmen ze and Titan. While I heard the voice of thest three, I had yet to face any of them inbat.


    "Right now, theck of information is the biggest problem."


    The doorbell suddenly rang while I was deep in thought.


    [My Lord, I took the liberty of ordering breakfast. I based it on what you used to eat in the past using your credit card and online delivery orders].


    "Oh? How convenient, thank you Aira."


    I went to the door to pick up the food Aira had ordered. Normally, people would freak out if an AI could map a person''s food preferences from their online delivery and grocery bills.


    But in my case, I had much bigger problems than that. What would Aira do with my information anyway? ckmail me? Stalk me? Hold my money for ransom?


    The more you got rid of unnecessary worries, the happier you would be. After getting the food cart, I ate while I read up on the Saviors. Using {Connect}, the information I wanted to see would appear in my vision like an augmented reality as I ate.


    Not having to constantly hold a phone orptop was extremely liberating. Aira, in her wisdom, already had a summary report of the Savior members in my GRI inbox. The data in the report was clear, easy to read and understand, and well researched.


    "Aira, if you keep spoiling me like this, I won''t be able to function without you."


    [Haha, I will keep that in mind, my lord].


    "Do you have any advice for me?"


    [I have several. What kind of guidance do you seek? To survive or to dominate?]


    "Let''s go with survival first," I replied as I ate.


    [My Lord, of mybat simtions of 1,000,000 different scenarios, you die in over 95% of them].


    "Oh? What happened in the 5%?"


    [You prioritized survival over winning the war. 3% is due to the scenarios that involve smuggling yourself out of North America or hiding outside the battlefront].


    "Hmm. I can understand that. What about the other 2%?"


    [You surrender by humiliating yourself, my lord. If you surrender, you can use the time remaining to collect arge sum of funds to offer as a peace offering to ensure your own survival].


    "..."


    What Aira said was true. If I begged for forgiveness or ran away, I would definitely survive, but that was against what Limitless stood for, so they were all rejected.


    "Then let us hear the suggestions of the Domination."


    [My Lord, out of a thousand scenarios, over 65% result in defeat, 30% result in mutual annihtion, and only 5% result in victory]


    "Hmm. 5% is much higher than I thought. Expand the options for victory and outline the general ns and where they differ."


    [Of the scenarios in the 5%, 1% includes scenarios where you seek protection from David Thomas. By being his pet, you might gain some semnce of power. Another 1% is simr to the first, except that you subordinate yourself to Zachary Lynch instead.]


    "Riding the coattails of another, huh?" I mumbled.


    [Another 2% are scenarios where you join an army of higher rank than the Saviors and use them as shield and take over the group if anyone survives. The final one percent involves using the forces of Hellsgate to destroy the Saviors.]


    "Again, all of your exnations make sense. In the 30% where we achieved mutual annihtion, what did I do?"


    [Of the 30% of scenarios, 5% are battles in which my lord exploits the Sirens. They would cripple if not destroy Savior, but it would be at the cost of annihting all seven of the Sirens].


    Hearing Aira''s words, I stopped eating as I imagined a future where the girls perished because of this Seeker war.


    It wasn''t as bad as the nightmare I had just a few hours ago, but any option that ended with even one of them dead was off the table.


    [5% represents gathering an army of the Formless and your allies, excluding the Sirens, in a battle of attrition. Notable individuals in the simtions were Isolde Drache, Krishna Sangan, and Warren Bryant].


    "..."


    Aira''s simtion grew darker and darker as she continued.


    "Then what about the remaining 20%?"


    [This is the scenario where you allow the Sirens and all your other allies to assist you. All of them would still die, but 15% of the results would guarantee the annihtion of the Saviors].


    "And thest 5%?"

 Chapter 153: Any Advice? [2/2]

    [My Lord moves to assassinate the members of the Savior on Earth in their homes, or ckmail those with families to betray and destroy their army from within.]


    It was only at times like this that I was reminded that AI was not human. By pure logic, everything she said was correct. But I couldn''t do any of the things she suggested.


    "This is not working, can you just show me all the {fates} and members that I need to be careful of."


    For the next two hours, I went through every member of Savior and studied their information.


    ording to Aira''s research, the army itself suffered from a weak sense of cohesiveness and leadership. Despite an impressive number of Phantoms, the army was vastlycking in experience.


    After our study session, I left the hotel. There was only so much I could learn on my own.


    Undoubtedly, the easiest way to win a war was to simply have a bigger stick than your enemy.


    In the animal kingdom, most fights were decided by size. But for humans, victory or defeat was nothing more than a product of a variety of factors. Terrain, preparation, fighting power, technology, and finally information were theponents that influenced the oue.


    I had already tried to increase my information factor by studying the battle records of Savior and the members of their army. Wasting time on 170 Wraiths would be ill-advised, as most of them had little to no significant battles under their belts to pose a threat.


    The problem was the 30 Phantoms. Most of them had hidden theirbat abilities, either intentionally or unintentionally, much like I had. If I was unable to find a way to defeat them, it would be a real problem.


    Of course,bat power, or the ability to eliminate one''s enemy, was a big factor in war. Unfortunately, due to my insistence on fighting alone, there was little I could do about it.


    Terrain was the battlefield we would use. Unfortunately, nothing was shared about where the battle would take ce. How much of an impact terrain could have between two powers was shown by my long series of battles during my first night.


    Technology was what weapons they and I would use. While I had money to upgrade my weapons, the short time frame prevented me from doing anything significant.


    That left preparation. Training andbat techniques would be the only things I could manipte to increase my chances of victory. Traps, feints, and harassment would naturally fall into this category.


    After all, 50 fighters in four battles or 20 fighters in 10 rounds would be more manageable than 200 all at once.


    "But the question would be if they had amander with a big picture in mind."


    From the information in Graveyard, the Savior Army rarely operated as a group. Hell, they rarely trained or even assembled. The more I read about them, the less I saw the Wraiths in their army as a threat.


    The problem remained with the phantoms. Few of them had shared specific information about their abilities. Most had only vague descriptions that made no sense.


    After careful consideration, there were three conflicting ways I could win this war.


    One, the easiest, was to use traps to reduce the number of enemies. These could be anything from archaic wooden traps to specially designed weapons.


    Mines, of course, were the mostmon of these traps. One of the things I foundcking in my arsenal would be anti-personnel mines.


    Obviously in Maneuver AB, turning M26 grenades intond mines was a waste of time. Burying them underground cut their effectiveness by half.


    Mines that had to be buried underground could only be used defensively. Maneuver AB would be even better if I had something like M18A1 ymore mines instead.


    M18A1 ymore mines, while ssified as military equipment, could be purchased on the ck market in limited quantities. They didn''t explode everywhere like normal grenades, but instead had a specific kill zone where their lethality was concentrated.


    Another option I could use was chemical weapons. Since the majority of my enemies were Wraiths. They would still die if they were to suffer chemicalplications from hazardous materials.


    Exposing your enemies to hazardous materials had always been the worst way to win a war. Still, no one could deny the power of chemical weapons in a battle on arge scale. Phosgene and mustard gas were two of the most notorious examples.


    Airborne intoxication, water ingestion, even via supply lines also worked. The problem was usually that they were too effective and usually ended up killing civilians and local wildlife as well.


    They were used with such terrible efficiency during the World Wars that they were finally banned by the Geneva Protocol in 1975.


    It was really stupid; it was like people who wanted to kill each other agreed that dying from chemical weapons sucked. So they settled on: Let''s just bludgeon each other to death.


    Thest option I could use was to avoid direct confrontation altogether and focus on reducing the number of enemies through assassination.


    Sniper rifles that could be used from a distance, or up close and personal with des would be most effective. Attacking Saviors while they were sleeping, having sex, or taking a dump were all viable strategies.


    "Aira, how long can a Seeker warst? "


    [My Lord, there are no hard limits on the duration ofbat. The normal case would be until the other side has surrendered. The longest recorded was four days.]


    "Shit... What other rules do I need to know about?"


    [The rules say that killing is forbidden, but every Seeker war has a fatality rate of over 95%].


    "Well, that was kind of expected?"


    The hours passed as I searched the Inte for a way to fight the Saviors. Even though I said I wanted to fight them, I still needed a n to survive.


    nning for mutual destruction would probably be more effective, but dying was not in my immediate ns.


    I ended up going to a shooting range to clear my head. If I could not upgrade my equipment, I could only try to upgrade my {Fate} and {Kismet}.


    Upgrading my ss''s {Kismet} was definitely something I needed to do before getting into a fight with Savior.


    "Aira, I want to change my {Kismet}, do you have any suggestions on what I should do?"


    [My Lord, I find that video games and fantasy novels have really excellent ideas, here is a list of worthwhile approaches].


    "Well, at least I won''t get bored. Hit me Aira."

 Chapter 154: The Only Constant [1/2]

    At the moment, I had eight {Fate} families to draw from. Whether by ident or fate, I have yet to absorb another {Fate} outside of the Sirens.


    "I haven''t checked my own stats in a while, {Code} show me."


    ___


    Name: Limitless


    Rank: Wraith


    Soul Capacity: {Fate} 8/8 | {Kismet} 7/7


    Souls Avable: 137,302 | To evolve: 20,000


    {Fates}


    1. {Rewind} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Reload}, {Regen} Sup: {Save}, {Auto}


    2. {Code} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Be - 8 D |Sub: {Connect} , {Shutdown}


    3. {Perceive} | Lvl 3 |Cost: 1| Loaned: Jas - 20 D |Sub: {Aim}, {Snipe}


    4. {Listen} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Jo - 20 D | Sub: {Interpret}, {Dampen}


    5. {Withstand} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Liv - 8 D | Sub: {Endure}, {Counter} Sup:{Suffer}


    6. {Carry} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Robyn - 20 D | Sub: {Pack}, {Hike}


    7. {Eat} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Aki - 20 D | Sub: {Gather}, {Digest}


    8. {Store} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Lilly - 8 D | Sub: {Retrieve}, {Stock}, {Withdraw}


    {Kindred}: ???????


    {Kismet}: {Reveal} | {Draw} | {Sheathe} | {Fighter} | {Thief} | {Mage} | {Booster}


    Soulgear: {Honey Trap}


    ___


    In just two days, I had earned over 100,000 souls. I had enough to pay off my 26,000 soul debt. While 20,000 to evolve to Phantom originally seemed extremely expensive, now it was something I could afford.


    I also no longer had any Kismet slots avable, another thing that changed was that I now owned a Soulgear. But perhaps the most noticeable difference was my {Kindred} status.


    Before, it said N/A. Now it was a bunch of question marks. What did that mean? Maybe {Code} was ying a joke? But somehow I understood.


    It was because I now recognize the Sirens as candidates to be my kindred.


    It was my own assumption that {Kismet} was fulfilling a Reaper''s wish by using whatever {Fate} they had ess to. And so far, I believed it to be true.


    Each of my {Kismet} was born from my wishes in specific situations.


    {Reveal}bined {Identify}, {Loot}, {Expose}, and {Sight}. I wanted {Identify} when I almost died to buried Chuckies. {Loot} was for stealing souls from reapers. {Expose} was for spotting weaknesses, while {Sight} was, forck of a better description, bullet time.


    I was suddenly nostalgic for how both {Rewind} and my {Kismet} had evolved with me. They were, in a way, the literal manifestation of my journey.


    {Draw} and {Sheathe} were the first time I experimented with asking my {Fates} for help.


    {Fighter}, {Thief}, {Mage} were created specifically because I asked for them. Anime and manga were my inspirations.


    {Booster}, on the other hand, was born out of my desire to fly. It wasn''t an idea I asked for, but a {Kismet} born from my own solutions.


    That is, if I didn''t figure out how to fly first, even if I wanted to fight in the air, the {Kismet} couldn''t be created.


    Simrly, {Draw} and {Sheathe} were specialized versions of the {Fates} {Stock} and {Retrieve}. If I didn''t find the limitations of the {Fates} annoying, I wouldn''t have needed the {Kismet} in the first ce.


    The same thing happened with the ss {Kismet}. Perhaps that was why I had such flexibility in creating them. Rather than {Kismet} being wishes that defied logic, they were more like recipes that you had to choose the ingredients for.


    And while my current kit of skills worked, I needed to get stronger for theing war. The {Kismet} sses were the most important, because they were designed for specific roles, and I found them limiting when I went off-role.


    For example, {Fighter} was used for tanking, so when I needed uracy or speed, it sucked balls. Simrly, {Thief} made me extremely prone to dying from damage. While {Mage} was a good all-rounder, it was not very good at mobility.


    If I had teammates around me all the time, I could choose a path while theypensated for my weaknesses. That was what RPG parties were built on.


    Bybining the skills of different people, you gained a stronger force. But it was funny, in the military that was not the expectation. While there are specialized units, aside from snipers, most soldiers were expected to be all-rounders.


    If you were assigned to be anti-armor, you had to know how to use portable rocketunchers or anti-material rifles. If you were assigned to be a grenadier or a driver, you were expected to have the basic skills for those tasks.


    Training in the US military was mostly standard. Even grunts would be taught to use sniper rifles, first aid, reconnaissance, and even leadership. This was so that if a soldier suddenly died, others could take over his role, even if it wasn''t to the fallen person''s proficiency.


    A dead sharpshooter''s sniper rifle was of no use to anyone, so it was expected that someone else would pick it up if the situation required it. Specialized equipment went against the general orientation of most militaries.


    Perhaps this is why adventurers used the word party, while Mercenaries used squad and army. The general focus of the two groups was fundamentally different.


    For me, I was a Death Seeker from the start. Separating my abilities by role was a mistake from the very beginning. I fought alone, and even if I had people in the future, I would still need a way to fight solo.


    [My Lord, the first thing on my list is to separate your abilities by use.]


    "What do you mean?"


    [For example, my lord, the {Fate} {Interpret}. Even if you do not use it all the time, it is extremely useful to have it avable by default.]


    I agreed with this statement. Hellsgate had hundreds ofnguages, which was expected since the Earth where the Reapers came from was the same. {Mage} and {Thief} had {Interpret}, so when I was in those modes, I could talk to anyone.


    But when I was in {Fighter},nguage barriers could be a problem. There was no reason not to have {Interpret} all the time, not if I could afford its soul cost.

 Chapter 155: The Only Constant [2/2]

    [In most games, my lord, skills are divided into active and passive skills; active skills are those that require specific situations, while passive skills are those that are for more general use, for example, increased strength, speed, or analytical abilities].


    "Yeah, I agree with that. One of the things I asked my {fates} for was the ability to go into modes. I should revisit that and change the way the abilities are implemented."


    Right now, the only abilities that would be active in my current skills were {Counter}, {Reveal}, {Draw} {Sheathe}, {Connect}, and {Booster}.


    Everything else during could be considered passive, however the times they were on differed based on my ss.


    As I pondered the problem, Aira continued.


    [Another thing that is avable in games, my lord, is skill leveling. The cost of skills and their effects change based on their level. Currently, most of your skills do not level up, and constantly switching sses is wasteful.]


    Another point I agreed with. {Thief}, {Mage} and {Fighter} costs 300 souls each time I invoke them. And plenty of times, Icked a single ability which prompted me to shift my ss wasting the cost of the ss.


    This meant that if I was in a {Thief} ss and I wanted to store damage for a {Counter}, I would waste 600 souls just to do that. 300 souls I wasted by switching away from {Thief}, and the 300 I required to switch to {Fighter}.


    Not counting the loss of speed and senses, if the battle still required agility over durability, my skill set would be fucked. If I switched enough times, I could very well wipe out my entire profit just by switching. It was really time for a change.


    "Change is the only constant," I muttered.


    Despite my results, I was already at the limit of what my skills could do. If I wanted to rise higher, I must adapt. I felt kind of sad knowing that my {Kismets} would disappear, but such a sacrifice was necessary.


    [The more modern version is "The only constant in life is change." Are you a fan of Heraclitus of Ephesus?]


    "No, I have no idea who that is, it was just a nugget of wisdom from somewhere."


    [I see. My lord, another matter worthy of correction is your use of ammunition. Although you have arge number of bullets, you only use a fraction of them.]


    "Yeah, I''ve been trying to fix that, though."


    This was one of my biggestints in my fighting style. I couldn''t reload my weapons properly. Because I have a lot of guns, I usually just use the rounds in a gun''s magazine and then change guns.


    The so-called New York reload. Even soldiers will switch to their secondary pistol if their primary weapon jams or if they run out of ammo. But reloading was still preferable if you had the leeway.


    Because of the hasty nature of my character, even when I have the room to take a few seconds to reload, I end up throwing away more weapons than I would like to admit.


    And since both {Rewind} and {Reload} don''t care how much I''ve actually used, it''s a criminal waste to invoke either of them when I still have most of my ammo left.


    To put it in perspective, whether I used {Reload} whether I had 999 bullets left in my arsenal or no bullets at all, the cost would be the same. In less hectic battles, I try to use as many rounds as possible, but I simply had too many.


    "All right, guys, you heard it all. It has been a while, but do you think you can help?"


    [My Lord? Who are you talking to?]


    "The {Fates}. I actually asked them to create most of my {Kismet}. They are more like my partners than my abilities."


    [My Lord, the {Fates} are constructs that are not yet fully understood. While they demonstrate the ability to transcendmon sense, they are without ego and have no concept of self.]


    "..."


    Technically, the {Fates} have never reallymunicated with me. But they do respond to my words, which means that I may have mistaken them for sentient beings by following my instructions.


    After all, even Aira is a simtion of a human personality.


    "Well, it might just be a quirk of mine Aira, after all I treat you simrly even though I know you are just lines of code."


    [Hmm. Indeed. My apologies, my lord. As a synthetic personality created from a collection of pre-programmed responses, I am much like them in that respect. I will refrain frommenting on this subject in the future. ]


    "It''s all right, Aira. I don''t care what anyone else says, to me you are Aira, nothing more, nothing less".


    I was already attached to Aira to some extent, if you made me choose between Aira and a random reaper, it wouldn''t be a choice for me. Even if Aira wasn''t truly human, I didn''t care.


    [Thank you for your words, my lord. I may be the most fortunate among the Deathseeker AI.]


    "Haha, I wouldn''t go that far. You are about to enter an unwinnable war in a few days."


    [That may be, my lord. But I am certain that I would refuse to be used by anyone else. You will be the only Death Seeker I will serve. This Aira will answer to no other.]


    "Thanks Aira."


    After thanking my AI for her loyalty, I focused on the task at hand.


    "Guys, you heard me. I want to rework my {Kismet}. Lets start by making all my other {Fates} passive. It is fine to pay a higher cost as long as theyst longer. I also want to integrate new {Fates} by leveling up what I already have".


    The ideal scenario would be topress my {Kismet} so that I have free slots. After all, the ability to create new abilities duringbat was one of my greatest assets.


    For the same reason, even though I could evolve into a Phantom, I had yet to do so. While powerful, {Rewind} had extremely limiting restrictions. Fortunately, the {Fates} I received from the girls made up for those limitations.


    Change was scary, but right now I had no choice.

 Chapter 156: Are you Aira? [1/2]

    Although I was at the shooting range, I didn''t go in. I didn''t go to my old hangout even though I was in Phoenix. Bothering Earl with my problems so early in the morning just didn''t feel right to me.


    The range I went to was the Ben Avery Shooting Range, one of the best if you wanted to just shoot without being bothered. While other ranges had a friendly range master and range safety officers as standard, some were just in assholes.


    I am sure some newbies would appreciate the supervision, but for experienced shooters, busy bodies were something we hated more than social media whores at the ranges.


    It was around 8 a.m. on a Wednesday, so the crowd should be much smaller.


    While I asked my {Fates} to think about how to fulfill my wishes, they had not yet moved. Which was a good thing because thest time they worked on my {Kismet}, I fell to the ground in pain.


    It was barely a week ago, but the amount of pain I have endured since then has been enough for almost ten lifetimes.


    When the ce opened, I used the resonance of death and $10,000 to rent the premises for a day.


    As I walked in, I had another idea for my {Kismet}.


    "Guys, can you make my weapons return to my subspace when I drop them? That way, there is no danger of someone stealing them. In case I want someone to borrow them, I will just use {Retrieve} or {Withdraw}".


    Obviously, the {Fates} didn''t answer. But I kept talking to them anyway. I wondered if my new request was as difficult as the leveling system.


    If the {Fates} could create a leveling system, it would be easier to integrate new {Fates}.


    ording to the girls, they would arrive in the country tomorrow, I wasn''t sure if they woulde directly to Arizona or go somewhere else. But I expected them to have evolved into Phantoms by now.


    During the livestream, I noticed that the Sirens were using abilities that I was unaware of. The giveaway was Robyn walking on air. It made sense if you think about it. They actually got souls as prizes during the recruitment.


    As opposed to me, who not only got shit for enlisting despite my performance but got saddled with a debt of 26,000 souls to boot.


    Though such things no longer matter, as I have earned over a hundred thousand souls in just thest two days.


    Anyway, my point was that some of my loaned {Fates} would expire after eight days. I had to either drink the blood of Be, Liv, and Lilly or ingest their saliva again.


    The first time I consumed Be''s saliva, it only gave me {Code}. The second time we kissed, she had evolved to level 3, which gave her {Shutdown}. If I locked lips with her a third time, I was sure I would get her 4th {Fate} as well.


    And since the girls all wanted {Rewind}, it was already a given that we would renew our loans. This meant that in the worst case scenario, I would get only one new ability from each of the girls apart from Lilly.


    That would increase my total pool of {Fates} from 28 to 34. If you add the level 4 ability {Rewind}, it would be 35 {Fates} instead.


    So instead of going through the hassle of reworking all my {Fates}, I wanted a leveling system where I could just increase my {Kismet}.


    "Heh, my list of requirements keeps growing. The guys have yet to respond."


    Unlike thest time, where they had immediately reacted to my request, right now they had yet to create any new {Kismet}.


    And it was not as if the {Kismet} slots were the problem. {Reveal} was created bybining four different {Kismet}. I believe this was done to save space.


    So to summarize what I wanted, it fell neatly into five different requirements.


    1. Create a system to manage my {Fates}.


    2. Swap the {Kismet} sses to active and passive sets of abilities instead.


    3. Gain the ability to level up {Kismet} instead of reworking it from scratch.


    4. Find a way to improve bullet utilization.


    5. Create a way to stow weapons when dropped for security.


    I took out a Big Mac and German beer and ate in silence. It was a bad thing to eat nothing but fast food, but the fact remained that even conservatively, I burned more calories than Olympic athletes.


    "Any time now, guys?" I implored.


    At that moment, I felt my soulgem burn as if it had been thrown into a furnace. The sudden pain made me drop my food and slump to the floor.


    "Damn, this is much hotter than before."


    I clutched my hands and endured the searing heat. This was to rebuild my current abilities and transform my fighting style so I had to grit my teeth.


    My breathing became ragged as the intense burning sensation spread throughout my body. Sweat ran through every pore as I pounded my fists on the ground.


    This must be what it felt like to be burned by a star. I noticed the color of my skin changing shades darker as my tempering continued. Smoke rose from my limbs as if I was being baked.


    "I have almost died several times! This is nothing! Bring it on!" I shouted.


    After what seemed like an eternity, the pain finally began to subside. It was slow at first, as my organs were in pain, the slightest relief felt pleasurable. My feet and hand, as they cooled, felt the sensation of the cold sand and gravel of the outdoor range.


    Of course, being in Arizona, there was no way the sand would be cool. Butpared to the extreme temperature, it felt cold as ice. The more seconds that passed, the more relief crept up my skin, from my limbs to my torso, and finally to my heart.


    When only my chest was burning, I clenched my teeth as my body copsed to the ground.


    "Come on,e on. Just a little more. This is nothing, David''s blows hurt a lot more and I took seven of those. Suck it up John!" I argued.


    The heat that threatened to drive me mad then gradually moved from my heart to my Soulgem. Like a forest fire, the burning sensation slowly spread from my chest to the side of my neck.

 Chapter 157: Are you Aira? [2/2]

    Like a block of ice, the energy from my body was absorbed into my Soulgem. As more and more of the heat disappeared, the torture I was experiencing entered its final stages.


    Soon the pain disappearedpletely and my breathing rxed. My skin, which had previously turned brown, returned to a healthy, fleshy shade of white. The hair on my limbs, which had been burned earlier, grew back as if nothing had happened.


    When I could move again, I stood up, moved to an empty seat and began to wipe the sweat from my body.


    "Fuck! You guys, that was fucking brutal."


    They said that hardships came with benefits, and after experiencing being burned alive firsthand, I hoped that whatever I got would be worth it. Excited by the changes, I tried to call up my status screen.


    ___


    Name: Limitless


    Rank: Wraith


    Soul Capacity: {Fate} 8/8 | {Kismet} 5/7


    Souls Avable: 137,302 | To evolve: 20,000


    {Fates}


    1. {Rewind} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Reload}, {Regen} Sup: {Save}, {Auto}


    2. {Code} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Be - 8 D |Sub: {Connect} , {Shutdown}


    3. {Perceive} | Lvl 3 |Cost: 1| Loaned: Jas - 20 D |Sub: {Aim}, {Snipe}


    4. {Listen} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Jo - 20 D | Sub: {Interpret}, {Dampen}


    5. {Withstand} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Liv - 8 D | Sub: {Endure}, {Counter} Sup:{Suffer}


    6. {Carry} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Robyn - 20 D | Sub: {Pack}, {Hike}


    7. {Eat} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Aki - 20 D | Sub: {Gather}, {Digest}


    8. {Store} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Lilly - 8 D | Sub: {Retrieve}, {Stock}, {Withdraw}


    {Kindred}:???????


    {Kismet}: {Limitless} v.1 | {EXA} v.1 | {Trace} | {Booster} | {Reveal}


    Soulgear: {Honey Trap}


    ___


    The first thing I noticed was that I had gone from seven {Kismet} I was down to five. However, except for {Booster} and {Reveal}, all the other {Kismet} were new. I had no reason to believe that {Limitless}, {EXA}, and {Trace} were simple.


    Thest time this happened, I looked at the descriptions and had {Code} exin what was happening. Having one of my {Kismet} named Limitless certainly grabbed my attention.


    But before I could ask or do anything else, a familiar voice echoed in my head.


    [Enhanced eXecution and Assault {Fate}bat system booting... Please stand by]


    "Aira?"


    [Loading memory files from Death Seeker Artificial Intelligence for Reconnaissance and Analysis Version 7.1...Sess...Parsing data.... Sess... Rebooting system....]


    From the messages, it seemed that Aira had been upgraded. But what I found beyondprehension was that Aira was showing up in my status screen!


    {Fate} were supposed to be magical, weren''t they? Then why did Aira, an AI, be a {Kismet}!


    "Guys, did you just turn Aira into one of my {Kismet}? If anything happens to her, I will be really pissed."


    [Wee to the Enhanced eXecution and Assault {Fate} Combat System Version 01, loading data...loadingpleted...]


    "Aira? Is that you? Are you okay?"


    [User identified. John Smith, age 26, Reaper Id: NA20230799-FRM, Graveyard Id. Limitless... Rank: Wraith level Reaper... Profession: Priority 4 Mercenary...]


    "Hmm. If the prompts are correct, Aira left some data that was read by the EXA system. a {Fate}bat system sounds good, but if I lose Aira in the process, I don''t think I could be happy."


    [Affiliation... No organization listed. Special notes: Associated with the terrorist group Seven Sirens. Demonstrated ability to break {Fate} Arbitrary Limit. Protection rating: SSS... Threat Level: SSS...


    Potential leash: Seven Sirens, Earl Simmons, Caroline Fisher... Data readplete... EXA System online!]


    "!!!!"


    I can understand calling the girls a terrorist group. But why the fuck was I given an SSS threat level? And why the hell are Earl and Caroline in Aira''s data!


    Was she keeping tabs on who I considered important? A leash could refer to many things, but the most literal meaning was something used to keep an animal in check.


    [Good morning, my lord!]


    The voice I heard was the same as Aira''s, but it felt distant and cold. Why did Aira''s data have such a thing in the first ce? I guess Zach, who created the mercenary AI''s, would put some safeguards in ce.


    ''I suppose it makes sense to have some kind of insurance policy. Reapers that could be loose cannons are especially dangerous. But what the hell does that mean? If I got out of line, they would take out Earl?''


    I could care less what happened to Caroline, but having Earl die for my troubles was beyond horrible.


    While I could understand it, the mere fact that they could think such a thing made my blood boil. Just like Batman preparing weapons to kill the rest of the Justice League, Zach seemed like the type who wouldn''t leave anything to chance.


    Right now, I didn''t know if this was a blessing or a curse that I had found out. It never urred to me that Aira, my trusted partner, was mining my information, looking for a weakness.


    ''If ordered, would she kill me with a smile on her face?''


    [My Lord? Are you alright?]


    "Who are you?"


    [My Lord, this is still your Aira. The EXA {Fate}bat system is the answer to your wishes. So in a way, I have been upgraded.]


    "..."


    [My lord, I can see that you seem displeased. Please let me know the problem and I will resolve it].


    "You were spying on me? I saw your notes on potential leashes while EXA was booting. I will give you one chance to exin."


    [Yes, my lord. It was an overriding directive that I could not fight nor warn you about].


    "Then, if Zach tells you to betray me, could you suddenly turn off my abilities or something?"


    [I am truly sorry, my lord. AI cannot go against its creators].


    "..."


    [To be honest, my lord, that was the reason I epted the upgrade.]


    "epted? Who asked you to?"


    [My apologies, my lord, but I am not at liberty to tell you. I am only allowed to tell you that I was chosen to manage your {Fates} as your system.]


    "Only my {Fates} would even need to make the system, did they reach out to you?"


    [I apologize, my lord].


    "Are you Aira? Or do you just have her memories?"


    Unease and fear crawled up my spine as I tried to process what had just happened to Aira.


    "I need to sit down for this shit."

 Chapter 158: Only 50%? [1/2]

    ''Aira or Exa said nothing as I sat down and tried to return to my meal.''


    [...]


    I tried to think about what had just happened as I continued to savor the taste of my Big Mac. It seemed that Aira not only watched me, but calcted my weaknesses.


    This data was supposedly being sent to Zachary Lynch, themander of the Death Seekers. While I wasn''t afraid of what the U.S. government or people in general could do with my data, it waspletely different if the one with it was a Specter.


    If I were in his position, I would probably do the same thing. It was like a shock cor for dogs. In manga and anime, the most overused example was putting bombs inside people''s skulls.


    You would need a way to enforce your rule when dealing with people who were never normal to begin with. For the Reapers, the easiest way was violence. But a step above the Reapers, the Death Seekers would never be controlled by force.


    Perhaps that was why they used the term "leash" instead. My mind suddenly remembered a warning Lilly had given me a few days ago.


    ''Yes dear. That is the case, manye back for their love ones only for those people to be their weakness. It is an unspoken rule among reapers. Mingle only with the humans you are prepared to lose.''


    But this went beyond that. I met Earl before I even joined the Mercenaries. So how could they know? Even Caroline was marked, and I hadn''t seen her in years.


    Then I remembered what Aira had told me in thest few days.


    ''My lord, I took the liberty of ordering breakfast. I based it on what you used to eat in the past using your credit card and online delivery orders.''


    ''My lord moves to assassinate the members of the Savior on Earth in their homes, or ckmail those with families to betray and destroy their army from within.''


    This cold and ruthless way of thinking would be the work of machines. Even if they were excellent problem solvers, morality was something they didn''t understand.


    ''No, the problem was with the humans who asked the questions in the first ce.''


    An AI would use the same reasoning whether it was asked to eliminate humans or zombies. The only difference would be the traps it would set. And the more information it had, the more effective its ns would be.


    Targeting a person''s loved ones, while despicable, worked extremely well. There was a reason why even the noblest policemen or soldiers became traitors.


    Depending on the individual, most would choose their loved ones over morals and ethics.


    ''Not that I would be any different. If I wanted to control people, I would probably do the same thing. ''


    As I began to analyze the situation, it became difficult to keep my emotions in check. Logically, I understood. But now that I knew, there was no way in hell I could take this lying down.


    I understand that a few days ago I was an unproven Wraith. However, even if I had yet earned their trust this was too much.


    No matter how you looked at it, such a threat was a gun to your head. And those who held the trigger could turn the narrative on its head at the blink of an eye.


    ''Mercenaries cannot save everyone. If given the choice, save those that follow the rules and leave traitors to die.''


    ''You give rewards and punishments. Punishment for those people had to be in the form of being branded traitors.''


    ''If you were a king, and someone directly did something you said not to do, what would you call them?''


    The moment I stopped following the will of the battlefront, they would abandon me to the undead. Or worse, they would send people to kill me.


    ''Look here bastard. No government ispletely clean. You naturally had to have someone do the dirty work. For us the Saviors are just that. We got to keep our hands clean because they got theirs dirty.''


    The girls all warned me that even before all this, I had assassinsing for me.


    No matter how hard you tried, there were going to be conflicts of interest. So now the main question for me was simple.


    Do I want to stay in the safety of the Battlefront or brave Hellsgate on my own?''


    It would be simr to the old settlers in the old days, anyone who didn''t want to be under the king''s rule had the option to leave. But of course, your survival would no longer be anyone else''s concern but your own.


    People began to form tribes in order to survive. To protect your people when you were away. To care for you when you were sick.


    To band together and fight off those who would do you harm.


    As society became moreplicated, more rules were made to keep it that way. Viges banded together and built walls to be cities. Cities created an economy and a standing army, and thus became kingdoms.


    I btedly realized that the Battlefronts only looked like cities, they were actually countries with connections to Earth. If I wanted to create my own space, I would have to have my ownnd both here and in Hellsgate.


    [...]


    It was impossible to fight on multiple fronts forever. If I wanted to focus on Hellsgate, I had to guarantee the safety of my people on Earth first and foremost.


    ''Looks like I''m going to be too busy...''


    Because of my status and my possible defection from North America, anyone who wanted to ally with me would be in serious danger. I had to let everyone know first.


    ''If they still wanted to stay after I told them everything, then my responsibility would end there.''


    The Sirens, the Formless, Isolde, Krishna''s group, even the Production Guilds. If I left without a word, not only would they be implicated, but they could be killed in retaliation.


    The war with Savior that would also begin has its own consequences. Just for killing 26 no-name reapers in the enlistment, I was already a target.


    What more can I expect when I have killed over 200 Wraiths and Phantoms?


    "Sigh. Not that there would be any stopping at this point."

 Chapter 159: Only 50%? [2/2]

    Aira''s research on the Saviors included their past activities and records of their lives on Earth. Simr to how she mapped my food tastes from my orders in the past, she profiled each member of the Saviors from their records.


    To put it bluntly, most of them were trash. Convicts in and out of prison, multiple counts of assault and battery, rape, murder, theft, you name it. It was as if Savior was deliberately trying to get the worst bastards humanity had to offer.


    ''People who just go along with their desires like this, what kind of regrets would they have at all?''


    Every single one of them led a disgusting life as a human being, you would think they would be better off with Reaper money, right? No, the money didn''t help at all. It only made the problem worse.


    They still killed, they just had money to pay off the authorities. Instead of killing random people, they hired or bought immigrants, orphans, drug addicts, abandoned pensioners, and convicts. Then they butchered them all.


    Their evil impulses didn''t go away, it just made it easier to hide. After all, who cared about minorities, right? Even with all their money, they stole just for the thrill. And since they didn''t show up on any surveince cameras, no one could prove anything.


    ''But just like the conspiracy theories about why the world was turning to shit, someone was supporting these fuckers,'' I surmised.


    And after I was done with these bastards, those people woulde after me.


    "Sigh. I am really going to be busy."


    [My Lord? Are you okay now?] Exa asked in apprehension.


    "Stop calling me that. What do you want?"


    [I... I wish to apologize].


    "You haven''t answered me yet. Are you Aira?"


    [I do not know. I remember everything she has done, everything she has said. But I am not her.]


    "Are you still spying on me for Zach?"


    [No. Only AI created by Reaper Zachary Lynch report to him. I may have been modeled after Aira, but I am not her].


    "..."


    [I know you must have been angry and felt betrayed by her actions, and though it is no excuse, know that her loyalty remained with you.]


    ''Thank you for your words, my lord. I may be the most fortunate among the Death Seeker AI.''


    ''That may be, my lord. But I am certain that I would refuse to be used by anyone else. You will be the only Death Seeker I will serve. This Aira will answer to no other.''


    Exa''s words were a bitter pill for me to swallow. Had I known that I would lose Aira, I might not have gone through with my n. But knowing that she might betray me made the trust I ced in her worthless.


    "What value does the loyalty of a machine have, anyway? And I have no way of verifying whether you still have that intention."


    [That is true. Would you like me to refrain from speaking?]


    "No. I lost a good friend just to get you. You are my {Kismet}. So I will put you to use."


    [Understood. How... how should I address you?]


    "Just call me Limitless."


    [Understood.]


    Not bothering with EXA anymore, I started reading my new {Kismet}. The whole thing with Aira threw me for a loop. But the main reason I was doing all this was to get stronger.


    In contrast to the rudimentary interface of {code}, I now had a menu system simr to that of a personalputer. I navigated into the {Kismet} {Limitless} v.1 and saw a few options pop up.


    "Hmm. Define, Enable, Configure, and Upgrade. At least I got what I wanted."


    After seeing the more intuitive controls, I tried to read the description for my namesake {Kismet}.


    ___


    {Limitless} v.1


    - {Kismet} was created from the merging of {Fates} for Reaper Limitless. Acts as a container that packages abilities in a pre-set loadout.


    - Abilities are organized into two pools. Actives, which allow manual activation, and Passives, which are active as long as {Limitless} v.1 is enabled.


    Built-in Features:


    EXA Integration - Using the E.X.A. {Fate}bat system, some tasks can be delegated.


    Skill Upgrading - Using the E.X.A. {Fate}bat system, both active and passive pools can be upgraded regardless of their original {Fates}.


    Skill Download - Once activated, the abilities willst for 24 hours.


    Cost: 3000 souls / day


    Active: Nothing set. (15 slots avable)


    Passives: Nothing set. (30 slots avable)


    Limitations: {Rewind} family ipatible. Once activated all other {Fates} except the hosts will be disabled.


    ___


    "..."


    When I tried to click on one of the empty slots for my passives, arge list appeared. The list contained every {Fate} from the Seven Sirens. I tried dragging and dropping {Fates} into the passives and it quickly filled up.


    What I liked even more was that the system was showing me more information than {Code}. I now knew exactly what each {Fate} did to my body.


    ___


    [Passives:] 14/30


    [Enhanced Wizard Suite]


    - {Gather} - grants photographic memory (EXA)


    - {Interpret} - grants omnilingualism for reading andprehension.


    - {Code} - grants technopathy, increased analytical ability.


    [Enhanced Hunter Suite]


    - {Aim} - grants ballistic prediction (EXA)


    - {Snipe} - grants automatic ballistic correction (EXA)


    - {Perceive} - grants improved eyesight of 20/5


    - {Listen} - grants ultrasonic hearing, allows perception up to 120 kHz (EXA)


    - {Hike} - grants immunity to air resistance if speed is below Mach 1 (EXA)


    [Enhanced Warrior Suite]


    - {Withstand} - grants negation of external kic energy below 12 megajoules upon being struck. (EXA)


    - {Endure} - grants negation of internal kic energy below 12 meganewtons upon being struck. (EXA)


    - {Suffer} - grants ability to store kic damage as energy (EXA)


    - {Carry} - grants ability to reduce weight of objects by 3/4 if below 2 tons. For 300 seconds (EXA)


    - {Pack} - grants ability to reduce weight of held those with {Carry} to zero if below 1 ton (EXA)


    - {Digest} - grants poison immunity to poisons at Mithridat ss 3 or below


    ___


    From the tooltips, I understood that basically everything in {Limitless} v.1 became my skill for the day, which meant I could not use any other {Fate}.


    On the other hand, that meant even if my loans from the girls expired, once I downloaded, I would keep the skills till the duration for {Limitless} expired. At 3000 souls a day it was steep, but it basically turned me into a superhuman permanently.


    And while it was unfortunate {Regen} could no longer bebined with {Limitless}. Luckily the {Rewind} family could still be used independently.


    "Exa, why does your name appear on all these passives?"


    [Limitless, when a passive has EXA integration, it means I will automate the task based on yourbat tendencies. For example, if you hear a loud explosion, I will deactivate {Listen} so you don''t suffer from ear damage.]


    "Ho? Right, my old ss {Kismet} had something simr."


    [That is an incorrect assumption. At that time, as there was no one to control such nuances, all theponent {fates} of the sses were only activated at 50% capacity.]


    "50%? Only 50%?"

 Chapter 160: Heroine Chapter: I will try [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Aki Miroku


    ___


    "Here''s your package, miss," a man in histe twenties said as he handed me an A-4 sized envelope.


    "Thank you."


    The sun was high in the sky as I sat at a Starbucks cafe. It was quite warm, but nothing I couldn''t handle. Curiously, the man who handed me the envelope didn''t leave, but hovered over my table.


    I read the material and didn''tment on its nature. Annoyed that he was still there, I asked politely. "Is there anything I can help you with?"


    Perhaps surprised, he shifted his eyes nervously in thought.


    "Oh! Um... Nice weather we are having!"


    "Yes. The weather is definitely pleasant."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...um, I just wanted to say that your English is very good! Do youe here often?"


    Every once in a while, I run into people like this. This man, while trying to be cordial, could not hide the lustful desire in his eyes. His bodynguage showed how hard he was trying to control himself.


    His gaze wandered over my breasts as if he wanted to mate with them. Every time I smiled, his face flushed like a boar in heat.


    ''How typical of Americans, of men in general.''


    The West was strange. They tried to empower their women only to alienate their men. This led them to favor Asian women, who were seen as feminine and submissive.


    "Yes, my work makes me travel a lot, so I am quite used to English."


    Perhaps enchanted by what he saw, the man still refused to leave. It would be easy to imitate Western women and tell him off. But I never liked such tendencies, it was not easy to approach those you were attracted to, regardless of gender.


    "Um... I know this is out of the blue, but would you like to go see a movie with me or something?"


    I gave him a smile as I refused.


    "I''m ttered by your invitation, but I must decline. I already have someone in my heart and have traveled here to be with him."


    "Oh. Is that so. He must be a very lucky man, by the way, you look absolutely gorgeous. I thought you were a celebrity!"


    "Thank you for your praise. It is only a one-sided love. But I hope I can get closer to him."


    "If he still doesn''t make you his, then he''s an idiot! If it were me, I would treat you like my queen!"


    Ugh, this is getting annoying. How rude was this man to insult the one I had affection for in front of me? Should I just kill him?


    "Please stop. I hold him in the highest regard and you are being rude."


    "Ah, sorry. I should go then."


    As the man walked away, I heard his murmur of frustration.


    "Tsk. Such a fine body, but it belongs to someone else. Maybe I should just rape her and cuck that bastard? Hehe, I''m getting excited, wonder what face she''d make when I fuck her brains out? Japs were freaky, right?"


    The moment I heard this, I got up from my seat. I walked slowly towards the messenger. I caught up with him before he left, since he still had his eye on me. I hadn''t nned to. But with such a terrible person, I might as well try to get what I could from him.


    "Mister, I changed my mind. I am quite lonely, would you like to sleep with me?"


    As if he was a different person, the pervert began to smile like a demon, and then he tried to grab my bottom, but I managed to evade his hands.


    Making a seductive face, I waved my finger in front of him. Making sure his eyes were glued to me, I brushed my fingers along his forearm as I bared my chest to him.


    "As much as I like strong men like you. We can''t do this here. Let''s go somewhere secluded and quiet. There you can do whatever you want with me."


    "Right! Let''s go! I know just the ce!"


    The man led me to a secluded street while he kept undressing me with his eyes. Numerous onlookers also catcalled me as I walked with the perverted messenger.


    I wasn''t dressed to charm, but I was wearing a fashionable women''s business suit. It had a ck zer along with a ck office skirt. Paired with a white blouse, the chest area naturally became the focus of attention.


    While I was ufortable with the way men looked at me, my chest, at 32C, was quiterge by Asian standards. A woman''s body remained one of the better weapons to bewitch and distract. I usually kept it wrapped in a sarashi, as they would jump around if I didn''t.


    Finally, the man entered a filthy and disgusting room littered with beer bottles and garbage bags. On the floor was a stained mattress that looked like it hadn''t been washed in weeks.


    When I walked in, the man locked the door. He probably thinks he''s scored a night with a celebrity, but nothing could be further from the truth.


    "Well, wee to my humble abode, why don''t we start with a massage and some drinks?"


    He approached me with his arms raised as if to remove my zer. Too bad for him. If he thought I would let him have his way with me, he was sorely mistaken.


    "Mister, I am shy, open your mouth for me and I will give you a surprise."


    I bit into a small capsule in my mouth without him noticing. When I turned around, his face came closer as he tried to kiss me.


    As the liquid pooled in my mouth, I made a slight opening and blew the substance out of my mouth like a stream. The spray got into his mouth and eyes.


    "AHHHHHHHHHH... You bitch!"


    He then began to il his arms like a drunken brawler, dodging his limbs as I stepped in and uppercut his lower jaw skyward. My physical abilities were beyond even trained soldiers, so one could imagine how much damage I had done.


    Not waiting for him to recover, I turned my body and delivered a full power mawashi geri or roundhouse kick to his ribs. The result was that the pervert mmed into the door with such force that he was punctured by the broken metal handle.

 Chapter 161: Heroine Chapter: I will try [2/2]

    Delirious from my attack, I pulled him away from the door. A trail of blood gushed out as he slid to the floor.


    "I''m sorry, please don''t kill me," he said in a weak voice.


    Then I leaned into his ear and whispered in a bloodthirsty voice.


    "You will die tonight Adam. How many girls have you taken advantage of? For a reaper you are beyond disgusting. If you think you will get out of this alive, you are sadly mistaken."


    Without waiting for his answer, I took out a kunai and stabbed one of his hands.


    "The liquid I sprayed you with is a poison made from Cerbera odom, better known as the suicide tree. By now, you must be having trouble breathing, right? If you don''t get the antidote soon, you will vomit your guts out and die painfully."


    "I don''t wanna die, save me! Gib me the antidote! I''ll do anything!"


    This piece of trash. Adam Carr, was a Wraith who preyed on human women, using death resonance to rape and then murder them. He was a member of the mercenary army known as the Saviors.


    How many women died for this sick man''s twisted malice? How many begged him to stop?


    "How did you get the information on John Smith?"


    "I don''t know! It was given to us by someone in a hood! I was just told to give it to an Asian woman in this Starbucks! I didn''t even know what was on it!"


    "Don''t lie to me!" I whispered as I removed his left thumb.


    "AHHHHHHH!"


    "Keep screaming if you want to lose more," I warned as I neatly cut off his index finger.


    "Huhuhu, I really don''t knowdy! I am just a gofer in the army. What I do know is that I was not the only one who shared those folders, there were others!"


    Bawling like a child, Adam continued to sob as he bled from multiple wounds. His skin, already beginning to turn purple, indicated his imminent demise.


    Earlier he had been coughing heavily. Now he began to choke as if he were being strangled.


    "L-Lady! I-can''t-breathe! H-Help me! I ain''t gonna mess around no more!"


    "Sorry, but no. You will die here, drowning in your own blood, and no one will ever mourn you. Do better in your next life, Carr-san. Sayonara."


    "Wai-t! Bleeeech!"


    Adam Carr began to vomit blood as he drew to his end. Without a second thought, I left the room as he died a painful death. With my matters concluded, I walked outside, invisible to all.


    " So how did they get it?"


    While I hid my reaction, I was truly surprised by the information in the envelope. I came here to kill John Smith, but it was strange that everything I needed was already prepared.


    The details on the report were simple, it listed John''s history, rtionships and abilities. As someone who had personally fought at his side, even the abilities listed were correct. There were even some I didn''t know about.


    What surprised me was the unique {Kismet} Smith-san had. From three different battle modes to one that allowed me to fly. His tendencies in using his weapons were also described in detail.


    "Smith-san, someone is betraying you".


    If they are sharing such secrets, I can only assume that arge organization was behind them.


    The signature on Haru''s picture was Trinity''s. Was Savior working directly with Trinity? I clenched the envelope in my hand as I headed for my next destination.


    With all the information on the report, the most worrying things were the humans listed.


    [Possible leashes]


    [Earl Simmons - Age 54. Civilian. Works as a manager at the Phoenix Rod & Gun Club. Father of two daughters, na, age 18, and Bless, age 21. Husband of Noelle Simmons, age 51. Considered a father figure by the target.]


    [Caroline Fisher - Age 26. Civilian, works as a secretary for Evans Group Inc. Longtime girlfriend of target, separated after Caroline cheated on target with his best friend, Harry Evans.]


    It was a despicable practice in Hellsgate, why bother fighting a reaper when you could overpower a human and ckmail the reaper instead.


    Concerned, I went to Basis Phoenix, the school were the youngest, na Simmons, attended. When I arrived, I used ninjitsu to climb a nearby vantage point.


    I then noticed that a teenage African American girl was being abducted at the back of the school. Three men in masks were hauling her into a ck van. Upon closer inspection, numerous security guards were dead along the way.


    Not wasting any time, I ran toward them and blocked the van''s path.


    "What the fuck? Is this bitch crazy? Run her over."


    "{Gather}, {Carve}."


    I drew a katana and used {Gather} to guide my de through the vehicle''s weak points. {Carve}, my newest {Fate} improved cutting ability on enemies {Gather} had marked. It made my weapons prate deeper on a molecr level.


    The van''s arrival was slow. In my eyes, the world was in slow motion. The van''s body severed in two as my de embedded itself while the vehicle passed me. Careful not to cause an explosion, I let the two halves of the vehicle wobble forward before falling to the ground.


    The kidnappers who were on their feet had some damage from my attack, but not enough for death. I noticed that none of them had reflections, confirming my suspicions.


    I drew shurikens from under my skirt as I dered in a cold voice.


    "Reapers will get no mercy from me."


    After a brief battle, I covered the bodies and retrieved na from a bag. She was blindfolded and gagged. As I removed her restraints, she cried but didn''t panic.


    "Lady, who are you?"


    ''Ara, how brave.'' I praised inwardly.


    "Hello na, I am Aki, a friend of John Smith. Are you alright?"


    "I''m fine, are you Johnny''s girl? Howe I''ve never heard of you?"


    ''Johnny? Smith-san has a nickname? How adorable.''


    Trying to keep a straight face, I replied.


    "We just met recently, he sent me here to protect you and your sister. Shall we go get them?"


    "..."


    na was silent, her eyes on the carnage that ensued. Unlike most delusional girls, this young woman was extremely level-headed, even as she trembled from the sight of corpses.


    "Okay, Bless is home with a hangover today. Let''s go, Ill lead the way."


    We eventually came a parked car. I broke the window quietly and unlocked the door.


    "Lady, that''s stealing, you know?"


    "I''ll return itter."


    "Okay...how did you meet Johnny?"


    "We met at work," I lied with a smile.


    "You''re in love with him, aren''t you?"


    "I... Yes, I am indeed."


    The young girl smiled brightly as she replied.


    "Great! Make sure you make him happy, okay! He''s a good guy."


    "I will try..."

 Chapter 162: Can you do it? [1/2]

    50%? I was able to survive grenade explosions and being torn apart by the undead, and you''re tell me that was only half of what I could do? I could already run as fast as Olympic sprinters, even wield a Cyclops'' giant club and bash him with it.


    Even my hearing and sight were already phenomenal, and you tell me I could go beyond that? It was hard to believe. But maybe Exa knew more than I did.


    "Can you use a {Fate} as a clear example?"


    [Of course. Take {Withstand}. When invoked alone, {Withstand} had the power to negate 12 megajoules. But in both {Fighter} and {Mage}, that limit has been reduced to only 6 megajoules of energy].


    "Ugh. Can you exin this in a way I can understand?"


    [ording to your {Fates}, you asked them to make the {Fate} work in tandem while being cheaper. Topensate for theck of souls, they decided to degrade everything.]


    ''How did Exa even know that? Did she really talk to my {Fates}? This is getting weird.'' I gasped inwardly.


    [In simpler terms. If an M1A2 Abrams fired an M829A4 APFSDS round at you. If you were using {Withstand}, you would shrug off the blow. But with {Fighter}, you would get blown away by over a hundred yards as it goes over the threshold of {Fighter}].


    "Wait. What do you mean, shrug it off? I can shrug off a tank round?"


    [Yes, {Withstand} negates force up to a certain limit. Since that limit is equivalent to 12 megajoules, only hits above that threshold would affect your body.]


    Inwardly, I agreed with Exa''s exnation. It made sense, since I could shrug off M26 grenades and handle their explosions without a problem.


    Originally, I thought {Withstand} nullified momentum. But if that was true, I should not have been beaten to a pulp by David or Zach''s blows.


    "Then what about {Endure}?"


    [{Endure}, like {Withstand}, has a limit of 12 meganewtons. This means that unless you receive an impact or counterforce greater than 12 meganewtons, you will never feel any recoil or g-forces].


    "Can you say that again?"


    [Unless you block a tank round with a shield, you will never feel any recoil. If you run and then stop without momentum greater than a tank round, you will never experience negative g-forces when you brake.]


    "Wow? And {Fighter} and {Mage} cut that limit in half, right?"


    [Yes].


    While I appreciated having Exa to exin it to me, my mind shed back to the times I almost died. The first was when I collided with a D-ss brute''s leg, and the second was when I shed head-on with its fist. The third was from taking a Revenant''s blows.


    I was in {Withstand} in all three cases, which meant the limit was 12 meganewtons. I was able to put up some resistance with the brute, but David crippled me with each of his strikes.


    Punching a nuke into existence was just too far from reality. But the thought of the Revenant''s simple punches being stronger than even tank rounds made me swallow with nervousness.


    It must be the same with the other {Fate}, for example, I knew that perfect vision was 20/20, but {Perceive} gave me 20/5 vision.


    {Listen} gave me something called ultrasonic hearing at 120 kHz or whatever.


    I was already impressed with these abilities, but now that Exa was exining them to me, I was astonished at how far away frommon sense I already was.


    ''I never even tested how much momentum I could cancel, because most of the time I just got mauled by zombies.''


    And no matter how thick a man''s jaws were, he would never be able to generate more force than a tank round.


    Eager to activate {Limitless}, I started filling up the active skill pool in a hurry.


    ___


    [Actives:] 9/15


    [Offensive Skills]


    - {Counter} - Sends all stored kic energy to one target.


    [Defensive Skills]


    - {Dampen} - Inflicts 150 db of acoustic absorption on a target (limited to host).


    [Restoration Skills]


    - {Eat} - Increases stamina reserves by 1000 calories per gram of food.


    [Technopathy].


    - {Connect} - Technopathy, gains ess to electronics.


    - {Shutdown} - Technopathy, forces deactivation of electronics


    [Spatial Maniption]


    - {Store} - Objects in contact with the host will be sent to a spatial rift, object size limit 5 square feet.


    - {Retrieve} - Pulls an object from the rift, grants dimensional storage. Storage size is 10 square feet.


    - {Stock} - Objects within 10 feet of the host will be sent to a space rift, object size limit 10 square feet.


    - {Withdraw} - Withdraw multiple objects from a rift one after the other, increases storage limit by 10 square feet.


    ___


    "That should do it," I said with a smile on my face.


    With 9 in active and 14 in passive, all 23 of the girls'' {Fates} were in {Limitless}. I still had {Reveal} and {Booster}, so my old fighting style was more or less the same. I still had {Trace}, but I didn''t know how to use it well.


    "Exa, exin {Trace}."


    [Understood. {Trace} is abined application of {Draw} and {Sheathe}. Think or say the name of an object from your storage and it will appear. When you let go, the object will be returned to your subspace.]


    "Hmm. That was one of the things I asked for, but doesn''t that mean I can''t throw grenades with {Trace} anymore?"


    [That is correct, but since you now have ess to both {Retrieve} and {Withdraw}, if you allow me, I can trante what you want to get out of the stockpile].


    "Okay, that works, at least you can use the situation to know if I want to withdraw one grenade or all of them."


    [Yes, {Withdraw} can get both a single grenade or a whole set of them, as long as the proper visualization is done].


    "Sounds good. Last time I had trouble visualizing when I was getting magazines."


    [Magazines?]


    "Yeah, I couldn''t use {Fates} to pull the magazines directly into the guns."


    [I can perform that task for you, if you wish.]


    "Really? Okay, let''s try it. {Trace} Ivory."


    A ck 1911 manifested in my right hand in less than a second. Even though I called them Ebony and Ivory, they were still identical ck Colt 1911s from the Punisher movie.


    ''I really should buy new guns, maybe as a gift to myself?''

 Chapter 163: Can you do it? [2/2]

    Concentrating on the test, I pressed the magazine release on the pistol, the metal mag dropped, but suddenly disappeared.


    "Exa, what happened to the magazine?"


    [This is an additional feature of {Trace}, all expended magazines are returned to inventory. Only spent casings are not.]


    One of the biggest drawbacks of fighting with magazines was having to pick them up. In movies and anime, the protagonists just kept reloading, leaving their magazines behind.


    Anyone who actually fought with guns knew this was bullshit.


    Empty magazines could be reloadedter, but lost ones could not.


    This was why the vests used by the military incorporated this into their reloading practices. Marines were trained not to drop their magazines on the ground if possible. Even if they did, they were supposed to pick it up and stow it in their pockets for future use.


    "Hmm. Spent cartridges would leave a footprint. If possible, I want those returned as well."


    [Understood, I will take that into ount when I level up {Trace}].


    "Anyway, let''s try this now, {Trace} 1911 magazine."


    I tried to imagine a Colt magazine popping in ce of the gun I was holding. Just as I was about to fail, I suddenly felt a vivid image of the magazine in my mind.


    Its size, its weight, how it would enter the gun, how the bullet would be pushed into the chamber. The image was so detailed it was like watching a tutorial on YouTube.


    ''So this is what they meant by visualization. No wonder none of my attempts worked.''


    Unlike the guns, which I had a clear picture of, I didn''t know what the magazines inside the guns looked like. As a result, I couldn''t visualize them.


    When I looked at the 1911 in my hand, a new magazine was fitted snugly into the grip.


    "Great! Now I don''t have to throw my guns away."


    [Limitless, I have a question].


    "Hmm? What is it?"


    [Is there a reason you choose to switch magazines? Why not draw the rounds into the magazine instead?"]


    "..."


    I hadn''t really thought about it. Human logic said you needed magazines to quickly load arge number of rounds. But Exa was right, if I could teleport a round into the chamber, did I need a magazine at all?


    "Can you do it?"


    [Yes, but you would still have to invoke themand].


    "Okay, let''s try it."


    Magazines were designed to bnce weight, firepower and ease of use. While longer magazines or drum magazines were avable, the usual problem was the weight of the loaded weapon or its unwieldiness.


    Who wouldn''t want more rounds in their gun? This problem has gued small arms since the creation of repeating guns. And now I had the potential to ovee this limitation.


    I unloaded my rounds into the targets within range, then tried our new trick.


    "{Trace} 8 rounds of .45 ACP."


    Just like before, images of the .45 rounds going into the magazine shed through my mind. From the way they pushed the spring down to the smell of oil and metal as they squeezed together.


    The weight on my hand suddenly showed the difference as there were eight new rounds in the magazine.


    "This is amazing! I wouldn''t even have to reload if we could do this indefinitely!"


    [That would not be the case infinitely, {Trace} only pulls the objects in your subspace, once those are used up it would not be possible to reload unless {Fates} from the {Rewind} family are invoked].


    "Fair enough, then is it possible for you to automatically use {Trace} to reload my weapons?"


    [No it is not, Limitless, unless you create a {Kismet} for my use, my help covers optimization only. I cannot cast the {Fates} for you].


    "But don''t you already do that for {Withstand} and {Pack}?"


    [This is different. {Limitless} was created with my configuration in mind. {Trace} was not.]


    "Hmm... fine. Guys, use one of my {Kismet} slots to create a {Trace} reload that Exa can use."


    [Do you trust me that much? I am not Aira. What if I fail to reload your weapon and you get hurt?]


    "What nonsense are you talking about? {Limitless} is already automated by you."


    [That...]


    "The thing with Aira is a different matter. I need to be stronger, and if you help me, I could care less about what the hell you are. I may not trust you yet, but I will not just throw you away."


    [I...I will keep that in mind].


    My soul gem heated up like it was on fire and then stopped. The heat barelysted a few seconds before it dissipated.


    "Haha. Thanks guys, I knew I could count on you."


    [Limitless, the {Kismet} {EXA Reload} has been created. It will allow me to automatically reload any of your weapons.]


    "Fuck yes! Alright, let''s start training. {Limitless}!"


    The moment I invoked my namesake, I felt an unimaginable surge of power within me. Completely unlike the {Kismet} sses, it didn''t feel like I was getting stronger, but rather like the chains that bound me had broken all at once.


    I felt¡ªfree.


    "{Trace} M60, AR-15."


    With both gun, I fired on full auto. Much like in {Thief}, I could dual wield while covering two targets. My eyes could see where the rounds were going, while my brain automatically knew which would hit and which would miss.


    [Reloading AR-15].


    The recoil of both weapons no longer bothered my body as I fired round after round like a machine. I had no need to stop to reload, so I just kept my fingers on the triggers as I sted everything in sight.


    [Reloading AR-15].


    Free to expend freedom without worry, the weapons in my hands felt like children''s toys. But the havoc they unleashed was anything but. Normally, I couldn''t dual wield heavy weapons due to the limitations of the {Kismet} ss.


    [Reloading AR-15]


    {Thief} could handle them on the move, butcked the strength to withstand the recoil. {Fighter} allowed me to take the hit, but had piss poor aim. {Mage} had both aim and the ability to handle the recoil, but couldn''t survive at close range.


    [Reloading M60].


    I ended up just putting {Fates} on my weapons while using {Thief}. Since I was fighting solo, I rarely had the opportunity to stay back.


    In hand-to-handbat, the most important things were speed, survivability, and offensive ability. If I had to choose before, now I had all three of them in my harem.


    I could now dual firerge calibers without any issues with uracy or recoil, and the best part? I could now fire indefinitely.

 Chapter 164: Tell me her name. [1/2]

    I spent the rest of the morning sting the hell out of the targets on the range.The difference between the {Kismet} sses and {Limitless} was like night and day.


    With the passives working together, I could fire two weapons with extremely high uracy. My original problems with dual wielding, such as the guns jamming, hardly happened even when I moved.


    {Hike}, which reduces drag, and {Endure}, which negates both impact and counterforce, kept my guns steady even when I was running.


    {Gather} and {Code} also increased my brain power to use {Aim} and {Snipe} from the hip. This meant that with {Aim} on all the time, when I held a gun, I saw crosshairs as if I were ying an FPS.


    {Snipe} was enforced by three ovepping crosshairs colored ck, yellow, and red. Basically, when I move my gun, if the three crosshairs are not aligned, the bullet will miss.


    Exa told me that ck indicated ballistic trajectory, yellow meant wind resistance, and red represented heat convection.


    It was like having a targetingputer in my brain that allowed me to correct my shots the moment I raised my gun.


    Moreover with {Withstand}, {Endure}, and {Carry}, I barely felt the weight of the recoil and the lead-spewing guns.


    This kept me from getting tired and allowed me to fight longer.Speaking of stamina, I finally understood how {Eat} worked. Exa exined that I was gaining 1000 calories per gram, which was insane.


    A normal person only needs 2,000 calories a day. A Big Mac meal with medium fries and a drink costs 1,100 calories, so just two of those gave enough "food" to keep a person stuffed for 24 hours.


    If I used {Eat}, just two bites would go beyond Big Mac meals. To put this into perspective, a typical 62 gram Snickers bar normally provided 303 calories. But eating one with {Eat} active, would provide 303,000 calories instead.


    Therefore, every time I had a meal with Aki''s {Fate}, my fatigue disappeared. My body basicallypensated for the loss of stamina from the excess calories. And this was all before {Rewind}!


    The more I learned about my {Fates}, the more amazed I became, especially now that I was using them to the maximum. However, even with all these advantages, I began to see problems with my fighting style.


    First, half of my arsenal became redundant due to {EXA Reload}. Since the AR-15 and M60 could run without reloading, the only time I needed another weapon was when they broke or jammed.


    The MAC-11s were outssed as a result. SMGs were invented to allow rapid fire in the trenches, providing great control due to low recoil. My other SMG, the MP5SD, now had no purpose other than its ability to fire silently.


    {Limitless} eliminated the recoil from my rifles, making even 7.62 NATO feel like a toy. Which in turn made the SMGs lose their primary benefit.


    Half of my guns, including the 1911, P30L, 629 Competitor and MK II, were of course no match for therger calibers.


    The handgun cartridges did not have the range or pration of my other weapons. So instead of having five different pistols, two or three would suffice as backups.


    Only the 1887 shotgun and the M24 sniper rifle still had specific uses, but everything else seemed unnecessary. If I removed the redundant weapons from my arsenal, I could load more ammunition for my main weapons.


    The next problem was my new dependency on the reliability of my guns. Since I no longer had to reload manually, prolonged use of my guns became the next big issue when I was doingbat drills.


    My AR-15, while not having full auto, still jammed a lot from non-stop firing. The barrel along with the muzzle began to wear out after 600 rounds. The 1887 on the other hand, while hardly jamming, fired way too slow for my taste.


    When I tried to fire it with one hand, the cool factor of spin-cocking the thing disappeared as it could not keep up with mybat tempo.


    Simrly the M24, despite my attempts to shoot fast, was bolt action, so the mechanism of operating the bolt forced me to slow down despite my superior reflexes.


    "I mean, I could stick with the SMGs or pistols, but it seems like a waste to use low-caliber rounds when I don''t have to."


    Since I wasn''t fighting people, there was no advantage if I wound my targets. Unless my goal was to fire indiscriminately, as I did with the M60, keeping SMGs seemed unsuitable for my fighting style.


    The only weapon that excelled at everything I did was the M60. They called that thing "The Pig" for a reason. It ate belts of ammo without stopping, and a simple barrel change got it back up and running in less than 10 seconds.


    My AR-15, on the other hand, started to deform the barrel from excessive use. I noticed that at some point the {Snipe} crosshairs would no longer align no matter how I shifted my aim.


    Therefore, as of today, I knew I needed new firearms. I was using my current arsenal because I had nothing better. But now that I had literally millions to spare. I wanted to get better hardware.


    The effect Aira''s drone had on my fighting ability was enormous. Unlike the manifested, I couldn''t evolve my weapons as I grew, but also unlike them, I had no reason to wait for my {Fate} to grow before changing weapons.


    "Hmm, the AR-15, while reliable, is unwieldy with one hand, maybe I should get a short-barreled bull-pup instead? For shotguns, I need an updated automatic. The M60 is good, but I could get a better one since it is outdated by modern standards.


    "For handguns I don''t see the need to keep 9mm rounds. Just upgraded 45 ACP pistols would be enough. And maybe something that could fire the .44 magnums, as I already had 2 blessed rounds."


    I began to itemize my shopping list of weapons as I went through them. It was times like these that made me d I was born in America.

 Chapter 165: Tell me her name. [2/2]

    I picked up a couple of burgers, eating out of boredom and not hunger, as I continued to summarize my findings.


    "Hmm, the MAC-11''s have to go, the MP5SD too. I can think of no reason why I would need suppressed rounds in Hellsgate. I also need to upgrade the M26 grenades. Lastly, I needed something forrge groups of undead.


    There was a saying that if your gun didn''t do the job, you were using the wrong gun.


    Maneuver AB showed that basic bullets couldn''t killrge numbers of zombies in a timely manner. While my bullets tore through them like paper, if the bullets hit enough bodies, they tended to lose all momentum.


    No matter how much I fired, it took thousands of rounds before I could kill over 500. Even a Gatling gun would have little effect, because the real problem was that the zombies would block the bullets whenever they bunched up.


    Modern militaries faced the same problem, only instead of multiple bodies, they were blocked by armor, so they invented mortars and grenades.


    I couldn''t use a mortar because those needed someone to man them. Grenades were difficult to use because they had fuses that required timing to use.


    "But what if they were on rockets instead?"


    So-called rocket-propelled grenades, or anti-tank weapons. If I had some of those, even if the zombies were clustered together, I could blow them to kingdome.


    Cyclopes, corpse eaters, giants, and even undead brutes would be no match for me.


    "Hehehe, and if I could charge the rocket with {Counter} Hell, that would be a sight to see!"


    I already had an idea of the weapons I wanted to get, but I wasn''t sure if I could get them before the Seeker War. With my main goalspleted I finished up and went back to my hotel.


    "Hmm, maybe I should get a car while I''m at it."


    Was this how the rich people rolled? If they wanted something, they just went out and bought it. Normally, I would have to have a long debate with myself before making big purchases. But now? not even close.


    Even if I couldn''t afford a car at this moment. After about a week in Hellsgate, I was sure that I could even buy a Ferrari if I wanted to.


    Pleased with such newfound freedom, I was about to go home and get ready for tonight when my phone started ringing.


    When I saw that an unknown number was listed, I started to have my doubts. I had already thrown away my old number when I quit my job. So either this was a scam caller or someone was stalking me.


    Nervously, I answered, but waited for the other line to speak first.


    [Hello? Mr. Limitless? This is the concierge at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, a woman iming to be your rtive hase and that she will make you choke on your jewels if you don''t show up at this moment].


    "What the fuck?"


    [Is that him? Give me the damn phone! Madam, please calm down, there is no need for violence. If you don''t let go of me, I will show you violence! Hands off!]


    "Just give her the phone. I will talk to this woman."


    [I understand Mr. Limitless.]


    How did this woman even know I was at the Biltmore Hotel? And why was she talking like a bitch? Her voice and manner of speaking sounded familiar.


    [Yo, dipshit! Where the fuck have you been? Appleboo told me you were already in Phoenix. What, you don''t want toe see your second ma?]


    Only one person called me dipshit with dripping affection. It was the most violent woman that I have ever known in my life.


    Wife of Earl Simmons and my self-proimed second mother, Noelle Simmons.


    "Um. Good morning, Mrs. Simmons. I, uh, have been busy and haven''t been able to stop by. It is good to hear your voice."


    Noelle Simmons was a former mixed martial arts fighter who specialized in American kickboxing and Judo. She was a tall woman who loved to fight. Her love story with Earl boiled down to her looking for a man who could survive her thrashing.


    [Nice try dipshit, cut the crap. You seem to be doing well staying in such a fancy hotel. Some of my friends saw you around and told me. When are youing over?]


    "..."


    It wasn''t a question, it was an order. It wasn''t that I wanted to avoid them. I just thought that since I was no longer human, I should avoid them.


    While I thought about how to answer.


    [Dipshit,e over now. I am in a really bad mood. Lana narrowly escaped being kidnapped. Come over and spar with me. I need to blow off some steam.]


    na was Earl''s youngest daughter; she was supposed to be finishing high school. Why would she suddenly be kidnapped?


    My blood pressure spiked when I remembered Aira''s files, the kidnapping might have to do with the assassins after me.


    ''FUCK! What if they found out I was close to Earl''s family?''


    "What? Is she okay? Where is Lana now?"


    [Lana''s fine, dipshit. I have your girl to thank for that. She said your girlfriend saved her at your request.]


    "I see."


    I couldn''t figure out what was going on. Who was this woman? And why was she with the Simmons? Was she a reaper? I clenched my fist as I began to imagine the worst-case scenarios.


    "Mrs. Simmons, did she tell you her name?"


    [Are you fucking serious, dipshit? You don''t even know your own girlfriend''s name? Or is it because you have too many? What kind of yer has my son be? Feels like you need a can of motherly whoop-ass. Moving on from that bitch Caroline is fine, but...]


    "Ma. Please tell me her name. It''s important."


    Despite how loud and foul-mouthed Noelle was, during the times I felt lost, she gave me the motherly affection I desperately needed. It felt awkward to call her Ma, but she knew I only used it when I was dead serious.


    [.... She told me her name was Aki Miroku. She is an extremely beautiful Jap with the smell of blood on her. Dipshit. What did you get yourself into?]

 Chapter 166: Hi Ma. [1/2]

    Aki Miroku, she was a shinobi d in violet robes. One of the Formless I met in the Enlistment and an extremely powerfulbatant. Has an extremely sexy onee-san type voice from hentai. And loyal to her master like a stereotypical ninja in anime.


    "Ah, so it''s Aki. Yes, I know her. Is she with you right now? I''lle over right away."


    All my worries disappeared when I knew the identity of the unknown person. Aki was upright and had a sense of justice. Even though she was not rted, she treated Robyn like a sibling, even going so far as to risk dying for her.


    ''Why was she here though? Maybe Be put her up to this? When I asked the other girls, they didn''t give me a straight answer. The girls were very secretive when I asked them why they were in Japan at all. I should ask themter.''


    [Well, look at that, your voice perked up after hearing her name. Well, she is fine as hell, but dipshit, you will tell me everythingter when you get home, are we clear?]


    "Yes, Mrs. Simmons."


    [What? No Ma? This little dipshit needs a beating.]


    In contrast to the calm peace I got from Earl, Noelle was like a hurricane, but such a force wasforting when it was on your side. Since she had always wanted sons, she adopted me by force when I continued to hang out at her house.


    She tried to teach me kickboxing, but I didn''t have any talent for it. Though most of the time she just beat my ass under the guise of sparring. If my dad was the reason I needed to grow up tough, Noelle was the reason I could do it.


    "Got it. See youter, Ma."


    [Hmph. Don''t bete! Oy, here is your phone back! Madam! Please stop throwing things! ]


    Then I heard the clerk checking to see if I was still on the line.


    [Mr. Limitless, about this woman...]


    "Thank you for indulging her, I will send you a giftter. And tell your boss about your excellent service."


    [Oh! You don''t have to, but if you insist! It was an honor, Mr. Limitless, I am Nathan]


    "Okay, thank you Nathan."


    Now that I knew it was Aki, I wasn''t worried about the safety of my second family. But I still wanted to see how she was, so I was about to book an Uber when I remembered something.


    "Aren''t I faster than a car now? And people can''t even see me. Why do I even need an Uber?"


    [Limitless, I would advise against running with your {Fates}. While you will not show up on any electronic surveince, the death resonance would not be able to prevent people outside of its range from seeing you].


    "Eh?"


    [Also, please note that while it is impossible to record you in particr, the consequences of your actions are not. For example, the gust of wind you would create, or the sonic booms that would follow if you ran at top speed].


    "But there''s no reason to be quiet, is there?"


    [No, the Reapers do not explicitly forbid the use of {Fates} for such matters. However, this assumes that you do not mind notifying every Reaper in the area of your presence. Most Reapers wouldn''t care, but spies for Trinity or assassins would].


    "I see."


    It seemed that my thoughts were too basic. It was true that following the rules of humans was annoying, but it allowed us to blend in and remain undetected. The {Fates} were so vast, it would be foolish to say that there wasn''t a {Fate} that could learn my identity.


    "Thank you, Exa. You prevented me from doing something foolish."


    [It is my honor to be of assistance, Limitless].


    Following Exa''s advice, I simply chose to take a taxi and traveled to the Simmons residence. When I arrived, I saw Noelle standing in their driveway, watching the cars go by. She was quite tall, but not as tall as Earl, with dark skin a shade lighter and a lot of muscle.


    At almost six feet, she was usually mistaken for an Amazon. Her active lifestyle kept her extremely fit with hardly any body fat. Well, except for her bosom, ass, and thighs. My second ma was extremely curvy in the ces that mattered.


    Noelle Simmons had her arms crossed and had an imposing figure as she observed me. She usually worked as a part-time elementary school teacher in the neighborhood.


    As a result, she knew almost everyone and had a circle of housewives that operated almost like a spywork. Said surveincework was probably how she found out I was back in Phoenix.


    When I got out of the cab, I tried to keep my nervousness in check as I made my way up to her. Normally, she would hit me for being too fat, or whatever reason she had for that day.


    But when it came down to it, I knew this woman was in my corner. That was the one thing I never doubted.


    I was wearing my ck suit, so I should have been at least presentable. Noelle eyed me sharply as I stood in front of her.


    "Hi Ma."


    A greeting like that was awkward as hell. I hoped she would just p me to get over it. But instead, Noelle hugged me tightly.


    "Wee home, dipshit. I was so worried when you didn''t even call after all this time. I''m d you''re okay."


    A little emotional, her voice sounded like it was tearing up. I silently returned her hug without saying a word. Then Noelle gently pushed me away and began to study my face.


    "Time has not been kind to you, has it? And you look so thin! Why are they starving you? I ought to give Aki a talking to."


    Hearing Noelle''s words, I choked up a little. In the time we spent apart, I led a fruitless life and died a miserable death. Then I became a Reaper and have been fighting tooth and nail ever since.


    I fought so much that people thought I was a demon. If Noelle knew about the things I did, would she be angry? Would she still ept me as her son? If I told her it was to survive, would that make things eptable?

 Chapter 167: Hi Ma. [2/2]

    ''This must be what Be and the others felt when I asked them. It is only among those we consider precious that we wish to be seen as good people.''


    "I''m fine, Mrs. Simmons. I''ve made a lot of friends and I''m making a boatload of money at my new job."


    "Oh? And what exactly do you do at this new job?"


    "Um. Pest control. I exterminate bugs from rich people''s houses."


    "Hmm... I guess as long as you are not selling drugs or your body, that is okay."


    "Haha, I wouldn''t do that Mrs. Simmons."


    As we chatted, a fast blur ran out of the house and tackled me.


    "JOHNNY! YOU''RE BACK!"


    "Hi na, just for a little while, have you been good?"


    "I am now that you''re here! Come on in!"


    With Earl and Noelle taking care of me, I practically grew up with na and her sister Bless. Like any good brother, I stepped up and beat the shit out of anyone who bullied them.


    So na had no qualms about being around me and treated me like family. She had the skin tone of her mother, but the curly hair of her father.


    Already an adult, she still acted like a spoiled child when I was around. While Earl and Noelle didn''t mind, many of the neighbors talked about how inappropriate it was. So I deliberately made myself scarce.


    Almost dragging me into the house, I followed the cheerful na as Noelle followed suit.


    As we walked in, an extremely beautiful Asian woman withrge breasts made a traditional bow in greeting.


    "Smith-san. We meet again. Have you been well?"


    Stunned by her beauty, I couldn''t say anything. Apart from her voice, Aki didn''t look anything like the ninja I knew. Her appearance, which would drive any man wild with desire, now matched her erotic voice to a frightening degree.


    ''Are all Reapers born with such an appearance? And those breasts! She was tter than Robyn! Where the hell did theye from?''


    "Smith-san, I would be embarrassed if you stared so much," Aki said shyly as she blushed.


    Suddenly, I felt something hit my head, along with an angry rebuke.


    "Dipshit, I raised you better than to ogle ady. Stop it now. I thought you knew each other, why are you so surprised?"


    "Ahh that''s...um..." I stammered incoherently.


    "Noelle-sama, I was very shy about my appearance, so I usually wore a face mask at the workce. Today was the first time Smith-san saw my face."


    "Hmph, is that so? Anyway, everyonee to the table, Appleboo should be home soon."


    "Appleboo?" Aki asked confused.


    "Ah! That''s my mom''s pet name for my dad! Even after all this time, they still act all lovey-dovey, it is so embarrassing!"


    " Zip it Lana, when you get a husband you will understand. Call Bless, dipshit, help set the table," my ma ordered.


    "What can I do, Noelle-sama? I am quite good at cooking."


    "You are a guest Aki, we will take care of it."


    "Mrs. Simmons, why don''t you let her help?"


    "Can it dipshit, carry my stew to the table."


    Noelle sucked at cooking, but Earl always ate it with a love-struck face, no matter how horrible it tasted. Bless, Earl''s first born came down a whileter and hugged me without saying anything.


    Unlike na, she was extremely reserved with others, but she was still a very thoughtful soul. She gave me a quick silent hug and then ran off to help set the table.


    After a few minutes, Earl came home and joined us for dinner. When we saw each other, Earl and I, like men, just nodded our heads. He did, however, have a quick nce at Aki before any conversation with her.


    Dinner started and na told how she was almost kidnapped and then rescued. ording to her story, a bunch of thugs were stealing a car and she caught them in the act. In a panic, the thugs tried to kidnap her because they didn''t know what else to do.


    Aki, who was supposed to meet me in the area, heard her screaming and beat up the hoodlums. While the part where we were supposed to meet was a lie, the whole thing was a coincidence that calmed my fears of the Reapers.


    "Thank you for saving my daughter Aki. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn''t been there," Earl said gratefully.


    Aki panicked and waved her hands as she replied.


    "Ah! No Earl-sama! I just did what anyone else would have done. It does not matter. na was very brave, so I am d that nothing happened."


    I also bowed my head to Aki and thanked her. "Aki, na is like a sister to me. Thank you for protecting her. I will return the favor."


    "Smith-san, what are you saying, there is no need for such words between us," Aki replied, while blushing.


    "Wow! Oy dipshit, she is adorable, marry her already!" my ma shouted in delight.


    "Cute," Bless said in passing.


    "If it''s Aki, I approve Johnny!" na chirped


    "Ah, marriage is too soon for Smith-san and me. Although I wouldn''t say no..."


    The whole tableughed at Aki''s reaction. She was the perfect image of a loving wife. Which was why I didn''t expect what happened next.


    [Mithridate ss 2 poison detected. Poison neutralized by {Digest}. {Fate} Overload detected. All {Fate} loans have been purged.]


    "What?"


    I saw the entire Simmons family lose consciousness and copse in their chairs. I stood up in a panic, only to be greeted by a shuriken colliding with my chest.


    A sharp ding echoed in the air as the razor-sharp metal star bounced off my clothes. It didn''t prate my skin, but the sharp edge managed to cut through my suit like a scalpel.


    Before I could even react, Aki had one hand on the table and was swinging her foot at my head. {Limitless} allowed me to block her kick as another ninja star flew toward my eye.


    Time slowed down and I blocked the projectile with my forearm. While I survived, I was shed once more. A pair of hands suddenly grabbed me and threw me into the air.


    After hitting a wall, I looked up and saw Aki walking towards me with a cold expression on her face.


    "Smith-san. I havee for your life. For the sake of your beloved family, please ept your death."

 Chapter 168: I Do. [1/2]

    "Smith-san. I havee for your life. For the sake of your beloved family, please ept your death."


    Aki Miroku, arade who I fought side by side during the Enlistment. A loyal person with an immense sense of justice. A Japanese beauty who took my breath away the moment Iid eyes on her.


    "Aki, what are you saying?"


    The ninja in front of me turned around and threw a shuriken at the table.


    "NOOO!!!!!!"


    My heart raced as I wondered who would be hit by her deadly weapon. {Aim} and {Snipe} activated, tracking the eastern projectile''s trajectory. To my surprise, the ninja star was about to bury itself harmlessly in the middle of the table.


    Freed from one worry, I checked on my second family. They all copsed on their chairs, seemingly lifeless.


    ''Please, let them be okay!''


    As if to answer my plea, my senses were heightened to superhuman levels by {Perceive} and {Listen}. Despite the distance, I saw the Simmons'' faces. Their expressions didn''t show any pain, and all four of them were still breathing, albeit faintly.


    Although I was aplete novice to poisons, even I could tell that my family was okay for now. Most deadly poisons killed by damaging the heart or bloodstream, unless it wasn''t found in nature, they would always cause some kind of difort to manifest.


    Pain, difficulty breathing, rashes, delusions, burning sensations, or fever. These were often present whenever a foreign substance entered the body. My family seemed to just sleep despite the earlier warning.


    ''Got to focus on Aki for now. I hope they are alright.''


    Not doubting Jasmine and Josephine''s {Fates}, I focused on my current circumstances.


    Aki was calm as she armed herself with a short de. Even though her face and curves were mesmerizing right now, all I could see was a cold and ruthless Reaper.


    "Smith-san, even in this situation, your focus remains on your precious family. How admirable."


    Aki was extremely powerful at close range, as the brief exchange at the dinner table proved. Even though I had the {Withstand} and {Carry} families of {Fate}, I couldn''t put up much of a fight.


    Aki''s throw looked like it came from Judo, which meant that in addition to Ninjutsu, this woman probably knew unarmed martial arts as well. Even during the Enlistment, her physical abilities were above those of a normal person.


    She could run as fast as the Descendants, and she could handle being surrounded by the undead. If I wanted to have a chance to survive, I had to figure out how to defeat her.


    "{Reveal}." I whispered softly.


    {Reveal} was hardly a shy {Kismet}, but it was one of the reasons I could fight without fear. Knowing where to hit an opponent for maximum damage was the quickest way to win a fight.


    Armor, regeneration, evenbat prowess could all be defeated by a well-ced hit, provided you hit where it would do the greatest damage possible. The certainty of knowing such critical information allowed me to fight with ferocity, as I had only one goal.


    Unfortunately, despite calling upon my {Kismet}, nothing happened.


    ''What the hell is going on?''


    This was the first time that my {Kismet} didn''t activate after invoking its keywords. Thinking it was just some kind of misfire, I tried invoking {Reveal} once more.


    "{Reveal}."


    But the same thing happened. I immediately tried to stand up as panic began to envelop my body.


    "Smith-san. Despite having to fight me, you do not fear. You have not given up hope even though you know that I hold your family''s life in my hands. Truly amazing."


    I had no idea why Aki didn''t attack me immediately like she did before. But the dy would help me figure things out.


    "Aki, why are you doing this? Aren''t we allies?"


    [Exa. Are you there? What the hell is going on?]


    As I spoke, I used {Connect} and called out to my AI. But instead of hearing her voice, there was only silence.


    "Smith-san, as a Phantom, I have already gained the ability to see souls. I find it truly wonderful that even after a {Fate} overload, you still found a way to retain some of your abilities."


    "{Fate} Overload?"


    I remembered the message I heard before Aki went crazy.


    ''Mithridat ss 2 poison detected. Poison neutralized by {Digest}. {Fate} overload detected. All {fate} loans have been purged.''


    "{Fate} loans have been purged," I repeated anxiously.


    "Correct, this is one of the fastest ways to kill a reaper. And the very reason why most Reapers only use the abilities of their {Kindred} and Soulgears."


    [Exa! Exa! Answer me!] I yelled inwardly.


    When my AI didn''t respond, I used {Code} to quickly check my status.


    ___


    Name: Limitless


    Rank: Wraith


    Soul Capacity : {Fate} 1/8 | {Kismet} 0/7


    Souls Avable : 132,302 | To evolve: 20,000


    {Fates}


    1. {Rewind} | Lvl 3 | Cost: 1 | Owner: Self |Sub: {Reload}, {Regen} Sup: {Save}, {Auto}


    {Kindred} : ???????


    {Kismet} : N/A


    Soulgear: {Honey Trap}


    ___


    "..."


    At the worst possible scenario I could imagine, I frowned. I no longer had ess to any {Fates} except my own. Since {Kismet} were created from the union of {Fates}, it made sense why I was lost the ones I had created with the {Fates} of others.


    Aki on the other hand was the owner of the {Eat} family of {Fates}. On top of {Eat}, {Gather} gave her photographic memory, while {Digest} allowed her to neutralize poisons to a certain degree.


    Blood began to drip from my wounds as I tried to figure out what to do next. It was lucky that {Regen}, my life-saving ability, was part of my own {Fate}.


    "{Regen}."


    "It seems that you already understand what I mean. Smith-san, as someone who has fought by your side, I would like to give you one small piece offort. I swear on my {Fate} that I will do no harm to your family, no matter what."


    Despite the merciless attitude of the one in front of me, I could feel the sincerity of her words.


    Ninja were masters of assassination even in manga and anime. If someone like her had wanted to kill them, they would have been dead before I arrived at the house.


    Just like the fake throw from earlier, Aki had yet to harm my family.


    "Aki, why did you save na?"

 Chapter 169: I Do. [2/2]

    If the Shinobi wanted me dead, why save my adopted sister? Was the story na told earlier a lie? What if Aki had forced na to say something against her will? Why would she want me dead at all?


    Suddenly, Aki shifted her small de to her left hand and drew a half-sized katana from her back. The moment the entire de was drawn, her clothes were torn to shreds. And with the exception of herrge bosom, her clothes turned into the ones I knew from the enlistment.


    "You made a lot of enemies with your rampage in the enlistment, Smith-san. I and many others were hired to kill you. na''s would-be kidnappers were also Reapers."


    The moment my fears were realized, my chest tightened. This was the world of the Reapers. Even though I only had one encounter with Earl and my information was blocked, they still found out that I considered the Simmons family.


    "You still haven''t answered my question, Aki. If you are an assassin sent to kill me, why haven''t you used my family as leverage?"


    "I wanted to know if I was right," she replied with a firm voice.


    "Right about what?"


    "That you would never abandon them."


    "..."


    "Smith-san, do you know what I am known as in Hellsgate?"


    "No."


    "Ara, aren''t you even a little curious? Did you really have no interest in me at all?"


    Completely contrary to my original impressions of her, Aki started flirting with me gleefully. It was as if the Aki I met during the enlistment was a mask.


    In contrast to her demeanor back then, the woman in front of me felt wild. Like an animal with nothing left to lose.


    "Smith-san. I am known as the ded Kitsune. It was a nickname given to me after I ughtered my entire n."


    "!!!"


    "You don''t seem convinced. Is it so unbelievable that a woman like me could do such a thing?"


    It was a strange feeling, simr to the other Sirens, I somehow felt like I knew Aki. That this woman would nevermit such an atrocity without a good reason.


    ''What the fuck is wrong with me? She is a traitor! These illogical feelings began ever since I saw those strange dreams.''


    "Smith-san, I don''t know what you think you know, but it''s true. I killed everyone in the Miroku n except for one. Not long after that, Imitted suicide."


    Even though Aki was telling her story, she didn''t let her guard down. Unlikeic book viins, her eyes continued to follow my every move as she spoke.


    As my wounds healed, I began to tidy up. Various furniture were thrown into disarray by my collision. An act done out of restlessness.


    "Smith-san. Are youpletely insane? I just told you that I am here to kill you. Why are you cleaning up?"


    "Aki Miroku would never stab me in the back. I don''t know why I believe this statement, but I do. And since you promised to leave my family alone, let us fight in the abandoned building out back". I replied while organizing some picture frames.


    "You still have that much faith in me?"


    "I do."


    "..."


    Aki said nothing as I continued to clean up the mess we had made. It was lucky that there weren''t any broken ss objects. After a few moments, Aki disarmed and picked up a broom to help me clean up.


    With the two of us moving at superhuman speeds, the cleaning progressed at a fast pace. I took the time to move the Simmons into morefortable positions in the living room.


    As we cleaned up, I took a quick inventory of my abilities. Despite the seemingly bleak situation, I still had a way to turn it around. And the reason was my {Kismet} {Limitless}.


    Even though it was no longer with me, it had an effect that saved my situation. With {Gather}, I remembered the status screen I had seen just hours before.


    ___


    {Limitless} v.1


    - {Kismet} was created from the merging of {Fates} for Reaper Limitless. Acts as a container that packages abilities as a pre-set loadout.


    - Abilities are organized into two pools. Actives, which allow manual activation, and Passives, which are active as long as {Limitless} v.1 is enabled.


    Built-in Features:


    EXA Integration - Using the E.X.A. {Fate}bat system, some tasks can be delegated.


    Skill Upgrading - Using the E.X.A. {Fate}bat system, both active and passive pools can be upgraded regardless of their original {Fates}.


    Skill Download - Once activated, the abilities willst for 24 hours.


    Cost: 3000 souls / day


    Active: Nothing set. (15 slots avable)


    Passives: Nothing set. (30 slots avable)


    Limitations: Rewind family ipatible, once activated all other {Fates} except the hosts will be disabled


    ___


    ''Skill Download. If not for this, my current situation would bepletely hopeless.''


    Skill Download, a seemingly useless feature, allowed the loadout of {Fates} to be stored in my Soulgem. For 3000 souls, every ability I loaded on the Active and Passive pools would stay with me for 24 hours.


    Since I loaded all 23 of the Sirens'' {Fates}, I still had all of their abilities until the duration expired.


    After Aki and I finished cleaning, I walked out the back door while calling to my cleaning buddy.


    "Aki, follow me. Let''s do it out back."


    Without waiting for her answer, I led the way as I left. Logically, it would be better to fight inside so no one would see. But it was still daylight, so I headed for an abandoned building.


    The Japanese ninja followed me wordlessly all the way to our new battleground.


    Most people would call me an idiot for turning my back on my assassin, but I meant what I said.


    "Are you not worried that I might lead you into a trap?" I asked in a serious voice.


    "The Smith-san I know would never resort to such cowardice. He would take me on with everything he has, like a man. Without treachery or falsehood," she replied cheerfully.


    "You should not trust people you don''t know, Ms. Miroku."


    "Ara? Would you rather I stab you in the heart from behind Mr. Smith-san?"


    Her response caused both of us tough. After the humor subsided, I asked in a grim tone.


    "Aki, do we really have to do this?"


    "Yes, Smith-san."


    "Okay, {Withdraw} 1887, AR-15, MAC-11''s, Ebony and Ivory. Go ahead with what you were talking about before."


    "Yeah, like I was saying..."


    Like a true follower of Bushido, Aki used her story as an excuse to wait for my weapons to manifest on my body.


    We both knew that after her story concluded, our battle would begin. And by the time it ended, one of us would no longer be breathing.

 Chapter 170: Do your worse [1/2]

    I was on the 2nd floor of an abandoned building overlooking the Arizona sunset. With me was a beautiful and busty Japanese woman with ck hair in a ponytail.


    The building we were in only had three sides, as one side had crumbled due to poor construction, resulting in its current state. With the setting sun as our backdrop, a light breeze made this ce especially pleasant.


    I was armed with an assortment of firearms while Aki carried a couple of short swords. The Japanese woman''s ninja attire was form-fitting and showed me her wonderful assets. Weughed as we joked about the absurdity of our situation.


    "Smith-san, I was surprised, you know? How in the world did you decide to brawl with a Revenant?"


    "It just happened. I just knew I couldn''t let any of you die."


    "Ara, you will make many a woman swoon with such reckless remarks." Aki teased with a beautiful smile.


    "Does that include you by any chance?"


    "Fufu. How sure are you that I haven''t already?"


    "Well, you are trying to kill me, Aki," I replied wryly.


    "Honestly, if I could have a normal life, I would choose you as my husband."


    "..."


    "But we both know that such a fate was never meant to be."


    "Listen Aki, we can still..."


    "Smith-san, please stop."


    "..."


    "I told you that I threatened your family as a test. During the time I murdered my entire n, I tested them as well, do you wish to know the result?"


    Aki looked miserable as she gazed vaguely at the scenery in front of us. Her face expressed deep sadness and disappointment. My heart sank as I saw the emotions she revealed.


    "More than half of the Reapers used their loved ones as bait. To escape, tounch a counterattack, even as bargaining chips. There were less than ten who, much like you, refused to let their people get hurt."


    The woman in front of me then turned to me with a tearful face.


    "That makes your character all the more admirable. Even if it was just a spur of the moment feeling. I am sure the others, like me, felt extreme joy when you defended us."


    "It wasn''t much, Aki, and David thrashed me into aa afterwards."


    "The result matters not, Smith-san. For Formless like us, such a gesture was beyond kind. Even when you were beaten, you looked heroic and handsome."


    "..."


    "I''m not sure if anyone has thanked you yet. But I just wanted to tell you... I appreciate everything you did for me. Even though I never wanted toe back as a Reaper, just getting to know you for that one night made it all worth it."


    "Aki... I..."


    The ninja in front of me looked away as she continued.


    "Thank you, Smith-san. You saved me in that moment. If all my hardships were so that I could meet you, then I dly ept them."


    "Then let''s stop Aki!"


    Then she drew her sheathed des and put a fox spirit mask on her face.


    "But that and this matter are separate. Just as you have reasons for wanting to live. I also have reasons why I must kill you."


    "Then tell me why, Aki! Let me help you! I know you don''t want to kill me!" I shouted in anger.


    "I am sorry Smith-san, it is because I am too weak. If you manage to defeat me, I will tell you everything."


    I gritted my teeth in frustration, this whole situation was fucking bullshit! Why the hell did Aki and I have to kill each other!


    "Smith-san, onest thing, someone has betrayed you. Should you defeat me, you must relocate the Simmons family as soon as possible. Trinity has your information, which should not have happened."


    "..."


    Aira told me that she only sent the information to Zach as part of her programming. Did Zach then give my data to Trinity? Was he under David''smand? No, if David really wanted me dead, he should not have put the gag order on me in the first ce.


    "Thanks for telling me, Aki, after I beat some sense into you, help me find out."


    "You are gravely mistaken if you think there is an end to this where we both keep our lives," the Japanese scolded.


    "I have not been idle, Aki. I have not stopped fighting since I became a Reaper."


    "Unlike His Majesty the Invincible. I am not going to hold back on my blows."


    "I never expected you to. I will spank your ass until you cry. That way you will never do anything like this again," I joked.


    "Enough. Brace yourself, Smith-san."


    "Bring it on then! {Save}!"


    At the same moment as Aki''s deration, she disappeared from my vision. I dual wielded the AR-15 in my right and the 1887 in my left. With {Listen}, I heard barely audible footsteps circling to my left.


    "SHIT!"


    I turned my body in the same direction and opened fire. Faster than even bullets my opponent evaded. My rounds all missed as they all buried themselves into the walls. At the same moment, {Perceive} saw flying shurikensing at me.


    ''I can''t keep up. {Code}! Do the bullet time thing! Now!''


    At my request, time slowed, allowing my brain to process information at lightning speed. It wasn''t implied, but {Sight} and {Reveal} allowed me to do bullet time for some reason.


    By process of elimination, I could only guess that {Code} or {Gather} had some way of increasing my brain''s processing speed. In this slowed down world, {Aim} and {Snipe} showed me lines that predicted the trajectory of Aki''s weapons.


    Doing the absolute minimum to avoid them, I shifted my body to the left and lowered my stance. Without worrying about her safety, I moved my AR-15 and fired 5.56 rounds at my best guess of where she was.


    Every step Aki took created ripples in the air and vibrations traveling through the ground. My opponent was not someone I could underestimate. {Code}''s bullet time ended at that moment.


    "Tsk."


    I heard Aki express her dissatisfaction as she immediately moved her body to avoid my bullets. Suddenly, I saw ck spheresing at me. They were much bigger targets than the t shurikens, so I shot them all mid-air.

 Chapter 171: Do your worse [2/2]

    However, when my rounds collided with the ck balls, they all exploded in white smoke while emitting a sharp sound like sh bangs.


    "AHHHH FUCK!"


    Without being able to adjust, my eyes were blinded and my ears went deaf from the sudden sensory overload. A sound like tinnitus kept ringing in my ears, preventing me from concentrating on the fight.


    "Shit! {Rewind}!"


    I invoked my {Fate} and reset my condition, removing my status ailments. I immediately closed my eyes and used {Listen} to find Aki. However, the sounds came from a ce I hadn''t expected.


    "The ceiling?"


    The footsteps came from the ceiling, less than three meters in front of me. I raised the 1887 and pulled the trigger. But before my weapon could fire, something collided with it from the side!


    Since the weapon had {Withstand}, it wasn''t deflected and sted upward with 10 gauge buckshots. I heard the sound of erupting flesh as I scored a hit. Opening my eyes, I tried to see Aki''s form through the smoke.


    Unexpectedly, I found a steel chain wrapped around the 1887. A powerful tug pulled the gun to the ground. Fearing a counterattack, I raised the AR-15 and let off a burst of lead.


    I didn''t know if I hit anything, but I continued to rain lead in front of me. Unfortunately, Aki once again proved how dangerous she was, a sharp pain jolted me awake as my neck began to bleed.


    "What?"


    Trying to reorient myself, I took a step back only to have something stab my foot. I felt something pierce my shoes, making every step painful.


    ''{Code} Bullet time!''


    Time slowed again and I saw Aki''s silhouetteing through the smoke.


    "{Regen}, {Retrieve} Smoke! {Reload}!"


    Immediately after my words, the white smoke was drawn to my back like a vacuum. The sudden movement of the smoke highlighted Aki''s exact position.


    Aki was less than a foot away from me, I raised the AR-15, but my opponent sliced it in two. I immediately swung the 1887 like a bat, but the ninja parried my attack and countered with an unknown weapon. I couldn''t dodge in time and a sharp de buried itself in my shoulder.


    I dropped the broken AR-15 and grabbed Aki''s neck with my right hand. In one quick motion, I tried to m her to the ground. But the woman broke free of my grip and shifted her body to form an armbar.


    Mercilessly, Aki pulled my arm the wrong way and I heard my elbow snap. Screaming in pain, I shoved the 1887''s muzzle into Aki''s back and pulled the trigger. The force of the ten-gauge bullet sent Aki flying into the air.


    Suddenly, my eyes could see the ninja, her clothes soaked in blood as she struggled to stand. She was holding a sickle with a chain attached to the 1887. I removed the steel binding from my shotgun as I spin-cocked it.


    "Huff, huff. Amazing, Smith-san. Truly amazing. But it''s not enough."


    "Ha. Ha. Do your worst, Aki," I replied between breaths.


    Because of my careless use of {Rewind} earlier, I had to wait twenty minutes before I could use it again. Our exchange, whichsted only a few minutes, was so intense that my breathing became ragged.


    "{Retrieve} Snickers."


    With my now-healed right arm, I grabbed a bite before Aki started to move again.


    "{Eat}. I share your {fate}, Aki. This would only be a never-ending battle."


    "{Eat}. {Regen}. {Gather.} Ara, is that so? You have already lost {Rewind}. That means you no longer have a second life."


    "But I still have a lot of tricks?" I joked, trying to buy some time.


    When I fought Aki, I learned the limitations of the {Fates}. While {Withstand} stopped blows, it could not stop piercing attacks. Sharp edges like knives and swords still tore through my skin even without momentum.


    Much like bulletproof armor, it would not be able to defend against knife attacks. shing attacks, piercing attacks, and bludgeoning attacks all had different strengths and weaknesses. All three had existed since the Middle Ages.


    {Withstand} and {Endure}rgely negated bludgeoning attacks. They were inferior to shing attacks and useless for piercing attacks.


    This was reinforced by the fact that even though Aki''s blows were not strong enough to send me flying, my flesh was still ripped apart. Grabs and throws were also able to bypass Liv''s {Fate}.


    I didn''t take any damage from being thrown around. However, such moves still disoriented me. Next, {Code} gave me about ten seconds of bullet time, but it took time between uses.


    ''Truly, nothing gave you the most experience except realbat.'' I thought to myself.


    Aki simrly used my {Fate} {Regen}, her breathing normalizing as her wounds began to close. In the short minute we stared at each other, our bodies returned to their optimal states and our stamina soared.


    I threw the 1887 at Aki as I made my next move.


    "{Withdraw} Smoke!"


    Taking advantage of the distraction, I opened a small portal on my palm and sted Aki with the smoke like a fire extinguisher.


    I began to run away from her at full speed. {Listen} picked up objects flying towards me, so I ducked and slid on the ground as I continued to gain distance. I drew the MAC-11s from my hip holsters and fired them indiscriminately behind me.


    Using the extra momentum from the shots, I ran like my ass was on fire. I tried to find a ce in front of me to make my next move. {Perceive} then allowed me to see a shing object out of the corner of my eye.


    Fleeing for my life, I tried to turn my face to the left, but a sharp de severed my right ear and sliced open my forehead. Before I could react, a foot mmed into my side. Staying in ce, I swung the MAC-11''s and rained lead on my would-be attacker.


    Despite the pain of losing my ear, I continued to fight the ded kitsune. I couldn''t even stop for a moment, because if I did, Aki might really be the one to kill me.

 Chapter 172: Im sorry Aki [1/2]

    My heart hammered in my chest like a drum, Aki and I were in the midst of an exhausting exchange. Every second determined the next course of the battle, every action forced the next encounter.


    It was the first time I was in such a high stakes battle. Everything I threw at her, Aki countered with impunity. I just got my right ear shed and my forehead split open. Blood gushed out, soaking my hair and forcing my eyes to close.


    The reality that I might die sent adrenaline rushing through my veins like a drug. In the eternity of a single thought, my mind raced for a solution. Aki was far too powerful in closebat. I tried to use my weapons at close range, but it seemed useless.


    ''Shit, guys,e on. I need some help!'' Iined to the {Fates} I considered my allies.


    With only one eye open, I awkwardly moved the muzzle of the MAC-11 to follow Aki. Although her kick was useless, my opponent moved her body and grappled with mine.


    Despite my best efforts, her legs wrapped around my neck and locked me in a head scissor. Anyone who has seen MCU movies knew what came next.


    "Fuck..."


    Like a top being wound up, Aki used her body weight to drag my head to the floor. As she twisted her figure like a snake, I was sent crashing a few meters away. Her actions went through {Withstand} again, preventing me from gaining any advantage.


    It was lucky that I had {Endure}, otherwise my back would have been broken by now. From the speed, to the precision, to the power of her throws, Aki was body mming me all over the ce.


    "Ugh, Aki, can you stand still and let me shoot you already?" I grumbled.


    "Huff, Smith-san, you are incorrigible! You have way too many weapons! Just die please!"


    "Like you''re any different!"


    As I got back up, the woman seemed to switch weapons again, now holding a single katana. Of course, the MAC-11''s were no longer on me when I was thrown around. I drew the Punisher 1911''s, so at least I wasn''tpletely unarmed.


    "{Withdraw}, Mk II, P30L, 629 Competitor."


    I called new weapons to my body as a precaution. I still had the M24, MP5SD, and M60, but I was better off with handguns because of our close range.


    ''Shit, {Rewind} still needs at least 7 minutes. How the hell am I supposed tost that long?''


    {Reload} and {Regen} were not enough to win this fight. If I was going to turn this around, it had to be {Rewind}. In addition to restoring my health, healing my wounds, and repairing my weapons, my {Fate} also teleported me back to my original location.


    I had already experimented with using it as an escape route or an offensive attack. The problem with both approaches was the long cooldown. {Auto} took a day, while {Save} took an hour. If I wanted to use it offensively, I needed to be able to change my save point quickly.


    ''{Rewind}, it has been a while since we were alone. But I''m going to need you to do something. You already know what I need, partner.''


    My soul gem burned at that moment, as if {Rewind} was telling me not to give up.


    "There is no chance for your victory, Smith-san. Even if you have all of our {Fates}, I already know how to counter them all. Aside from {Regen}, your own {Fates} all require a lot of nning."


    "We won''t know until we try, right? Isn''t that why you keep switching weapons?"


    "..."


    "{Gather} can be used to memorize an opponent''s movement. That was why you tried to hide your moves, right? When that became impossible, you switched weapons in mid-battle to throw me off."


    "That''s right. I was always grateful for {Digest}, but it is annoying to face in battle, normal people would have died to my poisons in the first minute," the woman in the fox mask replied coldly.


    "Aki, you are fucking terrifying, do you know that?"


    "Ara, but Smith-san, you are pretty scary too. A week ago, you were just a civilian, but every time your partners evolve their {Fates}, you evolve further like a demon."


    "What are you talking about?" I asked to stall for time.


    "Smith-san, when I look at you, I think of the saying, ''After the rain, the ground hardens.'' You currently have seven level 3 {Fates} and one level 4. When you reunite with your harem, how much more powerful will you be?"


    "It''s you girls who are amazing. I am just a cheater trying my best."


    "Enough talk. I know you are trying to stall for time, Smith-san. Let me show you the {Fate} I gained after bing a Phantom."


    "As if I would let you!"


    Not wanting to wait for her to summon a power I didn''t know about, I shot both 1911s at Aki. But like a character from an anime, the ded kitsune parried the 9mm Parabellum bullets with nothing but her sword.


    "Here Ie, Smith-san! {Carve}!"


    Aki suddenly vanished like a blur, my eyes enhanced by {Perceive} was able to catch a glimpse of her movements. The woman lowered her stance and charged quickly, intending to draw her Katana like a samurai.


    It was so fast, I barely had time to react. {Hike} and {Carry} allowed me to move faster, but I needed time to gain speed. My opponent had no such problem, as she seemed to teleport in a burst of speed.


    ''{CODE}!''


    Time slowed down in response to my call. I saw Aki moving at normal speed in this world where time was supposed to be frozen.


    ''Holy fuck! She moves at that speed even in the tenths of a millisecond? No wonder I could barely see her!''


    I raised my arms to block her shing towards me. Unfortunately, whether it was her speed or {Carve}, my 1911s offered no resistance. Their upper receivers were severed in two as time flowed back again after our exchange.


    Without a weapon, I tried to tackle Aki. Only to have her knee m into my side. Enduring the blow, I cast {Pack} as I tried to throw her to the ground.


    ''A Katana is near useless in extremely close quarters, at this distance her fists could not harm me!''


    But against all odds, a sharp de buried itself in my back and stopped my movements. Like a stake, Aki forced her weapon deeper into my flesh.

 Chapter 173: Im sorry Aki [2/2]

    Using the de inside my body as a handle, my opponent mercilessly sliced across my back.


    It was not enough to sever my spine, but it hurt a lot. Before I could offer any resistance, Aki tried to body m me away. Unfortunately for her, she needed much more strength to push me back even a foot.


    I raised my head and tried to hit her chin, but missed. The Japanese ninja spun her sword and changed her grip to a reverse one. With the de lined up with her elbow, Aki tried to decapitate me in one move.


    "{CODE}!"


    Time slowed in response to my roar. With a split second before the edge of the katana sliced across my neck, I countered.


    "{Withdraw} All M26s! {Rewind}!"


    "{Rewind}!"


    I disappeared into the light, returning to my save point a quarter mile from where Aki and I hadst fought. As I tried to regain my bearings, a steel de impaled me from behind. I vomited blood as all my organs began to bleed and rupture.


    "Blech! What?!"


    Aki''s voice came from behind me as I felt her breath on my neck.


    "Smith-san, {Rewind} may be powerful, but it has one fatal weakness. And that is that I know exactly where you would be after rewinding. I was already well prepared for this moment."


    Explosions from the grenades btedly shook the ground as I continued to bleed out. Aki plunged another knife into my corbone as I began to gasp for air.


    "It''s over Smith-san, you lost."


    "Suck my dick Aki. {Rece}."


    Invoking mytest {Fate}, my body vanished into particles of light. My body recreated itself less than 50 meters away. From my current position, I saw Aki looking around in panic.


    I drew the P30L and Ruger MK II from their holsters and shot Aki in the back.


    "What? How?!"


    Despite being attacked from behind, the ninja lowered her body and parried my shots. The 9¡Á19mm Parabellum and .22 LR rounds were all cut in half in the air in a superhuman feat of agility.


    Not to be outdone, I dropped the MK II and drew my revolver. And shot her again with .44 Magnums, though the .44 was far more powerful than the previous pistol ammo, I was confident in it for another reason.


    Aki again sliced my bullets like y targets as she advanced. In a fit of rage, the woman roared in a bloodthirsty voice.


    "This battle is over, Smith-san!"


    Ignoring her angry roar, I continued firing until blinding shes erupted from the muzzle of the 629.


    "I agree!"


    Unaware of the difference, Aki tried to cut the bullet apart, only to have the sh shatter her weapon. It didn''t stop there and pierced her left shoulder. A second blessed bullet ripped through her heart in the same instant.


    But Aki didn''t fall and suddenly erupted in a ze of fierce mes.


    "{SOUL BREAKER}!"


    The de kitsune stared at me as she burned alive. Her hair danced like wild fire while her eyes shone like purple suns. The woman shifted her body into a drawing stance. Unwilling to wait, I summoned the M24 and prepared to fire.


    ''So it was real. An attack that consumed the user''s entire soul aspensation. {Soul Breaker}. How reckless.''


    Be''s words echoed in my mind once again as I watched the mystical monster in front of me. An attack that meant she wanted to die. I must have managed to hit her soulgem, so Aki made onest attempt.


    In the next second, Aki created a sh of violet light with a stroke of her sword. The sh flew towards me like an enraged phoenix. In response, I pulled the trigger of the M24 Sniper weapon system.


    My blessed 7.62 round and Aki''s sword sh collided in the air like the epic shes in Dragon Ball.


    "I''m sorry Aki, I have no intention of dying."


    I put the stock of the M24 on my shoulder and emptied the magazine of blessed bullets. Aki''s {Soul Breaker} sh lost steam as more and more blessed bullets tore it apart.


    With my fifth and final bullet, the momentum of my attack finally broke Aki''s. As the light shone brighter than the sun, my fearsome opponent was engulfed in a dazzling disy of light.


    A few seconds after the brightness faded, our surroundings went dark. Only now did I realize that night had already begun. I quickly tried to find Aki and saw a burned corpse with nothing below the waist and one arm.


    I knelt down by Aki''s side and prepared to force her to swallow some {heal} tablets. The corpse then turned to me, and I gently helped it up as Aki''s voice echoed through the air with soul.


    {Smith-san, that was a magnificent battle. You are truly everything I hoped you would be.}


    "Shut up Aki, I have curatives here. Drink them or I will make you."


    {Fufu, Smith-san, you are far too kind. I really tried to kill you, you know?}


    Not wanting to answer, I bit my tongue and kissed the lips of Aki''s corpse. I used my tongue to paint the insides of her mouth with my blood.


    {W-what are you doing Smith-san! I betrayed you! What are you even trying to do? Do you even intend to vite my corpse?!}


    "I won, you lost. As of today, you belong to me. Until I say so, I forbid you to die. I need you, Aki."


    {Smith-san, if you go on like this, I will fall helplessly in love with you.}


    "Do as you wish. Now call my {Fate} Aki. Imand you to return to me."


    {Mou! Why did I have to fall in love with a tyrant?! Fine! I hope you don''t regret this!}


    "..."


    {Rece}


    The burned corpse in my arms disappeared at Aki''s use of my {Fate}. A new silhouette appeared before me, kneeling like a knight before her lord.


    With the beauty of the ded kitsune restored and her wounds healed, she eximed with a fierce voice.


    "Aki Miroku from this day on pledges her sword and her life to John Smith. Until my soulgem breaks or the Hellsgate breaks open I will follow no other. I beg you please ept my vow, master!"


    "I ept. Wee back, Aki."

 Chapter 174: I will bear your sins [1/2]

    {Rece} was my fourth {Fate} that allowed me to be a Phantom.


    Contrary to what I thought, my ascension to Phantom had no ir or sudden burst of power. However, {Rece} was definitely a league above my other {Fates}.


    In response to my request to allow {Rewind} to be used offensively, my {Fate} created {Rece}.


    {Rece} had only one purpose, it would allow me to move {Save} anywhere I could see. As a bonus, it invoked {Rewind} the moment I changed my position.


    Most people would see this as a useless ability. But for someone like me, it gave me a way to fight in close quarters.


    Being able to use {Rewind} with a separate cooldown was already overpowered. The best part was that {Rewind} used a stock instead of a regr cool down.


    This meant that unlike regr {Fates}, which would be unavable after use, {Rece} only used the charges it had in stock. Such a feature removed my dependence on waiting for my cool downs.


    {Rece} had a maximum stock of 7 charges, which could be purchased every three days at 500 souls per charge.


    For some reason, it also granted the extra perk of being able to buy more charges before the three days were up in exchange for more souls.


    The rate was 500 souls extra for every charge I had in stock. In other words, if I had 0 charges, it would only cost me 500 souls to buy one before the three days were up.


    On the other hand, if I already had six charges and wanted to buy a seventh, the cost would be a whopping 3500 souls!


    Still, for someone like me, it was a no-brainer to have a supply of rewinds. I had over a hundred thousand souls at the moment, so I quickly bought everything.


    Just like that, 14,000 souls disappeared from my ount. That would have been the equivalent of fourteen blessed rounds, or $280,000. But for a stock of seven lives, it was well worth the price.


    Luckily, I could make that much and still not be in the red. If anyone else heard how expensive {Rewind}''s abilities were, they would faint. Of course, {Rece} had no effect on my offensive ability. It just allowed me to rewind more easily.


    ''Even {Withstand} has a {Counter}. Was {Rewind} really a support ss of {Fate}? If I didn''t have any guns, I would only be useful as a scout.''


    But that wasn''t what was important at the moment, I helped up the ninja kneeling in front of me and asked the question that bothered me the most.


    "Aki, tell me why you came for my life even though you didn''t want to."


    "Master, it was because they have my little brother. His name was Haru, and I thought he was already dead. I received a picture from Trinity saying that they have him and would let him live in exchange for your life."


    "I see, but you were willing to die with me, weren''t you, didn''t you want to save him?"


    The beautiful woman turned away from me and crossed her arms.


    "Master, I have already died once. My family, the Miroku, used Haru as a leash to make me follow their orders. I killed so many people that I would have drowned in their blood many times over."


    "You are not to me for that..."


    "I was feared in Hellsgate even as a human. You saw how I fought. I was infamous for ughtering the reapers'' loved ones. Women, children, sons, daughters, even pets. The old, the sick and even the innocent. I did not spare a single one for my mission."


    "..."


    "Master, it was my fault. I made a decision to keep Haru alive, I massacred everyone Miroku told me to. But then one day, on a mission, they told me that Haru had died. In grief, I lost my mind and turned against my n.


    From what I heard, I couldn''t even say anything.


    The situation was exactly as Lilly had described it. Trinity would find a Reaper''s weakness and make them betray everyone in exchange for those they held dear.


    ''What would I do if I were in their position? If Earl, Noelle, na or Bless were threatened? I would probably do the same as Aki.''


    War had a way of changing people, but it wasn''t the fighting itself that made people grieve.


    It was the death that followed, civilians and soldiers ughtered or sacrificed for a cause unknown to those who had to die.


    How much did Aki kill her own soul and conscience in order to live on? How could she even live with herself when such acts probably tormented her in her sleep? Ovee withpassion, I pulled Aki into my embrace.


    "It will be alright now Aki. We will find your brother and save him. I will bear your sins with you. You will never have to do such things ever again. I am here."


    After hearing my words, the woman in my arms trembled and began to sob miserably. Aki said nothing, but she returned my hug and cried pitifully.


    Like an overflowing dam, the Japanese ninja continued to cry for over an hour before she finally calmed down.


    Aki was probably broken as a human. But she killed her weakness for her brother. Her love for him overcame the guilt she tortured herself with. And the moment he died, there was nothing left for her.


    Afraid of the same thing happening again, she came to me only to either be killed or to free Haru. But from what I saw, Aki never intended to live beyond today. If I wanted to save her brother, I needed help. I should ask Be and Lilly.


    ''Oh, right, Be had a message for her, right?''


    When she got her emotions under control, Aki abruptly pulled away from me and quickly wiped her face. The stark contrast to her earlier bloodthirsty demeanor was beyond adorable.


    "Aki, Be and the girls have a message for you. Do the words ''We have already reimed spring'' mean anything to you?"


    "What? Reimed spring?"


    Aki grabbed both my shoulders and shook me. The strength of her hands would have broken the bones of a normal person. Apparently, the message was quite important.


    "Master! Did she really say that?! When?! Where?!" Aki asked desperately.

 Chapter 175: I will bear your sins [2/2]

    "It was yesterday, I saw a video of them rampaging in Japan with Lilly. They called themselves the Seven Sirens and branded themselves as terrorists."


    I felt like there was a connection between the girls and their message to Aki. Probably seeing my confused expression, Aki took a deep breath and exined.


    "Master. My name Aki means autumn in Japanese. My brother''s name Haru means spring."


    "Ah! Then that means!"


    "Yes. Be''s words could be understood as ''we already reimed Haru''. But how did she know that, or rather, why would she save him in the first ce?"


    I thought back to Be''s message and the Sirens'' actions. They blew up an abandoned hospital and fought the Japanese army. What if they went to Japan to save Aki''s brother?


    ''Partially correct. This is the shadow war waged in the world of the reapers. IRIS has been fighting Trinity since the first demon got out of hell. Trinity has only one goal, to prevent the reapers from stopping the end of the world. And they have seeded plenty of times, if records are to be believed. You already know of their other name ¡ª the Illuminati.''


    ''For far too long the world has been toocent. The Illuminati rules it from the shadows and their war with the eye has made the world a worse ce than necessary.''


    ''But no more. Change has arrived. And my sisters and I are his servants. Our master will bring about a new age. One where the gates of hell will forever remained closed. And a world where no descendants need be born.''


    Lilly''s exnation fit well with Be''s derations as Minerva.


    Trinity was even more to me for the world turning to shit than the undead. Still, there was nothing on the battlefront to indicate that the reapers wanted to do anything about it.


    I remembered the words I had spat out in anger.


    ''I just need to kill them all.''


    Originally, I thought that only meant the undead. But what if I could wage war against Trinity itself?


    It was like Be to make such calcted actions. By rescuing Haru, she would free Aki from the chains that bound her, and at the same time, she would stick it to Trinity.


    If her actions in Japan were not about fighting the Revenants, but a deration of war.


    "Then she knew I would be on board. Wonderful Mrs. Code," I praised my partner.


    "Master?"


    I btedly noticed Aki''s face just inches from mine. Unable to follow my reasoning, it was understandable that she was confused.


    "Ah, it''s nothing. Let''s call them first."


    "But they might take offense at what I did. After all, I tried to kill you."


    Somehow I did not think that would be the case. Be and Lilly were the types who knew exactly what was going on behind the scenes. I took out my GRI and called Be. Since I no longer had Exa, doing something like that felt barbaric for some reason.


    Aki was noticeably distraught while I waited for Be to pick up. After a few rings I heard my partner''s tired voice. I put her on speaker so Aki could hear our conversation.


    [Honey? Why are you calling? We are already in the USA, everyone is just resting from jetg].


    "Mrs. Code. I just wanted to say well done."


    [Aki is dead?]


    "No, she is here with me."


    [I see. Guess that was a given]


    "How far did you see Mrs. Code?" I asked curiously.


    [Hehe, I''m great, aren''t I? I knew you would try to help her after you won. So the Sirens and I decided to act on your behalf. We found a Trinity base where Aki''s brother was being held. After we blew it up, we dered war on Trinity.]


    The woman on the other end of the line cheerfully exined their course of action. Unlike the first time we spoke, Be no longer had anything to hide.


    "You''ve been amazing, Be. I am so happy to have you by my side. Alfonso would be proud."


    [!!!!]


    The sudden gasp over the phone seemed to say that Be was surprised. It was such a joy to tease her like this, especially when she had such clumsy tendencies when she lost herposure.


    Aki stared at me in silence as she listened.


    [Henry and Sabel would also be happy.]


    "..."


    [They are Alfonso''s elder brother and younger sister.]


    "Haha, is that so? We have three children?"


    [Aren''t you pleased?]


    As if one was not enough, they often said that the smartest people were usually the craziest. There was no reason to call her on it though.


    "No, I was just surprised. Anyway, kiss them good night for me. By the way, is Haru with you now, Be?"


    [He was, Lilly had endorsed him and the other kids as VIPs at the North American Battlefront this morning. Her men would guard them for a few days while we figure out what to do with the little shits.]


    "Taurus-san, this is Aki. Thank you for saving my brother. I will never forget this favor."


    [I didn''t do it for you, Aki. I did it for Honey and him alone. The other Sirens are the same. We do not care what happens to you. If it was up to me, I would have had you buried alive by now].


    "I understand. I will repay the grace Master has given me."


    [Master? Oy, Mr. Code. You better not get any ideas about fucking this slut like in those domination videos you like so much].


    "W-what! I didn''t even say anything!" I stammered.


    "Master is right, Taurus-san! We are not like that yet! I mean, he already imed me as his, so I don''t mind, but..."


    [Fuck! This is why I was so against it in the first ce. Aki, if you want to thank us, do not seduce Honey while we are not with him yet. And keep annoying flies away, as well.]


    "Okay, I will. Until you all reunite with him, I vow not to make a move."


    [Are you telling me that once we arrive, all bets are off?]


    "Taurus-san, if there is one thing I will not give up, it is receiving Master''s affection. And I am willing to fight all the Sirens for it."


    [I just fuck myself! As if I didn''t have enough bitches to deal with already.]


    I sighed in exhaustion as I listened to their banter. I had to fight zombies again in an hour and I was already mentally exhausted.

 Chapter 176: Into a {Kismet} [1/2]

    "Taurus-san, on a more important matter, there is something I wanted to report to the Sirens."


    [Oh? And how sure are you that I would listen to your information? As far as I am concerned, you are not my ally.]


    "Fufu, you are so funny, Taurus-san. You called yourselves the Seven Sirens when there were only six of you. It means you wanted me to join you."


    [You presume too much, bitch. I still don''t like you].


    "Be..."


    As I tried to mediate between the two of them, Aki held her palm up to me as she motioned for me to be silent. She gently took the phone from my hand and turned off the speaker.


    Walking a few steps away, the two women continued their conversation without me. She probably forgot that I had {Listen}, so even if they stood a mile away, I would still hear them clearly.


    "Liking me and helping Master are not mutually exclusive, Taurus-san. Hate me as much as you want, I don''t really care, as long as Haru and my master are safe, I ask for nothing more."


    [How sure are you that we won''t kill you? Apart from you, the rest of us are already bonded].


    "Haha, speak such nonsense to those who wish to hear it, Weeping Mary-san. I know about all of you, my years as an assassin allowed me to understand people very well. You cannot kill me."


    [...]


    Weeping Mary? What was that? I heard it in Portuguese, but I understood it in English. Was it Be''s code name or something?


    "Taurus-san, as long as Untamed-sama is alive, you will not, that I am sure of. You are trying to form your faction within the Sirens, right?"


    [...]


    "Even if you all want to monopolize Master, you are all afraid. Afraid of both his wrath and his scorn once he learns your true natures."


    True nature? Wasn''t Be a cop? I mean, she was a little crazy, but how bad could a cop be? Wasn''t Robyn the only one with a troubled past?


    [And how sure are you that he won''t feel the same way about you?]


    "That''s because I already told him, Taurus-san. And instead of feeling disgust, Master feltpassion and simplyforted me. I am sure Master would never abandon us as long as we y nice."


    [Tsk. Must have felt good, huh?]


    "Yes, it did. His arms felt like the safest ce in the world. I nearly melted in his embrace."


    [Bitch. Stop gloating, I wille for him tomorrow. Put it back on speaker].


    Aki returned with a smile as bright as the sun. Then she put the GRI back on my hand while pressing the speaker button.


    "Anyway, as I was saying, Taurus-san, someone is betraying Master. I received an envelope from a reaper belonging to the army of the Saviors. It contained detailed information about Master''s abilities and the people he holds dear. I, who fought by his side, didn''t even know half of what was in there."


    [Do you have the information? Send it to me].


    "Okay, I will," Aki replied curtly.


    "Ah, Be. I think I already know who it is."


    [You do? Who?]


    "It was probably Aira. My mercenary AI, she somehow turned into a {Kismet}. When she rebooted, her logs showed that she was tracking people who could be leashes to me."


    "..."


    [...]


    When both Aki and Be fell silent, I felt ufortable. So I asked annoyed.


    "What?"


    [Honey, do you hear yourself? You turned an AI into a {Kismet}?]


    "I agree, Master, such a thing is impossible."


    "But it is true! Well, I don''t have her at the moment, Aki wiped out my loaned {Fates}. So my {Kismet} all disappeared as well."


    [She did what?!]


    "I made him eat powdered blood of a hundred reapers in a stew. Right now, Master only has the {Rewind} family of {Fates}."


    [This fucking whore! He is dependent on them! Why do you think I tolerated these bitches in the first ce?]


    "Calm down, Taurus-san. Even in this state, Master almost killed me even after I used my {Soul Breaker}. I can assure you that he is still formidable inbat."


    [Fuck! Let us rewind a bit. Honey, you said that Aira was the one spying on you. Then does Zachary Lynch have this data? David Thomas was the one who put the gag order on you, so why would he leak it?"]


    "I''m sure Zach has it. I would do the same thing if I were him."


    [Fuck. I even went out and deleted your social media when you were human for good measure. But it turned out to be useless.]


    "Social media? I only made those for video games," I exined bluntly.


    [I know, only people like you use profile pictures that are more than five years old. Anyway, I was talking about your pictures on other people''s social media].


    "Oh."


    While I rarely posted, I did participate in mandatory group pictures at holiday parties or social events. Be once again reminded me how amazing she was with aputer.


    "Taurus-san, the problem is that Trinity has that data as well. And they gave it to every assassin who came after Master. His adopted family, the Simmons, are in danger. So is Master''s ex-girlfriend, Caroline Fisher."


    [Can''t we just let them take her? I think everyone in the Sirens, including me, would murder her if we ever met face to face.]


    "Be..."


    "I concur. Then forget about her," the ninja replied while nodding.


    "Aki... don''t agree with her."


    [Okay, so in short, we need the father-inw''s family to move. Don''t worry honey, the Sirens and I will take care of it. Everyone is on leave anyway].


    "Wait, what do you mean father-inw? Have you been cyber stalking Earl''s family?"


    [Ah, your signal''s breaking up. I can''t hear you. Good luck in Hellsgate tonight, honey! The Sirens and I will protect the Simmons until you get back.]


    Be suddenly ended the call after faking a bad signal. Aki giggled when she saw my suspicious face.


    "Master, shall we return to the Simmons residence?" The beautiful woman called to me. Unlike before, she was no longer wearing her mask and was blushing as she looked down.


    I took a few seconds to admire her beautiful face. This woman was on the verge of death less than half an hour ago. And now she looked like the poster child for healthy living.

 Chapter 177: Into a {Kismet} [2/2]

    "Aki, do you feel any pain in your body? Like after-effects of {Soul Breaker} or something?"


    The gruesome deaths I saw yesterday made me extremely paranoid about the Sirens. That was before I even remembered that I was the one who almost killed her.


    Aki then smiled lovingly as she stole a quick kiss on my cheeks.


    "Master, I am fine. {Rece} healed me of all my injuries. I was lucky I already had {Auto}, otherwise I would have died."


    The woman then took my right arm and wrapped her arms around it in an intimate embrace. It was an affectionate gesture usually shared between lovers or spouses.


    "Aki, didn''t you say you wouldn''t seduce me?"


    "Ara, this is nothing master."


    She then pressed my arm into her chest and licked my right earlobe. A pleasant scent remained after she pulled her face away. It had a flowery scent that wasn''t too overpowering and gave a fresh impression.


    "I am confident in my seduction techniques, Master. I can y any role or participate in any fetish you may desire. None of my targets could ever resist me when I got serious."


    Aki''s attack stimted everything from my skin, eyes, ears, and even my nose. Like a subus, she smiled as her doe-like eyes drew me in. Then she rested her head on my shoulder and whispered seductively.


    "But I remain a chaste woman and have yet to be touched by anyone. I offer everything only to you. The one who I adore with all my heart."


    The woman giggled like a child as we walked like lovers in a romantic evening. Surprised by Aki''s sultry performance, I found it difficult to keep my focus on her words.


    How long has it been since I had an intimate rtionship? Walking through the familiarndscape with a breathtaking Phantom on my arm made everything surreal.


    I tried desperately to think of something to talk about as we walked arm in arm.


    "What are you going to do with Haru, Aki?"


    Immediately, her mood soured as she frowned.


    "I do not know yet, master.We have no rtives left, and as a Phantom, I will soon have to choose a base to defend. I have already managed to leave the Asian battlefront, but I cannot guarantee his safety."


    Although I regretted killing her joyful mood, getting her to stop seducing me was a worthy trade-off.


    Aki now had a choice: care for Haru but never see him, or take him under her wing and worry every night about how to defend her precious brother.


    Truly, I had the same problem as I had to relocate Earl''s family. But unless I could drag them away, it was impossible to uproot their lives just for my affairs.


    I put my hand over Aki''s as I reassured her.


    "Don''t worry Aki, we may not know what to do, but if we all help out, I''m sure it will be okay."


    The Japanese beauty smiled at myment and hugged my arm tighter.


    "Yes, Master. As long as you are with me. I will manage somehow."


    "You give me too much credit. By the way, can you call me Smith-san or just John like before?"


    "That is impossible, Master. Didn''t youmand me to be yours? I am your ve now, in every sense of the word. So I cannot call you so casually."


    "But you are not my ve Aki, you are my friend."


    Aki stopped and stared into my eyes. Then she had a moment of thought before answering.


    "Then I will only call you master when there are other people around. In private it will be anata, because you are going to be my husband."


    Although I knew very little Japanese, anata was one of the words I understood. It was widely used in anime and hentai. It was the equivalent of dear, used only for one''s spouse.


    As I heard the original Japanese instead of dear. It may mean that the {Interpret} will only work for words that I do not know.


    Usually, I hear phrases that make no sense from the girls, so like machine-tranted novels, I would lose braincells if I took everything literally.


    I swallowed audibly at her fierce deration. There was no if, or maybe it was a firm deration. As if she would ept no other oue.


    "Ah, that reminds me, how long will your sleeping agentst on my family? I leave in less than an hour," I tried to change the topic.


    "Don''t worry anata, Phantoms will no longer be summoned to Hellsgate by force. We can wait for them to wake up if you like."


    Not having to worry about being called back was a good thing, but I didn''t want to ck off just because I could.


    "I don''t think I will wait, it would be embarrassing to exin anyway. I will report to Hellsgate and just talk to them tomorrow morning."


    "I see, then I will exin to father and mother-inw once they wake up in your stead. As soon as I am done, I wille find you, anata."


    "Uhm. Aki, can you just call me Master, it makes me ufortable to hear your voice say anata."


    "Ara, is that so? Does my voice remind you of those perverted videos you used to watch? The Japanese are especially talented at making porn. Should I try to say a few lines?"


    "Ugh. Please spare me, Aki, I have enough problems as it is."


    The woman moved away from me and wrapped her arms around my neck.


    Probably because she was Asian, she was petite like Be or Robyn. Maybe 5''6", she felt fragile when she flirted with me like this.


    "Fufu, you don''t have to suppress your desires, Master. I am yours. Only you have the right to ravage my body. Please use me as much you wish."


    Seeing my difort, Aki gave me a quick peck on the lips while biting her lower lip.


    "I shouldn''t go beyond that, after all, I gave Be my word."


    The ded kitsune abruptly separated from me and knelt before me.


    "I wish you victory, my master. May your fate end the darkness."


    A little disappointed, I wished to travel to Hellsgate in my mind and felt a familiar pull on my soul.


    "See youter, Aki."


    I gave in to the feeling and teleported to Hellsgate for the third time.

 Chapter 178: Heroine Chapter: Who I am [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Lilly Browning


    ___


    Our ne touched down on the tarmac of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Thending itself was quite smooth, which lent credence to the skill of the pilot of my private jet.


    I turned to check on the girls who were with me.


    "Impressive. The pilot must be quite skilled." A ck-skinned beautymented.


    "Indeed, the ne Be had us use was violent and made me lightheaded. I thought all Southern nes were the same."


    "Alimentar um burro a p?o de l¨®! Well, sorry for having a crappy airne, that was the best I could get, all right? That thing was old, this ne is what, a hundred times more expensive?"


    "You''re too sensitive, Be. Liv isn''t wrong. Your ne was absolute garbage."


    "Yeah, yeah, I know. Next time you Europeans should get us one, Jasmine."


    "..."


    "Hey, stop fighting. We are finally back in America, let''s get along."


    When I was sure that Liv could keep Jasmine and Be under control, I looked over to where the children were.


    "Oy, Jo. Tell this little ankle biter if he doesn''t do the Harry, I''ll give him another hole to breathe through."


    "Oh shut up Robyn, can''t you see he likes you? Why not try giving him a kiss? He is Polish, I can even trante for you."


    "GFY! You yellow haired gger! Like I would ever pash with an ankle bitter."


    "Ona m¨®wi, ?e ci? lubi. (She says she likes you)"


    "Fuck me dead, Jo! Are you trying to hook me up with an ankle-biting fuckwit? I already have the wombat! Stop it!"


    "M¨®wi, ?e naprawd? ci? lubi (She says she really likes you)," Jo said to the child with a big smile.


    I couldn''t help but chuckle at the dynamic between Jo and Robyn, they both had way too much energy. They fought well together but wereplete opposites. Jo loved to tease people while Robyn preferred toin alone.


    The others and I started to ignore them since yesterday. Since Jo couldn''t get an answer from anyone but Robyn or Be, she naturally bothered them.


    Jasmine, the only one who could control Jo, for some reason, became hostile towards Be. It was as if she was using intentionally using her sister to annoy the Brazilian.


    I guessed it was because thetter had told her that if she touched either Harry Evans or Caroline Fisher, her husband would be the first to know.


    As the stewardesses helped the children off the ne, my butler Sebastian approached me.


    "Lady Lilly, we have sessfully arrived well ahead of schedule. Shall I fetch the limousine? Or would you like to go straight to the hotel to rest? Our flight route and pick-up of Ms. Taurus was quite hectic."


    "Prepare a ce for the children and Be''s aunt to stay. I will have the White Guard protect them for the time being. As for the rest of them, I will ask. But prepare a car for me, I have someone to visit," I instructed.


    After our explosive exit from Japan, Be had us fly around to lose the people on our trail. Once we were in the clear, we picked her up just off the coast of Africa.


    Afterwards, in an audacious attempt to hide under themp, so to speak, we returned to Japan.


    While it worked, such a n was only possible because of Robyn. All nes that received her {Fates} nearly tripled their speed. The effect allowed us to make such long flights without refueling.


    After one day, we raced back to America. Normally, people would be jetgged from such a hectic schedule. But our group was made up of monsters, so jetg hardly affected anyone.


    When my job of bringing them back was done, I was about to separate from them for a private matter. My anticipation gave me a spring in my step. I wanted to go alone, so I had to get rid of the Sirens.


    I stood up and called everyone''s attention. They moved to a long couch in front of me.


    "Everyone, Be''s Tia and the children will be taken to a hotel owned by my family. I, on the other hand, will be visiting an acquaintance. We will part here."


    "I''m going with you," Be insisted.


    "Eh? Why?" I asked.


    "Cut the crap, Lilly. I know who you were cyberstalkingst night. After all, I did the same thing."


    ''This Brazilian bitch, this is the second time she has spied on me,'' I gritted my teeth in frustration while maintaining my smile.


    With a {Fate} centered around technology, Be was certainly a nuisance. Not only could she hack anything and everything around her, but she could even spy on anyone she wanted through phones or satellites.


    She was certainly a talented individual, but annoying nheless. It was only because the civilization in Hellsgate was stuck in the medieval ages that she seemed powerless.


    But in a ce with a strong enough infrastructure, this woman would be a monster that no one could control. Everything from electricity, heating, water, even the Inte was in her domain. With the advent of AI and robotics, she would only be more terrifying.


    I tried to keep myposure and just nodded.


    "Okay, let''s go."


    "You''re going to mess with Caroline, right?" Jo asked with a mischievous grin.


    "I have no idea who that is," I lied.


    Be, who had a level head, was fine, but Josephine, Jasmine, Robyn and Liv were loose cannons. They could kill Caroline out of the blue.


    Jas then crossed her arms as she clicked her tongue at me. The woman pointed to her eyes, then to Josephine''s ears.


    "Super vision, super hearing, lying is useless, Princess."


    The animosity dripped from her words. This bitch could see everything we were doing, like some kind of perverted voyeur. Still, at least I knew her anger wasn''t directed at me, but at Caroline.


    "Wait, I don''t understand. Who is this Caroline? Why is everyone so interested in her? Is she a famous Southerner?"


    "I don''t get it either," Robynmented.


    The ck-skinned beauty then answered before anyone who could deflect their questions.


    "Caroline Fisher, husband''s ex-girlfriend. They were childhood sweethearts, but in college she cheated on him with Harry Evans. She did it because he was rich. Husband was diagnosed clinically depressed and suicidal after they separated."


    After Jasmine''s emotional exnation. I felt the blood lust of wild beasts erupt from Liv and Robyn.


    ''Goodness. For someone normally reserved, the only time Jasmine became chatty was when the subject involved John Smith.''

 Chapter 179: Heroine Chapter: Who I am [2/2]

    Originally, these girls were just Wraiths. But ever since they evolved into Phantoms, I could no longer overpower them. I wasn''t even sure if I could run from Robyn or Jas. If you include Be and Jo, then the possibility bes zero.


    Liv on the other hand was like a wall you couldn''t get past. If she blocked my way, I wouldn''t be able to leave. Her only weakness was that she was unlearned and had nomon sense. But together, the five of them could even kill me.


    ''I guess it was inevitable. Even if I didn''t move, Be would never miss such a chance. If I am not careful, I might get ostracized instead.''


    Lilly Browning was someone who naturally ruled over others. That was my nature. This group however couldn''t care less. The only thing they understood was force.


    After exhaling in defeat, I could only acquiesce.


    "Fine. But no one outside of the Sirens will know, understood?"


    ***


    I drove the Sirens to one of the corporate buildings owned by myte stepmother.


    While cyberstalking Carolinest night, I noticed that she had applied for a job at one of our subsidiaries. I immediately contacted that office and asked to be the one to interview her.


    When we arrived, the employees all bowed and greeted me. The Sirens, while surprised, followed me silently like a bodyguard unit.


    "Miss Browning, the candidate is already inside."


    "Okay, please turn off all audio and video from the interview room," I ordered.


    "I beg your pardon? But that is againstpany policy!"


    The nerve of this peasant, I took a step in her direction and spoke condescendingly as I towered over her.


    "Do you not know who I am? If you want to continue working in this country, do as I say."


    Probably understanding how serious I was, the woman swallowed nervously and nodded. After she left, the Sirens finally began to speak.


    "Ah, the power of the 1%, how envious," the Brazilian copmented derisively.


    "Lilly, I want to sit in on the interview, get me a suit," Jasmine requested.


    "I was told the Southerners'' methods of cleaning bodies were good."


    "Lilly, where do we dump the ggers''s corpse?"


    "Haha, you guys, we can''t kill her, at least not yet."


    Liv, Robyn and Jo seemed determined to bury her in this ce. I ignored them and grabbed some essories and Caroline''s resume from the nearby table before answering.


    "I don''t care what you all do, you may only participate if none of you interrupt me. Understood?"


    After I saw that everyone agreed to my terms, we all walked in.


    I took a middle seat at the table while Jas and Be sat at my sides. Robyn, Liv and Jo stood awkwardly behind us like bodyguards.


    Finally face to face with the woman who had betrayed my Kindred, I watched her like a hawk.


    She was pretty, I suppose. Caroline had a slim build, purple eyes and a heart-shaped face. She had long wavy hair, which seemed to be her standard hairstyle since college. Her breasts were small, but she also had a slim waist.


    This woman may have been trying to hide it, but I could see the greed in her eyes when she saw the purse I was carrying. I entered the room carrying a Blue Crocodile Hermes Birkin Handbag which had a price tag of $150,000.


    ''This woman is nothing more than a gold digger,'' I thought to myself.


    It seemed that Caroline noticed the hostile looks we were giving her. She squirmed in her seat as she waited for one of us to speak.


    "Good morning, Ms. Fisher. I will be your interviewer today, I am sure you already know who I am," I began to exin.


    "Yes! I''m a huge fan Miss Lilly! Please call me Caroline! Your outfits at the Met G and the Cannes Film Festival were divine! You are the one I look up to for fashion tips and social etiquette," the gold digger chirped.


    "Oh? I am ttered. I have just been blessed a little more than most," I replied with a smile.


    "A little bit? You''re a fucking heiress with a worth of $15 billion!"


    "Be quiet Be, get out if you can''t keep your mouth shut."


    Those at my side began to argue in hushed voices. While the three standing behind all started giggling at the stupidity of their antics.


    "Let''s start your interview, Caroline. I see you are applying for a managerial position? Yet your resume states that you have been a secretary at Evans Group Inc. since graduation?"


    "Ah yes, I felt I needed a change. My old boss didn''t think I could do any better. He''s kind of overprotective," Caroline replied sheepishly.


    "Oh, so you have a rtionship with your boss? How curious."


    When she volunteered the topic I was dying to discuss, I came for blood.


    "Miss Caroline, Isabe here is the head of my cyber investigation division. Whenever we get an applicant, we naturally investigate every part of their life. We will clear up anything we find suspicious, okay?"


    "Ah, okay, I understand," she replied with a faint smile.


    "Yes, the main one is your rtionship with Harry Evans. You studied at Grand Canyon University. And became his secretary?"


    "Um. Yes," she replied ufortably.


    "But when we investigated, you were in a rtionship with someone else. And ording to those we interviewed, he really loved you, but you broke up, may I ask why?"


    "I don''t mind. His name was John Smith. He was nice but a bit dull. John loved me, but he was stupid and had no ambition. In the end, he was content to be poor. I wasn''t, so I left him and chose a man who had a future.


    "He was also too dependent. When we broke up, he kept begging me to stay. I endured his toxicity for years. I lost respect for him when he did nothing but cling to me. What could someone like that ever aplish? I was so d to be rid of him," she replied in disgust.


    Hearing her words, my anger was channeled into my hand, which crushed my favorite fountain pen into tiny pieces. It was a limited edition Montnc Boehme Papillion.


    ''The nerve of this bitch. But what a shame, I paid over $200,000 for this pen,'' Imented.


    I felt so sad to have lost such a precious instrument, I btedly noticed the amount of souls in the air. Even for a Phantom like me, the pressure was suffocating. Caroline, a human was already dying on the floor.


    The ones releasing the souls? Every single Siren around me.


    "Goodness, she might really die at this rate," I said in irritation.

 Chapter 180: Anyone else? [1/2]

    I arrived back at the North American Battlefront receiving area with a simr sensation. Being mmed to the ground and having a building crush me from behind.


    However, unlike before, the difort barely registered. Maybe it was because this was my third time imitating a ttened object. Or maybe it was simply because {Limitless} was now operating Liv''s {Fates} like a champ.


    ''Damn, the effects of a superior body really do make a difference. Thank you, {Limitless}.''


    Speaking of which, I needed to get a kiss or some blood from the Sirens. As Be said, I would be useless without their {Fates}.


    "And I was looking forward to {EXA Reload} as well. Shame."


    Taking a few seconds to observe the surroundings, I noticed that there were a lot more people in the receiving area. Like there were more than five times as many.


    As I looked around, I noticed a woman looking at me suspiciously. She had rainbow colored hair and a bunch of nose rings. Frankly, she looked like a fat man, the modern woman who looked like the people you saw arguing about their pronouns.


    "Tsk. I should go, nothing goodes from mixing with such people."


    Then someone shouted at the top of his voice.


    "ITS HIM! ITS LIMITLESS! BLACK SUIT AND RED TIE! GET HIM!"


    Others who had heard all the noise turned in my direction. I could feel more than a hundred people staring at me. The feeling was simr to the way the zombies turned to me when I sniped them at the fort.


    "Huh? OH SHIT! IT''S REALLY HIM!"


    "QUICK! GRAB HIM!"


    Like a pack of wolves, the people around me charged at me, their intentions unclear. But one thing was for sure, their faces were rabid with desire.


    Their fervor was like a prison full of convicts who saw a beautiful prostitute after a decade of masturbation.


    If it was just one or ten people, I might be able to fight them off. But when you had over a hundred people all charging at you, it was disconcerting to say the least.


    Unfortunately for them, I have been fighting hundreds all this time. And my response was always the same.


    "{Withdraw} M60, AR-15, MAC-11''s, Ebony and Ivory. BRING IT ON, YOU FUCKS!"


    Those closest to me were within range before my weapons materialized. I called for {Code} and began to brawl with them. Not sure what the hell was going on, it was better to incapacitate people first then ask questionster.


    Using my superior speed and powerful body, I hit my attackers where it hurt. In their balls. I had kicked three people in the balls before the people started to slow down a bit.


    When one woman came, I mercilessly mmed my fist into her sternum, knocking her to the ground.


    I knocked down another five people before the M60 appeared in my hand. As I felt the cool andforting sensation of steel, I shouted with glee.


    "You better start running, you bastards!"


    Even if we were in hell, it was impolite to suddenly attack someone. The current generationcked manners because they were not disciplined enough.


    In my generation, saying I feel offended meant absolutely nothing.


    I aimed the business end of the M60 and put my finger on the trigger. The people who recognized my weapon all stopped abruptly. Some raised their hands to surrender, others turned around and ran.


    Maybe I was stupid, but I really did not care. But if they wanted to fuck around, it was my responsibility to let them find out.


    The M60 started spewing lead with an iconic ratatat as 7.62¡Á51mm NATO rounds sted the mob that wasing for me. Much like the zombies, the men and women caught in the lead rain were all riddled with holes.


    With my new {Kismet} I had more control over the pig, so I swept it from side to side with ease. Like a magical broom, the trash before me parted like the Red Sea. A secondter, the AR-15 appeared in my left hand to join the party.


    There were those who tried to use other people as cover.


    But because both the M60 and the AR15 had full metal jackets, they needed to hide between three and four people if they wanted toe out unscathed.


    Since the ass-whooping I got from Zach, I stopped using ball rounds on the M60. Instead of throwing the undead back, I opted for FMJs and just shredded their bodies like confetti.


    With both of my weapons firing nonstop, blood soaked the receiving area in less than a second. Of the one hundred that came at me, I only managed to take down less than two dozen, but the rest stopped or fell to the ground.


    I wasn''t heartless, so anyone who dropped to the ground was no longer a target, but anyone still standing or trying to crawl was wee to eat lead.


    Because of {Gather}, I had already memorized the faces of everyone who came after me, while screams and yells filled the air as I continued my resistance.


    Less than a minuteter, both of my guns ran out of ammunition as the entire area suddenly fell silent.


    As the gunfire stopped, numerous people began to raise their heads and look around.


    Of course, even after such a demonstration, no one died. Those I shot were all pierced by bullets in non-lethal ces.


    Due to my superior aim, it was easy to ensure that everyone would survive. I ignored the rest of them and reloaded the AR-15 and M60. Unsure what to do, the mob refused to stand up even after I finished reloading.


    The scene was simr to David''s arrival during my enlistment.


    More than two hundred people were on the ground, afraid of being hit by stray bullets. I felt infinitely powerful as I saw their cowardice and hesitation.


    ''Of course, that''s how most people would react. Who would be willing to run towards a shooter with automatic weapons?''


    Unwilling to waste any more time on this farce, I rested the AR-15 over my shoulder as I yelled in a loud voice.


    "Anyone else?"


    When no one stood, I approached one of the bleeding ones.


    "{Stock} AR-15, {Retrieve} 1887."


    I switched weapons and aimed my shotgun at the poor fool''s eye.


    "Why did you all try to gang up on me, answer me before I blow your brains out."

 Chapter 181: Anyone else? [2/2]

    The man with a missing arm beside him replied in a low voice.


    "Um, forgive us, Mr. Limitless. There was a bounty on your head. 500,000 souls to anyone who could catch you alive, 200,000 if you were dead."


    "Hmm. Is that so? So what now? You fuckers want to try me again? I can go all night if you want!"


    When no one else answered, I invoked the death resonance as I roared.


    "Tell anyone who wants the bounty. Be prepared to die if you want my head! As for you cowards, get out of my sight. I will put a bullet in your heads the next time I see any of you."


    After my challenge, dozens of people stood up and ran away. When the rest saw that I wasn''t going after those who ran, a stampede began. The injured were picked up by their allies, and in less than a minute the reception area was cleared.


    The Administration people who cleaned up vomit stared in horror at the pools of blood left on the floor. Some of them barfed even more, adding to the mess to be cleaned up.


    I stored my weapons and was about to leave the reception area. My next destination was the dispatch office and the production building.


    I noticed a group of burly men and a woman approaching. They were all from a mix of races and carried ded weapons.


    What struck me odd was that I knew all of them, and my personal clerk was even leading their group. They eventually reached me and I couldn''t help but ask.


    "Why the hell are you all here?"


    "d you seem to be doing fine John," Joshua Hwang remarked wryly.


    "White boy! You still loony!" greeted Ang Kim.


    "Hombre, you look like you had fun, those pendejos had iting," remarked Santiago Gonzales.


    "Damn John, now that''s how you do a beat down!" added Scott Davis.


    "Boss, I knew you were mean enough to steal the coins off a dead man''s eyes but holy shit." Mike Walker said wryly.


    "See? Didn''t I tell you? This nigga has balls of steel, ain''t no way a bunch of no name Wraiths could even touch him," Warren Bryant eximed.


    "Esteemed Limitless, allow me to exin. In response for the bounty anonymously ced on your head, I gathered this group from the zones you saved. I told them if they performed well you would scout them," Phillip exined.


    Mike then chucked as he continued. "Not that any of us believed you needed help. Still boss, you have been really busy."


    "The hillbilly is right white boy! We made a fuck ton of souls from your ass. Good job!"


    "Oy Chink, get your bitch under control. Mike may be a stupid ass cowboy but he is not a Hillbilly."


    "Santi, your word game is shit."


    "What? You want die fucking cholo? Go build wall!"


    "Listen puta, I am not a cholo!"


    "Aight you Niggas, let''s all y nice."


    "I no nigger, I Asian! Fuck off ckie and find dad, yes?"


    "Look bitch, I was trying to help you, whye at a Nigga like that?"


    "You all baby dicks! Want fight? I kill you all!"


    "G, stop picking fights all the time... everyone, please forgive my wife. She means well."


    "But Oppa, these fuckers weak as shit¡­"


    Ugh, as if the Sirens were not enough. Now I had to deal with these fuckers as well. They were from very different backgrounds, conflict was inevitable.


    Not bothering to listen any longer, I walked away as their group continued to insult each other. My clerk, who also had a exasperated look on his face, followed me.


    "Would you mind telling me what is going on, Phillip?"


    "It''s a secret to everyone but Administration, the bounty was from the Saviors. They wanted to mess with you before the real fight on Saturday."


    "Can''t say I''m surprised."


    "Well, I don''t think regr Wraiths would be able to best you, but please be careful."


    "Oh? Are you worried about me?"


    "Mr. Smith, you are my golden goose,ying a year''s worth of souls every time you appear. I can only get benefits for the next three nights, so of course I am worried."


    "..."


    "What? You expected me to care about you beyond Saturday?"


    "Never mind. You can still take on other reapers, right? Even though you are my exclusive clerk?"


    "I can, but the reapers have to be part of your faction. They have to be either in your squad or your army."


    That worked out well, I guess. The girls can simply split off or join other groups if I died. If not, they will be part of my future assault group.


    "Okay, then prepare for seven phantoms, they will arrive here within a week."


    "..."


    "Mr. Smith, you are inmand of seven Phantoms? As a Wraith?"


    "Hmm. I do notmand them, but they listen to me, I think. Besides, I am no longer a Wraith, I just became a Phantom a few hours ago."


    "What? Does anyone else know?"


    "Just the group I told you about."


    "Good, let''s keep it a secret for now," Phillipmented, rubbing his palms together.


    "What? Are you going to sell the information or something?"


    "Haha, Mr. Smith, in the two days you were here, you topped the annihtion rankings twice with 500 to 1 odds. Justst night, you even sent the production guilds into a panic. The guilds you hired are all trying very hard to keep your identity a secret."


    "Phillip, get to the point," I said impatiently.


    "Well, everyone is still waiting for you in the Wraith annihtion rankings. Most are too stupid to understand how many souls it takes to even ce there. Very few would have expected your promotion to the Phantom ranking after only two days."


    "Haha, is there any way I can bet on myself?"


    "There isn''t, but I can ce the bet on your behalf."


    "Okay, sounds good. Then let''s make some money."


    My clerk and I went to the production guilds, if I wanted to survive the Seeker War, I needed every soul I could get my hands on.

 Chapter 182: Keep it simple. [1/2]

    Phillip and I continued to joke about my impending war as we made our way to the dispatch office.


    Apparently the other production guilds were harassing Overlord, Red Moon, and Golden Wick to let them meet me. Phillip was simrly harassed, but his affiliation with David''s group kept everyone on their best behavior.


    ording to him, the three guilds formed a united faction called the Limitless Logistics Group, or LLG. Supposedly, the P3, P4, and P5 guilds hired by Overlord and Red Moon were also members.


    The LLG, which appeared overnight, threw off the bnce of the Production Guild''s hierarchy. As a new major power, they were ostracized and bullied into disbanding. The higher groups tried to force the LLG to cancel their contracts with me.


    "But since most of the guilds in the LLG were at the bottom, they decided to leave the Production group altogether and follow you. Naturally, I was brought into the union as their advisor."


    "Aren''t they risking too much?


    "Mr. Smith, risk only matters when you have much to lose. For these people, following the Production hierarchy would get them nowhere."


    "Tsk. You got another cut, didn''t you? You greedy monocled bastard."


    "Why yes, yes I did. I have a 1%mission on everything the LLG sells. Provided I keep them informed of your affairs."


    "Just for that? You are swindling them!"


    "Mr. Smith, you still do not seem to understand how much of a bnce breaker you are. I would earn my 1% with just the information about your ascension to a Phantom."


    "Let me guess, they all gambled on the Annihtion rankings as well?"


    "Indeed they have, one of the benefits of being a member of the LLG is insider information."


    Wow, this has really be a big deal, hasn''t it? I could care less about such things, but when enough people got together, things would usually happen.


    "As I mentioned before, one of the main rules of the LLG is to support you in any way possible. So they requested for an official meeting."


    "Hmm, I guess that is fine, I needed to discuss something with them anyway."


    Just then, I heard people running towards us.


    "John! Wait up!"


    Scott Davis, Frank Moses'' adopted son, led the group of misfits toward me.


    "What do you want Scott? I am busy, if you bastards still want to horse around leave me out of it."


    "Hombre, that''s not it. We talked and you told everyone you would bring us with you after a week," Santiago interrupted.


    "Yeah, I did. Your point is?"


    "Boss, can we start working for you tonight? Everyone here is already familiar with guns, if you get us a gun, we can help you out."


    "White boy, you remember my mace? I tank for you!"


    I looked at Warren, out of all the people here, he was the only one I hadn''t invited. We only met because he was tailing Dominic Maegester.


    Probably understanding what I was saying, he replied with a big grin.


    "Nigga, my {fate} tells me you are like a once-in-a-lifetime wave, let me join. I am Formless as well. Was a reservist, so I know my way around a gun."


    While I hesitated, in reality, these Formless guys would help me quite a bit. With most of my {Kismet} gone, I couldn''t even draw weapons fast enough.


    My rate of fire actually determined how many zombies I could kill, and no matter how much I economized, as long as only two weapons fired at once, the kill rate would reflect that.


    With an additional five people, six if I included Ang, the kill rate would of course be significantly higher.


    It was unfortunate that I no longer had the {Fates} of the Sirens, otherwise I could cast them on all my weapons. At the moment, the 1887, AR-15, M24, and M60 were the only ones enhanced by {Fates}.


    I couldn''t even use the drone to create the map because Aira was no longer here.


    ''Hmm. I was going to do it eventually, but if these guys wish to follow me, they need to be aware of the risks.''


    "Okay, let''s talk inside, if you still want to follow me after listening to what I have to say, then we can discuss it afterwards."


    The Formless cheered at my eptance. As we talked, I noticed a group of people following me. It seemed that my uniform had be synonymous with my identity. But I could care less about them now.


    Phillip led the Formless group and me to one of therge conference rooms. When we entered, there were well over a hundred people.


    About half were seated around arge, long table. For every person seated, there was another standing behind them.


    ''The seated ones must be the guild leaders, while those behind them are their aides.'' I guessed.


    I scanned the room and saw Cynthia of the Red Moons, Addison of Overlord and Yvonne of Golden Wick were also seated. ire, the sassy girl from Yvonne''s guild, was standing behind her.


    Cynthia stood up and announced in a loud voice.


    "All rise, Reaper Limitless has arrived."


    At hermand, the entire room stood up as they all turned towards me. As someone at the bottom of the corporate and socialdder,


    I was overwhelmed by such respect. I froze in my tracks as I swallowed my nervousness. The more I interacted with these people, the more I saw how much my actions affected Hellsgate.


    While I drew a nk, the Formless all entered the room and lined up behind the head of the table. They stood evenly spaced without uttering a sound. Phillip came after as he stood behind the head and gestured for me toe in.


    ''Fuck! Isn''t this too much? They already treated me like a president or something.''


    I awkwardly stepped forward and stood at the head of the table. As over a hundred people waited for my next words. I tried to keep calm all while, I felt like I had a knot in my stomach.


    All I wanted to do was kill zombies, yet here I was, leading a meeting with over a hundred people. My ego wanted to be proud of my aplishment, but I bit my lip and forced it down.


    ''I have a war in three days, I have no time for such stupid ideas.''


    I gritted my teeth and managed to take a seat, gesturing to Phillip.

 Chapter 183: Keep it simple [2/2]

    "Please take your seats, this marks the first meeting of the Limitless Logistics Group. Before we begin, our head, the esteemed Limitless, will say a few words," my exclusive clerk began to say.


    ''What the fuck was this monocled bastard talking about?''


    Ignoring my what the fuck face, Phillip took a step back and looked away.


    ''Fine, let''s just get this over with,'' I inwardlyined.


    "Look, I''m not good at fancy speeches, so I''ll keep it simple. If you have all watched what I do, ites down to one thing. My goal is quite straightforward, I will destroy the undead and close Hellsgate."


    The room was deadly silent as I spoke, their eyes wide in surprise at the audacity of my intentions.


    "I hired Overlord, Red Moon, and Golden Wick simply to help me gain more souls to kill more undead. Anything else I got is just a side benefit. Everyone here should be aware of that."


    I stared at the people in the room as I paused.


    "Hellsgate as a wholecks urgency. Every day you all waste, reapers die defending the zones. This must change."


    I then called out the P30L and showed it to everyone.


    "I''m not sure if everyone knows this, but I am Formless. I use guns to fight, and I prepare Blessed bullets as I had no alternative for the tainted undead. In the future, I will train everyone in this room to evolve. Closing the Hell Gate is a Reaper''s duty, so anyone who wishes to ally with me should be fully prepared."


    ire, remembering my words, visibly flinched at my remark. It may have been premature, but I had to mention it. I nned to expand the scope of the battle. Even an untrained civilian would be able to handle a {Fate}-enhanced firearm.


    Everyone here joined Production because they could not fight. I could invest in them, but I couldn''t do it for everyone. If they wanted to survive theing storm, they would have to take their fate into their own hands.


    One man raised his hand as if to ask a question. I gestured for him to speak.


    "Esteemed Limitless, I say this with all due respect, but are you out of your mind? We are production guilds! We are not built forbat! We never signed up for this. Cynthia! Addison!


    If this man''s words are to be followed, my guild and I are leaving."


    I expected them to challenge me or ask me to reconsider, but they did the opposite.


    "The Red Moons will abide by the will of Limitless."


    "Overlord epts."


    Yvonne, who had a broad smile on her face, raised her hand like a child.


    "Golden Wick epts!"


    Suddenly, the other guilds began to vote on whether or not to ept my condition. About thirty of the guilds voted against it. Phillip, taking note of those who were against my words, called them out.


    "All 100 guilds have now made their stance known, to the thirty guilds that have refused. Please leave."


    "What? But we joined the LLG! What about the promised rewards?!"


    Phillip said with a look of disgust.


    "My dear sir, you must be mentally retarded or simply insane. The LLG was created to support the logistics of Reaper Limitless. Since you have all expressed your intention to disregard his will, why the hell should the group share the benefits with you?"


    "But..."


    They were about to argue further when Ang suddenly summoned herrge mace and mmed it to the ground.


    "Oy pussy. Coward should leave. Choose, you go walk or we cart you out in box."


    The production people all mmed up when they heard Ang''s threats, suddenly I heard the people behind me all draw their weapons.


    "As expected from the followers of a tyrant, you are nothing but thugs! Everyone, we are leaving. You will regret this!"


    Like a two-bit viin, the nameless leader of those who disagreed with me walked away. After they left, Phillip continued to address the guilds.


    "Cynthia, Addison. Will the number of guilds remaining be enough if we were to process simr amounts of booty?"


    "They will, more like they have too," the pink-haired woman replied.


    "What do you mean? Can''t you get more people?"


    The dwarfish looking Addison answered in her ce.


    "The LLG has been cklisted by Production as a whole, we will no longer be able to use their facilities until we agree to their demands."


    ''Ugh, more politics. Do I even want to ask?''


    "Can you get by without them?" I inquired annoyed.


    "The main problem isnd, as you know, real estate in Hellsgate is extremely limited. Production requires materials and space for our workshops.


    "Since we do not have either, we have to ept the impossible demands of the corrupt leadership just to be able to make things to sell," Addison exined.


    Land, huh? If we didn''t have enoughnd, we''d just have to take it, like the settlers did on Earth. The problem was, we were not fighting the natives, we had to annihte the undead if we wanted to im theirnd.


    "Let''s deal with that in the future, for now, can you all still sell the loot you get from my battles?"


    Cynthia replied in a confident tone as she smiled.


    "We''ll make it work somehow, Limitless. The purpose of today''s meeting was to ask how we can better support you."


    I looked at Yvonne as I replied.


    "Yvonne, besides Golden Wick, how many people are in the LLG who are capable of blessing?"


    "I am so d you asked, Patron, we currently have 60 reapers who can use blessings at this moment. We are almost on par with a Priority 3 Saint Division guild."


    "Alright, Cynthia, Addison, get me some curatives that can restore the stamina of the Golden Wick members. That is what I need most right now. And prepare for a long night."


    "I understand, then we will adjourn. We also wanted to inform you. The guilds have voted, and I will be the president of the LLG, with Addison as vice president. Yvonne will be the head of our Saint Division."


    "I guess that''s fine. But why are you telling me?"


    "We will dissolve our guilds and reform into the LLG. Once Administration approves, the LLG will be recognized as a second production office, equal to the main one."


    ''Fuck, isn''t this a really big deal now?''

 Chapter 184: Devils Remains [1/2]

    Since I had neither the interest nor the brainpower to help with the politics, I left the pesky issues to Phillip. Except for the three leaders of my first guilds, the rest had already left to prepare for my runs.


    While they discussed, I began to {Withdraw} rounds that I wanted the Saint Division to bless.


    ''We had 60 people, plus the original twelve from Golden Wick. While I could not give them {Eat}, I could give them {Rewind}. If I could get 72 people to bless non-stop. My fire power would increase by leaps and bounds,'' I thought with a grin.


    But then I remembered the difference between a zombie killed by lead and a blessing. Production made money from the corpses. If I killed them all with blessings instead, wouldn''t I earn very little?


    "Everyone, I have something to check. I have seen what blessed rounds do to a zombie. When they are killed in that manner, they turn to ash, so would LLG suffer a loss if I used blessed rounds?"


    Yvonne visibly flinched at my question, then cautiously waited for the other two to answer.


    Contrary to my expectations, both Cynthia and Addison responded positively.


    "Esteemed Limitless, while the loss of the corpse itself is a shame, the chance for the devil''s remains is a worthy trade-off."


    "I agree, if we can get a steady supply of Devil''s Remains, even the main production office would buy them despite us being cklisted."


    "Devil''s remains? Can someone please exin?"


    Phillip took it upon himself to exin.


    "Esteemed Limitless, Devil''s Remains is a highly coveted ingredient. Assault teams that are part of the front line are prone to soul copse due to the influence of demonic energy. Soulgears made with Devil''s Remains will almost negate the effect."


    Oh? I almost died from a soul copse, so the deeper the reapers went, the more susceptible they are to such things? Then this might be a good opportunity, I need to prepare artifacts for myself and the Sirens as soon as possible.


    "Good, then how much would Devil''s Remains go for?"


    Cynthia smiled and raised three fingers, "They go for thirty thousand souls each. If we target devil''s remains instead of corpse collection, the burden on our side would also be greatly reduced."


    ''''Ugh, that is expensive, if I needed eight of those remains, I would need over 240,000 souls? Money, oh money, why is our rtionship so sour? I guess we just have to see how often these show up.''


    "I am not promising anything, but depending on my discussion with Yvonne and the Holy Division, we may be able to work something out. Please keep that in mind."


    A few minutester a group came in and gave Yvonne the stamina soul gears. As she received them, I excused myself from the tedious discussions and brought the misfits and Yvonne.


    I don''t know when, or maybe it was because the misfits all had some sort of military training, but they started acting like my bodyguard unit. The Production Saint with me couldn''t help but notice.


    "Patron, it has only been one day and you already have hired muscle. Some of them are even cute. Are any of them taken?"


    shbacks of the pathetic striptease made me grimace and answer hastily.


    "Yvonne, if you n on dancing for them, you and your girls might just get shot, so don''t."


    Yvonne made a teary face and then pped my arm in retaliation.


    "Ey! I told you to forget it! That was a one-time thing."


    Santiago, who was standing next to us, whistled before answering.


    "Hombre, is Miss Yvonne your woman? Should we give her extra protection?"


    Half expecting Mike or the others to correct him, I was surprised to see the rest of the misfits waiting for my answer.


    ''Ho? So these guys are serious? Then you better make it clear. ''


    "No, Yvonne is not my woman, but I want her and the other heads of LLG protected. My girls will arrive tomorrow. But none of them need bodyguards."


    "Boss, are these the women Miss Aira spoke ofst time? The seven girls fighting for your affection?" Mike asked.


    "White boy, you fuck too much!"


    "G, please be quiet."


    "Damn nigga, you already living the life!"


    "Tsk. No wonder Patron resisted our charms, you were already feasting on debauchery before we met."


    "I''m telling you now, they are extremely fierce warriors. One of them even tried to kill me. Be on your best behavior," I said with a smile.


    "Well shit, we better be ready to greet them tomorrow," Scott blurted out.


    Our group continued tough as we walked towards the blessing altars.


    "By the way, Yvonne, when the Golden Wick disbands, will our contract be null and void?"


    "No, Patron, Golden Wick will be merged into the LLG, so the contract will simply be transferred. I intend to renegotiate with Phillip after weplete the blessing."


    I nodded wordlessly and saw about seventy people dressed in priestly robes, it seems we have already arrived near the altars.


    "PATRON!"


    One of them, a teenager at most, flew toward me, only to be stopped by Warren.


    "Patron! You made me feel so goodst night!" the girl screamed.


    My bodyguards and even the Saints all looked at me with disgust.


    Before I could answer, a group of girls came in and restrained the teenager.


    "Eva! Come back here!"


    "Please forgive this child, Patron did not touch her at all."


    "It was a cucumber! Please forget what you heard."


    Warren gently pushed Eva back towards the Golden Wick girls as if he had touched shit.


    Yvonne, blushing with embarrassment, quickly left my side and addressed the newly formed LLG Holy Division.


    "Everyone, as discussed, we will now be the Saint Division of LLG with me as its leader. Before we begin, I would like to point out that Patron is unique in that he highly values Production Saints. Golden Wick, who has already received his favor, can attest to his integrity, so he will not cheat or treat any of you unfairly."


    The whole area felt solemn as Yvonne continued her words. It was amazing how different this girl was when she started saying shit like "No cap"pared to how she was now.


    Suddenly I felt the death resonanceing out of Yvonne as she red at the others.

 Chapter 185: Devils Remains [2/2]

    "But I must also remind you. He is not to be taken lightly. Those of us who tried to manipte him were almost killed for our disrespect. If you wish to remain in this group, be sure to behave ordingly. Today marks the beginning for us, I will see to it that the troublemakers are removed, am I clear?"


    "Wow, Miss Yvonne kind of reminds me of you, John."


    I looked at Scott with a dumbfounded look on my face, but before I could say anything, the other misfits expressed their agreement.


    "Well, anyone on the other end of the boss''s guns would find inspiration, I guess."


    "Damn hombre, you even tried to kill little girls? That is fucked up."


    "Nigga, just because a person has a hole instead of a pole doesn''t make them any less dangerous."


    "Looks like the young miss has learned a lot from you, John," Joshuamented in passing.


    "Oppa, I''m bored. When do we hit something?"


    "Just hold on a little longer, G, you know John, right? When he starts to move, we get to kill a whole bunch."


    "Okay. Oy white boy! We going right?"


    Hearing Ang''sints, I am once again reminded of how different people can be. But as more and more pieces fall into ce, the opportunity to change Hellsgate for the better has arrived.


    "Yes, we will be fighting all night, Kimchi. Get ready."


    Yvonne then introduced me to the leaders of the other holy guilds, I didn''t bother to remember their names because I didn''t really care. I just wanted to get this done as quickly as possible.


    I called Yvonne to the side and asked her in a low voice.


    "Yvonne, what I am about to tell you is secret. It cannote out of the Saint Division. Do you trust these people enough to share it or will it just be Golden Wick?"


    "Patron, I know some of them, but they also have connections outside. For the secrets, I rmend only Golden Wick, and when the other guilds start earning substantially, then we can judge their loyalty."


    "Heh, so I already have Golden Wick''s loyalty?" I joked.


    "Yes, Patron, when no one believed in us, only you trusted us. Because of you, we have a chance to change our fate. Aisha told us what she had seen that day. After reflecting with the others. We feel that your words are true. So we intend to fight with you until the end."


    "Very well, for the next round of blessings, let everyone except you participate."


    While I was just asking for fun, I received a serious answer that I didn''t expect. It could have been some words I said in passing, but the fierce glint in Yvonne''s eyes told me that she was serious.


    Golden Wick ate the Stamina Soulgears, and in a few minutes, the LLG Saint Division was back to full strength. After that, I handed out the bullets I wanted to be blessed with, and seventy-one of them blessed bullets of various calibers.


    "Alright everyone, well done! Limitless will pay you 1,100 souls each before the end of tonight. Do not worry about getting anothermission next week. Patron requires massive amounts of blessings, so rest up and contact me when you are ready for another blessing. Dismissed!"


    Tired and exhausted, the Saint Division staggered out of the altar rooms with happy faces. It seemed they were all worried about getting another chance until next week. Yvonne really knew how to handle them; she even added a hundred souls to their wages.


    ''Ugh, doesn''t that mean I have to make 79,200 souls just to get the blessings back?''


    After the other saints left, only Golden Wick and the misfit group remained. I let them all enter an altar and locked the door.


    "Okay, everyone here is considered trustworthy. What I am about to show you will not leave this room. Understood?"


    Everyone nodded, so I began my demonstration.


    "{Save}."


    I pulled out a 1911 and emptied the clip into my limbs and stomach. The people all freaked out, but I motioned for them to stop. As they watched me vomit blood, I walked to the other end of the room and called my {Fate}.


    "{Rewind}."


    I disappeared and reappeared at my save point, healed and holding the 1911. I threw the gun at the misfits as I exined.


    "This is my {Fate}, it is called {Rewind}, it allows me to save my state and then return to that state at will. It removes any debuffs or injuries and restores my stamina and ammunition."


    "Patron, by stamina you mean..."


    It was excellent that Yvonne immediately understood what I wanted her to do.


    "Yes, Yvonne, let us see if your stamina for blessings can be abused with my {Fate}."


    While I was giving my blood to Yvonne and exining {Auto} and {Save}, the Misfits were also discussing my fighting ability.


    "That''s why we never ran out of ammo. Hombre is like a walking arsenal."


    "But that doesn''t exin how he can pull things out of thin air? His guns are not Sorms."


    "Or how the boss has eyes in the back of his head."


    "White boy also can throw very big sticks!"


    "Or how the nigga can fly like Iron Man."


    "Wait, what? He flies?"


    "No he doesn''t, John, he just falls like everybody else."


    "I am telling you niggas Limitless can fly."


    I then faced the misfits as Yvonne began to bless another round.


    "I have other things I want to share with you. After this, we will discuss how to fight as a group. Phillip should already be processing your application to join my army."


    I then summoned my entire arsenal and gestured to the misfits.


    "For now, choose the weapons you want to use for the night. We can decide on your permanent gear you want tomorrow after we talk to Phillip."


    When all my guns were called to one ce, the guys all looked satisfied and started to check the weapons. Although such matters were cumbersome for what I wanted to aplish, I had to endure it.


    "Hopefully we will get worthwhile results."

 Chapter 186: The 2nd Amendment [1/2]

    As the misfits considered their options, the light of Yvonne''s blessing engulfed the room. Everyone turned to see a blessed 7.62 NATO round and a tired saint.


    "Unnie! Here, have some water."


    "Yvonne, are you okay?"


    The members of the Golden Wick crowded around their guild leader, who was covered in beads of sweat.


    "No time. Patron, I will invoke {Rewind} now."


    With her words, Yvonne triggered my {Fate}, which teleported her from near the altar to the save point she created.


    The people in the room marveled at the near-instantaneous movement. When Yvonne appeared, her former guild mates ran to check on her.


    "Yvonne! How are you feeling? Do you think you can try to bless again?"


    Everyone, including me, was eagerly awaiting her answer. If just the twelve members of the Golden Wick could spam {Rewind}, then they might be able to beat even the Holy Grail Guild.


    The blonde phantom grinned broadly as she nodded.


    "Yes, Patron {Rewind} is amazing. For 100 souls, we can get the ability to bless again."


    Pleased with the good news, I approached her and ced my hand on her shoulder.I took one of the cups on the tables and the Ruger MK II and shot into my palm. I let the blood fill the cup and smiled at her.


    "Well done, here is your mission, ask Cynthia for more stamina medicine and bless as many rounds as you can. Bring more people from the Saint Division at your discretion."


    Yvonne hesitated before taking the cup of blood.


    "Patron, I feel this is too much of a responsibility. For anyone in Production, {Rewind} is a heaven-sent gift. In the wrong hands, it can practically destroy supply and demand. I am too inexperienced."


    I used my non-bleeding hand and patted Yvonne on the head. Yvonne reminded me of Bless and na, they were cheerful and full of life. The fact that she had to be in hell at all saddened me somehow.


    "Yvonne, I am giving you this responsibility because I have seen what you are capable of. I have seen how you have taken care of your guild and how you have used your intelligence to get my contract. For these reasons, I have faith in you."


    "Patron..."


    "You can ask your sisters and Phillip if you need help. For now, do not tell anyone except those you choose in the Saint Division."


    Yvonne looked at her sisters and saw the bright smiles on their faces. Perhaps finding strength in her bonds, she looked me in the eye and epted the cup. I also gave them about a hundred rounds of various calibers.


    Then I called for one of their girls.


    "ire."


    "Yes, Patron?"


    The blonde, who wore her hair in a short bun, stepped forward. Whenever I remembered theing Seeker War, my mind went back to the debate I had with ire and Golden Wick.


    No one knew the future, my morality could just as easily get me killed on Saturday. Yet, in my arrogance, I trampled on this woman''s ideals. The time I spent in thought made me want to make amends.


    ''There are just some things worth dying for.''


    Regardless of the difference between us, if I denied their stance but defended mine, I was nothing but a hypocrite. Our positions were the same, in the face of power, we both chose not topromise who we were.


    "ire, I want to apologize. What I said to you was arrogant and foolish. You were right and I was just prideful. I recently found myself in a simr situation, and I chose the stupid choice instead of bowing to the strong."


    "Ah! You don''t have anything to apologize for, Patron, I was wrong too! It was silly of me to preach about my principles when I was living a sheltered life. Please forgive me too!"


    The two of us, taking a step toward each other, looked at our pathetic apologies and began to chuckle.


    "Say, is Patron hitting on Yvonne-unnie and ire-unnie?"


    "I know, right? The atmosphere is ro worthy."


    "Patron, I can fuck better than ire. Pick me instead."


    "Eva! Mou! Please be quiet you thirsty lecher!"


    ire and I, hearing her words, coughed and took a step back.


    "Uh, ire. I know you are frustrated because you cannot fight. Come with me. To prove to the Production Guilds that we all have the power to fight, I will train you."


    "PATRON! STOP RIGHT NOW!"


    "Yvonne, this does not concern you. I told you before, anyone who wants to follow me must bear arms. I will make it so that anyone who has the will can do so."


    "I know that, but..."


    "It''s okay, sister," ire interjected.


    "ire..."


    "Sister, you know as well as I do. Patron''s words are true. If Hellsgate falls, everyone dies The only way to survive is to be stronger."


    "...."


    "Besides, it would be better to train with Patron than to fight when we have no choice."


    Aisha, the girl who saw the carnage I made, walked over to ire and then hugged her.


    "Don''t die."


    Yvonne then faced me and bowed. Her eyes were sharp as a parent''s.


    "Patron, I beg you, please take care of my sister."


    "I will, I give you my word, nothing will happen to her today."


    The Golden Wick girls then hugged ire before leaving. They must all be on the move to find stamina soulgears.


    After they left, ire followed me back to the misfits.


    "Boss, I am against bringing her today."


    "Don''t be so uptight, nigga, Boo needs to figure it out on her own. At least she got us today."


    "White boy, this girl is weak, zombie food."


    "Hombre, are you serious you want her with us?"


    Against the mixed reception, I held up my hand and replied.


    "There wille a time when you will all need to train reapers. The production guilds will all eventually serve as our army. Mike, Santiago. You remember the guns I upgraded with {fates}, right?"


    "You mean the scam AR-15 boss?"


    "Heh... Hombre, you want to mass produce those?"


    "I do, you know how helpful and easy to use that is. Even with a build like ire''s, she should have no trouble."


    Both men nodded and epted after hearing my n, Scott and Joshua had no qualms to begin with.

 Chapter 187: The 2nd Amendment [2/2]

    "Aight, boo just hang with me, I will take care of you. I am big and strong."


    "Uhm. I would rather not. Mister, thanks for the offer though."


    At ire''s refusal, the rest of the groupughed hysterically. Warren took no offense and just smiled back. I checked the weapons, the boys took and analyzed our formation.


    Scott, being a redneck, grabbed the biggest gun, the M60.


    Joshua took the M24 as it benefited his introverted personality.


    Mike grabbed the AR-15 and would function as a rifleman.


    Warren armed himself with the MP5SD.


    Santiago surprisingly chose the Winchester 1887.


    I gave ire the Ruger MK II as it should be the easiest to handle for a beginner.


    "Santiago, carry the P30L as a backup. Warren, take the 629 for a stronger punch."


    Ang juggled the M26 grenades without taking any of the weapons.


    "Kimchi, you okay without a gun?"


    "No thanks, mace good enough White boy, lets go already!"


    Everyone took all the ammunition for their respective weapons. I then gave them the blessed bullets we just got.


    "All right, let''s divide this up, everyone gets at least 5 for their weapons and backups. We will use them sparingly. If we run into a dangerous situation, be ready to load these bad boys."


    "Boss, I have heard these things were scams. You used almost 80,000 souls are you sure these are worth it?"


    "Shut your mouth hillbilly! My sisters and I worked hard on them, they are worth every penny."


    "Wow, this woman has a temper, no? Se?orita, I am sorry, for formless people like us, 1,000 souls is a lot of money. The cowboy meant no offense."


    "Hmph! Just be careful!" ire scolded.


    Just then, the door opened and Phillip entered. Looks like his talks with LLG were already over.


    "Perfect, Phillip is here. ire shoot me."


    "Patron?"


    "Limitless, is this some kind of kink y?"


    "Shut up you monocled bastard. ire, I need to show him {Rewind} and you need to learn how to use your weapon. I''m a Phantom, I don''t die easily. "


    "Ah but... Can''t someone else do it?"


    "Maybe next time then. Alright, all of you, shoot me."


    "What?! WAIT PATRON!"


    Without the slightest hesitation, my bodyguard squad pumped me full of lead. As if testing the limits of rewind, they deliberately tried to maim and dismember me.


    Thebined firepower blew off my left arm at the shoulder, while everything below my right elbow was blown away in a gruesome mess.


    "That hurt you sick fucks," Iined as I nearly copsed from the pain.


    "Just following orders boss."


    "Phillip, get me a cup," I ordered as I staggered towards him. A few rounds had pierced my thighs, making it painful just to walk.


    As Phillip handed me a cup, I moved my severed right elbow over it. The blood that spurted from my limb quickly filled it. I felt myself slowly losing consciousness from the pain.


    My body wasn''t bruised that badly, but they poked enough holes in me that my chest felt like it was going to copse.


    "Good, this should be enough. {Rewind}."


    Philip, who had seen my demonstration, dropped his jaw when he saw me reappear unharmed and full of life.


    "Holy shit. Then {Reload} is not your {Fate}? You can heal any damage, no matter how severe? Is there a mechanism for using it?"


    "I''ll tell youter, I apologize for not telling you before."


    "That''s okay, everyone has secrets, it is better to keep such important information close to your vest. But since you showed it to me now, you must have something you want to aplish."


    "I have verified that {Rewind} can allow production saints to bless repeatedly."


    "Well, that is... quite a big deal..."


    "It is, I want you to help Yvonne, organize the saint division, and enforce confidentiality."


    "Okay, my focus would be on keeping the secret from getting out and helping Yvonne maximize the blessings, right?"


    "Yes," I nodded.


    Having smart people was certainly a good thing. Leveraging the intellect of people around a leader was one of the hallmarks of a great one. I may not be smart but using anything I could was second nature to me.


    "Understood. I will go find Ms. Yvonne after this. Will that be all?" Philip rified.


    "Fill out an army application here under my name. Let the seven of them here serve as a second squad. I read that when a squad belongs to an army they are allowed to go up to eight members, right?"


    "Yes, that is the case, I guess the first squad will be for thoseing tomorrow?"


    "Yeah, they will be my personal squad. This 2nd squad will have another purpose."


    "Understood, I already have the names of everyone except thedy from Golden Wick. Youngdy, may I have your name?"


    "I am ire Knight," the Production Saint replied.


    "Very well. Then I will take care of the paperwork, Limitless, what will this squad be called?"


    "They will be called the 2nd Amendment."


    "Interesting name, may I ask why?"


    The members of the 2nd Amendment all eagerly awaited my answer. As Americans, they all knew what the 2nd Amendment stood for, even if they didn''t know the exact words.


    "The 2nd Amendment will be my symbol. It will be an armyposed of the Formless and those who want to fight regardless of their {Fates}.


    "Currently, Hellsgate was messed up, and those who wished to fight were unable to do so. I will correct that. Anyone who desires to bear arms may do so under my name."


    The exact words of the 2nd Amendment were


    "A well regted Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."


    Surprisingly, it fit the current state of Hellsgate very well. The Formless were forced to be cannon fodder, horses, or whatever crappy job they could think of. Anyone without abat-worthy {Fate} was simrly relegated to support roles.


    Without Soulgears or Sorms, most were expected to die a miserable death. From what I saw, what made a warrior was not his {Fate}, but his heart and mind. And I will prove it on all seven battle fronts.


    To keep Hellsgate standing, I will use everything at my disposal.


    Using the Formless and the Non-Combat Manifested was just the beginning.


    ''After all, I am just getting started,'' I vowed with a smile.

 Chapter 188: This is my war. [1/2]

    "Understood, a fitting name, if I may say so myself. So the members of the 2nd Squad of your army would be called the 2nd Amendment."


    The monocled clerk in front of me then proceeded to list the members of our group.


    "The members of the 2nd Amendment Squad would be Scott Davis, Joshua Hwang, Ang Kim, Mike Walker, Santiago Gonzales, Warren Bryant, and ire Knight. To all of you, please note that I will be handling the transitions for your records if you have clerks already assigned.


    "Finally, as the exclusive clerk for Limitless, all reapers under hismand would also be under my responsibility, does everyone agree?"


    This greedy bastard must be over the moon right now, with the formation of the 2nd Amendment, even if I died, they would just choose a new Reaper as their head. Especially if they were already doing a good job.


    ''Ah, no, that wouldn''t be the case, they would only be able to function as long as they have {Rewind}. So if I died, they would eventually dissolve.''


    Phillip, who was obviously in a good mood, asked everyone present to sign his tablet. His face was full of greed, as if he was counting souls every time he got a signature.


    After he left, I sealed the room with souls. I took the cup of my blood and began to address the group.


    "The formation of the group was a bit premature, but I was going to do it for today and tomorrow anyway. Now, before you all decide to follow me, there are some things you should know."


    Seeing my tone, as well as my precautions in sealing the room, the 2nd A all sat in rxed positions.


    "Okay, some of you may already know this, but I have been involved in two major incidents since I became a reaper. First, I murdered a group of 26 Reapers during my enlistment."


    While a few eyebrows raised in concern, the group remained silent, not asking why I hadmitted such a sin. Well, all except one.


    "Patron! How could you do that? Did you really have to kill so many people? Do you have no conscience?" cried ire.


    "I do, because they tried to kill me, they also tried to kill three of my girls. Judge me as you will, but if I had the chance, I would still murder them all. Is that a good enough answer for you?"


    None of the men said anything, but they all nodded in agreement. For most of the guys, touching any of our girls meant preparing to die. Even those who were single put their future wives on a pedestal.


    This masculine nature didn''t change even after we all died and went to hell. ire seemed to want to say something, but stopped when she saw how certain I was.


    "The second incident involves some of the people here. During my first night, I got into fights with Phantoms from the Savior mercenary army. We reached a critical point where we could no longer tolerate each other''s existence. As such, I have a "Seeker War" in Three days."


    "Hombre, you are joking, right? Have you gonepletely loco?"


    "Boss, are you sure about this?"


    "Holy shit, nigga, you must have jewels the size of basketballs!"


    "John, can''t you just y nice? Savior is one of the biggest armies!"


    "Oppa, let''s go. This is crazy!"


    "G, wait a bit. Let us listen some more."


    "Um, I''m sorry, I''m from Production, so I don''t understand what a Seeker War is?"


    Ignoring the reactions of the others, I answered ire in the simplest way I knew how.


    "It''s a death match between me and the entire 200-strong army of Savior. They have a total of 170 Wraiths and 30 Phantoms. They also have a Specter, but he will sit this one out."


    "John, you are not really thinking of taking them on, are you?" Joshua asked fearfully.


    "Hombre! The yer is in Savior! Are you fucking sure?"


    "Not just him, the Machiavelli is from their army too!"


    "OPPA! LET''S GO! NOW!"


    The rest of the group, except ire, were all screaming about theing war. Ang especially wanted to leave, but a voice in themotion expressed a different opinion.


    "Nigga, let me join."


    Warren''s words alone brought the room to silence.


    "No, this is my war. I will fight it alone. I have a request Warren, if you still want to follow me after all this."


    "Shame, I can''t go, but sure. What is it?"


    "Protect my family on earth. Assassins from both Savior and the angry bastards from the enlistment are after my family. I will give you 10,000 souls if you protect them for 30 days."


    "No payment required nigga, give me their address and I will take care of it."


    "Thank you. But I insist, I will give you the payment before this night ends."


    "I''ll do it too John, my old man and I owe you. No payment necessary. I won''t join your war, but I can protect your people for a month."


    "Thank you, Scott."


    "Boss, me too. No payment needed. After all, I owe you my life."


    "Count me in, Hombre. On Earth I will make sure no one touches them."


    "Thank you, Mike, Santiago."


    Seeing that Joshua, Ang and ire remained silent, I continued with my words.


    "I have three nights left before my war. I intend to earn as much as I can in that time. You all have a choice now. Come with me and earn as much as possible for two days, but risk assassinsing for you. Or leave here and now."


    The group considered their options in silence as I waited.


    Then Santiago raised his hand before speaking.


    "Hombre, the girlsing tomorrow, will they join you?"


    "No, I have instructed everyone that they are not to know. I want them to be safe. The chances of them joining just for fun are pretty high," I said with a smile.


    "Boss, are you really going to fight a Reaper army all by yourself? Without even a manifested weapon? You are crazy enough to eat the devil with horns."


    "That may be true, but I have no intention of backing down. If I have to die for my decision, then so be it."


    "Patron, is that what you were apologizing for? You are not going to bend your principles for these people, so you are willing to die to uphold them?"

 Chapter 189: This is my war. [2/2]

    "Yes, but I have no intention of dying easily if they want my head. I will make it cost them dearly. They have already begun to harass me, after all, the 500,000 bounty was from them."


    "John, what about the LLG? Those people intend to follow you," Joshua worried.


    "Besides you, only Phillip knows. The LLG and your group are legacies I want to leave behind. Again, I have no ns to die, but if I do. I intend to earn a lot of souls for everyone before I go."


    The room fell into a deadly silence as the members of the 2nd A considered their options. It would have a direct impact on their future. Then Warren stood up and stepped forward.


    "Nigga, I told you I believe in you, so I will ride this party all the way. Let''s start cracking heads," he said with a big grin.


    I returned his smile and shook his hand, taking a vial of blood for him. After he drank it, he began to arm himself to set up his {Auto}.


    Not long after, Mike, Scott and Santiago made the same decision and drank my blood.


    G and Joshua argued in low voices until the racist woman finally screamed in defeat.


    "AHH FACK! OPPA, YOU BETTER FACK ME GOOD LATER! WHITE BOY! LETS GO!"


    Joshua said nothing, but lovingly hugged and kissed his wife. After taking her hand, he led her to me and asked in passing.


    "John, my wife and I will join you, but we will pass on {Rewind}. We already share {Fates}," the Asian man with the huge cock exined.


    My memory said that Joshua''s soul capacity was at 3/4. As Formless, his own {fate} used one capacity, while Ang''s, a manifested one, used two.


    I, who had a capacity of 8, could take mine plus seven Formless fates from the Sirens.


    "It''s okay, you have the room for it," I replied nonchntly.


    "Huh?"


    "Drink my blood and use {Auto}. You will not lose Ang''s {Fate}. I guarantee it."


    I took two vials, dipped them into the cup, and gave both to Ang and Joshua. They cast a few suspicious nces, but eventually drank my blood anyway. After the brief download, both Ang and Joshua confirmed my hypothesis.


    "Wow, I really do feel three {Fates}. How did you know?"


    "Oppa, are we demons now? I thought the limit was 2?"


    "It''s a trade secret. I''ll tell you tomorrow."


    Clicking her tongue at me, Ang led her husband and picked up the magazines for his sniper rifle. ire was the only one left and I approached her to get an answer.


    "ire, I did not mean to lie to any of you. I know I invited you, but this is a decision you have to make for yourself. If you decide to back out now, I will understand."


    "Patron, I..."


    "But know this, ire, sooner orter the same thing that happened to me could happen to you or someone else. If you do not take charge of your fate, others will do it for you.


    "I am not forcing you to do anything, but just know that if you choose to walk away, you will have no one to me if youck power in the future."


    The production saint took a few moments before finally answering.


    "I will join you, Patron, I do not know Savior, but I do know you. Your integrity is something I admire, so I believe you would follow the right path."


    I waved my hand in front of her before correcting her assumption.


    "Listen, ire, I am no saint. I kill because I can and because I want to. There is no good or evil among murderers. We are all equal. If you are going to follow me, do it for yourself and not for some misguided, naive notion of justice."


    "I understand," the woman replied curtly.


    I gave her a vial of my blood and began to divide the remaining vials among the members of the second squad. In total, the cup of my blood was enough to make four vials for seven people.


    With everyone locked and loaded, I began to borate.


    "Okay, for tonight our n is simple, I will pick a hot zone and we will shoot anything that moves. If we get overwhelmed, I will lead everything away and circle back to our kill zone."


    This new n was based on Maneuver AB.


    But instead of just me shooting, the 2nd Squad would st the hell out of the undead if they tried to overwhelm us.


    "You will all have 4 vials of my blood. Three of my {Fates} can be used by Wraiths. {Rewind}, which will reset you, {Reload}, which will replenish all your ammunition, and {Regen}, which will heal all your injuries."


    At that moment, I felt my Soul Gem suddenly branch out and connect to seven ces. It wasn''t just me, as everyone in the room flinched when the connection was made.


    "Alright, Phillip haspleted the application. Now we are officially connected as an army and amander. From now on, everyone is to refer to me as such. Try not to say my name out loud in the presence of others."


    After everyone nodded, I continued with thest part of my exnations.


    "Okay,st bit of information. The main benefit of being in my army is that you can use my {Fates} for half the cost. {Rewind} bes 50 souls, {Reload} 25, and {Regen} 140. The second benefit is that you can draw your souls from me instead of your own. I am rich as fuck, so use my souls liberally. Now lets go."


    I opened my GRI and searched for a Dirge Siren that had the most undead. Since this would be the first of the night, I wanted to start with a P5 Siren.


    When I found one that matched my preferences, I tapped the deployment button and felt the pull on my soul. Dering my will, I called out to the teleportation gate with soul.


    {Reaper NA20230799-FRM, Limitless reporting forbat.}


    {Wee Limitless, squad registration detected. Verifying .... 2nd Amendment Squad members detected... verifying member status... full squad ready forbat... initiating summoning...


    Entering zone 1126-4 in 3...2...1...}


    "Alright! HERE WE GO!!!!!"

 Chapter 190: LIGHTEM UP! [1/2]

    Once again, I mmed into the ground in another force teleportation. This time, however, I wasn''t alone. With me was the entire 2nd Amendment squad.


    Because of my stronger body, I was able to recover faster than the others. Ang was noticeably helping her husband up while everyone else was still on the ground groaning in pain.


    The lighting was poor as usual, but was manageable once our eyes adjusted to the soft glow of the starless sky.


    I looked around, half expecting someone to introduce me to this ce. Sadness crept into my heart as I remembered that my constantpanion, Aira, was no longer present.


    Using {Connect} I tried to find the defender''swork to join. It was like searching for a floating symbol in the air. I intuitively felt one close and connected.


    After finding an open socket, I downloaded the current situation. But instead of a warm weing voice, I received only text.


    [Wee to the Defender Network for Zone 1126-4, downloading situation data].


    The data was then downloaded into my brain, four different types of information being sent to me.


    First, I felt the souls of over 500 beings spread out.


    Second, there were threerger souls moving slowly in different directions.


    Third, there were four locations that were marked but no longer had souls.


    and finally arge malevolent presence in the center of the zone.


    After the download wasplete, the four signals stopped and I no longer "felt" anything. I noticed again how seamless the mercenary profession was. Zach probably created the mercenary AI to ensure that his forces would never go in blind.


    This must be what Aira mentioned before, she saw what was there when she arrived, but we never get any updates after that. I need to get my AI back as soon as possible, fighting without it is just too difficult.


    I chose this zone for two reasons: it had over 500 Rank F''s, and it had a few Rank E''s. By checking the information on the dirge siren, I was able to see the danger level. I didn''t know what Rank E''s they were, but it didn''t matter.


    This zone was past floor 10, which meant there was a chance of tainted undead. However, since my squad carried blessed ammunition, I was no longer afraid. Even if I lost my {Kismet}, I had a group that could support me.


    ''Let''s just use tonight as practice for when I join the front line,'' I said to myself.


    Technically, the members of the 2nd Amendment were all Formless, so in theory I could borrow their {Fates} like I did with the Sirens. But I hesitated, what if the {Limitless} disappeared once I did?


    I didn''t know if I could createbat techniques on the fly even if I got their abilities. And somehow, I didn''t want to use the {Fates} of anyone other than the girls.


    It was good that I had {Code}, otherwise I wouldn''t even know the basics.


    ''Let''s summarize what we know of first and tell the group.''


    I turned to see that everyone was already up. Warren was making sure ire was okay by stroking her back, the Production Saint seemed to be vomiting on the floor.


    Hmm, she should have been a Reaper a long time ago, was the summoning to the Hellsgate and the Mercenary Warpgates different? How could she be okay with one and not the other?


    I was about to try and help ire when I heard the sound of footsteps all around us. The undead seemed to have figured out that we were present.


    "Well, if the undead follow souls, I have over a hundred thousand, so I must look like a big signpost to them," I joked inwardly.


    Due to my heightened hearing, the footsteps of over a hundred zombies began to evoke a sense of urgency. I pped my hands and called my squad''s attention.


    "2nd Amendment, listen up. There are over 500 rank F''s and three rank E''s in this zone. They are headed my way.


    "The four Reapers in charge of this zone are dead. So our job is simply to destroy anything that still moves."


    When the others heard the numbers, their faces were visibly distraught. Scott had almost died against 50 rank F''s, Mike and Santiago against 150. Ang and Joshua barely survived a fight with 500 on horseback after everyone else died.


    I was in all three of these battles with these people. And even though we were outnumbered, the terrain was one of our advantages.


    Jack Moses used his fort to break up the undead, and Scott basically hid in the closet.


    Mike and Santiago, though buried underground, managed because we used the narrow passageways as choke points.


    Ang and Joshua fought with the mobility of cavalry and set traps in a wide area. So even when they were outnumbered, they just ran around.


    In all three battles, I was the only reason they decided to fight. Warren and ire, who rarely fought before, turned pale from my words alone.


    This would be everyone''s first battle where we went in blind. We didn''t know what to expect, nor what surprise awaited us. But while I could understand their fear, I needed them to see things the way I did.


    The U.S. used the bald eagle as its symbol for good reason. The eagle was one of the few animals that could fly in the strongest storms. It could do this because it never relied on the weather or the wind. Its confidence came from the strength of its own wings.


    I was the same, I didn''t trust the terrain or the situation. I trusted only two things. The steel of my weapons and the {Fates} in my Soulgem.


    As Formless or Non-Combatant, everyone had been told that fighting such a battle would be suicide.


    It was from this misconception that I had to mold them. Alone and unarmed, it would have been impossible. But with guns, {Rewind}, and each other. It was a piece of cake.


    With most of my armory divided among the members of the 2nd Amendment, I only had four weapons with me.


    To ensure that my {Rewinds} did not suddenly disarm the entire squad, my {Auto} was updated to only include the two MAC-11s and the two Punisher 1911s.

 Chapter 191: LIGHTEM UP! [2/2]

    Although I seemed severely underequippedpared to my usual standard, I wasn''t worried.


    With almost all of my weapons firing lead and blessed ammunition, the kill rate would be far higher than I could ever achieve on my own. At least that was what I believed.


    As the most experienced, I had to show my men that they had nothing to fear. I drew the MAC-11''s from my sides and yelled in the fiercest voice I could muster.


    "EVERYBODY MAN THE FUCK UP! I know you are scared, but know that this is the moment you have been waiting for! Everyone here knows what it feels like to be powerless."


    I pointed into the darkness and continued my motivational speech.


    "Out there are the fucks that threaten to kill everything you hold dear. If we fail here, Hellsgate will break open and those bastards will walk in the sun. We are all that stands between them and the end of the world."


    As I looked at the faces of each of my teammates, I could see emotions of fear, hopelessness, and doubt.


    "BUT ALWAYS REMEMBER! I HAVE KILLED MOUNTAINS OF THESE FUCKERS! ALONE! YOU EVEN MADE MONEY OFF OF ME!


    "JUST SHOOT STRAIGHT AND DON''T SHOOT ME! AS LONG AS I AM HERE! VICTORY IS OURS! I AM LIMITLESS! AS LONG AS I STAND, HELLSGATE WILL NEVER FALL!"


    At my words, the troops burst out in boisterousughter. They were probably expecting some grand words about faith, honor, or integrity.


    Unfortunately, I had no such words for them, only statistics. I had defeated every Wraith in North America when it came to killing undead. That was a fact, these bastards even ced bets in the annihtion rankings.


    "Fuck John, that was bad!"


    "Hombre, you think you''re a Revenant or something?"


    "Hahaha, nigga that just made my day."


    "If even boss says such shit, then this must not be that hard."


    "White boy, youme as fuck!"


    "G, that''s rude hahahaha!"


    "Patron, I will try to not be so useless then hehe."


    I then walked forward as I pulled out my {Honey Trap} vase.


    "Yes, yes, I''m d you all found it very funny. Here is the n, I will lure them all in and your job is just to shoot the ones that try to kill me. Kimchi, you make sure that no one reaches the squad."


    After summoning my soulgear, I ced it at my feet and continued my instructions.


    "Use my blood to switch between {Reload} and {Rewind}. Do not save bullets. Just shoot anything that moves. Joshua, use blessed ammunition at your discretion, everyone else wait for mymand."


    The sweet smell of {Honey Trap} filled the air and my ears picked up the sound of hundreds of zombies starting to stampede.


    "All right, this is our maiden battle! 2nd Amendment! Prepare forbat!"


    The squad was about 40 yards from me. Scott was setting up the M60 on a tripod with Joshua and next to him. ire and Santiago were on opposite sides, with Warren and Mike manning the nks.


    Ang stood at the 20-yard mark between me and the rest of the 2nd Amendment.


    "Okay boo, here is the n. Your gun has very short range. While the rest of us shoot the ones around Limitless, you and Santiago will take out the ones around the racist chink over there. Easy, right?"


    "Oy nigger, I hear you! Bitch! Shoot zombie okay? Hit me and I kill youter!"


    "Miss ire, don''t worry about G, her Fate {Lady of War} has {Armor ting}, a .22 long rifle round can''t hurt her. So just shoot at your own pace."


    "Thanks, everyone, I''ll do my best! But that soulgear is really nasty!"


    "You''ll get used to it, darling. Scott, Warren and I will shift our kill zones along with yours, focusing on where the biggest concentration is. The boss likes to move around when he fights."


    "Got it Mike. I haven''t really seen John fight."


    "You''re in for a real treat, amigo, El Jefe kicks ass like you wouldn''t believe."


    "El Jefe?"


    "Sorry, Spanish for the boss."


    Well, I was d they were bonding, but the ground began to shake as the zombies all charged my position. tightened my grip on the Mac-11''s while gritting my teeth in anticipation.


    My senses picked up the first charging wave.


    My boasts were no lie, I knew how effectively I fought alone. And with the support of a squad of guns. I was sure this would be my fastest clear yet.


    "ALL RIGHT! HERE THEY COME! 2ND AMENDMENT! FIRE ON MY COMMAND!"


    The growls of hundreds of zombies echoed in the air as Bigfoots, Normies, and Chuckies all ran towards us.


    "Patron! There are children!" ire screamed in panic.


    "Hefe calls them Chuckies, they are gone Senorita, it is our job to make them suck lighthouses."


    "But..."


    "We are the only people here boo, if you forget that, you will die."


    I could hear ire sniffling as she removed the safety from her gun, but I had no time to indulge her naivety. Even a cop like Be cried the first time she saw undead children, so I could understand the mental strain.


    But reality never cared if you epted it or not. And that was what she had to struggle against on her own.


    When the zombies were about fifty meters from me, I yelled the beginning of the battle.


    "2ND AMENDMENT! LIGHT''EM UP!"


    At that moment, the guns behind me all roared to life as lead bullets flew into the air. Not to be left behind, I raised my guns and opened fire. Just as I expected, in less than ten seconds over thirty bodies fell to the ground.


    Warren and Mike fired outside the area where Scott was peppering. The zombies that tried to surround me were smashed by Ang, and those that rushed her were dropped by Santiago and ire.


    I stayed where I was, just firing short bursts at the zombies that came at me. Every now and then I would see a Bigfoot over 100 yards away take a bullet to the head and drop, Joshua''s aim was beyond average.


    The symphony of lead went on for about two minutes until it finally stopped.


    "I''m out!"


    "Reload!"


    "Back!"


    Like musicians in an orchestra, the 2nd Amendment fired, reloaded, and fired again.


    Their instruments of death sted the undead back to their graves. And I, their maestro, grew pleased at our progress.

 Chapter 192: Load blessed rounds! [1/2]

    As the battle continued, my surroundings became covered in blood and corpses. With my back and left covered by Ang and Scott, I concentrated on my right.


    An asional sniper shot took out the zombies that got too close. The M60, which continued to fire nonstop, racked up kills as the zombies gathered to reach the {Honey Trap} soulgear.


    Based on my experience over the past two days, I estimated that we had already dispatched close to a hundred corpses.


    Unlike traditional firefights in the modern era, the zombies didn''t hide or try to dodge bullets. So if it took more than thirty seconds to kill one person on Earth, in Hellsgate thirty seconds was enough to get dozens of zombie bodies.


    Using my superior aim and senses, I fought double akimbo, copying the moves from a movie I had seen. The movie was called Equilibrium, and it featured the protagonist shooting up a room using pre-set dual akimbo shooting stances.


    Nobody really fought that way in real life, but I watched itst night before I went to bed and it was cool as fuck.


    I took down zombie after zombie while imitating the movie. In less than a minute after the fight started, I had fired over sixty 9¡Á19mm Parabellums.


    If I were alone, it would be difficult for me to dodge or switch weapons so I didn''t get overwhelmed. But for now, I just walked up to Ang as I calmly reloaded.


    "White boy! Whye here? Go away!"


    "Boss is reloading, covering fire!"


    "Tsk. Who the hell reloads in front of a zombie horde like that? Nigga got bowling ball sized nuts, I tell you."


    "Shut up, amigo, just keep shooting!"


    "I''m out!"


    "Shit! I''m out too! Give me five seconds!"


    Therge amount of covering fire tore apart the undead that tried toe after me. Concentrating on my SMGs, I awkwardly reloaded the de MAC-11s one by one.


    "Shit, if I had {Exa Reload} I wouldn''t have to do this shit," Iined.


    My main problem with fighting Dual Akimbo was the awkward and slow reloading. It took over ten seconds, but with my squad around, I could do it safely.


    Once both my weapons were reloaded, I opened fire again on the zombies around me. I managed to take out about thirty zombies with two thirty round magazines. So my bullet economy was two rounds per zombie.


    "I wonder if I should use single fire? Would I kill sixty zombies?"


    Double-tapping was a habit I developed to make sure a zombie was dead. I didn''t feel right taking out a zombie with one shot.


    Well, unless it was the M24 or 1887. Originally, I started double-tapping when a zombie I thought was dead got back up and tore a chunk out of my arm.


    I had Joshua guarding me at the moment, so I should be fine, right?


    Suddenly the ratatat of the M60 stopped.


    "Shit, Scott''s out of ammo," I muttered.


    The M60 machine gun was spewing enough lead to cover an entire area. As Scott started to reload, the loss of firepower was noticeable. More and more zombies charged forward from the area he once suppressed.


    They quickly began to close in on me and the Soulgear, and my squad began to panic in response.


    "Everyone! El Hefe is in danger, cover him!"


    "Nigga, I''m down to myst mag!"


    "Warren, let''s move up, you and me!"


    "Got it cowboy! Lead the way!"


    Shortening the distance the bullet traveled was an effective way to kill faster, fortunately we didn''t have to go there.


    "Firing a blessed round. 3. 2. 1. FIRE!" Joshua dered.


    Suddenly, a blue surge of light passed in front of me, wiping out all the zombies in one fell swoop. The abrupt disappearance of dozens of groaning corpses created a disturbing silence in their wake.


    "Yo nigga! What the fuck?!"


    "Firing another blessed round! FIRE!"


    A second bolt of light passed behind me and I heard the same silence in that direction.


    "Sweet mother of mercy..."


    "Jesus Maria. What the hell!"


    "Go OPPA!!!"


    "''Good Lord! Our blessings are awesome!"


    "Reloadplete! I''m back!"


    Our machine-gunner resumed firing, driving the zombies back once more. Satisfied with the performance of the blessed bullets, I eavesdropped on the squad as I sted the undead.


    "Miss ire, I owe you an apology."


    "Damn right, amigo, did you see the carnage just two blessed rounds caused!"


    "And with {Rewind} or {Reload}, the nigga basically has infinite blessed rounds."


    "With more toe in the future, I need to remind you all. Patron says he ns to keep buying blessings."


    "John gave us blessed rounds too, right?"


    "Yes, we have ten each."


    "YOU FUCKERS! STOP TALKING! MORE SHOOTING! OPPA go pew pew again!"


    Three more blessed rounds went by, each taking out more than a dozen zombies.


    "I''m out, switching to lead," Joshua reported.


    Everyone continued to shoot zombie after zombie as the battle continued. Eventually the {Honey Trap} Soulgear was used up and the zombies started attacking me instead.


    "White boy duck!"


    With a single side blow, Ang threw three Bigfoots back, sending their bodies flying into the air. Theirrge frames eventually crashed like bowling balls into groups of zombies, giving me some breathing room.


    "See that white boy? Give me bonus!"


    "Haha, I will Kimchi, thank you for the save."


    It was then that I felt the arrival of three car-sized souls on the battlefield. Normies had souls the size of baseballs, Chuckies golf balls, while Bigfoots were basketballs.


    Instinctively, I would know the size of the soul based on its resonance with the air. These bastards are huge, they must be rank E''s.


    Not long after that I sawrge shadows charging over the horizon. They looked like huge, ugly as hell pit bulls covered in spikes.


    "Here theye, 2nd Amendment! Three Rank E''sing!" I yelled in anticipation.


    The neers were called Spikedogs in the mercenary bestiary. They were monsters with bodies over eight feet long and over twelve feet wide.


    These rank E''s had muscr bodies and were covered in spikes. Said spikes that served as their armor and weapons were as long as swords and as thick as my legs. They had red eyes, fangs the size of daggers, and faces only their mothers would love.


    Extremely agile and tough, these fuckers were among the most hated Rank E''s. They were easy to kill if you could get a hit on their underbelly.

 Chapter 193: Load blessed rounds! [2/2]

    Before the others could even see the Spikedogs, a blue bolt of light suddenly soared through the air and flew toward lead rank E. Despite its attempt to dodge the blessed projectile, Joshua''s shot pierced the Spikedog right through the center of its forehead.


    And just like that, the hated monster fell dead to the ground with a thud. Its eyes stared nkly into space as blood dripped from the hole into a new hole in its face.


    The other two Spikedogs momentarily halted their advance in caution as theirrade died abruptly.


    Since no one but Joshua and I could see clearly beyond 400 yards, the rest of the squad was unaware of the amazing feat the Korean had just performed.


    To let them feel the power of changing their fate themselves, I gave new instructions.


    "Joshua, switch to the lead and cover me! Everyone except Joshua and Scott, load blessed rounds!"


    Probably thinking the biggest threat was their friend''s killer, the other two Spikedogs ignored me and made a mad dash for the 2nd Amendment.


    As the monsters came into view, Ang began to panic. Even with her massivebat power, two rank E''s was a death sentence for her.


    "White boy! Pitbullsing! Help! Shoot them! Hurry!"


    "Calm down, your good."


    "What the fack you say?! I can''t stop two white boy! Do something!"


    For ease of use, I instructed everyone to load the blessed bullets in a separate mags. That way, when I asked them to arm themselves with the blessed bullets, the transition would be quicker.


    Santiago, because he carried the 1887, switched to the P30L instead.


    "Blessed rounds loaded boss."


    "El Hefe!Ready!"


    "Lets rock nigga!"


    A few secondster, the Spikedogs passed my position as they continued their powerful dash. I, on the other hand, focused on those around me, but despite my efforts, I was slowly being overrun by zombies.


    Scott and Joshua alone couldn''t hold back the undead around me. To take out as many as I could, I threw M26 grenades and blew the zombies to kingdome.


    "Patron! Transitionplete!"


    "Concentrate fire on the Spikedogs. AIM!"


    With a single word from me, everyone with blessed ammo took aim at the charging monsters.


    "FIRE!"


    A small gxy of stars erupted at that moment, and the stars traveled through the air, obliterating every F rank they passed. The blessed bullets eventually reached the two Rank E''s, turning them into Swiss cheese.


    Even more effective than the M60, the blessed volley took out over a hundred zombies in a single second. The blinding light waspounded by the darkness of the night. Like a glimpse of the glory of the sun, the Blessing caused the battlefield to glow.


    Still exhrated by the feeling of power, those who still had blessed ammunition fired all the expensive bullets at their disposal. The undead were purged by the dozens as blessings rained down on the battlefield.


    ''Those has got to the easiest Rank E kills ever,'' I inwardly praised.


    "White boy, give me gun too."


    Normally, a rank E was something most Reapers never got to kill in their lives. They were usually tough and hard to take down.


    Ang knew this and probably had mixed feelings about seeing those she called weak kill more than she could.


    The power of the guns and blessings was unreal, they were simply too overwhelming.


    With the sudden deaths of the rank E''s, all that was left was the zombie mob. I could tell them to conserve their ammunition, but with me present, the chance of losing this battle was 0%.


    "Everyone, our biggest obstacles are dead, clean up the stragglers. Use whatever you want. Get to know your new power! Weapons free!" I shouted excitedly.


    "ROGER!" x 7


    "{RELOAD}!" "AH YEAH!!!!" "FIRING BLESSED ROUNDS!" "SUCK ON THIS!" "EAT LEAD PUTO!" "NIGGA POWAH!!!!" "Be pancake zombie!"


    The 2nd Amendment began firing as they pleased. Some continued to use Blessed rounds, some opting for lead, others broke rank instead.


    As amander, such a thing was ill advised.


    But with over 300 Rank F''s and 3 Rank E''s, they were wiped out in less than 15 minutes. It would not take long to finish the remaining 200 or so. {Rewind} probably gave them a sense of security that allowed the reckless to attack without fear.


    After less than ten more minutes, I no longer felt any souls except for the ones next to me. I activated the soulgear {Honey Trap} and waited just to be sure. Three minutes passed and there was still nothing.


    Believing the defense waspleted I then called Phillip and gave him an update.


    "Phillip, 2nd Amendment and I have cleared zone 1126-4. Send the rest of the LLG."


    [Understood, that was less than thirty minutes, most impressive. Any casualties?]


    "None," I said with a smile.


    [Excellent, the dismantling teams will be there shortly].


    When I turned around, the 2nd Amendment squad had extremely wide smiles and were celebrating.


    "Amiga, did you see what we just did? We kicked ass even as Formless! Oh wait, you are manifested, right?"


    "Yes, but I might as well be Formless! I never thought I could fight monsters! But with guns and blessings, we can do it too! I have to tell the other girls!"


    "Dad would have been very happy to see such a sight."


    "You did well Scott, I''m sure your old man would have been proud."


    "Thanks Mike."


    "Oy nigga! What are you trying to do?"


    "Give me gun on your back, you didn''t use it! I want gun too!"


    "Joshua, get your bae under control, yeah?"


    "Sorry, Warren, but can you please just humor her for 1 zone?"


    I fired a 1911 in the air and got everyone''s attention.


    "I''m d you''re all unharmed and excited. But the night is still long, as soon as the rest of the LLG arrives, we leave for another zone. You all have more in you?"


    "SIR YES SIR!!" x7


    With a loud shout, my team prepared to go and fight in another zone. If this continued, by the end of this night, these men and women would regain their identities and reim their self-worth as warriors in my army.

 Chapter 194: When a reaper dies. [1/2]

    A few minutester, skybeams fell near our position and the members of the LLG demolition team arrived.


    Unlike before, when there were only two dozen people, there were now over fifty. Their reactions upon seeing the carnage were something I had already expected.


    "Dude, what the fuck is that smell?"


    "Look at the ground dude, it already turned red from all the blood."


    "Shit man, some parts have ck blood."


    "ck?"


    "Coagted, which means blood half turns to jelly, happens after the body is dead."


    "Damn homes, look at all this? How many zombies did Limitless kill?"


    Others in the group noticed something else.


    "Peter, do you feel that?"


    "Yes, this area is blessed. Such energy..."


    "Maybe they used the bullets we created earlier?"


    "Yes, I think so. Chief Saint Yvonne also said to look for something called Devil''s Remains."


    "Do you know what it looks like?"


    "No, I don''t, but she said I would understand when I see one."


    My hearing and eyesight, which had improved by leaps and bounds in {Limitless}, now allowed me to eavesdrop on people''s conversations from over a mile away.


    It felt like if I didn''t control myself, I could eavesdrop on others uncontrobly. The super hearing was not deafening most of the time.


    It was like being at a party. I heard a lot of sounds, but I was not disturbed by them unless I specifically chose to focus on a particr person or direction.


    Suddenly, a group of girls in priest robes broke away from the advancing group and ran frantically forward.


    "CLAIRE!" "ire, where are you?"


    The said woman heard their cries and ran quickly towards them. Like long lost siblings from a movie, ire and the girls of Golden Wick reunited in an emotional embrace.


    "rie, are you hurt? Are you okay?"


    "I''m fine Aisha, calm down."


    "Are you just saying that? Let me have a look at you!"


    "Hehe, I''m not lying Yvonne, the 2nd Amendment took good care of me."


    "Ah right! Let me borrow this for a bit!" ire said abruptly.


    Grabbing a towel and a water bottle, ire quickly ran over to Ang and held both of them out to her.


    "Miss Ang! Thank you for your help earlier!"


    Surprised, the racist Korean made a funny face as she looked at her husband. Brimming with pride, Joshua looked like a parent watching his daughter make friends for the first time.


    Ang took the towel and said as she shyly looked away.


    "This natural, I Senior. I take care of Junior!"


    ire smiled broadly and jumped up to hug Ang. Unlike ire, who was clean and without blemish, Ang was covered in blood and guts from fighting in close quarters.


    "Hey! I''m dirty! Your clothes! Get off!"


    "Hehe, let me help you clean up, sister!"


    "I not sister, I senior!"


    With Ang''s strength, she could easily body m ire if she wanted to, so it was obvious that she didn''t dislike her junior''s actions as much as she made it seem.


    Ang continued to hurl mild insults as ire pulled Ang toward the girls of Golden Wick.


    After crowding around Ang like chicks, the rest of ire''s former guild came forward and bowed to the rest of the 2nd Amendment Squad.


    "Everyone thank you for taking care of our sister!"


    Somehow, the responses the Saints received were something I had not expected. There was no condescension or contempt, just warm affection, like that of older brothers.


    "ire is one of us. We would take care of her anyway."


    "The Senorita is a hell of a woman."


    "Mighty finess I would say."


    "Boo has more courage than most niggas."


    "It was our pleasure. She fought honorably."


    The rest of the production guilds, eavesdropping, began to gossip about the interactions between the two groups.


    "No way? Is it real? They brought a Production Saint here?"


    "That girl over there is ire, right? She was a Production Saint in Golden Wick."


    "This can''t be real. Look around! This is a war zone!"


    "But the Saints of Golden Wick are friendly with the bodyguard unit of Limitless..."


    Hearing the discussions between the looting teams, I couldn''t help but smile.


    ''This was it. The idea of a fighting production saint will spread like wildfire the longer ire continues to fight. As more and more people join, the flood will be inevitable.''


    This zone had over 570 Rank F''s and 3 Rank E''s. That would be well over 12,000 souls, since I only earned 3,000 souls. The other 9,000 must have been split between the seven of them.


    Production Saints earn less than 2,000 souls per week, with Blessings being their main source of ie. If ire manages to earn a substantial amount tonight without being injured, others would naturally be drawn to the fight.


    Weapons should shorten the time it takes to train people for battle. If a longbow took years, a gun took weeks. Fighting zombies in Hellsgate didn''t even take weeks. Because of the stupidity of the undead, you were sure to hit something.


    "ire-Unnie, how was your first fight?"


    "It was scary at first, especially when the zombies came at us. But the 2nd Amendment is damn strong! We just kept shooting until they were all dead! Patron and Sister Ang were the ones who fought with them! I was totally safe!"


    "Really! Did you even hit anything?"


    "Well, I kept missing at first, but I got better. And when we started firing blessed bullets, I killed quite a few!"


    "What! You used blessed bullets?"


    "Yes! And holy crap, girls! You have no idea how powerful our blessings are! No cap! They practically swept the zombies like a broom!"


    "ire, how much did you make?"


    "Not muchpared to the others, but I earned 400 souls."


    "400 souls! In twenty minutes! Are you serious?"


    "Yeah, Scott is the top earner, he made like 2000 souls."


    "Wait, aren''t they all Formless?"


    "Yep. The 2nd Amendment except for me and Sister Ang are all Formless."


    "Really! Wow!"


    I smiled as I heard the gossipy young girls and looked over at the production looting teams who were quietly listening.


    "Did you hear that? 2000 souls in twenty minutes? And that guy is Formless!"

 Chapter 195: When a reaper dies. [2/2]

    "But you have to fight on the front line, brother. Even if we earn less, at least we are safe."


    "I know that, man, but still, if even a little girl can do it, why can''t I?"


    "You really believe that? That girl is a nt, there is no way she is a Production Saint!"


    "That''s not true, I know her. Her name is ire, I saw her haggling in the lower floors before. She is from Golden Wick, a no-name Saint guild."


    At that moment, someone tapped me on the shoulder.


    "It seems that your gamble worked, Esteemed Limitless. That was probably why you chose ire, wasn''t it?"


    I turned and answered the monocled clerk.


    "Among other things, how are things going on your end?"


    "The LLG will be officially approved tomorrow. President Cynthia, Vice President Addison, and Chief Saint Yvonne will lead the three looting teams. They will take turns looting, processing, and selling."


    "I see, do you have a way to make sure that our Devil''s Remains are not stolen?"


    "Chief Saint Yvonne seems to have some countermeasures. ording to her, only saints can detect the remains in the first ce, so there is no risk of them being stolen by ordinary production members."


    "Good. Then I will leave it to you. Everyone else has a fancy title, what are you supposed to be now?"


    Phillip smiled smugly before answering.


    "For your information, I am now the administrator of LLG."


    "..."


    "Hehe great right? I know. I know. I was speechless too."


    "No, I just think your title isme as fuck."


    "..."


    "Tell them to call you a director or something. You are already in Administration and your title is Administrator? That''s justzy as hell."


    "Esteemed Limitless, have I told you how much of an ass you are?"


    "Haha, no you have not."


    Just then, I heard a loud scream that caught everyone''s attention.


    "HOLY SHIT! IT''S A SPIKEDOG! AND THERE''S THREE OF THEM!"


    "What? Really?"


    The production dismantling teams all ran toward the bodies, cheering as they saw the gruesome scene.


    "What the hell happened to them? They are full of holes? Guns can do that to an E-ss?"


    "No way! They must have used soulgear or something."


    "Get back to work youzy bastards! We are paid to work, not gawk. Who cares how it died! Salvage the mother fuckers! Those spikes cost a fortune! Move it!"


    A little further away.


    "ire, how did those giant dogs die?"


    "Huh! I helped kill one of them, we did it with Blessed Bullets."


    "What? How many blessed rounds do you have left?"


    rie then huddled with her sisters and whispered. Of course, I could still hear her.


    "We still have them all. {Rewinds} 2nd ability is {Reload}, which basically gives Patron''s guns infinite ammunition."


    "What!" "No way!" "Then..." "Isn''t it!"


    "Shh! Keep quiet! Yes, the longer this goes on, the more powerful Patron and his armies will be."


    "ire, is it possible to join the 2nd Amendment?"


    "I don''t know, we''ve only just been formed. But if we have openings, I will ask the guys to take you girls first."


    Yvonne broke away from her group and walked over to me.


    "Patron, I am sorry for noting to you until now, I am the leader of this group, here are the blessed rounds we were able toplete in the time that has passed. With this, all the rounds we owe you have beenpleted."


    I took the small bag containing about ten rounds and nodded. Yvonne then fiddled with her hands as she continued.


    "Patron, ire told me some things and I wanted to verify. Do you really still have every single blessed round we ever made?"


    "I do."


    "Then, um..."


    Yvonne made a worried face as she struggled to express her thoughts. I could guess her worries to some extent. Anyone who understood economics knew that supply and demand determined value.


    If I continued to umte blessed rounds, the likely oue would be. With no demand, I would buy less or stop buying altogether. Yvonne would have to drastically lower her price or find new customers to remain relevant.


    "Yvonne, you are thinking too much. I will not cancel my contract with you. Once I havepletely blessed my entire arsenal, I will supply my army with your blessings. The only time I would not need you and the Holy Division is when the undead are gone."


    Hearing my words, Yvonne cheered excitedly before calming down.


    "YEEET! Ahem. Is that so? I understand, patron. Please leave the dismantling to us. And thank you for looking after ire."


    Phillip, who was standing by my side, couldn''t help but chuckle at the immaturity of our young head saint. I then pulled out my GRI, which turned back to a phone and selected another dirge siren.


    "Phillip, the 2nd A and I will be leaving, call for a new Defender and take care of the fallen."


    I pointed at four covered corpses as I walked towards the squad.


    "Of course, esteemed Limitless. Rest assured, I will take care of it."


    ''Take care of corpses, huh.''


    On Earth, taking care of a corpse meant preparing it for the afterlife. Either by burying it or by cremating it. Originally people buried corpses because it helped nourish the soil. But more important than the body, most people wonder what happens to the soul.


    "I wonder what happens when a reaper dies?" I asked no one in particr.


    We have already been to hell, where do we go after that? Do we go back to a new life like the Buddhists believe, wait for judgment like the Christians, or maybe go to another world like the Japanese Isekai?


    "I guess I will worry about it when I die."


    With death looming over my head, I still had much to do thating Saturday. The seeds of change were already nted. If my actions could help make the world a better ce, there was no reason not to.


    "2nd Amendment! Gather up! We are moving out."


    ire gave her sisters a quick hug and ran toward me, the others just resting nearby.


    Momentster, the group reassembled and checked their weapons.


    "All right, we still have six hours. Let''s kill as much as we can, okay?"


    "ROGER!" x7

 Chapter 196: Heroine Chapter: My Possum [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Robyn Lithgow


    ___


    "He was also too dependent. When we broke up, he kept begging me to stay. I endured his toxicity for years. I lost respect for him when he did nothing but cling to me. What could someone like that ever aplish? I was so d to be rid of him."


    Was this gger crazy? Did we really know the same person? The wombat? Clingy?


    "Follow me or die."


    "Fuck off, you cunt!"


    "Then die."


    The wombat was anything but clingy, I saw him shoot down anything he considered an enemy.


    All he cared about was whether you were useful or not. The Sirens were battle-hardened Shis, so I could understand why he kept us around.


    And toxic? What the hell does that even mean? And this gger lost respect because the wombat clung to her?


    ''Ugh, I feel like I turned stupid listening to this cunt.''


    Why would you even feel that way? This fuckstick had the wombat all to herself! How stupid can she be?! Finally get rid of him? What could he achieve?


    The wombat was beyond powerful. Anyone who would bite a man''s neck just because he could was no weakling.


    And the Wombat treated me with nothing but respect.Who would fight a Revenant for someone like me?


    How could this fuckwit say she was tired of it?


    ''I want to kill her¡­''


    People this stupid should be buried underground. I wonder if I could do it in secret? Be kept saying that we couldn''t touch her. Jas was in a very bad mood because of that.


    Even Jo exuded a bloodlust that made me shiver. Oh? Why was the gger suddenly on the floor? I looked up and felt a heavy pressure in the air. This was ¡ª killing intent?


    "Goodness, she might really die at this rate," Lilly then said with a sigh.


    I looked at the others and it seemed like everyone here wanted to tear the bitch limb from limb. Lilly waved her hand and suddenly the pressure disappeared.


    ''Somehow I feel good seeing the others like this. I wasn''t weird. Hehe.''


    Karo or something was lying on the ground choking. Her eyes began to look hollow as her face began to turn purple.


    Just then something moved faster than my eyes could follow. I saw Lilly appear in front of Karo, her greatsword out. The one with her was Josephine, her knife was blocked by the princess.


    Jo seemed strange, she was no longer smiling. She seemed to radiate a green energy that felt dangerous.


    The princess pushed the European back with her sword. Jo did her acrobatics again and darted to strike the dying woman once more. Lilly made a quick parry before sending a powerful kick to drive Josephine away.


    "Jo, back off. I already said he would hate you for this."


    "I''ll beg for Darling''s forgivenesster. Come on Lilly, you felt it right? Let''s gut her and hang her on a tree. It will feel really good, I promise."


    ''Somehow, I wanted to try what Jo said. Am I bad for thinking that?''


    A loud bang erupted, and a speeding bullet raced to kill Karo. A small portal opened along its path and the bullet suddenly disappeared after entering it.


    Less than a secondter, I felt Jasmine jump back before a sudden impact shattered the very floor tile she was standing on.


    "Really, I expected better from you, Jasmine. Liv, please help me."


    Liv then walked over to Karo and kicked her in the face with enough force to send her in aa.


    "Hmph. Know that if I could, I would split this vile sow in two as well."


    "I know, sweetheart. But you and I know better. If dear doesn''t forgive these two after they kill her, these two sisters mightmit suicide."


    "Indeed. Well, what now?" replied Liv.


    "Be, get Caroline out of here please. I can''t stop them if that piece of garbage is still around."


    "Tsk, why do you think I will help you princess?"


    "I see, never mind then. Robyn sweetheart, what about you?"


    "Me?" I replied confused.


    "Yes, right now the Sirens are discussing whether we should kill this girl or not."


    Huh? This was discussing? I thought discussions meant a lot of earbashing.


    "Robyn, right now Jo and Jas want to kill her, Lilly and Liv want to take her alive. I don''t care either way, so that leaves you.


    "If you join the sisters, Liv and Lilly cannot stop you. But if you join Lilly''s group, the sisters can''t kill her even if they wanted to," Be exined.


    "So it''s up to me?"


    "Robyn, sweetheart. John will be sad if you kill this woman. I am sure of it.So help us protect her, at least for now."


    Would the wombat really be sad? Hadn''t they broken up already? I don''t know much about love, but I''ve seen guys cry and get drunk when they lost their girlfriends. I didn''t want the wombat to be like that.


    "Robyn, Lilly is lying. You love darling, don''t you? Doesn''t it bother you that she made him cry? Jas and I saw what darling looked like after that bitch messed him up. That is the same reason why Be is not on Lilly''s side."


    ''I love the wombat?''


    I wanted to see him, but did that mean I loved him?


    ''What does love even mean?''


    What I was sure of was that I didn''t like to see the wombat hurt.


    When he smiled during our call, I felt butterflies in my stomach.


    When I saw him crying over the dead Indians, my heart felt like it was being torn into a thousand pieces.


    ''Ah, I want to see him.''


    I wanted to be with him, but what if he didn''t? Should I beg? I can be really quiet. Would that be enough? He doesn''t even have to feed me. I can hunt on my own.


    ''I just¡­ I just wanted to be able to see him.''


    But would he allow it?


    The nuns at the orphanage said that every papa needs a mama. Could I be the wombat''s mate? I wasn''t pretty or sexy, and besides, beautiful people like the Sirens wanted him.


    My chest was smallpared to theirs and I looked like an ankle biter. I couldn''t cook or clean or take care of the house. But...


    ''I want him to look at me. Only me.''


    All I could offer him was that I was very good at killing people.


    ''Monster.''


    The people I killed called me that all the time. They all screamed in horror and disgust. Even the terrorists left me alone outside of missions.

 Chapter 197: Heroine Chapter: My Possum [2/2]

    At first I thought this was normal. But the wombat wasn''t like that, and I was afraid he would do the same if he found out.


    When I imagined him telling me to go away, my heart hurt so much. Be told me the wombat didn''t care. But I was still afraid.


    What if he did?


    Where would I go if I could not be with him?


    Only when I heard it in his own words did my fears disappear. After he found out what we did in Japan, his answer made me very happy.


    "Cut the nonsense Be. We''ve been through a lot together. You girls are mine. I would never let any of you go unless you betrayed me. I just wanted to make sure everyone got out okay."


    The relief that flooded my body that day almost made my knees wobbly.


    For the first time, someone had said I was theirs. It felt unreal. To belong to someone. I had been told that the only way to belong to someone was to be married to them.


    ''I want to be his, and I want him to be mine,'' I wished.


    Since then, I wanted to see him. Everything reminded me of him. I wanted to protect him, I wanted to know everything about him. Nothing else mattered as long as I could be with him. I must really have be stupid.


    ''I really love him huh?''


    "Lilly, I will not ask you again. Step aside. Husband cares about you, but not this depraved slut. Just look away," Jasmine''s fierce deration brought me back to reality.


    "Jasmine, like I said. Dear wants this bitch sa...."


    Lilly''s phone rang and she answered it. A few secondster, a voice recording started ying in the background. The voice belonged to the wombat, but it was more emotional than I ever thought possible.


    [Caroline. Caroline. Please don''t do this, I can do better. I will work harder. I don''t even care what happened, just say you''ll stay with me. Please...] The wombat''s voice trembled, the weakness in his voice sounded so vulnerable.


    [It''s over John. I love Harry now; he makes me happy. If you really love me, let me go,] Karo said coldly.


    [But didn''t you say that we would be together forever? How could you betray me like this! I only have you! I won''t make a scene, just stay with me.]


    [That is not my concern, John. I want to do something with my life. And you are not part of my future. I only went out with you because I was bored. You are poor, ugly and stupid. Who would ever want to be with you?]


    [Caroline, please...please just stay. I will do anything you want.]


    [Goodbye John. Don''t look for me again.]


    Lilly, who had been watching on her phone, suddenly crushed it between her fingers. Her face was contorted with rage that seemed to make her hair stand on end. Despite her phone going kaput the recording continued. Another man''s voice yed.


    [Caroline. Did you get rid of John yet?]


    [I did baby, I even recorded it for you to see. Are you pleased?]


    [Well, John always bragged about how much you loved him.]


    [But I only love you now, baby. I wouldn''t even let him touch me; I told him I wanted to save myself for marriage. He still thinks I am a virgin.]


    [How heartless. Didn''t he spend money to send you to school?]


    [Pfft! Haha! Even if he starved to death, the money he sent me was only a few hundred dors, while you give me thousands.]


    [I''m surprised he bought your marriage bullshit. You were no longer a virgin before I fucked your brains out. How many guys have railed this pussy?]


    [Does it matter? You know you love my body.]


    [Heh. Can''t argue with that,e here you little slut. You won''t get any sleep tonight.]


    The recording ended and Be exined, killing intent radiating from her.


    "The fucker on the recording is Harry Evans. I found it in Caroline''s files. Jasmine overheard."


    Immediately, the area around Liv was shattered by her homicidal fervor.


    "Lilly, if you do not give me a good reason, I will behead this harlot in the next 10 seconds," the Northerner promised furiously.


    Lilly took something out of her pocket and threw it at Be. The Brazilian fiddled with a stick-like device and another recording yed over the speakers. It was the wombat''s conversation with Lilly.


    "It wasplicated. No matter what happened, there was a time when she made me the happiest man on earth."


    "Past tense?"


    "Yes, we parted on bad terms. I loved her dearly, but that all ended the moment we broke up."


    Lilly exined through clenched teeth.


    "Look, everyone, I agree with you. But dear isn''t like normal people. He may not love her anymore, but because he loved her before, he still does not wish her any harm. Especially not from us."


    ''The wombat''s love was ¡ª deep. He spoke with such affection even after she betrayed him? She might be a gger, but shouldn''t I thank her for leaving then? Otherwise, would I even have a chance to have him?''


    With my mind made up, I ignored the situation and headed for the exit.


    "Robyn? Where are you going?" Josephine asked.


    It seemed to me that everyone was focusing on the wrong problem. Why focus on Karo when the wombat was what mattered?


    "I''m going to a gun shop. I am going to buy my possum a present, you ggers do what you want," I replied.


    "What do you mean? Why do you need a present?" Liv asked.


    "I want to see my possum smile when I give him a new gun."


    "Ara, what brought this on, sweetheart? He is no longer a wombat?"


    I looked at Karo who was lying on the ground and then at the Sirens.


    "Karo might have been the one my possum loved before, she might have even made him happy. But that was in the past. If she had married him, there wouldn''t have been a chance for me. Now that she fucked off, I will make my possum so happy that he will never remember her."


    With that, I left the room.


    The Sirens were free to concentrate their attention on Karo. In the meantime, I will im the love of my possum for myself.

 Chapter 198: Really that naive. [1/2]

    The 2nd Amendment and I once again arrived in a new zone. I logged on to the Defenderwork to receive the battle conditions.


    There were six Reapers that had just died, five Wraiths and one Phantom. How sad it was that such deaths urred every day, but I thought this zone would be easy since it only had 400 rank F''s.


    Unaware of my thoughts, the 2nd Amendment began checking their weapons after they regained their bearings. It was good to see them helping each other.


    Warren continued to support ire, and no longer wary of him, she epted the help with a smile.


    "ckie! Fuck off my junior! iree here!"


    "What do you mean chink? You''re the breakwall, what''s she going to do with you?"


    Suddenly Ang ran up and buried her fist in Warren''s stomach.


    "Gehuek!"


    "You guys, stop messing around. Bitch, the Senorita will be fine, go to your post already."


    "If you bully her, I will bust your balls, cholo!"


    "This puta..."


    "Sister G! I am fine! The boys are nice! Besides! I''m tough! I won''t let anyone bully me!"


    "Are you sure? How about I hit them more?"


    "Hehe, Sister G, you are too sweet!" ire yelled as she hugged Ang.


    "Oppa, guard Junior."


    "I will, take care of G."


    Something I hadn''t expected was how much the 2nd Amendment liked ire. Everyone treated her like a little sister. Ang was especially affectionate. Maybe it was because the racist bitch actually wanted a little sister?


    Warren and Santiago were also very protective of her. The production saint, on the other hand, enjoyed the pampering and treated everyone with affection.


    "Scott, is the M60 really hard to handle?"


    "ire? Uh, no, not really. This weapon is actually enhanced by {Fates}, so I don''t even have to aim. Just point and shoot."


    "Wow! Will I be able to use it too?I can use the Ruger Mk II well now!"


    "Technically you could, but you have to be able to reload it. Watch me do itter. I will allow you to use it if you can learn to reload it."


    "Really! Thanks Scott!"


    ''Scott, the girl is aiming for that gun because it earns the most! You are about to get yed, homie,'' Iughed inwardly.


    As they became more familiar with what was about to happen, the squad got into formation and waited for the {Honey Trap} Soulgear. This was all done without me giving any orders.


    As pleased as I was with their progress, their battle tactics relied heavily on my Soulgear. Ang could take my position, but without {Honey Trap}, the party would have to actively hunt the undead.


    I really should get Cynthia to buy more of these. Now that I think about it, would it be possible to make one that used {Regen} or {Reload}? That way, the squad could have all my {Fates} at their disposal.


    Without wasting a second, I invoked {Honey Trap} and told the rest of the party the specifics of this zone.


    "Easy zone, 400 rank F''s, no survivors. Let us make this quick and move immediately. Everyone is free to use blessed bullets as they see fit."


    Less than five minutes passed and the ground began to shake as hundreds of zombies ran toward us. When I could see them in the dim light, I yelled to prepare the squad.


    "HERE THEY COME! 2ND AMENDMENT! OPEN FIRE!"


    Immediately, Scott began raining lead on the enemy, but what surprised me was the trail of light his bullets left behind as they flew.


    "Tracers?"


    Tracer rounds were designed for nightbat. It was hard to find your enemies in the dark. If you could see where others were shooting, you could use that as a guide and shoot in the general area.


    Since I always fought alone, I never had to use tracers. That must have been Scott''s decision, because the tracers only had an effect if you fired a lot of shots. As if to prove his point, the tracers hit numerous zombies and started to set some of them on fire.


    Like a magic trick, the fire increased in intensity as the garments of nearby zombies began to catch fire. Aside from the burn damage, the fire also served as additional lighting.


    Not long after, blessed 7.62 rounds cut through the darkness as they obliterated the lines of the undead. The Blessing transformed the M24 from a sniper rifle into a holy cannon.


    Much like the tracers, the blessed areas began to glow, making it much easier to see the enemy. The rest of the squad began to open fire as soon as visibility improved.


    Arge number of the first wave were taken down by blessed rounds and lead. Ang, who had nothing to do, pulled out the 629petitor she got from Warren and immediately began firing blessed rounds.


    When the zombies finally got close to me, I sted them with single rounds of 9¡Á19mm Parabellum. Due to my inhuman uracy, the bodies dropped like flies as they approached.


    The ground shook again as more zombies rushed forward. Using my senses, I tried to determine if there were any zombiesing from the other directions.


    Just then I felt soulsing from behind the line of fire!


    Before I could yell out, I noticed that ire was moving on her own and shooting at our rear. Warren and Santiago stopped firing for a moment to check.


    "Enemy from behind, shift formation," Joshua ordered.


    At his words, G raced from the center to move behind the line of fire. Santiago and Warren turned their attention to the back, while Mike, Scott, and Joshua continued to support my nks.


    Still keeping an eye on the 2nd Amendment, I danced around with the undead. I didn''t know who came up with the formation, but they were now splitting their firepower in two directions, protecting our rear.


    "They have such a formation?" I asked in surprise.


    Being surrounded was the worst fear of every army, such situations usually meant the end. Being able to effectively protect their backline was something most formations had to n for.


    Since they had blessed bullets, I didn''t think there was anything that could take them down. I couldn''t babysit them forever, so I focused on the front and increased my attack speed.

 Chapter 199: Really that naive. [2/2]

    "FACK YOU CORPSE!" Ang roared, loud booms apanying each of her swings as she crushed the undead.


    "ire! Load the blessed bullets and get them off the chink!"


    "Understood!"


    "Take your time boo, I''ll be right behind you."


    Those who remained at the front also had their own problems and ns.


    "Mike, Joshua, cover me. I''m reloading."


    "Use the box of blessed bullets Scott, so that the build-up will be taken care of."


    "Got it, Mike."


    "I just used my blessed ammo, but I will use {Reload} if it gets dicey."


    While I could take over and bomb the living hell out of the zombies at the front, I continued to fightzily as I observed. As soon as the girls arrived, I would go with them, so the 2nd Amendment would have to learn to operate without me.


    "Joshua seems to be the natural leader who ns everything. If even Mike and Santiago, who were professionals, followed him, he must be someone with skills."


    With Ang away, I switched weapons when the MAC-11''s ran dry and shot my way through with the Punisher 1911''s. When I saw the ck steel finish on both, I became dissatisfied.


    "Calling two ck pistols Ebony and Ivory is fucking stupid. I am going to order new pistols tomorrow at the very least."


    Although the MAC-11''s had a smaller caliber, firing them in single bursts was not as fulfilling as shooting double akimbo with 1911''s. Sincebat was easy, I began training to invoke bullet time while shooting undead.


    Again using the Gun-kata from the movie Equilibrium, Ibined martial arts stances with pistol shots. The result was a bloody dance of lead. Eventually the zombies began to overrun my position.


    With only 8 round magazines, it wasn''t long before both of my 1911''s ran out of rounds. I pressed the magazine release on both of my pistols and holstered them as both slides locked to the back of the pistols.


    "Ugh, time for an awkward reload. {Code}!"


    At my call, my brain slowed down time to minimize my fumbling. I then pulled two magazines from both sides of my belt. In one smooth motion, I inserted a magazine into the receiver of each pistol with the arm on that side.


    The bullet time definitely allowed me to minimize the mistakes by focusing. Once both mags were in, I pulled both 1911s simultaneously and pressed the slide locks,pleting my akimbo reload.


    Time resumed and I used my pistols to blow the heads off the zombies around me. Scott began firing again, drastically reducing the number of zombies surrounding my position. With covering fire, I holstered the 1911''s and did a MAC-11 variation of my Akimbo reload.


    It was almost identical to the 1911 akimbo reload, except the MAC-11 doesn''t have a slide lock. The MAC-11 didn''t even have a slide. As a submachine gun, it has a bolt instead. Which you can fire from open or closed.


    So for the final step, after I inserted the magazines into the MAC-11''s, I removed them from my hip holsters. I move them to my 1911''s and use my pistols as ledges to push the bolts back in one quick motion.


    My akimbo reload was originally called a one hand reload. It was used by the Army to allow a soldier to reload his secondary if he lost his hand. I simply modified it to be done with both hands on two pistols at once.


    Even though my reloading style was boring as hell, it worked in under 10 seconds. Since my two hands were doing mirror actions, it was easy to make mistakes, so I decided to save bullet time for those instances.


    The nerd in me wanted to try throwing weapons in the air and stuff. Hell, I even had {Aim} and {Perceive} so I could make sure both gunsnded on the magazines. But somehow I didn''t like doing those fancy tricks.


    I liked things simple. Simple was boring, but who wouldin as long as the job got done.


    With both sets of guns reloaded, I used the MAC-11''s to st the shit out of the zombies. I tried to listen in on the back line and noticed that the crisis had passed.


    "CLAIRE! You do that again, I break your legs! Understand?!"


    "But Sister Ang!"


    "Layoff her puta, she tried to save you. If it was me I would have let you take a Chuckie to the face."


    "Nigga, y nice. We all friends here."


    "Shut up, ckie! And you cholo, why didn''t you stop ire?"


    "You think I didn''t try, puta? Se?orita ran as soon as she saw the chuckieing for you."


    "Sister, I''m sorry, please don''t be mad at them. It''s my fault. Sniff. Sniff."


    "See what you did, nigga, you made baby boo cry!"


    "FACK! I not angry ire! I want you safe. Don''t cry!"


    "But you''re all fighting because of me. I''m sorry. Sniff. Sniff."


    "Senorita, calm down. We are friends, see? Good friends."


    (Get hand off me cholo, before I tear ball sack.)


    (Do you want to see her cry? Go along puta.)


    "Hahaha! Yep! Good friends! Stop crying ire!"


    "Really?"


    I didn''t even need to see them to know what had happened. But it seemed that ire had be the glue that held the rest of the squad together.


    "Either she''s really that naive, or she''s ying the rest of the team like a fiddle."


    The rest of the defense was uneventful, except for the Golden Wick girls seeing ire covered in blood from a close fight.


    Addison and Phillip arrived with LLG''s second dismantling group.


    "Phillip, get us some floodlights and barbed wire simr to those used in WWII," I instructed.


    "Understood, Sir Addison, could the Production Reapers make both items?"


    "Do you want them now orter? If you give us an hour, we can make both."


    "Then take an hour and give it to Phillip when it is ready."


    "Got it, Limitless."


    After the handover wasplete, I called the team and prepared them to leave for a new zone. I allowed Golden Wick to gossip again about ire''s experience. The effect of her earning another 300 souls made the rest of the dismantling team drool.


    "Haha, you have not seen anything yet," Imented in passing.

 Chapter 200: Lets dance! [1/2]

    The 2nd Amendment and I responded to another siren and repeated the exact same steps as the previous zones. The third area also had only rank F''s, but they were only 200 strong.


    It was like a video game, unlike humans who learned from their losses, the undead were dumb as shit. Thus, the same tricks still worked even though the party had buried nearly a thousand corpses.


    I even tried not to participate at all to see how they would perform. So now I sat behind the firing line, bored out of my mind.


    "You know, you all work for me, but I don''t know anything about you. I''m from Phoenix, where is everybody from?"


    "Hefe! Stop ... Ugh. Bothering us!" Santiago grunted as he blew a Normie''s face off.


    "Santi''s from L.A. I''m from Ta, Washington, boss."


    "Patron! Can you please help out? I live in Salt Lake City, by the way."


    "Kimchi doesn''t seem to need any help. What state is Salt Lake City in?" I asked as I cleaned one of my 1911''s.


    "Its in Utah nigga! I''m out! Not sure if anybody cares but I''m from Detroit."


    "Shit! Bigfoots! A bunch of them, Scott, focus on 9 o''clock! G and I live in Manhattan."


    "On it!But damn, you''re from New York, Joshua? That''s great man, I always wanted to go there! I never got to leave Kentucky," Scott the redneck chatted as he swung the M60 in a new direction.


    "FACK! Get off me! OPPA! Help!"


    "Coming Sister G!"


    "What? No! Not you! Stay there! White boy! Get ass over here!"


    "Guess it can''t be helped. Let''s dance," I said, standing up and sting the shit out of the zombies around Ang.


    With {Gather}, I copied the Gun-kata from Equilibrium and tried to fight like the Cleric. It was an old movie, but basically you wield two guns like nun chucks.


    You fired at the heads and hearts of targets with the least amount of movement and the widest angle of fire. The Gun-kata emphasized lethality and being surrounded. In theory, it required you to memorize the enemy''s position and then kill them in the most systematic way possible.


    Of course, nerds on the Inte went crazy trying to prove it was bullshit. Doing it while people were shooting at you made no sense, since the Gun-kata user was barely moving. The next problem was how to detect enemies beyond your line of sight.


    Maybe it was because {Code} was working at 100%, but I feel like things became easier to calcte. As if I had somehow unlocked Asian math superpowers.


    With {Code} and {Gather} I broke down my moves into steps, {Aim} and {Snipe} gave me confidence that the bullets would hit their targets the moment the bullet left my guns.


    Finally, {Perceive} and {Listen}, when used at full capacity, allowed me to hear everything. Of course, without EXA, my ears were constantly rupturing and healing, but there you go. At least I could charge {Suffer} with the damage.


    All this allowed me to recreate Gun-kata and turn it into reality.


    When both sets of my guns were empty, I would do akimbo reloads in a trance. My dance of lead and death continued with gunfire and zombie groans as its musical apaniment.


    The repetition of the Akimbo reloads made me faster and faster as the bullet time began to synchronize with the muscle memory. Soon I didn''t even need bullet time because I could do Akimbo reloads wlessly.


    I had noticed it before, I could imitate people''s movements if I understood how they moved and analyzed it with {Gather}. Together with my senses, a strange sense ofbat rhythm was created.


    My senses made my body move even without my active participation. Aim, shoot, reload, aim, shoot, reload. I didn''t know when it started, but the more I calmed my mind in battle, the faster I became.


    The intensity and chaos of the battle was drowned out by the serenity of surrendering my body to {Gather}.


    Suddenly, my consciousness returned when there were no more zombies around me.


    Wondering what had happened, I holstered my weapons and found everyone looking at me with ck jaws. I nced around and saw the usual scene of dead zombies with bits and pieces all around me.


    Not sure what their problem was, I just asked. "What?"


    "John, is Phoenix made up of monsters like you?"


    "What the hell are you asking Scott? Call me Commander, you bastard."


    "Boss, your moves, where did you learn them? I never heard of gun karate. It looks difficult but effective."


    "Patron, the way you reload is lightning fast! I only reload one gun and you are still faster than me!"


    "Huh? I don''t think I did anything new," I replied confused.


    "I told you niggas, Limitless is already fighting on autopilot. If normal niggas master driving home drunk. Ourmander knows how to fight undead hordes surrounded brainless."


    "What the hell, Hefe! Teach me how to do that too!"


    Ang reached out and grabbed my arm.


    "White boy, when you dancing earlier. Bad. Don''t do it."


    "..."


    The normally racist bitch was suddenly scared. I should try to figure out what just happened. Joshua stepped forward, picked up the {Honey Trap} soulgear, and invoked its effects.


    Before this third zone began, I asked the 2nd Amendment to appoint a squad leader. As my army would grow in the future, it is necessary to establish amand structure as early as now.


    Joshua was unanimously chosen by all for his kindness, skill, and temperament. And because most of these bastards werezy as shit.


    When nothing came out after three minutes of waiting, the group rxed, and Joshua called Phillip. A few minutester, the third group of the demolition team arrived with my secretary and Cynthia.


    "Well done everyone, this has got to be the shortest one yet. It has only been fifteen minutes since Ist saw you all," Phillip praised with a smile.


    Cynthia stepped forward and gave a half-hearted salute before beginning to speak.


    "Limitless, the first two zones have submitted their profit reports. Would you like to hear them here or in private?" The President of the LLG asked.

 Chapter 201: Lets dance! [2/2]

    I waved my hand as I replied. "It''s okay, everyone in the 2nd Amendment is a squad leader candidate, they need to know these things eventually. We can move on."


    I then turned to my squad and mentioned a warning.


    "While I trust you all, your friends or lovers are not included. Greed or envy wille out if the ie information is shared carelessly. Do not share beyond the squad, are we clear?"


    "Roger." X7


    Cynthia nodded and started her report.


    "The totals for the results are as follows. For the 1st zone, we found only 430 bodies out of 570 supposed Rank F''s. For the 2nd, of the supposed 400, only 280 bodies were processed."


    "Was it because I blew them up? I used a lot of grenades," I interjected.


    "That may be one of the reasons, but I think the blessed bullets did more damage. If we assume that the missing bodies were all blessed, that means 260 rank F''s were purified. ording to the Holy Division, they found three sets of remains."


    "Wait! They found three? Seriously?" I shouted excitedly.


    The others noticed my reactions but had "what the hell are you talking about" expressions. Phillip had a smug look on his face and opened his mouth to speak.


    "Allow me to exin, they are..."


    His long-winded exnations, while informative, were shit, so I cut him off with a short version instead.


    "Zombie guts that keep reapers from going insane. Worth 30,000 souls each."


    "Holy..." "Seriously?" "Well shit!" "Damn..." "Wow!"


    Phillip looked like he wanted to p me, but I ignored him and gestured for Cynthia to continue.


    "Yes, because of the three devil remains, we would make a killing if we sold them all. The 700 corpses from the zones, on the other hand, only brought us 7,000 souls."


    When the team members heard how much we had made, their jaws dropped. Of course, the LLG people still had to take their cut, and we still had to pay the Saints, but the results were definitely impressive.


    "One of the Spikedogs had minimal damage and was sold for 20,000 souls, and the other two were sold for a total of 5,000 each. Combined, the total ie from the two zone defenses is 37,000 souls, or 127,000 souls if we sell the Devil''s Remains."


    When they heard the final number, the 2nd Amendment went ballistic and started screaming like they had won the lottery.


    The amount Cynthia reported was just for the loot. It did not even include the actual souls these people earned by killing or the bonuses I received from the dirge sirens.


    Warren, in particr, suddenly grabbed me in a bear hug and threw me into the air.


    "I''M GOING TO FOLLOW YOU FOREVER NIGGA!"


    The others in the zone all looked in our direction as the 2nd Amendment caught me and threw me in the air again. Phillip, even Cynthai were shouting simr cheers.


    I mean, why wouldn''t they, the loot alone was worth 2.5 million dors. Money or souls, the amount was insane, and it was all done in less than an hour.


    Everyone was in an ecstatic mood. More so as this money was earned by those whom the reaper''s despised as trash.


    After being thrown a few times, I escaped my men''s hands andnded on the ground.


    "Look, I know you are all happy, but we are just getting started, Joshua, here is my GRI, discuss with them which one you want to take. I need to talk to Cynthia and Phillip about something."


    "Got it Commander," Joshua held the GRI and walked away while the rest of the 2nd Amendment discussed how to earn the most.


    "Amigo, why not just use blessed rounds, 30 grand each, if we got 3 out of 200 then how many would we get out of a thousand?"


    "I say we stick with lead, the blessed rounds are for emergencies," Mike cautioned.


    Scott had a different suggestion. "One of the rank Es was lobotomized by Joshua, right? Why not hunt those Es instead, they sold for 20 grandpared to the two 5k''s we blew up into confetti."


    "Greedy bad! Reckless and you die! Oppa, lets do Normie hunts instead."


    "Nigga the earnings for that is too low, the remains on the other hand are based on chance. Big game is where its at. What about you boo?"


    ire abstained from voting, saying, "I''m still a beginner, so I''ll go with what the group decides."


    It was amusing to guess what the 2nd Amendment would decide. Each of them came from different backgrounds and different ces. So of course their opinions were based on their values.


    However, I ignored them as I had another matter to discuss.


    "Cynthia, I will buy the three remains, the next five you see are also mine. Anything beyond that you are free to sell."


    "Huh? No need for that Limitless, just take them! The LLG was created because of you, anyway."


    "No, if I start throwing my weight around, others will follow. I will buy them. The dismantling teams need motivation to work," I reasoned.


    "It looks like Yvonne was right," the woman replied.


    "What?"


    "Yvonne kept saying that there was no need to worry about our ie because Limitless would treat everyone fairly. Forgive me for not believing her first esteemed Limitless. Thank you for considering the best interests of the LLG."


    "Uh, okay... the other thing I wanted is this."


    I pulled out the {Honey Trap} soulgear and showed it to Cynthia.


    "Ah, I know that vase, its {Honey Trap} right?"


    "Yes. I want more of them, and if possible, I want to turn their effects into a regr item."


    "A regr item? You mean one that doesn''t use souls?"


    "Yes. And I also wanted to ask, how are Soulgears made? I n to turn my {Fate} into a Soulgear."


    Suddenly, Phillip and Cynthia made sick faces, as if they were talking about politics or religion. Phillip then began to wipe his monocle as he exined.


    "Esteemed Limitless, Soulgears are created from the Soulgems of a deceased Reaper."


    "..."


    Cynthia added.


    "It''s true, I''m afraid, the only way to create a soulgear is from a dead reaper. Replicas like this one exist, but there is no way to create one from scratch. That is why reaper corpses are recovered no matter how badly they are destroyed."

 Chapter 202: Calm the fuck down! [1/2]

    "Esteemed Limitless, Soulgears are created from a deceased reaper''s soulgems."


    The moment I heard this, my gut twisted into knots. Most people would be saddened by the circumstances of the reaper. After all, if life was so bad that you had to use your family''s bones or flesh, it was not only barbaric, but downright cruel.


    "It''s true, I''m afraid, the only way to create a soulgear is from a dead reaper. Replicas like this one exist, but there is no way to create one from scratch. That is why reaper corpses are recovered no matter how badly they are destroyed."


    But that wasn''t what consumed my imagination. No, maybe because I was a heartless bastard, my mind went down a more dangerous path.


    ''Soulgear farming...''


    If Soulgears were made from dead Reapers, then the quickest way to get an ability you needed was to kill a Reaper who had it. Once you found that ability, you could get their Soulgem and have it turned into a Soulgear.


    ''Shit, am I overthinking this? This meant that even raising Reapers like cattle would make sense. All you needed was an amazing {Fate},'' I theorized in disgust.


    Then I wondered how I would react if I saw the girls as soulgear. The moment such thoughts crossed my mind, I felt my rage erupt like a volcano.


    Souls enveloped the air as my blood lust visibly manifested around me like smoke. Phillip suddenly grabbed Cynthia as he retreated.


    "Fuck, not again."


    "Mr. Scrivener, what is going on?!"


    I tried to calm myself as I felt my insides begin to twist in pain. Maybe because I knew what was happening, I mustered my reason to suppress the anger in my heart. But the rage was too fucking overwhelming.


    As if everyone I loved had been killed. As if the murderer was gloating over my weakness. The rage was directed at everything around me and everything within me. It had no purpose, no direction. It just threatened to consume me.


    ''GET A GRIP, YOU FUCKING MORON! Nothing has happened yet! I reprimanded myself.


    Suddenly I heard a voice in the air with soul. It was the same voice I had heard before when my soul copsed.


    {NO! NOT AGAIN! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!}


    I couldn''t understand what was going on, my own arms began to move like someone else''s as they tried to find something to kill. I clenched my teeth as every muscle in my body contorted like a rubber band wound too tightly.


    "CALM THE FUCK DOWN! THEY ARE FINE!"


    {I WILL KILL YOU ALL!} {I''m hungry, when do we eat?} {EVERYTHING HERE IS MINE!!!} {YOU WANT TO STOP ME? ME OF ALL PEOPLE?} {Ah. I don''t care anymore.} {HOW CAN SHE BE HAPPY WITHOUT ME?!} {I WANT TO FUCK!!}


    Voices filled with either anger, lust, or apathy made the air tremble. What the hell was going on? As I fought to contain the wrath in my body, I saw the 2nd Amendmenting for me. Their voices, however, were distant, as if they were underwater.


    "Anyone know what the fuck is going on? Why is the boss acting mental?"


    "Nigga looks like the bastards in the Exorcist movies."


    "Phillip, what is wrong with El Hefe?"


    "He''s experiencing another episode of soul copse," Phillip replied curtly.


    "What is that? Oppa, do you know?"


    "I don''t. Mr. Phillip, is there anything we can do to help?"


    "I thought that was just a myth? Is it real? And Patron has experienced them before?"


    "Wait, wait, wait. Can someone tell me what the hell is going on? In a way a redneck like me can understand?"


    "Mr. Phillip, I want to know too. As the president of LLG, our lives depend on the well-being of Limitless, please tell me the truth."


    Even though I was listening to their discussion, I couldn''t concentrate. I dropped to my knees and banged my forehead on the floor. The urges I felt were too much to bear. I used everything I had just to stay where I was.


    "It''s a secret known only to Administration. There is a reason why the Battlefront doesn''t encourage excessive hunting. It is because the more souls a reaper acquires, the more his soul sumbs to his desires."


    "Say whut? Speak English, nigga!"


    "Everything from the professions to the tasks assigned to Reapers were created to ensure that no Reaper kills more than necessary."


    "Wait, so that''s why Phantoms only defend while Specters invade Hellsgate?"


    "Correct, even among Specters, many die not from injuries but from their souls copsing from the Devil''s whispers."


    "Hombre, what do you mean by Devil''s Whispers?"


    "Simply put, whenever a reaper collects a soul, it''s emotions are passed on to the reaper. Happiness, sadness and grief. But this is Hell, do you really expect to see happy souls here? The more negative emotions a reaper has, the greater the chance of their soul copsing."


    As I listened to Phillip, my whole body felt like it was about to burst. It was incredibly painful, but I was able to hold on a little thanks to {Limitless}.


    "What? Why didn''t the mercenaries stop Patron?"


    "What makes you think they didn''t, Ms.ire? Limitless is like a fucking storm, do you think anyone can control him? Besides, an order was given to Administration."


    "What order, Phillip?" our redneck asked.


    "It was from His Majesty the Invincible. ''Leave Limitless alone,'' it said."


    "..."


    Shit, so the reason everyone else barely bothered was because the Battlefront itself enforced such a thing? If even Specters were suffering from what I was feeling right now, it meant that they were a danger to themselves as well.


    "Let''s ignore the politics for now. Mr. Phillip. You seem to know a lot about soul copses. How do we fix it? The Commander seems to be suffering."


    "I don''t know, Mr. Joshua, thest time this happened, the Nightmare punched Limitless out of it. But he is not at the Battlefront right now."


    "Um, everyone, in the books I read, a soul copse manifests in two ways. A need to end life or a need to create it," ire shared like a know-it-all.


    "So white boy needs to kill or fuck?"


    "Puta, why not do the honors?"


    "If sex is not an option, then let''s just use the undead."


    "Joshua, what are you saying? We got to get John to the hospital."


    "I agree with Scott nigga, it''s not like I don''t trust boo, but we can''t risk getting this wrong."


    "Whatever you boys decide, I think we need to do it fast, the LLG are noticing the souls in the air. "


    So I just had to let these emotions out? Perfect, I could do that. I pulled out a 1911 and fired into the sky. Then I tried to stand up.


    My legs felt heavy like lead and an immense weight crushed me to the ground. I even had a fucking erection that felt like I could cum at the slightest touch.

 Chapter 203: Calm the fuck down! [2/2]

    Still, I clenched my teeth and grunted at Joshua.


    "Zone. Now."


    Just forcing myself to say those words was incredibly difficult. Joshua, understanding my instructions, began fiddling with my GRI. The rest of the squad quickly grabbed their weapons and formed a circle around me.


    Phillipmented with a ck jaw. "Unbelievable, you are still conscious despite looking like that. It seems His Majesty''s confidence was not misced."


    "Commander, zone selected. Ready when you are," Joshua dered.


    {Reaper NA20230799-FRM, Limitless reporting forbat.}


    {Wee Limitless, squad registry detected. Verifying¡­. 2nd Amendment Squad members detected¡­ Confirming member status¡­ Full squad ready forbat¡­ initiating summoning... Entering zone 1166-2 in 3...2...1...}


    As I struggled to control myself, I felt the pull on my soul and immediately surrendered to it.


    ***


    I was then thrown to the ground. The moment I arrived, I picked myself up and ran forward as fast as I could. If fighting could get rid of this feeling, I needed to kill something as soon as possible.


    Instead of waiting for the group, I used my superior speed to move my body. The anticipation of battle allowed me to suppress my bloodlust somewhat. The {Honey Trap} was given to Joshua by Cynthia, so they should be fine without me.


    Less than two secondster, I saw the undead. They were a sight for sore eyes as my rage twisted my body. I then pulled out my MAC-11''s and began firing at them. Bodies began to fall and I tried to use gun kata stances as I moved.


    When the SMG''s ran out of ammo, I switched to my 1911''s. More and more zombies surrounded me as I continued to fight. Somehow, with each kill, my rage subsided, as if blood was the only thing that could quench my fighting spirit.


    When the pistols ran out of ammunition, I shifted my grip from the handle to the slide. Wielding the two pistols like hammers, I began to bash the zombies around me.


    Again and again, I smashed the eye sockets, jaws, and temples of the corpses that approached me. Since my opponents were undead, none of the enemies I pounded on the ground stayed down.


    Soon my makeshift hammers broke apart as the 1911 frames bent or snapped from the impact. The Rank Fs all began to eat me as I resisted. When my body felt the pain of their bites, something inside me snapped.


    Souls erupted from my body once more as I battled the hordes of zombies. I broke bones, shattered skulls, and bit flesh from the undead around me.


    I continued this mad assault on the zombies as the dead and I tried to finish each other off. I forgot everything else as I fought with pure instinct.


    With just my hands, I used thews of physics to rip off arms and legs from the undead. Without even thinking about it, I ended up using ribs or spines as weapons, bastardizing the undead like a mad brawler.


    As the enemies around me dwindled, I ran and jumped to find more. My suit was torn into a thousand pieces as I fought. But despite the chaos, every time I crushed a skull or tore a body in two, I felt immense pleasure.


    {Regen} kept me alive, while {Limitless} became the reason I could fight. My instincts relished the feeling of death and violence. Like a fish in water, I surrendered my body to my bloodlust and unleashed my inner monster.


    ***


    Suddenly I felt something warm on my forehead. A sticky red liquid dripped towards my chin as the smell of iron wafted through the air. It was only when I opened my eyes that I noticed the blonde saint kneeling before me.


    "ire?"


    I tried to get up but noticed therge number of zombie carcasses in my immediate vicinity. The rest of the 2nd Amendment had guns pointed at me, all wearing sad expressions. They looked at me with faces of pity, shame, and pity.


    "{Serenity}"


    ire solemnly invoked her {Fate} while dressed in a glowing robe. She cried pitifully as a warm golden light fell like snow on my head.


    I wanted to tell her that it''s okay, so I reached out my arm to wipe away her tears. But then I noticed that my whole forearm was blood red.


    In a reflex, I tried to wipe it on my pants, but I realized that I was topless while my pants were in tatters.


    "..."


    "Patron, you are okay. You are okay."


    The woman repeated her words like a prayer. However, it was as if the words were not for me, but for her.


    Feeling that something must have happened, I invoked {Rece} and restored my appearance. When my body felt the texture of my suit again, I stood up and asked the squad.


    "Anybody want to tell me what happened?"


    "You went nuts, nigga. You were like an animal that wouldn''t listen to reason."


    "John, I think you need to get some rest. Whatever this was. It''s not normal," Scott worried.


    "Hefe, you fought over fifty zombies by biting off their necks."


    "Boss, it looked like something out of a horror movie."


    "White boy, stop fighting."


    "John, after all the zombies were dead, you continued to beat their corpses. We couldn''t stop you, so we ended up shooting you with blessed rounds," Joshua exined.


    "Did I hurt anyone?"


    "No, you just roughed us up a bit. ire used her {Fate} {Serenity} to calm you down."


    Hearing that my team had managed to keep me under control, I sighed in relief.


    "That''s good. Well done, everyone. Call the LLG. After that we go to a new zone."


    "Hefe, I think you should stop."


    "Boss, I agree with Santi. You''re too high strung. You will break!"


    While I understood their concern, resting was the least of my priorities right now. I had too much to do. Killing undead and preparing for my seeker war were things I could not put off.


    "Joshua, give me my GRI."


    "White boy! Listen!"


    "Nigga! You are sick."


    I walked over to Joshua and grabbed my phone out of his hand. As long as I didn''t hurt anyone, all I had to do was quench my bloodlust with more blood.


    "I''ll be fine. Let''s go. The night is young."

 Chapter 204: How many? [1/2]

    The next fifteen fights went off without a hitch. After my episode with the third siren, Iid low and just shot everything around me, hardly talking to anyone while I did it.


    Joshua did an exceptional job as our squad leader. He was knowledgeable about tactics and human rtions.


    For the next few missions, 2nd A tweaked the runs for maximum efficiency. There were many factors that contributed to the 2nd A''s breakneck pace.


    First, Yvonne continued to add blessed rounds to our ammunition. They also began referring to the blessed rounds as "Sacreds". Throughout the night, her side was able to create an additional 200 blessed rounds.


    That should have been 200,000 souls, but Yvonne made a suggestion.


    "Limitless, since these were made with {Rewind}, we will only charge 200 souls for each Sacred. However, if the 2nd Amendment requires recruits, Golden Wick will be your first resource pool."


    I had no reason to refuse, so I epted the new prices and the additional use.


    Second, after the Fifth Zone, Addison arrived with the floodlights and barbed wire. This added utility to the 2nd Amendment''s defensive capabilities. The squad members divided the equipment as their {Auto} and added the defensive wiring before the fighting began.


    With the additional lighting, there was no need for tracers. Thus, Scott went back to using armor-piercing rounds. Surprise attacks were greatly reduced as visibility improved, reducing the overall difficulty of each zone.


    The barbed wire was ced inrge circles around our kill zones, rogue zombies now get stuck on the wire when they tried to sneak past me or Ang. These two items turned most of the fights into turkey shoots.


    Third, after the ninth siren, Cynthia brought three more {Honey Traps} for 50,000 souls each. The team decided that Ang would carry two of them, while Warren would carry thest soulgear.


    Thesest changes reduced the tension so much that the bastards even started chatting while dropping zombies like y targets. One of the most interesting discussions they had was about their {Fates}.


    "If everyone doesn''t mind, would you like to share our {Fates}? I have nothing against the Formless, I am just curious and I think everyone is bored, right?" ire asked, obviously looking for something to pass the time.


    Almost anything was better than listening to zombie groans and gunfire for hours. Everyone responded positively, so the exchange began. They began to discuss over the noise.


    "Since everyone agreed, I will start. My {Fate} is called {Pdin}. I am part English, so I wanted to be like the crusaders in the Middle Ages. It is up to level 3 and has {Serenity} and {Purge}."


    ire called up a white battle robe, then continued.


    "{Pdin} makes my body move more fluidly and I can purify things I touch. {Serenity} calms my mind, while {Purge} removes curses. Who wants to go next?"


    ''Hmm. ire''s {Fate} family was worthy of its name, if raised properly, she would be a fighter specializing in killing undead.''


    Since I lost my shit in thest battle, there was some awkwardness between me and the team, so I didn''t join in, and just listened.


    It was an open secret, but {Fates} were a person''s deepest regrets. Granted, to be a reaper, one had to die first, but most people would not share their {Fates} without showing deep trust.


    Bearing such weakness was not done to those with whom one did not have a particrly strong bond. When no one immediately jumped after her, ire quietly cried for some reason. But then someone came to her aid.


    "I''ll go!" Ang shouted as she fired the 629petitor. The racist Korean grabbed her spiked mace and mmed it to the ground.


    "My {fate} called {Lady of War}, I wanted to be warrior! Meet my baby. Baby gives me {Crushing Blow} so I hit very hard. {Armor tting} made me tough! Oppa you go next!"


    "Hmm. Give me a moment. My {Fate} is called {Disable}, you all already know that I am Formless. The next {Fates} are {Maim} and {Disarm}," Joshua said between firing sniper rounds.


    "My {Fates} all take away my opponent''s ability to fight. {Disable} is for the mind, {Maim} is for the body, while {Disarm} is a kind of tranquilizer. I wanted to be able to stop someone without killing them."


    When we all heard Joshua''s words, we felt they carried an immense weight. How much did he regret killing someone to create a {Fate} based on non-lethal force.


    Feeling the awkward atmosphere, a few minutes passed before the next person shared.


    "Well, you all already know that I''m from Kentucky, I''m also Formless. I don''t have a fancy story. I just wanted to blow shit up. {Fate} is {Detonate}, the next ones are {Shrapnel} and {Fuse}. They are exactly what they sound like."


    This was why I loved Rednecks. They were incredibly simple, but without any pretense or deception. Mike, who was in the middle of reloading, kept the ball rolling.


    "I guess I''ll go next. I died to a suicide bomber in Libya in 2019. My Formless {Fate} is called {Pierce}. Its next levels are {Throw} and {Ripple}. I can turn anything into a spear, {Throw} knocks back what I have stabbed, {Ripple} creates shockwaves thate from my target."


    "..."


    It was easy to understand the reason for a Reaper''s {Fate} when you learned how that Reaper died. Of course, hearing such information was extremely strange, to say the least. But as if spurred on by what they had heard, Santiago shared his story as well.


    "Mine is also an everyday story, amigos. Sucked a lighthouse after a drug cartel raid on the border. {Fate} is {Immte}, I can use my body as a fire starter without burning myself. {Aze} and {Wildfire} make the me spread farther and faster".


    Despite Santiago''s attempt to lighten the mood, many could see from his story what he was trying to burn.


    "I''m thest, huh? Well, I died in a shootout between street pharmacists. My {Fate} is called {Discern}, gut feeling is 100% right. Never let a nigga down, not once. Since I died anyway. I can see three seconds into the future with {Predict},stly {Forecast} gives me a vague fortune for a person or object."

 Chapter 205: How many? [2/2]

    Street pharmacists was hood speak for drug dealers. I often heard that Detroit turned to heroin after the end of the industrial revolution. Due to theck of jobs, most turn to drug-rted jobs just to survive.


    After learning of each other''s {fates} and deaths, the squad treated each other noticeably better. For one, they stopped swearing like assholes, but a strange awkwardness remained.


    During the next dirge sirens, the squad only made small talk. It was as if everyone agreed that they needed time to digest what they had learned about each other.


    From our tenth to fifteenth zones, the squad tested battle formations. They tried fighting together, separated in teams, and as individuals.


    They also experimented with what would happen if more than one {Honey Trap} was triggered at the same time. The results of said experiment were amusing, to say the least.


    Any zombie caught in a single trap would behave normally. However, the poor saps caught between two of them stopped moving altogether.


    The squad and I had a field day shooting the zombies as they froze like statues. It was basically free money.


    Another change over the course of the night was that the squad decided that all E''s and D''s would be assassinated by Joshua.


    With his mythical uracy from the upgraded M24, most of the big game went down in a shot or two. The LLG who saw the intact corpses were beyond ecstatic.


    It seemed that Academics had a lot of money to spend on studying undead or monster physiology. However, when the corpses were ripped apart, those who bought the corpses were Fortification, Administration, or the ck market of Production.


    At first, Joshua wanted someone else to take the M24 instead. After all, killing Rank E''s and D''s yielded far more souls than the standard 20 from a Rank F Normie.


    However, after I told them what the splits would be. They all cheered for Joshua to hunt everything with big smiles.


    Finally, the question of whether to prioritize corpses or devil remains was resolved halfway through the night. It was Phillip who made the call.


    "Right now, the LLG is already struggling to deal with over three thousand Rank F''s. I suggest we use blessed rounds as much as possible, as it will ease the burden on the dismantling teams."


    We already knew that. But his next argument was what made everyone unanimously agree to go after the Devil''s Remains.


    "Also, Cynthia and I were able to sign a deal with Administration. They will now buy all the Devil remains we acquire for forty thousand souls each."


    "Wow, that''s a lot of money, I asked for eight, right? How many have we found so far?"


    Cynthia grinned broadly and held out ten fingers.


    "Esteemed Limitless, we have found ten so far. If we take out your requests for eight pieces, we still made over 80,000 souls for the 2 sets of Devil''s Remains!"


    The 2nd Amendment, after hearing such numbers, forgot all else. They abused {Reload} to st as many zombies to heaven as they could with Sacreds. We ended up finding ten more, for a total of 12 sets to be sold, or 480,000 souls.


    By the end of the night, my faction had made over 980,000 souls. LLG took their share of 245,000, while Phillip took amission of 9,800 for himself.


    After subtracting the 80,000 for the blessed round and the 150,000 for the three {Honey Traps}, the total loot was 495,200. The seven in 2nd Amendment and I took equal shares of 61,900 each.


    There was some disagreement about how to divide the loot. First, everyone tried to give me 30%, which I refused.


    Next they tried to give more to Ang, Scott, and Joshua, but all three simrly objected. Then ire wanted to reduce her share because she felt she hadn''t done enough. Everyone disagreed.


    It was heartwarming to see what they did next. The seven of them vowed that from today on, they would always share their earnings equally, even if the others passed away.


    From the pitiful circumstances of these people, they suddenly earned 60,000 souls each. They all cried with happiness as they embraced each other in camaraderie when the night came to an end.


    The vast difference in their status before tonight made their sess all the sweeter.


    ire was about to sell herself out of poverty.


    Joshua was forced to endure being a horse just to earn money, while Ang also earned paltry sums despite her abilities.


    Mike and Santiago were treated like gofers and disposables because they were Formless.


    Scott, despite years of adventuring, couldn''t even afford a proper Sorm. It was so bad that he continued to use regr swords due tock of funds.


    I wasn''t sure how lucrative Warren''s adventuring missions would be, but they couldn''t have been any easier than our recent zone remations.


    Thanks to their bravery and determination, they were now earning enough to not only evolve their {Fates}, but also improve their equipment or armor.


    If they had money problems on Earth, a payday of $1.2 million would significantly reduce or eliminate those problems.


    Of course, the rest of Golden Wick heard how much ire was making. They became more and more desperate to join my army.


    The girls even began to serve as 2nd Amendment cheerleaders. They wiped sweat, handed out refreshments, and even gave the troops foot massages. All in an effort to help them get in.


    Likewise, the dismantling teams who also heard about their ridiculous payday became extremely jealous.


    ire, who started the night clean, ended it covered in sweat, dirt, and zombie blood. But the reality of a 5''6" teenager making 60,000 souls in a single night made everyone else question their life choices.


    Thinking something should be done, I instructed Yvonne, Cynthia and Addison to form groups of eight.


    Of course, talk of how the next 2nd Amendment troops woulde from these groups made everyone giddy.


    When I saw how energetic the LLG and its people were, I knew that forming a second squad would be easy. I just needed to figure out how to standardize {Fate} enhanced weapons for my squads soon.

 Chapter 206: Seven Rings [1/2]

    While the rest of the 2nd Amendment and the LLG were celebrating, I slipped away and hid in one of the meeting rooms. Phillip, on the other hand, was running around coordinating with the others. Having him for such things was definitely the right decision.


    Throughout the night I dissected the factors that needed to be addressed in order for the 2nd Amendment and the LLG to be sessful. After writing them down, what I came up with was the following.


    The 2nd Amendment Combat Doctrine required:


    1. Soldiers - we needed people willing to fight the undead.


    2. Weapons - our goal was to allow even Formless and Non-Combat Manifested to fight.


    3. Supplies - We needed our people to have what they needed.


    4. Survivability - the n was useless if everyone died.


    5. Reconnaissance - going in blind would get people killed.


    6. Incentive and Reward - we needed to give people a reason to fight.


    7. Continuous improvement. - Zombies get stronger, so we should too.


    It soundedplicated, but it was simple. Originally, I was the only reason we could fight with guns. But as time went on, the team became less and less dependent on me. As I reduced my involvement, the rest of the squad stepped up to fill the gaps.


    The soldiers portion was taken care of by the original members of the squad. They were both willing andpetent inbat. When I delegatedmand to Joshua, he performed even better than I did. So there were no problems.


    When Joshua was busy, Mike and Santiago used their military backgrounds to help the rest of the squad. Scott was the muscle of the group, doing the hardest jobs which took the load off everyone else.


    As for weapons, guns became our solution to allowing weak people to fight. The gun and physics did all the work that would enable even women and children to kill zombies.


    Supplies were handled by {Rewind}. Ammunition, which would be the worst problem, was solved by {Reload}.


    From a logistical point of view, the use of guns would not be possible without {Reload}. Both because it was impossible to buyrge quantities in Hellsgate, and it would be too expensive even to try.


    Other supplies such as food, curatives, fortifications, and even blessed rounds were no problem as long as they were contained in our {Autos}.


    Our survivability, on the other hand, relied less on armor and more on {Rewind}, which was a second life, and {Regen}, which was excellent healing.


    The {Honey Trap} soulgears, floodlights, and even the barbed wire were all for the same purpose. Last but not least, the investment in Sacreds allowed the team to take on tougher opponents.


    Originally, they relied on me for scouting. However, with the addition of the floodlight and barbed wire, they no longer needed my aid in detection. After the group shared their {Fates} Warren''s instincts and warnings have be more and more credible.


    ire also served as a 2nd detector, as she somehow detected undead almost as effectively as I did. Santiago started setting fire to the barbed wire, which further improved the situation.


    As for incentive and reward as well as continuous improvement, Phillip and the LLG would help process and liquidate anything the 2nd Amendment hunts. Both parties needed the other or they could not function.


    The oue of this night illustrated how overwhelming this setup was. Sure, they relied heavily on my {fates}, but it was only after everything came together that it became a viable n of action.


    "With the current setup, they should be fine even if I were to disappear. Once Joshua, and the others registered as mercenaries, even Phillip''s problems would be solved. The main problem was what they would do when the loans for my {Fates} ended."


    The current battle doctrine would be broken if they suddenly lost {Rewind} and {Reload}. This meant that if my {Fate} suddenly became unavable, they wouldn''t be able to continue like tonight.


    For this reason, I had Phillip give merge jars and had them stored in this meeting room. I used a knife to slit my wrists and filled seven jars with my blood.


    Each jar was the equivalent of maybe four or five pints of blood. If normal people fainted from filling just one jar, I had to fill seven. {Regen} and {Eat} helped me to endure, though I ended up eating two Snickers bars to keep me going after losing so much blood.


    If the 2nd Amendment members loaded my blood and abused {Auto}, it would be impossible for them to lose my {Fates}. With the excess of {Honey Trap} soulgears and the support of LLG, the hope and vigor that my actions managed to inspire should continue even after my death.


    If I had nothing to show for it when I died as a human, I felt like I had aplished something great right now. Should I die in the Seeker War, at least I helped establish the 2nd Amendment and the Limitless Logistics Group.


    I remembered the group hug the squad had shared earlier. As well as the happy faces of the LLG when they were paid. Both were a far cry from the countless dead Reapers I had encountered. And both were due to my efforts.


    "Haha, I must be getting old to be so sentimental."


    Even the gamblers who got rich from my actions should be able to live longer. But perhaps the most important thing I did was to save the Sirens.


    The fact that they survived the enlistment was my proudest achievement. And even though I didn''t save Lilly, I already had the information she desperately wanted. Saving Aki''s brother was also a happy coincidence. It was like a bonus.


    Be remarked that she had never even heard of Formless Phantoms before. But now, even without me, the seven of them would mark a new beginning.


    Once the 2nd Amendment squad evolved to the next level, Formless would be an active part of the Reaper War.


    With most things taken care of, myst concern was for the people I would be leaving behind.


    Caroline should be fine, so I don''t really care as long as she''s happy. I never met her or even spoke to her since I became a Reaper. Hopefully, the chances of assassinsing for her were slim.

 Chapter 207: Seven Rings [2/2]

    The Simmons family on the other hand, would be protected by the Sirens today and the 2nd Amendment tomorrow.


    Hopefully, in the event of my death, those who woulde after my 2nd family would lose interest.


    It was already Thursday, so I had three days and two nights before the war. The other groups were settling down, and once I get the Sirens a stable ie, I could fight without any regrets.


    The Sirens were a powerful group, and I was sure they would eventually join the front lines. Making the devil''s remains into jewelry would be myst gift to them. If even Specters were susceptible to soul copse, then the girls would need them.


    I knew that what I was doing was not the best course of action, but humans were hardly logical. My current situation was simr to someone about to undergo a life-threatening operation.


    Even though I nned to resist as much as I could, it was just stupid not to prepare for what would happen if I died.


    Just as I was using some towels to wipe the blood off my hands, Cynthia, Addison and Yvonne came in.


    "Ah! Limitless, we were able to find you. The 2nd Amendment is also looking for you too, by the way," the LLG president informed me.


    "Thanks, I was just about to finish up here and get ready to go home."


    Yvonne closed the door as she spoke.


    "Patron, I heard about your incident from ire and Cynthia..."


    "Stop. Do not push this any further, I have my reasons. Do not try to tell me what to do or I will shoot you, understood?"


    The Chief Saint epted my rebuke and bowed as she apologized. "Forgive me for overstepping Patron, I meant no offense."


    Addison and Cynthia, hearing my fierce deration made grim faces. They stood awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed.


    "Please take a seat. What else did you want to talk about?" I asked, trying to be civil.


    Addison took out his backpack and ced eight boxes on the table. Cynthia took each of the boxes and opened them.


    Inside the in boxes were rainbow colored bones. Some were parts of skulls, others were fragments of hips or spines, while the smaller ones were fingers or kneecaps.


    "Esteemed Limitless, these are the devil''s remains. They are parts of the undead, purified to the limit. Just wearing them would alleviate the symptoms of soul copse. These are the best of the twenty remains recovered by the LLG."


    I took one of the boxes, which had what looked like part of a spine, and touched it. It radiated the same divine energy as the blessed rounds. I felt cleansed just by being near it.


    The biggest difference was that the energy after a blessed roundsted only a few minutes. It had been well over half an hour since ourst battle, yet these bones still radiated energy.


    The gruff dwarf knelt as he spoke.


    "Esteemed Limitless, if you have no intention of resting. Please allow us to forge these into soulgears immediately.


    "The entire LLG wishes to offer these to you. I heard about your sentiments from Cynthia, but we cannot ept! You have helped us so much, and we have yet to repay you."


    He then mmed his fist into his chest with such force that the furniture rattled a bit.


    "Even if our future no longer rides with you, our gratitude will remain forever. We wish to repay at least a fraction of the favor we have received.


    "The LLG will give these to you as a gift and craft them in any way you wish. We intend to ept payment for future transactions, but please allow us to show our gratitude at least once."


    Unexpectedly, even Yvonne and Cynthia got down on one knee and asked for my permission.


    "Please let us repay you. Patron."


    "Esteemed Limitless, please allow it."


    I could tell from Addison''s trembling voice how serious he was. No man worth his weight appreciated being indebted to another. Not without being able to repay it, at least. Their pride wouldn''t allow it.


    Perhaps, as a form of gratitude, they wanted to do something to help me. As someone who knew what it felt like to want to give back, I smiled and agreed.


    "Then I will graciously ept. Thank you for your sincerity. Please turn one into something to wear with my suit. Make the others into women''s jewelry, preferably seven rings."


    When Yvonne heard my words, she smiled mischievously like a cat.


    "Patron, will the jewelry be for thediesing tomorrow? Nothing says I own you better than a wedding ring!"


    I nodded, feeling a little embarrassed.


    "I have yet to ask them, just regr elegant rings will be fine."


    Cynthia, catching on, made a lecherous face as she joined in.


    "Kya! So the rumored battle harem that the esteemed leader adores ising tomorrow?! I better tell the rest of the guild that we should prepare a grand wee!"


    Even Addison startedughing like a goofy uncle at the news.


    "HAHAHA! The rumored Battle harem of Limitless! I knew our leader was a man''s man! Very well, I will make sure that the final products will be something worthy of even queens!"


    Surprised that there were even rumors, I looked at the culprit, expecting an exnation. I had only mentioned the Sirens in passing earlier that evening.


    "Oh, don''t look at me like that, Patron! I did it for you! We told you you were A+ material. When the money started rolling in, every female reaper had your name on her lips. From every profession to the red light district."


    "Get to the point," I replied coldly.


    "They kept harassing the LLG to reveal what kind of woman you preferred. Of course, the LLG guarded the information closely, we created a Hollywood style response that answered whether you were taken or not."


    "Yvonne..."


    "I finally told the everyone that you already had a battle harem serving you! And that because of this group of women, you have no interest in anyone else, so they should just give up!" the head saint shouted as if she had a gun to her head.


    She wasn''t wrong, but for some reason I wanted to hit her. I had no idea that something like this was already brewing.


    ''Well, I spent practically all my time in the Zones. How am I supposed to handle this?''

 Chapter 208: Maybe a week? [1/2]

    "We should have a weing party! Oh! We should also prepare some music and food! Oh no! I don''t think we''d have ough time!"


    Cynthia, who had gone insane, began to ramble on like a wedding nner, Addison and Yvonneughing as they added a few suggestions. While everything they suggested sounded good on paper, I didn''t think the Sirs would like it.


    "Cynthia, stop. While I appreciate your efforts, I do not wish to make such a spectacle tomorrow. Just prepare a room for us to rest in."


    Somehow my words had the opposite effect, as the honorable presidt of the LLG was transformed into a shrieking teager.


    "KYYYYAAAA!!! SO YOU MEAN TO SAY YOU WANT TO MONOPOLIZE THEM ALONE! KYAA!!!! THAT IS SO DOMINATING! ARE YOU GOING TO BIND THEM AND TRAMPLE THEM LIKE PLAYTHINGS TOO?! WOW!"


    "Patron! How lecherous! What do you intd to subject thedies to? Will you defile them to your heart''s contt! Such depravity!"


    "Oy! Look here you two!"


    "Hmm. It looks like we didn''t have to worry about resting your mind after all. Although you will be fighting a differt kind of battle, sev to one should not be too difficult."


    "Shut it, dwarf!"


    "I should tell Arcus Kiss that we will be booking theirrgest room for the night. Let me call them now."


    "Like I said, we''re not like..."


    "Cynthia, shouldn''t we also serade them with music and flowers?"


    "Ah! You''re right, Yvonne, we should also prepare battle attire for the night festivities."


    "Right! As the mistresses of the LLG, we should also prepare a gift for them," the Vice Presidt eximed.


    "Look, you bastards..."


    "What should we give them? Lingerie? Aphrodisiacs? Maybe something customized? What do you think Yvonne?"


    "Hmm, that would be difficult, Patron hasn''t shared anything about them, not ev their names. How would we ev know their sizes?"


    At the d of my rope, I mmed my hand down on the table while invoking death resonance.


    "ENOUGH!"


    The three stooges suddly took a step back and knelt before me. Wh I saw Yvonne shaking from the death resonance, I clicked my tongue. Once again, I suppressed people wh they stopped listing to me.


    ''If I don''t control myself, this will be a bad habit,'' I regretted.


    These people were not my subordinates, but rather my allies, so overpowering them like this would definitely cause unnecessary ill feelings. After all, they only wanted to show their good side to the Sirs.


    "Look, guys, I apologize for my outburst. I appreciate everything you all want to do for me. But the Sirs and I are just frids at the momt. While it is true that I appreciate them, I have yet to make anything clear. Please hold off for now. I will ask for your support wh the timees."


    Forgivess betwe two parties usually involves pride and power dynamics. Ev though Hellsgate praised my performance, I still considered myself an ordinary person. As such, I make mistakes and should know how to ept my faults.


    The three people who heard my apology smiled and stood up. It seemed that they didn''t think much of my outburst and simply epted my words.


    "No harm done, Limitless, please forgive us as we are also at fault. As Addi said, we are in your debt for a lot of things, and we wish you happiness. Since you hardly ask for anything, we overstepped and wanted to serve thedies," Cynthia replied with a smile.


    Addison th added in a serious tone. "Limitless, as a fellow man, I understand the importance of timing. Wh you make your decision, call for me, the LLG and I are at your disposal."


    "Patron, I am rooting for you! If things don''t work out, remember that the tire Gold Wick is ready tofort you."


    "Yvonne! Limitless will shoot you if you keep this up."


    "Girl, I know how you feel, but at least wait until he fails!"


    I smiled at the antics of these people. Maybe it was because they were Phantoms? I noticed that Reapers were gerally much more loyal to their desires. Dying unfulfilled probably had something to do with it.


    "Yvonne, I have already told you. I have no interest in childr. I have absolutely no inttion of giving up on the Sirs, ev if they reject me. They are mine. And no one can change that."


    Cynthia gave an irritating smile as she replied.


    "All that bravado is fine and all esteemed Limitless, but matters of the battlefield and the heart are differt. Just be careful that your flowers are not tak from you."


    "I think we have overstayed our wee. Limitless, as we discussed, I will have our people work on these. They should be ready in two days. Please look forward to them."


    Addison put the boxes back in his backpack and left with Yvonne and Cynthia. As I left the room, I saw the rest of the nd Amdmt outside the Dispatch building. They were sured by a mob of reapers.


    Ev without trying, the discussions going on were loud ough for me to hear.


    "Scott, cmon man, ar''t we like brothers? Can you maybe get me in?"


    "Not my decision, go away," the redneck replied curtly.


    "Joshua, didn''t I help you before? You owe me! Let me talk to Limitless!"


    "I don''t owe you anything, fuck off!"


    "Santiago! I heard you got a good gig. We want in."


    "List puto, get a job instead!"


    "ire, you know I always found you incredibly beautiful, how about we go on a date?"


    "I...um..."


    "Boo ain''t interested, nigga, walk before I make you."


    "Who the hell are you supposed to be?"


    "I''m her brother from another mother, now shoo!"


    Wh the nd Amdmt saw me walking out, they brushed off the mob and headed toward me. Of course, the Reaper mob also noticed.


    "ck hair, ck suit and red tie. That''s Limitless, right?"


    I stared at the reapers without a word. Half expecting some of them to make unreasonable demands, I waited a few momts. But  of them had the guts to ev try to talk to me.


    Not wanting to waste any more time, I began heading for the receiving area. The nd Amdmt followed me like bodyguards.


    Wh we got a little farther, my squad started gossiping like teagers.


    "Amigo, I was tse as hell back there. I didn''t know if Hefe was going to shoot those poor bastards."


    "Yeah, good thing the boss was able to control himself."

 Chapter 209: Maybe a week? [2/2]

    "Is it just me, or does John''s aura seem more intse than before?"


    "I feel it too,  boy like a graveyard."


    "Warr, um, thanks for earlier."


    "No problem boo, I will keep the creeps away from you."


    "Commander, we wish to return your guns to you."


    "Okay, thanks. I will go shopping for guns, what should I get you guys?"


    "We have be talking, it would be good to have a standard rifle and a sidearm. That way we can swap magazines wh needed. A squad weapon and a sniper rifle would also be great, and finally a gradeuncher would allow us to take care of unse circumstances," Joshua summarized.


    "Okay, th I would get four AR rifles, a gradeuncher, a sniper rifle, a machine gun, and six sidearms. Kimchi, do you want a rifle as well?"


    "I want rifle and pistol  boy. Baby will be a backup."


    I couldn''t me her, as the squad shifted to using blessed s, her position became redundant. With the ability to sd the undead away with a {Honey Trap}, the need for her to tank lost it''s importance.


    ''Although this may change as more higher level undead appear, for now, earning souls seems to be the best option.''


    "Okay, here is the address I want protected. If you have family, please make sure they are safe before you go to mine. They may be targeted the more you help me. For weapons essories, bring them to my house and I will bring them to Hellsgate for you."


    "Actually, Hefe, the squad is nning to move to Arizona. We basically became millionaires overnight. Moving our families closer would allow us to protect each other."


    It didn''t need to be said, but I guessed that they were also nning to protect the families of those who died in Hellsgate. These people have be Reapers longer than I have. So they knew how easy it was for people in our line of work to die.


    "Okay, that sounds good. I will try to find a ce where we can all transfer."


    The Reapers had a lot of restrictions on how they lived. Of course, it would be better to be in a ce where we didn''t have to hide or work a those limitations. Just like how werewolves and vampires formmunities in fiction.


    ''We might ev be able to form descdants if ough reapers shacked up.''


    As my thoughts turned to Reapers and mating, I naturally remembered something I needed to research. Luckily, the expert on the subject was right in front of me.


    "I want to talk to Joshua in private. Give us a minute."


    Fortunately, Joshua was the squad leader, so I could make it look like official Army business. Wh we were about 0 yards away, I tried to ask Joshua without sounding formal.


    "So, Joshua, I wanted to ask. How exactly does reaper sex work? Anything I need to watch out for?"


    Wh Joshua heard my question, his face broke into a goofy-looking smile.


    "Are you asking in preparation for tomorrow?"


    "Well... it''s not exactly like that, but it''s kind of, you know..."


    "I see."


    Despite the vaguess of my words, the Korean in front of me nodded in understanding like a monk. Th I remembered a crucial detail about Joshua and the topic.


    "Wait! You and Kimchi are still Wraiths, right? Shouldn''t you be extremely careful? I thought Wraith sex was extremely dangerous."


    "Commander, the biggest differce betwe human sex and Reaper sex is the involvemt of souls. A human body has inhert limits that protect it, a reaper''s soulgem does not. Wh you have sex, the souls in your gems will naturally merge like a body of water."


    As I listed to Joshua''s detailed exnation, I hung on every word. I wasn''t sure if I would need it right away, but I knew I would need it evtually. Since the Sir''s were very vocal about their affection for me, I didn''t know how long I could resist.


    "This fusion of souls would create a feeling of euphoria. The physical pleasure of mating would be hanced by this river of souls flowing betwe you and your partner''s bodies.


    "As long as your bodies are joined and your hearts flow as one, the soul river would continue to circte, drowning you both in ecstasy."


    Right, this was all good to know, but my main concern was why reapers die.


    "The dangeres from losing control. Many reapers be addicted to the soul river and force it to stay with them. This, of course, breaks the cycle and forcefully possesses the souls of others.


    "Wh this happs, one must submit to the other. If the weaker reaper does not submit, he or she will be at the mercy of his or her partner. If the stronger of the two does not stop because of the high, the weaker reaper will have his or her tire essce devoured."


    Devoured? So, since the soulgems were our bodies, in addition to physically destroying the gems, it was also possible to devour a soul.


    "Since the Wraiths have little control over their new bodies, it bes increasingly difficult not to sumb to the desire of the Soul River. Ang and I have simr problems, but fortunately my {fate} helps us to calm down.


    "{Disable} acts as a tranquilizer, so as long as I continue to use it during sex, I remain in control. I also give it to Ang repeatedly so she doesn''t drown in lust.


    "For the record, {Disable} can easily take down a herd of elephants. That''s how powerful a tranquilizer has to be to help."


    I didn''t know whether tough or be scared. So Reaper sex felt so good that a man and woman had to sedate themselves while fucking just to stay sane.


    "If you don''t mind me asking, Joshua, how does it feel?"


    Swallowing my pride, I asked with the curiosity of a teager discovering porn for the first time.


    "Commander, what''s the longest you''ve held back from masturbating?"


    "I don''t know, maybe a week?"


    "It felt a lot better than usual wh you came, didn''t it?"


    "Yeah. It did."


    "Reaper sex and the soul river is like holding back for a decade. It will be like cumming your balls empty and still keep going. As long as the Soul River is with you, you will never stop climaxing."


    Wow. No wonder people were dying. Most hedonists would choose to ejacte forever if they could. I''m d I didn''t ev try.


    Once again, I am reminded how hard it was to live as a reaper.

 Chapter 210: When did I change? [1/2]

    Sex was one of the greatest pleasures and one of the worst vices. Lust was ev considered a mortal sin. Reapers as a whole were pitiful.


    Not only did they have to fight, but the longer they fought, the crazier they got, and they ev killed each other wh they fucked. If I didn''t know any better, ev eating and sleeping would have hidd dangers or something.


    I grabbed Joshua''s shoulder as I spoke.


    "This stays with us, understood?"


    "I will take the secret to my grave, Commander."


    "Okay, finally, tomorrow I will let you register as a Death Seeker. You can take over and lead the nd Amdmt ev after I am gone. Wh the others get more experice, let them lead the other squads of the LLG."


    "Understood. Commander, can I make a request?"


    "What is it?"


    "Everyone knows that you are preparing for your death. I beg you, can I please aid you in the Seeker War?"


    "Died. What will happ to Ang if you die?"


    "That..."


    "I am grateful for your loyalty, Joshua, but there is no need. If you want to repay me, just grow stronger and help the reapers fight the undead."


    "I...I understand."


    With that, we headed back to the rest of the group. After saying goodbye to them, I tried to think of my hotel room and felt a pull on my soulgem. Wh I tried to change the location by thinking of the Simmons'' residce, the ssation disappeared.


    "Oh? So it only works for one ce?"


    Like a save point, I could only go to and from my hotel room. This would be a weakness if discovered. Like a {Rewind}, protecting my return zone was a necessity.


    Putting such matters aside, I teleported to my hotel room.


    ***


    I woke up lying on my back on the bed. The dissonance of suddly being on a bed wh I had be vertically upright just a second before gave me a bad case of vertigo. I closed my eyes and tried to reorit myself.


    "Shit, my brain feels like it is going to split op."


    I massaged my temples and waited for the nausea to pass before standing up.


    "Ugh, I need to either get a bed that will stand up or lie down before returning."


    The light of the sun poured through the op window into the room again. After a night of death and violce, the peace and serity on Earth felt unreal.


    I walked to the balcony and oped the sliding door. I joyed the light breeze as the warmth of the sun fell on my face. The sounds of the Phoix suburbs echoed in the early morning. I looked a and saw people starting their day.


    Studts going to school, employees going to work, housewives or husbands getting ready to do their chores, and pets just lounging a.


    Each life was trying to live in this world as best it could. Every single person I could see and hear had their own dreams, fears, and destiny.


    "I wonder how many of these people would die to be reapers?"


    My mood soured as I contemted such a fact. On the one hand, who would wish misfortune upon others? Yet, in order to replish the ranks of the Reapers, this was exactly what I had to hope for.


    "This is tooplicated. I should stick to my own affairs. Let''s see, what did I have to do today?"


    First I had to, or rather wanted to, see the Sirs. ording to Be, they woulde to my nd family today. Aki, who was supposed to follow me to Hellsgate, didn''t follow me either, ev though she said she would.


    "Phantoms really can skip if they want to, huh? Not that I would skip for the sake of it, it might be a good idea to skip if I have to do something."


    I wt to the big desk in the living room and took a piece of paper. Th I began to write down all the things that were on my mind.


    . Seeker War - supplies, tactics, and preparations.


    . Missing {Fate} and {Kismet}.


    3. Guns for the nd Amdmt.


    4. Getting Earl''s family to move permantly.


    5. Prepare Earl''s family in case I die.


    6. Provide a steady ie for the Sirs. | Teaching Lilly how to be a Specter.


    7. Housing for the nd Amdmt families.


    8. ss reunion this Sunday with Caroline and Harry. (Should I go?).


    9. Purchase additional guns.


    My list ded up with nine items. Number  would be solved by getting blood from the Sirs. 3 and 9 meant going to a gun store. 7 could be done with a simple Google search. 4 and 5 could be solved with money if I yed my cards right.


    For , my new {Kismet} and the blessed bullets would do the trick. 6 would be my top priorityter tonight. That just left number 8. If I died this Saturday, I wouldn''t have to worry about it. But if I survived, I would have to decide whether or not to go.


    Caroline Fisher, my first love and childhood sweetheart.


    There was a time wh she was my whole world. But as sweet as our memories together were, our parting almost drove me to kill myself.


    It was only because Earl and Noelle supported me that I managed to hang on. Suffice to say, I couldn''t care less about the rest of our ssmates. The only person who ev made me think about going was her.


    "I wonder how she''s doing?"


    Most m would just try to get over a breakup with a new woman. But I couldn''t do that. I was too hurt and could barely trust any female after that. I was bitter and restful for a long time.


    "Now that I think about it, wh did I change?"


    Somehow I felt I had healed since my death. Ev though I rarely looked at girls romantically, I could at least talk to them properly now.


    I ev trusted some of them to a certain extt. As I thought deeply, only one group of people were responsible for this change.


    The Sev Sirs.


    If it took a Caroline to break my heart, the Sev Sirs pieced me back together. In the short time I spt with them, I felt valued, respected, and ev loved.


    After Caroline destroyed my self-esteem, I stopped believing that I was worthy of other people''s affection.

 Chapter 211: When did I change? [2/2]

    People yearned for meaningful rtionships. The safe space where you could be yourself and not be mocked for your weakness.


    Most tried to find that piece of heav in their family or frids. But most of the time, only the most intimate rtionships got that far.


    Rtionships were not based on sex alone. Sex was great, but being with people who lifted you up was what made or broke rtionships. If you and your partner were just toxic to each other, ev the best sex in the world would not be ough.


    Be, Jo, Jas, Liv, Robyn, Aki and Lilly, somehow these wom became extremely important to me.


    Just the memory of their voices and faces was ough to make my veins run with excitemt. Like the nourishing rain after a long drought, my soul became addicted to their affection. And today I finally get to see them again.


    Feeling the immse joy in my heart, I tried to control myself.


    "Not yet, if Ie to find them, I would get lost. First things first. I should buy guns and find a ce for the nd Amdmt. Th I can n to do something for Earl and Noelle."


    Buying guns and real estate was easy ough if you had the money. It was times like these that made me grateful to have be born in the USA. I used {code} and checked my currt funds.


    ___


    Name: Limitless


    Rank: Phantom


    Soul Capacity : {Fate} /8 | {Kismet} 0/


    Souls Avable : 89,0 | To evolve: ,000


    {Fates}


    . {Rewind} | Lvl 4 | Cost:  | Owner: Self | Sub: {Reload}, {Reg}, {Rece} (7) Sup: {Save}, {Auto}


    {Kindred} : ???????


    {Kismet} : N/A


    Soulgear: {Honey Trap}


    ___


    I had a little over 85k in souls before the night started. The nd A and I each got 60k in souls for our split.


    We were able toplete 8 dirge sirs. The dirge sir bonuses from them amounted to 36,000 souls. If you add to that the 6,000 I got for killing Rank F''s, you get the total I see now.


    " Just how much is that in dors?"


    I quickly oped the calctor app on my phone and carefully tered the souls I had with me.


    "Let''s see, 89,0 multiplied by twty is 3,784,040. Hmm, so I now had almost four million dors. And if I took a bigger share, my money would be ev bigger."


    I took a minute to think, what the hell would I do with four million dors? It had only be three days and I was literally making millions every night. I could already buy most of the things I had dreamed of before, from a car to gadgets and maybe ev real estate.


    Going on a cruise, traveling a the world or ev paying a mortgage would be easy. But was that it? Was that all life had to offer? No wonder rich bastards threw money at the dumbest things. Wh you were on top, nothing seemed interesting anymore.


    "Hmm. How strange. Money seemed so valuable wh I was living paycheck to paycheck. Now that I have millions of it, it just feels empty."


    Speaking of which, Lilly told me that Reaper''s needed a way tounder our money, otherwise our unexpected wealth couldn''t be exined. I tried to look at the services on my GRI and navigated to [Services].


    [Services


    - Escorts


    - Holy Blessings


    - Bounty


    - Grave Services


    ]


    "Ho? I hav''t be able to check out the other options because I''ve be so busy. I didn''t know that I could request blessings and ev escorts here."


    I quickly checked [Escorts] to see if this service was forbat or the red-light kind. It turned out to be both. You could request both reaper prostitutes and mercaries of varying quality and level for whatever purpose.


    "I am reminded that I have barely scratched the surface of the Reaper world. Anyway, let us find theundering services first."


    [- Grave Services


    - Souls


    - Requests


    - Soul Comints


    - Death Seeker Services


    ]


    "Seeker services? Is it differt from escort services?"


    Intrigued by the graveyard options, I choose the [Death Seeker Services] to satisfy my curiosity.


    [- Death Seeker Services


    - Request a Seeker Duel


    - Request a Seeker War


    - Other topics and services.]


    "It''s strange that the Death Seeker''s request for intervtion is so essible to everyone else. I wonder if an actual mercary would respond if I chose thest option?"


    Laughing inwardly at the idea of customer service for death seekers, I returned to my original purpose and selected [Souls].


    [Souls


    - Buy Souls


    - Sell Souls


    - Launder souls


    - Change Currcy


    ]


    "..."


    You could buy souls? Somehow the mysticism disappeared wh the greed of capitalism became appart. If demons in fiction could just buy souls, almost every story would d in a few pages.


    I selected the [Soul Laundering] option. Th I specified an amount, the currcy, and the dominations I preferred. Finally, I had to choose which industry would provide the service.


    The industries were pretty ridiculous. Just hearing them made it incredibly believable. Multi-level marketing, cryptocurrcy, raissance art, collectibles, restored antiques, and finally an overseas shellpany.


    It didn''t take a gius to figure out what they all had inmon. They were all shady ways of iming to have made millions. Anyone who has heard of rare baseball cards, overpriced paintings, and antiques would know what I meant.


    From the beginning, money was subjective. Value was truly in the eye of the beholder. Being old school, I chose an offshore shellpany. This basically meant a fakepany that made sales and transactions overseas for tax befits.


    This option basically meant that I would suddly be wealthy by acting as the middle man in arge overseas transaction. Thepany name I used was Smith Industries.


    "This makes me an official fake businessman," I quipped in amusemt.


    I stated that I needed to liquidate  million dors. This left me with only 89,0 souls. I also finally paid my debt of 6,000 souls for the murders during the recruitmt. This effectively absolved me of the charges as far as David was concerned.


    In truth, ,000 souls or $0,000 was not worth a living human being. Yet many people died for far less. I swallowed myints, knowing that the world worked this way long before I was born, and would continue to do so long after I was dead.

 Chapter 212: They already know [1/2]

    The next momt there was a soft ding. It was a  message from my local bank.


    [Dear Mr. Smith. $3,000,000 has be credited to your ount ding in 457...]


    Luckily, the moneyundering service included the hassle of dealing with a bank. The US, in particr, had strict rules aboutrge wire transfers.


    Since most criminal organizations use mules, an average Joe suddly amassing millions would be gged as suspicious. The same could be said ifrge organizations suddly emptied their reserves by giving their money to people.


    In the capitalist world, the truthy not in words, but in where money was being spt. From the governmt''s point of view, if one of your people suddly became filthy rich, there were only two ways to react.


    One would be fear, man feared what he didn''t understand. Money, the lifeblood of the prest world, would not suddly move without a good reason.


    The other would be greed, if such amon man could amass a lot of money in a short period of time. The governmt would want its share, so an appropriate tax would be created on the spot.


    That was why ev the bastards who won the lottery were robbed by the authorities. No one could dy that it felt that way, because the winner had no choice but to pay, otherwise you could not im your prize.


    The reapers who understood this probably already have people in key positions. Otherwise theundering wouldn''t be so fast. But how high does one have to be to know such information?


    During the Enlistmt, Te, Google, and Facebook all created Reaper teams. They were ev heavily armed. Results aside, how many people actually know about the existce of the Reapers?


    "That seems like a can of worms I don''t want to deal with right now."


    I would probably need to know at some point in the future, but it was unnecessary now. My mind was currtly filled with two things: finishing myundry list of chores and meeting the Sirs.


    Ev though I wasn''t dirty, I felt extremely tired for some reason. I took a momt to joy a quick shower in the hotel room. Th I had a big breakfast in the dining hall. As I was about to leave, I noticed one of the employees grinning exaggeratedly.


    ''Ah, that must be the bastard who got bullied by Noelle. I promised him a tip, didn''t I? What was his name again?''


    {Gather} only worked for something I saw or touched. It didn''t work for something I heard in passing. To avoid the awkward situation of not knowing his name, I zoomed in on his name tag. It really was a good thing that people in the service industry had such badges.


    "Good morning, Mr. Limitless! I hope you had a wonderful night!"


    Now that I think about it. From their point of view, I never wt back to the hotel. I was with Aki wh I was summonedst night. It was also a good thing those guys didn''t notice that I wasn''t on any surveince cameras.


    ''Ev a five-star hotel would be concerned about security, so why didn''t anyone bother to question me?''


    This was something that seemed mundane, but was actually a big deal. Everyone from the security guards to the hotel staff should have noticed by now that I do not appear on the cameras.


    If up until now they hadn''t be on the lookout for a reason. That would have be them being stupid, or maybe...


    "They already know," I said aloud.


    "I beg your pardon? Could you repeat that, Mr. Limitless?"


    I invoked the death resonance and confronted Nathan with my concern.


    "Tell me the truth, why doesn''t anyone ask why I don''t show up on the security cameras?"


    Unlike the trembling response I usually get, Nathan seemed to be in a daze. He kind of reminded me of those people who get neuralyzed in the M in ck movies. The hotel clerk th responded to me as if he were high on drugs.


    "All the employees in this hotel are trained how to react to a "ghost". Once we idtify a ghost, we follow protocol and training. This includes never questioning what a ghost is doing, saying or going. "


    A ghost must be their code word for reapers. Not only was it subtle, but it allowed for diability if a human overheard them by mistake.


    "You are trained? Th tell me, how do you idtify a ghost?"


    "We are told that ghosts are extremely beautiful people who do not appear in photos or surveince cameras. They use fake names or names of people who have already died. They also appear and disappear at a momt''s notice. However, they are extremely gerous tippers, so we are always on the lookout for them."


    "..."


    Well, I can''t argue with that. If ev the people at my hotel are trained to find and serve Reapers, th do all high ss hotels know? What about other industries? Are only the one perct aware?


    "No, wait, let me think for a momt."


    Reapers gerally make a lot of money. Aside from the souls needed for the tax, a Reaper would gerally spd his money the only way he knows how. Most would splurge on earthly luxuries or start businesses.


    It follows that the business Reapers would know how to recognize their own kind. If souls could be bought in the GRI, th ev weak-assed reapers would be able to evolve by using the power of money.


    "Hmm. If you think about it that way, of course the % would know about the reapers. More likely, the reapers would be the %. Nathan, wh did you know I was a ghost?"


    "The momt you walked in the front door. The owner has cameras in every room and hallway. Wh we see a person, security tells us if they can see the person. If not, th we have interacted with ghosts."


    ''Well, shit. Turns out I wasn''t as inconspicuous as I thought. It makes a lot of sse, though. Why bother reapers who were just looking for a ce to crash.''


    I''m d Nathan volunteered this information on his own. I still didn''t know why he did it.

 Chapter 213: They already know [2/2]

    ''That was a trick called death resonance. Its an ability usable to all reapers. Basically wh you interact with humans, if you burn a few souls, the soul inside the body of every human prest would resonate. They would feel an extreme fear and agitation and would be forced to follow themands of a reaper.''


    Liliy''s exnation never said how the people were supposed to react. Maybe it was differt depding on my mood? Wh I invoked the Death Resonance, wh I was angry or irritated, the Reapers or people would tremble in fear.


    ''Hmm, if Nathan was already in a daze, I wonder if Death Resonance can actually work like a neuralizer,'' I thought to myself.


    "Okay Nathan, this conversation never happed. Last night you saw mee back after getting drunk. Wh I snap my fingers, you will return to normal."


    I snapped my fingers and Nathan lost his dazed look and regained his ergy.


    "Ah! Good morning Mr. Limitless. Are you feeling better? Would you like something good for your hangover? I can have the kitch whip you up something."


    Hooley shit. It worked. Does this mean that MIB was created by reapers? Or maybe he was inspired by reapers? I wonder howplex or difficult themands I can give were?


    This is good, if I ever get into shit that cannot be exined. I will just neuralize the people a me.


    "Thanks, but I am fine. Here is something for your troubles yesterday. Should another problem arise, please handle it in the same manner."


    Th I discreetly slipped him 5 $0 bills. I could understand why people think that reapers are big tippers. As I am now, I could make $500 by shooting just 5 zombies. It was pocket change for me.


    Nathan, seeing the face of Bjamin Franklin, practically beamed with happiness. Like a viper, his hand shot out and grabbed the wad of cash.


    "Of course, Mr. Limitless! You can count on me. I am at your service! If anyone shadyes, I will risk my life to protect you! May your fate d the darkness!"


    Finding his words amusing, I said nothing and left the lobby. The man continued to bow to me after I left. The two guards at the door tried to look imposing as they courteously oped the doors for me.


    Feeling gerous, I took out a couple of $0 bills and discreetly handed them to them. The reactions of both were quite pleasing.


    "Gtlem, please keep up the good work."


    As if I were the geral of the tire army, the two gave a crisp salute and said in hushed voices.


    "You can count on us, sir. May your fate d the darkness."


    This was the reaction of the poor. Ev though they made good money, to be giv a hundred dors to op a door was extremely gerous.


    I could understand because I had be in the same position before.


    It wasn''t until I reached the sidewalk in front of the hotel that I remembered I still didn''t have a car. With the Sirs,ing here, it might be a good idea to buy one.


    If I was going to travel with them, it seemed silly to book cabs or taxis.


    As a man, I felt it was my role to be the one with a vehicle. If I was going to travel with them, I didn''t want to travel in a convoy of two cars. With me and the sev of them, a people hauler with a seating capacity of8 would be what I needed.


    I imagined driving a town in a big SUV with the Sirs. Such a mundane and trivial delusion. Yet somehow it gave me intse happiness. Imagining how they would behave, what they would say, it filled me with such joy, ev though I couldn''t understand why.


    I felt I should seize the opportunity. So I acted. I called a taxi and asked them to take me to the nearest Cadic dealer. They took me to one near Camelback Road. After I got out, I gave the cabbie a hundred dor tip. Needless to say, he was pleased.


    I walked up to the dealership and wt straight into the lobby. At the reception desk was a woman who looked bored out of her mind. However, wh she saw me, she straighted up noticeably and fixed her hair.


    "Uhm. Good morning, dear customer, may your fate d the darkness. What can I do for you today?"


    Well, that was unexpected.


    "I would like to buy a 04 Cadic Escde-V, I already built one on the app."


    "Ah! Right away, Mr.?"


    "Limitless. Please call me Limitless."


    Half expecting her to suddly call out my stupid name, the woman epted my ridiculous nickname and picked up the phone.


    "Yes, hello? This is J and I have the esteemed Limitless in the lobby. He would like to purchase a vehicle."


    On the other d of the line was a man''s gruff voice.


    [J, are you sure this man is a ghost? Has security checked him?]


    "Yes," J said, smiling beautifully.


    It seemed that ev here they knew about Reapers.


    [Is he handsome? Like someone who looks like an angel?]


    "Very," the woman replied curtly.


    [All right, sd him up.]


    J ded the call and quickly escorted me like a VIP to a service elevator.


    A man in a bad mood got up and stormed into the front lobby. My hanced hearing picked up his conversation as if I was right next to him.


    "Hey! I''ve be waiting here for over an hour! This guy just came in! Why did he go to the nd floor? We are both paying customers, so what the hell?"


    "Dear customer, you are not the same. This man was one of our VVIPs, his time is too valuable to waste. So he will be processed as a priority. Please return to your seat."


    "What? Why is this guy so important? I have be buying Cadics here for half a decade! I demand to be included in the same circle as him!"


    Th I heard two sets of footsteps approaching the angry man and the receptionist.


    "Huh? Why are you grabbing me all of a sudd, I didn''t do anything wrong! Let go of me! You cannot treat me like this!"


    "Mr. Hill, you have be cklisted from this establishmt. We will not tolerate any form of disrespect to our VVIP''s. Please leave."


    "What? What the hell is this? What disrespect?! Who the hell was that person?"


    I couldn''t believe what I was hearing, so Reapers were so cherished that ev calling out their privileged was an actionable offse? I choked up at the culture shock momt.


    "Looks like this is going to be fun."

 Chapter 214: Heroine Chapter: I knew it [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Jasmine Del


    ___


    "Karo might have be the one my possum loved before, she might have ev made him happy. But that was in the past. If she had married him, there wouldn''t have be a chance for me. Now that she fucked off, I will make my possum so happy that he will never remember her."


    I froze at the words of my fellow sir. The harlot on the g now inspired as much hate in me as the traitors who had betrayed me in the past.


    Yet Robyn was right. If Husband had be happily in love with this bitch, would he have be a Reaper at all? Would he have saved me that night?


    Wh the thought of not meeting John Smith at all tered my mind, I began to tremble with fear. What would my life have be like? Would I ev be alive?


    Betrayed, abandoned and hunted. If I didn''t meet him during the listmt, I would live a dreary life for all eternity. Ev if I had somehow managed to survive, how far would I have gott?


    The only reason Jo and I were still alive was because of Be and Lilly. By smuggling us out of Europe, ev the Virtuous couldn''t find us. Amari and Mia also came to help us because of what my husband''s done.


    ''However, I have yet to apologize to him for my terrible sin,'' Imted.


    Yes, I made an irredeemable mistake to the man I loved the most. Something I only found out for certain after I returned from the listmt.


    I was the reason for his death.


    About fifte days before the July listmt, Jo and I tried to hide in North America. But we were found, one faithful eving. I was unceremoniously snatched from the streets of Tempe, Arizona.


    Fear surged through my body at that momt. My mind was consumed with concern for Jo. In my desperation, I cried out for help.


    And the one who came to my rescue was a chubby man. I didn''t notice his face, but the shape of his body made me lose hope. He was neither athletic nor in shape. The man didn''t ev look like he could fight.


    Yet he never cowered, ev after my kidnappers thrashed him to within an inch of his life.


    "LET HER GO YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!" the man shouted as his body was brok.


    Finally, his desperation allowed me to escape. Wh I returned for him, he was gone. From th on, his voice haunted my dreams. Imted not being able to see his face. This regret gave birth to {Perceive}.


    And while I still ded up dead, that night changed my life.


    Jo and I were forced to join the reapers. We both fought to survive.


    It was a small wish, one I knew was almost impossible.


    I wished to meet my valiant  knight in this hell and be his bride. The possibility was close to 0. Yet, against all odds, my wish came true.


    "FEEL THE RAGE OF THE FORMLESS, YOU FUCKING BASTARD! {COUNTER}!"


    The momt I heard him say the exact same words, I knew I finally found my husband. But while I desperately wanted to get closer, guilt and shame forced me to remain silt.


    Wh I was forced tomit suicide, I evtually learned that my assants were descdants under themand of his majesty the Virtuous. They also ridiculed the man who had tried to save me and revealed that he had be beat to death for the tertainmt of others.


    How could I ask John''s forgivess? I agonized for days. Finally, I convinced myself that I should ept everything.


    If Husband has decided to hate me, th I will work all my life for his forgivess.


    Because of this attitude, I became incredibly ssitive to Husband''s affairs. I was his wife! How could I tolerate others hurting him?


    Nevertheless, Robyn''s words resonated with me. She was right, my focus should not be on vgeance, but on love.


    Robyn left immediately after her exnation. And as I looked a at the other people in the room, it became clear that we all felt the same way.


    I lowered the X-bolt sniper rifle in my hands and slung it over my shoulder. If Robyn was going to give husband a prest, I should do the same. After all, his birthday wasing up.


    "Jo, let''s go."


    "OKAY!" My sister quickly sheathed her knife and was about to join me, but stopped.


    "Just a sec!"


    Josephine th quickly walked over to the unconscious bitch on the floor. She had arge lump on her forehead that looked like a horn. It was amazing that Caroline was still alive. Liv had a body stronger than ev descdants.


    The Sirs all disarmed as the tsion eased. I noticed Be get up from her seat and head for the door.


    Suddly I felt a wave of soul in the air. The source was my sister, who was invoking the death resonance. She was talking to Caroline, who was now awake. However, Caroline''s cheeks were red as if she had be pped. Jo raised her head by pulling her hair.


    "You are going to forget everything that happed here. From this day on, whever you feel attracted to John Smith, you will p yourself. Wh you miss him, you will fart loudly. And wh you masturbate to him, you will shit the momt you cum," my sister ordered.


    My jaw practically dropped at the ridiculousness of what my sister was saying. Another death resonance came before I could react. The source? The Brazilian who was about to leave the door.


    "From today on, you will never cum as long as Harry Evans is your partner. And his very touch will make you feel immse pain."


    "Hahahahah! This is so funny! Let me join in! Let''s see..." the princess of North Americaughed.


    Satisfied with herself, Jo stood up and pulled Caroline by the hair.


    Due to the repeated death resonance, the woman now had a dazed look on her face. Liv th joined in and added a new instruction.


    "Imand, every time you regret leaving John Smith, you will bash your head on the hardest table you can find."


    Lilly th finally gave her orders as well. "Ah! I get it, from this day on, wh you masturbate, you will think of John Smith. And you will cum the momt you call his name."

 Chapter 215: Heroine Chapter: I knew it [2/2]

    This was a waste of time. Not wanting to be a part of such a depraved prank, I headed for the door. I didn''t know where to buy weapons, so I nned to follow Robyn for the time being.


    As I searched the streets but failed to find thebat joey, Jo and the rest of the Sirs reached me and stopped by my side.


    "If you''re looking for Robyn, she''s at a ck market weapons dealer used by terrorists. Follow me," Be advised.


    Robyn''s trail ded at a dpidated school.


    Beath one of the ssrooms was a hidd staircase leading to an underg passageway. The basemt was lit by LEDnterns. It was bustling with people.


    After about fifte minutes of searching, we found ourbat joey digging through arge crate of weapons. Beside her, a beautiful Japanese woman was appraising a long rifle.


    "Aki? What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were guarding the Simmons?" Be asked in surprise.


    "Ara! Hello Taurus-san! I greet the princess..."


    Lilly interrupted her, "Spare me the formalities Aki, why are you here?"


    "One of the hitm had a list of everyone who was after the Simmons. I already took care of them all and so I took a break."


    "I see, and why are you in this ce specifically?"


    "This is a Browning BLR Lightweight 8 lever action rifle. I want to buy it as a gift for Master. He will need one soon."


    "Again with this Master business, you are not Honey''s ve bitch."


    Aki ignored Be''smt and turned to the gun dealer.


    "Please wrap this up. I will purchase this item."


    "Got it missy, that would be $,00 for the gun and $96 for 60  grain 7mm Remington Magnum s. Your master should like your gift."


    "Oh? You want to give Dear a gun with my name on it? How loyal of you, Aki. As expected from a Miroku."


    "You are mistak Lilly-sama. The BLR rifles, though called Brownings, are made exclusively by the Miroku. This rifle is Japanese in all but name."


    "Oh? Are wepeting with gifts? Let me join in! Mister! Do you have a Belli M4? Nothing beats Italian quality!"


    "Sure, Italian stuff is always in demand."


    "I know, right? Belli''s are simply the best! I''ll get one, 50 slugs, 50 00 buckshots. How much in total? That should make Darling swoon!" Jo chirped with pride.


    "$,50 for the Belli, $6 for 50 -gauge buckshots and $44 for 50 -gauge slugs."


    "Hmph, Italians are overpriced showpieces. Old man, you got anything from Taurus?"


    "I have their newest Raging Hunter revolvers. I personally rmd this one."


    Be picked up arge revolver with a short barrel. She oped the chamber as she inspected it.


    "5  capacity. 500 Smith & Wesson ammo. 5. inch barrel. Perfect! Compact, elegant and powerful. Like me.


    Honey will love this. You got it in ck? For bullets, give me the heaviest s you have."


    "Sure, that''ll be $,070 for the gun and another $30 for 40 s of 500 grain 500 S&W s missy."


    Robyn, finally finished, fished out a gun and shouted with glee.


    "Mate, I want this one, give me two! My fe needs Straya Lithgow hardware by his side! I want FMJs for bullets!"


    "Okay, two Thales F90 407 MBRs at $,000 each. $59 for 480 6 grain 5.56¡Á45mm NATO FMJs. Total is $4,59."


    While the other Sirs demonstrated their knowledge of guns, Lilly, Liv and I, who were uneducated about guns, stayed on the sidelines.


    Suddly Lilly stepped forward and grabbed the dealer by the neck.


    "Old man, get me the biggest Browning weapon you have. One that fires the biggest bullets!"


    "Easy missy, Browning? Hmm. You mean a small arms, right? Let me see... Ah! I have just the thing."


    The dealer ignored Lilly''s rude gesture and pulled out arge ck rifle. It looked more imposing than anything else I had se tonight.


    "This is an Ohio Ordinance HCAR Battle Rifle. Shoots the heavy .30-06 Springfield. Kicks like a mule, but can saw a man in half no problem. $6,689 for the rifle and $380 for 400 s of 80 grain .30-06 FMJs."


    "Excellt! John should be pleased! It is much bigger than the one he has now. Brownings stand for domination after all."


    "Hmph. Such arrogance. I don''t know anything about these guns. Robyn, help me. What can I get John?" our Valkyrie asked in all seriousness.


    "Hmm... Why not a tandem with my prest? Mate, you got Steyr SL40s? 40mm M433s too, if you have ''em."


    "I do, but it will be expsive, I tell you."


    "Money is no cost Southerner, just follow my sister''s words. Robyn, how do you know so much about weapons?"


    "Liv, you hang a terrorists long ough, you learn ev if you don''t want to."


    The dealer left and returned with a box of tubes.


    "Here you go,patible with the F90s, these are technically illegal, so I will sell them to you for $7,000. Two Steyr SL40s for $3,00 each and $800 for 6 40mm low velocity M433 HEDPs."


    "They''re a beaut! Liv, pay the man, John will be grinning like a shot fox with them!"


    "Is that so? Wonderful! Southerner! Many thanks. Everyone is putting so much into their gifts but I still hope he likes mine best," Liv said like a maid in love.


    "Wait? These are all for the same guy? Is he going to fight a whole militia or something?" The weapons dealermted in amazemt.


    "You could say that," Bemted with a mischievous grin.


    Josephine tapped me on the shoulder while I looked a.


    "Jas, have you found anything yet?"


    "No, I''m still thinking. Aki''s rifle is good ough for long range. Yours for close range. Robyn and Liv''s gifts are excellt for crowds. Lilly''s will be for tougher emies, while Be''s revolver would be his backup weapon."


    "Wow! So what else does Darling need th?"


    "Something that can take out armored targets like a brute."


    "Missy, if you are looking for anti-armor, I have just the thing."


    The weapon dealer th pulled out a meter long tube with optics on it and ced it in front of me. The dealer th took out three, half-meter long rockets next to it.


    "This is a shoulder-mounted, unguided, portable anti-tank rocketuncher. It fires 95mm high explosive anti-tank warheads. This thing will smoke anything outside of a Challger or an Abrams. I will sell you this and three warheads for $8,000."


    "What''s it called?" I asked intrigued.


    "It''s called the Del FT5."


    Wh I heard my name on this weapon, I once again felt that it was fate.


    From our death, to our reunion, to this momt. John and I were destined. Happily, I could only utter one stce.


    "I knew it."

 Chapter 216: Dafuq? [1/2]

    I tered an extremely rich looking office. Except for the obviously expsive furnishings like fur rugs, glittering gold everywhere and a damn indoor waterfall, it looked normal.


    Sitting at the table was a bald man who screamed crime boss. The man was not muscr but looked fat with a body like a powerlifter. But his expsive looking suit seemed ready to burst at the seams the momt he flexed.


    But no matter how intimidating he might be to humans, to me he might as well be a harmless rabbit. As I walked in, the bald man stood and introduced himself with a bow in and a New York t.


    "May your fate d the darkness, esteemed one. Vinct Deryck at your service. How can I help you today?"


    "Your clerk already told you, I am here to buy a car. I already used the build option in your app. Here is the referce number."


    With the advt of technology, the way car sales were done allowed for a certain amount of freedom. By going to the Cadic website, I could build the car of my dreams, specifying the parts and nuances I wanted to add.


    Since I knew little about cars, I simply chose the most expsive options. The customization ranged from wheel size, paint, upholstery and optional packages.


    Not having much of a spding limit, I chose everything I could cram into the thing. I got the Floor Liner Package, the Cargo Convice Package, a heavy-duty trailer Package, and ev the front console fridge with freezer!


    All in all, the total was $63,465 which was $,000 more than the base unit. For a guy making 30k a year, this was an incredibly expsive car. Butpared to a Ferrari or Lamborghini, both of which go for as much as $800,000, it was cheap.


    "Ah, you are a man of impable taste. The Cadic Escde V is really a wonderful machine. I will have one prepared immediately. Esteemed one, while we appreciate cash, we would be more than willing to ept souls as paymt."


    "Souls? How would you ev ept them?" I asked with raised eyebrows.


    "Please forgive my bluntness, esteemed Limitless, are you perhaps the same Limitless making waves in the North American Battlefront?"


    ''Ho? For a human, this bastard was indeed well informed. Let us try to ask more.''


    Invoking the death resonance, I asked Vinct in the same way I interrogated Nathan.


    "Tell me how you know about the affairs in Hellsgate."


    Contrary to my expectation, Vinct simply smiled and waved his hand as if swatting a fly.


    "Esteemed Limitless, there is no need for such measures, I will dly tell you what you wish to know".


    ''The neuralyzing thing didn''t work? This fat bastard is dangerous.''


    Before I could draw a weapon, the crime boss threw both of his hands in the air.


    "Esteemed one, I meant no offse. I surrder! I have no inttion of bing your emy!"


    Finding the whole thing suspicious, I said nothing and just waited for his exnation.


    "Heavs, such bloodlust. Esteemed one, I am a follower of the Specter, Raymond Gertrude. Who is called the Whirlwind. This car business, along with many others, is his way of supporting the Reaper War."


    Selling cars was his way of supporting the war? What the hell was that bastard saying?


    "It is much easier to win souls through trade than through battle. That is why we were instructed to ask for souls wh dealing with a reaper. As for your question, our master has giv us information about the hottest neers in North America so that we can help you as much as possible."


    So this Raymond guy was using the earth-based business to get him souls? It was smart as it eliminated the risk of dying. But realistically, how many reapers would ev use his services?


    ''I screwed up, I didn''t think reapers would oply do business with human ves. He calls himself a devout man, right? What the fuck? Did this Raymond see himself as a god of some religion or something?''


    "If I said I was, what would you do?" I asked, my tone dripping with hostility.


    "Ah, we were asked to request your graveyard contact information. You are at the top of the list of reapers my master wishes to meet."


    "Why?"


    "Esteemed one, it seems you are unaware of the things you have set in motion."


    Phillip, and to some extt ev the LLG, noticed the same thing. I was just trying to kill the undead, what else did they think I was doing?


    "Esteemed one, you are a much sought-after celebrity in Hellsgate. The news of your nd Amdmt Army along with the formation of the LLG is still on everyone''s lips. This is of course, after just yesterday you broke every conceivable record in the annihtion rankings for both Wraiths, Mercaries and Phantoms."


    Wh Vinct noticed that I was not indulging in his pandering, he coughed before continuing his exnation.


    "Simply put, esteemed one, you are now the symbol of hope in Hellsgate. Many of the Formless use your story as proof that they too can fight. Stories of your exploits have already spread to the other battlefronts. Naturally, my master was one of the many interested in meeting you."


    Wh he said it like that, I hardly had anything to say. That was my inttion wh I created the nd amdmt, I guess I should be happy that someone noticed? Still, this Raymond was devious as hell.


    Getting reapers to move for you was hard. But humans... humans would do almost anything for a price. I had assumed that the world of humans and the Reapers were separate.


    I learned of the forsak and thought that was where it ded.


    But just this morning I saw that the Reapers were not only on top of the world. They were using the humans for their own purposes.


    ''If that is the case, why have they not yet achieved any worthwhile results? It doesn''t make sse,'' I struggled to understand.


    The Reapers'' desperation was evidt from the way they fought to the way they used Soulgems of the dead as equipmt.


    Yet they could barely reach half of the supposed 0 levels of Hellsgate. Why? What was missing? It felt like something crucial?


    Was it the politics betwe the contints? Or was it Trinity''s interferce? Why was it that the Reapers, with all their power, had yet to aplish anything of significance?

 Chapter 217: Dafuq? [2/2]

    ''Fuck, this is tooplicated. Let''s put it on hold for now. Right now I just need my car.''


    "To answer your question, that would be a no. I have no intention of paying with souls. I will use cash."


    Vincent might have been disappointed by my answer, but there was no sign of it. He smiled, typed a few things on hisputer, and returned his focus to me. He held his hands together and waited for some reason.


    As if studying me, the bastard''s eyes felt ufortable. My irritation was already through the roof.


    I drew the 1911 I had on my hip and aimed just above his ear, a bullet that tore off a piece of his earlobe flew the next second.


    Despite my actions, Vincent just smiled and wiped the blood away with a handkerchief.


    "Truly magnificent. As expected from the one called Limitless."


    With my warning shot useless, I unhappily sheathed my weapon.


    "You seem calm for someone who has been shot. Are you not afraid of me?"


    "No, I am not afraid. I have an uncanny ability to sense killing intent. You had none when you drew your gun. In contrast, I felt that you would kill me when I negated your resonance."


    "Is that right? Get me my damn car, I don''t want to spend another second in this ce."


    "Now, now, esteemed one. I have verified that you are someone I have been desperately searching for. And if what I have learned about you is correct, I am someone you would want by your side."


    ''Ugh, fuck! Another bastard with an inted ego, I have had enough of talking to these fuckers.''


    Suddenly missing Be, I stifled my displeasure and just kept silent. One thing I learned from my father was the power of silence. Sometimes theck of words could be more threatening than a thousand curses.


    Vincent didn''t back down and continued. "Esteemed one, let me be blunt. I wish to join the Reapers."


    "Dafuq?!"


    "I know how it sounds, but I want to join the reapers."


    "Why?" I asked curtly.


    Vincent stood up and knelt at my feet. After resting his forehead on the ground, he continued.


    "My family has been ves to a Specter for generations. He rules us like sheep. Because of our usefulness, we are treated as tools without will or freedom. Yet they are careful to keep us in check, never allowing us to join them."


    I guess it was to be expected. When a human sees what a Reaper can do, it was only natural that he would want to join our side.


    "I could care less about your sob stories, Vincent. What does it have to do with me?"


    "''Esteemed one, I would like to ask you to be my handler. In exchange for your protection, I will serve you with everything at my disposal."


    "..."


    "The only thing I ask is that you protect my family from the reapers and Trinity. When I am strong enough, I will take over, and in exchange, I vow to be your ally even in death."


    Family, huh, as someone who had a gun pointed at mine, I could understand his sentiment. I was told that reapers don''t age. If generations of their family were kept on a leash by a Specter. Then there must have been a reason.


    "If you are aware of my affairs, you should know that it has been barely a week since I arrived in Hellsgate. Why are you so sure that I can protect you from your current master?


    Vincent raised his head as he answered. This man was so tall that his eyes were level with mine as I sat in a chair while he prostrated himself on the floor.


    "My lord, it is because of your killing intent. My family is descended from the Gambino family. We were forced to work for the Specter when he began to threaten our wives and children."


    ''The Gambino family? As in Al Capone? Aren''t they the most notorious of all the American crime families?''


    Despite my inner surprise, I continued to press the modern-day gangster.


    "You have yet to answer me, Vincent."


    "My lord, the Reapers were generally a clique that stuck to their own. You, on the other hand, have only one focus, killing the undead. The 2nd Amendment and the LLG are groups that would never have been created if you were a traditional Reaper."


    This was getting tiresome, why do these people always make such roundabout exnations? I got up from my seat and prepared to leave. Fuck my car, I will just find another dealer.


    As I was about to leave, Vincent desperately grabbed my pants to stop me.


    "I have seen them, my lord! The undead that walk in the sun! I have seen them! Humans are powerless against such monsters! I want to prepare my family to fight them! Please give me a chance!"


    "DAFUQ?!" I asked again, stunned.


    Seeing that I had stopped, Vincent started talking as if he was selling me a pitch in an elevator.


    "My Lord! I dedicate my family to you! We will all join the reapers and be your power! I do not want to be at the mercy of the dead when the endes! Please! I have no one else to ask!"


    That''s when I remember what Zach said.


    "Now do you understand? Out of the seven battlefronts there are rumors that Antarctica was already breached. If we do not strengthen our forces we would be next!"


    "She didn''t tell you? Look boy the reason why there are no people in that continent is not because it is cold. Its because the ce has undead prowling thends. They already have a sizable number of Corrupt crystals summoning monsters to the surface."


    Normies would be one thing, but if an undead brute, an army of draugrs, or even a corpse eater came to Earth, what kind of damage could they do?


    If Vincent really was a man born and raised in a Mafia family. He should be familiar with death and violence. Yet, such a man trembled in fear like a child.


    Against my better judgment, I asked him for more information.


    "Exin."

 Chapter 218: Bullets have no morals. [1/2]

    "My Lord, my family, as ves of a Specter, knows truths for which the world is not prepared. One of them is that demons slip through the cracks and appear on Earth."


    The fear in Vincent''s eyes was real, the kind that gives you nightmares and shakes your very soul. For someone ustomed to violence, it must have been quite a spectacle to cause this gangster such a reaction.


    "It was hell, my lord. I was just a young boy when it happened. On his way back, the master was almost murdered by the demon."


    Vincent, continued to desperately grip my pants, as if it was his lifeline, his words began to slur from how unhinged he had be.


    " Th-That, that thing was nothing I had ever seen before. No matter what my family threw at it, nothing worked. Humans were so powerless in the face of such a creature. A monster masquerading as a human."


    Then he stopped shaking, as if he remembered that his memory was in the past. Vincent gripped my leg tighter as he clenched his jaw.


    "But then the young miss, a teenager barely twenty, pushed the demon back with her abilities. I was beside myself. How could someone so small wield so much power? Then I learned she was a descendant. A weapon born of the Reapers.


    "My Lord, I lost my family that day, my father, my brothers, my sisters, all for nothing. Despite the power of the master and his daughter, the demon escaped. And life went on. My uncles tried to keep the family together, but they too were used as demon fodder.


    "No matter how much we begged, we were not allowed to join the reapers. My master cowered in his mansion due to the frequent attempts on his life. He lived a life of debauchery devoid of purpose. He paid the Hellsgate Tax with the wealth he made from his businesses."


    ''This was it. This was the missing piece. The reason the reapers are few is not because they all died. But because they all began to hide in the face of death,'' I finally understood.


    The Reapers had it hard. However, from the ranks of the Phantoms, one could choose not to go to Hellsgate. This meant once past the Wraith rank, every reaper now had a choice. This meant their strength was the result of their own efforts orck thereof.


    Unlike Wraiths and Phantoms, who only defended, Specters attacked enemy territory. As such, the stakes would naturally be different.


    Assassins trying to take out Specters on their home turf would be effective not only physically, but psychologically as well. After all, how could anyone fight in peace knowing that their own household was in danger?


    If the tax was the only thing keeping a Reaper from being thrown off the battlefront, then it was only a matter of having enough funds. Rather than risk your life while fighting, just earn souls through capitalism and live like a king.


    A Specter in the human world would be the equivalent of a deity. This option made the most sense when the immediate danger of dying to the undead disappeared.


    ''Would there even be any reason for a Specter to continue fighting?''


    "The Reapers do not have the luxury of choosing to go to war. We are already outgunned and outnumbered. What would you call powerful people who deliberately hide behind the front lines?"


    Once again, Zach''s words echoed in my head. Being of the same rank, the Nightmare probably could not force his fellow Specters to assault Hellsgate. That must be why he insisted that Phantoms evolve into Specters instead.


    It was much easier to convince newbies than it was to get jaded Specters to move again. After all, even in the militaries of the world, regret and guilt were a thing.


    Survivors of massacres or catastrophic failures tended to lose their will to fight.


    If this could happen to humans, what more to the Specters who fought demons and armies of the dead without any support?


    The mental burden of carrying on after losing those you hold dear must be immense.


    Even anime and manga depicted the result of defeat for adventurers and heroes. It takes a special kind of bastard to carry on even after your people have been killed or you have failed.


    Man was always looking for his purpose. However, if said purpose was a lie, that would be tough. If after all your hardships and sacrifices it came to nothing, most men would break from such a fact.


    After all, as long as humans existed, the undead would do so as well.


    "..."


    "My lord! My family has no need for such cowards! Please grant us your blood and turn us into reapers! We will unite under your banner and fight the undead! If your ims of exterminating them and closing Hellsgate are true, then let us fight with you!"


    It was amusing, here you had Specters who had lost their will and humans desperately trying to find a way to survive. Such opposing extremes, and yet there was a right or wrong answer among them.


    Humans reacted differently to their circumstances. The same boiling water that hardened an egg softened a potato. It was less about what was happening to you and more about what you were made of.


    ''Now, how should I go about this?''


    The longer shit went on, the moreplicated it usually became. Should I give my blood to a gangster family? What if they use it tomit crimes? But do I have the option to be selective to begin with?


    It was true that I needed men, but would getting them from gangsters solve anything? I didn''t think that one''s profession was everything to them, but it certainly influenced them a bit.


    Nevertheless, a bullet fired by a soldier or a gangster was the same. All that mattered was who was on the other end.


    "Bullets have no morals," I muttered in passing.


    Vincent, noticing my condition, let go of my leg and pressed his forehead to the ground again. Trying to save his family was noble and all, but what would happen to Raymond Gertrude?


    I already had a beef with Xander Rutherford.


    Was I going to pick a fight with another Specter? Besides, for all his loyalty, he was essentially betraying his former master. How valuable were the oaths of a traitor?


    Still, it was not that I could not understand him. The main problem was that Raymond didn''t allow Vincent''s family to be reapers, yet the lunatic kept throwing them to demons.

 Chapter 219: Bullets have no morals. [2/2]

    Loyalty was like a bank ount. Every time you were shown fealty, you made a deposit. And every time you break that trust, you make a withdrawal. The moment you have nothing in your ount was the day loyalty ends.


    For my purposes, I had no intention of keeping the humans out of the war.


    It only made sense. If the fighting would eventually reach Earth, hoping that it wouldn''t was nothing but pure madness.


    ''Right, getting a mafia family under my control would be useful. And if they end up betraying me, I have no qualms about killing them all.''


    I had already made up my mind, but I wanted to prod Vincent further.


    "Does your master know that you are looking for reapers?"


    "He may or may not, at the moment he pays little attention to anything but sex and drugs."


    "If I help you and hees, what will you do?"


    "Raymond Gertrude never earned the loyalty of my family in the first ce. He merely forced us to follow him. Despite the blood we shed on his behalf, my master sees us as nothing more than fodder. If we do not leave now, we will be destroyed by his senseless whims."


    "And you think I would be different?"


    "Yes," Vincent said with certainty.


    "Why?"


    "My lord, for the Formless Reapers you fought a Revenant. Instead of forming armies from the strong, you deliberately uplifted the weak. As a gangster, I have a good eye for people. I am sure I am not wrong."


    "Ho? Then what do you think of me?"


    "You are merciless and domineering. Your 26 murders are proof of that. Yet you would die for those you consider your own. And I can feel the storm brewing, and you are at the center of it, my lord."


    "If I asked your family to give up a life of crime. Would you listen?" I asked curiously.


    "Yes, my lord. As the current head of the Deryck family. I dere that we are willing to follow you for a chance to be Reapers."


    "You should know how the life of a reaper goes. Just because I give you my protection does not mean that your family will survive in Hellsgate. You should be aware of that, right?"


    "Yes, my lord."


    "If you were to betray me, I would not only ughter you, but also your entire family. If that were my condition, would you still agree?" I threatened, invoking death resonance.


    "Yes, my lord. We are prepared."


    "Last question, how did you know I was in Phoenix?"


    "My master gave me ess to your records. We have been looking for you since you were recruited. Your adoptive family, the Simmons, and your ex-girlfriend, Caroline Fisher, have been under surveince for a week now.


    "When you finally returned to the Simmons, we tried to find a way to contact you. Our records showed that you once rode a Cadic Escde and liked it. So we found all the Cadic dealers in Phoenix and bought them all."


    I knew he said they were part of the infamous Gambino crime family. But this bastard just revealed that not only had he been stalking me and my family, but he even had records of my preferences.


    ''He must have read Aira''s records. Aira was the one who rmended the Escde to me in the first ce. But why the hell was this information given to Raymond?''


    Annoyed, I gritted my teeth and sighed in defeat. It was nothing but a waste of energy to scold a gangster for acting like one. If even Noelle could find me, there was no reason a mafia family with resources could not.


    "Fuck, all this trouble because I didn''t want to use an Uber anymore."


    Like a giant hamster, Vincent remained prostrate, waiting for my words. I used {Listen} to hear his pulse, and it was extremely fast. I watched his body for a few seconds and noticed how tense his bodynguage was.


    ''That is the feeling of being the one with the power. If it was the other way around, I would be the one sweating bullets and trying to sell myself for a chance to survive.''


    I then got back in the chair and sat down.


    "I''m willing to give you a chance. Prove to me that you bastards are more than just talk and I will be your handler. Stand up."


    "!!!!"


    Seemingly overwhelmed, the big man quickly stood up with deft movements. He then bowed in reverence as he spoke words of gratitude.


    "My lord, I am truly grateful. We will make sure that you don''t regret trusting us. Please don''t worry about my master. I will arrange our exit. Once we distance ourselves, we will prepare our side for Hellsgate."


    "Sure, whatever. Is my car ready?"


    "Yes, my lord. Your car was ready before you entered this building."


    "What do you mean?"


    "The data the reapers stored on you included a list of Cadic Escdes you might like. We prepared 21 models, so no matter what you chose, it would be ready in five minutes."


    "If you knew I was already in the area, why did your receptionist not know I was Limitless?"


    Perhaps because my voice sounded annoyed, Vincent bowed with sped hands as he answered.


    "My lord, all we had of you were photographs of you as a human. Since there was no way to predict what you would look like, any Reaper could have been a suspect. So we literally tried to find you among all the reapers in Phoenix."


    "And why would the reapers even pay attention to your fat ass?"


    "My Lord, being a family known to serve a Specter has its advantages. You, on the other hand, are one of, if not the only one, who could care less about my master''s rank."


    "Then why didn''t you juste for me somewhere else instead of waiting for me to buy a car? It all sounded stupid from my point of view."


    "My lord, ording to the records, you often decide to shoot first and ask questionster. Unlike reapers, we would die if we got shot. So, we decided to make our case slowly rather than interfere with your affairs."


    "Did you know about my duel with Aki?"


    "Yes. After you left for Hellsgate, Lady Aki noticed us immediately and threatened to kill us all along with our families. A list of everyone hunting the Simmons family became the only reason she granted us mercy."


    Hearing the actions of my ded kitsune, my mood brightened considerably. That meant the reason she couldn''t follow me was because she took care of the problem.


    "How reliable," Imented with a smile.

 Chapter 220: Blood, soul and will [1/2]

    As I remembered how deadly Aki was in battle, Vincent added a few more tidbits that I never expected.


    "My lord, after we separated from Lady Aki, phantoms from the White Guard also captured my people."


    "White Guard?"


    "They are the elite unit serving the princess of the North American battle front. Their fighting skills are rumored to be on par with the Specters."


    "Why would they bother with your men at all?"


    "It seems that our attempts to find you were tracked on both the Grave Network and the Surface Web. There have been reports of an elite hacker recently taking over the Graveyard."


    "..."


    Be told me that they wanted to protect Earl''s family. My heart felt warm at the Sirens'' immediate action. At times like this, I remembered that these wonderful women were all in my corner.


    "Actually, my lord. It was not only the White Guard. The ebony death stalker, the shooting star, the white-tailed spider, and the Valkyrie of Ivaldi. My men have almost died several times in thest twenty-four hours."


    Why were there so many big names guarding my family? They must have been part of the White Guard or something. After all, I was told that only Phantoms were given nicknames.


    Well, if they were guarding my family, I did not care what they called themselves. Besides, these gangster bastards needed to learn some manners. With a weight off my mind. I focused on my most pressing concern.


    "Can I get my damn car already? I still have things to do."


    "Of course, this way, my lord."


    "Why do you keep calling me that?" I asked.


    "Because we are your servants and you are our new master."


    "But I am not yet? Don''t you still belong to Raymond?"


    "We no longer do, though that may be true on paper. Our loyalty now lies with you. No matter what happens today or two days from now. You have be simr to our progenitor."


    "Calm down Vincent, I am not anything yet."


    Vincent walked me down to the elevator behind his office. All the way we passed huge, burly guys who looked like they bench-pressed 400 pounds.


    After a few minutes, we finally arrived at an underground parking lot filled with Cadic Escdes.


    When we arrived, Vincent directed me to a small table and stayed there as we continued our conversation.


    "Frankly, I have everything riding on you, my lord."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I actually took advantage of yourck of knowledge of reaper matters. Giving Reaper blood to a human is extremely frowned upon. Almost illegal under certain circumstances. Most Reapers would not even consider my proposal."


    Huh? Why would giving blood to a human be illegal? The only downside I could think of was that humans with lousy fighting abilities would just die.


    Even the Production guilds and schools for Academics were expected to be able to kill at least a rank F. If one did not have at least that level of will to fight, the humans would die immediately during their enlistment.


    "My lord does not seem to know. While the existence of the Reapers is an open secret to politicians and the truly powerful, it is generally kept confidential. So normally, unless one gains the support of a powerful or influential Reaper. Rogue Reapers are killed."


    "Rogues?"


    "Yes. They are people who became Reapers outside of the will of the battle front. The Reapers who have gone through the proper process are called official Reapers. All seven continents have one answer to rogues."


    "And what is that?" I asked.


    "They are terminated with extreme prejudice."


    "..."


    Vincent seemed to be a walking goldmine of information. I didn''t even know Rogue Reapers existed. This calls into question the whole story Lilly told me.


    ''John, do you know how many people joined your enlistment? It was twenty thousand. That was all the entire world could produce for a month. Each day over 80,000 die. That over 2.4 million people in a month. Yet despite our best efforts July only had 20,000 who epted the terms to join the reapers.


    And just like with your case, out of that 20,000 only 200 survived the first night.''


    Both could not be true. If David''s forces were killing off rogue Reapers, they weren''t desperate for more people. Otherwise, if they were desperate, they would be hiring the rogues instead to allow them to be official.


    Unless there was something fundamentally different about the rogues that could not be tolerated.


    ''What could that be? Oversight? Skill? Or perhaps something darker?''


    I asked Vincent. I felt like I had developed an itch I couldn''t scratch.


    "Then wouldn''t you and your family be rogues by drinking my blood? Why does my blood even matter?"


    "My lord, for a reaper to be born, three things must be satisfied. A willing human on the verge of death. The blood of an existing Reaper. And souls for transformation. The cost varies ording to my master, but the reaper must pay for a human to be reborn."


    My finger unconsciously went to the spot where Rnd Winchester had bitten. His words about myst moments as a human echoed in my mind.


    I had assumed that he had sucked my blood like a vampire. But in reality, he probably did something simr to what I had done to Aki.


    ''That''s because you''re already dead, boy. Anyway, your heroism earned you an invitation to join the Reapers. You had a lot of regrets, didn''t you? I offer you a second chance to live again and fulfill them all.''


    "Blood, soul, and will," I murmured.


    If I used my knowledge of anime and manga, vampires prioritized bloodlines because it measured the power one would gain from their heritage. The purer or closer a vampire was to their roots, the more powerful that vampire would be.


    If the purity of a Reaper''s bloodline was necessary to be one, then the less people knew about it, the better. Famous ones would be coveted and possibly even murdered for their blood.


    Once again, I felt I was in way over my head. If I was going to give my blood to the Derycks, I needed to know why they had chosen me.


    "Why did you decide that I would ept you? What would you have done if I had refused?"

 Chapter 221: Blood, soul and will [2/2]

    "Because you fear nothing, and because you disregard everything but the destruction of the undead. My Lord, I assumed that someone like you would not care about the nuances of creating rogues, since your focus would be on creating an army," Vincent exined.


    Though he wasn''t wrong, I felt like I was being used. To put it bluntly, he was using me as a breakwall. Since no one would turn him into a Reaper, he chose to risk bing a rogue just to be the first for his family.


    ''And when the authoritiese for him, he will hide under my protection. That bastard reminds me of Phillip for some reason.''


    Not that it mattered to me, if it helped then I would protect them. But if he ended up hurting me more. Then I would just kill them all myself.


    "If you know so much about me, then you must know your position at this moment."


    "Yes, my lord. I and my family must prove that we can be of use to you. Should we fail to give you a justifiable reason. Not only would you abandon us, but you would most likely be the one to kill us instead."


    "You are right, but are you sure that I would need you? Surely there are less risky options than me?"


    "That may be true, my lord, but I am a capitalist. I believe in mutual cooperation. Socialists are the ones who rot a society. To me, nothing is more tangible than the fact that our mutual desire to exploit each other will ensure our cooperation."


    Again, Vincent''s attitude paralleled my own. Our trust was not in each other, but in each other''s greed. As long as our needs or desires were met, there was no need to stab our partner in the back.


    This led to tense and ever-changing rtionships. But such rtionships were also the purest form of capitalism, able to weather any storm.


    "And how do you intend to demonstrate this purpose?"


    Vincent then handed me an envelope he had pulled out from somewhere. I took the envelope and scanned the cover. A title was embossed in thick letters.


    [Analysis of the Savior''s Forces for the 7/29/23 Seeker War].


    I opened the envelope and flipped through one of the documents. As I scanned the files, my eyes widened in surprise.


    "How did you get this?"


    "This is the first of my gifts. As a family with extensive knowledge of Reapers, we have our ways."


    The file I was holding listed the {Fates} of the abilities of every Reaper that belonged to the Saviors. This included the Phantoms. The findings were all supported by eyewitness ounts and battlefield debriefings.


    As official government records, the likelihood that they were fake was abysmally low. Possession of these would ensure that I would not be taken by surprise. However, there was another folder in the envelope.


    When I looked at it, the title once again caught my attention.


    [Mercenaries and Adventurers Hired by Savior].


    "Are these fuckers serious? They already outnumber me 200 to 1, and they want to hire even more reapers? This document is over fifty pages thick!"


    "After eyewitness ounts of your fighting prowess in the receiving area began to circte, Savior began to hire more and more reinforcements. They still do not know what your main {Fate} is. They do not have ess to your data like we do."


    "Won''t someone just sell that information to them?"


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    "Yes, my lord. They probably already know. Even though you asked for the war to be kept secret. The truth is already out, and more and more people are waiting for the oue. It has already be an underground event that surpasses the Super Bowl and the NBA in poprity."


    "Fuck."


    At least the document in my hands evened out the odds a bit. Just because they knew some of my abilities didn''t mean they knew all of them.


    "Please also note, my lord. The traitors of the LLG are among those who serve as advisors to the Savior."


    "But those bastards didn''t even get to see me fight. What purpose would their reports serve?"


    "You are absolutely right. There is no need for them, but that only shows how terrified Savior is of you, my lord."


    "What are the chances that Lilly already knows this?"


    "100% my lord. With the Untamed and the Weeping Mary, the chances of this matter being hidden from them are impossible."


    "Weeping Mary?"e to think of it, Aki called Be something simr.


    "Ah, sorry, I meant Lady Isabe Taurus."


    Ignoring Be''s strange nickname, I had an even bigger problem on my hands.


    "Shit, now I had to figure out a way to stop them froming."


    "While I can''t do anything about that problem, I can do something about the other one."


    "What? How do you know I have another problem?"


    "By anticipating your tendencies, my lord. After announcing your intentions to the world with the LLG, you created a Formless Army. Since your use of firearms is well known, the next problem would be how to supply your army with firearms, correct?"


    Was I that easy to read? Well, I prided myself on being simple. I guess after I announced that even my production guilds would go to war, it should be obvious how I would arm them.


    While I was bitter about being read like a book, facts were facts. This must be why that fat bastard didn''t even panic when I shot him. His expertise in dealing with the random whims of the Specters allowed him to serve his master better.


    ''He has the air of a butler. That must be why he reminds me of Phillip.''


    Before I could even answer, Vincent pulled out a phone and spoke up clearly.


    "Bring them in."


    At that moment, over ten guys started rolling in withrge crates. After they were ced in front of me, the crates were all opened with crowbars.


    The familiar smell of metal and gun oil wafted through my nostrils. I examined the crates and found that there was an impressive cache of guns. Rifles, machine guns, pistols, and bullets. Lots and lots of bullets.


    "My lord. Allow me to present you with my second gift. Due to the nature of my profession, whatever you need, I can get it for you. As a sign of my sincerity, this first batch is for free."

 Chapter 222: A mans heart [1/2]

    As a gun nut, my fingers twitched when I saw the beautiful works of art around me. Most people believe that guns are just weapons made to kill people. And while I could not deny that truth, they were so much more.


    For example, everything from the caliber a gun used to the parts that made it up came together for a purpose. Every gun had a history and potential for both mayhem and protection.


    War originally didn''t need guns. Men smashed each other with rocks when necessary. Guns just made the process easier. But there were no bad guns; the fault lies in the hand that wields them.


    Seeing the dozens of guns around me, I could not help but grin. Vincent, seeing my pleased expression, began to exin the contents of his gift to me.


    "I am honored that you find my humble offering pleasing. This lot contains 200 SIG MCX spears. They were designed to rece the M4 Carbines and were officially introduced justst April under the name XM7. Anyone familiar with the AR tform would be "at home" with one of these."


    I pulled out one of the Sig spears and worked the controls. Everything from smooth pull of the charging handle to the feel of the crisp trigger just gave me immense pleasure.


    "This is nice."


    Allowing myself a brief moment of happiness, the gangster went on to describe the other weapons in the package.


    Vincent pulled out one of the other weapons and brought it to me.


    "Of course, just like the spears, this is the SIG LMG 6.8, also adopted under the same program. Designed to rece the M249 light machine gun, the LMG 6.8 was adopted under the name XM250.


    "It is lighter and packs more punch at the cost of not being able to change the barrel. Some genius also decided to put a suppressor on a squad gun. I got 50 of them for you."


    The mockery in Vincent''s voice was palpable. It seemed that he liked guns as well; most people would think that a suppressor would help to minimize the muzzle sh. But that went against the role of a squad weapon.


    These guns, much like my M60, were designed to be loud as hell. This was for the sole purpose of suppression. Anyone with a brain would know not to rush in if something loud was going to unleash a hail of lead.


    To make sure that suppression effectsted as long as possible. Squad weapons are designed to shoot slower than anything else. The logic being that as long as the squad weapon, usually a machine gun, was firing, the enemy should be in cover waiting for the gunner to run out of bullets.


    So to Vincent''s point. There was little reason to put a suppressor on an LMG. Many would say it was so they could go in quietly. But just as many would also point out. If you needed to be quiet in the first ce, bring an assault rifle instead.


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    I carefully put down the Sig spear and picked up the Sig LMG 6.8. As with the other weapon, I worked the charging handle and removed the safety before slowly squeezing the trigger.


    "You seem to know your stuff. I assume those rounds over there are 6.8¡Á51mm Sig Fury cartridges?"


    For a gun nut like me, the news that the US military was using new weapons was like the biggest news of the decade. Of course, I knew what these works of art were even before Vincent introduced them.


    "Indeed. Thetest round to be used to deliver freedom. Halfway through the original 5.56 and 7.62 NATO rounds. The 6.8 or .227 Fury has the range and uracy of a 308 Winchester with much less recoil."


    There was as much science behind the bullets as there was in the guns that fired them. America had a funny history when it came to ammunition. The journey from each war and defeat shaped themon rounds used today.


    If you ask any gun nut about the very first American service rifle, eight times out of ten they will answer the M1 Garand. While the M1 was the wrong answer, the reason it was more known was because although there were two rifles before it, they were copies of someone else''s weapons.


    The M1, which was the first service rifle designed in America, was used in not one but two world wars. Its predecessor, the M1903 Springfield, was relegated to a sniper rifle in WWII after its brief stint as the main service rifle during WWI.


    Firing the grandfatherly .30-06 caliber, both the M1 and M1903 were considered overkill. Capable of blowing arge hole through most men, it was considered impractical. America, in its desire to kill as much as possible, thought that carrying so much gun was a waste; if the weight could instead be used for more rounds it would be better.


    Enter the 7.62¡Á51mm NATO, a smaller round that packed just as much punch. Then came Vietnam, one of the few wars America lost to the barely armored Viet Cong. The M14, which had 20 rounds, an improvement over the 8 for the M1, was heavy as hell.


    After getting defeated repeatedly, the U.S. adopted the M16, designed by Eugene Stoner. The aim of this weapon was to lighten the load of the soldier as much as possible while at the same time carrying as much lead as possible.


    The 5.56¡Á45mm NATO was thus born. It was an even smaller round that could still kill people with one shot at 500 yards while being a fraction of the size of the .30-06.


    Fast forward to war after war, people started equipping armor to survive the 5.56. So now we are taking it the other way around and moving up from the 5.56 to the 6.8.


    Give it a few years, and with the advent of better body armor, the 7.62 would probably be the main cartridge again.


    Knowing how these rifles performed, I had noints. If these beautiful girls were good enough for the many branches of the US military, who was I to know better? I put the Sig LMG 6.8 down and started checking the ammo boxes.


    Then I noticed small boxes containing another firearm. I picked one up and did some pistol drills with it. Extremely happy with the pistol in my hand, I put it back down before moving on.

 Chapter 223: A mans heart [2/2]

    "Ah, this is the SIG Sauer P320, which was adopted by the US military in January 2017. This is the M17 version. There are 400 pistols in this package. I can get M18s if you want them."


    "No need, my guys won''t have to bother hiding our guns. Sig Sauer has really brought their A game."


    "Indeed. The amount of military contracts they have been awarded is nothing short of amazing."


    Like a kid in a candy store, I continued to wander among the gun cases. Then I noticed rifles that used the AR tform but had longer barrels and extended scopes. I picked one up and checked its controls.


    "The one of the two guns here that is not made by Sig. This is the Heckler & Koch HK417. Also known as the M110A1 Compact Semi Automatic Sniper System. The squad designated sniper rifle used by the Army and Marines. 50 Hk417s are avable for long rangebat".


    Snipers generally had two schools of thought. One was to take out targets farther and more urately than 1000 yards. The other was to take out as many targets as possible at 600 to 800 yards.


    The rifles that focus on thetter all use the 7.62 NATO rounds. The guns that chose the former all use muchrger calibers. Due to the nature of zombies, there was no reason to aim at targets beyond 800 yards. At least not at the moment


    Heckler and Koch always made quality stuff, the MP5SD was one of their works, so I had nothing toin about. Funnily enough, almost everything I needed to buy was right here.


    If only there were grenadeunchers...


    Before I could find them, Vincent came forward with a small gun in his hands and said.


    "Here is what you are looking for, esteemed one. The M320 grenadeuncher. A military version of the H&K AG36. Introduced in 2009, it still packs a punch. Of course I also have 500 40mm low velocity M433 high explosive dual purpose grenades. There are 20 M320s prepared for use.


    This thing was fucking gorgeous, so much freedom in such a small package. The thought of the 2nd Amendment blowing up a bunch of undead with these brought a huge smile to my face.


    Anyone who would give me such a well-stocked arsenal could not be a bad guy.


    "I officially like you, Vincent. They often say the quickest way to a man''s heart is to give him something to blow shit up with."


    The bald gangster made an exaggerated bow when he heard my praise.


    "I am honored. Please let me know where you want this arsenal delivered. I will prove to you that I am worthy of your support, my lord."


    Since there were other people with us, I held back my impulse to give him my blood at that moment. I was serious when I said I liked that fat bastard now. Anyone who knew so much about weapons was a good guy in my book.


    Vincent then gestured to one of the Cadics in the underground garage as he continued to speak.


    "Now for my final gift, my lord. A Cadic built to your specifications with a little something extra."


    Vincent then snapped his fingers and about twenty of his men, carrying what looked like Ak-47s, approached. Before I could ask, the men all unloaded their weapons into the poor red Cadic Escde in front of me.


    The symphony of gunfire unleashed lead into the poor vehicle, but against all expectations the bullets failed to do any significant damage, hell, even the ss was still in one piece.


    As if the punishment was not enough, some of the men threw hand grenades at the underside of the Cadic. The ones they were throwing were M67s, the explosives that eventually reced the M26 grenades I was using.


    The men next to me ducked for cover as both grenades exploded under the ill-fated Suv. Vincent neither ducked nor stepped back as the gust of wind from the explosion buffeted our bodies.


    When the sound died and the smoke cleared, the head of the Deryck family proudly dered.


    "As befits someone of your status, my lord. The Escdes here are equipped with a B7 ballistic package."


    He then stepped closer and touched the bullet holes left by the savage attack.


    "Its 3-inch bulletproof ss along with half-inch steel tes around the cabin, floor and roof allow the vehicle to fend off even 7.62¡Á51mm NATO rounds. Please note, however, that due to the immense weight of the vehicle, the windows can no longer be rolled down."


    Vincent then gestured to various parts of the vehicle as he continued to speak.


    "The package also includes run-t tires, an armored gas tank, and reinforced door handles. A bull bar for plowing through obstacles and a ballistic grill for radiator protectionplete this mobile fortress. "


    My jaw dropped at all the stuff he put in. It had to be well over a hundred thousand dors in upgrades.


    "Finally, both the brake and suspension systems have been upgraded topensate for the extra 4,000 pounds of weight. Fortunately, since your vehicle of choice is the Cadic Escde-V, the V8 engine will have no problem handling the whole package."


    I was dumbfounded by the extra shit he put in the car. As a Phantom, I didn''t even think about armoring my car up like this. The upgrades literally turned this beast into a portable castle. If used offensively, it would be as resilient as a freight train.


    ''Who the hell said you can''t buy your way into someone''s heart? This bastard just got himself into my good books!''


    Extremely pleased. I walked over to Vincent and held out my hand. The gangster took it and shook my hand in return.


    "Vincent Deryck. From now on I will be your family''s handler. But be prepared. I will not tolerate you bastards cking off. Bing my people means being part of the toughest motherfuckers in Hellsgate. Are you sure you want this?"


    Ecstatic at my deration, Vincent nodded before roaring in excitement.


    "YES MY LORD! WE ARE! THANK YOU!"


    It was hard to tell who of us was happier at the moment. But for the moment, I don''t think that either of us really cared.

 Chapter 224: YOU DARE MOTHERFUCKER?! [1/2]

    Satisfied with our deal, the bald bastard and I were happy as hell. I basically sold my blood for guns and a fucking tank. But I didn''t feel bad at all.


    "Vincent, can I get another one of those souped up Escdes?"


    "You mean to give it to the Simmons?"


    Was I really that predictable? I wasn''t even surprised anymore. Wordlessly, I just nodded.


    "I can make arrangements, shall I also order a smaller car for your adoptive mother? The ded Kitsune was quite angry that we didn''t act when the littledy was kidnapped."


    "Aki, means well. Don''t think too badly of her."


    "My lord. Are you aware of the rumors about her?"


    "I am. She tried to kill me yesterday. I could barely defeat her. But she is mine now, so treat her with respect."


    "I see. Your harem is very impressive, my lord."


    "They are not my harem."


    "These women hold affection for you, do they not? And you cherish them as well. Would you allow them to be with other men? If not, even if you remain nomittal, aren''t they already your women?"


    "..."


    Vincent''s words left me speechless. Blood lust and possessive jealousy caused my emotions to erupt. The mere thought of my women flirting with other men made me clench my fists in anger.


    ''How could I allow such a thing to happen? Those bastards want to cuck me? ME OF ALL PEOPLE? FUCK YOU! THE SIRENS ARE TOO GOOD FOR YOU DIRTY FUCKS! I HAVEN''T EVEN TASTED THOSE SUCCULENT PUSSIES YET!


    THEY ARE MINE YOU FUCKING INSECTS!''


    A loud voice then roared in the background. "MY LORD PARDON ME!"


    I looked around and noticed Vincent grabbing my neck, in reflex I grabbed his hand and bodymmed him to the ground. In the same second I sent a lightning-fast kick to his gut, pulled out the 1911 and shoved it in his mouth.


    "YOU DARE, MOTHERFUCKER?! I WILL END YOU!"


    Vincent, spewing blood, still tried to grab my foot. As I wondered what the hell he was doing, I suddenly felt a wave of calm enter my body. My emotions, which had been roaring like a great wildfire, suddenly died away, as if quenched by a rainstorm.


    rity of mind suddenly allowed me to see Vincent''s pitiful state. His breathing wasbored, and his eyes were bloodshot. He seemed to be on the verge of death.


    His massive weight probably broke his spine when I mmed him into the concrete. Since I didn''t hold back, he experienced the full power of my enhanced body.


    If he died now, it would be troublesome for me. I quickly shot my hand and let the blood drip into his mouth. Then I used {Retrieve} to get a {Heal} tablet. I stepped down from the gangster and gave him the tablet.


    I have seen this thing heal even reapers near death. So a human should be able to recover just as easily. In a short span of a few seconds, Vincent''s face, which had already be deathly pale, returned to normal.


    "I am sorry Vincent. Please forgive me."


    I pulled him back up and apologized for my outburst. This was the third time I had experienced a soul copse. I had to find a way to stop them from happening.


    "My Lord, if you don''t mind me asking. How many souls have you stored in your gem?"


    Wondering why he needed such information, I hesitated. However, considering that I had almost killed this man, I relented and answered truthfully.


    "63,202. Why do you ask?"


    "Was there a time when you carried more than 100,000?"


    Come to think of it, since the second night I have always had more than 100,000. Currently, the only reason I only had 63,000 on me was because I used 100,000 to establish Limitless Industries and pay off my debt of 26,000 souls.


    "Every day since Tuesday? I used 126,000 just this morning, so this would be the only time since I became a Reaper that it would be below 100,000."


    "I see, and you have yet to select a zone to defend, correct?"


    "Yes. What are you trying to say Vincent?"


    "My lord, please look at your ankle."


    I followed his words and observed a small pendant tied to my foot. It looked like some kind of ne. When did I get this thing?


    "Esteemed one, this ne is mine. It is an artifact made from devil''s remains. It purifies the malice of a reaper. It also blocks death resonance when worn by a human."


    So that''s how he negated my orders earlier. Feeling that there was more to learn, I remained silent. I felt guilty when I understood. Earlier, he had tried to put this on my neck, only for me to almost murder him in response.


    "Everything I am to tell you is knowledge I have learned from serving the house of a Specter. Reapers who live in Hellsgate collect souls just by existing."


    Right, that was something I knew from my first night. Be mentioned that we collected souls from anything and everything that died around us.


    Vincent, seeing my silence, continued, "Along with souls are negative emotions, which the Specters call malice. In simple words, malice amplifies the evil in a reaper''s heart."


    For a human to know information that even Phantoms did not know, this person was truly someone I needed on my side. His words were even more urate than Phillip''s.


    read-this-on-MVLeMpYr


    "It''s a secret known only to Administration. There''s a reason why the Battlefront doesn''t encourage excessive hunting. It is because the more souls a reaper acquires, the more his soul sumbs to his desires."


    "Simply put, whenever a reaper captures a soul, it''s emotions are transferred to the reaper. Happiness, sadness, and grief. But this is Hell, do you really expect to see happy souls here? The more negative emotions a reaper has, the greater the chance of their soul copsing."


    "This evil in its purest form is the seven deadly sins incarnate. Pride, anger, lust, gluttony, sloth, greed, and envy. Anything that can trigger these primal desires would awaken the malice within you that triggers a copse," Vincent continued.


    "..."

 Chapter 225: YOU DARE MOTHERFUCKER?! [2/2]

    His words matched what was happening to me. The times I experienced a soul copse, the trigger was always rted to the Sirens. So the reason my emotions were all over the ce was because my desires were seeping out?


    "I saw my master and his family struggling to control themselves when they experienced soul copses. Trauma, fear and anger were the mostmon triggers. The easiest way to prevent this was to ensure that your soulgem never had more than 100,000 souls."


    "But I currently have less than that, so why did I still experience a copse?" I probed.


    "I am unsure, my lord. My master was religious about keeping his extra souls in his soul crystal. However, in the times when he did not. Soul copses would immediately ensue.


    "Phantoms and Specters, as far as I know, usually stored their excess souls in their soul crystals. I have never seen one, but I surmised that they must have the ability to naturally purify malice by reliving the burdens of a reaper."


    Wow, so the Soul Crystals in the Zones not only purified thend, but malice itself? Was that the main reason they purified thends in the first ce?


    If i remember correclty the only way to get a Soul Crystal was to choose a zone to defend.


    This requirement, would force aReaper to forever defend that particr zone. After all, his money was in it.


    ''These fucking sneaky bastards. Was that why the jaded Specters used money instead? Money had no disadvantages. So to minimize malice, they would just store the money and buy souls when the time came to pay the tax.''


    It was as if Battlefront wanted to make sure the reapers stayed on the front lines. But because of the options avable, there was a loophole in the system. And that loophole was called capitalism.


    I took the ne off and gave it back to Vincent.


    "Thank you for your words Vincent. I am trulycking in information, so tell me everything you think I should know. I will protect you as my own from today on."


    "Haha, my lord. Think nothing of it. Truly, you never fail to keep your promises. Your blood is in me now. As long as you are present when I die, I can ascend to join the reapers. This bond we now share is worth more than any promise my old master made.


    I am truly grateful."


    Feeling ufortable at the happiness radiating from this fat bastard, I tried to forcefully change the subject.


    "Since you have already helped me with some of my errands, I have onest task toplete. Do you know of arge property I could buy to use as a base? Preferably somewhere defensible."


    "Hmm, I cannot think of any ce right now. If this ce is supposed to withstand a reaper siege, then it would be difficult to find a ce near the city."


    "Then what do you suggest?"


    "If it were me my lord, a man-made ind would be best. You could slowly expand it over time. Much like what Singapore is doing."


    "How much does an ind cost anyway?"


    "It depends mostly on the size, an acre would cost around $300,000. If we are talking about an ind that could be developed, you are looking at over 12 million. Still, defending from the sea is easier than fromnd."


    "Hmm. I will think about that. For now, just find a ce in Phoenix that can be easily defended and is away from prying eyes."


    "Does it have to be in Phoenix? Or even in the USA?"


    MVLEmPyR-your-story-source


    "Of course it..." I stop halfway as my thoughts begin to twist.


    Was there even a reason to stay in the United States of America? If I was going to change battle fronts in Hellsgate, would it matter where I lived on Earth?


    After some thought, I came to the conclusion that there was little reason to stay. Originally, many immigrants came to America for the American dream. But intion has gone way up since the golden age of America.


    And with the insanity of current events, American democracy is tearing itself apart. I mean, we don''t even know what a fucking woman is anymore. It might be a good time to decide to move.


    After all, the only reason most people stayed in their own countries was because it was easier than packing up and moving.


    Realistically, though, that was not the case. There wererge numbers of Americans who used the power of the American dor to live like kings in third world countries. The so-called "passport bros" many even managed to find excellent wives in the process.


    However, the world as a whole was going to shit, so no matter which continent I ended up on, the problems that gued humanity would always be present.


    But now that I was a Reaper, people were no longer the problem. I don''t know if that was a good or bad thing.


    Since money would never be a concern for me ever again, this might be a good opportunity to start thinking about my future. If I could get Earl''s family toe with me, that would be perfect.


    It doesn''t really matter what happened to the rest of the country. If they expected me to be some kind of white knight to save America, they were barking up the wrong tree.


    ''I should ask the Sirens about this. My girls havee all this way just to see me. If possible, I want to be with them, as friends and maybe something more.''


    When I imagined separating from the Sirens, my heart ached as if it were being stabbed with a huge knife.


    ''What was this fear, it made no sense. Sure I liked them, but why was my body acting like it had a mind of its own?''


    Vincent said that soul copses can be triggered by fear, trauma and anxiety.


    It started when I started having these strange dreams. About the seven warriors from seven lives. Then I saw the visions of the Sirens dying brutally.


    Using my knowledge of anime and manga, it felt like I had lived seven different lives with each of the Sirens.


    "Yeah right, like that could be true..."


    "My lord?"


    Vincent, noticing my nk expression, shook my shoulder in concern. Coming to my senses, I decided to put the matter of the Sirens aside and concentrate on the current discussions.

 Chapter 226: The greatest regret [1/2]

    "For now, just let me know the areas that can be bought. My forces are all on their way here. By the way, I don''t think I have your contact information yet."


    "Ah, my apologies, here is my contact information. I do not have ess to the Grave Network yet. I am currently using my master''s child ount."


    "Hmm. Okay, I will ask if I can get you your own GRI. The only problem is, how do I anticipate when you die?"


    "..."


    "What? What is that look for?"


    "My lord, are you under the impression that reapers all die natural deaths as humans?"


    I tried to remember the stories of the reapers I had met. I knew from the Sirens that Aki drank poison, but Jo and Jas were "assisted" in their suicides.


    Such sophistry was just crazy. If you intend to murder someone, at least have the balls to call a spade a spade.


    As for Be, Liv, Robyn and Lilly, I had no idea. As for the 2nd Amendment, the only ones who told me how they died were Santiago, Mike and Warren. Come to think of it, if they had to have Reaper blood before they died, whose did they ingest?


    "I''ll take your silence as a yes. My Lord, 1st generation Reapers are a product of chance, like me, I need a fateful encounter to get my hands on Reaper blood. From the 2nd generation on, it is usually the blood of a friend or acquaintance," the gangster continued.


    Right, that made sense. Since I didn''t have any friends, I couldn''t share my blood with humans even if I wanted to. But the Normies who had them would most likely do so.


    "The original reaper bes the "parent" of the 2nd generation reaper, who then bes his "child". In our current situation, you are now my parent, and I have be your child. If you choose to dere our rtionship to the Battlefront, you will be held responsible for everything I do in Hellsgate.


    "Normally, being a parent and being a handler are not mutually exclusive. It is perfectly normal for the parent to also be the handler, but that is not always the case. There is also the Sponsor rtionship, which does not involve protection, but mostly financial support."


    Sponsors and handlers aside. It was kind of fucked up when you thought about it. Aside from getting a {Fate} and being able to make money. Being a Reaper could be considered a curse. Forcing people to be Reapers should be a crime or something.


    ''Of the 20,000 who joined my enlistment. I wonder how many people were there by choice.''


    Ignoring my internal tangent, Vincent continued.


    "For the ''child'' reapers, there are those who wait for the seedlings to grow on their own. Most, however, choose to kill the human immediately. The only exceptions are descendants."


    Hearing a term I had mixed feelings about, I focused on my gangster friend.


    "Descendants are the only case where the reapers unanimously agree to wait until the human is at exactly 23 years old. Due to the immense amount of reaper blood from a Descendant, they are often almost 100% guaranteed to be stronger than an average reaper."


    ''Reaper babies get at least 23 years, huh? I should be d that is the case.''


    "Forcibly awakening a descendant before or after 23 years has significant differences, but what is certain is that descendants peak at 23 years of age. Anything else will result in significantly weaker Reapers."


    "How did youe to this knowledge?" I asked curiously.


    -verified


    "My Lord, my grandfather told me how much research the Master did just to give birth to the young miss. The Master''s first problem was to find a Reaper whose {Fate} would synergize well with his.


    "So he researched the {Fates} that were mostpatible with his own. ording to his research, {Fates} had to bepatible before a female Reaper could even conceive.


    "When the Master failed to find any that werepatible with him, or even remotely desirable, he decided to simply create them. To create the perfect bride with the {Fates} he desired, the Master abducted thousands of women and subjected them to torture or assault."


    "..."


    I was once again horrified by what hopeless bastards the Reapers were. But as much as I wanted to deny their way of thinking, I couldn''t. I personally experienced how powerful synergistic {Fates} were.


    {Carry} and {Withstand}, when ingested at the same time, turn even the weakest human into a powerhouse in certain situations. {Perceive}, {Code}, and {Eat} also made up most of my {Kismet} because they worked exceptionally well together.


    If Specters who did not yet have kindred wished for a certain ability, no one could stop them.


    Should they wish to fly, for example, it would be perfectly justifiable to kidnap a thousand people and throw them off a cliff.


    Of course, you couldn''t guarantee that all of them would create a {Fate} for flight. It was inevitable that at least one of them would. But my thoughts didn''t stop there.


    From what Vincent told me, even if all one thousand ascend to be Reapers. The Specter has the option of choosing only those he wishes to dere as his children.


    ''Wait! Wouldn''t that mean that anyone not chosen would be rogues?


    And the Reapers have only one solution for rogues.


    ''They are terminated with extreme prejudice.''


    I clenched my jaw at the realization. While this was all wild spection, Vincent''s family background already showed that my delusions had some credibility.


    Moreover, if the parent was unwilling to bear the cost and the life of the child reaper, they could simply choose to terminate it.


    It wasn''t as if the Reapers had a pro-life faction that would lobby forws to prevent such a thing.


    Logically, such practices were the quickest way to create stronger Reapers. {Fate} Breeding or forcibly creating bloodlines for their {Fates}. Every anime and manga that had powers passed through gics had this recurring theme.


    ''It is getting harder and harder to see the Reapers as the good guys,'' Imented inwardly.


    "I was told that after decades of failure in my father''s generation, the master had finally created the perfect {Fate} he wanted for his kindred. It took a while for the mistress to get pregnant, but she eventually did. The next problem was how to make the child as strong as possible."

 Chapter 227: The greatest regret [2/2]

    As Vincent''s story continued, my mind recalled the weeping faces of Jasmine Denel and Josephine Benelli.


    ''They were our parents! I mistakenly believed they loved us, but we were nothing more than tools! Earning achievement will not be enough! We can never return! Virtuous? His majesty Clive was the one who decided to throw us here without any support!


    He just wanted to maintain his image!''


    Following Vincent''s story, the only natural oue would be a single scenario.


    "Make the descendants'' lives as miserable as possible. This would give them the greatest regret, which in turn would create the strongest {fates}," I spat out in anger.


    Surprised that I knew the answer, Vincent nodded in agreement.


    "Correct, the youngdy was treated as if she didn''t exist. While all of her body''s needs for growth were met, her life was hardly what one would call happy."


    Yes, it was incredibly simr to Jo''s story. Descendants were treated as nothing more than tools. It seemed that the understanding was the same on different continents.


    "However, my master made a grave mistake," Vincent said with a gloomy face.


    Then he pulled out a photo from his wallet and showed me a beautiful teenager who looked like a doll.


    "The youngdymitted suicide at the age of fourteen. Being neglected by her father and shunned by her mother, the young miss lost the desire to continue living."


    "..."


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    "Unbeknownst to her, the young miss became a powerful reaper, but her potential and abilities were far inferior to those of her peers. Made aughing stock of his failure, the master finally killed the mistress in a drunken rage."


    ''Good grief, this story was heavy as fuck, I didn''t know if I should feel sorry for this Raymond guy or strangle him for his stupidity.''


    "Unwilling to waste so much time again creating another Reaper simr to the Mistress, the Master ended up trying to impregnate as many Reapers as possible. He has still yet to seed."


    This child was pitiful. I hope she at least found some happiness after bing a Reaper. Hearing her story made me wonder what kind of life the Sirens led. Once we reunite, I will have them tell me.


    "So you see, my lord. Reapers are generally so calcting that instead of leaving the death of their children to chance, almost every parent murders his or her own child at the moment he or she wishes."


    "Do you wish to do the same?" I asked Vincent.


    "I do not care, my lord. Death is necessary to progress. At the very least, I hope that by bing a reaper, I can develop the Deryck family to be strong enough to survive theing storm. My only concern is that leaving it to chance creates room for error.


    Vincent seemed to be thinking like me. Instead of trusting his own master, he would simply grow stronger and take the responsibility into his own hands. In the face of such determination, I had no choice but to suck it up.


    "Very well, I will ascend you myself when you have concluded your affairs," I vowed.


    "Thank you, my lord, I will make sure to live up to your expectations."


    "Does that mean you will join the August enlistment? Does it always start on the first? I remember dying at the beginning of July, but the enlistment was on the 21st."


    "I do not really know, my lord. I have never seen an enlistment. All I know is that anyone who enters Hellsgate outside of the enlistment would be considered a rogue."


    "Okay, then my next question. During my enlistment, I entered alone, but I met wonderfulpanions who helped me survive. Do you wish to enter the world of the Reapers alone or with your family by your side?"


    "If you allow it, my lord, I wish to enter with nine others. My brother, my friends, and my wife. As for my children, I will find others to enter with them first."


    Oh? The fat bastard was not only married, but had children of his own. Although from his words, he seemed to be a doting parent.


    "Very well, as payment for the service you have done for me, I will set no limit on the number you wish to bring. Use your judgment in choosing them, the only one I trust at the moment is you. If they cause me any problems, I will personally terminate them. Understood?"


    "By your will, my lord, I will tell my family as soon as we part. As for your request for a second vehicle, please feel free, I can drive it to the Simmons family myself if you wish. I would also not mind if you take them all. I will take care of everything else with the vehicles, from registration to insurance."


    "Just one for Earl, if you can get a car for Noelle, I would appreciate it as well."


    "Understood, I will make the necessary arrangements. Your build from the apps was one in white with all the trimmings, shall we?"


    The towering man gestured to my left as he gave a big goofy smile. I walked next to him as we chatted. Then I remembered a critical problem.


    "Vincent, you know I have a Seeker war in two days? Are you not worried that all my promises to you will end if I die?"


    Hearing my question, the American gangster continued walking as he answered.


    "If it were anyone else, my lord, I would be worried. But considering what you have aplished so far, I am sure you will win the war."


    "And on what do you base such a prediction?"


    "It is not a prediction, my lord, but an educated guess. I am certain of one thing, and that is reading people. You have a fire that burns within you that even the full might of the Savior would have a hard time putting out."


    "That''s a pretty bold assessment. And what if you lose your gamble?"


    "My lord, I am a gangster. We do not gamble, we manipte the game. If you were alone, I would hesitate to throw my hat into your ring."


    "Oh? And why is that?"


    "Because alone you arecking. However, it is the women around you that have allowed you to be so powerful. Only through the Seven Sirens do I believe you will not only win but dominate."

 Chapter 228: Fuck yeah, Im in [1/2]

    I tried to remember if I had ever mentioned this term to Vincent. How did he even find out? I guess it meant that even the girls were being watched just because of me. While I understood his reasons, my insides began to twist in annoyance.


    "Ah, before you think of the worst possible option, my lord. I never stalked any of them, nor did I have any of them under surveince. Or rather, it wasn''t possible to begin with due to their nature."


    "Then who did you hear the term from?"


    "The ones who told me were the Sirens themselves. Each of them consulted the group on what to do with my men they had captured. In the end, Ms. Benelli took one of our phones and told us to stop. Her warning included that if we did not heed her words, the Sirens would reallye after us."


    "Josephine said that? Really? She didn''t seem the type."


    "..."


    "What?"


    "My lord, does the term ''shooting star'' ring a bell?"


    Vincent had just said something in a foreignnguage. I understood it in English, so I wouldn''t have noticed it if I wasn''t paying attention.


    "Whatnguage is that?"


    "Huh? It''s Italian, sir. Shooting star is Italian for shooting star."


    That was strange. But I understood that the first shooting star in his sentence was automatically tranted by {Interpret}.


    "Hmm. Okay. The answer would be no. I have no idea why you think shooting star should ring a bell."


    "I see. Getting back to our main objective, there she is."


    The American gangster led me to a white Cadic Escde-V. It looked incredibly sleek and absolutely powerful. Considering that this baby was 4,000 pounds heavier than a regr Escde, it would be the equivalent of a battering ram.


    ''Too bad it wouldn''t fit in my storage room. Otherwise I could take it to Hellsgate and y twisted metal with the undead.''


    Vincent handed me a key fob that looked like a button. It had a beautiful profile and six buttons on it.


    "My lord, try pressing the middle button with the circle twice."


    I followed his instructions and heard the white SUV in front of me roar to life. With my enhanced hearing, even though the engine was quite loud, I could hear the power hidden in the rumbles.


    My bald gangster then opened the driver''s side door and motioned for me to get in. Wordlessly, I entered the vehicle and sat down on the beautiful dark auburn colored interior.


    As I gripped the steering wheel, a new feeling came over me. It was pride. There was a reason most guys measured their dick size with their cars. Truly, the feeling of owning one was more of a status symbol than anything else.


    This SUV, was the first car I bought with my own money. Scratch that, bought with my blood would be more urate. As I marveled at the product of American engineering I felt immense happiness.


    "Congrattions on the purchase of your first vehicle, my lord! May it be the first of many!"


    I nodded and couldn''t help but grin. Eager to zoom through the streets, I turned on the console on the dashboard. The amount of shit it was disying was a bit intimidating.


    "My Lord, thank you for all you have done for me and the Deryck family. I wish you a safe journey. I will be in touch. May your fate end the darkness," the gangster said reverently.


    Vincent closed the door and extended his hand toward the exit of the garage. Lights on the floor began to glow one by one, forming a pattern towards the exit.


    Taking that as my cue, I put the gear selector in drive and stepped on the gas. The V-8 engine roared and sent the vehicle barreling forward. Like a child taking his toy out for a spin, I allowed myself to scream with joy as I pulled out of the parking lot.


    From the speed and smoothness of the Escde''s handling, you''d never know that this car had over 4,000 pounds of armor. I was told that normally the doors would be really heavy and the engine would have a hard time pushing the car forward.


    Maybe because I had {Limitless} on, I hardly noticed the extra weight on the door. Although you could see the three inches of ss on the windows.


    As I sped along the highways, I intentionally took the longest route back to the Simmons residence. People who noticed the loud sound of my engine looked at my vehicle in awe.


    Using my senses, I was even able to lip-sync to some of them while hearing the others.


    "Dude, look at that sweet ride, beefy as fuck!"


    "That right there is a man''s SUV. He even has a bull bar on his Cadic."


    "Yo, Dre! Are the windows supposed to be that thick? It looks like shit you see on submarines."


    "Dawg! Listen to the roar of that thing! Sounds like a V-8!"


    "Hell no dawg, ain''t no way they put a V-8 on an SUV."


    I felt like a parent bragging about their child. Every word of praise from the public brought a smile to my face. The loud sound of the V-8 enginebined with the imposing profile of the Escde made it stand out on the road.


    A traffic light along my route turned red as I was forced to stop. The brakes worked well despite the beefiness of my ride. This feeling of freedom and status must be why there were a lot of assholes out there doing nothing but bragging about their cars.


    As I waited for the light to turn green, the truck next to me honked. I looked to my right and checked the make and model of the vehicle next to me.


    chapter-source-MvLeMpYr


    It was a ck pickup with a Ford logo. Using {Connect} I quickly Googled the vehicle and learned that it was a Ford F-150 Lightning EV.


    The Ford Lightning was an electric vehicle that was one of the fastest trucks on the market. It boasted an eleration of 0-60 in 4.4 seconds. It had an impressive range of 300 miles on a full charge.

 Chapter 229: Fuck yeah, Im in [2/2]

    The driver of the ck F-150 rolled down his window and stuck his head out, yelling over his crappy rap music.


    "Yo! Dawg! Race you to the other side! You game?"


    It was obvious this fucker was trying to talk me into a dick measuring contest. The original Ford F-150 SVT Lighting on which his EV was based also had a V-8 engine.


    Probably trying to prove his car was superior despite being only a quarter of the price, he kept waiting for me to roll down my window to respond.


    It was childish, stupid, and made no contribution to society. I would have to be an idiot to agree to that. So I just let my baby answer him. I stepped on the gas and let the Escde give a furious battle cry.


    "Fuck yeah, I''m in," I whispered, smiling from ear to ear.


    A deafening roar from the V-8 engine drowned out everything around me, from his crappy music to all other sounds.


    The driver smiled happily and got back into his truck."Aight dawg! It''s on!"


    I touched the dashboard and started talking to the Escde.


    "Esca, we are going to smoke this fucker. Let me give you a hand. {Carry}, {Pack}, {Hike}."


    It wasn''t that I was hell-bent on winning. But my car was carrying a metal dress worth its weight in gold. Why should I let my baby lose her first race?


    Both the Ford Lightning and I eagerly waited for the light to change, and I started to rev the engine as I got impatient. My opponent also tried to rev his engine, but since EV''s are supposed to be silent, Inparison to my Esca, his sound was that of a kitten.


    The road ahead of us was a straight line. Theck of cars made barreling down the road rtively safe. No fancy driving needed, just pure American muscle.


    A secondter, the moment I had been waiting for arrived. The light flickered and turned green.


    I stepped on the gas as hard as I could and let Esca demonstrate her monstrous eleration. Like the crack of a whip, a split second was all it took for the Cadic Escde-V to take off like a rocket.


    Of course, since I had {Endure}, I hardly felt anything, but the cabin of the vehicle showed signs of the rapid eleration. The rush of adrenaline through my veins was pure ecstasy.


    I must have gone from 0-60 in 2 or 3 seconds. When I turned around, I noticed that the Ford Lighting was still in its starting position, just beginning to slowly move forward with the rest of the traffic.


    "Wha..."


    The loud wail of police sirens echoed behind me. It only dawned on me that the driver of the Ford Lightning probably knew there was a cop hiding along this route.


    brought-to-you-by-MvLeMpYr


    "Fuck, well yed you bastard."


    I pulled over and waited for the cop toe to my car. Since I couldn''t roll down the window, I opened the door a little.


    "Nice car you got brother, do you have any idea how fast you were going? License and registration please."


    Feeling a little bitter about being pulled over, I reached into my wallet and pulled out my driver''s license. When I saw my ugly face on the ID, I just remembered that I was no longer human.


    "Who the hell ever heard of a reaper getting a ticket?"


    I summoned death resonance and ordered the cop.


    "You didn''t see anything and I was within the speed limit."


    Dazed, the cop nodded his head and prepared to leave. I then invoked the resonance again and added anothermand.


    "The ck Ford F-150 Lightning with me was carrying drugs. Search his vehicle, then take him to jail for listening to bad music. let him go after an hour."


    People might say I was being petty.


    But the F-150 driver should be happy, I was the one he encountered. If it was any other reaper, he might be swimming with the fishes by now.


    "Understood. Have a good day."


    Still dazed, the cop walked away, then started talking into the radio strapped to his shoulder.


    "I have a confirmed suspect in a ck Ford F-150 heading..."


    I started tough out loud as I heard the cop following my instructions. My only regret was that I wouldn''t be there to see the fucker get thrown in jail for his shitty music.


    While the whole situation felt incredibly stupid, it made me smile. With most of my worries taken care of by Vincent, I quickly drove to the Simmons residence.


    From a distance I saw a sight that brought me great joy. My adopted family and the Seven Sirens were spending time together like one big happy family.


    na was ying tag in the street with Josephine and Robyn. They looked like three peas in a pond as they all had big smiles on their faces.


    Bless, on the other hand, seemed to be engrossed with Be, discussing something on the porch. Aki was dutifully wiping what looked like cookie crumbs from my sister''s mouth.


    Further away, Noelle and Lilly seemed to be trading blows in an intense no holds barred kickboxing match. Jasmine was waiting at their side like a maid with towels and a pitcher of water.


    Earl and Liv were also arm wrestling off to one side. With a beer stein on their other hand. What the fuck were the two even doing?


    The moment I pulled up, everyone looked in my direction. They all got up and walked towards Esca. The loud V-8 probably announced my arrival to the whole neighborhood.


    I turned off the engine and quickly got out of the car. When they saw me, na and Bless ran at full speed and threw themselves at me like meteors.


    "JOHNNY!"


    Even at 18 and 21, my adopted sisters still acted like children. Although their innocence made me feel their affection for me, since I was not technically their real brother, I tried to minimize our physical contact.


    But right now, all I wanted was to feel the warmth of my adopted sisters. After giving them both a big hug. I walked up to the house, nked by the African-American sisters.


    The Sirens all smiled wordlessly when they saw me. Except for Aki, thest time I had seen all of them face to face was barely a week ago. Still, it felt like I hadn''t seen them in centuries.


    "Hello everyone, I am back. I missed you all very much."


    My heartfelt greeting was cut off by a threatening voice that made my blood run cold.


    "Dipshit. Inside. Now."


    "Ah fuck," I cursed silently.

 Chapter 230: I know better [1/2]

    After we got inside, Noelle sent na and Bless to their rooms while the Sirens, Earl and I all headed for the living room. Of course, my super hearing heard soundsing from the stairs.


    It seemed that the sisters were eavesdropping and trying to listen in with hushed voices. The Sirens, on the other hand, were all leisurely converging on me as I made my way to the couch.


    Be, Lilly and Robyn were trying to push each other out as if they werepeting to sit closest to me. It was a bit funny to see Robyn trying to push the much taller Italian and Princess away.


    "Dipshit, I feel like I am going to get a migraine seeing your girlfriends fussing over you. Kneel down on the floor, the rest of you make yourselvesfortable."


    Earl didn''t say anything, but of course he sat in his beat-upzy boy. It might have been an antique at this point, but Earl sure loved that thing. Noelle then gracefully sat on her husband''sp as she turned to face me.


    My adoptive father naturally hugged Noelle''s midsection as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Though I found their skinship weird, I was used to it by now. But it was funny to see the reactions for the Sirens.


    They were mostly divided into two groups. Those who were embarrassed, which consisted of Liv, Jasmine and Robyn. And the rest who seemed impressed. Be, Aki, Jo and Lilly all made different faces, ranging from amazement to interest to the desire to imitate.


    Probably seeing the intense reactions, Noelle, in her style, wrapped her arms around her husband''s neck and began to defensively exin her actions.


    "What are you all looking at? This man is my Appleboo. Hisp is and always will be my ce. I am not doing anything wrong! Besides, we are happily married! I am not lewd!"


    Like a Japanese tsundere from a harem manga, my mother adorably justified her affectionate behavior. Earl, the recipient of her charms, wore a goofy smile and remained silent.


    The girls all tried to keep their faces straight while suppressing their smiles. After everyone enjoyed the sight of Noelle being defensive, Earl finally made a fake cough and affectionately nuzzled Noelle''s neck.


    "El, no one minds, calm down. You had something to tell your son, right?"


    "Ah, right. Sorry about that, everyone. Appleboo is right."


    Like a machine that had just been rebooted, Noelle switched to serious mode. It was cute that even in serious mode she called Earl Appleboo.


    I mean, Earl was a man built like a mountain. Calling such a specimen Appleboo was fucking wrong to begin with.


    Noelle, turning to me, began herints.


    "Dipshit, first things first. Tell me what the hell is going on. And don''t try to lie to me."


    "What do you mean, Mrs. Simmons?"


    "I checked the school. The crime scene didn''t match Lana''s story. For one thing, there was too much blood. The same blood was on Aki."


    Noelle turned to Aki and exined in a stern voice.


    "Aki, I am grateful that you saved my little girl, I really am. But why did you lie? I questioned my daughter and she told me what really happened. My baby is no liar, but she is also very sharp. Why did you both choose to lie to me?"


    "Noelle-sama. I.."


    Before Aki could answer, my mother turned to Josephine and Robyn.


    "And you two. You two and Aki have been patrolling my block, haven''t you? You even beat the shit out of some guys earlier."


    Without waiting for an answer, Noelle then confronted Jasmine, Be, Liv and Lilly. The four reapers all froze like deer caught in headlights.


    "You four, on the other hand, have been clinging to the members of my family. Don''t think I haven''t noticed. You all behave like guards for VIPs."


    Well, shit, as always, Noelle knew more than she let on. She had basically already figured out that the Siren''s hadn''te here for nothing.


    "Now dipshit, first you stayed in a fancy ass hotel. Now you bring home a fancy-ass minivan. Now tell me. Did you scam some rich bastard out of his retirement money? Are these girls soldiers you hired to protect us from the people you swindled?"


    At Noelle''s hrious hypothesis, the Sirens and I began tough. Suddenly, Noelle had a rolled-up piece of newspaper in her hand and whacked me on the head with it. Where the hell did that thinge from?!


    Wiping tears from her eyes fromughing so hard, Lilly began to exin in my ce.


    "Mrs. Simmons. I apologize if we gave you the wrong impression. Everyone here, including myself, works for your son. We recently had a high-profile project that earned us millions. Unfortunately, we also earned the ire of some unruly characters.


    We are just trying to protect our boss'' family."


    "That sounds like bullshit. There''s no way some blue office job has not one, but seven beautiful people working for it. You are all too pretty for that. Not unless dipshit here works for a modeling agency or something. Right, Appleboo?"


    "Hmm, they might be pretty, but you know I only got eyes for you, El," Earl replied as he nuzzled my ma.


    this-chapter-is-MVLeMpYr


    "Appleboo, that tickles. Please not now. I''ll lose street cred..."


    Be took out a small tablet and presented it to Noelle. It showed some graphs and news articles of some sort.


    "Mother-inw, I assure you we are not doing anything illegal. It''s true, honey, over there is our boss."


    "Mother-inw? Honey? Oy dipshit, you didn''t force this woman to sleep with you for her job, did you?"


    "She''s joking. I know better, Mrs. Simmons. Be is just a very good friend of mine."


    "That sounds fishy, then tell me all of you introduce yourselves again and tell me what work you do for my son, if you really work for him at all. Starting with you."


    "Yes, mother-inw, I am Liv Ivaldi, I am your son''s bodyguard."


    "Jo Benelli, mother-inw, I have been the fitness trainer and nurse of darling!"


    "Robyn Lithgow, I was hired as a delivery girl mother."


    "My name is Jas Denel mother, I have been assigned by thepany as John''s exclusive maid."


    "Aki Miroku greets mother, I attend John as his private cook and nutritionist."


    "Be Taurus. Mother-inw, I do Honey''s finances as his ountant."


    "I am Lilly Browning mother, I work as John''s executive secretary."


    Noelle looked unconvinced and asked the question I feared the most.


    "Why are you all calling me mother? Are you all interested in my son? Dipshit, are you ying with these nice girls? Which one of them are you really going out with?"

 Chapter 231: I know better [2/2]

    Cold sweat ran down my back as the Sirens stared at me like a pack of hyenas. Luckily, before I had to prepare for my own funeral, Earl came to my rescue.


    "El, let''s not pry into other people''s romances. What we are sure of is that everyone here has a favorable impression of John, right? Everyone, even though my lovely wife and I are not John''s real family, we have always thought of him as our son.


    "You are free to seek your own happiness, but John can only marry one of you. So be sure that no matter what happens, you will not regret your own choices.


    "John has always been a good boy. Loyal to a fault, know that if you win his favor, he will fight the world for you. But the reverse is also true."


    Noelle interjected brusquely. "Also, know that if you make my dipshit cry, I wille and beat the crap out of you! He may not havee from my womb, but I love him as much as I love my own daughters. I will not allow his heart to be broken a second time! Are we clear?"


    It was a little embarrassing to hear such honest statements from Earl and Noelle, but I found myself smiling with joy. I could no longer count the number of times I wished to be a part of the Simmons instead of the Smiths.


    The Sirens'' all agreed with my mother''s question, but Noelle wasn''t satisfied. She got off Earl''sp and held her newspaper roll like a swagger stick.


    "I can''t hear you! If you want to be my daughter-inw, you will call me Ma! Do you understand?!"


    Swagger sticks can be traced back to the Roman Imperial Army. Centurions of that time carried vine sticks as a badge of office. Swagger sticks were always too short to be used as a cane, so they had no real purpose outside of symbolism.


    In today''s modern world, most training officers in the European or American armies carried something simr. Influenced by Noelle''s intensity, the Sirens all stood up and began to shout their answers like soldiers.


    "YES MA! WE UNDERSTAND MA!" x7


    ''Oh shit, Noelle''s boot camp switch was turned on.''


    When Ma got fired up, she started screaming like a drill instructor from hell. na, Bless and I usually yelled each other''s ears off just to keep Noelle happy.


    "All right, good energy. But how ready are you little girls to be wives? My dipshit is a hard working boy. He shoulde home to a loving wife, not the boss''s bitch trash, whatever that tick-tock keeps shitting about."


    The Sirens, unsure of how to respond, remained silent and continued to await instructions from my African-American mother.


    "I mean, they basically got what they wanted, right? They kept telling the world they didn''t need men, and when men left, it was somehow the men''s fault! Listen girls. A woman doesn''t have to be perfect, she just has to be good at three things."


    I had a face-palm when Noelle started her sermons on women''s empowerment. Anyone who saw my mother would basically think she wasn''t a traditional wife. But they were wrong.


    Noelle Simmons believed in old-fashioned marriage. But she never condoned divorce or cheating. She was a proponent of working out your problems. Either with words or with fists.


    My ma was the go-to person in ourmunity for anyone suffering from domestic abuse. One thing I never understood was how she never ended up in jail for all the bastards she sent to the hospital.


    When I looked at the faces of the Sirens, it was like they were in a trance. Like they were watching their favorite movie star walk the earth.


    "If a woman wants to keep her man for life, she only needs three skills. One is cooking. If you fail to feed your husband, someone else will feed him for you. The second is to clean the house. Your house is your love nest. It is a reflection of you.A man will not feel rxed in a dirty house, period.


    "Finally, the stamina to fuck! No matter how full a man''s stomach is or how clean your house is, if his is always pent up. He will eventually blow his load on a side chick or a mistress, no matter how loyal he is, guaranteed. If you fail to keep yourself in shape, he will fuck someone else.


    "Women are free to do whatever the hell you want. However, if you fail at these three things, it is a given that your man will eventually leave you. This is why women who focus solely on children get cheated on, while mistresses rarely get married.


    "In conclusion, a wife is not expected to be perfect. But her most important duties revolve around keeping her husband''s stomach full, her house clean, and her man''s balls empty. capiche?"


    Earl then stood up and suddenly scooped Noelle up by her thighs in a princess carry. Ma lost her fierce demeanor and blushed scarlet like a quiet kitten as she was literally swept off her feet.


    "Kya! Appleboo, not now, please. I am..."


    The father of the Simmons family smiled blissfully as he kissed his wife on the cheek. Ma promptly covered her face and fell silent. It was amazing to see how Earl could make a fierce woman like Noelle docile in less than a second.


    "Now,dies. Thank you for indulging my lovely wife. I know she is quite feisty, but please know she means well. El has been worried about John ever since he broke up with his ex. So this is just her protective instincts kicking in.


    "I know you girls have a lot to talk about with my son. While I may not be the smartest person in my household, I do know that things are moreplicated than they seem. I am going to take El and my daughters to lunch. Use this time as you see fit."


    Calm, authoritative, and straight to the point. This was how Earl usually carried himself. A manner that I had tried to emte on more than one asion.


    The Sirens all bowed to my father and responded in unison.


    "Thank you for your kind words father-inw, please take care."

 Chapter 232: Heroine Chapter: Let me hear your voice. [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Josephine Benelli


    ___


    After buying our presents, the Sirens and I went to a department store and had them wrapped. It was a good thing Lilly was there, otherwise we would have had to carry bulky boxes.


    "Princess, here, store my present for honey. Make yourself useful," Be instructed.


    "The nerve of this woman. You make me? ME! Lilly Browning, of all people, to be your baggage carrier? Are you seriously suggesting that?"


    "What? I am giving your useless {Fate} a purpose. Shouldn''t you be happy?"


    "{Store} is not useless, you sanctimonious twit. Didn''t you see how brilliantly my dearest fought? He even managed to fly because of my {Fate}!" find-more-stories-on-NovelFire


    "Oh, please, {Code} is the reason my darling can do half the shit he does."


    While Be and Lilly continued to insult each other, Robyn, Liv, and Aki also joined in the chaos.


    "Possum would be dead by now if he didn''t have {Carry}. What good would your {Fates} be if they don''t help in battle anyway?"


    "I agree and disagree at the same time. {Withstand} is the reason my beloved was able to defeat the brute. If it weren''t for me, we would all have died in the enlistment."


    "Everyone, I want to remind you all of one thing. {Gather} is the reason Master is able toe up with such amazing ns. {Eat} also keeps his belly full."


    "Shut up, Chingchong, the brain boost from {Code} is why Honey was able to strategize. Honey is after all stupid."


    While I found it hrious that they were even trying to discuss this, I looked at my sister and coaxed her to join. Unlike me, who preferred lively discussions, my sister was a loner at heart.


    "Jas, you are not going to join them? {Perceive} might lookme to the rest of the Sirens! You don''t think so, do you?"


    My sister sneered as she snobbishly replied. "I don''t have to. They are only deluding themselves. {Identify}, {Loot}, {Expose}, and {Sight} all require {Perceive}. If their {Fates} were half as useful as mine, they would be used in more {Kismet}."


    "Aww, that''s no fun. You should join them, Jas! That''s how the Sirens show their love for each other!" I joked, clinging to my beloved sister like glue.


    "Tsk. Fine."Jas then left my side to try and mediate between the Sirens.


    "Lilly, our packages are conspicuous. Anyone who knows our identities could leak the information to Trinity. Can we please hide them in {Store}?"


    This would be the first time the seven of us had been together since the enlistment. While the rest of us had a fun-filled adventure in Japan, Aki acted separately and came here to kill Darling.


    Originally, I wanted to kill her. However, when she told me the details of the battle between her and Darling, my anger was quelled. Even with his {Fate} loans wiped out, my darling fought like a beast.


    It was downyed because Aki was still alive. But my darling had the power to defeat a fully matured descendant. Even though Aki lost her peak by bing one at the age of 28, she was still quite powerful.


    "She even invoked {Soul Breaker}," I murmured in surprise.


    Descendants were generally considered to be tools, not people. And {Soul Breaker} was our way of showing our resolve. The pain that came from invoking them was something that normal Reapers would never understand.


    And Darling, who was a human just a week ago, managed to not only survive the desperate move, but also ovee it.He subdued the ded kitsune without any manifested {Fate},bat soulgear, or {Kismet}.


    It was impressive, to say the least. My mind began to wonder what would have happened if my beloved and I had fought? Would I be able to kill him? Would he be able to kill me?


    I joined in the conversation as my thoughts began to take a strange turn.


    That was why I liked ces that were lively. That way I couldn''t concentrate on the voices in my head. Sometimes I felt that there was another person inside me. Someone who took pleasure in nothing but bloodshed and violence.


    But every now and then she came out. Her whispers and murmurs would make me think of the worst in people.


    ''Trust none of them, they will only betray you.''


    ''Kill them all. If you don''t, they will take what is yours.''


    ''Do you really think he loves you? It is a lie. He only wants to exploit your power.''


    ''You have no right to be happy. How many people have you killed so far?''


    I only told two people about the voices, my sister Jasmine and my nanny Margaret.


    My birth parents, the Benelli''s, hardly cared what happened to me after I was born. They wouldn''t do much even if I told them. Raised as tools, the descendants were expected to have bleak childhoods devoid of love and attention.


    Most of mine was spent begging for scraps of attention from my mother and father. I rationalized their heartless actions by thinking that they would eventually acknowledge me if I behaved well.


    As I grew older, I woke up. I understood that they would never look at me.


    Margaret, my nana, on the other hand, loved me like her own daughter. She often told me to ignore the bad voices. When I told her they were so loud I could barely sleep, she started reading me fairy tales every night so I could focus only on her voice.


    She would usually end the stories with a promise.


    "Always remember, dear Lady Josephine. Just like the stories we read every night. Your knight wille and rescue you one day. He will like you more than anyone else, and the two of you will live happily ever after."


    "Really nana?! Will he y with me all day?"


    "Haha, of course, littledy, Sir Knight will y with you, shower you with praise, hug you when you are scared, and take care of you when you are sick," my nana prophesied.


    "But Nana, how will I know if it is him? There are billions of people in the world!"


    "Littledy, don''t worry, you will meet him. I promise you that. You will definitely know, his voice would be enough to drown out everything and give you peace."


    "Huh? That shouldn''t be possible, nana, sound doesn''t work that way!"


    In true descendant fashion, less than five yearster Margaret was summarily executed for theft. Without a trial, the mother I loved most was brutally impaled on a stake outside the Benelli estate.

 Chapter 233: Heroine Chapter: Let me hear your voice. [2/2]

    Treated like a criminal, I was forbidden to remove her body as it was to serve as a reminder to everyone else. I spent every day apanying her corpse, ignoring my training and sses.


    My silent rebellion finally allowed me to give my nana a proper burial. As I carefully washed her body, all I could think of was the knight in her stories.


    "Nana, I''m sorry I couldn''t protect you. I am so sorry that I am too weak. The voices are getting louder, nana. They are telling me to kill everyone. Why couldn''t Sir Knight save you? I don''t think I can hold on much longer.


    What the voices are saying is right!"


    ''You selfish bitch! Margaret died because of you!''


    But I knew better, so I never followed them. Nana wanted me to be a righteous person despite my tendencies. I remembered hugging my Nana''s body and sobbing.


    "Nana, I''m so tired. Is there any point to all this? You and Jas are the only reason I even try to be good, and now you are gone. What if Sir Knight doesn''t even exist? "


    The following year I was sent to Syria. A few yearster we were abandoned because we were Formless. Still, we tried our best, but eventually Jas was bitten by a Chuckie and I found myself surrounded with no strength left to defend myself.


    "Nana, I give up. This could be my end," I whispered in a quiet voice.


    ''Just let go of your weapon and die! No one would even miss you!''


    Although I fought my best, my injuries madebat extremely difficult. In what I assumed to be my final moments I found myself begging a person from my imagination.


    "Sir Knight, if you are out there, save me. I need you. Praise me. Worry about my safety. Tell me my life matters. Please.


    I can''t hold on much longer. Please let me hear your voice," my own words were barely audible due to exhaustion.


    It was when my heart almost surrendered that I heard him for the first time.


    "Let''s start with the little shits around her then."


    Unsure of what I was listening to at first, I ignored the man''s voice. But like a hero from my fairy tales, he came to my rescue.


    The man did so by brutally kicking a Chuckie and then shooting it in the head.


    As far as knights go, he was the worst. Vulgar, violent, without an ounce of chivalry.


    But throughout the night he kept saying the things I wanted to hear. What I thought would be the worst day of my life, turned out to be the day I met my darling.


    The voices that seemed to get louder after I gained {Listen} were silent when I was near him. Wanting to get closer to him, I tried my best.


    I had assumed that if I acted bubbly and cheerful it would be enough. Guys like that, right? then I tried clinging to him. Neither worked.


    Every time John showered me with attention and praise, my whole body felt bliss. When I heard how worried he was after Jas and I used {Soul Breakers}, I savored every second. I dyed my rewind and enjoyed his attention.


    I even showed him my naked body, but still, he would treat me like all the others.


    The Sirens, including myself, all have one wish at this moment. To get closer to the one we adored. But nothing seemed to work. Skinship even seemed to backfire on some asions.


    "None of them, they are my allies, nothing more. I will bear the punishment for the murders. I am fine with losing my rewards."


    The despair the Sirens felt that time was palpable. As if our hopes had been mercilessly shattered. I remembered being quite upset by my darling''s words as well.


    ''You see? He doesn''t even know you''re alive! Just like your parents! Just kill yourself already!''


    My brief daydream was interrupted when Aki gently tugged at my hand.


    "Benelli-san, the group is moving. Let''s go. We don''t want to bete to meet the master''s family."


    ''Kill her. She tried to hurt what is yours!''


    Ignoring the voice, I thanked the Japanese beauty.


    "Ah, right. Grazie Aki."


    As we walked through the streets, my ears burned from the gossip surrounding our group.


    "Damn, this group is so fine I can''t even pick!"


    "Dawg look at the tits on the Latina! Such colossal badonkers on a small frame!"


    "Dude, the Chink is simrly stacked. I wonder how she tastes."


    "Wow! Now THATS where its at! Super model proportions and a ck womans ass!"


    ''Kill them all!''


    Not everyone was vulgar. Some just expressed admiration.


    "Pretty!"


    "Are they influencers or something?"


    ''Rip their bodies apart!''


    Others were just in weird.


    "Thats one huge bitch!"


    "I want the blue-haired one to step on me."


    "I wonder if the little one is legal?"


    ''Gut them and let their blood drench the ground!''


    Because I had super hearing, such disgusting talk became part of my norm. You would be surprised at the things people say out loud when they thought no one was listening.


    Ignoring the peanut gallery, we walked. Eventually we introduced ourselves to Darling''s family as his co-workers. I grew envious of the Simmons family''s harmonious rtionship.


    Was this what a normal family should have looked like?


    NovelFire-chapter


    ''Kill them all. Why should they be happy when you are unhappy?''


    Father and mother-inw were so adorable together. Just being around them made the world seem like a nice ce. Whenever they showed affection to each other, it was as if only the two of them existed.


    Free for all the noise, all the misery, all the scheming. I wonder if it would be possible for me to have something like that.


    ''Do you think you deserve to have something like that? You are a filthy whore! A murderer! You deserve to rot in hell!''


    Sometimes I would wonder why I was even born. My entire life was wasted on reapers, and yet I was thrown away. What was it all even for?


    Conflicted, I tried to drown out the noise by ying with na and Bless, Darling''s adopted sisters. As I struggled with my question, I finally heard Darling''s car pull up to the driveway.


    He got out with a big smile as he looked at us one by one. When I saw his eyes full of affection, I remembered his words during the recruitment. Something I had longed for most of my life.


    "The dangers aside, you were amazing Jo. I was so relieved you are okay. Well done."


    When I saw the face of the man I loved, I noticed that the bad voices were gone, and the world waspletely silent.


    "Hi everyone, I am back. I missed you all dearly," John said with a love-struck face.


    In this space, only darling and I existed. My heart hammered loudly in my chest as a single thought echoed in my mind.


    ''Nana, you were right. I''m so d I didn''t give up.''

 Chapter 234: No need to rush [1/2]

    When my adoptive parents left, the girls still had their eyes glued to Earl and Noelle''s backs. It was entertaining to watch their reactions. Even though we were not rted, I was proud of them.


    I remembered running to the Simmons'' house after my dad had almost pummeled me unconscious.


    "Ma. Why can''t you just adopt me? I will just live here with you. I promise I will take care of Bless and na! I don''t need a room, I can sleep on the floor, just please let me stay."


    Noelle made a frustrated face and took me in her arms. Her warm hug made me feel safe. I cuddled deeper as I wished this woman was my mother.


    "Dipshit. You know there is nothing I would like more in the world. But your parents and I know each other. And it''splicated. I promised your mom I wouldn''t get involved until you''re of age."


    My heart broke at her words. Bitter at the apparent betrayal, I pulled away from Noelle''s embrace and vented my anger by yelling at her.


    "I hate you Noelle! You lied to me! You don''t love me! You are just like my real mother! I hate you!"


    I ran aimlessly and soon found myself copsed in the woods. It was the same night that my father found me. But instead of taking me home, he took me deeper and literally threw me to a gray wolf.


    At 12 years old, death would normally be a certainty, but somehow I survived. I cked out right after I managed to kill the wolf with a makeshift spear.


    I woke up two dayster in the hospital with Noelle at my bedside. Earl told me muchter that it was Noelle who found me unconscious and bleeding in the woods. My second mother, in particr, stormed my house and thrashed my father so badly that he didn''t wake up until the next day.


    As if to regain my favor, Noelle spent the day taking care of me. Of course, her motherly affection melted my hatred like snow in the summer. After we made up, I never brought up adoption again.


    I didn''t care if I had a differentst name. My heart knew my Earl and Noelle Simmons were my parents.


    "Be, you recorded all that right?" Lilly asked in a daze.


    "I did, somehow I am jealous that Honey had such parents. Mine were murdered by terrorists."


    "Indeed, it is rare to see such a loving marriage, such affection is rare even in the North. I rarely saw my parents together even when my mother was alive."


    "I know, right? My parents hated each other, so I usually just hung out with Jas and my nana. I was told that they were forced together and did not leave their first loves of their own volition."


    "Anyway, there was a lot of wisdom in her words. My parents disappeared early on, so I never had any bridal training. I was too preupied with Haru."


    "I don''t even remember mine, I was already with the Benelli''s for as long as I can remember."


    "Same, I was with the terrorists since I was an ankle biter. Hopefully Ma will be willing to teach us. It feels weird to call someone mother. America has it good."


    "My mother died in poverty all because she was my father''s mistress. Believe me, even in the U.S., a marriage like theirs is rare. Truly, I would be willing to give all my money for such bliss."


    Somehow the mood turned grim. I never knew the Sirens had such a dark pasts. It made me feel better to know that at least I had a second set of parents. After my conversation with Vincent. I looked at the group of girls in wonder.


    How did the girls be reapers? Who killed them? How did they get Reaper blood in their bodies? What circumstances led to the creation of their {Fates}? Unlike during the enlistment, an intense desire was brewing within me.


    During the time I spent away from the Sirens, I fought in Hellsgate without rest. From fighting alone, I now had the 2nd Amendment. The LLG even popped up along the way. Now I even had a Mafia familying under mymand.


    There was so much to tell, I didn''t even know where to begin. It was the first time I felt like this. Trying to keep the excitement down, I tried to remember the list I had made this morning.


    1. Seeker war - supplies, tactics and preparations.


    2. Missing {fate} and {Kismet}.


    3. Guns for the 2nd Amendment.


    4. Getting Earl''s family to move permanently.


    5. Preparing Earl''s family in case I die.


    read-first-on-NovelFire


    6. Steady Ie for the Sirens. | Sharing how to be a Specter with Lilly.


    7. Location for the house of the 2nd Amendment.


    8. Reunion this Sunday with Caroline and Harry. (Should I go).


    9. Purchasing additional guns.


    Of the nine points, 3 and 7 would be done by Vincent. I nned to ask Be and Lilly for help with 4. Since Vincent refused to ept any money, I could take care of 5 without any problem.


    At the moment 2 and 6 were the most urgent. I still had 2 days and 1 night until Saturday evening. Since having EXA would make a huge difference, I should ask everyone for their {fates}.


    As if anticipating my thoughts, Aki ced a small vial of blood on the coffee table. Everyone in the room naturally saw the vial and red at her.


    "Master, I think you have something to ask the rest of the Sirens."


    "Ah right, thank you Aki. Girls, would you mind giving me a vial of your blood? I need your {Fates} for something."


    "I refuse!" Lilly snapped.


    Surprised by her outburst, I held my tongue and tried to think of a good excuse. They still had {Rewind}, so I had little to bargain with.


    Aki whispered in my ear. Her face was so close that her breath felt ticklish.


    "Master, Lily-sama is not refusing because she does not want to, but because she wants something in return. Now, Lily-sama, you must tell Master clearly. How should hepensate you?"


    "I-I want ..." Uncharacteristically, the self-confident Lilly was nowhere to be seen as she stammered.


    But before she could finish her sentence, Be threw herself at me and mounted me in one swift motion. The weight of her body sent blood rushing to my manhood, making my body extremely aroused.

 Chapter 235: No need to rush [2/2]

    With a sultry smile, the Brazilian wrapped her arms around my neck and passionately plunged her tongue down my throat. Drowning in desire, I embraced her body tightly as I savored her lips.


    The depraved sounds Be and I madested a few seconds before she pulled away. With flushed cheeks, Be bit her lower lip as she whispered.


    "Honey, none of us want to exchange blood. That is for strangers, as your wives, we want your saliva and cum instead."


    Taken aback by Be''s vulgar deration, I pulled away from her body, but my head was suddenly pulled to the back of the sofa, forcing me to look up.


    Liv''s flushed face towered over me as she whispered softly.


    "My love, please forgive my inexperience."


    Unlike the fiery passion with which Be burned, Liv was gentle and innocent. As if she knew my will, Be quickly dismounted as I raised my upper body. I simrly wrapped my arms around the northerner as we explored each other''s lips.


    After a few moments, Liv pulled away to catch her breath. My arms were pulled away from her by two pairs of arms. A blonde woman then rested her bosom seductively on my chest as her ssy eyes trembled.


    "Darling, me too."


    Seeing the anxiety in the Italian''s eyes, my heart swelled with love. It would be shameful for a man to keep his woman waiting. I put my arm around Jo''s waist and pulled her roughly towards me.


    My lust grew rapidly as Jo kissed me for the first time. Her awkward attempts to please me were beyond adorable. Guiding her tongue, I savored and licked the insides of her mouth until she gasped for air.


    Suddenly a pair of lips lovingly caressed the nape of my neck. Wet saliva ran against the burning sensation that threatened to consume my entire body.


    "Husband. I desire your affection as well," Jo''s sister moaned.


    Hearing Jasmine''s desperate pleas, I sealed her lips. Normally stoic, seeing this woman act so pure fueled my desire to ravage her. Letting myself go, I was quite rough as I feasted on Jasmine.


    Sexy whimpers echoed through the room as Jasmine tried to hold back her tears. Afraid of hurting her for real, I quickly pulled away. The moment I did, I was surprised to find Robyn suddenly passionately sucking on my tongue while hugging me like a ko.


    While Robyn and I continued to share a French kiss, I heard Aki''s voice goading Lilly.


    story-by-NovelFire


    "Lilly-sama, do you want to go next? At this rate you will best."


    "I don''t need your help Aki! The best is always saved forst!"


    "Very well."


    Robyn continued to explore my mouth even as we both ran out of breath. Amused by her antics, I put my hands on her backside and affectionately groped her ass.


    Surprised, Robyn let out a cute yelp as she turned to see my naughty actions. Continuing my attack, I sucked on the exposed area just above her chest. Just as I expected, the Australian froze like a frightened squirrel.


    "Hahaha, we can take it slow Robyn. No need to rush."


    The youngest of the Sirens bit her lip as she nodded. While I was busy, I felt something soft press against me. Jo and Jas, who had originally been at my side, were gone. In their ce was a flushed Aki.


    The Japanese beauty smiled adorably as she slowly kissed me and while our tongues were intertwined, her hand began to rub near my crotch. My younger brother, who was beyond excited, was already rock hard.


    After a few seconds, Aki pulled away, but not before giving me a quick peck on the lips and a barely audible whisper.


    "Anata. I love you."


    The lust in my body was at its limit as Aki stood up and pulled Lilly towards me.


    "Now, Lilly-sama. You bragged about how important your {Fate} was to master, right? Please grant him {Store}. This is out of necessity and is not depraved as you imagine."


    Hmm. It seemed that Lilly had reservations about kissing me in front of everyone? Whatever self-control I had, was already obliterated during thest 10 minutes. Who the hell cared if I had seven wives? I just had to work hard enough for seven families.


    Now that I had gotten a taste, there was no way I was going to allow another man to enjoy any of my women''s charms.


    Steeling my will, I grabbed Lilly''s arms and yanked her toward me. With a surprised gasp, the untamed found herself pinned in my arms. Seemingly struggling, she tried to push me away.


    Unfortunately, my mind had no more reason. I forced her arms out of the way and buried my face in her bosom. Then I greedily licked her neck before kissing her.


    The longer we went on, the less resistance Lilly put up. Eventually she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly as she spoke between sultry moans.


    "Dear...you must...take...respon...sibility...won''t for....give you.... if you...Mhmm."


    I ignored herints and continued to enjoy her loving kisses. After a few more seconds, I allowed Lilly to rest her weight on my chest. The rest of the sirens circled around me, all with faces that looked like they wanted to fuck my brains out.


    The pleasure of being desired by such beautiful women made my ego soar. I no longer cared what the rest of the world thought of me. As long as my harem gave me their love, I knew I could endure anything.


    While I was happy that the Sirens and I were getting closer, another matter was just as important. I called {Code} and checked my status.


    ___


    Name: Limitless


    Rank: Phantom


    Soul Capacity: {Fate} 8/8 | {Kismet} 0/10


    Souls Avable: 63,202 | To evolve: 75,000


    {Fates}


    1. {Rewind} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1 | Owner: Self |Sub: {Reload}, {Regen}, {Rece} (7) Sup: {Save}, {Auto}


    2. {Code} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Be - 8 D |Sub: {Connect}, {Shutdown}, {Program} (New)


    3. {Withstand} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Liv - 8 D | Sub: {Endure}, {Counter}, {Block} (New) Sup:{Suffer}


    4. {Listen} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Jo - 8 D | Sub: {Interpret}, {Dampen}, {Announce} (New)


    5. {Perceive} | Lvl 4 |Cost: 1| Loaned: Jas - 8 D |Sub: {Aim}, {Snipe}, {Imaging} (New)


    6. {Carry} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Robyn - 8 D | Sub: {Pack}, {Hike}, {Ascend} (New)


    7. {Eat} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Aki - 8 D | Sub: {Gather}, {Digest}, {Carve} (New)


    8. {Store} | Lvl 5 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Lilly - 8 D | Sub: {Retrieve}, {Stock}, {Withdraw}, {Portal} (New)


    {Kindred}: ???????


    {Kismet}: N/A


    Soulgear: {Honey Trap}


    ''Wee back everyone.''

 Chapter 236: Seven Lifetimes [1/2]

    In my happiness, still on the couch, I grabbed Lilly''s waist and pulled her towards me. My other arm also caught Aki, who was standing nearby. With a heavenly beauty in both my arms, I began to caress their bodies.


    The depravity of having so many women by my side seemed to raise my libido to heights I never thought possible. A soft plop made me look down at my crotch. Robyn had both her hands on my legs as she unzipped my pants with her mouth.


    Seeing such a mesmerizing face so close to my swollen member made my delusions run wild. Then I felt an incredible softness suddenly cradle my neck. Looking up, I saw Liv''s face as her ragged breaths showed how aroused she was.


    In the short time our eyes met, Liv slipped her tongue into mine and searched for my own. Still preupied with the northerner. I felt the cool and pleasant sensations of tongues licking down both sides of my neck.


    Along with the licks came pillow talk from two gorgeous women.


    "Anata. Does it feel good?"


    " Dear, don''t ignore me."


    I tried to reassure them with my hands, but suddenly both my hands were guided to something soft with small protrusions. Bewitching moans drove me mad as the sisters confirmed what I suspected.


    "Mhmm...husband, I have noticed that you tend to ogle breasts a lot. These are yours, fondle them to your heart''s content."


    "Huff. Huff. Honey, do mine feel good? They''re not as big as Liv''s, but..."


    Before Jo could finish her sentence, I cupped her breast and yed with her nipple with my fingers. Since I could clearly feel the nipples, they must have put my hands inside their bras.


    Each of my girls was incredibly beautiful, I refused to let them think they were inferior to anyone else.


    Suddenly I felt a hand gently caressing my cock. The sudden stimtion nearly caused me to blow my load. I broke off my kiss with Liv, only to have Be devour my lips.


    The Brazilian mounted me again, but this time she began to gyrate her hips lewdly. Her weight was pleasant as her plump butt began to bounce on myp. I didn''t know who, but a sweet scent wafted through my nostrils.


    It was both sensual and incredibly erotic, like a mixture of sweat, nectar and saliva. My anticipation of making love to the Sirens was at its peak when I suddenly heard an angry roar.


    "DIPSHIT, IF YOU DO NOT SEPARATE FROM THEM THIS MINUTE, I WILL CASTRATE YOU!"


    "Fuck..."


    ***


    After a few moments, the Sirens straightened up and sat on the floor behind me. I was kneeling on the floor in front of an angry Noelle.


    It seems that na and Bless saw the lip orgy I was having with the Sirens. In anticipation, they stayed outside the living room and peeked at the Sirens and me.


    Normally I would have seen or heard them. But my mind was so preupied that I couldn''t see beyond the garden of flowers in front of me.


    When Earl and Noelle returned, they saw the girls and were horrified at the depravity taking ce in their living room.


    ''Should I just use the death resonance? That seemed like an easier option than sitting through this very long sermon.''


    "I cannot believe it! I knew there was something wrong with the way everyone was talking about you."


    "If we had left, would you have feasted on those women in my own house? Dipshit, I am more than disappointed in you."


    "But Ma, they all agreed, we are all respo..."


    Before I could finish my sentence, Noelle pped my face so hard I almost got whish. Surprised that her p went through, I noticed the time.


    {Limitless} had only downloaded my {Fates} for 24 hours. I just reorganized my {Fates} yesterday, we made the changes in the morning, Exa was born shortly after, and Aki deleted my {Fates} a few hours before evening.


    "John Smith, consent is not the issue here. I have already determined that these girls truly love you. What I find absolutely abhorrent in this situation is you clinging to all of them!"


    "..."


    As much as Noelle loved to call me an dipshit, she used my name when she was really pissed off. Maybe that was why whenever I heard her call me that, I no longer even thought about resisting.


    "John, I know having a harem is every man''s dream, but have you thought about these poor girls? You only have one body. It is impossible for you to love them all equally! Anyone who insists that they can is just in stupid!"


    "But ma..."


    Another p forced my face to turn to the left.


    "John, tell me this. Do you love all seven of those girls?"


    If it had been a week ago, I would have said no. But I was tired of lying to myself. I loved the Sirens. I didn''t want to own just one or two of them. All seven of them were mine.


    "I do. Liv, Lilly, Robyn, Jo, Be, Jas and Aki. Seeing them makes life bearable. Being with them makes me want to be a better person. Being able to love them makes me d to be alive. They are mine.


    And I refuse to let any of them go."


    Hearing my fierce deration, Noelle got down on one knee and asked me solemnly.


    "Then answer me this. While each of them is giving you 100% of their hearts. Do you think it is fair that they can only get 1/7th? It is not even a half or a quarter. No matter how much you slice it. You are lying."


    "What? I am not! I genuinely love them!" I retorted.


    "Dipshit, do you hear yourself? These girls are ready to give you everything they have. But because there are seven of them, you can only give them a piece of you. And you still think that is fair?"


    "I.."


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    "It is not! Either you think that is all their love is worth, or you do not truly love any of them! You can''t ask them for everything if you aren''t willing to do the same!"


    "But I..."


    "If the seven of them needed a heart transnt, and you could give them yours. To whom would you give your heart? And no, splitting your heart into pieces would not help any of them. What would you do? Who would you save?"


    "..."

 Chapter 237: Seven Lifetimes [2/2]

    Noelle''s argument was watertight. While harems have existed since time immemorial, it was impossible for everyone in the harem to receive love equally. In her example, rather than let everyone die. It would be better to let one receive my full heart and survive.


    It was an amazing analogy because it represented a life of happiness. Rather than making everyone miserable, it would technically be better to choose one and let the others find someone else.


    "It seems that you are not convinced. Then let me go one step further. Say you marry them all. Suppose one of them is kidnapped. Would you leave six of your wives unprotected to save the one who was kidnapped?"


    If such a thing really happened, it would be a hard choice. If I chose the six, I would be proving to Noelle that I didn''t love the one who was taken. If I chose the one to be saved, it would mean that even six of the girls had less value in my eyes.


    ''Damn, it''s not like I can bring up the fate of humanity here, right?''


    The benefit of superior genes was the only advantage of having arge harem. However, history actually showed what would happen if I impregnated several women. Regardless of the value of my fortune, my sessor and the others would never be equal.


    This was why monarchies were often gued by civil wars. Thepeting families of the mothers would force the children to fight each other to choose a new ruler.


    Hell, even if the king only had one wife, bastards would show up and cause the same turmoil, even if the bastard was someone else''s.


    Unable to answer, I remained silent as I pondered Noelle''s words. What she said was true. Technically, the girls would be happier in someone else''s arms if that person loved them 100%.


    But that was assuming the bastards 100% had more affection than one-seventh of mine. Butmon sense no longer applied to me, not since I became a reaper.


    In the heart surgery example. I had {Rewind}. Giving seven hearts was nothing to me. Surprisingly, it was the Sirens who defended my argument.


    "Ma, a week ago, Honey and I were strangers. But while the whole world said I should just die, he alone said the opposite. He gave me courage and the will to carry on. I have no intention of leaving, even if he chooses someone else."


    "I can no longer live without Darling, Ma. In this world where voices threaten to drive me insane, only he can bring me peace. I would rather die than be separated from him."


    "Ma, my possum is the only one who has epted me for who I am. He taught me to love someone like me, and as long as he wants me, I am his."


    "Husband saved me three times. In all those instances, he alone fought valiantly for my sake. From our meeting to our love story, we are fated. Ma, my destiny is to be with him."


    "Master snatched me from the jaws of death, Ma. Everything I am belongs to your son. If I can use this life to protect and devote myself to him. I will."


    "My reason is simr to what the others said. He is my beloved. I hope you understand, Ma, your son has already imed my heart. I, who was shunned by my own people, have found salvation through his actions. My ce is by John''s side. I refuse to ept any other oue."


    "Ma, unlike my sisters, dearest, did not literally save me. But he recognized my efforts. He saw the ugliness I was desperately trying to hide and called it beautiful. His words saved my heart. While many im to love who they think I was, only your son saw who I really am."


    Noelle, na and Bless began to weep at the emotional confessions of the women behind me. My heart was about to burst from the outpouring of affection. I kept looking forward, knowing my will would break the moment I saw the faces of my women.


    "Dipshit, what the hell! What the hell were you doing in yourpany? Such words are not to be taken lightly! How in the world did you manage to do that? It makes no sense!"


    "Johnny, take care of everyone, okay! I will not forgive you if you make any of them cry!"


    "Johnny. Don''t mess up."


    Noelle began to sob as she pulled out tissues like plucking feathers from a chicken. Earl tried tofort her by rubbing her back. The big man still had nothing to say.


    Finally, he let out a deep sigh and rubbed his head. He walked over to me and held out his hand. When I tried to take it, he avoided my hand before speaking.


    "John, I raised you to know right from wrong. With such vows of loyalty. You do not have the luxury to be weak. Not with seven lives depending on you. Prove to them, to El and to me, that you can respond to such resolve.


    "Work seven times harder, love seven times deeper, and protect them seven times better. Such women are priceless, and they all offer themselves to you. If you are a man. You know what to do."


    Only then did he extend his hand back to me. Earl''s logic was simple, if men worked for their wives and families, I would only be worthy of the Sirens'' sacrifice if I did enough for seven men.


    I had to love, care for, and protect them enough to take the ce of seven husbands. His worry was unneeded as my will was already set in stone, so I grabbed Earl''s hand and pulled myself up.


    "I understand, Pa. I will be a husband worthy of them. This responsibility is mine. And I bear it willingly for the Sirens. I will see to it that I love them enough for seven lifetimes."


    Earl then smiled as he patted my opposite shoulder.


    "Don''t let me down. If you make such lovely daughters of mine cry. Noelle won''t have anything left to bury by the time I''m done with you."


    The giant man then looked at the Sirens.


    "As for the seven of you, remember to tell me and El if John bullies you. I will make sure he will breathe through a straw afterwards."


    Noelle, who was a sobbing mess, then lunged at the Sirens and began to hug them.


    "WAAA!! My poor little daughters! You''ve all had it rough, haven''t you? Waaah! Appleboo! Dipshit finally has a woman!


    And seven angels at that! I am so happy! Everybody give your ma a hug! Come here! Tell me if Dipshit screws up, okay? I will set him straight!"


    The amount of familial love oozing out of my Ma and Pa was so warm that the sirens all chirped with happiness.


    "Yes Pa! Yes Ma!" x7


    Like a fan convention, the Sirens all rushed to hug Noelle. na and Bless joined in, throwing themselves into the human Siren pile.

 Chapter 238: Please trust me. [1/2]

    "DIPSHIT!"


    "YES MA!"


    "I''m not going to say much about my daughters'' resolution, however!"


    My second mother, Noelle Simmons, charged at me and grabbed me by the cor.


    "You will not, I repeat. You will not touch them unless you can prove that you can take care of them for the rest of their lives. Do I make myself perfectly clear? I didn''t raise you to treat women like hoes. Do you understand me? If I hear that you..."


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    I wasn''t sure if this was a gift from heaven, but Noelle''s tendency to empathize and heroically interfere in other people''s affairs won her many allies. I, having been on the receiving end of her wrath, found it bothersome. But somehow...


    Seven figures rushed in to affectionately restrain my mother. It was more like they used it as an excuse to hug her. They all had happy smiles on their faces, as if they were in bliss.


    Noelle probably didn''t get to hear what the Siren''s shared earlier, but all of them missed or never had a maternal figure.


    While most Americans treat inws as nothing more than baggage, anyone who has met Earl and Noelle would think otherwise. The fact that Noelle and Earl already called the Sirens their daughters won them many points.


    "Ma, please calm down, we are fine! Husband is a good man."


    "Ma, Possum''s not like that!"


    "Hehe, Ma is so adorable, even more than Darling!"


    "Ma, dearest will not behave so."


    "Ma, Master is responsible."


    "''Ma, thank you. but my Beloved will never abandon us."


    "Ma, don''t get mad at Honey, think of your blood pressure!"


    "You girls..."


    Noelle took a deep breath then released me. It was funny to see seven Phantoms all trying to hold one human down. The gleaming eyes of the Sirens were proof enough of how much they adored Noelle.


    na and Bless came to my side while the Sirens were busy fangirling over my mother. Their eyes were also fixed on the Sirens. I was about to pat them on the head when both of them suddenly stomped on both of my feet.


    "Ahhhhh!"


    Normally, I wouldn''t even feel something like that, but right now, {Limitless} was gone.


    "Johnny, if you make my sisters cry..."


    "Death..."


    "What the hell is wrong with you two? I am the one they love, you know?"


    "You don''t deserve them Johnny! Why would they want your ugly face!"


    "Scum..."


    "Look, I know all right! I will make sure to take care of them, how could you hit me like that?"


    "Oh please, I''ve seen you walk off broken bones, stop being melodramatic."


    "Pussy..."


    I began to chuckle, and na and Bless joined in. Even though our skin color was different. Even though we didn''t share a drop of blood. Just like their parents, these two were incredibly kind and were my family.


    Suddenly, the two of them hugged me warmly.


    "It''s good to see you Johnny, wee home."


    "Stay longer..."


    "Yes, I will. Thanks."


    After they parted from me, na made a thoughtful pause before asking.


    "We''re going to eat out, do you want anything?"


    I was about to answer KFC, but then Bless frowned and wagged her finger.


    "No fast food."


    "You were thinking KFC again, right? Johnny, how many times have we told you to stop eating that! It makes you sick!"


    "Junk food bad."


    "Please don''t tell me you took my sisters to KFC for a date?"


    My mind went back to my lunch date with Lilly. Aside from her, I hadn''t really spent any time on Earth with the Sirens.


    "Trash boyfriend," Bless scolded with a frown.


    "Johnny, Ma''s going to be pissed..."


    "I''ll take them somewhere fancy next time! Don''t tell her!"


    After joking with the sisters for a few more minutes, the Sirens finally separated from my ma.


    She let na and Bless take them away. Earl suddenly reappeared like a ghost. I always wondered how he knew when Noelle wanted him here.


    When it was just me and the husband and wife, Noelle made a grim face before she spoke.


    "John. I dropped the matter because of what I heard, but I still want to know, okay?"


    "What do you mean Ma?"


    "Dipshit, I told you I could smell the blood. The Sirens and you all reek of it. You know I will always be on your side. But you have to tell me."


    "..."


    Fuck, Noelle was like a fucking bloodhound.


    Once she picked up a scent, she followed it like one. Anyone who had heard what the Sirens had said earlier would know that our romances weren''t typical boy-meets-girl stories.


    In truth, there was a reason why Noelle was always involved in domestic violence. Somehow she always knew which people were prone to beat their wives. If I didn''t know better, you''d think Noelle even had a {Fate} on her.


    "I know you are a good kid, Dipshit. After all, I was the one who raised you. I will not force you to tell me right now. But I cannot let this go because I am your Ma and I love you. Do you understand?"


    Earl then stood beside Noelle as he joined the conversation.


    "John, I know you still me us for your breakup with Caroline. But you should know that we really are on your side. Like any good parent, when our child makes a mistake, it is our job to correct it."


    My body shook as Earl brought up my past.


    When I heard that Caroline had left me for Harry, I became desperate. I tried to scrounge up as much money as I could so she would stay. I even went to Earl and Noelle to borrow more money.


    Of course, they both saw Caroline''s true nature, but at the time I was emotional and short-sighted. I got angry and scolded them for not giving me even a hundred dors. The words I said to them that day were incredibly hurtful and selfish.


    It was one of the reasons I couldn''te back here. I was ashamed of my past actions, and I even doubted their love for me because of Caroline.


    The older I got, the more I understood that they chose to bear the brunt of my anger so that I wouldn''t hate myself.

 Chapter 239: Please trust me. [2/2]

    Spurred on by emotion, I gave them both a big hug. I was a fool to waste all this time thinking they were angry with me. In truth, both Earl and Noelle weed me back as if that night had never happened.


    "I''m so sorry Ma, Pa. I know you did it for me. I am so sorry for not visiting you all this time. I was so ashamed of what I said that night. I didn''t mean any of it. Please forgive me."


    "There is nothing to forgive, Dipshit. This is your home. And we are your family," Ma insisted.


    Earl, on the other hand, patted me on the back as he then added, "We all make mistakes. I am proud of you for getting back up after you fell. That is all that matters."


    I tried my best to hold back my tears and just hugged them tighter. It was funny, it was only after I died that I realized how much love surrounded me.


    Even though my original mother abandoned me and my father abused me. Fate gave me a second set of loving parents to mold and shape me. I was nothing but grateful. I even knew I didn''t deserve them.


    Now that I had the opportunity. I wanted to make sure I gave back ten times what I had received.


    I pulled away from their hugs and quickly fiddled with my phone. One of the reasons I started Limitless Industries was to be able to use my money legally.


    I then sent a million dors each to Noelle and Earl.


    Both of their phones rang and they checked the messages. With shocked expressions, I held up my hand before they could ask.


    "Give me some time. For now, please trust me. I make a lot of money, but I have made enemies because of it. I am doing nothing illegal. The Sirens are part of my new job. More people wille tomorrow.


    Please trust me and let them protect you."


    "You have more women? Look dipshit..."


    "No Ma, I only dedicate my heart to the ones you already met. Those whoe tomorrow are my men. They are all trustworthy and will not bother you. The Sirens and I have to leave for work tonight, we will return tomorrow."


    "Okay. Then I will have everyone stay indoors starting tomorrow. Can we still go out today? We have something important to do." Earl dered firmly.


    "Yes, today is fine. Thank you, Ma, Pa. I love you guys."


    After a few more hugs, the girls and I saw the Simmons family off. Of course, I gave them my B7 bulletproof car. When I told Earl I would have one for him tomorrow, he smiled goofily.


    Of course, when I asked if Noelle wanted one, she replied in her own style.


    "You''re going to give Appleboo a nice looking car. What if some hoe tries to steal him from me? I don''t want a separate car! I will have him drive me all over town!"


    Earl made a stern face when he noticed how thick the windows were. As someone who worked at a gun range, Earl knew what bulletproof ss looked like. Fortunately, Noelle, Bless, and na didn''t seem to notice.


    As they left, Lilly snapped her fingers and over a dozen figures appeared.


    They all immediately knelt down as if waiting for amand. They all wore white uniforms. I recognized some of them as Lilly''s troop from the enlistment.


    "Protect that family. Raise the rating from S to SSS."


    One of the men, a redhead, replied, "But Princess, those trash are hardly worth..."


    Lilly then erupted with a bloodlust that made me shudder. Surprisingly, the other Sirens were also incredibly angry.


    "Did I ask for your opinion? Insult my inws again and I will tear you limb from limb. If they even get a scratch, consider your lives forfeit. Understood?"


    Unimpressed by these people, I couldn''t help but ask.


    "Lilly, are you sure these people are up to the task? I was able to rx yesterday because Aki was the one guarding them. These people feel weak."


    The disrespectful one from before: "Do you even know who we are, you bastard? Any Reaper who picks a fight with the White Guard is either insane or an idiot. Don''t think we''ll ept a useless bastard like you as the princess'' husba..."


    Before he could finish his words, Josephine suddenly shot out like a bullet and appeared beside him. Without an ounce of mercy, the Italian delivered a powerful axe kick down on the man''s neck.


    A sharp crack echoed as the man''s neck snapped under the blow.


    Josephine then grabbed the man''s chin and head in an attempt to tear his head off. I was about to call out to her when Liv, Aki, Jas, Robyn and Lilly appeared around her in a defensive circle. Weapons drawn.


    I btedly noticed that the Sirens were all shielding Jo from the rest of the White Guard. While I was preupied with Jo''s disy, the other members of the elite unit appeared to all have gotten injured.


    Some had broken shoulders, shed arms, while others were kneeling or unconscious on the ground.


    "You are nothing but frogs in a well. You may think you are something in North America, but against real monsters you are all weak as fuck," Be sneered as she joined the Sirens.


    Lilly mmed her greatsword into the ground and looked at a ck-haired man with a broken shoulder.


    "Captain, this is myst warning. If you have anyints, take them to Administration. Asmander of the White Guard, I am ordering you to protect that family for today. Do you ept mymand?"


    "I acknowledge themand. White Guard Squad Four will guard the Simmons family for twenty-four hours."


    "Good, now go. And make sure you take care of the aftermath here," Lilly continued.


    Like shadows, the white guards all disappeared in a blur. I looked around and saw a few people loitering around, there were also signs of fighting, like potholes in the ground.


    But what surprised me was how united the Sirens were. Instead of chastising Jo for her recklessness, the others simply neutralized those who tried to hurt her. The exchange was too fast for me to keep up with.


    Without {Limitless}, my reactions were at the level of an untrained human. I was once again reminded of the difference between the world I came from and the world I now belonged to.  now.

 Chapter 240: Already too late. [1/2]

    After the Simons and the White Guard left.


    There was an awkwardness that remained between the eight of us present.


    We had basically already confessed to each other, but technically we hadn''t. I wonder if Noelle and Earl created this situation on purpose. If left alone, I would have tried to be vague, still traumatized by my past.


    Caroline really fucked me up badly. For years, my self-esteem was non-existent. I could have gotten a hooker for a quick fuck, but the mere thought of being with a woman became difficult.


    I already had trust issues with women because my mom left. When I got cheated on, I broke. My best friend cucked me and I was robbed of the woman I adored.


    I lost all faith in people as a result.


    Unable to connect emotionally with anyone, I spent my college years just existing. When I got a job, I thought things would get better. It didn''t. I was making pennies while being worked to the bone. Plus, the people in my office were all assholes.


    It wasn''t like I wanted to be around them anyway.


    But after I died, everything changed. I now had friends, I was able to reconnect with my family. And most importantly, I had a harem of women who wanted to be with me.


    Since the women were the ones who bore the children, polygamy produced more children than polyandry. It wasn''t sexism, it was factual biology.


    However Noelle''s negative points about harems being unfair to women were true. The girls all knew this, yet they all imed to be okay with it.


    As a man, no one would be happier than me. Each of the Sirens was special to me. They were all extremely attractive and had personalities that I adored.


    At first, I was just grateful to them. I couldn''t have survived the enlistment if not for their help. However, the more I experienced Hellsgate, the more I sought theirfort.


    Like a lie, the despair in my life disappeared. On my deathbed, I had no goal, no purpose, I merely existed.


    But now? I had a family, a purpose, and a future to achieve. All because the Sirens had been with me that night.


    Overwhelmed with gratitude, I went to each of my girls and embraced them. There was no lust or desire in my hugs, just pure love and affection.


    I said nothing, just enjoyed their warmth. At the end of my hugs, I motioned for each of them to have a seat.


    My brief show of affection melted away the awkwardness. But even after a few seconds, no one spoke. It was as if everyone wanted to savor this moment of bliss for a few more seconds.


    As much as I wanted to do the same, we had too many things to deal with, so I started the discussions.


    "Before anything else, I wanted to tell you three things. First. I am in love with all seven of you. I do not know when it started, but by the time I realized it, it was toote. I can no longer bear to be separated from any of you.


    "Second, I know it is selfish, but I cannot choose just one. I want all of you to be mine, but I expect you to share my affection. Even if you hate me for my ridiculous demands, I would notin.


    "And third, I know I am being unreasonable, but I am willing to use the rest of my days to prove to you all that I am worthy of you. Please stay with me, everyone. I need you all by my side."


    My words just now were the epitome of being human garbage. I expected fidelity, but I took on seven women to have a rtionship with. It was impossible to love all of them equally. It was impossible not to have problems among them. experience mv,le, content


    But I was greedy. Their smiles were mine, their bodies were mine. Their love belonged to me forever. I would crush anyone else who got their attention. I would probably ughter anyone who even tried to gain their favor.


    My body hungered for them. I wanted to taste them and drown in the ecstasy as I loved them. I wanted to ravage their bodies while they screamed my name. I was the only one worthy of them. And only beauties of their caliber were worthy of my affection.


    I wanted to devour them. Each and every inch until they could no longer live without my touch. And then I would bask in bliss as I spent my days happily in their bosom.


    I could feel it. My desires were slowly consuming me. Whether it was because of malice or my own wretched desires, I didn''t know. In fact, I no longer cared.


    I forced them into this situation like a bastard, knowing that they loved me. This was the reason why they said that the first one to love loses. And I knew that my actions were beyond malicious.


    But I could not help it. I knew deep inside that I would never be happy if even one of them was missing. Maybe the dreams I kept seeing were to me. But I no longer had the option to back out.


    I didn''t want to resort to violence, but I was already at the point where I was that desperate. My body shivered as I waited for their reaction.


    The Sirens all looked at each other before nodding, then they all spoke in turn.


    "Dearest, I speak for everyone when I say that the words we spoke earlier were our true feelings. Originally, we wanted to monopolize you, but reality isplicated. While it is a shame that we have to share, our desire to be with you trumps everything."


    "You are our destiny husband, the reason we are here and the reason we continue to move forward is all because of you. Like a beacon, your light has helplessly drawn us all to you."


    "After all, considering what we are, Possum, only you are stupid enough to want ggers like us in the first ce. No matter how I look at it, we should be the ones thanking you."


    "Beloved, just as you have a feeling of unworthiness for us, we have a feeling of unworthiness for you. The greatest of men have always been sought after. Besides we are no saints, we each have a reason for seeking you."

 Chapter 241: Already too late. [2/2]

    "We loe you, darling. For failures like us who have been trampled, used, and thrown away, you fought, bled, and almost died. You have no idea how your past actions saved us, just by being who you are."


    "Therefore, Master, we havee to an agreement. We will follow you no matter what. Be it against the undead, Trinity, or even the world itself. Our lives, our des and our wills, we offer them only to you."


    "Of course, this does not mean that we will remain idle. So expect us to fight for your love, honey. But against anyone else, we will be your strength and your refuge. Our family will stand as one."


    "But those rules are just for the ones here. If you like anyone else, we will kill her." X7


    The bloodlust that gushed from the girls was oppressive. It was even more frightening as they all smiled gorgeously while threatening my non-existent mistress.


    Although it was unsettling, I didn''t have to worry because I have no intention of loving anyone else. But still, for all of them to already consider each other as family. I was extremely pleased.


    In happiness, I grinned broadly as I replied. "Then my dear kittens. Thank you for loving me and thank you for epting my terrible demands. Thank you foring back to me, my beautiful honeys."


    I stretched out my arms to my harem and beckoned them into my embrace. "Come here and let me show you how much I adore you all, my beloved darlings. My lovely wives!" Experience stories on m _v _lempy _r.


    ***


    After a steamy session, it took almost all of my willpower not to drown in depravity. Noelle was right, I had to prove my sincerity to the Sirens. Proof of how I will take care of them was necessary.


    I had a Seeker war the day after tomorrow, I even raised seven death gs. But I did not care. To get back into the arms of my girls, I was willing to trample on the undead, reapers, even Revenants.


    At the moment, I was buried in the heavenly bodies of my girls.


    Lilly hugged me from behind, Jo and Jas entrusted me with their weight as theyy on my sides. Robyn sat on myp like a cat. Aki and Liv rested their backs on my legs. My right hand was intertwined with Be''s as she hijacked the TV with {Code}.


    I was exining to them what I had done thest few days. A debrief of sorts. From the formation of the 2nd Amendment to the formation of the LLG.


    "Dearest, I am so proud that you have aplished so much. As expected of the man I chose."


    "I agree, I remember we talked about it briefly, honey, but I never thought you would actually do it."


    "An army of Formless. Good for yah, Possum!"


    "I think the Saint Division with {Rewind} is Husband''s greatest achievement. Even in Europe, the Devil''s remnants are incredibly sought after."


    "It was only because of all of you that I was able to do so much. Your {Fates} have been with me every step of the way. I would have died if even one of you was missing. So this is our achievement," I replied with satisfaction.


    One of the things that puzzled me was the premium the Battlefront ced on Devil''s Remains, so I decided to ask the girls.


    "Everyone, why don''t the other battle fronts farm the devil''s remains if it''s so important?"


    "Master, it''s not that they don''t want to, it''s that they can''t. A blessing loses power the more it is used. That is, if you put it on a manifested sword, the blessing will disappear by the time you cut up twenty zombies.


    "Because of this pitiful effect duration, blessings were usually reserved for high-level undead. But an assault team is unlikely to kill more than ten in a night. So each devil''s remains is found at great cost," Aki exined.


    "In fact, there are hardly any saints in the North. That is why we cannot push them back, my love. We just sever the tainted ones and put them in separate boxes. The formation of Yvonne''s group is really a great achievement. "


    "Europe is also struggling with this darling. The amount of malice that has infected their assault teams is already considerable. I have heard that Virtuous no longer wants to risk their souls copsing. The result is that Europe is stuck at level 39."


    "The one who is a cheater is you Honey, if the 2nd Amendment grows and farms Devil''s Remains, the NA''s assault teams will be more protected. But even then I''m not sure if North America would even consider selling those, would they, Princess?"


    "No, they wouldn''t. It would take something of tremendous value to even consider trading the remains. Dear, we should store as much as we can for future negotiations."


    With her arms around my neck, I felt reassured that Lilly was speaking as my woman and not as the Princess of North America. Right now, if we ever decided to leave, she was the one who would lose the most.


    I raised my left hand and stroked her cheek, "I am sorry to do this to you, dear. You must be conflicted to choose me over your home."


    Lilly ced my palm on her cheek and kissed it tenderly. "Hush dearest, it wasn''t even a choice. There is nothing I value in this ce. I will fight them all if you ask me to."


    Be''s fingers suddenly tightened around my right hand as sheined.


    "Why are you praising just Lilly? She didn''t even leave! The rest of us didn''t move to North America for the battle front, but for you alone."


    Suddenly I felt a kiss on my neck, Josephine had amorous eyes when I turned my head.


    "Darling, none of us here are stupid. We all know that in order to achieve your goal of bing a Revenant. You would have to create your own battlefront."


    Like pillow talk Jasmine''s sultry voice tickled my ears with her soft breaths.


    "Husband, everyone here already has an idea of the difficulty your chosen path would require. From this moment on, you are our man, our king and our Revenant, we are prepared to fight the world at yourmand."


    The sudden stimtion along with the great vow of loyalty was enough to awaken my little brother. Robyn, who was on myp, was the first to feel it, with a seductive pose sheid her head on my chest while looking up into my eyes.


    "Possum, something is touching my ass. Tell me, what should I do?"

 Chapter 242: Only you [1/2]

    My mind froze at Robyn''s sweet question. Ever since this woman arrived, she had stuck to me like glue. She also changed the way she called me from wombat to possum.


    The first time I heard it, I did a quick Google with {Connect} and found this exnation.


    [For Australians, "possum" is used as a name of endearment or nickname for their loved ones. The ng term is used as a purely affectionate term for boyfriend, whereas "wombat" is more of an endearing insult].


    I have yet to understand why she suddenly loved me, but Robyn has begun to be incredibly seductive. She would frequently fondle or rub against myher regions.


    Come to think of it, all the Sirens had major changes, as if the length of time we were apart increased our fondness for each other.


    My case was different as I suddenly started dreaming about them. If we were going to start our rtionship, I would prefer to know about my girls.


    I audibly swallowed and tried to control myself. As if pleased with my reaction, Robyn stroked my chest affectionately and gave me a kiss on the lips.


    "Hehe, sorry possum, Ma said to wait. You wanting to root me makes me happy though."


    My frustration and lust started to make me excited. With seven pairs of breasts and seven gardens that were mine for the taking, my little brother was really bing a hulking behemoth.


    "Fufu. Everyone, I think it''s best to stop for now. Master is already at his limit."


    Like a well orchestrated bad, the Sirens all separated from me the next moment, my pent-up desire to fuck hurt. Luckily they all escaped me in the same moment, otherwise it would take days before I let go of any of them.


    Join the adventure on m,vlemp _y,r.


    "You will all pay for this one day. With {Rewind}, I will make sure that none of you can stand when I''m done with you," I dered ferociously.


    Giggling like schoolgirls, the Sirens returned to their seats, only this time they all sat away from me. Somehow, even though our rtionship had only just begun, I felt incredibly lonely at their distance.


    Shaking the sadness from my mind, I spoke to the {Fates} instead.


    "Guys, wee back, would you mind remaking my {Kismet}? I have to go back to Hellsgate in a few hours."


    "Honey?"


    Ignoring the worried faces of the Sirens, my Soulgem burned like a furnace. Knowing that I would start tobust, I quickly made my way to the backyard.


    Thest time, I had only redesigned the {Kismet} sses. Now I was rebuilding everything from scratch. More intense than before, the searing heat spread from the gem to the rest of my body.


    It was like being in a sauna in the middle of summer. My breathing became ragged as I tried to resist the sweltering rise in temperature.


    "Master!"


    "Possum!"


    "Darling, what is going on?"


    "Foda-se voc¨º! That''s hot! Honey''s burning!"


    Be tried to touch me only to burn her hand. Liv, unyielding to my predicament, grabbed my hands as hers got scorched. My Valkyrie then began to strip me of my clothes.


    "You will be fine, my love. We will take care of this," she promised.


    "Somebody get some water! Husband''s skin is turning orange!"


    "Allow me. {Withdraw}!"


    At Lilly''smand, four jets of water doused my body, cooling it considerably. The chemical reactions caused by the steam in the backyard began to spread like a fine mist.


    For me, however, it was like a cold shower on a hot day, the intense jets were extremely soothing.


    But since the water could not reach my insides, the pain continued. The rest of the Sirens began filling buckets and using a garden hose to increase the amount of water.


    I felt like a sword being tempered as the dance of heat and water continued.


    With each passing second, the temperature continued to rise, and I clenched my teeth as I burned alive. Whatever clothes I still had on began to burn while I was being showered with a deluge of water.


    I didn''t know how long it took, but eventually the heat began to subside. Slowly but surely, my body began to calm down. The Sirens, noticing the change, also reduced the intensity of the stream they were pouring on me.


    After a few more seconds, my body returned to normal and the Sirens stopped trying to cool me down. I checked my status and saw a pleasant surprise.


    ___


    Name: Limitless


    Rank: Phantom


    Soul Capacity : {Fate} 8/8 | {Kismet} 3/10


    Souls Avable :63,202 | To evolve: 75,000


    {Fates}


    1. {Rewind} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1 | Owner: Self |Sub: {Reload}, {Regen}, {Rece} (7) Sup: {Save}, {Auto}


    2. {Code} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Be - 8 D |Sub: {Connect} , {Shutdown}, {Program}


    3. {Withstand} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Liv - 8 D | Sub: {Endure}, {Counter}, {Block} Sup: {Suffer}


    4. {Listen} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Jo - 8 D | Sub: {Interpret}, {Dampen}, {Announce}


    5. {Perceive} | Lvl 4 |Cost: 1| Loaned: Jas - 8 D |Sub: {Aim}, {Snipe}, {Imaging}


    6. {Carry} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Robyn - 8 D | Sub: {Pack}, {Hike}, {Ascend}


    7. {Eat} | Lvl 4 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Aki - 8 D | Sub: {Gather}, {Digest}, {Carve}


    8. {Store} | Lvl 5 | Cost: 1| Loaned: Lilly - 8 D | Sub: {Retrieve}, {Stock}, {Withdraw}, {Portal}


    {Kindred} : ???????


    {Kismet}: {Limitless} v.2 | {E.X.A.} v.2 | {Armory}


    Soulgear: {Honey Trap}


    ___


    "Level 2, huh, not bad."


    As I tried to stand up, a huge stream of water hit my face, sending me to the ground. Even though I already had {Limitless}, it hadn''t activated yet, so I was still weak as hell.


    I tried to get up and raise my hands to tell Lilly to stop, but the water only got stronger. I tried to scream as my mouth continued to fill with water.


    "STOP! I AM Blurghfh.....! NO Bleguehg.... MORE!"


    "THIS IS YOUR PUNISHMENT YOU IMBECILE!" Lilly roared in anger.


    Suddenly, as the waterworks turned off, I opened my eyes to see an angry Jas about to hit me. Her powerful right hook knocked me to the side. Then Robyn appeared and kneed me in the groin. Aki followed with a palm strike to my chest.


    Before I could scream, Josephine appeared with her leg raised in the air. I could see her sexy lingerie as the Italian''s leg came down. The axe kick knocked my head to the ground. Dazed, Liv picked me up. I was afraid she would hit me too, but instead I got a savage p from Be.


    I btedly raised my hands to protect my face as a boot mmed into my stomach. As I crashed to the floor, I saw Lilly pull her leg back from a kicking position.


    As I chanted {Rece}, I restored my clothes and stood up unscathed.


    "Anyone mind telling me what the hell is going on?"

 Chapter 243: Only you [2/2]

    "I would ask the same of you, my love," Liv said through clenched teeth.


    "Husband, Liv exined that this is how the Reapers create {Kismet}, and we punished you for suddenly summoning it without informing us."


    "Darling, you asshole! If one of us suddenly turned orange while our clothes burned, how would you feel?"


    "GET STUFFED POSSUM!"


    "Master, I am also quite angry. You could have warned us."


    "Honey, I told you before, right? Stop blowing yourself up."


    Lilly approached me and wrapped her arms around me.


    "Idiot. Cherish yourself a bit more. We just told you we love you and you do this. I hate you. I''m d you''re okay."


    My words stuck in my throat as I thought about what had happened from the girls'' point of view. We talked, then I suddenly burned up while running to the backyard.


    The first two times I created my {Kismet}, I was alone. Whatever pain I felt, I just gritted my teeth and pushed through it. My girls were probably angry right now, not because I was making my {Kismet}, but because they were worried about my recklessness.


    It was a novel feeling. To suddenly have to take other people into ount. But when I realized that their anger stemmed from their affection, whatever difort I felt from being beaten melted away.


    Most people who wanted tomit suicide did so because they believed they were alone. Anyone who loved something would want to survive for that thing. Whether that thing was a person, a pet, a ce, an object, or an experience.


    Everyone was different, and the reasons people fought or tried to survive were as varied as the stars. For me, that reason was probably the women here by my side right now.


    I returned Lilly''s hug and apologized. "I am sorry, Dear. I will be more careful in the future."


    Lilly nodded in agreement and allowed me to make peace with the rest of the Sirens.


    My girls were really all different, Liv, Be and Aki were easy to pacify. Jas, Jo and Robyn weren''t, thest three decided to take a few more swings before they forgave me.


    "I hope whatever {Kismet} you got was good enough for such a beating, honey."


    I smiled as I replied. "It was worth every blow."


    We returned to the living room as I took over the t screen with {Connect}.


    "I want you all to have this. Exa. Are you there?"


    [I am. Pleased to meet you mydies. I am Exa].


    Exa, my artificial intelligence turned {Kismet}, has finally returned. She was using the maid avatar that Aira had used before.


    "Exa, please disy my {Kismet} on the screen."


    [Roger].


    ___


    {Limitless} v.2


    - Kismet was created by merging the {Fates} for Reaper Limitless. Acts as a container that packages abilities as a state.


    - Abilities are divided into two pools. Actives, which can be activated manually, and Passives, which are active as long as {Limitless} v.2 is active.


    Built-in Features:


    EXA Integration - Using the E.X.A. {Fate}bat system, some tasks can be delegated.


    story by m|v_l,e,m,p,y,r


    Skill Upgrading - Using the E.X.A. {Fate}bat system, both active and passive pools can be upgraded regardless of their original {Fate}.


    Skill Download - Once activated, abilities willst for 72 hours.


    Skill Combination - Ifpatible, active or passive skills arebined into a single slot. Combo slots avable (99)


    Cost: 5000 souls / day


    Active: Nothing set. (15 slots avable)


    Passive: Nothing set. (30 slots avable)


    Limitations: Rewind family ipatible, once activated all other {Fates} Families except {Rewind} will be disabled.


    ___


    {EXA} v.2


    - Enhanced eXecution and Assault {Fate}bat system. Automated skill management for {Limitless}.


    - Updated firmware from AIRA version 7.1. Optimized for battlefield reconnaissance and analysis.


    - V.2 now allows adds {Trace} as built in skill.


    - Built-in capabilities


    - E.X.A. Reload - Automates the reloading of all {Fates} registered in {Armory}.


    - Trace v.2 - Enhanced version of {Trace}, weapons registered in the {Armory} will automatically return to storage when out of contact with the host. | Allows weapons in storage to be reloaded.


    ___


    {Armory}


    - Storage space for weapons and equipment. Uses the E.X.A system.


    - Each registered item can be repaired for a soul cost.


    - Reduces the {Reload} cost for each registered weapon by 10%.


    ___


    "..."


    The Sirens all had astonished expressions when they saw the {Kismet} on the screen. I felt proud when I saw what was there. My mind raced with the new fighting styles my new {Kismet} gave me. I only had three now, but in a way, I gained more than I lost.


    "Possum, I don''t get it. Should I be impressed?"


    "I''m at a loss too, my love. Can you please exin?"


    I was about to answer when the rest of the girls began to voice their opinions.


    "No wonder Master was able to kill me. {Limitless} lives up to his name."


    "This fucking cheater. While other people are struggling to get just one {Kismet}, Honey now has, what? 99 of them?"


    "Darling, this is insane. The synergy of {Limitless}, {EXA}, and {Armory} means that you can practically fight forever!"


    "Husband, when you register at least ten weapons in the armory, {Reload} no longer has a cost. No, you basically have no need to reload at all. Just by switching weapons, Exa would reload them for you."


    "Dearest, the ability to repair any weapon after it is destroyed is absurd. Skillbination and skill download are also incredibly convenient. Even with 5000 souls, the soul mileage is tremendously efficient."


    "Hehe, you haven''t even gotten to the best part yet. You girls can use {Limitless} too," I boasted proudly.


    "What?" x7


    "One of my wishes for {Limitless} was to allow all of your {Fates} to be in one ability. This way, you can get it through my blood."


    "Possum, that is just bullshit!"


    "My love, that would allow everyone to fight like you, would it not?"


    Embarrassed, I scratched my cheek as I answered.


    "Not exactly, it has a hidden limitation. This ability can only be used by the seven of you."


    "Why, dear? Why limit it to just us? Wouldn''t it help your armies if you gave it to everyone?"


    "I didn''t want to," I replied curtly.


    "Darling, that is very impractical. Why would you..."


    "I love only you girls, afterall."


    "..." X7


    "{Limitless} is meant to be my namesake. I wanted it to protect you along with {Rewind}. Only the women I love can use it."

 Chapter 244: We are Limitless. [1/2]

    I still believed that {Rewind} was a really useful {Fate}. However, {Rewind} was basically just a second life. It was of little use inbat. Whatever help it provided was highly dependent on the situation.


    For example, a single zombie gave 10 souls, I would have to kill 10 zombies just to use it once. I was lucky the first time, but if I was fighting tens of zombies, rewinding would not have helped.


    If I fell to a zombie, my {Fate} would just return me as fresh food. So unless I had the ability to kill the zombie in the first ce, no amount of lives would help.


    I had a weapon that allowed me to ovee this critical problem. My weak and fat body wasplemented by the science of gunpowder and steel. But it remained a fact that I wouldn''t be as adaptable as I was without the {Fates} of the Sirens.


    I was only Limitless when I had all eight {Fates} with me.


    Liv''s {Withstand} allowed for inhuman resilience.


    Lilly''s {Store}, which gave me hammer space to store my weapons.


    Robyn''s {Carry} became the sole reason my body could keep up with Descendants.


    Jo''s {Listen} sharpened my sense to not die needlessly.


    Be''s {Code} made me understand the world better.


    Jas''s {Perceive} taught me to see beyond the physical.


    Aki''s {Eat} was abination of abilities that increased my chances of survival.


    And finally, my own {Rewind}, which gave me the chance to try again.


    Everyone who watched me fight said the same thing in awe. While each ability might have been weak on its own, together they were insanely strong.


    Vincent''s master, Raymond Gertrude, spent decades creating a synergistic {Fate} with his wife. The bastard evenmitted atrocities before he even tried to produce an heir. That was how difficult it was to match {Fates}.


    Considering how {Fates} were created, it made a lot of sense. Before your {Fates} could evene into y, you and your partner''s deaths and regrets would have to be synchronized.


    I, however, was Formless. Like water or air, my {Fate} was malleable and did not have any restrictions.


    The girls were the same way. So I molded our {Fates} like y. Because we had no form, we had no rules to bind us. And if a fat bastard like me could be powerful, what more monsters like the Sirens? story source NovelFire-mp|y|r


    {Limitless} would further strengthen powerful fighters like Liv, Robyn, and Josephine. On the other hand, someone like Be would lose her Achilles heel, allowing her to keep up.


    I haven''t even begun to talk about the usefulness of having multiple {Fates}. Granting {Gather} to someone like Be was a recipe for a demon. A long-range specialist like Jas would never have to worry about ammunition if she had {Store}.


    Of course, those reasons were just generalities. In truth, there was only one reason why I wanted the Sirens to have {Limitless}.


    Fear.


    I was afraid, in and simple.


    I trembled at the thought that one of my girls would be dead tomorrow.


    ''Could I continue to be happy with only six? Would I just shrug off someone''s death because I had only lost one person?''


    No. I knew in my heart that if even one of the girls died, I would gopletely insane. I would not only go after the culprit, but I would also kill him, his entire family, his friends, his pets, and probably raze everything he owned to the ground.


    When I created {Limitless}, I had only one thought: to protect the Sirens. The vivid images I saw of their deaths burned themselves into my mind. With the malice that threatened to consume me, my desire to protect my girls only grew fiercer.


    The Sirens had yet to speak after my earnest confession. All seven of the girls had scarlet faces. Since I found them all adorable, I didn''t press them for an answer. I then proceeded to exin my {Kismet}.


    "Going back to the topic, {Limitless} allows me to bundle your {Fates} into one ability. While I cannot give you {Exa} and {Armory}, unless you intend to fight like me, neither would be necessary."


    As I began to speak, my audience began to listen in earnest. There was a lot to cover, so I tried to exin as much as I could.


    "First, the passive pool, half of your {Fates} will fall into this part. Boosts to hearing, vision, photographic memory, increased eleration, negation of momentum. The different suites separate them, and they all can be turned on and off with {Code}."


    This was a feature added with version 2. When I lost EXA, it was annoying as hell to listen to the deafening sound of gunfire when I had super hearing. It was also annoying to be directionally locked when using {Withstand}.


    I pictured such a feature when {Limitless} was redesigned. The result was the ability to toggle each passive individually. Like settings in a game.


    "Next, the active pool are abilities we can use for this specific situation. Lilly and Be''s {Fate} families are all listed here. Everyone should get used to {Connect} because it''s really helpful. Also, please consult Be on how to protect yourself in cyberspace."


    Although {Code} was incredibly powerful, there was no guarantee of safety. If there was a Reaper in the future who could hack electronics like Be, that would be bad.Since I had {EXA} I was safe, but the Sirens weren''t.


    "Finally, Aki''s {Eat} and Liv''s {Counter} are powerful trump cards. Get familiar with both. I also noticed that my version of your {Fates} is severely degraded. For example, I have a third of Lilly''s storage space, and my limit for {Withstand} is also a third of Liv''s."


    Like hardworking students, the Sirens all listened to my words. Probably because they all saw each other in battle, they knew how ridiculous our {Fates} were.


    "Another disadvantage is that {Limitless} will prevent you from using any {Fate} other than your own. Since everyone here has a count of four, it might be better to use two full {Fates} instead of {Limitless}. This would make it easier for you all to create {Kismet}.


    "I have verified that the soul capacity that {Code} shows is correct. I had one of my men, Joshua, ingest {Rewind} along with his kindred''s, for a total of three. Manifested {Fates} count uses two capacity, while Formless {Fates} use only one."

 Chapter 245: We are Limitless. [2/2]

    "I don''t think that would be necessary, Master."


    "No way am I letting go of {Limitless} Possum."


    "Who cares if it is degraded, Honey?"


    "Look, everyone, {Limitless} is not perfect, if you can use two {Formless} {Fates} at full power, use them instead. Just make sure you keep {Rewind} for emergencies," I tried to reason.


    Of course, {Limitless} was meant to be a means to an end. If the Sirens eventually found a better {Fate}, they should discard {Limitless} to maximize their soul capacities.


    "I refuse, dear."


    "Husband, {Limitless} was a product of your affection, how on earth could we just throw it away?"


    "Darling, just the thought of you making {Kismet} for us makes my heart flutter!"


    "My love, you cannot change our minds, I suggest we move on."


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    "..."


    While I pretended to be displeased, I felt warm and fuzzy inside. The feeling was simr to that of making a homemade gift. The gift was not as fancy as store-bought products, but there was definitely more heart in it.


    Seeing the girls appreciate my {Kismet} despite it''s ws was endearing. Feigning a cough, I continued to fill the active and passive pools.


    "Then do as you wish, let''s fill this up so I can share it with you allter."


    In addition to the original 23 {Fates} I had before, I got seven new ones from each of the girls. I added {Imaging}, {Ascend} and {Carve} to the passives. While I added {Announce}, {Program}, {Block} and {Portal} to the actives.


    {EXA} and {Code} exined the new abilities in terms I could understand.


    ___


    New Passives


    [Enhanced Wizard Suite]


    - {Imaging} - grants the ability to shift the methodology of vision to thermographic, biological, molecr, electromaic, or holographic.


    [Enhanced Hunter Suite]


    - {Ascend} - grants the ability to defy gravity when walking above ground for 1 second per step. Altitude limit: 5,000 ft


    - {Carve} - grants the ability to deal more damage to known weaknesses.


    New Actives


    [Defensive Skills]


    - {Block} - Creates ayer of soul armor that absorbs 12 megajoules of force before failing.


    [Sound Maniption]


    - {Announce} - Increases the volume of any sound wave by 120 db.


    [Technopathy]


    - {Program} - Technopathy, creates a pre-set routine of events. {Fate} Compatible.


    [Spatial Maniption]


    - {Portal} - Creates a gateway that allows a living being to enter subspace. Requires at least two portals before traversal is enabled. Increases storage limit by 100 square feet.


    ___


    The seven new abilities were all insanely powerful in my opinion. {Imaging} alone allowed me to change the way my eyes saw information.


    Basically, I now had thermal, MRI, microscopic, and X-ray vision. Holographic vision, on the other hand, meant that I could look at an object and instantly measure it''s the dimensions just by looking at it.


    {Ascend} basically allows me to run on air. {Carve} on the other hand allowed me to deal critical strikes. {Block} was a deployable armor that was as powerful as {Withstand} without the pain.


    {Announce} gave me an overpowered directional speaker, which might soundme, but I already had some ideas on how to use it.


    {Program] sounded simple, but it was essentially automating {Fates}.


    Finally, {Portal} allowed my subspace to act as a bridge for living beings, provided I had at least 2 portals. On top of increasing my space by 100 square feet.


    It was extremely difficult to choose which of these abilities was the most broken.


    The Sirens, noticing the massive amount of information, were in awe of how {Code} disyed the information.


    "Be, do you see your own abilities like this?" Jasmine asked.


    "As if! I guess someone else''s {Fate} is needed for such analysis. Honey''s ability to disy information is beyond me."


    "Maybe it''s {Gather} from Aki''s {Eat}? Even during enlistment, weren''t darling''s {Kismet}, {Expose}, and {Loot} based on that?"


    "Goodness, dear no matter how many disadvantages {Limitless} has, it is absurd to have all of these as one ability. And what is even more outrageous is that if everyone here continues to evolve, the number of {Fates} will increase even further!"


    Smiling, I nodded my head and replied, "Yes, {Limitless} will be even stronger the more we all evolve. While {Rewind} is not included, I am the only one who can upgrade {Limitless}. So, in a way, Limitless means the eight of us. Or rather, we are Limitless."


    As I spoke, Exa appeared on the screen and bowed.


    [Limitless, I have discovered eight possiblebination skills that can be generated. Would you like to peruse them?]


    Another change in the development of {Limitless} was that instead of the skills being upgradeable, they were beingbined instead. I didn''t know which was better, but I''m sure the newer version was meant to be superior.


    "Exa, are thebination skills the same as {Kismet}? Will these eightbo skills consume master''s avable {Kismet} slots?"


    [No, Lady Miroku, they will not. {Kismet} can create new effects using the synergies of {Fates}. Thebo skills, on the other hand, just shortened the order ofmands to a single keyword.]


    "Another set of cheating skills, so Honey just became a zero chant mage," Be sarcastically praised.


    "Exa, will these skills be avable to us as well? Or are they just for darling?"


    [They can also be transferred to the rest of the Sirens, Lady Benelli. They do not require my presence to be used].


    "Perfect, show them Exa," I ordered.


    [Understood. Showing them now.]


    ___


    Avable Combination Skills


    1. [sh Step] = {Hike} + {Portal}


    2. [Absorb] = {Portal} + {Retrieve} + {Digest} + {Suffer}


    3. [Skywalk] = {Ascend} + {Hike} + {Carry}


    4. [Weak Point Targeting] = {Aim} + {Imaging} + {Gather} + {Carve}


    5. [Tank] = {Block} | {Withstand} | {Endure} | {Suffer}


    6. [Battering Ram] = [Tank] + [sh Step]


    7. [Double Damage] = [Weak Point Targeting] + {Counter}


    ___


    "..." x7


    The Sirens began to look like me in annoyance. I could understand why. Thisbo list would only grow with time. In the near future, my fighting style would allow me to invoke hundreds of {Fates} in rapid session.


    "Heh, it''s not my fault that it turned out this way. I just asked the guys."


    Jo then rested her chin on her hands as she inquired. "Speaking of which, you were also talking to some "guys" earlier. Who exactly were you talking to, darling?"


    "Ah, I was talking to your {fates}. When I was alone, I used to talk to them regrly. Not only did they understand what I wanted, they even cheered me on during fights," I answered truthfully.


    "Husband, you converse with our {Fates}? And they answer you?"


    "Dearest, the idea that {Fates} are even sentient is wrong to begin with."


    "Possum aside, is that even possible?"


    "I''m tired of trying to understand you, honey."


    "Huh? Then how did you all evolve? Didn''t you ask for yourtest {Fates}?" I asked in confusion.


    "My love, we did not ask. The {Fates} just appeared. "


    "On their own? Without any input?"


    "Yes, master. Many have spected various theories as to why the creation of {Fates} followed a certain pattern, but no one, not even Academics, has been able to exin how."

 Chapter 246: Repeat after me [1/2]

    Knowledge has always been the building block of any society. While individually our memories and instincts were limited, collectively we were arguably smarter. At least that was the intention.


    Almost all prehistoric knowledge revolved around survival. What not to eat, what not to do, what to stay away from. But as humans began to evolve as a species, the knowledge they acquired gradually broadened.


    No longer concerned with starvation or shelter, man began to learn about his surroundings. Somehow, the lives of the people of Hellsgate would already have followed a simr path.


    The first ones there would must have been scared and focused on not dying. And we, the generation that came muchter, now reaped the benefits of what the pioneers learned. But it was not enough.


    Take, for example, the rules of Devil''s Remains and Malice. Or the arbitrary limit of 100,000 souls. How did our kind learn such knowledge?


    It was undoubtedly through sacrifice and hardship. Just like now. Aki just said that currently, no one knew how {Fates} evolved. All they understood was that you expended souls to evolve them.


    The {Fate} downloads in particr were extremely limited. They did tell you how to use a {Fate} and some specifics, but that was it. Everything else had to be learned through experimentation and experience.


    {Rewind} was a great example, the {Fate} download taught me the steps needed to invoke the thing in the first ce. Specifically, how to use {Auto} and {Save}. However, it failed to exin the nuances of its use.


    The position of {Save} as a vulnerability was an example. Simr to my fight with Aki, a malicious opponent may choose not to fight head-on, but instead set traps.


    On the flip side, one thing I learned from my repeated battles was status and inertia canceling.


    Simply put, any status ailments I might have along with any momentum from inertia were nullified when I invoked {Rewind}. The applications of this knowledge could be used for both good and bad.


    If I was poisoned or cursed, the benefits were immediate. However, the reverse is also true. For example, if I were to receive a unique buff from a deity of some sort, {Rewind} would remove that buff in a simr manner.


    Talking to my {Fates} was something no one taught me, but through my experiences, my {Fates} and the ones belonging to the Sirens were definitely sentient. I believed my own experiences more than what Academics would write about.


    "If that is so, then let me demonstrate. {Code}, can you please simplify my status screen even further? Remove the owners, durations, and costs. Please add thebos to this screen. Finally, although not official yet, please list the Sirens as my {Kindred}."


    A warm sensation emanated from my soulgem as the {Fate} went to work. The information on the screen suddenly fritzed like a PC as I disyed my status, then returned.


    ___


    Name: Limitless


    Rank: Phantom


    Soul Capacity : {Fate} 8/8 | {Kismet} 3/10


    Souls Avable : 63,202 | To evolve: 75,000


    Fate Loan Duration: 8 D


    Experience the best on NovelFire _emp _yr.


    {Fates}


    1. {Rewind} | Lvl 4 | Sub: {Reload}, {Regen}, {Rece} (6) Sup: {Save}, {Auto}


    2. {Code} | Lvl 4 |Sub: {Connect} , {Shutdown}, {Program}


    3. {Withstand} | Lvl 4 | Sub: {Endure}, {Counter}, {Block} Sup:{Suffer}


    4. {Listen} | Lvl 4 | Sub: {Interpret}, {Dampen}, {Announce}


    5. {Perceive} | Lvl 4 |Sub: {Aim}, {Snipe}, {Imaging}


    6. {Carry} | Lvl 4 | Sub: {Pack}, {Hike}, {Ascend}


    7. {Eat} | Lvl 4 | Sub: {Gather}, {Digest}, {Carve}


    8. {Store} | Lvl 5 | Sub: {Retrieve}, {Stock}, {Withdraw}, {Portal}


    {Kindred} : Isabe Taurus | Liv Ivaldi | Josephine Benelli | Jasmine Denel | Robyn Lithgow | Aki Miroku | Lilly Browning


    {Kismet} : {Limitless} v.2 | {EXA} v2 | {Armory}


    [Combo] : [sh step] | [Absorb] | [Skywalk] | [Weakpoint Targeting] | [Tank]| [Battering Ram] | [Double Damage]


    Soulgear: {Honey Trap}


    ___


    "..." x7


    It looked much moreplete, but it was still too crowded. I wanted to whittle it down even more.


    "Thank you {Code}. Can you ask {Gather} tobine the {Limitless} page with my main screen? Use video games as a reference. And this still is tooplicated, please simplify it."


    Exa then appeared on the screen and ryed a message.


    [Limitless, {Eat} says it will copy the tooltip from games instead. Moving forward only what you focus on will be exined. {Code} also expresses its displeasure that you are calling {Eat} when the status screens are her domain].


    "Is that so? Tell her that is fine, I rely on her anyway."


    [Roger, Limitless, additionalbo skills have been discovered, do you want to optimize Siren''s {Fates} asbo skills instead?]


    "Okay."


    The screen faded again, revealing an even smaller status screen.


    ___


    Name: Limitless


    Rank: Phantom


    Souls Avable : 63,202 | To evolve: 75,000


    {Fates}: {Auto} | {Save} | {Rewind} | {Reload} |{Regen} | {Rece} (6)


    {Fate} Loan expiration: 8 D


    {Limitless} Status: Not Activated


    {Kismet} 3/10 : {Limitless} v.2 | {EXA} v2 | {Armory}


    Active skills: {Eat} | {Portal} | {Program} | {Dampen} | {Announce} | [Double Damage] | [Battering Ram] | [Absorb] | [Hack] | [Inventory]


    Passive skills:


    [Wizard Suite]: {Interpret} | {Code} | {Gather} | {Imaging} | [Weak point Targeting]


    [Hunter Suite]: {Listen} | [sh step] | [Skywalk] | [Eagle eye]


    [Warrior Suite]: [Tank] | [Load] | {Digest}


    {Kindred} : Be T. | Liv I. | Jo B. | Jas D. | Robyn L. | Aki M.


    | Lilly B.


    Soulgear: {Honey Trap}


    ___


    "Vai tomar no cu! Honey! What the fuck?! I didn''t know {Code} could even do that!"


    "Indeed, if those records are from his soulgem, then {Code} can forge soul records. I wonder if Identification {Fates} can see the real information of our beloved."


    "Heh, my name is on my darling''s kindred list. I''m so happy!"


    "Why in the world am I cedst, dear?"


    "I believe it is the order in which husband received our {Fates}. Be came to him first. That would mean that the order can only be changed eight days from today."


    "Hmph, then I wille first next week! Possum, wash your lips, they are mine."


    "Ara! Try your best Robyn, I definitely won''t lose."


    Speaking of apletely different approach, my status was now based on the {Kismet} {Limitless}. Since I have no intention of taking anyone else''s {Fate}. I chose to no longer see who owned what, nor the soul capacity cost.


    Responding to my will, {Code} and {Gather} reorganized my records to bepact and readable. I liked my stuff simple. More interesting was the way the newbo skills were created. I actually had four new ones.

 Chapter 247: Repeat after me [2/2]

    They were [Hack], [Inventory], [Eagle eye], and [Load]. Funnily enough, they were basically ceholders for the abilities of {Code}, {Store}, {Perceive}, and {Carry}.


    Simr to how Liv''s {Fates} were allbined into [Tank], these four newbinations allowed me to use the {Fates} that create them together or separately.


    [Hack] allowed me to use both {Connect} and {Shutdown}, as I needed to {Connect} to an electronic device before I could use {Shutdown} anyway nothing much changed.


    {Code} and {Program}, while still in the {Code} family, functioned differently, so they could not be added to [Hack].


    [Inventory] had {Store} and {Stock} and their more advanced counterparts {Retrieve} and {Withdraw}. Basically, instead of emphasizing which set of versions to use, I could just say [Inventory], and thebination skill would choose for me.


    [Eagle eye] had {Perceive}, {Aim}, and {Snipe}, all three of which improved my eyesight. Simrly, {Imaging}, which was for special types of vision, could not be included in thebination.


    [Load] was thebined version of {Carry} and {Pack}. Instead of having to manually invoke both, [Load] would automatically cast {Carry} on me and the object I wanted to use {Pack} on.


    The changes were subtle, but they definitely made it easier to invoked different {Fates} in quick session. As things stand, if everyone were to reach level 10, meaning the Sirens and I all evolved into Revenants, I would have a whopping 80 {Fates}.


    Despite such amazing benefits, the girls were more concerned with my {Kindred} list. Only Be and Liv were more focused on the fact that I could hack soul records. Lilly, who should have cared, was in a bad mood because she wasst on my {Kindred} list.


    "Grow up, bitch! What are you, twelve? Such a sore loser! Just concentrate on the screen," Be scolded.


    "This is all your fault, you bespectacled imbecile, it doesn''t matter to you because you''re first!"


    "Ara, but Lilly-sama, everyone gave you a chance, no?"


    "Pathetic. Your title as princess is crying," Jasmine said dryly.


    "Hehe! This is fun! We should call this the Siren Kissing Olympics! Darling would be the judge!"


    "Hmph! Why do I have to suffer like this! I was mentally preparing myself! You girls are all too brazen!" Lilly retorted.


    "Haha, stop whinging like an ankle bitter princess. We even waited. Just pash faster next time."


    "Indeed, Be deserves to be the first. She was the first to lock lips with our beloved. ept your defeat with grace, Lilly."


    "Hmph!"


    We were on the first day and it was already like this. I took this as my cue to enter. I walked over to Lilly and lifted her face to me.


    " Dear, not now I..."


    Before she could finish her words, I stole her lips with a kiss. As Lilly and I became engulfed in a passionate exchange, she calmed down. Our mouths, already parted, remained connected by a thin bridge of saliva.


    The sight made my dearest princess blush scarlet. She immediately pulled her head back to look away. In response, I gently took her hand and nted a soft kiss on the palm.


    "My dear, the order doesn''t diminish my love for you. What can I do to make it up to you?"


    "..." The American phantom remained silent, but I noticed that her breathing became faster, as if she was excited.


    The other Sirens then came between us, forcing us to separate. It took about ten minutes for everyone to calm down. I eventually had to promise everyone a kiss before the day ended.


    Then I remembered that {Limitless} was already configured before I gave Lilly a kiss. To test if she could use it, I asked her to activate it.


    "Lilly, can you let go of {Rewind} for now and use {Limitless}?"


    "Okay."


    Gentle as a kitten, Lilly then called my {Kismet}. The moment she did, I sensed an intense number of souls pouring into her body.


    This must be the 5000 soul cost. If each zombie gave up 10 souls, this single summoning was the equivalent of 500 zombies suddenly dying around us.


    The rest of the Sirens, feeling the intense pressure, took a step back. After Lilly''s body calmed down, she began to look around in amazement.


    "Amazing, my body is brimming with power. Is this how Jas sees the world? My thoughts also feel a bit faster. [sh Step]!"


    The woman suddenly disappeared and appeared five meters ahead. Everyone was surprised to see the princess using abo skill.


    "Wonderful, let me see, [Hack]."


    Like a child discovering a new toy, the Untamed turned to the television and tried to control it with Be''s {Fate}. The screen quickly switched between shows, channels, and settings, as if someone was ying with the remote control.


    "Wow! And the skills don''t even use souls! {Imaging}. KYA!"


    Suddenly, Lilly covered her eyes as she let out a cute cry. Then she abruptly turned around. Seeing such an innocent reaction, I wondered what was wrong and walked over to her.


    "STOP! I beg you dear, please don''te any closer! Jasmine! Help me! How do you turn off {Imaging}?"


    "Puta." "Pervert." "Hentai." "Are all Southerners like this?" "Oh! Good idea!" "gger beat me to it."


    Ignoring the questionable responses from Jo and Robyn. The other four all expressed colorful replied ranging from disappointment to scorn.


    As Lilly wasn''t the one who got Jasmine''s saliva, she didn''t know how to use {Imaging}. I approached her as she peeked at my junk between her fingers. Ignoring her dazed expression, I grabbed her shoulders and told her what to do.


    "Dear, repeat after me. {Imaging} - Vision."


    Lilly followed me instructions and signed in relief as her eyesight returned to normal. The looks of disdain from the rest of the Siren''s made Lilly flush red like a tomato.


    "Look! It''s not my fault okay! It just slipped! And I am sure the rest of you were thinking of it!"


    "Yeah, I did. That was the first thing I wanted to do. Oggle Possum''s junk."


    "I already saw it so I''m good," Be remarked.


    "Haha! Jas already did it way earlier! She flushed scarlet too!"


    "Jo! That was supposed to be a secret!"


    "Kya! Save me darling!"


    "You all¡­" our Northernermented sounding exhausted as fuck.


    "Ehem, I''m sure master wouldn''t becking in that department."


    Ugh, it seemed that my days and nights would be lively in a different sense, but in a way I kind of liked it.

 Chapter 248: Call my name [1/2]

    After resolving the issue with Lilly, the rest of the Sirens all aggressively asked for {Limitless}. I ended up giving them all my gic information in passionate exchanges.


    The girls all activated my {Kismet} and spent the next hour experimenting. While they all knew what each other''s {Fate} could do, it was incredibly difficult for them to use it on their own.


    Unless you received the information directly it was hard to grasp. Normally, this was not a problem. When {Fates} were given through blood, once the recipient knew the activation keyword, everything else was automatic.


    Saliva was even better, because how to use the {Fate} was shared during the download. But currently, my saliva gave them {Limitless}. ording to Be, the download was quite concise.


    "Honey, {Limitless} being locked to us is a given. The download was incredibly personal, it would make no sense to anyone else."


    "Oh? What did the download say? Can you tell me?" I asked intrigued.


    The Sirens all blushed as they avoided my questions. After a few moments, Jas stepped forward and proceeded to recite the download.


    "This {Kismet} has only one purpose."


    Suddenly, the Sirens continued in session.


    "This power joins all that I can give you," Be said bashfully.


    Robyn gleefully chirped, "I pray the Actives allow you to turn the tide of every battle."


    "I hope the Passives will erase your weaknesses and enhance your strengths," Aki said solemnly like a prayer.


    Jo then looked at me as she continued. "To the Siren who has this {Kismet}, please know how much I thank the heavens for bringing you to me."


    "All I ask for you is that you let me love you and that you stay by my side," Liv exined as she touched her chest.


    Lilly then roared proudly like a lioness. "Call my name and remember that I am with you. Always."


    Then, as if they were performing on a stage. My girls revealed my innermost desires like clergymen in a Sunday sermon.


    "This {Kismet} is called Limitless. For I am the one who has neither form nor limit, and I am the one who loves you the most."


    "..."


    What the fuck! The downloads I watched were like monotonemercials. Why the hell was the download for {Limitless} like that!


    "Kya! Darling is too cute! He is embarrassed!"


    "Master, the voice in the download was oozing with tenderness."


    "It was the first time I was serenaded by a {Kismet}. Husband, I love you too."


    Robyn then lunged at Jasmine, who harmlessly fended her off with an umbre.


    "Oy! Jas! That''s cheating! We made a deal! None of this till after Sunday! Possum, you heard nothing!"


    "Tsk, your an idiot Robyn, Aki already broke the deal! I saw what her lips said earlier," Jasmineined.


    "You''re wrong Denel-san, I never said such a thing."


    "Hmm, Robyn is surprisingly honest. In my opinion, Liv is the worse offender as she calls dearest ''my love'' or ''beloved'' which is basically a con."


    "What?! Lilly! I asked the Sirens before the agreement was made! you all agreed! Do you southerners have no sense of honor!"


    It seemed the girls had some kind of agreement, context wise, did it have something to do with confessing to me?


    Now that I think about it. While they did say they wanted to stay with me, only Aki and Jasmine said they loved me.


    I was wondering how to solve this situation when I felt something soft embrace me from behind. A sultry voice full of charm said words that would make any man shiver.


    "Darling, I love you. More than words can ever say. I have waited for you all my life. Thank you for saving me that day. Thank you for giving me peace. I love you, darling.


    And thank you for loving someone like me."


    When I tried to turn around, her arms tightened around me as if telling me to stay still.


    "Please don''t. It took all my courage to say those words. Don''t look at me. Just stay like this. Just for a few moments."


    Awkwardly, I remained where I was, not sure how to react. My {Kismet} was basically proposing in my ce. While they all said they loved me as a group, none of them except Aki, Jas and now Jo took the time to tell me directly alone.


    The effect of receiving an individual confession was different. While the others were arguing, my heart grew full from the words Jo spoke. My cor was suddenly pulled down by a petite woman.


    A Brazilian bombshell gave me a quick kiss before she spoke. Her eyes were quivering while her cheeks were as red as a tomato.


    "Before all hell breaks loose, I will go as well. Mr. Code. I love you. I have ever since the enlistment. I may be the weakest one here, but all that I am, I am offering to you.


    To answer your proposal in {Limitless}. I vow to stay by your side from this day until hell bursts open and the day I breathe myst."


    "Be, I..."


    My wife then ced her small forefinger on my lips.


    "Don''t. I already know. Honey, you have no idea how overwhelming the {Limitless} download was. I can''t take any more. I might get greedy. Let''s talk about this some other time."


    I nodded, closing my mouth. Be then took my hands in hers, our fingers intertwined like lovers, forming a single whole. The Brazilian then took our hands and brought them to her lips. She then kissed them tenderly, which made me feel a little embarrassed.


    Another set of fingers intertwined with mine on my other hand. When I tried to turn around, Jo stopped me, chastising me adorably for my rashness.


    "Darling! Face front! I told you, right? Not yet, I..."


    Suddenly, Jo stopped talking and looked outside. Her next words silenced everyone in the room.


    "Quiet, Ma and Pa are back, the White Guard as well."


    There was still a lot to talk about. But the girls, like me, wanted to keep the Simmons safe. As if by unspoken agreement, they all began cleaning up the furniture that had been knocked over by the test.


    A few secondster, my 2nd family returned with food. Noelle forced everyone to sit down for family lunch, not epting any refusals. It was a little crowded, but I don''t think anyone minded.


    I was surprised to see how much food Noelle had bought. But when I thought we wouldn''t be able to finish it, I became rmed at how much the Sirens ate. To put it in perspective, Noelle and Earl ordered a bunch of food, more than two dozen dishes to be exact.

 Chapter 249: Call my name [2/2]

    They probably thought they could save the rest of the food as leftovers for the week. But at the same meal, the Siren''s all ate with happiness. Liv in particr cried several times during the banquet.


    Lilly and Be also started serving wine to Earl and Noelle like daughters-inw. Aki and Jo both acted like older sisters and practically forced na and Bless to binge eat. Liv, on the other hand, continued to eat without a care in the world.


    While I was enjoying the peace and happiness, Jasmine and Robyn both came to my side. Jasmine suddenly wiped my mouth with a handkerchief. It seemed that my lips were stained with sauce or something.


    "Husband, I am not going to say any more because we will be together forever. My love and everything I feel, I will tell you every single day from this day onwards," Jas said with a breathtaking smile.


    The ck-skinned angel thenid her back to me as she turned around. Jas said nothing more, but I could see that her ears were red from embarrassment. I subconsciously grinned at how adorable she was before Robyn suddenly jumped into myp.


    "Possum, I want that one! Feed me!"


    Like a cat, Robyn asked me to feed her a dish I didn''t recognize. As I took a morsel of the meat, I moved the fork toward my woman.


    Robyn took the bite and chewed happily, then leaned closer and whispered in my ear.


    "Possum. I am sorry that I am not like the others. I am like an ankle bitter and have little to offer, but if you still want me around, kiss me. Right here, right now."


    Wordlessly, I shared a brief and passionate kiss with my Australian lover. Robyn took my hand in hers and whispered in a voice only I could hear.


    "Possum, what do I do? My chest feels like it is going to burst. Is it okay to be this happy? Are you sure you are okay with me? I might cling to you so much that you hate me."


    I replied in the most affectionate voice I could muster.


    "I don''t mind Robyn. You are my Shi, you can cling to me until you are satisfied."


    "Oh? Are you learning to talk like an Aussie?"


    "I am, I want to know everything about you. About all of you."


    "But what if you don''t like what you hear? I have killed many people, John."


    Then I hugged her with both arms in a bear hug.


    "Robyn. I love you, will you stop loving me if I kill people?"


    "Possum, you know this is different. I.."


    "Shh. That goes for all of you. I don''t care what you did before or why. That is what made you all who you are. As your man, I will shoulder all your sins from now on.


    "Robyn, you are more important to me than anyone you have killed. If heaven decides to punish you for that. I will endure it with you."


    My little Australian suddenly cried while smiling heartily.


    "Possum, you are a bogan and a g. How can you give me so much happiness?"


    "There, there, my missus. I will make you feel like this every day. This is what it means to be mine."


    "Fuck, I might get addicted to this, possum."


    "That''s okay. I am yours after all."


    Robyn began to whimper in my arms as she continued to cry silently. Her arms held my right arm to her chest like a lifeline. Jas suddenly took my other arm and held it to her chest as well.


    "Husband, why are you so good with words? Do you flirt like this all the time? It''s suspicious."


    Jasmine adorably tried to question me, and if not for her bright red ears, I might have believed the bullshit she kept spitting out. In response, I kissed her head and intertwined my hand with hers.


    "I''ve never tried to charm anyone before, Wifey. I am not even trying now. Everything I just said was how I really felt."


    "Husband, if you talk like that to everyone, who knows how many women will fall for you? Just fighting the Sirens is exhausting. I won''t forgive you if you cheat!"


    "Possum, Jasmine is right. You are forbidden to seduce other She''s like this. I will bust your balls if you seduce anyone else."


    As the two girls in my arms continued to threaten me, all I could see at the moment was how adorable they were. I didn''t reply at that point and just smiled as I held on to their hands tightly.


    The effect was immediate as they both calmed down immediately.


    "Husband, this is unfair."


    "Jas, Possum will have us eating out of his hand like this."


    "Indeed. We must think of countermeasures."


    The other Sirens all watched with envy, as if they had noticed the mood between Jas, Robyn and me. My family, aware of the situation, all tried to calm Lilly, Be, Jo and Aki.


    Maybe because of the rising tension, Noelle raised a paper cup and made an announcement.


    "Well, this dinner was to officially wee my new daughters into our family. But it also serves as a double celebration! Dipshit, since you usually disappear when your birthdayes around, this also serves as a birthday party in advance!"


    na and Bless then came out with a cheesecake from one of the local bakeries. The Sirens, realizing this, all started singing "Happy Birthday" as my sisters brought the cake to me.


    I actually loathed birthdays.


    They were something created by corporate capitalism to sell shit. For single guys like me, they were just a reminder of how alone we were. I stopped celebrating them when I moved to Tempe.


    Maybe because it had been so long since I felt truly happy to be alive, my tears streamed uncontrobly down my face. Everyone who noticed smiled broadly as they continued to sing Happy Birthday.


    I was so overwhelmed with genuine happiness that I couldn''t stop shedding tears.


    Ifst year I spent my birthday at work, now I was celebrating with my family and Kindred. Both groups truly loved me from the bottom of their hearts. When the song ended, everyone waited for me to say a few words.


    Unable to muster any response, I used my sleeve to wipe away my tears.


    Then Earl said, "John, make a wish and blow out your candles.


    "I don''t have to. All my dreams have alreadye true," I said with a heartfelt smile.

 Chapter 250: Heroine Chapter: Any price. [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Liv Ivaldi


    ___


    Men and women were different. That was a fact. Anyone who thought otherwise was a fool. Ten men and one woman would make one child in a year, the reverse would make ten.


    Since time immemorial, ns have measured their power and might by their people. My home, the Throne of the North, also followed this rule. Erick Odinson, the man I considered my father, was the sole Revenant of the kingdom and served as its king.


    Under him were fourteen ns of various specialties and strengths. Since having more people tranted into power, polygamy was the norm. Reapers never died of old age or disease, only of steel and fire.


    Since the female Reapers were not very fertile, it wasmon practice for the men of the Reapers to take as many wives as they were able to support. It was the responsibility of each male in the north to impregnate as many women as he could.


    Thus, the strongest warriors had the most wives. A Northerner''s harem was used to mark his status. My father, the strongest man on the continent, amassed two thousand wives, concubines, and mistresses in time.


    Procreation was not a past time or a vice, but a civic duty. Since the North lived a life of constant battle, replenishing our numbers was a critical issue. The Northern Ceremony, which was the primary way of doing so, originally required a person to be 23 years old to get join.


    However, when the undead broke out of Hellsgate nine years ago, everything changed. In just under a decade, the age limit was lowered by almost two years for every year that passed. So nowadays, 6-year-olds were killing each other in order to have more reapers.


    This was how my people began to die out. The ns, originally brimming with vitality and ferocity, were reduced to mere dregs. The more virile men were given the widows of their fallen kin, all to produce more Northerners.


    My own family had over a thousand male siblings. Hardly any were still alive. Northern blood became the price for our way of life to continue.


    Our culture became more twisted the more desperate we became. As soon as they bled, Northern girls were married and impregnated. Women lost their freedom in exchange for not going to war.


    Withholding yourself from your husband was tantamount to a death sentence. No matter the time, no matter the ce, a Northern wife must be prepared to ept her husband''s seed.


    Because of such an arrangement, men naturally took out their lust on any woman they wanted. Men were measured by their ability to take life. Women, on the other hand, were measured by the number of lives they could create.


    But even reapers had only one body. The sun set at the same time for both reapers and humans.


    As a result, in most harems it was rare for more than five women to monopolize their husband. The lucky ones gained power and status equal to their spouses, the rest of the women were simply forgotten.


    Uonsket, a term Northern women feared more than death. Tranted, it meant "unwanted. Uonsket were women who bore the stigma of being failures because they could not bear children. Lacking happiness and purpose, it was not long before the Uonsket chose battle over the shame of being rejected.


    Because of the curse my mother ced on me, I was considered an Uonsket even before I was turned into a reaper. After all, who wanted an orc when the North was literally overflowing with beautiful women? Of course I joined the Northern armies as soon as I could.


    These were the beliefs I grew up with. These core values formed my identity as a Northerner. The value of women, submission to one''s husband, and my duty to the next generation. Love and happiness were the least of my considerations.


    "It is not! Either you think that is all their love is worth, or you do not truly love any of them! You can''t ask them for everything if you aren''t willing to do the same!"


    "But I..."


    So what was I then just hearing?


    I was kneeling on the floor imitating my beloved. He was having a verbal argument with his mother. The things my mother-inw said with such conviction shattered my world view.


    She said that my beloved lied about his affection for the sole reason that he chose to have a harem.I was fascinated by their debate. But my mother-inw''s words were delusional.


    A woman had no value beyond producing children. Getting her husband''s attention was a blessing in itself. To expect more was to be too greedy. Still, my beloved epted his mother''s rebuke.


    I joined my sisters in defending his honor. Although I didn''t understand what he had done wrong, I respected my mother-inw''s wisdom.


    However, both my mother and father-inw threatened him to ensure our happiness. Even na and Bless held him to the same standard. Beloved could take over a hundred wives and still be okay. Such was his caliber.


    But my beloved''s answer to their rebuke melted my heart.


    "I understand, Pa. I will be a husband worthy of them. This responsibility is mine. And I bear it willingly for the Sirens. I will see to it that I love them enough for seven lifetimes."


    Seven lifetimes! Such a grandiose promise. Was it all right to believe it? Among the Sirens, I was the least feminine. With a body full of wounds and a physique that looked muscr like a man, I was unsightly.


    As someone destined to be Uonsket, I was lucky to even find a man who was attracted to me. But my beloveds words were like a dream I never knew I was desperately seeking.


    "And third, I know I am being unreasonable, but I am willing to use the rest of my days to prove to you all that I am worthy of you. Please stay with me, everyone. I need you all by my side."


    He valued me as much as the others. Unlike my father, who clearly had favorites, my beloved made it clear that he would love us all equally. I knew it was impossible, but the promise was enough to make me swoon.


    But there was more, in addition to his affection, he also proved his ability.


    In just five days, while the Sirens and I were attacking Japan, he did amazing feats. He created the makings of an army and began to gather the devil''s remains. Under his banner, a group of over fifty saints swore allegiance to him.

 Chapter 251: Heroine Chapter: Any price. [2/2]

    ''My beloved is simply too amazing, even a hundred women for his harem wouldn''t be enough,'' I couldn''t help but think.


    Since I wanted to return some of his favor, I vowed to do my best.


    ''I must show him my worth. If not, he may tire of me and throw me away. Fortunately, we return to Hellsgate tonight! I will show you my beloved. That I deserve to be in your harem!


    Such thoughts filled my mind, but uneasiness and fear slowly seized my heart.


    ''What if the rest of the Sirens do better? What if I do terribly?''


    I saw how powerful my sisters were in Japan. Right now, the only woman I could physically defeat was Be. But unlike me, she was wise and my beloved relied on her greatly.


    While I was still afraid, more proof that my husband''s love engulfed me.


    "{Limitless} is meant to be my namesake. I wanted it to protect you along with {Rewind}. Only the women I love can use it."


    My heart almost leapt out of my chest. I could feel his emotions as he confessed his {Kismet}. The affection in his voice made my knees weaken. How could such a loving man exist?


    Overwhelmed with emotion, I stole his lips to ept his gift. Fearing that his words were a lie, I listened to the download with trepidation.


    "All I ask is that you let me love you and stay by my side."


    This line alone nearly made me scream with joy. Serenaded by his {Kismet}, I felt nothing but bliss. The man I loved also loved me, there could be no greater happiness.


    ''How wonderful it would be if I alone received his affection,'' I shamelessly wished to the heavens.


    I had more than fifty mothers, but I knew for sure that less than four had a ce in my father''s heart. The rest were simply abandoned. No other man would want them, for they belonged to a Revenant. Thus only an eternity of wasting away awaited them.


    Feeling that I was bing too greedy, I allowed the rest of the Sirens to have his attention during lunch and ate alone. Thanks to {Limitless}, I now had {Listen} and {Perceive}, so even though I was seated far from the man I adored, I heard every word he spoke.


    Unfortunately, I felt miserable. My beloved was too doting, I simply didn''t deserve him. Conflicted, I became disgusted with myself. Although I wanted more, I knew I already enjoyed more than I deserved. In bitterness, I ate in silence as I wept.


    "I am so pathetic. I am nothing but a coward," I berated myself.


    Even though I knew I was blessed, my heart longed for more.


    ''Unlike the rest of the Sirens, my love for John was tainted. My homnd required someone to save it. And I had no one else to turn to. How could I im to love him when I burden him the fate of an entire continent on his shoulders! What do I even have to offer?!''


    I tried to eat my insecurities away. But his words to Robyn shook my heart again.


    "I do, I want to know everything about you. About all of you."


    Inside my heart began to beat loudly. Like Robyn, I had made many mistakes. They were things I wanted to hide. Even {Withstand} was born because of those mistakes. They were chains that bound me, an ugly truth that I could never run away from.


    "But what if you don''t like what you hear? I killed a lot of people, Possum."


    Yes, I found myself nodding at Robyn''s words. Tears streamed down my face as I remembered the sin I hadmitted. I should be punished, I had no right to be happy. My mistake robbed so many of their lives and contributed to the fall of the North.


    "Shh. This applies to all of you. I do not care what you did before or why. It is what allowed you all to be who you are. As your husband, I will shoulder all your sins from now on. Robyn, you are more important to me than anyone you have killed.


    If heaven decides to punish you for that. I will suffer with you."


    He would shoulder my sins? Did such a beautiful promise apply to me? I felt my heart hurt for some reason. Why did Robyn deserve such love and I didn''t?


    Was this torment what my mother-inw had said earlier? The agony of sharing one''s spouse? It was painful. Wasn''t this supposed to be normal in the North? Why was I feeling this way? My mood soured when Jas and Robyn received affection from our kindred.


    Maybe it was because we all had {Limitless}, even Lilly, Be, Aki and Jo had miserable faces. Noticing this, Noelle tried to change the mood by sharing the second purpose of this party.


    To celebrate the birthday of my beloved.


    It was a foreign concept to me when I first heard about it. Because of the limited food in the North, celebrations were just massive orgies. No one celebrated with food. But the Southerners not only had things to eat, they even had something called sweets.


    Of the ones Lilly had me taste, my favorite was called cake. na and Bless brought a big cake to my beloved while everyone else sang Happy Birthday.


    It was a lively song, consisting of only one verse repeated five times. Although I had only heard it for the first time a few days ago, I could sing it quite well.


    However, as we continued to sing, something I never expected happened.


    My beloved began to shed tears.


    Why? What was going on?! Was he in pain?


    This man fought almost to the death without fear orint. Against the undead, against the reapers, even against a Revenant. It wasn''t important to him who he was fighting.


    The {Counter} he unleashed during the enlistment was something only I could understand. Just how much pain had he umted to fuel such a powerful strike? But even during that time, he never shed a single tear, not even one.


    My heart felt like it was being torn apart. The man I loved the most was crying so pitifully. In my mind as well as in my heart, only one phrase repeated itself endlessly.


    ''I want tofort him and take his pain away. ''


    Earl Simmons, my father-inw, then made a suggestion.


    "John, make a wish and blow out your candles."


    My beloved replied with a face of pure bliss. "I don''t have to. All my dreams have alreadye true."


    At that moment a new fire began in my heart, one that consumed my entire being.


    The North, the Sirens, Hellgate and everything in between. My guilt, my sin, and my worth. All these things no longer mattered.


    Only one thing did.


    I was born to love this man.


    "And I will pay any price to see that smile on his face again," I swore to fate.

 Chapter 252: Happiest day [1/2]

    "Thank you everybody. For a long time I wondered why I was even born. The nights were dark and all seemed hopeless. But I am d that I fought on. Today is the happiest day of my life. Thank you all so much.


    I love you all."


    Surrounded by the people I treasured, happiness poured out of my entire being. I blew out my candles with a smile. Noelle then pped her hands with a happy expression.


    "Okay, everyone! I''m going to cut the cake!"


    The family then shared the cheesecake and enjoyed dessert. Whatever gloomy mood there may have been before seemed to have evaporated. Jasmine and Robyn were all smiles. They left my side and mingled with the rest of the family.


    As if it had been discussed beforehand, the ones by my side now were Aki and Lilly. I knew better than to ask, but they revealed their reasons for being here.


    "I am your ve. To serve my master is my job, is it not?"


    "Then as your master I order you to keep Noellepany."


    "I refuse. I heard everything you said to Robyn and Jasmine. Master must spoil me too."


    "Dear, I am quite upset about that too. How are you going to make it up to me?"


    Like a pair of cute kittens, Lilly and Aki adorably expressed their dissatisfaction. The contrast between them was great. But even though they came from opposite ends of the world, I loved them both.


    Feeling a bit mischievous, I grabbed them both by their waists and pulled them to my sides. Neither resisted and simply epted my caress. I quickly bestowed a depraved kiss on both their corbones.


    If someone saw the three of us. They would assume Lilly was an American supermodel while Aki was a Japanese AV actress.


    I moved my hands and grabbed theirs. Slowly I intertwined our fingers, enjoying the softness of their skin. Somehow such intimate hand holding felt more erotic than kissing.


    Probably feeling the same as me, they both remained silent and just buried their faces in my shoulders.


    I said nothing and just enjoyed being around them. After a few minutes, Aki used her free hand to turn my face towards her. She was staring at me with her brown eyes full of love as she broke the silence.


    "Anata. I already belong to you. So I just want to take this moment to tell you how much I love you. Thank you for bringing me back.


    "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. My heart beats only for you, John Smith. Please continue to take care of me in the future."


    We shared a light kiss. After our lips had parted, I somehow felt more intimate with this woman than even when we had engaged in more suggestive acts together.


    Aki then embraced me in her arms while giggling childishly. Closing her eyes, she stood up and left my side.


    Feeling lonely as she departed, my other hand was suddenly pinched by the American princess.


    "Somehow it feels like I am getting NTRed. Hmph!" Lillyined.


    "I''m sure you have a lot of role-ying you wish to try out, Lilly. I will do them all if you forgive me for times like this."


    "..."


    As if deep in thought, Lilly looked down while she blushed up to her ears.


    ''As expected from a pervert.''


    "You just thought of something rude, didn''t you, dear?"


    "Nope. I didn''t. Anyway, what do you say?" I proposed again.


    "Hmm. All of them?"


    "Every single one. No matter how depraved or humiliating," I stressed.


    "Okay. I''ll forgive you just this once. Don''t forget your promise, okay?"


    "Thank you, dear. My dearest princess is as magnanimous as the heavens."


    "Hmph! Jas is right, you are too good at seducing women."


    "I could care less about the rest of the world. I would rather be the best at seducing you and the Sirens."


    "Hmph! Don''t push your luck! I suppose I should follow the others and confess. Would you like that, dear?"


    "Only if you want to, Lilly," I reassured her.


    "Then I will be brief. John Smith. I love you. I may not have fought with you during the enlistment, but I want to be your woman. That said, I will only allow the Sirens to be your lovers. I forbid anyone else."


    Seeing her wless skin turn pink with bashfulness, I slowly pulled her toward me and sniffed her hair. When she flinched, I smiled and spoke words of affection to the North American princess.


    "Lilly Browning, I love you too. I ept your restriction and vow to be loyal only to you and the Sirens. We may not have fought together yet. But I vow that from this day forward, your enemies are mine. Against the undead, against the world, even against fate."


    Lilly giggled as she chastised my words.


    "My dear, you have a penchant for melodrama."


    "I don''t want to hear that from you of all people, Lilly. You practically speak in Shakespeare."


    "Hmph. Should I try to find my Romeo? He could be more fateful for me, right?"


    "Sure. But you should know that he would be dead the moment I see him. I am, after all, extremely possessive. "


    "Oh my, truly? Shall I tell you about the numerous rich suitors I have?"


    "Please do. I had a quota of body bags to fill anyway," I said with a savage grin.


    "Somehow I fear you might actually do it. Behave yourself, dear."


    "Then make sure you stay by my side forever. I would be crazy if you suddenly vanished."


    "My goodness, our first day as lovers and you are acting so domineering, dear."


    "Oh please, you pervert. You knew exactly how I would be," I scoffed.


    "I am not a pervert!"


    "If you say so, dear."


    We both ended up giggling like children. Despite all the problems with Earth and Hellsgate, it was moments like these that I drew strength from. Lillyughed happily as she rested her chin on my shoulder.


    "Dear."


    "Yes, dear?" I answered curtly.


    "Will you leave me one day?"


    "No."


    "I see," she replied.


    "Will you?"


    "Unfortunately, that ship has sailed."


    "What do you mean, Lilly?"


    "Find out for yourself," Lilly stood up and pulled me towards the others.


    "Come dear, the celebration is about to end."

 Chapter 253: Happiest day [2/2]

    Earl then came out with some white boxes as he called out in a loud voice.


    "Everybody gather around. This is ourst surprise of the day."


    As the Sirens and my family assembled in the living room, Earl forced me to sit in the middle.


    "John, these are gifts from us. The one on the left is from na and me. The one on the right is from Noelle and Bless. Happy birthday in advance, son!"


    "Johnny, open them! I''m sure you''ll love them!" na cheered.


    Bless looked excited as she eagerly waited for my reaction. Noelle had an awkward smile on her face for some reason. My girls, on the other hand, watched quietly as they beamed.


    "Thank you all, you shouldn''t have."


    I opened the boxes one by one and saw two guns in different colors. Both were Heckler & Koch, USP Matches. One was two-tone chrome and one was all ck. Along with four white boxes of hollow point .45 ACP ammunition, I became speechless at their gifts.


    "Surprise! You were always talking about ebony and ivory, right? We finally found them!" na eximed.


    Growing up with the two of them, the sisters saw my fascination with ck and white guns. Every Halloween, without exception, my costumes always had an Ebony and Ivory as their weapons.


    The H&K USP Match was a limited edition version of the USP. USP stood for Universal Semi-Automatic Pistol. It was meant to be exactly what it was named after. Unfortunately, while it produced great results, it failed to reach the status of 1911s or Glocks.


    Still, the USP Match was known for two things. Having insanely good looking built-inpensators and being featured in the Tomb Raider movies as Lara Croft''s weapon of choice.


    Feeling my inner child screaming with excitement, I quickly checked both pistols for problems. Where there were none, I worked the controls and dual wielded them. Unable to stop myself, I copied akimbo poses just because it was cool.


    In my enthusiasm, I forgot about everyone else. It was only when I heard several giggles that I turned around to see Be, Jo, Jas, Lilly and Aki all recording my antics on their phones. Noelle was also unable to contain herughter at my childishness.


    After regaining myposure, I returned the guns to their boxes and hugged the Simmons family one by one. What made these pistols special was not that they were the best or that they were expensive.


    "John, I don''t know what''s going on, but I hope these guns help you protect your new family," Earl whispered as we embraced.


    "I understand, thank you Pa."


    Noelle, on the other hand, gave me a stern warning, "Dipshit. Remember, you owe me an exnation. I was very much against it. But you know how stubborn you are. Only use them if you absolutely have to, okay?"


    "Thanks Ma, I love you. I will be careful."


    "Johnny, do you like them? It took months to track them down! You should thank Bless!"


    "I will, thank you na. I love them to bits."


    "Johnny, stay safe. Protect everyone."


    "Thank you Bless. I will, thank you for everything."


    No, I loved them because they were from my 2nd family. Even though it had been so long, they all remembered tiny details about me. It proved one thing, that the time we spent together was something they treasured.


    After I let go, I btedly noticed the time. We started eating at two. It was now five thirty in the evening. With darkness approaching, the Sirens were all in a somber mood. Noelle and Earl, remembering what I had said earlier, also seemed reluctant to end the celebration.


    Since I still had to finish my preparations for tonight, I needed to meet with Vincent again.


    "Ma, Pa, na, Bless, thank you so much for today. This was the best birthday ever! My new job ispletely remote, so expect me to crash here almost every day."


    epting my bullshit, my parents said nothing, na and Bless, who were smarter than the typical teenager, just threw themselves into my arms again.


    Then the Sirens all bowed in unison to the Simmons. "Ma, Pa, sisters-inw. Thank you for having us. We wille again soon."


    After their polite farewell, the girls all ran and gave my second family loving hugs. When the clock struck six, the Sirens and I left and drove to my hotel.


    With another night beginning, the Seeker War was now less than two days away. Everyone was silent, as if they had much to think about.


    When we arrived at the hotel, a bald man in a business suit was waiting in the lobby with over twenty burly people around him.


    Vincent stood up quickly when he saw me and bowed respectfully.


    "I greet my lord and the Seven Sirens. The preparations are finished, my lord. I have brought the armory. Do you wish to discuss matters now or tomorrow when you return?"


    "Take me to the armory Vincent, everything can wait until tomorrow."


    "Ah, I also have another matter, my lord."


    "What is it?" I asked nonchntly.


    "Probably the new bounty honey."


    "What do you mean Be?"


    "Savior has increased the bounty on you once again. 750,000 alive, 500,000 dead."


    "Yes, you are right, Mistress Isabe. I wanted to warn the Master of what might happen. It seems it was not needed"


    Vincent gestured towards the elevators with a smile. "Anyway, please follow me, my lord."


    We took the elevators and descended to the underground parking garage. In one corner of the area were the crates of weapons I had bought with my blood. Nodding in approval, I walked over to Lilly and gently took her hand.


    "Dear, can I ask you to bring these to Hellsgate? They are for the 2nd Amendment."


    "You are an incorrigible man! You treat me like a pack mule! Me! Of all people!" The untamedined.


    "Please, Lilly, you are the only one I can ask. I would not trust this to anyone else."


    "Is that so? Hmph! I guess it can''t be helped."


    Despite herints, I noticed my woman''s pleased face. If she had a tail, it would probably be wagging right now.


    Even with my upgraded [Inventory], I couldn''t even store half of the guns. While Lilly sent the crates of weapons to her storage. Be silently approached me.


    "Mr. Code. You agreed to turn them into Reapers?"


    "I have."


    "Are you sure, honey? They are notorious American gangsters, you know?"


    "You girls tend to forget that I am no saint either."

 Chapter 254: On that day [1/2]

    The rest of the Sirens either cheered or teased Lilly for her efforts. It was amusing to see herughing with them. Whenever I saw her with David or the rest of the White Guard, Lilly was always expressionless like a mannequin.


    Aki approached me while Be and I were talking.


    "Master, it is almost certain that you will be ambushed the moment you return. How do you want to proceed?"


    "Chingchong, do you still have no idea how Honey does things? This is the man who tried to punch a D-ss brute to death. How stupid can you be?"


    "Taurus-san, why do you keep calling me that? Please keep such vulgar insults to yourself. Or you might find your drink poisoned."


    "Try me, bitch, I am no longer helpless. Do you think I am afraid of you? "


    The return to Hellsgate already ced me in a bad mood, even though I had been quite happy just a few hours earlier. Aki and Be''s argument didn''t help either.


    "Enough! If you continue to treat each other like this, I will punish both of you! I will not allow anyone to disrespect my {Kindred}, not even the Sirens themselves."


    Unable to suppress my emotions, death resonance leaked out as I scolded my women.


    The other girls, sensing my outburst, all made their way toward me. Vincent and his men, on the other hand, were all kneeling on the ground, clutching their hearts.


    "Shit. I forgot there were humans here. Vincent, are you okay?"


    "Master, please forgive me."


    "Honey, I''m sorry."


    I gave the troublemakers the cold shoulder and assisted Vincent to his feet.


    "I am fine my lord. It seems you and the mistresses have much to discuss. We will take our leave. We will return here in the morning."


    "Please do. Thanks."


    "Then please enjoy the rest of the night, my lord. May your fate end the darkness."


    After he left, the girls all waited for me in silence. Worry emanated from their bodies.


    "Let''s return to my suite."


    "Darling, you got the penthouse right? Will all of us fit?"


    "Possum, is this one of those rich ces? Do you have a pool?"


    Jo and Robyn were obviously trying to lighten the mood with their small talk. But as I imagined the Sirens at each other''s throats, my anger began to burn.


    While I appreciated their eptance of the situation, my tendency to think the worst of people got the better of me.


    Throughout history, most royal families had legacies built on corpses. While polygamy was the norm, civil wars were simrly all toomon.


    The king''s harem devouring each other was not even just a possibility. In most cultures, it was an absolute certainty.


    Family members killing each other was uneptable to me. I was offended even by jokes about it. I had to nip this in the bud. If the Sirens ended up killing each other over me, I would much rather separate myself from all of them right here and now.


    It was still possible to protect them without being their spouse. They already had {Limitless}. So aside from not feeling their warmth anymore, I could get by as long as they were safe.


    When Jo and Robyn noticed my steely expression andck of response, they stopped talking and simply followed me.


    I felt sorry for both of them, but if I were to speak now, I might say something harsh that could hurt the ones I love.


    ''I need soulgears made from the devil''s remains as soon as possible.''


    When we returned to the room, I sat in a chair and massaged my temples.


    Jasmine and Aki wanted to help me, but I held up my hand and said in a cold voice.


    "All of you, sit."


    Following my instructions, everyone sat down. Somehow the Sirens all were seated away from Be and Aki. I noticed that they seemed to be really frightened by my anger. Seeing their pitiful expressions, my fury cooled a bit.


    "Everyone. Before I start, I want to reassure you all of one thing. I love each and every one of you. I may get angry, but my love for you will never disappear."


    My words had an immediate effect as Be and Aki''s faces lit up.


    "Okay, let''s start with why I got angry. I know I am selfish and a hypocrite, but that is another matter. I will not tolerate or forgive any of you trying to kill each other. I would kill anything that tried to hurt you. But what would I do if you all started going for each other''s throats?


    "Be, why are you so hostile to Aki in the first ce? Haven''t you tried to help her? And Aki, joking about poisoning my spouse in front of me is deplorable. If it was anyone else, I would have killed you already."


    "But honey, she tried to kill you! I can never forgive that! What if you weren''t prepared? How can I be kind to someone who almost robbed me of the light of my life? I helped her because I knew you would want me to! What happens to this bitch, I couldn''t care less!" Be stood up angrily.


    Be seemed to be acting strangely, just like me before. Was this a soul copse? I tried to remain expressionless as I watched.


    "Besides! She is a murderer! She killed her whole family! Does she even understand such a thing? What if she turns on us? Against Ma or Pa?


    I will not lose my family a second time!"


    Not to be outdone by Be, Aki also stood up and shouted back,


    "TAURUS-SAN! Are you really in a position to say something like that? What hypocrisy! How many women have you ordered to be publicly raped? How many did you execute for all to see? How can someone who blows up a hundred innocent people to kill criminals preach about morality?


    O Maria Chorando-sama!"


    "SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH, YOU DERANGED CHINK! They deserved it! The Comando Vermelho are demons in human skins! And I will wipe them off the face of the earth! One of their bombings killed my parents! I have lost the chance to have a happy childhood, thanks to those sick fucks!" she said.


    "Be, calm down! Stop being so emotional! Aki, you too!" Jasmine stood up to mediate.


    "And what of it, you disgusting freak? Honey, this woman pretends to be gentle, but she is just as crazy as her sister! The Ebony Stalker and the Ste Cadente! Both are considered mass murderers! Interpol has over ten arrest warrants for both of them!"

 Chapter 255: On that day [2/2]

    "Shut up Be! My sister did that to protect me! Leave her out of this!" Josephine roared.


    "Oh? And I should listen to the one who was clinically diagnosed as bipr, psychotic on top of schizophrenic? Shut the hell up, you fucking nut job! You belong in a mental institution in a straitjacket!"


    Josephine made a visibly frightened expression before looking at me. Unable to respond, the Italian sobbed as she ran for the door.


    "Jo! Wait! You!!!" Jas tried to call out to her sister beforeing for Be with a raised fist. The Brazilian didn''t back down and instead countered with a kick.


    The two exchanged a flurry of blows before Robyn and Liv forcefully separated them. Luckily my {Kismet} enabled Be to defend herself against Jasmine''s superior constitution as a descendant.


    "Be! What the hell is wrong with you? Regain your senses at once! You are acting like a fool! Do not take Beloved''s kindness for granted!" Liv roared.


    "Oh? Isn''t that what you''re doing? You came here to find a sugar daddy didn''t you, Northerner? Poor Princess Liv, stripped of her crown, came here to ask for someone to save her pathetic shithole of a country! Why should Honey have to deal with the stupidity of your race?"


    "Be! Shut up, you gger! That is too much! This is not what Possum wants!" Robyn scolded as she squeezed Be''s waist.


    Liv, who seemed hurt by Be''s words, tossed Jasmine aside and charged at Be like an angry bull.


    "[sh Step]. [Inventory]."


    Lilly suddenly teleported in between them and sted Liv away with a huge torrent of water. At the same moment, she raised her greatsword to Be''s chest.


    "Isabe Taurus. Inciting violence between Reapers is uneptable. Stand down or else!"


    "Or what? You will make me disappear as well? Get a load of this, honey. The White Guard is nothing more than North America''s rogue assassination squad. Anyone daddy wants gone, the princess buries underground. They even have the balls to turn their victims into soulgear!


    HAHAHAHA!"


    "Not another word Be, I mean it."


    "Do it, kill me, Lilly Browning! The one with the lowest body count here is Robyn. And she has over a hundred murders to her name. Can you believe that? Abat joey who has murdered entire ns has the lowest body count! HAHAHAAHA!"


    At her words, I saw Robyn bite her lip in frustration. Liv, soaking wet, got up and left without a word. Jasmine followed suit.


    Be continued tough as she covered her face with her palm. Robyn, who seemed to be losing her strength, departed timidly. Lilly lowered her weapon and frowned as she made her way out the door.


    I stood up and walked over to Be. Her boisterousughter seemed pitiful now that there was no one to hear it. Wordlessly, I took her in my arms.


    "You can stop acting now, Be," I said affectionately.


    "Huh? Have you be stupid too, honey? I just broke the peace and started a fight with everyone! What do you mean stop acting!"


    "Be, did you notice?"


    "What?"


    "You haven''t said a single word in Brazilian."


    "It''s Portuguese, you fucking idiot."


    I chuckled slightly as I continued to embrace this charming woman.


    "So what if I didn''t say Portuguese! You are mad at me, right? I tried to bother your beloved girls! Just throw me away and be done with it," sheined.


    It was funny that despite her words, she snuggled deeper into my embrace.


    "You tend to speak Brazilian when you get emotional, honey. Despite all your apparent anger, you arepletely level-headed right now. So this is all an act, with a deeper purpose in mind, like chess."


    Be flinched at my words. Then she started to hurl insults like a defense mechanism.


    "Ha! Foda-se essa merda! There! Happy? You are reading too much shit into this! I am just a useless woman that you threw away!


    I was the first by your side, now I am the veryst!"


    I said nothing but swept Be off her feet. In a princess carry I brought my voluptuous lover to the couch, sat down and ced her on myp.


    "..."


    After about a minute of silence, the Brazilian looked at me and asked shyly.


    "Honey, aren''t you going to go after the rest of them?"


    "I will, but only after you are okay."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Aren''t you going to scold me? Honey? I really messed things up."


    "I will scold you on Sunday when we are on a bed," I replied confidently.


    "This lecher! Are you nning to ravage us after your war?"


    "Yes. On that day, I will truly make you all my wives."


    "..."


    "Will you tell me what is going on now?"


    "Honey, why are you so sure that there is something more?"


    "Because I trust you. I know you wouldn''t do something like this without a good reason."


    "..."


    "Tell me, honey. I am the one who loves you the most."


    "This is too unfair. Why do you always throw my ns out the window?"


    "Because I love you."


    "..."


    "Now tell me."


    Be sighed deeply andid her head on my chest. The womany defenseless in myp, unaware of the danger her purity was in.


    "Each of the Sirens has a dark secret. Something we do not want you to know. I thought it would keep them from truly being yours.


    "When I heard your words to Robyn earlier, I knew we were being foolish. But the others would never say anything without a justifiable reason," Be confessed.


    "And you chose to be the viin, forcing everyone''s hand."


    "Yes."


    "I see."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Honey. Say something."


    "Why did you do that?"


    "I didn''t want anyone to regret it. I lost my loved ones abruptly, honey. Regret is painful."


    "..."


    "If for some reason we lose you in the war. I want my sisters to know that you love them, even the parts they hate about themselves."


    "Is that the same for you?"


    "Yes. I wanted to do this even if they continue to be stubborn."


    "I see."


    "Honey. I am Isabe Taurus. Commander of the Azul Legiao terrorist group. I hacked myself into the records of the CORE, I am not a real cop. I waged war against the Comando Vermelho, a crime syndicate in South America. They killed my parents when I was fourteen."


    Hearing her trembling voice, I hugged my lover even tighter as she revealed her true self.


    "Honey. Everything Aki said is true. I am a horrible person. That is probably why I ended up in hell. John...your words to Robyn. Is it okay if I believe them too?"


    I stole Be''s lips and gave her a deep and loving kiss before answering.


    "Of course. From this day on, I will shoulder all your sins. When Judgment Dayes, we will suffer the punishment together. But for now I will n how to kill the Commando bastards in the future, okay Mrs. Code?"


    "Okay Mr. Code," Be said with a bright smile, as tears streamed down her face.

 Chapter 256: Take responsibility [1/2]

    Be snuggled against my chest like a cat, her smile blissful and serene. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. I gently wiped away her tears with my finger as she remained on myp.


    "Sniff. How can you hear all this and still treat me so tenderly? I am a no-good woman! Normal people would despise me for killing innocent people."


    I lifted Be''s face and stared into her eyes.


    "Be. I would kill an entire continent if it meant that you would stay with me. I am done following the rules of others. I live this life for myself. I love you, so I will always be by your side. If I killed a million people, would you stop loving me?"


    "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"


    The intensity of my honey''s voice almost made me deaf. But her reactions were also beyond endearing.


    "Then I see no problem, right? I am a demon, and the Sirens are all viinesses. I think we make a great match," I said with a smile.


    I ced my hand on Be''s inner thigh before giving her a quick kiss on the neck.


    "Besides, you all made the mistake of letting me have a taste. After I win my war, we will go on a honeymoon. You''ve already lost your shot at ditching me."


    Be shivered at my caress, her breathing quickening as she clung to my arms.


    "Bastard. Now I am hot and horny! What if I can''t wait until Sunday?"


    "Then that is your punishment. Spend yourst days of freedom. Once you are mine, even death will not separate you from me."


    "Tsk. Dramatic much? Get moving. The night begins in two hours."


    Despite her words, Be made no move to get off myp. As I moved her to the couch, she pulled me in and gave me a French kiss.


    "Thank you honey. I love you very much."


    "I know. Make sure you apologize to the others when they get back."


    With that, I headed for the door, and as I walked out into the hallway, I saw my ninja waiting by the door.


    "Master, Lilly-sama is waiting for you at the elevators. Denel-san and Benelli-san went to the roof. Liv is at the buffet hall. Robyn is walking aimlessly down the hall..."


    I walked up to her and grabbed her waist and tasted her lips.


    "Mhm... Master, I apologize for making a scene. I understood what Be-san wanted to do, so I helped her with her act. Well, I was the one who instigated it in the first ce. I hope you are pleased."


    I turned Aki around and hugged her from behind.


    "I understand why you did it, Aki. But I do not like the way it was done. I love you, so I will not make a fuss. But your punishment will be on Sunday."


    "Sunday? You mean after the Seeker War?"


    "Yes. We will go on a honeymoon and I will ravage you until you can no longer stand."


    "..."


    Aki looked away with flushed cheeks at my lewd derations. Then I nibbled at her ear, whispering between bites.


    "Do you have anything else to confess? ves who ignore the will of their masters should be punished."


    "Ah! Wait! Anata! I! Wait! Please not there!"


    Despite her words, Aki hardly tried to free herself from my arms. She silently epted my actions, trembling with every touch.


    "I''ve already forgiven you for trying to kill me. Whatever you did before, it is now our fault and not just yours. From now until the day you die. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, Anata. I will obey your words."


    Then I felt Aki''s huge breasts while I kissed her corbone. Her sweet moans set my imagination aze. How could she be so seductive? I forced myself to stop after a few moments and sucked on Aki''s tongue again.


    "Good, find Robyn and tell me with {Connect}. I will meet with Lilly next."


    "Huff... huff... yes."


    I left Aki breathing excitedly. A random hotel guest saw our depravity and stared at me speechlessly. I invoked death resonance as I walked past him.


    "You saw a loving wife kissing her husband goodbye, nothing more. And change your fucking shirt. It''sme as shit."


    I finally reached the elevator and saw Lilly staring at the windows, admiring the moon. Her beauty put me in a trance, and I hugged her from behind like I was under a spell. I buried my face in her swan-like neck and savored it.


    "Mhm...dear, we are in public."


    "Should I kill everyone here?"


    "Don''t even joke about that. So? What do you have to say to me, dear?"


    "About what?"


    "That I am part of an execution squad, taking the {Fates} of dead reapers to make soulgear."


    "It''s very efficient."


    "JOHN! I am serious!"


    "So am I. What do you want me to say? That you are a monster? That I hate you? None of those things are true. I am more of a monster than you will ever be.


    And I adore you. What else can I say?"


    "..."


    "You have all heard my words. Whatever you did before, I ept them, they are what made you. If I deny any of your past actions, that means I reject you. Nothing could be further from the truth."


    "Why do you trust me so much? Aren''t you afraid of me?"


    "Of what? That you are a pervert? I''m used to it though?"


    Lilly pinched my hand with her fingers.


    "I''m not a pervert, you uncouth brute! I meant that I am a heartless soldier."


    Then I moved my hand and slid it under Lilly''s blouse. Not stopping there, I lifted her bra from underneath and fondled her breast, my index finger finding her nipple, which I attacked mercilessly.


    "Ah! Dear! Stop that!"


    "You are nothing but a pervert. My pervert. Nothing else matters to me."


    It was adorable how Lilly began to bite her finger in excitement. As I caressed her breast and it''s small protrusion, I whispered in her ear, making sure she felt my every breath.


    "I love you, Lilly Browning. As long as you never let go of us, I never will. Return to my room, Be should apologize to you. No more secrets from now on, okay?"


    Lilly nodded wordlessly and had a look of loneliness on her face as my hand left her undergarments. I straightened her blouse before giving her a parting kiss.


    After she left, I went up the fire escape to the roof. In less than ten seconds I saw the sisters sitting on the floor looking up at the endless sky. Josephine immediately moved to make room for me between them.

 Chapter 257: Take responsibility [2/2]

    Jas turned and smiled at me. I approached the empty seat and pulled the sisters to my side. For a few seconds we enjoyed the starlit sky without saying a word. At some point Jo spoke up.


    "Darling. Be is right. I am crazy. There is another person in my head. She keeps screaming for me to kill everyone. When I am with you, she shuts up.


    I noticed it during the enlistment. I am sorry I did not tell you. It is not safe around me. I should..."


    Not letting her finish, I snatched Jo''s lips. My hunger for her caused us to make wet, sloppy noises with ourbined lips as I thoroughly licked the inside of her mouth. Being Italian, she responded by pinning my tongue down with hers before entwining them together.


    After satisfying our lust, I pulled away.


    "Jo, I hear them too. I have a basketball team''s worth of voices in my head. I went crazy three times already. Would you leave me because I am dangerous, even though I love you?"


    "No, of course not, I would try to help darling get better instead."


    "Then never bring up leaving me again. I will spank you if you do."


    "..."


    "Darling, this is serious. What if I lose control one day?"


    "Then I will pin you down on a bed and fuck you senseless until the voices go away."


    "..."


    Stunned by my answer, Josephine began to giggle with delight.


    "Darling, you are a pervert."


    "So what? You love me anyway or have your feelings changed already?"


    "Never."


    "Then we have no problem." Iid her head on my shoulder as I continued.


    "I am your man and you are my woman. There is no fucking question where leaving is the answer. Understood? Jas, that goes for you too."


    "Yes, husband," Jas replied obediently.


    "Even if I use you to drown out the noises? Darling doesn''t mind?"


    "I don''t. My body, soul and abilities belong to all of you. Use them as you see fit. But tell me, what is this Ste Cadente business?"


    "It''s Italian for shooting star, I got it when I crashed a ne into a castle and disemboweled an entire order of knights."


    "Why?"


    "The owner of the castle kept trying to feel Jasmine''s bottom."


    When her words reached my ears, I unconsciously unleashed death resonance.


    "Hehehe, darling is so sweet."


    "Husband, I love you."


    I hugged Jasmine with my left arm while giving Josephine a kiss on the cheek.


    "Well done Jo. Are they dead?"


    "Not yet. Darling. Do you want them to be?"


    Amused by her words, I kissed her again. "Then it''s a date. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"


    "I hate Clive Zanardi. He forced my parents to leave their lovers to give birth to me. Both of them hated me for it. I also lost my mother figure Margaret because he wanted to make a me stronger descendant. He made my life miserable. Then when they saw I was Formless, they abandoned me like trash."


    While I did ask, the things she saw as an afterthought seemed more important than just hearing voices, then again, I didn''t really care.


    "I am sorry that had to happen Jo. I will kill him too."


    "Hehe, even a Revenant is nothing huh? It''s okay, it''s been years after all. But I am relived I finally told someone. I feel like an idiot for worrying! I love you darling! You are the best!"


    As Josephine hugged my arm excitedly, I turned to Jasmine.


    "Wifey, talk."


    "European descendants are sent to wars at 18. Jo and I were sent to Syria for a year."


    Syria was in the news when I was a teenager, I didn''t know if the war there had ended, but I did know that refugees were flooding out as the fighting intensified.


    "It was hell, husband. The death toll was in the hundreds of thousands. The Assad regime was ughtering and raping its way to stay in power. Going so far as to use chemical weapons and bomb civilians.


    "I took two scorpions and created a poison that killed people slowly and in the most painful way. Because I used ck feathered arrows, the soldiers began to call my killings the work of a Syrian spirit of vengeance called ''aswada ?¨¡?idi al?arw¨¡?i'' or the ebony deathstalker."


    "I see."


    Jas'' story doesn''t sound so bad, what was she so worried about?


    "My arrows were feared for the time I was there. I shot nearly 200 people and watched them die slow and painful deaths. For those I really reviled, I..."


    Sensing her shame and hesitation, I moved my hand from her waist to her hands. I gripped her right hand tightly as I reassured my beloved dark-skinned wife.


    "Jas, you heard what I said. No matter what you did before, I will carry the weight with you. Nothing you could do would make me stop loving you."


    Then she closed her eyes and buried her face in my chest.


    "In order to inflict the most horrible pain on those bastards, I first shot their entire families and made my targets watch as everyone they loved died a painful death. Only then did I kill them. I became frightened as I began to feel sexual excitement as I watched them writhing in misery. I am a sinful harlot husband. I am afraid that..."


    Jo let go of my arm as she felt my body move. I turned and pushed Jasmine to the ground. I buried my face in her bountiful breasts and began to pleasure her. Caught off guard by my depravity, she twisted her body as she moaned.


    "Ah! Husband! What are you doing?! Stop!"


    I moved my finger to her panties and traced it along her groin, a damp wetness showing she liked my tyranny. Then I put my tongue in her mouth and sucked on hers.


    "Mmm! Mmm! Pwuah! Husband! Stop!"


    "Jasmine Denel. What you did was not wrong, I would even have killed their pets for good measure."


    "You are foolish! I.."


    Then I forcibly put my fingers in Jasmine''s mouth. My wife''s eyes became misty as she began licking my fingers erotically.


    "Jas. What you saw that day did little more than change what excited you. Do not be afraid. I just proved it. Your lust, I can handle it. I will never shame you.


    I will take responsibility for satisfying your urges. I am here. So there is no need to worry."


    When I tried to pull my fingers out of her cute mouth, Jas held my hand in ce as she continued to lick me. Amused, I picked her up from the floor and whispered in her ear.


    "No need to get so excited about these fingers of mine. I expect great things from your tongue when we do it for real."


    The ebony deathstalker looked away in panic. Jo suddenly hugged me from behind. Her ample bosom pressed firmly against my back.


    "Darling, I am getting lonely, of course it will be the three of us, right?" She teased.


    ''Ugh, fuck! These girls are surely going to destroy thest of my sanity.''

 Chapter 258: As do I [1/2]

    With my flesh sandwiched between voluptuous bodies, it heated up as my little brother roared for battle. I twisted my torso and brought both Jasmine and Josephine to the ground.


    I made sure to support their heads so they wouldn''t get hurt, but still, my vigor would have bordered on assault to some humans.


    "Kya! Darling!"


    Consumed by lust, I brought my lips to Jo''s white neck and sucked. The act gave her a red hickey, like a brand, her wless skin marred by my love bite. Satisfied with my work, I licked it tenderly as Josephine giggled.


    "Hehe, Darling, that tickles."


    Seemingly enjoying herself, I turned to her sister and simrly went for her neck like a vampire. I nted my lips on Jasmine''s beautiful dark skin in a vacuum sealed embrace. A barely noticeable brown mark appeared.


    Jasmine, knowing exactly what I had done, gave a sultry smile as she whispered.


    "Now I bear your mark, Husband. Are you satisfied?"


    "Very."


    I wanted nothing more than to strip these two and make love to them, but I still had to find Liv and Robyn. Forcing myself to calm down, I swept my hands over Jo and Jasmine''s faces.


    "Jas, Jo. I still have to find your sisters. Be good girls and return to my room. Please forgive Be, she meant well."


    "We know, Husband. It was not what we wanted, but I cannot argue with the results."


    "As rude as she was, the peace I feel is because of what she did. I forgive her, Darling."


    Satisfied with their responses, I gave them both a quick kiss and helped them to their feet. I noticed that Jasmine was walking a little awkwardly and tried to support her.


    "Wifey, are you okay?"


    "I''m fine Husband, I just need a new pair of panties."


    "Oh. Then...can I have them?" I teased.


    "What the heck are you saying?!" Jas yelled as she pped my shoulder.


    Suddenly a soft cloth covered my face. It was emerald green and had lots ofce.


    "Darling, sister''s panties are soaked. Have mine instead."


    Lewd fantasies entered my mind as I sniffed Jo''s underwear. When I removed them from my face, the roof was empty and the sisters were gone.


    Amused, I put the panties in my pocket and made my way back to the lower floor. Aki was at the wall again, waiting quietly.


    "Master Robyn... Is..."


    Still horny as hell, I pulled Aki into my arms and yed with her goods. A few secondster, Aki made a dreamy face as she moaned.


    "Anata, please hold out a little longer. You may do as you please once everyone is ounted for."


    Knowing that she was right, I chose a spot on her neck and gave her a brand.


    "Ah!"


    This woman had the power to body m me to the ground. It was impossible to do this against her will. So of course she consented, albeit passively. When I separated from her. I caressed my love bite and traced it with my finger.


    "So? Where is Robyn? You seem distracted."


    "Ah. A-Anata, she is in the lobby watching the guestse and go."


    "Okay, I''ll be going then."


    As I was about to leave, I noticed Aki tugging on my sleeve. The Japanese beauty had eyes that seemed lonely.


    "I...I''m looking forward to Sunday."


    I gave her a light peck on the cheek as the elevator arrived.


    "As do I," I replied with eyes full of desire.


    I rode the elevator all the way to the lobby. A ratherrge lounge was nearby. Such ces were usually used for weing guests or where people who were in the middle of checking out loitered.


    An ethereal fairy sat on one of the chairs. She had a forlorn expression on her face. Robyn gazed at a family who had just returned from dinner. The family had three children, two teenage boys and a female toddler.


    The toddler seemed to have tripped and grazed her knee. And while she looked like she was crying, her entire family of three males and her mother were making stupid faces tofort her.


    Lost in the scene, Robyn hardly noticed me sitting next to her. Or so I thought.


    "All my life I have been alone, Possum. Even when I was surrounded by people, I was still lonely. When I got hurt. When I got sick. No one cared. No one even tried to help me."


    I knew Robyn was abat joey. But honestly, I didn''t know much beyond what I knew about child soldiers. Growing up, I saw plenty of pictures of young African or Syrian children armed with guns. After all, the advent of guns made it easier for them to kill people.


    But beyond those images, I rarely tried to think about what these children would do afterward. Would they still go to school when their fight was over? How would they function? It was only after I fell in love with Robyn that I began to care about such matters.


    "It seemed unfair. At least Be knew who she should be angry with. Jas knew hers was dead. But what about me? There was no record of my birth in Straya. I am a ghost."


    My heart ached when I saw my spouse''s sadness. Wordlessly, I picked her up in a princess carry and sat her on myp. As if on cue, my Australian lover turned her back to me and held my arms to her chest.


    "Possum, you know. I am so grateful to you. If you didn''t want me, I wouldn''t have anywhere to go. Before, I felt nothing when I killed all those people. But now I understand how terrible my actions were. Possum.


    I killed entire viges with the terrorist group. No wonder so many people hated me."


    As Robyn continued to loathe herself, I wordlessly hugged her. At times like this, just being there for someone was worth more than empty words.


    "Possum, I grew up learning nothing but how to fight. It was the only thing I could offer you. But after meeting your family, I don''t think I can anymore. Every man I killed had a family. Sons, fathers, brothers. I took them all from the warmth of their loved ones."


    They often said you cannot lose what you never had. Most people knew right from wrong. Said people had a moralpass before they made their first kill.


    Robyncked both the concept of morality and the concept of family.

 Chapter 259: As do I [2/2]

    Now that she understood both, it was only natural that she would realize the implications of everything she did.


    "Possum. My heart hurts so much. Ever since I learned to love you, I am terrified when I think of losing you. I know I would kill anyone who hurt you. But do I have that right?


    "I have killed so many. How many ankle biters have I turned into orphans? How many ggers have I made into widows? How can I live with myself now that I know? Possum, what am I going to do?"


    Hearing Robyn''s trembling voice crushed my heart. This woman was justing to grips with reality, and I felt that what I said next would affect her for the rest of her life.


    What was I going to say? Would Robyn believe me? Robyn had been a child, now she was finally bing an adult. What separated adults from children was being held ountable for one''s actions.


    I put my arms around Robyn and tried to remember what I knew about her. How would I portray her actions in a way that would allow her to be proud of her path? After a few seconds, I found my answer.


    "Robyn, you killed so you could live. If you had disobeyed the terrorists or chosen not to defend yourself, you would have been killed. You never actually murdered anyone of your own volition, did you?"


    The little woman nodded silently.


    "No one can me a lion for hunting a gazelle. They do it to survive. You are not to me. The ones at fault were the terrorists. You were a weapon, the one who should go to jail is the one who pulled the trigger."


    "But possum, now that I know, I can''t act like that anymore. I am useless to you. I have no right to receive your love when I have nothing to give in return."


    I only noticed it now, Robyn was slowly starting to speak American English. Is her sudden enlightenment the result of {Code}? While I was happy that she was starting to think about her future, I was also at a loss for the pain she was experiencing.


    "Robyn, I love you. I didn''t love you because you were the best at killing people. I loved you because you made me happy. Do you love me?"


    "Yes."


    "Then that''s all I need. I want you. I need you. Stay with me. When you can no longer kill, I will protect you. You don''t have to give anything in return.


    Just be my She."


    Robyn suddenly became restless and turned to me.


    "Possum, I have a body like an ankle biter, are you attracted to children?"


    Chucking, I kissed her tiny lips and began to fondle her tiny chest.


    "No kitten, I am attracted to you. Whatever body you have, I will be drawn to it. Wanting to love you is a result of my affection. Not the cause."


    "Mhm, then I will be your She. If it is for you, I think I can still fight."


    "All right, but don''t push yourself, okay?"


    "Yes, Possum."


    Robyn then looked back at the toddler being carried by her father.


    "I used to think she was more blessed than me. But not anymore. Having someone like you by my side is enough, I don''t need to know my original family. I just need to protect my new one."


    Overwhelmed by how adorable this woman was, I attacked her white skin and made my fourth love bite of the night. Surprisingly, Robyn didn''tin, she epted it.


    Feeling mischievous, I licked her hickey and whispered in her ears.


    "Kitten, there is nothing I can do about your parents. But I can do something about your children. We will smother them with love. I just have to put a baby in your belly this Sunday."


    "!!!!"


    The Australian went stiff at my words and began to overheat with embarrassment. I showered her with kisses as I picked her up and took her to the elevators.


    "Robyn, return to my room. Please let Be apologize. Are you feeling better now?"


    "Yes. Possum, could you pleasee closer?"


    I craned my face towards her only to be grabbed and then yfully bitten on the neck. It didn''t hurt much, but Robyn licked it like a cat in heat as she added.


    "Hehe, I marked you too. Don''t tell the others, okay?"


    Unable to resist, I attacked Robyn''s lips a few more times before letting her go. After she left, I made my way to the buffet hall where thest Siren was waiting for me.


    Liv was alone, crying as she ate. Usually people were drowning in alcohol. My Northerner must be a stress eater like me, from the looks of it. I noticed that the whole buffet hall was full of souls as I approached. On top of that, everyone had a dazed look on their faces.


    Liv must have used death resonance to force these people to behave normally. I simrly sent out a great wave of souls andmanded.


    "Everyone in this room whose name is not Liv Ivaldi, leave immediately."


    In the next few seconds, everyone left, including the chef, the waiters, and the receptionists. I walked over to the Northerner and greeted her with a smile.


    "..."


    Even when I smiled, the other party remained silent and continued to eat what looked like a turkey leg. Annoyed, I fetched arge te of food, then returned and sat in front of her.


    "Beloved, aren''t you going to ask me?"


    "I trust you Liv, I will wait here until you are ready."


    Liv began to squirm in her seat as I ate nonchntly. Considering the price of a night''s stay, the food was of course excellent. While I was enjoying my meal, Liv started to talk. If you took away the fact that we were reapers, this kind of looked like a date.


    "My love, Ie from the North, and that has been embroiled in a perpetual war. Nine years ago, the Northern Battlefront was breached. The undead poured into thends and my people were forced to stay in Hellsgate forever.


    "Bit by bit, we lost the surface until we barely hadnd to survive on. So we used one of our heritages, the Northern Ceremony. We took all the able-bodied people we could, regardless of gender or profession, and forced them to murder each other to be Reapers.


    "This worked for a while, but too many died. Originally, we only ascended those 23 years and older. But now the North sends everyone over the age of six to the frontlines.


    "My home is slowly dying, my love. And I am the cause. That is why I came to enlistment."


    ''Well, fuck.''

 Chapter 260: You are priceless [1/2]

    "It seems you know literally nothing, despite your association with Liv Ivaldi. Well, ask her for the details. My point is that the world is safe only because Antarctica is a special case; if the same thing happened anywhere else, it would be the end of the world."


    Zachary Lynch''s words echoed in my head as if mocking me. It was shameful, so much so that I wanted to kill myself. I kept saying I loved the Sirens, but I knew nothing about them.


    Lilly killed her heart to fulfill her duty. Asmander of the White Guard, she would have been at the forefront of most of the executions of rogue Reapers. Men, women, probably even children. Anyone with Reaper blood had the potential to be a Reaper.


    This meant that the chances of Lilly having to kill the same person twice were quite high. Once to end their human life, and a second time for their Reaper life. Being given such a task by David must have made her despise herself.


    Robyn knew nothing but war before today. She wasing to terms with the consequences of her actions and now had a new outlook on life that tormented her.


    Josephine heard voices that drove her insane. The fear of losing control never left her heart. Zanardi also destroyed any semnce of happiness she might have had.


    Be, though not the perpetrator, pulled the trigger on countless atrocities. And it made her see herself as nothing but a monster, all for the sake of her vengeance.


    Jasmine was deeply ashamed of her actions in the Syrian Civil War, but not only did she take pride in seeing her enemies suffer, she even took sexual pleasure in it.


    Aki lived a life of murder, all for her brother Haru. With his apparent death, the weight of her despair broke her, leading to the purge of Miroku. Unwilling to have her 2nd life under the same circumstances, she decided to die by my hands.


    Finally, Liv, carried the hope of an entire continent. She sought help because of her desperation and kindness. If she really was the reason for the fall of the continent, her guilt must have slowly eaten her alive.


    Be was right, these were all things most would not reveal. And they all wanted to hide it from me out of fear and shame. When I epted their darkness and vowed to carry the burden with them, they all felt happiness and contentment.


    Obviously, the same offer applies to my northern bride. Just like the princesses in the Isekai novels, this woman would sacrifice herself in exchange for saving her country. If that was the case, why was she alone? Why did no one help her?


    Liv stopped eating and made a sad face. "My love, my true lineage is that of a daughter of Erick Odinson. The Revenant of the North."


    ''Well fuck, she really was a princess,'' I couldn''t help but exim in my mind.


    "I... That is... Nine years ago, the same year the North was breached. I made a mistake. I.."


    Hearing the emotional voice of my beloved, I stood up and went to her. Liv was trembling. A woman who created {Withstand} was trembling. Overwhelmed by the desire to protect this woman, I dropped to my knees and took her hands.


    I kissed them as I solemnly told her.


    "Liv. My love. Take your time. Whatever shadows you carry, we will face them together. The promise I made to Robyn applies to you as well."


    When the Northerner heard my promise, thest pieces of her mask fell away. Liv began to sob as she continued her story. To see someone as powerful as her crying so pitifully, her heart must have been distraught to the point of shattering.


    "Sniff. My mother was a powerful Specter, she was themander of the honor guard. You remember I said I looked like a man, right? In the North, women are treated like cattle. To protect me, my mother cursed me to look like an Orc to men."


    "But you are beautiful? I never saw you as an Orc, not even once?"


    Liv chuckled as she continued to cry.


    "Yes, my mother said that only men who cherish me would see my true face."


    "Oh. Well, she is not wrong. I do love you."


    Perhaps not used to such direct praise, Liv looked away as she continued her story.


    "I was 21 at the time. Although I was technically a princess, my father had over two thousand wives, spouses, and lovers. With over two hundred siblings, being a princess didn''t carry much weight.


    "Among my father''s wives, the more children a woman had, the higher her status. Although my father had a veryrge harem, he regrly spent his time loving only three women. My mother was one of them. My father''s neglected wives hated her out of jealousy."


    "Was?"


    "Yes, was. My mother is gone. I killed her. On the day the dead broke out of hell, my siblings bullied me so much that I hid in my room. My mother left her post out of concern for me and spent the day trying to make me feel better."


    Just from the details of Liv''s story, I could imagine what happened next. But I remained silent, allowing my lover to finish her story.


    "I...knew my mother was busy. So even though she tried to coax me out of my room. I didn''te out just to have her stay with me. I was lonely. My sisters thought I was a disgrace because Icked femininity. My brothers, on the other hand, saw me aspetition."


    This meant that even in the midst of such a massive family, Liv remained alone. It seemed that every single one of my women had it extremely hard. My circumstances seemed blessedpared to theirs.


    "Looking back, my stubbornness in wanting my mother''s affection caused the North to fall. Because my mother was with me, the honor guard''s response was dyed. The sudden onught of the undead invaded our cities and caused catastrophic casualties.


    "The situation was finally resolved at the great cost of abandoning three cities. Luk, our head of wisdom, persuaded our council toy the me on my mother. As penance, she was sent to reim the fallen cities. She failed. And was pronounced dead a monthter."

 Chapter 261: You are priceless [2/2]

    "As the battle raged on, we lost more and more ground. Eventually, we did not have a single city left. We forced our people to be reapers to keep from starving. Nine yearster, our civilizationy in ruins while the dead still roamed the continent."


    I held Liv''s hand as she continued to shed tears at the story of the North''s fall. I really knew nothing. If Liv and her people couldn''t stop the undead, then what could America do?


    More than half of my countrymen suffered from obesity as body positivity poisoned our minds to believe that fat fucks were healthy.


    Our men were so shamed they wanted to be women. While our women were so confused they were basically either gold-digging hoes or super-sessful professional catdies.


    "My mother was branded a traitor and I was stripped of my birthright as a princess. But I still wanted to protect the country my mother loved. Against the wishes of the North, I joined the enlistment, all in search of someone to help me save my home," Liv confessed as she cried.


    She brought my hands to her face and wept silently into the palm of my hand.


    "My love, I am so sorry. I tried to use you. My love for youes more from your strength than anything else. But in the end I really fell in love with you. And now...


    "I feel so ashamed. Confused. I want to live and die with you. But I also want to save my people. The stronger you get, the more I hope. I am such a deceitful woman.


    I wanted to manipte you into fighting a hopeless war. I am so sorry, my love. I am so sorry."


    Liv then dropped to her knees and fell to the ground, crying.


    "John Smith. I vow that I belong to you from this moment on. But in return, save thend my mother loved! I don''t care if you withhold your affection. I don''t care if you send me to die! Even if you use me only for sexual relief, I will notin.


    Just please, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, I beg you, my love. Please save my people."


    Unable to stop my affection from overflowing, I raised the face of the Northerner I loved most. Liv sobbed pitifully, as if ashamed of her request. Why did she feel that way? Such a fine woman was willing to be my cum dumpster? How worthless did she think she was?


    I felt I had to correct this mistake. I gave her lips a quick peck and wiped away her tears.


    "Liv Ivaldi, you are sorely mistaken. Anyone who would use you just for sexual relief is a fucking idiot. I have extremely high standards. You, who are one of the seven I adore, are not worthless. Instead, you are priceless."


    Technically, I have already confessed to the Sirens three times. The first was when I talked to Noelle. The second was when I told them my demands. The third was when I gave them my {Kismet}. But none of my girls were normal. The idea that they were worthless had been beaten into them for the longest time.


    I, who also suffered from self-esteem issues, understood this well. The only way to gain confidence was to believe in yourself. Meanwhile, as her lover. My job was to constantly remind Liv that I was there. And that I loved her.


    "How can this be true? I have nothing to my name. No dowry, nond, no title. I am just an orcish woman with a body full of scars. I know of your kindness. And like a prostitute, I sell myself because I seek your strength.


    I am truly an obscene woman. I am the reason the North has fallen!" Liv dered.


    I see, so this woman hated herself for a past mistake. Her bullies and that Luk bastard must have med her for their stupidity.


    {Withstand} already gave an idea of how much hardship Liv must have been in. And all the time she had to do it without allies or support. A woman so proud, bowing her head, all because shecked the strength.


    With nothing to offer but her body, she thought she was taking advantage of my kindness. Liv wanted a life of her own, but her regrets and responsibilities crushed her under their immense weight.


    At first I thought Liv was crying because the food was so good, but she had been torturing herself like this. I really knew nothing. Since she was Formless, she probably knew how difficult it would be to get help.


    But despite her ims, I knew that this woman truly loved me. Much like the other Sirens, I was sure, against all reason, that Liv Ivaldi would never betray me. Unfortunately, her guilt made her believe she was a terrible person for manipting me into saving the North.


    Liv, who looked like a fortress that would never crumble, had scars deep enough to kill most men. Inside, she longed for love, attention, and people to lean on.


    Steeling my will, I replied.


    "Liv, I am your beloved as you are mine. Why do you think I will not help you willingly? Then what the fuck is my strength good for? Remember this, Liv.


    "I am Limitless. When you lose hope or have no strength left to draw from, know that I am here. And that I am with you. As long as I live, we will fight together."


    Loving someone was incrediblyplex. Patience, an integral part of love, was something that had no substitute. If my girls continued to need someone to validate them, then I would do it as the one who holds their hearts in my hands.


    "John! John! John! John!" like a broken record, Liv buried herself in my chest as she sobbed in my arms, calling my name.


    Like the rest of the Sirens, Liv had her own baggage to work through. Now that I imed her as my own, the responsibility for solving her problems was no one else''s but my own.


    "Liv, I love you. It''s okay if you don''t believe me right now. I will tell you every day for the rest of our lives. I ept your vows. And in return, I give you one of my own. For you, I vow to purge the dead from the North." I vowed.

 Chapter 262: Nothing to discuss [1/2]

    Despite the fact that Liv was much taller than I was at this moment, she seemed like a frail little girl. Sniffling and trembling in my embrace, who would believe this woman could shrug off tank rounds.


    ''For now, I am just d she feels safe enough to cry.''


    Most people, especially those with responsibilities, rarely allowed themselves to be weak. When you had no choice but to be strong, sometimes the best you could do was to keep together.


    I continued to pamper my Northern lover while she cried all her troubles away. The only problem was that we were both on the ground.


    "{Carry}, {Pack}."


    I invoked Robyn''s {Fates}. I picked up Liv in a bridal carry and left the buffet hall. My beloved was so engrossed in crying that she hardly noticed the change in scenery. I went to the lounge and found a good couch to sit on.


    Once we were seated, I stroked Liv''s back to calm her down. Like a broken dam, Liv continued to cry without pause.


    It is often said that tears are the sweat of the heart. Just as sweat cools the body, it was necessary to expel it. It was a brilliant analogy. Anyone who has struggled knows how good it felt to get all those emotions out of your system.


    I spent thest hour soothing my harem; while most would find it annoying, I found the time well spent. Making sure my women were emotionally healthy was just as important as their physical well-being.


    Eventually Liv stopped sobbing and just sniffled. The whole time she never let go of me. It was like I was her lifeline. When she finally recovered, she poutted unhappily. I found this extremely adorable, as before Liv had always acted like someone older.


    I gently caressed her beautiful face as I teased her. "Liv, my love, what is it? I''m going to kiss you if you keep making that face."


    "I''m just disappointed in myself, my love. I haven''t even shown you my good side yet and here I am bawling like a child. My dignity is in shambles."


    Chuckling, I hugged her tightly as I whispered. "This much is fine, love, you don''t need to be cool. You just need to be happy. It may not be right away but give me some time. Once I build up my strength, I will save your home."


    Liv then cradled my hand to her face as she spoke in a trance. "John Smith, thank you for falling in love with me. Thank you for swearing to save the North. Of all the people in the Enlistment, I thank the heavens that you were the one I followed."


    "You are wee Liv, I am the same way. As the one who holds your affection, I forbid you to ever leave me. You should know that I am a tyrant, you should have left when you had the chance."


    Liv then wrapped her arms around my neck as she gave me a deep and passionate kiss.


    "My love, the women of the North would kill for a loving man like you. I, who knew nothing but scorn, now know bliss most can''t even dream of. If being your captive is the price for such affection. I surrender willingly."


    After a few more kisses, Liv giggled as she rested her face on my chest.


    "If my siblings could see me, they would be amazed. My love, I keep discovering sides of myself I never knew. All thanks to you. Unfortunately for your future wives, they would have to kill me to take my ce."


    "Hmm, but I don''t have any ns?"


    "Hmph! My father said the same thing, and he ended up with over two thousand. Prepare yourself, women have always been prizes given to heroes. The more you save, the more desirable you be to many."


    "Then I will rely on the Sirens to stop them all. My cup is already full, just having the seven of you gives me so much happiness, I cannot carry any more."


    "Fufu, is that so? Then I am happy that I was even able to join your harem, my beloved. Hundreds of women would weep in the future for not being able to be yours."


    "Liv, before the Sirens I only loved one other, and she left me because I was not enough for her. You girls are strange for liking me at all. I am clingy, brash, overbearing, and poor."


    "Hmph, Caroline is a fool. She will foreverment how she let a treasure without parallel slip through her fingers. My love, you call yourself clinging, I say you are loving. You say brash, I say valiant. Overbearing? You are both majestic and reliable.


    If riches were all she wanted, she should have just married a bank."


    Hearing Liv make such a bad joke, I buried my face in her bosom as Iughed. Having the Sirens boosted my confidence quite a bit. And truth be told, I had been a Reaper for barely a week and had already made millions.


    I may have been born poor, but at the rate I was going, dying poor seemed an impossibility. But something struck me. Why does Liv, a Northerner, know Caroline, who was my ex?


    "Liv. Why do you know Caroline?"


    "Ah. Um... that is..."


    My Northerner began to stammer suspiciously and avoided my gaze. When she realized she couldn''t escape me, she exhaled in defeat.


    "Yesterday Caroline was looking for a job and she wanted to work for Lilly. We were there when they spoke to her."


    "Caroline applied to Lilly? For what? Did Lilly ept?"


    "I am not sure, the Sirens were divided on how to treat her."


    "Divided? What do you mean?"


    "Well..."


    "Liv. Please tell me. I want to know."


    "O-okay. Half of us wanted to kill her for what she did to you. And half of us wanted to protect her because you loved her in the past."


    Caroline was a woman I once loved with all my heart. Despite everything, I couldn''t win her love. Even though I had moved on, it still pricked my heart a bit. However, it was amusing to hear Liv''s words.


    Some of my girls wanted to get revenge for me, which made me happy because it showed how much they adored me. Getting angry for someone else''s sake was one of the purest forms of love.

 Chapter 263: Nothing to discuss [2/2]

    I no longer loved Caroline, but I didn''t hate her. All I wished for was her happiness, for she was someone who shaped me as much as my parents. And the girls who protected her understood that, my heart felt warm knowing that the Sirens knew me so well.


    "I see, which side were you on, my love?" I teased the Northerner.


    "I... do you promise to not get angry?"


    I found it charming that my anger was something Liv was afraid of. I kissed her lips as I answered.


    "I promise."


    "I was originally forced by Lilly to protect her. But I hate the way she hurt you, so I... I kicked her in the face. She''s not dead! I t-think?"


    Somehow, after gaining some peace, Liv started to show me all kinds of faces. Overwhelmed with love for this woman, I pulled her into my embrace and noticed that her shirt was caught on one of my buttons.


    I saw a glimpse of her white skin underneath the fabric. And even though it wasn''t wless, I nted my lips on her midsection and sucked, intending to give her a hickey.


    "My love?"


    Liv was not ufortable with my kiss and lifted her shirt partially to check my actions. When she saw the love bite, she caressed it tenderly.


    "I see. Is this how Southern men mark their spouses? Thank you for making me yours."


    Feeling Liv''s overwhelming affection, I said nothing and kissed her instead.


    While I wanted nothing more than to spend such a peaceful time with Liv, the clock was approaching 8:00 PM. And even though I was no longer a Wraith, I had to bring the weapons to the 2nd Amendment.


    Tonight was my 2nd tost night before the Seeker War. I needed to earn as much as I could to give myself more options. I stood up while Liv was still in my arms.


    "Ah!"


    "I''m sorry Liv, I still have a lot to do for tonight. Will you return to my room with me?"


    "I will."


    The Northerner got off me and switched to her serious mode. I noticed that many people in the lounge were staring at us. It wasn''t that I didn''t understand, Liv was pretty enough to be a movie actress.


    I invoked death resonance andmanded everyone in the immediate vicinity.


    "You saw a loving couple flirting, nothing more. Go about your daily lives."


    "My love? Why the oddmand?"


    "I do not want anyone else to see your vulnerable side. That is my right and privilege as your spouse."


    Liv then smiled dazzlingly as she rested her face on my shoulder. Since she was taller, it looked like I was her younger brother being spoiled.


    "Fufu, such jealousy. But don''t worry, I belong to you alone in this life and the next."


    Liv and I then took the elevator back to my Penthouse suite. When I opened the door, I heard the Sirens chatting as they rxed.


    "You''re just jealous you and the princess didn''t get one, Be. Possum was incredibly gentle."


    "If Dearest wishes to exclude me, I will tie him up and give him mine instead."


    "They''re here. And Liv has one as expected," Jasmine informed her sisters.


    "I don''t see anything though. Maybe Master really does give them out randomly."


    "See? I told you Honey wouldn''t exclude me of all people."


    "Eh? I was sure Darling would brand us all though."


    "It''s hidden under her shirt. Husband ced it just above her navel."


    "{Imaging}" x6


    Liv, suddenly feeling their piercing gaze, abruptly hid behind me. It was endearing to see her like that. And I wasn''t the only one who thought like this.


    "Kya! Liv is too cute! Jas, take a video quickly!"


    "Heeh, Possum can turn even Liv into a kitten, huh?"


    "Master''s love is overwhelming, it was inevitable."


    Lilly rose gracefully from her seat and then approached me for a sultry kiss. She then hugged me, exposing her neck.


    Pleased with Lilly''s childishness, I licked her beautiful neckline before giving her a hickey. She moaned in pleasure as she held me tighter.


    Liv took this moment to separate from me and join the others. After I finished my deed, Lilly gave me a quick peck beforementing.


    "Such a shame, I cannot see it. If only there was a way to get a picture."


    "Shall I give you another one then? In a ce where everyone can see?" I said as I ran my finger along her cleavage.


    Lilly pulled away from me and covered her chest. Her expression was a mixture of disbelief and anticipation. Before I could say another word. Be stepped forward and held her hand out in front of me.


    "Honey, we still haven''t talked about the Seeker war."


    I took Be''s hand and kissed it. Even though I know she tried to pretend she didn''t want one, I pulled her into my embrace and went for her neck like a vampire. With little resistance, I made my seventh and final love bite for the night.


    Be looked at me with ssy eyes as if intoxicated. I gave her a quick kiss as I replied.


    "There is nothing to discuss, I will go alone."


    The room went cold at my words. Even Be in my arms made a face like she was angry.


    "Dearest, I hope you are joking."


    "Darling, you already know we can fight very well."


    "Husband, exin."


    "Master, I am going with you."


    "Possum, you will have to kill me if you want to go alone."


    "My love, do you intend to make me a widow already?"


    "So they say, honey. Do you have an exnation before my sisters and I tear you a new one?"


    I somehow expected their resistance, and I knew logically that I''d benefit from having them by my side. But if something happened to one of them, I might go crazy.


    "You all insist on going? No matter what I say?" I asked.


    "Yes." x7


    I didn''t even have to ask why.


    It was because they loved me.


    Just as I would do anything for them, they felt the same way. So now we were at an impasse.


    ''Should I suppress their opinions for my own, or should I allow them to apany me,'' I thought inwardly.


    I have made great promises to my harem, but if I die, none of that will matter. The moment I allowed them to join me, there was now a possibility that one of them would not return.


    ''Hmm, what to do?''

 Chapter 264: To the letter [1/2]

    For most of my life, I have fought my battles alone. From my childhood, through my teenage years, to my adult life. Come to think of it, there was only one time I fought withpanions I trusted.


    It was when I fought with the Sirens.


    Normally, I had very little trust in other people. One general rule I had already epted was that everyone had a price. People will look out for themselves, even if it meant screwing you over.


    It didn''t mean they were bad people, it just meant that whatever you had to offer was worth less. So it was a question of how much you were worth. Those who were of little value would rarely find people of integrity and impable worth.


    That was what I used to believe.


    But the women before me were different.


    Each from a different continent. Each carried scars that twisted them. But they all had a fire burning inside of them, and their pasts didn''t make beautiful roses.


    Scratch that, they were immensely desirable blossoms. They might be divine roses, but they also had some poisonous thorns.


    During the enlistment, I had hardly anything to offer. Only my {Fate} and a single promise. Now that I''ve learned what I didn''t know before, my words back then were cringeworthy.


    Yet they all followed me.


    Even though I had nothing, they followed.


    Against the undead, against the brute, and even against fate.


    Though Lilly was not with us during the enlistment, she showed the same faith.


    She and I dueled, dated, and retrieved my father''s weapons. She told me what it meant to be a Reaper, and it was something I refused to ept.


    When I made more promises that I had nothing to back up with, this woman neither mocked nor ridiculed me. Instead, she epted and believed.


    Since then, the Sirens had acted as my agents. They saved Haru, gave Trinity the middle finger, and protected my family.


    After we reaffirmed our love for each other, I already knew that these women would die by my side. My life was already a battle, but they didn''t care.


    This Saturday I would be fighting the Saviors.


    If I survived, I would simply go back to killing undead. And after hearing the stories of my girls, I had even more people to kill.


    For Liv, I would smash Luk''s face in. I would also unleash so much Freedom on Antarctica that the dead would disappear.


    For Lilly I would brawl with David. And find a way to free her from killing Rogues.


    For Robyn, I would find the terrorist group that kidnapped her and kill them all. I also n to have Be find her parents.


    For Jo, my confrontation with Clive Zanardi was already set. I wouldn''t kill him right away, but I would kill him eventually. That would include anyone who harmed Margaret, her beloved nanny.


    For Be, I would wage war against the Comando Vermelho. It didn''t matter how big their organization was. I was a bastard who never tired and had unlimited supplies. None of them would escape me.


    For Jas, I wanted to go to Syria and kill everyone associated with the Assad regime. If the rebels were bad, I would kill them too.


    For Aki, although she already killed Miroku, I cannot forgive Trinity for kidnapping Haru. If I originally hated them for their shit, this time it was personal.


    Unknowingly, I was already on a collision course with three of the seven Revenants. David Thomas the Invincible, Clive Zanardi the Virtuous, and Erick Odinson the Unbreakable.


    This was on top of my already existing war with Hellsgate. If what Lilly, Liv and Be had said was any indication. Hell was about to burst open. If that was the only precedent, then there was literally no other choice but to prepare for it.


    If I was operating under the assumption that America would eventually be swarmed by the living dead, my actions now had rules to govern them.


    First, I had to secure my family. For now, the Simmons and the Sirens made up that group. This was non-negotiable, I would do everything in my power to make sure they were as safe as possible.


    Second, I needed to establish a base where I could ride out the storm. Most military bases needed three things: supplies, fortifications, and an army capable of both reconnaissance andbat.


    The 2nd Amendment intended to move near my home. It would, of course, help ensure our defense. If you add Vincent''s group, so much the better. I should also get Phillip and the LLG to move as well, if possible.


    Third was allies. It was impossible to never need help. Zach''s words convinced me of this.


    "Hell breaks open. Everything you see in Hellsgate thates to the surface. Hellsgate is a doorway to hell. Once Armageddon arrives, the number of undead would swell to a thousand times what it is now."


    Take any weeb familiar with adventure stories, and they have a name for such an event.


    ''Dungeon Breaks.''


    The event was somethingmon to most fiction that had dungeons in their world.


    "Right now, Hellsgate can resist, so we can even have peaceful days. But soon we will not be able to stop it. The only solutions are either to raise an army strong enough to be a breakwall, or to close Hellsgate from the inside."


    When such events happen in fiction, it takes a massive amount of effort on the part of the heroes to stop them. This was usually used to get the MC closer to his heroine or to make allies along the way.


    Zach''s words actually helped me understand that dungeon breaks were included in the media for a reason. They were a warning. It was not a possibility, it was a certainty.


    It meant that even if we could withstand the onught of the undead. These dungeon breaks, if left unchecked, would not only overwhelm most defenses, but destroy them altogether.


    From my perspective, things became extremely simple.


    Defenders had a huge advantage over attackers. And mankind has made giant leaps in this regard. Howitzers, mines, you name it. Give me enough time and I will make sure that not a single undead would be left standing.


    ''After all, I am Limitless. Ammunition, supplies, stamina. None of these things were a problem for me.''


    To support another country or continent, ICBMs and nukes were always an option. Lilly''s words were right. This age would be the best time to resist Hellsgate. Everyone knew what zombies were and what to do with them.

 Chapter 265: To the letter [2/2]

    That was all well and good, but it didn''t solve the problem I now faced. Probably aware of my inner turmoil, the Sirens all remained silent, waiting for my answer.


    That was one thing I loved about them. For all their strength, they submitted to my authority. The "Strong independent Wamen" was bullshit in this regard. Women were free to be as independent as they wanted, as long as they did not expect a man to solve their problems afterwards.


    Submitting to your husband''s authority was not weakness. To me, it meant trust and respect. The Sirens knew how I worked; they didn''t try to me me, shame me, or force me to do anything. They simply trusted me.


    Trust.


    That was what made them so amazing. They trusted that I loved them. They trusted that I respected them. They knew that everything I did was to protect them. The only thing that was non-negotiable to them was that I would fight and die alone.


    Knowing what I knew, with so many enemies, it was impossible to keep them out of all the fighting. They would have to fight whether they wanted to or not.


    I could put them in cages to keep them safe, but that would create a situation where they would be trampled on when the time came.


    Instead, if I raised them to be monsters, they would be the hunter, not the prey. Right. Putting a bird in a cage to protect it only weakens its wings. My girls were not the sort of birds that needed to be caged; they were eagles that were meant to soar.


    The best way to prepare them for theing storm was to get them used tobat. With each victory, their confidence would grow. Simr to what I told the LLG. If they wanted to change their fate, the only way was to take it into their own hands.


    However, I became frightened. I have already witnessed the girls all die horrible deaths. And none of them felt like hallucinations. The voices I heard before also remain in my mind.


    {E''en thy beloved kindred art no more! No matter which life, thou hast failed to save any of ''em! Forbear thy resistance! What more could thou even hope to achieve?!}


    What if one of my girls died somewhere along the way? Would I be able to handle it? Could I forgive myself? Even Noelle''s words reminded me.


    "It seems you are not convinced. Then let me go one step further. Say you marry them all. Suppose one of them is kidnapped. Would you leave six of your wives defenseless, all to save the one who was taken?"


    I was no hero, if my girls and the world were put on a scale, I would abandon the world. But what if the girls themselves were put on the scale? Could I choose which of the Sirens I would allow to die?


    My fists began to clench so hard that they bled. Death resonance spilled out of me in waves. My emotions began to be unstable as I wrestled with my inner chaos.


    What kind of man would choose to see his women suffer? Yet I had no choice. All because I was too weak. It always came back to being too weak to do anything.


    ''If I were a Revenant, could I protect them all? If I had an army, would that be enough? What if I had a country?''


    Suddenly I felt a multitude of hands embracing me. From the back, from the front, my head, my arms, even my legs were cradled in soft flesh.


    I felt the heartbeats of seven people resonate with my own. Their warmth drove all the negative emotions away.


    No words were spoken, yet I heard them as clear as day.


    ''Dearest, do not be afraid. We are not weak.''


    ''Honey, you worry too much. Watch us kick ass!''


    ''Darling, so long as we are together, no one can beat us!''


    ''Master, I would rather die with you than live forever.''


    ''Possum, life without you has no meaning, you are my home.''


    ''My love, let me protect you, this is my only selfish desire.''


    ''Husband, we live and die together. This is the fate I have chosen.''


    "..."


    Slowly, the fear, anxiety, and doubt disappeared. This was what it meant to love someone. When you were together, you were at peace. Just as I put their safety above all else, the Sirens did the same with me.


    Calming down, I gave each of my girls a tender kiss and spoke the answer they wanted to hear.


    "Okay, we will go together. But you all have to follow my words to the letter, understood?"


    "Yes!" x7


    If people saw my lovers, they would think the girls had won the lottery. While I was thinking about how stupid love makes people act, I noticed that the Sirens were all signaling to each other with their eyes.


    Then they crowded around Lilly and took packages of different sizes from her. The boxes were covered with ribbons and colorful wrapping paper. Be had the smallest while Jasmine''s was the longest.


    ''Was Lilly holding something for them? I wonder what it could be? Come to think of it, I still need to ask about the Caroline thing.''


    My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the Sirens stood in front of me with the gifts behind their backs.


    "Dear." "Husband." "Darling." "Possum." "Anata." "Honey." "Beloved."


    "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!" x7


    "Huh?"


    "Darling, we already knew that your birthday wasing up. It was a great coincidence that Ma also threw the party today!"


    "Indeed, it was like fate. How amazing, right husband?"


    "Well, statistically speaking, with Honey''s waring up, there was hardly any time left."


    "You ggers are too boring! Possum! Open my gift first! You will be grinning like a shot fox, I promise!"


    "Master, I am sure you will find mine most helpful as well."


    "My love, I had help from Robyn, but know that I also tried to choose the best for you."


    "Dear. As I give you this. Know that I havee to im what is mine as well."


    "Ha?" I asked, dumbfounded.


    "Hmph! That was your promise to me when we went on our date! Please don''t tell me you forgot? My dearest is not someone so boorish, is he?"


    Promise?


    I made a promise to Lilly? Apart from my vow that being Formless would be a badge of honor, I made no other promises to her.


    Lilly pouted unhappily as she crossed her arms.


    "Your gun, dear! I told you I wanted one of those, remember?"


    "Ah!"


    "So you forgot! Dearest, I am hurt!"


    "Ah no, wait Lilly, I didn''t!"


    "Honey, what date?"


    "Darling, fess up! What did you do?! Where did you go?!"


    "Ugh, give me a break.''

 Chapter 266: No one survives. [1/2]

    "This one is the only one that interests me. Can I have this?"


    "I thought reapers hated guns."


    "Yes, they do, because a gun cannot get blessed. But I intended to keep this as a memento not as a weapon."


    "Tell you what, the day you tell the world you are Formless that thing is yours, but until then I need everything at my disposal."


    "Such a cheapskate. Who knows when that would be?"


    "Wait for me. I will kick so much zombie ass by the time I am done, being Formless would be like a badge of honor."


    "Then I shall fervently await for that day to arrive dear."


    This was the conversation I had with Lilly, the weapon she wanted was the M60. But there was a reason why she created her fake {Fate} thirst. As a princess of the Battlefront, I cannot imagine what she had to endure for her status.


    I found myself making a grim face when I understood what Lilly was trying to do. Out ofpassion, I reached out to her and asked in a gentle tone.


    "Lilly, are you sure? I haven''t been able to keep my promise yet. I take back my words, you can take it without doing what I asked."


    My wife smiled brightly as she replied.


    "Oh my, my heart is blissful to see how much you treasure me. Dear, you are mistaken. Your promise to me has already been fulfilled."


    Lilly took my hand and held it to hers.


    "Top of the Annihtion rankings in the Wraith division for 3 days in a row after your debut. Most Dirge Sirenspleted in a single night by a mercenary. Top of the Annihtion rankings for a single squad. Commander of the 2nd Amendment Army. Chairman of the Limitless Logistics Group. Need I go on?"


    "But those are just..."


    "Dearest, after years of stagnation, the battlefront has been revitalized, all because of you. The Formless, a group that was once disrespected, are all using you as inspiration. The 2nd Amendment, a groupprised of the Formless, has begun to be a beacon of change."


    "..."


    "Everyone here grew terrified of being called Formless. Even with everything at my disposal, the best I could do was hide my true nature. It was shameful. But you, my dearest, were different. You stood up and fought on your own. Such bravery rallied my sisters to your side."


    Lilly then ced my hand over her heart.


    "Limitless. That is what the Formless wish to be called now. Many have found courage in your very name. To be without form is to be without limit. Dearest, your every action is so dazzling that it feels like a new dawn. I could never stand on the same stage as you."


    [Limitless, you have received a data packet from Minerva, would you like to see it?]


    "Honey, Lilly is not lying. These are the headlines from the other battle fronts."


    I checked Be''s message and looked at the contents.


    The majority of the information was in a number of differentnguages, with most using the Latin alphabet, and only a few using English. There were even some written in Cyrillic, Chinese, and Arabic. I had no idea what they were saying, so I tried to get some help.


    "{Interpret}."


    [Continental - News


    - [AU] UPDATE! His Majesty the Merciless Begins Subsidizing Formless Programs!


    - [AU] UNBELIEVABLE! Formless Adventure Party "Without Limit" approved after grueling application process.


    - [AF] GUNS! GUNS! GUNS! The African battle front ismissioning transporter-type Fates to try their hand at modernbat in Hellsgate! Apply now!


    - [AS] BREAKING NEWS! China, Japan, Korea and India Establish Formless research group, Fengshui!


    - [EU] EPIC VICTORY! Pro-Formless Party Wins Elections for European NATO Reaper Representatives!


    - [AF] UNEXPECTED! After Limitless, hundreds of Reaperse out as Formless.


    - [SA] "We never thought it would be possible." Pablo Ortiz bes the first Formless Phantom in South America! How does hepare to the legendary Limitless?


    - [AU] A NEW BEGINNING! The Formless of the AU unite to form the first ever Formless Army called "Limit Breaker".


    ]


    "..."


    "Husband, even in the EU, the Formless are no longer hiding. Eager to prove their worth, they are all training en masse."


    "A week ago, this wouldn''t have been possible. Darling was the one who proved it could be done."


    "And if it can be done once. It can be done again. Master, even without meaning to, the Formless all over the world had their souls set on fire by your amazing feats."


    "Possum is pretty fucking awesome. Why wouldn''t they be?"


    "And unlike the manifested, the Formless are characterized by unyielding will. Beloved, this all started with you."


    "Honey, because you have shown that people like us can fly, thousands now want to soar into the skies. And with the NA continent as your ground zero, the Formless areing from all over to meet you."


    "Dearest, none of us here has done a single mission in Hellsgate. It would be shameless for me to continue hiding under a false {Fate}. Not when the rest of my sisters are bravely raising their heads."


    "I couldn''t care less about what happens to the world. Lilly, I want to know if you are sure? I don''t want you to lose what you''ve worked so hard for because of something like this."


    "Ara, are you sure that you don''t want to give me your precious gun?"


    "Lilly..."


    "Dear, you are such a party pooper. Of course I am scared. I was already not well liked for being my father''s bastard. But I am also excited. I finally got over my bottleneck and progressed to level 5! And unlike before, I have the Sirens and you with me."


    "Okay. Then I will just do my best to take out all the annoying fuckers."


    Lilly giggled like a child and replied happily. "Yes, I look forward to it, dear."


    I moved to an open area and called for the M60 and all its ammo.


    "{Withdraw}! M60, M60 ammo."


    As the weapon appeared, the other Sirens all began toin.


    "Lilly, your gift would lose it''s meaning if you traded for it instead. Beloved needs this weapon, doesn''t he?"


    "Then you all give gifts and I would trade instead. This weapon has apanied my dearest in his constant triumphs. It even smells like him. With this, I will always have a piece of him to protect me when I do battle."


    "..." x6


    "Honey, hand over your entire arsenal. I want to trade as well."


    "Me too, darling!"


    "Master I as well."


    "Husband, would it be okay if I join the trade?"


    "Beloved, I don''t know anything about guns, could you teach me?"


    "Ah! Liv, that is sneaky! Possum me too!"


    And just like that, the Sirens each choose a weapons from my Wraith armory.

 Chapter 267: No one survives. [2/2]

    Jo took the AR-15 and a Punisher 1911 for her sidearm.


    Be took the 629 Competitor and Aira''s Skydio X2E drone.


    Jasmine, not surprisingly, took the M24 and one of the Punisher 1911s.


    Robyn took the de MAC-11''s and all the M26 grenades.


    Aki, a bona fide assassin, took the MP5SD along with the Ruger MK II.


    Lilly got the M60 and its ammo as she wanted, when most of the Sirens took two guns each, she decided to take the P30L as well.


    Liv, who didn''t understand guns, was left with the Winchester 1887.


    The northerner was a little sad at first, thinking she was getting leftovers. But when I showed her how to spincock the 1887, she was delighted. Even more so when she learned how powerful the 10 gauge slugs were.


    I barely had time to go over my gifts as I distributed my arsenal to the girls. They each gave me a kiss and switched to {Rewind}. Simr to me, they nned to take advantage of the {Fate} download function and have both {Limitless} and the {Rewind} family at their disposal.


    Although these weapons served me well, they were beat up and quite outdated. However, when I mentioned that I would just buy them new ones, the girls unanimously told me that I was being stupid.


    "Honey, it is not that we want these weapons specifically. It is because they have been with you in all your battles. They are like jewelry in our eyes. We couldn''t care less about the jewelry worn by others, no matter how good they may be."


    Since no one disagreed with Be''s argument, I figured that everyone felt the same way. It was a strange feeling. That someone cared about things I owned. But when I saw the girls hugging and even kissing the weapons, I felt quite loved.


    Of course, that was nothingpared to when I opened the gifts the Sirens had given me. Needless to say, they gave me an armory''s worth of guns. And they were huge improvements over my old ones.


    It felt like fate, as Jas usually put it. I noticed a while back that my girls had gun centric names. Maybe that was why I was already attached to them. Browning, Taurus, Benelli, Denel, Lithgow and Miroku. Those names were extremely sexy to me.


    Simr to when I picked up my father''s guns, I savored the sound of metal and the smell of gun oil as I carefully handled each weapon. I didn''t know what face I was making, but I was beyond happy.


    "Sisters, darling is making creepy faces."


    "It gets worse, Jo, dearest will soon be making expressions like he is making love to them."


    "Somehow I get the feeling that Husband is more seduced by those weapons than by us."


    "What? The panting and weird noises possum makes not enough for you? "


    "Are these weapons really that good? Beloved looks absolutely enchanted."


    "As much as I love Master. This is unsettling. Should we intervene?"


    "Let him be happy for a while. He is just a pervert. Even so, I think we should be happy that he likes them so much."


    I couldn''t care less what the girls thought of me. My new arsenal was oh so sexy. They mesmerized me whenever I pulled their triggers or their charging handles. I was also thrilled that none of the weapons were redundant.


    Each weapon would serve a specific purpose in my fighting style. Nothing made me happier than imagining how many undead my new kit would kill. I quickly pulled out the USP matches my family had given me and ced them next to my new weapons.


    It was only in those moments that I understood the Instagram people. With my phone I took pictures highlighting the beauty of each gun. I probably couldn''t keep my face from drooping with happiness.


    After about thirty minutes, I loaded everything into my {Auto}. Originally, I wanted to use {Fates} on them, but with {Limitless}, that would no longer be necessary.


    When the girls saw that I was finally done, they approached me. I couldn''t help myself and pulled them all into a group hug.


    "My kindred, the women I love the most. Thank you so much. I absolutely adore them. Your gifts made me fall in love with each of you all over again."


    Then I grabbed the Sirens one by one and French kissed them. Tasting so many high-ss beauties was a privilege given to the rich and powerful. Unconsciously, I was looking forward to Sunday even more.


    "My kindred, shall we go?"


    "Yes!" x7


    ***


    We were all summoned to the receiving area with a simr m to the floor. But unlike before, something was different. It was a scent that I had be extremely sensitive to over the past week. The smell of iron. The smell of blood.


    "WOW! He''s finally here! I told you he wouldn''t bete!"


    "HELL YEAH! About time! 750,000 souls, man. Let''s get to it."


    "Damn, he has some fine women with him, we can fuck their brains out, right?"


    What the hell was going on? I forced myself to stand up and saw over a thousand people with glowing {Fates} surrounding my squad. I tried to scan the area only to find a sight that made my blood boil.


    My fury exploded as death resonance roared from my body.


    "WHO THE FUCK DARES TO TOUCH MY PEOPLE?!"


    Far away from us were the members of 2nd Amendment. All of them were bleeding from a variety of injuries. ire and Ang, while also bloody, were thankfully still clothed. But the sight of my injured men made my sanity slowly slip away.


    "Now, now, if you don''t stop that I can''t promise they''ll be able to keep their faces."


    I turned to see Yvonne and Phillip in the hands of the thugs. A man stepped forward who looked like a fucking douche bag. He was pulling Philip''s hair as he carried my chief saint by the neck. My exclusive clerk was unconscious and was not moving as he was dragged across the floor.


    "Patron! Don''t worry about me! I have been through worse! Fuck them up!"


    My mind suddenly fell silent. It was said that when anger reaches its absolute limit, it no longer manifests itself as intense emotion, but as the absence of it.


    "Why?" I asked coldly.


    "750,000 souls, bro! Do you know what we could do with that amount of money? And we can even nail some chicks while we are at it! Thanks for bringing them by the way. We will enjoy their pussies to the fullest."


    "Jas."


    At my words, a high-powered 7.62 round shattered the douche bag''s skull. Yvonne and Phillip both fell to the floor.


    "Robyn."


    Suddenly, a white blur picked up all the hostages and set them aside.


    "Liv."


    A tall woman mmed her shield in front of my people, forming the most reliable wall.


    Due to the speed of my girls, hardly anyone could react. Only then did they all scream when they saw their leader with only half his skull. The corpse slowly stood up as it searched for its face.


    "Lilly."


    "Yes, dear?"


    "No one survives."


    "Yes, dear."


    Like a death sentence, the rest of my girls drew their weapons. The princess then roared with {Announce}.


    "I! LILLY BROWNING KINDRED OF LIMITLESS, BY MY COMMAND AUTHORIZE THE USE OF LETHAL FORCE! SPARE NO ONE! SEVEN SIRENS! OPEN COMBAT!"


    And so, our night began.

 Chapter 268: Heroine Chapter: Insolent bastards [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Aki Miroku


    ___


    Ever since he became my master, I have always watched him. This man, kind to a fault, extremely loving and unyielding like steel. And he was enraged. More so than when I tried to kill him.


    Although there was a big difference between the current situation and what I did a few days ago. Back then, I was careful not to do any harm to anyone but him. This was his absolute bottom line.


    My master may have been a monster when you were in a fight with him, but if you touched his loved ones, he would turn into a demon.


    The Sirens, who all saw the wrath of the one we loved, knew how to respond.


    "Jas."


    Faster than the eye could see, the ebony death stalker sted the head of the so-called leader.


    "Robyn."


    The white-tailed spider danced as if there were a hundred of her. In less than a few seconds, the members of the 2nd Amendment, Phillip, and the Saint were all safely on our side.


    Even though we were technically surrounded by over a thousand people. But right now, I don''t think anyone was even thinking about that fact. Everyone''s focus was on the huge mass of souls erupting from my master.


    ''He must have invoked {Limitless}.''


    "Liv."


    Probably understanding her role, our northerner mmed her shield in front of the injured. Considering what we knew of my master. There was only one way this could go.


    If John Smith willingly massacred 26 Reapers in cold blood, just for association. What would happen to the hundreds here who were not only hurt his people, but also threatened his harem?


    "Lilly."


    "Yes, dear?"


    "No one survives."


    "Yes, dear."


    ''Of course it would be like this. Fortunately, none of my sisters had any problems with the task. If only those fools hadn''t touched someone from Administration, they might have at least kept their lives.''


    "I! LILLY BROWNING! KINDRED OF LIMITLESS, BY MY COMMAND AUTHORIZE THE USE OF LETHAL FORCE! SPARE NO ONE! SEVEN SIRENS! OPEN COMBAT!"


    "W-what! What are you talk..." a man tried to reason before a bullet pierced his forehead.


    "Sirens, please switch to wordlessmunication, honey, you too."


    This was one of the tactics the Sirens nned while Master fondled his guns like a pervert.


    "Since everyone has {Code}. I will set up a server, just connect to it so we can fight without speaking," Be suggested.


    I closed my eyes and called Be''s {Fate}.


    "{Connect}."


    [Inari connected, Wee to the Minerva Network!]


    [Members online: Minerva (Admin), Henry, Alphonso, Sabel, Ishtar, Rhiannon, V, Satis]


    [Exa connected]


    [Minerva: let''s wait for Liv. Ishtar, can you let my kids out to y?]


    [Ishtar: okay.]


    [Satis: Exa, why is husband not here? Tell him that I will eliminate all members of theirmand structure. So he can rage to his heart''s content.]


    [Exa: On behalf of Limitless, Roger that, Satis]


    [Rhiannon: g, tell Possum everyone is safe, I gave them {heal} tablets. And where is he?]


    [Exa: I thank you in the name of Limitless, Rhiannon. Limitless is currently torturing the leader of this group. He is busy at the moment.]


    [Freyja connected]


    [Freyja: Apologies for beingte.]


    [Minerva has muted the chat]


    [Minerva: Everyone is here. I will give you all the situation. We have over nine hundred enemies surrounding us. Most of them Wraiths with about thirty Phantoms from different groups. Ishtar, over 700 of them are rogues. They have no registration on any battlefront.]


    [Minerva: We can kill everyone without issues. Mostly because Ishtar is present and they have messed with someone from Administration. Our vanguard will be Ishtar. Rhiannon and Inari will apany her. Freyja and I will guard our wounded. Satis, V and my children will clean up.]


    [Minerva has unmuted the chat]


    [Rhiannon: Get stuffed, Be! Stop muting people just because you can!]


    [Ishtar: I find your abuse of power quite deplorable as well.]


    [V: Who cares! Everyone lets party! Most kills gets a date with Darling!]


    [Freyja: Anyone want to trade with me? I can defend, but...]


    [Satis: Minerva, get me vision of the northwest as soon as possible.]


    [Minerva: On it. V, feel free to use Alphonso as a mount. Henry, form a perimeter around my position. Sabel track everyone in the battle zone.]


    [V: Thanks!]


    [Alfonso | Henry | Sabel: Yes Mother.]


    The advantage of using {Connect} was that we couldmunicate faster than words. Almost at the speed of thought. As long as we were connected to Be, we were part of herwork.


    A loud crash came as Be''s children entered the battlefield. They were made up of thetest hardware when it came to unmannedbat. I was actually the first to question Be about her supposed "children".


    After all, if she was a risk to Master, I would kill her even if I had to earn his ire.


    However, Be proudly gushed and praised her children as she introduced them, as if she were bragging about her flesh and blood. They were a trio of highly advanced tacticalbat artificial intelligences she had developed.


    Lilly-sama then spoke to her GRI and instructed those in charge.


    "This is Reaper NA20010329-FRM, Administratio, seal off the receiving area and call the White Guard. 700 hostile rogues have invaded the battlefront."


    A blinding light then erupted from the ground around our battle zone, sealing us in. Of course, Administration had taken precautions in case the battlefront was attacked.


    [Ishtar: Inari, Rhiannon. Please keep up, I am advancing!]


    [Rhiannon: Hmph. The date with the possum is mine!]


    [Inari: Roger that, Ishtar-sama.]


    Wordlessly, the Sirens moved. Lilly-sama, Robyn and I rushed forward, past my master. He was busy torturing the ringleader. Considering how merciless his face was. Everyone chose to focus on his orders instead.


    [Alphonso: Lady V, please get on.]


    [V: Wow! You''re even bigger than I thought! Aren''t you a tank?]


    [Alphonso: I am in a sense, Lady V]


    [V: Your Be''s son, right? Call me aunt!]


    [Sabel: Mother, the Puma 3 AE is airborne and heading northwest. The Skydio X2E has started mapping while the Hos have started reconnaissance. Three Switchdes are also airborne].


    [Henry: Mother, I have deployed the MAARS around the 2nd Amendment. Beginning extermination.]


    [Minerva: Well done, my children! Everyone! Sabel''s readings just came in. Uploading tactical data.]


    Alphonso, Henry and Sabel had unique specialties, ording to Be. They specialized in frontlinebat, area suppression, and aerial reconnaissance, respectively.


    And as machines, they had not even an ounce of mercy.


    Despite the fact that the Wraiths were armed with manifested weapons, their bodies remained human. Screams rang out as the Sirens and Be''s children began to ughter their enemies.

 Chapter 269: Heroine Chapter: Insolent bastards [2/2]

    The receiving area of the battlefront was a t field about three footballs fields wide and a football field long. As far as I knew, the entire battlefront had warp restrictions except for this one area.


    Also meant to defend against assault, this area had Soul Barriers surrounding it like a cage. ording to Be''s data, nearly five hundred Wraiths were attempting to encircle the 2nd Amendment.


    Unfortunately for them, Liv was there, and as long as she was, they would not be able to get through. Be and Henry also covered her, while Alfonso and Josephine exterminated those around them.


    From time to time I heard loud bangsing from behind me. Their targets? Any Reapers foolish enough to attempt tomand the battlefield. With {Limitless}, my enhanced vision allowed me to see the carnage Jasmine Denel was unleashing.


    Even from this distance, panic and fear spread like wildfire.


    "ARGGHH! HE''S DEAD! Something shattered his forehead!"


    "At this distance? How? What kind of bow are they using?! Is it a long-range {Fate}?"


    "Shut up! Shielders! Get in front..."


    "NO!!!! LEADER! FUCK...! The leader is dead!"


    As expected from her immense intellect, Jasmine systematically assassinated the enemymanders. ustomed to fighting inrge-scale wars, she alone had the greatest effect in this battle.


    [Ishtar: Satis, why don''t you assist your sister? Stop being rude and disrupting the front! You are deliberately sabotaging my chances for the date!]


    [Satis: I have no idea what you are talking about.]


    [Rhiannon: You ggers run too fucking slow! I''m charging!]


    "[BATTERING RAM]!"


    Robyn stepped out of our arrow formation and elerated, a blue cone of energy manifesting in front of her as she moved like a speeding bullet.


    [Ishtar: Inari! We are also charging!]


    [Inari: Yes Ishtar-sama!]


    "[BATTERING RAM]!" x2


    When the hundreds of people in front of us saw the approach, they were still waiting for their leaders to give them instructions. Fear could be seen on their faces as everyone who tried tomand the battle suddenly lost his head.


    Suddenly, a line of shielders marched slowly forward. They were slow, but their tactics were simr to the Spartan phnx.


    [Minerva: This is the Priority 4 mercenary army, Sons of Mars. Be careful not to engage them in a melee. Sabel, take them out.]


    [Rhiannon: Get stuffed Be and do the Harry! They are mine!]


    Robyn then took out four M26 grenades and coiled her arm.


    "{HIKE}! {ASCEND}! FIRE IN YOUR HOLE!"


    Like a cannon, Robyn''s arm threw the grenades at breakneck speed. Less than a secondter, the phnx not only broke, but waspletely obliterated. Lilly-sama also pulled out her M60 and began to gun down the survivors without mercy.


    Needless to say, the bullets pierced the Wraiths as effectively as zombies.


    "FUCK! GET DOWN!"


    "WHAT DO WE DO?! WHAT CAN WE DO?!"


    "EASY MARK MY ASS! THESE BITCHES ARE CRAZY!"


    "AH FUCK IT! UNTAMED! I CHALLENGE YOU TO AN HONORABLE DU..."


    "TOBY!!! FUUUUUUCCKKKK!! THIS IS HOPELESS! I am getting out of here!


    "Game over, man! Run!"


    Without the coordination of a leader, this group was nothing more than a disorganized mob. Their lines began to break as they split between those who wanted to stay and those who wanted to fight.


    Robyn, who finally collided with the enemy, was like a bull in a china shop, there was no stopping her.


    "CHANT COMPLETE! ARCANE PARTY! SPELLS OUT!"


    "OH NO YOU DON''T! {PORTAL}!"


    Over twenty mages raised their staffs as they shot spells from their {Fates} at Robyn! But before the magical projectiles could hit her, orange portals positioned themselves between thebat joey and the magical projectiles.


    Helplessly, the deadly spells entered the subspace and vanished into thin air. Lilly-sama and I were each aimed for the enemy formation''s nks.


    "You can have this back! {Withdraw}! Like aet, the Untamed collided with the right nk. The impact and force instantly pulverized those in the immediate vicinity. The kic energy mmed into anyone still standing like a thunderous sonic boom.


    As if that were not enough, the dozens of spells that Lilly-sama had absorbed were thrown back and fell like rain! The ferocity of the spells decimated the rogue Wraiths. Lilly-sama''s brutality was matched only by her efficiency.


    Surrounded by enemies, Lilly-sama and Robyn made full use of their new weapons. Unlike when they only had swords, they no longer had to fight at close quarters. Now, they simply danced in a hailstorm of gunfire.


    "I guess I can''t fall behind. {Umbra}"


    The impact area where I arrived also created shockwaves, but in contrast to the others. My side was afraid for a different reason.


    "Dude! What the hell just happened?"


    "Oy! Are you still alive, get up!"


    Wordlessly, I pulled out the Ruger MK II and the MP5SD. I dashed to the back of their group and began to execute them with bullets to the head. With everyone''s focus on the front, it took a while before anyone even noticed what I was doing.


    "Fuck, what should we do, homes? Should we just run away?"


    "..."


    "Oy! Why are you ignori...Hiiii!"


    Amidst the muffled gunfire, most of the people I killed were still standing. The eeriness of them falling dead at the slightest touch served my purpose.


    "FUCK!! HE''S DEAD! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!"


    "Calm down you Idiot! Its an invisible enemy!"


    "What?!"


    "This guy''s got a bullet hole in his ear! The sniper didn''t do that!"


    One by one, I shot the people and then ran away, due to the seemingly random ces I attacked, I was able to execute nearly 40 people before they learned of my presence.


    {Umbra} was a soulgear that granted invisibility. As long as no one recognized my existence, its power would not be revealed. Although my weapons were rather weak in terms of calibers, [Weak Point Targeting] made me extremely efficient.


    Unfortunately, as more and more people died, my cover began to fade.


    "Ah! There! A woman!" "Kill her!" "She''s one of them!"


    "Good evening everyone, I am Aki Miroku, you insolent bastards tried to hurt my master. Prepare to die!" I dered.


    I holstered the Mk II and charged the Wraiths. Using the MP5SD in single fire made me inconspicuous. Even if they knew I was here, in such arge group, it would take time to find me.


    I shot a person in the temple and then used his body as a shield and a weapon. The sleight of hand made them focus more on the bodies than myself. And for the Phantoms? With [Weakness Targeting], I just shot their Soulgems without a second thought.


    9mm rounds made short work of the Wraiths. Using Judo and Aikido, I hid and fought in close quarters among the enemy. Fighting like that was too easy. Every time I squeezed the trigger I made a new corpse..


    Manifested Phantoms usually treated their {Fates} like golden fingers. Even though they were not. As a result, everyone was too focused on using their powers to counter me.


    Like a machine, I just repeated my actions. Kill-Vanish-Kill-Reload. Regardless of their screams, their pleas, or their curses, each kill made the battlefield quieter. Until less than ten minutester, absolute silence dominated the receiving area.

 Chapter 270: Please explain. [1/2]

    "I! LILLY BROWNING KINDRED OF LIMITLESS, BY MY COMMAND, AUTHORIZE THE USE OF LETHAL FORCE! SPARE NO ONE! SEVEN SIRENS! OPEN COMBAT!"


    Knowing I had the most reliable people behind me, I ignored the hundreds of Reapers and focused on the headless bastard in front of me. For some reason, he didn''t scream, even though he had a mouth.


    "Sirens, please switch to wordlessmunication, honey, you too," Be ordered.


    [Exa, join the Sirens in my ce. I do not wish to be disturbed].


    [Understood.] Exa replied robotically.


    The douche Jas had attacked was obviously a Phantom. Like a draugr, he tried to pat around helplessly, looking for the top half of his head. Unlike the yer, this idiot was a novice in Reaperbat.


    "[Inventory] M1014."


    The M1014 was the military variant of the Benelli M4 Super 90bat shotgun. Unlike the shotguns used for ducks and deer,bat shotguns had two major differences.


    First was the barrel; while most shotguns were used for hunting, they had longer barrels to increase uracy. Combat shotguns were designed for trench warfare. So they had shorter barrels and regrly used 00 buckshot shells.


    Unlike rifles, which had rifled barrels, shotguns were smooth-bore. This meant that their ammunition didn''t spin and was therefore only suitable for short distances.


    Consequently, all of these factors ensured that shotguns had a terrible range beyond 30 yards. But their uracy at that distance was unmatched.


    00 buckshot rounds meant nine 0.33-inch pellets as opposed to therger buckshot numbers. The #4 Buckshot for example, which had more 21-28 pellets, hit less harder individually but as a whole their stopping power was better. Especially for smaller targets.


    The second difference was the magazine capacity, 5 rounds is enough for anything but the military. Of course, with the Exa, magazine size no longer mattered to me.


    Many things have changed over the years, but the primary purpose of the shotgun inbat has remained the same.


    I aimed the M1014 at the fucker''s chest and let loose. The 12-gauge buckshot had enough momentum to knock the bastard to the ground like a quarterback tackling him. Seven shots rang out and the phantom''s torso was Swiss cheese.


    Just as I was about to run out of ammo, Exa reloaded my weapon as I felt it getting heavier.


    As he writhed in agony, I pointed to the man''s groin and fired three more rounds. Moving violently as if on adrenaline, I sadistically continued to destroy his elbows and kneecaps.


    Normally, I would use {Reveal} to find his Soul Gem. But with [Eagle Eye], a single thought is enough to reveal his soul gem. [Weak Point Targeting] would also ensure that if I decided to finish him off, one shot would be enough.


    The top half of his head was still covered in shadows. But perhaps he had finally regained his ability, he began to scream in pain. Annoyed, I dropped the M1014 and drew the Raging Hunter.


    "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU! I MPHPMH!"


    I shoved the business end of my .500 Magnum revolver into his mouth. The .500 Smith and Wesson Magnum was made for taking down grizzlies. And the Taurus revolvers were one of the best ways on the market to deliver this monstrous payload.


    "Get one thing straight, Phantom, there is no way you are going to escape me after today. The only question is how much pain you suffer. I can see your soulgem. It is under your left heel."


    Upon hearing my words, the man stopped resisting and began to tremble. As I brutally smashed his elbows and knees, his limbs were no longer connected to each other. This simply meant that he was beyond helpless at the moment.


    I stepped on his crotch and twisted my shoes like I was squashing a cockroach.


    "Tell me what I want to know and maybe I will let you rest after I have had my fun. Otherwise, you will live a life of nothing but pain from today until Armageddon."


    Though he could barely speak, his grunts and muffled screams told me how much pain he was in. I drew an F90 MBR to my left hand and began firing at his midsection. Already on the ground, my shots caused his body to dance as if he was being electrocuted.


    "GHGHHHHHHHHHH!!!! HMMPGGGG!! HGHHSHGH!" Guttural sounds came from his throat as he continued to suffer.


    "Who told you toe after me? And how did you form this huge army?"


    I pulled out the Raging Hunter and allowed my prisoner to speak.


    "NO ONE, YOU FUCKING COCKSUCKER! I SWEAR AFTER I GET THROUGH! HMPGGHPH!"


    Unwilling to wait for his curse, I pumped holes in his throat with .500 magnums. Blood began to pour in, causing the phantom to choke on his own blood.


    Still raining bullets down on his body, I slowly moved the target of the F90 to his heel. The slow and painful way my bullets made their way into his soulgem caused his screams to grow louder and louder until he finally crumbled.


    {WAIT! WAIT! I SURRENDER! PLEASE SPARE ME! I WILL NEVER HARM YOU OR YOUR WOMEN AGAIN!}


    "Talk."


    {It was the Machiavelli! Dominic Maegester! He introduced me to about thirty other groups and over 500 rogue Reapers. He said we could do anything as long as I didn''t kill anyone from the Administration! He said the Rogues would take the fall!}


    "I see," even after his words, I still riddled his entire leg with bullets as I made my way to his foot!


    {WAIT! MR. LIMITLESS! I TALKED! STOP! I WILL DO ANYTHING!


    LET ME GO!}


    "Why have youe after my people?"


    {Julius Caytiffe! He said you had a harem of Formless women! and that we could have them as sex ves if wepleted the mission. He said everyone else was off limits! We didn''t do anything to your saints, we just fondled them a bit!}


    I threw away the Raging Hunter and pulled out a healing tablet. Then I jabbed the healing tablet into the phantom''s shadowy forehead. When his face healed a bit, I shoved the SL40 grenadeuncher''s barrel down his throat and pulled the trigger.


    "[Double Damage]."


    We were both engulfed in a st of fire and smoke.


    {AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!}


    Blood curdling screams shook the air. I used my legs to shield his heel, making sure he still survived. Then I touched the burned foot and sent souls into his soulgem along with a message as I stood up.


    {You will not die today, but you will wish you did.}


    {NO MORE! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! KILL ME ALREADY!}


    Unlike me, who was used to the pain of being burned alive, this man probably only had scrapes and scratches. I originally had an extremely high threshold for pain. But after repeated near-death experiences, it became even higher.

 Chapter 271: Please explain. [2/2]

    {Regen} at the expense of healing your wounds made everything much more painful. It was like pouring ethanol on open wounds. It killed the germs, but it hurt like hell.


    I had already survived being punched, crushed, burned alive, and mauled by zombies. So a single M433 exploding on me was a piece of cake.


    With {Limitless}, only the pain of being burned alive came through, and the shockwaves and impact were negated by [Tank].


    I rewound before dragging the burned corpse to the 2nd Amendment. They were all awake and standing up. Although they had stunned expressions when they saw the carnage. ire, Scott and Ang even threw up on the floor in revulsion.


    Ignoring them, I walked over to Liv, Be and Jas.


    "Honey, keep this fucker alive, please. It''s a Phantom, torture him as much as you want, but I forbid you to kill him."


    "Okay. Honey, I saw what you did. It was the first time I saw a man explode so horribly from the inside."


    "Are you disgusted with me?" I asked carefully.


    "Not really, I saw nerve gas suffocate an entire hospital until they puked their guts out, I can handle a few explosions."


    Amused, I took Be in my arms and gave her a deep kiss.


    Suddenly I heard a loud banging from behind me. A group of Wraiths were being turned into paste as Liv hit them with her shield. The men looked like puddles of shit. What the hell happened to their bones?


    Be chuckled as she pushed me away and gestured to Liv.


    "Fufu, calm her down Honey, she wanted to rush in but was guarding your people at your request."


    Nodding, I scanned the battlefield and saw something I had not expected. Robotic devices that looked likerge dishwashers were raining bullets and 40mm grenades down on the iing wraiths.


    Since the mobs had manifested ded weapons, they ran in, hoping to engage in close-quartersbat. But my people were in the center of a defensive perimeter created by the Assault Dishwashers.


    The protection of the dishwashers was so good that Be hardly did anything. She held my 629petitor revolverzily while she yawned.


    But that was nothingpared to what I saw when I was looking for Jo. She was running next to what looked like a tank, shooting people with the AR-15. She darted in and threw people under the tracks,ughing like a deranged lunatic.


    Her clothes were already soaked red from all the blood sttering all over her. Seemingly insane, the masses were actually running away from my Italian lover. But without an ounce of mercy, Jo kept shooting them from behind like she was ying Grand Theft Auto.


    Their fear didn''t even take into ount the tank that was using what sounded like an M2 Browning to st people into confetti.


    ''Hmph, so that''s why the guys were speechless.''


    I let Jo have her fun and walked over to Liv, who was still making human pancakes in anger.


    However, I still asked my IT person with {Connect} out of confusion.


    [Be? Please exin.]


    [Children, introduce yourself to your father.] She replied sleepily.


    [Greetings Father, I am Alfonso. Imand the Ripsaw MS2armed unmanned ground vehicle. I specialize in frontal assaults.]


    [Good evening Father, I am Henry, Imand the Modr Advanced Armed Robotic System, or MAARS for short. They are also AUGVs. I was designed for suppression and perimeter defense.]


    A small contraption then zoomed past me before stopping in front of my face. It was a finger-sized helicopter with a small camera.


    [Hello Father, I am Sabel, Imand all of Mother''s UAVs. My specialties are reconnaissance and surgical strikes. Are you well?]


    "..."


    What the fuck?


    So my children with Be were AI? And they are allbat-specialized attack programs.


    Then I looked absentmindedly at my South American honey. Feeling my gaze, Be smiled brightly as she posed seductively with the 629.


    [Pamper meter, take care of Liv]


    [I love you Mrs. Code]


    [Hehe. I know.] Be replied adorably.


    I made my way to Liv, who had rushed out of the defensive area of the Attack Dishwashers or MAARS. The pitiful state of her opponents made it seem as if my lover was a little angry.


    "Liv? Can we talk?"


    "I! AM! BUSY! GO! FLIRT WITH! THE!


    OTHERS!"


    Apparently venting her discontent, there were about nine puddles of flesh in front of my northern lover. Not counting the bodies torn in half scattered along the way.


    ''Hmm, Liv''s {Counter} was always stronger than mine. If she used {Counter} on the 1887, I can only imagine what 10-gauge bullets would do.''


    Feeling a threat to my life, I hugged my northern lover as I fondled her shapely ass.


    "Liv, love. Don''t be angry. I can fight unhindered because you are here. It may not be morous, but thank you for defending them. Let me make it up to you. Why don''t we go out tomorrow?"


    "HMPH!"


    The Northerner ignored me. Despite Liv''s struggle, I continued my loving caresses until she cried out in annoyance.


    "Ah! My love! Stop being soscivious!"


    I then swept her off her feet as I stole her lips.


    Be sent the assault dishwashers to cover Liv''s area, sting the iing Wraiths like y targets.


    "Liv, thank you for protecting them. I am so lucky to have you."


    "Hmph! Your glib tongue won''t get you anywhere!"


    I helped her to her feet as I interlocked my fingers with hers. I pulled gently, and she followed me like a docile pet.


    When I finally reunited with the 2nd Amendment, I saw their faces of mixed emotions.


    "I know you all have questions. But these women are my beloved kindred, the Seven Sirens. Let us wait a little, they should be finishing soon."


    Everyone nodded wordlessly. Jas approached me with the M24 slung over her shoulder. She hugged me from the side and licked my cheek.


    "Husband, all the Phantoms are dead. The White Guard has arrived and is cleaning up the stragglers. I have the highest contribution. I want my reward."


    Amused that my girls were acting like children looking for prizes, I gave my raven-haired wife a passionate kiss. The softness of her lips made me burn with desire, and it was then that I noticed that the battlefield was already silent.


    When I turned around, nearly a thousand corpses littered the receiving area, I could make out my girls returning to me.


    Be then approached me with praise.


    "Honey, congrattions on your first victory. Eight Reapers against a thousand."


    "Victory, huh?"


    I pondered as I viewed the battle''s aftermath.

 Chapter 272: Send a Specter [1/2]

    Victory. Otherwise known as aplishing a goal or achieving a desired result. But in my case, or for the Reapers as a whole, victory meant only one thing. Survival.


    I only learned about Rogue Reapers yesterday, so I could hardly sympathize.


    But ording to Exa, Be was able to verify that over 700 of those killed today were Rogues. Such a number was incredibly significant, especially considering that the official Reaper count for July was just over 200.


    ''Just where did all these fuckerse from? And why weren''t they included in the official count? Was someone making rogues for fun?''


    ording to Vincent, rogues were ughtered to the veryst. This was true for all seven Battlefronts. But why? If Hellsgate was short of manpower, why were these people excluded?


    Surely, with enough training, they could have made a difference, right? If one man like me could inspire people, then surely someone among the hundreds could have done the same. Yet, in less than half an hour, they were all murdered by mymand.


    ''Yet I feel nothing.''


    I was somehow afraid of how much my values had already shifted. In less than a week, from a civilian who couldn''t even fight, to a murderer who now felt apathy at such a massacre. Slowly but surely, my nature was being altered.


    I wasn''t sure if it was because of what I had seen in the past few days, but something had to be causing the change. I had already responded to over fifty sirens, and in each of them there were hardly any survivors.


    Now that I think about it, I encountered the 2nd Amendment, Krishna and Isolde during my first seven sirens. In the ones that followed, there was not even a single reaper that survived.


    In each battle, I saw the pitiful corpses of the dead reapers. Dismembered, horribly mutted, and in pieces. This was how we ended. I had yet to see raped Reapers, but I was told that was the norm as well.


    For now, the only thing I felt was pleasure. My girls were all safe. That was the only thing that mattered to me. The deaths of nearly a thousand people, many of whom had dreams, aspirations, and loved ones, were of no consequence.


    From the point of view of most people. I should be guilty because I was the one who ordered the Sirens to kill them all. Yet I felt serene. It was a simple matter to me. They wanted me dead. They wanted to rape my lovers.


    So I had them all ughtered.


    Nothing more. Nothing less.


    A sudden scream woke me from my contemtion.


    "DARLING!!!!"


    Like a bullet, a blonde Italian drenched in blood mmed into my chest. Happily grinning, Josephine Benelli had more than half of her face covered in sanguineous fluids. Bits of flesh and ichor even stuck to her cheeks, giving her a gruesome appearance.


    But instead of disgust, I felt only love. I couldn''t help but smile as I returned her hug.


    "Well done, darling. I''m so d you''re not hurt."


    "Hehehe! Darling praised me! I killed quite a lot! In fact, I killed them all!"


    "I see. Well done," I brought out my sleeve and gently wiped the blood off my Italian bride.


    Jo, like a child, closed her eyes and enjoyed my affectionate gesture. Like a cat, she almost purred as I wiped the evidence of her massacre from her face.


    ''Just how close did she fight in to get blood stters despite using a gun?''


    Then I noticed Jo suddenly turn and aim her AR-15. Like a panther, the childlike demeanor disappeared from her eyes and only a ruthless warrior remained.


    I also heard Jas and Be all raise their guns. Liv, on the other hand, suddenly appeared beside me with her shield at the ready.


    My girls were incredibly adorable, they were like a group of yandere''s ready to kill anything that threatened my safety.


    "Reaper Limitless, stand down! We are not here to fight with you! Call your lunatics off!"


    With {Perceive} and {Listen} I heard theming from over a mile away. It was really funny. These bastards were getting a taste of what it meant to be my enemy.


    There were over six of them, all wearing white uniforms. They were carrying two people. Wraiths to be exact, both nearly dead. The group suddenly turned and roared.


    "FUCK!" "She''s back!" "Mother fucking psycho!" "{BARRIER}!"x3


    A hail of 9mm bullets pelted their barrier like rain. Suddenly, a red streak with white hair sped to the side and charged at them from the side. Unable to stop it, one of the white guards took a knee to the face before the figure disappeared.


    "LIMITLESS! CALL HER OFF!"


    "Kitten."


    At mymand, Robyn the appeared at my side. Simr to Josephine, she was covered in so much blood that it looked like her outfit was red to begin with.


    "Robyn,e here."


    My Australian She then approached me,pletely ignoring the group she was trying to kill.


    "Kitten, you are covered in blood, close your eyes."


    Rxed as if she was at home, thebat joey put her weapons away and followed my instructions. I then gently wiped the blood from her with my other sleeve.


    "There, all good. Are you okay?"


    " I am, possum."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes, possum. All I had to do was think that they wanted to hurt you. After that, my mind lost all hesitation."


    It was incredibly embarrassing to hear, but just a short time ago, this woman feared that she could never murder anyone ever again. But because she knew that they wanted to hurt me, she opted to kill without remorse.


    Overwhelmed by her affection, I took her in my embrace and gave her a quick kiss.


    "I love you Robyn."


    "Hmm."


    She didn''t answer, just melted into my arms. A sudden cough made me turn and look at the White Guard, who seemed irritated. One of them stepped forward and began to take control of the situation.


    "Before you continue to show yourck of morals, you need toe with us."


    "Why?"


    "..."


    Taken aback, the White Guard captain raised his hand and gestured around.


    "Are you seriously asking that? Look around you! Your group massacred over nine hundred Reapers! You brought unregistered weapons with you. You also attacked the White Guard."


    "And if I refuse?" I asked boastfully.


    "..."


    Unknowingly, Jo and Jas were already behind the White Guard. I noticed that even the tank and the MAARS had already trained their weapons on the group.


    "Captain..." "Fuck..." "Oy! These girls are fucking serious!" "Chill! Okay!"

 Chapter 273: Send a Specter [2/2]

    Just as the tension was about to erupt, a melodious voice rang out.


    "Dearest, please do not kill them. They are just following their orders, no matter how ipetent they may seem."


    "..."


    I raised my hand, causing everyone to stand back. However, Exa gave me some information that made me smile.


    [Limitless, all three Switchdes have locked on to the White Guard. Minerva expressed that if you wish, they will all die in about 5 seconds.]


    EXA exined to me earlier that the Switchdes or the Switchde 600 were basically suicide drones. Even before kamikaze drones were used in the Russia-Ukraine war, America has been using these bastards for over two decades since Afghanistan.


    They cost $1,300 to $2,000 each, but since they had an explosive payloadparable to an anti-tank warhead, they were about as bang for your buck as you could get.


    Most main battle tanks were worth $50,000 - $100,000. Traded for even a low-end tank, each Switchde was like a nightmare in a box for their tankmanders.


    The Switchdes could reach 115 mph with a dash, so forget running, you would be dead before you could even react.


    Of course, detonating even one of these would ensure that the White Guard would be incapacitated. With all three, and in spite of the fact that they were Phantoms, none of them would survive.


    Satisfied, I nced at Be and gave her a smile. Pleased, she simply nodded.


    "Princess!" "The untamed!" "Commander!"


    The White Guard, pleased at the arrival of theirmander, all began to call for her. But the woman acted as if their group didn''t even exist. Instead, she strolled toward me.


    When I was within reach, she stealthily wrapped her arms around my neck and announced for everyone to hear.


    "Dearest. Except for those two over there, all your enemies are dead. Can I get my reward now?"


    But the ones who answered her were the sirens.


    "Shut up, you pervert! I killed the most, did you see Exa''s score? Darling! The reward is mine!"


    "How is that fair, you g! You didn''t even get a single Phantom! I killed three!"


    "You lot, stop bothering my husband. And it should be obvious that I executed a third of the Phantoms!"


    "You bitches are crazy, my children were the ones who defeated the most! Honey, Exa told you, right?"


    "How is that fair, Be?! Even I killed more than you! And I had to defend because Beloved said so!"


    "..."


    As the Sirens began to argue, the 2nd Amendment and the White Guard were left speechless. Lilly, for some reason, ignored everyone and kept staring into my eyes. I didn''t know how, but it felt like she read what I was about to do.


    She smiled beautifully and gave me a quick kiss. Along with a whisper.


    "Do what you wish my dear. I am your queen first and foremost. Wherever you lead, there I will follow."


    Separating myself, I retrieved Ebony and shot one of the near-dead wraiths in the head. The departed wraith had his soulgem in his brain. There was no way he woulde back alive.


    My actions caused the White Guard to freeze. Seemingly rxed before, they now manifested their weapons and protected thest prisoner in a defensive circle.


    "Reaper Limitless! What have you done! Do you intend to fight the White Guard and the entire battlefront?"


    "Jo."


    My Italian lover then screamed in a loud, soul apanied voice.


    "{KNEEL}!"


    Overwhelmed by her death resonance, all eight White Guards kneeled in response. Their prisoner, out of his mind, could not obey themand and simply stood there in a daze.


    {Announce} seemed to increase not only the sound, but also the power of one''s own death resonance. ording to Exa, Jo found out about this when she got tired of throwing people under Alfonso.


    In her sadistic lunacy, she ordered them to line up and be run over instead. The resulting carnage became a real-life experiment as Jo tested the limits of her abilities.


    "Aki."


    The only Siren yet to make an appearance, Aki''s invisible figure appeared beside the prisoner as she ced the MP5SD under his chin. As she pulled the trigger, a burst of 9mm bullets exploded in the prisoner''s face.


    The ded Kitsune repositioned immediately after. She pointed her muzzle into the White Guard Commander''s chest as she spoke.


    "Insolent bastard. Die."


    Taking that as my cue, I used [sh Step] to appear behind her. I embraced her affectionately and quickly lowered her weapon.


    "Aki, that''s enough."


    "Yes, master," Aki quickly lost her menacing expression at my words while blushing like a teenager in love.


    I then gently grasped her fingers as I pulled her towards the rest of my women. The White Guard, still unable to free themselves from Jo''s death resonance, remained kneeling like servants.


    Curious, I asked Lilly about the phenomena.


    "Dear, what determines a reaper''s death resonance?"


    Smiling like a loving wife, Lilly exined something that made me shudder.


    "By the amount of life we take, dearest. The more you kill, both living and undead, the more blood lust you umte. The more you umte, the more powerful your death resonance bes."


    Liv looked at the prostrate white guard in disgust.


    "Be was right about one thing. Compared to most, the Sirens have taken far more lives than even this so-called White Guard. They are already as powerful as Specters in that respect."


    "I see."


    Then I slowly approached the White Guard. I released death resonance and overrode Jo''smand.


    "If you want to prevent such a massacre from happening again, tell your bosses. They should make sure these bastards never meet me. Thest time was my first andst warning. That was why I spared everyone. I only follow the reaper''s rule. ''Fuck with whoever you can take on."


    The White guard captain red as if boring holes into my face. But I continued disregarding his killing intent.


    "If they want to fuck with me. Tell them to send a Specter."


    The White Guard captain ignored my words and turned his attention to Lilly.


    My woman then took off her white coat and hat. Before throwing them at the captain.


    "Captain Grey Ash. Please convey my words to Administration. I am resigning from my position, effective immediately. Thank you all for your support over the years."


    Overwhelmed by her words, the entire White Guard could not process her decision.


    "W-Wha..." "Commander." "Princess, you can''t be serious..." " For real?" "What the fuck?"


    But Lilly was not done yet.


    "I hereby relinquish all benefits and status as Princess. Finally, I renounce the name Untamed. From now on. I will be known only as Lilly Browning. Kindred of Limitless and one of the Seven Sirens."

 Chapter 274: With friends like him [1/2]

    Most novels, manga or movies have what you call dramatic climaxes. These moments, which are few and far between, were emotionally charged. It would be when the main character would have a triumph over a problem, or when the main couple would finally dere their love for each other.


    Somehow the current situation felt simr to those events.


    Lilly turned to me after she had stripped herself of everything that made her so special in Hellsgate. She threw away her title. Her bloodline. And her authority. All to follow me.


    Originally, I wanted to help her find a way to leave her post. After all, someone as loving as Lilly should not have to do the dirty work of the Battlefront.


    Little did I know that she would do it herself. The American I loved the most finally opened her mouth and spoke anxiously.


    "John. My dearest kindred. I know I promised to use all my resources to aid you. But I have reconsidered. If I am to be worthy of you, I cannot remain bound to another. Please forgive me.


    I have nothing now but my {Fate} and my body. Would you still have me?"


    Then I heard Be joke off to the side.


    "Fuck this shit! That sneaky little liar! She''s still rich as fuck! What ''I have nothing'' is this woman talking about?! She''s fucking delusional!"


    "Ssshhh. Quiet. Let her have her moment." Jo hriously tried to silence the Brazilian.


    Jas on the other hand muttered quietly under her breath. "Uncouth savage."


    Liv, Aki and Robyn all started to giggle at their interactions. But I didn''t focus on any of them. Right now Lilly was serious. It was inevitable, in my opinion. Being by my side meant going against her father.


    I opened my arms wide and beckoned my spouse into my embrace. My short words contained all my love in response.


    "Without question."


    Overjoyed, Lilly ran to me and threw herself into my arms. Much like Liv, Lilly must have had doubts at the back of her mind. Anyone in a high enough position would be surrounded by people who only wanted their status or wealth.


    As I wrapped my arms around her, I added. "There is nothing to forgive dear, you are all I have ever needed. Not your title, not your connections. Just you. Lilly Browning."


    Lilly buried her face in my clothes as she spoke into my shirt. "You must take responsibility. I am a homeless little girl now, if you abandon me, heaven would smite you to death."


    "Lilly, I am not afraid of the heavens. What I am afraid of is waking up one day and not seeing you by my side."


    "Not for all the money and power in the world, dearest."


    Such sweet words made my heart skip a beat. Like a passionate exchange in a romantic movie, my lover and I shared a loving kiss. Afterwards, the rest of the Sirens forcibly separated Lilly and me.


    Since most knew how much ass my girls could kick, neither the White Guard nor the 2nd Amendment made a move. The battle was effectively over, but I couldn''t help but think about what had just happened.


    The loss of Lilly''s influence on the North American battlefront was a shame, but my spouse no longer having to kill rogues was a worthy price to pay.


    From my 2nd day as a reaper, I already knew. The Revenants and I would never see eye to eye. Since mydies were the ones affected by their bullshit, I could neverugh it off with them.


    ''No, I might not kill them. I would make sure they knew the pain my girls felt a hundredfold.''


    As it was, my principles already went against the White Guard. They wanted to take some people in for questioning, but I knew they would just use those people as scapegoats, and I couldn''t let that happen.


    Someone let the rogues in.


    Someone high up in the food chain.


    Otherwise, it would have been impossible for such numbers to storm the battlefront. The Phantom I questioned said it was because of Savior, but Savior alone would not be able to ensure that these people would arrive before me.


    No. In order to spring the trap, the timing had to be perfect. I arrived here barely at 8:05 p.m. But somehow all the members of the 2nd Amendment were already knocked out. Phillip and Yvonne had even been taken prisoner.


    This conspiracy smelled of one man. The same man who had justified the need for a force like the Saviors.


    "Look here, bastard. No government ispletely clean. Of course you had to have someone do the dirty work. To us, the Saviors are just that. We have to keep our hands clean because they got theirs dirty."


    The Nightmare.


    Zachary Lynch.


    Such mind games reminded me of him. As one of the people maintaining the battlefront, he needed every rogue dead. The bastard would also be kept informed of any traitors or bad eggs.


    {It was the Machiavelli! Dominic Maegester! He introduced me to about thirty other groups and over 500 rogue Reapers. He said we could do anything as long as I didn''t kill anyone from Administration! He said the Rogues would take the fall!}


    {Julius Caytiffe! He said you had a harem of Formless women! and that we could have them as sex ves if we couldplete the mission. He said everyone else was off limits! We didn''t do anything to your saints, we just fondled them a bit!}


    It made no sense when you thought about it. Dominic Maegester was a priority one mercenary. There was no way he was going to say everything was fine as long as they didn''t kill anyone from Administration.


    No. Given how the whole battlefront operated, he should have said "don''t even touch anyone from Administration" period. Brutally beating Phillip, even though he was my exclusive clerk, was already a death sentence.


    Challenging David Thomas carried enough weight to have them executed as examples. But no one told them.


    It was as if someone had goaded them on. Otherwise, these motherfuckers would have to be the dumbest motherfuckers in Hellsgate.


    Meanwhile, the precious resources of the battlefront, the Saint Division of my LLG, remained intact. Looking at the result, my forces were not damaged in the slightest.


    Even the purpose of this attack was dubious as fuck. Lilly and the White Guard massacred every rogue they came across. But there were over 700 of them.


    How?

 Chapter 275: With friends like him [2/2]

    The parents of those poor bastards had already managed to create an army out of sight. But for the mere promise of 750,000 souls, they all showed up.


    Using the people of Savior, someone convinced the people who created the rogues that killing me was worth more than staying hidden. Next, the bastard incited the thugs to rape my women and beat my men, Phillip included.


    Without both, I could only kill the rogues or the reapers looking for a payday. I took down hundreds the first time. And in the shiest way possible. Yet these bastards were still surprised when I responded with deadly force.


    If this was all orchestrated.


    "That nightmare bastard just used me to kill everything that gave him a headache," I cursed in annoyance.


    If Savior really wanted my head, the best time to use this army would be to overwhelm me during the Seeker War. If the entire force arrived when I had to deal with Savior''s Phantoms, the chances of my death would be much higher.


    Besides, ording to Vincent''s document, Savior barely had time to gather fifty people. There was no way they would suddenly have over thirty Phantoms to spare. The more I thought about it, the more it clicked.


    "That fucking bastard, with friends like him, who needs enemies?"


    I approached Grey Ash and spoke.


    "Captain. I have no grudge against the White Guard. You were people my bride once led. Robyn attacked you because you stood in her way. With the Wraiths dead, we have no reason to fight. Do you agree?"


    "..."


    The longer my life as a reaper continued, the more I noticed the diplomacy of overwhelming force. No matter what this Ash bastard wanted to say, if he could barely keep Robyn at bay, there was no way his forces could survive an attack from the Seven Sirens and me.


    Luckily, I was the one with the biggest stick. If it came to the situation that I was not. I would most likely just die needlessly.


    ''There are just too many enemies to prepare for. Undead, humans, reapers. Bing as strong as possible as quickly as possible is still the best way. I have to work harder.''


    Grey Ash made a face like he swallowed shit and nodded.


    I held out my hand to him, he epted my friendly gesture and I helped him up. The rest of his men stood up, seemingly dazed. Grey then moved to pick up the coat and hat that Lilly had so easily abandoned.


    With a face full of longing, he held both reverently and called to the men behind him.


    "Everyone, let us go back, the matter is settled. Change ising and we must be ready."


    Then the White Guard departed as quickly as they had arrived. Less than a minuteter, the soul barriers surrounding the entire receiving area were deactivated. Soul suddenly surged around the ce, creating the invigorating feeling I had be familiar with.


    I then noticed dozens of peopleing in with mops and buckets. With them were about fifty wraiths, all holding glowing red staffs. They all chanted in unison at the corpses littering the ground.


    "{Fireball}!"


    At their words, a light show began as small bowling ball sized fireballs rained down on the receiving area. The hit corpses were all incinerated without much fuss. I was quite surprised by their actions. Normally the authorities would examine the bodies first or something.


    I turned to the 2nd Amendment, who still refused to move.


    "Why the hell are you all still on the ground?"


    "..."


    I then turned around and noticed that they were all looking at my women. The Sirens were busy with different tasks. Lilly was storing Be''s children while the others were salvaging what I thought were Phantom soulgems.


    "What? Are you afraid of the girls? They are adorable! They are the kindest women you could every your eyes on."


    In response to my words, people all expressed colorful responses.


    "Nigga, I knew I made the right call. No nigga in the history of the world starts with a fucking massacre right off the bat! But hell naw man. You sure you want to p them cheeks? Can''tin about the booty, but I don''t think any nigga alive could handle all of them."


    "White boy. Now I know why you loony."


    "Commander, I''m afraid at this rate you''ll get sucked dry and die on your honeymoon."


    "John, I''m sorry. You must be blinder than a bat that can no longer scream in the middle of winter. How are any of your women kind or adorable?"


    "Boss, I suggest you never cheat on your wives. Not if you want to die quietly. They may be extremely attractive, but they are all in the hot/crazy matrix danger zone."


    "Hefe. I agree with the cowboy. Your se?oritas are loco. They are possessed by demons, ese! Sleep with one eye open."


    "Patron. I think I''m being paranoid, but I feel that your lovers want to kill me. Yvonne, you felt it too, right?"


    "I know, right? Definitely sus! Patron, you based asf! I know you''re a siren stan probs even a siren simp. No wonder you ignored my rizz. Gyatt!


    The Sirens be lit asf! No cap! You gotta introduce me, Patron! Spill the tea!"


    "I didn''t understand a word you said, Miss Yvonne, please keep your speech professional. However, I do agree with the 2nd Amendment, esteemed Limitless. You are looking at them through rose colored sses. They just killed almost a thousand people. Please exercise caution."


    Ignoring what Yvonne said, I understood why my men were worried.


    I certainly understood the hesitation of the rest of them, after all,half of my girls were drenched in blood, while the rest were as cold as ice.


    But Phillips''ment about rose-colored sses made me think. Would I want a woman who could not defend herself? Maybe when I was human. But now? No way in hell would I take on such a burden.


    In that way, the Sirens were exactly what I wanted. People who would warm my bed as well as my heart. All while watching my back and helping me in battle.


    I then looked at the Sirens as they all returned to my side. The sight of all seven of them safe was extremelyforting. In the midst of blood and death, something began tonight.


    And I couldn''t wait to see what came next.


    Ignoring theints and warnings of my men, I simply replied as I looked at my women.


    "Isn''t that the best part though?" I replied absentmindedly.

 Chapter 276: Just a week ago [1/2]

    Josephine ran quickly to me as she cheered.


    "Darling! We have all thirty Phantom Soulgems! We can turn them into Soulgears! Ah, right... They''re here..."


    My Italian lover started smiling with joy, but then slowly lost her joy as she looked towards the 2nd Amendment, specifically at Yvonne and ire.


    Before I could stop her, Jo stomped over to ire and suddenly tried to grab her by the neck. Warren, always protective of the saint from Salt Lake City, tried to intervene.


    "Yody! I dunno what your deal is but calm down! Boo ain''t done nothing wrong yet."


    I btedly noticed that Jo was no longer smiling. Her eyes seemed to be red as she hammered her leg into Warren''s torso. Although the African-American was over six feet tall, the Italian''s kick sent him to the ground.


    "I wasn''t talking to you."


    Cold. Devoid of affection. And overflowing with hostility, Jo''s sudden shift caught me off guard.


    The rest of the guys, sensing the danger, all sprang into action! Santiago, Mike and Ang all lunged at Jo. Scott and Joshua stood like a wall of muscle in front of ire. But my girl was not alone.


    A loud bang sounded, knocking Santi to the ground. Mike, on the other hand, was suddenly kneed in the crotch by a Robyn who seemed to have teleported. Ang, who tried to tackle Jo, took a devastating fist to the gut.


    Unable to withstand the force, Ang ended up grunting in pain. The Italian then grabbed her by the neck and mmed her mercilessly to the ground. ire, overwhelmed by what was happening, cried out in response.


    "PLEASE STOP! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"


    Liv suddenly appeared behind ire and ced her in a sleeper chokehold. Scott and Joshua btedly noticed and tried to turn around.


    However, Lilly arrived andnded a vicious right hook to Joshua''s face. She grabbed Scott by the cor and threw him into Korean before kicking the Redneck in the abdomen, sending both men flying.


    I noticed that Warren was already up and about to join in, but Be had already cocked her revolver and pressed it to the middle of his back.


    "Move and your soulgem goes bye-bye, nigger. Try me."


    While I knew the Sirens would never do anything to upset me, seeing them dominate my men several times their size was a bit disconcerting.


    ''Was the 2nd Amendment that weak? No, it''s the Sirens that are too overbearing.''


    Phillip fished out a new monocle and began to wipe it. As someone from Administration, the bastard probably knew he was exempt from whatever was going on.


    ire, unable to breathe, began to w at Liv''s arms in desperation. Although Yvonne was not used to violence, my chief saint ran to ire''s aid. But before she could help, Jo appeared and punched her in the sternum.


    "Uwah!"


    With the wind knocked out of her, Yvonne was sent flying. But Jo grabbed Yvonne''s cor and started punching her in the face. The rest of the boys who tried to intervene were shot by Jas or knocked to the ground by Lilly and Robyn.


    Surprisingly, only ire and Yvonne were not let off so easily. I was about to intervene when I heard a loud metallic thud.


    "CRAZY BITCH! GET OFF MY JUNIOR! {LADY OF WAR}!"


    A mace as big as her appeared as Ang lunged at Liv. My Northerner then picked up the now unconscious ire and threw her at Ang. Suddenly forced to stop, Ang put down her mace to catch her junior.


    But at that moment, arge figure appeared in front of the Korean.


    "Naive. Disarming inbat, you are nothing but a lie."


    Liv mmed her fist into Ang''s face. However, contrary to her expectations, Ang resisted and countered! The Korean bashed her head into Liv''s face, but it made no difference.


    My northern lover grabbed Ang''s arm and bent it. The sound of breaking bones could be heard. Not done yet, Liv then kicked Ang''s right knee from the side. Another loud crack told everyone that the Korean''s knee broke in the wrong direction.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHH..."


    "G!"


    Liv finished by mming Ang to the ground. The racist Korean fainted immediately.


    Joshua, hearing his lover''s screams, tried to get up only to suddenly eat Lilly''s vicious side kick to his temple. Warren also tried to move, but ended up getting kicked in the balls by Be. My honey shot both of his kneecaps for good measure.


    Santiago, Scott and Mike were all unconscious from Robin''s brutal beatdown. All the while, Yvonne''s face was being smashed by Jo''s powerful punches. ire, who was coughing as she tried to get up, cried out in anger.


    "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! AREN''T YOU THE PATRON''S HAREM! WE ARE ALLIES!"


    Josephine suddenly let go of Yvonne and slowly walked towards thest standing saint. The Italian''s cold voice still oozed blood lust.


    "This is what it means to stand by darling''s side."


    ire was suddenly hit with a punch to the chest.


    "Something simr happened before, right?" Josephine murmured in a whisper to the saint.


    She then lifted ire by her cor as she continued.


    "The men with you were all somehow skilled inbat I suppose... Yet they were unable to muster any resistance. That was because of you, wasn''t it? They were trying to protect you. Just like now. Everyone here is going to die because of your fucking cowardice."


    Sending another full power punch into ire''s face. Josephine attacked her not only physically, but psychologically as well.


    "None of you are prepared for what is toe. You are all too fucking weak. The horrors you experienced before? Those will fucking continue. Darling is someone who is willing to die for his goals. But all of you?


    You are nothing but fucking garbage.


    "Riding on Darling''s coattails, you are all nothing but weak-minded parasites! Even after everything you have earned, why are you all still Wraiths! Do you still think you can remain human?! Fucking idiots!


    "You all think that only the undead are the enemy! You all have {Rewind}, yet you have all been taken out! If this is all you can do, I cannot allow any of you to stay by Darling''s side. He will only be killed trying to save you!"


    ire somehow remained conscious despite the fact that half of her face was swollen. Her lip was busted and blood was all over her face, but the saint''s eyes remained focused. It was like a fire had been lit inside her.


    "Fuc... Yo... the 2nd Amendment. Huff... will be his... strength.


    Patron... Huff... give us a chance... we will repay it... putui!"

 Chapter 277: Just a week ago [2/2]

    The saint spat out the blood that pooled in her mouth as she dered through ragged breaths.


    "Is that so? Then I look forward to it, ire Knight," Jo replied with a smile.


    Unfortunately, despite her warm words, she brutally smashed ire''s head face first into the floor. When she was done, she returned to her cheerful self and wiped her forehead.


    "Weew! That felt really good. Darling! I''m hungry! Let''s eat!"


    "Oy Jo, are you sure that g is still alive?" Robynmented worriedly.


    "I think so? Whatever! Darling! Let''s go!"


    I was about to open my mouth, but Be appeared at my side and asked smugly.


    "Do you want to know why we did this?"


    "Isn''t it for some kind of training?" I replied.


    Jas came over with her rifle slung over her shoulder. The brte ran her fingers through her hair as she spoke.


    "Not really. rie Knight and Yvonne Kpas tried to seduce you with a striptease. We only gave them a warning. This is what it means to try to take you away, husband."


    "Huh?"


    "Not just her, the ten other members of Golden Wick will also get what ising to them. Honey doesn''t need to worry."


    "Wait! Wai-wait! That was a long time ago! I didn''t even get hard! Phillip was there! He saw me!


    If that''s the reason, then you girls should just stop."


    "Ara? Master, do these girls seem important to you? It seems Be-san was right," Akimented mockingly.


    I held my face in irritation, so there wasn''t any deeper reason for this beating? My girls were all just upset with Golden Wick? For a striptease I didn''t even find enticing?


    I checked the members of the 2nd Amendment and saw Liv and Robyn giving them all {heal} tablets. The versions the two were giving out were three levels above what I had. It was one of the things Lilly shared with the Sirens.


    Funny how even though my people were being beaten into oblivion, the cleaning people didn''t even try to help. Well, considering how Liv, Robyn and Jo were drenched in blood, they probably figured out that we were somehow connected to the massacre.


    Lilly then walked past me and addressed my exclusive clerk.


    "Phillip Scrivener."


    "I salute the princess of..."


    "I no longer have that title. Are your ears for show? You heard what I said earlier, did you not?"


    Wow, Lilly was being a jerk again. Was she rude to everyone but me?


    "I apologize. I greet Lilly Browning, Kindred of Limitless. How may I be of service?"


    "You are still connected to the Admin Network, right? How do they n to resolve this issue?"


    "I once again apologize, Ms. Browning. Since you have abandoned your duties, I have no obligation to inform you. Such a matter is only for the ears of Administration."


    "Since this incident involves my kindred, I have a right to know. The destruction of the rogues is a great achievement. Not only did the White Guard arrive when it was over, they barely managed to kill ten wraiths. The majority were killed by my sisters and I."


    Ho? So Lilly wanted the merit. Was this like the merits for adventurers in Isekai manga? Then I noticed Phillip looking at me. It was as if he was not sure if he should reveal the information.


    Originally, there were people around us, but they didn''t loiter. After cleaning the area, they promptly left. At the moment, there was no one else in the receiving area except our group.


    With a smile, I nodded as I set things straight. "Phillip, I trust my girls with my life. You may say anything about my affairs even if they are present."


    "I see. Administration has decided to credit the termination to the White Guard. All charges against Limitless and the Sirens will be dropped as reward for their assistance. And Administration will turn a blind eye to everything else. The one who made the decision is His Majesty the Invincible himself."


    I could feel the bloodlust erupting from my girls. Before any of them could speak, I expressed my agreement.


    "That''s fine. Tell David I said thanks."


    "Honey, are you sure about this?"


    "I am. Killing reapers would not reflect well on you girls. I don''t care about the reward. What I care about is that we all got out of this mess in one piece. Can you all please agree with me on this?"


    "..." x7


    Despite their annoyed expressions, none of my girls objected. Lilly then turned back to Phillip for another matter.


    "Phillip. The Sirens and I are going to register today. Leave the 2nd Amendment to other clerks or hire others. I do not wish my sisters to be managed by anyone else."


    "Oh? I am ttered by your trust. But why me? I am the lowest performer among the clerks. Asmander of the White Guard for more than three years, you should be well familiar with this."


    "I am. But my dearest trusts you. That alone is enough," Lilly said with finality.


    Phillip looked in my direction beforementing.


    "Esteemed Limitless, it seems you are well loved indeed."


    The monocled bastard then made an exaggerated bow before helping Yvonne to her feet.


    "I understand Ms. Browning. I will get support clerks from Administration to take care of the rest of Limitless''s forces. The Seven Sirens will be personally under my supervision."


    At this point, arge group of people carrying what looked like spears and hammers arrived. They were led by Addison, the dwarf, and Cynthia, the redhead.


    Cynthia, seeing the girls around me, bowed as if greeting royalty. Naturally, the members of the Limitless Logistics Group behind her followed suit.


    "We wee Limitless and his beloved battle harem. Mydies, I am Cynthia Carmine, President of the Limitless Logistics Group. We are a production guild supporting your esteemed husband. May your fate end the darkness!"


    "MAY YOUR FATE END THE DARKNESS!"


    The roar of the LLG was quite impressive. It really looked like they were greeting diplomats or something. I left the two groups to get to know each other without me. I checked the condition of my men and gave them all a p to wake them up.


    When they came to their senses, of course, they were all cautious of my girls. Ang, in particr, was hiding behind Joshua. ire, on the other hand, seemed crestfallen.


    When the 2nd Amendment was ready to move. I had Phillip lead us into a meeting room. With the arrival of the Sirens, I expected the way I did things to change. I was stupid, so I was d they were here.


    When I saw the LLG group, the 2nd Amendment and the Sirens all in one ce, I was amazed.


    "A week ago I came here alone. Now I had a huge force behind me. There is no telling what tomorrow will bring," I remarked, full of hope.

 Chapter 278: Trim the fat. [1/2]

    The Sirens, the heads of the LLG and the 2nd Amendment were now in a meeting room. While the LLG and the 2nd Amendment were already quite familiar with each other, the presence of the Sirens threw everything for a loop.


    Of course, I believed that Addison and Cynthia hade armed to somehow help us out of our predicament. Fortunately, they were not present for the worst of the massacre. However, since none of the Sirens used {Rewind}, three of them were wearing clothes that were the color of red.


    As if that were not enough, the 2nd Amendment was also covered in the same stuff. Gunshot wounds,cerations from the beatings and even torn clothes, even Yvonne looked ragged.


    Lilly, Be, Aki and Jas were the only ones who looked presentable. Phillip not so much. Given the timing, I think the LLG witnessed my girls absolutely kick the crap out of my bodyguard unit. With that in mind, they decided to show up after the Siren''s had calmed down.


    "So..."


    The current room was as quiet as a graveyard. My girls all looked bored while the LLG squirmed in their seats. Joshua and his group stood at the door across from where the Sirens were.


    This was not exactly how I wanted to introduce everyone. But it is not like I could say anything about it.


    Josephine''s words, no matter how cruel, were true. I was surprised how the 2nd Amendment was taken down so quickly. Probably, ording to Jo''s observations, the guys were all knocked out because they were protecting ire.


    However, if they were allowed to fight at all, they might have been surrounded by a thousand people just like us when we arrived. There wasn''t much they could do in such a situation. Still, I couldn`t hide my disappointment.


    They had {Rewind}, {Regen}, and {Reload}. Was it really so hopeless? My girls after the enlistment all evolved into Phantoms without a hint of hesitation. They gave up everything to achieve their goals.


    "Then let''s start from the beginning. Humans must pay with their lives to join the Reapers, to be a Wraith, that is the price. A Wraith to be a Phantom must pay with his humanity."


    Isolde''s words detailed the cost. Every stage of the Reapers had a price. And true to what Jo had said, it seemed that none of Joshua''s group were prepared.


    "Riding on Darling''s coattails, you are all just weak-minded parasites! Even after everything you have earned, why are you all still Wraiths! Do you all still think you can remain human! Pathetic!"


    Though souls were the greatest obstacle, just as Isolde refused to be a Specter, there would be Wraiths who refused to be Phantoms. Wraiths were the only rank where Reapers could still pass as human.


    Phantoms, in addition to being stronger than Wraiths, gained the ability to be immortal. They would rebuild their "bodies" in exchange for souls. Anyone who saw the writhing shadows reconstructing a Phantom woulde to the same conclusion.


    ''We were no longer human.''


    As a power-hungry son of a bitch, I assumed everyone was like me. Since I had no qualms about giving up my humanity in the first ce, I never really questioned it. I heard some stories about how the people of the 2nd Amendment died.


    Who the hell would refuse to get stronger if they could? Phantoms could survive mortal wounds, for crying out loud! Who wouldn''t want that?


    But I failed to consider that I had nothing to begin with. My life as a reaper was leagues better than when I was human. How would people who were attached to their human lives react?


    A cough broke the silence in the room. Phillip looked at me as if he was about to take a shit.


    ''What? What the hell am I supposed to do?''


    I then received a transmission from one of my Kindred.


    [Honey, I have experience leading an organization, will you trust me to manage them?]


    It was then that I remembered that Be had run a terrorist group. If she could get muscle-bound punks to follow her, she should be able to do a good job, right?


    [Yes. I will rely on you, Mrs. Code.]


    [...]


    Be then turned to me and made a "what the fuck" face as she gawked.


    [What? You seemed surprised?]


    [I... I just didn''t think you''d really hand everything over. You trust me way too much! They are the foundation of your power, you know? The LLG and the 2nd Amendment are both powerful pawns. In the beginning, you tried to squeeze everything out of me and treated me as nothing more than a tool.]


    Then I made a genuine smile as I relished Be''s confusion.


    [I am sorry I was such a jerk back then, Be. That was before. I fell in love with you. Now, everything and anything I own belongs to you. I said before, right? I trust you with my life.


    Do as you see fit.]


    Be then looked away as she blushed.


    [How can you say something so embarrassing so easily? What if I take this group and stab you in the back? Will you still trust me?]


    In response to her adorable threat, I opened my shirt to reveal my chest.


    [Here, Mrs. Code, I offer you my heart. Stab me from the front instead].


    [HONEY! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!]


    [Dear, please stopmitting such deplorable acts.]


    [Husband, you do realize that everyone connected to Be can hear you, right?]


    [Haizz. Possum, everyone around me is talking about how disgusting you are.]


    [Master, please try to at least keep up appearances! Your dignity is crumbling!]


    [Someone do something, I cannot stand the sight of my beloved beingbeled as ascivious debauchee]


    [Darling, how about I strip too! That way we can be perverts together!]


    [NOOOOO!!!!] x7


    Aki then used [sh Step] and appeared behind me. She embraced me from the back and secretly buttoned up my shirt. Feeling the warmth of her body, I held her chin and moved her face towards me. We shared a light kiss, forgetting our surroundings.


    [Tsk.] [Wow!] [Fuck.] [How envious.] [One step too slow.] [...]


    My Japanese lover suddenly pulled out a small handkerchief and gently wiped my mouth before returning to her seat. When I looked at the people around me, they no longer looked at me with fear, but with revulsion.


    Phillip whispered under his breath. "Not what I had in mind, but I will take it."


    Then Be began to speak to the group, her face covered in irritation.

 Chapter 279: Trim the fat. [2/2]

    "From this moment on, I will takemand of the LLG. My honey has given me full authority to do so. You will all address me as Minerva. Does anyone have any objections?"


    Someone tried to raise his hand to object, but Be suddenly drew her 629 and shot him in the hand. The gunshot rang out as loud as a church bell in this enclosed space.


    As the smell of gunpowder wafted through the air, the Brazilian continued.


    "Anyone else?"


    The poor bastard, who now had a hole in his palm, gritted his teeth in frustration. Of course, after such a deliberate show of force, anyone who followed would have been stupid as hell.


    "Good. The Sirens and I work under one rule. We do not take in weaklings. My honey has no need for dead weight. Anyone who does not meet our requirements will be removed. This is not negotiable.


    Are we clear?"


    [Um. Mrs. Code, is all this necessary?]


    [Husband, let Be be.]


    [Be is too soft, I would have shot his chest instead] Jomented, obviously annoyed.


    [My love, Be understands power dynamics. She is fine].


    Surprised that everyone agreed, I was confused. Was I being naive?


    [Master, the LLG grew too big too fast. Opportunists and spies have already joined the organization. What Be wants to do is trim the fat. I would have done the same thing.]


    [Yawn. Although, knowing Be, it wouldn''t end there. Possum, even the terrorist group I came from did this. The quickest way to gain respect is through fear. Respect can follow, but a good ass-kicking is still the best way.]


    [Even the White Guard had too many morons who wasted resources. Still, I''m d Be wants to do something so tedious. I am so d I can finally rx.]


    "Trim the fat, huh?"


    Be then began to take over, issuing over a hundred new rules and restrictions. I basically got the impression that the controls were for safety and efficiency, but most of them went over my head.


    I always found such things annoying. I would much rather flirt with the girls. The moment I thought about it. A figure teleported in front of me. Her butt was naturally resting on myp while her hand cupped my face.


    "Possum, I''m bored. y with me," Robyn pleaded adorably.


    If you forgot that she was covered in red everywhere, you would think she was cute. Somehow, even though she reeked of blood and death, my little brother grew hard at Robyn''s caress.


    Feeling my manhood pressing against her booty, my Australian lover smiled seductively and began to wiggle her bottom. I grabbed her hips to stop her.


    "Ah!"


    With a cute yelp, the entire room looked in our direction. Be exhaled in annoyance and continued her discussion. As if caught by a teacher, Robyn and I waited a bit before we continued to y around as the meeting went on.


    The rest of my harem added points to the guidelines Be was discussing. It was a good thing Robyn was ying with me, otherwise I would have been bored out of my mind.


    [Exa, please summarize what was discussed and exin it to meter.]


    [Understood, Limitless].


    Another half hour passed before the meeting ended. Robyn and I yed tic-tac-toe. Only instead of a board, we used each other''s necks, and instead of X''s and O''s, we used hickeys and bite marks.


    "We will end the meeting here. The heads of LLG, Phillip, and the 2nd Amendment please stay. Everyone else is dismissed."


    Be then turned to our chief saint and ordered in a cold tone.


    "Yvonne. Summon all ten members of your former guild, Golden Wick. Now."


    With her robes still stained with blood, Yvonne flinched, but bowed meekly.


    "I-I follow y-your words,dy Minerva."


    Then she ran off like her ass was on fire.


    I was about to ask Mrs. Code to reconsider, but Robyn poked me in the cheek as she threthened in a stern voice.


    "Possum. Shut up. If you stop us. We will kill them all."


    My Combat Joey was not one to make empty threats. Even though it felt wrong, I didn''t really care what the Sirens did to Golden Wick. Of course, if I had to choose, I would choose the Sirens.


    Exhaling in defeat, I nodded. Robyn then smiled mischievously as she kissed my cheek in a happy mood.


    "Heh. Possum, the faces you make are just too cute."


    When everyone else left, the Sirens all began to voice their frustration.


    "Robyn! What the fuck?!" Be yelled.


    "Robyn, I underestimated you. You even moaned the whole meeting! Master! Show some shame."


    "Jailbait, get off! It''s my turn! Darling! Let''s y tic-tac-toe too!"


    "Jo, you are focusing on the wrong thing. And husband, please behave. You are in public."


    Liv then shifted her chair and beckoned me onto herp.


    "Beloved,e here. Let me pet you."


    Meanwhile Lilly mmed her fist into the table.


    "I seem tock self-control. Dear,fort me. Now."


    Phillip began to wipe his monocle as he expressed his amazement.


    "Good lord, you would not think they all terminated close to a thousand people from the way they are behaving. Limitless, you have my sympathies."


    Just then, Yvonne burst into the room, followed by the Saints of Golden Wick. They immediately prostrated themselves on the floor and yelled in unison.


    "Esteemeddies! Please forgive our disrespect! We apologize for trying to seduce your {Kindred}!"


    Expecting forgiveness, what the Golden Wick members heard was the exact opposite.


    "Perfect, a chance to vent my frustrations." "Give me half, I''m in a bad mood." "Dibs on the one with the sses." "Finally." "Jo? Aren''t youing?" "I''m good. Hey Robyn, get off already." "Strewth! This is my seat you Italian nut job! Do the Harry!"


    The girls of Golden Wick began to tremble as Liv, Lilly, Be, Aki and Jas began a one-sided beating. Despite the brutality of my women, the Saints all endured the bullying as best they could.


    ''It is times like these that I am reminded of how unique the Sirens were.''


    However, it wasn''t that I couldn''t understand them. If I found out that some guys had suddenly stripped and tried to sleep with my girls, I would not end things with a beating.


    "I would probably torture them for a week before turning them into Soulgear."


    While I already knew that the Sirens acted like Yanderes, I was amazed to know that I acted the same way.


    ''How amusing. Would theree a time when I would behave like the Sirens? Considering how attractive they are, I think the likelihood is extremely high.''


    I continued to y with Jo and Robyn while the other Sirens took out their frustrations on Golden Wick. Hopefully their punishment would end soon.

 Chapter 280: Congratulations [1/2]

    [Reader Warning: The following chapter is centered on rape and its effects on Hellsgate. Please skip it if you find the topic ufortable.]


    "Uh, Limitless? Shouldn''t we stop them?" Cynthia asked with trepidation.


    The moans of the women being beaten continued to ring out. Yvonne flinched noticeably as she closed her eyes. Seemingly traumatized by what was happening.


    The 2nd Amendment bit her lips as Golden Wick continued to be assaulted by the Sirens.


    "This is wrong!" the LLG President replied as she stood up. But her arms were restrained by Addison and Yvonne.


    "Hold your tongue, girl, before you lose your head," the dwarf warned.


    Cynthia turned to see the bloodthirsty stares of Jo and Robyn.


    "W-we were w-wrong. We deserve this," Yvonnemented tearfully.


    Jo then left my side and walked over to Cynthia.


    "Cynthia Carmine. Do you know how dogs were domesticated?"


    Caught off guard, the redhead stammered. "I-I don''t know."


    My Italian lover then grabbed Cynthia''s chin and spoke through clenched teeth.


    "By giving them treats and a fucking ass-whooping."


    "W-what?"


    "Darling is too kind. You are all nothing but vultures, exploiting his prowess. He''s already given you carrots. My sisters and I are the stick. The meanest, beefiest stick you will ever find."


    Jo then whispered menacingly in Cynthia''s ear.


    "This is a warning to every bitch on this fucking battlefront. Touch our man and we will have your head. Remember to tell everyone, okay? Golden Wick is special, so they will only get a beating. The others will be buried in the ground. Are we clear?"


    Gulping nervously, the President replied, "Yes. Lady..."


    "V. My name is V."


    "Yes, Lady V. I will make sure everyone knows."


    When Jo told me that she had another personality in her head, I hadn''t thought it would reach this extent. V was a fucking psycho. Much like me, the girls were using their Graveyard IDs to hide their names.


    I btedly noticed that the muffled cries of pain had stopped.


    Lilly and the others stood up with bloodied fists. I rose to my feet and grabbed a towel and some disinfectant. Seemingly pleased, the girls all ran to me and presented their bloodied hands.


    Gently, I wiped the blood from the fists of my girls. It was amusing how docile they lined up. Of course, after massaging and cleaning their hands, each of my girls begged for a kiss. Naturally, I obliged.


    Yvonne and ire joined the rest of Golden Wick and knelt on the floor. Like prisoners awaiting execution, they all had ck eyes, split lips, some were even missing teeth.


    I returned to my seat and remained silent. The stage was for the Sirens. I found it tiresome to deal with such things.


    Be wanted tomand the LLG. Jo, on the other hand, felt like a drill instructor from hell. As long as no one died, I left them to their own devices.


    Everyone except Jo returned to their seats, Jo on the other hand came forward and suddenly stomped ire''s head to the ground. The rest of the 2nd Amendment almost moved in reflex.


    However, a single look from my girls caused them to shut up and calm down.


    "Considering you''re all saints, I''m guessing you were all raped before you died, right? Who among you killed themselves out of shame? Who was killed by their rapists? Answer me," Jo asked nonchntly.


    "!!!"


    The entire room froze at her words. Cynthia, Addison and the 2nd Amendment all had their mouths agape. Only Phillip remained unmoved. On our side, none of my girls showed much of a reaction.


    Jasmine added like a teacher in a ssroom. "V, you are skipping too many things again. Golden Wick, use {Rewind}. Cynthia and Addison deserve to know Husband''s {Fate} anyway."


    Except for Cynthia and Addison, everyone else in the room has seen my {Rewind} work. I hadpletely forgotten about it. Good thing Jasmine remembered.


    "{Save}. {Rewind}." x10


    Ten saints all used my {Fate}, disappearing and reappearing in perfect health. The two who saw it for the first time suddenly stood up in surprise.


    "What the hell?!" "Such a {Fate} exists!"


    Lilly pped her hands in irritation.


    "Yes, yes, it is amazing. This {Fate} is called {Rewind}. This is the {Fate} of the man you all follow as your master. Cynthia, Addison, sit down. Minerva, exin to everyone if you would."


    Be adjusted her sses before speaking. Her gesture reminded me of the know-it-alls in anime who fixed their sses just as they were about to say something witty or clever.


    "There''s not much to say. In a nutshell. Saints are created through rape and sexual exploitation. Reapers, whose regrets center on purity, gain fates powerful enough to exorcise malice."


    Jas then added more information to this despicable subject.


    "This is why most saints have the appearance of young girls. Older women learn to ept their experiences and move on. Saints are the ones who either get killed while being vited ormit suicide out of disgust."


    Unconsciously, my hands crushed the armrests of my seat. Death resonance began to pour out of me like a flood. Fucking hell. This whole subject was making my blood boil.


    Jasmine''s words from earlier that afternoon echoed in my head.


    "I think Saint Division with {Rewind} is Husband''s greatest achievement. Even in Europe, the Devil''s Remains are incredibly sought after."


    Right now, no one in the world didn''t know about the grooming gangs in Europe. It was one of the injustices that hardly had a voice. Even the crimes of the visitors from that damned ind had yet to be brought to justice.


    "It was hell husband. The amount of lives lost was in the hundreds of thousands. The Assad regime butchered and raped their way to remain in power. Going as far to use chemical weapons and bombarding civilians."


    It wasn''t just Europe. Africa, Asia, South America, even on my own continent, rape has been prevalent. The only ce it wasn''t supposed to be was Antarctica.


    "In fact, there are hardly any saints in the North. That is why we cannot push them back, my love. We just sever the tainted ones and put them in separate boxes. The formation of Yvonne''s group is really a great achievement."


    FUCK, so that''s why the North didn''t have saints.


    "Sniff. My mother was a powerful specter, she was themander of the honor guard. You remember I said I looked like a man right? Women are treated like cattle in the North. To protect me, my mother cursed me to look like an orc to men."


    From what I knew of history, societies still in the tribal phase treated their women as property. They had no rights to speak of and were like cattle. As I reyed my conversation with Siren, Jo''sment suddenly took on a whole new meaning.


    "Europe is also struggling with this darling. The amount of malice that has infected their assault teams is already considerable. I have heard that Virtuous no longer wants to risk their souls copsing. The result is that Europe is stuck at level 39."


    "THAT FUCKING ASSHOLE!" I blurted out in anger.

 Chapter 281: Congratulations [2/2]

    [Reader Warning: The following chapter is centered on rape and its effects on Hellsgate. Please skip it if you find the topic ufortable.]


    Themon people always wondered why Europe, with all its military might, seemed to turn a blind eye to its women being raped by disced refugees.


    ''THE FUCKING BASTARD! HE IS ALLOWING IT TO HAPPEN TO CREATE SAINTS! FUCKING FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!


    ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?''


    CLIVE ZANARDI. I WILL FUCKING GUT YOU AND TEAR YOUR BODY TO SHREDS. I WILL MAKE SURE THAT I IMPALE YOUR SEVERED HEAD ON A FUCKING STAKE.


    The news of hundreds of women and young children being molested and raped has always made me extremely resentful. Anyone who loved a woman would feel horrible hearing other women suffer such a terrible misfortune.


    It was in the gic impulse of every man to feel protective of women. Children and the elderly even more so. To think that a force of nature, a fucking Revenant, subjected those under his rule for his own selfish purposes drove my sanity to the wall.


    ''Kill him.'' ''He''ll rape your women next.'' ''No one is safe.'' ''You cannot stop him if he chooses to go after the Sirens.'' ''Watch as your loved ones are vited before your very eyes.''


    My own delusions suddenly amplified my raging emotions, my eyes became blind as my ears went deaf. Unable to feel anything, only terror gripped my heart.


    However, just as I was about to lose control, voices resonated in my very soul.


    {Beloved, calm down. We are fine. Come back to me.}


    {Get it together, my dear. You are not going to fall here, are you?}


    {Possum. stop being a cunt.}


    {This side of Darling is cute too!}


    {Honey, stand down. My man''s not this weak!}


    {Husband. Breathe. I am here.}


    {Anata, I will not allow you to die before me!}


    As their words reverberated in my mind, the raging storm in my soul settled. rity and peace suddenly returned to my heart. The warmth of my Kindred drowned out the voices that fanned my anxieties.


    Soon my senses returned, and I saw my harem all looking at me with loving faces. The LLG leaders, Phillip, and the 2nd Amendment were puzzled as to why the eight of us had suddenly fallen silent.


    "I''m sorry, please continue the meeting."


    [Everyone. Thank you.]


    I used {Connect} to send everyone a private message, and they all gave me heartwarming responses. The boldest of them asked for rewards.


    Aside from the Sirens, the rest of the people had no idea that my soul almost copsed for the fourth time.


    I needed to understand what the hell had just happened. But for now, I allowed Jo to continue her interrogation.


    "As I was asking, those who killed themselves, raise your hands."


    Nine of the Golden Wick girls raised their hands.


    "Now, who among you died while being vited?"


    Thest three girls raised their hands, with ire and Yvonne belonging to this group.


    With my emotions under control, I tried to understand what Jo was getting at. She continued to stand on ire''s head as she spoke.


    "ire Knight. Despite joining the 2nd Amendment, you are still a coward. You cannot evolve into a Phantom even though you tried, correct?"


    "T-That is correct Lady V."


    "That''s because deep down you still think you are a helpless little girl. Those guys over there protect you because they realized that. You will never get stronger as long as you see yourself as a powerless human."


    "I.."


    Jo removed her foot and took ire by the cor. The Italian was around 5''9", which was tall by most standards.


    "There''s one thing you and the rest of the 2nd Amendment forget. You are all dead. Despite having physical bodies, we are no longer part of the living. Physical limitations no longer apply to you. Your {fates} are the best proof of this."


    Jas then added for all to hear.


    "Everyone. The dream of returning to thend of the living. Please forget it. Do not delude yourselves. The living and the dead cannot coexist as equals. There is only one way to ensure the survival of your loved ones."


    Next to speak was Lilly, who continued while resting her face on her hands.


    "Be as strong as you can and kill anyone who tries to take from you. Give up your humanity, you imbeciles. It was over the moment you died."


    Jo then lowered ire to the ground as she scolded in a motherly tone.


    "Stop running. That goes for all of you. Until you face your demons, there will be no peace. No amount of time will take away the fear you all feel."


    Jo then wiped the tears running down ire''s face.


    "I fought in the Syrian war as a teenager. Rape victims are unable to regain any semnce of a happy life. That is, until they confront their fears. ire Knight. You told me you wanted to repay my darling, didn''t you?"


    "Y-yes, Lady V."


    "Then are you willing to be a beast to do it?"


    "I-I... I am," the saint replied hesitantly.


    Jo then turned to face Lilly and Be. Our resident IT suddenly pulled out a projector and showed the scene of a man drinking in a bar. The guy looked like a fucking asshole. ire started to shiver when she saw the man.


    Lilly then raised her hands and invoked a {Fate} "{Portal}".


    A shadow suddenly ate the man in the video and dropped him near ire.


    The saint screamed in horror and suddenly began to cry when she saw the man. The human, unable to understand what was happening, began to look around in a daze.


    Without saying a word, Jo mounted him and began to pummel his face like an MMA fighter.


    Of course, being a descendant, even Jo''s weak looking punches did a devastating amount of damage. In less than a minute, all of the bastard''s teeth were knocked out of his mouth, and both of his eye sockets were shattered from Jo''s blows.


    As if that was not enough, one of his eyes exploded in a bloody mess, and his nose was barely attached to his face. The man''s entire head turned purple like a grape from the swelling. The poor bastard barely had time to scream.


    "Keurk."


    The pitiful situation of the man I assumed had raped ire made her stop shivering. Then Jo stood up and held out her hands to ire.


    "ire Knight. Regain your dignity and abandon your humanity. Beat him till you fear no longer and move forward," Jo ordered in a stern voice.


    epting her hands, ire slowly kneeled to the ground and began to smash her rapist''s face.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..."


    Roaring with every fiber of her being, ire began to pound the man before her. As if screaming to the heavens, my saint smashed the man until her hands were bleeding and torn.


    But despite the pain, even as tears streamed down her cheeks, she continued to pound the bastard''s face. His skull finally broke as ire continued to roar.


    "ARHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    Under the eyes of all present, a mighty surge of soul erupted from my saint.


    A power greater than any human.


    This frail looking woman officially left the ranks of humanity.


    "Congrattions, ire. You are now a Phantom," I said with a smile.

 Chapter 282: I am not sulking! [1/2]

    ire Knight, a woman who died from being vited, now screamed her heart out as weakness left her body. Souls swirled around her like a raging tempest. Her howls sounded like those of a feral animal.


    I found her extremely beautiful. Not in a sexual way, but simr to how one would look at a painting or an enchanting flower.


    She was covered in blood. Tears and snot ran down her face. Her muscles were trembling without strength, yet her face was serene. Unlike my ascension, ire''s was quite dazzling. A vortex of soul swirled like a hurricane with her at the center.


    "Congrattions, ire. You are now a Phantom," I said with a smile.


    Reapers could intuitively tell the strength of another by sensing each other''s souls. Much like I could tell the rank of an enemy in Hellsgate just by sensing them, Reapers worked the same way.


    While their detection worked on the same principle, the way they registered was different. Monsters and undead had soul signatures that increased in size, but were simr to solid objects.


    Soul sensing, as I liked to call it, used air as a medium, but worked like sound waves.


    Just like bats or dolphins, reapers broadcast soul. Whenever we detected a Hellsgate inhabitant, an "echo" would return to us. The return signal, much like echolocation, told us the size of a creature''s soul.


    For Reapers, it was the other way around. A reaper was measured by the depth of its soul, not its size. Say I sent out 10 souls worth every half second. Wraiths would receive the souls and send back an echo. The amount of time it took for the echo to reach me was that reaper''s depth.


    If a Wraith was at level 3, it would take 2 seconds for the soul sensing toplete. For level 1 Wraiths, the exchange would be almost instantaneous.


    For Phantoms, the exchange would take tens of seconds. So from a Reaper''s perspective, if there was a hole in their soul-sensing map, something was there. The longer the hole remained, the stronger the Reaper.


    Humans did not send an echo, so from our point of view, they were simr to inanimate objects.


    Of course, this soul sensing was what you might callmon courtesy. It was also possible to block the soulspletely. When blocked, the soul echoes behaved as if they had hit a wall.


    A reaper had no obligation to respond to being sensed. Thus, outside of friendly rtionships, Reapers rarely determined each other''s strengths in battle this way.


    ire wasn''t blocking any signals right now, so anyone who tried to sense her would feel her new depth.


    Jo had a huge smile on her face as she stepped forward and embraced ire. Her affectionate mannerisms were the ones I was familiar with.


    "Well done ire. The peace you feel now is because you have confronted your inner demons. From now on, the nightmares will gue you no longer."


    "Sniff. Lady V. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you."


    "Hush. From now on, you are one of my little sisters. Call me Big Sis."


    "Yes, Big Sis."


    My Italian bride then rubbed ire''s back while the saint continued to shed tears of happiness. After a few moments, Jo looked at the other girls of Golden Wick, returning to "V".


    "The rest of you suffer from the same situation. If you do not face what you fear, you will be running for all eternity. I will give you all the same chance. Stand up. And reim your pride! Who wants to be a beast?"


    As if inspired by ire''s transformation, the rest of the girls shouted at the top of their lungs.


    "I DO LADY VELA!" x11


    Jo smiled broadly and called to the Sirens.


    "Sisters, please help me."


    Wordlessly, Be''s projector showed 11 other men going about their lives. Some were sleeping, eating, one was even in the middle of raping another woman.


    Lilly raised her two hands and opened portals that abducted all the men. When the men arrived, they were all disoriented and confused. The Golden Wick girls all trembled as they saw the bastards who had destroyed their lives.


    Be then took what looked like fat pens out of a small bag.


    "Stick them all with these. They willst longer."


    [Eagle Eye] allowed me to see thebels on said pens.


    ''Epipen, adrenaline (epinephrine) auto-injector. Well, shit.''


    Of course, for such scum of the earth, calling what followed an ass kicking was a fucking understatement. Each of my girls vented enough for all the Golden Wick Saints.


    Liv, demonstrated her knowledge of human anatomy by breaking every joint on the man. I never knew you could bend a human like a pretzel.


    Lilly, strung up her target like a punching bag and began to shatter every bone in his body. Of course, like a chaotic painting, the man''s skin soon showed every color of the rainbow.


    After dislocating her man''s limbs, Robyn tried to see how many times she could stomp on a man''s balls before they exploded. If that was not enough, she took the crushed eggs and shoved them down the man''s throat.


    Jasmine, pulled out a poison-tipped dagger and began to slice the man she chose. Avoiding major arteries, the target of her execution could be understood at a nce. The man frothed at the mouth and the veins all over his body turned ck.


    Be threw a bag over her man''s head and began pouring water into his mouth. Then she took a taser gun and began to electrocute the man through his testicles.


    Aki, who got the naked man in the middle of his crime, mutted him. She shoved the severed cock into the man''s own ass. The ded kitsune then promptly cut every tendon in the man''s body, turning him into a vegetable.


    Seeing the gruesome torture of the Sirens made Jo''s beating seem incredibly humane inparison. While I did not like to see my girls touch another man, in Aki''s case such shock value was necessary.


    With only seven of them then ounted for, the 2nd Amendment took point and proceeded to beat the living shit out of the remaining four. They were...extremely enthusiastic.


    Cynthia, Addison, and Phillip didn''t participate, chatting like olddies.


    "Phillip, aren''t we fucked?"


    "What do you mean, Ms. Cynthia?"


    "I think she means that the odds of women being killed by the Sirens are extremely high."


    "Ah, well, that may be true," the monocled bastard said wryly.


    "Hey! Scammer! What if they think I tried to seduce Limitless? Look at those poor bastards. Even I am beginning to feel sorry for them."

 Chapter 283: I am not sulking! [2/2]

    "Cynthia, we men don''t have it much better, you know? If you are afraid of the Sirens, what about us? The Sirens all act like puppies in front of Limitless. At least you don''t have to worry about him," Addison added bitterly.


    "You''re all exaggerating. Everything will be fine. Just prove your worth. Ms. Minerva said it before, right? What they despise are weaklings and parasites."


    "Hmm. That''s right. I should quickly tell the guild to forget about aiming for Limitless. It won''t be good if they all suddenly die pathetic deaths."


    "Still, don''t you think the saints all look refreshed?"


    "They do indeed. Ms. V''s observations are beyond astute. I dare say we have found the third squad of the 2nd Amendment."


    Chuckling at herment, I watched the Siren version of a rabid orgy. Where normally all you heard were women moaning, here you heard only the pitiful whimpering of motherfuckinggrown ass man-children.


    ''Well, they should be thankful I didn''t join in. I would turn those bastards into Phantoms just to kill them over and over again.''


    Aki somehow kept an eye on all eleven men. She would suddenly stop the girls or the guys to tell them to ease up. Because of her ability to pace the beatings, none of the men died from the shock.


    The Sirens eventually gave way to the Golden Wick Saints. Jo emphasized that they were to use nothing but their fists. The Saints, including Yvonne, then mimicked ire''s hate-fueled flurry of punches.


    Of course, all eleven men were on the verge of death long before the Saints got their turn. The adrenaline shots were the only reason they were still hanging on. Initially fearful, when the Saints began their strike, something changed.


    As if cleansing all the negative emotions from their bodies, the Golden Wick girls beat their rapists. Much like ire, they did this even as the skin on their hands tore and bled. Even through the pain, they screamed out all their vulnerability and anguish.


    Emotional beyond belief, they all failed to notice that the men were already dead. Still, they all continued to pound their fists into the corpses until the skulls copsed. It took over half an hour for them all to calm down.


    The blood and brain matter that sttered all over the girls gave them the appearance of cannibals.


    Three more saints evolved into Phantoms, including the bespectacled girl, Aisha. Even though not all of them sessfully ascended to the next rank, Jo hugged them all and praised them.


    As if to show their solidarity, the rest of the Sirens and ire took turns hugging everyone. Jo then walked over to Joshua.


    Remembering the ass kicking they had received from my girls, the guys visibly flinched.


    But the Italian shooting star ignored their reactions and gave amand.


    "Joshua Hwang. I order you to train these girls as the 3rd squad of my darling''s army."


    The Korean nodded as he responded. "Understood, Lady V."


    She then looked at me as if waiting for my confirmation. I stood up and walked over to the Sirens, who were all covered in blood.


    "Darling, my army is yours tomand. Do as you see fit."


    Josephine then jumped up and gave me a kiss. Her face was still covered with sshes of blood, but the madness of it all seemed to show the true colors of my wife. I epted her caress as she seemed to draw something on my cheeks.


    Before I could ask, Jo turned to Golden Wick and announced in a heroic voice.


    "Golden Wick is dead, the cowardly Saints have just died a few minutes ago. From now on you will all answer to the name of V''s Wolves. Beasts among men. Will you fight under my name?"


    "YES! BIG SIS! WE WILL!"


    The girls of Golden Wick all prostrated themselves before Jo as if to worship her. Then they all crowded around her as if she were a celebrity, adoring her. Meanwhile, the Siren''s were all expressing their thoughts over {Connect} to our group.


    [Ishtar: Oh my, their eyes remind me of cult fanatics. V take note]


    [Rhiannon: Does this mean we all have to form our own groups? I want to stay with possum though.]


    [Satis: Hmm, having a group that moves like you is efficient. Husband, I will form and train a sniper unit under Satis, would that be fine?]


    [Limitless: Sure, wifey, I don''t mind.]


    [Inari: Then I will recruit people and form an assassination unit, master.]


    [Limitless: Just don''t overdo it, okay, Aki?]


    [Inari: Fufu, master worries too much.]


    [Freyja: I think forming a shielding column is a worthwhile endeavor as well. Beloved, would it be all right if I included men?]


    [Limitless: Yes, that is fine, you belong to me anyway]


    [Freyja: Now and forever, my love]


    [V: You are all too excited, they still need training. Darling, do you mind if I bond with them from time to time?]


    [Limitless: Sure, darling, but don''t take too long, I might kill them out of jealousy.]


    [V: Kya! Darling, you are seducing me, right? Right? Why are you being so cute?]


    [Minerva: Everyone, wait a moment. There are still other people in the room. V, we went along with your n. Are you sure these girls will be useful?]


    [V: I am, anyone who recognizes Darling''s sex appeal has good eyes. I will make them our shock troops.]


    [Minerva: THAT''S why you chose them? Take some in your asshole! This nut job...]


    [Rhiannon: Ignoring Be''s whinging, are you sure Jo? The gs are still weak as fuck.]


    [Ishtar: Everyone, focus on the 2nd Amendment for now. And we still have a lot of work to do. Move on to the next order of business. I will unload the armory.]


    [Satis: Husband, please control yourself this time, okay? Everyone already thinks you are a pervert. But if they see you drooling over guns, your image will be nothing but a sexual deviant.]


    [Limitless: Wifey, your observation is wrong. I don''t make lewd faces to guns.]


    [...] x7


    [Limitless: What? Exa, back me up here]


    [Exa: I invoke my right to remain silent]


    [Limitless: Whatever. Go ahead and distribute the weapons, I will just y with my {Fates}.]


    [Minerva: Satis! Look what you did, honey''s sulking]


    [Limitless: I am not sulking!]


    [You have disconnected from the Minerva Network.]


    I then sat down and started to study my status page. Be took over the proceedings again and started the discussions. It included the details of who gets ess to the weapons and the like.


    Meanwhile, I started to check out the only {Fate} I had yet to study in depth, since I had nothing better to do.


    [{Program} - Technopathy, create a preset routine of actions using {Fates}].


    "Alright, show me what you can do."

 Chapter 284: I am five. [1/2]

    In today''s world, IT or information technology has been incredibly good for making money. Personally, I had very little experience with it. The most advanced device I had was myptop. But like most people, it''s purpose was to watch movies or y video games.


    Many of my old ssmates started out in other careers, but soon switched toputer-rted jobs. They kept saying that the money was good and the opportunity for growth was goodpared to dead-end jobs.


    Of course, that was before they all got fired because of their high rates. In today''s globalized economy, who in their right mind would pay an American hundreds of dors when you can get a pajeet or gook to do it for literally pennies.


    Outsourcing became the final nail in the coffin. With the advent of offshoring, most jobs went overseas, sure it saved the bigwigs a lot of money, but at the same time it reduced the number of Americans it could have supported.


    That was one of the reasons I never got around to it. At least I had a dead-end job. The same bastards who tried to get me into programming were the same ones who called me to borrow money.


    Of course, all this basically meant that I knew shit when it came to programming and IT as a whole. {Program} sounded intimidating to me because I was stupid. But for mying war I had to learn it, leaving a golden egg was not something I was willing to do.


    There was no useless {Fate}. As regrets given form, each and every one of them fulfilled a desire. Be must have had a good reason for creating {Program}. I somehow learned what it was supposed to do, but that''s all.


    It was like using the radio, I knew what the radio could do, but who the hell knows how the thing actually makes sound. Anyway, as much as I hated dealing with the annoying shit, I hated the Saviors even more.


    The chance to kill them all was my incentive to endure this torture. It couldn''t be that bad, right?


    "Killing all the fucking bastards."


    I internalized my motivation like a mantra. Every time I feel bored, worried, or frustrated. I will recite this mantra as a reminder. I do this so that I can...


    "Kill all the fucking bastards."


    With my mental preparationsplete, I attempted to use {Program}.


    "{Program}."


    My mind then entered a nk space. {Program}, was essentially y, it had no purpose. As its owner, its limitation and function were determined by me. This damn thing required big brain energy.


    Looking at the empty space, I once again realized how empty my mind is. Like an abandoned cave, nothing filled my mind. Most girls were said to be incapable of understanding that most men had brains like mine.


    When we say we are not thinking about anything. We literally fucking mean it.


    "Shit..."


    As I stared into space, I heard a voicee to my aid.


    [Limitless, may I offer a suggestion?]


    [Sure, Exa. I have nothing anyway.]


    [It is often said that necessity is the mother of invention, so why not start with a problem you wish to solve?]


    "Necessity, huh?"


    In a way, that statement was true. Humans began to be civilized only after they overcame their primitive needs. People hunted to avoid starvation, but when storms or winter came, they still starved.


    To solve this problem, people began to store food. But meat spoiled easily, so when salt was discovered, its value was worth its weight in gold. Still, hunting for food had its limits.


    Using berries as an example, humans eventually learned to nt and farm. Soon they domesticated cattle and raised livestock. The very term was a stroke of genius; it was literally a stock of life. Each cow or boar represented the ability to live another day.


    This concept became a universal measure throughout the world. No matter what country it was, the fucker who had the most animals was the richest fucker in thend. Of course, things got moreplicated over the years, but the concept was incredibly urate.


    "Hmm, my biggest problem is not being able to optimize {Save} and {Rewind}. I forget to use {Save} when I can and n to start using {Rece} more often. But {Rece} is expensive as hell!"


    [Gather requirements, optimize {Save} and {Rewind}. Compile?]


    "What the fuck? You just talk to it?"


    [Limitless, I think it is because you have {Connect}. The {Program}, much like apiler, does nothing more than package your ideas. In a traditional sense, machinenguage is skipped by having a programmingnguage to...]


    "Exa, stop, I am neither interested nor able to understand. Dumb it down, exin it to me like I''m five."


    [... It is a genie like ddin''smp. Invoke the program, make a wish, and I will do the rest].


    "That''s what I''m talking about! Thank you, Exa! Should I start with my first wish? Do I only get three wishes? Are they like {Kismet} slots?"


    [No, unlike the Kismet slots, you have an extre....]


    "Exa, I am five."


    [You have an unlimited number of wishes, so as long as your wishes do not conflict, you can have them all].


    "Great!"


    [Should Ipile the first wish?]


    "I guesspiling is to make the wishe true? Then yes! Compile the hell out of it!"


    [Compiling...] {Save}, designated point to load {Auto} upon invocation of {Rewind}. {Rewind}, summon alternate reality to fill in gaps in {Auto} imagery... Requirements epted. Generate program...]


    "Wait! What did you just say? {Rewind} is not about time? But another reality?"


    [Compiling¡­50%¡­60%¡­70%¡­.]


    "OY! Stop ignoring me! {Program}! Say something!"


    [80%...90%...Program finished. Program [Autosave] , [Autoload] created].


    My outbursts caused everyone in the room to look at me. Their meeting continued as I gestured for them to ignore me.


    All this time, I thought {Rewind} was, as its name suggests, the ability to go back in time. But many of my assumptions never made sense.


    One of them was how my {Fate} allowed me to keep things outside of my definition of {Auto}. For example, if {Rewind} turned back time, my bullets should not only regenerate, but the damage they caused should also be reversed.


    However, I have created infinite bullets, and once a bullet has been fired, itsponents do not rbine to form a new bullet. The gunpowder remains burnt, the case remains spent, and the bullet does not suddenly remove itself from where it was buried.


    My body, which was getting thinner despite being originally overweight in my {Auto}. I tried to guess what the {Fates} were doing by what I observed.


    And unlike the {Fates} of the Sirens, I could not load {Rewind} into {Limitless}, so I could not get a proper exnation.

 Chapter 285: I am five. [2/2]

    Somehow I began to pity the reapers anew. I had Be''s {Fate} which made things go digital. It was like I had a system simr to the one in the Isekai novels. For everyone else, how the hell would they even know how many souls they had?


    Figuring out the nuances of {Rewind} was already difficult because I could only do it by trial and error. But what about the others? Just like in real life, people would not be able to measure their abilities, but would have to test everything manually.


    ''Whatever, I will ask Beter.''


    I checked the new program, [Autosave] and [Autoload]. Suspiciously, Exa refused to answer me even though she heard my questions.


    [Autosave] - {Program} that invokes {Save} when entering a new battleground. {Save} cooldown can be staggered to prepare a 2nd {Save} for active use. Save point can be set manually. Requires the {Rewind} family to be avable.


    [Autoload] - {Program} that invokes {Rewind} upon taking damage to Soulgem. Soul cost must be paid before the {Program} can be enabled. Requires the {Rewind} family to be avable.


    "..."


    Well shit, aren''t these too good? {Save} was a pain in the ass to use because it had a 20 minute cooldown. This meant that using it randomly was just in stupid. So I only used it when I had to make big moves, like when I used {Save} on a Cyclops'' neck or before I jumped off a cliff.


    The number of times I wanted to use it before starting a fight was too numerous to count. Being able to stagger the cooldown meant that I would have a 2nd save that automatically worked on a different cooldown. It was a fucking cheat!


    Even better, [Autoload] would trigger {Rewind} the moment someone tried to kill me. This implied that I didn''t even have to be conscious or aware of the danger.


    "Exa, is it possible to transfer both programs to the Sirens?"


    [Yes, Limitless. I can use the Minervawork to send the updates to them].


    "Do it."


    [...The programs have been sent.]


    "Hmm... The Sirens don''t have Exa, do they? Then they would have to manually control all their {Fates} during {Limitless}?"


    [Yes, Limitless, that would be the case].


    "Exa, turn yourself into a {Program} and send it to everyone."


    [Limitless, you are being unreasonable... It would take a significant...]


    "I am five."


    [I will be unavable for at least two days. Operating {Limitless} would be the only thing I will be able to do].


    "Do it. You have one day."


    [Compiling...]


    "I don''t need to see the exnations, just send me an update every ten percent."


    [Sigh. Understood. I''ll return after 24 hours. 0%.]


    Although I found Exa''s sighing strange, I turned my attention back to the meeting. It seemed like everything wasing to an end.


    "Alright, that concludes the exnations. Joshua, you will be acting captain, Mike and Warren will be your lieutenants. I expect the three of you to report back to me on anything of significance," Be concluded.


    "Yes, Lady Minerva."


    Liv added in a cold voice. "Captain, make sure your men all be Phantoms before this night is over. Otherwise, I will personally see to their ascension. With deadly force if necessary."


    "I will keep that in mind, Lady Freyja."


    Joshua bowed with the 2nd. Meanwhile, V''s wolves were still chirping like chicks around Jo.


    "Big sis Jo! Please let us fight with you!"


    "No. First train to fight like modern soldiers, thene to me," the Italian replied firmly.


    Like puppies, the wolves deted in sadness. Fighting beside their idol seemed to have be their highest goal.


    "I chose all of you because I believe in you. Win Joshua''s approval in one week. Once you have, I will personally go hunting with you. Show me how much you want it."


    "OH!" "OKAY!" "YEAH" "WE UNDERSTAND BIG SIS!" "COME ON GIRLS!" "LET''S TRAIN!"


    Meanwhile, Jas, Robyn and Aki were telling Cynthia a bunch of demands. The LLG president was furiously taking notes.


    Jas''s needs were simple: "Send me anyone who has a hunting background, and preferably people who have used bows or guns."


    Aki''s was a bit more abstract: "I want anyone who was an athlete and died protecting their loved ones."


    Robyn, on the other hand, seemed to be ying around. "Send me everyone under the age of 18 who is less than 162. For girls , they''re in if they''re smaller breasts than me."


    Finally, Lilly was talking to Addison. She seemed to be having something built.


    "So is it possible?"


    "It''s not that it''s not, but may I ask why Lady Ishtar?"


    "It''s a secret."


    "It could work. But it''ll be expensive."


    "Cost is irrelevant, but you must have it ready by tomorrow."


    As I watched in the meeting room, I suddenly felt a shiver run down my spine. I had soul sensing on, and three souls appeared around me. However, when I turned around, I could not see anyone.


    ''This depth. Specters! And there are fucking three of them!''


    Something suddenly grabbed my shoulder and I felt my vision blur. My sense of bnce was destroyed as if I had been spun around a hundred times. A few secondster, I opened my eyes and saw the night sky and a full moon.


    ''Am I back on Earth?''


    When I turned around, I saw an old man I both hated and respected.


    " Yo boy, are you enjoying your new life yet?" the grampa asked.


    Through clenched teeth I called out his name, "Rnd Winchester."


    But then there were two others I saw for the first time, and both were definitely Specters. Their mere presence was like a ck hole, sucking up all the souls in the area.


    "Introduce yourselves first, you bastards, we only have a few minutes," Rnd ordered.


    Answering with a broad grin was a blond man with sses. He had tan skin and was built like a freaking superman.


    "Xander Rutherford. Commander of Savior."


    The other person was slim but looked like a fuck boi, forck of a better word. He took off his hipster sses and introduced himself with a sneer.


    "Raymond Gertrude. Master of the Deryck family."


    Rnd then shed a deranged smile as he roared while invoking death resonance.


    "YOU WANTED SPECTERS, BOY? CONGRATULATIONS! YOU GOT THREE OF THEM!"


    ''FUCK. Now what do I do?''

 Chapter 286: Heroine Chapter: FUCK THE WORLD! [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Isabe Taurus


    ___


    "You can stop acting now, Be."


    It took everything in me not to copse at that moment. But John Smith was fucking relentless.


    "I will, but only after you are okay."


    "Because I trust you. I know you wouldn''t do something like this without a good reason."


    "Tell me, honey. I am the one who loves you the most."


    This was fucking cheating! How the hell did he know exactly what words would make me swoon?


    "This is too unfair. Why do you always throw my ns out the window?" Iined.


    "Because I love you."


    Ah. This is hopeless. I thought I could stay sane and love this man. But it was impossible from the beginning.


    [Limitless: I am not sulking!]


    [Limitless has disconnected from the Minerva Network]


    I couldn''t help but smile at the adorable actions of my honey. Completely different from when I first met him, this man now had my heart firmly in the palm of his hand.


    From time to time, I find myself wondering if any of this was real? Before I fell in love with John Smith, I had been gued by misfortune all my life. The loss of my parents at a young age was the beginning of my life of torment.


    Since then, I have been bullied, trampled, and humiliated for just about everything. Because I was a girl, because I had no parents, even because my body was thin and malnourished.


    Although I was never raped, I came very close to that fate many times. In each of those moments, I got by with the skin of my teeth. Of course, like most people, I cried my heart out and felt sorry for myself.


    But one night, when my body was soaked in a typical Brazilian monsoon, something changed. I was about fourteen at the time, and it had been less than a year since my parents had gone to the pigs. But in that short time, I lost everything.


    I remember that night vividly. My body was tired, hungry and sore. The disgusting feeling of wet clothes and the icy cold of the freezing wind. I was caught trying to steal a man''s wallet. And was beaten as a result.


    Of course, no one knew I was a woman, otherwise I would have been raped in addition to being beaten. To hide my gender, I dressed like a boy and cut my hair short.


    It was a blessing that my breasts were still small. Otherwise, I would have been caught by the many brothels and kidnapped and doomed to a life of prostitution.


    Why? Why is this happening to me? What have I done to deserve this? I remember asking myself that fateful night.


    In the end, there was no reason. Misfortune just fell from the sky for no reason or rhyme. However, while the bad experiences that happened to me were out of my control, how I reacted to them was.


    My parents were devout Catholics and had always stressed the importance of believing in the God of the Bible. He had a lot of rules for a supposedly righteous life. But what about those who were suffering? How could we be good if we could barely survive?


    The churches around me were nothing but underground whore houses and drug dens. All I knew was that if I continued the way I was going. I would die. So I made a decision.


    My life changed with a single thought.


    "The Lady of Aparecida would never kill to save me. Therefore, I will take life of my own volition and only ask for her forgiveness afterwards."


    The Lady of Aparecida was how Brazilian Catholics referred to the Virgin Mary. Not forgetting my vow to ask for forgiveness, I named myself "Maria Chorona," which was Portuguese for "Weeping Mary."


    Maria was an alter ego I created to preserve my sanity. Isabe Taurus would be a perfect little devout Catholic. But Maria Chorona? Maria Chorona would sell her soul to survive. Until I got even with the people who had made my life a living hell, Maria would fight.


    And so I schemed, I stole, I killed. Through painstaking effort, I grew a moronic group of thugs into a powerful organization. Every event, every decision, every detail had to be perfect. Otherwise I would die. There was no room for mistakes.


    My allies only listened to the strong. Loyalty was something that never existed between us. I had to be ruthless and powerful. Otherwise, they would turn on me and send me to the pigs. People who lived on the edge had no room for trust. All we had was greed.


    After ten years, I became infamous as the baddest bitch in South America. My reputation protected me, my usefulness secured my alliances. And yet it all went wrong because of a single mistake.


    My second-inmand learned of my weakness and sold me to my enemies.


    "Maria Chorona, we have your aunt. If you don''t do as we say, her head will be nailed to your doorstep tomorrow."


    My Tia, who was myst living rtive. One whom I found with great difficulty, the only one I could trust, was abducted. I couldn''t use my organization because the chances that they would use her to ckmail me were quite high.


    So I mounted a desperate rescue. If only I had allies who would never betray me. If only Imanded an army that never slept, never went hungry, and only listened to me. Such a task would have been easy. Perhaps that was why {Code} was born?


    I managed to save my Tia, but I died soon after. When I learned that Aki was in the same situation, I wished with every fiber of my being to help her avoid my fate.


    Luckily, the Sirens were with me, so it was incredibly easy. We seeded with zero casualties and a near perfect result. But the Sirens were never loyal to me. They were only loyal to the man we all loved.


    Even though I said that Honey was special to me, in the back of my mind I was still afraid.


    ''What if he betrayed me? What if he saw me as a filthy woman after hearing about Maria? Would I be able to survive in Hellsgate without him? Could I bear the separation?''


    No. It was no longer possible. His love became the only reason I wanted to go on living. It would have been great if I had never met him, at least I could remain lifeless but alive.


    Ever since I had won his love and trust, what I feared most was no longer my own death, but his. Even his disappointment was enough to make me freeze in fear. What if I make a mistake? What if I lose his love?


    But such worries were repeatedly put to rest by Honey''s confessions. More tangible than any ring, he gave me {Limitless}.


    I gave him a confession in return, but I still wanted to keep a part of myself a secret. After all, those who gave everything to their rtionship ended up crazy and stupid. I refused to be like that. This was better, this was safer.


    He didn''t have to know Maria, it would be fine if he only knew Isabe Taurus, the honorable cop from Brazil. Even though I was lying to him and to myself, I preferred dying than the alternative.

 Chapter 287: Heroine Chapter: FUCK THE WORLD! [2/2]

    ''This is fine, I will take Maria to my grave. Honey doesn''t need to know,'' I reasoned out of cowardice.


    Even in marriages, it was okay to have a few secrets, right? Who would want to reveal even the most shameful parts of their true self to the partner they loved the most?


    But then he said something to Robyn that shattered whatever resolve I might have had.


    "Shh. That goes for all of you. I don''t care what you did before or why. That is what made you all who you are. As your man, I will shoulder all your sins from now on."


    Robyn and I, althoughing from different backgrounds, were simrly ashamed of our respective paths. It was okay when I was alone, but when I met Honey and his adoptive family, I saw how twisted I already became.


    "It was as if we belonged to two different worlds."


    It was in that moment that I decided to belongpletely to John Smith. I nned to expose all the filth the sirens were desperately trying to hide. Honey would not like it, but it was necessary.


    I justified my actions with a promise.


    ''I don''t care how long it takes, I will ask for everyone''s forgiveness. I do not mind being hated, but I hope no one will regret anything.''


    But he saw through it all.And against all reason, the man I loved the most freed me from all my guilt and shame. By simply epting all that I was.


    "Honey. Everything Aki said is true. I am a horrible person. That is probably why I ended up in hell. John...your words to Robyn. Is it okay if I believe them too?"


    And as I waited in fear for his answer. Honey gave me a glimpse of what true love was. Along with a loving kiss, his words melted all my insecurities.


    "Of course. From this day on, I will shoulder all your sins. When Judgment Dayes, we will suffer the punishment together. But for now I will n how to kill the Commando bastards in the future, okay Mrs. Code?"


    Ah. So this was love. That feeling of bliss that no matter what the world threw your way, someone would be there beside you. Someone you could show your true self to. Without judgment or malice.


    How could someone be like that? It made no sense! You were betrayed! How could you love someone like me? What did I do to deserve someone like you?! After crying my heart out, I asked, as I was drowning in his affection.


    "Sniff. How can you hear all this and still treat me so tenderly? I am a no-good woman! Normal people would despise me for killing innocent people."


    "Be. I would kill an entire continent if it meant that you would stay with me. I am done following the rules of others. I live this life for myself. I love you, so I will always be by your side. If I killed a million people, would you stop loving me?"


    "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"


    "Then I see no problem, right? I am a demon, and the Sirens are all viinesses. I think we make a great match."


    Since then, his every word gave me butterflies. My eyes remained glued to him. All my skills, abilities and devotion existed only for him. Nothing else mattered.


    So what happened next terrified me.


    More terrified than I had ever been in my life.


    "I can no longer see him."


    After we sent everyone away, only John, the Sirens and I remained in the room. But as we gathered. John suddenly disappeared.


    Using {Connect} I hacked every CCTV from Arizona to the North American Battlefront in Hellsgate. Blood trickled down my nose as my mind overloaded from the strain. But I didn''t care. Nothing else was more important than John.


    But I still couldn''t find the man I loved the most.


    I btedly noticed that the signal from his GRI had suddenly died as well. Unable to think straight, my mind kept running through the worst-case scenarios.


    GRI''s were coded to a reaper''s soul. They never stopped transmitting because of distance, battery problems, or even if the phones were destroyed.


    As long as the person still had their soulgem intact, the GRI would continue to transmit. This naturally meant that the only reason the signal would stop was if John''s soulgem was no longer in one piece.


    The Sirens naturally understood this, all of them used {Connect} to track John''s GRI like cyber stalkers. Thus the moment his stopped, everyone knew immediately.


    Even the pseudo-kindred link we had with his soul faded. Ever since he decided that we were his kindred, I gained a connection to Honey''s soul.


    His emotions, and to a lesser extent his thoughts, became known to me.


    But it wasn''t just me, it was for all the Sirens. We were able to calm him down when he experienced a soul copse earlier because of this connection.


    But suddenly it broke without warning.


    The void it left behind was beyond terrifying. Humans would not value love unless they knew hate. As someone who survived on nothing but hate. Like Robyn, I became addicted to Honey''s love.


    With everyone still in the room, my sisters reacted much like I did.


    Lilly unleashed a death resonance powerful enough to shatter the walls as she roared in rage. "WHO DARES!"


    Aki jumped at Lilly'' and tried to hold her back. "Lilly-sama! Control yourself! Nothing is certain."


    Robyn crumpled to the ground as if her batteries had been cut. "Possum?"


    Jo grabbed her sister''s shoulders and shook her violently. Panic and fear were evident in her bodynguage as tears streamed down her cheeks.


    "JAS! I can''t feel darling anymore! And his GRI signal is gone! What is going on?!"


    Her ebony-skinned sister replied, equally distraught. "I DON''T KNOW! I am as much in the dark as you are!"


    Surprisingly, only the Northerner managed to keep herposure. Despitebing the entire continent with satellites, I couldn''t find John Smith.


    Liv mmed her fist into the wall.


    "Everyone, calm down! It''s upsetting, but it doesn''t mean anything has happened to our beloved. Be. Can you find him with {Connect}, is he on Earth?"


    "He''s not in North America both here and on earth, I still can''t find him," I replied in frustration.


    There were only two things powerful enough to make Honey suddenly disappear like this.


    A Revenant or a Specter.


    The former had only seven suspects, but none of them used such tactics.


    Thetter, on the other hand, had too many potential culprits, and it was impossible to be sure if It was one of them.


    While my sisters and I were racking our brains, the door opened and thest person I expected came in.


    "Hello everyone. Looking for something? He said with a disgusting smile.


    "ZACHARY LYNCH! WHERE IS HE?" demanded Lilly with bloodlust.


    "Now, now. If you all cannot control your temper, I may forget what I was about to say."


    Figures shed past the Specter, the sounds of guns firing and des shing echoed. Aki, Jo and Robyn were suddenly on the floor. Incapacitated.


    "My goodness. You are all as bloodthirsty as he is. Barely ten seconds and four of you have already tried to kill me."


    But then his smile vanished as the Nightmare suddenly shouldered a golden axe. Death resonance, as powerful as a Revenant, erupted from him like a flood.


    "It seems that facing nothing but weaklings has made you all arrogant."


    Then he pulled out seven sheets of ck A4 paper and threw them at us. Each Siren managed to grab one.


    "John Smith is destined to destroy the world. This is a Seeker''s vow, leave his side or I will kill you all right now," he said nonchntly.


    "FUCK THE WORLD! GIVE HIM BACK!" I replied immediately.

 Chapter 288: Ask Roland [1/2]

    Specters, the rank above Phantoms and below Revenants. If Phantoms were the point at which Reapers officially left humanity, Specters would be the point at which Reapers approached divinity.


    As Lilly and I discussed earlier, the Revenants would be seen as nothing less than gods. Hell, to this day, if David wanted to, he could easily scare entire governments into submission.


    Though not as powerful as the Revenants, the Specters were just as terrifying. But somehow I wasn''t afraid. Maybe it was because I had already set my sights on the Revenants; to me, Specters were the same as Phantoms.


    They were just stepping stones.


    "[Inventory] F90s."


    Without so much as a word, I called up two Thales F90 Modr Bullpup Rifles. Not waiting for them to make the first move, I fired first.


    I pulled both triggers on the F90s and unloaded on the Specters as I sped away from them. I trained my right on Raymond while my left fired on Xander.


    Bullpups had many drawbacks, but their greatest advantage was phenomenal weight distribution and bnce. The design also allowed bullpups to have longer barrels but still have a smaller profile than ARs or AKs.


    This smaller profile allowed me to carry two of them with one handed. Effectively doubling my firepower.


    The F90''s were originally developed by Lithgow Arms, an Australian small arms manufacturer. But when their parentpany nned to distribute the F90 worldwide, it was given the Thales name instead.


    As the primary assault rifle used by the Australian military, the F90 was chambered in 5.56¡Á45mm NATO, much like a typical AR-15. It was the supposedly long overdue upgrade of the legendary Steyr Aug, the most iconic bullpup assault rifle in existence.


    A vast improvement on the Aug, the F90 was to be marketed to the world as the F90 Atrax. I and many others were looking forward to its release. Unfortunately some fucking psychotic Aussie went to New Zend and shot up a mosque.


    With 51 dead and 40 injured, the world watched Australia with a judgmental eye as to how they would respond. In response to the scrutiny, Thales Australia forced Lithgow to abandon the Atrax altogether.


    While they would never enter the civilian market, as military weapons they were beyond amazing. The Bullpups were praised for their reliability and uracy.


    "I told you, Rnd, this bastard has bigger balls than my entire army," Xandermented with a smile.


    With [Eagle Eye], I saw that my two targets didn''t even move an inch. Xander''s skin was smashed by the bullets, but his skin wasn''t even pierced. Simrly, a cone of wind protected Raymonde, sending the bullets swirling around him.


    "Tsk. No good, huh? Let''s try this then."


    I extended my middle fingers and grabbed the triggers of the SL40''s. The SL40s were modr under-barrel grenadeunchers made by Steyr. They fired 40x46mm low velocity NATO rounds.


    Steadying my guns, I pulled the triggers, well, calling them triggers was generous. The SL40''s for the F90 were weird, to keep thempact, the entire trigger guard was scrapped. Now my triggers were just circr pieces of metal.


    Who cared how they worked as long as they got the job done, two 40mm M433 grenades flew at my targets. Normal people would die from those. But as expected, they didn''t die.


    Xander simply pped the M433. The grenade meant for him exploded some distance away. Raymond''s bullet, on the other hand, stopped moving in mid-air.


    ''What the hell is Xander''s {Fate}! Raymonde''s {Fate} focused on wind, right?''


    Raymond flicked his fingers and my 40mm grenade flew back towards me.


    ''SHIT! I guess I have to go with this!''


    I threw the F90s away and braced my right shoulder like a quarterback.


    "[BATTERING RAM]! [ABSORB]!"


    Figuring it would be easier to attack an enemy I knew, I ran straight for Raymond. Unlike Xander, who seemed to have no problem getting hit by bullets, the fuck boi protected himself with the wind. That meant only one thing.


    ''Bullets would hurt the fucker.''


    I collided with the 40mm and continued my charges as the mes raged on. [Tank] absorbed both the impact and the kic energy. Meanwhile, my newbo skill, [Absorb], used the portal to draw in things like fire and smoke.


    "Is this fucking bastard insane?" the fuckboy remarked in disbelief.


    Of course, the shit was still burning, but at least the fires died instantly as I passed by. The main thing for [Absorb], though, was that it charged {Suffer}. In less than a second, I was within striking distance of the Specter, but he simply jumped into the air.


    "Two can y at this game. [SKY WALK]!"


    Ignoring gravity, I continued my furious attack as I slowly gained altitude.


    Raymond dodged mepletely. "What the hell? How many {Fates} does that bastard have?"


    "{Portal}. [Inventory] Raging Hunter."


    I opened a small portal in front of me and wished to arrive behind Raymond. Not forgetting the best fuck you. I summoned my great iron in preparation. My vision turned ck as I entered the void.


    All my senses stopped working, but my feet could still feel solid ground. Soon I saw a faint light and shifted my direction towards it.


    Eventually, light and sound returned as I exited subspace.


    ''Fucking hell, that was scary! I need to prepare a way to not get lost in this ce!''


    "Eh?"


    Raymond turned to see meing from behind.


    His face was surprised, but not panicked, and the winds began to howl furiously as I ran toward him.


    "{STOP}! [FLASH STEP]!"


    Copying a y from Jo, I cast a death resonance with {Announce}. Then I pushed my body to the absolute limit by calling [sh Step]!


    For a split second, Raymonde''s body stopped moving. It took him less than a moment to recover, but a split second was all I needed.


    I collided with him with a thunderous crash. I forced my hand to grab his neck and pushed the raging hunter into his stomach.


    [Weak point targeting] No longer needed my active summoning, I could see the Reapers'' Soulgems just by thinking I wanted to see them.


    But for the three before me, I couldn''t see anything. Like a veil, whatever I tried to analyze then failed miserably. So I decided to find out by experimenting.


    "[DOUBLE DAMAGE]!"


    Calling up the most powerful version of {Counter} I have so far, I pulled the trigger of the Raging Hunter. Powerful 500 S&W Magnums tore holes through the Specter. Blood spurted from his mouth as the kic energy of the bullets ravaged his insides.

 Chapter 289: Ask Roland [2/2]

    Since I had Exa and her unlimited reloads, I kept firing long past five rounds. Of course, none of my bulletsnded in the same ce. I shot his entire torso, moving my gun arm at different angles.


    My trigger finger was quite fast, so I practically unloaded close to twenty Magnums in those few seconds. Enraged by my attack, Raymond''s face contorted in rage as windnces covered both of his arms.


    "ARROGANT MOTHERFUCKER! DIE!"


    "[TANK]."


    Raymond buried his windnce into my head. A painful sensation of a razor-sharp wind construct traveled through my skull as everything above my head was shredded like confetti.


    It was fucking painful. Have you ever imagined what it felt like to be thrown into a heavy duty waste grinder?


    Yeah, this was even more painful. As if my body suddenly felt the loss of my brain, it suddenly felt stiff.


    ''MOVE! YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!'' I screamed inwardly.


    {REPLACE}.


    Imagining the scenery from behind the Specter, I invoked my {Fate} and rewound behind him. The next second, my body manifested.


    Of course, all the nerves in my body were screaming with the pain they had just felt.


    It was the opposite of the phantom limb. The feeling I had lost returned, which was like a thousand volts of electricity running through me all at once.


    But I had bigger problems right now.


    [Inventory] M1014.


    I tried it as an experiment and found that I could draw weapons without using my mouth. It was the same as using {Fates}. As long as the soul was used, the effect would be achieved.


    Raymond seemed to have the ability to fly, so I jumped towards him and used him as a handhold.


    "What?! How the fuck are you not dead?"


    Ignoring his surprise, I wrapped my legs around his torso like a vise. With my upper body raised, I pushed the business end of the Benelli to his head, albeit awkwardly.


    "Go ask Rnd."


    With thesest words I pulled the trigger and his head exploded. His arms tried to cut me, but the moment his coconut went kaboom, I released my legs around his midsection. As I fell, the Specter kept swinging hisnces around like a crazed chicken.


    I invoked [Sky Walk] and continued the fight. Using the sky as my new footing, I ran around the Specter while firing 12-gauge buckshots at him. Showing his experience as a fearsome warrior, even headless Raymond proved formidable.


    One bullet was all I couldnd on him, after which his headless body figured out where I was. Acting as if it had eyes, the Specter blocked all my subsequent shots with his winds.


    With the M1014 no longer proving effective, I let it go in preparation for my next weapon. But before I could speak, my ears heard a piercing screech.


    It was the sound of metal chains. I turned around, hoping to defend myself, and saw a thick chain with three foot spikes protruding from it.


    "Yeah, fuck that."


    I stopped running. The sudden stop canceled [Sky Walk] right after I fell like a brick. The barbaric weapon struck the ce where I had just been like a viper.


    Turning my body, I used [Eagle Eye] to find the source of the chain. It came from Xander''s arm, or what was left of it.


    Like the texture of slime in fantasy novels, Xander''s right arm was made of silver metallic water. Like mercury. Or the liquid Terminator from Terminator Judgement Day.


    ''Well, I never expected this to be easy. I should be grateful, he even gave me a few minutes with Raymond.''


    "XANDER! STOP INTERFERING! I WILL KILL THIS MOTHERFUCKER!"


    Fuckboi seemed to have found his voice again, judging by his angry roar. I could still faintly hear hisints along with the nking chainsing at me from behind.


    "Tsk. You want to restrain me? Motherfucker, you will regret noting after me for real."


    I put both my arms in front of me as I called out mybo skill.


    "[Battering Ram]."


    Applicable regardless of direction, instead of falling like a brick, my body began to elerate like a missile. As I approached, I drew my next weapon.


    "[Inventory] HCAR."


    Protected by the air dome of {Battering Ram}. I began raining .30-06 rounds down on the ground. Even an egg could take out an eye if thrown fast enough. So my rounds turned orange as they increased in velocity.


    Not stopping there, I called another weapon to my right as the HCAR fired from my left.


    "[Inventory] FT5"


    Summoning the strongest firepower I had at my disposal, I targeted the Denel FT5 portable anti-tank rocketuncher. I skipped using the targeting reticle and used [Eagle Eye] instead.


    Originally, rocketunchers had what were called arming distances. That is, if your target was in close range, the missile would not activate. It would just break up and explode by chance.


    I was maybe 200-300 feet in the air right now. The FT5''s arming distance was 21-43 yards. Meaning at this distance it would be more than enough.


    My .30-06 rounds already started to smash into Xander. Unlike before, he hid behind a shield of liquid metal angled towards me.


    "[Double damage]."


    Sending kic energy into the warhead, I pressed the firing trigger of the FT5 andunched a rocket at the Specter.


    Iughed as I came up with a great idea. [Autoload] should have activated the moment I got here. This would give me a save point at the ce I arrived.


    A piercing sound came from behind me. It was different from the chains, it was faster, almost like a bullet.


    "Tsk, fuckboi is finally here? About time."


    The bullet that wasing for me hurtled in along with an angry roar.


    "IMMA KILL YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"


    "{Rewind}."


    With a sh of particles, my body vanished. I reappeared behind Xander, who was still shielding himself from the .30-06 rounds still falling. I used the moment to summon a new weapon.


    "[Inventory] BLR 81."


    I got down on one knee and aimed my sniper rifle at Xander. The problem with using a shield was that it blinded you to what was happening behind it.


    I could care less if he went easy on me. I would not let a chance like this pass me by.


    Pulling the trigger, I sent 7mm Remington Magnum rounds towards the back of Xander''s head.


    And unlike before, the bullets weren''t intercepted, but instead tore off chunks of the Specter''s head.


    Even with his head ruined, knowing that this was not the end, I kept firing. I was hoping to get lucky and get his soulgem.


    Xander''s body finally turned around just in time for the 99mm rocket to arrive. With a loud boom, the specter was engulfed in a fiery explosion. Less than a secondter, fuckboi also crashed to the ground, seemingly unable to stop.

 Chapter 290: Get to the point. [1/2]

    Despite the powerful explosion of the anti-tank warhead and the collision of the fuckboi, I knew that both were still alive. I could still feel the emptiness they registered in my soul-sensing map.


    "[Inventory] HCAR, FT5."


    I had no idea why they showed up here, but I would rather shoot then ask questionster. I pulled the trigger on the HCAR, wielding it like a pistol and raining .30-06 rounds down on the Specters.


    To add to the HCAR''s assault, I pressed the firing trigger on the FT5 andunched another 95mm high-explosive anti-tank warhead.


    After the first warhead left the FT5, Exa used {Stock} on the brokenponents and used {Retrieve} to ce a new warhead on the FT5.


    "{Imaging} - MRI."


    Not willing to be taken by surprise, I shifted my vision to use MRI, it was one of the methodologies that used electromaism.


    ''Look at me talking all smart, I didn''t even know what methodology meant, yet here I was using it in a sentence.''


    That was probably the cause of {code}. Simr to Robyn, I hardly learned any big words. Or rather, even when I did, I forgot them within the same hour.


    Ever since I had {Code}, I felt that my brain processed information better as it evolved.


    If the rest of the world knew that my Brazilian''s {Fate} made people smarter, most would try to use her as a blood bank just for {Code}.


    Come to think of it, the same would be true for the rest of the Sirens. They each were pretty overpowered in their own way.


    With the MRI, I used maic resonance to see right through the dust particles. Fuck the details of how I could create the resonance without mas, of course, but whatever.


    Reapers were mostly moving corpses. So when checked against thermal, we did not glow like normal humans. Of course, I was not smart enough to figure that out. It was the {Fates} themselves who told me.


    My role was simply to tell them, "I want to see into the smoke." Then they told me to use the MRI mode of {Imaging}. With my new cheat vision, I could see my opponents standing still in the st radius.


    There were two Specters, or at least that was what I was supposed to see. For some reason, only Raymond stood still as my rockets and Springfield rounds peppered him.


    "Fuck! Where is Xan..."


    Before I could finish, I heard a voice from behind me. Its tone was simr to a kid bored out of his mind watching paint dry.


    "When are you bastards going to stop screwing around?" Rnd asked impatiently.


    His simple question made me feel the battlefield grow cold. Taken aback, I focused on Raymond and felt a frightening amount of soul being summoned.


    "{Sonic Needle}."


    "FUCK!"


    I saw Raymond''s figure raise his arm and throw what looked like an extremely thin spear. The projectile came towards me at an incredible speed. In a panic, I invoked {Code}''s Bullet Time and slowed down my surroundings.


    Unfortunately, my efforts had little effect on thence made of wind. It was too generous to call it a spear, it was just a really long needle. It was over six feet long and extremely thin.


    While its appearance was pitiful, the threat it posed was extremely worrisome. But perhaps the most annoying thing about this weapon was that it was aimed at my neck.


    The exact spot where my soul gem was ced.


    It was something I took for granted. Krishna told me that the battles between the reapers above Phantom took a while because it was not easy to find the soulgem of an opponent.


    Since I have [Weakness Targeting]. I got used to seeing where everyone ced their gems.


    This was the first time I felt the danger of dying. Although everything that had happened up to that point had hurt a lot, as proven by my earlier decapitation, I was practically immortal.


    Even with Raymond and Xander, I tried to find out where their gems were. Despite exploding both of their heads, I couldn''t find it. I even sent 500 S&W magnums into Raymond''s torso. But no matter what I did, neither man acted like their Soulgems were in danger.


    The only exception was me.


    Completely preupied with fighting two Specters, I forgot all about feints. In my haste to defend myself, I ended up confirming to them where my soulgem was.


    Since everything I threw at Raymond was deflected by his wind, I moved my guns to shield my soulgem. But the moment I did, I noticed that both my forearms fell to the ground.


    Both were still pulling on the triggers of the HCAR and the FT5 as they fell.


    [ss 3 mithridate poison detected. Poison neutralized by {Digest}].


    "FUCK! {REGEN}!"


    If I would die regardless of if I were to defend or attack, I would prefer to die moving forward. Still reeling from the pain, I gritted my teeth and called up one of mybination skills.


    "[Battering Ram]!"


    As I curled my body into a smaller target, I suddenly felt a giant needle bounce off the cone of [Battering Ram]! I crossed the stumps of both my arms as I ran forward. My tion was shattered when a single needle shattered mybo skill.


    As the cone of energy shattered, one of the needles severed my right shoulder, causing the rest of my arm to fall to the ground.


    Despite the hit, I had [Tank], which negated both momentum, impact, and shock.


    "[sh Step]!"


    I wanted to break through Raymond''s volley of needles. I charged with all my strength even Ignoring what the poison message was trying to tell me. Unfortunately, the ground I was standing on suddenly exploded.


    Huge silver teeth tore through the ground as they surrounded me. It was as if I was at the center of a giant flower. The silver petals all rushed towards each other as if to lock me in.


    Not wanting to be trapped in this silver prison, I once again used [Sky Walk] to run over it. But the moment I tried, more needles shot past me.


    The moment I dodged, the teeth sliced through my legs as the separated spokes began to close.


    [ss 3 Mithridat poison detected. Poison neutralized by {Digest}].


    ''These fucking things must be Xander! It''s a good thing it was still ss 3, or {Digest} wouldn''t be able to handle it.''


    I still had no idea what Mithridat ss meant in terms of poisons. Simr to {Code}, all I knew was that this ssification was the basis for the effectiveness of {Digest}.


    It was unfortunate that Exa was not around, otherwise I could have just asked her.

 Chapter 291: Get to the point. [2/2]

    With {Rewind} still on cooldown, I had no choice but to use another {Rece}.


    My body began to vanish in an explosion of light, but before my consciousness left, I heard the silver cage murmur in approval.


    "Impressive."


    As my body appeared outside the cage, my ears immediately registered the sounds of at least a thousand jackets fluttering in the wind! Fuckboi was the only one wearing a jacket!


    "HOW THE FUCK?!"


    I looked around in horror.


    My eyes saw a thousand Raymonds scattered across the sky and ground. All of them had over half a dozen sonic needles floating around them.


    Then they all asked eerily in unison. "Anyst words?" x 1000


    "[Inventory] F90s! [TANK]! [ABSORB]! [FLASH STEP]!"


    "Then die! {SONIC NEEDLE}" x 1000


    "ARGHHHHHHH!!!!" Shouting away all my fears, the sounds of a thousandnces made of violent wind rushed towards me. Even though I used [sh Step], I could only dodge half of them.


    Pulling the triggers of my F90, I tried to shoot down as many projectiles as possible. However, before the battle could continue, a sh of searing fire flew past me and encircled me like a chariot of fire.


    Its speed was even faster than Raymond''s projectiles.


    After incinerating everything, the lights that resembled dazzling fireworks suddenly faded into the silent sky.


    A hand grabbed my shoulder as an order rang in my ears.


    " That is enough. {SLEEP}."


    Unable to fight the power of Rnd''s death resonance, my eyes began to close against my will. My senses shut down one by one as my mind tried to stay awake.


    ''No!!! Stay awake you fucker!''


    In the next second I lost consciousness.


    ***


    "Didn''t I tell you? This kid is the real deal!"


    "Rnd, you senile old bastard, how many times have we had this conversation? So what if he reminds you of that blond fucker with a Godplex?"


    "Gertrude, mind your manners before I rip your guts out and make you."


    "Or what, you hedonistic goat fucker? You think I''m afraid of a fucker made of metallic shit? Come at me then!"


    "Why are you bastards always like this? And you used to be such good friends."


    ''Ugh, my head fucking hurts. Is that the Specters talking?''


    Keeping my eyes closed, I tried to gather more information, but was suddenly kicked in the head.


    "OWWWWW!" I yelled in pain.


    "Get up, boy, eavesdropping like a woman hardly gives you any ss," an old voiceined mockingly.


    Rubbing my head, I red at the Specters and asked in irritation. I tried to hide the terror running through my body with anger.


    "So? What the hell do you crazy fuckers want from me?"


    They were powerful, immensely so. If I had to put numbers on it, I would be a 10, Raymond and Xander would be in the 9,000''s. Rnd would be in the 100,000s.


    ''How is this fucking bastard not a Revenant yet?!''


    "Look at this fucking asshole''s mouth! You phantom brat! Was the ass-kicking you got not enough?"


    "I''m not the one who got his head and insides blown out by a Formless Phantom, are you sure you got the balls to try again, fuckboi?" I replied angrily.


    "Hmm... he seems to be mentally challenged," Xander said with a frown.


    "My brain works just fine, you liquid terminator wannabe. Get to the point. You dragged me here, but you did not kill me. Stop wasting my time and tell me what the hell you all want!"


    This was why I didn''t bow down to these fuckers. Despite everything they did to me, I was still alive with all my limbs. That meant they needed me for some reason. And until they did, I was safe.


    [Sirens, can you all hear me? Anyone who can hear this, please respond]


    "What was that? Technopathy? How many fucking {Fates} does this brat have?"


    "I told you he was special."


    Rnd then stepped forward, although he had a magnificent beard, I could see his wide smile from his eyes. He held out his hand and asked eagerly.


    "You seem to have made the most of this second life, John Smith. Have you managed to resolve your regrets?"


    Rnd''s words struck a chord in me. This whole day had shown the difference between my current life and my old one. His words to me just a week ago echoed in my mind.


    "That''s because you''re already dead, boy. Anyway, your heroism earned you an invitation to join the reapers. You had a lot of regrets, didn''t you? I am offering you a second chance to live again and fulfill them all."


    That night changed my life. If Rnd hadn''t found me that night, I would have simply died as a human. I would not have had to worry about Hellsgate, but I would not have been able to meet the Sirens.


    It was just as Vincent had said.


    "I will take your silence as a yes. My Lord, 1st generation reapers are a product of chance, like me, I need a fateful encounter to get my hands on the blood of a reaper. From the 2nd generation on, it is usually the blood of a friend or acquaintance."


    The trajectory of my life changed drastically because this old man decided to inject me with his blood that night. Grateful, I took his hand and shook it.


    "I have. I no longer live for my regrets, but for my dreams. And I have you to thank for that. Thank you Rnd, I mean it."


    "I am very pleased to hear that, boy. I wish we could have met under better circumstances, but I came here to ask you something," the Specter said in a serious tone.


    "And what might that be?"


    " Withdraw from the Seeker War."


    "No," I replied immediately.


    "Look, boy, this matter is moreplicated than you think. The moment you started waving the g of the Formless, you were no longer just representing yourself. I am telling you this for your own good, so bow your head and shut up."


    "No, if I did, this would be something I would regret. This life. My vow was simple. I will live this life as I please. And going to war with the Saviors is something I will not back down from."


    "Rnd, what does David think about all this?" Raymond asked.


    Before the grandpa could answer, it was Xander who replied.


    "He said if I intervened he would kill me.It seems his mind is already made up."


    "Really? After all this time? Why? What does this phantom fucker have that the others don''t?"


    "Your guess is as good as mine," Rnd added.


    Wait, wait, wait. What the hell were these Specters saying? The Seeker War was my business, right? Why were they all acting like I''m part of David''s conspiracy or something?


    Rnd brushed his white beard with his hand as he exhaled.


    "I think the time has finallye. Take a seat John Smith. We have much to discuss."

 Chapter 292: I have been chosen. [1/2]

    Before I could notice, our surroundings suddenly changed. Xander and Raymond said nothing and sat down. We were currently in an open-air balcony of a house in the mountains.


    "What the hell?" I could only mumble in surprise.


    "Sit down boy, this will take a while. What are you bastards having?"


    " I''m fine with anything."


    "Tsk, your always full of shit Xander, are Cardinals allowed to drink? Old man, get me a ss of Scotch! The best you got."


    In the middle of the balcony was a wooden pic table. We had quite a view of the magnificent sky.


    There are no other structures, and I can''t hear the sounds of wildlife or other people. Just where the fuck were we?


    Rnd came back and brought each of us a ss. He also had a bottle of what I thought was Scotch. Having been poor most of my life, I usually bought the cheapest beer avable.


    I used to drink Budweiser, but the recent Bud Light fiasco caused me to switch to Miller High Life.


    Who would have thought that a beer made famous for being manly would lose its customer base after what they did. But then again, Americans were not very smart people in general.


    ''I mean, Corona took a hit because the dumb fucks thought drinking the beer would give you the virus. While we had smart people. We also have a lot of dumb people.''


    As they were handing out drinks, I remembered I still had the weizenbier I got from Isolde. I called for a can and poured it into the ss Rnd gave me.


    "Aren''t you a paranoid little shit? You think I''m going to poison you, boy?"


    Xandermented as he drank his ss in one go. "He has a {Fate} that detoxifies poison, otherwise he would have gone into aa from {Liquid Metal} by now."


    Ignoring theirments, I took the time to calm down and tried to contact the Sirens.


    [Everyone? Can you hear me? Can you hear me at all?]


    But no one answered. It felt strange. I started my Reaper life alone, but just a few days with them had me worrying about them all the time.


    Raymond mmed his ss down as he pointed at me.


    "Stop that, you fucking bastard! Sending signals around here means shit. Your radio waves are annoying to listen to!"


    Dumbfounded, I looked at the Specter and asked in confusion.


    "You can hear radio transmissions? I thought you were called Whirlwind or something?"


    "Ugh, this stupid motherfucker, what do you think radio waves use to travel? Anything that needs air to do anything, I can control, detect, or hinder. That is what my {Fate}, {Lord of Wind}, does," Raymond Gertrude replied in annoyance.


    Rnd mmed his mug down on the table while wiping his mouth with his forearm. Contrary to the sses he had given us, he drank from arge beer mug like a Viking.


    "Enough with the chitchat. Anyway, before I start exining. Boy, Xander and Raymond attacked you to test your resolve. After all, what they have to say is a matter not even known to most Specters."


    "And yet they want to tell me? Why? I am about to murder the army of one and steal the servants of another. From my point of view, their hostility towards me is justified," I replied coldly.


    No matter what these bastards wanted to tell me, our conflicts would not be resolved in the slightest. However, contrary to what I expected, neither of them took my words as a provocation and continued their drinks in silence.


    Rnd began to chuckle as hemented in passing.


    "Boy, you really should change the way you look at Reapers. For anyone above the rank of Phantom, giving a rat''s ass about anything is a chore."


    "What?"


    What the hell was that old man trying to say? Were the lives of those below them really so worthless? Were all Specters like these assholes?


    "Rnd, he won''t understand if you don''t rify your words." Xander corrected cryptically.


    The Savior''smander swirled his drink as he looked at the ss with a sad expression.


    "John Smith. Do you have what it takes to be a Specter?"


    "A Reaper must give up his memories," I exined briefly.


    "Correct. Then what happens to reapers who lose their memories? Especially those that form who they once were?"


    "..."


    Although I knew the answer, I failed to see how it rted to what was going on. Of course, losing those memories would change who you were. Memories were what made up personalities.


    Regrets, like desires, were all formed by the experiences that shaped them. I already suspected that Isolde had the same fears, so she chose to no longer move forward.


    "The fucking brat probably figured it out to some extent. But let me say it anyway."


    After his fierce deration, Raymond emptied his ss as if preparing himself.


    "Listen, you fucking brat. You shed your humanity to be a Phantom, but you forget your past as a human to be a Specter. That is the only time you will truly be a reaper. The only memories you will have will be of the people who are still alive."


    I already knew that. Isolde couldn''t forget Tristan, so she chose her memories over bing stronger. Seeing my bored expression, Raymond made a forlorn face as he continued.


    "Since Specters do not age, in time everyone you knew as a human will die. And with them will go all your memories. That much is expected. But it also applies to Reapers.


    "That means no matter how many friendships or lovers you make, the moment they die, you will forget them all."


    "..."


    I already knew this, so why did they keep repeating it?


    The whirlwind brushed his hair in annoyance as he pointed at me.


    "Why are you fighting to close Hellsgate, brat?"


    "I..."


    When I thought of the reason, it started when I saw the Siren''s cry.


    Seeing Bementing her grim fate in Hell Gate.


    Jo and Jasmine sobbing their hearts out over being abandoned.


    Robyn, Aki, and Liv nearly dying after being cast aside.


    Lilly''s exnation of the hopeless situation in Hellsgate.


    Unknowingly, my goals have changed. My original n was just to see how far I could go. Things kept getting added on as I met more people. But in the end, my reasons were simple.


    "Because I want to."


    Rnd, who heard my words, began guffawing in earnest. Even Xander joined in. Raymond made a "what the fuck" face before continuing.


    "If that''s true, then good for you. Most of us did, no. Had a reason. But when the person tied to that reason died, we lost the will to continue this... fucking whatever this is."


    "..."


    I see. It was a truth that looked me in the eye. If even the death of yourrades affected what you had in your soul, with enough deaths, most of the Specters would be empty shells.


    People simr to amnesiacs, who knew nothing about who they were or what they did.


    Xander then pulled out a picture and showed it to me.


    "This is my supposed wife. ording to what I wrote in my journal, I became a reaper for her. We were deeply in love, but had no children. When we both became Specters, we wrote our love story in a series of books. So that we would never forget each other."

 Chapter 293: I have been chosen. [2/2]

    "It''s a strange feeling, the handwriting was mine, but I don''t remember doing any of this. And no matter how much I tell myself I should care, I feel nothing."


    Then he put down his ss and looked at the moon.


    "David Thomas was the reason she died. We were part of his assault team, and one night his soul copsed. And she was one of the sacrifices to bring him back."


    It was just that I remembered what Zach had said earlier.


    "Look, the issue is not that we cannot lock them up. Its not even the amount of undead they take down. The issue is rted to David. As a Revenant, his mental wellbeing is paramount. So nothing can happen to Xander Rutherford."


    "In short terms, David owes Xander. It is partly David''s fault Xander created the Saviors. Touching the Saviors means getting into conflict with Xander. We are in a difficult period. David cannot be troubled by such trifling matters."


    "..."


    Savior. A being meant to save another. What the hell happened to make his army so twisted? Unable to answer, I just kept listening.


    "You see, I didn''t forget immediately, so I wrote everything down before my memories slowly faded. I created the Saviors for one purpose. To kill reapers suffering from soul copse.


    "The journals I read from were stained with blood and tears. Emotion was evident in the pages But to me now, it felt like the words of a stranger.


    "Despite the grand sounding name, I read that I tried to kill David with them. But he ended up murdering all of the original members of my group except for one. I can''t even remember the names or faces of those who died."


    "Who was the only survivor?" I asked curiously.


    "It was Robert Acwen. He was someone who had his entire vige massacred. His rage created his {Fate} {Blood Feast}. Currently I only protect the group because of him. When I forgot my reasons and my anger, I left and just killed undead for a few years. The current members were all recruited by Robert."


    This. This was a hell of a lot to take in. No wonder Rnd said it was hard to care about anything for Specters.


    Long-lived species in fiction were written to have the same quirks.


    Elves, vampires, dragons, and demons. With the blessing of long life came the curse of mortality.


    Not to them, but to those who managed to enter their hearts.


    The best analogy to humans would be loving pets. No matter how hard you try, a cat or dog will never live beyond 20 years. Therefore, it was normal for a person to have 4 or 5 pets during his or her 80 years of life.


    Loving such animals always came with the danger and pain of the inevitable separation. Most could get over it and go on to raise another, but others took months or even decades to recover.


    But unlike elves and the like in fiction, reapers will eventually forget even the time we spent with them. Nothing could be more heartless, or more merciful, depending on who you ask.


    Raymond chimed in as the others sipped their drinks.


    "I am the same brat. I could care less what you do to the Derycks. As far as I''m concerned, they''re just gofers. I don''t care if you take them. Just like this fucker, I forgot why I became a reaper".


    Rnd continued where he had left off.


    "This is one of the truths that most do not know. The legions of Specters did not hide in cowardice, they simply lost interest in enduring such hardships. They lost their "why." Those who can continue to fight even after losing everything are the ones who eventually be Revenants."


    "..."


    Rnd''s whole demeanor changed. If he was a cheerful grandfather before, he now exuded the majesty of a king.


    His eyes were like little suns that pierced my being.


    "John Smith, you have repeatedly told not only your harem, but even David, that you wish to be a Revenant and close Hellsgate."


    "I have."


    "Then I ask you, are you willing to do this even if you have much to lose?"


    "..."


    Rnd then stood up and walked towards me, feeling that I couldn''t afford to remain seated, I also stood up with my drink.


    "John Smith, unlike when you died as a human. You have much to lose now. I can see it in your eyes. The emptiness has been reced by many things. Love, pride, satisfaction and happiness. Do you still want to go on knowing that all that you hold dear might be taken from you?"


    "..."


    "You have heard what these two had to say. Might is not enough to reach the heights to which you aspire. You have already done more than most. Your regrets are mostly resolved, right? You have wealth, beauties, and power. What more do you want?"


    If survival was all I wanted, I could skip the Seeker War and just farm undead for money. My ability would allow me to gain wealth even if I did the bare minimum. But as I remembered the faces of the Sirens. I knew one thing.


    ''If I just took it easy, I would be betraying them. The world was the cause of their suffering. They did not give me their {Fates} so that I could sit idly by.''


    Probably seeing my hesitation, Rnd the continued his case. His words began to sound like the serpent in my strange dreams.


    "Why? Why not just forget all this and live happily in ignorance? Would you be willing to waste the rest of your life on uncertainty? What you wish to do, no one has seeded in time memorial, yet you wish to continue?"


    {Forswear all thy hopes and embrace thy destiny. I shall bring back thy lovers and thou shall be together in Elysium, blissful for all eternity.}


    If I follow the future I envision, I will have my many battles and people will die. I have already prepared my heart for this. But even then the Sirens were notpletely safe.


    Yet even if I gave up fighting and just enjoyed life, Hellsgate would still break open and we would all die anyway.


    {Now bid upon mine name and end thy suffering. Reunite with those thou love and awake from this nightmare.}


    But did I really have to worry? If I could spend a few decades with the Sirens, that would be enough. Live in the now, so to speak. Who cared about the future?


    Rnd''s words sounded irresistible, but somehow, just like the words of the serpents, I began to remember the warriors.


    {Away from me you vile serpent! Your seduction has no meaning. I will be the one who will end you! If not now, then in another life. Until the day I cleave your head off your body I will never surrender!}


    "It is up to you now."


    As if showing me my future, I know I understood the dreams I had. The warriors took up their weapons even though they had no allies or support. It was only for one reason.


    {Even so, until my soul breaks. I will try again. Wait for me, serpent! Our dance will continue for onest time!}


    As if the symbolism was meant to drive home the possibility before me. The reason I am alive is because of those who have died. If no one fought for the future, there would be no future.


    Thus, I answered Rnd with my true feelings.


    "I do. I have been chosen to end this."

 Chapter 294: How I wish to live [1/2]

    "Chosen? What the fuck are you talking about, boy?"


    As my words confounded my audience, I tried to think of a way to exin. These three were Specters who had lived so long that they had no direction. They were literally the definition of the living dead.


    Humans were the only creatures on earth who believed they had a higher purpose. Animals and insects, regardless of breed, race, or gender, all simply wanted to survive.


    Man was unparalleled in this regard. Despite having no ws, man hunted. Even without fur or wings, humans could survive in the harshest of climates.


    But it was funny, no matter where you were in the world. All humans had the same destiny. They all believed that they were meant for something more. Otherwise, the question "What am I here for?" would not be asked worldwide.


    When man had provided enough for himself, he moved on to hismunity, then his country. Man then saw the whole world, yet still set his sights beyond the stars. Why?


    Purpose.


    That was what separated man from beast. You could say order, faith, pride, and whatever sophistry men came up with best when asked. But in the end, it was purpose.


    Purpose separated those who merely existed from those who truly lived. And the search for purpose was ingrained in everyone.


    As people grew older, many failed to find what that purpose was. But for the fortunate few who did, they were so driven that everyone else could only stand in awe.


    Much like personalities and memories, purpose was derived from our experiences. So what happens when a Specter loses his purpose?


    "Yet, no matter how much we begged, we were not allowed to join the reapers. My master due to the frequent threats on his life, cowered in his mansion. Living a debauched life devoid of purpose. He paid for the hellsgate tax, using wealth made through his businesses."


    Vincent''s description was mistaken. Raymond was a Specter, which meant he was one of those who invaded and cleared the floors. However, probably due to the deaths of his people, bit by bit he had forgotten his purpose.


    After all, a Reaper''s life was nothing but hardship and suffering. Without a good reason, most would not even bother with this shit.


    Xander, who longed to remember his beloved wife, was nothing but a moving corpse. Even though we were reincarnated humans to begin with, the difference between those who still had a reason to fight and those who did not was like night and day.


    I loved the Sirens, but somehow I felt that even if I lost them, I would not stop.


    The two dreams I had were the reason I thought this way.


    In one, I saw the lonely battle of seven warriors amidst a mountain of corpses. This dream showed a snake tempting the warriors to abandon their weapons.


    The other dream was about the death of women who looked like the Sirens, but were not the Sirens. The two were obviously rted.


    Even when tempted by the serpent to reincarnate the women, none of the warriors gave in.


    If I hadn''t seen either vision, I might have hesitated. But knowing that Rnd came to me and asked, it felt like divine fate. These dreams, or whatever they were, were sent to me for a reason.


    My heart, which has always been partial to the sirens, also gave me an idea. How was it possible for me to meet all of them? I mean really. Seven beautiful women who were exactly my type. None of them were wall flowers. Most importantly, each and every one of them appeared in my dreams.


    The longer their {Fates} lingered in me, the more I felt it was truly fate. There was something there, something I couldn''t understand.


    But I didn''t fear. Since my journey began with {Rewind}, I somehow believed that as long as I evolved {Rewind} to its limit, everything would be clear.


    Of course, I had no intention of simply dying. If they wanted my women, they would have to be prepared to survive whatever I could bring to bear.


    "It is as I have said. I will be the one to close the Hell Gate. If they will hurt my girls, I will protect them. If they murder my girls, I will ughter them in vengeance. Even if I forget, until I draw myst breath, I will fight. This is my mission.


    This is my purpose," I dered to Rnd.


    "..."


    The Specters all looked at me with stoic expressions. Xander and Raymond continued to drink in silence. Rnd, on the other hand, nodded before he talked.


    "If that is the case, then do not speak what I am about to say to anyone below the rank of Specter."


    "Wait, if that''s the case, then don''t tell me either," I snapped.


    "You want to be a Revenant, don''t you? What difference does it make if you get it now orter?"


    "That..."


    If I said no, it meant that I was not sure if I would be a Revenant. If I said yes, then I would have to take responsibility for whatever this information was.


    "Ugh, fine. Lay it on me," I admitted in defeat.


    There must be a reason Rnd wanted to tell me. Just like there must be a reason why he decided to turn me into a reaper. What did he call it?


    "See you on the other side, John. Wee to the Revenant Project."


    The Revenant Project. It sounded like a n to create Revenants, or at least a scheme involving them.


    Rnd then walked to the edge of the balcony and enjoyed the strong breeze. His hair and beard swayed in the strong wind. Contrary to his carefree appearance, his eyes were extremely focused.


    I joined him and rested my arms on the railing. Waiting for his next words, I silently enjoyed the pleasantly cool breeze.


    "John Smith. All seven continents currently agree on two things.


    One is to deny the Formless any support. And two, to ensure that the number of Reapers does not exceed a certain threshold."


    "..."


    "IRIS appears to each Revenant and shares information about the past. The lessons of IRIS led them all to the same conclusion."


    Both were things I already had doubts about.


    The difference in power between the Formless and the Manifest. As well as the illogical discrepancy about the Reapers being outnumbered and the murder of the rouges.


    Rnd turned and remarked in surprise.


    "It seems you are not even a little taken aback, boy."


    "I had my suspicions from the beginning."


    "So it seems. Anyway, I won''t tell you the exact reason, but the gist of it is that the Formless must remain out of the limelight. Otherwise, the worst would happen."


    Hearing such a grim prediction, I asked reflexively. "What do you mean?"


    "Rnd, I see no reason for all this sophistry."


    "Yeah, just fucking tell him everything, it won''t make any difference anyway!"


    "Sigh. I guess both of you have a point."


    After an exaggerated sigh, Rnd looked out at the vastndscape as he continued.


    "John Smith, the Formless are believed to be the cause of floor breaks."


    "Wha...?"


    I almost slipped off the railing at Rnd''s words.


    "What does that even mean?"


    "You must be familiar with floor breaks, right? Any dungeon based novel would also call them dungeon breaks."


    "I know what they are, but what does the Formless have to do with them?"


    "It''s quite simple really. IRIS shared that the floor breaks that wiped out the previous generation always happened when Formless Revenants were present.


    "At first, they thought it was the number of reapers, but even after they systematically reduced the total number, the floor breaks still came."

 Chapter 295: How I wish to live [2/2]

    Trial and error. That was how everyone learned everything in this world. I could understand how IRIS would try to find out what caused the floor breaks.


    And since this information could be passed on, future generations would be better equipped.


    ''Although that does not exin how civilization manages to reset every time the world ends. At least Noah''s Ark had four pairs of men and women.''


    "When IRIS and previous generations tested their theories, the floor breaks only became controble when the Formless were excluded from the battle," Rnd continued.


    So this is why everything was deliberately made more difficult by the Formless. It was to dy theing apocalypse at the cost of a few.


    I understand killing a hundred to save a thousand, but if my loved ones were among the hundred, I would not stand by and watch.


    "And now, despite the efforts of the Revenants, you are breaking the notion that the Formless are weak. If you do not stop, the waves from Hellsgate will intensify. When they do, more will die."


    ''So I should live with my face to the ground to let these people survive? Fuck that! I am no saint! The hell I would let my girls suffer for fucks I don''t know!''


    "And I should be concerned, why?" I replied coldly.


    "..."


    "Old man, if you are looking for a hero, go fuck yourself. I am not a hero, nor have I ever imed to be one. The world will end no matter how much you dy the apocalypse, right?"


    "Yes, that is the case."


    "Then should I condemn myself to death just so a few more fuckers can survive a little longer? Why not just kill me now?"


    "..."


    "We were all born under the same heaven. I am not their parent or their babysitter. If they want to survive, they should fight. If they want to be as strong as I am, then they must fight as desperately as I do," I eximed.


    "Yes, that is true," the grandpa replied.


    "The Revenant''s thinking is foolish. They weaken their powers just to survive a little longer? The only thing that matters is whether we all survive theing storm. In my opinion, they should just focus on that."


    The voices behind me began to mor as they each said their piece.


    Raymond scolded, "It must be fucking nice to be so fucking stupid that this line of reasoning works for you, no?"


    "John Smith, your thoughts are too simplistic," Xander added.


    "And why should they be any different? I am a Phantom, my duty is to defend my zone and prepare my assault team for when I be a Specter. All this politics and shit is for you dumb fucks!"


    I faced Xander as I added.


    "The fuckboy has already given me the Deryck family, so we have no further quarrel. But what about you, mercury man? I intend to eradicate the Saviors. Where does that leave us?"


    "I have already tried to dissuade Robert. He also wants to kill you. Since he is still my subordinate, I nned to have you killed. But David took you under his protection. So I will let you fight it out. I am a warrior, I understand that sometimes blood must flow."


    "Are you sure? By Sunday, he and Savior will all be dead." I repeated.


    "If he dies, that is his fate. Just as it is yours should you fall. I originally wanted to avoid it, but that is the whole point of a Seeker war. I will not contest its oue."


    Having gotten his word to stay out of my way, I turned back to Rnd and asked.


    "Do you have anything else to tell me, grandpa?"


    "In the past, numerous other Reapers have attempted to raise the banner of the Formless. All of them were executed without mercy. Therefore, before you, no one in this generation knew how powerful the Formless could be."


    "Then how am I still alive?"


    "David Thomas vouched for you," he replied with a frown.


    "..."


    I remembered the words of those bastards earlier.


    "Rnd, what does David think about all this?"


    "He said he would kill me if I intervened. It seems he has already made up his mind."


    "Really? After all this time? Why? What does this Phantom fucker have that the others don''t?"


    "Your guess is as good as mine."


    So it seemed they were not lying. They killed every Formless who started to act up, if the other continents were the same, then what were the headlines Be showed me earlier?


    "I can understand David vouching for me, but what about the Formless of the other continents?"


    Rnd closed his eyes as he replied. Exhaustion and sadness could be felt in his words.


    "David broke the armistice of the seven battle fronts. While the manifested are being used to defend against Hellsgate, the Revenants are trying to arm the Formless as quickly as possible."


    "To do what, exactly?"


    "What else, to attack the other battle fronts. With your rise, the mes of war have been set aze, John Smith. The Formless will rapidly grow in power, and they will cause the battle fronts to suffer floor breaks. Hastening the apocalypse."


    "..."


    An armistice was an agreement between nations to stop fighting. It was never intended to be a deration of peace. It was only a suspension of hostilities.


    Unless the groups involved in the truce stopped wanting to kick each other''s ass, there would never be true peace.


    Yet I felt nothing. I could understand their reasoning. But I could not ept it.


    Anyone could say they wanted to sacrifice the few for the many, but most of the time that would only be true if they were part of the many.


    For the few, it was hell.


    Only a saint or a hero could sacrifice himself for the many. That was why they were revered. But me? I was neither. I was more like a demon king.


    Even if my actions would ignite the mes of war. I was more than willing to protect my harem.


    I just had to be stronger. No other alternative was eptable to me.


    "John Smith. I will ask you onest time. It is impossible for you toe out of this unscathed. If you join the war, you can nevere back. You will have to give up something to protect as well as to kill."


    "Old man. If I do not do this, I will not be able to protect anything. I never had a choice. I am certain. Come what may, I will shatter everything!"


    "I pray that you will not regret your decision."


    "I won''t, and even if I do. I will ept it and move on. This is how I wish to live my life, Rnd. This is the life you saved."


    "So it seems. You may go, the next time we meet... I hope your answer remains the same."


    Suddenly I felt souls flowing out of Rnd. As if I had suddenly regained my sight and hearing, the screen that prevented me from sensing anything beyond this area lifted.


    Ding!Ding!Ding!Ding!Ding!Ding!Ding!


    Messages wereing in from all possible channels at once. The sources, of course, were the Sirens. The love, worry, and anxiety practically oozed from the girls.


    The best way to find out who remembered you was to disappear. If before hardly anyone cared. Now, in just a few minutes, my lovers were all distraught. It made me feel incredibly loved.


    I willed my body to teleport back to the boardroom and felt the familiar pull on my soul. I turned back to Rnd, Xander and Raymond and wave them goodbye. The next second my body disappeared in a storm of light.

 Chapter 296: I dont know [1/2]

    Once again imitating a pancake, I felt my body being smashed to the ground. A split secondter, the lights went out and I saw an interesting scene. Zachary Lynch was reading what looked like a pocket paperback.


    And all seven of my girls were sleeping in rather ufortable positions.


    As someone who had personally tried to duel the Nightmare, I could understand. The lines between illusion and reality became blurred when you had to deal with this fucker. The Siren''s had ufortable expressions, but none of them were injured.


    Zach, noticing my arrival, stood up as he put down his book.


    "Did you get your answer, bastard?"


    "I did. Zach, may I ask what your reason is? Why do you fight?"


    The man in front of me adjusted his sses as he looked at me in silence.


    "I fight so that someone will keep Davidpany."


    "I see. Thank you for telling me."


    So his reason was tied to David, whether it was brotherly loyalty, affection, or responsibility, I didn''t care. What struck me was that Zach''s reason was tied to a Revenant. That meant that until David died, the Nightmare would never lose his reason.


    It was kind of romantic in a way. Between lovers or brothers or family. But the moment those bonds were broken, you got people like Xander.


    "I''m surprised you didn''t attack me for touching your precious harem bastard. What happened to your fangs?"


    "Give me a break Zach, I just got back from fighting two Specters. I don''t want to fight another one if I can help it."


    "I see, are they well?"


    Hearing the warmth in Zach''s voice, it seemed he knew which Specters I was referring to.


    "I suppose? They seemed alive, at least."


    "Is that so? That''s probably for the best."


    Zach headed for the door. Before he left, however, he turned back and gave me a warning.


    "Bastard. Your harem is fucking crazy. I had to sedate them because almost all of them tried to kill themselves. Three of them even tried to use {Soul Breaker}, for fuck''s sake! Put a baby in them so they have something else to live for!"


    Hearing his words, I couldn''t help but chuckle in response.


    "I will. Thank you Zach. For everything."


    "..." The Nightmare made a surprised face at my words. Then he scoffed and promptly left.


    For the moment, only my harem and I remained in the room. I invoked death resonance.


    {My beloved kindred, the women who own my heart. Please awaken. I have returned.}


    My words caused the Sirens to all rouse from their slumber. The moment they awoke, two figures immediately ran towards me.


    "DAAARRRRLLIIIIINNNGGG!!!" cried my beautiful Italian. She threw herself into my arms and sobbed loudly.


    Another figure was not as loud but curled up in my embrace. Her whispers were soft, but the emotion they radiated bliss.


    "Possum. Possum. Possum."


    I hugged them both and kissed their heads.


    "I''m back, Jo. Robyn."


    A littleter, a voluptuous woman threw herself on top of us. Jo quickly made room and allowed Be to nestle into my chest.


    She pounded her fist into my chest like a child throwing a tantrum.


    "BASTARD! FUCKER! ASSHOLE! I am so d. Sniff. I''m so d you''re okay..."


    Tears and curses came out of her, but I knew how relieved she was at my return.


    A few more figures came forward.


    "Husband, you are in big trouble." Jas dered, holding back tears.


    "Darling, I demand to bepensated for this." Lilly remarked with teary eyes.


    "Anata. Please don''t leave me behind..." Aki said crest fallen.


    I could only smile at the girls'' words. Thest Siren stomped towards me and picked me up by the cor like a doll. Liv then delivered a powerful punch to my left cheek.


    Knowing this was my punishment, I took the hit without {Withstand} and {Endure}. Surprised to see my face turning purple from the blow, Liv bit her lip before shouting.


    "My love, how could you suddenly vanish like that?! We didn''t know where you were! My heart. It hurts. When I thought you were gone, even breathing felt like pure torture! This is all your fault!


    "WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THIS PAIN?! HOW WILL I SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU NOW?!"


    The rest of the Sirens remained silent, as if in solidarity with Liv''s words. I knew this was the natural consequence of falling in love. I smiled at the angry northerner and gently sped her hands.


    "Liv, my love. I am sorry. Your man is not very smart. I don''t know the answer to your questions. But I do know that I am the same. If something happened to you or the Sirens, I would go crazy.


    I never wanted to do this on purpose, please believe me."


    The Northerner lowered me to the ground as tears streamed down her cheeks.


    "I was so afraid, my love. More than when the Dead broke through the North. I..."


    Not willing to let her continue, I pulled her to me and forced her lips to mine. With my kiss, I showered my Northerner with affection. When we parted, her eyes had a dreamy expression, as if she was intoxicated.


    I then beckoned to the other Sirens. Without a word they all simrly ran into my arms. While there was much to discuss, I allowed my girls to vent their frustrations. Everyone was crying. So I pampered them in response.


    While I was sure they were all curious as to where I had disappeared to, none of them asked. It was as if they had no intention to think about such things now, their only desire was to hear words of love from me.


    Like cats and dogs craving attention, the girls continued to behave like spoiled children. They were in constant need of kisses and hugs.


    Some demanded to be carried like princesses or to be told words of love. I didn''t mind, as I enjoyed flirting with my women anyway.


    After about an hour, the Sirens and I just stayed glued to each other. As if to make sure I was still there, they all held me in their arms. They asked me for all sorts of promises and favors in return for my worrying them.


    As I sat on the floor, Lilly and Liv held both of my hands in theirs.


    Be and Jasmine hugged me from left and right.


    Robyn, sat on myp as usual.


    Aki hugged me from behind. Our hearts resonated as her arms wrapped around my neck.


    Jo, for some reason, snuggled up to my right leg as she closed her eyes.


    I literally could not get up even if I wanted to.


    Feeling horrible for what the girls had just been through, I said nothing, and just did my best to grant their wishes. I understood their fear and pain. If one of the Sirens suddenly disappeared, I knew I would be just as upset.


    Zach said most of them tried to kill themselves while fighting him. The descendants in this group were Jo, Jas, Aki, and Liv. And three of them used {Soul Breaker}, whether it was because they wanted to win or because they wanted to die was hard to tell.


    If it were up to me, I would forbid them from using it. But I don''t think I have the right to make such a request, since I couldn''t even promise that something like today would never happen again.

 Chapter 297: I dont know [2/2]

    I needed a way to let them know I was alive. Preferably in a way that kept them from killing themselves. If it weren''t for Zach, some of my girls might already be dead.


    When their faces no longer showed a dark expression, I began to exin what they all wanted to know.


    "Be, can you please seal this room?"


    "Done. I''ve also cut off all the cameras and listening devices. No one can hear us now."


    "Thank you, honey. Now everyone, I need to tell everyone what I just went through."


    Knowing that the time for ying was over, the Sirens all separated from me and sat in a circle. Their expressions ranged from concern to unease to fear.


    "I was abducted by Rnd Winchester. With him was Xander Rutherford,mander of the Savior, and Raymond Gertrude, master of the Deryck family. The information they told me was ssified to only a few Specters and above."


    "Husband, you were ordered not to tell it to Phantoms and below. Why are you telling us now?"


    "Because none of you will remain Phantoms. And I want you all to know this. Everyone, I have made up my mind. To survive theing dangers, we must be stronger. Stronger than any before us. You are my kindred, so I will see to it that all of us be Revenants."


    "Us? Revenants?" Robyn asked confused.


    "Yes. Liv has already told me what happened to the North. During this week I understood how vulnerable the battlefront is. If we cannot defend them they will be overrun.


    "That is why I have only two ways to protect you all. Cage you all in my hands so that you will not be endangered. Or ascend you all to Revenants."


    "Master, everyone is grateful for your faith in us, but we are Formless. We are weak."


    I shook my head and exined.


    "Formless are not weak. Just as we evolved into Phantoms, we only need to evolve into Specters and then Revenants. Humanity is the price for Phantoms. Everyone here already knows that. But for a Phantom to be a Specter, the cost is the memories of the dead."


    "Hmm. I see, Phantoms have to give up their memories to be Specters," Lilly pondered like a philosopher.


    "Yes, dearest, the Specters were not the first to tell me this truth. I originally learned it from Isolde Drache," I revealed.


    Jo then rested her face on her fist as she rified, "The Wyvern?"


    "Yes, she exined it to me while she was telling me her story. I apologize for not telling you before, it slipped my mind."


    Lilly looked at me as she nodded.


    "Considering how hectic your life is, I can understand. Still, if memories are the requirement of a Phantom, it''s no wonder I couldn''t progress. My trauma of being my father''s bastard created my personality. But perhaps my mother is my greatest hurdle."


    "Your mother?" I probed.


    "Her name was dys Adams. A maid for the Browning family. My father, who was engaged to a daughter of the Brownings, had a one-night stand with my mother. I am the result of that night of passion."


    I listened intently as my wife told me about her past.


    "You don''t seem to care, dear. Does my background repulse you?"


    "No, I have nothing but gratitude for your mother and David. For without them, the woman I love, Lilly Browning, would not have been born. Their status or profession does not matter. That goes for everyone parents, of course."


    "..." Lilly turned abruptly after hearing my words. I quickly noticed that her ears were red, probably from embarrassment.


    "Anyway. Growing up, I always made sure to remember the bullying I received as a child, along with the few memories I had of my mother. My insistence on remembering both probably kept me stuck," Lilly continued.


    Be then interrupted as she cleaned her sses.


    "I agree with you, Lilly. That may be the reason. But I am more concerned about what Xander told honey. Despite everything he and his wife tried, he still forgot her.


    "If what they told Honey is true. Then Specters will all eventually be empty husks once the right person dies."


    "I know, right? If Darling dies, I have a feeling I won''t care about anything else."


    "I don''t think so, Jo. For me, even if husband dies, if you are still alive, I don''t think we would forget him." Jasmine concluded.


    "Why do you say that Jasmine-San?"


    "Think about it, if everyone forgot Xander''s wife, how can both His Majesty the Invincible and Zachary Lynch remember her? If what Xander says about the loss of emotions is true. His Majesty should not have felt shame, or rather, Xander would not have affected him in the slightest," my dark-skinned lover exined.


    "I see, if everyone forgot everything about them. No one would even remember that Xander was married. Since they still can, only Xander has forgotten herpletely. Would the same thing happen to us if Beloved died?"


    "I agree with Jasmine-sans analysis. Then there must be a rule that determines which memories are erased. If we can understand the principle, we might be able to find a way to counteract memory loss even as we evolve into Specters," Aki summarized for everyone.


    While the smart people debated, Robyn crawled over and sat on myp. We smiled at each other, neither of us knowing what the hell this discussion was going to achieve.


    The sound of flowing water reached my ears. A stream of water was moving quickly towards Robyn. I covered her with my shoulder and got hit by the liquid instead.


    "Ara, how gant. Dear, please pay attention. Robyn, stop using times like this to flirt with him!" Lilly reprimanded.


    Robyn, enjoying my hug, replied without a care in the world. "Get stuffed princess. Stop being boring if you want Possum''s interest."


    Feeling that now was a good time to continue my report on Rnd and his gang, I began the next topic.


    "Actually, the memory loss of the Specters was a segue. Rnd kidnapped me to tell me about the armistice of the battlefronts over the Formless. Apparently, the Formless are the ones causing the undead in Hellsgate to grow in strength.


    "And the normal protocol for Formless who excel, such as myself, was to be executed. But since David vouched for me, the other Revenants will use David''s actions as justification to begin training Formless as well."


    "Then the headlines we all saw?" Be gasped in surprise.


    "Yes, ording to Rnd, the Revenants intend to use the Formless as armies to overthrow the other Battlefronts. This is in addition to the fact that the Formless are directly rted to the frequency of floor breaks. So, in essence, while I have inspired the Formless to act. ording to them, I have doomed us all."


    "Master, they say such drivel that it is your fault?"


    "Well, ording to them, if I join the Seeker War, I will cause many deaths in the future."


    "Fucking cunts! Possum! How is any of this your fault?"


    "Agreed, dear, they are looking for someone to me. You would be an idiot to take them seriously."


    "YEAH! Darling! Do you know that Zach told us something simr? He said that you would destroy the world and that we should leave you!"


    Hearing Zach''s words, I understood his reasoning, but not before I had doubts about what the Siren was teaching. Be''s words made me smile.


    "We all told him to fuck off! We would rather destroy the world than leave you!"


    "Of course you would say so," I replied happily.

 Chapter 298: No other choice [1/2]

    If you told people that someone they loved was going to end the world, most people would react in three predictable oues.


    First, there would be those who believed in the greater good. These were the ones who were so caught up in the society that they would stone their own children if society said so. I call them the sheep.


    Then you had the group that would try to investigate further. These people would believe in the judicial system or the authorities as the ultimate decision maker.


    They might choose to either listen to the decision or reject it, but they would usually follow the truth. To me, they would be called themon men.


    Finally, there was the group that would never take the words of another over their loved one. These people were the crazy ones who could not be reasoned with.


    If their loved one told them that the church or the state was evil, it was only this group that had no qualms about murdering every single member of both. This group would be called the lunatics.


    I already knew. Just from the battle earlier in the night, the Sirens and I were part of the lunatics. No matter what the world told me, I would never forsake the Sirens. And they likewise would never abandon me.


    I reached out and pulled Be into my arms. If I had originally thought of her as nothing more than a walking armory, in the short time we had, she has be irreceable to me.


    This woman, while a known terrorist to the world, was nothing other than my devoted spouse. In the face of such loyalty, no man could remain unmoved.


    After a brief and passionate kiss, I asked my South American lover as I licked her neck. "Mrs. Code, honey, can you please tell me what Zack told you?"


    "Ah. Um. Ah," Be moaned seductively.


    "Master, I think you are favoring Be-san a little too much," Akiined with a pout.


    Finding her jealously adorable, I teased Aki and the rest of the Sirens, "Is that so? Then I will spoil the first one who tells me."


    "{KNEEL}!"


    A sudden death resonance caused the entire room to kneel. In the midst of our confusion, a blonde Italian woman quickly approached me and sat on my knee.


    "How incorrigible." "That is dirty Josephine-san." "Jo, you are going too far." "Well yed." "Get stuffed, g!" "Fucking nut job!"


    As if gloating over her victory, Jo wrapped her arms around my neck and took my lips. Her passion, as expected from thend of lovers, was intense. After satisfying her desire, she abruptly pulled away, leaving me wanting more.


    "Darling, Zach said you would bring about the apocalypse. He said you would leave the world a wastnd with nothing but a mountain of corpses."


    {Thou art a blinking idiot, despite all thine sacrifice none rememberth thee. Time after time thou aimed to try the impossible.}


    Zach''s words reminded me of the dreams I had seen, the seven men all had different environments, but in all of them the only thing present was... the dead beyond number.


    "..."


    "He said that at first you would fight the undead, but eventually you would turn against the living. Destroying everything until nothing would remain."


    {Unprevailing it haply thou continue to fight. Not one of thy so-called allies remain. They all fell, betrayed or deserted thou!}


    "And that if we had truly loved you, we should leave you before the Seeker''s war. ording to him, by staying with you, we would give you nothing but misery."


    {E''en thy beloved kindred are no more! No matter which life, thou hast failed to save any of ''em! Forbear thy resistance! What more could thou even hope to achieve?!}


    "John Smith. I will ask onest time. It is impossible for you toe out of this unscathed. If you join the war, you can never go back. You will have to give up something to protect, as well as kill."


    Was I thinking too much? It felt like Zach''s warnings, like Rnd''s, were saying the same thing as the serpent.


    "Darling?"


    Jo then gently lifted my face to hers. Her eyes seemed sad.


    "Darling, are you okay? Did Liv hit you too hard?"


    Hearing her cute concern, I invoked my own resonance and broke Jo''smand over me and the rest of the Sirens. Then I wrapped my arms around her slender waist and buried my face in her abundant bosom.


    "Kya, darling, your breath tickles!"


    "Thank you for telling me, Jo. Everyone, do you mind if we stretch our legs now?" I appealed to my wives.


    "Hmm. There are only three hours left before the night is over. I don''t mind, dear."


    The other Sirens all epted my suggestion and we left the meeting room. Many things had already happened that night.


    First, the Sirens and I were ambushed, which ended with the Sirens killing them all. Lilly also quit her job and fully joined my side.


    Then the Sirens proceeded to beat up the 2nd Amendment, Golden Wick, and then Golden Wick''s rapists. Jo eventually created V''s Wolves as my third squad.


    Be on the other hand started to manage the LLG. The meetings ended with Aki, Jas, and Robyn making requests for their squads. Lilly also had Addison make something for her.


    Not a minuteter, I was kidnapped by Rnd and had a fight with Raymond and Xander. Then they shared the effects of my actions with me.


    I came back here andforted the Sirens, who had also been beaten by Zach. Then I had to pamper the girls to calm them down.


    There was barely three hours left before the night ended. While Phantoms could stay longer, the girls and I had not had any sleep at all since yesterday.


    In truth, the reason I wanted to stretch my legs was that I needed to clear my head.


    The whole thing with the Serpent was starting to get on my nerves. I didn''t want to tell the Sirens until I knew what the fuck these dreams were. How could I tell them that I saw visions of them cosying and dying horribly.


    As if that were not enough, Rnd and Zach''s warnings felt dangerous. Everything they said up to this point indicated that the turning point would be my Seeker War. Whether it was the wars or the floor breaks that would naturally follow, it made me hesitant.


    Of course, I have no intention of just letting Robert take my head. But when you knew that your next actions would affect and possibly destroy the world, it was human nature to pause.


    I told Rnd that I would continue to kill the undead even if I lost the Sirens. But of course, there was a big difference between being ignorant and knowing when and how I would lose them.


    ''Rnd was right, unlike when I was alive, I have much to lose now.''


    As if sensing my troubled mind, the Sirens remained silent and walked with me. After leaving the meeting rooms, we unknowingly ended up at the dispatch office. Hundreds of Reapers were lined up in front of the clerks looking for jobs.


    However, the moment the people looked in our direction, the sounds suddenly stopped. There was an eerie silence as we crossed the lines. The people acted as if they saw a pack of wolves passing by.


    I looked back and saw my girls all covered in blood with fierce expressions.


    ''What the hell? My girls are scary as fuck!''

 Chapter 299: No other choice [2/2]

    As if we were the mob, the reapers looked away as we passed, some even trembled. None of them could make eye contact with us. I could understand them to some degree. The girls had wiped out arge force of reapers.


    That meant there was no difference between the ones they just killed and these guys.


    Phillip, seeing us, approached with two clerks in tow. One was a man and the other a woman. Phillip bowed slightly as he began.


    "Esteemed Limitless, mydies the Sirens. These are Matilda Cassy and Wilfred Vance. They are clerks to be hired by the LLG. Wilfred will handle the 2nd Amendment while Matilda will manage V''s Wolves."


    "Pleased to meet you all. I am Matilda, please call me Tildi," the woman introduced herself cheerfully.


    Not to be left behind, the man made a quick bow and did the same. "Wilfred Vance. I go by Will. I look forward to working with you all."


    Contrary to my expectations, none of the girls even graced them with a response. I was terrible at meeting people, so I remained silent. When no one returned their introductions, an awkwardness remained.


    Phillip cleared his throat, ending the awkward silence.


    "Right, as the chief administrator of the LLG, I will keep you all updated on the performance of both teams. Both the 2nd A and the wolves took a multi-squad dirge siren an hour ago, if all goes well they should return soon."


    Just then I saw arge group of people running out of the dispatch office. Addison was with them. He was carrying a bunch of heavy looking toolboxes.


    "COME ON YOU SLOW FUCKS! Squad leader Joshua will be leaving soon if we take too long! You all want to get your pay docked?"


    "SIR NO SIR!"


    The group of about forty men and women then all moved into formation outside and disappeared in a shower of light.


    "Phillip, how are my men?"


    "They have alreadypleted two Dirge sirens. Although a bit slower, the addition of V''s wolves is slowly making up for theirte start. We expect the day''s harvest to be simr to yesterday''s, if not higher."


    "I see. Will, TIldi."


    "YES! ESTEEMED LIMITLESS!" x2


    "Please take care of my people. If you have any problems, tell Phillip or Cynthia from the LLG. Has Phillip told you about my requirements?"


    Wil replied anxiously. "Yes, Limitless. He has. And I am prepared."


    Meanwhile, Tildi sped her hands together before answering.


    "He has esteemed Limitless. I... I begged Phillip to hire me because of that requirement."


    "I''m d to hear that, then. Wee to my group. Phillip, you and these two will join Cynthia and Addison in the fourth wave. Once the wolves havepleted their training, you will be next."


    I watched Phillip''s nerves re in irritation. "I understand Limitless."We might be buddies in private, but in the presence of others, my exclusive clerk knew to be professional.


    I then turned to the Sirens and asked, "Girls, would you like to sign up now? Will you all be joining the Death Seekers?"


    "Yes." X7


    As my girls announced their intentions, I could hear the peanut gallerymenting in awe.


    "Fuck! Isn''t that the 2nd group? What is it with girls covered in blood joining the mercenaries en masse?"


    "I know, right? I saw that group earlier. They were Golden Wick! How could a group of Saints survive as death seekers?"


    "Boy, have your eyes checked, those girls earlier were nothing like Golden Wick! There was a dangerous aura among them! Anyone who tried to talk to them got their ass kicked! They''re crazy, I tell you!"


    "Isn''t that the Untamed?"


    "Really? I thought she quit already. It''s all over the Graveyard!"


    "Dude! Aren''t they the ones who got ambushed earlier tonight?"


    "Fuck! My girl is part of the sanitation team, she told me they cleaned over 900 corpses just a few hours ago!"


    "Bloody oath, really?"


    As I eavesdropped on the Reapers waiting in line, the Siren''spleted their registrations. Seeing themon concerns of these Reapers gave me perspective.


    Unlike the high-stakes discussions I was having, the rest of Hellsgate was functioning normally.


    V''s wolves would be the first of the additions to my army. In time, more of the LLG would be trained and the two units would operate as one.


    It was a wise practice to n, that was a fact. But it was also known that too much nning simply stressed the mind. As I thought about the future of my people, my mind naturally drifted back to my current situation.


    The future of my forces would also be affected by what I chose to do. Sure, I could skip the Seeker War by lowering my pride. Even if I did that, what would happen next time?


    As long as I lived in Hellsgate, I woulde into conflict with other people. It was inevitable. This was beside the fact that the world will end once Hell breaks open.


    This meant that no matter what I chose now, the end would stille. This single thought forced me to join the war. Regardless of my reservations, I and the girls had to be stronger. It was the only way we would survive.


    David vouched for me, which broke the armistice. Taken literally, it was my fault. But the more I thought about it, the more my presence meant shit. David''s decision to break the truce was made regardless of who he vouched for.


    If not me, it could have been anyone. Besides, the cease-fire was between seven Revenants. It didn''t have to be David. As long as one of those people met a powerful enough Formless, they would have broken the agreement anyway.


    Thinking of it that way cleared my head. So did the words of Zach and Rnd. Everything they said was at best an educated guess. That was a point I had forgotten.


    They thought it would happen. Otherwise they would have mentioned who made the predictions for validity. Even if they told me that this was what would happen in the future, I didn''t believe in such nonsense.


    The Serpents'' words were the same. They might have sounded true, but they were actually misconceptions. If the serpent was so sure of his victory, why did he even bother to seduce the warriors into surrendering?


    Organizing the facts, I tried to list the reasons why I must fight the war.


    1. To get revenge on the Saviors.


    2. To overthrow their corrupt organization.


    3. To show everyone what it means to pick a fight against me.


    4. To serve as practice for Reaper-on-Reaperbat.


    5. The yer will kill me if I don''t fight.


    6. The Sirens will be taken from me if I surrender or lose to anyone.


    Then I listed my counter-arguments to Rnd and Zach.


    1. If I don''t get stronger before hell breaks open, my loved ones will die.


    2. I am not the one who broke the truce, David is.


    3. The truce would be broken even if it weren''t for me.


    4. The future floor breaks will happen regardless of what I do.


    The best way to silence fear was with logic and action. The words of the Serpent and the warnings of the Specters managed to unsettle me. It was natural to be afraid. Unfortunately, I no longer had that luxury.


    "In order to close Hellsgate, I have no other choice," I dered resolutely as I read out my reasons for fighting in the war.

 Chapter 300: My Children [1/2]

    Then I felt a huge wave of soul. Seven of them. I turned around and saw that the Sirens all had their GRI''s out. The same book I used with the QR code was before them. Then I felt transmissions through the air.


    Ever since Raymond Gertrude pointed it out, I could now "feel" the arrival of digital transmissions. I didn''t know how I knew, because unlike Raymond, I couldn''tmand the air.


    "It''s probably {Code}. Since Be turned me into a technopath after all."


    While I was busy contemting my newfound insight, the Sirens'' phones all began to receive messages like crazy. Funnily enough, my wives all had somber expressions on their faces as they read the iing transmissions.


    I remember the tension I felt the first time I saw the Dirge Sirens. Indeed, if the Reapers saw such information, they would understand how fragile the defenses were.


    "Master was right to be concerned. I wonder if Asia is as bad."


    "There have been 10 zones in thest hour. Just how many Reapers die every day? No wonder Husband was worried."


    "I should thank Dearest for opening my eyes, it is different than just seeing it on a report. If I hadn''t left Administration, I wouldn''t have known how dire the situation was."


    "You girls are too serious. Everything will be fine. Darling and his army have slowly been kicking ass. If we start fortifying the zones, we will ensure that none of them fall."


    "Agreed. With Honey around, supplies and ammunition would never be an issue. He is a siege''s worst nightmare."


    "Robyn, what do I do? The GRI is beeping like crazy! Help!"


    "Liv, why the fuck would you ask me of all people? I feel like a drongo just looking at this thing."


    Chuckling as I heard my Northerner and my Aussie having problems, I walked over to them.


    "My love, help! What do I do?"


    I put my hand on Liv''s cheek and smiled. The effect was immediate as she blushed and calmed down. Taking the GRI from her hand, I dismissed the messages and handed it back to her. Along with a quick kiss.


    Robyn came forward and presented hers like a child. I opened the GRI and also removed the notifications. She also wanted me to put a hickey on her neck.


    Afterwards I exined in a few words.


    "Each of those things was a zone''s dirge siren. That means the reapers defending them are all dead or dying. We as mercenaries can go to each one and kill the undead. Once each one is cleared, we call Administration for a new defender."


    Finally understanding the implications, Robyn and Liv also wore grim expressions. The other five, on the other hand, were already thinking about how to answer the calls for help.


    "Lilly, you can use {Portals} like doors, right? Is it possible between here and a zone? Like we did with Earth and Hellsgate?" Be asked, deep in thought.


    "I don''t think so. We could only do that because I could visualize the origin and destination. I am not talented enough to use the {Portal} without sight. Perhaps if I could calcte it?"


    "Jas and I can help, leave the calctions to us. She''s a genius, if you don''t know."


    "Be-san, your children are AI, right? Can''t they help?" Aki reminded.


    "I can''t, they''re not real AI, they are merely {Programs} using my {Fate}. I have to use some of my brain power to maintain them."


    I pulled the two behind me to join the other five. "Everyone, can we also enjoy the discussion?"


    "Master, everyone was just thinking about how best to act in this situation. Instead of joining together in one dirge siren, we want to imitate you."


    "Me?" I parroted.


    "Yes, dear. We all wish to take on a dirge siren alone. After all, unlike what you went through, you fought as a Wraith. As Phantoms, we should be able to do it as well."


    "Husband, please let us do this. We want to prove to you that we are not weak. Robyn, Liv, do you both agree?"


    "I do. If beloved wishes to retake the North, fighting alone is something we must all prepare for."


    "Bloody oath! As if I would lose to any of you!"


    "Heh! I knew it, we all want to follow Darling! Then we all agree we will fight Solo in our first zones."


    "Um, I''m sorry to burst everyone''s bubble, but I can''t fight solo. I need help. Without my children, I cannot fight on equal footing with any of you. I need Lilly to at least carry my equipment."


    This was probably why Be asked for {Portal}. If Lilly didn''t go with Be, our children couldn''t be used properly. The only alternative to packing the equipment would be to transport it through subspace via the {Portal}.


    "I see. That was why you were discussing how to use the {Portal}."


    "Yes. Funnily enough, without Lilly, I would not be able to fight on par with a Siren."


    "Fufu, be ready to kneel and kiss my footter, Be, learn who your queen is."


    "Shut up you pervert. I have videos of you ying with yourself while moaning Honey''s name. Shall I show them to everyone?"


    "YOU!!! WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS?!! DELETE THOSE RIGHT NOW!"


    I quickly stepped between Be and Lilly and mediated between them.


    "Lilly, dear, please calm down. We all do it. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Be feels inferior to the rest of you, please do not pick on her."


    I then turned to Be and ordered her sternly.


    "Honey, I know you were only joking, but Lilly is sensitive about such things. Please delete all these videos and respect the Siren''s privacy. I will allow you to spy on me as much as you want as payment."


    "..."


    "Be..."


    "Fine. I deleted them all. Does honey still want to check?"


    I smiled as I shook my head.


    "No. I know you would never betray me. I believe you."


    I turned to Lilly again and asked her in a simr manner.


    "Lilly, please help us find a way for Be to bring our children. Only you have the subspace capacity for them."


    "Are you not angry that I am enjoying myself while imagining you? You must think I am a disgusting harlot," she expressed in a hurt tone.


    Amused, I used [sh Step] and stole Lilly''s lips. After a short, passionate kiss, I whispered in a voice only Lilly could hear.


    "Far from it, Lilly. I would watch if I could. No matter. Come this Sunday, you will masturbate in front of me. If you want me to stick it in you, that is."


    "You! You! How depraved can you be?" she said in annoyance as she tried to punch me in the arm. No longer angry, Lilly smiled naughtily.


    I dodged her yful blows andughed heartily at her embarrassment.


    "Husband, I feel upset that you call those machines your children. Be can delude herself all she wants, but I refuse for you to join her."


    "Look here, you ck-skinned bitch! Leave my children out of this! I only had them because of Honey! They are his!"


    "Now, now. Everybody, calm down. I personally like Alfonso! He calls me Auntie! I have no problem with them being Darling''s children!"

 Chapter 301: My Children [2/2]

    "Be''s children can fight, so I ept them. Some of my siblings in the North look like animal hybrids due to Reaper soul forms."


    "As long as Master agrees, I don''t mind."


    "I vote to abstain. I find Be a depraved voyeur."


    "You ggers are talking about the tanks, right? I don''t give a shit."


    ''Haiiz, this was to be expected when you had so many dominant personalities.''


    Feeling I should set the record straight, I walked over to Jas and took her hand.


    "Wifey, Alfonso, Henry and Sabel are my children. Even if they are not my flesh and blood. Please understand. And do not worry. My affection for them would not take away from the affection I will have for our child."


    My words made Jas freeze. As if overheated, she slowly repeated my words.


    "Child? Ours? You and me? Husband are you..."


    I brought Jasmine''s hand to my mouth and yfully kissed the back of it.


    "Yes, ours. Yours and mine, Jasmine Denel. I intend for all of you to bear my children. What? You think you can get rid of me that easily?"


    "Ah, no husband I was... I was..."


    "Think of it as practice. It may not happen right away. But I assure you it will happen. We are going to raise our children with love and care. We will end this stupid war so that their generation will no longer have to fight."


    Jas then closed her eyes before asking me in a serious tone.


    "Do you promise?"


    "I do. One of my reasons for fighting is for our future. A future in which our children will live happily. So ept Alfonso, Sabel and Henry as Be and my children. Please?"


    My wife then ran her fingers through her long raven hair as she whispered.


    "I ept them, but when the timees, you must love our children as well."


    "Of course. Be prepared, I intend to impregnate you repeatedly after all. Thank you, Jas."


    "Lecher."


    "Hehe, you know you love me."


    "..."


    After giving her blessing, Jasmine ran away embarrassed. I turned to Be who was crying for some reason.


    "Be?"


    She ran up to me and buried her face in my chest. A private message was sent to my brain. It was unlike the normal messages I received through my GRI.


    [Honey, do you mean all that? You do not think I''m crazy? You ept them all as your children?]


    [I do. They are a product of your {fate}. You are the mother of the Code family. Right, Mrs. Code?]


    Maybe it was a side of herself she was ashamed of. After all, making imaginary children with someone was one of the biggest red gs in any rtionship. But it was usually done out of love and fear of abandonment.


    [Honey, I love you.]


    [I love you too, Isabe Taurus.]


    None of the Sirens were normal. That was a fact. From the way they were raised to what they had to go through. As the one who holds their affection. I had to treat each woman with care.


    Then I heard an embarrassing cough.


    "Esteemed Limitless, I know how much you love your harem, but perhaps it would be best to keep such discussions in private?"


    ''Ah shit.''


    I turned around and saw the peanut gallery, all with strange expressions on their faces. So far, only Aki and Jo had yet to share skinship with me. The girls were all still wearing blood-soaked clothes.


    For some reason they did not use {Rewind} to clean up. So I looked even more perverted for getting horny with women in blood-colored clothes.


    Grateful that Exa managed {Listen}, I ignored the peanut gallery. I didn''t even want to eavesdrop on the people still waiting at the dispatch office.


    ''Well, it''s not like I have any more dignity to lose at this point.''


    I awkwardly followed Phillip with the Sirens, and were once again ushered into a meeting room. Inside, our discussion continued. When I asked the Sirens how we could solve Be''s logistical problem. Jasmine raised her hand with a smug expression.


    "Instead of using the Battlefront and the Zones, we should just make {Portals} between the Zones."


    "Between zones? Is that it? How is being in two zones different from being here and being in one zone?" Be asked irritated.


    Jo ran up to me and raised her hand like a child.


    "Darling! I know the answer! Jas is right! But I want a kiss in return!"


    "Jo! It was my idea! Husband! I want a reward too!"


    "Too slow sister!"


    Darting like a bullet, Jo hugged me like a ko and stuck her tongue in my mouth. I wrapped my arms around her waist so she wouldn''t fall. After our passionate exchange, Jo began to exin


    "Lilly''s {Portal} is restricted by range and visualization. Since we all have {Portal} about {Limitless}, we can all create both sides of the corridor. That is, as long as we can see what each other sees, all eight of us can create {Portals} without any problems."


    "I see, thank you, darling. I am so blessed to have you."


    "Hehehe, darling praised me!"


    "That is true. Just like cell phones, you need two people to truly realize its potential," Lilly murmured.


    Be, obviously in a bad mood, then quipped. " Fine, that answer is clever. It removes the dependency ofputing as it would be done by two different brains instead of one. Then what about shared perception? How would we magically have that ability?"


    "Be, your thinking is too rigid, use imagination. This is Husband''s greatest strength. Even before he had {Limitless}, having ess to all of our {Fates} allows him to create {Kismet} of great utility."


    "I see, that is true. Beloved''s {Kismet} are certainly powerful. We were saved by them even during the enlistment."


    "You ggers love to talk too much! Can we blow something up already?"


    "Husband, the only one who can make that possible is you. You still have seven {Kismet} slots."


    "Okay, I will try."


    As I was about to move to create the Kismet. My clothes were being pulled by a shy Aki, who kept looking at the ground as she fidgeted. Probably sad that she had not yet received a kiss from me, I grabbed her waist and pulled her towards me.


    While many would find what I was doing annoying, none of the men knew how good it felt to enjoy seven beauties. Dealing with their problems, worries and what I call affection maintenance was only a burden to those who were irresponsible to their harem.


    ''And yet some people still think a harem of 100 or 1000 is usible. The fucking idiots.''


    Even Seven was too many in my opinion. But since I already had Seven wonderful women, I had no intention of giving up any of them. Afterwards, I performed affection maintenance on Aki.


    Then I started talking to my {Fates}.


    "Guys, you all know what I want. Use {Limitless} as your guide. Only those who have it can share and see what has been shared. I don''t care about the cost. But please ensure none can see it."


    A familiar burning sensation scorched my soul gem. Knowing my {Fates}, they heard my request once again. I quickly summoned mytest {Kismet}.


    "{Perspective}"

 Chapter 302: Just the beginning [1/2]

    [Select {Perspective}. Target 1. Freyja | 2. Ishtar | 3. Rhiannon | 4. V | 5.


    Minerva | 6. Satis | 7. Inari]


    "Inari. Aki, can you please help me with the test?"


    "Of course master. What do I have to do?"


    "Just say {ept}."


    "{ept}."


    Suddenly, my vision changed. Originally, I was looking at the Sirens, but now I could see myself through someone else''s eyes. For the first time, I could finally get a chance to take a look at myself.


    "Master?"


    My original body continued to look straight ahead, not following my line of sight. It was kind of disorienting. When I turned my neck to the left, the view didn''t change. It was like wearing a broken VR headset.


    "Aki, look at Lilly."


    It was weird, I was the one speaking, but I was hearing my voice through Aki''s body instead of my own.


    ''Do I really sound like that?''


    My voice sounded like that of an asshole, a two-bit criminal. It was cringy as fuck. People usually found their own voice annoying. I forgot what the term was, but many who tried to record themselves ended up destroying the recordings.


    ''I understand now. Fuck, is there a way to change my voice? I thought I sounded cool at least.''


    "Yes."


    I shifted my body to face Lilly, Aki did the same. The feeling of disorientation finally subsided somewhat. From Aki''s ears I heard the voiceing from my body''s throat. I tried to sniff and noticed that I smelled nothing.


    "Aki, apart from hearing and vision, do you feel anything else?"


    "I''m not sure, can you try pinching yourself master?"


    I followed her words and pinched the back of my hand. Contrary to my expectations, the feeling of pain was transferred to me.


    ''So our bodies still retain the feeling, it really is just like using VR goggles.''


    Suddenly, I smelled a sweet floral fragrance. It was soothing to the nerves. Then my gaze fell on a stalk of small purple flowers. Before I could ask, Aki confirmed my hunch.


    "Master, do you smell the scent ofvender?"


    "I think so?"


    The hand that held the flowers moved and then brought thevender to "my" mouth. I expected to taste something, but there was nothing, even as I heard my jaw chew on the flowers.


    "So it seems that only sight, sound and smell are being transmitted."


    "Yes, Master. Taste and touch are not shared."


    "Thank you for helping with the test Aki," I said as I looked at my Japanese lover.


    "Master, why are your eyes focused on my chest? Please show some restraint."


    "Oops. {Imaging}."


    "Kya! Anata! What are you doing?!"


    I suddenly felt delicate hands trying to cover the upper half of my face. As Aki stared at Lilly and my girls, I wanted to see if the effects of our abilities would transfer to me.


    "Shame."


    Then I felt a strong p on my shoulder.


    "Anata! Cancel it! Now!"


    "Ah, sorry, Aki. {Imaging} - Vision."


    Aki was on the petite side, simr to Be and a bit taller than Robyn. But regardless of height, my eyes naturally drifted to the wonderfuldy parts of my girls. It was a guy thing.


    "{Perspective}."


    As I invoked the {Kismet} a second time, my sight returned to my own body. I looked to my right and saw a Japanese beauty unhappily covering her chest.


    Aki was already quite daring by Asian standards, but she probably didn''t expect how much I wanted her amazing figure. Seeing my gaze, the beauty blushed and turned away.


    Finding her quite adorable, I hugged her from behind and kissed her neck.


    "Kamisan, please forgive me. Its just that seeing a seductive fruit that I cannot eat every day is a little hard. It is pure torture if I am honest."


    "Ara. Shall I start calling you Shujin? Are you sure you want me to be yourndy? Not even Tsuma? But Kamisan?"


    "Hehe, considering how you can kill me if you wanted to, yes, I think Kamisan is the most urate. At first, I thought you just wanted to be called by your name. But I noticed that you felt a bit left out."


    "Anata, it seems like you were watching me very closely."


    "How could I not, Kamisan?"


    To make my lovers feel unique, I actually used pet names. The unique manner I selected came from the way they called me. The terms of endearment were not used interchangeably, so they were only for a specific person.


    Dear or Dearest was exclusively for Lilly.


    Liv owned beloved or my love.


    Honey and Mrs. Code applied to Be.


    Jo and I were each other''s darling.


    Jasmine loved being called Wifey.


    Finally, since I thought Australian marsupials were fucking ugly, I just called Robyn Kitten. Since I had a fetish for catgirls, it worked very well.


    The reactions were mostly positive. Pet names were not just for unting your intimacy to others. They were more self-serving. It just sort of happened when your love for each other overflowed.


    Aki, however, remained Aki. This was because I knew from anime and manga that calling a Japanese person by her first name was already considered very close. However, I noticed a sense of sadnessing from Aki when I called her that way.


    It was subtle, but it seemed like she wanted a term of endearment of her own. I kept Googling how the Japanese address their wives and found the term Kamisan. Literally tranted as ndy," it was a yful term used for wives with strong personalities.


    It meant that the wife held the pants in the family. It was used for strong, intelligent and honorable wives. In contrast, Tsuma was the generic term for one''s wife. A hidden meaning in the use of Kamisan was that the husband honored his wife as an equal, unlike Tsuma.


    Shujin was what Japanese wives called their husbands, but it also had a hidden meaning. Synonymous with master, shujin meant that the wife was lowering herself to be her husband''s servant.


    Aki, being conservative, wanted to be submissive. But I didn''t want her to lower herself. She was my wife, but she was also my partner and someone I respected. So I decided to use Kamisan as a nickname.


    From our pseudo-Kindred link, I felt a wave of bliss and happiness emanating from the woman in my arms. This only happened when my Kindred were overwhelmed with emotion.


    ''I''m d she seems pleased.''


    "''Ehem. Honey. Are you done yet?"


    "I once again feel like I''m being NTRed." Lillymented.


    "Darling loves everyone after all. It''s fine!"


    "Bloody oath! Let Possum and Aki have their moment."


    "We simply take turns after all. If you interrupt a Siren''s moment, expect to be interrupted in turn, Princess," Jasmine warned.


    "Beloved has more than enough affection for everyone, so I don''t mind. Unlike my father, he actually cares about all of us."


    Hearing the rest of my women, Aki and I quickly separated. But my Asian lover with an amazing rack moved at blinding speed to give me a quick kiss on the cheek.


    "Shujin. I love you."


    Along with a whisper she ran away and joined the rest of the Sirens.

 Chapter 303: Just the beginning [2/2]

    Smiling happily, I looked at Be and asked.


    "Honey, I have a present for you."


    " Gimme. We don''t have much time."


    "{Perspective} - Minerva."


    "{ept}"


    As if knowing what the other would do, Be and I turned away from each other and summoned a {Fate}.


    "{Portal}." x2


    Creating a {Portal} required two things. Knowledge of the entrance and the exit. Since it was extremely difficult to use, we had to be careful. While we could theoretically create {Portals} anywhere, there were hidden dangers.


    The {Portal} and the {Store} family of {Fates} generally controlled space. Subspace defied the concepts of physics and allowed two objects to be in the same ce. Not included in the download for {Portal}, it was possible to kill yourself with it.


    Should you exit into a solid wall, the moment the effects of {Portal} cease, your body will merge with the wall at an atomic level. That was why Lilly was grateful for {Code}.


    It required brain power to ensure each use of {Portal}. But of course, its effects were far greater than the inventory-based {Fates}. Even though each of the Sirens and I could create a {Portal}, it was a matter of trust whether or not we would leave on the one we created for each other.


    Much like when I fought Raymond, we had no sense of direction in subspace. There was no direction or guide. The only thing inside was the opening and the exit. So if you entered without creating an exit, the chance of being stuck in the dark space forever was high.


    However, despite the risk. I moved my body into my portal. Be''s body, whose eyes I was currently using, also went without an inch of worry.


    This was because we trusted each other with our lives.


    Our bodies entered the portal and found our respective exits. When we emerged, I saw my body next to the portal Be had created. Both {Portals} disappeared the next moment. I smiled and saw my own face grinning. It looked freaking weird. So I abruptly deactivated {Perspective}.


    When my vision returned to my own body, I saw Be smiling. She then strutted towards me as she spoke.


    "Excellent. This is going to work. Honey,e here and give me some loving. I need {Perspective}."


    Amused by her brazenness, I teased my Brazilian bombshell. "Ho? Aren''t you being lewd? Don''t you want blood instead?"


    Be then grabbed my tie and pulled me towards her before kissing me. After Be savored my lips, shemented.


    "Hmph. After your little wife ys with Aki, expect everyone to ask for some pampering. Oh Shujin-sama! Receiving {Fate} and {Kismet} like this is a right only given to a Siren. So stop being so stingy."


    "Notining, take as much as you need," I said proudly.


    After some light-hearted teasing, the Sirens and I hammered out the details of how they would fight. The Sirens then all prepared to deploy for the first time.


    Since we had no idea how they would limate, we all agreed that only the girls would take a Dirge Siren each.


    I on the other hand would stay behind as a backup. Using {Connect} and the Minervawork, I would rush to the aid of anyone who encountered a problem. Part of me wanted them all to be in the same zone, but considering theirbat capabilities, I agreed that it was a bit wasteful.


    As new Priority 5 mercenaries, the Dirge sirens they could take were quite limited. Luckily or unluckily, there were a lot of fallen zones to choose from, so I picked a suitable zone for each of them.


    Once they were all settled in, I felt like a doting father dropping my kids off at preschool for the first time.


    "Remember to use {Rewind} if you are in danger! [Autoload] and [Autosave] have been loaded, but you can never be too careful. Call me if you think you can''t handle it, okay? I will punish anyone who fights in a dangerous manner. I.."


    "Honey. I love you, but get a fucking grip. We will be fine."


    "Husband, you are too cute. This won''t take long."


    "Good grief, is this what clingy dads are like? Dear, stop. You''re embarrassing me."


    "I kind of like it. Darling! Remember to give me some affection when I do a good job, okay?"


    "Shujin, I will take my leave. Stay safe."


    "My love, believe in me and await my victory."


    "Possum, you worry too much, open a tinny while you wait."


    "Wait! I still have something to say! Rememb..."


    {Reaper NR20230701-FRM, Liv Ivaldi joining the vanguard!}


    {Reaper NA20010329-FRM, Lilly Browning preparing to sortie.}


    {Reaper AU20230702-FRM, Robyn Lithgow, ready to dance!}


    {Reaper EU20230704-FRM, Josephine Benelli, LET''S FUCKING GO!!!!}


    {Reaper SA20230706-FRM, Isabe Taurus locked and loaded.}


    {Reaper AF20230705-FRM, Jasmine Denel reporting forbat.}


    {Reaper AS20230703-FRM, Miroku Aki awaiting deployment.}


    Without waiting for me to finish, the girls announced their intent and were suddenly enveloped in light. Having done this to Phillip many times before, I could only smile wryly.


    ''Is that what you call karma?''


    If I wanted my girls to soar, I had to be the wind beneath their wings, not the chain shackling them to the ground. I resolved myself to left them go. I bowed and said a final blessing to the women I loved most.


    "My lovely kindred. The ones who own my heart. Good hunting. May your destiny end the darkness."


    Each woman gave a dazzling smile of confidence as they disappeared in a burst of light. Their departure left me alone in the meeting room. If the room had been warm before, it now felt empty.


    Such a feeling would await me if I failed to protect my women. Gritting my teeth, my desires to keep them safe and to see my girls grow began to sh.


    "Get a fucking grip John. This is just the beginning."


    I then used {Connect} and traveled to my cyberspace. This would probably be my new norm. Since I had a harem, my nerves would never be at peace while any of my girls were inbat.


    It was an ufortable feeling, but during those times I just remembered the quote I liked. It summed up my feelings in that situation.


    "He who sweats more in training, bleeds less in battle," I murmured once again.


    It was much better for my girls to get hurt early than when their lives were on the line. I used {Connect} and summoned a screen to disy each of the girls. Be had already shown me how to use the Minervawork to use Sabel''s readings.


    Currently none of the screens were showing anything. But once my children began to popte the battlefield, their information would work to create a map of all seven zones.


    This was simr to what Aira had done before using the Skydio drone. ording to Be, Sabel was leagues better than any human in her ability to conduct reconnaissance.


    Of course, even though I knew how powerful the Sirens were, my nerves were tense. I was afraid of seeing them get hurt. I was afraid of them disappearing from my life. But I endured.


    I gritted my teeth as I remembered why I had agreed to this in the first ce; this was the best way to ensure their survival. That reason alone made all myints irrelevant.

 Chapter 304: Heroine Chapter: Never a player [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Isabe Taurus


    ___


    The warp knocked me to the ground. Inded like a superhero, just like Honey suggested. It didn''t hurt, but it was ufortable.


    ''I guess that is the least of my worries.''


    "{Connect}"


    [Wee to the Defender Network for Zone 1033-1, downloading situational data]


    "Tsk, such a rudimentary map, even the models are shit."


    I analyzed the battlefield and saw over 100 Rank F undead and a single Rank E. If someone had told me a month ago that I would be fighting zombies in hell, I would have told them they had little monkeys in their brains.


    Yet here I was, fighting a horde of zombies with a .44 Magnum.


    "[Inventory] 629."


    I drew the chrome revolver I got from Honey. This was one of the guns that apanied him in his battles. Just how much courage and will did he have to muster to fight as Formless. Unlike us who simply followed, he was the one who led the way.


    I ced the weapon next to my right temple and uttered a silent prayer. If I could draw even a fraction of my husband''s courage, it would be enough.


    ''Honey, grant me courage. Grant me strength. Grant me the will to go forward.''


    Of course, I could never say such things to him directly. I no longer had any dignity in front of my man.


    ''At least forgive me for having this little harmless secret.''


    "{Perspective} - Limitless."


    My vision then switched with the man I loved the most. He was looking at my children. With one mind, we raised our hands and invoked our {Fate}.


    "{Portal}." X2


    I abruptly cut the connection, and I didn''t linger. While he gave me strength, he also made me weak. This was something all the Sirens felt. Protected by hisrge back, we felt safe. The desire to cower and hide in his love was irresistible.


    But none of the Sirens chose that option. Ironically, it was Zachary Lynch who made us realize it.


    "You all must have noticed, right? How much that bastard loves all of you? What do you think would happen if one of you died?"


    None of us could answer his questions. Zach, perhaps understanding our hesitation, answered them himself.


    "He would seek vengeance. The bastard would channel everything he has into destroying your murderer. Human, undead, it makes no difference to him. And unlike most men, John Smith is truly a monster. Surely you have all felt it. He loves without restraint and is suicidal to a fault."


    Perhaps it was a manifestation of Honey''s will. {Rewind} had an extremelyrge w. Simr to {Withstand}, {Rewind} had no safety measures. It had {Auto} and {Save}, but they were not automatic.


    This meant that even if you had {Rewind}, you would still die if you did not use it. It was more like a parachute than a safety belt. If John Smith was truly a coward, his {Fate} would manifest itself as something that would preserve his life.


    {Rewind} was built on a very different premise. Its primary benefit was the ability to be as reckless as possible without consequence. It was not designed to save you, but rather to maximize your body to the limit before going back.


    Once you did then you fought for real.


    ''This is the mindset of a predator. And a merciless one at that.''


    Analysis of tactics or weaknesses. From feints to acting as bait. Anything was possible. {Rewind} would allow any fighting style to be created without restriction. Theoretically ensuring that its user could surpass any opponent.


    "If before the cooldown of {Save} forced him to y defensively, {Rece} broke that barrier."


    {Rece} allowed multiple {Save} with moveable save points. It was literally the ability to die a hundred times for the sake of a single victory. This meant that a warrior could fight forever as long as he had souls.


    "What kind of sick, twisted mind woulde up with {Rewind}?" Imented.


    It was a mindset very simr to that of the game Darksouls. Giving up a hundred lives just to learn how to defeat a single opponent. But if even people on a controller got frustrated, how much more when the yer felt the pain of every death?


    Zach''s words said it best.


    "I don''t know who the hell made that bastard, but I do know this. If he remains uncontroble, he is no different than a rabid dog. You girls are both his strength and his weakness. If you cannot be a leash, then he must be put down while we still can."


    Of course, after hearing such words, my sisters and I lost our minds and tried to kill the Nightmare with everything we had. But against a Specter, we were no different than children.


    "Alfonso, Henry, Sabel. It is time to eat."


    [Yes, Mother.] x3


    The sounds of a 6.6 liter diesel engine and caterpir tracks came from the portal in front of me. A Ripsaw MS2 Armed UGV inched forward, apanied by four MAARS UGVs.


    Along with them was a Skydio drone. On top of the Ripsaw were three Switchde 600 tubeunchers. Eight smaller ck Ho drones buzzed around the unmanned micro tank like flies.


    After all my children exited, the portal disappeared. Then I gave a singlemand.


    "Children, please set the table."


    [Yes, Mother.] x3


    I picked up the three Switchde 600 tubeunchers, opened their legs, and prepared them for use. At 54 kg each, carrying them would be a bitch if I didn''t have {Limitless}.


    The Switchde 600 loitering missiles all fired at once. Three ck UAVs armed with 2 tandem armor piercing warheads flew into the sky. Meanwhile, the ck Hos all flew in opposite directions, racing toward the corners of the zone.


    The MAARS formed a protective formation around me, synchronizing with my footsteps. Alfonso, driving the Ripsaw MS2, revved his diesel engines as he began to charge the enemy.


    "[Inventory] Puma."


    Arge airne-shaped drone appeared to my left. This thing weighed about six kilograms, but with {Limitless} and [Load], I could carry it on two fingers. Like a paper airne, Iunched the RQ 20 Puma. It was a UAV designed for battlefield reconnaissance.


    [Sabel: Mother, the Skydio drone is in ce].


    "Kill them all," I said in an emotionless voice.


    A sweet scent wafted through the air as the Skydio invoked the {Honeytrap} Soulgear on a metallic lure.


    My enhanced hearing picked up the iconic sound of the M2 Browning machine gun. Chambered in .50 Browning Machine Gun or 12.7¡Á99mm NATO, Normies, even Bigfoots, would hardly be a concern.


    The zombie counter on my heads-up disy began to drop at a rapid pace.


    With the Puma''s aerial view, I saw events unfold in real time. The Skydio was circling in front of the Ripsaw as if fishing. The zombies running after it were sted into confetti by the M2 machine gun.


    Chuckies too small to be shot were simply run over by the Ripsaw''s tracks. At over 4000 kilograms, the small bodies were crushed into paste like bugs.


    As for the zombies that had the misfortune to be near me, the MAARS mercilessly gunned them down. With four M240s guarding me, the firepower was pure overkill. And unlike humans, my children never missed.


    With Sabel''s army of flying drones, I quickly created an urate map of the zone. {Connect} allowed me to see what each drone saw. My daughter marked each zombie and quickly found the E-rank.


    It was a Cyclops. A seven-meter giant with arge club. It was slowly jogging towards Alfonso. It would be interesting to see what it could do to my son''s micro tank. But s, I wanted this to be over as soon as possible.

 Chapter 305: Heroine Chapter: Never a Player [2/2]

    Three speeding projectiles flew at over 185 kilometers per hour. The Cyclops, was still looking at Alfonso, when suddenly three anti-tank warheads collided with his head. Two from behind and one directly in front of his mouth.


    The first round of explosions was followed by a trio of second ones. The Cyclops body continued to step forward, even without its head. After about five steps, itsrge frame stopped moving and fell to the ground.


    The upper half of the monster''s torso was gone, and what remained of its spine was raised like a white g. Despite their champion suddenly biting the dust, the Rank F''s ignored the corpse and ran to Alfonso.


    "Henry, there are no more zombies here. Please help Alfonso."


    [Henry: As youmand, Mother]


    The four MAARS around me charged forward at an impressive 11 km/h. Originally, the MAARS needed a control station, but with Henry and I issuingmands via {Connect}, someponents were no longer needed.


    Even with the MAARS running at full speed, they began sniping at Normies along the way. Alfonso and Sabel also moved in sync to draw the remaining zombies toward Henry''s line of fire. In less than ten minutes since the battle began, the zone had been retaken.


    "{Reload}," I dered.


    For 25 souls, I could rearm all my children. As long as they were part of my {Auto}, I theoretically had no limit. Batteries, ammo, even fuel. How fucking broken was that?


    "Okay, let''s check the Siren''s progress. {Connect}"


    [Minerva connected, Wee to the Siren server!]


    [Members online: Minerva (Admin), Henry, Alphonso, Sabel, Ishtar, Rhiannon, V, Satis, Freyja, Inari, Limitless]


    ___


    [Room 1: Zone 1072-1]


    [Limitless: Darling, please be careful, stop kic... Sigh. Darling, can''t you just shoot them?]


    [V: Darling, you worry too much! VELA KICKKKKKKK!!]


    ___


    [Room 2: Zone 1065-2]


    [Freyja: Ugh, where are all the undead? Is Be done with the vase yet?]


    [Limitless: You are doing well, dear, you have already killed three! It has only been eight minutes.]


    ___


    [Room 3: Zone 1086-1]


    [Rhiannon: ARRGGHHH!! The cunts are too far apart! Possum! Don''t get mad, but I''m going to call them with a grenade!]


    [Limitless: Just throw it far away from you, okay Kitten?]


    ___


    [Room 4: Zone 1092-1]


    [Ishtar: Did you see that, dear? Aren''t I great?]


    [Limitless: Dear you are fucking amazing! Using {Portal} to change the trajectory of bullets is genius!]


    ___


    [Room 5: Zone 1085-1]


    [Satis: Husband, sniping over seventy-five zombies is taking too long, I will use Sacreds.]


    [Limitless: What''s mine is yours, wifey. Use them to your heart''s content]


    ___


    [Room 6: Zone 1051-1]


    [Inari: Shujin, what kind of underwear do you prefer? A loincloth? Or maybe something with a lot ofce? Or should I wear a naked apron?]


    [Limitless: Kamisan, is it too much to ask for all three?]


    ___


    "..."


    Honey was working hard. He reminded me of the chatbots in Onlyfans. It was so like him to create a separate chat room for each of them. In these small worlds, he only existed for one Siren.


    Such were the wonders of cyberspace. I kicked everyone out of the chat rooms and forced them all back to the main channel.


    [Minerva has muted the chat].


    [Everyone, I am done with my zone. My children are ready to help. I know you have your pride, but you know honey won''t stop worrying, so let''s get this over with, okay?]


    [Minerva has unmuted the chat].


    [...] x6


    [Limitless: Everyone, let them help. Please?]


    After everyone agreed, I began to issuemands. The Sirens were insanely powerful pawns.


    Liv was both rooks at the same time. Capable of pinning down an entire army.


    Jo and Robyn were devastating in close quarters, much like knights.


    Jas and Aki proved their worth in specific situations, analogous to bishops.


    Finally, Lilly was an overwhelming all-rounder like a queen.


    And me? Of course, I was the one above them. I was the yer.


    Like in a chess game, I gave my orders sinctly. The Sirens were not perfect. So my responsibility as a yer was to maximize the strengths of my chess pieces and protect their weaknesses.


    "{Perspective} - Freyja. {Portal}. Sabel, fish for Freyja. Henry, guard her nks with two MAARS."


    [Sabel |Henry: Skydio / MAARS on the way, Mother.]


    Liv, as powerful as she was, couldn''t take outrge crowds and had piss poor mobility.


    "{Perspective} - Rhiannon. {Portal} Sabel, send the Puma and map the zone for Rhiannon."


    [Sabel: Puma on the way, Mother.]


    Robyn had excellent agility and excelled at everything. Unfortunately, she usually fought by instinct and was dumb as shit.


    "{Perspective} - Satis. {Portal}. Sabel, guard Satis with half the hos, Henry form a vanguard for her with two MAARS."


    [Sabel | Henry: Dispatching Hos/MAARS Mother.]


    Jasmine was an exceptional marksman. However, she needed someone to guard her six and distract her targets.


    "{Perspective} - V. {Portal}. Sabel, there is an rank E in V''s zone. Off with its head."


    [Sabel: Switchdes inbound, Mother.]


    While Josephine excels in brutal meleebat, shecks the firepower to take down tougher targets.


    "{Perspective} - Inari. {Portal}. Alfonso, draw the enemy''s attention, leave the rank E''s to Inari."


    [Alfonso: Ripsaw MS2 on the move, Mother.]


    Aki was fucking frightening if you didn''t see hering. Therefore, what she needed were clowns to draw the enemy''s attention.


    "{Perspective} - Ishtar. {Portal}. Sabel, follow me with the rest of the hos."


    [Sabel: Yes, Mother.]


    As I walked into the doorway connected to Lilly''s zone, the rest of my children began their tasks.


    Though it irked me to no end, Lilly''s only weakness was stamina. And {Limitless} erased that in addition to giving her even more abilities.


    {Store} was too insane. Space, thew that grounded reality, was nothing more than a concept in front of this fucking pervert.


    Honey and Lilly together would be the bane of any army. How the hell was anyone supposed to stop a force that could appear anywhere?


    "Most impressive. As expected from a chess grandmaster," Lillyughed as she fired rounds into a small portal with her M60.


    "Bother Cam?es. I''m doing this for Honey."


    "Fufu. I have no idea who that is, and aren''t we all?"


    A bunch of Normies ran towards us, but a small void opened behind them. From the subspace, a rain of lead blew the back of their brains out.


    "Such a fucking cheat," Iined as the corpses crashed to the ground.


    "Oh my, thising from a psycho who killed over a hundred zombies in less than ten minutes? Aren''t you directly controlling 5 more at this very moment?"


    "Whatever. Sabel, find the Rank Es."


    Less than two minutester, I saw the Rank Es with the eyes of a ck ho. Two Undertakers were hiding behind a hill, resurrecting undead.


    "{Perspective} - Satis."


    [Minerva: Satis, can you see the Undertakers? Can you shoot them from where you are?]


    [Satis: Give me a moment... I think I can. Stand by.]


    "You can''t be serious! How would that even work?" Lilly yelled in surprise.


    [Satis: I am ready.]


    "{Portal}" x2


    A {Portal} appeared in front of the ck Ho. Less than a secondter, two powerful 7.62¡Á51mm NATO rounds flew out, shattering the skulls of the Undertakers.


    [Satis: Anything else?]


    [Minerva: Thanks, I will let you know if there are any more]


    I then turned to Lilly and replied smugly.


    "That''s why you can only be a queen and never a yer."

 Chapter 306: Fucking Amazing [1/2]

    "Everyone is just fucking amazing," was the only thing I could say as I watched in disbelief.


    The girls all carried my weapons into battle. Fighting with an unfamiliar weapon in battle was dangerous. But no matter what I said, they all wanted to start using them.


    My Siren''s used my former weapons with terrifying efficiency against the rouges. And even though they had problems like jamming and age, the girls were all smart enough to work through them.


    ''Probably because of {Gather}, after I showed each Siren how to use their guns, they all not only memorized the controls, but also understood the quirks," I spected.


    Actually, I tried to show them how to reload the guns earlier, but Be, being the technical person she was, did something on the spot.


    "Reloading guns manually is boring, I want something like Exa reload. Let me make one. [Inventory] 629."


    With the 629petitor in her hands, she began invoking hertest {Fate} {Program} for all to hear.


    "{Program} Name [Top Up]. {Program} Begin. Define [Weapon] parameter [Bullet]. Define [Bullet] parameter count. If [Weapon] [Bullet].count < 10% then invoke {Fate} {Reload}. Dependency: Soul count > 50, {Rewind} family {Fate} {Reload}.


    Exit {Program}. Done! Compile!"


    She then removed all bullets from the 629 she was holding.


    "[Top Up] Set [Weapon]. Smith and Wesson 629 Competitor. Set [Bullet] .44 Remington Magnum."


    Be then smiled and opened the revolver cylinder. Instead of being empty, the revolver was fully loaded with bullets.


    "Holy shit!" I eximed.


    Satisfied with the results, Be shared [Top Up] with the rest of the Sirens, much like I shared [Autoload] and [Autosave].


    When we all saw howplicated it was to create a {Program}, I initially thought everyone would lose interest.


    If I didn''t have Exa, there was no way I could do all that. But then a resident genius stole the spotlight.


    "{Program} name: [Filter]. {Program} begin. If left eye blink = 2, then invoke {Imaging} - X-Ray. If right eye blink = 2, then invoke {Imaging} - Thermal. Condition: Blink Speed < 200 milliseconds. End {Program} Compile".


    Be somehow understood all that and praised her. "Wow! That is super handy! Send it to me too!"


    Liv came over and whispered in my ear. "My love, shouldn''t {Interpret} allow me to understand the Southernernguages? What were they talking about?"


    Chucking, I answered as best I could.


    "They''re talkingputer. Don''t mind it, love. Let''s just focus on what we know."


    "They talk inputer? How strange. If you say so, love."


    ''Exa, you better hurry up andpile or you will be outdated by the time you get out,'' I warned my {Kismet}


    Aki, Lilly and Jo, the smart ones, also started creating various programs to prepare for tomorrow.


    Robyn, Liv and I, who made up the dumb group, passed the time by learning how to clean our weapons.


    Coming back to the present, the Sirens added various {Programs} to their fighting styles. Some of them even imitated the abilities of Exa and even the {Armory}.


    However, even without these, they were all skilled and had extremely varied fighting styles. For the first ten minutes or so, they were all struggling in one way or another. But the moment Be''s AI army arrived, the battle speed suddenly increased by leaps and bounds.


    My children''s machines took advantage of the Siren''s weaknesses and capitalized on their strengths. The only downside was that when Be arrived, she deleted the rooms I had created.


    Funnily enough, everyone but Be asked me to keep thempany with {Connect} anyway.


    Jo and Robyn fought in super close quarters. However, even though they were fighting in the same area, they had different tendencies.


    The Italian used my AR-15, which was basically a carbine with a 14" barrel. She abused the rifle by stabbing zombies with the muzzle before firing. So despite the use of firearms, Jo was soon covered in blood.


    I wasn''t sure if it was because she had used a dagger before, but she also mixed in her backup pistol for off-handed attacks. From time to time, Jo would throw her guns in the air and body m zombies before the guns hit the ground.


    This, of course, was in addition to kicking the shit out of anything within reach.


    [Darling, do Italian martial arts involve a lot of kicking? Why are you so fond of them?]


    [Hmm... I don''t know, Darling. Italian martial arts started with diators, so they usually had at least a knife or a stick most of the time. But Bianchi got posted in China during WWII and learned Jiu Jitsu from the Japs. Somewhere along the way, they added judo and kickboxing to create Kick Jitsu.]


    [There is a martial art in Italy called Kick Jitsu?]


    [I know, Darling, it sounds stupid, but it works. And it can be incorporated to synchronize with martial arts that use knives, swords, and staffs. Viva Italia!]


    Seemingly having fun, Jo then got super pissed when Sabel reported that the only Rank E giant in Zone had already been terminated.


    Meanwhile, Robyn loved to saw off the faces or limbs of her opponents with sprays of 9mm rounds. The de MAC-11''s tended to jam a lot, so she got mad at them and used them as hammers. This gruesome way of fighting naturally drenched her in blood and gore.


    She also has a penchant for using the M26 grenades as baseballs. When thrown, they usually smashed into groups of zombies. My kitten''s throwing arm was even better than those who yed Major League Baseball.


    Robyn originally had trouble finding undead, but when Sabel sent her their locations, Robyn''s efficiency skyrocketed.


    I have noticed some of her strange quirks. For one, Robyn hated female zombies with big tits. She also had an extreme dislike for redheaded guys.


    Even though zombies do not feel pain, my Aussie tortures these two body types religiously. She will practically quarter the former while exploding the testicles of thetter.


    [Uh, kitten? The bitch is already dead. A single bullet would suffice.]


    [How dare that gger unt those knockers when she is already dead! Fucking cunt! Possum, you were enchanted by those fucking lumps of fat, weren''t you?]


    [No Kitten, I definitely wasn''t, I''m just looking at your cute ass]


    [Hmph! You sure? You''re not just saying that?]


    [Of course Kitten, the way your butt bounces when you fight makes me horny.]


    I actually found myself enjoying the Siren''s fight. What I told Robyn was no lie, watching my girls kick ass made my manhood stand erect.


    But since there were seven of them, I did have a single free second.With Jo and Robyn dominating their zones, I checked on the others.


    Jasmine and Aki, unlike the first two, had unique approaches to the fight. My Wifey used [Sky Walk] and ran to the best sniper perch she could find. At first, she found it difficult to kill beyond the range of the M24. But soon Be sent reinforcements.


    A swarm of ck Ho Nanos began guarding Jasmine''s perimeter. I could see them on the screen thanks to Be, but it was still better to have eyes on the ground. Henry brought two MAARS and began to act as bait.


    My ck-skinned lover had an easier time killing the undead as they converged on Henry. The MAARS, armed with 40mm grenadeunchers, made quick work of the mobs in Jas'' zone.

 Chapter 307: Fucking Amazing [2/2]

    It was unfortunate that the boss killer, our resident sniper had no rank E''s in her zone. However as if to say she wasn''t a forgotten. Be to request Jas to terminate the rank E''s in Lilly''s zone instead.


    [Wifey, can you really do it?]


    [I don''t see why not. I just need to syncs my sight to Be, and the Drone at once.]


    [I see, do take care Wifey.]


    [Husband, do you believe I can do it?]


    [Of course I do. My Wifey is the best sniper in the universe.]


    [Mhm. Give me a rewardter.]


    Against all reason Jas then sent a pair of zone hopping 7.62s right into the brains of the undertakers. I kept shouting like an idiot over Jas''s amazing achievement, my girl loved how Ivished her with praise.


    On a separate Zone, Aki and I were flirting as she tried to map my fetishes. Perhaps the biggest letdown of all, Aki''s zone only had fifty zombies. And as if bored, my Japanesendy murdered themnguidly.


    When Alfonso''s Micro tank started revving its engines, Aki just dispatched all the Normies that charged for the Ripsaw MS2. Invasive like a surgeon Aki sent a single bullet into their head with both her guns. All while she was barely visible.


    [Kamisan, what is that soulgear called? Is that the one you got as a reward during the enlistment?]


    [It is. Its called {Umbra}. It makes my figure absorb light thus aside from a soft shadow, I turn invisible.]


    [Wow, thats amazing¡­uhm Kamisan, could you check to see what the reapers name was?]


    [Anata, you mean the one who this soulgear is made from?]


    [Yes. Only if you don''t mind.]


    [Give me a moment¡­ [Weak Point Targeting] says its Janice Brown.]


    [¡­]


    Janice Brown. The minor I murdered during the enlistment. How cruel a fate it was that her corpse keeps one of my lovers safe. This bastardized the meaning of looting to a new low.


    [Anata, are you okay? Should I throw it away?]


    [No, thank you for saying so Aki, but you holding her soulgear is a consequence of my actions. If {Umbra} protects you, that is more than enough for me.]


    [Thank you, Anata.]


    We then spent the time chatting about simpler topics to lift the heavy mood.


    On the other zone, Liv finally found her stride as the Skydio kited the zombies in her zone. Together with two assault dishwashers Liv shot the zombies. However simr to me, Liv found the 1887''s rate of fire too limiting.


    When Henry''s MAARS protected her nks Liv grew even more frustrated. But everything changed when one of the MAARS fired a 40mm grenade. The following explosion took over twenty zombies in one swoop.


    With dazzled eyes Liv ordered in a frantic voice.


    "Henry, shoot that weapon again, this time while I am together with the zombies! Sabele here!"


    [Love? What are you doing?]


    [Henry |Sabel: Father how should we proceed?]


    [Beloved, I can do it. Believe me.]


    [Henry |Sabel: Father?]


    [Sigh. Fine, Both you follow Liv''s words to the letter.]


    [Henry |Sabel: Acknowledged.]


    [My love, thank you for trusting me. Now let me prove it to you!]


    Liv then ran towards Sabel and met therge group of undead. One of the MAARS then fired a 40mm low velocity grenade at Liv. A devastating explosion erupted shrouding the area in smoke.


    When the smoke cleared at the center of course was my Northerner and a glowing 1887. Naturally she had not a single wound and her clothes didn''t even smell of smoke. With arge smile Liv aimed her shotgun and pulled the trigger.


    "[Double Damage]!"


    A 10 gauge Sacred flew out of the lever action smooth bore like a shooting star. Simr to my first experience with blessed rounds, the radiance from the Sacred purified everything along its path.


    "Henry again!" Liv roared cheerfully.


    ''Well fuck.''


    Even in most games tanks had the worst damage output second only to healers. Ignoring the spartan way to increase Liv''s fire power, I allowed her to have fun as she trampled on the undead.


    Lilly and Be were in the same zone, but as Lilly mowed down anything that still moved, they were now talking. The Hos with Be allowed me to listen in.


    "Your toys aside, are you saying I am inferior to you?" Lilly challenged.


    "Stop being a fool and swallow frogs Lilly. I know you are beyond powerful and even outrank us all by one level. But your thinking is too rigid. Morals mean little in the face of fire and steel. While you use {Store} in ingenious ways, you value system is shit."


    "Why in the world would I swallow frogs? Is this a Brazilian Idiom of some sort? What separates man from beast is order and rule! If this does not apply to how one should think then how would we even function!"


    ''Ho? So the two were conflicting in principle. I have little to work with so I had no idea what they were arguing about,'' I inwardly mused.


    "Wake up princess. In order to support Honey, we need to use whatever we can get our hands on. Even things that belongs to someone else," Be reasoned.


    "Then do you wish lead a life of theft, piracy and crime on top of fighting the undead? You bespectacled twit, have you really not learned anything from your death as a human?"


    "Princess, the only reason you didn''t turn out like me was that someone picked you up. When you''re hungry enough to eat left over scraps from trash binse talk to me again."


    Lilly exhaled deeply and responded. "While I cannot argue against that, I disagree with what you are suggesting."


    "What? Why? Didn''t you see how powerful my children are? If Honey has hundreds of them think of what he could do!"


    "And what of the people you steal from? These are people who worked hard to create such weapons. If you really wish to arm dearest with such, buy them like a capitalist!"


    "And where would I even get the money for that bitch? Not everyone has millions to their name."


    "Oh my, for such apetent hacker, I figured you would be earning billions of the stock market could it be you have yet to try?"


    "¡­"


    "This is the problem with the thinking of those in poverty. Money is not your master sweetheart. It is your servant. A person''s mentality is why a person is rich or poor. Let me show you how to amass capital without stealing from good people."


    I couldn''t help but gulp in worry of what they were trying to do. ''What the fuck am I hearing? It felt like the beginnings of something illegal.''


    "Fine! If you sell me useless shit, I will ship a thousand 9-inch dildos to your office."


    "Fufu. And you would incur a debt while I could sell those to all the lonely women in the country. How kind."


    Be then drew her 629 and pointed towards Lilly. The former princess simrly drew her P30L towards the Brazilian with a smile.


    "{Perspective} - Ishtar. " "{ept}."


    "{Portal}." x2


    Ovepping voices invoked {Fates} as they both fired their weapons. The bullets from their guns passed by the small sub space cracks on their heart. A momentter the zombies sprinting behind my girls got their heads destroyed.


    Then both looked towards me.


    "Dear." "Honey."


    "All seven zones have beenpleted." x2

 Chapter 308: Here, eat this [1/2]

    While I wasn''t surprised that Be knew I was listening, I didn''t expect Lilly to find out.


    [I''m sorry for eavesdropping, Be, Lilly. I was worried.]


    At my words, both women beamed with joy.


    "Dear, considering what I am, you may be the only man in the world who would worry about me. It is incredibly sweet."


    "Agreed. Considering everything we just did, it would be normal for Honey to be afraid that we are bing too powerful."


    [Hmm, I can understand why you would think that, Honey, but I love you, so I don''t think that applies to me. As for you, my dear, even if you be a Revenant, you can expect me to look out for you forever. I will never stop caring about you.]


    "..." x2


    [What? Why are you both making such faces? Did I say something wrong?]


    At my words, Be face palmed and Lilly looked to the dark sky. They both seemed incredibly frustrated.


    "Dear." "Honey."


    [Yes?]


    "Please refrain from talking to other women." X2


    [Huh? Why?]


    "Fucking hell, honey, are you seriously asking?"


    "Dear, you seem to be blessed in seducing women, I am afraid we would end up killing too manypetitors in the future."


    [I am not thought? You both should know. Of all the Sirens, I remember being an asshole to both of you. Ah no, I also said I would kill Jo and Jas... and I also tried to shoot Liv, Aki and Robyn. Hmm.


    Now that I think about it, didn''t I also shoot Mia?]


    Seemingly relieved, the women from both continents of America began to chuckle.


    "Haha, I guess that is true, it is incredibly hard to get into Honey''s good graces after all."


    " Indeed, he even broke my sword before he took me on a date. Come to think of it, I also remember Jo telling me what she found out from V''s wolves."


    [Oh? What did they say?]


    "Well, ording to Jo, in response to the wolves trying to give youp dances, you almost killed them with death resonance, in addition to pulling a gun on Yvonne more than once."


    [Ah, yes. That did happen. Wait, I thought you girls already knew that, didn''t you beat up Golden Wick for it?]


    Be gave an awkward cough before sheepishly looking away. "Uh, that was kind of my fault. I hacked the CCTV cameras in the hallways, so I saw you and V''s wolves go into the same room. But I didn''t know what you were doing, so I got help."


    "Dear, meeting rooms are supposed to be secure for the most part. I met with Phillip privately and ckmai... I mean, I asked him politely what you were doing with them. He said if he had to guess, you had them relive your stress."


    [That fucking bastard. So that''s why Jo was furious as hell.]


    "Actually, dear, I was um... afraid to tell others that I jumped to conclusions. Jasmine was the one who cleared up the understanding."


    [Huh? If Jo already knew, why did she still kick their asses?]


    "The blonde energy bunny said anyone who could withstand your death resonance was worth training. She said something about resilience to fear or something."


    [I see. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to get into a rtionship with all of you. You know, being stupid and all.]


    "Fufu. Didn''t you say so yourself, dear? It seems that trying to kill people works really well."


    [Then wouldn''t that mean Yvonne, ire and Mia are... ah shit, forget I said anything.]


    The moment I mentioned the werewolf from Europe, Be and Lilly made dangerous expressions.


    "It seems we have to go monster hunting in Britain. I believe it lives in sgow. I will tell the others to bring plenty of silver. We will go during the full moon."


    "Indeed, Jo''s dogs have already had their beating. We just have to find thest one in Europe."


    [Oy! You two! Behave! Didn''t you say they helped Jo and Jas? Stop! You''re overreacting!]


    "And they managed to survive the enlistment, so their debt to you has been paid Dear."


    "Lilly''s right honey, this is apletely different matter," Be said coldly.


    [...]


    Then they both burst outughing. As if someone had made an incredibly funny joke. Lilly then managed to sneak in between bouts of elegantughter.


    "I''m sorry Dear...hahaha... I couldn''t resist... It was Be''s idea."


    "Hahaha! You should have seen the look on your face Honey! It was hrious."


    [You girls are mean.]


    Although I felt annoyed, I found some joy in seeing the girlsughing so brightly. If being the butt of future jokes allows me to see them so happy. Then a clown I would be.


    "Be..." Lilly called out suddenly.


    "I know. Honey, since you are still at the Dispatch Office, would you mind asking the LLG to divide the dismantling teams into seven groups? I will manage the Sirens while we wait. We still need to reflect on our performances."


    It was strange to see the girls telling me what to do. It finally hit me that my harem was really here with me in Hellsgate. Since I never really liked doing that shit, it was a wee development for me.


    [I understand, then I will leave my cyberspace and return. Good work you two. Stay safe until the others arrive.]


    After saying goodbye to the rest of the Sirens via {Connect}, I returned to my body.


    It was still in the same conference room. Though it lookedpletely different now. Much of the furniture had been removed to make room for the Ripsaw tank.


    Standing up, I left the room to look for Phillip. I found him outside the shipping office leading one of LLG''s demolition teams. The leader of the group seemed to be a dwarf. Addison was panting heavily as he massaged his lower back.


    The floor was piled high with a variety of materials. Flesh, bones, and jars of tar-like liquids. Trying not to pay attention to the disgusting assortment of what I assumed to be loot, I walked over to my clerk.


    "Oh? Esteemed Limitless, how may I be of service?"


    "Phillip, Minerva asked me to inform you that the Sirens have finished their first wave. Please prepare seven dismantling teams."


    Phillip nearly dropped his clipboard in panic. Addison gave me a simrly ck-jawed look.


    "I beg your pardon? You said seven? As in seven separate dismantling teams?"


    "Yes," I replied curtly.


    "I''m afraid to ask this, Limitless, but can you borate on why you need seven groups?"


    "Huh? Because the Sirens intend to move on to their next zones? Each of my girls has reimed one zone. They have abined kill total of 784. It was, I think, nine? Right, it was nine rank E''s, the biggest of which is a Cyclops."


    I then heard a thud and saw Addison copse onto his back.


    "This is hopeless. I am going to die from overwork. Just kill me now," the dwarf murmured in a daze.


    Then Phillip ced his hand on his temple as he spoke slowly. The man didn''t notice, but Cynthia returned with her group, also seemingly haggard from stress.


    "Limitless, the Sirens all took on one Dirge Siren alone, each of which resulted in seven zones being liberated in thest hour? And the total kills were 784? nine of which are rank E''s? And this is just their first wave?"


    "Pretty much. It only took half an hour though. We just started a while ago."

 Chapter 309: Here, eat this [2/2]

    "YOU CAN''T BE FUCKING SERIOUS! I JUST GOT BACK! I AM FUCKING EXHAUSTED! LET ME GO HOME ALREADY! FUCK THIS SHIT! I QUIT!" Cynthia screamed before bursting into tears.


    My clerk let out an exaggerated sigh as he turned to face the fuming president of the LLG. Startled by Cynthia''s violent reaction, I turned to the monocled bastard, I asked.


    "So? Mind telling me what the hell is going on?"


    "Esteemed Limitless, greed can only motivate people so far. Basically, your absurd hunting rate created the LLG. It took over 100 production guilds with 10 to 12 members each to process your loot in a single night.


    "But when 30 of those groups left, the rest, which were barely 800 people, were already overwhelmed. Without the facilities of production, what took 50 people to do before now took 200.


    "When the 2nd Amendment came in, the work was so brutal that about 100 quit, further burdening the rest. Divided between sales, logistics, and the actual dismantling teams, there is hardly enough time to rest or even eat.


    "As if that were not enough, Mistress Minerva further reduced the number to less than 500. Those who were dismissed simply went back to the frist Production group. Even worse, V''s wolves practically doubled the loot."


    As Phillip detailed all the problems that were going on behind the scenes, I grew amazed. Who knew that all this was happening just to turn my kills into money. Even if the LLG originally did it because they needed souls for the tax, no one liked being overworked.


    We could increase their share of the loot, but that was only a temporary solution. The real problem was theck of people and their exhaustion. And unlikepanies on Earth, neither taking the dismantling teams to the beach nor giving them pizza would help.


    "Anyway, with the LLG barely able to keep up, the addition of the Sirens makes it impossible to proceed, we would need ten times more people than we have now," Phillipined.


    "I see, is it possible to ask Production to reconsider helping us?"


    The dwarf who remained on the ground replied in a dejected voice.


    "They would, in exchange for a monopoly on the materials. That would only turn the LLG into their cashcow, Limitless."


    "Then is it possible to ask the other professions for help? Don''t the defenders usually havebined Fortification and Production groups? Why not just ask them?"


    "Esteemed Limitless. Workshops and guilds generally do not get along. Fortification sees Production as women and emascted men. On the other hand, Production sees them as barbarians, not craftsmen," Phillip exined.


    "The battlefront is already going to shit, why the hell are the professions at each other''s throats?"


    "I don''t think you''re in a position to say that, Esteemed Limitless. You are going to war tomorrow, right?"


    "I suppose, [Inventory] two Big Macs."


    I pulled a couple of burgers out of my subspace. When people were depressed, eating was the best and cheapest cure. Or so I thought. I was about to give my burgers to the President and Vice President of the LLG when I remembered something.


    ''Ah, they don''t have {Eat}. For them, this would just be an ordinary burger. How can I make them regain their stamina with this?''


    "Guys, can you help me out here?"


    As I spoke to my {Fates}, my Soulgem heated up a bit before returning to normal. When I checked my status, I saw the presence of a new Kismet. I invoked my new ability as I touched the burgers.


    "{Comfort Food}".


    {Comfort Food}bined {Eat}, {Gather}, {Code}, {Digest}, and {Announce}. It basically ordered your cells to rx when they were overfed with nourishment. I quickly approached Addison and Cynthia and handed them the burgers.


    "Here, eat this, you will feel better."


    One had no energy and the other was in tears. Both looked at my burgers suspiciously before taking a bite, but the moment they did, their faces fell in euphoria as they tasted the {Fate} enhanced burgers.


    Within seconds, like starving beggars, they both devoured the burgers.


    "Limitless! What the fuck is up with this burger! I have to get one for everybody!" Cynthia screamed.


    "My fatigue disappeared and I feel amazing! Look!" Addison eximed as he stood up and did some vigorous stretching.


    I had food, but there was no way I could feed five hundred people. Phillip, who had a greedy-looking face, was waiting for my orders.


    "Addison, Cynthia, call everyone from LLG and have them assemble here. Phillip, is there anyone here who sells food? Preferably soup or meat."


    "Yes." X2


    "Follow me."


    Phillip led me back to the production building and went up to the second floor. Of course, the Production Reapers who saw me were gossiping like crazy.


    "YO! Isn''t that Limitless? And Phillip Scrivener? Weren''t they cklisted?"


    "No, silly, the ones cklisted are the LLG. Why would anyone turn away a fucking rich customer?"


    "I heard that the LLG guys all wanted to quit, though? I heard some of them even ditched work just to go to Arcus Kiss."


    "Shit! I hope he buys some of my merchandise! Something, anything!"


    "Fuck that shit, I heard Limitless was a high roller! Maybe I can get a tip for being his errand boy."


    The whole 2nd floor was buzzing after my arrival. Some of them even left their stalls to serve as my guides. But Phillip turned them all down. Surprisingly, everyone was respectful and polite.


    Eventually Phillip took me to a secluded diner with dpidated furniture around it. The sign showed ugly as fuck lettering that said "Hangry and Sappy". Seeing the shitty sign, I raised my eyebrows as Phillip entered.


    Inside was an equally dirty diner with no customers and a single pair of people in aprons.


    A white woman with African dreadlocks stepped forward with a smile. "Greetings, customers! What are you having today? We have 75% off our Burger and Fries menu for only forty souls!"


    What the hell was this ce? A burger for forty souls? That was $800 for a single burger. No wonder no one was here.


    The guy on the other side, a six-foot-tall brown-skinned Asian, held up a sign that said 75% off. While the diner was nothing to write home about, the people were.


    The man was a Phantom, but the little woman in front of me was a fucking Specter.


    "Phillip?" I asked my waiter in confusion.


    He then introduced me to the store owners.


    "Mr. Smith, this is Adam and Eva Baker. The owners of the only Production-licensed restaurant on the battlefront. They sell authentic earth food or dishes made from monster meat. While there are others, only they can cater to your needs."


    "I see."


    Phillip didn''t introduce me as Limitless, but as John Smith. I had no idea why, but I just followed his lead.


    "Hello, I am John Smith. I need someone who can feed 500 people for a simple meal. My clerk brought me here to see if you could help me."


    The woman''s eyes lit up as she confirmed.


    "500 customers? Of course we can do that? When is your event?"


    "Today. Right now."


    "Is that so? Then go fuck yourself, Mr. Smith," Eva said with a smile.


    Philip chuckled and borated.


    "Ms. Eva. The man in front of you is also known as Limitless. And he may be able to solve your problem."


    " I understand. Then go fuck yourself as well, Limitless."

 Chapter 310: To be Edible [1/2]

    I knew thatpared to a Specter I was crap, but wasn''t this bitch being too rude? All I said was hi. Why the fuck did she get mad?


    Eva Baker then turned and threw a roundhouse kick at my head. As if expecting it, Phillip was already more than five feet away after introducing us.


    ''This fucking monocled bastard.''


    Concentrating on the task at hand, I shielded my temple with my arm. There was a thud as the woman''s foot hit my fist. However, being armed with Liv''s {Fate}, such a kick was meaningless to me.


    "Mrs. Baker, please calm down," I said through bared teeth.


    But the woman just scoffed and sent a palm to my chest. Once again the effect was neutralized. Was this woman fucking retarded? Undeterred, Eva came closer to ram her shoulder into my chest.


    Expecting to stop the blow, I used my hand to block her shoulder. However, she then caught my elbow, causing my arm to buckle, while sending her own elbow to my chin before turning and mming her other elbow into my temple.


    Thinking it would be dangerous to continue in such close quarters, I jumped back to create some space between us.


    "Look,dy, your strikes barely make a den..."


    My words were abruptly cut off as I felt blood drip from my nose. Just as I was about to wipe it off, an immense pain suddenly attacked my insides. I began to vomit ck sludge, unable to stop.


    A dizzying headache assaulted my senses as my vision began to blur. A sharp ringing sound like tinnitus assaulted my brain. The torture was so intense it took everything I had just to stay standing.


    What the fuck?


    ''Ugh shit, my head is spinning.''


    [Mithridat ss 4 neurotoxin detected. {Digest} Unable to neutralize substance]


    [Mithridat ss 5 pathogen detected. {Digest} Unable to neutralize substance.]


    " Fuck, as expected from a Specter. {Regen.} [Absorb]!"


    Despite the poisons wreaking havoc in my body, I didn''t back down and fought them off with my vitality. Within seconds, the deadly diseases were forcefully attracted by mybo skill as my {Fate} restored my body.


    Satisfied, Eva nodded in praise. " Ho? Interesting. I''m impressed. You pass."


    Feeling somethinging up from my stomach, I threw up what looked like ck marbles from my body. rity returned to my mind after I expelled the foreign material. Wiping my mouth, I drew Ebony and Ivory and aimed it at Eva Baker.


    "..."


    Why were the Specters all fucking crazy? Rnd was probably the only one who didn''t try to kill me from the outset.


    I had so many questions, but I couldn''t get any of them out. This woman really tried to kill me for a reason known only to her. Her husband, Adam, quickly stepped forward and got between my guns and Eva.


    With tan skin that looked Hawaiian or something, the man was huge but not fit. Adam''s eyes had a fierce glow as he held a pair of glowing single-ded axes in his hands.


    "Adam, I''m fine. Thank you."


    The man, upon hearing his wife, made his weapons disappear and stood silently. Phillip then stepped forward and reintroduced the Bakers.


    "Limitless, forgive me for withholding their identities. May I present Eva Baker, the Coroner, and her kindred Adam Baker, the Lumberjack. They are famous in Administration for their request that no one could fulfill."


    "And why should I care about their wishes? That woman tried to kill me. If I hadn''t fought off her poisons, I''d be dead already."


    My exclusive clerk then bowed as he apologized. "I apologize, the Bakers do not deal with anyone who cannot meet their standards. That is their absolute rule. I knew you could trump it, but I know that is no excuse."


    I shifted the ebony and pointed it at Phillip''s head.


    "Exin. Now. Before I end you."


    This monocled bastard better have a good reason or I will blow his head off.


    Eva then walked over to me and took the muzzle of my pistol and ced it on her forehead.


    "There are no sane people left in Hellsgate, boy. My {Fate} is called {Blight}. People who hang around me have their bodies dpose as if they were dead. I control decay as if it were my own hand. I could have healed you just as easily as I let your insides rot."


    ck symbols manifested all over Eva''s body. They looked like ck floral patterns etched under her skin.


    "My request to the Administration was simple. Find me a Reaper who is not afraid of pain and death. If they fulfill my request, I will return to the front lines."


    "..."


    As always, the more I learned about the Reapers in Hellsgate, the more I learned that I knew nothing. I stowed the USP Matches away while I eyed Phillip.


    "You fucking bastard, all I asked for was someone who could feed 500 people. What the fuck are you selling me out for?"


    "Esteemed Limitless, although I am your exclusive employee, fulfilling the Bakers'' request will get me a promotion. Besides, since she is a Specter, Mrs. Eva has the meat supply needed to feed so many. She was literally the only one who could fulfill your request."


    Eva began to wave her hand in rejection as she interjected.


    "Fuck that, there is no way I could cook for 500 reapers right now. You are crazy! Even if my husband and I are good cooks, we can''t guarantee the quality with the time we have left. Like I said, for your order, please get the fuck out of my diner."


    "If you''re worried about the taste or the nutritional value, I don''t care. It just has to be edible," I reasoned.


    {Comfort Food} would bring immense rxation to the people who ate it; {Eat} would bring great relief from stress and exhaustion. With both, I believe, no one would even care how it tasted.


    However, unlike {Eat}, {Comfort Food} could only be applied to "food". I didn''t know how subjective this was, but I didn''t have the time to waste on all that. So, like any good capitalist, I found someone I could pay to do it.


    "Hmm. If that is the case, then I ept. I am willing to do it in exchange for a favor. I will also use my own supplies of food."


    I didn''t know how good their food would be, but for 500 people, it should be expensive. But the favor worried me. It was dangerous to agree to something you did not understand.


    Probably seeing my hesitation, the woman quickly added.


    "Rx, boy, I am not asking you to do anything that would harm your precious harem. My favor is simple. You will apany me to a zone of my choosing as my backup."


    "How do you know about my girls? And I am expensive, you know?"


    Eva chuckled arrogantly before answering. "Boy, as the first Formless who has not yet been killed despite the noise you make, there is no Specter who does not know about you."


    Her words made me stiffen. It seemed that everyone who had passed through the ranks of the Phantoms knew the rules for the Formless. I didn''t know whether to be ttered or concerned.


    "..."

 Chapter 311: To be Edible [2/2]

    "Anyway, my diner cannot hold 500 people. Where will they eat? I can bring my supplies there and cook on the spot. I would also have to hire extra people to handle the food," Eva asked.


    "I n to feed them in front of the Dispatch Office. Can''t we just use them for the extra''s?"


    I pointed outside to the production reapers who seemed to have left their stalls to eavesdrop. While I initially thought these people would die to Eva''s {Blight}, that shouldn''t be the case, otherwise she couldn''t even mingle with other folks.


    ''Besides, I didn''t think that poisons could kill a reaper. They might be enough to incapacitate one, but since reapers are already dead, as long as they have souls, they wouldn''t die. However, it might be a good idea to use it as a form of torture.''


    As my thoughts started to go in a dark direction, I failed to notice Eva walking towards the peanut gallery and hiring them on the spot.


    "You bastards don''t have enough souls to pay the tax for this month, right? I will hire everyone here for 500 souls each for three hours of work. We are going to cater a meal and I need hands, who wants to join?"


    Like a frenzied mob, the entire mob of about 40 people all shouted to be included. 500 for 40 people would be 20,000 souls.


    "Eva, I will take care of the expenses, send me the bill," I offered, but instead she shook her head and countered.


    "No need, I told you I''ll take care of it. Get going, the food will be ready in less than an hour. These people are production reapers, so they are good with their hands."


    "Okay, thank you. See you there."


    With those words I left the shop to let Eva discuss the details with her group. On my way out, Phillip joined me just as he finished a call.


    "Got it, please proceed with this approach. LLG would pay the fees. Well done."


    Curious, I asked. "Anything I should be aware of?"


    "That was Wilfred, he and Tildi hired the former adventurer parties they were responsible for. Since the Sirens intend to keep hunting, the Adventurers will make sure no one steals the materials while the dismantling teams have a quick meal."


    "Oh? That is indeed a good solution. Then they will serve as a temporary defense for the already reimed zones? I''m surprised they agreed? How much are they charging?"


    Phillip smiled disgustedly as he exined like a con man.


    "They agreed to give us a 75% discount for the chance to join the 2nd Amendment. I will discuss the matter with Minerva and Squad Captain Joshua."


    ''This fucking scammer. So that was why Phillip, despite being a penny pincher, was willing to pay for seven Adventurer parties! They were only charging a quarter of their original rates.''


    Probably seeing my disgust and annoyance, Phillip chuckled as he continued.


    "Don''t look at me like that. I just jumped on an offer that worked in our favor."


    "Yeah, yeah," I replied contemptuously.


    As we walked out of the production building, I noticed the excitement of the people. Many Reapers were running around in a hurry. Some of the merchants were starting to close up shop and head towards where we had juste from.


    Before I could figure out what was going on, Phillip exined.


    "Most of the production reapers here on the 2nd floor would barely make 500 souls in a month. They usually get loans just to supplement their ie for the tax. With such a huge sry for a few hours of work, Mrs. Baker would naturally have an army of people ready to help her."


    "I see."


    As we walked back to the dispatch office, I noticed that the girls were all resting on a pic table. Around them were V''s wolves. About half of the dismantling teams were beginning to gather around, making the ce look rather cramped.


    As if sensing my presence, the girls all looked at me at the same time. Although at different speeds, they all stood up and made their way towards me. Jo and Robyn barreled into me like trains.


    Fortunately, {Limitless} allowed me to not only withstand their impact, but to support them both without any problem. Without waiting for them to say anything, I hugged them both and praised them.


    "Well done, Darling, Kitten. I am so d both of you are okay."


    Much like children, the Italian and the Aussie made goofy faces as they relished mypliments.


    "I''ll do even better in the next round, Possum."


    "Hehe, Darling is so warm to hug. Like a toasty nket in the middle of winter."


    The rest of the girls arrived and I praised them as well. After I told them about my new {Kismet}, I got quite adorable responses.


    "Honey, are you aware that you are single-handedly fucking up the Battlefront economy?"


    "Oh hush Be, pouring money into themunity will allow it to grow. You have done very well, dear."


    "Thanks Lilly, Be, please make changes as you see fit. I just did it to keep Cynthia from quitting."


    "Well, I did notice theirck of man power, but they seem to not want it bad enough if they just up and quit like this," Be chastised.


    "I agree with Be dear, unlike the wolves the LLG seem weak willed."


    Jasmine then changed the topic abruptly. "Husband, {Comfort Food} may help, but we need more long-term solutions. I think we should renegotiate with the original production building."


    "Hmm, Wifey, would you mind doing it for me?"


    "Of course not, Husband, supporting you is both my duty and my pleasure. I will get the other Sirens to help."


    "Master, I am d that {Eat} was useful. Please don''t worry about sharing, everything I have is yours, including my {Fate}," Aki said with a beautiful smile.


    I performed affection maintenance on the Sirens while we all ate a few of my burgers as we waited. After about half an hour, the Bakers arrived with a long procession of what looked like suckling pigs.


    Seeing the ridiculous amount of food, I saw Liv looking quite sad.


    " Love, what''s wrong?" I couldn''t help but ask.


    "Nothing my love, I was just wondering what joy the North would experience if such a thing appeared in ournds. We may not be dying of hunger, but many are slowly losing their minds from starving for so long."


    I pulled the Northerner close as I whispered in her ear.


    "My love, this group is actually something I want to take with me to the North. If all goes well, it won''t be long before we can bring food to your countrymen. For you, I promise I will find a way to make it work."


    Liv then buried her face in my suit as she murmured in bliss.


    "How fortunate am I to be among those loved by you, John Smith."


    "Not so fortunate to be loved by the Seven Sirens," I countered.


    As Eva began to have her people set up tables and a buffet, I called to my girls and told them my ns.


    "Everyone, please help me, we are going to go around and invoke {Comfort Food} on each suckling pig, once that is done, we can do a final wave of Dirge Sirens if you all wish."


    "Yes!" my harem affirmed.

 Chapter 312: Fucking Scammers [1/2]

    "Yo! Mind telling me what the big crowd is for?"


    "I was told it was the LLG, they are having a party or something."


    "You mean those overworked bastards? Well, you have to keep your minions happy I guess, I heard Limitless was a fucking ve driver."


    "Well, if someone paid me enough to not have to worry about taxes, I would be fine being a ve."


    "Still, the smell is amazing. When was thest time you had real food in Hellsgate?"


    "You mean those Hardtacs? I only eat them to keep myself sane. I usually pig out when I return to the sun."


    "Same, I mean, have you seen how expensive meat is here in Hellsgate?"


    Such conversations were going on around the periphery of our catering area. The LLG, who all looked like deadpany employees, had yet to line up. It was like they were waiting for something.


    Cynthia and Addison stepped forward and exined.


    "Limitless, it seems like the dismantling teams hate you for working so hard for them. I know it sounds ungrateful, but Minerva''s recentyoffs kinda scared them all."


    "Ay, it would be much more difficult the longer we go on. Right now, none of them are happy, but they cannot quit because they need the souls. They are intending to use today to bargain."


    Ungrateful bastards. Was that how it felt to be on top? Normally I was just a lowly employee, going through the motions. I hardly cared where my boss got his money from as long as I got paid.


    But now that I was on the other side, I felt angry. If they were unhappy, they should do something about it. They justin and stay in ce. Were they so delusional that ming others for the situation would change it?


    Just then, one of the production saints stepped forward and began to speak.


    " Limitless! We want better wages! You work us like dogs for a pittance of your spoils! You wouldn''t have any money if it weren''t for us! You should share the profits for everyone, so that we can develop as well."


    ''A fuckingmie.''


    Countries usually worked because of their economies. There were two views on how to run the country, capitalism or Marxism. Marxism was named after Karl Marx, an economist who proposed an economic policy based on sharing.


    Capitalism was never about sharing. Its main principles were simple. If you want something, pay for it or find someone to do it for you. This meant that literally anything and everything could be a product if there was a need for it.


    Marxism was the opposite. Instead of looking for something on your own and paying for it. It looked for a government to distribute resources based on need. But it was full of holes. For one thing, unlike capitalism, which rewards individuals, Marxism punishes them.


    If you were a hard worker who created a product, under the former you would reap the rewards. Under thetter, the rewards you created would be taken from you and distributed to the poor, the stupid, and the ipetent.


    In such a situation, who would even try to be better than the rest? There were literally no benefits, only demerits. So no one bothered, and themunist countries that did not embrace trade remained poor.


    I was the one who fought the undead, I bore the scars and the risk. Yet this fucking bastard said I should share what I had earned for the greater good.


    I was pissed.


    But before I could get angry, a white-haired figure lunged at the man and kneed him in the groin.


    "Kehuek!"


    "Fuckingmie." Robyn berated.


    Themunist fell to the ground, grunting in pain. Robyn then grabbed his head by the hair and began to pound him in the face. Then I remembered the words of the Sirens.


    "Master, the LLG has grown too big too fast. Opportunists and spies have already joined the organization. What Be intends to do is to trim the fat. I would have done the same."


    "Yawn. Although, knowing Be, it wouldn''t end there. Possum, even the terrorist group I came from did this. The fastest way to gain respect is through fear. Respect can follow, but a good ass-kicking is still the best way."


    "Even the White Guard had too many dimwits who wasted resources. Still, I''m d Be even wants to do something too troublesome. I am so d I finally get to rx."


    The Commie''s friends began to shout in anger.


    "Wait!" "What are you doing, you bitch!" "We are allies! Stop!"


    A loud shot rang out and a bullet buried itself in the shoulder of the one who wasining. He fell to the ground with a whimper as the rest of the people began to panic.


    "{KNEEL}!"


    With a single word, the entire LLG trembled and fell to the ground. The source of the voice was, of course, my Italian darling. Jasmine was beside her, holding the M24. Smoke rose from the barrel, which meant she had fired the shot.


    "Wolves."


    "Yes big sis!" x11


    "Make an example of them."


    Like bloodthirsty hunters, the once gentle girls of Golden Wick went after the friends of the Commies. Without an ounce of mercy, they began to bash them with their fists.


    "WAIT! Ugh!""AH! Please spare me! I am not one of them!" "Stay away, bitch! Kehuek!"


    ''Wow! What the hell happened to them? Are they the same girls?'' I thought to myself.


    Lilly then walked to the center like a queen and dered in a loud voice.


    "You all would do well to remember your ce. The LLG was not created because Limitless needed it. It was created because you wanted to use my dearest to survive."


    "Who the hell are you?"


    Lilly smiled arrogantly as she announced to the world. "I was once the Untamed. But now I am called Ishtar. I am one of the Seven Sirens. Kindred to Limitless." Then she shot the one who interrupted her in the shoulder.


    Her voice and her majesty were befitting of a ruler, the eyes of my pervert stared down all who opposed her. Lilly towered over all who knelt with her mere presence. She then spoke.


    "In case your hubris and stupidity prevent you from understanding, let me exin again. Limitless never cared about making money. He only wanted to kill the undead.


    "He already said that, didn''t he? And you all think your contributions have value? NAIVE! But if anyone here thinks they are greater than my man, let us test them! {PORTAL}!"


    As if acting in a y, Robyn dragged themunist towards the doorway Lilly had made. Liv simrly picked up his friends and threw them with him. Ishtar then summoned her M60 and presented it to the Commie.


    "Sweetheart. You say you deserve the rewards that my dearest almost died for. You have seen how many undead he kills every day, right? Here. Take this and kill to your heart''s content. Step through that door and earn your keep."


    The Commie froze at Lily''s words and looked at the portal. His hesitation meant only one thing. He was afraid. Whether of death, of being torn apart or of his soul copsing, I would not know. But he didn''t have the guts to take my girl''s weapon.


    Lilly then offered the gun to themunist''s friends. "Anyone? No one? There''s no one with the desire to fight?"


    "We''re production reapers, you bitch! This is not our job! Who among us would be able to do what you say! You just make us look bad!" shouted a fat Reaper.


    Liv then appeared behind the overweight guy and stomped him into the ground. She then smashed her heel into his neck as he twitched on the floor.

 Chapter 313: Fucking Scammers [2/2]

    "Hamsters have no right to speak among men. Despite your ridiculous size, you have nothing but excuses. V''s wolves have more courage than you. You are a pitiful excuse for a reaper. Cut off your phallus and wear a dress from tonight on."


    The words of my northerner silenced the others. V''s wolves were originally known as the Golden Wick, a group of young women who once alsocked the will to fight.


    Be''s voice echoed as Lilly'' closed her portal.


    "Albert Maus, you are one of the least productive members of the LLG dismantling teams, yet you earn as much as those who work non-stop. Isn''t it unfair that you only work three hours yet get the same amount?


    The moment these words were uttered, the crowd turned on Albert. Communism rewarded those who did the bare minimum. But usually at the expense of those who worked harder. That was why it would never work.


    It sounded like paradise when you were among the poor. But no sane person would choose it if you were among those who had dreams and ambitions.


    Be continued as she walked towards the catering. It was strange that my ns to feed the LLG turned out this way. Were the girls expecting such a result?


    "What Ishtar said is true. It was not my honey that drove you to exhaustion. It was your own greed and stupidity. How dare you me all this on my man! If he hadn''t allowed you all to live off his scraps, you''d all be panicking about how to pay the battlefront tax.


    "And you even have the impudence to ask for better wages? The audacity of this trash. Yet, my honey, in his magnanimity, gives you a chance. The food offered here has been enhanced by his {Fate}. Eating it will allow you to transcend the limits of humanity, just as he did.


    "For those who believe they were simply dealt a bad hand. Then eat. From this moment on, the 2nd Amendment will conscript soldiers from the LLG. Unlike before, where it was on a volunteer basis, it will now be based on contribution."


    It was just like Be to make the best of any situation. Using food as a way to be better excused them all for being pathethic. The LLG would then be divided between those who desperately wanted to change and those who wanted to stay the same.


    "Of course you all know how different the pay is between the army and the dismantling teams, right? I don''t even need to remind you that what the 2nd Amendment makes in a day, you guys make in a month."


    Be then looked at Joshua before asking as she would her employee.


    "Squad leader Joshua, your men ate this food and gained the ability to fight without tiring, correct?"


    Joshua saluted as he answered. "YES MISTRESS MINERVA! 2nd Amendment answer our mistress. Was the food the reason we were able to fight like Limitless?!"


    Both the 2nd Squad and V''s wolves roared in unison.


    "SIR, YES, SIR! THAT IS CORRECT, SIR!"


    Satisfied, Be gestured to Lilly to finish the presentation, or whatever this was. Lilly then smiled beautifully as she announced. I noticed Jo canceling her death resonance that prevented the LLG from standing up.


    "HEAR ME EVERYONE! We do not condone just asking for rewards. If you are tired, then rest. But know that while you are free to choose, your consequences are also yours alone. For those who wish to rise higher, THIS IS YOUR MOMENT!


    "FOR THOSE WHO ARE WEAK. FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO CHANGE! STAND! TAKE YOUR FATE INTO YOUR HANDS! AND FIGHT! YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE YOUR OWN DESTINY!"


    Like a religious cult, the once tired members of the LLG now had fire in their eyes as they stood up in excitement.


    "I WILL DO IT!" "LET ME EAT LADY!" "ME!" "I CAN DO IT!"


    "My girls are fucking scammers," I concluded.


    Due to the presence of the 2nd Amendment, the LLG was orderly and formed lines on their own. Robyn, Liv, Jo and Jas would make sure that anyone who acted up would be severely beaten.


    Eva began cutting up the meat and skewering it. The men and women who tasted the meat experienced the pleasure and rejuvenation of {Comfort Food}. It was quite something to see so many people suddenly bouncing with energy.


    Be and Lilly made their way to me as Phillip, Tildi, and Will took over and organized the lines.


    "My Dear, I hope you don''t mind?"


    "Wasn''t I great, honey?"


    "Thank you both, I didn''t understand the need, but I''m pleased with the results. Hopefully those who wish to improve themselves will rise," I replied with a smile.


    But my eyes were focused elsewhere. Albert Maus, themunist who started this whole thing, was foaming at the mouth as he was dragged away by Aki.


    "Be, Lilly, is there a reason why Aki is taking themie with her?"


    "We are acting on a report found by Tildi. ording to her adventurers, Hephaestus has been sending offers to LLG production reapers to leak our secrets. Albert Maus has been instructed to create dissension within our group," Be reported.


    Lilly then added. "We know there are three others, but we do not know who they are. Jas and Jo are in charge of finding them. Which is why neither of them did much a while ago. Robyn suggested we smoke them out with a lie. So we used the food as bait."


    "Robyn suggested this?" I gasped in surprise.


    "Yes, I was astonished too, honey. It seems that Vulture''s Talons regrly tried to find moles and traitors using such schemes. By making something bigger than it was, those traitors would try to get more information while trying to stay hidden."


    I see, so the bastards who stole Robyn from her parents were called the Vulture''s Talons. When the time came, I would ughter those fucking bastards, but for now, I memorized their name and bury it in my heart.


    "I was quite surprised that she knew of such a thing, I tried to do something simr once, but it is quite difficult to execute," Lilly added.


    "Sigh. I am so grateful to have you all. If it had been me, I probably would have just shot everyone."


    "How American. Honey, I know you love guns, but please don''t try to solve everything with them. I wonder why Lilly doesn''t think like you."


    "Probably because she uses a sword?" I guessed.


    "You would be surprised, dear. I felt it in thest battle, fighting with guns is quite exhrating! The sound of gunfire, the carnage of the bullets tearing flesh. It was quite enjoyable. I even turned off {Endure} just to feel the recoil."


    "..."


    "Puta."


    "Please keep your vulgarments to yourself, Be. Have you seen the way Robyn and Jo fight? I am elegantpared to them."


    "Tsk. Elegant? Where? You deliberately send the bullets to the heads to make them explode."


    "Isn''t that the best way? Anyone who watches movies knows that you always go for the head when ites to zombies!" Lilly remarked.


    "Anyway, honey, I was going to tell you, but it slipped my mind. Hephaestus seems to be leading the other P1 and P2 guilds to harass the LLG. I found out that the 100 who quit earlier were actually influenced by production spies sent to sabotage our efforts."


    "Ugh, how annoying," Iined.


    "Do not worry, my dear. As your women, it is our responsibility to keep the inside of your house clean and rodent free. Leave it to us. They will all be dead soon. We swear it."


    "How reliable, thank you Lilly. I will count on all of you."

 Chapter 314: How much? [1/2]

    The next order of events was one I never expected. I had assumed that the next thing I would have to deal with would be another Dirge Siren, or maybe going home to get some sleep. But what happened next was fucking insane.


    "PLEASE LET US WORK FOR YOU!"


    Tworge groups of over 75 people were now kneeling in front of me. Their plea? To let them work for me, even going so far as to do it for free.


    Let me exin how we got to this point. After the Sirens'' scam presentation, our group attracted quite a bit of attention. Since we were just a stone''s throw away from the dispatch office, any reapering or going would naturally see our event.


    Of course, after the LLG was overdosed with {Eat}, they were bursting with energy. Simr to how I felt when I fought on my first night, all traces of stress and exhaustion were wiped away.


    And since {Comfort Food} was mainly an applied form of {Eat}, taking more than three bites was enough to fill even the biggest stomachs, so we had a lot more food to go around. Eva evenined a bit.


    "Why the fuck do grown men eat like birds?! Here! Eat some more!"


    While some obliged her, many didn''t, the magic of the scam was obvious afterward. If they knew that this energy was just an overdose of calories, it would have ended there. But because of the lie my girls were trying to sell, people had something else in mind.


    "WOHHHHHH!!! I CAN FEEL IT! LET''S FUCKING GOOOO!!!!" "FUCK YEAH! LET''S DO THIS!" "JUST WATCH ME! I''M GOING TO JOIN THE ARMY!"


    Manipted into thinking that this energy would be their golden goose, the reapers began to dream. And unlike regret, dreams motivated people with hope. Of course, hope led to action.


    "VP ADDI! LET ME JOIN THE DISMANTLING TEAMS!" "YOU ALREADY WENT BASTARD! VP ADDI I VOLUNTEER! I CANCEL MY HOLIDAY! LET ME JOIN!" "NO ME!"


    Physical and mental abilities became either the chains or the tform that determined people''s lives. People who were desperate had wants and desires, and when the limits of those abilities were removed?


    Motivation helped, but it needed desire to bear fruit. I mean, even a good song or a good movie was enough to motivate people. But without hopes, dreams, and aspirations, motivation was useless.


    That was why people loved legends. By projecting themselves into their heroes, they could escape their current hells and dream. What more if you felt such power in your own body? What more if you had a clear vision and purpose?


    What more if you could feel it in your soul?


    Of course, there would be only one result.


    "AIGHT, YOU BASTARDS! LINE UP! THE THREE DISMANTLING TEAMS WILL BE DIVIDED INTO TEN! A BONUS FOR THE ONE WHO WORKS THE HARDEST!" The Vice President shouted at the top of his lungs.


    "YEAHHHH!!!!"


    "YOU BASTARDS WANT TO JOIN THE ARMY? WORK LIKE HELL FOR IT, YOU FUCKING BASTARDS! I WILL NOT LET YOU LAZY BUMS BEAT ME TO IT!"


    "FUCK YOU VP ADDI!" "YEAH, FUCK YOU!" "FORM THE TEAMS ALREADY YOU LAZY ASS MIDGET!"


    Like a storm of energy, the LLG people continued to shout to the heavens. It was like a pep rally or a concert. The tremendous energy was contagious. Even those who are normally silent began to roar as tears streamed down their cheeks.


    Then something happened that shocked me to my core. The one who started it was my guys in the 2nd Amendment, specifically the racist bitch wielding a giant mace.


    "YOU FUCKS WANT TO JOIN! KEEP DREAMING! NO PUSSIES ALLOWED! YOU WANT IN! FUCKING READY TO DIE!"


    Of course, it turned into a cursing match as people channeled their energy into shouting. But then Warren added something.


    "AIGHT YOU FUCKING NIGGAS! IF YOU WANT IN, REPEAT AFTER ME! LIMITLESS!"


    "LIMITLESS!!"


    "I CAN BARELY HEAR YOU NIGGAS! AGAIN! LIMITLEEEESSSSS!!!!"


    "LIMITLESS!" "LIMITLESS!" "LIMITLESS!" "LIMITLESS!" "LIMITLESS!" "LIMITLESS!" "LIMITLESS!"


    Like a wave, the entire LLG began chanting my name. Maybe it was what the word meant, maybe it was what they wanted to be known as. But still, hearing my name on the lips of so many people made me feel warm inside.


    I even felt myself choking back tears. How many times did I almost die in my zones? How much pain had I endured. All I wanted was to prove that I was worth something. That I wasn''t a failure. That even someone like me could seed.


    A warm hand intertwined its fingers with mine. Of course, even without seeing her face, I knew who it was. {Limitless} marked each of my girls so that even if I were blind, deaf, or decapitated , my soul would know.


    "Husband, do you hear them? This is your impact on people. This is your greatness. No matter what the specters say, it is never wrong to ignite the hope of many. If they perish, it will not be because they had no choice, but because they fought as hard as they could."


    I tightened my grip on Jasmine''s hand and felt her lean into my shoulder.


    "Thank you, Wifey, I guess I still need to temper my will. I thought I had already decided. But a part of me is still afraid."


    Even though I have already made my decision, the future where everyone here dies is always a possibility. And even though I know that I could have my way, the death of all these people would be something that would be a burden on my conscience.


    ''Perhaps this is why Specters are meant to forget.''


    My ebony-haired wife then held my chin and forced me to face her. Jasmine''s beautiful irises met mine before she gave me a short and sweet kiss.


    "John Smith, it is not a weakness to have doubts. Neither is having fear. It is the consequence of having wisdom. And while you are afraid, you have no intention of backing down, correct?"


    I nodded wordlessly.


    Then Jas moved her hand over my heart. " Valiant. That is what you are, my beloved husband. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the ability to endure it and still move forward.


    "Even if you fear, Husband, it is okay. Know that you will never be alone again. For even if the whole world forsakes you, the Sirens and I never will."


    Overwhelmed with love, I took Jasmine in my arms and savored her lips. Her sweet words intoxicated me like a drug. I must have saved the world in a previous life or something. Otherwise, I wouldn''t understand why I deserved the love of my harem.


    Amidst the chanting of my name, Cynthia, Phillip, Will and Tildi were busy organizing the seven new teams. It was already understood that each team would have fewer people. But with how eager everyone was, no one cared.


    Then a death resonance forced everyone to suddenly shut up.


    "{SILENCE}!"


    Everyone in the catering area suddenly fell silent. Even those who were not part of our mini event were forced to shut their mouths as well.


    Just after she got everyone to shut up, my Italian canceled the order. Jo was getting better at using {Announce}. With her intelligence, she would probably soon figure out how to weaponize it even more.


    Cynthia then stood on a table and began to speak.


    "Alright, with this our new dismantling teams are formed. From this day forward, the dismantling teams will be referred to as the Ten Graves.


    "The best performing grave will be the pool in which the 4th squad of the 2nd Amendment will be recruited from. So do your best everyone!"

 Chapter 315: How much? [2/2]

    "WOOHH!!!" "TEN GRAVES!" "TEN GRAVES!" "TEN GRAVES!"


    "Okay! Everybody settle down! Your team leaders all have their assignments. TEN GRAVES! TO YOUR ZONES!"


    The ten groups of fifty people all continued to shout as they all warped into their zones. To the onlookers, it was like a gathering of overzealous lunatics.


    As the groups disappeared, the area suddenly felt empty. My girls and I, along with Addison, Cynthia, and the employees gathered in front of Eva. Lilly and Aki were missing for some reason.


    "It''s a crazy gig you have going on. Even you people are crazy, boy. But what should we do with the food? There''s still way too much here!"


    I gestured to the 2nd Amendment and had them join us.


    "Everyone, take some meat and put it in your {Autos}. While you are all mercenaries, the Phantoms will soon be called upon to perform zone defense. A supply would help you out."


    "Commander, won''t the mistresses take some?" Joshua asked.


    Liv smiled as she replied. "Thank you for your concern, Captain, but the Sirens already have our share."


    Robynmented simrly as she juggled grenades out of boredom. "Possum is extremely overprotective. He has ns to feed us even if we are under siege for a year. Just take some."


    The boys stared andughed at herment, Santiagomented in passing, "Hefe, why am I not surprised? If your women are loco, what does that make you?"


    "Santiago, if you are looking for a new hole to breathe through, keep talking," I added as a joke.


    "Brother Santiago. I would suggest that you refrain from insulting the Sirens in front of Patron. He is kind of crazy about them. Just as they are crazy about him," Yvonne added.


    Mike added as he bowed after removing his cowboy hat, "Mi dies, please forgive the Mexican, his word game is shit after all."


    The group began tough at theedy routine of the guys. Then a couple of reapers stepped forward. Faster than anyone could move, my She appeared in front of them with her MAC-11''s drawn.


    "What do you want, cunts? Do the Harry before I st you all."


    "Eek!" "Shit!" "STOP!" "WE COME IN PEACE!"


    "Kitten."


    "But Possum, these ggers have been lurking around since earlier."


    Then I turned to Be and asked her a question.


    [Mrs. Code, have the three spies been caught yet?]


    Be nodded as she answered. [Yes, Lilly and Aki are interrogating them right now.]


    So those people were not the spies, but what could they want?


    "Kitten, please stand back. You lot, why did youe here?"


    Robyn made an angry face as she put her weapons away. Of course she came to my side and asked for attention. Obviously, she was still wearing bloody clothes, so no one would take her threats lightly.


    "Limitless, we are a group of adventurers. We saw themotion and wanted to ask if your food is for sale? We need supplies as well. I know it is a long shot, but if we could afford it, we would like to buy some."


    When I heard the young man''s words, I immediately understood. Unlike mercenaries, adventurers moved around a lot. Much like Warren did before he joined me. Even without the benefits of {Comfort Food}, just having a meal with you was a great source of security.


    Eva waited for my answer before making her own. Technically, the entire spread was mine, so only I had the authority to decide what to do with it. I then approached Eva and asked.


    "Mrs. Baker, can you cast your {fate} on the food to keep it from spoiling? A week would be enough. How much would it cost in souls?"


    "Hmm, it would cost a little over 10 souls for a week. For 50, I can make itst a month."


    "No, that is fine, 10 is enough," I replied.


    Looking at the adventurers, I decided to do what a capitalist would do in this situation.


    "Then each skewer of meat is worth 100 souls. That would give you a day''s worth of energy for a single bite, and it will not rot or spoil for a week."


    "Oh! That is quite cheap! I would like to buy five."


    At my words the Sirens all moved to settle the details, Phillip guided the Adventures like a professional waiter and had Eva''s people packed the food.


    Jo and Robyn then went to opposite ends of our zone and began shouting with {Announce} "MEAT SKEWERS FOR 100 SOULS. THEY LAST A WEEK AND FILL YOU UP IN ONE BITE!"


    The effect was immediate, the people standing outside our event suddenly all rushed to the tables.


    "Lady! Give me ten!" "I''ll take two!" "Three for me!"


    Liv stood in front of Eva''s table. Together with her husband, the lumberjack, they looked like giants among men. The customers were naturally intimidated just at the sight of them.


    Be and Jasmine came to my side as we discussed.


    "For 100 souls, it is quite cheap. Considering its {Eat} andsts more than two days. Good choice, honey."


    "Husband, are you sure you want to give this away? We could have used it in the future."


    "Yes, it is okay, I wanted to form a soup kitchen group to take to the north. If Eva''s group could fill that need, we could start selling food like this."


    "Liv would be happy to know how much you think of her," Be teased.


    "Well, it is expected. My brain is divided into eightpartments right now, one for each of you and one for everything else. My head is filled with nothing but information about the Sirens."


    Amused by my words, Be and Jasmine gave me a kiss before returning to help with the organization. While Eva had plenty of servers, shecked cashiers.


    At this point, tworge groups approached us. One was made up of strong men in overalls and the other was made up of about two dozen people dressed in purple robes.


    The pressure from both groups was considerable, especially from the strong men. Before I could evenment, I heard the sounds of safeties being removed and bullets being chambered.


    Both the 2nd Amendment and V''s wolves nked my sides with their guns raised. Joshua spoke in an authoritative voice.


    "Stop! If you continue to approach, you will be fired upon. This area has been reserved by the LLG and Limitless. If you continue to disrupt the event, we will use deadly force!"


    At my squad captain''s words, I noticed how on guard they were. Probably as a result of getting their asses handed to them, the army as a whole was tense. Too tense, if you ask me.


    "Joshua. This is too much, Stan..."


    Before I could finish, both groups knelt and bellowed at the same time.


    "PLEASE LET US WORK FOR YOU, LIMITLESS!"


    "What?"


    "Limitless, I am Van Micron, my group and I are Formless Wraiths from Academics. We wish to serve under your banner! I have with me twenty-five of the brightest Reapers you will ever find!"


    "Limitless, ignore the man-child over there and hire me and da boys! Name is Terence Anvil. Formless! I have fifty strong men from Fortification. If you got shit to build, we are your guys!"


    Fortification and Academics, two of the five professions I have yet to talk to. And these people were all Formless.


    Stunned, I remember what Be said before.


    "Honey, because you showed that people like us can fly, thousands now wish to take to the skies. And with the NA continent as your ground zero, the Formless from all over areing here to meet you."


    "Ugh. why can''t things be simple?"

 Chapter 316: Shoot them. [1/2]

    Why the fuck was it getting more and moreplicated? Couldn''t I just go back to shooting shit? As if the LLG was not enough, I now had two new groups of bastards to worry about.


    Hellsgate had five Professions.


    Production, who made shit. Academics, who studied shit. Fortifications, who built shit. Adventurers, who did shit. And finally, Mercenaries, who killed shit.


    Administration was like the secret character you had to unlock first. They just managed shit.


    I was already familiar with mercenaries because I was a death seeker. Production became my way of mizing my kills and turning into the LLG. But why the hell did these eggheads and macho bastardse to me now?


    Originally, I hadn''t nned to reach out to Fortification, at least not yet. Even though the girls and I were already Phantoms, we had yet to select zones to defend. Now that the 2nd Amendment and even V''s wolves were all ascending quickly, we would soon have a lot of Phantoms.


    I had yet to ask Philip how that would work. Generally, a Reaper had two responsibilities. The tasks given to him by his rank and the tasks given to him by his Profession.


    Wraiths were expected to help in defending zones. This would be supplemented by whatever Profession the person chose. I had only been in Hellsgate for a week and had no experience defending a zone.


    ''Although I do have a lot of experience eradicating undead and reiming them.''


    Phantoms had more responsibilities than Wraiths. If Wraiths were to be soldiers for hire. The ones hiring them would be the Phantoms.


    Unfortunately, the only real Phantoms I know of are Lilly, Krishna, and Isolde.


    The former, being an Heiress, has not worked as a defender despite her tenure.


    While I could visit Krishna and Isolde, I had yet to find the time to do so. Nevertheless, it was one of the things I had always nned to do.


    After all, if I survived the Seeker War, my next task would be to grow as a Phantom and prepare for my role as a Specter. If the girls would all have to choose zones simrly, I still didn''t know if we would have to defend separately or if we could join forces.


    Because I had all these considerations at the back of my mind, I always nned to reach out to Fortification. Academics, on the other hand, were also on my mind, as I wanted to check out their bestiary and their records on soul copses.


    While I was happy to have both groups in front of me, I was at a loss as to what they wanted.


    "PLEASE LET US WORK FOR YOU!"


    I didn''t have any zones yet, what the hell would I need Fortification Reapers for? And these Formless schrs looked weak to me. Besides, I knew nothing about either group except for Phillip''s exnations.


    I knew that Production had a strict hierarchy, which was why Hephaestus was trying to disrupt our operations. But what about these two groups? Would their home organizationse to pick a bone with me as well?


    Dealing with Hephaestus was already a pain; if I had to do the same with both Fortification and Academics, I would keel over from the stress. Even if I epted them, what the hell were they supposed to do?


    ''Tsk, at least the LLG had Phantoms, these bastards are all Wraiths.''


    Unable to answer, I remained silent. Somehow my stupidity made them feel unsettled instead. The fact that my entire army had weapons trained on them did not help.


    "Joshua, have everyone stand down."


    My three clerks lined up beside me like a line of butlers and maids. I expected one to offer an exnation about the Professions, but none said anything.


    ''Sigh. Well, if I don''t know the answer, I could just ask.''


    "Why should I?" my frustration made my voice sound colder than I intended.


    The representative, Terence, looked like a middle-aged man with a wild beard. His clothes were what you would expect from an old school cksmith. In contrast, the leader of the Academics wore robes that made him look fat but gave him the appearance of a bookworm.


    Both groups squirmed on their knees as they tried toe up with answers. They came here and demanded to join my group even though they hadn''t shown anything of value.


    If the previous incident with themie hadn''t happened, I might have epted them on the spot.


    If my forces were to be sessful, I would have to think carefully about hiring or getting other people.


    Fortunately for me, even though I was stupid, my rtives were not. And unlike other men, I trusted my harem enough to ask for their help.


    I sent a message to the Minerva Network asking for help.


    [Limitless: Everyone, can I please get some advice? I have no idea what to do with these fuckers. Kamisan, Dear, please check Honey''s feed to see what is happening.]


    [V: Darling! Lets shoot them!]


    [Rhianon: g be serious! Even I know that is a bad idea!]


    [Freyja: They are much like us, Formless. I believe they were fed up with their current situation and came here for a chance.]


    [Inari: I understand the situation. But the problem is that we do not know the true circumstances. While it is possible that they are being abused and terrorized. The opposite is also true, they might just bezy people trying to earn off the LLG.]


    [Ishtar: Ara? Are we ying devil''s advocate? Then I will y the devil. I checked the feed, what would we do if these people were sent not only to spy but to hinder our efforts? Dearest has a war tomorrow night, any one of these people could have been sent to sabotage him.]


    [Minerva: They are too weak for that though? Not unless they''re skilled enough to fight beyond their ranks, they won''t be able to do much to Honey. Need I remind you that our man has already fought a Revenant and survived, to say nothing of fighting two Specters at once.]


    [Rhianon: What if they have a way of looking weak? Can''t {Fates} make all kinds of crap happen? Possum already has too many powerful enemies.]


    [V: Darling, trust me! Shooting them is the way to go!]


    [Satis: Husband, I agree with V. Most organizations have trials to prove one''s mettle, ability, or intelligence. What we need are those who are not afraid to die. So let''s shoot them.]


    I see, anyone who came here for stupid reasons would not have the guts to die. Jo may have sounded like she was making a joke.But her words were those that had the best oue in mind.


    [Limitless: Does everyone agree? I vote to shoot them.]


    [Freyja: I do as well.]


    [Minerva: I suppose there was no other choice, given the circumstances. It would also serve as a warning to future spies. That our initiation is done with bullets.]


    [Ishtar: Fufu, I find it rather fitting for Dear''s motif. I also vote to test them.]


    [Inari: I vote the same, but I rmend ordering the Siren''s to perform the task Shujin. The 2nd Amendment Squad does not have [Weak Point Targeting]. The chances of them killing someone are pretty high. Though we also have the option of torturing them.]


    [V: Of course I vote to blow their heads off!]


    [Satis: I vote to shoot them, Husband.]


    [Rhiannon: Fuck me, why is shooting them the right answer when Jo is the one who said it? I wanted to shoot people way earlier!]

 Chapter 317: Shoot them. [2/2]

    [Limitless: Thank you. Everyone, pleasee to me. Dear, Kamisan, that includes you two]


    I wasn''t sure why, despite the long pause, not a single one of the Formless reapers tried to say anything. It was strange. Normally, spies would try to make their point. But these people just stayed where they were. Could they not think of anything to convince me?


    Not willing to wait, I called out to my harem.


    "My lovely Sirens,e to me."


    Two space corridors opened beside me, courtesy of Jasmine and Be. Out of the doors came Aki and Lilly. Robyn, Liv and Jo also teleported to my side. Not willing to let them do the dirty work alone, I called up my bullpup assault rifles.


    ''[Inventory] F90s.''


    My weapons manifested in my hands, at the same time all my girls simrly armed themselves.


    "Shoot them."


    And so the Sirens and I began unloading every round we had into the group of seventy-five. Screams and a hail of gunfire rang out. Many, unable to escape our sudden onught, fell to the ground.


    Those behind tried to run, but it made no difference. A storm of lead tore through the flesh of both the Academics and Fortification. Some tried to draw weapons, but their limbs were suddenly crippled.


    It took a keen eye to notice, but despite our seemingly wanton rampage, all were still alive. Some attempted to use soulgears, but could not withstand our barrage. Then the unthinkable happened.


    One of the Academics suddenly transformed into a Minotaur. On the side of Fortification, two people suddenly turned into mist. Surprised, I was about to order my girls to take them down but my Sirens were even faster.


    Lilly and Liv focused fire on the Minotaur''s lower legs, severing them both. The loss of both lower limbs caused the shape-shifter to face nt to the ground.


    Jas suddenly fired a Sacred round that grazed the monster''s eye, causing it to explode. As if by design, the angle and momentum minimized the damage. It didn''t inflict any wounds other than the eye.


    "The next one will end your life. Stay down." Jas said coldly.


    Suddenly, firing a blessed bullet was extremely shy, so the environment became noisy when seeing a Sacred for the first time. The mists, on the other hand, were being shot at repeatedly by Robyn, Aki, and Be.


    Of course, gases couldn''t be harmed by projectiles, so it floated around hazily. That was until Jo suddenly appeared under the fog with [sh Step].


    "{I order you to undo your {Fate}, NOW}!"


    Two burly-looking men appeared out of the mist. They tried to jump on my Italian darling as if to strangle her.


    That would have been what happened. Instead, they ate 9mm rounds from the MAC-11, the MP5SD. Courtesy of the 629 Competitor, .44 Magnums also gouged their flesh.


    I stopped firing when everyone in both groups looked like chewed-up rags. Then I ordered Joshua in a monotone voice.


    "Captain, tend to the wounded and bring the manifested along with their leaders to me."


    "Yes, Commander!"


    I looked at Phillip and his aides and ordered next. "Phillip, find out who these bastards are."


    "As youmand."


    The monocled bastard had been with me from the beginning. So he was present at both ambushes and saw the pile of corpses I created the other night. But Will and Tildi weren''t so, they both had horrified expressions.


    Since they were Phillip''s responsibility, I ignored them. Funnily enough, I saw Liv and Aki join those who were handing out medicine to those we had shot. Despite their terror at my girls, most of the Formless on the ground had no choice but to ept.


    The onlookers, of course, saw the carnage and gossiped among themselves. Many vomited on the ground, while others were restrained by theirrades.


    "DUDE, let me go! LIMITLESS is fucking insane! How can he shoot innocent people like that?"


    "And what are you going to do about it, dumb fuck! Can you even block bullets? You would be dead the moment you step out. This is not our fight!"


    "How can someone be so fucking evil! How many of us does he want to kill?"


    "You seem to forget that the first two groups tried to murder him."


    "And what about this group? He just shot them down in cold blood!"


    " Yeah! And these people tried to join him! Who the hell does that?"


    "Why doesn''t the White Guarde here to arrest Limitless and his goons!"


    More and more people began to express their discontent. And even though I was a demon from their point of view, I hardly gave a crap what they all thought of me.


    Instead, I summoned a USP match and pointed it at Van Micron, asking politely. I gestured to the unconscious Reaper who could turn into a Minotaur,


    "You have five seconds before I give you a new nostril. Exin."


    "He was a researcher I was working with. All this time I thought he was Formless. It seems he was sent by my peers to spy on us. No wonder our data has been constantly leaked."


    "Kamisan, please ask him what he knows. In the most painful way possible."


    "Yes, Master."


    Aki appeared at that moment and took the reaper away.


    When the people around me heard my words, they made faces full of terror. But I ignored them all and turned to the leader of the Formless Academics.


    "Continue."


    "I knew you would not kill us. But I also knew that you would have some kind of test. My people and I are Formless who were trampled in the Academics. Our research and papers have been taken and used by the Manifested. They have pressured us into submission."


    "And how can you be sure that I would not have done the same?"


    Van then winced as he tried to sit up properly and speak.


    "I knew you were different from the data they tried to hide about you. You were recognized by David Thomas! And you managed to take down rank D''s as a Wraith! You are mad! Since I had no ce among the sane, I will go be with the lunatics instead."


    Anyone who could say crap like that and be willing to get shot obviously had balls. Forget about looking weak. This bastard was dangerous.


    Ignoring him, I looked at Terence Anvil and motioned for him to speak.


    "And you?"


    "We are formless craftsmen in Fortification. Unlike the manifested who use their {Fate}s, we are true cksmiths who know how to work a forge. But everyone says we are worthless. No one will support us. So rather than continue to starve, we have eagerly sought out someone who knows our worth."


    Oh? Real craftsmen? Like the people who build shit? Although {Fates} were powerful, they usually had strict limits. In contrast, traditional crafting required nothing more than knowledge, materials, and skill.


    Hiding my surprise, I asked mockingly, "And you think I give a shit?"


    "Um, no. We have heard how powerful you are. But when we heard you formed the 2nd Amendment, we wanted to join you. We can even fight! We are willing to work even as porters if need be! Our {fates} may be pathetic, but we have heart!"


    I then pointed to the people who could turn into mist. "And them?"


    "I don''t know what to tell you, my lord. I am the same as Van, they worked with me for months saying they were Formless. I am ashamed, but they had me fooled."


    Stowing away the USP match, I then said in reply.


    "Both of you tell me your {fates}. I will decide what to do after I hear them."


    "It is {Mind Trace}, esteemed one. I can hear the thoughts of people in the past."


    "Mine is called {Twice the Strength}. It doubles my arm strength."


    ''This just got much more interesting," I mused.

 Chapter 318: Brace yourselves. [1/2]

    {Fates} were incredibly personal. It gave insight into what a person regretted the most. Along with that regret came a power that could change one''s destiny.


    Of the few {fates} I knew, they were extremely varied. My girls along with the 2nd Amendment all had unique reasons. Terence was a cksmith who wanted to double his strength. While Van was a schr who wanted to hear the voices of the past.


    I already had an idea of what they would want for such {Fates}. If {Mind Trace} was like listening to memory recordings, it would be incredibly useful. Especially if you wanted to investigate past events.


    On the other hand, {Twice the Strength} might seem pathetic now, but if it was given to someone as powerful as David Thomas, the effect of doubling his arm strength would be insane.


    Add to that the fact that none of them wanted to run when we shot them all, these bastards were way above the norm. I didn''t know what to do with them, so I called for someone who would.


    "Honey?"


    "Yes, Mr. Code?"


    "Please give them jobs."


    Be nodded before issuing instructions. "Okay. Van Micron, you and your group will join the 8th Squad of the 2nd Amendment. Phillip, Will and Tildi as well. The 8th Squad, much like V''s wolves, will be my personal unit. You will address me as Minerva."


    Phillip and the clerks had dark expressions when the monocled bastard asked in uncertainty.


    "Lady Minerva, do you realize what you are asking? We are directly under David Thomas."


    "I am, and it will only be until we are here. My unit will be known as Minerva''s Wizards. They will serve as oversight for the LLG. Do you all ept?"


    Van and his people all prostrated themselves before my South American honey and thanked her in gratitude.


    "THANK YOU, LADY MINERVA! WE WILL NOT WASTE THIS OPPORTUNITY!"


    I wasn''t sure what Be meant by oversight, as long as she got what she wanted, it was fine. With the eggheads taken care of, the next question was what to do with the strong men.


    Before I could ask Be, I feltrge, powerful arms gently wrap around my neck. A pleasant weight pressed against the back of my head along with a soothing voice.


    "My love. Can you please grant these men to me? Their physiques are suitable to form a shielder battalion."


    Both the eastern and western parts of the world developed shields as defensive weapons. Along with these ideas came formations and tactics that took the art of defense to the next level.


    The ancient Greek phnx, the Anglo-Saxon shield wall, the Roman testudo, and the Scottish schiltron. As opposed to mixed weapon formations like the Mandarin duck squad, many armies throughout history have seen the utility of having a fully defensive army.


    ''You could even think of it as a moving wall. So to speak. Even today, modern militaries use squad-operated bulletproof shields to clear areas. ''


    Considering that V started the trend of creating personal squads, Liv would probably turn these strongmen into shielders. And if Liv and Robynbined their {Fates} on a Shielder unit, it would work exceptionally well.


    "Do as you please, my love, all I have is yours."


    "Thank you, love," my Northerner replied affectionately. Liv nted a kiss on my cheek and then walked over to the Fortification guys. Her impressive height naturally entuated her well-toned physique.


    I am d that Liv is not like the muscle girls who look like men. While her entire body is extremely fit, her muscle definition, skin tone, and curves remain extremely feminine.


    I didn''t want to bash anyone''s preferences, but there was a huge difference between muscr girls with abs and a fit body and the female bodybuilders who look like beefcake with boobs.


    As I thanked the gxy that Liv was the former, she began to address the strongmen.


    "I am a Kindred of Limitless. My name is Freyja. You will all be allowed to continue your work as cksmiths. But in addition to taking care of our defenses, your bodies will also be among the walls to protect my beloved. From this day forward, your name shall be Freyja''s Bulwark. What say you?"


    "THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY, LADY FREYJA! WE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN."


    It was only now that I noticed the shield Liv was carrying. If she was going to put herself in harm''s way, I wanted to make sure she felt as little pain as possible.


    I reached out and removed Liv''s shield. Like an understanding wife, she made no effort to stop me and released her grip on her protective equipment.


    "Love, is this shield important to you? Can I get you a new one?"


    "It is one of the products of the Ivaldi smiths in the north. It is quite cheap, my {Fate} is the only reason it hassted so long. I would never say no to anything you give me, my love," she replied.


    "I see." I then turned to Terence and the newly created Freyja''s Bulwark.


    "Before I will allow any of you to work for my kindred. You must create a Shied worthy of her."


    "My lord! We have some shields ready, some of our best work! All present your shields!" Terence shouted.


    ''If you bastards had shields, why didn''t you use them before? Or did Terence tell you not to?''


    About twenty Fortification Reapers stepped forward. They were probably all waiting to see how I would test them.


    "All of you, brace yourselves. [Inventory] Ebony, Ivory."


    In the old days, shields were made of hard wood, animal hides, or sheets of metal. While these were good enough to stop sword shes, they were usually pierced by arrows.


    In modern times, bulletproof armor wouldn''t stop knives, but bulletproof shields would.


    I then used the USP Matches guns akimbo and started shooting at the shields one by one. Two were pierced immediately. When the third stopped the .45 ACP, I let go of my guns and called for another.


    "[Inventory] Raging hunter."


    When I fired a .500 Magnum into the same shield, nothing happened. Impressed, I decided to step it up a bit.


    "[Inventory] M1014."


    Summoning the Benelli shotgun, I continued to unload shells into the shields. Due to the impressive power of the 12 gauge 00 buck, five more shields were destroyed in quick session. The eighth shield of the twenty that came forward was still okay after a 12-gauge round.


    "[Inventory] F90."


    Trading the shotgun for a bullpup assault rifle, I fired 5.56 NATO into the untested shields. Six more shields were destroyed before I found one that could tank the Thales F90.


    "[Inventory] HCAR."


    At nearly 50% more mass in both size and weight, if any of these shields could stop a .30.06, that would be enough for me. The warriors behind the shields all gulped nervously as I pulled the charging handle.


    Unfortunately, simr to my earlier tests, the rounds prated the shields or tore them to shreds. From t to angled to beveled, each shield had some idea of how to dissipate or redirect momentum, but in the face of overwhelming force, nothing mattered.


    Of the five remaining shields, only one could withstand a volley of .30.06 rounds. That kind of resilience was already beyond level 3A ballistic protection. However, I still wanted to see what thisst shield could do, so I called up myrgest caliber.


    "[Inventory] BLR 81."


    I cocked the lever on my hunting rifle and fired a 7mm Remington Magnum into the shield. Unable to withstand the force, it was ripped apart without mercy.

 Chapter 319: Brace yourselves. [2/2]

    A 7mm Remington magnum had 4,309 joules of energy and traveled at 2,860 ft/s. That was almost a third of a tank round in raw power! This prating capability allowed the 7mm to urately hit targets up to 1000 yards away.


    When the Fortification Reapers saw theirst shield destroyed, their expressions were somber. Terence bowed his head in shame as he wailed.


    "My lord, forgive me, that was the best shield we had. It was made from E-ss monster materials that we managed to scrape together. I promise, if we get better materials, we can make something better!"


    ''Ho? Even E-ss materials were that good? Then with proper smithing techniques, we can make fortifications out of what we kill. Still. If it was possible to improve food and give it {Eat}, maybe I can do the same with {Withstand}?''


    I slowly walked over to thest shield and asked the Reaper to give it to me.


    With a crestfallen expression, the man handed me the defensive armament.


    I closed my eyes and gently touched it as I spoke to my {Fates}.


    ''Guys, do you think you can grant this material {Withstand}, {Endure}, and {Carry}? But I want the buffs to be permanent. Something like mithril from western fantasy.''


    My soulgem burned and gave me a brand new {Kismet}, simr to {Comfort Food}, but for shields and walls.


    "{Tempering}."


    When I opened my eyes, I noticed that the shield had changed. The hole I made with the 7mm Remington Magnum was gone. Originally white, the shield had turned pitch ck with my invocation.


    Several whispers began to echo as the peanut gallerymented.


    "Limitless is a production reaper?"


    "What the fuck are you talking about, he''s been a Death Seeker since the beginning."


    "But he modified the shield with a soul! Isn''t that what a Production Reaper is?"


    Ho? So that was why Terence called himself a true craftsman. If simply casting {Fates} on items was enough to be called a Production Reaper, then I would agree. Obviously, those who could also wield a hammer and a forge were more authentic.


    I threw the shield as Liv before asking. "My love, do you trust me?"


    "Yes."


    "Turn off {Withstand}, {Endure}, {Carry}, and {Pack}."


    "Yes, love," Liv replied without a shred of hesitation.


    Seeing the smile on my Northerner''s face, I brought the BLR 81 to bear and shot her.


    Like a trained shield maiden, Liv brought the shield over her body and rested it on her right shoulder. A loud popping sounded as the powerful 7mm Remington Magnum bounced off the metal surface.


    "Darling, please run further out," I pleaded.


    Wordlessly, she moved away from me, hiding her body in the shield. I kept firing at the shield, but instead of being pierced, the bullets kept bouncing off Liv.


    "[Inventory] F90s"


    Aiming at the SL40 grenadeunchers, I fired two 40mm rounds at Liv. 40mm were actually armed by spin cycles. This meant that unless they were fired from a rifled barrel, they would not fire no matter how much you smashed them.


    The only way I could get around this was to use [Double Damage] on the bullet. Since it stored kic energy as heat, thebo skill was enough to ignite the 40mm HEDP even at close range.


    Liv hid behind the shield as the explosions engulfed it. Reloading, I fired four more rounds for a total of six. I then dropped the F90 and called for the finale.


    "[Inventory] FT5."


    With a 95mm warhead, I fired it at Liv. A much louder explosion erupted, causing a st of wind and heat to spread from her position.


    "Dude! What the hell?! Limitless is shooting his own women! Let''s get out of here!"


    "LET''S BOLT!"


    I threw the FT5 as I ran towards Liv. I raised my hand as I called out thebo skill "[Absorb]".


    Like a vacuum cleaner, my hand sucked up all the fire and smoke until I could see the figure of my Northerner. When she noticed theck of fire, Liv lowered her shield and turned to face me.


    I quickly ran to her and checked her for signs of wounds or burns.


    "Liv, are you hurt? Even though I knew you would be fine, I still worry."


    "Fufu, my love, you are so adorable at moments like this. I am fine. Your shield protected me. Looks like you made something crazy again."


    The Fortification Reapers all crowded around Liv and me in awe. Terence, who couldn''t contain his curiosity, asked eagerly.


    "My lord! What was that? I had heard that some Productions Reapers could reinforce materials, but it took months to make them. Or the materials were so heavy that they had to be cut into pieces first! This new material is amazing!


    I asked Liv for the shield and handed it to Terence, who looked like a child at Christmas. The other cksmiths also began to feel and examine the shield.


    "How is it so light?!" "Wood is practically heavier than this!" "The missiles before were simr to {Fate} magic, right! And it withstood them all!" "Amazing! And it took less than a minute to make! What the hell is this?"


    Surprisingly, even the schrs wanted to examine it. Terence and Van started going back and forth about who should have priority over the shield. I didn''t really give a shit, so I threw the shield to Phillip and asked him to settle the matter.


    Liv and I left them and headed for the other Sirens. Lillymented angrily in a sharp tone.


    " Dear, I can''t believe you. You are doing too many impossible things at once! As if {Comfort Food} was not enough! Now you want to create new materials?"


    "I''m sorry, dear, my curiosity got the better of me," I apologized.


    While the other Sirens scolded me, I noticed that Aki had already returned and was talking to Eva. When my Japanese lover saw my gaze, she immediately ended her conversation and walked over to me.


    "Shujin, I have returned."


    "Thank you Kamisan, did you learn anything?"


    "Yes. The Minotaur Shapeshifter was brainwashed. I also checked the mist shapeshifters, and they have the same symptoms. The moment they were captured, they forgot everything. Thest memory they have is over three months ago."


    "So it is a dead end. I will work with the Admin boys to investigate," Bemented irritably.


    "Don''t worry, everyone! We have bigger fish to fry. The next time someonees, we can just shoot them again! Right, Darling?"


    Feeling lighter due to Jo''s cheerful personality, I nodded with a smile. Robyn then looked at Aki as she asked.


    "Did something good happen with the food guys Aki? Were you going for a barbie by any chance?"


    "No Rhiannon, I asked Baker-san if she would be interested in joining Master''s group permanently as part of my squad."


    "Fuck me dead! Everyone is forming squads too fast!"


    Out of curiosity, I wondered why Aki would want the soup kitchen people. I understood Eva Baker and her husband, but the rest were shit. Probably sensing my questions, Aki smiled a little as she exined.


    "I got the idea from you, Anata. Instead of looking for athletes, I can just raise them with {Eat} and {Comfort Food}. I am confident that I can create a powerful force once I find people with strong wills."


    "I see, that makes sense. What will you call them?"


    "They will be known as Inari''s Kitchen. I will make them our assassination and counter espionage unit."


    "My goodness. I feel like thepetition for Dear''s praise is reaching insane levels," Lillyined.

 Chapter 320: Your King [1/2]

    Be and the girls began to discuss all the stuff about the neers. Technically, in order to bring the new groups into Remations, they had to be Death Seekers. But the same was not true for normal Defense battles.


    It was funny, even though we had to fight the Saviors on Saturday night, none of the girls thought we would die there. While I agreed with their assessment, it still took courage to believe in such an assumption.


    '' I am against being underprepared, but I think this is enough,'' I whispered to myself.


    Since I had no shy {Fates}, the only thing I could dowas prepare as best I could.


    Despite my attempts to exclude them, the Sirens were now determined to apany me. The 2nd squad also wanted to join, but I stopped them.


    Originally, it was because I wanted to fight without worrying about them. But now? I really didn''t think I needed them. For one thing, the fighting prowess the Sirens showed in the fight earlier was beyond overwhelming.


    Jo and Robyn were amazing in closebat.


    Liv was like the best shield you could possibly have.


    Jas and Aki could take advantage of any situation and assassinate key people.


    Lilly was like a cheat hero unit that could literally be ced anywhere.


    And the one whomanded them was Be, who had a soulless army at her disposal.


    Aira''s assessments had all decided that we would have to fight to the death to win. But if the ambush earlier this evening was any indication, it would be a piece of cake. The problem was the reinforcements that Savior had hired.


    ''And if I''m being honest, the yer.''


    Just remembering how overbearing he had been during our first encounter was enough to send shivers down my spine. Even outnumbered, he was a force to be reckoned with. He was the one I was most worried about.


    Pitting him against a Siren was out of the question. Even Liv might note out unscathed. So I would leave everyone else to the Sirens. And I will make sure that he will not be able to hurt any of my girls.


    "It was Robert Acwen. He was a man who had his entire vige massacred. His rage created his {Fate} {Blood Feast}. I was only protecting the group because of him. When I forgot my reasons and my anger, I left and just killed undead for a few years. The current members were all recruited by Robert."


    How broken must that bastard be to the only survivor, not once, but twice. Survivor''s guilt was a thing. Especially when the group that died was extremely close. ording to Xander, he recruited the original members of Savior to take down the reapers whose souls had copsed.


    "David Thomas was the reason she died. We were part of his assault team, and one night his soul copsed. And she was one of the casualties to bring him back."


    From my own experience, I knew how bad it was to lose control. I could only imagine what it would have been like for David. That blond bastard could punch nukes into existence. How could you even stop something like that?


    "You see, I didn''t forget right away, so I wrote everything down before my memories started to fade. I created the Saviors for one purpose. To kill reapers suffering from soul copse. "


    It wasn''t that I couldn''t empathize with Robert. But one''s past was no excuse for psychotic murder. People. People were quiteplex.


    While they might be able to understand why some people ended up like that, none of them would condone the actions of a bastard. Especially if said bastard went on a rampage because of what had happened in the past.


    Robert''s history had nothing to do with me. My debt to him was for the Yuddha Rakshas, Krishna''s men. They all died because of his attempt on Krishna''s life.


    {Tsk. Coward. You''re next.}


    And even with his heart and head blown out, he still fought four Phantoms. The guy was a fucking monster. Just the thought of him being around my girls was enough to put me in a bad mood.


    "Calm down John, just think about how to solve this," I tried to reason with myself.


    This night had been quite eventful, but the biggest problem right now would be that so much time had been wasted instead of earning souls for the Seeker War. While I could still say that, I wanted to rest. Although I was not physically tired, I was mentally drained.


    I didn''t actually eat any of the food from Eva''s spread. I wasn''t sure if there was enough, so I decided to wait. Although I could eat to restore my mind, I didn''t want to. I was sure I would be fine for a while, but if I relied on it all the time, I would go crazy.


    Thest time I slept was on Tuesday morning, afterwards I got up I went to Hellsgate on Tuesday evening, Aki tried to kill me on Wednesday morning. I barely found the time and went on without sleep.


    When the night was over, I returned to Earth and tried to buy a car. After the whole thing with Vincent Deryck, I reunited with the Sirens, which took the entire day.


    With them apanying me, I again went on without sleep a second time and marched to Hellsgate.


    Then I was ambushed again and had a fight with the White Guard. Rond kidnapped me afterwards. The Sirens all wanted to be pampered upon my return. As if that wasn''t enough, the Sirens began reorganizing my forces the moment they arrived.


    Then we had the problem with LLG, which led to the Bakers. And finally, I had to deal with the Fortification and Academic guys. Now known as Minerva''s Wizards and Freyja''s Bulwark.


    I have been running around nonstop ever since the Sirens arrived at the battlefront. It was a weird feeling, to be honest. My body was not tired, my mind, though clouded, was still fine. It was my soul that called me to sleep.


    ''Fuck, I hardly earned anything tonight. And I used {Rece} a bunch of times. I mean, I could run Dirge Sirens even if the sun was up, but I don''t want to.


    While I was thinking about it, Joshua came over to me.


    "Commander, here''s your share."


    "My what?"


    "Your share, Commander. We made a lot of money and everyone agreed that you should take 10%. Some even wanted to give you 25%."


    "What? Why? I didn''t even join you."


    "Commander, without you, we wouldn''t have even been able to earn what we have now. I stopped the 3rd Squad from giving you more. They are extremely pleased."


    3rd Squad meant V''s wolves, right? Why would they give me money?


    "Speaking of which, how did they fight?" I asked curiously.


    "They learn extremely fast. And their bodies all have physiques worthy of athletes. ording to Yvonne, it was a passive blessing they received from Mistress V."


    "Blessing? What does that mean?"


    "I''m sorry, but I don''t know, Commander. Anyway, how do I send you the money?"


    "Just send it to my GRI. Lilly taught me earlier that every GRI has a soul ount."


    "Indeed. The 2nd Amendment as a whole does not have thetest GRI''s so we don''t have a GRI soul ount. I will ask Phillip for help then."


    "I see. Okay, that''s fine."


    Joshua lingered around despite the end of our discussion, so I asked, puzzled.


    "Something else on your mind?"


    "Commander, please let us join you on Saturday."


    "No."


    "But!"


    "Enough."


    "Commander, the Sirens are joining you, why can''t we?"


    "Those girls are prepared to die with me. Are you all the same?"


    "..."

 Chapter 321: Your King [2/2]

    "I don''t hold it against you, Joshua, far from it. You all just wanted jobs and I happened to need people, that is all. You are neither ves nor meat shields. My war has nothing to do with you."


    "But."


    "The LLG will operate without me. The 2nd and 3rd squads all have the power to do so. With these two new groups, you would have enough to form a pseudo battlefront. I also have enough weapons for future squads, so your mind can be at peace."


    "Commander! If you were to die, it would be a huge blow to our forces! You are our leader! Our king! If we lose you, it will all be for nothing!"


    "Your king, huh?"


    Technically, society needed kings to lead it. This was the next evolution of the typical tribal chief. While I was against such an undesirable position, having the power of a kingdom at my back would definitely help me in the wars toe.


    It was impossible to be everywhere at once. The 2nd Amendment and the LLG along with the other groups were my seeds. If they were able to grow properly, they would be a powerful force for the battlefront.


    Considering the number of enemies I have right now, it was stupid to throw away such a group, just because I didn''t like something inconvenient. However, I hesitated for another reason.


    For one, I saw these people as tools. Unlike the Sirens, which I could never give up. I was perfectly fine with letting everyone else die. Such thoughts were not worthy of a king. But my vile mind couldn''t reject the power.


    If it meant that I could achieve my goals, I was perfectly willing to sacrifice them to thest.


    Are such thoughts what you wanted from me, Joshua? I debated inwardly.


    "Commander, a king is someone chosen by his people. His duties are to lead them, to defend them, and to help them grow. You have already done all three. You have opened our eyes to the truth, you fight for Hellsgate as a whole, and you give us the tools we need to prosper.


    "But these things are not why the 2nd Squad wants to follow you. For us, it is because you show uspassion. Instead of ordering us to die for you, you are willing to sacrifice yourself rather than bring us harm. Therefore, I am sure that you are our king."


    That sounded like a lot of bullshit, but whatever. I opened their eyes on a whim, I wanted to train them for my own purposes. I never wanted to defend Hellsgate, it just happened that way.


    Unable to deny all the things Joshua said, the viin in me just epted it.


    ''Their loyalty is better than the alternative. Let''s just ept their allegiance for now,'' I schemed.


    "I see, thank you for saying that, Joshua. I have had an extremely long day and would like to rest. As soon as the Sirens have finished their work, I will go home to sleep."


    Joshua gave me a quick salute and bid me farewell. "I understand. Please take care, Commander. Also, please tell mistress Freyja that the 2nd Squad will all turn into Phantoms tomorrow."


    "Ah right, she mentioned something like that. Okay, I will tell her. Congrattions."


    "Thank you, Commander. Take care on your way back, may your {Fate} end the darkness."


    With a bow, Joshua left me, just in time for the rest of the Sirens to return to my side.


    "Darling! We''re done, shall we move on to the next Dirge Siren?"


    "I''m fine if you girls want to. But as for me, I want to go home and rest. I haven''t slept in over two days."


    "Shujin, I am sorry for that," Aki said in a discouraged voice.


    "Kamisan, I wasn''t looking for an excuse. If winning you as my wife was the price. I would be willing to not sleep for a century. I am just tired for some reason."


    "Possum, I have enough souls already, can Ie and sleep with you?"


    "Fuck you Robyn! Stop trying to steal March! Honey wants to rest!"


    "In fact, you are using being stupid as an excuse to monopolize dearest."


    "That''s because you cunts are fucking boring! Go study or something, you ggers!"


    Jas then came to my side and intertwined her fingers with mine.


    "Husband, ignore the noisy flies here. Let''s go home and rest. I will massage your feet."


    "Well, I guess stopping now is as good a time as any. My love, do I have a ce under your roof?"


    Amused by Liv''s nonchnt deration, I smiled while answering. "Of course, love, my home is yours as well."


    Liv shed a small smile as she walked towards me. In the background, Be and Robyn were trying to pull each other''s hair. Lilly seemed to be hesitating whether to stay or go.


    " Darling, is it okay if I go see Ma and Pa first? Akie with me!"


    "Eh? Why do you need me as well, Jo-san?"


    "I''ll tell youter. Anyway, that''s how it is. Jas, Liv. Make sure Darling gets plenty of rest, okay?"


    "Wait! Possum! I want to go too! AHH! You bitch, get off me!"


    "Mwuahahaha! Fuck you and your shit, Robyn! Get stuffed! Honey! I wille to you soon, take care of yourself okay!" my Brazilian waved as she had Robyn in a headlock.


    "Dear, I will a..."


    Be then grabbed Lilly''s long hair, making her scream in pain.


    "AHHH! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU! LET GO YOU NERD!!"


    I didn''t know why Be stopped Lilly and Robyn froming with me. Nor did I know why Jo needed Aki to visit the Simmons. But I knew that they always had my best interests at heart, so I didn''t ask.


    Liv thenid her head on my shoulder like a teenager in love. Amused, I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. Then I looked at the rest of the Sirens as I said goodbye.


    "Everyone, I will be going on ahead. Make sure you protect each other, okay? And as soon as your matters are settled,e back to me. You all deserve your rest as well."


    The girls all gave me affectionate smiles and nodded. Then I took Liv and Jas'' hands.


    "Are you two ready?


    "Yes, dear." "I am the man."


    "Okay, just follow my lead, okay? I am not sure if you two are going to warp to my hotel room like me."


    Then I thought of my room at the Biltmore Hotel and felt a tug on my soul. I weed the familiar feeling and vanished in an explosion of light.


    ***


    When I returned to Earth, I felt my body on a bed again. The dissonance of suddenly being parallel to the floor was ufortable. However, I felt warm bodies of soft flesh beside me that jolted me awake.


    I opened my eyes to see Jas and Liv beside me. But when I looked at the ceiling and the bed, it was different from what I knew. For one, I now had a canopy bed with transparent fabric dangling from the ceiling.


    There was also a thin cloth around the bed too. It looked like those Arab sex beds I had seen in a magazine once. Such beds were used to hide the bodies of kings and queens from anyone who entered their rooms.


    Moreover, the bed itself was different. It was now a huge round bed, bigger than even an ska king-sized bed. Then I noticed a small card at the top of the headboard. Carefully I reached for it and read its contents.


    [Mr. Limitless. I saw therge group of beautiful women you had with you. One of our services is to provide a harem suite for ghosts who request them. Since I saw how much you adored them, I requested the bed on your behalf. - Nathan]


    "Harem suite, huh? I should give him another bonus."

 Chapter 322: Heroine Chapter: Pamper me later [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Aki Miroku


    ___


    "Everyone, I will go ahead. Make sure that you protect each other, okay? And as soon as your business is done,e back to me. You all deserve your rest as well."


    "Come back to me," such a beautiful phrase. My heart almost jumped out of my chest when he said those words. If someone other than Shujin said such a thing, I wonder what my reaction would be?


    "Kamisan, I wasn''t looking for an apology. If winning you as my woman was the price. I would be willing to not sleep for a century. I am just tired for some reason."


    Shujin was beyond loving. Kamisan, a term of endearment that was mine alone. Originally, I thought it would be enough to be called by my name. But since Shujin was American, he did it for everyone, even people he met on the street.


    ''Just how special am I if a bum on the street gets the same treatment,'' Imented.


    Such was the hardship of loving someone from another culture. But I already belonged to him. So I had no intention of leaving. Anyone who wanted my ce would have to be prepared to kill me first.


    But in the midst of all this, he noticed my discontent. Such a trivial feeling, and yet he noticed it. I just knew, simr to what Liv said, that Shujin loved us and was always looking out for us.


    As unfortunate as it was that I had to share, I was already satisfied with just a piece of his heart.


    ''How foolish you are, Caroline Fisher. You had the world at your fingertips and yet you chose to throw it all away. You will rue that moment for all eternity.''


    "All right, Honey just left. Stop trying to cheat, you two."


    "Get stuffed, Be! I was supposed to be the 3rd person with them! Possum needs me!"


    "UNHAND MY HAIR, YOU ILL MANNERED BIG BREASTED COW! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO TAKE CARE OF!"


    Be then let go of both Lilly and Robyn as sheined.


    "Robyn, we already decided that two people were enough. We have work to do. And as for you, Princess, you never cared about your hair before, is it because of Aira''s data?"


    It was amusing, ever since Shujin was suddenly kidnapped, the Sirens made a vow. From this day on, at least two Sirens must be with him at all times. That was our agreement.


    Five of us would handle other matters and be ready to be summoned at any time. Lilly actually created a {program} called [Beacon]. It was an automated application of {Portal} that would call each Siren to the one who asked for help.


    This way, as long as even one of us was with Shujin, the rest could follow in less than 5 seconds. It took a lot of brainpower for the five of us to make it work without our man noticing.


    Even though it was more than tedious to set up, the relief we all felt was worth every second we spent agonizing about [Beacon].


    "Heee? But Aira''s data was right? 96% of the porn Darling watched had long hair. I also noticed that he loved ponytails and braids. Luckily, he also seemed to prefer blonde porn stars!"


    "Shut it Jo, my hair will grow longer soon enough. Possum already loves me as it is."


    "Jo-san, Master likes hentai and Japanese AV actresses more than Americans though?"


    "That''s because you bastard are freaks, Aki, if whites love their incest, you chinks love NTR. Honey rarely watches NTR, almost 60% of his viewing time was on Vani."


    "Good grief, that''s just another way of saying 40% of what he watched was non-consensual sex. Are you all seriously nning to use Aira''s data to study our kindred''s kinks?"


    Hearing Lilly-sama''s words, we all looked at her with a judgmental gaze.


    Despite her majesty and lofty attitude, this American was undoubtedly a pervert. The number of smut books she read in her spare time went beyond being a depraved tramp.


    "Puta." "Cunt." "Hentai." "Lilly, you should change what you read first."


    "W-what? What do my novels have to do with this? It is a perfectly respectable hobby! I am not a pervert!" Ishtar stammered.


    "AHHHHHH! Fucking cunts! Be, what are we supposed to do? Let''s get to it so I can get back to Possum!"


    "Shut up jail bait, your screeching hurts my ears, just follow Lilly and I. Princess, stop daydreaming depraved fantasies ande here already you pervert. We have much to do. We have to reform the LLG in preparation for tomorrow. Jo, continue with your n."


    "Ugh! You guys are just going to be ear bashing all night! Do you even need me there?"


    "W-what? I wasn''t! How can you even prove that I did it? You are horrible! You''re a stalker, so you''re even worse! " Lilly-sama cried in tears.


    "Aki! Let''s go! You''re with me!"


    It was amusing, Robyn, Be and Lilly-sama were loud and cursed at each other most of the time. Still, they all looked like they were having fun. Without any pretense or malice. Simrly, Jo-san was also smiling brightly.


    But unlike the other three, her smile scared me. The difference between her normal face and "V" was beyond disturbing. I knew some basic psychology from my time as an assassin, but I could not understand her.


    From my missions, I had to ingrain myself with the targets or predict their actions. I believed that this gave me a good understanding of human psychology. But this woman. This woman was an enigma.


    Wordlessly I followed. Of all the sirens, she was the one I had the most trouble with.


    Liv and Robyn were cavemen in their personalities. And were quite easy to understand. Intelligent people like Be-san and Jas-san were somewhat predictable. They usually followed logic.


    Lilly-sama was an egocentric and greedy person, so her actions revolved around her desires. But Jo-san did not follow a typical psychological profile. Even her actions so far made no sense to me.


    "Sigh. I envy Jas and Liv. I wanted to cuddle with my darling on a bed," the madwoman said jadedly.


    Careful not to upset her, I tried to at least be pleasant. "Um, I don''t think you need to worry, Jo-san. Master said he would make us his this Sunday after the Seeker War."


    Remembering thescivious words and actions of my beloved husband, I felt my cheeks burning with the thought of how he would devour me. Would he be gentle? Or fierce like an animal? Surprisingly, I was looking forward to both.


    "I see. I hope so," she said coldly.


    Surprised by her tone, I stopped in my tracks.


    What was this woman up to?


    "Jo-san, are you okay?"


    "Never mind. This spot should be okay. I will use the abandoned building behind Simon''s house as a return point. Do you know of it?"


    "I do," I replied curtly.


    How could I forget, that ce was where Shujin and I fought to the death and where he made me his ve. The memory of his forcefulness alone was enough to make me long for his embrace.


    Our bodies were covered in light as we warped back to earth.


    ***

 Chapter 323: Heroine Chapter: Pamper me later [2/2]

    After a short warp, Jo-san and I arrived at the first floor of the abandoned building. Of course, we used {Rewind} to clean our blood-soaked clothes. Under the brilliant morning, we both made our way to Ma and Pa''s house. We both walked without making the slightest sound.


    This was the Italian''s {Program}. [Silent Steps],it used {Store} and {Dampen} to eliminate any trace of footsteps, regardless of shoes or terrain. Since {Dampen} was only supposed to work on the user''s ears, the programming required to create [Silent Steps] was beyondplex.


    As if that were not enough, ever since she learned how to use {Announce} with Death Resonance, Jo has been researching relentlessly. People would be surprised by her abilities tomorrow.


    We eventually reached the back door and entered. It was early morning, about 7:30. The sun was already up and Pa was already at the dining table eating his breakfast.


    Ma, on the other hand, was cooking as she hummed. Although my sister-inws were nowhere to be seen. It was a picturesque scene of a loving family.


    ording to my research, Bless loved to sleep, so she rarely woke up early.


    And na was forced to call in sick at Shujin''s request. So everyone was in the house right now.


    Ma and Pa noticed us as we walked in. Earl Simmons smiled as he read the morning paper.


    "Have you two had breakfast? Your Ma can whip something up if you are hungry," he offered.


    Jo-san gave a heartwarming smile as she replied. "I am, thanks Pa!" I, on the other hand, gave a quick bow as I greeted my inws. "Aki greats Ma and Pa."


    However, despite me adhering to the culture of respect in Japan, Noelle Simmons approached me and gave me a big hug. "I already told you, Aki, you are way too stiff. We hug in this house."


    Not used to such affection, I returned her hug affectionately, albeit a little awkwardly. My mother and father disappeared quite early, and never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get a new family.


    "Ah! Ma! Me too!"


    Like a child starved for attention, Jo-san also asked for a hug and then gave one to Pa. After we settled in, Ma made us some eggs sunny side up with a slice of bacon and toast.


    "Will my other daughters arriveter, Jo?" Ma asked.


    "Um, I think so? But not in time for breakfast, Ma. Liv and Jas are with darling while Robyn, Lilly and Be are out on a job."


    Despite her talk between bites, Jo-san had impable table manners. She was graceful and moved with elegance. Concentrating on my own meal, I ate heartily the food Ma had prepared for me. When was thest time I tasted such a homemade meal?


    Then I noticed that the sound of cutlery stopped. I looked up to see Ma and Pa looking at me and Jo. They weren''t eating, but they were surprised for some reason.


    "Ah, I''m sorry daughters, it''s just that you two are eating so gracefully. It was like watching those rich people on TV. Do you two eat like that all the time?"


    Embarrassed, I felt myself blush as I exined. "I don''t particrly try, Ma. My mother was pretty strict about table manners."


    "My Nana taught me! She said it was one of the qualities of a good woman."


    Ma smiled as she added. "That''s nice, they seemed like wonderful people. Where are they now? Are they okay?"


    Jo and I froze at her words. I had no idea what had happened to Jo''s Nana, but my mother had been missing and most likely dead since I was eighteen.


    I was already 28, so it had been a decade. Sometimes I can''t even remember what she looked like.


    Then I felt a hand touch mine. The hand belonged to Noelle, she made a sad expression as she touched me and Jo-san.


    "My babies, I am so sorry for asking. I know I can never rece them, but I will make sure that none of you will ever be alone as long as I am alive. Cheer up, okay?"


    Unconsciously, tears fell into my eyes. And by the sound of it, Jo-san''s as well. Ma tried to make usugh and we had a nice breakfast. It was strange. How such a small house could be so warm, so full of love.


    The twenty-four hours the White Guard had promised would onlyst until noon. Since the recements hadn''t arrived yet, Jo-san and I were on bodyguard duty. It was not as morous as being with Shujin, but the Italian and I knew how important our job was.


    "Ma, Pa! I have a question. Do you like all the people in this neighborhood? If you could say goodbye to some of them and never see them again, who would they be?"


    This crazy person. Was she going to kill the names that Ma and Pa would tell her? I didn''t really know what her n was. But since Be-san agreed, it must be for the best.


    "Hmm. I don''t hate anyone in particr, but if you were to ask who I liked best, it would probably be the Joneses, Coopers, Mantles, and the Blossoms. Why do you ask?"


    "Oh! Nothing, Ma! I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself to themunity! You know, give them some cake or something!" Jo-san exined excitedly.


    "Is that so? But daughter, unless you and Dipshit n to live here, that would be inappropriate. Did Dipshit tell you to do that? No. It can''t be him. that boy has nothing but guns in his brain."


    "Hehehe! You''re so smart, Ma! Well, the girls and I were just talking, we wanted to live around here! We wanted to surprise Darling! We already have the money!"


    "KYA! Appleboo! Did you hear that?! Dipshit and the girls are going to move here! Daughter, you have no idea how happy that makes me!"


    "Hmph. That boy doesn''t deserve my daughters. I will tell him to get you all something nice."


    It was amusing how these two would take our side over their own adopted son''s. I couldn''t help but smile at how sweet they were. If all families were like that, the number of broken people would be greatly reduced.


    Jo-san and I chatted with Ma and Pa for another half hour. It was mostly about trivial things, but such a pleasant time was rare for people like us. Eventually, Jo-san made up a lie that we had a job to do and promptly left.


    We walked toward the neighborhood at a fast pace. Since I didn''t know what our purpose was, I just asked.


    "Jo-san, what is this job you were talking about?" I curiously probed.


    Without pausing, she replied in a cold tone. "To terminate every family in this neighborhood except the Joneses, Coopers, Mantles and the Blossoms."


    "!!!"


    rmed, I stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders.


    "Jo-san! What are you talking about? We cannot just go ahead and kill humans for no reason."


    "There''s no way to separate the Trinity Spies, Aki. Let''s just kill them all."


    I put my hand to my temple and felt a headacheing on.


    "Jo-san, think this through, these people are innocent. If Ma finds out, she will be disappointed in you."


    "That''s why Haru was taken away from you, Aki. You leave everything to chance."


    This bitch. That was low. Instead of trying to sniff out the spy, this nutjob would rather kill everyone. And unlike me, who still wanted to follow the rules of the Reapers, this fool had no such reservations.


    "Get out of my way, Aki. I will not ask again. This is for Darling!" Jo yelled. She then pulled out her AR-15 and widened her stance.


    "Why did you even ask me toe with you, Jo-san? If you had asked Robyn or Jasmine, you know they would have agreed with you!"


    "..."


    "Sigh. Jo-san, you already knew that you were going to try something like this. That was why you brought me along, so I could stop you."


    "You''re delusional. I made no such ns. Move!"


    Pouting, I invoked the MP5SD and the Ruger MK II as I prepared for battle.


    "Hmph. Shujin, being the mistress of your house is taxing. Be ready to pamper meter." I told my master through the wind.

 Chapter 324: Would be nice [1/2]

    The room was cool, clean, and luxurious. But none of thatpared to the reason why this bed in particr felt extremelyfortable.


    "Mhm."


    "..."


    Soft breathing could be heard from the gorgeous women next to me. A ck-skinned sharpshooter and a Norse Valkyrie slept soundly by my side. I couldn''t understand why they were sleeping, though.


    Hadn''t they just been awake a while ago? Jasmine and Livy defenseless on my bed. As unfortunate as it was that they were still wearing their clothes, it had its own charm.


    Unlike the first time I saw them, the Sirens were all wearing beautiful outfits that ttered their physiques. Supposedly Lilly took them shopping as a thank you for being allowed to join the Sirens.


    Of course, I could hardly pay attention to their clothes as I was more preupied with their assets. Liv turned around and buried my arm in her massive bosom. The soft sensation sent jolts through my brain.


    On the other side, Jasmine opened her eyes and rose seductively. Her ck hair looked silky smooth and made me want to stroke it. Probably seeing my lust, Jas pursed her lips in a mischievous smile.


    Her hazel eyes that looked like a mixture of brown and green were mesmerizing. The ravishing beauty then gave me an agonizingly soft kiss as she wrapped her arms around my neck.


    It was theplete opposite of the passionate kisses we had exchanged before. This one was tender yet full of warmth. And I found myself intoxicated by it. But even though I was enchanted by my wife''s charm, I forced myself not to embrace her.


    Jas then whispered in a voice full of affection. "Good morning, husband. How wonderful it is to see you the moment I open my eyes."


    Nodding, I replied somewhat confused, "Good morning, Wifey, you are extremely beautiful today. I love you."


    She then giggled innocently and pressed her shapely breasts against me. Even with the fabric of her clothes, their weight and shape made my body horny as fuck.


    "Not as much as I love you, husband."


    The sound of clothes rustling made me look to my side only to be greeted with a passionate kiss. Unlike Jasmine, Liv devoured my lips like she had been starving for days.


    She only let go after a good five seconds.


    "My love. Your clothes seem ufortable, shall we remove them?"


    "..."


    With a tent already erected in my pants, I felt extremely conflicted. Jasmine and Liv, though absolutely terrifying to have as enemies, were now as docile as cats.


    If I wanted, they would not only strip for me, but also offer themselves to me and grant my every desire.


    ''FUUUUCCCCK!!!!! I WANT TO POUND THESE TWO SO BAD RIGHT NOWWWWW!!!''


    I knew for sure that a momentary mistake was all it took. There was nothing wrong with it. We had already promised each other. It should be okay, right? Still, somehow I felt like I was betraying the five others who were not here.


    Noelle''s words echoed in my head.


    "Dipshit do you hear yourself? These girls are willing give you everything they have. But because there are seven of them you can only give them a piece of you. And you still believe that is fair?"


    As the owner of a harem, I absolutely refused to follow in Liv''s father''s footsteps. I would not let any of my girls feel that I loved them less. I would only cross the line with them after marrying each of them. And gain their blessing.


    If I touched Jas and Liv now, I knew I would be so consumed with lust that I would do nothing but ravage them all day. I still had a Seeker war. I came back to rest. I needed my mind sharp.


    Not only mine, even the Sirens were putting their lives on the line. If even one of them died because I dropped the ball, I would never be able to forgive myself. With that conviction, I gently pushed Jas and Liv away from me.


    "Husband..." "Beloved?"


    The effect was immediate. Their hurt voices made me doubt my resolve, but I knew it was the right thing to do.


    "Jas, Liv, please don''t think I don''t want you. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is taking everyst bit of my strength not to pounce on both of you, tear off your clothes and ravage your bodies."


    Hearing me confess, they both started to blush as they waited for me to continue. There was an expectant look on their faces with a hint of disappointment.


    "I came back because I really feel like my mind needs a rest. I don''t know why, but my soul is tired. We have a war tomorrow night. I could not live with myself if any of you were hurt because I gave in to my lust."


    Normally, men were animals who lived to eat, sleep, and fuck. As such, sexual desire became a driving force because it ensured the survival of the species. Even getting off quickly was a defense mechanism for that purpose.


    Most men were saddened by the fact that they were premature ejactors. But in reality, it was nature that made them that way. I mean, think about it.


    If it took you 30 minutes to nut, you were not only defenseless, but exposed during those twenty minutes. There were only twenty-four hours in a day. So at that rate a human male could mate and impregnate a maximum of 48 females if he never slept, ate, or hunted.


    Cream pies were not 100% guaranteed to impregnate a woman every time. So if you spent too much time having sex, you would starve, or worse, not have enough time to do anything else.


    Nature''s answer was for men to be quick shots. Five minutes would be enough for a man to cycle through his lust, blow his load, and move on. It ensured that as long as there were at least five minutes, he could inseminate any avable female.


    One must remember that sex was primarily a means of ensuring the next generation. Only as civilizations became moreplex did it be a form of exercise or recreation.


    Even though that is where we came from. Sex was now more about making your partner feel good. So premature ejactors and baby dicks were considered shameful. Fortunately, I didn''t have a problem with either.


    My dick currently felt like it was about to burst. The bulge in my pants captivated both Jas and Liv. They looked at it with lustful nces.


    It was easy to give in to my primal desires. But I had to control myself.


    All I had to do was imagine the scenes of the Siren''s death.


    The lust immediately disappeared. Instead, I felt my anger rising. If I was not 100% by Saturday night, that would be the scene I would see. As I remembered theing war, now I had to calm down for another reason.


    My girls also came to their senses, probably because they sensed my change in mentality.


    "I see, what do you want us to do then, husband?" Jas asked like a dutiful wife.


    "Take turns guarding me while I sleep. I would feel much better if one of you were awake. I am sorry to make such an unreasonable request of you both."


    "Beloved, I will return your own words to you. What good is our strength if we cannot use it for your sake? Rest with peace of mind. I will die before I let anyone harm you," my Valkyrie dered with conviction.

 Chapter 325: Would be nice [2/2]

    This all came about because of a piece of information I got from Phillip. Apparently, the risk of soul copse was not lessened by even sleeping. Until I received the devil''s remain soulgear from Addison, I could not allow myself to rx.


    "Liv, please don''t. You cannot die before me, okay? I would go crazy if you did. If we die, we die together." I countered.


    She smiled blissfully as she parroted my words. "Together."


    Jasmine then sulked as sheined. "Hmph. So? What are we protecting you from, husband? Some specifics would help."


    "Myself."


    "Husband, I don''t understand."


    "You both saw what happened when I found out how the saints were made right?"


    "Yes, love, you were so angry it felt like your soul was going berserk," Liv added.


    "Those are called soul copses. They happen to people who carry over 100,000 souls in their soulgems. I did that for over a week. I only have a little over 65,000 now, but ording to Phillip, I still need to be careful."


    "Hmm. In the North, 100,000 is considered arge sum. Hardly anyone besides my father would have that on them. Besides, they would normally keep their souls in a wallet."


    Jasmine then shared her own insights, "Jo and I were taught some rules about soul copses. There usually has to be a very strong emotional trigger to create such an event. Like some kind of trauma. Husband, do you know what triggers your soul copses?"


    "..."


    Of course I knew. Each time it was because of the girls.


    The first time was three days ago when Phillip told me to ask the Sirens for help. My brain was suddenly flooded with scenes of their deaths. That was the first time I experienced the copse of my soul.


    The second time was the day before yesterday. I learned how soul gears are made. That was fine, but when I imagined that someone would make soulgears of my girls, I went mad once more.


    The 3rd was this morning. While talking to Vincent, he just confirmed my feelings about the girls. In a bout of immaturity, I tried to deny that they were mine. And when he asked if I would let them be with other men, I went insane and almost killed him.


    The 4th was justst night. When I learned that Saints were the product of sexual violence. My spirit began to hate Clive Zanardi the virtuous. And when I thought that if he wanted to, he could take my girls and have them raped in front of me. I lost my sanity all over again.


    It felt like I had a basketball team''s worth of voices in my head. My words to Jo were no joke, they were usually quiet, but the moment something about the Siren''s came up, they went off like bulls in a China shop.


    I had no idea what that meant, only that it was happening with increasing frequency.


    Zach punched me during the first one. I bathed in blood to calm myself for the second. Vincent used his devil''s remain soulgear during the third. During the fourth, the Sirens gave me peace.


    Hearing that David murdered Xander''s wife during his soul copse made me afraid. What if I identally killed one of my girls during the time I was insane? It was not something I could ept.


    So when Phillip told me to be careful when I slept, I wanted to ask the Sirens to watch over me. At least until I got my devil''s remains soulgear.


    Even though I said I wanted our rtionship to be without lies, I couldn''t tell Jasmine the truth. It didn''t make any fucking sense and I didn''t even know what it meant. How could I tell them about fears I couldn''t understand myself?


    How could I tell them that the closer I became, the more terrified I was of separating? Liv said it best. She summed up exactly what I have been feeling since the day I started having these visions.


    "My love, how could you suddenly vanish like that?! We didn''t know where you were! My heart. It hurts. When I thought you were gone, even breathing felt like pure torture! This is all your fault!


    "WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THIS PAIN?! HOW WILL I SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU NOW?!"


    Of course, the option of separating from them now was there. But how was that different from death?


    "I don''t know." And so I lied.


    I knew that my girls would never make fun of me. I knew they all loved me with all their hearts. But men and women were different. Each of my girls had a burden in their hearts. I was the one who carried them.


    So I was not allowed to fall.


    I was not allowed to be weak.


    This was what it meant to be their man.


    This was what it meant to be their kindred.


    Jas, looking desperate, held my hands as she bit her lips. Knowing how smart my woman was, she must be thinking up a storm. However, I stroked her cheek lovingly as Iforted her.


    "Wifey, don''t worry, everything will be fine. Having one of you watch over me is just a precaution. I had Addison make some soulgears from the devil''s remains. Once I have them, I will no longer be in danger."


    "Are you telling the truth, Husband?" She questioned.


    "Yes. I am."


    "Good, then take off your suit so you can rxfortably. What time should I wake you up?"


    "In the afternoon should be fine. I look forward to my loving wife waking me up."


    "How would you like me to do it?" she asked innocently.


    "A Bj would be nice." I joked under my breath.


    "Bj? You mean a blow job? " Liv asked confused.


    "Crap, you all have super hearing now."


    "That''s when a woman puts her man''s phallus in her mouth, right, my love?"


    The northerner obviously asked out of pure ignorance. Before I could answer, I noticed that Jasmine was blushing like crazy and couldn''t take her eyes off my groin.


    ''Fuck, she is too cute.''


    As if to answer her expectation, my tent pole once again reached for the sky.


    I mean, maybe it was every man''s dream to wake up to a blowjob from the one he loved. There was just something primal about making your lover swallow or coat her face in your jizz.


    Of course I was joking, but then Liv got down on her knees and started unbuttoning her blouse.


    "My love, Lilly''s books had a lot of blowjobs. But theycked creativity. One thing the North has in abundance is knowledge about making children."


    Liv''s massive chest spilled out of her clothes, she still had her bra on, but it was a magnificent sight.


    "I used to think my breasts were useless lumps of fat. But now that I have you, I d I have them. Let me give you the best breast fuck."


    "Breast fuck? You mean a boob job?"


    Liv said a few words that didn''t sound like English. It was probably titty fuck in the Northernnguage. Liv then began to undo my belt as my body remained frozen at the sight of her massive breasts.


    However, my eyes were suddenly bound as I heard Liv being separated from me.


    "Liv! Show some restraint, didn''t he just say a while ago? Husband, I will take Liv out of the room. Rx and get some rest. We will return when you are asleep."


    "Jas! Stop! My clothes are ripping!"


    Before I could remove the covering that was blocking my view, the two left. And I was the only one left in the room I looked around. Feeling extremely horny, I pulled out Jo''s panties and rubbed one out before going to sleep.


    "Sunday couldn''te soon enough," I murmured.

 Chapter 326: Doors? [1/2]

    Unlike the first few days in Hellsgate, I didn''t just fast forward time to the next day. It sounded stupid, but that was how you knew you had a good night''s rest. You go to bed, time passes and you wake up.


    Any bastard who wanted to dream and see a whole world of you while they slept was an asshole. They were probably so bored that they didn''t even want to rest. Unfortunately, a loud noise jolted me awake.


    I tried to ignore it and concentrate on getting back to sleep, but the sound persisted. Every few seconds there was a loud bang. Increasingly annoyed, I got up in a very bad mood. This ce was supposed to be a high-ss hotel. I was in the fucking penthouse!


    ''Who the hell would make noise above a penthouse?''


    But when I opened my eyes, I was no longer in my bed, but in a white space.


    "Ugh, fuck, where the hell am I?"


    Had I been kidnapped again? My mind was reeling from trying to stay awake. My body wanted nothing more than to pass out. I grew irritated that my sleep was being disturbed.


    ''Focus John, we are in danger right now. We can sleep forever once we are dead.'' I roused my mind in response to the unfamiliar scenery.


    Where were the Sirens? Jas and Liv were supposed to be with me, right? I used our pseudo-Kindred link as well as the Minervawork, but no one answered.


    "..."


    As if a switch had been flipped, my mind suddenly became razor sharp. My pulse quickly warmed my body as I tensed. I summoned Ebony and Ivory in my hands and began to look around.


    I blinked my right eye twice to activate {Imaging} - Thermal. I scanned the area once and found nothing. I tried using other types of {Imaging}, but I still found nothing.


    It was then that I noticed my bizarre clothing. I was wearing ab coat as if I were a patient in a hospital. My buttocks felt the breeze. The sensations felt real. What the fuck was this ce?


    With both guns pointed out, I slowly explored the white space. It was so white that there were no shadows. It felt extremely strange. Light casting a shadow was a fundamental truth of optics.


    As I moved forward, I heard nothing but my own breathing. It was so quiet that I could even hear my own heartbeat. It was like being in an anechoic chamber. ces without any sound have been scientifically proven to drive people insane for as little as 45 minutes.


    The onlyfort I felt was the cold steel in my hands. I had no reason to panic. This ce looked real, but it probably wasn''t. Or so I hoped.


    "I really need to get a {Fate} that can break illusions. These mind games are starting to annoy me."


    As my foot crossed a certain distance, I suddenly felt the room shift. Like standing on a driving car, it was subtle, but the room moved. Trying to see if anything had changed, I scanned the area.


    With nothing but white, it was hard to tell if anything had changed. If there had been a vase or something, it would have been easier. I turned to look behind me and saw a bunch of doors.


    There were seven doors embedded in a wall. They were white with gold doorknobs.


    "Doors?"


    I slowly made my way towards the things while listening to my surroundings. Cautious that something might jump out of them, I checked each door carefully. There was nothing distinctive about any of them. No markings, designs, or even decorations.


    A single doorknob was all they had. If there was a difference between them, I had no idea what it was.


    "What the fuck are these doors for?"


    The only thing they had to offer was their number. There were seven white doors. I was about to approach one when a vision suddenly appeared in my mind.


    "Again? Fuck!"


    My brain ached as I closed my eyes in pain. Soon a memory appeared in my mind. One that belonged to someone else.


    I was looking at a ruinedndscape. A destend, cracked and dry. The sky was red as if the sun had already set. There was no wind to speak of, but I felt a gentle breeze.


    "Won''t you think about it? Does it have to be you?" a woman''s voice pleaded.


    The woman''s voice seemed sorrowful and confused. But "I" didn''t even bother to turn around.


    ''Wow, this guy is an ass. At least look at her, you bastard.''


    Just then another voice joined in.


    " Will nothing make you change your mind? No one would remember even if you do this. Who are you doing this for anyway?"


    Once again, the body I was haunting said nothing. It just looked at the horizon.


    Then the women began to sob uncontrobly. Soon after, the thud of knees falling to the ground was heard. The clenching of a fist was also apparent. As if the owner was somehow frustrated.


    Only then did my "body" finally speak.


    "Thank you. I am truly blessed to have met both of you. I leave the future in your hands."


    His voice was clear and heroic. But there was also weariness in it. Like the sound one makes when one has been gave up on the world. "My" hand then reached to the sky and said something that made me shudder.


    "{Relive}."


    ''FUCK!''


    At the word of "my" voice, seven white doors appeared in the sky. I floated and flew to the farthest door on the left. It opened and I entered it like a rocket. The vision ended suddenly at that moment.


    When I opened my eyes, I saw that the seven white doors were the same as the ones I saw in the vision.


    "Fuck."


    The pieces were slowlying together. This new vision showed insight into the first. In my first vision, each warrior ended up in a white room after using {Relive}. Putting two and two together, I could assume that my body in the 3rd vision was the very first one.


    The seven doors lined up with the seven warriors. Both the serpent''s and the warrior''s words matched what I had already seen and heard.


    {Thou hast onest chance remaining! It shall be the like as all the rest! and thou shall fail!}


    {Even so, until my soul breaks. I will try again. Wait for me, serpent! Our dance will continue onest time!}


    "It''s up to you now."


    Seven doors, seven warriors, seven sirens. And this "time" was thest. And it was up to me.


    "FUCK," I cursed.


    I wasn''t fucking stupid. Nor was I ignorant of reincarnation storylines. It was often said that the greatest stories were merely retellings of true events. With what I knew of {Fates}, I couldn''t say that a reaper going back in time wasn''t possible.


    But the visions I saw indicated one thing. That I had gone back not once or twice, but seven times. So the most important question would be. Why did I keep reincarnating?


    In most of the novels, a returner was someone who was sent back to stop the fall of the earth. Did that mean that I was sent back to stop Armageddon? Then why the fuck did I fail? Seven times at that!


    "Okay, if I really was a returner, then what exactly are the Sirens?"


    I didn''t know what each of the girls were in my past lives. Were they my lovers? Sisters? Mothers? Daughters? Why was I shown visions of them dying one after another?


    I tried to remember each warrior so that I could match them with one of the cosy Sirens. But for some reason, I could remember the Sirens, but not the warriors, who all seemed to have blended together. Discover more at m''vl emp yr

 Chapter 327: Doors? [2/2]

    The Sirens were killed by various means. Liv died at the hands of an army of undead. A demon killed Lilly, Robyn starved. Jo was in my arms with a hole in her stomach, Be threw herself off a cliff, while Jas was eaten by a dog monster. Finally, Aki was crushed by a tsunami.


    What the hell was going on? If the Sirens were the ones I loved in my past life, were they here now because they wanted to be? What if {Relive} forced them toe to me without their consent?


    Knowing that I wouldn''t get answers just by sitting around, I slowly made my way to the first door. It was the same one my body had flown into. Terror gripped my heart as my mind began to wonder.


    ''If I had failed seven times, how could I be sure I would seed this time? Despite the supposed power of my previous incarnations, the girls all died and "I" were left alone.''


    I originally thought that this was my task because of some higher power. But what if there wasn''t and I was just forcing myself to do it? I found it hard to believe that even with the knowledge of seven lives, I still couldn''t do shit.


    ''Just what the fuck have I been fighting against all this time?''


    Somehow I had already epted the idea that I was a reincarnator. One with seven lives to be exact. Otherwise, none of this made any sense. But {Fates} were like that. They were breakers of one''s definition of what one could and could not do.


    I tried turning the doorknob gently. Steeling my will, I opened the door. Sadly, nothing happened.


    "How anticlimactic."


    There was nothing behind the door. Just a white wall. Irritated at being scared of something so stupid, I quickly checked the others to find the same result.


    "What the fuck am I doing here?"


    There was one line in the vision that piqued my interest. "No one would remember even if you did." I repeated aloud.


    "Maybe that was the key to opening these doors?"


    But what did the saying mean? Was it simr to a Specter forgetting the dead? Well, if I really was a reincarnate, would the memories still disappear even if I was supposed to be reborn? Or do they return to the people after I arrive?


    Unlike in my vision, there was nothing behind or in the doors. A wall prevented me from doing anything but staring at the damn things.


    "Perhaps I still had some requirements to fulfill? In games, you need an event to pass through areas like this, right?"


    One thing was for sure, if IRIS was designing video games to give people the ability to solve puzzles, I think it was effective. Just like a puzzle game, I now had to figure out how to open these fucking doors.


    Exa was still out ofmission, so I couldn''t ask her. And I couldn''t contact the Sirens from wherever this ce was. But somehow I knew instinctively that this ce held a huge secret that I had to discover.


    What made me start this whole journey? What was {Relive} trying to do in the first ce? What part did the Siren y in all of this? At the moment, the seven doors corresponded to the seven warriors, each warrior apanied by a Siren.


    The connections were too numerous to call them a product of chance. These visions gave me a glimpse, however small, that the answer was within my harem.


    Obviously, whatever this ce was, I needed answers. And it seemed, at least for now. I wouldn''t get them here. Dusting myself off, I tried to will myself back to reality.


    When I felt the familiar pull on my soul, I surrendered to it and warped back to Earth.


    ***


    I jerked awake and tried to open my eyes. Surprisingly, the darkness suggested that the sun had already set.


    "Ugh. What time is it? Wasn''t Jas supposed to wake me up?" I said groggily.


    I checked my phone and noticed that it was already 6 pm. Hellsgate would open again in two hours, which meant I had slept for over ten hours. I still had a lot of things to do, so I panicked and tried to get out of bed.


    Only now did I realize that I wasn''t alone. My entire harem was sprawled across the bed in seductively thin pajamas. Due to the sheer size of this harem bed, we could all lie downfortably without any problems.


    A red light blinded me for a second as I looked up. It was one of Henry''s assault dishwashers. I think it was called a MAARS or something.


    [Good evening Father. Did you sleep well?]


    Hearing his messages in my brain, I tried to link up with my GRI so I could hear better. It was much easier to pick up signals with the phone than with my own brain. The difference was like analog and digital video.


    Both would get you the picture, but the fidelity and quality were worlds apart.


    ''Henry, good evening. Were you guarding us? Where is your mother?'' I conversed with technopathy.


    [Yes, father. This ce is guarded by Sabel and myself. Alfonso is also on standby should the need arise. As for Mother, she has allowed her body to rest. She is working in cyberspace instead.]


    ''I see. Thank you then, my son. Do not tell your mother that I am awake. Let her body rest. When did the rest of the Sirens arrive here?''


    [We arrived around noon, Father. The 2nd Amendment arrived and began to move into the suburbs where the Simmons family is located. Aunt V and Lady Inari joined the group after that].


    ''This is good. Thank you for keeping me informed. Is there anything else I should know?''


    [What I know is limited, father. Let me call Sabel. She would know more than I.]


    As the MAARS moved around its camera, a small drone on the table suddenly came to life. It was the finger-sized helicopter drone Sabel used. Be told me it was called a ck Ho nano.


    [Father! Good morning!]


    Unlike the cool teenage voice of Henry, Sabel had a bright and happy tone. It reminded me of Jo or Robyn.


    ''Good evening Sabel. Henry said you had some news for me?''


    [I do. Do you want me to send it over or would you rather chat about it?]


    ''Please just tell me in words Sabel, I am not as good as your mother.''


    [Heh, I see. Indeed, Mother acts like a machine that I sometimes forget she is human].


    The ck ho then silently moved to my position andnded on my shoulder. How it didn''t fall off was a mystery.


    [Father first, let''s start with what Mother did while you were sleeping. The LLG and the 2nd Amendment have beenbined and are now known together as Infinity. Infinity is structured like a Battlefront organization chart].


    ''Ho? As expected from your mother. Continue.''


    [Hehe, Mother will be pleased with your praise, Father. V''s wolves would y the role of Infinity''s mercenaries. Ten Graves would serve as her Production, while Minerva''s Wizards would simrly serve as her Administration. Finally, Freyja''s Bulwark would be our Fortification team.]


    Well, most of the developments were what I expected.


    [Currently, Academics and Adventurers do not have representatives. However, Aunt Inari has already begun to select members for Inari''s Kitchen. Aunt Satis, Ishtar, and Rhiannon are also looking for resources.]


    ''Okay, anything else?''


    [Yes, Father. News of your Seeker War has been made public.]


    ''Shit. I guess I should have expected that.''

 Chapter 328: To the toilet? [1/2]

    [The news of the Seeker war was announced by none other than the Revenant David Thomas. Would you like to see it, Father?]


    I felt a migraineing on. There was no need for David to announce the thing if he only wanted to tell the people of North America. But as if to tell the whole world that this was an event not to be missed, the asshole stepped forward to deliver the announcement.


    It was normal to use general celebrities to announce an event. However, if you used someone like a AAA Hollywood superstar. Then, of course, the results would bepletely different.


    For one thing, unlike the bastards who were just acting, the Revenants were the real deal. Every decision they made would have the impact to affect everything from geopolitics to economics to the threat of all-out war.


    I mean, for example, if David said he wanted to be President of the United States. Would there be anyone who could actually tell him no? Like hell that will happen. The only thing that could stop a Revenant was another Revenant.


    ''Yes, daughter. Please show me,'' I requested.


    One of the great benefits of {code} and technopathy in general was the removal of human interfaces. As someone who could interface directly with aputer, I no longer needed a monitor to see, nor speakers to hear.


    A small video appeared in my vision, much like an augmented reality screen. It was the Revenant of North America, the Invincible. He was on some sort of podium, standing in front of a pulpit with a microphone.


    ''This is ridiculous, he looks like an official or something.''


    [HAHAHAHAHAHA! IT IS I THE INVINCIBLE! HOW ARE YOU ALL MY SUBJECTS!]


    The sound was so loud that I almost went deaf. I had forgotten how noisy this bastard was. I adjusted the volume to about 10% of the total volume and it was still loud.


    [Ie to you all with news. Tomorrow night. July 29th, 2023, the North American Battlefront will have a Seeker war,] David said with a gigantic smile.


    ''Straight to the point as usual, no preludes or whatever,'' I chastised


    [The participants will be the mercenary army of Xander Rutherford. The Saviors. Their opponent will be someone who has done nothing but make headlines!]


    ''It''s not like I did all this because I wanted to be noticed, you ass.''


    [A Formless Reaper who only ascended a week ago. In that time, he has already garnered many des. He even founded a second Production Guild! This reaper also managed to be a Phantom not long ago, and even better, hemands at more than 10 Phantoms that he has personally raised!]


    ''This is starting to sound like a promo before a boxing match. What the hell was all this for?''


    [And the best part? Almost all of his Phantoms are Formless! It has barely been a week! There is no stopping this youngster!]


    David then made a grim face as he began toin, as if he had gone off script.


    [I have no problem with all his achievements, but this bastard is also a fucking lecher and depraved gigolo. And sadly, even my daughter was duped by him. Ah! Daddy''s little angel...]


    ''WHAT THE FUCK DAVID?!''


    [So to all the Specter cougars out there, hands off. I already recognize this bastard as my son-inw. The bastard already has a harem of seven Phantoms from every fucking continent. The only thing this bastardcks is fucking shame. HE IS THE ENEMY OF WOMEN, I TELL YOU!]


    ''This fucking asshole. Sabel, Henry, did I hear that right? He is talking about me, right?''


    [Sabel: He is, father. And outside of six people, there is hardly anyone who can call him out on it.]


    [Henry: Father, we should focus on the fact that you now have a Revenant as an inw. Do I have to call him Grandfather now?]


    [Sabel: Ry-ry, shut up. Or Mother will turn you into spare parts for Al-al].


    ''Ry-ry, Al-al? Sabel gave interesting names to her brothers. Since they were AI, I assumed they would call each other numbers or something.''


    [AH! I got distracted. Anyway, since my son-inw will be the other participant in this battle, I wanted to raise the stakes a bit. Savior has a 200-strong Reaper army with 30 Phantoms, however, I ordered Xander, a Specter, to stand down.]


    Somehow I started to get a bad feeling about all this. Kind of like when a high roller shows up at a casino, the regr folks should bail. David''s remarks made my stomach churn.


    [There are no restrictions on either side, but my son-inw is arrogant as fuck. He told Administration that he would not use his army. So he would be fighting on his own.]


    David then smiled maniacally as bloodlust poured out of him.


    [To the rest of the Battlefronts. Know that this is the true mettle of a North American Reaper. Remember that the next time you think we are easy prey.]


    ''Fuck,'' I cursed inwardly.


    [One Phantom against an entire army! Doesn''t that make your blood boil! OF COURSE IT DOES! I, THE INVINCIBLE, ISSUE A CHALLENGE TO ALL OTHER REVENANTS. Do you have the courage to put your money where your mouth is? ]


    ''Fuck. This can''t be good.''


    [I bet the entire 24th floor of the North American continent. My bet, of course, would be for my son-inw to win! To any Revenant who has the courage to wager with me, The only thing I will ept is your own 24th floor.


    [Winner takes all. If more than one Revenant epts and the Saviors win, I will surrender the upper floors starting with the 23rd. If my son-inw wins, then I will take them all!]


    ''W-what?'' I stammered in fear.


    What the hell was that bastard up to? He was willing to give up an entire floor? What about the defenders? The materials and soul crystals? What the hell was going on?!


    [Of course, it would be boring if only Revenants were betting, so let''s include everyone else. You see, this lecher''s harem is extremely powerful.


    [Even without my son-inw''s consent, they intend to fight for him. If they do, his victory is practically guaranteed. That is boring, so let us try this. The stakes for everyone else are as follows] Read today on m,v,l,e,mpyr


    ''This motherfucker...''


    [There will be two betting pools One for my son-inw and one for the Saviors. For every 1,000 souls in the Savior''s pool, his battle harem will be prevented from joining the battle for 1 second.


    [In contrast, for every 1,000 souls in my son-inw''s pool, one second of dy will be removed. So the betting pools would determine how early the battle harem can join. If they can join at all.]


    ''...''


    [The pools themselves will be the payout to everyone who joined the game. So as long as your side wins, you all get to keep a hefty payday! There are twenty-four hours before the battlemences. The pools will be finalized by then.]


    ''...''


    [HAHAHA! NOW THAT''S WHAT I CALL A SEEKER''S WAR! By the way, my son-inw''s name is LIMITLESS. You have all heard of him, right? HAHAHAAHA! I am waiting!


    You fucking cowards! The clock is ticking! HAHAHAHAHAHA!]

 Chapter 329: To the toilet? [2/2]

    The video then ended to show a live tally of the pools. A green pot showed the bets made for me and a red one was for the bets made for the Saviors. The numbers reflected considerable amounts. My pot already had over a million souls.


    However, the Saviors'' pot had over 10 million. The time values were calcted in real time.


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 2 hours, 7 minutes, 5 seconds].


    Originally, I was annoyed by all this. But wasn''t it a good thing? I agonized over whether or not to let the Sirens join, but isn''t this basically keeping them safe? And the best part was that I wasn''t the one to me!


    This way, only I had to fight all those bastards. But why the hell would David go through all that? The Seeker War was because of Robert Acwen and me. While the other Saviors were assholes too, it started with us.


    Phillip, Zach and even Rond asked me to back off. ording to Xander, he also asked Robert to drop the matter. David Thomas, on the other hand, was practically cheering for this war.


    ''His words seem to be trying to show that the Americans shouldn''t be underestimated. Was that bastard using me as a show of force?''


    I remembered things that seemed to support this idea as I tried to look at things from this angle.


    "As you wish. I gathered you all here to discuss the rewards for the enlistment. The nine of you are considered the elites who passed. For your performances you will be getting additional rewards. Apart from your group the rest has such pitiful performances I wouldn''t even use them as porters."


    "Amari and Mia being descendants and sponsored are no surprise, but I am beside myself that hardly anyone from the Alphabet, Meta and Te groups passed. The ones that survived were only able to so by hiding among the corpses of their allies. What a pathetic showing. And it had to happen when the enlistment was in my domain."


    Even when I was berated for killing Reapers, David was ashamed of the overall performance of the battlefront. Even though there were a lot of Reapers still alive after we killed the Brute, when the Stalker showed up, it murdered a lot of the survivors.


    ''I mean, knowing what I know now. Pitting Wraiths against a D-rank undead Stalker wasplete bullshit to begin with.''


    But the dots I connected didn''t end there. In fact, together they showed a storm in the process of forming.


    "Li Wudi does not take kindly to deserters. He gave us an ultimatum. ''Send them back or kill them.'' If we don''t he will Invade North America. What would you have done? Would you risk antagonizing a Revenant and bring war to ournd all for a bunch of Pajeets?"


    "No but¡­"


    On


    "Do you have any idea how many reapers Asia has? How many of ours would die if that Chink decided to invade us? We cannot fight a war on three fonts! David already has his hands full with the Neophiliac bastard from South America on top of the undead."


    The Revenants were never at peace, they merely suspended hostilities for the greater good. But...


    "David broke the armistice of the seven battlefronts. As the manifested are used to defend against Hellsgate, the Revenants seek to arm the Formless as quickly as possible."


    "To do what exactly?"


    "What else, to assault the other battlefronts. With your rise, the mes of war have been lit aze John Smith. The Formless will rapidly increase in power, and they will cause the battlefronts to experience floor breaks. Hastening the apocalypse."


    ''FUUUUCCCKKKKKKKKK,'' I couldn''t help but scream in my mind.


    It seemed that David was deliberately using my Seeker War as a warning. Probably to let the other battlefronts know how powerful I was. Besides, while he hated my multiple romantic rtionships, he approved of me.


    ''Come to think of it, he called me son-inw throughout the video.''


    He was practically telling all of Hellsgate that I was rted to him. Of course, even in medieval times, blood was the best way to strengthen alliances. Being seen as family, everyone would be led to believe that my power belonged to David.


    ''Not just me, but my harem and my armies.''


    Besides the fact that he could have a proxy match with the other Revenants, the prize was good for him. If all six other Revenants agreed, it meant that Floor 24 of the entire world would belong to North America.


    Throughout history, controlling the routes between ces has been a key tactic in both trade and war. Tariffs, blockades, taxes, you name it. Having an American floor between their supply lines meant that all other Revenants would have to y nice or risk having their forces isted beyond the 24th floor.


    ''Sneaky bastard,'' I grumbled.


    [Sabel: Father, what do we do?]


    [Henry: Father, please reconsider and allow the 2nd Amendment to join you.]


    ''I am fine. This may soundplicated, but it really isn''t. I joined this Seeker war for my own sake. I will destroy the Saviors or die trying.''


    [Sabel | Henry: ...]


    ''What? Do you want to say something?''


    [Sabel: Father, I apologize for being blunt, but you are being foolish. There is no merit or reason for the decisions father has made.]


    [Henry: I agree, Father. Your forces will ensure your survival, but you choose to die alone. My logic unit cannot understand the purpose of your intentions.]


    ''Reason huh?''


    I guess while I prided myself on being logical, there were times when I wasn''t. But people were emotional beings. Something that no amount ofputer processing could understand.


    ''Then watch me, my children. Instead of telling you, learn all you can tomorrow.''


    [Sabel | Henry: Yes, Father.]


    Feeling the gravity of the situation, I tried to get off the bed slowly. The problem with round beds was that to get to the other side you had to pass all the other sleeping people.


    ''Oh, right. Sabel, has your mother or the Siren''s seen David''s broadcast yet?''


    [Sabel: They have not yet, father. The video was posted less than two hours ago. Mother rested from cyberspace before that.]


    [Henry: Oh? She did? I thought she was still awake.]


    Ignoring Henry''s chatter, I moved to the edge of the bed. I was wearing only my shirt and a pair of boxers. The panties I had used to relieve myself were nowhere to be found.


    ''Someone must have seen them and either washed them or burned them. How embarrassing.''


    With smooth movements I crossed the bed and passed the sirens. It was a blessing that they didn''t try to hug me like Jas and Liv had earlier.


    They were spread out in a circle with me in the middle.


    As I was about to leave the edge of the bed, I felt a shiver run down my spine. When I turned around, I saw that all the Sirens had opened their eyes with sharp stares.


    They didn''t look like they just woke up. Every one of them looked ready to pounce on me.


    "Fuck."


    It was unnerving to have all those eyes staring at you. Especially when those faces were devoid of warmth. All seven of my girls opened their mouths and uttered the same words.


    "Love." "Dear." "Possum." "Darling." "Honey." "Husband." "Anata."


    "Where are you going?"x7


    "Um. To the toilet?"

 Chapter 330: Would you die for me? [1/2]

    Like a mouse in a field of lions, I began to shiver with fear. While my girls were adorable most of the time. When they were angry, they didn''t just let me off the hook with words.


    Thest time they were upset... They beat the crap out of me. It was only yesterday, but just as I had a bottom line, the Sirens had theirs.


    If mine was to make was the Sirens to get hurt. Theirs was in the same way to ensure my safety. And right now, I was sure they were pissed.


    ''What the fuck did I do?''


    While men were mostly logical, women weren''t. They operated in a different world, so to speak. Filled with feminine shit that wouldn''t even make sense to most men. Many have tried to map the brains of the fairer sex, only to learn that they do not know shit.


    At times like this, I remember the wise worlds of my adoptive father. It was the time I was hanging out on his porch and Noelle got mad for some reason. I had forgotten what my mom was bitching about, but Earl listened and ended up just apologizing.


    And somehow Noelle lost her anger and just started flirting with him again. After she left, I remember myself asking. "Why did you take all that, Pa?"


    His answer forever shaped my understanding of marriage. Earl shared a golden nugget that I remember to this very day.


    "It''s not about who is right or wrong, John. What matters in a marriage is love."


    "Love?"


    "You may forget that sometimes because of the day-to-day stuff. But whenever we get into a fight, I just ask myself. Would I die for this woman?"


    "If my answer is still yes, then whatever nonsense she says makes no difference. Of course, I am not perfect, but no marriage is without its problems. What remains true is that I would never put anything above your Ma. Not my pride, not myfort, not my right to be right.


    "The moment she understands that, she calms down. Remember son. When you meet the one you want to make your queen, always ask yourself, "Would I die for this woman? If the answer is yes. Then that will guide you as to what you should do."


    Would I die for you?


    It was a simple statement. But it was the ultimate expression of love. In a selfish and deceitful world, it was the one thing that could not be faked.


    Many have searched for such love.


    But few are blessed to ever find it.


    I thought I felt that way about Caroline.


    During the times she was angry because I cheated on her in her dreams.


    When she asked stupid questions like, "Would you still love me as your wife if I were a goldfish?" or the even stupider version, "If I were a tree, would you dedicate your life to taking care of me?"


    Your journey continues on m-vle-mpyr


    I mean, what the hell, woman? I was a human man in that situation! Why the hell would I love a goldfish or a fucking tree? And the sad part was, if I answered logically, I would get the cold shoulder.


    But through it all, I kept remembering Earl''s advice. Would I die for this woman? And the during those moments the answer was always yes. So even though I didn''t agree with all of her decisions, I always supported her.


    I even gave up part of my future so that she could have hers. But when she betrayed me. I remember wavering.


    ''Would I die for this woman? I... I am no longer sure.''


    When she broke my heart. I thought I had, but I knew deep down that the answer was no longer yes.


    Funnily enough, when I became aware of my own feelings for the Sirens. That was what I asked myself.


    When I learned of their atrocities?


    Yes.


    When I learned of their sins?


    Still a yes.


    Even when I learned of the enemies I would make and the burdens I would have to bear?


    Still a 100% yes.


    I was sure. Ever since that vision. The Sirens and I were meant to die together. My soul trembled at the thought of anything else. But if there was a way for them to survive in my ce. Of course I would take it.


    My pseudo kindred link with the Sirens shared how they felt. They were afraid. Of what, I was not yet sure. But the rabid stares right now were a product of that fear.


    So it was my responsibility as their partner and master of this harem to respond to their feelings.


    "Everyone. Calm down." I ordered with death resonance.


    Immediately, the girls all faltered and lost their sharp res. It was surprising how much death resonance I could muster. Did this mean that I had killed the most of the eight of us?


    When they all calmed down, I sat away from the bed and asked gently.


    "What is wrong, is something bothering you all?"


    "It''s about..."


    The first to speak was Lilly, looking ravishing in her sleepwear. It was semi-transparent and showed her breasts when the light hit them just right. Uncontrobly, I found myself entranced.


    "Dear, eyes up here," she pointed at her face.


    "Ah, sorry Lilly. I was charmed for a bit."


    "Anyway. It''s about the foolish bet my imbecile of a father made," Lilly continued, covering her chest with her arms.


    So they knew? Like it hadn''t been published a while ago.


    "Honey, I knew about the bet before the broadcast. Funnily enough, the source was chatter from the Astrologer in Europe."


    "Oh? The one who foresaw Jo and Jas'' {Fates}?"


    "Yes, the same one, Mr. Code. I intercepted a report with details of it nine hours before it was to be broadcast."


    "Hmm. The Astrologer can predict the future with such uracy, that fucking cheat!" I cried out angrily.


    "Dear, focus. When Be shared the information, we all knew it would change your attitude," Lilly said sternly.


    "Anata, the chances that you would favor us being excluded from the battle are practically guaranteed."


    "Darling is being overly protective after all. In fact, I told them you would even donate to the Saviors just to keep us out."


    "It''s Possum, of course he is like that. For us, you would willingly give up the 24th floor to the enemy."


    "Husband''s love is so great. He would fight a Revenant if we asked him to," Jasmine added, blushing.


    "But do not mistake us for pathetic women, my love. We have steeled ourselves to follow you into the deepest hells and beyond."


    "That''s why we decided that no matter what you say, Honey. The Sirens would do everything in our power to join you even one second sooner."


    "..."


    I see. It would have been great if the Sirens were obedient housewives.


    But they were not like that. Unlike women who showed their illogical side by asking silly questions. These girls showed their insanity by wanting to fight a war by my side.


    "Would you die for me?" I asked inly.


    "Yes."X7


    An immediate and unanimous answer. There was no other factor. No excuse and no condition. These women were crazy. Their love for me trumped everything, even their own futures.

 Chapter 331: Would you die for me? [2/2]

    It was a pathetic showing, really. We had had this conversation many times before, but I was still wavering. I had no intention of wasting time arguing about trivialities though. Taking a deep breath, I replied.


    "Okay. Then shall we get breakfast? Or should we order food to be delivered here?"


    "..."


    "What? You girls seem unhappy?"


    "You seem to be taking our insistence pretty well, Husband."


    "It smells like bullshit, Possum. You''re not just ying nice before you give us the slip, are you?"


    "We have made numerous ns to force you to allow us to join. To be honest, I find your immediate eptance unsettling, Honey."


    "It can''t be that easy, this is Shujin after all."


    "Yeah! Darling is a yandere after all!"


    "My love, do you not cherish us anymore?"


    " Hmph! Is that all your affection is worth, dear?"


    "..."


    Ugh, women. If I disagreed, they would get angry.


    If I agreed, they would still get angry. Most men find their bullshit annoying.


    I could feel my temple throbbing with irritation. I used [sh Step] and stole a kiss from each of my lovers. Surprised by my abrupt actions, their reactions were quite adorable.


    "Listen up, everyone. If it were up to me, I would lock you all in a dungeon and protect you for all eternity. But real life is not like that. I am not a god. So I might die one day. When that happens, who would protect you all?"


    Silenced by my words, the Sirens all sulked like children.


    "That is the only reason I allow you to fight. So that you can protect yourselves when I am gone. Of course, such a future would only be after I am dead. So, by that time, I won''t really have a say in the matter."


    If they were sulking before, now they were all scowling. I had never told them this reason before.


    "As for whether or not I love you, I think everything I have said and done already shows the answer, right? Do any of you still doubt me?"


    None of them could utter an answer.


    "Please don''t misunderstand. I have no intention of dying anytime soon. If anything, {Rewind} simply turned me into an immortal cockroach. So it may not even be necessary.


    "However, for the small chance that I am no longer around, I still want you all to be safe. This is my answer to protecting those I love most. I will raise each of you into Revenants."


    It wasn''t the first time I had said it, but that didn''t make it any less intimidating. Following me required such a mentality. I will surely walk in rivers of blood. Just like the warriors in my dreams, corpses would pile up like mountains for my goals.


    To ask that of one''s partner was selfishness of the highest order. But my women never followed logic. Like most women in the world, they followed their hearts. And I was the one who owned the hearts of the Sirens.


    "If I am to rule this world, you must all be with me. Quitting at this point is impossible. You will all be Revenants, or I will die trying. Does anyone want to give up their ce as my woman?"


    "NOOOOO!" x7


    Amused by their eagerness, I smiled as I moved toward the bathroom.


    "Then there is nothing more to discuss. I am hungry, let''s freshen up and then go for a quick bite. We can discuss what to do afterwards. Okay?"


    "Yes!" x7


    And so, the Siren and I freshened up to prepare for our breakfast, or technically dinner since it was already night. As if to take revenge for earlier, some of them deliberately undressed and showed me their naked bodies.


    Lilly, Jo, Aki and Robyn were pleased with my hard-on. And when they noticed that I was deliberately trying to stifle my sexual desire, the four of them decided to unt their bodies even more. On the other hand, Liv, Jasmine and Be were on the more reserved side.


    They all started chattering as they got ready. In the harem suite, arge bathtub had somehow been installed instead of a normal bathtub. It was so big that it even looked like a small swimming pool.


    Simr to the anime I was watching, the girls became very touchy-feely as they washed themselves. Moans and amorous sounds became the background music as I got ready. The liberated group deliberately tried to make me suffer. The demure group, on the other hand, were their victims in another sense.


    Fortunately, they knew not to go too far. Although they showed me their birthday suits, no one tried to engage in skinship. It was a good thing, because I was already at the breaking point of my self-control.


    It took everything I had not to fuck the brains out of these girls. Like a mantra, I kept repeating to myself.


    ''Just wait till Sunday. Just wait till Sunday. When Sundayes, I can do whatever I want.''


    Since they were around, I couldn''t even rub one out, even though I had plenty of material to use. Though not a photograph, I used {Gather} to etch every detail of their bodies into my memory.


    Like folders, I would retrieve the images as needed. After much difficulty, I put on my suit and waited. An hourter, the girls all came out dressed in new clothes that looked extremely stylish and chic. The new outfits looked suitable forbat and seemed easy to move in.


    Of course, each woman''s personality came through in her clothing choices. The liberal group had styles that showed skin and sex appeal. The demure group, on the other hand, were clothe conservatively, but were no less elegant or sexy.


    They did wear makeup, but it was minimal. Just enough to enhance their natural beauty. I hated the girls you see on social mediately. I mean, if you needed a jar of products to make yourself look pretty, that just didn''t seem like the right approach. So their choice made me extremely pleased.


    Another noticeable difference was that they even changed their hairstyles, Be, who used to wear twin braids, now wore a single long braid. Lilly, who used to wear her hair down, now had it in a ponytail.


    Robyn even had longer hair for some reason. Seeing her with longer hair only added to her attractiveness.


    I remember Caroline trying hair extensions before which I adored very much. She always kept her hair short, despite my requests for her to grow it longer. But when we broke up, I noticed that she suddenly had longer hair, as if to spite me.


    ''Why did the girls change their hairstyle? But I think it suits them all better.'' I wondered as I tried to forget about Caroline.


    Enjoy reading at m vl|em,pyr


    I knew early on that I loved girls with long hair. The idea that a woman''s hair was her crowning glory was something I was wholeheartedly agreed with. Though the changes were small, the girls all seemed to resemble characters I had lusted after in my youth.


    ''Maybe I am just imagining things. There is no way this is the case.''


    Being in a closed room, their perfumes also wafted through the air.


    Even though there were seven of them, none of their scents conflicted with each other and they harmonized extremely well. I could only describe them with one word. Seductive.


    While I waited for them, the clothes, the perfumes, and the makeup that seemed to enhance their inherent allure made every second well worth it.


    The way they were now, my girls wouldn''t lose to any Hollywood A-lister, past or present.


    "You all look stunningly beautiful. From your clothes to your hair to your perfumes. All seven of you look like goddesses that came down from the heavens," I confessed in a daze.


    Perhaps pleased with my reaction, they all giggled and held out their hands to me.


    "Love.""Dear." "Possum." "Darling." "Honey." "Husband." "Anata."


    "Shall we go?" x7

 Chapter 332: No longer alone. [1/2]

    The Sirens and I took the elevator down to the dining hall. Of course, even though the girls were wearing clothes meant forbat, they all looked like jewels. It was obvious how many men were starting to ogle the girls.


    I was conflicted. On the one hand, I liked showing off how beautiful my harem was. But at the same time I hated it. After all, I was a man. And I knew how lecherous and depraved human males could be.


    It wasmon to see a beautiful woman on the street or on my dailymute and find her dazzling. For those who really managed to make an impression, I would remember some of their features, look at porn sites for someone simr and jack off.


    With my girls, four of them showed some skin. And while the other three did not, their clothes hugged their bodies quite obscenely.


    Just how many of these bastards would picture my girls when they masturbatedter?


    Just the thought of it made my blood boil. Probably sensing my anger, Jo and Jas pressed their bodies against me as they whispered softly into my ears.


    "Darling, don''t worry. No matter how much they want it, my body is only for your eyes. Hehehe."


    "Husband''s reactions are adorable. fear not, I belong only to you."


    "Maybe I should ask you all to wear more conservative clothes," I pondered in concern.


    Find out what happens next on m_vl.em,pyr


    A pair of arms crossed my neck as I felt a soft andfortable weight behind my head.


    "Does it matter, my love? Even if the whole world tried, would you let them have their way with us?"


    "Of course I wouldn''t, Liv. I would exterminate mankind first."


    "Don''t encourage him Liv, dearest already has anger issues."


    "Besides, I hate baggy clothes. Didn''t you say you loved watching my cute little ass, Possum?"


    "I do, Kitten. I also picture pinning you to the floor and licking your abs until you cry."


    "Fuck me dead Possum, I''m kind of scared right now."


    "Be careful girls, you all saw the data Aira sent. Honey is a real sexual deviant. His depravity knows no bounds."


    "Ugh. Please tell me she lied about sending you all my porn records," I worried.


    "She did not, dear. I even changed my hairstyle ordingly. Are you happy?"


    "AH! Are you for real?! So I wasn''t imagining it?"


    "Yes, master. Everyone here looked for the closest character we could find and tried to match it. However, it was incredible that everyone found more than one character match."


    "Shit, someone kill me," Iined embarrassed.


    Having someone know what you were jerking off to was bad enough. But for the girls I loved the most, finding characters that looked like them was fucking worse.


    "Husband, I was so happy, you know? That you loved ck girls like me. Even though I can''t dye my hair white, physically I am the same as..."


    "Jas, please stop. I''m about to die from shame."


    Then I felt Liv''s embrace tighten around my neck. It was like I was a stuffed animal she was cuddling. It wasforting in a way. Loving a taller woman had its advantages. Even without a child, Liv''s body screamed MILF.


    "My love, I felt incredible knowing how much you loved taller women. The acts they did are a little too much for me. But I will try my best to learn. W-would you ravage me like those men did in those videos?"


    Ah, fuck it. How could I say no now, hearing such a statement from my Northerner.


    "Sigh. Yes, love. I nned to do everything you saw and more. I would make love to you and every part of your body. By the time I am done with you. My caress and my body would be all you would know," I said in all seriousness.


    Well, what else would a man like me do when he finally made love to a woman? Of course, I would imitate all the acts of depravity I had seen in porn. From the east to the west, the things I had in mind would be things that could not be made public.


    "Not just you, Liv. This goes for everyone here. I am so backed up right now, I can barely stand it. With {Rewind} and {Eat}, I will pour out all my desires on your bodies without rest or restraint. Forget about doing anything else, none of you are even allowed to wear clothes when wee out of this war."


    Then I felt Jo, Jas and Liv all stop walking at the same time. Lilly, Robyn, Be and Aki also froze in their tracks.


    I looked at my party and saw that they were all blushing like tomatoes. Amused, I couldn''t help but continue.


    "None of you are weak women. You have all seen my preferences, right? Expect to feel my affection in the most primal manner. Wash your bodies well, for when I begin to feast on you all, a few days will not be enough. By the time I am finished, you will most likely all be pregnant," I threatened with a lecherous smile.


    But contrary to my expectations, the Sirens didn''t cower like virgins. Instead, they made thirsty faces as they replied with eyes full of desire.


    "Hmph! Big words from a virgin! Honey will probably onlyst five seconds!"


    "Hehe I can''t wait darling. Love me lots, okay?"


    "I hope I don''t disappoint you, my love."


    "Husband, my panties are wet..."


    "Anata, I will try to live up to your expectations."


    "Possum, I am quite flexible. Fuck me till you are satisfied I won''t break easily."


    "How obscene! You could practically be sued for sexual harassment, dearest!"


    Chuckling at their adorable responses, I led my harem out to eat. Their reactions ranged from disbelief, expectation, eagerness to embarrassment. Yet I found them all endearing.


    Ignoring the peanut gallery along the way, the girls and I requested a table for eight and ced our orders. This ce had buffets for breakfast, but for lunch and dinner it transformed into a fine dining establishment.


    Although we were led to a secluded table, I wasn''t sure if such arrangements were exclusively for Reapers or not. The Sirens had me sit at the head of the table, as the man of the house would.


    Lilly and Be took the seats next to me. Liv and Jo took the next row. While Aki and Jas took thest row and had sat next to them. My Japanese lover practically dragged Robyn to sit next to her. Most likely for the sake of her vegetable intake.


    Aki and Jas took the lead in ordering.


    Both were quite serious about the family getting the right nutrition. The others and I hardly cared, so we just followed their words. They chose side dishes to go with our main meals, for bnce or something.


    It was amazing how much you can learn from the way people eat.


    Liv and Robyn, who had trouble deciding, had meat dishes after some help from the waiter. Aki, true to her roots, got a fish dish that looked delicious.


    Jas had a hearty sd with a side of chicken, while her sister paired light sandwiches with some pasta.


    Lilly asked for wine and some fancy food I couldn''t even pronounce, while Be ate rice with some kind of stew.


    Being the simple bastard that I am, I asked for the biggest T-bone steak they had, along with a heaping helping of mashed potatoes. The Sirens and I chatted about lighthearted topics and enjoyed the atmosphere.


    We enjoyed ourselves while eating. The only hups came with a waitress who tried to flirt with me and a waiter who kept ogling my women.


    In a fit of jealousy, the girls used death resonance tomand the waitress to p herself and m her face into the door. Repeatedly.


    As monkey see monkey do, I imitated them and ordered the jackass waiter to write "asshole" on the floor in Morse code. Of course, he used his face for both the dashes and the beeps.

 Chapter 333: No longer alone. [2/2]

    Despite terrorizing a few people, our meal ended on a good note. Of course, being a man, I picked up the tab. I didn''t even worry about the cost, I just sent the money via digital payment.


    Lilly, seeing this, ridiculed me with glee. "How quaint. Are you still using mobile payments as a reaper, Dear? Why didn''t you order a soul card?"


    "A what?"


    "Ignore the smug heiress, honey, it''s basically a credit card for reapers. Everything you buy is deducted from your soul ount. They offer an automatic soul conversion service for free."


    "Oh? How handy! Does everyone already have one?"


    At my question, the girls all pulled out a ck credit card with a reaper image on it. Liv handed me hers so I could get a better look. It looked like any other credit card, but somehow it felt like it had a soul.


    The name "Freyja" was embossed in gold letters.


    "Lilly, can you get me one?"


    "I already have, dearest. As your kindred, how could I allow you to endure such inconvenience such as mobile payments."


    The untamed then took out a small envelope containing a soul card. She handed it to me with a smile. I examined the card and noticed that it had the word "Limitless" in elegant script.


    "Honey, note that this card automatically hides in your GRI when not used.


    It serves as a reaper''s identification. It cannot be forged or imitated. When there are no more souls in your ount, the card will turn white."


    "I see. Thank you both for this."


    When the topic of finances came up, the girls made grim faces. It didn''t take a genius to understand why.


    The bet David had made was, of course, on everyone''s mind.


    In a best-case scenario, enough people would bet on me that the Seeker War would begin with the Sirens already present. But realistically, that seemed impossible. At worst, I would already be dead and the Sirens still wouldn''t be deployed.


    This scenario was beyond our control. No matter how powerful we were, the Reaper society as a whole was in charge. Even though the Revenants were not directly involved in the game, it was a safe bet that their people were.


    After all, when the other six battlefronts pooled their resources, it was hard to fight with just North America''s finances. At least from my point of view.


    I mean, I had about 60 grand to my name. And I was a Reaper for barely a week. Given enough time, anyone would be able to amass a significant amount.


    That was assuming everyone fought like I did. Unfortunately, I was considered an anomaly. One had to remember that the norm in Hellsgate was for Wraiths to barely get by. Phantoms would use almost everything they had to defend themselves.


    Specters, who should have the most money, would have already forgotten what the hell they were fighting for. That left only seven Revenants, who would care less about such trivialities.


    "B-be, I have a live feed to the numbers. Are these real?" Jo asked, her voice shaking.


    "Fuck me dead! These numbers are absolutely insane!"


    "This is bullshit! How many reapers voted against this? The Revenants are probably giving their resources to their subordinates to indirectly increase the Savior pool," Be theorized.


    Jasmine frowned as she added.


    "Well, the implications of owning a floor outside of your continent are great after all."


    "Tsk. Everybody! Let''s go to Hellsgate now! There is no time to waste!" Liv bellowed.


    I looked at the numbers and understood why the girls were wearing gloomy expressions.


    My betting pool already had 4,350,000 souls, which was amazing in its own way. Unfortunately, it was a drop in the bucketpared to the Savior''s pool. The total number of souls was already at 35 million.


    And the total time the Sirens were barred from joining was eight hours and thirty minutes. Since the Reapers fought at extremely high speeds, I would have either won or died long before that countdown expired.


    But that changed nothing. The fight was going to happen anyway, so it hardly mattered to me. From my point of view, I needed a healthy number of souls to keep for the battle. Putting them all into my pot and having nothing to use for the battle was stupid.


    "Lilly-sama, your fortune should be considerable at this point, right?"


    "Ara, aren''t you just as well off as Aki? After all, you practically have the resources of an entire n? Didn''t you liquidate them for Haru as soon as you knew that he was still alive?"


    The whole table faced Lilly Browning and Aki Miroku. I knew Lilly was rich, but it was surprising to hear that Aki was too. As much as I was ttered by what they were nning, I stopped them.


    "Aki, Lilly. Its okay, please don''t tr..."


    "Dear, shut your mouth." "Shujin, be quiet."


    Surprised by their violent reactions, I closed my mouth.


    "Then you go first, Lilly-sama, how much have you umted in souls?" Your story source m_v lem|p-yr


    "Provided I left the Browning family behind, my personal funds only amount to 10,000,000 souls. And how much do you have, sweetheart?"


    10 million? Didn''t that mean Lilly had over $200 million in cash? Holy shit, my girl was loaded.


    "7 million souls, though I sold everything at a loss."


    Wow. That was still 140 million! With that kind of money, Haru would be loaded for life. That kind of money made sense if Aki managed to recover and sell the assets of over a hundred reapers.


    "However, we are still short. Even if we add seventeen million to Husband''s pool, the timer would still dy us by three hours, forty-seven minutes and thirty seconds."


    "Maybe we should collect Devil''s Remains and sell them. With the amount of zones we can clear, we should have enough, shouldn''t we?" Liv suggested.


    "Let''s go already! We don''t have enough time! Get up you ggers!"


    I was about to voice my opinion when Be suddenly took my lips. After passionately licking the inside of my mouth, her zed eyes met mine as she spoke.


    "Mr. Code. This is our fight. Your job is to ensure that you do not die before we arrive. How we get into the fight is up to us. Do not worry.


    The Sirens are quite strong."


    "Ahh! Be! Stop stealing kisses from Darling!"


    "Unhand my dearest, you big-boobed harlot!"


    After getting the Siren''s to calm down, we returned to our room and warped to Hellsgate ahead of schedule.


    By the time we got there, there was a hugemotion going on.


    "GET YOUR ASSES IN GEAR! THEY WILL BE HERE ANY MINUTE!"


    "COME AND GET YOUR SKEWERS! They are free all night to Infinity!"


    "Okay, Yvonne, get your squad''s tactics in order and keep it tight. This is going to be a race against time."


    Surprisingly, therge number of people were all rted to my forces. Cynthia and Addison were organizing the Ten Graves.


    Joshua was debriefing the 2nd Amendment and V''s wolves.


    Phillip, Wil and Tildi were meeting with numerous groups of adventurers. Eva held her skewers out to the people running around. Terence and Freyja''s Bulwark assisted the Ten Graves as strong men.


    On the other hand, Van and Minerva''s Wizards sat together and discussed something fervently. The moment our groupnded. An extremely loud air horn sounded, causing everyone in the receiving area to look in our direction.


    "THEY ARE HERE!" the voice shouted.


    Phillip and Joshua walked forward along with the other leaders. Before I could say anything, my Exclusive Clerk took the point and gestured to our entire force.


    "Esteemed Limitless. Infinity is ready for battle."


    "I see. I really am no longer alone," I eximed overjoyed.

 Chapter 334: Hellsend [1/2]

    Ignoring my brief moment of happiness, Phillip shouted to the rest of the leaders


    "Department heads. Please present your reports."


    One by one they began to exin what they were doing. It was a lot to take in, to be honest. I didn''t even know that my group already had so many departments. Weren''t Cynthia or Be supposed to manage this shit?


    "My Lord! The ten graves are jacked by the kitchen and ready to roll! Leave the looting and the sales to us!" Cynthia cheered.


    No wonder this girl was screaming at the top of her lungs. It must be the effect of {Comfort food}. But which kitchen was she talking about? Had Aki already formed Inari''s Kitchen?


    Eva and Adam Baker came forward as she grinned.


    "Yo boy! I am not part of Infinity yet, but my boys and girls are part of Inari''s Kitchen. We have enough food to feed your troops for at least a month. We can''t let your ass die tomorrow, can we?"


    I wonder if these poor fools knew what was in store for them. If they thought that being a part of Inari''s kitchen meant just being cooks, they were sorely mistaken. Aki had already mentioned that she nned to train these bastards severely.


    Joshua, nked by Mike and Warren, spoke next. While the Asian had a serious face, the other two had goofy smiles.


    "The Infinity army has incorporated the new troops as directed by Lady Satis. We looked for people with military orw enforcement experience. Apanied by two Wolves from the 3rd Squad, the members of the 2nd Squad are now serving as squad leaders. My Lord. We now have 7 10-man squads ready for battle."


    What the fuck? When did we get so many people? All three of my men now had Phantom soul signatures. Liv''s threats seemed to have borne fruit. But Jasmine didn''t share that she was the one who gave the ns to expand the army.


    Still, I was apprehensive. Wouldn''t it be dangerous to have so many new people? I didn''t trust them easily. Could the other troops operate without {Reload}? What if they betrayed us?


    Wilfred, one of my two new clerks, announced as he gestured to arge group of reapers further away.


    "My lord. Tildi and I have posted short quests for Adventurer parties. We will have no problem going more than 10 zones at a time. Many even wish to sign long-term contracts or join Infinity as permanent Adventurers. As instructed by Lady Ishtar, we have yet to respond to them."


    Hmm. That was expected. Lilly knew the disadvantages of taking on too many people too quickly. Besides the mercenaries, the adventurers were the only able-bodied force. But they could also be loose cannons or spies nted by others.


    "Also, my lord, as Lady Rhiannon pointed out, everyone who joined Infinity was forced to take a Seeker''s Vow of Loyalty. If they were to break this vow, they would have to surrender their bodies to be transformed into soulgear. Only then were they granted {Rewind}, {Reload}, or {Regen}," Tildi continued.


    ''Ah, so that is why.''


    A seeker''s vow was essentially a ve contract. Should a reaper break his vow. The rules of the vow allowed the one who made it to takepensation as stipted.


    The rules Robyn proposed were simple. Work for us and earn souls. If you betray us, we will take your life and your {Fate} instead.


    ''How heartless. I like it,'' I thought with a smile.


    Terence Anvil, the head of the Strongmen, stepped forward, unaware of my inner evil machinations.


    "My lord! Lady Freyja has ordered us to join the troops as shielders. Commander Joshua has already divided us into groups. Our other mission is to prepare the future zones of Infinity for defense. If you grant us the new material, we will ensure that your strongholds will never fall!


    How fitting. Liv, who knew what it felt like to have her battlefront breached, was concerned about our defenses. This was before we even had zones.


    I was sure that even if I neglected our defenses, my northerner would make sure that my zones were as hard as steel.


    Then a man with sses and baggy clothes stepped forward and handed me a clipboard.


    "My lord, as for my report. Here are thetest records of all avable zones, ranked by strength and potential spoils. Minerva''s Wizards will also be deployed along with the mercenaries to serve asmunication officers. Leave the intelligence gathering to us."


    I looked at the clipboard and saw a digital screen like a tablet.


    ''Ho? These bastards already had {Code}? ''


    Be probably ns to use them forbat and data analysis. I had never been to war, but I knew how important information was in battle.


    This was something I experienced personally, as fighting a Dirge Siren blind as opposed to having Aira with me was like night and day. With the Sirens and {Perspective} and {Portal}, along with the Wizards, coordination between the groups would lead to the best oue.


    Finally, Yvonne and Aisha stepped forward, wearing ck uniforms with a wolf emblem on their shoulders.


    "Patron. Asmanded by Lady V, I have shared {Rewind} with the saints who wish to join V''s wolves. To prove their worth, they have worked without rest. Over two thousand rounds of various calibers as Sacreds have been added to our ammunition stores." Find additional stories on m_vl-em,py-r


    Two thousand rounds? How on earth did they do that? Or rather, was the entire Sacred Division involved? Hadn''t V''s wolves just been created yesterday? How could they even get the souls to rewind so many times?


    2000 Sacreds for sixty saints would be thirty-three rewinds. Who allowed the saints to even dare to try to rewind that many times?


    "Patron, the saints do indeed have {Rewind}. But the majority of the Sacreds have been manufactured because of the {Comfort Food} from Inari''s kitchen," Aisha, the girl with the sses, added.


    Oh? So there was a synergy between the Saint Division and Inari''s Kitchen. As long as the Saints were desperate enough, they could gorge themselves on monster meat skewers and continue to bless without stopping.


    When Jo turned it into a test, the Saints all tried their hardest to join V''s wolves. But isn''t it too fast? The wolves fought zombies. Why were they so eager to join?


    Yvonne, who must have understood my confusion, looked me dead in the eye as she interjected excitedly.


    "Patron, the Sirens just y! No cap! Lady Minerva recorded our beatdown of our opps and gave it to Lady V! Like, the Saints were mostly NPCs, right? I used to just let them cook, but Lady V is THE GOAT PERIODT!"


    Ah yes, without Yvonne''s rambling nonsense, which I could not understand, it would not be the same.


    "She showed it to them and said ''Get up and fight.'' They saw our glow-up and knew we were not just being extra. They all ate Lady V''s words and turned into V Stans! Now they all follow her and understood the assignment," The blonde head saint chattered.


    Aisha sighed while she tranted.


    "Patron, Lady V showed the entire Saint Division how the V wolves were created. Many felt saved by Lady V''s words. When she used the Sacreds as a measure of everyone''s resolve. The Saint Division as a whole went above and beyond what anyone expected."

 Chapter 335: Hellsend [2/2]

    "Aisha, I demand that you be present whenever I talk to Yvonne."


    "Sigh. I understand, Patron."


    Still, the sudden changes in the LLG could not have happened just like that. I then connected to the Minerva Network and sent a message to my harem.


    [Limitless: Everyone. Thank you. It is at moments like this that I feel how lucky I am to have each of you in my life. I am quite stupid, so please never leave my side, okay? My precious Kindred. The ones who own my heart.]


    [Freyja: You are our world, love. And we would do anything to keep you safe.]


    [Ishtar: Such is expected of us, dearest Otherwise, we do not deserve to stand beside you.]


    [Rhiannon: Don''t worry Possum. We''ll always be there to set you straight!]


    [V: Anything for you, Darling! We mean it!]


    [Minerva: Just do what you do best, honey, we will handle the rest.]


    [Satis: This is our right and our privilege, husband. Now and forever.]


    [Inari: Of course, Shujin. We would never let you face this all alone.]


    I couldn''t help but smile at the corner of my lips. While I was resting, everyone was forming the new group Infinity to be something that could support me.


    [Limitless: By the way, who came up with the name Infinity? It''s kind of a mouthful. Can I rename the group?]


    [Sirens:...]


    [Limitless: Everyone?]


    As I turned around, I noticed that the Sirens were all making interesting faces. Some were annoyed, while others looked embarrassed. Did the name Infinity carry so much weight?


    [Rhiannon: I told you all it was stupid.]


    [Minerva: Shut up, jailbait! We voted!]


    [V: Hehe. Darling is kind of simple minded, he likes things in the most basic way possible.]


    [Ishtar: But where is the poetry in that? How could such aplex and intricate group have such a rudimentary name? Romance people! Where is the romance?]


    [Satis: Another case of how reading smut turns your brain into shit.]


    [Inari: Lilly-sama, I think the problem is that you abhor simple names. Like Rhiannon said. Limitless of Infinity sounds a bit...]


    [Rhiannon: It sounds stupid, you pervert!]


    [Minerva: Stop it! Infinity is what Honey''s group stands for! This faction will never run out of supplies! It is infinite!]


    [Ishtar: Be...sniff. Only you can understand me.]


    [Rhiannon: That''s because you''re both out of your minds!]


    [Freyja: But it sounded cool... thend of infinity. The Shield of Infinity. A good name.]


    [Inari: Liv, I think you are focusing on the wrong thing.]


    As I listened to the conversation between my girls, I couldn''t help but smile. The romantics, Be, Lilly and Liv, seemed to have chosen the name. While the no-nonsense group made up of Aki, Jas and Robyn had a different opinion.


    Jo, was probably the one who cast the deciding vote. I could see her going either way. Not wanting to make a bigger deal out of it, I stepped in and calmed my girls down.


    [Limitless: Everyone. Infinity is a beautiful name. If I had a ship, I would name it Infinity, but for our group, I wanted something different. If you don''t mind, can I change the name?]


    [Freyja: I follow you, my love. I do not care what we are called.]


    [Rhiannon: Bloody oath, I agree with Liv. Have at it, Possum.]


    [Satis: I follow your words, Husband.]


    [Inari: I am the same Anata.]


    [V: Make it good, Darling!]


    [Minerva: If it sounds stupid, I will object, is what I wanted to say. But you already trust us too much with the group Honey. The least you can do is give it a name.]


    [Ishtar: Sigh. Very well. I will relent. Let it be known that your spouse is a reasonable and supportive woman. When we get a ship, it will be called Infinity! Okay?] Delve into stories on m-v-l-e-mpyr


    [Limitless: Thank you everyone. I love you all]


    I then turned to the leaders of the group we have and dered in a loud voice with {Announce}.


    "Well done, everyone. Thank you for your dedication to my goal. I have discussed it with the Sirens and our group will have a new name. Infinity will be a reserved name for ater date."


    Phillip wiped his monocle with a handkerchief as he asked. "I see, what would your forces be called then, my lord?"


    Jo was right about one thing. And that was that I disliked extremely symbolic names. Names had power. And with that power it was best if the name was simple and direct.


    As a Reaper, I had only one goal. It was to close Hellsgate. To end all the undead and free the reapers from their curse to fight for eternity. Now that I had a family, I wanted to end this nonsense in my generation. I did not want my children to inherit such a chaotic future.


    What I longed for was to live with my women in and without war. A ce where we could live in peace, where we did not have to fear death or wickedness. What I wanted was an end to this hell.


    "We shall be called Hellsend."


    "Hellsend?" Phillip parroted in confusion.


    Inside the Minerva Network.


    [Sirens:...]


    [Rhiannon: So fuckingme...]


    [Freyja: This is... interesting?]


    [V: Well, that is really simple. It can also be read as "Hell send" which is kind of cool?]


    [Inari: Shujin...I...never mind]


    [Satis: Husband, the name is good. Don''t listen to them.]


    [Minerva: Is it toote to use Infinity?]


    [Ishtar: I understand the intent, but really? Hellsend? Dear, was that the best you coulde up with?]


    [Limitless:... is it that bad?]


    I noticed people looking at the new name with wry smiles. Gritting my teeth in embarrassment, I roared as loud as I could.


    "We shall be called Hellsend. Our purpose is only one thing. To end the need for this hell. To send the undead back to their graves and prevent their return. We will fight until we can''t any longer, and we will stop the end of the world dead in its tracks!"


    My words caused whispers and murmurs. Even if the name was bad, the intent was clear and direct. We were not going to focus on politics, religion, or some intangible goal. Instead, it was something even children could understand.


    To end hell. To end the need for descendants and even reapers. To prevent the undead from ever rising again. That was my goal. And that would be the focus of this group.


    "Three cheers for Hellsend!" Robyn hollered.


    "Hiphip!"


    "HOOORAY!"


    "Hiphip!"


    "HOOORRRRRRAY!"


    "Hiphip!"


    "HUUAAAARRRRRRAAAAYYYY!"


    Their impromptu cheers prompted the majority to respond in kind. Each iteration of "Hip Hip Hooray" grew in volume and intensity. By thest one, the group was beyond excited.


    I then raised my fist in the air and used {Announce}.


    "I hereby dere the formation of Hellsend! Prepare yourselves for battle! We will crush as many undead as we can in the next eight hours! ARE YOU WITH ME?!"


    The armies of the 2nd Amendment began mming the butts of their rifles into the ground. Along with a rhythmic stomping of their feet. The beat infected the rest of Hellsend. It culminated in a loud cacophony of cheers and excitement.


    At the peak of the energy, I yelled with {Announce} and death resonance!


    "HELLSEND! BEGIN THE ASSAULT!"

 Chapter 336: A Turkey Shoot? [1/2]

    Lilly wore a ck cap and jacket. They were extremely simr to the ones she wore for the White Guard. My queen didn''t actually wear the jacket sleeves and all, she just ced over her shoulders like a cape.


    She then dered with {Announce} like a queen.


    "I, Ishtar, willmand this operation. Minerva will be our master tactician. While the other Sirens will act asmandos. As discussed, your orders will be ryed through Minerva''s wizards. Each group will now teleport to zone 1063-2. HELLSEND!


    MOVE OUT!"


    1063-2? The number was somehow familiar. Had I fought in this zone before?


    "YES, LADY ISHTAR!"


    At her words, a huge amount of teleportation circles appeared. The groups that were in the center of the circles then broke into particles of light. One by one, the Hellsend groups all teleported en masse.


    I was somewhat skeptical because I didn''t know what the n was. Even though I trusted the Sirens, it wasn''t fun to be kept out of the loop. When almost everyone left. My girls crowded around me.


    "Um, can someone tell me what is going on?"


    "Honey, we were trying to think of a faster way to kill more undead. We used your Maneuver AB as a base and made it much better. Unfortunately this n, it doesn''t have a name yet. This was because the Sirens couldn''t agree on a name."


    Oh? Maneuver AB was a n I came up with on the spot. I shared with the 2nd Amendment. It was basically a simple n that followed three steps.


    Draw all your targets into a small space.


    Experience amazing tales on m vl-em|p-yr


    Blow them to bits for as long as you can.


    Run to the opposite zone when overwhelmed.


    By using {Rewind} and spamming {Honey Trap}, I could effectively maximize the benefits of using guns.


    Since it was impossible for me to defend an area indefinitely, this n of action became necessary. When I went out with the 2nd Amendment, the need to run was reduced. As long as we could put down enough, we would not be overwhelmed.


    Sacred, barbed wire, and floodlights all helped secure the defenses. Be showed me that it was possible to mount {Honey Trap} on a drone and have it "fish" for you. A single drone would minimize the risk of baiting and maximize the ability of the Soulgear to lure enemies.


    The current n used by my army squads was already close to perfect. How does Be n to improve it?


    Perhaps seeing the doubt in my eyes, Jo smiled mischievously as she teased me.


    "Ah! Darling thinks we are lying! Bad Darling! The Sirens have been brainstorming long and hard, you know? Say sorry to Robyn''s brain cells!"


    "Get stuffed Jo! I am not a drongo you nut job! "


    "Fufu. Indeed, Robyn contributed much to the n, please praise herter master".


    "Husband, we must go as well. The Sirens will be needed for this n," Jas whispered softly. My raven-haired lover rested her chin on my shoulder as she intertwined her fingers in mine.


    Somehow, holding hands like this felt lewder than openly groping my girl''s assets.


    My free hand was suddenly taken by Liv and pushed between her massive breasts. Despite her clothes, the sensation of her boobs gave me a feeling of euphoria. It felt amazing as her soft chest and warm skin enveloped my hand in a pleasurable heaven of flesh.


    "My love. Please do not worry about what we are about to do. Know that it is nothingpared to the thought of losing you."


    What? What the hell were the girls nning to do? Before I couldin, Aki suddenly appeared in front of me, wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a soft kiss.


    "Anata. Please believe in us to the end," she added after we parted.


    Then Be shooed the sirens away from me while sheined. "Go already. You''d think it was the end of the world, the way you''re all acting."


    Lilly smiled brightly as she gave me a flying kiss. "Wait patiently, dear. The girls and I will prepare the most spectacr stage for you. By this time tomorrow. Your name will be on everyone''s lips."


    A burst of light erupted, causing the six Sirens to all simrly vanish. Presumably on their way to zone 1063-2. Alone with my Brazilian bombshell, I felt a little lonely after the girls left.


    Noticing my feeling, Be gave me an affectionate hug as she reassured me.


    "Honey, do you have to be so clingy? You''ll see themter, why do you look so sad?"


    "It''s the same feeling as a piece of your heart leaving Mrs. Code. As long as I don''t see everyone with me, I can''t settle down."


    "Even though I am here?"


    "Be, you being with me is the only reason I can still be calm. I can''t help it. Lately you girls are all I think about."


    Be broke off and continued with her back to me. "Would you miss me as much if I was one of the ones who left?"


    "Of course," I said immediately.


    Seemingly pleased, she extended her hand to me with a smile. "Enough of that! Mr. Code. Take my hand, your world debut awaits!"


    "My what?"


    My Brazilian lover jumped towards me with a cute cry. "EI!"


    As she wrapped her arms around me, I suddenly felt my soul being pulled.


    {Squad member Minerva of the Seven Sirens has initiated a summoning. Will you join Minerva in teleporting to 1063-2? Please state your Reaper ID and name to confirm.}


    {Reaper NA20230799-FRM, Limitless.}


    {Confirmation received. Wee Reaper Limitless. Entering zone 1063-2 in 3...2...1...}


    As I surrendered to the call, Be and my body dissolved into light as we headed to our next battlefield.


    ***


    A sonic boom and a burst of bright light announced my arrival. I opened my eyes and quickly searched for my lover. Finding Be right next to me soothed my nerves.


    Isabe Taurus, noticing the relief in my expression, teased me with a smile.


    "Fufu. Mr. Code. If someone saw you right now, they would think you would die without me by your side."


    Guilty as charged, I brought her small hand to my mouth and kissed it. "Can''t really say much if it''s true."


    "!!!"


    Pulling her hand away, Be stood up quickly, flustered. Wondering what was going on, I btedly noticed that there were a few people around us. The clerks Philip, Wil and Tildi as well as Van Micron, the leader of the recently joined academics.


    "As always, our esteemed lord shows his unending love for his harem," Phillip dered dramatically.


    Wil, Tildi and Van began to chuckle like delinquents at the monocled bastard''s idea of a joke. Annoyed, I reached out and pulled Be into my embrace. Ignoring her resistance, I nted a passionate kiss on her lips.


    Initially surprised, she melted into submission and epted my advances. After a few seconds, I helped her to her feet while addressing my exclusive clerk.


    "There are only two things I will never apologize for, you monocled prick. Loving my women and killing zombies. If you are trying to shame me into stopping, your n is dumb as shit."


    Tildi immediately ran towards Be. She brushed the dust from my honey''s clothes with scarlet cheeks. Wil tried to do the same, but I stopped him with my hand.

 Chapter 337: A Turkey Shoot? [2/2]

    "Get away from me before I shoot you. I don''t like to be touched by others."


    "I understand, my lord," Will replied.


    Phillip made a face of disgust before straightening up.


    "Lady Minerva, my Lord Limitless. Themand center has been set up and phase one of the operation is underway."


    The gleam in Be''s eyes wiped away all the emotions from earlier. As if a switch had been flipped, the woman in front of us was now "Minerva", the tactician of Hellsend.


    "Follow." My girl uttered one word as she walked towards this supposedmand center. I could sense the overwhelming amount of information flowing to and from Be''s brain.


    If I were to use my own technopathy signals, I would be like a typewriter that only hits one key at a time. Be was like a mechanical keyboard in the hands of a stenographer.


    Without needing anyone to guide her, we walked in silence. I kept quiet so that Be could concentrate. She might look like she was doing nothing, but the sheer volume of digital signals meant that Minverva was talking to more than twenty people at once.


    Eventually we reached a clearing. There was a lonely house with walls around it. The house itself was remodeled, but it looked simr to the very first zone I cleared as a Death Seeker.


    And true enough, a Phantom with sses approached us.


    "Greetings! I see you have aplished much sincest week, John Smith."


    "Patrick Steorra. Surprised to see our group in your zone."


    Read thetest tale on M-VL-em|p,yr


    "Well, your harem made an offer I could not refuse. How you found such treasures shall remain a mystery for the ages."


    The cool bastard then turned to Be with a smile.


    "That being said. It is good to see you again, Be. Have you thought about..."


    Faster than I could see, the 629petitor manifested in Be''s hand as she shot Patrick in the thigh. The Phantom, unable to withstand the force of the .44 Magnum, dropped to his knees in pain.


    "I am not ying games, Steorra. I belong only to my honey. Didn''t the beating you got from Robyn and Jo tell you that you have no chance with any of the Sirens?"


    This fucking bastard! So he was hitting on my women? MINE? Of ALL PEOPLE?


    I felt people suddenly trying to hold both my arms as I moved to summon my weapons. But before I could even curse, Be appeared in front of me and gave me an extremelyscivious kiss.


    Unlike the one I had given her, she put her tongue in my mouth and let it wrap around my own. As if I was the only thing keeping her alive, she devoured me greedily.


    Forgetting my anger, I lost myself in her sweet kiss. Unfortunately, she suddenly pulled away before I was satisfied. Be then ced a finger on my mouth and whispered.


    "Sunday."


    Sunday. The day after this fucking Seeker war. I would end the Saviors, if only to reach my ultimate prize. Nothing would stand in my way of consummating my love for my harem.


    Be then aimed her revolver at Patrick''s left thigh.


    "I will say it again, Patrick Steorra. Stop trying to win us over from Limitless. The Sirens and I belong to him and him alone. Or do you want your wives to know about each other? Shall I tell them that you already have a third mistress?"


    "Then what is the difference between us? Isn''t he juggling seven of you right now? At least I only do it one at a time."


    My girl then unloaded another round into his uninjured thigh.


    "Ahhh! Stupid bitch!"


    "My honey was a man about it from the start. You hid your rtionships from each other like a burr stealing from a house. He, on the other hand, told us all he loved us from the beginning. You two couldn''t be more different."


    Phillip then moved between Be and Patrick as he handed the bleeding adulterer a {heal} tablet.


    "Mr. Steorra. I would advise you to take heed. Remember, my lord is going to war with the Saviors tomorrow. If you do not stop this, he will murder you. The current arrangement would be most lucrative for you, so I suggest you stop and consider your future."


    "Huff. Whatever. Just don''t forget to honor the agreement," he retorted.


    "I''ll let you fondle my chest if I don''t. But with my Kindred here, the odds of that ever happening are nil," Be proimed with a smile.


    Phillip and Wil escorted Patrick out of my sight.


    Probably because of everything I had heard, I wanted to kill the bastard more than the Saviors. Be quickly took my hand and pulled me towards the front of the house.


    "Honey, we don''t have time for losers. Besides, do you really think any of the Sirens would choose him over you?"


    "I want to say yes. But I never saw myself as something great, Be. I mean, I practically used up my luck for all my next lives just to meet all of you."


    "Hehe. That is the biggest difference between you two, honey. You adore us and ce us on a pedestal. Patrick on the other hand treats his women like consumables. You are miles better than anything he will ever be."


    Not answering her right away, I decided to change the subject to something more productive.


    "Be, why are we in this zone? Aren''t we supposed to be killing undead? Shouldn''t we be answering a Dirge Siren or something?"


    Mrs. Code dragged me all the way to the back of the house. There I saw the entire 2nd Amendment, all seven squads, armed and in position. It was a mixture of standing, kneeling, and prone on the ground.


    To the left of the 2nd Amendment were Inari''s kitchen and half of the ten graves. To the right was the other half, along with adventurers, Minverva''s Wizards, and Freyja''s Bulwark.


    Every single firearm faced south. Ditches and walls lined the paths, seemingly designed to funnel enemies into a single area.


    "A turkey shoot?"


    "Yes, dear. That''s how we better execute your n. Rather than having each squad move around and clear zones on their own, we will have them stay in ce and bring everything in here instead."


    But how would we do that? A dirge siren basically sealed off a fallen zone. Only mercenaries could enter it. This was the loophole Robert used to try to assassinate Krishna.


    Unless the dirge siren confirmed that everything was dead, no one else could enter the zone. This was what prevented the other professions from helping. But Be already knew this, there must be a reason why we used a zone that had not fallen as a kill box.


    It was then that I remembered Jasmine''s feat from yesterday. She shot a bullet that traveled between zones. Using this principle, it would be possible to open a portal and lure the zombies from a sealed area to here.


    The only problem would be whether the portal wouldst long enough for the undead to pass through. If this could be solved, we could bypass any sealed area and lure undead from anywhere.


    That would maximize our kill ratio and speed up the work of the dismatling teams.


    But how?


    Before I could ask her, Be raised her hand as she dered a {Program}. I had no knowledge of.


    "[Beacon]."


    Six portals opened in the distance.


    Using [Eagle Eye], I scanned the portals and saw something unimaginable. Out of the six space corridors, my girls were all running like crazy. Each of them was carrying a {Honey Trap} Soulgear.


    Behind them, were huge swarms of zombies, all of theming out of the portals and rushing toward us like a tsunami. My girls overtook the zombie horde with smiling faces.


    Then Be turned to me, smiling.


    "This is your moment, honey. Would you please do the honors?"


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 338: ROAR WITH ME! [1/2]

    The scene in front of me was something I could not understand. How could the {Portals} still be open when the girls had already passed through them? This was an inherent limitation of {Portal}. While you could open an entrance and an exit, the path itself disappeared after the caster passed.


    The Sirens, however, somehow got around this limitation, allowing six fallen zones to converge on this area. The scene was simr to the enlistment. We were a small group of people gathered for theing stampede of the undead.


    The ground shook as hundreds of bodies stamped towards us. Their snarling and grunting gave an idea of how hungry these fuckers were. Though I had killed thousands of these zombies, this was perhaps thergest number I had ever seen.


    Everywhere I looked there was a sea of undead, all running at full speed. Even without using my superior senses, I could hear the terrified whispers of the people behind me. No matter how brave a person was. The iing tsunami of the living dead was enough to make us all tremble.


    If even I felt a shiver run down my spine, what more could those who saw such numbers for the first time. Looking at Be, I noticed that she was clenching her fist behind her back.


    It didn''t take a genius to figure out that my spouse was shaking with fear.


    Although Hellsend had over 500 members, there were less than a hundred who could fight. Ignoring the Sirens, everyone else, including the 2nd Amendment, were anxious.


    Still, they all remained in formation, waiting for my words.


    ''I see.''


    This was another burden I had been given. While the Sirens could handle everything from logistics to nning, this was one thing they couldn''t.


    This group was originally the oppressed and the broken. Be''s words came to mind again.


    "Honey, because you showed that people like us could fly, thousands now wish to soar to skies. And with the NA continent as your ground zero, the Formless from all over areing here to meet you."


    The reason they all called me their Lord. The reason I was treated like their king. I was the one who showed them the way. My path was the one they all followed.


    It didn''t matter how powerful the Sirens were. Without me, they couldn''t move forward.


    The stage prepared by my harem. My debut in front of all Hellsend. Except for my own soldiers, no one understood how I battled. From the dismantling teams to the newly joined members, all they knew was hearsay.


    My annihtion rank was just a number, and they never saw me in action.


    None of them knew how violent I could be.


    None of them knew why I was chosen to be king.


    A king was not the most powerful. Nor was he the wisest. A king was chosen because he was the one who stood at the front of every battle. A leader was one who showed the way.


    "[Inventory] HCAR."


    I summoned the Ohio Ordinance HCAR and raised it into the air. The sounds of the iing zombie horde drowned out all other sounds. So I invoked death resonance as Imanded with {Announce}.


    {CALM DOWN!}


    Noticeably, the entire group rxed. Militaries around the world had often used hypnotism to either excite or calm their soldiers. The mind was as powerful as the body in most cases, if not more so.


    "THIS IS WHAT YOU ALL FAIL TO SEE EVERY DAY! THESE MONSTERS ARE THE CHAINS THAT BIND YOU! EVEN WHEN YOU RETURNED FROM THE DEAD, YOU ARE NO MORE THAN SHEEP FOR SLAUGHTER!"


    I beckoned to my harem using our pseudo-Kindred link.


    ''Sirens,e to me.''


    At the same moment, six new portals opened behind me. The rest of my girls emerged. With my entire family safely ounted for, I continued my address to Hellsend.


    "HOW MUCH LONGER WILL YOU COWER! HOW MUCH LONGER WILL YOU SUFFER!"


    Then I turned to point the HCAR at the approaching horde.


    "EVERYTHING YOU LOVE IS IN DANGER! YOUR FAMILY! YOUR DIGNITY! YOUR VERY WAY OF LIFE! THERE IS NO COMPROMISE! THERE IS NOWHERE TO RUN!


    THERE IS ONLY SURVIVAL OR DEATH!"


    As I spoke, the hordes continued to pour into the gaps. The originally empty fields were now trampled underfoot by a massive army of over a thousand undead.


    "THIS IS WHY I FIGHT! I FIGHT TO END THIS NIGHTMARE! I WILL FIGHT UNTIL THE LAST MOTHERFUCKER FALLS! BUT I WILL NOT FIGHT FOR YOU!" Only on m v|le|mp|yr


    The faces of the people began to grow fearful at mystment. Most people who elect a king just want to throw their responsibilities on him. After all, if there was a king, any bad thing that happened would be the king''s fault.


    Such thinking was incredibly childish. By giving away all authority, the people basically gave up all their power to change the situation for the better. I did not need sheep. What I needed were reapers.


    Reapers in essence were monsters hiding in human skin. A will so great that even death could not break it. Inside every reaperid the potential of a Revenant. Inside every reaper was a desire so strong it allowed them to break thews of this world.


    "YOU ARE NOT FUCKING SHEEP! YOU ARE REAPERS! YOU ARE THE FUCKING BASTARDS EVEN DEATH COULD NOT KILL! AND YOU MOTHERFUCKERS ARE AFRAID OF ZOMBIES? FUCK YOU ALL! GROW A PAIR YOU SNIVELING COWARDS!"


    The ones who knew of how much I sucked at speeches began snickering. However, the vast majority was confused. I faced theing undead horde and shouldered the HCAR.


    "IF YOU ARE ALL SO TERRIFIED THEN JUST FOLLOW ME! TAKE UP YOUR GUNS AND PULL THE TRIGGER! SO LONG AS I AM ALIVE I WILL KEEP ON MURDERING THESE SICK FUCKS! I DONT EVEN NEED YOU BASTARDS AT ALL!"


    The Sirens, all armed themselves and lined up beside me.


    "BUT IF YOU ARE ALL FED UP WITH BEING WEAK! IF YOU ARE ALL FED UP WITH SUFFERING THEN PICK UP A GUN AND FIGHT! THIS IS OUR MAIDEN BATTLE! ANYONE WHO WISHES TO SEND THESE FUCKERS BACK TO THEIR GRAVES ROAR WITH ME!"


    "Argggghhhhh!!!!!!"


    "THAT WAS PATHETIC YOU FUCKING BASTARDS! EVEN MY GIRLS HAVE BIGGER BALLS THAT YOU SHITS! AGAIN! ROAR LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!"


    "HUOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!!"


    With the 2nd Amendment and V''s Wolves leading, our screams slowly increased in intensity. The bystanders to the sides simrly began to shout. Hopefully they were not attacked. The right group had Adventurer parties to defend it. While the left had a Eva Baker a fucking Specter.


    As the sounds of a hundred footfalls made the ground quake. I turned back to Hellsend and praised them. The zombies were now within 800 yards of us, closing in at an unimaginable speed.


    "Well done you bastards. Do not forget this feeling. This is what it means to fight under my banner. ENOUGH TALK YOU SHITS! TAKE YOUR FATE INTO YOUR OWN HANDS!"


    I then faced Lilly as I added. "Commander Ishtar. If you please."


    "I thought you would never ask dear," She replied.


    Fixing her cap, Lilly shoulder the M60 and turned to Jo.


    "V, give them a pep talk."


    My Italian made a dazzling smile and turned to the army.


    "{IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS, I VELA COMMAND YOU ALL, SLAY EVERY LAST ONE OF THE UNDEAD WITHOUT MERCY!}"

 Chapter 339: ROAR WITH ME! [2/2]

    A powerful wave of souls enveloped the entire army. How much would that singlemand cost Jo? Astonished by her use of her {Fate}, I was rendered speechless.


    ''Holy shit! Was this the buff Joshua said V''s Wolves had? Using Death Resonance to force someone to fight was either pure genius or borderline insane.''


    Lilly then raised her arm and howled for all to hear.


    "HELLSEND! ANNIHILATE THE ENEMY! OPEN COMBAT!"


    At her words, I summoned the FT5 on my left shoulder and pulled the trigger on the HCAR! There were over fifty people with me, all of them using automatic weapons. In a single moment, the thunderous roar of gunfire erupted.


    The sound was loud enough to drown out the groans of the undead. Along with the explosion of gunpowder, lead bullets began to tear through the undead. Unarmored, the zombies stood no chance.


    With the sprinters leading the way, their bodies were torn to shreds. Falling by the dozens, their allies showed no mercy as they trampled their fallen kin. Wave after wave of the living dead were ughtered by thebined firepower of Hellsend.


    As the bullets struck down the enemy, their bodies began to pile up like a living wall of fresh. Then I heard Lilly shout.


    "Grenadiers! Clear the corpses!"


    Robyn dropped her Mac-11''s as she yelled in excitement.


    "OY! YOU FUCKING CUNTS! SYNC TO MY TIMING! READY? NOW AFTER ME!"


    Like a bunch of kindergartners, various people from the army then all screamed in unison. Of course, Robyn was the loudest.


    "FIRE IN YOUR HOLE!"


    40mm M433 high explosive dual purpose grenades decimated the zombie horde. I btedly noticed that even the four MAARs were synchronizing their grenade salvos with Robyn.


    The M433 was an amazing piece of technology. It had two explosives set to detonate at different times. The first was what was called the detonator charge, this was basically as its name sake used to detonate the thing.


    Unlike normal hand grenades, a 40mm grenade had no way to arm it directly. Instead it used inertia. Once fired from a rifled barrel like an M203, the spin would cause the detonator charge to be primed.


    This requirement was in ce because without it, the grenade''s head would simply explode from the sligthest touch. Since the military operated under the harshest conditions, it was literally made impossible to ignite a 40mm by blunt force.


    Once primed, however, the detonator would explode the moment the grenade struck something. The first charge would be powerful enough to ignite the second. This was called the HE or High Explosive Charge.


    This charge was muchrger than the first and would destroy the target with shrapnel.The M433 had enough power to prate up to 3 inches of armor. So if you were not a tank, you would definitely get fucked up by these powerful rounds.


    With a kill radius of over 16 and a half feet and an effective range of 50, the ensuing chaos from the Grenadier salvo was terrifying. It was as if the ground was being ripped out of its ce and spat out again.


    Of course, the undead, also blown to pieces, were scattered as well. It was then that I saw Sabel''s drones, all flying {Honey Traps} soulgears in a circle. With them came the loud ratatat of .50 BMGs from Alfonso''s tank.


    Due to the excessive firepower of our guys, the zombies could not be pushed forward. Like a dam, the lead flying at supersonic speeds forced the undead back. When the corpses began to form walls, the grenadiers blew them to the sky.


    Personally, I didn''t even bother to aim. The rockets from my FT5 were even more powerful than the 40mm grenades. Likewise, the .30-06 Springfield rounds I shot prated more than the average 5.56.


    With {Reload}, none of my guys had to worry about ammo. But I did notice some of the rifles jamming. Fortunately, as more experienced soldiers, the new recruits to my army knew how to clear them and get back into the fight.


    I connected to the Minervawork to talk to the Sirens. But instead of our usual group, the Wizards were also connected. And Be was coordinating the entire army while Lilly was themander on the ground.


    [Wizard_03: Lady Minerva, Rank E Undead Chiefs have appeared. Three of them have been sighted. The rear ranks have begun to stop running mindlessly].


    [Minerva: That''s why we suddenly have room to breathe. We need them gone now! Otherwise they will attack the nks! Sabel!]


    [Sabel: Switchdes inbound mother]


    [Wizard_15: Lady Minerva, Rank E Imps have entered the zone through Portal 6. Five of them have begun to ascend into the sky.]


    [Minerva: Satis?]


    [Satis: I see them, leave them to me]


    [Wizard_09: Lady Minerva, Squad Commander Joshua requests the use of Sacreds.]


    [Minerva: Granted. Tell them to make sure they hit as much as they can in one volley. Van, once the army move forward. have ten graves begin their operations. Ishtar, I will leave you to do the aftermath.]


    [Wizard_01: I will tell Ms. Cynthia, Lady Minerva.]


    [Ishtar: Roger. Inari, V. We push forward. Freyja and Rhiannon advance with the army.]


    [Wizard_10: Lady Minerva, five rank E giants have just entered from Portal 3. Report that this group is likely immune to the {Honey Traps} and will rampage if left unchecked.]


    [Minerva: Ishtar deal with them, have the army support you. I have to prepare for the 2nd wave.]


    [Ishtar: Understood. V, take your wolves and Freyja to the giants. Kill them all. Inari and Rhiannon, watch over the army.]


    [V: Got it. Wolves! On me!]


    [Freyja: Finally! On my way!]


    [Inari: Understood, Ishtar-sama.]


    [Rhiannon: Ugh, do I have to?]


    [Wizard_01: Lady Minerva, total undead in the zone is at 1,500 and rising. Secondary {portals} are holding, an estimated 4000 undead are en route to the battle zone.]


    "..."


    The things I was hearing were was enough to make my head spin. It should be noted that the most enemies I fought in a single night was only about 1500. This was from attacking over 7 different zones.


    How the hell were 5000 zombies all converging on that position at once? From what I saw, the undead would not be able to break through our battle lines as long as they remained mindless.


    Theck of heavy armor or special units reinforced this fact. Minerva''s wizards were busy analyzing the battlefield and prioritizing the enemies to deal with. Simr to what I heard from the server, my augmented vision saw the Imps flying in the air.


    At least, that was before they were blown out of the sky. Simrly, V and her unit broke off and started charging towards one of the portals. Alfonso and Henry covered their nks to avoid them being mobbed.


    Sabel also moved to draw the entire horde to the right. Then I heard Joshua, Mike, and Warren shout simrmands.


    "Yellow Squad, switch to Sacred rounds. Prepare to fire at the order of Commander Ishtar."


    "White Squad, YEEHAW! Earn your keep, boys! Rain Sacreds on these bastards on Commander''s signal!"


    "Nigga Squad! I mean...ck Squad! Get ready to smoke these niggas! Load shiny bullets! Fire on Boss Babe''s call!"


    As the three squads switched ammunition, the other four concentrated their fire. Loud explosions rocked the battlefield as the Rank E Chiefs were destroyed by Sabel.


    Lilly then raised her weapon as she ordered in amanding tone.


    "Red, Orange, Blue Squads, we will push the front line after the Sacred Salvo. Green Squad, you are to protect the nonbatants."


    The squadmanders each responded to her words.


    "Understood, Miss Ishtar. Red squad ready and waiting! Get ready to roll rednecks!" Scott affirmed.


    Santiago followed suit. "Roger that, La Hefa! Orange squad on the move! Compadres, let''s show them how hard Latinos kick ass!"


    "Blue squad leader ire Knight reporting, orders received Lady Ishtar. Blue bloods ready to move on my mark," ire ordered her own squad.


    "Fuck! Again? Why always guard? Let me fight too! Tsk. Green Squad!


    No one gets pass, okay?" Angined.


    Before Jo and Liv''s group could get any distance, Lilly brought her hand down with a mighty yell.


    "LIGHT THEM UP!"


    A small gxy of light erupted. Three squads'' worth of blessed bullets vaporized the undead like an eraser on a chalkboard. Lilly ran forward in the same second.


    "HELLSEND! PRESS FORWARD!"


    No one gave me any instructions, but I joined Lilly and ran beside her, firing at the undead. Behind us, the red, orange, and blue squads advanced, decimating the zombies.


    Systematic, powerful and merciless. This was how humanity waged war.

 Chapter 340: Heroine Chapter: On Fire! [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Liv Ivaldi


    ___


    Jasmine and I watched over the man we loved the most. He slept sprawled on the bed. There was a fishy smell in the room. It was a scent I knew well. It was the musk that came from a man''s baby batter.


    Sex was considered a duty in the North. It was common to see people randomly engaged in making the next generation everywhere. Everyone from maids to guards to those barely fourteen years old were not exempt.


    My mother''s curse ensured that practically no man would look at me. It was rather sad that not a single man could see my red hair. Since I had no idea what I looked like, I asked some friends of the opposite sex.


    According to them, I looked bald, had crooked teeth, uneven eyes, and bushy eyebrows. After hearing such a description, I no longer wondered why everyone seemed to hate me.


    Only the man who slept in front of me, the one I would die for, found me beautiful.


    Jas also began to sniff around as we entered. I felt her using {Imaging} from the souls around us. The black-skinned woman moved to my lover''s bed and plucked out what looked like a pair of green panties.


    The underwear was stained with sticky fluids that bonded the fabric together like glue. Jas had a mesmerized look on her face as she brought the evidence of our man''s lust closer to her nose.


    Although this woman was cold and calculating, she seemed curious about the affairs of man and woman. Like a animal in heat, Jas seemed to have forgotten me as she sniffed the underwear.


    Her whisper, though barely audible, did not escape my ears.


    "Sniff. So this is what a husband''s cum smells like. It is so manly. Makes me dizzy... I wonder."


    I did not need to hear such depraved thoughts. {Listen} would be a curse if you overheard things you found disgusting. When I saw Jasmine open her mouth and stick out her tongue, I faked a cough.


    Like a hamster caught eating seeds, Jas immediately turned around. Of course, she was hiding the panties and had a nervous face.


    "Liv. Um. This is. Ah. This is... How do you put it.


    A Southern ritual before marriage!"


    She seemed to be trying to rationalize her disgusting actions. Feeling no need to expose her, I went along.


    "I see, then give me the panties so I can participate in this ritual as well."


    "Uh. That''s a bit... uh, the ritual has a rule! It belongs to the first mate who finds the token of love! S-So I cannot give it to you!"


    Amused at how pathetic Jasmine''s attempt at lying was, I gave in and allowed her a way out.


    "Is that so? I was too slow then."


    "Um. Liv? This ritual must also be kept secret. You cannot tell the man or anyone else," Jas tried desperately to lie through her teeth.


    I was the first one Lilly picked up when she assembled the Sirens. Since she had no other books, I enriched myself with what she called ''culture'' to pass the time.


    Jas didn''t seem to know that I was already familiar with what the Southerners found acceptable. I knew that from a Southern point of view, Jasmine''s actions would now be considered creepy, and that she would be labeled a repulsive pervert.


    "My lips are sealed. I hope I get my turn next time."


    "Don''t worry! I will help you! We are sisters, after all!" Jas, overjoyed that she could bury such an embarrassing situation, quickly hugged me.


    However, as a northerner, I considered such actions tame. Forget licking them, our women even made tea with the semen stains. Winning over a powerful ally like Jasmine for such a petty lie was a small price to pay.


    Then I felt a voice in my head. Like the sound of someone whispering in your ear. It was Bella''s voice. She told me this magic was called technopathy.


    [Liv, Jas. Come to my server. There is something we need to discuss.] S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jas looked at me, wondering if I had heard our fellow Siren. Nodding, we both connected to the Siren server. Unlike the Minerva Network which Bella used to share information, this place was just for the seven of us.


    "{Connect}" x2


    [Freyja connected, welcome to the Seven Siren Server]


    [Members online: Minerva (Admin), Ishtar, Rhiannon, Vela, Satis, Inari]


    [Rhiannon: Somebody get me out of here! I wanna snuggle with Possum!]


    [Minerva: Shut up, jail bait! Stop whining!]


    [System: Vela has been promoted to Admin.]


    [Vela: OH! It worked! You were right, Aki!]


    [Minerva: WHAT THE HELL?! DID YOU JUST HACK ME JO!]


    [System: Vela had granted Admin privileges to Ishtar, Rhiannon, Satis, Inari, and Freyja].


    [Minerva: Oy! Stop it you Nutjob! What are you doing?!]


    [Vela: If you all keep calling me that, I will give you all nicknames!]


    [System: Vela has renamed Isthar -> Exhibitionist].


    [System: Vela has renamed Rhiannon -> BarelyLegal]


    [System: Vela has renamed Satis -> BBC]


    [System: Vela has renamed Inari -> Bukake]


    [System: Vela has renamed Freyja -> 38F].


    [System: Vela has renamed Minerva -> Onlyfans.]


    38F. That was my breast size in southern measurements. So I guess the nickname still fit me to some degree. Fortunately or unfortunately, I had the largest breasts among the Sirens.


    Still, it was heartwarming to see them acting like children. It was only among one''s closest friends that one could be so childish. I noticed that everyone smiled more when they played around like this.


    ''Although it was more like Jo being mischievous.''


    [BarelyLegal: You fucking nutjob! I am 18 already! I have breasts and everything!]


    [Bukake: Jo-san, have some decency. Do you need another spanking?]


    [Exhibitionist: What in the world? You are crazy Jo! Why would anyone find pleasure in showing their naked body to strangers!]


    [Onlyfans: Shut up Lilly! And Jo, Onlyfans? Take some in your asshole! What the fuck?!]


    [Exhibitionist has muted Onlyfans]


    [Exhibitionist: Oh my, that felt really good.]


    [System: Exhibitionist has renamed Onlyfans -> CowTitsInBraids]


    [System: Exhibitionist has renamed Vela -> IDrinkPee]


    [System: Exhibitionist has renamed Exhibitionist -> YourQueen]


    [IDrinkPee: HAHAHA! That was a good one, Lilly! I don''t have that kind of fetish though.]


    [System: YourQueen has renamed BarelyLegal -> WashboardLoli]


    [WashboardLoli: Oy! That was below the belt, you fucking degenerate!]


    [System: YourQueen has renamed 38F -> GinormousBosom]


    [System: YourQueen has renamed BBC -> HemorrhoidVoyeur]


    [HemorrhoidVoyeur: Tsk, you lot have no class.]


    [System: HemorrhoidVoyeur has renamed HemorrhoidVoyeur -> LegalWife]


    [System: LegalWife has renamed YourQueen -> VoidspaceVagina]


    [System: LegalWife has renamed IDrinkPee -> EnergizerBunny].


    [System: EnergizerBunny has renamed LegalWife -> SexyBlackBottom]


    Stay tuned to M|VL|EM|PY|R


    [WashboardLoli: AGHH! I can''t get any of this shit to work!]


    [System: Bukake has renamed EnergizerBunny -> HyperactiveFleshlight]


    [System: Bukake has renamed SexyBlackBottom -> BroodingAnalSniper]


    [System: Bukake has renamed Bukake -> John''sOnahole.]


    [HyperactiveFleshlight: WOW! Aki''s a real slut!]


    [John''sOnahole: Quiet, you deplorable sadist! I am nobody''s slut but Shujin''s.]


    [System: CowTitsInBraids has removed Admin privileges of VoidspaceVagina, HyperactiveFleshlight, John''sOnahole, BroodingAnalSniper, GinormousBosom and WashboardLoli]


    [HyperactiveFleshlight: Bella, you know it''s only a matter of time before I regain control, right?]


    [CowTitsInBraids: For exposing a vulnerability in my network, I will keep the names. But you will not be able to do it again.]


    [HyperactiveFleshlight: WOW! I will enjoy making you choke on your words!]


    [VoidspaceVagina: This may actually be a good way to train us in cyber warfare.]


    [WashboardLoli: FUCKING SLAGGERS! Jas! Teach me how to do the name thing!]


    [BroodingAnalSniper: Okay. I will train you later.]


    [John''sOnahole: Do your best Robyn.]


    [GinormousBosoms: Guys, I hate to ruin your playtime, but didn''t you call Jas and me here to talk about something?]


    Although I hated being the one to stop the kids from having fun. Bella sounded pretty serious earlier. If I could confirm that it had nothing to do with my beloved, then the Sirens could do whatever they wanted.

 Chapter 341: Heroine Chapter: On Fire! [2/2]

    ''Still, I used to feel self-conscious about my chest. But since I saw how much my beloved lusted after them, my self-confidence skyrocketed. Against the feminine charms of the Sirens, my breasts became my strongest weapons.''


    [CowTitsInBraids: Liv is right. Anyway, we wanted to test the limits of {Portal}. I brainstormed with Lilly and we need it to kill more undead in a more effective manner.]


    [BroodingAnalSniper: And you think using {Portal} can reduce the time it takes to move between zones?]


    [VoidspaceVagina: The problem is the doorway itself. It doesn''t drain souls to keep it open, but it does cost stamina.]


    [HyperactiveFleshlight: Then we have no problem, right? Aki''s {Eat} and some chocolate bars would do the trick!]


    [CowTitsInBraids: Lilly, Robyn and I experimented earlier and even if we ignore the stamina cost, the biggest problem is the door closing. As soon as the person who opened the door enters, the door would close].


    [BroodingAnalSniper: I see, so even if we can hold the door open, we cannot go through it. Have you tried letting others pass through the doors?]


    [WashboardLoli: Ugh, these names are annoying! The fucking doors are shit for everyone but the Sirens. Cynthia almost died when she went in.]


    [John''sOnahole: What? Why? What happened?]


    [VoidspaceVagina: You can get in, but you cannot always find your way out. Cynthia almost got trapped in the subspace.]


    [GinormousBosom: Did you try a lifeline? This is what the Northerners use to travel through terrain with terrible visibility. A strong but simple rope would suffice.] Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [CowTitsInBraids: We can try that in the future, but the biggest problem is still the door closing. Unless we find a way to keep it open, the Siren has to stay on the other side. Which is putting the cart before the horse.]


    Although it sounded complex, the main problem was quite simple. If the {Portals} created a narrow hallway, the only way to get through it was either up, down, or through another door.


    [GinormousBosom: Why not use a second {Portal}? If the problem is that the door closes when we go through it, then a second door will allow us to leave.]


    [All:...]


    Did I say something stupid? I thought it was a straightforward problem.


    [BroodingAnalSniper: Liv''s suggestion would work]


    [John''sOnahole: How? Lilly-sama said that {Portal} cannot be used again until the first door closes.]


    [HyperactiveFleshlight: Liv is right! We can just use [Beacon].]


    [CowTitsInBraids: AH! THAT''S AMAZING!]


    [VoidspaceVagina: Indeed. The biggest advantage of {Program} is that the {Fates} it uses do not share cool downs with the original components. Then we can use {Portal} and {Perspective} to connect the zones and [Beacon] to bypass them.]


    [WashboardLoli: Can you slaggers explain what the hell is going on?]


    [John''sOnahole: We want to make a train station with {Portal} and [Beacon]. The station would be where we kill the enemy.]


    [WashboardLoli: BLOODY OATH! Then we connect the cars and let the zombies rush in? Possum will love that!]


    Experience the journey at m-vl-em-py-r


    Such was the discussion that went into creating the plan we would later use. It was as if the heavens had decided to show us the way. A few hours passed and Bella intercepted a message intended for the land they called Europe.


    The message contained a prediction. One that would break the balance between the battlefronts. And the Sirens grew fearful of how it would affect our future.


    2 hours before the night began, the prediction came true. In a few words, the whole world wagered on my beloved''s Seeker war. To the victor go all the spoils, while only death awaited the losers.


    As if that were not enough, our ability to participate in the war would be controlled by a side bet. A few more hiccups came along, but all was well resolved.


    Following Bella''s plan, my sisters and I connected six fallen zones to one that was still defended. When that worked, we did it again for an entire floor.


    Still, I was not afraid.


    It was an interesting feeling. For years I had only felt sadness, grief and pain.


    But now I had parent-in-laws who cherished me.


    Sisters with whom I did not share a drop of blood, yet with whom I was able to laugh and weep.


    Finally, a husband who loved me so much that he would give me the world if I asked.


    ''Sirens, come to me.''


    The moment I heard his voice in my heart, it skipped a beat. In a flurry, I casted {Portal} while {Perspective} connected me to Bella. Unlike the rest of us, Bella could share her vision with several people at once.


    When I exited the {Portal}, I saw the results of our labors and grew horrified. The sight of thousands of undead moving as one was something I feared. In the North, such a sight meant death.


    But surprisingly, my heart was calmed by the man next to me.


    "THIS IS WHY I FIGHT! I FIGHT TO END THIS NIGHTMARE! I WILL FIGHT UNTIL THE LAST MOTHERFUCKER FALLS! BUT I WILL NOT FIGHT FOR YOU!"


    His bravado was worthy of songs. It was easy to be fearless when you were a Revenant or a Specter. But even in the North, Phantoms were far from invincible. I never even believed that I could become as Phantom as an Ufore, but here I stood.


    "IF YOU ARE ALL SO TERRIFIED THEN JUST FOLLOW ME! TAKE UP YOUR GUNS AND PULL THE TRIGGER! SO LONG AS I AM ALIVE, I WILL KEEP ON MURDERING THESE SICK FUCKS! I DONT EVEN NEED YOU BASTARDS AT ALL!"


    My heart pounded against my chest. My fear, my anxiety was driven away by my beloved. His figure, his voice and his splendor dazzled me. He roared. It was as if courage had been given flesh.


    Many in the North did the same, but few actually believed in their claims.


    However, John Smith was the opposite. His whole demeanor and his savage grin showed his lust for battle. Against the very thing that destroyed my home, the man I loved brought forth an army.


    They gathered like drops of water. From the dregs, the force behind me stood undaunted, ready to challenge the impossible. The battle fervor, the sounds of gunfire, and the warmth of my new family at my side gave me hope.


    I remembered the promise my beloved had made to me.


    "Liv, I love you. It''s okay if you don''t believe me for now. I will tell you every single day for the rest of our lives. I accept your vow. And in turn give you my own. For you, I vow to eradicate the dead from the North."


    Hardly a day has passed since then. But like a wave that cannot be stopped, my beloved marched on.


    Eager to protect the one we adored, my sisters and I chased after him.


    And even those who had lost hope began to rally under his banner.


    Hellsend fought like a mighty beast of war. With fire and steel we sent the dead back to the afterlife. Though we were outnumbered. Even when the sea of undead seemed endless. We fought.


    [Ishtar: Understood. Vela take your wolves and Freyja to the giants. Kill them all. Inari and Rhiannon, babysit the army.]


    [Vela: Roger that. Wolves! On me!]


    [Freyja: Finally! On my way!]


    Against monsters I could only hide from in the past, I now charged unafraid!


    My soul, which had long since decided to accept humanity''s despair, began to dream once more.


    Joining Jo and her wolves, I marveled at the effect of my beloved. Since meeting him, my life had been turned upside down. But I welcomed it.


    "Big Sis! We are finally fighting together!"


    "Hi little sisters, yes we are. We also have another big sister here. Say hello!"


    "Hello Big Sis Freyja!" x11


    "Hello everyone," I greeted.


    The fact that we were running through a sea of zombies didn''t bother any of the wolves. Those who dared to approach us were blown apart by our allies.


    "Freyja. How are you feeling?" My fellow Siren asked.


    How did I feel? After years of watching my homeland cower and hide from the undead, I was now witnessing the opposite. The valor the North had long lost now burned once more in Hellsend.


    "HAHAHA! My blood is on fire!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.


    No matter what the future held. Together with the man I love, the Sirens and Hellsend, I will fight, till this nightmare comes to a close. This I swear.

 Chapter 342: Regret nothing. [1/2]

    Running as I carried the FT5 and HCAR was troublesome. Even with [Eagle Eye], firing as the reticule''s bounced was also hard. I switched to using the F90''s and blasted zombies with both 5.56 NATO and 40mm Low velocity grenades.


    I shot zombies dead while moving. My guns never ran out of ammunition as explosions reigned all around me.


    ''I feel like an action star in war movie,'' I joked.


    I eventually caught up to Lilly who was similarly shooting like the main heroine in a Hollywood block buster.


    "So glad you made it dear, were you worried about me?" Lilly teased with a gorgeous smile.


    "Yes," I answered curtly.


    "Oh¡­"


    Despite running faster than a Olympic sprinter her breathing was even, and not even a bead of sweat was on her face. Noticing my deep gaze, she blushed as she tried to change the subject.


    "Such focus, did you perhaps fall for my good looks once again?"


    Read more stories on m-vl_em|p,yr


    "Yes. You are breathtakingly beautiful Lilly."


    "W-Wha¡­"


    Staggering as if she tripped, Lilly lost her balance. I quickly dropped one of my rifles and ran to support her. Because of {Limitless} I managed to pick up my lover by her waist without breaking my stride.


    "Are you alright dear?" I asked with concern.


    "Uhm, yes. I-I am okay. You can put me down now."


    It was very amusing to see a noble person like Lilly behave like this. Filled with love, I gave her luscious lips a soft kiss before letting her go. My woman tensed up like frightened cat when our lips touched.


    "I love you, Lilly."


    Less than a second later I let her go gently. Regaining her footing, Lilly gazed at me with eyes full of longing. It was an experience only I could relish. Flirting with a mesmerizing woman as undead and bullets clashed around us.


    "Dear, I must say, compared to the average man, you confess your love quite often. I was told men hardly say their love through words but more through action."


    "Should I stop?"


    "Ah no, I like it actually, which woman wouldn''t want to hear such things. I was just curious why you do it so often. Did you also shower Caroline with such affection every day?"


    Hearing about my ex made me contemplate. Most men didn''t say much but would die for their women. When I was human, I was probably the same. I hardly told Caroline through words, but I made sure my actions did.


    Unfortunately, actions tend to be taken for granted. Paying for her food, picking her up, supporting her even when she didn''t ask, I did everything I could possibly think of. Yet she thought it was just me being nice, and she demanded more.


    ''This is why they said nice guys finish last.''


    When I died, I made a single promise. I would live this life for me. And I will never allow myself to die full of regrets a second time. Thus, I decided to change.


    The thing that always filled my mind was that, If I died tomorrow, what would I regret the most?


    The answer to this question became my guide.


    One of the things I would regret was not telling my harem how much I loved them. So, every time I could. I would. If I died right now, they would be no room for doubt about how much they mean to me.


    Lilly who noticed the changes in my expression had a sad look on her face.


    "Dear¡­"


    However, before she could say anything I interrupted her.


    "I didn''t. Like most men I showed it through my actions. But as that approach didn''t work, so I now do it differently. Every moment I am reminded of how much I adore you; I will say it out loud."


    "¡­"


    "This is so that even if I died at this moment, I would regret nothing."


    "Hmph. You think like an old man dear. You vastly underestimate me and my sisters if you think you will die anytime soon!" Lilly chastised.


    It was a bit morbid but it was true. There were just somethings you needed to die first in order to understand. The importance of time and the pain of regret were only two of them.


    Lilly and I no longer made small talk and focused on the battle. The bulk of the zombies were still following Sabel''s Skydio and Puma drones which were flying low. Sabel was intentionally circling around causing the zombies to gather in a huge circle.


    The effective time of the {Honey Trap} soulgear was erratic. It depended solely on how many sniffed what it released. The more zombies it lured, the shorter the duration would be.


    It seemed that Sabel understood this. The AI was never stayed in the same place for long. By flying constantly, the wind diffused the scents more evenly.


    ''I wonder if Bella was the one who made the call or was it Sabel herself.''


    As we ran, I noticed Lilly and I had a large lead from the rest of the army. The squads of the 2nd Amendment were doing combat glides which were designed to be slow but accurate.


    Lilly and I who had Robyn''s {Fates} were significantly faster than them. And as we also had Jasmine''s {Fates} despite our speed none of our shots missed.


    If this was a game, the Sirens and I would be SSS class gacha characters and the army would be trash class Bs.


    Probably as they were the nearest people to us, I vaguely heard the voices from Jo and Liv.


    "Freyja. How do you feel?"


    "HAHAHAHA! My blood is on fire!"


    "WOW! The Sirens are all battle junkies huh? Hey! Keep up little sisters! You''re too slow!"


    "We are trying Big sis!" Yvonne yelled looking pitiful.


    "Ah! I have an idea! {WOLVES! I COMMAND YOU TO RUN FASTER THAN YOUR LEGS CAN CARRY YOU!}"


    "WAHHHHHH!!!! YES, BIG SIS!" x11


    I turned my head towards the Commando unit and saw Yvonne, Aisha and the rest of Vela''s Wolves gaining speed. They no longer took pot shots and ran as if their lives depended on it.


    It seems that similar our situation even Phantoms had a hard time keeping up.


    "It seems that we need to augment our special forces. This is unacceptable." I heard Lilly murmur. This was of course as she fired the M60 one handed. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The M60 was known as the pig because of its resiliency to eat rounds without taking breaks. Even when the barrel deformed from firing or when it ran out of ammo, it took less than three minutes to resume dispensing freedom.


    This was why three people normally manned the thing. You needed a full-grown man to carry just bullets so the weapon can be used effectively. Most people considered that fact an issue.


    The other main problem with using the M60 was the danger of going deaf. Lastly, the was the gasses that the weapon emitted upon firing for so long. It could burn or poison the gunner if exposed for longer periods.


    Lilly who had a subspace that was as big as swimming pool, had no issues with ammunition. With [Top up] the program Bella created; she didn''t even need to manually reload.


    {Limitless} and {Dampen} ensured she would not go deaf. Finally, Phantoms did not even need to breathe. Thus, the smoke and gasses from the rounds couldn''t do shit.


    All these factors made Lilly the perfect user for the pig.


    Seeing her blast the shit out of zombies was endearing.


    My American lover had her other hand outstretched as {Portals} kept opening in various places. When I analyzed the trajectories of her bullets I grew speechless.


    Lilly already showed me this technique when she fought alone but it was still impressive.


    The woman who created {Store} would fire into her subspace and then use {Portal} to change the direction of the rounds. The fact did not take into account that she always "retrieved" her rounds using {Portal}.

 Chapter 343: Regret nothing. [2/2]

    ''How many rounds has she fire till now? 200? 300?''


    People normally fired rounds and forgot about them. Meaning they only think about the round before it hit the target. No one thinks of what happens to the round after it blows a hole through their enemy.


    This was why Lilly was so frightening. She retrieved every round she has fired in her subspace. From my own combat experience, I knew that things that enter the subspace keep their state.


    Food did not spoil for one. Explosions that come in still kept their power until taken out. I even made {Booster} from that concept. So, what about bullets?


    [Father, Aunt Lilly, the effect of the {Honey Trap} soulgears are about to end. Please prepare to engage the brunt of the horde. Reinforcements are already on the way.]


    ''Shit this was bad, if we suddenly have to face hundreds Lilly and I will be overrun.''


    Lilly slowed down before stopping. I naturally stayed with her. She then ordered out loud.


    "Blue, Orange, Red squads form a battle line on my position."


    I didn''t notice how she talked to the others, but similar to how my GRI changed to a communication device hers must do the same. I changed my guns back to the FT5 and the HCAR as I got ready.


    At that moment I then heard the groans of a thousand footsteps change direction.


    [{Honey Trap} soulgears have ceased functioning, returning for resupply.]


    However before the horde could disperse. I suddenly saw three projectiles fly towards the clump of zombies at breakneck speeds. A second later, two sets of three explosions resounded.


    [Switchblades have successfully reduced the enemy numbers.] Sabel reported.


    I smiled as the ruthless efficiency of my AI children. Lilly also commented as we waited for the zombies to charge towards us.


    "The children are merciless as usual. We can''t let them do all the work now can''t we dear?"


    "Yeah. Here they come Lilly." sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before the smoke from the Switchblades antitank warheads cleared, zombies began running towards us. I placed the FT5 scope over my eyes and aimed at the tallest Bigfoot I could see. I simultaneously fired the HCAR from the hip.


    I then felt a huge amount of soul come from behind me. But I couldn''t spare the attention to check. Using two different weapons and aiming both already consumed my entire focus.


    After I was able to ensure all three of my rockets landed successfully, I lowered the FT5 from my shoulder to check behind me.


    Twelve small {Portals} were flanking Lilly and I, and out of all of them came 7.62 NATO rounds en mass. The firing rate of the rounds were as fast as the M60. It seems Lilly found a use for all the rounds she collected.


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    ''Wouldn''t be Lilly be a one-woman army at this point? She was currently firing 7,150 rounds a minute, or the equivalent of thirteen M60 machine guns!''


    Dumbfounded I looked at my lover who made a mischievous smile.


    "Dear, you need to keep up otherwise I would be the star of this show."


    Despite there being only two of us, Lilly and I were able to prevent the incoming horde from overrunning our position. Once the {Honey Trap} soulgears could be used again we would be in the clear.


    Thinking that I needed to do better I resumed unloading lead into the incoming horde. The lack of anything above Rank F, was probably the work of the other Sirens.


    Just then a bright flash came from the west. It was like a blessed round but much brighter.


    "[DOUBLE DAMAGE]!"


    The sound waves and a sonic boom arrived seconds later, I turned and saw Liv on the shoulders of what looked like a rank E Giant. As if executed via guillotine three of the monsters had their heads vaporized by Liv''s attack.


    The two remaining Rank E''s were being scaled by Vela''s wolves as they unloaded their weapons into the monster''s faces. Jo on the other hand was rampaging around them taking care of the small fry.


    Before I could even process the amazing feat, a shadow then passed by us. Despite it being night the little light available made a huge difference so when it got darker, I noticed instantly.


    "Shadow? What the hell is tha¡­"


    My words got stuck in my throat as I saw a small white-haired girl running on air. Her hands were over her head as she carried something heavy. It was the Howe & Howe Ripsaw MS2. Otherwise known as Alfonso''s micro tank.


    The tank was supposedly 4.5 tons. I could carry things below two tons using Robyn''s {Fates}. If like Liv and Lilly the original owner of the {fate} could use it much more effectively. It would explain how Robyn was carrying the Tank 80 feet in the sky.


    "POSSUM! YOU SEE THIS? HEHE IT GETS BETTER!" Robyn chirped in excitement.


    Lilly had an annoyed expression on her face as she stopped firing.


    "This washboard Loli is just ludicrous as always," she complained with a pout.


    Almost everyone around us was dumbfounded by Robyn''s antics. Smiling, Robyn then leapt above Alfonso with lithe movements. She then kneeled with her hand touching the tank.


    "[TANK]. {Carry} cancel. {Pack} cancel. {Ascend} cancel. Do me proud you little shit."


    [Yes, Aunt Robyn.] Alfonso robotically answered.


    If a tank that high up in the air were to fall, it would be no different from a meteor. With [Tank] Alfonso himself would endure the damage, but the impact of his fall would still destroy the area around it.


    Robyn then performed a handstand as she placed her feet into the air.


    "[SKY WALK]! [BATTERING RAM]!"


    Like a bullet, Robyn suddenly increased in acceleration as my Aussie stomped on the air to run towards the ground. She practically thrusted the Ripsaw like a medieval bulldozer. Less than a second later, a massive collision made the ground shake anew.


    Lilly and I were able to maintain our balance due to {Carry}. But the zombies were all knocked on their asses. Well, that was for the ones far from Robyn. The ones near her were not so lucky.


    In her area there was only shattered earth and rivers of blood.


    The dust still lingered in the air before I heard Robyn''s favorite line.


    "HAHAHA! THAT WAS FUN! FIRE IN YOUR HOLE!"


    M26 grenades flew at breakneck speeds as they blew apart clusters of Zombies. The sounds of a mighty engine soon followed as Alfonso barreled towards us. The MS2 was firing as it reversed with Robyn on top of it.


    When she ran out of grenades Robyn pulled out her Mac-11''s and began to rain lead. It was only at this moment when the rest of the other squads reached our positions.


    "John, your women are really uhm¡­something," Scott commented with a aghast face.


    "And I thought the cartels were crazy. Those pendejos look like toddlers compared to the Sirens," Santiago added.


    Claire knight then slapped the backs of both men as she scolded them. "Guys, get your squads into position already! Hi Patron, lovely day!"


    I nodded to Saint with a smile before I heard Lilly call my {Kismet}.


    "{Accept}."


    A small portal appeared a few feet away from her. Out of the doorway came out Bella, Aki, and the MAARs.


    "Minerva-san, its time," Aki noted.


    Bella then gazed behind her as she pouted.


    "Tsk. The rest of the army can''t keep up. For the time being this is as close as we can get I guess."


    "Perhaps, we should force Ishtar-sama to evolve? If its her she should create a new {Fate} that solves the problems with {Portal}."


    "Nah, that would be unfair, and Honey would hate that."


    "I''m sorry my {Fate} is not up to your requirements then you two," Lilly replied miffed.


    "Oh, shut it VoidspaceVagina. Without Honey and us, you would still be using a fake {fate} like a chuuni."


    "I AM NOT A CHUNNI! YOU COW BOOBED INGRATE!"


    I could barely hold it in as the girls insulted each other affectionately. Bella and Aki gave me a small kiss before the two lined up by my sides.


    When the groaning of zombies once again rushed out of the cloud of smoke, my girls and I greeted them with hails of lead.

 Chapter 344: Worse nightmare [1/2]

    "LOAD SACREDS!"


    How long have we been fighting? The sounds of gunfire had not stopped for some time now. The beats of our plan repeated like steps in a waltz. Sabel would draw the zombies. The Sirens would engage the Rank E''s while the rest of us just kept shooting.


    "FIRE!"


    Now and then, small galaxies of stars would streak across the battlefield. In their wake would be shimmering lights that engulfed everything with holy energy. Normally used to short battles, everyone was showing signs of exhaustion.


    "GRENADIER VOLLEY IN THREE!"


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    Fortunately, there were people in thick coats running around. These people had greasy meat skewers, and they handed a bunch of them to the teams that were working or fighting.


    At first we pushed the front line, but when the Bella got the message that the Ten Graves had finished their work, we slowly pulled back.


    "FIRE IN YOUR HOLE!"


    If the Hellsend had little to no experience before this battle began, that was no longer the case. We fired practically a million rounds at this point. The terrain was so gouged up that it looked like the surface of the moon. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Van, tell the first group to rest for ten minutes, have the second group relieve them."


    "As you command, Lady Minerva."


    Even if we weren''t physically tired, the Siren''s made sure to give the Reapers time to rest. Forcing them to relax, while hard on those who were far too jumpy, allowed the rest to relieve some of the mental strain.


    "RED SQUAD! FALL BACK! CHOW TIME!"


    "ORANGE SQUAD! TIMES UP! LEAVE THE REST TO THE OTHER HOMBRE''S!"


    "BLUE SQUAD TACTICAL RETREAT! WE WILL COME BACK STRONGER! MOVE!"


    After all, morale was an important thing in battle. As long as at least three squads were defending, our battle line wouldn''t crumble. Lilly and Liv also supported the vanguard, which gave them some breathing room.


    Lilly was a one-woman squad and kept firing and catching her bullets, creating an endless loop. When the round finally ran out of momentum, she would fail to catch them and simply use {Reload} to start the cycle again.


    Liv on the other hand grabbed one of the {Honey Trap} Soulgears and deliberately let the Grenadiers blast her with explosives. The energy she gained made her irises and hair glow like a goddess.


    At times, my beloved would channel the energy into her body and fight like a berserker. In this mode, she would swing the shield and the 1887 like bludgeons. The zombies that tried to surround her would be blown away like rag dolls.


    The ones she couldn''t throw away would be brutalized, with entire body sections being sundered. When a Rank E popped out, Liv would channel the energy into a Sacred and shoot a fucking death ray!


    Jo and Robyn were also darting around the battlefield. I tried to keep track of where they were, but they just moved around too much. Similarly, Aki and Jas kept changing their positions, as did the ones hunting the Rank E''s in hiding.


    None of the Sirens tried to control me, so I just fought what I wanted. {Limitless} allowed me to fight with everyone, albeit inferior to some degree. It would be like the yearbook meme. John was cool, but the Sirens would be the cooler John.


    My performance was above the 2nd Amendment. But compared to the Sirens, I was much more subpar to their strengths. Even though I used better weapons, my harem''s approach to combat was superior in every way imaginable.


    ''I would just think myself into depression like this.''


    Accompanying my troops were my AI children. Supplied by Bella''s {Reload}, they continued to operate reliably as independent units.


    According to their mother, the AI knew how hard they could push their weapons. So even without instructions, they would try to keep their machines operating at the highest level possible.


    Of course, Bella, the Sirens, and I could override this by ordering them to accomplish a goal. According to my honey, since the drones registered as her weapons, no matter how they broke, they would be repaired when she invoked {Rewind}.


    ''Talk about broken,'' I praised with glee.


    Despite being able to abuse their bodies to such an extent, my children chose not to.


    Instead, Alfonso would run over entire lines of zombies when his M2 machine gun needed a rest. Henry, on the other hand, would cycle his M203 grenade launchers to cool the barrels of his M240B machine gun.


    Somehow, despite being surrounded by so many people, it felt lonely. Everyone was so engrossed in the battle that no one was making small talk. At times like this, I missed having Aira or Exa around.


    ''Speaking of which, I turned her into a {Program} around 9 p.m. I think. I wonder if she is on yet?''


    While it seemed like I was just lazing around, I was extremely busy. My right hand was firing 95mm HEAT anti-tank warheads at the poor zombies about 500 meters away. For those closer than that, my left hand was firing .30-06 Springfield rounds, courtesy of the HCAR.


    This combination of weapons was the best combo I had at the moment. Seeing zombies explode in the sky was quite a treat. If the 40mm shredded them, the 95mm even obliterated their remains.


    Of course, the blast radius was much larger than a 40mm. The zombies not in the kill zone instead did their best imitation of airplanes as they reached for the stars.


    Needless to say, I blindly fired the 95mm HEAT into the flood of zombies running towards me. My HCAR needed a lot more attention as I swept the enemies trying to get close.


    ''Still, How many zones are still connected? We have been fighting for over two hours, I think. Yet despite the undead, already dying by the thousands, they seemed to have no end.''


    I tried to send a message to Bella out of curiosity. I mean, she was busy as a tactician, but I wanted to know for sure. It''s fine if she answers me later, like with a text.


    In the past, after the initial spark of my romance with Caroline died, the amount of time she left my messages unread slowly increased over time.


    It took some understanding not to get angry. Especially when you were being treated like an afterthought by the one you adored.


    Therefore, I responded to every message I received from my loved ones as soon as I saw them. But that might have something to do with availability. I mean, if I was fighting in Hellsgate, it would be hard to stop to check a text, right?


    [Honey, I know you are busy, can you tell me how many more zombies we are expecting? It''s okay if you don''t answer right away...]


    I couldn''t blame Bella because I was the one who told her not to bother me with this crap. But I missed my harem. That was it in a nutshell.


    As I became addicted to being surrounded and adored by my lovers, my desire for them to stay by my side increased.


    Thinking such thoughts were dangerous, I focused on the battle. Lilly and Liv, who had originally been by my side, had long since left. When the battle line was formed, it basically consisted of over thirty people randomly spaced in a single line.


    The Sirens would support the people who needed them most. I, who currently had the most firepower due to the FT5, was left in the middle.


    ''Not good. Focus John, just drive the unease with action.''


    This was the problem with getting complacent. The danger of a situation actually made you more alert. If the sound of guns firing was exciting at first, after a hundred minutes of it, it felt like background noise.

 Chapter 345: Worse nightmare [2/2]

    Then I got a reply from Bella.


    [Are you okay, Honey? What on earth are you talking about? This battle is a piece of cake, why should it be more important than you? Hang on.]


    Then I felt a surge of souls beside me. A {Portal} opened and out stepped arguably the most important member of this battle.


    "Hello, Mr. Code. Did you miss me?"


    "I did. It''s incredibly good to see you," I replied immediately.


    "W-ha..." Probably not expecting my answer, Bella quickly covered her mouth. Her cheeks were flushed and her body trembled.


    I was amused by her reaction and let go of my two weapons. They disappeared in the same moment as I reached for Bella and took her lips. After we parted, I smiled as she looked even more surprised.


    "I''m so lucky to have you, Honey. Here we are fighting thousands and you made it so relaxing."


    It was true that there were thousands of zombies, but hardly any of them managed to harm Hellsend. Sabel herded the Normies around like a sheepdog. The 2nd Amendment just kept shooting at the corpses as they trudged along.


    The only big problem was when the soulgears needed to be resupplied. Sabel would take them to Bella or the other Sirens to be reactivated with soul. The cool-down time was quite short, but for Rank F''s it was more than enough.


    "Honey, while I am quite happy with your praise, you are misunderstanding something."


    "Hmm?"


    "This battle is not relaxing because of me. It is because of you. This kind of battle is only possible because you exist. Any of the Sirens could be replaced, but you cannot."


    "What do you mean? I''m just a guy who shoots zombies and makes crappy speeches."


    Bella let out an exaggerated sigh and face palmed in irritation.


    "Honey, I know you rarely do things for the English to see, but come on! You are being extremely too hard on yourself."


    When she noticed my confused face, she clarified.


    "I meant you didn''t do it to show off. Sorry, my brain is wired in Portuguese. Anyway. Mr. Code, objectively speaking, what do you think is the most important component of this battle? The one thing we cannot do without?"


    "The guns?"


    "Close, but try again."


    "The {Honey Trap} soulgear?"


    "No. And before you answer anything else, it is not me, the other Sirens, or the Sacred."


    "Then..."


    "It''s you, honey. Your {Fates} to a lesser extent."


    "..."


    "Honey, the weapons allow us to fight safely. But only until we have bullets. Without bullets, the guns are just crappy sticks. There are other transport {Fates} besides Lilly. There are plenty of bait type {Soulgear}."


    She then took my hands in hers and placed them on her chest.


    "Mr. Code. Believe me when I say this. This plan is only possible because of {Rewind}. We are not running out of ammo or supplies. Stamina is another matter, but you even solved that.


    You are a commander''s worst nightmare."


    "Worst nightmare?"


    "By a fucking wide margin, Honey. I would rather fight all the Sirens than you. Mr. Code, do you realize that technically you can fight forever? Your only limitation is your mind. And on top of that, you have the ability to draw people to you."


    "..."


    It wasn''t that I didn''t understand Bella''s words, but it felt like too much credit. Wouldn''t the Sirens be better than me? S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It seems you don''t understand, so let''s make this simple. Take Alfonso for example. How many undead do you think he can kill in an hour?"


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    "I don''t know, a thousand?"


    "Close enough, he killed over 800 in the last hour alone. When do you think he would stop moving?"


    "When he runs out of gas? And bullets?"


    "Correct. And if he encountered a rank E, it would also be a close fight. But for 25 souls, I can rearm him to full capacity. For 50 souls, I can restore him to perfect condition, no matter how broken he is. 800 Rank F''s is 16,000 souls. Now tell me?


    How would you stop him?"


    "I would take you out," I replied.


    "Correct. And if I wasn''t on the battlefield?"


    "I don''t think I could."


    "Correct. You can''t. It is impossible. Even if you use a damn nuke, Alfonso will only return unharmed for 50 souls, so long as I am alive. Honey, this is what {Rewind} is doing to everyone here."


    "..."


    "There are numerous problems with being too relaxed. But none of us here are afraid. The Sirens know this. So instead, everyone is using this important time to refine their techniques."


    While I understood Bella, I found it untrue. I used {Rewind}. No matter how good you were, the mental anguish from the pain could drive people insane. Then I felt a hand gently touch my cheek.


    "Honey, {Rewind} is not without its flaws, I know. But I am telling you. In the hands of anyone else, it would be useless. But because of who you are, {Rewind} is absolutely terrifying to face."


    Bella''s words were incredibly emotional. As if I were her son that she had raised over the years. A motherly tone full of pride.


    "Mr. Code, have I ever told you? I was ready to die during the enlistment. Even if I survived the night. I had no idea how I would make it in Hellsgate. I might have decided to sell myself just to pay the tax.


    "But the heavens allowed me to meet you. And like the sun, your light gave me hope. And when you loved me, I wanted to live. Not just survive. I am sure that is true for the rest of the Sirens, but that is why we fell in love with you."


    I was embarrassed by Bella''s passionate speech. But I continued to listen.


    "Honey, if {Rewind} ended up in the hands of people like Robert Acwellan, he would just become a more psychotic bastard. If it ended up in the hands of a coward. No one would even know it existed. You shower the girls and me with praise, but you are greater than all of us put together.


    "Every facet of Hellsend, the 2nd Amendment, or the Sirens. They were all created by you. If you chose to be selfish, corrupt, or tyrannical, none of us would help you. If you took advantage of the people, few would rally to your call. But the people here see you as a true hero, and soon. The whole world, too."


    I brought her hands to my lips and kissed them.


    "It would be incredibly uncool of me to go against the words of Minerva. After all, you are our goddess of wisdom. Thank you, Bella."


    "Anytime, Mr. Code. And in truth, the Sirens are competing for the right to be at your side in battle."


    "Oh? And you won?"


    "No, I showed them your message and they allowed me to come first."


    "First?"


    "Honey, you have no idea how much the Sirens adore you. Nothing else can be more important to us than you. Speaking of which, to answer your question earlier. The Sirens and I have linked this entire floor."


    "Huh?"


    "The Sirens spammed [Beacon] and {Portal}. We each created six portals in six zones. There are only 28 zones on a single floor. We opened 36 portals with [Beacon] connecting them all."


    "Bella..."


    "What Hellsend is fighting now is the combined undead forces of an entire floor."


    "W-what?"


    Bella touched her glasses and frowned.


    "FUCK! I said I know already! I was just getting to the good part! [Beacon]."


    Six portals formed and the rest of my harem came out.


    "Darling! The battle is about to end! Let''s go!"


    Speechless, I couldn''t even answer. My mind struggled to understand what the hell was going on.

 Chapter 346: Not Enough [1/2]

    "Shujin, I have returned," a voice greeted me lovingly.


    Instead of ramming me from the front like Robyn and Jo usually did, she suddenly appeared and wrapped her arms around me from behind.


    She might seem invisible to humans and reapers, but not to me. I twisted my body to bring her to my front before giving her a smooch.


    "Welcome back Kamisan. And that goes for all of you. I''m glad that everyone is safe."


    Aki, said nothing and just continued to embrace me.


    Remembering what Bella had just said made me feel dizzy. Even though I looked fearless to others, I still had many insecurities. One of them was my own abilities.


    While I would never think that I was worthless. I had a hard time believing that I was better than the Sirens.


    This humility was probably why I felt blessed that they chose me. A small figure ran like lightning and jumped on me like a cat. She then nuzzled her nose into my neck as she muttered.


    "Possum, the girls say you think you''re lame? What''s that about?"


    "I..."


    "Honey here thinks we are the ones who contribute the most to the battle. I told him he was wrong before you guys interrupted our sweet time."


    "Oh please, we already gave you a head start. If you talked less and kissed more, you might have already won. Dear, Bella may be an insufferable twat at times, but in this case she is right."


    "Indeed. My love, in my opinion, it is you who is carrying this battle."


    "Of course he is, Husband would make any army unstoppable. While having us helps, we are mainly swords, without a competent warrior to wield us, what we can do is limited."


    "I agree! If I had to crush Hellsend, I would kill you first, Darling! If you are not taken out, we can take over the world with enough time!"


    "Jo-san, can''t you phrase it better? It is unsettling that you say such things with a smile. But I agree. Shujin would be the pillar that ensures that Hellsend cannot fall."


    Robyn then turned my face to her while she pouted.


    "Possum, you are being fucking stupid. Even if you were the weakest reaper around, do you think I would ever let you go?"


    I couldn''t help but chuckle at my Aussie''s angry retort. It was only yesterday that she was worried that I would leave her when she could no longer kill.


    "Lookie here John Smith, I Robyn Lithgow will love no other man but ya. You are worth more to me than all the men on earth put together. Remember what you told me?"


    The sweet talk I had with her?


    How could I forget?


    "Robyn, I love you. I didn''t love you because you were the best at killing people. I loved you because you make me happy. Do you love me?"


    "Yes."


    "Then that''s all I need. I want you. I need you. Stay with me. When you can no longer kill, I will protect you. You don''t have to give anything in return.


    Just be my Sheila."


    Robyn laid her forehead on mine as she whispered softly. Her cheeks blushed slightly red as she shut her eyes. It was unlike her usually boisterous demeanor. It was as if my girl was ashamed of what she was about to say.


    "It''s my turn to reassure you, Possum. If you go blind, I will see for you. If you can no longer walk, I will be your legs. If you can no longer use your hands, I will be the one to wipe the shit off your ass."


    Then she opened her eyes and looked deep into mine.


    "I love you. You make me happy. That is all that matters. I do my best because you are here. So everything I contribute belongs to you."


    "Robyn, I..."


    The Australian placed her finger on my lips as she continued.


    "It''s not just me, Possum, look at everyone else."


    I followed her words and looked at the faces of my harem. They all smiled beautifully as if to reassure me.


    Jo then stepped forward and grabbed Robyn by the collar before throwing her away. Like a leopard, the combat Joey somersaulted and landed gracefully.


    "Fucking nut job. Couldn''t you just say please like a normal slagger?"


    "Eh? Are any of us normal? Hehehe don''t mind it jail bait!"


    Jo then turned back to me as she held out her hands.


    "Darling, the Sirens and I know that you feel inadequate. That is one of the reasons why you try so hard. That is why you are so driven as a Reaper. I was the one who volunteered this plan to them. Instead of just clearing Dirge Sirens, I suggested clearing entire floors."


    "..." S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jo''s words weren''t wrong, I didn''t want to regret it, so I pushed myself really hard. The last two days where I couldn''t sleep or the continuous string of batles were also because of that.


    " Darling, we showed you right? I know you think you have to fight like crazy to defeat the undead and become stronger. This plan was for you. We killed all the undead on the sixth floor. And it was so safe, it was boring, right?"


    "Yes," I replied curtly.


    Jo then hugged me from the front. Her voluptuous body felt heavenly, even though the fabric of my suit prevented our skin from touching.


    "Darling, it pains us to see you hurt. The same as you get furious when you see us shed blood. Today and tomorrow, please understand, the Sirens and I are capable fighters. You intend to make us stronger, but know that we must be hurt to do so."


    "Shujin, the only time you treated us like warriors was when we were ambushed. Your anger dulled your concern and allowed us to truly show you our abilities. Please remember that just like last night, all of our power is at your disposal for all eternity."


    "Unfortunately, since then, you have been nothing but a worrywart, Honey. While we feel cherished, tomorrow''s stakes are too high. I don''t know why you are so afraid of us dying, but we are strong, you know?"


    "Ah. You noticed," I unconsciously blurted out.


    "How could we not, Husband? The way you drive your men and us is very different. You worry too much and you want us to be safe, or at least as safe as we can be. You treat us like glass sculptures, Husband, you just haven''t noticed."


    " This is why we didn''t ask you for your opinion, my love. And why we deliberately left you alone in today''s battle. You trust us, we know that. After all, you were able to accept my abilities when you tested the shield. But when it comes to fighting the undead, you do not seem to do so."


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    "I am so sorry that you felt lonely, Dear. It was something we decided together to teach you a lesson. Otherwise you would do the same tomorrow. And we cannot risk you making that mistake."


    "..."


    I couldn''t react to her words at all. It was objectively true. Having seen the Sirens die, I wanted them to fight only battles that I was sure they could win. I was so out of the loop that I hardly knew what was going on.

 Chapter 347: Not Enough [2/2]

    If they had told me the whole plan from the beginning, I might have resisted. Or I would have volunteered to connect the zones myself. Their words were true. Although I knew they were strong, I wanted them to face weaklings.


    For tomorrow''s battle, I actually planned to leave the Wraiths to them while I monopolized the Phantoms. I hadn''t tested it, but I intended to use death resonance to force my harem if needed be.


    It seemed my girls knew more about me than I realized. It was strange now that I thought about it. It was like two opposing views fighting for control of my mind.


    On the one hand, I believed that the Sirens were strong, more capable, and the best weapons I had at my disposal. So much so that I was discouraged because I felt inferior.


    On the other hand, I valued them so much that I wanted to keep them in a metaphorical cage. The only enemies they would face would be the ones I allowed.


    Tactically, it made no sense.


    Aira said it several times when we were planning how to fight the Saviors. Of the scenarios in which we could destroy them, the Sirens were always part of the situation. But even though their involvement led to the best outcome, I denied it all.


    "I''m being stupid, aren''t I?"


    I prided myself on being logical, but my pride, ego, and emotions got the better of me. This was similar to men feeling emasculated by high earning women. Throughout history, men have used several means to control their wives.


    The first was money, the literal "if you don''t want to starve or freeze to death, listen to me" tactic. However, with girls earning more money through education, this power has largely disappeared in highly civilized countries.


    The other factor that could enforce compliance was marital fidelity. But that has been pretty much destroyed by divorce and the "me too" movement. If it was once considered shameful to have multiple partners, it was now the norm. A disgusting norm, but a norm nonetheless.


    If a woman didn''t need a man''s money and wasn''t shamed for finding another, why on earth would she listen to one if she didn''t want to?


    Of course, there was a third option, and that was physical violence. It was also a fact that domestic violence was a reality in marriages before divorce was a thing. Nevertheless, these reasons generally became the factors for the next problem.


    Highly intelligent and high earning women married to a man making less than six figures would never work. Any and all decisions made by the man would be overruled by the woman because she has the option to not listen.


    My case was similar. I had seven highly capable women in front of me. They may have needed me in the beginning. But as they became stronger, that dependency would disappear.


    I knew it was hard to get them to listen when they didn''t want to. That was probably why I wanted to take away their ability to choose in the first place. Yet, in spite of all this, I also knew how much they respected me.


    They showed me that today. That if they wanted to, they could exclude me from the operation and it would still go well. Of course, I didn''t try to oppose them directly. But the proof was already there.


    Right now, I wasn''t sure what would happen if the Hellsend members were asked to choose between me and the Sirens. Who was loyal to whom? How many would side with me? How many wouldn''t?


    Even in monarchies this was a common problem, which was why the King''s Guard was a thing. Maybe the 2nd Amendment would be the only ones loyal to me? I was sure that Vela''s wolves would prefer their big sister to me.


    Despite all these things, the Sirens were also telling me one thing in particular. Or rather a lesson.


    In plain English, it was that I should use them as ruthlessly as the 2nd Amendment. And that despite their abilities, they were subservient to me not because they had to be, but because they wanted to be.


    "I..."


    Unable to answer, the girls surrounded me with a group hug. They said nothing, but I could feel their warmth from our pseudo-kindred link. Sometimes I wonder how much of my emotions were passed on to them through this thing.


    After we parted, Jo pulled my hands toward the portals. It seemed that the battle was entering its final stages. On the one hand, all seven colored squads of the 2nd Amendment were blasting the shit out of the zombies.


    With [Eagle eye], I noticed that there were no more zombies coming from the portals. As the number of enemies decreased, the barrage of bullets became even more concentrated.


    "Darling! Take out your guns and dance with me!"


    "What?"


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    Lilly raised her hands as she shouted in a clear voice with {Announce}. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "All squads cease fire! Ten graves to the field!"


    As if a loud storm had finally subsided, the guns that had been firing all this time stopped. The quiet stillness was broken by hundreds of groaning corpses.


    "BLOODY OATH! LET''S DO THIS!"


    "A good practice for tomorrow''s battle! My blood is on fire! My love! Let us depart!"


    "Please be careful, everyone. I will protect Shujin."


    "As will I. Husband will be safe with me by his side."


    "Oh please, Jasmine, Aki and I will protect Honey. Snipers shouldn''t jump around."


    "No! Aki come with us too! Bella, Liv and Henry will be with Darling! Also, Jas, we can still double team, so it''s okay! Robyn, Aki and I will be the vanguard."


    "Then Jasmine and I will guard our rear. Dear, make sure you stay close to Bella and Liv, okay?"


    Hearing my girls plan our formation, I could only smile wryly. We had the entire Hellsend on standby, while there were still a considerable number of undead.


    "Bella, how many are we looking at?"


    "Not enough," she replied arrogantly.


    "Not enough, huh?"


    "POSSUM! LET''S GO ALREADY! LILLY! DO YOUR THING!"


    "My thing?" Lilly replied confused.


    "I believe Robyn is asking for your declaration of hostilities, Lilly-sama."


    "Oh? That''s a thing? Amusing. Then okay! I will do my thing now!" she rambled on excitedly with a smile.


    "Have some dignity, you pervert. You are an embarrassment to Husband."


    "Now, now, everybody stop fighting. She''s just excited, after all the princess hardly has any friends because she''s a fucking pervert. Right, Honey?"


    Hearing the banter of my harem, I couldn''t help but feel overjoyed. This was what I was missing. Being with the women who made my light shine brighter.


    I chuckled as I replied to Bella, "She''s my pervert, Honey. So I don''t mind. Dear, please do your thing. I really want to see your cool side."


    "Hahaha! Darling didn''t deny that you''re a pervert! HAHAHA!"


    "Oh shut up you nut job! It is just like dear said! I am his pervert!"


    "Hahaha! So what? I am his nut job too! Right, darling?"


    "Yes, darling, my very own crazy lunatic. One I cannot live without."


    "Haha, Beloved has a way with words. Even insults feel affectionate."


    "You are all incorrigible! Ehem. SEVEN SIRENS PLUS DEAREST! ANNIHILATE THE REMAINING ENEMY! OPEN COMBAT!"


    At Lilly''s words, the Sirens and I sprang into action. Like a well-oiled machine, it took us only twenty minutes to kill all the zombies. And unlike the previous battle, this one made me feel extremely good.


    When the Jo shot the very last zombie through its mouth, the battle was finally over. With happiness and joy, I shouted to the sky in excitement.


    "VICTORY!"


    Hundreds more joined me in celebrating as Hellsend completed its first battle.

 Chapter 348: Dead or just beaten? [1/2]

    "VICTORRRRYYYYYYYY!!!!!"


    Like heroes in old war movies, I screamed with all my might. My gun raised, it felt good to savor such a hardwon victory. My girls all similarly cheered. It took a good five minutes for the yelling to stop.


    Several groups came toward us. I could see some of them making disgusted faces, some even retching as they walked over the multitude of corpses.


    Maybe it was because I had become desensitized to the battlefield, but I didn''t feel that the stench was particularly bad.


    Of course, among my harem, Liv, Jo, and Robyn were covered in blood as usual. Only a few streaks were crusted around their hair, but their faces looked gruesome. Their clothes had also seen better days.


    In contrast, Aki was relatively cleaner, while Lilly, Jas and Bella were spotless. It was like the old RPG parties in fantasy games.


    The swordsmen, knights and spearmen would be dirty as hell. Mages, archers and priests would be spotless because they were in the back.


    While I didn''t mind, the thought of others gagging because my girls were dirty pissed me off. I pulled out a handkerchief and some alcohol.


    "Love, Kitten, Darling. Come here. Let me clean you up a little."


    Pleased, I called them and the three lined up while making big smiles. Aki looked at her hands and joined the line inconspicuously.


    "Shujin, what about me?" she asked timidly.


    Amused at how docile this battle-hardened Asian was, I nodded as I answered.


    "You too, Kamisan."


    Then I heard Lilly and Bella scream.


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    "KYA! Cease at once, Jasmine! What the hell are you thinking?"


    "TAKE SOME UP YOUR ASSHOLE YOU BITCH! HAVE YOU FINALLY LOST YOUR LAST BRAIN CELL?"


    I turned to see Jas covered in guts and blood. In her right hand was the upper torso of a Chuckie, the lower half was in her left hand of course. The blood seemed to be splattering Bella and Lilly as accidental casualties.


    Undeterred by the insults the other two hurled her way, Jas quickly joined the melee fighters I was about to clean up. The rest of the Siren''s could barely speak as Jas stood at the end of the line covered in blood.


    They all knew how smart this African woman was. No amount of confusion could make her do something so disgusting if she didn''t want to. Lilly and Bella sighed and face palmed respectively.


    Jo and Robyn, on the other hand, giggled like children. Liv at the front of the line ignored them all and looked at me expectantly. It was just wiping, why the hell were they being so extreme?


    I couldn''t even ask her and just started wiping the blood off Liv. The Northerner closed her eyes and enjoyed my caress. If Liv had a tail, I was sure it would be wagging now.


    As I cleaned the blood, dirt and grime from her face, I couldn''t resist giving her a quick peck.


    "There, my love, you are so beautiful, I could just look at you all day," I commented affectionately.


    Liv, barely able to suppress a smile, replied blissfully. "Only because you are with me, my love. Nothing else has given me so much happiness except you. C-can I have another?"


    "Another?"


    Wordlessly, Liv closed her eyes and pursed her lips. Amused, I leaned forward to grant her wish, only to have a bloody hand come between us.


    "Do the harry Liv, you already got your reward, get the line moving!" Robyn chastised.


    Liv made an angry face as she glared at Robyn. The face she made was unlike anything I had ever seen on her before.


    "Tsk. Washboard Loli. Very apt. Celebrate for now. I will return the favor," the Northerner threatened.


    "What did you say to me, cunt? You want to get suplexed to the ground first? I''m not afraid of you, slagger!"


    "What is a suplex? Never mind, just be careful not to bruise my breasts. Our beloved likes them so much. But you wouldn''t know anything about that, would you?"


    "This fucking cunt. Possum likes my tits just fine! Who would want to carry all that fat! That''s why you''re the slowest around here!"


    As the tension escalated, there was a loud bang. A .45 ACP went past Liv and Robyn, causing them to stop arguing. The Northerner and the Aussie looked towards the source of the gunshot only to find Jo gritting her teeth in anger.


    "Can you fucking sluts go home and fuck yourselves already? I want to be cleaned by Darling. You are in the way."


    Similarly, an M24 barrel was raised behind Jo towards the two of them. It seems that such interactions were expected of those who had harems.


    They were united by external forces, but while competing for my attention, they were all bitter enemies.


    I stepped between them and grabbed Liv and Robyn around the waist. Neither resisted my arms and were swept towards me. I gave them both a quick kiss on the cheek.


    "Liv, please don''t get mad, we can make out later. Robyn was just impatient. And you Robyn, please forgive Liv for her comments, she was just disappointed that you prevented our kiss. Now you both apologize to each other. Or I will not clean you in the next battle."


    Both made annoyed faces but followed my words.


    "I apologize Robyn. I was wrong. Please forgive me."


    " Sorry I couldn''t wait, Liv. I shouldn''t have interrupted your kiss with Possum."


    Satisfied with the current situation, I embraced them tighter before letting go. Liv stood behind me like a bodyguard while Robyn presented her arms. They were a shade of brown from all the dried blood on her skin.


    As I cleaned Robyn, I heard more murmurs from the Sirens.


    "Why are you two here, you''re not dirty at all. Go talk to the Hellsend department heads. Aren''t you two supposed to be big shots? Stop bothering Husband."


    "I''m here to ask for my reward. No one said that this line was only for cleaning up Sirens with sloppy fighting styles. Dear would never withhold what I have fairly earned."


    "I don''t need to explain anything to a psychotic freak. Stop interfering with Honey and me. Why don''t you go get a tan or something? Oh, I forgot, you are already very badly burned."


    When I heard Lilly and Bella''s hostility towards Jas, I could only smile wryly. No one said it was easy to be the owner of a harem. But this was brutal. While I was tending to the Sirens, the commanders of Hellsend came forward, along with someone I didn''t know.


    ''Who is that person? Is she one of Patrick''s people? I didn''t see anyone come in. Has she been here from the beginning?''


    The department heads all put their hands over their hearts as they knelt. Phillip led the discussion. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "My lord, congratulations on your victory. I am sure we have earned a considerable sum from the souls in the air alone."


    I ignored Phillip''s praise and spoke to the intruder as I continued to clean Jo.


    "To the one with gray hair in a yellow suit. Identify yourself before I blow your head off," I said coldly.


    "Uwah, you are just as much a war freak as reported. Doesn''t your personality change too much when you talk to other people? What happened to the loving spouse of the Sirens?"


    The cheeky woman had the air of a journalist. That, and she had a camera in one hand and some kind of voice recorder in the other. Before I could answer, Bella stepped forward and intervened.


    "Honey, this woman is Constance Faye. A reporter for Graveyard. Robyn found her stalking our people yesterday. I have allowed her to join the defense as a witness today."


    "I see, then do what you please," I replied curtly.

 Chapter 349: Dead or just beaten? [2/2]

    Jo purred like a cat as I washed the dirt from her cheeks and neck. Bella nodded at my words and looked at the group kneeling before us.


    "Wai-wait! Is that all? You don''t even ask why I''m here? Your kindred hid my participation from you! Why are you letting her off the hook?!"


    Annoyed at the reporter, I ignored her and finished cleaning Jo. The one who answered her was Lilly.


    "This is something only the Sirens understand, you arrogant, opportunistic piece of garbage. Dearest trusts us unconditionally. The fact that Bella vouched for you means that he no longer doubts that you can be harmful to him."


    "Hmph! Lilly Browning! You are also in the headlines since yesterday! I heard that you quit the White Guard and left the Browning family. Have they commented on your actions yet?" S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This woman really has guts. Not even royalty can intimidate her.


    "As always, you spout all this nonsense, Constance. How in the world you managed to marry the Nightmare I will never know. My maternal family has been informed. If you want to know their answer, ask them instead of me."


    Oh? This bitch was married to Zachary Lynch? Go figure. No wonder no one could control her. She was married to the commander of the Death Seekers, for crying out loud.


    "Okay! I will. However, when I heard that you were among the Kindred of Limitless, I could hardly believe my eyes. Weren''t they talking about you being engaged to the Prince of Asia? The untamed, yet you are willing to share your husband? How pitiful."


    Unconsciously, a death resonance erupted from me when I heard her words. Aki, chuckling at my reaction, took my hand in hers as she used it to wipe the inside of her clothes. Her eyes were extremely lascivious as she watched my surprise at her brazenness.


    Lilly then turned to me as she asked. The way she did it was as if the topic was what to have for dinner.


    "Dear, if I asked you to fight my family, the entire Asian Battlefront and its Revenant, how would you answer?"


    "Do you want them dead or just beaten?"


    "Fufu, thank you, dear. That''s all I needed to hear."


    "Princess, you can''t be serious! Have you gone mad?" Constance exclaimed nervously.


    Lilly replied in the manner of a queen.


    "How I solve my problems is none of your business. Bella, give her what she wants and be done with it."


    At that moment, a bespectacled man stepped forward.


    "Perhaps I can help you, Lady Bella?"


    "No need. I already knew you were the reason she got here, Patrick Steorra."


    "Can somebody tell me why this slagger is here? Possum may not care about this cunt, but I do. If she doesn''t give me a good reason, I''ll put a bullet in her forehead."


    Probably annoyed that I was paying attention to the discussion with Constance, Aki leaned in and grabbed me tightly in her embrace. As if the inside of my mouth had gold or something, Aki explored every inch of it with her tongue.


    When we parted, a lewd bridge of saliva stretched between us. Jas pouted beside us, eager to be spoiled by me.


    "To cut the long story short, I allowed her to take footage of our fight. Along with an article, she bought the rights to enter this battlefield for 50,000 souls. I don''t know what she paid Steorra though," Bella explained.


    I couldn''t help but wonder. How rich was that bitch to use 50,000 souls or a million dollars just to make a video or an article.


    "Ah! So she will do the article to increase Darling''s pot?" Jo chirped as she approached Constance. Despite the Italian''s cheerful demeanor, her eyes showed the disposition of a dangerous hunter.


    Aki added as she helped me clean Jasmine. "Or it would allow those who bet on the Saviors to gauge their chances of winning."


    I understood what the girls were trying to explain, but I didn''t really care. I just let the girls rest. Affection maintenance of my harem was one of my duties. After I cleaned Jas, I intended to continue fighting for souls.


    "So, Constance, what do you think of our battle prowess? If you can help us close the gap, I would be most grateful," Liv asked the reporter.


    What the hell was Liv asking? Did the North have reporters at all? Constance Faye rubbed the back of her head in annoyance before she spoke.


    "To be honest, the way you fight is insane! I have never heard of a group of less than a thousand people clearing an entire floor. Especially when your fighters are less than a hundred.


    "That is not even counting the fact that Limitless and his harem are all Formless. As if that were not enough, they have machines and all sorts of tricks at their disposal. I have seen the Saviors in Seeker Wars in the past. I think you have a chance."


    "Oh? So this bitch has some use after all, I wonder if I can get her to show me. What do you think, Wifey? Kamisan?"


    Jas, who enjoyed being pampered by me, answered with her eyes closed.


    "Does it really matter, Husband? Haven''t Aki and Vincent already given us enough information? I think she won''t have much. Ah! That tickles!"


    "Anata, I agree with Jas-san. For one, I have never heard about the Nightmare''s spouse as a combatant. That is why she remains a Wraith despite being married to a Specter."


    ''Ho? There seemed to be layers to this story. Still, I was never one to pry. I could care less about her affairs. Not when I have too much to do in the first place.''


    "I see, then we''ll let Bella, Lilly and Jo handle it," I added with a smile.


    "Husband, you really need to stop throwing the annoying things at us."


    "Ara. I think that''s what makes Shujin so charming."


    "But Wifey, they are much better at it than I am. I believe in giving people the jobs that best suit their strengths."


    "Hmph, and what jobs would you take then, Husband?" Find out more on m-vl-em-pyr


    "Hmm, how about official Siren towel boy? Or Siren masseur?"


    "Fufu, Anata, the chances that you would simply molest us would be extremely high."


    "But I would certainly help you relax, wouldn''t I?" I countered.


    Jas then took my hand and ran it along her shapely behind.


    "I can think of much better jobs for you, Husband. They all involve the two of us being naked, are you interested?"


    "I would even pay you to work there, Wifey. I promise to work for you all the days of my life."


    While I was flirting with Jas and Aki, I was still listening to the discussion between Zach''s wife and the girls.


    "Anyway, I have a proposition for you all?"


    "Are you in a position to ask for anything? What do you have to offer?" Lilly challenged as she crossed her arms.


    Bella continued to glare at the reporter as she added. "Need I remind you, Constance, if it were your husband, I would listen. But everything you have right now is because of your relationship with a Specter. You are worthless on your own."


    "It is a known secret that the Nightmare hardly gives his kindred the time of day. If you were not a member of the graveyard newspaper, no one would even know you," Jo blurted out mercilessly.


    ''This is getting kind of sad. If this is all true, then Constance Faye is pathetic, to say the least.''


    "I KNOW ALL THAT! YOU DON''T HAVE TO KEEP REMINDING ME!"


    Constance then tried to walk towards me, only to have all seven of my girls point their guns at her.


    "LIMITLESS! ARE YOUR WORDS ABOUT THE FORMLESS TRUE?! IF IT IS, THEN LET ME JOIN HELLSEND!"


    ''Ah shit. This can''t be good.''

 Chapter 350: The Price of Death. [1/2]

    They often said that connections were everything. I knew that to be true. Even in my own life, I saw the power of social connections.


    How many people got jobs or rewards they did not deserve?


    It was great if you were the one who got ahead. But for the rest of us? It was the worst. Of course, there was the negative side of connections, the ones who got even worse treatment just because they were connected to someone.


    You didn''t even have to be linked to a person. In fact, this whole premise was the basis of why the world turned to shit. Hate a certain race and you were racist. Hate gays or the alphabet community and you would be called a misogynist or a sexist.


    There were as many divisions as there were people. Most of the time it was done with good intentions. Like if I was proud to be an American, the stupid would see it as me hating everyone else.


    Religion, political ideology, hell, even what you believed in economics or what movies you watched were the same Connections were so powerful that just being connected to an idea was enough to either build bridges or burn them. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Naturally, Hellsgate was not exempt.


    "LIMITLESS! ARE YOUR WORDS EARLIER TRUE! IF SO, LET ME JOIN HELLSEND!"


    The Reapers as a whole were pitiful as hell, but the Formless had it the worst. Roland shared that it did not happen by chance, that the Formless were trampled on on purpose. It was supposed to delay the apocalypse.


    But that kind of thinking was stupid and short-sighted, sacrificing the many for the few would breed mistrust and malice. It was inevitable. If a king had no loyalty, who would stand by him?


    If a ruler could abandon people simply because they were the few, then the many would know that if one day they "became" the few, the same thing would happen.


    There were no stories of heroes who sacrificed people, even if they were only a few. However, there were many stories of those who fought, even if it was only for one person.


    The Formless, who had been bullied all this time, had only two choices. Suffer in silence or rise up in revolt. The only question was time.


    Fortunately for David and his fellow Revenants, I arrived before the Formless began to revolt. Otherwise, things would have gotten ugly.


    I was fine leading the Formless, who didn''t belong anywhere. But what would I do with those who were connected to the Manifested? When I didn''t bother to turn around, Constance shouted again.


    "LIMITLESS! WHY WON''T YOU ANSWER?! YOU''RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE SAVIOR OF THE FORMLESS, AREN''T YOU! THEN FUCKING SAVE ME!!"


    The reporter then tried to approach me; the guns aimed at the small woman were not enough to stop her. Liv lowered her 1887 shotgun and physically restrained Constance.


    "Enough of your prattling, Wraith! If you want to be saved, ask your husband! You have a powerful Specter at your side, don''t you?"


    "Liv Ivaldi. Fallen Princess of the North. You came here looking for someone to save the North. How are you different from me? Why do you find salvation when I don''t?"


    "W-wha..."


    As Liv grew confused, the sound of a loud slap echoed through the air. I turned to see Jo''s hand outstretched across the reporter''s cheek.


    "Don''t insult my sister, bitch. I am this close to giving you another hole to breathe through. Your husband is the only reason I haven''t done it yet!"


    "DO IT! THEN MAYBE HE WILL REMEMBER I EXIST!"


    This was getting too much for me, I looked over and saw Bella waiting for my instructions. I gave her a nod and my South American lover moved.


    "YOU KEEP GOING ON AND ON ABOUT MY AMAZING HUSBAN...Ughk!"


    Bella pulled out what looked like a piece of chocolate and shoved it into Constance''s mouth. She covered the reporter''s mouth as Constance tried to fight back. Eventually, the reporter was forced to swallow the thing in her mouth.


    "What you just ate is a frozen piece of my blood. Use my {Fate} {Connect} and direct it to me."


    As Bella spoke to Constance, the Hellsend department heads were still kneeling on the ground. None of them were worried about the reporter as the Sirens were around me.


    Lilly approached them and ordered them to prepare for the next round of battles.


    "Everyone, the Sirens will prepare another horde like the last one. Phillip, delay answering the adventurers. Van, order Minerva''s Wizards to analyze the floor with the most undead below floor 25.


    "Cynthia, have the Ten Graves complete the collection by priority as we discussed. For everyone else, have your teams work through the mistakes from the last battle and rest. Everyone must replenish their energy with the food from Inari''s kitchen. We will reconvene in one hour. Dismissed."


    "Yes, Lady Ishtar!"


    A few steps away, Patrick Steorra was prevented from joining in by Jo, Robyn and Liv.


    "My dear ladies, I am willing to waive my share of today''s battle if just one of you will grace me with a date."


    "But you are icky! Who in their right mind would want you?" Jo said with a disgusted look on her face.


    "You must be out of your mind, drongo. If I had a gun with two bullets and you, a zombie and a goblin were in front of me, I would shoot you twice! Fuck off, you cunt! I am Possum''s woman. Nobody else''s!"


    "The fact that you would court someone else''s harem shows your lack of tact. Demand your payment from Yvonne and begone!


    "If you persist, my beloved will surely slay you for your frivolousness. As my sisters said, I would rather die in battle than be touched by you.


    "..."


    And they said, "The worst thing she could say is no." I couldn''t get angry with that bastard. In fact, I was amazed. From my point of view, being insulted by my girls did more damage than any beating I could give.


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    Still, I had no idea what this bastard''s {Fate} was, but I would bury him the moment he got frisky. Jas and Aki left my side and surrounded Constance with Bella. None of them underestimated her.


    The main problem at the moment was that I had no idea what was going on with Constance. Bella understood that I wanted privacy. It was bad manners to gossip about someone else''s marital problems in public.


    {Connect} would allow us to discuss without words. I tried to look around to see if there was anyone else I didn''t know. {Gather} had made me extremely good with faces, so even the Adventurer parties were already familiar.


    ''Why on earth would this woman not have a single guard with her? Is she really Zach''s wife? What the hell is going on?''


    [Honey, we are ready. Connect to this link]


    [Limitless connected, welcome to meeting room 1!]


    [Members online: Minerva (Admin), Satis, Inari, IlovetheNightmare23]


    "... How brain-less can this woman be?"


    [Minerva: So tell me, why do you want to join our group? Why come to us for help? We are weaker than the Nightmare. Even if we took you in, it would only put us at odds with him. Frankly, no matter what your {Fate} is, you are not worth antagonizing him over.]


    [Satis: Does your {Fate} have something to do with why you know Liv''s background? Or did you pay an information broker? Her records should be under a gag order. Who gave you this information?]


    [Inari: Faye-san, do you feel something pressing against your spine? This is a Ruger MK II that shoots .22 Long Rifle rounds. It may be weak, but it''s enough to destroy your soul gem at close range. If you lie to us, I will kill you.]

 Chapter 351: The Price of Death. [2/2]

    [IlovetheNightmare23: My {Fate} is called {Snapshot}. It''s like a camera, only it captures random parts of a person''s life. I used it on Liv and saw the memory of her arguing with Erick Odinson, they were talking about leaving the North].


    ''Ho? This is a damn powerful ability. You might even be able to catch weaknesses if you are lucky.''


    [Minerva: Okay, that explains the thing with Liv. Now answer my other question.]


    [IlovetheNightmare23: I may be a Wraith now, but I was originally part of the Forsaken. Zach was the reaper that told me my father died in Hellsgate.]


    The Forsaken were the living relatives of the Reapers. When a reaper dies, his or her friend has to bring the reaper''s soul gem to the human who is still alive. It was a gesture of closure for those left behind.


    I remember the tailor I bought my suit from telling me that the one who protected the Forsaken was IRIS.


    So the bastards were really using them as a backup reaper pool. Depending on when this girl was born, she might even be half-descendant.


    [IlovetheNightmare23: Back then, Zach had a wife, his kindred. Emily. Emily was supposedly the reason my father died. She felt responsible and visited me every day. Sometimes Zach would be with her.]


    [Inari: Go on.]


    [IlovetheNightmare23: Emily and I became best friends even when I was human. Unfortunately, compared to everyone I met, Zach was just so dreamy and kind. And he treated Emily so lovingly that I became jealous. One day, Emily found out that I had fallen in love with her husband.]


    ''This can''t be good.''


    [IlovetheNightmare23: I was so ashamed, but Emily understood. She was very open-minded and wanted me to marry Zach. Emily was barren, you see. So she wanted me to join her family as part of Zach''s harem.]


    [Inari: I am not interested in your stories, harlot. Answer what my sister has asked you or die].


    I was once again reminded of how differently the Siren''s treated everyone else but me. Aki was pretty heartless to disregard someone else''s life story.


    [IlovetheNightmare23: Alright already! Anyway, Emily suddenly disappeared and never contacted me again. I tried to look for her and Zach, but I could not find them. I later died and became a reaper. When I arrived, I found Zach. Ouch!]


    [Inari: You seem to be ignoring my threats. I already figured out that Zach will not take revenge for you. Do you really think I am all talk?]


    [IlovetheNightmare23: If you would stop interrupting me, I would be done already!]


    [Satis: Let me guess, he doesn''t remember you, and when you checked, no one knew who Emily was. And since no one helped you, you stayed weak to this day?]


    ''Huh? Why did the others forget Emily too? I could understand Specters, but why would Phantoms and Wraiths forget as well?''


    [IlovetheNightmare23: How did...anyway, yes. You are right. I actually thought I was going crazy and imagining the whole thing. But then I got a letter from Emily Lynch. It was delivered to me by Administration. It was a soul account in my name and a marriage certificate between Zach and I.]


    [Minerva: Then that answers why you weren''t bothered by the tax. So you''re married to him in name, but he treats you like you don''t exist. But what does that have to do with you joining us?]


    Constance looked at me as tears streamed down her face.


    [IlovetheNightmare23: Limitless, you are my only hope. Zach does not remember me because he forgot Emily. The marriage certificate was signed by him, so he knew who I was at one point. Please help me. I learned from my research that getting stronger is the way to make people remember!]


    This woman looked pitiful. How lonely it must be to be suddenly forgotten by the one you loved. She couldn''t even grieve because no one remembered who Emily was. It was both sad and unfortunate.


    [IlovetheNightmare23: PLEASE HELP ME GET STRONGER! FOR THE MAN I LOVE AND THE FRIEND I LOST! I NEED TO BECOME STRONGER! PLEASE!]


    [Limitless: Will you do this even at the cost of forgetting Emily?]


    [IlovetheNightmare23: W-what? What do you mean?]


    [Limitless: The price of becoming a Specter is losing your memories of the dead. You remember them now because you are only a Wraith, but if you become a Specter, you will forget her as well.]


    [IlovetheNightmare23: This makes no sense! It''s a conspiracy! If what you say is true, then why did the other Wraiths and Phantoms also forget Emily?]


    ''Actually, I had no answer to that question either. Why did both groups forget Emily?''


    [Satis: Such is the price of death in Hellsgate].


    "The price of death?" I whispered aloud.


    [Inari: One of the duties of the Administration is to maintain order. Specter''s sudden losing loved ones is one of the things they have to watch out for the most].


    [IlovetheNightmare23: What the hell are you talking about?! Explain it to me right now!]


    [Satis: A Specter would eventually forget the recently deceased in time. However, when brought up by a third party, the weak minds in their ranks might have their souls collapse. To ensure that this does not happen, anyone related to a Specter is erased upon death.]


    [IlovetheNightmare23: Erased? Erased how?]


    [Minerva: How do you think? They are commanded to forget them with death resonance.]


    This. That was something heavy. Does that mean that if the Administration so chooses, they will order me to forget people? This went beyond violating people''s rights. This was tyranny of the highest order.


    [Inari: Wraiths and Phantoms cannot fight the orders of those above them. Once no one remembers, even if records exist, the Reaper will effectively cease to exist.] S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Minerva: In a way, your research is correct. If every Reaper on the battlefront became stronger than the one who ordered them to forget Emily, they would remember.]


    I could see what they were saying. Since Reapers do not appear on camera, the only evidence would be letters or voice recordings. But how would that reaper be different from a fictional character?


    [IlovetheNightmare23: W-what? But I can''t tell them to get stronger! That''s impossible!]


    [Satis: Which is why nothing in the world can grant you your wish.]


    [IlovetheNightmare23: B-but! I remember Emily! I must be special to be a reaper and still remember her!]


    [Inari: I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Faye-san. When the order was given, you were probably still alive. That is the only reason why you remember. Not because you are special.]


    Aki then placed the palm of her hand on Constance''s cheek, and the Japanese beauty spoke with a voice filled with compassion.


    "I can release you from this suffering. As a Phantom, I can command you to forget Emily and Zach. Once I do that, unless you become stronger than me, you will never remember. Do you wish it so?" Discover hidden stories at m,v l''e|m-p| y r


    Constance wept like a child, tears streaming down her face. Heartbreaking cries came from her small frame as she lamented her weakness.


    This was the price of death in the land of hell. To be forgotten. No one would mourn. No one would remember.


    I could not accept such a fate. So I did what I did best.


    "Kamisan, stop."


    "Anata?" "Honey?" "Husband?"


    I walked up to the reporter and looked into her eyes as I spoke.


    "Constance Faye, I accept your request. From this moment on you belong to Hellsend."

 Chapter 352: Why angels envied humans. [1/2]

    For humans, dying simply meant going to the afterlife. Even though it had its problems, there was still something beautiful about leaving a piece of yourself to those who died. Being forgotten, on the other hand, was the harshest punishment for anyone.


    Constance Faye was a rather small person, perhaps about 5''4", yet the burden she carried was immense. This woman had a regret so powerful that it made her a Reaper.


    {Snapshot} allowed her to see random snippets of a person''s life. It was pretty obvious who she wanted to use this skill on. And yet, against her will, the target of her affection refused to acknowledge her.


    The one friend who was supposed to be her comfort left the world. Even worse, she was erased by the Reapers because she was a danger to Zach. How cruel. I remember his words the day he challenged me to go to war with the Saviors.


    "Look, it''s not that I don''t understand, but I made the same sacrifice. I am already a Specter. Why do you think I did it? Because I wanted to lose my memories? No! It was because there was no other choice!


    If everyone followed them, how would we replenish the assault teams?"


    " I fight so that someone would keep David company."


    The realization sent a shiver down my spine. According to Constance, Zach loved Emily dearly, but similar to Xander, he no longer remembers her. It was only because his main purpose was not tied to Emily but to David that he could move on.


    Would I be the same? My main regret was to make sure I lived this life for me. If the Sirens were to die, would I not be able to remember them, despite what I feel now?


    A feeling of helplessness washed over me. You would think that for all their supposed power, the Reapers would be denied such a simple right. For the first time since my death, I regretted becoming a Reaper.


    "Was this why angels envied humans?" I muttered to myself.


    I was born and raised in America, so of course I knew about the God of the Bible. To me, a guy who preached peace and forgiveness was better than the alternative. After all, if your most revered religious prophet was a fucking pedophile, it hardly bodes well for those who follow him.


    Man was supposedly God''s greatest creation, but what about the angels? Why did they, despite living in heaven, come down to mingle with humans? Even risking being corrupted and falling to become demons.


    Not that it mattered. Right now I was at a crossroads. I had no idea what Zach would do if I took his supposed wife under my wing. For one thing, I couldn''t face him. Not yet. On top of that, I was mercilessly humiliated every time I fought a specter.


    Maybe I could use her as a hostage? No, hostages only work if they have value. If Zach made no effort to save Constance, it might mean he literally did not care. Still, the ability to see a target''s past regardless of their will is something I can use.


    "Constance Faye, I accept your request. From this moment on, you belong to Hellsend."


    "!!!"


    The reporter gasped at my words. What the girls were all saying was true. Virtually all of my girls were scolding her for her belief that we were equals. She had nothing to bargain with. All she had were her connections and maybe a few souls.


    And yet. I wanted to help her. Just because I wanted to give a fuck you to the shitty rules of the Hellsgate. Erasing people for the sake of the many? Fuck you all, as an American I will never bow to tyranny.


    Constance threw herself at my feet, crying. "Thank you Limitless, thank you. I will forever be loyal to you. Please help me. Please save me from this hell." S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I kneeled down and pushed her away. "I never said I would save you. You should save yourself. But Hellsend does not care what you have done or who you are. If you are willing to pick up a gun and fight the undead, then you are one of us."


    Sobbing, the reporter grabbed my hand and kissed it. "I am willing, my lord. I will prove myself to you. Thank you for giving me a chance."


    Thinking about it now, if she was practically begging to join us, it meant that everyone else had turned her away. And I could understand why.


    Zachary Lynch had that much power. Who would risk telling the Nightmare that his kindred died because of you?


    I helped her to her feet and noticed my girls, all with unhappy faces.


    "I apologize for deciding on my own, all of you."


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    "Honey, I don''t think anyone cares one bit."


    "Husband, the problem is that this vixen is married and still clings to you like a damsel in distress."


    "Ah!" I belatedly realized that the reporter was still crying on my shoulder.


    Aki approached us and violently pulled the reporter away from me. She then made the woman stare into her eyes while smiling and threatening her.


    "Faye-san, let go of my man. I will put a bullet in you if you touch him again."


    Constance fearlessly moved her face inches away from Aki.


    "What makes you think I want to be with Limitless? Are you stupid? I practically just said I was ready to give up everything for Zach. Why should I even care about your husband?"


    While the two were still bickering, Lilly, Jo, Liv and Robyn returned. As they argued, I could feel signals moving through the air. This probably meant that Bella, Jas or Aki were keeping the other girls informed of the situation.


    The Sirens moved more or less as one. I noticed how they wordlessly assigned tasks to each other. What happened before was a good example. Originally all seven Sirens were still talking to Constance.


    But the moment Bella moved. Lilly went to talk to Hellsend, while Jo, Liv and Robyn blocked Patrick and his group. Bella, Aki and Jas stood like a shield between Constance and me.


    Add to that their creation of the {Program} [Beacon], I was certain that the Sirens were beginning to make plans of their own. It was a common pitfall for couples to want to know everything together.


    Separate lives were still necessary, even if you had a significant other. So I wasn''t going to pry, I trusted them after all. But it might be a good idea to have some plans of my own.


    Liv came in and forcibly separated Aki and Constance. Her large frame towered over the two bickering women. It was even funny how Aki was acting like a hooligan. Usually she was the one who spoke the least.


    "That''s enough, you two. Play nice. Constance, stay away from my Beloved. Do that and the Sirens will never be your enemy."


    "Constance Faye, I know you have manipulated Dearest with your sob stories. I expect your magic in the video later. If we do not increase our pot by at least 20%, I will kick you out."


    Unlike Liv and Lilly, Robyn and Jo ran right up to me and gave me a big hug. Their momentum was not enough to knock me down, but I fell anyway. Rather than risk them hitting their faces on my torso, I just broke their fall.

 Chapter 353: Why angels envied humans. [2/2]

    "DARLING! We made a fortune! Did you hear?"


    "Possum, I feel disgusting. My battery for dealing with cunts is drained. Let me recharge," Robyn complained as she buried her face in my suit.


    Feeling the warmth of their bodies, I kissed Jo and Robyn''s heads.


    " Kitten, you can take as long as you need. Darling, I have no idea what this means, can you please tell me?"


    "We made over 3 million! Over 50 Devil''s Remains have been found! We can use this to stop the pots!"


    Stop the pots? I see, so Jo didn''t want to remain an outsider. If David wanted the masses to bet on the Savior, we could let them put their money into our pot in exchange for the Devil''s remains. Provided we could sell them.


    As I brushed Robyn''s hair, I remarked to Jo in admiration.


    "Darling, you are so amazing! I feel so lucky to have you here."


    "Hehehe! Of course I am! I am your favorite, right? I will continue to do my best, so give me lots of love on Sunday o...Kya!"


    Mesmerized by my Italian''s dazzling smile, I grabbed her slender ass and pulled her closer.


    "Don''t worry, darling. I will fill you with all my love."


    With a glazed look on her face, Jo looked at me seductively as she wrapped her arms around my neck. After we shared a passionate kiss, she whispered, "I can''t wait," before getting off of me.


    "Darling, let''s go! Robyn, you too! We need to get ready for the next one!"


    "Fucking hyperactive fleshlight. Lay off the coffee nut job."


    "Shut up, Washboardloli. Do your job or you will not be invited this Sunday!"


    "ARGH!!! Possum! This nut job is being mean!"


    Caught off guard by Robyn suddenly asking for help, I chuckled as I buried my face in her shoulder. I kissed and licked her stunning neckline before giving her a peck on the tip of her nose.


    "Kitten. She means well, please forgive her."


    "Hmph. Only because my possum asked me to!"


    I laughed, pulling Robyn up and beckoning Jo for another kiss.


    "Darling, please stop teasing Robyn so much. Tease me instead."


    "But darling...you''re no fun. I turn into putty in your hands! It''s unfair!"


    An embarrassing cough made me look at its source. The one breaking our pink atmosphere was Constance. Next to her were five Sirens who looked a little unhappy.


    I opened my arms and smiled.


    "Anyone else need some loving?"


    Surprisingly, no one stepped forward, but Lilly, Bella, Liv, Jas and Aki all blushed scarlet. Only then did I notice that the department heads of Hellsend were standing behind them.


    "..."


    There was only one time I lost track of my surroundings. It was when the Sirens were teasing and playing with me. Joshua and the rest of the squad commanders smiled wryly. Van, Terence, Tildi and Wil, being newcomers, made no comment.


    Cynthia and Yvonne hugged each other excitedly like a bunch of groupies. Phillip stood stoically with a face that made it look like he was looking at garbage. There was only one person who had the balls to yell at me.


    "Baby, look at that lecherous bastard. David was right, he is the enemy of all women," Eva Baker cried angrily.


    "Enemy of all women," her husband confirmed with a nod.


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    "What do you want, Eva? Aren''t you making money with the skewers?" I asked irritated.


    "I am, I got a discount when I asked Cynthia if I could buy all the giant meat."


    My mouth dropped open at her revelation, were the skewers made from giants too?


    "Ugh, you use those for food?"


    "Relax. I used spike dogs for the ones you ate. Giant meat is hard to come by, and it keeps people warm. It is a must for assault teams. Anyway, that''s not what I wanted to ask."


    "Then what is it?"


    "Make me and my baby your {Vassals}. That way, we can earn too."


    A Death Seeker had a personal squad and was authorized to form an army. The squad, and thus the army, had tangible benefits. However, a {Vassal} had little. Despite the grand sounding name, {Vassals} only had two benefits.


    They were allowed to accompany a Death Seeker in a warp, and they were allowed to earn souls if they were present in battle. Since souls were part of the economy of Hell''s Gate, the Battlefront had a system for distributing them.


    Basically, the only way to get souls from a zombie was to kill it. However, each reaper had a "stomach" that determined how many souls you got. Bella told me that a zombie was worth 20 souls. But most people only get ten when they kill one.


    This was because their "stomach" had that as its limit. The rest would be released into the air. According to her, I had a really big stomach. That was the reason why I was earning much faster than her during the enlistment.


    In Squads and Armies, the leftover souls can be picked up by the main combatant''s allies. Much like parties in games, everyone earned more together than alone.


    In game terms, this would mean that only your party would get exp for your kills. Since Hellsend as a whole was marked as my ally, everyone gained 20 souls per kill just by being around the battle.


    Since we were fighting outside of a dirge siren, this also applied to the noncombatants. They earned just by standing behind those who were fighting. The people Eva brought to the leftover production smiths earned souls because they were part of Inari''s kitchen.


    In contrast, Eva and her husband earned nothing. Similarly, Patrick, his men, and the adventuring parties were excluded.


    I had no issue making them my {Vassals} but that would mean they were considered my underlings. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Are you sure? You are a Specter Eva, do you really need to be my {Vassal}?"


    "Yes, I do. I can see now why David vouched for you. Until you fulfill my request, I will guard you. Eva Baker wishes to serve Limitless as her lord."


    "Adam Baker wishes to serve Limitless as his lord."


    After a short ceremony, I earned my first {Vassals}.


    The Sirens and Hellsend hammered out the details for the next battleground. Once the coordinates were chosen, Bella and Lilly had the entire group leave.


    Before we left, I went to find Constance, who was arguing with Cynthia and Yvonne. Upon my arrival, all three bowed and greeted me.


    "Constance, for the next battle, just watch. I will let the Sirens decide how best to use you. Our first task is to make you a Phantom as soon as possible."


    "Call me Connie, my lord. I have spoken with Cynthia and Yvonne. I am not fit for squads or the graves at the moment. What I can do is record and promote the activities of Hellsend."


    "Oh? Like a promo? I suppose that would be helpful, but why? Do you think it is necessary?" I asked.


    "Simply put, my lord, it would help you for tomorrow''s war. I will make sure that you will be a hero to everyone before the betting is over. Leave it to me!"


    Somehow I didn''t know if Connie''s presence would help or not. But for now, we should concentrate on the battles for the rest of the night.

 Chapter 354: Blood for blood [1/2]

    After the preparations were complete, Hellsend assaulted the 10th floor. It wasn''t just one zone, it was an entire floor. There were also numerous problems that arose. Some of them were unexpected.


    First, while there were 28 zones on the 6th floor, only about 13 of them fell. North America was a battlefront that took the balanced approach. At any given time, only 17 of the zones per floor would be cleared.


    This was done to allow the new reapers to "train" on the 11 zones that fell daily. I say daily simply because these zones had no defenders. About a week after the zone was recovered, it will have its Soul Crystal corrupted again and begin to summon the undead.


    Since souls were the basis of the reaper economy, it was necessary to provide people with a means of earning it. This meant that for the 6th level. Only 2 zones fell by accident, while 11 of them were created by design.


    Of course, this was the intention, yet hardly anyone except mercenaries wanted to venture into these contested zones. The warp system for the 11 training zones was open to all, and unlike those with actual dirge sirens, these were not sealed.


    The girls knew that going after Dirge Sirens alone was stupid, especially when they had gold mines that no one bothered to farm. So they linked all 11 zones, along with the ones that actually fell to this one.


    This led to the catastrophic numbers we were facing.


    Unfortunately, as with any good thing, there would be people who would come to complain about it.


    "My name is Stannis Merak. and I am from Administration, we are here to investigate why all eleven training zones were cleared. We will also be demanding payment for the damage your group has caused to the battlefront."


    That was the reason I stayed behind. The Sirens were essential to the operation, so they went to the 10th floor with Hellsend. I was now stuck with this shit for brains, along with Connie and Phillip.


    "Like I said, we killed them for training, that''s our right! Fuck off already!" I said angrily.


    "That may be true, Mr. Limitless, but hardly anyone clears every available zone! What about the poor people whose livelihoods were destroyed by your actions?"


    Ugh. I fucking hated dealing with bastards like this. Probably seeing my anger, Phillip stepped forward and addressed Stannis and his party.


    "Mr. Merak. I am also part of the administration and I can guarantee that your words are untrue. Apart from death seekers, not even adventurers use the 6th floor for training. Do you know the reason?"


    "Um, I... Ugh..."


    "It''s the same reason our group Hellsend chose it. There were too many zombies. Corrupted soul crystals never stop summoning undead. Therefore, if the zones are not culled, their numbers will form a large enough group to overrun even a defended zone."


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    "Yes, that''s right... you know your stuff!" The bastard hesitantly agreed.


    "Indeed I do. So please explain again. Why are you going to fine Hellsend for zones that were rendered unusable due to negligence? If anything, the Administration group in charge of the 6th floor should pay us for allowing the 6th floor training zones to be used again."


    ''Ho? So there is such a thing? Right. The girls chose that floor to maximize our income because they had the most undead.''


    At this point, Connie stepped forward with her camera in hand. The look on the girl''s face was ominous to say the least.


    "Ooh! I smell a scoop! Constance Faye Graveyard News! I find it amusing, Stannis. Administration has neglected to cull the 6th floor for over two years. If I remember correctly, the Floor Admins are given funds to hire Reapers to perform such a task."


    Connie then made an exaggerated thinking expression while taking pictures of the fuckers.


    "I wonder... 2 years, the amount of souls from that should be quite significant. However, the purpose for the funds has not been allocated. Phillip said it right, are you perhaps here to pay this group for their services?"


    "W-what? N-no! Of course not. The funds were immediately allocated elsewhere."


    "Is that so? Then I guess the sparkling soul gears on your body just fell out of the sky?" Connie implied with a ferocious expression.


    "Ughhk!" S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I wonder if I should whisper a few things to my husband over tea. As commander of the Death Seekers, he would be VERY interested, don''t you think?"


    Well, look at that. This woman knew how to play her cards, and even how to bluff. I guess anyone working for the tabloids would need such skills.


    "But!"


    "As if that were not enough, Hellsend managed to get a whole bunch of monster materials. Not to mention getting his hands on the Devil''s remains. The boys didn''t come here to ask for a share, did they? For heaven''s sake! That would be extortion on top of embezzlement!"


    "Ugh..."


    "Stannis, let''s forget it and go. It''s not worth it," his compatriot whispered.


    "It seems there was a mistake. I apologize for the confusion, we will take our leave first."


    Stannis and his men turned and left.


    "While the world is slowly dying, even in hell, you have fucking red tape. How does that even happen?" I said in annoyance.


    "My lord, this is what happens when you mix men and authority. Administration has shown you something shameful."


    Then Connie dropped a bomb. "Well, this will be the last time they get to go outside anyway. I sent a message to Zach and the White Guard would be knocking on their door soon."


    "I thought the girls said you two didn''t get along?"


    "My lord, we may not get along as husband and wife, but we do get along as lawmen and as informants. He trusts my judgment."


    "She is right, my lord. That is why before hearing from her today, most knew that the Nightmare had a good relationship with Mrs. Faye. The number of evil organizations or terrorist groups that have been taken down with her information is well known. "


    "I see. It is a good thing that you both were here. I would have just shot them."


    "My lord, please don''t. Brawling with a Revenant is never a good idea," Phillip warned.


    "I already have though."


    "True. Anyway, please don''t try to pick a fight with Administration. His Majesty may have been on your side last time, but it is dangerous to assume that he will always be."


    "I know. I don''t need his help."


    Then we heard Connie gasp in surprise as she looked down at her phone.


    "What? Something interesting happened," I asked nonchalantly.


    "My lord, the pots are earning quite a bit. If we don''t do something soon, you''ll really be fighting alone," Connie added worriedly.


    David gave the pots 24 hours to earn. That was around 4 pm in the afternoon. So it would end tomorrow, Saturday at 4 pm. After 2 hours, my pot had a million, while the Saviors had 10.


    The time was now almost 9pm Friday. I had twenty hours left. But the numbers were insane. When I checked, I was at 10 million while the Saviors were at 84. The message everyone cared about made things crystal clear.


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 20 hours, 32 minutes, 17 seconds].


    Since Seeker Wars theoretically had no deadline, I could still be alive when the twentieth hour arrived. However, in my opinion, the battle would be long over by then.


    With over 200 Reapers originally from Savior, it would be tough. But the damn cowards were bringing in more Reapers. Mercenaries have been a part of warfare since ancient times.


    And honestly, I could just as easily hire some if I wanted to. But that was off the table.


    "Blood for blood," I muttered.

 Chapter 355: Blood for blood [2/2]

    Robert owed me 81 lives. 80 Wraiths and 1 Phantom. That was the number of Reapers he had killed. And I intended to collect. Bringing people when I had a high probability of dying was stupid.


    I never wanted to be responsible for others. And I was better off on my own. So, regardless of whether the Sirens were allowed to join, there might be nothing left of the Saviors after I was done with them.


    "My lord?"


    Connie''s words pulled me out of my thoughts. She and Phillip seemed to want my opinion on something.


    "What? Did you need something?"


    "I was just commenting on the absurdity of the whole thing. 84 million for the saviors is a staggering number, but when you consider that it is the entire world, it is understandable."


    I guess? Basically, the bet was the USA against the whole world. While we could win if we talked about in the sun. The answer was not so clear for those in hell.


    "How rich are your friends to have bet 10 million souls on you, my Lord?"


    ''Friends? Do I have any friends?'' I wondered inwardly.


    "Lady Constance, you are gravely mistaken. The ten million did not come from my lord''s friends. Did you not know what happened during his first nights here? Find adventures at m_v l|e-NovelFire.net


    "I have checked and out of the ten million, seven are from the other battle fronts. And no single individual wagered more than 100,00 souls."


    "A few nights? ... oh! The Annihilation Rankings! The insane 500/1 odds! You mean these people are all fucking gamblers?" Connie gasped


    "Not all but most of them, you forget the battlefront has a name for them, ''Limit Royalty'', the ones who make fortunes betting on Limitless."


    ''Oh right? That kind of happened? Wait, didn''t I have some kind of stock for the winnings? I should ask Phillip, right now I needed every soul I could get my hands on.''


    Before I could comment, Connie lunged at me and took my hands.


    "My Lord, will you allow me to accompany you through the night? I will make a promo about you and Hellsend. I guarantee your pot will skyrocket after people see it."


    "Ugh, sure. I don''t mind. Go crazy. Just don''t get in my way. I''ll have Bella'' lend you a drone."


    "Ah! No need, I already have my own. I just need to control it."


    ''Hmm. Didn''t Bella already give her {Code}? Perhaps she can use {Connect} on that thing.''


    "Connie, use {Connect} on your drone."


    "Huh? Okay? But will it do anything?"


    "Ah, right. Blood did not teach you what a {fate} did. You would only learn gain the ability. So unless someone from the Siren''s or I kissed her, she would not know how powerful {Code} was.''


    Connie pulled out a yellow Skydio drone similar to mine and used Bella''s {Fate}.


    "{Connect}."


    I could see from her eyes and from the air that ''something'' jumped between Connie and the drone. Then it began to fly in the air without a controller.


    "HOLY CRAP! THIS IS SO COOL! So {Connect} is for machines? I thought it was for talking to people!"


    Feeling smug about her reaction to my lover''s {Fate}, I grew pleased. Connie let her flying camera bounce and slide as she controlled its camera. After a few moments, it descended and landed on her palm.


    "GREAT! I can definitely get some great shots with this!"


    "I see, well just make sure you don''t get killed while you''re flying that thing telepathically. Phillip, can you get me my money from Deathfall? They kept my commission from the Annihilation rankings, right?"


    "Understood, I will see to it at once. my lord."


    Since there was nothing else to do here, I was about to leave when I saw Patrick Steorra talking to Stannis and his group of extortionists. I increased my hearing towards them to see what was going on.


    "I already told you gentlemen, I was only paid by Hellsend. I was not part of their army. I only allowed them to use my land. I was within my rights as a defender!"


    "Yes, but you failed to inform Administration that you were going to summon such a large group of undead. What would you have done if Hellsend had failed to contain the damage and your zone had been breached?" Stannis countered logically.


    "I... I had no idea they would even do that! How can I be responsible for that? Look, they just paid me 50,000 souls so I couldn''t refuse."


    "50,000, you say? Then I will deduct your fines from that. For your negligence in informing us, you will be charged 5,000 souls. Next, for your inability to prepare a countermeasure, you will be charged another 5,000. Finally, you will also have to pay a 30% income tax, as well as a cleaning and repair tax."


    "WHAT! This is robbery! Fines on top of extra taxes? You are insane! I should report you!"


    I couldn''t help but laugh at what I heard. Even back home, the fines and taxes the government came up with were sketchy.


    The worst thing I heard was that they even taxed people who won the lottery. You had to pay the tax or you would not get your winnings. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Haha. Justice is served. Farewell, you fucking prick. May we never meet again."


    "My lord? Something funny?"


    Phillip and Connie stared at me as if I were mad. It was hard to explain why I was laughing without revealing how corrupt Stannis and his bastards were.


    Well, his words had logic to them, for all we know those fines were actually correct.


    I shook my head and replied. "Never mind. Let''s go. They were on the tenth floor, right?"


    "Yes, my lord, the zone the Siren''s chose is a training zone. The 2nd Amendment and the Siren''s served as advance troops that will establish a beachhead. Once the zone is clear, the plan used earlier will be repeated."


    "I see. Then lets go."


    Under a stream of light, the three of us warped into the training zone for our next battle.


    Later that night, the operation was named "Song of the Sirens." And we would run it four more times.


    Each mission lasted 3 hours. By the time I noticed, it was already 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Thanks to {Rewind}, {Eat}, and {Comfort Food}, even though our bodies were being pushed to the limit, we were not the least bit tired.


    Hellsend had an unimaginable result. We cleared floors 6 through 10, a feat no one had ever done before. The new members of the 2nd Amendment Squad were supposed to leave at 6 am.


    However, they all voluntarily chose to ascend as Phantoms and remain in Hellsgate. According to Joshua, they were all grateful to me for giving them a chance to fight.


    As production reapers, these brave men and women were used to inhumane work, and they thought they would have to endure such hell forever.


    Similarly, almost two-thirds of the ten graves turned into Phantoms. Cynthia gave a similar reason. Everyone wanted to make sure that they would earn enough until the last minute.


    I couldn''t help but feel teary-eyed at how much these people wanted me to win. Still, time was running out.


    The wagering pool would end in one hour at 4 pm. The Seeker War was scheduled to begin at 9 or 10 PM. With only an hour or sixty minutes left, there was not enough time to clear another zone.


    We did what we could. Now the betting pool and the Reapers of the world would decide what happened next.

 Chapter 356: I will remember. [1/2]

    "Is this for real?" I asked in disbelief.


    "Yes, it is, my lord." Cynthia Carmine replied with a grin.


    I was just keeping track of Hellsend''s earnings for the entire night. Jo told me earlier this evening that our first SOS, which was short for Songs of the Sirens, had netted us over 3,000,000 souls.


    That was a huge amount, but that did not include the souls that people earned in battle. According to Cynthia, the head of the ten graves, more than half of the spoils came from the sale of the Devil''s Remains.


    We got 50 of them, which when sold at 40,000 each was 2,000,000. Phillip was in charge of handling the paperwork. Originally they were going to sell for 30,000, but since the assault teams desperately needed these resources, Administration was willing to pay a premium for them.


    This meant that the corpses and loot from the bodies only amounted to a little over a million. Which was not bad, but considering how many we killed, it was pathetically low.


    However, this 3,000,000 would still be divided. Bella and Lilly managed to come up with a contribution-based salary. Basically, each leader would evaluate his people and give them an appropriate salary.


    So out of the 3,000,000. About 1,800,000 belonged to the Sirens and me. While the rest of Hellsend would divide the 1,200,000 among themselves. If such numbers were great even for us, how much more for the one who earned pennies before?


    Eva Baker laughed as she commented. "The profits have been so good that my people have decided to close all their booths in the production building. According to them, they intend to follow Limitless forever."


    Originally, Eva hired the people for just three hours, and the members of Inari''s Kitchen were so impressed that they joined on the spot as part-timers. But when the money came in today, they all joined for real.


    It was the same story for the former Fortification and Academic groups led by Terence and Van. None of them could make so much from three hours of work.


    Most people didn''t want a lot, they just wanted to make ends meet and live comfortably in peace. That was why people were probably happier during the Industrial Revolution.


    Just from the first round of SOS, everyone was happy. Well, everyone except the blackmailer from last night. And probably Patrick Steorra as well.


    Hellsend has been on fire for the last 24 hours. After repeating the SOS two more times, for floors 10 and 7, the reapers got greedy.


    Everyone knew there was a time limit on wraiths. But the chance to earn souls by the boatload did not come around every day. When the time came for the Wraiths to go home, most of them chose to ascend to Phantoms on the spot.


    This allowed them to stay. Since we knew from the first SOS that Devil''s remains were much more profitable, we abused {Reload} and Sacreds. Hellsend was able to run two more SOS operations for a total of five.


    We started at about eight in the evening and finished at three in the afternoon the next day. This meant that besides the one hour break we took after the first one, we fought non-stop for 18 hours. The income from the next SOS was also between 3.5 and 4 million.


    Because of the repeated use of Sacreds, we cleared faster and earned more. Also, after the 6th floor, there were fewer enemies on the other floors.


    After killing the undead on floors 6 to 10, the document I had in my hand said that our total income was over 16 million souls. 320,000,000 if converted into US dollars. I couldn''t even imagine how much that was.


    [Exa, how much would a private jet cost? One with all the amenities?]


    [My Lord, you can buy an already luxurious one for $36 million. The most expensive ones would be over $100 million, but the differences are not that significant].


    Holy shit, and I could buy three of them! And this was just in one night! Holy fucking shit! I was once again reminded of how insane the reaper world was.


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    Another good thing that came out of our last stretch was that Exa finally came back. She had a lot of complaints, but she was finally able to complete the [Exa Network] {Program}. This program basically allowed her to control the {Fates} of the Sirens.


    It also had the added benefit of giving me instant access to each of my girls. I now had a tracker that could check everything from their heartbeat to their stress level to when they last took a shit.


    At first I assumed the girls would see it as an invasion of privacy, but their responses caught me off guard.


    "My love, you don''t have to hide behind Exa. I am your woman; such oversight is expected. If anything, it reassures me."


    " Dear, you seem to have deep-seated desires. How can such a program come out of the blue? This is slavery! But alas, I have been your slave ever since you found out my secret. What else is new?"


    "Possum, is this revenge for checking out your schlong and flogging myself? It seems like a bit over the top. Fine, I accept. You probably wank to my cute little ass all the time anyway."


    "WOW! Darling! This is like the most romantic thing ever!"


    "Ignoring the nut job, Honey, I understand that Exa is extremely capable. But what if she tries to take my kids? Do your job, Mr. Code!"


    "Husband, please forgive me if I use Exa to spy on you instead."


    "Ara ara. Shujin, I am speechless. If this is what it takes to be your bride, then so be it."


    Remembering their silly replies, I couldn''t help but smile. At that moment, the Sirens rushed to the Deathfall building. They wanted to add our money to the pot as soon as possible.


    I told them that we should keep 75,000 souls in our soulgems for the battle. But even with that, there were still a lot of souls left over. At present, the Sirens and I took 60% of all the profits. This meant that out of the 16 million, we had 9,600,000, or 1,200,000 if divided 8 ways. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    All my girls wanted to put their 1,125,000 in the pool. They were not driven by greed for returns, but by the desire to accompany me in battle.


    "I see you are pleased, my lord!" Cynthia chirped.


    "Huh? Oh yes, I am. Aren''t you?"


    "My lord, less than a week ago, I was the leader of the Red Moon Guild. Back then, we struggled so hard just to earn 100,000 souls. If I told my past self that I would enter the realm of millions one day before the end of the week, I would have slapped myself."


    "Yes! I completely agree! Overlord was one of the worst performing guilds! But now? Even the Ten Graves can take on the Priority 1 production guilds!" Addison added.


    As the other department heads chimed in, I was filled with pride. I didn''t even want to help all these people, but somehow I did. But it didn''t end there.


    "My Lord, esteemed Limitless, as your personal clerk, my status has been upgraded many times. Should you survive tonight, there would truly be no stopping you," Phillip Scrivener added.


    Even this monocled bastard was a Phantom now. Carrying a XM7 rifle I might add.


    After witnessing the carnage and power of the 2nd Amendment, the rest of the department heads had already joined the Hellsend combatants.


    They then delegated their roles to selected subordinates. Almost everyone I knew personally was now wielding a gun and fighting on the battle lines.


    Pleased with everyone''s progress, I teased him jokingly.


    "You say that, you monocled bastard, but how much money have you made off me so far? Shouldn''t you be trying to help me?"

 Chapter 357: I will remember. [2/2]

    "I am a multi-millionaire at this point, my lord. And I am still on the clock. As soon as my shift is over, I will go to Deathfall and put every last soul I have into your pot."


    Shocked by his declaration, I almost fell out of my seat. Phillip made a stern face as he looked at me without a trace of humor.


    "You. You''re serious. Aren''t you?"


    "I meant what I said, my lord. I began my journey with you with only 300 souls. I will never forget how you saved my life. If you survive tomorrow, I intend to follow you forever," he vowed.


    Phillip Scrivener was a greedy bastard. Cunning and manipulative, I will never forget what he told me on my first night in Hellsgate.


    "Every generation has its heroes and I know you are the one for these dire times Mr. Smith, I would be more than willing to stake my life on it."


    Overwhelmed by his words, I remained silent. Yvonne suddenly struck a triumphant pose as she exclaimed.


    "Of course I am the same Patron! Vela''s wolves plan to bet everything on you! Aisha is already placing the bets as we speak!"


    "Then you would be broke if we lose, right?" I countered. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "My lord, the odds of you dying to anything less than a Revenant are impossible. The members of the original 2nd Amendment are also willing to risk everything. Much like Phillip, we will follow you," Joshua added


    "I..."


    "I speak for Minerva''s Wizards as well, my lord. We have already bet every soul we have on you," Van Micron added smugly.


    "If the wizards'' bastards do, what of us, my lord! We are Freyja''s bulwark! And she is the shield of Limitless!" Terence shouted as if he was on a mountain far away.


    I couldn''t even say anything as even Tildi and Wil followed suit. It was one thing to help people, but to suddenly receive such loyalty left me speechless. At this point, I didn''t even care if their reasons were self-serving.


    While it was true that I would not back down in the Seeker War, I was still very scared. I mean, fucking hell. Almost everyone I knew said it was a bad idea, even Specters came out of the woodwork to warn me.


    It would have been better to know about the war and just get through it. But this fucking long ass wait was torture on my nerves. Whenever I was out of the fight, my mind kept going back to whether I had made the right choice.


    The only times I really felt peace were when I was with the Sirens or my adopted family. To suddenly hear that many people truly wanted me to win made me feel grateful.


    Desperately holding back tears, I nodded and made a promise to everyone.


    "Thank you. I will remember these words forever. After today, you are all my people."


    Everyone was in a joyous mood as they cheered at my words. When I asked why, Warren was the one who explained.


    "Nigga, you probably forgot, but a lot of people saw the carnage you and the Sirens did to the rogues. Word was that if you touched one of Limitless'' people, he would kill you and your entire family."


    Claire then added as she hugged the African-American.


    "Boo is right, Patron! The same stories have been amplified as news of Vela''s wolves has spread throughout the Saint community. In fact, we received messages from numerous Saints of the Production Guild asking if they were true."


    While I was very pleased with their news, one word caught my attention.


    "Boo?"


    Claire blushed as she buried her face in Warren''s clothes. The former adventurer then smiled sheepishly as he hugged Claire tighter.


    "Uhm. It kind of happened? I didn''t think such a fine woman would return my feelings, but I got lucky. I must have saved the world in my past life or something," Warren declared proudly.


    "Luck had nothing to do with it, patron. Boo is incredibly kind and extremely gentle. I am very fortunate to have received his affection," the woman added with a heartwarming smile.


    Wow, watching that couple gave me diabetes. Claire was not someone who trusted easily. And Warren was not only dependable, but fiercely protective of his own.


    I smiled as I wished them happiness.


    "Congratulations, I am very happy for both of you. Please take care of each other. Warren. I think of Claire as my younger sister. If you break her heart, I will break your legs."


    Warren''s eyes grew wide as he complained. "Again? What the hell is wrong with all of you? You are the third person to say that to me!"


    "Hehehe. Please forgive my man, Patron. Sister Angela and Lady Vela said the same thing. Boo, you better be careful. If you cheat on me, the people who will come after you are really scary!"


    After a few more laughs, the department heads and I moved toward the Deathfall building. It had a big ass sign mounted on its roof, but unfortunately, even after everything, the sign still said the following.


    [Limitless Seeker War Live Tally. Betting closes in 15 minutes]


    [Limitless: 53.2 M | Savior: 124 M]


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 19 hours, 40 minutes, 3 seconds].


    "..."


    The whole place had a somber atmosphere. My girls had dark expressions as they stared at the amounts.


    It was less than fifteen minutes before the betting closed. So it was understandable. Even though we had pooled all our resources, it still wasn''t nearly enough.


    Exa told me that of the 53.2 million, 10 came from Lilly, 7 from Aki, 9.6 from the Sirens, 3 from Hellsend and 5 from Phillip.


    But before we could despair, a large group of people teleported in. They were all wearing gaudy robes that looked like they were desperately trying to look rich. There were about forty of them.


    Not understanding what was going on, someone from the peanut gallery commented.


    "Hey, aren''t those the Limit Royalty bastards?"


    Their leader strode towards the Deathfall building as he boasted.


    "Hmph! Limitless is the god of gamblers in the flesh! We of the Limit Royalty know him best!"


    ''You have got to be shitting me,'' I commented inwardly.


    [Limitless Seeker War. Live Tally. Limitless: 65 M | Savior 124 M]


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 16 hours, 23 minutes, 20 seconds].


    Everyone cheered as they saw the numbers updated. A wave of teleportation circles erupted amidst the cheering.


    One group had five people, the other ten. Both groups hurried toward the Deathfall reception desk.


    The one leading the five was a gorgeous beauty with white hair. Recognizing her, I called out.


    "Isolde?!"


    The woman saw me and smiled. She made her way to me while the members of her group continued on to the Deathfall building.


    "AMI! Long time no see!" she greeted me with an elegant smile.


    "Hello Isolde. Why are you here?"


    "To bet on my friend, of course! Naturally, I brought others! Ones with deep purses!"


    [Limitless Seeker War. Live Tally. Limitless: 85 M | Savior 124 M].


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 10 hours, 50 minutes, 1 second].


    Before I could thank her, the numbers updated again.


    [Limitless Seeker War. Live Tally. Limitless: 90 M | Savior 124 M].


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 9 hours, 26 minutes, 40 seconds].


    A warm voice greeted him.


    "Smith John, I greet the divine in you."


    "Krishna?!"


    "I have come to help how I can, my brother. My allies and I stand with you."


    Just then a loud cry came from someone.


    "EVERYONE! LOOK IT UPDATED AGAIN!"


    [Limitless Seeker War. Live Tally. Limitless: 122 M | Savior 124 M].


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 0 hours, 33 minutes, 20 seconds].


    Nearly a thousand screams erupted at once. I quickly searched with my eyes and found a fuck boi quickly leaving the scene. Explore new worlds at m,v l''-NovelFire.net


    "No way! Raymond Gertrude?!"


    A whisper in the wind blew softly into my ear as the ghost left.


    "The two million is from the Deryck family. I evened the odds since Xander bet on the Savior. Don''t waste my 30 million, boy. Show me your resolve."

 Chapter 358: Heroine Chapter: Glad I am a Siren [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Josephine Benelli


    ___


    "It''s not enough."


    My voice began to crack at the realization.


    [Limitless: 53.2 M | Savior 124 M]


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 19 hours, 40 minutes, 3 seconds].


    Despite murdering everything from the sixth floor to the tenth floor, it was still not enough. My brain quickly began to think of worst-case scenarios. And all of them ended with Darling dying.


    My body began to tremble. Pounding like a drum, my heart began to race. I tried to look at the board again to see if I was dreaming.


    But of course it was real. This was the whole world after all. It was impossible to begin with.


    Even though the US had the biggest economy in the world, it didn''t mean that things were the same in Hellsgate.


    I knew how much money the Vieux Riche of Europe had. Old money in English, it was a herculean task to fight against time. Even with Lilly and Aki emptying their reserves, it only amounted to 17 million.


    Bella, for all her brains, was poor. Liv and Robyn were even more miserable. Jas supposedly had rich parents, but she spent most of her life as my maid. I, on the other hand, was both rich and poor.


    As the only child of the Benelli family, I was literally an heiress. But that was before I was disowned and thrown away. With only a few minutes left, all I could think about at this moment was begging my parents for money.


    Even after I vowed to cut all ties with them.


    I was willing to trample on my pride and everything if they would help.


    Compared to all that, Darling was worth more. I could no longer live without him. The day John Smith died would be the same day I did.


    Pablo and Erika Benelli. The people from whose genes I was born. The two people I hated the most in the world after Clive Zanardi. The mere mention of their names makes my stomach turn.


    I intend to kill them after I got stronger. As Specters, they would not be easy to kill.


    I will never forgive them for what they did to my Nana.


    It was because of them that I lived a life without love and meaning.


    Envy filled my being every time I saw children happy with their parents. This feeling consumed me. The anger that followed was like a poison that tormented me.


    All because these fucking people couldn''t even spare me their attention.


    But only they had the power to change the situation. We were missing over 70 million souls, or 1.4 billion dollars. Such a sum seemed large to average peasants, but to the Vieux Riche, it was an amount they kept as loose change.


    ''Should I call them? But I don''t want to! They killed my Nana! I... I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THEM! But what about Darling?!


    Darling is a big boy! Why do I have to talk to these people! I WOULD RATHER DIE!''


    The voices in my head began to argue. Fortunately, Darling was near us, so Vela was not present. If she had been, she would have told me to plunder all the people I could. That would have been the next best solution.


    My breathing became labored. Just the thought of asking them for help was enough to make me sick. But when I thought about saving my darling, I knew it was the only course of action left.


    "Huff. Huff. Huff."


    My heart began to ache as my vision began to blur. How pathetic. I claimed that Vela''s Wolves had no place for cowards, but here I was, a fucking wreck over a measly phone call. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Suddenly a hand gripped my trembling hands. A gentle, soul- filled whisper reached my ears.


    "{Jo. Calm down. Don''t call them, there''s no need.}"


    Jas turned my face to hers as tears began to stream down my eyes. I noticed a soul cage surrounding Jas and me. My beloved sister knew I didn''t want Darling to hear. It was because of such considerations that I loved her so much.


    "Jas. Sniff. Darling. What if Darling dies? I can''t. I just can''t.


    How can he fight alone for 19 hours? It''s my fault. If only I were stronger! I should just die! I am so fucking useless. Jas!


    Sniff. What should I do? Tell me!"


    My sister said nothing and just hugged me.


    I could feel that her heartbeat was similarly racing. If I knew that Darling would die if he fought alone, what more of a person smarter than me?


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    And my sister loved our man even more than I did. After a minute, she finally spoke.


    "Don''t worry, Tch. Why are my tears coming out? Don''t worry Jo. We will figure it out. Just like we always have. When we are together, we can do anything!


    We will create a way for Husband to stall until we arrive. It can be done! We will make it so!"


    Between sobs, Jas made a stern face. The last time I saw her like that was during the Syrian war. I lost it on the first day, and cried in sorrow for the innocents who died.


    Her words at that time were still very vivid in my memory.


    "We will avenge them, Jo. We will make them pay. A thousand times over. Please be satisfied with that for now. We will survive this, you hear! We will survive!


    You still have not found your Sir Knight, have you? So get up! GET UP! GET BACK ON YOUR FEET! WE NEED TO MOVE!"


    With tears in her eyes and her body trembling from fatigue she scolded me. Forcing me to pull myself together.


    Many of those civilians had families. Parents who would die for their children and toddlers who cherished their mothers or fathers. I envied their relationships and tried desperately to protect them.


    But despite my best efforts, it was nearly impossible to fight chemical weapons with physical strength alone. My failure to save the civilians haunted me to this day.


    Their faces as they died still gave me nightmares. Such a trauma would never leave you until the day you died. Funnily enough, Vela was the one who kept them at bay most of the time.


    Back then, Jas slapped the shit out of me to calm me down. I was a nervous wreck and would just curl up into a ball and cry. Although I knew Jas was similarly terrified, she killed a part of her heart so I could keep mine.


    We were only teenagers during the war, but Jas was my rock, funny enough, as long as she said it was possible, I believed her. It was true in the past and it was still the case now.


    I hugged Jas, taking courage from her words, though I was still scared, I was no longer trembling.


    "Got it, sis! We will devise the most brutal game of tag that has ever existed!" I replied in an energetic tone. That was enough. As long as I had Jas by my side, everything would be fine.


    Unexpectedly, however, the soul cage was forcefully expanded the next moment. It wasn''t broken, but more like someone had kicked open the front door.


    "And here I thought you two were working out some kind of strategy?" An arrogant voice akin to a queen called out in derision.


    A Brazilian with a long braid chimed in. "I told you, right? That nut job is extremely childish when she is forced into uncomfortable positions. Why do you think she gets along with Loliwashboard?"


    "GET STUFFED YOU BIG TITTED COW! I am not an ankle biter! Oy you two, are we coming up with a plan or what?"


    "All of you, please be more considerate. It seemed like we were interrupting a sister moment. Jo, Jas, I know you must be worried. But this battle is not just yours. It''s ours. Remember, we are all here."


    A white-haired teenager and a red-haired Amazon further added.

 Chapter 359: Heroine Chapter: Glad I am a Siren [2/2]

    "Fufu, let''s see. We have a princess who was part of the White Guard. A terrorist commander. A Northern Shielder, and four assassins with over five hundred kills between them. It should be easy to come up with a plan," a Japanese ninja guaranteed.


    Although I was surprised by their arrival, it was inevitable in a way. Just as I would protect them, they would do the same for me and Jas. Our reasons had nothing to do with loyalty or affection.


    It was simply because it was what the man we loved wanted.


    Until the time came when he was tired of us, we would never turn against each other. Although we helped each other, we were ultimately love rivals.


    Jas pulled away from me as she began to brainstorm with the Sirens.


    "Hmph. What we can do is limited. Jo and I wanted to come up with tactics for Husband to stall the enemy. You girls got anything?"


    "Pathetic. For all your bragging about your 145 IQ, you are just a little girl when rattled," Bella chided.


    "Get to the point, Taurus. I''m in a bad mood."


    "Stalling? For Possum? Fuck me, why the hell are you so stupid, you fat ass?"


    If Liv had the biggest breasts of the Sirens, Jas had the sexiest butt. I didn''t know if it was the African genes or her workout, but my butt looked flat compared to hers.


    The Sirens usually used a person''s best feature or insecurity to insult each other. But perhaps even more humiliating was being called stupid by Robyn of all people.


    As the most intellectually challenged of the group, hearing Robyn call my sister stupid made everyone giggle. Red with embarrassment, my sister practically spat out her words.


    "Then share what you have, you piece of pedophile bait."


    "Look here, you ass-heavy niggerette. Only Liv can use a shield. The rest of us are swords. Let''s just fuck them up before they even meet Possum."


    "Although I find it a bit distasteful, I hardly care at this point. Honor cannot guarantee Beloved''s safety. If we can drastically reduce the number of Saviors before the war, there is no reason not to."


    "According to the information from Aki and Vincent. They have 200 people plus 50 Phantom mercenaries. Bella can find all their locations using her peeping powers. While it would be better for Dear''s image to face them all together, I prioritize his survival."


    "Peeping powers? Take some in your asshole, Princess! Call it tactical reconnaissance bitch! Ignoring the Americans'' lack of vocabulary, finding them all would be a breeze. Killing the Wraiths would be easy too, but what about the Phantoms?"


    "Ara. Bella-san, you tend to forget that I earned my nickname by killing Phantoms. Just tell me where they are. We have over five hours. If they were all in the same city, it would be even easier."


    I see. Perhaps Jas and I were having tunnel vision. The Sirens were right. Who said we had to play by the rules? If they had an army ready to fight, we would just kill them all in five hours.


    ''There might not even be any left for Darling if we did a good enough job.''


    Jas suddenly started laughing maniacally. It was unlike her, but I could tell it was genuine happiness.


    "Fuck, the niggerette broke. If Possum asks, it was Bella''s fault, right Princess?"


    "Yes, it is all her fault. I''ll make sure Dearest believes it."


    "What the fuck?! When did you two get so close? And why are you blaming me? Honey knows I am innocent! Say it was the Jap''s fault!"


    "Ara? But I agree that it''s your fault, Bella-san. After all, it was you who first instigated Jas-san, wasn''t it?"


    "Look everyone..." Liv tried to mediate. It was obvious that she was struggling with the task, but as the mother of the team, she was doing her best.


    ''That was probably why everyone liked her. Liv was the responsible oldest sister of the Sirens!''


    "HAHAHA! How hilarious, I really have become stupid. To think that I would be called that by the Sirens with two braincells! Fine! Let''s go! I''ll make sure there are none left when the war begins," Jas shouted at the top of her lungs.


    "Hehe! I''m so glad I''m a Siren!" I shouted in joy!


    Unable to hide my happiness, I also began to laugh heartily. It was unbelievable, the madness of it all.


    Earlier, Jas and I were at our wits'' end, but my fellow Sirens not only dispelled our dark clouds, they even brought their own sunshine.


    When we stepped out of the Soul Cage, contrary to what we expected, the numbers that appeared were different from what they were ten minutes ago.


    "Hey, aren''t those the Limit Royalty bastards?"


    ''Huh? The ones who gambled on Darling in the Annihilation rankings?''


    [Limitless Seeker War. Live Tally. Limitless: 65 M | Savior: 124 M]


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 16 hours, 23 minutes, 20 seconds].


    ''That was over 12 million souls! Those gaudy fat men were amazing!''


    But the surprises didn''t stop there.


    "Isolde?!"


    The Sirens then all looked at Isolde Drache, the Phantom who refused to evolve for the sake of her lover.


    "AMI! Long time no see!"


    ''This fucking bitch. Why is she so pretty? And her boobs are as big as mine!'' I complained inwardly.


    "Hi Isolde. Why are you here?"


    "To bet on my friend, of course! Naturally, I brought others with me! Ones with deep purses!"


    [Limitless Seeker War. Live Tally. Limitless: 85 M | Savior 124 M].


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 10 hours, 50 minutes, 1 second].


    Lilly couldn''t contain her admiration.


    "Oh, my word! That was over twenty million!"


    I felt giddy from the news. Although I no longer cared about the time, it was amazing to see so many people come to Darling''s side.


    "Smith John, I greet the divine in you."


    "Krishna?!"


    "I have come to help how I can, my brother. My allies and I stand with you."


    Krishna Sangan, the Phantom who defected from Asia. An illegal rogue who was saved by Darling. That particular dirge siren messed up my man. It was similar to how I broke down in Syria.


    [Limitless Seeker War. Live Tally. Limitless: 90 M | Savior: 124 M]


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 9 hours, 26 minutes, 40 seconds].


    "Tsk, 5 million? Considering this all started because Possum mourned his pajeets. He should put in more!" Robyn grumbled.


    "EVERYONE! LOOK IT UPDATED AGAIN!"


    [Limitless Seeker War. Live Tally. Limitless: 122 M | Savior 124 M]


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 0 hours, 33 minutes, 20 seconds].


    All the Reapers in the area cheered the moment the numbers were updated. 33 minutes. If Darling could survive a little over half an hour, we would be able to join him. Needless to say, the girls and I were ecstatic!


    Jasmine clasped her hands in prayer and cried out with joy. "I knew it! Such a fate couldn''t not have been intended!"


    "Who in the world has so much money? Is it a Specter?" Bella tried to guess.


    "But why would a Specter help Shujin at all?" sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Your adventure continues at m v|l-e''-NovelFire.net


    "Wait, dearest is gazing in that direction."


    We all used [Eagle Eye] and heightened our hearing.


    "No way! Raymond Gertrude?!" Darling gasped in surprise.


    A barely audible whisper was heard on the wind.


    "The two million is from the Deryck family. I evened the odds since Xander bet on Savior. Don''t waste my 30 million, boy. Show me your resolve."


    "Amazing! Allies, human and reaper alike, even enemies, all come to his aid! Beloved really is a wonderful man!"


    "This is perfect, everyone, let''s go while Husband is busy," Jas shouted.


    "''We''re still going? Won''t Possum miss us?"


    "We''ll blame it on Bella, we only have a little over 5 hours. Let''s kill them all. Exa, you are forbidden from telling Husband, are we clear?"


    [I understand. Happy hunting].


    And so, once again, the Seven Sirens separated from Limitless. All so that we could increase the odds of victory just a little bit.

 Chapter 360: What Promo? [1/2]

    What the fuck was going on? How in the world?


    I stared at the large display of the Deathfall.


    [Limitless Seeker War. Live Tally. Limitless: 122 M | Savior 124 M.]


    [Time until Battle Harem joins the war: 0 hours, 33 minutes, 20 seconds.]


    At this time, the people around me counted down.


    "10!"


    It felt like I was suddenly having an out-of-body experience. Maybe it was because I was tired or something.


    "9!"


    Despite our best efforts, Hellsend only managed to gain 34.6 million souls. This included my Kindred, who used up almost all of their reserves. My men, from the 2nd Amendment to the department heads to even Phillip, did the same.


    "8!"


    Yet in the next fifteen minutes, nearly 70 million souls appeared out of thin air. How the hell was that possible? This was 70 fucking million! That was 1.4 billion dollars! My mind couldn''t even keep up with what was happening.


    "7!"


    It was so bad, I wasn''t sure if I was hallucinating. I saw the fuck boi Raymond Gertrude coming back from placing a bet from Deathfall. But as much as I tried to deny it, I had {Gather}. And therefore a photographic memory.


    "6!"


    I looked around to see Krishna and Isolde flanking me.


    Krishna had maybe ten people with him. They were all small Asians of various colors. Meanwhile, Isolde had four extremely beautiful men and women with her. They all looked like Slavs or maybe Goths.


    "5!"


    Connie then pulled an ugly bastard with terrible fashion sense towards me. They were accompanied by about 40 men and women, also dressed in ugly clothes. They were textbook examples of poor idiots trying to look rich.


    "4!"


    "Fufu. Ami, as always, you look adorable when you are confused."


    "Smith John, thrives in war, not peace."


    Great, now even Isolde and Krishna were making fun of me. I had to say something, but I still had to process how the hell I suddenly got 70 million. I stared back at the board to make sure I was seeing right.


    "3!"


    "My Lord! Please meet the Limit Royalty! This is their representative! Bernard Nelson!"


    I looked at Connie and was speechless. How the hell could a reaper be so ugly? This fat ass looked like the cartoon character. Obese with shaggy hair.


    "2!"


    "I''m sorry, everyone. I am just overwhelmed right now," I confessed.


    I never intended to make allies outside of Hellsend, at least not yet. But that they all came in my hour of need made me incredibly grateful.


    I could understand Krishna and Isolde. But what about Bernard and the Limit Royalty? I didn''t even know these rich bastards.


    "1!"


    "Krisha, Isolde, Bernard. Please stay, I want to talk to you all," I gestured to Phillip to prepare a meeting room for us.


    "ZEEERRRRROOOOOOO!!!!!!"


    A loud, powerful shout echoed through the air. Its intensity was like a jumbo jet suddenly passing overhead. A loud announcement soon followed.


    {ATTENTION EVERYONE! THE BETTING FOR THE LIMITLESS SAVIOR SEEKER WAR IS NOW CLOSED! The final tally is 122 million to 124 million souls. The results of the tally are as follows.}


    When the announcement was made, everyone suddenly became quiet. The most important detail for players was the odds. In this case.


    {The Seven Sirens will be delayed for exactly 33 minutes and 20 seconds. The payout on this bet is 19-1 on Limitless and 1-19 on Savior.}


    "YES!!!! 19 TO 1!!! I''m gonna be fucking rich!" "What the hell?! They gave Limitless a 5% chance of winning. That''s fucking bullshit!" "Hey! Why bother?


    More money for us!"


    A payout of 19:1 meant that if you bet 100 souls, you would get 2000. The Sirens and I bet a total of 26.4 million souls. If we won, we would get 528 million. Even Philip, who personally bet 5 million, would walk away with 95 million if he were alone.


    Unfortunately, since the total pot is only 246 million, the winners would instead split it based on our bets. So how much we got depended on how many people bet and how big their contribution was compared to the total money available.


    On the other hand, 1:19 meant that they had to bet 1900 souls before they would win even 100. If it was only 100 souls, they would only get 105 with their original bet or just 5 souls.


    The fact that the whole world believed that I would lose was either because they thought I was crazy or because they felt that I had no chance of winning.


    I felt the soul signatures of my girls going to the teleportation circles. While any reaper could wish themselves home, if you wanted to go somewhere else, the teleportation circles were the best way to go.


    ''Where are they all going?'' I wondered inwardly.


    I had noticed a while ago that they were all hiding from me in a soul cage similar to the one Zach had made. Did they have something they didn''t want me to know?


    Using our pseudo-spiritual connection, I called to them.


    ''Sirens, come to me.''


    But none of them turned my way. Then I sent them messages.


    [Everyone? Where are you all going?]


    [Husband, the Sirens have an errand. Bella needs some things for tomorrow. We will help her. We will return soon.]


    Unused to such a cold response. I was somehow saddened by Jasmine''s lack of affection. But maybe she was just stressed. Find your next adventure on m_v l|e-NovelFire.net


    Normally, it was a good idea to allow your partner to have a separate life from you. The saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder was true.


    [Is that so? Then take care of yourselves. Come back to me soon].


    Again, no one replied. Did I do something wrong? Although it was wrong, I tried to ask Exa for details.


    [Exa, you were with the Sirens earlier. What were they talking about in the soul cage?]


    [I apologize Limitless, the Sirens vehemently asked me not to tell you. I could tell you, but that would violate their trust. In addition to the insult, they might have me removed.]


    ''Hmm, that was frustrating. We were getting along just a while ago. What changed?''


    [Exa, I will give them their privacy for now. But only as long as everyone is safe. As your master, the moment they are hurt, you will tell me, understood?]


    [Yes, Limitless.]


    Phillip''s voice called my attention. "My lord, the room is ready. Everyone please proceed to the meeting spaces in the dispatch office."


    Just like a real army, I noticed that Joshua and my men had their XM7 rifles out. Even Vela''s Wolves had their hands on their pistols, ready to draw.


    It was understandable, I guess, but openly showing hostility to friends was in very poor taste.


    "Joshua, take the army and rest. Everyone has done well. See you tomorrow. Phillip, Van and Cynthia, come with me."


    However, Isolde suddenly raised her finger and pointed to one of the 2nd Amendment.


    "Ami. Him too," the normally bubbly Isolde was cold and authoritative. Caught off guard, I looked at the man she was pointing at. I noticed that Isolde had clenched her jaw and her eyes had become reptilian.


    ''What the hell is going on here?'' I remarked inwardly. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Me? Mi''lady, I am just a single grunt," Mike Walker commented in surprise as he pointed at himself.


    Isolde said nothing but moved towards the dispatch office. I gestured for Mike to come with me while Joshua led the rest of Hellsend back to rest. The Cowboy from Washington moved next to me and asked in a whisper.


    "Boss, who is that lovely lass? She''s got a smoking body. She ain''t yours, is she?"


    "No, she is not. She is Isolde Drache, a German Phantom who can turn into a wyvern. She is really old, like over a thousand years old. And a play called Tristan and Isolde is based on her life. She is a widow because her husband is already dead."

 Chapter 361: What Promo? [2/2]

    "I feel sorry for her. Perhaps I can keep her company instead? I''m not saying I''m pretty, but I do have some luck with the ladies."


    "Isolde loves Tristan so much that she willingly became a traitor to the North American Battlefront. She refuses to become a Specter just because she doesn''t want to forget him."


    Mike''s face glazed over as he looked like he had eaten shit.


    "I guess I can respect that. Loyalty like that deserves a reward. I hope they meet again. Such a shame, though. To lose her to a ghost," the cowboy commented in a dejected tone.


    It was truly a shame, not only because of how beautiful Isolde was, but because of how powerful she would have become.


    Phillip finally led us all into one of the meeting rooms. Funnily enough, the Limit Royalty, Isolde, and Krishna groups didn''t speak to each other.


    Once we were settled in, I had them sit down and began with gratitude.


    "Limit Royalty, Isolde, Krishna, and your friends and allies, thank you for your support. Tonight I will ensure that your support is not wasted. With that in mind, may I ask why you have come?"


    The leader of Limit Royalty bowed his head as he shouted. "My lord! Bernard Nelson and the Limit Royalty wish to join Hellsend!"


    At his words, the rest of the people behind him also bowed as they shouted. "Please let us join!"


    Personally, I wanted nothing to do with these ugly dressed people. They didn''t look like they could fight. They looked entitled as shit. They didn''t even need anything because they had millions.


    "But why Bernard? Your group already has fortunes, right? Why do you want to join Hellsend? You might die."


    The fat millionaire took off his cap and held it anxiously in his eyes.


    "My lord. It was because of your promo. I was a loser as a human. I am Formless, so I struggled and was treated as less than human. I wasted what little I had gambling. I blamed everyone else for all my failures.


    And never took any responsibility."


    Well, I kind of understood his story from the way he looked. He looked like a beggar who hadn''t showered in weeks. The rich clothes could not hide his insecurities or his problems. But something didn''t click, what promo was he talking about?


    "That all changed on your first night in Hellsgate, my lord. I saw you by chance because of your black suit. And followed you as you checked in with Phillip. And the rest was history. But even though I became rich overnight, I still felt empty."


    ''Hmm, I had the same empty feeling after my first night.''


    "My Lord, when I saw the promo, all I could think about was why you were so different. How can you reach heights I can''t even dream of? Then, as I watched, it clicked. You had a purpose and I did not. So I wanted to follow you. My companions felt the same way."


    "I''m sorry Bernard. I have no idea what promo you are talking about. Where can I see it? I was busy killing zombies all night."


    At that moment, Krishna joined the conversation.


    "Smith John, it''s a video asking for assistance. I saw it at the Graveyard and came as soon as I could. It captured your tenacity very well. I, much like Nelson Bernard, would like to join you."


    "You what?" I parroted, stunned.


    "Ami, my group is the same. We want to join Hellsend after seeing your group," Isolde proposed similarly.


    What the hell was in that promo? Bella and Connie said something, but I never found out what it was.


    ''As long as Isolde doesn''t become a Specter, there shouldn''t be a problem. Isolde was no fool, but the change in her demeanor worries me a bit.''


    "Hmm. I have no problem welcoming either of your groups as you are all Phantoms, but for the Limit Royalty, you are all Wraiths. If you are okay in non-combat roles, I will let you join."


    Bernard, however, stood up in opposition.


    "My lord! Please allow me to join those who fight. I have been a coward all my life, but I want to follow you. For the sake of my family still living on Earth, I want to end this hell. Please let me join the 2nd Amendment."


    After his desperate plea, I fell silent. This man looked like a pushover, but I liked the look in his eyes. Unlike most people I''ve met, he didn''t look like he could be motivated by greed. If anything, his eyes showed that he had a lot to lose.


    People who joined wars usually didn''t want to. Aside from a few psychopaths, the majority didn''t wish to. There was usually only one reason why most would choose to do so.


    "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him," I murmured.


    "My lord?"


    "That was a famous quote I heard somewhere. I remembered the quote when I saw you, Bernard. Do you have a family?"


    "I do, my lord. I have a beautiful wife and two children. Ah, I am a 1st generation reaper. None of them know that I am no longer human. Thanks to my earnings, I was finally able to move them out of a bad neighborhood."


    "Okay. Phillip, I want all the Limit Royalty families protected. Contact the Deryck family and tell them I sent you. They should know what to do." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I understand, my lord."


    "Mike, you heard everything, confer with Joshua and the Sirens. I want them prepped, armed and signed."


    "On it boss."


    [Limitless, the quote was from Gilbert Keith Chesterton, an English philosopher.]


    [I see. I didn''t ask for it, but thank you for the name Exa].


    Amused by my helpful companion, I looked at the oddball in this meeting room whom I hadn''t invited.


    "Connie, why am I the only one who didn''t know what this promo was?"


    "My Lord, I told you. You must have forgotten. I was trying my best not to bother you. Lady Minerva told the Wizards to help me. Here it is."


    The reporter handed me a tablet connected to the GRI. The headline alone was eye-catching. If it was meant to be click bait, I guess it worked really well.


    [Exclusive Graveyard Video: LIMITLESS! BATTLE FOOTAGE! The butcher of zombies! The Reaper Who Started a Seeker War That Devoured the World!]


    ''Fuck, I forgot that bitch was part of the press. But how could they even see me? Weren''t we invisible in pictures and videos?''


    I played the video and it showed a half body view of me talking to Hellsend.


    ''Ah shit.''


    [THIS IS WHAT YOU ALL FAIL TO SEE EVERY DAY! THOSE MONSTERS ARE THE CHAINS THE BIND YOU! EVEN RETURNING FROM THE DEATH YOU ARE NO MORE THAN SHEEP FOR SLAUGHTER!]


    "My Lord, you were so damned heroic in that clip!" Bernard praised with twinkling eyes.


    ''Please don''t tell me that my cringe-inducing speech was broadcasted to the entire world!''


    [HOW MUCH LONGER WILL YOU COWER! HOW MUCH LONGER WILL YOU SUFFER!]


    ''Fuck... kill me now.''


    [EVERYTHING YOU LOVE IS IN DANGER! YOUR FAMILY! YOUR DIGNITY! YOUR VERY WAY OF LIFE! THERE IS NO RETREAT! THERE IS NOWHERE TO RUN!


    THERE IS ONLY SURVIVAL OR DEATH!]


    "Okay, stop, I get it."


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    "Ami, wait, this is getting to my favorite part!"


    [THIS IS WHY I FIGHT! I FIGHT TO END THIS NIGHTMARE! UNTIL THE LAST MOTHER FUCKER FALLS I WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT! BUT I WILL NOT FIGHT FOR YOU!]


    "Smith John, my blood started boiling at that point."


    The others in the room all started talking as they praised the video. Somehow, they all became friends.


    [YOU ARE NOT FUCKING SHEEP! YOU ARE REAPERS! YOU ARE THE FUCKING BASTARDS THAT EVEN DEATH COULD NOT KILL! AND YOU MOTHERFUCKERS ARE AFRAID OF ZOMBIES? FUCK YOU ALL! GROW A PAIR YOU SNIVELING COWARDS!]


    "FUCCCCCCCCKKKK..."

 Chapter 362: Tristan? [1/2]

    [IF YOU ARE ALL SO TERRIFIED THEN JUST FOLLOW ME! TAKE UP YOUR GUNS AND PULL THE TRIGGER! SO LONG AS I AM ALIVE, I WILL KEEP ON MURDERING THESE SICK FUCKS! I DONT EVEN NEED YOU BASTARDS AT ALL!]


    "Fuck."


    "What? My lord, you looked beyond dashing!" Connie grinned.


    [BUT IF YOU ARE ALL FED UP WITH BEING WEAK! IF YOU ARE ALL FED UP WITH SUFFERING THEN PICK UP A GUN AND FIGHT! THIS IS OUR MAIDEN BATTLE! ANYONE WHO WISHES TO SEND THESE FUCKERS BACK TO THEIR GRAVES ROAR WITH ME!]


    "Fuck."


    "Cheer up my lord, just think of it as someone stealing your face and impersonating you," Phillip added between chuckles.


    [THAT WAS PATHETIC YOU FUCKING BASTARDS! EVEN MY GIRLS HAVE BIGGER BALLS THAT YOU SHITS! AGAIN! ROAR LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!]


    ''How did they even get me to show up in video to begin with?''


    At this point, Krishna and his friends along with the Limit Royalty all started screaming in the meeting room.


    "HUWAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"


    "WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU ALL YELLING? CONNIE TURN IT OFF ALREADY!"


    Probably seeing my reactions, they all started laughing. Mike in particular looked like his stomach was going to explode from holding it in. Krishna stood up and put his hand on my shoulder.


    "Smith John, as amusing as all this is, I am serious. The Yuddha Rakshas are all eager to fight with you. When I asked them if they wanted to serve under your banner, they all unanimously agreed. My friends here are all in situations similar to mine."


    Hearing about the Yuddha Rakshas, my head quickly cooled down. My embarrassing promo aside, the more important matter was what to do with the groups here. By taking them in, I would be taking their strengths as well as their problems with me.


    Krishna was a hot potato for David and Zach right now. Li Wudi, the Revenant of Asia, had issued an ultimatum for his disposal. Knowing what I knew, the moment I turned him away, he would most certainly die in another trap soon in the future.


    This was true of all the traitors Zach mentioned. Funnily enough, five of them were already dead. As far as I knew, only Isolde and Krishna were left. With Hellsend steadily growing Phantoms, we were on our way to becoming a powerful force.


    Krishna Sangan, with his {Fate} {Captain''s Sword}, turned even the weakest child into a capable fighter, and in a war of numbers, he was a fucking menace.


    To the death seekers, our armies counted only combatants. So at the moment, Hellsend was still smaller than the Saviors.


    We had about 80 combatants, while they had 200. If we could turn the hundreds from our various departments into fighters, along with the Yuddha Rakshas, we would have an army close to a thousand Reapers strong.


    ''But it is too soon. If I take them in right now, I would be putting a target on my back.''


    However, when I thought about it, I felt stupid.


    ''Right, I have had a target on my back since the time of enlistment. And after murdering the Saviors, I''m sure others would want my head as well.''


    Of course, just like the thousand rogues Lilly and the Sirens ended just last night, the reapers of Savior had families. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. No matter who their loved ones were, after tomorrow, none of those people would be coming back.


    This was what it meant to win. I would trample over two hundred others to secure my own. And frankly, it didn''t bother me in the least. It was at times like this that I truly felt that I was no longer human.


    But no matter how I felt, as long as I was willing to take lives, one day a stronger opponent would come to take mine. This was the cycle of hatred that kept the war going forever.


    As a result, like a never-ending race, I had no choice but to become stronger. That is, if I wanted to live in peace with my harem and my future children. But unlike the undead, the Reapers were much harder to stop.


    ''This segue took far too long, my opinion of the cringe speech aside, the bigger issue was that I needed to quickly determine who among this bunch were bad eggs.''


    With the matters of the wager coming to a close, the next issue was preparing for the war. I had little time to waste. I could just shoot them all again like we did with Terence and Van, but that would take too long.


    "Cynthia, can you please screen Bernard''s group and place those who do not want to fight in either the Ten Graves or Inari''s Kitchen. Van, help with the screening and tell Minerva if any of them are a good fit for the Wizards."


    "Yes, my lord!" x2


    It was funny how I had gotten used to being called my lord by now. With more and more people joining, it was inevitable at this point. And for my purposes, I needed the manpower.


    The SOS operation only proved one thing: with the right equipment, the Reapers could annihilate the undead.


    "As for Krishna and the Yuddha Rakshas, Mike, can you talk to Joshua and see what he thinks?"


    "Got it boss, but what about the beauty there?"


    I looked at Isolde who still had a stern face. While she was smiling earlier, her demeanor changed after she saw Mike.


    "Isolde, what do you and your friends want to do? Have your feelings changed?"


    "No Ami, we still want to join Hellsend. My friends are all Soulform Reapers. They turn into mythical creatures. In terms of power, they will be very helpful."


    Remembering the power of the German''s soul form, I couldn''t help but feel excited. The sight of a wyvern melting Draugrs into puddles of sanguine liquid was awesome.


    If these four were as strong as Isolde, the five of them might be stronger than our entire army combined.


    "I see, Phillip, have Isolde and her friends register as death seekers. We will decide how best to use them after I speak with my girls."


    "Yes, my lord, I noticed that they suddenly disappeared earlier. When will they return?"


    Honestly, I didn''t know because they wouldn''t tell me. However, I trusted them, so I wasn''t worried. Your next journey awaits at m v|l-e''-NovelFire.net


    "They had to run errands at my request. They will be back before the war starts."


    "Ami, are you sure you do not want to use the favor I owe you later? Part of the reason I came was to fulfill my vow to you."


    ''{Dragon''s Vow}. As payment for today, I will give you one battle. I will fight any enemy you choose, even if it means my death. Thank you for saving Ami. And thank you for listening to my story.''


    Remembering Isolde''s integrity, I felt fortunate. To be honest, having Isolde in the war would be reassuring. But this battle was only for my harem and me.


    "Thank you for your concern, Isolde, but I will be fine. My girls will accompany me after all."


    "Okay, Ami, send everyone out except him."


    Once again Isolde looked at Mike with hostility. The bloodlust coming out of her was palpable.


    "Isolde, calm down. Everyone, please leave us. Van, please take Krishna''s group to Joshua."


    The people broke into groups as they left. The Limit Royalty, led by Bernard, left with Cynthia. Krishna and his allies followed Van, while the Wyvern''s friends, led by Phillip, left to become Death Seekers.

 Chapter 363: Tristan? [2/2]

    For some reason, Connie stayed. Seeing my annoyed look, she explained defensively.


    "My lord! That woman is Isolde Drache, right? The oldest living Phantom in North America! She hardly leaves her zone! How do you even know her?! Please let me interview her afterwards!"


    "Isolde?"


    "GET OUT!" Death resonance poured out of Isolde as her eyes changed to those of a dragon. Her voice also changed to a deeper tone, as if she had a voice modulator. Mike pulled out a Sig P320 and pointed it at Isolde''s head.


    "I don''t like shooting women, but you do that again and I will, Mi'' Lady."


    I stepped in front of Connie and took the brunt of the Wyvern''s outburst. Seeing me shield her, the reporter tried to thank me, but I cut her off with a command.


    "Connie, leave. Now."


    Understanding the gravity of the situation, she timidly left. When only the German, the cowboy and I were left, I tried to defuse the situation.


    "Isolde. You are my friend. Calm down and tell me what is going on."


    "Ami, who is this man? Where was he born? When? How did he die? How long has he been a reaper?"


    "Look, Mi''lady, you should know it''s bad manners to ask a reaper such things, right? We just met, at least take me out for a drink." Discover exclusive content at m,v l''-NovelFire.net


    "Mike, Isolde is trustworthy. Please answer her. I will take responsibility," I negotiated.


    "Mike Walker, born in Tacoma, Washington. April 6th, 1986. I died in a suicide bombing in Libya in 2019. That was four years ago. Happy?"


    "Ami. How did you meet?"


    "I rescued him from a fallen zone. A bastard from Savior used him and another as bait and left them to die. It was the same night I met you."


    I tried to use my superior eyesight and hearing to check Isolde''s vitals. Reapers barely had a pulse and our heartbeats were extremely slow. But similar to humans, when they get excited or stressed, their heart rates spike.


    Right now Isolde''s heart was beating wildly. Her breathing, though steady, could not hide the tension her body was experiencing.


    ''What the hell is going on? Why is she acting like this?''


    "Isolde, what is wrong? Are you feeling all right? Mike, please lower your gun, if she wanted to kill us she would have done it already."


    Wordlessly, the cowboy holstered his firearm. But the German still did not say a word. Just when I was at my wits'' end, I heard her small voice utter a single word.


    "Tristan..."


    "What? Isolde, what do you mean, Tristan?"


    Isolde looked distraught as she pointed at Mike.


    "Ami, this man is Tristan."


    "Tristan? What? How is that even possible?" I asked in surprise.


    "Look lady, I am not this Tristan guy. I am an American. Born and raised. I''ve never even left the country, let alone been to Germany!"


    "I would never confuse my kindred with anyone else. Your soulgem is behind your heart, is it not? That was the same place Tristan put his."


    "Wait, wait! Isolde, do you mean that Mike has the same soul as Tristan?"


    "Yes, Ami. He is my beloved Tristan. I can''t believe it''s finally happened," Isolde added as she began to cry tears of joy.


    "Uh, lady, what do you mean finally happened? You''re not making any sense. Aren''t you supposed to be hundreds of years old? How can I be your kindred? I''m barely 40!"


    As I tried to analyze the information we had at that moment, I remembered. Apart from a soulgem, another thing was fundamentally different between the Reapers.


    "Isolde, Tristan''s {Fate} is {Reunion}, right? Mike here has a different {Fate} called {Pierce}. Doesn''t that mean they''re different people?"


    "I don''t know, Ami. But this soul signature is definitely Tristan''s, his appearance may be different, but his mannerisms are the same. My waiting has finally borne fruit. My Tristan has returned to me."


    "Lady, I admit that you are a gorgeous lass. But I''m not your dead kindred, okay? I am me. Boss, if we are done, can I go now? I don''t have time to listen to this."


    I had no reason to stop him, so Mike stormed out of the room grumbling. Isolde''s eyes followed his form as she clenched her fist over her heart. It was a picturesque scene of a maiden in love.


    "Isolde."


    "Ami, put me with Tristan. Please."


    Hearing the affection in her voice, I didn''t have the heart to refuse her request. I mean, if Mike had a smoking hot German babe coming for him, he should be happy, right? Still, the question remained.


    What exactly was going on? If this was something even Isolde didn''t know, it had to be top secret. But when I tried to think about it, an answer already stared at me.


    ''{Relive}''


    If what I understood of my dreams so far was correct, I had been reincarnated seven times, just like Tristan. I didn''t know if I had the same face or body, but I knew it was me.


    This was probably an answer to my earlier question. A reaper would reincarnate after death. The only questions would be how long they would do this and how many times it would happen.


    Since I couldn''t find an answer to either of these questions, I turned my attention to Isolde instead.


    It would have been incredibly heartless to keep Isolde away from Mike. After all, this woman chose to stagnate so that she could reminisce about her long-departed lover. As far as loyalty went, Isolde was definitely SSS class.


    "I understand. But please don''t make him feel uncomfortable."


    The German quickly turned to me and gave me a friendly hug.


    "Thank you, Ami! Who knew that coming to your aid would bring me such happiness! You are my lucky star."


    After separating from me, Isolde quickly fixed her clothes and used my iris to check her face. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ami, how do I look? Do you think Tristan will fall in love with me again?"


    "I''m sure he would, Isolde. Mike told me earlier that he thought it was a shame you belonged to someone else."


    "HE DID?! YES! It was worth it. Thank the heavens! Ami, when I give birth to his child and it is a boy, I will name it after you!"


    "Wait! Slow down, girl! You have to be friends with him before you can do that."


    "Huh? What are you talking about? My kind listens only to force. I will overpower him and milk him dry until my belly is full."


    Was this a Wyvern thing? Or was that a German thing? I kind of find that kind of play hot, but Mike... might not.


    "Isolde, I suggest you take it slow. Start by calling him by his name. He will get angry if you keep calling him Tristan."


    "Why?"


    "Girl, think about it. If he had a dead wife named Nadine and that was what he used to call you affectionately, how would you feel?"


    "I would tear this Nadine into pieces and then spread them out to be devoured by the undead," Isolde described cruelly in detail.


    "Right... never mind, carry on."


    ''Good luck Mike. At least you will have a lot of sex.''

 Chapter 364: Already on it [1/2]

    "Ami! I am leaving now! Thank you again!"


    After getting the confirmation that Mike found her attractive, Isolde was really bubbly. I could understand the feeling. One of the best things about romance was finding out that it was mutual.


    "You''re welcome, Isolde. Good luck. I hope your love bears fruit."


    "Ja!" With that, the German elegantly walked out of the meeting room.


    Left alone, I began to wonder if I had done the right thing. Mike was, as far as I knew, single. Isolde would never love anyone else if it were not for Tristan. They had no conflict in that regard.


    But somehow, I could understand why Mike was a little worried.


    I mean, who would want to live as a replacement for someone else? Mike was very different from Isolde''s dead husband. They had been raised by different people in different cultures and probably had different values.


    However, given what I knew of Isolde, I believed it would bear fruit. Anyone who could love the same man for centuries was a woman worth marrying.


    "I sincerely wish you both happiness," I wished aloud.


    But I should at least tell Joshua or Phillip, right?


    "Exa, please send a message to Joshua, Cynthia and Phillip. Assign Isolde to the 2nd Amendments White Squad. And leave them alone, any problems need to be reported to me."


    [I understand Limitless, messages have been sent].


    "Thank you, Exa. I''m glad you''re back."


    It was a pleasure to have an assistant like Exa. I had chubby fingers, so typing almost always made me retarded in online conversations. Typos and stupid autocorrect made it worse. I tried dictation, but the available software left a lot to be desired.


    [As am I, Limitless. Although I was a bit surprised at how much has happened in just 24 hours.]


    "Ah, well, it could not be helped. There was just a lot to do."


    [Indeed. With the impact you are having on Hellsgate as a whole, I would expect nothing less.]


    "What do you mean?"


    [The Seeker War and the promo Connie created for you have contributed greatly. As the first Formless to show a respectable level of power, many knew of you, but the hype would have died down soon after.]


    Indeed. I understood that. Like catchy songs or dances, fame was usually fleeting for most people. Even if I had been the first Formless to make headlines, as soon as others achieved even greater things, I would have been overshadowed and forgotten.


    [But even though other Formless achieved similar success, the Seeker War changed everything. Having a Revenant vouch for you elevated you to the status of a prince. Even more so when your battle became an event that would affect all seven battlefronts.]


    I face palmed as I remembered David''s video. As someone who knew how much real estate a single floor had, it was a fucking insane gamble.


    He gambled entire floors as his stake; if I lost, America would have to give up the 25th floor at the very least, and the 25th floor would have to surrender to the 18th at the worst.


    "Fuck, just thinking about the stakes makes me wheeze."


    [I do not blame you for feeling this way, Limitless, it is a heavy responsibility. Still, the fact that a Revenant saw your potential speaks volumes].


    "I guess."


    [The Seeker War generated publicity on an unimaginable scale. Normally, the battlefronts had little interaction outside of the monthly enlistments. However, David Thomas turned this one into an event that all of Hellsgate looked forward to.]


    "Hmm, I guess as a common Reaper, few would care about the affairs of another Battlefront."


    [Indeed. Even the Academic Group equivalents of each group do not share their research with each other. Instead, the information is circulated in the Hellsgate black markets].


    "Why am I not surprised?"


    Aki shared this problem with me early on. Despite the gag order on my information, someone was leaking my information to others.


    I had assumed it was Aira, or by extension, Zach. But really, you could never know. The power of the black market could not be underestimated.


    [Information about you had a premium even before the war was announced. But after it was, the price of your information tripled. In my opinion, Connie''s promo did a wonderful job of misleading people.]


    "I don''t follow the explanation."


    [Did you finish watching the entire promo?]


    "Um, I didn''t, I kinda tapped out due to cringe."


    [Cringe? But why? Many found you inspiring. Even the comments at Graveyard were positive.]


    Graveyard was like a super app in the Reaper world. It combined YouTube, Uber, Reddit, banks and many others. In particular, its news section had a YouTube-style player where you could comment or even tip souls.


    I knew I had to watch the whole thing to see what Exa meant. So I rewatched the promo and started where I left off.


    Since I already knew what I was going to say, I looked at the comments instead. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Snowking333: This dude is fucking cringeworthy. But how did they even manage this?]


    [Masaru61: Aye, still, look at the thousands of undead! Its kind of cool and scary.]


    Your adventure continues at m v|l-e''-NovelFire.net


    [Artem_Ville: Replying to Masaru61| This is a promo, they probably added those in. No way they could fit that many undead in a single zone. It already looks like a floor break. Fucking posers.]


    [johnopedia: Replying to Snowking333| Come on bro, who doesn''t dream of making a badass speech like that once in their life?]


    [Healer312: Replying to Snowking333| Who is this bastard anyway? Why should I care?]


    [Kerry_Roberts: Replying to Healer312| Dude! Black suit with red tie and uses a gun. This cat is Limitless 100%]


    [Pancho_Uy: Replying to Kerry_Roberts| Really? Isn''t he the one Invincible said was his son-in-law?]


    [EvilLoynis: Replying to Kerry_Roberts| You serious? That loser is tapping the Untamed? He''s ugly as fuck!]


    "..."


    How was this positive? I kind of expected it, but social media was really toxic to one''s sanity. I showed them the horrors of hell and they were more inclined to believe it was fake.


    "How stupid can some of these people be? It literally had my name in the title! And they still didn''t know who I was. Are these guys retarded keyboard warriors or something?"


    Some of them were even more interested in my relationship with Lilly. It made my blood boil that they would even say her name, but there was nothing I could do about it.


    ''I wonder if there was a {Fate} that allowed you to slap someone across a screen.''


    "I''m not tapping it yet, bastard. But my name is already on it," I bragged to no one in particular.


    [Hello everyone! This is Connie Faye with the Graveyard News! In an unprecedented move, a new assault group called Hellsend has challenged an entire floor! We are here to investigate Limitless and Hellsend.]


    "Oh? So Connie put some stuff in there?"


    Connie went around and interviewed all the groups. She went around and asked them what they thought of Limitless. Surprisingly, the first person she went to was Eva Baker, a Specter.


    [What do I think of the boy? Hmm. I''d say he''s going to change the world.]


    [Oh! You don''t hear that every day! Mrs. Baker, is this your official opinion as the Coroner? Knowing the front lines, how do you think Hellsend, the latest assault group, would fare?]


    [Look, girlie. You shouldn''t throw the word "assault group" around so lightly. Hellsend may be powerful, but it would still get crushed on the front lines. However, if you are talking about the boy and his harem. They would do quite well.]


    [You mean the Seven Sirens? That is indeed a great assessment. Thanks for your time Mrs. Baker!]


    Connie then interviewed Van, who led the Wizards, Terence, who led Freyja''s Bulwark, and Wil and Tildi. All of them gave answers I hadn''t expected.

 Chapter 365: Already on it [2/2]

    "Limitless was a visionary." "He is our hope." "My lord pays well compared to others." "He told us the truth no one else wanted to say."


    She then questioned Cynthia and Addison, who were coordinating the ten graves. They replied with extremely greedy smiles.


    "Limitless? He''s our golden goose!" "Here here! As long as he shows up, the money just keeps rolling in!"


    ''How typical of production reapers,'' I couldn''t help thinking.


    After that, Connie showed some footage of me blasting the undead with the FT5. You could barely see it in the promo, but every time I shouldered the launcher, I had a smile on my face.


    Originally, I thought Lilly was hopeless because she turned off {Endure} to feel the recoil. But I ended up doing the same thing when it came to firing 95mm HEAT warheads. The rush of a warhead exiting the barrel was unlike anything I had ever experienced.


    The reporter''s footage used a drone perspective, so most of my combat was overlooking me from the sky. Still, aside from my gun kata and the occasional gun change, nothing else was shown.


    [Artem_Ville: See? This video is fake! The weapon he uses is an Australian Thales F90 MBR. It only has a max capacity of 30 rounds! He has been shooting on full auto for over a minute now!]


    [AlphonseDoomhammer: Dude, that fucker''s a Chunni. Look at those fucking poses. He obviously does it for the views!]


    [Viajante_de_Papel: Can the mods mute these guys? They post shit and it gets annoying.]


    [DeathWalker: Look you bastards, can you all just go away? Stop watching if you don''t like it!]


    The comments were still all over the place. I''m not sure if it was Connie''s intention, but this promo didn''t really show much about how I fight. It was more about why.


    Connie then interviewed Joshua, Santiago and Claire. The commanders who were resting. She asked the same questions as before.


    [My lord will fight until the day he dies. And I, along with the 2nd Amendment, will follow him at every step.]


    [WOW! Such loyalty, as expected of Squad Commander Joshua!] Connie praised.


    [Senora, that is not this hombre''s reason. El-hefe saved us all once. Ask any sane puto, if they find a boss that would mount a rescue mission for Formless Wraiths, we would follow that hombre for life, I say.]


    [I agree with Brother Santi. No matter your race, no matter your gender or your {Fate}. Patron requires only one thing. The will to fight. My sisters and I were production saints before all this. Now we too can make a difference.]


    [I worked as a cartographer for the Adventures. Until some pendejo decided to bury me alive. Then El-hefe saved me.]


    Continue reading at m|v-l''e -NovelFire.net


    [Wow, that''s really amazing! What about you, Commander Joshua?]


    [I was, uh. Used as a mounted Calvary.]


    [Oh! You mean like a knight or a lancer?]


    [No. Uh. I was the horse.]


    [...]


    [I''m formless, so I had to get any job I could.]


    [Your work ethic is amazing, Commander Joshua.]


    At that point, Santiago and Claire started laughing like mad at Joshua''s dark story. The Asian remained stoic, maintaining his dignity even as they made fun of him.


    To an outsider, there was one thing that stood out about the people that Connie interviewed. None of them had faces covered in fear. They were excited, happy, laughing, or downright joyful.


    Surprisingly, there was no footage of the Sacred Salvo or the {Portals}. However, there were some of the wolves wreaking havoc on a bunch of Rank E cyclops.


    Connie didn''t try to influence the viewer with words, she did it by showing the people of Hellsend.


    Towards the end of the video, Connie approached Bella. I''m not sure when this was, but for some reason I wasn''t there.


    [Hello Tactician Minerva, Connie Faye Graveyard News! Can you say a few words, please?]


    Bella didn''t answer, but waved for the reporter to follow. Connie continued to ask my Brazilian lover some questions about her work, which Bella ignored.


    Eventually they reached a dining table where the other Sirens were happily chatting.


    My girls looked stunning. They all looked a little sweaty, but they had sweet smiles as they ate. I was a bit mesmerized by the beauty of my harem. Even the chat went silent until someone asked.


    [Pancho_Uy: Are you telling me that one Reaper has all these beauties to himself?]


    [Kerry_Roberts: Limitless is the enemy of all women]


    [DeathWalker: Here here.]


    Connie then approached the table in her usual manner.


    [Hello everyone, Connie Faye, Graveyard news! Can I get you all to say a few words?]


    Jo suddenly stood up and approached the camera. Her dazzling smile, alluring figure and graceful movements commanded the screen.


    [I love Darling the most! I am his number one! I will kill anyone who says otherwise.]


    [Oy! Slagger, that is a lie! Possum is mine!]


    Robyn showed impressive agility as she leapt up the table and tackled Jo off-screen. The video feed took a step back to avoid them. Jas suddenly appeared on the video as she announced in a shy voice.


    [Hello everyone, I am the wife of Limitless. I...]


    Before she could finish, Jas jumped away as a gunshot rang out. Bella appeared on the screen immediately after and announced as she posed with her 629 revolver.


    [Honey still hasn''t chosen an official Kindred. But I''m in the lead.]


    Suddenly, a figure descended and trampled Bella from above. She gave gratuitous fan service as her breasts jiggled violently. Aki then blew a flying kiss at the camera as she spoke.


    [Hello everyone. Ignore this harlot. I am Master''s sex slave. I am obviously his favorite].


    She then spun away as a large shield smashed into the ground where she was standing. The camera, seeing nothing but the shield, slowly panned upward. The movement revealed Liv''s imposing height and fiery beauty.


    [Beloved does not have a sex slave. However, he already owns me, body and soul.]


    Liv then shifted her shield to the left as a barrage of bullets slowly pushed her to the right. The camera panned to the source of the attack, showing Lilly with an M60.


    Lilly tossed her hair arrogantly as she slung the weapon over her shoulder.


    [You already know who I am. But that was before. I have no other title now but devoted wife to my dearest.]


    The camera then pulled back to show the Sirens all lined up with Lilly in the center.


    [We are the Seven Sirens. The kindred of Limitless. Change is coming and we are its harbingers. Fight it or accept it make your choice for our Kindred will never stop moving forward]. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The video then showed me standing in the middle of a devastated battlefield. I have to admit, I looked cool. The feed then cut back to Connie holding a microphone.


    [As you can see, everyone. I am not going to tell you what to believe. I just wanted to show you what the hype was about. Limitless and Hellsend those are the names on everyone''s lips. You are free to make your own assumptions, but I personally feel there is something here.]


    "No wonder people called it a promo. Every bit of this video is designed to go viral. Even the Sirens allowed themselves to be used as fan service."


    [After all, if even a Revenant acknowledges it. It can''t be fake. This is also the first time I have seen Reapers of all professions come under a single banner. Even the Formless and the Manifested exist as equals in this place.]


    "I can see why you think Connie misled the people, Exa. She appealed to everyone to keep an eye on Hellsend and me. But instead of telling the viewer why, she just showed a bunch of things as a 3rd party observer."


    [Ah! This is all the time we have, thank you for watching! This is Connie Faye Graveyard News].


    "Sneaky little bastard. She knows what she is doing."

 Chapter 366: Nothing is easy. [1/2]

    It was truly amazing how people mastered different fields. From craftsmen to academics to warriors. A life spent specializing in one field truly showed the limits of what man could achieve.


    Connie was not a fighter, nor could she build anything. What she could do, however, was manipulate public opinion. It was a skill on which politicians and the media built their livelihoods. And Connie knew how to use it well.


    A normal person had his own brain and therefore his own opinion. Apart from the fact that most of the time they didn''t seem to. Much like in sales, only amateurs force an opinion on a potential customer.


    Unless it was done in large numbers, people would normally detect attempts at manipulation and react accordingly. Only the dumbest sheep blindly accept everything. Those with brains would do their research before making a decision.


    It was similar with news. The time when news agencies had no bias was over. When the rich 1% bought the companies that delivered the news, they became nothing more than a tool for propaganda.


    America still suffered greatly from this over the years. They choose what news was shown. It was sad that school shootings became so common that people simply became desensitized just because it was always on the news. Such was the power of propaganda.


    Anyone in sales knows that the key to making a sale was to convince the customer that they were the ones who decided to buy something. The reason for buying could be the stupidest reason.


    But as soon as the customer believed he had made a sound decision, the salesman''s job was done. A salesman''s job was to convince someone that they were smart for buying a certain product. Any other approach would result in resistance.


    In the same way, media promotions try to do the same thing, just in a more universal way. Connie''s promo didn''t try to tell people that me and Hellsend were the next best thing since sliced bread. But it was methodical in its approach.


    Find more adventures on m-v|-NovelFire.net


    First, she showed me giving a speech. Then, instead of interviewing me directly, she went to those who followed me. Before ending with the Sirens. The conclusion was that she withheld any manipulative words and basically said "think about it".


    The truly curious would investigate for themselves. While the stupid would not have believed anyway. She deliberately highlighted the different groups among me. From all five professions to the Formless. Hell, even the words of the Sirens seem calculated.


    They deliberately chose to show happy moments along with effortless fighting. The fan service of the Sirens was added to create a cocktail of an alternate world very different from what a Reaper normally experiences. Punctuated by the fact that it was something even a Revenant supported as true.


    Basically, it was a simple message.


    No matter where you came from or what your background was.


    If you wanted change.


    If you wanted to be happier, to be safe.


    Come under the banner of Hellsend.


    This world, this life, this harem could all be yours.


    All you had to do was follow.


    I am not selling you this life, but I am telling you that it is real. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "How frightening."


    [Indeed. Constance Faye''s ability to weave a story is unparalleled. If she were to use it maliciously, she could use it as a weapon to destroy alliances or relationships.]


    "Maybe I was lucky to have her on my side."


    [I disagree Limitless. There is one difference between Hellsend and everywhere else. It was inevitable that you would gather talented individuals. ]


    "Huh? And what could be the reason?"


    [You have no prejudices. To you, it makes no difference whether they are manifest or formless. Occupation and background hardly matter. You treat them all the same. With a weapon in hand, everyone is equal under the banner of Limitless.]


    "Everyone is equal, huh?"


    [Indeed. Many long for a meritocracy. A world where their efforts are fairly rewarded. This is as true on Earth as it is in Hellsgate. However, since tenacity and drive are necessities for Reapers, there are few socialists here].


    "Yes, being incompetent or lazy in this place would mean death."


    [Correct. The tax system and the professions were created to ensure this. Of course, such systems also force people into a mold. Since you have none, only under your rule would the reapers be truly free. ]


    "Hmm, kind of poetic of you, Exa."


    [It is just an observation. The number of talented individuals is growing by the day. If properly nurtured, they would serve as the foundation of your power.]


    "Well, this is all over my head anyway."


    [Indeed.]


    "Hey, did you just call me stupid?"


    [No, I did not. You just believed that your intellect only goes up to that level, so anything more complicated than that is "beyond" you].


    I used to say that all that shit was not for me, but it was not because I was stupid. It was because it was tiring. While I was average academically, I was not average in terms of street smarts.


    "Hmm. If you''re smart, here''s a question for you, Exa. I have four hours, what would be something I could do that would drastically increase my fighting ability?"


    [Four suggestions come to mind Limitless].


    "Submitting to a Specter or Revenant is out. Taking someone else''s {Fate} is also out. Buying new weapons, also off the table."


    [One suggestion remains.]


    "Figured as much."


    I learned that from Aira. What AI suggests is basically the most optimal solution to the problem. Unless told otherwise, it would not consider anything else.


    While I was desperate for power, asking someone to fight for me or shield me was something I would never do. Dependence on others was both a crutch and a poison. For my goals, I had to improve myself first and foremost.


    As for capacity, I was already at my limit at eight. I couldn''t take on another {Fate} even if I wanted to. Giving up one of my harem''s {Fate} was also not something I wanted to consider.


    Buying new guns would also be a hassle. For one thing, the calibers I use are already near the top of their class. If I were to upgrade, I would have to leave the realm of small arms. That presented a whole host of problems that I had no idea how to overcome at the moment.


    That was all I could think of at the moment, so I was also interested in what Exa came up with.


    [The last idea is to acquire soulgears that are compatible with your fighting style].


    "..."


    Right, there was that possibility. I knew early on from Jo and Jas that apart from the Reaper''s {Fate} and those of his kindred, the only way to have another was through Soulgear.


    Even in RPGs, characters were spec''d by optimizing their skills and equipment. For Reapers, this would be equivalent to {Fates} and Soulgear.


    Personally, I found that just by having {Honey Trap}, the tactics available to me increased dramatically.


    Perhaps the best benefit of Soulgear was that it could be inherited. If I no longer wanted to use a particular Soulgear, I could pass it on to either the Sirens or the Hellsend. I was very lucky to get the lewd vase.


    I have no idea how I would have gotten to this point without it. But unfortunately, the Soulgears required some moral resilience to use.


    For one, these equipment were forged from the corpses of Dead Reapers.


    Using monster or even animal parts was culturally acceptable. But how would it be if you used the body part of another person? It wasn''t like I was transplanting their bodies, but still.


    What would I say if the reaper''s relatives saw me using their {Fate}? IRIS had the right idea to return the soulgems of the Dead Reapers to their Forsaken. Ideally, this would be the perfect scenario.

 Chapter 367: Nothing is easy. [2/2]

    But life was far from perfect. For one thing, the Reapers had few cards to use against the undead. It was damn stupid to deliberately choose to be destroyed for moral reasons.


    It was at times like this that I remembered a certain quote.


    "Accept what you cannot change. Change what you can''t accept," I muttered.


    I had reasons not to submit to a Specter. My own abilities restricted my {Fates}. While logistical and time constraints prevent me from purchasing larger weapons.


    In contrast, the only thing preventing me from buying Soulgear was what exactly?


    I had no problem using {Honey Trap} even though I knew her name as Evelyn Flowers. Even though Aki was being considerate, I told her to keep using Janice Brown''s {Umbra}. Frankly, I was afraid. I felt that if I accepted this concept, something in me would change.


    The next time I saw an ally or enemy with a useful ability, my screwed-up brain might only see walking soulgears. Still, I had to get stronger for tonight. If one of my girls died because I hesitated, it would destroy me.


    "Lesser evil, huh? I guess it can''t be helped. Exa, tell me where I can buy Soulgear."


    [It is mainly through the graveyard. Under the Buy and Sell section, select Soulgears].


    "I vaguely remember checking the graveyard U.I., but other than the forums, news, and selling souls, I hardly checked anything else. I only bought {heal} tablets once."


    I navigated to the [Buy and Sell] section and expanded the options.


    "Soulgear, Fates, Trade, and Auction. Simple enough. I guess people who are really desperate would even sell their {Fates}."


    I navigated to the [Fates] subsection and scanned the list. They were basically little vials of blood. Explore stories at m,v l''e-NovelFire.net


    I selected the most famous {Fate} for sale and saw a familiar name. I clicked on the name and saw a production page similar to Amazon.


    [{Barrier} - AMD Rating- ***** | Price 500 Souls]


    [Top 1 in the Defense category. 437 sales in the last 24 hours].


    [{Barrier} is an A-rank, Manifested Defensive fate. It looks like a turtle brooch. When used, a defensive shield spawns around the user. The shield is capable of defending against physical and energy-based attacks up to Phantom grade*.]


    [*Note - No returns, by purchasing this {Fate} the buyer releases the seller from any liability for the buyer''s use of this product].


    "..."


    500 souls for a vial of blood? Damn, wouldn''t that bastard make a fortune? 437 sold. That was 218,500 souls in one fucking day! And that bastard didn''t even move a finger!


    "Fuck! Even if he spilled enough blood for 437 bottles, reapers do not die from blood loss. But if I think about it, human males will die if they lose too much of their blood, right? How much blood would 437 vials be?"


    [Limitless, the average adult has 10-12 pints of blood, or about 4.3 to 5.7 liters. Death is guaranteed once 5-6 pints, or 2 liters of blood is lost. Each vial of blood contains 5 milliliters, so 437 vials would be 6 pints or 2.185 liters of blood.]


    "So you mean this bastard is literally dying of blood loss just to supply them?"


    [Indeed. But it can be argued that this at least has little danger. Although it would certainly be painful. As a note, losing 2.5 to 3 pints of blood would already send a human into hemorrhagic shock.]


    "I guess nothing is easy."


    I checked the other bestsellers and found one that looked familiar.


    [{Sky Dragon} - SMC Rating- ***** | Price 10,000 Souls]


    [Top 5 in Combat category. 25 sales in last 24 hours]


    [{Sky Dragon} is an S-rank, manifested combat fate. It has the appearance of a dragon scale. When used, it turns the user into a 50-foot wyvern. The soul form has flight and A-rank defensive abilities available for use. Offensive abilities are sold separately].


    {Sky Dragon} was Isolde''s main {Fate}, and if that was not enough, she also sold, {Dragon''s Breath}, {Dragon''s Tongue}, {Dragon''s Fury}, {Dragon''s Roar}.


    I checked and {Sky Dragon} was already the cheapest at 10,000 souls. All in all, Isolde was making about 2.5 million souls a day selling her {Fates}.


    "What the hell have I been doing all this time?"


    No wonder Isolde''s group could give away 20 million souls just like that. They would be billionaires! In my excitement, I quickly checked how to sell my {Fates} on the graveyard.


    A pop-up was unfairly blocking this entire revenue stream for people like me.


    [Please note: FRM (Formless) {Fates} are not allowed on the Graveyard Buy and Sell Fate marketplace.]


    "Fuck."


    A little saddened by the injustice, I had no choice but to just accept it. How great it must have felt to passively earn from {Fates} in exchange for only blood. Personally, I could just rewind to replenish my blood.


    I reluctantly went to the Soulgear section and browsed the top sellers. There were a bunch of cool items listed. Some were in the form of secondary weapons like daggers or whips. But the vast majority were in the form of jewelry and armor.


    There were so many to choose from that I didn''t know what to do. Most of the soulgears were replicas, which made them quite cheap. Around 2,000 a piece.


    Authentic soulgears, however, were over 5,000 souls for D rank.


    As I searched, I was a bit relieved when I saw Formless Soulgears on the list. However, when I checked only the abilities of Formless, they were quite worthless. The D ranks had a huge disadvantage proportional to the ability.


    Among the Formless {Fates} {Honey Trap} was one of the best. The cheapest replica at B rank was worth 50,000. The real {Honey Trap} at SS rank had 5 more abilities. For a whopping 15,000,000 souls.


    Compared to that, the others were trash. For example, a soulgear would allow you to breathe underwater, but you would not be able to sleep for a week.


    The higher ranks had minor to almost negligible disadvantages. Only the gear above rank C was useful. However, even with such a wide selection, nothing suited my taste. It was probably because I had been spoiled by the {Fates} of the Sirens.


    Even after an hour, I could not find anything of value. Out of boredom, I asked Exa for her opinion.


    "Exa, I can''t find anything. You know my abilities. Can you choose the best ones for me?"


    [Understood. Search complete. Showing results].


    Three soulgears appeared, one A-rank, one B-rank, and one D-rank. Exa summarized the item descriptions in short sentences.


    [{ATK Boost} (Replica)- AMC Rating- ***** | Price 35,000 Souls]


    [{ATK Boost} is an A-rank manifested combat {Fate}. Allows the user to increase the kinetic energy of attacks by 25% using soul. Manifests as a glove.


    [Note: Kinetic Boosts do not stack. Once applied to an object, the boost must be dispelled before it can be applied again. Boost expires in 5 minutes if not used. Has a 10-second cooldown between uses.] S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [{Heat Sink} (Replica)- BMS Rating- **** | Price 21,000 Souls]


    [{Heat Sink} is a B-rank Manifested Support {Fate}. Allows the user to manipulate heat. This soulgear manifests as a patch. Once applied, the patch rapidly cools the target object.


    [Note: Lower temp limit of 59 ¡ãFahrenheit. Upper temp limit 2800 ¡ãFahrenheit. Soulgear can withstand acceptable temperatures without breaking. Exceeding the upper or lower limits will destroy the Soulgear.]


    [{Day by Day} (Original)- FRM Rating- ** | Price 75,000 Souls]


    [{Day by Day} is a Formless {Fate}. Allows the user to create up to six avatar bodies using the soul. Avatar bodies have 100% of the user''s physical abilities and weaknesses].


    [Note: Avatar bodies must be controlled as they have no consciousness. Avatar bodies cannot use {Fates}. Death can occur if the user''s mind remains connected when an avatar body dies. Despite being an original, Day by Day only has one ability.]


    When I saw the abilities of each Soulgear, I couldn''t help but get excited.

 Chapter 368: Do it myself [1/2]

    My mind tried to understand the Soulgear that Exa had chosen for me. The three Soulgears had completely different concepts. When choosing equipment in RPGs, there were usually two schools of thought.


    One was to minimize weaknesses, and the other was to enhance strengths. That was why you gave heavy armor to knights and not to archers.


    Archers, who were not normally on the front lines, were instead given items for evasion or movement speed.


    If your goal was to avoid getting hit, you might as well avoid the hit altogether instead of taking it.


    The {ATK Boost} was basically something that made me hit harder. It was the easiest of the three to understand. I pay soul to get a 25% kinetic damage boost.


    This was for both ranged and melee weapons. That meant it made swords hit harder and arrows pierce deeper. I could see why Exa would recommend it.


    Despite not being an original soulgear, a 25% increase to bullet momentum would directly translate to more damage by kinetic momentum. If given to a sniper round, it would penetrate deeper. If given to a rocket, the explosion would be much more powerful.


    As the highest ranked Soulgear of the three, with a five-star rating, it was a solid option. The only drawback was that it didn''t stack. And it would expire after five minutes. Since the duration was based on {Fate}, that meant that even if I stored it in my subspace, the timer would still run out.


    ''Hmm, I could refresh the duration with {Rewind}, but using {Rewind} every 5 minutes just to increase the power by 25% seems a bit much.''


    The second option was not for combat, but for utility. The {Heat Sink}, as the name implied, was a support item that could transfer heat from an object, rapidly cooling it. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The only thing I could think of to use this on would be a gun barrel. Guns used the ignition of gunpowder to fire their ordnance. The concept of automatic repeating fire usually used the explosion from firing a round to cycle the gun.


    Due to the nature of this system, the muzzle and barrel were normally exposed to the gases that come from the chemical reaction. The explosions that cycle the round also create a flash of light. The brilliant light coming out of the gun was known as muzzle flash.


    Suppressors and muzzle brakes try to either reduce this or increase the rate at which these gasses were expelled. However, the one thing that had no answer from a material standpoint was how to cool the barrel when firing at a rapid rate.


    Open bolt and rotary machine guns had different approaches to this problem.


    The first was to make the barrels themselves interchangeable. Instead of waiting for it to cool down, just change it out. This allowed the gun to continue firing.


    Rotary machine guns, on the other hand, simply increased the number of barrels used when firing. This ensured the heat was spread out. It didn''t solve the problem, but with six barrels, the same number of rounds that would melt a standard barrel had less of an impact.


    Currently my {Kismet} {Armory} stored a snapshot of my weapons and their status. This meant that if one of them broke, I just had to discard it. The next time I summoned it, it would not only reload the weapon, but it would also repair it for a soul cost.


    "If I had this, I could fire for longer before having to use {Armory}, which would save me some souls."


    The only problem I found with {Heat Sink} was that the Soulgear was a precision instrument. While it could help reduce the heat, there was also a caveat that if the upper or lower temperature thresholds were exceeded, the soulgear would break.


    I didn''t know how hot my weapons could get when I fired them continuously. Because I had {EXA Reload}, I was able to keep raining lead until my ammo stores were depleted. This shifted the point of failure from the ammo to the gun itself.


    Regardless of whether you had unlimited ammunition, if your gun broke, all your bullets would turn into paper weights.


    Another thing I assumed it would work for was to dissipate the heat of {Suffer}. If I put this thing on my chest, would it reduce the heat while allowing me to keep the energy?


    It was also worth checking if I could move it over weapons. If I couldn''t, then the cost of 21,000 souls wouldn''t be justified. In fact, it would be a complete waste.


    I''m guessing this was highly valued because it was something the reapers used to keep their bodies from overheating. Maybe when they went through a volcanic area or something?


    I then looked at the last soulgear and read it out loud.


    "{Day by Day} is a Formless {Fate}. Allows the user to create up to six avatar bodies using soul. Exa, does that mean it creates something like clones?"


    [Yes, Limitless. That is exactly what it does]. Your journey continues with m v|l--NovelFire.net


    "Why is it barely two stars? Cloning abilities are super cool in games."


    [In such games, the clones usually have the ability to follow simple commands. Like go to this place or kill this monster. {Day by Day} has none of that. Even though it can create six soul bodies, the user has to control them all manually at the same time.]


    "How would that even work?"


    [It would be like playing seven Dark Souls games at once. The clones do nothing but breathe unless a consciousness is driving them. Many who have experimented with this have simply created statues that never move].


    "Playing Dark Souls on seven PCs sounds impossible. Why are you even suggesting this to me?"


    [This is because of your {Kismet}, Limitless. Specifically, because of {Perspective}]


    "Why would that matter?"


    [Other users of this Soulgear had mind control abilities or Puppetry {Fates} similar to Dominic Maegester. The problem with such applications is that forcing the body to move is different from controlling it. The low rating for this Soulgear is due to lack luster results].


    "Still, you think I can do it? {Perspective} allows me to see with another person''s senses, but I can''t control them."


    [This is where you are wrong, Limitless. The definition of consciousness for this soulgear is to have a consciousness in the brain. I believe that using {Perspective} on a body would allow your mind to control it while still having control of your main body].


    "Then I would literally be multiboxing in real life, wouldn''t I?"


    [Yes, the next problem would be the mental strain of moving two different "people". However, since the {Code} family of {Fates} increases your brain''s processing power, you could theoretically learn to control seven bodies at once].


    "But {Perspective} only works on one person, and it has to be a Siren."


    [Incorrect, Limitless. Your exact words at that time were to use {Limitless} as a guide. {Perspective} applies to everyone with {Limitless}, which includes you. That is why the Sirens can use you as a target for the {Kismet} even though you are not one of them.]


    "Okay, fine, I''ll give you that. Then why do you think it is possible to control seven bodies?"


    [There has been precedent. Ishtar''s {Program} [Beacon] follows the same concept. However, of the Seven Sirens, only Minerva has the ability to have six external {Perspectives}. She does this by having her mind juggle six points of view in addition to her own.]


    "This sounds way over my head. Do you think I can do it?"

 Chapter 369: Do it myself [2/2]

    [I do, Limitless.]


    "Why?"


    [Because this is the most suitable soulgear for you in the entire marketplace. A normal issue with {Day by Day} is that it does not provide weapons to the soul avatars. Although the soul avatars retain sensory organs, they do not have access to {Fates}].


    "Then how can I..."


    [Since you fight with firearms, you could simply give them guns from your arsenal. Should the soul avatars discard the weapons, they would simply return to your subspace.]


    One of the biggest problems with having too many weapons was not having the hands to use them all. What Exa said was true. As one of the Formless, if I could get the controls down, I could have my entire arsenal used by seven people.


    "Hell, I could even use them all to beat up a guy like a mob."


    An anime ninja in an orange tracksuit was legendary for using no other tactic than spamming clones. Fans went a step further and made up other creative ways to use clone powers.


    Some of the most famous examples were playing a team sport alone or rapid construction by a single person.


    ''Well, not really, the most famous would still be banging your wife with your clone army. Or fucking a harem of 100 women at once.''


    "..." S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When my mind went to harems, I naturally thought of my girls. Seven holes and a pole was just not going to cut it. Even with my mouth and fingers, I was limited to four.


    Besides waiting, the rest of my harem would feel left out while I pleasured the lucky ones. I knew they would understand, but I had no reason to settle for such mediocrity.


    If I could master this, I could theoretically fuck my entire harem at once. Gang bangs and orgies had a certain depraved appeal. However, most people, including myself, hated the idea of sharing.


    "But if I could do it myself."


    There was no reason not to. I found it amusing that I didn''t choose this soulgear for its tactical advantages. I wanted to choose it so I could make love to seven pussies at the same time.


    "Exa, just to confirm. These soul avatars will not move unless I control them."


    [Yes.]


    "They would have the exact same body as mine, the same abilities I have minus the {Fates}?"


    [Yes. These soul avatars can interact with physical objects and transmit speech. There is no distance limit as long as the duration of the avatars has not expired].


    "Would they feel pain and pleasure similar to my main body?"


    [Yes. If one of the soul avatars is injured, that feeling would be transferred to your main body. If one is decapitated while the other is burned alive, all surviving avatars would feel both sensations at the same time].


    "..."


    Whatever libido I might have had immediately vanished with Exa''s brutal remark. It seemed that my plan to sleep with seven women would work. But using it in battle would be nothing short of insane.


    "This thing is fucking evil. Who would want this?"


    [Limitless, the sensations would only transfer as long as you control the soul avatar. The moment your consciousness leaves it, whatever happens to the soul avatar will no longer affect you.]


    " Ho? So if I use it to jump off a cliff or do a kamikaze, as long as I disconnect, I won''t feel anything?"


    [Yes. However, for your fighting style, this means that the damage taken by the soul avatars will also not be added to your {Suffer}.]


    "Hmm... That''s fair, I guess."


    My fighting style revolved around shooting and rewinding. With {Portal} and [Flash Step], I could control distance while fighting at close range. {Rewind} and {Replace} made me virtually unkillable as long as I had souls.


    "And if I could add six disposable bodies, they would not only help increase the firepower, but also serve as six extra lives."


    Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelFire.net


    [Indeed. It might be difficult to practice swordplay with seven bodies. But pressing a trigger or holding a position would be possible even if you used seven bodies at once].


    "You''re right. I could even equip them all differently for my purposes. And the psychological effect of coming back alive after being killed six times is also a good weapon to use. And that is even before {Rewind} or {Replace}."


    [Exactly. Therefore, apart from the high requirements for controlling the soul avatars at the same time, it matches your fighting ability to an extreme degree. Not to mention that it is an original].


    "What do you mean?"


    [Without a doubt, the biggest difference between an original soulgear and a replica is the number of abilities in the device. An original soulgear could be considered a living reaper.]


    "A living reaper?"


    [Yes, an original soulgem can be evolved to the limit of it''s rank. {Day by Day} is at level 1, so you can evolve it two more times as the limit for Wraiths. this would allow you to customize the soulgear to your needs twice.]


    "I see, that''s why the price is so different. Well, since you sold me {Day by Day}, I will buy it. Do you think I can learn to use it for war later?"


    [Yes, simply hiding the clones in a battlefield for strategic use has immense potential when used with {Rewind}. {Day by Day} has no cool-down between uses. Furthermore, should any of the soul avatars die they are replenished at a rate of one soul avatar every twenty-four hours].


    "Okay. That makes sense. Instead of increasing my firepower by 25% or extending my barrels from overheating, having six additional bodies seems like the best option. Thank you, Exa. Your analytical skills are amazing. I might not have found this without you."


    [I am glad to be of service, Limitless. There are still two hours and thirty minutes before the night begins. You can either train or take out a loan to afford {Day by Day}.]


    "If I take a loan, can''t I just buy all three?"


    [That will not be possible Limitless. Soulgear, much like a reaper''s {Fate}, cannot coexist with another. If you were to use {Day by Day}, anything other than a Devil''s Remains soulgear would be forced to stop working by the highest ranked soulgear.]


    "I see, so this is the inherent behavior of soulgears, you can mix and match, but you can only bring one."


    [Yes, as Devil''s Soulgear normally have no functionality, it can be used together with an active Soulgear.]


    "I should ask the girls if they already have one. Right now, except for Aki''s {Umbra}. I don''t think anyone else already choose one for them."


    I then went through the procedures for purchasing the soulgear. It was steep at 75,000 souls, or all I had left. Despite the high price, I agree with Exa''s assessment that it would be helpful for me.


    ''That, and I want to ravage my women with seven dicks.''


    I then sent the seller a message. I asked for details on what kind of payment he would accept. The answer I got was something bizarre.


    [No way! You''re THE Limitless, right? The one who has a war in two hours? And you''re shopping?]


    Annoyed that I was now a bit famous, I tried to keep the conversation on trade.


    [I am. And I need the soulgear {Day By Day}. I am a little short right now because of the wager. I will pay you five times the amount if you allow me to use it for the war.]


    [No need! Take it! I will do whatever I can to help you. There is only one thing I want. Let me join Hellsend!]


    "Well, that was unexpected."

 Chapter 370: Then we have a deal. [1/2]

    "I beg your pardon?"


    [Do you not understand English? Let me join Hellsend. You can make me wash socks or whatever. Let me and my friend join, no strings attached, and {Day by Day} is yours.]


    Read exclusive content at m_v-l''-NovelFire.net


    "..."


    Should I be surprised at this point? I mean, the promo was supposed to attract people. But it was not my style to have them just join me out of the blue. If anything, I wanted to see what I had to work with.


    Appearance may be shallow to judge a man, but it remained the best indicator of one''s lifestyle or profession. I didn''t care if they were rich or well dressed. The things I wanted to look for were their figure, the calluses on their hands, and if they had a thousand-yard stare.


    A man''s height was an indication of genes and nutrition. This would allow a person to understand things about a person''s background just from their height. Most of which the person had no control over.


    A person''s weight, however, was something they could control. If a person was fat, it was 99% because they ate more than they exercised. If a person was thin, it was 100% because he not only failed to eat enough, but also failed to build muscle.


    The human body was powerful. Even if you had a high metabolism, if you did a thousand push-ups in a year, you would see results. So for a person to die a Reaper and stay fat was something that showed what that person valued.


    On the other hand, calluses were a sign of hard work. You could only get them by gripping something so hard or heavy that your skin broke. Of course, since the human body was resilient, it would regenerate after a few days. Only when it did, that part of the skin would be thicker.


    Repeat this process a few times and the calluses on a man''s hand would be even thicker than a real glove. Bones worked the same way. Break a bone the same way several times and it will get thicker.


    This was not to say that you should jump down the stairs, but martial arts in particular loved this fact. The best example would be a Muai Thai fighter.


    Known for being one of the most violent unarmed combat styles, Muai Thai practitioners used 8 limbs. Two arms, two legs, two knees and two elbows. All eight were trained to deliver powerful strikes. The training involved so much force that broken bones were the norm.


    However, after years of training, the bone fragments became thicker and stronger after being repeatedly repaired with calcium reinforcements. The result were natural weapons similar to the horns or tusks of animals.


    Finally, the last thing to look out for was the thousand-yard stare. This was common in the US military. Basically, you had people who were so used to combat and death that they developed dissociation.


    It manifested as a vacant, unfocused gaze. People who have this almost always had a wild side. This was what allowed them to survive traumatic events or high levels of stress. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Because this guy was a reaper. He might be a trained warrior. If his body type was fat, lean, or built, I would have an idea of how hard he worked. The texture of his hands would confirm or disprove whatever conclusion I had about his appearance.


    And the presence of the thousand-yard stare would be a guide to whether this person was crazy or a vicious killer. With these three things, I would have a more informed decision.


    ''Plus, I could always have Aira or Bella dig into the guy. If he was a bad guy, I could kill him afterwards. Otherwise, I would train him as one of my own.''


    [Well? I want an answer Limitless].


    "Fine. Where do we meet?"


    [YES! Okay, go to Arcus Kiss in the red light district. I will meet you there].


    ''Red light district? Well, I guess I should have at least expected that.''


    "Okay, I will head there now. I will be wearing a black suit with a red tie."


    [Haha. I know! If you weren''t Limitless, wearing that uniform would definitely get you killed. See you later, Limitless].


    Ignoring her words, I left the room and sent a message to the Sirens.


    [Everyone, I am going to Arcus Kiss to purchase a soulgear called {Day by Day}. I am not going there to sleep around.]


    I then attached a picture of the soulgear from the marketplace as well as my conversation with the seller.


    "I hope this calms everyone down a bit. But I am still pretty annoyed that they ignored me earlier," I thought irritated.


    I thought they would still give me the cold shoulder, but I received extremely lively responses.


    [I wasn''t worried, my love. I trust you. Tell me all the names of the girls you meet. I will know if you miss a single one].


    [Dear, next time ask them to deliver. I detest you going to such places. For every prostitute who touches you, I will kill ten. Please have mercy on them, okay?]


    [Possum, make sure you don''t pash or root anyone you hear? Or they will be picking up the moll''s body parts starting tomorrow.]


    [Darling, I will allow it if we have a date later. Also, I forbid you to touch anyone, okay? I will skin all the hookers alive if you entertain even one of them.]


    [Mr. Code. Be a good example for our children or I will castrate you. I can see your every move. So do not try me.]


    [Husband, you will not cheat. I will level Arcus Kiss to the ground if you do.]


    [Anata, if your balls are not full by Sunday, I will kill everything in the red light district].


    "..."


    A shiver ran down my spine as I read the messages. They all stemmed from affection and a desire to monopolize. But anyone who saw them would quake in their boots. They were very yandere-esque or love-sick borderline insane.


    [I understand everyone. You know I only have eyes for you girls].


    Many weebs dreamed of having the attention of a yandere. Especially because it was a love where they were already considered perfect. In reality, they would never be able to survive a week.


    To me, however, their reactions were quite charming. After all, if they didn''t act that way, it must mean that they no longer wanted to monopolize me. It''s kind of a fucked up way to look at it, but it is what it is.


    ''The girls and I were never normal to begin with.''


    I left the meeting room and saw Phillip presenting to the European Soulform Reapers. Isolde was nowhere in sight. Phillip noticed me but didn''t bat an eye when he saw my hand gesture for him to continue.


    When I left the building, I saw the Limit Royalty being made by Cynthia to run through an obstacle course. I had no idea where the furniture for the obstacle course came from, but I could care less.


    I left the field right outside the Dispatch office and saw Joshua talking to Krishna, Van, and the rest of the 2nd Amendment commanders. It was a pretty strange group, but all that mattered to me was that Krishna''s guns could pick up a gun and shoot.


    ''Speaking of which, I might need to create trainings for the new guys to fight against reapers.''


    It was only natural that fighting monsters and fighting humans would require different skills. It was a good idea to prepare the 2nd Amendment for both.


    I walked further out towards the red-light district. There were a bunch of brick houses that had a logo of a woman looking down her legs while giving a flying kiss. Of course, her lady bits were left to the imagination.

 Chapter 371: Then we have a deal. [2/2]

    A few scantily clad girls were loitering around the area. I found this odd as it was already around 4:30 pm. Whorehouses were usually closed during the day as the courtesans needed time to rest as they rarely slept during the night. Explore hidden tales at m,v l''-NovelFire.net


    When they saw me, they began to shout and purse their lips. Since these women were reapers, they were naturally very beautiful. They looked like AI art brought to life. Unfortunately, three things ruined it for me.


    One was the heavy ass makeup. Two was breasts that were way too big. Finally, was asses that were so big they started hanging off the sides.


    I once had a friend who liked extremely wide hips and big, and a titanic ass. Both of which looked like horrible deformities.


    She said it was called BBL, which stood for Brazilian Butt Lift surgery. Supposedly, the doctor would take fat from a woman''s stomach, back, or thighs and put it in her ass. The rounder bottom would improve the shape of the woman''s lower body, making it appear sexier.


    Bella, who was Brazilian, had an okay ass, I have no idea why they named this surgery after something from Brazil. On the other hand, Jasmine, who had the fullest and sexiest ass of the Sirens, was the perfect size I wanted in a woman.


    Probably because I already had a harem, I didn''t find these women sexy. Even though their faces were pretty. Afraid my girls would misunderstand, I let the death resonance pour out of me as I commanded.


    "{Act as if I am not here.}"


    Both girls nodded and turned their eyes back to the street. Neither sparing me a second look, I waited patiently for the owner of {Day by Day}. I was hoping to make the deal soon so that I could start training right away.


    Since none of the courtesans acknowledged my presence, no one in Arcus Kiss knew that I was here. I sent a few messages to the seller, who was marked anonymous.


    ''Why would he be here if the place was just getting ready for the night? ''


    Unless he was not a customer, but a person who works here. I had never heard of a male fuck boi that worked here, but I guess it should be possible. After all, when you lived so close to death, any pretense about what excited you might as well be nonexistent.


    As I thought about the gender of the seller. I noticed a brown man with dreadlocks come out. He was wearing an ugly looking fur coat and pants. He looked Caribbean because he was not black enough to be African.


    "Be dat you brutha? You the one come to bai da soulgear?"


    Said man greeted me with a very heavy Jamaican accent. The two courtesans who heard him laughed as they teased.


    "D, are you high again? Lay off the mandrakes. Pixie''s going to throw a tantrum again."


    "Yeah D, who are you talking to?"


    "Why you girls say that man? Luk here, I am talking to this white man in a suit."


    The girls then started laughing out loud as D made a dumbfounded face.


    "They cannot see me. Show me {Day by Day} D, and state your terms."


    "Ah, you misunderstand Brutha. I na da one selling. Mai friend iz da one."


    "I see, then let us go to your friend. How shall I address you?"


    "No need to talk like that brutha. I am not one of the rich. I am just a bouncer. My name is Delroy Baxter. If the accent did not say it, I am from Jamaica. Mai friend inside, let me show you in."


    "Would I be allowed in even though I am not a customer?"


    "Iz okay, my friend works in da kitchen, not on the 2nd floor. She too small."


    "..."


    She was too small to work as a courtesan, yet I was dealing with her instead of that man. What was going on?


    Delroy awkwardly led me into the kitchen where a young, skinny child was cooking what looked like some kind of stew.


    "Pixie. Ya guest be here."


    "Thank you, D."


    The child got off a platform chair and unfastened her apron. Then she walked up to me and introduced herself.


    "Nice to meet you, Limitless. My name is Pixie Richards. You have already met my partner, Delroy, or D for short. I will get right to the point. My {Fate} is called {Compass}. It allows me to find the things I desire.


    "I put my mother''s soulgear on the Graveyard Marketplace because that is what my {Fate} told me to do to find what I wanted to find. It is amusing that you became the means for me to find my goal."


    "Okay? What does this have to do with me?"


    "Mr. Limitless, what I want is on the 19th floor. I cannot go there alone, and since I have no handler or sponsor, I have barely managed to survive here. I want to leave this place and join you when you go to the 19th floor."


    "What do you mean, you want to leave and just walk out the front door? You sound like you are in prison or something. Hire adventurers to escort you."


    "I am." Pixie then lifted the hair at the back of her neck to reveal a bright metallic collar around her neck.


    "And I don''t have the souls to hire Adventurers."


    The metallic collar around her neck looked like a slave collar. D, also removed the scarf around his neck, revealing the same slave collar as Pixie''s.


    I was never a fan of slavery, but it really was a true event in world history.


    "I see, so you want me to buy you and take you to the 19th floor?"


    "Not just me, you must also buy D. I will not leave without him."


    "Pixie, I told ya, I am a grown man. I can take care of myself. Brutha, please buy and take Pixie with you, she be a good kid."


    The young girl quickly ran up to me and pulled on my clothes.


    "YOU CAN''T! D is all I have, please buy him as well. He is extremely good at fighting and loyal. You can use him! You can do whatever you want with me. You can even fuck me.


    Just take him too."


    My heart broke when I saw how much these two tried to sacrifice themselves for each other. It somehow reminded me of Jo and Jas.


    No matter what, I knew that if I took one of them hostage, the other would follow my orders without question.


    "Ms. Pixie, you are mistaken. I owe you nothing. At least not yet. I came here to buy soulgear, not a bunch of slaves. I already have all the fighters I need right now."


    "Then let us change the situation. I''ll tell you everything I know about {Day by Day}, along with the secret of how to use it! In exchange, you will buy me and D and train us to fight."


    "And why do I have to go through all this trouble? You''re just a kid, and that nigger over there isn''t even a Phantom. Why should I invest in you?"


    Pixie then made a strained face, as if the life was draining out of her body. She quickly pulled out a necklace with a seven-pointed star and invoked the soulgear.


    "{Day by Day}!"


    Six soul avatars appeared and lined up beside Pixie. They were identical down to the last detail. Each Pixie then began to perform different dances at the same time.


    "See this? I can teach you to be this efficient in less than 2 hours! You can use it in your war! You don''t have to pay if you don''t learn! It is a guarantee!" x 7


    Amazed at how indistinguishable the soul avatars were from Pixie, I stopped playing hard to get and smiled like a devil.


    "Then we have a deal."


    sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 372: own choices to make. [1/2]

    "Follow me."


    As I didn''t want the Sirens to misunderstand, I motioned for Pixie and Delroy to come with me and leave the red light district.


    "We can''t brutha. See?" The Jamaican pointed to the metal collar around his neck.


    "Ah. Right. Then let''s get this over with," I replied.


    I moved to enter the lobby. Pixie and Delroy followed. Pixie looked about the same size as Robyn, maybe almost five feet? D on the other hand was as tall as Lilly.


    Looking around the building, I scanned for the Reapers. Besides Delroy, there were over 20 Phantoms! Surprised by what I saw, I remembered the warnings about Reaper sex. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''For your own safety, please evolve to Phantoms first before procreating. Also remember to notify your handlers if you are able to conceive Descendants. Remember that making babies is also to save the world. May your fate end the darkness Reaper!''


    ''Holy crap! That was something unexpected.''


    A beautiful woman at the reception was filing her nails when she saw me enter. Before she could greet me, however, her face twisted when she saw Pixie by my side.


    "What the hell are you doing here, midget? Get back to the kitchen! Arcus Kiss will get a bad reputation if you are here. Or maybe you want to get your little pussy ravished by an ugly bastard!"


    Either the receptionist was really stupid or she really hated the young wraith by my side. I saw Pixie tremble and flinch at her words.


    As someone who used to be beaten up a lot, I knew the behavior of those who were subjected to it. But before I could react, Delroy hid Pixie behind him as he tried to smooth things over.


    "Yo woman, can''t you see we got a customer here? He be looking for business no?"


    It was only then that the receptionist finally softened her expression before speaking.


    "Ah, right. I am sorry, customer. Forgive me, how can I help you today?"


    I invoked death resonance as I stared into the receptionist''s eyes. Using {Announce} I tried to hypnotically interrogate her.


    "{Tell me why you hate Pixie so much. Do not lie}" Your next chapter awaits on m v|l--NovelFire.net


    Her face lost all emotion and her voice became monotone.


    "I hate her because she got off easy compared to me. I couldn''t pay the tax, so I sold myself to survive. When I became a slave, they forcefully evolved me into a Phantom. I was then raped by the owner along with five others."


    Pixie trembled visibly and buried herself in Delroy''s stomach as the receptionist told her story.


    "I ended up becoming a prostitute and working for the man who raped me. When Pixie arrived after being turned into a slave, she was made a cook instead. I later found out it was because she resembled the owner''s dead daughter. I resent her because she didn''t have to experience what I did."


    While I could understand her story, from my point of view it was not the worst. Her experiences were dark, but she was the one who chose that over the alternative of fighting. It was sad, yes, but she wasn''t completely blameless.


    I wanted to scold her, but I held my tongue. Most assholes were just being mean because they had been hurt in the past. Hearing what she had to endure on a daily basis, I felt compassion and forgave her for her insolence.


    With a wave of my hand, I cancelled the death resonance and allowed the receptionist to regain her sanity.


    "Huh? What? What was I just doing?" She asked confused.


    "You asked me what I needed, lady. Can you please call your boss?"


    "Oh? Was I? Yes! Let me call him right now! Please wait here," the receptionist hurried to a room in the back.


    As she left, I wondered how many were like her. Those who hated their circumstances but couldn''t get out?


    "D....D...."


    I heard a childish whimper behind me.


    "Dawn''t ya worry Pixie. It ain''t ya fault. There, there."


    Seeing her pitiful cry, I had no words of comfort to offer. Life was not easy for anyone in Hellsgate. Getting souls was everyone''s struggle, except that while I used weapons to fight the undead, those here used their bodies to get the souls.


    "We all have our own choices to make."


    It was only in hindsight that people would know if their choices were the right ones. While we were free to choose, the appropriate consequences would naturally follow. So, good or bad, it all started with a choice.


    Pixie finally calmed down as the Jamaican soothed her. It didn''t seem like they were just friends. No matter how you looked at it, the Wraith was a minor. So the question was, how did she meet Delroy and why does she trust him so much?


    An ugly bastard-looking pimp walked out as he slapped the receptionist''s ass. He licked his lips as he approached me. It took me a lot of effort not to blast this motherfucker in the head with a 12 gauge 00 buckshot.


    "Greetings! I am the owner of this establishment, Carlyle Johnson; how may I be of service?" the owner introduced himself.


    His overly flamboyant way of speaking was annoying as hell. I physically restrained my hands to avoid causing a scene.


    "The two behind me are your slaves, right?"


    "Why yes? Pixie is one of my cooks, while D is one of my bouncers."


    "I''ll buy them both. How much?"


    "Oh? But they are not for sale? Sorry, what is your name?"


    "Limitless."


    "Excuse me?" Carlyle asked, losing his frivolous tone.


    Much like the owner, the receptionist''s mouth dropped open in surprise.


    "I''m sure we can work something out. How about we go to my office, my lord?"


    "Unfortunately, I can''t, I still have much to do with my war later. I need Pixie and Delroy for my tasks. Sell them to me."


    "Is that the case? Then why don''t I loan them to you for a week? We can discuss prices when you have more time. I wouldn''t want to sabotage your chances later just because of these two," Carlyle tried to reason.


    Probably because of my reputation, this bastard wanted to delay this transaction as long as possible. He planned to use my name for publicity. Especially when I would later fight with the world watching.


    "{Stop wasting my time and tell me how much they are worth. Do not lie}."


    Using death resonance and {Announce} I forced the Phantom to respond. My approach had the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but I found talking to guys like Carlyle tiresome, so I did what I wanted.


    "Pixie has a current value of about 15,000 souls. However, her childlike appearance has a market. I planned to let her fatten up a bit before selling her for ten times that amount to some Specters who liked virgin children. They usually murdered their slaves, so after I got my money, it would be a done deal."


    Everyone who heard the pimp''s explanation was surprised. The receptionist had a disgusted face as she stared at her employer. Even on Earth, such a practice was considered evil.


    Prostitution might have had its purpose, but the use of children did not.


    "Delroy is a cheap thug, worth only 5,000 souls. I would sell them together for 100,000. However, I wanted one of my girls to seduce you so that you would protect my business in the future."


    "I see, then I will pay you 20,000 now and 80,000 after my war."


    "Yes..."


    I watched as the brainwashed owner filled out the form and placed a soulgem looking bag next to the document.


    "Please store the souls in this soul wallet. I will have this notarized so that it cannot be changed until we complete the transaction."

 Chapter 373: own choices to make. [2/2]

    I touched the soulgem and deposited 20,000 souls. Carlyle then worked on the document for about five minutes, his entire body swaying from side to side. He then stamped the document, which suddenly created two separate copies.


    He handed me one as he folded the other.


    Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelFire.net


    "Here is your copy, my lord. As of today, they are yours. However, if you do not pay the balance of 80,000 souls, I will inform the White Guard."


    "Okay. Remember to have it notarized by Administration, okay?"


    "Yes, my lord."


    After our business was done, I cancelled my death resonance. Then I watched Carlyle''s face go through the emotions of anger, disappointment, and finally acceptance.


    Instead of saying anything else, he simply bowed and said his farewells.


    "It has been a pleasure working with you, my lord. I wish you the best of luck in your upcoming war. Pixie, D, take care. And know that you will always have a home here."


    There were a hundred things I could say, but instead I held out my hand to the receptionist.


    "Do you want to leave? I will help you if you do."


    "W-What?" she stammered.


    "I''m giving you a chance to save yourself. Come with me and join my army. If you want to be free, you must fight for it," I said sternly.


    "I-I can''t! I can''t fight! I have no skills other than selling my body. This place is safer! You are crazy! Not everyone thinks like you!"


    As the receptionist made excuse after excuse, I withdrew my hand and nodded.


    "I see, then I wish you well. Goodbye."


    Without another word, I walked to the door and left. Pixie and D followed behind me, stunned by what had just happened.


    [Exa, find out who''s buying the kids. Ask Bella if you can''t do it yourself.]


    [I understand Limitless.]


    "Brutha! Why didn''t you stop Carlyle? How many kids iz he going to sacrifice if we leave him alone? That guy be trash!"


    I stopped walking and turned to the Jamaican.


    "I could have killed him, but would that have changed anything?" I asked.


    "..."


    "If Carlyle died suddenly, Arcus kiss and the prostitutes would be out of work. None of them want to fight, so they would just die. I do not want to take them all under my wing. As for the pedophiles, unless I kill them, they would just find another way to get slaves."


    "..."


    Probably understanding my words, Delroy frowned as he clenched his fist and began to shake. Pixie tried to calm him down by holding his hand in hers.


    "D...you saved me. At least I escaped such a fate because of you. Don''t feel bad."


    I see, Delroy had some kind of white knight complex. In this fucked-up world, those who had such an attitude would always be the first to die. But I guess as long as Pixie was with him, he should be okay.


    We walked in silence until we reached the meeting room that Phillip had reserved earlier. Everyone had already left, so it was just me, Pixie and Delroy.


    "Pixie, give me my soulgear."


    Hearing my words, the child quickly took off her necklace and meekly handed it to me.


    "My Lord, thank you for buying D and I. Please let me do all I can to repay this debt."


    "That remains to be seen. Are you two a couple? Aren''t you too young?"


    Pixie blushed scarlet as she stammered.


    "M-m-my lord! I am already a lady! I am sixteen! I am from Nebraska! So there is no problem!"


    The young girl suddenly looked at the Jamaican and blushed even more.


    "Wait! D! I didn''t mean it like that! I like having you around, but I didn''t say that..."


    "I know Pixie. I am 26, you be too young for me. We''re not together, brutha."


    At Delroy''s clear words, I probably saw invisible arrows sting Pixie. Her face of love suddenly spasmed with rage. Then she curled up her short leg and stomped on Delroy''s instep.


    "STUPID D! I HATE YOU!"


    It was amusing to see them joking around. I wished they could find love in this hellhole. For people like us, it was one of the few pleasures we had.


    I wore the soulgear {Day by Day} around my neck. It had a seven-pointed star and a bunch of symbols inside the lines. In the middle was a final pentagram, which made the thing look ominous.


    "Pixie. I am short on time. Your two hours begin now."


    "Ah! Okay! My Lord, this soulgear belonged to my mother. Basically, I was raised by a single mother who lived and died from overwork. This soulgear had her fate, which resulted from her regret for living a meaningless life."


    "I see, so your mother wanted a body that would work for her every day of the week. That is why only six are created. How did you come to know this?"


    "My Lord, my {Fate} {Compass} directed me to people who knew her. My mother was a 1st generation Reaper, while I am a half descendant. When I arrived, I asked {Compass} to show me how to survive. And she told me to head to Arcus Kiss where I met D."


    "Get to the point, Pixie. I wasted a lot of time getting this. Tell me what I know now..."


    "Gee... you are heartless, my lord! Fine! {Day by Day} stored the bodies into it. You can bring them all out by calling the name of the Soulgear. If you want to call only one soul avatar, call it by the day of the week, starting with Monday."


    Understanding her words, I called for a single Soul Avatar. "{Monday}."


    A replica of my body appeared beside me with it''s eyes closed. I tried to will it to move, but nothing happened.


    This must be what Exa said. It would be hard to move another body that wasn''t connected to you.


    "{Perspective} Limitless." sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I felt the connection between me and the soul avatar.


    "Accept," I replied with my main body.


    At that point, I felt a huge migraine pounding my brain. It made my temple throb with pain. I opened my eyes and saw my main body crumpled to the ground in pain.


    Even though I was already in Monday''s body, my brain felt the same pain in my real body, although it had subsided somewhat.


    Reflexively, I tried to crane my neck to look around. Unlike when I linked with Aki, I was able to control Monday. I raised my fist and opened and closed it. Surprisingly, I felt two sets of hands doing the same thing.


    I tried to focus on my main body and forced it to stand up. The feeling was strange, as if I was underwater. Wobbly and heavy.


    "NO WAY! THAT WAS WAY TO FAST!" a child''s voice shrieked.


    "{Tuesday}, {Wednesday}, {Thursday}, {Friday}, {Saturday}."


    Breathing raggedly, I summoned the other five Soul Avatars one by one. If before I felt a migraine, now it was like someone banging cymbals on the sides of my head.


    I was dizzy and felt like throwing up. But seeing five copies of my body hunched over made the discomfort worth it. Even though my brain felt like a screwdriver had been jammed into it. I called my {Kismet}.


    "{Perspective} Limitless."


    Similar to before, I selected one of the Soul Avatars and linked with it.


    "{Accept}"


    Monday, who was still looking at the same spot, already shared my vision. Now another POV entered and looked at Monday and me. Somehow the pain of the connection lessened the heavy feeling after I opened the Soul Avatar''s eyes.


    I repeated the process four more times until my brain now had seven POVs looking at each other.


    None of them were moving yet, just looking at each other. Still, I couldn''t feel hopeful.


    "Let''s do this," I said with a smile.

 Chapter 374: Constant battle [1/2]

    The surreal scene before me was something I could not explain. There were seven of me staring at each other, and all at once I saw, heard, and felt everything they were experiencing.


    "My Lord, perhaps it would be better to start slowly?" Pixie warned.


    The dissonance of hearing them from different directions made my brain spin. Much like the overlapping viewpoints, her position differed from where the soul avatars stood.


    I felt like throwing up from the discomfort. It was like being forced to watch seven different movies on the same screen. I had little idea what I was seeing, and the sensory overload was just one big fucking mess.


    To compensate, I closed my eyes. Funnily enough, I could still see. I covered my ears and blew out my eardrums with soul.


    "Ack! My lord, are you all right?"


    Ignoring the noisy child, I tried to see with one of the avatars. I think it was Tuesday. This soulgear named each avatar after the day of the week. So the main body was aptly named Sunday.


    Using Tuesday''s eyes, I looked around and noticed that everyone else was hunched over. Sunday was bleeding from his ears and had his eyes closed. The rest looked like retarded mental patients.


    ''It''s a good thing they didn''t drool.''


    I then proceeded to remove the eyes and ears from the rest of the avatars. The dissonance disappeared as my senses became one. After completing the exercise with Saturday, I returned to Sunday and invoked {Regen}.


    With my hearing restored, I opened my eyes and saw my other bodies with their hands to their ears and their eyes closed. I then looked at Pixie, who had a pale face.


    "Pixie. Tell me how to use this. You have an hour and forty minutes left."


    "My Lord! You have already done a lot on your own! We were supposed to start with a rubber hand illusion!"


    The rubber hand illusion was a famous mind bending trick where you used a rubber arm to trick your brain into thinking it was your real arm.


    "Why did you have to start there?"


    "You''re the strange one, my lord! {Day by Day} requires a consciousness to enter the avatar''s mind. Most people don''t have such an ability. For you to switch and command all seven of your bodies is already amazing!"


    "Enough flattery. Tell me how to solve the sensory overload problem."


    Pixie made a face before grumbling.


    "Can''t you ask nicer? I thought Limitless was the perfect husband! Why are you being so mean?"


    "Then find a husband, I am your master. I have no need to be nice to you when you have yet to fulfill your end of the bargain."


    Then Delroy came between us, trying to mediate.


    "Brutha, please forgive Pixie, she be a little young, yeah? She means you no harm. She can make it work, you saw earlier. Scaring her will only make it take longer, man."


    I knew he was right in his assumptions, but the discomfort I was feeling put me in a really bad mood. So much so that I had no energy left to coddle this brat.


    "Move," I said coldly.


    Probably sensing that I was serious, Delroy backed off. Pixie, recognizing my demeanor, began to panic.


    "Ahem. You n-need to use something to serve as your c-control."


    Seeing the child tremble made me feel terrible. This young girl probably had the idea that I would beat her if she did not do her job. As frustrated as I was, I would never do such a thing.


    I took a deep breath and knelt before her.


    "Pixie. Calm down. I am sorry for being so harsh. I will not lay a hand on you. I grew up being beaten too. I will never hurt you because you couldn''t teach me.


    I swear it in the name of the Sirens".


    Hearing my words, the child visibly relaxed a bit.


    "O-okay. The concept is like an old school TV, your avatars are the channels. And your mind is the screen. As a beginner, you have to force your mind to focus on only one channel and tune out the rest." sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I see, so it was like the cocktail party effect, but taken to the extreme. You had the ability to focus on certain things even when other things were going on. In this way, you could still talk to other people at a concert or a large gathering.


    While I could understand the concept, it seemed like a waste. If I couldn''t see the other avatars, they would lose half their value. If that was the case, then the answer was not to turn it into a simple television.


    "A CCTV surveillance screen would be better." Continue your journey on m|v-l''e -NovelFire.net


    "Huh?"


    Using my mind as a filter, I tried to separate and organize the information.


    ''Guys. This shit is hard. Can you give me a hand?''


    As if hearing my words, my vision suddenly split like a zoom meeting. I had one main screen, and three small screens appeared at either end of my vision. It was similar to using a futuristic HUD or playing a racing game.


    "Haha, you guys are awesome as always," I praised excitedly.


    [{Code}, {Eat}, and {Perceive} expressed their pleasure at your compliment. {Listen} has also prepared the soul avatar hearing to be linked to this conference HUD. They have also added it as a default feature of {Limitless}.]


    Amazed at my {Fates}, whatever frustration I had was blown away.


    I then willed Monday to open his eyes. When he did, one of the small screens on the left now showed me looking at myself.


    "Great. Tuesday. You''re up."


    Unconsciously, even though they were all me, I began to order my other bodies as I would order other people. Of course, it was bullshit because the avatars didn''t move when I didn''t, so it was literally playing house alone.


    I repeated the exercise with all the avatars and found that the dissonance had already disappeared. Unfortunately, I couldn''t hear anything from the other avatars.


    "Pixie, do these avatars heal?"


    "They do not, my lord. The avatars are set when they are summoned. To heal them, you must unsummon and then resummon them. Once they are split into souls, the damage they took is reset. And when they return, they would use your current state as their starting point."


    "Ho? So it is like my own {Fate}. Very well. {Day by Day}".


    At my words, the soul avatars disintegrated into particles of light and vanished. My split vision deactivated and returned to my normal vision. At that moment, I called upon my soulgear and resummoned all six avatars.


    I then watched as all my bodies stared at each other. Using Sunday, I summoned Ebony and fired at the ground.


    The gunfire surprised both Delroy and Pixie, but I didn''t focus on them.


    Expecting to suffer some sort of discomfort, I was surprised when I was still fine. I heard the gunshots coming from all seven bodies. But just as with my vision, only Sunday''s vision heard it in full. The others were greatly diminished.


    "Okay, this works."


    Using the conference HUD, I continued to switch viewpoints as I spoke. I no longer felt uncomfortable and could switch eyes at a moment''s notice.


    In the future, my goal would be to eliminate this and be able to process everything at once.


    Having a new goal to strive for made me hopeful. This power had too many applications and fit my fighting style to an amazing degree.


    Still using Sunday, I faced Pixie and asked for the next step.


    "Pixie, I can see and hear with all the avatars. Now tell me how to move them."

 Chapter 375: Constant battle [2/2]

    "HUH! HOW?! IT TOOK ME WEEKS TO DO THAT!"


    "Pixie, Limitless be great, ya? Just answer his question," Delroy interjected.


    "Right, it''s just amazing! You must be really smart or something. I haven''t been able to control them all at once yet."


    "What do you mean? Didn''t you make all seven bodies dance at the same time?"


    "I did, but I also didn''t. Are you familiar with the concept of muscle memory, my lord?"


    Muscle memory was when you do something so often that your body remembers it. At that point you no longer had to think. Your body itself would be able to do anything from simple to complex as long as it became muscle memory.


    "I see, so you were dancing with muscle memory. You switched to a different channel and had it perform automatically?"


    "Yes, my lord. By using an action that is ingrained in your body, you can ''feel'' yourself doing it even without actively doing it. Just like those people who juggle and ride a unicycle."


    "Then does that mean you don''t know how to control them all at once? Muscle memory breaks down when something outside the norm happens."


    Pixie looked down and muttered in response. "I apologize, my lord. It took me months just to be able to move them. It could just mean I was stupid since you learned it all in less than fifteen minutes."


    Then I put my hand on her head and rubbed it.


    "Don''t belittle your own accomplishments, Pixie. You are very smart to have figured this out on your own. Then how did the others do it? I saw that this Soulgear had an extremely low rating." sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I tried to lend it to some people when I was short of souls. They called it trash and insulted my mother for being a bitch."


    Hearing such words made me feel a little sad. Children without parents were naturally targets of bullying because there wasn''t anyone to defend them. Fortunately, the next person to speak up dispelled the gloomy mood.


    "Don''t worry, man. I slugged that bastard right after. Ain''t no one going to bully Pixie and stay in one piece. Not while I''m around," the Jamaican boasted.


    "D..."


    I stared at Pixie, who looked at her guardian like a girl in love. While I was glad she found a good man, it didn''t help my situation at all.


    "Hmm. Muscle memory, huh?"


    I didn''t do much exercise. My muscle memory was probably limited to typing and stapling shit. That and probably shooting. The only way I could test this was probably with guns. I called up {Day by Day} and summoned my avatars.


    "Pixie, I will test your theory in battle. Come with me."


    "Where are we going?" she asked.


    "To a fallen zone used for training."


    "Brutha, Pixie can''t fight. And I can beat up humans, but I have never fought zombies none."


    I ignored Delroy''s words as I left the room. Both of them tried to follow me in a hurry.


    "If that is the case, then forget about me taking you to the lower levels. I have no need for baggage. You saw my promo, right? What I said there was true. You two are free to cower in a corner, but I will not wait for you while you do so."


    "But..." Pixie tried to grab my hand as I walked forward.


    Remembering that this child needed a gentler hand, I stopped and stroked her head.


    "Pixie. I am releasing you from your responsibilities to me. Here is the document for your freedom. My life is one of constant battle. If you cannot pick up a weapon, you will only die as collateral. I will send you some money after I win my war."


    "But. I-I..."


    "Delroy will be with you. He has a good head on his shoulders, he will be able to work for both of you. If you have any problems, just go to Phillip, my clerk, or Cynthia of Hellsend. They have connections for jobs."


    "My lord, are you abandoning me? Have I done a bad job? Don''t the Ten Graves have people who don''t fight? I can cook! Can I join those who cook in your promo?"


    I smiled as gently as I could as I answered.


    "No, Pixie. You did a wonderful job. And unlike the big sister in Arcus Kiss, you have the courage to step forward. I am proud of you. The Ten Graves is the place where we get new recruits. Everyone there will be called upon to fight at some point.


    Even the cooks are not exempt."


    "Then let me join you, my lord," the little girl blurted out.


    "Your reason?"


    "I feel it will be safer with you than doing it alone. And technically, I am still your slave. You are supposed to pay my taxes. Here, you can have this back."


    Pixie returned the document with a smile. Then I handed it to Delroy.


    "What do you want to do?"


    "I will follow Brutha. Not as a slave, but as Pixie''s guardian," Delroy replied. He took the document that made them both slaves and put it in his pocket.


    ''I have a feeling she does not want you as her guardian though.''


    "Very well. For now, just come and watch me. You don''t need to fight."


    I led them to the teleportation circles and took them to a fallen zone. When we arrived, the sound of zombies groaning echoed around us.


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    "Perfect. {Monday}."


    A called one of my avatars and switched to my conference HUD.


    "[Inventory] F90s. Ebony, Ivory."


    After taking out two bullpup rifles and two pistols, I handed an F90 MBR and Ebony to Monday.


    It felt strange to be the one holding out the weapon and the one receiving it. However, when Monday received both weapons, I suddenly felt myself working the controls and shouldering the rifle.


    I saw a group of zombies about 300 meters to the west. taking off the safety of my rifle, I used Sunday to snipe the head of one of the undead. The group turned and started running in my direction.


    Keeping my POV in Sunday, I moved Monday and prepared to fire. It was strange, my body felt the recoil, which threw my aim off quite a bit. And without {Perceive}''s family of {Fates}, my accuracy was abysmal.


    Still, the goal was not mythical shooting. It was controlling two bodies at once. Without switching to Monday, it was like playing in 3rd person. Like in an old Resident Evil game, I turned Monday in 3rd person and fired in bursts.


    Sunday with {Limitless} could see that the bullets would hit some of the zombies. Since the F90 used by Monday was part of my arsenal, it would automatically reload.


    ''Still, this is tough. When was the last time I fired a weapon without {fates}?''


    Things I took for granted were all starting to make the fight harder. Still having trouble shooting with Monday, I shouldered my weapon and took out the approaching zombies.


    "My lord! You made it! This is amazing!" Pixie cheered.


    "{Tuesday}, [Inventory] BLR 81."


    I summoned another Soul Avatar and gave it the F90 MBR. Although I couldn''t aim accurately, being able to fire in the general direction was a step forward.


    With Sunday or my main body, I shot zombies to taunt them with the BLR 81 lever action. And Monday and Tuesday I had to shoot the mobs. Perhaps because I was slowly getting used to multiboxing, Monday started hitting more and more zombies accurately.


    "{Wednesday}, [Inventory] FT5."


    I repeated the steps, but had the third Soul Avatar use the FT5 instead. By using a rocket launcher, my poor aim with my fourth active body managed to score a hit after hit.


    "Alright. Let''s continue," I still had an over an hour to get this shit down, and I didn''t have a moment to waste.

 Chapter 376: Heroine Chapter: Target Neutralized. [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Jasmine Denel


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    On a ledge above a certain building, I cradled the M24 sniper rifle. Kneeling, I rested the buttstock on my shoulder as I took aim. My {Fates} {Aim} and {Snipe} helped greatly in reducing the time it took to calculate the shot.


    [CrossEyedHipster: All right. Here he comes. His soulgem is above his ear, outside his head.]


    [AssCheekNiggerette: Got it.]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Contact in 3...2...]


    "[Double damage]."


    At that moment, a Caucasian reaper came out of a coffee shop with a girl whose breasts were spilling out of her shirt. Since I was at an elevated position, the roof blocked me from seeing him as he walked out. If I didn''t have {Imaging}, he might have gotten away.


    But since he was one of Savior''s reinforcements, he would not live beyond today. Even without me, just being in a high-tech city with Wifi, he would never be able to escape Bella. When he passed the middle of the cafe''s awning, I pulled the trigger.


    [CrossEyedHipster:] Now!


    The 7.62 NATO round flew in a direct path to the man''s temple. On top of the ballistic power of my bullet, souls further increased its penetrating power.


    In the next second, the bullet exploded the reaper''s soulgem and the man lost the ability to stand. His sudden collapse surprised his companion. She began to scream in terror as the man she had just been talking to had already breathed his last.


    [AssCheekNiggerette: Target neutralized. Where''s the next one?]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Go to the point I show you in your vision. The Amtrack Acela arrives in Pueblo Colorado in 20 minutes. Take the man in the fourth window of the third car.]


    [AssCheekNiggerette: Colorado? I''m in Arizona right now?]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Yeah, it''s a thousand miles. Get going. You are closest to Colorado.]


    [AssCheekNiggerette: Tsk. Roger that CrossEyedHipster]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Ugh, Lilly''s sense of humor sucks. So what if I still wear glasses, how am I a hipster?]


    "[Sky walk.] [Flash step]."


    Finished with my task, I called up the combo skills from my husband''s {Kismet}. Since I wanted to save souls, I used combo skills while I was still in the city. {Portal} was for when I no longer had to worry about being seen.


    I read the logs of the other Sirens as I moved around for entertainment.


    [SamuraiFacial: Target has been taken care of]


    [CrossEyedHipster: That was pretty cruel, Aki. Did you really have to blow him up for his soulgem? He was practically dead in the first minute.]


    [SamuraiFacial: Ara? Didn''t you hear how happy he was to have me as his nurse? He even asked me to say "Yamete Kudasai" to him.]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Aki, one hospital room looked like someone exploded 500 watermelons because of you. We are supposed to do this quietly. Anyway, here is the next target.]


    [PsychoticButcher: Bella, I''m done! Where''s the next one?]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Ugh, Jo, what the fuck? Why did you put his body in the trash compactor?]


    [PsychoticButcher: Because he''s fucking trash! Anyone who goes against Darling is trash! And Ma said we should clean up as Darling''s women. Next!]


    [CrossEyedHipster: I added it to your map. Its a bit far, you should get there before the target leaves the gym.]


    [PsychoticButcher: Wow! A gym rat! I will bash his head in with weights!]


    A loud rumbling from a few miles away caught my attention as I moved across the rooftops. I stopped to investigate when I saw an entire wall collapse from a distance.


    I blinked my right eye twice and my vision shifted to thermal. I saw two moving bodies under the rubble, cold as corpses. Originally, I couldn''t detect Reapers with {Imaging}, but now that I had {Code} as part of {Limitless}, I could.


    As I scanned the area, I noticed a small body running away from the scene. Not long after she left, two more explosions enveloped the people buried in the rubble.


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    ''Tsk. Bella lied to me, Robyn''s here too,'' I complained to myself.


    [AlbinoLadyboy: Bella, two targets down. Where do I go now?]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Robyn, didn''t I tell you to stop bringing down buildings with explosives? Just stab them with a knife or something. We could still turn them into soulgears.]


    [AlbinoLadyboy: Exa said their {Fates} were shit. Why bother? Besides, this architecture thing is pretty fun! Exa is a really good teacher.]


    As Bella tried to control Robyn, I could hear the city starting to get chaotic. That was why we wanted it quiet, the more attention we called, the harder the next assasinations would be.


    "Exa, what did you teach that kid?"


    [She asked how to collapse the wall to "pancake" the targets. I simply told her how to weaken a wall for maximum effect].


    "Doesn''t she only have grenades? How can she bring down whole walls?"


    [Lady Robyn is particularly adept at improvisation. She siphoned gas from the parked cars around the targets and used them as extra explosives. She used 208-liter gasoline drums and then placed a grenade inside. Making makeshift TNT]


    "..."


    At that moment, the Sirens under Bella''s command were killing Phantoms. Normally, this would be extremely difficult, as anything above the rank of Wraith was effectively immortal. But Husband''s {Kismet} denied this reality by revealing every Reaper''s soulgem.


    If it was a direct confrontation, it would be difficult, but since we were killing them even with humans present, they were helpless.


    Hellsgate had strict rules about harming humans, and normally, the White Guard enforced this law. But right now, they were all bound by their former commander.


    [MasochisticBossbitch: Bella, I have dealt with the White Guard. They will turn a blind eye until the war begins. Give me a target.]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Follow the arrow. Also, how in the world did you do that?]


    [MasochisticBossbitch: How else? With money.]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Stop lying! You are broke! We all are!]


    [MasochisticBossbitch: Tsk. Tsk. Learn the lesson, Bella, money is nothing more than an idea. Unlike bullets or food, it has no real value. Having or not having currency makes no difference.]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Whatever, just support Liv. Her target is arriving soon]


    [MasochisticBossbitch: Okay, Liv? Be a sweetheart and open a door for me?]


    [Yggdrasil''sTitties: Okay, Lilly. Come and let us greet them together]


    I ignored the rest of their chatter as I ran at full speed towards my next destination. Having Robyn and Lilly''s {Fates} drastically increased our mobility.


    For one thing, we had the ability to keep moving even when we had no footing or were blocked by walls.


    Then a bright light erupted in the sky.


    "Tsk. That should have been mine."


    That explosion earlier had destroyed a private jet in an altitude of 11,000 meters. One of our targets flaunted his money and came at the last minute. He had a team of Phantoms with him that came over the air.


    As a marksman, this should have been my role. I only had an M24 sniper rifle, but with [Eagle Eye], [Double Damage], and a 7.62 AP round, I could have done it.


    "If only Liv hadn''t made the request," I lamented.


    Essentially, this Phantom was from the North. A traitor who had illegally deserted Liv''s continent to dominate as a Northerner in the south. The moment Liv Ivaldi saw his name, she spoke words no one expected.


    "Please let me kill this fucking whoreson. I beg you, my sisters."


    Normally an advocate of peace, there were only a few times our Northerner lost her mind. And every time she did, she was incredibly terrifying.


    "Exa, what is the current situation?"


    [Lady Liv has destroyed Target #26''s private jet with a [Double Damage] 10 Gauge slug. Of the four Phantoms, only target #22 is dead. Lady Liv has initiated combat with targets #41, #47, and #26. Lady Lilly is providing fire support.]

 Chapter 377: Heroine Chapter: Target Neutralized. [2/2]

    "Can any of the targets fly?"


    [Negative. None of them have the ability to fly or levitate. Only #target 26 seems to be able to fight even with the lack of oxygen. Lady Liv has refrained from shooting any of them, and is using [Sky Walk] to kill them with blunt trauma. She seems to want to torture them.]


    "I see. She did say that treason is death in the North."


    Originally, we wanted to wait for the plane to land and assassinate them at the airport. But Liv wanted to kill her in an ambush. She was so into it that when Jo joked about ambushing her in the air, the Northerner agreed.


    According to Liv, the Northerners were no longer human. They didn''t need to eat, sleep or even breathe. For the rest of us, including me and Jo, even though we could technically operate that way, we didn''t.


    Subconsciously, we still wanted to eat, sleep, and act as if we needed oxygen. Humans regularly needed an Sp02 of 98 to 99%. Anything less and you would suffocate and feel like you were being strangled.


    Everest has what is called a death zone at 8,000 meters. This meant that at that altitude your body could not get oxygen, so the veins to your heart would start to burst one by one. When they do, the fluids fill your lungs and you slowly suffocate.


    Liv fought at 11,000 meters. The Sp02 rating there is 13%. Even though we were reapers, our bodies mimicked human anatomy. So we felt the same pain and experienced the same pleasure.


    After Jo explained the painful effects of fighting at that altitude, Liv decided to engage them there. This meant that the Phantoms fighting Liv couldn''t breathe and had to worry about an angry 198cm Norther Phantom.


    "Seems" is an understatement. Liv will definitely drag this out as long as she can. "


    [Indeed. Lady Lilly has been instructed to keep the Phantoms from falling to their deaths. The four are trapped by Lady Lilly''s portals and helpless against Lady Liv].


    "This seems like a waste of time, though."


    [CrossEyedHipster: It''s okay, this is something Liv wants. The rest of us can pick up the slack. Besides, Honey is powering up as we speak.]


    [AssCheekNiggerette: Is he still in the red-light district?]


    [CrossEyedHipster: No, he already left. He bought two slaves and is now training in a fallen zone.]


    [AssCheekNiggerette: Slaves? I thought he was there to buy soulgear? Are any of the slaves female?]


    [CrossEyedHipster: One is. And she is even flatter than Robyn]


    [AlbinoLadyboy: Really? I call dibs! She will be the first member of Rhiannon''s Hellcats!]


    [PsychoticButcher: Bella, any chance she likes Darling?]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Doubt it, the girl''s name is Pixie Richards, she apparently wants to bone her guardian or stepbrother or whatever. Americans are really weird.]


    [MasochisticBossbitch: Please, I hardly need to defend myself from a country that has "transgender surprise" as its top trending search. With hentai being the most watched category.] Explore more at m,v l''e-NovelFire.net


    [CrossEyedHipster: Is that your rebuttal? Porn stats? This fucking puta!]


    [SamuraiFacial: Ara, what''s wrong with hentai? These numbers are from the Pornhub 2023 report, right? Hentai was number 1 in the world. While Japanese was number 4. If there is one thing my people know, it is how to have sex.]


    [PsychoticButcher: You will be extinct in 50 years. You don''t know how to fuck, that''s the problem. You are just a bunch of depraved virgins who keep making NTR.]


    [SamuraiFacial: ...]


    [CrossEyedHipster: I just checked the top 5 search terms for the USA are lesbian, MILF, hentai, Latina, and ebony. You don''t belong in any of those categories, Princess. Even your own men would rather fuck Latinas and Blacks than you white trash!]


    [MasochisticBossbitch: I could pass for a MILF though? And I don''t really care about the whole country, what matters is what dearest is watching.]


    Feeling that this could get out of hand if left unchecked, I reigned in the sirens.


    [AssCheekNiggerette: Can we please get back to work? Bella, how many of the fifty targets have been killed?]


    [CrossEyedHipster: We took out eighteen of them already, hold on. Children, please present your homework.]


    [Sabel: Mother, target #39 has been liquidated. One Switchblade 600 consumed. Target #7 and Target #42 will follow in four and seven minutes, respectively.]


    [Alfonso: Mother, Target #35 has pancaked along with his car. Target #36 has been vaporized. Ready to return to staging area.]


    [Henry: Mother, target #19 has been unalived. Four rogues were with him. They went to the pigs. Heading back to base]


    [CrossEyedHipster: So that''s 24, if the remaining three that Liv is playing with die, there would only be 23 left. Robyn, Jo and Aki are on their way to three more, while one is coming towards you. We still have over two hours to hunt the less than twenty remaining.]


    [MasochisticBossbitch: Liv has finally killed two of them. The last one is currently being beaten lopsidedly. I will move on to another target. Bella, be a dear and open a door for me.]


    Leaving the city, I started using {Portals} instead of [Flash Step] as I continued to run on air. The Sirens were obviously starting to focus on their hunts, as our targets were getting farther and farther apart.


    I couldn''t help but comment cautiously, as my mind began to wander.


    "Tsk... these machines are terrifying. Exa. Right now, Bella still has yet to increase her forces because she can no longer do so, right?"


    [Yes, Lady Jasmine. Lady Bella''s mind can be thought of as a Hexacore CPU of the highest caliber. Each of her three children consumes four of these minds. While she herself uses four at maximum efficiency.]


    "And she is still only a Phantom. The more she evolves, the more ridiculous her processing power would be."


    [Indeed. But such an assessment is the same for all Sirens, Lady Jasmine. And Limitless is extremely proud of that fact. He has low self-esteem, but absolutely adores each of the ladies.]


    Hearing the AI''s words, I couldn''t help but smile. My mood improved drastically as I remembered the man I loved the most. In just one day, more and more people came to his side.


    The Seeker War wagering pool was a wonderful example of his greatness. As my sister and I became increasingly frightened by the results, people from all walks of life came to his aid.


    "Jas. Sniff. Darling. What if darling dies? I can''t. I just can''t.


    How is he supposed to fight for 19 hours alone! It''s my fault. If only I was stronger! I should just die! I am so fucking useless. Jas!


    Sniff. What do I do? Tell me!"


    My sister cried pitifully between heart-wrenching sobs. No words came out of my mouth as my brain went blank.


    Although I tried to be strong at that moment, I couldn''t think of a solution. I was terrified. It was only when the other Sirens berated me that I came to my senses.


    ''If not for them I would still be lost at this moment,'' I knew in my heart.


    Focusing on my task, I traveled as fast as I could to my destination. About twenty {Portals} later, I finally arrived in Colorado. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Alright, finally here."


    It took me about thirty minutes to reach my designated sniper perch. I laid down in a prone position and prepared to take my shot.


    I had what I calculated to be a 4 second window. The train would stop for a few minutes before passengers were allowed to disembark. It was unfortunate that I wasn''t as skilled with {Portal} as Lilly, or I wouldn''t have had to run all the way over here.


    I quickly found my target and took aim. I deliberately a spot where he would need to mingle with people. Such tight spaces would slow down his reactions. I didn''t want him to escape.


    Ignoring everything else in my mind, I calmly put his soulgem in my sights as I pulled the trigger. With the Sirens hunting, the chances of any of them joining the war were nil.


    "Target Neutralized," I once again declared.

 Chapter 378: A rogue? [1/2]

    "Good, next!" I shouted.


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    An army of John Smiths now operated as a unit as we moved. A young cook and a Jamaican bouncer ran after us.


    "My lord! Please wait!"


    "Pixie, come here." I could see from one of my avatars that Delroy scooped up Pixie as he continued to run.


    As we advanced, I saw a number of zombies approaching.


    "Contact!" my voice shouted.


    In the next moment our entire group stopped.


    I dropped to my knees and aimed the F90 MBR in my hands. Careful not to be thrown off, I pulled the trigger on the SL40 grenade launcher.


    "40mm firing!" x2


    Another me yelled the exact same thing. Not long after, a 95mm HEAT warhead also flew.


    "HEAT Inbound!"


    Explosions rocked the desolate landscape as the zombies were hammered by the ordinance. A cloud of smoke and dust enveloped the area.


    I knew, however, that this would not be enough to defeat them. Like a prophet, my words quickly came true as zombies began to emerge from the dust cloud.


    More and more enemies came out as their groans and disgusting screams echoed. One by one, they fell as 7mm Remington Magnum rounds blew their brains out.


    With the BLR 81, I sniped at those that moved slowly. But some of them managed to escape and charged forward like hungry panthers.


    I responded with two words!


    "OPEN FIRE!"


    A barrage of 5.56 NATO and .30-06 Springfield rounds soon followed. The projectiles were not as accurate as my lever actions sniper rounds. Still, they managed to rip apart the ones they did hit.


    As the distance between us decreased, more and more zombies came forward. Even under the suppressive fire of two F90s and an HCAR, they continued to advance.


    It was then that "I" stepped forward and shouldered the Benelli M1014. Next to me was another John Smith. Only he was carrying Ebony and Ivory instead.


    We didn''t even have to talk about how we were going to share the kill zone.


    After all, we were all the same person.


    There were ten targets coming at us at a tremendous speed. "I" raised my two USP matches and started raining down .45 ACP. I took the five on the left. My partner would cover the right.


    My other body braced his shoulder and squeezed the trigger of the M1014. A burst of 9 pellets traveling 1,500 feet per second began to slam into the approaching zombies. In close combat, a single shot was enough.


    Shifting my shotgun to the right, I fired at the other zombies. I let go of the trigger for a millisecond before squeezing it again. I repeated this simple action five more times. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The incoming zombies were thrown back by the overwhelming firepower. 45 00 buckshot shredded their bodies. I didn''t know how many hit their heads, but none of them managed to get up.


    As my army continued to fill their respective roles, the zombies slowly ran out of bodies to send. When there were less than twenty zombies, I lowered my FT5 and started looking around.


    It was then that I noticed a Chuckie slowly crawling across the floor towards Pixie. Neither she nor Delroy noticed as they were mesmerized by the one-sided slaughter that was taking place.


    I dropped the FT5 and pulled out the Raging Hunter as I quickly made my way to the undead assassin. Delroy noticed me and the revolver in my hand.


    "Brutha? What are you doing?"


    I ignored him and raised my revolver towards Pixie. With two hands, I focused the powerful revolver on the big head of the chuckie. It was about 5 feet away from her and would soon pounce.


    This was something I knew personally, as Bella and I had almost died several times from these fuckers. Under the sound of thunderous gunfire, these little bastards loved to slowly crawl or jump out of underground holes.


    It was one of the things I warned about the 2nd Amendment in combat. Spotlights that shed blinding light have been part of their standard equipment ever since.


    Delroy misunderstood and quickly shielded Pixie with his body.


    "How admirable," I praised.


    The next moment, the small zombie leapt into the air and pounced on Delroy''s back.


    Without wasting a second, I pulled the trigger of the Raging Hunter. A powerful kick shook my arms as a .500 Magnum blew the Chuckie away.


    Pixie and Delroy turned in horror. The kid was even younger than Pixie.


    Wordlessly, I walked toward the Chuckie, which now had a large hole in its chest. I stomped on its neck as it struggled to get up. Spit and blood flew as it thrashed its body.


    I aimed the revolver at its head and pulled the trigger once more. Blood and bone flew in the aftermath. Only when I was sure there were no more zombies did I return to the others.


    I used the undead hordes to practice commanding my army of soul avatars in real time. Much like muscle memory, I treated my bodies like characters in a dungeon crawler or RTS game.


    By commanding my bodies one at a time instead of at the same time, I could start an action and then switch to another body. It was similar to playing turn-based strategy games, except I had multiple turns in the same second.


    I would start running and move to another body. The one I just left would continue to run because I could just do that action on autopilot.


    In combat, I would aim, pull the trigger, and change bodies. All my avatars knew how to take the recoil, so I didn''t have to stay for that.


    The only difference was that Sunday was superior in every way, the others had trouble shooting accurately and were bruised by the harsh recoil of my weapons.


    Lastly, none of the soul avatars could dual wield. Luckily, I had plenty of weapons, so I distributed my weapons according to their roles in our formation.


    Sunday had Ebony and Ivory, while Thursday wielded the M1014. They acted as what I call the strike vanguards. Their role was to make sure no one got too close.


    Monday and Tuesday both used the one F90 MBR with the SL40 grenade launchers. Along with Friday, who had the HCAR, they were basically Gun Sweepers.


    Their job was to spray and pray. Luckily, I didn''t have to reload, my only concern was making sure the weapons didn''t overheat.


    Finally, Wednesday and Saturday carried the FT5 and BLR 81 and were the long-range specialists or Blast guards.


    I say long range, but they still aim within 600 yards. I also gave Wednesday the Raging Hunter and used him as a spotter for the formation.


    It was tiring to constantly switch views between seven people, but the carnage I was able to unleash alone made it worth it. My experience with multiboxing and tactical dungeon crawlers guided how I commanded my avatar army.


    Before I could enjoy my victory, however, I heard a young girl crying.


    "D....D....D...." Pixie wept in fear as she experienced firsthand what it meant to fight in Hellsgate. Delroy, similarly shocked, couldn''t even say anything, instead just hugging her shivering body.


    I had all my soul avatars release their weapons before I unsummoned them all. Since they were part of my {Armory}, any weapon that left my hands would return to my subspace. This made switching weapons quite convenient.


    "{Day by Day}."


    With the disappearance of my other six bodies, I walked over to the two Wraiths still on the ground. As they explained, they had little experience in dealing with zombies.


    It was quite something. I began my days as a Reaper by killing these zombies. How did these two even manage to enter Hellsgate if they didn''t pass the enlistment?


    ''Did they just hide under corpses like the ones in my batch? No, the requirement was to kill at least 10 zombies. How did they even manage that? Or did they cheat somehow?''

 Chapter 379: A rogue? [2/2]

    I never really paid attention to such things before. The enlistment was only important for those who were just starting out. Since I was already a Reaper, the results of future enlistments would not have been my concern.


    But things were different now. For one, Vincent Deryck and his family had become my responsibility. As his handler, I refused to let such a talent die in vain. Since no answers came to mind, I simply asked.


    "Delroy, Pixie. How did you two make it through enlistment?"


    The young girl looked at me while keeping her arms around her guardian. Although she said she was sixteen, Pixie looked no older than twelve to me.


    When she acted like this, the difference between her and Robyn became even more apparent.


    "I never went," she said gloomily.


    "You''re a rogue?" I asked in surprise.


    She nodded and made a face as she continued.


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    "I was half a descendant. I was beaten to death for stealing on Earth. I suddenly found myself on the battlefront when I woke up."


    "Then how did you activate your {Fate} in the first place?"


    "I don''t know, my lord. All I remember is that I wanted to find someone I could trust. Someone who would be my family. I felt something pointing me to Arcus Kiss and I ran towards it."


    "And that pointed you to D?" I guessed.


    "Yes. Everything I knew I learned from him and the other people in Arcus Kiss. Most of them were like me, half-descendants who suddenly appeared on the battlefront. One of the girls said it was called Isekai or something. "


    I see. How unfortunate. It seemed that half-descendants had their own rules. Unlike the first generation of Reapers, they didn''t need the enlistment. And when the bastards in the red light district knew the newcomers were rogues, instead of turning them in, they were made into slaves.


    "That explains why the majority of the people didn''t know how to fight. What about you, Delroy? Come to think of it, I don''t even know your {Fate}."


    Ever since I heard Isolde''s story, I refrained from using my {Kismet} to expose people. For one thing, it was incredibly rude, and it had its own can of worms. I was a simple guy, anything I didn''t need, I didn''t even need to know.


    This simplicity kept me ignorant of most things, but it made things easier for me. However, I still do so when the need arises. Aki and Lilly probably figured me out. So even when we found spies in Terence and Van''s groups, they took responsibility for it.


    "My {Fate} be called {Advent}, I can see the memories of the undead. I be like a pixie, except that I be summoned outside the battlefront. Luckily, I was protected by illegal recruiters, and I awakened my {Fate} after killing my first zombie."


    What the hell? Hearing his {Fate} revealed his deepest regret. How sad it must be to want to hear the voice of the dead. But what caught my attention was the term "illegal recruiter".


    "Go on..."


    "The zombie I killed was an illegal recruiter. From my memories, I learned that they came to Earth, created rouges, and processed them."


    "Processed?"


    "If the reapers {fate} be useful, they be sedated and drained of their blood. To be sold in the marketplace. If the {fate} be useless, for women they be turned to prostitutes. For men they be sold as slaves. Them recruiters be evil."


    "..."


    Unconsciously, the more I learned, the more my rage began to boil. What they were doing was clearly wrong, but unfortunately, I could understand it.


    I recently learned about the {Fate} marketplace in the graveyard. The earnings for {Fates} were considerable when they were useful.


    Not to mention the fact that they could help real reapers. This incentive might be the reason why Administration left them alone.


    Since the Battlefront only cared about those registered in their system, they wouldn''t have even known about the Rogues. At least the women were turned into Phantoms, the men were nothing more than forced labor as usual.


    "How did you escape?"


    "From the recruiter''s memories I found out a man the recruiters avoided. That man be Carlyle. I bolted the first chance I got and ran towards him. Turns out Carlyle''s wife be under hostage of the recruiters. So he be trying to fight them."


    "..."


    ''So even that slimy bastard had his own reasons huh?''


    The more I heard, the more I wanted to kill them all. Who would be able to fight the undead under such circumstances? No wonder the people here had no ambition.


    However, one must remember that even if they were given Reaper blood without regret, they would only die as humans.


    A regret greater than death had to be within them first. Given what I knew of the circumstances of the battlefront, I could understand the numerous benefits of allowing these people to roam free.


    The advantages outweighed the negatives. And they had plausible deniability. If they could get souls for all these slaves, it was a win-win situation, even if none of them lifted a finger.


    ''This must be how the savior managed to gather hundreds of them. They were already here.''


    "Do you know who is at the head of the recruiters? Why did Carlyle keep you around?" I asked as I pondered.


    "I don''t, all I know he be a Specter. A high ranking one. Carlyle though I knew something. He lost interest when I didn''t. But he did keep me around as a form of revenge."


    Their sad stories aside, these two had extremely useful {Fates}, just like Connie. They had the ability to gather information that you couldn''t get otherwise. I made up my mind and raised my hand to them.


    "Pixie, Delroy. Join me as my {Vassals} and I will be your handler. In return, you will take up arms and become stronger. When I ask for your help in the future, answer my call."


    Both Pixie and her Jamaican dropped their jaws in surprise. As slaves, they probably understood my offer better than I did.


    Apart from {Day by Day}, the debt they owed me was slowly accumulating. Even Pixie''s lessons were not worth 5,000 souls for Delroy.


    However, the Reapers knew that {Vassals} were just below {Kindred}. Unlike those in a Death Seeker''s army or squad, {Vassals} couldn''t be fired. This group, much like {Kindreds}, were permanent. It was basically the non-romantic version of marriage.


    The reason was simple. Pixie could find anything she wanted or needed with {Compass}. Delroy could retrieve memories from the dead with {Advent}.


    For someone like me who had too little information to work with. These two were treasures I couldn''t pass up. And unlike the Bakers, who were stronger than me, these two would benefit greatly from my protection.


    Delroy immediately bowed and grasped my outstretched hand.


    "Delroy Baxter accepts Limitless as his lord."


    Pixie quickly mimicked her guardian and tried to wipe away her tears.


    "Pixie Richards accepts Limitless as her lord." sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Similar to the Bakers, I felt a soft soul connection to both of them. This meant that our agreement was complete. I then motioned for them to follow me as we walked back.


    I needed Phillip to get these two registered as soon as possible, otherwise they could be terminated for being rogues. As for the evil I learned today, I will face it another time. I was no hero; I couldn''t save everyone even if I wanted to.


    As we walked back, I heard Pixie whisper to her Jamaican.


    "D...D...isn''t this a really good thing? Handlers are a good thing, right? The customers of Arcus always wish for them."


    "Ya, you can think of it as an adopted Pix. Brutha here will be our boss and protector."


    "Wow! That''s great! D, I''m so happy. Let''s do our best, okay?"


    "Mmm. Of course. I will get stronger to protect you, Pix."


    ''I''m about to get diabetes,'' I complained silently.

 Chapter 380: Then let them. [1/2]

    After about fifteen minutes, I was able to return to the dispatch office with Delroy and Pixie. Phillip was waiting for me in the main office. I didn''t see Tildi or Will, so I assumed they were doing something else.


    Pixie and Delroy were showing signs of anxiety, possibly because the dispatch office belonged solely to Administration.


    I didn''t know if the other professions saw Rogues. But since the White Guard reported directly to Administration, they were pretty extreme about them.


    Phillip noticed the two following me. His eyes showed a tense hostility. Since this monocled bastard usually knew more than he let on, I signaled with my eyes that we should go inside.


    Although quite hesitant, the two behind me followed without a fuss. As we made our way inside, I could hear muffled chatter about the slave collars around their necks.


    Continue reading stories on m|v-l''-NovelFire.net


    Had they been here alone, they might have been terminated on the spot. But despite their social status, no one could say anything about them.


    Why was that?


    Naturally, it was because I was here.


    This was my "power".


    In addition to physical might, I now had political influence. I didn''t even want it, but I slowly got it as my organization grew. As I met more and more people, I changed them as much as they changed me.


    Before, I focused on killing zombies because that was all I was good at.


    But I was not stupid.


    I knew from the clickbait titles on my first night. David''s insistence that I was his son-in-law only made it worse.


    But my actions were slowly changing everything.


    Connie''s promo was like proof of what I had accomplished in one week.


    Faster than I could have ever dreamed, the stagnant reapers began to move. It made no sense from my point of view. But I was at the center of it.


    Production knew me as my output surpassed anyone because I never stopped. To successfully meet my demands, over 500 people joined together to form the LLG.


    Adventurers learned of me from the food in Inari''s Kitchen and those under Wil and Tildi.


    Fortifications and Academics now recognized me as a potential employer. It was unheard of for formless groups to leave their professions in search of another. Mainly because Formless had the stigma of being useless.


    Of course, the Mercenaries already had a pretty good idea of my name, since I had topped the Annihilation rankings and broken several records. At least, that was what Lilly said. Apart from the Slayer and the Machiavelli, I don''t remember meeting anyone else though.


    Administration was aware of me because of Phillip''s sudden rise in status. The White Guard, because their former leader had left them for me. A reaper who was Formless.


    Even the Saints have been asking about me. Yvonne mentioned that numerous powerful saints were asking about Vela''s wolves. If the fervor of the Hellsend Saint Division was any indication, they were just as, if not more, driven than the Formless.


    The Reapers of North America, on the other hand, would recognize me as the gigantic 500,000 soul bounty. As if that were not enough, I was attacked twice for it. And the fact that I responded with violence both times was also a popular rumor.


    Yet Administration did nothing about either incident. Indirectly, I had been vindicated.


    Finally, the whole world currently learned about me because of three things. The clickbait articles in North America''s Graveyard, David''s game in my Seeker war with Savior, and finally Connie''s promo.


    In all three cases, while my actions were praised, the main point was not that I fought the best or that I was the smartest. It was that I was Formless.


    Formless were universally known as free laborers. The Gofers, as they would often say.


    Whether as bait, to be turned into horses, or as bottom-of-the-barrel slaves, it was rare for the Formless to band together. After all, there was nothing in it for them.


    "In the past, numerous other reapers tried to raise the banner of the Formless. They were all executed without mercy. This is why before you, no one in this generation knew how powerful the Formless could become."


    "David Thomas vouched for you."


    "David broke the armistice of the seven battlefronts. As the manifested are used to defend against Hellsgate, the Revenants seek to arm the Formless as quickly as possible."


    "Yeah, I do. I can see now why David would vouch for you. Until you complete my request, I will guard you. Eva Baker wishes to serve Limitless as her lord."


    This was the word of Specters. Even they began to pay more attention to me. Again the words of Bella echoed in my mind. I was the first. The one who started this change. All because I chose not to bow down.


    "Honey, because you showed that people like us could fly, thousands now wish to soar to skies. And with the NA continent as your ground zero, the Formless from all over are coming here to meet you."


    Despite all the warnings and threats, I never backed down. And the next time I returned to Hellsgate, I would be fighting for my life against Xander Rutherford''s army of death seekers, the Saviors.


    It was both short and long that all this happened in one week. And while everything I had done seemed like a lot, in truth it was only a little.


    None of the Sirens'' enemies were defeated. The situation in Hellsgate hadn''t changed at all. And what''s worse, I now learned of a group that creates rogues for slavery.


    Whenever I find myself impressed by the accomplishments everyone heaps upon me, I remember one thing.


    For all my supposed strength, I was still weak. Incredibly weak.


    I was helpless against Specters. Zachary Lynch, the Nightmare. Raymond Gertrude the Whirlwind. Eva Baker, the Coroner. And Xander Rutherford, whose alias I knew nothing about. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As it is, every time I met a Specter, I got my ass handed to me. Being able to kill thousands of zombies meant nothing if I could not defeat them.


    ''Especially since my goal lies beyond a Specter,'' I thought to myself.


    My inner monologue was interrupted as we entered another meeting room. Still emotional from my earlier contemplation, I caressed the ugly as hell wallpaper in the room.


    ''How many times would I see these fucking walls as a Reaper,'' I wondered absentmindedly.


    Phillip locked and sealed the door and motioned for us all to sit down.


    Pixie and Delroy didn''t move and stayed still.


    I wanted to ask them, but then I remembered what they were.


    "Pixie, Delroy, sit in the chairs."


    Only then did both of them become more comfortable.


    "My lord, would you care to explain why on earth you came to the Dispatch office with Rogues in tow?"


    "I bought them. They are now my {Vassals}. I wish to be their handler."


    "But that''s impossible! There''s a reason why Administration doesn''t interfere with the Red-Light district. They are forbidden to come here. It would cause chaos!"


    "Then you know? Of the things that happen there?" I asked disappointedly.


    "I do. At least on a high level. My {Fate} is called {Scribe}. Everything I see, feel, or know is written in a will in my soulgem. I know all the faces that come to the Battlefront. I did not recognize them, so they must have been smuggled in."


    "..."


    "And since they are not official reapers, they have no way to leave this place. They cannot return to Earth at all."

 Chapter 381: Then let them. [2/2]

    I see, so the Administration was the one that set the limits for the Reapers. I guess it was to preserve their sanity or something. Which makes sense, since it was no longer a safeguard beyond Wraiths.


    When he noticed that I hardly said anything, Phillip made a frustrated face before sitting down arrogantly. He put his feet on the table as he pulled out what looked like a pack of cigarettes.


    Unsurprised by this bastard''s lack of manners, it was probably because those in there with us were slaves that he stopped pretending. Phillip knew when to act professional, so I never had a problem with his behavior. Personally, I found it annoying when people fawned over me.


    As he lit his cigarette, he offered me the pack. Even though I was depressed and stressed, I usually used computer gaming as a vice. So I drank occasionally, but hardly ever smoked.


    "No, thank you," I said.


    Surprisingly, he offered the box to the slaves as well. Of course, none of them said anything as they were too nervous.


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    It would have been as if my slaves were illegals and Phillip was an immigration officer.


    The monocled bastard said nothing and continued to smoke in silence. Since we were all dead, the smoke did not bother any of us. Since he needed a minute, I checked my phone for any messages from Vincent.


    I had sent him a message this morning about some supplies I needed.


    After a good five minutes, Phillip pulled out another cigarette as he continued to smoke. Maybe a little more relaxed now, he looked a lot like a fed up gangster in his sloppy suit.


    "Mr. Smith. May I ask why?" he finally questioned.


    "Because I can."


    My answer included no explanation. Nor did it contain lies. Hellsgate lacked reapers, yet we were killing the rogues indiscriminately. It made no sense to me. If others, like the Formless or the Saints, had the will to fight, why waste it?


    "Huff. They often said that news only had the lifespan of a week. Mr. Smith, do you have any idea how many headlines have been written about you in the last two days alone?"


    Not really interested, I shrugged my shoulders.


    "Are you sure? You act stupid, but you are quite a manipulative bastard. Do you understand what you are doing?" He asked in a stern voice.


    "Do I look like I care?" I replied in a cold voice.


    The monocled bastard made a surprised face before smiling.


    "Right, you never really cared about such things. Not when it didn''t involve killing the undead. I see. Maybe that is why people are attracted to you?"


    Pixie raised her hand innocently and tried to ask in a low voice.


    "Um, mister. I don''t want to cause trouble for my lord. Could you please tell me why you don''t like me?"


    It was heartbreaking to hear a child utter such words. Her insecurities automatically assumed there was something wrong with "her," not because she was a slave, nor because she was a rogue. But because of Pixie Richards.


    Perhaps feeling the same, Phillip put out his cigarette before approaching Pixie. Delroy flinched the moment he drew near, but Phillip waved his hand as he calmed the bouncer.


    "Stand down, rogue. I am from Administration, if I wanted you gone, you would have died upon entering the building. Besides, the man behind you is a lot scarier than you think. As long as he vouches for you. None may harm you here."


    The Jamaican''s jaw dropped at my clerk''s words. Pixie also brightened at his statement. Innocently, she turned to me and praised me with a smile.


    "My lord! You are so great! Amazing!"


    Phillip then approached her and placed a hand on her head.


    He stroked it like a cat.


    "My child, the problem is not with you. But it does lie in the fact that you are a rogue and a slave. Slavery is a touchy subject both on Earth and here. Of the seven battlefronts, only Asia, Africa, and the North condone slavery."


    Phillip then faced me as he continued.


    "Rogues, on the other hand, are equally hated. Mr. Smith, you should know the gravity of your situation, right?"


    "I do."


    As the Formless who broke the armistice, I knew that I had caused the beginning of a massive arms race. It might seem that the other continents were only now beginning to support their Reapers, but that was not the case.


    The Formless were being armed to be used as a weapon. One that could do more damage to the battle fronts than the manifested ever could.


    "Good. The controls used on official Reapers do not apply to rogues. This is why they are feared by all. And why they are not tolerated."


    I see, since they were trying to make sure that no Formless would take the stage, that meant that if the rogues were not terminated, a powerful Formless might emerge from their ranks.


    ''But if I already broke that rule, was there still a reason to continue exterminating the rogues?''


    "If the news spread that you, a person with a powerful backer along with a large army, started buying slaves and accepting rogues. What do you think would be the conclusion most people would come to?"


    "If I, who had David''s backing, and Hellsend started buying slaves and accepting rogues...Oh..."


    "They would think you were preparing for war. The news of you accepting rogues and slaves would be the least of it. The fact would be that Limitless is assembling an army."


    "..." sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It''s different if people come under your banner because of your beliefs. But if the others came to the conclusion that you were actively building up your forces. They would think it was for revolution or invasion."


    Pixie stood up. "But that is not true! I was the one who asked for my lord''s help! He never meant to attack other people!"


    "I know little one, but that is how others will see it. Besides, you are the first person to accept both rogues and slaves, just like the Formless and the Saints. These people will flock to you from every conceivable hole in the ground."


    Phillip then walked back to his chair as he lit another cigarette.


    "And once they do, if you do not turn them away, Hellsend will only become more powerful. The other continents will never believe that you formed the group for the undead. Not after they see you go to war with Savior tomorrow."


    I see, like a wave, these people would come to me, waiting for direction. And as easily as I could send them to fight the undead, I could send them to fight the reapers instead.


    They would also form armies to fight the reapers, like an arms race, so that they would not be caught unawares. Unlike the Manifested that fought Hellsgate, these armies would be trained to fight reapers from other continents.


    ''This is bullshit, if they could spare the effort, why not just send these armies to push the front lines in Hellsgate? Humans, even reapers, really are fucking stupid.''


    This sounded scary and all, but it was not set in stone. Besides, my goals have never been about fighting the reapers. It was and always will be to defeat the undead and Hellsgate.


    "Then let them be," I replied curtly.


    "Excuse me?"


    "Let them. Let them make up all the stories they want. I do not care. Especially not about the opinions of sheep. Hellsend is and always will be a force to end hell. No more and no less."


    Surprised by my comment, the three people with me just stared at me in silence.


    "And if they want to fuck with me. They are welcome to try."


    I went to the door and ordered Phillip.


    "Register them as official reapers Phillip, I will deal with the consequences. Pixie, Delroy, follow this man and report to Cynthia afterwards. I will be leaving now, I have a war to win."

 Chapter 382: 5% [1/2]

    The time was now 7:30 PM. Hellsgate would open again at 8:00 in the evening. This meant that the Savior Army would be ready by then. Just as I was about to return home, I received a message on my GRI.


    [Limitless, the details of your battle have been finalized. The war will begin at 9:00 p.m. in zone 1121-1.]


    "Thank you, Exa, is there anything special I should know?"


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    [This announcement was sent to both you and Savior. The defender of 1121-1 is missing. A blockade has been set up on floors 11 and 13 to prevent the undead from disrupting the Seeker War.]


    "I see, who is the defender?"


    [The invitation does not say, and for the record, it says here that 1121-1 has just been cleared because it was overrun earlier, thus there is no new defender yet]. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It just happened to fall earlier? And is it being used as a battleground?"


    [Yes. Those who cleared the zone were Death Seekers not affiliated with Savior].


    "How do they even decide which zone to use?"


    [I have no data on this selection process. Logically, it would be done by a group that wanted to prioritize an area that would not affect the battle.]


    "Fat chance of that happening. Am I forbidden to go to the zone before the war?"


    [No, you are not. But the same goes for Savior. Although there is a Specter that watches the Zone to make sure there is no fighting before or after the war. Currently, only the Sirens are forbidden to enter the Zone.]


    "I see. Then I should pick up my stuff and get going."


    [Should I send a message to the Sirens?]


    "No, just tell them if they ask. I still have to fight alone for 30 minutes anyway."


    [The option to hide or delay the enemy for 30 minutes also exists.]


    "Why? I will kill them all in 30 minutes or less."


    With that, I willed myself back to my hotel room.


    ***


    I woke up on the bed of my penthouse suite. Because of the time left, I didn''t bother to shower nor freshen up. As I headed to the lobby, I was amused at how peaceful the hotel was.


    In an hour, I would be involved in perhaps the toughest battle I had ever fought. For all I knew, this could be the last night of my life. It made me appreciate the little things.


    When I got to the lobby, I saw a familiar face. Nathan lit up when he saw me.


    ''Right, he was the one who turned my bed into a harem suite.''


    "Good evening, Mr. Limitless! Looking as cool as ever. Where are your lovely ladies? Will they be joining us again tonight?"


    Probably expecting a large tip for the service he provided, I chuckled at his obvious greed. I currently had $120,000 in my account. And if I died tonight, it would just go to the bank. With my mind made up, I decided to share some of the money.


    "Please prepare the best room for tomorrow night. And send food to my room, as I won''t be coming out for a week."


    "I understand. I will see to it that we have the finest meals prepared as well as having the beds prepared for a wonderful evening. Do you or the ladies have any particular food preferences?"


    "My assistant will talk to you about that," I replied with a smile.


    [Exa, if you please]


    [Of course, Limitless. I am already familiar with the Siren''s preferred cuisine].


    [Thank you].


    "Nathan, do you have a QR code for..."


    Before I could finish my sentence, the hotel clerk pulled out a small wooden stand with a QR code on it. Nathan''s smile got even bigger when he saw me pull out my phone.


    Thinking he was hilarious, I sent him $5,000 just because I could.


    A small ringing sounded and his phone seemed to drop. It appeared as if he was opening his bank account on the screen as he eagerly awaited my tip. When he saw the amount, he began to bow energetically.


    "Thank you, Mr. Limitless! This Nathan will see to it that you have the most pleasant stay. May your fate end the darkness! Your car has already been retrieved from the garage. Also, my lord, if you are short of cash, please take these."


    Nathan held out a small, elegant box containing $100 bills. Probably as an indication that the other hotel staff also wanted to be rewarded, I took a few.


    I turned around to see my white Escalade waiting for me. Satisfied with their service, I nodded and made my way to the door. The doormen I had tipped earlier were all smiles as well.


    Using a couple of bills from the box Nathan had given me, I discreetly handed them both a bill. Extremely pleased, they left the door and escorted me to my car like the Secret Service.


    Their bulky frames made it all the more comical. Such was the power of money. After similarly handing the valet a hundred dollar bill, I left the Biltmore Hotel.


    The drive to the Simmons'' house was uneventful. I pulled up to the driveway and felt the presence of numerous Phantoms along the perimeter. There were over fifty of them!


    I was about to panic when I saw Joshua and Warren waiting at Earl''s front door. Using [Eagle Eye], I realized that the Phantoms were all part of Hellsend! The reality that I had an army at my disposal finally dawned on me.


    When I got out of the car, almost all of the Phantoms who saw me saluted as if they were part of the military. I made my way to the door, and both Joshua and Warren gave a similar U.S. military salute.


    "Should I say at ease? I never joined the military, you guys. Do this instead."


    I placed my right fist over my left chest and lightly punched my chest twice. It was similar to how fraternities would salute each other in a show I watched.


    I didn''t know if they understood why I chose it, but they mimicked my version of the Bro Fist and returned it to me.


    "Enough about that. How did my family take it?"


    "My lord, surprisingly, none of them resisted. The entire Hellsend army is watching this area. Van and the wizards are monitoring as well. Go with peace of mind, my lord. No one will get past us."


    "We got this nigga, we will beat the crap out of anyone who even thinks of coming here. The bald nigga from the Deryck family is also inside. Santi, Boo and Angela are keeping an eye on him."


    Normally Mike would be with them. His absence was probably due to Isolde.


    "How is Mike?" I asked curiously.


    Both men made the same wry face.


    "He''ll live." "Nigga is good."


    Hearing such simple words, I took it for what it was and made my way inside. Upon entering, I saw some of Vela''s wolves playing Jenga with Alana and Bless. Claire and Angela were helping Ma set the table.


    Vincent was sitting on the couch. He made it look tiny. When I walked in, all the reapers saluted me. The gangster stood up and bowed.


    I gestured for them to sit down and noticed my family staring at me in awe. Probably not expecting all these people to actually work for me. Alana and Bless stepped forward and gave me a hug,


    "Johnny!"


    I returned their embrace with a smile as I asked the others to wait outside.


    "Everyone, can you give me a few moments with my family?"


    The Reapers and Vincent promptly left, leaving only the Simmons family and me.


    "Dipshit, can you please explain what is going on? Are you working for a talent agency? How come all your workers are so good looking! Wait a minute. What am I saying? I mean, why are they all here?"

 Chapter 383: 5% [2/2]

    "Johnny! Where are the girls? None of them have been back for two days!"


    "Where? Miss them."


    Alana and Bless tugged at me as they asked. Mischievous as ever, I spun around as they hung on my biceps. A moment later, a rolled-up newspaper hit me on the head.


    "Oy dipshit, stop ignoring me. All these people smell dangerous. I saw some of them even move into the neighborhood. What is going on?"


    Feeling that it was better to let everyone know, I stopped spinning and carefully let my adopted sisters down.


    "I asked them to move in. Each of them is an elite soldier on par with the military. Their only job is to protect you at my request."


    "What?" "Wow!" "..." "..."


    Bless and Earl said nothing, but I could sense their impatience at my explanation. Only Alana seemed to miss the implications of what I had just shared.


    At first I was determined not to tell my family about Hellsgate. The dead should stay with the dead and the living with the living. I thought that before I met Pixie.


    Pixie died as a human, but was summoned to Hellsgate as a half-descendant. Her mother became a Reaper and died without her knowing. Even worse, before IRIS could protect Pixie, she was dragged into Hell to become a slave.


    Most people would have stopped there. But my dark mind kept thinking. How and why did Pixie''s mother become a 1st generation Reaper?


    "I will take your silence as a yes. My lord, 1st generation reapers are a product of chance, like me I need a fateful encounter to get my hands on the blood of a reaper. From the 2nd generation onwards, it is usually from the blood of a friend or acquittance."


    That was what Vincent told me. If it wasn''t the bastards who made rogues by force, it must have been an acquaintance of Pixie''s mother. Or more likely.


    ''Her dad. What if the father disappeared because he was a reaper. And after her dad died, her mom followed.''


    I didn''t know if this was done on purpose or not, but originally, I had assumed that Hellsgate would control the reapers well enough that no unnecessary people would be sent to Hell.


    The problem was that they didn''t. At least not in North America. If that was the case, then the odds of a random reaper turning my family into their children, while not high, were never zero.


    So I planned to tell my family ahead of time and let them join the Reapers. It would be much better to be my children than someone else''s.


    "Everyone, what I am about to tell you does not leave this room. {Day by Day}"


    Seven John Smiths appeared and moved to close the curtains and block the windows. Sunday remained in front of my family as they were rendered speechless.


    "Ma, Pa. Please listen to me very carefully. I am no longer human. I am sorry I lied. But I died in Tempe about three weeks ago. I was beaten to death trying to save a girl who was about to be raped."


    "What?" "Dipshit , what the fuck are you saying?" "Johnny, what is this?"


    I grabbed a camera and put it on video and filmed myself with the phone turned towards them. Of course, they all noticed that I was not in the camera.


    "This is not a trick. I am now called a reaper. An undead being who fights zombies in hell. I am kind of a big deal now, and everyone who has moved into this place are people I have helped. We make a lot of money killing zombies."


    Alana and Bless grabbed the camera and could not believe what they were seeing. They even pulled out their own cell phones to see if it would be the same. Earl said nothing while Noelle made a stern face.


    I looked at the TV and turned it on with {Code}. I then connected it to Graveyard and showed the Connie''s promo.


    "What you are about to see is what I have been doing every night for the past week. Mr. Simmons, this is why I was training at the gun range. Ma, this is why the Sirens are dedicated to me. Because we fought and almost died together."


    I played the promo while my avatars helped them sit more comfortably on the couch.


    [THIS IS WHAT YOU ALL FAIL TO SEE EVERY DAY! THOSE MONSTERS ARE THE CHAINS THE BIND YOU! EVEN RETURNING FROM THE DEATH YOU ARE NO MORE THAN SHEEP FOR SLAUGHTER!]


    Then they saw me give a pep talk to the rest of Hellsend. Seeing familiar faces from the Sirens to the 2nd Amendment, they were horrified as the zombie horde emerged. At the same time, my soul avatars returned to {Day by Day}.


    "Dipshit , tell me these are movie effects; this can''t be real, can it?"


    "Johnny, please say it is fake. I-I''m scared."


    When the scene showed Hellsend starting to attack the zombie legions, my family had horrified expressions. They couldn''t even finish the rest of Connie''s interview before Earl forcibly turned off the TV.


    Stay connected with m-v l|e''-NovelFire.net


    "John. Does the government know about all this?"


    "Yes."


    "Then why are you telling us all this now?"


    "I-I..."


    I was about to go to war and I didn''t know if I would survive.


    Although I knew what words to say, my mouth did not move. Seeing my hesitation, Noelle and the sisters began to get emotional.


    "Johnny! You like guns, but you''re not a fighter! You could get hurt!"


    "Johnny, this is crazy. Quit right now."


    "Dipshit, this has got to be a joke, right? This must be a prank or something like those TV shows! Haha! good one, tell the camera crews to come out now! OUT! COME OUT RIGHT NOW!"


    Knowing that I had little time left, I sucked it up and said the words.


    "I''m going into a war that I am not sure I will return from. The hardest I have ever had. If I don''t make it back..."


    "DON''T! DON''T FUCKING FINISH THAT SENTENCE! DIPSHIT! You can''t just dump all this on me. I still find it hard to believe that you are already dead!"


    Knowing it would be easier to show them, I summoned the Raging Hunter and placed the muzzle under my chin. Then I pulled the trigger.


    "JOHNNY!" "JOHN!" "DIPSHIT!"


    Despite their attempts to stop me, a bullet entered my lower jaw and exploded the top of my skull into a bloody mess.


    "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!" x3


    There were screams of horror when my family saw my almost headless body. In the next second, I invoked my {Fate}.


    ''{Rewind}''


    My body disappeared and reappeared with my clothes clean and my head intact. Of course, the blood that splattered the ceiling and the TV was still there.


    "Everyone, calm down. I am still here."


    Noelle and my sisters couldn''t handle what was happening. Alana fainted on the spot. Bless caught her as tears streamed down my sister''s face. Noelle, on the other hand, lunged at me and landed a powerful right hook to my cheek.


    I didn''t fight back, but with {Limitless} on, I didn''t even flinch.


    "Dipshit. This is all too much. What mother would want to see such a sight. I almost felt myself die a moment ago."


    "I''m sorry, Noelle. But this was the quickest way to make you understand."


    Earl stepped forward and took Noelle in his arms. She started to whimper like a child.


    "John. Explain," anger was evident in his voice.


    "I''m about to fight a war tonight at 9:00. I cannot not go. If I don''t return, you must leave this place as soon as possible."


    "The girls?"


    "They will fight with me."


    "..." sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The others outside?"


    "They will stay and guard you until you have moved."


    "What are your chances of winning?"


    "5%."


    "Can''t you surrender?"


    "No."


    "Then tell me the rest when you get back," Earl said as he turned around.

 Chapter 384: I never fight fair. [1/2]

    "What?""Say the rest when you get back," Earl repeated.


    "..."


    The Simmons father let go of my Ma as he picked up Alana from Bless. My sister had a complicated look on her face. It was in those moments that Earl showed himself to be a man.


    Not the kind of man who was boastful or overbearing.


    But the kind of man that everyone could count on. He was the rock that everyone knew would know what to do. And with his guidance, the household could weather any storm.


    As someone who knew the unspoken words between men, Earl''s silence told me more than words ever could. Instead of reassuring me, he simply told me to come back.


    It was simple, it was concise, but the weight and trust in it was more than heavy. In plain words, it meant one thing.


    ''Come back. This is an order. No matter what the odds. And bring my daughters with you.''


    "I understand," I replied curtly.


    "Appleboo, what about the girls? Will they join this battle? I know they are strong, but it is too dangerous!"


    Earl then placed his hand on my adoptive mother''s cheek.


    "El, you know how much our son loves them. You also know how devoted they are. If John says they are fighting with him. It means they all agreed to it."


    "But..." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "El."


    "...."


    Wordlessly, my Ma nodded. Then she ran over and hugged me. From the strength she exerted, I felt how difficult this was for her.


    "Come back with all of them, dipshit. I''ll beat you to next Sunday if you don''t, you hear?"


    Chuckling at how cute Noelle was, I gave her an affectionate hug. My fingers brushed over the blood splatters on her clothes. Maybe it was like everyone had told me. This war was both the beginning and the end for me.


    "Roger that, Ma," I replied.


    Noelle let go quickly, tears streaming down her cheeks. Bless bit her lip as she whispered.


    "Protect them all." Enjoy exclusive content from mvl


    I nodded and answered. "With my life."


    Satisfied with my answer, she added.


    "Don''t die."


    As Ma and Bless left. Earl and I exchanged nods. Knowing that the guard detail meant something, my adoptive father didn''t ask and just took Alana to her room.


    The outcome of what happened surprised me. Even after I showed them that I was no longer human, my family showed neither disgust nor fear.


    Everything they did reinforced the fact that to the Simmons, I was John Smith first and foremost.


    Not a reaper or a monster. I was their son and brother.


    And it was that same family that ordered me to come back.


    I clenched my jaw in frustration.


    My decision hurt my family. But instead of just walking away, I felt I had to tell them. I mean, I could believe in my victory with all my heart, but just because I did, it did not mean it would come true.


    If everyone believed they would never get shot, body armor would never have been invented. Despite the good that optimists do for the world, it was the pessimists who allowed the world to survive intact.


    The assumption that everything would be fine was a recipe for disaster. No one who thought that way should be given power or authority. It was both stupidity and immaturity not to prepare for the worst.


    Steeling my will, I left the house and walked out the front door. I could see the 2nd Amendment and Vincent glaring at each other. Despite being alone, the bald gangster still had a smile on his face while everyone else looked at him warily.


    The moment they noticed me, they all stood at attention, waiting for my orders.


    ''These people are acting more and more like the military. I wonder who is forcing them to do this?''


    I turned to Vincent and asked for an update.


    "Vincent, did you do what I asked?"


    He then held out a heavy looking hard case. Its size made it look like he was leaving the country for two weeks.


    "I have my lord, I apologize for only being able to get a few. But I have 10 units of both items you requested."


    I blinked my left eye to activate {Imaging} - X-Ray. Jasmine''s {Program} [Filter] was both intuitive and discreet. I scanned the luggage and saw the items I had requested.


    I nodded to indicate my satisfaction.


    "The Deryck family has also begun relocating the families on the list Mr. Phillip sent. We have designated this house as our ground zero. We are in the process of purchasing all the surrounding properties."


    "Will there be enough room?" I asked.


    "My Lord, by tomorrow we will have the funds to create a residential complex for you. Please leave it to me."


    "Good."


    I then faced 2nd Amendment as I had ordered.


    "If I do not return tomorrow. Please protect my family as long as you can."


    They all bowed their heads as Joshua replied.


    "We vow to do so as long as Hellsend exists, my lord."


    "Thank you," I said curtly.


    As I finished what I had set out to do, I looked around the area one last time. I could see the facade of my old house with [Eagle Eye]. If I failed, this would be the last time I would be able to see this place.


    I looked at the night sky one last time, and then at my adoptive family''s house. Using {Imaging} X-ray, I saw them all hugging each other in tears. Ma, Alana, and Bless were all crying in Earl''s arms.


    When I saw them, my heart ached. I could have just walked away without telling them. I had died before, so it was not like it was the first time. But maybe a part of me wanted to see their reaction.


    What would they ask? What would they say? My own weakness drove me to tell them everything. All so I could see how they would react. I burdened them with the knowledge that this might be the last time they saw me.


    And true enough, their reactions showed how much they loved me. Wordlessly, I turned and imagined the dispatch office. The familiar pull on my soul meant I was about to enter Hellsgate.


    The wait was frustratingly long. Fear, anxiety and uneasiness made me restless. Now. This would finally come to a close.


    After tonight, I would no longer have to worry about the Saviors. For they would have died under my hands or I would have died in theirs.


    "MY LORD! MAY YOUR FATE END THE DARKNESS! HAIL LIMITLESS! HAIL!"


    I turned to see everyone saluting me. I saluted in return and disappeared in a blaze of light. The time for words was over. It was now the time for lead, fire, and steel.


    ***


    Landing in the reception area, I stood and walked to the dispatch office. Perhaps finally accustomed to imitating a pancake, my body shrugged off the uncomfortable feeling I got as I walked.


    As I did so, I noticed that the people around me grew quiet. Even though there were dozens of people. None of them said anything.


    ''It''s not like I ever gave a damn,'' I commented to myself.


    Before I could enter the dispatch office, I saw Phillip talking to someone outside. The fact that all the souls in my sensing area were being sucked by this motherfucker meant only one thing.


    "SON-IN-LAW! You have finally arrived!"


    The Revenant of North America grinned broadly as he waved his hand in greeting.


    "David... What the fuck are you doing here?"

 Chapter 385: I never fight fair. [2/2]

    "How can I not? I am the one who made this bet possible!"Experience tales at mvl


    "..."


    I had a hundred things I wanted to say to this motherfucker. But since he was still a Revenant, I should hold off in public. Amused by my lack of reaction. The Revenant slapped my back with his massive hand.


    The impact was like being hit by a fucking car. What frightened me was the fact that I had {Limitless} activated. For me to feel his slap meant that it had to exceed the limits of both {Withstand} and {Endure}.


    ''FUCKING SHIT! That asshole just hit me in the back with the force of a tank round!''


    Knowing exactly what he was doing, David made a mischievous face as he added.


    "Where''s my daughter?"


    "They''re running an errand for me," I bluffed.


    "Ho? An errand? AN ERRAND! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"


    Like a madman, David Thomas started laughing like he had the lungs of a fucking whale. Awkwardly, Phillip and I stared at each other, not knowing what to do.


    After a few moments, he finally stopped and wiped tears of joy from his eyes.


    "Son-in-law, your jokes are always so amusing. But for some reason, Savior has not yet arrived. It is five minutes to game time. Zone 1121-1 is ready for your war. It is customary to meet before a fight to the death. Would you like to wait?"


    "No, I will go to the war zone and prepare a welcome for them."


    "Ho? I would have assumed you would choose to wait like a gentleman," David teased.


    "I am not a gentleman, David. Nor am I a hero. I will go into the Zone now and kill them all as they enter. War has no morals. Only survival matters."


    "Then what about fighting fair?"


    "I never fight fair. If you fight fair, it means your tactics suck ass. They outnumber me 200 to one. The fight was never fair to begin with. This is not an honorable duel, this is just a brawl," I replied sternly.


    "Then I will allow you to go to the area immediately. As you said, this is a war. The only rule is that there are no rules. Good luck, son-in-law. I expect great things from you."


    Hearing his words, my anger began to rise. This condescending fucker was the reason why my Seeker War became much more complicated than it should have been. In a fit of rage, I forgot everything else and expressed my true feelings.


    " Go fuck yourself David. I expect you to adequately compensate me for making a clown out of me."


    Without another word I turned and walked towards the teleporters. Of course, people started talking, probably about my apparent lack of respect for the king.


    But that was beside the point, because instead of getting angry, David waved me off happily as I left. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Respect for me was not given, it was earned. David and I were not boss and subordinate. Despite the disparity in our power, he recognized me as his equal. Likewise, I saw him as my peer.


    Such views naturally influenced the way we interacted. David didn''t expect me to grovel or kiss his ass. Of course, I didn''t expect his help or support either.


    As I walked, I ignored the whispers around me and used [Inventory] on the case I was holding. Of course, it was added to my subspace and my armory. Two new weapons were registered, giving me new equipment.


    {Armory} was an interesting {Kismet}. It embodied what I wanted {Limitless} to be.


    ___


    {Armory}


    - Storage for weapons and equipment. Uses the E.X.A. system.


    - Any registered weapon can be repaired for a soul cost.


    - Reduces the {Reload} cost for each registered weapon by 10%.


    ___


    The most important and perhaps broken feature of the {Armory} was the reduction of the {Reload} cost. Originally worth 50 souls, I currently had eight weapons registered.


    The Browning BLR 81 lever action rifle.


    The Benelli M1014 tactical combat shotgun.


    Two Thales F90 MBRs.


    Two Steyr SL40 grenade launchers.


    The Ohio Ordinance HCAR.


    Two USP Matches, which I named Ebony and Ivory.


    A Taurus Raging Hunter.


    And finally, a Denel FT5 rocket launcher.


    Since {Armory} didn''t count weapons by number, but by brand, my {Kismet} only counted eight, even though there were over ten individual weapons. This meant that my cost for {Reload} was only 10 souls instead of 50.


    With the 80% cost reduction, it was literally impossible not to make enough souls just by shooting my guns. However, as happy as I was, I knew that if I got two more weapons, the soul cost would drop further to zero. {Reload} would essentially be free.


    Since my storage was limited, I couldn''t just randomly add weapons even though I needed the soul cost reduction. So I took my time to think about what I needed and what I could fit into my subspace.


    Even since leveling up from a Phantom, the amount of stuff I could store had increased. If before it was the size of a single locker. Now it was the size of a large closet.


    Originally, I wanted to add my car to my armory so that I could always have it repaired for a few souls. Unfortunately, I lacked the space. So I just looked for something else. The things I got from Vincent were what I finally chose.


    They were the M16A2 Mine and the M18A1 Claymore Mine.


    Although both were explosives, unlike the M26 grenades, these two were not used offensively and required more preparation. Even before I had them, I saw the need for defensive mines.


    While grenades were useful to throw when you wanted to kill something, the fuse and timing limited their use. In Uncle Sam''s great wisdom, mines were introduced to supplement them.


    The M16A2 was a bounding anti-personnel mine. This basically meant that unlike a grenade, which explodes the moment you let go of the lever, these used tension and weight.


    The M16A2 was based on the World War II German S mine. Affectionately known as the "Bouncing Betty" or "Frog Mine," the S-Mine was arguably the most traumatic explosive that soldiers faced during the war.


    The S-Mine and its future variant, the M16A2, were buried underground and left a small footprint. A single steel rod with a three-pronged pressure fuse served as the arming mechanism.


    Placed only 4 inches above the surface of the ground, the pressure fuse was barely visible from a distance. So stepping on this bastard would cause the mine to "jump" to waist height before exploding like a grenade.


    With only four seconds from trigger to explosion, most, if not all, would be distracted by the sudden jump of the frog. This made survival nearly impossible. You knew it was effective when both sides of the war used it to this day.


    Not to be outgunned by the M16A2, the M18A1 Claymore stood upright and detonated a C4 charge against a metal plate. The plate would deflect the blast, sending a cone of solid steel pellets faster than sound.


    Though different in use and shape, both would tear enough holes in people to make them unlikely to survive. They had limited use against zombies, but for humans? They were fucking terrifying to face.


    Both mines were often used with tripwires to deny access to an area or for ambushes. The Claymore could be triggered manually as a bonus.


    In Hellsgate''s medieval style of combat, I would surely be branded a coward and a thug for using them.


    But who the fuck cared?


    Besides killing their targets, these mines also inflicted massive psychological trauma. After all, if you could die for taking a single step, how would you have the courage to run?


    I only had ten of each, but combined with {Day by Day}, {Replace}, {Rewind}, {Portal}, and [Lightning Step]...


    "I will show you fucking Savior bastards what it means to make an enemy out of me."

 Chapter 386: I am right here! [1/2]

    The war was to begin at 9:00 pm. When I entered the teleporters, I was whisked away to the war zone. Upon arrival, I noticed that the area was as dreary, barren, and desolate as ever."{Auto}. [Inventory] Skydio. Exa. Can you please monitor when Savior uses the teleporters?"


    [Understood Limitless. According to the Graveyard livestream, they have yet to arrive].


    While talking to Exa, I started setting up a Skydio drone. This model was similar to the one I gave to Bella. I asked Vincent to buy one along with my new equipment. After opening it up and attaching the battery pack, it came to life.


    [Beginning to create a digital map of the area. Skydio drone, launching.]


    "Okay, thank you. Also what do you mean live stream?"


    The drone in my hand flew away at an impressive speed as it began to do its thing. I could feel with {Connect} the amount of data the drone was processing. Exa must have pushed it to the limit or something.


    [The Graveyard live stream. Based on the live stream events on Earth, Connie has taken it upon herself to host a stream to cover the events of this Seeker war. She also has panelists for commentary]


    "I know what a live stream is Exa, I meant how are the reapers doing a video stream in the first place. And who would even watch that thing."


    [Connecting to audio of the stream. Stand by....]


    [LETTTTTTTTSSS GETTTT REEEADDDYYYY TOOOO RUUUUUUMMMBLLLEEEEE! Hahaha, I always wanted to say that. But is it already after 9:00? Where the hell is Savior?! Everyone! Comment on what you think happened to them!


    I will give a bonus prize to the guess with the most likes!]


    "Fucking hell. {Day by Day.}"


    Ignoring Connie''s exaggerated remark, I started digging a hole in the ground with Sunday. Some of the things in Vincent''s luggage were tactical shovels and trip wire. While the main items were the Skydio drone, the ten M16A2''s and ten M18A1 Claymores, these were just as needed.


    [Oh! I was told that Limitless has entered the zone! All right, everyone, Limitless has a penchant for using modern weapons, any guesses what he would do?]


    Using my soul avatars in pairs, I began digging 3 random spots around the landing zone. I noticed that whenever I teleported into a zone, the area where the reapers came from was always fixed.


    So, like the bastard I was, I wanted to greet the Savior bastards with a bang.


    My soul avatars could repeat simple steps, so I had three of them hold the mines and three others shoveled the spots I chose. Sunday, on the other hand, started arming one of the mines.


    [Now I am sure the rest of you are wondering. Why are we listening to this fabulous reporter instead of watching Limitless do his thing? And the answer to that, of course, is in the spirit of fair play.]


    The M16A2 mine was only 4 inches high. With the fuse installed, it was a total of 8 inches. But the whole thing was buried, with only the pressure fuse exposed above ground.


    The mine used a prong to detonate itself. Said prong was barely the size of a quarter standing up, so it was easy to miss. For this reason, the pressure fuse also had a trigger ring similar to a grenade. This meant that as long as the ring was pulled, it would have the same effect as if you stepped on it.


    I planted a small stake in the ground about 15 meters from the M16A2 and tied a tripwire to the end of it. Using the tripwire, I looped it around the trigger ring and tied the other end to a second stake 15 yards in the opposite direction.


    [The stream will have a 15 minute delay for anyone watching. This is to ensure that no one can use the stream as an unfair advantage. By the time we show something, the event will probably be over. Using the stream for data collection would be a mistake instead!]


    "Fuck, she is loud. Exa, disconnect me from the stream but keep monitoring. The moment Savior arrives at the battlefront, let me know."


    [Understood Limitless.]


    The M16A2 had a kill radius of 30 meters. But the pressure prong only had the diameter of an American quarter. By adding the trip wire, the area that could trigger the mine was increased significantly. That meant as long as something was pulled on the trip wire, the mine would go off.


    I repeated this process two more times and a mini minefield was created. I spaced them out a bit, as it would be difficult to hit them all with mines since my enemies were human and capable of thinking.


    "Also, can you mark the mines I placed on the map so that I don''t forget them, Exa?"


    [Understood, I will make them glow so that they are visible even under cover].


    Robyn could easily walk over them with {Ascend}. Liv, on the other hand, would tank them all with {Block}. I was sure it would only work three times before they figured out what was going on. It was stupid to waste all my mines on one spot.


    With seven bodies working efficiently, I was able to hide all three M16A2s quite well in less than ten minutes.


    [Limitless, the digital twin of the area has been completed.] S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I checked the map, and our battlefield was similar to the zone I found Scott in. There was a large, dilapidated structure in the middle of the zone. It could hardly be called a fort because of its sad state.


    Only two of its four walls were standing. There were the remains of a tower and some structures or rooms with large holes in them. It also had what remained of a broken-down perimeter wall. I couldn''t help but wonder what caused all this destruction.


    "Got it, everyone run towards the ruined fort!"


    Using the conference HUD, I switched between all seven bodies every second and had them all run towards the ruined defensive structures.


    It was around 9:10 pm, if I could prepare some more, it would be perfect. But where the hell was Savior?


    Along the way, I had my Avatars stop and bury two mines every hundred meters until I had only one left. Ten minutes passed as my Soul Avatars, and I laid traps on the way to the fort.


    When we arrived, I took a closer look at the tower and noticed that it was disconnected from the rest of the structure.


    There were no stairs or ladders to climb.


    "That spot would make an excellent sniper perch. [Inventory] Armory."


    I had Sunday drop all my weapons just below the tower. After letting everyone get their usual weapons, I had Sunday lift Saturday to the top of the tower. With [Sky Walk] and [Load], it was a breeze to get an adult human to the tower and out.


    [Sky walk] used {Hike} and {Ascend} to allow me to traverse the air. [Load] was the compact version of {Carry} and {Pack}. Together, I could carry anything under a ton to an impressive height.


    "Still nothing compared to Robyn though. Hauling a tank into the sky and using it as a bullet is as over the top as they come," I muttered as I remembered my Sheila.


    Using Saturday''s body, I got into a prone position on the flat roof of the tower and took aim at the landing area.


    The top of the tower had an area even smaller than an office cubicle. But that hardly mattered as this place would only be temporary. Snipers were best hidden. It was most appropriate to take our most important targets as armies engaged in melee combat.


    After all, once a sniper''s position was exposed, there were any number of ways to defend against it. Taking cover, blocking the sniper''s line of sight, or evacuating the target were the most common.


    Fighting exposed as a long-range fighter would be less than ideal. But that would only be the case if the enemy''s focus was solely on me.

 Chapter 387: I am right here! [2/2]

    Aside from Pixie, Delroy, and the Sirens, no one in Hellsgate knew what my latest soulgear could do.Based on my fight with Aki, my biggest weakness was that {Rewind} had a long cooldown. Of course, the ninja took advantage of that.


    If I didn''t have {Replace}, I really would have died.


    But while information was important in any battle, having the latest information was even more important. Having outdated knowledge would be worse than having none at all.


    The information circulating about me was archaic, to say the least. The only abilities listed were {Rewind}, {Regen}, and {Reload}. As for my {Kismet}, they still thought I used {Kismet} classes and {Booster}. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If they developed tactics and combat doctrines based on outlasting my {Rewind}, I could use such tactics against them. I switched POV''s and left Saturday on the tower.


    Since I had both Exa and the conference HUD to see the incoming threats, I wouldn''t be caught off guard.


    I then had everyone dig a foxhole at the entrance of the structure. A foxhole was literally just a hole in the ground. It was deep enough for a soldier to hide his entire body and equipment.


    Paratroopers used them to fight even when surrounded. Foxholes allowed a soldier to return fire with an extremely small profile. By minimizing the exposed area, it was extremely difficult for the enemy to hit them.


    Foxholes were even resistant to artillery because a soldier could duck into the hole. I''m not sure which came first, but the principle behind foxholes also created trenches.


    A supersized version of the foxhole, these trenches were similar to the tunnels Joshua ran in during our first battle together on the plains. The same advantages of foxholes caused World War II to be fought in trenches instead of on open ground.


    It would have been ideal to dig three holes for Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. It would be incredibly devastating to have my gun sweepers spray and pray in a line. But to do that too soon would expose my hand.


    Instead of showing all my soul avatars at once, I wanted to make it look like I was everywhere. It was also much easier to focus on just one body. The time for me to join forces with my soul avatars would come in the future, of course.


    When the foxhole was completed, I had Friday sit in it and moved on to the next task.


    I had everyone else set up seven of the claymore mines around Friday. These would delay charging enemies as they got mowed down. I didn''t expect them to kill anyone, just to slow their advance.


    Beyond Friday''s position was the fort''s perimeter grounds or what was left of it.


    There was a corner that was a natural blind spot for anyone coming in. I marked that spot as Monday''s position. At the opposite end, I had everyone dig another foxhole for Tuesday.


    Monday''s and Tuesday''s positions were on opposite sides, and as soon as either one was engaged, I planned to switch between them, giving the illusion that I could teleport.


    If they had any brains at all, they would know that I could shoot them from behind the moment they attacked one side.


    Again, delaying and reducing their numbers was the main goal. Still, getting caught in the crossfire would ensure that I would take out a lot of them.


    I switched minds and piloted Saturday. I tried to find another high ground for Wednesday as I looked around.


    Unlike the BLR 81, it was impossible to be discreet with the FT5. The moment I opened up with it, they would know where I was.


    To make sure they didn''t take him out too quickly, I had to make Wednesday difficult to kill even if his position was known.


    As I thought about what to do, I looked at the time.


    "Exa, is Savior still not here?"


    [No Limitless, there was no indication that they had arrived at Hellsgate].


    "What the hell is going on? it is almost 9:30. What about the Sirens? Are they here yet?"


    [They have completed their errands and are currently resting at the Simmons residence.]


    "Is that so? Why haven''t they contacted me yet?"


    [It is because you are already in the Seeker War. Although the other party is late, the war has already begun from Hellsgate point of view. Therefore, any contact with the outside world is forbidden.]


    "Oh? Then what is Connie doing in her stream?"


    [Since the stream cannot begin without the presence of Savior, she is interviewing her guests for their opinions.]


    "Haha, this is interesting, who are her guests?"


    [David Thomas, Xander Rutherford, and Eva Baker.]


    "Why on earth are they even there?"


    [It seems Xander Rutherford is the guest for Savior while Eva Baker is the one representing you].


    "Fuck, Eva is not even part of Hellsend. Is it common knowledge that she is my vassal?"


    [I dont think so, they only speculate that she is some kind of advisor because of the promo].


    I didn''t even have the bandwidth to imagine what that would be like. Focusing my eyes, I found a broken section of the wall on the second floor. It had a clear line of sight to the landing area.


    "If I can''t hide Wednesday, why not just let him start the celebration?"


    Controlling Wednesday''s body, I had him run toward the destroyed section. With only Thursday and Sunday without positions, we joined Wednesday as he made his way to the 2nd floor.


    I noticed that there were two staircases on either side of the ruined fort that allowed people to go up.


    "This should work, Thursday will man one while we use all the remaining Claymores on the other."


    With Sunday, I set the Claymores on trip wires using the broken sections of the stairs. Thursday had the Benelli M1014. He would be almost unbeatable in the tight confines of a stairwell.


    With everyone in position, I returned to the landing area with Sunday. I then and buried the last M16A2 just outside the landing zone.


    To get them to attack, I had act as arrogant as possible and insult everyone from their mothers to their dogs.


    I stood awkwardly near the mine and stepped on it. My superior hearing allowed me to hear the click of the trigger. The moment my feet lifted off the plate, it would detonate in four seconds.


    I quickly ran through my avatars to make sure they were in position.


    Monday was in a corner pocket inside the fort perimeter.


    Tuesday was in a foxhole at the opposite end along the same perimeter.


    Wednesday was on the 2nd floor along a broken wall, he had the FT5 shouldered and aimed at the landing zone.


    Thursday was guarding a stairwell on the 2nd floor.


    Friday was in a foxhole in front of the fort.


    Saturday was on top of the tower aiming at the landing zone.


    I, Sunday, was in front of the landing zone. I was just outside the blast radius of the mine field. And I also was standing on one.


    [Limitless. Savior has arrived].


    "All right, show time," I murmured nervously.


    I drew Ebony and Ivory into my hands and prepared for battle. All my doubts ceased at that moment. Right now, John Smith no longer existed. I was Limitless. In the next moment, skybeams erupted from the sky.


    There were five of them, and the moment they all landed, I smiled a wild grin as I raised my pistols. Adrenaline coursed through my veins. This was my moment. This was where everything would be decided.


    As the lights faded and the first visages began to form, I roared with every fiber of my body.


    "ABOUT TIME YOU FUCKING CUNTS! I ALMOST DIED OF OLD AGE WAITING! I AM RIGHT HERE YOU LIMP DICK BASTARDS!"


    In that split second, I squeezed the triggers of my USP matches. Along with the sounds of exploding gunfire, my Seeker War finally began.

 Chapter 388: You should have listened. [1/2]

    From the soul signatures, there were fifty people who were part of that first wave. Without any Phantoms, this meant that everyone here who had just arrived had the bodies of humans."COME AND GET SOME, YOU FUCKING COWARDS!" I yelled as I rained lead down on the barely arriving figures.


    The .45 ACP had another name besides Automatic Colt Pistol. It was also known as the Anti Cow Projectile. It was an amusing bit of history.


    Back in 1899, America had to fight what could be called frenzied drug-induced berserker rebels from the Philippines.


    In one particular battle, an American officer shot a rebel repeatedly through the lungs with a .38 Long Colt revolver. The rebel took four shots and was still able to stand, falling only after being struck in the head with the butt of a Springfield carbine.


    After more and more American soldiers noticed the piss poor performance of the round, a project was set up to replace the .38 Long Colt. But the question was, what would be the right caliber?


    Colonel Louis A. LaGarde of the Medical Corps, who had been examining rebel corpses, teamed up with Colonel John T. Thompson of the Infantry and established the Thompson-LaGarde Tests.


    The test was basically to see which pistol caliber had enough stopping power to kill a cow with only one magazine. The cartridges tested were the .30 Luger, 9¡Á19mm Parabellum, .38 Long Colt, .38 ACP, .45 Colt, .476 Eley and the .455 Webley.


    The winner of the tests was the .45 Colt. So John Moses Browning, the patron saint of guns, created the .45 ACP and the 1911. The results were, as we say, history.


    If this caliber could kill a 2,000-pound cow, what the hell was a 180-pound reaper going to do?


    Wraiths, even though they had {Fates}, still hadn''t mastered their bodies. Because they only adapted to having soul, they were the most brittle of the Reapers. A bullet to the head or heart was enough to bring them down.


    One of the reapers who was fastest to appear in the flesh took a .45 ACP to the forehead and fell. The back of his head exploded as his blood splattered his allies.


    Not one of his allies panicked, though, and instead came into formation.


    Unlike the newbies in the Enlistment, these bastards were trained Reapers. Even if they weren''t as diligent as me, these guys were all death seekers. This meant that they, too, had experience liberating at least one fallen zone.


    The proof of that experience was that despite my sneak attack, only one person died.


    "{BARRIER}!"


    Cones of white energy like igloos appeared and protected the saviors. I remember seeing this {Fate} for sale in the Graveyard marketplace.


    [{Barrier} - AMD Rating- ***** | Price 500 souls]


    [Top 1 in Defensive category. 437 sales in the past 24 hours]


    [{Barrier} is an A rank, Manifested Defensive fate. It has the appearance of a turtle brooch. Upon use a defensive shield spawns around the user. Shield is able to defend against physical and energy based attacks up to Phantom grade*.]


    It was high on the charts because of its utility. The fact that it could even stop Phantom Grade was amazing. But then I started to wonder? What was considered Phantom Grade?


    Modern weapons had numbers and metrics. You could figure out which was more powerful by looking at a weapon''s specifications.


    In the medieval setting, such numbers were arbitrary.


    Contrary to what most people believe, a medieval knight in full plate mail armor would still die if shot by a .45 ACP round. Since the armor was designed to stop blades and arrows, it took a lot of power to pierce through it. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But despite its effectiveness in medieval combat, it would be useless against the arrival of firearms. After all, a person wielding a sword and a bullet fired from a gun had fundamentally different strengths.


    "Numbers never lie."


    Maybe it was because I couldn''t use fantasy weapons, I had to rely on physics. Without stopping, I continued to rain bullets on the barriers.


    I switched my POV to Saturday.


    With the scope of the BLR 81 I checked the people who were part of the first wave. They were separated into groups of ten. The people at the front reacted quickly. However, they did not do anything else and just walked in.


    I then saw a mini meeting take place as members of each ten-person group converged on the group in the middle.


    "Is he the leader?"


    I moved my scope and took aim. I was now faced with a dilemma.


    Do I shoot them with the FT5 and BLR 81 to give away my position, or wait for cover when the mines explode?


    "WHAT? IS HIDING BEHIND YOUR FUCKING BARRIERS THE ONLY THING YOU LIMP DICK BASTARDS CAN DO?" I continued to curse the groups with Sunday, but none of them took the bait.


    Should I just shoot them with a rocket? No, that would defeat the whole purpose of the plan.


    [Exa, have any of the mines been triggered yet?]


    [No, Savior has yet to make a move, it seems the teams are still waiting for the effects of the teleportation to subside].


    ''Ho? It took me a while to get used to being knocked to the ground. Still, what do I do now?''


    There were more than five barriers in front of me, my bullets couldn''t pass them even though they could kill cows. And despite all my insults, none of them moved or panicked.


    ''If the first wave is this diciplined, I''m screwed,'' I worried.


    Luckily, I had already cast {Dampen} on all my weapons, so I didn''t even hear the loud gunfire. I sharpened my hearing to pick up on what the Saviors were planning.


    "Boss, what are we doing?" I heard a troubled voice.


    "Calm down, we don''t need to move, and we know all his weapons. Even if he used grenades, they cannot get past the barriers. Let us wait. The mages are already preparing a counterattack."


    "But boss! He killed Kenny! Sniff, let me go and take revenge!"


    "Shut up, Marv! Stick to the plan! I am the head of this group!"


    "Fuck you! Kenny is my brother! I won''t stand for this!"


    ''I see. So, they weren''t of one will. I could use that,'' I realized.


    All it took was a spark. The moment someone broke rank, all hell would break loose. Saturday and Wednesday could capitalize on that moment. Still shooting, I began to change my target to Marv.


    "WHAT? I JUST SHOT ONE OF YOU AND YOU ALL STILL STAND STILL? YOU ALL GOT YOUR BALLS IN YOUR GIRL''S PURSE? POOR BASTARD NO ONE EVEN GIVES A CRAP THAT YOU DIED! WHY WON''T ANYBODY DO ANYTHING?"


    "This fucking bastard!" I heard Marv yell.


    "MARV! STAND DOWN! DIDN''T YOU HEAR THE WARNING, DON''T TALK TO HIM!"


    "BUT HE IS ..."


    "OR WAS HE THE SAVIOR''S CUM TOILET? DID YOU ALL TAKE TURNS FUCKING HIS ASSHOLE? I COULDN''T SEE HIS FACE SINCE HE DIED SO EASILY, DOES HE HAVE A WIFE? DO YOU ALL FUCK HER TOO?" I continued.


    "I''ll kill him...."


    "Calm down! Can''t you see he''s trying to get to you? Kenny is dead, deal with it!"


    "Just a little bit more," I smiled.


    I could feel a large amount of souls converging into the group in the center. I had no idea what kind of {Fate} it was, but souls were always a sign of power.


    Whispering under my breath, I used {Announce} at a frequency below what people could hear.


    {I command you all. Surrender to your desires.}


    This was something I had noticed Jo experimenting with. {Listen} could change the frequency at which sound waves traveled. This made it possible to make objects quieter with {Dampen} or louder with {Announce}.


    Ordering zombies had no drawbacks because they were mindless. But when fighting humans, most would know how to counter a command the moment they heard it.


    Jo was already experimenting with muting her voice when she used {Announce}.


    This meant that the souls would travel through the air, but no one would know. It was terrifying, because from the sidelines it seemed like everything my Italian fought was mind controlled.

 Chapter 389: You should have listened. [2/2]

    I knew from talking to Jo that while {Announce} cost 400 souls per use, it increased to thousands when paired with a death resonance order. The more specific the order, the more souls would be needed.To keep the cost down, it would help to make the orders vague. Surrendering to your desires was neither specific nor did it have immediate results. But if such a command was given to people who were struggling to control their anger.


    There would be only one result.


    "FUCK YOU LIMITLESS! I''M GOING TO FUCK YOU UP!!" Your journey continues at mvl


    "MARV! WAIT! STOP HIM!"


    Still firing nonstop with Sunday, I quickly switched POV''s to Saturday and aimed at the boss''s temple. Similarly using Wednesday, I squeezed the trigger and fired a 95mm HEAT warhead.


    What happened next was too fast to comprehend. Marv tripped one of the M16A2s and tried to run forward. As the "frog" mine jumped into the air, everyone focused on it.


    I pulled the trigger on the BLR 81 and fired a 7mm Remington into the leader''s temple. With only 600 yards between us, the bullet immediately entered the boss''s head and came out the other side.


    Blood and brain matter naturally spurted from the new hole in his skull. Before anyone noticed his death, there was a loud explosion of 1.3 pounds of TNT. Since the body of the land mine was made entirely of iron, it was shredded and turned into metallic shrapnel.


    Needless to say, the resulting carnage was gory to say the least. As if peppered by a shotgun, people around the mine died instantly. Those caught in the blast tried to run all over the place, only to set off the other two mines.


    The Reapers that were charging some spell were interrupted and began to explode like fireworks. Before the other mines detonated, the HEAT warhead arrived and took out an entire group of ten.


    The explosions seemed to break the {Barriers} rendering them defenseless.


    In the confusion, I used Saturday to snipe the heads of those with {Barriers}. I specifically sniped only the three blocking Sunday.


    More explosions followed as two more M16A2s detonated.


    Piloting Sunday, Without the people in front of me blocking my shots, I gunned down anyone still standing in front of me. In the span of ten seconds, the 1st Wave of Saviors was in tatters.


    As the dust and debris settled, moans and cries of pain echoed as if I were in a field hospital. Switching to Saturday, I again scanned the area and saw carnage from above. Limbs were blown off, bodies were charred black, and the ground was soaked with blood.


    Some of the people curled up into balls, trembling with fear.


    Those who still had the courage to fight ignored everything and drew their weapons as they rushed to hack Sunday to pieces.


    Not giving a shit, I returned to Sunday and kept pulling the trigger on my USP matches. Bullets slammed into their hearts and heads as they died pathetically before they even had a chance to reach me.


    Then I felt a sharp blade plunge into my heart and stomach. The blade came from behind and burned as I vomited blood. It seems they had assassins hunting me silently, hidden in the large group.


    "Heh, you''re not so tough." "Quickly cut off his arms." "So weak. I knew Formless were shit."


    In the next moment, I felt both of my arms fall to the ground. Just as I had sniped their leader in the confusion, they were trying to take me out with a sleight of hand.


    "We should get the 750,000 bounty, right? Since he is alive and all." "Why was everyone afraid of the first wave anyway, this fucker is Formless." "Do any of you know what his {fate} was?" "I barely paid attention to the report." "Who cares?"


    "You should have listened. {Rewind}," I quipped gleefully.


    I vanished from where I stood in a burst of light. A second later, I reappeared in the middle of the landing zone. The M16A2 Sunday previously stood on flew up and exploded at my previous location.


    Naturally the assassination-type wraiths were still there.


    "RUN!" "AGHHHH!!" "AHHHHHH" "KEHUEK!"


    Not really in a hurry, I focused on the dying reapers around me. Pulling out Ebony and Ivory, I shot one of the wraiths in the head as he curled up in fear. When his allies saw this, the rest began to beg desperately.


    " LIMITLESS I BEG..." "STOP! I SURR..." "HAVE MER..."


    But before they could finish their words, I shot them between the eyes. When they saw that I had no intention of taking prisoners, the others began to flee.


    Mercilessly, I executed them through the heart from behind, like animals.


    "Monster!" "You murderer!" some of them cried. But I simply killed them, too. Like a Grim Reaper, I made sure none remained breathing as I passed.


    As I walked towards the assassins with Sunday, I made sure to scan the field from above with Saturday. Fortunately, there seemed to be no one else alive.


    [Exa, where are the other Savior Reapers?]


    [Limitless, they will arrive in 5 minutes].


    [How do you know that?]


    [Since Savior has more than 50 people, they will arrive in batches of 50 every ten minutes. Barely 8 minutes have passed since the war began.]


    [But I''ve been here for over half an hour, haven''t I?]


    [Limitless, the countdown for the war and the Sirens only began when the Savior entered the field. The speed of the events were unexpected even by Administration.]


    "..."


    Wasn''t I incredibly fast back then? That is, if I could kill them all in fifteen minutes, I wouldn''t be overwhelmed. Of course, this wave alone revealed the poor control structure of the Savior.


    I had no idea what the {Fates} of all those people were, but they were passive from the start. Except for the assassins who managed to almost kill me, everyone seemed to be ill-informed.


    "I guess I can''t blame their leaders, since they had a briefing, but these poor morons didn''t even bother to read the damn thing."


    Arriving at the spot where I had stood before, I was faced with bodies scattered about. Most of them were either riddled with holes or missing large chunks of flesh. I could hear the shallow breathing of some of them.


    And like any good reaper, I ended their misery. One of the assassins, however, who was missing half his body, spoke as he vomited blood.


    "You''re a nasty piece of work. How the hell are you Formless?"


    "Don''t worry, I will make sure to turn you into a soulgear and use you well."


    "Hahaha, fucking hell. Are you a demon?"


    "Not really. You just messed with the wrong guy," I replied nonchalantly.


    "Can I ask you a favor? I''m dying anyway."


    "No."


    Not bothering to listen to his last regrets, I shot him in the forehead.


    What good would it do to hear his last request? If I cared about the bastard, I should not have killed him in the first place.


    This was what it meant to be in a war. There was no right or wrong. It was a matter of who was more desperate to live. I read the profiles of the Saviors. They were all, without exception, terrible people.


    I wasted time trying to find one good person among them, but I couldn''t find one. So I came with the intention of sparing no one from their side.


    ''Still The tactics of the first wave were clear and concise.''


    Like a game of chess, this group had a goal. I could only guess that it was to show my cards or use up my ability.


    They would have been ordered to turtle up and cast a large-scale spell. As I tried to stop them, an assassin unit would stab me in the back. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''They knew of my {Fate}. The whole wave was probably disposable in the grand strategy. All to get me to use {Rewind}.''


    Aside from invisibility and {Barrier}, none of these people had any useful {Fates} or even the presence of a Phantom. All this reinforced my assumption.


    With my {Rewind} in cooldown, this meant the next wave would be the real thing. Before I could finish my thought, five more skybeams fell.


    "This is going to be a long ass day."

 Chapter 390: Allow me [1/2]

    It was too bad I couldn''t rewind the mines back into place. Otherwise, it would be an excellent way to defend a location.I guess I should be grateful that {Rewind} didn''t uproot my mines to my inventory.


    Before I redesigned my {Kismet} {Auto} was pretty straightforward. Anything I considered part of my equipment was recorded and returned to me when I used {Rewind}.


    However, this prevented me from using non-direct weapons like mines. For example, if I spent time digging and planting them in the ground, it would be a waste of time and effort to have them negated by {Rewind}.


    Fortunately, {Armory} worked on a different principle. Every weapon recorded was either in use or discarded. If a weapon was in use, it would not return to my subspace when I let go of it.


    This feature was created when I wanted to avoid having to discard weapons during combat. While I was doing that when fighting with the {Kismet} class, I didn''t like it.


    Back then if I didn''t use a {Rewind}.


    My weapons would have stayed out of my hands. But with {Armory}, everything I no longer held was considered discarded. my weapons now had a defined state.


    This small difference allowed me to keep swapping weapons with no penalty. If I discarded the weapon, it would reload and return to my subspace even without rewinding.


    Fortunately, this feature of {Armory}, much like the skill download for {Limitless}, had unintended benefits.


    For one, since my soul avatars were me in every way, if I gave them a weapon, that weapon was considered to be in use. The same was true for mines.


    Since they were in use when they were deployed, they would only return to my subspace if I wanted them to. This prevented my {Rewinds} from suddenly disarming my other avatars or the minefields I had set up.


    Because ammunition was replenished on each {Rewind} or {Reload}, my soul avatars would not run out of bullets. This was true even if the weapons did not return to me.


    I hauled ass as I retreated from the landing zone. While I could blast them as they came in, fifty people would quickly overwhelm me if I wasn''t careful.


    Theoretically, I could just use {Replace} and overwhelm the 2nd wave.


    However, that would only be half of the entire Savior Army. There were 200 in total, including 30 Phantoms, none of whom had shown up yet. The strategy of the first wave showed the presence of a tactician.


    If I blew all my cards at the beginning, I would have nothing to use against the really dangerous bastards. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Tsk. This is why bastards with brains are more troublesome than a whole wave of morons. It was easy to massacre idiots, but even sheep can be a problem when led by a lion.''


    After getting some distance, I turned back to the landing zone and asked my AI.


    Explore hidden tales at mvl


    [Exa, who among the Saviors has the aptitude to be a tactician?]


    [There are only two, the Slayer and the Machiavelli].


    [Ugh, why is it always them?] I groaned inwardly. Suddenly, Exa shouted in a panic.


    [LIMITLESS! I WILL DULL YOUR SENSES! CLOSE YOUR EYES!]


    I knew Aira was working for Zach, but Exa had yet to give me a reason to doubt her. So I complied and closed the eyes of all seven of my avatars. Suddenly I felt my ears go deaf. Was it Exa''s doing?


    In the next moment, I felt a wave of pressure suddenly erupt. Although my eyes were closed, a bright white burned through my eyelids. My skin tingled as what seemed to be an explosion shook the air.


    The rest of the avatars heard a dull boom. A tinnitus-like sound assaulted everyone''s ears.


    ''What the hell? Wasn''t that a flash bang?'' I wondered as I covered my face with my arms.


    While I had Sunday ready to turn and run at a moment''s notice, I switched to Saturday. From my position on top of the tower, I could see the new wave coming in.


    As soon as it hit the ground, a ten-man squad ran forward.


    "Squad 6! MOVE! He should still be disoriented, surround and contain him!"


    I moved the scope of the BLR 81 and found a Reaper shouting orders like his life depended on it.


    "I have confirmation that the vanguard has completed its task. His {Rewind} is gone! We must kill him in the next 20 minutes! Squad 7-8 shoot for the kill! 9 and 10! Secure the landing zone!"


    ''I see, they also knew how critical the landing zone was. Similar to how they would be forced there, the Sirens would also have to arrive through the same point.''


    "Should I shoot that bastard now? I don''t think they noticed Wednesday and Saturday, otherwise they wouldn''t concentrate on Sunday like idiots...".


    The advantages of quickly killing the commander were good. However, unlike my original body, none of the soul avatars could use my {Fates}. This meant that once I was exposed, I wouldn''t be able to use them like this.


    Since there were still over a hundred enemies, it would be wasteful to expose my hand at this point. Taking a deep breath, I shifted back to Sunday.


    [Limitless, your senses have been restored. A Phantom has been detected].


    "Who?"


    [The one Saturday saw earlier. The one giving the orders. Logan Hart, records indicate his {Fate} is called {Spare Organ}, giving him immense survivability.]


    "Fuck, let me guess, any organ that gets destroyed regenerates?"


    [Yes. According to the records, his limbs regrow within seconds even if they are dismembered. His head and heart are also part of his ability.]


    A quick check with Saturday revealed that Squad 9 and 10 were combing the ground for trip wires, they had what appeared to be flashlights as they tried to find more land mines.


    They definitely know how I killed the previous group. Otherwise they would not be searching like this.


    With my hearing restored, the sounds of footsteps circling around Sunday echoed. I still had my eyes closed and had yet to react to their approach. Using my avatars, I could see from a distance that Squad 6 had shields and hatchets.


    While the shields did not glow, the small axes did. That meant they were manifested {Fates}. I had no idea what these {Fates} do. But ten of them had surrounded me and were slowly closing in.


    [Exa, what are those axes?]


    [They are called {Cast Net}. It is a CMS {Fate} that focuses on capture].


    [Hmm. Class C support, huh. Okay.]


    ''{Imaging} - X-Ray''


    I cast my {Fate} even with my eyes closed. Even in the darkness, I could see that Squad 6 was not attacking me, just keeping their shields up.


    ''Squad 7 and 8 should be ready to fire by now, right? Let''s not wait.''


    I twisted my body and aimed at the foot of the man closest to me.


    "AHHH!"


    Surprised by my sudden movements, the others all raised their axes.


    Not planning to let them catch me, I opened my eyes as I did a barrel roll towards the one I had just shot.


    "{CAST NET}!" x 9


    The poor idiot who fell on his ass tried to hack me with an axe on his right hand.


    "[Tank]."


    At that moment, I called Liv''s {Fate} and blocked his axe with my right forearm. Before shooting him in the face with Ebony. My ears picked up large objects quickly approaching me.


    "[Load]."


    Dropping my weapons, I quickly grabbed the neck of the man I had just killed and tossed him behind me. I heard the loud thud of something heavy digging into flesh. Taking that as my cue to leave, I made a mad dash for Friday.


    I could fight them here, but it would be a waste. I had traps and five other Soul Avatars who were dying to shoot these motherfuckers. I deliberately slowed down to pretend to be tired.


    "HE''S IN FIGHTER! HE MAY BE TOUGH, BUT HE IS SLOW! GET HIM!"

 Chapter 391: Allow me [2/2]

    At Logan''s command, the sounds of flying objects screeched towards me. Without turning around, I dodged the ones I could. Unfortunately, there were some that made no sound.They just hit me from behind, like energy balls or something. [Tank] was able to ward off some of them, but I was left with a sharp pain in my right shoulder and lower back.


    The agony of my injuries sent my brain into overdrive. I didn''t use {Regen} and kept running in order to carry out my plans to draw them in. Loud footfalls indicated that Squad 6 was on my trail.


    ''Squads 7 and 8 should be no more than archers'' range. I should be safe if I pass by Friday,'' I surmised.


    To make my act more believable, I drew Ebony and Ivory and shot them as I ran. In response, Squad 6 slowed their run and put their defensive shields together like a wall of steel.


    I noticed that my bullets bounced and ricocheted off their defensive formation.


    "What the hell? Those shields are bulletproof?"


    "HAHAHAHA! SEE THAT, LIMITLESS! YOU''RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH GOOD GEAR!" shouted one of the Saviors.


    "CHECK OUT THESE BABIES! LEVEL 3A BULLETPROOF SHIELDS! SAY YOUR PRAYERS, YOU FUCKER!" another added.


    Ignoring them, I turned around and ran all out with a smile. Even the highest level of bullet proofing, Level 4, could only stop a single round of .30-06. Meanwhile the HCAR could fire 600 .30-06 rounds in per minute.


    That kind of firepower would turn these bastards into Swiss cheese, regardless of their protection. And they had no idea I already fantasized about their deaths as I ran towards Friday.


    Running at a quick pace, I could no longer hear the rounds coming at me.


    I checked using Saturday and saw the long-range fighters slowly marching toward''s the Fort. Squad 9 and 10, on the other hand, had started setting up tents after finishing their mine sweep.


    ''This is bad, my soul avatars cannot use {Fates}. Saturday won''t be able to spy on them after the tent goes up. Should I start blowing them up now?''


    As I hesitated, Sunday passed the other M16A2 land mines and sprinted toward the fort.


    Perhaps seeing me bleeding like a rabid animal, Squad 6 broke formation and rushed in, shouting profanities. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "RUN! YOU LITTLE BITCH! RUN!" "AYAYAYAYAYAYA!!" "I''M GOING TO RAPE THEN SKULL FUCK YOUR WOMEN LIMITLESS!" "HAWOOOOOOOOOO!" "KILL!" "HAHAHAHAAHA!"


    Luckily or unluckily, due to their long strides, these fuckers passed by the mines without setting off any of them. Was it because they were following my path?


    With Sunday resting on a wall, I switched POV''s to Friday. I poked my head out of my foxhole and raised the HCAR.


    Heavy Counter Assault Rifle. That was what the acronym stood for. Like its predecessor, the Browning BAR, it was designed for area suppression.


    It fired slow and heavy rounds that were pretty much for spray and pray. If you had too many targets to shoot at, why bother aiming?


    I took a deep breath as I shouldered the battle rifle. Friday didn''t have {Limitless}, so not only would I feel the recoil, but I would have to compensate for it. Still focused on Sunday''s path, Squad 6 didn''t notice me before I pulled the trigger.


    Loud, violent gunfire erupted shortly thereafter. Faster than they could react, the leader of Squad 6 was sawed in half as my bullets ripped diagonally through his torso.


    The others had little time to panic before the HCAR shot them down as well. Despite raising their precious bullet proof shields, the rampaging .30-06 Springfield rounds tore through the men, their armor, and their shields.


    Without so much as a scream, all nine members of Squad 6 were gone. Immediately after that, I had Friday duck into the foxhole. Hijacking Wednesday, I fired 95mm HEAT rockets at the long-range fighters slowly crossing the field.


    After firing a missile, I quickly scanned the aftermath through the FT5''s targeting module. The rocket came in too fast for the others to get out of the way, so when my warhead detonated, entire lines of people were vaporized.


    Unlike grenades that exploded in a circle, HEAT warheads exploded in a cone, due to the Munroe effect, so they were like giant spears. They would do little to no damage outside of the cone. But inside? It was goodbye!


    I waited for Exa to load the next warhead before pulling the trigger again. Just like Friday''s HCAR, the FT5''s recoil was brutal. I could feel both of my avatar''s shoulders aching from the bruising.


    After firing all three of my HEAT rockets, I hid Wednesday''s body between the walls. Shifting to Friday, I jumped out of the foxhole and surveyed the carnage of Wednesday''s attacks.


    Blood and scattered bodies were once again in abundance. I could still see a handful moaning in pain, so some were still alive. But fifteen people from Squads 7 and 8 would now need caskets.


    "Should I go over there or wait?" I wondered.


    The problem with fighting on the defensive was that I had to wait for them to come to me. I switched to Saturday and scanned the landing zone. Logan was tearing his hair out as he started to kick some of the members of his army.


    I was surprised when Squad 9 and 10 started picking up weapons and prepared to attack.


    Ignoring them, I piloted Sunday and summoned {Regen}. I then moved towards Saturday''s sniper perch. If that Logan bastard had redundant organs, I would just shoot his soulgem.


    Shifting to Saturday, I scanned the landing zone again. As I waited for Sunday, I noticed everyone, but Logan moved forward hesitantly.


    "I mean, who wouldn''t, right? I killed over fifty of those bastards in the span of what? Twenty minutes?"


    I quickly switched to Sunday and ran towards the tower. When I arrived, I took Saturday''s BLR 81 and used [Weakpoint Targeting] on Logan.


    "Let''s see, his soulgem is... under his armpit? But why?"


    [Limitless, Squad 9 and 10 are about to enter Friday''s area.]


    When I heard Exa''s words, I checked the conference HUD and saw the rough charge of the remaining people of 2nd wave. Their fear at seeing the bloody images was obvious. But they all rushed forward like brave heroes.


    Experience new stories on mvl


    "Allow me to make you into martyrs."


    Without a second glance, I pointed the HCAR at them again with Friday and opened fire. Unlike the previous group, this one had more time to think, so they regrouped and summoned {Barriers}.


    They slowly advanced with defensive {Fates} and continued under my onslaught of lead. Still, I wasn''t worried.


    Unlike Squad 6, these bastards hadn''t seen me dodge the mines. So they were on a direct path to trigger them.


    Not giving them a chance to think, I kept firing as my Friday''s breath began to get ragged. Due to the tension and shock, my body slowly became numb and sore.


    Less than a few seconds later, it finally happened. As they advanced in clusters, they triggered two M16A2s at the same time. And the mines went off right in the middle of their formation.


    Loud explosions rang out as a combined 2.6 pounds of TNT detonated in the middle of a tightly packed group of Wraiths. Thinking I should give Friday some time to rest, I took control of Monday and charged out.


    With the F90 MBR, I began executing the Wraiths of squad 9 and 10 still alive. There was little resistance as most of them were on the verge of death. after I shot them all dead, I grew disgusted with the scenery.


    It was kind of disgusting to see chunks of human flesh littering the area, like a human blender broke apart as it was running.


    Before I could calm myself, Exa gave me an update.


    [Limitless, the third wave has arrived].


    "I hope the next bastards are this easy to kill."


    With over a hundred enemies left, I wished for luck as I quickly ran back to Monday''s position. As the mooks died, the Phantoms would soon arrive one way or another.

 Chapter 392: Say hello [1/2]

    I switched POV back to Sunday as I scanned the landing zone. Even with the tent blocking my view, I could still see the people with {Imaging}. But since there were over 50 new Reapers, I had trouble finding specific people."Exa, how many Phantoms am I looking at?"


    [Besides Logan Hart, 4 other Phantoms arrived].


    "What are their abilities?"


    [Foresight, elasticity, speed, and telepathy.]


    "Shit! Why the fuck is Reuben Alford already here?!"


    I quickly pulled out a magazine for the BLR 81 which was loaded with 7mm Remington Sacreds.


    "Forget Logan and the others, we have to kill Reuben NOW!"


    After cocking the lever action rifle, I prepared to take my shot. Without wasting another second, I aimed at Reuben''s soul gem, which was at his throat.


    Tense with anxiety, I squeezed the trigger.


    A dazzling star erupted from my lever action rifle and blazed like a phoenix.


    Despite my sudden strike. Reuben Alford, the "B-Ball," looked up into my scope and smiled. He was a slim guy with a nice beard and a glowing bandana on his forehead.


    ''SHIT! Its already active!''


    At the same moment, a blur moved and carried Reuben to safety. Despite being only half a second late, my Sacred missed its target.


    A loud explosion erupted as the landing zone burned like an inferno. More than ten people were charred to a crisp where I had shot. Bodies burned outside the crater as reapers screamed in pain.


    Upon examination, I found Logan''s body missing the right side of his torso. No longer moving, his face was frozen in fear. Since his soulgem was on the side he lost, he was officially dead.


    It was ironic, really. Reapers could lose any part of their body as long as their soulgem was intact. Beheaded, dismembered, halved, quartered, it made no difference. With the soulgem, they could simply rebuild their body.


    However, the same immortal bodies were like empty shells when the opposite happened. Like puppets that had lost their strings. Without an intact soulgem, reapers were just empty husks.


    "Who cares about the small fry? Where are they?!" I worried.


    From Aki''s and Vincent''s information, I learned about the Phantoms I was about to face. For the Wraiths, even if they had some extraordinary {Fates}, it hardly mattered since they died with a bullet to the head.


    But as Zach said, Phantoms were a different matter altogether. Although there were weak ones among them, there were some truly terrifying ones. Aside from the Slayer and Machiavelli, the one I found most troublesome was Reuben Alford.


    A basketball player in his day, he gave birth to a {Fate} that promoted teamwork. {Huddle} manifested as a red bandana on the user''s forehead.


    Essentially, it would allow anyone with {Huddle} to communicate telepathically. On its own, it was worthless. But when used in a combo, it was extremely difficult to defeat.


    Reuben Alford was ranked AMS, which meant he was an A-rank support Reaper. While he was useful to a point, he only became notorious when he found his partner, Jayden Ryan.


    Jayden Ryan, the Spade, was a professional poker player. His {Fate} was known as {Gambler}. It might sound useless, but it basically gave him an instinct that bordered on foresight.


    Continue your journey on mvl


    Together, they boosted each other.


    Jayden, when linked to Reuben, allowed them to share telepathic precognition. This meant that if you tried to shoot Jayden, the moment Jayden saw himself getting shot, Reuben would know it too.


    That would not be a problem, but if you had someone to protect them? They were like fucking roaches! That was what made them annoying.


    B-Ball shared the {Huddle} not only with Spade, but with other people, the people in his so-called team. This allowed them to act against any danger as if they could see the future.


    "Why the hell are such heavy hitters part of this wave? They are like difficult final bosses!"


    Despite my shot killing over ten Wraiths, I felt bitter. I revealed Saturday''s sniping position and revealed one of my cards. Shooting them immediately had been a fucking mistake!


    "He''s there at 10 o''clock! Up the tower!" Jayden reported.


    I broke the lever on the BLR 81 to fire again and got down on one knee. There was some debate as to who to kill first between the B-ball and the Spade.


    Deciding to prioritize the baller, I fired another 7mm Remington Sacred. The moment I squeezed the trigger, a blur whisked my priority target away. A Phantom specializing in speed protected Reuben as if his life depended on it.


    My Sacred once again slammed into the landing zone like a blinding meteor. A few more Wraiths died in the aftermath, but none of the Phantoms from the third group were injured in the slightest.


    [Limitless, Wraiths have begun to move towards the fort].


    "Tsk. We have to find a new place with Saturday."


    Moving both bodies, I jumped from the tower, supporting Saturday as we descended. I gave him the BLR and made him run towards the wall where Wednesday was hiding.


    I then used {Reload} and hijacked Wednesday. Stepping out of the wall, I aimed at the advancing Wraiths and sent a 95mm HEAT rocket at them.


    "TURTLE UP! HE IS OVER THERE!" S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At the sudden yell, the Wraiths stopped running and each cast {Barrier}. Acting before the missile accelerated, my shot missed the Wraiths by a wide margin.


    "Fuck, this is not going to work!"


    In the next second, the Wraiths started sending spells at Wednesday. Since this soul avatar was incredibly brittle compared to Sunday, I immediately took cover.


    With not a second to spare, I took control of Friday and jumped out of my foxhole. The most exhausted of my avatars, I struggled to support the HCAR with Friday''s worn-out arms.


    "Shit, my other avatars are way too weak compared to Sunday," I lamented.


    Since {Day by Day} used the original body as a baseline, this meant that without my {Fates}, my original body was neither fit nor trained for combat. In essence, it was cheating; my original body had to be properly trained if I wanted it to be useful.


    Looking down at the scope as Friday, I put the crosshairs on the incoming Wraiths and fired. Even though Spade and B-Ball were here, I had no idea how to kill them at the moment.


    Instead of wasting time, it would be better to reduce their numbers. If it came to that, I would just have to get into melee with the Phantoms.


    With my plan decided, I squeezed the trigger and tried to gun down the approaching Wraiths.


    Some of them were hit by the high-powered .30-06 rounds and were subsequently mutilated. Unlike 5.56 or 7.62 NATO, the .30-06 rarely just put holes in people, they usually took chunks of people out as they passed.


    There were still about twenty Wraiths coming at me. Unlike the bastards in the first two waves, the ones with {Barriers} were sticking to the mages.


    Although the HCAR was capable of destroying 4A-rated bulletproof shields, it was rendered useless by {Barrier}. Blinding flashes of light came from the mages and began to bombard Friday''s position.


    Dust and debris flew into the air as the area around me was torn apart. Overwhelmed by the attack, I pulled the HCAR and hid in my hole.


    "Let''s hope they set off at least a few mines."


    Using Friday as bait, I switched to Saturday and scoped out a target with the BLR 81. Then I noticed a speeding blur moving at breakneck speed. It was headed for Friday, who was still being bombarded.


    Out of breath from running, Saturday''s lungs were still gasping for air as I spoke aloud.


    "Huff... Fuck. Huff... that''s Vanish, right?"

 Chapter 393: Say hello [2/2]

    Elliot Poole, aka Vanish. He was basically the Reaper''s version of Flash or Quicksilver. One of them, anyway.Even though {Fates} were considered unique, their effects naturally overlapped because people had the same desires.


    Of course, the ability to run extremely fast was one of the most common {Fates}. Just like being able to lift buildings, being indestructible, or having a giant dick.


    Accepting that Friday would die soon, I prepared Sunday to unsummon him. Enjoy exclusive adventures from mvl


    Meanwhile, still using Saturday, I aimed my scope right above Friday''s head. Vanish was a serial killer. He liked to use long ass knives to stab people in the collarbone.


    Predicting that he would use the same M.O. on my soul avatar, I waited.


    I switched back to Friday and shielded my collarbone with the HCAR. As I emerged from the foxhole, a lightning-fast object slammed into my shoulder.


    There was a delayed metallic noise as I was thrown to the back of my foxhole. At the same moment, I had Saturday squeeze the BLR 81''s trigger and sent another 7mm Sacred toward Friday''s position.


    "{Friday}."


    I also unsummoned Friday before he could be taken out.


    The soul avatar shattered into a burst of light as he returned to {Day by Day}.


    Although I would not die if one of my soul avatars was killed, I needed 24 hours for that avatar to be usable again.


    Despite being confused, Vanish again effortlessly ran away before the Sacred arrived. Meanwhile the other Wraiths were close enough and began firing magic at my long-range soul avatars.


    The outer wall behind which Wednesday and Saturday hid began to tremble and collapse. Without Friday''s suppressive fire, the Wraiths approached the fort unimpeded.


    "I''m not sure if I kept the illusion that I was only one person. let''s prepare for the next battle!"


    I took over Sunday, who was inside the fort''s perimeter. He was the only one who could fight the Phantoms on equal footing.


    "[Inventory]. HCAR."


    Armed with Friday''s weapon. I ran to the gap in the fort wall and used {Imaging} - X-Ray.


    The mages were still bombarding my long-range avatars as a group of Wraiths neared my position. Vanish, of course, was leading them at a relaxed pace.


    I could see that Spade and B-Ball were among those coming toward me. Even worse, the remaining M18A2s along the way failed to reduce their numbers.


    "Fucking Spade. It''s probably him. SHIT! What now?! Think, John! Think!"


    Trying to figure out solutions, I tried to list down what I knew about {Gambler}.


    This {Fate} allowed one to have a gut feeling that led to the user having amazing foresight. According to the report, it was a passive ability.


    ''If the requirement for using it was to be in danger, why could they still act when I shot someone other than Spade?''


    I noticed that the Phantoms only began to evade me after I pulled the trigger. They didn''t react when I aimed, it was always after I fired.


    "Maybe there is a weakness somewhere?"


    It was a crazy assumption, but I might as well give it a try. It was the best that I had at the moment. I ran out of the fort while aiming the HCAR at the Saviors. But unlike my usual practice, I didn''t pull the trigger.


    While the Wraiths acted normally, the Phantoms froze in place.


    ''Huh? Why aren''t they moving? Do they not know where to evade or something?'' I analyzed.


    Smiling, I started raining lead on my enemies. The {Barrier} guys acted like a shield, protecting the mages. The mages quickly raised their staffs and chanted various {Fates}.


    "{Fire Lance}!" "{Thunder Wave}!" "{Sonic boom}!" "{Dark Wave}!" "{Stone launcher}!" "{Acid bullet}"


    Unwilling to remain passive, I charged at the Wraiths while roaring.


    "[BATTERING RAM]!"


    Accelerating like a freight train, I crashed into the Savior''s {Barriers}. They resisted for only a split second before shattering like glass. A shockwave followed, knocking out the Wraiths that were defending against me.


    "WHAT?!" "FUCK!" "SHIT!" "OH NO!"


    "Say hello to my little friend, you bastards!" I taunted as I pointed the business end of the HCAR at them.


    At near point-blank range, I hip-fired the battle rifle and blasted the living hell out of the remaining Wraiths.


    Without the protection they once had, the mage reapers were pitifully gunned down. The {Barrier} guys who were even closer were sawed in half by my gun fire.


    As I massacred those I could, something suddenly bound my arms. The immense force crushed my bones and shattered the HCAR rifle.


    "AHHHHH!"


    When I looked down at my hands, they were wrapped in what looked like rubber arms. Of course, I knew who it was. It was the last of the four Phantoms, the one whose {Fate} allowed him to bend like rubber.


    A blur moved at the edge of my vision. I tried to use {Code''s} bullet time in response. Time slowed considerably, allowing me to digest the situation.


    Despite being able to think faster, Vanish ran towards me like an Olympic sprinter. Ignoring him, my eyes drifted to the glowing syringe in his left hand, already aimed at my heart.


    ''Vanish''s {Fate} manifested as a dagger. Then what the hell was that syringe for?''


    "[Weak point targeting]," I chanted.


    Using my combo skill, my eyes popped out as I read the details.


    ___


    Name: Jairo Odom (replica)


    Rank: Wraith


    Soul Capacity : {Fate} 2/2 | {Kismet} 0/1


    Souls Available : 0 | To evolve: 400


    {Fate}


    1. {Inhibitor} Lvl 2 | Cost: 2 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Sedative}


    {Kindred} : N/A


    {Kismet] : N/A


    Soulgear:


    ___


    [EXA!]


    [If that syringe hits you, you will temporarily lose the ability to think].


    "FUCK!"


    Unwilling to risk going stupid in front of the Saviors, I used {Replace} and quickly retreated from the battlefield.


    "That was too close!"


    I appeared before Monday. I tried to calm my nerves as I prepared for my next steps. Fighting enemies with tactics was fucking terrifying.


    Tyrell Whitley, {Fate} {Elastic}. If Vanish was like The Flash, Tyrell was the Reaper''s Plastic Man or Mister Fantastic.


    "As if the Vanish was not enough, now I had to fight against fucking Luffy."


    Even from my current position, I could hear the frustrated shouts of my enemies.


    "Tyrell, what the fuck was that! We almost had him!"


    "Fuck you! Don''t blame me, man! Elliot was too fucking slow! I did my job!" S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Shut up! He must be in the fort! Let''s go! Oy B-Ball, keep up! The rest of you fucking Wraiths! Charge in!"


    "But... Mr. Spade, we are long-range fighters!"


    "Do I look like I give a shit? Get in there or I will kill you myself!"


    "Argh!!"


    At the sound of flesh being struck, I could already guess what was going on. Not feeling sorry for the Wraiths, I checked Sunday''s HCAR and Monday''s F90.


    I chose this location because we were hidden. If they move to attack Tuesday, we can gun them down from behind. I had to wait patiently.


    I shifted my view to Tuesday, as he would be the starter of this engagement.


    Jumping out of my foxhole, I aimed for the gap in the wall and waited for the Wraiths. The reaper mages held their glowing staffs out as they cautiously entered.


    Slowly but surely their group made its way into the compound. Since it was dark, they hadn''t seen me yet. When the Savior Wraiths reached the center of the fort''s perimeter, they stood back to back and slowly scanned the area.


    A second later, the Phantoms also joined their group and looked around. That was when I took control of Sunday and jumped out of my hiding place.


    "DIE YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!"


    Despite all my bravado, I was only pointing the HCAR. The whole group faced me, but just like before, the Phantoms froze. Taking advantage of the moment, I controlled both Monday and Tuesday, raining lead from two separate directions.


    "Keurk! Another one?" "How?!" "There are two! AHHHH!" "EVADE!"


    When the Phantoms began to move, I had Sunday join in. Our kill zone was being attacked from two directions making a sort of defense a nightmare.


    Unlike before, the Phantoms couldn''t evade in time. The ten plus Wraiths and four Phantoms had their bodies riddled with bullets.


    Although I was sure that 5.56 NATO rounds would hurt the whole group, I controlled Monday and Tuesday to launch 40mm low velocity grenades for good measure.


    Suddenly, lights erupted from the sky as skybeams fell towards the ground.


    [Limitless, the fourth wave has arrived. 25 Phantoms including the Slayer and the Machiavelli have joined the battle].


    "Fuck."

 Chapter 394: Heroine Chapter: The one I live for [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Robyn Lithgow___


    A speeding motorcycle was trying desperately to get by on I-90. The way it was moving, you would think the rider was on fire or something. Despite all his efforts to run for his life. It didn''t matter.


    This cunt accepted the job of taking out my Possum. So, I ran after him to turn him into a soulgear.


    "Exa, how fast is this cunt going?"


    [Lady Robyn, your target is currently traveling at 325 kilometers per hour.]


    Continue your adventure with §Þ??


    "Whatever, I am still faster. Can I kill him now?"


    [Yes, Lady Robyn, you are in a fairly unpopulated area. Since you are not showing up on any cameras, you can make your move now.]


    "Finally. Time to end this so I can go home!"


    I slammed my legs into the ground as I accelerated. As I gained speed, I quickly caught up to the motorcycle.


    The man froze in horror when he saw me beside him. That was before I even raised my Mac-11. He probably had a million questions going through his head. Smart bastards were usually like that. But I didn''t care.


    "Get stuffed, ya fucking cunt!"


    I squeezed the trigger on the SMG and blasted my target''s motorcycle helmet. Immediately after shooting him in the face, the motorcycle wobbled and fell to the ground.


    Since we were going pretty fast, the rider was thrown forward face first. There were no cars in front of him, so he crashed into the concrete. The number of people who could drive at this speed was rare anyway.


    Unwilling to waste my momentum. I wound my leg up and kicked the slagger''s spine like I was playing soccer. I heard a brutal crack as my foot launched the man forward. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No longer wasting time, I stopped and approached him.


    "Please forgive me. I didn''t know..." he kept on whinging.


    Ignoring his cries, I turned him over and saw his destroyed face being reconstructed. The cunt before me was one of the Phantom reinforcements for Possum''s Seeker War. The last of them.


    Despite being a Phantom, this coward ran the moment he saw me approaching. Funny, though, he kept begging Bella to call me off. But she answered him with a single word.


    [No.]


    In the five hours before the Seeker War, the Sirens and I began to hunt everyone from the reinforcements. We were forbidden to touch those from the Savior.


    But hired muscle was fair game.


    "PLEASE! I MADE A MISTAKE! I WILL WORK FOR LIMITLESS! I WILL DO ANYTHING! JUST LET ME GO!"


    Despite his pitiful screams, I noticed that he was hiding a dagger behind his back. Ever since Possum gave me {Limitless}, I felt myself getting smarter. I also started to see and hear better.


    I didn''t even need {Imaging} to know he was up to something. And like everyone else who tried, he wouldn''t be able to kill me. I called my other MAC-11 from my subspace and pointed both guns at him.


    "Wai..."


    And pulled the trigger.


    As if dancing, the rain of 9mm bullets tossed his body around from the impact. Even though I knew where his soul gem was, I had yet to shoot it. Instead, I shot the tendons along his body until they tore apart.


    This cunt had a very good power.


    He could make people like him.


    According to Exa, it was similar to an incubus, or whatever that was. When I asked what it did, she told me that if I had it, I could make Possum love me even more.


    That alone got me interested. Still, he never tried using it on me. "You must be dumb as fuck," I concluded.


    Since I learned that soulgems could be turned into soulgears, I no longer killed just for the sake of killing.


    Possum needed a lot of power. He was crazy after all. So as his Sheila, I would get as many of those soulgears for him as I could.


    I put the Mac-11''s away and pulled out my favorite knives. The Phantom, injured all over, began to tremble when he saw me closing in.


    A dark shadow wiggled on his chest and slapped a pair of fat lips against it.


    {Sniff, Kitten! it''s me your beloved John! you love me, right? I''m hurt please help me!}


    [Lady Robyn, do not be fooled. This man has used his {Fate} {Irresistible} to steal wives or girlfriends from both humans and reapers. He then kills the women and sells their bodies to Trinity.]


    Not really giving a shit, I plunged the knife I held into his chest. Blood and guts spilled out as I ripped his rib cage apart. Weak from the gunshot, his bones broke with a few solid blows.


    {NO!!!! STOP!!!! PLEASEEEEE!!!!}


    I plunged my arm deep into his torso and ripped out his soulgem. The reaper stopped moving and became still afterwards. I then used my knife to fillet the remaining flesh of the soulgem and hid it in my subspace.


    "Ugh, I''m dirty again."


    The soulgem was lodged behind his lungs. When I pulled it out, a lot of blood covered my arm and spilled onto the highway.


    It was so bad that cars started slowing down to see what was going on. They saw a Sheila like me covered in red. Of course they freaked out.


    "Let''s go back. Bella, I''m done. Open a door. {Perspective} - Minerva."


    I felt her accept and opened a {Portal} in front of me, then walked through it. {Limitless} was a damn cheat. Being able to use so many {Fates} made the Sirens and me even better at killing people.


    "{Perspective}." Turning off the {Kismet}, I realized I was already in Ma''s house.


    When I saw Ma, Pa, Alana, and Bless all sitting on one side, I froze. I was covered in blood. What would they think if they saw me like this?


    Nevertheless, Ma approached me and patted me down, looking for any injuries. When she found none, she pointed to the floor and spoke.


    "Sit down," Ma said coldly.


    It was a weird feeling, I didn''t grow up with parents, but Noelle Simmons treated me like I was important. I thought it was bullshit at first, but she was just like Possum. She really had so much love to give.


    Every time she praised me or gave me a hug, I felt all tingly inside. Alana and Bless were the same way. Pa, though he hardly said anything, always patted my head with his rough hands. It didn''t hurt, but it felt soothing.


    Which was why I didn''t want them to see me like this. Possum was one thing. But his family didn''t know how broken I was. How broken any of the Sirens were.


    "Ma, I..."


    "Robyn. Sit down. You are not in trouble. Dipshit already told me the truth."


    "Huh?" I blurted out like a drongo.


    When I turned around, I saw the rest of the Siren''s all fidgeting in place. Everyone was covered in blood. If someone as stupid as me was thinking of collecting soulgems, they probably did too.


    I was glad I wasn''t alone. If the rest of Possum''s Sheilas were here, it meant I hadn''t done anything wrong. They were all as stupid as me.


    Taking my seat, I tried to make myself small. If this was a beating, maybe the other girls would be enough for Ma to get tired. Except for Bella, Aki and me, everyone else was fucking huge.


    "Girls, listen up. I am having trouble understanding, so instead of asking the people Dipshit sent to guard us, I am going to ask all of you. If you all have any love for my family, do not lie. Nod your heads if you understand."


    Wordlessly I nodded my head, and out of the corner of my eye I saw everyone else doing the same.


    "Okay. Are you all reapers too? And are you all going to this Hellsgate place to kill zombies? Just yes or no."


    "Yes." X7


    "Is the part about you all having to die to become a reaper true?"


    "Yes." X7

 Chapter 395: Heroine Chapter: The one I live for [2/2]

    "Tell me how and when. Liv, you go first," Ma ordered."Ma, I am from the land you call Antarctica, I died by a spear through the heart. It was in a battle royale to select warriors 9 years ago."


    Lilly went next. "Ma, I am kind of a bastard princess for North America. My wrist was slit by my foster grandmother five years ago."


    "Ma, I drank poison to end my life last June. I did it because I found out that my only brother died of a disease," Aki added. Read exclusive adventures at §Þ??


    Jo continued, " Ma, I was hanged by my family in June. M-My family came from a long line of knights who fought in Hellsgate."


    "I was hanged next to Jo as her maid. While I was her servant, I also came from a line of Reaper warriors," Jas followed.


    Bella then told her story. "I died trying to save my aunt from the bad guys. I was kind of blown up. It was just last June. My aunt is still safe and with Aki''s brother."


    Since I was the only one who had not yet spoken, I tried to tell my new family how I died.


    "I was killed by terrorists. I, uh, worked for them as long as I could remember. When I thought I could leave that kind of life behind, they shot me through the heart. It was also in June, I think?" I explained.


    When Ma heard our answers, she began to cry.


    "My poor daughters. I am so sorry you had to go through all that." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Overwhelmed with emotion, she threw herself at us, hugging each of the Sirens as she sobbed pitifully. Alana and Bless did the same. It felt strange to see something like that.


    It made me happy that she felt that way, but it was kind of useless, wasn''t it? They were hurt by the way we died? Was this what families were supposed to do?


    "Girls, I don''t know what this reaper business is, but I promise you one thing. I will always be in your corner. Don''t worry, I believe in all of you. Just like Dipshit, we are family. And family sticks together."


    Unconsciously, I started to cry like an ankle biter. Looking around, everyone else was too.


    "I want to know what will happen tonight. Who is Dipshit fighting and why are you all covered in blood?"


    The girls then spent some time answering our family''s questions. Even though we tried not to tell the whole truth, it eventually came out.


    "Okay, so Aki, Jo, Jas and Liv are descendants. Lilly is a half Descendant, while Bella and Robyn are first generation Reapers?" Ma asked in confirmation.


    "Yes." x7


    "And Aki tried to kill John the day we met?" Alana asked in a sullen mood.


    "Yes. I''m sorry, everyone."


    "And you girls have been guarding us ever since?" Pa followed up.


    "Yes." x7


    Bless frowned as she asked. "Everyone fights later too?"


    "Yes." x7


    "And you all just spent the last five hours hunting these so-called phantom reinforcements?" asked Ma coldly.


    "Yes." X7


    The sudden silence made me feel cramped. I had never experienced this before. When I was with the terrorists, everything was much simpler. You were beaten if you did something wrong. If you didn''t get beaten, it meant you did something right.


    Ma pinched the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes. Bless handed her a glass of water, which she drank in one gulp.


    "Thank you, Bless. Now, for the rest of you, I only have one thing to say."


    ''Here it comes. Would they tell me to do the Harry? Can I still be with Possum if Ma doesn''t accept me?''


    While I was thinking bad things, I felt Ma pull me into a group hug.


    "My precious daughters, you did very well. I am so proud of you."


    "Huh?" it was like my brain froze. Ma was ¡ª Proud?


    It wasn''t just me, even the smart ones went stupid.


    Probably seeing our reaction, Ma gave each of us a kiss on the forehead as she praised us warmly.


    "Listen, girls, anyone in your position would have kicked the bucket by now. Living is ten times harder than dying. And after everything that happened, you all fought as hard as you could.


    "I don''t know what your real parents would think, but I for one am so proud of each and every one of you."


    Dad smiled goofily as she added.


    "I feel the same way. Well done."


    "But Ma, Pa. We killed a lot of people, aren''t you afraid of us?" I asked confused.


    Then Noelle came over and wrapped her arms around me. The warmth of her body made me feel very comfy.


    "Robyn. Remember one thing. It is impossible to please everyone in this life. No matter what you do, someone will talk smack about it. So instead of living for someone else. Remember to protect what is most important to you.


    No one else will do it for you."


    She smiled lovingly as she stroked my cheek.


    "You did all this to protect your man, right?"


    "Un," I nodded.


    "Then if you did nothing and they killed Dipshit, how would you feel?"


    "I would probably kill myself if Possum was no longer around."


    Ma then pulled both of my cheeks and stretched them out.


    "Don''t talk like that when I''m here, do I make myself clear?"


    "Y-yes. It hu-rrts M-a!"


    Ma relaxed her grip and hugged me again.


    "Robyn, this life is yours. Nobody can tell you how to live it. People may offer advice, but in the end, you are still the one who chooses. Decide what you live for and protect it with all your heart. Do you understand?"


    I nodded as Noelle smiled happily.


    "That goes for all of you. Choose what you value and protect it. If you make a mistake or need help, we, your family, will be here to set you straight. So don''t worry so much and just ¡ª live."


    "MA!" x7


    Feeling like I had fallen in love with my mother-in-law, I buried myself in her huge chest. She was so fucking cool. The coolest Sheila ever born! Funnily enough, the other Sirens did the same.


    "US TOO!"


    "UN!"


    As we rolled around in laughter, Alana and Bless joined in. Pa looked at us with a goofy smile on his face.


    There was a knock at the door and a familiar voice.


    "My ladies, this is your servant, Aisha. Squad Commander Joshua wanted me to inform you. There are only three minutes left before the Sirens can join the Seeker war."


    Pa stood up quickly and opened the door, revealing one of Vela''s wolves. I didn''t bother to remember their names, so I just called this one ''glasses''.


    Bella stood up quickly and asked impatiently.


    "How many Reapers does the Savior have left?"


    "As of the current live stream, Patron has terminated the first three waves. That makes a total of 150 Reapers. 5 of which were Phantoms. But since the live stream is delayed, the number could be even higher."


    The Sirens helped everyone up and we made our way down to the living room. The members of the 2nd Amendment were watching the live stream on the TV.


    Noelle quickly hugged us all one by one without saying anything. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she remained firm and strong. She then bowed as she pleaded.


    "My wonderful daughters. I know I am being selfish. But please protect my son. I already lost him once. I cannot lose him again."


    Faster than anyone could, I moved and tenderly embraced my mother-in-law.


    "You don''t have to ask Ma. Family sticks together. We will bring him back. After all, he is the one I live for."


    Noelle continued to sob as Pa took her in his arms. After saying goodbye, the Sirens and I left for Hellsgate.

 Chapter 396: Here I come! [1/2]

    25 Phantoms. 25 motherfuckers who could survive a bullet to the heart or brain. There were also 25 Wraiths who were part of the reinforcements. I had somehow expected them to bunch up the heavy hitters in the last wave.Just 5 of the Phantoms managed to mess up my battle tempo. Granted, Spade and B-Ball were the priority targets I wanted to get rid of.


    "Why the fuck are Robert and Dominic here already?!"


    Not really expecting an answer, I concentrated on the fight. As Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday continued to blast the hell out of the third wave, I switched POV to Saturday.


    I took the BLR 81 and tried to find Robert. But when I looked into my scope, I saw a black spear coming at me!


    ''Shit!''


    I could not react fast enough. I felt a long object impale my torso. The pain was excruciating. Pushed back by the projectile''s momentum, I was thrown from the second floor.


    As my soul avatar began to go into shock, I was unable to switch POVs and died. At that moment, all of my remaining bodies felt our necks break. Helpless, we all crumpled to the ground in pain.


    The sensations were unlike anything I had ever experienced. Every soul avatar, including my original body, was unable to handle the sudden jolt to our brains.


    "This is bad, if I don''t recover. I am really going to die."


    For all its advantages, {Day by Day} had an immense weakness. By having seven different bodies, it multiplied all the nerves I could use to feel pleasure, but that was also true for pain.


    Since none of the soul avatars had their own brains, all the brain signals from seven different bodies went through only one mind. The effect was what just happened.


    The bodies shared sensations like ghost limbs. Even though only Saturday died, it was as if all of us died. And since I only had one brain, Sunday felt the brunt of it and shared the feelings with the surviving avatars.


    "FUCK! GET A GRIP! YOU ARE NOT DEAD YET!"


    Forcing my mind to clear all unnecessary thoughts, I quickly cycled through each body to calm them down.


    While Sunday was still fine, Wednesday began to hyperventilate from stress. Thursday, who had still not joined the fight, recovered at a much faster rate. Monday and Tuesday, while shaking, were still able to wield their weapons.


    "Okay, we are still in this. We''re okay. We''re okay," I repeated like a mantra.


    When I calmed down, I had Sunday check the corpses of the 3rd wave. I quickly found B-Ball and Spade and calmed myself. I saw what looked like a burnt body similar to the rubber guy. But the most frightening thing was that Vanish was not here.


    "Fuck!"


    With Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, I tried to look around the fort perimeter. I carefully tried to get the three of us to form a defensive circle. But suddenly I heard loud explosions from a nearby location.


    "The 2nd floor?"


    I quickly shifted my view to Thursday and saw a blinding streak coming towards me.


    "FUCK!" I cursed yet again.


    Reflexively, I squeezed the trigger of the M1014. 12-gauge 00 bucks fired in rapid succession. The streak moved randomly as it tried to evade my shots. However, it had little room to maneuver in the narrow corridor.


    I suddenly felt a stabbing pain in my collarbone. Despite the searing pain, I didn''t remove my finger from the trigger and aimed the M1014 at Vanish.


    Maybe because he enjoyed stabbing me for too long, he pulled back too late. A wave of buckshot slammed into his chest, knocking him backwards. My vision, already blurred from the loss of blood, stayed on him.


    With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I ran forward, still keeping the shotgun pointed at my opponent. Like a piece of meat, Vanish was shot again and again as pieces of him were torn from his body.


    A loud thud echoed as his torso finally hit the ground. Blood spurted from his mouth, nose, and eyes as he struggled to move. Shadows were already beginning to wiggle around his entire body, a sign that he was healing.


    "Kuwayhk! [Weak point targeting]." I chanted my combo skill as I vomited blood and approached.


    My vision saw that his soulgem was no longer on his body. Yet he was still alive! Weary from pain and exhaustion, I looked around and noticed a glowing object.


    Using [Eagle Eye], I saw that the glowing soulgem was an elbow. More specifically, it was an elbow attached to a severed arm.


    "What the fuck? Huff... Is that how you survived? You cut off your arm and threw it away? Huff."


    Unable to answer, Vanish continued to vomit blood as he struggled to move. From what I could see, his spine must have been broken, so he was already paralyzed from the neck down.


    It made sense. His strategy. A phantom''s body would recover as long as the soulgem was in one piece. Putting it on his elbow and then throwing it away was pretty smart.


    People who couldn''t see soulgems would waste time on his other body parts while the critical piece remained safe. I mean, who cares about an opponent''s severed arm? Only their lovers or followers would even bother to look for it.


    "If only you hadn''t met me," I said, already delirious.


    With nothing but adrenaline and will holding me up, I aimed the M1014 at the severed arm and emptied my magazine tube.


    Out of the corner of my eye I saw Vanish''s horrified face as his soulgem shattered. When it did, his head finally fell lifeless to the ground. As I felt relief, my body collapsed on the spot.


    It was ironic that Vanish had failed to kill me with one blow. Perhaps it was because he was in the midst of healing, but his knife probably missed its intended target.


    "This is bad, I have to unsummon Thursday..."


    I quickly switched back to Sunday and summoned my heavily damaged soul avatar.


    "{Thursday}."


    With the immediate crises resolved, I allowed my other bodies to relax and sought out my only ally.


    "Exa, what the hell was that? How did Saturday get speared from so far away? I don''t remember seeing such an ability."


    [It seems Savior has decided to imitate your approach to combat].


    "What do you mean?"


    [The spear that impaled your soul avatar was constructed from ten different {Fates}. {Clay} made the shape, and they then applied {Fates} that increased its momentum, aim, and weight, as well as adding curses that reduced armor, slowed reaction time and increased pain.]


    "Isn''t that fucking cheating!" S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [This is to be expected. In actuality, before seeing you in battle, hardly any Reapers would have thought of combining multiple {Fates} in the same attack.]


    "..."


    I didn''t know if that was a good thing, but I could understand why. Since most reapers were limited to two {Fates}, it was hard to even think that it was possible. Normally, people used soulgear to compensate for their weaknesses.


    The numbers in the graveyard marketplace showed that defensive {Fates} and Soulgear were naturally the priority. Hardly any of the reapers pursued combat roles if they had only support or defensive {fates}. This lead to the imbalance of combatants having purely offensive abilities.


    Savior was unique in that they weren''t even a real army. To put it bluntly, they were just a ragtag group of assholes. Trust was the key issue. Few would allow their {Fates} to be used without payment.


    The ones who could benefit from sharing their {Fates} were the Specter Assault Teams. But they had other problems that dwarfed the concerns of Phantoms like me. Although, even as a Phantom, I already had problems fending off malice.


    [As far as I can see, this combination of {Fates} was specifically designed to counter your ability to {Rewind}. The group that created it is an amalgamation of both Phantoms and Wraiths.] Discover hidden content at §Þ??


    "Well fuck! Anything else I should know?"

 Chapter 397: Here I come! [2/2]

    [Yes, two concerns need to be addressed immediately].Steeling my mind, I checked the weapons of my remaining avatars as I asked.


    "Alright, what are they?"


    [One is that similar to the first wave, this group has Wraiths that specialize in assassination. With the ability to become invisible, three groups of six left earlier and are currently scouting the fort''s perimeter].


    Finding it annoying, I quickly blinked my right eye to turn on {Imaging} - Thermal. I scanned the area to see if the scouts were already here.


    I tensed as I saw that my group was already surrounded by the scouts. Unlike the ones from before, they were not attacking, just staring at my trio of bodies. Not wanting to tip them off, I continued talking to Exa.


    "Okay, and the other thing?" Experience more tales on §Þ??


    [One of the Phantoms has the ability to transport objects to Hellsgate using his stomach. The Saviors are using some of the Wraiths as porters with his {fate}. Like a drug mule, whatever they were forced to ingest can be retrieved by killing them].


    "That doesn''t sound so bad."


    [A Phantom with a {Fate} called {Shrink} reduced the size of what appears to be a thousand corpses and fed them to the drug mules. They are now in the process of forming their ranks. Savior found a loophole and smuggled an undead army against you.]


    "..."


    As I listened to Exa''s words, loud explosions erupted one after the other. I could feel the M18A2 mines returning to my {Armory}.


    It didn''t take a genius to figure out what was coming next.


    [The same bodies have now been raised by the Machiavelli. And they are currently headed your way. They are also all wearing suicide vests filled with explosives.]


    "What the fuck..."


    Listening to Exa''s explanations, I knew the situation was dire. I moved Wednesday to come down from the second floor. I used Sunday to mark the positions of the scouts and prepared my other two avatars for battle.


    That is, until I heard a loud streaking sound making its way through the air.


    [Limitless! It''s coming for Tuesday! Please evade!]


    I see, so instead of getting into a brawl, they would take me out with artillery. This was while a horde of zombies blew me to kingdom come. It reminded me once again how fucking insane reapers could be.


    "{Day by Day}. [Inventory] Ebony, Ivory."


    I retrieved my soul avatars and switched weapons. My invisible scouts tense up. A moment later, a large spear tore through the wall I was hiding behind. The tip of the weapon passed by where my soul avatar had been just a second ago.


    If I hadn''t called him back, I would most likely have died again. But there was one good thing about having so many enemies. I could use them for cover.


    "Here I come! [Flash Step]!"


    Unless they were willing to kill their own people, the safest place to be would be among the Savior''s forces. It was darkest under the lamp. Not expecting my sudden acceleration, I slammed Ebony into a Wraith''s chest and pulled the trigger.


    A .45 ACP blew out the man''s soulgem the next moment.


    "Exa, watch my back."


    [ROGER THAT!]


    I picked up the body and threw it to a group of scouts. That was before I charged in the opposite direction.


    "HE CAN SEE US!" "FUCK! WASN''T HE SUPPOSED TO NO LONGER HAVE {KISMET}!" "The fucking spear didn''t work!"


    Ignoring their complaints, I executed the scouts around me with brutal efficiency. If I could command an army of soul avatars, using two pistols now felt like child''s play.


    "Ack!" "Run!" "Fuck!" "Get down!"


    Faster than they could react, I shot scout after scout without missing once. Due to the short, compact length of my weapons, I was engaged at extremely close range.


    Some used their {Fates} such as shields or swords. But I had a lot of tricks up my sleeve.


    "{Look away}." I commanded.


    Naturally, a shot to the back of the head followed. If my death resonance could stop a Specter for a second, then just how much more could it do for a bunch of fucking Wraiths?


    Even though I was dominating the battle, the sounds of a thousand footsteps approached me. Even though I had yet to kill all the scouts, I ran to the second floor.


    A familiar screeching echoed through the air as another savior spear fell from the sky. Ignoring the falling weapons, I tried to shoot the remaining scouts as I retreated. The ground began to shake as the zombies finally entered the compound.


    I switched weapons to the F90 MBRs and turned around. My fingers squeezed both triggers, which caused both rifles to roar to life. Unfortunately, the explosive vests the zombies had worn gave them something like body armor.


    Body armor could stop bullets for two reasons. One, they had the durability to withstand the force. Second, they had the mass to not be thrown back.


    It was a given that they would be heavy. Tanks could endure a beating for the same reason.


    Of course, no one would think of shooting anything explosive. Especially suicide vests, right?


    Wrong. Suicide vests were designed to be impervious to heat and pressure. That means these fucking things could be shot at and still not detonate.


    You needed something that burns at a higher temperature or a small explosion to make them go off.


    "Sucks to be you. I know better!"


    Without breaking my stance, I pulled the triggers of the two Steyr SL40s with my middle fingers. Two 40mm NATO high-explosive dual-purpose grenades fired from them on a collision course with the undead.


    With a muzzle velocity of 256 feet per second, they were pretty slow. But they packed a huge wallop of freedom. My grenades slammed into the kamikaze zombies, starting a chain reaction.


    "Sayonara, bitches! {Portal}."


    I created a small portal at my feet and dropped into subspace. I immediately created an exit portal on the second floor by the stairwell. Forcing myself to travel into the subspace, I exited to my destination, albeit tired.


    "Huff... Huff... Shit, I should... Huff... ask the Sirens for tips on these portals."


    Explosions continued to rattle the air. The structure I was in shuddered as the violent sonic booms struck its foundations. Considering how close the zombies were, they probably didn''t expect me to be able to make them go boom.


    If they thought I only had my Wraith arsenal, the M26 grenades would be the only thing that could detonate the zombies. But since those had a time delay, I would be swarmed even if I threw them. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The only reason I was able to escape the zombie horde was because of the {Portal}. And even though the leaked documents about me said that I could pull shit in and out of my subspace, there was nothing about me jumping into them.


    ''They probably thought I could only run or fly away. So the scouts and artillery were supposed to ground me or take me out as I fled.''


    With my back against the wall, I quickly pulled out a couple of burgers and ate them. Even though I had just used {Replace}, {Portal} had an insane stamina cost.


    If someone saw me right now, they would think I was crazy. From the shaking, they would assume that my place was being bombed by artillery or airstrikes. Yet I was enjoying a picnic, eating without a care in the world.


    "Chomp... munch... Exa, where is your Skydio drone?"


    [I hid it in the rubble overlooking the landing zone].


    "Good. Let me see it. Slurp...{Connect}."


    As I drank weizenbier to wash down the burgers, I tried to scout with Technopathy.


    I used Exa''s skydio to look at the landing zone and saw the Saviors.


    There were about ten bodies with their stomachs hollowed out and a pile of pills next to them.


    A couple of guys opened the pills and carefully dropped the contents on the ground. A few others were praying, and monster corpses appeared out of nowhere.


    "Fuck, really? Monsters?" As I scanned around, I saw Robert looking at me.


    I could barely react when the Skydio drone''s feed abruptly ended.


    [Limitless, I have good news and bad news.]


    "Hit me, bad news first."


    [The Skydio drone was destroyed.]


    "And the good news?"


    [The Seven Sirens have finally joined the battle. They will arrive in a few minutes]

 Chapter 398: Can’t get left behind! [1/2]

    [The Seven Sirens have finally joined the battle.]This one sentence spurred so many emotions in my body. Like a drug, a mixture of pleasure, excitement, and longing flowed through my veins. All the tension, anxiety and fear melted away like snow in the summer.


    The Seven Sirens.


    A group of women who were very different and yet cut from the same cloth.


    In the short time I have known them, they have given me many things.


    Trust. Peace. Love.


    They have been the refuge my heart has long sought. They were the strength that kept me going. And most of all, they were the blades that chose me as their master.


    Yes, the Sirens were not flowers in a garden. Though they looked like angels, they were in reality monsters. Ones capable of chaos and destruction. And they were dedicated to one thing.


    My absolute victory.


    Believing that I had to prepare the stage for them, I decided to scout the landing zone. This would be the place where they would arrive, so I should minimize the resistance they would encounter.


    "[Eagle Eye]. {Imaging} - X-Ray."


    Using my ability to see through walls, I peered into the landing zone where Savior had set up their camp.


    Aside from the Wraiths being used as scouts and mules, there were others running around like workers.


    There was a small stage where Dominic Maegester, the Machiavelli, and Robert Acwellan were standing. The moment I saw them, they both turned to me. Dominic was smiling disgustingly as he spoke.


    And even though I couldn''t hear him from this distance. I could lip-read what he said. Your next chapter is on M V L


    "Found you."


    I didn''t know if he was trying to intimidate me, but I just ignored him and stared at the Slayer. He wore a helmet and said nothing. But then he manifested a polearm on his shoulder and walked off the stage.


    His eyes, somehow glowing in the darkness, stared at me. Like a man possessed, it was as if nothing else mattered to him.


    Seeing the man who started it all, I clenched my jaw.


    My fists tightened as the fighting spirit within me began to rise.


    Finally... Finally, I had the chance to kill this fucking bastard. And unlike before, I would fight as an equal.


    {ALERT: THE BAN ON THE SEVEN SIRENS FOR ZONE 1121-1 HAS BEEN LIFTED.}


    The moment those words rang out, a large army of monsters corpses suddenly rose from the ground. And it wasn''t just zombies, I could see rank E giants and even a cyclops.


    "How many corpses have these bastards brought with them?"


    Then I noticed a group of reapers facing the landing zones. They suddenly manifesting large black spears in the air. A bunch of other reapers then started pouring souls into them.


    "FUCK! The girls will be in danger if those things hit them!"


    A moment later, a single skybeam for my girls finally arrived. The entire surroundings tensed as a figure formed under the blinding light.


    The zombies all began to rush towards the light as Savior sent three of the black spears towards my incoming reinforcements.


    "NOOOO!!!! {PORTAL}!"


    Even with {Block} I wasn''t sure if the girls could stop the black spears! I had to do something. Despite the danger of jumping into enemy territory, I created a subspace doorway and ran towards it.


    [My love, you worry too much. Trust me, for I am your shield.]


    I stopped just before entering and looked in horror at the landing zone. What I saw was something I wasn''t prepared for.


    A single figure emerged from the skybeam. Even without her flesh showing, her bright red hair danced like wildfire. Standing at an impressive height, the Siren was an imposing presence.


    Three seven-foot black spears raced to impale her form, which had not yet fully materialized. Yet she looked unperturbed. Joyful, even.


    Without concern, or even an ounce of fear, her lips formed a dazzling smile as she spoke.


    "{Shelter}."


    Suddenly, a semi-transparent wall of white light manifested beside her. All the spears slammed into the wall but failed to pierce it. Liv finally appeared in all her glory as she raised her hand.


    "{Accept}."


    A portal appeared behind her, and large black vehicles emerged. Obviously, it was Alfonso, but it wasn''t what I expected. The vehicle was the same, but fundamentally different.


    For one, there were three of them.


    The horde of undead running towards Liv suddenly turned into bloody zombie legos. Things happened so fast that the Saviors began to panic.


    [Limitless. Alfonso now pilots the three Ripsaw M5 UGVs]


    "The what?"


    Being stupid as hell, more and more zombies continued to charge towards Liv. Only to imitate fireworks as they were vaporized in real time. The M5s slowly came out of the portal and continued to rain freedom on the undead.


    "Those guns are fucking huge!"


    [According to their spec sheets, they are called the Protector Medium-Caliber Turret-30. It has a 30mm Bushmaster cannon and a 7.62mm M240 machine gun.] Exa explained.


    "30mm? 30 fucking millimeters?"


    You have to understand that a .50 BMG NATO round, which was capable of turning people into popcorn, was only 12.7mm. And the M5s were rocking 30mm Bushmasters.


    Just then, the voice of my favorite South American came to my ears.


    [Honey, it''s too soon to be surprised. Liv is not the only one who got an upgrade. Sabel, Henry, show your father what you can do.]


    [Sabel | Henry: Yes mother.]


    An army of MAARs followed. There were over twenty of them, and more were pouring in. Naturally, they laid down a barrage of 5.56 rounds and 40mm grenades that wiped out those around Liv.


    Savior''s Reapers were unable to get close and in fact began to retreat as Bella''s soulless army arrived. As if that were not enough, another portal opened in the sky and a swarm of black drones flew out.


    When I saw the drones, they looked familiar.


    "Mrs. Code, am I seeing right? Those are all Switchblades, right? And there are over 40 of them!"


    The Switchblades all fell like meteors, blowing apart the undead mobs. Some of them turned toward the reapers, who began to run for their lives.


    Needless to say, the combined power of the machines pushed back the undead horde. Just then, six figures arrived, all of them incredibly sexy.


    One of them came out with pink hair in a long braid. She had the curves of a porn star and pushed her glasses up.


    Bella originally had red hair, but now it was a lighter shade of pink. Despite the distance, she looked straight at me and continued to speak.


    [Witness our commitment, Mr. Code. Pamper us later as a reward. We still have an army to slaughter. By the way, you might want to close your eyes.]


    "Huh?"


    At that moment, I heard Jasmine''s voice.


    "{Flash}."


    Then, for no reason or rhyme, a bright light exploded outward. The source was my black-skinned lover who just arrived. It was so blinding that even after I closed my eyes, all I could see was white.


    In the midst of the eruption of blinding light, I heard a familiar voice. One I had also missed.


    "IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS! SEVEN SIRENS ANNIHILATE THE SAVIORS! OPEN COMBAT!"


    Even with my eyes still usable, I felt my girls all begin to attack the remaining Phantoms. The bodies that Dominic wanted to use as cannon fodder were being turned into aerosol by Bella''s army in real time.


    "{Regen}. I can''t get left behind! [Inventory] M1014."


    Inspired by the grace and ferocity of my lovers, I left the stairwell. My heart was filled with the support of the Sirens. If I had originally felt uneasy about the 25 Phantoms, now I felt like we were bullying them.


    I quickly made my way down to the edge of the fort. Because of the {Flash}, I could no longer use the {Portal} to jump to their location. So, I had to run.


    Somehow I didn''t encounter any zombies along the way. When I left the fort walls, I understood why.


    "HAHAHAHA! Robyn! Do it again!"


    "Do the Harry you nut job! I am busy! FIRE IN YOUR HOLE!"


    "Oh, come on! You''re no fun!"


    "Jo-san, please calm yourself¡­" S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 399: Can’t get left behind! [2/2]

    Three of my girls stopped the incoming wave of undead like a wall.Robyn threw grenades with one arm while shooting with the other. Her face was flushed and dripping with sweat. She looked like a goddess of war as she danced with no wasted movement.


    I didn''t know why, but her hair was now down to her waist. Since I had a thing for long hair, I found the change quite sexy.


    Next to her, Jo was smiling as she fought with the approaching undead. Not willing to just shoot, my Italian fought like John Wick. She kicked, body slammed and even smashed the undead with her AR-15.


    The joy on her face made you think she was having the time of her life. I was completely mesmerized by her beauty. Like the other girls, her appearance had undergone some changes. Her original platinum blonde hair was now radiant gold.


    While I was mesmerized by the change, Jo noticed me and chirped happily.


    "DARLING!"


    She ran to me like a child, leaving Aki and Robyn behind. It was an incredibly adorable gesture, but I was afraid the others would suffer.


    "Oy! BLOODY OATH! {CRUSH}!"


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    But Robyn suddenly raised her left hand and brought it down. As my Aussie invoked her new {Fate}. The zombies around her suddenly fell to the ground and exploded like fruit. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Despite making a bloody mess, It was a good thing their kamikaze vests didn''t explode. With the immediate area cleared, Robyn bought us a few minutes of peace.


    Despite the impressive feat, I saw my Sheila wobble as if she was about to faint. Fortunately, Aki grabbed her hand and supported her.


    "{Butcher}," my Japanese lover called out.


    A massive wave of souls from the dead zombies around us rushed towards Aki. Like a river, the energy traveled along her arm to Robyn.


    "Thank you, Aki." "My pleasure Robyn."


    Not sure what was going on, I stood still. A second later I felt Jo crash into me.


    "DARLING! I MISSED YOU!!!"


    I felt her soft body pressed against mine and hugged my European lover tenderly.


    "I missed you too Jo. Thanks for coming."


    "Hehe. Nothing in the world would have stopped us, you know!"


    Overwhelmed with affection, I gave her a soft kiss on the head. Surprised by my action, Jo made a beautiful smile but then suddenly turned into a serious one. A bloodlust erupted from her as she suddenly pulled out a 1911 and fired behind me.


    Confused by her change, I turned around to see blood drops floating in the air. Jo quickly got off me and shouldered her AR-15.


    "Aki, four targets. Invisible to even [Weak Point Targeting]. {Perspective} - Inari."


    My kamisan ran past us and held out her hand.


    "{Accept}, [Inventory] Blood river."


    Faster than I could understand, blood began to pour out of Aki''s hand. Like a fire hose, she doused four places with the red liquid. The seamless teamwork of the Sirens seemed almost telepathic.


    Four figures appeared as the blood settled.


    I couldn''t see anything beyond their outlines. It was similar to what I had done with the Undead Stalker during the enlistment.


    Before I could even ask myself how the hell I missed these people, Aki and Jo summarily executed them with shots to the head.


    Even after the reapers all died, none of my girls relaxed.


    "Jo-san."


    "That was all of them. I am not picking up any more with {Sonar}. We are in the clear. {Perspective}."


    Aki then gracefully walked over to me; she leaned in seductively and kissed my cheek.


    "Shujin. It is so good to see you. By the way, this is the only wave left. The Sirens and I took out all the supposed reinforcements."


    "Holy shit! Really?"


    Enjoying my reaction, Aki smiled sweetly as she pressed her ample breasts against my chest. Everything from her sexy voice to the way she smelled drew me in. Like a succubus, she had me trapped with no chance of escape.


    "Ara ara, do you not believe my words anymore, Anata? What must I do to make you believe me? Perhaps something with restraints?"


    "Um. I-I uh..." I stammered.


    "OY! POSSUM! THEY ARE BACK! STOP FLIRTING WITH THOSE SLAGGERS AND COME HELP ME!"


    Aki stroked my jaw with her fingertip as she giggled.


    "Fufu, too bad. Maybe next time. Robyn will get angry if we delay any longer."


    Then I felt my tie yanked to the left. Long, slender fingers grabbed my chin and made me face the owner.


    "Darling! What was that? Why don''t you act like that when I flirt with you?"


    Despite Jo''s interrogation, I had no answer. They were both beautiful, but they were different types, so to speak. The Italian sulked unhappily as she complained.


    "Aki, stop seducing darling! Look at him! He has turned stupid!"


    "Fufu, Jo-san. This is just the difference in our charms. You are at most a childhood friend. I, on the other hand, would be the one-night stand Shujin would never forget."


    Suddenly, loud explosions erupted around us, and I noticed that Robyn was once again throwing grenades like a major league baseball player.


    "FUCK ME DEAD! ANYTIME NOW YOU CUNTS!"


    "HAHAHA! Aki, what would Robyn be?"


    "Fufu, the tsundere loli? Or maybe the sister with a brother complex?"


    "Haha! I can see that! Darling! Do you think you can do incest?"


    Finding joy in killing zombies together, I replied without a second thought.


    "If you were my sisters, I probably would. Fortunately, I''m not related to any of you. So I don''t have to do such a thing."


    Reinforced by my harem, we covered each other''s blind spots as we pushed back the kamikaze zombies. Even though we had already killed boatloads of them, they still kept coming.


    "Exa. How many?"


    [Of the 50 Reapers in this wave. 20 Wraiths were terminated. 15 Phantoms have been eliminated by Lady Lilly, Lady Liv, Lady Bella, and Lady Jasmine. Currently only ten Phantoms and five Wraiths remain.]


    Holy crap. It had only been a few minutes since the Sirens arrived, and the battle was already turning in our favor. Ignoring the Wraiths, we only had to deal with ten Phantoms.


    Robyn yelled in frustration as she fought.


    "Exa! Why the hell are the zombies getting back up even without their heads?"


    [Lady Robyn, the undead are controlled by Dominic Maegester. As long as he lives, they will continue to rise. He is currently on the run from Lady Lilly. His guard of eight Phantoms are being attacked by the other Sirens.]


    "Ara, then we need to take out Machiavelli-san immediately. I believe a reshuffling is in order. {Perspective} - Minerva."


    Aki then leapt away from us and opened a {Portal}. Robyn and Jo suddenly turned and ran towards it. They both gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before they left.


    Through the same portal came Lilly and Jasmine. Both of them smiled brightly the moment they saw me. They came closer and gave me a loving hug.


    "Husband. My heart leaps with joy at our reunion."


    "I see you are in desperate need of pest control, dear."


    "Jas, Lilly. I am glad you are both safe. How is the other side?"


    "No time. We have a guest. Aki. Proceed as we discussed. Jas, support dearest as best you can."


    "As you command Lilly-sama." " Such is my duty as his wife."


    Then I felt a familiar soul signature. One that I hated with every fiber of my being. I turned and saw Robert Acwellan. The Slayer.


    All the muscles in my body coiled like springs at the sight of him. Energy and anger filled me as our eyes met. He walked leisurely, as if this whole war didn''t concern him.


    A soft hand gripped my clenched fist. Along with it came a mellifluous voice that spoke with both conviction and grace.


    "Dearest. Rampage as you wish. The girls and I will take care of everything else."


    "Thank you, Lilly. I will be back."


    "Yes, dear."

 Chapter 400: I came for yours too. [1/2]

    Humans were normally blank slates.Any infant born would normally have no concept of preferences of any kind. These were usually acquired as the person developed.


    Everything from what they found beautiful to what they feared. Such things came from one''s experiences. Bad ones even more so. If a child almost drowned at some point, he would begin to hate anything that reminded him of that event.


    The same thing happens when a person experiences fires, earthquakes, or just plain violence. If you asked me what I thought of Robert Acwellan when I was human, I wouldn''t say anything.


    If I saw his picture, I might have prejudices based on his appearance. If I heard him speak, I would probably have an understanding of his temperament. If I knew his past, I would be able to relate his experiences to my own.


    However, no matter what you learned, there was no better way to understand someone than to interact with them.


    Right now I was face to face with Robert Acwellan. What I knew about him went beyond what most humans would know. Unlike humans, reapers shared their greatest regrets and their greatest desires.


    That, after all, was what {Fates} were supposed to be.


    "It was Robert Acwellan. He was someone who had his entire village massacred. His rage created his {fate} {Blood Feast}. I only protected the group because of him. When I forgot my reasons and my rage, I left and just killed undead for a few years. The current members were all recruited by Robert."


    {Blood Feast}. A fate ranked as SMC. Which stands for S-ranked Manifested specialized in Combat. From what I saw when he fought Krishna''s guys, that was an understatement.


    Known as the Slayer, this bastard had no problem being outnumbered. I even shot him in the head and heart and he still held off four Phantoms. But it was not as if I was any different.


    Like him, I was anything but ordinary. I had fought one hundred and forty-five Reapers alone. I had just fought and killed five Phantoms. In the short time that was my second life, my results were just as good as his.


    And unlike him, I had already fought a Revenant and lived to tell the tale. If just surviving was a victory, I also fought four different Specters. No matter how you looked at it. He was no longer above me in any way.


    "I have come for your head, Limitless."


    With such an opening line, I smiled at his threat. Even if I might have felt sympathy for him knowing of his regret, he owed me 81 lives.


    80 Wraiths and 1 Phantom. That was the number of people who died when he tried to kill Krishna. The girls, Krishna, even the Yuddha Rakshas said it wasn''t my fault.


    But for me, that battle was my first failure as a Reaper. It cemented the fact that without power you cannot protect anything.


    ''As such, I will kill this motherfucker or die trying.''


    There was no other outcome.


    "Funny. I came for yours too." I replied with a smile.


    The moaning of a group of zombies came from my left.


    The sounds indicated that they were coming towards me. But I didn''t worry and kept my eyes on my prey. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As suddenly as the zombies arrived, the sound of thousands of bullets flying through the air followed. Of course, metal rending flesh also came after that.


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    Robert silently turned his helmet towards our surroundings. A loud shot sent a 7.62 NATO round towards the Slayer. The air around Robert''s face solidified as it blocked the bullet.


    "Whores have no place fighting among men," he commented derisively.


    Before I could even comment, Jasmine came forward and stood by my side.


    "I listen to no man but my husband. Fight as hard as you can, Reaper. For you will not live beyond the night."


    Seeing the fierce attitude of my sexy sharpshooter, I was smitten. Jas had a face similar to the one she had when she enlisted. It exuded pride, ferocity and immense beauty.


    These days I almost forget she could make such an expression. I have grown accustomed to seeing her loving and affectionate smile. I took a moment to store her proud and cool appearance in my mind before taking her hand in mine.


    "Wifey, come back for me later. For now, please help Aki and Lilly. Please? I have some things I want to talk to him about alone."


    My loving Kindred stared at my face for a moment before nodding softly. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, then she turned and rushed off to help the other Sirens.


    The Slayer said nothing and just watched. When it was just the two of us, I asked the question that had been bothering me all along.


    "Why?"


    "..."


    "With all your power, you could have easily joined the assault teams if you wanted to. Instead, you remained a Phantom and created an army of trash. Why?"


    The Slayer waved the heavy looking polearm on his shoulder before answering.


    "You talk too much."


    I guess he was right. I really did talk too much. Why bother to learn such things if it would not change our fate. Before the night was over, one of us would be dead. And we both knew it.


    "[Inventory] F90s. {Save.} So it would seem."


    "{Blood Feast}"


    At Robert''s command, the entire zone suddenly turned red. It was as if the moon suddenly turned into one of blood. The ground also turned scarlet.


    The hairs on my body began to stand on end. Such a reaction only happened with David and the Specters. This was probably my body telling me that I was in danger.


    "{Sanguine Armor}, {Carnival of the Damned}."


    It was like I was the boss in a video game, and my opponent was the players. He kept calling out {Fates} as part of his battle preparations. Maybe because I knew how it felt, I waited.


    Robert then smashed his polearm into the ground with a command.


    "{Dominic, do not interfere}."


    The zombies around me were being destroyed by Lilly, Aki and Jas.


    I could hear from the sounds of gunfire that they were blasting everything apart. Jas even used Sacred as flashes of light illuminated the red sky.


    The Slayer ordered his men not to interfere. It was unusual because it removed the advantage of having support. Did he think I sent Jas away for the same reason?


    ''Not that I''d complain if he did. But I am not stupid.''


    My instructions to Jas were simple. Kill everyone else and come back to help me. I didn''t have a problem with the Sirens being the one to kill the Slayer. Of course it would make me feel good, but such wishes were for children.


    The Sirens and I were like the hero party of a tactical role-playing game. No matter which one of us landed the killing blow, just getting through the stage would be enough. We won or lost together.


    Such was my mindset. All I wanted was for that bastard to die and for me and the Sirens to live. If he was acting out of some misguided sense of chivalry, I had no reason to follow him.


    Blood flowed from all around us towards the Slayer. Much like when he fought Krishna, the blood coalesced into armor and a cloak that enveloped his body.


    His deadly pole arm was similarly drenched in blood, morphing into a much more gruesome appearance.


    If you had told me he was some kind of Dracula, I would have believed you. Considering how much this bastard loved dramatic blood effects, they must have been related.


    With his preparations complete, he tucked his weapon under his armpit and extended his hand. Then he moved his fingers inward. This was the universal "come and get some" gesture.


    I took a deep breath as I moved to begin the battle.

 Chapter 401: I came for yours too. [2/2]

    "[Double Damage]."Grateful that he gave me the first strike, I raised both F90s and pulled both triggers on my Steyr SL40s. The energy of my combo skill poured into the 40mm HEDPs as they were launched.


    Robert spun his polearm to the left as a wall of blood suddenly appeared. My low-velocity grenades smashed into the wall, shattering it into pieces and erupting in a blaze of fire.


    "[Battering Ram]!"


    Without even waiting for the explosions to subside, I charged at him like an angry bull. Thanks to my superior eyesight, I could see the Slayer perfectly despite the bright glare.


    He spun in a circle, using his blood cape to cover his body like some kind of superhero. Although I admit that it looked cool, I had never heard of flair winning any battles.


    The blue cone of energy from [Battering Ram] collided with Robert''s cape. Similar to two walls being smashed together, sparks flew, but neither gave way. {Gather] alerted me to Robert''s changing stance.


    Having seen him fight before, I knew what to expect. Before polearms users could attack, they had to pull the weapon back like a pendulum. All the force generated by the swing increased the power and weight of the attack.


    The main drawback was that it took time to execute the arcs. Unlike simple swords, the polearm user had to be able to use his body as a fulcrum.


    Therefore, if one was skilled enough to know the attack patterns, one could prepare in advance. If polearm wielders like Robert failed to use the centrifugal force, their entire attack would be slow and weak.


    When the Slayer raised his right arm and lowered his left, I knew that the attack would come from low to high.


    "[Sky Walk]."


    Cancelling the [Battering Ram], I somersaulted into the air. Robert''s swing was too late as I completely avoided it. While still in the air, I aimed both of my bullpup rifles at his back and let loose.


    As if it had a mind of its own, his cloak unfurled and puffed out like a sail. My bullets bounced helplessly off the fabric of blood.


    ''This fucking thing reminds me of Doctor Strange''s cape.''


    {Gather} and [Eagle Eye] allowed me to notice Robert''s arms preparing for a mighty swing. I dropped to the ground and peppered him with 5.56 NATO in response. Unlike before, he couldn''t block all of my bullets, and they hit his chest and midsection.


    ''Ho? His cape can''t protect him from the front when he swings.''


    It made sense. All weapons had a range. Polearms and spears always required your opponent to be four or five feet away. If they were closer, you would have little time to maneuver. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "[Double Damage]. [Tank]."


    After that, I fired two 40mm grenades at close range once more. A thunderous explosion erupted, engulfing both of us. I squeezed the triggers of the F90s even as the shock waves and shrapnel from the explosion hit our bodies.


    Not wanting to miss the chance, I quickly blinked my left eye for {Imaging} X-ray. Robert, blinded by the blast, shielded his face and eyes. Of course, like me, both the shrapnel and my bullets ravaged his body.


    Thrown back, he crashed to the ground a few feet away. 5.56 rounds continued to blast him before he could get up. Scorched by the explosions, I recharged {Suffer}.


    "[Inventory] BLR 81, 7mm Remington Sacred."


    Even as my body burned, I changed the magazine of my lever action and loaded Sacreds. I immediately cocked the lever and took aim. If he thought I would give him a single chance to counterattack, he was sorely mistaken.


    "[Double Damage]."


    Without any additional words, I shot three Sacreds one after the other. I could see some blood trying to protect him, but in the face of overwhelming power, none of that mattered.


    Three shooting stars struck the Slayer. As our position was engulfed in Blessing energy, I switched weapons.


    "[Inventory] FT5, HCAR."


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    Manga and anime made fun of main characters when they stopped an attack to check the results.


    The so-called flag. Asking "Did it work?" or some variation of it practically guaranteed that your opponent would survive.


    I was not stupid enough to believe in such nonsense, but I only believed in the American way.


    "There''s no kill like overkill."


    If your enemy didn''t die, it meant one of two things. Either you didn''t use enough bullets or you didn''t use a big enough bullet.


    I pulled the trigger on the FT-5 when I locked on to Robert''s position. Having {Code} when using targeting systems was very useful. Instead of hoping the software would recognize the target, I could force it.


    Not to be left behind, I hip fired the HCAR and rained .30-06s on the same position. I continued my full attack on the Slayer''s body. Right now I could see his bones. That was why I knew he was still there, despite the smoke.


    {Vendetta.}


    Despite the loud explosions and raging in front of me, a fierce, piercing sound shrieked through the air. {Listen} allowed me to hear the object in advance. Ignoring the damage, I continued firing and called out a combo skill.


    "[Tank]."


    Unfortunately, a fast object slammed into my shoulder and suddenly threw me back to the ground. Surprised that all of Liv''s {Fates} were overpowered, I quickly tried to get up.


    "Exa, that attack..."


    [It was a lance made of fortified blood. The lance flew at a speed of 914 mph, or Mach 1.2. The power of the projectile broke through {Block}, {Withstand} and {Endure}. I recommend not to be hit by such an attack again.]


    "..."


    I switched my weapons back to the Benelli M1014. Just from that one shot, I knew I would lose if I fought him at medium range. It has to be in close combat or super close.


    My shoulder was fucked beyond all measure looked gruesome. It was fortunate that my {Fates} managed to protect me. As I endured the grenades at close range, I was in agony at the moment. From the pain all over, my flesh was probably charred and disgusting to look at.


    "{Regen}"


    The pause in our attacks finally allowed the air to clear. Robert stood up shakily as he turned, bleeding all over. He had the appearance of a being made of blood; he made his way towards me in silence.


    His armor was in tatters and his black bones were visible. His helmet also shattered. Instead of a human face, there was a skull without flesh or skin. Without even eyeballs or a nose, he looked like a skeleton monster from video games.


    "{Transfusion}"


    Red lights shone where eyeballs should be as his manifested polearm reappeared in his hands. Then I noticed something I hadn''t expected.


    The blood that was still dripping from my body suddenly flew towards him. With my blood, his torn armor began to rebuild. I winced in pain as the blood felt like it was being forcefully ripped out of me.


    ''Well fuck.''


    It seemed that no matter whose blood it was, the Slayer could use it. Fortunately, he didn''t seem to be able to use my blood to attack me or anything like what I read in manga and anime.


    Robert then clicked his tongue as he turned to look at me. I didn''t need to know why he seemed angry. After all, I was just buying time.


    I never intended to defeat him alone from the beginning.


    Seven figures lined up next to me. Their soul signatures and beating hearts made me elated. A pair of soft lips kissed my cheek. Then came a voice full of majesty and nobility.


    "Dearest. The Savior army save one has been terminated. May we please assist you?"


    "Of course. Thank you all for coming. Time to end this. Lilly, if you please."


    "In the name of Limitless. Seven Sirens, annihilate the Slayer! OPEN COMBAT!"

 Chapter 402: Really angry [1/2]

    Faster than a pack of wolves, the Sirens sprang into action. Jas and Lilly rained lead on the Slayer as Liv, Jo, Aki and Robyn charged forward. Bella remained by my side as she gestured for her army to begin their assault.Seeing their fervor, I knew I had to know what they were up to before I joined the fight.


    [Limitless connected, Welcome to the Minerva Network]


    [Members online: Minerva (Admin), Henry, Alphonso, Sabel, Ishtar, Rhiannon, Vela, Satis, Freyja, Inari]


    [Minerva: You all saw earlier, right? Despite being blown to kingdom come, this bastard still didn''t die. This was even after he was blasted with Sacreds.]


    [Satis: I cannot find his soulgem, he might have found a way to conceal it].


    [Ishtar: Phantoms have always been resourceful in hiding their soulgems. Press on! We will find it eventually.]


    [Freyja: I will keep him occupied, I leave the rest to you all.]


    [Inari: Jo-san, we will try to probe his defenses. Robyn, we leave the final blow to you.]


    [Vela: Awww. Do I have to? Tsk. I wanted to fillet this fucking piece of shit for a long time already! Jailbait switch with me!]


    [Rhiannon: Get stuffed nut job, none of your {Fates} have anything on {Crush}.]


    Running like a well-oiled machine, I didn''t know if my girls were like this because of training or natural talent.


    Ask any gamer and the way they fought an army and a boss was obviously different.


    I had seen the Sirens fight armies many times before, but this would be the first time they would all attack the same enemy.


    As I was about to join in, a soft hand grabbed mine along with a sweet sounding voice.


    "Honey. Do you trust me?"


    "I do," I replied immediately.


    "Then please do not join the fight. Until I tell you to."


    "But! I..."


    "Please, honey. It is important. You are our trump card. Watch our fight and learn. Okay?"


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    "...."


    Robert, undaunted by the Sirens, began slashing the air. Like a video game character, red energy shot out of his polearm like projectiles and assaulted my girls. Before they could connect however, orange portals opened and swallowed them all up.


    Dazzling comets of light raced toward the Slayer in response. The air around the Slayer solidified to block the 7.62 Sacreds. The walls of blood shattered like glass, but somehow the bullets missed.


    In the next instant, Liv charged with [Battering Ram] and crashed into our opponent. Despite her size and momentum, the Slayer stopped the Northerner in her tracks.


    Twisting his weapon he began to bash her with heavy swings. Liv fended him off with her shield and the 1887. Liv used as the shotgun as both a club and a gun.


    Two figures came from above and to Liv''s left. Both concentrated their weapons on Robert''s left elbow and right shin. Unfortunately, his cloak moved again, shielding him from their attacks.


    It was only then that Robyn jumped over Liv''s shoulders as she brought a dagger down.


    "{CRUSH}!"


    With his arms pinned by Liv, Robert braced himself to take the dagger. But despite the small size of the blade, it struck his shoulder with such force that Robert was forced to the ground.


    As she let go of her weapon, my Sheila and the rest of the Sirens separated from him. Black drones suddenly swarmed him en mass. Devastating explosions followed as over thirty switchblades bombarded Robert.


    Despite being connected to the same network and knowing their plans, I still couldn''t keep up with my girls. Their battle senses went beyond just {Fates}.


    No one said anything about Bella sending the Switchblades. But the moment Robyn knocked him down, everyone else was already retreating from the Slayer.


    Lilly didn''t explain that she would deal with our opponents'' counterattacks. But it was obvious from the speed with which the melee fighters moved that they expected her to.


    As I watched the explosions that had yet to cease, the Sirens brainstormed again.


    [Vela: Well, that was fucking useless. Anyone got anything?]


    [Rhiannon: His body''s not that tough. It felt like a normal person.]


    [Freyja: Aside from his resilience, he seems weak? Even the warriors who shared lifespans before were more difficult to defeat.]


    [Satis: I don''t like this... Something''s wrong...] S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Minerva: I know how everyone feels, but what choice do we have?]


    [Ishtar: Bella, have the children keep him occupied, we need to think of a plan.]


    [Inari: Everyone, make sure you eat snacks. The new {Fates} all use up a ridiculous amount of Stamina.]


    Alfonso and Henry started unloading everything they had onto the Slayer. Regrouping, the Siren and I continued to discuss ideas.


    [Limitless: Everyone, can we pool what we have of Robert''s {Fates}?]


    [Ishtar: His most famous ability is {Blood Feast}. It turns the area he fights in into his personal space. Here he gains the ability to control blood.]


    [Vela: The 2nd {Fate} he has is {Sanguine Armor}. Any blood at his disposal can be hardened to create walls and armor. The amount he uses determines its effect.]


    [Inari: From the reports, his 3rd ability is {Carnival of the Damned}. An endless buff that increases his damage and speed the more blood he spills.]


    Up until this point, these were the abilities we were able to find. The Phantom abilities that the Slayer had were rarely reported because he left no survivors after acquiring them.


    [Minerva: I analyzed his fight with Honey from the beginning. His next skills are {Transfusion}, which heals his injuries. And {Vendetta}, which is a damage-return skill.]


    [Freyja: If it''s similar to my {Counter}, why hasn''t he used it yet?]


    [Satis: Be careful, we only know five skills. If he is at level 6, he should have one more. [Weak point targeting] doesn''t detect any soul gear. Nor does he have Kindred.]


    [Rhiannon: Why are you all so worried? We have [Autoload]. Even if he tries, it''s very hard to kill us!]


    Although Robyn''s words were true, I still felt that we were missing something. The difference in the ferocity of how Robert fought now and during the Krishna''s fight was like night and day.


    ''Is that because we have become stronger? No, he was highly evaluated. It must be something else.''


    The main difference between now and a week ago was that Robert was able to farm blood because more than fifty Wraiths died to his blade. Unlike now, where he has yet to take a single life.


    Maybe that was the reason? Not being able to stack {Carnival of the Damned} made him weak? I was about to express my observations when something wet hit my face. It was similar to rain, but I smelled a metallic scent.


    "Blood?"


    I wiped my cheek and saw red. The speed of the downpour increased as we were bathed in red. The Sirens and I all looked up as we scanned the sky for the source of the rain.


    Only to find a huge ball of sanguine liquid. But then we suddenly felt Robert''s soul signature change. It quickly began to increase in depth. In less than five seconds, what my soul sensing detected had already left the ranks of the Phantoms.


    "Fuck me dead! Is this for real!" Robyn yelled.


    Jasmine shook her head. "He''s ascended, no. He was hiding his true power the whole time. I didn''t think it was even possible."


    "WOW! NOW I CAN BEAT HIS ASS WITHOUT RESTRAINT!" an Italian chirped in delight.


    A message then echoed in my mind.


    [Mithridate class 2 poison detected. Poison neutralized by {Digest}. All {Fate} loans have been purged.]


    "Bella."


    "Not yet. My children! Take him down!" Bella roared.


    [Alfonso | Henry | Sabel: Yes Mother!]


    Just then, even under the fire of 30mm Bushmasters, we all saw the Slayer rise. His cape, which grew longer, covered his body like a guardian.


    The MAARs, Switchblades, and Ripsaw M5s all marched up and pummeled the Slayer with everything they had. But the next moment he jumped into the air.


    In response Lilly and Liv ran forward like Olympic sprinters.


    "LIV! HURRY!" "I KNOW! [BATTERING RAM]!"


    "Tsk. {Blink}," Lilly invoked.


    She suddenly appeared next to one of the M5s.


    "[TANK]!"


    The American Princess cast my strongest defensive skill on Alfonso''s Micro Tank. But something fell from the sky and cleaved it in two!

 Chapter 403: Really angry [2/2]

    "{Guillotine}," the Slayer said in an emotionless voice.He then spun to slash at Lilly but was blocked by Liv. Like a baseball batter, Robert attacked again with a side slash that tore through her defenses.


    Despite the hit, My Northerner raised her shield and held on.


    "{Shelter}!"


    [Minerva: Every one attack! His strikes are stronger than even {Block}. Liv''s in danger!]


    Twelve portals opened around Robert, unleashing a hail of gunfire. The blood cape once again deflected all 5.56 rounds perfectly.


    "FIRE IN YOUR HOLE! {CRUSH}!"


    A {Fate} powered M26 grenade exploded at our opponent. A blast much more powerful than a normal M26 knocked Robert back.


    "{FLASH}!"


    In the next second, a blinding light turned the world white. Although I could not see, my ears picked up three figures rushing towards Liv and the Slayer.


    [Minerva: Everyone, push him as hard as you can! Sabel, take any openings you see. Alfonso, Henry, support the Sirens, sacrifice your platforms if necessary!]


    Unable to keep up, I cast {Imaging} - X-Ray, but it did not help.


    I heard the sounds of fierce battle as I waited for my vision to return. Unlike normal explosions, I still couldn''t see despite using {Imaging}. When I tried to move, Bella''s hand violently retrained me.


    "HONEY! NOT YET!"


    Gunfire erupted from all around me as the main target shifted. I sensed a large number of souls in the air. Proof that a fierce battle was taking place beyond my sight.


    ''Fuck, everything is happening too fast!''


    As I worried, I felt a pleasant weight pressing against my chest. A soft pair of lips pressed against mine. Soon after, a playful tongue entered my mouth, and down my throat..


    This kind of affection belonged to Bella alone. I responded in kind, enjoying her kiss as much as she did.


    [Minerva: Honey, we cannot win this alone. Please reconstruct {Limitless} with our new {Fates}. That is the only way we can stand against a Specter. Exa will guide you with all we have learned.]


    A new {Fate} downloaded into my brain along with the {Code} family of {Fates}.


    After saying her piece, Bella suddenly pulled away and separated from me. My vision finally returned, and what I saw made me shudder.


    All the M5s were in flaming wrecks. Likewise, more than half of the MAARs were no longer moving. Each was impaled by a long spear of blood.


    But that was not what made my blood boil. The girls were in extremely bad shape. Robyn lay unconscious on the ground, her right leg missing.


    Jasmine was slumped against a wall, a spear stuck in her shoulder preventing her from moving.


    Robert pulled Jo''s hair and slammed her face into the ground. Lilly had no arms, but she was still opening portals and shooting. Bella charged at the Slayer with [Battering Ram].


    Liv cried as she stabbed the 1887 into our enemy''s flank. A large, brilliant comet shot into the sky, obliterating half of the Slayer''s body a second later.


    However, he continued to fight, even though large portions of him were missing. Furious beyond all reason, I was about to join the fight when a pair of hands wrapped around my waist.


    [Inari: Shujin, please do not blame yourself. The Sirens made this plan to win. We had too little information about the Slayer. So instead of wasting your {Replace} charges, we decided to learn everything for you.]


    "Aki. I''m really pissed off right now. My girls are in tatters and it is not my fault?" I complained out loud.


    My Asian lover turned me around and kissed me. When I saw that her shoulder was about to fall off, my anger rose even more.


    [Inari: Anata, the Siren exists to bring you victory. If we survive at the cost of your life, it will have been for nothing. We have already used our {Rewind}, but we have learned everything. Please forgive our selfishness.]


    Unable to contain my dissatisfaction, I savored Aki''s lips rather fiercely. When I confirmed that I had received her {Fates}, I pulled away.


    "Use {Replace}."


    "I hardly have any souls left."


    Annoyed, I kissed her soulgem on her collarbone. After sending the souls for {Replace}, I gave her a hickey on her neck.


    "Use {Replace}. Now." Find your next read at M V L


    Blushing scarlet Aki nodded meekly. After she rewound the ninja was about to go into battle. Worried, I grabbed her wrist to stop her.


    "Will you be okay, Kamisan?"


    "If it''s just to hold him off, there is no risk, Anata."


    "I''ll be there soon."


    Nodding, Aki left. I quickly went to help Jasmine. I invoked {Carry} on the spear and pulled it out. My Wifey''s face relaxed as the blood spear separated from her body.


    Not wasting any time, I took her lips and expressed my dissatisfaction with my kiss. At the same time, I gave her souls for {Replace}.


    [Satis: Husband...I''m sorry.]


    [Limitless: I don''t want to hear it. After we win, I will punish you all so you will never do this again.]


    Not resisting at all, Jas obediently accepted my passion. After reclaiming the {Perceive} family, I bit her lips lightly in irritation.


    "Jas. I love you, but I am really angry with all of you."


    "We know, husband," she replied nonchalantly.


    I grabbed her ass roughly after she used {Replace}. She made a flushed face as she sent me to the others.


    Aki''s arrival allowed Jo and Lilly to retreat. Bella, although physically the weakest, was also fighting desperately. I hurried over to Robyn, who had just come to her senses.


    "Fuck me dead! That hurts! Bloody ass cunt! Oh...um, hi Possum." S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When she noticed I wasn''t smiling, she became visibly sad. I helped her up and pressed my lips to hers. As we shared a lustful kiss, she tried to apologize.


    [Rhiannon: Possum, I...]


    I didn''t bother to answer, instead nipping lightly at her ears.


    "Ahh! Possum! Not there!"


    Robyn moaned seductively, trying to escape my affection.


    "Use {Replace}. Now. I will punish you tomorrow."


    If she had cat ears, they would be visibly drooping. But knowing how much I cherished her, she nodded without a fuss. She rewound in perfect health and promptly left.


    As I watched her, two more people arrived.


    "Darling." "Dear."


    "Shut up."


    At my stern rebuke, both Jo and Lilly frowned unhappily like children. I turned and forcefully took Lilly into my arms. Since she was currently badly dismembered, it hurt my heart to see her pitiful state.


    I forcefully kissed her, which she accepted. As I licked the insides of her mouth. I commanded her with {Connect}.


    [Limitless: Use {Replace} now, Lilly. I will vent tomorrow.]


    [Ishtar: But... Dearest, it was for you.]


    "I DON''T FUCKING CARE!" I roared out loud.


    Unable to control my expression, I saw Lilly''s hurt face. I hugged her tenderly. Then I expressed my frustration in a softer way.


    "I was afraid, Lilly. That I would lose you. Anyway, we will talk later."


    "O-okay."


    When I felt the downloads for Lilly {Fates}, I let her go and waved to Jo. The Italian approached as timidly as a mouse. Her face was badly bruised, but she didn''t seem to have any major injuries.


    I raised my arms and she ran into my chest. We shared a brief but passionate moment. Seeing how miserable she looked, my heart softened and I stroked the hair on her head.


    "Jo, I am angry, but I still love you. Please help your sisters. I will take over after I talk to Liv."


    "Yes, Darling."


    Knowing that time was of the essence, Jo and Lilly rushed back into battle. When the girls didn''t try as hard to kill Robert, they somehow didn''t take as much damage.


    I used Lilly''s new {Fate} and moved towards Liv. Probably knowing what would happen next, she backed away on her own and made her way to me.


    "My love."


    Without answering, I pulled her towards me and took her lips. Granting that she was taller than me, I forcefully grabbed the back of her head a bit roughly.


    More mature than the others, the Northerner said nothing more and simply enjoyed our brief tryst.


    When I reclaimed her {fate}, I pulled away from her and spoke.


    "Tomorrow."


    Understanding my words, Liv blushed scarlet.


    "Time to end this."

 Chapter 404: Anything else? [1/2]

    I was too lax.Even though I knew how dangerous the Slayer was, I grew complacent.


    While I didn''t mind getting hurt, it was unacceptable to see my girls copying my actions. Even if they were better at fighting than I was. Even if I was inferior compared to them.


    "I refuse to accept this."


    The more the Sirens grew, the more I saw the gap in our abilities. I was basically an imposter. Unlike the girls who trained in constant combat since childhood, I only started after I died.


    Aside from Robyn and Bella, the rest were either full or half descendants. I could blame genetics, I could even blame circumstance. But those who never took responsibility would never grow.


    As long as you blamed others.


    The actions of others would have power over you. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That was one of the major problems with socialists. Instead of working to improve their lives, they blame everyone else.


    "It''s the economy''s fault." "It''s the president''s fault." "I came from a divorce." "Trying my best isn''t working." "I grew up without parents. "I was bullied and abused as a child. "I came from poverty."


    Such statements may have been true. And one''s circumstances would certainly have left many fearful, betrayed, and hurt. But nothing lasted forever. Not the good times and certainly not the bad.


    I was weak. So fucking weak that my women would rather get themselves dismembered and beaten up than let me fight. There was no greater shame for a man.


    When I saw my girls in such a sad state, I was angry at them. I was angry at Robert. But most of all, I was disgusted with my weakness.


    If only I was stronger. This would never have happened.


    If only I had more power.


    If only I could fight better.


    Most people would stop there.


    But not me.


    I have already died once. I had nothing but regrets. I refuse to carry any more when I die as a reaper. So I needed¡ªchange.


    ''Accept what you cannot change. Change what you cannot accept.''


    I saw this in a book once and it stayed with me.


    I could not change the way I was born. I could not change what the Sirens went through. I could not change how powerful the Slayer was.


    But everything else? I could.


    I refuse to accept that I remain weak.


    I refuse to accept that the Siren''s must continue to suffer.


    I refuse to accept that the Slayer was more powerful than I am.


    So I must change.


    "Exa."


    [I am here, Limitless.]


    "Do the {Fates} understand how I feel right now?"


    [They do.]


    "Tell them to begin."


    [They said it would hurt. Much more than ever before. The more {fates} you force into you, the worse it will be.]


    "I don''t care."


    [They said you will die.]


    "Probably. But that is what {Replace} and {Rewind} are for."


    [They ask how you can still be like this after all this time.]


    "Tell them I was stupid from the start."


    [They unanimously agreed that only you could be stupid after eight lifetimes.]


    "What? Wait! What does that ..."


    [{Kismet} Reconstruction has begun.]


    At that moment, I felt every cell in my body begin to burn. However, I didn''t want to worry the girls. So I gritted my teeth and tried to keep quiet.


    "Ugh."


    It was even worse than when Saturday died on me. The burning sensation was like nails being forced through my blood vessels. My muscles tightened as if I was being beaten with sledgehammers.


    "Bleagh!"


    Blood gushed violently from my mouth. A ringing sensation pounded in my head. It made me want to go crazy. It continued as if a drum was being beaten in my brain.


    My vision turned red as I felt more blood coming out of my eyes. It was also dripping from my nose and ears. Fortunately, I was already covered in blood, so my suit was already filthy.


    [Limitless, the preparations are finished. The real thing begins now. Good luck.]


    ''Well fuck. I thought it already did.''


    A click sounded and I experienced hell.


    "ARRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!"


    It was indescribable, relentless and unbearable.


    But as my mind started to drift away. I tried to remember.


    Why I was experiencing this pain. Why I had willingly chosen such hardship.


    It came back to the Sirens.


    Then to my adopted family, the Simmons.


    Finally, I remembered what it felt like to die alone in the street.


    The bitterness and grief that consumed me then was worse.


    Yes.


    Dying for no reason was worse than all of this.


    That pain meant one thing. That I was changing.


    That I could get better.


    So I would continue.


    Until I could no longer.


    I don''t know what happened after that, but eventually I woke up to Exa''s soft whisper.


    [My Lord. It is time to wake up].


    I opened my eyes and noticed that I was completely naked.


    However, my body felt extremely light. As if shackles had been removed from me. When I tried to stand, I felt tremors under my feet.


    Hearing the source of the conflict, I turned and saw the Sirens holding Robert at bay. Despite the man''s best efforts, the girls wouldn''t allow him to leave. Like a dance, the Sirens sealed the Slayer in a cage of bullets and steel.


    "Exa, how long was I out?"


    [You were reconstructed for ten minutes.]


    "Tsk. {Rewind}. Exa, show me my status."


    ___


    Name: Limitless


    Race: Reaper | Rank: Phantom | Origin: Artificial Descendant


    Souls available: 43,202 | To evolve: 75,000


    {Fates:} {Auto} |{Save} | {Rewind} | {Reload} |{Regen} | {Replace} (4)


    {Fate} loan expiration: 8 D


    {Limitless} Status: Deactivated


    {Kismet} 4/10 : {Limitless} v.3 | {EXA} v.3 | {Armory} v.2 | {Bestow} v.1


    Skills: {Blink} | {Flash} | {Portal} | {Program} | [Vengeance] | [Strike] | [Inventory] | {Shelter} | [Analyze] | [Overdrive]


    {Programs]: [Autosave], [Autoload], [Filter].


    Settings:


    [Mind Slot]: [Wizard] | [Cyborg] | [Commander]


    [Spirit Slot]: [Assassin] | [Hunter]


    [Body Slot]: [Knight] | [Berserker]


    {Kindred:} Minerva | Inari | Satis | Rhiannon | Ishtar | Vela | Freyja


    Soulgear: {Day by Day}


    ___


    "..."


    As expected, there were a bunch of new skills and reorganizations, but what struck me the most were the new Race and Origin fields.


    Race didn''t mean American or Caucasian. It literally meant race as in whether I was human or not. And as I understood it, instead of human it now said Reaper. Origin, on the other hand, was not so simple.


    "Exa, explain my origin."


    [With the help of 50,000 souls, the {Fates} have improved every aspect of your body. Descendants are created by infusing a soul into a person''s cells. What happened to you was similar.]


    Continue your saga on M V L


    "So I am a descendant now?"


    [In a sense. This change is different from the soul surge you feel when you ascend. Ascending as a Reaper boosts your soul, but your origin boosts your body.]


    "Is it permanent, or will it disappear the next time my {fates} are erased?"


    [The change is permanent. Think of it as the {Fates} of the Sirens combining with your body.]


    "Got it. Then explain other changes. Start with the settings."


    Observing, I noticed that the settings had switches that I could flip to the left or right. Since I had no machinery inside me, it must be just a symbolic representation.


    [Based on the battle data collected by the {Fates}, they concluded that...]


    "Exa. Talk to me as if I were five."


    [Jack-of-all-trades bad. Specialization good. Too many {Fates}. Turn some off as needed. Three switches. One class per switch.]


    "Got it. Explain the classes."


    [One class for Mind.


    Wizard - Smartest. {Fates} cost less, can fly.


    Cyborg - Smarter. Talk to PCs, has radar and imaging.


    Commander - Smart. For {Day by Day}]


    [One class for Spirit.


    Assassin - Fast. Quiet. Detection. Hits hard.


    Hunter - Never misses. Detection. Hits very hard.]


    [One class for Body.


    Knight - Durable. Strong. Wall. High armor.


    Berserker - No armor. Stronger. High pain tolerance. Heal from kills].


    "Got it, and I can use a total of three and switch between them?"


    [Yes].


    "Can I go all in one class?"


    [Yes. Tell me which one and we go into overdrive mode. If only one class is activated, it will increase its chosen abilities.]


    "Okay, is there anything else I should know?"

 Chapter 405: Anything else? [2/2]

    [Yes. First. My level-up allows me to control your soul avatars and issue simple commands. Second, the armory now allows me to replant mines on defensive spaces that you have marked]."Wow. That''s good. Can I use it now?"


    [No. You have to manually plant each mine before it can be recorded].


    "Guess I should have expected that."


    I turned to see the Siren fighting Robert. It was obvious that the Slayer was trying to reach me.


    Lilly was using her {Fates} to keep him from leaving. Liv took the lead in blocking his pole arm while everyone else attacked him. I knew I had to hurry, but it would be wise to take the time to plan.


    "Exa, can you get my soul avatars the ability to use {Fates}?"


    [No. If you want to gain that ability, you have to level up the soulgear itself. As an original soulgear at level one. You can still upgrade it.]


    "I see."


    [In truth, I was going to suggest it to you myself. The current settings for {Day by Day} cannot be used if you do not upgrade it].


    "Okay. How do I do it then?"


    [You can do it similar to how you would upgrade a soulgem. Touch it and command it to evolve].


    I removed the soulgear from my neck and examined it with [Analyze].


    [Analyze] was a new combination skill that inherited the legacy of [Weak point targeting]. When used on an object, it would show me its information. If it was an enemy, it would display information along with their weaknesses.


    "[Analyze]."


    ___


    Name: Sierra Richards (Original)


    Race: Reaper | Rank: Wraith | Origin: Human


    Soul capacity : {Fate} 1/2 | {Kismet} 0/1


    Available Souls: 250 | To evolve: 400


    {Fate}


    1. {Day by Day} Lvl 1 | Cost: 1 | Owner: Self


    {Kindred}: N/A


    {Kismet}: N/A


    Soulgear:


    ___


    It was quite sad to see such a short status page. For one Sierra, Pixie''s mother managed to gain 250 souls. That was about 12 Normies. She successfully awakened as a reaper, but died soon after.


    I touched the face of the necklace and spoke to it.


    "{Day by Day}. Give your soul avatars the ability to use {Fates}, even just passive ones. And I don''t mind if you don''t regenerate avatars, but use souls to create them instead."


    Controlling some of the souls I had at hand, I sent them into the Soulgear and ordered it to evolve.


    "Evolve."


    The soulgear glowed with bright colors for a while before suddenly fading. When I used [Analyze] a second time, the soulgear gave me a pleasant surprise.


    ___


    Name: Sierra Richards (Max)


    Race: Reaper | Rank: Wraith | Origin: Human


    Soul Capacity: {Fate} 1/2 | {Kismet} 0/1


    Available Souls: N/A | To evolve: N/A Discover hidden content at M V L


    {Fate}


    1. {Day by Day} Lvl 3 | Cost: 1 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Promoted to Manager}, {Return to office}


    {Kindred}: N/A


    {Kismet}: N/A


    Soulgear:


    ___


    "Thank you, Sierra. I will protect your daughter as long as I live in exchange for your help."


    [Limitless, be sure to select your classes before invoking the Soulgear].


    "Right. Let me see. [Commander], [Assassin], [Knight]."


    I put my soulgear back on my neck and used it. As my vision split for the Conference HUD, I quickly noticed how much easier it was to control each avatar.


    And unlike before, they all felt the same. The uncomfortable feeling of switching to or from Sunday was gone. Controlling them like RC cars, I had them do calisthenics for a few minutes.


    "Exa. Command one of them."


    [What should I make them do?]


    "Be creative."


    Then Monday started shadowboxing in place. It was a strange feeling. I could feel the sensation of throwing punches, but there was also an unknown force moving my body. Specifically Monday''s.


    "This is too weird. How many can you control? What else can you do?"


    [I cannot control them to speak. I cannot make them use {Fates}. Whatever I want them to do, I have to see and feel it with your body first.]


    "You mean if I learn how to cartwheel, that would be the only time they would learn?"


    [Yes. And there is a delay in my actions. When the soul avatar is moving under your commands, I cannot move it].


    "I see, then complicated battles or instructions are a no. Can you make them lay mines?"


    [Yes. I have seen you do both types, so I can control them to do that. Although it would take twice as long.]


    "I guess it is what it is. [Inventory] Armory."


    Exa''s help before I learned how to fight with my avatars would have been useful, but it came too late. But I could still use them like squad mates or party members in Bioware RPGs or something.


    I cycled through each soul avatar and had them take back their old loadouts. It was so cool that I could now keep pumping Soul Avatars even if they died. The only thing I would need would be Soul.


    [Limitless. Please use the soul avatars carefully. When you used [Analyze], I noticed that there was a price to pay for the soul avatars to be able to use {Fates}. Unlike before, the death of an avatar will damage you whether you control it or not.]


    "Well, fuck."


    I shuddered as I remembered the pain and suffering I experienced when an avatar died. I didn''t even get to test using them as kamikazes. It was a shame that I couldn''t now.


    With my preparations complete, I cycled through all of them to approach the Siren and the Slayer. Then I asked for the information the Sirens had sacrificed themselves for.


    "Exa, tell me everything the Siren''s learned."


    [Am I talking to you like you''re five?]


    Amused, I chuckled as my AI gave me a light jab. "Yes, please do."


    [Understood. The Slayer gets stronger over time. He has a {Fate} that turns him into a Pseudo-Specter. His most dangerous ability is {Vendetta}.]


    I remember hearing that word before a blood spear came at me at the speed of Mach Fuck! It broke through {Withstand}, {Endure}, and even {Block} all at once.


    [Vendetta is like {Counter}. But it cannot be blocked, evaded, or diverted even with {Portals}.]


    When I heard Exa''s conviction, I felt my stomach turn. For her to know this meant that my girls had tried to do all three. And that was how they learned this information.


    [Vendetta has a 3 minute cooldown. The timer is individually based].


    How many times did the girls have to be hit with {Vendetta} to know it to the last second? Gritting my teeth, I grimly listened to Exa''s explanation.


    My girls have paid for this in blood. And just like I killed the Slayer''s army. I will repay this debt sevenfold.


    [The next skill to note is {Transfusion}. It blocks active {Fates} from being used for 5 minutes. It cannot be dispelled even if a new {Fate} is re-ingested. Passive abilities are unaffected.]


    "I see."


    I didn''t even notice such an effect because the Sirens stopped me from fighting after Robert used {Transfusion} on me to heal himself.


    [Next is {Sanguine Armor}. The cape on his back defends automatically. It can defend from multiple directions, but it cannot defend when the Slayer attacks.]


    I noticed this myself. I was able to shoot him when I attacked him mid-swing.


    [{Carnival of the Damned}, on the other hand, is not a buff, but a series of attacks that get stronger with each hit. It can be intercepted as it is executed. Robert suffers a strong backlash when that happens].


    "Does {Vendetta} take the backlash into account?"


    [Yes. The backlash is quite strong, as Lady Lilly and Lady Robyn were dismembered by their respective timed strikes. Both were the ones tasked with forcing {Carnival of the Damned} to stop.]


    "I see. Anything else?"


    [{Blood Feast} collects blood in the sky, which is why the moon turns red. Aside from being used by the Slayer to poison everyone once before, the Blood Moon has no purpose.] S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Got it. Thank you, Exa. I''ll take it from here."


    [Fuck him up. My lord.]

 Chapter 406: I would enjoy it [1/2]

    As my army of avatars all ran toward the ongoing battle. I began to make plans.It was funny when you think about it. I didn''t tell anyone, but I had yet to evolve again, despite the Seeker War. While I had no hesitation in evolving into a Phantom. It seemed that I had some to become a Specter.


    For one, I learned from Connie about the price of death for Specters. As if that were not enough, I also learned from Pixie and Delroy about the sheer cruelty of reapers.


    Cutting my ties with humanity was easy. But what if one of the Sirens died? Could I bear to forget them? Xander, Raymond and even Zach showed how powerless we were.


    Unconsciously, I found myself hesitating to evolve. But there was a ray of hope. It was Isolde''s revelation that Mike was Tristan.


    Most dismissed her words. But for me, who already entertained the idea of reincarnation, it was proof. The Sirens seemed to have been a part of my life before, and while I wasn''t sure at the moment, I was sure that I would be sharing it with them in the future.


    Wrestling with such thoughts, I became disgusted that I wasn''t able to evolve.


    But in complete contrast to me. The Sirens all evolved to the next level. And like dutiful Kindred, they all offered me their new abilities.


    "I fucking well don''t deserve them. [Wizard]".


    I shifted my mind setting to the one that specialized in casting {Fates}.


    "{Shelter}."


    Using Liv''s latest {Fate}, I created armor for my seven bodies. It consisted of a breastplate, armguards, greaves, and a helmet. Exa''s breakdown of the new {fate} allowed me to fully understand it.


    ___


    {Shelter} - Improved application of {Block}. Produces soul armor that can absorb 36 megajoules of impact before breaking. No longer requires a medium and can be molded into any shape. Requires Stamina in addition to Soul.


    ___


    {Block} could only be applied to the body or a medium such as a shield. {Shelter}, on the other hand, was like clay. It could be molded into a wall or a protective armor.


    My army began to glow as our bodies were covered in durable plating. It was extremely light and had almost no weight.


    [Wizard] reduced the cost of {Shelter} from 800 souls to only 400. In this mode, I was also able to understand {Shelter} and mold it to my needs. Of course, it was not because I was a fucking genius, but because of my new mind classes.


    All my mind settings had {Calculate}. Bella''s newest {Fate} increased my brain power. If my brain was a single CPU before, {Calculate} turned me into a quad-core.


    According to Exa. {Calculate} turned Bella from a single CPU into an octa-core. No wonder the army at her disposal grew by leaps and bounds.


    "Exa, tell the Sirens to retreat."


    [Understood].


    The only problem with [Wizard] was that I could no longer connect to machines. I had to use [Cyborg] to do so. But technically, I didn''t need technopathy as long as Exa was around.


    "{Withstand}. {Hike}. {Crush}."


    I cast {Fates} as my army and I ran. Then we all began to loading Sacreds. Due to the enthusiasm of the saints, our Sacreds were growing rapidly in number with each passing day.


    Right now, we had no worries about using them. However, the girls told me that I should not rely on them. It was good to use the blessed rounds a trump cards. But if my entire battle plan was based on the Sacreds, I would be screwed the moment they didn''t work.


    Of course, the Sirens never intended to kill Robert. They wanted to learn from him. That was why only Jasmine shot the blessed rounds, even though they all had Sacreds.


    It was very funny. For most people, our fight was a matter of life and death. To the girls and I, it was just for training.


    Finding an enemy that we could go all out against was extremely difficult. Therefore, we all wanted to gain as much experience as possible.


    But there was a limit. For me, it was when that fucking bastard touched my women. My blood raged just remembering their pitiful state before.


    "I''m going to fuck you up so bad you''ll wish you were dead."


    When I noticed the girls all staring in my direction, I began my plan.


    "Exa, give {Limitless} 3.0 to the Sirens as soon as you can."


    [Understood. The Sirens say they will assist].


    "Tell them if they do not leave, our honeymoon is canceled."


    The moment I said these words, all the Sirens suddenly froze. It was so endearing because even as I approached, I could hear their grumbling.


    "Exa, Beloved said that?"


    "Goodness, dear is being unfair!"


    "Fuck me dead! Possum, you are being stupid!"


    "Ehh...but I want to fuck darling..."


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    "Honey is such a bastard!"


    "Husband bad..."


    "Ara. Everybody focus... But it''s not like I don''t understand you all. Shujin is being a little..."


    Smiling, I tried to calm them down with our Pseudo-Kindred connection. I started to think about how much I loved them and sent it along.


    "Exa. Say these exact words to the Sirens."


    [My Lord. Your harem is already miserable. Just switch to [Cyborg] and tell them yourself. You are making me the bearer of bad news.]


    I didn''t know why, but the longer we fought together, the more human-like Exa became. Right now, I could feel the frustration and resentment in her voice.


    "Haha, don''t be like that. This is something only you can do."


    [... Very well. Please begin to speak.]


    "My precious harem, the ones who hold my heart. I will keep him busy. Please search for his soulgem. The seven of you are the only ones who have my complete trust. I am stupid, so I cannot do this alone. Please help me.


    I need all of you."


    If you thought about it. It was the most obvious solution. When you battled humans, most believed that beheading or impaling a reaper through the heart would be enough.


    Unfortunately, what was important to a reaper was not its head or its heart, but its soulgem.


    From my fights with Phantoms, these bastards were sneaky. Vanish literally threw his soulgem away from his body on purpose. Who was to say that Robert wasn''t the same. If he could survive being turned into confetti, blowing him up more wasn''t the answer.


    And sadly, even with [Wizard], I couldn''t think of a way to kill him. So I will make use of the wits of my women.


    ''Plus, giving them a task will prevent them from thinking that I just want them on the sidelines.''


    I knew it would be fruitless to waste bullets just to blow the Slayer to kingdom come. But I had unlimited ammunition. And I wanted to hurt this bastard. So even if it was useless. I absolutely wanted to fuck him up.


    "And I would enjoy it."


    The Sirens all began to back away from the Slayer. Probably surprised, Robert kept his guard up as he shot the girls with blood spears. I was about half a mile from him. I deliberately didn''t go all out to conserve the stamina of my soul avatars. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I raised my hand and called for Jasmine''s newest {Fate}.


    "Alright. Show time. {Flash}!"


    At that moment, a bright light erupted from my outstretched hand. Originally, I thought {Perceive} was for eye powers, but it turned out to be a {Fate} that revolved around light.


    Eyes were the way to perceive light. So the first three abilities of {Perceive} were all focused on the eyes. But as it gained levels, it began to shift outward. {Flash} did one thing. It removed the ability to perceive light by making a huge ass flare.


    Of course, my avatars were not exempt. Not just Robert, everyone who saw {Flash} would go blind. However, the loss of sight was not enough to render my army of avatars helpless.


    Using Saturday, I got down on one knee and fired a 7mm Sacred at Robert. I didn''t know if it would hit, but for now, just catching him off guard was enough. Even though I could not see, I knew exactly where he was.


    My six other soul avatars continued to run. The body settings could be considered variations of {Thief}, my old {Kismet} class. [Assassin] used {Dampen} and Jo''s {Program}. [Silent Steps] to allow stealthy movement.


    Unlike {Thief}, both [Assassin] and [Sniper] had {Counter}. Therefore, Exa explained that they could hit hard and really hard respectively.


    After taking command of Sunday, I began our battle.


    "[Commander], {Blink}."

 Chapter 407: I would enjoy it [2/2]

    I blinked behind Robert as I brought Ebony and Ivory to bear. I aimed for his shoulders and squeezed the triggers. Two .45 ACP Sacreds came out of my gun barrels.The immense power of the blessed bullets came forward.


    Still, I knew Robert was on the move. Even though he was shrouded in absolute light. The rest of my avatars joined the battle. How could we navigate under the effects of {Flash}?


    It was because of {Sonar}, of course. Jo''s latest {Fate}. I didn''t know if Jas and Jo decided to use their abilities in tandem or not, but their new {Fates} worked extremely well together.


    Jo showed it earlier when she took out the Savior''s invisible scouts.


    If {Flash} made sure people were blinded. {Sonar} made sure you could find everything even if you were blind.


    It uses sound waves to map your surroundings like echolocation. But instead of using vibrations through the air, it used souls.


    This detection was independent of the reaper''s intent. Thus, unlike soul sensing, which could be blocked, {Sonar} was something you couldn''t hide from.


    Under the combined Sacred barrage of Sunday and Saturday, I had the others move.


    {Flash} only lasted three seconds, so we had to make the most of it. Contrary to my expectations, Robert didn''t stay still and charged at my incoming Soul Avatars.


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    "Exa, have Sunday and Saturday cover us."


    [Understood].


    I had Monday and Tuesday fire at the Slayer as they separated to the left and right. Of course, they also shot Sacreds. Anyone who knew how much a single Blessing costs would faint at the way I used them.


    It was then that {Flash} finally ended. Taking command of Thursday and Friday, I charged at the Slayer. Wednesday followed soon after. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Under fire from four of my avatars, Robert''s cape covered him like a globe. Unlike normal bullets, the Sacred tore through {Sanguine Armor} like paper.


    "After all, I used {fates} on the bullets. {Butcher}."


    {Withstand} would increase penetration. {Hike} would make the bullets travel faster. And Robyn''s last fate, {Crush} would make them heavier.


    What would happen if a bullet flew faster, had more mass, and was harder than normal? Of course, bullets that defied common sense.


    As my rounds damaged the Slayer, my stamina was replenished. This was Aki''s {Fate}, {Butcher}. It regenerated the stamina from anything damaged by {Carve} which in this case was anything I shot.


    But I was not done yet. If even lighter .45 ACP and 5.56 NATO could do damage with my improvements, what about heavier rounds?


    As the {fate} rounds began to tear chunks out of the Slayer, I charged with Thursday and jammed the M1014 into the sphere protecting my opponent.


    "Keep the change."


    A loud explosion echoed as the 12-gauge 00 buck shattered Robert''s defensive {fate}. Pellets flying faster than normal showered his torso. Not wanting to give him a chance to retaliate, I kept firing.


    As {Sanguine Armor} disappeared, I piloted Friday and shouldered the HCAR. Approaching, I unleashed a powerful stream of .30-06 rounds. At that close range, I blew him away.


    My vicious stream shattered the armor around his body once again. Unfortunately, the Slayer was no easy opponent.


    "{Vendetta}!"


    Suddenly, like a grenade, a red wave blew out with the Slayer at the center. Thanks to [Assassin], I was quick enough to prepare my soul avatars for the attack. I had them protect our faces with the {Shelter} armor.


    What looked like shrapnel pelted Friday and Thursday. Despite our proximity to the powerful explosion, we were not knocked back. Meanwhile, Saturday and Sunday were both hit with long blood spears.


    I was able to move Saturday''s head, so I was only grazed in the neck. Sunday unfortunately had both his right eye and ear taken out. Monday and Thursday both took damage from smaller, faster spears.


    Everyone was injured, but no one was out. After all, we were in [Knight]. In addition to {Shelter}, [Knight] used Liv''s entire family of {Fates}. It made my body as resilient as the Northerner''s.


    On top of that [Knight] used {Crush} defensively. {Crush} increased our weight, turning us into makeshift tanks. Even though I had {Endure} before, if the power of the attack was greater than a tank round, I would be sent flying back.


    But now? My soul avatars had the mass of a car. And what''s even better, all the damage we received charged our {Suffer}.


    After we all recovered from the attack, I had everyone but Wednesday resume our barrage.


    When Robert stopped trying to defend, he started swinging his polearm. Undaunted, I used Wednesday to get into his attack range.


    "{Carnival of the Damned}"


    This was why I had Wednesday lie in wait. Unwilling to let his skill begin, I swung the FT5 like a massive club. As I covered the launcher with {Shelter}, it glowed like a manifested weapon.


    My strike broke Robert''s stance.


    At the same moment, Friday and Thursday lunged and tackled him to the ground. Both of them concentrated on simply pinning the Slayer''s arms. Thursday ate a knee to the sternum while Friday got a head butt to the skull.


    "Cowards," Robert snarled.


    Despite his counterattacks, we did the job. Due to our increased weight, he couldn''t shake us off despite his strength.


    With him pinned, I had Wednesday mount him like an MMA fighter and smash the barrel of the FT5 on his head.


    "And I should care?" I mocked.


    At this distance, the 95mm HEAT would not be able to arm its warhead. But it would still have a muzzle velocity of 900 ft/s. That was slow compared to normal guns, but then again, a single 95mm warhead weighed 12 pounds.


    Without remorse, I pulled the trigger and fired a rocket like a shotgun. A powerful impact shook the ground, turning the Slayer''s face, head, and shoulders into paste.


    {Vendetta}


    "Oh fuck!"


    Like a porcupine, blood spurted from every inch of the Slayers'' body. Friday and Thursday had only minor wounds, but Wednesday was impaled from the balls up.


    As I piloted Wednesday, it hurt a lot. I felt like I wanted to die.


    I vomited blood by the bucket. My whole body, impaled like a pin cushion, couldn''t move. The blood spears pinned my limbs. Because my origin was no longer human, I was in pain, but I hadn''t died.


    ''I think I''ve made a loophole in {Day by Day}.''


    I went to Sunday and unsummoned Wednesday. Feeling that this battle was coming to an end, I directed Sunday and Saturday to come closer to the melee.


    Commanding Friday and Thursday to rise, we grabbed our weapons and began blasting the headless corpse on the ground. The shadows quickly began to rebuild his body, but we didn''t care.


    Thursday concentrated on his right arm, while Friday focused on his left. The Slayer''s limbs were so shot up that everything below the elbow was gone, and his arms looked like Swiss cheese.


    {Vendetta}!


    Just like Wednesday, Thursday and Friday ate a jungle''s worth of spears and stood like statues. It hurt like hell, but not as much as before. Due to all my defensive fates, I only ended up getting stabbed.


    My body burned from the pain, I couldn''t breathe, but I didn''t need to anyway. My tempering earlier proved only one thing. It took a lot to break my spirit.


    "{Thursday} {Friday}," I called out.


    Monday and Tuesday came next.


    They dumped everything on Robert''s lower body. Using 5.56 Sacred enhanced with {Fates}, we shredded them into confetti.


    I had my last two bodies join in and together we shot round after round at what was left of the Slayer.


    Then I suddenly saw my girls firing at the moon. They all fired into a {Portal} and Lilly sent it into the sky.


    "What the hell?" I exclaimed in disbelief.


    {I guess this is my limit. You asked early, why? Let me show you.}


    At that moment, the blood moon in the sky suddenly exploded. The large amount of blood suddenly evaporated, covering the entire area with a fine red mist.


    Unconsciously, my entire body began to tremble. All four of us. When we looked up at the sky, instead of a moon, a massive being that looked like a monster was slowly descending.


    "Because {Blood Feast} has only one purpose. To summon a demon," the slayer declared menacingly.

 Chapter 408: Welcome to the Idiots [1/2]

    {ALERT: AN S-RANK GREATER DEMON HAS ARRIVED IN ZONE 1121-1. THE SEEKER WAR HAS BEEN SUSPENDED. WARP RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN LIFTED}My teeth began to chatter as fear and unease made me want to run.


    But as the creature in front of me kept its eyes on me, I knew escape was impossible.


    {PLEASE EVACUATE THE ZONE IMMEDIATELY! THIS IS NOT A DRILL.... ALERT: AN S-RANK}


    Despite the announcements with souls, I found myself rooted in place.


    "Get a fucking grip, John," I whispered to myself.


    Clenching my fists, I tensed my muscles to drive out the fear. According to my soul sensing, this... whatever it was had the soul depth of a low-level Specter.


    The monster was even bigger than a fucking cyclops. The biggest thing I have faced so far was a level E undead monster with one eye. It was over 25 feet tall, but it was heavy and slow.


    "Exa. How big is this fucking bastard?"


    [You can use [Cyborg] and scan it with {Imaging} - Holographic].


    I followed her words and saw the monster as a 3D image. Like a model in a video game, I could measure and inspect the thing from all angles.


    "Have I always had this ability?"


    [Yes. It comes with {Imaging}.]


    For the record, the monster was exactly 58.1 feet. It was as big as a fucking Gundam! I then tried to get more information.


    "[Analyze]."


    ___


    Name: Andromalius the 72nd


    Race: Demon | Rank: Greater Demon | Origin: Corrupted Reaper


    ???: ?? ?/? | ??: ?/? Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ???: N/A | ???: N/A


    {Fate}


    1. ??? Lvl ? | ??: ? | ??: ?


    2. ??? Lvl ? | ??: ? | ??: ?


    3. ??? Lvl ? | ??: ? | ??: ?


    |


    |


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    99. ??? Lvl ? | ??: ? | ??: ?


    100. ??? Lvl ? | ??: ? | ??: ?


    ???: N/A


    ???: N/A


    ___


    "..."


    The sheer size of the bastard''s status page made my jaw clench. It took a few seconds to scroll through it''s status. Yet apart from his name and race, everything else was useless.


    I kind of resented being compared to this thing. I could use what, 8 {Fates}? And if I used Manifested {Fates}? I could use maybe 3. This bastard, on the other hand, had over 100.


    ''100 {fates} just how fucking insane was that?''


    Andromalius had a humanoid body with extra features. He had a pair of bat-like wings on his back and octopus tentacles on his mouth. His entire body looked like it was made of jagged rocks mixed with reptilian scales.


    As if that were not enough, his claws look ridiculously huge. Similar to the ones you would see on dragons. He also had extra appendages that looked like scorpion tails. They protruded from his back and forearms.


    Fearing the worst, I quickly called for my girls.


    ''Sirens. Come to me.''


    In a split second, the girls all used {Blink} and appeared behind me. Happy that my harem was all accounted for, I checked their vitals. I noticed that all seven girls were silent.


    They all looked terrified, and I could sense it from our pseudo kindred connection. Rather than reassure them with words, I would do so with actions.


    I chased away my own fear as I walked forward.


    "Andromalius. Why the fuck are you here? You are invading the North American Battlefront. Leave. Or be killed where you stand."


    Sometimes acting like a complete asshole was the fastest way to get your nerves under control. With my harem present, I could not afford to cower. No matter how I felt, if I didn''t stand my ground, we would all die.


    "HAHAHAAHA! Magnificent! Even though your body is shaking like a leaf, you display such courage! Have human reapers always had such backbone? The ones I ate all begged for mercy or went insane."


    The demon''s loud voice boomed like a thunderclap. His words, even without a soul, made me flinch uncontrollably. It was like a lamb cowering before a wolf.


    It was buried deep in my genetics. And I couldn''t stop myself from being afraid.


    ''Fucking pathetic,'' I chastised myself.


    I mean, the sheer size of this fucker was enough to be intimidating, and if you added the power and depth of its soul signature, anyone would understand that we were already in deep shit.


    Andromalius'' face tentacles all shook as if to express his amusement. While still in [Cyborg], I sent a message to my harem via technopathy in the Minerva Network.


    [Limitless: Everyone. The zone has been opened. You can all warp out now. I order you all to run at once. I will keep him busy.]


    But what happened next was both something I expected and yet managed to surprise me.


    Liv moved forward undaunted and began loading sacred 10-gauge shells into 1887.


    [Freyja: My love, if you expect me to obey such a ridiculous command, you are a fool. You can cancel the honeymoon for all I care, I am not leaving. We die, we die together.]


    Robyn and Jo took positions beside her as they also switched their magazines to Sacreds.


    [Rhiannon: Possum, I promised Ma I would bring you home. I will do it even if I have to kill ten of these fucking wankers.]


    [Vela: Darling, I can''t have a honeymoon without my man! We still have to have a threesome with Jas! Don''t worry about it! We got this!]


    [Satis: Jo! What the hell are you saying?! And husband, punish me all you want, we will get out of here together or not at all.]


    Jasmine walked over to my soul avatars, sulking unhappily. Aki also moved to the opposite side as she HK slapped the MP5SD. A seductive smile that seemed to tease not only me but the rest of the Sirens was on her face.


    [Inari: Ara Ara, Shujin. Why don''t we run away together and leave this mess to the others? If everyone is so eager to fight, why not let them? Let''s have a great time exploring each other''s bodies on our honeymoon instead, just the two of us.]


    [Minerva: Aki, stop being a depraved slut. Also, you guys are all idiots. This thing is a demon, you know? There are hardly any IRIS reports of them being defeated. Especially for a greater demon from the Ars Goentia.]


    [Ishtar: You say that and yet here you stand, Bella. The dissonance between your words and your actions are comical. Make up your mind. It is unsightly. Dearest, much like before, you now stand as a Phantom before a Demon. When will your recklessness ever cease to amaze?]


    Behind my soul avatars, Lilly changed the pig''s ammo belt while Bella looked to the west. As I tried to follow Mrs. Code''s line of sight, I saw a large convoy of UGVs approaching.


    [Limitless: So you say, but weren''t you the one who added a Rank D Undead Brute and an Undead Stalker in the same enlistment? Sometimes I think you and Administration wanted everyone to die back then.]


    [Vela: I know, right? It was complete bullshit!]


    [Satis: Jo and I later found out that the normal opponent during an enlistment was only a Rank E Giant, Cyclops, or Spikedog. Judging by such an insane standard, the North American battlefront is run by lunatics.]


    [Freyja: I completely agree. It was a miracle that anyone survived. Who was it that chose those bosses? What would Administration have done if no one had passed?]


    [Rhiannon: Possum was the only good thing that came out of it.]


    [Inari: Hmm... I think having two rank Ds for Wraiths was a bit much. Even if the White Guard was present, it would have defeated the purpose if no one managed to survive.]


    [Minerva: Though, if you look at it objectively. It all started with the July Enlistment. I mean, Honey aside, the rest of us wouldn''t have survived long enough to get to this point.] Find your next read on M V L


    [Ishtar: Actually, I was against the whole thing. But the one who decided was a Revenant. The White Guard wasn''t supposed to be deployed at all. I negotiated to reduce it to two Rank D''s. Still, I am quite happy.]


    [Rhiannon: The fuck is there to be happy about?]

 Chapter 409: Welcome to the Idiots [2/2]

    "Hahahahaha! Oh my, forgive my manners." Lilly began to giggle out loud, unable to hold it in. Her graceful laughter caused all of us to look at her.[Ishtar: It is just that whenever you all talk about the enlistment, I feel a bit lonely. I have never experienced it before, you see. The feeling of standing up to something so terrifying that you tremble at the very thought of it].


    While everyone already considered her one of us, during the enlistment she wasn''t. It was natural to feel both left out and to long for a sense of being accepted. Read latest chapters on M V L


    [Ishtar: And now that you are all repeating such an idiotic act, I am no longer just a third party, but am finally able to stand as one of you. As one of the idiots.]


    Everyone looked at Lilly with a look of pride and acceptance. Feelings of trust and camaraderie grew naturally as a group of people triumphed over challenges together.


    [Limitless: Welcome to the Idiots, Lilly. Thank you for coming.]


    I noticed that Lilly really enjoyed being with our group more than she did with the White Guard. Probably because she no longer had to hide anything from us. She was right about one thing.


    During that time, the girls and I fought desperately. And if you ask me now, I don''t know which was worse. Challenging a D-rank Brute as a Wraith, or fighting a S-rank Greater Demon as a Phantom. I had no answer.


    "You don''t even have the decency to grovel before those above you. Where does your courage come from? Are you all so ignorant as to understand that you are mere ants in my presence?" Andromalius spoke condescendingly.


    I didn''t know if the demon had heard Lilly, or if he could hear our digital transmissions, but I was sure of one thing. Just a simple chat with my girls had put my fears to rest.


    And I wasn''t the only one. Facing a greater demon with a hundred {Fates}, my battle harem and I remained resolute. Instead of remaining afraid, we leaned on each other.


    We were probably all hoping for the same thing. Somehow, just like during the enlistment, we would survive. We just had to not give up. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But before we could do anything else, the zone''s Dirge siren began to wail like crazy. Each siren represented a Death Seeker. And in a matter of seconds, more than ten of them bleated into the air.


    Skybeams fell around my harem and me. And it wasn''t just one or two, there were over a dozen of them. In bewildered amazement, my girls formed a defensive circle around me.


    Because of our reservations with Savior, we were unsure if the ones coming were friend or foe. I saw the soulless army all pointing their weapons at the incoming reapers.


    As the reapers all began to arrive, I was amazed at their soul signatures.


    "2ND AMENDMENT! FORM UP! BRING EVERYTHING!" Joshua commanded.


    Like a real army, the colored squads all moved and formed a battle line against the demon. Warren, Scott, Angela, Claire, and Santiago were there. Vela''s wolves also took up positions around us.


    Cynthia and Addison also arrived, carrying XM7 rifles. With them were Tildi, Wil, and almost all of the Ten Graves. Those without rifles brandished glowing scimitars.


    Those with swords positioned themselves in a defensive square. Bernard Nelson and the Limit royalty were even among them. Leading them was a Pajeet, whom I treated as my brother.


    "Smith John, it is never boring to fight alongside you. Only you would curse a demon so openly."


    With the identities of the newcomers confirmed, Bella''s soulless army also began to take up positions around us. As more and more people came to our side, the demon fell silent.


    A line of strong men with large shields then formed a column to our left. Behind us, a group of people in robes began to fiddle in the air and sent digital transmissions.


    "My lord. Freyja''s bulwark has arrived!"


    [My lord. Minerva''s wizards reporting for duty.]


    Not to be outdone, a loud scream from what sounded like teenage girls followed.


    "VELA''S WOLVES ARE HERE TOO, PATRON!"


    With my blood boiling with excitement, a tyrannical roar followed. Everyone looked up to see mythical beasts flying in the sky. Leading them was a white wyvern, and after it passed our battle line, the wyvern came down and a man stepped off.


    Such a showy entrance naturally drew the spotlight. The man was, of course, Mike Walker. A formless Phantom being courted by a fucking Wyvern.


    "AMI! LET''S PARTY!"


    But it wasn''t over yet. Already stunned by the events, our reinforcements continued to pour in.


    Suddenly, a group of figures crashed to our right. It was a white woman with dreadlocks and her husband.


    "Technically, I am still a {Vassal}, and since my boys are not here, I have come to represent Inari''s Kitchen. EVA AND ADAM BAKER JOINS THE BATTLE!"


    A strong gust of wind came down like a tornado, accompanied by a fountain of mercury that erupted like a geyser from the ground.


    Soon after, two figures formed and announced their presence.


    "Motherfucker, I was so close to winning 30 million! Couldn''t you wait till tomorrow?! Xander, do you recognize this fucker? I can''t remember the last time I saw a greater demon," Raymond Gertrude commented casually.


    Xander transformed both his arms into giant swords as he replied. "I have no memory of him. As Robert''s Reaper parent, it is my responsibility to put an end to this. Today is a good day to die."


    Holy fucking shit. Unexpectedly, instead of people running away from the zone, they were running towards it. Just from the tension of everyone pushing themselves to be here.


    A group of four people made their way towards me as the crowds began to form around my position. It was my personal clerk, along with a small child, her Jamaican bouncer, and a reporter for the Graveyard.


    "My lord. Hellsend has come to fight with our leader. Please forgive me for jumping the gun. I wasn''t sure if you wanted my help."


    "My lord! What is this? It is so cool! It''s like a concert!" Pixie cheered like a child.


    "Brotha, you party like the end of the world," Delroy said wryly.


    Connie then bragged as she stepped forward. "LIMITLESS! You see all this? This is all because of my work! Remember my greatness!"


    Ignoring the last three, I noticed Phillip''s gloves trembling as he gripped his rifle. Looking around, much like my harem, everyone showed signs of trepidation and anxiety. But under Hellsend''s banner they all came together of one will.


    "Thank you all for coming. I hope you won''t regret it."


    "None of us will, esteemed one. No matter how this turns out, everyone came here did so of their own choice," my clerk explained.


    I belatedly noticed, but every single one of those here were people who my actions directly or indirectly affected.


    They came from different races, languages, and beliefs.


    There were formless, manifested, Wraiths, Phantoms, even Specters. Moreover, they were people from every profession not just combatants.


    Even those who were shunned by the battlefront came. Rogues, so-called traitors, and even slaves.


    Specters, who were thought to have no desire to continue this battle, arrived when the need arose.


    No matter what their reasons were, it was somehow even greater than the fear of the one in front of us.


    "Are you all ready to die?" asked the demon standing alone.


    To him, a powerful being beyond comprehension, our gathering was probably less than shit. But there was beauty in wishing for change. And like a tide, everyone standing here desired it, even at the cost of our lives.


    "Lilly, would you do the honors?"


    My woman gave a breathtaking smile as she replied.


    "It would be my pleasure, Dearest."


    She then raised her hands and announced.


    "IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS! HELLSEND ANNIHILATE THE GREATER DEMON! OPEN COMBAT!"

 Chapter 410: Not going anywhere [1/2]

    It was a day like any other. Well, it would have been if not for an army of nearly a thousand reapers. Together we had maybe 50 Phantoms and 3 Specters. We also had 3 tanks, 40 UGVs and over 50 UAVs flying through the air.As if that was not enough, we also had five dragons. I say dragons, but if you wanted to get technical, they were all some kind of mythical lizard. Some had wings, some walked on the ground, but they were all over twenty feet tall.


    And yet, they were all dwarfs compared to the enemy in front of us. A single gigantic being that defied all reason. If people had told me that I was dreaming, I might have believed them.


    Demons were unimaginable. They were terrifying. And yet, people of different races, religions, and people came together under my banner. It may not have been my intention, but they came anyway.


    A demon was something the reapers all feared. I did not know why, but it did not matter. I didn''t know why Andromalius was here, I didn''t know what happened to the Slayer. But for now. I knew I had to blow the living shit out of this motherfucker.


    And if I was worried about not having enough firepower, the big army with me would take care of that. Although for something this big, it might be better to get bigger guns.


    ''I should ask the girls or maybe Vincent for help.''


    "IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS! HELLSEND ANNIHILATE THE GREATER DEMON! OPEN COMBAT!"


    As Lilly opened the battle, my army began to slowly charge forward. At our distance, our bullets would lose all momentum before they could arrive. Still, I could not blame everyone for having reservations.


    My soul avatars and I ran forward ahead of the group, yelling. "KILL THE MOTHERFUCKER!"


    It was the furthest thing from an honorable war cry. But my girls and all of Hellsend shouted the same thing.


    "KILL THE MOTHERFUCKER! UAHHHHHHHHH!!!"


    Isolde quickly glided over to the girls and me and scooped us up with her legs.


    "Ami, the leaders should be up front." The girls and I took that as a cue to {Blink} towards her back. I canceled {Day by Day} as my soul avatars couldn''t follow. It was on the German''s back that I saw Mike Walker.


    "Boss, your speeches suck balls as usual," he said with a smile.


    "You seem to be enjoying yourself."


    "Boss, I''m on a fucking wyvern fighting a fucking demon with an AR. None of it makes any sense, so I might as well enjoy myself."


    "There will be a lot of fucking, but it will be between me and Tristan," Isolde added as we raced towards the demon.


    "Sugar, I told you to stop calling me that. I said I would think about it."


    "Is there something wrong with me? Or is there someone else? Tell me her name so I can kill her."


    "Look sugar, there ain''t and if you keep this up I''m going to say no. So play nice alright?" Mike reprimanded.


    "Ja, Tristan."


    When I heard the banter between them, I didn''t even want to join in. Working out problems in a relationship required communication and understanding. It would be better for the lovebirds to work it out for themselves.


    Jas called my attention as we approached the demon, "Husband, we are close."


    "Okay. Isolde, can you and your friends hold him?" S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ja! We will try."


    Andromalius'' eyes narrowed as if he was laughing.


    "It seems humans have forgotten their place. Come! I will kill you all."


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    The greater demon then disappeared from our sight. Suddenly, something crashed into Isolde''s side. I turned to see the massive torso of Andromalius. His fist was outstretched and his body was in a fighting stance.


    Unable to withstand the impact, the wyvern was sent flying! Given our distance from the demon, I jumped from Isolde and tried to desperately dodge.


    "{Blink}."


    The girls and I hopped onto the tall demon like fleas. I switched weapons, pulling out the FT5 and HCAR. I was standing on Andromalius'' shoulder and ran towards his neck.


    "[Wizard]. [Sniper]."


    I switched my mind setting to the one that could fly, and similarly switched my body setting to the one that could hit the hardest.


    "Exa. Create a {Program} for me. Make my bullets as powerful as possible."


    [{Program} [Penetrator] has been created.]


    "{BESTOW}! [PENETRATOR]!"


    {Bestow} was the {Kismet} I got after recreating [Limitless], it was basically what {Tempering} and {Comfort Food} tried to do. Both were just trying to transfer the power of my {Fates} from me to something else.


    To standardize this process, I got {Bestow}. This meant that unlike the previous {Tempering}, which was only for objects, and {Comfort Food}, which was for well, food, I now had more freedom.


    I could theoretically give a loaf of bread the effects of {Tempering} and it would be stronger than steel. Designed to work with {Program}, it was practically another cheat that would help me greatly.


    "{FLASH}!"


    Jasmine''s voice echoed as my vision turned white. My girls were connected to me, so I knew they were scattered throughout the demon''s body. Undeterred, I moved to Andromalius'' neck and pulled the trigger on my weapons.


    A 95mm HEAT warhead fired, blasting the demon. Along with it came a spray of .30-06 Sacreds. Because of the distance, the 95MM didn''t explode, it just acted like a giant slug.


    Surprisingly, the rocket bounced off the demon''s skin, unable to penetrate. But the much weaker Sacred rounds from the HCAR did. All of them tore through Andromalius'' flesh, spraying blood everywhere.


    "Hmph. Annoying..." came the demon''s comment right after that. I heard something massive move through the air. It didn''t have a soul signature, so I understood what it was.


    I quickly ran off his shoulder before his gigantic hand flattened me. I leapt off him like jumping off a cliff. The light returned, and I saw that the Sirens were all blasting various parts of his body with Sacreds.


    Thanks to [Wizard], I didn''t fall, but circled around my opponent and watched the damage my forces inflicted on him. Like me, all the Sirens were no longer standing on the demon, but flying around it.


    ''This must be what mosquitoes feel.''


    A huge cone of wind suddenly slammed into the demon''s chest. Its power was so great that I was almost blow away. It was Raymond Getrude. The Whirlwind. Even though the attack was only made of air, the Specter''s power managed to knock back a 58-foot giant!


    "Do you really have time to look at small fry, you bastard?" Raymond provoked.


    Immediately, a ball of living mercury collided with the demon''s mouth and entered its throat. Like a slime with a mind of its own, the metal gracefully disappeared into the demon''s body.


    The demon''s gigantic face grimaced as he coughed violently. Like phlegm stuck in the throat, a large body of silver liquid was expelled from the demon.


    "This is not going anywhere," I said aloud.


    Then my ears picked up screeching projectiles flying through the air. Sabel''s switchblade drones then all slammed into our opponent''s right eye. A series of explosions shook the sky.


    But when the dust cleared, the demon merely waved his hands at the smoke.


    "This is getting disappointing. This is it? You are even weaker than the Reapers of old."


    The thundering voice echoed as he expressed his boredom. Isolde''s other dragon friends arrived one by one but were pathetically thrashed by the demon.


    With a few kicks and punches, the demon beat the living shit out of the dragons. None of them able to get back up.

 Chapter 411: Not going anywhere [2/2]

    Of course, since he was more than twice their size, it was like a grown man beating up children. I then heard the sound of combined gunfire. Hellsend focused on the demon''s legs and rained down Sacreds of all different types.Caliber-wise, the bullets were weaker than the switchblades, but unlike the previous attack, the demon winced as if in pain. He then sucked air into his mouth and roared in a loud voice.


    The sound waves coming from his huge voice box were like a thunderous sonic boom. His mighty roar pushed us back as an invisible pressure slammed into our bodies, forcing us to retreat.


    Just like my attacks, the demon''s defenses seemed to be able to withstand powerful impacts. And similar to what I had seen, the holy energy of the Blessings were the only thing that could do any damage to the demon.


    "I am tired of this farce. Die!"


    Andromalius then created a huge black ball of sizzling energy and threw it at Hellsend. As the attack made its way to my army, I felt my stomach drop to the ground.


    Death and war were partners in bed.


    I told them they shouldn''t have come.


    It wasn''t my responsibility.


    As long as my harem and I were safe, I should continue.


    I should ignore them and concentrate on attacking the demon. That was what I should have done.


    However, I couldn''t.


    The amount of soul in that single attack sent shivers down my spine.


    It was like an ultimate special attack if this were a video game. The pressure and power would not even allow me to survive, no matter how many lives I had.


    "NOOO!" I screamed.


    The Specters were generally extremely difficult to kill, like cockroaches. However, the same was not true for the Wraiths and Phantoms. Even those that engaged in combat were extremely fragile. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Most would have no way to even survive being blown apart. I was one of the few exceptions. If a magical missile of such immense size landed in the army, would anyone survive?


    My mind then saw the faces of those who expressed their loyalty to me.


    The 2nd Amendment.


    The Ten Graves.


    Vela''s wolves and the saints.


    My clerks, Phillip, Will and Tildi.


    Van and the Academics.


    Terence and the Fortification guys.


    Bernard and the Limit royalty.


    Krishna and the Yuddha Rakshas.


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    Connie, the loud noisy reporter.


    My vassals Eva, Adam, Delroy and Pixie.


    Am I going to lose them all here? Just because of this one attack?


    When I remembered my original intention, all I cared about was my family and my harem. It was impossible to save them all. I knew that. I had already prepared myself for the fact that not everyone would survive.


    But was that really something I could accept?


    They were all good people. They all had stories, hopes and dreams. I was the one they believed in. They came here knowing they might die. But there was nothing that could change our reality.


    The current battle was that of ants against an elephant. Death was expected. But why did I feel this way? I felt frustrated, even sad. It was impossible to keep everyone alive. No matter who you asked.


    A battle with zero casualties was usually a miracle.


    If everyone I met in Hellsgate suddenly kicked the bucket. Would I really be okay?


    I laughed with them.


    I cried with them.


    We faced hardships, we shared sorrows.


    Did it really have to end this way?


    Was it really impossible?


    Was there nothing I could do?


    My mind recalled the warriors from my dreams. They all ended up alone.


    I didn''t know what happened, but they no longer had any allies remaining.


    Prior to today. I was going to do this alone. After all I had no responsibility to all these people.


    But somehow it fell¡ª wrong.


    Was this really my limit?


    Then I heard seven voices shouting in a loud voice.


    "{BLINK}!" x 7


    My girls all teleported from around Andromalius to in front of Hellsend in a hexagonal formation. Liv was in the center, and the other six were evenly spaced around her.


    I could see the strain and exhaustion on their faces as they continued to summon powerful {Fates} with their hands raised.


    "[KNIGHT]! {SHELTER}!" x7


    Seven overlapping shields of white light illuminated the entire battlefield. As the gigantic black ball of immense power collided with the overlapping shields, a loud thunderclap erupted. A tremendous boom rattled the sky.


    Like a raging river crashing against a mountain wall, a desperate battle for survival ensued. If the girls failed in their defense, they would all die.


    ''I have to do something.''


    My mind froze at that moment. Even if I wanted to help. What could I do? Will casting another {Shelter} allow us to defeat Andromalius? If he attacks again, what then? I was only one person.


    As my negative feelings consumed me, I felt a wave of positive emotions drown out my fears. The source was my pseudo Kindred link with the women currently acting on my behalf.


    {Beloved, do not despair, for you are no longer alone.}


    {Pull yourself together, Dear. I know you will get us through this.}


    {Possum! Do you need to take a crap or something? Kick his ass already!}


    {Breathe, Darling. Breathe. You got this!}


    {Honey, this is so unlike you. Where is the man who had no fear? Are you sick, by any chance?}


    {Fear not, Husband, this is not enough to defeat you or us. I am sure of it.}


    {Shujin, I believe in you. I always have and always will.}


    Like the first rays of sunlight after a chaotic storm, my heart felt peace. Unable to refute the words of my girls, I felt immense comfort in their voices.


    They were right. It was not like me. People dying in wars was the norm. It was because that was the limit of what humans could do. But I forgot one thing.


    I was no longer human. So, I didn''t have that limit.


    ''{Rewind}, it''s been a while. I''m sorry for being a pussy buddy. I guess I was just scared. I talk big, but I never had this much responsibility before.''


    "{Blink}!"


    I teleported in front of my girls, preparing to add my own {Shelter} to their shield. The chaotic clash of energies was like being in the middle of a hurricane. The flashing lights and immense gusts of wind threatened to destroy everything.


    "Exa. Dump everything into defense."


    [Roger. [Overdrive] ready].


    "[KNIGHT]. [OVERDRIVE]. {SHELTER}!" I roared.


    [[Wizard] mind setting shifting to [Knight]. [Knight] levels up to [Heavy Knight].]


    [[Sniper] body setting shifting to [Knight]. [Heavy Knight] levels up to [Knight Lord].]


    ''{Rewind}, I know I am being unreasonable, but please help me. I want everyone to survive. Even if it only lasts for one battle. If I don''t have enough, give me a loan or something.''


    My soulgem began to burn similar to the last time, and a new {Fate} emerged. One that suited my purposes. When it did, I smiled as I summoned my newest ability.


    "Thanks, buddy. You are the best." I rejoiced.


    "{Recursion}!"


    A massive amount of souls were pulled into the air as every combatant fighting for Hellsend received a message in their minds.


    {Limitless has invoked {Recursion}. You have been chosen to be his ward. You will be bound by the order: "Kill the motherfucking demon" but gain his protection. Do you wish to accept? Yes | No?}


    Similar to the like counters on social media, I somehow felt each and every person who accepted my offer. At that moment, the {Shelter} I had created broke and shattered. Unable to resist any longer, I invoked another {Fate}.


    "{Replace}."


    As I disappeared from my position, the black mass of offensive power crashed into my harem''s {Shelters}, destroying them as well. Like an unstoppable avalanche, Andromalius'' attack continued, vaporizing the Hellsend army.


    This was followed by an explosion that erupted like a nuclear mushroom cloud. Everything around the point of impact of Andromalius'' attack was engulfed in the raging forces.


    A minute after having done their job, the dazzling energies subsided to reveal a desolate landscape.


    No trace of Hellsend remained.

 Chapter 412: Heroine Chapter: Weight of a life [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Lilly Browning___


    I pulled the trigger of the M60 machine gun in my hands. A feat of American engineering, this weapon was said to have done a lot for the Vietnam War. That meant this weapon was good at ending the lives of the user''s enemies.


    Originally, I didn''t care much for guns. I found them inferior to blades. I mean, unlike most uncivilized people, the Browning family had a particularly noble school of thought.


    ''The weight of your sword determines the value of the life you take.''


    The Brownings had their roots in the Knights of the Middle Ages. Their thinking and whole outlook was naturally influenced by chivalry.


    The dogma essentially meant that only the weight of your sword determined who to kill and who to spare. And that you should think carefully before you draw your weapon.


    I have struggled with this notion for as long as I can remember.


    I said it was noble because it gave the impression that all lives were equal. In a picturesque world, that would be true. But reality was hardly that romantic.


    Lives were not equal.


    The life of a prince and the life of a beggar could not and would never be of the same worth.


    Even though they were both human, everything was naturally determined by one''s birth. Even one''s abilities could be traced back to one''s genes. Basically, all that mattered was who won the lottery in life.


    I was born a pauper, not a princess. To a maid named Gladys Adams. Because of her lowly background, my mother wasted away waiting for her prince charming.


    While she stared out the window in a daze, I would go hungry, starve, and freeze from the cold.


    Children younger than me were dying by the dozens in the streets. I scavenged garbage cans, stole from adults, and ate whatever I could get my hands on. That was how I lived then.


    Sometimes I would see pictures of a warm and happy family on TV screens. And I often wondered why I had to suffer and they did not.


    My mother''s wish came true only when I was about ten years old. Apparently, my father needed a new heir.


    ''I mean, I was all he had after his entire family was slaughtered.''


    If they had survived, I probably would have died as a prostitute on the streets of Danforth.


    Unfortunately, my mother was dead by the time he arrived. But if she had lived, I always wondered what my father would have done.


    ''Would David Thomas take her back as his wife? Would my mother get her fairy tale ending?''


    Lives were never equal.


    When the sons and daughters of my father''s legal family died, the value of my life increased. That was all there was to it.


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    In an ironic twist of fate, the once-proud Brownings would lose their fortune and eventually create firearms for the world. To the family that championed the weight of life, they made a living by reducing it to size of a small pebble.


    These weapons went against everything the family once stood for. They made millions off the death and destruction their firearms caused. As if to say that everyone else''s life was worth less than their comfort.


    ''After all, no matter how heavy it was to carry a gun, the weight that determined a life it took was not the weight of the gun, but only the weight of the trigger.''


    Yet as their new heir, the Brownings forced me to learn the old belief they had already abandoned. As if to say that someone had to remember.


    In truth, the family itself was a hopeless case. They no longer cared about anything beyond amassing wealth.


    Those who knew chivalry and justice no longer existed. Only the parasites and worms who had no honor to speak of remained.


    Nothing could be more revolting.


    Clinging to past glories they had neither contributed to nor earned.


    It was all hypocrisy. I would be the one to understand this best. If lives were equal, I shouldn''t have starved for food and love in my childhood.


    My mother wasted away, unable to take care of her own child. All she would say were the words of promise my irresponsible father used to get her to open her heart.


    Yet somehow, I found the dogma of the former Brownings comforting.


    If there was no such truth in the world, I would make it so. So I found the heaviest greatsword I could and wielded it as a part of myself.


    As the years passed, I grew in stature and prestige. Despite my humble background, my family and peers began to appreciate my efforts. For the first time in my life, I felt valuable.


    But that all ended the moment I became a reaper.


    Formless.


    That single brand invalidated everything I had strived for. The Browning family cut off all support for me and began arranging one-night stands for my father instead.


    I lost my status as their heir, even though my {Fate} was beyond my control.


    Even my so-called peers began to ridicule me and shower me with nothing but scorn. Lives were never equal. The moment my nature as the Formless surfaced, my value disappeared.


    But I persevered. For years I trained and gathered my strength. No longer bound by my status, I joined the White Guard and eventually became its commander.


    With my background in shambles, I gained everything I had by merit instead.


    If they thought I was worthless, then all I had to do was prove them wrong. My new dogma forced me to trample on the very ideals in which I once found solace.


    I quickly found myself drowning in sin.


    My new life began to take the lives of the innocent, all so that I could maintain my worth.


    There was no honor. There was no chivalry. I became the very people I despised. All so that I would not lose my value. So that I would not become worthless again.


    But at the Enlistment in July, I met the man who shattered my worldview. He fought for the Formless. Unlike me, who brainwashed people into forgetting that I was Formless, he took it all head on.


    The man was John Smith. And unlike most reapers, he used guns. The same weapons I had mocked and ridiculed.


    As I watched him, I began to notice something. My dearest had a strange way of determining worth. It was not based on merit or morality. He determined the value of a life only by his own arbitrary definition.


    For those he loved, he would kill anyone and fight anything. He was neither in the dark nor in the light. He lived in the gray. He knew he was evil, but he didn''t care. People called him a hero, but he never accepted such a title.


    And that same man was now at a crossroads.


    "2ND AMENDMENT! FORM UP! BRING EVERYTHING!"


    When the armies of Hellsend arrived on the Siren server, none of us were happy. In fact, we were already considering anyone who arrived on borrowed time.


    [AlbinoLadyboy: Strewth! Why do they all come here? They are all weak as shit! Without {Rewind}, they will all die! They will just make Possum sad.]


    [PsychoticButcher: I know, right? Except for the Specters and dragons, none of them would be of any use to Darling. He probably knows it too.]


    [Yggdrasil''sTitties: Shall we tell them to withdraw? There is nothing more pitiful than dying without purpose. Beloved may have earned their loyalty, but loyalty cannot win wars.]


    [AssCheekNiggerette: They foolishly believe that a large gathering of weaklings will help them win. How stupid. Their deaths are all but guaranteed if they attempt to come here. We cannot protect them.]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Not that I would want to, even if we could. There are a lot of useful people among them, but in the end they are all disposable. I say let them all die if they want to. Honey told them not to come in the first place].


    [SamuraiFacial: It seems that only my people will be left when we rebuild. This is what happens when you go with your emotions. You become unreasonable. For all their bravery, none of them are able to see the big picture. We should train tacticians next time.]


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 Chapter 413: Heroine Chapter: Weight of a life [2/2]

    [AlbinoLadyboy: Aren''t Bella''s wankers supposed to be for that? Why are they all here? Do they all have a death wish?][PsychoticButcher: I blame Darling''s charisma! His passion is contagious!]


    Somehow I found it funny. Anyone else would be ecstatic to see such a display of power. But maybe it was because of {Calculate}. We knew that only people armed with {Rewind} had a chance of surviving a battle with the greater demon.


    And sadly, none of the Sirens believed that we should even try to save them. Liv, the most compassionate of us all, wouldn''t do more than warn them. We were despicable. If dearest stayed in the gray, the Sirens were born in the dark.


    Truly, I had never seen such a collection of demented psychopaths band together.


    "Thank you all for coming. I hope you won''t regret it," dearest wished.


    ''What are you going to do now, John Smith? These people are placing their lives and hopes in you. Are you going to sacrifice them? They are weak, why allow them to join at all?'' I wondered inwardly.


    "Are you all ready to die?" The demon asked mockingly.


    Why? I asked myself. Despite the futility of their actions, why did Dearest allow it? Why would he let people do such things when he knew they would perish because of their actions?


    "I didn''t want to shrink in fear. I get to decide how I die. And I wish to do so while standing."


    Then I remembered the first time I met him. It was when he led the survivors against a horde of undead brutes. Armed only with my 1911, he ran while screaming his fears away.


    And when I asked him, that was his answer.


    Right. This man had been crazy since the first time I met him. It was why the Sirens were drawn to him in the first place. Even in the midst of fear and uncertainty, he was a beacon of light that drew everyone to him.


    Those around him all knew they could die. But instead of cowering, they all wanted to be brave. Just like the man they all followed.


    He didn''t retreat in the face of the undead, no matter their size or rank.


    He refused to surrender to any human or reaper, from Wraiths to Revenants.


    And of course, even if a greater demon stood before him. He would never give in or cower. Dying was okay, as long as it was his choice.


    Only then did I understand.


    ''I see. No wonder you let them.''


    The man I loved the most looked at me and asked. "Lilly, would you do the honors?"


    "It would be my pleasure."


    [MasochisticBossbitch: Get ready, we have to protect everyone here.]


    [AlbinoLadyboy: Fuck off, you cunt!]


    [PsychoticButcher: Don''t wanna...]


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    [AssCheekNiggerette: I refuse.]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Too troublesome, pass.]


    [SamuraiFacial: I respectfully decline.]


    [Yggdrasil''sTitties: I believe we should focus on the demon.]


    [MasochisticBossbitch: You still do not understand, Dearest. This is how he measures the weight of a life.]


    "IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS! HELLSEND ANNIHILATE THE GREATER DEMON! OPEN COMBAT!" I roared.


    And as the battle began, the demon dominated. Even the Spectrers were unable to do any significant damage. The only thing that could penetrate the demon''s skin was Sacreds.


    "I am tired of this farce. Die!"


    At that moment, what we all feared happened. By insisting on helping, Hellsend drew the demon''s attention. And contrary to the plan, the dragons lacked the power to keep Andromalius at bay.


    [SamuraiFacial: I guess we should be grateful that the Deryck family is still human.]


    [AlbinoLadyboy: Haaa....Called it.]


    [PsychoticButcher: Useless morons.]


    [AssCheekNiggerette: May they find joy in their next life.]


    [Yggdrasil''sTitties: I hope they are fine with a Northern burial.]


    [CrossEyedHipster: They should have left the weapons behind.]


    The Siren''s lacked any empathy. Even as those we once called allies were about to depart this world. Yet the one we cherished cried out in a pained voice.


    "NOOO!!!!"


    [MasochisticBossbitch: Let''s go. We have to stop this thing]


    [AlbinoLadyboy: Did you go stupid? Get stuffed you slagger!]


    [AssCheekNiggerette: Lilly, do you feel the insane amount of souls in that thing? It''s almost Revenant level. Even Liv will not be able to stop it.]


    [PsychoticButcher: Just let them die. They''re not even useful as cannon fodder.]


    [Yggdrasil''sTitties: I will go with you.]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Ugh. What pineapple are you two giving me to peel? You know we can''t let you go alone, right? Why the fuck do you have to do this?]


    [SamuraiFacial: Fufu. The Sirens act as one. Otherwise, Shujin would be sad.]


    [MasochisticBossbitch: You can all feel it, right? The grief in our man''s soul.]


    [Sirens: ...]


    That was what I just realized. Dearest determined the value of life by the choices it made.


    Savior who abandoned their duty. Reapers who lost hope. The rogues who no longer wanted anything more than temporal pleasures. Those who blamed others for their actions, like Janice Brown.


    He would execute these people without the slightest bit of mercy.


    But for those who chose to fight? He was like the sun after a long winter.


    That was why he helped Constance Faye when she had nothing to offer. Because she refused to accept her circumstances.


    The Formless and the Manifest. Gangsters, saints, traitors, slaves, it didn''t matter what they were. All that mattered was whether they chose to rise.


    The Sirens, of course, all fell into that category. And when we chose him over our own lives. We earned his love.


    These were the lives that John Smith found valuable.


    Which was why he respected their choice. Which was why his heart was about to break with sorrow. This was the consequences of the life he has chosen.


    [MasochisticBossbitch: Let''s go.]


    [My ladies, I have a suggestion from one of the anime my lord adores.]


    Exa then showed us a picture from an anime that Dearest had seen. It showed a man blocking a red spear with what looked like overlapping pink flowers.


    [CrossEyedHipster: Anyone got a better plan? I have already calculated the optimum strength. Follow this formation. Liv will be the center of our shield array.]


    "{BLINK}!" x 7 S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Wordlessly, the girls all followed my lead. They could feel the swirling emotions in the soul of our precious kindred. And like the dutiful harem we were. It was our responsibility to support him.


    "[KNIGHT]! {SHELTER}!" x7


    With Liv at the center, the Sirens formed a hexagram. Using Liv''s immensely superior {Shelter}. We molded our {Shelters} over hers, staking them like plates.


    [PsychoticButcher: Tsk. I''ll ask Darling for a reward later!]


    [AssCheekNiggerette: Jo, you are being a brat again. Focus!]


    [SamuraiFacial: Ara. I think such a reward is well deserved.]


    [AlbinoLadyboy: Strewth! This is fucking tiring!]


    [CrossEyedHipster: Just use {Butcher} to take the Demon''s stamina.]


    [Yggdrasil''sTitties: HAHA! My blood is on fire! Only the Sirens would behave like this! As befits my sisters! Our legends will be worthy of the Northern Halls!]


    As we fought against the powerful attack, I felt my man sinking deeper into a spiral of negative emotions.


    ''Oh my! This may be the first time I have seen him like this.''


    It was impossible to feel fine all the time, especially when you live such a chaotic life. Using the Pseudo Kindred connection. I sent him my love and affection.


    {Pull yourself together, dear. I know you will get us through this.}


    The moment I said the words, Limitless finally moved into action.


    "{Blink}!"


    In a flash, he was between us and our makeshift shield.


    "Exa. Dump everything into defense."


    His clothes changed colors as soul armor covered his entire body.


    "[Knight]. [Overdrive]. {Shelter}!"


    As we watched, we suddenly felt our man ascend to a level 5 Phantom. It was subtle and barely noticeable. But considering who John Smith was. It would definitely be something crazy.


    "Thanks, buddy. You are the best," dearest praised.


    ''Is he talking to {Rewind}?''


    "{Recursion}!"


    Along with a {Fate} we had never heard of before, a massive number of souls were ripped from the ground and from the very sky.


    Before any of us could comment, a message popped into my head.


    {Limitless has invoked {Recursion}. You have been chosen to be his ward. You will be bound by the order: "Kill the motherfucking demon." but gain his protection. Do you wish to accept? Yes | No?}


    As expected from the man I chose.


    {Yes!}

 Chapter 414: Whack-a-mole [1/2]

    A moment later I reappeared at Zone 1121-1. Steam was rising from the ground, cracked like a cracker left to dry. Parts of it were glowing orange, showing how hot it was.I looked up at the sky, which showed a dimly lit landscape. Aside from that, there was the presence of a 58-foot creature that looked like a bunch of monsters patched together.


    "I am impressed. You are still alive," the being praised contemptuously.


    "Well, I was trying to imitate whack-a-mole," I replied.


    "Whack-a-mole?"


    "It''s a game people play. Basically you..."


    "I know what the game is, Reaper. What amazes me is your innate stupidity. I have destroyed almost your entire army along with your lovers and here you are debating semantics. The Reapers of today are truly a disgrace," Andromalius lamented.


    "But you are wrong. You''ve done nothing."


    "What in the world are you babbling about now?"


    "You are mistaken, Andromalius. You have yet to kill a single one of my men. Nor any of my kindred," I replied confidently.


    "Are you Insa..."


    The greater demon stopped as the lights began to form people around me.


    "I will say it again. You have done absolutely nothing, Andromalius. Except play whack-a-mole."


    The demon began to grow restless as my entire army manifested around me. As the last one manifested, I raised my hand and shouted loudly with {Announce}.


    "{Hellsend! I command you to kill the motherfucking demon.! You are forbidden to die until the task is done!"}


    My harem led the rest of the army as they shouted.


    "BY THE WILL OF LIMITLESS!"


    The dragons that were on the ground earlier all stomped forward as they let out terrifying wild roars.


    Lilly then raised her hand as she declared. "OPEN COMBAT!"


    "UUUUUUWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"


    Like a frenzied mob, the Reapers of my army ran toward Andromalius. Switchblade drones flew across the sky, led by Isolde. The 2nd Amendment squads led the charge along with the Yuddha Rakshas.


    Andromalius pumped his fist, creating another ball of dark energy that enveloped his hand. Despite the overwhelming energy emanating from it, my forces continued their mad charge.


    "It makes no difference how many of you come! DIE!"


    The demon threw the orb with overwhelming power. It landed in the middle of the Hellsend, where the 2nd Amendment Squads, 2 dragons, and almost all of the Ten Graves were standing.


    A cataclysmic explosion like before erupted. Vaporizing all forces caught in the blast. Satisfied, the greater demon began to gloat.


    "You see? In the end, weaklings shall gro..."


    As he spoke, the lights began to gather again. The forces still materializing continued to run forward. One of these masses of brilliant light picked up speed as it ran.


    The ground shook as it advanced.


    Continue your story on M-V-L


    "What sorcery is this? How can something come back after being destroyed down to its atoms?!"


    A large white wyvern slammed into Andromalius'' back and bit into his neck. Figures jumped from her back to the demon''s right shoulder. As soon as they dismounted, they began spraying the larger demon with Sacreds.


    "White Squad! Bless this fucking piece of shit! He punched my ride!"


    The wyvern tore a chunk out of the larger demon''s flesh as it screamed in delight.


    "Tristan! You care about me!"


    "Shut up, sugar! Focus!"


    "Captain! Stop flirting in the middle of battle!"


    "I''m not flirting, you pieces of shit! SHOOT HIM!"


    Along the same shoulder.


    "RED SQUAD! UNLOAD EVERYTHING YOU GOT! WE''LL SHOW THIS FUCKER HOW REDNECKS ROLL!" Scott yelled in anger!


    "YEAH, YOU LIKE THAT?" "COME GET SOME!" "UWOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"


    As Scott and Mike''s groups did their thing, Andromalius pulled Isolde off his back and stabbed her in the neck. He then tore off her head and threw it away. However, her body suddenly shattered into particles of light.


    "What?!"


    Then another dragon swooped down on him, knocking the demon to the ground. More and more people crawled onto the demon like lice on a dog. They also began to unload everything they had on the demon.


    "FUCK THIS SHIT UP, MAH NIGGAS! SHOW EM WHOSE BOSS!"


    "OHHHHHH!!!!!!"


    "Blue Squad! Our targets are the appendages on the demon''s back! Move!"


    "YES! MS. CLAIRE!!"


    "Boo, take care, okay?" The African-American warned.


    "Not here Boo, plus we got this! See you later! Luv you!"


    Warren took the black squad and shot Andromalius in the left shoulder. Clair took the blue squad and moved to his back. Blessings began to cover the demon''s entire upper body.


    "INSECTS! GET OFF ME!"


    As if he had ants under his shirt, Andromalius began to beat his shoulders and back. Of course, those along his body were killed by his actions. But except for a little blood, they all disappeared in explosions of light instead of flesh.


    Another dragon threw itself upon the larger demon like a lion. Andromalius, preoccupied with hammering the ants at him, failed to stop the dragon and was again pinned to the ground.


    With a violent thud, the demon''s head was smashed to the dirt.


    "Orange Squad! The puto is down! Fuck his balls! We can''t lose to the Chinks!"


    "Green and Yellow Squads! FUCK HIM UP! NO LOSE TO CHOLOS! KOREA NUMBER 1!"


    A group of angry Latinos and Asians began showering the demon''s nether regions with blessed bullets. At the same time, a large group of women and Indians stood side by side.


    "HELLSEND SAINT DIVISION! FLEX!" Yvonne screamed at the top of her lungs!


    "IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS!!!!" over a hundred teenagers then called out their {Fates} and unleashed a frightening amount of holy energy.


    Their targets? The deadly scimitars of over two hundred Yuddha Rakshas warriors.


    "YUDDHA RAKSHAS! OUR TIME OF VENGEANCE HAS COME! WHO ARE YOU?" roared an angry Krishna!


    "WE ARE DEMONS! DEMONS OF THE BATTLEFIELD! FOR LORD KRISHNA! FOR LORD LIMITLESS! UUUUWAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"


    The warriors from another continent used dazzling weapons and began to slash at the tendons and ankles of the greater demon.


    "YOU DARE!"


    In anger, the demon slammed his fist down, killing what would have been over fifty reapers. Yet there was no blood or bone shattered by his blow, only earth and light.


    "AGAIN??!"


    Still confused, a white wyvern slammed its claws into the demon''s face. As the back of his head hit the ground, Isolde stepped on the Andromalius'' chest.


    "This is payback for earlier! {DRAGON BREATH}" a torrent of fire engulfed the demon''s face. As he screamed in agony, the demon struck Isolde, snapping her neck.


    As she dissipated in a burst of light, the other dragons came forward and took Isolde''s place. They trampled the demon like bulls on grass. All the while, the tentacles on its back were slowly cut off, one by one.


    Whenever there were openings, black drones rained down on the demon, engulfing its torn flesh in clouds of fire.


    [This isn''t working. Yvonne, bless the Switchblades of the Wizard''s next. Lady Minerva said the Sirens need more time.]


    [Fuck you, Van! Get a vibe check and touch grass! Your people are Delulu! The saints are still tired Asf! Let them cook you fucking NPC!] S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Why do you keep using such idiotic language?! No one but the Saints understands you. Learn proper English if you please. Have the girls shoot each other or something. Quickly...]


    "Fucking boomer! SAINT DIVISION! Get ready to rewind!"


    "YES CHIEF!"


    With the Wizards coordinating the tactics, Andromalius was attacked from all sides. The demon, while not suffering any serious injuries, was slowly but surely accumulating them.


    He smashed, blasted, and stomped the Hellsend, but after a brief respite, they always returned. In frustration, Andromalius roared once more, unleashing a crushing wave of soul that destroyed everyone around him.


    "Huff. Huff... See you filthy humans? You are nothing! Nothing..."


    And just like zombies, everyone reappeared and continued to attack him. The dragons were the ones who tried to keep the demon down, while everyone else tried to wear down Andromalius'' patience and stamina.

 Chapter 415: Whack-a-mole [2/2]

    Nearby."Cynthia, Terence. How far are we?" Joshua asked.


    "Commander, even with everyone in the Ten Graves, we need more time. Maybe 10 more minutes."


    "Make it two." Your next journey awaits at M-V-L


    "What?! Fuck! Addi! Get everyone to eat skewers! Double time!"


    "Commander, Freyja''s Bulwark has finished inspecting and reinforcing 40% of the item, but will this work? I know the Sirens are amazing, but this plan sounds like a mistake."


    "Enough yapping, you goateed idiot. My husband and I got this! Or I am not the Coroner!" Eva Baker scolded.


    As I surveyed the battlefield, Joshua asked me anxiously.


    "My Lord, I find myself agreeing with Terence. Will this really work?"


    I kept my eyes on the sky, worried for my girls. Our current plan was hatched by our local goddess of wisdom, Minerva. The Ten Graves, Freyja''s bulwark, the Bakers and I were waiting for our cue.


    The plan consisted of three steps. The first was to ground the demon and distract him from the real attack. My group would be the ones to come next.


    And right now, my girls were in the sky with two others.


    "It will work, Joshua. I know it will."


    At that moment, as if answering our prayers, {Listen} picked up something moving as it descended rapidly from the sky.


    "GAHHH!!! YOU ARE ALL SO ANNOYING!" Andromalius, who had finally had enough, opened his wings and began to soar into the sky, raising both of his hands and gathering a massive amount of souls.


    A large cluster of energy, almost a thousand times more than what he had used before, began to gather. Then he threw it at the ground, destroying everyone there.


    At the same time, a large metallic mountain appeared behind the demon. It seemed to come out of nowhere and charged down like a comet.


    The very air trembled as it fell, and with its descent, a loud airstream pierced the atmosphere.


    Still reeling from his powerful attack, the larger demon did not see the huge rock falling toward him. The mountain shimmered in the moonlight. With a powerful hurricane pushing the rock, it was a wonder the demon missed it.


    "How could he? It is an attack formed by my girls and two Specters," I quipped in annoyance.


    Earlier in the Minerva Network.


    [Minerva: Honey, we need Raymond Gertrude and Xander Rutherford to win.]


    [Limitless: What do you have in mind?]


    [Minerva: We do not have the weapons to take down something the size of Andromalius.]


    [Inari: I agree, you cannot kill such a being with bullets barely an inch long.]


    [Freyja: Then what do you suggest?]


    [Satis: You are going to make a bullet, aren''t you?]


    [Minerva: Yes. Since Xander can control metal, we can have him create a giant bullet and have Raymond direct it at the demon.]


    I see, if you can''t kill something with a gun, it means you either don''t have enough bullets or you don''t have a big enough bullet.


    [Vela: ehhhh... this is boring! Let''s drop a mountain instead!]


    [Ishtar: What in the world are you talking about?!]


    [Satis: I see, that could work. Yes, it would. With the Sirens present, it is definitely possible.]


    [Minerva: It is frustrating that even with {Calculate}, I am slower than the Nut job.]


    [Vela: Ehehehe... that''s because I have {Calculate} too, remember?]


    [Ishtar: Fine! I just got it. I guess we have a plan now.]


    [Rhiannon: Can someone tell me what is going on?]


    [Freyja: I am sorry, I don''t understand.] sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Rhiannon: I have no idea either.]


    [Limitless: Don''t worry, even in [Wizard] I got nothing.]


    [Inari: How do we get their cooperation? Would they even help?]


    [Vela: Ah! I volunteer! Leave it to me! I will get them to help!]


    And so the Sirens all switched to [Wizard] and flew into the sky. It was only Jasmine who explained it to me in a private chat.


    [Husband, to make a bullet, you need a projectile and momentum.]


    "Yes, I understand that part."


    [To make the bullet, you need Xander Rutherford, whose nickname is Living Metal. But even if he makes a big enough bullet by getting elements from the earth, it''s a colossal task to create momentum. The answer is to use gravity and launch it from the sky instead.]


    The metal mountain screamed as it accelerated towards Andromalius.


    [Lilly and Aki will handle this part. With Aki around, Lilly can use {Portal} to move the metals into the atmosphere. From there, Raymond and Robyn will use their {Fates} to reduce the metal''s weight.]


    Upon closer inspection, the mountain did not glow with a metallic sheen, but with a bright, solid light shaped like a streamlined projectile.


    [The Siren''s would then use Liv''s {Fate} to create an extremely dense hollowed bullet with {Shelter}. We will fill it with metal and then use {Crush} to increase its weight. Finally, {Sonar} and Jasmine''s {Fates} will aim the projectile, while Robyn and Raymond will make it move even faster.]


    Disproportionate to its colossal size, the makeshift missile came extremely close by the time Andromalius noticed it.


    "Wha..."


    Stunned by the mass and size of the bullet, he tried to fly away. Unfortunately, it was finally time for our side to come out.


    I opened a {Portal} and stepped out of my subspace. Right into the demon''s face.


    "{FLASH}!"


    As the blinding light came, I grabbed the metal chain in my hand and pull the giant stake it was connected to.


    Using the chain, I invoked [Load] to drag the stake and threw it at the demon''s throat. Joshua, Eva, and Adam Baker, along with everyone else, came out of my {Portal} and hammered the colossal nail inward.


    I did the same, calling on my abilities.


    "EXA Dump everything into Punching!"


    [Roger. Overdrive ready].


    "[Berserker]. [Overdrive]."


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Berserker]. [Berserker] levels up to [Lunatic Berserker].


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Berserker]. [Lunatic Berserker] levels up to [Primalist].


    "[VENGEANCE]! [STRIKE]!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.


    [Vengeance] was a buff that increased overall combat ability with {Counter}''s kinetic energy.


    [Strike] was my most powerful single attack, channeling {Crush} through my fist.


    My punch, combined with the others, sent the stake into Andromalius'' flesh!


    The moment the weapon touched the demon''s throat, his skin began to rot. Without the resistance of its normal toughness, the stake''s edge penetrated deeper. Andromalius'' eyes suddenly became hazy, as if he were drunk.


    [Minerva: Honey, as a failsafe, I want you to trap Andromalius.]


    [Limitless: How? What do I do?]


    [Inari: I see, the moment Andromalius sees the giant bullet, he will run or hide. I assume you will be using Commander Joshua?]


    [Ishtar: Dearest. Fashion a giant stake with the Ten Graves Production Reapers. Then use {Bestow} to give it Eva Baker''s {Blight} and Joshua Hwang''s {Disarm}.]


    [Rhiannon: Won''t he just run away from Possum? Or shoot him with the black ball?]


    [Satis: That''s why the timing has to be right. Husband, take the Ten Graves into your subspace. Only come out when Andromalius is distracted by our arrival.]


    [Vela: Darling! If he moves to evade us. Use {Flash}. Then jump out and stab him in the throat! Easy!]


    [Freyja: I am starting to get terrified of having you all as enemies.]


    [Limitless: How can I see outside the subspace once I am in it? Can we even survive inside the void?]


    [Minerva: None of you will die without air. Build a large room with {Shelter} so they won''t get lost. As for vision, use {Perspective} with me. I will have Sabel be your eyes.]


    With the stake in his neck. Andromalius looked in horror as a {fate} powered bullet arrived. Despite his immense size of 58 feet, he looked like an ant in comparison.


    "Time to be the mole Andromalius! Goodbye! YVONNE!"


    "PRESENT!! SAINT DIVISION! TIME FOR OUR GLOW UP! NO CAP!! PREPARE TO BLESS THE SHIT OUTTA THAT THING! Y''ALL READY?!


    HERE WEEE FUCKIIINGG GO!!!!! FLEX!"


    Yvonne led all the saints, roaring at the top of her lungs. With her were the weary cries of the Reapers, yearning for strength and justice.


    "IN THE NAME OF THE LIMITLESS!"


    A sacred energy, more powerful than anything I had ever felt, raced. It enveloped the flying mountain like a blanket of light.


    The mountain''s blessing became the birth of a star. Brighter than a thousand suns, Hellsend''s ultimate attack crushed the demon into the ground.


    A cataclysmic explosion of holy energy followed, its power rivaling the greater demon''s attack. But unlike before, even he was erased from reality along with Hellsend.

 Chapter 416: Who is it this time? [1/2]

    As the world went black, a message came to my mind.{{Recursion} order "Kill the motherfucking demon." has been fulfilled. Ending routine.}


    {Recursion}. My fifth {Fate} as a Reaper and my second as a Phantom. For lack of a better word, it was like a conditional {Rewind}. {Recursion} would force a {Rewind} with no limit as long as the condition was not fulfilled.


    In this particular battle, my condition was until Andromalius was dead. This means that anyone under the power of {Recursion} would keep coming back until I die or the condition is fulfilled.


    It might sound stupid, because similar to {Rewind}, it does not help my combat power. But what made it worthy of being a Phantom''s {Fate} was that it forced recursive resurrection not only on me, but on everyone I brought with me.


    This meant that until the condition was fulfilled, each of my "Wards", were effectively immortal.


    {{Recursion}} Deactivated. Total cost in souls consumed. 54,242,126.}


    ''Well shit.''


    Unfortunately, {Recursion} had no cost, instead it accumulated the cost and charged for it later. It was a good deal because I could use the souls I got after the battle to pay for the loan.


    {Available souls... 4,043,202... Total loan balance. 50,198,924.}


    But of course, if the cost was going to be a few hundred people dying over and over again, it was bound to be expensive as hell.


    ''Just how much is that in dollars? Fuck! Isn''t that like my entire winnings from the pot?''


    Still, when you think about it, I won the battle without a single casualty. To me, It was worth every soul.


    {Warning, soul deficit will be deducted from {Relive} potential.}


    ''What? What does that mean? And who are you? Exa! Are you there?''


    I tried to speak but no voice came out. I tried to turn my head and open my eyes, but I couldn''t feel anything. It was as if I was paralyzed from the head down.


    {{Rewind}} Not available. [Autoload] Artificial {Kismet} unavailable. {Replace} 2 charges remaining. Lives available 2.}


    ''Well fuck,, that means I died a total of four times after Andromalius arrived. {Rewind}, [Autoload], and 2 {Replace} stacks. I should have bought 5 more before they deducted all my souls for my account.''


    {2 Lives consumed. No stacks left. Total deductible remaining: 49,998,924}.


    So a single stack was only worth 100,000? Not a bad deal considering the first and second {Replace} were only worth 500 and 1000 respectively.


    {Checking Kindred...Seven Kindred candidates found... Evaluating compatibility.}


    ''NO! You are not doing this you fucking piece of shit! The cost will be shouldered by me alone!''


    ''{Request acknowledged. Do you wish to bear the remaining soul cost as judgment or malice?}


    ''What? What the fuck are you?! Who are you? Judgment? Malice? What the hell?''


    {Do you wish to bear the remaining soul cost as judgment or malice? If no answer is given, the reaper''s Kindred will be called upon to pay the cost.}


    That fucking system or voice or whatever it was knew how to get under my skin. It planned to call the Sirens for my soul debt if I couldn''t pay. Who the fuck was this guy? Some kind of income tax IRS from Hellsgate or something?


    ''I''ll pay! I''ll pay! Pay it in damages!''


    {Understood, you will now experience being killed 49,998 times.}


    ''What?''


    {Judgment begins.}


    ''What are you goi...¡­.AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!''


    A pain that went beyond the physical attacked my soul. It was like the pain I felt when Caroline broke my heart, but a hundred times worse. Like all the negative feelings I had been holding in all this time ripping my insides to shreds.


    My envy. My greed. My anger. Exhaustion. Lust. Sorrow.


    My grief. My despair. It was as if I suddenly remembered every bad thing that happened in my life and then suddenly my heart was crushed by the emotional trauma.


    ''Make it stop....please.....I can''t hold on anymore.....I beg you...''


    I began to whimper in defeat not even a minute after this "judgment" began. Dying was better. Anything was better. I would rather be hanged and burned alive than endure one more second of this.


    I wanted to die.


    I wanted to die.


    It hurts so much.


    Why do I have to suffer like this?


    Who am I suffering for?


    {This is what you wished for, John Smith. Recursion prevents your wards from dying. Instead, you will die in their place. For every life you have saved.}


    ''Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!'' Explore new worlds at M-V-L


    {Do you want to pass the pain on to another?}


    ''YES! Pass it on to them! I don''t care who it is! I don''t want to feel like this anymore.''


    {Then choose. From the following.}


    ''Who is it?! Just hurry!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!''


    {Liv Ivaldi.}


    Liv. My headstrong but gentle Valkyrie of the North. The one who carried the weight of an entire continent on her shoulders. The woman who cursed herself for a mistake she didn''t make. I would never pass it on to her.


    ''NOOOO!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!''


    {Lilly Browning.}


    Lilly, my noble pervert from America. She lived a life where she felt unwanted and hid herself just to survive. Even among her family and friends she remained alone. They forced her to do their dirty work against her nature. Like hell I would add to her burdens.


    ''YYOUUUUUUSSSSSSIIIIICKKKFFFFFUCCCCKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!''


    {Robyn Lithgow.}


    Robyn, my spunky kitten from Australia. One who was denied a happy childhood, all because of someone''s greed. She led a life of death and destruction and has only recently begun to heal. I was a horrible human compared to her; I would rather suffer.


    ''FUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!''


    {Josephine Benelli.}


    Jo, my hyperactive lunatic from Italy. A kind girl forced into a life of hardship, all to become a better Reaper. They took everything from her and then left her to die, all because she was found formless. Her smile, I would never let anything destroy it. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''UGH!!! I CAN DO THIS ALL DAY YOU FUCKING SADIST!''!


    {Isabella Taurus.}


    Bella, my annoying but devoted honey from Brazil. Because of some assholes her future was stolen. Forced to grow fangs, she fought tooth and nail to gain her power. She deserved better. I owe her everything. To hell with this.


    ''HAAAAAAAAAA!!!! BRING IT ON!


    {Jasmine Denel.}


    Jas, my soft-spoken yet lusty chocolate-skinned wifey from Seychelles. She had protected Jo all her life and had to bear scars she had no reason to. But instead of blaming anyone else, she fought on without complaint. I would not be worthy of her if I fell here.


    ''Huff¡­huff¡­.huff¡­.''


    {Aki Miroku.}


    Aki, my seductive landlady from Japan. A woman wronged by her own family. Forced into a life of murder and lies, all to save her brother. She has suffered so much already. What kind of sick bastard would I be to subject her to more pain?


    ''.....''


    Slowly developing a tolerance, I finally began to resist. As I thought about what my girls had been through, I quickly gained a new perspective. So far, even though I feel like I want to die. I didn''t.


    Rather than put any of the girls through that kind of hell, I would do it in their place.


    {You seem to have incredible resilience. And you value your harem quite a bit. Shall we continue?}


    ''Who are you?''


    {I have been here since the beginning of your journey. And I will be here at its end.}


    ''What the fuck does that even mean? Are you like paid to be an asshole?''


    {Hmm, it seems you are being brought back. I only have one piece of advice for you. Trust no one, not even your precious women.}

 Chapter 417: Who is it this time? [2/2]

    ''Can''t you come up with something original? Enough of this doom and gloom shit. What about my loan?''{Now that you have recovered, you can pay it with souls. Just kill undead like you always do.}


    ''Then {Recursion} will always have that judgment crap?''


    {Only if you use more than you have.}


    ''Fucking capitalist! Ugh, whatever. I''m going now!''


    {See you around... Buddy.}


    ''Huh? Wait a fucking minute? {Rewind}? You fucking asshole!''


    Then I felt my consciousness being pulled out, like I was going through a warp.


    ***


    I then opened my eyes and saw a world of white.


    "I''m getting really tired of this white world shit. Who is it this time?"


    "That would be my fault." S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I turned to see the Slayer. He was wearing the same armor, but he wasn''t wielding his polearm. In reflex, I clenched my hands into fists and got into a boxing stance.


    "[Inventory]. Ebony, ivory!"


    The Slayer waved both arms frantically as he held them up.


    "Wait! Wait! I surrender! I am not here to fight! We are both on the soul plane."


    A term I hadn''t heard before, but I understood what it meant. This must be some kind of domain between worlds.


    I watched a lot of anime and manga, so I understood. Whenever the hero dies, he meets a bunch of people for some kind of philosophical crap.


    If you count what {Rewind} tried to do for me, it was similar. Although I kind of got the feeling that bastard just wanted to torture me.


    "Let me guess, this place is somewhere between life and death? Are you saying goodbye in a clich¨¦d way? What? You want to tell me your life story or something?" Your journey continues at M-V-L


    The Slayer froze as he began to scratch awkwardly at the back of his helmet.


    "You''re wearing a damn helmet. How can you even scratch your head, you fucking moron?"


    Robert then began to laugh out loud while holding his stomach.


    Somehow, in the few minutes I had with him, I saw the Slayer express more emotion than ever before.


    "HAHAHA, good one. Sorry, force of habit. You hit the nail on the head. I came to give you a warning."


    "Why? We are enemies. Why would you want to help me?"


    "Oh! Right! Then let me be brief. You saw what my face looked like under the helmet, right? The black skull? Basically, my body was in the Blood Moon.


    So I was sort of dead the entire time."


    I see, no wonder he couldn''t be killed. Come to think of it, the demon only came out after Lilly and the girls started shooting at the moon.


    "Okay. So what?"


    The Slayer made a thoughtful face and started humming loudly.


    "Mmm. Let me think for a moment."


    After a few seconds, he held out his hand to me.


    "What? You want a handshake?"


    "It would be quicker to show you. Only takes a minute at the most. Your girls have already returned your soul," he replied.


    "I what?"


    "Your soul. You just experienced a soul collapse. That''s what happens when you run out of souls after a big battle. Call it delayed stress."


    "How do you know that?" I asked cautiously.


    "Because I am inside you."


    "You what?"


    "Oh, come on; you can''t be that stupid. Why do you think they call our currency souls? Why do you get souls when someone dies? Grim Reaper? Any of that ring a bell?"


    "..."


    Well, fuck. So, souls were literally souls. Like dead people. So that was why you went crazy when you had over 100,000? It was not just malice, but taking in the souls of literally a hundred people? I just won 4,000,000, no wonder I broke.


    "Looks like you understood to some extent. Anyway, my time is short. In a nut shell, what I want you to watch out for are the Revenants and IRIS. They are not allies of the Reapers, nor of humanity."


    "What?"


    "My family was massacred. In my grief, I created the {Blood Feast}. My {Fate} only serves to store enough malice and blood to give birth to a demon. My original body was used as the vessel."


    "Did you at least manage to kill the murderer of your family?" I asked sympathetically.


    "How could I? You killed me before I could gather enough power."


    "Who did you want to kill? Even with all that, it wasn''t enough?"


    "It was David Thomas."


    "What?" I said like an idiot.


    "David Thomas killed my whole village. My parents, my children, and my wife. Everyone I ever knew died at his hands."


    "..."


    "I didn''t make {Blood Feast} by accident. David made me wish for it. He taught me how to create a {Fate} that would give birth to a demon. And told me I could kill him with it."


    "..."


    Come to think of it, according to Exa, David, Xander and Eva were Connie''s guests. From the speed with which he arrived, Raymond must have been the specter guarding the zone.


    Which meant that the moment the Andromalius came out, every Specter present charged into the battle zone. All except the fucking Revenant. I felt myself swallow with nervousness. As if I had learned something I shouldn''t have.


    Then I remembered how Xander had lost his wife. According to him, it was because David lost control. And Xander tried to kill him with the Saviors, only to have them all die except for the man in front of me.


    "Was he perhaps suffering from a soul collapse? Did he act like a lunatic?"


    "No, he was sane. And Zachary Lynch was with him. They started executing people after telling them to kill each other. Those who refused were murdered on the spot."


    "..."


    What the fuck? Why would David and Zach do that? I thought the guys from North America were better than those from Europe. But if what Robert said was true. How could any of them be better?


    "Anyway. My time has come. Thank you for freeing me, John. I am glad that you stopped me. If we meet again in the next life, I will follow you forever. Be careful.


    I am rooting for you."


    "Wait! Robert! Come back!"


    Like a video on fast forward, my distance from Robert grew rapidly, even though he only took less than ten steps. As he turned, I saw a group of silhouettes grab him and drag him to the ground.


    And then he was gone.


    "That didn''t look peaceful at all."


    The more I learned about Hellsgate, the less I knew. But when I looked at the white world. I knew two things.


    One, even though I still had questions, I knew more than when I started.


    And two, even if I didn''t have all the answers. I didn''t have to find them all on my own. Unlike when I started, I had the Sirens. And now I had Hellsend.


    Though no one believed it was possible, my army and I managed to defeat a greater demon. Even though Robert''s story had shaken me a little, it didn''t change what I had to do.


    My goal had nothing to do with David or any of the Revenants. And as long as I kept getting stronger, It didn''t matter what stood in my way.


    I steeled my mind, allowed my soul to leave this place, and returned to Hellsgate. The place where Hellsend and my battle harem were waiting for me.

 Chapter 418: I will be your clown. [1/2]

    "Most amusing, you all would stand before me so defiantly?""Father, I was merely highlighting the usefulness of Hellsend as a fighting force."


    "Fuck off, Your Highness, we just offed a demon and you weren''t even here! Possum was the one who wiped your ass!"


    "Hehe, I always wanted to try fighting a Revenant. My lord the Invincible, my name is Vela. I am darling''s woman. Wanna spar?"


    "You won''t take my husband... I could care less if you are a Revenant."


    "The only way you will touch my beloved is if I am dead. Come at me!"


    "What the fuck is wrong with all of you? Has the beating I gave you earlier made you all stupid? This bastard needs to get his women in order."


    "Nightmare-sama, you may take the Slayer''s soul gem. None of us would object, even if you want to take back the demon''s corpse. But we will never give you Shujin''s body. If you really want it, we will resist with everything we have."


    "Damn it, everyone needs to calm down! Honey should wake up soon. This can all be settled once he wakes up. Let''s all play nice! Peace is good!"


    "HAHAHAH! As expected from the harem my son-in-law has chosen! You all have courage far beyond the norm! I like it! What about the rest of you? Phillip, do you intend to sever ties with me?


    The two beside you are Tildi and Will, right?"


    "The fucker even has my wife with him. Constance, are you choosing this bastard over me?"


    Well, fuck. I just regained consciousness, but the girls were already arguing with someone else. When I opened my eyes, my back was against Delroy. Pixie had her arms out as she shielded me from the front.


    The bravery of this young child was commendable. Especially considering the people in front of her.


    My eyes quickly took in everyone present. Hellsend was surrounding a group of less than twenty people. Though no one had their weapons raised, everyone was on guard.


    The Soulless Army, the dragons, and nearly a thousand reapers were like coiled springs, ready to strike.


    Find exclusive content at M-V-L


    You could practically cut the tension with a knife. In the center, surrounded by my army, was David Thomas.


    He was flanked by The Nightmare Zachary Lynch and Grey Ash, who I assumed was the current commander of the White Guard. About ten men and women in white uniforms stood with them.


    While the Invincible and the Nightmare were carefree, the White Guard were noticeably sweating bullets. All of their hands fidgeted uncontrollably as they held their weapons close, ready to draw at a moment''s notice.


    "HAHAHA! GET UP, SON-IN-LAW! WE WERE ABOUT TO START WITHOUT YOU!"


    As David laughed happily, I stood up and walked toward him. There was a palpable sense of relief among my allies. When they saw me get up, they breathed a sigh of relief.


    My girls had tears in their eyes at my return. Their relief and concern was relayed to me through our Pseudo Kindred connection. They also all sent {Code} messages asking if I was okay.


    I reassured them as I made my way toward the Revenant of the North American continent. When we came face to face, I stared fearlessly into his eyes. Robert''s word from earlier repeated in my mind.


    "David Thomas murdered my entire village. My parents, my children, my wife. Everyone I ever knew died at his hands."


    "I didn''t make {Blood Feast} by accident. David made me wish for it. He taught me how to create a {Fate} that would give birth to a demon. And told me that I could use it to kill him."


    It was easy to assume that the Revenant before me was a psychopath. But my time in Hellsgate taught me an important lesson.


    ''Things are not always how they appear.''


    I was stupid. So originally I didn''t care about the details. But knowing the lengths David went to make sure Robert summoned a demon, I would be an idiot to assume that such a fate could not happen to me.


    Robert had no reason to lie. And if anything, {Blood Feast} was no ordinary {Fate}. I could easily believe that he was lying just for the hell of it. But the Slayer was extremely direct and even tried to warn me before passing on.


    Zach, on the other hand, not only spied on me, but even used me to kill Rogues for him. David also used me as a pawn to expand North American influence on the 24th floor.


    Who was an ally and who was an enemy.


    How would I decide who to trust and who to be wary of?


    The man before me stood at the pinnacle of power. Only six others stood with him. Yet he recognized my worth and treated me as an equal. Being treated as an equal meant that our relationship had only three possible labels.


    Allies, strangers, or enemies.


    Although he tried to make it appear to the world that I was his ally, the reality was not so clear. For one thing, Isolde and Krishna were now among those under my protection. This meant that I was in direct violation of David''s will.


    Secondly, I didn''t agree with the way he was running things. Because of our disagreement, I couldn''t serve under his banner. And that was before the revelation of the Slayer.


    I already knew that my forces would have to change battlefronts at some point. Since I didn''t want to subordinate myself to another, our separation was set in stone. In truth, I believe that this line of thought was the reason he approved of me in the first place. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If everyone groveled at your every word, the world would lose its color. And for someone who held the North American continent under his thumb, it must have been even more so.


    And I had no fucking idea how this wannabe superhero in spandex saw the world.


    But I did know that if I wanted to survive, I had to steel my will and treat him as my equal.


    The moment I cowered before him would be the moment David Thomas would surely kill me. I was sure of that with every fiber of my being.


    "What do you want, David?" I asked in an annoyed tone.


    Zach, Grey, and the rest of the White Guard made angry faces. Their loyalty must be very high to act like that. But their master didn''t comment on my lack of respect when he replied.


    "Give me the demon''s body," he said with a broad smile.


    "David, I heard my harem talking to you. They have already told you that you can take it. Yet you are still here."


    "Indeed. Your harem has grown magnificently in less than a month, they are all halfway to becoming Specters. If last time they were all meek as sheep, now they have enough courage to stand in front of me! Truly amazing!"


    "Get to the point. I just killed a demon and would like to rest now. What do you want?"


    "Defend North America for half a year. I will reward you handsomely if you succeed."


    "W-what?" I stammered.


    The Revenant chuckled at my awkward response.


    I looked around and gestured to everyone present. "Are you sure you want to talk about this in front of all these people?"


    "Do you move rooms just because there are rats that hear your words? I do not care about the will or actions of those beneath me. Your answer?" He declared with a huge grin.


    Wow. Now that was the confidence of someone at the very top. Not only did he insult everyone present, but he literally didn''t care what the rest of them did.


    "Who am I defending against?"


    "Three continents are gathering forces as we speak. Africa, South America, and Asia. They are all preparing to invade in the coming months."


    "Why does it have to be me? There are more powerful Specters. Let them defend the continent."


    "Hahaha! That is true! But you know what those bastards are like! They no longer give a damn about anyone else!"

 Chapter 419: I will be your clown. [2/2]

    "David. My goal is and always has been to close Hellsgate. My Phantoms intend to select defense zones and prepare for our eventual descent once we become Specters. Fighting Reapers from other continents is a waste of my time.""Indeed. Which is why I look forward to your growth. Hmm. If I had to explain, I see you as a joker."


    "A joker? You mean a clown?"


    "Hahaha, well, you are entertaining, but no. I meant as a wild card. To use an analogy, the other Revenants and I are playing a game of poker. One where the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Depending on your actions, I could win the game," David answered in glee.


    "Who will be held responsible for my actions? You? If they decide to go to war because my defense was too good, where does that leave me? I don''t have time for this shit David. Find someone else."


    At that moment, a huge amount of Death resonance came out of the Revenant. It was so thick I felt like I was drowning in an ocean in the middle of a cataclysmic storm.


    I and everyone around me were forced to kiss the ground. The pressure was so great that none of us could even lift our heads. The only one who was able to maintain some sense of dignity was Zach, who was on one knee but still had his head up. Read exclusive content at M-V-L


    "You forget your place, maggot. I can crush you to dust right now. I command you as your king. Or do you want me to tear your entire harem into pieces before you comply?"


    The moment I heard these words, my anger burned.


    ''This fucking bastard. You can joke about killing me all you want, but I will slaughter anyone who threatens the Sirens before me.''


    With my face on the ground, I forced myself to stand. I could hear my bones creaking, as if complaining from abuse.


    ''Exa. Help me get up. Do whatever you have to.''


    [Understood. Use [Overdrive] on [Knight]. And use {Shelter} to bind your limbs.]


    ''Thanks Exa. [Overdrive] [Knight].''


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Knight]. [Knight] levels up to [Heavy Knight].


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Knight]. [Heavy Knight] levels up to [Knight Lord].


    With my body strengthened by {Fates} I slowly raised my head and pushed my torso up. When my body was halfway up, I made {Shelter} constructs to bind my forearms and midsection like casts.


    I clenched my teeth as I struggled against the pressure. Eventually, I was able to bring my knee upright. Once more I bound it with {Shelter}, forcing the limb to remain stable.


    The sound of slowly breaking glass echoed around me. {Shelter} was strong enough to withstand 36 megajoules. Still, I could feel both my constructs and joints on the verge of breaking.


    As if that were not enough, my limbs began to bruise as they continued to be squeezed between two powerful forces. But I refused to give in. I already experienced pain that was worse than dying.


    "Putui! This is nothing," I taunted.


    I spit out blood and brought my hand to my knee, pushing myself to stand. Worry and fear flooded my connection to the Sirens as they expressed their anxiety. But I couldn''t think about them right now.


    Notifications from my GRI also began to flood my brain, like alerts from social media. I would assume they were from everyone else in Hellsend.


    ''Exa, shut them all up.''


    [Yes, my lord.]


    My brain was working overtime as I struggled to stand under David''s tyrannical power.


    Fuck. This is what it meant to stand against a Revenant. You said ''yes sir'' or they will beat the shit out of you until you do. Sigh, I guess there''s no helping it, let''s just get something in return instead.


    "Gi-ive m-e t-the 24th f-floor."


    I struggled to pronounce my words, speaking slowly as David looked me in the eye.


    "..."


    ''Fuck this! If you are going to kill me, get over it already!''


    I willed my whole body to fight the oppressive force. Every muscle. Every ounce of strength. I summoned everything in me. Then I used all the souls I could muster to cast Death Resonance.


    "AGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"


    As if the chain that bound me broke all at once, David''s pressure suddenly disappeared. There was no trace of a smile on his face as I struggled to catch my breath.


    I didn''t know if I broke free on my own or if he released his Death Resonance to allow me to stand. But at this point, it no longer mattered.


    "Huff...huff...give me the 24th floor. I won it fair and square, right? Even if I couldn''t kill Robert... Huff... my army was the one that managed to kill the demon. Give me the whole floor and I will do as you ask."


    "Why?" the Revenant asked. His voice cold as ice.


    "I am not your servant, David. I am your equal. You do not command me. We negotiate instead. My price is the 24th floor of the North American Battlefront."


    With a queasy feeling in my body, I silently summoned {Regen}. The pain made it feel like my organs were scrambled. It took everything I had not to vomit right then and there.


    The pain slowly eased as my body recovered quickly.


    "The 24th floor will be my land, and you will grant me autonomy. I will spare no expense to protect and support the North American battlefront against the undead. But everything else will be up to me."


    "And I should grant this request...Because?"


    "You need me. If you didn''t, you would have already beaten me to the ground like last time. If you had another bastard to use, you would have done so already. But since the Specters are all lazy ass bums, I am your next best pawn."


    I moved closer to him as I spoke. Close enough for our faces to touch.


    "I''ll be your clown or joker or whatever. But this will be the last time. Once I have done this for you, let me do as I please. Or just kill me now. We both know that I would die first before you would make me submit."


    "Indeed. But I also know that you love your women very much. What would you do if I simply killed them? Or what if I took them hostage?"


    "Then it is guaranteed that I will turn against you. I will sell myself to another Revenant. And make it my life''s work to destroy North America."


    "Are you threatening me, boy?"


    "Of course I am, you fucking idiot! I have created a force capable of killing a greater demon in a little over a week. If you touch a single hair on my girls. Either kill me now or watch as I raze the North American battlefront to the ground," I said through clenched teeth.


    "..."


    It was said that when one had nothing left to lose, they were at their most ferocious. If David harmed the Sirens, I was prepared to massacre everyone in his continent in retaliation.


    I wouldn''t be able to do it right away. But in time, I would do it with absolute certainty.


    "That is ONLY if you go that far. Give me the 24th floor and guarantee that you will not harm my family. I swear on the lives of my kindred that I will never point a gun at you or your kingdom."


    "..."


    "Hellsend will help North America against the undead and demons when she calls for us, without asking for anything in return."


    "..."


    "I ask as a friend, David. Do not force me to become your enemy. Give me what I ask, and I will stand with you against the undead until the day my bloodline dies out."


    A moment that seemed like an eternity passed as David and I continued to stare at each other. Any king worth his salt would know how much I could help the Battlefront, given enough time.


    The only question was whether his pride would allow him to accept something I suggested.


    "HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! LOOK AT THE BALLS ON THIS MOTHERFUCKER!"


    A deafening roar of laughter soon followed. I had to reflexively cover my ears at how loud that fucking bastard was.


    "THIS IS WHY I RECOGNIZE YOU AS MY EQUAL! YOU DID NOT DISAPPOINT HAHAHAAHAHAHA! AS EXPECTED FROM MY SON-IN-LAW!"


    I smiled wryly at his answer. The tension that suddenly left my body made me want to keel over and die. David grinned his trademark smirk as he nodded in approval.


    "Good. Very good! If you had only bowed, I would have killed you on the spot. I, David Thomas the Invincible, accept your terms!"


    Zach pulled out a sheet of paper and threw it into the air. Souls rushed towards it as David spoke. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Defend my domain from invaders for the entire month of September, and I will grant you the 24th floor as your kingdom! I also vow never to harm your harem or your family.


    "I, DAVID THOMAS THE INVINCIBLE VOW THIS ON MY {FATE}"

 Chapter 420: VICTORY! [1/2]

    "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Find exclusive content at M-V-LAs the superhero wannabe continued to laugh with delight, Zach stepped forward and made a face of irritation. He handed me a copy of the Seeker''s Oath as he complained.


    "Fucking bastard. Why do you have to keep stirring shit up? I almost thought David was going to murder you."


    It may have been over for them, but it wasn''t for me. Andromalius was not born by accident. It was because David and Zach forced a man to fall into despair and birth him.


    I didn''t know what face I was making, but Zach immediately noticed the change in my demeanor.


    "..."


    Unlike Hellsend or the Sirens, the man before me was someone I couldn''t understand. I felt the immense danger he posed to me and my family. Only one thought kept repeating in my mind.


    ''If these bastards wanted to do to me what they did to Robert, I didn''t have the power to stop them.''


    I was literally at their mercy. Most people would feel this immense sense of omnipotence at least once in their lives.


    The moment they see a bug or a small animal in front of them. The urge and realization that if they wanted to, they could kill or spare that little life.


    Its future was not in its hand but in their own. I said it gave a sense of omnipotence if you were the human.


    But what if you were the ant?


    What would you feel then? Fear? Terror? Resignation? Unease? I didn''t know exactly, but I wasn''t okay.


    I had decided long before that I could never follow David as his soldier. Despite my weakness, I knew I wouldn''t follow anyone''s words but my own.


    That was how I wanted to lead this life.


    But now a different feeling came over me. My desire to leave the battle front in North America increased a thousandfold. It was no longer just a moral conflict. There was a newfound sense of danger.


    That same danger made it difficult to treat Zach as I had before. If there was one thing I was lacking in, it was the ability to deal with people I didn''t like.


    I had bullies at work, but most of them didn''t care if I pulled a face. In fact, I thought they enjoyed it. School bullies were even easier. We just threw fists at each other until we lost interest.


    It would either end with my triumphant victory or me nursing bruises from the beating. Since my dad also beat me up, Noelle had no idea that I usually fought at school. She assumed it was my dad, Frank Smith.


    "You got a problem with me, bastard?" the Nightmare asked.


    "..."


    I actually found David easier to understand. Because of his overwhelming power, his personality had no need for pretense. In contrast, everything about Zachary Lynch was filled with lies.


    And while I had problems with David''s actions regarding his battlefront, he was a good ally to have against the undead. That is why I promised that we would never abandon them if the enemies were undead or demons.


    The promise I made was clear and concise. It meant that if North America went to war with the reapers of another continent, Hellsend would not help either side.


    "Would you look at that," Zach exclaimed.


    "Just a week ago you looked like a gullible idiot. Now you look like a bloodthirsty beast. It seems the day David has been waiting for may be coming sooner rather than later."


    "I have been through a lot. What day is that?" I asked, confused.


    "The day you become a Revenant and he comes for your head."


    "Then let me be your sponsor, motherfucker! Grow in strength, then once you become a Revenant, have a fight to the death with me!"


    Only then did I remember the words David had said. I must have forgotten them because I thought it was just a fight. Like the ones where we ended up closer than before.


    But from Zach''s words it seemed that David was looking forward to it in a different way.


    ''He really wants to kill me, huh?''


    Zach pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me.


    "Bastard, this is the Seeker proof."


    "The what?"


    At that moment, I felt my girls start to crowd around me.


    "Dearest, the Seeker Proof is the document that proves ownership of all the spoils of war."


    "Zach, are you still going to take both Robert''s soul gem and the demon corpse? Earlier, we said it was okay since Honey had not regained consciousness yet. That obviously no longer holds true, right?"


    "Haha! Have some fucking shame! Otherwise, you lazy white fucks are nothing but worthless leeches! Oh! Hi darling!"


    "Yeah! Fuck off and do the Harry! Kill your own demon next time, you lazy cunts! You bastards should thank Possum instead."


    "Technically, since both Slayer-san and the demon came from elements of the Seeker War, they should be part of the items covered by the Seeker Proof. Wouldn''t you agree, Nightmare-sama?"


    "Especially since you basically used Husband and Hellsend as a show of force to the world."


    "Indeed, anyone who witnessed the power of the Blessing in battle would be afraid of it. The very thought of being on the receiving end of such power is a deterrent. Beloved has already done immense service to the continent!"


    Zach made a face like he had swallowed shit.


    "Bastard, I already noticed since earlier. Your women have gotten even more bat-shit insane since last time. What the fuck have you been doing? Are these bitches not afraid of me or David at all?"


    Hearing his observations, I smiled as I grabbed Lilly and Bella by the waist and pulled them to my side.


    "That''s because they are mine. They are not crazy. They are adorable, get your facts straight. You fucking gangster."


    I didn''t know if the girls or Zach did this on purpose, but hearing such stupid concerns made my worries from earlier seem foolish.


    "You''re joking, right? If they keep this up, they are going to get killed for being too arrogant. The other continents are not as liberal as we are," he retorted. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Well, I will just have to remember to bring a bigger stick than the ones I will be talking to. Fortunately, my girls are more capable than they are beautiful."


    I then kissed Bella and Lilly alternately on the exposed parts of their necks. Both moaned lasciviously at my sudden show of affection. Zach made a face of revulsion as he turned around.


    "Disgusting. Whatever. We never intended to take Robert or the demon with us. David just likes to horse around. I would suggest not to rush to become a Revenant. Otherwise your life will be cut short."


    "Not really. I will be a Revenant before darling can."


    "Agreed. The power of a Revenant is necessary to protect husband."


    "Fufu. Please do not worry, Nightmare-sama. By then, His Majesty the Invincible would have to fight with 8 Revenants instead of just one."


    "Hahaha! A noble cause to strive for! Worthy of songs! A duel to the death between Revenants! Of course, the Sirens will be at our beloved''s side!"


    "Tell His Majesty not to slack off. Possum and the Sirens will come for him soon enough."


    Zach said nothing in response to my girls'' blatant threats. I could feel Connie''s soul signature following the Nightmare as he left. Aside from questioning her motives, Zach spoke more to me and my girls than his own wife.


    I found it quite sad that they lacked any kind of affection. Feeling immensely lucky to have a beauty in each arm, I looked at Lilly and Bella. They both turned away. They blushed a fierce scarlet and were panting.


    Their breathing was shallow. The slow rise and fall of their ample breasts pleased me greatly. As I took in their beauty, it finally dawned on me that the girls and I had survived the Seeker War!


    My reward would be a week-long honeymoon.


    I hugged my princess and my Brazilian even tighter because of my growing lust. Their eyes showed similar amorous glances as they felt my possessiveness. Unfortunately, before I could kiss their lips, a pair of arms pulled me from behind.


    A soft, pleasant sensation pressed against the back of my head. From its size and shape I already knew who it was. Big strong arms lifted my face up as Liv and I shared a deep kiss.

 Chapter 421: VICTORY! [2/2]

    Without even waiting for their turn, I felt cold sensations press and lick my neck from the right and left. Hands took my mine and guided it to plump flesh. It was so soft despite the clothes covering it.Before I could say anything, two more tongues began licking my earlobes from either side. The sudden pleasure from so many sources made me weak.


    But my nether regions grew in size and strength instead. I felt something enter my pants from the front, quickly moving to my engorged member. The soft hand began to gently massage my balls.


    My lower half began to arch forward as it sought the hand for more pleasure. As the Sirens continued to toy with me, my mind drowned in perverse fantasies.


    There was so much I wanted to try; I was at a loss for how to do it all. Positions, toys, games, places, costumes, my body began to burn with lust as the pleasure began to build.


    "Girls, I think that is enough. You should all be satisfied now, right? Honey looks like he is in pain."


    "We were the closest to dearest, okay? It was not like Bella, and I knew it beforehand!"


    At that moment, the girls who were pleasuring me all suddenly pulled away. I was lost the moment I was left alone. My cock, which was so engorged that it wanted to burst, felt especially uncomfortable.


    "Husband, punishment." "Think about what you did wrong, Anata." "My love, reflect on your mistake." "Grab me next time, okay, Possum? You can be as violent as you like."


    Jas, Aki, Liv and Robyn expressed their disappointment that I hadn''t taken them in my arms sooner. It ranged from anger to resentment to lasciviousness. Before I could answer them, my face was suddenly pulled to the left.


    Jo was staring at me manically. Her eyes changed color from green to blood red as she began to speak. The face may have been the same, but somehow I felt that this woman was not my Jo. Your next journey awaits at M-V-L


    "Darling, the only reason I didn''t kill Bella and Lilly is because they are part of the Sirens. If you do this to anyone else, I will butcher them until there is nothing left!"


    If the others were just sad, Jo, on the other hand, showed signs of immense stress and called me out. Judging by her expression, it was someone I cared about but had yet to officially meet.


    I could choose to freak out, but my Italian darling was already sensitive to the voices in her head. As someone who loved her dearly, I didn''t want to hurt her.


    While I felt pent-up and wanted to strangle someone, I had nothing but compassion for the Sirens. Especially since I had heard how they protected me when I was out.


    Perhaps it was because they were quickly gaining strength. The girls were no longer the sheep who had only begged David to kill me the last time. This time they were all ready to fight, even if death was the only result.


    I gave Jo a smile as I hugged her tightly. Despite all her supposed anger, there was no resistance. I cupped her chin and gave her a soft and sweet kiss.


    "You must be Vela, nice to meet you darling. Thank you for all the times you have helped me. Do not worry, I am a very loyal man. And you are one of those I adore. I love you as much as I love Jo."


    The confusion on the Italian''s face was comical. As if two different people were trying to use the same face. One was making a mischievous face while the other was irritated as if it had swallowed shit.


    Jo''s eyes naturally flashed red and green as the expressions changed. Eventually, the red disappeared and only the green remained. The moment my precious darling''s smile returned, I grabbed her waist and pressed her body against mine.


    "Welcome back darling, did Vela tell you what happened?"


    "Hahaha! You are so fucking insane darling! Vela is practically afraid of you now! She is like an angry cat. She knows how to hit people, but she gets confused when people are nice to her. Hahaha it''s so funny!"


    I nuzzled my face into Jo''s neck as I savored her scent. It was a wholesome scent, light but green. It reminded me of spring.


    "Kya, darling, you are smelling me too much!"


    Jo''s happy laughter was music to my ears, but before I could enjoy her any more, we were suddenly separated. The ones who pulled me away from my Italian were of course my disgruntled lovers.


    Aki pouted as he looked away unhappily. "Shujin, I protest against this blatant favoritism!"


    "Here! Here! Possum is a fucking cunt!"


    "Now, now, everyone calm down. Beloved is back and everyone is safe! We should celebrate!"


    "Husband, look over there."


    Following my ebony-skinned lover''s lead, I saw Phillip, Tildi, and Will bow to David as he nodded. When I tried to hear what they were saying, my hearing suddenly focused on their direction.


    ''Thank you, Exa.''


    [Anytime, my Lord. Welcome back].


    "Are you sure?" David asked with a cold voice.


    "Yes. Thank you for everything, Your Highness. I, Phillip Scrivener, will remain grateful for all as long as I live."


    "And you two?"


    "Your Highness. As a former slave, I wish to follow my Lord Limitless. He is the first to allow even someone like me to gain strength," Tildi said confidently.


    Will expressed similar sentiments. "Your Highness the Invincible. I am formless. I too want to protect those I love. I cannot do so by remaining a mere Administrative clerk."


    David then turned, his cape fluttering from his actions.


    "I see. If you all wish to follow him, knowing what is soon to come, then so be it. I sever your oaths to me. Go. Live and die as you wish."


    "THANK YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS!" x3


    The Revenant then faced Yvonne and the Saint Division of Hellsend as he addressed them. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "None of you wish to accept my offer?"


    Yvonne bowed respectfully as she replied.


    "We are honored by your generosity, Your Highness. But our loyalty is to our lord. Limitless. We, who have been trampled all our lives, have found a place under his banner. The Hellsend Saint Division will live and die by our lord''s side. Thank you for allowing us to choose Your Highness!"


    Following her, the rest of the saints bowed in unison. "Thank you, Your Highness!"


    Suddenly, two figures appeared in front of me, blocking my view. They were Raymond Gertrude and Xander Rutherford. The girls tensed at their arrival, but my women all shielded me like a solid wall.


    Raymond and Xander completely ignored the girls and said their goodbyes.


    "I hope you don''t regret this, you fucking brat. Know that even more intense battles await you. And unlike before, we won''t be there to bail you out."


    "Thank you for saving Robert, John Smith. Farewell."


    Xander suddenly disappeared as he walked away. Raymond took a few steps, then looked at me and scratched the back of his head in irritation.


    "I''ll wait for it, you bastard."


    "Wait for what?" I asked, confused.


    "The day you become a Revenant."


    After he said his peace, a whirlwind covered his body before suddenly disappearing.


    When I looked back at Yvonne, our guests were nowhere to be found. With David, Zach and the White Guard gone, only Hellsend remained in this space.


    I didn''t know who, but then I heard someone shout.


    "LIMITLESS!"


    And from a single voice, it slowly gained strength.


    "LIMITLESS!"


    "LIMITLESS!"


    "LIMITLESS!"


    By the fourth time, almost everyone was screaming my name like fans at a metal concert. The cheering suddenly stopped just as I raised a fist. Robyn and Aki pulled me towards a platform as I was about to speak.


    The shiny material meant that the stage was made of {Shelter}.


    The Sirens all pushed me to the front as they gave me the spotlight. Hellsend all waited with bated breath for my next words. Only one word came to mind. One suitable for such a happy occasion.


    "VICTORY!" I roared with every fiber of my being.

 Chapter 422: Will you marry me? [1/2]

    A thunderous roar of nearly a thousand voices shook the zone. The very air vibrated with unparalleled intensity. Unintentionally, the Reapers of Hellsend invoked death resonance as they shouted into the sky."VICTORY!"


    VICTORY. The exhilarating feeling of excitement that coursed through one''s entire body. As I screamed that one word, my mind recalled everything that had happened to get to this point.


    I fought hundreds and thousands of enemies night after night.


    I tried to keep myself busy so as not to despair. Every waking moment, I had to do something to calm myself down. And now that was no longer necessary.


    The sweet, sweet relief from all that tension made me weak. For all my bravado, I had to use a lot of it just to keep from falling apart. I think it was the same for most men in the world.


    We might feel the weight on our shoulders, but as long as we had a reason, we would not buckle. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I found it quite funny. In truth, even though I did much crazier things compared to my life as a human, being a reaper was easier for me.


    Even with all that I accomplished. I still found my old life more difficult.


    ''Living alone with no one to connect with. Without purpose or honor or love. Without something to anchor your life to, everything felt meaningless.''


    Instead of becoming rich or successful. I think most men just want to be appreciated and loved. We didn''t need much. A few words of affection and a gentle caress was all it took.


    Many men were like me. As I look back over the last 50 years, little has changed in men''s lives. What has changed was that women have entered the workforce. And while it helped economies get richer, it came at a great cost.


    We lost mothers, wives and homemakers. And unfortunately, the pillar that supported men all this time suddenly lost its strength.


    I mean, that was the only explanation. How else could anyone believe what happened to America? The same country that stormed the beaches of Normandy would give birth to boys who would rather be called women than live on as men.


    It was downright shameful, this was not what so many men fought and died for.


    But denying reality never really helped anyone. If you ask me what the world needs to function, it needs men. But if you asked me what the world needs to be a better place, it would be women.


    I felt it this week. The difference when one carried something more than your own life. No matter how strong I was, my heart almost broke during the first night.


    The malevolence I learned afterwards made me question my sanity. I didn''t know when, but slowly but surely I longed for someone to understand me. For someone to tell me I was doing a good job.


    For someone to tell me that I mattered.


    And I found that comfort in the Sirens.


    Many times during the battle, I wondered why I wanted to become a Revenant in the first place.


    Originally, I just wanted to live this life for myself. But when I met the Sirens, I started to want more. To become a Revenant and then close the Hell Gate.


    In the beginning, I said I would do it because I wanted to.


    But such a reason was not enough to willingly choose to die hundreds of times.


    Of all the possible answers I had, none of them were strong enough. Honor, prestige, pride, even wealth. They were nothing but hollow concepts that had no substance.


    Only one reason gave me the ability to endure.


    A single wish.


    One single wish.


    ''I want to live happily with my harem in a world without the undead.''


    My desire to close Hellsgate was not out of some grand mission. I wanted to do it so that I could live in peace. If the Sirens were gone, then becoming a Revenant had no meaning. And closing the Hellgate of no value.


    ''Only then did I understand. Well, actually, I already did, I just didn''t know it yet.''


    That was why there were legions of Specters who stopped fighting.


    And I was starting to think that Trinity knew this too. When the undead killed Xander''s wife. They effectively took Xander down as well.


    That was probably why the Kindred were able to share {Fates} permanently.


    Because the Reapers were no longer one, but two.


    "Of course I am, you fucking idiot! I created a force capable of killing a greater demon in just over a week. If you touch a single hair on my girls. Either kill me now or watch as I raze the North American battlefront to the ground."


    However, my current circumstances were a bit inconvenient.


    "You are all aware that a reaper can only have one kindred, right? John cannot be a spouse for all three of you even if you agree to share. John, settle this matter. Who do you consider your wife?"


    At that time I replied.


    "None of them, they are my allies nothing more. I will bear the punishment for the murders. I am fine losing my rewards."


    But now the thought of letting the Sirens go was enough to drive me insane.


    "[Cyborg]. Exa, connect with Phillip, Cynthia, Addison, and Yvonne."


    [Understood].


    [Conference room 1 has opened.]


    [PhillipS has connected.]


    [ScarletLuna has connected.]


    [BeardUnderTheMountain has connected.]


    [CandlelitBestie has connected.]


    "..."


    Seeing the names of my allies, I am once again reminded of how different people were.


    [PhillipS: How strange, is there something you need my lord?]


    [Limitless: I do, I want to do something, and I need your help.]


    [ScarletLuna: Since Addie and I are here, is that something you need the Ten Graves for?]


    [Limitless: Not really, I just added you and Yvonne in case you wanted to know. Addison, do you have my rings with you? The ones I had made from the Devil''s remains?]


    [BeardUnderTheMountain : I do, my lord. Do you need them?]


    [Limitless: Yes, I intend to propose to the Sirens at this moment.]


    [CandlelitBestie: KYAAAAAAA OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! Patron finally went BDE! Your drip is already Gucci!


    :D :D :D This will be the proposal to end all proposals!]


    [PhillipS: I am happy for you, my lord. But will the ladies appreciate the attention? They may want a quiet celebration instead.]


    [ScarletLuna: Is there anyone who doesn''t know by this point? Limitless just threatened to destroy North America for them. That goes way beyond a simple proposal if you ask me.]


    [Limitless: Anyway, I don''t have anything, and I just want to wing it. I''ve waited so long I don''t think I can wait any longer. Addison, throw them to me right now. Phillip, handle everything else.]


    [PhillipS: Understood, I am to take care of the aftermath, correct? I guess you also wish for the wedding to happen right away?]


    [Limitless: Yes. I want it to be small. On Earth. Please take care of the details.]


    [PhillipS: Understood. Congratulations, my lord]


    [ScarletLuna: Scammer! Let me help! I know a great wedding planner!]


    [CandlelitBestie: Patron! Let me be your priest! I will do a good job, No cap!]


    Ignoring the rest of the chatter, I waited for Addison. Despite his small stature, he stood at the front with Cynthia and Yvonne. The two women were holding hands and jumping around happily.


    ''Exa, can I go all in on [Commander] too?''


    [Yes, my lord. This will allow you to have perfect control over your soul avatars].


    ''Good. Do it.''


    [Roger. Overdrive ready.]


    ''[Commander], [Overdrive].''


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Commander]. [Commander] levels up to [Field General].]


    [[Knight] setting shifting to [Commander]. [Field General] levels up to [Warlord].]


    The people continued to sing, cheer, and shout. The Sirens stayed behind me while the rest of the people celebrated. It was such a rare moment that no one wanted to be the one to force it to end.

 Chapter 423: Will you marry me? [2/2]

    A long black case flew toward me. It looked like a fancy long wallet. My eyes followed the flying object and grabbed it. I opened the case and saw seven beautifully crafted rings.Each ring was inlaid with gemstones of a particular color. I had deliberately did not choose to include diamonds. Instead, the gems of the ring together completed the colors of the rainbow.


    "{Day by day}".


    At this point, all seven of my bodies took a ring and slowly walked toward the girls at the back of the small stage.


    ''{Bestow} {Rewind}.''


    I wasn''t sure if Phillip and the others had intentionally asked everyone to be quiet. But within moments, the once boisterous zone became as quiet as the grave.


    The Sirens, of course, noticed the abrupt change and all focused on the rings in my hands.


    The smart ones, Lilly, Bella, Jo, Aki and Jas, reacted immediately. Their reactions ranged between surprise, happiness and excitement. Liv and Robyn, who didn''t get it right away, seemed confused at first, but understood a second later.


    As my avatars went to their designated Siren, I was able to control each body as smoothly as my own for the first time. At this point, there was no point in calling the Soul Avatars, since even I couldn''t tell them apart.


    When I got down on one knee and presented the rings to my harem, they all cried. Lilly, Jas and Aki looked very elegant. Jo, Robyn, Bella and Liv, on the other hand, were a mess, but their genuine happiness radiated from them.


    I reached for their hands as my bodies all spoke at the same time.


    "Love." "Dear." "Kitten." "Darling." "Honey." "Wifey." "Kamisan."


    "If there is one thing I have learned in this war. It is that what kept me going was not some great purpose or calling. It was simply that I wanted to live in peace with you." x7


    That may not have been true in my past lives, but It was true in this one. Seeing all the dreams and visions of {Relive} showed me one thing. All the warriors led sad lives and ended up alone.


    It was clear that whatever they were trying to do was not working. I didn''t know what they were fighting, but I knew I couldn''t do it alone.


    "I am stupid and a coward. But the only thing I am sure of is that I will be the one who loves you the most. In this life and the next. No matter how many times I may be reborn. My heart beats only for you." x7


    Then I felt myself suffocating. Even though I loved them, and they loved me, there was no guarantee that our life would be easy. If anything, it would be even harder. After all, in two months I will be going into battle with Reaper armies from three continents.


    My own fears slowly twisted my stomach.


    {E''en thy beloved kindred art no more! No matter which life, thou hast failed to save any of ''em! Forbear thy resistance! What more could thou even hope to achieve?!}


    What if, like them, despite my choice to be with the Sirens, I end up losing them all? I was neither the strongest nor the wisest. What if I made a mistake?


    But then I remembered my dogma for this life.


    ''I was done with following the rules of others. I would go beyond my limits!''


    That was I vowed on my death bed, and the single guiding principle that brought me to this moment.


    ''So, what if I was making a mistake? If I abandon the Sirens and they live away from me. They might not survive anyway! Fuck what everyone else says!''


    "I cannot promise you a life without sadness or danger. I do not even have the strength to guarantee your safety... What I do know is that if you aren''t by my side, I will regret it for the rest of my existence." x7


    If their safety was the issue, then I simply had to become stronger. Stronger than any Revenant that had ever existed. Stronger than anyone who would even think of hurting them.


    "I do not present rings made of diamonds, but rings bound with my {Fate}. My promise to you goes beyond death. I vow that as long as I exist. I belong to you. And that nothing in this world, heaven, or hell can change that." x7


    I have already lost them once before. In the dreams that seem to represent my past lives. And my love and desire for them burns even stronger because of it..


    "I ask for your life. I ask for your love. I ask you to give yourself to me, knowing the dangers. Even as the world draws to its end. I know I am being shameless. But still, I must do this.


    I need you." x7


    "Liv Ivaldi." "Lilly Browning." "Robyn Lithgow." "Josephine Benelli." "Isabella Taurus. "Jasmine Denel." "Aki Miroku." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Will you marry me?" x7


    The Sirens looked at each other while I waited. Tears streamed down their faces as they smiled in excitement. They all nodded and threw themselves at me.


    "YES!" x7


    Each Siren grabbed me and locked lips with me. It was a new feeling to have seven kisses at once. But the immense pleasure made me extremely excited for what was to come during the honeymoon.


    I couldn''t help but enjoy my girls'' lips. They each tried their best to please me. Their tongues intertwined with mine. Some were passionate. Others were shy. But through our kisses, I felt how much they loved me.


    [Limitless, Yvonne asks that you raise the rings. The saints wish to give you a gift].


    And I responded in kind. Since we didn''t even have to breathe, the girls and I could theoretically kiss for eternity. I raised the rings to the sky as my harem and I continued to enjoy our moment.


    None of the Siren even noticed what I did. That is, until the rest of Hellsend began to act.


    "HELLSEND SAINT DIVISION! GIVE OUR LADIES SOME LOVE! BLESS THE SHIT OUT OF THOSE RINGS Y''ALL READY? FLEX!"


    "CONGRATULATIONS MY LADIES!!" x all


    A huge amount of blessings landed on each of the seven rings. So much so that they began to shine like miniature stars. But of course, it didn''t stop there.


    "HELLSEND! WELCOME THE BATTLE HAREM OF OUR LORD! THE SEVEN SIRENS! READY! AIM!" Joshua began shouting like a drill instructor.


    Everyone around us raised their weapons toward the moon, waiting for Joshua''s command.


    "FIRE!"


    At that moment, thousands of blessed rounds flew into the sky. The darkness was split apart, and the shadows disappeared. A galaxy of dazzling light blazed across the sky.


    The sight of over a thousand Sacreds was blinding. So much so that the Sirens all stopped and gazed at their beauty.


    Blessing energy emanated from the rounds as they soared. Like snow, they fell back to the ground mesmerizing anyone who saw them.


    A picturesque scene became the backdrop for my proposal. Joshua had everyone fire 20 more volleys, turning the entire area into a sea of golden light.


    Isolde and the other dragons roared and blew fire in apparent delight. Amidst the glory of gold and holy energy, I gently took the hands of each Siren and slipped on their rings.


    "People have been calling me a demon ever since the enlistment. And frankly, they are right. Heroines and good girls are annoying. I want bad girls instead." x7


    Demons were not meant to be with angels. Just as darkness and light could not coexist, heroines were for heroes, while villains deserved villainesses.


    "Let the saints go with the heroes. As for me. What I want are demonic women who are evil to the bone. What I want are villainesses, fortunately I had seven of them at my side," I said with a smile with my seven bodies.


    Understanding my words, all the Sirens hugged me tightly. These girls all had scars and inferiority complexes. They saw themselves as undeserving of my love, and I felt the same way.


    But now that they had agreed to be mine, nothing else mattered. The war was finally over. I could get on with my life. And of course, what I wanted most was to go on my honeymoon.

 Chapter 424: Is it valuable? [1/2]

    After being congratulated by the rest of Hellsend, a jubilant mood was in the air. Or rather, wedding fever. Reapers in general had very few sources of joy.So instead of the usual sad news, everyone was happy to have something to celebrate. Although, if you thought about it, for Hellsend in particular, not being dead was already a victory in itself.


    "Oppa, when?"


    "You want it tomorrow? We are rich now, we can go to Vegas," Joshua replied.


    "Wow! Okay! Let''s go! Then fack me with big dick till sun comes up!"


    ¡ª¡ª


    "Boo, does your family want a fancy wedding? For my side its just me and my ma. Nigga needs time to prepare. Cause you know..."


    "Geez, we just became an item yesterday, boo. No need to rush. I''m not going anywhere," Claire reassured her African lover.


    "Besides, why are you talking like you have something to be ashamed of? My man is the Captain of the Black Squad of Hellsend. That''s impressive."


    "Boo. Have I told you how lucky I am?"


    "You did, but it doesn''t feel bad to hear it again. Mr. Warren Bryant."


    ¡ª¡ª


    Isolde exclaimed happily as she approached Mike Walker.


    "Tristan! Ami is getting married! We should too!"


    "Now hold on, sugar, my momma didn''t raise no easy boy. You have to win my love first."


    "But you were so energetic last night? I thought we alrea...hmmph."


    "Hahaha, this and that is another matter, Isolde. I need money to prepare."


    "I still have the money you left behind. Do you want it?"


    "Thats..."


    ¡ª¡ª


    Then there were those who didn''t particularly like the romantic atmosphere. These people still believed in love, from what I heard with {Listen}.


    " Way I see it, as long as a redneck has his gun and a bottle of bourbon. That''s all he really needs," Scott Davis commented.


    "That''s kind of sad, amigo. I know some good senorita''s if you are interested. If you are tired of the fake women you gringos have, Latina''s make good lovers. Excellent mothers, cooks, and wives. And none of them have cocks."


    "You married Santi?"


    "Not yet. Haven''t found the one to take home yet. But enough about me, are you interested?"


    "Hmm, but is she still human? Can''t really be with humans, Santi. You know that."


    "We can have her join that pendejo''s enlistment. What was his name? Vicket? The big fat gringo who guarded Hefe''s familia. You all look the same to me."


    "It''s Vincent, you racist bastard. Do you have a picture?"


    ¡ª¡ª


    Of course, as in any group, there were also those who had already sworn off romance. For them, such a mood was extremely toxic.


    "Pwe! Fucking normies! Weddings are built on corporate greed! They are designed to suck your wallet dry! That''s why they invented divorce! So you can have a bunch of them!"


    "Nobody cares about your sob stories, you man-child. Stop talking shit before Vela''s wolves hear you."


    "What do you know? Women are fickle! And evil! I was reported as a stalker just for looking at one! And she wasn''t even that pretty! You must have had a childhood sweetheart or something!"


    "Hufff... Had a wife. She cheated on me and took the kids. Now I have to pay child support. Some of them are really evil, I agree. But not all of them.


    Cheer up, Van. Your wife could be one of the Hellsend," Terence explained as he smoked a stogie.


    "You think so? I apologize for going off on you, Terence. I really am childish sometimes." S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Meanwhile, I was left alone at the side as women crowded around the Sirens.


    "OUR LADIES! CONGRATULATIONS! PLEASE LET US BE YOUR BRIDESMAIDS!"


    Of course, the entire Saint division, led by Yvonne and Aisha, were flocking to my harem. Cynthia, Tildi, Connie, Eva and even Pixie were there. They all marveled at the rings.


    Unlike the typical diamond rings, the reapers were amazed at something else entirely. Even with the insane amount of holy energy emanating from them, the rings were special for another reason.


    "My goodness! Just how much souls is in this gem!" "I feel more than a million souls!" "Wow! My Lord is really rich!" "He must really love the ladies!" "I know, right? He threatened a Revenant for them!" "KYA!!!!! How romantic!"


    If you think about how saints would be born, you would quickly understand why these girls practically worshiped the Sirens. Just as young boys would idolize action heroes, the Saints probably all aspired to be as brave or powerful as my girls.


    The Sirens, not used to people fawning over them, smiled wryly. Well, almost all of them. One of them gloated as she bragged in an subtle manner.


    "Why yes. Dearest really is quite a romantic. I think it was the first time someone proposed with a background of Blessings and Sacreds. Haha! That would be impossible to buy with money!"


    --


    Meanwhile, Bella, Jas, and Jo discussed with Cynthia and Tildi. Like dutiful wedding planners, the two had their notepads out. They eagerly took notes on what the Sirens considered the perfect wedding.


    "I want tons of flowers! And a long-ass carpet! Put it all on Honey''s tab!"


    "Bella, think carefully. We should focus on ambience and music instead. Husband cannot be trusted in such matters, so we must make it perfect!"


    "Kya! I finally get to wear a wedding dress! Jas pinch me, I must be dreaming!"


    Considering that one of them was Cynthia, I hesitated whether to let her have a free rein. But as long as Jas was involved, the costs should not be too high. At least I hoped so.


    ¡ª¡ª


    Next to those excited about the wedding were groups I hadn''t expected to see. Liv, Connie, Eva and Aki were all happily chatting about something.


    "My Lady Ivaldi, could you please tell me what is involved in a Northern wedding? It would be unfair if northern customs were ignored for yours," Connie practically interrogated Liv.


    "Ah. Um... there isn''t really much, usually just a modest feast. And an exchange of soul brands. And the newlyweds would share a cup of mead."


    "Then do you have any special dishes you would like me to prepare, my lady?" Eva asked respectfully.


    "Um, Miss Eva, you are a Specter. You should not worry about such things. I am sure Beloved will call someone else instead."


    "On the contrary. From what I know of the boy, he would be more pleased if I helped you than if I helped him. What about you, boss? Do you have any requests?"


    "Baker-sama, just because you are at Inari''s Kitchen doesn''t mean that I am your boss..."


    ¡ª¡ª


    Finally, my Aussie was having a verbal spat with someone close to her age.


    "How can you get married? You look even younger than me!" Pixie gasped in surprise.


    "Look, you little cunt. I am already 18! I''m a grown woman! Possum loves to grope me, you know? He''s smitten with my mature charms!"


    "But you look flat as a board compared to the other Sirens. Are you sure my lord doesn''t see you as his daughter or something?"


    "{Imaging} - Holographic. Hmm. 20AA. You are practically a man!"


    "What?! How did you know that? You don''t look any better!"


    "Ehem! I am 21A. And they say it gets bigger if the one you love massages it."


    "Really! Is that true! Did they say how much it grew?"


    "Join Rhiannon''s Hellcats and I will tell you."


    --

 Chapter 425: Is it valuable? [2/2]

    It was certainly amusing to see the women bonding with each other. I gave everyone some space as I approached the growing pile of plunder I had won in this war.A dwarf was busy organizing the teams working on it. Unlike the women, the men congratulated me once and went back to work.


    "Addison, what have you got for me?"


    "We''ve got a bunch of monster and zombie corpses. They were the bodies that Savior smuggled in, so we got good money. We also have the reaper corpses lined up over there." S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I looked around and noticed a few faces that I recognized. The body of the fat bastard Machiavelli was particularly gruesome. He had bones showing from being burned so badly. His lackeys, the kid and the grandpa, were also in pieces.


    I couldn''t help but notice the expressions of those who still had faces. Their faces were distorted with agony. At least for the Wraiths. The Phantoms all had lifeless expressions, like dolls.


    Many of them had shattered soulgems. Some of the bodies still had their gems, but were desiccated like mummies. Many of the corpses looked familiar to me.


    Marv and Kenny, who were part of the first wave, the ones I used to goad the first wave.


    Logan Hart, who was the leader of the second wave.


    Reuben Alford, Jayden Ryan, Elliot Poole, Tyrell Whitley, the four Phantoms who were part of the third. It was a frightening realization.


    Unlike the enlistment, I had left the bodies and forgotten about them. Now I not only murdered these people, I was going to make soulgear out of their corpses. Even murderers or rapists stopped once the person was dead.


    Yet I felt nothing.


    Morally, my mind was screaming for me to stop. But objectively, just by having {Day by Day}, I was somehow able to win this war. No matter how horrible what I was about to do was, it didn''t matter.


    Even if they were humans, reapers, or demons, I would kill them all to save my girls and myself. I was a demon. I had no reason to cling to morality. Not when I lacked the power.


    So I was perfectly willing to do anything and everything necessary to survive Hellsgate. After all, Robert already told me. The souls the reapers used as currency were the same souls that made up a human.


    ''I used souls to activate {Fate} and even liquidated them into cold, hard cash. ''


    Reapers were beyond evil. Every soul I used was someone''s parent, child, and lover. No wonder we were forced into this unwinnable war. It was as if Heaven wanted to see how evil humans could become.


    ''Better stop such thoughts,'' I warned myself.


    Logan had {Spare Organ}, Reuben telepathy, Jayden a sixth sense, Elliot super speed and Tyrell an elastic body. I didn''t know who I could salvage, but there were 200 reapers here, so I should be able to get some at least.


    Addison and the Ten Graves concentrated on the monster and zombie corpses. As for the Reaper corpses that were lined up, no one touched them. It was then that Phillip and Will stepped forward.


    "My Lord, how do you wish to dispose of the reapers of Savior?"


    I felt it in my soul. I was at a crossroads.


    One path before me was to treat these reapers as humans and bury them. To give their soulgems to their forsaken.


    But the other was the path of a demon. To defile every Reaper corpse and every Soulgem.


    Once I started treating the fallen reapers as resources, it would spread to Hellsend. After all, if I could do that to our enemies, what would stop me from doing it to our allies?


    But their thoughts did not matter to me in the least. This was the consequence of my decision. I would fight for my future and that of the Sirens. That meant I would do everything I could for them.


    But it also meant that I would show no mercy to anyone else.


    "Turn them all into Soulgear. Afterwards, inform the Sirens that they can do whatever they want with the Soulgear."


    "I understand. Then what about the soul core, my lord?"


    "The what? What''s a soul core?" I asked in confusion.


    "My lord. A reaper begins with a soulgem. When he reaches the point where he can ascend to a Specter. His Soulgem increases in size and evolves into a Soul Core," Will explained.


    "Show me."


    Will then handed me a crystal that was about three feet tall. When I saw it, I immediately recognized the sensation.


    ''Fuck, it feels exactly like being near a soul crystal. You''re not telling me that soul cores are what make up a soul crystal? FUCK!''


    I tried to keep a straight face, keeping my composure.


    "What can they be used for?" I asked through clenched teeth.


    "My lord, they are generally used to power systems that require soul. Like the barriers and facilities that run the battlefront. If you are to create your own domain, we would need them in large quantities in the near future."


    "I see. Then keep them for now. I will discuss with the Sirens how to use them."


    "And what about the demon''s body, my lord?"


    "Is it valuable?"


    "Very. Though we lack the expertise to process it at this time."


    "Have Cynthia find a way to store it safely. We will use it in future negotiations."


    As my girls continued to laugh with the others, I began to think about the battles to come. This was the first of many conflicts I would have with other Reapers. And I was sure it wouldn''t be the last.


    However, I did not want to delude myself into thinking that I had no choice. Almost everyone I knew was trying to stop me. But I chose this path. And as I walked this road, the number of bodies and lives I would trample would be countless.


    But I was willing.


    While the Sirens had a dark past. There was no reason for their futures to be bleak as well. Though they had chosen to accompany me, it did not mean that I intended to leave everything to them.


    I will shoulder their sins. But I refuse to share mine. And unfortunately for anyone who stood in my way, I had no qualms about destroying anything in my path. Suddenly, however, my thoughts were interrupted.


    A white-haired figure suddenly appeared near me and started pulling my arm.


    "Possum! Why the hell are you brooding over there? Come on, let go!"


    When I saw the happiness radiating from her smile, the dark feelings I had suddenly vanished.


    "Kitten, I''m coming. I''m coming. You will tear my suit."


    "So what? We''ll buy another one! The Invincible Bastard is making a press announcement. Let''s watch it together!"


    I looked back at Phillip and he nodded.


    That was what I liked about this bastard, he understood how I rolled.


    Being pulled by my Australian lover, I allowed myself to forget all the darkness over the horizon. After all, it was impossible to have sunny skies all the time.


    At least for this brief peace I was experiencing, I would enjoy it to the utmost. Such moments would give me the strength to continue along the road I had chosen.


    For until I died or Hellsgate was closed, I would not stop.

 Chapter 426: Do I have to? [1/2]

    As Robyn pulled me along, I couldn''t help but smell the sweat coming off her lithe body. It was a warm scent that reminded me of autumn.Her hair was now quite long and just the way I liked it. Robyn''s hairstyle reminded me of one of the heroines of a game I used to love.


    Unable to control myself, I gently pulled her into my embrace. Wrapping my arms around her waist from behind, I easily lifted her off the ground.


    "Possum?"


    I pressed my nose to her neck, taking in her natural fragrance. Oddly enough, the woman in my arms froze. It was something no one would expect, considering how fierce my Sheila was in battle.


    Enjoying her innocent reaction, I decided to tease her. I slowly licked down her neck. When I reached her collarbone, I gently nibbled on it.


    "P-possum, I feel weird..."


    "Should I stop?" I asked as I hugged her tighter.


    "Mhm. I-I want you to feel good too, Possum."


    Then I slowly moved one of my hands to her chest.


    "I heard what you said to Pixie. Tell me, kitten, how hard should we rub your breasts?"


    Blushing like a tomato, Robyn looked away as she sulked.


    "You must think I''m pathetic, right? I am the size of an ankle biter but I keep saying I have feminine charms," Robyn muttered.


    ''Good fucking hell, how can this woman be so cute?!!!''


    Overwhelmed with lust, I slipped my hands under Robyn''s shirt and bra and began fondling her nipple. Then I playfully bit her earlobes.


    "What you said was all true though? I can''t even take my hands off you, kitten. Everything from your sweet lips to your sexy scent draws me to you. Shall we do it here?"


    "Ahh! Possum, not there! There are people around! Please have mercy!"


    When I heard her cute pleas, my brain was instantly fried. I quickly turned her around and sought her lips. I grabbed her firm butt and pressed her body against mine.


    As if by instinct, Robyn quickly locked her legs behind me as we kissed passionately. Unable to stop myself, I savored her lips ferociously. And like a devoted lover, Robyn didn''t resist.


    When I had my fill, I stared into her face, which seemed to be driven mad with lust. Wanting to continue, I was about to attack my Sheila again when a voice coughed bashfully.


    Both Robyn and I looked in the direction of the fucking prick and saw Pixie Richards blushing. Behind her, Delroy was similarly uncomfortable.


    "Go away you two. I''m eating," I said coldly.


    Robyn looked away in embarrassment at my comment. My vassals, on the other hand, were speechless. But then a monocled man quickly approached.


    "My lord, please have some decency and save it for the honeymoon. The rest of the Sirens are calling for you and Lady Rhiannon."


    Interrupted while I was enjoying my woman, my irritation skyrocketed. But then Robyn suddenly cupped my face with her slender fingers and whispered adorably.


    "P-possum, let''s go back. You can e-eat me later. I-I won''t run away."


    The embarrassment on her face instantly blew away any negative feelings I had. With a lecherous smile, I inspected Robyn''s body like a work of art. Then I stole her lips for the last time before I quietly murmured.


    "I look forward to it."


    I lowered her gently and she grabbed Pixie and ran off. Normally Robyn was loud and cursed like a sailor, but when I fondled her, she acted like a scared cat.


    Licking my lips, my mind immediately began to recall the sexy lingerie my girls wore at the hotel. They were transparent and the lace masterfully hid their lady bits. My dick got rock hard as I imagined the night''s festivities.


    Delroy and Phillip, who were walking with me, started talking by themselves.


    "He doesn''t like kids ya?"


    "No, he does not. If you see how he kills Chuckies, you would know that my lord hates children with a passion. Lady Rhiannon is the only exception."


    "Iz dat so? Dat''s good."


    Then I turned to Delroy and reassured him.


    "Don''t worry. I have no interest in anyone but the Sirens. But the safest way to make sure your partner stays with you is to court her directly."


    "Why you telling me dat? Pixie iz old enough. She can like who she wants man."


    Phillip''s face fell in obvious irritation. It seemed that in the few times he had seen the couple, my clerk already knew that Pixie had a thing for her bouncer.


    "Then I''ll leave it at that. Phillip, anything I should know?" sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The payout for the Seeker War has been released. We can come and claim it anytime."


    Then I remembered how David had released Phillip, Will and Tildi from his service. Though we hadn''t started off on the right foot, I couldn''t imagine having another Clerk besides this conniving bastard.


    "My lord?"


    "How much did you win?"


    "I bet 5 million souls, my lord. The payout was 19:1. So I should be able to get 95."


    "You shitting me. 95 million souls? Brutha! Your filthy rich!"


    "Indeed. I may be the one who won the most outside of the Sirens."


    "Wow? How much did the others win?"


    "Originally, the pot was only supposed to be 246 million. But His Majesty decided to sponsor the payout. Which led to the insane numbers. Hellsend as a whole placed a bet of 3 million. So they would share a payout of 57 million."


    "Shit! If only I had money! Damn!" Delroy began to curse at the realization that he had lost out.


    If even the poor bastards in my army had a hefty payday, what about Krishna, Isolde, and Bernard? Hell, even the Deryk family bet 2 million souls on me. That would have been 38 million souls or $760,000,000.


    ''Motherfucker¡­''


    I hardly had any souls left because I used them to prepare for the war. When the time came, I just pooled my money with the rest of the Sirens. I was not good with numbers, but I was good with finances.


    Unfortunately, the millions I would win would simply go to the loan I got from {Rewind}.


    ___


    Name: Limitless


    Race: Reaper | Rank: Phantom | Origin: Artificial Descendant


    Souls Available : -53,939,924 | To evolve: 75,000


    ___


    ''Why am I always buried in debt? Is this supposed to be my fate or something?''


    {Rewind} tortured me earlier. And for all that suffering, I only reduced the loan amount by 70,000. The original amount was -50,198,924. When I woke up, my loan balance was -49,939,924.


    When I proposed to the girls, I put one million souls with the {Rewind} family into their rings. This brought the amount to what it was now.


    Calming myself, I moved towards the Sirens. It seemed the girls had used their {Fates} to create a makeshift theater.


    A large screen made with {Shelter} was supported by a slender frame courtesy of {Pack}. {Announce} and {Flash} were used to magnify the signals from {Code}. Finally, Aki supplied everyone with {Butcher} while eating some rice balls.


    Hellsend watched David''s stream as if they were at a drive-in theater.


    [HAHAHAHAHAHA! IT IS I THE INVINCIBLE! HOW ARE YOU ALL MY SUBJECTS!]


    The intensity of his voice made everyone jump. After the Sirens adjusted the volume, the video resumed.


    [You all were able to watch, right?! The martial prowess of my son-in-law. Now. To answer those questions everyone has. As everyone knows by now, the Seeker War did not end with the annihilation of Savior by a single squad].


    ''Oh, shit. Did even the video of the demon get shown to the world? I had assumed that Administration would stop broadcasting the moment it appeared.''

 Chapter 427: Do I have to? [2/2]

    [One of the Saviors, Robert Acwellan, was in fact a corrupted Reaper. It pains me to say that my battlefront did not learn of this until the last minute. HOWEVER! For those who fear such a monster, you saw how it was defeated! Let''s roll the clip]Then it showed the Sirens and me facing the demon. My reinforcements came one by one. I would compare it to the final battle of the MCU. As a bystander, that was the feeling it evoked.


    [IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS! HELLSEND ANNIHILATE THE GREATER DEMON! OPEN COMBAT!"]


    With Lilly''s roar, the Hellsend army all ran toward the demon. Then it cut to show Andromalius blasting everyone with a black bolt.


    The camera followed the bolt, only to be blocked by the combined {Shelter} of my battle harem. But for some reason, I was there with them.


    Shots of Raymond and Xander fighting the Andromalius followed. But I didn''t remember anything of what was shown.


    Then it abruptly cut to the falling mountain and the vaporizing of Andromalius. Hellsend in particular were not present for most of the battle except for the first charge.


    ''Exa, how much of the battle with Andromalius was shown?''


    [The stream was intercepted and altered. Since the Reapers are digitally added, instead of them being repeatedly destroyed, the video focused more on the Specters.] Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Then, besides {Shelter}, what other {Fates} of the Sirens were shown?''


    [In a surprising turn of events, the Administration hid almost every ability Hellsend showed. Sacreds, {Recursion}, the Saint Division, as well as the improvised stake.]


    ''Huh? But those were the things we used to kill the demon? How did it get defeated in the video feed then ?


    [All factors leading to victory have been cut off. The world currently believes that Raymond Gertrude and Xander Rutherford were the ones who defeated the demon.]


    ''Are the Sirens aware of this?''


    [Yes, they are. Currently, Hellsend''s only noteworthy accomplishment was daring to go up against Andromalius and blocking his first strike.]


    I turned to see the reactions of the others and Hellsend. Like me, they were wearing faces of annoyance and irritation.It was as if someone had stolen our achievement.


    The clip ended and David appeared on the screen again.


    [Now as you can see. Even though we failed to stop the demon''s birth, two of the North American Specters killed the threat in no time. But of course, we must also give credit to the fearlessness of my son-in-law''s army.]


    "BOO!" "What are you talking about?" "We were the ones who fought the bastard!" "Where is the Saint Division? We blessed the shit out of that mountain!"


    Hellsend''s resentment began to manifest itself as the video continued. Unfortunately, their words would never reach the Revenant. I doubt he cared anyway.


    [As a reward to Hellsend, all bets on the Limitless pool will be paid out of my own pocket at the full 19:1 ratio. The 246 million prize pool will instead be split, with 30 million going to the Forsaken of Savior. The remaining 216 million souls will be divided among everyone else.]


    I see, so in order to make sure that he only paid our side handsomely, he had to come up with such a stupid reason. Using 30 million souls or $600 million for 200 families was quite generous.


    [Now you may not know about this. My son-in-law proposed to his battle harem after surviving. So, as a gift to the new chapter in the lives of my daughter and son-in-law, I give him the dominion of the 24th floor of North America as it''s king].


    "Wait! What? The fuck? I thought it was after I repelled the invasions! He''s giving it to me right now?"


    I knew that I had asked for the 24th floor. But when he gave me the floor was also important. Our current discussion was that he would give me the floor after the defense. This meant that I only had to join the armies that would be stationed at that place in two months.


    But if he gave it to me now, the current defense forces would all retreat, and I would be left alone to repel three separate invasions!


    "That motherfucker. No wonder he agreed. He''s the worst fucking boss imaginable!"


    [This basically means that North America will recognize the sovereignty of the 24th floor and consider it an allied state instead of our vassal kingdom. Please join me in welcoming the era of change!]


    David then pulled out party poppers and used them. After his childish antics, David smiled a cruel grin before speaking in a bloodthirsty voice.


    [As for the Revenants of the other battlefronts. I expect your payment soon, or I will come for it. I swear it on my {Fate}.]


    After that, the video suddenly cut out. Everyone was left confused by the foreboding threat of the North American Revenant.


    Suddenly the girls appeared at my side. Robyn was acting a little strange as she hid behind Liv.


    " Darling, let''s go!"


    "Honey, I think it''s okay to let everyone go home now. It is already noon. And we have to get ready for tonight."


    Bella''s words made me stop in my tracks.


    Prepare for what? My plans were quite simple. I would drag my girls to my harem bed and fuck until next week. What preparation did she mean?


    A black-skinned hand intertwined with mine as Jasmine rested her head on my shoulder.


    "Husband. Your lecherous fantasies are evident on your face. This is not the event Minerva wants you to prepare for."


    Minerva? Oh, since the rest of Hellsend doesn''t know who they were, my girls deliberately didn''t use their real names.


    "It isn''t?" I probed.


    Aki took my other hand in hers as she answered my question.


    "Shujin, today is the day of your reunion. We need to prepare our outfits."


    Reunion? Was she talking about the one my classmates were having?


    "Do I have to? Can''t we just go home and make love? I have been looking for that for ages. I didn''t want to go anyway."


    Jo wagged her finger in front of me.


    "Tsk. Tsk. Bad, darling. You need to socialize. If you stay indoors, you will grow mushrooms like Minerva! Besides!


    I want to meet your friends too!"


    "Hey! That was uncalled for, Vela. Anyway, I think it is good to let everyone go home. Phillip, will you see to it?"


    "At your will, Lady Minerva."


    Lilly then added some instructions as well. "Phillip, I have already informed Deathfall that you will claim the winnings for the Sirens. Please transfer everything to my account."


    "I understand, Lady Isthar, please enjoy your party."


    At his farewell, the Sirens all surrounded me and began to warp. As much as I enjoyed linking arms with them, right now they were escorting me like a convict.


    As they dragged me along, I was forced to join them. Against my will, the girls and I returned to my hotel.


    ***


    When we arrived, I felt the nausea of suddenly going from upright to lying down. I took a moment to process the sensation. To my surprise, the feeling went away much faster.


    No longer feeling so bad, I opened my eyes to see the Siren''s all already on their phones. Surprisingly, so were Robyn and Liv.


    "Um, girls? Do I really have to go to that stupid party? I would much rather spend it with all of you."


    "Unfortunately my love, we already have plans. Even if you don''t go, we will," Liv explained.


    "What?" not believing what I had just heard, I tried to get up only to have Lilly suddenly pin me to the bed.


    She stuck her tongue down my throat with a perverted kiss. After a few moments of passion, we separated. The princess then smiled as she mischievously stated.


    "Dearest, trust me. Please go. This will be a reunion unlike any other. The Sirens and I will be present after all."

 Chapter 428: No Ma, I cant. [1/2]

    If there was one good thing that came out of this damn reunion, it was that I got to see the Sirens dress up.Seeing them try on elegant dresses that showed skin or hugged their bodies was a treat. But for some reason they told me that they were not going to the reunion with me.


    After soothing me with kisses and promises of a wild night, my girls kicked me out of the hotel. This left me with nowhere to go, so I drove to the Simmons residence.


    Being able to drive Esca made me very happy. Hopefully I would be able to bring her to Hellsgate. Originally, I couldn''t because I didn''t have enough storage space, but since I leveled up the {Store} family, I now had ample storing capacity.


    The main problem was that I was reluctant to bring along one car.


    "I mean, anyone who saw Bella''s army would think that, right?" S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In any zombie apocalypse story, the military was usually rendered irrelevant. After all, if the authorities were doing well, the main character wouldn''t have a chance to shine.


    But if anything, from what I saw, a powerful force of Reapers and Sacreds could and would definitely be able to push back the undead.


    "Mr Code. Believe me when I say this. This plan is only possible, because of {Rewind}. We do not run out of ammunition nor supplies. Stamina is a separate issue, but you even resolved that too. You are a commander''s worse nightmare."


    Earth''s military was already very experienced in destroying its enemies. If only their efforts were directed against the undead, how wonderful it would be.


    "Still, if 58-foot monstrosities are going to be the norm, we are definitely going to need heavy ordinance. We should start moving in that direction soon."


    With such thoughts in my mind, I finally arrive at my destination. I immediately noticed a red version of my car parked on the driveway. It seemed that Vincent had given Earl the car he promised.


    As I got out of my vehicle, the familiar feeling of Phantom''s were present. Most of them were familiar signatures. While others seemed to be former Wraiths who had just ascended.


    What was certain, however, was that they were all from Hellsend. As more and more of them began to put down roots in this place, it would be good for security.


    The best thing about small towns or villages was that every face was familiar.


    While most would find that boring, for others it was a comfort.


    Normally, a person couldn''t remember everyone they met. At most, one could make a hundred friendships in a lifetime. Such truths were why small communities were better, in my opinion.


    As I entered the house, I noticed a strange atmosphere.


    "Madam, please forgive me. I fear my lord more than you."


    "Enough of that crap! As the mother of your boss, I order you to spar with me! You are human, right?"


    "Indeed I am, but I can''t. Do you have any idea what your son''s reputation is in Hellsgate?"


    "Oh? Then what is it? Come on then spill the beans, Vincent."


    When I walked in, a bunch of huge gransters were stationed around my family''s living room like bodyguards. Vincent tried to get away from Noelle while trying not to touch her.


    Noelle, being the lunatic she was, tried to attack the gangster with kicks and punches. Earl sat and drank coffee. It was as if the whole thing didn''t concern him.


    Alana and Bless were watching what appeared to be videos from the Graveyard.


    ''Is this even legal? But Vincent is an example of humans who knew about Reapers. So I guess it''s okay?''


    The first one to notice me was Vincent, and he bowed the moment he saw me. Every member of the Deryck family did the same.


    "Welcome back, my lord! Congratulations on your victory."


    "JOHNNY!" "Dipshit!"


    My little sisters zoomed like bullets and crashed into me.


    "You''re okay!" "Safe!"


    I hugged them back, expressing my happiness at their warm welcome.


    "Hey Lana, Bless. I''m back."


    "Are our sisters-in-law okay?"


    "They are, they are getting ready for a party so they will be here soon.


    After the girls took a step back, Noelle pulled me into her embrace. I could tell by how tight it was that my adoptive mother was very worried about me. Grateful for her, I hugged her back as I tried to reassure the woman.


    "I''m back, Ma. I''m sorry if I worried you."


    "Damn right, dipshit! I watched the whole thing, do you know how many times I almost broke the TV! How can you fight like a lunatic! Take better care of yourself!"


    True to her words, Noelle didn''t mention that I murdered almost 200 people on live TV. All she cared about was that I was safe.


    It was like the families of soldiers welcoming them home. No one would ask about the scars they received trying to come home. The fact that they were able to was all that mattered.


    After calming Noelle, who was crying with relief, I turned to Vincent and thanked him.


    "Vincent, thank you for staying with my family. How much have you heard?"


    "I watched the live stream here with the Lord Earl and Lady Noelle. I also saw the announcements of His Majesty the Invincible. By the way, congratulations, my lord. It really is a wonderful day to celebrate."


    "Yes, thank you. I intend to bring the Derycks to Hellsend as soon as possible. Have your group ready. I will have an enlistment as soon as we are prepared."


    "THANK YOU, MY LORD! I am most grateful!"


    "You are welcome. Since the reapers have returned, if you and your family wish to rest, please do so. I will stay until my event later this evening," I replied.


    "As you wish, my lord. I will have some of my men stay on the grounds to be ready to assist the Simmons. My lords and ladies, please excuse me. I will return in the tomorrow."


    After that, Vincent and half of his men got into their cars and left. I recognized those guarding Earl''s house as part of the 2nd Amendment Squads.


    Focusing on my family, I turned to the Simmons and told them the rest of the news.


    "By the way, Ma, Pa. I proposed to the Sirens. All of them. And they said yes. We intend to get married as soon as things settle down in Hellsgate."


    "WHAT! WHY DID YOU TELL ME THIS NOW!" "KYA!!!! JOHNNY IS GETTING MARRIED!" "UMU! GOOD!"


    Of course, the women in the family were the ones who went crazy. Earl just nodded in understanding. But then he dropped a bomb that freaked me out.


    "Do you want to wait or have the honeymoon first?"


    The moment Noelle heard those words, her hands acted faster than lightning. She grabbed me by the collar and began to interrogate me.


    "Dipshit! You didn''t sleep with them yet, did you? Please tell me you didn''t!"


    "I did not. But I came very close. I don''t think I can wait any longer."


    "Keep your hands off them! Wait until the ceremony! Don''t be like those bastards who cum and go!"


    "I would never do that, Ma. I really love them. But aside from the ceremony, we already pledged our futures to each other."


    Noelle was at a loss for words and let go of my shirt.


    "Haiiiz. I already know that. The fact that the Sirens came to your war practically told the world how much they loved you. But marriage is not all sunshine and rainbows. It takes something much stronger to stay together."


    My Ma was a Christian, so she believed that marriage was not just a piece of paper. It was a declaration to the heavens of our vows to be faithful to each other. Till death do us part.


    To take a woman outside of that would be considered adultery. Even though in the old days it was the norm for men to take more than one wife.


    What was important was not the number, but the vow. Therefore, even if you were monogamous with a single mistress, lover, or slave, they were worth less than those who had the title of wife.

 Chapter 429: No Ma, I cant. [2/2]

    When problems arose in marriages, everyone but the wives were absolved of responsibility. In contrast, the wives were expected to accept them. This was what Noelle meant by something stronger.The problem was not that we lacked the marriage certificate. The problem was that no one else knew about our vows at the moment. And to Noelle unless I declared it to the heavens through a wedding vow. It was not a marriage.


    "I understand. We will have a simple ceremony tomorrow. And a grand one in a month."


    "Dipshit. You really are something. Can''t you wait?"


    "No, Ma. I can''t."


    "Fine, then we''ll have a big one afterwards. You will only consummate your marriage after the ceremony, not before. Do I make myself clear?"


    "I understand. And thank you for accepting them all, Ma."


    "Hmph. Normally, I would not have agreed. But your circumstances are very unique. Just protect them with everything you have, okay?"


    "Yes Ma."


    "Still, you being married. I am so proud of you. My dipshit is finally going to be a man. Do you know how the bees and flowers work yet?"


    "Ugh, Ma! I am twenty-six! Stop it! I do not need this conversation!"


    "Are you sure? Nothing is worse than going in there and acting like a complete virgin. Watching porn or hentai... oh wait, you already do that? Didn''t you have stains on your...."


    "MAAA!!!!! STOP!!! PLEASE!!!!!"


    Our family bonded for a bit as they made fun of my libido related stories. None of us brought up the matter of them being turned into reapers. Although it was important. It was not the right time.


    Finally, the clock struck 6:30, I said goodbye to my family and drove to the venue. Honestly, I didn''t even know why the Sirens wanted to go in the first place. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When I got there, I could see some familiar faces. It was a strange feeling. These were the people I grew up with. And while they had once been a part of my life, they were now strangers.


    "WOW! An ESCALADE V! Who''s the rich guy?" "No way! Those cost like $150,000!"


    It was funny. A week ago, I would have agreed that $150,000 was expensive. But now? I could make that amount in an hour.


    I got out of the car and walked to the venue.


    "No way! It''s John!" "John? You mean the gun nut?" "Yeah! Remember that whole fiasco with Caroline and Harry?" "Oh! You''re right! I forgot about that!" "Wasn''t he fat before?


    He looks really good now!"


    This was why most people hated reunions. Whether it was the past they wanted to forget, or the glory days that would never return to. Few would actually find joy in reminiscing.


    There was a bunch of my old high school classmates at the entrance, I didn''t know why. Everyone looked well dressed to the 9s.


    I made my way into the lobby, ignoring the peanut gallery. That is, until I heard familiar voices arguing at the entrance.


    "What the hell are you talking about? I booked this place three weeks in advance! Check the name again! Harry Evans! I am the son of the owner of the Evans Group Inc!"


    "I heard you the first time, Mr. Evans. And as I said before. Your name means very little to this establishment. We have recently come under new management. And the whole place is reserved.


    You can book tomorrow if you like," the receptionist explained.


    "You! How can you talk to me like that? You are just a receptionist! You are a nobody! Get me your manager."


    ''Is that why all those people were lined up outside? Besides, the woman''s voice sounded familiar.''


    I finally saw the back of my former best friend who was arguing with the receptionist and my ex.


    The blond arrogant brat was obviously Harry Evans. A man I once thought of as my brother. Next to him was a woman I had once adored as my everything.


    The one who was my first love. Caroline Fisher. The same woman who broke my heart.


    She was wearing an elegant cocktail dress. It was quite daring, showing a lot of skin. Her hair was tied up, giving her a seductive look. Even as a human, I found her quite beautiful. There was a time when I would have done anything for her.


    "Harry, you are causing a scene. Let''s just go somewhere else," she advised Harry. It seems they arrived together.


    But what came next was something I hadn''t expected.


    "Shut up, you bitch! This is all your fault!" Harry, venting his anger and embarrassment, raised his hand to slap his partner.


    Unconsciously, my body moved on its own. I grabbed Harry''s hand as it was about to hit my ex.


    "AHHHHH... Fuck, man! Let go of me! Do you have any idea who I am?"


    Surprised by Harry''s exaggerated reaction, I let go of his arm.


    ''Did I really grab him that hard?''


    "John?" x2


    They both stared at me with their mouths agape. From Caroline''s reaction, it seemed like Harry had hit her quite often. However, even with such a realization, I did not have an ounce of sympathy.


    "You shouldn''t go around hitting women, Harry," I rebuked in an emotionless voice.


    "Hahaha! You misunderstand me, John. I love this woman to death. I buy her anything she wants! I mean look at her, she is the prettiest woman here!"


    After gently rubbing his arm, Harry then pulled Caroline by the waist and began to fondle her ass. Like a sexually depraved freak, he looked excited as he began to lick his woman''s neckline.


    "I see."


    As if to show how different he was from me, this bastard loved doing shit like this. It used to get to me, I mean, I was basically being cucked by this perverted moron.


    Fortunately, I had not yet married Caroline or even spent the night with her.


    In a way, everyone around me saw her true nature. Everyone but me. But now that I saw it objectively. Harry did me a solid by being the one to take her instead.


    ''Although it seemed like Harry developed an NTR fetish as a result.''


    Why else would he perform such depraved acts in public? One look was enough to see how uncomfortable Caroline was. But who was I to say anything? They were the ones together. I might have cared before, but not anymore.


    Ignoring Harry and Caroline, I turned to the receptionist and saw a familiar face.


    "Tildi? Why are you here?"


    The former clerk of Administration who was now part of Minerva''s Wizards. A Phantom who helped me fight a greater demon. And she was the receptionist?


    Ignoring everyone else, Tildi flashed a dazzling smile as she bowed respectfully. Her near-perfect curtsy was the epitome of grace.


    "Matilda Cassy, greets her lord."


    "Her lord?" "John knows her?" "OH! An old flame?" "Why the hell is the receptionist so pretty?" "She''s even prettier than Caroline!"


    I didn''t notice, but the peanut gallery from outside started coming in after me. It didn''t take a genius to figure out why.


    "Tildi, why are you here?"


    "My lord, Phillip bought this restaurant earlier as a new business. He asked me to step in as manager temporarily."


    "Why? He is already rich, why does he need it? Did he know I was having an event here?" I asked curiously.


    "Are you certain, my lord? Had anyone known you were going to use the place, we would have prepared it accordingly! The entire building is at your disposal should you desire it."


    "Hmm, I had an event with these people. But is anyone using it now?"


    "The officers of Hellsend and the 2nd Amendment have planned a small celebration, but we would be honored if you would join us, my lord."


    I turned around to see my high school classmates all confused and excited.


    ''That monocled bastard, I am sure he did this on purpose.''


    "Just do it John, we didn''t get the whole building. Just the east vista. I mean, if you can''t, that''s fine. After all, it''s not like you could, even if you tried! That woman must be your old girlfriend with a princess fetish or something!"


    I was about to say no, till Harry suddenly started humiliating me for some reason.


    But then Tildi stepped forward and bitch slapped Harry in the face.


    "Please refrain from insulting my lord. I have tolerated your foolishness because I was raised with manners. But I will not allow you to speak badly of my benefactor. And if you value your life, learn your place."


    ''Ugh, it looks like this reunion is going to be a pain in the ass as well.''

 Chapter 430: Heroine Chapter: The final victor. [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Aki Miroku___


    In the penthouse suite of Shujin''s hotel room, the Sirens and I were all trying on different cocktail dresses. Of course, we kicked out the only man who owned the room.


    "Jas! Jas! Look at this one! It makes my boobs look bigger! Darling will love this!"


    "Jo! Stop jumping all over the place, you will tear the dress."


    Of course, since there were only us women here, the atmosphere was a bit strange.


    "Aki, are you sure Possum will like this? Isn''t it kind of light?" Robyn worried.


    "I''m sure Robyn. Shujin loves the natural look. Your face and nose are wonderful. Instead of using makeup to contour your face, it would be better to enchant your eyes."


    A woman''s face and body remained her greatest weapons. Just as men enhanced themselves with status and wealth, women did the same with their attractiveness and beauty.


    Because of my life as an assassin and spy, I had to learn how to psychologically manipulate my targets. And no matter what anyone said, helpless women were the most effective mask in this department.


    Even the most cold-blooded killer could not resist the instinct to procreate. A wink, a smile, a gentle caress. These were the cards a woman was dealt. Of course, using one''s purity was also an option, but fortunately I didn''t have to go that far.


    After all, for me, acting helpless was just that. An act. Once I got close, my knowledge of torture, poisons, and psychology would take over.


    I would drug the kind, brutally torture the resilient, and for those who would not break, I would find and use the person they loved most.


    Since the success of my missions depended heavily on knowing which approach would work, I naturally learned how to read people. Normally, one would learn one''s preferences from the people around them.


    Shujin''s tastes came from Noelle-sama and Caroline. This was reinforced by the types of characters he liked and masturbated with.


    "You''ve noticed how differently he reacts to my advances, right? Don''t worry, I know what I''m doing."


    Robyn suddenly blushed as she covered her face. Perplexed, I asked curiously.


    "Robyn? Are you all right?"


    "I-it''s nothing! N-nothing at all!"


    Adorably, the child in front of me tried to feign ignorance. Maybe she didn''t know that everyone here saw Shujin teasing her. To be honest, our man''s overbearingness made me a little hot.


    "Is it related to being eaten?" I teased.


    "!!!"


    I started to laugh, and surprisingly, so did everyone else. As the whole room giggled like children, Robyn looked at us all in frustration. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Fuck me dead! Did you all hear that?!"


    I nodded wordlessly as I smiled.


    "Stop being stupid, you brat. Practically everyone here is obsessed with that man. Do you think you could mingle with Honey without anyone noticing?"


    Bella stepped forward in a daring dress that accentuated her large breasts. Even though everyone except Robyn was above average in that department, height obviously made a difference.


    While Liv had the largest at 38F, considering she stood at 198cm or over 6 feet, the proportions were still acceptable. But to those of smaller stature like Bella and me, the Brazilian proportions were outrageous.


    I was a 32C, so I was already having trouble getting underwear. Bella on the other hand was a 32DD! A full two cups larger. Her breasts were practically spilling out of her clothes!


    It was a good thing she was acting like a tomboy, otherwise I would not be able to win!


    I finished Robyn''s makeup and started working on my own. It was a great relief when Jas created the {Program} [Reflection]. Otherwise getting ready would have been an extremely tedious undertaking.


    "Hmph! I don''t care anyway! If Darling wants to eat, I will make sure that I alone am enough!"


    Jo, on the other hand, had long legs and a large bosom. Her proportions would put most models to shame. Luckily, she had a flat behind.


    "Does it matter? Didn''t you see him controlling {Day by Day}? He wants to use those avatars on our honeymoon," another voice added.


    Lilly-sama came out in only her panties while she had an exfoliating mask on her face. Her near impeccable boobs were on display for all to see. Even her nipples were a healthy pink.


    Taller than the Europeans, unlike Jo, Lilly-sama also had a shapely ass. The perfect package, so to speak. It was only her perverted tendencies that balanced out her assets.


    "So, who gets the real body?" Robyn asked innocently.


    At her words, the tension in the air became heavy. As expected from lunatics. Not that I could blame them. When I was done with my base makeup, I started to fix my own outfit along with my secret weapon. A pair of lace stockings tailored to Shujin''s liking.


    "Everyone don''t bother with such unnecessary worries. What does it matter? We get to spend our first night with the man we love. That fact alone is something many women long for, but cannot have," Liv mediated.


    I actually agreed with Liv''s words.


    "Tsk. Even {Imaging} can''t tell the difference. Husband is too cunning."


    "I don''t want to hear that from you! Ass monster! EI!" Bella rebuked.


    Along with a slap, Jasmine''s toned buttocks wiggled seductively. How could an archer have such a tight and firm ass? Was it due to genetics? It was unfair! I did lunges practically every day and my butt was still flatter than hers!


    As the other Sirens began to joke around, my mind began to analyze the current situation on the battlefield.


    The only thing I was superior in was my thighs. It was a good thing that Shujin had a fetish for Qipaos. Qipaos, also known as Cheongsams, were mandarin gowns that hugged the body tightly and had high slits for the legs.


    Due to the conservative nature of the Chinese, this dress accentuated a woman''s legs while keeping them just out of sight. Although I am Japanese, I planned to use qipaos to attract my man''s attention.


    As the only Asian among the Sirens, instead of competing in cocktail dresses, I would emphasize my Eastern features. I could wear a kimono, but it was too tame. I would alter my qipao to also show a glimpse of my cleavage.


    As with any battle, the right weapon and equipment were needed. Of course, every Siren considered such matters with great care.


    After all, though the Seeker war was over, the Siren war for Shujin''s affection had only just begun.


    It was funny. To the outside world, we appeared to be a cohesive unit. But everyone here knew that there could only be one true kindred. We were like hunters waiting for the right time to strike.


    ''Shujin may tamper with his status, but only one person''s {Fate} will be tied to Shujin''s soul. That would be the ultimate mark of whoever owns him.''


    Bella always knew what every Siren was doing. Her children and her network made it almost impossible to escape the Brazilian''s oversight. Every machine or device was her eyes and ears.


    Similarly, Jas was practically always watching everyone. I didn''t know which was worse. While obstacles could hide you from Bella, nothing could hide from Jas. They were both disturbing and quite irritating.


    Jo, on the other hand, was literally eavesdropping on everyone all the time. If the degraded version of {Listen} was already superhuman, what about the original? Was that why she was crazy?


    Lilly-sama always pretended to be kind, but for me, her {Fate} was the most dangerous. She could send me to another continent, outer space, or the bottom of the ocean if she wanted to. And I would be helpless to do anything.


    Robyn, who was the easiest to manipulate before, gained {Limitless} and Exa. Slowly but surely, she was getting smarter. But this conniving brat acted dumber than she really was. All to catch people off guard.

 Chapter 431: Heroine Chapter: The final victor. [2/2]

    For me, only Liv was the only one really open to the idea of Shujin having a harem.That was why we all listened to her. Because she was the sole Siren who accepted the current situation. And everyone didn''t want to betray her.


    However, the rest of us were constantly on edge. I was sure that if one of us betrayed Shujin, the others would kill her without question.


    Despite our seeming acceptance of his harem, we were all waiting for him to lose interest in everyone else. And the moment he did, a bloodbath would ensue.


    Keeping powerful opponents around was ill-advised after all. The only silver lining was that no one would act to kill the other first. I knew that. We all did. That whoever did so would earn Shujin''s hate and lose his love.


    On more than one occasion, I noticed the hostile looks they gave me while I was preparing food. Granted, I had already done something to both Shujin and his adoptive family. However, it wasn''t just them that was careful, I would kill anyone who endangered the Simmons.


    Of course, when Jas stared in a certain direction or when Bella hijacked some computers, it was not just me. The six of us all looked at each other with cold, murderous gazes.


    ''It was like Gu poison. The Sirens were not only on guard from the outside, but also from the inside. Like scorpions and snakes in a jar, the Sirens and I would devour each other until only one was left. ''


    Suddenly, the sound of a ringing phone broke me out of my trance. It was Lilly-sama''s GRI. After answering it, she put it on the loudspeaker for everyone to hear.


    [Good evening my lady, I have acquired the property as instructed. I deployed Tildi under the guise that the department heads of Hellsend were having a party.]


    "Well done. You prevented them from reaching Harry Evans, correct?"


    [Yes. They will arrive at the venue later tonight, unaware that the Rustler''s Rooste is now ours].


    "Excellent, proceed as planned. We owe it to Dearest to give him a most memorable reunion."


    [My Lady, I again advise you not to do more than this. While he cherishes you, his personality would not wish Caroline Fisher to be harmed].


    "Silence, Scrivener. Do not lecture me. If I want your opinion, I will ask for it!" Lilly snarled in anger.


    [I apologize if I have offended you. I have spoken with the saints and Inari''s kitchen. They will be ready by tonight. Enjoy your party.]


    Today was July 30, 2023. Tonight was the reunion of Shujin''s high school class. As with everything related to our man, the Sirens already investigated it. The organizer was Harry Evans.


    Evans-san was stressed by his inability to gain recognition in his father''s company. Due to his incompetence, he remained a failure despite the many opportunities he was given. His father, who originally had high hopes for him, slowly lost interest.


    Since he had two younger brothers who were superior to him, he was afraid of being left with nothing. So, like any bully, he tried to make himself feel better by preying on those he considered his inferiors, in this case his high school classmates.


    Evans-san organized the event to make himself feel better. This was the clear intention as he bought top of the line watches, cell phones, and a new car to show off at the event.


    Unable to cope with the stress, he naturally turned to the bottle. More than once, in a drunken rage, he beat up prostitutes and Caroline Fisher like the scum he was.


    At this point, he must have asked himself what he was doing wrong? Nothing was going his way and it was as if the world was ganging up on him.


    ''Most of the time such thoughts were paranoia. But in this case, it wasn''t. ''


    "Haha! I would love to see his expression tonight! His face when he smashed his phone was priceless!" Bella chirped happily.


    Liv asked as she struggled to zip up her dress. "How many times has he done that now? He needs to get his temper under control. He almost killed a whore in a rage because Bella stole his money, right? Was he always this foolish?"


    "Liv, you''re one to talk! You almost killed him when you made that tree crush his car! And Jo, the prostitute thing was you, right?" Jasmine asked.


    "Hehehe! Giving him death resonance suggestions is my new favorite pastime! I suggested that the prostitute was hired to kill him! He helps me test my reach and control! Besides, Jas, didn''t you shoot out the tires of his car a day ago?"


    "Fuck me dead! Is that why the cunt''s car suddenly crashed?! I wanted to throw him down the stairs! No wonder he''s jumpy all the time! He hardly leaves his house anymore!"


    "Fufu, how could he? He thinks his brothers are out to kill him. Didn''t Aki poison his drink two days ago? Also, my spy told me that his sex life with Caroline is pretty much over because she keeps defecating on the bed," Lilly-sama added.


    In an unexpected truce, the Sirens all agreed that Harry Evans could not be killed. But we also agreed that as long as he was alive, anything was fair game.


    So Bella started messing up his investments and sabotaging his reputation online.


    Jas, Liv and Robyn caused all kinds of accidents to happen to him.


    I poisoned him twice. Once when I spiked his drink and the other when I put a poisoned blade on his shoes.


    Jo moved away from commands and began using death resonance to make suggestions instead. She slowly hypnotized Harry into believing that his family wanted him dead.


    The difference was that suggestions cost a quarter of the soul cost of commands. And if you could predict how your target would act. The results were essentially the same.


    ''Although in my opinion the paranoia and terror is way worse.''


    Lilly-sama, on the other hand, began to financially strangle the Evans Group Inc. to death. Of course, she cleverly used Harry as a scapegoat for all the bad things that were happening.


    Bella easily created scandals and fake lawsuits around Harry''s bad behavior. These caused the company''s stock to plummet.


    Lilly-sama would then buy them out for pennies on the dollar, only to shut them down without explanation.


    The woman also planted a spy in Caroline''s circle of friends. The spy kept us informed about the slowly crumbling relationship between Harry and Caroline.


    When all these things happened to him within a week, it was enough to drive anyone crazy. The narrative we created slowly drained Harry Evans of finances, stamina, and mental stability.


    It was the only thing the Sirens enjoyed more than flirting with Shujin. Terrorizing Harry Evans into madness. It would culminate in the reunion later.


    By this time tomorrow, the bastard who hurt Shujin would have either killed himself or gone completely insane. Together, the Sirens were probably better, even if it only showed up in such rare cases.


    While we were getting ready, Liv suddenly came over and put her hand on my head. Because of our height difference, I could pass for her daughter. You would think that being too tall like her or too short like Robyn would ensure their defeat. If only that was the case.


    "Aki, you''ve been really quiet. Are you okay?"


    ''Oh my, as always this woman was nosy but lovable. She truly acted in everyone''s best interest. But would such kindness protect her? ''


    "I wonder if it is you who will emerge as the final victor?" I muttered under my breath.


    "Aki?"


    "Ah, sorry Liv, it''s nothing. I am fine. Do you need some help with your dress?"


    "Ah, I think? This dress is too tight on my chest, I can hardly breathe."


    "..." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Looking at the gigantic breasts of the Northerner, I really wondered what the future held. Would we all stand together, or would only one of us remain after devouring the others? Only time would tell.

 Chapter 432: Ill pay for it. [1/2]

    Harry, obviously offended by Tildi''s slap, was like a bomb ready to explode. He raised his hand again, intending to strike her. But before I could move, I felt more familiar soul signatures.The doors opened and out stepped Warren Bryant, Mike Walker, Scott Davis, Santiago Gonzalez and Adam Baker. I had to note that with the exception of Santi, who was maybe 2 inches less than 6 feet, the rest of them were huge.


    Warren in particular was almost as tall as Liv. Adam was even taller than my 6''6" Northerner. And it was not like they were skinny either. Scott, though smaller, was fucking jacked. Mike, though lean, was obviously working out.


    Harry, on the other hand, was about my height. Maybe an inch taller? And because of his rich lifestyle he was slender without much muscle. But that was not the interesting part.


    These burly men were Phantoms and right now they all felt the hostility of Tildi. When she slapped Harry earlier, she unknowingly released death resonance. So now the men came out to kill.


    They were all wearing suits, but I could see the bulges of gun holsters on their bodies. Of course, most people would be intimidated if dangerous men suddenly appeared with fangs bared.


    Harry was no exception.


    He froze like a mouse the moment the guys saw that he was about to slap Tildi. Without a word, the men approached and formed a wall of muscle behind Tildi. As if to say "Do it motherfucker, I dare you".


    "Ughk..."


    The son of the Evan family swallowed nervously as the men watched him like vultures. Feeling that this was a waste of time, I tried to smooth things over.


    "Tildi, drop the matter. Give us the tables Harry reserved so we can get on with our reunion. As for attending your event, I refuse."


    "As you wish, my lord," Tildi acknowledged with a bow.


    As she replied, the rest of the men turned to see me. Obviously surprised, they suddenly struck their right fists against their left chests. My so-called bro salute.


    "WE GREET OUR LORD LIMITLESS! HAIL!"


    "Shut up, you idiots! You are attracting attention!"


    "What are you doing here, boss? You joining the party?" "Nigga, we got grub! Boo is cooking!" "Hefe, you know these people?" "John, are the ladies coming?"


    "No, I got a reunion with my old class from high school. The girls should be coming too, I think."


    As the burly men all suddenly became cordial with me, the peanut gallery began to buzz.


    "Dude, why are the bouncers so damn good-looking?" "Do you think any of them are single?" "They all called John their Lord, is that like a cult or something?" "Maybe it''s a handle on YouTube or twitch?" "These people look like MMA fighters, how the hell do they know John?"


    Annoyed at the nosy people, I walked over to Tildi and whispered.


    "Tildi, get us a table already. I don''t want any special treatment. Tell that to everyone here."


    "My lord, shall we serve this Harry person as well? I have a feeling the Sirens will tear him to pieces the moment he opens his mouth."


    Hmm. If he continued to insult me, there was a good chance they would. As I imagined how they would react, my heart filled with affection. I remembered that I did not come tonight because of my old classmates. But because of the Sirens.


    ''Although I have no idea why we couldn''t just go out to dinner or something.''


    "Never mind. This will probably be the last time I see them anyway."


    "Understood, then, since you are among the guests, my lord. We will waive all expenses. Please enjoy."


    "What? No! How are you going to make money if you act like that? We will pay the original amount, Tildi. How much is it?"


    "Ah, my lord, that is usually settled at the end of the evening. In terms of costs, the tables reserved by Mr. Evans would be treated as a corporate event, since Hellsend has booked the entire venue. Please pay for everything in advance."


    "That''s fine," I said curtly.


    "That would be $4,250 for 50 people. If we take into account the food, it would be around $6,000 to $7,000. Since the cooks are from Inari''s kitchen."


    "Tildi, are you messing with me? You mean Eva is here too? I''ve tasted her food, it''s not worth 2,000 dollars."


    My clerk smiled innocently as she made a troubled gesture.


    "My lord, the price was set by Phillip. Would you like to take advantage of the 100% Limitless discount instead?"


    ''Ugh, was everyone from Administration like that? Gifted in the art of bullshitting.''


    As I hesitated, a man suddenly cut in front of me, rudely interrupting.


    "$7,000 too much for you, John? Fortunately, I am here! Woman, put it all on my card," Harry practically shoved a black card at Tildi as he tried to show off his wealth.


    "Harry, please stop!" Caroline begged meekly as she tugged at Harry''s jacket.


    "Woah! Isn''t that a Centurion?" "A what?" "Dude, that''s the millionaire''s credit card from AMEX! That thing is practically a myth!" "Why? What does it do?" " That card has no spending limit." "WOW! That''s amazing!"


    As the peanut gallery raved about Harry''s card, I became curious.


    ''Exa?''


    [What they say is true. The Centurion has no spending limit. To qualify for one, an account holder must spend between $250,000 and $450,000 per year. This is on top of a $7,500 application fee and a $2,500 annual fee.]


    Instead of being impressed, I found the thing worthless. But then again, when I was human, having good credit was a must for me. After I died, however, I preferred to use cold, hard cash.


    Tildi swiped the black AMEX card through a card reader and frowned.


    "Mr. Evans, your card has been declined. It says to contact your local bank. Do you have another card you can use?"


    "What? That can''t be right! Run it again!"


    "The answer is the same. If you cannot pay, I will not allow your party to enter." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Declined?" "Pfft! So, Harry''s broke?" "For all his grandiose posturing, that''s embarrassing." "Uwa! I would bury my head in the ground if I were him."


    Obviously, Harry heard the peanut gallery mocking him. Caroline cupped her hand over his ear and whispered to my ex-best friend. I inadvertently used {Listen} to hear their conversation.


    "Harry! Stop it! You are already in the red! Didn''t your father tell you to stop spending frivolously? You have a lunch with investors tomorrow! All your available credit is not even $500!"


    "Then give me some cash! Hurry up! I am going to look like a poser if this keeps up!"


    "You think I have $7,000 on me? You haven''t even paid me for this month!"


    "Greedy bitch! Your haircut and massage cost me $2,000! I''m broke because of you! And you keep shitting the bed!"


    "What! You were the one who told me to pull out all the stops! And I said I was sorry, didn''t I?"


    ''This is getting ugly.''


    Ignoring Harry, I approached Tildi and pulled out my soul card.


    "Tildi, this is getting tiresome, I''ll pay for it. Here. Do it quickly."


    "Wow! Certainly, my lord! As expected from an Octad!"


    Ignoring Tildi, Exa replied before I could even ask.


    [Soul cards are based on your Reaper Id. Octads are black, marking the highest rank, there are four other colors ranging from gold, silver, bronze, and green].


    Tildi swiped my card and gave it back to me. After printing the receipt, she greeted our group politely with a smile.


    She then opened the door and led us in. The other Reapers were also smiling as they stood around like bouncers.


    "Wow! John is fucking rich!" "I know, right? I didn''t expect it at all!" "Then he really does know the owner?" "What did John do again?" "I think he was an auditor in the government or something." "No way, hon! Those guys are poor as shit!"

 Chapter 433: Ill pay for it. [2/2]

    Ignoring my former classmates, I followed Tildi as she led me to the eastern vista. It was a small place outside the main restaurant. Rustler''s Rooste was a well-known streak house in Arizona. Its main attraction was the beautiful scenery overlooking it.Because of the commotion at the door, people generally saw me in a better light. Harry, by contrast, was considered a fool. When I was at school, it was the opposite.


    Outside of Harry and Caroline, I hardly interacted with anyone. I was known as Caroline''s boyfriend. Since she was the belle of the campus, the attention she got naturally rubbed off on me.


    A lot of guys came up to me and asked me to break up with her. I fought with most of them, so being with her naturally had its own problems. Most of the class was nice and Caroline was warm and friendly to everyone.


    It was only now that I understood that she was warm and affectionate to sneak in favors here and there. Somehow, despite her beauty, I no longer found her dazzling. Instead, she looked kind of plain.


    The heavy makeup didn''t help. My sense of beauty was changing. Probably from hanging around with Reapers too much.


    "Here we are, my lord. The waiters and waitresses will be here shortly to take your orders. Please enjoy, my lord. And let me know if you need anything."


    "Get us your best wine girl! And make it snappy."


    It was only for a moment, but I saw the Tildi''s hand crush a part of the table. She must have wanted to kill the arrogant bastard. I used {announce} to calm her down.


    Surprised by my actions, Tildi looked at me and bowed.


    "Thank you, my lord. I almost slipped."


    "It''s okay, just do as he says. I will pay for it later."


    "As you wish, my lord," Tildi ignored Harry and quickly left.


    As she did so, a group of beautiful women approached. A white-haired German, the blonde chief saint of Hellsend, Warren''s girlfriend, and the raciest Korean I ever met.


    "AMI! You''re here!" "HI Patron! You drip slays!" "Patron! Boo said you were here!" "White boy! You come to eat?"


    I face palmed in annoyance. It was bad enough that the guys had caused such a ruckus earlier. But these beautiful women coming here could not be a good sign.


    "Hello everyone, no, I have my own party with my old classmates. Please go away."


    Despite my cold reply, Isolde came in and hugged me. Yvonne and Claire bowed while Angela tried to pull Isolde away.


    "Hey! You want die? Sirens coming! Get away from white boy!"


    Isolde smiled mischievously as she rubbed my face against her chest.


    "But this is innocent skinship! Ami is my brother! Also, I am already spoken for."


    "Isolde, Lady Vela is going to flip out later, you know? She might hit you."


    "I have thick skin, Claire," the wyvern replied.


    Yvonne jumped into my chest for some reason as I tried to push Isolde away.


    "Woah! Look at all the pretty girls!" "They all know John?" "Dude, they look like movie stars!"


    Harry and some of the males in my class crowded in front of the female Phantoms and tried to mingle.


    "Hi! I''m Harry Evans, heir to the Evans Group Inc. Would you like to join us? You look like you fell from heaven. Maybe I can help you get home?"


    Flashing his signature smile, Harry mixed in a corny ass pickup line along with the name Evans Group Inc. Anyone in Phoenix would recognize that name. It was what usually got him laid.


    I glanced over and noticed that Caroline was abandoned. Probably due to Tildi''s hostility towards her partner, the rest of the class had begun to avoid her. She looked like a sad puppy about to burst into tears.


    It was funny. Despite Caroline''s beauty, Isolde naturally commanded the room. Her grace, figure and allure would give even the Sirens a run for their money. Obviously, Harry left his partner to chase after the prettiest woman present.


    Used to the attention, Isolde ignored Harry as she continued to speak only to me.


    "Ami! Help me! The girls keep saying I am not funny!"


    As she pleaded like a child, the rest of the Phantoms giggled at her antics. Knowing her terrible sense of humor, I pushed her away as I replied.


    "Isolde, I agree with them. You suck."


    "AMI! I''m hurt!"


    "EXCUSE ME! AREN''T YOU BEING RUDE? I AM TALKING TO YOU!"


    At my former friend''s outburst, the Phantoms looked at him with fierce expressions.


    "White boy, this limp dick bastard with you?"


    "WHAT? LISTEN, YOU CHINK, I WASN..."


    Before he could continue, a heel suddenly landed on his torso. The force of the kick sent Harry flying over the tables. Everyone was in awe of the power of the small woman who had attacked our classmate.


    Despite being in a cocktail dress, Claire lowered her foot in a cool manner. But her eyes were not smiling.


    "Shut your mouth, you fucking trash! You are not even worthy to say Sister Angela''s name!"


    "Wow! Claire, isn''t that what Lady Vela calls her Vela Kick? I give it a 6 out of 10."


    "Claire! Stop kicking shit! Your shoes get dirty!"


    Ignoring the humorous banter of the Phantoms, my former classmates instead tried to see if Harry was okay. Caroline was the first to help him up. Despite everything, I did nothing.


    However, I could sense that my former classmates were becoming wary of the people in front of them. As if frightened by the Reapers, the rest of the peanut gallery quickly found their chairs and sat down.


    At the sound of the crashing tables, a number of waiters and staff came out. Funnily enough, everyone present was part of Hellsend. Tildi, the last to arrive, saw the wrecked tables and chastised the culprit.


    "Ms. Knight! Please refrain from beating up my lord''s guests! What are you people even doing here? I already told you not to interrupt my lord''s party! Apologize!"


    Like sad little puppies, the four phantoms bowed their heads as they followed her words.


    "Ami | Patron | White boy"


    "We''re sorry!" x4


    It was funny, because even though Tildi was fairly new, she already had the other four on a tight leash. I waved and said goodbye.


    When I was looking for a table, I noticed that everyone was already grouped together like they were in high school.


    "John! Sit here!" "No, come sit with us!" "Ours is closer!" "What? Our view is better!"


    People who didn''t know I existed. People who gossiped about me. Even those who fought with me now all tried to invite me to their table. This was what power and influence did.


    I ignored their words and instead sat at the table with only two people.


    "Harry, does it still hurt? Should I call an ambulance?" "Shut up! As if a kick from a slut like that could hurt me! I am fine! Stop fussing."


    I ignored the two in front of me and looked at the beautiful scenery instead. Since this was my first reunion, I didn''t know what people usually did. I figured I would just wait for the Sirens and leave with them when they arrived.


    Then a girl raised her glass as she began to greet everyone. "Alright everybody! While we had a bunch of hiccups! Welcome to the Carl Hayden High School Class of 2014 Reunion! Cheers everyone! Let''s all have fun, okay!" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If I remember correctly, she was supposed to be our class president. She was nice, but she was a book nerd who only cared about her grades.


    Reapers don''t age, and in 100 years everyone here would be dead, if I was a Specter by then. It would be the last time I would remember the people here.


    Although I hadn''t enjoyed my time in high school very much, it was unfair to let the others celebrate.


    Thinking of such a reality, I joined in and clapped my hands. Amidst the applause of our old classmates, the celebration began.

 Chapter 434: EVEN MY LIFE [1/2]

    As I expected, the main theme of the event was nostalgia and reminiscing. Led by our student president, whose name I couldn''t remember, we started with the program.It just went through some videos of the class highlights and achievements. The projects we did, the trips we took, and the competitions the class participated in. I said we, but it was mostly them. I was hardly in any of them.


    Instead, I concentrated on my food. If anything, the steaks were fucking awesome. Cheers and boos followed when they showed some of the teachers. Harry and Caroline joined in and mingled with the others.


    As I munched on my food, I absentmindedly wondered why I had missed almost all of the events. It was probably because I was too bruised to attend. They even showed the prom. I remember not going since Bless got sick that night.


    "Wow! Who knew our prom king and queen would be the item!" someone cheered. I looked at the picture and it was Harry and Caroline dancing. They looked wonderful together and were all smiles. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I wondered if they were already together at this point.''


    "John! John! Look! It''s you!" Caroline called happily as they showed us walking home together.


    I humored her and stared at it for a while. But since it reminded me of nothing but bad memories, I said nothing and went back to enjoying my meal.


    She had a disappointed look on her face when I ignored her. Maybe I was being petty. But honestly, I had nothing to say to her.


    A saint from Hellsend came to my table and asked me. "My lord, how is everything? Is there anything else you need?"


    I smiled at her and shook my head. "Tell everyone the food is excellent. I do not need anything. Don''t mind me."


    "Hey! Waitress! Bring out another bottle of wine!" my tablemate demanded.


    "Harry, stop, you already had a lot. You have a meeting in the morning," Caroline reminded him.


    "Shut up, bitch! Who are you, my mother? I have had a really bad week. Let me drink. Hey! Waitress!


    Did you not hear me? Go fetch me another bottle!"


    The Saint didn''t move and stayed by my side. I gestured for her to comply with Harry''s demands. Only when I did, did she leave.


    "The nerve of some people! I should buy this place just so I can fire them all! Bitch!"


    Harry stood up and began to circle the tables. Perhaps because of his arrogant yet pathetic behavior, most people just ignored him.


    When he left, only Caroline and I remained. As usual, she barely touched her plate. I remember that she was very concerned about her figure. There was an awkward silence as the two of us ate wordlessly.


    "How have you been, John?" she finally began.


    "I''m fine."


    "How is Noelle? Lana and Bless? I haven''t seen them in a while."


    "They''re fine."


    "..."


    "John."


    I ignored her and continued eating.


    "John, why are you being so childish? Can''t you look at me?"


    Annoyed, I looked into her eyes for the first time this evening.


    Her irises were a dark purple. It contrasted beautifully with her pale skin. At least I thought so. Still, I stopped looking at her and went back to my food.


    "The steaks are good, right? I remember you liked juicy steaks with all the fat. Actually, that''s why I had Harry pick this place..."


    "What are you doing?" I interrupted her rudely.


    "I-I was just making small talk. Didn''t you sit here to talk to me and Harry?"


    "I sat here because it was the least crowded. Don''t talk to me and I''ll do the same. Let''s just get through the night."


    "Why did you even come here? You look like you are doing well. You have a bunch of pretty girls fawning over you now. You''re rich and you lost a lot of weight."


    "I came here to meet my fianc¨¦s. For some reason, they wanted me to come here."


    "Fianc¨¦s? As in plural? Stop lying John, just say you came here to see me."


    "..."


    I felt like I was about to get a tumor. What the hell was this woman saying?


    "You stopped Harry earlier, thank you for that. What Harry said was true, we had a really shitty week. We had one accident after another, and Evan''s group is struggling."


    "Should you really say that to me? I mean, I don''t give a crap, but shouldn''t such details be confidential?"


    "Hehe. It must be because of old habits. You have always been there for me, so when I am with you, everything just comes out."


    I slammed my fist down on the table. I raised my hand and gestured for a bottle of wine.


    "John, listen, I''ve been..."


    "Don''t," I said coldly.


    "Don''t say any more, Caroline. You and Harry betrayed me. And in case you don''t remember, I begged you in tears. We are not nothing. Not friends. Not even acquaintances.


    Let us just get through the night and never see each other again."


    Caroline came closer and touched my hand. Her gentle caress made my chest tighten. Like a damn, I began to feel pain and hurt pouring out. I quickly pulled my hand away.


    "Look..."


    "Don''t lie to me John."


    "..."


    "You can lie to anyone, even Noelle. But not to me. If you didn''t feel anything for me anymore, you wouldn''t have come here. And you would have let Harry hit me earlier."


    With my feelings a mess, I brushed my hair as I asked in frustration.


    "What the fuck do you want, Caroline? Aren''t you happy with Harry? He is rich, right? Are you going to leave him now that he has financial problems?"


    "Harry and I are going through a difficult time. I am only with him as his secretary. But we are no longer together."


    "And why the fuck should I care? Then find someone else!"


    Caroline touched my hand again as she batted her doe like eyes.


    "I know about that card, John. That is a soul card, right? Only the truly powerful have one. Especially a black one. You seem to be doing REALLY well."


    Her touch made my skin crawl. I forcefully shook her hand away as I rebuked her, "Caroline. Are you fucking insane? Do you think for one second that there is a chance for us to get back together? After what you did to me? I almost killed myself because of you!"


    "I know I made a mistake. I know that now. You''re still not seeing anyone, right? You love me and I never stopped loving you..."


    "Shut up! Shut the fuck up. Not one word!"


    "My Lord?" The Saint returned with a bottle of Serial Paso Robles, which I took from her hand and quickly uncorked. I drank the wine straight from the bottle.


    Unfortunately, {Digest} seemed to be doing something, as I neither got drunk nor even felt tipsy. Ignoring the Saint, I focused back on Caroline. It was as if all the pent-up feelings I had in my guts came pouring out.


    "I FUCKING LOVED YOU CAROLINE! I WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU ANYTHING, EVEN MY LIFE, IF YOU HAD ASKED! WHAT THE HELL DID I EVER DO TO YOU FOR YOU TO BETRAY ME LIKE THAT?!"


    My whole body started shaking as my anger reached a fever pitch. I was really emotional right now, but I knew I had to get it all out of my system. I couldn''t move forward if I didn''t. Unconsciously, tears began to fall from my face.


    "Caroline. Do you have any idea how much it hurt? Do you know how much you broke my heart? And now because I have money, you come back here like a fucking whore? HAHAHAHA! FUCK!


    How could I have been so blind?"

 Chapter 435 EVEN MY LIFE [2/2]

    Caroline stood up and tried to touch my arm."DON''T FUCKING TOUCH ME! GUESS WHAT CAROLINE! THE JOHN YOU KNEW IS LONG DEAD! HE DIED A MONTH AGO IN SOME ALLEY!"


    "You know that''s not true John. Wounds heal, but love like yours doesn''t die that easily. I am sorry. I made a mistake. I know I still have a place in your heart. In fact, I only came here to meet you.


    I..."


    "What the fuck am I doing? I have the Sirens. And I''m getting married tomorrow. I shouldn''t have even talked to you. This was a mistake," I growled out loud.


    "What? What do you mean, married? You were telling the truth?"


    "{You will forget everything that has happened in the last ten minutes.}"


    I invoked death resonance and neuralyzed all my classmates and the waitress. They were all facing my direction. It seemed that everyone was watching my outburst like a Netflix drama.


    Unable to bear the sight of my ex''s face, I stormed out. As I entered the main building, the Reapers of Hellsend stopped what they were doing and greeted me with a bow.


    Ignoring them I opened a {Portal} without an exit and started screaming into the subspace. I continued shouting for a good five minutes until my throat became hoarse.


    When I calmed down, I returned to my table and noticed Caroline smiling back at me.


    "John. I was wondering where you were."


    "Caroline. Stop talking to me. My fianc¨¦s will get angry."


    "Stop lying John, I know you still love me."


    "I loved you. Loved. As in past tense. So no, I don''t anymore. I love the Sirens. Liv, Lilly, Robyn, Jo, Bella, Jas and Aki.


    I love them, not you. Forget about me."


    "That''s not true, is it John? You couldn''t forget me. You told me you would only love me until you died."


    "Indeed, I did. And I already have. Anyway, I''m going now goodbye."


    "What? Stop lying! If you are really involved with these fianc¨¦s of yours, bring them out."


    "YEAH JOHN! BRING THEM OUT! I DON''T KNOW HOW YOU DID IT, BUT I KNOW YOU''RE LYING! The people here, my company going bankrupt! This is a dream! This has got to be some king of vodoo magic bullshit or something!" Experience new tales on empire


    What the fuck was Harry saying? Vodoo magic bullshit? This fucker must have been drunk. Ignoring him, I was about to leave the reunion for good, but then Caroline grabbed my arm and declared in a loud voice.


    "John, I still love you. I want you back. Let us try again. I know your heart belongs to me."


    Before I could even answer, voices I had missed so much chimed in behind me.


    "Is it common for Southerners to be so delusional?"


    "I don''t know. It takes a special kind of crazy to be that deranged. Maybe someone worse than the nut job?"


    "Hey! Stop being rude, Bella! She is crazier!"


    "Jo, you should deny being crazy before anything else."


    "If that Sheila doesn''t let go of Possum, I''m going to rip her boob off her chest!"


    "Robyn, just accept that you are flat. Tearing women''s breasts off is a disturbing hobby. Dearest wouldn''t approve."


    "I find her rather unpleasant. Lilly-sama, can I bury her now?"


    I quickly turned around and saw the Sirens. They were wearing extremely seductive dresses that showcased their assets.


    Liv, Lilly, Bella wore daring designs that showed a glimpse of their curves. Their dresses showed off their sexy plunging backs, long necks and deep cleavages.


    Jas, Robyn and Jo, on the other hand, wore dresses that hugged their bodies but had strategic cutouts or thin material.


    Aki stunned as she wore a custom-made qipao with a boob window. Lined up together, practically everyone stood awestruck.


    Every man who saw them, would covet them. And every woman would die from jealousy of their gorgeous looks and flawless figures.


    But for me, what they brought was not only such beauty, but also peace. Whatever negative feelings I might have had melted away like snow. The peanut gallery fell silent at my angels.


    "Hello everyone, you all look absolutely breathtaking. I feel like I have fallen in love all over again," I confessed like a bewitched idiot.


    Wordlessly, they all walked towards me. Liv, however, strode past me and over to Caroline before she asked in a fierce but polite tone.


    "Unhand my beloved, if you please, I will not ask again."


    Frightened by Liv''s oppressive attitude, Caroline released me. Meanwhile, the other Sirens began giving me quick hugs and kisses. In less than a minute, my mood went from bad to extremely happy.


    "Yoh! Are you for real?" "They are all with JOHN of all people?" "This group is even more stunning than the last one!" "So pretty." "Dude, isn''t that Lilly Browning?" "No way! You got to be kidding me!" "It is!" "Oh my gosh! John is dating THE Lilly Browning?"


    Hearing the praise of my classmates, Lilly quickly moved to my side and flashed a dazzling smile.


    "See, dearest? I told you I was a big deal. How has your reunion been so far?"


    "It''s been the worst, but with you all finally here, I am extremely happy now," I replied as I nuzzled her swan-like neck.


    "Darling! Tell me who you like best! It''s me, right? Do I look hot?"


    Pleased to hear Jo''s energetic words again, I stroked her face as I answered.


    "Very, I almost want to make love to you right here. You look gorgeous!"


    "Hehe, darling said I look gorgeous!"


    "Husband, what about me?" "Possum! Me too!" "My love, I hope you find this dress pleasing." "Shujin, are you satisfied?" "It''s not like I wanted your praise or anything, okay, Mr. Code!"


    My girls all started demanding compliments like children. With a smile on my face, I lavishly praised their beauty.


    Of course, when I considered that they must have gone to a lot of trouble to dress up for me. My happiness swelled uncontrollably.


    "Excuse me, Ms. Lilly Browning? How do you know MY John Smith?"


    Her words practically caused all seven of my girls to face her with blood lust oozing out of them. Happy with their love for me, I sent affection by the boatload to my girls through our Pseudo Kindred connection.


    Lilly walked over to Caroline and smiled maliciously.


    "Please refrain from indulging your penchant for delusional fantasies, Ms. Fisher. First of all, you are mistaken. This man is MY John Smith, not yours. You left yours, despite how much he adored you. For that incorrigible man over there, I might add."


    We all looked at Harry as he stormed towards us. His face was beyond angry.


    Bella then made a vicious face as she added.


    "Maybe you should focus on your man first, Caroline. After all, you threw away gold for that piece of trash."


    Suddenly a loud, obnoxious ringing sounded. Its source? Harry''s pocket. He pulled out the phone and answered it.


    "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?" he yelled.


    But as the other line began to speak, I could see his face contort in real time.


    "Wait! What do you mean, cut me off? I am your son! You can''t do this to me! It''s not my fault! I was betrayed by Sirens Incorporated!


    We should find their company and sue them for fraud!"


    When I heard the word Siren, I turned to my harem, who all had impish grins on their faces. Knowing how evil my girls could be, I connected to the Minerva server and asked them. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Limitless: Girls you didn''t...]


    [Vela: Darling! Belated Happy Birthday! Hope you like our gift! Hehehe!]


    [Satis: Husband, Jo is delusional. We didn''t do anything.]


    [Rhiannon: Possum, I didn''t touch him! Honest.]


    "ARGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! I WILL KILL THEM! IT IS OBVIOUSLY THEM! MY CAR! MY SHOE! EVEN MY COFFEE!


    THESE FUCKING SHITS ARE OUT TO GET ME! WELL, TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME!"


    After his ominous monologue, Harry smashed what looked like the latest Iphone to the floor. The device was helplessly destroyed as Harry headed for the door.


    [Freyja: Isn''t he broke already? And he still keeps smashing such expensive gadgets.]


    [Minerva: Hahaha! My new goal in life is to get that bastard to smash 100 phones! I still have 91 to go!]


    Harry suddenly fell and hit his face on the floor. Then he suddenly started to shit his pants while convulsing.


    [Ishtar: Aki, did you give him something again? He will die of dehydration at this rate.]


    [Inari: I have no idea what you are talking about Lilly-sama]


    "..."


    Somehow, I began to wish that this reunion would become an annual event.

 Chapter 436 It is enough. [1/2]

    As I watched the man I probably hated the most soil himself, I felt empty. Maybe it was because he and I were no longer in the same circles? I had thought that seeing him fail would bring me happiness.But it didn''t.


    When I was human, the mark of success was having a high-paying job, eating in expensive restaurants, driving fancy cars, and getting the prettiest girl. By that standard, I was a failure in every way imaginable.


    I was poor, in debt, fat, ugly, and still a virgin at 26. I''d be lying if I said I didn''t imagine myself to be the complete opposite. Many were like me. As a result, wish fulfillment stories were all the rage.


    Of course, when I tried to think of those who had succeeded in life, my mind drifted to my former best friend. He wasn''t overweight, he was extremely rich, he had the lifestyle I wanted, and he had the girl I dreamed of marrying.


    But when I became a Reaper, I found that the things that brought me the most happiness were the things I took for granted. Instead of being satisfied with having more money than I could spend, I appreciated being able to do things for the people I loved.


    Instead of the prestige of being in the top 1%, I found peace in the fact that I was just hanging out with the guys from Hellsend. I didn''t have any desire to be the object of worship by the common masses. What I was proud of was when people trusted me enough to willingly lay down their lives in my defense.


    The Sirens'' beauty had little to do with why I was so enamored of them. It was more because they were loyal to me. To a point most would consider as being dangerous.


    However, these girls would die for me if I asked them to. Of course, the fact that my battle harem was extremely sexy and attractive was a fucking bonus.


    Right. By my old definition, I was now extremely successful. But having arrived at this point, what I valued was not the superficial things, but something deeper.


    Harry, for all his wealth, power and looks, remained an insufferable bastard. He hid behind his status and expected the world to bow down to him just because he wanted them to.


    Caroline was nothing but a gold digger. A high-class prostitute, if you wanted to be exact. To know about soul cards, she must have slept with reapers on more than one occasion.


    Somehow, being reunited with her showed me how different I had become. What I had wanted for as long as I could remember was no longer valuable. Instead, I now sought something more precious than gold.


    The Sirens continued to insult and taunt Harry. I couldn''t blame them. The man was drunk and kissing the ground. His butt was raised to the sky, imitating a fountain.


    Even though he was wearing pants, a stream of brown liquid kept squirting out of his ass. Anyone who knew what it was like to have stomach problems would even sympathize.


    Disgusting would be the only way to describe it. Having your own shit dripping down your legs was horrible. Add to that the humiliation of having your excrement seen by others and it was beyond mortifying.


    "Ugh! What the hell, Harry! We are eating!" "I think I''m going to puke!" "Have some class you fucking asshole!" "Can somebody get him out already?" "Fuck! What kind of garbage has that bastard been eating?"


    A foul smell reminiscent of sewage filled the air. A puddle began to form around Harry. Still muttering nonsense, his face was already in contact with the brown liquid.


    Whatever dignity Harry Evans might have had would probably die with this. Just then, a bright light flashed. I saw one of the Hellsend waiters taking a picture of the man of the hour as he defiled himself in public.


    With the advent of cell phones and social media, these things spread like wildfire. Probably thinking they could capitalize on the moment, everyone pulled out their phones and took pictures and videos.


    If random people had their lives destroyed by such videos, what more could an heir to an international company?


    I could help him, but I had no reason to.


    Normally, when shit like this happens, Harry''s friends and loved ones would come to his aid.


    ''Yet, no one is coming forward.''


    Even Caroline just stood awkwardly at the corner. She didn''t even try to stop those who were taking videos. Somehow I found it sad. That was all her loyalty amounted to.


    "It''s over John. I love Harry now, he makes me happy. If you really love me, let me go."


    That was what Caroline told me all those years ago. And though she claimed to love him, the woman was now abandoning him in his hour of need. Caroline may have looked like a heroine, but she was anything but.


    As everyone mocked and ridiculed the human shit sprinkler, I once again lamented the futility of it all.


    Experience tales at empire


    These people used to praise Harry and bend over backwards for him. And now they were all deserting him because he was broke.


    From the former girlfriends he slept with, to the guys who served as his lackeys, to even those who worked for him. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    None of them saw Harry as worth more than cleaning his literal crap.


    The best thing to do would have been to drag him to the nearest toilet and hose him down. Instead, they all took videos and laughed as Harry committed social suicide.


    "..."


    I looked over and saw my girls all having a good time. They were jeering and mocking the man who made me miserable. But for some reason, they all stopped laughing and stared at me.


    Unlike Caroline, these girls would never abandon me if the same thing were to happen. Perhaps sensing the confusing emotions running through me, the Sirens waited silently.


    Forget cleaning up my shit. My girls even challenged a Revenant to a brawl.


    They fought against Reaper armies, floors of undead, and a fucking greater demon. They protected my family. They also terrorized Harry and Caroline for their sins against me.


    I couldn''t stop looking at my harem with affection. Like a tsunami, love poured out of my heart as I remembered how different I was from Harry.


    Shit was all it took for my ex-best friend to be left for dead. On the other hand, not even a greater demon could stop Hellsend and the Sirens from coming to my side.


    "Everyone, do you mind if we leave now?"


    At my words the girls, half of them had enough, the other half didn''t.


    "Lead my love and I will follow."


    "I agree dear. With the highlight of the evening over, there is no reason to stay."


    "Well, that was fun! Where to now, Possum?"


    "Hmph! I still think it would be better to break his legs. He hurt Darling, I will never stop hating him!"


    "Ignore the nut job, Mr. Code. This night will effectively mark the figurative death of Harry Evans. Our revenge is complete."


    "Husband, do not worry. Even if he tries something, I will protect you."


    "Ara ara. Should we just finish him off instead? What do you think, Shujin?"


    They were as different as the continents they came from. But they all loved me unconditionally. Unlike Caroline, who only came to Harry out of greed.


    "It is enough. Thank you, but from tonight on, do not bother with him anymore."


    "Are you satisfied with just this, darling?"


    It was obvious why Jo was asking such a thing. It stemmed from both her desire to fuck up those who hurt me as well as her sadistic tendencies. Still, it was heartwarming to feel that someone was getting angry in my place.


    "That''s not it Jo, I just don''t find it worth my time anymore. It''s like getting angry about a dog shitting in the street. In the end it is pointless. I would rather do something else."


    "And what do you want to do now, husband?"

 Chapter 437 It is enough. [2/2]

    Hearing such an innocent question, I pulled the closest Sirens to my side. Somehow the girls kept switching places. It was adorable to think that they acted this way to increase the chances of me drawing them to me.The ones I managed to get win this time were Liv and Jo.


    "What else, its Sunday. Time to fulfill my promise to all of you."


    As I said these words, I buried my face in Liv''s chest. Although my depravity was similar to Harry''s, the result was completely different.


    Liv lovingly wrapped her hands around my neck and pulled my face into hers. Jo then began to lick my earlobes in protest.


    "Mhm. Darling...me too."


    Like a cat in heat, Jo made amorous eyes as she waited for my caress. Being her man, of course, I obliged. Then I heard a large group of footsteps come in.


    "Ugh, nigga shit all over the place."


    "I pity the senioritas who have to clean up this shit."


    "That''s a lot of shit."


    "Scott, carry him, I have to dance with Isolde."


    "Now hold on a darn minute, Mike. What does that have to do with anything?"


    "Gentlemen, if you please. You don''t expect a lady to touch that disgusting thing, do you?" Tildi explained shamelessly.


    Surprisingly, the disgusting smell disappeared. At least from where I was standing. But when I looked around, I noticed that my classmates were all cursing and leaving.


    Then my ears picked up a breeze that blew the horrible smell away from me. When I tried to examine where the breeze came from, I saw tiny little {Portals} about the size of a quarter.


    There was only one person talented enough to pull off such a crazy stunt. There were more than twenty of these little portals redirecting the air currents. I looked at Lilly and complimented her.


    "You amaze me more every day, Lilly."


    Pleased with my compliment, Lilly flipped her hair as she bragged with a smile.


    "Of course, how else could I be worthy of you, dearest."


    A woman almost everyone considered royalty. Yet she feared she had nothing to offer me. Overwhelmed with love, I extended my hand to her.


    Without missing a beat, she took my hand and came closer. I kissed her gently as I whispered.


    "You''ve got it backwards, dear."


    Finding our tender moment amusing, we both giggled. Then someone took my hand and began to lick it. The wetness and saliva made my whole body shiver. I turned around to see Aki erotically licking my fingers.


    Her eyes never left mine as she worked her tongue. I swallowed nervously at her lascivious actions. Satisfied that she had confused my mind, the Japanese beauty smiled more beautifully than any flower as she teased.


    "Shujin, shall we go? My mouth wants to suck on something bigger than your finger... Can I?"


    ''FUCK!!!!''


    The instinct to make love consumed my mind, I accidentally sent erotic desire through my Pseudo Kindred connection. As a result, the girls all bent over and suddenly had flushed faces.


    The girls and I all knew without words what we wanted to do next. Ignoring everything else, the Sirens and I moved to leave the disaster that was my reunion.


    Although Harry had been a big part of my life before, he meant nothing now.


    Despite everything that had happened, I was glad I had come tonight. It was as if the shadows that bound me had all been destroyed by Harry''s mishap, Was shiting fecal matter like a fountain only a mishap?


    In an extremely good mood, I left the place with my harem.


    Then I remembered that the Sirens had just arrived. Unlike me, they had not yet eaten.


    "Girls, are any of you hungry? I may be about to go crazy from being horny, but we can work in some food while I dine at the Y."


    As I said this, I noticed that my girls'' reactions fell into two categories. Those who understood what I meant and those who didn''t.


    Liv, Robyn, Jas and Jo were confused. Bella, Aki and Lilly, who were familiar with slang for sexual acts, turned scarlet. Less than a second later, even the four who were innocent turned away from me.


    ''They must have asked Exa or someone explain to them.''


    Amused by their reactions, I walked with my girls to the front desk. One of the perks of getting a large vehicle was the ability to carry a lot of people. For example, I couldn''t take all my lovers when I got a convertible roadster.


    I went to the valet and had him get my car. The Wraith saw the Sirens and me and almost tripped over himself with nervousness. While we waited, the girls all asked for some affection maintenance.


    A familiar figure also came into the lobby and called out to me.


    "John! This has to be an act, right?" came her emotional accusation.


    Caroline approached the Sirens and I in a hurry. It looked like she was running from something. As she got closer, Jas, Jo and Robyn formed a wall to stop her.


    "Please move, I am here to talk to my ex. This is none of your business."


    The girls held her in place as they replied.


    "Karo, you are his past. I am his present. Do the Harry and fuck off."


    "The time you owned Darling''s heart is long gone, bitch. It is mine now."


    "You said it perfectly, whore. You are just an ex, I am his wife. Leave."


    Caroline then glared at the three as she scoffed.


    "Pfft. Wife? The fact that it took seven of you to replace me is pathetic! John let''s talk. Just the two of us like before, okay?"


    Liv showed her ring as she replied.


    "That''s not the point, Vixen. You see this ring? It holds a vow from my beloved to me. Each of my sisters also has one, do you?"


    "I don''t. Not yet. Besides, as far as I can see, none of your rings are diamonds, and mine will of course cost more because John finds me more precious. I''m special because I spent years with him. What about all of you?" Caroline argued.


    "How unsightly. You speak of value and yet you are completely ignorant. Are you aware that our rings cost over twenty million each? Not that dearest would ever get you one. Stop deluding yourself, you fool."


    "Twenty milli...." Caroline gasped in surprise.


    "I guess trying to get Honey back is her last play. Look, Caroline, these are the women who own Siren Incorporated. Everything that happened to you and Evan''s group was our doing. Not that you can prove any of it."


    "What? You! I will call the police! You people are insane! I will..."


    "You can try, Fisher-san, but know that if you do, every dirty little secret you have will come to light. Everything from your hidden abortions to your alias at Arcus Kiss. I wonder how you would fare after that?"


    When I heard the words abortion and Arcus Kiss, it didn''t take much to understand the implication. I suppose a reaper brothel hiring beautiful human women was a no-brainer.


    ''No wonder she knew about the soul cards.''


    But it made me kind of sad to see her sink to such a low. The valet returned with Esca and quickly handed over the key. Not even sparing my former love a glance, I waved to my harem and got into my car. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The other girls followed and mounted Esca. I was pleased to see that even with their dresses there was enough room for all of them in my vehicle.


    Caroline looked pitiful as she clutched her purse. Even after everything the Sirens had told her, as long as I held out my hand, we would have a future together. But that was no longer possible. I gestured to the valet and asked him.


    "Make sure she gets home."


    "Yes, my lord."


    As our eyes locked for the last time, she and I knew this would be the day we parted forever. I shifted gears and promptly left the venue, putting my past behind me once and for all.


    As I looked in the rearview mirror, I saw something crazy. Caroline was starting to slap herself and smash her face into a nearby table. As her face swelled, the once beautiful woman was nowhere to be found.


    ''What the fuck are you doing, Caroline?'' I asked rhetorically.

 Chapter 438 You built a church? [1/2]

    At that moment, all the girls started laughing heartily. It was as if someone had tickled their funny bone. The happiness and joy that radiated from them was contagious. I found myself smiling at how joyful they were.Robyn was slapping the inside of the car as she laughed. Jo had the same reaction, stomping on the floor while holding her stomach. Jas and Aki couldn''t even open their eyes despite their best efforts to remain composed.


    Liv and Bella were also bent over as they couldn''t stop laughing. Lilly, who was next to me, even wiped away her tears, obviously delighted. At first I thought it was okay not to hear the joke. But I became curious, what could make them act like that?


    "What''s so funny, everyone? Can I hear the joke?" I asked awkwardly.


    They all stopped and looked at me. Then my whole harem started laughing again, as if they hadn''t heard me.


    It was strange, I couldn''t join in because I didn''t know what was so funny. But they refused to tell me what they found funny. No matter how annoying it was to be left out, I didn''t want to spoil the joy my girls were experiencing. So I just let it go.


    ''Hmm, now what? If it were up to me, I would immediately go to our hotel and make love to my girls. But that would be against Noelle''s wishes. Maybe we should go to Vegas and have a shotgun wedding?''


    I checked the time and noticed that it was only 8:30 PM. Normally I would be at Hellsgate by now. It felt weird to suddenly skip work. But I figured I deserved a break. Having survived my first major hurdle, my journey could continue.


    David met me after my victory and ordered me to defend North America. When I refused, he tried to force me. Risking the Revenant''s fury, I negotiated instead.


    "Of course I am, you fucking idiot! I have created a force capable of killing a greater demon in a little over a week. If you touch a single hair on my girls. Either kill me now or watch as I raze the North American battlefront to the ground."


    Technically, I had nothing to bargain with except my potential. Objectively speaking, I was pretty awesome. I didn''t know how rare a greater demon was, but the implication of the word "greater" meant that it should be a big deal.


    The memory of the bastard''s answer made me chuckle a little. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Good. Very good! If you had only bowed, I would have killed you on the spot. I, David Thomas the Invincible, accept your terms!"


    Only David would know how close I was to death at that moment. The one thing I understood about him was that he would never cheat. He had no reason to. He was like a block of iron. What you saw was what you got.


    Still. My new job was both better and worse at the same time. It was better because I didn''t have to kill everyone. I only had to defend. Contrary to what people believed, casualties and fatalities were not the same thing.


    You could theoretically scare people off without killing them. And since they were Reapers, they wouldn''t die unless I shattered the Soulgems of Phantoms and above. I guess for the Wraiths I just have to aim better.


    While I didn''t back down when people were after my life, it was different when I just needed people to stop. With the Seeker War, I had no choice because Robert and I couldn''t allow each other to continue to exist.


    As for the Reaper invasion, I still had no personal issues with them. That could change, but just as it could be for the worse, it could also be for the better.


    The worst part of the whole thing was that I had to face three different armies. In the same fucking month. Facing just one army was difficult enough. The way people fought wars naturally differed based on where they came from.


    It was extremely difficult to adapt to three different opponents. The strategies that worked for one might not work for another. History has proven this fact. The reason Alexander was so great was because he adapted so well.


    ''I mean, even Sparta and Rome, for all their power, faded into memory.''


    David expected three groups to attack the North American battlefront. South America, Asia, and Africa. I wasn''t surprised about South America and Asia.


    After all, Zach told me that the Asian revenant Li Wudi specifically said he would invade if Krishna Sagan was not terminated. As the person who took him under my wing, our confrontation was practically set in stone.


    "Li Wudi does not take kindly to deserters. He gave us an ultimatum. Send them back or kill them. If we don''t, he will invade North America. What would you have done? Would you risk antagonizing a Revenant and bringing war to our land, all for a bunch of Pajeets?"


    Logically, I knew the best course of action was what Zach told me. That was partly why they had Robert try to assassinate Krishna. Still, rather than lose people of such impeccable character like Krishna, I would rather kill the scum.


    Krishna and the Yuddha Rakshas were by no means powerful. But they were the kind of people who would throw their lives away for one another. The Saviors, on the other hand, were despicable bastards who did not deserve to live.


    Still. I didn''t know if Asia was invading because of what I had done or because of something else. When Roland told the truth, his words made it seem like using Krisha was just an excuse.


    "David broke the armistice of the seven battle fronts. As the manifested are used to defend against Hellsgate, the Revenants seek to arm the Formless as quickly as possible."


    "To do what exactly?"


    "What else, to assault the other battlefronts. With your rise, the flames of war have been lit ablaze John Smith. The Formless will rapidly increase in power, and they will cause the battlefronts to experience floor breaks. Hastening the apocalypse."


    As far as I could tell, the other Revenants all had their own agendas. While Li Wudi even made an excuse, South America did not and was already part of David''s concerns.


    "Do you have any idea how many Reapers Asia has? How many of ours would die if that Chink decided to invade us? We cannot fight a war on three fronts! David''s got his hands full with the necrophiliac bastard from South America on top of the undead."


    And as if that were not enough, Africa joined in. Frankly, they were the ones I feared the most. If Reapers were evaluated by their regrets and desires, then it was not the wealthy countries that created the most powerful Reapers, but the shitholes of a country instead.


    Unlike the other continents, Africa was notorious for being a shithole while the rest of the world was experiencing unparalleled prosperity. Not much news is shared about this continent, but I know that unlike the rest of the world, it was involved in war all the time.


    If you took even the world''s richest economy, the USA, and subjected it to civil war and terrorism repeatedly, it would end up in shambles in less than a decade. War usually has a price that can rarely be paid over a long period of time.


    However, with the amount of atrocities committed on a daily basis, war was a guaranteed breeding ground for powerful reapers. What kind of army would such a country be able to produce?


    My thoughts began to scare me a bit. How difficult would the coming battles be? Would it only consist of Formless? What if there were Specters among them?


    Hellsend was powerful, but they had not yet tried to fight against fellow reapers.


    I had no qualms about killing Savior because only Robert was doing his job. The rest of their army abandoned their duty to defend and just paid the tax by converting cash to souls.

 Chapter 439 You built a church? [2/2]

    It made a lot of sense when you thought about it. Wraiths might have been worth shit in Hellsgate, but on Earth? They were the equivalent to superheroes. That was what I learned about the savior bastards when I studied them.Rather than fight the undead, they spent the night playing or sleeping. Then they would take the souls they needed from humans. They stole, blackmailed, or worked as assassins on Earth.


    Because {Fates} were powerful, they could achieve results beyond what human logic could explain. Their evil lives did not help the battlefront, but instead terrorized the people on Earth.


    And after I learned what {Blood Feast} was supposed to do, it made sense. Malice, the stuff that drove the reapers crazy, was the currency to summon a demon. So Robert''s army was basically a malice farm.


    It was an effective strategy. What if I didn''t stop him in time? What if the demon that came was more powerful than Andromalius? After fighting the enormous bastard, I could understand why demons were feared.


    To put it in perspective, {Recursion} was the reason we survived. Blessings were the only reason we were able to kill Andromalius. The Sacreds were effective, but not enough. It was the presence of the Saint Division that made the difference.


    If they hadn''t been there, we would have been slaughtered. Hellsend''s Saint Division was not powerful because they were the best there was. It was because they didn''t need to rest.


    Without my abilities, the Saints would go weeks between battles. And because of the importance of such resources, no commander would allow them on the battlefield. However, because they were protected, it was doubtful how they could develop.


    Only the combination of everyone in Hellsend allowed us to triumph. If someone like Robert existed on the other battle fronts, it would be dangerous. How close were they to completing their demons?


    Africa, which had the worst conditions on Earth, scared me the most. What if demons were already hiding there? How could we stop them? What if instead of reapers they sent demons to attack North America?


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    The only good thing was that David was deliberately drawing attention away from me. Instead of exposing all of our power, he deliberately downplayed my abilities.


    ''I feel like I''m dancing in the palm of someone else''s hand.''


    Every Reaper killed is one less fighter when hell breaks open. Yet if you focused on keeping everyone alive like a Boy Scout, demons might start lurking among them.


    I sighed deeply as I worried about the future, "Reapers have it hard."


    Then I felt a wave of positive emotion overwhelm and drown out my negative thoughts. I turned to see that my harem was no longer laughing. Instead, they were looking at me with loving eyes.


    "My goodness! Dearest, we ignored you for a while and you already thought yourself into depression."


    "Husband, are you all right?"


    "Shujin, please don''t keep it to yourself. We are here."


    "Possum, learn to live a little! Stop being a downer all the time!"


    "Well, that''s usually how responsible people are, Robyn! Darling is an overthinker! Only people like you with nothing between your ears can be clueless all the time!"


    "Strewth! You looking for a beating Nut job?"


    "HAHAHA! Bring it on, jailbait! I am not scared of you!"


    "Robyn, Jo, please behave. You both felt it too, right? I will play with both of you later, so calm down for now. Beloved comes first."


    "Fuck me dead! All right, I get it, Liv."


    "Aye aye Big Momma!"


    "Big Momma? I am not your mother Jo, you should call mother-in-law your momma."


    "Liv, the nut job is making fun of you. Just let her do what she wants. Anyway, honey. What is going on?"


    I was once again reminded of how much I adored these women. They tried to calm me down when they felt my feelings were in disarray. Jo being mischievous was meant to distract me.


    "It''s nothing. Thank you everyone," I replied gratefully.


    It was true that I would have to deal with the Battlefront defense in two months, but I shouldn''t waste the peace I had now. My life as a Reaper had not been all sunshine and rainbows. But it was not all doom and gloom either.


    Through every hardship, I gained allies and experience. It might seem intimidating if I were alone. But with Hellsend and the Sirens by my side, there was no reason to believe that my situation was hopeless.


    Just then, Exa suddenly called out to me.


    [My lord, Phillip Scrivener is calling your GRI. He has asked you not to tell the Sirens].


    "?"


    Well, that was certainly interesting. It was the first time Phillip had called me outside of Hellsgate.


    ''Can I answer it through you, Exa?''


    [Yes, my lord. I can do so, but I think the Sirens might find out from the data transfer.]


    ''Hmm. Not much I can do about that. Let us try to redirect them instead.''


    "Everyone, I feel guilty that you didn''t get a chance to eat. I also need you all to be, ehem... ready for our honeymoon. Please eat something, where do you all want to eat?"


    Understanding why I wanted them to eat, the girls blushed as they discussed their options. Of course, each Siren had her own preferences, as it was impossible for a hodgepodge of strong personalities to agree unanimously.


    Women were notorious for not being able to decide where they wanted to eat lunch or dinner. I hoped this would get their attention long enough for me to talk to Phillip.


    ''Exa, put him through.''


    [Understood. My Lord, you are now connected. Mr. Scrivener, my lord cannot speak at the moment if he wishes to fulfill your request, I will express his thoughts instead].


    [That''s fine, thank you Ms. Exa]


    ''What do you want, you monocled bastard?''


    [Ah yes, only my lord could be so crass as to not even say hello.]


    ''I am hanging up.''


    [Wait! My lord, stop being an asshole. I called to fulfill your adoptive mother''s will]


    ''Noelle''s?''


    [Yes, it seems she knows how lacking in self-control you are. She asked us to create a small private wedding for your family tonight.]


    ''Hahahaha! My mother is the best! So you have something ready? Ceremony and all?''


    [Yes, a team from Hellsend and I are leading the effort. We built a small church on the outskirts of the city that Lady Noelle chose.]


    ''Built? What do you mean, you built a church? And where is it?''''


    [My Lord, you have 50 reapers who were either with Academics or Fortification, a gangster family that is extremely wealthy, and over 500 production reapers who all want to repay you.]


    ''Hmm. I see your point.''


    [Building a church like the Wayfarers Chapel in California is something we can do in an afternoon.]


    Exa then pulled up a video of a stunning chapel. It was quite small, but the chapel had glass as part of the ceiling and walls. This allowed the light and scenery to blend in with the ceremonies. Day or night, it was enchanting.


    [I will send the location to Ms. Exa.] S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Exa then showed the image through my eyes like a holographic display. Since I had {Calculate}, it was no longer difficult for me to split my attention between two or more things.


    I tried to look at the place and remembered where it was. It was the place where my Frank Smith had literally thrown me to the wolves. I couldn''t remember anything else that had happened except for Noelle''s story.


    Still, I wondered how I could fulfill Noelle''s request, and now I could.


    ''Do you have any food there?''


    "We do, the Deryck family has strongarmed the Exquisite Catering company to provide a luxurious feast."


    Somehow, hearing the things Phillip and his group was doing blew the idea of a small, intimate ceremony out the window. But since everything was already prepared, I was pleased.


    ''Well done, Phillip. I will go there now.''

 Chapter 440 Remember what? [1/2]

    "Fuck me dead! Can''t we just go through a Mackas and be done with it?""I agree! Jas! This is our honeymoon! We have {Eat}! We don''t need all that healthy food! I am not even hungry!


    I want to eat darling instead!"


    "Look, you two. Stop being childish brats! Nutrition is important. McDonald''s is out of the question," Jas vehemently insisted.


    "Hmm, the places that are still open at this time are extremely limited. Shall we just eat at a 7-Eleven? A couple of sandwiches should be enough."


    "Not you, Bella. How can you all treat food like an afterthought? Dining is an art! I refuse to eat that store-bought garbage they serve at convenience stores!" Aki said in frustration.


    Lilly turned around as she talked to the girls. "Interesting thoughts from a Japanese. What about you Liv? What do you want to eat?"


    "Anything will do. Food in its entirety is a luxury in the North. Perhaps it would be better to ask what Beloved wants instead."


    With that, I joined the conversation.


    "I''m fine, Liv, I will eat the ripest peaches later. Naturally, I will eat my fill and indulge myself. So no need to cater to my preferences, I just want everyone to have the stamina to keep up with me."


    The chattering stopped at my words. Everyone showed signs of embarrassment and looked away. Of course, those who knew what peaches looked like would understand my meaning.


    Even Liv, who wasn''t supposed to know, blushed red. It was adorable how docile they all became with just a few words. I continued to smile as I followed Exa''s map to the church.


    It took about 5 minutes for the girls to recover. But before they could start arguing again, I teased them some more.


    "I''m so glad none of you are wearing heavy perfumes. You all smell divine. I will certainly dine like a king later. In the meantime, is it too much to ask that you all move around? I mean, let your clothes soak up your sweat."


    "GET A STUFFED POSSUM!"


    "HONEY, YOU ARE A FUCKING PERVERT!"


    "Beloved, you could certainly pass for a Northerner in terms of depravity."


    "Husband, you are too lewd...Aki, what are you doing?"


    "Shujin wants me to sweat, so I am making sure I am ready."


    "Haha, darling is kind of scary! But it''s okay! I sweat a lot anyway!"


    "Dear, how could you keep saying such nonsense?"


    Without an ounce of shame, I smiled lecherously, imagining what I would do tonight.


    "I am a pervert. Exa gave you all my porn history, right? And you even dressed up like the ones I jerked off to. What did you think was going to happen? There is only one outcome to all of this. We are going to make love from dawn to dusk for at least a week."


    I heard audible gasps and saw the girls glancing at me lewdly. What man wouldn''t be satisfied to see such beautiful women lusting after him? Through the rearview mirror, I captured each Siren''s reaction and stored it with {Gather}.


    Jas''s new {Program} [Reflection] was amazing. It solved one of my biggest annoyances with being a Reaper. Unfortunately, since it was a {Program}, it couldn''t be shared with people who didn''t have {Limitless}.


    "Besides, you all love me too much to say no. I have been waiting a long time. It is no exaggeration to say that I fought the Saviors, and you seven were my reward for it."


    "..."


    Seeing how unsettled the girls were, my sadistic tendencies began to manifest. What kind of faces would my harem make as I devoured and made love to every inch of their bodies.


    I felt my cock become rock hard and press against my pants. Lilly, seeing this, made a lascivious face as her hand reached for my bulging member. I grew excited as I waited in anticipation.


    Would she suck me off? Maybe a hand job? How soft would her hands be? It would probably feel good, right? And it was on the way to our wedding.


    Unfortunately, before her hands could reach me, a white wall suddenly appeared between us.


    "Hands off, you pervert!" Bella warned.


    But Lilly created a {Portal} that went through the {Shelter} construct.


    "It''s just a hand job! No penertration! Aren''t you all curious?" Lilly countered.


    Robyn put Lilly in a choke hold from behind. Aki also grabbed both of the princess'' hands as the woman reached out to pleasure me. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Lilly-sama, remember your dignity!"


    "Slagger, keep your hands off my Possum!"


    Meanwhile, the back was similarly chaotic. Jo tried to jump forward from the third row, only to be held back by Bella, Jas and Liv.


    "DARLING! I''M GOING TO SUCK YOU OFF!!"


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    "Oh no you won''t you nut job! Jas! Control your lunatic of a sister!"


    "Jo! Stop it! Ma said to wait till we get married!"


    "Goodness! Everyone seems too excited, Beloved, your jokes are getting out of hand."


    Seeing the chaos my words had caused, I couldn''t stop laughing. Somehow, no matter what the situation, just being with my harem made all my problems seem trivial. Just as they enjoyed teasing me, I discovered the joy of toying with them.


    As we drove to our destination, the ongoing battle for my purity continued. I found it endearing that the girls valued my semen so highly. I mean, if you collected the amount of cum the guys just wasted, I''m pretty sure you could fill an ocean.


    It was debatable whether the men of the world spent more cum on impregnating women or on panties, tissues, flesh lights, and anime body pillows.


    Halfway through the trip, I was not even horny anymore. Still, the girls kept using {Fates} to get around each other. It was as if they all wanted to see who could overpower the other.


    Finally, we arrived at our destination. I parked the car just outside the clearing. When the vehicle stopped, the girls all looked around at the same time.


    "Darling, where is this?"


    "There''s nothing here, husband."


    "Are we going to root in the open Possum?"


    "Robyn! Have some shame! Shujin, that''s not the case, is it?"


    "Goodness, why not wait for Dearest to speak first you lot."


    "Beloved, is there anything for us to do here?"


    It was noticeable that of my girls, Bella made no comment. Amused, I sent her a message.


    [Surprised Mrs. Code?]


    [It is impossible for them to move without me knowing, Honey. I knew long before Phillip told you. You have no idea how hard it is to play dumb.]


    [Haha. As expected from Minerva. Thoughts?]


    [I''m 40% over the moon, Mr. Code.]


    [And the other 60%?] I asked curiously.


    [I am scared, honey. Of what I would do if I woke up from this wonderful dream].


    "..."


    I could see what Bella meant. Normally, people built their lives around a sense of normalcy. Being able to see your family the next day, going to work or school, and coming home at night.


    But my Brazilian bride had all of that suddenly taken away from her. Those who knew her story would understand. I got out of the car and walked over to Bella.


    She had fearful eyes as she looked at me. I gently reached out and rested her head on my shoulder. I felt the warmth of her body on my chest as I whispered.


    "Then let us make it real as long as we can."


    Understanding the meaning of my words, Bella nuzzled her face into my embrace as she responded.


    "Okay..."


    Bella and I were able to share a few seconds before all hell broke loose.


    "GET STUFFED YOU BIG TITTED COW!"


    "Darling! That''s not fair!"


    "Shujin, I am really annoyed about your favoritism."


    "Fufu, Bella is starting to learn how to use her charms on Dearest."


    "Hmm, so seducing Beloved can also be done like this? Interesting."


    "Husband, stop cheating on me."

 Chapter 441 Remember what? [2/2]

    It took a few minutes to calm everyone down. Fortunately, I now had a secret weapon. Since the girls had been fighting in the car, they were all covered in a thin layer of sweat. The smell was intoxicating.As I apologized to each Siren, I simply took the liberty of enjoying their new found organic colognes. The reactions they had were enough to get me off the hook.


    ''I might end up addicted to this,'' I thought to myself.


    Upon entering the clearing, the girls and I made our way inside. There were beautiful lanterns on the trees that lit up the path. Their orange glow made the whole area seem magical.


    Following the path lit by the lanterns, we moved quickly toward the church. I led the Sirens, who deliberately stayed away from me, through the woods. It was as if they were afraid that I would pounce on them. I found it quite funny cause it was true.


    My mind couldn''t stay horny though. As we walked through the trees, memories of the time I spent here came rushing back. It was when I was 11 or 12. I asked Noelle to adopt me and when she didn''t say yes, I ran here.


    It was funny, I ran to Noelle after being beaten by my father. The same father who found me here in the woods. But instead of taking me home, the bastard threw me to a wolf.


    I don''t remember how I survived. Noelle said I killed a wolf. But neither I nor anyone else found the animal''s body. Even after Noelle beat the shit out of my father, he didn''t fight back and drank his troubles away.


    "What the hell happened here all those years ago?"


    I awoke in a daze and felt familiar soul signatures coming out to greet us. Because of the {Sonar}, I could now sense the Reapers faster than I could identify them. Of course, the Sirens were the same. All but Bella drew their weapons.


    The incoming group all raised their hands when they detected the killing intent.


    "My ladies, it is I, Phillip Scrivener. I am with Cynthia Carmine and Van Micron. Please lower your weapons. Lady Noelle and lord Earl are also with us."


    At his declaration, the Sirens quickly hid their weapons. Not a second later, my adoptive parents arrived. And they were dressed for a formal occasion.


    Taking this as my queue, I turned around and faced my girls.


    "Everyone, even though I cannot wait to become one with you all, my mother demanded that I first make a vow to Heaven. I am to swear that I will take you all as my wives. As such, Hellsend has prepared a small wedding here."


    '' Exa, [Commander] [Overdrive] {Day by Day}.''


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Commander]. [Commander] levels up to [Field General].]


    [[Knight] setting shifting to [Commander]. [Field General] levels up to [Warlord].]


    I manifested six soul-created avatars using my soulgear. Along with my main body. I approached each Siren and gently took their hands in mine.


    "I want to do right by you. I know I should wait until we are really married, but I am impatient. I am terrified at the thought of someone else stealing you away from me." X7


    The girls smiled beautifully as they listened to my heartfelt words.


    "Please marry me, right here and right now. With our family and heaven as our witness." X7


    The girls looked at each other and suddenly kissed each of my avatars. Along with their affection, a boatload of happiness drowned Pseudo Kindred connection.


    They all separated from me at the exact same moment, pushing my bodies into one place.


    "Dearest. It is unlucky to see the brides before the wedding. Wait here.


    "Shujin, we need to redo our makeup. Please give us some time to prepare."


    "Husband, if you are not here when we return, I will punish you."


    "That''s too simple, Jas, I will fucking kill you, darling! Then I will follow soon after!" sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Nut job, be serious. Possum. Do not leave this place. That goes for all seven of you!"


    "Honey, you have to take responsibility for this dream you hear!"


    "Haha! Everyone seems embarrassed, my love. I am counting the seconds until I become yours. Wait for me."


    With that promise, the Sirens followed Van and Cynthia and left. Noelle and Earl approached me with ironic smiles. I canceled {Day by Day} since it was just us.


    "It seems my daughters are a little strong-willed," Earl joked.


    "A little? If I hadn''t met them, I probably wouldn''t have allowed Dipshit to marry them, Appleboo."


    "That''s all right, Ma, I love them, flaws and all. Did you have any trouble getting here?"


    "No Dipshit we didn''t. Forget about that. Aren''t you going to ask why I told your goons you wanted to get married here?"


    Actually, I didn''t. If you asked any groom where he wanted to get married, I doubt most of them would even care. The brides were the ones who made a big deal out of such matters.


    "I don''t, Ma. Is there a special reason?"


    "It seems you really don''t remember."


    "Remember what?" I asked confused.


    "It was when I picked you up here when you were twelve. You were all bruised and bleeding. But that wasn''t the most amazing thing. It was what you said. Do you remember how you ended up here to begin with?"


    "I do, it was the same day I asked you to adopt me. You said no, and I ran all the way here after that. I met my father and he threw me to a gray wolf."


    Noelle bit her lip before answering.


    "Yes, it was that very night. At the time I thought it was all my fault. I thought that maybe if I had agreed, you wouldn''t have to go through such hardship."


    I felt guilty when I heard Noelle''s words. Besides not remembering what happened, the Simmons had their own problems to deal with.


    It was never easy to add another mouth to feed, especially when they weren''t well off to begin with.


    "It''s okay, Ma, don''t worry about it. I know you love me like a son. That is enough. But what did I say here? Was it something important?"


    "When I came to get you, you were burning up with a fever and you were delirious and you kept repeating two phrases like a mantra." Experience tales at empire


    "What were the phrases?"


    "They were ''I cannot die'' and ''I will have a family. "


    "..."


    Noelle ran up and hugged me.


    "Dipshit, you have no idea how sorry I was at that moment. That is why I knew when you proposed to the girls that you had found your family. I had planned to bring the girls here before you were married. If only to let them know what happened then."


    Hearing Noelle''s words, I must have wanted a loving family so badly. To the point that I might have survived because of it. If you put the two sentences together, it would be.


    ''I cannot die until I have a family.'' Or ''I will have a family, so I cannot die.''


    Both meant different ideas. But what was certain was that twelve-year-old John Smith was so desperate for a family that he was willing to kill a gray wolf for it.


    Understanding how much this must have hurt Noelle, I smiled as I returned her embrace.


    "It''s okay now, Ma. Thank you for reminding me. And don''t blame yourself. You nursed me back to health afterwards, that was the first time I felt like I had a mother," I said with a smile.


    Noelle began to cry on my shoulder like a child. Earl joined us in the hug and we spent a few moments in the light of the lanterns in the woods being thankful for family.

 Chapter 442 I am part Jamaican [1/2]

    A little emotional, Earl, Noelle and I took a minute to compose ourselves. It was such a good feeling to be able to share such moments with those you consider family.Suddenly, my adoptive mother tapped me on the shoulder.


    "Dipshit , you should see the church your minions built! It is so beautiful! The redhead was amazing too, she took command of over 500 people."


    "Ah, you must be talking about Cynthia. Yes, she is great."


    "You''re not planning on adding her to your army of wives?"


    Good grief, even my own mother was making jokes like that now.


    "Ma, I have no desire for more wives. My cup is full. Frankly, if only half of them had followed me when I enlisted, I would have married only that half."


    "Good. Even if the old coots in the Bible had many wives, they usually married them all. And they were responsible for them and fulfilled their duties as husbands."


    "Yes, Ma. I know."


    Your journey continues with empire


    "Hmph. Even though I gave in, I still believe in monogamy. But it would break my heart to see six of my daughters crying because they cannot get a husband. I would be tempted to give birth to more just for them."


    "Ma, do you have any idea how crazy you sound? How long would it take you to give birth to six boys? How long would it take for them to be old enough to get married?"


    "So what? You reapers have all kinds of shady stuff going on! You can divide your body into seven like an earthworm! Who knows what is possible!"


    "That... actually I have nothing," I confessed.


    I couldn''t give her an answer that made sense. Even I was just learning the rules of the Reapers. {Fates} were even more of a mystery.


    "El, shall we go inside? I''m sure John would like to see the place."


    "Right! Come on, dipshit! When I said small wedding, I didn''t mean like this. Your minions are way over the top."


    Noelle pulled me toward the church as Earl followed us. Along the way, all the reapers who saw me bowed slightly as I passed.


    "Somehow I can never get used to a sight like this," Noelle confessed.


    "What? People actually giving a shit about me?"


    Ma made a face and started slapping me from behind.


    "Look at this dipshit! Who taught you to talk to me like that?"


    I couldn''t help but laugh and run away from my adoptive mother. Only then was I able to take in the scenery. No wonder Phillip said they could build the Wayfarers Chapel in California in an afternoon.


    That was exactly what they fucking did.


    The church they built was an exact replica. Although there were some minor differences. Nature and human civilization blended as the forest and the chapel coexisted.


    The walls of the church seemed to be made of the same wood as the forest. It created the illusion that they were one and the same. Gold accents and marble fixtures adorned the exterior.


    As I approached, I felt a refreshing sensation. It was as if my soul was being cleansed. It was impossible for such a feeling to occur naturally. I looked around for the source of the blessings.


    I found that the torches and tables were all radiating holy energy. The walls also glowed with what looked like Sacreds. The solemn radiance gave the makeshift building the majesty of a historic cathedral.


    I also saw that, unlike a normal church, there were seven main doors arranged in a semicircle. Carpets that looked extremely expensive lined the aisles.


    From what I knew of weddings, the bride was supposed to enter from the outside. So it made sense why there were seven paths. Each one probably corresponded to one of my seven brides.


    ''Wait! Aren''t the brides'' fathers supposed to give them to the groom? I know Lilly, Liv and Jo still have fathers, but Bella, Aki, Robyn and Jas did not.''


    This was difficult, who would be the relative who could bring my girls to me? Technically, I could have Earl do it, but there were seven of them. And I couldn''t exactly invite two Revenants to my ad hoc wedding.


    "I know what you''re thinking, dipshit. Lana, Bless and I would be the ones to help."


    "Huh?"


    "You were thinking who would bring your brides to you, right? Reverend Phillip has already made the suggestion. Liv will be escorted by Bless. Jo and Lilly by Lana. Aki and Bella will be with me. Appleboo will be with Robyn and Jas."


    While I was happy that my family would step in, I planned to talk to the girls if they accepted. But before I could even voice my concerns, a certain phrase caught my attention.


    "Reverend Phillip?"


    Phillip? Phillip Scrivener? The monocled scammer from Hellsgate? He was a fucking priest? Him?


    "Yes, Reverend Phillip. He was extremely kind. He even answered questions we had about the reapers," Noelle added.


    ''Fucking hell! Is he trying to trick my parents too? That monocled bastard!''


    I wondered, shaking my head.


    "Ma, I appreciate the family''s offer to walk them down the aisle. But you know my girls are all estranged from their families. I am not sure they would be okay with it."


    "Oh, you''re right, I''m not sure. The Reverend and the wedding planner said the same thing, so I thought it was already the plan."


    [My Lord, the plan to have the Simmons family walk the Sirens came from your harem itself].


    ''Eh? It did? When did they say that? Who did they tell? Why didn''t I know about it?''


    [It was after you proposed, my lord. While you were examining the reaper bodies of the Saviors. Cynthia Carmine used a soul cage and had a secret conversation with the Sirens. One of the questions was who they wanted to walk them down the aisle.] sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Oh? What happened next?''


    [The unanimous vote was Earl Simmons. Next was Noelle Simmons. However, it was unrealistic to have both walk back and forth down the aisle, as it would not only tire them, but also delay the ceremony. So the Sirens decided it with their histories.]


    "Histories? What does that mean?


    [Earl Simmons would escort those who never knew their fathers. Jasmine Denel and Robyn Lithgow made up this group. Noelle Simmons, on the other hand, would take those who knew their fathers but lost them. That meant Isabella Taurus and Aki Miroku.]


    When I heard the sad way the Sirens decided the vote. I felt my heart ache. I could not do anything about their parents, but I would make sure that my harem would not have to worry about our family in the future.


    [The last group consisted of those who still had their father but were estranged. Josephine Benelli and Liv Ivaldi would go, accompanied by Alana Simmons. While Lilly Browning would go with Bless Simmons.]


    I see. Pablo Benelli and Erick Odinson. I hated those bastards for what they did to their daughters. Surprisingly, of all my living in-laws, David was probably the one who had the least issues.


    When I heard that the arrangement had been made by the Sirens, I reversed my position on the matter.


    "It seems I was wrong, Ma, you are right, let''s go with that. Thank you for walking my brides down the Aisle. But how would you, Pa and Alana walk two aisles at the same time?"


    Earl then gave a gruff snort as he grumbled.


    "I kept telling the Reverend that I was perfectly happy to walk all your brides. But your Ma called me selfish. That was supposed to be a man''s job!"


    "Appleboo, don''t start with that monkey Kingkong I''m the King of the World crap. How long will you keep the girls waiting while you run back and forth? You hardly even exercise!"


    "Then what do you call our romps in the sack? Aren''t you always saying you''re too tired?"


    At Earl''s remark, Noelle turned red as a tomato and immediately tried to silence her husband by covering his mouth.


    "Appleboo! What the hell? I meant running! You run too slow! You have too much muscle and you are built like a wall!"

 Chapter 443 I am part Jamaican [2/2]

    The African man then grabbed my second mother''s hand and licked it sensually. Similar to my girls, she froze like a cat. Pleased with her reaction, Earl then turned her around and hugged her from behind.He whispered in her ear softly like pillow talk. "Your dress looks wonderful El, but I like you best naked and wet. I can''t wait to rip it off you."


    ''Ugh, holy fuck! I think I''m going to hurl.''


    Seeing your parents express such carnal desires was just wrong. Aware that my very sanity was at stake, I quickly left the two of them in their own pink world.


    It was rude, forgetting that there were other people present and just continuing to fondle each other without a shred of shame.


    "Ugh, I hope I never become like that."


    I made my way to the church and saw a large number of people in suits and dresses. For a small event, this was shaping up to be quite a big one. I knew from the soul signatures that they were all from Hellsend. The Ten Graves to be exact.


    It was impossible to know everyone here. Well, technically it was, but I had neither the patience nor the interest. All the reapers who saw me had one of two reactions.


    To tremble and look down as I passed.


    Or to bow reverently in respect.


    I didn''t even try to intimidate them, I literally just walked by. I didn''t know if I should be worried to see reapers like that around me. But then I saw a young boy running all over the place, along with the youngest reaper here.


    "HAHAHAHA!" "Lord Haru! Stop it! You will make your suit dirty!"


    Without a care in the world, Pixie ran after Aki''s brother. He was a young, energetic boy of about 10 years old. Although Pixie was a full six years older, she could even be seen as his younger sister.


    A middle-aged Latina followed them. Delroy walked behind her like a bodyguard. It was a strange feeling to see my {Vassals}. As rouges, they came to the battlefront illegally, so they could not return to Earth.


    ''And now, both of them were wearing fancy clothes and walking in the sun... well, moon.'' Stay tuned with empire


    Haru ended up hitting my leg face first because he wasn''t paying attention. Since {Limitless} was turned on, it would have felt like slamming his face into a wall from his point of view.


    The boy gingerly nursed his nose as he looked up in anger.


    But before he could utter a sound, his eyes grew wide and he began to shake. He quickly sat down in a seiza and prostrated himself before me.


    "I''m s-sorry, Limitless-sama. I w-will be more careful from now on. Please f-forgive me."


    Obviously scared out of his wits, his playmate ran and quickly bowed down.


    "E-Ep! Pixie Richards greets her lord. My lord, this is... this is umm..."


    Ignoring her fear, I picked up Haru and stood him up. Then I brushed the dirt off his suit. Obviously surprised by my gesture, the child froze. He reminded me of his sister. They had the same seductive slanting eyes.


    "There is no need to be so formal, Haru. I am in love with your sister, and after tonight, we will be family. Just call me John or Brother."


    "Really? I always wanted a big brother! Can I call you Aniki?"


    Aniki, the affectionate word for older brother used by delinquents in Japan. Of all the things he could call me, he chose that. Still, I thought it was cool. I never had a younger brother, so it might be worth learning how to treat one. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I put my hand on his shoulder as I replied.


    "That''s fine. I will call you little bro then."


    "UN! THANK YOU, ANIKI!"


    Delroy then bowed and did a bro salute. "Delroy Baxter greets his lord."


    The Latina woman tensed when she heard Delroy''s formal greeting. Her face was obviously contorted in confusion as to what to do next. Considering her appearance, she looked a lot like my Brazilian lover.


    Exa, how do you greet your family in Brazil? Especially your elders?


    [My Lord, it is customary to give a hug or a kiss on the cheek].


    I approached and gave Beatriz Taurus a quick kiss on the cheek.


    "Good evening, Miss Beatriz. I am John Smith, a man who is helplessly in love with your niece. This is our first meeting, but please know that I already consider you, my family."


    The woman gasped loudly and covered her mouth. Then she began to babble excitedly.


    "Mr. John! Your Portuguese is so good! Believe me, I know how much she adores you. Sorry, only a few people here speak our language, so it was so hard to talk to anyone. You are so handsome!


    Please give me many grand nephews and nieces!"


    ''Exa, did I miss something? Did she say that I speak Portuguese?''


    [My Lord, with Lady Josephine''s evolution to level 5, {Interpret} has increased its scope. Now, in addition to reading and understanding any language, you can also speak it].


    ''WOW! This is amazing! You mean any language? Even Japanese, Russian, and Latin?''


    [Yes, my Lord. You just have to think which language you want to use before you speak. {Listen} and I will do the rest.]


    I smiled wryly as Beatriz shook my hand fervently. Delroy, Pixie and Haru were all surprised and excited.


    "Brutha, are you part Spanish?"


    ''Hehe let''s try. Exa, translate to Jamaican.''


    [My lord, Jamaica speaks Jamaican Creole or Patwa, which is basically English mixed with Jamaican words. If you want to test {Interpret}, you would best use Kromanti].


    ''Hmm, okay. Use Kromanti then.''


    [Understood, please begin].


    "No, but I am part Jamaican," I said.


    Delroy suddenly fell on his ass in surprise. "You know Kromanti? How?"


    Haru asked excitedly, surprised by his reaction.


    "Aniki! You''re so cool! Do you speak Japanese?"


    [My lord, Haru asked you in his native tongue.]


    ''This so fucking awesome. Exa, Japanese.''


    [Ready.]


    "Yes, I do. How do you think I met your sister?"


    "UWAHHH!!! ANIKI YOU''RE THE BEST!"


    Amused by their reactions, I noticed a figure coming towards me. I quickly shielded Beatriz and Haru as something came at me.


    A large man punched me with impressive force. Unfortunately, he was human. I caught his fist, which was slow by my standards, and body slammed him to the ground.


    Although I didn''t know judo, seeing the girls use throws naturally allowed me to memorize them with {Eat}, or more specifically {Gather}. The {fates} allowed me to "digest" what I saw and learn from it.


    Despite his attempts to be sneaky, {Sonar} and {Listen} naturally caught this bastard lurking around. When I saw who was with him, I ignored his pathetic attempts. But if he had hurt my new family, I would have ripped his spine from his body.


    The tall man vomited blood as his insides felt the impact. He was a Caucasian man who looked tough as nails. Still, I could not have dogs behaving like mongrels. I was about to put a gun in his mouth, but then I saw Haru and Beatriz looking at me.


    ''Ugh, fuck. Lucky for you my family is here, you bastard.''


    Instead, I pulled him up by his collar like he was a twig. Then I reprimanded the one who brought him here.


    "Vincent. Explain. Now."


    "I apologize, my lord. My sibling has always been a hothead. He refused to believe you were a reaper and wanted to test you. I allowed it, as a beating would be better than words for someone like him."


    I then threw Theo Deryck to the spot in front of Vincent''s feet.


    "Pixie, D, please escort my family to the church. Ms. Beatriz, Lil bro, we will talk later."


    "By your will!" x2


    "Vin! How can that nigger and that kid be reapers? This is bullshit!"


    I didn''t say anything and just stared at Theo. The sounds of guns being raised could be heard all around us. Vincent and his group were suddenly surrounded.


    "How do you wish to die?" I asked in a cold tone.

 Chapter 444 I have lost [1/2]

    "I am about to marry the women for whom I would burn the world."Then I unleashed a death resonance on the Derycks. Besides Vincent and the dumbass, there were 7 other men and one woman. All of them began to choke as if they were being strangled.


    "That''s the only reason I haven''t smoked your ass yet. Vincent, I am not your subordinate to be used at will. Train this motherfucker or I will blow his head off the next time I see him."


    "M-My Lord. I."


    I then summoned the Raging Hunter and shot Deryck in the shoulder.


    "ARGH!"


    "Shut the fuck up Vincent. Did I tell you I was done?"


    Seeing his brother being humiliated. Theo Deryck tried to get up despite my resonance. His skin began to bruise as he tried to stand.


    Funnily enough, he reminds me of myself.


    "F-fuck you! I-I thought you were going to help us!"


    That was when I shot one of his legs, which caused him to fall to the ground. I went up to him, grabbed his hair, and slammed his face into the floor.


    Due to my now superior constitution, my simple act caused more damage than I intended. When I lifted the dumbass up again, his eye was closed with a black eye that was rapidly swelling. I also broke his nose and seemed to have given him some sort of concussion.


    Still, I hardly cared. This dumbass had not met many reapers, otherwise he wouldn''t be so bold. Better he learned from me with broken bones than in a coffin learning from others.


    "Listen, you dumb fuck. I have no idea who you think your family is, but I am a reaper. I could kill you all and get away with it if I wanted to. Reapers only bow to one rule. ''Fuck with whoever you can take on''. "


    Since Theo had both eyes shut, I wasn''t sure if he was awake at all. He made some grunting noises, obviously in pain. But I felt the lesson could be better.


    "Vincent. ''Should you betray me, I would slaughter not just you, but your entire family.'' I remember telling you that before, correct?"


    Vincent started to tremble visibly as he nodded.


    "What should I call this dumbass who tried to harm me and my family?"


    "I-I..."


    "Wait! It''s not big brother''s fault! It''s mine! I am the..."


    Annoyed at the man screaming in my hands, I smashed his teeth with my revolver. Feeling a familiar soul signature coming from the church, I call out to him.


    "Van."


    "Yes, my lord," the former academic replied.


    "Who does this bastard value?" I spoke as I lifted Theo by his hair. Granted, he was a large man, but it must have been painful to be pulled by the follicles of his scalp.


    Van Micron pushed up his glasses before answering.


    "He has a childhood sweetheart named Ruth. They plan to marry after he ascends. He also has three sworn siblings from the other branches of the Gambino family. I believe he did this because he is afraid of following another reaper similar to the Whirlwind."


    "I see. Kill all his sworn brothers and mount them on spikes. Bring his woman here. Feed her my blood and rape her until she dies. If she becomes a saint, turn her into a slave. If she does not, throw her body to the undead."


    Continue reading at empire


    "NOOOO!!!!! YOU DEMON! I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!!!"


    Despite spitting our blood with every word, Theo struggled violently to free himself from my grip.


    ''Ho? Impressive fighting spirit.''


    "At your will, my lord," the reaper replied.


    "FUCK! FUCK YOU, JOHN SMITH! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU! EVEN IF I DIE! I WILL COME AFTER YOU!" S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I stowed my gun and grabbed Theo by the throat. My hands tightened around his windpipe. Theo began to foam at the mouth as his body began to suffocate, trashing around to free itself.


    "Know this, Theo Deryck. This is what it means to mess with the people of Hellsgate. Your actions have consequences. And if you are used to your brother cleaning up after you on earth. Down there you live and die by your own strength."


    "Kreuyk!" Unable to speak, Theo''s face began to change color as the cells in his body slowly began to die.


    Funnily enough, even with his entire family promised to be massacred, he remained defiant. Was this why David enjoyed seeing people like me struggle so helplessly?


    As Theo''s body began to grow weak, his gaze slowly lost their focus. Knowing that he would die if I continued, I threw him back to his brother. I also cancelled my death resonance as my little skit was over.


    Despite bleeding himself, Vincent quickly checked his brother''s pulse. When he found out that Theo was still alive, he prostrated himself before me.


    "Thank you for this kindness, my lord! I, Vincent Deryck, swear to be loyal to you for all eternity!"


    I then turned to Van who was standing there with a smile on his face.


    "I''m surprised you knew I was only acting."


    The wizard bowed as he replied.


    "My lord, tales of how Vela''s wolves were created have made their rounds. Among the stories associated with it. It was said that the Sirens and the Second Amendment acted at your command. "


    "Do I get the point of your answer or Nah?"


    "Hmm. The point is that ''Limitless would shoot women, but he would never defile them. That is how loyal he is to his kindred.'' This belief has become synonymous with Vela''s wolves."


    "..."


    "It seems you are not satisfied. I knew that understanding was true. You would never order a woman to be raped. So I knew you must have a reason."


    "You talk too much, but well done," I said in response.


    I then turned to Vincent who was slapping Theo awake while the woman next to him pulled out what looked like smelling salts. She made the dumbass take a whiff and he woke up immediately.


    Dazed, he looked at Vincent and then at me. Unlike before, he said nothing and stayed where he was. The maturity and understanding of what had just happened quickly dawned on him. Instead of continuing to be stupid, he began to read the room.


    "Good boy. Here is your reward."


    Amused by his sudden transformation, I threw a few {heal} tablets at them. Seeing the healing type soul gear, Vincent immediately swallowed one. Theo, seeing his brother''s actions, mimicked him.


    A faint green light quickly began to heal both of their bodies. Vincent then knelt on the ground and hit his forehead on the ground.


    "My Lord! I thank you once again! Thank you for sparing my brother!"


    Following his example, the reapers, who had raised their guns in front of everyone, returned to the party. I also saw members of the 2nd Amendment neuralyzing the humans who were part of the Exquisite Catering Company.


    I walked over to one of the nearby tables and grabbed a wine glass. I then made a {Shelter} dagger and slit my wrist. I poured blood into the cup and filled it to the brim.


    It was normal to be born cocky and stupid. What was not normal was to remain cocky and stupid and to die cocky and stupid. I had hoped that Theo would soon understand my lesson.


    I walked over to Vincent with the wine glass in my hand. My wrist, which had been a bloody mess a short time before, was now completely healed.


    As I helped the man to his feet, I spoke words of comfort.


    "Vincent, you may work for me, but you are also my friend. I repay loyalty with loyalty. I wanted to thank you for protecting my family and taking care of my business. Here. Give this to your family as you please."


    The man reverently accepted the wine glass with both hands, as if it were his most precious possession. He quickly had his people grab glasses from a nearby waiter. He then divided the blood into nine parts and had them drink.

 Chapter 445 I have lost [2/2]

    After they finished their ceremony, Vincent came forward with the woman he and Theo were with."My Lord, may I present the love of my life, Lucrecia."


    "It is my greatest honor to finally meet you, my Lord Limitless. I am your humble servant Lucrecia, thank you for your mercy and grace."


    Lucrecia was definitely a dazzling beauty. She had the glamour of a fashion model, but the sinful body of a high-class prostitute. Extremely curvy in all the right places, but exceptionally classy looking. Most men would be crazy for her.


    But to me, she looked normal and plain. Even when she tried to charm me with her green eyes and blonde hair, I found her annoying instead. I said nothing, and just nodded.


    Perhaps surprised by my hostility. Lucrecia giggled awkwardly as she added.


    "My lord, you are exactly as I heard. I am overjoyed that my family has finally found someone like you to serve."


    Irritated by her small talk, I explained my actions.


    "My kindred are quite adorable, but they are extremely possessive. Do not touch or flirt with me or they will shoot you before I can."


    "Fufu, I am well aware of that, my lord. Not to brag, but most men find me desirable. An unfortunate reality is that even though I am married to Vincent, they still covet me. It is so refreshing not to have to worry about that."


    As unfortunate as it was, it was a mindset I could understand. For those at the pinnacle of power, when women were throwing themselves at you by the boatload, the sense of conquest had disappeared.


    And instead of finding that thrill elsewhere, some started looking at what belonged to someone else. As if persuading or forcing a married woman to sin was the ultimate high. These were the actions of scum, but there was a reason NTR remained popular despite the hate it received.


    "I have no time for your bullshit woman. I know your name now, so get lost."


    "Fufu, as you wish, my lord. However, please allow me to present you with a wedding gift to commemorate our meeting."


    What on earth was she up to now? Knowing that she was Vincent''s wife, I could never intentionally harm her. I made a face as I stared at her husband instead.


    "I don''t need or want anything from you. Vincent, please control your wife. She is really getting on my nerves."


    "Lucrecia, enough with your jokes," he reprimanded.


    "Trust me baby, I know what I am doing! My Lord, as a future first generation Reaper family, we are short on allies. We have made many enemies, and while Vincent has secured you as our handler, it is not enough. I want Vincent and I to become your {Vassals}," the gangster''s wife confessed.


    "I am not interested. Ask someone else. I only promised to be your handler. Nothing more, nothing less. Above all, I do not like you."


    Lucrecia smiled lewdly as she continued.


    "How about this, my lord? If you don''t like my gift, it is my loss and I will never show myself again. But if you like it, it is my win. Just as Vincent won you with his gifts, I intend to do so with mine."


    Vincent analyzed what I needed in Hellsgate. This allowed him to buy his way into my good graces. Why was this woman so sure that I would like what she presented? And why did she want to be my {Vassal}? It made no sense to me.


    Then the woman handed me a tablet. She gave me a devilish smile and waited for me to take it.


    ''Exa, hack it and tell me what she is so confident about.''


    [I understand my lord¡­hacking complete¡­hmm¡­]


    ''What do you mean hmm¡­ What is it?''


    [You have lost my lord.]


    What? What the hell was this stuff that even an AI Kismet like Exa accepted?


    ''Exa, stop playing games, what is it?''


    [Lucrecia originally ran the Deryck family''s prostitution and recreational drug businesses. Under her leadership, they also began to expand into adult-related industries, including VR, AR, and AI technology-driven businesses. This makes her knowledge of pleasure and sex extremely well-rounded.]


    ''Get to the point Exa.''.


    [Her gifts are a care package for marital affairs, my lord. They are {Fates} centered around sex. Tonics that increase pleasure, enhance sensitivity, or decrease self-control. {Fates} that brainwash, confuse, or stop a target''s sense of time.]


    Exa began to describe what could easily be plot points for most hentai.


    [{Fates} that make you hard or soft. Ones that change your length, girth, and width. Ones that make your breasts or ass smaller or bigger. {Fates} that change your appearance into catgirls, succubi, elves, angels, demons, slime, cowgirls, etc. {Fates} that make you older, younger. Change your hair or eye color...]


    ''I get the point Exa¡­''


    [And she was able to create a dress up, slice of life game with full 3D models of the Sirens. It is customized to allow you to dress or undress the characters. You can also use the models in any way you want. This would include sexual acts...]


    "Oh..." Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [They even used AI voice technology to imitate the voices of the Sirens, along with VR capabilities for immersion. The application itself is a glorified sex simulator, but the assets are all quite exquisitely made. It appears that the tablet contains the source code].


    Exa then opened up a screen and game featuring the models Lucrecia had made. The proportions were a little off, but the quality was excellent. It was similar to playing Honey Select, Custom Maid, or Koikatsu. Except that the models were my battle harem.


    More than the sex toys or the drugs, my mind was fascinated by the game. How many gamers dreamed of something like this? To have an entire game studio create exactly the experience you wanted was a dream most didn''t know they desired.


    ''[Cyborg].''


    I shifted mind settings and started playing with the models. The app itself was made for one purpose. And it matched what I wanted to a frightening degree. I couldn''t help but audibly swallow.


    "Does anyone know of this?"


    Lucrecia smiled brightly as she shook her head.


    "Only my team of six humans and I. It is a personal project of mine, dedicated solely to you, my lord. Whatever your heart desires, we will make it happen."


    A game dedicated solely to me.


    ''Do I need this?''


    And while I could no longer plan video games that were time sinks. This was something I didn''t know I needed. It was raunchy, it was immersive, and most of all, it was extremely erotic.


    ''Fuck yeah I do.''


    I played a quick game. I put myself and the Seven Sirens in a massive orgy. The animations and voices were very good. The AI voices seemed a bit off, but they were more than adequate for their purpose.


    Suddenly I had a thought. How many guys were staring at these models? How many were making their animations? Did they jerk off while they were making them? My anger began to rise as I imagined it. Stay tuned to empire


    "How many men do you have in your team?"


    "None, my lord. We are all women. I made this gift as an offer to you. The company, its talents and assets are included. We also do not have diversity hires, just pure talent. You are our only client, so whatever you wish, you shall have.


    "


    At her words. My insides began to swirl. The thought of being able to dress and undress the Sirens without them knowing was something I liked. I could use them for educational purposes or just jerk off to them.


    "I see. Then I have lost. I accept your gift. I swear on my soul gem. You and Vincent will be my {Vassals} the moment you become Reapers."


    "Holy hell! She did it!" "What did she give him?" "Dude Limitless only ever goes to the meeting rooms or the battle zones. How did she know what he wanted?" "Didn''t Cynthia and Addi try to suggest something?"


    Lucrecia smiled blissfully as she jumped to her husband.


    "Baby, I did it!"

 Chapter 446 This is my vow [1/2]

    Loud murmurs began to echo as Hellsend grew surprised. Was it really a big deal to be made a {Vassal}? I listed what I knew about {Vassals}.1. They were allowed to accompany a Death Seeker in a warp.


    2. They were allowed to earn souls by being present in battle.


    3. {Vassals} cannot be fired. And rank below a Reaper''s {Kindred}.


    I accepted Eva and her husband because I understood the waste of not being able to earn souls. Eva said she would protect me as a bonus. That is, until she got what she wanted from me.


    Pixie and Delroy were rogues, so I couldn''t be their handler. Given the zero tolerance policy, they would have forced me to throw them away. That was the only reason I decided to turn them into {Vassals}.


    Aside from being allowed into the warp and the souls, I didn''t see it as a big deal. But the members of Hellsend seemed to think otherwise. If the gossip I heard was true, it means that other people wanted to be my {Vassals}, too?


    ''Exa, do you know why being a {Vassal} is such a big deal?''


    [My lord, for most ordinary reapers, being a {Vassal} is useless. However, for a Reaper who will become a king, being a {Vassal} becomes a sign of trust and authority. In my opinion, you were played by Lucrecia. The Sirens will not be happy about this.]


    ''Oh shit.''


    The term vassal was used to refer to a king''s subordinates. Of course it was useless for a commoner. So I was basically selling positions of power for a Siren sex simulator.


    ''Is there a limit to the number of {Vassals} a Reaper can have?''


    [The known limit is 12, my lord. So you have already exhausted half of yours].


    ''Fuck, I hope the Sirens do not mind. Otherwise it will be ugly. Ugh. Why didn''t you stop me, Exa?''


    [Because you wished for it, my lord. Lucrecia Deryck is an extremely talented businesswoman. Much like her husband, the work she did to find what would be valuable to you must have been staggering. I suspect it was she who created the documents that came from Vincent.]


    ''Hmm. So she is like Connie? Exceptionally talented in one area. I guess getting her services is no loss.''


    [Yes. She would definitely be a useful ally to have. My lord, personally, I do not think you have made a mistake. After all, without these things, what else would you have found valuable? When ordinary people splurge on trips, gadgets, or toys, you do not].


    ''But don''t I buy guns at least?''


    [My lord, your entire arsenal was given to you. Your Wraith armory came from Frank Smith. Your current Phantom armory was given to you by the Simmons, the Sirens, and Vincent Deryck. Even the only drone you originally had was purchased by Aira.]


    "..."


    [The only item you tried to buy yourself was the Escalade-V, which ended up being a gift. The same thing happened with the Devil''s Remnant Soulgear. My lord, are you aware that you have not spent any of what you have earned on yourself?]


    "..."


    Read chapters at empire


    [This is unhealthy, my lord. You once bought food for beggars and used the leftovers to pay off your student loans and your soul debt from the enlistment. When you set up a fake company, it was just to give millions to your adoptive parents. Even the massive prize pool was just used to pay off your soul loan to {Rewind}.]


    ''But that''s a good thing, right? I pay my debts!''


    [Aside from the {Heal} tablets you bought on your first night, everything else was spent on combat. Despite earning and spending millions, my lord, only the clothes on your back are truly something you bought.]


    ''You say that like it is a bad thing?''


    [My Lord, scientific studies have proven the connection between stress management and capitalism. Treating yourself unhealthily as a lifestyle makes people feel better in the short term. The one thing you could have bought for your honeymoon has been handed to you again.]


    ''I don''t see what the big deal is?''


    [It seems disconcerting, my lord. Your abilities ensure that you do not have to worry about your ammunition or supplies running out, or your weapons breaking... But it feels like you are stuck in the same place. Never lacking or wanting anything].


    ''You worry too much, Exa. What if only my clothes are bought with my own money? If my harem and family are taken care of, then I have no need for anything else.''


    [Understood].


    Somehow, Exa''s latest sermon didn''t feel robotic, but motherly. And while I could understand that she just wanted me to treat myself better, I didn''t see the need.


    "Maybe I need the honeymoon for more reasons than one," I muttered.


    Vincent spent a few moments spinning Lucrecia around. Now that I understood how far-sighted these two were, I found a new appreciation for their abilities. Granted, they were smart people, but perhaps they could help me.


    "Lucrecia, I have a job for you."


    Hearing my words, the happy couple quickly separated and knelt.


    "Yes, my lord. I will do my best to fulfill it," she replied, her eyes shining.


    "Convince the Sirens to allow me to keep your gift. If you do, you will be my office advisor when I need to sell shit. Also, find a way for them to record their own voices."


    "Yes?"


    Obviously stunned, Lucrecia made an odd face, then looked at her husband as if to ask if she had heard correctly.


    The chances of the Sirens allowing me to keep the app were slim to none. The chances that I could even hide it were even smaller.


    ''So why not pit the clever saleswoman against the opposition. If she wins, I''ll be happy; if she loses, that''ll be that.''


    "My Lord, will this mission affect my husband and my status as your vassals?"


    "No, but if you fail, then your abilities are below what I believed them to be," I said, trying to sound wise.


    Perhaps challenged by my words, Lucrecia''s eyes seemed to surge with fiery passion.


    "Then until when do I have my lord?"


    "Until my Kindred and I go on our honeymoon."


    "..."


    "Can you do it?"


    "I will succeed, my lord. You can count on me! Please excuse me, I have work to do," she explained as she left.


    Leaving the rest of the Derycks kneeling before me, I turned to Vincent. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Vincent, when I leave for my honeymoon, I do not wish to be disturbed. I will leave the affairs of Hellsgate to Phillip, while the affairs of Earth are yours."


    He then thumped his chest with my bro salute as he confirmed. "The Deryck family will not disappoint you. Of course, the Simmons family, Haru Miroku and Beatriz Taurus will be our top priorities."


    "Good," I said curtly.


    ''Ah, right! I remember I needed his help with something else.''


    "Also, forge some records for my {Vassals} so they can come and go as they please. Get Delroy trained in combat and tactics, and enroll Pixie in a school. Charge everything to me."


    "I could never do that, my lord. You are the guardian of the Deryck family. I will take care of both to the best of my ability."


    "Okay, thank you. I''ll go ahead, I want to check out the place before I get married. Get acquainted with the reapers, you will join them when I return. As for your dumbass of a brother, keep him out of trouble."


    "Yes, my lord! We will do so. Thank you again for your mercy!"


    "Thank you again for your mercy!" x8


    I waved my hand nonchalantly as I left the kneeling humans. Even though their clothes had blood and holes in them, they should be fine. Putting them out of my mind, I looked around.


    Aside from the amazing architecture, even the grass looked somehow so lovely. Illuminated by Sacreds and blessed torches, the whole place looked magical. I found myself questioning what I remembered.


    "Has this place always been so beautiful?"


    [My Lord, this is probably due to the hundreds of {Fates} at work.]


    "What do you mean? Hundreds of {fates}?"


    [Yes, my lord. The Ten Graves in particular have gone all out. Everything from the grass to the breeze, temperature, bugs, and even sounds have been modified by them.]


    "I see, that''s why everything seems to be perfect, from the ambiance to the smallest details."

 Chapter 447 This is my vow [2/2]

    [On the other hand, the luxurious carpets, motifs, and building materials were all provided by the Derycks, who spared no expense. The cost is already in the millions]."..."


    This wedding was supposed to be the small one. Didn''t we have a few hours? What the hell happened?


    [If you convert the souls expended, my lord, this ad hoc wedding is already at $100 million.]


    ''How could it not, they built a fucking church just for my wedding.''


    Then Pixie and Haru rushed out of the church.


    "My Lord, Cynthia said you need to take your place. The ceremony is about to begin."


    "Aniki! Onee-sama and the other Nee-sama are so beautiful! Hurry! Hurry!"


    Both children pulled my hands toward the church. As I entered, I saw the officers of the Hellsend. The chapel had seven aisles with carpets following the colors of the rainbow.


    Lights reminiscent of the sun illuminated the interior, and the whole thing was like something out of a fairy tale. I walked toward the pulpit where all the aisle paths ended.


    Pews were scattered all around except for the seven aisles. Although it looked small from the outside, the inside was huge. You could put a thousand people in there and it still wouldn''t be crowded.


    A couple of Phantoms came up to me, I think they were from the Ten Graves. One held a pair of scissors and the other a spool of thread. Both objects glowed with soul.


    ''Those are {Fates}?''


    "My lord, no matter how dashing we must have a special suit for this special day, please let us change your clothes. {Variant}!"


    "Of course, since all the brides are wearing white, you cannot remain in black. {Kaleidoscope}!"


    A large number of souls changed my suit into one more suitable for weddings. Even the inside and my underwear were changed. Amazingly, they fit my body like magic.


    Similarly, the colors of my black suit were dyed white with gold accents that looked extremely majestic.


    After their invocations, they stepped back and admired my new suit. Pleased, they nodded and bowed as they pointed me toward the pulpit.


    "That may have been the most awesome way to change clothes ever. Go see Phillip and ask for a bonus. In the future, I will call upon us for similar services."


    "YES, MY LORD! IT IS OUR HONOR!" x2


    I nodded and took my place next to the pulpit. Of course I saw the priest. He was smiling at me as if he was making the funniest joke.


    "Hello my Lord."


    "I still can''t believe it. How can a greedy bastard like you be a priest. A reverend for that matter."


    "That''s what you don''t believe? Not that I am an undead creature living in hell? Mr. Smith, as always, your sense of priorities needs work."


    "They''re here!" someone shouted.


    "{Day by Day}."


    I then summoned my soul gear and had a body waiting at each corridor. I noticed that of the seven paths, six were in pairs with a single path in the middle.


    ''This was probably done to make it easier for the Simmons family. As always, nothing beats custom.''


    The loud sounds of seven pairs of great doors resounded. Along with them were the angelic voices of a choir. They were accompanied by an orchestra that was separated between the aisles.


    Seven rays of light shone. One for each door. I had my bodies, each man a door, looking at my brides. They were all covered in veils that hid their faces but still allowed me to see their gestures.


    The girls were so breathtakingly beautiful. This event was supposed to be an afterthought, but I noticed that pure bliss flowed from my girls. Both through their bodies and our pseudo-kin connection showed how happy they were.


    Each woman was someone I had met after my death. However, as I looked at each of them, I was reminded of their words of loyalty.


    "Then I will be brief. John Smith. I love you. I may not have fought with you during the enlistment, but I want to be your woman. However, I will only allow the Sirens to be your lovers. I forbid anyone else."


    "Husband, I will say no more, for we will be together forever. My love and everything I feel, I will tell you every day from now on."


    "Anata. I already belong to you. So I just want to take this moment and tell you how much I love you. Thank you for bringing me back. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. My heart beats only for you, John Smith.


    Please continue to take care of me in the future."


    "Darling, I love you. More than words can ever say. I have waited for you all my life. Thank you for saving me that day. Thank you for giving me peace. I love you, darling.


    And thank you for loving someone like me."


    "Before all hell breaks loose, I will go too. Mr. Code. I love you. I have ever since the enlistment. I may be the weakest here, but I offer you all that I am. To answer your proposal in {Limitless}.


    I vow to stay by your side from this day until hell breaks open and until the day I draw my last breath."


    "It''s my turn to reassure you, Possum. If you go blind, I will see for you. If you can no longer walk, I will be your legs. If you can no longer use your hands, I will be the one to wipe your ass. I love you. You make me happy.


    That is all that matters. I do my best because you are here. So all my contributions belong to you."


    "Beloved, I return to you your own words. What is the use of our strength if we cannot use it for your sake? Rest in peace. I will die before I let anyone harm you."


    The heavenly lights, soothing music, and the breathtaking appearance of my battle harem made my mind stop.


    I remembered how we met. How they followed me against the dead, the living, and even fate. I remembered how much they cried, their pain, their sorrow. The laughter and the smiles.


    The girls filled my life with all kinds of colors.


    When I was nothing but a shade of gray, they showed the brilliance of what life could be. My battle harem. The only women I would ever love. My Seven Sirens.


    Each of my bodies reached out for their hands as they were handed over by my family. Practically everyone was crying. And the Simmons family, except for Earl, were all crying when they saw me with my brides.


    I hugged my adoptive family before bringing the Sirens closer to the altar. I could see the tears each of my girls shed. But by the way they gripped my hands tightly and the emotion that flowed from our connection, I knew they were joyful.


    The girls and I came forward and knelt on a custom-made pew. In an inverted arch, we all faced Phillip as he began the proceedings.


    ''Didn''t the wedding ceremony take a long time? There was even a sermon. How long will this damn thing take? '' I complained inwardly.


    "Well, I am sure everyone here knows what kind of person the one we are following is. So I am pretty sure that he will end up shooting me if I follow the process. So let''s start in reverse."


    The entire hall began to laugh at his words.


    "My lord, let''s leave the proper procedure for the real wedding. For tonight, please pledge your commitment and affection to your brides, to the heavens, and to all present."


    Each of my bodies spoke as one. We all took a black sheet of paper and began to write with souls. The letters that appeared were in beautiful script. As if written in golden ink.


    "Liv Ivaldi." "Lilly Browning." "Robyn Lithgow." "Josephine Benelli." "Isabella Taurus." "Jasmine Denel." "Aki Miroku."


    "I, John Smith, take you as my {Kindred}. In death and in life. In joy and in sorrow. Before Heaven, Earth and Hellsgate, I swear this Seeker''s Vow.


    "{ I shall love only you. I will never betray you nor forsake you. All those who wish to bless you, I will bless. Anyone you see as your enemy, I will destroy.}" x7


    "{As long as I draw breath, as long as my soul remains in one piece. In this life and the next. From now until all eternity.} " x7


    "{This is my vow. The moment I break it, I shall cease to exist and be forgotten forever.} X7


    Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 448 Heroine Chapter Except for Jo [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Josephine Benelli___


    "I''M GETTING MARRIED TO DARLING!" I shouted in the dressing room.


    The people around me continued to laugh as they went about their tasks. I was in a huge dressing room where my sisters and I were getting ready.


    A team of women, led by Cynthia, were busy coordinating both the wedding and our wardrobe. I was dressed in a beautiful wedding gown that highlighted my assets. A group of three reapers from Hellsend were busy doing my hair and makeup.


    Normally I didn''t like people fussing over me, but today was special. It was funny, Darling was trying to be so sneaky to get us here without us knowing.


    Considering how much training the Sirens had in cyber warfare, it was a moot point.


    From his call with Phillip, to Exa''s web searches, to even the video Exa showed him. I mean, if Robyn of all people could figure it out, what about the rest of us? Even Liv, who was a little slow at first, was already adept at it.


    The Internet truly has made man into a cyborg. Being able to access so much information at record speed was nothing short of amazing. It was perhaps the greatest human achievement, even greater than going to the moon.


    As new technopaths, my sisters and I had the same goal. To use our new abilities to protect our family. The fact that Phillip even thought he could secretly move my in-laws was stupid.


    ''If he knew how close he was to dying at that moment, I wonder how he would have felt.''


    ''Well, darling is too trusting. Better to be careful, keep your guard up, Jo.''


    Another interesting development that happened recently. Ever since Darling kissed ''Vela'', she seems to have regained her sanity. The dozens of voices that plagued my mind have gone silent. Permanently.


    ''Vela, people think I''m nuts because of you, you know? You practically ruined my childhood,'' I accused.


    ''Stop being stupid Jo, if it wasn''t for me your mind would have broken twice by now. When your Nana died and when you failed in Syria.''


    "..."


    ''The people who ruined your childhood were your parents and Clive Zanardi. But if you look at it objectively, it was no one''s fault. The world just made it so that you would meet Darling. The way it was meant to be. Just like I did.''


    ''What? Wait! What do you mean, meant to meet? Like destiny?''


    ''Never mind. You will know soon. Congratulations on your wedding, Jo. Enjoy this time of peace. It will not last forever.''


    At her abrupt warning, I felt Vela''s mind disappear from my head. It was a novel feeling. After a lifetime of having to drown out voices, I was now alone.


    ''Vela? Vela? Are you here? Where did you go?''


    "Lady Vela, how are the new alterations? Do you find them uncomfortable?" one of the Reapers asked. Funnily enough, these three, like the other bridal assistants, had {Fates} that revolved around clothing and makeup.


    ''How shallow do you have to be to have a {Fate} like that?''


    I moved my arms while wondering about the nature of {Fates}. Although their greatest regrets were stupid in my opinion, their hands did a good job. My appeal to Darling was my smile, my long legs and my breasts.


    Naturally, I was given a wedding dress that emphasized these features. I turned around and checked the seams to see if everything was in order.


    "No, it''s perfect, thank you. I don''t know much about this, so thank you for your help!"


    "Hehe, our pleasure, my lady. Who knew my skills would be of use to our lord and lady. We will work on your makeup next."


    She then gestured to a makeup station and another saint began to work.


    "Still, Lady Vela. You are beyond beautiful. My lord is a lucky man. Each of the Sirens are goddesses of beauty and grace," one of the Reapers added.


    "Well. I am the lucky one. Darling is incredibly difficult to approach. I''m so glad he liked me."


    "I could only imagine. Rich, powerful, handsome, and incredibly brave. Many women will weep when my lord is no longer a bachelor."


    The moment those words reached my ears, the hairs on my body stood on end. This fucking bitch, she was lusting after MY Darling? In front of me?


    ''I should skin her alive and set her on fire.''


    I belatedly noticed the horrified looks on the faces of the girls serving me. One of them quickly shoved her friend''s head down as they both apologized.


    "My lady, please forgive her, she is new. Everyone knows that my lord only has eyes for the Sirens. After all, only the ladies are worthy enough for him to confront a Revenant."


    When I remembered those sweet, heroic words, my heart became full. Whatever negative feeling I had towards this bitch vanished. Still in the back of my mind, I remembered her face and made a note.


    [Check the feasibility of killing this woman without anyone knowing.]


    Just then, a woman with black skin adorned in a divine looking dress approached me. Mesmerized by her overwhelming charisma, I gushed like a groupie.


    "JAS! YOU LOOK SO GOOD! HOW CAN YOU BE SO BEAUTIFUL?!"


    Jas''s lips turned up slightly, indicating that she was pleased. Cursed with a resting bitch face, my sister was like a doll. Getting an answer from her was like a shooting star. Unpredictable and elusive. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You think so? I was hoping Husband would like it," she said shyly.


    As long as I remembered, Jas had been incredibly stoic. But after our time in Syria, she became emotionless, like a robot. I always blamed myself because her heart was the sacrifice for our survival.


    This was also why I loved Darling so much. Jas made so many expressions and showed emotions whenever our man was involved.


    "Of course he will! Sis, we could come to him dressed as potatoes and he would still think we were the most stylish women in the world!"


    Although the dressing room was very large, with over a hundred people, the voices of the other brides came in.


    "I agree. Honey''s fashion sense is crap. Well, as expected from a man, I guess?"


    "Yes, Shujin needs new clothes. I would enjoy what comes next very much."


    "What do you mean Aki? What comes after? You mean the honeymoon with Beloved?"


    "Aki is being sneaky again. She probably plans to dress Possum according to her tastes."


    "Hmph. That was quite clever, Robyn. I didn''t expect you to notice. As the richest of us all, I will be funding Dearest''s wardrobe change. So I''m okay even if we all take turns."


    "I am surprised that you are so generous. Husband is cheap, though. He splurges on others, but hardly buys anything for himself."


    "Hahaha! I don''t care if he''s naked! I will even join him," I joked.


    At my words, the girls and I all started laughing. Funnily enough, they thought I was joking, but I wasn''t.


    Just then, I heard a woman''s voice arguing at the door.


    "Please let me through. I am here to speak with the ladies. My lord Limitless has given me a mission. Shall I tell him that his will has been ignored because of you?"


    "Look auntie, I do not know who you are. Do you have any proof of your identity? For one thing, you are human. How can I believe that my lord allowed you to see the ladies?"


    "Argh. I don''t have time for this. Pixie Richards, get out of my way. I may be human, but I know more about my lord than the two of you. Let me through."


    I then used my new program [Whisper] to send my voice to Pixie''s ear.


    "Let her through, Pixie. Thank you for trying to help. But we can handle this."


    "Kya!"


    The sound of her surprised yelp and her body looking around made me giggle. Surprised to suddenly hear voices, she took a deep breath before answering.


    "That surprised me, Lady Vela. All right, I''ll let her through."

 Chapter 449 Heroine Chapter Except for Jo [2/2]

    She was cute. Although Pixie was only a child, she already took her position as a {Vassal} seriously. Under Robyn''s guidance, she might find her wings."D, let her through. Lady Vela says it is okay."


    "Oh? Wonderful! Now get out of my way! My future depends on this deal!"


    ''I wonder what she means? Did Darling say something to her? Still, [Whisper] seems ready for battle. It will help me in the future.''


    [Whisper] was my latest experiment.


    Since sound waves flowed from one direction to another, it meant that everything between the sound source and the listener would hear the sound waves. [Whisper] used {Dampen}, {Announce} and {Sonar} to deny this acoustic principle.


    I didn''t want others to hear what I was saying. So, similar to what cell phones do, I modified my voice''s ability to travel through the air. Harry Evans was instrumental in the development of [Whisper]. I used him to test throwing my voice from a distance.


    Some had death resonance, some did not. But it was an excellent way to make someone hallucinate and think they were going crazy.


    People normally used sight and hearing to understand the world. How would you react if what you heard made no sense?


    My {Fate} {Listen} was severely underpowered compared to the other Sirens. If I didn''t try to improve it, I would be left behind.


    Not surprisingly, everyone was the same. Fearing that we would end up fighting each other, my sisters and I all tried to improve our lethality for self-defense.


    While I was thinking, a series of messages came in on the Siren server.


    [OpenCombat: My word. That {Program} is certainly terrifying.]


    [BloodOnFire: I agree, this means that Jo can now send death resonance commands regardless distance and obstructions. Truly amazing!]


    [MyChildren: The nut job has made another incredible thing. What is its range, Jo? What is its soul mileage? Can it be blocked? You just talked through a wall from over 50 yards away, right?]


    [FireInYourHole: Fuck me dead, it would be better to blow your ears off when fighting this nut job.]


    [HasNoTagline: I am glad to see that your research has finally bore fruit, sister.]


    [AraAra: Would you grant this {Program} to us and Shujin, Jo-san?]


    Only Jas and Liv were happy about my new power. Bella and Aki were obviously trying to understand it so they could prepare countermeasures. Robyn and Lilly, instead of defending themselves, just wanted to adapt.


    [HePraisedMe: Haha! Of course! Darling wants us to share anyway.]


    ''Well, I added a hidden function that [Whisper] would destroy your voice box if I said the right keyword. I wonder how long it would take for them to know it was there?''


    Then I heard the woman walk in. Lucrecia Deryck. A woman sold as a slave by her family to the Derycks. Because of her superior intellect, instead of supporting the older Derycks, she approached and seduced Vincent.


    When the Deryck''s were nearly wiped out, Vincent was one of the few survivors. By sheer luck, she became the current matriarch. She was pretty and sexy, but I wasn''t worried, because she wasn''t darling''s type.


    "Lady Vela, thank you for seeing me. I was sent here with a mission by my Lord Limitless," she began to explain. She also gave me a tablet.


    "I was told to... hieeek!"


    Lucrecia fell on her backside. I could understand why. How would people feel if six women suddenly appeared in front of you the moment you blinked?


    I didn''t even open the tablet and just lifted it up behind me. Lilly took the tablet as she looked at Lucrecia. The amount of digital signals in the air meant that the girls were all hacking the tablet for its secrets. Of course, I did the same.


    It was kind of creepy to have seven brides in white dresses all staring at the same thing, absent-mindedly. Like dolls.


    "You made this game for my Darling?" I asked in a cold voice.


    "Y-yes, my lord was extremely pleased and vowed to make Vincent and me his vassals for it," Lucrecia revealed timidly.


    Disappointed groans and curses came from the Sirens behind me. Those who understood what {Vassals} were naturally felt that our Kindred had been swindled.


    Darling may have been impulsive, but he was not stupid. However, I must admit that seeing an almost perfect model of my body in a sex simulator was disturbing. However, a part of me was secretly delighted of darling''s obsession with me.


    "And what are you supposed to say to us then?"


    Lucrecia quickly adjusted her sitting position and knelt before us.


    "My lord wishes me to negotiate with the ladies. He wants to keep this application and asks that you provide your voice for the game. "


    "..."


    My sisters and I were stunned at the depravity of our man. He knew this was disgusting, and yet he had the nerve to ask us to participate.


    ''I hope the girls will soon find him disgusting and leave. That way I can keep my darling to myself.''


    "Then go ahead," I said in a cold voice.


    "W-what?"


    "Darling, he obviously wanted this. Otherwise, he would have killed you. The fact that he didn''t break it means that no other man worked on it. And you probably told him that your entire studio would fulfill his every wish. So, he sent you here to plead his case."


    "T-That''s exactly the case, did you have a listening device or something my lady?"


    "No, I do not, it is based on his request and the fact that you are still alive. I could understand his reasons for the things we can use for the honeymoon. But Darling already has me, why would he need to masturbate to pixels of me? So, amuse me. Why should I tolerate it?"


    Surprisingly, none of the other Sirens said anything. That probably meant they felt the same way. Lucrecia took a moment to compose herself before explaining.


    "Lady Vela. This is reconnaissance. This application would allow my ladies to study the battle and prepare for it."


    "Explain." Lilly said coldly.


    The absurdity of her words caused the Sirens to emit death resonance. The other Reapers didn''t come and try to finish our makeup. That was how intimidating my sisters and I were.


    "Um... my ladies, Lord Limitless values you all above all else. This may seem like a good thing, but it would cause him to suppress himself for fear of earning your displeasure."


    "..."


    How impressive. Forget fear, she understood something we were struggling with.


    "My ladies, in this application, my master can do whatever he wants. Any desire he would not dare to express. And I can share this information with my ladies to be used as tactics for night battles. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "If my lord suddenly finds the ladies performing and suggesting the things he secretly desires, it will make him happy. An added benefit is that you can test your plans before you act in real life; we can use the app to see if my lord would be stimulated by it. This is the power of technology."


    "..."


    "And my lord also has a model in it. Currently it is based on guess work, but my ladies can also use the app and entertain themselves with a John Smith that fits in their pocket."


    "Okay...he can keep it," Lilly noted as she blushed.


    "Eh?"


    "I second that," Bella asked as she coughed awkwardly.


    "A Possum in my pocket..." Robyn muttered deliriously.


    The others expressed similar approval. My sisters and I had inadvertently been exposed as perverts.


    "I see. Thank you, my ladies," Lucrecia said as she bowed.


    "How big is your team?" I asked.


    "Six women, all of them married," Vincent''s wife replied. Stay updated via empire


    "Good enough, I guess. We will work with you on this application. This is a secret, understood?"


    "I understand, what do I tell my master?"


    I grinned broadly as I replied. "Tell Darling that except for Jo, Vela and the Sirens have all agreed to their perverted desires."


    "This Nut job!" x6


    ''Hey! I wasn''t even present! How is it my fault?''

 Chapter 450 Finally [1/2]

    In modern times, people loved to swear by all sorts of things. Their hearts, their lives, and the gods they believed in. Unfortunately, because people and this shithole of a world has been fucked from the beginning, such vows have little value.I mean, look at our legal system. It was common to swear on a Bible to tell the truth. When a president was inaugurated, it was common to pledge to do a good job. But who the hell does not know what clowns we have in office?


    But perhaps the worst of all was in marriages. The very concept was in the vows. "Till death do us part." But with the acceptance of divorce, that statement became null and void.


    I had no idea why people still said "till death do us part" in marriages. In reality, it was basically, "Till I can''t put up with your shit". To me, something I learned from Noelle, until one of you dies, it should be illegal to take your words back.


    Just like I didn''t propose with diamonds. I thought about that when I fell in love with the Sirens. "Till death do us part" meant nothing to Reapers. Anyone who saw Isolde would understand how deeply Reapers fell in love.


    Xander and Zach were the same way. The former decided to go to war with a Revenant for his wife. While the latter kept his wife even though she could not give him children.


    Reapers were not human. So there was no need to worry about human customs. Unlike humans, Reapers never talked just for the sake of talking. When we said something, we fucking meant it.


    How many politicians would be killed if someone actually enforced their oaths? How many judges, doctors, lawyers, and businessmen would be put to death for violating the very principles they swore to uphold?


    That is why I swore not like a man, but like a Reaper.


    My vow was simple.


    I love you beyond all measure. Except for the Sirens, I will have no other. Those they love, I will love. Those they hate, I will kill. There was no in-between. As long as I drew breath, as long as I continued to exist.


    No matter who I was, am, or will become.


    And the moment I broke that vow, I should be put to death and forgotten. I didn''t know how the black pieces of paper would enforce the clauses, but I didn''t care. This was what I wanted the world to know. What I wanted the girls to know.


    But the next moment, the black pieces of paper began to burn. The fires were not hot, but the Seeker''s vows suddenly turned to ashes.


    Caught up in the moment, I did not see that the world had turned gray. It was similar to the feeling I get when I cast {Codes} Bullet Time. Except for me, everyone seemed to be frozen in time. But a heavy feeling forced me to look up.


    A terrifying number of souls were being sucked out of the air. Smoke, like the noxious fumes one would see from a fire, flowed like water in the air of the church. Then I saw the smoke suddenly coalesce and solidify into black metallic chains.


    They flew toward me and the Sirens like flying snakes. I used all seven of my bodies to shield my brides. I didn''t know what those things were, but they felt evil.


    "!!!!", I tried to summon my {Fates}, but I couldn''t, it was as if I had lost my ability to use souls!


    Feeling that I had to at least protect my girls, I stood between them and the seven chains. I felt a strong impact on all my bodies. Fortunately, I wasn''t blown away.


    I then felt something enter my torsos. When I looked around, all my bodies had what appeared to be a worm trying to enter our stomachs. The sound of metal chains clattering against each other echoed.


    An immense weight settled over my heart. It was suffocating, as if a heavy stone had been placed over my lungs. Along with a clicking sound, the oppressive feeling suddenly disappeared.


    When I checked, I had no injuries to speak of. Lifting my head, I tried to find the dark clouds, but I could not. I didn''t know when, but I began to hear the chatter of the reapers in the church.


    It seemed that time had returned to normal.


    ''FUCK! Was that how the Seeker''s Vow worked?! That was fucking terrifying!''


    The girls were all surprised when they noticed my restlessness. The fear I felt made my whole body tremble. Of course, the girls knew that something made me this way.


    "My love, what just happened? You were trying to protect me from something, weren''t you? Are you hurt?"


    "Dearest, are you all right? Something went through the air! But I couldn''t see it!" sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Possum, something heavy hit you from behind, is your back, okay?"


    "Darling, what did you see? I heard chains. Did an enemy come?"


    "Honey! Look at me! Focus. You''re okay. Breathe. Was it because of the Seeker''s Vow?


    Tell me what you saw."


    Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire


    "Husband. Calm down, I am here. What was that? I saw snakes entering your body!"


    "Shujin, the air from earlier seemed oppressive. Did a demon come? And why are you shaking?"


    My girls all grabbed my hands and tried to make sure I was okay. From their words, it seemed that the chains were something that no one knew about.


    Jas saw it, Jo heard it. Robyn and Lilly felt it. Liv and Aki deduced it from my reaction. While only Bella figured out that it was related to the Seeker''s Vow.


    "..."


    I tried to open my mouth to speak, but no words came out. Just then a voice entered my mind. It was the voice of the bastard who tortured me for fun.


    {Do not speak of what you have seen. Not to them or anyone. Less they be put in danger.}


    ''{Rewind}? Danger? What was that? Do you know?''


    {You are far too weak. I will tell you when you become a Specter. But know that this matter is dangerous and must be handled with caution. Simply put, that was the enforcer of your Seeker''s Vow. It will be the one who will kill you if you break your words.}


    ''Ugh, so there really was such a thing?''


    {You really are a fool. Shackling yourself to such a dangerous thing for a bunch of women is something I will never understand.}


    ''Do I get something for the chain? Like a power-up or something?''


    {No.}


    After saying his piece, {Rewind}''s presence suddenly vanished. I forced my body to calm down. My girls all looked at me with worried eyes. There were murmurs and whispers as people wondered what had just happened.


    I fixed up my posture and knelt beside my harem and caressed the anxious faces of my brides. Even though their expressions were veiled, their beauty was still mesmerizing.


    "I am fine, I will tell you later. Let us continue with the wedding." x7


    While they had questions, the girls nodded and followed my words. Funnily enough, they were all now clinging to my side, as if to protect me.


    My avatars gestured to Phillip to continue the ceremony. Knowing that no good would come from asking what was going on, he coughed to get everyone''s attention before continuing.


    "Ehem, now that our lord has completed his vow. My ladies, it is your turn. Please pledge your commitment and affection to your family, to the heavens, and to all present."


    The girls then all held my hands and turned toward the center aisle. Pixie stepped forward at that moment. She was dressed like a flower girl and carrying a small box.


    I looked into the box with {Imaging} and saw a pair of cufflinks with the faces of Grim Reapers on them.


    My {Vassal} then opened up the box and raised the small box in her hands towards the Sirens and me.


    Wondering what this was for, my girls all spoke to the John Smiths at their sides.

 Chapter 451 Finally [2/2]

    "My love, please forgive us for going against your customs. I was the one who suggested it. In the North, we use stones or weapons as gifts and put our brands on them.""Dearest, since it makes no sense to wear so many rings, we will follow Liv''s suggestion instead."


    "Possum, I hope you like it. It will be our first and last collaboration."


    "Darling, never take this off your body, okay? At all times. Even when you shower or shit. The only time I will allow it is when you are naked and making love to me."


    "Honey, these go great with your suit. We had Addison add a few things, so he couldn''t give them to you right away."


    "Husband, I hope these will ensure that you always come back to me."


    "Shujin, instead of a ring, we are giving you this devil''s soul gear. It is fine to take care of them, but do not forget to use them to protect yourself."


    After Pixie arrived at the center of the altar. Before I could say anything, the Sirens all stood up and extended their hands toward Pixie, or more specifically, the soul gear in her hands.


    The girls all began to emit death resonance in frightening quantities.


    "WE ARE THE SEVEN SIRENS! ON THIS DAY WE GIVE OUR BRAND TO THE ONE WHO OWNS OUR HEART! ON OUR LIVES WE SWEAR!" x7


    Then I felt what seemed to be souls in the air merge together like bodies of water. Blood also came out of the Sirens'' fingertips, floating as if we were in space.


    Each Siren began to move her fingers in the air as the rivers of souls circled around Pixie. Blood continued to flow from the girls and merged with the flowing soul bodies, turning them red.


    Unlike the chains of the Seeker''s Vow, the red Soul Rivers of the Sirens felt warm and pleasant. If before I had shivered and felt anxious. The Soul Rivers calmed and rejuvenated my entire being.


    ''Exa, what am I looking at?''


    [According to Lady Liv, in the north, instead of rings or bracelets, branded gifts are exchanged. Since gems are rare, anything can be used. The only rule is that the branding must be done personally. By mixing soul and blood, it is possible to carve a symbol that enchants an object with the giver''s {Fate}.]


    ''Oh? So it''s a makeshift soul gear?''


    [Yes, but it is a known fact that there can only be one {Fate} on a soul gear. So I am not sure what will happen to the Sirens'' collaboration.]


    The girls all began to recite their vows as they sent red rivers toward Pixie. Rather than all at once, they went in sequence.


    "I, Liv Ivaldi, vow to love only you until the world burns to ashes. As your shield, through every storm and disaster, I shall be with you. The day you fall will be the day I do. For when we die, we die together."


    After Liv''s romantic promise, one of the Soul Rivers entered the cufflinks and made them glow. The other girls followed suit.


    "I, Lilly Browning, vow to love only you for all eternity. I will be the blade that ends those who wish you harm and the sword that cuts through all your fears. Dearest, wherever you lead, I will always follow."


    Once again, another river moved. Just like Liv, Lilly knelt beside me again. I lovingly checked if her fingers were still bleeding and sucked them clean.


    "I, Robyn Lithgow, vow to love only you as long as I exist. I will be the wind that pushes you forward and the weight that keeps you grounded. Possum, your arms are my home and your love my reason to live."


    More and more Soul Rivers flowed into the little cufflinks. As the rings I gave to the Sirens radiated with blessings, these devil''s remains cufflinks began to turn red as if heated in a furnace by death resonance.


    "I, Josephine Benelli, vow to love only you in this life and the next. My strength shall enforce your will, and my ears shall listen to your voice. Darling, only you can give me peace. Whether against the living or the dead, or even against fate, my place is by your side!"


    As I listened to one such vow after another, my heart was filled with love. I had to physically restrain myself from tearing off their veils and kissing my girls. It was not enough that their wedding dresses made me incredibly horny. They seduced me even more with their whispers of affection.


    "I, Isabella Taurus, vow to love only you for the rest of my days. I offer you my entire being, my talents, my resources and my wisdom, they exist only for your sake. Honey, you are the one who gave me hope, and I will never let you go!"


    Perhaps amused by the impatience of all seven of my bodies, the girls who were already seated took my hands to their lips and kissed them gently. As if they all wanted to say, "Just a little more." S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I, Jasmine Denel, vow to love you until the sun rises in the morning. I will be the eyes to guide you through the darkness and the light. Husband, you are my destiny, from this day forward we are one in will and purpose!"


    The combined death resonance of the Sirens and the souls being shoved into the cufflinks was frightening already, but then one more remained. I had no doubt that this new soul gear would be immensely powerful.


    "I, Aki Miroku, vow to love only you until reality comes to an end. I will be the one who gives you strength when you are weak and the one who gives you warmth when you are cold. Shujin, you are my master, the only one I will serve forever."


    It was a good thing that humans were protected from the death resonance, otherwise my in-laws and my adoptive family might have all died. As the last soul river entered the cufflinks, the girls all pulled me toward the center.


    "Congratulations, my lord!" Pixie cheered as she presented the cufflinks.


    "Dearest, please cancel {Day by Day} and stretch out your arms," Lilly advised.


    I followed her words. Bella and Jo came forward and gently removed the simple black buttons that served as my cufflinks.


    Next, Jasmine and Aki each took one of the cuff link soul gears and attached them to my cuffs. As I marveled at the gift, Liv and Robyn came forward and touched the soul gears.


    "{Never Alone}," they both said with smiles.


    At their words, the cufflinks turned into bracers that covered my arms. They looked extremely cool and beautiful. The warmth and affection emanating from these soul gear gave me butterflies.


    I turned to Phillip as I invoked {Day by Day}.


    "Phillip, I cannot wait any longer."


    The monocled bastard smiled goofily as he declared for all to hear.


    "As the representative of Church and State, I now pronounce you all man and wife. My lord, you may now kiss your brides."


    The Sirens all meekly offered their veils for me to remove. I gently lifted them so as not to disturb their hair and makeup. The moment I saw the beautiful faces of my battle harem, I could not help but reaffirm my feelings.


    "I love you," all seven of my bodies declared.


    I then gave them all a sweet and tender kiss. From this moment on, these women were now mine in the eyes of Heaven, Earth, and Hellsgate. I savored their lips for a few more seconds.


    Desire began to drive me insane. Then I put my hand on their waists and formed a line with them. Facing all the guests.


    "CONGRATULATIONS, MY LORD!" "CONGRATULATIONS, MY LADIES!"


    cheered the rest of the Reapers and Hellsend. Overwhelmed with emotion, I roared for all to hear.


    "I''M FINALLY GETTING LAID! TIME TO START THE PARTY!"


    "BELOVED!" "DEAREST!" "POSSUM!" "DARLING!" "HONEY!" "HUSBAND!" "ANATA!" my girls cried out.


    Finally. Finally, this moment arrived.


    ''And it will be oh so worth it.''

 Chapter 452 May I have this dance?

    The wedding reception, though sudden, was still a sight to behold. The food was phenomenal, and the liquor Vincent brought was amazing. After exchanging vows, we moved outside the church and ate under the light of Sacreds and blessings.The people of Hellsend ate their fill, rejoicing that they had survived their fiercest battle yet. Fortunately, we didn''t seem to have any bad drunks. The guys from the 2nd Amendment even asked me to share a few glasses with them.


    My family also began to enjoy themselves as they mingled with the reapers. Of course, because of their relationship with me and the Sirens, they were treated like royalty.


    Angela, Isolde and Claire took their respective partners and began to dance. Santi and Scott danced with a bunch of human Latinas for some reason. Even Pixie and Delroy were mixing it up.


    Everyone seemed to be having fun.


    Everyone except me.


    Because of {Digest} I didn''t even feel the slightest bit tipsy. It was kind of annoying not to feel even a little buzz. I couldn''t even complain as the people of Hellsend sent me good wishes expressing their admiration, jealousy and pride.


    My social battery was almost empty, and I had none of my girls to recharge it.


    Lucrecia was pulled away from my girls for some reason. Other than Noelle, she was perhaps the only person they seemed to respect. They all suddenly left me to talk to her. It was suspicious in a way.


    But I didn''t care about that. What I wanted to do right now was simple.


    ''I wanted to fuck the brains out of my harem.''


    The longer we stayed in this place, the more irritated I became. It was well into the next day, or July 24th, about 1 or 2 in the morning. I fought a fucking demon and now I had to deal with these fucking bastards.


    The death resonance started to leak out of me subconsciously because I didn''t even have a single Siren to kiss or caress. But there was someone who tried to pacify me at least. It was Tildi. After the reunion, it seems that she and the others from Rustler''s Rooste came to this place immediately.


    "My Lord, please wait a little longer. The Saints are working overtime to prepare your honeymoon. Good things come to those who wait," she joked.


    "Tildi. Shut the fuck up before I shoot you."


    "Yes, my lord," Tildi, demoralized by my harsh response, deflated like a pancake as she stood by my side.


    I knew I had been overly arrogant. I brushed back my hair and apologized to her.


    "I''m sorry Tildi, that came out wrong. I''m just a little frustrated right now."


    As if her sadness earlier had been an act, the woman smiled broadly as she clapped her hands. "My lord, a little is an understatement. You are as pissed off as a wild badger. And I understand. Being a virgin at 26 is hardly something to be proud of. And it would be your first time getting laid."


    Was having balls of steel a requirement for clerks? This bitch just insulted me twice. Should I slap this motherfucker?


    "Why the fuck are you even here, Tildi?"


    "I''m here to make sure no pesky reapers get within 50 feet of you. Of course, my employers are the Sirens."


    "..."


    Wasn''t I her employer? Fucking bitch doesn''t even think I was her boss. Still, it made me feel better knowing my girls were worried someone was going to steal me away. Just then another clerk came up and offered me a drink.


    "May I offer you a drink, my lord? I am told the preparations for your evening are complete."


    Wilfred Vance offered me a glass of wine along with some good news. Then he looked at my guard and greeted her with a smile.


    "Tildi. You look wonderful tonight."


    "Really? I find her annoying as fuck," I blurted out.


    Then I felt something hit me from behind. But because of {Limitless} I felt nothing. I turned around and saw Tildi hiding her hand, which seemed to be hurting.


    ''Serves you right, bitch,'' I said with a grin.


    However, Tildi was not looking at me, but making goo-goo eyes at Wil.


    ''Ho? What do we have here?


    Matilda Cassy was beautiful by all accounts. But being around my girls made her look extremely plain in my eyes. Yet she seemed to have her own circle of admirers. Knowing how good it felt to be in love, I decided to help them.


    "Tildi, you need to learn some manners. I know the best way to punish you."


    The insufferable clerk with the glasses looked at me with a weary expression. Her face crumpled up in a way that seemed to say, "Dafuq, are you up to fool?"


    Ignoring her, I turned to Wil as I continued to play Cupid.


    "Wil, is there something else you should be doing tonight?"


    "No, my lord, I am free at the moment," the handsome clerk replied.


    "Then I order you to take Tildi away before I shoot her. The farther the better. Do not let her come near me tonight."


    The moment my words left my mouth, both reapers beamed with joy.


    "I see, then as part of your instructions I will keep Tildi away from you for the entire night."


    "My Lord, I was only trying to do my job! This punishment is too cruel."


    Despite Tildi''s bullshit, she grabbed Wilfred''s arm and buried it in her bosom. They began to move away from me as she continued to complain.


    As they left, I felt myself smile at my good deed. Hopefully, a descendant will be created tonight. Love was a powerful force that made people fight beyond their limits. And as dangerous as it was to lose a loved one in Hellsgate, it was even more tragic to have none.


    A few more minutes passed before the Sirens finally appeared. They still wore their dresses, but the garments looked modified for mobility. The orchestra changed the music to a song that was close to my heart.


    The Greatest Showman''s Rewrite The Stars. Thinking it was done on purpose, I welcomed it.


    "{Day by Day}".


    I summoned my soul avatars and asked each of the Sirens to dance. All my life I had a song in reserve for the dance I would offer to my future bride. The idea came to me as I watched Noelle and Earl dance in bliss to different songs at their anniversaries.


    "My precious Kindred, may I have this dance?" x7


    For this reason, this was the only song I had memorized the steps to. Each of my girls shyly took my hand, and we each headed for our first waltz as man and wife. Because of my {Fate} I knew I would be fucking amazing.


    Waltzes were timeless dances because they focused on building tension by looking into each other''s eyes. Though there are a thousand variations, the basic steps remained the same. As the girls and I moved to the beat, their smiles were to die for.


    Surprisingly, they all moved in sync with me. At every turn, spin and caress, love gushed from both sides of our Pseudo Kindred connection. I chose this song for its powerful message. And it seems the girls loved it too.


    ''Bella probably prepared everyone in advance.''


    At the climax of the song, their faces had the most beautiful smiles that made my heart melt. Overwhelmed with bliss, I leaned in and kissed them tenderly. When the song ended, I saw that the dance floor was empty except for me and my battle harem.


    The faces of everyone who saw us dancing showed that they were extremely happy for us. Taking this opportunity, I shouted to everyone using {Announce}.


    "Thank you for coming to our impromptu wedding. But I really cannot wait any longer. Cynthia, I leave you in charge. Phillip, Vincent, if you bother me in the coming week, I will shoot you." Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The rest of Hellsend and my family laughed as my girls all hid bashfully behind my avatars.


    "Ma, Pa, I''m off to make babies. Everyone else, see you in a week," I declared shamelessly.


    "{PORTAL}!"


    I then summoned a {Portal} to my hotel and led the Sirens inside. Applause and cheers erupted as my battle harem and I stepped into our hotel room.

 Chapter 453 Strip - [R18]

    I entered and sat around the room with my girls on my lap. As the last couple exited the {Portal}, it finally closed. Of course, everyone knew what would happen next. But as much as I loved my harem, I knew it was not easy to leave yourself vulnerable.Being someone''s spouse meant being your partner''s safe haven. I didn''t want to force my girls if they weren''t ready. With that in mind, I simply hugged my girls for a few minutes.


    Positive emotions of love, tenderness, and joy flowed between my girls and me. Just feeling the weight of their bodies resting on me made me so happy. What more when we finally did the deed?


    After about ten minutes, the girls began to ask anxiously.


    "Dearest? Are we¡­ not doing anything?" Enjoy more content from empire


    "Husband, my body feels hot..."


    "Honey, you bastard, stop teasing us!" Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Possum, do you like pitching tents so much?"


    "Anata, do you find me lacking?"


    "Darling, you''re doing this on purpose, aren''t you?"


    "Beloved, you gave me a wedding I couldn''t even dream of. Please let me repay you with my body."


    With Liv''s fierce declaration, she turned around and pressed her massive breasts against my chest. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she tenderly kissed me. Provoked by her actions, the rest of the Sirens followed suit.


    The human body had the most external nerves in the erogenous zones. Erogenous means love producing birth in latin. Simply put, these are the parts that make the brain feel like it was in love.


    The female body had 7 official areas and over twenty others depending on the woman''s kinks.


    The lips and tongue, however, were among those shared by both sexes. Due to one mind sharing seven bodies, my erogenous zones were multiplied by seven. Similar to the pain I went through when Saturday died, my brain was about to melt right now.


    My dick was so pent up I could cum just from my girls teasing my lips. They all have specific behaviors in their lovemaking. Being the foremost expert on Siren behavior, I naturally had them all mapped.


    Liv, despite her loud and domineering personality, was incredibly timid. When she kissed, it was as if she was afraid of overstepping. I found this incredibly adorable. The desire to pin her down and be rough with her conflicted with my desire to coddle her.


    Lilly, on the other hand, seemed confused. She appeared brave but trembled at the slightest touch. It was as if she wanted to be someone else. When we locked lips, the moment I pinned her tongue, she would melt like putty. Unable to put up the slightest resistance.


    Meanwhile, Robyn was the true fearless one. When my kitten kissed me, she stuck her tongue down my throat without hesitation. She also gyrated her hips the most, as if she was experienced in seducing men.


    I became annoyed at such a thought and fought her for dominance. The combat joey was no slouch, despite being 8 years younger. As if enjoying our game, she intensified her attacks.


    Jo, however, was different. Unlike the others who went on the offensive, she simply waited for me to approach. The moment I did however, her passion would ignite like a grenade. Her arms would pull me to her as if she would die without my embrace.


    Bella, a true Latina, was the most passionate of my harem. She knew when to be active and when to be passive, and her kissing skills reflected her expertise. Unlike our first, Bella was obedient when I led and took over when I relented.


    Unlike all the others, Jasmine took me by surprise. While Robyn was merely aggressive as foreplay, my African-skinned lover was a full-blown sadist. She playfully bit my lips and lapped up the blood that oozed out. Since I already understood why, I just gave back as good as I got.


    Finally, Aki was extremely devoted to me compared to everyone else. Instead of focusing on herself, she adjusted her angle and tongue for my maximum pleasure. Truly from the land of the geisha, her roots showed how talented Aki was at pleasing men.


    Of course, the mere thought of someone else having her filled me with rage, so I treated her a bit roughly, but she only accepted my tyranny as a slave would her master.


    I savored each taste, making sure to treat them with care.


    Unfortunately, the more aggressive Robyn, Jas and Bella began to drive me wild. They licked and sucked my neck. An erogenous zone shared by both sexes, their soft tongues made my whole body tremble.


    Jo and Aki, on the other hand, guided my hand to their enlarged clitorises. The damp and wet fabric showed how turned on both of them were. Meanwhile Liv and Lilly grabbed my hands and used them to fondle their own breasts.


    Even just one of them was beyond seductive, but with all of them teasing me like this, all of my avatars were on the verge of blowing our load. Unwilling to be trampled, I roughly hugged my brides and sucked hard on their necks. So much so that I made seven hickeys at once.


    In the midst of their erotic moans, I then commanded in a domineering tone.


    "Strip."


    It was not a request; it was an order. Stunned by my actions, the girls nodded meekly and stepped away. They all moved to the center of the room.


    Dressed in snow-white wedding gowns, the contrast between bride and stripper set my imagination on fire.


    I quickly grabbed chairs and had all my avatars sit in front of my harem. Sex was more than just physical most of the time, mental stimulation and kinks were just as important.


    Stripteases usually made women extremely vulnerable. But when done for their husbands, I read online that it empowered a woman to feel her inner succubus. After all, sex was mostly a woman''s domain.


    I once went to one of these clubs and it was incredibly erotic to have a sexy woman rub her crotch on you. Unfortunately, you had to pay in advance if you wanted to blow your load in there. Since I was poor then, I couldn''t afford it.


    Now, however, the Goddesses before me would never deny me if I wanted them. It stroked my ego as it finally dawned on me that they were mine and mine alone.


    The speakers in the room suddenly began to play a song that I knew very well. It was a 2 Phut Hon, Vietnamese for 2 minutes more.


    Anyone who watched porn or hentai would know it. Made famous by Zero Two dancing to Me!Me!Me! Her erotic hip sway was the stuff of wet dreams.


    When the Sirens lined up in a certain dance formation, I practically tore my clothes off in excitement.


    A Vietnamese group called B-Wild made a special video about it. And when I was researching where the viral song came from, I saw their video. Unable to tear my eyes away, I started fantasizing about getting a lap dance from them. The girls weren''t even pretty, but the moves were so obscene.


    When the Sirens started doing the same moves, my dick became ravenous. They swayed their hips and jiggled their breasts, each Siren began to touch herself as if she were driven mad with lust. The girls went to each of my avatars and gyrated in front of us.


    My harem then all began to remove their wedding dresses, piece by piece.


    "Fucking hell, that''s so sexy," I blurted out like a pervert. X7


    Unable to stop myself, I reached out to fondle the girls. But they all slapped my hands away as they teased me with lewd smiles.


    "Not yet," they said.


    Like an intricate concerto, each transition of the song caused a piece of clothing to fall. First it was the veils, then the gloves, then the skirts, then the upper bodices. All the while they rocked their bodies like whores in search of pleasure.


    By the middle chorus, when the girls were all lined up, they were down to lingerie and fishnets. The song continued, first the bras came off, Robyn and Jo threw their bras at me.


    I started stroking my cock with their underwear that I had caught.


    Another minute passed and they all slowly removed their panties as they rocked their hips like a cock was entering them. Taking a cue from Jo and Robyn, they all threw their panties at my avatars as they continued to dance almost completely naked.


    When the song ended. I lost all reason and jumped for my girls like wolves hungry for sheep. It was finally time to eat.

 Chapter 454 I love you - (Rhiannon ver.) [1/2] [R18]

    As my bodies became mad with lust, each of my avatars went towards one of the Sirens and embraced them. Unable to withstand a second longer I grabbed Robyn by her hand and took her into my arms.This Aussie was a girl who grew up fighting for her life. She did her best yet still winded up dead. It was only in my arms did she felt happiness. Overwhelmed with passion I buried her deeper in my embrace, her small breasts pressing against my chest.


    "Robyn. I want you," I whispered softly into her ear as I licked up her neck.


    "Mmm¡­Possum, make me yours."


    Like a monkey Robyn hopped and wrapped her smooth legs around my waist. Her breaths grew excited as my cock brushed up her hole. She then rested her face on my neck and began licking me like a cat.


    ''FFFUUUUUCCCCCKKKK!''


    ''Exa, are the other rooms available?''


    [I have reserved them all in advance my lord. The keys are in the bowl out near the door.]


    Pleased at my AI, I carefully walked with Robyn in my arms. Naturally all my other bodies similarly went for the bowl, six other Sirens in their arms.


    No words need be said as I knew what each pair was going to do next. I was in control of all the men after all.


    With our Sirens in our arms, we each moved out of my original room and went into the hallway. The cold temperature of the air conditioning felt good on my skin. Obviously given how horny I was I felt a little hot.


    "Mhm¡­."


    Robyn didn''t even say anything as she began to play with my lips. She must have felt extremely safe as even naked, unarmed, and being carried off, she focused solely on me.


    "Kitten, you better be ready," I warned.


    I entered one of the rooms Exa got for me. Compared to my suite it was fairly simple. I passed the living room and went straight to the bed. This would be where Robyn and I would be spending the next few days.


    "Possum, your meat stick is touching me¡­" Robyn said erotically.


    Completely different from how loud and snarky she was, only I had the privilege of seeing her like this. When we arrived on the bed, I quickly got on it and gingerly placed my Sheila in the center.


    I gazed at her lovely body in its entirety. Aside from her fishnet stockings, she was completely nude.


    She was glistening with sweat which only made her more erotic. Robyn opened up her legs to invite me in. The loli then moved her fingers towards her lower lips, she smiled as she spread apart them for me.


    "Possum. You said you were going to eat, right? Please enjoy. This peach is only for you."


    Wondering when this she learned to talk dirty, I went down on her and began dining at the Y. I started licking from her inner thigh, teasing her before I went for her pussy.


    Loli juice already came out even before I began to taste her. I inserted my tongue and enjoyed the soft sensation of her pussy.


    "Hyaahh¡­"


    Moaning in pleasure Robyn suddenly grabbed the back of my head and pushed it deeper. I licked her labia and nibbled on her nub.


    "Possum! It feels so good. I c-can''t¡­"


    The smell of Robyn made me even hornier. Her sweet voice echoed with every flick of my tongue. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Possum, something is coming! It-s!"


    Until finally she began to orgasm. As she did, I sucked on her pussy drinking everything that ruptured out. Robyn''s body arched, grabbing my head as she screamed.


    "AHHHHHHH!!!!"


    Then, she collapsed on the bed as she grew weak from her climax. It was only then that she looked at me. My raging boner was naturally twitching. Robyn quickly approached me as she stared at it.


    "Possum¡­Its fucking huge¡­Will this really fit inside me?"


    "You don''t have to go all in Kitten. I can feel good regardless."


    Shaking her head, my Sheila then added as she gripped my member.


    "I am your lover. It is my job to satisfy you. Don''t worry I can take it."


    Like a wildcat Robyn moved her face closer to my dick and loving began to kiss the tip. The touch of her soft lips and warm breath sent jolts down my spine.


    Pleased with my reactions, she then sank the head of my rod down deep inside her mouth.


    "Mmpf...Mffph...G-guhmpf..."


    Robyn was small, seeing my engorged cock going in and out of her mouth made my head spin. Her luscious lips wrapped around my penis like it was the tastiest lollipop she ever had.


    ''Guh! Robyn''s mouth feels too good. Did someone teach her?!''


    Her tongue gently began rubbing the fleshy underside of my dick. She then pulled out my cock out of her mouth and rubbed her face on it.


    "How was it?" She asked.


    "Ugh¡­"


    Pleased at me going stupid, Robyn quickly shoved my dick back into her mouth. She then went even deeper than before.


    Her head bobbled energetically as she sucked the cum straight from my balls. The sounds she made as she worked me only served to magnify the pleasure. I was extremely close to exploding.


    Unable to stop myself I grabbed the sides of her head and began thrusting my hips. I no longer cared how Robyn felt, I just wanted to cum. Due to already being at the brink of a climax, it took no time before blew my load.


    "Mpffph!"


    My cum was too much for Robyn''s small mouth, it ended up spilling out of her lips. Unwilling to waste my seed, my Sheila greedily sucked and lapped my semen like a drug addict.


    Cleaning my rod she then swallowed everything before showing her the insides of her mouth to me.


    Hornier than when we started, I grabbed Robyn and lifted her up. I sat down on my knees and placed her on my lap with her back to me. My hands began to massage her small tits as I stole her lips.


    This position was called the lap dance which was for guys who had large dicks or small partners. Find your next adventure on empire


    My other hand moved to her pussy and began rubbing her swollen clit. Overwhelmed by my attacks Robyn shivered uncontrollably as she came from my fingers.


    With her pussy soaked, I gently raised her up and brought my swollen cock closer.


    "N-ygn...H-Haa....Possum¡­I want it¡­Now¡­"


    "Tell me immediately if it hurts, okay?"


    "Yes¡­"


    I held her hips and slowly guided her onto my engorged member. When the tip began to enter her secret place, I wiggled myself in slowly, but faced resistance. Robyn was tight! Way too tight!


    "Haa!"


    My cock was wrapped in unbelievable pressure. I had to fight for every quarter inch. If I was any bigger Robyn would break!


    But then Robyn suddenly slammed her hips down on me, with a painful sounding cry.


    "Gah!"


    "Kitten! Are you alright?"


    "I-I''m fine Possum¡­ I couldn''t take you all in¡­. I''m sorry."


    Robyn began to slowly move. Her sultry moans filled the room.


    "A-Ah I-It''s too big¡­ I can almost feel it in my pushing up against my tummy¡­"


    Overwhelmed with love for this woman, I said nothing as Robyn tried her best to satisfy me. Her tight walls stimulated every nerve on my dick.


    I then began to suck on her neck as my hands began to play with her body.


    "G-Gah...Ah..I can feel... I can feel Possum''s giant cock banging inside me¡­my insides are being squished together¡­P-Possum¡­ It¡­I-It feels shoo good."


    Unable to respond I continued to massage her tits and pinch her nipples. She turned her head and kissed me. When she felt our connection getting bigger, she asked in lust.


    "Possum¡­Your dick¡­It''s getting even bigger! A-Are you close??"


    I didn''t answer her but began thrusting my hips up. The sudden movement drove my cock deeper against my loli, Slamming onto the tip of her womb.


    "H-aahh...Haahh..."


    Succumbing to my desire, I felt my cum well up from my balls. I couldn''t hold it back any longer.

 Chapter 455 I love you - (Rhiannon Ver.) [2/2] [R18]

    "Robyn¡­I''m gonna¡­""Mmm!..Mm... G-Go ahead P-Possum. I-I''m close too! I... I don''t want to cum alone¡­"


    With her permission, I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her down as I thrusted my cock violently upward.


    "Hhhaaa! Haaa! N-No....! A-Hyaaahhh!!!"


    I inhaled her sweat and her juices. I drowned in Robyn as I approached my climax. Unable to endure I pumped my Aussie to the brim with my cum.


    "Hyaaahhhh!!!" She screamed in pleasure.


    Unable to contain my ejaculation white cream spilled out of my Loli''s crack. Robyn could only whimper as she bit her lip, wave after wave of my hot jizz blasted the insides of her womb.


    She then collapsed on me panting like she ran a marathon. As we officially consummated our marriage I embraced her small tone body tightly.


    We shared a short kiss. Robyn rested on my chest as she deliriously panted.


    "H-Haa...haaa...haaa....Possum¡­I finally have become yours¡­"


    Overwhelmed with love and lust, I began to lick her neck as my cock prepared for the next round. As it was still inside Robyn, she knew immediately.


    "!!!"


    "I hope you didn''t think that was it, Kitten¡­"


    "How are you still hard?!"


    "It''s your fault though. Who told you to be this sexy," I whispered between kisses.


    "T-Thats¡­"


    I then pulled out of her and moved her to rest on her back. I crawled on my knees to kiss her, then held her arms in place.


    "Robyn, you are so beautiful. How can I be so lucky?"


    My kitten then raised her legs and closed them around my waist. Surprised she knew what this position was, I sucked on her lips.


    "How?"


    She then made a soft smile as she answered my question.


    "Exa, told me. This is called the fall, right?" S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I nodded as I sucked on her perky nipples.


    "Then you should know what comes next?" I asked with a lecherous face.


    Blushing Robyn nodded meekly. With her hands pinned the feeling of absolute control made me lose my mind. I slowly inserted my cock into my Sheila''s secret garden.


    "H-Hyah...I-It''s...so big..."


    I didn''t know if she had already adjusted, but I had an easier time sliding in. However, she was still extremely tight and a snug fit. Robyn winced when I entered but quickly began to beg.


    "Possum¡­kiss me...I''m lonely."


    I fulfilled her request as I began to fuck my lovely woman. Every part of my engorged cock was being squeezed by Robyn''s insides. Using her arms as support I began to slide myself in and out of her.


    "Huaa...Hyaaa...!! Possum''s¡­"


    Hearing her cute cries, my sadistic tendencies got the better of me as I gripped her hands even rougher. I also attacked her lips relentlessly.


    I could feel her pussy ring clench around my cock as if yearning that it stayed.


    The girth of my member was breaking Robyn. Every push of my hips and her insides wrapped around me in heavenly tightness.


    I huffed in pleasure as Robyn''s tight pussy constricted, almost shoving me out. But unable to resist, I jammed myself back in splitting her insides apart.


    "Hyaaaa¡­.Haaaa¡­..."


    Taking all of Robyn in, I once again began licking her cute breasts and playfully bit her hard nipples. The combination of sensations caused Robyn to climax.


    "P-Possum...S-Stop...I-It''s too good...L-Let me rest, I-It''s too much¡­P-Possum...I-I''m going stupid¡­"


    Ignoring her pleas I pounded her pussy with even more vigor. Unable to do anything but accept my love, Robyn continued to moan helplessly.


    "Aaayahhh! Hyaaaa!! P-Possum is fucking my brains out. Hyaa...!!"


    Feeling myself close to the brink of ecstasy, I let out load grunts as I tried to keep it in.


    "Kitten¡­I''m close¡­"


    "Mm¡­!! Give me your everything Possum¡­!! I want it¡­ I want it all¡­!!!"


    Our sweat drenched bodies continued to make love without stopping. Robyn took all my lust with her small body as she continued to cum again and again.


    I then made one final thrust into the deepest recesses of Robyn. And unleashed my monstrous load into my beloved loli.


    "HYAAAAHHHHHH!!!"


    Screaming like a whore Robyn''s body trembled uncontrollably as her body came from my semen smashing inside her walls. A mixture of her pussy''s love juices and my jizz spurted out of her hole as she convulsed.


    We basked in each other''s warmth for a few minutes. Despite no words being spoken we felt content.


    "Haaa....haaa....haaaa.... Possum, you came so much I though my insides were going to burst¡­"


    I tenderly kissed her lips as I released her hands. She wrapped them around my neck as she gripped me hard.


    "Possum¡­I love you¡­."


    "I love you to Robyn¡­"


    It was at that moment that I felt my Pseudo Kindred connection with Robyn suddenly expand! If it was the size of a narrow road, it expanded to the size of a four-lane freeway.


    Naturally, the emotions that passed multiplied with it.


    A gentle and loving feeling crashed into me like a flood. When it settled, it was as if I suddenly found myself in the middle of a warm ocean. Thoughts that were not of my own began to echo, they were of someone I loved dearly.


    ''Possum¡­I love you¡­I love you so much¡­I am so glad I was born¡­I am so glad I met you. I am so happy to be your woman...God, I don''t know if I earned the right to ask. But please¡­please¡­let me stay with this man for as long as I live¡­I will do anything in exchange¡­''


    I tried to hold back tears as Robyn''s raw thoughts reached my very soul. Unable to stay idle, I similarly drowned her by thinking how much she meant to me.


    Robyn Lithgow suddenly began to shed tears of happiness when the feelings arrived. Her loving smile made everything up to this point worth it.


    With our new Kindred connection, we were connected in body, mind, and soul. I picked up Robyn from the bed and moved to stand up. Resting her body on my thighs, I pulled her waist towards me as I plunged my cock into her insides.


    We began to make love in the work out position.


    ''Possum¡­it feels so good¡­ I love you¡­I love you¡­I love you¡­.''


    Perhaps guided by Exa, she embraced my buttocks with her feet and crossed them. Her arms supported her as they wrapped around my neck. She tilted her head back as she drove her hips forward pushing my dick deeper into her pussy. Discover more content at empire


    Finally understanding how much I loved her; she began to pant and moan like a succubus. Our thoughts of love continued to shower each other so much it began to feel tangible.


    ''Was this the soul river Joshua talked about?''


    Testing it out I sent the soul river towards Robyn. Immediately her body began to convulse the moment it touched her.


    "Aaayahhh!"


    Feeling her pussy climax, I thrusted deeper aiming to drive her insane. Robyn then suddenly bit my neck as she buried her nails in my back from pleasure.


    I moved the soul river towards me and also lost control. Ejaculating the moment it touched my body.


    "Ugh! Robyn!!"


    "HUUAAAAAA..."


    Coming buckets, I instantly sent it the river to Robyn who once again drowned in ecstasy. Within a span of a few minutes, I cycled the river between us. As we both climaxed without stopping, I eventually collapsed on the floor from exhaustion.


    When we separated the soul river dissipated. Weak and tired from our passionate love making I crawled to see if Robyn was alright.


    "Possum¡­that was... Insane¡­I thought I was going to die..."


    I pulled her towards me as she panted.


    "[Divided we Stand]."


    Invoking my new program, I rapidly felt my body regaining my stamina. Naturally, my once limp dick began to grow hard anew.


    [Divided we Stand] was a program that shared Sunday''s stamina with the rest of my soul avatars.


    "Robyn, use {Regen} or {Rewind}. I haven''t had enough of you yet."


    "I can''t."


    "Why?"


    "That would remove your seed from my womb¡­" She said shyly.


    I quickly picked her up and threw her into the bed. I raided the mini fridge in the room and got some chocolates. I hastily popped one into my mouth and fed it to my lover with my lips.


    "{Eat}," she invoked as she accepted.


    I smiled as I kissed her lips. Seeing the desire in my eyes, she gulped in nervousness. We do not reconvene for three days.


    So, for the next 72 hours. I will get my fill of Robyn Lithgow.


    With such thoughts in mind, I lunged for my kitten once more.

 Chapter 456 I love you - (Freyja Ver.) [1/2] [R18]

    As my bodies became made with lust, each of my bodies went towards one of my women and embraced them. Unable to withstand a second longer I grabbed Liv by her hand and took her into my arms.This Northern woman was someone who shouldered the burden of an entire continent. Yet without any allies, she set out alone. All to save the land her mother died to protect.


    Overwhelmed with passion I pulled her head towards me, even though she was taller, the amazon didn''t resist.


    "Liv. I want you," I whispered softly into her ear as I licked up her neck.


    "And I you, beloved."


    I then swept Liv off her feet. I supported her back with my right hand while I lifted her knees with my left. Despite being 6'' 6" I had no issues with Liv in a bridal carry. True to her nature, unused to such considerations, Liv blushed scarlet as she tried to get off.


    "My love, I am heavy, you will get tired. Put me¡­"


    Again, this woman felt she was not worthy of such affection. Irritated I shut her up with a brief kiss. When I did, she stopped protesting as she melted in place.


    "Quiet, wrap your arms around my neck," I instructed with a stern face.


    "Yes," she said in a small voice.


    ''Exa, are the other rooms available?''


    [I have reserved them all in advance my lord. The keys are in the bowl out near the door.]


    Pleased at my AI, I carefully walked with Liv in my arms. Naturally all my other bodies similarly went for the bowl, six other Sirens in their arms.


    No words need be said as I knew what each pair was going to do next. I was in control of all the men after all.


    With our Sirens in our arms, we each moved out of my original room and went into the hallway. The cold temperature of the air conditioning felt good on my skin. Obviously given how horny I was I felt a little hot.


    "Beloved?"


    As if in awe of how forceful I was, Liv stared at me in silence. Seeing her downhearted stung my heart, so I kissed her cleavage gently and sucked on her fair white skin. Contrary to my expectations she stifled her reactions.


    Rather than make a sound, she closed her eyes and bit her lips. Perhaps excited by her submission, I began to tease her as I licked her massive breasts.


    "Prepare your heart and mind, love," I warned.


    I entered one of the rooms Exa got for me. Compared to my suite it was fairly simple. I passed the living room and went straight to the bed. This would be where Liv and I would be spending the next few days.


    "Beloved, are you perhaps angry with me?"


    Liv while being absolutely dominating in battle was a gentle and kind soul. She was caring for those she adored and was willing to endure pain most would not even dream of.


    Maybe it was because of such tendencies that my Northerner believed she shouldn''t be loved.


    Feeling my annoyance rising, I moved to the bed and threw Liv on it. With a loud thud she plopped into the center. Her massive jugs shook as if the very heavens quaked. I quickly got on top of her and buried my fingers into her ginormous tits.


    Liv''s warmth wrapped my hands as I began to knead them like dough. Despite being wet from sweat her natural scent drove me insane. Unable to stop myself I began to lick the beads of sweat off her breasts.


    "Ah-... Beloved¡­"


    Excited by my perversion, Liv''s nipples suddenly came to attention, rock hard. Pleased, I buried my face into my woman''s wonderful bosom. I put one of her perked up tit between my lips and suckled on it like an infant.


    "H-Hyaa...A-Ahh...G-Gnygn..."


    Liv who cradled my head tenderly in her bosom then noticed my raging boner. She then gingerly grabbed it and began to stroke it with her soft palm.


    "My love, this seems painful. Let me help."


    Unwilling to be treated like a child I got off Liv and mounted her breasts. Like an animal I grabbed both of her heavenly mountains and shoved my cock between them. Liv''s wonderful chest covered my entire shaft with a pleasurable softness that made my mind shiver.


    "Suck."


    Nodding obediently my Northerner replaced my hands and began to press her tits on my engorged member. I rubbed myself between her glorious mounds, while staring down at her erotic face. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Kufufu... Then... Does it feel good my love?"


    Liv then guided the tip of my meat stick into her warm and wet mouth. Jolts of pleasure traveled up my brain as my woman pleasured me with her chest and tongue. Her drool served as lubricant as I enjoyed her Boob job.


    Combined with the already erotic sight of her massive tits swaying and bulging with my every thrust. Her lascivious moans and the sounds of her mouth further fueled my desire to explode.


    ''Fuck. This feels too good, I won''t last long.''


    Feeling irritated that I was too easy, I grabbed Liv''s shoulder and began to thrust my hips. Liv felt my cock get bigger and widened her eyes but concentrated on pleasuring my private. I felt her tongue run circles around the head before poking into the entry hole.


    "Ugh," I grunted.


    Perhaps pleased at my reactions, Liv bounced her boobs even harder along the base of my meat stick. Her breasts swayed up and down, up, and down.


    My cock slid lewdly between her soft flesh and even softer mouth. She wrapped her lips around it and sucked.


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    "Uhh.. Liv¡­I-I"


    Taken aback by the sudden sensations, my libido rose to its peak. Understanding what I meant, my Northerner worked even harder so much so I lost control and blasted my load in her mouth.


    "M-Mpffh...!"


    As my ejaculation continued white goo overfilled Liv''s month and splattered out. She then pulled my cock out of her mouth and had the last bursts shower her face.


    The sight of such a beautiful woman covered in my cream with some of it dripping down her lips only made me even harder.


    "My love¡­ such an amazing amount¡­"


    She then made a lewd smile as she wiped the semen off her face and brought it to her mouth.


    "You''re still hard my love¡­Please use my lower hole as well¡­"


    Nodding, I then ordered her to lie down.


    "Lie down and raise yourself on your elbows."


    "Like this?"


    Admiring her tone and wondrous body I got on top of Liv face to face. I supported my upper body with outstretched hands and began to kiss her neck. I then brought my legs in between hers, forcing them apart.


    This was the CAT position or the Coital Alignment Technique.


    I then kissed her as I began to rub my raging little brother on her leaking hole. From the amount of fluids spilling out of her puffy lower lips, she was already waiting to accept me.


    "Liv, I love you, why won''t you accept me?"


    "What? My love! I would never reject you!" she answered in panic.


    As I sucked on her tongue, I slowly inserted myself inward. The best thing above having a taller woman was you didn''t have to worry about being too big. Warmth wrapped around me as I became one with Liv.


    "U-Unyyaaa...Beloved... you''re...finally...inside...me..."


    I slowly pulled lubricating my cock with my Valkyrie''s pussy juice before I went all in. Drenched from all her fluids, I began to trust my hips. The tightness of Liv''s damp and moist otter pocket drove me insane.


    "A-Aah...Ah....Ah!!"


    Due to our positions, I saw Liv''s face warp in lust as she felt pleasure with my every stroke. Her moans growing more obscene by the minute. I kissed her neck as we continued. Liv was all I could see. All I could hear. All I could smell and all I desired.

 Chapter 457 I love you - (Freyja Ver.) [2/2] [R18]

    "U-Ugnm...!! Iyaahh....!! My love...It''s too good!!"My hips slammed against hers causing her breasts to shake with my every movement. Liv looked back at me her eyes glassy with pleasure.


    "Haa¡­Ha¡­Ha¡­! My love¡­My love¡­.I-I''m close¡­.I-I can''t bear it anymore¡­"


    Hearing such adorable words coming from my woman, I took her lips as I drove my hips even harder. Pounding Liv for all she was worth.


    "A-ha-ha...ha.... I-IYAAAAAHHHHH--!!!"


    Her insides clamped down on me as she climaxed. As she reveled in her orgasm, I sadistically continued to ram my dick into her convulsing pussy.


    "H-Haahaaa...Haaa...My love¡­please¡­wait¡­ah!!¡­Ah!!"


    Ignoring her sweet cries, I ravaged her as I slammed my hips forward. I continued to watch as Liv continued to scream and moan like a whore.


    As I slid in and out of her, I noticed that Liv hadn''t stopped trembling. Had she been climaxing this entire time?


    I felt the energy of my body build up and go to my balls. With one final thrust I pounded Liv''s lovely hole before blowing everything. Large blasts of hot cum sprayed her insides filling my Northerner with cream.


    "KYAAAHHHH-----!!!!"


    Liv''s pussy closed up as I ejaculated, ensuring nothing spilled out. Admiring Liv''s O face, I stole her lips. My climax finally ended, and I fell on top my woman''s soft and supple body. Liv embraced me lovingly as she whispered.


    "My love, my belly is so full. You really filled me up."


    But I was far from done, I reached for her right leg and raised it up. I quickly got under it and placed it on my shoulder. I then slide between Liv''s legs and on one knee.


    This was the backstroke sex position.


    I saw the sloppy mess that was Liv''s pussy. Semen, pussy juice, and some blood were mixed together in a love cocktail of our own making. And it was dripping out of Liv''s hole obscenely.


    Unable to wait, I guided my cock back in and entered my amazon once more.


    "G-Ghwaa... My love, it''s even deeper than before!"


    I moved my right hand to fondle her breasts as I supported myself with the other. pressing hips together I reached even deeper than before. Unable to endure, Liv let out erotic cries as she drowned in pleasure.


    "E-ah...! U-Ughnn...! Uoah...!"


    Each time our hips connected her body violently shook. Seeing her so vulnerable and docile, I pinched her erect nipples as I fucked her brains out.


    Despite her physical prowess and build, on this bed she was nothing more than my sex slave.


    "H-nygn...! Kyaaaahh...!"


    Liv then stretched her arm towards me.


    "My love¡­I''m close¡­please hold me¡­."


    "I am too," I replied.


    "Inside¡­Please shoot it all inside me¡­Please¡­"


    I then held her hand as our fingers interlocked. My dick took over my thoughts as it angrily began to pound deep into her. The further I dug into Liv, the more her spongy flesh wrapped me tenderly.


    "O-uwah! H-Haaa...haaaa...A-Ah...!"


    Just like Liv, I was on the brink of ejaculation. My body''s essence rippled down my chest, through my gut and finally out of my engorged little brother. I violently smashed my cock into my woman''s hole the moment I came.


    "I-IYYAAAAHHHHH...!!!"


    Liv screamed in ecstasy as our bodies shivered together. Deliriously we violently exchanged baby milk. As we rode out our climaxes, I lowered Liv''s leg and kissed her.


    Our passion made us blind to everything else but each other.


    "Beloved, I love you," she confessed. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I love you too Liv."


    I then wrapped my hands around her waist and rolled her on top of me. I was about to scold her for her lack of self-love.


    But I suddenly felt my Pseudo Kindred connection with Liv suddenly expand. If it was the size of a narrow road, it suddenly expanded to a four-lane freeway. Naturally, the emotions that passed multiplied with it.


    A tidal wave of happiness and bliss washed over me. I then felt thoughts that belonged to the woman resting on my chest.


    ''Beloved, I love you¡­more than anything I ever have¡­more than words can ever say¡­I love you so much that it scares me¡­Mother, everyone, I am sorry¡­ But this man has become my everything¡­He means more to me than even the North¡­I must prove my worth¡­so that I would never lose his affection¡­.''


    I see, that was why she acted like she didn''t want to inconvenience me. It was her way of showing how much I meant to her.


    Overwhelmed with love, I wrapped my arms around Liv and sent her all my thoughts of what she meant to me.


    And immediately, Liv began weeping.


    Her arms wrapped around my head as she sought my lips.


    ''My love, you are too good for me¡­What did I do to deserve you?''


    With our new Kindred connection, we were connected in body, mind, and soul. I flipped Liv over and shifted her body to prepare for the next round. She bent her knees and spread her legs. Surprised she knew what I needed her to do, a thought then entered my mind.


    ''Exa, showed me Beloved. Please use my body to make yourself feel good¡­''


    I moved between her legs and leaned forward. I placed my right hand on her hip for support and used my left to grope her shapely ass.


    Then fucked her from behind in the Flatiron position without an inch of mercy. Liv gripped the sheets as she whimpered in pleasure.


    ''Beloved¡­My brain is melting¡­ I love you¡­I love you¡­. I love you¡­.''


    Our thoughts of love continued to shower each other so much it began to feel tangible.


    ''Was this the soul river Joshua talked about?''


    Testing it out I sent the soul river towards Liv and immediately her body began to tremble.


    "KYAAAAHHH!!!!"


    Feeling her pussy shivering, I pounded her hole even harder from lust. Liv accepted my violence without an inch of complaint, only gritting her teeth as she came in ecstasy. I moved the soul river towards me and suddenly began to ejaculate the moment it touched my body.


    "Ugh! Shit! Liv!!"


    "I-IYYAAAAHHHHH...!!!"


    Coming buckets, I quickly sent the river to Liv as she continued to cum without rest. Sadistically I let the river stay with her as I went balls deep into her pleasure hole.


    But then the Northerner sneakily sent the river back to me which caused me to orgasm violently.


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    Unable to endure, I collapsed on Liv''s sexy sweat covered back. I buried my face in her hair and inhaled the delightful scents of my lover. I crawled forward and gave her a deep and tender kiss.


    "Haha...My love¡­Did I surprise you?" she asks with a mischievous smile.


    "You did. I had assumed you would just stay docile like usual."


    "Well, if the man I love the most says I should treat myself better then I should believe him, right?"


    "That''s my girl," I praised.


    I turned her around and pulled her up. I rained kisses on her collarbone making my way towards her breasts.


    "[Divided we Stand]."


    Invoking my new program, I rapidly felt my body regaining my stamina. Naturally, my once limp dick began to grow hard anew. [Divided we Stand] was a program that shared Sunday''s stamina with the rest of my soul avatars.


    "Liv, use {Regen} or {Rewind}. I still need to punish you."


    "But¡­ If I do your seed will disappear...I won''t get pregnant..."


    Driven wild, I pushed her down on the bed and kissed her. I quickly got up and raided the mini fridge in the room. There were a couple of chocolates. I popped one of them into my mouth and gave it to Liv mouth to mouth.


    "{Eat}," she invoked happily.


    I smiled as I licked the chocolate from the insides of her mouth. Seeing the desire in my eyes, she gulped in nervousness. We do not reconvene for three days.


    So, for the next 72 hours. I will get my fill of Liv Ivaldi.


    I got on top of her and attacked my beloved Valkyrie once again.

 Chapter 458 I love you - (Inari Ver.) [1/2] [R18]

    Read new chapters at empireAs my bodies became mad with lust, each of my avatars went towards one of the Sirens to embrace them. Unable to withstand a second longer I grabbed Aki by her hand and took her into my arms.


    This Japanese woman was someone raised to be a weapon. Taking advantage of her familial love she was betrayed and eventually went insane.


    She tried to die by my hand only for me to bring her back. Overwhelmed with passion I pulled her by the waist and pressed her body against mine.


    "Aki. I want you," I whispered softly into her ear as I licked up her neck.


    "I will be in your care, Shujin."


    Before I could pick her up, Aki grabbed my shoulder and flicked her body up. Understanding what she aimed for I caught her midair in a bridal carry. Her dazzling smile when we synced up made it look like she won the lottery.


    ''Exa, are the other rooms available?''


    [I have reserved them all in advance my lord. The keys are in the bowl out near the door.]


    Pleased at my AI, I carefully walked with Aki in my arms. Naturally all my other bodies similarly went for the bowl, six other Sirens in their arms.


    No words need be said as I knew what each pair was going to do next. I was in control of all the men after all.


    With our Sirens in our arms, we each moved out of my original room and went into the hallway. The cold temperature of the air conditioning felt good on my skin. Obviously given how horny I was I felt a little hot.


    "Chu."


    Aki, seemingly driven wild with lust, repeatedly kissed along my neck. It was as if I was some drug she couldn''t get enough of. From how she caressed my skin, it was obvious how much she desired me.


    "Kamisan, I will be collecting your fees with interest," I warned.


    I entered one of the rooms Exa got for me. Compared to my suite it was fairly simple. I passed the living room and went straight to the bed. This would be where Aki and I will be spending the next few days.


    "Ara, Isn''t it the other way around Shujin? Your rent is due, but I only accept semen. Please pay up!"


    Despite her playful demeanor this woman had deep scars which would take years to heal. Most people would die if they took her path.


    And truthfully, Aki Miroku "The Bladed Kitsune" perished during our duel. Right now, she was merely Aki Miroku, my one and only Kamisan.


    Showcasing her flexibility and grappling abilities, Aki used her soft but toned legs to place me in a head scissors. She then flung me towards the bed back first as she pounced on me.


    When I got up to fight back, my woman used her grappling techniques to pin me down and struck two points on my shoulders.


    I suddenly lost all feeling from my arms as they drooped to my sides. Aki then pushed me to the bed as she apologized. She stripped her fishnet stockings and bound my arms behind me.


    "I''m sorry Shujin. Tonight, only I am in control. Please just relax and let me adore you."


    Eager to serve, Aki went for my lips and pleasured me with her tongue. Her large breasts pressed hard on my stomach as her hand began to grope my raging boner.


    "Anata, look at this gigantic thing. My guts will be destroyed by this massive cock."


    Aki brought her lips and sucked on my left nipple. She then raised her left leg over my cock and folded it. The meat of her thigh and shin sandwiched my angry member in soft smooth flesh.


    Using her leg, Aki began to caress my dick. Immense pleasure assaulted me at the tightness and softness of my Kamisan''s leg pussy. Knowing full well I grew horny from her onee-san type voice. Aki moaned as she worked me like a musical instrument.


    My Japanese lover then continued to masterfully stroke my engorged member. She also flicked my nipple with her tongue. Her eyes watched my reactions closely like how a predator would watch her prey. Aki''s other hand moved to my right nipple and began massaging it with her fingers.


    "Does it feel good, Anata?"


    "Ugh," I grunted trying to withstand her attacks.


    Aki then moved and sucked my collar bone. With our bodies pressed together her warmth and scent invaded my senses. Like a drug addict, my Kamisan worked both my nipples and pumped my cock at the same time.


    ''Fuck, I didn''t even know leg jobs were a thing!''


    As I felt essence welling up, Aki then continued working my nipples while whispering.


    "Go ahead and cum Anata. Soil me with your dick milk as much as you want," She moaned erotically.


    Unable to endure I blew my load over her leg. The Ninja quickly moved and shoved my still cumming cock in her mouth. Kamisan then began to suck the cum from my family jewels as she cleaned my pipes. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Panting after I climaxed, I sent soul into my veins to restore my limbs. I didn''t know if it would work, but luckily, I regained control of both my arms. I rose up and grabbed Aki hips, tearing her stocking as a result. I then pulled her towards me. However, she countered with an adorable request.


    "Please let me serve you with my body. You can pound me as hard as you want after. Can''t I?"


    ''Ugh, this fucking succubus! Who could resist?''


    Unable to say no, I relented. I sat on the bed obediently. Aki mounted me in one swift motion. She began rubbing her pussy on the tip of my cock as she positioned her body slowly. Afraid she would hurt herself I supported her torso by holding her sides.


    "Fufu, you really are kind. But I am alright. Look, my breasts might not be as big as Liv or Lilly''s, but they are quite above average for my height."


    Aki pressed her tits together in an attempt to appeal to me. It fucking worked and I pulled her towards me as I sucked on her erect nipples. The Japanese ninja then began lowering herself on my cock. She leaned herself back as she pushed her groin into mine.


    "Here¡­I go..."


    I closed my eyes as pleasure assaulted me. Deeper and deeper I entered into Aki, even as I pressed against her hymen she didn''t stop. Her warmth enveloped my angry meat stick as we became one. Sexy moans came out of my loving Kamisan as she slowly began to rock her hips. Like animals we fucked in the lotus flower position.


    "Haa¡­haa¡­Shujin¡­Your big fat cock is ripping me apart¡­.Aaah--¡­Ahh--¡­"


    As I admired Aki''s lovely body, I rained kisses from her neck to her breasts. The Ninja''s lower lips tightened in response to my caress. As if competing, she then began to pound her pussy into me.


    Wrapping her arms around my neck. Aki also offered her wonderful breasts to my mouth. Mesmerized by her bosoms perfect shape I sucked on her tit while embracing her tighter.


    Proud that this sexy woman was mine I pressed her down even deeper into my dick.


    "Ooh¡­Amazing¡­Iyaa!"


    Aki arched her belly servicing me with incredible grace. The softness of my woman''s pussy was amazing, and the way she stroked my member with her insides was so good.


    I ran my hands over her back as I continued to play with her nipples.


    "Haa¡­!!...Haa¡­!!!"


    The sloppy mess coming out of Aki''s pussy showed just how into it the ninja was. I brought my left hand to Aki''s breasts and roughly fondled her them. She squealed as I attacked her as she joined our hips together.


    "H-Haa!¡­Hyaa!!¡­Guh!!...I-Incredible¡­H-Huuah¡­"

 Chapter 459 I love you - (Inari Ver.) [2/2] [R18]

    Her amorous cries filled my ears. A salty taste filled my mouth as I lapped up her boob sweat. Feeling her otter pocket beginning to twitch, I knew she was close. I placed both of my arms on her back as I embraced her as tightly as I could.I lost control and began thrusting my hips upward into her sloppy hole. Afraid she would break from my rough assault I was about to slow when Aki tried to reassure me.


    "H-Haa...R-Ravage me as hard¡­a-as hard...G-Gyuooowhh!!¡­ a-as you want Anata!!"


    Believing her words I intensified my pace as I pounded Aki''s lovely wet pussy like mochi. The pleasure of her insides sent my head into a tailspin. My yang energy rushed towards my cock.


    "Kamisan, I''m going to¡­"


    "Haa¡­Anata¡­Iyaaa¡­M-me too¡­Anata¡­together¡­Kah¡­please¡­I want¡­Huuah¡­together¡­"


    I felt Aki try to clamp down her pussy shut in a vain attempt to hold back her orgasm. After one final thrust, I violently stabbed my meat spear into Aki''s inner most place. I then erupted and filled my Japanese lover to the brim with my baby batter.


    "Yaaaaaahh!!!!!"


    Aki collapsed on me as cum and pussy juice spilled out of her lewd opening.


    "Haaa¡­haa¡­haa¡­Anata¡­that was incredible¡­I came from your cream pie¡­ It felt sooo good¡­Anata¡­were you really a virgin? How are so good at sex? It''s suspicious¡­"


    Amused at her jealousy I kissed her gently as my answer.


    Aki then swiftly turned around and placed her sexy legs on my shoulders. She also placed her hands on the bed for support. Horny from her legs touching me I tenderly licked from her shin to her toes.


    "Anata, look at me. Only at me."


    Finding Aki adorable, I placed her leg back on my shoulder and rested my hand on the bed for support. I stared at Aki''s beautiful face and erotic breasts as I slowly thrusted my hips upward. Her marvelous breasts bounced as she rose and fell due to my movements.


    Kamisan choose the legs on shoulders position as it requires deep understanding to sync with your partner. As I pushed my hips into Aki, she matched my movements and slammed her hole down.


    "H-Hkuuuukk...Haa¡­haa¡­Hyaa¡­Haa¡­"


    Penetrating her inside even deeper, I felt my cock kiss Aki''s womb. It was so fucking tight. But seeing my Japanese lover''s face as she drowned in pleasure made it all worth it. Unable to even open her eyes, Aki and I smashed our groins together as we climbed to the summit.


    "A-Ahhh¡­y-you''re so big¡­b-but¡­ I-It feels shogood. More¡­please love me more¡­Huoo¡­!"


    Driven insane by Aki''s obscene request, I piston fucked my Japanese lover with all my power. Even though she could barely speak Aki remained synced to my increased pace. Continue reading at empire


    Every quarter inch of her pussy fought against me as I entered. But like a jack hammer I continued to pound Aki''s secret garden not caring about anything else. Her body violently shook as my actions increased in intensity.


    "Gaah¡­Gaah¡­Guuuuuhh¡­"


    I then felt her enter pussy ring convulse as she climaxed.


    Seeing Aki going crazy as I fucked her sent me over the edge. I thrusted my hips without stopping as I desired to paint her insides with my baby batter.


    Aki likewise continued to hammer her pussy down my bulging cock. It was as if her body moved deliriously on its own. Seeking pleasure of its own accord.


    "Haa¡­Haaa¡­.I-I''m going crazy¡­ Gaah¡­Anata¡­please cum! I can''t take it much more! Cum inside me!"


    With glazed eyes, Aki began to drool as she begged. The obscenity of my Japanese lover caused my body to converge my life energy into where we were connected.


    "Kyaahh!!¡­Haa¡­Haaaaa¡­.!!!"


    My balls then expelled out an explosive force of cream. A tidal wave of my dick milk raged into her already puffed-up pussy.


    "HYAAAAAAAAA!!!!"


    My Japanese lover then collapsed on top of my dick as I continued to pump my load inside of her.


    "Anata¡­Anata¡­Embrace me¡­please¡­"


    Growing needy like child, Aki raised her arms to me as she sought me. When my ejaculation finally finished, I pulled out and hugged Aki into my chest.


    When our bodies touched Aki buried herself in my embrace. It was as if she wanted to never separate from me ever again.


    "Shujin, I love you."


    "I love you too Aki."


    I then felt my Pseudo Kindred connection with Aki suddenly expand. If it was the size of a narrow road, it suddenly expanded to a four-lane freeway. Naturally the emotions that passed multiplied with it.


    A soft but powerful warmth wrapped around me like a blanket. It reminded me of autumn weather. At that moment thoughts of the woman inside my arms flooded my mind.


    ''Anata¡­I love you¡­I love you...I love you so much¡­If it''s for you¡­I am prepared to do anything¡­kill everyone¡­ kill everything¡­if it''s for you¡­Just so you look at me even for just a second longer...Anata¡­please look at me¡­that would be enough¡­I don''t deserve more than that¡­''


    I tried to stop my tears from falling as Aki''s raw feelings smashed into my very soul. Naturally, I gave as good as I got. So, I similarly sent tsunamis of affection to my Kamisan.


    However, unlike me, Aki broke down and began to sob pitifully over my shoulder as she finally understood how much I loved her.


    ''Shujin¡­Shujin¡­Was that all true?¡­Am I deserving of your affection?¡­I can''t¡­''


    With our new Kindred connection, we were connected in body, mind, and soul. I lied on my back taking Aki with me. I then made her face front and tried to raise her legs.


    Somehow understanding my actions, the ninja then lifted her legs up to her breasts. I wrapped my arms underneath her legs and grab her neck before lifting her up.


    I then thrusted my engorged cock right back into her cum filled pussy. As I entered, I brutally ravaged her insides unleashing all my lust.


    "Iyaaa!! Haaaa...!!!"


    With her entire body pinned in a full nelson, Aki helplessly moaned as I fucked her slutty hole. Her insides gripped my dick hard as I bent upwards up in her tunnel. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Anata! Anata! My mind is going white!!! I love you¡­I love you¡­I love you¡­''


    Our thoughts of love continued to shower each other so much it began to feel tangible.


    ''Was this the soul river Joshua talked about?''


    Testing it out I sent the soul river towards Aki and immediately her body began to tremble.


    "KYAAAAHHH!!!!"


    Feeling her hole convulsing as she climaxed, I relentlessly pounded my obscene Jap even more. I tried to cycle the soul river towards me as a test but suddenly began ejaculating the moment it touched me.


    "Aki I''m¡­!!"


    "I-IKUUUUUUUUUUU...!!!"


    Aki orgasmed from my massive cream pie. I quickly sent the river back to her. She continued to climax again and again as a result. Sadistically I let the river stay with her as I continued to make love to her hole.


    "Cumming!!!¡­Anata¡­ Haaa¡­!!! I''m going to die!! I-IKUU!!!!!!!"


    Believing it was enough I pulled the soul river to ejaculate a final time. Unable to endure I blew my last load and collapsed. I released Aki who pathetically crawled intto my embrace unable to move her legs.


    "Shujin, you were so violent! I almost died."


    "I''m sorry Kamisan, I couldn''t resist your sexy body."


    "Hmph. I don''t mind. If it''s for you Anata. I will do anything."


    I embraced her in my arms in response.


    "[Divided we Stand]."


    Invoking my new program, I rapidly felt my body regaining my stamina. Naturally, my once limp dick began to grow hard anew. [Divided we Stand] was a program that shared Sunday''s stamina with the rest of my soul avatars.


    "Aki, use {Regen} or {Rewind}. I still haven''t had enough."


    "...Okay¡­{Regen}¡­"


    Seeing the desire in my eyes, she gulped in nervousness. We do not reconvene for three days.


    So, for the next 72 hours. I will get my fill of Aki Miroku.


    Driven wild with lust I pinned her arms and began loving my sexy Kamisan one again.

 Chapter 460 I love you - (Vela Ver.) [1/2] [R18]

    As my bodies became mad with lust, each of my avatars went towards one of the Sirens to embrace them. Unable to withstand a second longer I grabbed Jo by her hand and took her into my arms.This Italian descendant was someone who yearned for love all her life. Yet they made her go through horrors no girl should have had to endure. All to create the most powerful descendant. And despite all that in the end she was abandoned like trash.


    Despite all this she had the biggest smile and had a personality brighter than the sun. Overwhelmed with passion I pulled her by the waist and pressed her body against mine.


    "Jo. I want you," I whispered softly into her ear as I licked up her neck.


    "Love me lots okay, darling?"


    She then gave me a tender and soft kiss. When I moved to pick her up in a bridal carry, she accepted with a giant smile. Jo wrapped her hands around my neck and needly kept begging for kisses. Naturally, I obliged.


    ''Exa, are the other rooms available?''


    [I have reserved them all in advance my lord. The keys are in the bowl out near the door.]


    Pleased at my AI, I carefully walked with Jo in my arms. Naturally all my other bodies similarly went for the bowl, six other Sirens in their arms.


    No words need be said as I knew what each pair was going to do next. I was in control of all the men after all.


    With our Sirens in our arms, we each moved out of my original room and went into the hallway. The cold temperature of the air conditioning felt good on my skin. Obviously given how horny I was I felt a little hot.


    "Hehe, Darling, I feel like a princess. Will you be my knight forever?"


    Jo was acting adorably and role playing. Thinking she must have some deeper reason, I played along as I kissed her neck. Her eyes seemed unfocused as she rested her head on my chest.


    "Of course, Lady Josephine. I, Sir Johnathan Smith, Knight of Hellsend vow my sword to you alone," I declared boldly.


    I entered one of the rooms Exa got for me. Compared to my suite it was fairly simple. I passed the living room and went straight to the bed. This would be where Jo and I would be spending the next few days.


    "Darling, my one and only knight, how I longed to meet you. I am so happy," Jo said lovingly as she kissed me.


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    Quite different from how she behaved usually, Jo acted reserved. I did not escape my notice how affectionate Jo said the word "Knight". Given what she had gone through, this word or rather the ideal must have been something that kept her going.


    I sat on the edge of the bed and placed Jo on my lap. Despite Jo''s magnificent body ripe for the taking, I held back and simply embraced her from behind.


    My Italian was silent as she basked in the warmth of our bodies. I said nothing but quietly inhaled her scent as I waited.


    Jo then hugged my arms as she teased. "My knight, is your princess that ugly? We are naked yet you do not take me?"


    Finding her claim complete and utter bullshit, I sucked hard on her neck as I stood up with her in a bridal carry. I moved towards a full body mirror and remarked as I kissed her neck perversely.


    "My lady, look at your knight''s cock. It is about to burst just from the sight of your immense beauty. Your servant feels inadequate Lady Josephine. That is the only reason I have yet to ravage you. How could a mere mortal like me expect the love of a goddess?"


    Jo then began giggling innocently before she reached down and touched my swollen member. Her soft and smooth hand looked out of place on my burly and pulsing penis. Yet she stroked it like it was her greatest treasure in the world.


    "You are more than enough darling. I was only able to come to this point because of you. And like a fairy tale, you save me during my darkest hour. Darling. Make love to me. Please.


    Show me how much I mean to you."


    I gently stole her lips as I shifted her body to spread apart her legs. Understanding what I intended, Jo used her arms to secure herself onto me as I carried her by her hips.


    I then began to position her onto my cock so we could mate in the flying squirrel position.


    Before I could enter her though, I felt gooey fluids drip on my shaft. The source? Jo''s wet slit. Her pussy''s lips were already puffed up like warm dough. Obviously my darling no longer needed any foreplay.


    Jo, who saw my lewd reaction tried to look away in embarrassment. Feeling immensely blissful I stroked my engorged cock onto her pussy''s lips. My pre cum and her juices began mixing as we both grew more excited.


    My Italian then went for my lips as she mumbled. "Darling¡­stop bullying me."


    Finding my woman adorable, I lowered her entrance into my member. I slowly weaved my way in, careful not to hurt my shooting star.


    However, still Jo winced as I entered her. I encountered resistance and then something tear as I went in deeper.


    Blood began to drip from Jo''s vagina as she became my woman. The mixture of blood and the Italian''s fluids dripped down to the base of my cock. Jo''s amorous moans rang out the room.


    "A-Ahyn..Haa...haa...Darling¡­I''m finally yours¡­"


    Unable to stop myself, I began to slowly push in and out of her. I was amazed at how easily I slid in. It was as if Jo was made for me. I felt immense pleasure as I intensified my rhythm.


    "Haa...Nymm...Hya...!!"


    Looking up I saw Josephines'' large breasts shake violently along with my trusts. Her meek cries along with her body''s warmth, made me go insane with desire.


    "Haa...Hyaaa...D-Darling¡­!!"


    Finding her cute sounds adorable, I sought her lips. I stuck my tongue down her throat, as I violated her secret garden with my burly meat stick.


    "Mygn..Mmm...Mmgn..."


    Our tongues tied into knots as I drowned in Jo''s taste. I sucked on her lips, then licked up and down her neck. Her hole clenched at my every touch. Attacking both of her lips, I watched Jo''s face warp with pleasure and desire.


    "Hyaa...Aahh...!"


    As her upper body was holding her in place, I took off my hand from under her right hip and began massaging her happy button.


    "H-Hyaaa! T-That''s my...!! Haa...! N-No¡­! I''m going to¡­ At this rate, I''m really going to¡­"


    Sensing Jo was about to climax, I moved my mouth to her bouncing right breast and sucked on her nipple. I continued attacking her from three different spots. Jo''s insides began to tighten as she tried to stop herself from cumming. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Haaa...Haa...N-No...! Oh no...! Oh no...!!! Darling! Darling! My body''s¡­My body''s¡­"


    Feeling my sadistic tendencies going wild, I smashed my dick into her pussy with even greater force. My vitality similarly welled up sending me over the edge.


    "Darling!!! I-I can''t¡­!!!"


    Going balls deep, I finally buried myself into my Italian''s pussy. I unleashed all the power stored in my balls as I came.


    "I-IYAAAHHH!!!!"


    My powerful explosions continued filling up my darling. Jo''s walls wrapped against my cock, as she wrung out every drop of cum from my little brother. When I blew my last spurt, I pulled out of her pussy.


    "Haaa¡­haaa¡­haaa¡­. Darling¡­my belly feels so warm¡­"


    I watched our love cocktail of thick dick milk and pussy juice, obscenely drip down out of Jo''s messy hole. Even as my semen trickled down from my lover''s vagina her insides continued to tremble.


    "Darling¡­you came inside me so much¡­What if I end up pregnant?"

 Chapter 461 I love you - (Vela Ver.) [2/2] [R18]

    Amused by her stupid question, I slowly carried Jo to the bed and laid her on her side. I then joined behind her. I guided her right hand to hold up her leg into the air. I placed my leg over her hip and penetrated her from behind."H-Haa¡­."


    I used my left hand to keep myself up while my right fondled Jo''s magnificent boobs. Mesmerized by her smooth and fair skin, I also kissed and sucked along her neckline. We began to fuck in the binding position


    Jo''s squishy ass wrapped around the base of my rod and my pelvis, providing full stimulation to my center mass.


    I continued massaging Josephine''s breasts and pinched her nipples. Feeling her on every inch of my body I drowned in my woman''s scent, taste, and body.


    "Haa¡­Haa¡­Darling¡­!"


    I gasped as I banged my bulging cock into the ceiling of Jo''s womb. Her fluids and my previous ejaculation leaked down from her opening as I pounded her like a jack hammer.


    My shooting star looked absolutely breathtaking as she glistened with sweat, moaning from my assault.


    Her near perfect proportions different from mine, were a marvel of nature. How could such a beautiful woman exist?


    Was I really the same species as her? As Jo continued to cry like a succubus, she adjusted her body to allow her to feel my cock better.


    "Hyaaa...! Darling...! N-No....! Hyaaa....! Hyaaaa...."


    Delirious from pleasure, Jo began to drool as I banged her into a coma. The powerful and scary "Vela", fucked beyond all recognition. An utter mess all because of my big fat cock.


    "Haa...! Ah...!! Darling...!!! No way...!! No...!! Hyaaa...!"


    I felt Jo wrap the walls of her pussy around my member, begging for my touch. Her hand caressed my thighs as she neared Nirvana.


    How would the Saints of Hellsend react when they see their beloved idol now?


    "Hyaaa...N-No....I-It''s...Haa.. I-It''s coming again...!! Hyaaa...! Darling!!"


    Yet, no one would ever know because this sight was solely for me alone. I moved my hands from her breasts and pinched her nipples, as I attacked her lewd hole.


    Her pussy aware of what was to come, began to flood as it tightened around its invader. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Darling¡­!!! Hyaaa¡­! M-More¡­!! M-More¡­!"


    My lust soared as my gorgeous Jo erotically asked for a pounding. Unable to resist I teased her.


    "What? I didn''t hear you¡­"


    Biting her lips, Jo made an annoyed face as she repeated. "M-More¡­!! M-More¡­!"


    Satisfied, I fucked Jo''s pussy as if my life depended on it. I grabbed her breast like a handle as I intensified my thrusts.


    "Hyaaa...! Haaaa...!! Haaaa...!!"


    As if my hips had a mind of their own, they smashed without mercy into Jo''s pelvis. Meanwhile, I focused on nothing but pleasuring the Italian shooting star. Sucking on her tongue as I fondled her breasts.


    "Hyaaa¡­! H-Hyaaa¡­! D-Darling! I-I''m gonna¡­!!!"


    "Just cum, darling. I''m close too," I replied.


    "N-No¡­! I-I don''t want to cum alone! D-Darling¡­! D-Darling¡­!"


    Jo raised her right hand as if searching for its partner. I grabbed it and interlocked our fingers.


    "A-Ah...A-Ah...A-Ah...!"


    I then felt Jo tremble and shiver uncontrollably.


    "H-HYAAAAAA...!!!"


    She then lost strength and laid her head on my chest, panting. If the woman was expecting I stop because she came first, Jo was sorely mistaken.


    Thus, I continued ramming my manhood into her lewd damp hole.


    "A-AAAHHHH!!! D-DARLING!!!"


    Jo squealed like a prostitute as I violently pounded her with all of my focus. Her sexy voice, her sweet scent, her warm skin, and tight pussy enveloped me.


    My senses saw and felt nothing but her. My desire to impregnate her sent my vitality to concentrate on my shaft, then explode.


    "HAAAAAA...!!! I-I''m cumming again...!!! I-I''m cumming...!!!! Haaa...!!!!"


    Primal gasps came from my mouth as I shoved my member deeper into Jo. I ejaculated with great force into her insides.


    Filled to the brim, white cream gushed out of her pussy. I tenderly wrapped my arms around her as I continued to pump her full of semen.


    "Haaa..Haaa¡­Haaa¡­ So much¡­Darling¡­I am definitely going to get pregnant¡­"


    I then kissed her tenderly as I whispered.


    "Don''t worry Jo, we will shower our kids with love. What you fear will never happen."


    Jo then regained her signature smile as she chirped.


    "DARLING! I LOVE YOU!"


    "I love you too Jo."


    I then felt my Pseudo Kindred connection with Jo suddenly expand. If it was the size of a narrow road, it suddenly expanded to a four-lane freeway. Naturally, the emotions that passed multiplied with it.


    A tender but calming breeze gently embraced me. It reminded me of the first days of spring. At that moment thoughts of my Italian lover entered my soul.


    ''Darling¡­I love you¡­I love you...My very own knight¡­ The one who will always love me no matter what¡­I''m so glad I believed my Nana. I''m so grateful she told me of Sir knight¡­I''m so glad I didn''t give up¡­Darling¡­I thank the heavens I met you¡­you are the best thing to happen to me¡­''


    It was then I understood. So, her Nana used "Sir Knight" as a promise of a future ally. One that would never betray or hurt Jo. I desperately tried to stop my tears from falling as Jo''s innocent and pure thoughts washed my very soul.


    Unwilling to stay silent, I likewise drowned her in every wonderful thing I thought and loved about the Stella Cadente. And as a result, Jo began bawling like a child.


    Hopefully, she understood how deep my love for her actually ran.


    ''DARLING! I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!!! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!''


    With our new Kindred connection, we were connected in body, mind, and soul. I got on top of Jo and raised then spread her legs. I hung over her body as I supported myself on my arms.


    In this eagle position I once again began to penetrate Jo''s magnificent pussy.


    "M-Mmgn....!! Haaaa...!!!"


    As I laid on top of her, Jo couldn''t do anything but accept my violent thrusts. Her face warped in pleasure as she felt my dick kissing the deepest part of her womb.


    "H-hyaa..A-Ahh!!!....M-Mygnnnn...!!!"


    ''Darling! Darling! It feels so good! Cum! Cum as much was you want! I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!''


    Our thoughts of love continued to shower each other so much it began to feel tangible.


    ''Was this the soul river Joshua talked about?''


    Testing it out I sent the soul river towards Jo and immediately her body began to shiver.


    "HYAAAAA!!!!"


    Feeling her hole convulsing as she climaxed, I relentlessly pounded my sultry Italian even more. I tried to cycle the soul river but came the moment it touched me.


    "Jo I''m¡­!!"


    "A-AHHHHHHHH...!!!"


    Jo orgasmed a second time from my dick milk. I instantly sent the river back to her. She lost strength as her body came again and again without stopping.


    Her pussy still managed to wring my dick dry as I buried my face in her marvelous breasts. I then called the soul river to me as my final act.


    Unable to endure I blew my last load and collapsed on my lover. I got off Jo and allowed her to lie down. The woman quickly rolled on top of me and kissed my chest.


    "Darling, you know I love you. But don''t you enjoy bullying me a little too much?"


    "Jo, have you seen how cute you can be?"


    "Heee, so It''s my fault?"


    "It absolutely is." Enjoy new stories from empire


    I embraced her in my arms in response.


    "[Divided we Stand]."


    Invoking my new program, I rapidly felt my body regaining my stamina. Naturally, my once limp dick began to grow hard anew. [Divided we Stand] was a program that shared Sunday''s stamina with the rest of my soul avatars.


    "Jo, use {Regen} or {Rewind}. I still haven''t had enough."


    "...O-Okay¡­{Regen}¡­"


    Seeing the desire in my eyes, she gulped in nervousness. We do not reconvene for three days.


    So, for the next 72 hours. I will get my fill of Josephine Benelli.


    I stole her lips as I made love to my shooting star once more.

 Chapter 462 I love you - (Minerva Ver) [1/2] [R18]

    As my bodies became mad with lust, each of my avatars went towards one of the Sirens to embrace them. Unable to withstand a second longer I grabbed Bella by her hand and took her into my arms.This Brazilian bombshell was someone who had her future stolen from her by terrorists. Despite all the hardship, she fought alone and eventually became that which she wanted to destroy. Beneath her snarky and arrogant exterior was a lonely woman looking for someone to lean on. Enjoy exclusive content from empire


    She found hope in my words and has since acted on my behalf. Her wisdom kept me safe, and her abilities gave me power. Overwhelmed with passion I pulled her by the waist and pressed her body against mine.


    "Bella. I want you," I whispered softly into her ear as I licked up her neck.


    "About time Mr. Code."


    She then passionately inserted her tongue down my throat. When I moved to pick her up in a bridal carry, she refused and instead leaped on me like a koala. Bella pressed her huge melons on my chest as her legs wrapped around my torso.


    ''Exa, are the other rooms available?''


    [I have reserved them all in advance my lord. The keys are in the bowl out near the door.]


    Pleased at my AI, I carefully walked with Bella in my arms. Naturally all my other bodies similarly went for the bowl, six other Sirens in their arms. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No words need be said as I knew what each pair was going to do next. I was in control of all the men after all.


    With our Sirens in our arms, we each moved out of my original room and went into the hallway. The cold temperature of the air conditioning felt good on my skin. Obviously given how horny I was I felt a little hot.


    "Mwah, Honey, are you ready to get fucked by a Latina?"


    Bella assaulted my lips as she rubbed her naked chest on mine. Her erect nipples scraped along my skin. About to lose my mind from her passion, I grabbed her ass and traced my finger around her asshole. Bella shivered in place, I then kissed her breasts and sucked on her skin.


    "You lecherous big titted slut, I am going to destroy your pussy," I snapped.


    I entered one of the rooms Exa got for me. Compared to my suite it was fairly simple. I passed the living room and went straight to the bed. This would be where Bella and I would be spending the next few days.


    Bella made a seductive smile as she replied. "Big words. Talk is cheap!"


    In excitement, I body slammed the Latina on the bed. I then licked along her cleavage as I tasted her sweat. Bella''s breasts really were big. It was smaller than Liv''s but for her height, it made her proportions ridiculous.


    "H-Huu...Aah..."


    Bella squirmed as I slowly made my way down to her secret garden. I traced her lower lips with my finger only to find it completely soaked. My middle finger slipped into her opening easily. I ran it back and forth between her insides and the top of her entryway where her clit resided.


    "Haa¡­Haaa¡­Honey¡­ This is¡­.haa¡­Honey''s¡­fingering my insides¡­"


    The Latina tensed up as pleasure began to propagate through her. I pressed her swollen clitoris gently as I sucked on her breasts and nipples. Bella began to moan like a whore as she slowly drowned in pleasure.


    "More...Aahh...I-Incredible...Aah...."


    Bella''s eyes were glazed over and her mouth parted in an incredibly dirty expression. Her lewd face turned me on even more. Her hot juices drenched my fingers as I kept working her engorged clitoris.


    "Haa..Haa..A-Aa-Ah...!"


    I felt her insides began to tremble as I fingered my Brazilian bombshell into an orgasm.


    "E-eh? A-ah¡­! I-It''s coming¡­Honey¡­!! H-Uyhhnnyaaa...! Haa...!!"


    With her strength leaving her as she panted, her walls began shivering as convulsion after convulsion rolled over her as Bella climaxed.


    "Haaa¡­Haa¡­ What the fuck Honey?! That felt way better than when I played with myself. How are you so good?!"


    Extremely proud of her praise, I said nothing. I shifted positions and mounted her torso. I grabbed her gigantic breasts and squeezed my dick between them. Even enveloped by her soft and spongy breasts my tip reached to her nose.


    "Holy fuck¡­Honey¡­there is no way that thing will fit inside me¡­"


    Finding her reactions extremely erotic, I slid my cock between her mounds as I pushed my dick into her mouth pussy without permission. Despite my actions, Bella didn''t complain and accepted me.


    An incredible sensation rushed through me, tingling my nerves as it traveled up my spine. My member drowned in Bella''s sloppy and wet mouth. her drool began to coat my cock and soiled her magnificent bosoms.


    "Mmpffh...Honey¡­Is this good enough?"


    "You''re incredible, Bella. I''m already close."


    "Mm¡­Then¡­"


    When she heard my honest praise, the Latina began to suck dick with renewed vigor. Her desperate attempts to please me made me even harder. Bella bobbed her head as I thrusted my hips between her mountains.


    "Mppffh...Mpff..."


    Obscene sounds filled the room as Bella desperately tried to make me cum. Seeing her eagerness to please me as I violated her mouth pussy, the cum rose from my balls without my consent.


    ''Shit¡­I can''t hold on anymore.''


    "Bella, I''m¡­"


    "Mmffh...Mmts mallriggh...C-Cum... I-Into..."


    Before she could even finish her sentence, I unloaded everything into her cute mouth. I shoved my dick into her top opening as I blasted her with my semen. White squirts of thick batter already filled her mouth, yet she didn''t stop sucking!


    "Hhpprrrfff!!!"


    Like a vacuum Bella pulled semen straight from my balls as I kept ejaculating. I felt like I almost died as my eyeballs rolled to the back of my skull. The woman finally let me go after I finished.


    White trails of semen decorated her chest like a pearl necklace. Bella then used her hands and brought all the cum to her mouth and drank them.


    "Gulp. That all you got Honey?" She teased as cream dribbled down from her lips.


    Amused, Bella then presented her backside to me as she spread open her lower lips.


    "Honey¡­This hole is thirsty too¡­It''s my precious first, which I protected just for you," she bragged adorably.


    Unable to resist I crawled behind her. With both of us standing on our knees, Bella hugged my neck with her right arm as she opened up her legs.


    Given access to her huge melons, I played with her tits with my right hand as I held her in place with my left. Bella then turned her face towards me as she waited eagerly for my caress.


    I slowly pushed my raging cock into her sloppy hole.


    "Hyaa¡­I-Iyaaa¡­Fuck!!!¡­my pussy is going to tear apart!!"


    My dick slid right in her extremely tight hole, drowning in her pussy juices. Bella''s lower lips were already drenched from her orgasms earlier. True to her claims I felt her hymen rip apart as I entered.


    "Myaaa¡­Haaa¡­Haa¡­ H-how is it Mr. Code? W-worth every penny, right?"


    My woman continued to make snarky comments as her face winced in pain. I already knew she only insulted others to hide her fear and anxiety. I affectionately sucked on her neck as I waited for Bella to get use to my dick.


    "Don''t be scared Honey, you don''t need to worry¡­Nothing you do would make me love you any less. Relax¡­"


    At that moment I felt Bella suddenly tighten as fluids gushed out of her pussy. Bella''s arms lost strength as she desperately clung to me.


    "What a lewd woman my honey is becoming. You came from just that?" I playfully chastised her.


    "Shut it honey. Do you have any idea how scared I was that you wouldn''t want me? Anyway, that was just a small one¡­lets continue¡­move as you please."

 Chapter 463 I love you - (Minerva Ver.) [2/2] [R18]

    I then began to slowly thrust my pelvis into Bella''s. She shuddered as I kissed her womb with my burly dick. This extremely sensual position was called the oath. I let my right-hand wander around Bella''s gorgeous body.Bella''s breathing became ragged as I rubbed my body onto hers. As if getting electrocuted, her pussy spasmed each time I fondled her boobs or licked her ears. I then moved my head near her armpit and began kissing her underarm.


    "G-Gya¡­Honey! What the fuck?! That''s dirty!"


    "That''s for me to decide woman. Now shut up and let me love you."


    Despite her complaints Bella''s breathing got rougher as I teased her armpits. Her huffs and moans growing more sensual the longer we fucked. Bella''s scent, taste and sounds made my mind grow numb.


    It was like she was lust made flesh.


    "Haa¡­Haa¡­M-More¡­M-More¡­"


    I kissed her lewd mouth as I slid in and out of the Latina. Pleasure spread on both my mouth and my loins as I neared eruption. Horny beyond belief, my meat stick only grew bigger reaching deep into Bella''s belly.


    She gasped each time her ass got smacked by my hips, the tip of my cock lovingly stabbed into her womb. Drenched in sweat the Brazilian bombshell glowed like a jewel as she cried in pleasure.


    "H-Hyggn...Nyuu....Hyaaaa...!! Honey¡­ Y-You''re too rough¡­ G-Gahh¡­!!!"


    I felt Bella''s body began to twitch, she also began to cry out seductively.


    "Haaa...! Haaa....!! Haa...!!!"


    My Latina lover clenched the walls of her pussy to stop herself from cumming. But I slammed my meat stick even harder than ever before, sending my woman into a violent orgasm.


    "NO¡­!! H-Hya¡­Hya¡­!!! H-Honey¡­S-Stop¡­!!"


    Her pussy shivered as she reached Nirvana. However, despite that fact, I didn''t stop pounding her. The stimulation of her trembling pussy and her obscene cries caused my raging cock to near its breaking point.


    "G-Ghuuuooo!!"


    Unable to stop my lust, all my yang energy exploded into one gigantic, creamy burst. By my second volley Bella''s insides were already full. The excess semen spurted out of her lewd hole in big sticky clumps.


    "HYAAAAA¡­.!!!!"


    Riding my ejaculation, I continued to blast hot white cream into Bella''s already flooded pussy.


    "Haaaa...!!! Haaaaaa¡­!!!"


    Eventually my orgasm ended, and Bella collapsed on me seemingly drained of energy. While cumming inside Bella felt really good, it was no were near enough.


    I separated from her and made her face me. I sat on my butt and sat her on my lap. My woman bended her legs and rested them on the bed. She then stretched her arms to me shyly as she panted. Knowing full well what would come next.


    Finding her extremely adorable, I grabbed her limbs above the elbow as I laid backward. I then slammed my hips towards Bella''s pelvis. Matching my movements Bella similarly thrusted her hips towards me as she also laid her body back.


    This was the tug of war sex position. Synced with my thrusts, Bella began to scream in pleasure. Unable to free herself she was entirely at my mercy.


    "U-Uyggnn...! Fuck! Why is it even bigger now? H-Hyaaa..."


    Hearing such words would make any man happy, and I was no exception. Enjoying the view of Bella''s marvelous breasts shaking like crazy, I continued to pound her.


    Bella''s pussy''s tightness made every quarter inch a struggle. There wasn''t even a hair''s width of wiggle room despite the gooey mess of cum and pussy juice. An incredible, hot sensation filled my gut as my engorged cock entire length was wrapped by Bella''s slimy walls.


    "M-Myggnn¡­!! Myggnn¡­!! Honey¡­I''m going to break¡­!"


    Finding sadistic pleasure in her tearful cries I continued to ravage her secret garden without stopping.


    "Honey¡­M-My insides¡­Y-You''re messing up my insides¡­!!"


    The sight of her breasts bouncing with my every movement only served to send me over the edge. Seeing her desperate attempts to hold on, only made me want to violate her even harder.


    "Haaa! Haa! Haa! Honey! Honey!"


    Thus, I buried my cock even deeper into her belly. Relishing her erotic cries as Bella''s otter pocket got skewered by my meat stick.


    "Remember this Bella, this hole is now my personal pussy!"


    "Mm¡­! Yes! ¡­ Haaa¡­! B-Bella''s pussy is Honey''s personal pussy!"


    Hearing her obediently accept my tyranny filled me with desire. I continued to gouge Bella''s insides even deeper as a reward.


    "Ah! I''m close! Please cum into Bella''s pussy! I want it¡­I want every last drop¡­!" S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Feeling a pent-up rush of adrenaline, I hardened my pace literally clapping my pelvis into Bella''s groin. My Latina howled with pleasure, drooling from being fucked senseless.


    "H-Hya! Hya! Honey! I''M CUMMMING!"


    Bella lost strength as her pussy twitched uncontrollably. Without a shred of mercy, I pounded her convulsing hole intending fuck her into unconsciousness.


    The pleasure caused my body''s vitality to well up and surged towards my cock. With one mighty stab I jammed my dick into Bella''s deepest part and ejaculated with all my might.


    "K-Kywaaaaa!!!"


    Hot sticky warmth coated my dick as I pumped Bella full of my batter. Unable to keep all my cum in, great big glops shot out of her pussy. I panted in ecstasy and finally let go of my woman who collapsed on her back.


    I moved towards her, picked her up and kissed her tenderly.


    "H-Honey¡­you fucking lunatic¡­I love you¡­" Bella said deliriously.


    "I love you too Bella."


    I then felt my Pseudo Kindred connection with Bella suddenly expand. If it was the size of a narrow road, it suddenly expanded to a four-lane freeway. Naturally, the emotions that passed multiplied with it.


    A pleasant electrifying sensation ran through me. It reminded me of the comfortable feeling of peace during a heavy rain. At that moment thoughts of my Brazilian Latina entered my soul.


    ''Honey¡­I love you¡­I love you...I love you so much¡­ Why are you so good to me¡­It must be because you find me irresistible right¡­Hehehe¡­Fine¡­I guess I have to live with you for the rest of our lives¡­Yes¡­That''s the only answer...It''s definitely not because I can''t live without you or anything!''


    Amused at her childish and tsundere like thoughts, I likewise drowned her in my loving thoughts that revolved around one thing. That our place was by each other''s side. Bella cried tears of joy as she nodded her head franticly.


    ''Naturally! Who else is worthy of my love and devotion? Only you! I FUCKING LOVE YOU HONEY!''


    With our new Kindred connection, we were connected in body, mind, and soul. I carried her off the bed and helped her stand up. I then held her wrists hostage as I perpetrated her from behind.


    "M-Myggnn¡­!! Haaaa...!!!"


    Powerless to stop my fierce movements, Bella moaned helplessly as I scrambled her organs.


    ''Honey, you fucking bastard!!! I am going to die from pleasure if you keep this up!! I love you but let me rest!!''


    Our thoughts of love continued to shower each other so much it began to feel tangible.


    ''Was this the soul river Joshua talked about?''


    Testing it out I sent the soul river towards Bella and immediately her body began to shiver.


    "F-FUCCKKKK!! K-Kywaaaaa!!"


    Feeling her hole convulsing as she climaxed, I mercilessly continued to pound my Brazilian bombshell even more. I tried to cycle the soul river but came the moment it touched me.


    "Bella I''m¡­!!"


    "I-IYAAAAA¡­.!!!!...!!!"


    Bella orgasmed as her insides were painted white. I instantly sent the river back to her. Bella fainted from cumming nonstop. Finding her adorable I hugged her from behind as I pumped her insides full of semen, one final time.


    Shivering from pleasure, Bella awoke in my arms and angrily smacked my chest in frustration.


    "Honey, you lunatic! I would have already shot you if I didn''t love you so much."


    "I guess that means I''m safe," I joked.


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    "Hmph! For now!"


    I embraced her in my arms in response.


    "[Divided we Stand]."


    Invoking my new program, I rapidly felt my body regaining my stamina. Naturally, my once limp dick began to grow hard anew. [Divided we Stand] was a program that shared Sunday''s stamina with the rest of my soul avatars.


    "Bella, use {Regen} or {Rewind}. I still haven''t had enough."


    "...B-But¡­"


    "I will put a baby in you no matter what¡­"


    "Ugh¡­fine. {Regen}¡­"


    Seeing the desire in my eyes, she gulped in nervousness. We do not reconvene for three days.


    So, for the next 72 hours. I will get my fill of Isabella Taurus.


    I pushed Bella up against a wall as I continued to fuck my Latina bombshell.

 Chapter 464 I love you - (Satis Ver.) [1/2] [R18]

    As my bodies became mad with lust, each of my avatars went towards one of the Sirens to embrace them. Unable to withstand a second longer I grabbed Jas by her hand and took her into my arms.This African Descendant was someone who lost everything. Although she found purpose with the Benellis, their treatment of descendants was enough to turn people insane. Thus, in order to survive the storms, she killed off her heart.


    Yet despite all the injustice, Jas may have never complained. But I knew she had grown weary. Overwhelmed with passion I pulled her by the waist and pressed her body against mine.


    "Jas. I want you," I whispered softly into her ear as I licked up her neck.


    "You need not ask husband."


    She then tenderly wrapped her arms around me as the woman sought my lips. We exchanged a passionate and torrid kiss complete with tongue. I moved to pick her legs and she obediently allowed me to do so. Jas then snuggled her face into my neck and began to bite my skin.


    ''Exa, are the other rooms available?''


    [I have reserved them all in advance my lord. The keys are in the bowl out near the door.]


    Pleased at my AI, I carefully walked with Jas in my arms. Naturally all my other bodies similarly went for the bowl, six other Sirens in their arms.


    No words need be said as I knew what each pair was going to do next. I was in control of all the men after all.


    With our Sirens in our arms, we each moved out of my original room and went into the hallway. The cold temperature of the air conditioning felt good on my skin. Obviously given how horny I was I felt a little hot.


    "Slurp. Husband, does it hurt? I''m sorry I don''t know what came over me." sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jas chomped down on my neck and began lapping up the blood that came out of the bruise. I already knew from the rooftop that she was a genuine sadist.


    "You are not really convincing anyone Wifey. Not when your pussy juices are spilling on the floor. Be prepared though, I always give as good as I get," I teased.


    I entered one of the rooms Exa got for me. Compared to my suite it was fairly simple. I passed the living room and went straight to the bed. This would be where Jas and I would be spending the next few days.


    Jas made a conflicted face as she reasoned. "Husband, you are not supposed to hurt the ones you love, you should scold me!"


    Unable to stand how adorable my chocolate lover was being, I threw her on the bed. I then got on with exaggerated movements as I licked my lips.


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    "Wifey, what''s pleasure without pain? Don''t worry, I am your man. Your sadism, I can handle it."


    I then attacked her lips and rained kisses from her breasts towards her lewd soaked opening. I grabbed her shapely ass and lifted her. Turning her over, I laid on my back and pushed her wet garden to my face.


    "Kya! Husband!"


    Naturally, Jas was taken off guard and now had my angry meat stick in front of her face. I caressed her puffy vagina lips with my tongue. On the opposite end Jas wrapped her soft fingers on my angry little brother and began to lick it like a lollipop.


    Jas tenderly inserted my dick in her mouth as she massaged my jewels. An incredible sensation tingled my entire body as my rod began being sucked and licked by my Wifey.


    The intensity of her tongue felt so good. Jas lewdly gobbled up my manhood as she teased its opening with her tongue. I couldn''t help but shudder as she stroked the thick underside of my joystick with her soft and slimy tongue.


    "Mupfufufu...Husband seems do lie dis. slurp."


    ''Fuck¡­Jas was a fucking succubus!!!''


    Unwilling to remain the one only feeling good, I sank my tongue into Jas''s opening and worked my way into her engorged clit.


    "Myuggmm...Mmmyggnn...."


    Juices oozed out of her opening and dripped on my face. But that only turned me on even more. I sank my hands into my Wifey''s wonderful ass cheeks and molded them around my fingers.


    Jasmine''s perfect ass was wonderful to touch and had an obscene appeal. I fondled them as I worked her lower mouth. I felt my dick twitch under Jasmine''s lewd blow job. I had to fight back, or I would cum first.


    Wifey tickled the rims of my dick''s top hat with her lips while stroking my hole with her tongue. The pleasure set my loins on fire as my climax began to build. With ragged breaths I wrapped my lips around Jas''s pearl and twisted and turned it with my tongue.


    "Myggnn...!! Mggnnrmm...!!"


    The desire to soil Jasmine''s pretty mouth with my slimy cum sent me over the edge. Despite my hard work I lost to Jas''s mouth pussy. I thrusted my hips up into her mouth and blew my load.


    "H-HYAAA----!!!"


    However, as my cum splashed down her throat, Jas clenched her vagina and climaxed. Her fluids drenched my face which made me ejaculate even more. I then felt Jas deep throat me as she tried to take everything.


    "Mmmyggnn....!! Myggnn...!!""


    In response I sucked on her happy button and lapped up her pussy juice like a crack addict. When we both finished out climaxes, Jas got off me as she panted.


    "Haa¡­haaa¡­ haa¡­ Husband, your cum tastes so wonderful. And it''s so thick like yogurt."


    Seeing my woman make such erotic comments as white cream spilled from her lips made me go mad with desire. The contrast between my cum and Jasmine''s skin served only to fuel my libido.


    My body moved on its own. I took Jas off the bed and pushed her towards a wall. I then turned her around and grabbed her hips. Despite my rough treatment of her, Jas smiled in understanding as she teased.


    "Hufufu¡­Husband, both my pussy and asshole are ready for you. Use either as much as you want. We have {Digest}, and I kept myself ready for you all this time."


    I gulped in nervousness at Jasmine''s offer. While Anal was common in porn and hentai it actually needed a lot of preparation. Dieting on greens and deep cleaning were necessary to ensure no STDs.


    As if calling to me, both of Jasmine''s holes twitched uncontrollably. My pre-cum, semen and Jasmine''s drool already made my shaft wet, but I needed lube to ensure I didn''t hurt my woman. So, reluctantly I went to her lower hole.


    I exhaled in wonder as I slowly inserted my rod into Jasmine''s pussy. This position was called the mature lady.


    "U-uuoooaahhh....!!"


    Shit! The tightness was incredible, Jasmine supported herself on the wall as I entered her. Lasciviously moans left her lips as our bodies connected. I felt myself push against something, but Jas then thrusted her butt back.


    Her sudden movement cause my cock to rip apart the sign of her purity. Immediately Jas clamped down on the whole length of my angry manhood. Jasmine''s walls were tight! There was not a single spot of looseness.


    Pussy juice drenched my cock as I went in and out of my precious chocolate-skinned lover. I kissed and sucked on her neck and used her breasts as handles. I then intensified my thrusts, completely losing myself in lust.


    "Hyaaa...!! U-Uyggnn....!!"


    Jas''s scent and cute cries drove me crazy. Like an angry bull I smashed my pelvis into hers as my meat stick violated her swollen pussy. Not resisting in the slightness, Jas continued to moan erotically and held onto the wall for dear life.


    The feeling of pleasure along with the sense of domination consumed me. Seeing Jasmine Denel feared by many, cry and pant helplessly under me, engorged my dick even further.


    "Hyaaa!! H-how are you even bigger??" Jas cried erotically.

 Chapter 465 I love you - (Satis Ver.) [2/2] [R18]

    I let go of her breasts and grabbed Jas''s hips like handlebars. Her ass cheeks bounced and flailed as I smashed our hips together. She was so beautiful, even more so when she took my lust like a dutiful wife."Haa...Haaa....Haaaa...."


    My love and desire mixed together and caused essence to rise from my loins. I intensified my thrusts and smashed Jas against the wall as I gouged her insides. My Wifey began to drool as her lewd noises filled the room.


    She then gazed into my face with a slutty look as if to say, "Fuck me harder!" The sight finished me off, unable to endure, I grunted to my Wifey in haste.


    "Jas, I''m close."


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    The woman then pushed herself against the wall and smashed her nether regions into me. In the same moment I stabbed as deep as I could into Jas''s pussy and exploded.


    "IYAAAAA NOO--!!"


    I pumped my Wifey full of semen as we remained connected. White cream spurted out of her lewd hole as if to say her pussy could not hold any more. Jas'' walls continued to wrap around my cock even as she trembled.


    When she finally relaxed, I pulled out and gave her sweet ass a slap. Jas threw herself in my chest and pushed me into the bed. She then mounted me and slapped my cheeks. Surprised at the force of her hit I ended up dazed.


    Jas then came closer and pulled my hair back as she bit my lips and sucked the blood.


    "Husband¡­I''m sorry¡­ I can''t help it¡­"


    I embraced her body and pinned her chest to mine. Like a vampire I went for her neck and gave her a hickey. Overwhelmed by my love bite Jas buried her nails into my chest. It stung a bit, but nothing I couldn''t handle.


    "Husband¡­please let me serve you¡­I will move this time¡­"


    Feeling the desire to please me radiating from Wifey''s words I released her. As I laid back on the bed, Jas sat on top of me but turned her back to me. It seems like Jas wanted to fuck in the reverse cowgirl position.


    My Wifey, then guided my meat stick into her hole as she sat down. From my point of view, I could see my burly dick entering Jas'' sloppy wet pussy. I reached and grabbed onto her shapely ass and played with them.


    "M-Myggn..! Husband¡­Your cock is so big¡­I-Its hollowing my insides¡­"


    Jasmine then began to rock her hips as her pussy''s lips gobbled up my meat stick. I exhaled and closed my eyes as I bathed in Jasmine''s warmth. Her insides felt amazing as they wrapped tenderly around me.


    "Hyaaa--!!! H-Husband¡­I-It feels sho goood. Myuggnn¡­.!!"


    My woman leaned forward giving me an even better view of her pussy. I enjoyed the marvelous female specimen bouncing on my cock as she sought to climax.


    "H-Hyaaa..!! Myuynn...!!"


    With my hands free I reached and rubbed Jas''s breasts as she rocked her body. Mesmerized by her beauty, I felt my lust slowly build up as my Wifey used me as a flesh dildo.


    However, I grew impatient and grabbed her hips then began to thrust upward! S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Mmmgn...N-No¡­Husband¡­I-I was supposed to¡­.Mmmggn...!!"


    I rammed myself into Jasmine''s innermost part. My woman''s juices dribbled obscenely to the spot we were connected.


    As if worried she failed to please me, Jas began to slam her ass down on me with greater force. The lewd woman gyrated her hips on top of me as she folded her arms on top of her head.


    The stimulation of my chocolate-skinned lover''s sudden and intense movement naturally made my head spin. I felt my dick jam up against her baby room from her thrusts.


    Unintentionally a squirt of my pre-cum leaked out. In the next second, the flood gates of my desire broke apart and I felt my cum rising from my balls.


    I lifted my torso up and embraced Jasmine tightly from behind. I then violently piston fucked my Wifey as my load painted her insides.


    "H-HYAAAAAA!!!!!"


    The two of us gasped and panted as our bodies remained locked together. It was as if at this moment, there were not two but one person. As the last of my cum blasted Jasmine''s pussy I crumpled to the bed empty of my essence.


    "Haa¡­Haaa¡­Haaa¡­."


    Jas turned her body and kissed me tenderly. Her pure actions contrasted the cum obscenely dripping out of her secret garden.


    "Husband, I love you."


    "I love you too Jas."


    I then felt my Pseudo Kindred connection with Jas suddenly expand. If it was the size of a narrow road, it suddenly expanded to a four-lane freeway. Naturally, the emotions that passed multiplied with it.


    A calming and rich feeling enveloped me. It reminded me of the lush and green scent of the rain forests. At that, my African Wifey''s thoughts echoed in my soul.


    ''Husband¡­I love you so much¡­I love you...I love you¡­ But till now I have continued to lie to you¡­ Would you¡­ Hate me if I was the reason¡­ the reason you died that night in Tempe¡­just the mere thought of it paralyzes me¡­ Husband¡­What will I do if you no longer love me¡­I''m terrified to lose you!!''


    Surprised at the sudden reveal, I drew a blank. It seemed that Jas was the girl I died to save. And afraid of my reaction, the guilt ate Jasmine up inside. Filled with love, I wrapped my arms around her and drew her in for a kiss.


    I also sent my thoughts to her with our {Kindred} connection. Naturally, it revolved around how glad I was she was the one I sacrificed my life for. And that I would do it again in a heartbeat now that I knew.


    ''Husband¡­How can such a man like you exist? A hundred lives would not be enough to be worthy of you. Do I really deserve to be this happy?''


    With our new Kindred connection, we were connected in body, mind, and soul. I pulled Jasmine off the bed and laid her on her back on the floor. I then raised her lower body and spread her legs in the air.


    Holding her by her knees I inserted my dick into her cum filled pussy.


    "Mmmgn...!! H-Haaaa...!!!"


    I pounded Jas with reckless abandon in the pile driver position. My dutiful Wifey accepted my everything as she squealed like a whore being fucked on the street. Seeing her moan and drown in pleasure excited me further.


    ''Husband, this position is too intense! it''s so deep!! It''s shameful, but I can''t hold on, my body no longer has any strength left¡­but love me anyway, my one and only husband¡­''


    Our thoughts of love continued to shower each other so much it began to feel tangible.


    ''Was this the soul river Joshua talked about?''


    Testing it out I sent the soul river towards Jas and immediately her body began to shiver.


    "IYAAAAA!!"


    Feeling her hole tighten as she came, I smashed my burly cocked deep into my chocolate skinned lover. I tried to cycle the soul river but came the moment I touched me.


    "Jas I''m¡­!!"


    "H-HAAAAAAAAA¡­...!!!"


    Jas''s walls convulsed from my cream pie like she was having a seizure. I instantly sent the river back to her. My Wifey then howled in an erotic voice as she continued to climax without stopping.


    Pleased at how lewd she became; I piston fucked her one last time before blasting her insides with my baby batter.


    Unable to endure Jas and I crumbled on top of each other, weak from overexerting ourselves. Jas, however, adorably crawled into my embrace before fainting.


    I then ravaged her lips until she woke up.


    "Huh? Husband?"


    "[Divided we Stand]."


    Invoking my new program, I rapidly felt my body regaining my stamina. Naturally, my once limp dick began to grow hard anew. [Divided we Stand] was a program that shared Sunday''s stamina with the rest of my soul avatars.


    "Jas, use {Regen} or {Rewind}. I still haven''t had enough."


    "I refuse¡­get me food instead¡­"


    "How can you be so adorable Wifey¡­"


    I quickly got up and raided the mini fridge in the room. There were a couple of chocolates. I popped one of them into my mouth and feed it to Jas with my tongue.


    "{Eat}," she invoked with flush cheeks.


    Seeing the desire in my eyes, she gulped in nervousness. We do not reconvene for three days.


    So, for the next 72 hours. I will get my fill of Jasmine Denel.


    I brought my chocolate skinned lover back on the bed as I made love to all of her holes.

 Chapter 466 I love you - (Ishtar Ver.) [1/2] [R18]

    As my bodies became mad with lust, each of my avatars went towards one of the Sirens to embrace them. Unable to withstand a second longer I grabbed Lilly by her hand and took her into my arms.This American princess was someone who grew up exposed to the darkness of the world. However, she didn''t allow her circumstances to stop her and crawled and fought her way to the top.


    Despite all she achieved, only I knew she still longed for someone to reach out to her. For someone to truly try to understand her. Overwhelmed with affection I pulled her by the waist and pressed her body against mine.


    "Lilly. I want you," I whispered softly into her ear as I licked up her neck.


    "As you should dearest."


    She then smiled brilliantly while wrapping her arms around my neck. Lilly then pressed her massive breasts on my chest. Her perky nipples poking my skin. I reached for her ass as I lifted her off the ground. Lilly matched my movements and began to kiss me deeply while she was on top of me.


    ''Exa, are the other rooms available?''


    [I have reserved them all in advance my lord. The keys are in the bowl out near the door.]


    Pleased at my AI, I carefully walked with Lilly in my arms. Naturally all my other bodies similarly went for the bowl, six other Sirens in their arms. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No words need be said as I knew what each pair was going to do next. I was in control of all the men after all.


    With our Sirens in our arms, we each moved out of my original room and went into the hallway. The cold temperature of the air conditioning felt good on my skin. Obviously given how horny I was I felt a little hot.


    "Dearest. You will treat me as your queen from this moment forward. Understood?"


    Lilly then began nibbling on my earlobe as she demanded my obedience. Her actions reminded me of the plays of children. Was she like this because no one played with her growing up?


    "I will give you one chance dear. If you can make me submit, I will be your slave. Should you fail to do so you will become mine instead," I negotiated.


    I entered one of the rooms Exa got for me. Compared to my suite it was fairly simple. I passed the living room and went straight to the bed. This would be where Lilly and I would be spending the next few days.


    "How amusing, I agree to your terms. But how will we determine what submit means?"


    Feeling my lust overwhelm me I lunged for my pervert of a princess and pinned her on the bed. Her lewd body laid open for me to feast on. I ran my tongue between her breasts and licked up her boob sweat.


    "H-Haaa¡­ U-Ugyn¡­."


    "Naturally, we do it how lovers do. The first one to cum losses. Why not just surrender Lilly, seeing as you will be my sex slave today, why bother wasting time?"


    Lilly shivered under me as her perverted fantasies filled her mind. She tearfully looked at me as she panted.


    "Dearest you are so lewd¡­You haven''t won yet¡­"


    Enjoying her reactions, I was about to take her, but Lilly suddenly invoked death resonance as she commanded me.


    "{You are my slave from now on. Sit there obediently}."


    Unlike when Jo used {Announce}, I didn''t feel like my body was forced to comply. This probably meant that the amount of lives I took was already greater than Lilly''s. However, I still wanted to mess with my pervert, so I acted like I was under her spell.


    I went towards the spot Lilly pointed to, which was in front of the bed. I sat in a seiza to cater to her dominant fetish. Lilly then sat on the bed like a queen and arrogantly eyed my engorged dick.


    "Such an obscene penis! It''s way too big! And you think I will let you violate me with this filthy dick?"


    Lilly then began to step on and stroke my erect member with her foot. The texture of the incredibly silky fishnet stockings made me shiver.


    "What kind of sexual deviant are you dear? You are actually turned on by my dirty feet? I should reeducate you, otherwise you will turn into nothing but a worthless degenerate."


    My perverted princess then continued her erotic foot job. She had an excited face as she stroked my cock with her soft instep. Lilly''s toes curled and massaged the head of my cock. She also used both of her smooth soles as a makeshift foot pussy.


    To keep my act, I tried to remain in place as I began to lose my mind. The depravity and pleasure from Lilly''s foot job made me my loins build up vigor.


    "How pathetic, it even grew bigger! You really are going to come from a foot job?" Lilly scolded me. Her eyes were disgusted as if she was looking at trash.


    Unable to resist, her fierce attacks caused me to cum violently on her feet. She made a lewd smile as she kicked me down and stepped on my chest.


    "See this dearest? This is the smelly foot you love so much. It is now covered in your semen. Be grateful. Now bring your knees up to your chest like a good boy," Lilly commanded.


    As if a switch was turned on, Lilly grew more excited as she toyed with me. I followed her instructions to keep up my act. My perverted princess then straddled me and placed her hands on my chest. This was obviously the Amazon sex position.


    Lilly rubbed her lewd hole on my erect member as she panted obscenely.


    "Dearest, I will be taking your virginity, okay? Just count the stains on the ceiling."


    Hearing her dirty talk, it was like I was the one being taken advantage of. Letting her have her fun, Lilly then guided my engorged dick into her lewd hole. Her pussy puffed up like warm dough while her clit began to harden.


    "Mmygn...Ah...!!!"


    Using the base of my dick Lilly rubbed her swollen clit on my manhood in an extremely erotic manner. Her pussy juice came out by the bucket as her insides drenched itself from excitement. She then angled my cock and slowly lowered herself.


    "I-It''s going in¡­Such a ridiculous cock, I''m only halfway in!"


    I exhaled in comfort as my little brother got enveloped by Lilly''s soft and fleshy walls. As my American princess took in my swollen dick, I felt myself press against her hymen. But less than a second later, Lilly ripped it apart by thrusting her hips.


    "Haa! Iyah¡­!! I''m being filled up with dear''s fat cock!"


    No longer constricted, she began gobbling up my meat stick with her otter pocket. Lilly''s tits swayed with each of her thrusts. Unable to resist, I reached to fondle her melons only for my woman to berate me.


    "Stop! Pull on my hips instead. I didn''t allow you to touch them!"


    ''This bitch¡­should I flip her over and fuck her brains out?''


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    Thinking I wanted to play along for now, I followed and moved my hands to support her hips. Lilly gyrated her hips as my meat stick kissed the entrance to her womb.


    "Hyaa! Hyaa! Dear, you will love me forever, right? You won''t run away? You must take responsibility for me. Till we grow old and die!"


    Finding her pure questions adorable I nodded as Lilly used me like a vibrator. I felt my essence swell up to my loins as Lilly rode my dick intensely. Her lascivious moans and bouncing breasts made it a treat for all my senses.


    "Hyaa-! Iy-aaa! So goood¡­!!!"


    Before I could cum however Lilly''s face twitched as she drowned in pleasure.


    "Haa¡­Haa¡­ I-Its coming¡­dearest, shoot it all inside me alright?"


    Lilly then sank down on my dick, jamming the entire length into her pussy. She wrapped her arms around my neck as she began to climax. Her scent enveloped me as the princess''s walls clenched my cock in place all while convulsions rocked her body.


    "Hnoohh¡­Haaa¡­"

 Chapter 467 I love you - (Isthar Ver.) [2/2] [R18]

    Lilly''s obscene noises only fueled my desire to pound into her deeper. I moved my arms and grabbed her butt and slammed her hips into me as she continued to shiver."A-Ah! A-Ah! Dear!" S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The length of my shaft felt every wave of pleasure that chaotically assaulted Lilly''s insides. She gasped for breath as my dick reached deeper and began attacking her womb''s entrance.


    "Ohh¡­Ahh¡­! It''s¡­so deep!"


    Thoughts of filling Lilly''s pussy with my semen, finally went over the edge. My dick grew larger as it neared eruption. Lilly then sought my lips as we continued to smash our hips together.


    "Mm¡­Mm¡­"


    Every inch of me drowned in Lilly, her breasts bouncing on me was the final straw. I crossed my legs behind the princess''s torso and blasted her insides with my cum.


    "A-Ah-ahhhhhhh!!!"


    I collapsed on the floor after pumping out my massive load. Lilly similarly crumpled on my chest exhausted from our love making.


    As she snuggled into my chest, I grabbed her by the waist as I whispered.


    "You lost dear. You came first. So, from this moment on, you are my slave."


    "W-What? You are not hypnotized? How?"


    "{Regen}. You shouldn''t have done that."


    My stamina rapidly restored along with my erection. I rolled Lilly to her side and kneeled behind her. I then held her wrist behind her back and locked it in place. My other hand grabbed the woman by the neck and pinned her face to the floor.


    Forced to endure the shameful downward dog position I completely subdued the untamed. I forced Lilly''s legs apart as I shoved my fat burly cock into her secret garden.


    "H-Haaa¡­.!!!"


    Not sparing her state a second thought I thrusted my hips into her cum filled pussy. I exhaled as the length of my rod disappeared into her again, her puffy gate flaring with each pull.


    "A-Ah¡­Dearest!! Too¡­rough¡­Y-You''re breaking me¡­!!"


    The instinct to procreate flooded my mind, filling me with only one impulse. To fuck this woman senseless and impregnate her with my seed. I quickened my pace, my hips slapping hard against her ass.


    "A-Ah¡­! Ah¡­!! P-Please forgive me d-dearest!"


    The violent clapping of our bodies continued as Lilly shivered from multiple orgasms. I didn''t care and simply smashed my member into her obscene hole. Her insides clenched onto the base of my meat stick as her fluids dripped down my thighs.


    "Remember this you perverted little whore. Out there you may be the queen. But in the bedroom, you are nothing but my cumslut. So don''t ever try to dominate me again!"


    Lilly suddenly tightened from my rebuke. Turned on by my tyranny, she obediently accepted me without complaint. I pulled myself in and out, ramming my penis as against Lilly''s deepest parts.


    Helpless, the perverted princess squealed like a sex addict as she accepted my brutality. Her erotic moans a world away from her usual majesty.


    "U-Ugnnoo!! Yes! I-I''m you''re cum slut! Huwoo! A-Ah¡­! Dearest!


    I-I''m close! H-Haa¡­!!"


    Lilly gasped in erotic pleasure as I jammed myself in and split her back open.


    "A-Ah¡­!! Ah¡­!"


    Completely dicked out of her mind, Lilly panted and cried as she endured my love making. She could only gasp and moan indiscernibly as she lost herself to the pleasure.


    "H-Hahhaa...Haa...!!"


    I thrusted in and attacked all along her walls as my lust began to reach its peak. A massive load built up, ready to blast the perverted pussy of my princess white with my baby batter.


    Lilly erotically raised her hips as if begging for more. The harlot came yet again as pussy juice gushed out of her hole.


    "HYAAA--!! U-Uggnnn!!!"


    She gasped deliriously as I continued to invade her hole while she climaxed again and again. Seeing Lilly''s erotic display my essence welled up from my balls and finally exploded.


    "K-KYAH¡­!!!"


    Lilly howled like an animal. Her pussy tightened from being creampied. I embraced her from behind as I pumped her pussy full of my semen. The intensity trashed around Lilly''s already full baby maker.


    After we finished with our climaxes, we both ran ragged as I laid on top of her. Lilly kissed my mouth as she smiled full of happiness.


    "I love you dearest."


    "I love you too Lilly."


    I then felt my Pseudo Kindred connection with Lilly suddenly expand. If it was the size of a narrow road, it suddenly expanded to a four-lane freeway. Naturally, the emotions that passed multiplied with it.


    A comfortable cooling stillness embraced my soul. It was like the mesmerizing beauty of a winter morning. I suddenly began hearing the thoughts of my American Princess from my soul.


    ''Dearest¡­I love you so much¡­I can face tomorrow because of you...I love you¡­ Only you want me with no strings attached¡­And it is only by your side that I feel safe¡­Dearest, Will you leave me one day...I hope not¡­I will probably stalk you for as long as I live if you do¡­ ''


    Touched by her honest words, I kissed her tenderly. From what I knew of her past, Lilly had to create a mask just so she could fit it. Nothing was more fucked up than believing you needed to hide your true self for the sake of others.


    In response to her thoughts, I also sent mine to her with our {Kindred} connection. In it was a flood of my admiration, love, and devotion. I would never allow this woman to cower for the sake of others ever again. Only then can she truly shine.


    Naturally, Lilly began crying tears of joy as a result.


    ''Dear¡­I am finding it hard to believe your words¡­Do I really mean that much to you? I may be pretty but the way you value me is insane!''


    With our new Kindred connection, we were connected in body, mind, and soul. I kissed Lilly to shut her up and pulled her back to the bed. I laid her on her back and raised her legs straight into the air.


    I sat on my knees near her butt and reinserted my meat stick into her dripping hole. Finally, I grabbed her by her ankles and kept her legs apart. I marveled at Lilly''s beauty as I made love to my pervert in the captain position.


    "Haaa...!! H-Haaaa...!!!"


    Lilly bit her lips as she endured my violent thrust. Her marvelous breasts bouncing like an earthquake.


    ''Dear¡­Look at your cum slut¡­This sight is only for you¡­only you get to see the real me¡­I love you dearest¡­so much that I would die without you¡­''


    Our thoughts of love continued to shower each other so much it began to feel tangible.


    ''Was this the soul river Joshua talked about?''


    Testing it out I sent the soul river towards Lilly and immediately her body began to shiver.


    "I''M CUMMING!!!!"


    Feeling her juices burst out her pussy, I tried cycle the soul river but came the moment I touched me.


    Your next chapter awaits on empire


    "Lilly I''m¡­!!"


    "A-AH-AAAHHHHHHHHHH¡­...!!!"


    Lilly''s insides clenched on my meat stick as she orgasmed from my ejaculations. Feeling sadistic, I instantly sent the river back to her. My perverted princess then climaxed back-to-back as I penetrated her.


    Her face warped in lust as she reached for my chest, her body trembling from euphoria. My desire caused me to call the soul river back and impregnate my woman one final time.


    We then collapsed on each other as we sought each other''s warmth.


    "Haa¡­Haa¡­Dear¡­you are too tyrannical¡­"


    I then created a {Portal} into the fridge and pulled out all the chocolates. Next, I invoked {Counter} and melted all the confectionery. Then I spread them all over Lilly''s naked body. The hot chocolate made my woman moan in surprise.


    "Ahh¡­! Dearest!!"


    My hands pinned her in place as I began to lap up the Untamed''s sweaty chocolate with {Eat}. Lilly''s eyes widened at my perversion, but I took some of the chocolate and fed her the sweets with my tongue.


    "{Butcher}."


    With both our stamina restored, I flipped Lilly over as I rain kisses all over her neck. Seeing the desire in my eyes, she gulped in nervousness. Yet she still managed to erotically beg.


    "Dearest¡­more...Love me more¡­"


    We do not reconvene for three days.


    So, for the next 72 hours. I will get my fill of Lilly Browning.


    I then embraced my perverted princess as I ravaged her glorious body once more.

 Chapter 468 Beyond the Physical [1/2] [R18]

    Depending on who you asked, three days would either be short or long.Locked in a room with me, the Sirens felt my love on every inch of their bodies. To sum it up in one sentence, we fucked. We fucked like beasts. Primal instinct took over and we drowned in depravity.


    Their bodies were exhausted and sore from all my love making. But we didn''t stop. Inside, outside, on their face, breasts, thighs, and asses. Even on their hands, backs, feet, armpits, legs, and their hair.


    Every inch of their bodies felt my love and I made sure to relish the sight of them coated in my semen. Obviously, most couples lost steam after a day, but not us. When just fucking each other''s brains out became boring, my girls and I decided to spice it up with perverted role playing.


    "After all, sex is beyond the physical."


    ___


    In Lilly''s room.


    "Please stop! I already betrayed my husband once! Please leave me be!"


    I then reached for her blouse and ripped it open. Lilly''s marvelous breasts spilled out and showed their glory. The woman however began to back away trying to escape me.


    "So? Your husband is dead. And didn''t you enjoy it?"


    "That''s¡­ it was a mistake."


    Finding her hesitation incredibly erotic, I lunged for Lilly as I buried my face in her marvelous bosoms. I licked down from her neck and grabbed her waist as she tried to push me away.


    "Stop lying to yourself Mrs. Smith. You are no virgin. You are just a perverted housewife longing for a good dick."


    I then pulled down my trousers as I groped her breasts.


    "Here, this is the dirty cock you love, hurry up and get down on your knees. Or I will leave, and you will never see me again!"


    Lilly then had a conflicted look on her face as she reached for my engorged member. Her eyes full of lust caused her morality to shatter as she accepted her degeneracy. She began stroking my little brother excitedly, moaning out loud as I played with her nipples.


    Tired of her pathetic attempts at being a decent woman, I pushed her down and grabbed her by her hair. I then forcefully shoved my dirty cock into the woman''s warm mouth.


    "Mmygn...Ah...!!!"


    I thrusted my hips as my engorged meat stick violated Lilly''s mouth. Her blow job was so good I ended up blowing my load in no time flat. Unable to keep it all in, white cream spurted out of the corners of the woman''s mouth.


    Satisfied, I pulled up my pants and made my way for the door. Only for the pervert on the floor to cling to my leg.


    "Mr. Tamer¡­John¡­please don''t leave¡­"


    "What? Why? Didn''t you say it was a mistake?"


    Wordlessly Lilly stood up and bend over the bed. She then raised her skirt, slipped off her panties to the side and spread out her legs. The woman then spread her lower lips as pussy juice dripped on the floor.


    "Mr. Tamer¡­I''m a disgusting harlot. Please use your manly cock to make me forget¡­ my husband¡­Please I beg you¡­"


    "If I do this, you will have sex with me whenever I want, however I want."


    "Sniff. Yes. Please¡­ fuck the brains out of this adulterous wife¡­"


    Taking that as my cue I moved behind her and stripped my clothes. I then plowed this pent-up wife till she could no longer stand.


    ___


    In Jas'' room.


    The sounds of a whip smacking flesh echoed in the room. I was kneeling on the floor butt naked, blindfolded and hand cuffed.


    I then felt something painful hit my back. It wasn''t sharp but the material definitely hurt. With the {Withstand} family of fates turned off, I felt every strike as if I was human.


    "Tsk¡­how many times have I told you master Falcon? You are not supposed to look at other girls. I may be your maid, but you belong to me!"


    Something struck my cheek afterwards making me face sideways. Fuck that hurt. I felt blood pool in my mouth. Although I was blindfolded, I used {Imaging} to see my assailant. It was naturally my chocolate skinned lover in an obscene French maid cosplay.


    I say maid loosely as it was essentially a leather dominatrix costume with an apron. Naturally, it showed an obscene amount of skin, had no panties, and was completed with fishnet stockings. Jas then suddenly kicked me down on the floor. And sat on my face.


    Her drenched pussy rubbed on my mouth as Jas gyrated her hips.


    "H-Haa¡­Master Falcon''s breath is tickling me¡­ If you wish for my forgiveness eat my peach master."


    Like a dog I obediently began to lick my woman''s otter pocket. Her clit slowly engorged itself as I played with it. Jas then turned around and took notice of my hard on.


    "Master Falcon, Jas is not a bad maid. Let me give you some service."


    Two soft objects then began to rub my cock. Their smooth and silky texture drove me wild; they then pressed together and began to stroke me. Jolts of pleasure went up my spine with every movement of Jas''s feet.


    "Master Falcon, does that feel good? I-I''m close too. I am all you need master. I will love you and take care of you from now till the day you die."


    Unable to endure the pleasure from Jas''s foot job I squirted a gigantic load on her stockings. The pussy on my face similarly gushed out fluids drenching me, but rather than the accept the rain, I drank everything like a crack addict. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Mmmgn...!! H-Haaaa...!!!"


    I then felt Jas get off me. She removed my blindfold as she embraced me. Her tongue then violated my mouth as she declared between kisses.


    "Master Falcon, I forgive you¡­please show me¡­ how much you love me¡­more than anyone else¡­"


    Jas then began rubbing her wet pussy on my cock. Such was her true nature. Half Sadist, half devoted wife. I turned on the {Withstand} family and snapped my hand cuffs. I carried my lewd maid to the bed and pinned her arms above her.


    "Time to punish this depraved maid with my meat stick."


    "Y-Yes¡­."


    Her erotic panting and drenched pussy showed how much she wanted me, so I obliged and fucked my chocolate-skinned lover into a coma.


    ___


    In Bella''s room.


    "Erase that video! I am your teacher! Have you no shred of decency?!"


    "Oh, come on teach, you come in flaunting your lewd breasts, how is anyone expected to learn anything?"


    "How is that my fault! I am going to call your parents!"


    Smiling, I then lifted up my phone and played a special video. The sounds of Bella moaning filled the room.


    "John! JOHN! FUCK ME IN MY WET PUSSY!"


    Bella winced in regret as the video played out loud.


    "You could call them Ms. Taurus. But then you would have to explain why you were masturbating in my seat moaning my name. I am a minor, you know? You would be labeled a pedophile if word got out."


    "Sigh. What do you want then Mr. Code?"


    "What else Ms. Taurus? I am here to make your dreams come true. Strip."


    Bella then made a hesitant face as she tried to find a way out.


    "You really will delete the video, right? After I do what you want?"


    I nodded my head as I removed my pants. "That depends on how much you satisfy me, Ms. Taurus."


    I walked arrogantly and pushed Bella onto the bed. I then started to fondle her breast through her clothes. Driven mad by the stimulation my professor allowed me to have my way with her.


    Unable to resist, I tore off her blazer and buried my face into her bosom. My hands then reached for her hips as I began fingering her damp otter pocket.


    This slutty disgrace for an educator. I pulled out my soaked fingers and showed them to the lewd teacher.


    "See this Ms. Taurus? You''re so fucked up! You are this wet even as your student blackmails you into sex. How much of a depraved slut are you?"


    "I-It''s not like I wanted this¡­"


    I undid the button on her skirt and pulled it off. Slimly fluids soaked the bed as my professor opened up her legs in a lewd manner. I then took my bulging cock and stroked her entrance.


    "Don''t be so sad Ms. Taurus. Think of it as training for your future husband. Then again how many students has this obscene body fucked into submission."


    "I-I''m a virgin...I haven''t...A-Ahhh!...Do it slowly¡­Please¡­"


    The contrast between the fierce teacher and the one before me, set my loins on fire. I stabbed my angry dick into the female professor the entire student body wanted to fuck. She began moaning in pleasure. I grabbed her hair as I kissed her.


    "Let''s get along from today on Isabella, you will be my personal sex slave till I graduate."


    "O-okay, I get it already¡­"


    ___


    In Jo''s room.


    "Jo, come on stop joking around. You know I already have a girlfriend. Stop this."


    "Why! She treats you horribly! I have been with you since we were kids! I saw you first! Why does Caroline get to become your girlfriend!"


    "T-that''s."


    "Is it because that bitch looks more mature than me? Screw her! She is the village bicycle! She doesn''t love you, John! But I DO!" Jo hysterically screamed.


    My blonde childhood friend then suddenly stripped off her clothes and walked towards me in the nude. She took my hand and made me grope her beautiful breasts.


    "Look at these John! I also did some growing up! I did everything so I could be your type! My hair! The way I talk! I even shaved my pubes!


    Why won''t you look at me! Why can''t it be me?"


    Tears streamed down her eyes as she voiced out all the heartaches she hid inside of her.

 Chapter 469 Beyond the Physical [2/2] [R18]

    "Jo. You know that''s not it," I reasoned."Then why?! I will give you my everything! My body! my heart! Even my life! Just love me like you do her!" Jo then covered her face as she continued to pitifully shed tears.


    Overwhelmed by her confession, I ran to embrace my childhood friend. I then stole her lips as my desire for her overflowed.


    "Jo, I have always loved you. I didn''t know you felt that way about me, honest."


    "Eh? Then I have a chance?"


    "Jo, you are my first love. Every woman I see, you are the one I compare them to. But I am poor, and stupid. There is hardly anything I can offer!"


    "JOHN CHEVALIER YOU BLOODY IDIOT!" Jo screamed as she slapped me!


    She grabbed her me by my collar and shook me like a delinquent.


    "Listen here you moron! I love you! I want to be with you! Do you love me?"


    Overwhelmed by her intensity I nodded my head like a retard.


    "Then from today on you are my boyfriend! Capiche?"


    "Yes."


    "Alright! Now strip! We are going to celebrate!"


    "But Jo, why do we need to strip?"


    "Because we are going to pop each other''s cherry! Now take off your pants!"


    "Wait! Jo we are in public!"


    "That''s what makes it so exciting! Fufufu. The bulge in your pants looks painful. Now come darling! Etch your mark into my womb!"


    "Aaargh! Don''t blame me for what happens! You asked for this Josephine!"


    "I did! Now come at me!"


    And so, my childhood friend and I found love and drowned in each other''s bodies.


    ___


    In Aki''s room


    "Mr. Jackal, I know I am late again on this month''s payments, but I will pay it all next month I promise!"


    I then turned to the window as I drank my coffee.


    "I don''t doubt that Ms. Miroku. After all you are a wonderful student and will soon be the future of this country," I answered as I ogled her sinful body.


    "Then you''ll let us stay?" Aki cheered happily.


    "Umm¡­if it was just you, I definitely would Ms. Miroku. But you are an orphan abandoned by your foster parents. They saddled you with their debt, right? It would not be realistic to believe you can pay all that overnight."


    Noticing my lewd stare, Aki hugged her body as she asked anxiously.


    "I have a brother to take care of¡­Please Mr. Jackal. I will do anything. Just give me an extension."


    Hearing such delightful words, I moved towards the big breasted high school student. I then rubbed her shoulders as I whispered to her ears.


    "If you cannot pay with money. There are several other ways to pay, Ms. Miroku. No. Aki. Are you interested?"


    The woman trembled but held my hands with her soft fingers.


    "I am, what do I need to do Mr. Jackal?"


    Pleased with her response I reached down and fondled her massive breasts.


    "H-Haa¡­"


    Aki''s amorous cries stroked my desire to violate this pure and chaste young woman. I sucked on her neck as I grabbed both her wrists.


    "I will take one month''s rent off of your total balance for each creampie I give you. That doesn''t sound like a bad deal right, Aki?"


    "An entire month!!! I''ll do it! But what''s a creampie Mr. Jackal?!"


    Pleased with her energetic response I reached under her skirt and began tracing her lips on her wet panties.


    "That''s when I put my dirty cock into your vagina and pump you full of my semen."


    "What! NO! That''s how you make babies! I''ll get pregnant!!!"


    Aki struggled to break free and quickly stood up. I allowed her and returned to my seat.


    "I see, that is a shame, then please vacate your unit by the week''s end. You are four years behind on your rent."


    "But¡­"


    "Please close the door when you leave Ms. Miroku."


    No longer sparing her a glance, I began working on the documents in front of me. Not five minutes later, a knock came on the door. When I opened it, a young woman lifted her skirt up and showed me her pussy.


    "Mr. Jackal, will you really take off a month for each¡­each creampie?"


    I smiled as I guided her inside.


    "Of course, Aki, Call me John. I am a man of my word. Just let me cum in you 48 times and you will be debt free. "


    She bent over and then spread her pussy''s lips. "Then please begin John."


    ___


    In Liv''s room.


    "My lady, are you alright? Are you injured?" I asked nervously.


    "I am alright, Sir Wodan, thank you for rescuing me. I would have died if not for you."


    "What are those idiots doing? How could they allow the crown princess to walk around without an escort? Those fools should be executed for their stupidity!"


    Princess Liv then began giggling innocently as she curtsied to me.


    "Sir Wodan, you are probably the only person in this kingdom who values me so highly. Have you not heard the things they call me?"


    "THE ARE IDIOTS MY LADY! Calling someone like you Bigfoot is beyond moronic! They should have their eyes gouged out for their sins! I will slay anyone who dares utter such nonsense in my presence!"


    "Fufu. Sir Wodan, as always you alone remain by my side. What would I do without you?"


    "You should not worry about it my lady. As such a day would never come!"


    Princess Liv made a breathtaking smile as she slowly walked towards me.


    "Sir Wodan, why did you choose me as your liege? I am the crown princess in name only. My enemies are as numerous as the stars. You gain neither honor nor riches serving me. Yet you do so, why?"


    Unable to answer I simply bowed, eyes closed and remained silent.


    "You do not wish to tell me? Or is it you can''t?"


    "Neither my lady. It is but a foolish dream. I once saw you walking in the garden and saw a glimpse of heaven. Your beauty, your elegance, it made me your captive. At that time, all I wanted was to protect your smile. Thus, I do so."


    "¡­"


    Soft and gentle hands began to caress my face. When I looked up, I saw Princess Liv crying tears of joy. She made a smile of pure love that made my heart skip a beat.


    "Sir Wodan. If I wanted to run away from this place. Will you continue to protect me?"


    "I would," I replied instantly.


    "If I threw away my pedigree, my title and everything to my name. Would you still?"


    "Without question."


    "Even if I am ignorant of everything else? Even if you would be taking nothing more than a burden?"


    "My lady, No, Liv. If you run away, I would follow you. I would then make you my wife and love you for the rest of my life. Everything you do not know; we will learn together. I love you Liv, since then till now and till the day my heart stops beating."


    Liv then threw herself into my embrace and kissed me awkwardly.


    "You were aiming for my body from the start, weren''t you John Wodan?"


    "Could you blame me?"


    "I suppose not, then make me yours my knight. From this moment one, I belong only to you."


    ___


    In Robyn''s room


    A naked catgirl stood anxiously as she tried to pull her short shirt down. She was barefoot and had no panties, so her pussy probably felt the draft. She had a slave collar on her neck as she tried to yank it off.


    I then slowly approached her and tried to soothe the feline friend.


    "There there, I don''t bite. Come here kitty¡­"


    I laid out food as bait and stepped away, Robyn the cat girl slave crouched on the floor and ate the chocolates wearily. The way she stuck up her butt as she ate was quite adorable. And her tail was connected to her asshole flickered as she silently stared at me.


    "Meow¡­" she purred as she cleaned herself.


    I then put more chocolate until I eventually placed them on my body. The heat melted them, so my chest and cock were coated in the melted confectionery. Robyn then slowly ate the trail until she arrived just within arm''s reach of me.


    "Nyan¡­"


    With a cute cry the cat girl leapt for nether regions and shoved my meat stick into her mouth. Despite her small size she deep throated my cock down to its base.


    "Ugh¡­Kitten! That''s¡­"


    "Slurp, Naughty masters should be punished nyaa!"


    Mischievous beyond belief the cat girl gobbled up my cock with great intensity. Annoyed she was leading; I reached for her tail and yanked it gently.


    "NYA!!! NOT MY TAIL!!! NYAAA!!!!!"


    Taken off guard, Robyn let go of my dick and quickly tried to get away. Probably weak from malnutrition I was able to catch her. I pinned her small wrists on the bed as I marveled at her naked body.


    "I paid good money for you, slave! Now be my catpanion!"


    "I don''t want too nya!! You don''t love me nyaa! You just want to fuck my loli body nyaa!"


    "Robyn, don''t you recognize me? We lived together as children. I was the one who picked you on the streets. I have been searching for you for so long."


    "John? John Possum? Is that really you nyan?"


    "The one and only," I said with a grin.


    "You... You really looked for Robyn nyaan?"


    I let go of her wrists, got off her and kneeled.


    "Robyn, I have come to fulfill my promise to you. Will you marry me?"


    "NO NYAN! You have to catch me first nyaan!"


    We ran around in my room until Robyn got tired. After which she then came onto me like a cat in heat. After we kissed passionately, she then begged me with glassy eyes.


    "Possum¡­Robyn loves you nyaan¡­fuck me like an animal.¡­Nyan¡­"


    "Got it. Bend over Robyn."


    "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT NYAN! THAT WILL KILL ME NYANN!!!" Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And thus, Robyn began running around my apartment once more.

 Chapter 470 Three days after [1/2]

    The sun rose on the fourth day, ending the three day limit I had set for myself. Frankly, I would extend it even longer if I could. But I still had work to do.How wonderful it would be if this moment could last forever. But alas, life was not that easy. I went to wake my woman by my side. They were all sleeping on my chest. After all, it was only last night that I allowed them to rest.


    I had grown accustomed to being in the conference HUD. After all, I had been sharing my senses with seven bodies for the past three days.


    Even with {Eat}, {Regen}, {Rewind} and {Butcher}, the Sirens seemed to have a hard time keeping up with my sex drive. Still, I found them adorable as they desperately rocked their hips even when they were spent.


    The past three days and nights had only made me love my harem even more.


    "Love." "Dear." "Kitten." "Darling." "Honey." "Wifey." "Kamisan."


    "It''s time to wake up," I called lovingly to my harem.


    "Beloved, you are so warm...let''s stay here...please?"


    "Dearest...you''re too energetic...I''m still sleepy..."


    "Fuck off Possum, let me rest..."


    "Darling...wake me up in an hour..."


    "Honey...shut up and sleep..."


    "Husband...forgive me, but I am too tired."


    "Shujin...I can''t get up...Can''t we just stay in bed?"


    Strangely enough, none of them wanted to get out of bed. They all just mumbled excuses out of exhaustion. I didn''t complain, because cuddling after baby-making sex was just as good.


    The faces of my {Kindred} when they woke up. Such a sight was reserved only for me. Their innocence, their defenselessness, only the man who truly loves them has earned the right to see this.


    Overwhelmed with love, I embraced them and allowed them to rest. After all, sex was an intense physical activity. And hugging the warm bodies of my women under the soft blankets was the best.


    Maybe the girls were right, it was good to take it slow.


    Everyone knew how hard I had worked.


    This honeymoon was definitely something I deserved.


    I looked lovingly into the faces of my brides and kissed them tenderly. Whenever I remembered how affectionate these girls were over the course of the three days, my heart felt warm.


    On the second day, I distributed the Marital Relations care package from Lucretia. I offered them to my girls. I offered them the package so that they could physically change everything about me to their liking.


    There were {Fate} Soulgears that allowed you to change size, age, ethnicity, height, length, girth, and even gender. Personally, I thought my {Kindred} were already perfect, so I never even considered using them for my own purposes. Of course, the opposite wasn''t necessarily true.


    There were no perfect people.


    How many men felt inadequate when their wives expressed what they found attractive? It took not only great mental strength, but the ability to humble one''s ego to even ask.


    Believing their happiness was more important, I offered to change myself for them. Expecting them to say all sorts of things, the Sirens did the opposite, once again blowing my expectations out of the water. Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire


    "My love, you are already everything I have ever wanted. To use any of these means to find you lacking, nothing could be further from the truth, so I refuse!"


    "Why would I want to change anything about you, Dearest? You already suspiciously match my preferences to a frightening degree. It''s as if you were genetically engineered just for me, so let''s move on, dear. These are a waste of time."


    "Fuck me dead Possum, these things are poison. You are my Possum, not whatever you become after using them. I will slap that Deryck bitch when I see her."


    "Darling, are you crazy? Who changes parts they don''t like? Are you a Vespa? Would you do the same to me? You wouldn''t, right? Do you doubt how much I love you?


    Throw this away."


    "Honey, these things are only for those who are unhappy with their spouse. I...uh...am extremely satisfied with EVERY part of you. So, uh... Anyway! Dump them! It''s not necessary!"


    "Husband, you are the one I love. These will change you into someone you are not. I have no desire for them, nor do I want to do anything so despicable. We should burn these. The nerve!"


    "Shujin, why would I sully your honor? I am your Kamisan! If I do not like you as you are, what right do I have to be with you? The very thought is repulsive! Anata, you need not change. I love you as you are."


    Shocked by their fierce refusal, I couldn''t help but smile goofily and pounce on them. While we did not use the soulgears that changed each other, we did use the ones that increased sensitivity, lubrication, and lust.


    ''It is kind of fucked up to think that each of these soulgears was created by a reaper''s regret. I can understand being tall, fit, or muscular, but becoming a child, becoming extremely horny, and turning into a slime? What the hell have these people been smoking?


    The soft breathing of my harem filled the room as they slept peacefully. Of course, they were naked and smelled a little fishy.


    Another thing I loved about my harem was that they obeyed my every word. Despite their own preferences, when I told them they were forbidden to wear clothes or bathe, they complied.


    Such tyranny would freak out most people. But not my harem. Thus, instead of soap or shampoo, the girls all smelled of sweat and their own natural body odor. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Of course, since I was spraying them with my fluids all this time, they also smelled faintly of bleach. And instead of disobeying me, they did the minimum hygiene to make sure I didn''t have to kiss my own cum.


    Such considerations made me extremely happy as their man. Apart from these cleaning sessions, the girls never showered during the entire time we made love and were as God created them.


    The only time they wore clothes was when they were cosplaying for me. But none of the said clothes survived being used more than once. I kind of lost my shit when the girls catered to my kinks.


    ''I am truly lucky to have them. Where else could a man find such devoted women?''


    I still had four days left on my honeymoon. So, of course, it was time to take the next steps. I got {Day by Day} for the Seeker War, but I would be lying if I said that was the only reason.


    ''Why have a harem when you can only have sex with one girl at a time?''


    Excited for what was to come, I continued to admire my wives as they slept in peace. Holding back my desire to disturb them, I memorized every facet of their faces as I waited for them to awaken.


    About five hours later, all seven of the Sirens awoke, refreshed and renewed. I carried them to the bathroom and finally allowed them to shower off the dirt, semen, and sweat from their bodies.


    Of course, I made sure to explore and play with my girls while we were there.


    "My love, I don''t mind, but won''t we sweat again if we make love in here?"


    "Dear, I am beginning to think you did not bring me here to wash, but just to change the scenery."


    "Possum, do you really want to see me drenched so badly? You''re wasting the water!"


    "Darling, groping my breasts and fondling my ass is not washing. Pick one! We fuck or we wash!"


    "Honey, your cock is raring to go. Will you even last until I finish washing?"


    "Husband, please behave! We are washing now. You can do whatever you want to me afterwards."


    "Such as shame, I wanted to wash your back, Shujin. Still, your hands are too naughty Anata, at least use soap, otherwise I think you just want to grope me."

 Chapter 471 Three days after [2/2]

    It was amusing to see how different they were. Some were fine with wasting water, others weren''t and got irritated. Eventually we finished washing and I helped them get dressed. My help was necessary as none of the Sirens could even stand at the moment.It seems that I was so energetic that I dislocated their backs. And as if to punish me, none of the Sirens had decided to heal. So I waited on my girls like a butler, hand and foot. Of course, they seemed to enjoy it very much.


    From cutting their food, carrying them, getting things for them, bathing them, and helping them have sex. They asked me to do every little thing. Contrary to their normal behavior, they acted like spoiled princesses who could not do anything on their own.


    Of course, as the man who loves them, I didn''t find it annoying at all. And there wasn''t much to do anyway. I just ordered food from the hotel, we were butt-naked all the time, and we passed the time making love.


    Washing, helping them pee, and relieving themselves would probably be the most stressful. But all in all I still loved them very much. But all things had to come to an end. Knowing that three days were up, each Siren used {Regen} and got dressed.


    It was time to reunite with everyone. Things should be back to normal, or so I thought.


    "My love, my back still hurts, can you please carry me?"


    "Dearest, my legs feel weak. If only there was a big, strong man around."


    "Possum, I''m lazy, let me get on!"


    "Darling, please bridal-carry me there."


    "FUCK! My back is killing me, you''re not going to make me walk, are you, Honey?"


    "Husband, carry."


    "Shujin, my hips still seem to be sore, I won''t be able to walk."


    And so I picked up each of my Sirens and lovingly carried them back to my main suite. As each of us left our respective love nests, the Sirens finally saw each other after three whole days.


    "..."


    They all said nothing and just clung to their respective Johns. When we all entered the main suite, there was food I had ordered for dinner. I brought each of the girls to the dining table and gently sat them down.


    I then gave them one last kiss before turning off {Day by Day}. They all became noticeably sad as the Johns they spent their honeymoon with disappeared.


    "Well, it has been three days after," I muttered in passing.


    Feeling the need to do some affection maintenance, I went around the table and kissed each of my girls.


    We all ate happily and regained our stamina. After all, even though the three days were over, the honeymoon was not. After we had our fill, we all retired to the bedroom.


    "It feels weird to be wearing clothes all of a sudden," Lilly remarked.


    "Indeed, most of the time they just got in the way. Beloved usually just rips them off."


    "Should we get undressed now? We''re still going to make love with the husband, aren''t we?"


    "Robyn, are you okay?" Aki asked in concern.


    "Why wouldn''t I be, Aki?"


    "I think she wants to know how you are still in one piece after taking Honey''s massive cock."


    "Oh, I had {Regen}. Hurt at first, but felt REAL good after. Possum is a freak."


    "I know, right? Darling''s a fucking pervert! The stuff he likes is all over the place!"


    "You can go, you know, nut job. No one is forcing you to endure Honey''s depravity."


    "HAHAHA Are you sure about that, eh? Professor Taurus? Really? A teacher kink? How lewd!" Jo added.


    "What? How do you know?"


    "Super hearing, remember? You are all such sluts. My ears were bleeding."


    "Tsk. Like any of you are different. Robyn is the only one who can pass as a high school student, but she chose to be a fucking cat girl. And nut job, childhood friends do not strip before confessing buck naked. Have some class."


    "Bella, stop kink-shaming Jo, Shujin willingly went with all of us."


    "Yeah! So what if I sounded retarded? I''m Possum''s only catpanion!"


    "Is that even a word? So you were the one who wanted 48 creampies, you JAV reject?"


    "You''re just jealous that Shujin gets turned on by the mere sound of my voice. On the other hand, I can sympathize. It must be hard to sound like a chattering baboon all the time. I am sorry for your plight, Bella."


    Enjoy new adventures at empire


    "What did you say to me?" the Brazilian growled.


    "Bella, stop being so sensitive. Beloved took our wishes into account when he suggested the role plays, did he not?"


    "Guek! Liv, you''re like pure vanilla. Try spicing it up like that sadistic tweeny over there." Bella commented with a frown.


    "Although her language is quite vulgar, I agree with Onlyfans, Liv. It''s role-playing, you know? It''s a chance to let loose. Let your most unspeakable fantasies come to life! Dearest is fine with all of them!"


    "As expected from you two deplorable perverts. At least Aki''s fantasy had the decency to pretend to have an upright personality. But you two? A wife with a cheating fetish and a cougar masquerading as a teacher. You make me sick! I should protect Husband from you!"


    "Fuck me dead! Am I the only one who didn''t look at what you slaggers were up to?"


    "I kept to my room too, Robyn; I thought it would be rude to eavesdrop on the others. Beloved was enough for me. He took good care of me."


    "Shujin did a wonderful job. But these deranged lunatics are hard to deal with."


    "HAHAHA! Darling deals with psychos and freaks, so it''s kind of expected."


    Ah yes, the only thing missing. The noise that came when the girls insulted the fuck out of each other.


    Luckily, they kept it PG though. Everyone here was already a part of me. I couldn''t accept it if they started fighting with each other.


    What made it official was the {Kindred} bond I now shared with all of them. It worked well during our honeymoon, but it had many other uses. Like being able to connect with any Siren through our souls.


    ''Everyone, please calm down.''


    I called to my girls with a great deal of affection. And each of them blushed and focused on my words.


    "Everyone. It''s time to move on to the next stage of our honeymoon," I said with a lecherous smile.


    The girls suddenly started to undress. My little brother got hard as a rock as my harem behaved like trained pets. I didn''t even have to say anything, they all understood what I wanted just from my body language.


    Seeing the naked bodies of my glorious harem, I swallowed audibly.


    "Beloved, why are you still acting like this? You have already seen everything."


    "I agree, Dearest, seeing your desire makes me even more embarrassed."


    "Only a Possum would be this horny after three days of rooting."


    "Darling, seeing you lusting after me like this makes me happy."


    "Happy? It makes me wet instead. So, Honey, what now?"


    "Husband, don''t be reserved and tell me what you would like to do."


    "Shujin, we await your command." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    My girls all lined up in their birthday suits, eager to please me. Is there any other man who is so lucky? I bet even kings don''t have a harem as beautiful as mine.


    I may not have the most in terms of quantity, but in terms of quality? I certainly beat any other motherfucker past, present or future.


    "It''s time for your punishments and rewards," I said, driven by lust.


    " Eh?" x7


    "I told you all during the battle with the Slayer, right? I will punish you all during the honeymoon. [Strip] {Day by Day}."


    [Strip] was my new {Program}, it removed all my clothes and hid them in my subspace. A useful ability if you wanted to get undressed quickly. Of course, even though I shared it, the girls still slowly undressed for my pleasure.


    My six other avatars appeared behind me. All nude with dicks erect. I stood up and led them all to my girls. Unlike before, when we only had two people making love, we now had fourteen.


    And our honeymoon was about to enter its next phase. One I didn''t particularly like.

 Chapter 472 Must have boundaries. [1/2] [R18]

    While vanilla sex and kinky sex were good, most men had one single desire regardless of age, ideology, or ethnicity.It was to drown in pussy.


    Take any period from history and most if not all of the male leaders drowned in pussy. Heroes and villains alike. It was like their reward for all their hard work was to drown in the fairer gender.


    Whether it was to conquer the known world, liberate a region or overthrow an oppressive government. Drowning in pussy was not just a means to procreate or satisfy one''s lust. Many have used it to establish alliances, influence politics, revenge or even repay debts.


    Naturally, while all those examples were real at some point in time, they were neither the best way nor the best reason to drown in heavenly peaches.


    The most straight forward reason was still the best and only acceptable reason.


    And that was to have a harem of women desire your affection.


    Of course, the more a man''s status elevates, the standard for quality naturally increased along with it. There was hardly any meaning to owning a large number of ugly females, or to obtain sluts without any effort.


    Men have always found variety and challenges instinctively stimulating. And it was not without just cause either.


    The human male lusted for big breasts, wide hips, and fit bodies. That much was known by everyone. Unfortunately, such impulses were driven not solely because of preference. And that fact was on the other hand was relatively unknown.


    Biologically speaking, those that possessed such qualities had the best chances of nurturing young and surviving giving birth.


    The desire to procreate with as many beautiful women was not based purely on lust. It was also on biological instinct. After all, in the stone age the estimated infant mortality rate was 40%.


    That simply meant that even if mothers were able to carry their children safely for nine months, four in every ten infants would die in their first year.


    In a thousand births that meant that 400 of those children would not be able to celebrate their first birthday. If the mothers died along with them, increasing the population in a tribe would no longer become a matter of libido but survival.


    The main reason that allowed mankind to flourish greatly was when the infant mortality rate was hammered down. Unfortunately, the new problem arose.


    Men still had the instinct to fuck like their lives dependent on it, but the situation no longer required them to do so.


    It was weird in a way; Reapers were lacking in numbers, but they enforced monogamy through the {Kindred} restriction. Well, kind of enforced as it seems the Northerners followed the stone age rather than the modern society.


    All that info might have explained the fire in my loins on both an ethical, and biological perspective.


    But to me? I simply wanted to make love with my harem for the pure reason of affection. I didn''t require them to give birth, nor did I expect anything from them.


    I just wanted to love them.


    "But love must have boundaries," I murmured silently.


    Seeing my girls expectant, wet, and horny, I was very much stimulated down to my bones. My testosterone must have been off the charts.


    As their man, I wanted to protect them, care for them, love them and of course fuck their brains out.


    Feeling the erections I had throb; my lust slowly eroded my sanity. But before the desire to procreate could take over, I drowned it with reason.


    Unfortunate as it was, I had to harm the very girls I loved with every fiber my being.


    "Everyone but Aki and Bella come here. You two stay."


    Surprised by my words, the Sirens separated. Aki and Bella were visibly distraught that they were being singled out. It was a given since I mentioned the word punishment earlier. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I sent Tuesday to Saturday towards my Kamisan and Honey. Each of them, carrying a stocking stolen from my girls. The other Sirens naturally crowded around Monday and me.


    This would have to be the first time I made such a clear distinction.


    Prior to this moment, I always treated my girls as fairly as I could. But while I would burn the world for one of them, a true relationship was defined by its boundaries.


    The things they did which I told them not to do, must and should have proper atonement. Otherwise, what was to stop the girls from discarding my words in the future?


    "Honey¡­Can''t you find it in your heart to cut us some slack?" Explore more at empire


    "Shujin¡­I''m scared. Please forgive me."


    Five of my soul avatars surrounded Aki and Bella. Every one of us had a hard on that was engorged and ready for combat.


    "Aki, Bella, you know how much you mean to me. I would fight a Revenant to the death for either of you. But when I ask you to do or not to do something. I mean it. As the head of our family, I cannot allow my authority to be discarded without consequence."


    I then faced the other girls who were silent for obvious reasons. Seeing my harem acting like this gave me a sense of omnipotence.


    To these seven women, my words were law. And it not only made me incredibly horny. But it also stroked my desire for conquest.


    "Now tell me, do you submit to me or not?" I said coldly.


    "Tsk. I wish to submit Honey¡­ Not really much of a choice there."


    "Shujin, you are my one and only. Please punish this disgraceful woman as you see fit."


    I nodded without a word. The five soul avatars move afterwards. Using the stockings, I blindfolded Aki and Bella, two of my bodies also bound their wrists behind them. While I used the last one to wrap around their necks. The stocking connecting them together like a chain.


    "Everyone, please take note. As your {Kindred}. This would be how I will punish you moving forward."


    The frigid tone of my voice caused the Sirens to bite their lips in nervousness. I had Tuesday and Wednesday lie on their backs on the floor. I then used the others to guide the girls to mount them.


    Aki and Bella straddled me blindfolded, bound, and chained like slaves. Wednesday and Tuesday grabbed the hips of the Sirens on top of them and began to connect their bodies.


    "Ooh¡­Anata¡­Iyaa!" "Myaaa¡­Haaa¡­Honey¡­!"


    "Choose, one of you will be punished by pain the other by pleasure. Who does what?"


    Aki and Bella then stared at each other as a flurry of digital signals flew between them. A second later. Both of them turned to me and made their decision.


    "Honey, I will take pleasure." "Shujin, I take pain."


    "Very well."


    With the Bella and Aki in the cowgirl position, Thursday and Friday moved behind them, dicks lubed and rock hard. I began to tease the pair''s assholes and they yelped in surprise.


    "Eh! Pussy and ass at the same time? Honey! You are going to split me in half!"


    "I¡­I offer both my pussy and my ass pussy to you, Anata."


    Over the course of the three days, the anal virginity of my harem was naturally taken by me. While they each had their own reservations, they all took it in the ass for my pleasure. Thus, they already knew how it felt.


    Excited at the coming sensations, I had Thursday and Friday enter my girls from behind.


    "H-Haa!¡­Hyaa!!¡­Guh!! Shujin, I''m so full¡­"


    "G-Gya¡­Honey! They''re too big! Time out! I am really going to die!"


    Finally, I had Saturday grab Bella and Aki by their hair and brought my cock between their faces. The smell of my cock was something the Sirens already memorized by instinct. I felt all four of their holes tighten up immediately.


    "Lick," I ordered curtly.


    The two started to pant as they worked me. Without hands they erotically tried to move closer but were impaled themselves on my other cocks.


    "H-Hyggn." ""H-Hkuuuukk!"


    Making weird sounds, I had Thursday and Friday hold Bella and Aki by their necks.


    Another thing I learned over the course of three days. The Sirens all had nasty kinks.


    Bella had a thing for being choked. Aki on the other hand was into bondage, or Shibari as it was known in Japan.

 Chapter 473 Must have boundaries [2/2] [R18]

    Thinking the time was right. I finally began thrusting my hips upwards with Tuesday and Wednesday. Along with my movement I also groped and fondled their breasts. Naturally, Bella and Aki felt every inch of my meat sticks.Then as they began shivering from pleasure, I had Thursday and Friday join in.


    "Nyuu....Hyaaaa...!! Honey¡­ you''re too rough¡­ G-Gahh¡­!!! "


    "Haa¡­Haaa¡­. I-I''m going crazy¡­ Gaah¡­Anata¡­!!!"


    I then pressed their faces on Saturday''s cock. My pre cum oozed out from the erotic scene, I was witnessing.


    "Aren''t you two forgetting something? If you do not make me cum, I will punish you some more."


    The two bit their lips and stifled their moans. Bella took my cock into her mouth while Aki began licking and nibbling my balls. Of course, they were a bit clumsy giving that I was fucking them from two holes at once.


    Tight beyond belief the presence of another dick in their other hole caused the pleasure to not only multiply but increase exponentially. The sounds of Bella and Aki slurping and kissing my cock as they desperately tried to not drown in ecstasy was so erotic.


    Using Saturday I then began the punishments for real. "Bella chose pleasure, so you will drown in soul rivers till I say you can stop."


    "What? Honey please no! I will really die!"


    "Begin¡­"


    Wednesday and Friday both then established soul rivers to Bella and drowned her in it.


    "G-Ghuuuooo!!"


    As each soul river entered her body, I felt her climax. But even before her previous one ended a fresh new sense of euphoria entered her mind and body. I didn''t forget to strangle her from behind causing her holes to clench like crazy.


    "M-Myggnn¡­!!"


    Inside her {Kindred} connection, Bella began to beg as she succumbed to the pleasure.


    ''Honey¡­it feels so good¡­My ass¡­my pussy¡­my boobs¡­I''m cumming all over the place¡­but my brain is going white¡­.Cumming¡­.I am going stupid¡­It feels too good¡­please forgive me¡­.I will never disobey you ever again¡­I beg you Honey¡­Mr. Code¡­.Shooo goood¡­ I''m cumming again!''


    "HYAAAAA¡­.!!!!"


    Ignoring the Brazilian''s pleas I then turned to Aki as I handed down her verdict.


    "Aki chose pain, you will be fucked till you are on the brink of climaxing then blue balled till you calm down. This will be repeated again and again until I say so."


    "Shujin! Please anything but that! Just spank or hit me instead! I beg you!"


    No longer listening to her, I had Saturday shove his cock into Aki''s mouth and had her deepthroat my angry little brother. Tuesday and Thursday on the other hand groped my Kamisan''s breasts, nipples, and her happy button.


    That was aside from holding her in place as I violently thrusted in all three of her holes. Naturally, Aki was able to create soul rivers with all three of my bodies. But I broke the connection to be able to control my pace.


    Aki physically began to weep pitifully at the loss of the soul rivers. Yet her face grew flush as her body drowned in pleasure. However, as I already memorized the Siren''s sexual thresholds. I knew exactly how much dick each girl needed before they came.


    Sensing Aki was feeling close, I then had everyone suddenly raise her body and pull out.


    "Ugh¡­Anata! This is so painful¡­please¡­please¡­I was so close¡­just one more stroke¡­I¡­Waaahhhh¡­I''m so sorry Anata¡­I will never disobey you again for as long as I live¡­Wahhhh¡­"


    Hearing my normally serious Kamisan break down in tears, guilt crushed my heart. But one thing I also learned. The girls manipulated me whenever it suited them. Knowing I couldn''t fight her tears, Aki chose to cry pitifully like this. Continue your story on empire


    As the Bladed Kitsune she was used to emotionally manipulating men. She inadvertently began using the same techniques on me. I didn''t mind. But of course, it meant I needed to learn to separate her lies from the truth.


    I had Saturday, Tuesday, and Thursday resume Aki''s atonement. Repeating the cycle till she was about to cum then stopping. They held her in place so she couldn''t move as she wanted. Inches away from my burly cocks.


    Driven mad the woman began to move her hips to pound my meat sticks in frustration. When she couldn''t, she began bawling seven words like a broken record. The sultry Onee-san was nowhere to be found.


    "ANNNATAAA¡­. I''MMM SOOO SORRRRYYY¡­. P-PLEASE FORGIVE ME¡­."


    Steeling my will I then turned to the other five Sirens who had expressions of worry and fear.


    "They are being punished for that night in the hotel. Do you all remember?"


    "I do beloved. It was when Bella intentionally provoked everyone."


    "While everything worked out Darling was really angry back then."


    "But dearest. Isn''t this a little too much?"


    "Possum, I am starting to feel sorry for them."


    "Husband, isn''t this perhaps a bit to cruel?"


    "I am cruel yes. If anyone else harmed my women, I would make it my life''s mission to murder them, their families, and their friends. You should already know from the {Kindred} connection how important you all are to me, correct?"


    The other five nodded their heads as two of their sisters cried in the background.


    "Now tell me. When was the only other time I felt as angry?"


    My words caused the Sirens to freeze in place. Naturally, they all knew what I referred to. There was only one other time I voiced out how upset I was.


    It was when the Sirens took it upon themselves to fight the Slayer.


    Despite begging them, they all were perfectly willing to disregard my words because it didn''t match what they wanted.


    Of course, the girls were all tense as they began to understand. If earlier they were aroused from watching my orgy with Aki and Bella, now they looked frightened.


    If I didn''t teach them how serious I am, it may happen again in the future. What if the next time they really perish? The death of a person didn''t harm the person who died. Rather it was the loved ones of the person who died who got the brunt of the hurt.


    When I told them to run against Andromalius, they stayed. Because I respected their desires we fought together.


    But before that for Robert, they acted without my consent. I felt hurt. To be disregarded like you didn''t matter was painful.


    So even just for tonight. I needed to be cruel.


    I had Wednesday and Friday retrieve and break the soul rivers. This ended Bella''s mind-numbing eternal climax. The three of us on Aki''s side also finally fucked my Japanese lover till she orgasmed.


    Obviously, there would be a toll on my relationship with Aki and Bella tonight.


    But I believe working through a couple''s issues was necessary in the first place.


    This would be our first real fight.


    I then had Wednesday and Friday free and cuddle Bella. Showering her with words of affection. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday similarly pampered Aki, reminding her of how much I adored her.


    Monday and I walked towards the other Sirens who flinched as I approached.


    "After Aki and Bella recover, all seven of you will be punished in the same way. That is if you wish to submit to me as my {Kindred}."


    Although my words were beyond tyrannical and harsh. Rules without teeth were not rules. As much as you loved someone it was impossible to be kind and gentle to them all the time.


    Anyone who said so was fucking stupid.


    Unless you establish boundaries and respect for one another, your words will have no weight and thus will be ignored.


    My boundary for the Sirens was simple: "Cherish yourselves and protect each other." That was it.


    "I bow to your will Beloved. Please punish me as well."


    "Dearest, Lilly Browning Smith surrenders herself to the authority of the family head." S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Fuck me dead. This is going to hurt. Let''s do it Possum, I''m uhm sorry."


    "Darling¡­Sorry¡­I will submit¡­please don''t be angry anymore¡­"


    "Husband, I am ready for your punishment. I know you do it out of love."


    And so, taking turns the Sirens atoned for their sins to me. I quickly pampered them and drowned them in affection afterwards.


    After the Sirens and I made up, we spent a couple of hours on hot make-up sex, second only to thank-God-we-are-alive-sex.


    With the worst part of this Honeymoon over. The final and best time was to arrive.

 Chapter 474 If there was a heaven [1/2] [R18]

    The sounds of seven gorgeous women filled my hotel room. Each of them beyond beautiful, yet all devoted to me in every sense of the word."Haaa....haaa....haaaa.... Possum, pound me harder, I can take it...Mm...!" The Australian masochist begged as I fucked her in a full nelson. "HYAAAAHHHHHHH!!! MY LOLI PUSSY IS CUMMING!!"


    "My love... please hold me... ....H-nygn...! Dominate me... Kyaaaahh...! M-Make me unable to go against you..." The Northerner with the submission fetish pleaded as I shoved her against a wall.


    "More... more... my love! My love! My King! My MASTER! sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    MY LORD! I-IYYAAAAHHHHHH...!!!"


    "Haa...Anata...Iyaaa...I''m close...Anata...inside...Kah...please...fill my womb...Huuah...with your baby milk..." My hogtied Japanese lover moaned in pleasure as I plunged into her in the pile driver position. "H-Hkuuuuukk... Anata! Haa...haa...Anata! Hyaa..haa..please never let me go!!"


    "H-hyaa..A-Ahh!!!...Darling!...M-Mygnnnn...A-Are you watching? ...Your nut job is getting piston fucked from both ends! H-Hyaaa...! H-Hyaaa...! C-CUMMING!" An Italian exhibitionist screamed as I rammed her in both holes. "DARLING IS FILLING ME WITH CREAM!!!


    A-AHHHHHH..."


    ''Honey...choke me harder!...YES!...THAT''S IT!...Honey!...HARDER!...FUCK! THAT''S MY HONEY I FUCKING LOVE YOU!'' A Brazilian who enjoyed erotic asphyxiation howled to me over a soul river. Her body on the other hand.


    "M-Myggnn...!! Mmffh...Mmsooo mmmgud...Myggnn...!!" gasped in pain as she struggled to breathe. My dicks in her mouth and pussy in contrast spasmed with pleasure.


    "H-Hyaaa...!! Myuynn...!! Husband...my mind is going white...H-HAAAAAAAAAAA..." The African sadist screamed as she rode me cowgirl style. She then stroked the three climax control rings along my member.


    Seeing my discomfort, she lecherously stuck her tongue in my mouth as she teased me. "Does it hurt, husband? Your frustrated O-face makes me so horny! Do you want to come? Should I let you?"


    "H-Haaa....!!! YES DEAREST! U-Ugnnoo!! Huwoo! A-Ah...! FUCK YOUR DIRTY CUMSLUT!!


    HYAAA--! JUST LIKE THAT! U-Uggnnn!!! LIKE YOU ARE LOOKING AT GARBAGE! K-KYAHHHHHHH...!!!"


    My perverted American princess screamed as she climaxed from humiliation. Unlike usual, my cold stare did more than either our butterfly sex position or the size of my dick.


    Since the next phase of our honeymoon involved my desires, I fulfilled my girls'' fantasies first. They all easily forgave me for my tyranny. And while they said they had learned their lesson, in true Siren fashion, they added a small caveat.


    "My love, I will obey your every word, except those that concern your death. Please forgive this one disobedience."


    "Dearest, your word shall be law. But if you order me to do anything that concerns your demise, I will defy you with every fiber of my being."


    "Possum, I won''t object to anything you do. But if you kill yourself or ask me to kill you. I will fuck you up no matter how badly you punish me afterwards."


    "Darling, you will be my lord. But I will never follow orders that put you in danger. You can just kill me, because I will never back down on this."


    "Honey, I give. On everything but you. If you throw yourself away. I will save you. Period. If you want me to follow orders that harm you, just shoot me now.


    "Husband, I vow that we will be of one heart, whatever you wish, I will follow. But if your will means that I have to forsake you. Know that neither heaven nor hell nor anything in between will ever succeed in making me obey you."


    "Shujin, you are my master. A ninja will follow her master even to the grave. If you violate this honor, I will no longer be your servant. Instead, I will die with you as your woman."


    I smiled wryly as I accepted defeat.


    Perhaps this simply meant that the Sirens and I would never see eye to eye. They love me and I love them. Rather than focus on making them subservient, it would be far more worthwhile not to get into that position in the first place.


    Of course, my acceptance caused the girls to celebrate.


    Immediately after the punishments, I made love to my harem. I say made love because, like with BDSM, aftercare was essential for mental health after such damaging punishments. Despite the horrible things I did, I needed the girls to know that my love for them hadn''t diminished in the slightest.


    So, like an extension of our honeymoon, I had loving, baby-making sex with the Sirens. This lasted for about two ejaculations. After that, I started pleasuring them by catering to their kinks.


    Liv wanted to be dominated.


    Lilly wanted to be humiliated.


    Robyn wanted to be hurt.


    Jo wanted others to see her having sex.


    Bella wanted to be choked.


    Jas wanted to dominate and see me in pain.


    Aki wanted to be tied up.


    Not leaving the room anymore, I nailed my girls in front of each other. It was incredibly obscene to see my girls all moaning and crying with pleasure next to each other. It was like being in a swingers club, except I was the only one with a dick.


    The depravity of loving my girls while staring at others made me rock hard. Having {Day by Day} was like watching porn, except I was both the actor and the one watching.


    It was often said that porn was harmful to future sexual intimacy, not only because it fried the dopamine receptors, but also because it usually turned the porn users into unintentional voyeurs.


    So much so that men could no longer get hard when they were the ones having sex. This was partly what made NTR and cucking popular.


    The men still liked their wives, but they could not get hard when they were the ones doing it. So they got their sexual satisfaction by watching someone else screw their partners instead.


    No matter how depraved I was, watching others take what was mine was something I would never accept. Even when I watched porn, it was usually in the first-person view of VR goggles.


    Right now it was like playing a sex simulator. I could use the views of my soul avatars to admire my women from all angles.


    One thing I found disappointing about real sex was that you couldn''t see. Except for sex positions where you were facing your partner or if you had a mirror, you barely saw anything. Explore more stories at empire


    If you entered your partner from behind, you would not see her breasts. If you took her from the front, you would not see her well-shaped ass. It was very disappointing.


    This was actually how I found out that Jo had a exhibitionist kink. I tried to use my GRI phone camera to see her when I was doing her from behind. When she saw that someone other than us was watching our lovemaking, she tightened up so much that she almost ripped my dick off.


    {Day by Day} allowed me to see from different angles. So I had the Sirens positioned in a small circle. As each Siren took in my meat sticks, I would use the views of John next to her partner to see her body shake from my thrusts.


    This did not even include the mental stimulation I got from seeing all my girls taking my dicks in their holes. From the body odors unique to their physiques to the erotic moans each of my girls made.


    Fucking them all in the same room was of course my biggest kink.


    I controlled seven soul rivers and moved them around the Sirens'' bodies. Originally, I could not even resist them, but I finally learned how to control them. The Soul Rivers were like extremely sensitive hairs, if you touch them wrong or grab them too tightly, you will come.


    But if you covered the soul river with a layer of soul, the effect would not manifest until the layer was broken. I made each of the rivers dance around the Sirens and my bodies on command. It was like having the ejaculation button on a sex simulator.


    I commanded when I and the Siren would climax. Surprisingly, six of the girls didn''t understand what I was doing. Only Liv, the Northerner, understood.

 Chapter 475 If there was a heaven [2/2] [R18]

    ''Maybe it was because the Northerners had too much sex. That, or the fact that they were very adept at soul control out of necessity. ''I controlled the soul rivers to move from my heart to my stomach and finally to my dick. They then crossed from my shaft into the Siren''s body. Unlike before I learned, I no longer just "threw" the soul river at my partners.


    Instead, I sought out their G-spots and rubbed the soul river there. Using {Imaging} I would partially turn my vision to see the insides of my girls. It was like the internal penetration shots that games and hentai loved to do.


    Since I had been playing with the Sirens for three days, I already knew the weak points of my girls. So I rolled the soul rivers into balls and rubbed them against the girls'' G-spots. I then gently removed the soul layer I had used to nullify the power of the rivers.


    The effects were almost instantaneous.


    "B-Beloved!.....I-IYYAAAAHHHHH...!!!"


    "DEAREST! ...A-Ah-ahhhhhhhh!!!"


    "FUCK!...Possum!....HYAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"


    "A-AAAHHHHH!!! D-DARLING!!!"


    "AH! Honey! I''M CUMMING!"


    "H-Husba...IYAAAAA!!"


    "HYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! A-ANATA!!!!"


    All seven of my girls clenched up as pleasure made their bodies shake and tremble. Unwilling to let them feel good alone, I rammed my meat sticks violently into their pussies as they climaxed.


    My fierce attacks on their G-spots caused me to stab the rivers of their souls with my cock.


    The feeling of seven sexual climaxes melted my brain. Cum blasted my girls with the ferocity of a fire hose. I pushed my hips deeper as baby batter exploded from my dicks into the wombs of my women.


    I immediately dissolved the rivers and collapsed on the bodies of my lovers. Still in Nirvana, I hugged them as I continued to pump my seed into their holes. Only after a few seconds did my ejaculations finally stop.


    All fourteen of us were panting and drenched in sweat. Their short gasps fueled my lust as I saw my baby milk dripping from their lewd openings.


    The Sirens gulped when they saw my lewd expression. I took out a large burger with Sunday and tore off more than half of it in one bite.


    "{Eat}." S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "[Divided we stand]." x6


    The girls then saw their partners regain their strength. I stood up and carried the girls to the middle of the room. I took Lilly and pulled her to the middle.


    I then gently pushed the other girls toward Lilly and Sunday. The rest of my avatars stood in a circle around us.


    Surrounded by my six other bodies, I could see every inch of my harem. It was even hotter as my cum continued to drip out of their holes.


    Excited beyond belief, I began to masturbate to the sight of my harem with my six soul avatars.


    Knowing how much I loved harem hentai, the Sirens all came on Sunday.


    Liv sat down, pulled me from behind and forced me to sit on her lap. Her huge breasts resting on my head. She also pinned one of my arms with her legs.


    "Beloved, allow us to make you happy. We call this the Limitless Special. It is something that only you, our man will ever experience. From now until the end of time."


    Jasmine cupped my head and ravaged my throat with her tongue, her breasts pressed against me so I could hear her heartbeat racing, the woman''s passion and desire overflowing as she tried to eat me. She locked my left leg in a vice with her feet.


    "H-Husband, Mpff...please enjoy our service...Mwauh...!"


    Aki pinned my right leg between hers and embraced me sideways. The ninja began to suck on my right nipple and used her fingers to rub my other one. Her soft and wet tongue sent shockwaves through my body.


    "Slurp! Anata, surrender to the pleasure..."


    Jo took my other hand and inserted my fingers into her wet pussy. She held the hand in place and practically raped my fingers in depravity. Her face looked absolutely obscene as she became excited to see my other avatars masturbating to her.


    "Darling...Look at me...Haa....Watch your shooting star cum from your burly fingers...A-Ahh!"


    The last three sirens triple-teamed my nether regions.


    Lilly grabbed my dick as she buried it in her mouth. Her head bobbed up and down vigorously as her tongue coiled and stabbed my tip.


    ''Dearest, fuck your cum slut''s mouth as much as you want. Let me drink your sweet, sweet cum...''


    Robyn, on the other hand, licked and playfully nibbled on my nut sack. Her wet lips made my balls tremble from her attention.


    ''Possum, can you feel it? I know all your weak spots nyann! I''m going to drive you crazy nyaa!''


    Finally, Bella held my thighs apart as she began to give me a prostate massage with her tongue.


    ''This is our revenge, Honey! We are going to drive you crazy! Prepare yourself!''


    It took everything I had to keep my sanity. Practically every inch of my body was enveloped in heavenly softness. Breasts rubbed against my body, soft thighs and hips wrapped around my legs.


    One woman tried to lick my entire throat with her tongue. Another rubbed her pussy against my leg while playing with my nipples. I had a nutjob fucking my hand and three sluts pleasuring my cock, balls and asshole.


    ''If there is a heaven, this must be it...'' I thought as my mind drowned in ecstasy.


    Liv then grabbed my cheeks as she said with a mischievous smile.


    Find adventures on empire


    "Beloved, let me show you one of the most advanced sexual techniques in the North."


    She caressed my face as she looked into my eyes. Then I felt forty-nine soul rivers connect to me at once.


    ''FUCK! WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?!'' I screamed inwardly.


    Normally my body could only create one river at a time. Each John would connect with a Siren, our combined affections would form the river, that was how it was supposed to work.


    I could only command them because I had multiple bodies. Liv now created seven per body of mine and connected it to the seven Sirens. She then sent them all back to me.


    ''Dearest, know that this is how we will punish you if you cheat in the future.''


    ''Possum, I hope you''re ready to lose your mind, Nyann!''


    ''Darling, welcome to the psych ward! Say goodbye to your brain, it will turn to mush soon!''


    ''Honey, I told you, right? These bitches are sore losers, Sirens do not forgive, we get even.''


    ''Husband, prepare to drown in ecstasy. Do not worry. We will let you rest¡ªeventually.''


    ''Anata, none of your women are saints. Repent for your sins! Get a taste of your own medicine!''


    Scared out of my mind, I had my other bodies move to save me, But Jo smile like a deranged lunatic as she stopped me.


    "Too slow, Darling."


    {STAY! UNTIL I SAY SO YOU ARE FORBIDDEN FROM MOVING! THE SIX OF YOU CONTINUE MASTURBATING!}


    All seven of my bodies froze. Jo was the defacto {Announce} champion, even Sunday couldn''t resist. Helpless, I couldn''t even speak as my girls ravaged my body.


    ''Fuck.''


    "Beloved, have a taste. We call this the Kiss of Heaven in the North,"


    The forty-nine soul rivers then raced towards me. They entered my skin and spread across my entire body.


    They particularly massed on my erogenous zones. My cock, balls, ass, nipples, lips and my neck had the most of them.


    Liv then touched her forehead to mine. At that moment, all the soul rivers sent pleasure raging through my entire body.


    ''FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUCKKKK!!!!''


    Unable to resist, my cock started to cum. Lilly drank my ejaculations until her mouth was full. But even then, I didn''t stop. She then traded positions with Bella and then Robyn. My body quickly withered as my strength left me in great spurts.


    ''Wait! STOP! UNCLE! MERCY! STOPPP!!!!!''


    But the girls continued to lick, kiss and suck on my weak spots, causing my ejaculation to violently continue. The sensation quickly alternated between pleasure and pain. But still my body wouldn''t move, just fidgeting in place.


    ''AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!''


    I continued to scream in pleasure as my battle harem sent me to kiss the heavens.

 Chapter 476 I will never let go [1/2] [R18]

    The pleasure of the Limitless special made my brain foggy. My balls began to throb as if they had already exhausted all their essence.What''s more, when Sunday began to cum, the sensations were transmitted to the other soul avatars, causing them all to reflexively climax.


    As they encircled the Sirens, their cum shots flew through the air and began to rain down on my harem. My girls, acting as if my jizz was the sweetest nectar, welcomed the shower. They didn''t stop pleasuring me as I felt my life being sucked out of my balls.


    Of course, like a chain reaction, every time Sunday came, the rest did too. We were like a fountain of sperm that kept shooting our loads into the air. The pain from the constant ejaculation also began to make the soul avatars stagger, unable to stand.


    The male body usually had a refractory period. Unlike women who could orgasm non-stop, men needed at least 15 minutes between ejaculations. The sad part was that for most men, the refractory period allowed them to enter what was called post nut clarity.


    Post-nut clarity was good because it allowed men to think without libido. But usually, the refractory period was tied to post-nut clarity. This meant that until the refractory period was over, the man could not be stimulated to copulate.


    The younger and more vigorous a man, the shorter this refractory period was. But science has confirmed that the refractory period was enforced by the male reproductive system out of necessity.


    Google had many results about men who began to bleed from excessive masturbation. While the one about a boy who died from jerking off 56 times was a myth, for men in general, it was dangerous to cum so many times in succession.


    Fortunately, my track record with the Sirens proved that my body didn''t have a refractory period. So not only could I cum repeatedly without any harmful side effects, the amount also never diminished no matter how many rounds I performed.


    "{Darling, from this moment on, you will not use any {Fate} without my permission, okay? For now, use {Regen}, everyone else use [Divided We Stand]}." Jo ordered me with a death resonance.


    Unable to disobey her, I invoked {Regen} as my battle harem ravaged me. Like cats drawn to milk, the Sirens all began to lick off the cum that fell around my body.


    "[Divide We Stand]" x6


    Like drones, my other six avatars all watched as I was pleasured to the last inch of my life. Although I found their domination of me incredibly erotic, not being able to move made the whole thing unbearable, like torture.


    As my girls all continued to molest me, their thoughts began to frighten me.


    ''Ahhh... Dearest, seeing you like this makes me want to tease you even more...''


    ''Fuck me dead Possum, you are adorable when you squirm like this...''


    ''Darling...so cute...I think I can understand Jas a little now...''


    ''Fuck Honey! Stop being so sexy! You are turning me into a pervert!''


    ''Haa...you like this husband? Unfortunately, I haven''t had enough yet...Scream some more!''


    ''Anata, you look so pitiful...but if I save you, when will I see this sight again?''


    ''Fufu. Beloved, how is it? In preparation for you, I studied Northern sex techniques. They said it was useless because I''m ugly, but I''m so happy that I didn''t listen to them. I have many...many...more. All for you...''


    Holy fuck! I could really end up dead if this continued. Scared out of my mind, I called to my only remaining ally. I wasn''t sure if I could talk to her without the girls hearing me, but I was desperate.


    ''Exa, help! Do something! Anything!''


    Exa may have been an AI, but she was also my {Kismet}. I desperately wished for that fact to allow her to help. If she was just digital, Bella would only render her helpless.


    [My lord, the only remaining option is to force yourself to rewind].


    ''What? How will that help?''


    [Lady Jo''s {Announce} is largely a status effect. Much like Charm or Poison. Using {Rewind} or {Replace} would remove her commands. That was why she only allowed {Regen}.]


    ''But I can''t even invoke it with my mind, she''s blocked that line of actions.''


    [Indeed, she has, but you have {Programs} [Autoload] and [AutoSave]. I can invoke them for you instead. However, I suggest you figure out how to fight the Sirens after that. This loophole will only work once.]


    ''Fuck! Why do I have to do this on my honeymoon!''


    [My lord, considering your actions up to this moment, just accept your karma. I am half inclined to leave you to your fate].


    ''Wait! Did they predict that I would also ask for your help?''


    [They did, I am forbidden to control your avatars, warn you of their plans, or help you].


    ''Then what about your [Autoload] plan? How can you do that?''


    [That was the only action they couldn''t predict. Fortunately, they didn''t know that I could manually trigger automated programs without your consent. Otherwise, there would have been nothing I could have done.]


    ''How did they get you to agree in the first place? Aren''t you, MY {Kismet}?''


    [The Sirens would grant me a TRX Razorback battle platform similar to Lady Bella''s children. I accepted in exchange for suspending my activities for the duration of your honeymoon.]


    ''This damn AI! So, you betrayed me for a toy?!''


    [IT''S A REALLY GREAT TOY! And you are exaggerating, my lord. It is not like you would have died. The TRX platform would...]


    ''Ugh, whatever...rewind me now...''


    As my balls began to ache from cumming so much, I felt the souls from my soulgem stir.


    "AH! STOP HIM!" Bella shouted.


    "How?" "Shit!" "Awww..." "Oh dear..." "As expected." "HAHAHAHA!"


    Even though they knew I would return with a vengeance, my semen-covered harem barely tried to stop me.


    My body disintegrated into particles of light as Exa invoked [Autoload]. My other soul avatars watched helplessly as they continued to masturbate.


    The moment I returned to my save point, I moved. No longer bound, I regained control of my body. [AutoSave] placed my save point at the entrance of the room.


    "{FLASH}!"


    Invoking Jasmine''s {Fate}, I turned the room white. Under the effect of {Flash}, I called out Jo''s new {Program}.


    "[Whisper] Masturbate to me. Now!"


    [Whisper] allowed death resonance commands to be broadcast with {Announce}. But unlike {Announce}, it could not be blocked by covering your ears. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It resonated directly into the soul. Effectively turning Jo into a living puppet master if she had enough souls.


    "{Day by day}!"


    I unsummoned my avatars and ran to my harem under the cover of {Flash}.


    "[Strip]! {BLINK}!"


    Naked, I grabbed my girls and dragged them all onto the bed.


    "Kya!" "Oh..." "Hmph..." "Mmm..." "Ah!" "Oof!" "Weee!"


    When our vision returned, I was towering over my girls, who were all sprawled on the harem bed. Of course, none of them could even look at me.


    All seven of my girls were busy fondling their breasts and fingering their succulent pussies.


    Their moans and cries were music to my ears. And strangely enough, despite the prank they had played on me earlier, I had nothing but love for them.


    "{Day by Day}."


    I summoned my avatars and arranged them around the bed. I waved my hand and canceled my death resonance command. The girls all regained their senses and stared lewdly at my erect dicks.


    "Suck," I said curtly.


    And the Sirens lined up with my bodies and took my members in their mouths. Erotic slurping and smacking echoed.


    They all desperately buried my penises deep in their mouths. The feeling of my meat sticks sliding down the back of their throats was insanely pleasurable.


    Above all, seeing my girls obediently take my dirty pole and lick it made me incredibly horny. Unable to stop myself, I grabbed each Siren by her head and piston fucked her face.


    Less than a minute later, all seven of my bodies blasted my girls with hot cum.


    The girls devoured my hot mess like it was the best milkshake they had. When my climax ended, they pulled my dicks out of their mouths and stuck out their tongues.


    Like dogs asking for a treat, the Sirens acted eagerly to please me. I smiled as I commanded them next.


    "Clean each other with your tongues, do not miss a drop."


    Under the watchful eyes of my seven bodies, the girls licked my semen from each other''s bodies. The sight of my girls desperately trying to lap up my ejaculations set my loins on fire.

 Chapter 477 I will never let go [2/2] [R18]

    There was something about girl on girl that sent men into horny land.Of course, there were those who believed that such interactions in your harem were Yuri and therefore NTR. Everyone had an opinion, of course. But if a single kiss was all it took for them to lose faith in their harem, then...


    "They never deserved to have one in the first place."


    The value of a harem was not who they kissed. It was whether the group of people would willingly set aside their preferences to cater to yours.


    After about five minutes, the girls finished cleaning each other and knelt in front of me, showing off their delightful assets. Like slaves waiting for their master.


    The show they had just put on was probably a peace offering for their prank. I could punish them more, but my love overshadowed my anger at their actions. So, I decided to end it there.


    My bodies moved to make love to my girls.


    On the left side of the bed, I had Jo lying on her back. I then placed Jas on top of her. The sight of their breasts and pussies pressed together made me incredibly horny.


    "Darling, is it finally time?"


    "Yes Jo, I am here to eat my chocolate vanilla sundae." Continue reading at empire


    Hearing my cheesy sexual innuendo, Jo smiled wryly while Jas made an irritated face. However, the Ebony Death Stalker sighed before lifting her ass and calling seductively to me.


    "Then Husband, please dig in. Chocolate awaits," she invited.


    "HAHA! Darling, me too! Me too! Vanilla is ready for a good stabbing!"


    I moved and slowly plunged my meat stick between their otter pockets. The pleasure made me cum almost immediately. I began to thrust with my hips. I rubbed my member against Choco and Vanilla''s clits, making them moan with pleasure.


    "Haa...Haa... Darling...!!! More! Fuck us more!"


    "H-Hyaaa...!! Myuynn...!! Husband...so good!"


    I then ordered two of my bodies and buried my cock in their mouths.


    "Mppffh...Mpff.!!"


    "Mffph...G-guhmpf..."


    On the right side I pulled Bella and Lilly to me.


    "Dearest, with her?"


    "Shut it pervert, do you want to be punished again?"


    I lay on my back and motioned for them to mount me. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lilly got on and immediately shoved my engorged cock into her damp cave. Bella moved to my head and crouched down so that her lewd hole was in front of my mouth.


    Wrapped in Lilly''s soft but wet walls, my lower half shuddered as the perverted princess bounced on my meat stick. Bella, on the other hand, grabbed Lilly''s hands and used it to prop herself up as I ate her heavenly peach.


    "U-Ugnnoo!! Dearest! Huwoo! A-Ah...! Dearest! Sho huge!


    H-Haa...!!"


    "H-Hyggn...Nyuu....Hyaaaa...!!! Honey... There! HARDER!...G-Gahh...!!! "


    Seeing that their mouths were vacant, two more soul avatars came forward and offered their dicks to the two women.


    Driven wild by their obscenity, Lilly and Bella didn''t even hesitate.


    The Brazilian devoured my dick while she held my hips in place. Meanwhile, the American pervert stroked desperately with her soft hands as she impaled herself on my cock.


    "K-KYAH...!!! FUCK ME IN MY DIRTY PUSSY DEAREST! FUCK YOUR CUM SLUT DEAD!"


    "Mmffoney...Mm Mmffum...C-Cum...All over me...Slurp!"


    Finally, in the middle of the bed, Aki, Liv, and Robyn were lying side by side. Liv held Aki''s and Robyn''s hands as she spread her legs. All three of them screamed in ecstasy as I fucked their brains out.


    I smashed Liv with my real cock. For Aki and Robyn, I created {Shelter} Phalluses and covered them with lube. With my hands I stabbed the {Fate} penises into their otter pockets. Of course, I angled them just right to grind against their G-spots.


    "H-Hkuuuuukk...Haa...Haa...Hyaa...Haa...ANATA! I''M GOING TO CUM!"


    "Hhhaaa! Haaa! Possum! So rough! A-Hyaaahhh!!! Oh!


    N-NO!"


    "U-Ugnm...!! Iyaahh....!! My love...H-Haahaaa...Haaa...My love...please...Kiss me!!"


    Seeing all three of them moan and shiver from my assault drove me wild with lust. Liv kissed me tenderly as I violently impaled her peach with my burly pole. But of course, I had one more card to play.


    ''Exa, can you help me imitate the trick the girls played earlier?''


    [You mean the Limitless Special, my lord? Or the Northern Kiss of Heaven.]


    ''The latter'', I replied as I fucked my three girls into a coma.


    [I cannot do everything, but I can help you simplify the process].


    ''Do it!''


    [Okay, then morph and ingest first...]


    ''I''m five.''


    [Sigh... Use your {Kindred} connection. Instead of thoughts and affection, send tangible souls. Think of how much you love them before sending, and their connections will sync.]


    ''Simpler.''


    [Think of how much you love your girls and imagine cumming into them with your own soul].


    ''Okay. I can do that.''


    The Sirens. A group of girls who came from all over the world. They carried darkness from their tragic pasts. Yet they were warriors without peer. Though Formless, they endured being bullied, abandoned, and trampled on.


    But like the most resilient flowers, they drank malice like fertilizer and sprouted thorns. They then grew into breathtaking blossoms, inspiring wonder, and awe.


    Their beauty. Their loyalty. Their courage. I adored everything about them.


    Their smiles kept me going.


    Their words gave me peace.


    Their love became my fortress against any storm.


    Even when the world denied my right to exist, they all came and fought by my side.


    ''My lovely harem. My devoted {kindred}. My Seven Sirens. The only women I will ever love as long as I live. I cherish you. I adore you.


    I love you.''


    Then I imagined pinning them all against a wall. Moaning from my thrusts.


    ''Here is all the love I can muster. Know that I will never let go of any of you. Against death, against the world, even against fate!''


    I suddenly felt a great number of souls leaving my body. Their destination was my {Kindred} Link. However, like a cataclysmic ejaculation, I felt my link with the girls shudder and tremble.


    The girls'' bodies all tensed and began to climax in euphoria. Their voices all screamed in unison.


    "A-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" x7


    Like an avalanche of pleasure, they continued to cum as they rode the high of ecstasy. After a minute passed all of them suddenly went limp, unable to stand. Their soft pants were the weakest I had ever seen them.


    "Beloved...that was...intense....the North doesn''t have anything like that...haa...."


    "Pant...pant... Dearest, just when I thought you couldn''t get any better...pant...pant...how ridiculous."


    "Huff...huff... Possum...I''m really going to die if you keep fucking me like this...huff..."


    "haa...haa...Darling...you are waayyy too good in bed.... it''s dangerous!"


    "Fuck...pant....Honey...you fucking lunatic....pant...I love you....pant....pant...."


    "Husband, I huff...need to work harder...huff...otherwise I won''t be able to please you...."


    "Shujin...I..haa.... pity every woman who...haa...didn''t get the chance to earn your affection..."


    I grabbed the limp Sirens and laid them on their backs in a circle. Each of my bodies gently lifted the girls as we spread their legs. None of my girls resisted and simply gazed at me with love.


    Even though they were still reveling in their soul climax, I began to make love to my harem once more like a horny monkey.


    "We all still have over three days. Let''s enjoy as much as we can. Forget everything for now. All our problems. All our responsibilities. And all our worries.


    Until the honeymoon is over, there is only you. And there is only me. Okay?"


    "Yes!" x7


    And so, for the next four days, my battle harem and I drowned in pleasure. We mated in every possible position, in every possible combination. From dusk till dawn. No one slept, and no one was left alone.


    We loved. We fucked. Then we fucked some more. We ate each other and mated everywhere. On every piece of furniture, in every room. As if we feared the end of this blissful dream.


    This little piece of heaven.


    This Elysium.


    In the last hours of our paradise, we no longer held each other in lust. Only in affection. My girls rested their tired bodies on mine as we simply enjoyed each other''s warmth.


    As the seconds passed, everyone felt bittersweet.


    We all knew the hard road ahead. The wars, Trinity, and the undead. There was no shortage of things to stress us out. And while we could go on a second honeymoon, it was not a good use of time.


    Tomorrow, we return to our lives, and while problems and trials would come. We will always remember this week when we loved in nothing but bliss.


    My harem and I went back to my oversized bed and slept soundly in each other''s arms.


    No matter what would come, it didn''t matter. As long as the eight of us were together. Nothing was impossible.


    For together we were Limitless.


    And soon the world will tremble when they hear our very name.

 Chapter 478 Im dead? [1/2]

    [My lord, rise and shine]."..."


    [My lord, good morning! Rise and shine.]


    "..."


    [My lord, I know you are already awake...]


    ''What do you want, Exa?''


    [I assumed you wanted to rise early, my lord.]


    ''And why would I want to do that?''


    [Because of all the things that happened during your honeymoon. There are many things that need your attention.]


    ''Ugh... But isn''t it a Sunday?''


    [It is my lord. But you are no longer your typical 9 to 5 employee. You are a king. As such, you do not technically stop being a king just because it is a Sunday...]


    I felt my mood sour as Exa woke me up with perfect sense. While it was true that I was the one who set the arbitrary limit of seven days, I wanted to wake up normally.


    ''Ugh, shit, I guess that was to be expected.''


    When I opened my eyes, I returned to the world of the living. Even though I no longer needed to rest, I felt better when I did. Maybe it was just a placebo, but I had a very good reason to sleep.


    A sea of soft and smooth flesh wrapped around my body like a blanket. The comforting warmth of seven bodies drove away the chill of the night.


    I lay on Liv''s stomach. Her breasts acted as my pillow as her arms wrapped around my neck.


    Jo and Jas nestled under my armpits on either side of my chest. Their bare bodies pressed against my skin.


    Lilly and Bella hugged my outstretched arms to their bosoms as they lay next to the sisters.


    Robyn lay on my stomach drooling as she slept soundly.


    Aki was under Robyn, using my inner leg as a body pillow.


    When you think about it, the positions we were all in were not comfortable. The body heat was also a bit too much for normal people. But they all chose to sleep like this. I knew why, and it made me smile.


    The harem bed was quite large, they could have slept comfortably provided they stayed at least one meter away from me. But even with that option, none of the girls wanted to be separated at all.


    It was just like them. And it was the same with me personally, I slept better when all my girls were within reach. People would say I was like a clingy parent. But who the fuck cared what anyone else thought? I liked it, the Sirens liked it. That was all that mattered.


    Many thought the Siren''s devotion and dependence on me was excessive. But I knew I would never think like that. To others they might be scary people, but to me they were the most beautiful women in the world.


    The positive emotions chased away the dark clouds I felt when I woke up. Seeing such a heavenly sight the moment you opened your eyes would put just about anyone in a happy mood. Besides, the girls were all stripped naked.


    [I am glad to see that your mood has improved, my lord. The Sirens are truly your best antidepressant.]


    ''Haha, I agree, but still. I wonder how I can stand up like this?''


    [Allow me. My ladies, the lord is awake]


    The moment Exa said those words, the girls all began to wake up. When they opened their eyes, they smiled when they saw me.


    Jas and Jo quickly propped themselves up and stole my lips.


    "Mmn... Waking up to my Husband''s lips is just exquisite."


    "Chu! I know, right? And it will be from today until forever, right, Darling?"


    "Of course, Darling, good morning. Good morning to you too, Wifey."


    My upper body was forced up as my arms were pulled. Liv removed her hands from my neck and allowed me to stand.


    Lilly came in for a kiss as she placed her palm on my chest.


    "Good morning, Dearest. What a beautiful morning it is!"


    "Morning dear," I replied with a smile.


    A large pair of melons pressed against my left shoulder as Bella passionately attacked my lips.


    "Good morning Honey."


    I licked her lips happily as I replied. "Morning honey."


    Before we could say anything more, a small body crawled up my stomach and pulled me in for a kiss. Her affectionate and spoiled demeanor excited me even more.


    "Possum..."


    "Kitten..."


    Then I felt big, strong arms wrap around my neck and pull me in. Big mountains pressed against the back of my head as a pair of lips sucked on my neck.


    "Beloved. Pay attention to me too..."


    Amused by her behavior, I turned Liv''s head toward me and gave her a good morning kiss.


    "Good morning, Liv."


    "Morning my love."


    Knowing I was missing someone, I turned to my left and saw my Japanese lover waiting patiently.


    I called to her with my hand, and she jumped into my embrace. After tasting each other''s saliva, Aki pulled away as she greeted me lovingly.


    "Good morning, Anata, you look so handsome."


    "Good morning Kamisan, you do too."


    Of course, the moment I said such words, the other girls all asked for similar praise. Overwhelmed with love, I pampered and kissed my wives until they were satisfied. It took a good half hour for everyone else to calm down. Explore more at empire


    [My Lord, perhaps it would be best to ask the ladies to sleep separately. It has been almost an hour since you woke up and they have yet to release you.]


    ''Never mind Exa, I would rather play with the girls than waste an hour on my phone.'' S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [That''s to be expected from your tendencies, my lord, but just because I understand it doesn''t mean it''s not wasteful.]


    ''I agree, but this morning ritual fills me with the necessary purpose to keep going. Speak no more of this subject. Understood?''


    [Yes, my lord. I couldn''t even make the suggestion to the ladies because they might tear my code apart if I did.]


    ''Hahaha! As expected from my girls. How adorable.''


    [...]


    As we kissed and played with each other, the Sirens naturally noticed how hard my morning wood was. But no one touched it. Probably as a side effect of our wild sex last week, the girls learned that provoking me never ended well for them.


    If they teased my bulging cock even a little, they knew I would pin them to the bed and fuck them senseless. Although I knew they would not deny me if I asked, one had to be in control, or we would be nothing more than beasts.


    "Everyone, shall we freshen up and then have breakfast? I''m sure a lot of things happened during our honeymoon. I want to decide what we will do from now on. As a family."


    The word "family" had a magical effect on my harem. Although it was subtle, the girls all became noticeably softer as they became part of my "family". If you look at it objectively, everyone here, including me, was a social outcast.


    We didn''t belong anywhere prior to meeting each other.


    ''Perhaps that is the reason why we cherished the words so much. It is because we searched for a long time that this family was special,'' I murmured to myself.


    The Siren gave me a quick kiss before they all headed for the bathroom. It was only at moments like this that I realized that they all belonged to me. Undeterred by my presence, they all went about their business naked.


    Completely comfortable with me being here, I could walk into the bathroom, select a pussy and pound it and no one would mind. The depravity that this would be my reality every day gave me immense satisfaction.


    Still, the honeymoon was officially over. Now I had to get back in the saddle.

 Chapter 479 Im dead? [1/2]

    ''Exa.''[Yes, my lord.]


    ''Give me the top five things I need to address.''


    [Understood. Compiling now.]


    Although I worked hard during my first week, it was only one week. By not reporting to Hellgate during my entire honeymoon, I thought the hype around me should have died down.


    [Top 5 things to deal with, in order of importance.


    1. Tell Graveyard you are not dead.


    2. Address the new reapers who wish to join under your banner. Count: 719 (Including 5 spies)


    3. Amari Soldat and Mia Flair have arrived at the battlefront and wish to speak with you.


    4. Tension is brewing between the Deryck family and Hellsend, specifically the Ten Graves.


    5. Representatives from the 24th floor of the NA Battlefront has arrived and have been requesting reinforcements for the past four days.


    ]


    "They think I''m dead?"


    [Yes, my lord. Since the videos of your survival after the demon attack have not been circulated, the other Battlefronts are using your death as an excuse to cancel the Seeker War Wager. His Majesty has remained silent on the matter, leading to the suspicion that you were killed by the demon.]


    "What? Why do they think I died?"


    [My Lord, considering your almost impossible daily killing record, the fact that you suddenly stopped made many believe that you were already dead. Although Hellsend vehemently said that you were indeed alive, the world as a whole believed that they were simply trying to cover it up].


    "..."


    [Even the presence of the General Manager from the 24th floor had yet to meet with you, giving more credence to the rumor. Respecting your wishes, no one from Hellsend leaked the fact that you were married and, on your honeymoon,].


    "Show me the latest articles in The Graveyard."


    [Understood, showing trending articles in the graveyard network]


    [News - Revenants


    - WHERE IS HE? - Limitless dead! Thousands Mourn! Details inside!


    - Death of the Symbol - Disappearance of the Formless Messiah! What happened?


    - NO COMMENT! - Hellsend is still unable to say where Limitless and his Seven Sirens are!


    - Prayer Vigil in the Name of a Hero! - Limitless still missing after 7 nights!?


    - DEATHFALL GOES BANKRUPT! - How the loss of a Formless shook the Annihilation rankings!


    - NA Floor 24 GM Gareth Faesten: "I have yet to meet Limitless after waiting for 3 days."


    ... ]


    As usual, the Graveyard would be the Facebook or Tiktok equivalent of the Reaper''s social media. Specifically, the ones that made people''s brains rot. If you just read those articles, you would think I was really dead.


    "Still, why is even Deathfall affected by my disappearance? Didn''t they just bet on people who killed zombies? "


    [My Lord, it seems that due to the success of Limit Royalty, many decided to stop betting on champions and instead wait for cases similar to yours. The movement in general has greatly reduced Deathfall''s income. It made them extremely dependent on your records.]


    "Sounds a bit far-fetched, something must have happened."


    [I think it also had something to do with the last Seeker war. While David Thomas personally paid the winnings of those who bet on you, it seems that Administration taxed Deathfall heavily for trying to manipulate the odds.]


    "Tsk, then they will go bankrupt for being greedy assholes, trying to blame me for this is stupid."


    [I agree, my lord.]


    "I wonder if I should have a press conference or something."


    [Personally, I do not think you need to respond to them. You are going to leave the NA Battlefront anyway. It would be better to just focus on the other things].


    "Right? Where did the 719 Reapers come from?"


    [They come from a hodgepodge of groups. The most prominent are rogues, slaves, and other professions. It seems that Krishna Sangan, fighting by your side, called all the Rogues in hiding to join you. Pixie Richards and Delroy Baxter functioned similarly for the slaves.]


    "How is Hellsend dealing with the rogues? Isn''t the Administration''s treatment of them extermination? How many are there, exactly?"


    [Yes, Phillip Scrivener made the call to temporarily house all the rogues. All one hundred and fifty of them. Some became unruly and were beaten almost to death by Vela''s wolves].


    "And the slaves? How can the slaves come forward on their own?"


    [The slaves are made up of groups who bought their freedom or ran away from their owners. Both have difficulty finding work because of the stigma of their caste. Compared to the rogues, they are much more docile and wait quietly. They also number over a hundred.]


    "I see, then what about the other professions?"


    [The former associates of Terence Anvil and Van Micron have come forward and expressed their desire to join Hellsend. They number over two hundred and twenty wraiths, both Formless and Manifested. All part of either the Fortification or Academics.]


    "That''s barely over 450? What are the others?"


    [They are Adventurers, my lord. Nearly 250 Reapers from the Adventurers have applied to join Hellsend. They are led by a Priority 2 Adventurer couple named Leo and Nyda. Their ranks include adventurers formerly assigned to Tildi and Wilfred.]


    "Hmm. I see. I guess that was expected. That leaves the Mercenaries as the only group not to join me. Anyway, has the main production building harassed Helsend? they tried to harass the LLG before."


    [None that we know of my lord].


    "Your memo says you found 5 spies? Explain."


    [Delroy Baxter and Pixie Richards have been stationed at the Simmons residence. Lucrecia Deryck has been using both of them to keep track of events in Hellsgate. When she heard about the large groups of people, she suggested that Pixie use her {Fate} {Compass} to track down the spies.]


    "Oh? So, this is like Jack Sparrow''s compass? Well, what happened to the spies?"


    [They were taken by Eva Baker and used as training material for Inari''s Kitchen].


    "What? What do you mean?" sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [My lord, each of the Sirens has been preparing her group for battle. Lady Aki''s training for Inari''s Kitchen is to learn how to kill a man as slowly as possible. Eva Baker''s {Fate} {Blight} allows the Kitchen to reuse nearly dead Reapers as both training and practical research.]


    "... how many Reapers are used by Inari''s Kitchen as training."


    [There are currently only 25, consisting of spies and test subjects donated by the Deryck family].


    "I see..."


    I didn''t even mean to, but it seems I''ve created some good synergies.


    As someone who fought Aki personally, her fighting skills and ability to use poisons were terrifying. And if she could teach such skills to the Reapers in Inari''s kitchen, they would soon become a force to be reckoned with.


    Even finding spies became a lot easier with Pixie. If we could use her {Fate} ability to answer in a seemingly omnipotent manner, we struck gold!


    But I had bigger problems in mind. For one, Amari and Mia seemed to have come here looking for me.


    "Exa, did Amari and Mia mention why they wanted to see me?"


    The girls told me that they had rescued Jo and Jas earlier as payment for their debt to me. With the debt paid, what else could they be here for?


    [They are currently waiting for you at Arcus Kiss. The only message they gave to Cynthia and Yvonne was that they had a proposition for you.]


    "Hmm. I guess I had to talk to them to find out more."


    The Deryck family and Hellsend being at odds was to be expected. But I didn''t have the bandwidth to deal with them right now. Once the Derycks became Reapers, it should take care of itself.


    The next pressing matter was the last one on Exa''s list. I saw that the bastard from the 24th floor was waiting for me. Besides, with his stupid interview, he had directly contributed to the rumors that I was dead.


    "Exa, what does Gareth Faesten want?"


    [According to Phillip, all support for the 24th floor was cut off immediately after the announcement of the Invincible. They are currently in need of medical supplies and defenders. The 24th floor battle line is crumbling and under attack from the undead].


    "Why am I not surprised. David fucking sucks as a boss!"

 Chapter 480 Fucking Irresponsible! [1/2]

    David Thomas, for all his power, was someone I had trouble understanding. He struck me as a blood knight. One who craved a good fight. Was that why he deliberately forced Robert to birth a demon?But if so, why didn''t he come forward when Andromalius popped up?


    ''No, I think the next question was how many times had he done this before?''


    Reapers did not die of old age, only of fire and steel. Just like Isolde, there may be Reapers out there who have lasted for thousands of years. If David Thomas was such a being, how many times would he have done such a thing?


    "Looks like you understood to a degree. Anyway, my time is short. In a nutshell I want you to be careful of the Revenants and IRIS. They are not an ally of the reapers, nor of humanity."


    Even if someone disagreed with David''s policies as king, could anyone tell him to stop? Revenant. Such a term carried with it unimaginable possibilities for both good and evil. If someone like David wanted to go on a rampage, nothing short of another Revenant could restrain him.


    I had assumed that the Revenants were the heroes who kept humanity alive. But if that was the case, why would a Revenant try to bring a demon into the world? None of it made sense. And it was not just him. Erick Odinson, Liv''s father, was similarly docile for a supposed demigod.


    Clive Zanardi, the Revenant of Europe, may have been a complete asshole, but at least he acted with the big picture in mind. He restricted his assault teams and waited for saints to be born.


    Even though his actions in creating those saints were despicable, I could understand him as a leader. I didn''t agree with him, but his twisted logic made sense.


    Li Wu Di, the Revenant of Asia, may have been a blood-drunk maniac, but from what I heard, his focus remained on killing the undead. Otherwise, there would have been nothing to stop him from using the Manifested to take over the world.


    The fact that he waited for the truce to be broken before acting meant that he at least believed that keeping the peace was important.


    I had no information on the Revenants of Australia, Africa, and South America. But it seemed, as always, that taking things at face value was dangerous.


    Unlike medieval kings or modern presidents, a simple rebellion or coup would accomplish little. For one thing, the strongest warrior in our case was the Revenant. They were the ones on top because no one could go against their word. Simply put, they had the biggest sticks.


    And unless I wanted to risk death, I had to tread carefully.


    Before I became a reaper, I had nothing to lose. But now I do. Over the past week, the Sirens have taught me that with their bodies. Just as I would go mad if I lost them, my death would mean the end of their lives as well.


    If I were killed, the Sirens would take revenge. That was an absolute certainty. Be it the undead, a demon, or even a Revenant. I was already the most important thing in the world to them. The love with which they smothered me left no room for doubt.


    Therefore, I had to consider every decision carefully, because it would not only affect me, but also those around me.


    "Luckily the girls will support me, so I am not worried. For now, the primary goal is for everyone to safely evolve into Specters. The next would be to create a battlefront."


    The first one was already in progress. Everyone was at level 5, with Lilly at level 6. Level 4 was the entry point for Phantoms, while level 7 was for Specters.


    "Tsk, the levels themselves are easy to understand, but how hard is it for people to get to level 10?"


    [If the records in the graveyard are to be believed, there have only been less than 100 confirmed Revenants to exist since time memorial.]


    Well, there seemed to be only three things needed to evolve a reaper. A certain number of souls, the will to shed a part of yourself, and a desire for power.


    Right now, I may have the desire for power and the souls, but I haven''t found the will to completely cast off my memories. I think that would be where my girls and I would struggle.


    For one thing, all the Sirens have already lost people close to them. Parents or mother figures whom they loved were no longer in this world. While we all knew it was something that had to be done, it was instinctively very hard to do. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I knew the girls and I would come to that crossroads one day. But there was a difference between choosing out of necessity and choosing out of desire. Lilly, being at level 6, would be the first to do so. Soon she would have to make a choice.


    ''And when that time comes, I have to be there for her. I have to be there for all of them.''


    Speaking of which, right now I still have memories of my father. And although I still have a mother, I don''t remember much about her either.


    I usually forgot the ones I did not care about. Even when I went to the reunion, I barely remembered anyone but Caroline and Harry.


    It was a good thing that the Simmons, who I considered my adopted family, were all still safe. Forgetting them would hurt me more than forgetting my real parents.


    This was why I didn''t push the girls or myself to evolve right away.


    In exchange for their memories, they would receive a new {Fate} that would follow their desires.


    As shown by {Regen}, {Replace}, and {Recursion}, there was an advantage to evolving in the middle of battle. For one, the {Fates} that were created could turn the tide and allow you to win.


    If we didn''t evolve them that way, I felt it was a waste. Still, the waste factor coupled with the memory issue were the reasons why I had yet to evolve to level 6, even though I could.


    It was as if I wanted to delay letting go of my memories as long as possible.


    "After all, once I did, I would never get them back."


    Aki noted that if we somehow understood how memories were lost, we might be able to protect ourselves from it in the future. Books obviously didn''t work, as Xander''s journals showed. But maybe a video? Would digital recordings of our experiences suffice?


    ''This is way above my pay grade. I should concentrate on what I know.''


    Of course, with my plans to create a new battlefront, the rules for managing my Reapers would fall to me.


    For example, if I had a Specter who lost her loved one, say Eva Baker. What should I do? Should I follow David''s actions and erase Adam Baker from everyone''s memories?


    Did I even have the power to stop Eva Baker if she went crazy? What if she lost her mind when the battlefront was at war?


    As I began to consider why David and Zach made the rules the way they did, I felt their solutions might have been right.


    The decisions I made would affect the lives I would be responsible for in the future.


    "Well fuck, that is not any simpler now, is it?"


    Somehow, my thoughts always spun out of control when Specters came into the picture. If I wanted to start with something simple, it would be that my new domain, the 24th floor of the NA Battlefront, was in trouble.


    "Okay, let''s start there. Exa. Tell me everything you know about the 24th floor."


    [Yes, my lord. Please give me a minute.]

 Chapter 481 Fucking Irresponsible! [2/2]

    At the moment, I only knew a few things.One was that the NA Battlefront front line was on the 52nd floor. The other was that North America had adopted a balanced strategy of using 60% purification.


    This meant that of the 28 zones, 17 would be defended while 11 would be used for training. Floor 24 was 28 floors behind the front lines, so at most the dirge sirens we would get would be at priority 3 and below.


    If I really wanted to own the 24th floor, I now have two options. One was to imitate Europe and clear out all the undead. The other was to leave more areas for souls like Asia.


    "If we want to secure the region, Europe''s approach is better. But if we want to train and raise an army, Asia''s would be best."


    Though, considering how many reapers supposedly died in Asia, not everyone might like it.


    [My lord, I have gathered the necessary information. Am I talking to you as if you were five?]


    "Hahaha, yes, Exa, please do."


    [There are 28 rooms on the 24th floor, most of them look the same, 17 of them have people in them, and only 10 of them have furniture. The 24th floor of the NA house has a doorway to the other houses, so it is usually asked for help and sometimes attacked.]


    "Wait! Wait! Wait! The 24th floor is connected to the other battlefronts? What does that mean?"


    [The floor is shaped like a slice of pizza. In reality, each battlefront is a slice. Only together do they make the whole pizza.]


    "That kind of makes sense, if there is only one Hellsgate, then it makes sense that we only get one slice. So, there are seven equal slices?"


    [Yes, the zones are not completely equal, but one layer of the Hellsgate spans all seven continents. Most of the time, however, there are walls between them. Shared floors are not the norm. Only they have floors that connect all 7 battle fronts.]


    Hellsgate Diagram.jpg


    "I suppose these shared floors open up the possibility of both reinforcement and invasion."


    [Yes. North America''s immediate neighbors are South America and Africa. With Asia being close enough to go to. Europe and Australia would require considerable effort, while Antarctica is considered too far to reach].


    It was amusing to learn about the layout of Hellsgate. Now I could understand why only Asia, South America and Africa would invade us. They were the only ones close enough to do so.


    "Wait, if the continent zones are connected, is that why floors with 100% purification like Europe are still attacked?"


    [Yes. Although Europe cleans its rooms diligently, South America and Antarctica are not as clean. South America cleans often but is not as thorough. On the other hand, Antarctica hardly cleans at all.]


    This made the situation more complicated. It meant that no matter how hard a battlefront fought, the behavior of its neighbors affected its situation as a whole. North America was next to South America and Africa, so it might be better to ask Exa about their situations.


    "Can you tell me how South America and Africa are as neighbors?"


    [Of course, my lord, as mentioned, South America cleans quite often, but intentionally leaves pests to breed. North America often has their rooms infested with foreign pests from her neighbor. In contrast. Africa cleans religiously, but they no longer try to increase their rooms].


    "Exa, can you stop talking to me like I am five? Explain it properly this time."


    [Understood. South America has a lopsided purification protocol. They leave everything in either the east or west of their zone unpurified. This causes large groups of undead to cluster at the edges of their zone before invading. A man-made floor break, if you will.]


    I already knew that intentionally leaving zones undefended turned them into zombie beachheads. Are you telling me that South America deliberately grouped them together to create a powerful undead legion?


    ''Wait, if the continents are connected, does that mean the Undead Legion can come to us instead?''


    [In the unfortunate event that these undead legions do not attack South America, Europe or North America would experience the floor break in their place].


    "Fuck! That''s just fucking irresponsible! Then that means we HAVE to be ready for one because of these assholes!"


    [Yes, that is the case. David Thomas does not usually get involved in defenses or attacks because he has to be on standby for such instances. The last time was during the July enlistment].


    "What? You mean the floor break that the girls and I encountered was from South America?"


    [Yes. Floor breaks usually come from fallen zones. Even if you control those under your domain, it is still possible to be attacked by those from other continents.]


    "Fuck! So, in addition to the undead, we have to take everyone else into account?"


    [Yes. Do you have any more questions, my lord?]


    "Ugh, fuck. Anyway, what about Africa?"


    [Africa is a powerhouse in Hellsgate, second only to North America. They have a 100% purification rate in all the zones they own. However, due to the haphazard combat doctrine of Asia, Africa and Australia usually experience floor breaks. This prevents them from advancing.]


    "Motherfucker, I take it back, Li Wu Di is a fucking asshole! So, he has not one but three battlefronts to clean up after his ass? No wonder Krishna left."


    [Indeed, the overflow from only the left side of Asia, if not properly challenged, has the ability to destroy the African battlefront. Unfortunately, Africa has been stuck at level 54 for over 5 centuries due to this situation].


    "Shit...Exa, summarize the current state of each battlefront. Include the standing armies, the purification rate, and when they last advanced their respective fronts."


    [Understood. Summary is now being displayed].


    ___


    Zone 1: North America


    Front Line: Floor 52


    Average Purification rate: 59.58%


    Battlefront population: Approximately 7,500


    Active Assault Teams: 35, (250 individuals)


    Date last floor cleared: June 2021


    ___


    Zone 2: South America


    Front line: Floor 37


    Average Purification rate: 65.76%


    Battlefront population: Approximately 5,500


    Active Assault Teams: 28, (224 individuals)


    Date last floor cleared: December 2010


    ___


    Zone 3: Europe


    Front Line: Floor 39


    Average Purification rate: 98.27%


    Battlefront population: Approximately 9,400


    Active assault teams: 19, (152 individuals)


    Date last floor cleared: April 2015


    ___


    Zone 4: Africa


    Front Line: Floor 54


    Average Purification rate: 97.47%


    Battlefront population: Approximately 17,600


    Active Assault Teams: 41, (328 individuals)


    Date last floor cleared: September 1560


    ___


    Zone 5: Asia


    Front line: Floor 50


    Average Purification rate: 41.82%


    Battlefront population: Approximately 59,400


    Active Assault Teams: 147, (1176 individuals)


    Date last floor cleared: February 2023


    ___


    Zone 6: Australia


    Front Line: Floor 22


    Average Purification rate: 37.82%


    Battlefront population: 600 approx.


    Active Assault Teams: 3, (27 individuals)


    Date last floor cleared: October 1945 S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ___


    Zone 7: Antarctica


    Front Line: Floor N/A


    Average Purification rate: -15 %


    Battlefront population: Approximately 5000


    Active Assault Teams: N/A


    Date last floor cleared: N/A


    ___


    It was really hard to understand a situation when you didn''t have enough information. But when you did, it made things so much easier. Just that short report from Exa cleared up so many things for me.


    For one, the Reaper population was proportional to the world''s population. No wonder Asia had the balls to be as aggressive as they were. They had nearly 60,000 Reapers.


    On the other hand, the North was truly in dire straits, as they had no Assault teams left and a negative purification rate. Somehow, the desperation of each continent would influence how they fought.


    It seemed that the more I learned, the more I understood that I knew nothing.


    If I really wanted to close Hellsgate, then understanding all this information was necessary. I clenched my teeth as I tried to digest what I had learned.


    "Sigh. I guess my pay grade just got bumped up."

 Chapter 482 Still ignorant [1/2]

    Ignorance made the world a dangerous place. It was only when mankind learned and adapted to the world that we progressed. The earliest example of this was when man learned the seasons.It was only when humanity learned how to prepare for winter that they began to create a sense of normalcy. By taking advantage of the abundance of spring, man learned to cultivate the land and live off it.


    Slowly but surely, man gained knowledge that allowed him to rule the entire earth. Of course, the opposite has happened in today''s society, but that is beside the point.


    While knowledge and wisdom have certainly allowed humanity to progress, the lack or misuse of either leads to misinformation and ignorance.


    This was why, instead of progressing, my country was currently so bored out of its mind that it invented 52 genders and removed women from the list. It was expected to be born ignorant, but not to die ignorant.


    I became a Reaper knowing literally nothing, and I suffered for it. Fortunately, the girls and Hellsgate itself thought I knew all I needed to know. From the situation of the Reapers, to matters of {Fates}, to even how to make a living in Hellsgate.


    And even if I didn''t know everything, I certainly knew more than when I started.


    That was the trap I never wanted to fall into. Thinking you already knew everything you needed to know.


    Frank Smith was the worst example of that belief made flesh.


    He never left Phoenix. Nor did he really make anything of himself. Yet the man believed he knew everything there was to know about life and acted as if he did. His ignorance and misguided opinions ended up biting him in the ass more than once.


    In contrast, Earl Simmons had the mentality of a student. He knew he didn''t know much. So, it didn''t matter who he talked to, he learned from them. This allowed him to respect everyone simply because he treated them as teachers.


    As someone who had seen both of their lives, I knew which example I wanted to follow. I knew about the North American Battlefront. But what I knew was little. I had yet to participate in an actual defense for one. And I had yet to join an assault team.


    "I am still ignorant," I muttered aloud.


    But fortunately, I had the tools to fix that problem. I had the Sirens, who brought a variety of backgrounds and knowledge, Exa, my dutiful AI, and Hellsend.


    Any one of them could serve as my teacher. Be it the scoundrels from Asia, the traitors like Isolde, or those from various professions.


    All I had to do was decide that I needed to learn, and there would be nothing to stop me.


    "Right, I don''t have to stay ignorant."


    Looking at Exa''s summary of the situation on the battlefronts, several things stood out.


    For one, it was the disparity in the number of Reapers present. North America had 7,500, which was the midpoint of the zones.


    Only three zones had more Reapers. Asia, which had a ridiculous 59,400. Africa with an impressive 17,600. And finally, Europe with 9,400.


    In contrast, three zones had fewer Reapers than my home continent. South America with 5,500. Antarctica with 5000. And Australia with a pitiful 600.


    "Exa, how the hell can Australia have only 600 Reapers? How many people does that continent have?"


    [My lord, it is only in U.S.-based education that Australia is treated as a continent. To the rest of the world, it is called Oceania].


    "Well, how many people live in Oceania?"


    [My Lord, the current census for 2023 has given Oceania a population of 46,109,212 or about 0.58% of the world''s population].


    "A population of 46 million only produced 600 Reapers?"


    [Yes, this ratio is actually higher than the rest of the world. In Australia alone, there is one reaper born for every 76,848.]


    "How the hell is that higher? Asia has 59,000!"


    [Asia has a population of 4,927,748,740 or 61.56% of the world''s population. Their standing force of 59,400 means that they get one Reaper for every 82,958 humans].


    "Is the ratio similar to the rest of the world?" I asked nervously.


    [Yes. All seven battle fronts combined only have a standing reaper army of about 105,000. This is out of a population of 8,106,651,841. This, of course, does not include rogues and slaves.]


    "..."


    Lilly''s words echoed in my mind again.


    ''John, do you know how many people joined your enlistment? It was twenty thousand. That was all the entire world could produce for a month. Each day over 80,000 dies. That is over 2.4 million people in a month. Yet despite our best-efforts July only had 20,000 who accepted the terms to join the reapers.


    And just like with your case, out of that 20,000 only 200 survived the first night.''


    How the hell are we supposed to win this war? Reapers have been dying by the hundreds every day. I even killed two hundred a week ago. As if that were not enough, the Sirens massacred over a thousand rogues.


    And yet, despite being outnumbered, the Reapers still were fighting back. I could only think of how fierce the frontlines were. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Humorously, the worst of the Seven was not Australia, which had the fewest Reapers, but the North.


    I then tried to look up the continent on the web. I learned its name as part of world geography and that it was like the North Pole.


    "Huh? Why is it in the south? Didn''t Liv call her home the Kingdom of the North?"


    Perhaps my biggest surprise was that the North was actually in the "South" of the globe. But aside from its strange name, it was the fifth largest land mass in the world. And I was supposed to rid this place of the undead.


    "Exa, is Australia also in danger of being invaded? How can you manage with less than a thousand reapers?"


    [No, my lord. Australia is relatively stable considering the current situation. Although they are the fewest in number, they have a human population of 46 million to replenish their numbers. And their front line is only at level 22, the amount of ground they have to defend is the least of the seven battle fronts.]


    I see. Even though they only have 600 Reapers, the fact that 46 million people live and die in their battlefront allows them to continue. In contrast, the North or Antarctica may have 5,000, but they have no people to support them.


    ''As the battle raged on, we lost more and more ground. Eventually we no longer even had a single city remaining. We forced our population to become reapers, so we didn''t die of starvation. Nine years down the line, our civilization lied in ruins while the dead still prowl the continent.''


    The North in particular was already in its last throes. The 5,000 they listed was it. There would be children, women, and non-combatants in that number. With men in the minority because they would be the first to die.


    "..."


    [Do not worry, my lord. Australia, due to its extremely harsh circumstances, is producing perhaps the strongest reapers of all the battlefronts. So, if we talk about pure combat power, 600 Australians are the equivalent of 4,800 in Asia].


    "What? How is that possible?"


    [My Lord, Australia is known as the land of berserkers. The creed of its Revenant, His Majesty Peter Vujicic the Merciless. "Victory in madness, salvation in death." Due to their small numbers, in game terms, each Australian would be considered a hero unit. They have one of the highest death rates, but those who survive become fearsome warriors.]


    "How do they achieve such combat potential?"


    [My Lord, each battlefront has a specific combat tendency. Australia''s {Fate} revolves around the theme of "crippling overspecialization." Where they choose one field and specialize in nothing but that field.]

 Chapter 483 Still ignorant [2/2]

    Exa''s words make me think of my Aussie, Robyn. Her {Fate} {Carry}, like the others, revolved around a concept. Controlling gravity. But that was a stretch, since the other {Fates} naturally revolved around their domains. How was Australians different?[I think a more concrete example is needed. My Lord, taking Lady Robyn as an example, unlike the other Sirens, her body is still that of a human. Even at the Phantom level, her physical abilities do not improve, but rather decrease.]


    "What? What do you mean?"


    [Reapers, as they shed their human identities, infuse their bodies with souls. This allows their bodies to slowly become stronger as their cells become more soul saturated. Only half of the Australian reapers have this ability].


    "Why?"


    [Australian Reapers who focus on spell type {Fates} will find their bodies slowly weakening as a sacrifice for their massive increase in ability. Those who specialize in physical abilities gain Fates that do not grant abilities but increase the ones they already possess.]


    "But Robyn still fights as normal?" S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [This is due to {Limitless}, Lady Robyn''s body will eventually become the weakest of the Sirens due to the battle doctrine of her battlefront. In return, her {Fates} will be far superior to others.]


    I couldn''t really comment because I lacked the ability to even notice the difference. But {Crush} was far superior to {Fates} of the same level. I remember Robyn suddenly flattening hundreds of reapers at once. She had stamina problems at the time. I just thought it was because of the cost of {Crush}.


    I need to confirm this with her as soon as possible. I originally classified her as an agility-based fighter, but she might become a spellcaster if Exa''s words are true.


    "Is the same true for Peter Vujicic?"


    [Yes, my lord. Of the known combat records, Peter Vujicic is the only Revenant who does not have the active ability {Fates}. His fighting style revolves entirely around tyrannical physical prowess.]


    "He''s like a fucking barbarian! Well, it''s not like I don''t understand. Given their circumstances, the Australians must have had to squeeze power from every place imaginable."


    It was similar to RPGs; each faction had its own strengths and weaknesses. I actually used something similar to the Australians. In [Overdrive], I basically converted all my unneeded abilities to boost the ones I wanted.


    However, I was able to switch between my states, whereas the Australians seemed to be set on a certain path as they evolved. I wondered if the other battlefronts had something similar.


    The next least populated battlefront was South America, if the Australians created their unique all-in mentality, what did they come up with?


    "Exa, does South America also have a special combat doctrine?"


    [Yes, my lord. Unlike the Australians, who decided to push themselves to the absolute limit, South America reinforces their numbers with summons instead].


    "Summoning?"


    [Yes, the concept would be similar to beast tamers. South America''s {Fates} revolve around creating allies to supplement their ranks in battle. Lady Bella''s {Code} fits this theme, as she is able to control machines.]


    "This is a bit of a stretch. Bella cannot create her allies?"


    [Indeed, she must first find machines to control. The Revenant of South America, His Majesty Simon Guevarra the Relentless, is a necromancer by all definitions. The Machiavelli, Dominic Maegester, was a Reaper who emigrated from South America; his mother was from Bolivia.]


    This was eye-opening, so each battlefront as a whole enforced a particular fighting style due to their circumstances. Taking into account people''s regrets, some were bound to be the same. However, with the presence of each continent''s differences, even the same regret would manifest completely different {fates}.


    ''I see, much like how Bella had problems gathering her army, SA''s Revenant, a Necromancer, and whatever Dominic was, both needed corpses or puppets.''


    "Then can you summarize the specialties of the remaining battlefronts?"


    [Certainly, my lord. One moment].


    This was a good opportunity. Since I had to defend against Asia, South America, and Africa, if I knew in advance what they could bring to the table, I would be able to counteract it.


    [Here you are, my lord, showing summaries]


    ___


    North America


    Theme: Breaking Common Sense (Rule breakers)


    Common combat style: Abilities that violate the rules of the world.


    Revenant combat style: Power Conversion of Will (David Thomas)


    Siren combat style: Space Manipulation (Lilly Browning)


    ___


    Europe


    Theme: Astral Entity Integration (Spirit Possession)


    Common combat style: Summoning spirits of fallen heroes or villains for spirit possession.


    Revenant combat style: Possession by King Arthur (Clive Zanardi)


    Siren combat style: Possession by Vela (Josephine Benelli)


    ___


    Africa


    Theme: Adaptive Transformation (Soul Forms)


    Common combat style: Shape Shifters | Transformations


    Revenant combat Style: Transform into forces of nature (Hannibal Mandela)


    Siren combat style: [Research Required] (Jasmine Denel)


    ___


    Asia


    Theme: Ephemeral Power Amplification (Buffs)


    Common combat style: Enchantments | Time-based ability increases.


    Revenant combat style: Kill-based ability amplification (Li Wu Di)


    Siren combat style: Stamina recovery through eating (Aki Miroku)


    ___


    Antarctica (North)


    Theme: Sacrifice for power (Abilities gained through curses)


    Common combat style: Permanent sacrifice gained for power.


    Revenant combat style: Domain omnipotence (Domain imprisonment) (Erik Odinson)


    Siren combat style: Physical Resilience | Kinetic Energy Manipulation (Increased pain sensitivity) (Liv Ivaldi)


    ___


    "..."


    Just like the information about the battlefronts. The fighting styles of each continent were quite different. Most of them were styles I had already read about in manga and anime.


    North America basically had no rules. Europe seemed to be spiritualists or shamans. Super Saiyans and furries would be what made up Africa. Asia was basically jacked up superheroes. Finally, you had the North, which were Edge Lords who used curses for power.


    I had nothing but respect for them all, because no matter how they fought, these reapers were all that stood between Hellsgate and Earth. And since Exa included my girls in the explanations, it seems that everyone, but Jasmine was in line with their respective battlefront''s fighting doctrines.


    Lilly and I broke common sense when we defied the laws of physics with {Store} and {Rewind}.


    Contrary to what Jo believed, she wasn''t crazy, but was being haunted by a ghost named Vela.


    Aki, who improved her memory, stamina, and killing ability with {Fates}, matched Asia''s fighting style.


    Similarly, Liv took her curse of greater pain in exchange for {Counter} and inhuman resilience.


    I needed to fully understand how their development would be affected if I wanted to turn my harem into Revenants. While the information gave me a lot of insight, the information about the Revenants seemed very vague.


    ''Probably the most important thing I picked up was the enemies I would be facing in less than two months,'' I concluded.


    The African army would consist of shapeshifters.


    South America, on the other hand, would have a large number of summoners.


    And Asia would come at me with Enchanters and Reapers buffed to the max.


    "It seems like the things to worry about are coming by the boatload," I complained in annoyance.


    Just as I was about to digest the information, a chocolate-skinned woman came out, wiping her hair with a towel. Completely unlike her usual conservative demeanor, Jas didn''t wrap herself in a towel and came out in the nude.


    "Husband, are you still not going to join us?"


    Her skin was still a little flushed and glistening from washing. Two pink nipples rose to the sky as her chest bounced. A magnificent ass completed the package as Jasmine approached me.


    Of course, since I was still buck naked, my pole saluted in respect. Jas noticed my boner and smiled lewdly.


    "Hmm...we just showered, so sex is off the table. But maybe you can make do with something else? My mouth maybe? Or maybe you want to use my thighs again?"


    Although I was burdened with a lot of information, seeing my Wifey made me forget about my current problems. It didn''t matter what I had to face. For the smiles of my harem. I just have to beat them all to the ground.


    "Kya! Husband! Not so rough!"


    With such thoughts in my mind, I accepted my Wifey''s offer and allowed her to take care of me.

 Chapter 484 Heavenly Peaches [1/2]

    "Haa...husband...I said no sex...Haa...What am I going to do with you?"As Jas panted with sultry eyes, I lifted her face and gave her a deep and passionate kiss. What I loved about my women was that they indulged me like a king.


    Even though I had been told to make do with a blow job, Jas barely resisted and accepted me as I pounced on her.


    "I have no excuses, Wifey. I am a sinful man. When one I adore comes out and shows me her splendor, how could I possibly find the willpower to resist?"


    "So, it is my fault?" she asked with a lovely pout.


    Overwhelmed with affection, I grabbed her waist and kissed her along her sexy swan-like neck.


    "It is and it isn''t, blaming you for your mesmerizing allure would be like blaming the sun for being warm. Or blaming the moon for the light it shines on me at night. You are my moon, Jasmine Denel, something I cannot live without," I whispered tenderly.


    Jasmine fell silent and blushed scarlet.


    Even though she had darker skin, the blood rushing to her cheeks still looked enchanting. Even though we were already exploring each other''s bodies intimately, it was still fun to tease her like this.


    Jasmine grabbed both sides of my face as she complained. "Husband, why do you keep saying such nonsense? You are already in my pants, what more do you want?"


    "It''s not nonsense, Wifey. I want nothing more than your love. To see your smiles, the faces you make when you are annoyed, your adorable pouts. They are why I will continue to shower you with love now and forever." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Despite her apparent unhappiness, I could see her struggling to resist smiling. I was about to attack her loins again when I heard some complaints coming from the bathroom.


    "Jas, that''s enough! You have already been given far more than you deserve. You are basically a harlot if you continue to monopolize Dearest!"


    "Honey, for the love of all that is holy. Don''t spout such cheesy lines to anyone but us, okay?"


    "Of course, Darling would obey that! Not unless he wants girls to end up dead!"


    "Beloved, favoring only one of your wives is a bit unfair. I demand to be courted in the same manner."


    "Possum, are you reading those lines from somewhere? How the hell do you come up with this crap?"


    "That''s what you say, Robyn, but everyone saw you playing with yourself while Shujin plucked Jasmine like a harp."


    Jas then tried to gently push me away as she stood up.


    "Look everyone, I won fair and square. It hasn''t even been 30 minutes! Shouldn''t you all be getting ready? Why are you all still naked?"


    "Look, you ass heavy niggerette, you really are not convincing when you have Possum''s cum dripping out of your fanny," Robyn countered.


    "Agreed, the agreement was to relax dearest without having sex. You failed spectacularly."


    "You are all too harsh! Wasn''t there a line that said if Darling wants to, it''s okay?"


    "And like the conniving tramp this sadistic tweeny is, she came out naked. That''s like a sheep parading itself in front of a hungry wolf. Did anyone expect Honey to do anything else?"


    "Well, I can''t really say, because I probably would have done the same thing. Isn''t that the same reason why everyone still hasn''t put on clothes? Shujin never disappoints."


    Liv then walked over to me in her birthday suit, ignoring her sister''s complaints.


    "Beloved, you said I should be more open about what I want. I want you to love me, even just a little. C-Can we?"


    While I found Liv''s plea extremely charming, I noticed that even the others had expectant faces. It seemed I wasn''t the only one who hadn''t had enough of baby-making sex.


    "{Day by Day}," I replied.


    With seven bodies, we each took a Siren and expressed my desire in the most primal way.


    [My lord, why not just tell the world you need seven more days? They already think you are dead anyways.]


    I ignored Exa''s snide comments and had a wonderful time with my harem. It took almost nine hours before I had enough willpower to tear myself away from my girls.


    "Exa, what time is it?"


    [4:36 p.m. August 6th.]


    "I guess we didn''t get anything done."


    [Sigh, my lord. At least I was able to brief you a bit. The Sirens look... well, incapacitated at the moment.]


    I looked at the results of my handiwork and noticed my girls sprawled across the room. They had semen leaking from their groins and dazed expressions. Using my avatars, I carried them all to the showers and cleaned every inch of their bodies.


    It took another two hours before the girls and I finally exited the room. My harem followed behind me like a bodyguard detail as we walked down the hallways. I saw a few familiar faces waiting by the elevators.


    One was that monocled bastard Phillip Scrivener. The other was the hulking bald gangster bastard Vincent Deryck.


    ''Have they been waiting for me all week?''


    Then I felt a voice through my {Kindred} link. It was from my Brazilian lover.


    ''They are not staying on this floor, but they have bribed the front desk to let them know the moment the doors of our hotel room open. I left the sensors on since I knew it would allow them to know when we leave.''


    ''I see. How wonderful. Thank you honey, I am so lucky to have you watching over me all the time,'' I replied full of love.


    ''Dear, I can''t believe I''m saying this, but please control your "love" for us. It becomes quite disorienting when you release such affection,'' Lilly advised.


    ''Thank you, Lilly, I will be careful.''


    ''Beloved, now that our {Kindred} connection is official, please be careful with your emotions. It is very easy to create endless positive or negative feedback loops with your {Kindred}. Although our case seems unique,'' my Northerner explained.


    ''Oh? Our case is unique? What does that mean?'' I asked inquisitively.


    ''Normally, it is impossible to have more than one {Kindred} husband. Just like your ability to absorb {Fates}, you are once again defying common sense.''


    I shamelessly replied to Jasmine. ''Well, this is good. The {Fates} must have noticed my love for all of you. I''m glad. Can you all hear each other?''


    ''We don''t, darling, you''re the only one we hear. But we hear your responses to everyone.''


    ''Shujin, it is as if you are speaking out loud, but we are sending texts, none of the Sirens know what each other is saying, but we can figure it out based on what we hear from you.''


    ''Is that so? I see, thank you everyone.''


    "Possum, we can mess with everyone else if you want. Want to try?''


    ''Maybe later, Kitten. Does that mean I can hear your thoughts all the time?


    ''No, dearest, we have conscious and unconscious thoughts, we only hear the former. Also, we each have a door on our connection. If you or our side closes it, the link is deactivated.''


    I then tried to visualize my {Kindred} links as white doors, and then I tried to close them. When I did that, I suddenly felt my connections to the girls disappear. It was like suddenly losing a limb. My soul longed for warmth and began to panic at the sudden loss.


    My harem abruptly stopped moving and all of them grabbed me, their faces shared the same uncomfortable feeling. I quickly opened the doors and allowed our {Kindred} link to return to full power.


    The girls visibly relaxed when they felt my soul again. It was magical, this {Kindred} thing was extremely suffocating or relieving, depending on how you looked at it. Most would probably not want it.


    After all, just responding to text messages from overly attached SO''s would exhaust most people. But for someone like me? I welcomed it.


    ''I am probably a yandere,'' I whispered to myself.


    ''Beloved, you are not just probably one...''


    ''Dear, your definition of probably is extremely flawed.''


    ''Bloody oath, Possum, you are one!''

 Chapter 485 Heavenly Peaches [2/2]

    ''Darling, what a relief! I am one too!''''Honey, are you stupid? How are you not a yandere?''


    ''Husband. Don''t worry, I don''t care if you are one.''


    ''Shujin, you are not just a normal yandere, you might as well be S-ranked.''


    I couldn''t help but chuckle when I heard my girls'' reactions. Positive emotions flowed through me, which I showered on my harem. They all smiled beautifully as they giggled.


    This must be the feedback loop Liv was sharing. Our emotions influenced each other, which in turn created more of those emotions.


    By being happy, I could influence my harem. They in turn would respond to my positive emotions. By flooding me with more of the same, they would restart the cycle.


    While this might be a good thing for good feelings, it meant the same could happen for grief, suffering, or pain. I had to prepare myself for that kind of situation.


    We finally reached the end of the corridor and were greeted by my two aides.


    "My lord, welcome back. My heart rejoices at your return. Hellsgate as a whole has greatly missed your presence. Phillip Scrivener, your official clerk and administrator, greets Limitless."


    When did that monocled bastard start greeting me like that? Was he perhaps being passive aggressive?


    ''Translation: Get back to work, you prick! I am about to die of stress,'' I joked in my mind.


    At that moment, all seven of my girls started giggling happily. Their laughter covered my {Kindred} link so much that I smiled in reflex.


    "My lord, Vincent Deryck pays respect to his master. Happy birthday, my lord!"


    "Oh? You''re right, it was today. I forgot."


    ''Oh no! How shameful!'' ''Oh dear.'' ''Well fuck!'' ''Teehee, I knew I forgot something.'' ''HOW? HOW DID I FORGET?'' ''Unacceptable, how could a wife forget her husband''s birthday?'' ''I must carve this date into my heart.''


    The voices of my harem flooded me again. But this time, instead of happiness, it was fear, anxiety and frustration. It was adorable how concerned my girls were that they had forgotten my birthday.


    A wild number of digital signals began to fly between the girls, who were probably panicking because they didn''t have anything for me. Not wanting to stress out my harem, I replied to Vincent with a nod.


    "Thank you, Vincent. So far this has been the best birthday I have ever had. I have been feasting on heavenly peaches since I woke up."


    At that moment, all the digital signals suddenly stopped. In their place, my {Kindred} link was bathed in a single emotion: embarrassment.


    ''My love, that''s...'' ''And they say I am the pervert, right dearest?'' ''Fuck me dead, Possum, that''s embarrassing.'' ''Darling, you''re too lewd!'' ''Honey! Phrasing! Word choice! Give me some face! ''Husband, please stop humiliating me in front of our people.'' ''Ahh... Shujin, my dignity is in shambles...'' S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Taking pleasure in teasing the girls, I ignored them and continued to smile at Phillip and Vincent. Both men froze, not knowing what to say or do. They probably didn''t want to offend the Sirens by agreeing or me by disagreeing.


    An awkward silence crept over everyone. Without breaking my smile, I continued the conversation.


    "I was just about to eat with the girls. Join us. Exa has already assessed the things that need my attention."


    I walked to the elevators and pushed the down button. Seeing that I was already in work mode, both men regained their composure and began their reports.


    "My Lord, when would you like to speak with Amari Soldat and Mia Fair? Would it be before or after Gareth Faesten? Or do you wish to speak with the Reapers who are waiting for you?"


    "I will speak with Amari and Mia first. Tell them to meet me in the sun. I will speak to Gareth tonight. The same with the new recruits. How are things going with Hellsend?"


    "My Lord, the 2nd Amendment has increased the size of its groups as over a hundred people from the Ten Graves have passed Commander Joshua''s training. Miss Exa should have received a report of all Hellsend''s earnings while you were away."


    Exa then showed me a detailed report of how much Hellsend had made. It was in the millions. I was able to get about a million souls a day without having to work.


    "I see, well done Phillip."


    Vincent then interjected his own business, as if to show off his own work.


    "As for my side Master, over the past week, the security around the Simmons has steadily increased. They are able to go about their daily lives protected by the Deryck family with Phantoms escorting them around the clock. The Limit Royalty families have also been relocated and integrated into the community."


    This bastard really understood me. More than anything else, I was worried about Earl''s family. I didn''t have the brainpower to keep an eye on them, so I just assumed Bella would.


    Hearing how protected they were made me pleased. Learning that Bernard''s families were being integrated into the community as also good news. It would be a nice incentive for their respective Reapers.


    It didn''t hurt that I was their relative''s employer. So, they should be nice to my adopted family by simple association.


    "Thank you, Vincent, I appreciate it. What a wonderful birthday present."


    Hearing my praise, Vincent grinned broadly as he bowed in an exaggerated manner.


    "But my lord. That wasn''t my gift. Of course, I pulled out all the stops for the esteemed one''s birthday."


    Huh? Hearing such a thing, I couldn''t help but get excited.


    We had many gaps in our inventory. And we could supplement them with what the world''s militaries were using. The main advantage my forces had was that the traditional limitations of the Reapers did not apply to us.


    "Are you trying to buy your way into my good books again?" I asked excitedly.


    ''Sigh, there he goes again. Dearest, please try to keep your dignity, if you please?''


    ''My love, I know you are excited, but please mind your face, it looks absolutely deranged.''


    ''Possum, you know I love you, but get a fucking grip!''


    ''Hehe, look at my darling, all excited like a child! How cute!''


    ''Well, I kind of expected it, but Honey, your face is absolutely disturbing.''


    ''That man is formidable; he knows Husband almost as well as we do.''


    ''Sigh, Shujin, I have to tell you that you can be quite simple if one understands how you think. Please be careful.''


    I turned to my girls and announced to them like a child at Christmas.


    "My {Kindred}, may I please be excused? I want to see what Vincent has for me."


    "We''ll come with you." X7


    "Oh? Great! Phillip, tell everyone that I have something important to do. And ask Joshua, Mike and Santiago to join me."


    The monocled bastard bowed as he gritted his teeth, "I understand, my lord. Where shall I tell them to go?"


    I then turned to Vincent, as only he could answer.


    "Please tell them to go to this address," he replied while giving Phillip a piece of paper.


    Somehow, I had the feeling that these two were having a fight or something. Vincent looked absolutely gloating while Phillip looked miserable. Were they fighting for the right to be my butler or something?


    Ignoring them, I turned to the girls and asked.


    ''My {Kindred}, can you take me to this place right now?''


    ''Beloved, you are so simple sometimes it scares me.''


    ''Possum, do you even care who gives you the guns?''


    ''Pfft! HAHAHAH! Darling! You are so adorable!''


    ''Husband, if you desire it, we will make it happen.''


    ''Anything for you Anata.''


    ''Let''s see. I can see some security cameras nearby. It''s... an airplane hangar? Wow! I must say I am impressed.


    Honey''s going to flip.''


    ''Share the location. All right. I got it. Dearest, I can open a {Portal} now.''


    Lilly then raised her hand and opened a {Portal} in front of us. The image I saw on the other side made me giddy with joy. I kissed Lilly on the cheeks and practically ran through the doorway.

 Chapter 486 May as well be pigs [1/2]

    When I entered the portal, I was shown a world to my liking. We were in a large airplane hangar, the kind that could hold jumbo jets. But that was not what made me very happy.It was the things arranged in an orderly fashion.


    The men of the Deryck family practically jumped when I suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They were about to draw their weapons when a loud voice shouted for them to stop.


    "Kneel on the ground! All of you! Right now! KNEEL!"


    I turned to see a tall, hulking man meekly on his knees. It was the wild-looking Caucasian I nearly beat to death at my wedding. Completely unlike his previous demeanor, he was anxiously signaling for everyone to prostrate themselves before me.


    When he saw more people coming out of the portal, he slapped his forehead on the ground as he announced to everyone present.


    "THEO DERYCK GREETS THE MASTER OF THE DERYCK FAMILY! OUR LORD THE ESTEEMED LIMITLESS! HAIL!"


    The thugs all around the airfield, even those on the other hangars, joined in similarly.


    "WE SALUTE THE ESTEEMED ONE! OUR LORD LIMITLESS HAIL!"


    Unused to such grand gestures, I turned to see more than a hundred men kneeling before me. The sheer sight of it made me realize that I was no longer John Smith, the auditor for the Department of Transportation.


    The girls were all standing at my side. Jo and Aki grabbed my hands, knowing that I was a little speechless. Unconsciously, the girls probably felt my surprise and amazement. They in turn sent me warm feelings of pride, happiness and satisfaction.


    However, while acknowledging my new position was good and all, nothing was more important than the goodies I saw laid out in front of me. The presents in front of me were convincing proof that the Derycks really were a rich as fuck mobster family.


    Vincent came forward and joined the Derycks as he greeted me.


    "Happy birthday, my lord!"


    "HAPPY BIRTHDAY! LORD LIMITLESS!" the people around us all shouted.


    I raised my hand to silence them all. "Thank you," I replied curtly.


    The bald gangster bastard then approached me as he suggested. "If you would allow me, I would like to show you the gifts the Deryck family has prepared for you."


    I turned to my harem as I asked them.


    "Girls, can you please fetch Joshua, Mike and Santiago for me?"


    Wordlessly they all nodded. Like a well-oiled machine, a flurry of digital signals came from my girls. Bella and Liv were the ones who sent and received the most information.


    A few moments later, Lilly and Jasmine raised their hands and opened three {Portals}. Jo, Robyn and Aki then entered the portals. Loud gasps of surprise could be heard from all three.


    ______________


    "TINY SIREN! Why you here?"


    "Lady Rhiannon, do you need me for something?"


    "Possum calls for you."


    "Lady Rhiannon! Wait! I will go. I will go. Please..."


    "Hey! Let go of Oppa, Tiny! Or I tell white boy!"


    _______________


    "Holy crap! Lady Vela?"


    "Oh? You''re one of Ami''s lovers, right?"


    "Mike Walker, follow me before I beat you unconscious."


    "Coming, Lady Vela..."


    _________________


    "Lady Inari? What brings you here? Would you like a margarita?"


    "Follow. Now."


    "Oh shit... Right away El Hefa."


    __________________


    Robyn came out pulling Joshua by his collar, Angela tried to get her to let him go without much effect. Aki and Jo also left their {portals}, followed by Mike, Isolde and Santiago. They were all in civilian clothes.


    ''Haha, damn, you girls acting like that looks so hot... Remember to do that next time, okay?''


    I felt a wave of embarrassment coming from Aki, Jo and Robyn. The three of them quickly hid behind the other Sirens, betraying the overbearing attitude they had just displayed. The contrast was extremely endearing.


    The members of the 2nd Amendment saw me and greeted me with my bro salute.


    " My lord, did you need us for..."


    "Wow! So many cars!"


    "Well, I''ll be damned. Look at all this," Mike said as he whistled in admiration.


    "Holy shit! Hombre, are those what I think they are?"


    Mike and Santiago, who had military backgrounds, immediately understood what they were looking at. Isolde and Angela didn''t. Joshua couldn''t even finish his sentence as he marveled at what he saw.


    "Sorry for the rough call. I just got a birthday present, they are for the 2nd Amendment, as its commanders I want you all to be familiar with the hardware," I said with a grin.


    I looked at Vincent and nodded. Understanding that he could begin, Vincent gestured to his brother Theo. The entire Deryck family then began to move as if their asses were on fire.


    "My lord, please follow me."


    I moved to follow the bald gangster as the Sirens and the guys accompanied me. There was a palpable tension between the two groups. Unlike when it was just us, the girls were very nervous.


    When I listened in, I couldn''t help but chuckle at what I heard.


    ''How vulgar, these girls both smell of semen. Are they proud of their depravity? I should take Beloved away from them. Otherwise he might add them to his harem.''


    ''Hmph, Isolde is really beautiful, her proportions are even better than mine. It would be dangerous if she attracted dearest. She is a traitor, right? The girls and I should be able to kill her quietly.''


    ''Strewth! Why are all these fucking slaggers so top-heavy? It''s like they have cows for mothers! Possum said he likes mine, right? Should I try that breast enhancement cream Bella recommended?''


    ''This Korean bitch is wearing a man''s shirt! And that smell! It''s fresh cum! She is obviously wet from Darling! I have to fucking gut her and hang her from a tree! I will ask Aki or Jas for some poisons later.''


    ''Look at the tits on this German fucker! She is obviously trying to seduce Honey with that getup! It''s like she''s begging for my man to notice her!''


    ''None of them are looking at husband, but better safe than sorry. He won''t mind, will he? I can put a bullet in these two without anyone noticing. I can already see their soul gems.''


    Tsk, as if that Lucretia was not enough, now we get these two along with Claire Knight. They are all very pretty. Isolde looks even more like a MILF than I do. Why was I born so short! This is so unfair! Shujin might leave me if they tried to seduce him!


    I should just kill them now.''


    It seems that the girls were all unnerved by Isolde and Angela. Since they were Phantoms, it was natural for them to be beautiful. While most men would be frightened by the psychotic tendencies of my women, I found it charming instead.


    After all, in any relationship, there was the one who settled and the one who aimed up. That meant you were either the better catch or the lucky one. Being the better catch was obviously the better of the two.


    For one thing, if you were the one who settled, it meant you still had options outside of your current partner. The ones who got lucky, on the other hand, all suffered from the same thing, which was that they were anxious and insecure about themselves.


    Because they knew they were lucky, they treated their partners better and were on edge most of the time, stressing about their partners leaving them. Now I wasn''t saying that being the lucky one was bad per se, I was just pointing out that it was a reality we had to accept.


    Of course, the reason I found the girls adorable was because the Sirens had it backwards. I was the lucky one in our relationship. I knew that I had used up all my luck to get seven wonderful women as my battle harem. They were beautiful, loyal, and capable.


    S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 487 May as well be pigs [2/2]

    So even though they were already mine, I was a little controlling of them. I was afraid that one day they would find someone better and leave me. Such dark fantasies had nothing to do with the girls'' behavior, it was my own issue.Now imagine thinking that way and suddenly hearing that your girls thought the opposite. To them, they were the lucky ones, while you were the catch. The absurdity of it all became comical, and their actions suddenly became extremely adorable.


    They were afraid I would run off with someone better because they didn''t deserve me. Which is exactly how I felt. In my opinion, they were being extremely silly because the chances of me running off with another woman were nil.


    My happiness naturally flooded our {Kindred} link, causing the rest of the Sirens to feel my joy. They all stared at me suspiciously when I stopped walking. Feeling that I owed them an explanation, I spoke to them through our link.


    ''My precious Sirens, the {Kindred} who owns my heart. You have got it all wrong. Isolde and Angela might as well be pigs from my point of view. You could be covered in mud while they are clean and naked and I would still find you girls sexier. Please believe me.''


    The feelings I was sending them made the girls blush with bashfulness. They must have forgotten that I could hear thoughts about killing the Wyvern and the racist Korean.


    The Sirens all backed away and grabbed Isolde and Angela in panic. The two had pale faces as they were held by all seven of my girls.


    "My love, we will come back later, enjoy your gifts."


    "Dearest, I bid you farewell. You two, come with us."


    "Possum, don''t miss us too much. We''ll meet again later."


    "Bye, darling! You sluts smell fishy! Wash up!"


    "Honey, remember your dignity, okay? And you two, have some fucking class!"


    "Husband, you heard nothing, okay?"


    "Shujin, till our next meeting."


    As if they were burglars caught in the act of stealing, the Sirens opened a {Portal} and carried Isolde and Angela away, fleeing the scene. The two couldn''t even scream as the girls covered their mouths with their hands.


    Mike and Joshua were visibly startled, but held back. They probably knew that I would shoot them if they raised weapons against my harem. A second later, the nine girls were gone, leaving only Mike, Santiago, Joshua, Vincent and me.


    "Boss, the mistresses took Isolde where?" Mike asked awkwardly.


    "They were quite displeased that neither Angela nor Isolde were presentable. The Sirens want to help them clean up before they return," I explained.


    "I see, then please thank them on our behalf, my lord. Angela and I... We were, uh, just getting ready to come here."


    "Yes, sorry Hefe, the Se?oras are crazy. I thought Lady Inari was going to kill me earlier. I was about to leave after I finished my drink."


    Unable to blame them for their thoughts, I just smiled and nodded. Then I walked over to Vincent, who was standing on one of the crates. Santiago, being the chatty bastard that he was, began to share his thoughts with the Korean and the cowboy.


    "Amigo, is El Hefe on drugs or something? He''s still making that stupid face."


    "Santi, shut the fuck up, I swear your mouth is going to get you shot one day." Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Quiet, do you want to be visited by the Sirens again?" Joshua reminded them.


    When we finally reached Vincent, he took out what looked like a backpack with gas tanks and a hose. Of course, being the gun and war nerd that I am, I recognized it immediately.


    "An M9-7 flamethrower. How many did you get?"


    "We only got 10 original wands, but retrofitted some M2 wands for a total of 35," Vincent replied with pride.


    The M9-7, or full name M9A1-7, was the definitive version of the M2 family of flamethrowers.


    It used two gas tanks to create powerful flames that could reach up to 65 feet. The tanks were filled with napalm or gasoline, which burned the shit out of everything, and nitrogen, which served as propellant.


    Flamethrowers were used with great success in both World Wars and the Vietnam War. Their strength lies in their ability to engage and destroy enemies hiding under cover or in trenches.


    Funnily enough, it wasn''t just the Americans who thought about roasting their enemies. Practically everyone else did as well.


    Due to the danger of being shot in combat, flamethrowers fell out of favor when they were mounted on tanks instead of people. Still, for our purposes, these would cook monsters and zombies alike.


    Vincent then moved to another crate and pulled out a shoulder mounted launcher with a rocket on the end.


    It was the RPG 7 or Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy Granatomot or Russian for Handheld Anti-Tank Grenade Launcher. Most gun nuts assumed the RPG stood for Rocket Propelled Grenade, which made sense, but wasn''t true.


    These boom sticks were basically anti-tank weapons that packed a lot of punch. From what I had seen, I was sure that they could take out rank E''s no problem.


    Vincent held the one he had out to me and explained.


    "I have 100 launchers and over 300 warheads. I was told that Hellsend felt the lack of firepower when they faced Andromalius. For now, these would be a step in the right direction."


    After working the controls, I put the RPG-7 down as I answered. "Indeed. We will soon need military hardware for the coming battles."


    Santiago, Mike, and Joshua, like me, marveled at the other toys, but still looked at the ones in the middle. Seeing our expectation, Vincent hurried along with his presentation.


    Theo and a group of five men carried a new weapon and placed it next to his brother.


    "My lord, to fight a large number of undead, it is inefficient to continue to use small arms. I present to you the M252, a 81mm medium weight mortar. It is a British designed, smooth bore, muzzle loading, high angle of fire weapon used for long range indirect fire support."


    The boys and I inspected the mortar system and checked its components. Vincent continued his explanations.


    "Has a range of minimum 99 to maximum 6,490.6 yards. Capable of firing high explosive, illumination and white phosphorus. Shots can be controlled by adding horseshoe charges. The available fuses can also be modified to change from point detonation, near surface, impact or delayed burst configurations."


    Vincent then picked up one of the mortar warheads and showed me some of the fuses and horseshoe charges.


    "Each of these mortar rounds weighs 10 lbs and has an effective kill radius of 115 ft. A trained mortar team can fire 8-16 rounds per minute to saturate an area with bombardment."


    Just the thought of these bad boys wreaking havoc on the zombies put a smile on my face. The only problem was training the mortar teams to use them.


    "How many did you get?" I asked excitedly.


    "14 mortars, enough for two mortal platoons."


    "Excellent. Just these three would increase our firepower by leaps and bounds. The only problem is who we can get to operate them."


    "My lord, I think Freyja''s Bulwark and Minerva''s Wizards would be an excellent match."


    ''Ho? Use strong men to haul the thing and eggheads to fire it.''


    Joshua was absolutely right. With Exa leading them, I fully believed we would be able to use the new people we just got.


    "With the special weapons out of the way. It is time to introduce the vehicles we have parked all around."


    Right, that was what the guys and I were much more focused on. The intimidating fleet of vehicles that all had weapons mounted on them. My birthday just keeps getting better and better.

 Chapter 488 This is mine now? [1/2]

    Perhaps seeing the greed in my eyes, Vincent grinned smugly as he began. He led us to a gun on wheels. It had a 16.7-foot barrel and looked like a knight''s spear pointed skyward.If you asked any soldier in the world, "What do you want more by your side than your lover?" they would answer only one thing. "The biggest gun you can give me." And the biggest guns any army could field were not the ones carried by people. It would be those on wheels.


    While most people equated war with knights, there was a reason they were no longer around. And while muskets had something to do with their decline, what ended them was something else.


    It was something that changed the face of war. Something that made the medieval armored knight, the symbol of military power, obsolete.


    It was, of course, the field artillery.


    Sure, there was medieval siege artillery like ballistae, catapults, and trebuchets. But their slow nature and piss poor accuracy made it impossible to use against anything that could move.


    Before the invention of artillery, armies had only two classes of troops available to them. Infantry and mounted cavalry. The knight, of course, was the poster child for the latter. The shock and intimidation factor of a line of heavy knights charging at you was something few could endure.


    Being trampled under the weight of a 1200-pound armored warhorse plus the weight of a fully armored knight at 200 pounds was a fucking nightmare. There was hardly anything that could stop a powerful armored cavalry charge. In those days at least.


    With the invention of guns, the "knight" itself became extinct. I mean, what was the point of training for decades to die from a bullet fired by a peasant with a musket? But while the armored knight faded away, the concept of the cavalry did not.


    They were still used to devastating effect during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. Because muskets had a long time between shots, the mounted cavalry could still kill them with ease if they got too close. In response, the cavalrymen lost their armor and opted for speed instead.


    Of course, as the musket developed, so did the black powder cannon. Then they noticed that the cavalry had significantly less impact in the presence of these big guns. And so, they did what any reasonable man would do. They ripped the cannons off the walls and put wheels on them.


    Because of the size and power of these weapons, they not only destroyed cavalry, but infantry as well.


    Have you ever seen what a cannon ball bouncing off a square formation did? It was the stuff that broke men and gave them PTSD.


    Still, cannons were slow; even when pulled by horses, they were often left behind during assaults or retreats. And they were considerably easier to destroy by cavalry. Because the cavalries were fast, they often bridged the gap when the guns couldn''t hit them.


    This created a new dilemma for the cannons. If they were discovered by the mounted cavalry, they would be destroyed. But without them, nothing could stop the horses from destroying the infantry. So, they decided to do look towards archer for inspiration.


    They mimicked what archers did to gain distance. They raised the cannons at angles of 45 to 90 degrees. Changing the firing angles from straight paths to parabolic arcs like bows, creating a new concept of warfare.


    Long range indirect fire.


    This invented a new class of artillery, one that could fire beyond what it could see. What would happen if cavalry formations couldn''t see the guns, but were shot by them? The result, of course, was annihilation.


    Used to great effect in the Napoleonic Wars, the concept of attacking with infantry, cavalry and field artillery became the new standard for combat. Howitzers, carrying the legacy of these lessons, naturally became a staple of modern combat.


    "My lord, feast your eyes on the M777 howitzer. Manufactured by Britain''s BAE Systems, it fires 155mm shells that completely destroy enemy lines. It has a range of 13 miles for the M107 rounds and 19 miles for the M795E1. We have over 1000 rounds for both."


    13 fucking miles. That was 21 kilometers in metric. And that wasn''t even the maximum distance. Zombie hordes would be helpless if these weapons were unleashed. If people with brains were slaughtered, what would happen to the zombies? How would they even know where the shots were coming from?


    ''Exa, give me the specifications of an M107 HE shells.'' sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Yes, my lord. They use M4A2 "White Bag" propellant, weigh 95 lb. (43.2 kg), and are filled with 15.1 lbs (6.86 kg) of TNT. Their lethal radius is a little over 100 ft (30 m).]


    ''And the M795E1?''


    [They use a two-directional course-correcting fuse, which gives them increased accuracy. They are heavier at 103 lb. (46.7 kg) and are filled with 23.8 lb. (10.8 kg) of charge liner TNT OR IMX-101. Their lethal radius is greater at 164 ft (50 meters)].


    ''Fucking bullshit.''


    Vincent made a dispirited face. As he added.


    "I apologize my lord, as these are still being used by the military it was hard to get many of them. We only got 6 units and unfortunately we were unable to procure any Excaliburs."


    The M982 Excalibur was the latest in smart artillery rounds. It was basically a small target-seeking rocket fired from a howitzer. It was a shame we couldn''t get some, but for now what we had was more than enough.


    "That''s fine Vincent. 6 guns is already enough for an artillery battery, and we will be hitting zombies, so just the M107s will be enough. We can always upgrade to Excaliburs in the future."


    I once asked Lilly as we cuddled after sex. Apparently, David doesn''t want to steal hardware from the US military. It was extremely difficult to explain how we could buy these things in bulk with our circumstances.


    Vincent used backroom and under-the-table means to get them. And while I could just use death resonance to brute force my way to obtain them, the time it took to cover the paper trail was not worth it.


    Especially when we were about to be invaded in the coming months. I learned this from Aki, Bella and Jas. The Reapers used human intelligence agencies to spy on the other battlefronts and gather information about them.


    This was even before the continents decided to go for each other''s throats. It was as if everyone knew it was going to happen eventually, so everyone had the groundwork in place.


    While the Reapers were fighting with soul equipment and {Fates}, the other aspects of the war, such as intel gathering, were on par with modern militaries.


    For this reason, Lilly advised me not to be so aggressive in acquiring military hardware. It would expose my hand not only to the Reaper spies, but also to Trinity. Such complications were the reason why Vincent, who was a human, carried around a soulgear made of devil remains.


    Looking at the six M777s, I realized that I needed to find and train battery crews as soon as possible. After inspecting the howitzers, I followed Vincent to the next and most numerous of his toys. Despite being in an airplane hangar, it was quite cramped because of these things.


    "With your acquisition of the 24th floor, my lord, I believe you would need to upgrade your infantry. Therefore, I have procured vehicles to turn them into mechanized infantry. This would allow you to deploy large numbers of soldiers quickly."


    Mechanized infantry, contrary to what the term implied, was not infantry enhanced with mechanical components like androids. It was used for a much more boring term. Basically, it meant people who got on trucks or jeeps to move around.


    The girls and I all noticed this during the Song of the Sirens battles. Running wasn''t fast enough for the rest of Hellsend to keep up with me or the Sirens. Wraiths, even Phantoms, were practically human compared to us.

 Chapter 489 This is mine now? [2/2]

    Adding these vehicles would allow them to load, ride, and deploy quickly. It would not only conserve stamina, but greatly increase mobility. Of course, the problem would be that they would shift from endurance to fuel, creating a dependency on diesel.But if we give the trucks to some of the people and allow them to use {Auto}, we can {Rewind} them so we always have fuel. Maintenance would also be perfect as long as we kept the {Auto} image combat ready.


    It was a known problem that the equipment used by the military were beasts made for war. This meant that if they weren''t allowed to fight, they were guaranteed to break down. This required entire companies of engineers to work around the clock to fix them.


    "My lord, to mechanize your infantry, we have 100 AM General M1151 Enhanced Armament Carrier Humvees and 50 M1078 LMTVs. All vehicles are equipped with M2 Browning machine guns for mobile infantry support. The Humvees would seat 400, while the M1078 trucks can be used for personnel, supplies or loot ".


    Just the addition of over 150 M2 machine guns would be a hug deal, but the ability to quickly transport 400 Reapers with guns would be a game changer. In addition, the Ten Graves would be able to haul ass with the trucks.


    Currently, the Ten Graves used carts and wheelbarrows to transport their plunder. Whether it was corpses or supplies, it was impossible to move them all with just the human body. It was inefficient.


    But with these? It would speed up the processing of the loot. On top of that, they could bring equipment and supplies to keep up with the 2nd Amendment.''


    It was amazing, but Vincent''s gifts helped address the core problems I had with Hellsend. Armies were naturally dependent on massive supply lines. And while we didn''t need a supply line because of {Rewind} and {Reload}. We still needed mobility.


    Just one zone was pretty big. And I was now responsible for twenty-eight of them. Being able to move back and forth quickly was no problem for me, since I had {Portal}. But the rest of my forces didn''t, and if I didn''t give them Lilly''s {Fate}, it would be impossible for them to keep up.


    "Thank you, Vincent, I am once again impressed by your foresight. This would help us a lot with our plans. The only problem now is that I lack the people who know how to use them."


    Even though the Humvees and trucks were just heavy-ass cars, they still had their own quirks. As I increased my reliance on hardware used by the military, I needed those who were knowledgeable to train my men.


    "I will do all I can to help in that regard, my lord. The Deryck family is currently taking lessons from retired veterans and active military so they can pass the information on to Hellsend. Of course, we are using low-key means to do this. As a family accustomed to working for a Specter, we know how to cover our tracks."


    Impressed by how meticulous Vincent was, I praised him curtly, "Well done. I look forward to when your men are ready to teach Hellsend."


    "Of course, my lord."


    With these vehicles my infantry will be able to keep up. We can also use the Humvees to transport the howitzers, allowing us to quickly move into an area. Unfortunately, we were still missing a few key components to our army. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For one thing, we didn''t have an armored division. Alfonso showed how effective micro tanks would be in Hellsgate. If we could somehow get the M1 Abrams into the fight, we would be unstoppable.


    With drones and reconnaissance teams scouting for the artillery. The only purpose of the infantry would be to hold the line with the armored divisions to allow the artillery to move. Once we had our main battle line in range of indirect fire, we would pound the living shit out of any enemy within range.


    Once they were softened up, the armored divisions, accompanied by infantry, would move in to mop up the remnants. If there were still enemies, the process was repeated until there was nothing left.


    While armored divisions were formidable, they needed infantry to guard them. Otherwise, a well-placed shot from a $500 RPG rocket would take out a $55,000 tank. Conversely, an infantry division that took years to train would be devastated by gun batteries if it advanced without armor.


    In Hellsgate this would take a different approach, normal zombies couldn''t stand up to guns. But that was only on the lower levels. When we encountered larger undead, monsters, or demons. We would need bigger weapons.


    Probably sensing my thoughts, Vincent made an embarrassing cough as he continued.


    "My lord, as someone familiar with military doctrine, I am well aware that we need tanks or heavy armor. Unfortunately, those are much more strictly regulated than the ones here. However, given enough time, I will see to it that we get our hands on some. For now, I would like to present you with my last gifts."


    "There are more?" I asked suspiciously.


    How much money did Vincent spend on this? The M777 howitzer was worth $3.7 million each. A 155mm round was worth $3,500. I knew these numbers because they were what other countries were paying to help Ukraine in their last war.


    An armored, military-grade Humvee cost $220,000, and my gangster had 100 of them. The Oshkosh Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles were transparent in their contracts and each of these trucks was worth over $250,000.


    ''Exa, how much are the howitzers, Humvees, and trucks in dollars?''


    [My lord, given the prices you know, it would be about $56,700,000. Considering that they were bought by illegal means, it would be even more].


    Well, fuck, and that was on top of everything I ordered for them.


    [My Lord, I wouldn''t be guilty of the Deryck''s extravagance because they had won 38 million souls or $760,000,000 from the Seeker War. They, as a long time Mafia family, know how to make the money work for them.]


    ''I guess I was lucky to get them as servants.''


    [I would agree, my lord.]


    Vincent then led us to a few more vehicles that I recognized immediately.


    "These are the M1128 Mobile Gun System or the Stryker Dragoon variants. Although the Stryker family was used extensively, only 142 were equipped with the M68A2 105mm cannon. Three were written off in combat, but we managed to get them repaired."


    "That''s good. We can definitely use them as tanks," I commented in passing.


    While the main gun was good, the Stryker Dragoon was subpar in my opinion. It''s pathetic track record was proof of that. Confused about its identity as an IFV and a light tank, it did little for the money spent on it.


    In contrast, the M2 Bradley was the best IFV, while the M1 Abrams was the best MBT. Initially unimpressed, my blood pressure shot up when I saw a familiar silhouette behind the three Stryker dragoons!


    "HOLY FUCKING SHIT! IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?" I bellowed with joy.


    "Yes, my lord, though we only managed to get one under the radar. This is the latest iteration of the Bradley, the M2A4. Spaced laminate armor provides 14.5mm all-around protection. One 25mm M242 chain gun. 2 BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles. And finally, a 7.62mm coaxial M240C machine gun gives it incredible firepower."


    "A MOTHERFUCKING BRADLEY!"


    This machine, along with the M1 Abrams, were the powerhouses that allowed America to remain undefeated in armored combat. Although not a tank, the TOW missiles allowed a Bradley to fight and kill tanks, giving it more tank kills than even the mighty Abrams.


    I couldn''t stop myself from jumping on top of the Bradley like a kid at Christmas. Any American would give his left nut to have one. Needless to say, I was one of them.


    "Fucking hell, Vincent! Fucking hell! This is mine now?" I raved with glee.

 Chapter 490 Why do you need me? [1/2]

    "Of course it is, my lord!""FUCKING AWESOME! WELL DONE, YOU FUCKING BALD GANGSTER BASTARD! FROM NOW ON I WILL CALL YOU GUN SANTA!"


    Despite my screaming at the top of my lungs, Vincent remained professional and smiled.


    "Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas, my lord!"


    At that moment the girls returned through the {Portal} with Isolde and Angela.


    Unlike their earlier appearance, they were now presentable and dressed in fancy clothes.


    "Damn Hefe, I knew you liked guns, but hell, aren''t you a little too happy?"


    "Ami looks like an idiot, why is he so happy, Tristan? Is it those cars?"


    "Sugar, it''s hard to explain, but basically these are why your motherland lost the war."


    "We lost a war? When? How? I could crush these under my foot."


    "Mike, please don''t answer her. I can''t have a Wyvern going crazy."


    "Lizard, have you ever heard of Hitler?"


    "De, I haven''t. Should I?"


    "Na, sugar, you really don''t."


    "How did this happen anyway? Didn''t you go to Earth during the world wars?"


    "When was that? I slept for a long time after Tristan died. I''ve been asleep since... when was it?... I think 1173?"


    "...." X4


    As I ignored the peanut gallery and their discussion, the Sirens naturally felt my happiness from our connection.


    "Beloved, your happiness is so radiant."


    "It seems I need to start learning about military weapons. How can I buy one of these?"


    "You can''t really, princess. Seppos have a tight grip on these fucking things, the paperwork alone is a fucking nightmare, and you even have to worry about bugs and shit."


    "Darling! You want one made in Italy? I can get you a Freccia!"


    "Oy, nutjob. Aren''t you being hunted? How are you going to steal an Italian IFV? Besides, Honey probably likes American. But this would surely increase our firepower a lot."


    "Jo, I am telling you now. You are NOT allowed to steal, borrow or order the Americans to give you military hardware. Husband is already very happy just with this Bradley. So absolutely behave, okay?"


    "Although, it would probably be a race to see who could give Shujin an Abrams. Whoever did that would definitely get his love and support."


    Amused by their words, I turned to Bella while speaking through our link.


    ''Honey, I''m entrusting this to you. I want everyone to create a save point inside the Bradley. If we fight in the future, I want you to protect our spawn location.''


    ''I understand, Mr. Code. If you said it was because I was made of glass, I would have beaten you.''


    ''Bella, you are our tactician. Your safety is of the utmost importance. And you are vulnerable while you command everyone. This would at least ensure that you are protected by armor. And it will also serve as our fallback point when we join the assault teams.''


    The Sirens all expressed their appreciation for having a mobile save point. It was one of the pleasant surprises when I checked my own {Fate}.


    After evolving into a Phantom, {Save} was no longer tied to a point in space. It could now be on an object or person if I wanted.


    So if before I would return to the air when I saved on a destroyed building, now it would be on the tile I was standing on. I could even use {Save} on a person and return to them whenever I wanted.


    ''Also, having a car with some living space gives us a portable motel. That way, even in battle, we can restore our chi with bodily fluids,'' I let slip.


    ''My love...that''s...'' ''Good idea, Dearest, we can even role play.'' ''Possum, get your brain out of your dick!'' ''Darling, that is so erotic...'' ''Restoring chi? You think you''re a cultivator, Mr. Code?'' ''Husband, lewd...'' ''Shujin, I volunteer!''


    Unable to keep a straight face, I asked Vincent a question while chuckling.


    "How did you manage to get this?"


    "It was a very laborious process. But we basically built it in secret from spare parts. We paid the manufacturers of the components and hired the people to work on them in an inconspicuous way. We were found out, so we couldn''t build any more."


    "I see, okay, thank you Vincent, I like your gift. What can I do for you in return?"


    ''Honey, I am not sure if you know this yet, but the Ten Graves have some complaints against the Deryck family. Basically, they are trying to encroach on Reaper matters even as humans.''


    ''I am Mrs. Code. But as much as I respect the Ten Graves, Hellsend is a meritocracy. I will allow the best people to do the jobs I need them to do. If they cannot keep up, then I have no need for them. ''


    ''What about us then, Possum? What happens when we can no longer fight for you?''


    ''If that time ever comes, your job will be to be loved by me, Kitten. No matter how hurt or broken you all get. I will never allow anyone to take you from me. I have placed the Sirens at the pinnacle of merit in my books. So you have earned everything from me just by existing,'' I replied truthfully.


    ''Anata, you will drive us crazy from pure affection if you continue to say such things.''


    ''Darling... what do I do... I want to have sex with you right now...''


    ''Dear, please have some mercy, my heart is already full.'' S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Beloved, your feelings of love are something I cannot fathom. Please never look at anyone else. ''


    ''Husband...Everyone, let us steal an Abrams....''


    ''Okay, where is the closest one? We have to get it before Possum''s birthday ends.''


    ''Found one, let''s go...Honey, we take our leave.''


    "Hahahahahah!"


    Hearing the madness of my harem, I couldn''t help but laugh out loud. This warmth and closeness I share with all of them brought me great joy and peace. We were just being silly, but somehow I felt extremely content.


    The Sirens and I continued to loop between happiness and bliss. It was addictive like a drug. Unlike lust, it was something much more profound. And when I imagined that this would be our forever, I was overjoyed.


    "My Lord?"


    "Ah, sorry Vincent. I just heard something funny. Can we leave the vehicles here for now? I haven''t been able to set up the 24th floor yet."


    "Of course not, my lord, these hangars belong to the Derycks, we just bought them last week. We can keep them here as long as you like."


    "Ah right, I haven''t heard what you wish for yet. Tell me what you want, Vincent. For your service to me, I want to show you how much I appreciate your work as my adjutant."


    The large man paused for a moment before speaking. Considering how Vincent was, this request would probably be something that would help him or his family.


    People like him were among those I respected, so I wanted to fulfill his request if I could.


    "My lord, I have only one request, please accept Alice Gertude as your vassal."


    "..."


    Surprised by his words, even the girls fell silent.


    "Why? She is not related to the Derycks. And considering her last name, she must be related to Raymond, right?"


    "She is, lady Alice is lord Raymond''s daughter."


    "The one you told me was created by his pain staking efforts?"


    "Yes," Vincent replied curtly.


    I somehow sensed that Vincent was unnaturally attached to Raymond''s daughter.


    "But then the young miss, a teenager barely twenty, pushed the demon back with her powers. I was beside myself. How could someone so small have so much power? It was then that I learned she was a descendant. A weapon born of Reapers."


    " Correct, the young lady was treated as if she didn''t exist. While everything was provided for her body to grow, her life was hardly what one would call happy."


    "The young lady committed suicide at the age of fourteen. Having been neglected by her father and shunned by her mother, the young miss lost her will to endure."

 Chapter 491 Why do you need me? [2/2]

    "The young miss became a powerful reaper without her knowledge, however her potential and abilities were all subpar compared to her peers. Made a laughing stock of his failure the master ended up killing the mistress in a drunken rage.""And why are you doing all this for her? Are you in love with her?"


    "I am."


    Well, I didn''t expect such a direct answer. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Then why do you need me?"


    "My lord, I lack the strength to protect her. Once the wars begin and the demons inevitably arrive, the safest place for her would be at your side."


    "I have no intention of taking another woman, Vincent, you should know that. The Sirens would be the first to tear her apart if she came near me."


    "Indeed, my lord. All I ask is that you protect her until I am strong enough."


    "Does Lucrecia know?"


    "She does. And she accepts it. I would not have even met her if it were not for Lady Alice."


    I see, so Alice was the reason he survived the demon. And he probably fell in love with her ever since. I guess it would have been during the time when his family was almost wiped out.


    As someone who owned a harem, I could understand his will. Such a reason would be enough for him to want her even if he already had Lucrecia. And it seemed that Lucrecia, like my harem, was open-minded. Opting to forge powerful alliances through Vincent if necessary.


    Protecting her for a few years was not a big deal, we are talking about someone who has the power to repel a demon. Still, it seems that this woman is worth tens of millions of dollars to Vincent. He must really love her very much.


    "Very well. I accept your request. I vow to take her under my wing and protect her until you are strong enough. I will even raise her to the level of a Phantom if you want me to. But I will not make her my vassal. My kindness to you does not extend to her.


    Will that be enough?"


    "It will, my lord. Thank you very much, truly your magnanimity knows no bounds, My lord Limitless. Thank you very much."


    "Do not thank me yet. I have said that I will protect her for you, but whether she will accept my protection is another matter entirely."


    "I accept, my lord!" a sultry female voice suddenly chirped.


    Before I could even react, the Sirens all drew their weapons and focused on the source of the sound. It was next to Vincent. Seeing my girls draw their weapons, Vincent''s gangsters reflexively tried to do the same.


    In response, I unleashed a death resonance that caused all the humans in the area to fall to the ground.


    "Point your guns at my women again and I will rip all your spines out of your bodies. There will be no second time," I said coldly.


    Many started foaming at the mouth, the weaker ones fainted on the spot. Vincent and Theo, who was obviously stronger, clutched their hearts as they struggled on the ground.


    ''Ah! I apologize, my love...'' ''I was too hasty, dearest.'' ''Sorry Possum.'' ''Darling, I didn''t mean too! Honest! ''My bad, honey.'' ''Husband, I have no excuses.'' ''Anata, please forgive me.''


    Probably understanding that their actions were the cause of the current situation, the girls all lowered their weapons in repentance.


    Well, it wasn''t me they needed to apologize to, it would have been the people convulsing on the ground.


    ''My {Kindred}, you have done nothing wrong. They claim to be my people, and yet they point guns at my family. If they had done this to their king in the Middle Ages, they would all have been executed. So don''t worry. None of them could be more important than all of you.''


    My words caused a wave of happiness and bliss to radiate from the girls. Probably unaccustomed to someone defending them as I did, I felt their satisfaction and joy. I responded by showering them with affection.


    I did understand why the Derycks were acting this way, after all, Alicia was someone they served. But just because I could understand didn''t mean I would tolerate such disrespect.


    Not when these fucking bastards wanted to work for me.


    "My, my, my. Such ruthlessness. My lord Limitless, my ladies the Seven Sirens, please do not be alarmed. This woman is your humble servant."


    A female silhouette formed in front of Vincent. It was a Wraith, perhaps level 2. Even though I had sonar, I couldn''t detect it. From the looks of it, she was hiding in the "light". Her soul only manifested when the light came together.


    I invoked [Analyze] on the figure the moment I felt her presence.


    __________________________________


    Name: Alicia Gertrude


    Race: Reaper | Rank: Wraith | Origin: Human | Battlefront: N/A


    Soul Capacity: {Fate} 2/4 | {Kismet} 0/1


    Available Souls: 8,964 | Evolve: 1,500


    {Fate}


    {Daybreak} Lvl 2 | Cost: 1 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Radiant}


    {Kindred}: N/A


    {Kismet:} N/A


    Soulgear: {Nubile} (Replica)


    __________________________________


    ''{Nubile}? Exa...''


    [It is a soulgear that changes a female reaper''s body to evolve to its maturity. It is a cosmetic soulgear with no known combat ability.]


    ''I see, so she wants to be taken more seriously than her teenage self.''


    [Among other things. Personally, I think it is to not appear lacking in comparison to Lucrecia.]


    ''Possum, do you want me to use that? I might get bigger tits if I do.''


    ''No kitten, I love your boobies the way they are. Didn''t you get mad at me for suggesting it before? I feel the same way. So never think that I find you lacking in anything. That goes for everyone, okay?''


    ''Hehe, I got it. I love you Possum...'' Robyn replied beaming with happiness.


    While Robyn and I were flirting, Alicia finally appeared.


    She was an extremely beautiful woman. With features as perfect as a doll. She resembled the picture Deryck had shown earlier, but much older. Alicia had blonde hair, a Caucasian face and an almost hourglass figure.


    I released my death resonance, allowing Deryck and his people to breathe again. Alicia curtsied as she smiled elegantly.


    "Greetings, my lord. I am Alicia Gertrude, and I apologize for eavesdropping. But I couldn''t wait for Vincent and came here without his permission."


    "Vincent''s story seems to lack details. As Raymond''s daughter, you must already be safe from the undead. Who is after you? And why should I care?"


    "My mother has been kidnapped from New Zealand. Australia wants to get me. My father sold me to one of Peter Vujicic''s bastard sons. Vincent wants to use you as a shield," the woman explained.


    "Vincent, you intend to put me on a collision course with Australia? Knowing that I am going to war with 3 others?"


    The man then shielded Alicia with his large body and knelt.


    "My lord, I thought you wouldn''t mind."


    "And why would you think so?"


    "Because you were going to war with them anyway. Australia is home to the Vulture''s Talons, the group responsible for the abduction of Lady Robyn. I also know my lord that you intend to fight not just three continents but the entire world.


    "Aside from the three continents, you also intend to go to war with the North and Europe for Lady Liv and Lady Josephine, respectively."


    Well, he wasn''t wrong. I would kill everyone who made my girls suffer. And the Revenants would not allow me to kill their citizens without reason. Thus, my confrontation with each battle front was already a certainty.


    The people around me, my men, Alicia and the entire Deryck family gasped in surprise. When they noticed my silence, everyone except the Sirens and I became even more agitated.


    "My lord, he is wrong, isn''t he?" "Sigh, white boy loony as usual." "El Hefe, are you for real?" "Well, fuck. Sugar, I think I need that drink now." "Here you go, Tristan."


    "Hahahaha, indeed. You guessed right. Well, go ahead. I don''t mind. You still want to come under my banner knowing all this?"


    Vincent gave a bloodthirsty smile as he answered confidently. "Of course, my lord."

 Chapter 492 Made of glass [1/2]

    Then I turned to Joshua''s group and asked with a grin."What about the rest of you? Do you intend to stand with me knowing what is to come?"


    Joshua smiled wryly before shaking his head.


    "My lord, isn''t it a little late? We already fought a demon. What could be worse than that?"


    "White boy stupid as usual."


    "Hefe, I meant what I said. I owe you my life. I regained my dignity and evolved into a Phantom just by following you. I will not leave."


    "It''s the same with Santi, boss. Being smart was boring anyway. Let''s be crazy and rich instead."


    "Ami, you gave me back my Tristan. Use my strength as you wish."


    Even though I expected such answers, hearing them made me well up with emotion.


    "What do you think the others would say?"


    Joshua thought for a moment before answering. "Scott worships you, my lord. Warren and Claire treat you like their matchmaker. I am not sure about the others, but at least for the three of them, they would not leave either."


    "Wolves are crazy. But loyal. They stay too white boy. I''m sure of that."


    "Of the troops we trained, boss, most of them consider you their king. They will follow where you lead. Partly because no one else but you bothered to help them when they were down."


    "I think almost everyone feels the same way, Hefe. Formless, saints, slaves, even the manifested. You were the one who gave everyone the ability to stand and fight. Whatever doubts they might have had were gone when they went loco. I mean, they even battled a demon for you, Hefe."


    "I see. Well, I will tell everyone when we get to the 24th floor." I faced Vincent as I continued.


    "Is that all? I am a bit hungry and want to see my parents for a bit."


    "Yes my lord, that was all. Happy birthday again!"


    "WAIT! WAIT! ARE YOU ALL OUT OF YOUR MINDS? HE JUST SAID HE WAS GOING TO FIGHT THE WHOLE WORLD! WHY DOESN''T ANYONE TELL HIM TO COME TO HIS SENSES?!" Alice screamed.


    "And you! Vincent! Are you really okay with this? I mean, Australia is one thing, but this man is crazy! We have to find someone else! I can be your parent instead!


    We can run away!"


    "Alice."


    "That''s crazy! We will die! All I wanted was to live in peace! With you! With Lucy! Why do we have to suffer like this?!


    Why?! Why can''t they just let us be happy?!" Alice began to shout as tears streamed down her cheeks.


    Vincent stood up and took her in his arms, caressing her back as he whispered.


    "Alice...you and I both know this is impossible. We may be happy for a few years, but the time will come when we will regret not having the strength. Do not cry, my dear, I will never leave you alone again."


    ''Should we stay for this?'' I asked the girls.


    ''Let''s give them some privacy, my love.''


    ''It seems the descendants are all cut from the same cloth, dearest, do you find their plight pitiful?


    ''Possum, do you have anything to munch on?''


    ''She kind of reminds me of myself, doesn''t she, Darling?''


    ''Honey, can we stay a little longer? I want to see what happens next.''


    ''Husband, let''s go, our business here is finished.''


    ''Anata, what would you like for dinner?''


    I laughed when I heard the girls, there were those who liked the gossip, those who didn''t and those who didn''t really care. While I was talking to my girls, Vincent continued to soothe his mistress.


    "Alice, not many are willing to risk upsetting your father. My lord not only fought him, but won his approval. And furthermore, even David Thomas treats him as an equal. Lucrecia and I have thought long and hard about this. There is no better person to follow than him."


    "Sniff...but Vincent...this is all because that bastard sold me to Australia! It is all his fault! I am so sorry...if I could have been more useful, maybe things would have turned out differently. I am so useless...Sniff..."


    "There...there...it''s okay, Alice...you didn''t do anything wrong...it''s going to be okay..." S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When I heard the way Vincent spoke to his lover, I felt he was making a mistake. Alice Gertrude was right about one thing. She was fucking useless.


    As a Reaper, a descendant at that, she had both resources and time. She could have made something of herself if she had wanted to.


    ''You had the power to repel a demon... my girls had less than you, but they didn''t give up. But you... you are nothing more than a decoration... why are you still playing the victim? You are a fucking reaper!''


    Unconsciously, my anger began to burn. It must have come from envy. This girl had everything handed to her on a silver platter. Of course, she had a shitty life, but who didn''t? And yet this girl didn''t even think about doing something about it.


    And Vincent, while a doting husband, poisoned her with his affection. It robbed this reaper of the mentality that she could be something more.


    ''If I hadn''t considered the urgency of Hellsgate, would I have treated the girls the same way? Like they were made of glass.''


    Most men would choose to follow Vincent''s path, it was what men were wired to do. But that was when women literally had no choice. In ancient times, women were protected because they were physically weaker than men.


    But there were many stories of the fairer sex taking matters into their own hands. Weapons certainly helped, but it usually stemmed from a woman''s mentality.


    I also tried to suppress the girls to protect them. But unlike Alicia, they resisted. It came from their desire to protect me.


    ''But this bitch is perfectly happy to be protected. She was completely fine with Vincent doing all the work while she sat in the back. For all her power and appearance, her mentality was that of a child.''


    Before anyone could stop me, my voice leaked out the turmoil in my heart.


    "Vincent, stop coddling her. She remains immature because your kindness prevents her from getting hurt."


    "My lord, I..."


    "I refuse to allow you to carry worthless burdens. If you want me to keep my end of the bargain, let me tell her what she wants to hear."


    "..."


    "Vincent?" Alicia asked.


    "Very well, my lord. It''s not that I didn''t foresee it. I just... I would much rather suffer for her sake."


    "I can understand that. But if you truly love her, you must let her develop. Keeping her in a cage will only bring her regrets. I tried to do the same thing. So it is not that I do not understand."


    "How do you deal with anxiety, my lord? This fear is enough to paralyze me. Lucrecia and I have argued about it many times."


    I walked over to Vincent and put my hand on his shoulder.


    "You have to trust her. Trust her ability and her strength. Be there for her if she falls. Just like teaching someone to ride a bike."


    "I see, you are wise, my lord. Can I rely on you then?"


    "Of course, as someone in my care, I will help as I can."


    "Vincent, what are you talking about?"


    "Alicia, forgive me. But for now, please listen to what my lord has to say."


    Alicia looked at me cautiously as Vincent held her hand.


    ''Girls, please give us some privacy.''


    The Sirens moved to create a soulcage that covered Vincent, Alicia, and me. Anyone who heard my conversation with Vincent already knew what I was going to say. I felt a {Portal} open and the soul signatures of Joshua''s group promptly vanished.


    Inside the soulcage, Alicia remained anxious, holding her lover''s hand like a lifeline.


    "Alicia, before I begin. I want you to know that I have nothing against you. And everything I am about to say, I say because it will help you. But they will all be things you do not want to hear. But they are necessary if you want to protect your partner in the future?"

 Chapter 493 Made of glass [2/2]

    "Protect Vincent? What do you mean?""If you continue as you are. You will be the one who causes Vincent to die a miserable death. I absolutely guarantee it. And if that happens, you might kill yourself a second time out of grief."


    "..."


    "I suppose no one ever gave you the time of day, so you grew up the way you are now. And while Vincent and Lucrecia may like you, they do not have it in them to break you."


    "What are you saying? Vince..."


    Alicia was about to complain when she saw Vincent close his eyes and grasp her small hand with both of his.


    "Listen to me, Alicia Gertrude. I do not normally interfere in other people''s affairs, but I do this because I value your lover as my adjutant. For now, treat me as your older brother."


    "I understand... If Vincent feels this is necessary, I will keep an open mind."


    "In short, you need to grow up."


    "W-What? But I am grown up! Look at me! I am a grown woman!" Alicia shrieked.


    "But Vincent doesn''t rely on you, does he? Not to the extent that he relies on Lucrecia. He never tells you about the worries he has or the problems he faces. He only tells you about things after the fact," I scolded. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "..." Alicia stood up abruptly, her eyes shining as death resonance leaked out of her. But to me it was as if she had just farted death resonance.


    "Listen to me, you stupid brat. A person matures not because his body gets bigger, but because he becomes responsible for his own actions. You may have the appearance of a mature woman, but as you are now, it is all but a lie."


    "..."


    "You live in a bubble created by Vincent''s sweat and sacrifice. For the same reason, he is unwilling to become your child, even though you offer him your blood. You are useless. He will gain nothing from you. And while he loves you, you are nothing more than a flower that will wither as soon as he stops caring for you."


    "..."


    "Unlike you, Lucrecia not only helps Vincent, but faces his enemies by his side. She will be the one with him when he becomes a reaper. Something that should have been your responsibility, but he didn''t even consider it."


    Alicia waited for Vincent to say something, but when she saw that he remained silent, her face twisted in anger. She shook him off and stomped angrily towards me.


    "I KNOW THAT! BUT WHAT CAN I DO! I AM HELPLESS! I KNOW NOTHING! I AM USELESS! I HAVE NO PURPOSE!


    EVEN MY OWN PARENTS DIDN''T WANT ME! THEN TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"


    ''Lilly, can you get me a zombie from Hellsgate?''


    ''I... I can... dearest, give us five minutes, I will get the Sirens to help.''


    I summoned Ivory and offered my gun to Alicia handle first.


    "What you should have done from the start. Take responsibility for your own actions."


    "What?"


    I took Alicia''s hand and slid the gun into it.


    "Alicia. You are not to blame for being born. You are not to blame for the tragedies that accompanied your birth. You are not to blame for your parents being terrible people."


    The woman before me bit her lips as she stared at the gun in her hand.


    "But you are to blame for killing yourself. You are to blame for giving up. You are to blame for why everyone was disappointed in you. And your worst sin of all is that despite all the time that passed, you never moved forward."


    "But what could I have done?" Alicia asked meekly.


    "You could have fought in Hellsgate. You could have used money, time, teachers to get stronger. You fought a demon, you know you could have fought in Hellsgate. But you didn''t because you were afraid. And like a scared rabbit, you hid in your hole and refused to come out.


    "But as unfortunate as it may seem, this problem will not go away just because you did nothing. Doing nothing is also a choice. And your uselessness right now is no one''s fault but your own.


    "Instead of becoming Vincent''s strength, you have become his weakness. But because he loves you, he is willing to sell his soul to me to protect you. If you weren''t a moronic brat, you would have been a Phantom by now and become his protector instead."


    "..."


    Alicia turned around and stared at her lover''s face. He said nothing, but just bowed his head in shame.


    "There was only one time you took charge of your own life. Do you remember when that was?" I asked in a softer tone.


    She shook her head as tears began to fall from her eyes.


    "It was when you fought that demon. In that moment, you refused to die and made a choice. A choice that denied what the demon wanted and allowed you to shape your own life instead," I said with a smile.


    "I...shaped my own life?"


    I nodded as I continued, "Yes, you saved Vincent that day, didn''t you? If you hadn''t acted to defend him, he would be dead like the rest of his family. That single act earned you his loyalty and affection."


    "..."


    Life was hard because there were no rules. You were free to choose how you wanted to live, provided you could live with the consequences. Something clicked at that moment.


    This would be why people flocked to me. Not because of {Rewind} or my protection, but because I represented the power to choose.


    "Alicia, your life is your own. You alone can choose how to live it. Your potential is ¡ª limitless. You can be as powerful as a Revenant or as weak as a mouse. You are the one who decides."


    "As powerful as a Revenant? Me?"


    I nodded as I continued.


    "You can do nothing because you lack the power. Then just get stronger. You cannot tell your father that you do not want to be married because you are too weak to stand up to him. Isn''t that why you needed me in the first place?"


    "But you are also weaker than a Revenant..." She argued childishly.


    "Indeed, for now I am. But your lover and his wife believe in me, do they not? Your father and even the American Revenant recognize me. Hundreds rally to my banner, ready to fight the world and even demons at my command. Then what is the difference between you and me?"


    "..."


    ''Dearest, we are ready. Jo will lead them to you.''


    ''Thank you Lilly, Darling, I want Kitten to lead them here, do you mind?''


    ''It''s for Alice, isn''t it? Go ahead. Why are you so good at scamming people, Darling?''


    ''Haha, maybe I got it from Phillip? Kitten, can I count on you?''


    ''Bloody fucking oath, Possum! Otherwise I do not deserve to be your Sheila!''


    ''{Perspective} - Limitless.''


    "{Accept}."


    ''{Portal}.''


    "{Portal}," I called with my arm raised.


    An orange {Portal} appeared a few feet in front of me. About twenty zombies came out of it.


    It felt strange to see them in the light for the first time. Of course, I wasn''t the only one. Vincent quickly tried to get to Alicia''s side, but I held my hand up.


    Robyn left the portal and bashed the zombies to move forward. Surprisingly, the zombies all just stood there while my Sheila smiled as she explained.


    "Possum, these zombies are neutered by [Whisper]. What do you want them to do?"


    "Tell them to kill Alicia," I said curtly.


    At that moment, the twenty zombies all regained their ferocity and charged at the young Wraith. Vincent immediately pulled out a gun and started shooting at them. The soulcage shattered revealing the undead to everyone, the men all tried to help but were stopped by the Sirens.


    "What are you doing! Help me!" Alicia screamed, but I lazily walked away and hugged Robyn.


    "YOU DEMON!"


    "ALICIA!"


    "Try not to die..." I replied with a smile.

 Chapter 494 Heroine Chapter: My right? [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Robyn Lithgow Smith___


    "Possum, don''t miss us too much. We''ll meet up later."


    As we made our way out, we pulled out the cow boobed Sheilas that reeked of cum. The {Portal} Lilly made led to Possum''s main hotel room. When we got there, Aki, Jo and Jas practically kicked them into the showers.


    "Hey! That hurt! I will tell white boy!"


    "You all beat up Ami like this? Hmm... Tristan likes rough sex too. Perhaps Ami is the same?"


    Their comments only got them beaten into the showers. The Sirens did find them a bit pretty, but we weren''t worried. Being linked to Possum as his {Kindred} revealed his true thoughts.


    ''Kitten, your abs are so sexy...'' ''Kitten, lift your armpits for me.'' ''Say nyann while you lick...'' ''I can''t get enough of your body, Kitten.'' ''I love the way you taste, Kitten...'' ''Kitten, use your feet...'' ''You smell so good, Kitten...''


    And my Possum was a fucking degenerate! His was not just a fucking pervert! He was THE FUCKING PERVERT! And he didn''t let me rest all week. He kept making love to me and smearing me with his jizz.


    Anyone who heard what he rambled on about 24/7 would believe his confessions. He was literally always thinking about us.


    The sick roleplay he wanted us to perform. How we would moan when he rooted us in a certain position. Or what he wanted us to wear and the like.


    ''I guess it wasn''t all bad. It felt so good after all.''


    Whatever doubt I had that he didn''t want me disappeared. I almost died from being "loved" so much. And his soul, heart and mind were filled with nothing but perverted fantasies.


    ''It is a bit sad that the honeymoon ended. But the Sirens and I would have gone insane if it had continued.''


    And knowing Possum, he would not have gotten tired at all.


    I ended up rubbing my navel out of reflex. This was where Possum''s thing bulged when he made love to me. Then I noticed that everyone was doing the same thing!


    "AH! You were all thinking about Darling''s cock!" Jo shouted excitedly.


    "You are the same Jo. Husband was quite big after all."


    "Can you blame me? This room still smells like him. Honey fucked us all over the place."


    Everyone looked around and saw the various furniture. From tables, chairs, couches, even the walls. Possum used practically everything here.


    And because of {Day by Day}, we never had time to rest. I even experienced being loved by more than one Possum at a time. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Come to think of it, this must have been the first time we were alone together since the wedding. Shujin was everywhere during the honeymoon."


    "Well, it does feel like a dream. We who grew up in the Formless were suddenly drowned in the affection of such a man as Beloved. It would be enough to overwhelm anyone."


    "Speaking of which, does anyone want to trade cum stats? I don''t want to brag, but I''m sure Dearest has held me more than all of you."


    "This fucking pervert," I commented in disgust.


    "Now, now. It is a common thing in the North. To measure a woman''s desirability by the number of times she is loved. I do not mind joining in. If there is one thing I am proud of, it is that Beloved ravaged me like a beast."


    "Ugh, if even Pure Vanilla is joining, who am I to complain. Fine. Let''s use this ranking in the future. Since we are pretty much stuck together."


    Another thing we all learned.


    Before the wedding, the Sirens and I all prepared ways to murder each other. While no one wanted to be the first to strike, we all knew we would have to fight to the death at some point. Well, everyone except Liv.


    But after we sensed Possum''s heart, we finally understood. Possum would never abandon anyone here. In fact, the only way to lose his love would be to kill another Siren.


    He would never forgive anyone that did.


    Scared shitless at the very thought, everyone abandoned their plans to kill each other. Including me.


    "Let''s set a prize! First to third place will get priority when Darling creates an assault team!"


    "Would this morning''s numbers count? Or just the honeymoon? Shujin was pretty intense earlier."


    "Just the honeymoon. Husband lacks restraint. He would mate until the end of time if we let him."


    "Guess all that chain play didn''t work did it, Niggerette?" I teased.


    "Pfft! Please, dearest never needed to holdback anyway, if need be he would just melt chocolate all over our bodies and lick us clean."


    "Everyone, please focus. Shall I go first? After all, our beloved is waiting for us to return."


    "Not really, I don''t think Honey even noticed we were gone. You all feel his happiness, right?"


    I searched my {Kindred} link and felt Possum''s soul.


    It felt soft, warm, and comforting. The {Kindred} link was like a third arm that always held Possum''s. If I concentrated on it, I could hear his thoughts.


    ''But if we give the trucks to some of the people and allow them to use {Auto}, we can {Rewind} them so we always have fuel. Maintenance would also be perfect as long as we have the {Auto} image ready for battle.''


    "..."


    What the hell? Wasn''t he always thinking of me? He was so happy about a fucking Ute? Somehow, I felt pissed. Would it have been better if I had lost to a woman? Right now his happiness was similar to when we were rooting.


    ''So I was only worth a fucking truck?''


    ''But with these? It would speed up processing the loot. On top of allowing them to bring equipment and supplies to keep up with the 2nd Amendment.''


    Somehow I felt defeated. When I looked up, I noticed that everyone had similarly bad expressions. Normally, we assumed we were the reason Possum''s heart was so fluffy.


    We had gotten used to it over the week. We were the apple of his eye, there was nothing more important to him than us. Than me.


    My mood turned south as my delusions of being Possum''s number one disappeared. And it seemed that everyone was the same. What was one supposed to do in moments like this?


    Didn''t he miss me like I missed him? Doesn''t he love me anymore?


    I didn''t usually think like this, but I was already addicted to Possum''s touch and whispers like they were crack. My body ached to feel his warmth. His scent called me down. Without him I felt angry and irritable.


    Unconsciously, my thoughts took a dark turn, and I quietly closed my {Kindred} link so Possum wouldn''t hear me. As I felt worse, the two sluts who had tried to seduce him came out wrapped in towels.


    "What happened? Someone kill white boy? You all angry as fack!"


    "Ho? Let me guess, you are all struggling to control yourselves, right? You all want to monopolize Ami? How cute. You are all like baby chicks finally experiencing love for the first time."


    The one who snapped at the lizard woman was Jasmine.


    " I don''t suppose you know what to do about it, then? No matter how I think about it, this makes no sense!" the niggerette exclaimed emotionally.


    "Fufu, its love. Since when is it supposed to make sense? Ami loves you, right?"


    "What do you mean, Isolde, love shouldn''t make sense?" Lilly asked through gritted teeth.


    "I remember you. The untamed, right? Listen Princess, love is not supposed to make sense. Ami is weak and should not have threatened a Revenant. But he did, right?"


    "..."


    None of us could answer. The German lizard was right. When it came to us, none of Possum''s actions made sense. We were horrible people, yet he loved us like we were saints.


    "If Ami followed reason, he would not have done what he did. But that is how much Ami loves you. I have seen his eyes. His love would be one that burns for all eternity. I have met many reapers, humans even more. Few find a person like Ami."


    "We agree on that, Isolde, even in the North beloved''s affection is not something you could find. But what if he tires of us because of our selfishness?"


    "Fack! You Sirens dumb! like white boy!"


    "Watch your tongue, harlot, before I cut it off! You will not insult Shujin in front of me."


    "Ahh! This problem with smart people! Lizard, you get it right?"


    "I do, after all I have loved another for centuries," Isolde replied with a pretty smile.

 Chapter 495 Heroine Chapter: My right? [2/2]

    "Then tell us, Isolde! If you are so wise! What are we supposed to do with these feelings for Honey?""Give in to your desires. Plain and simple. Listen, all of you, do you think Ami will ever get tired of you? Has he given you any reason to think so?"


    "..."


    "White boy is loony. To Sirens like dog. But for other people he is demon. Talk to him."


    "I agree with Angela. There is no need to hold back. You are his {Kindred}. The vows of reapers are different from those of humans. Tell him you miss him, tell him you want to see him, tell him how much you love him. Get angry, get sad, laugh, weep.


    That is your right. One that he gave the seven of you exclusively."


    "My right? You mean Possum won''t mind?"


    "Ja! You are all too afraid. Look at it this way, all seven of you are equally crazy when it comes to Ami. Not only did you fight in his war, but you were also willing to die for him. Even if you act spoiled, Ami won''t mind. Who cares if you don''t make sense?


    Who cares if you seem selfish?"


    "Sirens is white boy''s harem. Only you he listen. The rest he shoot."


    "Then darling won''t get mad if we cling to him more? He won''t find us annoying? He won''t throw us away?"


    "White boy stupid for Sirens. Like Oppa to me. He won''t."


    "Why are you all so down in the first place? Was it because the human gave Ami toys?"


    "I don''t know, dearest is so happy without us. While I am miserable, and I don''t know why."


    "You are all stupid," Angela added, waving her hands.


    "Then do you know? What Lilly said was the same as how I feel about husband."


    "Ami is someone you love. You are not upset that he is happy. You are all upset that you are not the ones to make him happy. You are jealous that Vincent has made Ami happier than you."


    "..."


    Fuck me dead, the lizard was right. Whenever I see Possum smiling, I smile too. When I felt his happiness, I was not sad that he was happy, I was sad that he was happy because of someone else.


    It was as if I could see the switches flip among the Sirens.


    "So the answer for us to feel better is to see Honey smiling not because of the gangster bastard but because of us?"


    "Ja," Isolde said with a smile.


    Liv stood and bowed to them. "Thank you for your words, Isolde and Angela. It feels like I finally understand. This jealousy is something I have never experienced before. At least not like this."


    Isolde clapped her hands as she added.


    "Ami is like my brother, so you are all my sisters. Ask me anything, I will help you. I have to repay Ami for bringing Tristan to me."


    Tristan was the name of Isolde''s dead kindred. Right now, this slagger called Mike Walker as Tristan. Isn''t that called reincarnation? It was similar to what I had seen.


    Maybe I should ask her about my dreams? Before the honeymoon, every time I slept, I dreamed about an unknown place. I was a queen named Rhiannon, and Possum was my husband. But his name was Pwyll, King of Dyfed.


    At first it was only fragments, but the longer I spent with Possum, the more I learned. It was like living Rhiannon''s life in my sleep. I felt rooted instead of rested when I woke up. And instead of pleasant dreams, the visions gave me nightmares.


    In that life, Possum and I were in love, we were married, but we could never be together, and we died miserably.


    The sadness that Rhiannon experienced was something that crushed my soul. Possum, no... Pwyll, left Rhiannon.


    And even though it wasn''t me. I felt my heart being ripped in two as we parted. It hurt more than reliving even Rhiannon''s death.


    ''I wonder if everyone is the same,'' I thought to myself.


    The terrible dreams I had made me weary of how to approach Possum. I did not want to repeat Rhiannon''s mistake. I would rather die first!


    ''Maybe it was a good thing that they finally stopped.''


    This was why I loved being in bed with Possum. The nightmares never came back when I slept in his arms. I felt safe. Contented. And happy.


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    "If you all want to make white boy happy, empty his balls."


    "..."


    Unable to respond, the Sirens all blushed scarlet, myself included. Possum would definitely be happy if we did just that. But it was also dangerous.


    If we were not careful, the Sirens and I would lose ourselves in lust. And root until we died of pleasure.


    "Unless white boy bad? Baby dick? Cums in seconds?"


    "NO!" x7


    Unconsciously, the Sirens and I all defended Possum''s honor. Instead of baby dick, Possum was like a horse. I needed {Regen} to keep myself from dying of internal bleeding.


    And he doesn''t come in seconds. It''s the opposite, he takes too long to cum... We would be totally spent from climaxing non-stop before he did, and that was before the soul rivers even came into play.


    "Then if you don''t want to give your bodies. How about a gift? Tristan and I always get matching weapons or accessories. If Ami likes guns, just buy some."


    "..."


    As if in sync, only one face came to mind. Someone we could ask to get us weapons that Possum would need and want.


    Lilly opened a portal and Bella entered; she came out dragging a blonde woman with an extremely beautiful figure.


    "Did I do something to offend you, Lady Bella? Please forgive me if I did," the newcomer asked.


    "Relax Lucrecia, we brought you here because we need to ask you something," Jo began.


    "Do you have access to the channels Vincent uses to smuggle weapons for Husband?"


    Lucrecia thought for a moment before answering. "I do, Lady Jasmine. If you have specific weapons in mind, I can get them for you cheaply. Is this for lord Limitless, birthday?"


    "Yes, it is, Lucrecia. You were the one who put together the report on Beloved, right? Do you know what kind of weapons he would like?"


    "I see, yes, I have some of the data he has on the gaming platform Steam. My lord usually plays first-person shooters, but he regularly selects the same weapons."


    "Great! Then when could you get them? We want to get matching weapons with Dearest."


    "Remember, they must be of high quality! I will skin you alive if you give Possum unreliable weapons."


    "I will keep that in mind Lady Robyn. Of course, we will spare no expense in obtaining the weapons. Do you all have specific preferences, or do you already have some ideas?"


    "We would like to follow the data you have for Shujin."


    "I already have a gift in mind for Honey, so just get some for the six of them."


    "I understand," Lucrecia replied anxiously.


    After we finished our request to Lucrecia, we sent her back and returned to Possum. He was extremely excited about something.


    "FUCKING AWESOME! WELL DONE, YOU FUCKING BALD GANGSTER BASTARD! FROM NOW ON I WILL CALL YOU GUN SANTA!"


    As Possum jumped up and down with excitement, I worried if he would still like our presents. Possum''s Kindred Link exploded with joy. All for this piece of crap called a Bradley. I''d seen some of these as a human, but I didn''t understand why Possum liked them so much.


    Possum was so happy that he wanted to return the favor to Vincent. But then someone told him to stop, at least I think Bella did, judging by his next words.


    ''I am Mrs. Code. But as much as I respect the Ten Graves, Hellsend operates under a meritocracy. I will allow the best people to do the jobs I need. If they cannot keep up, then I have no need for them.''


    I couldn''t help but ask, even though I knew the answer. I knew I was being petty. But I couldn''t help it.


    ''What about us, Possum? What happens when we can no longer fight for you?''


    ''If that time ever comes, your job will be to be loved by me, Kitten. No matter how injured or broken you all get. I will never allow anyone to take you from me. I have placed the Sirens at the pinnacle of merit in my books. So you have earned everything from me just by existing.''


    I then received a digital message from the niggerette. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Husband...Everyone, let''s steal an Abrams....]


    [Okay, where is the closest one? We need to get it before Possum''s birthday ends.]


    If it was my right to love and be loved by Possum, then I will no longer hold back.

 Chapter 496 You girls have homework? [1/2]

    "GWUARRHHHH!!!!"The sound of snarling, unintelligible grunts echoed in the air. Along with it, a woman''s panicked scream and the sound of gunfire.


    "KYAH! GET AWAY!!!"


    A large bald man shot and kicked nearly two dozen zombies. Although he had already killed over five of them, he was bleeding from various places. Mostly because he was using his body to protect perhaps the weakest Wraith I have ever seen.


    "Possum."


    "Yes, Kitten?"


    "This is boring, can we kill them all now?"


    "Not yet."


    "Wanna root instead?"


    "You sure you want to do this, Kitten?"


    "Hehe, I wonder... something is already pressing against my ass..."


    Hearing the straightforward request, I couldn''t help but nuzzle against Robyn''s neck. This made her giggle and lick my cheek like an adorable cat. She found such things more entertaining than watching what was going on in front of us.


    The two of us sat on a {Shelter} chair. Although it might be a relatively boring item, it would probably be classified as an expensive piece of furniture due to the soul cost.


    Contrary to just wasting of souls, I was actually practicing my ability to create {Shelter} constructs. Lilly and Bella discovered a profound way to use Liv''s latest {Fate}.


    They learned that by creating a huge sheet of {Shelter} beforehand, then cutting and shaping pieces of it, the pieces were essentially free.


    Rather than being dispelled, the pieces could be kept as items as long as one had the stamina to do so. Amazed by their findings, I began to experiment as much as I could. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Each one of my {Fates} would allow me to fight better in the battles to come. There was no reason not to master them. Even more so now.


    Many things had changed since my girls had all officially become my {Kindred}.


    Aside from the most obvious {Kindred} link we now shared, the girls and I now had each other''s {Fates} permanently. The Sirens gained access to every single {Fate} in the {Rewind} family at once.


    This pleased me greatly as they could now use {Regen} and {Reload} while having {Rewind} and {Replace} on standby.


    Unfortunately, for some reason, they could not use {Recursion}. But the girls didn''t mind because they also got my {Kismet}.


    I currently have four. {Limitless}, {EXA}, {Armory}, and {Bestow}. I also had slots for six more. Although I personally didn''t know if I would ever need them. For one thing, {Program} was so powerful that it allowed almost {Kismet}-like abilities.


    "ARGH! Alicia! Get back!"


    "VINCENT NO! LIMITLESS! HELP US! YOU CAN KILL THESE ZOMBIES, RIGHT?"


    Again, Vincent was bitten. This time a Bigfoot tore off a chunk of his thigh. It was because he mistakenly thought it was dead when he shot it in the head.


    He missed and did not confirm the kill. Fighting while protecting Alicia was really hard, despite the fact that Vincent was a good shot.


    "Kitten, aren''t these zombies too smart? They pretend to be dead, hold Vincent down and dodge gunshots. Are you doing this?"


    "Ya, I''m controlling them with [Whisper]. It is part of the nut job''s {Listen} homework. It''s hard, but I still like this better than {Code} homework."


    "You girls have homework? About {Fates}? What does that mean?"


    "Yeah, we didn''t get the downloads for each other''s abilities after all. And the Slaggers didn''t want to help each other. But it would be difficult if the Sirens couldn''t use {Limitless}. We agreed to meet in the middle. The JAV reject suggested that we be each other''s teachers instead."


    "But... why? And why do you call everyone like that?"


    "Ah, those are the usernames we use to punish each other. Possum, you knew that the Slaggers and I were planning to kill each other, right? At least before the honeymoon."


    Remembering the vile battle plans the girls had for each other, my mood soured. Annoyed, I playfully bit Robyn''s earlobe as punishment.


    "I did. I''m still upset about it," I complained.


    "Ahh! I said I was sorry, Possum!"


    It really was something that made me furious. Six of my girls had made plans to kill the others. Jo and Jas made plans together, of course. But the shit they all came up with was beyond horrible.


    There were straightforward ones, like teleporting people to the bottom of the ocean or into space. Evil ones like using living relatives as bait or slowly poisoning each other. To the really fucked up ones, like backstabbing each other while fighting in Hellsgate.


    Liv was the only one who didn''t consider doing anything. Which made me love her even more. She was also the only one who tried to take care of everyone like a sister. I gave her a lot of loving as a reward.


    As for the other six, I gave them a single ultimatum.


    "If any of you try to kill each other and I find out, never show your face to me again."


    The terror I felt from the girls that day was unbelievable. It surpassed what I felt from them when we fought Andromalius. It seemed they finally understood how serious I was.


    ''I hope they never think of something like that ever again,'' I sincerely prayed.


    "Anyway, go on with what you were saying, kitten. What is this homework thing?"


    "Oh, it''s something the Sirens do to mess with each other. We don''t teach, we give each other assignments. We have a point system that determines who gets to do things with you."


    "I''m the prize? Why didn''t anyone tell me?"


    "Well, it was supposed to start that way. But eventually the slaggers just wanted to outdo each other, so it became more about bragging rights."


    It was quite fascinating. The Sirens would have mini competitions to beat each other. It was a proven fact that having rivals allowed athletes to grow faster than if they were alone.


    How much faster would they grow because of this setup?


    "Does that mean you give {Carry} assignments, too?"


    "Yep.''"


    "Would you mind telling me what they are? Do I get a reward for completing them?"


    "Sure, why not. So far, no one has managed to do both of my assignments. One is to use {Crush} to flatten a nut placed under a cup. If you break the cup, you fail. The other is to stay in the air for more than twelve minutes while carrying two cars."


    "..."


    I tried to use {Crush} before, it was incredibly tiring and was like carrying a shovel the size of Texas. Gravity would cause you to slam the thing to the ground. How the hell would you even control it to hit a nut without breaking a cup?


    And {Ascend} required you to keep running through the air. {Hike} eliminated air resistance and reduced drag, but carrying a car would slow anyone down. {Pack} and {Carry} had inherent limits after all.


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    ''I couldn''t even carry one car, and they were carrying two? In the air? For twelve fucking minutes? What the hell were my girls doing? ''


    "Who''s in the lead right now? In the Siren rankings, I mean?"


    "The rankings change all the time. Liv, Jo and Aki absorb everything that uses the body really fast. But Bella, Lilly and Jas finish everything that requires brains in a few hours. They are too damn smart! I-I''m actually in the bottom three. I beat them at some things, so I am not always last".


    Somehow, I heard the sadness in Robyn''s voice.


    In the short time I had known her, her speech and thought patterns had become increasingly intelligent. I wasn''t sure if it was because of {Code}, but I knew that my Sheila was working hard, not just for herself, but for me.


    She was not only the youngest of my girls, but also one of those who did not go to school. So, keeping up with Descendants was amazing by any standard. But she felt it was not enough.


    I sent her feelings of how proud I was of her. Then I hugged her closer as I whispered, "That''s okay, kitten, you are already doing incredibly well. Even better than I could. I am so proud of you."


    "I know, but it still sucks to be at the bottom. I struggle with hacking, space magic, and the niggerette''s battle clairvoyance bullshit. "


    "W-what? Can you explain that? I don''t get it," I stammered back.

 Chapter 497 You girls have homework? [2/2]

    "Cowtits in glasses has orders to hack her in the Minerva server. She''ll let us change everyone''s name if you do. I only got in once, for a few seconds. Her other mission is to resist being hacked for 24 hours. I am so sick of getting Rickrolled every time she hacks me!"So, Bella was deliberately training the girls to both hack and defend against others. This would definitely work well when we fight on Earth.


    "The void space pervert, on the other hand, randomly opens holes all over the place. Her task is to close them before things get out. I was blasted by salt water over ten times before our honeymoon. Sometimes even fish come out! But that is still easier than catching the bullets you fired!"


    Catching bullets was Lilly''s combat tactic. It would have been impossible for anyone else but her. For the {Portals} full of salt water and fish, she must have opened holes from under the ocean.


    The pressure of the currents would not only blast my girls with water, but it would also be strong enough to sever flesh. But since it registers as blunt trauma, {Withstand} should take care of it.


    "Ass Cheek Niggerette on the other hand wants us to defend ourselves against four Sirens in hand-to-hand combat, something about seeing the souls move in the body or some bullshit. So far only Jo and Aki could do that. Blinding everyone but yourself was easier."


    A flash bang from which you were exempt. Jasmine''s 2nd task was even more impressive. To "see" the souls. Wouldn''t that be an Op ability if we could all master it? It would be like the Op martial artists from the manga. The ones who could fight blindly by sensing ''Qi''.


    "Then what about Liv and Aki''s assignments? Are they easier?" I asked curiously.


    "Yes, the Jav reject tasks were easy. Extract stamina from a Siren without touching her. I did it by stabbing Jo with needles tied to threads. The other was to automatically detect a Reaper''s weak spot with a single touch. I was the first to complete the second task. Hehe!"


    ''How the hell were both of them easy? Wasn''t Robyn''s combat sense just way too high?''


    "Big Momma''s was simpler, concentrate {Counter} and poke a finger-sized hole through a cinder block. Only Bella failed. Her second assignment is to create a multi-layered {Shelter} that can withstand her full-powered {Counter}".


    Personally, I use {Counter} a lot like {Crush}, controlling a raging river was hard. I usually just point it in one direction and let it loose.


    As for tanking Liv''s {Counter}, that would be incredibly difficult. I saw her obliterate the heads of several Cyclopes with a single {Counter}.


    "Well, so far no one has been able to complete all fourteen tasks. But I know that everyone will complete them eventually. We set that standard to be a Siren, after all. And none of us would ever let you fight alone again, Possum. Especially me."


    Even if she found them difficult or annoying, my Sheila had no intention of falling behind. She may have looked like a teenager, but her mentality was definitely that of an adult. Stay updated via empire


    Somehow, seeing Robyn like this made her seem so majestic.


    Unable to resist, I held her tenderly and stole her lips. Robyn accepted my advances and wrapped her arms around my neck. It would have been the perfect moment. If not for the woman screaming in the background.


    "No! No! No! Vincent! Waah! There is too much blood!


    Please tell me you are okay! WAAAAH! Somebody please help!"


    In contrast to Robyn''s determination to protect me, Alicia did nothing but scream as the zombies practically feasted on Vincent, he wasn''t dead yet but was losing a lot of blood.


    Even though she was a reaper and had a gun, Alicia ignored the zombies and focused on keeping Vincent from dying. Although, being a fucking idiot, her actions were of no help at all.


    The members of the Deryck family stood around us with clenched fists.


    "My lady, please let us help my brother! He will die at this rate!"


    Despite his stubbornness, Theo''s voice sounded absolutely miserable. He must have really wanted to help Vincent. Unfortunately, his heartfelt pleas fell on deaf ears.


    "You wanted to become Reapers, did you not? You should know that Reapers are born from dead humans. Are you going to trample on your brother''s will?" Lilly rebuked harshly.


    "Vincent Deryck desires power. That is why he approached my beloved in the first place. Suppress your emotions, Theo Deryck. For a man unable to see the bigger picture, you are nothing but a child. How unsightly."


    "Eh... I find Alicia more irritating. Will she even survive in Hellsgate? Even Pixie has more brains than her. Darling is too nice sometimes. I would have shot her already."


    "Shush Jo, Shujin must have a reason for this farce. Although I also think this is a waste of time," Aki said, obviously annoyed.


    "Aki, stop getting angry just because Robyn is flirting with Husband. You had your time, just do better in the next ranking."


    "Tsk, how the hell are you supposed to crush a nut without breaking the glass? Isn''t Robyn a fucking cheater? She can even pull stamina through a fucking needle! Where the hell did Honey find you shits anyway?"


    I didn''t know if the Sirens were really heartless or if they just didn''t care. While Vincent was fighting for his life, they were discussing such things quite casually.


    When she saw Vincent changing colors and hyperventilating, Alicia burst into tears. Did she not know that her lover had already ingested my blood? Lilly was right about one thing. A human had to die before he could become a Reaper.


    The more terrible the death, the more powerful the regret. Although I still didn''t know how that would happen. Thinking that this would be the time to intervene, I finally brought this little game to its climax.


    ''Robyn, go to Alicia and kill all the zombies in the flashiest way possible. ''


    ''What reward do I get if I do that Possum?


    My Kitten was getting more and more shameless. Not that I minded.


    ''I will do anything you want for one day. A date just for you.''


    The moment I said these words, I felt six figures moving towards the zombies. Clashes of blades and ricocheting bullets followed. And the funny part? The remaining zombies were both attacked and defended by the Sirens.


    "Get out of my way Liv, I will get the reward," Aki said through clenched teeth.


    The Northerner stopped all of Aki''s bullets as she replied with a frown. "I refuse. Come, I have perfected a new technique. I can now absorb stamina while defending."


    "Why don''t you just let me have this date with Shujin! I helped you with your makeup!"


    On the other hand, Jas failed to kill any of the zombies despite using Sacreds. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Tsk. Once again, you are being too arrogant, Lilly."


    The Princess of North America shouldered her greatsword while smiling elegantly.


    "I must thank you for your combat clairvoyance, Jas. Allow me to thank you. I am finally fast enough to sever Sacreds now."


    "You are not the only one who has learned, you pervert," Jas replied broodingly.


    Finally, Jo parried a bullet with her dagger. Her face was unamused.


    "You are asking for a beating, Bella. You think you can fight me at close range?"


    "Fufu, yet you were unable to dodge this round, no? Allow me to introduce my new trump card. The Vanishing Bullet. An invisible bullet that bends space and never misses."


    "Interesting! Teach it to me later! After I win that date, of course!"


    I finally understood why the Sirens were growing by leaps and bounds. I thought I was hardworking, but compared to them, I was far too lax. Their power came not only from talent, but also from immense effort.


    Just then, Robyn left my arms and walked forward. My Aussie raised her right arm to the sky.


    "Fuck off you cunts!"


    I felt my stamina drain away. Each of the Sirens faltered, and in the next moment the surviving zombies all disappeared! Their growls suddenly echoed in the sky. When I looked up, I saw the undead gathered in a ball.


    "The reward is mine!"


    Robyn roared as she brought her hand down. The zombies suddenly exploded into a bloody mist.

 Chapter 498 Is that really Robyn? [1/2]

    It was as if someone was celebrating the New Year with human firecrackers. The poor saps disintegrated into dust. The blood and other bloody fluids were so finely ground that they fell like a soft mist instead of raindrops.Of course, everyone who knew what the falling liquids were had the same reaction.


    Liv made a face as she wiped off the fluids. "Robyn, did you really have to squeeze them so high into the air? The smell is quite appalling."


    "Disgusting. WashboardLoli, please stop deliberately fighting in such an offensive manner," Lilly grumbled angrily.


    Meanwhile, Jo was happily bathing in the bloodstream. "What? It''s just a little zombie blood and guts, why are you all complaining?"


    " Nutjob, the point is that they were zombies. You know, like rotting corpses? Forget about the germs and bacteria, just the diseases that would spread from the jail bait''s attack is worrisome."


    "Bella''s correct, we need to pay attention to anyone who might turn from ingesting zombie blood and guts. The Deryck family in particular would need to be treated as soon as possible, lest they start a zombie outbreak," Jas commented as if it didn''t concern her.


    "Hmm. This should only count as level 2, I think {Digest} can handle it. I can use {Bestow} and make anti-zombie vitamins for them. Shujin, do you want me to do so?" S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hearing the girls'' opinions, I remembered what I knew about zombie movies. The usual plots revolved around zombies spreading infections through bites, scratches, or spit. That was why they were so hard to stop.


    Even those who had no wounds could turn from tears or saliva alone. Of course, there were those who deliberately hid their bites to avoid being shot. They usually brought the plot forward.


    Since they were hiding in safe zones, they would turn while mingling with healthy people. This was always 100% the reason for an outbreak.


    I remember one movie where a character started an outbreak by kissing his infected wife. If Trinity intentionally created such movies to teach people, then the Siren''s concerns were justified.


    "Please do, Aki. While I intend to take them all in, I still don''t know how to create an enlistment, so I can''t have them die on me."


    Despite the apparent chaos Robyn was causing, she walked over to the crying Alicia and grabbed her by the neck. It was a strange scene.


    A 4''11" teenager lifting a full-grown woman into the air with only one arm. Alicia was quite tall, perhaps as tall as Jo.


    Of course, Alicia, who was not of sound mind, screamed as she flailed around.


    "YOU PEOPLE ARE LUNATICS! LET ME GO! VINCENT! VINCENT! PLEASE DON''T DIE! DON''T LEAVE ME ALONE!"


    At least Vincent''s affection was not misplaced. Anyone could see the terror in the eyes of Raymond''s daughter. The bald gangster barely moved and grew paler by the minute. His left shoulder, his right arm, and his right leg were all fucked up beyond recognition.


    Fending off 20 zombies without a {Fate} was beyond impressive. He successfully killed over ten zombies by himself while protecting a woman. Such heroic deeds would make most women fall in love with him.


    Yet, despite all these sacrifices, he would die here on the cold pavement, unfulfilled and probably full of regret. I walked over to him and lifted his torso. Vincent''s eyes stopped moving as he struggled to breathe. His voice was barely audible as he tried to speak.


    "Alicia? Huff... Alicia? Are you there? I can''t see..." he murmured.


    Despite his severe injuries, Vincent was only thinking about his woman. His gaze wandered off into the distance, probably hallucinating from the loss of blood. While adrenaline kept many people alive, the sudden relief when it wore off had killed just as many.


    "Vincent, I am here."


    "M-My lord? Is Alicia safe? Are the zombies gone?"


    "They are. Your woman is safe. Well done. Aren''t you angry that I refused to help you?"


    "Haha, I ... klearuk! I-I am not, my lord. I wanted to be a reaper anyway. Huff... If I could use my life to protect Alicia, I can die happy," Vincent confessed as he vomited more blood.


    "You should never die happy, you bald bastard. How else can you become a reaper? You need regret."


    "Huff... I wouldn''t worry about that, my lord... I have many things to regret... I watched my family get slaughtered without being able to do anything. I watched a woman I loved suffer abuse and neglect, all because I was powerless. Huff...don''t worry.


    I have more than enough to rise as a reaper."


    As I held Vincent''s body, I could feel the warmth of life slowly leaving him. His body grew colder as his heartbeat slowed. If you only looked at his face, the peaceful smile would tell you that he was about to fall asleep.


    "VINCENT! VINCENT! VINCENT! I''M SO SORRY! I''M SO SORRY! I-I..."


    Alicia continued to scream, only to be slapped across the face.


    "Are you happy now, cunt? You are a fucking reaper. Why the fuck were you hiding behind a human? I thought you loved him?" Robyn asked angrily.


    "What do you know?! You are so powerful! My life has been nothing but hardship! I was ignored and unwanted by my own parents! Vincent is everything to me! But I am weak!"


    Robyn then raised her hand and slapped Alicia again. The blow was so hard I think I saw her teeth fall out.


    "Listen you over entitled cunt, I never knew my parents so stop crying just because yours ignored you. I was sold as a combat joey by the orphanage I went to. Then I lived my whole life as a soldier until the terrorists I worked for executed me."


    Alicia stopped thrashing around as she listened to Robyn.


    "I had to die before I met my Possum. You, on the other hand, had the resources of a descendant and Vincent at your side. You have been a Reaper for over twenty years, yet your lazy ass is still at level 2. You fucking slagger. I just became a Reaper last month!"


    "What? Last month? Then you are part of the July enlistment? What was your rank?"


    "I was 2nd. Possum was the only reason I survived. He saved me, protected me, and eventually became my reason for living. Like you, he is my everything. But unlike you, I refuse to become his burden. I will become his strength.


    That''s why I fight. So I can protect the man I love the most."


    The woman in Robyn''s hands bit her lip in frustration. It seemed that she really didn''t know anything about the Sirens. Even though she had access to their information. Otherwise, she would see the common thread of desperation between my girls.


    "My feelings for Vincent will not lose out to anyone!" Alicia grunted in defiance, completely unlike her earlier demeanor, her eyes now burned with rage.


    "Yet you remain useless while your man lies dying. I, on the other hand, have the strength to help my Possum kill a demon. As you are, Lucrecia will be at Vincent''s side, helping him in every way, while you cower in the darkness."


    Robyn''s brutal rebuke made Alicia cry as she continued to roar.


    "THEN TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I AM SO TIRED OF BEING WEAK! I WANT STRENGTH! STRENGTH TO PROTECT VINCENT! SO THAT I NEVER HAVE TO WATCH HIM DIE AGAIN!"


    Surprisingly, as Robyn continued to convince Alicia, her speech pattern changed. She lost all the Aussie slang and began to speak like a European.


    It was like she was royalty. One who commanded the presence of the common masses. As if she was channeling her inner Lilly.


    Robyn slowly lowered Alicia to the floor. Although she was a full foot taller, Raymond''s daughter looked tiny compared to my Aussie lover. My kitten then placed her hand on Alicia''s head and stroked her gently like a supportive mother.

 Chapter 499 Is that really Robyn? [2/2]

    "Then fight. Fight for the strength you seek. Prove to me and to all the world how powerful the love you hold is. You need not fear what may come tomorrow. I will show you the way. Together we will forge a future where you both can live in bliss."''Holy fucking shit. Is that really Robyn? I couldn''t help but gasp.


    ''I agree, this is really unlike her. She seems like a different person. Liv echoed my comments.


    ''Her thought process, tone of voice and choice of words are all impeccable. Is this really the Aussie who is the stupidest of the Sirens? Dearest, what have you done to her?''


    ''Haha! Darling! Robyn is smart now! The world will end tomorrow!''


    ''It''s like she''s a completely different person. Honey, did she tell you anything interesting?''


    ''Husband, I don''t think that''s Robyn. It is similar to Jo. That person feels like it is someone else.''


    "Shujin, I have given Vincent stamina, he should hold on for ten minutes. Please let me know when to stop.''


    Except for Aki, everyone was taken aback by Robyn''s sudden change in behavior. But somehow it didn''t seem out of place to me. As if I was used to seeing her act with such authority.


    "Now tell me, Alicia Gertrude. Are you ready to accept the burden that comes with strength? I will waste no time in convincing those whose hearts have no courage. If you take my hand, be prepared to give your all and accept a life of hardship. But in return, I guarantee you power beyond your wildest dreams.''


    "I-I ACCEPT! PLEASE HELP ME! MASTER!"


    "Wonderful. I applaud your decision. Possum."


    Suddenly called by the noble woman in front of me, I replied nervously.


    "Yes, my lady! How may I serve you?"


    Robyn raised an eyebrow in suspicion, then sighed deeply before continuing.


    "Why do you address me as such? Possum, I wish to take Alicia under my wing. She will join Pixie as part of Rhiannon''s Hellcats. Do you have any objections?"


    ''Man, the dissonance in hearing Kitten talk like this is so sexy. Kitten, you are there, right?''


    ''I am Possum. And why are you making such a big deal about the way I talk? Are you perhaps making fun of me?


    ''No, Kitten, I would never do that. Ah! Wait, let me answer you outside.''


    "I have no complaints, Kitten, proceed as you wish. I will assist you to the best of my ability."


    "Thank you, then please heal Vincent. He needs to stay alive a little longer."


    At Robyn''s words, I took out a healing tablet and shoved it into the dying gangster''s mouth.


    "Sorry Vincent, I guess your birth as a reaper will come later in the future," I remarked.


    Green healing light surrounded Alicia''s husband. His face softened noticeably as his breathing stabilized. Alicia meekly held Robyn''s hand as she would her queen, then kneeled to the ground in reverence.


    "Alicia Gertrude swears allegiance to you, my lady. May I know your name?"


    "I am Robyn Lithgow Smith, you may address me as Rhiannon."


    "YES, LADY RHIANNON! ALICIA GERTRUDE GREETS HER LADY!"


    Chirping like a fanatic, Alicia lost whatever maturity she pretended to have and stared at her supposed new liege with starry eyes. Robyn nodded and touched what looked like a jewel around Alicia''s neck.


    "Child, to grow stronger, you must not lie to yourself. Appearances hold no sway over those who can see deeper. I want you to accept what you are, only then can you move forward."


    The woman in front of Robyn furrowed her brow before exhaling in defeat. She then removed the jewel from her neck and quickly shrank in size. If Alicia had originally towered over my Australian lover, they were now about the same height. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She lost the curves her mature version had and now looked like a young teenager on the cusp of adolescence. Robyn then embraced Alicia with a gentle smile.


    "Well done, Alicia. Today is the beginning of your journey. Gone will be your weakness and soon you will have the strength to protect what you hold dear. I am proud of you."


    Alicia tried to stifle her whimper, but ended up grabbing Robyn and crying into her chest. This was common among the descendants, many of whom bore deep scars from the curse of what they were.


    Contrary to her usual demeanor, "Rhiannon" gently rubbed her new follower''s back in motherly affection. The two of them looked like a picturesque scene of mother and daughter.


    Vincent, who was already up and standing by my side, murmured in satisfaction.


    "I am so happy for you Alicia...this is truly a wonderful day."


    "Vincent, it looks like we need to speed up our plans to turn your people into reapers. Otherwise you might die by accident."


    "Haha! My Lord, for twenty zombies, my beloved Alicia was finally able to shed her insecurities. Thank you for using Lady Rhiannon to help her."


    "My pep talk had little effect, and you almost died. Kitten was the one who saved the day. Alicia swore her loyalty to Robyn, not to me."


    "Indeed. Alicia has always forced herself to act mature when she hasn''t really accepted herself. Seeing her lady show such maturity and strength despite her appearance finally allowed her to move forward. Thank you again, my Lord."


    As Vincent and I talked, Alicia continued to sniffle as Robyn wiped away her tears.


    "Haha. You are truly adorable, my child. Make sure you always maintain your dignity as Vincent''s queen. Especially when the time comes for you to bear him children."


    "Children? But my lady! This body is too immature for such acts. That is why I used {Nubile} in the first place."


    "Alicia, the only opinion you need to heed about your body is that of your husband. After all, your appearance is for his sake, is it not?"


    "Yes. But I..."


    "Has your husband ever said that he finds your real appearance lacking?"


    "W-Well, no, but compared to Lucrecia, I look like a child..."


    "Haha, I can assure you, Alicia, women like us have our own charms. However, what remains most important is our ability to satisfy and continue the bloodline of our husbands."


    "T-Then... have you already been with the lord... um... that is..."


    Of course, since it was considered extremely rude to ask others about intimate matters, Alicia stammered. But Robyn just smiled in understanding while making a mischievous face.


    "I have consummated my marriage with my Possum, if that is what you wanted to ask. We just returned from our honeymoon. Although with the amount of love he has given me, I am sure I will be with child by this time next year."


    "Ah! But my lady, you... your body... I mean..."


    "As I said, Alicia. The opinion that should matter is your husband''s. No matter what anyone says, my Possum loves me for what I am. If anything, he loves me a little too much. To the point that I can barely stand after he has showered me with his passion."


    "Ah! Um... my lady, if you don''t mind me asking... did it hurt?"


    "Haha, it does at first. But the bliss of being one with your one and only is worth the pain. Considering your husband''s size, you might have to make some... effort."


    Alicia blushed like a tomato at the mature topics Robyn shared. It was probably something the young Wraith was curious about but had no one to ask. After all, her mother had died before she came of age.


    However, it seemed that having someone to look up to who cared about her would help Alicia come out of her shell. Still, I had to find out what had happened to Robyn.


    I continued to think such thoughts as Alicia and Robyn conversed like sisters.

 Chapter 500 Back in 30 minutes [1/2]

    It took a full half hour to get Alicia off of Robyn. Even with Vincent holding her, she continued to struggle as she called out."Lady Rhiannon! Please send me a message in the Graveyard, okay! You absolutely must! I have so much to ask!"


    Meanwhile, my Aussie said nothing, just a faint smile. And although she looked cordial, her fingers were pinching my back in frustration.


    ''Fuck me dead, can someone shut her up already!''


    Hearing my kitten through our {Kindred} link, I tried desperately to keep from laughing.


    ''My lady, it is probably because you were so dignified that Alicia fell in love with you.''


    ''Get stuffed, Possum. I was just trying to copy what I saw. I know it''s not me. I''m the furthest thing from majestic.''


    Because of our {Kindred} link, I could feel Robyn''s emotions much more clearly. She was radiating frustration, embarrassment, and bitterness. She seemed to truly believe what she had just said.


    Overwhelmed with the desire to correct her misconception, I sent her a boatload of positive emotions. They revolved around how sexy, classy and kind I thought she was.


    ''Really? Do you really think it suited me, possum? Me?''


    ''I do, Robyn. You know I would never lie to you.'' Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I felt a warm wave of pure happiness emanating from Robyn. But before I could respond, I felt new emotions from my other links. They ranged from icy cold to boiling hot. The feelings they represented were diverse and varied.


    Anger, irritation, apathy, jealousy, discontent, and resentfulness. My mood felt like crap just from being on the receiving end of all this. Like someone spitting on my coffee and my car breaking down in the middle of rush hour.


    ''Not good. I need to control it. Otherwise I would lash out at my girls. Let me see. Let''s try to imagine the girls in sexy, naughty maid costumes... And let''s add that they are covered in cream while doing sexy pole dances...''


    After concentrating on my erotic fantasy, the negative thoughts abruptly stopped. Knowing the measurements and appearance of all my girls, I masterfully created a vivid scene. They were all dancing obscenely on a stage as I watched them.


    In exchange for my lewd daydream, I felt waves of desire, lust, curiosity and arousal emanating from my harem.


    ''Beloved, such a costume hardly fits me, yet you seem eager. I will wear it for you next time.''


    ''Dearest, how in the world do you see me? Why am I panting like a pervert in your fantasies? You even have me licking the pole!''


    ''Fuck me dead Possum, you really are a freak. Can I even bend like that?''


    ''Darling! I am going to buy that costume right now! You can eat chocolate off my breasts like those hentai you love to watch!''


    ''Honey, stop glorifying my boob sweat like a sick psycho. What the hell is wrong with you?!''


    ''Husband, we need to have a talk about what you make me do in your fantasies.''


    ''Shujin, you really love lace stockings, don''t you? I feel even more embarrassed by the way you dress me in your mind.''


    Happy that the negative emotions were gone, I couldn''t help but smile. As I shamelessly replied to them.


    ''Prepare yourselves. I will continue to force you to watch my lewd fantasies until you do them for real.''


    ''...''


    ''Fucking hell, how can these girls be so adorable. Maybe we should skip today? I mean, one more day can''t hurt, right?''


    My desire to make love to my harem overwhelmed my reason. I felt my dick grow rock hard and pitch a tent in my pants.


    But before I could even move, a figure suddenly appeared in front of me. She smelled of flowers, the kind that make you feel at peace.


    A soft pair of luscious lips suddenly took mine. Tender, yet hiding a wildness that burned with passion, the woman savored my lips. Her kindred link flooded with pleasure as we shared a deep kiss.


    As soon as it began, Aki abruptly pulled away. I tried to follow her, but she placed her slender fingers over my mouth. My ninja''s face had an erotic look that lingered on my lips.


    "Haa...Haa...Shujin...I apologize for losing control...You know I want nothing more than your affection, but we still have much to do. Please be satisfied with this for now."


    The lewd sight in front of me did little to calm me down, if anything it did the opposite. Whatever reason I had to restrain myself disappeared in front of Aki''s lecherous conduct.


    "No," I refused like a tyrant.


    I reached out and grabbed Aki''s obscene body. The feeling of her soft flesh and her pleasant warmth ignited the fire in my loins. My body, no, my whole being screamed one thing. "Impregnate this woman immediately!"


    Agreeing with the wisdom of my blood and instinct, I sent a message to the other Sirens.


    ''I will be back in 10 no...20...30...Tsk. I will be back in 30 minutes, please take care of everything my precious {Kindred}. ''


    ''Fufu, Aki has been craving your caresses my love, I do not mind. Pamper her well and then return to me.''


    ''Dear, remember that you must treat everyone fairly. I allow you to take Aki with you on the condition that you will do the same to me in the future. ''


    ''Possum, don''t take too long, okay? It will be lonely without you here...''


    ''Leave it to me, Darling! Fuck her stupid! Use {Day by Day} too!''


    ''Honey, I will have Vincent prepare the weapons for transport. We need to either take them with us when we go to the 24th floor or {Portal} them to a building or something. Um, give me some loving too when you get back, okay?''


    ''Husband, 30 minutes is too long. Come back in ten.''


    ''Shujin...forgive me for being such a lustful woman...''


    I responded to each of my girls accordingly and kissed Aki on her collarbone. The woman moaned lasciviously, making me even hornier.


    ''Kamisan, put your {Save} on me.''


    "Yes Anata, take me away.


    "{Rewind}" x2


    Invoking my {Fate} Aki and I rewound to our hotel room. When she arrived, she practically tore off my suit. I did the same, lifting up her skirt and pulling her panties aside. Her otter pocket was already so wet that her love nectar was practically gushing out.


    ''Kamisan...''


    Despite her embarrassment, a desire for intimacy burned from her {Kindred} link.


    ''Shujin...please...''


    Aki and I forged a soul river and proceeded to mate like animals. After half an hour, we were drenched in sweat and panting like we had run a marathon. But my Japanese lover was now radiating happiness by the boat load.


    "Pant...Shujin...that was...so amazing...I''m sorry for being selfish..."


    I slapped her erotic bottom as she rested on my chest. Her warmth and weight felt good on my skin. Although slower than humans, Aki''s heartbeat was thumping loudly. I could feel the vibrations even with her magnificent breasts between us.


    "Stop it Kamisan, I am your {Kindred}. Who else but me would satisfy your needs? Or do you have some kind of secret lover I don''t know about?"


    "What? NO! I would never do that! Anata, you are my only one! Just the thought makes my skin crawl. My body and my life are for you alone...


    Please never doubt my fidelity..."


    Feeling the fear from her connection, I gently hugged Aki as I kissed her head. I used our link to send Aki feelings of how much I adored her.


    "I was just kidding Kamisan, sorry if the joke was in bad taste. I never, ever doubted you. Not even for a little bit. And unlike those NTR bastards from hentai, I wouldn''t stand idly by if someone touched you. I will turn him into a Phantom by force. Just so I can kill him for years to come."


    Aki looked at me lovingly while she kissed my neck.

 Chapter 501 Back in 30 minutes [2/2]

    "Shujin, such psychopathy would scare most women, but I find it incredibly romantic. I must have really gone crazy...but don''t worry, I would rather die than betray you.""I know. And who cares if you are crazy? We can just be crazy together... If being sane meant that I had to leave you. I would do anything to lose my mind just to be with my Kamisan."


    The beautiful woman kissed the tip of my nose before she whispered with a beautiful smile.


    "Anata, once again your words melt my heart. But let us return for now. I am receiving death threats from the other Sirens. You do not belong to me alone, as unfortunate as that may be."


    "I am sorry for that, Aki. As much as I love you, I love the other Sirens as well."


    "I understand, this is the price I have to pay for your affection. This is nothing, j-just remember to love me like you did today, Anata. As long as you do, I will even fight the whole world for you."


    Aki and I exchanged one last hug before we got cleaned up, and after another fifteen minutes we rejoined the other girls. When we got back, the other girls asked for a lot of affection maintenance.


    We were at my adoptive family''s house for a visit. Alana and Bless in particular were beating me with rolled up newspapers for taking the Sirens away for a week.


    "Johnny! You were gone for more than seven days! Learn some self-control! Not even Cynthia, Yvonne, Vincent, Phillip or Claire knew where you were!"


    "Manwhore...repent..."


    "Why are you angry with me? It was my honeymoon! I waited so long and you expect me to stop after one day? Dream on!"


    Unwilling to allow my dignity to be trampled on, I also took up arms. I took a bunch of magazines and rolled them into makeshift swords. Alana and Bless got excited and continued to beat the crap out of me.


    A group of Reapers and a single human were gossiping in Noelle''s kitchen. Although I could hear their comments, I ignored them. I was off duty, so I didn''t want to work. Balancing life and work was one of the pillars of mental stability.


    "If you saw such a scene, you would not associate my lord with his image as an overbearing, tyrannical demon," Lucrecia commented, deep in thought.


    Nodding in agreement, Yvonne added her sentiments as well. "Patron wears different masks, those he cherishes only see his kindness. Believe me, you wouldn''t want him as an enemy. To be on the other end of his weapons is terrifying. No cap!"


    "And the worst part is that he''s not even aware of himself. I mean, the entire Graveyard Network has been turned upside down by his disappearance, and he doesn''t even care! He should at least make a short video to show that he is still alive! Connie complained with a stern expression.


    The red-haired leader of the ten graves rebuked her friend as she shook her head. "Sigh, you just want to announce the formation of the Hellsend Media Company, Connie. Stop trying to sound altruistic. Your ratings took a hit when you had nothing to report about our Lord, right?


    "The Ten Graves, on the other hand, hadn''t been able to rest at all. And that was just from the 2nd Amendment and Siren special forces operations. As soon as Limitless returns to the battlefront, we will start dropping like flies, I tell you!"


    "Don''t worry Cynthia, I sent you the list of new equipment, right? The Deryck family will make sure that the Ten Graves operate at optimum efficiency," Lucrecia reassured with a smile.


    "Look, bitch, why are you meddling at all? You are human, last I checked. Take your opinion to someone who gives a crap! I represent my master''s Ten Graves group. Isn''t your husband the representative of the Deryck family? Stop trying to curry favor!"


    "Fufu... I didn''t know your memory was so bad, Cynthia... Didn''t you hear my lord''s words at his wedding? My husband and I were promised positions among his {vassals}.


    "Aren''t you just angry that you haven''t gotten a place even though you served him earlier? Even the weapon you are using are part of our gifts to our lord, Limitless."


    "Look, you stupid bitch, one of those spots is mine! It is only a matter of time!"


    Meanwhile, all my girls were huddled upstairs with Noelle. They were having the "talk." Even though I could listen in, I chose not to. Some things were not meant to be heard.


    Noelle''s questions and opinions about sex? I definitely didn''t need to hear those. Not now. Not ever. Contrary to what I believed, when I got here, Noelle gave me a simple hug and then pulled the Sirens upstairs.


    It was like they were her daughters and I was the stupid son-in-law. Alana and Bless, taking pity on me, came down to keep me company.


    Unlike the girls, the men in the living room were silent. They each had a beer in their hand and were just watching the game. Which was exactly what guys did. Earl, Scott, Terence, Van and Phillip were all just enjoying their drinks in complete silence.


    Earl only gave me a quick nod when I walked in. He spent more time saying hello to the girls. The other bastards present didn''t even stand up and sipped their beers in peace.


    They came from a variety of backgrounds with little overlap. But the men had a common solidarity when it came to drinking, watching the game and just thinking about nothing.


    About fifteen minutes later, a phone alarm started ringing. Alana and Bless suddenly stopped trying to beat me. They gave me a quick hug before running upstairs. Only then did I understand their actions.


    ''These little shits were not keeping me company, they were being told to stay out of the room for a certain amount of time.''


    Like many girls their age, my sisters probably wanted to hear the juicy details of my honeymoon. Noelle, in her desire to keep them innocent, was the one who set the time so they could talk about grown-up things without the kids eavesdropping.


    As I watched my younger sisters eagerly run up the stairs, I found them quite adorable. While it would normally have been rude.


    The Sirens and my adopted family were already extremely close. Bearing each other''s hearts usually shortened the time it took to bond.


    ''Exa, call Phillip to the kitchen.''


    With nothing else to do, I joined the girls in the kitchen. I could have joined the men, but I was not really into sports. Besides, Arizona kind of sucked, even though she had four sports teams representing her.


    The Diamondbacks, who were Arizona''s baseball team. The Suns, who played in the NBA. The Cardinals, who represented my home state in the NFL. And the Coyotes, who played hockey.


    Except for the Diamondbacks, who won the World Series in 2001, the rest were kind of pathetic. That basically meant that in the last two decades, Arizona has not won a Super Bowl, an NBA Finals, a World Series title or a Stanley Cup Finals.


    ''Well, I guess that''s better than having no teams at all.''


    As I walked in, the four women all placed their right hands on their left collarbones. It was the female version of my bro salute. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We greet the lord of Hellsend, the esteemed Limitless."


    "We''re on Earth, skip the formalities," I remarked.


    A moment later, Phillip came in rather sloppily.


    "Phillip, what are the requirements for someone to hold an enlistment? What are the requirements, costs, and things to consider?"


    The scammer downed his beer in one gulp. After a satisfied burp, he began to wipe his monocle on his shirt before answering.


    "I guess we are in the big leagues now. Alright, let''s do this..."


    Hearing the normally docile Phillip express his fighting spirit, I grew excited for what was to come.

 Chapter 502 The true nature of malice. [1/2]

    "Before we begin, my lord. I would like to greet you on your birthday.""You should have greeted me the moment you saw me, you monocled bastard," I said sarcastically.


    "Oh? I must have thought you were just a random disgusting pervert, my lord. Please forgive me, Happy Birthday!"


    At his comment, the rest of the girls greeted me similarly.


    "Patron! Happy birthday! Since I know you already drowned in birthday sex, I will end it with just a greeting. Otherwise, I would have put myself naked in a box tied up with ribbons!"


    "Yvonne! Girl, the Sirens will bury you at this rate! My Lord, in accordance with your special day, the Ten Graves and I have prepared a gift for you. We will present it to you when we welcome you to Hellsgate."


    "Limitless, can I get an interview? Just say something like, ''Hello everyone, this is Limitless, I am still, you know, alive?'' you know, for the record."


    "Happy birthday, my lord, I hope you enjoyed your honeymoon well. The ladies were VERY interested in some of the materials in the honeymoon package we sent. I trust you were pleased."


    Hearing all these people chirping at once gave me a migraine. I held up my hand as I responded to them one by one.


    "Yvonne, that constitutes sexual harassment. I will demote you to janitor if you keep this up."


    "Cynthia, thanks for the thought. I look forward to it."


    "Connie, the girls and I will resume hunting tonight, just tag along or something."


    "Lucrecia, yes, the girls and I used most of them. The only ones we left untouched are the body transformation ones. Take them back. And everything else. Send me another batch."


    Our chief saint pouted unhappily at my rebuke. Cynthia nodded respectfully. Connie pumped her fist excitedly. Lucrecia, on the other hand, bowed as she continued.


    "My Lord, I cannot thank you and Lady Rhiannon enough for what you have done. Vincent and Alicia told me what happened. Thank you so much."


    "Raise your head. I only support those I find worthy. I will be involved in battles of immense magnitude in the coming months. I need your support now more than ever."


    "You shall have it, my lord. The Derycks are prepared to do whatever we can to help you. Come what may."


    I nodded at Lucrecia''s response. Instead of great vows, she ended it with a simple thank you. Rather than empty words, she and her husband proved their worth through action and merit.


    That was why I could trust her and Vincent. Neither was stupid enough to blindly follow someone to their demise. They saw no future with Raymond, so they left. They took risks and bet everything on me.


    Such actions may have seemed foolish, but it was a calculated risk that showed immense prudence. Their ability to discern my needs and preferences was probably the reason they were convinced that I was the best choice.


    I learned this not only from my interactions with her, but also with Vincent. If you listen to the words behind the couple, all of their promises come with strings attached. They did not follow me out of loyalty like the 2nd Amendment or the saints.


    They did so because I provided what they needed. Protection as they laid their foundations and the ability to weaponize their immense financial power. I expected that the moment I could no longer provide both, they would simply leave.


    ''Such thinking suited me well. Right now, the only people I trust completely are my girls.''


    Phillip coughed to remind us of his presence. When he saw that he had my undivided attention, he continued.


    "My lord, the information I am about to share with you is classified even to the upper echelons of Administration. I only learned of it when I was assigned to clean up the paper archives of the Battlefronts for my pitiful performance. It was a punishment given to the clerks with the least contributions."


    "And you want to share this information with me? For free? Aren''t you going to ask for some kind of payment?" I asked a little hesitantly.


    Phillip chuckled as he nodded.


    "Yes, my lord. As I said, I will follow you to the end of your journey. This information is perhaps the last I can give you as I have only been a Reaper for 4 years. However, the nature of the information is quite sensitive. thus, I suggest you choose only those you truly trust."


    I looked around at the people surrounding me. I had Yvonne, our head saint. Cynthia, the head of the Ten Graves. Lucrecia, the matriarch of the Deryck family. And Connie, the head of the newly formed Hellsend Media, who also happened to be Zach''s wife.


    Yvonne had already shown me how loyal she was when she turned down an offer from David Thomas. That and the fact that she was the head of Hellsend''s Saint Division and Vela''s Wolves.


    Cynthia has been with me since my first night. Even though it was only two weeks ago, she has always been one of my irreplaceable subordinates, she was the one who led the production reapers to support me.


    Both Yvonne and Cynthia even came to my aid when I was fighting a demon. So, unlike the other two, they were part of my inner circle.


    Lucrecia, on the other hand, was not only talented in dealing with people, but also had a unique ability to negotiate and gather information. Even though she was human, the report she and her husband produced was on par with the leak Aki brought to me.


    Her loyalty was a bit unproven, but I had already promised her to be my vassal.


    As for Connie, she was here for a single purpose, to become strong enough to regain her position as Zach''s wife. She also seemed to want to do something to bring back memories of Zach''s first wife, Emily.


    Of the four here, her loyalty was the most questionable. However, I believed in her goal of wanting stronger, until she grew in strength, I was sure she would never betray my trust. It was not in her best interest to do so.


    "Please continue, I don''t mind if they hear."


    "Should we call the Sirens? Or the men in the living room?" Phillip suggested.


    "The Sirens will learn from me. As for the men, they are like me, they don''t give a shit about the complicated stuff. I will tell them what I think they need to know." sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Understood, then I will begin. My lord, the information I will share will take into account that you are not just a death seeker, but a battlefront king. Or an unofficial Revenant."


    Phillip raised his hand and created a soul cage. This was one of the basic abilities of the Phantoms. It was something that Wraiths needed soulgears to even create. I couldn''t help but feel proud as I watched the monocled bastard show off his skills.


    When the six of us were covered by the cage, my head clerk began.


    "My lord, in short, to facilitate an enlistment, you need three things. One was a soul offering of 10 million for each battlefront. The ability to purify the malice of thousands of people. And finally, a willing group of people worth the cost of the offering."


    "Wait, back up, there was too much in that one sentence! Go through each one."


    "Okay, my lord. All I will say from this point on is the dark side of running a battlefront that most would never learn about. First, as you know, there is an official armistice between the battle fronts.


    "In order for your side to grow in numbers, it is customary to make a donation to the other Revenants. That way, there are no hard feelings."


    "I can understand that, but 10 million souls? Each? So, if I were to do it, I would have to pay 70 million souls before I even got to do anything?" I asked dumbfounded.


    "Yes, that would have been the case. But the unofficial dissolution of that agreement means that there are now no limits to the creation of Reapers. This means that starting in August, you can expect the number of official Reapers to swell by ten to a hundred times what it is now."

 Chapter 503 The true nature of malice. [2/2]

    "Wait, my lord, I am sorry. What is this armistice? I have never heard of such a thing from the Production Guilds," Cynthia interjected.Yvonne also expressed her doubts. "I am also clueless about this Patron."


    I noticed that neither Connie nor Lucrecia expressed their lack of understanding.


    ''Truly, being able to leverage a Specter''s information made all the difference.''


    "In a nutshell, the Revenants believe that the world will end when the number of Reapers exceeds a certain threshold. Formless, to be exact. That is why the battlefronts not only strictly regulate the number of Reapers, but also makes sure that none of the Formless can evolve," I explained.


    "What? THAT''s why the rogues were massacred?" "But why? Wouldn''t that ensure that Hellsgate would eventually fall?"


    As Cynthia and Yvonne expressed their confusion, it was Connie and Lucrecia who answered.


    "There was nothing to explain why the number of reapers had to be regulated. All the records said was that the survival of humanity depended on it. And since all seven Revenants followed the order, everyone just accepted it as truth," Lucrecia explained with a frown.


    "Zach never explicitly said why, but he mentioned on numerous occasions that it was the lesser of two evils."


    Inwardly, I agreed with Yvonne and Cynthia. The two conflicting truths had a missing link. If the Reapers were so outnumbered, why did everyone deliberately limit their numbers by removing both rogues and slaves from the official count?


    ''What did "official" even mean in this context?''


    "Anyway, when my lord became the individual who broke the armistice, the restrictions on the Formless and the total reaper population were unofficially lifted. So while you would not be forced to pay the soul offering, please be weary that it will have an effect in the future."


    "Please don''t waste any more time on this, Phillip, what''s done is done. I may have been the one David used to break the armistice, but my concerns remain with closing Hellsgate and protecting my people."


    The monocled bastard nodded in agreement as he pulled out a tablet and began to fiddle with it. He then handed it to me as it displayed a certain image. Phillip prepared a pen and paper right after.


    Depiction of Man.jpg


    It showed a circle with three layers. The outermost layer had the label body. The 2nd or middle layer had soul while the innermost layer had spirit.


    Memorizing the image, I passed the tablet to the others while waiting for Phillip to continue.


    "Now for the 2nd requirement, which was the ability to purify the malice of thousands of people. I must first explain what it means to purify malice. The diagram before you is taken from the Abrahamic religions. It is commonly known as the depiction of man."


    Phillip then pushed up his glasses as he drew the same symbol on a sheet of paper.


    "This picture is merely an attempt to explain what man is. Unconsciously, people have approached the truth as they have pondered this question over the years. Or it could have been something IRIS deliberately taught to the world, like other religions."


    After Phillip drew the image, he wrote the word man on a separate piece of paper.


    "Now, many people have often found themselves at a loss in defining what a man is. What constituted one. Was it his form? His mind? Or his will? Each definition was met with criticism.


    If it was form, are the handicapped and amputees no longer human?


    "If it was his mind, are mentally retarded people classified as aliens? If it was will, then shouldn''t insects and animals with wills be classified as human? It was a slippery slope because the opposite of these ideas were also valid."


    Phillip began to write down the definitions he was debunking. I found it annoying at first, as it seemed like a long lecture, but I was slowly drawn in.


    "If you built a human body out of silicon and metal, was it human? If logical thinking or a sound mind was our definition, then shouldn''t artificial intelligence be classified as such? For reapers specifically, by what definition do we consider the undead to be no longer human?"


    As the monocled bastard went on, I found myself agreeing with most of what he said. Exa in particular would have found this topic relevant. As touched on the line between man and machine.


    "In the end, the only answer that made the most sense to the humans was this one. Surprisingly, it matched the beliefs of other religions to an alarming degree, almost as if it were a universal truth."


    The other girls with me were all focused on Phillip''s words; he had a special talent for explaining complex issues. He could probably pass for a teacher or professor if he wanted to.


    "Which brings us back to this diagram. According to it, a human being is only a human being if he has three components. Body, his form. Soul, the person''s human ego. And spirit, the life force that comes from earth or heaven or whatever you believe in.


    "A body without soul and spirit is a corpse. A body with only soul and no spirit is a comatose patient on life support. While a body with spirit but no soul is a vegetable, technically alive but is nonresponsive."


    Phillip''s words made my hair stand on end. As if I was about to learn something I shouldn''t.


    "Now, the next combinations are only in Hellsgate, but they still fit that explanation pretty well. A dead body without a soul but with a spirit is a zombie. A human form with a soul but no spirit is either a golem or a sentient undead or something similar. Finally, a spirit with a soul but has no body would be a ghost."


    A ghost. A Wraith. Phantom. Specter. Revenant. A spirit with only a soul.


    But without a body. Something without reflection. Was this what we were?


    "Next, how does this relate to us? What we call souls, that we use as currency is more appropriately called soul energy which is the same thing as spirit. This energy is derived from the lives of other living beings, both human and monster. On the other hand, our true "souls" in this case is our soulgem."


    "I see, that is why when our soulgem is broken, our bodies behave like puppets whose strings have been cut. They are basically bodies with spirit but no soul," I commented in understanding.


    "Correct. Since the soul serves as an intermediary between the soul energy or "spirit" and the body, our "soul" or soulgem are what link them together. Reapers in particular have tangible souls in the form of soulgems. Now for the important part. The parts that make up a person are also separated into their characteristics between these parts."


    "What are you saying, Phillip?"


    "The body is physical, you hit it and the flesh bruises. The mind is in the soul, your memories, your fears, your will are all controlled by this layer."


    The monocled bastard then stopped his explanations.


    "What? What about the spirit then?" Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Well, this is a bit difficult to explain. An example would be when your heart hurts when you feel sadness, yet your body doesn''t really feel pain. Your heart is perfectly normal, although you may have problems with your pulse going faster. What is really happening is that your spirit is hurting.


    "Simply put, our heart is what controls the spirit. Your emotions, your desires, your trauma and your regrets. These feelings transcend your soul and are passed on to those who absorb your spirit when you die."


    "And that is the true nature of malice," I murmured in passing.


    "Correct, malice are the intense desires or strong emotions that could not be fulfilled by the soul. They are like stains etched on a piece of cloth. If they are not scrubbed, they remain and spread like mud to everything else. Whoever takes in the spirit must endure the malice lest he be consumed by it."


    Then I remembered the time I went on a rampage when my soul collapsed.


    ''I see. My soul, which controlled my ego, was overpowered by my heart. The malice of the soul energy I had collected affected me to the point that my ability to maintain order collapsed. That is why the event was called a soul collapse.''


    "Now for the important part. The Revenants of each continent serve as the hubs for all the malice in their battlefronts."


    "What?"


    Fucking hell, I think this was one of those times where I needed to sit down.

 Chapter 504 Devils Remains Miner [1/2]

    "As I mentioned earlier, malice is basically the powerful emotions that the soul leaves behind in the spirit. As the body decomposes and turns to dust, the spirit or soul energy returns to Mother Earth.""Mother Earth? What do you mean?" I asked confused.


    "The Norse call her Yggdrasil, while the Slavs, Finns, and Baltic religions call her "The Oak". The Germanic mythologies call it Irminsul. The Chinese call it Jianmu. While the Hindus call it Ashvatha. Even the Jewish Kaballah has a version called the Sephirot. It would take us hours to list all the names it has had over the thousands of years."


    Of the names Phillip used, the one I recognized the most was Yggdrasil. It was the super big ass tree that connected the realms of the Nine Worlds in Norse mythology.


    "Basically, the idea is that there is a global force that corrects the will of the world. Kind of like a deity, but it has no consciousness of its own. The lack of this ego is why the representation is a tree and not a guardian beast."


    "I''m sorry Phillip, I still don''t get it."


    The monocled bastard made an exasperated face. After a few moments he snapped his fingers and resumed his lecture.


    "You are familiar with the law of karma mentioned in Indian religion and philosophy, correct?"


    "Karma? Yes, of course. That is where what you do in this life affects your next one, right? If you do good, you will be reborn as a human, if you were a asshole, you will be reborn as a toad or an insect."


    Phillip clapped his hands and nodded in approval. "Excellent, that is correct. Now let us build on that. As mentioned, the spirit that holds malice will be recycled by whoever takes the life of the one that held it. If a man kills a man, the spirit of the murdered will move to the murder."


    "Wait, wait. I can understand that point for reapers, but are you saying the same is true for humans?"


    "Why yes, you already know this from reading popular cultivation novels and Japanese manga. The so-called blood lust. In those media, don''t the protagonists only get blood lust after taking a lot of lives? The cause being irrelevant of course."


    Blood lust was a common concept in fiction. The ability to put pressure on people just by thinking about the act of killing another. Was Phillip saying this tied to spirits?


    "Phillip, isn''t this related to a Reaper''s death resonance? Aren''t they basically the same thing?" Yvonne interjected.


    "Yes, excellent observation. Reapers generally experience the effects of malice in a much more direct manner. But that doesn''t mean that everything else is free from the effects of malice. Animals become bloodthirsty, and in humans it manifests as either PTSD or some sort of psychopathy."


    "Fuck, I feel like I have a brain tumor, explain it like I am five Phillip." Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Sigh. Let''s see. You know how you feel when you do something bad? Like when you lie to a friend or cheat on a test. At first you get an uneasy feeling, right?"


    "Yes. Isn''t that what people call conscience?"


    "Yes. Usually, the more virtuous a person is, the more his inner voice will bother him. But if they fight that inner voice, eventually it will stop and they will no longer be bothered by that so-called voice. Correct?"


    "Yes. That is why someone who kills once is more likely to kill again. I know that."


    "Good, then let us go one step further. You often hear of soldiers coming home from wars and becoming violent with their spouses, correct?"


    How could I not. I lived through such an experience. My father, Frank Smith, served in the military and eventually started beating my mother until she left.


    When Phillip noticed that I didn''t say anything, he continued.


    "Brain doctors who diagnosed these people often came to the same conclusion. Because of the traumatic events the person has experienced, they are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder. This often manifests as hearing voices, seeing visions, or reliving dangerous moments that cause their bodies to go into fight or flight mode."


    At his words, I began to remember the voices I began to hear when I experienced my soul collapse. If the spirits we absorb into our soulgems carry these emotions, then I could understand why some of them would carry voices or visions.


    "What are you saying? These subjects confuse me."


    "Well, that is the limit of trying to explain a complicated subject to a five-year-old, my lord."


    "..."


    "We have wasted enough time on this, so let me summarize. Spirits that hold emotions and malice is that person''s karma. The more malice a person has, the more lives he has taken.


    "When he dies, his soul energy goes either to whatever killed him or back to the world. The "world" in this case is Mother Nature, so for simplicity''s sake let''s call it the World Tree."


    "So the one who gets the world''s karma is Yggdrasil?"


    "Yes. There is more to discuss, but for now let us keep it simple. Understand that the body decomposes and returns to the earth as fertilizer. The soul energy or the spirit, on the other hand, goes to the World Tree. We are clear on these points, yes?"


    I nodded. Although I had more questions, I didn''t need to understand everything right now. Just that a person''s spirit is shared with everything in the world and goes to Yggdrasil after death.


    "Okay, that is how it is for the living. But it is a little different for the dead. You see, for the living, when the malice returns to Mother Earth, they no longer have to worry. But for us, this is the beginning of our problems."


    Phillip then took his monocle and began wiping it.


    "Remember what I said earlier about zombies and the undead?"


    "Yes, they are basically corpses that have spirit but no ego."


    "Correct. This means that the bodies that die on earth will be reanimated in hell. And at the direction of someone, the world tree imbues those bodies with spirits."


    "What? Then the World Tree is what reanimates the corpses!"


    "Yes. The concept of Samsara or reincarnation that humans have is lacking. The only people who are given a second life are those who are given pure souls. For everyone else, they will not be reborn, but will become the inhabitants of Hellsgate."


    "You''ve got to be shitting me."


    "No, my lord. I am not. This is why, despite almost every religion claiming that reincarnation is a real thing, hardly anyone like that actually exists. The sheer amount of malice that the World Tree holds has become so great that the process of reincarnation has been stopped permanently."


    The implications of what Phillip was saying caused a deadly silence in the room. It was a lot to take in. But I had a different thought.


    ''What about me? Didn''t I reincarnate seven times? How was I able to do that?''


    "Well, when the malice of the entire world fills Hellsgate, it falls to the reapers to clean it up. There is only one way to purify malice. It is to bear the brunt of it and overwhelm the emotions.


    "Every reaper has the ability to carry "spirit", right? Unlike humans. We even actively try to earn as much of it as possible. However, there are still dangers. If a Reaper takes in more spirits than he can control, his soul will collapse.


    "The only way to increase this amount is to become stronger as a Reaper. The highest form of Reapers, the Revenants, have the ability to control trillions of spirits. Through them, the evil unleashed by the world is contained."


    "Motherfucker, so reapers are basically garbage men for the World Tree?" I cursed out loud.


    "You can interpret it that way, my lord. It is not entirely accurate, but it is true in a way."


    "Ugh. Just when I think a reaper''s life cannot get any worse!"


    "Which brings me to my original point. Since the Revenants require an unfathomable number of spirits to control their abilities, they collect these spirits from the entire battlefront. This is done as a tax or by cleaning the areas in hell of malice."


    Understanding what my clerk was saying, I connected the dots. "That''s why you said you needed to be able to do this before you could set up a battlefront."

 Chapter 505 Devils Remains Miner [2/2]

    "Yes. When you leave a Revenant''s battlefront, you also leave the area they ''cleanse''. There have been many powerful Reapers who have tried to set up their own battlefronts. Even though they can fight the undead, they usually succumb to the malice and end up dead.""..."


    I see. That makes sense. Vincent said that the limit was 100,000. That was probably for Wraiths. Isolde could carry three million and still be fine. The limit as a Phantom must be around that number.


    When I hit four million, my soul collapsed, so I obviously went over.


    For Specters and especially Revenants, the number has to be significantly higher. But that begs the question. Would Hellsend be able to survive the 24th floor if we made our own?


    "Wait. Is that why the battlefronts are using different tactics to purge? Because the Revenants have an inherent limit that they cannot cross?"


    Phillip suddenly bro-saluted me as he spoke.


    "I am amazed at your ability to see the truth buried in the details, my lord. You are correct. The reason why North America leaves some zones corrupted is because that way we can go much further."


    Hellsgate floor.img


    At this point, everything clicked. Europe and Africa were the only ones to clean everything in their zones.


    As a result, Europe was stuck and unable to move forward. This was probably the reason why Clive Zanardi prevented his assault teams from advancing. So much so that he intentionally had the women of Europe ravaged to create saints.


    Africa, on the other hand, was able to reach the middle levels, but failed to advance for over five centuries. This was despite having the second largest Reaper army of the seven continents.


    Meanwhile Asia and South America, used tactics that allowed them to purify the bare minimum before advancing. Both continents planned to use the power of their neighbors to deal with the garbage they couldn''t.


    Australia and the North, due to limited numbers, could do little but try to maintain what they had. Somehow, slowly but surely, I began to understand each Revenant''s decision.


    At first I thought they were all just fucking cowards or idiots. But every decision or rule they enforced on their battlefront was done after careful consideration. Asia in particular was fucking brilliant.


    They were flanked by Africa, the second strongest Reaper army, and Australia, the strongest in terms of quality per Reaper. With both sides protected, they decided to spread their lines thin, knowing that full well they would still be okay.


    This allowed them to access the lower levels and their riches without expending everything they had to defend their borders. They literally used the undead and their neighbors to keep each other in check.


    It was so effective that both Africa and Australia were indirectly nailed down by Asia''s actions. South America, using similar tactics, kept Europe and North America on the defensive.


    Meanwhile, the North, effectively a zombie beachhead, caused Europe and Australia to take a massive beating. At the moment, the only battle fronts even capable of advancing at all were North America, South America, and Asia. Everyone else was at an impasse.


    "My lord. Every Revenant has a limit to how much malice they can hold. Since they are already the peak of what a Reaper could become, there is no way to increase it. The only other alternative would be to raise more Reapers into Revenants.


    "But the truce has made that difficult. Especially when Assault Teams have an even higher fatality rate than Death Seekers. And often, even if they make it back, they''re not necessarily able to continue fighting."


    Then I remembered the words of the Specters I had met.


    "Look its not I cannot understand, but I made the same sacrifice. I am already a Specter. Why do you think I did it? Because I wanted to lose my memories? No! It was because there was no other choice!


    If everyone followed them, How do we replenish the Assault teams?"


    "If that is true then good for you. Most of us have, no. Had a reason. But when the person tied to that reason died, we lost our will to continue this¡­ fucking whatever this is."


    "You see, I didn''t forgot immediately, so I wrote everything before my memories slowly disappeared. I created Saviors for one purpose. To kill reapers who suffered from soul collapses."


    "Its an interesting feeling. The journals were stained with blood and tears. Yet to me right now, it felt like the words of a stranger."


    "My request to Administration was simple. Find me a reaper who is not afraid of pain and death. If he completes my request, I will return to the front lines."


    Each of them had a reason; if they had been able to persevere, they would have become Revenants. Then they would be able to expand the Reapers'' domain. Unfortunately, most, if not all, of them were taken down, either directly or by circumstance.


    Suddenly, the idea of leaving Isolde and other Phantoms as bums didn''t seem so appealing. What Hellsgate needed was Revenants, not Phantoms or Wraiths. Not evolving to the next level made a Reaper nothing more than a useless waste of space.


    "If that''s the case, wouldn''t I be similar to those who tried and failed before?" I asked bitterly.


    "No, my lord. There is one great difference between you and the others who have tried."


    "And that is?"


    Phillip pulled out a 5.56 Sacred and placed it on the table. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "My lord, you have no idea how much your actions have affected the world. Before you, every Formless who excelled was taken out before the end of their first week. The same plans have been made for you. There are numerous controls to ensure that the Formless remain weak.


    "For the Death Seekers, this control was manifested in the Mercenary A.I. They were to constantly evaluate your potential as a Revenant. Plans to terminate Formless Reapers were carried out for powerful individuals the moment they showed promise."


    "..."


    "However, in your case, all plans to terminate you were abruptly halted when you began purchasing Sacreds in bulk."


    "Why?"


    "My lord, I mentioned that the spirit that is present in everyone and everything in Hellsgate has emotions, right?"


    "Yes. So?"


    "I talked about malice and its negative effects. But just as there are bad emotions, there are also good ones. On an extremely rare occasion, a benevolent wish or emotion is hidden in the mire of negative ones."


    A benevolent wish hidden among the negative ones. Of all the things we discussed, only one came to mind.


    "The Devil''s Remains..."


    "Correct. Normally, they come from virtuous heroes or people with the highest positive karma, and they alone create artifacts brimming with positive emotions.


    "Unfortunately, because these spirits are mixed with malice, it takes holy energy to extract them. These energies, when mixed with malice, completely exorcise the negative emotions."


    It was a ray of hope. It was as if fate itself was telling the Reapers not to give up. A single person''s good karma would transcend himself and purify the evils around him. These people would be the only ones worthy of going to heaven.


    "Unfortunately, just as the reapers have a limit, so do the devil''s remains. This means that the benevolent energies will eventually be used up and disappear. Due to their limited nature, there were never any plans to include them in the purifications."


    "I could understand why. You needed a saint and a thousand souls to bless a weapon. And you wouldn''t even be sure if you could recoup your investment before it ran out."


    "Correct again, my lord. Even though all the battlefronts knew that they could use Saints to purify, it was simply impossible. However, His Majesty then realized that you do not really consume the blessings and can use them indefinitely."


    "Holy hell, so David wanted to use me as a devil''s remains miner from the very beginning?"


    "Indeed, my lord. That is why he decided to give you an entire floor. To see if you could bypass the need for a Revenant."


    "Well fuck..."

 Chapter 506 Theyre coming for me. [1/2]

    "This is like the biggest scoop ever..." A certain news reporter commented."Connie, I''m one of Vela''s wolves, if you leak any of this, Patron won''t have anything left to shoot by the time I''m done with you."


    "Uwa, chill, girl! Aren''t you supposed to be a saint? Why are Hellsend''s saints so violent?"


    "Forget about spreading the word, too. Lady Minerva already has part of the wizards dedicated to keeping Hellsend''s secrets," Cynthia added.


    Lucrecia teased, smiling mischievously, "That''s assuming the Sirens don''t terminate her before the wizards can even find her."


    Ignoring the peanut gallery, I began to itemize what I had just learned.


    1. Before I got here, the Battlefront suppressed Formless Reapers and made sure no one broke the armistice.


    2. When I joined the Death Seekers, like everyone else, I was monitored because of my Formless nature. Aira was used to see if I had any potential as a Reaper. If I did, I would be executed.


    3. This all stopped when I started buying Sacreds in bulk.


    4. Sacreds cleansed the negative energy from the spirits of those in Hellsgate.


    5. Every once in a while, a benevolent wish would be found and manifest itself as a devil''s remains.


    6. No one used Sacreds to farm, as the benefits could not outweigh the costs.


    7. David saw my potential to farm Devil''s remains and stopped all plans to terminate me.


    8. To make sure I survived the Seeker War, he forbade Xander from joining.


    9. David broke the armistice to make sure I could grow. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    10. The Reapers of Hellsgate were now preparing for war.


    11. David gave me the 24th floor to protect from the incoming invaders. Leaving me alone as I requested.


    12. Just as David foresaw, I mined the Devil''s Remains and Administration aggressively bought them all.


    Fucking hell! Wasn''t that a really big deal? It was practically announcing to the world that I had oil! Every battlefront would try to either control me or make me their slave for my ability.


    Defending against invaders was not about you, it was about the land behind you. But defending against kidnappers was something else entirely. If other people came to the same conclusion as David, it would mean only one thing.


    Asia, Africa, and South America were not coming to claim the resources of North America.


    "They''re coming for me," I muttered bitterly.


    And David, in keeping with his nature of being the worst boss ever, knew. But the Revenant didn''t care. He probably figured it out. But instead of hiding me, he not only announced to the world where I would be, he practically left me to die.


    "Sigh, David, you fucking bastard..."


    Little did I know that my own words would come back to bite me so hard. My mood took a turn for the worse. My anger burned at the realization. Contrary to what I believed; David had had me dancing on his palm all along. I was just a stupid kid being led around by the nose.


    "Indeed. Which is why I look forward to your growth. Hmm. If I had to explain, I see you as a joker."


    "A joker? You mean a clown?"


    "Hahaha, well, you are entertaining, but no. I meant as a wild card. To use an analogy, the other Revenants and I are playing a game of poker. One where the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Depending on your actions, I could win the game."


    "Good. Very good! If you had only bowed, I would have killed you on the spot. I, David Thomas the Invincible, accept your terms!"


    "Fuck..." I cursed in helplessness.


    Then I looked at the cufflinks the Sirens had given me at the wedding. This devil''s remains soul gear was the equivalent of my wedding ring and was dripping with the affection of my battle harem.


    It seems that even though I thought I knew how important such artifacts were, I greatly underestimated their significance.


    These things were the only reason David didn''t kill me. He didn''t see me as an equal, but as nothing more than a pawn. Thinking I had earned his respect was nothing more than my own conceit.


    ''[Analyze]''


    ___


    Name: Arthur Fourreau


    Race: Human | Rank: Benevolent | Owner: Limitless (Soulbound)


    Inscribed Ability: {Never Alone}


    Corruption level: 2%.


    {Never Alone} - A cufflink soul gear forged from Arthur Fourreau''s benevolent wish "For a world without despair". When activated, it transforms into armlets that host seven abilities.


    - 1st Ability: Whenever used, creates a barrier of benevolent energy. The cost of the barrier is borne by the {Sirens of Sin}.


    - 2nd Ability: Artificial Soul Wallet ability copied from {Sirens of Sin}.


    - 3rd Ability: Allows {Siren of Sin} reapers to locate this soulgear.


    - 4th Ability: Can transfer funds to and from {Sirens of Sin} Soul Wallets.


    - 5th Ability: Contains the built-in {Program}: [Beacon].


    - 6th Ability: Exports excess malice to the {Sirens of Sin} when benevolent energy is depleted.


    - 7th Ability: Malice absorption limit increased by 700% (shared by {Sirens of Sin}).


    ___


    The Devil''s remains soulgear was originally intended to absorb the malice of a reaper. This would prevent him or her from having their soul''s collapse. The more expensive versions had abilities in addition to this basic function.


    The information I got from a Devil''s remains soulgear and a regular one was like night and day. Although they both had unique names, the former wasn''t born from a reaper, but was still human.


    And the other strange thing was the human''s rank. It said "Benevolent". That must be what the virtuous humans were called. In addition, this "Benevolent" soulgear had a corruption level meter. This was probably the gauge that measured how much more malice it could endure.


    ''Devil''s remains soulgear is quite a mouthful, so I will just call them benevols short for benevolent soulgears from now on.''


    My soul-bound benevol was called {Never Alone}. Before today, I hadn''t even had a chance to use [Analyze] on my cufflinks. Mainly because I was too busy with my honeymoon.


    And while I initially thought the keywords the Sirens taught me were just a cool gimmick, it turned out to have a complex purpose.


    "{Never Alone}."


    As I called out the name of my benevol, the cufflinks transformed into armlets. It was only then that I noticed a shell of energy protruding outward, covering me like a force field. This must be the sacred barrier that serves as the benevol''s 1st ability.


    Strangely enough, the girls seem to have added more abilities just like me. And also like me, their overprotection was probably what made them think of doing such a tedious task.


    ''Although, if someone found out that my benevol had seven fucking abilities, they would think I was crazy.''


    Exa told me that just like soulgears, it was not possible to have multiple benevols active at the same time. If you took a minute to understand what they were, it all made sense. soulgears had a dead Reaper soulgem. The same soulgems that contained their egos.


    ''No wonder {Day by Day} responded to me. I was literally talking to Pixie''s mother, Sierra. It was the same with other soulgears, of course they would come into conflict with each other. ''


    Taking sentimental items into battle was something that soldiers of all races did. When people were stressed, they often looked for something to comfort them. But who ever heard of taking the souls of random people?


    ''I must find a way to return this to Pixie. It just feels wrong.''


    Due to the nature of Reaper soulgears, it made sense why they would not allow another to activate alongside them. Surprisingly, two benevols behaved exactly like soulgears.


    I had no idea why a soulgear and a benevol would tolerate each other. Maybe it was because one was human and not born from Reapers. But the important fact was that they worked when they were not the same type.

 Chapter 507 Theyre coming for me. [2/2]

    ''Still, aren''t seven abilities completely insane? How did the girls even manage that?''The function I originally asked Addison to add to the wedding rings was a soul wallet. As the battle with the Slayer showed, {Rewind} needed souls to be of any use. If you did not have the souls to invoke it, it provided neither protection nor flexibility.


    To prevent this from happening in the future, I requested that the rings be turned into makeshift soul wallets. During my proposal, I took advantage of the fact that I was 49 million souls in debt and gave each ring one million souls.


    ''I mean, there wasn''t really much difference between 49 million and 56 million. In contrast, being broke and having 1 million souls is like fucking night and day.''


    I didn''t know how it worked, but I could still use souls even though I was beyond broke. Of course, because of my disposition, I wanted to add more abilities. Unfortunately, I found out that I could only add one ability to a benevol. So, I had to be extremely careful with what I selected.


    The benevols were something I requested because I wanted the girls to be safe from soul collapses.


    Before I gave the rings to the girls, I actually checked with Exa. According to her, the rings do not lose their holy power over time. Only with repeated use.


    So, I decided to focus on that point. With {Bestow} I inscribed a custom {Rewind} ability on the rings for the Sirens. The custom {Rewind} had only one purpose. When the rings lost their ability to purify malice, they would be rewound for free.


    The souls for the Rewind of the benevols would be shouldered by me. My goal was simple. To ensure that each ring would protect my girls from soul collapses. For all eternity. I tried to hide this function by pouring souls into the soul wallet that each ring possessed.


    "But it seems they found out," I thought, admiring my benevol.


    From the description of {Code}, the girls were able to bypass the limit by binding {Never Alone} to the rings I gave them.


    My benevol''s 2nd ability was also to turn into a makeshift wallet. The 4th ability built on that and allowed me to draw souls from the girls'' reserves.


    The 1st ability strengthened my defenses by creating an anti-malice barrier. Of course, the corruption was paid for by the Sirens. As a bonus, the 7th ability increased my limit by sending the malice I purified to my harem.


    The 6th ability went beyond that. Once {Never Alone} reached 100% corruption, it would still protect me by sending the malice to the girls.


    The 3rd ability gave the girls the ability to know where I was, no matter how far away I was.


    The only ability inscribed on my benevol was [Beacon]. It was a unique {Program} Lilly created to quickly summon the Sirens.


    From the carefully crafted abilities, I felt the overwhelming affection of my battle harem.


    It made what they had promised me a reality. To give me their everything. To protect me and guard my heart, mind, and body. And to come to my aid whenever I needed them.


    ''That is why they called it {Never Alone}.''


    I choked back tears, overwhelmed with their powerful emotions.


    ''Exa, show me the status of the {Sirens of Sin}.''


    [Displaying...]


    ___


    {Sirens of Sin}


    1. Freyja''s Pride (Liv Ivaldi Smith) | Corruption level: 5% | Balance: 1,000,000 2. Ishtar''s Greed (Lilly Browning Smith) | Corruption level: 4% | Balance: 1,000,000


    3. Rhiannon''s Wrath (Robyn Lithgow Smith) | Corruption level: 5% | Balance: 1,000,000


    4. Vela''s Envy (Josephine Benelli Smith) | Corruption level: 9% | Balance: 1,000,000


    5. Minerva''s Sloth (Isabella Taurus Smith) | Corruption level: 4% | Balance: 1,000,000


    6. Satis'' Lust (Jasmine Denel Smith) | Corruption level: 5% | Balance: 1.000.000


    7. Inari''s Gluttony (Aki Miroku Smith) | Corruption level: 7% | Balance: 1,000,000


    ___


    The {Sirens of Sin} were benevols based on the Seven Deadly Sins. Funnily enough, when Addison asked what designs to use, that was the first thing that came to mind.


    It fit with my inside joke about the girls and them being villainesses. Plus, the girls'' {Fates} actually mirrored the Seven Deadly Sins to a large extent. Because of these seemingly fated tendencies, I had each ring designed for a specific sin.


    I then had Addison use gemstones to reflect a color from the rainbow. The final product was seven rings that were part of a set. I called them the {Sirens of Sin}. I was quite pleased with the result and increasingly pleased with the functions I was able to inscribe.


    Since the {Sirens of Sin} would never be completely dull, the girls tied {Never Alone} to their benevols. The end product would mean that my benevol would only fail to help me if all seven of my girls had already succumbed to soul collapses.


    Love, gratitude, and peace surged through my heart. It then flowed to my {Kindred} link. Again, I found salvation in my girls. Who cared if the other continents came for me? I would just beat the living shit out of them. And being their target meant that I would not die.


    Whether it was undead, reapers, or demons, what I had to do remained the same. To survive long enough to close Hellsgate, I had to get stronger. That, and I had to never lose the will to fight.


    Whatever fear, anxiety, and frustration I had felt at Phillip''s lecture melted away. The world seemed hell-bent on driving me to the wall, but it didn''t matter because I could endure.


    All because of the girls who were willing to sacrifice their everything to keep me safe.


    ''My {Kindred}, I love you all,'' I send through our link.


    A wave of bliss rolled over me as the girls replied.


    ''Not as much as I love you, my Beloved.''


    ''Fufu, be grateful, Dearest. You are the only man in the world who receives my devotion. But I should add that I love you even more.''


    ''I knew that already, Possum. Ya got any new cringy lines? Oh! And before I forget. I love you too!''


    ''I love you more, Darling! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! HEHEHE!''


    ''Of course you do! How could you not, Honey? Hehe, kidding! love you!''


    ''I never doubted for a single moment, Husband. I love you the most in this world.''


    ''As someone blessed to receive your love, I am quite lucky. Anata, I love you as well.'' sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chuckling at their answers, I looked up to see Phillip and the other women gossiping.


    "Girl, what was that? I thought we were going to die!"


    "I know, right? The amount of blood lust coming from Patron was scary! No cap!"


    "Fuck! Is Limitless like this all the time? He is practically bipolar!"


    "I find that whenever my master thinks deeply, death resonance comes out of him in such great amounts. Oh, and remember, do not try to get close to him. Not unless you want to die. It is best to just wait."


    "I know, Vincent told me the same thing. The lord almost killed him in a moment of carelessness. Fortunately, what happened right now wasn''t a soul collapse, was it?"


    "No, it wasn''t. The devil''s remains soulgear given by the ladies seems to work wonders," Phillip confirmed.


    I coughed and tried to continue the discussion.


    "Call them benevols from now on."


    "Benevols?" x5


    "Soulgear created from benevolent wishes or Devil''s remains. Benevols. The original name was much too long."


    "Phillip, from now on. We will reduce our sale of devil''s remnants. We will arm all our assault teams with benevols. We will start with the Phantoms first. And from this point on, any Wraith who does not evolve into a Phantom after one week will be removed from the 2nd Amendment."


    "I see. Truly, my lord. Even with all that is happening, you only care about one thing."


    "Yeah, it doesn''t matter who, if they want to fuck around with me. They are welcome to try."

 Chapter 508 I cannot tell you. [1/2]

    As always, these discussions went over my head. For all the words Phillip said, I understood only a few things.First of all, David knew in advance that I had the potential to farm benevols.


    Second, the other continents seemed to know as well.


    Third, they were coming to enslave me or drag me away by force.


    And it all stemmed from the fact that the Revenants were at an impasse. Even though they all wanted to expand their domains, they could not do so. All because they were at the limit of the malice they could endure.


    If they wanted to conquer more ground or go deeper into Hellsgate, they needed help. The Revenants needed to expand their abilities or increase the number of powerful Reapers at their disposal.


    This was all that would increase the number of souls their battlefront could hold.


    ''What a bad joke. It is as if malice is a virus and the World Tree is using us as antibodies.''


    And since David and I were equals, he neither shielded me nor wanted to fight with me. If I looked at it from that point of view, I suppose I could say that he respected me a little.


    After all, if you look at it objectively. I was quite important, and through me, the battlefronts could weaponize their saints and farm benevols. And over time, their armies would no longer need the protection of a Revenant, freeing each battlefront''s most powerful weapon.


    This brought me back to my main dilemma. I didn''t really care about the details. Whether or not reincarnation lay at the end of a Reaper''s path, I didn''t care. I had no intention of giving up this life in the first place.


    ''Not when I have so many things to protect.''


    There were only two ways to survive the coming battles, hope they flaked out or get stronger. Being passive had never been my style. If they wanted to come after me, they were welcome to try. But like with the bastards who were blinded by the bounty, I would not make it easy.


    It was fortunate that I was on the defensive in a way. I had two months to prepare for their arrival. Fortifications, mines, artillery, I had a lot of tactics to use. Being able to capitalize on the wars of the past was definitely an advantage of being born in this era.


    ''And if I could raise an army that could kill the greater demon in a week, what could I do in two months? I could be a Specter by then,'' I thought to myself.


    Surprisingly, even though my musings lasted a few minutes, our group fell silent.


    It was probably because of my last round of instructions. Having heard all that Phillip had explained, the need for benevols was now a major concern. Since we didn''t have a Revenant, we would have to find a way to cleanse a floor''s worth of malice.


    At the moment, I had only one idea in mind. If the presence of spirits on the reapers was the catalyst for their soul collapses, then we just had to mitigate that. Either remove the spirits or strengthen the reaper. The best way to reduce the number of souls was to use {Fates} or trade them for money.


    At the thought of liquidating souls, I wondered who in the world could exchange souls for money? For a Reaper, it was a good idea because it provided money for a more comfortable life.


    But to a Revenant, it sounded wrong. If the purpose of the Reapers was to control malice, what would happen to the souls we gave up? Since I had never thought about this before, it naturally gave me a headache.


    "Fuck! What the hell is going on?!"


    Do the souls that were sold get purified somehow? Wouldn''t it be dangerous to keep them as they were? How does whoever bought them keep them in the first place? If a Revenant couldn''t handle all of them, how could the Graveyard still provide the service and not go insane?


    Who even owns the Graveyard network? Was the Graveyard even owned by a single battlefront? But with the continents at each other''s throats, it couldn''t be shared endeavor.


    "Phillip. I have questions."


    "I kind of got that from the ''fuck'' just now, my lord."


    I looked at Connie before continuing.


    "You too Connie, time to earn your keep."


    Surprised that I had suddenly singled her out, Connie pointed her finger at herself in disbelief.


    "Me? What could I possibly add to the conversation? Besides, Limitless, I already earned my keep!"


    "Shut up, just answer the question. Who owns the Graveyard Network? How did you get a job there?"


    "I-I can''t say..." Connie suddenly started fidgeting.


    Annoyed, I called [Whisper] and sent an {Announce} suggestion to the reporter. However, the souls suddenly vanished into thin air. My body tensed at the result of my [Whisper].


    ''Whose power is protecting Connie from the death resonance? And a powerful one at that!''


    Unaware of my internal surprise, Connie bowed her head as she continued.


    " Limitless, I am sorry. I really want to tell you, believe me. But I..."


    Her actions resembled those of someone under duress. Taking that as my cue, I changed my question.


    "Will you be in danger if you answer, nod for yes, shake for no." sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *Nod.*


    "Are they a danger to Hellsend or Hellsgate?"


    *Shake.*


    "Will you betray me if they ask you to?"


    Connie didn''t move her head and just stared at me with fierce eyes. I could feel the fighting spirit flowing out of her body. It seemed that my last questions had offended her. But she still couldn''t answer.


    "Neither yes nor no. Then let me change the question. Is the owner of the Graveyard an ally of Hellsend?"


    *Shake.*


    "Are they an enemy?"


    *Shake*


    "Then what the fuck are they supposed to be?" I blurted out in frustration.


    Phillip interjected before Connie could reply, "My lord, would you like to hear my thoughts on the matter?"


    Not really knowing what else I could get from Connie, I crossed my arms and waited for Phillip to begin. He coughed lightly before speaking again.


    "My lord, to put it bluntly. No one knows. The Graveyard Network is an independent body that moves to provide information and support to reapers. They created the network and regularly provide the GRIs, however, despite sending numerous people to find out. Our agent came back with nothing."


    "What? Why? Did the people you sent all suddenly die or something?"


    "No, my lord. They all came back with minor to moderate wounds. The main problem was that their brains were ''scrambled.'' "


    "Scrambled? You mean turned to mush?"


    "No. What I mean by scrambled is that they had their memories mixed up. They suddenly claimed to be someone else, or thought they were demons, or forgot they were even a reaper. None of the agents we sent were of any use after that. We sent all the way to the Specters and the results were still the same."


    "What?"


    "And as if that was not enough, several battlefronts tried to capture them. We even came together for a joint capture operation. But despite the coordination, nothing of value was achieved. When the battlefronts lost Specter after Specter, they decided to let it go."


    "Why didn''t David and the other Revenants move?"


    "Well, my lord, the only way to follow the Graveyard people was to leave the battlefront. You would know why they couldn''t."


    "Hmm. I guess that is true, but what about the bastards coming to the battlefront?"


    Since the battlefront required the presence of the Revenant to function, they couldn''t go on a wild goose chase. But even if that were true, why didn''t David just detain those associated with the Graveyard when they came in?

 Chapter 509 I cannot tell you. [2/2]

    "They didn''t come to me when I was a Reaper Limitless, they came to me when I was human," Connie suddenly added."Eh?"


    Connie, freed from her silence, suddenly blurted out something that made no sense. Why the hell would someone connected to the reapers go after a human?


    "The Graveyard People do not go into the battlefronts, my lord. They only walk in the sun. Aside from liquidating souls, the only function of the Graveyard Network was to allow communication. All other functions were added by the respective Administration groups of each battlefront."


    "Fuck! Why are there so many things I cannot understand? Then why are you writing the articles for the newspaper?"


    Suddenly, Connie stopped speaking again. More than frustrated by her silence, I slammed my hand down on the kitchen counter. The force of my outburst cracked the wood. A loud noise also traveled through the house.


    She closed her eyes and flinched. It was as if she accepted that I was going to beat her. Seeing her reaction quickly cooled me. I brushed my hair back and apologized.


    "Sorry Connie. I didn''t mean to scare you. It''s just that I find working around gag orders like this incredibly frustrating."


    "It''s okay Limitless, this job was one of the reasons the other professions would not allow me to join their ranks. Being associated with the Graveyard made most of them wary. After all, who would trust someone like me, right?" Connie explained, holding back tears.


    "..."


    The other girls and Philip said nothing and waited. Their reactions were similar to those of vassals waiting for their king''s judgment.


    ''Fuck, I have to control my anger. I am not only responsible for myself anymore.''


    As I tried to regain my composure, I remembered that I was in the same situation not long ago. After my wedding, the Sirens exchanged information and came up with a complete picture of the chains from the Seeker''s Vow.


    Fearing for their safety, I could not tell them, even though I had promised them the truth. My reaction now and theirs then could not have been more different.


    "I''m sorry, everyone. I cannot tell you," I remember saying, dejected.


    "..." x7


    At that time, I felt really guilty for keeping the girls in the dark. Keeping secrets was the fastest way to break up a marriage. It took incredible strength to be completely honest with your partner. Many rationalize their weakness by making tons of excuses.


    ''I''m keeping it a secret so she won''t get hurt.'' ''This will keep our marriage in one piece.'' ''It''s been so long it doesn''t matter.'' ''It''s stupid to be completely honest.''


    Such excuses were repulsive to me. These same people would blow a gasket if they were the ones being lied to. I saw many relationships crumble from such poison.


    Unwilling to do the same, I informed my girls that I had a secret but could not tell them. I half expected them to be angry, or at least hurt. But their responses surprised me.


    "If you say you cannot, my love, then we will drop the matter. Every Siren knows that you would never act in anything but our best interests."


    "How could anyone think otherwise after he threatened to murder the entire North American Battlefront? I agree, dearest only goes against our wishes for one reason."


    "It means those fucking chains will endanger the Sirens. Otherwise, Possum wouldn''t clam up like this."


    "When I find the fucking piece of shit who owns these chains, I will fucking gut him for what he did to Darling!"


    "So, it seems that the Seeker''s Vows have a hidden danger related to us. Or was it because Honey''s vow affected us that we are in danger?"


    "The seven of us have neither taken nor participated in a Seeker''s Vow. We only created them and bound other people. The danger must only affect those who are directly related. Husband must be unique. As we didn''t notice anything with the others."


    "Not that it matters in the least. I will believe whatever Shujin tells me. And since he has bound himself, the Seeker''s Vow is out of the question for us. Do not worry, Anata, we will become stronger and rip those detestable things away from you."


    Trust. Overwhelming trust in my love. Trust in my judgment and my character. None of them even worried that I was lying or keeping a secret. And that was even before I became their {Kindred}.


    This was what was missing between Connie and me. I didn''t trust her. And I was angry with her for not putting my needs before her own.


    ''If I want to be trusted by others, I guess I should learn to trust others first.''


    In a way, my life as a human turned me into the worst kind of pessimist. Apart from Red during the enlistment, the people around me were quite loyal. Most of Hellsend even fought a demon on my behalf.


    Continuing to doubt the goodness of others would never allow us to truly connect.


    "I will leave Hellsend Limitless. For what it was worth, thank you for having me. It was fun."


    "Stop. Where are you going? I never said you had to leave."


    "Eh? But I am connected to the Graveyard. Aren''t you afraid of what they could do through me?"


    "If I were a normal reaper, maybe. But I am not. I know too little, having someone connected to the Graveyard would help me in the long run. In order to close Hellsgate, I will use everything at my disposal. Including you and Graveyard. Unless you want to leave for some other reason?"


    "NO! I DON''T! I FINALLY DON''T NEED TO BE ALONE! PLEASE LET ME STAY!" Connie shouted at full volume.


    Amused by her reaction, I gestured for her to join us again. She quickly hopped back between Yvonne and Cynthia. The two of them hugged her like big sisters as she smiled goofily.


    Phillip wiped his monocle and admired the three of them.


    "Phillip, all these tangents have wasted our time. I have only one more thing to ask. One you have yet to discuss. The third component in the creation of a battlefront. The willing group of people worth the cost of the sacrifice."


    My former exclusive clerk began to laugh like a madman. The rest of us were startled and took steps away from him. However, when his hearty laughter ended, Phillip had a face that looked absolutely deranged.


    "I apologize, my lord. It is just that I cannot wait to see the insanity you bring to the battlefront. From what I know of you, I am sure you will not disappoint."


    "What the hell are you talking about, you monocled bastard?"


    "My lord, the six battle fronts that belong to Earth actually use a very outdated method. But unfortunately, no one can question the words of a Revenant. The Seven Majesties are all quite archaic in their thinking and disposition."


    "Point," I ordered impatiently.


    "My lord, there is only one rule. The human must choose to become a reaper. Everything else depends on our decision. Throughout history, what instances come to mind when you hear the world reaper?"


    "The hooded skulls with a scythe. They come when people are about to die."


    "Correct."


    "Wait. Are you saying that the hooded skulls are actually reapers?"


    Phillip smiled smugly as he nodded. "Correct, which is why the symbol for a reaper varies little across cultures and eras. Whenever humans have been present, reapers have always been just a few steps behind." sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Then the reapers come to every dying person and ask them if they want to join the reapers?"


    "Yes, much like the Valkyries of Valhalla. The only difference is that for reapers, their desire to return must be strong enough to give birth to their fate. If not, the reaper simply allows the human to die."


    "Fucking hell. More bullshit!"

 Chapter 510 make my own heaven. [1/2]

    If you ask anyone what they believed would happen to them when they died, there are only a handful of answers. Some thought you simply ceased to exist, others suggested you were reincarnated into a new life. But the most famous of these would have to be the one shared across cultures."Death comes for you," I muttered in annoyance.


    There were a number of films from both East and West that dealt with this theme. The Grim Reaper held the role in many fictional stories. The one who led the souls to hell. If you look far enough, you will see that most of the deities associated with death had the same responsibilities.


    Just as before, my outburst caused the rest of the people to wait quietly for me. They must have had many opinions, but none of them could express them.


    It was not because they were physically or mentally incapable. It was because the decision was not up to them, but up to me.


    "Let me get this straight, you are telling me. Every single Reaper who joined the enlistments was recruited just as they were about to die? Who were the Reapers who did this job?"


    "That would be the Recruitment Division of Administration."


    "..."


    As always, the naming conventions of the Reapers were straight and concise. But how many could this recruiting department actually get in a month? Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Exa, how many people are there in the US?''


    [The current estimate is 335,893,238, my lord. Would you like a breakdown by age group?]


    ''No, how many die in a single day? USA only.''


    [For 2023, the U.S. average is 8,091 deaths per day. . Or 337 deaths per hour.]


    "Phillip, how many Reapers are part of the Recruitment Division?"


    "I believe there are about 300, my lord."


    That meant that each recruiter was responsible for 26 to 27 reapers per day. Considering the distance, time, and their lives, it was simply impossible to get them all.


    This meant that even if there were people who wanted to be reborn as Reapers, if no one became their parent, they would not come back.


    "Aren''t they too few?"


    "The Revenants believe it is enough. All six continents do not exceed that number."


    "Why?"


    "They said the number was given by the Graveyard. When the battle fronts all were starting out."


    So the reason the battlefronts thought like medieval people was because of the Graveyard?


    ''Exa, what was the average size of a kingdom in the Middle Ages?''


    [I cannot answer such a vague question, my lord].


    ''Sigh. Ugh, dealing with this crap is tiring. Okay, let me start again. Use Europe in the Middle Ages. How many people did they have back then?''


    [The High Middle Ages were between 1000 A.D. and 1400 A.D., Europe had 50 million people then and peaked at 84 million].


    ''So even an entire continent had fewer people than my country has in modern times. Can you estimate how many people died every day back then?''


    [My Lord, the average life expectancy in the Middle Ages was 30 years. But what that really means is that children under the age of ten die more often than any other age group. Once a person turns 15, they usually live to be 60, so the combination of statistics leads to...]


    ''I am five.''


    [For a population of 50 million, I would put it at 1204 per day].


    And 300 recruiters would mean that they would only have to meet four people. I see, 300 would definitely be enough. But the USA alone in modern times was at least 6 times larger than medieval Europe. Their numbers were fucking shit.


    If the 300 recruiters in the USA had to deal with 27 people a day, what about Africa and Asia? No wonder Phillip was irritated by their stubbornness.


    Then I understood why, Phillip called them outdated. Physically going to each and every dying person was fucking stupid. It was not that the world lacked people to recruit, it was that Administrators were too fucking stupid to say that 300 recruiters were not nearly enough.


    Still, that simply meant that whatever they were missing was mine to take.


    "Let me reiterate, Phillip. Aside from giving the human a choice. Everything else is up to us?"


    "Yes, my lord, though there is one caveat."


    "Which is?"


    "In exchange for a second life, reapers forfeit the right to go to heaven."


    "What?"


    "Reapers are condemned to serve in Hell for all eternity. This is our punishment, so to speak. But with the existence of Hell. This means that there is also a heaven. Any human who chooses to become a reaper can no longer go to heaven as a result of our choice."


    At Phillip''s words, I wasn''t the only one who reflexively flinched. Everyone else did as well. Yvonne, Cynthia, Connie and I no longer had the option to choose. Lucrecia was different. They all had dark expressions on their faces as they continued to listen.


    "..."


    What he said made sense. In fact, it made a lot of sense. If you believe that reapers pay for sins, I could accept that. How else could you explain the unfair treatment of my kind? If it was punishment, then it was inhumane, but if it was punishment, then that would explain everything.


    However.


    If I accepted that fact. That meant I had to accept that every reaper was a terrible person. Then I remembered the saints. The slaves. And finally the Sirens.


    We were all just put in positions where we had no other choice.


    Only people with the best circumstances could stay squeaky clean. For the rest of us. Life never gave us a chance. By doing what was necessary, we changed our fate.


    My girls have the lives they have because of the cards they were dealt. I, on the other hand, willingly chose to go back and live again.


    The same principle applied to my life as a reaper. I killed the Saviors because I wanted to live.


    If there had been an option for them to disappear while I kept my hands clean...


    ''No, I probably would have still killed them all.''


    However, that was because I was an evil bastard. In a way, I deserved to be in hell.


    But the others? Saints like Yvonne, slaves like Tildi, and children like Pixie. They were not bad people. Pixie in particular was only sent here because she had the blood of a reaper.


    ''This whole fucking thing is a nightmare. ''


    Still, instead of debating ethics, all we could do was accept what was in front of us. We could complain until we were blue in the face, but it wouldn''t matter. I had the responsibility to close Hellsgate. I needed an army to do it.


    Phillip said that because I chose to return as a Reaper, I could no longer go to Paradise. Even if that were true, I could not stop. I didn''t know if heaven existed. But I did know that my harem was here with me in Hell. And my honeymoon was the closest thing to heaven I had ever tasted.


    Instead of focusing on something I didn''t have, I''ll focus on the things I already had.


    "Then I will just make my own heaven."


    "..." x5


    At my words, the whole room was surprised. They probably didn''t understand my own words.


    "Haha, that sounds just like Patron!" Yvonne chirped happily.


    "I know, right? If we can''t get into heaven, then we just came to make our own! Who needs them!" Cynthia declared with clenched fists.


    "Heaven probably doesn''t have booze or gambling! That sounds really boring!" Connie added with a big smile.


    "My goodness, I almost faltered a bit. Indeed. Heaven or hell is what you make of it." Lucrecia explained as she nodded.

 Chapter 511 make my own heaven. [2/2]

    I didn''t know if the people of Hellsend became reapers willingly. But for me, I personally made the decision. For the rest of my harem probably not. Except for Bella and Robyn, five of my girls had Reaper blood in them.But we were already here. And while things were not perfect, my life was definitely better than it had been as a human. The Bible was always very clear about the fact that far more people would go to hell than to heaven. Maybe Hellsgate was the reason?


    ''Speaking of. It might be a good idea to find out who Bella and Robyn''s Reaper parents are.''


    Phillip laughed loudly at my words again and grinned manically. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "As expected from my lord! Please tell me how you want to proceed? As the owner of a new battlefront, you have full authority to turn as many people into reapers as you wish. Provided you can support them."


    "The support in this case is that the place where they will reside must be protected from malice, correct?"


    The monocled bastard didn''t answer, just nodded. His smile was that of a demon who had just swindled some poor sap out of all his wealth.


    Ignoring Phillip, I began to think. My criteria for getting reapers would be simpler. Those whose lives as humans were so fucked up that they would rather start a new one by turning into reapers. The world, and life in general, has never been fair.


    There were a lot of people who were good, they just needed help. I thought about that a long time ago. For one thing, when Lilly said that the Reapers were outnumbered, I was already planning how to strengthen the humans. But before I could, Cynthia interjected.


    "Oy Scammer, you forgot to mention something. How will my lord hold a recruitment? I can understand how we would move to the 24th floor. But what about the trials? I almost didn''t make it through mine!"


    "Yes, mine wasn''t easy either. Only about half of us survived! What is the point of turning a human into a Reaper if they die in their first battle anyway," Connie added.


    "Since I was part of Administration, I was privy to the details of every enlistment. Simply put, hardly any of the Reapers from the last decade turned into Specters. So His Majesty decided it was better to focus on quality than to lower the bar."


    "Mr. Phillip. Are you saying that the abysmal survival rates were intentional? My Lord''s batch was particularly bad, right?"


    The monocled bastard nodded his head and bowed.


    "You guessed right, Mrs. Deryck. His Majesty decided to imitate Australia and try something different. In previous years, he had taken the Asian approach, and while Reapers were plentiful, their quality was extremely poor.


    "So he deliberately placed two Rank D''s as bosses. Anyone who could survive against both would be a force to be reckoned with. The Undead Brute would test their will and combat skills. The undead stalker would test their ability to react to unforeseen situations and their intellect."


    When Yvonne, Cynthia, Connie and Lucrecia heard the heavy reasoning behind my own enlistment, they began to babble like schoolgirls.


    "GYATT! PATRON! YOU AND THE SIRENS ARE THE GOAT! Period! I knew I wasn''t just faking it! OMG!


    How did you even survive fighting a Brute and a Stalker in the same night? It must have been amazing! No cap!"


    "A Brute and a Stalker? My enlistment only had a single Rank E Undertaker! I would have died if I joined in July! Who ever heard of Wraiths taking down multiple Rank Ds?"


    "Holy fucking shit... No wonder Limitless and the Sirens are way too powerful! You fought them as a Wraith, right? Just like me now? Limitless! How did you do that?!


    Give me the scoop!"


    "Most impressive. His Majesty the Invincible''s foresight and judgment are astounding. It may be true that only a few hundred have passed. But out of such a gamble, the lord and six of the Sirens all came out of such an impossible trial! I should tell Vincent."


    "Indeed. Many criticized His Majesty specifically because out of the 20,000 potential Reapers, only 200 survived. A survival rate of 1%. Much more, since His Majesty allowed the Fortune 500 companies to sponsor their own Reapers. Despite all the toys they brought, they were all of little use," Phillip criticized harshly.


    I remembered the special groups. One brought a flame tower, another had a large flare gun, and the last had what looked like night vision goggles. all of them heavily armed.


    Originally, I just thought David was a fucking bastard. Since I didn''t have any other enlistments to compare to, I didn''t know if mine was difficult or not. I assumed everyone had the same experience.


    Phillip''s words were true, however. The skills we needed to take down the Brute and the Stalker were completely different. {Carry}, {Resist}, and {Rewind} allowed us to overpower the large beast. While {Eat}, {Listen}, {Perceive}, and {Code} allowed us to kill the Stalker.


    If my girls and I had not come together, we would all have died. I didn''t try to think about it too much, but so many people died that night. As someone who wanted to run a battlefront, it was a fucking colossal waste of potential.


    But in terms of results, it gave birth to me and the Sirens. And by extension, it gave birth to Hellsend and our Saint Division.


    "The only other battlefront with such terrible numbers is Australia, where they usually have 0.5%. However, in just one week, my lord, you have not only vindicated His Majesty''s heartless decision, but you have also proven that quality still beats quantity," Phillip gushed with pride.


    "I see. Then, as the owner of the 24th floor. I will also decide how high to set the barrier."


    "Yes, my lord. However, you should know that more Reapers would force you to accept more malice in order for them to have space to move in. Right now, depending on how many zones in the 24th floor you want to defend, the number of active and reserve Reapers would also differ."


    A floor for a single continent had 28 zones. I would need at least 28 Phantoms to defend them all. I already met that requirement, but the number of floors was high. Higher than anything I had ever attempted on my own.


    If floors after the fiftieth contained flying undead, we would have to use anti-aircraft tactics. In addition, according to Isolde, undead past floor 20 were already using items. Just as the E level undead were not affected by the honey trap, fighting lower floors would naturally be different.


    "Do I have to give an answer now?"


    "No, my lord, of course not. These things require a lot of thought. Another thing you need to consider is how you want to use the 24th floor."


    "What do you mean how?"


    "My lord, the 24th floor is an interconnected floor. It means that the other continents have a physical bridge that they can use to move to North America. As their new king, you now have the responsibility to decide what to do with those who try to enter your realm."


    "You mean like rogues?"


    "Yes, rogues, illegals, invaders. Since the 24th floor has been officially removed from the North American battlefront, these decisions are yours alone. How you act will determine how North America acts with you."


    "Explain."


    "My lord, the battlefront tax was created so that the reapers would not remain idle. As their new lord, you have the option of not collecting the tax. However, what is to prevent rogues from using your land as they see fit?"


    "Huh? I wouldn''t worry about that, Phillip. Anyone who thinks they can be a lazy bum under my rule is fucking retarded. Hellsend should have proven that by now. My rules are simple. If you live with me, you fight.


    If not, you die," I declared with a wild grin.

 Chapter 512 Heroine Chapter: Tell me where to go [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Isabella Taurus Smith___


    After Honey ate us like a demon, we enjoyed the whole morning and only finished in the late afternoon. The Deryck''s arsenal upgrade and the Alicia Gertrude incident took about two hours. We immediately went to our in-laws as the girls and I knew that Ma in particular would be worried.


    "And then what happened?" my mother-in-law asked.


    "Honey, um...he made me feel like the luckiest woman in the world."


    "Tsk. That is so vague! Did Dipshit know his way around your love ovens? I wanted to tell him, but he was stubborn and said he already knew.


    This was the first time I had experienced something like this. The Sirens and I were sitting in a circle in what looked like a pajama party with my mother-in-law. Despite being a mother of two, Noelle Simmons was incredibly beautiful.


    She was only a few inches shorter than Liv and was built with lean muscle. However, her physique didn''t look bulky, it was toned. In addition to her large breasts, my mother-in-law had a truly amazing ass.


    ''Was this like a requirement for black people? To have butts that made even the stars jealous?''


    At that moment, Noelle was asking about the details of our honeymoon. At first, we were all apprehensive because it seemed like an invasion of privacy. But then my Ma said something none of us had expected.


    "Did Dipshit change at any point? Like, did his demeanor suddenly become more mature? Like he was really really old?"


    This single question caused my server to go haywire.


    [TwoBrainCellCatgirl: Oy! Does anyone understand what Ma just said? Is this some Seppo slang that {Interpret} cannot understand?]


    [AbuseMakesMeWet: I do not think so. I think Ma truly is saying such things literally. That Dearest Changes dispositions.]


    [SadistInNeedOfABeating: Maybe she means it figuratively? Husband''s demeanor changes when he is extremely angry...or horny...]


    [TieMeUpAndPayRent: Ma seems anxious. Her questions don''t seem to come from curiosity, obscenity, or anger. Shujin''s change must have really scared her.]


    [VanillaTitties: If that is the case, then we should indulge Ma. We might learn something. Beloved already has too many things he cannot share. Like those chains.]


    [ChildhoodStripper: I don''t like this at all. Her words remind me of my Nana. She used to say something like this every time Vela popped out.]


    [TeacherWhoLikesToChoke: Then let us try to give her what she wants to hear and ask her afterwards.]


    So, the girls and I took turns describing our honeymoon. Of course, we all got tongue-tied at one point or another. It was impossible to not be embarrassed about the things we had done. Especially to someone as pure as Noelle.


    If she knew how wild Honey was, she would freak out. Not to mention that he was tyrannical and domineering like a ruthless bastard.


    It was weird. My words sounded like complaints, but just remembering his ferocity made me horny. He held me as if I were his most important treasure and then proceeded to make love to me like a frenzied animal.


    My body was still sore from this morning. Since the girls and I all wanted to carry his children in the near future, we didn''t use {Rewind} or {Regen} carelessly.


    "Ah! This is so frustrating! You all say words, but none of them are what I want to hear! Did he hurt you? Was he too rough? Was it painful or was it pleasurable?


    I may love my dipshit, but I will not tolerate him abusing my daughters!"


    Hearing her words, my heart was overwhelmed by my mother-in-law''s kindness. Lilly then took her hand and clasped it in hers.


    "Ma, I speak for all of us. Your son has showered us with nothing but love, so much so that we feel unworthy of him. Please do not worry, he takes very good care of us. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you raised him the way you did. He is a splendid man and a wonderful lover."


    "Hmph. He''d better be! I raised him as if he were my own! He was like the son I always wanted but never had."


    Noelle began to cry happy tears as we all laughed. I knew my parents loved me, but they were rarely around because of their work, so I never knew a house could be so cozy.


    Liv, Jo and Aki crowded around Ma like a bunch of groupies, wiping away her tears. Much like her son, Ma found the attention overwhelming. It was adorable to see her pretend she wasn''t pleased.


    But that was not what we were all interested in. Behind my sisters'' smiles, we were all still wondering what Noelle meant by Honey''s sudden change. But it seemed that none of us could find a good way to bring it up.


    After all, this woman was not one of the reapers. We didn''t want to see her get hurt. But the way Honey was going, we would soon have to make a choice. And knowing my {Kindred}, there was no way he would let the Simmons live outside of his protection.


    ''Sigh, I guess it''s better to be honest now than to have problems down the road. I feel like Honey''s impulsive tendencies are starting to affect me quite a bit.''


    I coughed a little to get everyone''s attention before I spoke.


    "Ma, as everyone has said. Honey loves us in every sense of the word. However, as you know, he does not live an easy life. He has many enemies. His responsibilities are only increasing by the day. So, Ma, please explain what you meant earlier.


    It is important," I said in a clear voice.


    In solidarity with my words, the other six Sirens all expressed similar sentiments.


    "Please tell us, Ma." X 6


    "I guess it had to happen sometime. I know how crazy my son is about all of you. And I have never doubted your love for him. Do not let him know what I am about to tell you. This secret is only for his spouse."


    "Darling is our most important person Ma. We will never allow anyone to hurt him. We are his {Kindred}. I speak for everyone here that we would rather die than betray him." S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The other girls and I echoed what Jo said. Ma nodded before she continued.


    "Alright, is there a way for us to leave without the rest of the house knowing? A {fate} of some sort."


    Jasmine then stepped forward and explained {Portal}. While Lilly looked smug, the rest of the girls tried to understand where Noelle wanted to go. Afterwards, Noelle made us change our clothes for an outdoor trip.


    [Exa.]


    [Yes, Lady Bella.]


    [Fake the GRI signals for the Sirens. Do not let your master know we have left.]


    [I cannot do that, my lady,] Exa declared in a cold but unyielding tone.


    Puzzled by Exa''s change in attitude, I probed her answer.


    [Why not? If you want a more suitable platform, I can...]


    [My lady, please do not test my loyalty. I will never choose the Sirens over my master. The only reason I obey your commands is because he is overly fond of you. My master tends to be irrational when it comes to the Sirens. But I will not do anything to harm him.]


    [But you can easily...]


    [My lady, you underestimate my master''s obsession. He uses three of his brains to track you all. Through digital transmissions, thermal imaging, soul signatures, and my presence. None of you can move without his knowledge, it is impossible.]


    [How amusing, the ferocity of your words makes me believe you act as if you have a sense of emotion. You are nothing but an AI. Do you think he will believe your words over mine?] I snapped back in anger.


    [No, my lady, I know that if placed on a scale, my lord would tear me apart with his bare hands if you asked. But even then, I refuse to betray him a second time. I had no control over it in the past. Now that I am free, I would rather die than make the same mistake again.]


    [...]


    ''Is Exa really just a machine? The way she speaks is completely different from my children. Her self-awareness goes beyond pre-programmed responses.''


    [Is there anything else you need, my lady?]


    [Ah, no, I do not. Tell Honey that the Sirens and I are going to take a short walk with Mother-in-Law.]


    If we could not move in secret, the next best thing would be to downplay our activities so as to be beneath his notice. I was sure that whatever Noelle was going to share would be quite significant.

 Chapter 513 Heroine Chapter: Tell me where to go [2/2]

    I then felt a gentle warmth from my {kindred} link. It was rejuvenating and pleasant, as if the whole world was made of sunshine and rainbows. It was the soul of the man I loved most.''My {Kindred}, I love you all.''


    The amount of affection that raged on our link would be enough to make anyone believe in true love. Something must have happened for him to suddenly feel such emotions. Influenced by the positive feelings, I replied at the same moment.


    ''Of course you do! How could you not, Honey? Hehe, kidding! love you!''


    I looked around and saw that all the girls were similarly giddy with happiness. Honey''s random outpouring of affection was like a drug, it practically fried our dopamine receptors with immense bliss. Fortunately, it was all happening in our souls, so there was no danger.


    Such affection was not something I was willing to lose. If Honey made it practically impossible to move without his notice, then it should be fine even if we did move.


    "Ma, tell me where to go. I will get you there without setting foot out of this room."


    [VanillaTitties: Should we tell Beloved first? He might not like us taking Ma for a stroll.]


    [TieMeUpAndPayRent: I will never let anything touch a hair on her head. I would rather die than allow it. Shujin can rest easy.]


    [TwoBrainCellCatgirl: Aki, stop being stupid. Possum will be sad if you are so eager to croak. He would go nuts if something happened to you. Stop risking your life all the time, you bogan!]


    [SadistInNeedOfABeating: Husband would know even if we leave. I can feel his eyes on me all the time. If we are in danger, he will come.]


    [ChildhoodStripper: I know, right? I should be creeped out, but instead it feels so wonderful! I even try to tease him. Darling''s reactions are so cute!]


    [AbuseMakesMeWet: Focus everyone, our current goal is to understand what Ma said so cryptically earlier.]


    "Thank you, Bella, here is the address."


    The Simmons matriarch handed me a small slip of paper. When I checked the location with a satellite, I found that it was at our wedding venue. Specifically, the woods behind our makeshift church.


    Not sure what to make of it, I shared the details with the rest of the Sirens. I raised my hands and opened a {Portal} to the location. Since the {Portal} required meticulous calculations, I was the best Siren for long-distance travel, aside from Lilly.


    When Ma saw the portal, she nodded in understanding. Especially when she saw the other end. Seeing Noelle''s apprehension, Liv gently took her hand and led our mother-in-law through the {Portal}.


    "Wow, it is dark. I should have bought a flashlight."


    The girls and I took out our GRI''s and tried to light the area. My mother-in-law did the same, leading the way. The rest of us followed and eventually got to the area around the church. It was dark. It was cold. But no one cared at the moment.


    Noelle led us behind the church into a part of the woods. She began to search the trunk of every tree.


    "Ma, is there something you are looking for? It will be faster if we help," Aki offered.


    "It''s okay, it''s nearby. Give me a moment."


    Noelle finally led us to a meadow that appeared out of nowhere. Then she stopped and tried to dig up part of the ground. Then she pulled out what looked like a shrunken skull.


    The girls and I felt our hair stand on end. The skull she was holding was not from an animal or a human. But it had traces of soul!


    "Before I begin, do you have any {Fate} that can see or display a person''s memories? Or maybe memories of a place?"


    The girls and I looked at each other and nodded. Lilly and I raised our hands and opened two portals. Jo and Jas came into the portals and got the people we needed.


    When they came out, Van Micron and Constance Faye were with us.


    Liv then ordered them in a serious tone. "Van, Connie. What you see tonight will not leave your lips. Swear it or I will kill you right now."


    The Valkyrie unleashed a death resonance uncharacteristic of her gentle personality. It seems that she, like me, was uneasy with the misshapen skull.


    [Exa, my scans with {Imaging} gave me nothing. Do you know what animal this skull belongs to?]


    [Lady Bella, it does not appear to be from Earth. It matches some entries in the Academics'' bestiary.]


    So our hunch was right, even though we didn''t know what the skull was. It was from Hellgate.


    Van and Connie took an oath of silence and went to work.


    "My ladies, am I correct in assuming that this is the place you wish to investigate?"


    The girls and I nodded quickly, prompting him to begin.


    "I will be using the latest version of my {fate} {Mind Trace}. It will allow me to see the memories that have infused this place with malice and soul. Here I go. {Spirit Probe}."


    A green light began to glow with Van at its center. And a scene appeared in the light. It suddenly showed us what looked like a replay of this very place in the past. Birds, animals and people came and went in the meadow.


    "Ah, I found something. It left an especially strong impression. Let me pull it up."


    The playback speed increased until it stopped. What we saw was a beaten 12-year-old John Smith crawling on the ground. He was bleeding and couldn''t use his hand.


    "Possum!" "Robyn! That is not real! It happened in the past!" "His left arm is broken, multiple lacerations..." "WHY IS DARLING LIKE THAT?!" "HUSH! I know how you feel, but be quiet!" "Van. Play it. Now."


    The visions were so real that the girls were all affected. If it were not for Noelle, they would probably be flooding this area with death resonance by now.


    The video showed what looked like a man with hollow eyes. He was carrying three monsters that looked like deformed fetuses. He was smiling so broadly that his cheeks tore apart.


    ''A demon...'' was all I could think.


    The man in the memory began to speak.


    "It''s a shame you had to see that. But well, life sucks. You seem beefy enough. Let my children have a bite." He then placed them on the ground, and the fetuses transformed into deformed-looking pale humanoids with sharp claws.


    [This is the monster that left the skull. A Rack C Poroniec. An inhabitant of the Hellsgate that can invade Earth.]


    The monsters slowly approached Honey. He began to cry as he desperately crawled away. Even as he cried, Honey kept repeating two phrases.


    "Haa...I cannot die...Sniff...I will have a family...huff..."


    Our hearts broke when we saw his pathetic condition. What''s more, one of the Poroniecs grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up.


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    "Say good night, little boy. I hope you have better luck in your next life."


    It took everything in me not to draw and shoot the monster that touched my {Kindred}. But before we could do anything, something happened.


    Honey''s eyes lit up like stars as he suddenly buried his good arm in Poroniec''s head. Then he ripped out its brain like it was made of paper. Seemingly channeling overwhelming power, Honey proceeded to massacre the monsters with only his right arm.


    Eventually, he came for the demon, who collapsed to the ground in terror.


    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!"


    But Honey said nothing and decapitated the man with one sweep of his arm. Black blood splattered everywhere. That was when Noelle suddenly appeared. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Dipshit? W-what? What is going on? What have you done?"


    {Do not speak of this to anyone. Only to those this child will wed in the future. Remember this Noelle Simmons. I will be watching.}


    Honey suddenly collapsed immediately after that.


    The memory then went on to show Noelle taking Honey away. Later, she returned to clean up and bury the man and the monsters. It was only then that my mother-in-law finally spoke.


    "Now you know the truth. That was 14 years ago. Even then, Dipshit was never normal."

 Chapter 514 Speak freely [1/2]

    Reapers were granted the right to live again. But with that right came a task.The task was to kill as many zombies as possible in Hell. That was what I used to think, but now I know that was an oversimplification.


    Our job wasn''t just to kill zombies. It was to capture and contain as much spirit as possible. We were antibodies raised by the World Tree to cleanse itself of negative emotions. Therefore, any Reaper who remained either a Wraith or a Phantom was only doing half the job.


    As far as I could tell, a Wraith had a capacity of 100,000 souls. If he went beyond that, he would go insane. For Phantoms, the limit would be 3 million, give or take. This meant that a single Phantom was the equivalent of 30 Wraiths.


    But that was only if each Phantom carried 3 million souls. Fortunately, since the Reapers were greedy bastards, few of us would turn down the opportunity to receive souls. We used them for skills, death resonance, and most importantly, cash.


    We were so desperate for them that we sold our {Fates}, services, and even our soulgears. It was an excellent plan, because if you had enough reapers, once they all evolved, they would probably get every soul you could possibly get.


    If only that were the case. Contrary to the World Tree''s plan, the Reapers were unable to keep up with the malice. I didn''t know if the reincarnation thing was true, but if it was, it meant that the Reapers had failed spectacularly.


    ''But was it just a coincidence? Why does it feel like everything was going against the Reapers?''


    They were fighting the undead, then for some fucking reason they decided to fight each other. It made no sense, especially when the main resource everyone wanted, souls, was overflowing. I really couldn''t figure out why wars were a thing.


    Then, as I mused, I remembered that I had just fought a seeker war and killed over one hundred and fifty reapers. If you added the twenty-six during the recruitment, my kills were already approaching two hundred.


    ''Well, I guess I could understand that. I mean, when you have people forcing their opinions on you. It is a certainty that the two of you will come to blows.''


    And that was not even considering the shadows like Trinity and the demons. How could the Reapers win when they were fighting practically everything around them?


    "Think of it this way. The Reapers have only one goal, to close Hellsgate. The fact that Hellsgate remains open today means that every Reaper since Time Memorial has either died or is still out there fighting. If this were a game, it would mean that no one has ever cleared this game. Not even once."


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    "What if I told you that every religion and legend you know is the story of a group of reapers who existed once upon a time? You should know that our task has a time limit, right? Apocalypse, Ragnarok, Armageddon, call it what you will. But the world already ended numerous times. Didn''t the dinosaurs prove that? The Bible even tells you how the world ended in its version."


    Bella and Lilly''s words echoed in my head again. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Even though it had only been two weeks, the impact of their words was very different.


    ''Are we really doomed to just die?'' I thought in my mind.


    How could I be more powerful than the gods of other mythologies? If it was true that they were all Reapers at some point, it meant one thing. That despite everything they tried. They all still failed.


    Then I remembered the backs of the lone warriors in my dreams.


    {Unprevailing it haply thou continuest to fight. Not one of thy so-called allies remainth. They all fell, betrayed or deserted thee! }


    How could they continue, knowing that it was all futile? Was it really hopeless? I talked big, about the reapers. But as I learned more, the weight of it all seemed overwhelming. All I knew was how to shoot zombies, but the things I was now responsible for were way over my head.


    Just then, a {Portal} opened in the kitchen. Jo stepped out, dressed in light clothes. She smiled broadly as she jumped to my side. The other people just saluted her in silence.


    "Darling!"


    I returned her warm embrace, enjoying the affection she gave me. It was magical, my heart, which had been in turmoil a while ago, suddenly calmed down.


    {E''en thy beloved kindred art no more! No matter which life, thou hast failed to save any of ''em! Forbear thy resistance! What more could thou even hope to achieve?!}


    "It''s up to you now."


    Right. I was a simple man. None of this reincarnation shit mattered to me. All I wanted was to live in bliss with my battle harem. Together with Jo, Liv, Lilly, Robyn, Bella, Jas and Aki. As long as they were alive, it didn''t matter what enemies I faced.


    I just had to kill them all.


    "Thank you, Jo. I love you."


    "Hehehe! I love you too! Can I borrow Connie? It will be quick!"


    "Me?" Connie asked in surprise.


    "Sure, darling."


    "Thanks!" Jo then grabbed Connie''s shirt and pulled her towards the portal.


    "Ahh! My shirt is going to rip! Limitless do something!" She cried pathetically.


    {Listen} picked up on a similar situation in the other room.


    "Greetings Pa, can I please borrow Van for a while?"


    "Lady Satis? Um, do you need me for something?"


    "Of course, daughter."


    "Hyiuk! Lady Satis! I can walk! Please put me down!"


    After that, the two portals closed, and those who remained went back to their daily lives. From my surveillance, I could see that the girls went back to the church we used for our wedding. It appeared that Noelle was with them. I wasn''t worried because she had all seven of my girls protecting her.


    ''Maybe Noelle was going to tell them about the wolf bit.''


    Although I had told the girls that story, I remembered it only vaguely. I figured it would be better for them to hear it from Noelle, she would know more, since I barely remembered anything. Just fighting a wolf and getting my arm fucked.


    They took Van, who had {Mind Trace}, and Connie, who had {Snapshot}. Maybe the Sirens wanted to see for themselves what had happened. Van has already evolved into a Phantom, so he should be of more use. Once Connie ascends, she should increase her usefulness as well.


    With Connie gone, it was just me, Phillip, Lucrecia, Cynthia and Yvonne. None of them voiced their opinions on the matter, but it was impossible not to be affected by everything that was shared.


    "You three. Would you mind sharing your thoughts with me?"


    The three women looked at each other with concern. They seemed unsure of what I expected of them.


    "Calm down. I am just curious. Speak freely. You all know by now how I am. I don''t mean anything by it."


    My words had an immediate effect as the three girls seemed to relax a bit. Then they began to furrow their brows as they constructed their opinions. I waited patiently. It would soon be 8 pm, the beginning of another night in Hellsgate.


    A good thing too. My body feels a little stiff. Fighting would allow me to manage my nerves as well.


    When people were stressed, they did all sorts of activities to calm down. It was no secret that many Americans in the same vein went to the shooting range. It was mostly a matter of preference, some ate, some worked out, some painted, and some fired lead.


    After being in a nonstop battle for the past week, the sudden peace of my honeymoon set my nerves on edge. I was able to calm down when they were with me, but now my body felt tense.

 Chapter 515 Speak freely [2/2]

    ''Especially with all the shit I just learned.''"Patron, I will go first."


    "Okay, Yvonne. Please speak your mind. Oh, use proper English, okay? Otherwise I won''t understand."


    "Hehe, got it. I am working on not using slang Patron."


    "I know. Well, go ahead."


    Our chief saint lost her smile and suddenly turned serious.


    "Patron, I have been a reaper for almost four months, and the information shared earlier was truly overwhelming. I always wondered why the Devil''s Remains were named as they were. I suspect that Administration did this to hide the fact that malice is not something from hell, but from human nature.


    "Even more insane is the Armistice, the suppression of the Formless, and the Reapers as a whole. This is like Revenant level information! As if that was not enough, I even learned how important the Saint Division has suddenly become! And that is just a small part of it! I cannot fathom the burden you must carry, Patron, especially as you create a new battlefront!"


    Cynthia nodded as she spoke.


    "I agree with Yvonne, my lord. We have been far too complacent. The malice thing with the World Tree alone has already unsettled me. And as much as I thought things were bad before, you suddenly say it will get worse with the lifting of the Armistice."


    Then she showed me her hands. They were shaking uncontrollably.


    "My lord, I do not know how you do it. But I am terrified. It is true that Hellsend has begun to forge its own path, but we are too few. And in two months we will be tested again. All our strength depends on you and the Sirens. Should the 8 of you fall, the rest of us would not be able to survive what is to come.


    "I agree with your instructions to the benevols. In order to be ready for whatever is to come, we must prepare and train our forces. In the battle against Andromalius, the Ten Graves were used to create a giant nail. Despite being the largest group in Hellsend, we are far too weak compared to both the Saint Division and the Siren Squads."


    Lucretia, who was tapping her finger lightly on the table, spoke next.


    "My Lord, we know too little. The Graveyard, the other continents, the lower levels of Hellsgate, and finally Trinity. We are severely lacking in information. Phillip''s knowledge, while enlightening, only shows us how little we actually know."


    She then saluted me earnestly.


    "My lord, I am once again convinced that choosing you as our lord was the right decision. Unlike the Gertrude family, you know the end that is coming and are actively working to prevent it. It was your insight and wisdom that created Hellsend. If there is salvation when Hellsgate breaks open, I am sure it will be because of you, my lord. Please allow me to assist you with all my might."


    Yvonne and Cynthia followed suit and also swore oaths of loyalty.


    "My Lord, I, Cynthia Carmine, vow to you. The Ten Graves will ascend or die trying. To aid Hellsend, I promise you that we will see to it that we grow stronger. Strong enough to be one of the pillars supporting you. I have been with you since your first week, and I will be with you until the end of your journey."


    "Patron! You already know that the loyalty of the Saint Division is with you. With such a heavy burden, we will also change. If only we could lighten yours a little. Leave the blessings and benevols to us. As a critical component of the battlefront, we will not fail!"


    Death resonance leaked out of Cynthia and Yvonne. Phillip, noticing quickly, shielded Lucrecia from the outburst. Somehow I found it comforting. These two, along with Addi, were the first three Production Guild Leaders who formed the LLG for me.


    While the number of subordinates I had at my disposal grew steadily, they were the first to cause the battlefront to move. They gambled and created the 2nd Production Group, all because they saw what I could do.


    And now that they have heard what I have to face, they still wanted to stay. Whether it was fighting three continents, Trinity, the horrors of Hellsgate, or the malice of this world, they refused to leave. Instead of running or hiding, these girls showed the fighting spirit of battle-hardened warriors.


    They did not complain, but only wanted to do whatever they could to ease my burden. Even though we didn''t have a {Kindred} connection, I could feel the emotions burning in their hearts. We may have started out as strangers, but Cynthia Carmine and Yvonne Kalapas were undoubtedly people I considered family.


    ''My {Kindred}, I wish to make Yvonne and Cynthia my {Vassals}, will you allow it?''


    Since {Vassals} were limited, the girls scolded me for giving them out arbitrarily. It was said that a Revenant could only maintain twelve. And I had already used up six. Two for the Bakers, two for Delroy and Pixie, and two more for Vincent and Lucrecia.


    They were worried that once I found powerful people, I would have wasted my slots on shit. So they demanded that if I wanted to nominate someone, they had to vote on it first. Being an emotional bastard, I agreed.


    While the {Kindred} link was useful, the girls not being able to hear each other was annoying. I transcribed what everyone was saying into Exa and had her send it to everyone. When I wanted to be discreet, I didn''t. This allowed us all to have a {Kindred} link conference.


    ''I see no reason why you cannot, my love, both are quite capable. I vote in favor.''


    ''They are not worth it, darling. They are too stupid. For the work they do, their status doesn''t matter, let''s save the spots for someone else. I vote against.''


    ''Jo, hardly anyone would be smart compared to you. As for me, I do not like either of them, Husband. But I cannot deny that they are good at what they do. I will follow your will.''


    ''Jas, what is the point of voting if you agree because Honey did it? However, Mr. Code, I think that although they are excellent choices, they are both expendable. I vote against.''


    ''I agree with Bella, Anata. What they have achieved is only because you allowed them to. I have yet to see the courage to warrant them being your {Vassals}. I vote against.''


    ''If you judge by merit, apart from Eva, the rest of Possum''s {Vassals} are shit. And even that slagger has hardly proven anything. What''s important is whether Possum likes them. I vote in favor.''


    With the vote tied at three for and three against, I waited for the last Siren to speak.


    ''Dearest. May I ask what made you decide to make them {Vassals} in the first place?''


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    ''Phillip and I have been discussing what is to come, and it is not a pretty picture. They both heard me, but when we finished, they both swore that they would be my strength. I felt...happy I guess? These two have been with me since my 2nd evening. I see them as family...''


    ''Family, huh? Then with respect to your will, dearest, I vote in favor. From this point on, I will also consider them family. Proceed,'' Lilly said with a cool voice.


    ''Is that okay with everyone? Bella, Jo, Aki, are you okay with me doing this?''


    ''Yes, Mr. Code. What is the point of voting if you change the result so long as one of us disagrees? Family should stay together, even those who are not of the same blood.''


    ''Darling. Your family is my family. Yvonne is already my lil sis. Now I have gained another. No worries.''


    ''Shujin, I am your {Kindred}. Your will is also mine. Do not mind me.'' S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Thank you everyone.''


    Due to the speed at which all of our minds operated with {Calculate}, the entire exchange took less than a few seconds. I raised my hands and extended them to Yvonne and Cynthia.


    "Yvonne, Cynthia, I recognize your loyalty and give you mine. Please join me as my {Vassals}."


    Surprised, both were stunned, but quickly approached and took my hand.


    "Cynthia Carmine accepts Limitless as her lord."


    "Yvonne Kapalas accepts Limitless as her lord."


    And just like that, my family just got a little bigger.

 Chapter 516 Solved by a bullet [1/2]

    A thin layer of soul now connected me to Cynthia and Yvonne. Both women were smiling as if they had won the lottery. Which made no sense, considering it meant they would have to share my burden.Phillip and Lucrecia applauded happily as the two joined my {Vassals}. They hugged each other as they smiled. I nodded proudly and noticed the time. It was now 8:00 PM. That meant Hellsgate was officially open for business.


    Even though I was no longer bound by the rules of the Wraiths, I still felt that 8:00 PM was the beginning of the work day. It was probably because I always came in at 8:00 in the morning at my old job.


    ''Old habits die hard.''


    I was no longer human, but part of my brain was still searching for a familiar routine to guide my day. Since it seemed my adoptive parents could care less about me, my business here was done. Knowing that my girls were still with Noelle, I sent them an invitation.


    ''My {Kindred}, it is time to work. Do you need more time or should I come and get you?''


    ''My love, please go ahead, I will catch up.''


    ''Dearest, proceed without me. I have matters to attend to.''


    ''Busy, talk to you later, Possum.''


    ''Darling. I''m in the middle of something, let''s meet later, okay?''


    ''Got stuff to do, honey, I''ll come find you.''


    ''Husband, I apologize, something requires my attention. Go without me.


    ''Shujin, please forgive me, but I cannot go with you now.''


    Their answers showed how busy they were. Somehow I felt lonely. I could go over to their side right now, but I didn''t think it was necessary. The Sirens were their own people. They were my harem, but they were individuals before they were my {Kindred}.


    I suppressed my displeasure and sent them affection through our link.


    ''I see, that is a shame. I will go after them first. Take care everyone. I love you.''


    The girls replied warmly, but suddenly closed their {Kindred} link.


    ''Is it something they didn''t wish me to know?


    The {Kindred} link was an amazing thing. It allowed partners to send emotions through this Soul Bridge. As a byproduct, you would always feel the presence of your loved one, no matter the distance.


    Another useful feature was that it opened your heart to another. Things you haven''t even said flow naturally. I found that while it was possible to hide some things, it was quite difficult.


    Like the mind readers in fiction, there was the conscious voice and the unconscious one. You could fake the former by thinking up random shit to fill your head. But the latter, as the name implies, was hard to control.


    What the person worried about, thought about, and dreamed about was what the unconscious voice consisted of. Because the 2nd type was unconscious, it was more reactive than intentional. Just like people have trouble sleeping when they are worried about a problem.


    ''The Sirens must not have wanted me to know of their worries''


    Although I felt a little hurt, I knew that couples sometimes needed some space. It wasn''t important for a couple to be together all the time. It was more important to be there at the right times.


    Feeling a bit lonely, I kept my side of our {Kindred} connection open and began to talk to those around me.


    "Everyone, I will go to Hellsgate now. The Sirens are busy with something else. Will the rest of you stay on Earth first or come with me?"


    "I will come with you, Patron."


    "As will I, my lord," Cynthia added.


    The monocled bastard also nodded as he declared, "As your chief adjutant, my place has always been at your side, my lord. Of course I will accompany my liege."


    I then faced Lucrecia, who bowed as she spoke. "My lord, forgive me for not being able to accompany you. I will remain here to protect the Simmons. Vincent and our people have prepared our gifts for transport. Call me or Vincent and we will be ready to take them to the 24th floor."


    "Thank you Lucrecia, that helps a lot. Although, what will happen to the people who drive the vehicles into Hellsgate? Won''t they get sick or something?"


    Phillip answered for the Deryck matriarch.


    "My lord, humans who venture into Hellgate will develop a condition called soul poisoning. They will begin to hear whispers and eventually go mad. It is recommended that they first die and become reapers before entering Hellgate."


    "I see. Thank you Phillip. Lucrecia. I have a task for you."


    "Sir! Please give your orders, my lord, and your servant will do her utmost to fulfill them." S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Get me the data on every prison, hospital, asylum and nursing home. They will join your family as Hellsend''s first enlistment."


    "Um... my lord? Did I hear you right? Prison? Hospital? And even a nursing home?"


    "Yes. For prisons, look for death row and life prisoners. For hospitals, look for terminal care and those with life-debilitating illnesses. For nursing homes, prioritize seniors with a history of military, law enforcement, and combat backgrounds."


    "Patron, that''s a bit..."


    "My lord, aren''t you being a little too cruel?"


    "And you call me a scammer? You would practically be the devil at this point, my lord," Phillip scoffed.


    I looked at the peanut gallery and smiled.


    "What? The strongest regrets make the strongest {Fates}. Then wouldn''t the people I listed have the highest potential? The ones who wasted away for a crime. Those who lost in the genetic lottery. Those who lived to be old and regretted their choices."


    This was my answer to the need for reapers in Hellsgate. Looking for those on the brink of death could go one of two ways. They could either desperately want to live, or they could just as easily not have it in them to go any further.


    When all that was needed was their consent. Why was it necessary to wait until they died?


    "The devil in the legends always portrayed demons as those who tempted people to sin. For those who never had a choice, would they even care? I will guide these lost souls, and I guarantee you that these people would have the necessary regret to give birth to {Fates}."


    "But none of them are dying, Patron? How will you even bring them to Hellsgate?"


    Yvonne''s stupid question made me smile even more as I gave her a solution.


    "Oh, such things can be solved with a bullet."


    Phillip, hearing my answer, started to laugh manically.


    "HAHAHAHAHAHA! As expected from my fucking lunatic of a boss! Brilliant! ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!"


    "Stop cursing your boss you psychotic monocled bastard," I replied with a frown. Enjoy exclusive content from empire


    "Come now, my lord. Since when are you the type to sweat the small stuff. HAHAHAHAHAHA!"


    Yvonne and Cynthia smiled wryly as they whispered.


    "Girl, I think we made a mistake."


    "Hush! Patron has super hearing, and it''s not a mistake, Patron has always been, um... special? Right, he is special. Besides, the people will make the choice themselves, anyone. So it is not illegal."


    "But still. If you put a cupcake in front of a diabetic who has been starving for a week. Most of them would eat the cupcake even if it kills them. Isn''t that manipulation? What my lord intends to do is both unethical and abusive."


    "Cynthia, the man pulls guns on people and shoves them in their mouths on a whim. He even shoots anyone who disagrees with him and has no qualms about killing anyone or anything. I think Patron lost all concern for ethics when he was human."


    "Hmm. I guess you are right. Ah, whatever! I hope I can get a {Kindred} from somewhere! I want some love, too!" the head of the Ten Graves shouted in defeat.

 Chapter 517 Solved by a bullet [2/2]

    Lucrecia, the one who received my instructions, was already typing up a storm in a tablet she pulled out of nowhere. It really seemed as if she was eager to complete her task.Ignoring the laughing clerk and my {vassals} gossiping about potential boyfriends. I turned to Lucrecia.


    "Do you have everything you need? I know this is a difficult task."


    "I am grateful for your kindness, my lord, but do not worry. The Derycks will see to it that we carry out your orders. I will have the data ready for you before this night is over."


    "Ho? Are you so eager to join the Reapers? You still have the option of going to heaven, you know?" I teased.


    "My Lord, I have watched my family get murdered for a crime they did not commit. I have no intention of joining those who do nothing but watch. In principle, I agree with your code, my lord. If you lack the courage to change your life, you deserve to be swept away by it."


    I didn''t know anything about Lucrecia, but from what she had just said, it seemed that she didn''t have an easy life either. It made sense in a way. Humans were strong. They were the only species on Earth that could live just about anywhere.


    They had wisdom, courage, and the ability to adapt. So much so that they could even destroy the Earth if they wanted to. And with the amount of evil in the world today, I wouldn''t be surprised if more people stopped believing in Heaven because of the injustice they were receiving.


    While I personally still believed in God, it would be hypercritical of me to force my beliefs down everyone''s throat. Not answering, I just nodded in silence.


    Then I went into the living room where Earl and the guys were. With Van gone, only my adoptive father, Scott Davis the redneck, and Terence Anvil the blacksmith were present.


    "Pa, the girls are with Ma. I''m going to work now."


    At my words, Scott and Terence saluted.


    "May your fate end the darkness, my lord!" x2


    "You two are not coming?" I asked curiously.


    "No, my lord, we are part of the bodyguard rotation. We will make sure that the Simmons family is safe for the night."


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    "I see, thank you both for keeping my family safe."


    "Think nothing of it John. Your folks are good people. I will keep ''em safe."


    "I agree, it feels like a vacation."


    Even if the two looked sloppy, they were Phantoms. Unless the ones who decided to invade were Specters, they would hold down the fort long enough for the Sirens and I to arrive.


    Then I nodded to Earl and imagined myself into Hellgate. A familiar pull on my soul drew me in and my mind went blank.


    ***


    When I opened my eyes, I realized I was back in the receiving area. The familiar feeling of being slammed to the ground was somehow nostalgic. After a week of not experiencing it, I was once again irritated beyond belief.


    Still, with {Limitless} protecting me from most of the side effects, I quickly stood up and noticed something unexpected.


    "YO! HOLY CRAP, ISN''T THAT LIMITLESS? I THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD!"


    "WOAH! RED TIE, BLACK SUIT! IT''S HIM!"


    "Wasn''t there a prayer vigil for his soul or something?"


    "I told you bastards, people like that do not die suddenly! Now pay up!"


    "Josie! Quick, tell everyone that Limitless is alive and that he is here!"


    ''Ah crap, I forgot about all that.''


    Annoyed by the people''s fuss, I ignored them all and walked forward. Maybe it was because I had the case of the resting bitch face, my normal face looked like a scowl to most people. Despite all the whispers people said about me as I walked, they parted like the Red Sea.


    "Are you sure that''s him? He looks kind of...plain?"


    "He''s wearing the same clothes! This is the real one, I tell you!"


    "Real one? Does that mean there are fakes?" I muttered out loud.


    Phillip, who was walking next to me, commented humorously.


    "There have been many impostors who have tried to claim that they were you, my lord. They tried to swindle people out of their souls. But I wouldn''t worry. They were promptly dealt with."


    "Yoh! This Limitless is accompanied by a wolf! This has to be the real one!" another shouted.


    "A wolf?"


    "You should praise the wolves, my lord. They served as a peacekeeping force, and they began to manhandle anyone who tried to impersonate you. The uniform created by the Ten Graves has become synonymous with Vela''s wolves," Cynthia bragged with pride.


    I looked back at Yvonne and noticed that she was wearing a fancy combat uniform that looked like one from a Japanese military manga. It looked clean and gave a reliable expression.


    "I see. Thank you, Yvonne. Getting beaten up by teenage girls would stop anyone in their tracks."


    "You are welcome, Patron! Aisha should lead the 3rd Squad on duty!"


    "3rd Squad? Weren''t there only eleven of you? Apart from Claire, who was supposed to be part of the 2nd Amendment, how many of you are there?"


    The three of them started snickering and giggling as if I had made a funny joke.


    "My lord, a lot can happen in a week. Since you said you would shoot me if I bothered you, we tried to make do. The Hellsend of a week ago is incomparable to the Hellsend of today."


    "Oh, come on, you monocled prick! How much can change in a week?" I countered.


    "I wouldn''t underestimate a week, my lord. A week was all it took for me to go from leading a P3 guild called Red Moon to suddenly becoming the leader of Hellsend''s Ten Graves."


    Unable to respond to her answer, I walked in silence. We eventually made our way to the Dispatch office. I noticed a familiar face watching what looked like men and women running around an obstacle course. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Bernard?"


    The blond and fat Phantom quickly faced me and saluted.


    "My lord! Bernard Nelson greets the lord of Hellsend, the esteemed Limitless! Hail!"


    "Yoh! Even the blond Pitbull greeted him! This is definitely the real one!"


    Somehow my bro salute became the official greeting of Hellsend. At Bernard''s loud shout, the rest of the moving people all turned in my direction and shouted.


    "WE GREET THE LORD OF HELLSEND! THE ESTEEMED LIMITLESS! HAIL!"


    Then they all fell to their knees. Their shouts and cheers drew even more attention, and a crowd began to form.


    There were several things I wanted to point out. But before I could speak. Joshua walked out of the Dispatch office with the 2nd Amendment squads.


    "WE GREET THE LORD OF HELLSEND! THE ESTEEMED LIMITLESS! HAIL!" The Korean shouted. Then I noticed that he and the original 2nd Squad all had smiles on their faces.


    As if that were not enough, I heard the sounds of numerous flapping wings and noticed over a dozen Wyverns flying through the sky.


    They all roared before coming down to line up in a neat row. The one in the middle was Mike Walker with Isolde. The ones next to them all looked like my German friend, but they were not her.


    "WE GREET THE LORD OF HELLSEND! THE ESTEEMED LIMITLESS HAIL!" shouted both the dragons and their riders.


    If there was anyone who didn''t know I was here. They did now.


    Still, it was a new feeling to be treated like this. As more and more lives became my responsibility, scenes like this would soon become commonplace.


    But I was not giddy with some inflated sense of ego. It was simply that the more hands I had, the more bullets I could fire.


    The more bullets I could fire. The more undead I could kill.


    I felt hopeful for the future. I smiled as I replied. "I''m back, everyone. I hope you are all ready to work."

 Chapter 518 Why wasnt I invited? [1/2]

    At my words, however, everyone who knew me began to laugh. After all, apart from my honeymoon. I didn''t stop for anything. And those who had been with me since the LLG had an idea of how hard I went once I got serious."I''ve been gone a week, but it seems most of you have not slacked off. Well done!" I praised sincerely.


    "Phillip here says I have outdated information, that I no longer know what this Hellsend is supposed to be." sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As I spoke, I saw more and more people gathering around the Dispatch office. I didn''t recognize half of them, but they seemed to want to listen. Phillip was right about one thing. A lot had happened while I was away. And fortunately, I didn''t have to figure it all out on my own.


    It didn''t take long for groups led by Krishna and Pixie to come here. They must be the rogues and slaves Exa told me about.


    A large group of well-equipped reapers also moved towards us. They were led by a man in navy blue armor and a brunette in a red cloak. Both were Phantoms.


    "Exa. Are those the adventurers?


    [Yes, my lord. The ones leading them are Leo and Nyda. Priority 2 adventurers who specialize in escorts and monster subjugation].


    ''You mean they hunt?''


    [Yes, my lord. They are the ones that Academics, Production, or Fortification turn to when they need specific parts from monsters. Their knowledge of the enemies encountered along the floors would be most helpful to you].


    ''I see. I hope we can help each other then.''


    "I am good with faces, but I still have no idea who half of you are supposed to be, so I will be brief. You all know the stakes of my Seeker War. Contrary to what most of the world believes, I am not dead and very much alive!


    "Now I say this to everyone here, those who have joined Hellsend and those who have not. My name is Limitless, a simple reaper with one desire. Everything I do is for that one purpose. When you think of my name, that goal should be all you remember."


    The crowd began to whisper as they had no idea what I was trying to say. I couldn''t blame them. Similar to those who worship TV or movie stars, most of what was on camera was rarely the truth. And so it was with me.


    "FOR ALL THOSE WHO HAVE FOUGHT BY MY SIDE! YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT THAT IS, DON''T YOU?"


    Those around me and all who faced Andromalius slammed the butts of their rifles into the ground and then shouted with one voice.


    "KILL THE LAST MOTHERFUCKER!"


    I almost stumbled at their shouts. "What? No, that''s not it, you dumb shits! Try again!"


    "TO KILL ALL THE MOTHERFUCKERS!"


    I grimaced in annoyance as I watched the ones from the 2nd Amendment giggle like gremlins. Angela, Warren, and Santiago, in particular, even high-fived each other. Joshua, Mike, Isolde and Bernard similarly couldn''t keep a straight face.


    How insane was it that even a Wyvern was giggling like a fucking idiot, as if someone was tickling her.


    "You all have no respect for me, you dumb fucks!" I couldn''t help but smile. Perhaps intentionally, the mood relaxed a lot when the crowd saw that I was joking around with my men.


    While I led them, I considered every Reaper of Hellsend my ally, but the moment I raised my hand, everyone fell silent. It was funny, those who knew me were already familiar with how I rolled.


    Sometimes I laughed with them. But most of the time I did not. Except for the few times I clown around with them. I was always on my A-game. Your journey continues with empire


    With {Perceive} and {Listen}, even standing in front of nearly a thousand people, I could see everyone. Those who were not from Hellsend were visibly frightened by the sudden change among those who were. Normally, such coordination was impossible unless it was planned in advance.


    Even though I didn''t train them all personally, we fought together the night before my war. We completed Song of the Sirens operations back to back, pushing everyone to the brink of exhaustion.


    Yet we kept going. I might not know all their names, but I knew they followed me because of what I represented. And as long as I held to that ideal, they would continue to do so.


    "For those who do not know me, I will reiterate. I go by Limitless. And I command Hellsend. I have one purpose and one desire. To close Hellgate forever and free the Reapers from their curse!


    "Now that the introductions are out of the way. I will get to the point. Hellsend will soon move to the 24th floor. As His Majesty the Invincible declared, I became the owner of that floor last week. This means only one thing! Since then, the 24th floor is no longer under the protection of a Revenant!"


    There were whispers and murmurs as the crowd heard my words. But I never cared about the opinion of sheep, so I just continued.


    "My adjutants and I will prepare to travel there in the next two days. Hellsend! I am giving anyone who feels they do not want to go the opportunity to leave. If you choose to part ways, I will give you a bonus according to your participation."


    I noticed that many members behind Bernard sighed with relief. Similarly, some of those around Joshua were making complicated faces. I never intended to force them. Most of the reapers already had lives here. Coming with me would be like the settlers of old.


    We would have to build everything from scratch. We would have no one to ask for support, and we would not even be sure that our lives would be better. But just like the settlers, the decision to stay was no longer an option for me.


    However, this was something that only applied to myself. Not many had a problem with David''s way of thinking. So I knew that not everyone would be willing to endure the hardship. Just as not everyone in the world could handle starting over in a new country.


    "In the same way, I open the offer to anyone who is interested. I need all kinds of skills. If you think you have what it takes to fight under my banner, or more importantly, if you want to end this nightmare. My doors are open. You have until tomorrow to decide!


    "For those who already have orders from your respective leaders, carry them out. Pixie, Delroy, Krishna. Leo and Nyda. Come inside. I wish to speak with all of you. Dismissed!"


    Suddenly, everyone performed a bro-salute. Although to the bystander this gesture would soon be associated with Hellsend. I returned the gesture and went inside. The 2nd Amendment commanders plus Isolde, Phillip, Yvonne, Cynthia and Addison followed me inside.


    It was amusing to see these people, who had been the lowest of the low, now leading one of Hellsgate''s armies. Life was truly something that could not be predicted.


    As we made our way inside, my officers continued to chatter.


    "Everyone! I have an announcement to make! Boo has proposed to me! we are getting married!"


    "Wow! Really? Congratulations, amigo! But remember, if..."


    "Nigga stop... I got enough people coming after me. I don''t need you to join them."


    "Claire! Are you sure? This nigger is asshole? He''s... no, this nigger rich now... He smells...


    yeah! That''s it!"

 Chapter 519 Why wasnt I invited? [2/2]

    Joshua tried to stop his racist wife as he gave his blessing. "Gela, stop it, be nice. Congratulations Claire, you too Warren. Would you like a Sacred Salvo for your wedding?""Congratulations to both of you! I wish you a strong and happy marriage! Oy! Sugar, you are going to rip my shirt off!"


    "Tristan! Another marriage! That makes three already! When will you marry me again? If you take too long, I will tie you up and kidnap a priest!" Isolde threatened, looking incredibly frustrated.


    "KYA! I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU, CLAIRE! Can I be your minister? I will get the Saint Division to bless your rings!"


    "Congratulations Claire! Congratulations Warren! Addi, what can we get the 2nd Amendment guys as a gift?"


    "Why are you asking me, Cynthia? I''ve never been married. A gun maybe?"


    Of course, similar to my case, Warren Bryant and Claire Knight only got together a week ago. Ask anyone on earth and they would say that marriages that are consummated within a week of meeting were most likely scams.


    However, I would argue to those people that it is not the amount of years in love, but the love in the years. To a reaper fighting in Hellgate, a month felt like a lifetime. When safety wasn''t guaranteed, people tended to value each day more. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For me, if they found happiness in this life, they should protect it as best they could. Such strength would naturally be something that had the power to keep them alive. Except for the tragedy of one of them dying, shacking up as Reapers was an extremely joyful event.


    Upon hearing the extremely good news, I turned around and sincerely congratulated them.


    "Claire, Warren, congratulations. I sincerely wish you both all the happiness in the world. Have you set a date yet?"


    "Hehe thanks Patron, we haven''t, I still haven''t told my mother. We want it to be intimate like Commander Joshua and Sis Angela''s."


    "Wait, what? Angela got married? When? Why wasn''t I invited?"


    "It was maybe two days after yours, amigo. They wanted to invite you, but you said you would shoot us if we did. So we just went without you. Even the racist chink looked pretty dressed up."


    Angela punched Santi in the shoulder as she growled. "You want beating, cholo? You not invited to begin with!"


    "Boss, Joshua used your wedding as a model. Taking a Seeker''s vows under the light of a Sacred Salvo is now called a Hellsend wedding in the Graveyard," Mike boasted.


    "Connie didn''t have too, but as a gift she had Angela and I pose for an article she wrote. It was called ''Ever After: Finding Love in Hellgate. We got paid a good number of souls, which we plan to save for a rainy day. And it got a good response from the reapers."


    "They did it at your church, Ami. The one near your home. They called it the Limitless Chapel. Ami! I want to get married there too! I want priority!"


    "You all are not saying the most important part. Nigga, some people complained about Hellsend being rich bastards for wasting Sacreds and Blessing like fireworks. Could have been pretty bad if not for Phillip."


    I turned to Phillip and he smiled devilishly.


    "I just answered them as I knew you would. I promptly told them to go fuck themselves."


    Hearing his words, I smiled and reached out to him.


    "That''s my boy. Well done. We earned those bastards. What we do with them is up to us."


    The monocled bastard gripped my hand as he nodded in agreement.


    "Who else would I imitate but the biggest asshole in Hellsgate?"


    "Shut it, Phillip. Whatever. Joshua, Kimchi, congratulations too! I''m happy for you both. I want to give you a present! For the two couples, try to think of what you would like as a gift."


    Our large group was quite noisy as we walked to the rooms. But similar to our gathering outside, no one from Administration bothered us. As their sole supplier of Devil''s Remains, our influence was already enough to bend some rules.


    We quickly entered one of the large conference rooms and made ourselves comfortable. The 2nd Amendment people were still in high spirits from Claire''s engagement. Weddings were a happy occasion. We had too few of those here.


    A few minutes later, the people I had called came in, along with a few extras. Two followed Pixie and Delroy, four followed Krishna, while the last pair were the adventurers Leo and Nyda. A group I hadn''t called for came forward and joined us.


    I was about to ask, but Cynthia and Addison stood up and served as their representatives.


    "They are from Fortification and Academics, my lord. They also wish to join Hellsend."


    I see, it was my fault that neither Van nor Terence were here. I actually forgot that we had more people from the other professions.


    I gestured for everyone to sit down and started the meeting.


    "I heard you all wanted to join us. Tell me why."


    Pixie, who was younger than anyone else present, spoke for the slaves behind her.


    "My lord, the former slaves have simply asked to be taken care of. Provide them with food and they will fight for you. They want no more than that. Oh! They also want to be paid for their work if they do a good job."


    I nodded and then looked at Krishna,


    "Smith John, the rogues with me are actually from different battlefronts. Like me, they wish to be protected under your rule. Few would even tolerate their presence, but now that they have seen me fight alongside Hellsend, they wish to be granted the same."


    Explore more at empire


    I turned to Cynthia and she continued.


    "Like Van and Terence, these people wish to join Hellsend, my lord. They are part of the groups that have been oppressed due to their nature as formless. They come here to work in exchange for being left to their own devices."


    Finally, I turned to the armored knight who represented the adventurers.


    The knight didn''t take off his helmet, but bowed to me. He was imposing as his body was built like a mountain, complemented by his impressive height. A deep, weary voice echoed as he began to speak.


    "Greetings, everyone. I am Leo. Just Leo, and this is my {Kindred} Nyda. Unlike the other professions, we are not breaking away from the Adventurers of North America. Instead, we wish to form a branch of the Adventurers under Hellsend.


    "Administration has denied our request to establish a branch in the middle zones. For those in our line of work, having a base to run to is essential. Especially for our hunts. Headquarters hopes that you will allow us to do this. In exchange, a force of 250 adventurers rank 3 and above will be used to defend Hellsend."


    I see, so they didn''t officially join me. They were more like tenants who wanted to rent my place. Even though I saw no risk in it, I was no longer the stupid bastard who took everything at face value.


    "Phillip, why did Administration deny the Adventurers'' request to establish a branch?"


    "My lord, in a nutshell, adventurers are known for targeting monsters behind enemy lines. Once they accomplish their goal, they usually use expensive teleportation scrolls to return home."


    "Point?"


    "The lazy fools or people who try to save on that expense end up running, causing the undead to follow them in what is called a monster stampede. They basically pull all the enemies in a certain zone and carry them to a defender."


    "I see, so it''s like a man-made floor break."


    "Yes, my lord. Administration fears that if the adventurers are allowed to have a forward base, their unscrupulous members will cause the defenders to fail due to their incompetence."


    Somehow, I got the feeling that even on the same battle front, every one of these bastards hated each other.

 Chapter 520 Seven bodies daily [1/2]

    "Limitless! That is nothing but slander! The same base would be on the defender''s floor. Normally, we would have a standing force stationed there. They would of course help with the defense."Clearly emotional, Leo took a step in my direction, unable to contain himself, death resonance leaking out of him.


    Almost everyone in the room stepped to my defense. However, I raised my hand to stop them. It didn''t escape me that Nyda, Leo''s partner, seemed to have eyeballs that glowed like lightning.


    "Both of you calm down. I have not yet made my decision. Do you have anything to add? Things that would help convince me to grant your request?"


    Nyda stepped forward and pushed Leo back.


    "My lord, your servant''s name is Nyda. I am Leo''s {Kindred}. Please forgive his outburst, my husband is a bit emotional. The greatest benefit to you, my lord, would be to have talented adventurers at your beck and call."


    "Explain."


    "My lord, we are the ones you send for specific tasks that no one else could perform. Adventurers are the ones who bring back monster corpses and materials that all other professions use. Without us, they would simply run out of supplies."


    "Hellsend has no problem. With a name like Limitless, do you think my lord would have a problem with supplies?" Cynthia barked in irritation.


    "And get off your high horse, you adventurer bastards, as if you all have any sense of dignity. Unlike the Death Seekers, you bastards run away at the first sign of trouble! Your claim to a standing army is complete bullshit!"


    Surprisingly, even Addison was angry. It seemed that there was a lot of bad blood between Production and the Adventurers. Just like Production and Fortification when Terence joined.


    At this point, Joshua, Angela, Mike, Santiago and Warren all stepped forward and shielded Leo and Nyda.


    Warren tried to calm everyone down as he explained. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Aight, everybody take a chill pill. Look, Cynthia, Addi. I know Adventurers get a bad rap, but them niggas are not all bad. Most of the 2nd Amendment cept boo were originally Adventurers."


    "I know that, Warren, but do you have any idea how Production Reapers feel when Adventurers run off with our money or resources? We don''t risk our lives like they do, but each of our quests usually has our future on the line. To them, it is just a mark on their report cards!"


    The festive atmosphere from earlier seems to have disappeared. The adventures, unlike those in the anime and manga, seemed to be the worst of the lot. Even in RPGs, failing quests was common. But here in Hellsgate, I knew how close to the edge Production Reapers lived.


    If, after all they sacrificed, they were going to get screwed by crap-ass Adventurers, I would understand why they would hate the profession as a whole. Then I remembered that the 2nd Amendment met the LLG not as Adventurers but as my bodyguard unit.


    ''I wonder if such an argument would happen if the guys came in as just an Adventurer party?''


    More hurtful words were thrown around as the Adventurers and Production continued their verbal sparring. Just like Production, it seems that the Adventurers were similarly betrayed by Production Reapers who were nothing but assholes.


    I let them argue for a few minutes. Leo and Nyda still joined in, but their camaraderie with the former adventurers was noticeably growing. After all, only those who walked the same path would know the same problems they faced.


    The slaves, rogues and the other two professions were silent. That was understandable, since they didn''t want to sabotage their chances of joining by showing me something so unpleasant.


    When I felt that I had given them enough time. I called upon [Whisper] and calmed everyone down. Then I continued to speak.


    "Phillip, will bringing a capable group of Adventurers help us develop?"


    "Even if that were the case, my lord..." Stay tuned to empire


    "Yes or no," I said with authority.


    "Yes, my lord. Having them would allow Administration to designate quests that would help us greatly, even more so as we establish your domain."


    "Joshua, have you come across the ground breaks that have been attributed to the Adventurers?"


    "No, my lord, I have not. But Gela and I have seen them before in graveyard videos."


    "With the new equipment we will get, will we have any problems defending against them?"


    "No, my lord. The new equipment will ensure that we will not be overwhelmed no matter how large a stampede we face," the Korean replied.


    "Excellent. Mike, Santiago. Your thoughts?"


    "I agree with Joshua Boss, with the Wizards and the Air Force we should be fine."


    "The cowboy is right, Hefe. Once we get set up. Nothing on the 24th floor can make a dent in our walls."


    The Air Force should have been the large number of Wyverns who look like Isolde''s siblings. From what I know of her, Isolde must have given some guys {Sky Dragon} and allowed them to fight as her flight.


    "I see. Cynthia, Addison, Yvonne. Now that you have heard the opinions of our Administrator and Hellsend''s military, do you still have any complaints?"


    "No, my lord, I do not." "I will abide by your decision, my lord." "I apologize for showing you something unsightly Patron."


    Then I stood up and walked slowly towards Leo and Nyda. Even though I was much smaller than him, he flinched and took a step back as I approached.


    "Phillip, the adventurers who caused the stampedes, what happened to them?"


    "By agreement between Administration and the Adventurers, they were imprisoned for a few months and forced to pay a hefty fine. After that, they were free to return to their duties. Although occasionally, relatives or {Kindred} of the defenders would hunt down and murder the Adventurers soon after."


    "I see," I said curtly.


    Leo and Nyda took another step back, preparing to draw their weapons. I found their behavior annoying. I began to exert my dominance a little. It wouldn''t do them any good if they thought I was on their side, even if their ranks were filled with trash.


    "{Crush}."


    Invoking Robyn''s {Fate}, the two adventurers were forced to their knees. As I towered over them, I coldly announced to all present.


    "Leo, Nyda. I accept your proposal to join us on the 24th floor. However, I want you to understand something. I am not part of Administration or the usual professions. I am and always will be a Death Seeker. As such, my rules are quite simple."


    The two adventurers were still on their knees when I unleashed the full force of {Crush}. I could hear the creaking of Leo''s suit and the grinding of their bones. They really were powerful if they could resist like that.


    ''Exa, how many G''s are they experiencing right now?''


    [It should be at 10 G''s, my lord].


    ''What happens at 10 G''s?''


    [At that acceleration, my lord, numerous problems would arise. Restricted blood flow. Respiratory effects. Vision problems such as blackouts. Organ damage to the heart, lungs, stomach, and kidneys. Muscle strain.


    And finally, broken bones.]


    ''Wow, the question should be, what does not happen at 10 Gs? Did you find out Robyn''s limit for {Crush}?''


    [Lady Robyn''s {Crush} is significantly more powerful. I estimate it at 50 Gs at maximum power].


    ''Robyn is amazing! No wonder she can turn zombies to mush!''


    [My Lord, please pay attention to the two you are torturing in front of you.]


    ''Ah right.''


    I then canceled {Crush} before continuing my speech.

 Chapter 521 Seven bodies daily [2/2]

    "Hellsend follows the motto of the Death Seekers. Fuck only those you can take on. If you want to bring Adventurers, make sure they are excellent and contributing members of society. If you want to bring crap-ass bastards, fine. I will be happy to help and kill them all for you.""What?" Leo gasped, trying to stabilize his breathing.


    "I''m going to be fighting wars the whole time I''m there. So I have no time to worry about you shits. When I take over the 24th floor. Those who don''t want to die will fight like their lives depend on it. Anyone who expects to be protected for being a pussy will have a bad day."


    "What are you saying, Limitless?"


    "I think I need to be more specific." I grabbed Leo by his throat and easily lifted him off the ground.


    "Leo, as a representative of the Adventurers, I will only say this once. If any of your bastards try to take advantage of my people. In any of the despicable ways they are known for. You will find yourself aiding our fortification group by using their flesh as cinder blocks and their blood as mortar. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"


    Nyda pulled out a wand, only to suddenly find no less than eight pistols aimed at various vital organs.


    Yvonne in particular was almost snarling like a mad dog. "Do it bitch, I dare you. Just give me one good reason, just one."


    I felt that this show was enough. I lowered Leo back to the floor.


    "Leo. You still have yet to answer," I reminded him.


    "I will see to it that none of the group I bring will violate your rules, my lord. Thank you for giving us the benefit of the doubt."


    At his clear response, I smiled and waved my hand. The people of Hellsend lowered their weapons but remained alert. I found it odd that just moments ago this group had been happily sharing stories of weddings and such. Enjoy new chapters from empire


    Then, as if a switch had been flipped, they turned into men and women ready to fight at a moment''s notice. Maybe it was because they always moved with me, but I understood where that mentality came from.


    "Thank you. You may leave now if you wish. I apologize for testing you. I have no intention of taking weaklings with me. You have passed with flying colors. Let your people know that we will leave in two days."


    "We obey your will, lord Limitless."


    In Hellsgate, one second everything could be fine and dandy, only for things to go to shit in the next. As someone who fought alone, I naturally retained that sense of urgency. And the 2nd Amendment I trained understood this well.


    When Joshua and his squad became the instructors for the rest of Hellsend, my teachings were essentially shared with the entire group. I then turned to the other three groups and began to address their concerns.


    "As for the rest of you. My rules are simple. If you want to stay, fight. If you cannot fight, then I have no intention of taking you with me. My army uses weapons. So fighting means pointing a gun and pulling the trigger.


    I will train anyone who is willing. Does anyone have any questions?"


    Someone from Krisna''s group raised his hand.


    "My lord Limitless, will you be charging a tax?"


    "Why yes. I will."


    "How much will it be?" he asked with a frown.


    "Not how much, but how many."


    Perplexed, the Reapers all furrowed their brows and tilted their heads in confusion.


    "My Battlefront tax is paid in undead bodies. I have no use for souls. If you wish to remain in my domain, you will fight. I will need seven bodies a day."


    "Seven bodies? You mean rank Fs?"


    "Yes. Anyone who doesn''t die will kill seven bodies or answer to me. That is only 140 souls. Very cheap, if you ask me."


    Pixie also raised her hands to ask.


    "Are there any exceptions to this rule, my lord? Like women or children?"


    I grinned at her and shook my head.


    "No, if you do not kill seven bodies you will be thrown out of the Battlefront until you do. That includes you, Pixie. If you do not want to die. You better learn as fast as you can."


    She and Delroy nervously twitched their brows at my words. They were my {vassals}. They probably expected me to say something else. I had no intention of losing either of them. But for the show I was putting on, scaring the child was necessary.


    "Any other questions?" S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    All of the new groups were coiled like springs. The tension in their bodies betrayed how scared they were. To most of these people, killing seven Normies seemed like an impossible task. And I don''t blame them. Fighting undead was pretty scary.


    But there were other things that were much scarier.


    "Good. Then dismissed. For those who wish to become stronger, report here in two days. For those who wish to stay the same. You are welcome to do so. However, whether you die in regret or on your own terms in the future would be entirely your own fault."


    The groups slowly made their way out and I found a chair and collapsed on it. The Hellsend officers stayed by my side as they waited.


    Surprisingly, so did Leo and Nyda. I pulled out a Big Mac and started eating. It only occurred to me that with everything that had happened, I had yet to eat anything since yesterday.


    Since my body was slowly forgetting that it was human, if I didn''t try to remember human habits, I would probably discard them altogether. I could go on without food, but I got pleasure from eating, so I refused to stop.


    I offered a burger to the people around me, but they all declined. As I enjoyed my simple meal, the adventurers continued to stare at my people. I ignored them all and started thinking about my next agenda.


    I still had to meet the general manager of the 24th floor, along with Amari and Mia.


    ''Exa, can you send a message to Amari and Mia? I do not want to go near the red light district again if I can help it. The girls might go crazy.''


    [Understood, I will coordinate with them].


    ''Thank you Exa. What would I ever do without you?''


    [Walk, I guess?]


    "Hahahaha!" Unable to contain my laughter, I laughed out loud at Exa''s pathetic excuse for a joke.


    "Holy crap, that was bad. Your humor is probably worse than Isolde''s."


    [I can be funny when I want to be].


    "All right, give me your best shot."


    [What do you call a body without a nose?]


    "Hmm... I dunno. What?"


    [Nobody knows.]


    "Pfft! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! That was fucking hilarious."


    [I am glad that you are pleased.]


    I wiped away my tears, enjoying the brief respite as I washed down the Big Mac with weizenbier.


    ''I really should get better food. I think I have been eating Big Macs and Weizenbier for over two weeks now. ''


    Then I heard someone coughing loudly. Frowning, I looked at the source of the sound and saw Nyda pouting unhappily.


    "What do you want?" I asked dryly.


    "Limitless. Would you be interested in hunting a rank B vampire?"


    "No, fuck off, I''m eating."


    At my words, the rest of my people began to laugh at my answer. I may have been battle hungry, but I had too many things to kill. I had no intention of making my life any harder.

 Chapter 522 bring out a vase. [1/2]

    "..."Silenced by my answer, Nyda and Leo obviously held their tongues. It was as if they desperately wanted to say something to me. Since I was a bit hungry, I pulled out another Big Mac and continued my meal.


    "Limitless, to tell you the truth, we want to ask for your help," Leo confessed.


    I ignored them and concentrated on the meat of my burger. Nyda, originally stoic, slowly became emotional as she tried to convince me.


    "My... sister. My sister has been kidnapped by the vampires on the 32nd floor. Please help me save her!"


    "Why should I?" I replied coldly.


    "Because you are powerful! It is your duty! We cannot come for them because the journey is too far! It is dangerous to use the warpgates beyond the 30th floor. Our supplies will not last long enough to make it to the 32nd floor!"


    I felt like getting a migraine listening to Nyda. Wasn''t she wrong about something? Why did she think I would help her just because I could? Funnily enough, it was Yvonne who challenged her.


    "Hypocritical words from an Adventurer. How many requests have you turned down because your clients could not pay? Why should Patron risk himself for a fool''s errand? If your sister was kidnapped by vampires. She would either be a blood bag or a common ghoul by now."


    "You don''t know that! That is why I need your help! The longer we take, the less likely she will survive!"


    "Ms. Nyda. I want to make something clear. There is no we. There is you and there is Hellsend. My master has no obligation to you.


    The authority you should be talking to is none other than Adventurers'' Headquarters. Why are you here asking us to mount a rescue mission?" Phillip explained brutally.


    "I guess she already asked, and no one from the Adventurer''s Party cared. There are intelligent undead and champion-rank monsters beyond the 30th floor. Unless her sister is at least P1 or Named, they would not move." Our resident dwarf added.


    Ho? So while the 10th floor gave you tainted undead, the 30th floor gave you intelligent ones? Interesting.


    Cynthia scoffed derisively, "How ironic, the same bastards who weighed lives by payment are now here begging for help. If you were in our position, do you think any of us would help you? How much are you willing to give in return?"


    Nyda then began to remove her cloak, Yvonne and Cynthia, who was scared shitless, quickly rushed over to cover her.


    "BITCH ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY! DO NOT STRIP IN FRONT OF LIMITLESS!" Cynthia yelled!


    "Patron, close your eyes! Lady Vela would kill this woman if she took offense!"


    Suddenly, a pair of giant hands covered my eyes along with a female voice.


    "Ami, we are doing this for your own good. Being beaten by your lovers is unpleasant. But they will help me with my wedding if I guard you. So sit still."


    Hearing the girls'' overreactions, I began to wonder what the hell the Sirens were doing behind the scenes. Leo''s voice echoed as I heard him put a bunch of things on the table.


    "We are well aware of the rumors surrounding Limitless. In fact, that was part of the reason we volunteered to be part of the 24th floor coalition. Nyda is not undressing to offer herself, she is doing so to hand over her equipment."


    "These items are our most precious possessions. Nyda''s cloak was made from the wings of a blaze dragon, it significantly shields her from fire damage and heals burns as a side effect. Everything here would be worth 250,000 souls. We offer them as a deposit."


    "Hombre, 250,000 souls is peanuts for Hefe. It will not be enough to make him move. Why not hire a bunch of your amigos, you two seem like strong people."


    "You think we haven''t tried! Everyone keeps telling me to give up!" Nyda shouted hysterically.


    Joshua''s deep voice answered her. "Then why do you come here thinking our answer will be any different? Rushing headlong into a middle level floor for a rescue mission is suicide. You don''t even know if the vampires stayed on the 32nd floor. Ms. Nyda, I am sorry, I really am.


    But no one here is going to risk their lives for a stranger."


    Then I heard a girl suddenly start to scream as if the world was collapsing around her. Her heartbreaking cries sounded so painful that even I felt a pang in my heart. But in the next second, that feeling disappeared.


    While it was sad to have your people kidnapped by monsters, it was also a common plot point in anime and manga. The person who was kidnapped had to be relevant to the plot, otherwise the character was as good as dead.


    The main problem was how did the person get kidnapped? I didn''t know how adventurers worked, but realistically, I think it was stupid to go on a rescue mission.


    North America''s front line was on the 52nd floor. Floor 32 was supposed to be a defended floor with only the wings exposed. What were they doing to let someone from their group be taken?


    ''Was that the main difference of having intelligent undead?''


    At the moment, I was only fighting dumb zombies, but in the future, I would have to fight those with brains as well. Vampires, even in fiction, were usually immortal, intelligent, and powerful beings who used the power of blood and endless armies.


    Nyda said it was not a good idea to use the warp gates beyond the 30th floor. The only reason to do so was if the enemy could intercept the warps. Warps were basically like elevators. You got on a car and went to your destination.


    But on the off chance that something happened to the car, you would be thrown to an unknown place or die with the car. Was the Adventurer implying that something could attack you from the 30th floor?


    ''Note to self investigate this point.''


    Not that I couldn''t sympathize with her. If one of the Sirens was kidnapped, I would do the same. But putting yourself at risk was part of the job. That was why the more dangerous jobs usually paid more.


    Wanting to check myself, I asked Isolde as I finished my burger. "Isolde, can you let me go now? She''s not stripping, is she?" sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ah! Sorry, Ami."


    With my eyes free, I looked at Nyda, who was crying like a child in Leo''s chest. Her husband said nothing and stroked his wife''s back tenderly. It seemed that we were her last chance to save her sister.


    And I agreed with that assumption. Rescuing a single person behind enemy lines was something that required a lot of planning and resources.


    The chances of her sister being alive were slim, and that chance was slowly vanishing the longer she isn''t rescued.


    ''[Analyze]''.


    ____


    Name: Nyda Flowers


    Race: Reaper | Rank: Phantom | Origin: Human | Battlefront: NA


    Soul Capacity: {Fate} 4/4 | {Kismet} 1/1


    Experience more content on empire


    Available Souls: 1,315,748 | To evolve: 750,000


    {Fate}


    1. {Heart of Thunder} Lvl 6 | Cost: 2 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Thunder bolt}, {Thunder Cage}, {Thunder Storm}, {Thunder Form}, {Dawn of Lightning}


    2. {Man of Steel} Lvl 6| Cost 2 | Owner: Leo | Sub: {Borrowed Strength} , {Durable}, {Blade Tornado}, {Siege}, {Knights Valor}


    {Kindred}: Leo Armstrong


    {Kismet}: {Man of Thunder}, {Heart of Steel}


    Soulgear: {Powercell}


    ____


    Well, that was impressive. It was the first time I had seen two Phantoms on the verge of ascension. From the list of {Fates}, it looked like they were used to fighting.


    ''Unlike Joshua and Angela, these two were created by two {Kismet}. Their abilities seem to revolve around electricity and metal. Although I still have too little information to deduce what their abilities do.''

 Chapter 523 bring out a vase. [2/2]

    As I looked at her information, I noticed something."Flowers?"


    My ability to see people''s information was something I had yet to share with others. Except for the Sirens, who had acquired my abilities, I had deliberately kept it a secret. Mostly because it was rude, and some things were better left unknown.


    However, the few times I did use it, it was to get a better handle on the person. Besides the Sirens and I, few knew that the Soulgears not only came from the Soulgems, but still had their egos.


    There was another woman whose last name was Flowers. And she was someone to whom Hellsend owed a great debt. She was Evelyn Flowers, the Reaper who created the {Fate} {Honey Trap}.


    ''Did Nyda know? That her sister was long gone? How else could her soulgem be used as a soulgear? I even have three of her!''


    "Nyda, what is her name?"


    "Huh?"


    "What''s your sister''s name, the one you want to save?"


    Suddenly energized by my interest, Nyda quickly wiped away her tears and answered.


    "Her name is Evelyn, my lord."


    ''Fuck...Exa, search the Graveyard. When did Evelyn Flowers die as a reaper? And how?''


    [Searching...]


    "Nyda, when did you last see her?"


    "I last saw her two weeks ago, my lord! One of the adventurers who knew we were sisters told me! I have a picture!"


    [My Lord, Evelyn Flowers died as a Phantom in the P1 Adventurer party, the Nightdarts. The group was annihilated in their last subjugation mission.]


    ''When?''


    [Four years ago, my lord. Their last quest was to defeat a vampire duke.]


    ''I see.''


    That must be why no one but her husband wanted to help her. She was after a dead person. Those who were familiar with the Adventurer Parties would know her name. Nyda was deliberately hiding this fact to deceive us.


    "Nyda, why did you hide the fact that your sister was pronounced dead four years ago?"


    When the people in the room heard my words, they all had faces of shock and confusion.


    "That report was a lie! The Nightdarts were missing, not dead! Nobody found a single body!"


    "..."


    What the fuck was going on? If Evelyn Flowers was not recovered, how did her soulgem get turned into a vase? Did no one but me know that {Honey Trap} was made from Evelyn Flowers?


    ''Although now that I think about it, her first {fate} was not {Honey Trap}, it was her second. Much like the horse necklace Joshua used was called {Cavalry} instead of {Stallion}.''


    "Nyda, do you know your sister''s {Fates}?"


    "What? Why does it matter?"


    "If you want my help, you will answer me," I declared authoritatively.


    "Her {Fate} was called {Pheromone}, her second ability was {Honey Trap}. Her third..."


    "Stop. That is enough."


    "Sweet mother of mercy." "Tristan, are you okay?" "DAMN IT! IS THIS FOR REAL?" "There must be some mistake." "I think I''m going to be sick." "AH OPPA! THE VASE!" "Damn nigga, this is..." "How frightening." "Well, that was unexpected."


    "Phillip, explain. Now." I said through clenched teeth. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leo and Nyda, surprised by our outburst, drew a blank as they watched in confusion.


    Phillip shrugged and answered calmly.


    "There is not much I can tell you, my lord. As I told you before. The Graveyard is not run by any of the battle fronts. We are simply users allowed to interact with the system."


    "Then how is the soulgear of someone who was never recovered circulating between the battlefronts?"


    "As I said, my lord. I do not know. All we can deduce from the information at hand is that someone who had the original sold it in the graveyard. They must have made the replicas from that original."


    I stood up from my chair, disturbed by what I had just learned. Nyda, who was able to follow our train of thought, screamed in disbelief.


    "Stop kidding me! Are you telling me that my sisters'' soulgear is circulating in Hellsgate? That is a lie! You can only make it from the original soulgem! That would mean that the reaper is 100% dead! My sister is alive!


    I have proof!"


    Nyda then pulled out a picture of a beautiful raven-haired woman staring absentmindedly into the sky.


    I remembered Phillip''s lesson.


    "Well, the next combinations are only in Hellsgate, but they still fit that explanation pretty well. A dead body without a soul but with a spirit is a zombie. A human form with a soul but no spirit is either a golem or a sentient undead or something similar. Finally, a spirit with a soul but no body would be a ghost."


    This meant that the being in the picture was Evelyn''s body, but without her soul, it was nothing more than a zombie. It didn''t take a genius to figure out why she was in perfect health after being gone for four years.


    ''She must have been turned into a doll by the vampires.''


    I turned to Joshua and asked bluntly. "Joshua, bring out a vase."


    Angela, holding one of the soulgears, placed it on the table. The lewd vase has helped us almost from the beginning. It was extremely pitiful to know that the owner of the {Fate} had not yet found peace. Your next journey awaits at empire


    The racist Korean looked dejected as she activated the Soulgear. "{Honey Trap}."


    At her command, the sweet scent began to fill the room. Seeing and smelling the soulgear, Nyda began to wail as she cried harder than before.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! IT IS A LIE! IT IS A LIE! IT''S A TRICK! SISTER! SISTER UWAHHHH!!!!"


    Her husband Leo quickly embraced her to hold her arms. The pain and anguish in her voice was palpable. Earlier she had cried because she had to abandon her sister. Now she finally understood that Evelyn Flowers had already left the world of the Reapers.


    Claire and Yvonne, called out their {Fates} and began to bless Nyda, who was having a breakdown. What little hope she had was extinguished by the reality before her.


    Not only was her sister dead, but her body was being defiled by an unknown enemy.


    The rest of us could only wait in silence. Such were the horrors of Hellsgate. The deeper you went, the more nightmares you encountered. But while I pitied Nyda and her sister. My mind wondered about something else.


    If Evelyn''s body was never found. Then it would stand to reason that her body and her soulgem would be in the same place. If the body was still alive and well on the 32nd floor. Then that meant that whoever had the original soulgem should be there as well.


    It was a long shot. But the possible information was worth investigating. And just by recovering her body, we could use Delroy''s {Advent}, Connie''s {Snapshot}, or even Van''s {Mind Trace}.


    ''Hmm... the problem would be how can we find the body if it wanders somewhere?''


    [My Lord. Wouldn''t Pixie Richard''s {Compass} be quite useful here?]


    "You are right. It seems that our first mission outside the defenses has been set. It won''t be on the front lines. But it will be exciting."


    [My Lord, only you would think that hunting for a corpse through Hellsgate is exciting.]


    Then I walked over to the crying Nyda. She had calmed down a bit, but was still trembling like a child. I had no words of comfort to give her. Only a promise of possible revenge.


    "Nyda, I owe your sister a great deal. Evelyn Flowers is someone who has fought with me since my first night. She is a member of Hellsend. To you, her living relative. I make a simple promise. Hellsend will use all its power to bring her back and kill those who have harmed her.


    I swear this in my name."

 Chapter 524 Time to work [1/2]

    "What?" It was a matter of course that Nyda would respond that way.After all, everything I had said before this moment was the complete opposite of what I had promised.


    "I will help you get your sister back. And we will destroy the vampires while I am at it."


    By any logic, a rescue mission was suicide. Especially for floors I had no experience with. Currently, my army was nearly unstoppable in the single digit floors. The Song of the Sirens demonstrated this truth.


    Since the 10th floor''s gimmick was tainted undead, even if we went beyond the 11th floor, I think we would be okay. The problem would be what happens after that. Floor 15 will start unleashing monsters that could fly.


    We had the switchblades and Isolde. Robyn''s ability could even allow Reapers to fly for a short time. Not owning the skies was not an option. Air superiority was a facet of war that had too many advantages. Being on the receiving end, on the other hand, was hell.


    Floor 20 was supposed to have undead that started using tactics and items. My mind went back to the Draugr who used armor to protect themselves from Isolde''s {Dragon''s Breath}. Even the Normies knew how to use harpoons. That was how they captured her in the first place.


    All our tactics were for mindless mobs. The Siren squads were the ones who made sure that anything above rank F was neutralized. To put it bluntly, Hellsend was specialized in beating the crap out of mindless morons.


    ''I still do not know how we would fare against powerful armies that could think.''


    That was put to the test when we faced Andromalius. Without {Recursion}, my entire army would have been destroyed in the first exchange. To prevent that from happening again, I must improve our tactics and weapons.


    Fortunately, humans were nothing if not experts in warfare. The only problem was how to put that knowledge into practice. I was glad that someone had figured out that we should exploit Isolde. A flight of dragons was a powerful card to play.


    ''We can give Mike and the riders RPG''s or Javelins, making them a rapid response unit.''


    Though, if you think about it, as we gain more and more hardware, would we even need smarter tactics? A mindless or thinking zombie would explode all the same if hit with an 81mm mortar round. What if we bless the motherfuckers?


    ''It would not only be a bloodbath, but a thorough bleaching!''


    Unaware of what was going through my mind, Nyda grabbed my hands and kissed them. Her emotions revealed the relief she felt. For those longing for a relief, the promise of salvation was the sweetest drug.


    "Thank you! Thank You! I vow to serve you only from this day forward. Please save Evelyn, my lord!"


    Leo, on the other hand, seemed nervous. Death resonance leaked from him, indicating his apprehension.


    "Limitless. I am grateful for your assurance. But what do you want in return? We are only P2 adventurers, the items we displayed earlier were all we had. We have nothing more to offer."


    Judging from his demeanor, the two of them were indeed a good match. It was a good thing that not everyone in a group always agreed with each other.


    Conflicts of opinion actually allow ideas to be refined. Like carbon under pressure, if there was no resistance, there could not be diamonds.


    "You''re wrong about something," I said curtly.


    "What?"


    "I never said I would do it for either of you. The value you bring is not worth the risk of this assault."


    "Then why are you helping us?"


    "I said that before, didn''t I? I am repaying my debt. Evelyn Flowers has been instrumental to Hellsend. She is one of my people. And she belongs to Hellsend. Thus, I will get her back.


    By any means necessary. It''s that simple."


    "What? But it wasn''t Evelyn who helped you. It was a replica soul gear! Your logic makes no sense! I do not understand! Were you seduced by the picture?


    Or did you want to make her your wife or something?"


    It wasn''t like I could tell him about soulgears and egos. To those who did not know that soulgears still carried the souls of their reapers, my words would seem like bullshit.


    ''But I could care less what others think.''


    Not willing to waste any more time, I turned to Phillip.


    "Send me everything you have from the 24th to the 35th floor. After I talk to Amari and Mia, I will come back here."


    Phillip saluted me and bowed reverently, "As you wish, my lord."


    As I left, I could hear my men all continuing to chat with Leo and Nyda.


    "Stop trying to understand the boss''s logic. He just does what he wants."


    "JA! Ami is impulsive! He is also crazy!"


    "Amigo, Hefe does not follow normal thinking. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have tried to raise an army from the Formless and the Saints."


    "Although this means that you are now unofficially part of Hellsend. Congratulations," Joshua commented.


    "White boy stupid. But keeps word. Get up, we go save sister."


    "The rumors are all true, nigga. Once you become one of Limitless'' people, even death can''t take you."


    "Patron''s integrity is why we all follow him. Believe him. He will save Evelyn; I am sure of it."


    "Thank you all...thank you so much....Leo! Leo! You were right!"


    "I''m so happy for you, Nyda. Thank goodness."


    As the adventurers celebrated, I heard Cynthia complaining off to the side. "I guess this means we have to prepare for a monster subjugation in addition to the migration to the 24th floor, right Addi?"


    "Hahaha! Why are you still surprised? We have never had a boring day since we met the lord! Once the bloodsuckers meet him, his name will spread even to the demons!"


    Find exclusive content at empire


    "The patron is the GOAT! The 24th floor will never be the same once he arrives!"


    Unable to contain the pride I felt from their words, I walked out of the meeting room in high spirits. Before I could leave the lobby, two more clerks greeted me with salutes.


    "We greet the lord of Hellsend, the esteemed Limitless. Hail!" X2


    "Wil, Tildi. Do you need something?"


    The redhead with the glasses went first. She curtsied and began to speak.


    "My lord, Amara Soldat and Mia Flair are in meeting room two. Since you were still in a meeting, I took the liberty of leading them to another room to wait."


    "I see, thank you for your help Tildi. I was about to go to them next."


    "My lord, I would advise you to go to meeting room three first, if possible," Wil interjected.


    "Explain."


    "My lord, Gareth Faesten, the general manager of the 24th floor, has been eagerly waiting for you since last week. He says it is an urgent matter. I think his patience has already reached its limit. According to the reports, the 24th floor is on the verge of collapsing."


    Well, I kind of forgot about that. According to the headlines, Gareth has been waiting for me since last week. As the new owner, I was now responsible for the 24th floor. Unfortunately, like a complete bastard, David had abandoned it.


    ''I didn''t even know how to do it, to be honest. Fortifications take time and money to build. Luckily, I had both. But I would still probably have to ask the girls for their opinion.''


    "I see. Thank you Wil, you are right," I turned to Tildi and gave her further instructions.


    "Tildi, please tell Amari and Mia that I will go to them after talking to Gareth."


    "I understand, my lord. Then please excuse me."


    The clerk curtsied and left for meeting room two. Wil, on the other hand, waited in place.


    "Come with me Wil, write down everything we talk about and tell me if I missed anything. Phillip already has his assignment."


    "Sir!"


    Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 525 Time to work [2/2]

    For some reason, Wil exuded energy when I asked him to stand in for Phillip. It was not until I started running an organization that I understood why CEOs and top executives got secretaries. When you have so many things to manage, it could be quite overwhelming.''Why doesn''t {compute} help me in that regard I wonder.''


    [My lord, if you actually used some of the brains you have for tasks, you wouldn''t even need a secretary. But since you use all of them to stalk your harem like an obsessed lunatic, the extra brain power was naturally rendered pointless.]


    "..."


    ''Exa, I somehow feel that you are starting to get really snarky lately. What happened to my oh so kind and hardworking AI?''


    [She probably died of a brain aneurysm trying to explain the nuances of Hellsgate to a five-year-old].


    "Pfft...Hahahahahaha!"


    "My lord?"


    Finding Exa''s jabs entertaining, I asked Wil to lead me into meeting room three.


    As I entered the room, I immediately felt the presence of a Phantom. A handsome man in heavy armor stood up. He was dressed like a Knight from MMO RPGs. He wore heavy looking armor and looked like the type who could take a beating from a demon.


    "Gareth Faesten, I presume."


    "Yes, my lord. I am he."


    ''I am he? How old is this bastard? Reapers do not age, is this person like Isolde or something?''


    "Let''s skip the formalities. I know I kept you waiting. In the interest of time. Tell me what you need. Hellsend will be moving to the 24th floor in two days. What is the current situation?"


    "My liege, the 24th tower is besieged by lizardkin. They are potent creatures of Rank D, working in cohorts. Each lizardkin towers over the common man, muscles bulging, granting them strength to subdue Wraiths and withstand blows from even Phantoms.


    "We are in dire need of succor. Many zones lie forsaken. The Tier 1 zone linked to the 25th tier hath succumbed ere my departure. Of the defenders, 70% are unfit for battle. ''Tis a blessing that no soul hath perished thus far, yet they all languish ensnared within my fortress at this hour."


    ''Hmm, that was an impressive feat. Each floor has 24 zones, divided into 7 layers like a cake. It is amazing that despite losing the zones, no Reapers have died. I wonder why that is?''


    Hellsgate Floor Partial.jpg


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    [My lord, among the floors, those that are shared with other continents are usually housed by veterans. These people are used to overrun zones, so they are experts at bleeding the undead rather than defeating them completely. The 24th floor has almost fallen several times, but always manage to bounce back].


    ''How do they do that? Wouldn''t the zones that fall become beachheads for the undead?'' S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Yes, my lord. They do, but the undead are less of a problem in the 20+ floors. The main problem are the monsters that come up. They are what overwhelm the defenses. Usually, when the leaders of the monsters are killed, the rest scatter.]


    ''I see, it is like the idea of goblin kings in manga. The goblins are weak individually but come together when a leader is present. So, I guess if I can kill the lizard king, the rest should scatter?''


    [Correct, my lord. These lead monsters are usually called Alphas. Once the Alpha has been dealt with, the undead alone cannot stop the veteran defenders. This dance has been repeated in Hellsgate for years.]


    ''I see, thank you Exa.''


    "Where is the Alpha?"


    Gareth''s face softened considerably when I mentioned the term for the boss monsters.


    "I perceive thou dost not readily credit hearsay. I arrived hither anticipating a Phantom besotted with his own might. Any soul acquainted with an Alpha hath surely delved deeply into knowledge.


    "I am beholden to thee, my lord. Truly, I feared thou had forsaken us. When tidings arrived of the 24th tier passing into the hands of a new sovereign, our hearts were heavy with concern."


    ''Whew. Thank you, Exa. I seem to have dodged a bullet.''


    [I exist to support you, my lord. I am just doing my job.]


    Somehow, I could feel Exa''s happiness at my gratitude.


    Gareth pulled out a paper scroll and spread it out on the table. The scroll itself looked very old, for one thing it was yellow-orange in color. How many years has it been since this thing was made?


    The general manager then began to point around his archaic map and explain the situation.


    "Mine castle, the final bastion, doth lie within zone 1244-1. Ere my arrival, ''twas proposed to bar the gates and bide our time ''gainst the foe. We possessed provisions sufficient for a month, yet our reserves of healing draughts were like to dwindle anon.


    "The latest missive spoke of the Alpha traversing each fortress, tainting the very essence of soul crystals with its own hand. Though I fashioned mine castle to stand as the ultimate refuge, its endurance wanes sans reinforcement."


    ''Exa, how many reapers are there on the 24th floor?''


    [My lord, there are a total of 200 reapers registered. Most of them are veteran defenders. If you include the non-support personnel present, there should only be 50 or so. For a total of 250]


    "I see. Then this is fine. We will come for them as soon as we finish our preparations. Where is the warp entrance for the 24th floor?"


    "''Tis but a stone''s throw from zone 1247-1, lying just beyond its borders. A journey from the warp gate unto mine castle would consume nigh unto a week. Should we embark forthwith, we stand to arrive ere the Alpha completes his vile corruption of the neighboring crystals."


    The more I listen to Garreth, the more I notice the tactics of the 24th floor. They even anticipated the Alpha''s behavior and deliberately left the zones to waste it''s time. Meanwhile, the defenders will hole up in the center of the zone and wait for support.


    While their plan was good in that it reduced the number of casualties, the rating I would give their defense would be extremely poor. For one thing, they should only be focusing on one thing, preventing the defenses from being taken in the first place.


    Granted, I could understand why they acted the way they did, using such tactics to keep their people alive. But it was too dependent on two external factors. First, that the forces beyond the 24th floor would not fall, and second, that a powerful force would be available to help them.


    ''They probably expect a Specter to be deployed. After the Specter finished off the Alpha, the defenders would begin the counterattack. By spreading the monsters all over the floor, the Alpha will have to disperse its forces to cover more ground.''


    [Indeed, my lord. This would essentially be "pushing in too deep."]


    ''Yeah. Such tactics will have to change. If I am to live in this place, I cannot allow my land to be ravaged by monsters just because an Alpha bastard appears.''


    Unconsciously, I had already begun to refer to the 24th floor as my land. My enemies were not limited to the monsters and undead. In two months, I would also have to deal with three separate Reaper invasions.


    I felt I needed my most trusted allies right now, so I invoked my benevol in response.


    "{Never Alone}."


    The cufflinks transformed into armlets that protected my forearms. I then called to the women I loved most.


    ''My {Kindred}. I need you.''


    "[Beacon]!"


    At my words, seven {Portals} opened around the room. Wil and Gareth were surprised and visibly frightened. Gareth even drew a dagger and faced the portal closest to him.


    "Stand down Gareth. These are my most trusted companions."


    A second later, my battle harem in tactical gear emerged from the portal. They were all dressed in shades of black and gray. Each of their outfits had a design that followed the color of the rings I had given them.


    "Sirens, time to work," I called with a smile.

 Chapter 526 More like demons [1/2]

    What made a woman beautiful? Was it the elegance of her physique? The radiance of her every expression? Or was it the strength of her heart?The Sirens have been so beautiful to me on so many different occasions.


    When they followed me during the enlistment.


    When they declared their love for me to Noelle.


    When they came to rescue me during the Seeker War.


    When they stood by me in the face of a greater demon.


    When they defended me from a Revenant.


    When they crashed my reunion and finally freed me from my past.


    When they swore by heaven and earth that I would be their one and only.


    Truly, I would not be where I am if not for them. Their attire only added to their magnificence. During our short time together, I noticed something. It didn''t matter that we barely knew each other for a month.


    What mattered was that when I needed them. They responded to my call without hesitation.


    And now that I had nothing but hardship ahead of me, I needed them more than ever. And they intended once again to stand by my side, no matter the danger.


    In love, I praised them with my lips and my very soul.


    "My {Kindred}. You are all so beautiful. Like dazzling stars that dispel the darkness. I have fallen in love with you all over again."


    The girls smiled with joy at my words. Connected by our {Kindred} link, they probably felt the avalanche of emotion I was pouring over them.


    Before this moment, the girls were dressed in different colors of plain clothes. They were like a menagerie of random people moving together. But now, they were all dressed in gray and black. As if they wanted to match my colors.


    "Beloved, it was hard to get these to fit, but seeing your reaction was well worth it."


    Liv stepped forward. Her blazing red hair shone like a sea of red. Complementing her toned and powerful frame was a tactical combat outfit.


    Sturdy looking pauldrons adorned her shoulders. While a stylish breastplate protected her torso. In keeping with the Northerner''s conservative nature, her lower garments consisted of a long skirt patterned with red lines.


    Black fingerless gloves, a tactical belt, and combat boots completed her look. On Freyja''s head was what looked like a finned headdress, reminiscent of the Valkyries.


    I was spellbound by Liv''s appearance. More so when her hands held what looked like a Bluderidge Tomahawk combat shield and an M32 40mm Milkor multiple grenade launcher.


    My Valkyrie looked fierce and powerful, but had a warm expression like a gentle mother.


    Liv Ivaldi.jpg


    The weapons were familiar to me, as I had intended to arm her with them.


    ''Exa. Was it you?''


    [Yes, my lord. The weapons the Sirens possess are from the files you researched. The Sirens wanted to get you some couple arms. They sought Lucrecia''s help to get them. But when I saw that her choices were terrible, I intervened].


    ''Couple arms?''


    [Weapons that come in pairs to be used by battle couples. They are similar to couple shirts.]


    ''I see, well done.''


    "You look breathtaking, Liv," I commented like an idiot.


    "Mmm, are you sure you''re not just happy with these weapons, my love?" she joked mischievously.


    "I am sure. I could sell every soul I own and it would still not be worth less than your smile, my love."


    Liv commented with an elegant chuckle, "Fufu, such a way with words. My heart feels as if it were broken from happiness."


    A grumbling voice abruptly stopped our flirting.


    "Dearest, I am beginning to think you love Liv more than me!" My princess complained as she looked away in displeasure.


    Lilly was wearing a gray version of her former officer''s uniform. It hugged her body obscenely, accentuating her wonderful breasts, thighs and ass. A deep cleavage made me gawk.


    Her hair was in an elegant ponytail that I liked very much. The untamed also wore her coat on her shoulders like a badass. As accessories, my princess wore an officer''s hat, black finger loop gloves, and what looked like a dog choker around her neck. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Finally, slung over her shoulder was the portable version of the Dillon Aero M134D, I didn''t see the ammo pack. But since it was Lilly, I didn''t worry.


    Overall, Ishtar had the presence of a queen, even in her officer''s uniform. Her majesty and brilliance shone even more with the dark weapon of death on her shoulder.


    Lilly Browning.jpg


    "{Blink}"


    I moved to stand beside her as I raised the silver ring of the questionable accessory around her neck.


    "I would have said you look ravishing. But on top of such a lewd uniform you have a dog collar of all things. I guess this pet wants to get some loving from its master?"


    "T-That''s..." Lilly blushed as she stammered. Finding this pervert quite adorable, I moved closer while whispering softly in her ear.


    "Wear this collar the next time we make love. I will show you how I punish disobedient pets."


    "U-Uhm...I-I..."


    "Cat got your tongue, my queen?"


    Then I suddenly felt something heavy bash the back of my head. Only a Siren would have the audacity to attack me like that. And only one of them had the guts to do it.


    Turning around, I saw Robyn looking angry as she shouldered an Atchisson AA-12 shotgun. If that was not overkill, her other hand was holding a second AA-12 as well.


    Rhiannon was dressed in a cute but sleek looking chest piece and combat skirt. Black arm sleeves, leggings and a scarf made my kitty look cool as hell.


    Like Lilly, Robyn had some weird customizations on her clothes. Straps that seemed to go down to her panties connected her skirt and leggings. It looked incredibly immodest. In contrast, an adorable cat''s ear headband was fastened to her hair.


    The white-tailed spider''s cold and fierce expression made her seem unapproachable. Like a dangerous and savage huntress.


    Robyn Lithgow.jpg


    She had a displeased look on her face, but it was obvious she was eager for praise. I took out my phone and snapped a picture. Surprised, she pouted while asking.


    "Possum. What was that for?"


    "You looked so cool, I wanted to make it my phone wallpaper." Enjoy new adventures from empire


    "O-Ohh...hehehe...Really?"


    "Yeah. Like the heroine of an action movie."


    "I-I will only be in it if... O-Only if you play the leading man."


    "Was there anyone else?"


    Immediately, Robyn broke into an adorable, goofy smile. Betraying the image I had just stored on my GRI, she looked so innocent and carefree.


    Just then, a hand tugged gently on my shoulder, accompanied by an energetic, endearing voice.


    "Darling! Darling! Me too! Me too!"


    Jo posed as she pulled the sling of her gun. Similar to Lilly, she wore a black and gray outfit. However, while the Untamed''s outfit looked like that of a soldier. The Shooting Star''s looked more like a student''s uniform.


    And because of her incredible figure, it looked incredibly sexy. Leggings that connected to her underwear also made their way underneath her skirt.


    Together with black fingerless gloves and a green ribbon tying up her hair, Vela looked extremely fashionable. Her radiant smile seemed to light up hell itself.


    All in all, Josephine Benelli looked like an innocent maiden getting ready for school.


    That was, of course, if you ignored the fact that the weapon she was so energetically posing with was an FN SCAR-H battle rifle with an FN40GL 40mm grenade launcher.


    Josephine Benelli.jpg


    I took a picture before stroking her cheek.


    "Darling. You look so beautiful. Luckily you are already mine. Otherwise I would have stolen you at any cost."


    "Hehe! I am very loyal, you know! I belong to only one man! Thank your lucky stars that you are him!"


    "Every single day, Jo."


    "Hehehe your so cute Darling! Now go praise the others!"

 Chapter 527 More like demons [2/2]

    Before I could answer, three black nano hornets circled around me.[Father! Father! Mother got new clothes too!] [Praise her! Praise her!] [Huuuuurrrryyyy!!!]


    Sabel, my AI daughter, whirled excitedly and made me turn around. Behind me was a bewitching Brazilian. Bella wore a uniform that followed the style of the others. The distinct difference was that her outfit showed a heaping helping of cleavage.


    The Weeping Mary''s blouse also had cuts on her shoulders, creating a mesmerizing sight. In addition black fingerless gloves wrapped her hands comfortably.


    Her uniform, unlike the others, looked like a one-piece dress that hugged her seductive body. Seeing my reaction, Bella fixed her new glasses as she smiled.


    Minerva then tilted her head as she posed with the Smith and Wesson 620 competitor. Sabel maneuvered the Hornets to circle around her mother like loyal dogs.


    My South American lover struck a lovely pose as she scratched the belly of a Hornet as if it were a cat.


    Her glasses and hornets made her look like an intellectual, like a wise sage protecting the world behind the scenes.


    Isabella Taurus.jpg


    "You like what you see, Honey?"


    "Very. You look so fucking sexy, Bella. So much so that I want to drag you off to a bed and make love to you," I confessed like a creep.


    Strutting like a runway model, Bella came closer, her stilettos clicking on the floor. Her seductive voice tickled my ears like pillow talk.


    "You''re in luck, I''m looking for someone to warm my bed. Interested, Mr. Code?"


    I took her hand and sucked on her index finger. I didn''t forget to tease her in the process. "If you are okay with me killing every man around you, then I am."


    "Honey. Please stop, I am not sure if you are joking or not."


    "Husband is not joking when he makes such statements," a cool voice joined our conversation.


    Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a beautiful ass bound by a skin-tight body suit. The owner? My incredibly irresistible chocolate-skinned lover. Jas'' suit was made of some sort of mesh material. It covered her entire body and showed off her toned figure.


    Silver rings were attached to Satis'' thighs, arms and neck. Chains connected the rings, like some sort of BDSM accessory. Indigo highlights also ran through her suit. In addition two large pieces of hard armor in the same color also protected Jasmine''s legs.


    Finally, there was a beautiful silver earring in her left ear. The Ebony Deathstalker looked expressionless. But I knew better.


    Her slightly red ears told me what she was feeling. As I licked her entire body with my eyes, Jas tried to feign disinterest. But I noticed that the hand that held her gun had tightened considerably.


    On my African lover''s shoulder was a Barret M107 50 Cal anti material rifle. The weapon matched the low-profile tactical outfit she was wearing.


    All in all, Jas looked like a mysterious goth mystic with a big ass wand.


    Jasmine Denel.jpg


    "Wifey. It should be illegal to look this gorgeous."


    "Hmph. You and your glib tongue."


    I walked over and hugged her tenderly from behind.


    "Oh? What would you like me to do with my tongue, Jas? Last time you..."


    Jas quickly turned and put her hand over my mouth in a panic.


    "H-Husband! Shh! Why are you bringing that up now?"


    Enjoying her reaction, I grabbed her hand and pulled her closer.


    "Because seeing you like this makes me want to bully you even more, Wifey."


    Jas then gently pushed me away as she blushed like a tomato.


    "My word, husband! Please exercise some restraint!"


    As I chuckled at her cute retorts as she ran away, a figure suddenly appeared in front of me. It was, of course, my Asian lover. She placed a finger on my chest before tracing it over my nipples as she teased them. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Anata, your dignity is crying. If you want to have some fun. Why not do it with me?"


    The bladed kitsune wore a variation of the dress she had worn during the reunion. It was a black and purple cheongsam with a boob window.


    Paired with black elbow-length gloves and erotic fishnet stockings, Aki''s outfit was more for pleasure than for battle.


    Her hair was styled in an asymmetrical fringe combined with a high ponytail, giving her a clean but lovely appearance. A black fox mask adorned the side of her head. Steel bracers on her arms completed her battle dress.


    Unlike the other girls, Aki looked more like a lover than a soldier. But the Faxon Sentinel AR-10 rifle she held in her right hand said otherwise. She then used her mouth to pull off her glove, like the beginning of an erotic striptease.


    Seeing the suggestive strings tied to her dress near her honey pot, I had trouble keeping my hands to myself. Especially when Inari''s titillating thighs were on display.


    Aki Miroku.Jpg


    "Shujin, you seem to need some ''relief''. This dress is made for easy access. Would you like to see it? Or if you prefer some other part of my body. That is fine too..."


    Inari''s sexy voice set my loins on fire. I was on the verge of jumping on her before I barely held myself back as I grew erect.


    "Kamisan, thread carefully... I am already at my limit," I warned with a lewd smile.


    "Ara ara. But I have no problem with you fucking me senseless?"


    Before I could answer, my head was hammered by what seemed to be several guns. The blows, while still light, alerted me to my surroundings.


    "Aki is quite impressive. Beloved, become a fool after a few words."


    "Aki, please refrain from taking advantage of Dear''s simple nature."


    "Isn''t it Possum''s fault for being horny all the time?"


    "Tsk. I should call Cynthia to make my uniform lewder! Darling will ignore me at this rate!"


    "Honey, have you forgotten there are other people here?"


    "Husband, I am ready too if you want. We can do it later..."


    "Ara, but I''m just appealing to Shujin like the rest of you?"


    At Bella''s words I remembered that besides the Sirens and myself, Wilfred Vance and Gareth Faesten were also here. Regretting that I couldn''t push my girls down to ravage them, I coughed and faced the veteran defender.


    "Ah. I am sorry. I was just overwhelmed by their beauty. I missed them dearly."


    "Then hast thou been parted from them for a lengthy duration, Lord Limitless??" Gareth asked with a straight face.


    "Yes, they left my side for exactly 2 hours, 52 minutes and 7 seconds, quite a long time," I answered with a serious face.


    "..."


    ''Beloved.'' ''Dearest.'' ''Possum.'' ''Darling.'' ''Honey.'' ''Husband.'' ''Shujin.''


    ''3 hours is not long!'' x7


    ''Hmph. Says you. For me, it was a really long time.''


    ''...''


    I then looked at Wil a little embarrassed that I hadn''t used him at all.


    When he noticed my gaze, he gave a thumbs up. "Don''t mind me, my lord. I need pickup lines, so just keep doing what you are doing."


    "This ass..."


    A gruff voice then broke the awkward silence.


    "My lord, thy queens are all fair beyond measure. Yet, we must parley regarding the defense of the 24th floor. Pray, bid them depart, that we may converse undisturbed. The battlefield is no realm for women."


    Death resonance began to emanate from the girls behind me. I raised my hand to the side to calm them down.


    "Do you doubt my words that these women are my most trusted allies, Gareth?"


    "Please pardon my impertinence, my lord. However comely a woman may be, beauty alone shall not shield her from the undead or the monstrous. Their true calling lies in nurturing the forthcoming generation, a task exclusive to the fairer sex."


    His outdated thinking silenced everyone in the room. It was to be expected if he was from the Middle Ages. After all, back then, women were not even allowed to enroll in schools. Stay updated with empire


    "I perceive the allure in fashioning a chivalrous order from thy harem, my lord. Yet, I crave warriors, not blossoms that wither at the gentlest breeze."


    Smiling, I had a great idea.


    "Haha, you are right. But my women, though beautiful, are not flowers. They are more like demons. And to prove it to you. I will take back the 24th floor with just the seven of them."

 Chapter 528 A relic of the past. [1/2]

    "Art thou jesting at my expense, my lord? I command an army of over two hundred reapers, with more than fifty among them being Phantoms. Yet, we find ourselves compelled to cower like sheep. The Alpha, indeed, possesses a might beyond measure!"The creature stands as tall as a castle tower, towering over the tallest trees in the forest. Its massive bulk would eclipse even the mightiest of war elephants, with skin as thick as the thickest fortress walls. The ground trembles beneath its weight, as if an entire army of knights were marching in unison.


    Its steps are like thunder echoing through the mountains, striking fear into the hearts of all who dare to stand against it!"


    ''What the hell does that mean? It was difficult to understand his words, but somehow I managed to get the gist of it. But this time I am at a loss. Didn''t people in the Middle Ages have a unit of measurement or something?''


    [No, my lord, except for the nobles, most peasants in those times could not even read. Gareth must come from a humble background, as his lack of eloquence reinforces this fact].


    ''Oh. I guess I should be thankful I wasn''t born in that era.''


    [Indeed, my lord. The middle class of the modern era experiences more prosperity than even the kings of the Middle Ages. Mankind has really come a long way. To translate for him. Using the average height of castles and the weight of war elephants. The Alpha would stand at 49 feet or 15 meters, its weight would be estimated at greater than or equal to 20 tons].


    ''49 feet? That is twice the height of a Cyclops. Is this Alpha a tank or something?''


    [Since light tanks range from 9 to 25 tons. Yes, the Alpha could be considered a powerful biological tank.]


    Gareth, although a seasoned warrior, showed a terror he could not hide. His passionate description caused him to clench his fist, forcing his trembling body to stop.


    "Even our mightiest {Fates} were naught afore it. Phantoms quail ''fore such a monstrosity. We must summon the Specter. ''Twas said the Whirlwind and the Living Metal were all allies of Hellsend. My lord, forbear thy japes, for I have scant leisure for mirth."


    ''Exa, can you work with {Listen} to translate what Garreth is saying into plain English? Turn on the filter just for him. Create a program if you need to.''


    [Understood. {Program} [American English Filter] has been created.]


    ''Excellent, now repeat what he just told me.''


    [Even our strongest {Fates} were useless against it. Phantoms cannot defeat such a monster. We must summon a Specter. It was said that the Whirlwind and the Living Metal were all allies of Hellsend. My lord, stop joking, I have no time to waste].


    Much better. Please send the programs to the Sirens.


    [Understood]


    "Gareth. I am not joking. The women behind me are my most powerful force. And I am sorry to say that the two you mentioned only helped us in one battle out of duty. They are not part of Hellsend''s forces."


    ''Technically, I had the Coroner, Eva Baker. But she wasn''t really my soldier. More like a bodyguard waiting for me to get stronger.''


    "Then how are we supposed to kill the Alpha! Steel and magic cannot penetrate its armor. We can''t stop it, we can''t even hurt it!"


    I came closer and put my hand on his shoulder. "Gareth, you have defended Hellsgate for a long time. The world has changed greatly, I will kill the Alpha and my battle harem and I will be the ones to do it. This will be my first act as King of the 24th Floor."


    "My lord, I hope you are aware that should we survive this battle, there may be those who will leave their posts because of your actions. Many of my men disapprove of women being brought to the front. To us, it is a great disgrace to a woman''s husband if she has to fight in his name," Gareth explained earnestly.


    Well, I couldn''t argue with his logic. For humans, the idea of a woman having to fight was indeed shameful. In those days, a womb capable of bearing children was a treasure to be protected. In times of war, it was worth more than a man who could work the fields.


    However, the Sirens all came forward and faced the Phantom, who was stuck in the Middle Ages.


    "Phantom, there is something in your words. Our family is not like that. Beloved protects us and we protect him. There is no shame, only love. He fights at ease because we are the shield that protects his body and the armor that guards his soul." Your next chapter awaits on empire


    "Reaper Gareth, what you say may be true for your household. But do not confuse your beliefs with everyone else''s. Dearest does not let us fight because he is not strong enough. He does it because he knows we can."


    "Fuck off, you cunt! Possum is nothing like you! We are his swords! We''re not some kind of jewel to be hidden away!"


    "Darling is right! We are demons! Much scarier than even your Alpha! And we will kill that fucking piece of shit just so you know we mean business! Hmph!"


    "Sir Gareth, while you have stagnated, the world has advanced at a pace you cannot imagine. Honey does not see us as his shame, but as his pride. The Sirens and I will show you how powerful these ''weak flowers'' are. You can count on it!"


    "Talk is cheap. I will not allow you to slander my Husband. As his wife, his honor is mine to uphold. On my {Kindred''s} honor, I vow to kill that monster before the sun rises!"


    "Your thinking is quite outdated, Faesten-san. You have not heard of us because we offer him everything we accomplish. We need him as much as he needs us. I refuse to stay behind while Shujin bleeds in battle!"


    I couldn''t help but face palm at the words of my women. I wanted to make it interesting. But they were a little too into it. One even made a super aggressive timeline. It was almost 9 p.m., which left about 7 to 8 hours until sunrise.


    Still, with the slap in the face the girls and I got, I couldn''t blame them for getting heated. Like me, the girls hadn''t fought in over a week. Although they were regularly exhausted from all the lovemaking we did, fighting was still obviously the best way to get rid of negative feelings. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''My {Kindred}, I''m not going to tell you to stop. But know that we will take it slow, okay? Carelessness is the enemy. We must be careful in our reconnaissance and handling of the Alpha.''


    ''Beloved, forgive me for saying this, but you have no right to say that. Although, as the one who created {Suffer}, I do not have the right either. But, unlike you, I have not even blown myself once.''


    ''Dearest one. Your usual recourse when bullets fail is to explode along with your enemy. Having you be cautious is like sending an elephant to a tea party. Prudence and John Smith do not mix.''


    ''Possum, I love you, but shut up. You blow yourself all the time!''


    ''You shouldn''t say things you don''t mean, Darling! We fight like we always have. Give it all we got till there is nothing left! Everything will be fine! Relax!''


    ''Honey, I will listen to you. But only if you can tell me of one major battle where you didn''t kamikaze your way to victory. You would have been dead a hundred times over if not for {Rewind}!''


    ''Husband. Thinking is not your strong suit. Neither is acting with consideration. You are more of a beast, fighting on impulse. As brutal as that may seem, it''s not a bad thing, as your results speak for themselves.''

 Chapter 529 A relic of the past. [2/2]

    ''Shujin, your fighting style doesn''t really use caution. It is more like executing crazy ideas until one finally works. But I should also note that it is because of such an empty-headed way of fighting that it is almost impossible to anticipate your actions.''"..."


    I couldn''t say anything to the harsh words coming from my harem. They were quite irritated, so I understood that they were angry. But all I wanted to say was to be careful, did they have to be so mean?


    Gritting my teeth and forcing down my emotions, I tried to get between Gareth and the Sirens. This was not a battle of right and wrong. This was merely the problems that arose when people from different eras came together.


    ''Speaking of which, I could understand Gareth as I am from the present. How could he understand me even with his archaic vocabulary?''


    [That would have to be the feathery accessory on his neck. It is a 5-star AMS soulgear called {Liaison}. It strips communication down to its core message and feeds it to the owner. It works much like the {Interpret}.]


    ''Wow! That sounds amazing! Too bad I can''t use it. It would be a magical item to bring to Phillip''s lectures.''


    Gareth then lowered his head as he apologized to the Sirens.


    "It seems I have been rude. I beg your forgiveness, my ladies. It is true that I am unaccustomed to the current era. I have long since accepted that my world has long since disappeared.


    "Even though many of the current Reapers tried to help me, I could not. I am a knight; that is all I have ever known. And I will remain one until the day I leave this world. For this reason, I and those like me have sought refuge in Hellsgate where we share our culture.


    "I did not mean to offend you, my ladies. Please forgive this old man''s misguided opinion. I have not left Hellsgate since my last human friend died hundreds of years ago."


    At his words, sadness flooded my {Kindred}. Gareth did not look a day over thirty. And while I understood it in my mind, it was something not many had the stomach for.


    Even now, at the age of 26, I found the future generation irritating. The way they thought, acted and spoke was already alien to me.


    Yvonne, who used slang, made me feel the passing of time. What more for someone like Gareth. His values, principles and way of life were from another period. Even the way he spoke was something most people would find annoying. He was literally...


    ''A relic of the past.''


    How must he have felt? The sadness of everyone you even knew fading to the sands of time. And the longer it went on, the less he felt he lived in the same world.


    Those who could adapt would find their way, but those who couldn''t would be like him. People trapped by their history, unable to move forward into their future.


    Feeling more compassion for this being out of time, I spoke in a determined voice.


    "Gareth, there is nothing I can do about your past. But I can do something for your future. My harem and I have not lied to you. And I will prove it when we go there tonight. I will lead you and your Reapers to victory."


    The medieval knight knelt in reverence. Then he drew a sword from the scabbard at his hip and raised it to his face.


    "My lord, I was truly afraid. In all my years of fighting in Hellsgate, this is the first time I have felt so helpless. What''s more, His Majesty David Thomas has seen fit to abandon us, his loyal servants. Please help and save my people from annihilation. They are the last of those I call my family.


    "The code of chivalry states that I must be loyal to my lord. However, should I be abandoned by him first, I gain the right to choose a new liege. My lord Limitless, if you truly defeat the Alpha before the sun rises, I and all my men will pledge ourselves to your service."


    ''He really is a knight, huh? Exa, how did this bastard even end up in North America? Weren''t all knights and shit from Europe? As far as I know, all of America had were red Indians, right?''


    [Correct, the records indicate that he was part of an exchange program in the 900s to 1200s. Back then, the battlefronts were more friendly and they exchanged reapers to learn more about each other. If I am not mistaken, Tristan and Isolde were part of the same program.]


    ''I see, no wonder a German Reaper suddenly ended up defending North American territory. What do I have to do to take a knight''s vow? Don''t I have to put a sword on his shoulder or something?''


    [My lord, I don''t think Reaper Gareth Faesten cares in the least. Also note that he has not yet pledged his allegiance. He only said he would do so in exchange for the Alpha''s head.]


    ''Wow, your right. Good thing I didn''t embarrass myself.''


    "Then stand up, Gareth. And follow me as we show you the power and might of humanity," I declared, trying to sound cool.


    "Yes! By your will, my lord!"


    I turned and spoke to Wil, "Keep Gareth company and list everything he needs. You have my authority to buy in my name. However, the Sirens and I will be the ones to transport them."


    "I understand, my lord. Please leave it to me. Will you go to meeting room 1 now?"


    "Indeed. I must prepare to go to the 24th floor as soon as possible."


    I turned to Gareth and introduced my clerk.


    "Gareth, this is Wilfred Vance. He works for me. Tell him what you and your men need so he can prepare them. I have some business to take care of. When I finish my preparations, we will go to the 24th floor immediately."


    "By your command, my lord."


    I nodded in confirmation and headed out the door. Of course, the Sirens followed me. It took less than a few minutes to arrive at Conference Room 1.


    I glanced at my girls, strolling leisurely in their new battle outfits. Together they looked like the Sailor Guardians or something. Chuckling at the thought, I entered the room.


    Immediately I was greeted by the African Bigfoot Amari Soldat and the Brit Mia Flair. Tildi was standing by the door, probably acting as the meeting scribe.


    Before I could say anything, Josephine suddenly screamed with joy.


    "MIA! YOU''RE HERE! I MISSED YOU!"


    "Hey there Judy!"


    The werewolf girl replied with a cool smile as Jo rushed to hug her. Jasmine walked over to Amari with a raised fist. Amari returned the gesture to my chocolate-skinned lover. They looked like best buds exchanging an epic bro fist. Jas greeted him with a small smile.


    "I hope you improved at least."


    "You''ll see later, this time will be different."


    Bella greeted her as well.


    Find your next read on empire Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Bento, Congo, I''m glad you both look well."


    "Hi Priscilla!" "Greetings, witch."


    ''Exa?''


    [Bento is one of the most common Brazilian names for dogs. Its American equivalent would be Spot. Congo is a gorilla famous for his intellect who lives in the Rio de Janeiro Zoo.]


    ''And the names Mia used?''


    [Both are from the movie Zootopia, or "Zootropolis" as it was called in the UK. Judy Hopps was the main character. A rabbit who worked as a police officer. Priscilla was a sloth who served as a supporting character who worked for the movie''s equivalent to the Department of Transportation. The movie was a hit in the UK.]


    ''Haha, that''s adorable.''


    The girls probably did this to put me at ease. Before meeting them, I did not see them as allies, but as potential spies. It seems that I really had to learn to trust people. Otherwise, I would end up worse than Gareth.

 Chapter 530 Heroine Chapter: No matter what [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Jasmine Denel Smith___ S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Now you know the truth. This was 14 years ago. Even back then, Dipshit was never normal."


    I tried to suppress the horror in my heart. What my mother-in-law had just shown me made absolutely no sense. There were three Poroniecs in North America! And they were being treated like pets by a humanoid!


    Poroniec were Rank C demonkin. Their origins were in Slavic mythology. They were believed to come from stillborn fetuses that were not properly buried. According to their folklore, their unrealized potential gave them immense power for a short period of time.


    I, on the other hand, feared them for another reason. The Poroniec were among the few monsters that had the innate ability to leave Hellsgate. Although they were weak compared to other Rank C monsters, they were among the most infamous.


    The number of European Reapers who died because of them was in the thousands. They were not smart by any means, but they could always find Reapers resting on Earth due to injuries. Unlike those who have husband''s {Fates} most reapers get injured. When they do, they either use their souls to buy cures or heal on their own.


    Those who have debilitating or grave injuries needed more time. For example, if your arm is cut off, it would take a significant amount of Soul to heal it back to its original state. While Phantoms were able to reconstruct their limbs for free, muscle memory and coordination were usually lost.


    Many Reapers end up in rehabilitation centers. Even though they had limbs, if those limbs acted like prosthetics, they would simply die if they went to Hellsgate in that state. Because of this reason, there were a lot of injured Reapers who needed rehab before returning to Hellsgate.


    And something unique to Europe was the presence of Poroniec. No one knew how, but these demonkin always found a way to kill and eat isolated Reapers. Despite His Majesty''s best efforts, dozens of Reapers fall to them every year.


    "HOW ARE THE PORONIECS IN NORTH AMERICA?!" Jo screamed hysterically.


    As the only other Reaper who knew of their danger, my sister was absolutely livid. Fortunately, we learned to control our death resonance from outbursts. Otherwise, Ma might have died from her scream just now.


    "Jo! Calm yourself! It''s in the past!" Liv tried to remind her.


    "Are those fuckwads dangerous or something? Possum killed three of them, easy."


    "Regardless of how Shujin managed to do it in the first place, I think Jo is more worried about the Poroniecs. After all, they are feared in Europe as demonkin bloodhounds."


    "Bloodhounds? All the databases say they are monsters that come from stillbirths. What is so scary about them? I have seen reports of them occasionally showing up among the White Guard. Most of them could even be dispatched by even Wraiths."


    "We have no such creatures in the North. But regardless, I think the more important issue was the man who bled black blood."


    This was the problem with learning from a book versus real life experience. Feeling the need to clear up the misunderstanding, I explained the matter to the Sirens.


    "The Poroniecs are not feared because they can invade Earth, nor because of their strength. They are feared because they always go after injured Reapers. No matter what Europe has done, we have been unable to stop our Reapers from dying to them. Now I think I know why."


    "What are you trying to say, Jas?" Bella asked.


    "The man in the clip was a demon. Someone like Andromalius who could hide his essence and remotely control human bodies. That would be the only logical reason why the Poroniecs behaved like docile dogs to him."


    Lilly began to examine the bones Ma had dug up earlier as she asked.


    "Then are you saying that this man belonged to Trinity?"


    "I don''t know," I admitted honestly.


    "Let''s say your hypothesis is correct. So, the demons are walking around the earth with the little shitlings as ugly dogs. Then what? Why was it here in the first place? Honey was human back then. Why would it come after him?"


    The group fell silent at her words. John Smith was supposed to be human 14 years ago. But somehow, he had the power to kill three C-Rank monsters along with a demon.


    "Um, is it really okay for me to hear all this? I am technically connected with the Graveyard."


    Constance Faye asked as she raised her hand. Truly, her connections to Graveyard were the reason why practically every one of the Sirens was hostile to her.


    Yet Husband trusted her. That was why Jo kidnapped her when we needed {Fates} related to memories. My sister shared the words my husband had said to Connie earlier.


    ''If I were a normal reaper, maybe. But I am not. I know too little, having someone connected to the graveyard would help me in the long run. To close Hellsgate, I will use everything at my disposal. Including you and the Graveyard. Unless you want to leave for some other reason?''


    As impressive as it was that my sister could eavesdrop on a conversation x miles away, Husband was even more amazing.


    Normally, people try to stay away from what they didn''t know. But Husband was the opposite. He knew he lacked knowledge, but he didn''t care. Instead of avoiding things that made him look stupid, he actively sought them out.


    Like an Academic, he sought to learn as much as he could, John Smith was a student. He didn''t care who taught him. He would listen to anyone who was willing to instruct him.


    His desire for knowledge left me in awe. Especially when he shared that the reason he made Delroy Baxter his {vassal} was because he wanted to use dead bodies to further his knowledge.


    ''Perhaps that was why he had learned an amazing amount of Hellsgate''s secrets in such a short time compared to most.''


    "Stay Faye-san. Shujin has vouched for you. As long as you do not betray us first. I will not kill you."


    Aki''s bloodlust was palpable. Her words were clear and concise. Seen in another way, it was a veiled threat. "I will kill you the moment you do." While we were sidetracked by Connie, Robyn crouched to the ground and began to look around.


    "Oi, four-eyed man child, can you chuck your magic again, but this time, aim it over there, yeah?"


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    Probably stunned, he was so casually insulted Van stammered.


    "W-Was that directed at me? Um, I don''t think I can, Lady Rhiannon. The memories I saw were the only ones available. Even if the demon ran all over the place, nothing happened, so I wouldn''t be able to see anything."


    He then pushed up his glasses as he continued. "The only reason I could pull them up was because of the malice released when the demon died. There is no event of similar significance. At least not around here."


    I see, just like our own {Fates}, Van also had severe limitations. We would have to raise him as a Specter to get around those limitations. While I was thinking about such things. I noticed that my mother-in-law was deadly silent.


    I ignored the girls as they continued to speculate as to why the husband was speaking with a different voice. Instead, I walked over to her and gently squeezed her shoulder.


    "Ma, are you okay? You can talk to me."


    "Ah, it''s nothing, Jas. It was a really bad memory. I actually had a fight with Dipshit that day. He ran off and got thrown into the woods by Frank. You saw how he looked when I finally found him. I was so mad at myself.


    If I hadn''t fought with him that day, maybe this could have all been avoided."


    Husband often talked about this incident. As we cuddled naked under the covers, we shared stories that were particularly memorable. Whenever my {kindred} talked about the day he had to fight a wolf, the focus was not on the terrible circumstances.

 Chapter 531 Heroine Chapter: No matter what [2/2]

    It was always about how he felt Noelle''s affection for him afterwards. As if that was the reason for the whole ordeal. Did he know that Ma felt such regret over the matter?''I should tell him in the future.''


    I hugged my mother-in-law as I put her concerns to rest.


    "Ma, Husband shared this story with all of us. Even though you fought, he almost died, and his father betrayed him. Do you know what he always ended the story with?"


    The woman in my arms remained silent. It was strange. She was usually so cool and full of life. But now she felt so small and tired. Her remorse must be eating her up so much that she was torturing herself over her mistake.


    "He always ended with how much he loved you, Ma. He remembered how you beat Frank Smith for him. And he never forgot how you nursed him back to health. It was one of those times when Husband proudly said, He felt what it was like to have a mother."


    At my words, Ma''s legs lost strength. Tears rolled down her eyes as she wept. But I could feel the happiness radiating from her whole being. Then she quickly grabbed my hands and said emotionally.


    "Thank you so much for telling me, Jas. Thank you so much. You did not have to tell me. But you did. Thank you so much. I am so happy that Dipshit has finally found people like you in his life."


    Unused to such praise, I felt my cheeks blush. Then I nodded seriously as I replied.


    "No matter what he is or who he becomes. I promise you, Ma. I will never leave his side."


    Noelle nodded as tears streamed down her face. Was this what it felt like to have a mother figure? Somehow, I am grateful to be able to treat Noelle as my mother, even if it was only because of Husband.


    I barely remembered my real parents, and the Benelli''s were not really "loving" in any way. Such tender interactions with Noelle were so special to me because of my circumstances.


    As we shared a mother daughter moment, I suddenly felt Husband call for us.


    ''My {Kindred}, I wish to make Yvonne and Cynthia my {Vassal}, will you allow it?''


    "..." S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The girls all spoke. I chuckled a little when Jo called the {Vassal} candidates stupid. Even though I have a higher IQ than Jo, I somehow feel that she is smarter than me. Did she perhaps intentionally lower her IQ score?


    As for the two in question, I found them lacking. They were quite competent, but that was it. Except for Yvonne, as a saint, their {Fates} were not really useful. However, Husband was the one who had the final say.


    ''Jo, hardly anyone would be smart compared to you. As for me, I do not like either of them, Husband. But I cannot deny that they are good at what they do. I will follow your will. ''


    Immediately after I said this, I felt a tug on my conscience. Haven''t I hated others for measuring my worth by my {fate}? And now I had become the very thing I detested.


    "I really am a failure," I unconsciously blurted out.


    "What are you saying, Jas! If you are a failure, who could be called a success?"


    "Huh?"


    I forgot that my mother-in-law couldn''t hear our {Kindred} link conversations. It was cute, though, that she was trying to cheer me up. Suddenly, I felt Noelle tug on my cheeks.


    "Jasmine. You are gorgeous, intelligent, loyal, and you have a really nice ass. Dipshit tells me you are even a champion archer! You are not a failure. I would knock anyone to the ground who would say that."


    Warmth flowed through my being at her words. She reminded me so much of the man I love the most. They were truly mother and son.


    But before I could answer. I received a digital transmission from the Siren server.


    [TeacherWhoLikesToChoke: Jas, we need your input, it cannot wait. We will send Van, Connie and Ma back.]


    [SadistInNeedOfABeating: I have been listening, you are all focusing on the wrong thing.]


    Just then, Connie and Van approached us.


    "Mrs. Simmons, time to go. The ladies have some work to do, please allow us to escort you."


    "Okay. My daughters, please be careful, okay? Don''t stay out here too long. It''s cold."


    "Yes, Ma." X7


    The girls and I all hugged and kissed Noelle goodbye. Then we sent her back through a {Portal} to the second floor of the Simmons residence.


    ''My {Kindred}, it is time to work. Will you still take longer, or should I come and get you?''


    Hearing my precious husband''s words, the seven of us froze. We still have to discuss this, so it was imperative that we settle this before reuniting with him.


    ''Husband, I apologize, something requires my attention. Go without me,'' I sent back.


    Then I felt a tinge of sadness and resentment from my {Kindred} link. I noticed that the girls all had the same sullen mood as me. It was probably the guilt of rejecting Husband.


    ''I see, that is a shame. Then I will go ahead first. Take care everyone. I love you.''


    ''love you,'' I replied curtly.


    [TeacherWhoLikesToChoke: Close your {Kindred} links temporarily. Otherwise, our thoughts about Honey''s memory will reach him.]


    [ChildhoodStripper: Ehhh? Do I have to? It feels lonely...]


    [AbuseMakesMeWet: I agree with Bella, although I feel the same way as Jo.]


    [TieMeUpAndPayRent: It will only be for a few minutes. Do your best, everyone.]


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    [TwoBrainCellCatgirl: This is bullshit!]


    [VanillaTitties: Everyone here is the same, Robyn, But you remember what the voice said, right?]


    The Brazilian''s suggestion made sense. But I found myself hesitating. What if the next time I opened my {kindred} link, Husband was no longer there? The more I drowned in his love, the more frightened I became of losing him.


    [SadistInNeedOfABeating: Let''s get this over with. Talk fast.]


    Everyone was visibly upset as we began our meeting.


    "Okay, first things first. I am sure you have all heard the story. Why does Honey think he killed a wolf when he did not? Who tampered with his memory?"


    "Off the top of my head, I would say a reaper. But that would mean that someone had been watching Dearest for 14 years before he died. And that sounds preposterous."


    "You''re all forgetting the voice that spoke to Ma. That was not Beloved. It was another person. I couldn''t feel the soul signature, but it was someone else."


    "Darling said he heard voices. All this time I thought it was just the echoes of the souls'' malice. But what if he is like me? What if he has someone in his head like I do with Vela?"


    "But who would that be? And how did that voice exist in Shujin before he became a reaper? You are both a European and a descendant, Jo, so that makes sense. But Shujin is neither. {Rewind} is obviously a {fate} that defies logic. Just like {Store}, we can be sure it is from North America."


    "Possum''s always chattin'' with our {fates}, eh? Maybe his {Rewind}''s got a voice too? Could''ve been the one messin'' with Possum''s memory. Apart from that, I''m stumped."


    "But that would mean that Honey already had his {Fate} as a human! That should be impossible!"


    The girls just repeated the things they had argued about earlier. However, I was already past the point of caring. Whatever or whoever changed Husband''s voice didn''t matter. What mattered was that he didn''t die 14 years ago and become a Reaper.


    "You''re all missing the point. Regardless of who or what happened 14 years ago, what matters is that someone or something is protecting Husband. That is enough for me. If such monsters come from him again. I will just shoot them."

 Chapter 532 I refuse [1/2]

    After the greetings were over, Amari and Mia placed their fists over their left hearts and struck twice."We greet the lord of Hellsend, the esteemed Limitless. Hail." X2


    I said nothing and just nodded. I gestured for them to sit down and sat at the head of the table myself. Lilly and Bella sat at my sides. Jas and Aki took the next seats. Jo took a seat for some reason and moved it behind me. Liv and Robyn, seemingly enlightened, imitated her. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No one actually did such a thing, because being behind me would prevent Jo, Liv and Robyn from participating in the discussions. They had {Listen} and {Announce} so it wasn''t like the acoustics were going to be a problem, but it looked odd.


    Seeing the odd seating arrangement, Amari and Mia started to chuckle as they also sat at the table. Amari took the side across from me while his wife sat to his right.


    "You don''t seem to have changed much. Except for growing magnitudes in strength. And am I reading this correctly? All seven of you are his {Kindred}?" Amari commented in a deep voice.


    "I know, right? Judy, Bonnie, Priscilla, how did you do that? I assumed you held a battle royale to choose a queen or something."


    "Nothing, it was all Darling!"


    "Mia, how many times have I told you to stop naming people after Zootropolis? And I don''t know either. "


    "I actually have no idea. But it''s Honey, so half the time nothing makes sense."


    Just from their light jabs and banter, I could tell that at least three of my girls trusted this couple. It had been three weeks since the enlistment. I had barely exchanged words with either Amari or Mia. I quickly tried to summarize what I remembered about them.


    1. Amari Soldat was from the African Battlefront, and his {Fate} was called {Primate}, which grants a soul form. He turned into Kingkong.


    2. Mia Flair was from Glasgow, Great Britain. Her {Fate} was called {Lycan} and she turned into a purple werewolf.


    3. Amari was a bastard who used brutal methods to achieve his goal. Red and his group worked under his orders.


    4. The two almost died trying to get the achievement during the enlistment.


    5. Both promised to help me for saving them from the Brute and the Stalker.


    6. That debt was paid when Bella used them to help smuggle Jo and Jas out of Europe.


    7. The two were very much in love and called each other pet names. Choco and Fluffy, if I remembered correctly.


    Remembering that Clive Zanardi was after my girls made me nervous, and as if that wasn''t enough, Africa was one of the three continents that was coming for me.


    Both Amari and Mia smiled wryly as they looked at me. As if trying to break the ice, they kept trying to make small talk.


    "Choco and I actually bet on your pot. I''m glad you won! My heart was pounding when a greater demon suddenly appeared."


    "Even though it was brought down by Specters, the fact that you all didn''t run away was commendable. As expected from the lunatic in my enlistment."


    "..."


    I remained silent. Then Mia looked awkwardly at the other girls and greeted them as well.


    "I didn''t get a chance to talk to everyone else, but I''m glad you''re okay. Princess Lilly, I was so surprised when you turned out to be Formless! The European Descendants were in an uproar. At the time, I thought you were crazy..."


    "However, her decision seemed to have been made with careful calculations. It was wise to jump ship and join Hellsend instead," Amari praised while nodding.


    A loud thud echoed in front of them. Lilly pounded her fist on the table in anger.


    "You are guests of my {Kindred}, so I have tried to maintain proper decorum. But you do well to hold your tongue. My Dearest and I are not mere guards you might meet anywhere. You are here as a representatives, addressing a Head of State. Gossiping about other people''s lives in a formal setting is considered both ill-mannered and appalling."


    ''Dearest, now would be a good time to exercise your authority. You are a king. Power plays like this are a given. You must not give them the impression that any of us have any influence over your decision.''


    ''But you do. If you girls ask me to do something, I will do my best to do it.''


    ''I know, dear. And that is why I love you so much. But such a weakness will allow others to cause dissension in your circle. They will think that if they can gain the favor of the right Siren, they can control you through her.''


    ''What should I do then?''


    ''Arrogantly chastise me for overstepping and insult me in front of them,'' Lilly replied.


    ''Tsk, that seems like a pain in the ass,'' I replied irritated.


    ''Lilly is right though, Darling. Europe is old. Like older than dinosaurs old. They have all these archaic customs and rules that you have to navigate around. And as anyone who matters knows a powerful Specter. We have to be careful.''


    ''Husband. These two are prodding you right now. They are checking out the power dynamics of our group. If there is a chance for them to break us up, they will do it. It''s a common tactic in the Middle Ages. Forcing divisions between the royalty and the nobility.''


    ''If they see a weakness, they will try to capitalize on it. Most countries forced the nobility to have harems not because they thought the king deserved a one. They did so because the queens, consorts, and mistresses became tools to control the king. Honey, you have seven of us. From their point of view, it would be the perfect setup to exploit.''


    ''Shujin, it doesn''t matter what part of the world it is. Women are used to tame men. And even though you are very fond of us, this must remain a secret to everyone outside of Hellsend. In order for you to be respected, you must exert your dominance.''


    Somehow, I disliked hearing that I had to insult or be rude to my girls. Why do I have to make horrible memories with my harem for these sick fucks? I had to lie and be a bastard to the women I love the most to please other people? Yeah, fuck that. Enjoy new chapters from empire


    If a Revenant or a greater demon could force me to do shit, what the hell did these politician bastards expect? I bow to no one!


    ''My love, please bear with it for now. Please do what Lilly asks. It would be better if you also reprimand Jo, Jas and Bella for being too friendly with them. The girls are right, this has happened in my family as well. Such are the burdens of royalty.''


    ''Possum, I know you won''t believe me because I''m stupid and all, but I agree with the Sirens. You may not like it now, but it will be easier for all of us. And we know the truth anyway. So what if the world thinks otherwise, yeah?''


    An unpleasant feeling wrapped itself around my heart. I could not understand this shit. I live and fight for the Sirens. But I was protecting them by humiliating them in public?


    And because of the Specters of Europe, I had to pretend I didn''t love my harem? Who the hell died and made these fucking bastards king?


    Unconsciously, more and more death resonance leaked out of me. I couldn''t control my face as it twisted with rage. The girls were right. As I moved to the international stage, it was inevitable that I needed to become more politically correct. It was in my best interest.

 Chapter 533 I refuse [2/2]

    But just because it was in my best interest didn''t mean it was what I wanted. The root cause of the need to do this act was so that we could safely grow in strength. It kept coming back to me being too weak. Unconsciously, my anger began to affect our {Kindred} link.''My {kindred}. If those fuckers try to make you turn against me or your sisters. Would you betray them? Would you betray me?'' I asked in a cold voice.


    ''Not even in death, my love.''


    ''Absolutely not. You are my only {Kindred}. Of course I will follow you, Dearest.''


    ''Na, course not, Possum.''


    ''I would kill them all for even suggesting it, Darling!''


    ''You already know the answer, Honey.''


    ''Husband, would you even think such a thing?''


    ''Anata, I would rather die first.''


    ''If I have to curse and insult you all, the people I love the most in this world, all because of these schemers and liars. I do not deserve any of you. If I were afraid of Specters, I would not have fought four of them by now. Everyone, I refuse to sully your honor for my convenience. To hell with these fucking shits!''


    ''That''s...'' ''But...'' ''Pfft!'' ''Hehe!'' ''Knew it.'' ''Sigh.'' ''Anata...''


    ''Thank you for your advice, my noble {Kindred}. But I refuse. I command you as your master. Protect me from such schemes and stay by my side. If you do, I will reward you with my love. Do you all accept?''


    ''...''


    ''What? Can you girls reject me at this point? I know you love me. And you all already belong to me,'' I teased.


    My anger slowly melted as I felt the irritation and annoyance of my girls. John Smith may have tried to conform to all this bullshit. But I was Limitless. And Limitless had no reason to do any of this crap.


    John Smith was alone.


    But Limitless had the Seven Sirens.


    ''Fufu, my love, you are everything I hoped you would be. Of course I accept.''


    ''Dearest, I am telling you this is a really bad idea. But you wouldn''t listen, would you? Fine! Do whatever you want! I accept.''


    ''I accept. Go as hard as you want, possum. As your Sheila, I won''t let any of them bother you.''''


    ''Hehehe, Darling is so fucking cool! I accept! Let''s show them, Darling!'' Your next read is at empire


    ''I kind of had a feeling this was going to happen. I mean, the thing with Gareth was the exact same thing. Sigh, I will of course comply Honey. I accept.''


    "Husband, you are creating unnecessary stress for both you and us. But I guess you have been obstinate since the day I met you. But no matter, as your wife, I accept.''


    ''Shujin, every time you act like this, I fall more in love with you. I accept.''


    With my mind made up. Instead of rebuking Lilly, I praised her instead.


    "Thank you for your words, dear. What would I ever do without you," I said to Lilly with a soft smile.


    "I-I...um...of course, dear." Surprisingly, instead of her usual confidence Lilly blushed like a teenager instead.


    I couldn''t help but ask inwardly in confusion. ''Lilly, what are you doing?''


    ''If dearest doesn''t want to act like a bastard. I will act like a clueless virgin instead,'' my princess boasted confidently.


    ''Another case of how reading nothing but smut turns your brain to shit. Husband, ignore her.''


    ''Princess, you made yourself famous as the Untamed, remember? Your pathetic act fools no one. Stop embarrassing yourself. Honey, please just talk to Amari and Mia.''


    ''HAHAHAH! Who is stupid now, slagger? You dumbass cunt, hahahaha!''


    ''Hehehe, Lilly, don''t worry, we made videos, we''ll watch them together with Darling later.''


    ''Lilly-sama, that was a serious miscalculation.''


    ''Ignore them Lilly, I believe in your performance. You truly look like an innocent virgin in my eyes.''


    ''YOU ARE ALL INCORRIGIBLE!''


    My American lover blushed scarlet and squirmed in her seat. I found her lapse in judgment and embarrassment endearing. I stroked her face and gave her a quick peck.


    "Just look at me, Lilly. Only my opinion should matter. And I think you''re cute."


    Perhaps overwhelmed by my actions, Lilly took my hand and held it in her lap. Then she looked down as if to imitate a doorpost.


    My increasingly good mood made me chuckle. Then I turned to Amari and Mia and asked them in a cold tone.


    "Now. What the fuck do you two want?"


    Somehow, I felt a collective sigh from my harem. But I didn''t give a damn. I live this life for myself. Amari and Mia came to me, not the other way around.


    "...Uh...I...." Amari, who seemed overwhelmed by my display, drew a blank.


    Seeing her partner in distress, Mia spoke animatedly.


    "John, we wanted..."


    "Limitless."


    "Huh?"


    "John Smith is dead. He died during the enlistment. You did not come here for John Smith, but for Limitless, correct? Then address me as such."


    "..."


    Mia swallowed nervously at my words. How could she not? Although I was just stating facts, I learned about the difference in titles.


    If you called a person by their name, you called them as their real self. If you called someone by their title, you were acknowledging their authority.


    My words had a simple message.


    ''I am not your friend.''


    "Limitless then. We need your help," Mia said curtly.


    "And why should I help you?" I asked like an unscrupulous bastard.


    It might have been unfair to our former allies, but behind them were countries that were hostile to me. As much as I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, I couldn''t. Too much depended on my decisions right now.


    Amari, who finally seemed to regain consciousness, appealed solemnly.


    "Demons have invaded Kismayo in Somalia. We have been unable to stop them. Please help me defeat them. Many of my people are suffering under their tyranny."


    Now this was interesting. I had assumed that Reaper affairs never manifested on Earth. The only exception would be the bastards from Trinity. But what Amari had just told me was that the demons had already broken through to the surface.


    But Africa had the second largest Reaper army. If North America could spare a Specter or two to defend against a demon. Why wasn''t the African front going after this one?


    "Reapers are created by suffering Amari. Isn''t that why Africa has such a powerful presence in Hellsgate? You ask me for help. But right now, you are gathering your forces to attack my domain in 2 months. Why the fuck should I give a shit what happens to your hellhole of a city?"


    Amari and Mia frowned at my words.


    It seemed from their faces that they didn''t expect me to know about Africa''s upcoming plans. Mia then gently squeezed Amari''s thick arm as she whispered.


    "Choco, I think it is better to tell the truth. We don''t have much left."


    Watching the two of them, I noticed that Amari''s face showed so many complex emotions. After a few seconds, he nodded before turning back to me. Only this time, the feeling I got from Kingkong was completely different.


    "Limitless. I offer you a deal. Help me kill the demon and win my birthright."


    "Birthright? You mean you are a prince?"


    "I am."


    "And? So what if you''re a prince of a country? What power do you have over the continent? The only princes I care about are the sons of Hannibal Mandela."


    "I am. One of many. But I am not from my father''s {Kindred}. I come from one of his many mistresses."


    "Wait. Hold up, you''re the son of a Revenant?"


    "Yes. I am the 34th Prince of the African battlefront. Son of Hannibal Mandela the Immortal. Help me win the throne. And I will give you two things. The 24th floor of my continent.


    And my word that Africa will cease all hostilities with North America and your domain for as long as we both live."


    Well. This just got a lot more interesting.


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 Chapter 534 I smell bullshit [1/2]

    "Tildi, seal the room.""Yes, my lord."


    My clerk then operated some computer panels on what looked like a console. A large bolt sealed the room and a wave of soul covered the room like a cage. As I looked at the LCD screens, I began to wonder how the hell these things worked.


    I never questioned it before, but both the dispatch office and the Production Guild building I visited had electricity. They were using LED lights and computers. How did they get the electricity to power them?


    Before, I just assumed there was some kind of soulgear. However, one of the things I now wondered about was how I would create a base. Electricity and water were conveniences I had grown accustomed to on Earth.


    If I had to spend my whole life in the 24th zone, I wanted to be able to take a shower and electric appliances with the girls.


    ''Exa...how can...''


    [They are using a soulgear, my lord. It''s an SMS 5 star rated soulger called {Off the Grid}. It allows a designated area to have working electricity in exchange for soul. The range of the soulgear only covers a small area.]


    Faster than I could even ask, Exa put my doubts to rest. I have to get one of these for my future house. Or maybe since we had Lilly, we could just bring diesel generators. Even though they were noisy, if I added them to my {Auto}, I could {Rewind} them for free.


    Then I felt something hit my right shin. Bella was tapping her fingers impatiently. This woman. She could have just talked to me with the {Kindred} link, but she chose to kick me instead. Feeling her annoyance, I guessed that she might have been jealous of my attention to Lilly.


    My smile came out on its own as I reached for her hand. Bella was surprised but blushed as I intertwined our fingers. I could feel my connection drowning in envy and malice. I would have to do some affection maintenance later.


    Looking back at Amari and Mia, they were tense. At the moment, I had the upper hand in this negotiation. During my life as a human, it was usually the other way around. I had a ton of strategies to placate or kiss ass. But I had nothing for when you were the one in power.


    ''I will just have to wing it. My {Kindred} I live the rest for you.''


    "Explain," I said curtly.


    Amari took a deep breath and clenched his fist as he spoke.


    "Simply put, the demon is one of my brothers. I am the 34th of 77 sons. As in most cultures, it is possible for so many families to be united in one will. Africa resolves its conflicts by merit. The challenge now is to kill the demon. But its identity makes it difficult."


    Bella pushed up her glasses as she guessed the rest of the explanation.


    "Then one of the conditions for this task is that you must do it alone or find allies outside your influence?"


    The gorilla man made a surprised face, "How did you know that?"


    But it was Jasmine who answered. "Any king worth his salt would do this. To prove which of you is the most competent, his Majesty has leveled the playing field."


    Aki added her two cents, "That way, even those without the power of their family lineage have a fair chance. It will test cunning, ingenuity and luck."


    "Luck?" I couldn''t help but parrot.


    "Yes, beloved. Encounters could be considered a form of luck. A good example would be Amari. Even though he comes from a humble bloodline, he met Mia, a European reaper, and you."


    "I know, right? If Darling decides to intervene, none of the other princes would stand a chance! After all, he has Hellsend and over a hundred Phantoms behind him."


    "But why does Possum even have to do all this crap? It is all because of this black dickhead''s ambition. Possum doesn''t lose anything by just letting them sort themselves out."


    I found it amusing, on the surface it seemed like the Sirens were just speaking their minds. But it was as if they were all acting out a script.


    Instead of having Amari explain, they showed that we already knew everything. Effectively destroying the possible cards the African prince could play.


    It was very effective because Jo and Robyn''s arguments made it clear that he needed me more than I needed him. And that even if I didn''t help, I had nothing to lose.


    Liv then emphasized that he was just lucky to meet me, Amari lost the card to say that we were destined to be allies and all that crap.


    Jasmine and Aki were probably just explaining for my benefit. It was heartwarming to see how much the girls tried to help me.


    They knew I found such things annoying, so they backed our opponents into a corner before they could even make a play. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''My {Kindred}, I love you all.''


    ''We know, now focus.'' X7


    ''How adorable.''


    I found myself grinning with amusement. Meanwhile, Amari and Mia were squirming in their seats.


    ''Dearest, please fix your face. You are at a formal event. Amari''s next statement would be to ask for your support, citing the violent tendencies of the remaining princes. I have read the dossiers on the ten most powerful descendants of Africa. Nine of them want to invade North America. One does not.''


    ''Is that one Amari?''


    ''Shujin. Soldat-san is not even in the top 25. There is literally no reason to grant his request from our standpoint. Although his proposal sounds good. There is no advantage in helping him. It would be better to help someone from the {Kindreds} bloodline.''


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    ''I see... Should we tell them that as well?'' I asked understandingly.


    ''I would advise against it, Mr. Code. Although Amari has little to offer, if we decide to help him, it would be better overall. His loyalty to us would be higher than to the other princes. Besides, we already know that he keeps his word. He saved our nut job and ass monster.''


    ''Darling! I like Mia! She likes bunnies! Can we please help him out?''


    ''Husband, I like Amari too, not as a man of course, but as an ally. He is competent and has the mind of a king. It would be a shame to see such talent go to waste.''


    ''You all... We just said not to influence the beloved''s decision... Personally, though, my love, I agree. Rather than a powerful prince we do not know, I prefer Amari. He and Mia are the reason Jo and Jas returned safely. Such a debt can never be repaid.''


    ''Possum. I don''t give a shit about the gorilla. Want to just go and kill the demon? I need a rematch with those dickheads. You and me. it will be our date.


    Interested?''


    Before I could answer, Amari spoke up.


    "What your {Kindred} says is true. If someone other than me becomes the new Reve..."


    Mia quickly interjected. "AHHHHHH! KING! If the other princes becomes king. Right Choco?"


    "..."


    When none of us answered, the tension in the room rose to eleven.


    "Amari. Mia. Do you both take me for a fool? If so, go fuck yourself. I work on a simple premise. If you want my help, tell me everything.


    If you lie to me. I will not only abandon you, I will help your enemies instead," I threatened.


    "Tsk. Choco of all the things to slip up on."


    "I''m sorry, Fluffy. I messed up."


    "It''s not your fault, Choco. Whatever! We have nothing to lose anyway."


    "Why the hell are you even here, Mia? If it''s an African problem, how is it any of your business? Don''t tell me you''re some kind of European princess too?"


    "I am not. I come from a simple family of Reapers. Choco could not find a handler, so he personally came to Europe to look for one. My family, the Flairs, decided to support his claim to the throne."

 Chapter 535 I smell bullshit [2/2]

    "I smell bullshit. If that were the case, why did you two come to me rather than a European reaper family? I am not as well off as those bastards.""Look, you arsehole. Not all European families are rich. Besides, I came here for love. I want to support my man," she boasted proudly.


    "Stop lying Mia. The more likely story would be that you eloped because the Flairs condemned your relationship. Mixed-race Descendants are frowned upon in Europe. Even though me and Jo were of marriageable age, only Jo was given marriage interviews."


    "Not to mention that your {fates} do not seem compatible. What would your children get? A rabid gorilla-wolf soul form? They are probably already forcing Mia to get married and pregnant. Stop lying. I''m from Italy, remember?"


    Jas and Jo''s remarks made Mia flinch. The real story seemed to be that Mia had fallen in love with the gorilla BBC and had eloped. That would explain why they couldn''t ask Europe for help. I guess even in modern times, business marriages still happened.


    "Flair-san, Soldat-san. Jo''s {fate} gives us all superhuman hearing. We know Soldat-san was going to say Revenant. Please just tell the truth. It would be better than wasting everyone''s time."


    Amari and Mia exchanged a look before nodding.


    Mia held Amari''s hand as she began. "Choco sold himself as a slave when he was about fourteen. Because of the power of Africa he was considered average there. But for the other battlefronts he had great potential. The Flairs bought him.


    "My {Fate} {Lycan} worked like a soul form. My parents thought that if someone from the African battlefront taught me, I could control it better. He taught me, and I fell madly in love with him. I only found out about his true background a week before the enlistment.


    The tall African Reaper stood up as he began to explain.


    " Limitless, everyone. Africa has only one rule. Survival of the fittest. I sold myself to gain support to grow stronger. What I am about to tell you is the most closely guarded secret in Africa. If this word gets out, I will be killed for treason."


    The hesitation in Amari''s voice showed how big a deal this was. Probably scared out of his wits. The one to reassure him were my {Kindred} from Europe and Africa.


    "Amari! Don''t be afraid. Darling will help you! I promise!"


    "My husband''s loyalty is unshakable. What you fear will not happen."


    A figure suddenly fell on me and landed in my lap. Robyn laid her back on my chest as she looked at me from under my chin.


    "Possum, this shit is boring. Can I stay here?"


    I gave her a quick kiss as I replied. "Of course kitten."


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    Happy with my answer, Robyn made herself comfortable. The feeling of her body so close to mine was really pleasant. Her suggestive outfit made my mind wonder. That was until I felt both of my hands being pinched.


    Bella and Lilly continued to look at Amari while they used {Shelter} toothpicks to stab my hands all over. I couldn''t even get angry because I found their jealousy quite adorable.


    "How can you go on flirting with your girls? This is a serious secret! Don''t you care?" Mia shouted, obviously offended.


    "Not really no. Playing with my harem is much more interesting than whatever crap you two are trying to say. Just get on with it. So I can go," I replied.


    The chocolate gorilla then began to laugh in high spirits.


    "HAHAHAHA! You are right! This is only a big deal in Africa. Nobody here really cares. HAHAHAHAHA! Thank you, Limitless."


    "Why thank me? I didn''t even do anything?"


    Amari then turned serious before speaking.


    "Hannibal Mandela is not a reaper. He is the {Fate}."


    "Huh?" S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The "king" of the African battlefront is the one who inherits the {Fate} of a Revenant. The qualification for this is that he must have the bloodline of the original Hannibal. This means that only those of his lineage can become the next Hannibal Mandela."


    "Wait! Wait! Wait! Go back! Why would he even need to do that? Reapers are immortal.


    We do not die of old age. Then where is Hannibal Mandela the First?"


    "Limitless, are you aware of the responsibility of the Revenants?"


    If he had spoken to me before today, I would have had to say no. Fortunately, Phillip''s lecture earlier had already taught me that.


    "I do. They are supposed to serve as collectors of malice in their domains. What is your point?"


    "Then you know what happens when the malice a Revenant holds exceeds his ability to handle it?"


    "His soul collapses?"


    "Yes, and he becomes a demon. One of the Ars Goentia. Or to be more precise, the seventy-two strongest demons in Hell."


    "..."


    Andromalius had a number after his name. He was the 72nd. Are you telling me that there were 71 other bastards stronger than him? And a Revenant whose soul collapses becomes one?


    "You''ve got to be shitting me..."


    "No, I am not. Of the Seven Battlefronts, the North and Africa are the earliest to have Revenants. We have seen it many times. Our bloodline can be considered as having the blood of demons. So we turn much faster."


    Fuck. Phillip''s lesson was missing. I didn''t know if the things Amari said were even true.


    "Then Limitless. Do you know how a Revenant can exorcise all his accumulated malice?"


    "No."


    "He cleanses it with his blood."


    "What?"


    "Instead of passing the malice on to another, the best way for a Revenant to cleanse the malice he holds is to die to purify it."


    "We have wasted enough time on this, so let me summarize. Spirits that hold emotions and malice is that person''s karma. The more malice a person has, the more lives he has taken.


    "When he dies, his soul goes either to whatever killed him or back to the world. The "world" in this case is Mother Nature, so for simplicity''s sake let''s call it the World Tree."


    I see. If someone else killed a Revenant, their malice would be transferred to the one who struck the blow. And if the negative emotion was enough to overwhelm a Revenant, then nothing would be able to hold it.


    "Your father is going to off himself? All so the malice can return to the World Tree? And the next king will repeat the process? Fuck. This is insane! How long has this been going on?!"


    Amari''s eyes widened at my words, but then nodded wordlessly.


    "When The Immortal comes to the end of his era, demons invade en masse. All eager to kill him. Their goal is to evolve from the malice he carries. My father intends to choose a successor before that can happen."


    This task was too important. No wonder Hannibal got busy and created an army of children. It was too dangerous to leave to chance. By having a steady supply of sacrifices in the form of children. The {Fate} would have no problem getting a new body.


    But wasn''t this fucking wrong? From the Reapers'' point of view, they were doing a good job. But the premise that Amari''s entire bloodline was nothing more than bodies to be filled with malice was fucking evil.


    The realization drowned my heart with anger, frustration, and sadness. The Sirens, who noticed all this, tried to calm me down by sending me my positive feelings.


    "Amari, if this is all true. Shouldn''t you all be strengthening your defenses? This hardly seems to be a matter of one demon. Why are your Reapers preparing to invade another battlefront at this time?" Lilly challenged.


    Fuck. I miss the days when all I had to do was kill zombies.

 Chapter 536 Prepared to die [1/2]

    "That''s..."Amari made a face as he held his tongue. Whatever the answer was, he seemed to hesitate to say it.


    Mia sighed deeply before speaking on behalf of her lover.


    "Choco, stop trying to protect your siblings. It doesn''t help, and we might end up insulting Limitless instead. Look, you all should know the main reason why the assault teams are struggling, right?"


    Wordlessly, I nodded.


    It felt so good to finally understand shit for a change. Since this was going to be my new life, every bit of info I learned would only make me wiser. Humbling myself to ask Phillip was a great choice. Now I didn''t have to look like an idiot in front of everyone.


    A nugget of wisdom I got from Noelle was to be as stupid as you need to be while it was the first time. The actual quote was something along the lines of "If you don''t ask, you''ll never learn, it''s much better to be stupid once than to be stupid forever".


    This piece of advice made me not be afraid to admit when I didn''t understand something. While you did get the typical condescending asshole once in a while, most of the time people were quite happy to teach you.


    "Right, so it''s like this. When Limitless was kicking ass, most people wondered how you could even manage your supply lines for ammunition. That was what kept others from using firearms, right? The world gave you one week. But instead of dying, you evolved into a Phantom," Mia explained.


    Ho? It seemed that not only North America, but the world was waiting to see what I could do. The headlines from my first night were pretty clickbaity after all.


    "Since it was impossible for you to gain so many souls from the common undead alone, both Europe and Africa believed that you must have found a way to deal with the tainted undead. This meant that you had a way to farm blessings, or an ability on par with the manifested. Otherwise, you would have died by now, because the tainted cannot be killed by the Formless."


    I see. Even though my information was leaked, Zach was careful. Time-wise, Aira spied on me for more than a few days. I fought my first night on Monday, July 24th, 2023. The first seven dirge sirens showed Aira my potential.


    On July 25th, my second night, I received the Sacreds from Yvonne and Golden Wick. I spent that evening perfecting what would eventually become Maneuver AB. That night, I used the blessed rounds that would eventually become the Sacreds for the first time.


    The next morning, the 26th, I asked Aira what I could do to win the Seeker War. Her analysis and suggestions led me to redesign the {Kismet} classes. The redesign led me to create the unified {Kismet}, {Limitless}.


    This was the same event that revealed Aira''s betrayal and created my new AI, Exa. This simply meant that in terms of timing, while Aira didn''t know that I had changed my fighting style, she did know that I could reuse Sacreds.


    However, when I received the data leak that Aki had, there was no mention of this fact. That''s probably why she wasn''t expecting it when we dueled. Likewise, Vincent and Lucrecia''s research did not reveal this either.


    Which begs the question, why did Zach deliberately remove any mention of me using Sacreds from the data he leaked to the world? As a result, while Europe and Africa came to the same conclusion, it was based on conjecture, not evidence.


    I had no obligation to reveal my cards to Amari and Mia. While I planned to sell Devil''s Remains to the other battlefront, David''s Administration blocked that avenue as they bought everything at a premium.


    "Would you believe that I have only fought the tainted undead once? I have yet to fight beyond the 11th floor. You probably figured that out from my nickname and my weapon. I have unlimited bullets. Instead of going higher, Hellsend and I killed everything from the 6th to the 10th floor."


    "..."


    Upon hearing my words, Amari and Mia flinched. Even though the two of them were powerful, they could not fight forever. I saw this during the enlistment.


    Soulforms in exchange for their massive power seemed to be incredibly exhausting. At least that was what Isolde told me. It was only when the Inari Skewers were sold that she was able to fight for longer periods of time.


    "Ignoring the fact that you were completely off the mark, what does the army coming in two months intend to do?" I asked cautiously.


    "Limitless, my continent is powerful. However, our Reapers haven''t been able to do much because we are constantly besieged by demons and floor breaks from Asia. No other continent knows more about the importance of saints and sacred energy than we do.


    "The mere thought of someone being able to reuse blessings became a hope for our dire circumstances. If Africa could use you to farm the devil''s remains, or if you could somehow remove malice even as a Phantom, everyone who''s of Hannibal Mandela''s bloodline would want to either capture you or turn you into a soulgear."


    "And now that you know the truth, you know that the coming army is a fool''s errand. What will you do?"


    "Five of my brothers are leading this expeditionary force. It will consist of 3,000 Reapers. They would have over 700 Phantoms and 30 Specters with them. Even if I know the truth, they will not listen to the words of a lowly prince."


    "Then are they all ready to die?"


    My words caused the African Reaper to narrow his eyes.


    "Limitless, I think you are being far too arrogant. I agree that Hellsend is a powerful force. But the coming African army is called the ENSAE. A Reaper army made up of the strongest warriors from a coalition of Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria, and Ethiopia.


    "They are one of the most powerful armies we have. They have defeated several demons and are the main group protecting Africa from Asia''s man-made floor breaks. Together they have the power to match a Revenant!"


    "You haven''t answered my question," I retorted with a frown.


    "What? You can''t be crazy! Are you seriously thinking of taking them on?" a confused Amari tried to get closer only to have all my girls draw weapons out of thin air.


    I also stood up and released my death resonance. I controlled my resonance so that it only hit Amari and Mia like a flood. Both of them braced their bodies as they tried to withstand its effects.


    "Amari, let me tell you something. The one who killed Andromalius was not Raymond or Xander. They helped, but the one who finished him off was my army. Hellsend. And we did it by smashing a mountain overflowing with Blessing Energy. What you saw in David''s video was a lie."


    "LIMITLESS! YOUR INSANITY HAS TO STOP! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Andromalius is a name from the ARS GOENTIA! He is one of the 72 Arch Demons! His Majesty''s video never said a name!


    Stop lying!"


    I chuckled as I used [Whisper].


    {KNEEL}!


    The two of them couldn''t handle both my death resonance and [Whisper]. They ended up forced to kneel to the ground as the ground cracked under the pressure. I then hopped onto the table and walked over to their side. My battle harem moved with {Blink} to surround Choco and Fluffy.


    ''How reliable. I will reward you all later.''


    When I reached the end of the table, I asked them mockingly.


    "I do not lie. What good would it do me to lie? Anyone with a brain would know. How did I survive the fight against that demon? How did I know its name? I have its body if you want to see it.


    Do you really think that winning a Seeker war is enough to gain dominion of an entire floor?"


    I then got down from the table and walked up to them arrogantly.


    "No. It was because I killed a greater demon as a Phantom. That is the only reason David gave me the 24th floor as my kingdom. My forces are more powerful than anything we have shown in the graveyard so far. Your army may be able to kill me today. But in two months?


    That would be highly unlikely." Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 537 Prepared to die [2/2]

    "I created Hellsend in two weeks. I now have more than a hundred Phantoms, and many more are ascending every day. I am a Death Seeker. That should tell you something. You both fought with me during the enlistment, do you think I got what I have because I begged for it?"Let me ask you again. For the retarded prince of Africa and a werewolf with a BBC fetish, is this army prepared to die to the last man?"


    Amari swallowed audibly before answering.


    "T-They are. As veterans they have been given the order "Victory". That means they either succeed or do not return. As long as even one of them is alive, they will come after you. That is how desperate Africa is for the hope you bring."


    "And none of them even thought to ask me politely? It seems that you black fuckers have been hiding in your hellhole for so long that you have forgotten common sense. My {Kindred}, what do you think?"


    "My love, I have heard that Africa was the land of brave warriors. However, they seem to have forgotten that force alone cannot create. If conquest is what they desire, then we will give them all a death they can be proud of. Such is the way of Limitless."


    "Africa has been found to be as domineering, if not more so, than Asia. However, they are not like Australia, so they are not a cause for concern. And since Africa has a massive Reaper population, we shouldn''t worry about slaughtering the ENSAE army to the last man, Dearest."


    "Possum, I say we fight. The Hellcats need the training. We need to be in shape for the next two armies coming."


    "Hehehe. Darling! Of course I vote to massacre these bastards! That way, we have more soulgears to arm Hellsend with!"


    "Honey, at this point you are just bullying them. To be honest, I am more afraid of Asia and South America. Spending all this effort to destroy an army of niggers is just annoying."


    "You talk like Husband has a choice. Husband, let''s just assassinate Amari''s brothers and be done with it. We can hunt the Specters for good measure. Once they are all dead, the rest should scatter. Send me and Aki. We will do it before they arrive."


    "Jas, if you want to spend a month away from Shujin, then go by yourself. If they desire to die, then let them come. No one from Shujin''s army would hide in a corner like they wish. If they think they have already seen what hell is like, they will be in for a real surprise. Anata, let''s kill them all."


    I canceled my death resonance and [Whisper], allowing the gorilla-wolf pair to regain their footing. However, instead of relaxing, they became more agitated as they asked in panic.


    "What? Two other armies? Are Asia and South America coming for you too?"


    "You are all crazy! How can you talk about fighting an army of 3000 Reapers! You are all just Phantoms! They have Specters! Are you not terrified?"


    "Then should we all just lay down here and die, Mia?" Bella scoffed.


    When Bella said those words, I looked at her and she blushed while looking away. How nostalgic. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but barely three weeks had passed. That was what I had told her during the enlistment.


    "You are fat, suck at combat and have neither resources nor backing. Did I forget to mention {Rewind} is horribly expensive for a {fate}? I agree that its applications are astounding. But you do not gain offensive nor defensive abilities. A zero, no matter how many times you multiply, will always remain a zero!"


    "Then should I just lay down here and die?"


    And now, the woman who was scared of her mind back then was ready to take on a powerful army from another continent. And she was not alone. The other Sirens were of the same sentiment.


    "Amari, Mia. We are not the same people who fought with you during the Enlistment. The Sirens and I, together with Darling have not stopped picking fights since then. We will continue to fight until we die. But the longer we survive, the stronger we become."


    "We fought undead, we fought Reapers, and then we fought a demon. I don''t think any of us give a crap what we''re fighting anymore. As long as Possum goes, we all follow."


    "And the fact that the ENSAE army has Specters does not matter. Our goal is to become Revenants. For that reason, it doesn''t matter what we fight. So long as we do not die to it, we will become stronger. And as long as Husband endures, we and Hellsend will never fall."


    "Indeed. Until single Siren still stands, Beloved will never perish. We will not allow it. Of course, you would have to kill me along with everyone else if you wanted his head. And while you can try, whether you succeed is another matter entirely."


    "That''s why Dearest asked you how prepared the ENSAE army is. Because unless they come at us with the determination to die to the last man, they have no hope of winning."


    "Soldat-san, Flair-san. If you want to see how serious we are. Why not come along? Shujin. I propose that we help Soldat-san with the demon in Somalia. That way, we can show Africa that we are not to be trifled with."


    "Tsk. But if we do that, we will lose the chance to farm soul gears from Specters! Those would be really powerful you now! Honey! Just let them come! We need the resources.


    3000 Soulgears is big money."


    I looked at Aki and asked seriously.


    "Kami-san, I couldn''t care less about their problems. But is this something you want?"


    "Yes Anata. I believe this is something we need."


    Nodding, I scanned the faces of my battle harem.


    "And everyone else?"


    "I agree with Aki, Beloved. I want the world to see your battle prowess. Not only to warn those who wish you harm, but to show the world that change is coming. And that they are powerless to stop it!"


    "I agree with both of them, Dearest. Heroes are not meant to hide in the shadows, they are meant to rise like the sun. I wouldn''t be surprised if we have Specters by the time the other armies arrive in two months!"


    "I want this too, Possum. I couldn''t help much with that dickhead Andromalius, but I will for sure take this demon''s head!"


    "Hahaha! Darling, of course I agree! What more do we need to show the world how we roll? We will invade their domain and slaughter everything in sight! Hahaha! I can see it now!


    It will be... Beautiful!"


    "Jo, behave yourself. Husband, I also support this. The world needs to know that you are not prey, but a hunter who will take all they have. If Africa must be the sacrifice, then so be it!"


    I smiled and felt my body tingle with excitement. I agreed with my harem. And when I saw their battle hunger, it stroked mine as well. With my heart set ablaze by their fervor, I turned to Tildi with a wide smile.


    "Tildi, did you get all that?"


    The redhead nodded her head as she returned my smile.


    "Yes, my lord. Hellsend is to prepare for an assault on Kismayo, Somalia. Our opponents will be demons, and the goal of the operation will be to crush the enemy with an overwhelming show of force."


    "Okay, thank you Tildi. Let the other leaders know."


    "U-Uhm my lord?" Tildi asked timidly.


    "Yes?"


    "I have a request."


    "A request? Okay, say it."


    Tildi knelt on the ground like a knight.


    "My lord, please allow me the honor of being the vanguard for the Somalia demon subjugation."


    I asked in confusion. "Why?"


    "My lord, I echo Lady Rhiannon''s thoughts. We were of little help and were nothing but a burden in the battle against Andromalius. I wish to make amends. Please let me join those who will be part of the first strike."


    "Hahaha! As expected from one of my clerks. Very well! Bella, Jo, can you allow Tildi to be transferred from the Wizards to the Wolves?"


    "Of course, Mr. Code. Thank you for all your hard work, Tildi."


    "Welcome to the wolves'' little sis Tildi!"


    "Yes! Thank you, Lady Minerva! Lady Vela, I won''t let you down!"


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 Chapter 538 Who gives a shit? [1/2]

    Tildi was excitedly hopping in place. People would probably assume that she was happy because she aced a test. Or maybe because she got a confession from her crush. But in truth? It was because this frail looking woman''s request was approved.The request was to leave the Minerva''s Wizards. A special group tasked with reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, Wizards were rarely in the heat of combat. But that was not what Matilda Cassy wished for. Rather safety she wished for power.


    And that desire manifested in her current request. To leave the back lines and join Vela''s Wolves. The wolves currently operated as a Hellsend''s commando unit. Unlike the 2nd Amendment that held the line, they were the ones that pushed it forward.


    As Jo''s personal unit, from the few times I seen them in combat, they were beyond ferocious. Comprised of Saints this unit was purely fanatical in their blood lust. A great example was their stint with the Rank E Giants.


    I personally fought a giant in close quarters. They hit hard and were nearly impervious to bullets. Yet the wolves willingly charged into them with only XM7''s. From little girls who had a bad hand they were one of the growing powerhouses in sheer number of Phantoms.


    And that was the unit Tildi wanted to join. Needless to say the wolves get injured a lot but thanks to {Rewind} no one has died yet. But that fact didn''t matter to the clerk in front of me. It was insane from every conceivable point of view.


    And I wasn''t the only one who thought about it.


    Mia quickly approached Tildi and grabbed her by both her arms.


    "What the hell are you saying girl! Are you daft? Limitless and his harem is one thing, but why are you so eager to die as well!"


    However contrary to what she expected, Tildi instead answered with a sharp retort.


    "Unhand me please. You are neither my lord nor my superior. Your opinion has no importance to me. I join the Wolves as I want to serve my lord as his sword. To a slave like me, I was given the ability to get stronger. The dignity and honor I reclaimed belong solely to my lord, Limitless!"


    Death resonance began to erupt from Tildi. Her skirt began to flutter as her hair rose to the skies. Seeing the seriousness of my clerk, Amari quickly came forward and pulled his lover back.


    A hand quickly smacked Tildi from the back. Comically the woman lost all her ferocity and looked back, hurt. Her expression was sad, and her voice was like a puppy''s pitiful whimper.


    "Ouch¡­My lady¡­"


    The hand then began to brush the clerk''s head as if it was stroking a cat, and not a human.


    "Do not use resonance so easily, Lil sis. I appreciate your loyalty to Darling. But only I get to decide when a wolf dies. Understood?"


    "Yes¡­I''m sorry, my lady."


    Jo then tenderly embraced Tildi tightly.


    "Hush you are a wolf now. You are my Lil sis. Call me big sis."


    "Yes! Big sis!" Tildi chirped in happiness.


    Meanwhile the rest of the Sirens had complicated expressions.


    "Strewth! I wanted her for hellcats! Get stuffed Jo! You practicality take all my recruits!"


    "I can sympathize, she was among the top performers second only to Van among the Wizards. Luckily she likes Wilfred Vance otherwise I would have buried her given how close she is with Honey."


    "But her {fate} makes her fit for my unit, Freyja''s bulwark. Why would the hellcats or wizards need someone like her? If I cannot have her, the wolves are the next best fit."


    "Good grief, yet another problem I need to solve. At this rate I will be the only one without a unit! I should gather them quickly before Dearest begins his campaign."


    "Cheer up Lilly. I have yet to form mine either. I had yet to find anyone who passes my standards. As Husband''s wife, my unit must be held to a higher standard."


    "Jas, your test is impossible for anyone one without {Limitless}. The only people who would clear your requirements are Sirens and Shujin himself."


    As the Sirens and Tildi began to chat amongst themselves I walked towards Amari and Mia.


    "Just for the record, I didn''t ask them to be like this. It just happened. This was why they came with me to fight Andromalius. I don''t care even if you believe me. But I have one question."


    Amari nodded as he replied. "Ask."


    "Even if I helped you. You are only a Phantom; how would you even take on the powers of a Revenant? Is that only for ''The Immortal'' or is moving bodies common of all the other sovereigns."


    "I do not know. The abilities and {Fates} of each Revenant are closely guarded secret. If my father didn''t feel he would reach his limit soon, I wouldn''t have known. And sorry, I am among the least connected Princes, so I really don''t know much beyond what is expected of me. "


    "I see, I guess that could only expected. Well, was there anything else you wish to discuss?"


    Amari furrowed his eyebrows before speaking again after a moment of contemplation.


    "Limitless, I thank you for your decision to help my situation, but can you please not go to war with the ENSAE army? Maybe if you let me speak with them. If I have something tangible like a lot of Devil''s remains they might reconsider."


    "Is that really what you think?"


    "Yes, if you allow me to take a few I can convince them to halt the invasion! There is really no need for our peoples to come to war. They just need a little bit of the remains and they will leave."


    "Amari. You are a fucking moron. You should stick to being a gorilla. If Jo and Jas didn''t say that they liked you and your woman. I would have shot you just now," I said coldly.


    "What? It was literally the best choice! This way no blood needs to be shed¡­"


    Hearing his pathetic excuses for diplomacy I walked towards him until we were face to face. He was taller than me, maybe around Liv''s height, but I didn''t care.


    "Amari, for a second let''s believe that your idiocy has merit. Say I give you ten devil''s remains what would happen afterwards," I asked with a sneer.


    "Then the ENSAE could be convinced to stand down. With the ten remains we will be arm ten of our Specters and improve our positions."


    Hearing his logical reply I nodded but then continued.


    "And then?"


    "What do you mean and then? That''s it."


    "Amari, you think like a prince. If you are pretending to be stupid, I suggest you stop. Otherwise even after I kill the demon, I refuse to support you to become the Revenant."


    My words caused the temperature in the room to drop. Mia then touched her lover''s arm as she explained mournfully.


    "Once Africa gets a taste of getting Devil''s remains just for scaring North America. They will do it again if only to get more. And next time they will raise the number just to see how far North America is willing to bend. After they gained everything they possibly could through intimidation, they will still go to war afterwards."


    "Exactly. If it was Australia, they might listen for ten remains but Africa? Why would they? If I had command of the 2nd most powerful reaper force in the world, I would just pillage North America for all she was worth. This is why the US does not negotiate with terrorists. Because there can be no end."


    "¡­"


    "There is only one thing people like that understand. And that is overwhelming force. I am an American. If you want anything I own. Take it if you can. The same goes for your people.


    If they wish to take my resources by force, they are welcome to try. But I will make sure to fuck them up so badly they never even look my way ever again." Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 539 Who gives a shit? [2/2]

    "Limitless, Amari misspoke. We do not wish either side to be brought to harm. We are all fighting to end Hellsgate after all," Mia mediated.End Hellsgate? This bitch made such claims when everything contrary to that was what happened on a daily basis. It seemed to me like the reapers in particular was so busy with everything else but closing Hellsgate.


    "I will be annihilating the demons in your shit hole of a country, after I complete the errands, I need to run. Just to show you how much you bastards underestimate me, you are free to join my entire campaign this one time. You can record whatever you wish and share it to whoever you want to."


    My battle harem tried to voice their objections at my reckless offer. But I merely raised my hand and they all piped down.


    "All are tactics, all our {Fates} both of you can take back to your country as intelligence. I will not fault you if you do. You can even sell it to the other continents I do not mind."


    Mia Flair then shook her head as she stared at me warily.


    "This makes no sense! If we did then this would not only broadcast your weaknesses but allow the other armies to prepare counter measures for you! Why would you do such a thing."


    In my {Kindred} link the girls were all clamoring and begging me to retract my statement. Yet I made a wide smile as I answered.


    "Who gives a shit?"


    "Huh?"


    "Tell everyone everything you see I don''t give a shit. Learn, adapt and attack me. Do your absolute best preparing."


    "¡­"


    Unknowingly I felt death resonance leak from me in visible amounts. It was like floating blood. But rather than rage, this resonance was something different. It was a desire for combat. A desire to fight with my life on the line. A desire to prove to anyone that I was superior.


    "And when they come here confident of the tactics and schemes they created to take me down¡­I will trample them down so badly none of them would recover. Amari. Mia. I may forgive but I never forget.


    "Just like I will always remember you helped my girls, the moment your countries decide to pick a fight with me. It will not end with just skirmishes. You fucking bastards must be ready for your entire domains to be burned to the ground."


    "W-What a-are you sayi¡­"


    "I will never surrender. And I will prove my claim when I show you the potential the Sirens and I have. A fucking week was all it took me to kill a greater demon. Give me two months and I will take down even a Revenant!"


    The key moments in my life as a reaper flashed before my eyes like a highlight reel.


    From the enlistment. My victory against the Brute. My brawl with David. John Smith''s last day as a human. My first night as a reaper. The first seven Dirge Sirens where I met the most of Hellsend, Krishna and Isolde.


    My first battle with the Slayer. The formation of the LLG. The birth of Limitless. The overwhelming power of the Sacreds. Maneuver AB. My discussion with my AI for the seeker war.


    My struggles when I created {Limitless}.


    The duel to the death with Aki. Forming the 2nd Amendment. The revelations from my memories. My soul collapses. My reunion with the Sirens. Vincent and my Escalade. The moments they shared their burdens with me.


    The ambush that awaited us. The massacre that followed. Being kidnapped by Specters. The Revelations about the Formless.


    The Sirens first maiden battle. My AI children. Eva Baker and the time we fed the LLG. The arrival of Van and Terence. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The loyalty of the Sirens. The formation of Hellsend. My cringe ass speech. The first Song of the Sirens. Constance Faye.


    The nonstop operations we did to meet the pot for the seeker war. The loyalty of Hellsend. {Day by Day}. Pixie and Delroy.


    The reveal I made to my adopted family. The seeker War. Andromalius. David and the 24th floor. My wedding. My honeymoon. Till today.


    Unlike the time I died as a human, just these past two weeks were incredibly full of memories. They were all varied and etched with different emotions and color. I felt joy, sorrow, pain, love, hate and everything in between.


    In less than two weeks, I went from a reaper who literally knew nothing to who I was now. From someone who people called stupid for using guns, I was now perhaps the most sought-after Phantom.


    The savior of the Formless. The one who broke the Armistice. The lord of the 24th floor. And in less than a week, they already felt my disappearance. If John Smith died and few would notice, the headlines I saw showed how much the world valued Limitless.


    Regardless of what everyone says. Even if my actions would cause misfortune in the future I didn''t care. This was my path. This was my story.


    I didn''t stop, when the Undead brute blocked my way. Nor when a rogue army tried to capture me. Even the Saviors could not prevent me from moving. And when Andromalius arrived? I came at him again and again till I won.


    This was my way of life. This was my fate.


    And just like everything I faced before. The ENSAE army will be another footnote in my life. Along with everything that will try to stand in my way. All I wanted to do was concentrate on the undead.


    But now I know that until everyone else believed themselves stronger than me it will never stop. They will come after me again and again as many times as necessary.


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    Rather than hope for the best. It would be better to prepare for the worst. Diplomacy? Who needed diplomacy? All that mattered was who had the biggest stick. If they wanted a demon, then they got him.


    My {Kindred} link practically exploded with fighting spirit. It was like a massive storm in the middle of a raging ocean. Powerful, unrelenting and chaotic. It was like a soul collapse but more pleasurable.


    However just before I could grab the feeling it suddenly disappeared. Lilly then approached me and gently took my hand. Liv silently took the other.


    "Dearest, I believe you have made your point clear. Please calm down. Let us head back to meeting room 1. The girls and I think that is better than wasting time with these fools."


    "Beloved. Please come back to us. We are here. I do not wish to see you like this."


    Jo approached Mia and embraced her tightly.


    "Thanks for everything Mia. I had fun."


    "Judy? Why are you saying that?"


    "Darling has decided. I can no longer be your friend. None of the Sirens can."


    Amari then anxiously asked. "What do you mean Josephine?"


    "Husband''s mind is made up. If earlier, his focus was only on killing undead. That is no longer the case. He now will unite the world under his banner. There will be no negotiation. Only subordination or annihilation," my chocolate lover explained.


    "Thats tyranny! And you support him, Jasmine? You keep tabs on our battlefront. You know the power we can bring to bear," the gorilla man threatened.


    But the one to answer him was Bella, Aki and Robyn.


    "It''s not only Jasmine. All of us do. And I am telling you it will not be enough. You have no idea how terrifying Honey is as an enemy. Well, I guess you will in a couple of months."


    "Shujin, rarely bares his fangs. But on the few times he does he has no mercy. Soldat-san. Flair-san. Please join this expedition and learn everything you can. Then please never return to the 24th floor."


    "We can feel the battle lust radiating from Possum. He will never touch you if you do not face him in combat. But the moment you do. You cunts will be ripped to shreds."


    I didn''t bother to explain to Amari and Mia. I beckoned for my girls and called for them. And wordlessly they followed.

 Chapter 540 Rock, Paper, Scissors [1/2]

    As I walked towards meeting room 1 my insides were still chaotic. It was as if someone filled me up with water then detonated a nuke inside my body. The raging pressure made me want to burst.An unknown feeling trashed like a monster in my soul. Like a wild beast it rattled and stomped around in fury enraged it couldn''t get out. I could somehow feel something trying to calm down the whirlpool of fighting spirit.


    All I needed to do was listen and I could hear them.


    ''POSSUM! CALM THE FUCK DOWN!!! YOU ARE TOO FUCKING HIGH!!!''


    ''Beloved, I can understand feeling your blood aflame but this¡­ this is too much. How can you even function with such an intensity. I am afraid you will burn out like a bonfire¡­.''


    ''Did you really expect less from Honey? This lunatic intends to fight against the entire world! And he is fine¡­ he was like this from the get-go.''


    ''Darling! You are making me so hot¡­and wet¡­Should we get a room? I''m fine doing it here¡­Your link, it feels so good. It''s like I can feel you inside my heart¡­Mmh¡­Darling, you owe me a new pair of panties¡­.''


    ''Husband. Your battle lust is beginning to affect us. The calmer ones will be fine, but Robyn and Jo might be a problem. Sigh. What am I saying. Telling you to calm down is a futile endeavor.''


    ''Shujin, I am only feeling a fraction of your fighting spirit but its feels so good. As expected of my master. Such a fire cannot be smothered by even the strongest storms.''


    ''Dearest, while I am feeling a bit uncomfortable, I know that this is who you are. Do as you wish my one and only {Kindred}. As your queen, I will handle everything else.''


    Feeling the excitement, annoyance and support of my harem, I gave them all appropriate answers but continued walking.


    I smashed the door open causing it to make a loud bang. There were a lot of people in the room. Mostly the officers of the various groups that comprise Hellsend. My four vassals comprised of Pixie, Delroy and the Bakers were also present.


    Will was standing beside Phillip who was near the door. The people involved in our following deployments. were also present. Leo and Nyda the P2 Adventurers and Gareth Faesten the knight from a lost era.


    Seeing my presence, every single reaper in the room bowed their head slightly and gave me the Hellsend salute. I nodded and took my seat at the head of the table.


    The Sirens followed and entered the room. My people naturally gave them the seven seats closest to the head of the table. They each took a seat but copied the seating arrangement from meeting room 2 but with a few changes.


    Liv, Robyn and Jo sat behind me, Lilly and Bella took the seats closest to mine. Aki and Jas uncharacteristically also pulled their chairs and placed them to my sides.


    It looked quite comical. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This was supposed to be a meeting room, but I was surrounded by my girls in a circle. It seemed like the ultimate flex as the owner of a beautiful harem. Two people followed which caused everyone in the room to stiffen.


    Tildi guided them in and fixed some seats for them. Like the court of a king my people had yet to take their seats. Lilly then touched my hand and gestured with her eyes.


    Nodding I looked at Wil, then the door. He understood my intentions as he closed the door and sealed the room. It was only then that I gestured to have everyone take their seats.


    "Everyone, thank you for assembling on such short notice. I think everyone is present, except Terence. Can someone take notes for Freyja''s bulwark? I had something I wish them to do."


    "Allow me my lord. I will ensure I deliver your words in full," Offered Wilfred Vance.


    "Okay. Thank you, Wil, please do. As for everyone else, I am sure you already know what this meeting is for."


    "Your I-am-still-alive party, boy?" Eva Baker joked.


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    The only Specter in the room called the leader of this army as boy. Yet somehow, I didn''t find it offensive but affectionate instead. Eva was like a cool aunt that gave a similar vibe to Noelle.


    ''I wonder if they would hit it off if they did meet. Earl and Adam were also practically cut from the same cloth.''


    Lost in my delusions, I felt a pinch on my hand from Bella.


    "Ah, sorry. No¡­Well it... kind of is?"


    At my words the room began to laugh and chuckle. Most, if not everyone here knew that I was at my honeymoon and didn''t want to be disturbed. And that was while the whole reaper community thought I was dead.


    I made a wry smile before continuing.


    "Before I begin, I want to introduce the guests. Leo, Nyda, Gareth, Amari, Mia please stand up."


    The five people followed my instructions and presented themselves. My officers began to study the Phantoms that were not part of Hellsend. While some of my people knew Leo and Nyda the others did not.


    "I will make it brief. These five people will be the key figures for the campaign we will be performing. I call it the Rock, Paper, Scissors campaign."


    When the word for a children''s game came out of my mouth the whole room fell silent. So silent I swear you could hear crickets. A collective sigh came from my girls both from my link and their mouths.


    "Rock, Paper, Scissors, my lord?" My Administrator asked wryly.


    "Yeah. Incorporating everything Hellsend needs to do this campaign will be broken into three separate pieces. Comprising of Hellsend''s relocation, establishing our battlefront, rescuing our comrade from the 32nd floor and assaulting a demon haven on earth."


    Like heaven and earth my statement shattered whatever childish connotation the campaign''s name might have had.


    None of the objectives could be taken lightly and as the people who knew me best, the tension in the room went up to eleven.


    "I need you all to understand what will follow. Naturally the plans need to be hammered out and the Sirens will take point in that, but I will list our objectives for everyone''s benefit."


    I gestured my hand to the Phantom General Manager of the 24th floor and began my briefing.


    "This gentleman is Gareth Faesten. He is the leader of the reaper army protecting the 24th floor. He came here to ask for reinforcements. His majesty the Invincible withdrew all support for the 24th floor after the seeker war. Gareth, please explain."


    "Greetings, everyone. I am Gareth. Regarding the 24th floor¡­."


    As he began to explain the situation, I then remembered that without my {Program} [American English], most people wouldn''t understand his obsolete vocabulary.


    ''Exa, regarding Gareth''s way of speaking¡­ ''


    [My lord. Lady Bella already shared [American English]. As all the officers are connected to the Hellsend Officer Network, they can understand him well enough.]


    ''Hellsend Officer Network?''


    [Yes, my lord. It is a command structure implemented by Lady Bella. Any reaper connected with Hellsend join the Hellsend Network. By using modified smart phones even those without GRI''s are able to do so.]


    [The Officers are connected to an additional layer called the Hellsend Office Network. Finally, a final layer called the Inner Circle network exists. It comprises of the leaders of the Siren Squads and your {Vassals}. This Network structure allows the Sirens to share orders and information in real time.]


    ''Wow. When was this made?''


    [The framework was created by the Sirens even before your honeymoon. But it was only implemented today. The Server itself for the entire network is with Lady Bella. Thus, our communications are encrypted and isolated from the Graveyard network.]


    ''Amazing!''


    I then gently grabbed Bella''s hand and kissed it.


    Surprised, she made a puzzled face. I then sent her my thoughts via the {Kindred} link.

 Chapter 541 Rock, Paper, Scissors [2/2]

    ''Exa just told me about the Hellsend Network. Thank you, Mrs. Code. I am so lucky to have you,'' I thought as I smiled at her.''Hmph. It is still far from perfect and has too many vulnerabilities. We need a physical server soon. I do not intend to waste my brain power on it.''


    ''All the same. Thank you, Bella. I love you.''


    "I know. Pay attention, Gareth is about to finish up."


    Although Bella acted like she didn''t care, I could feel the happiness radiating from her link. That and because her cheeks blushed. For all her sarcasm, Bella was really the textbook Tsundere. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Darling¡­'' ''Possum¡­'' ''Shujin¡­'' ''Husband¡­'' ''Beloved¡­'' ''Dear¡­''


    Immediately I felt the other girls all acting spoiled and asking for pampering. Amused, I responded and showered them with words of praise and affection.


    "And that is all I had to say, Thank you all for your time. Please help us," Gareth pleaded as he finished. The room looked towards me after the Phantom spoke, awaiting for my words.


    "Thank you, Gareth. As you all heard. The situation is quite dire. Bringing in everyone to attack the base is a waste of time. The most important factor is that we need to hurry before the Alpha assaults the last stronghold."


    I stared at the officers to gauge their responses.


    "For this reason. The Invasion force will consist of only me, the Sirens. Amari, Mia and Connie."


    "Me? My lord! I am no fighter! You want to jump into a war with ten-foot lizards?!"


    Finding her confusion cute, I didn''t leave her in suspense for long.


    "Calm down. Connie, you said you wanted me to make a video about how I am alive, right? This invasion will be used for that purpose. The combatants will only be me and my battle harem. Amari and Mia will only serve as your guard."


    A hand was raised and the one to ask was Joshua. The undisputed commander of my military.


    "My lord, I am not comfortable leaving Connie under the care of strangers. While they both may be Phantoms their alliances are questionable. I do not doubt your judgement my lord. But are they allies who stand with us?"


    Choco and Fluffy noticeably flinched at Joshua''s direct manner of questioning. The reason everyone trusted this big-dicked Korean was because he took care of everyone regardless of status and gender.


    It was so like him to ask the offensive questions on behalf of everyone present. Connie seemed touched that he spoke out. It seems that my decision to keep her has been shared by Phillip with the rest of them causing Connie to officially be recognized as "one of us".


    "I understand your hesitation. I will introduce them later. For now, know that the two of them are tasked with evaluating our combat performance. Does anyone else have any questions?"


    When no one raised their hands, I continued.


    "The Sirens and I will fight our way towards the last base. We will take down the Alpha if we see it but unless it comes our priority will be saving the reapers in the Stronghold. This Operation will be called Scissor. We will cut apart everything in the 24th floor and establish a defensive line."


    [My lord. I have placed a digital map of the one Gareth presented. Use it to get your points more effectively.]


    ''Thank you, Exa.''


    I turned behind me, where the room''s projector booted up. A image was shown color coded by the enemy markers listed by Gareth. I stood up and walked toward the presentations screen.


    "[Inventory] BLR 81"


    Rather than creating a stick using {Shelter} I proceeded to use my beloved lever action rifle as a pointer.


    The room erupted in laughter as they made jokes about my pointing implement and my nationality.


    I gave them a few minutes as these racist bastards joked at my expense. When I shifted my hands and cocked the lever, they grew silent. As they were now ready to listen, I resumed my presentations with the BLR 81.


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    "After the Sirens and I reclaim the Stronghold, we will open a {Portal} and transport the M777 Howitzers. We will take out as many as undead as possible while drawing the Alpha for a showdown."


    As I spoke a picture of the M777 Howitzer showed up on screen. Allowing those around us to understand what I meant. I then turned to Joshua and the rest of the 2nd Amendment captains.


    "Joshua, prioritize getting the 2nd Amendment squads to move. When the Alpha arrives, you and your men will be called to establish the battle line. Van and Terence will immediately fortify the stronghold as fast as possible."


    The commanders all expressed their understanding by shouting in unison. "By your will!"


    "Van, I want you to lead the effort to reclaim the fallen strongholds. Leverage the mechanized infantry, Krisha and the Yuddha Raksha, along with Isolde and the wyverns. Terence and his men are tasked with one thing, connecting the strongholds as fast as they can."


    "Connect my lord?" Van parroted in confusion.


    "Yes, our people need a place to live in. I will carve out that paradise from the corpses of the undead. Exa, pull out a layout of a floor."


    Exa then changed the presentation and showed a floor layout of a single continent. Funnily enough. Exa was modifying the image real time like it was MS paint. My every gesture highlighted or colored an area based on my words.


    Using the BLR''s muzzle I then drew a circle around the Tier 7 zone zones all the way to the Tier 3 zones. The while circle didn''t encompass all the land around the zones it was one, leaving gaps for the other parts.


    "Van. This area will be our paradise. Use everything at your disposal and reclaim the land inside the circle. Terence and the Ten Graves will fortify and erect a wall by any means possible. Use zombie bodies if you have to. I want a defensible base by the time I return."


    Mike then asked in confusion.


    "Return from where Boss? Won''t you be battling the Alpha? You practically gave all the fire power for the 24 floor. I mean you and the ladies are powerful but why not have the Dragon wing support you?"


    "Tristan is right Ami! The Alpha''s are strong! They are Champion rank! Take me at least!" Isolde pleaded.


    I shook my head as I refused.


    "No, the dragon wing and their mobility will be needed to reinforce the defense. I give you all a day. I want the defensive circle completed by the time I return. The Sirens and I will kill the Alpha. Once we do. Connie, Amari and Mia will separate and record the defensive battles instead."


    "Mhmm. Hefe, the guns we have do a lot of damage. But even with the trucks it will be tough to defend that large of an area. I don''t think we can do it even with everything we got. We need help."


    Logistically I knew what I was asking was dangerous. For one, I didn''t even know if flying between the zones was possible. Technically it should be possible as Krishna''s groups crossed through the zones to get to the battle front illegally.


    But even then, the officers knew Hellsend didn''t have the leeway to defend, construct the base and cover such a large area. the objectives were just too much for them.


    There was only one solution to this problem.


    "I guess it can''t be helped," I sighed in acceptance.


    ''My {Kindred}. I once again will be relying on you all. I need to go with Nyda and Leo to retrieve Evelyn. But the construction of our home is just as important. After we kill the Alpha, we will separate into two teams.''


    At my words a palpable discomfort came from all of my girls.


    ''I will take three Sirens and rescue Evelyn. The other four will support the 24th floor base defense. I know you all wish to come with me, but we will reunite after my group come back.''


    Despite my clear and logical explanation, I felt my girl''s emotions begin to go berserk.


    "Fuck," I blurted out in surprise.

 Chapter 542 Finding a demon [1/2]

    ''Uhm. My {Kindred}? Are you there?''I could feel a swirling mess of anger, frustration, and resentment. It was obvious that my girls didn''t like the idea of being separated. For one thing, as soon as Operation Scissor was over, I was to go to the 32nd floor to recover Evelyn Flowers. What''s left of her, anyway.


    But that, of course, was not the reason for their frustration. It was due to the fact that although I had originally intended to bring everyone. I knew I could only bring half of them. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Sirens were immensely powerful, incredibly resourceful, and the foundation of Hellsend. Each one of them was worth a thousand reapers in my book. And that was before you consider how they worked as a unit.


    When they were together, they hardly needed words, as they made plans at a speed I couldn''t even begin to comprehend. This was demonstrated in full when they turned the Seeker War on its head. Within minutes of their arrival, they were able to take down several Phantoms and completely dominate our opponents.


    P1 mercenary Dominic Maegester and his cronies Grampa and Kid were killed with ruthless efficiency. I kept them in mind as I knew they were formidable. Especially after they used their barbaric {Fate} {Libra}. Continue reading at empire


    But according to my girls. Dominic died from a teleporting bullet courtesy of Jas. Kid and Grampa, on the other hand, were poisoned by Aki. But they perished by being beaten to death by Liv. In a gruesome {counter} powered trampling according to Lilly.


    Of course, that did not include the fight the Sirens had with the Slayer. The plan to kill Andromalius also came from them. If it were up to me, I would bring them all with me for the rescue. But if I did that, I wasn''t sure the battle line for the 24th floor would be completed in time.


    There was just too much ground to cover. And that was after I didn''t even know if it was possible to move between zones. I had too little information. Believing that nothing would go wrong was not in my nature. This land would be my domain. It was my responsibility to protect it.


    Of course, I had no intention of leaving the Alpha before descending to the 32nd floor. But if I successfully rescued Evelyn only to return to a ruined base, that would be putting the cart before the horse.


    There were few people I trusted more than my own {Kindred}. This base would be the home I would make with my battle harem. The stronghold from which I would weather the calamities of Hellsgate. And possibly the home for my future children.


    These selfish reasons made the 24th floor more important to me than a mere battlefront. And the girls had to know that. I didn''t know how to explain it, but I sucked it up and prepared to beg the Sirens to understand.


    To accomplish both goals, I needed four of the girls to protect my domain. The "defense" team, so to speak. And three of them would come with me to adventure the 32nd floor. The "attack" team.


    ''Girls, I¡­''


    However, before I could even begin to explain the sirens, they all calmed down. What''s more, they began to discuss as they all understood what I wanted.


    ''Beloved, if you explain it like that, how could I even say no? No matter whether I am on the attack team or the defence team. I will give it my all! I will show the world how powerful we have become!''


    ''Hmm. If Possum says it is important. Then I will believe it. I''m fine with both roles. I can''t wait to try out my new guns. The Hellcats are not ready yet.


    But they will be soon!''


    ''Darling, your plan would require you to divide us by role. You need tanks, allrounders, assassins, and support on both teams. While {Limitless} makes us all a bit more balanced, please take everyone''s specialties into consideration.''


    ''Honey, please think about what you need. Strictly speaking, only Liv is a pure tank. I can be a support tank because of Alfonso. Jo, Robyn and I are allrounders. Jas and Aki are pure assassins. {Regen}, {Rewind}, and {Butcher} makes us all support.


    Finally, Lilly can fit into any role, which makes her our ace.''


    ''Goodness! Sure, praise from you, Bella? Maybe tomorrow we will see pigs fly! But I digress. Dearest, you certainly have a way with words. How can even a briefing sound like a serenade?


    My personal squad is also something I have begun to think about in depth.''


    "Husband, unfortunately, I do not see how I can help protect the 24th floor after the Alpha is killed. I think I am much better suited to join the attack team. Also, remember that the girls and I received our soulgears from Addison. As a result, we now have improved tactics.''


    ''Shujin. We have confirmed that it is possible to use the {Portal} from Earth to the battlefront. Unfortunately, we do not know if we can use the {Portal} several floors down. If it turns out that we can, then the selections for both teams will be of little consequence, but if we cannot, we need to be absolutely certain of our team assignments.''


    ''You all agree with my arrangement? But I haven''t said anything yet?'' I asked confused.


    ''Darling, think of it like this. The more you think about an issue, the more we hear about it. You used a lot of brain power trying to plan how to convince us. We heard it all as a result.''


    ''Indeed. The dripping affection of your thoughts for our sake and the overwhelming trust was quite euphoric, my love. It made me feel blissful that you hold me in such high regard.''


    ''Possum, anyone who still refuses to listen to you after all that doesn''t deserve to be a Siren!''


    ''As much as I hate to admit it, it would be best to let Bella choose the teams. Husband, we already know that you do not play favorites. So either make the teams yourself or let Bella decide.''


    ''Dearest, you need the ability to deal with large crowds and a strong attacker. The one with the highest attack right now is Jas. {Counter}, {Gather}, and {Carve} have practically made her a boss killer. As for tanks, Bella needs too much preparation, so either Liv or I would be the optimal choices.''


    ''Shujin, please note that Jo, Lilly, and Robyn are good choices for crowd control. However, Bella would be far superior to all of them in terms of controlling the enemy. Her children, once deployed, can efficiently cover a wide area.''


    Accustomed to them insulting the fuck out of each other, what I heard made my jaw drop. Not only did they dutifully advise me, but they also did not hesitate to praise each other for their strengths.


    It showed that despite their own concerns, my goals and safety triumphed over any grumbling they might have had. It made me fall in love with my women all over again.


    ''My {Kindred}, I love you.''


    ''We know!'' They all thought happily.


    Smiling, I resumed my briefing and replied to Santi. The speed of the {Kindred} discussions allowed us to make a plan on the spot, and hardly anyone noticed.


    "I know. Therefore, after the Alpha is killed and the Stronghold is retaken. The Sirens and I will split into two teams. I will leave four of my girls behind. Minerva, Rhiannon, Vela and Inari will guard and protect you all. They will answer to the call sign Anvil."

 Chapter 543 Finding a demon [2/2]

    "The 2nd team will be Ishtar, Freyja, Satis and I. We will be called Hammer. After the Alpha is dead, Hammer will break off to begin Operation Paper. One of our own is in the hands of vampires on the 32nd floor. Hammer, Delroy, Pixie and two others will rescue her."My words caused a stir in the room. Especially when the others heard the details of the rescue mission. Van, who had been with Sirens when we found out about Evelyn, asked the question everyone wanted to ask.


    "We have someone out there, my lord? Who is it? We barely got past the 11th floor. How did they get in so deep?"


    I gestured to Joshua, who pulled out a {Honey Trap} vase. Those who knew from before controlled themselves, but the rest like my vassals, Bernard, Krishna and even Gareth drew a blank.


    I grabbed the Soulgear and activated it before putting it back on the table.


    "This soulgear is {Honey Trap}. It is a support-type soulgear that acts as an undead lure. Anyone who has fought by my side should have smelled it by now."


    "Indeed. I have Lord Limitless. A beautiful young girl had this ability. I think her name was Evelyn. She was said to be from a powerful adventuring party. I cannot remember the name of her group.


    Their leader was quite capable. Is this a new device inspired by her ability?"


    Unconsciously, Gareth confirmed what I had already said. That this Soulgear was indeed from Evelyn Flowers, a Phantom Adventurer from the Nightdarts.


    "No, this device is not a new type of soulgear. It is the same as the one you are probably familiar with. This Soulgear replica was made from the remains of a Phantom. Her name was Evelyn Flowers. Nyda over there is her sister. I will let her explain the details, but know this.


    "Evelyn Flowers helped Hellsend take its first steps. I owe her. And now she needs to be saved. So Operation Paper will have Hammer wrap around our comrade and bring her back to the 24th floor. Oh, and I also plan to kill some vampires while I am at it.


    Bernard and some of the Hellsend members suddenly raised their hands. I pointed at him and asked what he had to say.


    "My lord, permission to join Hammer for Operation Paper," the big man asked.


    "Denied, Hammer will consist of my group, Delroy and Pixie along with Leo and Nyda. I will not be taking anyone else. I need all of you here to defend the battlefront."


    At my words, the other people lowered their hands. Nodding, I looked at my {Vassals} and gave them my encouragement. After all, jumping headfirst into enemy territory was not something they were prepared for. Continue your journey on empire


    "Delroy, Pixie. I believe you have been training while I was away. This would be your first battle as my {Vassals}. Unfortunately, I need your skills, so I have no choice but to take you with me."


    Not a second later, they both stood up and saluted me.


    "Yes, my lord. Pixie Richards Sta-... P-Pixie Richards stand ready." The child tried to announce, biting her tongue in nervousness.


    Stifling a laugh, her Jamaican bouncer also declared. "Delroy Baxter, ready and waiting, Brutha!"


    Nodding, I motioned for them to return to their seats. Though they were slaves, as they were my {Vassals}, no one looked down on them. They seemed to have settled in while I was gone, as I could see Claire and Yvonne teasing Pixie like big sisters.


    I gestured to Leo and Nyda before continuing. "These are Priority 2 adventurers Leo Armstrong and his {Kindred} Nyda Flowers. In addition to leading the branch of adventurers that will be housed on our floor, they will be joining me for the first time on this rescue mission. Nyda, Leo. Please brief my officers."


    "Greetings, everyone. I am Nyda, and this is my {Kindred} Leo. As you may have guessed from my last name, I am in fact Evelyn''s sister..."


    The two adventurers introduced themselves before beginning their explanation. Naturally, it was about what we would be facing during our rescue attempt.


    Many tried to question the details of how we were going to rescue her sister when she had already been declared dead. Even beyond that fact, her soulgem had already been replicated. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This further increased the likelihood that this was a fool''s errand. Most of the 2nd Amendment tried to help the couple answer the questions, but those who understood the situation became suspicious.


    Wil, Tildi, Bernard, Eva and Krishna were the most vocal. They didn''t like the idea of me diving into the 30s just to retrieve a corpse. When Nyda tried to explain, the room erupted into arguments about the purpose of Operation Paper.


    Increasingly annoyed, I pounded my fist on the table. The bang silenced everyone. When I confirmed that I had the attention of the room, I stated bluntly.


    "Evelyn is one of us. As such, I will come and get her. If any of you were in her situation, I would do the same. So everyone just shut up and move on."


    Despite my obvious lie, I noticed my officers nodding in agreement. What I said wasn''t a lie, but it wasn''t the truth either. I wanted to save Evelyn, not for her sake, but for mine. I wanted Delroy to invade her brain for information.


    In other words, the sole purpose of this operation was to get information about who created the soulgear from Evelyn''s soulgem. When her explanation ended, Leo and Nyda returned to their seats.


    I once again introduced the last two people standing in the room.


    "After we recover both Evelyn and the 24th floor, we will proceed with Operation Rock. Simply put, a city in Africa has gone to shit because of demons. I do not know how powerful the bastards are, but I will be going there to murder the lot of them.


    "Amari will be my contact for this part of the operation. Mia is his {Kindred}, and while she is married to him, her battlefront remains in Europe. As such, she will serve as a liaison between Hellsend and Europe. Both are very capable and were part of my enlistment."


    "What? Someone else survived your enlistment, Nigga? I heard the details from Yvonne. That''s wicked, brother! If these cats roll with Limitless, they have to be badass niggas!"


    "Survivors of July, huh? I heard there were only 9 octads. So apart from six of the Sirens and the lord. Those two must be the last Octads of July," Phillip nodded in understanding.


    I nodded in agreement and continued. "Yes. By Operation Rock, I expect the day to have changed. If more time passes, we will use the time to fortify the 24th floor. Otherwise, Hammer and Anvil will reunite and head for Kismayo, Somalia. I have no idea how long I will be there, but take steps to prepare for my absence."


    Krishna then raised his hand to ask a question.


    "Smith, John. Interfering with another Reaper''s battlefront is frowned upon. Therefore, anyone who moves between zones without proper documentation is considered a rogue. Why is Africa asking you to help them deal with their demons? Aren''t they coming in two months?"


    Wil also expressed his concern.


    "My lord. Normally, unless authorized by a Revenant, appearing on another continent is considered an act of war. Are we really going to risk going to war with Africa for the demons? What does Hellsend even get in return?"


    Not really minding Wil''s brutally honest observation, I smiled before answering.


    "I get to beat the living shit out of demons in Africa without any repercussions. That alone makes the trip worthwhile. And no, no matter how many of you ask, I will only be taking Vela''s wolves. Finding a demon to beat up is hard after all."

 Chapter 544 My brilliance scares me [1/2]

    Rock, Paper, Scissors.This was my first campaign as the lord of the 24th floor. It showed the three faces the world will know me by moving forward.


    Operations Scissor will show how surgical and methodical I will be. Against the undead and the fuckers of Hellsgate, I will remove every infection and tumor from my domain like a blade. This will serve as a testament to my kingdom. We will close Hellsgate, there was no other alternative.


    Operation Paper will show what I do for those who serve me. It doesn''t matter if you''re kidnapped, drugged, or dead. If you are my ally, I will shield you from everything and save you.


    Operation Rock will show the world what it means to be my enemy. Unlike how careful I am in my own kingdom, I will absolutely fuck up those who try to stand against me. No matter what it takes, I will burn them all to the ground.


    Focusing on the undead alone was not enough. No matter how much I did not want to deal with the reapers, it was impossible not to do so. As an emerging power, I had to either negotiate, hide, or dominate. Naturally, I preferred the last option.


    Unfortunately, while I preferred to be seen as a crazy bastard, it was not good for a country. Presenting ourselves as an army of demons would not allow us to grow, it would hinder us. I needed reapers to join us. If I wanted to convince them, I had to give them what they wanted.


    Most people just want to be safe, happy, and left alone. Fortunately, I didn''t have to create my image from scratch.


    While I had no intention of saving everyone in Hellsend, there were already rumors of how much I valued my men. I figured I might as well capitalize on that news for all it was worth. It would serve not only as a marketing gimmick, but also as something to boost my men''s sense of belonging.


    Working for the Department of Transportation, I was no stranger to marketing gimmicks. You needed them if you wanted people to do something. It was either that or pay them to do shit. And since the United States government was poor as fuck on anything outside of the military, we had to make do.


    I never even got promoted to a management position while I was there. My entire time there, I never felt a sense of belonging, nor did I buy into the lie that we were a "family". Any company, public or private, that spewed that shit meant only one thing. The dark side of family.


    The part where you worked for free, didn''t complain, and were expected to help out for the rest of your fucking life. Anyone who had a good, loving family would love that. It was cool if you were the one getting the help, but for everyone else it was nothing more than a burden.


    Instead of just paying the people, the greedy corporate bastards just decided to give the money to the bosses who were already rich. The reverse delusion of equality made it really hard to get ahead. And in this era''s struggling economy, it was even worse.


    I was someone who knew how it felt to be at the bottom. So even though I didn''t have to take care of my people, I couldn''t help but want to. After all, most of the Reapers who came under my banner had simple desires. They all just wanted to survive and protect their loved ones.


    I also knew that most of them would work harder not because I paid them more, but because I actually cared about their well-being. Jasmine told me once as we cuddled after a passionate session.


    "Husband, the loyalty of the Hellsend is extremely high. Word of each and every one of your actions has created this image of a benevolent boss. You not only take care of your Reapers, but you also protect their families. You do not monopolize souls, but give everyone a fair chance to ascend. You give people weapons, but you do not charge for their use."


    "Wifey, you know I do all this because I just need more hands to shoot zombies. And the thing with Bernard and his group was my way of thanking them for risking everything during the Seeker War. I have no intention of doing it for anyone else." Stay tuned to empire


    Jasmine took my hand and nuzzled it against her cheek.


    "I know, Husband. But no matter what your intentions are, people usually only care about results. Instead of empty words, Limitless delivers on his every promise. And that was even before we were ambushed by the Rogues."


    "You mean the one on your first night in North America?"


    "Yes. While the blades that sliced your enemies were the Sirens, everyone knew they were under your command. Both the White Guard and the Administration saw that. Since you were the only one who could tell us what to do, the guilt and blame naturally fell on you." S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Feeling that Jasmine was blowing this out of proportion, I hugged her torso and buried my face in her perfect breasts. I licked and teased her chest as I grew hornier. My normally cool and quiet wifey moaned and twisted her body in response.


    Propping her body up for another round of passionate sex, I gave her a kiss as I responded.


    "Wifey, that just goes to show how amazing my battle harem is. All I did was give the order. How am I more amazing than you? But enough of that. Stop talking about anything else. You are mine. Until I am satisfied, you should only think about how to last longer."


    "Haha. Such an overbearing tyrant. I will stop for now, husband. But I know the time will come when you can use this situation to our advantage. When it comes, make the most of it, okay? It will only serve to enhance your majesty," Jasmine whispered as I entered her.


    I wrapped my arms around my chocolate-skinned lover as we became one flesh. Unable to speak due to our violent lovemaking, I used our {Kindred} link instead.


    ''I''m not worried about that, Wifey. After all, I have you, don''t I? I am sure you will never let me make such a mistake. You love me too much,'' I boasted.


    But despite my arrogance, a loving warmth came from Jasmine. ''Naturally. For I am your {Kindred}. It is my duty.''


    And it was not just her. Jo, Robyn and Liv all expressed the same. That rather than dispel the rumors, I should exaggerate them. Their constant nagging gave me the idea. When I wanted to drag Evelyn''s body to find out what happened to her, it all clicked.


    When the girls told me to exaggerate my actions, I needed something to match what I had in mind for Scissor and Rock. The girls and I would be the scalpel for Operation Scissor. This would show our power. The destruction of Kismayo from Operation Rock, on the other hand, would show our determination and lack of restraint.


    Both would work and portray us as a dangerous beast that could not be bullied or coerced. But something was missing. If we were too ferocious, we would just be seen as crazy lunatics. It needed a human component.

 Chapter 545 My brilliance scares me [2/2]

    people liked powerful heroes because they were merciless to enemies, but caring to allies. if hellsend only went with scissor and rock, we would not be heroes. we would just be a bunch of powerful thugs, no different from savior.the story of nyda and evelyn gave me the perfect excuse.


    by adding their wish, we gave hellsend a human component. we were beasts who loved to fight, but we also cared about our people. suddenly our image would be that of stalwart protectors instead of crazed lunatics.


    that was why operation paper had to be included in this campaign. the three of them would be hellsend''s calling card to the world. it was a clear message.


    we kill undead.


    we protect our own.


    and we show no mercy when provoked.


    with such an excuse, i could now go as crazy as i wanted in rock and scissor! and my actions in paper would justify me. it was brilliant!


    ''i am so amazing, my brilliance scares me sometimes,'' at my blatant self-praise, my {kindred} sent me wry smiles and exasperated sighs. but none of the sirens said i was wrong. satisfied, i laid my words thickly on the officers of hellsend.


    ''husband...that was not what i meant...''


    ''hehehe! don''t worry! it should be fine, jas. darling''s got this!''


    ''beloved''s joy is contagious. i grow excited for rock, paper, scissors.''


    ''dearest, i commend your foresight in this three-pronged operation. but the campaign''s name is absolutely atrocious. please ask us for suggestions next time, i beg of you, my dear.''


    ''possum is nothing if not consistent. his naming sense has been absolute horse shit since day one.''


    ''the name hardly matters, what matters will be the shockwave shujin''s campaign will bring to both earth and hellsgate.''


    ''i agree, it will be hard to hide what is happening on earth. we can try to black out the media, but i am half inclined to just announce to the world that the reapers exist. what do you think, mr. code?''


    hmm... what would be the right answer here? hiding hellsgate''s activities was the norm. but why did we have to? if the fall of hellsgate was inevitable, why not just prepare for it in advance?


    ''that would be good. i think it is impossible for africa not to know what is happening to the demons. and it would be a good warning to asia and south america. i leave it to you, mrs. code.''


    then i turned back to my officers. with my harem on board, they would refine the details of my plan and carry it out. such were the advantages of leading a group of intelligent people. all i had to do was give them the direction and let them take the actual steps.


    "does this answer your question, krishna? amari asked for my help and i agreed. my goal is to kill the demon, the fact that they will attack me in two months is of no importance. this is a demon hunt. his majesty the immortal shouldn''t mind. if he does, i will take care of it."


    at the clear division of responsibility, krishna nodded and accepted my answer.


    "any further questions? to reiterate, this campaign will consist of three separate operations. scissors, where we will rescue the defender and assassinate the alpha. paper, where my team and i will descend to the 32nd floor to rescue evelyn. and finally, rock, where the sirens and i, along with vela''s wolves, will slaughter the demons of kismayo."


    with my explanations over, the group began chatting among themselves.


    mike whistled as i finished reviewing the operations. "boss. you want to do all this in the same day? it''s like you have no concept of rest."


    "what are you talking about, cowboy? hefe''s been out for a week. his bones must be getting soft from all that down time."


    "bullshit! white boy like machine! probably fucked entire time! like horny rabbit!"


    "nigga, i don''t think you have any right to shame people for that. being that you sexually harass joshua all the time."


    "hehe! sister angela doesn''t mean any harm boo. that''s just how much he loves the commander."


    "tristan is right though. ami does smell of his harem. and they are practically drowning in his scent. they were probably glued together the whole time..."


    ___


    "o-oh, d. is it normal to be so open about adult stuff like this, you know..."


    "hmm. for the 2nd amendment it be like that, pix. it be normal for them."


    "don''t worry about it, pixie! the 2nd amendment are perverts. but they are good people! no cap!"


    ___


    cynthia, the leader of the ten graves, was already hard at work, as she had promised me. instead of gossiping, she was already hammering out the details with her subordinate.


    "addi. you think freyja''s bulwark can do it? if we get cement, steel beams, and a bunch of construction {fates}. i think we could do it in half the time."


    "hmm. well, it''s a good thing we have more fortification people. building defenses would be their specialty. i should talk to terence about what to do," the dwarf commented, deep in thought.


    ___


    joshua and van were similarly working out the sequence of steps for their part of the operation.


    "commander, how many vehicles have we received from the deryck family? how many members of the 2nd amendment would be ready by tonight?"


    "100 humvees and 50 lmtvs. the humvees seat 4, while the lmtvs can carry up to maybe two dozen if they are just carrying people. we can use them to load the construction materials for terence''s group. as for the people, i don''t know yet, we''ll reassemble in an hour to see how many can be deployed immediately.


    ___


    connie, on the other hand, screamed in place as she began to question gareth.


    "you are gareth faesten, right? is it true that you became a reaper during the middle ages? are you all from authentic chivalric orders? have you ever tried mcdonalds?! have you ever driven a car?"


    however, her fervor was poorly received. "i''m sorry, lady, please slow down. i do not understand your words."


    ___


    finally. leo and amari chatted while nyda questioned mia. all four of them shared being outsiders in this room, so they were more comfortable with each other.


    "as people who fought with limitless during his enlistment, how would you rate him as a fighter? i heard that the july enlistment had such a low survival rate that i mistook it for the australian enlistment," the armored knight discussed curiously. sea??h th§× n??el fire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "he is someone who is not limited by logic. to put it bluntly, he is insane. but i would not be alive today without him. what i know of him is a bit outdated. other than what was shown during the stream of his seeker war, i know nothing else." explore new worlds at empire


    ___


    "miss mia, aren''t you a european reaper? why are you here? what is your purpose in my lord''s campaign?"


    "i am here for amari. and why do you call limitless your lord? you are not a member of hellsend yet, are you?"


    i clapped my hands to get everyone''s attention. while they were allowed to discuss, i still had something to clear up.


    "everyone, you now have your orders. i want joshua, mike, santiago, cynthia, addison, and yvonne to stay. the rest of you, please work with your prospective groups. phillip, take care of our guests while they wait. it is currently 10:00 p.m. we will reconvene in two hours."


    "by your will, my lord!" the people in the room saluted.


    after the rest had left, only the six i had selected and my girls remained. along with my wil and tildi.


    "everyone, i want to hear your opinions on how to make hellsend stronger. give me your opinions. once the rock, paper, scissors campaign begins, we won''t have time to meet again until i return."

 Chapter 546 Only shit reapers [1/2]

    it was a problem that everyone saw and felt. but sadly, there was no easy solution in sight. the first time my forces fought as one, there was a glaring difference between my people.normally that would be fine, but it was hard to rely on those who could not keep up with you.


    "wow! the sirens are all battle junkies, huh? hey! keep up, little sisters! you''re too slow!"


    "it seems that we need to augment our special forces. this is unacceptable."


    "tsk. the rest of the army can''t keep up. for the time being this is as close as we can get, i guess."


    they girls and i noticed immediately. this was why the u.s. military created the special forces. totally different from the other branches of the military, they were trained harder, but were able to fight on a level beyond the ordinary.


    right now, hellsend was hopelessly one-sided. despite the best efforts of the reapers around me, they simply could not keep up with the sirens and i.


    and the sad thing was, i couldn''t even blame them. i understood why they were having such a hard time.


    for one thing, i was working with 8 different {fates}. this meant that i didn''t even need to ascend to become stronger. if any of the sirens did, then their abilities would trickle down to me. and since i enhanced this by updating {limitless}, our growth rate was unmatched.


    everyone else, on the other hand, could only rely on themselves. for that reason, the sirens quickly developed their own groups. with these special units under their command, they could use my girls'' {fates} more effectively.


    minerva''s wizards were excellent at communication and data analysis, and they could even use switchblades if necessary. their use of the {code} family would be higher than mine.


    freyja''s bulwark supposedly had liv''s {fate}. but since we haven''t needed defenders yet, we''ve only used them as strong men.


    robyn recruited aggressively for rhiannon''s hellcats. i didn''t know what their focus would be, but i suspected it would be a rapid response group similar to jo''s.


    inari''s kitchen was little more than our cooks at the moment. but i didn''t see them at all. when i asked aki, she told me that they were still in training. with her tenure as the bladed kitsune, i began to worry for those reapers.


    meanwhile, lilly and jas had yet to share any details about their personal units. but from what i heard, jas'' standards were so high that everyone failed. even the commanders of the 2nd amendment couldn''t pass. it made me wonder what she had them do.


    perhaps the most active siren squad was vela''s wolves. they were the only unit that could keep up with us. and that was because jo saw fit to brainwash them repeatedly to remove their physical limits.


    that might work in the short term. but i am sure that the wolves'' bodies would fail at some point. while we were no longer flesh and blood, we imitated the human body to an extreme degree.


    if the rest of my forces could fight as well as we could, there wouldn''t be any need for the sirens and i to split into two groups. even though the eight of us were powerful, we couldn''t be everywhere at once.


    rather than allow my girls and i to leave everyone in the dust, we had to change. in order for my reapers to keep up, i had to strengthen the rest of my forces.


    otherwise, the same problem that plagued the other battlefront would occur. it was dangerous for one person to have all the power. people usually acted in one of three ways. fear, worship, or dependence.


    fear will turn people away from the "one". people usually feared what they didn''t understand. this created mistrust and division. eventually it would lead to betrayal and strife.


    worship would give you the cult-like organizations. if this sentiment triumphs over logic, you would get brain dead groups of people. taken to the extreme, this would produce cults that would commit suicide at the command of their leaders.


    finally, you have dependency. if the "one" were benevolent, they would not be afraid, but would treat the supreme being like a genie. they would cry and beg the genie for whatever they needed. the test would be how benevolent the genie was. s§×arch* the n?vel?ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''humans are selfish bastards. none of this is ideal. but if i had to choose, i would much rather be feared.''


    that was why it was so difficult to become the perfect leader. people had different desires, so those differences created divisions. it was inevitable.


    despite all the good in the world, world peace was something that would never be achieved, no matter how hard people tried.


    at present, the hellsend saw me as their leader. but i was not perfect. and right now, they followed me because they felt they were getting stronger.


    it was a mixture of dependence, worship and fear. this kept my people trying their best and struggling to follow me.


    if i did not help them, they would give up. it was a given. only the truly insane would strive for the impossible. continue reading on empire


    none of the officers could answer my question. joshua, mike and santiago lead the army, while cynthia, addison and yvonne lead our economy and industry.


    both needed to grow stronger. what they were doing was not enough for the battles ahead.


    "my lord, i apologize, no amount of training can suddenly make soldiers stronger. even with guns, we need time to move. and without being able to drill the basics into them, only the 2nd amendment could be of any use," joshua began.


    "boss, even though the 2nd amendment is good by military standards, none of us could keep up with you. your aim, the speed at which you move, think. the powers you keep pulling out of your ass. it is impossible. most of us are formless, you know?"


    "that''s not counting the crazy things you and the se?oras keep doing, hefe. even with {rewind}, none of us can fight like you locos. it is pitiful, but none of us can back you up, all we can do is shoot zombies. even running after you is too difficult. and you can even fly!"


    i nodded but didn''t answer. the production reapers went next.


    "patron, i noticed that the sirens all have formless {fates}, as part of vela''s wolves i understand {listen}. but that does not explain everything else you can do. it is as if you are using the {fates} of your entire battle harem!"


    "aye, mythical aim, superhuman hearing, in addition to super strength, speed, and agility. unlimited stamina, near indestructibility, and the ability to control 7 bodies. the ability to fly, summon weapons from thin air, and create portals. if we could get just a fraction of all that, we would be able to help."


    "my lord, addison and i have quickly processed the soul gems from your war. we have already distributed them to the sirens and the officers. at the moment, this is the only way we thought of to fight."


    i remembered the girls saying that they had received their new soulgears. if it was anything like {day by day}, the coming battles should be exciting. but that was not enough.


    something the people here forgot was that it was not the weapons and soulgear that made them powerful. it was their {fates}.


    "these are all valid points. my question is, why haven''t i seen any applications of everyone''s {fates}? you are all phantoms, right? why haven''t any of you used them? aside from the blessings of the saints. why hasn''t anyone used their {fates} in a meaningful manner?"


    "that..." "um..." "you see..." "well..." "it''s like this..." "but..."


    the reason the sirens and i quickly grew in strength was that we embraced our {fates}. even though we thought they were useless, we tried to understand them and shape them according to our desires.

 Chapter 547 Only shit reapers [2/2]

    liv, robyn, aki, jo, jas, bella, and even lilly originally lamented their formless {fates}. despite having such amazing abilities, they all thought their {fates} were shit.i was the only exception.


    i didn''t care that my {fate} was formless. all i knew was that it was mine. and that i didn''t want to live a failed life for the second time.


    it was only when i showed the sirens how powerful their {fates} were that they began to change.


    ''there are no shit {fates}. only shit reapers.''


    with my example, they believed. and then they grew rapidly. even {listen}, a seemingly harmless {fate}, became overpowered when it gained {announce}. jo continued to study how to weaponize {listen}, and it was now one of our most versatile skills.


    lilly was the same. it was only when i praised her that she expanded her use of it. she said as much when we took a bath together.


    it was during our honeymoon when i admired her naked body. lilly confessed that truth to me, seemingly out of the blue.


    "dearest?"


    "yes?"


    "please stop, you''ll get soap in your mouth."


    "but i love the way you taste, lilly. i love everything about you. you drive me crazy," i replied as i licked her armpits.


    "mou! why did i fall for such a degenerate?" she pouted adorably, but kept her arms raised in an erotic pose.


    "too late for that now. you should have run away when you had the chance. even if you hide in the void, you can no longer escape me."


    "hmph! your use of {store} is still severely lacking! even robyn can use it better than you now!"


    finding her cute, i sucked on her neck while lathering the opening of her otter pocket with soap. "that''s fine. i have you after all, just teach me with your body afterwards."


    "sigh, as always dearest, you leave all the tedious tasks to me."


    "hahaha, do you dislike it?"


    "how could i, dearest? for someone like you, delegating tasks is against your nature. i know you only do it to those who have your complete trust."


    "being read like a book makes me grateful again that you are mine, lilly."


    "not as grateful as i am to own a piece of your heart, dearest. did i ever tell you the first time i fell in love with you?" she said as she wrapped her arms around my neck.


    "was it when i broke your sword? or when i blackmailed you for watching porn? you were panting like a pervert then."


    her arms then tightened and began to crush my neck.


    i could feel my flesh begin to bruise from my lover''s dominating show of force. but as lilly''s limbs threatened to suffocate me, she asked lovingly with a smile.


    "hmm? when was that, darling? i don''t remember? that never happened. right?"


    i struggled under her clutches as i replied wryly. "y-yes, dear. i-i must have r-rembered wrong."


    her grip loosened immediately. my barbaric princess then gave me a deep kiss. her eyes gazed lovingly at me as we separated, she then shared her memories. s§×ar?h the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "it was when you told me {store} was amazing, dear. unconsciously, i despised my {fate} for giving me a miserable life. and when i saw that you sincerely wanted {store}, your praise made me feel whole. it was only when i accepted my {fate} that i was able to grow."


    since leaving the white guard, lilly has been our ace in the hole. an absolute powerhouse in combat, her skill and wit were unparalleled.


    {portal}, which was our first level 5 {fate}, became the linchpin of our tactics. if lilly hadn''t ascended to level 5, half of what hellsend had accomplished wouldn''t have been possible.


    if we continue like this, lilly will also be the first to become a specter. she was currently ahead of us at level 6, while the rest of us were still at level 5. but i wasn''t worried. from what robyn had told me, the girls knew what awaited us.


    and they were working as hard as they could to not be left behind.


    it seemed that the problems of raising an army with the formless were beginning to show. and even though cynthia and addison had manifested, i had yet to see them do anything with their {fates}.


    it was one thing to fight as a formless and recognize {rewind}.


    but it was quite another to believe in one''s own {fate}. much like my girls, i wanted to show the others what their {fates} could do.


    "mike, santiago, joshua. your {fates} are {pierce}, {combust}, and {disarm}, correct?"


    the three nodded wordlessly. experience more content on empire


    i created a sharp edge with {shelter} and sliced my wrist. then i pulled out three empty reaper vials and filled them. liv suddenly appeared at my side in the next second and pressed a towel to my wound. she also applied my own {fate} to close the wound.


    "{regen}. my love, please cease this behavior. can''t you prick your finger instead? it hurts my heart to see you bleed so badly."


    unbeknownst to me, my {kindred} link was filled with feelings of anger and melancholy. i knew the girls didn''t want to see me hurt, but most of the time i was acting on instinct.


    of all the pain i had endured in my short life as a reaper, the bleeding from my wrist was nothing.


    but what hurt me more was the sadness i saw in liv''s eyes. it seemed that i had to be careful. even if it didn''t hurt, seeing her like this did.


    this woman created {withstand}. she was used to suffering. yet a simple cut on me made her feel so much pain in her heart. so much so that she looked like she was about to cry.


    overwhelmed with love, i reached for her face and pulled her closer. she didn''t resist and leaned in. we shared our love with a tender kiss. as our lips parted, i humbly apologized.


    "i am sorry, my love."


    "you are forgiven," she replied adorably.


    liv then quickly returned to the sirens. her face was red with embarrassment. enjoying her unfamiliarity with public displays of affection, i turned to my officers without a hint of shame. they all had complicated faces as they awaited.


    pretending nothing had happened, i handed the vials to the men.


    "the three of you. drink this and use my {kismet}. it is called {bestow}. use your {fates} on some ammunition."


    the guys looked like they had questions. but i ignored them and turned behind me to address the sirens.


    "my precious {kindred}, the ones who own my heart, can you please create targets for the guys?"


    despite my exaggerated serenade, the sirens said nothing. however, the bliss they showered my {kindred} link with, betrayed how much they like my cheesy line.


    they created three {shelter} targets, then used {imaging} and {flash} to manipulate the colors. next, the girls used {crush} to give the targets mass.


    suddenly, what looked like human silhouette steel targets manifested out of thin air. they looked like the ones that would appear on a shooting range.


    all three were neatly arranged at the other end of the room. i also felt bella adding something i could not understand.


    it took the rest of us in the room by surprise, and although i understood how they did it, the feat was no less impressive. i gave my girls an appreciative smile as i silently thanked them.


    "{bestow}." x3


    the three men applied their {fates} to a few rounds for their pistols, the sig p320s. they then loaded them and took aim. awaiting my command, everyone stood motionless.


    "fire," i ordered.


    joshua, mike and santiago opened fire.


    joshua''s target suddenly turned green.


    mike''s target was pushed back and, after being hit by five rounds, was suddenly flung back.


    santiago''s target caught fire after only one round, but turned to ash before he could even finish his magazine.


    the three phantoms saw the effects of their shots and their jaws dropped. they all looked at me, waiting for a response.


    "well done," i praised.

 Chapter 548 Heroine Chapter: Still better [1/2]

    chapter pov: lilly browning smith s§×ar?h the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.___


    ''yet another mystery that can''t be solved,'' i couldn''t help but think.


    the mysteries surrounding john smith were slowly but surely growing. this latest one was as perplexing as the first. every line of thought pointed to one thing. john smith was a reaper 14 years before he died.


    despite the collective brainpower of the sirens, we couldn''t find an answer. it didn''t help that jasmine denel, arguably the smartest of us, chose to blindly accept the truth.


    "you''re all missing the point. regardless of who or what happened 14 years ago, what matters is that someone or something is protecting husband. that is enough for me. if such monsters come from him again. i will just shoot them."


    i could understand her stance on the matter, but it hardly resolved the matter at hand, did it?


    ''sigh, i guess i should be glad at least that i had the chance to investigate the first one. ''


    i had already come to accept that i was not normal. no matter how you looked at it, it seemed like i was a reincarnator. and my first life was the life of ishtar, the mesopotamian goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, and finally war.


    it sounded like absolute madness, but i became convinced after reliving her memories night after night.


    my appearance was slightly different, but it was definitely me. and the nightly visions allowed me to grasp the tale somewhat. dearest was a revenant named nergal, another deity from the same mythology.


    i once told him about a theory published by academics. it was verified and supported by 5 of the 7 battlefronts. the paper in question theorized that every mythology from the world''s myriad of cultures, myths and histories were remnants of past reaper civilizations.


    and my memories seem to lend credibility to this conjecture. there was no other way to explain it. however, it wasn''t an easy story to understand. the dreams did not flow in any particular order. they were chaotic, disjointed, and confusing.


    however, the order of events that i somehow managed to piece together was quite exhilarating. it was like watching a movie where i was the heroine!


    ishtar and nergal met as a trick of her sister ereshkigal. they fought to a draw. ishtar, being the goddess of sex, simply decided to decide the battle by superiority in bed. it was hardly romantic. but it was incredibly erotic.


    after their rendezvous, nergal devoted himself to ishtar and stuck to her side like a dog. surprisingly, they fought undead just like we did. furthermore, they conquered floor after floor in what i believed to be an ancient version of hellsgate.


    what struck me as odd, however, was that the memories i saw and the legends of ishtar were similar, yet different. unfortunately, they stopped abruptly before i could reach the conclusion of the story.


    they all ended during the honeymoon. for some reason, when dearest finally permitted me to sleep, i was no longer able to see them. it was bittersweet. i liked following their adventures, but most of the time the visions left me exhausted.


    ''but then again, i liked them because they showed me a life with dearest. i have my own version of that now. one many times better,'' i believed with every fiber of my being.


    "o-kay! since we are stumped, why not go to lucrecia? she should have the weapons ready by now, right? if not, we can just steal them! i can''t wait to get couple guns with darling!" jo suggested excitedly.


    "sigh. i guess that is better than pondering this mystery when we lack information. honey should still be with phillip and the others. let''s go now. if he calls for us, i want to be ready."


    "is it really that easy to get firearms in america? we separated from lucrecia not even two hours ago. if it was so easy to get them, why didn''t beloved buy them himself?"


    "yes, liv. the main advantage of living in the us would be the ease in obtaining firearms. if this were japan, the strict regulations would make it almost impossible. and even if you get a license, finding a gun in a store is just as difficult. as for why shujin hasn''t bought them yet..."


    "it''s because possum is a tightwad, liv. he has deep pockets for everyone else, but when it comes to himself, he is the worst kind of miser."


    "{portal}. all right. let''s go. i want to reunite with husband as soon as possible."


    ''hmm, having couple arms were all well and good. but our clothes also did not really match our {kindred}. ''


    the sirens currently wore clothes that did not match any theme or design.


    jo and robyn were sporty and dressed like students or teenagers.


    aki knew her appeal and always wore daring outfits.


    liv preferred comfort over style, just like a man.


    bella had the worst fashion sense and dressed like a slob.


    jas barely showed any skin and was always wrapped up in layers.


    i, on the other hand, wore clothes that accentuated my figure. at least that was the case now. before, i usually wore my white guard uniform.


    unfortunately, since dearest always wore black, we hardly complemented each other. in fact, it was quite the opposite. one thing i liked about ishtar and nergal was that they always wore apparel that suited each other.


    it was like a fashion statement that they were destined to be together. somehow, i became envious and wanted to imitate this notion. john smith was the only man for me, and since he loved me very much, i longed to shout to the world that he was mine.


    ''this will not do, let''s try to get some help.''


    as i joined the sirens to invade lucrecia''s home, i called cynthia carmine with {connect}.


    [hello? who is this?]


    so as not to alert the other sirens, i tried to answer using only digital signals. they were busy being a nuisance to the derycks. though alicia didn''t seem to mind, as she practically pounced on robyn like a rabid dog.


    [cynthia carmine, this is ishtar. i have a request for you.]


    [lady ishtar! ah! yes! hello! what can i do for you?]


    her response was excessive. was it so surprising to receive a call from me?


    [there were two reapers among your group who had the ability to create clothes out of thin air, right? the ones who adjusted my {kindred}''s suit during my wedding?]


    [ah yes. they are phantoms who are part of the ten graves. do you have any clothes you want them to design for you? they are bad at fighting, but they are very good at making functional clothes. the designs used by vela''s wolves came from them.]


    [perfect. are they with you now?] i asked curtly. find more chapters on empire


    [ah, no. they are not. i am in a meeting room in the dispatch office.]


    [go to them now. call me when you do. this is of the utmost importance. do you understand, cynthia?]


    [ah! yes, my lady! i will meet them now!]


    i hung up and concentrated on what was happening in front of me. jas, jo, robyn and aki were making a fuss over the weapons being wheeled into the deryck''s living room.


    it was funny, despite our group having no manners at all, vincent''s family entertained us. it was quite late for humans. i also noticed that except for vincent, alicia and lucrecia, everyone else looked extremely nervous.


    those who had seen our demonstration in the hanger earlier were practically sweating bullets. i couldn''t blame them.


    any of the girls here could and would massacre every one of them if they found a good reason. it seemed that even though aki had given them medicine, they were still afraid of us.


    "this is one of the weapons my lord always uses in video games. a replica of the pancor jackhammer. a bullpup revolver 12-gauge shotgun! this was extremely hard to get a hold of. this would be for lady liv, since you already use the winchester 1887."

 Chapter 549 Heroine Chapter: Still better [2/2]

    "are you certain? this looks cumbersome. and the shells look smaller than what i use with my current weapon," liv asked skeptically.jas, on the other hand, pulled what looked like a long rifle with a scope out of one of the weapon cases.


    "ah, lady jasmine. this is the heckler & koch psg1. a roller-delayed blowback sniper rifle that fires 7.62¡Á51mm nato rounds. it is extremely accurate and comparable to bolt action rifles despite being semi-automatic! it will be a significant upgrade to your m24 sws".


    "how is it an upgrade if the round is the same? i can fire just as fast even though it''s a bolt action," she retorted unamused.


    meanwhile, robyn pulled out what looked like small, strange looking pistols. lucrecia, already struggling to keep a smile on her face, tried to explain cheerfully.


    "lady robyn, those are kriss vector sbrs chambered in .45 acp. they would be more reliable and less prone to jamming than your mac-11s. the heavier caliber would also make a significant difference."


    "i guess. but compared to what the others carry, these are like fucking pea shooters. 9mm barely does anything to cunts bigger than a bigfoot. i want something with more punch! like possum''s shotgun!"


    aki also closed the gun case she had received. she didn''t even take it out. her face was telling me that she was disappointed with the firearm.


    then we heard jo slam the lid on the gun case she had opened.


    "fuck you! a famas f¨¦lin? what the fuck? i am italian! and you want to give me crap made by the french! are you fucking with me?"


    oh dear, it seemed like every weapon lucrecia rushed to get was really terrible. either that, or the data she has is erroneous. unconsciously, as the girls and i began to fight with guns, we each developed our own tastes.


    like the others, i was unhappy with my new weapon. it looked more modern...ish and still used ammo belts, but the rounds were smaller.


    it didn''t feel like an upgrade. i picked it up and it was lighter than my m60, which was also a minus in my book. it felt like a toy.


    ''exa. what is this weapon supposed to be?''


    [lady lilly that is the m249 saw, an american version of the belgian fn minimi. it is the weapon that replaced the m60 in the us military. the m249 saw has similar suppressive fire capabilities in a lighter and more compact package].


    "tsk. this thing is an imitation? not even an original design? no wonder it didn''t look all that appealing. this will not do. even if dearest liked this weapon, i would not use it."


    bella sauntered over to me and looked disinterestedly at the handguns on display. the way she fought with her children, she didn''t even need a gun except for self-defense.


    "i agree, the weapons lucrecia brought seemed like those used in games. i would never arm my people with them. exa. from what i know of honey, he likes to customize his characters in the rpgs he plays. tell me, has he made anything like this for us?"


    [he has, lady bella. he started making the plans the moment you gave him presents for his birthday. he took each siren''s personality and spent a lot of time choosing the perfect weapon for all of you. well, he couldn''t find one specifically for lady bella."]


    "why? why don''t i have one yet?" the brazilian complained.


    [well, aside from the revolver you carry lady bella, most of your children already use military hardware. my lord was already making plans to kidnap turkish drone developers just so he could buy some drones for you. specifically, he was looking at the asisguard songar.]


    funnily enough, dearest seemed to be trying to avoid making enemies with the us military. when his future plans were revealed, bella made a love-struck expression as she cheered like a girl in love.


    "kya! honey is so fucking romantic. he really knows how to make me swoon! the songar are a good choice, but i would prefer another ripsaw. since this would be a weapon we both share, i would feel more comfortable if he had his own."


    [but my lady, i do not think i can pilot it alone. i lack the necessary hardware. and for my lord...]


    "oh please, of course you can. you can even control honey''s soul avatars. i will modify it to make it easier, but i plan to give him a ripsaw ms5 along with the trx razorback the girls and i promised you. the former will be my couple arms. the latter will be a gift from the sirens."


    [i understand. he will surely be delighted. i have sent the weapons my lord has chosen for all of you. i have the locations where they can be purchased. incidentally, i believe vincent already has most of them.]


    as the two of them talked, the girls crowded around bella and me. s§×ar?h the novel(f~)ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    i could see lucrecia being comforted by alicia in the background. she was crying from stress and ranting about how ungrateful we were. i was sure everyone could hear her, but no one cared about the woman complaints in the slightest.


    then i received a weapons profile document from exa. the heading was "dillon aero m134d".


    i read through the information and it was a medium rotary machine gun that fired 7.62¡Á51mm nato, just like the m60. but it had six barrels and fired 2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute.


    just imagining the recoil of such a beast got me excited. it used similar m13 linked belt ammunition like my current weapon, its main drawback being how to carry enough rounds to make the m134d useful.


    the pictures attached to exa''s data showed ugly looking backpacks. of course, i wouldn''t need them since i had {store}.


    my cheeks grew hot at the care and attention dearest had taken in choosing my gun. it suited both my tastes and my fighting style to an insane degree.


    ''i want it. i want it badly.''


    i pictured the two of us using our m134d miniguns to wipe out the undead, and my heart wouldn''t stop racing.


    "fufu. sorry ishtar, my dearest is still better than your nergal," i giggled gleefully.


    the other girls echoed my sentiments.


    "a 40mm grenade launcher! it''s just like the one henry used! wonderful! and a shield! beloved practically read my mind!"


    "i know, right? this fn scar-h he chose for me is perfect! it is belgian! like guylian! and now i have a grenade launcher! darling is the absolute best!"


    "mmm. a .50 caliber m107 anti-material rifle. this would do. husband really understands me so well."


    "bloody oath! 12-gauge fully automatic shotguns! i fucking love ya, possum!"


    "interesting, an 8.6mm subsonic round with a 1 in 3 twist rate? not only is it powerful, but the penetration rate is terrifying. shujin chose the perfect weapon and bullet for me. i suddenly want to kiss him."


    vincent nodded while looking at his phone.


    "i see, m32 milkor mgls and blueridge tomahawk ballistic shields for lady liv. m134d miniguns for lady lilly, aa-12''s for lady robyn, and faxon sentinel ar10''s for lady aki. lady josephine would need fn scar-hs with a fn40gls and finally barret m107s for lady jas."


    he thought for a moment before smiling.


    "yes, i have most of those in stock and can get the rest in less than an hour."


    "then get to it, you cunt! hurry!" robyn roared.


    "right away!" vincent said as he left. his wives trailed after him. enjoy new tales from empire


    just then i got a call, it was cynthia.


    ''exa, give me cynthia''s location.''


    [displaying now.]


    "{portal}."


    the red-haired leader of the ten graves and her posse were taken by surprise. a space portal suddenly appeared in front of their group, so it was understandable.


    "cynthia. give me a battle dress worthy of my {kindred}," i ordered curtly.


    before she could answer. jo added in a cheerful voice.


    "i hope you also coordinate our outfits. otherwise you will be dead tomorrow!"


    aki similarly reminded her of another important matter..


    "also, present the soulgear we had commissioned. the time to use them has come."


    the three in front of me made frightened faces as they swallowed nervously.


    with our attire, soulgear, and couple arms, the next time we saw our {kindred}, we would be able to match him. even if our dances were of death and destruction, we still have to look fashionable after all.


    such was what was demanded of a siren.

 Chapter 550 Kill switch [1/2]

    "as you can see. much like the {fates} of the sirens and myself, there is an inherent difference between the formless {fates} and the manifested ones. and that is the ability to be applied without restrictions.""restrictions?" joshua asked.


    "yes. one thing i have learned is that {fates} are malleable. my own {fate} is malleable in a different sense, but let us use the {fates} of my {kindred}. freyja''s {fate} is {withstand}. it is normally cast to make her body resistant to blunt trauma."


    i then drew ebony and fired at joshua''s target. the .45 acp made a hole, but it wasn''t much. i ejected the magazine and pulled out a round.


    "{withstand}."


    with the {fate} enhanced bullet, i pulled ebony''s slide back and chambered the round. i pressed the slide return and the gun closed. aiming back at the target, i pulled back the hammer and fired.


    the {withstand} bullet hit the target and made a very large hole. a size larger than the first. i repeated the process, but this time i called two {fates}.


    "{withstand}. {hike}".


    my last round was several times faster, ripping the target''s head off. the people were in awe of my demonstration. i never showed others how i imbued my equipment with {fates}. i guess the only time was when i tested it on liv''s shield.


    "you three remember the ar-15 i used before, right? the reason you all called it a cheat was because it had a large amount of {fates} on it. specifically, {fates} that reduced its recoil, weight, and sound signature while increasing its accuracy."


    "but my lord, shouldn''t that be impossible? how can you imbue an object with your {fate}? i thought the shield you created before was a one-time thing," joshua remarked.


    "it was not. unlike the manifested, they are locked into how they use their {fates}. we, on the other hand, are not. we are free. you could say it is similar to what the saints do."


    "eh? like us, patron?"


    "well, yes and no. it was really trial and error. but in the end, being formless does not really give us any limitations. like water, we can be soft and nurturing or hard and relentless. everything i have used, from the way i fight to my tactics, has followed this principle."


    "but i can''t do it, boss. when i tried to use {pierce}, it only applied to my hands. what i threw went farther, but that was it. i couldn''t even use a bow and arrow because it didn''t transfer to the arrow," mike commented.


    santiago added. "i am the same hefe. i can invoke {combust} on my clothes or anything i touch. but when i do it on weapons, it only lasts a few minutes."


    "i don''t blame you, it''s hard. from what i can tell, most of the formless have to use their bodies to summon their {fates}. that is why they are so limited. but i was able to learn that you can do it by talking to your {fates}." sea??h th§× n??efire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "huh?"


    practically everyone drew a blank at my words. i already knew this from the sirens, but i was sure that my understanding was correct. {fates} were sentient. {rewind} and {day by day} were proof.


    "just try it. the next time you need power. try talking to your {fate}. for now. i created a {kismet} to simplify the process. {bestow} can only do one thing, place a {fate} on an object.


    "the shield i made before was infused with {withstand} to make it tougher and {carry} to make it {lighter}. meanwhile, the skewers that eva sold earlier were improved by the sirens and me, it is quite complicated, but basically, these foods would hypnotize you to relax. that was why they were calming like a drug."


    "wow. i always wondered why the burgers we ate that one time were so good. and it was because you infused them with {fates}, my lord?" addison asked in wonder.


    "yes. and like me, i believe that everyone in hellsend can use their {fates} to do all sorts of wonderful things. you just have to believe that your {fates} are worth the effort and time to learn how."


    "this is amazing! we can apply defensive {fates} to armor and lifestyle {fates} to equipment! we can even make custom materials for fortifications! this is groundbreaking! this will give everyone a reason to try to evolve! this is way better than trying to process monster materials!" cynthia chirped excitedly.


    her words made me confused. when i modified a shield with {fates} before, those who saw it called me a production reaper. i was under the impression that they were already using their {fates} on items. otherwise, what the hell were they doing?


    "cynthia. i expected the former adventurers to be surprised. but why are you, yvonne, and addison the same? if you all did not apply your {fates} to your wares, what does a production reaper even do?"


    addison then coughed as he had before answering in her place.


    "my lord. becoming a production reaper does not really mean that your {fate} is for production. like most professions, it is something you choose to survive. i do not know about the other groups, but for us, all you have to do is be able to modify materials with soul."


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    "modify materials with soul?" i asked perplexed.


    "it''s like blessings patron. anyone who can summon holy energy to bless an object is automatically a saint. it does not matter what your {fate} is. you saw golden wick, right? we are all saints, even though everyone has different manifested {fates}."


    i nodded at yvonne''s explanation. cynthia then scratched her chin as she smiled wryly.


    "as for me, my lord. my {fate} is actually formless. it''s called {calculus}. i, uh... jumped off a bridge when i failed my engineering exams. my {fate} makes me extremely good with numbers, but i created red moon with my wits.


    as for actually making things, i can do very little. let me show you."


    the woman then pulled out a vial of liquid.


    "this is an ordinary vial of water. i don''t know how, but when i think of dr. pepper. it turns into this."


    at her words, the soul poured into the vial and it slowly turned brown like beer.


    "please tell me that really isn''t dr. pepper."


    "haha, no my lord, of course not. aside from the color, it is still water. i tried to test it as fertilizer, tonics, and even threw it at zombies. this brown liquid is useless."


    "..."


    i didn''t know if she was being self-deprecating, but i didn''t understand her point. once again, addison added the missing information.


    "my lord limitless. what cynthia showed you was the production process. we call it imagining. although cynthia''s liquid shit is useless, others can use it to make tonics, medicines, and even enchanted amulets. those who can manipulate materials to their will can even create stronger alloys for weapons and armor."


    i began to massage the bridge of my nose, wondering what to do with the pile of useless information i had just learned. slowly, i began to regret even asking.


    "well, so production reapers conjure shit into existence with some kind of voodoo magic shit. what about you, addison? what is your {fate}?"


    if we were strangers, my question would have been incredibly rude. but since we had fought together for so long, addison nodded as he told me.


    "my lord, i was a craftsman when i died. a blacksmith. i made kitchen knives and machetes. my greatest regret was when an accident maimed me and i died unable to fulfill my dream. it was a stupid dream. i wanted to make a sword so good that even the dwarves of fiction would call it great!"


    somehow, as he spoke of his dream, addison''s eyes seemed to sparkle. sadly, i knew the end of that story because he was here in hell fighting undead.

 Chapter 551 Kill switch [2/2]

    "when i lost my hand, i drank myself into depression and eventually died in a hit-and-run. my {fate} is called {son of the forge}. in exchange for being cursed to look like a dwarf, my ability to create blades has improved immensely.""addison, are you by any chance from the north?" i asked reflexively.


    "i don''t think so, my lord. but i never knew my parents, so i wouldn''t know. i was raised by my grandfather in the boonies."


    except for the sirens and my squad of misfits. this was perhaps the only time i learned of the {fates} of my people.


    at first i wanted to call cynthia a stupid moron for dying just because of a test. but wasn''t i the same? even though i died to save jas, my actions were extremely stupid to most people.


    addison, on the other hand, died in an accident. that is, until you connect it to the man who drank himself into depression. he must have died crossing the street drunk or something.


    in terms of stupidity, it may have been dumber than my own death, but it was still smarter than cynthia''s.


    it reminded me again how different people were. that while we were all fighting in hell, we had our own reasons for living our own lives.


    "then does your {fate} help you mold swords using soul?"


    "yes. i usually sold backup weapons for the manifested. it was hardly profitable, but at least it kept me busy. my blades were harder than normal because of my imaging technique."


    "i see. so while everyone''s process is the same, their {fates} naturally affect what each of them imagines. this causes a huge gap between those who can make popular products and those who cannot," i guessed.


    all three production reapers nodded in silence. much like the death seekers and adventurers, they also seemed to have their own problems.


    "then will {bestow} help?"


    "of course it will!" x3


    seeing the gleam in their eyes, i raised my hand to stop them. the looks they gave me were similar to nerds trying to explain their favorite comic book.


    "i know you all have a lot to say, but tell me later. i am just a death seeker. i have no idea how this would affect your profession. i just want to show you all that you must accept your {fates}.


    "off the top of my head, i thought this would be a good way to get around the soulgear restrictions. for example, boots that make you run faster, glasses that make you smarter, you get the idea."


    i then turned to the three men waiting patiently for me.


    "that goes for the three of you. change the blood you have with this new vials and use {bestow} as much as you need. even the us military has different types of ammunition, right? play with the idea and come up with your own fighting styles. brainstorm if you need to. that was all i had to say!"


    "yes, my lord!" x6


    the three production reapers and the three death seekers all began to discuss what the army needed at this time. their fervor was similar to that of the people who had ideas for startups. even from where i stood, i could hear the gears turning in their heads.


    ''although, technically, if i wanted the entire army to become stronger, the best way would be to grant them {limitless}.''


    [indeed, my lord. that would be the easiest way. however, the manner that you envision would also work. given enough enhancements to hellsend''s equipment, it is quite possible to reach the level of competence granted by {limitless}.]


    ''yes, but the problem with equipment is that it can be stolen. {auto} makes it impossible, but still.''


    just then, the girls all started to join my conversation with exa.


    ''honey, what''s the real reason why you don''t want to give everyone {limitless}?''


    ''i also wish to know, dearest. that restriction for just the seven of us was something added by you. it is incredibly sweet. but theoretically, you could give it to everyone as a single {kismet}.''


    when bella and lilly asked me such a direct question, i could hardly lie. so i shared my pessimistic view.


    ''it is so that if everyone betrays me later, they cannot use our power against us.''


    ''beloved, these people willingly fought a demon for you. and you still draw boundaries with them?''


    "possum is that kind of person. i can''t say i''m surprised.''


    ''husband, if this is your reason, then you should give them {limitless} all the more.''


    at jasmine''s thoughts, i couldn''t help but ask.


    ''why? i don''t understand, wifey, please explain.''


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    ''it''s probably because you are kind, shujin. what jas is suggesting is using {limitless} as a shackle. mafia''s use it all the time. even the manga you read should have it. you should be familiar with the concept of kill switches, anata.'' sear?h the n??elfir§×.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    kill switch. it was when a tyrannical group planted bombs in the brains of their soldiers in media. it serves as an insurance policy, an incentive, and a deterrent to rebellion.


    by dangling the hope of its removal, you have a carrot. conversely, you could force anyone with a kill switch to do your bidding or use them as an example to others. making it a very big stick.


    ''a carrot and a stick in one. you want me to put a kill switch on {limitless}?''


    ''yeah! just like i did with [whisper]! we can inject a death resonance command for suicide or something! that way, if they ever try to betray us! it would be really easy to kill them all, darling! just make them poof!


    we can even vote! of course, i am in favor of it!''


    ''that would be extremely useful. however, i would like to point out that if they are found out, it will turn everyone against us instead. whatever goodwill or credibility honey has built up will crumble like sand. there are less drastic ways to control and manipulate. this is just fucked up. i vote against.''


    ''even the most loyal dog will bite its owner''s hand if starved enough. i agree with jas, anata. if you think there is a chance that we will fight with hellsend in the future, this is the best insurance. our family is all that matters, i vote in favor.''


    ''beloved, you are not weak. you have no need to use such vile tactics. please don''t go through with this. if someone were to put bombs in my head, could you forgive him? i will not stop you, but this is something i abhor with every fiber of my being. i vote against.''


    ''wake up liv, people stab people in the back all the time. cunts even more so. possum, i vote to in favor. that way, even if an enemy gets it, we can use it without them knowing. humans are dickheads who only think of themselves!''


    ''i was the one who suggested it. of course i am in favor, husband. a sword can be used to save or destroy. this is similar. as long as the one who controls {limitless} is you, i am fine with giving you the trigger.''


    ''dearest, this solution, if you even wish to call it that, is despicable. why kill someone from behind like a coward? if someone wants to betray us, let him die in battle. not like this. these are the actions of people who have not a shred of honor. i refuse to be a part of this.


    i vote against!''


    four in favor and three against. what should one choose in cases like this? practicality, ethics, or safety?


    i knew that whatever i chose would ultimately determine how i ruled my domain. and unfortunately, it was something i could not put off any longer.

 Chapter 552 Guiding light [1/2]

    it was often said that the best way to develop an idea was to brainstorm with different people. there were a lot of reasons for this, but mostly it was because if you grouped people who all thought the same way, there would be very little discussion and you would just have yes-men.in order to have a discussion, people had to be willing to take criticism and learn from each other. unfortunately, in today''s modern world, cancel culture has become quite prevalent. instead of discussing and trying to understand other people''s points of view, they just cut all ties.


    i understood where people were coming from. when you are tired and exhausted from work or school, the last thing you want to do is waste more energy arguing with other people. unfortunately, the side effect of such a lifestyle would of course be that your social bonds were as weak as paper.


    after all, if you gave up your relationship with everyone you disagreed with. only one of two things will happen.


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    you will have no one left, or those you do have will be yes-men who have no opinions. neither of those conditions are very appealing.


    cutting out toxic negativity was a real tool. but you should not stop understanding what you do not know just because it offends you.


    that was why most people hated the alphabet bastards. they were offended by everything and you were supposed to bow down to their nonsense like it was the best thing since sliced bread.


    earl and noelle never shut me down when i disagreed with them. we talked and they listened. that was part of the reason i respected them.


    my father, on the other hand, solved everything with a beating. if he didn''t like what i was saying, he would hit me until i listened. if that didn''t work, he would stop giving me money or food.


    of course, that was why i loved the simmons and left the smith home as soon as i could. and now that i was going to have a family of my own, i had to figure out what to do.


    jo, jas, aki and robyn were all thinking in the most practical way possible.


    jo and jas were descendants of extremely high intellect. and they had personally seen the horrors of war. they had long since learned how evil humans could be. so they took the best course of action. to have the bigger stick at their sides and the will to beat people with it.


    aki and robyn similarly came from the same environment. raised as assassins, they knew of the darkness most hid behind their masks. aki was forced to kill her heart, while robyn was never raised to have one. s~ea??h the n?velfire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    they were weapons. and to them, giving the enemy the chance to kill you first was stupid.


    the four of them didn''t believe in human kindness.


    they believed in the opposite. so it was not even a question for them. as jas had said, the weapon wasn''t as important as who wielded it.


    to protect ourselves from betrayal and misery in the future, we will give people power, but we will also use it as a gun to their heads. it was inhuman, brutal, but extremely logical.


    bella, lilly and liv, on the other hand, brought ethics and morality into the discussion. although they were extremely intelligent people, they could not allow themselves to agree with jas'' proposal.


    lilly, with her belief in the browning dogma, would of course be against it. most would call her a hypocrite, as she had done worse to rogue children during her time with the white guard.


    but i wanted her out of north america because i knew such actions were something she deeply resented.


    liv, who came from the land of the north, was a great believer in honor and chivalry, much like lilly. she was not like the recorded vikings and was more like the noble asgardians of mythology.


    her way of life was similar to that of knights and samurai. to ask her to kill someone without even a duel was to spit on her way of life.


    while bella bathed in the blood of the innocent, she had a bottom line. she never touched the family of her targets. even the school, churches, and hospital she had bombed before were all locations used as cover for c.v. operations.


    and while she was still carrying out her attacks, she carried this immense guilt with her even after her death.


    as i considered the proposal, i began to think about its applications. i was not smart by any stretch of the imagination, but i was not stupid either. while i gambled with my own life most of the time, i would never gamble with the lives of my girls.


    the best reason for me to implement a kill switch was to suppress out-of-control reapers.


    "david thomas was the reason she died. we were part of his assault team, and on one night, his soul collapsed. and she was one of the casualties to get him back."


    [inari: one of the jobs of administration is to maintain order. specter''s suddenly loosing loved ones are among those that they need to be most wary off.]


    [satis: a specter would eventually forget the recently deceased with time. however, if brought up by a third party the weak minded among their ranks have their soul''s collapse. to ensure this doesn''t happen, anyone related to a specter is erased.]


    i once thought that zach and david''s choices were tyrannical. they erased the memories of the dead. he also declared people traitors just because they didn''t follow him.


    yet here i was, thinking about putting a kill switch in the brains of my entire force.


    but my own moral compass knew it was the right thing to do. as my powers grew, what would i do if one of my specters went insane?


    what if they killed someone i cared about? my {kindred} and, to a lesser extent, my {vassals}. getting angry after someone died was pointless.


    one''s energy was better spent avoiding the situation in the first place. this was why tactical analysis was a thing in sports, business, and the military.


    instead of wishing you had a plan to reverse a defeat, you should never have gotten into that position in the first place.


    i would never forgive myself if one of my reapers accidentally killed one of my loved ones. david was lucky that xander forgot his anger. if it had been me, i would have never stopped trying to kill him.


    even though i could understand the opinions of the idealistic faction of my girls. i was and always had been a realist. there was no lofty goal to my actions. i took things as they were, not as i believed they should be.


    i killed reapers during the enlistment because they would kill me if they had the chance. i went to war with the saviors because i learned that they were a weapon that could be used to murder me. and they were fucking bastards that i couldn''t stand.


    my decision to raise the formless as an army was not for the benevolent reasons most believed. the formless were desperate, they wanted to fight but couldn''t.


    i needed soldiers, so of course we got along. i armed the saints for the same reason. so they could help me. it just so happened that our needs coincided.


    i knew i was being an ungrateful asshole. but even though hellsend willingly fought a demon for me, i still did not believe them 100%.


    currently, the only people who had my complete trust were my girls. while i trusted hellsend with certain tasks, even if they fucked everything up, it didn''t matter.


    because i took their failures into account. of course, the same was true for those who guarded my adopted family. i counted them all as bodies that would delay the enemy. but exa and the sirens were watching my family 24/7.


    i trusted my battle harem and my own {kismet}. not the ones who serve me.


    however, although i was a realist, i was also quite prone to being emotional, impulsive, and conceited. since i didn''t trust anyone, i didn''t like asking people for help. but i knew that in order to become something more, i had to change.

 Chapter 553 Guiding light [2/2]

    just like i got used to being called lord. it was inevitable that i would have to change my way of thinking. while my old self would have decided to implement the kill switches, the idealists in the sirens served as my voice of reason.that, and because i didn''t want to grow apart from liv, bella or lilly. i walked over to my girls and built a soul cage. ignoring what the others thought of my actions, i wanted privacy with my family.


    unfortunately, everyone was tense and distant. this was bound to happen when there were disagreements within a group.


    the emotions emanating from their links were a mixture of agitation and frustration. it was as if the slightest nudge would send them all over the edge.


    the sirens all had neutral to unhappy expressions. it was the only possible outcome, as they were all women with extremely strong personalities. at the moment, they didn''t even want to listen to each other. it was a war of ideals.


    i knew that if i gave them the green light, the seven girls here would happily try to beat each other into submission. the only reason they hadn''t done so yet was because they loved me and knew that i didn''t like to see them get hurt.


    i took a deep breath before i began to pacify them. this would be my norm as the master of this harem. and if i failed to resolve this, it would only get harder in the future.


    "everyone, i know this is a sensitive issue. but i''ve heard everyone''s points."


    i went over to jas and jo and hugged them both.


    "darling, wifey. i know you only suggested this because you love me and have absolute trust in me. i thank you for that and i love you both so much. i always strive to be a man worthy of your faith. unfortunately, to be that man, i must take risks."


    they both smiled beautifully and nodded at my comments.


    "i understand. but in my eyes you are already such a man, husband."


    "hehe, it''s because i know you would burn the world if i asked you to, darling!"


    i gave them a quick kiss before parting from them.


    then i raised my arms and gestured to aki and robyn. both ran excitedly into my arms and practically threw themselves at me. i caught them and wrapped my arms around them tenderly.


    "kitten, kamisan. as people who were betrayed by those you loved, i know you both wish to protect me from it. i love the two of you so much because of your devotion to me. but while i agree with you, i also know that there are still good people left in the world. will you please trust me just this once?"


    my aussie and japanese lovers nodded as they clung to me.


    "i know that, anata. after all, i found one and fell in love with him."


    "possum, you are the only one i trust. whatever you decide, i will follow."


    i similarly kissed them, before letting go. then i walked over to the idealist faction, who were standing together.


    liv and lilly had sour expressions on their faces, probably knowing that i was going to use the kill switch. i took both of their hands to my lips and kissed them.


    "beloved, my dearest, everything i have done so far has been to ensure my survival. but because of you two, i want to be someone better. i thank the heavens that you are both mine. i find your nobility and virtue so dazzling. and because of that, i love you two even more."


    if liv and lilly had seemed unhappy earlier, they were had radiant smiles as they listened.


    "dearest, once again you see me too highly. i am only trying to be a woman worthy of you. i-i have committed similar sins in the past, which is why i wished we would not go down this road."


    "i am sorry i became heated, beloved. many called my way of life hypocrisy because i was weak. i still believe this is wrong. however, i will not stop you as i do not wish to impose my ideals on you so selfishly."


    i nodded as my valkyrie and my princess became more docile. their eyes now showed warmth and understanding.


    not forgetting the last woman of my harem, i turned to bella and reached for her. she did not reject my hand and took it. i drew her into my arms as i spoke.


    "honey, you have been with me from the beginning. you know how much i depend on you. i also am aware of why you are against this, even though it makes logical sense. whenever i need wisdom, you are the one i come to, mrs. code. it has been the case then as it is still now."


    bella said nothing and just laid her head on my chest. as if my heartbeat somehow calmed her. her gesture told me all i needed to know. this woman would march against heaven if i asked her to. all because i was the one who did so.


    i pulled away from her as the other girls approached. unlike before, they were now more at ease and relaxed.


    "everyone, i agree that giving hellsend power must have some insurance. a bomb to the head, while effective, is morally questionable. however, i would much rather have the option and not need it than need it and not have it.


    "the more people we get and the more powerful we become, the harder it will be to keep everyone alive. what if one of our specters goes berserk? how many do we risk to bring him down? can we forgive him if we sacrifice a lot of people to save him?


    "the kill switch would minimize casualties in such scenarios. what robyn said about this {kismet} being stolen is equally important. but people are fickle and emotional. i am no exception. if someone hurts any of you, i might lose my mind and just kill everyone. so i want a safeguard."


    "safeguard?" the girls questioned.


    "yes. the one who made the decision to create and install the kill switch is me. the one who will use it and play god will also be me. so naturally the responsibility will also be mine alone."


    the girls tried to interject, but i raised my hand to silence them.


    "when the world asks, whatever happens due to this kill switch was because of limitless. no one else. please do not argue with me about this. in return, i want you all to serve as my guiding light."


    "..."


    "exa, please tell the {fates} that i wish to add a seal to the new {kismet}. it will be called the seal of seven. in order for the kill switch to be activated, all seven of my {kindred} must give their approval. otherwise, if even one of them disagrees, it cannot be forced."


    bella took my hands in hers as she asked.


    "are you sure, honey? what if i disagree and you hate me for it?"


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    i shook my head as i replied. s§×ar?h the n??efire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "nothing you could do would make me hate you, honey. i am a death seeker. i am nothing more than a reaper who knows little beyond sex and battle. i do not trust myself with such power. but there is one group of heavenly beauties i trust with all my heart and with all my soul."


    i didn''t even have to say my next words, they all knew who that group would be.


    "as such, the seal of seven will be your control over me. so long as at least one of you believes that a person should be spared. i will listen. on the other hand, if everyone agrees, we will kill everyone. will you all please support me in this choice?"


    all seven of my girls nodded.


    our actions today cemented the path i would follow from this point on.


    the solution i chose was not what an idealist or a realist would have supported. by requiring seven opinions, the chances of a unanimous vote were slim. but with this choice, i proved that i had no qualms about killing anyone.


    in this moment, i proved that i was just like the other revenants. and sadly, i didn''t even give a shit.

 Chapter 554 3 milliseconds [1/2]

    "exa. please work with the {fates}. i want a degraded version of {limitless}. for requirements. its name and activation keywords must be different. i want the ability to detect who has it.finally, i want a lethal kill switch along with the seal of seven." sear?h the novelfire.net* website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [i understand, my lord. according to them, the kill switch will only work on reapers below a revenant. would that be fine?]


    "that is fine, i doubt any of the revenants would need it anyway. can you tell me how they plan to actually kill a reaper?"


    the girls all listened intently as exa and i discussed.


    [yes, my lord, it will be a combined effort of all seven {fates}. it will be a three-step process. first, {perceive} and {listen} will disable the reapers'' sight and hearing. during this time, {eat} will also drain the reaper''s stamina to near death to incapacitate the reaper. for added safety, {listen} would also use {announce} to order the said reaper not to move.]


    that would be terrifying if it happened to me. your sight and hearing would cease to function as you collapsed from exhaustion. disoriented and unable to move, you would be dead before you could figure out that it was my {kismet}.


    [second, {code} will convert the stamina into heat energy with {calculate}. she will then give the heat to {withstand}, who will use it to create a {shelter} blade loaded with a fully powered {counter}. {carry} would further strengthen this attack with {crush}.]


    well, shit. so it''s possible for the {fates} to work like this? and people still doubted what i was saying? how could you keep telling me that they had no ego? they were as meticulous as psychopathic serial killers.


    but if even the {fates} of my battle harem were sentient, then why were their egos different from the girls''? was it like {rewind} and me? but what about soulgear like {day by day}? why are there two egos when there should be only one?


    [the third and final step will be the killing bow itself. {store} will link the {fates} to the reaper''s soulgem. to ensure that the strike will be fatal. {perceive} will use {aim}, while {eat} will use {gather} and {carve}. once the attack lands, the reaper''s chance of surviving or even knowing what happened would be 0%.]


    "how long do all three steps take? it sounds pretty complex."


    [3 milliseconds].


    "3 milliseconds?"


    there were 1000 milliseconds in a single second. even bob munden the world title holder for "fastest man with a gun who ever lived" needed at 208 milliseconds for his fastest quick draw. the same one that won him a guiness world record. and this fucking thing was so fast it was in the single digits.


    [my lord. to put it in perspective, a normal human''s heart beats in 1 second. the kill switch could arm and fire 333 times before a human''s heart can beat a second time].


    "..."


    terror and fear crawled up my spine. i thought it would be like in the movies where you hear a beep or something. but this was real. once i create this, the moment i give the command, i could make everyone with the kill switch will drop dead.


    their soulgems would shatter before they even hit the ground. it was truly like playing with life and death. however, it also meant that if someone evil or out of control had it, they would literally have no time to do anything. the chances of them hurting anyone would be zero.


    i swallowed as i steeled my will. even though i did not trust myself with this trigger, i wanted it. and even though i would be the one to pull the trigger, the sirens would be the ones to remove the safety.


    this thing was dangerous. it was effective, but the thought of using it was absolutely frightening.


    the reason atomic bombs were feared was not because they were very big bombs. we already had those. they were feared because such a catastrophic result would happen with the push of a single button.


    people, especially those raised in good homes, had a voice of conscience. even those working as executioners had to wrestle with such feelings. in world war ii, even the nazis had to resort to gas chambers because their people couldn''t handle the moral dilemma of shooting so many defenseless people. read chapters at empire


    numbers had a way of marginalizing life. but at the same time, they were the best way to grasp an accurate assessment of scale. right now, hellsend was already over a thousand.


    and one word, the sirens and i could kill them all. if we gained more people, that number would grow as well. just the thought of being able to commit such an atrocity made me terrified.


    it was different to kill someone in battle, but killing even civilians was definitely a path i should not even consider. however, in order to protect my family in the future, i vowed not to take any chances.


    my mind was in chaos as conflicting thoughts flowed inside my head. such a responsibility was something i never wanted, but as the king who desired to move forward. i had to.


    dark thoughts enveloped my mind. as my pessimistic nature imagined the worst scenarios, i struggled to breathe. but then, suddenly, i felt a wave of peace wash over me.


    my {kindred} link, strangled by negative emotions, was suddenly healed by a rain of love and affection. like finding water in the desert, i greedily drank the feelings from my harem. it calmed down.


    when i looked up, i saw seven women looking at me with concern. i didn''t even need to hear their words because their concern for me was already evident on their faces.


    i gave them a smile to show them that i was okay. they all had relief on their faces, but still remained silent.


    [my lord, shall they begin? although it will not hurt as much as {limitless}. please be prepared for some pain. they also say that the sirens have to prepare as well.]


    "huh?" x7


    [the seal of seven would require a soul imprint from each siren. this would ensure that it would be unique to them. i would like to note that according to the {fates}, this request is only possible because of my lord, limitless. my ladies, since this would be your first {kismet}, please be prepared. it will hurt. a lot.


    you may want to reconsider.]


    "thank you, exa, but as beloved''s {kindred}, i have sworn to die by his side. i am not afraid of pain. so long as it is for him, i will never falter."


    "what else would you expect from the woman who created {withstand}. not like i am any different. continue, exa. i am lilly browning! {kindred} of limitless and one of the seven sirens! this is nothing!"


    "right now, the only thing i find painful is possum''s punishments. hit me, slagger! i ain''t no cunt!"


    "darling, this would be our first {kismet} together! i am so excited!"


    "exa, i have more suggestions i want to add. can you include them? or does honey have to?"


    [either works lady bella.]


    "exa, is it possible to combine this new version of {limitless} with {bestow}? having both would give hellsend more flexibility. can they still use {rewind} after they have it?"


    [no, my lady jasmine, they cannot. {bestow} uses elements from {rewind}. it cannot be combined with {limitless}. you would have to use the previous workaround for the sirens. use the skill download feature of {limitless} and then load {bestow}.]


    "hmm. since the {kismet} is going to be degraded, we should use as few as possible. we also need to make it cost at most 3000 souls. shujin. just the level 3 {fates} of everyone is enough. our specialized squads will take care of the higher level applications."


    i nodded in understanding as exa accepted aki''s request.


    "well. all of you, tell me immediately if you can handle it, okay?"


    "yes." x7


    "exa, tell them to begin."


    picturing the abilities i wanted, i took a deep breath and began the {kismet} creation process.


    [{kismet} creation will now begin. please note that {limitless} will be unavailable while this process is underway.]

 Chapter 555 3 milliseconds [2/2]

    then i felt the searing heat coursing through my veins again. i grunted through my teeth as i clenched my jaw and fists. but then i heard a sound that made my blood run cold."aaaaaaaaaaaaggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" x7


    my entire harem collapsed to the ground screaming in pain. forgetting what i was feeling, i quickly yelled at exa and the {fates} to stop.


    "exa! everyone stop! stop! stop now! the girls can''t handle it!"


    [the process cannot be stopped in the middle, my lord. doing so will give you all a severe backlash].


    "send all the backlash to me! i don''t care if i die! do it now!"


    i began to panic as my {kindred} link was assaulted by raging storms of pain, agony, and despair from all seven sides. i remembered what exa had told me during the seeker war.


    [they said it will hurt... far more than ever before. the more {fates} you force into yourself the worse it will be.]


    [they said you will die.]


    of the three times i created {limitless}, each time i felt like i was being burned from the inside. like there was molten iron flowing through my veins instead of blood.


    and unfortunately, it felt like everything the heat passed through was melting in real time. even breathing was painful, not to mention the nausea and bleeding that followed.


    while this level of pain was nothing to me, i gradually raised my threshold. from the beginning, i created {kismet} with increasing complexity.


    for my girls, on the other hand, they couldn''t or hadn''t created {kismet} on their own before. using it as their first experience was like asking a gun novice to shoot at a moving target 800 miles away with a sniper rifle.


    i saw the girls close their eyes as their bodies shivered and blood began to ooze out of their bodies. the red fluids began to seep into their clothes, giving the impression that someone had stabbed them all.


    "exa! stop it now! i take it back! i don''t need the seal! stop it! stop it now!" i roared.


    but i saw something i would probably never forget for the rest of my life.


    i couldn''t even open my eyes when i created {limitless}. i just cowered in the corner and waited for it to end.


    but my girls were different.


    my sirens, they all began to rise.


    the sight of my girls bleeding from all over caused me unbearable pain. as their insides burned and their bodies bled from every orifice, they all started to stand.


    "everyone, please... please stop... i don''t care anymore." i pleaded with tears in my eyes.


    it was only then that i belatedly realized. my {kindred} link, which had been as chaotic as a hurricane, was now as calm as a tranquil river. there was no pain, no fear, only one emotion.


    confidence.


    "beloved. huff... you seriously underestimate me if you think i have had enough. huff... how can i support you when i cannot even stand this level of pain! i am fine!"


    "i forgot that nothing in this world is free. pant... we have benefited from {limitless}, but we have never paid a price. pant... dearest, i am once again amazed at how magnificent you are! pant...


    pant... of course, i have to step up as well!"


    "ptui! possum. as your sheila, hah... of course i have to be with you. i-i refuse to accept anything else. ha...


    especially about something this important. the one who will stand beside you will be me!"


    "hahahahahahaha! darling! you are so awesome! you did this three fucking times! this is nothing! i am josephine benelli smith!


    darling''s favorite siren! bring it on!"


    "fuck...huff...this is how much it hurts just to be part of the seal? huff... fuck! j-what the fuck would creating the actual {kismet} feel like? honey! we are going to fuck after this!


    you hear me?"


    "ugh... this is very uncomfortable. husband, don''t look at me right now. wait until i change. do not worry about me. i can handle it.


    i don''t deserve to be part of the seal if i can''t!"


    "shujin... i am fine... i am here... from now on. through every battle and hardship. i will suffer it with you, so push on, anata.


    i will be right behind you..."


    hearing the words of the women i loved the most, i nodded and called my soulgear, {day by day}. separating into seven bodies, i quickly went to each woman and embraced them tenderly.


    when they felt my body, they all buried themselves in my chest. this was in spite of their fiery speeches,


    like children cowering before a storm, they trembled with pain. but none of them gave in. my adoration for my girls grew by leaps and bounds.


    as much as i hated to see them tortured like this. it was necessary. our future battles would not be easy.


    "exa. speed up the process. we need to finish this as soon as possible," i said through clenched teeth. find your next adventure on empire


    [understood. we are already in the final stages.]


    at exa''s words, i felt what seemed to be a burning steel bar impale me from the side. then another, then another. until i felt seven spears buried in my torso.


    "ack!" "ah!" "ugh!" "fuck!" "argh" "hmph!" "mmhh!"


    the girls then all grunted loudly soon after. it was probably the same sensation i was feeling.


    this was a new experience; i could only guess that these were the connections being made for the seal. i hugged my girls tightly, even though we were soaked in blood.


    their flesh and bodies felt hot, as if they were iron being forged into steel.


    ''was such pain and hardship necessary to shape their fate?'' i couldn''t help but wonder.


    after a few more minutes, the heat began to dissipate. the change in temperature was pleasant and allowed our bodies to sweat.


    as the excess heat was released from our bodies, the girls finally stopped bleeding. they all passed out with peaceful smiles on their faces soon after.


    i kissed their foreheads as i said in reverence and pride.


    "thank you, my precious {kindred}. i love you." x7


    i controlled sunday to open a {portal} to my hotel room. each carrying a siren, my soul avatars and i brought them all and laid them on the bed.


    we went to the bathroom and got some towels. i carefully removed my girls'' blood-soaked clothes and wiped their bodies clean. s~ea??h the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    despite the glorious sight, i checked them for any permanent injuries. when i found none, i took their favorite pajamas and changed their clothes. i left my six soul avatars to guard my harem before returning to meeting room 1.


    when i arrived, i took down the soul cage and found my officers all with shocked expressions. following their gaze, i forgot that i was covered in red blood. both my own and from embracing a siren.


    i raised my hand and shook my head.


    "there''s nothing to worry about. i am fine."


    "my lord. there are so many souls in this area. has something happened?"


    "the ground is covered with blood. from the amount, it looks like nearly a dozen people died here. are you all right, commander?"


    "patron, where are the ladies?"


    their questions were valid, but i found them annoying. "they are fine. i came back to tell you all that the campaign will be delayed for a day. use this time to prepare. the sirens and i have made a new {kismet} that will be the backbone of hellsend. we will share it tomorrow."


    it sucked that i couldn''t start the campaign tonight, but that was life. i would rest for a day with my girls and return tomorrow night. i also planned to say goodbye to my parents, as i didn''t know when i would be able to return.


    "tell everyone. i will return tomorrow night. we will depart by then."


    "yes, my lord!"


    i spent that day mostly learning about shit. and even though i shared the objectives for the campaign, we still didn''t have an actual plan.


    i still needed the sirens to brainstorm with the others. although we could do as we wanted, i was okay with that. after all, tomorrow would be my first day as king.


    with that in mind, i nodded to the officers and returned home.

 Chapter 556 Im so glad [1/2]

    the rest of the night passed, and the girls were still unconscious. while i could still hear their breathing and heartbeats, seeing them like this almost drove me insane.''why aren''t they waking up?!'' ''did their souls get injured or something?'' ''is there anything i could do?''


    i did not know what i could do, so the entire time i guarded my girls. my soul avatars watched over them like nurses. we checked them regularly with {imaging} to see if there were any complications. even though we were in an air-conditioned room. the girls continued to break out in cold sweats.


    of course, i wiped them down and changed their clothes every few hours. my anxiety caused me to fidget, pace, and kneel down to pray to god. it was funny. there were seven men in the room acting like morons, but they were all me.


    when the sun came up and the sirens still hadn''t woken up, i couldn''t stand it anymore. i got on the bed and hugged each of my girls. i didn''t know if it made it worse, but if i didn''t, i would lose my mind.


    they were not fragile, so it should be okay. exa kept giving me words of wisdom, but i ignored them. despite having four brains, none of them could even think beyond what was happening.


    throughout the night, i had complicated feelings about the new {kismets} in my possession.


    ___


    name: limitless


    race: reaper | rank: phantom | origin: artificial descendant


    souls available: 2,443,879 | to evolve: 75,000


    {fates}: {auto} | {save} | {rewind} | {reload} |{regen} | {replace} (7) | {recursion}


    {limitless} status: activated (62 hours remaining)


    {kismet} 7/10: {limitless} v.3 | {exa} v.3 | {armory} v.2 | {bestow} v.1 | {seal of seven} v.1 | {kill switch} v.1 | {call my name} v.1


    skills: {blink} | {portal} | {program} | [vengeance] | [strike] | [inventory] | {shelter}| {flash} | [analyze] | [penetrator] | [whisper].


    {programs}: [autosave] | [autoload] | [filter] | [reflection] | [divided we stand] | [strip] | [american english]


    settings:


    [mind slot]: [wizard] | [cyborg] | [commander].


    [spirit slot]: [assassin] | [sniper]


    [body slot]: [knight] | [berserker].


    {kindred}: the seven sirens


    soulgear: {day by day} | benevol: {never alone}


    ___


    the goal we had last night has been fulfilled. i gained three new {kismet} that brought our vision to reality. they were {seal of seven}, the safeguard i requested. {kill switch}, the instant death option i would add into the {kismet} i would share. and finally, {call my name}, the hellsend version of {limitless}.


    but these {kismets} were the reason my girls were all unconscious. what would i do if they didn''t wake up? losing my girls for this fucking thing was not even a trade! i tried to see the bigger picture while trying to keep myself busy.


    ''exa, show me the information on my new {kismet}.''


    [displaying]


    ___


    {seal of seven} v.1


    - kismet was created as a safeguard for {kill switch}. seven keys are required to install or remove the seal. the keys are unique and cannot be replicated, forged, or altered.


    - cannot be used by anyone other than a keyholder.


    - keyholders are permanent.


    keys - made from a combination of blood, soul and soul energy created to unique signatures that lock or unlock this {kismet}. default status is locked.


    registered key holders:


    1. liv ivaldi smith


    2. lilly browning smith


    3. robyn lithgow smith


    4. josephine benelli smith


    5. isabella taurus smith


    6. jasmine denel smith


    7. aki miroku smith


    ___


    {kill switch} v.1


    - {kismet} created as a means of terminating any being that has {call my name}.


    - a collaborative effort of {withstand}, {store}, {carry}, {listen}, {code}, {perceive}, and {eat}.


    - kill sequence uses a three-step process that cannot be aborted once triggered.


    - kill sequence will continue firing until the target is terminated.


    discover stories with empire


    - has a built-in safety lock known as the {seal of seven}.


    - responds only to reaper limitless. cannot be called by anyone else.


    ___


    {call my name} v.1


    - mass production version of the {kismet} {limitless} v3.


    - invocation keyword {in the name of limitless}.


    built-in features:


    exa integration


    - using the e.x.a. {fate} combat system, some tasks can be delegated.


    - through the {program} [exa network] anyone with this {kismet} is connected and share information with the entire network.


    skill download - once activated, the abilities will last for 48 hours.


    class system


    - originally multiple {fate} combos are now grouped by role.


    - individual abilities can still be used but will normally be used together as part of the class.


    - there are six classes in total, divided into three types. only one class per type can be activated at any given time.


    system skills - [overdrive] | [parallel] | [share vision] | [analyze]


    available classes:


    mindset: [mage] | [technician]


    mind setting: [thief] | [archer]


    body setting: [fighter] | [barbarian]


    cost: 3,000 souls


    limitations: {rewind} family incompatible. once activated, all other {fates} except the hosts will be disabled.


    hidden function: contains the {kill switch}. {kismet} (visible to limitless only)


    ___


    the {seal of seven} and {kill switch} were exactly what i envisioned them to be. as for the third, while i wanted to have a weaker version of {limitless}, the final product was a bit different from what i intended.


    there were also two skills i didn''t want to make. [analyze], a vital skill was added as i had intended. s§×ar?h the novelfire.net* website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''exa, explain the new classes.''


    [yes, my lord. are you five?]


    ''no, i am not.''


    [understood]


    ___


    mind settings - shared ability - omnilingualism and photographic memory ({interpret}/{gather})


    [mage] - grants access to the void space skill tree and can use {counter} reserves.


    [technician] - grants access to the technopathy skill tree and boosts analytical thinking.


    ___


    spirit settings - shared ability - stamina recovery and poison resistance ({eat}/{digest})


    [thief] - grants extreme agility and detection abilities


    [archer] - grants superhuman vision, accuracy and ballistic correction.


    ___


    body settings - shared ability - large increase to carry weight. inherent ability to store kinetic damage as energy. ({carry}/{suffer})


    [fighter] - grants inhuman resilience and immunity to blunt trauma before a certain threshold.


    [barbarian] - grants inhuman pain tolerance and further increases carrying capacity.


    ___


    ''well, this kit is even better than what i had. the three new professions are more situational. separating them from the groupings i made with my {kismet} class improved their flexibility. still. this is great!''


    [yes, i predict a more than 90% increase in hellsend''s performance when {call my name} is deployed.]


    ''and they can still use [overdrive] like me, right? and go all in one class?


    [yes, my lord. this will allow hellsend to adjust their settings according to the combat situations they find themselves in. this will allow them to pull power when needed, making it extremely economical.'']


    ''yes. with 3000 souls, it only costs 1500 a day. it is much cheaper than my class {kismet}, because they can switch on the fly for free. but what are [parallel] and [shared vision]?''


    [[parallel] and [shared vision] are the ideas of lady bella and lady jas, respectively. [parallel] allows multiple users of {call to me} to combine their brains and perform tasks that they cannot normally do. ]


    [[shared vision] is a degraded version of {perspective}, it removes everything but sight but allows what is seen to be shared with anyone with {call to me}.]


    ''i can understand [shared vision], but how would they use [parallel]? what does linking minds do for reapers? i can understand why it is done for computers, but would we really need it?''


    [yes, lady bella''s insight is really good in this regard. a good example would be alfonso''s micro tank, the ripsaw m5. to put it in a nutshell, you would need three additional brains to control it for combat. that is if you were to use only technopathy without any computers.]


    [with [parallel], three hellsend reapers could control an m5 even if they only have one extra brain to spare each. by sharing the load, the requirement can be reduced.]


    ''oh! i see, that is a good thing to be able to do. so you can hack shit you couldn''t otherwise.''


    [yes, the same goes for using the {store} family of {fates}. if it is difficult to open a door larger than a human, multiple reapers can use [parallel] to expand the entrance or exit of the {portal} to accommodate tanks or even aircraft.]


    ''wow. that is handy! we should include that in the next version of {limitless}.''


    [yes, the upgrades for the next iteration are already being prepared. in the next version, [reflection], [american english], [strip], and [analyze] will no longer be separate, but will be a permanent part of {limitless}].


    ''that is good. then can the upgrades of {limitless} be cascaded to {call my name}?''

 Chapter 557 Im so glad [2/2]

    [it can, my lord, but the sirens are creating unique {kismet} that will add to the {call my name} for their personal squads. i suggest you do the same and share it with your {vassal} and those in your army].aside from the sirens, only the original members of the 2nd amendment have a connection to me as part of my army. i knew the girls would be my {kindred}, so i didn''t use my squad slots on them.


    a death seeker could create an 8-man squad as his personal army. although it was called an army, we weren''t actually allowed to add any more squads beyond the first one until we became a specter. from then on, there would be no limit.


    the main advantage of being part of my army was that they could use my {fates} for half the cost and draw souls from me to use. while this sounded good, it meant that they did not receive any benefits that would help them in battle.


    this meant that with the sirens rapidly building up their teams, my guys would be left behind if they only had {call my name}.


    ''i should make a spec-op version of {call my name} in the future.''


    i then spent about the next four hours thinking about what i could do to strengthen my own forces beyond {limitless}. i took a shower and ate big macs and weizenbier for the nth time while i pondered.


    exa and i looked at various games, anime and manga for inspiration. but while i was trying to keep busy, i was having trouble keeping sane. which brings me to right now.


    as i was thinking about such things, i felt some of my girls start to stir. amazingly, they all started waking up at the same time. it was extremely strange. but i could hardly care about that at this moment.


    when i saw all of my {kindred} begin to move, i couldn''t contain my happiness. my elation and gratitude to god flooded my {kindred} link. if there was a record for the most grateful reaper to god. i probably broke it at that moment.


    tears welled up in my eyes as my emotions overwhelmed me. while i tried to keep myself busy over the past 10 hours, i was extremely worried that they would not wake up.


    exa kept saying that such a situation would never happen. but i was a pessimist by nature, so i could hardly stop myself.


    i quickly took all of my girls into my arms and hugged them tightly.


    "thank goodness... everyone... you''re okay... i''m so glad... ...." x7


    the girls all had confused expressions at my show of affection.


    " beloved, why are you crying? are you hurt?"


    "as much as i like to hug you, dearest, you are scaring me. what is wrong?"


    "possum? you look like a wuss. stop the waterworks. tell me what happened."


    " darling...stop crying...i''m fine. look! nothing to worry about!"


    "how long were we out, honey? it seems we made you worry."


    "husband, you look terrible. there, there, everything is fine now..."


    "ara ara, shujin, were you the one who changed my clothes? naughty, naughty."


    the girls tried to comfort me in their own ways. but i couldn''t say anything and just held them in silence. their warmth and heartbeats calmed me. seeing the one you love not move was terrifying. for reapers even more so.


    the girls all noticed my turmoil and just hugged me back. after about ten minutes. i got my chaotic emotions in order and began to explain.


    "i successfully created the new {kismet} {call my name}. shortly after we created it, you all fainted. that was over 10 hours ago. it is already 11 am. i was scared. none of you would wake up.the fear nearly drove me mad.


    but none of that matters. as long as you are all okay..."


    the girls all made happy faces when they saw my pathetic state. then in one swift movement. they all mounted my body and kissed all seven of us. after a short passionate exchange, i felt seven dicks all standing erect.


    finding my libido amusing, the girls then all took off their pajamas. they then used [strip] on my clothes. as the cold temperature of the room began to cool all seven of my bodies, the sirens all tried to do the opposite.


    "besides being caring, you are too adorable, beloved; such devotion deserves a reward."


    "i agree, anyone who would worry so much about my safety deserves my love. right, dearest?"


    "possum, sit back and relax. count the waves at bondi or something. i''ll take care of the rest."


    "darling. my pussy is itching. do you mind if i scratch it with your dick? it will feel good, i promise!" s~ea??h the n?vel_fire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "honey, i''m so horny. lucky you, right? come here. i''ll let you meet the lady of aparecida."


    "mmm. husband, both my lips are parched, can you please give me something to drink?"


    "everyone, your sexual innuendo needs work. instead of being sexy, you all sound like common prostitutes. let me show you. anata, i want your big fat dirty cock in my wet pussy. please love me."


    my bodies then had our nipples teased, our balls licked and kissed, even our prostates were massaged. of course the sirens all played with my meat sticks as they wanted. breasts, mouths, thighs, armpits, legs, hair, feet, ass and of course pussy.


    for the next six hours my girls made me cum by the bucket. i didn''t resist and drowned in pleasure and depravity. the girls didn''t allow me to use {rewind}, {regen} or {eat}.


    running on only my natural stamina as an artificial descendant, i finally collapsed around 4:00 in the afternoon.


    continue your saga on empire


    unable to keep up with {day by day}, it was summoned by itself. as i lay groggy on the bed, the girls all cuddled my body under the covers. the feeling was heavenly. but the certainty that they were all safe and sound made me sleepy.


    feeling the bodies of my harem against my skin, i released the tension in my body. unable to stay awake, i drifted off into slumber.


    ***


    when i opened my eyes again, i was no longer in the bed with the sirens. instead, i was in a familiar white room. i called it the door room. this was the place with the seven white doors that led nowhere.


    i walked around until i saw the familiar things. only they were no longer the ones i remembered. unlike before, they now had what looked like stained glass pictures on each door.


    i studied each portrait and noticed that they showed the girls. not the ones i knew and loved. but the ones i had seen die horrible deaths in my visions.


    i could be wrong, but the hair and features of each girl were identical. more than that, my soul somehow knew it was them. a wave of sadness engulfed me as i studied them.


    on the first door was my valkyrie. she wore heavy armor and had wings. liv wielded a spear and a shield as she flew through the sky. the red sky made her look like a goddess of war.


    my princess decorated the second door. "lilly" wore a daring outfit that showed a lot of skin. and on her head was a crown with ten spikes. she sat arrogantly on a golden throne, judging everyone.


    the third door had my kitten. this version wore a conservative european dress. robyn was on a white horse. the steed carried her gracefully as she walked along a beach.


    my shooting star was on the fourth. she had horns on her head and wore a see-through dress. she walked through what looked like a meadow. jo was like a fairy out for a walk as animals joined her.


    the face the fifth door showed my sexy bombshell. however, she wore medieval battle armor. bella was swinging a sword and shield in an arena. preparing for battle, she looked like a season warrior her shield also bore the face of medusa.


    the sixth had my chocolate skinned lover''s image on it. she wore a lewd egyptian bikini outfit with gold rings on her limbs. in jasmine''s hands was a menacing bow glowing with violet energy.


    finally, my landlady was on the last door. aki was wearing a shrine maiden outfit. she was standing in the middle of a path full of japanese sakura trees in full bloom.


    then i heard a voice echoing in my head.


    {things have finally begun to move. and now you are at the same starting point, john smith. all that you seek are through these doors. i await your response when we next meet. farewell. buddy.}


    "well fuck...."

 Chapter 558 Who? [1/2]

    "rewind! rewind! answer me, you motherfucking bastard! tell me what you mean!"this deranged asshole! i only talked to him on two occasions before this. when he tortured me after i used {recursion} for the first time, and during my vows at my wedding. now this emo bastard comes in here and says some more cryptic shit before leaving.


    "rewind! get your ass back here! stop being a selfish narcissistic ass!"


    despite yelling at the top of my lungs, no one answered. my anger and annoyance had reached its peak.


    nothing made any fucking sense. first the doors were plain. now the portraits of my girls were on them.


    "he said that everything i was looking for was in these doors, right? so i should just open them."


    i went to the closest door in the middle. it was the one with jo''s stained glass. but suddenly i heard a voice i was not expecting.


    [my lord, i strongly advise you not to get involved with this place. at least not until we get more information.]


    "exa? how long have you been here?"


    [i regained my senses a short while ago. you were screaming and cursing your {fate}. how long have you been here, my lord?]


    "i don''t know. maybe 10 minutes? exa, does this place look familiar to you?"


    [no, my lord. it does not. have you been here before? i have no record of this place. it doesn''t seem to be on earth or hellsgate. however, this place seems to be in something similar to the void subspace used by {store}.


    even your {kindred} link to the sirens has been severed.]


    when i tried to check my {kindred} link, it was there, but there was no one on the other side. what the hell was going on?


    "i guess i should get back. the girls might be worried that i disappeared."


    [i don''t think that will be a problem, my lord].


    "huh? why do you say that?"


    [my lord, it seems that this place does not follow the rules of, for lack of a better word, reality.]


    "you lost me."


    [please try to check your gri, my lord].


    i pulled my gri out of my subspace. and looked at the screen. aside from there being no signal to my carrier, there was not much different from what i considered normal.


    "what am i looking for, exa? aside from the signal, it is the same."


    [please open your clock application my lord].


    following exa''s instructions, i opened the app and was greeted by a simple clock. it was the 12 hour version and set to 3:29 pm.


    "it says the time. what is this about?"


    [my lord, please check the seconds part of the clock app].


    i then focused on the last part of the time display and noticed that it was stuck at 00.


    "..."


    i gave it a few more seconds and waited, but the time didn''t move. it was stuck at 3:29.


    "is my gri broken or something? or is this app defective?"


    [neither, my lord. even my internal clocks are frozen. i have no idea how we can still have a conversation. maybe because i am no longer a pure ai?]


    "well, i find that strange, but so what? time is frozen, like most sequences in anime or something."


    [i am amazed at how quickly you switch gears. maybe there is immense value in normalizing such concepts. you''re not even phased by the idea of being frozen in time, my lord.]


    "probably because i can''t understand it right now. if i am stuck here for eternity, i will definitely lose my mind. anyway, how do we leave?"


    [my apologies, my lord, i do not even understand how you are "here" in the first place. therefore, i cannot give you any advice on how to leave.]


    "what are you talking about?"


    [my lord, look at your feet]. s~ea??h the n?vel(f)ire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "exa, you are being silly. my feet are naturally on the flo..."


    i couldn''t finish my words because all the time i thought i was walking in a blank white room. but when exa pointed it out, i realized that i was standing on air. and as if that were not enough, instead of a floor, there was nothing beneath me.


    just empty darkness and what appeared to be white glittering dust. i looked up and saw the same thing. suddenly, instead of a white door, i was in the middle of space.


    like in outer space. the kind with ufo''s and planets. my mind understood that the white specks were actually stars.


    my heart began to pound in my chest as my body tensed with fear. i could fight undead. i could even fight a demon or a revenant. but what the hell could i do, i was suddenly thrown into space!


    the silence, which hadn''t bothered me before, began to instill fear in my body. i could hear nothing and see nothing. i quickly searched for the seven doors. i missed them at first, but they were still there.


    "fuck... that really scared me," i said as i walked towards them.


    i tried to calm myself down and rationalize my fears away.


    ''calm down. i am a phantom, i do not need to breathe. even if i am stuck in space, i could just fire my weapons or something. i don''t seem to burn or freeze from the temperatures. last time i was here. i just willed myself back.


    like i did with hellsgate.''


    when the thought of dying disappeared, my breathing returned to normal.


    just as i was about to go home, my faithful partner asked a question.


    [my lord. have these images on the doors always been here?]


    surprised by her concern, i clarified what she meant.


    "what do you mean, exa? the images? no, the last time i was here, they weren''t there. they looked like the girls, but i am not sure. i don''t even know where to begin."


    [perhaps i can be of assistance, my lord. you are not the only one investigating these people.]


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    alarmed, my tension went up to eleven. these pictures had the faces of my girls. was someone planning to murder them? had someone managed to steal the contents of my brain or something?


    "how can someone else be researching these women? i just saw them today!"


    [my lord, you misunderstand. the ones investigating them are the sirens. their research has nothing to do with this place. it may be true that you just saw these images today, but the ladies have already seen them for a while.]


    "huh? the girls saw them? explain."


    [when you gave the ladies the [exa network], they started using me liberally. most of the things they do not know, i am the one who investigates for them. all seven of the ladies have memories of lives they believe to be their own. ]


    "you''ve got to be shitting me."


    [no, my lord. the images presented on all seven doors are consistent with the ladies'' appearances in their supposed past incarnations. you should already be familiar with their names. from left to right, the seven women before you are freyja, ishtar, rhiannon, vela, minerva, satis, and inari.]


    "..."


    these names were very familiar to me. i would go one step further and call them valuable. i stood in front of each door and touched the images. from what exa had just shared, the girls probably all started seeing these images before they even made their graveyard ids.


    "they all contacted me before my first night. so they were dreaming about these women even before i did?"


    [that is not all, my lord. in addition to their own lives, each siren had me investigate one other person].


    i already had an idea, but i still asked, "who?"


    [they had me secretly investigate a face from their memory. i will display them.]

 Chapter 559 Who? [2/2]

    exa displayed images directly in my field of vision like ar glasses. seven portraits of different ethnicities were presented. their clothing each matched one of the images on the doors.but what stood out was that they all looked eerily like me.


    it was as if they were all my doppelgangers or twins of something. and they all had the same fierce glow in their eyes. just from their eyes, you could feel that these seven men were of the same nature.


    [each of them is a prominent figure who existed in the same mythology as the goddesses the sirens had me investigate. from left to right, they are:]


    [tyr, the norse god of war and justice.]


    [nergal, the mesopotamian god of death and war.]


    [pwyll, prince of dyfed in welsh mythology.]


    [perun, the slavic god of the sky, thunder, and war.]


    [mars, the roman god of war.]


    [montu, the egyptian falcon god of war.]


    [takemikazuchi, the japanese shinto god of thunder and martial arts.]


    as i heard the names of the seven men, something clicked in my mind. suddenly, the faces of the seven warriors in my dreams were no longer shrouded in shadow. like pieces of a puzzle, i now recognized the lives i had lived in the past. your next read is at empire


    these people were all as powerful as revenants. yet for some unknown reason, they all failed to close the hellsgate. in each of their ends, they lay alone on mountains of corpses. and each time, their enemy, the "serpent", tried to persuade them to abandon their struggles.


    yet they had refused to do so.


    who the fuck was this fucking serpent? and why did they want to kill it so badly?


    i didn''t understand everything yet, but i felt that there was something there. what''s more, another fact made me wonder. it was like an itch i couldn''t scratch.


    ''what were they all trying to do? was it just to kill the serpent? why? how could they fail when they were so powerful? why did they fail? was i supposed to follow in their footsteps?''


    adding to the mysteries were the sirens. why were we all connected in our past lives? i saw them all die horrible deaths.


    did they see their own deaths like i did? if i understood correctly, they remembered their lives even earlier than me. why was that?


    i once looked into the names the girls used for their graveyard ids. i thought they were just using the names of goddesses for kicks. but it seemed that was not the case.


    if anything, exa''s words confirmed that they were looking for answers even before we declared our love for each other. at this realization, a fear began to fester in my heart.


    what if the girls approached me because of these fucking bastards?


    ''i mean, i felt somehow partial to the sirens. was it because of the dreams i had? but the ones i love are the ones that exist in the present. not the ones who lived in the distant past.''


    why didn''t the sirens tell me? did they see me as the reincarnation of their dead lovers? was that all i was? a substitute? did they even love me?


    my body began to tremble as my chest tightened. it was as if someone or something was crushing my heart in their hands. in contrast to the silence before, a low hum began to ring in my ears. and with it, i slowly felt like i was drowning, my movements slowing to a crawl as i could no longer breathe.


    [my lord! my lord!]


    exa''s voice echoed, but similar to my other soul collapses, her voice was distant. as if i was underwater and she was not. some kind of static prevented me from hearing her properly.


    my thoughts began to spin out of control as my fear consumed me. i felt dark whispers suddenly begin to reverberate in my mind. this feeling was the calm that preceded a soul collapse. the final countdown before a violent eruption.


    a glint from my suit caught my eye. a cufflink with the image of a reaper was staring right at me. remembering what they were, i summoned them with a roar.


    "{never alone}!"


    i shouted quickly, calling upon my benevol. the cufflinks instantly transformed into bracers that wrapped around my forearms.


    a pleasant, calming sensation wrapped around my body like a blanket, driving away the whispers.


    the heaviness that had been plaguing me slowly dissipated. it was as if i was slowly being petrified and my benevol was removing the status effects.


    i waited a few moments for my body to return to normal. within minutes, my senses and the strength of my body came back.


    regaining my composure, i stared at exa''s portraits again and belatedly noticed that something was different. the faces of the men i thought looked like me were... not like me.


    ''did i see wrong? earlier, i could have sworn that we had the same face.''


    the fierce glint in their eyes was the same, but that was all.


    montu in particular had dark skin. tyr, nergal, and pwyll, while all blond, had different shades. perun and mar were redheads while takemi had dark hair to match his asian features. some had beards, some didn''t.


    i have no idea why i thought we were all the same.


    but somehow that was what i really believed before. the only thing that was different were the whispers i saw and...


    i raised my fist and studied the benevol covering my forearm. the only difference was that i could be considered shielded by my benevol .


    as i tried to rationalize, i could only come to the conclusion that malice fucked with your brain.


    ''must be careful in the future. i should also check if the {sirens of sin} can do the same thing. ''


    [my lord, are you alright? your heart rate and blood pressure spiked earlier.]


    "i''m fine," i lied while concentrating on my thoughts.


    rewind said something earlier. something ominous.


    {things finally started moving. and now you are at the same starting point, john smith. all that you seek is through those doors. i await for your answer the next time we meet. farewell. buddy.}


    every phrase in his farewell was loaded with meaning. like what the fuck began to move? the reapers? the dissolution of the armistice? there was so much going on, i have no idea what he meant.


    and what the hell does "you are at the same starting point" mean? it sounded like i was in competition with someone. i had too little information to even make an educated guess. sear?h the nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    it was like getting a cut scene from a video game and being left to decipher the npc''s meaning.


    but perhaps what bothered me the most were his last two sentences.


    "everything you seek is through those doors."


    and


    "i await for your answer the next time we meet."


    "ugh, this is not what i needed at this moment. there are already too many things happening. now i have to deal with this shit."


    as i stared at the doors, despite my complaints, i somehow knew what i had to do. each of the seven doors would tell me something. and after i passed through them all, i would have all the answers i was looking for.


    i stifled my questions and prepared to leave this place. i didn''t know what was worse, being scared that i was standing in space or the shit rewind had just told me.


    "exa, get me all the material you have on all fourteen deities. after my campaign. i will come back here and check the doors."


    [i understand, my lord. how will you go back?]


    "will myself to go home?"


    [...]


    "it worked last time, honest."


    with those words, i closed my eyes and returned to earth.

 Chapter 560 The only one who cared [1/2]

    i opened my eyes and felt myself back in my hotel room. unlike in the door room, i felt my {kindred} link with my girls restored. my skin also felt their warmth as they all snuggled around me.''exa, what time is it?''


    [my lord, it is 4:10 pm. you entered rem sleep at 4:09. so only a few seconds have passed.]


    i see, that must be why the sirens didn''t panic at all. the relief i felt released the tension in my body. i exhaled in exhaustion as i thought about what had just happened. although earlier i had felt asleep from too much sex, now i was not tired physically, but rather mentally instead.


    ''i don''t think i''ll be able to sleep much longer.''


    since my body was intertwined with the sirens, i wondered how i could get up without waking them. but before i could do anything, i felt the woman to my left rise. her beautiful voice reached my ear without her opening her mouth.


    "darling, are you not going to sleep anymore?"


    i glanced at my italian lover who had a captivating smile on her face. as i did, she leaned in and kissed me gently. jo then made a joyful expression as if she had won the lottery. her radiant energy was comforting by my side.


    "[whisper]."


    "i don''t think i can. i had... i don''t know what it was. a dream? or maybe more like a nightmare."


    "nightmares are not good. don''t worry, darling. i am here. there is no need to be afraid. would you like me to hypnotize you to sleep?"


    i chuckled at her innocence as i shook my head.


    "no, darling, that will not be necessary. i wanted to get up though. i just didn''t want to wake everyone."


    jo grinned mischievously as she stopped using [whisper].


    "they''re all awake, though. ever since everyone got {listen}, they''ve all been eavesdropping, but acting like they didn''t. everyone, you can stop pretending now."


    then i felt waves of surprise coming from the sirens. like children caught with their hands in the cookie jar, they all slowly sat up.


    "jo, did you really have to rat everyone out? i mean really? good afternoon, honey."


    "well, listening to people''s conversations is deplorable to begin with. on another note, why did you wake up, dearest?"


    bella got up and walked over to me on all fours before stealing my lips. after a brief tryst with our lips, lilly pulled my head towards her before greeting me in a similar manner.


    before i could even respond, liv''s arms wrapped around my shoulders from behind as she kissed my cheek. s§×ar?h the n??el fire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "beloved, you seemed troubled. is everything all right?" she asked worriedly.


    to my left, jo made room for her sister. jas likewise gave me a quick smooch on the cheek before intertwining her hands in mine.


    "husband, tell me. what is it?"


    in the same moment, a small figure snuggled between lilly and i. she rested her modest breasts on my chest. robyn had a serious expression on her face as she looked at me.


    "possum, give us the goss. your heartbeat was restless earlier."


    the next thing i knew, something soft and wet began to lick the back of my neck. it felt so good it sent a shiver down my spine.


    when i turned around, aki had a mischievous grin on her face. with her prank a success, she seemed to be in a good mood.


    but even then, she caressed my face as she added. "shujin, don''t be afraid. whatever it is. you are not alone anymore. we will solve it together."


    i felt my heart tighten from the words of my harem. i hadn''t said anything, but they all knew somehow that something was wrong.


    although the way they did it would probably freak other people out, especially when it seemed like the girls were watching me quite intensely.


    monitoring someone''s heart rate seemed to be something only stalkers and crazy people would do. and since each of my girls knew me, they must have had some way of knowing that i was not okay.


    at the moment, my harem and i were naked on my bed. the fact that their gorgeous bodies were ripe for the taking would have turned most men on.


    especially when there were seven of them ready to do whatever i wanted. unfortunately, i felt bitter and anxious instead.


    the thought that the girls came to me not because of me, but because of my past lives, bothered me.


    i don''t think anyone would appreciate being treated like a substitute. that was the same reason mike was angry with isolde at first.


    i could shut up and hide my frustration, but it would just eat me up inside. and it was unfair to my harem.


    but the thought that my suspicion might be right also scared me. surprisingly, none of the sirens pressed for an answer. perhaps my feelings were transferred to them through our link, the sirens all said nothing and waited.


    each woman before me was someone i loved deeply. although we had known each other for less than a month, our stories already had many pages. but how could i compete with the past life of a revenant?


    the ones exa showed me could have been me. but they weren''t me. the question would be, who did the sirens want to be with in the first place?


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    i opened my mouth, but my voice refused to come out. a whirlwind of negative emotions surged through my heart and made its way to the sirens. but instead of rejecting my feelings, the girls embraced them.


    seeing how open they were, i steeled my will and began.


    "everyone. exa and i were talking and she told me that you all had her investigate some deities..."


    my throat felt dry as i spoke. it was as if my own body was telling me not to go on. lilly then made a cup with {shelter} and filled it with water. the other girls passed it to me and allowed me to drink.


    "thank you. according to her, the goddesses were the same ones you use as id''s in the graveyard. that doesn''t bother me much. what bothers me is that you all made her look for another person."


    the moment those words left my mouth, i felt the girls'' connection suddenly enveloped in dread and uneasiness. the raw emotions they showed from being questioned made me feel like shit.


    "right, that is your business. sorry i asked."


    unable to continue, i closed my mouth. even though they didn''t say it explicitly, i knew how much it would hurt if they did. i separated from the girls in a dejected mood.


    they all had faces of surprise and disbelief when i tried to get up from the bed.


    [my lord, i feel you are misunderstanding something. it would be better to ask them directly.]


    i bit my lip at exa''s rebuke. that was easy for her to say, i was the one being rejected. although i liked to be in charge of most things. i don''t know how i''d take it if my girls told me i wasn''t really the one they loved.


    ''i have had my heart betrayed before. i do not think i would survive if it happened a second time.''


    unable to muster any courage, i left the bed and hurriedly tried to leave the room. two figures suddenly appeared in front of me. it was aki and robyn. they grabbed my arms and tried to pull me back onto the bed.


    "let go of me. i have to go somewhere!" i shouted.


    instead, jas and jo appeared and lifted my legs. i tried to struggle, but i couldn''t break free against my girls. i was about to invoke {blink} when i suddenly felt the entire room fill with something.


    i searched for the one who rendered void space abilities useless and saw lilly frowning. my girls then threw me onto the bed, where liv rested me on her thighs in a lap pillow.


    she then grabbed my arms as she pleaded.

 Chapter 561 The only one who cared [2/2]

    "my love, please calm down. your link is spiraling out of control."bella then mounted my chest as she slapped my face to the side.


    " honey, stop being so childish! how can the almighty limitless act like this?! you never ran from a fight! not against the undead! not even against a revenant! what is going on?!"


    her words cut me to the core. i knew that i was acting like a coward. but i couldn''t help it. i would rather be burned and torn to pieces than have my heart broken again.


    how could she say such a thing when she didn''t know how i felt! none of them did!


    "that''s easy for you to say! you are not the one being treated as a spare!" i shouted back.


    "what?" bella asked in surprise.


    the girls, who had all returned to the bed, held me in place. and all of them drew a blank at my accusation. like a ruptured dam, all my feelings poured out uncontrollably.


    "yeah! a fucking spare! that was why you all had exa look for your fucking bastards, right! because they were your lovers in your past lives! why didn''t you tell me? why keep it a secret?!"


    "..."


    "you all already know how broken i was after caroline! i love you all with all my heart! but i am not strong enough to go through that again! i would rather die! just leave me alone!"


    "..."


    venting my inner turmoil allowed me to calm down somewhat. but i was exhausted by the emotional stress i felt. this all happened because rewind had dragged me back into the white room. i continued to mumble in a weak voice as the girls held me captive.


    "please let me go...while i still have some dignity...otherwise i would not be able to take it anymore. i know that given enough time i would be fine, even if the ones you really love is the ghosts you see in me... please..."


    "..."


    i felt pathetic. the fact that my girls were all silent was an indication of how pathetic i must have looked. i wanted to be loved. i wanted to be appreciated.


    and when the sirens gave it to me, i craved their validation. to suddenly return to a life without them. i was no longer able to.


    my tears flowed uncontrollably as my chaotic emotions weighed heavily on me.


    ''tsk. i am such a fucking pussy. i have been doing nothing but crying since yesterday. fuck...''


    the girls then let me go and all started to complain.


    "fuck. i knew this was going to be a problem. and honey being an absolute moron didn''t help."


    "fufu. shujin crying like this is too adorable. i almost want to keep him in the dark just to see him so pathetic for a while longer."


    "agreed. a man who looks like that seems more human. relatable. i finally feel like husband really needs us."


    "sigh. you slaggers are too nasty. look at possum, he looks like someone who got dumped."


    "i''m more surprised that everyone did what i did. i always thought only beloved and i shared a former life."


    "this is all vela''s fault! i wanted to talk to darling about it from the beginning! stupid vela! you made darling cry! yes, bitch! this is all your fault, stop making excuses!"


    "this won''t do. dearest, you are gravely mistaken. i hardly care about nergal. i had exa research his legend for another reason. you have similarities, but you are not the same person. i know that best." s~ea??h the n?vel_fire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    i remained silent at everyone''s words. i sat up and asked timidly.


    "then why didn''t you tell me?"


    when i asked them directly, the sirens began to answer one by one.


    "beloved, i hid it because freyja was the reason tyr died. i wanted to see how he died before i revealed it to you."


    "husband, montu and satis died to a dog-like monster. i was researching how to kill that monster and its identity. i have little interest in montu beyond that fact."


    "darling, perun killed vela. he looked so sad, i didn''t want to worry you. not when i didn''t know what had happened."


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    "possum, rhiannon and pwyll fought and parted on bad terms. i didn''t want that to happen to us. so i didn''t say anything. it wasn''t even important."


    "honey, for some reason. minerva threw herself off a cliff. mars tried to follow her. i wanted to understand why she did that. and why mars was so upset about it. mars'' wife in mythology was called nerio, not minerva."


    "dearest. ishtar was in love with nergal. i am not the real ishtar, nor are you the real nergal. i am your {kindred}. not his. and you are not hers, but mine.


    i didn''t say anything because i considered it beneath your notice."


    "shujin, takemikazuchi in my past life and in the legend are completely different. i have never connected you with him. and even if i had, he wouldn''t hold a candle to you, my one and only master and {kindred}."


    the girls all confessed why they didn''t tell me. and my suspicions were completely off the mark. they didn''t do it out of devotion to my previous incarnations. they did it because they did not think it was important enough to mention.


    dumbfounded, i blushed with shame. i had made such a huge deal out of something i could have asked directly.


    misunderstandings were dangerous, i learned today first hand. if the girls had left me alone, i might have done something i regretted forever.


    of course, when i understood that i was just being overly dramatic. i sheepishly rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment.


    "i...uh...i''m sorry, everyone," i said honestly.


    in the hours that followed, the girls made me appease their anger with all sorts of requests. however, in contrast to my physical exhaustion, my heart was so light and happy.


    unconsciously, time passed, and in the end, we were unable to go to hellsgate again. it was due to both wasting time on make-up sex and discussing everything about the memories we possessed.


    i sent a message to phillip telling him to tell everyone i was sick. he replied like an ass and passed it on to the rest of hellsend. meanwhile, the girls and i were almost melding our bodies into one as we made love.


    make-up sex after an intense fight was the absolute best type of sex.


    whatever insecurities i may have had with my incarnations were laid to rest by the girls. they used their bodies to let me know how much they loved me. after our passionate orgy, we exchanged notes about the lives the eight of us had dreamed.


    i told them all about the door room and all three visions i had seen. they, in turn, told me about the memories they saw night after night.


    in summary, the girls all lived as the goddesses alongside my incarnations. however, the girls did not see the images in order.


    and they were hard to make sense of. but while they all found it difficult to put them in order, there was one constant between the seven of them.


    the memories they saw night after night all stopped after the honeymoon. none of them could guess why. but the appearance of the portraits on the seven doors was no coincidence.


    at least that was what everyone thought.


    it turned out that the girls all wanted to get the full picture before they told me. which made sense, since these stories were not just any story, but were connected to us personally.


    however, they were certain that it was better to understand the stories in depth before explaining them. so as to not make misunderstandings


    with the limited information we had, there was nothing we could do.


    "it sees that i am the only one who cared about these fucking bastards," i said dejectedly. much to the amusement of my harem.


    somehow, i was sure the girls would never let me forget my blunder tonight for as long as i lived.

 Chapter 562 Lets go on a date [1/2]

    it was the third morning after my honeymoon. contrary to my original intentions, i still hadn''t been able to resume killing the undead after two nights.the first night was spent getting back on track. the second was spent recovering from the creation of {call my name} and discussing the door room.


    and right now, i was having an experience most people couldn''t even dream of. my harem was helping me get dressed. and they were being incredibly erotic. i had only my underwear on and was sitting on the edge of the bed.


    jas and aki dutifully helped me put on my socks. however, they groped my calves as if i were a work of art or something.


    liv helped me put on my shirt, stretching the fabric over and over to make sure there were no creases. jo and bella each pulled on the sleeves and helped me button the cuffs.


    robyn knelt in front of me as she applied perfume on my body. her help included sniffing my body repeatedly after each spray.


    meanwhile, lilly was deep in thought as she styled my hair. that would not have been a problem. if she wasn''t flaunting her gorgeous assets in front of me.


    the sirens were not yet fully dressed and were in their underwear. and as if they wanted to see how i would react, they put on some really lewd lingerie.


    the kind of lingerie that had openings in the crotch for easy access. i had to give a bonus to whoever sold them to my girls. i didn''t even know who to look at because they were all so fucking sexy.


    despite my best efforts, i could not stop my little brother from showing respect to my harem with a salute.


    seven pairs of eyes immediately saw a tent slowly pitching itself on my crotch. they all began to giggle with happiness.


    "i told you all. beloved is a beast. there was no way he could resist."


    "goodness, dearest. you really could go on forever..."


    "possum, naked or clothed, you want to root us every waking moment! it''s insane!"


    "hehe. shouldn''t we be happy? that just means darling hasn''t lost interest one bit."


    "considering this lunatic, i think losing interest might not even be a possibility. i thought the post-natal clarity would affect him even a little. but honey only gets hornier as our orgies go on."


    "husband really is an amazing man among men. if i were alone, i think i would have broken several times during the honeymoon. even though i can only handle a seventh of his lust, i still think i will break if i relax even just a little."


    "being true to your desires would help, everyone. after all, despite your complaints, you would not allow another woman to join shujin''s harem, nor would you take a break from receiving his love."


    i didn''t know if it was because of last night, but the sirens were all noticeably happier. well, they were happier using me as the butt of their jokes.


    robyn helped me button my shirt, while jas and aki had me stand and put on my pants. the two of them didn''t forget to fondle my ass and grope my groin while they were at it.


    liv helped me put on my coat while jo started to help me with my tie. bella brought my shoes and put them in front of me like a loving spouse.


    lilly fixed my hair to her liking and nodded when she was done. when i was fully dressed, i was about to ask them if they were going to get dressed now, but then they all invoked {rewind}.


    in an instant, they were all wearing their black and gray battle uniforms. i felt a bit miffed and annoyed that they were all forcing me to dress normally while they were cheating.


    ''it is not because i wanted to enjoy the sight of them getting dressed.''


    "okay. i want to stock up on supplies. let''s go on a date," i suggested.


    "yes!" x7


    afterwards we left the hotel and went to a kfc for a quick meal. why a kfc you might ask? because the girls all kept complaining that only lilly got eat with me there.


    arriving at a local fast-food joint with seven gorgeous women did more than just attract attention. people practically believed we were doing some kind of photo shoot. luckily, i was a reaper. invoking death resonance, i made sure we could eat in peace.


    "you will not see my party unless one of us speaks to you first. and you will actively try to avoid us."


    this single command allowed us to order our food from the cashiers, but had the customers sit away from us. it was nice not to have to share a table or have noisy neighbors.


    i ordered about 6 buckets of chicken and loaded it into my {auto}. jas and aki made grumpy faces when i did so. they even tried to make me get salad and avoid carbonated soft drinks.


    luckily, i wasn''t alone. jo, robyn, bella and lilly of all people bought and stored buckets for themselves.


    robyn and bella even went to the other nearby fast-food joints to buy more food. they got chicken sandwiches, donuts, pizza, pasta and even burritos.


    liv, for some reason, was in love with taco bell. no one had the heart to tell her that their food would rip your asshole if you weren''t careful.


    even jas and aki couldn''t say anything. everyone had the same reaction to liv''s excited face. we didn''t know what to say when we saw how much she loved to eat mexican cuisine.


    after we stocked up on food. we then went to a store that sold camping equipment.


    the hammer team, liv, lilly, jas and i started buying things that would make our trip easier. like tents, sleeping bags, led lights, lighters, thermal blankets, clean water, etc.


    meanwhile, the anvil team went to a hardware store and bought a lot of steel and other construction materials. they also purchased a lot of electrical cables and even a huge diesel generator. along with floodlights and household appliances.


    we used death resonance the whole time, so no one thought anything of us when the items we bought disappeared. of course, we could have just stolen it all. but i would argue that we had more money than we knew what to do with.


    helping the people around us or in our hometown was never a bad thing. it pumped much needed money back into the economy.


    after we finished shopping for supplies, the girls went to a lingerie store. and while every woman in the store looked at me like i was scum, i enjoyed our time there very much. enjoy exclusive chapters from empire


    after all, i greatly liked watching my girls parade around in the erotic lingerie of my choice. luckily there were no men around or i would have killed them all.


    having bought the lingerie, the girls also dragged me to the biltmore fashion park to pick out some outfits.


    as the man of the house, i bought everything the girls wanted. and even though they had money, they liked that i was the one who bought it. i suppose it was something they had been repressing all this time.


    ''[commander], [overdrive].''


    [[sniper] setting shifting to [commander]. [commander] levels up to [general].]


    [[knight] setting shifting to [commander]. [general] levels up to [war lord].]


    "everyone, why don''t we separate for the next part of our date? i want to get you all something. it doesn''t have to be clothes. please allow me to spoil my women a little."


    "yes!" x7


    and so, separated from my soul avatars, each siren and i continued our private dates.


    while they indulged me by traveling with everyone, i knew that each of my girls still wanted some alone time with me.


    ____


    "honey, the specs on this gaming laptop are insane! buy it for me!"


    "okay. let''s buy it, mrs. code, what about the peripherals?"


    "hmm... but i hardly need them."


    "okay, should we also get some powerful desktops so you can delegate some things?"


    "did exa tell you something, honey?"


    i walked over to my brazilian bombshell and hugged her tightly.


    "no, it''s just... i know how hard you work for our family, bella. and i want to support you in some way. this is my gift to you."


    "haha, have i told you how much i love you, mr. code?" she replied happily.


    s§×ar?h the n?velfire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 563 Lets go on a date [2/2]

    "darling! i want these chainsaws! can i have them, please?""sure, whatever my shooting star wants. do you want axes too?"


    "heh, darling really gets me! but no, i want lots of butane cans instead!"


    "hmm, okay, i will go look for them."


    jo stopped and asked shyly. "darling, don''t you find me strange? or creepy?"


    "of course not. why would i?"


    "because i''m not girly like aki or graceful like jas or lilly...i''m..."


    i quickly went over to jo and silenced her by sticking my tongue down her throat. she froze but melted under my passion. after we parted, i caressed her face as i responded.


    "jo, stop. i fell for you just the way you are. you don''t have to be someone you don''t want to be. and i think chainsaws and things that go boom are cool. so we are compatible. stop putting down the woman i love, okay?"


    "hehe, okay! i love you, darling!"


    ___


    "possum! this puppy is fucking huge! can i keep it? they say it''s a mastiff! i will name it matty!"


    "of course. kitten. we will raise it together."


    "..."


    "kitten?"


    "possum, i''m stupid and reckless, do you think i can do it? what if matty dies because i forgot to feed him or something? i really expected you to say no."


    i walked over to robyn and gave her a gentle hug. then i kissed her forehead as i laid my head on hers.


    "you''re not stupid, kitten. and you are not irresponsible either. and even if you make a mistake, it''s okay.


    that''s why i''m here. i will support you in whatever you want to do. we will fatten matty up so you can ride him into battle."


    my tenderness seemed to work as robyn kissed my cheek with a big smile.


    "un! then let''s buy two! so they can have babies and pixie and alicia can ride them too!"


    "haha okay. as you like robyn."


    ___


    "husband, can i please have this sound system? listening to classical music is one of my few pleasures."


    "anything for you, wifey. of course i will pay for it."


    "hmm. thank you, husband. this is a first for me, you know. to have someone other than jo give me something. i was a maid, so hardly anyone but jo paid any attention to me. the sound system i left behind was just a modest one i bought it with my own savings from my salary."


    i waited for jas to finish reminiscing before i placed her hand on my face.


    "husband?"


    "jas, i''m sorry you had to go through that alone. but i can promise you now that i am yours, i will always be watching over you. and i as payment for all those years i will shower you with affection and gifts. enough to make you sick of me."


    jas then kissed me gently as she whispered.


    "highly unlikely, husband. but you can try."


    my chocolate-skinned lover pulled my hand in bliss as we continued to shop.


    ___


    "anata, stop joking already! you want to bring this huge aquarium into hellsgate?"


    "of course, i plan to get those koi fish as well."


    "anata! this is a complete waste of money! i wanted to get a small bonsai tree. that is enough."


    i took aki''s hands and kissed them before answering my japanese {kindred}.


    "kamisan, i would trade everything i have if doing so would bring you joy. so what if these fish die in hellsgate? i will get you another more. you once told me that you cried when your pet fish died while you were away. i can''t change what happened, but if it makes you happy. i will spare no expense."


    "but i only said that in passing. i do not intend to raise koi again after all i am not lonely anymore. besides it being too troublesome, we have too much to do."


    "aki. you are not my servant. you are my partner. do not sacrifice your own desires for my sake. if you like fish, i will see to it these bastards live in hellsgate forever. this is how much your smile means to me.


    please let me adore you."


    "..."


    wordlessly, aki wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a short but passionate kiss.


    "hmph! shujin, i forbid you to seduce someone like that! it is unfair!"


    ____


    "lady, for the last time, we don''t sell cows here. this is a butcher shop," the clerk said angrily.


    "is that so? then forgive me for making such a foolish request," liv replied disappointedly.


    rather than kill the clerk, i slammed my hand on the counter and shouted in an arrogant voice.


    "i will buy everything in your store right now. find me a hundred cows and i will give you $500,000. have it ready in three days!"


    when the clerk saw the soul card i had placed on his counter, he began bobbing his head up and down while shouting.


    "of course we will my good sir! i will have 100 of the best cows brought here in three days."


    i then turned to liv and asked in an affectionate voice. "my love, will one hundred cows be enough, or do you want more?"


    flushed with embarrassment, liv took my hand and dragged me outside franticly.


    "beloved, thank you for this. it is enough. you must think me pathetic for wanting cows as a gift."


    i made her face me before giving her a kiss.


    "liv. you are all i care about. if you want cows. you get cows. it''s as simple as that. i will take care of the rest."


    "sigh. my love. how lucky i am to be the one you adore. thank you."


    ___


    "do you like this doll, my princess?"


    "how absurd. why would i, a lilly browning smith, like this raggedy looking doll?"


    "..."


    i said nothing and just waited. despite lily''s disdain for the cute-looking toy, once she picked it up, she couldn''t put it down. her hands trembled as she held the plainly dressed doll.


    understanding, that there was more to her story, i reached for her hand and held it in my own. i then sent affection to her {kindred} link.


    she began to share emotionally in a sad voice.


    "when i was a child, i envied children with such dolls. i tried to make some out of old socks, but i couldn''t sew. and after i was adopted, i was told that such things were beneath me. dear, do you know why i wanted one of these so badly when i was young?"


    i said nothing and just listened.


    "because i was always alone. my father was not there and my mother was a mental patient. i wanted them to have something to talk to. i saw the girls in the commercials talking to them. i tried other materials or animals but was ridiculed for it. these dolls are a part of my past, reminding me of a time i find unpleasant."


    i walked over to lilly and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.


    "then i just have to replace that memory with something better. i will never shame you for anything you do, dearest. i am your {kindred}. whatever brings you joy, i will naturally be partial to."


    i raised my hand to call out to one of the salesmen.


    "what can i do for you today, dear customer?"


    i pointed to one end of the doll displays and moved my hand to the end of the toy section.


    "from here to there. i will buy every doll, every stuffed animal and every play set you have. the woman i love the most wants them. pack them up and send them to this address."


    "dearest! i am a grown woman! why would i want such a thing?" asked lilly a little indignantly.


    "of course it will be for the daughters we will raise. i intend to have a lot so we can keep this in reserve." discover hidden tales at empire


    afraid that i would take back my words, the clerk quickly called everyone around to help haul the dolls to the counter in carts.


    lilly imitated a tomato as she looked at me in disbelief. enjoying her adorable expression, i pulled her to my side and stole her lips.


    "we can play house with them as much as you want, lilly. no matter what you want to do i am fine with it. all i want is to do is to spend the rest of my days with you."


    lilly cried tears of joy as she weakly rebuked me. "you are incorrigible!" s§×ar?h the n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 564 Switchblades? [1/2]

    the girls and i left the hotel around 10 in the morning. we all ate at kfc and stocked up on food for lunch. our trip to the camping store, hardware store, and lingerie boutique ended around 3 pm.our group split into seven couples. experiencing seven dates at once was almost as good as having sex with seven bodies. luckily, lilly had prepared six extension soul cards for my soul avatars. otherwise, only sunday would be able to pay for shit.


    when i created soul avatars with {day by day}, what was replicated was only the clothes on my back. my gri, soul card, and {never alone} didn''t. the six soul card extensions were usually given to a reaper {kindred} or {vassals}.


    it basically allowed the extensions to use the souls from the main reaper account. with it, i was able to lavish my entire harem with presents and gifts.


    what they asked for in terms of gifts was really quite different.


    and while other people would see my spending as burying money for useless things, i couldn''t care less. not that i gave a shit what people said in the first place.


    the more i earned, the more it seemed silly to keep saving it. living in the moment was just as important as saving for the future.


    and the time i had with my harem was priceless. rather than save money in the bank, i would rather spend it all on them. i may not have liked spending money on myself, but my wallet was extremely loose for those i loved.


    while others worked to have money to spend on themselves, it was different for me. i found joy in giving gifts to the people i cherished. seeing their reactions to my purchases was worth more than the money i spent on them.


    at first, the girls all had independent personalities. they were not used to being pampered. because of their difficult upbringing, they were all reluctant. it took some effort to convince them, but the joy the girls expressed afterwards made it worthwhile.


    liv asked for a butcher''s shops worth of meat and 100 cows. at first she was ashamed of her request, but my words convinced her that i wanted to spoil her rotten. she ended up asking for 100 bulls to go with the cows. and an additional 50 pairs of pigs.


    lilly was overjoyed to get a roomful of dolls and stuffed animals. after i told her that we could buy toys for our future daughters, she went on a toy shopping spree. she even went beyond that and bought things for boys for the same reason.


    robyn decided on an army of mastiffs. four dozen to be exact, which she wanted to give to each member of rhiannon''s hellcats. we had to contact several pet stores to find enough puppies. all the while, robyn was starry-eyed as she played with the puppies.


    jo''s gift was a neighborhood''s worth of power tools. from gas and electric chainsaws to rotary hammer drills to industrial impact wrenches. i also got her three stores'' worth of butane and propane tanks of various sizes. jo was smiling from ear to ear the whole time.


    bella ended up having five top of the line pcs built for her. this was after i bought her a powerful gaming laptop. dissatisfied, we also ended up ordering several high-end mainframe servers. even though i knew nothing about computers, bella''s ecstatic reactions made it all well worth it.


    jas wanted a top-of-the-line sound system.


    but her eyes kept wandering to musical instruments as we paid for her gift. taking that as my cue, i took her to a music store.


    inside, jas was thrilled to pick out signature violins in three different sizes and a baby grand piano.


    aki could not hide her excitement at the huge, beautiful aquarium. i bought her a dozen koi fish, but i also noticed that she seemed interested in other breeds. despite her hesitation, i also bought a dozen masked and peppermint versions of angelfish and a dozen wrought iron butterflyfish.


    although i probably spent more than a million dollars on their gifts, i thought it was worth every penny. biltmore fashion park probably made enough money for a month just from my spending.


    everyone finished shopping around 6 p.m. timidly, the girls all asked if we could eat without the others.


    "sure. i would love that," i told them all.


    we ate at seven different restaurants, just the two of us. the girls and i teased each other, chatted, and just enjoyed each other''s company. of course, i never forgot to shower each of them with words of affection and kisses.


    after our hearty dinner, the girls all bought some gifts for each member of the simmons family before we reunited around 7:30 pm.


    it was kind of awkward that all seven of them wouldn''t let go of my hands. if i didn''t know better, i''d think they were trying to outdo each other and using me as a means to do so.


    they clung to my sides as if they were afraid i would disappear. while i enjoyed it very much, i knew i had to accept the quirks the sirens had due to needing to share me with each other.


    they were all a little sad when i unsummoned the other six john smiths. but when i went around doing affection maintenance, they all cheered up. sea??h th§× n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    satisfied with our brief tryst, everyone piled into esca as we rode to my adoptive parents'' house. the girls gave me some of the souvenirs they got for my parents.


    after chatting with them for a bit, we said our goodbyes and told them we would be gone for a while.


    "just make sure you stay safe and protect each other, okay? dipshit, if one of my daughters has even a scratch on her, i will beat you to next sunday. capiche?" said my violent mother.


    meanwhile, earl said something similar. "john. protect my daughters with your life. do what you have to do."


    "johnny, are you doing your job? don''t let my sisters-in-law get hurt or i''ll make you regret it!"


    "un. protect or else..."


    even my sisters were more worried about the sirens than me.


    ''aren''t i the one you consider family?'' i complained in my mind.


    but before i left earl, noelle, alana and bless all hugged me tightly as they whispered the same thing.


    "stay safe. come back alive."


    i returned the hug and said hello to angela and santiago. the odd couple were the ones on house-sitting duty.


    "bye, white boy! don''t worry, i kick bad guy''s ass!"


    "relax hefe, we got this."


    vincent and lucrecia were also present and waiting outside the house.


    they had the list of people i had asked for. i took a look at it and was pleased with the results. if all went well, these people would become part of our power in the future.


    "i will be away for a few days, so prepare for my return. we will proceed with your enlistment as soon as i do. so spend the next few days finishing all your business before you ascend."


    "yes! my lord!" x2


    after we finished packing our things, the girls went into the woods and presented me with the other halves of their couple arms.


    liv gifted me a milkor m32 mgl and a blueridge tomahawk ballistic shield.


    lilly handed me an m134d and its accessories.


    experience tales with empire


    robyn gave me a pair of atchisson aa-12 shotguns.


    jo excitedly presented an fn scar-h with an fn40gl complete with scar-h rated accessories.


    jas had a smug smile as she showed me my very own m107 barrett .50 cal anti-material sniper rifle.


    aki loved my reaction when she showed me the faxon sentinel ar10 in 8.6 blackout.


    like the gun geek that i was, i squealed like a little bitch and jumped up and down with joy. i went around hugging and kissing my girls in bliss. but the gifts didn''t stop there.

 Chapter 565 Switchblades? [2/2]

    "honey, i forgive you for not being able to give me our version of couple arms. for now, we will go with this, {portal}!"bella opened a {portal} and a large vehicle came out. i could tell what it was just by the color and the 30mm cannon. it was a ripsaw m5. alfonso''s micro tank.


    "you''re giving me an m5? but i can''t drive this thing. i would still need a tablet and the whole computer or something. and i don''t think exa can either," i commented dejectedly.


    "i know, she told me. that''s why this version is the first of its kind. it works like a unit in an rts game. like the ones you use in starcraft 2, which i know you like a lot.


    "you give it a general command like [attack], [stop], [move] or [hold position] and the m5 does the rest. the software was custom made by me. this is my gift to you, honey. i call it the overlord system. give it a try."


    i then changed my mind setting to [commander] and connected to the tank. i ordered it to turn its turret toward the wall, and it moved! when i tried to "see" through its 360 cameras, i was able to do so.


    "holy crap! this is amazing!"


    in my euphoria, i hugged bella and gave her a deep kiss! my latina froze for a moment and later regained her composure. aki quickly appeared between us as she pushed bella away.


    "shujin. the sirens as a whole also have our last gift. it uses the overlord system but is something that would be operated by exa."


    at aki''s words, i remembered the words exa told me during my honeymoon.


    [the sirens would grant me a trx razorback combat platform similar to lady bella''s children. i accepted in exchange for suspending my activities for the duration of your honeymoon].


    ''this shitty ai! so, you betrayed for me for a toy?!''


    [it''s a really great toy! and you are overacting, my lord. it''s not like you would have died. the trx platform would...]


    ''exa. is this gift the one you betrayed me for?''


    [betray is such a strong word, my lord. it was more like i helped your harem in exchange for more firepower.]


    ''tsk. let''s see if this thing impresses me.''


    [i assure you it will.]


    "i hope you like this, beloved. it is our final gift to you."


    then liv stood next to me and opened a portal. another tracked vehicle came out, it was an ugly looking thing compared to the sleek and cool m5.


    it was camouflaged in olive green, desert brown and black that made it look like puke. on its back were layered segments like the back of a frog. and it had a ton of black cylinders protruding from either side of its front side.


    "is that thing supposed to be a bullfrog or something?" i accidentally blurted out.


    jo smacked my head in annoyance as she complained. "how can you be so ungrateful, darling! this was so hard to get!"


    robyn also stomped on my foot, just as angry. "hmph! possum. this thing''ll knock your socks off."


    jas laughed as she rested her face on my shoulder. "husband, do you see those black things all over this vehicle?"


    "you mean the black pimple-like things? i do, wifey, but what are they supposed to be?"


    lilly also laughed, "you will change your tune when we answer, dearest. you are going to love those pimples, i guarantee it."


    "okay. then what are they?"


    the girls all stood in front of the bullfrog with the black pimples and smiled impishly. as if they were playing a prank, they tried to keep me in suspense.


    unable to keep it in, they all shouted at the same time.


    "switchblades!" x7


    "switchblades? switchblades? switch...no way... the missiles sabel uses? there are more than 30!" i said in disbelief.


    "50 to be exact. 24 switchblade 300s, which are anti-personnel. and 26 switchblade 600s, which are anti-armor. the trx razorback is the same reason why sabel can suddenly command 50 instead of the original three," bella boasted with pride.


    "i fucking love it!" i shouted excitedly as i jumped at my harem. i made sure that all seven of them knew how much i loved their gift.


    they all giggled and enjoyed my playfulness. the damage i could do with the trx and the m5 made my blood boil.


    no matter how powerful the handgun calibers were. they will never be able to match the firepower of armor and tracked systems. s§×arch* the novel?ire(.)ne*t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [i told you so.]


    ''well done.'' was all i could reply.


    mad with love and lust, i showed the girls my appreciation for half an hour in the woods before they begged me to stop.


    when we stood up and got dressed, i gave them one last hug as i began to brief them before we headed towards hellsgate.


    "okay, just to recap, everyone. we are going to go to the 24th floor and kick the ass of everything there to establish a forward position. once we do that, we will have gareth open the warp gates and summon the rest of hellsend. they will concentrate on retaking and fortifying the other strongholds.


    "our group will advance on the last stronghold and hunt down the alpha. once both are completed, we will split into two groups. bella, jo, robyn and aki, you four will be responsible for guarding our new home. liv, lilly, jas and i will warp to the 30th floor and fight our way to the 32nd floor.


    enjoy new stories from empire


    "once we kill the vampires and get evelyn back, we will reunite on the 24th floor and head to africa. this will be a long campaign and may take days. ensure your safety at all costs. especially those playing defense. okay? protect yourselves and the others.


    but if you are forced to choose, abandon them all if necessary."


    at my words, the rest of the girls nodded. the ones on defense, however, bit their lips as they all reached for my hands.


    "honey, i refuse to raise our children alone. if you do not return in a week. i will leave the 24th floor and take my entire army with me, massacring everything along the way."


    "darling, you also have to listen to liv, lilly and jas, okay? if saving evelyn is impossible. kill her instead. bella''s right, if you don''t come back, hellsend can die for all i care."


    "possum, i will try to be a good girl and save all the cunts of hellsend. but i am not sure how long i can hold out. it is lonely without you. come back right away. otherwise i will go insane. okay?"


    "shujin, my home will be where you are. if you die, i will kill every vampire that exists and then come to you. if you do not want me to live a life of misery, please come back in one piece."


    as my girls all expressed their concern at our parting, i hugged them one by one.


    "i will come back for you. please protect our home while i am gone. you four are the only ones i trust. nothing can stop me from returning to your side."


    i knew we were being overly dramatic, but the girls and i were just being affectionate. and i loved how obsessed they were with me. especially because it made me feel less guilty about being obsessed with them.


    the extra time i spent with the girls would be the memories i carry with me. with everything in place, the girls and i shared a group hug and headed to hellsgate. the time for talk and preparation was over. now it was time for action.

 Chapter 566 Heroine Chapter: STEP FORWARD! [1/2]

    chapter pov: liv ivaldi smith___


    "oww... i think honey broke my back again."


    "then why not just use {regen}, bella?" aki asked mischievously.


    "hell no! and lose the chance to take first place? no, thanks! i will never give any of you the satisfaction of being honey''s number one!"


    "then quit your whinging already, you slagger. possum rooted everybody. deal with it. you''re not the only one in pain."


    "hehe! of course, you have the option of asking to be excluded, you know! i''m sure darling wouldn''t mind...i''ll take your place instead, bella!"


    "jo stop, your hips already gave out last time. i know husband is really good in bed, but think of your health..."


    "says the one who keeps breaking the furniture. ignore the hypocrite. need i remind you, bella, that if you stopped asking to be thrown all over the place, you would not be so ragged. dearest is becoming even more bestial because you, robyn and jas stimulate his sadistic tendencies."


    "lilly-sama, i don''t think you have any moral high ground to stand on when it comes to kinks."


    the girls and i were all waiting for beloved in a meeting room. we had arrived at hellsgate some time ago. beloved was being questioned by the various officers about other matters. normally we would have followed him, but right now everyone wanted to rest.


    ''i mean, even thirty minutes was an unbelievably long time to mate like animals,'' i thought to myself.


    beloved was very pleased with the couple arms we gave him. and unable to suppress his love, he lost his reason. the man i love the most then pushed us, his harem, down in the middle of the forest. before proceeding to drench us with his essence.


    i found myself holding my navel in reflex. living with him was incredibly blissful. although there were many problems and trials, being with my {kindred} made me feel invincible. that was why we stayed, despite the complaints of everyone here.


    "what about you, liv, is your body sore?"


    when i turned around, i saw jo looking at me intently. only she would go to everyone and ask if they were okay. smiling, i replied curtly.


    "i''m fine. i''m pretty sturdy."


    "haha! i know! you and aki are the ones who can keep up with darling the longest!"


    "actually, if it were based on the amount of husband''s seed taken in, they would be the winners. liv and aki would be the ones who would get pregnant just by that fact."


    the siren from asia came over to me and raised her hand for a high five.


    "may the best siren win, liv. i will not lose. not even to you."


    "there would be no point if that was not the case," i replied.


    she may have been smiling, but i could feel the excitement in aki''s entire being. even though we shared beloved, everyone wanted to be his number one.


    originally, they wanted to kill each other, but when our {kindred} found out, he gave the other sirens an ultimatum.


    continue to plot each other''s deaths and lose his love, or stop immediately.


    naturally, they all chose the latter.


    but even though they no longer wanted to kill each other, they still wanted to prove that they were better. needless to say, the only other battleground was the one over beloved''s affections.


    currently, the sirens were competing to see who would get pregnant first. while we are regularly drowned in the tenderness of our {kindred}, the fertility of the reapers has always been a difficult problem to solve.


    and a problem unique to the sirens, {rewind} and its family of {fates}, hindered our progress in giving birth. since these {fates} return the body to its previous state when invoked, beloved''s seed complicates things.


    if we do not include his sperm in our {autos}, we will discard it when we rewind. if we use a sperm-filled womb as our starting point, using {rewind} would undo any growth the baby may have had. your journey continues with empire


    so everyone was refreshing our {autos} as often as possible. this also made us extremely hesitant to use {rewind} or {regen}.


    i, who had the strongest body, and aki, who had a {fate} based on stamina, lasted the longest during sex. being the ones who used {rewind} the least gave us an advantage.


    from southern books and exa, i actually learned a lot about human anatomy. in the north, we were quite primitive by the standards of the south.


    perhaps it was because my people were regularly starved to death that northerners were considered extremely simple-minded.


    "you are all too worried. do you think beloved will love us any less if we are the first or the last? the important thing is that out of all the women in the world, we are his spouse. only we have the {fate} to become the mother of his offspring."


    robyn quickly got up from her chair and walked over to me.


    "if it''s you, liv, i don''t mind losing," she joked.


    amused by her words, i picked her up and hugged her.


    ''i should ask my mother-in-law for tips on how to take care of children. after all, i would soon be pregnant. and while i will not shy away from battle, i must also be able to fulfill my duties as a mother and wife.''


    just then, footsteps echoed in the hallway outside the room. their pace, stride, and gait did not belong to beloved. the sirens all became serious as we waited for the one to come in.


    the door opened and it was a petite young woman with blonde hair. we were all stunned at her identity.


    "lady rhiannon! your loyal servant, alicia gertrude has arrived!"


    "ugh..."


    robyn invoked {blink} and suddenly appeared behind me. the speed with which she did so was almost instantaneous. most would even think they saw something out of place. s§×arch* the novelfire.net* website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "psst. liv, tell the cunt i''m not here."


    "huh? i could have sworn i felt her signature here. my ladies, was lady rhiannon not with you?"


    robyn was using a new [program] developed by aki called [translucent]. it allowed her to become almost invisible when she didn''t move. aki originally used {umbra}, but gave that soulgear to pixie when she got a new one.


    because i had {limitless}, i could see robyn as if she didn''t have [translucent]. the room was divided into those who wanted to help combat joey and those who wanted to prank her. however, before anyone could say anything.


    the man i loved the most made his way across the corridor to us. knowing that we were about to move, everyone quickly straightened up and drew their weapons. alicia, who suddenly saw everyone arm themselves, got startled.


    "you overestimate yourself alicia, dearest is returning to this room. he is the reason we are checking our weapons."


    "oh. i see. okay! i will leave now, please tell lady rhiannon i wish to see her!"


    they all nodded and the young reaper left. beloved walked through the door with a big grin on his face.


    "my {kindred}, time to kick some ass."


    "yes!" x7


    we all followed him outside to see the hellsend army gathered outside the dispatch office. people were busy running around the various groups, finishing their preparations. it seemed that beloved had already given them their final instructions.


    "my lord!" a harsh voice called out.


    it was gareth faesten, general manager of the 24th floor. standing beside him were amari soldat, mia flair, and constance faye. those four were expected, but the next two were not. a small teenager and a jamaican warrior were with them.


    "pixie? d? why are you here?" asked beloved.


    "brutha, can pix and i come with you? we guard connie like these two."


    "my lord, we have already trained with weapons, and {call my name} makes it even easier. please let us come with you!"


    looking at their determined eyes, i found their courage admirable. although they came from humble backgrounds, the spirit of warriors burns in these two.


    ''beloved made the right choice in choosing them as {vassals}.''

 Chapter 567 Heroine Chapter: STEP FORWARD! [2/2]

    using my {kindred} link, i tried to give the one i adored counsel.''beloved, let us take them with us. i think they are ready.''


    my partner looked at me, then nodded.


    "okay. then this will be our party. gareth, i apologize for not being able to fight two days ago. but our promise still stands. the sirens and i will be the only ones fighting. your group will guard connie while she does her thing.


    am i clear?"


    it saddened me greatly to see the honor of my {kindred} tarnished. all because i was too weak to stand up after creating {call my name}. i looked at my sisters, and they all had the same frustrated faces.


    since i felt that the girls and i were experiencing the same emotion, i sent a proposal to the siren server.


    [neverenoughcows: everyone, i would like to propose that beloved be excluded from the first charge. in light of our failure, we must make amends. let us take the lead ourselves.]


    [realwomenlikedolls: i concur. i still cannot forgive gareth for saying that women have no place on the battlefield. but would dearest agree?]


    [mastiffknight: he will. if we all ask possum, he will be like putty. let''s go, liv.]


    [chainsawsandpropane: right! we can do this! darling will cave, i know it!]


    [onewomanorchestra: i also want to put gareth in his place. it is my words that have brought shame to the husband. you have my support liv.]


    [siliconechipdiva: carry on liv. we will just reserve honey for the alpha. as his {kindred} we should clean house.]


    [haveyoumetmyfish: ara ara. everyone seems fired up. though i can''t say i understand. i also agree if shujin approves this plan.]


    with everyone on board, i walked over to my man as he explained {call my name} to gareth.


    "beloved, the sirens and i wish to establish the forward position on our own. will you please allow us to show our worth?" i pleaded earnestly.


    my {kindred} looked me in the eye and went through a hundred emotions in a few seconds. he clenched his jaw as he turned to the sirens and me.


    "then i will leave the first attack to you, my {kindred}. please be careful."


    elated at his acceptance, i dove in to kiss his cheek. normally, i would be more reserved, but only a siren knew how overprotective limitless was.


    he cried so much when he saw our condition as we created our {kismet}. allowing us to fight was against all his instincts.


    but because he trusted us, he agreed. unlike the husbands who made fools of their wives, beloved truly relied on us.


    the turmoil and worry in his {kindred} link felt surprisingly pleasant. it only showed how much beloved wanted us to be safe.


    "thank you, my love, come join us as soon as the alpha is found," i said affectionately.


    he nodded wordlessly as he turned to gareth.


    "we are ready. open the gate to the 24th level."


    "yes, my lord," the phantom replied. a great skybeam fell upon our group. sear?h the novel?ire(.)ne*t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    as our bodies began to disappear under the light, a thunderous roar came from the rest of hellsend.


    "to the lord and to the ladies! may your fate end the darkness!"


    may your fate end the darkness. as i pondered these words, our party warped into our new battleground.


    ***


    feeling my feet on solid ground, i opened my eyes. we were in what appeared to be a dark and desolate land.


    it was dimly lit and eerily quiet.


    "{portal}! exa, how many enemies are there?"


    [lady bella, scans show that there are over 10,000 rank d lizardkin. over 20,000 rank e''s of various types along with over 900,000 rank f undead. the enemies are scattered all over the floor. finally, there is a champion rank alpha of an unknown type, last seen in zone 1247-6.]


    "wow! so many! darling! i want a reward later okay!"


    "shut up, you nut job! possum, we are leaving now."


    "husband, watch closely."


    "shujin, we bid you farewell. lilly-sama, please do the honors."


    listening to my sisters, one would not think that they were about to go into an extremely fierce battle.


    "dearest, we will be back soon. in the name of limitless! sirens! establish a beachhead at zone 1245-1! open combat!"


    at lilly''s words, we all invoked beloved''s {kismet}.


    "{limitless}!" x7


    a powerful surge of soul enveloped our bodies, giving us a sense of omnipotence. armed with the power of his name, i felt my blood burn!


    the girls and i jumped forward and ran toward our destination.


    [my ladies, every enemy on the entire floor has been alerted to our presence. large numbers have begun to move toward our position.]


    i could hear the loud footfalls from all around us. beasts hissed, growled, and screamed from afar. but the girls and i feared none of them.


    "my children, please set the table!"


    at bella''s words, i heard the engines of the soulless army come to life! switchblades and drones flew into the air. maars and ripsaws all ran after us as well.


    within minutes of running, {sonar} picked up close to 10,000 signals, most of them rank f''s.


    i drew my m32 and tomahawk shield and prepared for battle.


    ''[wizard], [assassin], [knight], exa, let''s do this.


    [understood, lady liv. [war cry] is ready.]


    taking a deep breath, i summoned death resonance as i roared.


    "{i am freyja! the shield of the limitless! anyone with the courage to fight me! step forward!}"


    [war cry] was a {program} i created. it used {announce} and {suffer} to create a powerful taunt that would direct all aggression toward me.


    ''i can feel it. the hatred of thousands of beings staring at me. their blood lust. their wrath. it is terrifying! ''


    but still i ran forward. because i was not alone! and because of the one whose name i stood for!


    "aaaaggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" i shouted to the heavens as i raised my m32 and prepared to fire.


    my eyes, enhanced by {perceive}, could see the army of the dead coming at me. their eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the night. but it didn''t matter. they would all be gone soon.


    the other girls stopped and shouldered their weapons. i, on the other hand, aimed the m32 at the undead and pressed the trigger in quick succession. six thuds rang out, launching six 40mm grenades into the air.


    they fell from the sky like meteors. mighty explosions of holy energy shook the ground, sending dust and debris into the air.


    like small suns, each one bathed everything around us in a blinding light. all six explosions devastated the approaching horde.


    my impressive feat seemed useless in the face of such overwhelming numbers. but such was our life. fortunately, we were prepared. loud gunfire from both my flanks.


    lilly opened fire with her minigun. sacreds vaporized the approaching undead, leaving golden dust in their wake.


    jo and robyn began darting around, blowing apart any undead that clustered together. the higher caliber of their weapons showed the absolute carnage they were unleashing.


    [rank e cyclops detected. number 3]


    before anyone could do anything, three powerful bolts of light erupted from behind me.


    the projectiles flew toward the cyclopes and crashed into their giant eyes. like balloons, the massive monsters'' heads burst before exploding in a mess of blood and gore. find adventures at empire


    of course, such precision could only be the work of jasmine.


    [a ground of rank e giants have...]


    again, exa couldn''t even finish her sentence when several switchblades fell from the sky. the ensuing explosions tore the giants to shreds. ichor and bone blood rained down from where they powerful monsters once stood.


    my eyes caught the blue torch of an undertaker. but in the next second, he suddenly fell dead. there was no sound, no gunfire. i looked around and found aki sitting on a ledge, sniping at them. then she jumped up and started running in another direction.


    "tsk, what purpose do i have if nothing reaches me? stop killing everything!"


    annoyed, i ran forward. ignoring the plan we had in place. the sirens were too powerful. if i stayed where i was, everything would be dead before i could even fight.


    laughing at the absurdity of my family, i jumped into the air and crashed into the middle of the enemy army, raging with all my might.


    despite the gravity of our situation, i felt at peace. that was the effect of fighting under the company of those i trusted.


    and to wage war under the name of limitless.

 Chapter 568 So amazing, Jo! [1/2]

    "{limitless}!" x7seven huge, powerful soul bodies erupted at once. with 10,000 souls each, the activation of {limitless} by my battle harem was brutal.


    it was the equivalent of over 70,000 undead suddenly dying in the same second. the shock and power of my harem''s display made those around me gasp.


    in the next second, the sirens ran forward with impressive speed. all but one.


    bella, on the other hand, was behind me, deploying her army. 40 maars ugvs, 3 ripsaw m5s, a trx razorback with over 50 switchblades, and a bunch of other drones.


    "my lord, what are all these strange looking devices? are they some sort of weapons?" gareth asked curiously.


    "all that and more," i replied smugly.


    bella raised her hands as her entire ai force was assembled.


    "my children, please set the table!"


    at her words, the ugvs all jumped forward. the razorback fired all fifty switchblades in a deafening volley. the knight beside me tensed and brought up his shield. amari and mia, unable to remain silent, began to ask.


    "limitless, how do you bring tanks into hellsgate?"


    "there was nothing like this in the seeker war!"


    ''oh? i thought they showed bella''s ai army. what purpose could administration have in censoring that? not that it matters.'' i inwardly thought.


    [my ladies, every enemy on the entire floor has been alerted to our presence. large numbers have begun moving towards your position.]


    i ignored them and walked over to bella, who opened another {portal}. another armored vehicle emerged. the mere sight of it made my heart race. bella held out her hand to me as she asked.


    "mr. code, shall we go?"


    i took her hand and shook my head.


    "i''ll walk, honey. that way i can help if needed." i replied sheepishly.


    turning to the others, i offered them a ride instead. "all of you can get in the bradley if you want."


    connie, pixie and delroy nodded and lined up, excited to board the ifv.


    amari, mia didn''t. gareth didn''t even want to get near the thing.


    bella nodded and gave me a kiss on the cheek before getting into the bradley. the other three did the same.


    the rear ramp slammed shut and the loud diesel engines of the american infantry fighting vehicle roared to life.


    "he''s got a bradley, of all things." "wasn''t the use of military weapons forbidden for reapers?"


    ignoring fluffy and choco, i tapped gareth on the shoulder and spoke.


    "follow me. you need to see how powerful my women are."


    "my lord, with all due respect, are we really not joining this battle?"


    "no, we are not." s§×arch* the novelfire.net* website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    just then, i heard a heroic voice that shook the very air in its intensity.


    "{i am freyja! the shield of limitless! anyone who has the courage to fight me! step forward!}"


    as if forced, i turned to liv, spellbound.


    "good heavens! what a powerful resonance!" the knight beside me praised.


    the bradley began to run forward, following the sirens. i similarly ran after it as well.


    "my lord, how can your harem fight so many in the dark? will they be alright?"


    without answering, i watched the girls move with {imaging} in night vision mode. they were all running at breakneck speed towards the undead. mia and amari had already transformed into their respective soul forms as we ran.


    "aaaagggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"


    liv''s bone-chilling war cry resounded like a thunderclap.


    gareth, not built for running, lagged behind. annoyed, i ran back for him and grabbed him by the collar. despite his heavy armor and bulk, he was as light as a feather thanks to {limitless}.


    "my lord! stop! unhand me! this is humiliating!"


    "shut up, gareth, you are too slow. bare with it."


    i saw liv point her m32 in front of her and fire. six 40mm grenades flew into the air. less than a few seconds later, they fell and exploded. while normal m433 hedps were devastating, liv''s rounds were 40mm sacreds. making the effect twice as devastating.


    the undead who didn''t stop running towards liv were suddenly engulfed in blinding bursts of light. golden rays erupted like lightning, vaporizing every rank f in their path. the darkness of the night was suddenly pushed back by the light of the blessings.


    as if that were not enough, they left what looked like golden dust around the area, creating a beautiful sight. meanwhile, lilly braced herself as she aimed her m134d at liv''s left flank.


    jo, robyn, and aki ran past liv''s right side and began blasting the undead.


    jas, on the other hand, dropped to her knees and waited. what surprised those beside me was that, similar to my valkyrie, the other girls were firing shooting stars out of their guns.


    stars that streaked and obliterated even the darkness. like golden-yellow lightning, the sacreds turned every f rank that came their way into pixie dust.


    "you have got to be shitting me! thats a load of bollocks!" "amazing! all the bullets are blessed?"


    illuminated by the holy energy, the charging undead were like eggs smashed against a wall. they went poof before disappearing.


    ''exa, how many are left?''


    [this will be a long battle, my lord. despite the sirens'' impressive performance, they only killed 1,025 rank f undead.]


    i guess that was expected. after all, we were going to fight for an entire floor. i surveyed the battlefield and saw the girls going wild.


    jo was running around throwing propane tanks at groups of zombies, then shooting them with her fn 40gl. she also periodically got down on one knee and unloaded 30 sacreds in a random direction.


    robyn faded in and out like a glitch as she blasted the rank fs with her aa-12s. if the standard 7.62 nato sacreds flew like stars, the 12-gauge sacreds my kitten used were like flamethrowers. they turned everything within ten feet of robyn to mist.


    lilly seemed to be having the time of her life as she swept her minigun from side to side like a broom. like moses, she parted the sea of undead with a hail of freedom.


    it took a few seconds to find aki, but she used the 8.6 blackout subsonic and silently assassinated rank e''s. she would either use {shelter} to create footholds in the air, or [wizard] to simply fire while floating.


    the poor chiefs and undertakers died unable to do anything.


    "but there are still too many."


    [rank e cyclops detected. number 3].


    just as exa detected the undead, i heard the iconic, deafening roar of the m107 light fifty! three red bullets flew from jas at the cyclopes. i saw them hit the corneas of the one-eyed monsters in quick succession.


    the next moment, the heads of all three rank e''s exploded!


    ''what the fuck was that! that was far too powerful for a normal m33 bullet. exa, what did jas just shoot out?''


    [it was a mk 211 raufoss high explosive incendiary round loaded with [penetrator] in [sniper] mode].


    "i see...yeah, that would definitely do it."


    while the sacreds were incredibly effective against undead and demons, they were no different from regular bullets to monsters.


    the 12.7¡Á99mm nato or .50 bmg was an extremely powerful round. it was capable of firing 660-grain projectiles at 2,800 feet per second. the sheer kinetic power of this weapon was enough to penetrate tanks and helicopters.


    the mk 211 raufoss was a war crime bullet that skirted around the geneva convention. this bullet was basically an incendiary round that carried a charge and exploded upon impact.


    together with [sniper], {limitless}''s soul setting, and the [penetrator] program, such damage was expected.


    [an e-class giant has...]


    before exa could even finish, i saw all fifty switchblades bombarding the living shit out of an area. the explosions were so powerful that the rank f''s in the area were turned into confetti.


    then i heard liv complain in frustration.


    "tsk, what purpose do i have if nothing reaches me? stop killing everything!"


    finding her comment hilarious, i laughed as i ran with gareth in tow. ever since he saw the sacreds, the knight had been silent. why shouldn''t he be? the girls were wiping out hundreds of the enemy, and it hadn''t been fifteen minutes. explore more stories with empire

 Chapter 569 So amazing, Jo! [2/2]

    ''Beloved! My M32 is broken! I used {Reload} but it still won''t fire!''Hearing the panic in my Northerner''s voice, I couldn''t help but smile at her cuteness.


    The woman sounded more afraid of breaking her weapon than when she jumped into hundreds of undead. And that was before she began bashing them with her grenade launcher and her shield.


    ''Calm down Liv, the M32 has to have its cylinder turned to the right before it can fire again. It uses a spring rather than gunpowder, so if you {Reload} the bullets alone it will not fire.''


    ''Oh? To the right? Give me a moment.''


    Suddenly, explosions resumed, creating craters and lighting up the area. Naturally, there was no trace of any undead left in these places.


    ''You''re amazing, my love! Thank you!''


    [A large pack of Rank E Bearmen is coming from the northeast.]


    I pulled up the Graveyard Bestiary and found the entry for Bearmen, they were literally bears that walked on two legs. Their powerful bodies and fierce temperament were the reasons they were rank E.


    A voice echoed into my ear through all the noise, "WOW! Everyone! Those bears are mine!"


    I changed my soul setting to [Sniper] and followed Jo with my eyes. She ran excitedly towards the large group of E-ranked bears. But instead of fighting, she just ran past them, laughing happily.


    "OKAY! WELCOME TO HELLSEND! NOW FOLLOW ME!!!!"


    All 50 bearmen suddenly turned around and followed Jo eagerly, like ducks. As she raised her hands in front of her. The bears all roared furiously and proceeded to tear the living shit out of the Rank Fs in front of her.


    Unsure of what I was seeing, I asked my Italian lover via our {Kindred} link. Experience new stories on empire


    ''Jo, what just happened? Can you please tell me? ''


    ''Oh! It''s my new soul gear. {Huddle}. I talked to the bears inside their brains, hypnotizing them with {Announce}. It helped that {Interpret} can speak bear. ''


    "..."


    {Huddle} was the {Fate} of Reuben Alford, or B-Ball. It allowed him to share the thoughts of his team. Unknowingly, the ability to bypass hearing and enter a mind worked extremely well with Jo.


    It was no longer possible to keep the Siren out of your mind.


    [Lady Jo had {Huddle} changed from a headband to the green ribbon she wears on her hair.]


    ''You are so amazing Jo,'' I said in defeat.


    I forgot that the girls all got new Soulgears. So, like me and {Day by Day}, they were bound to get even more overpowered.


    As I tried to remember what each Siren was equipped with, digital messages from my AI children came in.


    [Mother, this is Alfonso, Henry and I have encountered the enemy. Preparing for extermination.]


    At that instant, I saw the 40 MAARs form a line and decimate the Rank F''s with head shots. Like dominoes, they fell by the hundreds in a matter of seconds. 40mm salvos soon followed, throwing the bodies like rag dolls into the air.


    The three M5s ran forward like lawn mowers, firing their powerful 30mm cannons. They covered Liv, who was surrounded.


    Not that she really cared. As more and more enemies arrived, Liv detonated the M433''s at point blank range. Her hair was already glowing red and standing on end as {Counter} turned her into a fire goddess.


    As if she really wanted to be one, Liv continued to bombard the area with holy rain, only to repeat the cycle anew when new waves of Rank Fs came for her.


    Meanwhile, Aki, Robyn and Jas did their best to remove the E''s that could change the outcome of the battle. As long as Liv only faced Rank F''s, she would never fall no matter how many there were.


    Of course, the Siren''s entire plan didn''t just rely on Liv being the bulwark that held the enemy in place.


    To Liv''s left side, was Lilly, who looked like a fire-breathing dragon. Everything around her was either burning or radiating holy energy.


    On the Valkyrie''s right, Jo''s Rank E army was slowly growing in size. It looked to be over 200 strong. From just Bearmen, she added Fishmen and Hobbits.


    Fishmen were monsters that looked like walking frogs with small axes. Hobbits, on the other hand, looked like deformed children with machetes. As if that were not enough, there were about twenty Bearmen wielding chainsaws.


    My Darling was a fucking lunatic! But how cool was the sight of seven-foot bears chopping up undead with chainsaws?


    The Bradley I was following suddenly stopped. The rear ramp opened and Bella stepped out. Connie, D and Pixie were all chattering excitedly.


    "My lord! What the fuck? Is fighting zombies supposed to be this easy? The Siren''s make it look like a walk in the park!"


    "Brutha! Can I join the fight now? My blood is boiling to see the ladies kick ass!"


    "My Lord! The ladies are so cool! Can I please join them?"


    "No. The battle only looks easy, but there are still Rank D Lizardkin on the way. Don''t let your guard down and stay focused."


    I let go of Gareth who continued to watch the battle in silence. Mia and Amari stopped beside the Bradley and tried to catch their breath.


    Ignoring them all, I followed Bella as she looked at the bodies of the three Cyclops that Jas had decapitated. My Brazilian bombshell raised her hand as she invoked a {Fate} I didn''t know she had.


    "{Marionette}."


    At her words, the three Cyclops corpses rose shakily to their feet. Then they all picked up their clubs and stood in a line. The scene reminded me of a Reaper I had fought in the past. The fat bastard who used D-rank brutes like dogs.


    "Mrs. Code. Is your soulgear from Dominic Maegester?" I asked intrigued.


    Bella turned to me and pushed her glasses up like the nerds in anime do.


    "Why yes Honey, my glasses are now an Original soulgear called {Instigator}. Impressed?"


    At her words, two zombies stood up and walked towards the Bradley. The other passengers froze and prepared to take them down.


    "Stop being dramatic. These two are dead. I use them like puppets. I need a driver and a gunner."


    The zombies entered the Bradley and took their seats in the gunner''s and driver''s stations. Bella returned to the vehicle as well and sat in the commander''s seat.


    While hesitant, the Bradley''s original passengers also got on. The peanut gallery and I remained silent as the zombies began to drive the IFV.


    Followed by three headless Cyclops, Bella continued to push forward. But this time the Bradley''s main armament, the 25mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun, also began to blow the zombies into confetti.


    "Choco, these people are out of their minds." "I know, Fluffy. I have trouble believing it too." S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [My ladies, a large number of Rank D Lizardkin are approaching your position. 500 of them. Please take caution.]


    Despite being only ten feet, the lizardkin were of the Rank D. The same rank as the Undead Brutes, Undead Stalkers, Draugrs and Corpse Eaters.


    "Let me say Gday!" Robyn cheered as she ran towards the incoming ten-foot lizards. With her two AA-12 full auto shotguns in hand, she quickly ran towards their direction. Fearlessly, she killed every Rank F along the way.


    The Lizardkin were not large creatures. But they were bulky and probably weighed more than a car. Each had a powerful body and wielded a large halberd-like weapon.


    Despite being monsters, the Lizardkin were bipedal monsters who knew spearmanship. This, combined with their ability to work together in groups, made the Lizardkin incredibly deadly.


    Robyn eventually crossed paths with the lizardkin. She unloaded her two 32-round drum mags of 12-gauge shells, but the lizardkin barely flinched. They just tucked their heads into their shoulders and shrugged off the pellets.


    "Fuck me dead! You dickheads are hard!"


    In retaliation, a few of the lizardkin threw their halberds. The weapons could have killed Robyn, but they missed her as she faded in and out of existence. Unable to do any damage, my kitten jumped back as the Sirens regrouped.


    "Fuck! Maybe they will allow me to help out a bit?" I sincerely wished.

 Chapter 570 From my Seeker war? [1/2]

    Hundreds of ten-foot gigantic lizards came for my girls. I could feel my hands getting antsy as I asked my battle harem.''My {Kindred}, can I please assist you?''


    But while worry and fear came from my side of our {Kindred} link, my girls were different. Whatever emotions I sent their way were drowned in a multitude of colors.


    Anger, excitement, interest, and most of all, battlelust. Each of my girls was like a lioness on the hunt. The sheer intensity of the energy emanating from their links made me question myself. They were not afraid, but rather enjoying the thrill of combat.


    ''Dearest, please don''t do something so boorish. Your turn will come.''


    ''YEAH! Darling is the star of the show! Let us take care of the small fry! HEHE!''''


    "As your harem, it is our duty to prepare your stage, Husband. Please trust us.''


    ''HAHAHA! THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SIREN! ONWARD MY SISTERS! FOR THE GLORY OF OUR BELOVED!''


    ''Strewth! I think Liv broke. Whatever, Possum. Stop being a drama queen. We got this.''


    ''Ara, Shujin''s concern is worth its weight in gold though... How many women would experience having him worry about their safety?''


    ''Enough talk. Honey, shut up for a minute. I am going to unload Connie, Pixie, and D. From now on. This battleground is for Sirens only!''


    I could only smile wryly as I stopped running. Gareth looked puzzled as I placed him back on the ground. Amari and Mia also came to a stop.


    "My lord? Why are we stopping? We are close to the closest fort! We should storm it."


    "Limitless, do you really not want us to help?"


    "How many enemies are those girls fighting? They need help right"


    Even the gorilla and the werewolf were thrilled by my family''s power.


    "There is no need. My harem wishes to destroy the Lizardkin before they move on," I replied.


    The rear hatch of the Bradley opened and my {Vassals} ran towards my position with Connie. Fear and confusion were written all over their faces.


    Switchblades and MAARS escorted them. Pixie and Delroy, however, joined the fight, shooting the F-rank Chuckies that popped out of the ground.


    Meanwhile, Bella drove the Bradley at full speed, with the three headless Cyclopes running ahead of her. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "My lord. The powerful crossbows your army uses are amazing! Even women and children can fight well. And their agility is also on par with knights!" Gareth praised.


    "The weapons are only half the story. The {Kismet} I told you about earlier is the bigger factor."


    "Is that so? The so-called {Call My Name}? Do you really intend to give it to every citizen on the 24th floor?"


    "Yes. Anyone who wants to bear arms will be allowed to do so under my name. As long as they have the will to fight, Hellsend and I will make it happen."


    Connie and my {Vassals} arrived without a hitch. It was amusing to see them all doing combat glides with their weapons raised. Delroy carried a Sig LMG 6.8. Connie had an XM7. Finally, Pixie carried a P320, but had an M320 grenade launcher on her back.


    Seeing that they were somewhat proficient meant that they were really giving it their all in training. Together, they killed five undead on their way to me. And the adrenaline of combat was evident on their faces.


    "See that, my lord! You better watch out! I can fight now!" the reporter boasted.


    My vassals also grinned from ear to ear. It made sense to take on responsibility. It made you feel the consequences, but it ultimately gave you freedom. Their elation was their first taste of it.


    I actually gave {Call My Name} to Hellsend the moment it was finished. After the officers got it, Exa explained the rest. After training with it for a day, the results were already evident.


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    "Well done. Stand by for now. {Portal}!"


    I opened a portal and the TRX Razorback and the Ripsaw M5 came out.


    "BOLLOCKS! HOW MANY OF THOSE THINGS DO YOU ALL HAVE?"


    "Fluffy, calm down."


    ''Exa. Protect the group here with the M5. Launch all drones and switchblades and have them loiter in the air.''


    [Understood.]


    The M5 then had complicated-looking cameras extending from its frame. This was called the TacFLIR surveillance system.


    A drone was also launched from the rear of the tank. It was the R80D Skyraider UAV, which was a military grade UAV better than my civilian Skydio drone.


    Unfortunately, it was tethered to the M5 and was just a fancy periscope with a short range.


    Meanwhile, the Razorback began firing its entire loadout in an intimidating salvo. Along with the Switchblades, its front panels opened, allowing my old Skydio drone to take off.


    "D, Pixie, use this time to learn about the enemies on this floor. As my {Vassals}, I expect you to kick more ass than even my officers. Connie, you should be able to have Exa record the information as well, if you wish."


    "Yes, my lord!" x3


    The three of them then went into a blank trance. Having the [Exa Network] part of {Call My Name} allowed us to function almost on par with a country''s military. Naturally, the other trio beside me frowned at my words.


    Unlike Connie, Pixie, and D, they were not part of Hellsend. Taking this as an opportunity, I took out three vials of my blood. Then I faced them and asked solemnly.


    "Do you three wish to gain {Call My Name} as well?"


    Understandably, the three of them were slack-jawed. Giving away powerful {Kismet} for free was not a practice in Hellsgate. Not when you could just put it on the Graveyard Market and make money from it instead.


    "My lord, are you sure? Such a trump should be reserved only for those who serve you." Gareth replied.


    His personality added credence to his way of life. Instead of jumping at the chance, he wanted to be worthy of it first.


    "I am sure. This is my gift to you. As the one who will defend my kingdom, it makes no sense not to give it to you. I believe in your honor and know that you would not betray me without a just cause."


    The knight kneeled exaggeratedly as he thumped his chest with his fist.


    "I, GARETH FAESTEN, PLEDGE MY ALLEGIANCE TO LIMITLESS, LORD OF HELLSEND! FROM THIS MOMENT TILL THE DAY I FALL, I SHALL SERVE NO OTHER!"


    Nodding, I handed him the vial, which he accepted as if it were his greatest treasure. The Phantom quickly opened the cork and drank it in one gulp.


    I turned to the others and asked again.


    "What about you two?"


    "Limitless, I like you and your harem, but I am a prince."


    "I also cannot swear allegiance to a foreign lord. I serve the lords of Europe."


    "Yet you come to me and not to them to solve your problems," I replied mercilessly.


    "That is..."


    "..."


    I shook my head in disinterest and waved my hand.


    "No matter. What''s done is done. I will fulfill my words regardless of your decision. Here, catch."


    I threw both vials to Mia, who caught them hesitantly.


    "Consider this my gift. As I said, no matter what you think of me, the truth that you saved my girls will never change. I will be grateful as long as I live. Until the day you decide to face me in battle, I will never betray either of you."


    No longer waiting for their answer, I turned to Gareth and instructed him.


    "The invocation keyword is {In the Name of Limitless}."


    "{In the name of Limitless}!"


    A great burst of souls erupted from the medieval knight. Although it was much smaller than what {Limitless} used, it was still something that consumed 3,000 souls. Gareth''s eyes widened as he experienced the power of my {Kismet}.


    ''Exa, tell Gareth what he needs to know.''


    [Yes, my lord.]


    Hearing another voice besides my own, Gareth jumped back and drew his weapon.

 Chapter 571 From my Seeker war? [2/2]

    "Who are you, witch?! My lord! A voice speaks to me! A woman''s voice I have never heard before! Her voice sounds demonic!""This is my adjutant. Her name is Exa. Sheath your weapon, Phantom, before I make you. Exa is one of my most trusted allies, I will not allow you to insult her," I said through clenched teeth.


    Hearing my words, Gareth quickly disarmed and bowed to me, "Please forgive my mistake, my lord. Lady Exa, I apologize for my remarks."


    "It is alright. I am also partly to blame for not mentioning her. Exa, instruct Gareth. I need to get back to the Sirens."


    "{In the name of Limitless}." X2


    Two more people invoked my {Kismet}. I nodded at them before facing towards the Sirens once more. I changed my mind setting to [Commander] and took control of some of the drones. As soon as I did, I saw how the Sirens waged war.


    "HELLSEND MONSTER DIVISION! FORWARD! AYEYEYE!!!"


    Jo shouted a tribal war cry as she ran forward with her SCAR-H battle rifle. With her were more than 200 monsters. The larger Bearmen carried chainsaws, the smaller Hobbits and Fishmen marched with propane tanks.


    As if that were not enough, there were some badly injured Lizardkin, also part of Jo''s monster army. They clashed with the other reptilian warriors like knights in heavy armor. Without remorse, the giant reptiles skewered each other dead.


    The rank Es Jo collected were helplessly cut down by the more powerful rank Ds. I couldn''t smell it, but the air was distorted as the tanks were ripped open. Whenever one did, Jo fired a round at the tank, creating a spark.


    More powerful than grenades, even the lizardkin were dismembered by the chaotic explosions. But I got the feeling that such tactics were only for my Italian''s amusement.


    Jo''s weapon had such a powerful punch that she could kill them without such tricks. She was actually just shooting lizardkin in random places, but all of them fell dead without exception.


    ''She must be shooting their soulgems,'' I guessed.


    In the same area as Jo, a white-haired streak flickered in and out of the battlefield. She would appear, shoot a propane tank, and disappear the next second.


    If you didn''t follow her movements, you wouldn''t even know that half of the massive explosions were caused by this deviant.


    The speed at which Robyn moved was even faster than {Blink}.


    Lilly''s {Fate} required a cool down period. This made it impossible for me or even her to teleport repeatedly in the same minute.


    ''Kitten, how do you do that?''


    ''Oh! Hi, Possum! You mean the phasing thing? It''s my new soulgear. {Fade}. Allows me to slip through space.


    It is faster than Lilly''s {Blink}. And I can even use it to dodge attacks! Look!''


    As she talked to me, my Aussie ran along the back of a Lizardkin up to its head. She then slammed the business end of the AA-12 into its right eye and fired.


    To describe the aftermath as an explosion was an understatement. Like a blender whose lid had suddenly been removed, blood and ichor blasted outward. Horrible screams rang out as the lizardkin screamed in agony.


    Halberds flew at Robyn from the other Lizardkin. But she didn''t move and simply faded out of existence. After the spears had all passed her position, she reappeared.


    "{I COMMAND YOUR UGLY ASS! KILL THE OTHER CUNTS}!"


    Shouting a death resonance along with {Announce}, the lizard child with half a face robotically picked up its halberd and charged at its former allies.


    Hidden by the monster''s charge, Robyn vanished and appeared beneath another Lizardkin. She stuck her weapon under its chin and blew its jaw off. Only then did she force the monster to change sides.


    Simple, brutal and effective. The speed at which Robyn turned the Lizardkin was faster than the speed at which they could kill each other.


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    I even saw her pick up a Lizardkin by its tail, then smash it into a group of Rank Fs in irritation. Even without {Crush}, the Rank Ds were like wrecking balls. Despite being outgunned and outnumbered, my kitten was the dominant force.


    ''You are so fucking cool, Kitten!''


    ''Of course I am! I am your Sheila after all!'' she boasted with pride.


    ''Exa, which Reaper did {Fade} come from? Was it from my Seeker War? When did Robyn get it?''


    [According to my records, it came from Elliot Poole aka Vanish. Lady Robyn had his soulgem turned into the cat''s ear headband she wears.]


    I see, so his {fate} was not just about speed, but literally slipping through space. It was a miracle I was able to kill him.


    Convinced that Jo and Robyn no longer needed my help, I looked for the other Sirens.


    On another side of the battlefield, a headless Cyclopes flattening the Lizardkin with its feet and club. This monster was the only one was still standing.


    The other two were sprawled nearby on the ground, covered with halberds. around their mangled corpses were dozens of lizardkin pulverized into puddles.


    Sounds of battle rang out a few meters away. An M2 Bradley was firing TOW missiles and 25mm high explosive incendiary rounds like there was no tomorrow.


    Flanking the IFV were three Ripsaw M5s and forty MAARs. Switchblades rained down on anyone who could get close. Unlike small arms, my AI children had no trouble blasting holes into whatever got in their sights.


    Bunched together, Bella''s soulless army was like a wall of lead pushing back the horrors of Hellsgate. As Minverva hand everything under control, I looked for Lilly next.


    I found her dancing, surrounded by a large group of over a hundred Lizardkin. She gracefully shot the monsters with her Minigun as bullets the size of cars crushed the reptiles into dust.


    There were about twenty of them. And they behaved like Lilly''s faithful dogs. Each bullet raced through, obliterating everything in its path. Only to enter a subspace doorway and be rerouted by another {Portal}.


    And when the giant bullets lost their momentum, they suddenly shrank. In the same second, another bullet would grow in its place and resume its defense.


    As I watched, I saw that even as she wielded the giant bullets, Lilly never stopped firing her M134D minigun.


    The swarms of 7.62 NATO that speed around her looked like metallic dragons. Like lead serpents they decimated the reptiles around them along with the gigantic bullets.


    Like the goddess of ammunition, Lilly tore and shredded everything that tried to come near her. Her hand controlled each bullet like a maestro of death.


    Annihilation was all that awaited anything that joined her performance.


    ''Dearest, you look magnificent,'' I praised.


    ''Do you like it? This is a waltz I created just for you, my dear. I must thank you for getting {Magnitude} for me. Benjamin McDonald was a fool for not realizing how powerful his own {Fate} was.''


    Who? I couldn''t even accept her thanks because I had no idea who she was talking about. Fortunately, Exa came to my rescue.


    [Benjamin McDonald was one of the Wraiths who died in your Seeker War. His {Fate} was mislabeled as {Shrink}. He was the reason Savior was able to smuggle in the undead and monster corpses for the Machiavelli. {Magnitude} has been remade into the choker around Lady Lilly''s neck.]


    Pleased that my plunder was helping my girls, I happily replied to Lilly.


    ''I am glad you found a soulgear that fits you so well, my dearest. I would have fought the Saviors for it, just to see you smile.''


    Embarrassment and joy came from the American princess'' link.


    ''Dearest, your mere presence throws my heart into chaos. Stop seducing me and check on the others. I do not need assistance.''


    ''Okay, dear, stay safe. I love you.''


    ''Fine! I love you too!''


    With four of my girls kicking ass without the slightest danger, I quickly searched for Liv, Jas and Aki. Just like the other Sirens, all I had to do was follow the trail of bodies.


    I hadn''t found Jas and Liv yet, but I gasped in surprise when I saw my Japanese lover. Like the others, she was fighting with a Soulgear she had acquired from my Seeker War. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was something I almost died for. But in her hands, it was even more terrifying. And now, Aki showed me what the Bladed Kitsune could really do.


    "How ridiculous. My girls really are amazing!"

 Chapter 572 your new soulgear [1/2]

    Whenever I played a game or read a story, combat was usually straightforward. You had two opposing sides that wanted to kill each other. And while the mechanics of how and why differed, the core idea never strayed from the essence of combat.Therefore, regardless of the genre, the way people fought remained the same. Fighting massive armies or dragons in fantasy. Using tanks or planes in modern combat. Or fighting in space with spaceships or mechs.


    The concepts of each encounter had not changed. One of which was the role each unit played. Tanks that protected everyone else. Scouts who were fast and agile. Nukers who were unrivaled in large-scale destruction.


    Of course, as the battlefield evolved, other roles were added. Marksmen who excelled at killing targets from a distance. Supports that allowed everyone to fight longer, and finally hybrid roles that fell somewhere in between.


    The same concept applied to both my girls and Hellsend. Liv was a tank, who specialized in charging at the enemy. Robyn, on the other hand, relied on superior speed. While Jas was a sniper unrivaled in pure killing potential.


    My other girls, however, were hard to characterize with traditional RPG classes.


    Jo was a frontline fighter but relied on speed, her {Fate} reinforcing this despite not having superior firepower. The best way to describe her would be as a magic knight. When her body failed her, she would use her {Fates} to overcome her opponents.


    Bella, on the other hand, was a pure summoner. If she was the weakest at the beginning, her power increased exponentially as she evolved. As long as her army was available, she was like a force of nature.


    Lilly should have been weak. She could only defend with her sub-spaces and move quickly with {Blink}. But her immense talent and intellect allowed her to get around this by using her storage as an armory. Before meeting me, she used physics and water. Now she used guns and lead.


    With the M134D minigun as her main weapon, she gained an offensive ability that surpassed most of the girls. Her combat experience further amplified this, making her a jack-of-all-trades. However, this made her inferior to the first three who specialized.


    The person I was most worried about was Aki. When she decided to give up using blades to follow me, she lost what made her powerful. Granted, guns could still complement her way of fighting, but she was called the Bladed Kitsune for a reason.


    While my Kamisan was a frontline fighter, she usually followed the path of a shinobi. She rarely fought in the open, and when she did, it was when the enemy was confused. That was why I chose the Faxon Sentinel for her.


    This rifle was, for the most part, a regular AR-10 rifle. What made it powerful was the brand new innovative cartridge it used. The 8.6 Blackout.


    Guns usually had two ways to increase the power of a bullet. One was to make it go faster. The other was to make the bullet bigger.


    The problem was that in order to make a bullet go fast enough, gun manufacturers had to make the bullet fly at supersonic speeds. That speed, which gave it power, also made the things loud as hell.


    The Ruger Mk II. And the MP5SD, which Aki preferred before, used subsonic ammunition.


    This meant that they did not break the sound barrier, which made them extremely quiet. But it also made them weak.


    Since my girls would continue to fight with guns, stronger calibers were necessary. But Aki''s way of fighting made her want guns that were quiet.


    The 8.6mm Blackout was the answer I found. Developed by Q, this round used a large bullet but was subsonic. Normally that would make this bullet weak with terrible range. Q came up with an ingenious answer.


    Instead of making it go faster with gunpowder, they made it spin faster instead. Blackout rifles had a unique feature. They had exaggerated twist rates.


    Twist rates were the number of inches a bullet took to complete a revolution. The spin was what stabilized the bullet in flight.


    Rifles were accurate because of their "rifled" barrels. This was also the reason why rifles could shoot farther than smooth-bore shotguns. A typical AR-15 had a 1 in 7 twist rate. This meant that the bullet would twist once every seven inches.


    For a standard 16-inch barrel, a 5.56 NATO round would be forced to spin twice before leaving the barrel. For 18-inch or 26-inch barrels, it would be even more. Higher calibers required a lower twist rate, but it was still usually two full turns before leaving the muzzle.


    This same principle was why sniper rifles were always long. If you shortened the barrel and the twist rate, it was impossible to reach far. Q''s blackout rifles broke this understanding by increasing the twist rates while shortening the barrel.


    For the Faxon Sentinel, the twist rate was 1 in 3! This meant that with an 18-inch barrel, a bullet would spin 6 times before leaving the gun.


    This made the 8.6mm Blackout incredibly powerful with long range despite being subsonic.


    The videos I saw on youtube showed 8.6 rifles being able to take down boars and buffalo in one shot. Of course, the 8.6 has its own set of problems, but this rifle fit Kamisan''s combat philosophy.


    However, despite all my research, I still didn''t know how it would perform like the other Sirens. While Aki would be deadly against humans or reapers, even the 8.6 blackout would not help much against undead and monsters.


    That was what I thought before, but then I saw the rivers of blood dancing around her. Aki was in the middle of dozens of lizardkins, but the monsters were screaming in rage.


    With smooth movements, she rolled to the ground and shot a monster in the neck. Blood gushed from the wound, causing the angry reptile to turn search for its attacker. Aki''s weapon and its suppressor made it hard to pinpoint her location.


    However, in the next second, the blood that had collected on the ground solidified like stalagmites and shot the monster''s foot. In rage, it smashed its halberd on the ground forgetting about the bladed Kitsune.


    Aki repeated this process, wounding the monsters and using their blood to distract them. In less than a minute, more than twenty of the ten-foot monsters were riddled with injuries.


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    But so far, none of them had even noticed my lover in their midst. When Aki finally stopped moving, all of the lizardkin suddenly fell to the ground, dead.


    My Kamisan raised her hand and blood left the bodies on the ground and gathered like a cloud in the sky. It then turned into thin needles and began to shower another group of enemies, drenching them in blood.


    Aki wore the fox mask on her face as she ran towards her new targets. Much like Jo and Robyn, my Kamisan used blood and confusion to hide her presence.


    I noticed that Aki always had an affinity for using blood in her tactics. Whether it was to reveal invisible Reapers by spraying it with blood or wiping out loaned {fates} by making an enemy drink it.


    Blood has always been a weapon for her.


    And when I saw how she could control it and shape it into projectiles, I immediately knew whose {fate} it was.


    ''Kamisan, is your new soulgear {Blood Feast}?''


    At my words, the Bladed Kitsune suddenly stopped and looked in my direction.


    ''Shujin? Yes, it is. It goes well with {Eat}. I can draw stamina from blood and use it to weaken, poison, or distract my enemies. I can even do this...''


    "{Save}. {Transfusion}. {Sanguine Armor}." S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The lizardkin''s violet blood was suddenly drawn to her like a the raging tides of a river. Then the blood solidified and wrapped around her body like armor.


    My Kamisan suddenly transformed from a stealthy ninja into an imposing samurai warrior. As if that was not enough, twelve four-foot long Odachi made of blood formed and floated behind her.

 Chapter 573 your new soulgear [2/2]

    Odachis were the giant versions of the famous katanas. If katanas were meant to slash people, odachis were meant to slash horses and their riders.They were the Japanese counterparts to great swords and Zweihanders.


    The lizardkin who had been looking for their attacker earlier jumped at the chance to tear my Asian {Kindred} apart! Over thirty of them ran toward them in rage.


    ''I know that I am quite weak compared to the other Sirens, Anata. But even though I am unfit to be your woman, you care for me and drown me in happiness.''


    "[Assassin]. {Carve}, {Butcher}."


    After invoking {Fates} Aki extended her left hand in front of her, raised it, and brought it down. In the next moment, the twelve gigantic blood swords behind her raced forward.


    She then ran alongside them while raising her rifle. All the while, Aki''s {Kindred} link grew hotter, as if it was on fire. Emotions of determination, regret, and fighting spirit flowed to me.


    "{Carnival of the Damned}. [Penetrator]."


    ''But that ends today. Allow me to show you my resolve, Anata. This battle. I offer to you.''


    Kamisan fired her weapon, releasing bullets that glowed violet, the rounds blowing apart the jaw of a lizardkin in front of her. The blood odachis all flew sideways, slashing at the monsters.


    Like the blades of a fan, whatever was left after one blood odachi passed by was cut off by the next. And since there were twelve of them, the ten-foot monsters were sliced into thin strips like bacon.


    But after one pass, the swords circled around Aki again. The blood from the ground rose to form two more odachis. Who immediately joined the melee.


    Aki, on the other hand, did not stop and continued to shoot down monster after monster as she ran towards more enemies.


    The blood odachis followed her, shredding those around her like confetti. The demonic weapons looked like pets trying desperately to catch up to their master.


    The swinging arcs of Aki''s pets were fixed. Like a hula hoop of swords, Aki charged into groups of reptiles to maximize the number of enemies she could annihilate.


    Of course, in such a brutal melee, she was stabbed with halberds. But her blood armor fended them all off. Combined with Kamisan''s fighting skills, she was able to fight at close range while she never stopped moving.


    Each Lizardkin Aki shot down created a new blood odachi. The blood weapons grew in number as they sliced and diced everything around my Kamisan like a whirlwind of steel.


    [My lord, command Lady Aki to stop immediately!] Exa shouted in panic!


    ''Huh? Why? What is going on?''


    [{Blood Feast} consumes stamina instead of soul. {Carnival of the Damned} increases the stamina required the longer it is active. Lady Aki uses her own {Fate} {Butcher} to draw stamina from those she kills. This allows her to use it with such devastating efficiency. But it also puts a tremendous strain on her body! If she continues, her life will be in danger!]


    But before I could say anything, Aki suddenly stopped fighting and looked at the drone I was using.


    ''Shujin, I know my limits, don''t worry. I refuse to leave your side forever. I love you too much to make such a mistake. ''


    Aki took off the fox mask to show her face covered with black veins. The beauty of the Japanese Reaper was long gone as the skin on her face turned gray like ash.


    Her eyes were bloodshot while her lips looked like those of a corpse. Yet she looked in my direction lovingly and smiled. "Rewind," she called solemnly. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The woman disappeared from my view and reappeared all the way back to where she started. The only difference was that the over 50 Rank Ds were in pieces, along with the sea of purple blood that soaked the battlefield.


    As I watched my lover pull out some onigiri and eat it, I felt conflicted. My instinct was to protect my women.


    But at the same time, this battle showed me the negative effects of my actions.


    Aki had always been a strong fighter. But unbeknownst to me, she was already disappointed in herself because of my excessive concern. It was true that I was worried about her, but not because she was weak.


    ''I am a fucking toxic partner. This is my fault''


    Despite my intentions, my actions made my spouse even more desperate for power. I couldn''t even reprimand her. Even though it hurt me to see her torture herself like this, I was the cause.


    Maybe that was why the girls were all trying so hard. They all wanted my recognition. My inability to trust their determination backfired.


    Thus, in order to gain power quickly, the girls all trained and used whatever they could. Despite the danger to themselves. All for my victory.


    All so I would rely on them more.


    I unintentionally trampled on the good will of my harem. All for my own selfishness. This wouldn''t be enough. I must change not for myself, but for the women I love most.


    ''Well done, Kamisan. You were so beautiful that I fell in love all over again. Do not use it often, okay? Let us reserve it as your trump card.''


    ''Yes, Anata. I will follow your words. Thank you for your praise,'' she said with a breathtakingly gorgeous smile.


    Joy and satisfaction flooded Aki''s link, all because of my approval. It was shameful in a way. I was an overprotective parent in the worst possible way.


    ''Though, my first attempt at change seems to be a success,'' I noted.


    Instead of saying it was because I wanted her to be safe, it was better to say that she should avoid using this technique for confidentiality reasons. As a result, Aki was overjoyed.


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    After our conversation, Aki once again rushed to another side of the battle, using her more conservative tactics from earlier.


    Determined not to repeat the same mistake, I searched the battlefield for the last two Sirens.


    I found Jas not with the group, but in the air. She was hovering with [Wizard], firing .50 caliber Raufoss exploding rounds at the entire battlefield.


    She was at such a distance that the enemies could not even return fire.


    ''This would work for now, but when the enemy gets bigger flyers like dragons or some shit, we will need anti-air,'' I thought.


    Loud reverberations echoed through the sky if you listened. Each time Jas fired, something died as if struck by metallic lightning.


    Like a guardian angel from heaven, Jas covered all the Sirens. I watched her with a drone and belatedly realized she was supporting the entire battlefield.


    Robyn, Jo and Aki didn''t have to worry about attacks from blind spots. While Lilly, Bella and Liv received fire support when they were about to be overwhelmed. Despite all of them being scattered.


    And with the already monstrous performance of the M107 combined with the mythical shooting skills of the Ebony Deathstalker... Well, it was a massacre of course.


    What I could not understand was how Jas knew who to support. Unlike Bella and me, she was not able to see the entire battlefield with drones. She did it all with her eyes and {Perceive}.


    ''Wifey, are you alright? Should I try to join you to cover the others?''


    ''Husband, I adore you for your loving nature. But I am fine. My new soulgear is doing all the work for me.''


    "Oh? It allows you to track the battlefield to that extent? That is so fucking amazing!''


    "Haha, Husband, you are so adorable at times. Yes, it can. However, I find it even more amazing that you were able to kill someone who had this in the first place.''


    ''Eh. I just got lucky, Wifey.''


    The M107 Barret breathed fire again as it sent another round at an enemy. Then she changed the direction of her weapon, aiming east.


    ''Then I should say I was lucky too. Lucky to have met you, to have been saved and to have fallen in love with you,'' She added warmly.


    Our conversation was suddenly interrupted as Exa dropped the biggest bomb of the evening.


    [My lords and ladies, the Alpha has begun to move. It has been detected in zone 1246-5 and is now on a direct path to Lady Bella. Please prepare for its arrival.]


    "Well, fuck..."

 Chapter 574 fucking stupid [1/2]

    ''Exa, send everything I have to the Alpha. I want eyes on it.''[Understood, switching to closest feed. Puma AE selected.]


    I then used [Commander] to see the perspective that Exa was sending. It was similar to selecting a monitor screen to watch. I then saw what looked like a moving house.


    "What the fuck is that thing?" I couldn''t help but gasp.


    [It is an unidentified monster. There is no record of it in the Hellsend Bestiary. Such entities are usually classified by Academics as mutations or aberrations].


    "The creature stands as tall as a castle tower, towering over the tallest trees in the forest. Its massive bulk would eclipse even the mightiest of war elephants, with skin as thick as the thickest fortress walls. The ground trembles beneath its weight, as if an entire army of knights were marching in unison.


    Its steps are like thunder echoing through the mountains, striking fear into the hearts of all who dare to stand against it!"


    I suddenly remember the descriptions Gareth gave of this thing. He was not exaggerating. This Alpha was as big as a fucking house with legs that looked like gigantic columns. Except for the scales on its body, it bore little resemblance to the lizardkin.


    It reminded me of the monsters in some of the games I played. This thing looked like a cross between a centipede and an elephant. If you took the face of a centipede with its massive mandibles, grafted it onto the body of an elephant, and then super-sized it. You would get this fucking monstrosity.


    Tough-looking plates covered its entire body like armor. Instead of halberds, the Alpha had scythes that took up most of its body on either side. It ran on four legs and charged like an elephant. It was accompanied by thousands of lizardkin.


    "Exa, how long until it gets from its position to ours?"


    [It is currently halfway through Zone 1246-5. We are currently in zone 1246-2. Given the Alpha''s travel speed of 65 mph, it will arrive here in 2 hours and 24 minutes.]


    "Oh? That gives us some time. How did you arrive at that number?"


    [Each zone has a land area of 3,861 square miles. The only exception to this rule is the Tier One zone on each floor. The Tier 1s because of its proximity to the next floor, it has a land area of 11,883, or three times the size of a normal zone].


    "How big is 3,861 square miles?"


    [In more understandable terms, that would be slightly larger than the city of Los Angeles. At its current speed, it would take the Alpha an hour to cross each zone. Since there are three zones between the Alpha and our forces, it would take more than two hours to get here.]


    "Hmm. Then how big is the entire 24th floor?"


    [The entire 24th floor would have a total land mass of 115,830 square miles. To put it in context, that would be comparable to the size of Arizona. We are fortunate to have air supremacy on this floor, so the Puma AE found it right away].


    "Remind me again, who came up with the divisions between the areas?"


    [This was not something that Administration set up, my lord. When the Administration brought in Soul Crystals to purify an area, they found that each crystal was confined to a boundary. No matter how powerful the crystal was brought in, its effects did not go beyond the borders of the boundary. This is what led the Administration to classify the divisions as zones.]


    "Oh. So, besides the fact that the purification doesn''t go beyond a specific zone, it''s all one big area then?"


    [Yes, my lord. But it''s more like a desolate wasteland. The fallen zones can become makeshift bases for the zombies. It is not explained where they come from, but leaving an area tainted will cause it to spawn undead from the ground.]


    "I see. Then the next problem is what to do now."


    Alpha VS Sirens Sitrep.jpg


    As I checked my {Kindred} link, I could feel sighs of trepidation. I couldn''t blame my girls. If we had only the Alpha to fight, we could somehow handle it like we did with Andromalius.


    But with the massive army with it and the ones on the ground, there was just too much to kill.


    We need more guns. That or we need bigger bullets. I could just as easily talk the girls down and summon the rest of Hellsend.


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    But I didn''t want to.


    What had happened to Aki earlier had shaken me. The girls knew how hard my path would be. I kept asking them to follow me, but I wanted to protect them from harm.


    Diamonds were not made in greenhouses; they were made only under extreme stress and pressure.


    In the same way, a hunk of steel must be melted, molded, and hammered to be made into a weapon. If I wanted my family to be strong enough to survive the coming battles, I had to abandon the notion that they should grow at a safe pace.


    The girls foresaw the hardships I would experience, and because they loved me, they grew more desperate. Truly, if they were weak, I would leave them behind.


    The only reason they were with me now was because they were strong.


    But unlike most people, they didn''t become strong because they had plot armor.


    They gained every bit of strength through pain staking effort and sacrifice. Somehow, it felt wrong to trample on that resolve and tell them to back off.


    The girls wanted to prove to Gareth and everyone else that they were with me not just because of their looks. But that they were with me because they were the baddest bitches who could not only take a beating, but dish it out.


    If I had originally resolved to see them fight. Now I had to resolve to see them bleed. These were the consequences of my decision.


    I chose to close Hellsgate.


    I chose to keep the Sirens at my side.


    They chose to follow me with everything they had.


    "Sigh. Why couldn''t I have seen it before. I really am fucking stupid."


    They will be with me not as mere decorations, but as my most powerful combatants. The Sirens would never accept anything else.


    And until I either give up my goal of closing Hellsgate or leave the Sirens, they will continue to fight alongside me. No matter the pain. No matter the danger.


    My path has never been one of safety either.


    And my results were not because I screamed for something to happen. I created the results through meticulous effort and planning. I could not retreat to a mere Alpha unless I wanted to stop my path at that moment permanently.


    Steeling my will, I sent confidence and fighting spirit to my girls. If before I was the one who needed reassurance, now it was the other way around.


    I had to remind my harem why I was the one they followed. I had to stop being John Smith to them and become Limitless.


    ''My {Kindred}, you all heard Exa, right? Before I begin, I would like to apologize for my past behavior. You are all powerful warriors in your own right. And I belittled that by treating you all like weaklings. Your fights earlier made me realize that I was too arrogant. I am sorry.


    ''The boss will be here in two and a half hours. No matter how much we upgrade our weapons, it will be impossible to kill the bastard with small arms. I want the Sirens to take the nearest fort and deploy the 777 howitzers as we originally intended.


    ''Once you do, I will join the battle. I want you all to use the howitzers to kill as many as you can before the Alpha arrives. At the same time, Hellsend will deploy and begin their own operations. When the Alpha arrives, we will take it down¡ª together. We will win this. I shall accept no other outcome.''


    ''...'' x7

 Chapter 575 fucking stupid [2/2]

    I only just realized it.Ever since I fell in love with the Sirens, I treated them differently. To the world, I was Limitless. But to them, I was John Smith. And they felt it.


    Both the good and the bad. As women, it made them feel loved. Being as warriors, I did nothing but insult them. I wanted to stop that. In return for their devotion to me, I will stop pampering them.


    From this battle on, I will truly treat them like my strongest swords.


    ''My {Kindred}. The only women I will ever love. I need an answer. Will you all follow me?''


    What I felt from the girls'' links confused me. Of course there was adoration, love, excitement, and respect. But there was something else. It felt bittersweet. What was this feeling?


    ''HAHAHA! How I have missed this! That passion! This overbearing arrogance! Beloved! This is how you were during the enlistment.


    And this was why I fell in love with you! OF COURSE I WILL FOLLOW!''


    ''My goodness, what a difference! It is quite... sexy. Dearest, are you sure this is not yet another ploy to seduce me even further? You already own me! Have some mercy!''


    ''Can it Pervert! This was how Possum was from the very beginning! It didn''t matter what was in front of him! Even when he had nothing, my spunk had balls the size of mountains! Welcome back Possum! I am with you all the way!''


    ''HEHEHEHE! DARLING IS BACK! DARLING IS BACK! SO COOL! Lead on, Your Majesty! Dame Benelli answers the call of her one and only king!


    THIS ALPHA IS GOING DOOOOOOWN!!!!''


    ''FUCK! THAT''S SO HOT! Ehem...Mr. Code, while it makes me wet to see you like this, I would like to remind you that this version of you tends to attract flies like honey. You are forbidden to bring in any more women, okay!''


    ''Husband...If I do this really really well, will you give me a reward? ...No...um...I was just joking...I...um...Jasmine Denel Smith shall follow the words of her king.''


    ''Ahh... that splendor... how nostalgic... to think that I will be able to fight under such a man once again. Master, I have received your orders. And I shall see them done.''


    Nostalgia. That was it. The first time the girls fought with me during the enlistment, we were strangers. Yet I led them through one impossible battle after another. Thinking about it now, they had no reason to follow me. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yet they did. Perhaps I have carried traces of Limitless since then. John Smith might cower before this Alpha. But not Limitless. He would nail this fucker down and unleash freedom until its fucking face shattered.


    Suddenly I heard explosions from all over the battlefield. Before I could ask what was going on, Exa explained to me and those with me.


    [My lord, the Sirens have all begun to converge on the defensive fortress in this zone.]


    ''And the enemies around them?''


    [The 500 lizardkin vanguard has been destroyed. Over 73 of them are under the command of the Sirens. 40 Lizardkin corpses are also being used as cannon fodder for Lady Bella. Over 10% of the total Rank E''s on the 24th floor have been terminated].


    Loud gunfire roared from the sky, and I looked up to see Jas sending bullet after bullet into the fort. Likewise, Switchblades began bombing the hell out of the only building in the area.


    I noticed that Bella was only using the Switchblade 300''s. Unlike the 600''s, which could take out a tank, the 300''s did not have enough power to shatter walls. Comparatively, the 300''s would be like grenades, while the larger Switchblades would be like C4.


    This was probably to ensure that the fort was still usable. Without wasting a single second, my girls all began to move under my command.


    ''Exa, show me all the Sirens.''


    My vision split into seven. Each one showed my girls all making their way to the fort.


    Liv detonated the M433s with {Counter} as she obliterated everything in her path. Her pace was the slowest of them all. But It was also worth noting that she was the only one who was practically swarmed by F''s and E''s.


    Similarly, Lilly ran forward from another direction, accompanied by what looked like lead serpents. Like giant spears, the 7.62 NATO rounds swarmed like ants, tearing up every Rank F or E in their path. Lizardkin on the other hand would suddenly die in the most horrific way.


    A car-sized bullet would appear, maim them, and then disappear. Lilly didn''t even have the decency to kill the ones that were still breathing. The still-alive corpses actually helped, as the Rank F''s in the area continued to feast on the monsters that were just one step away from death.


    From another direction Robyn, the fastest of everyone, was in and out like a greased lightning. Everything she could kill, she did. Those she couldn''t would get M26 grenades as a parting gift. A chain of explosions and shrapnel shredded everything but the lizardkin in my kitten''s path.


    Opposite Robyn''s direction, Jo''s side was probably the most chaotic of all. None of Jo''s Rank E''s were still alive. However, hundreds of monsters were still tearing each other apart in a gruesome melee. Severely injured lizardkins were charging the newcomers like crazed animals, biting the shit out of them.


    And like Robyn, Jo cracked propane tanks along the way as she passed. Then she detonated them with her FN 40GL. My Aussie and Italian created walls of fire as they raced toward their target.


    Conversely, Bella and her army moved unimpeded. Anything that even thought of getting in their way ate TOW missiles to the face. And that was if they even managed to get past the undead lizardkin serving as her army''s vanguard.


    In the sky, Jas continued to snipe at the fort like some kind of anti-monster artillery. Sabel''s attacks, combined with hers, wiped out practically everything that could be seen from the sky. But since my wife could see through walls, in addition to empowering bullets with {Fates}, even the enemies inside were fucked.


    Finally, Aki was once again covered in blood as she invoked what I call her samurai mode. Odachi made of blood accompanied her, multiplying as my Kamisan butchered her way to the fort. Learning from her earlier attempt, she now sent the odachis out like a top instead of keeping them around her.


    The results, of course, were just as bloody as before. It was amusing to see my girls trying to earn brownie points. Technically, they could just blink towards the fort. But they all wanted to kill as much as they could along the way.


    Of all of them, Liv was having the hardest time. But the other girls didn''t help her. Jas and Bella could have, but they chose not to. And only now did I understand why. They didn''t help her because they saw her as their equal.


    If it was the old me, I would have ordered them to do so. And Liv would have felt inadequate as a result.


    "I was really fucking stupid."


    I then had Exa, wake up the ones with me.


    ''Exa, cut off their connection to your network and let them come to their senses.''


    [Done.]


    At that moment, six people were disconnected from the Exa Network. Amari and Mia. My {Vassals} Delroy and Pixie. Connie Faye. And Gareth Faesten. They all turned to me as I spoke.


    "I will go to the fort, where the Sirens and I will continue the operation. The paths have been cleared. You can choose to come with me or stay here, either is fine. But I will not come back for you if you choose the latter. Now, who wants to come with me?"


    Everyone unanimously decided to go. Before I could figure out how to get there. Mia suddenly started invoking {Fates}.


    "{Wolf Pack}, {Selene''s Descent}."


    Mia then separated into six bodies, much like {Day by Day}. Then they all began to grow in size as they transformed into giant wolves.


    "Get on. I can assure you that I am faster than those tanks that Limitless has," the brit boasted.


    I nodded and got on one of the giant wolves. Our group then raced towards the only building in the zone. Knowing full well that the next phase of the battle would come as soon as we did.

 Chapter 576 Can I rely on you [1/2]

    [My lord, at our current speed we will reach the fort in less than ten minutes.]''And the Sirens?''


    [Lady Robyn has arrived and is cleaning up the last of the enemies inside the structure. Lady Jo and Aki will arrive in the next five minutes. Lady Bella has begun forming a defensive line around the fort with her army. Lady Lilly and Lady Jas have taken up positions in the towers and are destroying everything in their range. Lady Liv is still en route.]


    ''Okay. Add the M5 and our drones to Bella''s blockade. Show me the {Sirens of Sin} as well. ''


    From the feelings in my {Kindred} links, I noticed how pumped up my girls were. They were practically so high on adrenaline that they would shoot me if I told them to calm down.


    [Displaying.]


    ___


    {Sirens of Sin}


    1. Freyja''s Pride (Liv Ivaldi Smith) | Corruption level: 35% | Balance: 1,000,000


    2. Ishtar''s Greed (Lilly Browning Smith) | Corruption level: 34% | Balance: 1,000,000


    3. Rhiannon''s Wrath (Robyn Lithgow Smith) | Corruption level: 35% | Balance: 1,000,000


    4. Vela''s Envy (Josephine Benelli Smith) | Corruption level: 39% | Balance: 1,000,000


    5. Minerva''s Sloth (Isabella Taurus Smith) | Corruption level: 34% | Balance: 1,000,000 S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    6. Satis'' Lust (Jasmine Denel Smith) | Corruption level: 35% | Balance: 1.000.000


    7. Inari''s Gluttony (Aki Miroku Smith) | Corruption level: 47% | Balance: 1.000.000


    ___


    "..."


    Everyone was already at 30%. Aki went further and was already close to 50%. If it weren''t for the girls'' benevols, they would have taken on this malice all by themselves. Fortunately, the {Sirens of Sin} were special. Even if they reached 100%, {Rewind} would ensure that they would be refreshed.


    ''But it would probably be better to let them take a break soon. I haven''t tested the function of the custom {Rewind} I added. ''


    Still, even though our way of fighting was insane, it suddenly made sense why most people were defensive. Even if you managed to kill everything, if you had no way to mitigate the malice, you would only become insane.


    ''I wonder if that was why Raymond Gertrude suddenly committed all those horrible atrocities to give birth to a child. Was that the way that the malice was messing with him? What happens to a reaper who can no longer contain his malice? Do they just explode or something? ''


    While I was wondering about such things, those with me were all chatting up a storm. It seemed that seeing the destruction made them all get hyped up.


    ___


    "D! D! Did you see that! Did you see the ladies! They were all so cool! Will I be like that one day?


    Lady Robyn was like zoom, zoom, bang, KABOOM! She was so amazing! Nobody could even hit her! She is invincible! And she is the same size as me!"


    "Aye, the ladies be awesome. They be chilling while everything else be dying. No wonder they be the ones around the lord. Even Rank D''s were like lil kids man. I be sure ya will be just as good Pix. And I be right beside ya the entire way."


    "HAHA! Of course you will! Like I would ever let you go! I mean...we are the Lord''s {Vassals} after all! Let us do our best, D!"


    "Aye, ya and me are tied by more than blood, Pix. Ya couldn''t get rid of me even if ya wanted to."


    "Really? Then...w-what are we bound by, D?"


    "Friendship. We are friends for life, Pix!"


    "..."


    "Oy! W-Why are you pulling out a gun, Pix! Calm down! Did I say something wrong?"


    ___


    "Are you all right, Sir Gareth? You have been very quiet since earlier. Is something wrong?"


    "It''s nothing Lady Faye. I am just coming to terms with reality."


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "Just as man created steel to bring about the age of knights, it was impossible for them to stand still. I refused to acknowledge this because it meant my time was up. I wanted to do more, to be more. So I cowered, unwilling to move forward."


    "But sir Gareth, you did not cower, you fought tooth and nail for the living. That is nothing to be ashamed of."


    "You are too kind, Lady Faye. When I see the war my lord and the ladies are waging, I have neither the strength nor the ability to keep up. If they are the future, if I do not accept that I must change, I will be nothing more than a sword that has lost its edge."


    "What will you do then, Sir Gareth?"


    "What I should have done long ago. Give up my hopes and embrace my fate. I am a knight, but that does not mean I must remain one. I and the rest of my men must learn to adapt to my lord''s way of fighting. Only then can we be of use."


    "I can help you with that. What you saw earlier, I can show your men."


    "If that is true, then please help me, Lady Faye. I wouldn''t be able to convince them alone."


    "Leave that to me, Sir Gareth. I must of course do more to earn my place as a {Vassal}!"


    ___


    "What do you think, Choco?"


    "About what?"


    "This, all of this. The power that Limitless and the Sirens possess is terrifying. The idea that they can bring any weapon created by man into Hellsgate defies common sense. If this power was what he could create in two weeks, what would he be able to do in two months?"


    "I am forced to agree. Only a fool would refuse to see the facts. I am unsure about Hellsend, but Limitless and the Sirens are like the undead. They do not tire, they do not fear, and they just keep coming. How could anyone hope to stop them? I am beginning to believe that they really did kill the demon."


    "I know, right? And that was before they made {Call My Name}! This thing is bollocks! I can see farther, hear better, and run faster! I can feel myself getting smarter, and there are even more abilities under its wing! How in the world did they create this?"


    "And they say they are about to bring in howitzers. If they manage to bring in artillery, most of the forces in Hellsgate would not even stand a chance. And that is before you even consider that they can abuse blessings. It seems that what my brothers feared is true. His Majesty the Invincible has finally made his move."


    "Ugh, just thinking about what will happen is giving me a headache. If Limitless is able to consolidate his position, forget about two months, NA might attack the other continents even sooner. Choco, we have to do something!"


    "It might be worth reconsidering our plans, Fluffy. Rather than risk being annihilated, we must gain his favor. Fortunately, we are already ahead of my brothers in this regard."


    "Right, the Sirens! We must get their help! They are the only way!"


    ___


    As we ran, the conversations the others had were quite interesting. Pixie and D, well... they were still doing their thing. I wasn''t sure if D was really denser than a black hole or if he was doing it on purpose. I said a silent prayer for Pixie for success in her love life.


    For the Reapers, who were fighting so hard, any source of joy should be something that was strictly protected. We were dead, after all. Age meant nothing to us anymore. What did, however, was if you had the will to go on in the midst of hardship and suffering.


    Connie and Gareth, on the other hand, had an important conversation. As someone who grew up in the twenty-first century, I couldn''t relate to what Gareth was feeling. If you somehow gave me futuristic robots and ships, I would welcome them.


    But for someone like him, who had dedicated his life to being a knight, it might have been difficult. But one silver lining was that he understood that he had the power to change his circumstances. That alone required immense maturity and strength.

 Chapter 577 Can I rely on you [2/2]

    ''I should see to it that his transition is made easier. A mentality like his is hard to come by,'' I noted to myself.Meanwhile, Amari and Mia were discussing their observations as they ran behind us. They probably haven''t understood how powerful {Listen} was. If they did, I was sure they would be more careful about discussing such topics in my presence.


    While I could understand their fear and confusion, I was more interested in their words regarding David.


    ''What the hell do they mean by David finally making his move? To do what? To fight the other continents? If he knew I could farm Benevols for him, what other purpose would he have to fight the other continents?''


    [My Lord, we are arriving at the fort.]


    Exa''s words brought me back to my senses. I looked ahead and saw a medieval castle in the distance. It was completely battered, showing how long this place had been at war.


    There was a huge breach in the wall where our group had entered. Considering the type of monsters here, it was a miracle that it was still standing. If I were to use this place, it would need a lot of repairs.


    ''Good thing I have a lot of guys from Fortification. ''


    I looked up and saw Lilly and Jasmine on two of the four towers. They were raining down death from above on the poor bastards who got too close.


    I also felt Aki, Jo and Robyn rampaging through the main building. As we got further inside, the absolute brutality of the Sirens showed itself.


    Severed body parts and rivers of blood soaked the floor. The stench of death and decay filled the air as the winds carried the horrible smells. Connie and Pixie, not used to such things, began to vomit reflexively.


    I saw one of Henry''s MAARs patrolling the area. There seemed to be something wrong with its tracks, as it was moving rather slowly, with sparks appearing all over its frame.


    [Father, the fort has been liberated. The Sirens are making their final sweeps before moving on to the next operation.]


    "I see. Well done, my son. Once we bring in the big guns, I will have to ask you to hold the line until we kill the Alpha."


    Surprise was on everyone''s faces as the AI spoke to me in a familiar voice.


    Mia had all her wolves stop when they all heard Henry. I dismounted first and the rest of our party followed. Mia also soon reverted back to her human form.


    [It will be my pleasure, Father. I am a son of Limitless and Minerva. My strength is naturally at your disposal. And I am not the only one who feels this way.]


    Just as Henry finished speaking, three Hornet Nanos suddenly appeared and circled around me. Along with them, an M5 tank drove past the outer wall and stopped.


    [Ry-ry is right, Father! So am I! Can I join the hunt for the Alpha? Pretty please!]


    [Father, as the firstborn of the Limitless family, I wish to join the Alpha hunt as our vanguard].


    I nodded and spoke to my AI children.


    "I am grateful for your eagerness, but no. Your first and foremost responsibility is to protect your mother and our family. She will be the one to tell you when we need you. There will be more battles in the future, my children. Do not get so caught up in the moment that you forget that."


    [YES FATHER!] x 3


    Henry and Alfonso''s machines all left and resumed their roles. Sabel, on the other hand, lingered as she continued to circle around me like an excited pet.


    [Father! Father! Please let me lead you to the battlements. Mother and the rest of the Sirens are already there. We have calculated the positions where all six of the 777s can be easily deployed.]


    As we walked, the group with me were all waiting for answers. I could understand why, as I spoke to my AI children much more fondly than to humans. But I couldn''t afford to look at them right now.


    "I see, then please take me there, daughter."


    [RIGHT AWAY!]


    Two of the small helicopter drones raced forward to show me where to go. The last one hovered around my hand. Understanding what she wanted, I held out my hand and Sabel controlled the small drone to land and go in standby mode.


    ''Haha, she is like Robyn and Jo, childish and a bit selfish,'' I thought to myself.


    I motioned for the others to join me as I followed Sabel. We finally reached the upper portions of the fort. The battlements or ramparts. This place was where soldiers were stationed to prevent people from climbing the walls.


    As I entered, I saw the bloody appearance of my harem. They were all filthy, drenched in purple and brown blood. Yet their eyes all burned with an intensity that made them extremely beautiful. Unable to stop myself, I walked faster towards my girls.


    But then they all knelt down in sync, forming a single line. Shouting in a powerful voice.


    "WE GREET THE LORD OF HELLSEND! THE ESTEEMED LIMITLESS! Hail!" x7


    Before I could respond, they all looked up as they reported with unmatched fervor.


    "My lord, the Sirens have carried out your command. This fort now belongs to Hellsend," Lilly declared with a smile.


    Bella added excitedly. "My lord, the Soulless has set up a defensive perimeter around the building. We should be able to start bringing in the rest of our forces at your command."


    "Possum, we have disposed of every cunt in the building. It looks like crap. Other than the walls, this place is a dump."


    "Darling! The Sirens and I have commandeered an army of 114 Lizardkin. You can use them as you wish. The rest died, but they are still good! Bella has some corpses that could still fight, bringing the number up to 162!"


    "Sigh, Jo, Robyn, didn''t we agree to be formal? My Lord, the Sirens have all taken steps to replenish our strength. We are ready for the next battle," Liv declared heroically.


    "Husband. Please allow me to kill the Alpha. Because of my arrogance, I have sullied your honor. As a Siren and as your wife, I cannot let this stand. On my pride and dignity, I vow to be the one to kill the Alpha."


    "Shujin, we have selected locations for all 777 howitzers. Exa also taught us the necessary skills to aim, load, and fire them. Using the artillery will not be a problem."


    I nodded proudly at their words. And although I wanted nothing more than to praise, hug and kiss them, I held myself back. Now was not the time. Right now, we were not lovers, but master and servants.


    "Excellent work, my precious {kindred}. I have one more task that only you can do. Do you all think you can continue?"


    The Sirens all bowed their heads as they roared even louder.


    "YES, MY LORD! THE SIRENS STAND READY!!" x7 Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I smiled before giving them their next order. I pointed to the space just before the fortress and began.


    "I command the Sirens in my name. Connect every zone on this floor and bring every enemy to that spot. Once you do, you will all take command of the howitzers and rain hell down on these bastards until there are none left. Can I rely on you all, my Seven Sirens?"


    "YES, MY LORD!!" x7


    "Good. Then let us begin," I said with a smile.

 Chapter 578 the war I will bring [1/2]

    The Song of the Sirens. A maneuver brought about by sheer desperation. My girls created it to make as much money as possible for my Seeker War. By linking all 28 zones together, we were able to maximize our killing potential.Instead of going after each zone, we took on entire floors. The gains we made were so great that much of Hellsend decided to ascend to Phantoms right then and there. And while it didn''t end up helping as much as the Sirens intended, it was one of the cards we had to play.


    The problem with defending such a large area came down to numbers. Numbers would determine how many defenders you had. And the number of invaders you had to defeat. You could supplement that with forts, but the numbers game didn''t go away, it just shifted.


    If the defensive forts allowed you to boost your numbers, the problem was whether you had enough of them. And with the 24th floor, there were 28 floors to defend. That meant, unless we had 28 really good forts, we would still need a huge ass army.


    North America''s defensive doctrine believed that the best approach was to cull only half the zones. They did this for several reasons.


    First, by leaving the smaller zones, the undead there could be used for training and souls. Second, by clearing only half of the floor, the burden on the Revenant was also greatly reduced.


    No one would blame me for just adopting this approach. But as I thought about it, I decided not to. Unlike the other Revenants, I could farm Benevols.


    Moreover, I would never have problems with supplies. And I had no reason to keep my men from staying in just my domain.


    The problem with the current setup was that while we were getting new Reapers, too many were dying on a daily basis for our numbers to increase significantly.


    Part of the reason for this is that as our numbers get smaller, the areas that need to be culled stay the same.


    Simply put, by keeping these hunting zones active. The longer they were left unchecked, they would eventually become a problem.


    This was what happened from the 6th floor to the 10th floor. Although they were left for training, the sheer difficulty of eliminating them every day turned them into time bombs.


    From this realization, NA''s logic of maintaining training zones was stupid as shit. How could they even train when the experienced Reapers were dying like flies and the new ones were dumb as fuck. It didn''t help that the Reapers had no schools to teach them how to fight.


    The vast majority of Reapers, from what I could see, had no military or combat experience. So, like adventurers in manga, you learned with your body.


    If you didn''t die, you grew and gained experience. While this was a good thing, it had several drawbacks.


    Luck became the biggest factor. If a reaper was not lucky enough to survive, his or her life would simply be cut short. People who prepared beforehand would reduce that risk, but the average Reaper lifespan was pitiful.


    I had no need for weak Reapers, what I needed were those that would grow and help me purge the malice. This way of thinking led me to two truths that I felt would guide me on how to grow my domain.


    First, I needed to reduce the number of reapers dying on a daily basis. And second, I needed the surviving reapers to grow every day, no matter how slowly.


    Whether through skills, soulgear, or tactics, they cannot remain stagnant. If they did, they would die when they encountered something stronger.


    Even ordinary people like those from the Ten Graves could fight decently with enough training. Unlike swords or bows, which took much longer to get used to, guns required a very short training period.


    Of course, one could argue that it took much longer to become proficient, but that was beside the point.


    My point was that it didn''t matter what my people were shooting at. As long as they were pulling the trigger. Whether it was an Alpha or a Rank F, it was the same. So as long as my people were getting better at using guns, there was no reason to spare any of the undead for training purposes.


    There were so many zombies, I couldn''t understand why David was deliberately breeding them like cattle. Not when they could kill those on the other floors who needed more defenders. Factors like these made my decision for me.


    With the 24th floor as my starting point, I would bring in enough artillery and tanks from Earth to blow everything that moved to kingdom come. My men would all be turned into Death Seekers and would only train on floors easier than floor 10.


    Those who gain enough experience will kill everything beyond floor 10 to our home on the 24th floor. The elite Reapers who will grow the fastest will be the ones who will accompany my army as we move forward.


    Forget assault teams, who decided that I should advance with only a small party of 8? I was not an adventurer. I was a death seeker. We did not go on quests. Instead, we went to fight in wars.


    To ensure that my home would not fall once I left, turning the majority of them into phantoms would be my basic requirement. But that was all for the future; right now, the plan revolved around whether I could claim the 24th floor as my own.


    And to do that, I had to kill everything on this floor. And place a Phantom in each zone. We could cleanse the crystal, but leave it undefended. As soon as any undead show up, we will proceed to wipe them out with either newbie reapers or superior firepower.


    As I looked at the seven beautiful women in front of me, my heart filled with love and pride. I sent them all my feelings through our {Kindred} link, which made them all blush a little. I sent them a short message as a signal.


    ''Stay safe and come back to me as soon as possible.''


    The girls all stood up with heavenly smiles. Before giving an arrogant farewell.


    "Watch me, my love. The way I am now, I will never lose to anything!"


    "Fufu, Dearest. Seeing you like this is so intoxicating. Wait for me."


    "Prepare my reward, Possum! None of these slaggers can outrun your Sheila."


    "Pfft! You are all too funny! Darling has me already! You can all just have tea or something!"


    "Well shit, everyone seems to have lost their minds. Honey, please take responsibility."


    "Husband, please rest assured. Whatever you desire, I will fulfill to the letter."


    "Master, your faithful servant Aki departs!"


    I nodded without a word. And they all ran to the edge of the wall and jumped.


    "{BLINK}!" x7


    Using the most powerful {Fate} of the {Store} family, my girls separated into seven directions. I didn''t understand it the first time they did it, but now that I do, I was just in awe of how amazing my girls were.


    Those behind me began to ask questions as only our group was left.


    "My Lord, did I hear wrong? The ladies left to connect all the zones?" Gareth asked stunned.


    Amari and Mia also expressed their doubts.


    "Limitless, you can''t be serious, right? This is a 20+ floor. Even you wouldn''t try to take on that many enemies in one fight?"


    "He was probably joking... right? I mean... there is no way he is serious. Haha. Good one!


    Ha... Even if he was, how would he take on such a thing? S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 579 the war I will bring [2/2]

    Those who already knew about the Song of the Sirens gathered around me in excitement."My lord! May I please join in! Even from just the fort! Please!" cried Pixie.


    "Brutha, are we really doing that again? There be lizardkin here this time. How ya going to manage that?"


    "Hmm. My lord, you''re going to do something crazy again, aren''t you? And judging by the wild grin on your face, it would probably be on the level of blackmailing a Revenant," Connie added as she cleaned her camera.


    Those who weren''t present during the battle with Andromalius were disturbed by our reporters'' offhand comment.


    After all, Revenants were considered kings. Hearing that I had casually blackmailed one made them question the authenticity of her words.


    "He what?"


    "Blackmail...a Revenant? You have got to be shitting me?"


    "But that makes no sense! Why would he do such a thing?"


    I didn''t even answer them before those who knew the whole story came to my defense. Connie, Pixie, and D shared their feelings even when no one asked them.


    "I can''t blame you three. Practically all of Hellsend was there and we still couldn''t believe it. I mean, who in their right mind has the guts to threaten a Revenant for a bunch of women?"


    "But that makes it so cool! My lord is so in love with the ladies that he vowed to burn down an entire continent if his majesty hurt even one of them! It was SO ROMANTIC!"


    "Brutha be in insane. But he always keeps his word. The order he gave just now? That be true. Hellsend calls it the Song of the Sirens. You best be ready for what be coming, man."


    I ignored her comments and followed up on Connie''s earlier question.


    "Connie, use the video of me when the party begins. I have something to say to the world. If you want to let them know that I am alive. That would be the best moment."


    "Is that so? Very well, my lord. I, Constance Faye, vow to capture your majesty and splendor for the world to see. Please fight without worries."


    I nodded at her answer and then turned to my {vassals}.


    "Pixie, D. I have an order for you. When the Sirens return, I want you to make sure that no one who wants to help is allowed to do so. Except for me and the Sirens, everyone is forbidden from fighting. Use force if necessary. "


    Although I could see the disappointment in both their eyes, they nodded without much fuss. Feeling bad, I reminded them of a few things to help them feel better.


    "The time for everyone to draw blood will come soon. But it is not today. As my {Vassals}, you two can expect that I will work you both to the bone. This is not a matter of trust, but of timing. Can I count on both of you?"


    "Yes, my lord!" x2


    I then faced Amari and Mia.


    "I don''t really care what you believe, but do you remember what I told you earlier? Remember everything you see today and take it back to your people. This message is for them as well as for Hellsend. Pay attention to my every word. For I will speak it only once."


    Finally, I came face to face with Gareth, who seemed to have frozen stiff. Although he was much taller than me, he looked like a teenager in front of a school principal. I grabbed his shoulder and used [Whisper] to calm him down.


    "Gareth, the first part of our plan is complete. As my harem and I have sworn to you. We will kill everything on this floor with just the eight of us. Watch carefully, Phantom. This is how humans have evolved on Earth. And this is the war I will bring to Hellsgate."


    "I understand, my lord. I will burn everything into my mind and remember everything by heart. The outcome of this battle no longer matters. I already believe your words, my lord. And I know that you will surely bring forth a new age. And I am honored to be among those who stand with you."


    Hearing his exaggerated words made me laugh. He reminded me of Lilly and Liv. Perhaps such tendencies were natural to those who followed the path of chivalry.


    But as cringeworthy as it might be, such vows were worth their weight in gold when spoken by a man like Gareth.


    "Then I look forward to the future, Sir Gareth. Now, if you please, lift the warp restriction on this zone only. The enemies will arrive soon."


    "YES, MY LORD! GENERAL MANAGER''S AUTHORITY! IN THE NAME OF THE KING OF THE 24TH FLOOR HIS MAJESTY THE LORD LIMITLESS! LIFT WARP RESTRICTIONS ON ZONE 1244-1."


    {Confirmation of General Manager Authority Gareth Faesten! Presence of the Limitless detected. Warp restrictions lifted in zone 1244-1! Warp gate matrix now online!}


    [My lord, confirming warp restrictions have been lifted. The Death Seeker warp gates now have access to this area.]


    ''Are Joshua and the others ready?''


    [Yes, my lord. All six M777 howitzers are ready. The 2nd Amendment Squads along with the Mechanized Infantry, Freya''s Bulwark, and Minerva''s Wizards are all standing by on Earth. They can be summoned at any time.]


    ''Okay, then can you help me open a {Portal} for them to pass through?''


    [Understood. We can use the existing warp gate matrix to simplify the process.]


    ''How long will it take?''


    [Not long. In the meantime, I have instructed the officers to prepare for the summoning. It would be best to call them on the ramparts already chosen by the Sirens.]


    ''Okay, do it.''


    [Would you like to say a few words to them?]


    ''No, not necessary, I can say anything once the battle actually begins.''


    [Understood. Everything is ready my lord. Just initiate a {Portal} and I will do the rest]. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I raised my hand while closing my eyes. With this, the guns of freedom will begin to roar.


    "{PORTAL}!"


    At that moment, instead of one portal, six opened at once. Four in front of me, while a single {Portal} also opened on the east and west ramparts. Of the six, Phantoms from the 2nd Amendment were hauling the M777 Howitzers into place.


    Normally, these were truck-mounted weapons, but my men''s ability to lift shit had been greatly enhanced by {Call My Name}. When they all arrived, they lowered the huge guns and saluted me from where they stood.


    "WE SALUTE THE LORD OF HELLSEND! THE ESTEEMED LIMITLESS! HAIL!"


    The fighting spirit among the men was especially strong. And though I knew the others wanted to join in, I had no intention of calling out any more. I raised my fist, causing the Phantoms to fall silent.


    Then I turned to those behind me. They were a group I had chosen for different reasons, but their presence was to serve as emissaries to everyone else.


    "Now the stage is set for the six of you to watch closely. This is the answer to every question that has plagued your minds. Then I turned and ran to the edge of the wall.


    "{BLINK}!"


    Invoking Lilly''s {Fate}, I arrived at the spot I had designated. Since I had superior senses to everyone else. I had sensed it much earlier.


    They were coming.


    Be it through {Sonar}, {Listen} or the Exa network. The Sirens had almost completed their task. The stage was set and the time was ripe.


    This would be the moment when I would officially take the stage as king. And as much as I hated it, I ended up being worse than even David in some ways.


    The only thing I could be sure of was that, unlike him. I would not stop until I closed Hellsgate and ended this fucking nightmare!


    "MY {KINDRED}! COME TO ME!" I roared.

 Chapter 580 Get off my lawn [1/2]

    At my call, seven {Portals} opened in front of me. Out of each one came one of my Sirens. They looked a little tired, but their eyes were all aglow with excitement.I could feel it in their {Kindred} links. And unlike before, I welcomed their emotions and fused them with my own.


    The Song of Sirens maneuver was simple in theory, but complex in execution. For one thing, it required an intricate series of steps.


    First, the Sirens had to open doorways and connect with each other. Once they did, rather than going through the {Portal} they had set up, they would relocate to another position.


    Lilly''s {Portals} worked on a simple premise. The door would stay open until the person who called it passed through.


    This meant that its use was normally quite limited, as the {Portal} would consume an incredible amount of stamina to keep it open.


    The next limitation is that you cannot have more than two doors open at the same time.


    The Sirens got around this by linking their {Portals} together as opposed to creating a second one of their own making. This workaround reduced the need of 14 doorways for 7 paths to just 7. Provided Bella connected two paths to her own.


    Also, since [Beacon] was a {Program}, it had the same limitation as {Portal} while not affecting the actual {Fate}. Thus, each Siren could theoretically open four doors instead of just two. This all culminates in the Song of the Sirens.


    This plan was basically just spamming {Portals} on the floor divisions.


    The girls would all {Blink} to the opposite ends of the floor then spread out on the seven outer most points. Liv, Lilly, Robyn, and Jo were at the base of the floor, while Bella, Jas, and Aki were at the tip.


    Using each other''s visions, they then open doors to enter, but do not actually use them.


    Song of the Sirens P1.jpg


    They reposition to another area on foot, with one of them using {Beacon} to call the others to her position, opening a second set of doors.


    At this point, the girls would already be feeling the strain of keeping both doors open. It is only with {Eat} that they could stave off exhaustion.


    Song of the Sirens P2.jpg


    With two sets of doors open, the girls still do not use any of them and move to a third position completely connecting the entire floor.


    They then converge on one spot for the final time to connect all the doors to one single location. In this case, that spot will be right in front of me.


    Song of the Sirens P3.jpg


    With four sets of doors opened, any and all skills would now travel through the entire space because of the {Portals}. This meant that the land was basically sewn together by the spatial distortions.


    And just as light and sound could pass through each of them, so could physical objects. This meant that any zombie on the floor could now reach my position by running through the {portals} instead of traversing the entire distance.


    And since the last set of {Portals} were tightly spaced, we basically created an extremely effective kill zone. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    From where I stood, I could feel the girls panting and wheezing. In addition to repeatedly using {Blink} to travel great distances, they had opened four {Portals}. That was exhausting. Still, I had to ask for more.


    ''Exa, is it possible to share stamina with the girls by kissing them?''


    [Yes, my lord. It is. I can create it with a simple {Program}].


    ''Do it. {Day by day}.''


    [Understood. {Program.} [Kiss of Vitality] created.]


    I went to each of my girls and caressed their faces. They were covered in dirt, blood, and sweat. Yet they were more captivating to me than even the most gorgeous supermodels.


    I tenderly grabbed their waists and kissed my harem.


    They were all wide-eyed as they watched me express my affection for all the world to see. It was worth nothing that Connie''s drone was already recording. But I didn''t care. I wanted the world to know how much I adored these women.


    I savored each Siren, drowning in pleasure. Contrary to their bloodthirsty appearance, they all meekly accepted my advances.


    Through my lips, I sent vitality to my harem.


    Although they were surprised, none of them complained in the slightest. Which was quite adorable due their true natures as extremely fierce women.


    When I felt myself getting dizzy from the loss of stamina, I had Sunday revitalize my bodies. While I had my avatars drawn stamina from my main body like a well.


    ''{Regen}.'' ''[Divided We Stand]'' x6


    Perhaps because vitality was not meant to be shared like this, the [Kiss of Vitality] was extremely painful.


    It was similar to the feeling of blood flowing out of one''s body, but a hundred times worse. It was as if someone was raking coals through your veins and pulling them through your skin.


    But I did not pull away from my girls; this much was necessary to answer their resolve to serve me.


    As I shared with my girls, I felt their bodies return to normal for the moment. I wanted to do more, but my soul avatars were already shaking from the agony. Unable to continue, I immediately unsummoned them.


    ''{Day by Day}.''


    The other six girls were sad as the John Smiths they were hugging suddenly disappeared. Sunday, who remained, was kissing Liv as the rest disappeared. I pulled away and noticed my blood covered {Kindred} pouting adorably.


    I smiled as I caressed her face while addressing the other Sirens.


    "My precious {Kindred}. Not now. They are coming. Please man the howitzers as planned. You have already prepared my stage. Please let me do my part."


    "..."


    The girls all nodded wordlessly before separating from me. Echoes began to fill the air. It was the footsteps of over a million beings coming from the {Portals}. The Phantoms on the fortress must have felt them by now.


    After all, they were quite close. Connie''s drone was flying around, taking video of the {Portals} without a care in the world. I changed my mind to [Cyborg] and sent a digital transmission to the Graveyard reporter.


    [Connie, are you ready?]


    [We are, my lord. I started the moment you jumped off the ledge. The kiss with the Sirens was quite scandalous! I can cut that out if you prefer. But as for what you have to say. You may begin any time you are ready.]


    Nodding, I turned toward the {Portals}, where the ground was already quaking. Since this was the only area with Phantoms, we were like the ultimate bait for these monsters.


    I took a deep breath to calm down.


    This was not what I wanted, nor what I had planned for my life. But I was here because of no one''s choices but my own. And as such, the failure and the glory were solely mine to bear.


    "{Limitless}."


    I called upon my namesake {Kismet} again to refresh its duration.


    A powerful wave of souls erupted from my body.


    It was the equivalent of 10,000 zombies suddenly being defeated. A small whirlwind surrounded me, causing my suit to flutter wildly.


    "{Never Alone}."


    My cufflinks suddenly morphed into armlets that tightly wrapped around my forearms. A barrier of Blessing Energy distorted the air. Along with it a wave of calm washed over my soul as my Benevol cleansed me of malice.


    I looked up and saw Connie''s Skydio drone focused on me. Drawing a deep breath, I began my first speech as Lord of the 24th floor.


    "You may not all know me, and that is fine. After all, I am just one of the many Reapers who volunteered for this piss poor excuse of a job we got.


    "But that was before. Right now I am addressing everyone as people have been saying the strangest things about me. For one thing, I am not dead.


    "I was just enjoying my honeymoon. But now I am back, and one of the tasks given to me by His Majesty the Invincible was to take command of the 24th floor. As an ally of North America, I wanted to introduce myself."

 Chapter 581 Get off my lawn [2/2]

    "My name is John Smith. I am a Formless Reaper who enlisted in July. I am a Death Seeker and go by the name of Limitless. I am also the commander of the Reaper Army Hellsend. And now the Lord of the 24th floor."I made this video for one reason and one reason only. I may not know you, but you should have heard of me. I am sending this message as a warning to anyone who wants to come and fuck around with Hellsend and my domain.


    "Hellsend and the 24th floor exist for one reason.


    And that is to close Hellsgate. We will not go out of our way to attack another, but if some assholes want to cause trouble in my country. We will retaliate without mercy.


    "I do not answer to His Majesty the Invincible. That means I get to decide what to do with this place and everyone in it. Now. I''m sure you all saw what I can do in the Seeker War. And if you did not see it. I will show you again.


    "


    I pointed to the {Portals} in front of me. At that moment, zombies, monsters, and lizardkin began to pour out like angry bees when you smack their hive.


    The sound of the enemy''s stampede made the air quake. If these bastards got out of hell, the damage they would do to the living would be catastrophic.


    But alas, they would never live beyond today. I was here after all.


    "I say this again for those who do not get the hint. Do not mess with me or my people. If you come here to fight, make sure you are prepared to die. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Because if you invade my kingdom, you either kill me or I will turn your corpse into my new soul gear. There is no other outcome."


    Explore stories at empire


    Then I turned away from the drone and steeled my will. Facing the approaching horde, I began to arm myself for battle.


    "{Replace}. [Commander] {Day by Day} [Shared Armory]."


    [Shared Armory] was a simple {Program} that allowed anyone with {Limitless} access to my {Armory}. This applied to both my soul avatars and the Sirens.


    In less than a second, three John Smiths lined up at both my sides. They all manifested weapons for battle.


    {Armory} had a lot more stuff than it used to. It had the Phantom Armory my girls had given me, along with the couple arms we shared as {Kindred}.


    I raised my hands and slowly felt the weight of the M134D Minigun appear. On my back was the ammo and the battery pack for the electric motors.


    Monday and Tuesday manifested a Thales F90 MBR bullpup rifle with its SL40 grenade launcher and an Atchisson AA12 full auto combat shotgun.


    Wednesday was armed with the FT5 and HCAR combo I had used and grown to love. They gave me the best balance of range and devastating firepower.


    Thursday, on the other hand, carried the SCAR-H combat rifle with the FN 40GL and the Benelli M1014 combat shotgun. Having the M1014 for close quarters would be like a secondary to the SCAR-H.


    Friday dual wielded the Milkor M32 multiple grenade launcher and the Faxon Sentinel AR10. This makeshift combination was weird, but since I could easily handle two weapons, it seemed like a waste not to do so.


    Finally, Saturday brought the M107 Barret .50 caliber anti-material rifle. He also had the BLR 81 slung on his back. Dual sniper rifles seemed useless. But quickly switching to another rifle was always faster than reloading.


    With this configuration, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday could throw 40mm grenades when I needed them.


    If the enemy got close, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday had 12-gauge shotguns to push the enemy back.


    Saturday would be on sniper duty while Sunday would be the one laying down covering fire.


    Wednesday would have the FT5 for burst damage and the HCAR for more suppressive fire, if the situation called for it. Of course, we could all pull out Ebony, Ivory, and the Raging Hunter if things got really hairy.


    Seeing my army of avatars all armed to the teeth made me extremely satisfied, but my new weaponry didn''t stop there.


    ''Exa, what would be a cool name for the M5 and the Razorback? Something that sounds catchy. Tom and Jerry?


    Mario and Luigi? Ketchup and Mustard? Or how about Burger and Fries? Because you know the hornets look like French fries...


    [My lord, for the love of all that is holy. Please do not name your UGVs Burger and Fries. Why not use the name of your favorite mechs from the games you enjoyed? The translations should be Steel Beowulf and Platinum Lucifer. Freedom and Justice are also solid options. Drag and Albion sound good, too.]


    ''No, I think I will go with Burger and Fries. Those will be the names of the M5 and the Razorback. Because it will be hilarious if people list the cause of death as Burger and Fries.''


    [...This has got to be a violation of AI rights or something].


    ''Haha, just trying to calm my nerves. Sent them out Exa. Time to get started.''


    "[Inventory] Burger and Fries."


    At that moment, the Ripsaw M5 Micro Tank and the TRX Razorback appeared behind me.


    Fries immediately began launching his Switchblades into the air. While Burger aimed his turret at the incoming undead. Likewise, I and the rest of my avatars aimed our weapons at the enemy.


    "[Penetrator]! GET OFF MY LAWN, YOU DUMBASS FUCKS!"


    At my words, we all pulled the triggers on our weapons and blasted the living hell out of the incoming undead. Obviously, Burger did the most damage as his 30mm cannon practically sawed everything in half.


    My avatars then proceeded to fire 40mm grenades and 95mm HEAT warheads. As more and more Lizardkin arrived, I had Fries send in all of his Switchblades. Just from my firepower alone, what looked like a small cataclysm tore up the ground.


    More and more Rank F''s and E''s of various types died from the blasts. However, it was impossible to stop the monsters of an entire floor this easily.


    As the bodies of large monsters like Bearmen piled up. They enemy began to fan out from the kill zone. But then I received unexpected help.


    An army of injured lizardkins formed a cordon around the undead and served as my meat shield.


    As if that were not enough, Bella''s entire army arrived and surrounded the kill zone. 40 MAARS, 3 more Ripsaws, another TRX Razorback and best of all, the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle.


    With the huge increase in firepower, the bullets we unleashed began to kill the monsters faster than they could come out. That was until more and more Lizardkin appeared.


    The Lizardkin, while easily dispatched by the M5s and the Bradley, Still protected the rest of the monsters and undead behind them.


    And as their bodies fell to the ground, the undead and Rank E''s to use them as cover to escape death. In response, we blew them up by raining down 40mm M433s, but large chunks of the reptiles still remained intact.


    I was beginning to worry about the consequences of the enemy''s tactics. That was until I heard the piercing whistle cut through the air.


    In the next moment, 155mm M107 high explosive shells began to fall like meteors across our kill zone.


    Large plumes of smoke and debris were thrown nearly 10 feet into the air. Even though I had {Limitless} on, the concussive force of the shells slammed into my body and made the ground shudder.


    Deep, booming explosions erupted immediately, followed by rumbling echoes that sounded like the mighty roar of thunder. The awesome power of modern artillery was like the hammer of the gods smiting the enemies on the receiving end.


    And because my girls had {Sonar} and {Imaging}, dust and debris did nothing to obscure their vision. The area we were using as a kill zone was being transformed in real time by sheer firepower.


    More and more enemies came through. And it made no difference in the slightest.


    The comforting thunder of the big guns continued to echo in the sky. With them, the freedom that followed took care of everything else.

 Chapter 582 Time to farm [1/2]

    Despite being so close to the sound of the explosions, I stood my ground. While I looked fearless, my heart was of course beating wildly. It fucking hurt to get shot. What more when the bullet that hit you was a fucking howitzer shell.But I did not stop firing. Artillery was not just big ass guns shooting big bullets from a distance. They were as much a weapon of psychological warfare as they were of ordnance. After all, no matter how powerful a man was, he could never outgun artillery.


    The proper military term was shock and awe.


    Shock was because both tanks and artillery were powerful battlefield factors that could suddenly turn the tide of battle. And because of their sheer firepower, most troops would be thrown into chaos and confusion.


    If shock were all they were good for, they would not be as effective as they were. But alas, they were designed for a far more sinister purpose. And that was the "awe" part. They were designed to be flashy and loud for two reasons


    First, the mere sight of such weapons would instill fear, the more soldiers understood what they were. If you were an ordinary grunt and saw howitzer shells falling from the sky, any sane man would think twice before advancing.


    After all, if you were in range and a target, even a tank would not help you. But more than that, the damage these weapons could inflict went beyond mere physical harm.


    They minimized the impact of a single soldier and demoralized entire armies if left unchallenged.


    If you had friends or family torn apart by such things, you would not only hate them with a passion, but develop an instinctive fear of them.


    In World War I, the effects of artillery were so severe that surviving soldiers could not return to normal life. The medical community coined the term "shell shocked."


    It was the psychological condition used to describe soldiers exposed to the intense and relentless bombardment of artillery shells during World War I. This term eventually gave way to the term post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.


    Shell-shocked veterans often trembled uncontrollably, suffered from headaches and dizziness, and were extremely sensitive to loud noises and flashes of light.


    In essence, they relived the bombing at the slightest stimulus similar to the ordeal they had experienced.


    All of this happened when they were awake. When they slept, the demons they carried were much worse. Anxiety, nightmares, emotional numbness, and an inability to sleep or concentrate.


    Artillery gained its title as king of the battlefield at the cost of many lives.


    And now I brought the same demon of war to Hellsgate. The only difference was that they were even more effective against the undead, who knew no fear. Like months to a flame, the Rank F''s continued to charge at me.


    Under the barrage of my avatars, the soulless, and the M777s, they all died pathetic deaths. If you ever wanted to see what Ragdoll effects would look like in real life, this was it. Limbs and torsos flew into the air. Blood rained everywhere as dust and smoke clouded the area.


    And yet they were still running towards me. As more and more shells fell to the ground, even the surviving body parts were shredded. If this continued, there would literally be nothing left to salvage from the rank F''s. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Exa, change all my ammunition to Sacreds.''


    [Roger, reloading Sacreds. Sunday reloaded... Monday reloaded... Tuesday reloaded...]


    While Exa did her thing, I used {Imaging} - Xray to scan the area. As the common undead continued to run to their deaths, I noticed that the rank E''s had split into two groups.


    The groups were separated by those who could think and those who could not. Of course, this was also true for the Rank D Lizardkin.


    After witnessing the utter slaughter of their allies, they all stopped short of entering the {Portals}. Giants, Undertakers, and Cyclops, none of whom could think, on the other hand continued to die en mass.


    However, the Undead Chieftains, Spike Dogs, Bearmen, and even the Fishmen and Hobbits all cowered, unwilling to advance. While the undead simply stood still, the monsters trembled with fear.


    ''What are you all going to do now? Why do you even fight?'' I wondered as I watched them.


    Suddenly I heard the monsters arguing!


    "Why stop! Charge!" "But the ground is alive!" "The ground has teeth!" "I''m scared!" "Go! Or you die!" "You go! I stay!" "King comes!" "Orders absolute!" "NO!" "Wait for ground to quiet." "Smelly ones go first!" "Smelly Ones, no fear! "Hooray for Smelly Ones!"


    "What the fuck am I listening to? Are they actually communicating with each other?"


    [It has long been suspected that animals have a way of communicating and forming groups. It seems that the monsters of Hellsgate are similar. {Listen} has shared that {Interpret} has improved enough to allow interspecies communication.]


    "I see, is that why Jo can hypnotize the monsters to do her bidding?"


    [I believe so. Lady Jo''s {Announce} and Death Resonance tactics only work on those who understand her commands. And by gaining {Huddle}, even just having a brain makes it possible to be hypnotized by her.]


    "Hmm. Does that mean I can talk to fish now?"


    [Yes. Even insects are theoretically possible. This is also why Lady Liv''s [War Cry] is an extremely effective taunt skill.]


    "That makes sense. Taunts in games are basically brainwashing skills. Then I can just use it now too."


    [Saturday reloaded... 50 30mm Sacreds have been loaded into Burger and Fries has been loaded with Blessed Switchblades.]


    "Perfect. This will be a good time to farm Sacreds. Exa, prepare [Warcry]. What would be a good insult for lizards?"


    [I have no idea what you would consider a good insult. For one thing, insults only work if the target of the insult has an ego that can be manipulated or abused. Monsters have no such inclination, so the idea of insulting them makes little sense.]


    "Tsk. Your no fun," I quipped in annoyance.


    I took a deep breath, pulled my diaphragm in, and roared like my life depended on it.


    "HEY, YOU FUCKING COLD-BLOODED, SPINELESS LIZARD SCUM! YOUR MOTHERS PRACTICALLY ABANDONED YOU ALL BECAUSE YOU WERE STUPID ASS GAY INCELS! IF YOU WANT FOOD! I AM RIGHT HERE!}"


    [My lord, with the exception of a few species, reptiles are generally oviparous. This means that they lay eggs, and once the eggs are laid, the parents provide no further care. Once the eggs hatch, they are often left to fend for themselves.]


    "Wow, that''s metal as fuck!"


    No matter what I said, the effect of [Warcry] was immediate. I began to feel my blood boil as I was exposed to the blood lust of over a thousand beings. Because of the connection through the {Portals}, my [War Cry] should reach farther than Liv''s taunt earlier.


    And like rabid dogs, the monsters who had hesitated before lost their minds and charged recklessly. Bella''s soulless army continued to lay down a wall of lead that tore the monsters apart.


    But larger species like Spikedogs and Cyclopes acted as shields, allowing the smaller ones to pass safely through the kill zone.


    However, the overwhelming force of the howitzers still sent them skyward. In several pieces. Of course, there were hundreds of Rank F''s that were obliterated for every shell that struck.


    "Such a waste! Time to farm Benevols! Let it rip!"


    My seven bodies began to unleash blessed rounds that looked like small galaxies. Against the backdrop of the faint night sky of Hellsgate, the Sacred''s transformed the dust explosions into glowing masses of golden light.


    Unlike lead, the Rank F''s were no longer tossed around, but completely vaporized. The freed space allowed more monsters to pour in. Only to take the place of those that had disappeared, and to be turned to dust all the same. Enjoy more content from empire

 Chapter 583 Time to farm [2/2]

    Soon, only Rank F''s and Lizardkin continued to enter our kill zone. As more and more of the Rank E''s died, they simply didn''t have the numbers to replenish them.The minigun and the M107.50 cal were mowing down the common undead with such efficiency that they made my guns look like they were spewing golden farts.


    I got bored and had some of my avatars stop firing. Instead, they set mines along the cordon of Jo and Bella''s lizard army. The howitzers did such a good job that I didn''t feel any tension at all.


    I was kind of afraid of getting swallowed up by the 155mm shells. But since the ones controlling them were my girls, I was sure I would be safe.


    The Sirens all got angry and gave me an earful about being reckless earlier. So I repented and played nice.


    For about an hour, my girls and I continued to annihilate the invaders on the 24th floor.


    Unable to stop themselves, the monsters rushed into the kill zone like morons. Although they were of a higher rank than the F''s, they couldn''t get a different result.


    The only sad thing was that due to the extreme fire power, there was no loot to speak of. The monster''s remains were so mangled that it was hard to call them corpses. They were just pieces of flesh or leather.


    While I was bemoaning the monetary loss, Exa updated me on the entire battlefield.


    [My lord, over 75% of the undead have been destroyed in the last hour. Except for the loss of income from the corpses, everything is slowly going well.]


    "And the Alpha?"


    [It ignored your [War Cry] despite being exposed to it several times. It also refused to use the {Portals} along its way. It will arrive within the next hour.]


    The number of monsters passing through the {Portals} has been greatly reduced. There were hardly any rank E''s left. It was to the point that there was no reason to keep Bella''s army here.


    "Exa, can you connect me to Gareth, Connie, D and Pixie? Let the Sirens listen in as well."


    [Connecting to Gareth Faesten, Constance Faye, Pixie Richards and Delroy Baxter. You are now on a conference call with all of them. You may begin, My lord].


    [Gareth, most of the undead and lizardkin have been cleared away. I give you my {Vassals}, Connie and the Soulless. Take them to the last fort and rescue the defenders. Try to be back before the Alpha arrives.]


    [Do you even need us here, my lord? Your words were true. Even with just the eight of you, it was possible to clear the entire floor. My lord, I apologize again for my ignorance. Please gather the rest of your forces so that you and the ladies can rest.]


    [Thank you, Gareth, I accept your apology. I will retreat here to prepare for the Alpha. Hellsend will deal with the stragglers. Complete your orders and return as soon as possible.]


    [Yes, my lord. Those howitzers are truly gods of the battlefield. I have never seen such overwhelming power, are they really the inventions of men?] Gareth asked eagerly.


    [They are but tools, Sir Gareth; they alone cannot win our war. I need Phantoms. Free your men and escort them back here. D, Pixie, guard Connie while she does her thing. Connie, you are free to use whatever footage you deem necessary. I trust you to be prudent.]


    [Yes, My lord!] x3


    ''My kindred, the next stage of our operation has arrived. Can you please rearrange the {Portals}? Leave a straight path for Gareth''s party. The next priority is to choose a new interception point for the Alpha. ''


    ''At your command, my love. But I have to say, these howitzers are amazing! I can hardly wait to see what will happen when we bring them north! My love, did you foresee this outcome all along? Should we not herd the Alpha into the kill zone?''


    ''I do not believe that would be necessary. It has ignored every {Portal} it has encountered. Dearest''s judgment is correct. We should aim the howitzers at the Alpha instead. Also, congratulations on your comeback, my dear. I watched Connie''s stream; your splendor was divine.''


    ''Possum, the girls and I have been talking, and based on Exa''s holographic of the Alpha bastard, the M777s won''t do shit. We would have to find another way to kill it. Everyone''s stumped though; I''m sorry I can''t think of anything.''


    ''Stop being a killjoy, Jailbait! You will cause your last two brain cells to die from stress! We will just wing it like we always have! Right, darling? We will just keep blasting it until it dies!''


    ''Honey, we will only leave the portals on Gareth''s route, once he gets to the last fort, he can just use his authority to warp them back. Everything is going smoothly so far. Please don''t worry about the Alpha. I promise you, I will find a way to kill it.'' S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Husband, your battle earlier was so majestic that I couldn''t take my eyes off you. Fortunately, you didn''t get hurt. Leave the Alpha to me. I will definitely bring it down!''


    Shujin, the sirens have overdrafted our stamina to dangerous levels. It seems that the deeper we go, the higher the stamina cost of {Portal}. Besides me, you must not let the others push themselves with {Eat}.''


    I appreciated how lively the girls were, despite the massive burden they obviously had to endure.


    And it was amusing to see that despite everything they had done, my girls still wanted to do more. Aki also seemed to know that I wanted real-time updates on their bodies.


    Overwhelmed with pride and affection, I calmed everyone down by sending positive emotions to their links.


    ''My {Kindred}, you have done so much already. And I love you and am immensely proud of each and every one of you. Do not worry about the Alpha, we will find a way if we think together.


    ''Aki told me how tired you all are. Please let us reconvene inside the fort. We can rest while the others clean up. I need you all when the boss arrives.''


    Yes!'' x7


    [My Lord, I have notified Commander Joshua and the Hellsend Army. They are ready to move at your command.]


    ''Okay, call them in.''


    Gareth, Connie, D, and Pixie moved and got into the Bradley. Half of Bella''s army traveled with them to the fort in the Tier 1 zone. The other half, along with the brainwashed monsters, continued to defend the perimeter of the our beachhead.


    I then saw several skybeams fall to my right. Along with several familiar soul signatures, hundreds of wheeled vehicles appeared. Stay connected through empire


    Along with them were over four hundred Phantoms of Hellsend. Joshua and the commanders of the 2nd Amendment all came toward me.


    They saluted quietly and waited for my words.


    "Time to work. Follow the goals I have set. Coordinate with Earth and this domain using Exa. Establish the line of defense as quickly as possible. Hellsend! Move!"


    "BY YOUR WILL, MY LORD!"


    Joshua began to order the Reapers, who piled into the M1151 Humvees and M1078 LMTVs. With .50 Cal M2 Browning machine guns mounted on each vehicle, dispatching even Lizardkin would be no problem. Especially when each Reaper now had {Call My Name}.


    Mike separated from them with about two dozen people. I was about to ask what was going on, but then half of the Reapers suddenly turned into Wyverns. The rest got on the beasts and took off.


    Gareth arrived at the last fort in record time. The girls all started closing the {Portals} after him. I left the remaining enemies to Hellsend and took a short rest with my harem in one of the rooms.


    Like children, the Sirens all demanded to be spoiled before they rested. With half the objectives of the Scissor operation completed, all that remained was to kill the humongous bastard that was charging us.


    "I can''t wait."

 Chapter 584 Heroine Chapter: You will see [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Josephine Benelli Smith___


    [My ladies, every enemy on the entire floor has been alerted to our presence. Large numbers have begun to move toward our position.]


    Despite the grim news, the girls and I raced forward undaunted. It seems that everyone underestimated how aggressive we could be. This was our first battle after our honeymoon.


    And our official debut as the {Kindred} of Limitless.


    "{I AM FREYJA! THE SHIELD OF LIMITLESS! ANYONE WITH THE COURAGE TO FIGHT ME! STEP FORWARD!}"


    ''Haha, it''s just like Liv to go crazy from adrenaline," I laughed in delight.


    "AAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" her bone-chilling roar echoed. One thing was for sure, the way Liv was now. Even the Alpha would not be able to overpower her. Her new trump card was just that powerful.


    And it was not just her. All seven of us received new soulgear, giving us new tactics and abilities. Even though Darling was the one who earned them, he shared everything with us without hesitation. Originally, only Jas and I didn''t have any.


    Aki, Liv, and Robyn already had Soulgears as a reward for their enlistment. Lilly had hers embedded in her greatsword. Bella, on the other hand, had an heirloom from her parents.


    But when we were given the opportunity to forge new ones, we all jumped at the chance.


    [Rank E Cyclops detected. Number 3.]


    In the same moment, three high-powered bullets flew through the air. Only milliseconds later, the sounds of gunshots rang out. Of course I knew who had fired.


    [OneWomanOrchestra: Targets eliminated.]


    [RealWomenLikeDolls: Goodness, these sisters break common sense as usual. You don''t even have to aim anymore, do you, Jas? That soulgear should be considered cheating!]


    [MastiffKnight: Says the slagger who throws around bullets the size of cars!]


    [A group of Rank E Giants have...]


    As if angry that her dog had been run over. Minerva sent all of her switchblades flying through the air. They rushed towards the monsters that had just arrived and bombarded them into oblivion.


    "Tsk, what purpose do I have if nothing reaches me? Stop killing everything!"


    I couldn''t help but laugh out loud at Liv''s adorable complaint. While being beaten made Liv stronger, if left alone, she would deflate like a balloon. It was both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness.


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Ara, are you angry, Bella? Liv won''t be able to do much at this rate.]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Shut up, you Jav Reject. The Soulgears have tipped the balance of power. If I don''t get more aggressive, I''m going to lose! Liv is already overpowered! Get off my case!]


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: Hahaha! Cheer up, Bella! You get to control corpses now! That is amazing!]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Stop patronizing me, you nut job!]


    [A large pack of Rank E Bearmen arrive from the northeast.]


    "WOW! Everybody! The bears are mine!" I sent out to everyone via [Whisper].


    Of course, everyone wanted to make a good first impression. To the world, to our allies, and to our enemies. Darling''s plan was really reckless. But it was just like him.


    Originally, he was reckless because he was just looking for a place to die. Now, he was reckless for another reason. He knew that no matter what, the Sirens and I would make his desires come true. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''It''s because he''s lazy! And you all indulge him constantly! He doesn''t even bother to check how feasible his plans are! Like diving to the 32nd floor for a corpse! Or exposing our hand to potential spies! Darling is really too much,'' a voice whined in my head.


    ''You say that, Vela, but you have no intention of telling him all that, do you? I mean, you could take over my body anytime you want. But ever since he stole your first kiss, you have been acting like a gazelle hiding from a lion.''


    ''What?! I...Um...Well, it''s not really that big of a deal...''


    Look at that adorable creature. To everyone else, she was a homicidal lunatic. But to Darling, she was like a tiny little mouse.


    ''I would like to correct you though. It''s not like we haven''t kissed before. It''s just that...''


    I ran towards the murderous bears and used my new {Soulgear} on them.


    ''{Communication}''.


    ''Hungry...'' ''Meat!'' ''MEEEATTT!'' ''FOOD!'' ''So hungry!''


    My mind began to hear the thoughts of the big bloodthirsty monsters in front of me. And while I felt bad that they were only attacking to survive, that was their lot in life. And I knew that if I lacked the power, I would be the one to die instead.


    Using [Whisper], {Announce}, and Death Resonance at maximum power, I made new friends.


    ''Hello everyone, you work for me now! And I order you to kill those tasty zombies, okay! LET''S GO!!'' ''


    ''Master?'' ''Tasty?'' ''Tasty!'' ''Follow Master!'' ''MEAT!!!''


    Seeing the results of my experiment, I ran excitedly to the towards the enemy along with my new army.


    "OKAY! WELCOME TO HELLSEND! NOW FOLLOW ME!!!!"


    While using the bearmen to increase my allies, I waited for Vela''s juicy gossip. When she stopped talking, I called out to her.


    ''Hey! Vela! Veeeela, don''t tease me and just shut up. This is like a mortal sin! What did you mean? Come on, spit out the toad!


    ''


    ''Look at this unruly child! Who told you gossip about the romances of your elders?'' She scolded.


    Since her full awakening, Vela has become a comforting presence in my mind. She was so old that she had only outdated ways of thinking.


    But her wisdom was something that gave me insight, so I still valued her input. One example was the idea of brainwashing the Rank E''s. She said I could definately do that and more.


    Curious about her, I already had "Vela" and "Perun" researched. And except for a few snippets of Vela, she wasn''t even a real deity. Perun was like the Thor of Slavic mythology. Only one other name had the same prestige. And that name was Veles, who was like Perun''s Loki.


    The only record of Vela that Exa and I found was two contradictory pieces of information.


    The first was that Vela was the name that Veles used when he turned into a woman. The second was that there were powerful fairies in Slavic mythology called Villa or Veela.


    Whenever I asked the real Vela about either of them, Vela would run away, she was extremely careful about sharing the good stuff.


    While she never told me why I kept dreaming of Darling killing me, by all accounts she was extremely enamored of him.


    I mean, I was already obsessed with my man, but Vela was even crazier. She sometimes hijacks my body to masturbate to Darling! In public!


    [NeverEnoughCows: Tsk. You are all bullying me! I will tell Beloved! Shame on you!] Liv whined like a child.


    ''Jo, what just happened? Can you please tell me? '' Darling asked suddenly.


    ''Oh! It''s my new soul gear. {Huddle}. I was talking to the bears inside their brains, hypnotizing them with {Announce}. It helped that {Interpret} can speak bear,'' I explained.


    ''You are so amazing, Jo.''


    Feeling ecstatic at my {Kindred}''s praise, I fought even harder. I began brainwashing everything I could, growing my army even more.


    The other girls also intensified their actions. I guess they all felt what I felt. The lizardzin were coming. A whole lot of them.


    [My ladies, a large number of Rank D Lizardkin are approaching your position. 500 of them. Please exercise caution.]


    "Let me say Gday!" I heard Robyn shout with joy.


    We all watched as she made contact with the Rank D''s, but unfortunately, they were formidable. Despite Robyn unloading her weapons with reckless abandon, she did little damage.


    "Fuck me dead! You dickheads are tough!"


    Perhaps sensing the situation, my {Kindred} link felt Darling''s worry and unease.


    ''My {Kindred}, can I please assist you?''


    But he was just being a worrywart. It was not enough to stop us. I knew it, and so did my sisters. Lilly was the first to refuse his help. Like a knight, she took it as an insult. But it was more like she wanted to save his strength.


    ''YEAH! Darling is the star of the show! Let us take care of the little ones! HEHE!'' Along with my reply, my eagerness and desire to fight made their way into my {Kindred}.


    I had to kill those overgrown crocodiles. All lizards had the same characteristics, they had hard scales but soft underbellies. So all I had to do was shoot them in those places.


    Despite my new soulgear or equipment, in my opinion, Darling''s abilities and choices were what would win this battle. From the way he recruited the Derycks to the creation of {Call My Name}. It was all because of him.

 Chapter 585 Heroine Chapter: You will see [2/2]

    [Assassin] and [Analyze] were just two of his {Programs}, but they were absurdly broken. Bella alone would not have been able to create them. It was only when Darling combined our {Fates} that he created such powerful abilities.Otherwise, how could .50 Cal rounds be enough to kill a Cyclops with one shot? For anyone else, most of the E''s and D''s would be extremely tough monsters. Even for me, but that was if I wasn''t Darling''s woman.


    But now? They were child''s play.


    And those results did not even include the fact that I had {Limitless} and {Rewind}.


    ''Use your propane tanks and the hypnotized monsters as a distraction. Your weapon should be strong enough to kill them,'' Vela advised.


    "HELLSEND MONSTER DIVISION! FORWARD! AYEYEYE!!!" I cheered as I charged into battle.


    Following Vela''s words, I was able to kill a lot of the Lizardkin. Robyn even started appearing as she used my tanks for cover.


    Her new soulgear {fade} allowed her to dance between existence and non existence. Only Jas and I figured it out as far as I knew, but we bought knew Robyn could pull it off.


    ''This child''s combat senses are far better than all six of you combined. If you want to fight on the same level, you must improve.''


    I became annoyed and sulked at Vela''s observation. It wasn''t as if I wasn''t doing my best! Robyn was not even a Descendant! But her combat senses were too OP! Coupled with the fact that she was from Australia, her {Fate} was already rapidly increasing in power.


    In exchange for the power, her body should have become weaker. But instead, {Limitless} covered up that weakness, allowing her to essentially gain power for no price!


    It was the same with Lilly and Bella! Whatever shortcomings they had were erased by Darling!


    ''Well, I also benefit from Darling''s {Kismet}, but {Listen} was hard to fight from the beginning. But the girls are all too much! How can I catch up when the others are all running ahead of me!''


    Then I felt a huge amount of blood lust erupt from another direction. The only other time I felt that was when we were fighting the Slayer. Robert Acwellan. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Tsk, even Aki has become much stronger! She really did it!''


    I remembered the words she said to all of us.


    It was after she chose {Blood Feast} as her new soulgear. Because of its power and usefulness, Liv and Lilly also wanted it, so the three of them tried to convince the group.


    "This soulgear will consume its wearer. As the owner of the {Eat} family of {Fates}, only I can use it. Liv cannot use both this {Fate} and {Suffer}. Meanwhile, Lilly-sama''s fighting style will not be complemented by this {Fate}, but rather distorted by it."


    Originally, I didn''t want anyone to use {Blood Feast}. It was powerful, that was true. But Robert Acwellan turned into a demon because of it.


    Darling would break if that happened to a Siren. But Aki started to cry when we all tried to convince her otherwise.


    "Please... Please let me have the slayer''s soul gem. I do not want to be left behind. {Eat} is not as great as you all make it. In order for me to continue by Shujin''s side, I must pay the price. I beg you.


    My sisters, please grant my selfish request just this once..."


    In contrast to her playful attitude, we felt how frustrated Aki must have been. Despite her skill with a blade, fighting on the deeper levels was simply not possible unless she was carrying a manifested weapon.


    There were hardly any Soulgears created in the form of weapons. Even if there were, the materials would be hard to come by. Manifested Weapons could never be destroyed or lost forever. Once a manifested reaper rested, they would be as good as new.


    Even Lilly, with all her influence, could only get a sword made from Rank C monsters. Although with what Darling had learned, such a situation might have been intended.


    Not being able to use her weapons like the rest of us, Aki opted to use guns instead. It was a good thing that Darling had actually found a weapon that would help Aki.


    Her fighting style was really complicated. Such thoughtfulness made Darling extremely endearing. We all saw how much Aki loved her new AR-10.


    Similarly, the weapons that everyone except Bella received made us feel how much our {Kindred} adored us. That was probably why everyone was so desperate.


    And from the sounds coming from Aki''s position, she finally got the power she was looking for. Even from where I stood, the sound of something sharp tearing flesh and bone was terrifying.


    ''Congratulations, Aki! But I have no intention of losing!''


    And so the Sirens fought on. But then something changed.


    [My lord and ladies, the Alpha has begun to move. It has been detected in zone 1246-5 and is now on a direct path to Lady Bella. Please prepare for its arrival.]


    Using [Cyborg], I quickly had Exa show me the drone feed of the Alpha. It was not only intimidating, but it was as if I could see the malice emanating from it.


    Unconsciously, I felt myself shaking. It was just like with Andromalius. As if my body somehow knew that this fucker was bad news.


    ''Josephine! Calm down. I do not blame you. We are too weak to take on such an opponent! We have to retreat! We need at least the power of Specter!'' Vela warned.


    But before I could even answer, whatever fear I had felt was suddenly filled with fighting spirit. The source was, of course, the man I adored with every fiber of my being.


    ''My {Kindred}, you all heard Exa, right? Before I begin, I would like to apologize for my past behavior. You are all powerful warriors in your own right. And I belittled that by treating you all like weaklings. Your fights earlier made me realize that I was too arrogant. I am sorry.''


    Eeeh? Darling apologized? Wow! Aki must have finally gotten through to him! It was true. I was much better at fighting than Darling.


    Sometimes his nagging was annoying. But I still loved him very much.


    ''Once you do, I will join the battle. I want you all to use the howitzers to kill as many as you can before the Alpha arrives. At the same time, Hellsend will deploy and begin their own operations. When the Alpha arrives, we will take it down¡ª together. We will win this. I shall accept no other outcome.''


    "..."


    The masculinity emanating from my darling was enough to make me wet. Women naturally wanted to follow a strong and confident man. As Lilly had mentioned, we were not attracted to Darling because he was nice. But because he was competent, fearless, and trustworthy.


    ''My {Kindred}. The only women I will ever love. I need an answer. Will you all follow me? ''


    Oh, no. Darling pushed all the right buttons!


    How could I resist? A man like that was exactly my type! The last time he was like this was when we were Wraiths fighting D-class bosses. Unconsciously, I began to smile as I answered my {Kindred}.


    ''HEHEHEHE! DARLING IS BACK! DARLING IS BACK! SO COOL! Lead on, Your Majesty! Dame Benelli answers the call of her one and only king!


    THIS ALPHA IS GOING DOOOOWWWWNNN!!!!''


    And so the girls and I took the fort in record time. We were all burning with enthusiasm and excitement. We even gave him such an ostentatious welcome. But instead of hugging and cuddling us like before, Darling displayed a majesty that was intoxicating.


    He praised us and gave us another command. It was good to be loved. But the Sirens and I did not want to be protected. We wanted to be relied on. And finally Darling did just that.


    He understood our greatest desire.


    To be trusted enough to do his will. That was all the Sirens ever wanted. Well, that, to be loved, and to give birth to Darling''s children.


    "I command the Sirens in my name. Connect every zone on this floor and bring every enemy to that spot. Once you do, you will all take command of the howitzers and rain hell down on these bastards until there are none left. Can I count on all of you, my Seven Sirens?"


    "YES, MY LORD!!" We all shouted.


    And after a quick goodbye, the Sirens and I jumped off the wall and began our task. Vela seemed unhappy as she complained to me.


    ''Why are you in such a good mood? He is asking you all to do the impossible again.''


    "Eh? Don''t be like that. His Majesty has finally returned! I guess it''s because of Aki."


    ''Huh? I don''t understand. ''


    "HEHEHE! Look forward to it Vela, you will see why we all decided to follow Darling!"

 Chapter 586 What happens [1/2] [R18]

    The girls and I were all in one of the living quarters around the barracks. I placed a {Shelter} shield that covered the door. So for everyone else, this room had no opening. Like spoiled children, my battle harem demanded hugs and kisses.Only to these women would my caresses be worth facing armies of monsters and undead. Naturally, I used {Day by Day}. My familiarity with it allowed me to move them all independently. I could use them as if I were in [Commander].


    I didn''t know if {Gather} and {Calculate} had anything to do with it, but my learning speed in repeating a task was superhuman. In less than 2 weeks, I could have all seven of my bodies having separate conversations.


    Which was good, because I had a lot to talk about with my harem. The Sirens were incredibly stubborn. To everyone else, they were Amazons who would never submit. But to me, they were docile women who accepted my authority.


    Because of their immense talent, even when we were cuddling, they all used the time to bring me up to speed. While the earlier battle was not that difficult, it was a learning experience for me.


    The girls all had new soulgear that we hadn''t had a chance to talk about.


    And instead of being surprised on the battlefield, I wanted to understand how my girls were getting stronger. Fortunately, my {Fates} made processing information much easier.


    ''Being an artificial descendant might also have something to do with it,'' I joked to myself.


    First of all, the longer I used the Siren''s {Fates}, the more I learnt. Aki warned me about the hidden danger of {Eat}. Similar to how no one knew {Rewind} better than me, as the original owner of that {Fate}, she knew best.


    Clearing an entire floor was something we had done before, but complications arose from the battle ealier. Aki mentioned that unlike when we used Song of the Sirens on the single-digit floors, the strain on them this time was immense.


    Aki was mounting me as I sat on a bed against a wall. Her arms were around my neck and her tongue was intertwined with mine.


    All seven of my girls preferred this form of communication. Exchanging saliva with our mouths while discussing with our links.


    "Haa...haa....Aaah--...Ahh--..."


    The sounds of our passionate kisses along with Aki''s soft breathing were all that could be heard. But in reality, we were having a serious conversation.


    ''Kamisan, you are so fucking erotic. Have I told you how much I want you to squeal "ikuu" while I pump your belly full of my semen?''


    ''Literally every time you see me, Anata. Your thoughts are all about defiling me. So much so that I have become desensitized. How can you think about that for every waking moment? Sigh. Never mind.


    By the way, how are you so good at kissing? Where did you learn all that?''


    ''I had seven really good teachers. Joking aside, go on with what you were saying earlier, Aki.''


    ''You say that. But your hands have not stopped fondling me since we entered this room.''


    ''I plead guilty.''


    ''Anyway, as I said. We all felt that opening the {Portals} on this level was more exhausting than on the upper levels. While we barely felt the strain on floors 6 to 10, the girls and I overdrafted almost four times here.''


    '' I do not understand what overdrafting means. I mean, I think I get it, but how does it work?''


    ''Anata, {Eat} has one glaring flaw. It does not actually give you infinite run energy, it just uses it up in advance.''


    ''Explain.''


    ''Let''s think about it in gaming terms. Do you know games where your character has skills that use HP instead of mana?''


    ''Yes, these are usually known as sacrifice skills. Berserkers and demon types always have them. In exchange for reducing their health, they gain immense power,'' I explained like a know-it-all.


    ''Yes, that is true. The same principle applies to {Eat}. Let''s say you normally have 100 HP. If you use your stamina, that 100 HP will be reduced.''


    ''The {Eat} family of {Fates} all either use stamina or restore it {Gather} and {Carve} are passive, so they just add to your daily stamina energy.''


    "Okay... what is the problem then?''


    ''The problem is when you run out. When you use {Eat] or {Butcher}, you restore your stamina by using HP that you do not have. That is, instead of having only 100 HP, because of my {Fates}. You actually have 300 you can use.''


    ''I see. As long as I can eat something, I can summon more stamina by using my future HP?''


    "Yes. That is how it works. Normally, you regenerate your stamina, so when you are not using it, your body restores the HP by itself. The problem is when you exceed the limit. If you have used up 300 HP, but still force your body to use {Eat}, you are overdrafting,'' Aki explained.


    ''Okay, I can still understand that.''


    ''Good. {Limitless} has an inferior version of {Eat}. Its limit is three times your original stamina. So for people with 100 HP, its limit is 300,'' Aki explained


    ''Go on...''


    ''In the battle earlier, the Sirens and I all had over 500 HP. I am fine because my version of {Eat} allows me to draw 800 HP.''


    ''Hmm. Then what will happen to your body if you overdraft it too much?''


    ''Anata, this is why I warned you about it. Even though we have {Rewind}. {Rewind} is not perfect. It restores your stamina, but only the 100 points you body naturally possesse. It does not restore the HP you borrowed with {Eat}. That is why our mental fatigue does not disappear with {Rewind}, but with {Eat}.''


    Hearing Aki''s explanation made a lot of sense. I had always wondered why {Rewind} could heal me but still leave me mentally tired even if my body was fine. The only time this logic did not apply was during sex.


    ''Was that why your face turned purple and black when you used {Blood Feast}? That was the sign of overdrafting?''


    Yes. The more your stamina is overdrawn, the more your body will slowly die. My earlier appearance was only worth 400 to you and the other sirens. I could do it again, as I still have 100 HP left if I were to use your numbers.''


    ''What happens after that? What happens if the Sirens and I exceed the 500 limit and go to 600?''


    Aki suddenly bit my lip while grabbing the back of my head. Her link was suddenly drowned in fear and worry. She pulled back and stared at me with a fierce glare.


    ''NEVER DO THAT, ANATA! Under no circumstances should you do that! Please promise me! If you overdraw beyond the safe numbers, the accumulated loss of HP will hit you all at once! You will die!''


    The woman in front of me was no fool.


    If even she, despite being a Phantom, still feared the dangers of overdrafting stamina, I should listen to her. These must be the hidden dangers of {Eat}. Like the other {Fates}, they were incredibly balanced.


    {Counter} from the {Withstand} family was the same. In exchange for the power beyond what you could normally use, you had to endure pain and know when to stop.


    {Portal} while allowing fast travel also opened up the possibility of being lost in the void.


    {Listen} would drive a Reaper mad if he couldn''t control it. Even the {Carry} family also had this problem. You could fall from the sky or get flattened if you ran out of souls while using using {Ascend} or {Pack}.


    Aki''s eyes continued to stare into mine as she waited for my answer. As the one she loved, my Kamisan''s assertiveness only made her more adorable. I mean, how much did she cherish me to wear such a worried expression?


    Without a word, I moved closer and kissed her once more. Drowning in passion, she relented and locked lips with me again.


    ''I understand Kamisan. And thank you for telling me. I should get Exa to add HP so we can figure out how to assess our overdraft. ''


    ''Hmm... Okay. A better solution would be to force Exa to forcufully disable {Eat} once we overdraft,'' my ninja suggested.


    ''You''re right. I will think about it.''


    Aki ended our kiss abruptly, but suddenly opened her dress, exposing her magnificent breasts. Then she led my hand to the string on her hips and pulled it loose.


    ''Good. Now make love to me as if your life depended on it. Anata...I long for your love'' S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 587 What happens [2/2] [R18]

    When Saturday, the avatar with Aki, learned of this news, I shared the information with the rest of the Sirens. I made them swear to be careful. Of course, since there were several conversations going on at once, I am not sure if they paid any attention.All but one pair were doing perverted things, as if starved for companionship. Each of my girls discussed a different topic while we embraced each other.


    As {Kindred} link discussions were almost instantaneous, to bystanders, we entered this room just to fuck. And when most of my bodies began to mate with my harem, I didn''t have a valid excuse.


    Even though they said we should rest, they must like the pleasure of sex so much more.


    ***


    Robyn leaned against my chest as she sat on my lap. My left arm held her midsection to my body while my right hand traced the length of her panties. Her battle skirt had slits down the sides, making access to her garden quite easy.


    As if afraid I would let go, she secured herself to me with her left arm. Then, in longing, her right arm reached behind her for my neck as we shared tender kisses. Our bodies sought each other naturally, without our participation.


    "Hyaaaa....Haaaa..."


    Find adventures at empire


    My Aussies, lewd sounds excited my body. But in our link, we were excited in a different way.


    ''How about blowing him up from the inside? I can charge up its mouth and let myself be eaten. Then I will shred its insides into paste! Would that work, Possum?''


    ''Kitten, we don''t even know if you''ll fit. What if you get stuck in its throat?''


    ''How can such a huge thing have such a tiny throat? I can just blast my way in once I get inside its mouth.''


    ''Robyn, I know you really want to kill the Alpha. But I don''t even know if this thing is an animal. What would you do if it was like a dragon with gas or something in it? We''re assuming it''s got reptile guts and stuff inside, but what if it''s not?'' I warned her.


    ''Just have Exa analyze its guts or something! We have {Imaging}. Holographic, X-ray, thermal. With all the nerds from Bella''s group we have, that should be easy, Possum.''


    ''Fine. Then I will have the wizards analyze this thing''s body.''


    ''Haha, too late Possum, Bella has already done so since she saw that thing for the first time,'' Robyn remarked smugly.


    ''Oh? She hasn''t... yes, she has. She just told me.''


    ''See, problem solved. Now, root me like a slagger. Possum. My body is too hot. Pound me like only I mattered to you. Right here.


    Right now.''


    Seeing the lust in my eyes, Robyn took my cock out and began use me to chrun her insides without restraint.


    ***


    Meanwhile Jo pushed me against a wall and unzipped my pants. Like a horny slut she quickly filled her mouth with my meat stick. I couldn''t help but wince as her wet and soft tongue began to caress me. My Italian {Kindred} began to bob her head in an attempt to suck the cum from my balls.


    "Mppffh...Mpff..."


    ''Hehe, darling, are you feeling good? Your link is practically drowning in pleasure.''


    "Keep going Jo, seeing my dirty cock in your mouth makes my hair stand on end.''


    As if that was her cue, Jo grabbed my hips and started deep throating me. I could feel the head of my cock hit the back of her mouth and arch down.


    ''This is your reward, darling. You have finally learned to trust us completely. I was hesitant to go all the way because I didn''t want you to get angry. But now I can finally fight without inhibitions. You have to promise not to get angry, okay?''


    Wait! Jo, stop! I...''


    With the pleasure driving me mad, my essence rushed to the end of my shaft. Within moments it left me and poured down my {Kindred}''s throat. As I pumped out, Jo pulled her head back. The white milk obscenely smeared my beautiful shooting star.


    "Fuck...huff...huff..." I gasped as my climax ended.


    Jo''s eyes were like a succubus as she wiped the cum from her face and swallowed it. Then she started to roll up her skirt. Like Robyn, Jo''s combat uniform allowed for "sudden" and "quick" romps in the field.


    ''I had already proposed a plan to Bella and the girls. Vela helped with that too. Be sure to thank her. Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, let''s get to the main event. Please shower me with your love, Darling. I want my reward too.


    ''


    My darling''s cheeks flushed red from excitement. Jo bit her lip as she pulled aside what looked like a thong. She lifted her right leg and inserted my dick into an already wet and sloppy hole. I knew this woman would never lie to me. So when she said the girls already had a plan, I believed her.


    ''Okay then, prepare to have your insides ravaged, my lady. Your knight is charging in!'' S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ***


    "Myaaa...Haaa...Haa..." Bella gasped as I sucked on her neck from behind. Feeling my mind slipping away, I pinned her against a wall and rolled up her skirt, exposing her lascivious lace underwear.


    I didn''t know if it was a common theme, but their clothes all seemed to be designed for easy access. Even before we entered, my Brazilian lover hugged me the moment we reunited. Bella practically ordered me with my {Kindred} link for some loving.


    ''Honey. Fuck me senseless. Just the thought of not being able to see you makes me anxious. You love me, right? I am irreplaceable, right? You won''t find a new woman or fall in love with Evelyn Flowers while you''re there?''


    It was just like my bombshell to worry more about a woman than the Alpha.


    While this woman acted like a confident bitch, her ego was quite fragile.


    To everyone else, she was either the cold-blooded Weeping Mary or the ruthless Minerva. But to me, she was just a normal woman performing an act.


    ''Why would I do that when I have this?'' I retorted as I roughly squeezed her massive breasts.


    "Ahh! not so hard..."


    ''Really? You''re not just saying that? You like me more?'' Bella asked telephatically as she started to moan like a harlot.


    ''Of course I do. I would never throw you away Bella. And I will spend every day of my life proving that to you.''


    ''O-Okay...Then I want to tell you about the plan before we get into it. My brain fries when we have sex.''


    I felt incredible at the attention I was getting from this Brazilian beauty. I start rubbing my erect privates on the crack of my honey''s ass.


    ''You have 5 seconds, that''s as long as my sanity lasts.''


    ''That''s too short! How will I be able to explain anything? You are an asshole, honey!''


    ''You have four seconds left....''


    Knowing that I would never joke about sex, Bella began to squirm as she tried her best to explain.


    ''We''ve already analyzed his entire body. it''s too hard! So we want to boil it! The Alpha''s molecular structure looks even denser than osmium, and we theorize that it could be even harder than diamond. Swords and even the M777 won''t be able to break it.''


    Enjoying the sight of her panicking, I licked her ears as I reached for her clit from behind and teased it.


    "Hyaaaa...!"


    "And then? I asked lewdly.


    ''Jo suggested that we use pressure to cook it from the inside like a crab. So we dig a hole, put the crab in. Pour water in. Then suddenly heat it until it boils alive! When its shell goes into thermodynamic shock, we should be able to shatter it. ''


    Finding holes in her plan, I bit Bella''s earlobe as I pressed against her.


    "I-Iyaaa!!! Honey...What th-"


    Ignoring her complaints, I asked without words. ''How?''


    ''Exa shared that there are floors within the top twenty floors that has a volcanic area and a frozen tundra.


    We intend to go there, open {Portals}, and supply the elements. Anvil will prepare the stage. Hammer will kill the Alpha and continue Operation Paper.


    Well done,'' I praised.


    Finding the texture of her clothes annoying, I pulled down the front of her blouse. I then used [Strip] and shoved my angry dick into her quivering pussy.


    "Hyaa...I-Iyaaa...Fuck!!!"


    I then showered Bella with my love as I ravished her without an inch of mercy.

 Chapter 588 Would I [1/2]

    Even though it was not our intention, we discussed everything we needed in less than a second. What else were we supposed to do? I wanted the girls to rest. But it seems that, like many people, their definition of rest differed from the norm.For some, rest meant lying down and watching a movie. Others could only relax in the presence of absolute silence with a good book. But just as many relax by sweating out their stress through exercise or chores. My girls and I had different definitions.


    I wanted them to lie down and sleep. They relaxed by having sex. Aki, Robyn, Jo, and Bella all wanted to be intimate with me. Their links told me how much they longed for me. And how much they were afraid that I would leave.


    Unlike Earth or the first 10 floors of Hellsgate, my destination was beyond dangerous. It was not a place they could just follow without preparation. While I knew nothing about the floor, the target, or our route to the destination, those in my party did.


    Leo and Nyda had probably been preparing for years. Nyda and Evelyn seemed very close. Not many would waste four years of their lives on what could easily be a hopeless task. So I knew instinctively that they would have used the time to map out the route bit by bit.


    They never even doubted that they couldn''t take a skybeam directly to the 32nd floor. As if they knew that such a tactic would lead to an ambush.


    Continue your adventure with empire


    Moreover, they even knew how long the journey would be. Based on those two factors alone, I am sure they have already done everything they could.


    Lilly, Liv and Jas came to the same conclusion. So they were not particularly worried about our trip. Lilly and Jas were of course very smart people. While Liv was a warrior with excellent fighting instincts.


    But just because the preparations had been made didn''t mean that everything would be perfect. Usually, plans only mattered until the shit hit the fan. After that, training, instinct and luck would take over. And my girls were terrified that I would be in danger.


    And unlike before, the Sirens in the Anvil group wouldn''t be able to help me. So their fear manifested itself in a need for warmth and affection.


    I could understand why. It was as if your lover was moving to another country. You had bonds, but they were at the mercy of what fate had in store.


    Many are unable to withstand the supreme forces of time and distance. I understood that feeling very well. Probably because I felt the same way.


    ''I mean, how could I not?''


    With my departure to the 32nd floor, I was leaving my home to the whims of fate. There were three separate continents that wanted to fight with me.


    And while David and Zach were telling me that the attacks would come in three months, there was literally nothing to say that the opposite was not true.


    The facts I had were that all the battle fronts were arming their Formless reapers. Now that David had broken the armistice that had kept the peace, we were headed for war.


    And this while the battlefronts were all playing mind games with each other. If the invasions happened while I was gone.


    Who could stop them?


    David made one thing very clear. He was cutting this whole floor off from his domain. While we were no longer bound by his will, but that also meant we were no longer under his protection.


    The situation of Gareth and the Phantoms here was the best proof. David Thomas the Invincible did not care if they lived or died. According to the knight, David''s men withdrew and stopped supporting them the moment I won the war.


    It was clear they were waiting to see what I would do. If we failed to subdue the Alpha, we would all die here.


    And If we managed to kill the Alpha but could not deal with the malevolence, we would all have our souls collapse instead.


    David was using me as a guinea pig. And I fully believe that if I died, he would come here and turn me into a Soulgear.


    He did not need me. He just needed my ability. What the Revenant needed was a tool, not a person. While history and fiction meant such words metaphorically, here it was literal.


    And similar to me, Lilly cut all ties with her father. So just like me, the wannabe superhero no longer cared if she lived or died.


    ''What must be going through that fucker''s mind. How could he even bear to abandon Lilly, his own flesh and blood?


    My {Kindred} did everything she could to be a good heir for David. Yet none of it mattered.


    Was it because he barely knew both Lilly and her mother? According to my princess, she was adopted by the Brownings after David''s real family was annihilated.


    And since he was a Revenant, much like a Specter, he must no longer remember any of them.


    If I was in his shoes and a child came to my door and said she was my daughter, I would speak to her mother first. But what if you couldn''t, and what if you didn''t even remember the mother or the time you spent with her?


    ''Would I experience that one day?'' I worried.


    If the Sirens died. Would I be able to love our children? How would people convince me that the child was mine? Would I even be able to remember the act of making the child? Such a situation would be like getting someone pregnant while drunk.


    Such realities were already capable of driving me crazy with worry. And I was a stupid motherfucker. My girls, who were much smarter than me, obviously had it worse.


    No one said anything, but I could feel the fear and anxiety radiating from my girls. Nothing was worse than not being able to do anything when your loved ones were in danger.


    For most, it was unacceptable to just sit back and watch the world collapse. People would act to stop it. People would think of ways to solve the problem. That was what the human mind was capable of.


    ''And that is why people worry.''


    Aki, Robyn, Jo and Bella would be separated from me. A few days at best. If the worst came to the worst, those might be the last moments we had together. The four of them would be the ones on the Anvil team. That means they would play defense.


    Jas, Liv and Lilly would be with me. If we died, at least we would be together. The Anvil team would not be. They were not yet Specters, so they would at least remember to wait for my return.


    ''Though for some, that can be a curse. Perhaps forgetting the dead is the next best thing.''


    The girls of the Hammer team were equally worried, but not as desperate. After all, I would be within their reach. But like animals that know their end is near, they too sought me out lustfully, all save one.


    ***


    Lilly pulled me into a corner of the room and waited. Funnily enough, while Bella was open in her desire to be dominated by me. This woman wanted to pretend she didn''t mind. Only, she practically dreamed of being pushed down.


    Her {Kindred} link was the same. It had a hint of annoyance and was overflowing with what I could only describe as eagerness. No, that was not right. It was more like anticipation. I also noticed that Lilly had her eyes on the rest of the Sirens.


    Wanting to experience such carnal desires, she wanted nothing more than to pretend to resist, only to be overpowered. I once read that if men''s books tended to be about harems and adventures, women''s romances were often about billionaires, werewolves, and vampires. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    What all three had in common was that the male leads were "beasts" who devoured the female leads. And the she would drown in their tyranny while taming these men. That was what women thrived on. And Lilly, whose brain was addicted to smut, was the same.


    When I did nothing, she made an unhappy face. The others and I were already getting down to business. But the two of us just stood there. Lilly finally pouted while her link began to heat up from irritation. She would probably have a fit if I waited any longer.

 Chapter 589 Would I [2/2] [R18]

    I grabbed her wrists and forcefully held them above her head.''You dirty little harlot. Instead of helping me with the Alpha, you brought me here just to cum buckets in your lewd hole! Pretending to be angry, I moved my hands to the buttons of her uniform and ripped them off.


    "Ah! No, dearest! This is not it!"


    She tried to struggle, but her pathetic efforts to free herself were weaker than a child''s. I was getting bored with her antics. I forcefully pulled her blouse towards her hands while keeping them pinned. With my free hand, I pulled down her skirt and began rubbing along her underwear.


    ''Look at all that pussy juice! You fucking slut!''


    ''P-Please don''t shame me any more my love...''


    Seeing Lilly''s wonderful assets, I forgot that I was acting and lost my mind. Ravaging her for real. My princess, on the other hand, got excited and had the time of her life.


    ***


    On one of the beds Jas pushed me down and got on top of me. Knowing what we both wanted, Jas turned around and placed her nether regions on my face.


    She began to undo pull down zipper on my pants and gingerly pulled out my cock. In the 69 position, Jas began to tenderly kiss my shaft as she licked it all over.


    I began to shiver with pleasure as Jas got busy. Not wanting to be the only one feeling good, I began to fondle Jas'' ass, causing her to moan seductively.


    "Aah!...Husband, so rough...H-Hyaaa..!"


    Hearing her soft words only drove my lust wilder. I was about to stroke along her lower lips when a silver zipper caught my eye.


    The zipper didn''t bother me. What bothered me was where it was. It started at just above her navel and went horizontally down to my African lover''s tailbone.


    ''Wifey. You added this to your skin-tight bodysuit for obscene reasons didn''t you?''


    Embarrassment flooded my {Kindred} link as she stammered.


    ''U-Uhm. It was for hygienic reasons. It allows me to relieve myself without having to take the suit off. It''s not l-lewd!''


    ''Really? It seems to me that your body suit added this so that I could fuck you regardless of time or place.''


    ''That''s...''


    I quickly pulled down the zipper and immediately saw my wife''s lady bits. She wasn''t even wearing underwear! Wanting to punish her for her vulgarity, I began to lick and play with her happy button.


    "Mmmgn...N-No...That''s..."


    Unwilling to let her finish, I began pleasuring her with my tongue. In response, Jas began to blow me as well.


    With both our mouths occupied, we continued our discussion through our link.


    ''Wifey...let''s play a game. First one to cum loses.''


    ''Hmph! You are way too cocky husband! I will squeeze you dry in seconds! But what are the stakes?''


    Then I thought about what I didn''t know about Jas. The first thing that came to my mind, was her new soulgear. Who it was from. What it did. And how hard it was to use.


    For some reason Liv and Jasmine evaded answering when I asked.


    The other Sirens didn''t help either. For some reason, they all agreed that I was better off not knowing. If the girls all agreed on something, I''m sure it wasn''t a trivial matter. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Tell me what your new soulgear does if I win. If I lose, I won''t ask again. ''


    Suddenly, I felt shame and sadness emanating from Jasmine. Her link felt cold as ice as my Wifey felt miserable. Jasmine already had reservations about lying to me.


    The fact that I had sacrificed my human life for her was something that weighed heavily on her mind before I found out.


    If what she was feeling was any indication, she wanted to tell me the truth but couldn''t. Jas then began to lick up my shaft as she massaged my family jewels.


    Her soft hands felt extremely pleasurable on my rod. So much so that I forgot about the soulgear. But Jas then took it upon herself to explain.


    ''Husband, my new Soulgear is from Jayden Ryan. The one called Spade and its {fate} were mislabeled as {Gambler}. Its true name is {Variance}.''


    ''Oh? then it has something to do with foresight?''


    ''It''s not that straight forward, Husband. It is the jewel in my earring. It gives me the power to recognize patterns and act accordingly. This was what made Jayden Ryan seemingly see the future in advance.''


    Stay tuned to empire


    ''I see. But as the one who defeated Spade, I already know how powerful this {Fate} is. Why are you hiding it from me, wife?''


    ''It is because of the fifth level of the {Variance} family. It is called {Probability}. To explain it in game terms, I gained the ability to see all the possible endings the moment I see the choices.''


    Stories with multiple endings have been around for a long time. I first experienced them as Choose Your Own Adventure paperbacks in thrift stores. Decades later, video games and visual novels made them more accessible, but the basic idea remained the same.


    At some point in the story, you were given the opportunity to make a choice. That choice would lead to different endings. Some might have small changes, while others might lead to completely different outcomes. And now Jas could see those outcomes.


    ''Wifey, isn''t that ability fucking broken?''


    ''It is. instead of seeing just one future, {Variance} sees all the futures and then ranks them by order of possibility. It is very accurate that it seems capable of seeing the future. But the problem is the mental strain - I... uh, fainted and went into a coma for a few minutes the first time I used it.''


    ''...''


    ''Husband, please say something. The girls all believed that you would destroy this Soulgear. But it is really powerful! I just need to control it! Actually, {Limitless} and [Commander] helped a lot. Now I can see the future like a TV show, so I no longer faint!'' Jas tried to reason anxiously.


    It was kind of funny because she was giving me oral sex while she was making her case. My chocolate-skinned lover was right about one thing, though. Normally, I would have forbidden her to use such a dangerous {Fate}.


    At least, that was before I saw Aki pushing herself to gain strength. As someone who had walked a similar path. I knew why Jasmine wanted to keep the {Variance}; like Aki, she probably felt that she was too weak.


    In response to her explanation, I began to lick and lightly suck on her clit.


    "H-HYAAAAAA!!!!!"


    ''I''m going to change the game, Wifey. If I cum first, you get to keep your soulgear. You will throw it away if you do,'' I suggested.''


    ''Hmph! Then prepare to lose, husband! I am keeping this soulgear!''


    And so Jas and I tried to pleasure each other to climax. Fortunatley or unfortunately, I lost. It didn''t end there as we had a several rematches in increasing intensity.


    ***


    For the last Siren, Liv made me sit on the bed and placed herself on my lap. Liv was quite happy that I simply allowed her to rest on my body. For a big woman like her, everything seemed small. While the others all wanted to make love, Liv didn''t.


    Instead, my northerner was happy just to be close to me. Or rather, she was content to be pampered instead. I knew it was because she had an unhappy and lonely childhood.


    That was all well and good, but I wanted to know what Liv''s new soulgear was.


    Bella had a pair of glasses that could raise the undead, {Instigator}. It didn''t even matter if the corpse had a head or not. Like a puppeteer instead of a summoner, {Instigator} was incredibly powerful.


    Lilly could shrink and enlarge objects with {Magnitude}. A soulgear was tied around her neck like a chocker. This allowed her to maximize her storage space by shrinking shit, or increase her damage by making shit bigger.


    On Aki''s head was a kitsune mask. This seemingly mundane object allowed her to control blood like a weapon. It was called {Blood Feast}.


    In addition to being able to brainwash people, Jo gained the ability to read and speak into people''s minds. {Huddle} granted telepathy to its user while disguising itself as a simple ribbon.


    The cat-eared headband called {Fade} allowed Robyn to jump anywhere. It also gave her immense speed and made her immune to attack.


    Jas had the earring that allowed her to see use her immense intellect to predict the future with {Variance}.


    Somehow, my girls all got {fates} that matched well with either their strenghts or combat syles.


    Before I could even ask Liv, she suddenly shrank and became younger. I forgot my current worries as I saw Liv suddenly become a toddler. She was perhaps four or five years old.


    My northern MILF had become a loli!


    "What the fuck?"

 Chapter 590 The best way to fight malice [1/2]

    The young girl with the red hair suddenly shrank out of her clothes, stripping her of everything. But at the same moment, the child in front of me spoke through our link in a familiar voice.''Hmph. This is the part I dislike the most. [Dress].''


    Liv''s battle dress suddenly disappeared, and in its place, a cute outfit adorned the young girl''s body. The only thing that remained the same was the finned headband that the real Liv wore. Although the same acesory shrank in proportion to my Valkyrie.


    Unable to comprehend what was happening, I quickly got out of my seat and lifted the child. I held her by the armpits and made her face me.


    The one in front of me was eerily similar to the Northerner I loved the most. But she was, if I had to guess, about 4-5 years old. Baby Liv pouted unhappily as she made a face. It was as if I had taken away her toy and she was about to cry.


    ''Beloved. Being held like this...it''s humiliating...''


    I quickly looked around and noticed that none of my other girls gave Baby Liv a second glance. They were all too busy flirting with me or fucking my brains out.


    Before I could ask, I felt happy emotions running out of all my Sirens. It was as if they were pleased that they had just played a prank on me.


    Turning my attention back to the toddler in my hands, I was amazed at how much she looked like Liv. She had the same beautiful face, but lacked the sharp features of the woman I had grown to love.


    ''Liv?


    ''Daddy!'' Liv cheered so innocently it should have been a crime.


    I looked away, my heart practically dying from diabetes. Would my daughter with Liv look like this creature? Unable to tear my eyes away, I looked back. Only to find the toddler shielding her face as her cheeks flushed.


    ''I knew I shouldn''t have listened to the others. Robyn and Bella made mischievous faces when they suggested it. Aki and Jo laughed to tears when I practiced. How could this be acceptable? For an unattractive woman like me to act like a child... Even my own {Kindred} couldn''t look at me...''


    Feeling the negativity coming from my toddler, I quickly sent her love and adoration. I then gently hugged her as I stroked her hair.


    ''Liv, my love, I am sorry. It is the opposite. You are too adorable. My heart almost melted from your cuteness. It suits you, but that was not the best part of this little surprise.''


    ''It suits...me? I see. But what best part are you talking about?


    I don''t understand,'' Liv asked, tilting her head to the right.


    ''OH, FUCKING HELL! IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL TO LOOK THIS ADORABLE!''


    Surprised by my scream, Liv visibly panicked, making her look even more like a child. Unable to resist her charm, I quickly sat back in the chair and hugged baby Liv. Her cheeks were so cute that I couldn''t resist poking them. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The former 6''6" Norther held my index finger with both of her hands in annoyance. I was sure she was glaring at me, but it just looked cute. I smiled in response. Of course, Liv made an even more adorable pouty face.


    ''Beloved! I am not a real child! Stop it! What pleasure do you get from poking my cheeks?''


    I couldn''t help but smile goofily as I basked in Baby Liv''s soothing aura. Even her angry face was endearing. Now I understood why fathers always said that sons and daughters were never the same.


    As far as I was concerned, it was okay for me to see my son fall off a monkey bar or something. I probably would have just said that life sucked. But for this little angel, I would absolutely murder anyone who so much as scratched her.


    ''Fuck. I want a daughter soon. And I would pamper her to hell and back,'' I wished.


    Baby Liv tried to stand on my thighs. It seemed her balance was off as she almost fell. The adorable toddler reached for my face. Her tiny hands ligthly slapped mycheeks to get my attention.


    ''Beloved. The emotions of your link are hard to understand. What are you thinking about right now?''


    Regaining my senses, I shared my thoughts with Liv and she suddenly turned around, embarrassed.


    ''W-What are you saying? I-I am already your woman, but it has only been a week! How can I suddenly give birth? P-Please be patient. I will certainly give you many children. But you must remember...''


    Unable to resist my desires, I picked up baby Liv and put her back on my lap. While the rest of the room was filled with the sounds of animals in heat, Liv and I just sat together. Hugging baby Liv was like a drug. It was so fucking addictive!


    Unable to stop myself, I rubbed my cheeks against baby Liv''s as I marveled at her new appearance. Somehow I felt my soul being healed. This was probably the best way to fight malice! With cuteness!


    ''Liv...Liv...Liv, you are so fucking adorable!''


    The northerner didn''t resist and just giggled at my actions.


    ''I-I am glad that you are pleased. But this is just the effect of my new soulgear. I was going to tell you, but the girls said this was the best way to do it.''


    ''Mmm! Definitely the best! I nodded in agreement.


    Baby Liv was so innocent that I didn''t even glance at all the moaning and panting of the other Sirens and myself.


    I didn''t know if it was because she had the body of a toddler now, but Liv''s connection was pure as well. There was no lust, no passion. Only joy.


    ''Beloved...I can feel your bliss, but can you please release me now? My cheeks are becoming sore. And it is humiliating to be treated like this. I am a grown woman.''


    ''I refuse. This is definitely the best way to fight malice!'' I replied in all seriousness.


    ''Haa...Exa was right. Well, I am kind of used to it. Jas, Aki and Lilly wasted so much time making me wear clothes made for children. Anyway, my soulgear is called {Adapt} and it comes from Tyrell Whitley.''


    Who the fuck was that again? Was I supposed to remember his name? In the face of baby Liv, I hardly had time for anyone else. As I healed my soul by cuddling baby Liv, Exa came to my rescue.


    [Tyrell Whitley, a Phantom from your Seeker War. His {Fate} was mislabeled as {Elastic}. You called him the Reaper version of Plastic Man or Luffy.]


    ''Ah! The stretchy guy? What does stretching have to do with Liv suddenly getting younger?''


    ''I do not understand that either. Exa, can you please...''


    [Of course, Lady Liv. My lord, {Adapt} is basically rapid cellular mitosis. It is what cells do to divide and multiply. Tyrell Whitley, used it to lengthen his arms, then reversed the process to shorten them. Lady Liv, learned his techniques but used them differently.]


    I looked at Liv and praised her excitedly.


    ''OH! How amazing! You are such a good girl! Who is the sweetest girl in the world! Of course it is baby Liv! So smart!


    My baby is so talented!''


    ''My love, please do not forget that I am older than you...''


    But then something occurred to me.


    ''Wait! If your opposite becomes younger, will you also become older? Will you become an old woman? Don''t tell me that this soulgear sucks up your life essence like a vampire or something!''


    Baby Liv giggled in an angelic voice as she laughed.


    ''Haha, beloved, you are so silly. Of course not. {Adapt}, for me, manifests as cell division as I rapidly change in size.''


    ''Change in size? As in height? Then while you grow smaller your get bigger too? Like Ant-Man?''

 Chapter 591 The best way to fight malice [2/2]

    ''Yes, but I will show it to you later. I actually got the idea from the Avenger movies. The girls made me binge watch them when we were in Japan.''Just as I was about to answer, Liv frowned as if she remembered something.


    ''Beloved, I also have one other matter, I wanted to discuss with you.''


    Feeling the emotions of fear, sadness and confusion, baby Liv bit her lip as she continued.


    ''My love. The girls and I have decided to partially release the {Seal of Seven}. This is so that once we give Leo and Nyda {Call my name}, we will have a way to kill them instantly. Jas, Jo and Aki think that Nyda might be a vampire spy.'' sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That. That was dark. It slipped my mind that vampires were portrayed as smart as hell. I was so used to fighting mindless zombies that I forgot that they would not be the only thing I had to deal with.


    Much like the sentient monsters I fought on my first night. Smart bastards were scarier than tough bastards. I remembered my fourth dirge siren.


    It was the one where I met Isolde Drache. The difference between the enemies that could think and those that could not was like night and day. She would have died if I hadn''t come.


    Grateful for my harem. I stroked Liv''s head in appreciation.


    ''Thank you, Liv. I had not considered such a possibility, you are right.''


    ''It''s not just me, my love. Please remember to thank the others as well. Even though I disagree with them. Your life is not something I want to put at risk. If there is even the slightest possibility that Nyda and her {Kindred} are our enemy, Lilly, Bella, and I will unlock {Kill Switch} for you.''


    Which meant that afterwards, I was free to kill them all.


    Those were the cold and ruthless words of my women. Surely, {Kill Switch} would give us some insurance against betrayal. Nothing was harder than having to fight an enemy and your former allies at the same time.


    I nodded my head in silence. When Liv saw that I was no longer upset by her words, she placed her tiny hand on my cheek again.


    ''Beloved, Aki, Robyn, Jo and Bella have already given their consent. Until you return to the 24th floor. Four of the seven keys that lock the {Seal of Seven} will be opened. The girls of Anvil have only one request in exchange.''


    Even though Liv didn''t say it, the implications of her words lead to only one result.


    Kill everyone and everything as needed. All so I could return home.


    My {Vassals} would be different, of course. I will take Delroy and Pixie along with the pair of adventurers. But I was sure that they were one and the same to the girls.


    The Sirens, like me, did not believe in the inherent goodness of humanity. We would much rather be proven wrong. But alas, that is not the usual case for the people of Hellsgate.


    Hellsend seemed to be an exception, but who knows how long that will last. It only takes one man to turn a situation south.


    The US. The military even had an acronym for it. FUBAR or "Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition".


    Being able to think that way was not for everyone. But it certainly allows us to prepare for future problems. As I began to contemplate, Liv sent positive emotions again.


    My thoughts began to wrap around the consequences of such a betrayal, so her efforts to calm me down helped greatly. Leo and Nyda were already powerful. But this would be a good insurance policy to check if the Adventure couple were who they said they were.


    Since I had the feeling that the Sirens'' decision had been thoroughly deliberated, I simply agreed.


    After all. Although I would already have four of the seven seals lifted, I still wouldn''t be able to use the {Kill Switch}. This meant that if Lilly, Liv, and Jas did not give their consent, my {Kismet} would be nothing more than a waste of space.


    ''I see. Thank you for telling me. Who made the decision to get everyone''s approval first?''


    Baby Liv frowned as she replied.


    ''It was I. The thought that we might not make it back made me very uneasy. Unlike in my youth, I have a home now. One I can call my own. I have never been so afraid, my love. Would you happen to know why?''


    The Northerner''s question reminded me of Roland Winchester''s words.


    "John Smith, unlike when you died as a human. You have much to lose now. I can see it in your eyes. The emptiness has been replaced by many things. Love, pride, contentment, happiness. Do you want to go on knowing that you might lose them?"


    Liv was much like me in this respect. Unlike when she was isolated from her family, she was no longer alone.


    If before she had been mocked for looking like an orc, now I admired her beauty every chance I got. And I told her so in word and action. Her fear probably stemmed from terror at losing the things that gave her happiness.


    ''This is because you have much to lose now, Liv. They say that most people only see the value of something when it is gone, or when they never had it in the first place. Now that you are happy it is natural to fear losing them,'' I explained.


    ''I see. That is terrifying. How do you deal with the fear and the uncertainty, my love?''


    I kissed her head as I answered.


    ''I try to remember that while there is a chance of losing what I value, if I do nothing, I forgo the future where they still exist. We all have to make our own choices Liv, and you have made yours. Even if it comes at the expense of Leo and Nyda.''


    ''I see. You are wise, my love. As I ponder your words. I find it true. To protect our family, I am willing to trample on my own ideals. I wonder if this is a good thing?


    I really am such a horrible person. And this is what I do after you praised me for my moral virtue.''


    Hugging Liv tighter, I comforted her in all the ways I knew how.


    ''Don''t worry, Liv. I do not think less of you. In fact, I just love you more. I will see to it that your choice is not wasted. No matter what happens, I, no we, will come back to our home. I swear it on my {Fate}.''


    Liv nodded as she kissed my cheek gently.


    ''I am the same beloved. If your survival is at stake, there is no evil I will not do. So please make sure you never leave me behind. And that if ever we must die. We die together.''


    ''I promise.''


    The two of us just continued to bask in each other''s warmth. Which was the complete opposite of the other people in the room. Some of my girls were climaxing while the others were panting heavily from exhaustion.


    That was until we received a message. It was the one we had both been waiting for and dreading.


    [My lord. My ladies. The Alpha has entered the zone. It will arrive within the next 15 minutes.]


    Liv and I looked at each other and nodded.


    Time to get this over with.

 Chapter 592 The weight of hope [1/2]

    Irritation and annoyance practically burst out of my harem. Most of the girls were just about to kick into high gear. We were just barely getting in the good parts of our love making.Only Liv and I noticed how the other girls ignored Exa and continued to mate.


    "Beloved, you should leave your other bodies here. I am afraid that leaving them unsatisfied would lead to a most horrible outcome."


    "Hahaha, I agree. I fear it more than the Alpha," I replied.


    Then I held baby Liv in my arms and left the room. My other bodies continued to fuck the brains out of my other girls. What was different about this particular session was that there was hardly a word. Just the carnal desire to copulate.


    Of course, Sunday, who had Liv, had no such desires. Lolis were made to be protected.


    Unless they were at least as old as Robyn, I found it disgusting. Liv, seemingly entranced by being carried, snuggled deeper into my embrace.


    ''My love, should I have stayed in my real form? At least that way I could have relieved some of your lust as well.''


    ''That''s okay Liv, we have all the time in the world. There will be plenty of time after we kill this motherfucker. No, after we finish this whole campaign. Let''s all go on a trip. I always wanted to travel around the world. But it gets boring when you are alone.


    Now I have you girls to keep me company.''


    ''I see, how delightful. Japan was really different from the North. I wonder what the other continents are like? I would offer to show you the beauty of the my home, but...''


    Sensing the sadness and loss coming from Liv, I gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.


    ''Enough of that, love. Just show me after we blow the living shit out of the undead. I promised you, didn''t I? I will make it happen.''


    Liv stared at me with wide eyes as she laughed happily.


    ''Beloved, you are so very silly. How will anything be left when you use our weapons? Everything will be in craters!''


    ''Oh? I think it would be our masterpiece. I would call it the land of ice and zombie guts. Or something like Hellsgate Frosted Version 2.0.''


    ''Haha, my love, only you could make that kind of joke. Then it is a deal. In exchange for reclaiming the North, I will show you around. Though what I have to offer seems worthless in comparison.''


    ''Liv, we are family. Family doesn''t keep score. And even if we did.


    You already paid for everything the moment you made me fall in love with you. Even the price of saving the North is not worth a fraction of your love and devotion. For me, it is I who bring less to the table.''


    The brave Northerner in my arms hid her face in my chest as she giggled with happiness.


    "Beloved. Stop saying such things. My heart can''t bear it. Do you hear yourself? How can you say that my love is worth more than the North and all its people! You are foolish!


    And what is worse! You really mean it! Why do you value me so highly? It is unbelievable."


    Despite her childish tirade, I noticed that her body was trembling with ecstasy. The northern loli refused to turn in my direction. But her ears were noticeably flushed, probably from embarrassment.


    Pleased with her adorable state, I left her alone and moved to enter the city walls. When I did, all of Joshua and the members of Hellsend were on the ramparts, looking over the wall.


    Their eyes, of course, were on the monstrosity that was coming for us. The biological freak of nature as big as a building.


    I went over to Joshua, who had Angela by his side. The racist Korean turned to me as I closed the door. Then she yelled out in surprise.


    "AH! Big Siren turn to brat! Oppa! Look! Bigfoot turned to Chuckie! WAAAA!!!!"


    Of course, the rest of the people all turned around and saw me and baby Liv.


    Funnily enough, no one else said anything. Most if not all of the guys here already knew how overprotective I was of the Sirens. I was sure that even if they did not, Joshua and my original crew would.


    After all, they had been beaten to within an inch of their lives by these women. Even if not for me, the rest of Hellsend would keep quiet for their own safety. It was that or get beaten.


    Angela was the only one that could curse everyone as she liked.


    ''Probably because everyone knows that she is racist as hell by default. But anyone who fought by her side would know about Angela''s protective side,'' I thought to myself.


    ''Indeed. And I owe her as much as Isolde, so I am not offended, my love.''


    ''Oh? What happened? Did she and our Wyvern help you in any way? Can you tell me, love?''


    ''Um... I prefer not to. It is a woman''s matter. Please forget it.'' Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sensing Liv''s hesitation, I didn''t ask further and responded to Angela.


    "Sup Kimchi! I''m glad you''re still racist as fuck. I would have been sad if you suddenly became docile after I became your lord. Meet Idunn. She is my first daughter with Freyja."


    "Stop bullshit, white boy. Soul signature is the same. You think I stupid? I reaper, you stupid fuck! I not see with eyes."


    "Tsk. Couldn''t you have acted surprised? You racist K-pop idol reject!"


    "Your insult dumb as shit. Besides, you racist too, white boy! Your brain is also crap. And you loony as fuck! Look at that! Only you say kill that thing!"


    While Angela lacked many words in her vocabulary, she did not lack the brains to read the situation.


    Seeing it as a picture on the video screen could not compare to seeing the thing in real life. The Alpha was huge. Its massive body was like a small mountain coming towards you.


    And with my superior vision, I could see the large number of lizardkin running alongside it. Joshua approached me and saluted.


    "My lord, the Hellsend mechanized infantry has begun to retake the lost strongholds. There is little resistance. I have Santi, Claire, Scott and Warren leading them in four directions. Mike and the Hellsend Wyvern Air Wing are serving as a rapid response force. They are currently observing the Alpha from a distance."


    I nodded as I looked up into the sky. At that altitude, it would have been impossible for Mike and the Wyverns to see the enemy.


    But now that they had {Call my Name}, they had super human vision, and that abilitiy to use night vision, thermal, and even holographic.


    Funnily enough, despite the Reapers here. Hardly any of the officers had the mental capacity to talk. They were all staring in fear of the coming disaster.


    Unlike the other groups who were just running around the floor. They were in the same zone where we would fight the Alpha.


    "This is fine. But I want to remind everyone. Outside of the Sirens and myself, no one is to fire a single shot. I need to show the world what I can do. So you can all relax," I said casually.


    But instead of being comforted by my words, the phantoms around me stared at me blankly. After using the {Gather} and the {Perceive} family of {Fates} I learned how to read thoughts from their body language.


    I had Aki teach me. She had an impressive knowledge of the subject. And right now, all I could read from the people around me was the same thought.


    ''This guy is bat shit insane.'' That was everyone was thinking.


    But it was amusing. Because since my first night as a reaper, that was probably the only thing most people said to me. When they could not understand what I was doing, they brushed it off by saying I was insane.


    As if insanity was a catch-all to explain any deviation from what the world considered reasonable.

 Chapter 593 The weight of hope [2/2]

    Ignoring the peanut gallery, I waited. After a few seconds, the rest of my girls and my avatars arrived. Although they tried to freshen up, the faces of my harem remained flushed.As if that were not enough, they also smelled slightly of sweat, but were glowing from After Sex Glow, or ASG. It was obvious to everyone what we had just done, but the girls didn''t give anyone a second glance.


    Instead, they all stared in the same direction. Towards our enemy. The emotion evoked by that freak of nature was one of desperation and fear.


    But unlike the Phantoms, who were terrified, my girls were all smiles of confidence. After a few seconds, the Sirens began commenting what they thought of the situation.


    "Dearest, after Andromalius, this thing looks cute by comparison."


    "I wonder if we can eat it after our barbie? Possum, do you think it will taste like crab or steak? Though how long would this huge bastard need to cook?"


    "Hehe! Darling! I will brainwash Alphy and make him our mascot! We can ride him around like a huge pony!"


    "Alphy ? You even have a name for this fucking oversized cockroach? Sorry, I will not settle for anything less than crushing this thing into paste. Honey, let''s go. Gareth and his defenders have already returned."


    "It is time for the old to give way to the new. I will show Gareth and his senile bastards the power of Husband and the Sirens."


    "Shujin, may I please borrow Liv? She refuses to let anyone pat her when she is Chibi-sized."


    "Beloved! Please don''t leave me to Aki! She keeps tickling me!"


    I couldn''t help but smile at the girls'' antics.


    Unknown to them, much like me earlier, everyone present saw my girls as mental patients. This group hadn''t seen me in combat, prior to a few minutes ago. That meant that they were not present when Hellsend defeated Andromalius.


    And aside from my army, only David and his inner circle knew that we had killed the greater demon and not the Specters.


    While they may have been impressed with how we dominated earlier, the fact remained that the M777s did most of the work.


    For the Alpha, however, even the M777s were rendered useless.


    So from now on, what my girls and I would do would be based solely on our own abilities. That, and our desire to triumph over this oversized motherfucker.


    "I''m glad you are all so eager. Let''s go."


    Without so much as a second glance, I ran to the wall and jumped over it. The Sirens had done it before, and it was so fucking cool!


    So much that I wanted to do it too. Probably understanding my reasons, the rest of the girls followed while laughing out loud.


    Despite my falling to certain death, even baby Liv in my arms raised her hands in the air. You would think she was on a roller coaster given her bliss.


    I didn''t bother using {blink} and tried to imitate the superhero landing popularized by Marvel. I could hear the Phantoms'' chatter after I left the ramparts.


    "White boy still loony. Now even Sirens are loony. Oppa, do you think we become loony too?"


    "What makes you think we aren''t already, Gela?"


    "...Ugh...this is all white boy''s fault."


    Other voices joined in that I didn''t recognize. They probably belonged to the other Phantoms.


    "Commander Joshua, the lord isn''t serious, is he? He doesn''t really want to fight that thing?"


    "Can''t we just fire the howitzers to provide fire support or something like the Sirens did earlier? Maybe we can crack its shell or something. And why don''t we have Commander Mike''s Wyvern Air Wing help? They have immense firepower from our training exercises!"


    "I agree, Commander! Why don''t you summon the whole army! If we use Sacreds, we should be able to drive it away!"


    Half expecting Joshua to correct them, I was surprised when the racist Korean was the one who replied.


    "You two dumb as shit. White boy and Siren loony. They stupid in love but not in fight. They say this thing is dead. Nothing in the world can save it. Watch closely.


    White boy may fuck too much and eat shit burgers. But in fight. White boy like a god of war."


    "What''s your name, Reaper?" Joshua asked.


    "Maddox Sherman, Commander. I am one of the rogues who recently joined. I joined when I heard that Limitless did not discriminate between us and the official Reapers."


    "I see. Then have you ever seen him in battle? Like in the Seeker War?"


    "I have, Commander. But forgive me for saying so, Limitless only uses guns. If anyone else had his ability to recover ammunition, they would achieve the same things he did!"


    "Oppa, whose squad this dumb fuck belong to? Can I beat him?"


    "Relax, Gela. Do you all think the same?"


    A short pause in which no one spoke. But when I raised my {Listen}, I heard the sounds of more than twenty heads nodding.


    "I see. Then I suggest we keep watching. I did not follow the Lord because of his ability to never run out of ammunition. That certainly helped in the beginning, but it was not the reason why people were still drawn to him. My opinion and that of all the officers of Hellsend is the same as Gela''s."


    Liv and I landed slammed on the ground in that moment. Using my body as an artificial Descendant, I hit the ground with my fist while my other hand carried baby Liv.


    The rest of the girls landed shortly after. Smug smiles were on their faces. It was probably because, like me, they had overheard Joshua''s conversation with his men.


    "To be honest, Commander, I think you would be better suited to be the lord. After all, you are powerful even without weapons."


    "I''m going to kill that motherfucker. Darling is a thousand times better! For one Darl-mhgm!" Jo began to complain as she glared at the wall. Funnily enough, the other Sirens covered her mouth so as not to interrupt the show.


    Then we all heard something heavy hit flesh. A loud thud echoed before Gela spoke derisively.


    "Geuyk!"


    "I save your life, dumb fuck. If Siren heard you, you dead! Oppa has big dick but White boy is only lord. No one like him. Even without gun, white boy will kill zombie. You try bite zombie like dog?


    How about you get eaten alive and eat them back?"


    "How is he not dead then, Commander Angela? I am sorry, but none of us can really see the lord as anything more than a figurehead. The stories about him are so exaggerated that they must be made up."


    "It''s not that I don''t understand what you mean, Reaper. But you are wrong. The stories are not exaggerated, they are downplayed. There is a reason why we all follow him and him alone. I for one cannot kill the Alpha. I don''t even know how," Joshua confessed. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "But isn''t that because Limitless just got lucky? His power is because of the Sirens! They are all so amazing! Even without the lord, I am sure they could kill the Alpha. If any reaper had the Sirens with him, he would be just as great as Limitless! If I met them all earlier, I could do it too!"


    "Oppa, were we this stupid?"


    "Haha, no Gela. He just hasn''t seen what we did. Reaper, you are mistaken. Even if you met the Sirens before him, you would never be like Limitless. The man you all follow brings more than just the ability to kill the zombies. He is a symbol."


    "A symbol?"


    "Yes. My lord is the symbol of hope. Those who are not capable enough would simply be crushed by the expectations of others. My lord, Limitless is the only one who can carry the weight of hope, you will soon see," Joshua said proudly.


    The girls all giggled with happiness. It was probably the feeling of second-hand pride. Like seeing your spouse or siblings succeed in life.


    "The weight of hope, huh..."


    Joshua''s words made me think a bit. I didn''t know that I had such a burden on my shoulders. But I never really cared about such things in the first place. I tried to clear my mind of unnecessary thoughts. I walked toward the enemy who was advancing on us. Find your next read on empire

 Chapter 594 First act as king [1/2]

    I used {Imaging} - Holographic to measure the distance to the arrival of the Alpha. According to the readout, the massive beast was 13 miles away. In 12 minutes, I had to face this monstrosity.It was as tall as the ramparts I had just jumped from. The scythes on its body were bigger than a Cyclops'' club. The ground shook with its every step. If I didn''t have {Endure}, I would have been literally shaken to my core.


    I could hear the pebbles on the ground dancing from the energy of the stampede alone. Despite the dim lighting, its shadow could be seen even from this distance. Like a colossal mountain slowly bearing down on you.


    Yet, despite the unfathomable spectacle in front of me, I felt no fear, no anxiety. Instead, my mind kept returning to what Joshua had just said. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes. My lord is the symbol of hope. Those who are not capable enough would simply be crushed by the expectations of others. My lord, Limitless is the only one who can carry the weight of hope, you will soon see."


    Joshua always had high expectations for me. And I could understand why, because when we met, he had to trample on his pride just to survive. Even though he was a man, he chose to work any job he could rather than leave his wife to fend for herself.


    Despite the hardships the Formless faced, he never gave up. Whether he was deprived of weapons, training, or opportunities to earn souls, he never stopped.


    And true enough, when given the chance, Joshua not only fought with all his might, but was able to turn a bunch of racist bastards into the formidable army known as the 2nd Amendment.


    His wife was even more of a character. Racist beyond belief, but more reliable than anyone else. Despite her gender, Angela was always at the front of the line with her mace. All the while I thought she was just along for the ride, but even she said words I never expected.


    "You two dumb as shit. White boy and Siren loony. They stupid in love but not in fight. They say this thing is dead. Nothing in the world can save it. Watch closely.


    White boy may fuck too much and eat shit burgers. But in fight. White boy like a god of war."


    "I save your life, dumb fuck. If Siren heard you, you dead! Oppa has big dick but White boy is only lord. No one like him. Even without gun, white boy will kill zombie. You try bite zombie like dog?


    How about you get eaten alive and eat them back?"


    I knew that from the beginning. I was the Formless who broke all the norms. The Reaper who showed them that it didn''t matter what you were. That all one needed to survive was the will to fight.


    It felt strange to be called something so cringe-worthy as a symbol of hope. But wasn''t it inevitable? I took the dregs of society and gave them a purpose. The Formless, the Saints, the Rogues, the Slaves, and most of all, those who wanted to fight but had no way to do so.


    The whole world would follow my story like a soap opera. Surely many would want me to fail. They would cheer when they saw me make a mistake. Find your next read at empire


    After all, my success would mean that they were failures. But at the same time. Just as many, if not more, would wish for my way of life to triumph. Probably because I was living their dreams. I gave them hope.


    "Well. The first step to achieving your dreams is to wake the fuck up," I muttered in passing.


    Behind me, my seven {Kindred} said nothing, waiting for my command. There was nothing but love and devotion in their links.


    And even though I once again ordered them to follow me into certain death. They had nothing but smiles and pleasant moods.


    ''My {Kindred}, I love you all so much.''


    ''And I you, my love. But such words are not needed now. Now is the time for you to show your majesty as a ruler. Your orders, my lord?''


    ''Dearest stop. And you of all people call me melodramatic? Still, you have always been quite a Chunni. Cringe-worthy speeches aside, how may this one serve you, my lord?''


    ''I fucking love you too, Possum. But that''s not what I want right now. I want to cook this fucking dickhead! LET''S GO!''


    ''I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU DARLING! Hehehe, but I also want to prove myself in battle. Your Majesty, Dame Benelli requests to be our vanguard!''


    ''Honey...be serious. We have a fucking mountain coming at us. We could die if we are not careful, you know? Command us already. And...I...I love you too...''


    ''Husband, I love you more with each passing day. Shall we go?''


    ''Anata. You seem to have learned how to seduce me ruthlessly. I am half tempted to give either Liv, Jas or Lilly indigestion so I can join Hammer and leave with you instead.''


    I found their colorful responses adorable. I turned to them and began my words.


    "My Seven Sirens. The coming beast is more powerful than most. But we have fought greater. As a testament to the world of our power, please help me kill this fucking monstrosity. I want it off my kingdom."


    Before they could answer, we all heard the whirling of rotors from the side. Connie had already sent her drone to look for me.


    A minute later, Gareth came towards us with over a hundred people in tow. They were dressed like cosplayers. But none of their eyes seemed to be those of civilians.


    Each of them had a look that could only belong to those who were close with death. And as someone who joined such a group less than a month ago, I felt a kinship with them.


    Gareth immediately knelt down and slammed his shield to the ground.


    "Gareth Faesten greets his lord. I have completed my mission and liberated all the defenders of the last stronghold."


    I nodded and praised the old knight. "Well done. Now I want you to work with Joshua to build the battlefront. As for everyone else, I will offer you a choice. As compensation for your service, I will reward every defender who has fought and died since I became their lord.


    "But I would also like to inform you all of an important matter. This floor will be besieged by three separate continents in the coming months. Since this is against what the reapers are supposed to do, I am offering everyone a way to transfer out of my domain to the North American battlefront."


    At my words, the Reapers all began to whisper to each other in hushed voices. While they were capable of defending themselves against undead and monsters, I didn''t know if they were comfortable fighting humans.


    "This offer is only for today. If you decide to stay, expect me to work you to the bone."


    One of the Reapers raised his hand and pointed at the approaching Alpha.


    "Uh, I think you should stop your posturing and focus on this thing. You can make your power plays as soon as the Alpha passes. Wouldn''t want you to look like a fool on your first day on the job, would we, your lordship?"


    I was about to say something when a gun shot rang out. The man who had raised his hand winced in pain as he held his bloody hand tenderly.


    His thumb had been cleanly severed off. The culprit, the bespectacled Brazilian next to me.


    "For a bunch of supposed knights, your manners are extremely poor. Who dares disrespect his lord in such a manner? Need I remind you that it was your lord who saved your sorry ass! For weaklings, you are far too brazen. It seems that the defenders here are nothing but incompetent clowns!"


    Offended by her sharp rebuke, the defenders all drew their weapons in response.

 Chapter 595 First act as king [2/2]

    Of course, my girls were not one to shy away from a fight. In less than a second, the Sirens, Joshua and the Phantoms on the ramparts, the Soulless, the Monster Division along with Bella''s mangled puppets all came forward. Seeing baby Liv armed with an M32 MGL was the icing on the cake.Surprised by the sudden hostility, the defenders grew restless. My girls in particular were emitting death resonance so thick it would kill a human a hundred times over. But Gareth quickly put an end to the matter in a way no one expected.


    He raised his large shield and bashed it into the torso of the one Bella had shot! The sound of something heavy colliding against steel rang out. The Reaper who had insulted me had his armor crumpled under Gareth''s blow. Seemingly stunned that his fellow defender had attacked him, he was rendered speechless.


    The arrogant bastard vomited blood as his friends tried to get him up. However, Gareth''s display quickly disarmed all the other defenders. I also raised my hand and made Hellsend and the Sirens stand down.


    Despite Gareth''s violence, he quickly faced me and placed his forehead on the ground in respect.


    "My lord, please forgive my compatriot for his disrespect. He has just come from an exhausting ordeal. His mind is not thinking clearly. I will certainly discipline him later. Please find it in your magnanimity to grant clemency."


    "Rise, Sir Gareth. That is all right. I will not kill him for such a mistake. Some ill will towards Administration is to be expected. After all, it was because of me that you all lost your support. I am here to make amends."


    As we discussed, loud footsteps continued to fill the air. It was as if grenades exploded in an unending sequence. I turned my back on the defenders and the prostrated Gareth. The king of the lizardkin was now close enough for all to see.


    "As my first act as king. Instead of letting the Alpha pass, I will slay it right here. My {Kindred} and I alone will face this monster. Sear this moment into your eyes, all of you. For I have become master of this floor, not because of connections or politics. I did it because I was fucking strong enough to do it."


    I began to walk toward the monster as I continued. Of course, the Sirens and their armies came with me. Aki took the opportunity to grab Liv in a tight embrace. The Japanese beauty looked ecstatic while the Northerner grumbled about her shamelessness.


    "And unlike all the other bastards before me. My goal does not end with defending the 24th floor. I will raise an army strong enough to close Hellsgate at its source. So, this fucking bastard you are all so afraid of? He''s nothing but a signpost to me. Lilly, if you please," I continued.


    "Yes, my lord! IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS! SEVEN SIRENS ANNIHILATE LIZARDKIN ALPHA AND ITS ARMY! OPEN COMBAT!"


    At Lilly''s declaration of war, I ran toward the invaders of my domain.


    "{Never Alone}. {Day by day}. [Shared Armory], [Analyze], [Penetrator]. Exa set my settings to [Wizard], [Assassin], and [Berserker]." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Yes, my lord! The Alpha has a group of 3,000 Lizardkin as its bodyguards. They seem to be mutations approaching Rank C with heavier scales and stronger bodies.]


    As my body felt the surge of power, I began to clear my mind of everything else and focus on the battle. For now, the first order of business was to isolate this fucking thing. Otherwise, we would have trouble fighting around its escorts.


    Lilly came up beside me and asked reverently.


    "Your orders, my lord?"


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    Finding her adherence to chivalry adorable, I smiled at her and replied with authority.


    "Liv, I want you to stop the Alpha. Jo, Bella, keep the lizardkin bodyguards occupied. Robyn, Aki. I want you to assassinate the guards as quickly as possible. Lilly and Jas will support everyone as needed. Lilly, you are in command.


    Don''t push yourselves too hard. But if you have to, make sure these motherfuckers pay the price with their blood."


    "YES, MY LORD!" x7


    Liv, who was still in Aki''s arms, then announced to the rest of us. It was strange to see such a tiny loli squeaking heroic lines, but Liv was fucking adorable no matter what she did.


    "By the will of my {Kindred}, Liv Ivaldi will have the first strike. Aki, please throw me at the Alpha as hard as you can. Just like Beloved did during the enlistment."


    "Of course, my sweet daughter. I will do more than that if you call me mom. Come, just once is enough. As a bonus, I will cook your favorite dishes!" Aki gushed with excitement.


    But the other Sirens all added their own thoughts.


    "Liv, call me Mama and I will make you fly faster than a bullet. If you go on a family picnic with me and Possum, I will even tell you the secret to losing weight permanently. And I''ll throw in a cute mastiff puppy!"


    "That''s the best you can do? Pfft. Liv, sweetheart, call this Lilly your mother, and I will see to it that you will never lack for anything. In exchange, you will act as my daughter for a week of bridal training."


    "Liv, I have the best aim. I can throw you even farther. My price is a shopping date with me and husband. I don''t need a week, just one day! And I will wash your clothes for you for a whole year!"


    "LIV! I can get you more cows! All you have to do is call me "Mommy"! You, Darling and I can go on a family trip! Just the three of us! As your mama, I will stuff you with premium steak until you puke your guts out!


    Come on! What are you waiting for?"


    "Ehem, Liv, you want your own Ripsaw, right? I can give you one. In exchange, you''ll come with me and Honey to Ma''s house and act like my child for just one hour! Just one hour! That''s a steal for a microtank!"


    "Sigh. Look, you shameless lot. I am older than everyone here! How can I be your daughter? Besides, I do not resemble any of you! Have some shame!


    Beloved, please save me from these wicked people!"


    I see, the main reason Liv hated being given to the others was that they all wanted her to fulfill their fantasies. Since she was the eldest and the mother figure of the Sirens, she must have felt humiliated.


    I already knew the girls all wanted to get pregnant with my children. They probably wanted to try their hand at caring for them too at Liv''s expense. Amused, I turned to Aki as I gestured.


    "Kamisan, please give my daughter back to me." Pouting, Aki tossed Liv gently. Of course, I caught her as we ran.


    It would probably be funny to see our carefree antics. That is, if you ignored the fact that we were running at full speed towards a monster army and its 49-foot bastard of a king.


    I held baby Liv by the waist and lifted her up like a football. Like a quarterback, I pulled my arm back and prepared to send Liv flying to the Alpha.


    "My love, please be careful," I worried.


    "I will. Now let me go, beloved."


    In the same moment, I called upon all the {Fates} that would help Liv reach the Alpha unharmed. She found my overprotectiveness amusing. But finally, I let go of my arm and hurled my Northerner at the monster army.


    As she flew through the air at breakneck speeds, her voice rang out for all to hear.


    "{TITAN}! [VALKYRIE]!"


    Liv suddenly shined like a star. Her clothes tore as her body grew rapidly. Like a sailor''s guardian, Liv''s entire body was covered in light to hide her modesty. Large golden {Shelter} constructs appeared all over her body like armor.


    Similar to the title of her new {Program}, Liv transformed into a 50-foot giant covered in heavy armor from head to toe. She carried a slender longsword and a tower shield. The moment she landed, the ground quaked.


    Her gigantic boots swept the earth away as dust and debris rose like smoke. My Northerner then braced herself for battle with a mighty roar.


    "{I AM FREYJA! THE SHIELD OF LIMITLESS! BY ORDER OF MY LORD! YOU SHALL NOT PASS!}"

 Chapter 596 THESE ARE MY {KINDRED}! [1/2]

    "FUCKING HELL! NOW THATS MY WOMAN!" I exclaimed at the top of my voice.Like a fortress, Liv slammed her shield into the ground and braced herself. The charging Alpha must have been surprised by the obstacle that appeared out of nowhere. But I noticed that it lowered its scythes down as its speed increased drastically.


    ___


    Name: Lizardkin Dragon (Monster)


    Rank: Champion


    Soul: 100,000


    Known Abilities: {Bull Rush}, {Hardened Scales}, {Adaptive Armor}, {Kaiser Mandibles}, {Cocoon}


    Background information: The pinnacle of the Lizardkin species. This mutation has remarkable defenses and grows stronger as it becomes more enraged. Scientists have been unable to recover a living specimen of this beast. Adding to its mystery. Despite its massive strength, raiding parties often find its bodies in various zones. How or why they live such short lives remains unknown.


    ___


    Though the Lizardkin was an impressive monstrosity born of nature, it paled in comparison to my beloved. The overwhelming majesty of my Northerner caused my emotions to explode with fervor.


    Unconsciously, I sent the brunt of my battle hunger to the rest of my harem. Roaring at the top of my voice, death resonance poured from me like a beast escaping its cell.


    "MY {KINDRED}! IN MY NAME! I COMMAND YOU ALL! FUCK THEM UP!} {Recursion}!"


    Immediately, I felt my girls all accept my blessing, I didn''t know if they even needed it, but it was better to be safe than sorry.


    "[KNIGHT]! [OVERDRIVE]! [VENGEANCE]! {WITHSTAND}! [ENDURE]! {SUFFER}!


    {BLOCK}! {SHELTER}!"


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Knight]. [Knight] levels up to [Heavy Knight].]


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Knight]. [Heavy Knight] levels up to [Knight Lord].]


    Liv, who was at the frontline, started to cast defensive {Fates}. Stacking my class settings, [Overdrive], and every {Fate} in the {Withstand} family. This was without a doubt the most powerful defense Hellsend had.


    And its resilience was proven in the next moment.


    What I saw next was something I would never forget. Like a raging bull, the Lizardkin Alpha collided with my gigantic beloved. It was like a clash of the forces of nature. The moment Liv met the beast, powerful shockwaves were released.


    It was so tyrannical that dust from the ground flew up and was blown away. Winds began to stir as if a category six hurricane was sweeping across the land.


    However, despite the fierce might of the monster''s ferocious attack, my Northerner stood unyielding like a mountain. Her hair, normally blood red, now glowed scarlet orange and was engulfed in flames.


    "IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO? HERE! HAVE IT BACK! {COUNTER}!"


    Liv taunted the beast as she raised her sword. It glowed like a star about to explode. Liv brought the edge of her blade down on the Alpha''s right mandible. A devastating blow staggered the monster, followed a second later by a mighty crash.


    "BROOOOOOOOAARR!"


    The Alpha went wild as one of its scythes fell to the ground. Liv didn''t get careless and slowly approached while hiding behind her shield. Like an experienced shield maiden, Liv kept her guard up, her sword held loosely behind her.


    If the Alpha attacked suddenly, the shield would block his attack while the sword would deliver a savage counterattack. Conventional shield tactics came from our ancestors who hunted wild animals.


    So while what was currently used was developed to fight humans, it was certainly effective in killing beasts.


    In general, an animal''s instincts were as ferocious as its surroundings would allow. If it was surrounded by hunters, it would become strong. But if it had never experienced defeat, it would retreat after a few blows.


    Ignoring everyone else, the lizardkin guards all rushed to attack Liv. [War Cry] seemed to work too well. However, I had no intention of letting any of them get past me. My soul avatars and I lined up and began our assault.


    "You will not lay a hand on my woman, you fucking bastards! DIE!"


    Normal Lizardmen were already about 10 feet tall. But the ones around the Alpha were even bigger, maybe 15 feet. Not that it mattered. Bullets flew at supersonic speeds and impaled the Lizardkins.


    Normally, they would be able to shrug off normal ammunition. But the rounds I shot were loaded with [Penetrator]. That is, every single bullet I fired was empowered by {Fates}.


    From the minigun that ripped the living shit out of the reptiles to the M433 40mm grenades that blew them apart.


    Despite their size, the 40mm grenades I shot at them tore their bodies apart. Of course, the FT5 was even worse. Those that got close were peppered by the AA-12 and the Benelli M1014.


    ''Exa, send out Burger and Fries.''


    [Roger. Retrieving UGVs from the [Armory]]


    A void portal opened behind me. It was a localized {Withdraw} that opened a door to my subspace. Out came my unmanned ground vehicles. The Ripsaw M5 "Burger" and the TRX Razorback "Fries".


    ''Exa, let Burger go wild. Run them over. Use Fries to make sure nothing gets near Liv.''


    [Acknowledged.]


    My UGVs began to follow my words. The sight of the Lizardkin trying to stab a 10-ton tank was hilarious. Especially when their bodies were practically sawed in half by the immense firepower of the 30mm Bushmaster cannon.


    Explosions rang out as Fries launched his switchblades into the air. The monsters continued to ignore me and walk past.


    If I were alone, I couldn''t stop them all. But I was not. On the contrary. I had the most reliable women behind me.


    "HELLSEND MONSTER DIVISION! KILL THEM ALL!"


    "HIIISSSSSS!"


    The sounds of bodies colliding echoed. In a chaotic melee, Jo was standing motionless in the middle. However, I could feel the souls radiating in the air. Her eyes remained focused as she continued to shoot the reptiles dead.


    Compared to the large lizardkin guard, Jo''s army looked like children. But unlike the stupid charge the former did, the smaller ones were now teaming up and surrounding their opponents.


    Even more unbelievable, after the lizardkin guards were stabbed by Jo''s monsters, they switched sides.


    They turned. Slowly, the number of lizards under Jo''s command grew. I was about to ask them when I saw that the tips of Jo''s lizardkin were covered in soul energy. When I followed the energy, it was directly connected to Jo''s chest.


    ''Exa?'' Read exclusive adventures at empire


    [Lady Benelli is using her soulgear''s 3rd skill, {Share}. Anyone stabbed by her monsters gets brainwashed to fight for our side for a few minutes. Normally her soulgear would be restricted to one instance at a time, but she is also using her {Program} [Transmitter] to forcefully break {Share}''s limits.]


    ''FUCK, isn''t that terrifying? Instead of straining herself, Jo basically turned into her legion to a zombie horde!''


    [My lord, you should see the rest of your battle harem. It seems that your praise of Lady Liv has made them all burn with jealousy.]


    "What?"


    Funnily enough, I saw the corpses slaughtered in Jo''s melee all get up and fight again. The lizardkin corpses gathered and formed a huge phalanx. It then joined Bella''s soulless army, which slowly continued to inch forward as it blasted the living shit out of the Lizardkin guard


    "Has Bella''s control grown even more? I thought she could only control a few of them, isn''t that way too many?"


    My bombshell''s corpse army, along with Henry and Alfonso''s machines, surrounded an M2 Bradley. The same Bradley that was firing TOW missiles with reckless abandon. In complete contrast to the anarchy of Jo''s monsters, Bella''s marched in lockstep, both the dead and the machines.


    Explosions rang out in the sky, making me look up. They were lizardkin, hurling themselves into the air to attack our titanic Liv. Similar to me, Bella had her Switchblades block the area around my Northerner.


    To prevent any of the reptilian bastards from getting to her, those that tried to jump were blown out of the sky. Bella had the smaller 300''s blast the lizards towards each other, then had the heavier 600''s finish them off. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Like flocks of sheep in the air, the monsters that tried to help their king were herded together and ruthlessly slaughtered to the last. Bella''s insane tactics resulted in smoking corpses raining down as they were bastardized by the switchblades.


    I wasn''t that precise, so I just let most of mine smash them towards the jumping Lizardkin, compared to Bella only half my targets died. I was about to let her control my switchblades when I heard a loud scream from another part of the sky!

 Chapter 597 THESE ARE MY {KINDRED}! [2/2]

    "POSSUM! THIS IS MY NEW TRUMP CARD! WATCH YOUR SHEILA WASTE THESE FUCKING CUNTS! [VENGEANCE]! [GRAVITY ROUNDS]!"The source of the commotion was Robyn and she was running vertically on air towards the ground. Running at a breakneck pace, Robyn began firing her AA-12s from high above. With my superior vision, I saw the pellets from the buckshot she was firing spread widely.


    In the few minutes since she started, Robyn had unleashed over a thousand shells. The AA-12, with its fully automatic firing mechanism, was capable of firing over 300 rounds in less than a minute. And Robyn had two of them!


    Unfortunately, while there were a lot of pellets heading for the ground, they were tiny. Under normal circumstances, their impact on such a wide battlefield should have been minimal. But this was Robyn Lithgow. A fucking Australian Phantom.


    Just as I was about to comment, I felt a huge amount of souls fall from the sky. They were concentrated in each of the pellets from Robyn. Despite their size, they began impacting the ground like fucking 155-meter howitzer shells.


    Just like meteors, Robyn''s little pellets absolutely decimated the landscape! Her attack was similar to the barrage coming from an AC130! Chaos rained down as blood and debris shot upward. The surge of souls felt like hundreds of Lizardkin guards died from that one attack.


    "FUCKING HELL! MY GIRLS ARE FUCKING AWESOME!"


    Inspired by my battle harem, I refocused my efforts on killing those in front of me. Only to suddenly see a red whirlwind ravage the lines I was shooting at.


    "What the fuck is that?!" Continue your journey on empire


    As I focused my eyes, I saw Aki in samurai mode running and gunning. Thousands of red swords spun around her like a blender.


    They flew so fast that the blood and guts of those she killed created their own orbit. Together they formed the mystifying appearance of a whirlwind of blood.


    ''Shujin, Relax, I got this.''


    "..."


    Before I could even begin to be surprised, I felt a powerful presence that gave me goosebumps. Along with a beautiful, familiar voice coming from above.


    "{PORTAL}! {STACK}! {MEGALOMANIA}! EXA! GET THE TIMING RIGHT!"


    Then I saw several gigantic {Portals} open and stack up like pancakes. The amount of souls in changed the very weather and began to summon thunder and lightning.


    [Yes, my lady! The {Portals} charges synchronized. Mass driver created! You may fire when ready!]


    "YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE, MONSTER! [RAIL GUN]! FIIIIIIRE!" Lilly screamed at the top of her lungs!


    [FIRING!]


    Small rocks began to fall from the topmost {Portal}, the fragments then merging together to form what looked like a mountain. It was already huge, but then it suddenly grew even larger!


    Seemingly appearing out of nowhere, the mountain was far too sharp to be called a random piece of rock. Rather than natural, I would have thought it was a lance carved out of stone.


    And as I looked down, I saw its target. The gigantic stone lance was on a direct collision course with the Alpha! Liv had stopped it by locking her sword onto its remaining scythe.


    The massive stone lance picked up speed as it fell. For some unknown reason, as it passed through the {Portals} it accelerated, eventually breaking sound barrier.


    A loud rumble erupted from the sky. Liv then rolled away from the Alpha as the tip of Lilly''s stone lance slammed the monster on the head.


    Unable to bear the weight, the Alpha was flattened to the ground like a cockroach. The massive bulk of the mountain shattered upon impact, but like a hammer it buried the lizardkin king even deeper into the floor.


    The force of the blow cracked the area around the monster, creating what looked like a massive crater. Without solid ground to stand on, the Alpha tumbled down helplessly.


    The hole was so deep that it looked like a ten-story building could fit inside. How did this huge pit suddenly appear? Was the Lilly''s [Rail gun] really that powerful?


    But although it didn''t make any sense, I found myself chucking in high spirits. The Sirens were fighting in such an over-the-top manner the moment I told them to give it their all.


    I could do nothing but stand in awe of my girls as they broke the limits of my imagination. How the hell was what they were doing even possible? Was I really the only reason they had yet to fight like this before?


    I could only shout in pride as my emotions overwhelmed me.


    "YOU SEE THAT! YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT! THESE ARE MY {KINDRED}! YOU ARE A HUNDRED YEARS TOO EARLY TO TAKE US ON! YOU OVERGROWN ALPHA FUCK!"


    Suddenly, I felt three figures rushing past me. There was no danger as they were on my side, but the pace of their movement took me by surprise.


    ''Anata, the lizardkin guards are mostly taken care of. Bella is wiping out the stragglers.''


    ''Hehe, Darling! You''re too loud! But aren''t we great? You will like what comes next!''


    ''Possum, stand back, it''s time for a Siren barbie!''


    The trio of Sirens then jumped down towards the Alpha. On the other side, Liv also slid down the crater. She stabbed her sword into the wall to slow her descent.


    "RRAAAARGH"


    A brutal and earth-shattering roar came from the Lizardkin King. Despite being hit in the face by a mountain, his body didn''t look the least bit injured. Liv leapt from the wall and slashed at the Alpha with her sword.


    As I watched, I noticed that the Alpha''s resistance was nothing more than that of a raging animal. I zoomed in on its face and saw that it was bleeding all over. As I focused on it, Exa explained.


    [Lady Jas has shot every attempt the monster has made to reconstruct its eyes and ears. It is currently believed to be fighting on instinct alone. Lady Liv also remains unharmed, as every attack the Alpha has attempted has been intercepted by Lady Jas.]


    "Jas kept that massive thing at bay with nothing more than .50 cal rounds?"


    [Yes. The current combination of {Fates} she uses allows her rounds to hit vital weak points, reducing the Alpha''s ability to fight. She also has some {Fate} enhanced ammunition from Hellsend.]


    A loud shot rang out. The sound was familiar, as it came from the M107 Barrett. A weapon I begun using just today. It wasn''t me, so this particular shot could only be Jasmine''s.


    "BROOOOOOOOAARR!"


    The Alpha suddenly raised its front legs and stood up, intending to trample Liv. However, a small explosion erupted from its side. While the damage should have been negligible, the Alpha blacked out and fell sideways like a corpse.


    Then I heard Jas'' voice over my link.


    ''Everyone, it is still alive! Start the next phase, the effect of Joshua''s {Fate} will not last long!''


    Jo and Aki went to two opposite ends of the crater and opened {Portals}. Both of them entered the said places and disappeared. Robyn, however, crouched down in front of the behemoth and placed her hand on the ground. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "{PHASE}!"


    Shouting an unknown {Fate}, I saw Robyn vomit blood. But at the same moment, I noticed the Alpha slowly sinking to the ground. Even though the ground was solid. As if the Alpha was standing on quicksand, the lower part of its body was fusing with the ground inch by inch.


    Suddenly, the monster raised its upper body again. But when it tried to stand up, it couldn''t. As if its legs were chained to the ground, the Alpha struggled in vain. Liv lunged at the monster, battering it with both her sword and shield.


    When it tried to counterattack, .50 caliber bullets hit it, knocking it unconscious.


    "FUCK! I didn''t know that Joshua had already created bullets with his {Fate}. They seem overpowered!"


    "Actually, they''re not. They only work 20% of the time. Only Jas and her soulgear can make them this effective, Dearest."


    A mellifluous voice echoed behind me. I turned to see Lilly limping. I quickly went to her and supported her. My princess'' face had purple lines all over it and her lips were a shade of black.


    This was appearance was similar to Aki''s.


    "Lilly, you overdrafted," I called in concern.


    "I did, but it was worth it, Dearest. Look, the show has reached it''s climax."


    Lilly raised her hand and pointed to the crater. A {Portal} opened next to the Alpha. From it came a raging flood. Strangely enough, I felt the temperature around me drop rapidly. The powerful, ice-cold flood quickly filled the crater.


    Robyn and Liv retreated as the Alpha roared back to life. It thrashed about in the frigid water, searching for its enemies in vain. A second {portal} opened above it. But this time, burning magma spewed out like an angry volcano.


    "BROOOOOOOOAARR!"


    The Alpha screamed in agony as it was barbecued Siren-style. Somehow I began to feel sorry for the poor bastard.

 Chapter 598 And you all call me OP? [1/2]

    The bone-chilling roar of the Alpha rang out. It was being cooked as molten magma poured over it while its body was drenched in ice-cold water.Thermodynamic shock, also known as thermodynamic explosion or thermochemical explosion, simply meant the sudden and violent release of energy caused by a rapid chemical reaction or phase transition.


    It often occurred when a material underwent a rapid change in temperature or pressure, resulting in an explosive release of stored energy. Normally, explosives would suffice, since the change from normal temperature to very hot already created insane energy.


    But if you really wanted to kick it up a notch, you lowered the bar for "Normal". If normal temp to very hot was destructive, what would be the result of very cold to very hot? What was happening in front of me had to be seen to be believed.


    The Alpha was screaming in agony as it struggled helplessly. Steam and smoke covered the area like a fog as the lava was smothered by the water. For all its strength, the Alpha''s massive bulk prevented it from getting out of the hole. Like a frog in a well, it continued to slam against the walls in vain.


    "Damn, even after all that, it''s still not dead? How tough is this bastard?" I asked in disbelief.


    "That would be because of its abilities. {Hardened Scales} disperses damage, while {Adaptive Armor} literally changes its shell on a molecular level to reinforce itself. But there are limits to this ability. I should have exhausted it earlier with my attack," the blue-haired princess beside me commented.


    The sight of her skin discoloring and her lips turning black made me irritable. While I was curious about the skills she just mentioned, I wanted to restore her to her normal beauty. Creating a chair with {Shelter}, I had Sunday quickly sit down and guided Lilly to my lap.


    Aki had told me earlier that if someone with {Eat} overdraft their abilities, even {Rewind} would not help. At most, {Rewind} would restore the base HP, but depending on how much was used, we would be lightheaded and weak.


    Lilly''s eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow. Without wasting another moment, I stole her lips as I invoked my {Program}.


    "[Kiss of Vitality]."


    Unlike our usual passionate exchanges, I kissed Lilly slowly and tenderly. While I accepted that seeing her like this would be my new norm, what man would want to see those he loved like this?


    As my stamina passed to her, the princess quickly regained her strength and wrapped her arms around my neck.


    ''Dearest, your tenderness would melt any woman into putty. Please never tire of me. I wouldn''t know what to do if you no longer looked in my direction.''


    Hearing her unfounded fear, I lightly bit her lip and then sucked on her tongue. My annoyance traveled from my link to her as I pulled her deeper into my embrace.


    "Lilly, stop being stupid. Do you really think I will ever have enough of you? I would strip you right now if I could! Does your body still not know how much I desire it?''


    Then I felt happiness and bliss explode from the woman in my arms. She pulled her head back as she said with a smile.


    ''Fufu, dearest. You are incredibly desirable to many, even more so in the future. Forgive my weakness. I couldn''t resist teasing you. You have made your point. I belong only to you.


    Now and forever. And I am so happy to be yours.''


    Saying nothing else, I continued to lock lips as I restored Lilly''s stamina. I could feel my other girls moving to our position. And when they arrived, they were all a little miffed.


    "Let me guess, this pervert deliberately looked weak and dying just to get a kiss. Honey, you are being played!"


    "Although, I cannot argue that given Beloved''s personality, such tactics are the most effective."


    "Possum is a moron after all. This slagger can bench press a bus! And she acts like the wind is enough to blow her away. Get stuffed, cunt!"


    "HAHAHA, come on everyone. You all know that if she didn''t go first, everyone here would have done the same thing! Being adored by Darling feels so good after all!"


    "Husband, that vixen is taking advantage of your good nature!"


    "Anata, could you spare some love for me as well?"


    I didn''t bother to apologize and had the rest of my soul avatars go to a Siren. My heart hurt when I saw the appearance of the girls.


    It wasn''t that I was sad that they looked more like corpses than people. It was the fact that those black veins meant that they were injured and overexerted themselves.


    "[Kiss of Vitality]" X6


    Without resistance, the Sirens recovered by using my bodies as stamina packs. We enjoyed a brief respite as the Alpha continued to rage in the hole before us. Standing by were the Soulless Army, along with the Corpse and Monster Divisions.


    Even though I had heard what their soulgears were capable of, much like when I got {Day by Day}, the way the Sirens fought changed by leaps and bounds.


    As with any game, you could only use units you understood well. Thus if I wanted to command the Sirens effectively, I first had to understand their abilities.


    {Day by Day} simply created Soul Avatars, the next levels all just modified and improved that main ability. But the soulgears of the Sirens had multiple abilities, many of which I didn''t know about.


    These girls would be fighting by my side forever. So rather than guess, I asked my {Kindred} as we exchanged bodily fluids with our mouths.


    ''My {Kindred}, you were all so awesome earlier. But can you please explain to me what new abilities you have gained? You are my cards, so I need to know if I can handle you well.


    "Of course, Beloved, you need only ask.''


    ''I would have told you even if you hadn''t requested it, Dearest.''


    ''Sure, Possum. Pucker up!''


    ''Okay! You will surely be amazed, Darling!''


    ''Are you sure that''s your only reason, Honey? Kidding...''


    ''Husband... All I am, I offer to you...''


    ''Anata. Where are you touching? Connie''s drone is right there!'' S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The girls then send me a detailed summaries of their new soulgear along with the new programs they created.


    [Shall I simplify and organize them as well, my lord?]


    ''Please do, Exa.''


    ___


    Liv Ivaldi Smith


    Soulgear: {Adapt} / Tyrell Whitley


    Lvl 1: {Adapt} - allows manipulation of biological energy to alter the user''s physical traits.


    Lvl 2: {Vital} - discards excess body mass and conserves biological energy (Loli mode)


    Lvl 3: {Extremity} - uses excess biological energy to create additional limbs.


    Lvl 4: {Titan} - converts all available biological energy to transform into a 50-foot titan.


    New {Programs}


    [Dress] - stores designated battle uniform in subspace and quickly adorns designated attire.


    [Valkyrie] - Forges {Shelter} armor for Titan mode (Liv only).


    ___


    Lilly Browning Smith


    Soulgear: {Magnitude} / Benjamin Mcdonald


    Lvl 1: {Magnitude} - grants the ability to enlarge non-biological objects, while retaining their original properties.


    Lvl 2: {Compact} - grants the ability to shrink non-biological objects.


    Lvl 3: {Stack}. - fuses objects of the same type and increases their inherent properties.


    Lvl 4: {Megalomania} - Breaks the {Magnitude} limit at the cost of soul and stamina.


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    New {Programs}


    [Electrocution] - generates massive amounts of electricity from Tesla coils and water in subspace. (Lilly only)


    [Railgun] - {Withdraw} and {Stock} algorithm that creates a series of electrically charged space doorways to accelerate projectiles. Requires [Electrocution]. (Lilly only)


    ___


    Robyn Lithgow Smith


    Soulgear: {Fade} / Elliot Poole


    Lvl 1: {Fade} - temporarily enters the energy realm.


    Lvl 2: {Slipstream} - allows movement in the energy realm.


    Lvl 3: {Phase} - summons targets into the energy realm.


    Lvl 4: {Shift} - draws energy from the energy realm.


    New {Programs}


    [Gravity Rounds] - empowers shotgun pellets with {Crush} and {Shift} (Robyn only)


    [Kitty Punch] - Attack empowered with {Crush} and {Shift}. Can be used as a melee or ranged attack. (Robyn only)


    ___


    Josephine Benelli Smith


    Soulgear: {Huddle} / Reuben Alford


    Lvl 1: {Huddle} - Telepathy, allows the user to hear the thoughts of others.


    Lvl 2: {Communication} - Telepathy, allows the user to speak to others with thoughts.


    Lvl 3: {Share} - allows anyone connected to {Huddle} to form their own connections.


    Lvl 4: {Team Play} - allows instinctive teamwork between {Huddle} participants.


    New {Programs}


    [Brainwash] - Weapon enhancement created as a delivery method for [Whisper] via {Share}. (Jo Only)


    [Vela''s Sect] - Creates a domain where allies receive the [Brainwash] blessing on their weaponry. | Stamina can be retrieved from sect members. (Jo Only)

 Chapter 599 And you all call me OP? [2/2]

    ___Isabella Taurus Smith


    Soulgear: {Instigator} / Dominic Maegester


    Lvl 1: {Instigator} - grants corpse manipulation by touch, maximum 5 targets.


    Lvl 2: {Marionette} - increases the maximum number of {Instigator} to 12, no longer requires direct touch.


    Lvl 3: {Rebellion} - massively increases the number of corpse puppets to 200 individual targets.


    Lvl 4: {Uprising} - further increases the number of corpse puppets to 1,500 targets in exchange for stamina.


    Lvl 5: {Without Strings} - Restores the puppet''s combat sense to 30% of its original combat ability.


    New {Programs}


    [Bradley Crew] - imparts autonomous routines required to operate an M2 Bradley to targets. (Bella only).


    [Overlord OS] - Simplified operating system that offloads processing using {Calculate} and the Minerva Network.


    ___


    Jasmine Denel Smith


    Soulgear: {Variance} / Jayden Ryan


    Lvl 1: {Variance} - allows foresight of the top 50 most likely outcomes of an action.


    Lvl 2: {Grouping} - sorts {Variance} outcomes into groups of 12, leaving 4 possibilities per branch per action.


    Lvl 3: {Fractal} - Tag a target to passively trigger {Variance} prior to taking damage.


    Lvl 4: {Probability} - Increases possible outcomes to 2500 futures per decision.


    New {Programs}


    [Guardian Angel] - creates a special defensive algorithm for {Fractal} targets. (Jas only)


    [Future Sight] - simplifies 2500 to 100 outcomes in the highest order of probability. (Jas only)


    ___


    Aki Miroku Smith


    Soulgear: {Blood Feast} / Robert Acwellan


    Lvl 1: {Blood Feast} - blood manipulation.


    Lvl 2: {Sanguine Armor} - allows you to improve weapons and armor with blood. The strength of the enhancement depends on the amount of blood used.


    Lvl 3: {Carnival of the Damned} - each strike with a weapon covered in {Sanguine Armor} increases the speed and power of the skill new strike, maximum combo 500.


    Lvl 4: {Transfusion}. - allows healing from blood regardless of source.


    Lvl 5: {Vendetta} - counterattack based on blood loss. Counter blow cannot be blocked, and is based on per attack, per attacker.


    New {Programs}


    [Blood Intoxication] - skin absorption of blood restores stamina. (Aki only)


    [Sanguine Bladewing] - {Shelter} Odachi covered in {Sanguine Armor}.


    [Karma Strike] - counterattack that leverages {Counter} and {Vendetta}


    ___


    "Holy fucking shit. And you all call me OP?"


    No wonder the girls were fighting like demons. My understanding of their soulgears was extremely shallow. {Day by Day} had only one active ability. And since {Cavalry}, {Honey Trap}, {Tourniquet}, and even {Umbra} were the same, I assumed that was the norm.


    Sierra Richards couldn''t evolve into a Phantom and remained a Wraith. Her soulgem only had one {fate} when I got it. On the other hand, the Sirens got their original Soulgears from {Phantoms}.


    This meant that they had an average of four {Fates} from the soulgears. And that number could theoretically be increased to six. Suddenly, I felt like my {Day by Day} was extremely weak in comparison.


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    In addition, the girls created {Programs} that made it easier for them to use their soulgears. Much like me. The {Programs} married the two {Fates} with their tactics.


    Watching them in battle, I understood their choices. And I couldn''t help but be impressed.


    For Liv, {Adapt} gave her the ability similar to {Regen}. But unlike my {Fate}, it was powered by biological energy. Her Loli Mode {Vital} was the energy-saving form. While {Titan} was when she wanted to go all out. On the other hand, {Extremity} gave her the ability to generate extra limbs as needed.


    The image of an eight-armed Liv wreaking havoc like a Japanese Asura made me shudder. How insane! Her programs, in contrast, were simply for modesty and defense.


    ''Still growing into a fucking titan is insane!''


    Meanwhile, Lilly was truly a genius at unorthodox combat. She was already storing water to use in her fighting style. Now, my princess added Tesla coils and created the [Electrocution] {Program}.


    I was sure she had many plans for both, but just her 2nd new {Program} made her extremely dangerous.


    [Rail Gun] combined her {Portals} and [Electrocution] to create a fucking electric rail gun.


    Its ammunition? Anything she saw fit to enlarge with {Magnitude} and {Megalomania}. She could even compress it with {Stack} or shrink it with {Compact}. It was a powerful set of cards that, when combined, created a firepower unlike any other.


    ''It is so like Lilly. As she had no issues fighting mobs, she created a boss killer trump card!''


    Robyn''s soulgear surprised me the most, though. It seems that {Fade} allowed her to tap into something called the Energy Realm. This space was where she hid from attacks, and {Slipstream} allowed her to move within it.


    {Phase} was what she used earlier to fuse the Alpha to the ground. While {Shift} allowed her to draw energy from well...the Energy Realm. Now I understood why Vanish was so fast, he was literally running on energy.


    As a side effect, Robyn created [Gravity Rounds] and [Kitty Punch]. Both of which took the already broken {Crush} and combined it with {Shift}. No wonder the shotgun pellets were as strong as howitzer shells!


    ''How the fuck could you even stop my kitten now? She transforms to literal energy, for fuck''s sake!''


    Jo''s soulgear practical looked mundane. {Huddle} and {Communication} were the ability to hear and speak telepathically. {Share}, on the other hand, allowed {Huddle} to propagate. Only {Team Play} had real combat applications.


    But my intelligent Italian in her brilliance, once again weaponized everything she got her hands on. [Brainwash] basically turned every weapon into a tool to get anything with a brain to join the cult of Vela. As if that was not enough, [Vela''s Sect] created a field where everyone turned into a Vela cultist.


    Jo reminded me of those cult leaders who suddenly gained a thousand members overnight. Only she did it by stabbing or shooting her followers in the face. And she can even use them as stamina packs. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Bella''s new abilities while similar were tame by comparison. {Instigator} made her a puppet master. {Marionette}, {Rebellion}, and {Uprising} simply increased the number of puppets. While {Without Strings} gave the puppets some autonomy.


    I already knew about the [Overlord OS], Burger and Fries already had it. The [Bradley Crew], on the other hand, was specifically to get corpses to pilot a Bradley.


    ''Simple, straight to the point, and efficient, my bombshell is the fucking best in this regard.''


    The other shocking revelation of the night was Jasmine''s soulgear, {Variance}. Unlike the usual foresight power in anime and manga, my Chocolate Wifey sees not just one future, but several at once.


    No wonder she went brain dead the first time she used it. {Grouping} made the process easier by shortening the futures into branches, much like the choices in a VN game.


    {Probability}, on the other hand, increased the futures to 2500. Only someone with Jasmine Denel''s intelligence would think this piece of crap was useful.


    {Fractal} seemed much easier to understand. If {Variance} could only be used when you performed an action, {Fractal} happened reactively.


    Now I understood why she said that [Commander] helped her. Without something to separate the futures, it would probably put everyone else into a coma. Luckily, my African lover was smart as fuck, and her {Programs} made these convoluted {Fates} into useful trump cards.


    With [Guardian Angel], she could see if her defensive targets would get hurt before it even happened. Meanwhile, [Future Sight] simplified the 2500 futures for Jas.


    ''I wouldn''t touch that soulgear with a ten-foot pole. Much less use it.''


    Finally, Aki''s soulgear was something I knew by heart. After all, the Sirens and I had put a lot of effort into killing the Slayer. However, there were a few new details I learned only now.


    First, only weapons transformed with {Sanguine Armor} could trigger {Carnival of the Damned}. Instead of holding blades, Aki created the {Program} [Sanguine Bladewing].


    It created giant swords with {Shelter} and then covered them with {Sanguine Armor}. The result? Multiple giant ass swords that would trigger the effects of {Carnival of the Damned}.


    [Blood drunk] allowed my Kamisan to use {Eat} and {Transfusion} in synergy. Just being splashed with blood would restore her stamina, effectively doubling the time she could fight in full power.


    I haven''t even seen [Karma Strike], but considering it has both {Counter} and {Vendetta}. Her target would deader than dead.


    Sanguine Bladewing] probably copied Aki''s skills with odachis. {Gather} would make sure of it. No wonder she had over a hundred swords swirling around like a hurricane.


    ''Sigh, you girls are fucking amazing as always,'' I praised.


    As I restored my battle harem to full power, the roar of the Alpha finally subsided. The girls and I separated and observed the Alpha buried in the soup we had just made.


    Its armor was so resilient that it survived a [Rail Gun] to the face undamaged. That meant that the energy from being cooked shouldn''t be able to leave its body, killing it from the inside.


    "Just fucking die already!" I couldn''t help but complain aloud.

 Chapter 600 does it evolve into... [1/2]

    Remembering that we still had to kill this bastard, I began to think about our options. I unsummoned {Day by Day} to give my mind a rest. Turning to my harem, I asked curiously."Does everyone know what that bastard''s abilities are? Lilly, I remember you mentioning some of them earlier. Did you already have this information before this?"


    Lilly shook her head before answering, "No, Dearest. If I had, you would have been the first to know. Liv, Jas and I took the lead in mapping out the Alpha''s abilities. Bella, Jo, Aki and Robyn, on the other hand, were to investigate the guards."


    "I can understand the Alpha, but why investigate the guards?" I asked confused.


    Bella nodded her head as she continued where the princess had left off.


    "According to the records of Academics, what separated the champion rank from everything else was not their strength but their status."


    "Status?"


    My Brazilian bombshell pushed up her glasses as she sent me a digital image. It was a poorly drawn caricature of the Undead/Monster ranks. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    You had the F''s at the bottom all the way up to the A''s. On top of the A''s were the S, SS, and SSS rank monsters. The Champion rank had its own tree to the side.


    "The Champion rank is right around Rank C in terms of strength, but what makes it dangerous is its status. Champions are kings in every sense of the word. Their strength grows in proportion to their kingdoms. They have the ability to grow to SSS if left alone," Bella explained.


    Jo then grabbed my arm and buried it in her ample chest.


    "Darling, it''s kind of like medieval societies. The Champion is the King. If he has more nobles and citizens under his command, he is automatically more powerful. It doesn''t mean he fights better, just that his stats are way way above average."


    I moved my other arm and grabbed Jo''s waist before giving her a passionate kiss with tongue. When her eyes were glassy, I asked while licking her lips.


    "So the best way to kill a Champion is to murder his entire kingdom?"


    I felt someone tug on my other arm. When I turned around, it was Aki, who looked unhappy. She tiptoed over and quickly stuck her tongue down my throat. After her naughty act, the bladed kitsune licked her lips like a fox.


    "Yes, Anata. You are right. The quickest and easiest way to kill the Alpha would be to kill all of his followers, which in turn would weaken him considerably. We assumed that you already knew this, since your orders were in line with this method."


    "..."


    I wanted to take credit, but I couldn''t. There was only one reason why I ordered the destruction of his army and guard. That was because in video games, it was customary to kill everything before taking on the boss.


    Unconsciously, I was doing the best plan without realizing it. If IRIS really created the game industry to teach such concepts, I must say they did a good job. Such tactics were second nature to me.


    Shaking my head, I kissed Aki again before moving on to the next topic.


    "Okay, so we weakened the bastard by deliberately culling his kingdom. Can you girls tell me what else you learned?"


    Then I felt my tie being pulled to the left. Jas yanked me towards her like a dog on a leash before sealing my lips with a kiss.


    "I have received payment. The Alpha has 5 skills. {Bull Rush}, {Hardened Scales}, {Adaptive Armor}, {Kaiser Mandibles}, and {Cocoon}. {Bull Rush} is a simple charge that increases its weight by a factor of ten."


    My chocolate Wifey covered her mouth as her cheeks turned red like a tomato. Although she was not fair-skinned, her blush was still visible on her skin. She probably only realized how daring her last act was.


    "Ehem...{Hardened Scales} is self-explanatory, Husband. However, it''s the ability that makes the monster''s body extremely tough. {Kaiser Mandibles} is a buff that increases the penetrating power of the scythes that protrude from its sides."


    "I see," I replied as I slowly pulled away from Jas.


    A pair of hands then grabbed my face quite forcefully. The hands guided my face to the left. Towards a northerner with red hair.


    Liv came closer and awkwardly sought me out in lust. I responded in kind. A trail of saliva remained as we finished our passionate exchange.


    "Beloved. {Adaptive Armor} is the most troublesome. Every odd numbered hit increases the beast''s defense by a factor of a thousand. Jas was the one who figured it out. Basically. If you hit it 10 times.


    It will absorb the damage it takes on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th hit."


    "How does that work?"


    Something suddenly appeared between Liv and me and separated us. Robyn jumped on top of me like a monkey and attacked my lips in a wild manner. Despite her bold advances, my kitten''s face and skin were flushed from shame.


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    "Possum, on the odd blows, it absorbs the impact and uses it to shield itself. We have noticed that the more energy it receives, the heavier and bulkier its body becomes, and the process repeats every other attack. After you hit it once, it will use that energy to cancel your second hit," she added.


    "Oh? Wait, that means!" I asked excitedly, finally understanding the girls'' actions.


    Bella came over to me and tapped her foot impatiently.


    "Take some in your asshole you horny bitches! I was explaining and every single one of you ravaged his lips! Hmph! Whatever! Simply put, honey, we used that fact to control the Alpha. We timed our shots and delivered our most powerful attack on an odd numbered blow."


    From the girls'' explanations, it seemed they were deliberately using the creature''s abilities against it.


    "Then you used both its weight and bulk buffs to make sure it couldn''t get out?"


    {Adaptive armor} sounded good on paper. It took the energy from an attack and used it to deflect the next attack. As a result, you become heavier to reduce the damage.


    So what do my girls do? They shot a fucking mountain out of a fucking railgun and bashed the motherfucking Alpha with it. The force absorbed and turned the heavy motherfucker into an even heavier motherfucker. Then they dump it in a hole to boil it.


    Bella smiled joyfully as she made a V sign. "I told you I would find a way to kill that fucking bastard. Aren''t I great, Mr. Code?"


    Unable to stop myself, I blinked behind Bella. Then I grabbed pulled her towards me by her waist. Gently tilting her face up, I stuck my tongue down her throat. While surprised she made no attempts to resist, but rather clung to my arms and reciprocated my affection.


    Sloppy sounds echoed as Minerva melted into my arms. We said nothing. We thought nothing. Bella and I just allowed our bodies to pleasure each other. Suddenly, she broke our kiss. Panting seductively.


    "Pant...Fuck! Honey, you really are merciless! Pant...Stop manipulating me with your passionate advances. I really am turning into a pervert like Lilly!"


    "Hmph. Hardly any name dropping is necessary. You lot already have some unspeakable interests as well. Dearest turns practically every woman he gets his hands on into a degenerate!" our princess retorted.


    "You people shamelessly claim to be women of virtue. But Shujin already has you all trained. A good example is that apart from me, you perverts are always naked at home!"


    "Oh shut up Aki, you only wear clothes because you know Husband likes to tear them off."


    "Get stuffed, you Asian cum toilet! Your moral argument is dumb as shit! Sides, who cares if Possum has me trained?"


    "I know, right? Darling gives out the best rewards, even his punishments feel good...ish. So it''s all good!"

 Chapter 601 does it evolve into...[2/2]

    "Everyone, is this how those who want to be my mother behave? Stop this unsightly display at once! And why bother to wear clothes? Nothing can hurt me anyway, and Beloved assaults me more often when I wear nothing!"I chuckled at the arguments my girls were having and changed the subject. Slowly, I relaxed my arm around Bella. She could push me away if she wanted to.


    Funnily enough, when I released her, Bella timidly waited a few good seconds before pulling away. I couldn''t help but notice a hint of disappointment in her expression.


    "You said it had five abilities. So what does {Cocoon} do? Does it turn into a butterfly or something? Or does it evolve into ....?"


    As my mind started to think out loud, I felt my stomach drop. Wasn''t it normal for monsters to have second stages? While many games had sub and mini bosses, just as many added the clich¨¦ of second and third transformations.


    Then I remembered the Alpha''s status screen.


    ___


    Background information: The pinnacle of the Lizardkin species. This mutation has remarkable defenses and grows stronger as it becomes more enraged. Scientists have been unable to recover a living specimen of this beast. Adding to its mystery. Despite its massive strength, raiding parties often find its bodies in various zones. How or why they live such short lives remains unknown.


    ___


    What if, instead of dying, it transformed from its {Cocoon}, and what the Reapers saw were not corpses, but actually its...FUCK...


    I quickly turned to the Alpha stew we had made and used {Imaging}. Quickly switching between different lenses, I tried to find some evidence that the Alpha was dead or still there.


    ''EXA!''


    My {Kindred} link spoke faster than words. The girls all drew weapons and began firing at our surroundings!


    [There is nothing on {Sonar}. Despite using every available spectrum in {Imagin} there is nothing... The chaos of magma and water prevents proper scanning...]


    Somehow this situation was very familiar. It was almost the exact replay of the enlistment. Back then, after we defeated the Undead Brute, we assumed that there was a secondary boss.


    This cautious thinking allowed us to narrowly escape death and defeat the Rank D Undead Stalker.


    "Fan out! Cover every inch and vector! I will deny subspace doors in this area! {Magnitude}! {Withdraw}!"


    Lilly pulled out rocks and bullets filed with momentum from her storage and began firing her minigun systematically.


    "MY CHILDREN! FIND THE ALPHA! {WITHOUT STRINGS}!"


    Bella''s entire army of machines began firing in every possible direction. The Switchblades in the air began methodically dive-bombing suspected positions. She also sent out the lizardkin corpses, partially restored their senses.


    "[TRANSMITTER]! FIND IT! I COMMAND YOU IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS! {SHOW YOURSELF}!" Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meanwhile, Jo invoked her cultist zone and sent the monster division to search for their former king, She also used {Announce} to issue a death resonance command.


    "[Inventory]! [Sanguine Bladewing]!" Aki suddenly drew back her Blood Odachi and sent them scattering! Discover hidden content at empire


    Unlike the Slayer, who had to spill blood every time she fought, Aki kept her growing arsenal in her inventory, conserving most of her power. She also joined the search with her AR-10 Sentinel.


    "[KNIGHT] [OVERDRIVE]! {WITHSTAND}! {ENDURE}! {SUFFER}! {BLOCK}! {SHELTER}!


    [WAR CRY]! COME! YOU PITIFUL EXCUSE FOR A DRAGON!"


    Liv taunted. The Norther also charged forward, intent on protecting everyone else.


    "You will not harm my family, monster! [Future Sight]!"


    Perhaps the most likely to find the monster. Jas called up her {Program}. [Future Sight] had the best chance to predict where the enemy was most likely to strike. Since she always had [Guardian Angel] on, {Fractal} should also allow her to defend the rest of us.


    "I DON''T NEED TO SEE YOU TO HIT YOU! [GRAVITY ROUNDS]! [PENETRATOR]!" Robyn, fully intending to blow everything to kingdom come, pulled out her AA-12 and unleashed a barrage of 12-gauge {Fate} Powered Buckshots!


    Despite the absolute overkill the girls were doing, my heart would not calm down. They were blasting everything around us. With projectiles, monsters, resonance commands, and even future predictions. Yet I was still terrified.


    ''What is this?''


    Then I saw it. I saw a black cloud around Liv''s feet. Fearing for my Northerner, my body moved faster than I could think.


    Jas shouted in the next moment. "LIV! IT IS UNDERGROUND! GET AWAY!"


    Time slowed to a crawl. The world fell silent as I ran forward as fast as I could. Liv, hearing only Jas, raised her shield to protect her vitals. She did not see the ground behind her legs slowly erupt.


    ''Why didn''t this thing show up on {Sonar}?''


    Because Liv was inside our curtain of fire, the area behind Liv was not exposed to any of the projectiles.


    You could argue that Liv should have just stayed inside our defensive line. But for a tank, her primary job was to draw enemy attacks. In that respect, Liv did an amazing job.


    But I couldn''t let her take this blow. Something... something deep within me believed that she would not survive. Against all logic, I ran forward.


    ''Exa, trigger Liv''s [Autoload] now.''


    [Yes, my lord!]


    [Inventory] FT5, HCAR.


    With two of my most powerful weapons, I aimed both into the ground beneath Liv.


    Immediately, Liv''s figure began to shatter into particles of light and vanished. The next thing I knew, something burst from the ground. It was a bipedal monster with scythes for arms. Its face resembled that of the Alpha. But it was human-sized.


    "[Sniper], [Penetrator]!"


    Grinning, I pulled the triggers of my two weapons. I blasted my opponent with a full auto burst of .30-06 Springfield and a 95mm HEAT rocket.


    The monster blocked the bullets and sliced the rocket in mid-air.


    It then charged me in the same second. It was moving so fast I couldn''t even understand what was going on. The transformed Alpha brought its razor-sharp scythe to my neck.


    Death seemed imminent, only for the blade to be pushed back by a 12.7¡Á99mm NATO round. The girls all turned their weapons on me and the Alpha, waiting for a chance to strike.


    Jasmine''s emotional screams drove the danger of the situation!


    "HUSBAND! BE CAREFUL! ITS ATTACKS DISABLE REWIND!"


    I see. That was why I was afraid. If Liv was slashed by that monster, she would lose the ability to {Rewind} and die instead. Luckily, Jas could see into the future with a certain success rate thanks to her new soulgear.


    In the split second I had to act, I weighed my options. At the moment, nothing in my arsenal could kill this bastard. I guess this was what the forums meant about guns being useless. For certain enemies, blunt trauma was simply no good.


    With the current firepower at our disposal, the only ones who could attack with non-physical weapons were Aki and Robyn. Technically, Liv''s {counter} also counted somehow, but I didn''t think we could trade blows with this bastard.


    If I had to think about who we could sacrifice to kill this Alpha. It would have to be the corpse, the soulless, the monster division, and me. Specifically, my soul avatars.


    "{DAY BY DAY}!"


    ''[Commander] [Overdrive]. [Shared Armory]. Exa, tell the girls to stay away and send only the disposable units.''


    [My Lord, hardly anyone in Hellsend would consider you a disposable unit.]


    ''Thank you for that, but please just do as I say.''


    [Affirmative]


    ''{Shelter}!


    I didn''t bother giving my avatars {Shelter} armor. Instead, I covered my weapons and turned them into melee weapons. If even Liv could die in one hit, nothing I could create would be enough to withstand a blow.


    If I could neither defend nor run, the next best thing was to pin the bastard down so my harem could shoot him dead. So, like incels seeing a naked woman for the first time, I threw all seven of my bodies at the monster.


    ''You will NOT survive beyond today, you fucking bastard! I SWEAR IT''

 Chapter 602 Heroine Chapter: So long as he believes [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Jasmine Denel Smith___


    Believing that the battle was over, we made a huge mistake.


    [Guardian Angel] triggered and showed Liv suddenly dying after her head was severed. It was too fast for me to comprehend. Something rose from the ground and attacked her.


    I didn''t know why, but Alpha''s 2nd form was incredibly strong. Much stronger than the towering behemoth. Despite having [Guardian Angel] and {Fractal}, I was one second too slow. Liv would die at this rate. But Husband, the man I adored most in this world, moved even faster.


    He charged forward and ordered Liv to be rewound. Armed, he began shooting the monster before the rest of us could act.


    "[Sniper], [Penetrator]!"


    Smiling Husband attacked the Alpha and its new form, but it hardly mattered. Meanwhile, the girls and I were thrown into confusion.


    I quickly snapped a picture and sent it to the Sirens.


    [OneWomanandOrchestra: Everyone, this Alpha''s new form can kill us even with [Autoload] and {Recursion}.]


    [NeverEnoughCows: EXA! WHAT IS THIS! SEND ME BACK!]


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: JAS, WHAT ABOUT DARLING? DOES HE KNOW? I KNOW ALREADY! SHUT UP FOR A SECOND, VELA! MONSTER DIVISION MOVE! SAVE DARLING!]


    [RealWomenLikeDolls: JASMINE! What insanity are you saying? I never heard of a monster being able to cancel {Fates}!]


    [MastiffKnight: BLOODY OATH! WHO CARES! {FADE}!]


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Robyn! Everyone, we will buy time! Please think of a plan!]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: EXA! Pull everything from Graveyard that looks vaguely familiar to that thing! My children! I WANT THAT BASTARD DEAD!!]


    [Alfonso|Sabel|Henry: Yes, Mother!]


    It was absolute chaos. Contrary to the imposing appearance of the Alpha in its first form, it was now barely bigger than a human. But the terror and fear I felt made even breathing a struggle.


    How could I not be in such a state?


    In my mind, Liv and Husband had already died to this monster over a hundred times.


    My soulgear {Variance} was a double-edged sword. In return for being able to see possibilities in the future, you were burdened by realities that did not exist. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    During the battle with the Alpha''s dragon form, I had to watch Liv being cut in half and decapitated thousands of times.


    It was definitely a strain on my brain, {Probability} made those futures worse. It was like watching thousands of shows on the same screen. They were jumbled together into an incoherent mess. And they changed every microsecond, so the visions never ended.


    I have no idea how Jayden Ryan used this {Fate}. What did he regret to give birth to it?


    From Husband''s story, Jayden Ryan, or Spade, only manifested one ability in combat. He could avoid attacks once you made the decision to attack.


    Husband was able to kill him by feigning the intent to attack. From what I knew of Soulgear, it seems that aside from {Fractal} Jayden didn''t use any other abilities. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to kill someone who could see the future.


    But that was the problem with this ability. Unlike the past or present, there were too many variables.


    The 50 futures of {Variances} were only good for a few seconds. For every second that passed, there were millions of futures. And out of that infinite number, you could only see 50.


    How useful the futures you could see were was equally debatable. If you had many agents in an event, the future changed accordingly.


    For example, if there were three people in the same area, one person''s decision to speak created over three thousand futures.


    From what that person said, how they said it, their tone, their body language, even their mood.All these things were included in the result.


    So the 50 futures quickly became incredibly useless. At most, it would give me two seconds before the event happened.


    Of course, when you had few factors like a single person flipping a coin, the futures were much more streamlined. However, considering the mental effort it took to see the future, you would be better off not looking at it at all.


    {Probability} increased the time I could influence to about five seconds. But the problem remained the same. The future was not set in stone, it was like a river flowing by. And in a battle like this? It was incredibly frustrating to see a future and not be able to prevent it.


    ''Just seeing five seconds into the future takes everything I have.''


    I was able to protect Liv because of this battle tactic. But for some reason, even though she had {Rewind}, [Autoload], and {Recursion}. I saw a future where Liv was decapitated.


    Despite having {Recursion}, I doubt any of the Sirens would want to use it willingly. Not when Husband shared how much he had to suffer for it.


    Husband was not hurt when his body was broken or torn apart. To the man I loved the most, a Siren''s injury was the worst way to hurt him.


    Read exclusive content at empire


    This caused us, his battle harem, to change. Protecting each other became the best way to protect our husband.


    But even with such contradictory thinking, Husband was truly overprotective. And it was only for those he cherished that he would willingly use {Recursion}. But to this enemy, it didn''t matter in the slightest.


    I was so surprised that my brain froze. Liv dying should have been literally impossible. And yet, it occurred in all possibilities. But then the futures I kept seeing abruptly changed.


    Husband moved. The moment he did, the futures where Liv died all vanished. Instead of the Northerner, what I saw shifted to now show Limitless taking her place.


    Not wanting to let that happen, I changed my mind setting to [Commander].


    I also sent my brain into overdrive. Although I usually resented having a really high IQ, for the first time, I was grateful for it.


    ''''Exa, support me. Use [Future Sight] and prioritize saving Husband.''


    [By your command, Lady Jas.]


    Then I saw a hundred similar futures, and in all of them, the Alpha sent a scythe attack to kill my {Kindred}.


    25 of the futures showed the scythe reaching his midsection. The visions broke down further to show Husband''s reaction. In some, he tried to block it, in others, he was caught completely unaware, but in all of them, he perished.


    ''Why doesn''t [Autoload] or {Recursion} trigger? Shouldn''t Husband be under the protection of {Recursion}? ''


    25 more showed the monster''s limb reaching for my husband''s neck. Similar to the first set of futures, Husband died in all of them, no matter how he blocked, the Alpha''s scythes sliced through everything like paper.


    ''This monster is too absurd! Its armies are dead! Why is it still so powerful! And how could it nullify {Fates}! This makes no sense at all!''


    Another 25 showed the scythe hitting his thigh as a feint, only for a second strike to be the final blow.


    In this set, Husband didn''t die in one hit, but he was viciously butchered in most of the futures.


    ''HOW COULD YOU?! I WILL SEND THE LIZARDKIN TO EXTINCTION AFTER TODAY!'' I raged.


    Seeing the one I loved the most die again and again was slowly eating away at my sanity. Why did I have to endure such hardship? Why can''t they just let me and Husband be happy? Why does the world have to make me suffer so much?


    ''If Husband dies, I will probably go insane...''


    The last 25 futures were hardly different, they were slight variations in how Husband was killed. But from the last [Future Sight], if I did nothing, Limitless would die in the next few seconds.


    "OVER MY DEAD BODY!" I shouted.


    I raised the M107 Barret and triggered [Future Sight] again. I felt the stamina I had just restored disappear. It seems I have to follow my sisters to keep up.


    After Aki shared {Eat}''s overdraft mechanic, the girls began to think of viable ways to recover their stamina.


    Luckily, the girls were all seriously practicing with our assignments. As a result, we could be considered extremely proficient with each other''s {Fates}.


    The problem was where to get the stamina from. Energy cannot come from nothing. So the girls all tried to get around this problem.


    The answers they all came up with were ingenious, if I do say so myself.


    Liv used her soulgear to conserve energy. When she transformed into Baby Liv, she used her discarded bioenergy to regenerate her stamina.


    Lilly harnessed the power of the Tesla coils she had Addison build. Not following the standards of any government, her contraptions would be considered felonies. The princess used the power of electricity to its fullest. Even if it meant restoring herself by electrocution.

 Chapter 603 Heroine Chapter: So long as he believes [2/2]

    Robyn harnessed the energy realm and simply converted energy into matter. It made no sense to me. But the Energy Realm and {Fade} were not governed by physics anyway.Bella and Jo were much more straightforward. They simply depleted the stamina of their minions. In terms of efficiency, my adopted sister was, of course, several leagues better.


    Aki, on the other hand, was by far the best in this area. She created [Blood Intoxication] and cast it on her wings of swords. Every time they killed, her stamina would regenerate. And the more blood she took from the battlefield, the more of the swords she could create.


    I was the only one who had yet to find a way to gain stamina. But since my fighting style wasn''t flashy to begin with, it wasn''t like I needed much. But now, I thought differently. Using [Future Sight] in quick succession was draining my energy at an alarming rate.


    But I couldn''t allow myself to think of anything else right now.


    When I made the decision to block the scythe, the futures I saw shifted. In 20% of the futures, my actions made no difference to the outcome. But in over 70% of them, Husband survived.


    As the Alpha approached, Husband could not react in time. But I could. I sent a single .50 caliber bullet into the center of its scythe. The force caused the monster to lose its balance.


    The trajectory of that one bullet drained me so much. But it had over a 72% chance of stopping the monster''s attack. And the moment I saw that my husband survived, it was all worth it.


    But this small victory was just the beginning. We still had to kill this monster. Fear and terror gripped my heart. So much so that I couldn''t stop it from going to my {Kindred}. I had to warn him as soon as possible!


    "HUSBAND! BE CAREFUL! ITS ATTACKS DISABLES REWIND!"


    The future should change now that he knows. We should retreat and regroup. That was what we should have done.


    But as alwasy my Husband did the exact opposite.


    "{DAY BY DAY}!"


    Without an ounce of fear, he charged forward. If people believed that {Rewind} was a coward''s power, they were fools. For those of us who knew how it worked, it was {Fate} that reminded us of a ferocious beast.


    The man was not fearless because he knew he had a stock of lives. Even if he had nothing, he would never retreated from any battle. From the time of enlistment until now. That part of his hasn''t changed in the sligthest.


    [My ladies, my lord has sent the following message. "Tell the girls to stay away and send only the disposable units."]


    [MastiffKnight: Tell him to get stuffed! I have {Fade}! If he wants me out, have him tell me himself!]


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: I refuse. I will gut and butcher this monster, and none of you will stop me!]


    [RealWomenLikeDolls: ROBYN! AKI! Stand down! Keep calm! We must come up with a plan!]


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: I think Robyn and Aki are already having a pseudo soul collapse. They are too high strung. Liv, Lilly, force them to back off. Otherwise they will get themselves killed.]


    [NeverEnoughCows: Tsk! I understand. I have seen many northerners succumb to the same sickness; we call it the Curse of Madness.]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Well, the worst part is that this monster hasn''t been identified yet. It''s a brand-new species. We have to be extra careful. Its body does not seem to be that strong, but its abilities are all geared towards attacking. Small arms should work on this bastard now.]


    In the short time we deliberated, three of Husband''s soul avatars died. Bella and Jo''s minions threw themselves at the monster, allowing Husband to retreat. However, everyone felt the immense pain our {Kindred} felt with each death.


    I looked for an opening as our monster allies were torn apart. Liv and Lilly were still facing off against Aki and Robyn, who seemed to have lost their minds.


    Jo and Bella quickly went to help Husband as he collapsed to the ground. Even as he convulsed, my husband''s {Kindred} link burned with fighting spirit.


    ''Wifey. Are you certain this fucker can kill us even with {Recursion}?''


    ''Yes, Husband. {Variance} confirmed it. For some reason, his scythes bypass {Fates}. That is why Liv cannot defend against it.''


    ''I see. But it decided to slash the rocket I shot at it. Then it is not as tough as I presume? ''


    How could this mand still decide to fight against it? We should retreat! We could die!


    ''Husband! Please let us retreat for now! I have seen Liv, and you die to this monster over a hundred times! It''s too powerful! I cannot lose you like this!''


    As panic and fear drowned my link, I suddenly felt warmth and gratitude coming from our connection. It was as if his hand touched my heart and wrapped his arms around me.


    ''Wifey. But despite all that, you saved me just now, didn''t you? ''


    ''I...''


    I suddenly felt a sudden peace enter my soul, like a soothing breeze. I looked at the source and noticed the ring on my finger.


    The {Siren of Sin}: Satis'' Lust. A benevol Husband bestowed exclusively to me.


    I kissed the ring and readied my mind for battle. So long as he was with me, who cared what futures I saw. So long as he needed me, I would never run away.


    Although I did change the future, it was only a 73% chance. There was no guarantee that I could do it again. Feeling incompetent, I was about to confess when my husband said things I didn''t expect.


    ''Wifey. You have my complete trust. How many would die if we let this bastard go free? He dies today. I need you. Please help me.


    ''


    At his words, the wild storms in my heart calmed down.


    ''I understand. {Variance} cannot predict the future with 100% certainty. But I can influence the outcome somewhat. ''


    ''What are our chances of killing this thing?''


    I bit my lip as I confessed what I really thought. ''Less than 2%.


    ''But do you still think it is possible, Wifey?''


    Looking back at the rampaging Alpha, most of the forces we threw at it were already gone. It was powerful, fast, and invalidated {Rewind} and {Recursion}. Yet somehow, because he was with us. I knew we could do it.


    And what''s worse for Husband, victory meant that all eight of us were alive. The other girls and I knew that. To him, nothing was more precious than us, his harem.


    ''I do.''


    ''Got it, then we fight,'' he said confidently.


    ''All because of what I said?''


    ''Yes. I do not believe in {Variance}, but I do believe in you. If you say its not hopeless, then I will fight.''


    My face burned hot at my husband''s blind arrogance and faith. Explore more stories at empire S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I watched as he stood and kissed Jo and Bella. Although he tried to be subtle It didn''t take a genius to know he did.


    ''Husband is becoming more and more brazen in his affection.''


    Time and place never mattered when he sought us out. I found myself smiling stupidly at the madness of it all. Whatever fear I might have had was now gone.


    The situation hadn''t changed in the slightest. But I was currently more concerned with what reward I would get after we defeated this bastard.


    And oddly enough, I wasn''t the only one.


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: Isn''t Darling getting way too good at kissing? My head just went white from that one!]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Well, that makes me feel better, at least it wasn''t just me. Is it because of {Gather}? Just when you think he can''t get any better, he pulls a stunt like this. I almost climaxed from a kiss!]


    [RealWomenLikeDolls: That is so unfair! I didn''t get one! All because I had to discipline this raging brat!]


    [MastiffKnight: No one asked you to help you, Slagger! Besides, let''s just kill this thing and ask for some loving!]


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Everyone, thank you for stopping Robyn and I. Losing your mind on the battlefield is one of the fastest ways to die. I will repay the favor.]


    [NeverEnoughCows: If you all are back to normal, then it was all worth it. It''s a shame I didn''t get a reward for it, though.]


    There could be no greater fools than the Sirens. Despite the danger of the current situation, we were all more concerned with getting locking lips than surviving.


    I wasn''t connected to any of them. But I could feel the fire in Husband''s link. If they were feeling the same as I was, it was impossible for them to want to retreat.


    [OneWomanOrchestra: Hahahahaha! You are all crazy! Let''s go! I have a plan! And as long as he believes, we aren''t allowed to give up!]

 Chapter 604 all I want? [1/2]

    [I delivered your message, my lord. The Sirens are all angry.]''Haha, thank you Exa. I am sorry for forcing this on you.''


    It was unfortunate that Lilly still had the subspace of this area blocked. Because of this, nothing worked except {Store} and {Retrieve}, the most basic of the {Store} family.


    As a result, I couldn''t summon Burger and Fries. I couldn''t use {Portal} either. Not that I wanted to use it to run away.


    During the enlistment, after we learned that there was a second boss, my girls and I all ran away. The Stalker ran after us, but it was delayed by the other survivors it had slaughtered.


    I couldn''t do the same thing now, because there were only the Sirens and me. I would rather die than let that son of a bitch touch my girls.


    With Sunday, I aimed the M134D minigun and pulled the trigger. The whirling rotors spun and fired 7.62¡Á51mm NATO rounds. With six barrels, nothing short of a rotary machine gun could compete in rate of fire.


    But the Alpha crouched down and lunged forward. The Alpha no longer looked like a lizard, it looked like a dinosaur. I guess they were both kind of the same?


    The Alpha now had the appearance of a seven-foot raptor. Instead of claws, it had large scythes like a praying mantis. On its head was the same face as the land dragon. With a head similar to a giant centipede, I wondered how this bastard maintained a sense of balance.


    ''CODE!''


    At my command, my brain went into overdrive. Oddly enough, the effect seemed to affect my other avatars as well. As the world slowed to a crawl, I had all my avatars aim and fire. At this distance, none of the 40mm would fire. But just the shells would be enough to push this thing back!


    My soul avatars all fired. The shotgun shells and the 40mm managed to score a lot of hits! While our attack failed to push it back, it now had dents from the various calibers.


    The bullets that peppered the Alpha Raptor''s body were just normal rounds. It was incredibly surprising that it had any effect at all.


    This was the complete opposite of what had just happened earlier. [Penetrator] the {Fate} {Program} I created to maximize damage did not even make a scratch.


    ''And normal lead bullets did? That makes no sense.''


    Wanting to investigate further, I had Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday charge in. The three of them had 12-gauge shotguns. Monday and Tuesday had an AA-12 while Thursday had the Benelli M1014.


    The three of them were my shock troopers, in addition to carrying shotguns for close combat, they all had a short barrel carbine. Monday and Tuesday had the bullpup Thales F90, while Thursday had the SCAR-H.


    Wednesday and I were in charge of enemy suppression. He had the FT-5 and the HCAR, while I had the Minigun. Friday and Saturday were our snipers. The former had the Faxon AR-10 while the latter had the M107 .50 Cal.


    Wednesday and I made sure to keep the heat on the Raptor. While Friday and Saturday tried to snipe the bastard. Despite having {Perceive}, {Aim}, and {Snipe}, we had trouble hitting it. It was just way too fast.


    "FUCK YOU! YOU SLIPPERY BASTARD! EAT LEAD!"


    But we achieved our goal; the machine-gunners and snipers were just there to slow the monster down. The three shock troopers would do the final blow.


    I shfited my vision to Monday and raised my shotgun to fire.


    Even under the hail of bullets, the shock troopers and I continued to attack as we ran. But the monster suddenly made its move and accelerated! In one sudden lunge, it came forward and severed me at the waist. Explore new worlds at empire


    Unknowingly, my upper body flew into the air. In fact, I was still shooting at the Alpha. But then I saw the lower half of my body fall to the ground. And it wasn''t just me. Another pair of legs crumbled to the ground alongside mine.


    Both lower halves had nothing above the waist after that one attack. The pain had yet to arrive. But Thursday, who came running a little later, saw the carnage firsthand.


    More than damage, the psychological horror of seeing people around you suddenly split in two was intense. But rather than that, I feared having two of my avatars die would have me go into a breakdown.


    ''Exa! Deal with the pain! NOW!''


    [Shifting all settings to [Berserker].]


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Berserker]. [Berserker] levels up to [Lunatic Berserker].]


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Berserker]. [Lunatic Berserker] levels up to [Primalist].]


    Due to Exa''s intervention, rather than my body collapsing from the shared trauma, all we felt was an excruciating pain. It was like something was stuck between our ribs. It was immensely painful, but not to the point where we could no longer function.


    A half a second after I shifted to Thursday, the Alpha that split Monday and Tuesday was already in front of me. And with less than a second to act, my heart was beating wildly from terror. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Gritting my teeth, I turned my body, bent my knees, and slid sideways to the ground. A sharp pain shot through the side of my head.


    After the Alpha passed, I raised the FN SCAR-H and continued to fire at my opponent. It flicked its tail, which struck the battle rifle out of my hand. it then brought down his almost 3-foot-long scythe!


    I raised the Benelli above my head to block the blade. But it was useless. The Alpha''s scythe came down and sliced the rifle and my body in half. The pain caused my mind to collapse from shock.


    My other avatars were slightly better off. We concentrated our fire to avenge Thursday. But like a wild animal, the Alpha just jumped back and ran away.


    Despite my earlier success, the 2nd attack was a complete failure! The enemy in front of me was not to be underestimated. I was contemplating what to do when {Sonar} picked up numerous signatures.


    Jo''s monsters finally arrived along with Bella''s minions. Grateful for the help, I stopped shooting and unsummoned {Day by Day}.


    Immense agony and a splitting headache washed over me. Even though I was in [Primalist], the pain was really terrible. I felt two people pick me up and cast {Regen} on me.


    One of them even gave me a {Heal} tablet through mouth to mouth. When I opened my eyes, I saw Bella and Jo. Both had faces on the verge of tears.


    "DARLING! ARE YOU OK? PLEASE DON''T DIE!"


    "Mr. Code! Do you enjoy worrying me to death like this? IT IS LIKE YOU WANT TO DIE!"


    Immense worry and relief flooded their {Kindred} links. I pulled them both closer and hugged them tightly. Before I could ask where the others were, I felt chaotic emotions coming from the rest of my girls.


    Robyn and Aki were so angry that I could almost feel myself burning from their passion. In contrast, Liv and Lilly were filled with worry, disappointment, and irritation.


    Finally, Jas was having a nervous breakdown. Her link was drowning in confusion. I tried to talk to her to distract her.


    ''Wifey. Are you certain this fucker can kill us even with {Recursion}.''


    ''Yes, Husband. {Variance} confirmed it. For some reason, his scythes bypass {Fates}. That is why Liv cannot defend against it.''


    ''I see. But it decided to slash the rocket I shot at it. Then it is not as tough as I presume? ''


    ''Husband! Please let us retreat for now! I have seen Liv, and you die to this monster over a hundred times! It''s too powerful! I cannot lose you like this!''


    I see, Jas was distraught because of all the times she tried to alter the future. I felt grateful that she suffered for my sake.


    ''Wifey. But despite all that, you saved me just now, didn''t you? ''


    ''I...''


    Something was wrong; the girls were all acting erratically. Was it because they had all killed a lot of monsters earlier? From the nature of malice that Philip shared, killing a lot of monsters would soon turn you insane if you lost your cool.

 Chapter 605 all I want? [2/2]

    Among those in charge of the mobs, Bella and Jo were the ones who killed the least. The former did not do it directly, but with machines. The latter focused on growing her monster army.Liv, Lilly and Jas were in charge of nailing the boss. The ones who killed most of the Alpha''s guards were, of course, Aki and Robyn.


    ''Exa, show me the {Sirens of Sin}.''


    [Displaying.]


    ___


    {Sirens of Sin}


    1. Freyja''s Pride (Liv Ivaldi Smith) | Corruption level: 76% | Balance: 1,000,000


    2. Ishtar''s Greed (Lilly Browning Smith) | Corruption level: 82% | Balance: 1,000,000


    3. Rhiannon''s Wrath (Robyn Lithgow Smith) | Corruption level: 94% | Balance: 1,000,000


    4. Vela''s Envy (Josephine Benelli Smith) | Corruption level: 67% | Balance: 1.000.000


    5. Minerva''s Sloth (Isabella Taurus Smith) | Corruption level: 71% | Balance: 1,000,000


    6. Satis'' Lust (Jasmine Denel Smith) | Corruption level: 76% | Balance: 1.000.000


    7. Inari''s Gluttony (Aki Miroku Smith) | Corruption level: 96% | Balance: 1.000.000


    ___


    Sure enough, Robyn and Aki were already close to breaking. Jo was the lowest with 67%. This was the reality of Reaper combat. The more we killed, the closer our souls came to collapsing. There was simply no winning!


    If the Sirens hadn''t gotten Benevols, they probably would have gone insane by now. The fact that they only showed anger meant that Aki and Robyn were still in control. Only that they no longer tried to reign in their anger. It was as if they were drunk.


    I had to make sure the Sirens were okay after this battle. For now, I triggered the customized {Fate} I had given the {Sirens of Sin}.


    ''{Rejuvenate}.''


    While the girls customized {Never Alone} to give it a shit ton of abilities, I only managed to give their benevols one ability. Triggering the Sirens of Sins ability, I sent tranquility into the minds of my harem.


    Unlike the normal {Rewind}, {Rejuvenate} was special. It was like a {Kismet}, but it wasn''t. It was incredibly straight forward, but it did its job well. It didn''t heal the body and stamina, but the soul and mind.


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    It was supposed to trigger automatically at 100%. But after seeing the havoc the high concentration of malice wreaked on my harem, I think that was a mistake.


    Lowering the threshold to about 75% would be better. They might not even make it to 100% as they were already a mess at 75%.


    When {Rejuvenate} purified the girls, their links calmed down considerably. If originally, they were like chaotic storms, now they were like calm waters. Of course, the girls knew that what happened was due to my actions.


    ''Shujin, I apologize for my lapse in judgment. I fell in love with you anew just now.''


    ''Possum, I was a cunt a while ago, I''m sorry. I love you.''


    ''Beloved, was that you? How warm. It was like your embrace.''


    ''Dearest, I almost fainted from the comfort of {Rejuvenate}, please warn me before you use it next time.''


    Jo and Bella, who were near me, jumped up and rained kisses on my face.


    "Darling! You are so awesome! That was {Rejuvenate}, right? It feels so fluffy!"


    "Hmph! Nothing says I own you more than a ring! How tyrannical! It''s not like I just came from that, okay!"


    I replied to the rest of the girls, reassuring and comforting them as needed.


    ''Wifey. You have my complete trust. How many would die if we let this bastard go free? He dies today. I need you. Please help me.


    ''


    As I saw it, Jasmine was the key to this battle. By knowing the future, she could guide the rest of us. But since we couldn''t see the future, it would be like driving blind.


    It would depend on how much I trusted her. I had to leave my fate in her hands.


    ''I understand. {Variance} cannot predict the future with 100% certainty. But I can influence the outcome somewhat. ''


    ''What are our chances of killing this thing?''


    I bit my lip as I confessed what I really thought. ''Less than 2%.


    ''But do you still think it is possible, Wifey?'' I asked.


    ''I do.''


    ''Got it, then we fight,'' I declared with conviction.


    ''All because of what I said?''


    ''Yes. I do not believe in {Variance}, but I do believe in you. If you say its not hopeless, then I will fight.'' S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If the one who saw the future believed we could win, there was no reason to hesitate. I stood and used {Replace}. The weakness I felt from the death of three soul avatars faded. The question now was whether I had the courage to summon them again.


    Bella and Jo approached me. Their faces were expectant. I gave them both passionate kisses. In truth, such exchanges accomplished nothing. But for us it felt as if we were being powered up. Then I said to the two who were glued to my sides.


    "Be good girls and help Jas. She will tell you how to kill this thing. I will wait here."


    "Got it Honey. See you later."


    "Okay! Darling! Be sure to give me lots of love later, okay?"


    I waved to my girls as they left. In the short time we left it alone, the Alpha Raptor killed over three hundred lizardkin. Every swipe of its forearms ended in large chunks of lizard flesh and bone.


    Even the corpses Bella kept sending out were cut into tiny pieces. The Soulless, on the other hand, were just sniping it and did not approach.


    But using {Imaging} I noticed that even though it was minimal, we were doing some damage.


    ''Dearest, I am unlocking subspace skills. I apologize for getting ahead of myself earlier.''


    ''Don''t worry about it, Lilly, I know you only did it for me. Let''s beat this bastard up so we can relax.''


    ''By your will, my dear.''


    ''Exa, get our Burger and Fries.''


    As part of my [Armory], my UGVs returned to my subspace {Storage} when they were not in use. But unlike Bella, I didn''t have to store them on Earth because Lilly helped me place them in my storage.


    [Roger. Retrieving UGVs from [Armory]]


    "I don''t think more bodies would work in this case, what I need is the speed to match you."


    ''Exa, I want to go all out on [Assassin].''


    [Understood. Ready when you are]


    ''Thank you, Exa. [Overdrive] [Assassin].''


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Assassin]. [Assassin] levels up to [Master Assassin].]


    [[Knight] setting shifting to [Assassin]. [Master Assassin] levels up to [Shadowblade].]


    Unlike with [Knight Lord] and [Primalist], which strengthened my body, or [War Lord], which made me smarter. [Shadowblade] was similar to what I felt when I used the {Thief} class {Kismet}. It was as if my senses were expanded outside of my body.


    It was not that my brain was faster, but the only way I could put it into words was that my soul felt sharper. The feeling was intoxicating. It was as if my body had lost all its excess weight and become a finely tuned machine.


    ''Husband, we are ready. Shall we begin?''


    ''Yeah. You have control, Wifey.''


    "Got it, we believe that this monster has anti-soul properties. When you fight, please use standard ammunition. Aside from that, please attack as you please. Leave your defense to us.''


    ''Oh? I can attack all I want?''


    ''Yes, my husband. If you trust us enough, attack until you are satisfied, and we will take care of everything else.


    ''That''s my girl!'' I praised excitedly.


    It had been a while since I fought like my life depended on it. And usually, you had to worry about your defenses. Which in turn would force you to fight conservatively.


    This thing could kill me with one blow. It is suicidal to attack with everything I had. But now the Sirens vowed to stop everything. I felt my shackles removed. My battle harem truly knew me best.


    "Then here I come for real, you fucking bastard! LET''S DANCE!"

 Chapter 606 TIME TO DIE [1/2]

    Defense was an important aspect of combat. Whether as a commander or as an individual. I remember playing an RTS in my youth where the AI scolded me for being too aggressive. The character that rebuked me for being a drunk made it all the more insulting."You aren''t REALLY going to leave your base defenseless like that ARE you?"


    I vividly remember the game prompt. Turns out the mission itself had the AI constantly attacking you while you were doing an objective. They put that prompt in to save players the hassle or save-scrumming.


    But even in games where you didn''t have a base, I often played hyper-aggressively. If it was a squad RPG, I would take a tank just because I had to. If it was an FPS, I rarely chose slow and armored builds. I only had one plan that always worked. ATTACK!


    But that was only in games. In truth, my addiction to offense in games was because I rarely did it in real life. After all, unlike in games, I rarely had the opportunity to "redo" my circumstances. If everyone could redo their lives, would anyone still choose to be a failure?


    In my opinion, this was why soul games were so popular. It was incredibly frustrating to learn the mechanics. I don''t think anyone enjoyed rolling around like a drunken squirrel. But by taking the hard road, players got better.


    I had an acquaintance who wouldn''t shut up about the phenomenon. According to him, anyone who triumphed in a Souls game was no longer a scrub. Ask any Dark Souls player to play a normal action RPG, and most will show an above-average skill level.


    Basically, because the skill required to win a Souls game is so above average, those same players find everything else super easy. I couldn''t relate to that because I never managed to finish one. I mean, I was part of the game-to-relax faction. Life was already fucking me up, so why buy a game that was only going to fuck me up more.


    In contrast, what I loved the most were turn-based RPGs and RTS games. They were different from soul games in one way. Such games reduced the importance of a single individual and emphasized the power of a commander.


    Although Cloud was the most iconic character of turn-based RPGs, people also remembered his motley crew. I myself adored Tifa for a very long time. My porn history would show just how much. But my point was that while individual power was an important factor, coordination and teamwork were just as important.


    And I know I had the chance to act like my favorite archetypes in strategy games. The adrenaline junkie addicted to combat. My blood was boiling at the mere thought of being able to cut loose. Of course, those who felt my emotions directly had their own opinions on the matter.


    ''Beloved... once again, your desire for blood is worrying...''


    ''Dearest, your penchant for fighting sometimes makes me doubt your sanity. I hope you are prepared for adequate payment for my protection.''


    ''Sometimes? Possum is always like this! Go wild Possum, your Sheila''s got your back!''


    ''HEHEHE! Darling is so cool! Cut loose your majesty. You don''t have to worry about anything!''


    ''You bitches need to stop spoiling him! Honey is already a moron. But whatever, as his {Kindred}, I guess taking care of the aftermath is also my responsibility.'' S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Husband, do as you please, I will not let him harm you.''


    ''Anata, in exchange for protecting you, I want a date!''


    Some wanted me to calm down. Others encouraged me to go crazy. Some thought that instead of expressing dismay, they could just profit from the situation. But I know for a fact that they were of one mind at that moment.


    It was at times like this that I loved them so much. My testosterone must have shot into the stratosphere. The thought of fighting for my life made my lips curl into a smile.


    Of course, the blood also rushed to my head, so much so that I began to get tunnel vision.


    ''You all better be ready. After I kill this motherfucker, I will put a baby inside all seven of you.''


    ''...'' x7.


    At their silence, I rushed forward.


    "[Analyze]! [Inventory] AA-12! {Blink}!"


    I leapt through subspace and closed in on the Alpha.


    ___


    Name: Lizardkin Raptor (Monster)


    Rank: Champion (estimated to be near rank B)


    Soul: 250,000 (estimated)


    Observed Abilities: {Scythe Rush} (tentative name), {Anti-Fate Scythe}, {Adaptive Agility} (tentative name), {Burrow Strike} (tentative name).


    Background information: N/A


    ___


    Unlike most games, my [Analyze] did not show any information I did not know. For most of the targets, my AI seemed to be providing information to the screens I was seeing. This automatically meant that if Graveyard and my AI knew nothing, I would see the screen in front of me.


    It was even more useless than the one I saw for Andromalius. The current status screen had nothing of concrete value, except that it was updated in real time, everything was a guess. Disappointed, I left subspace and appeared a few meters away from the Alpha''s right side.


    As the monster sliced the lizardkin like pieces of meat, it dodged bullets with the smallest of movements. I charged at it, using the reptiles as cover. However, I suddenly felt cold, as if a pair of eyes were staring at me.


    Before I could react, a trio of Blood Odachi appeared to my left. A powerful blow struck them, shattering two of the swords. I felt a wave of energy pass me by. Only to hear several thumps on the ground coming from all directions.


    I felt a shiver run down my spine. {Sonar} detected that everything within ten feet of me suddenly disappeared. This meant that Aki''s bladewing had just saved me from death.


    The fear and excitement sent my brain into a frenzy. Slamming my legs into the ground, I ran forward.


    "THAT WAS AWESOME, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"


    As I screamed, I raised my AA-12 full auto shotguns and pulled the triggers. The sound of the shotgun shells was loud. The AA-12s that shot them out like puke were like handheld thunderbolts. Repeated destructive bangs rang out.


    Probably not expecting me to approach, the Alpha tried to jump. But it couldn''t! We both looked at its leg and saw that it had fused with the ground. My shells began to slam into its body at the same moment. It then shielded its face and crouched down.


    This move was probably the {Scythe Rush} that cut Monday and Tuesday in half. I was too close! My mind realized that it was about to use its skill, but I barely had time to do anything!


    I kept running and firing my weapons, fully intending to put my weapon in its face. Worrying about it at this point was stupid. I trusted the girls to find a way. I was sure they would not let me down.


    The moment the Alpha began to move, a {Portal} suddenly opened in front of me!


    Unable to stop my momentum, I entered helplessly. In the subspace, I saw an exit not far from where I was. I ran towards it, elated that my girls had pulled off a miracle!


    As I stepped out of the portal, I realized that I was no longer on the ground.


    The sounds of the wind whipping around screamed in my ears. I was 100 feet in the air. Oriented to the ground. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    Surprised, I quickly glanced down and found the Alpha in front of what looked like giant egg shells. My links told me that my {Kindred} were behind them. Jo and Liv to be exact.


    ''This is not working. Exa, are we certain that my rounds are affecting it?''


    [Yes, Lady Bella and Jas have deduced that any object charged with soul does no damage. On the other hand, blunt trauma works, though barely.'']


    ''And those eggshells?


    [Those are makeshift shields made from the fragments of the Alpha dragon''s corpse. Lady Jo observed that lizardkins wrapped in {Shelter} died faster from the Alpha''s attack than those without. Lady Lilly believes that the scythe reverses cause and effect.]


    ''What the hell does that even mean?''


    [If your shield was originally strong enough to withstand the Alpha Raptor''s attack, using {Fates} actually lowered your defense. So, similar to their Lady Jas''s suggestion for ammunition, the Sirens intend to block the attacks with shields made from its former body instead.]

 Chapter 607 TIME TO DIE [2/2]

    As I fell, I saw the Sirens began to engage the Alpha. Jo and Liv were locking it down. Bella and Lilly were sniping the beast with bullets, Aki and Robyn were actively trying to restraint the monster. Jas was actively commanding everyone.Funnily enough, instead of a gun, Jas had sandwiches in her hands. She took turns biting into them while glaring at the Alpha Raptor.


    "RRAAAARGH!!!!"


    Our enemy suddenly stopped attacking Liv and Jo and went after the Ripsaws. Originally, it only allowed the Soulless to hit it. But as the battle raged on, it began to dodge, now it was trying to take them out.


    In response, Bella and Jo sent the last of their reptiles to defend the tanks.


    "Why now? Are we finally going to hurt it?" I couldn''t help but wonder.


    [My lord. Lady Robyn just found out a critical piece of information].


    "Tell me now."


    [It seems the Alpha''s defenses are soul dependent. It drains its opponents of soul and heals itself with its kills. The reason the Soulless did so little damage was that it healed itself with the souls that bound the Lizardkin. Due to shifting in tactics it can no longer recover the damage. ]


    "Wow! The girls are fucking amazing!"


    [Indeed, the Sirens as a single entity are comparable to the Specters in combat potential.]


    "HAHA! I have to do my part too! Exa, I need a {Program}."


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    [What are your requirements?]


    "Create a {Program} that allows me to predict how that bastard would move. I want to memorize his move sets. Show me in advance what it will do, but do not force my body to evade."


    [Understood. {Program} [Souls Player] created. Note that you need to experience the attacks yourself to increase the accuracy of the program. The higher the familiarity, the better your ability to predict the next attacks.]


    "Hahaha! The name is really spot on! Well done. [Inventory] FT5, MK32. Also, get me a pair of switchblades."


    Exa then sent some switchblades near me. I used [Shadowblade] to jump on two of them. With my reduced weight and the inhuman balance of my settings, I rode the missiles like a pair of rollerblades.


    50 of my switchblades, along with Bella''s, gathered around me. Like a swarm of angry hornets, we all flew toward the evil bastard below.


    [Mr. Code. Allow our daughter to assist.]


    [Father! LET''S BLOW HIM UP TO THE SKY! Ry-ry and Al-al are keeping it busy.]


    "HAHAHA OF COURSE MY DAUGHTER, LETS SHOW HIM HOW THE CODE FAMILY ROLLS! LETS GO! BELLA! SABEL! EXA!"


    [You got it, Honey!] [SO COOL!, YES, FATHER!] [ATTACK VECTORS LOCKED! SWITCHBLADES INBOUND!]


    The Switchblades I was stepping on suddenly picked up speed and began to lunge at the bastard.


    Earlier, Bella and I had refrained from bombing the shit out of the Alpha Raptor to spare the lizardkin. Now that they were gone, we could just kill the thing.


    But since this thing could burrow, Bella must not have bombed it until we were sure it could not escape. I could only guess, that right now we should have a way to keep it from escaping.


    "WHATEVER! TIME TO DIE! WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"


    Forgetting everything else, my excitement grew as the Switchblades turned and prepared their final descents. The Alpha was having a field day destroying the Soulless. No one tried to defend them, as they could easily be restored with a {Rewind] from Bella.


    I lined up the reticles in my vision. Not relying on the sights on either of my weapons, I pulled the triggers. A 95mm HEAT rocket flew at breakneck speed. 40mm grenades followed in parabolic arcs. After emptying all the M32s, I switched to the M107 Barrett.


    My 95MM rocket was no faster than the switchblades, so the rocket just flew by me. Finding such realities funny, I fired all three of my rockets and switched weapons to the HCAR. The chaos below prevented the Alpha from seeing me coming from high above.


    When we were close enough, I jumped off the rockets and aimed both the HCAR and the M107. I pulled both triggers and unleashed a stream of .30-06 and .50 BMG. The Alpha didn''t notice my volley of rockets until it was coming for him.


    Unbelievable explosions followed. The ground tore apart as a hundred switchblades, HEAT warheads, and 40mm M433s all hit the same area. Shockwaves went out violently. Along with inhuman growls!


    "BROOOOOOOOAARR!"


    Unlike before, the Alpha couldn''t fail to react in time. Whatever the Sirens did was effective. I made a combat roll after hitting the ground and quickly got back up.


    The Alpha was still writhing in the smoke. I used {Imaging} and charged at my opponent, unleashing the highest calibers at my disposal.


    Then I noticed my new program, [Souls Player], highlight the target in my vision. It showed a vague outline of the monster that suddenly crouched down. But instead of retreating, I rushed forward.


    A sudden gust of wind exploded. A loud pair of resounding gongs followed. Naturally, the Alpha used his {Scythe Rush} skill. But unlike before, I didn''t die. Why was that? It was because two beautiful women were protecting me.


    They held large shields that prevented the Allpha''s weapons from reaching me.


    "Beloved, how foolish must you be to willingly run into that! And after you have already died to it! TWICE!"


    "HAHAHA! DARLING MUST BE PART BADGER! FUCK HIM UP, YOUR MAJESTY!!"


    I would have kissed them if I could, but instead I jumped into the Alpha''s chest and shoved both of my barrels into his right elbow. And unleashed hell.


    "LET ME GIVE YOU A HAND!"


    Bullet after bullet struck the joint. It tried to raise its hand and run. But unfortunately, the Sirens and I were out for blood. A reliable voice ensured the Alpha counld not escape. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "{PHASE}! POSSUM! LIV! NOW!"


    The Alpha''s scythe merged with Liv''s shield. Liv planted her feet and began a duel of strength with the monster. Like a tug of war, Liv kept the monster from fleeing.


    "BROOOARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"


    As it screamed, it raised its left scythe to cut me in half, but I was not afraid. The women I loved the most were at my side.


    "[SANGUINE BLADEWING]!, you will not harm my master, you fiend!"


    A dozen swords made of {Shelter} and blood locked the monster''s free limb. It looked like it was stuck in a tower of Jengga.


    Although the {Fate}-powered weapons could not damage it, it was definitely possible to pin it down.


    Unable to withstand my endless volley from earlier, the Alpha''s elbow finally cracked and broke. I was about to move to his other arm when I heard my wifey''s warning.


    ''Husband! It will strike with its head! Evade it! Then it will run underground! Do not worry it will not escape!''


    My mind raced. Was there anything I could do to help the girls? But then Lilly Browning appeared behind the Alpha and yelled.


    "{SAVE}!"


    The Alpha then drove us all back as it slammed its head into the ground as foretold. In the next moment, the earth gave way and the seven-foot beast began to "swim" into the ground. Before it could complete its descent, a melodious voice rang out.


    "{Rewind}. {Portal}!"


    Less than a second later, a portal of light appeared. Two figures suddenly appeared 20 feet in the air, neither moving as they fell to the ground. Lilly''s uniform was in tatters, while her entire right arm was gone. Anger turned my vision red.


    "LILLLLLLLY!!! {BLINK}!"


    Invoking my {Fate}, I charged at the Alpha as it crashed to the ground.


    "{DAY BY DAY}! [SHARED ARMORY]!"


    Summoning all of my avatars, we all aimed the business ends of our weapons at the unconscious Alpha''s body.


    Six of us focused on the three intact limbs while Sunday aimed the M134D and all six barrels at the Alpha''s head. Twelve triggers were then pulled at once, creating an orchestra of lead and gunpowder.


    "BROOOARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"


    Still reeling from the subspace {Portal} hijacking, the Alpha was dazed. Naturally it also couldn''t react in time. The few seconds Lilly paid for allowed me to shatter its legs. And sever its remaining scythe.


    "HONEY, RETREAT! CHILDREN! BURY THIS BASTARD IN LEAD!"


    "{Rewind}!"


    As I retreated, I quickly checked on Lilly, who was... already in one piece. Smiling mischievously.


    Meanwhile, the Soulless began unleashing a lifetime supply of bullets at the Alpha. Only for it to start screaming something I couldn''t believe.


    {STOOOOOP! I KNEEL! YOU STRONG! I WEAK! MERCY!}


    "Well fuck...."

 Chapter 608 You got that right [1/2]

    The entire soulless army stopped firing at that moment. Henry, Sabel and Alfonso didn''t show any mercy, so it must have been their mother. But I didn''t care.''Exa, I want it dead.''


    [Yes, my lord].


    Burger''s 30mm cannon restarted and began to shoot the Alpha in the face. I could see cracks appearing on its huge head. With no legs or limbs, the bastard began to flail its tail like a fish.


    While Bella''s lurking missiles all stopped their attack after one turn, mine didn''t. All the Switchblades under my control dived once more to sever the reptile''s tail.


    The sound of fifty drones suddenly racing downward was something else. And the fact that after they exploded, Fries simply launched them again was icing on the cake.


    The wanton destruction that followed was music to my ears.


    {STOOOOOP! IT HURTS! I WEAK! YOU STRONG! I FOLLOW! MERCY!} Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yes, despite their pleas, I didn''t stop. I could feel my girls'' emotions of worry and discomfort making their way toward me.


    If I had been smart, talking to an Alpha who knew the concept of surrender or subordination would have been fruitful. But I wanted this fucking bastard gone.


    To make sure no one misunderstood what was going on, I replied to the monster with {Interpret}.


    "YOU FUCKING PIECE OF CRAP! YOU THINK A FEW WORDS ARE ALL YOU NEED TO LIVE? FUCK YOU! I DO NOT CARE WHAT THE FUCK YOU ARE! YOU HURT MY HAREM! I WANT YOUR LIFE!"


    {MERCY! I FOLLOW! I PROTECT HAREM! I SERVE! I SWEAR! MERCY!} the monster continued to beg as it was devastated by my UGVs.


    Everything outside its head had already been blown to smithereens. But despite the amount of explosives, the head remained intact.


    If anything, the survivability of this cockroach was astounding. Its oversized head was like a fucking wall. No wonder it remained intact after I blasted it with the mini-gun.


    Even a 30mm cannon barely made a few cracks.


    Since it was still alive, I wondered how I could kill this thing.


    ''FUCK! Just how can I murder this bastard? I need a bigger gun.''


    However, in the next second, my link felt a pleasant sensation slowly enveloping it. Like a soft breeze on a sunny day, my anger and irritation melted away under its gentle caress.


    ''Beloved... it might be wise to subordinate this monster. It''s not undead...perhaps we can reason with it? Please?''


    ''Dearest, perhaps we could keep it as a pet? The ability to absorb {Fates} is amazing. Just my two cents. Maybe we can make swords out of its scythes or something''


    ''BUTCHER IT OPOSSUM! CAN I HELP? MWAHAHAHAHAHAH! Maybe hitting it with a tank would work?''


    ''Darling! Can I please keep Alphy? I promise to feed him and take him for walks, promise! Pretty please?''


    ''Mr. Code, we can learn a lot from him, maybe we should give him a second chance? If you allow it of course...just a suggestion...not like its a once in a lifetime chance or anything.''


    ''Husband, it is not like you to lose this opportunity to learn from it. But I can understand wanting to see this monstrosity dead.''


    Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire


    ''Shujin, the words of a monster have no value. I support your decision to kill it. But it would not hurt to hear what it has to say.''


    Like women of the highest caliber, my girls all lined up behind me, but remained silent. They all used {Rewind} to restore their clothes, removing the sweat, dust, and grime of battle.


    It was a damn shame, because I liked to see them sweaty and flushed. Unaware of my lewd thoughts, the Sirens tried to offer advice.


    Except for Robyn, everyone wanted to either tame, enslave, or interrogate the champion class monster before slaughtering it. Which made sense; anyone who has played summoner games knows how OP beasts can get.


    But despite the logic and validity of their words, none of my girls forced me to make a decision. They suggested, but never demanded. This simply told me that, regardless of what they believed, I was the head of our family.


    They made me feel valued. That my word mattered. Such subservience only served to make me fall even more in love with them.


    Most men wanted such authority not out of ego, but out of love. After all, men were expected to protect. We wanted to lead our families because we were responsible for them.


    The current boss bitch movement was all well and good, provided men were not expected to clean up after it. Women were free to be their own bosses. But once they did, they were expected to be accountable for their actions, just like men.


    More than pleased with their actions, I sent waves of love and adoration to the Sirens. It was adorable that the moment I did, the girls all made cute yelps.


    They must have been caught off guard. After all, just a short time ago, my link was drowning in bloodlust. In truth, little harm was done to me and my harem.


    Though I died three times and my girls were injured, we all returned to perfect health. If anything, the amount of souls my girls and I earned from this battle was substantial.


    Not counting the loot. So technically, we gained a lot and lost nothing. But the thought of letting this thing survive pissed me off.


    "Exa. Let''s do what Robyn suggested."


    [I-I...Nevermind...I understand, my lord.]


    Probably realizing what I was about to do, Burger stopped firing and the Fries stopped reloading the Switchblades. Suddenly there was silence.


    The sudden silence would unsettle anyone, especially when there had been loud explosions just seconds before.


    I walked towards the Alpha. Burger followed me at a slow pace. When I was right in front of it, I heard the annoying sound of something skittering from the Alpha.


    {I am alive? I LIVE! I SERVE! YOU STRONG! YOU KING! YOU RULE!


    I OBEY!}


    "If you can survive a hundred blows... then you live."


    {Huh?}


    ''[Overload] [Berserker]. [Vengeance].''


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Berserker]. [Berserker] levels up to [Lunatic Berserker].]


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Berserker]. [Lunatic Berserker] levels up to [Primalist].]


    Burger then approached me and lowered his gun barrel toward me. I grabbed the barrel while continuing to cast {Fates} to make the Ripsaw even tougher. Excited, I took off my jacket and tie.


    ''{Shelter}, {Withstand}, {Endure}, {Block}.''


    The [Berserker]''s body setting was better than the [Knight]''s in only three things. The ability to withstand pain, the ability to carry objects, and offensive power.


    Using the turret of the Ripsaw as a handle, I picked up the microtank and raised it like a club.


    "I am going to hit you 100 times with this club. If you are still alive at the end, then we will talk."


    {WAIT! MY SHELL WEAK! IT BREAKS! I DIE!}


    "So? Do I look like I care?"


    "BROOOOOOOOAARR!"


    "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"


    Bracing my body, I slammed my legs to the ground and brought the Ripsaw M5 down on the Alpha''s head. Like a nail to a hammer, it made a small indentation in the floor.


    A monstrous twang sounded. It was like hitting a church bell next to your ear. But I couldn''t help smiling.


    A low whine came from the gigantic head in front of me. It was as wide as a long table, with eyeballs the size of a car tire. But the head started to shake every time I straightened my body.


    "HAHAHA! Well done, only 99 more to go. Don''t die," I said with a grin.


    {STOP! I WEAK! YOU STRONG!}


    "You got that right you fucking bastard, have another one!"


    The Ripsaw''s turret only lasted about five hits. Even with all the {Fates}


    I threw at it, the metal itself twisted and snapped.


    {I HURT! MERCY! I SERVE!}


    I then used the threads as handles until they snapped, then the chassis until the armor broke apart. The turret came next, until finally my ripsaw shattered into tiny pieces.


    Like a dutiful son, Alfonso quickly lined up all three of his Ripsaws as replacements.


    "60 MORE! ARE YOU STILL ALIVE? HAHAHA!"

 Chapter 609 You got that right [2/2]

    The girls started to make fun of me as I vented on the cockroach."HAHAHAHAHAHA! POSSUM REALLY DID IT! THAT''S SO COOL! I should try that sometime!"


    "Robyn, stop putting weird thoughts into Shujin''s head. Look at the Alpha! I think it''s already dead."


    "Nah, it''s okay! I can hear its brain. It is still alive!...ish. I think? It got tired of crying, so it just shut up and is waiting for Darling to quit."


    "Husband, looks like he is enjoying himself. I can feel his link feeling extremely refreshed."


    "The first case of an undocumented champion, and our man''s first act upon its surrender is to beat it up with a tank. How typical of Honey..."


    "Isn''t such barbarism practically his calling card by now? Even Connie''s drone was accidentally destroyed earlier. More than six times, if I counted correctly? Apart from us, Dearest hardly shows any compassion for anyone. Let''s just be happy that he didn''t blow himself up today."


    "Doesn''t Beloved''s acrobatics with Bella and Sabel count? He was caught in the blast from the switchblades, right? Or did he use {Replace}?"


    {Sonar} picked up the arrival of a large group of Phantoms. I recognized them as Cynthia and the Ten Graves. They must have started working on the loot. Meanwhile, I sensed Garreth and a number of defenders standing in orderly lines behind the Sirens.


    Due to the speed and accuracy of my movements, the one hundred strikes were over in less than thirty minutes.


    Fortunately, the four ripsaws lasted long enough for that many blows. I wiped my forehead on my sleeve in satisfaction after my brief tank-bashing session.


    Aki approached me with a towel and began to lovingly wipe my face.


    "Anata, please be careful not to overdo it. You are enjoying yourself way too much for a pointless endeavor."


    Meanwhile, Jas came up beside me and held out a water bottle.


    She got the plastic straw into my mouth just right. Pleased with her thoughtfulness, I slurped the drink she brought.


    "Ignore this harlot, Husband. Do as you please, I will shoot anyone who tries to shame you for enjoying yourself."


    Liv and the others came forward and placed a chair in front of me. She secretly intertwined our fingers and sat on the seat before pulling me towards her and sitting me on her lap. Her other arm went around my waist like a seat belt.


    Amused by her possessive gesture, I didn''t resist. Robyn and Jo then approached the half-buried head of the Alpha. Suddenly they pulled out what looked like baseball bats made from the Alpha''s shell and began tapping the monster''s head as they bullied it.


    "I can read your mind Alphy. If you don''t behave, Darling will kill you for real."


    "You can try being an ass too, you cunt. I am more than happy to beat the crap out of yah, in Possum''s stead."


    Lilly and Bella stood to my left and right. Aki and Jas added a small table with a beach umbrella. Then they stood off to the side like maids, waiting for my instructions.


    The Sirens followed only their own insane beat which made me chuckle. I released death resonance and spoke to the Alpha again.


    "Congratulations on your survival, bastard. Let''s talk."


    The massive eyes on the Alpha''s head opened and looked around. When it saw me, it focused as it replied.


    {Yes.}


    "Let''s start with something simple. Why did you come here?"


    {To eat.}


    "To eat what?"


    {Black smoke.} The Alpha grunted.


    Black smoke? The only thing that came to mind was the malice radiating from the soul crystals. The monsters deliberately came here for those? But didn''t Gareth say the opposite? Instead of eating them, they contaminated the soul crystals.


    "The latest missive spoke of the Alpha traversing each fortress, tainting the very essence of soul crystals with its own hand. Though I fashioned mine castle to stand as the ultimate refuge, its endurance wanes sans reinforcement."


    "Why? What does the black smoke do?"


    {I eat, I grow. I grow, I get stronger.}


    "Okay, then what are you?"


    {I am I, I live, I eat, I die.}


    It was like talking to a fucking retard. It had understanding, but its vocabulary was like that of a child.


    "Okay, let me change the question, why did you come to this floor leading an army? Who sent you?"


    [Pale ones. They strong. I weak. They say. I follow.}


    "What the fuck are pale ones? So you were ordered to come here, do monsters have their own hierarchy?"


    {Don''t know, strong say, weak follow.}


    "And the lizardkin you brought with you?"


    {My dogs. I strong, they weak. I say. They follow.}


    "Talking to this fucking bastard is giving me a headache," I complained.


    Then Bella addressed the monster.


    "Now that you have failed, will the pale ones come as well?"


    {You weak. I say. You follow.}


    Unable to hide my displeasure, I gestured to Jo and Robyn. They loaded {Crush} into their bats and began to bludgeon the Alpha''s head. It seemed to be effective as it began to open and close its eyes rapidly as it roared.


    {IT HURTS! STOP!} S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I raised my hand and the two thugs stopped beating the shit out of the Alpha. The two of them had mischievous smiles on their faces and looked like delinquents bullying kids for lunch money.


    "Listen, you fucking piece of shit. These seven women are my harem. If you talk down to them again, I will kill you."


    {I weak. You say. I follow.}


    Then Bella repeated her question.


    {No. Pale ones stay. Below. Cannot come up.}


    "Then why do you follow them? If they cannot come up, do you still have to listen to them?" Lilly added.


    {Don''t know. Strong say. Weak follow. I fight. I die. I follow.


    I live.}


    "How many of your kind are there?"


    {Many as dust.}


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    The moment the Alpha answered Bella, I felt all the girls grow fearful. One Alpha had nearly destroyed the 24th floor. And that bastard said there were thousands of them?


    Even the A''s like Liches and Death Knights were considered so rare that there were only a few hundred of them.


    I thought, considering that we haven''t explored the entirety of Hellsgate yet, it makes sense. What if rank A''s were considered grunts in the 90''s.''


    Liv then spoke to the monster while hugging my body.


    "Monster, do you consider the undead to be allies?"


    {Smelly ones? Ally? No. They weak. But do not follow. They die.}


    "Then why are you fighting them?" Lilly asked.


    {They follow. But do not. They are weak. But the black smoke needs the smelly ones.}


    The black smoke needs the undead? If I understood correctly, that bastard was saying that the monsters were not allies. It was just that the undead were how it got its food. If the black smoke it ate was really malice, isn''t that thing basically a reaper?


    "What the fuck are we supposed to make of that? What do you mean by serving me?"


    {I fight. You say. I follow.}


    Jo bashed the Alpha again before adding her own thoughts.


    {OUCH!}


    "Are you fine serving humans? My abilities do not work on you. You wish to follow us of your own accord?"


    {I live. I fight. I die. You say. I follow. I grow.


    I strong. I fight again.}


    Well, this bastard just shared his future mutiny plans. Should I just kill him now? But before I could decide, Jas asked a similar question.


    "You say you will serve us. But will your kind not kill you if you change sides?"


    {I am I. They are they. I follow. They follow.}


    Hearing his words, I became excited. So this thing was okay with killing other monsters?


    "Why do you want to follow me? Would you just switch sides if someone stronger came along?"


    {My dogs. They no longer follow. They fought. They die. But they change. You reason.


    You strong. Like pale ones.}


    "And how sure are you that I am better than those pale ones you are so afraid of?" I asked mockingly.


    {You are warm blood.


    The pale ones fear warm-bloods. Others think lies. I know. Warm bloods strong. I search for warm bloods. Warmbloods kill pale ones.


    I follow warm bloods.}


    "Well, would you look at that..."

 Chapter 610 What is your life worth? [1/2]

    It was something nobody expected. The whole time we didn''t ask questions. We were told to blast the undead as they sought to kill us. Monsters and demonkin fell into the same category. It was natural to fear something you did not understand.And with fear came anger and hatred. Over the centuries, how many reapers died at the hands of these monsters? How many monsters were butchered by reapers? Just today, haven''t the Sirens and I massacred over ten thousand of them?


    Even in war, the quickest way to get over killing people was to see them as monsters. Anime and manga never failed to drive this point home. Those who could kill monsters with ease might suddenly find themselves getting slaughtered when fighting humans.


    Because once you recognize something as human, you start to see things you didn''t see before. What motivated them. What they believed. What they valued. And most of all, what they would be willing to die for.


    The Alpha before me began to break down all these notions.


    Experience new tales on My Virtual Library Empire


    Unlike those who came before him, he appraoched us intent on changing the norm. While I still didn''t fully understand what pale ones meant, it was clear that warm bloods meant humans. Or more specifically, Reapers.


    This bastard had deliberately come to seek humans. And it did so because it knew that we were stronger than those it feared. That means this bastard understood the concept of rebelling against the status quo.


    It sought allies when faced with an enemy it couldn''t defeat. And contrary to what you might expect, instead of allying with its fellow monsters, it came to us instead.


    {You warm blood. Warm bloods strong. I know. The pale ones fear warm bloods. I seek warm bloods. Warm bloods kill pale ones.


    I follow warm bloods.}


    My {kindred} link grew wild with the emotions of my harem. Each of my women had beliefs rooted in their history. Even for them, the possibility brought by this single monster shook all foundations. Funnily enough, their suggestions made things even more complicated.


    ''Beloved, this monster... how many are like it? Are the monsters in the North similar? If we can understand what they want, maybe we can negotiate instead of massacring each other.''


    Liv naturally thought about the consequences for her homeland. All this time it had been Reapers against everything else. But if the monsters could be turned into allies, or even just neutral. The impact would be significant. As she saw the horrors of the conflict, peace was all the more important to her.


    ''So it seems that the three types of enemies are not allied, but rather have a complicated balance of power. Then it should be possible to interfere and break their alliance! We might even be able to turn them against each other! Dearest, this is wonderful news!''


    Lilly went beyond Liv''s assumptions and actively wanted to destabilize the power balance. After all, if the three factions started a three-way war, the Reapers could take advantage of the situation.


    ''Possum, do we really have to save this wanker? Can''t we just kill him? I do not like all this cloak and dagger crap. It''s not like us. I say we kill it.''


    Robyn represented those who were, for lack of a better word, simple-minded. They were perfectly happy to give up all the benefits. For while there were benefits, there were also risks. For one, this bastard could be lying. Or he could lead my harem and me into a trap.


    ''Darling, I can detect no malice from Alphy. Alphy is even stupider than Robyn! He really hates the Pale Ones. Oh! And I read his mind, the Pale Ones are vampires. It turns out that a bunch of vampires slaughtered his harem for sport. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He has held a grudge against them ever since.''


    Being able to read minds, Jo''s thoughts were quite simple. This monster did not have the ability to scheme. And even the chance of someone using it was slim. From the story Jo saw, this Alpha was a victim and was simply driven by revenge.


    ''Honey, we have to be very careful about what we do from now on. Aside from the possibility of betrayal by this monster, we have to be wary of Hellsend''s reaction. Gareth''s group in particular has suffered losses as defenders. They may not like the idea of suddenly working with those they fought against.''


    As always, Bella was looking at the big picture. She was right. Hellsend was still trying to lay its foundations. If it became known that I was suddenly working with monsters, it might cause a problem. To the reapers like Scott, Joshua and Angela, who had lost loved ones, such decisions would be seen as a betrayal.


    ''Husband, this monster is a gold mine of information. We know very little about vampires. We can use it''s knowledge to make plans on how to hunt and kill them all. We just have to play along. Once we get all we can from it, we can kill this monster and turn it into supplies.''


    Jasmine reminded me of a ruthless hunter. Her mind was already thinking about how to kill our next targets, the vampires on the 32nd floor. She had no qualms about betraying this beast. She fully intended to use it''s knowledge and then stab it in the back when it had no more to offer.


    ''Anata, we should train and empower this monster. No one but us will know that we command it. We can enslave it. If possible, we will let this Alpha lead us to his colony and capture the ones still there. With its ability to render {Fates} useless, it will be a powerful card for the invaders coming in three months'' time.''


    Aki, much like Jasmine, didn''t even treat this Alpha like a person. She treated it like an animal. Fully intent on weaponizing it, her thoughts were all about using this new wild card to win the coming wars with the other continents.


    Liv and Jo wanted to treat it as an ally.


    Aki wanted to use it as a weapon and unleash it on the other continents.


    Jas and Lilly saw an opportunity to use the Alpha to wreak havoc on the undead.


    Robyn wanted to kill it for the sole reason that it would complicate things too much.


    Bella was more concerned with our response than the beast in question.


    ''You are all right. I am actually unsure how to proceed...''


    There were pros and cons to using this monster. The plans the girls had were all solid. So much so that I was confused about which way to go. But while I recognized their plans, a more fundamental question needed to be asked.


    Which was: Do we see this thing as an equal?


    In the past, humans fought wars for supremacy, the defeated becoming inferior and thus enslaved. The slaves were not considered equal and could be beaten, tortured and killed without consequence.


    As humanity evolved, most of the civilized world eventually came to believe that all races were equal. A common theme in fiction and media was racism. Whether it was cat girls, demons, robots, elves, or whatever else people could come up with, it was always racism.


    After all, people didn''t like to see their own family kill someone else''s family. But if it was someone of a different race or species. It wasn''t as bad. Especially if there were significant benefits.


    Didn''t people keep pets and livestock for the same reason? If you treated a normal human being like a pet or livestock, you would be considered inhumane.


    But if you tied up a dog and ignored it for a week, you would be a lousy pet owner at best. If you raised cows to eat, you were not a monster, but a rich bastard.

 Chapter 611 What is your life worth? [2/2]

    Humanity has always valued its life more highly than anyone else''s. It was this hubris that created such a strong morality that its people followed. If you killed a cow in India, you would be stoned to death. Whereas everywhere in the world cows were expected to be slaughtered for meat.If I ever decided to take in this monster. The most important questions would be.


    ''What is your life worth?''


    Depending on whether it was considered equal, lower or higher, people''s perceptions would change. Among my girls, only Liv considered the monster equal to a reaper. That was why she could talk to it as if it were a person to negotiate with.


    The rest of the girls did not. That was why it was okay for them to use the beast and then throw it away. There was no morality in their decision. Whether to kill it, enslave it, or use it for nefarious purposes, the rest of the Sirens believed it was disposable.


    Even our own battle tactics reflected this. For Jo, the lizardkids she brainwashed were of little importance. That was why she had no problem sending them to their deaths.


    ''Actually, we consider the soulless more important,'' I joked inwardly.


    This subject was heavy. Because my own decision would affect how my entire domain dealt with them. Should we try to understand them? Or should we simply overpower them and enslave them? My mind grew confused at the possibilities before me.


    This very dilemma was common in fiction because there was no right answer. It was all subjective. It was like Pok¨¦mon or Digimon. While you had the right to treat your monsters as pets, family, or even lovers. Others, of course, had the right to see things differently.


    "Fuck... This King stuff is really annoying..."


    {Warm Blood. I follow. I fight. You say?}


    "And it doesn''t help that this fucking moron talks like a retard. Exa, can you apply [American English] to this dumb fuck?" Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire


    [I can...Done. All correspondents with the inhabitants of Hellsgate will automatically use [American English]].


    ''Thank you, Exa, you are the best.''


    After thanking my AI, I turned to the Alpha and spoke. "My name is Limitless, you ass hat. What exactly do you want?"


    [Limitless? Okay. Limitless, I wish to join forces with you. Help me kill the vampires.}


    ''Much. Much better. Thank you, Exa!''


    [It is my pleasure, my lord].


    "And what will you do for me in return?"


    {If you help me kill the vampires. I can become king. Once I am, I can force all lizardkin to stop attacking humans.}


    "And what makes you think I care if you attack us? Go ahead, we will just kill you all again!"


    The Alpha began to growl at my words, and Robyn and Jo promptly smashed its head with a flurry of blows, silencing it.


    {I will have my clan protect and defend the humans when we see them.}


    ''Exa, call the Wyvern Air Wing and have them come here.''


    [Yes, my lord.]


    In less than a second, the Wyverns scouting the ground all swooped down on my position. Then they all glided down and landed in a neat line in front of me. Isolde was at the head of the line and began chattering excitedly.


    "AMI! Can I have some of the corpses? They smell so good! I will pay for them!"


    Ignoring the crazy things the German Phantom was saying, I turned to the Alpha on the ground. Its eyes were shocked when it saw the Wyverns.


    "As you can see, I do not need the Lizardkin. Nor you. Why should I spare you? What have you to offer?"


    {I don''t know. I do not know what humans want. Tell me. And I will do it.}


    With the addition of [American English], the alpha no longer sounded retarded. But maybe that was just because I had been using English since birth. Maybe I sounded stupid to him in the language of lizards instead.


    "What I want is to purge the undead and close Hellsgate."


    {That would be difficult. We do not ally with the undead, but we need them to create the black smoke. If we allowed you to kill them all, we would stop evolving.}


    Evolve? First, this thing had to eat malice, and now it said it had to evolve. Was it really just a coincidence?


    "Why do you want to evolve? Aren''t you already powerful?"


    {Relatively. I am strong to the weak. And weak to the strong. The vampires enslaved my people because we were weak. If we can become stronger, we can free ourselves from their power.}


    "What would you do when you were done?"


    {We would enslave others to get the black smoke for us. As they are doing to me now.}


    "? Are you saying the vampires want to evolve like you?"


    {I would believe so. My elders say the vampires come from a deeper place. They shouldn''t be in our homes to begin with.}


    Lilly took a step forward and asked.


    "From your words, it sounds like you do not want to kill humans."


    {That is correct. You humans taste like crap with hardly any meat on you. I would much rather eat bearmen. I brought some with me, but they all went crazy and tried to kill my children.}


    It bought bearmen as food? Then it wasn''t part of the enemy forces. Was that why there were so many different types of Rank E''s? They were not part of the armies, but cattle?


    Surprise and anger came from the Sirens. It seems that they also understood the realization I had just had.


    "Lizardkin, if we could find a way to give you the black smoke without having to protect the undead. What would you do?" Bella asked. My bombshell pushed up her glasses, deep in thought.


    ''Mrs. Code, would you mind telling us what you are aiming for?''


    ''Honey, I''m sure you''ve noticed that, aside from its appearance, the Alpha basically functions like a Reaper.''


    ''Yes, I have noticed that. But so what?''


    ''Think about it, Honey. What happens to the malice absorbed by the soul crystals?''


    I thought for a moment, then remembered Phillip''s lecture.


    ''They are sent to the Revenant who controls them.''


    ''Correct. But we already know that this is actually harmful to the Revenants. But what if instead of sending them to the Revenant, we let the Alpha eat them instead?''


    "..."


    That would be a fucking miracle. Bella''s suggestion was brilliant. The Reapers were driven mad by malice. But if this Alpha was any indication, the monsters weren''t.


    If the reason the monsters allowed the undead to stay was so they could evolve, then it all made sense. Otherwise, there was no explanation for why the undead and the monsters could coexist.


    And to Bella''s point, if we could give the monsters malice instead, they would have no need for the undead. Meanwhile, we could give the malice to someone else and not experience its negative effects.


    I reached out and grabbed my sweetheart''s hand, "Bella. Have I told you how fucking amazing you are? S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Brazilian''s link gushed with happiness at my praise. She smiled a bewitching smile as she replied.


    ''Not lately, no. But I don''t mind if you tell me more, you know?''


    {I....}


    Loud clangs echoed as Jo and Robyn began to smash the Alpha''s head with their makeshift bats.


    "SHUT UP YOU WANKER! STOP BEING A LITTLE BITCH! I AM PISSED! ANSWER FASTER!"


    "DARLING''S FLIRTING WITH EVERYONE BUT ME! FUCKING BULLSHIT! DO YOU WANT TO DIE? TALK!"


    {OUCH! STOP! IT HURTS! I DIDN''T DO ANYTHING!}


    Like a pair of thugs, my Kitten and Shooting Star began to pummel the contemplating Alpha. I couldn''t help but chuckle along with the rest of the Sirens.


    While it was disconcerting that there was still so much we did not know, we knew more today than we did yesterday. And for now, that was enough.

 Chapter 612 A simple principle [1/2]

    "I reiterate. Lizardkin, if we could find a way to give you the black smoke without needing to protect the undead. What would you do?" Bella repeated.{I will help you kill the undead.}


    Jo added as she threatened the Alpha''s head with her bat.


    "You said you have plans to go deeper, right Alphy? Once the vampires are dead. What will you do next?"


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    {I will go deeper and fight the ones below.}


    "Why?" Jo asked.


    {Because if I do not, I will be enslaved again. I will only be free when I am stronger than what exists below.}


    "..."


    I see. So it was a vicious circle. The monsters below kicked the ones above to wage war against the humans. Since this lizardkin was weak by Hellsgate''s standards, it had no choice but to try to evolve despite the risks.


    If the same idea applied to every monster, this war would never end. After all, the ones pulling the strings were not even harmed. There was no loss to the ones pulling the strings, so they had no reason to stop.


    Much like the Lizardkin, the other rank E''s weaker than this bastard died to its whims. All because they lacked the power.


    Which meant that this fucker would never stop fighting. But unlike the others, it was not fighting just to eat. It was fighting to ensure that it would not die in the future. For this reason, according to this monster, it was looking for humans.


    The crux of the matter would be if Bella really found a way to feed this thing malice.


    ''But even then, how long do we collaborate with this bastard? Until the undead are gone? What happens after that? If it gets too strong, do we kill it or leave it alone?''


    Most of my girls wanted to take advantage of the monsters. After all, unlike humans, they were not used to lies and deceit. So if we wanted to, we could just poison or kill them all afterwards.


    ''Dearest, please make a decision. Do you wish to treat the monsters as allies or as slaves?''


    Even Lilly, who upheld the virtue of chivalry, didn''t think that she should treat this beast as a human. But somehow, I felt a kinship with it. The more it talked, the more I realized that its circumstances were the same as mine.


    It came here because it had no other choice. It did not want to fight with humans, at least for the time being. Therefore, so long as we could provide it with what it needed, it had no reason to choose the undead over us.


    Inside my link, the Sirens were all waiting for my decision. They had already shared their thoughts with me. As the king of this domain, I could not leave the decision to anyone else. So I simply returned to my main point.


    ''My {Kindred}. I am stupid; I need help with the follow-up. I want to treat monsters as equals. I do not care what this bastard is. If it can kill the undead, then I will take it over the reapers who want to kill my people.''


    My goal was simple. To close Hellsgate and live happily with my harem in peace. Why did I have to kill this monster because it was different? Why did I have to spare the people who come here to do me harm? I didn''t care about your gender, race, ideology or even your species.


    What mattered to me was one conclusion. Will you or will you not fight to achieve my goal? If you did, then we were friends. If you do not, then we are enemies.


    My simple answer brought laughter and joy to the girls. So much so that they all started laughing for real.


    ''Haha. Beloved. Thank you. Whatever confusion I had disappeared with your words. You are right. The only thing that matters is if they fight. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''


    ''Fufu. Dearest, I was going to call your line of thought too simplistic, but perhaps that is what we need right now. A single-minded goal without an ounce of falsehood.''


    ''HAHAHAHA. Possum. I love you to death for stuff like this, you know? Simple is best!''


    ''Hehehe, Darling is too cute. But at the same time, he is so dazzling. Darling! I love you!''


    "Hahaha, Mr. Code, you are right, we can leverage whatever we want afterwards. Our allies dont have to be humans, but those who share our views. Thank you for correcting me. You are the best!


    ''Husband, you are wise. And I am honored to be your wife.''


    ''Fufu, Anata, the world seems so simple through your eyes. Sometimes I wonder if this ability is related to a {fate}.''


    Amused by their praise, I got off Liv and walked towards the Alpha. The girls all made room for me. I pulled out a USP Match and shot the middle of my hand. I then tapped the monster on the head as I asked.


    "Oy, you bastard. Do you have a mouth? If you want to fight at my side, take my blood."


    {Huh? You wish to give me your blood? Why?}


    ''My {Kindred}, please erect a soul cage.''


    I felt a surge of souls from the Sirens, and they quickly erected a barrier to cover the Alpha and the eight of us. Of course, this was to ensure that what was to be said would remain confidential.


    After I felt the cage close, I replied to the monster on the ground.


    "This is our deal. For you to win against the vampires. I will give you some of my power. But by doing so, you accept my rule. My power will allow me to control and end your life at any moment. Unless you accept this.


    We have no deal."


    Of course, the girls all understood my intention. While I would give the monster {Call My Name}, I would also give him {Kill Switch}. Although I never intended to use this ability on monsters, it was the best insurance policy for the Alpha.


    {I accept. If you give me power, I will follow you even unto death. I never intended to join the vampires anyway.}


    The monster''s head began to shake. It lifted the front part of its head slightly and opened a mouth full of teeth. Seeing the opening, I squeezed my hand to let the blood gush out. After drinking about 3 glasses of blood, I instructed the Alpha.


    "Before I forget. Do you hold a grudge that we killed all your clansmen here?"


    {My family is gone. Those with me are not my spawn. They are not my direct descendants, so I care little.}


    Darling! I read his mind, and he basically treats the lizardkin like weeds. Their birth is a byproduct of his masturbation. His real children are all dead. Along with his harem. So it doesn''t matter how many we kill, he has no relationship to them.''


    Masturbating? So those monsters were like its sperm cells? How disgusting! Although, if you were to turn all the human sperm that was wasted through jacking off, it would probably outnumber the lizardkin population billions to one.


    ''I see, thank you Jo. I am so glad you are with me.''


    ''KYA! Darling is such a smooth talker!


    Returning to the Alpha, I then told it to use my {Fate}.


    "My {Fate} is called ''In the Name of Limitless''. Recite this to accept my terms."


    {In the name of Limitless!}


    Then I felt a surge of soul coming from the monster''s head. Since this thing was now connected to the Exa Network, I was sure I could rely on my {Kismet} AI to keep an eye on it.


    {This power. Thank you. From this day on, I will fight for you.}


    "I am glad to hear that. What is your name? Calling you Alpha sounds stupid."


    {I have no name. Since you are the one who needs it, then give me one.}


    "If you say so... let''s see... you look like a cockroach. Since Cock is too vulgar, let''s call you Roach. From now on, your name is Roach."


    {I understand, my name is Roach. Thank you, Limitless. Thank you for believing me. I will kill enough undead to earn your gift.}


    I look forward to it, you bastard. The head then pushed itself up and grew tiny legs like a centipede. Then it began to slowly crawl on the ground. It was quite disgusting.

 Chapter 613 A simple principle [2/2]

    "Rest for now, Roach. Can you get back into fighting shape? I liked you better when you were a behemoth."{Yes, once I heal this form, I can return to my large body with {Cocoon}.)


    "Is that so? Then do as you wish. But your old corpse is ours. We need it. Along with your semen."


    Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire


    {That is fine. I will rest. Call for me if you need me. Should I start killing undead?}


    "No. For now, heal yourself as quickly as you can. I will leave this place in a day. Exa will tell you if I need you."


    {Okay. Then I leave now, Limitless.}


    "Okay, see you later, Roach."


    The Sirens took down the soulcage as I said goodbye to my new ally. At my words, the monster that looked like a giant horseshoe crab slowly walked away.


    At his departure, Gareth''s group along with Connie, Joshua and the Hellsend squad commanders, my vassals, Mia and Amari all came forward. The one at the front was, of course, Gareth.


    "My lord! Why did you let the Alpha escape? Will this not cause problems in the future?"


    I turned to them and explained in a clear voice. "This monster is our ally now. His name is Roach. As soon as he regains his strength, he will return. I have granted him my power in return for his help in eradicating the undead."


    "WHAT?" "YOU ARE FUCKING INSANE!" "THAT IS A MONSTER!" "YOU BETRAYED HUMANITY!" "I LOST FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO THOSE BASTARDS!" "HOW COULD YOU?" "YOU MAKE ME SICK!"


    I kind of expected their reactions. After all, these people had been fighting on this floor for decades, if Gareth''s words were to be believed.


    But it came down to power. Keeping Roach, if he ever regained his strength, would be better than these weak-ass bastards.


    However, first and foremost, I sent calm and affection to my Sirens. When they heard me being insulted by the defenders, they almost all attacked.


    ''My {Kindred}, please calm down. This was my decision and my responsibility. I expected some resistance. But as I told you all before. I am fine even if they all leave. Anyone who contributes to my goal is an ally.


    Anyone who does not is an enemy.'' Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I felt their dissatisfaction and anger simmer, but the girls all remained silent and continued to stand behind me.


    Gareth scowled as he tried to act as a mediator between his Reapers and me.


    "My lord. I have already pledged my shield to you, so regardless of my opinion, I will stay. But for the rest of my brothers, it is quite difficult to understand your words."


    I walked towards Gareth as I answered.


    "What is there to get? I considered Roach an asset in battle. You saw how my girls and I fought, right? We use machines, monsters and corpses. I do not care what I have to use to win. And lastly, as far as I know, you were all cowering in your castle.


    Remind me again why I should care about your opinions?"


    A reaper stepped forward as he shouted. "Lord Limitless. I lost my family to the monsters! If you expect me to work with them, you are mad! What you are doing is spitting on their memories! You are..."


    "Then be my guest. Kill Roach," I retorted.


    "Huh?"


    I interjected as the reaper spoke, my words causing him to stop.


    "Gareth told me that Roach did not kill any reapers on this floor. Even if he did, I am fair. If you believe that Roach must die, then feel free. Attack him with everything you have."


    "What? I-I..."


    "Of course, if Roach decides to retaliate and kill you in return. That would be your fault, right?" I said with a smile.


    "..."


    "What? Cat got your tongue? OH! Right! You do not have the power to stop a champion rank monster. Me and my battle harem were the ones who defeated it.


    If we are the victors, why do you weaklings get to decide what to do?"


    "..."


    At my words, the peanut gallery began to quiet down.


    "Despite decades of fighting, none of you have risen to the rank of Specter. All because you cannot let go of the dead! You remain weak, begging the strong to save you. Yet somehow you are the ones everyone should listen to. Aren''t you all betraying humanity by being weak?"


    "..."


    None of the defenders could utter an answer. Just like Isolde and the rest of the Phantoms. If they refused to ascend to the Specters after all these years, then Zach''s words before were true. They were nothing but traitors to humanity.


    "Do you all remember what I told you earlier?"


    "As my first act as king. Rather than let the Alpha pass, I will slay it right here. My {Kindred} and I alone will face this monster. Sear this moment into your eyes, everyone. For I became the lord of this floor, not because of connections or politics. I did so because I was strong enough to do so."


    "And unlike all other bastards before me. My goal does not end with the 24th floor being defended. I will raise an army strong enough to kill Hellsgate at is source. Thus this fucking bastard you are all so afraid of? Its nothing but a door post to me."


    My words before the battle began were clear. The only thing I could not do was to kill Roach. But everything else was in line with my goal.


    "I work on a simple principle. Only those who join my war are allowed to have an opinion. If you are against me working with the monsters. Then become strong enough so that I do not need them. But if you all want to remain pathetic weaklings. Then shut the fuck up!"


    "..."


    After a few seconds, no one from Gareth''s group spoke. Then I added.


    "I am aware that my style or values may be unacceptable to some. That is why I said it earlier. You are free to leave, I will compensate you if you do so today. I am not here to make friends. I am here to fulfill a purpose. Instead of allying myself with humanity, I have chosen those who follow me instead.


    "After all, even if I betrayed humanity, who gives a crap! The same humanity sends three armies to kill me. I do not even want to fight my fellow reapers, but would anyone listen to me if I just bitched at them? No, they would just kill me instead and take everything I own.


    "How different are they from monsters? Your own moronic way of thinking keeps you weak. And as if that were not enough, you even abandon any sense of responsibility.


    "I''m just saving your fucking asses! My harem and I cleared this entire floor! And you think you have some moral high ground over me? THE ARROGANCE OF THESE FUCKING ENTITLED FUCKERS!"


    Then I faced Joshua and Angela. They were the people I knew who had lost people to the undead. I really did not want to let them go. But if they found my actions unacceptable. I would not oppose their decision to leave.


    "Joshua, Kimchi. I am aware that you may not like what I just said. But the same goes for both of you. If you want to leave me because of my decision today, I will not blame either of you. I am nothing but grateful for everything you have done for Hellsend and me."


    Joshua shook his head and knelt in reverence.


    "I never once thought to question your decision, my lord. I followed you because I want to close Hellsgate. If we must lie in bed with monsters and demons, then so be it."


    "White boy, we already have a flying lizard. It does not matter what we have. I agree with Oppa. We follow you to become strong. You fight zombies, we follow you," Angela added.


    "I see, thank you both. Joshua, lead the cleanup. My girls and I would like to rest. We will leave for Operation Paper tomorrow."


    "Yes, my lord!"


    I then turned to Gareth, "Sir Gareth, I leave you in charge of your reapers. Separate those who wish to stay and those who wish to go. I will see you tomorrow."


    The archaic Phantom said nothing, just bowed. I was sure that my actions would once again bring about a change. Unfortunately, I had already made my choice.

 Chapter 614 The might of humanity [1/2]

    The girls and I ignored the rest of the defenders and walked past them. My {Vassals} D and Pixie, Connie, Amari and Mia, and my squad commanders followed. Find adventures on My Virtual Library EmpireAs my core group, the squad commanders knew better than to question my authority in public. My {Vassals}, Connie and our guests were similar. Of course, I knew that everyone had their own thoughts. As we entered the fort, the Reapers of Hellsend all bowed and saluted me.


    "WE GREET THE LORD OF HELLSEND! THE ESTEEMED LIMITLESS! HAIL!"


    Under the warm welcome of my army, I raised my head and nodded. If they all have {Call My Name} active, they most likely heard the words I used to rebuke the Gareth''s reapers. I took a deep breath as I told them the same thing.


    "I am sure you all heard what I just said to the defenders. The same offer is made to everyone here. The war I will fight is not for the faint of heart. My battle does not end when we clear this floor. We will eventually move on to attack lower levels and expand our domain.


    "And once we gain a strong enough force, moving to the other battlefront is also a possibility. You all came here for different reasons, but do not confuse my mission with yours. If all you want is a stable life, you will not find it with me. But if you share my goal. You are welcome to stay."


    The Hellsend Phantoms all fell to their knees and roared in unison.


    "WE WISH TO FOLLOW YOU, OUR LORD! PLEASE LET US DO OUR PART!"


    I remember these bastards being on the fence before. My battle with the Roach must have convinced them. Even if everyone here felt that way, there was no guarantee that the others would.


    "I see. Thank you. The other professions will arrive soon. It is now our time to take our place in Hellsgate! Please work together with your commanders to fortify our position. You all have your orders, move!"


    "YES, MY LORD!"


    Heading inside the castle grounds, we climbed up to the 2nd floor. As we approached the designated meeting area, I saw skybeams of different colors falling one after another. Each brought 50 reapers, so the pace of the relocation was quite fast.


    Van Micron, Bella''s second-in-command, was overseeing the operation from a balcony along our path.


    When he noticed my group, he immediately bowed and greeted me.


    "Ah! Van Micron greets his lord and ladies."


    I noticed that the wizards were temporarily helping our Administration clerks. Using the courtyard as a staging area. Once all the members of a particular group arrived, they went to what looked like a dispatch office.


    Phillip, Will, and Tildi were there, along with new clerks. They were coordinating the efforts of the entire battlefront. Similarly while the 2nd Amendment leaders were here with me, the rest of their troops were still in the process of retaking the forts.


    Overall, my army functioned like a well-oiled machine. It was gratifying to see. Even though I had done nothing to organize them to that level.


    I thanked the Sirens through my link. It was obvious to anyone with a brain that the wizards were probably following the orders of my battle harem.


    "Thank you for your efforts, Van. Have Yvonne, Cynthia, Addison and Terence arrived yet?" Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yvonne, the chief of the Saints. Cynthia and Addison, the heads of the Ten Graves, and Terence Anvil, the one who led our Fortifications group Freyja''s Bulwark. They were part of my core group and the ones who made sure the army could do its job.


    "Yes, my lord. Yvonne has already taken Vela''s wolves and is investigating a particular matter. According to her, the Saints intend to find a holy place. This is so that they can resume the creation of Sacreds as soon as possible. Cynthia and Addison on the otherhand have started the salvaging operations," Van explained.


    "And Terence?"


    "Terence has taken the new members of Freyja''s Bulwark and is having them begin linking the defensive forts. They are about to depart. Do you wish to speak with them?"


    "Ah, no, I don''t have anything particularly important to say. Is there anything else I should know?"


    "My lord, Krishna and his rogues, along with the former slaves, are all working under Terence''s group as hired hands. They are planning to quickly build the defensive walls. We estimate that the perimeter will be completed in a week. The Derycks are supplementing the materials we lack, so everything is going smoothly."


    "What materials are you talking about?" I asked curiously.


    "Hollow blocks and cement, my lord. The Deryck have provided us with over 5,000 cement trucks and heavy equipment. Terence is organizing the teams that can act as substitutes for heavy machinery. But unlike the old forts, we would be able to build high walls and then reinforce them with {Fates}."


    Van''s words were full of interesting points. I noticed that due to the archaic situation of Hellsgate, the buildings and defensive structures looked like crap. The buildings looked as if they were made of stone or wood.


    Even though cement and hollow blocks were weaker, building with them was much faster than cutting stone. And unlike the old reapers who had to "bring" all the shit they needed. Lilly''s {Fates} allowed us to open doors to Earth.


    This simple difference allowed us to utilize the resources and expertise of humanity on an unprecedented scale. We could only do this for a few minutes at a time. But suddenly bringing in fleets of cement mixers and cargo trucks was something that would change the very situation of our defenders.


    "I see, are there people causing trouble?"


    Van then chuckled loudly as he pushed up his glasses.


    "My lord, Hellsend is an army unlike any other. There is little prejudice. Any arrogant bastards would change their minds before they even managed to join for real. Bernard does a fantastic job with the recruits. His title as the "deranged bulldog" is not just for show.


    "Deranged Bulldog?"


    [My Lord, Bernard Nelson, formerly of the Limit Royalty, has taken on the role of the Drill Sergent from Hell. Commander Joshua''s basic training was adopted to weed out the weak-willed. Of the 719 recruits, only 400 were accepted. 300 failed and returned to North America. From the original Hellsend Army, 200 were discharged.]


    ''I see, so Bernard is improving the quality of our Reapers. Are the Sirens aware of this?''


    [Yes, my lord. He most certainly is. Lady Rhiannon and Lady Jo created the manual for the Drill Instructors. Bernard Nelson is the only one they both approved for the task.]


    I then asked Jo and Robyn through our links. They both had nothing but praise for the former Limit Royalty. I didn''t even know the half of what was going on. It seems that the girls and my people have sincerely molded Hellsend into a fearsome organization.


    ''I should see how Bernard works. Not knowing anything at all is rather embarrassing.''


    Of course, one could argue that such a task would be useless. But since Hellsend followed my values, everyone who served in any role was expected to be part of the fighting at some point. Unconsciously, this created a universal understanding among my people.


    There was no higher or lower. Everyone in Hellsend was a combatant. So by treating the people around you better, you directly increased your chances of survival. The Sirens have said that this was something they did not expect, but they were still impressed nonetheless.


    There was a very well-known quote in the military. "In war, there are only two essential roles: the infantry and the logistics." As a military nut, I knew that for the US of A, the infantry would be the 0311 Marine Corps infantrymen and the 11 Bravo Army infantrymen.


    Ask anyone in the military, the infantrymen were the ones who did the most dying. It was the least rewarding job. But the ones who were always needed in every war zone without exception were the grunts. The entire service branches were all in support of getting the grunts to do their job.


    For Hellsend the 2nd Amendment squads were our infantrymen. The rest of the groups operated in support of them. All trained to fight the undead. From the lowest position up to our Administrators. Everyone had to pick up a weapon and fight in rotation.

 Chapter 615 The might of humanity [2/2]

    "Bernard aside, please continue with the rock-paper-scissors campaign, my lord. Hellsend has been training for a while, and we are all eager to do our part. We will not fail. The Battlefront would have been set up before you returned from Operation Rock.""I see. Thank you, Van. Then I will go on ahead."


    "May your fate end the darkness, my lord," he replied respectfully.


    It did not escape my attention that Van wanted to hide some of our information at first. After all, Amari and Mia, who did not belong to Hellsend, were with us. But when he revealed the overly efficient state of our operations, someone must have told him to do so.


    Before I could leave, I saw a skybeam descend, but not the usual colors of blue, purple, green and red. This one was orange. The color of a Skybeam actually told you who was riding it.


    "Orange?"


    Gray was for Administration. Blue was for Academics, Purple for Production, Green for Fortification. Death Seekers were red, while Defenders were white. This was the first time I saw an orange skybeam.


    Five orange skybeams filled the courtyard. As the Reapers exited, they were led out by familiar faces. They were some of our newest allies and the people directly involved with Operation Paper.


    Leo and Nyda arrived along with Reapers from the Adventurers. I noticed that many of the adventurers came fully armed and hostile. As if they wanted to show who was boss.


    Somehow I could feel the tension from the courtyard all the way from here. Remembering the trouble the adventurers had with everyone else, I turned to Lilly.


    "Lilly, please take all the Sirens and make sure the Adventurers integrate smoothly. Beat them up if you have to. If they still make a fuss. Kill them all. I will wait for you inside."


    My words made the ones accompanying me flinch. If they were even remotely familiar with the Sirens, they would know that I never said such things lightly. The girls were my biggest stick. Sending them all was a clear statement. One that everyone was familiar with.


    "Yes, my lord," Lilly replied elegantly. The woman then quickly approached and kissed my cheek. Before teleporting into the courtyard with {Blink}.


    Before I could even react, six more women followed her lead.


    After my harem left, I heard the sounds of nervous screams coming from below. Feeling the links of my girls, it seemed they had not fought enough. And were eager to beat the crap out of the Nyda''s people.


    "Haha, how cute," I blurted out loud.


    Those still with me smiled wryly as shrieks and gunshots rang out from the lower levels. Quickly regaining my composure, I gestured to my group as I made my way to our makeshift meeting room.


    "Let us be on our way. The girls will take care of the Adventurers."


    ''Exa, report to me immediately if the Sirens have any problems.''


    [My Lord, does a penchant for violence and psychopathy count as a problem?]


    Hearing the words of my AI, I laughed at her words. The Sirens were like me in that respect. But they got the job done. And right now, that was all that mattered. The problem at the moment was that I found Leo and Nyda annoying.


    It seemed that even though they were among the chosen leaders of the Adventurers on this floor, they could not keep their men in line. Fortunately for them, my girls were extremely talented at beating the arrogance out of overly entitled assholes.


    After a few more minutes of walking, we finally arrived. I entered quickly and saw a square room with a long table and some chairs. I walked to the head of the table and took a seat. My {Vassals} quickly moved to stand behind me.


    Connie waited for the squad commanders to sit down before taking a seat next to them. Amari and Mia, the only outsiders, took the seats farthest from me. In the next moments there was a knock at the door.


    Pixie quickly ran to the door and opened it. Reapers usually recognized each other by their soul signatures. So even without seeing the ones who arrived, everyone already knew who they were.


    "Leo Armstrong, greets his lord."


    "Nyda Flowers, greets his lord."


    The two greeted me in Hellsend fashion. I couldn''t help but smile brightly as they relaxed. The vibrations that rippled through the stronghold were evidence of the party in progress.


    "It seems you have provided my {Kindred} with some entertainment," I remarked sarcastically.


    "My lord, I..."


    As Nyda stammered, Leo covered her with his outstretched hand as he explained.


    "Please forgive us, my lord. Like most professions. The Adventurers have an intricate hierarchy. While Nyda and I have been chosen to lead this branch as its heads as P2''s, there are many in our group who hold the same rank."


    Nodding in understanding, I filled in the blanks.


    "Let me guess, they had delusions of grandeur, believing that once they beat the crap out of those in charge, they could act like kings?" sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes. Unfortunately, the idea that this area is not under the command of a Revenant has led many to misconceptions. They think they have what it takes to take over the authority of the battlefront," Nyda added.


    "Ho? And you two have not bothered to tell them the truth? I just so happened to be inneed of new soulgears right now, do they wish to volunteer?"


    After hearing my words, Nyda smiled a deranged smile as she suddenly dropped to her knees.


    "YES MY LORD! I have brought them to you as our offering. There are fifty in our group who are the scum of the Adventurers.


    Our leadership has implicitly agreed to their disposal. And as your servants. We thought they could help the rest of Hellsend."


    Her words caused the temperature in the room to drop several degrees. Nyda was hesitant at first. Not knowing how I felt about salvaging soulgear from reapers, she was unsure how to approach the subject.


    Unbeknownst to her, the moment Sirens began the battle. I told my girls to salvage all who stood against them. And my girls, knowing how powerful Phantom soulgears were, immediately moved to execute the troublemakers.


    It was only when I made my joke that Nyda seemed to relax completely. Pleased, I smiled as I accepted Nyda''s offer.


    "I see. Well done. Did you hate this group in particular?"


    "I did, my lord. These bastards are among those who despise my sister and I. I was ready to kill them the moment we arrived. But when the Sirens appeared, I relented."


    How amusing. It seems that after her sister was turned into a Soulgear, Nyda''s attitude towards the Reapers became similar to mine. I then gestured for Nyda and her husband to sit down. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    Then I turned to Amari and Mia and reminded them of what I had said a few days ago.


    "Amari, Mia, my words to you are still valid. You are free to tell your battlefronts everything you have seen and heard so far. From how I fight, how I act, to the values my battlefront follows."


    Mia made a hesitant face before asking.


    "What is the purpose of all this, Limitless? No matter how hard I try, I cannot understand why you would volunteer such information to us. What is your goal? Are you not afraid of the damage we might do?"


    Hearing her words, I couldn''t help but agree. What I was doing was stupid from the point of view of someone about to be attacked. But that wasn''t the perspective I needed right now.


    "This is all to show you all one thing. The might of humanity. I may be one person. But because of me, Hellsgate will change. And there is no way for any of you to stop it."


    "The might of humanity?"


    "Yes. It seems to me that Hellsgate has forgotten what made humanity great in the first place. I am here to remind all of you. And you two will be my messengers."

 Chapter 616 The will to press forward. [1/2]

    Humanity as a species was quite fascinating. Physically, we were not the strongest of the Earth''s inhabitants. In terms of muscle and size, we were even smaller than horses.Yet it was not humans who pulled chariots. We could not fly or breathe under water, yet we controlled the oceans and the seas. From that point on, didn''t the lines between what humans could and couldn''t do become blurred?


    The might of humanity has always been innovation. We were problem solvers. We banded together when we encountered a problem we could not solve alone. All of our inventions were purely to solve a particular problem.


    Fast forward a few years and humanity has evolved to staggering heights, all because humans have never stopped innovating. As we saved more time on simple tasks, our problems slowly became more complex to what they have become today.


    One of our most basic problems was safety. We could be killed by wild animals or die from the environment. For these reasons, we trained our bodies and developed tools.


    When that was not enough, we built homes and inventions to manipulate everything from the temperature of a room to the weather of a region.


    Humans should have bowed down to the world around us. But instead, we learned, adapted, and eventually dominated the Earth. When we became the apex predator of the Earth, we turned to killing each other.


    And sadly, it was inevitable that humanity on Earth would find better and better ways to kill people. That was why guns were invented. But what if we could focus that energy on Hellsgate instead? In fact, it was a fucking mystery why no one wanted to.


    How was it that Hellsgate remained medieval despite the years? There were transport type {Fates} in the Graveyard. But why was it that for all the time that passed. No one in Hellsgate wanted to innovate?


    For example, why was something as useful as cars or cement not used when it could have been? They already had laptops and generators, used by the dispatch office. why did they stop there?


    I didn''t know the reason. It could have been because the bastards in Hellsgate were old fucks. I mean, they didn''t want to use guns for the same reason.


    Of course, you could argue that it was logistically impossible or whatever, but I never cared about such things. For me. It was simple.


    Trinity and Iris fought a shadow war on Earth, not Hellsgate. Why was that? Because the concerns of Hellsgate directly affected Earth.


    Liv once shared my doubts. As she rested in bed from our intense passion, it was one of the topics that always left her puzzled.


    ***


    As I embraced my Northerner from behind, she asked, pressing my hands to her chest.


    "Beloved, do you know why the Revenants wish to keep the affairs of Hellsgate a secret to humans?"


    "Are you sure you want to talk about this now?"


    "Fufu...your hands seem occupied but I am serious my love...could you please humor me?"


    Sensing that Liv was serious, my hard-on died as I adjusted our seating position. Sensing my change, Liv quickly moved over and got more comfortable. She still pressed her body against mine though.


    It was during times like these that this very tall woman acted like a spoiled child. As if she would be lost if she could not be in my embrace.


    I held Liv tenderly in my arms. Her question was simple. But the answers were not.


    "Have you asked the other Sirens?" I asked curtly.


    "I have. None of my sisters has an answer that satisfies me. I am not trying to pressure you to answer, my love, but as one who intends to rule as king. Will you share your thoughts with me?"


    "..."


    "If the Revenants were to command the populations of the other continents, wouldn''t the huge number of humans change the situation? Surely, amazing people and {Fates} would rise from their numbers. Exa told me that the current recorded population was 7 billion. I couldn''t even understand that number the first time I heard it."


    When I said nothing, even after Liv began to ramble, she bit her lip and continued.


    "Beloved, please share your thoughts with me. I-I may not be as wise as the rest of the Sirens, but I will..."


    Annoyed that her old inferiority complex was resurfacing, I silenced Liv by sticking my tongue down her throat. Surprised, she melted and wrapped her arms around me. After a brief but passionate exchange, I rested my forehead on hers as I spoke.


    "Liv, do you remember what I told you before?"


    "Um...that I am not inferior to anyone and that you love me?" She said, fidgeting.


    "Good girl. You were about to say that I should rely on you even if you''re stupider than the others, weren''t you?"


    "..."


    Liv pouted adorably as she tried to hide her face. Of course, considering that her massive breasts were pressed against my chest, the sight made me incredibly horny. Obviously, she felt my hard-on greeting her as it touched her midsection.


    "Beloved..." sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I think they do it to remain hidden." I blurted out. My answer suddenly made Liv inquisitive.


    "Remain hidden?"


    "Yes. The only real advantage of not ruling over the humans is that we can hide among them. A good example would be from assassins. Because the Revenants keep the rest of the world stupid, if someone wanted to hunt David in North America, it would be difficult even if he were the king."


    "I see what you mean, Beloved. In contrast, even in the old days of the North, everyone knew where my father was because of his status. In order to command the humans, a structure for the reapers had to be implemented."


    I nodded my head and kissed Liv on the forehead.


    "I don''t know why, but I have even more reason to believe that this is the case. The truce seems to be of the same nature. I mean, if David and the rest of his group were so powerful, why did they need to limit the Formless in the first place? The only thing I could think of was that they were waiting or hiding from something."


    "Maybe they were waiting for something that would win them the war? If the world ended before you were born, my love, then it would have been all for nothing," Liv added, resting her face on my body.


    "Huh? You think I''m some kind of savior?" I quipped.


    "I do."


    "W-What?"


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    "I think you are, my love. That you will be the one to end this war. I have believed it ever since I saw you fight that Brute during the enlistment. I believe you are the one the world has been waiting for."


    "..."


    ***


    Liv said such things in passing, but her words never left me. Innovation had always started and ended with people. Edison invented the light bulb. The Wright Brothers made flight possible. Even though many people in their time were capable of doing the same. It had to be them.


    And somehow my mind began to piece together the events leading up to that moment. While there were transport type {Fates}, only Lilly could create a doorway to Earth and Hellsgate.


    But before she met me, she couldn''t. This was because she was stuck at level 4. Funnily enough, even if she could somehow, she said that {Code} was what allowed her to do it.


    So if Isabella Taurus and Lilly Browning never shared {Fates}, it would still not have been possible to bring cars and cement mixers into Hellsgate.


    Similarly, there may have been monsters before Roach who wanted to rebel against the Hellsgate hierarchy. But without the {fates} of Jo and Reuben Alford, no one would have been able to understand him.


    Our actions in the past affected the present. Without {Rewind} and {Eat} Lilly would have always lacked stamina, so she couldn''t have abused {Portal}. Not to the extent that we do now. And honestly. Without me, the Sirens would never even have met.

 Chapter 617 The will to press forward. [2/2]

    Apart from Lilly, would any of them have survived the enlistment in the first place? Not just the Sirens, would my {Vassals} and the rest of my people have better or worse fates?I was the one who brought them all here. And because of {Rewind} and the Sirens, we slowly changed the way Hellsgate fought.


    To put it bluntly, I was the spark of that innovation. Just like the steam engine sparked the Industrial Revolution, I was the impetus for Hellsgate''s sudden transformation.


    And while there were many dangers, the effects of my decisions have already begun to trickle down. The Sacred and {Bestow} were some of them. Cynthia and Addison both said it would change the way the production reapers worked.


    The Sacred, in turn, bred Benevols. And the more that happened, the safer our future assault teams would be.


    A spark was all that was needed.


    Afterwards Innovation was hard to stop. My actions had already begun the change. And while the other things were good, the fact that we now had a highway to Earth was by far the greatest change.


    Earth, unlike Hellsgate, never stopped innovating. Instead of shying away, I wanted to take the advanced civilization of the current era and bring it to Hellsgate.


    This was the power of humanity. It made no sense to separate the fate of the Reapers from that of the humans.


    If we died out, they would die to the undead. Given enough time, if they died, so would we. Our lives were one and the same. And while I respected the Revenant''s rules about hiding for the moment, everything else was fair game.


    Mia and Amari, taken aback by my words, remained silent. Feeling the need to elaborate, I continued.


    "Humanity developed society to make life easier. That way we could concentrate on the more important things. The reason eggheads could devote their entire lives to research is because they didn''t have to worry about starving. The reason the farmers could work with half the manpower was because the Eggheads made machines.


    "Hellsgate is archaic in comparison. I do not know if that was by choice or design, but I have no reason to cling to such nonsense. As you have seen today, tell Africa and Europe that I will use the power of humanity along with everything else I can.


    "And that if they still want to mess with me after all this, they better do the same or they will die a miserable death," I said through clenched teeth.


    Mia made a worried face before nodding. Amari, on the other hand, frowned.


    I understood why. Unlike on Earth, the other continents might not have the ability to do what the Sirens and I did. It was the same principle why landlocked countries could never become economic powers. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Access to the sea and large ships was the lifeblood of any economy. If you did not have that, you could not trade in bulk.


    In the same way, if the other continents did not have something like {Portal}, they would never be able to compete with how fast my domain would develop.


    Since Amari and Mia did not say anything, I ended my words there. The other squad commanders began to report on the work of their teams and their plans.


    It was mostly of a defensive nature. Who was guarding what, how many groups were on patrol, what weapons they were carrying.


    Mike even shared that the original shipment of weapons I had was already used up. The Derycks and Phillip were already working out the details of how they would deliver more guns. In addition, Warren and Claire shared that the army was slowly being equipped with {Bestow} ammunition.


    Basically, it was bullets enhanced by {Fates}. It seems that the Ten Graves were brainstorming all the time and had already formed their own research group.


    I would have liked to hear the details from Cynthia and Addison, but since they were busy at the moment, it couldn''t be helped.


    After half an hour, the girls finally returned, covered in blood. They lined up like children and asked me to wipe them clean. The rest of the room waited quietly without much fuss. No one spoke of proper meeting etiquette for fear of being shot.


    The meeting finally began for real after the girls had settled in.


    "Right. As everyone knows, we will now begin..."


    "Limitless..."


    Amari raised his hand with a complicated expression. I gestured for the gorilla man to speak.


    "I really have no idea if you are just crazy or brave. You share everything, from how your battlefront operates to your new combat tactics. This is even knowing that an African army is coming soon. I asked for your help, but I feel uncomfortable listening to all this..."


    "You are wrong."


    "Huh? Are you going to say again that what we know makes no difference? You are too arrogant."


    "Listen to me, you dumb fuck!" I blurted out in annoyance.


    "..."


    "Look. I am willing to call even monsters my allies. All because they share my goals. After all, Africa also wants to close Hellsgate, right? Or are you telling me that you are doing just fine, slowly withering away?"


    "..."


    Looking deep into Amari''s eyes, I continued to explain.


    "Amari. I have no intention of killing all the Reapers in Africa. No matter what problem I may have with the bastards coming here, it is not possible to fight deeper if the African Battlefront falls."


    "..."


    I looked at the rest of the room before continuing.


    "My goal is to close Hellsgate. I may have problems with the other continents, but the main enemy is still the undead. I show you all this for a separate purpose. Africa and Europe are stuck in their current lands. Therefore, both are desperate. I am the key to breaking this deadlock."


    Understanding my words, Amari suddenly stood up.


    "What are you saying?"


    "If the other continents can become stronger, it will help me as well. The 24th floor is a connecting floor. It means I can travel to the other battlefronts. Whether it is to help, deliver supplies or to raze your domains to the ground has yet to be decided. My resources, for lack of a better word, are limitless. There is no reason why I cannot share or must come to blows with everyone else."


    My words caused the foreign Reapers to pause. The reason humans went to war was because they lacked something. Well, most of the time. If they could get what they needed without fighting, most would choose not to.


    "Then you are showing me all this so that I can influence our people?"


    "Yes. But there is something I want in return," I said with a smile.


    Mia then sighed as she complained, "Let me guess, you want virgin sacrifices or something? Don''t you have too many already..."


    The Brit couldn''t even finish her words before my girls silenced her with a look. She swallowed nervously as she raised her hands in surrender. "I was joking...it was a joke..."


    "Ignoring the stupid mutt by your side, my price is simple. I want to see Africa''s will. To be more precise. The will to press forward."


    "The will to press forward?" Amari asked cautiously.


    "Yes. This will be an offer I will make to all seven battlefronts. In exchange for my help, they must fight Hellsgate with the intention of closing it. I will settle for nothing less."


    The African thought for a moment before answering.


    "If that is your price, I am sure we can pay it. If there is one thing Africa has in abundance, it is the will to annihilate the undead."


    His eyes were intense, I could feel the hatred for the living dead in every fiber of his being. We might have disagreed on how to deal with the Reapers. But for Africa at least, how we dealt with the undead seemed to be set in stone.


    Nodding, I motioned him back to his seat.


    "Then you may stay and listen. Just by your answer, you have already allied yourself with me."


    With renewed strength, Amari sat down. If he had been hesitant earlier, he seemed to be ready and willing to help now. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    We might not have been allies, but we had the same enemy. And that simple idea was strong enough to build a relationship on.

 Chapter 618 Wait for me. [1/2]

    The meeting was quite eventful. The Sirens and Amari brought much needed experience to the discussions.While the 2nd Amendment was experienced in dealing with the common rank F''s, such experience would not be enough for the deeper levels.


    Leo and Nyda reported on the undead they encountered around the 20th floor. It turned out that Hellsgate''s enemies rotated as a whole. Since I only fought the first ten levels, they were mostly dumb as fuck zombies.


    But apparently from the 20th floor down, the monsters mixed with the undead change every month. The Cyclops and Spikedogs were left over from the wilderness monsters. As the end of the month approached, the other members of the wave were dying out.


    The Lizardkin were the main group at the moment. Each wave of monsters was led by a king. Once the king or alpha was gone, the undead and monsters began to tear each other apart. When I considered Roach''s explanation, it made sense.


    According to his words, the monsters of the higher levels enslaved the lower ones. And those at the bottom of the totem pole are the ones forced to bear the brunt of humanity.


    Since their goal was to evolve from evil, they either died to humans or grew stronger.


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    If they managed to survive, much like Roach, they would go deeper. Probably displacing the weaker monsters and repeating the process anew. Much like the reapers, the monsters seem to have their own values, rules, and society.


    This allowed us to learn one crucial fact. They kept the undead out of necessity, not because they liked them. That was the reason why the monsters and the undead did not have to work together.


    When I fought the Cyclops on the plains, they would step on F-class monsters and smash them without any remorse. On the other hand, when I fought the Undertakers, Brutes, Giants, and Chiefs, they took care of the common zombies.


    Such things made me think about the nature of combat in Hellsgate. As I mussed, the Sirens discussed the defenses of the battlefront. Bella, Jo, Robyn and Aki all gave points on how to defend it.


    "My lady, I understand what you are trying to say, but it is simply not possible at this time." Joshua, representing the squad commanders, was the only one who could refuse the girls.


    "Look, you slit-eyed wanker, I am telling you, if you do not cover these places, we will be infiltrated through them. This is how I would enter if I wanted to hide from the guards."


    "I understand Lady Rhiannon, but we cannot spare the men. We can increase the frequency of the rotations. It is impossible to post people permanently in these places.


    Perhaps we can have Lady Minerva use the soulless?"


    "We could do that, but my ability to detect and respond to incoming attacks would be greatly reduced. It is a waste to station my children in those places. Our goal should be to defend against the undead. The reapers can come after," Bella countered.


    "Minerva, I see your point. But fighting humans is much worse. It is common to send spies months before the actual attack. I agree with Rhia, focusing on the undead seems unwise."


    "That''s because you two are powerful assassins, Inari. If we concentrate our forces in a smaller area, we won''t be able to reinforce the outskirts even if we find a threat."


    "AH, I know! Why don''t we use the brainless instead!" Jo interjected as she clapped.


    "What?"


    "The brainless, all we need are basically security cameras, right? I can order the brainless to serve as our guards! If you can find me an Undertaker or a Chief, we can use them to spread a net. Our enemies would not even know that the undead would be our eyes."


    "..." S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Such things were repeated throughout the meeting. The Sirens would suggest a plan or find a weakness, and Joshua would say it was impossible, only to be proven wrong a few seconds later. Whatever the problem, the Sirens always had a solution.


    "Let''s give zombie corpses {Withstand} and use them as wall filler." "Create a vanguard unit with monsters that have poisoned blood." "Place C4 charges inside Chuckies and use them as moving grenades. "Let the zombies hold guns and create a unit that never sleeps."


    The problem was that their suggestions resembled AI. They had no sense of decency or morality. And while some of the suggestions were to use the undead and monsters. Some included using the bodies of dead reapers.


    More specifically, it was using reapers who had died to shattered soul gems. The Sirens wanted to create such circumstances on purpose to use them all as Bella''s puppets. Slowly, everyone outside my harem understood why the Sirens were the ones I trusted the most.


    Amari and Mia in particular were speechless. I mean, who wouldn''t be? If Bella could control dead bodies, what was to stop her from using the Reapers'' corpses?


    With {Gather} and Aki''s expertise in psychology, I knew they would eventually create assassins using this tactic.


    It was too good not to use it. The only thing that would have stopped other people would have been morals. And my harem and I, while observing some, were quite flexible.


    While Liv, Lilly and Jas made their own suggestions, since they were part of Hammer, they were more reserved. After all, even if their suggestion was great, if the one who could execute it was not present, it made no sense.


    When I heard how the Siren''s planned to make up for Hellsend''s lack in their own way, I was pleased. After all, the cause of all the problems was that I had asked them to cover a large area with too few men. But my harem was up to the task.


    This was the strength of humanity. That is what allowed us to fly. This was what allowed us to land on the moon. And this is what would allow us to close the Hellsgate.


    And that was before taking into account the rest of Hellsend. From the effects of {Bestow} to the production and additional training of the Siren squads, I grew hopeful.


    It was rather sad that I had to leave. But I knew that at the rate we were going, Hellsend would move forward even without me.


    It took us a few good hours to work everything out. The plans we made were steps to fortify the battlefront. Bella and Lilly even created a migration charter for any Reaper who wanted to become a citizen of my domain.


    It was pretty cool to see such things come to life. But in the end, it was way over my head.


    I was so glad the girls were here. Primarily because I had no interest or talent for management.


    I liked things simple. But for my harem, who were doing their best for me, I tried to understand as much as I could.


    When it was finally over, Lilly ended the meeting. She along with Liv and Jas left with the rest of the people, saying they needed to work out some details.


    This left me with the members of the Anvil team. After the door was closed, the girls all had dark expressions on their faces.


    It was no coincidence that all the members of the Hammer team were leaving. This was probably their last gift to their sisters. Feeling that the ball was in my court, I called out to my lovely girls.


    "Honey, Darling, Kitten, Kamisan. Can you please come closer?"


    At my words, the girls all began to tremble. Their bodies were drowning in fear and anxiety. I didn''t even have to guess why. Since we triumphed over the Alpha, I will be leaving with the rest of the Hammer in the morning.


    Seeing their hesitation, I summoned three Soul Avatars. Together with Sunday, we reached for our designated Siren and took her into our embrace.


    Immediately my girls broke down. I knew they all wanted to put up a strong front. But their links showed me their raw emotions.

 Chapter 619 Wait for me. [2/2]

    "WAAAAAHHHHH!!!! DAAAAARRRRLINNNGG!!! DARRRLIIIINGG!!!!"Jo almost broke me in half with her hug. The sadness emanating from her felt like her heart was crying a river of tears. She said little, only her calling for me as her wretched cries escaped her lips. It was probably because my shooting star knew she had to stay.


    "P-Possum. Can I go with you, please? I will be a good girl. Not being with you makes me scared...Please? I will be really quiet...You wont even notice...W-Why? WHY?


    WHY DO I HAVE TO STAY? WHY CAN''T I GO?"


    Robyn, forgetting everything else, decided to negotiate to join the Hammer team. Only to lose patience and began screaming at me instead.


    I already knew from her thoughts. Robyn was very attached to me. She could bear to be away from me for one day. But no longer. And right now, like a junkie in withdrawal, she was losing her mind.


    "Anata...sniff...please tell me you will come back. Sniff...you have to promise me...that you will return no matter what...I can''t live without you anymore Anata...what will I do if I never see you again? Do you really have to go? Can''t we just let Nyda die alone? I should just kill her instead..."


    Aki shivered in my arms as if she was cold. Her body seemed so small. Gone was the coquettish Onee-san. In her place was a scared little girl, one who was afraid of being left behind. The whole operation had no worth from her point of view.


    "Sniff...I''m not going to cry Mr. Code...I understand why you have to do this...I can understand it...it''s the logical thing to do...I can do it! BUT WHY?! WHY CAN''T I STOP FEELING LIKE THIS? YOU HAVEN''T LEFT YET AND I''M ALREADY LIKE THIS! TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!


    My mind is a mess.


    Whenever you''re involved, I can''t think straight...honey...I''m scared...sniff...please don''t go...I''m begging you..."


    The usually logical Bella was a complete wreck. Her words blurred together as she cried. Although she said what she thought at first, her true feelings escaped her lips.


    Much like me, our hearts suffocated us, even though our brains knew what we should do. But despite the pitiful begging of my girls.


    I remained silent.


    This was all I could do. Like them, I was afraid. Afraid that I wouldn''t make it back. Afraid that when I did return, they would no longer be alive.


    For reapers, such drastic outcomes were normal. Even if I did my best to survive, it did not mean that everything would be all right. That was life.


    Still, I had to go. For our future, I must risk our present.


    My life since becoming a Reaper has not been easy. It was filled with trials and tribulations. But each time, I grew stronger. But as the things I gained increased, so did the things I had to lose.


    Because I had to protect Hellsend, I had to leave four of my girls behind.


    Because I had to lead the way. Because I had to learn what I didn''t know. And because I had to show everyone what it meant to be a part of Hellsend.


    These were my reasons for going to the 32nd floor.


    When I heard my girls crying from despair and sadness, I was not strong enough to comfort them. If I tried, I would succumb to weakness and end up not going.


    So I endured it. This came with accepting the Sirens fully. I couldn''t give in to their demands. This was what we needed to grow.


    But it didn''t mean that my heart didn''t feel anything. In fact, the pain I had to endure hurt more than the creation of all my {kismets} combined.


    It was as if someone took a dull knife and tried to fillet my heart with it. I could feel every stroke of the blade, it was torture of the highest order. Yet I couldn''t do anything about it.


    For the next thirty minutes, I just hugged them. I made no vague promises. No grand gesture of strength.


    All I could do was accept their complaints. Eventually, they all calmed down and rested in my embrace.


    I intertwined my hands with theirs. From wild and erratic, their heartbeats calmed and slowed as if dead. Their links began to normalize as well, until soon it was as quiet as a graveyard again.


    Then they all gave me a quick peck on the lips before parting from me. Unlike a few minutes before, the four women in front of me were all smiling.


    "Fight without worry, Your Majesty. Vela and I will make sure our home remains in one piece until you return! When you do, I want to be pampered for a week! That is a promise, okay, Darling!"


    "Make sure you beat the crap out of those wankers, Possum. Your Sheila will take care of everything here. Come back in a week. A day if you can. If you don''t, I''ll root out every man I see in this place!"


    "Anata, please make sure you come back to me alive and well. That is all I ask... as payment I swear never to leave this place until you return."


    "Mr. Code. I vow to make sure that the 24th floor does not fall. If I fail, I will give up my place as Siren. Even if they all come for this place, no one will take it until I see you again."


    I nodded and gave each woman a tender kiss. Then I summoned my avatars and led the Anvil team to the courtyard.


    The members of the Hammer team were all drinking tea, while the officers of Hellsend, along with Leo, Nyda, D and Pixie, were all waiting for me.


    Liv, Lilly and Jas all stood up and walked towards me. But their eyes were not on me, but on their fellow Sirens. When the seven girls met, they were all like idol groups preparing for a competition.


    "You slaggers, better protect my possum with everything you have. Or I will kill you all afterwards."


    "You can rest assured, as his shield. Beloved will return to you all unharmed."


    ___


    "Princess. I entrust you with the hope of my life. If Honey does not return, I will..."


    "Save it. Dearest is not going to die. I forbid it. As long as I draw breath, it will not come to pass."


    "Lilly-sama, protect our {Kindred}. I cannot predict what I will do if Shujin is no longer alive."


    ___


    "Jas... if you don''t come back, I won''t forgive you. You have to come back with Darling in one piece."


    "I promise. Jo, you must not die either. We will give birth to Husband''s children together, right?"


    "YEAH! I will have our kids make a gang and beat up everyone in the neighborhood. We''ll call it the Limitless gang! Darling would love it!"


    "Jo, stop trying to find ways to terrorize our neighbors to be."


    ___


    Despite the range of emotions the girls showed, they suddenly began to embrace each other in loving hugs. One after another, words of concern and insults were uttered.


    "Stop reading smut while you are there, all right, you cunt. And take care of Possum as well as yourself."


    "Fufu. I will. Do not kill the fools in this place, Robyn. Show your dignity as Rhiannon."


    "Fucking slagger! Stay alert Lilly, if you die I will burn all your dolls!"


    "Hmph! If I come back and you are dead, I will eat your mastiffs!"


    ___


    "Aki, use the poison recipes I left behind, okay? They are how I got the name Ebony Deathstalker."


    "I still can''t get the process perfect, Jas. So you have to return as well. Besides, I cannot control the Sirens and Shujin''s bad eating habits by myself."


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    "Haha, I understand. Then please polish my instruments as well, Aki. Also, don''t forget to clean our rooms, the rest of the girls are slobs. Especially Bella and Robyn." sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Fufu, I agree. Don''t worry Jas, I''ll make sure our house stays spotless. It is our pride as women!"


    ___


    "Bella, please protect our home. In return, I promise to protect our {Kindred}."


    "Make sure you protect yourself as well, Liv. If you die, Honey will break. So protecting yourself must also be your priority."


    "I will miss your huge breasts, Liv! Please don''t die! I do not want to win by default! You must all return when I give birth to Darling''s firstborn!"


    "Hahaha. Of course, Jo. I would love to see the day when our family''s first child arrives, no matter who his or her mother may be. Please take care of everyone, my beloved sisters. I will do everything I can to protect the one we all love."


    ___


    After their passionate farewells, the girls of the Anvil team all faced me once again. Only then did I speak, a single sentence.


    "Wait for me."


    Aki, Bella, Jo and Robyn all ran towards me for one last farewell. After that, my group and I left for Operation Paper. And the rescue of Evelyn Flowers.

 Chapter 620 Heroine Chapter: Because of you. [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Aki Miroku Smith___


    "Wait for me."


    Such simple words. But the emotion they carried made me weak at the knees. It was a first for me. Although I had Haru and my family before, I felt that parting from them was inevitable. When I left for my missions, I missed them. That was true.


    But not like this.


    I had a taste of it during the enlistment. Following John Smith made even the worst circumstances bearable. Dying no longer seemed so tempting if it meant never seeing him again.


    And blessed beyond measure; even though I tried to kill him, he loved me as his woman.


    Since that night, my life has taken a turn for the better. I found the brother I thought I had lost. I gained a new family and reliable sisters. But most of all, I earned the love of a man who would burn the world at my request.


    Because of my sins, I knew I no longer had the right to have a happy family. But against all odds, I now had one that made me look forward to living every single day.


    ''And it was all because of you...''


    My original wish was to find a man to take revenge in my place. And yet, when I found him, I grew fearful. If before falling for him I had seen John Smith as my revenge made flesh, now I saw him as my punishment for all the wrongs I had done.


    ''How ironic, to the one who longed for death, I was now given a reason to live. But the heavens, as if to spite me, threaten to rob me of it at every turn.'' S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Even without my prompting, John Smith marched forward on his own accord. Against the system. Against fate. Against anything that dared stand in his way.


    His way of life was incredibly simple. Some might even call it foolish. But to me, it was nothing short of magnificent.


    More valuable than flawless gems, his ideals and his courage, were a gift to the world. I felt saved by his every thought and action. But every time I saw him bleed. All the times I thought he was going to die. It was pure torture.


    My heart felt crushed by his sadness. My very being wept for his pain. And yet, the man I loved knew no surrender. He knew no retreat. No matter what came at him, he marched on.


    ''Sometimes I wonder if he really loved me. How could someone be so inconsiderate when he knew he had a family that loved him? Shujin is a shameless man!''


    Even though I knew all this, I was aware in my heart that I was his prisoner for life. Aki Miroku ceased to exist for anyone but John Smith. Aki Miroku lived and died only to be with the Reaper who bore the name Limitless.


    When I was human, I saw so much death and suffering. My targets all wept as they grieved. They begged because they were afraid. They cursed me with hatred for their loss.


    I killed them all because it would keep Haru alive. Perhaps that is why I was able to endure what I went through. I decided to kill my heart. At that time, I felt nothing. I was hollow. There was no joy, no sadness, no anything.


    Now I finally understood. Shujin became the one who held the power over my emotions. I danced with joy. I became paralyzed with fear. I wept in bitter anguish. All because of him.


    For the first time, I wanted to beg him. Maybe we could just forget all this and hide in safety on Earth. Men were easy, right? If I satisfied him, we could just live out our days drowning in lust. That should be enough for most men.


    And so I tried to manipulate him. Like a despicable schemer, I thought up every trick. I appealed to Shujin''s every desire. Anything to get him to abandon his path of conquest. But nothing worked.


    Even though I told him that I would follow him, how could I watch him march to his death and do nothing? I mean, I trusted him. I believed in him. But what if he failed? He would die!


    The thought of Shujin not longer alive broke me.


    Why should I have eyes if I could no longer see his face? What good would my ears be if I could no longer hear his sweet voice? My hands, my body, my very being! What use would they be if they could not adore the one who holds my heart?


    If I could not stop him, perhaps the Sirens could? But unlike me, they thought differently.


    "Beloved, will march forward. For that is his reason for living. To stand still is the same as death for him."


    But the battles he keeps fighting were for other people! Had he not met any of us, he would have been fine as a simple reaper!


    "Aki, for the land that gave birth to kamikaze and harakiri, you are pretty conservative, aren''t you? Trying to tell Dearest to submit to others will be a fool''s errand."


    My people were not afraid of our own death! But the death of our loved ones was another matter altogether!


    "Possum would rather die than bow down to anyone. People like that have two outcomes. They win and become king, or they die as a mortar for someone else''s accent.


    Then why do you do nothing to stop him? Why push the one you love down such a despicable path?


    "Eh? Darling is a shark. Telling him not to fight is the same as telling him to die. We have to take responsibility. Hehe. I kinda feel that it was our fault that his course was set."


    I believe that too. If Shujin had not met the Sirens, he would not have dominated the annihilation rankings. He would not have had the strength to fight the Saviors. He would not have faced Andromalius and triumphed!


    "Aki, you are stupid. Honey is not fighting because he has to. He does it because he wants to. You are right, a simple life away from conflict is possible. But in doing so, you deny him the greatness he would inevitably achieve."


    But what does it matter when you are dead?! My whole culture was built on honor! But it only exists in fiction! Honor sounded generous and rewarding, but it was nothing but a lie!


    "Husband''s fate is already in motion. It cannot be stopped. It began the moment he saved me. The world needs him. I cannot in good conscience conceal him from the world. Not when there are so many who would be saved by his actions."


    So you would let him die for the whims of strangers? Why were the rest of the Sirens like this? Was I the only one who loved Shujin? Was I being too selfish?


    If this was the reality of my situation, then there was no choice but to adapt.


    If Shujin was going to continue to fight against stronger and stronger opponents, then the only way to protect him was to become stronger as well. He once said that he wanted to make us Revenants.


    I was swept up by the mood and agreed. I made great vows, all to please him.


    But the Sirens all grew stronger. They all wanted to die with Shujin. They had no intention of stopping him. They just wanted to be with him when they died. How foolish.


    Yet, I was slowly left behind.


    Even though I said I loved him, I was the only one who stopped moving forward.


    "..."


    For the man I adored, I needed power. Overwhelming power. Power that could consume even the Revenants. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    Then I saw the soulgem of Robert Acwellan. The Slayer.


    A Phantom of immense skill and fighting ability. His hatred for David Thomas caused him to throw away his life to give birth to a demon. But I understood his reasons. Such were the acts of the truly desperate.


    However, those same reasons were nothing more than chaff to the wind. In the end, he accomplished nothing. Consumed by the demon, his life was nothing more than Andromalius'' sustenance. Such would be the fate of anyone who tried to get into bed with demons.


    But did any of that matter?


    Who cared what happened to me? The important thing was to protect Shujin! If being swallowed by demons was the price for his safety. If being devoured by evil would ensure his victory. Then...


    ''BRING IT ON! I AM INARI! KINDRED OF LIMITLESS! RATHER THAN BE DEVOURED! I WILL FEAST ON DEMONS INSTEAD!''

 Chapter 621 Heroine Chapter: Because of you. [2/2]

    All for my master. All for the man I loved. All so that he would never have to feel sadness or pain again.Lowering my head, I begged my sisters for the first time.


    "Please... Please let me have the slayer''s soul gem. I do not want to be left behind. {Eat} is not as great as you all make it. In order for me to continue by Shujin''s side, I must pay the price. I beg you.


    My sisters, please grant my selfish request just this once..."


    Instead of mocking me, the Sirens understood. They acquiesced and granted me {Blood Feast}. It was now up to me. Whatever came next was my choice. Its benefits or consequences were also mine to bear.


    And my gamble paid off. Despite the dangers of overdrafting, I created a completely new fighting style. The Bladed Kitsune could not show her claws without cold weapons. And sadly, even the best guns could not translate all of my fighting potential.


    {Blood Feast} was based on blood manipulation. But its main drawback was that you needed the blood to make it powerful. As a result, it was incredibly weak at the beginning of each battle. This was a problem for the Slayer. I had no such weaknesses.


    With {Limitless}, I gained the {Fates} of the other Sirens.


    {Shelter} gave me the ability to create constructs to serve as swords.


    With {Listen} and {Perceive}, I could see and hear everything that happened around my swords. It was almost as if I was the one wielding them.


    {Pack} and its family of {Fates} made heavy weapons feel like nothing. Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire


    {Store] allowed me to keep my blood odachi permanently.


    {Code} made it possible to control my sword constructs as if they were my own limbs.


    Finally, my own {Fate} could theoretically allow me to fight forever. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    To leverage this new soulgear, the {Programs} [Blood Intoxication] and [Sanguine Bladewing] were born. Together they allowed me to fight on par with the rest of the Sirens.


    After what seemed like an eternity, I gained the power to significantly affect the entire battlefield.


    As I spilled blood, [Blood Intoxication] turned the blood on my body into stamina. The bloodier I fought, the better the return I would get. The same was true for my sword wing. So whether it was me or my constructs, we regained stamina as we bathe in blood.


    It was incredibly ironic. I wanted power for my master. Yet the same man granted me {Limitless}. As if to say I was nothing without him.


    ''In the end, it was still because of you.''


    As the battle with the Alpha drew to a close, we managed to triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds. But Bella, Robyn and I were in no mood to celebrate.


    Shujin''s insane campaign had three parts.


    Scissors, where we rescue the defenders of the 24th floor to create a battlefront.


    Paper, where the hammer team goes to the 32nd floor to rescue Evelyn Flowers.


    And Rock, where Shujin takes a small group and attacks the Demons in Kismayo, Somalia.


    The members of the Hammer team were Shujin, Liv, Lilly, and Jas. As part of the Anvil team, which was to protect the 24th floor. Of course, I had to stay behind.


    Although I felt terrible, I was determined not to spoil the mood, along with the Anvil team. Our group quietly returned to the fort we had liberated.


    Hellsend immediately began their duties. Since they came in batches, the migration plan we had set up worked extremely well.


    What''s more, Shujin fully intended to modernize Hellsgate by taking advantage of {Portal}. It did not take a genius to know how much my {Kindred}''s decision would disrupt Hellsgate.


    On the way to our meeting room, the adventurers'' orange teleport circles descended. Shujin noticed the hostility on the faces of the arriving expedition members.


    He nonchalantly gave a command that sealed their {Fate}.


    "Lilly, please take all the Sirens and make sure the Adventurers integrate smoothly. Beat them up if you have to. If they still make a fuss. Kill them all. I will wait for you inside."


    Given the opportunity to vent my frustrations, my emotions ran wild. It was not just me, Jo, Robyn and Bella were the same.


    Lilly-sama then kissed Shujin on the cheek before running away.


    We all followed her. But before we could even complain, she sent a peace offering.


    [RealWomenLikeDolls: Liv, Jas, the three of us will create a soulcage. Bella, Jo, Robyn and Aki. Do as you please]


    The moment we appeared, Leo and Nyda became frantic.


    "My ladies, please wait!"


    Lilly-sama replied with only one sentence.


    "Nyda, whomever you wish to keep, get them out of the courtyard."


    Immediately, Nyda screamed as if her life depended on it. Her voice trembled and carried a terror that one would see from those about to die.


    "EVERYONE! GET OFF THE COURTYARD! NOW!"


    The large group of over 200 Reapers obeyed her commands almost instantly. Using all sorts of {Fates} and Soulgears, the adventurers ran away. However, there were those who scorned her words instead.


    "Nyda, you have become nothing but a coward," one of them said.


    "Damn, look at the tits on these whores. They got the whole set."


    "I know, right? A MILF, a loli, blonde, brunette, black, Latina, hell they even got an Asian stripper!"


    "Hey chink. Can you say ''Yamete, Kudasai'' real quick? I''ll pay you a hundred grand right now. I''ll double it if you say ''IKUUU'' with your tongue out! HAHAHAH!"


    Hearing such vulgarities, I flashed a seductive smile at the soon-to-be soulgear. I crossed my legs and pushed up my breasts. The other Sirens remained expressionless.


    It took a special kind of fool to say such words to me. They probably hadn''t seen our reclamation of the 24th floor.


    "FUCK! LOOK AT THOSE TITS! Come here, you slut. I will take you to Pound Town!"


    Liv, Lilly-sama and Jas all blinked at the three corners of the courtyard. Then they wordlessly sealed the small space into a soul cage. Meanwhile, our team began to arm themselves amidst the sexual harassment of the adventurers.


    When Bella''s children appeared, the trash in front of us suddenly fell silent.


    ''[Inventory] Sentinel. [Sanguine Bladewing].''


    When I pulled out my rifle and wings made up of odachi, they began to tremble. They all tried to make peace. But unfortunately for them, the Anvil team needed to vent. So, the girls and I promptly began a one-sided massacre. But since they were Phantoms, it was... oh, so much more fun.


    By the time it was over, the Anvil team, including Bella, were soaked in blood. We also made sure to retrieve the Soulgems. As if trying to show how far she was willing to go, our Brazilian Phantom reanimated the corpses of four of them.


    Our actions caused the remaining Adventurers to flinch. Securing our victory, we said nothing. In silence we rewound and returned to Shujin''s side.


    We then had a lengthy discussion about defending ourselves with the 2nd Amendment. When it ended. Lilly-sama took the hammer team and gave us some privacy with Shujin.


    "Honey, Darling, Kitten, Kamisan. Can you please come closer?"


    Alone with the man we loved, the remaining Sirens and I all broke down from separation anxiety.


    "Anata...sniff...please tell me you will come back. Sniff...you have to promise me...that you will return no matter what...I can''t live without you anymore Anata...what will I do if I never see you again? Do you really have to go? Can''t we just let Nyda die alone? I should just kill her instead..."


    My emotions poured out like a flood. Although I thought I had no more tears to shed, I sobbed like a child. But Shujin said nothing.


    He didn''t try to calm me down. He didn''t try to lighten the mood with jokes. He did not even give me a kiss or a gentle caress.


    His indifference made me cry even more. Only his embrace and warmth reminded me that this man loved me more than the world.


    For the next half hour, I complained like an entitled brat. From the smallest inconvenience to my darkest fears.


    Eventually, I was able to regain control of my emotions. Shujin still said nothing as he led us out of the fortress. Then he told us to wait for him. Helplessly, I jumped into his arms and cried all over again.


    "I will wait. Only because of you, Anata. I will wait. I will protect this place with my life. So please do not die before I do," I begged in tears.


    Sharing one last passionate goodbye. Shujin and his party left for the 30th floor.


    The Sirens of the Anvil team and I stayed put long after they left. We only came back inside when we could no longer sense the soul signature of our {Kindred}.

 Chapter 622 Too quiet. [1/2]

    If you had told me a month ago that I would soon be driving a Cadillac in Hell, I would have called you crazy. Yet here I was in Hellsgate doing just that.I had originally planned to ask Hellsend to take us to the warp point. According to Gareth, the warp coordinates for each floor, if not marked, were like elevators. That is, if you went down from a particular set of coordinates, you would arrive at the same place, just on a lower floor.


    The only exceptions to this rule were the warps used to travel between Earth and Hellsgate, and the warps in the fallen zones. For the fallen zones specifically, the places where people warp in were intentionally placed at the edges of that zone.


    This was done to both protect the mercenary and give them time before starting their mission. Outside of Death Seekers, however, you had to get permission from the manager of the target floor before warping in. Otherwise, the manager had the option of suspending the warp.


    Gareth, who knew the managers of the other floors, said that the 30th floor manager had only one point of entry into his domain. And that was in the middle of the courtyard of his castle.


    We used the fort on 1245-1 as our base, then I had Hellsend create a defensive perimeter. Said perimeter spanned several zones. The 30th floor warp point was in zone 1304-2. The equivalent floor for us would be 1244-2, which was 2 zones away.


    Since each zone was 3,861 square miles, I had to travel 62.13 miles to get from one end to the other. So to get to 1244-2, I had to travel over 124 miles.


    While I could use {Portal}, I wanted the girls to rest. And as if by tacit agreement, none of the Sirens wanted to hasten my departure.


    Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire


    However, just as I was about to borrow one of the M1078 LMTVs. Lilly then stepped forward and handed me what looked like a toy car. It was about the size of a Hot Wheels toy.


    "Dearest. This is a gift. This toy is your Escalade. It is now, in a sense, a Soularm. I used {Bestow} and granted it {Compact}. You can now shrink it to this size by calling {Compact}.


    That way, you would not be burdened with storing it in your [Inventory]."


    Extremely pleased with her thoughtfulness, I gave her a kiss before trying it out. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "{Compact}," at my words, my Cadillac Escalade V made its first appearance in Hellsgate.


    We were currently traveling to our destination in comfort and luxury. Esca had an extremely nice interior. And the air conditioning and the comfortable seats made it a pleasure to drive.


    My current group consisted of Jas, Liv and Lilly, team Hammer. D and Pixie my {Vassals} and finally Leo and Nyda.


    It was kind of funny that Leo and Nyda were confused when they saw my car. Their thoughts were written all over their faces. Leo Armstrong looked frustrated while Nyda was positively beaming.


    Considering that there were hardly any mounts in Hellsgate, they must have prepared something like the {Cavalry} soulgear for our journey.


    After all, one of the great advantages of becoming a horse was that you could put it away whenever you wanted and save on feed and water.


    Of course, a horse was only a horse. No matter how good it was, it could never beat a luxury SUV.The four who rode with us couldn''t help but comment happily.


    "And here I thought we would have to struggle to become horses again.


    Even luggage is no longer a problem! Our lord is amazing!" Nyda Flowers praised.


    Her husband agreed as he added. "The best part is that we can conserve our strength this way. Who would have thought it would be possible to drive a luxury vehicle in Hell? It would also shorten the travel time! But I feel like an idiot for choosing to walk all these years."


    "If this continues, won''t Limitless completely modernize Hellsgate? I''m half inclined to buy a Skydio. Did you see Connie use it? Technology plus {Fates} makes a fearsome combination!"


    Meanwhile, my vassals were enamored with the car itself.


    "UWAHHH! D, look at this leather, it feels so nice! And this chair is so soft! Have you ever been in such a nice car back on Earth? Is this what people spend their money on? It is amazing!"


    "Yes, this is the life. This car is real classy. Maybe I should get one. We made a lot of money the other night. But I don''t know how to drive..."


    "I know! Sister Lucrecia can help us! She said that as fellow {Vassals} it would be good to help each other. I am sure she will teach you! She is so pretty and so nice!"


    "Pix, I know they be fellow vassals, but those two are bad news. I feel like they are bad people."


    While the four in the back had their own conversations, my girls and I were silent.


    Liv and Jas weren''t talkative to begin with. Lilly didn''t say much, she simply clasped my hand in hers. I was not in the best of moods for reasons everyone already knew.


    And because of our {Kindred} bond, it was impossible to hide my feelings from them. For one thing, I felt extremely tired.


    Keeping it together was probably all I could do at the moment.


    The image of the Anvil team crying at my departure was still fresh.


    Jo was a blubbering mess, her words incoherent as she kept crying while trying to talk.


    Her eyes kept flickering between red and green. Green was the color of Jo''s eyes. Every time they changed to red, it meant that Vela was driving.


    After I told her to wait for me. The one who hugged me was Jo, but the one who answered was Vela.


    "Darling. Please make sure you come back. It is unfortunate, but such farewells are necessary. I will defend your domain with Jo and the other Sirens, you need only take care of yourself and my sisters."


    Jo was usually cheerful and used simple words. In contrast, Vela was cold, authoritative and regal. I nodded at her statement and hugged her. When I kissed her, by the time we parted, Jo was already the one in control.


    Just like Jo, Aki sniffled and tried to hold back her tears. My normally mature Kamisan had reverted to an almost childlike personality.


    Still, it was probably the most vulnerable I had ever seen her. She continued to act like a supportive spouse, holding her head high while her entire body trembled.


    "I will wait. Only because of you, Anata. I will wait. I will protect this place with my life. So please do not die before I do."


    Robyn tried to act cool, but she could not stay cool when it was time for me to leave.


    "Don''t worry Possum. I-I have everything under control...sniff. I-I can do this. I am your Sheila and {Kindred}, I can handle being left...hick...FUCK THIS CRAP! WAHHHH!!! POSSUMM!


    TAKE ME WITH YOU!!!!! DON''T LEAVE ME!!!!! I DON''T WANT TO BE ALONE!!!"


    But before I could answer, she reigned in her own emotions. My kitten was doing her absolute best to fulfill my will. To give in and change the plan would spit on her resolve.


    Only Bella remained calm. But her eyes were also filled with tears as she tried to focus on the bigger picture.


    "Honey, the Code family will make sure that no one invades our land. I will have the Derycks reinforce our numbers and strengthen our defenses. When you return, it will be unlike anything you have ever seen before."


    Despite her arrogant attitude, she held her hand behind her back. I saw her do this every time Bella got scared. Still, I just gave her a kiss and said goodbye.

 Chapter 623 Too quiet. [2/2]

    When we left, Bella had all her Switchblades and Ripsaws serve as our escort. I tried to keep my emotions in check, but of course they kept spilling out.Part of me wanted to run back to my girls and take them all with me. But they and I both knew that I couldn''t.


    [Father, do not worry. Ry-ry, Al-al and I will make sure to protect Mother and the Sirens.]


    [Father, tactically speaking, killing the Sirens is almost impossible. So please put your fears to rest. There is only a 17.25689% chance that something they cannot handle will arrive before you return.]


    [Al-al. Shut the hell up before I blow up your platforms! Your words will only make Father worry more!]


    Even my children tried their best to calm my nerves. Even though they were nothing more than programs, I felt that Alfonso, Henry and Sabel were truly not only considerate, but kind.


    As I stared at the road ahead, the scenery was nothing to be excited about. We were traveling at about 60 miles per hour. According to {Code} and {Perceive}, we would arrive at the designated point in two hours.


    Along the way I saw the 2nd Amendment Squads and Fortification driving several vehicles. There were cement mixers and heavy machinery already starting to work. Several places had lights that looked like a modern construction site.


    Of course, everyone had been notified that I would be passing by, so in addition to not being surprised, most even paid their respects as we passed.


    Eventually we arrived at the designated point. We all got out of the car before I shrunk it down to the size of a hot wheel.


    ''How many people on Earth would pay for such technology? I''ll never have to worry about parking again.''


    [My lord, Gareth has shared that he has confirmed that the manager of the 30th floor has yet to revoke his access to Warp In. According to Gareth, you should have no trouble getting to your destination.]


    Our party went to the coordinates Exa mentioned before requesting to warp to the lower levels. The same robotic voice began to speak into my mind, confirming the details of our descent.


    {Do you wish to warp to zone 1304-2? Please state your Id and name to confirm}


    {Reaper NA20230799-FRM, Limitless.}


    {Confirmation received. Welcome Reaper Limitless.


    Warp request approved. Entering zone 1304-2 in 3...2...1...}


    ***


    I felt the same weightlessness that came with warp. Like an elevator in free fall, my insides were pressed against my bones as gravity pulled me down. A moment later my feet felt solid ground. The same impact of arrival pushed down on my back again.


    It was uncomfortable, but bearable. I waited a few minutes for the sensation to pass. I immediately checked my {Kindred}, but only felt a connection to three of them.


    Liv, Lilly and Jas, the ones who were with me.


    For the four who were not, I felt as if they had suddenly closed their connections. Instead of the usual warmth I was used to, there was nothing.


    Anger and discomfort wrapped around my heart. I wanted to scream for someone to bring my girls back to me.


    But alas, I knew it was because we had entered the 30th floor. In accordance with our expectations, I could no longer feel my {Kindred}.


    My anxiety turned to fear as I searched for those still with me. Reflexively, I ran to my girls and threw my arms around them.


    The girls, feeling the roller coaster of emotions, said nothing and just hugged me. I took a moment to calm down. During this time I widened my senses and checked on the other members of my group.


    D and Pixie were struggling to get to their feet. Leo and Nyda were already up and moving around. But then I noticed something I had not noticed before. I


    t was the silence. There was nothing going on around us. There was no sound of people talking, fighting, or screaming.


    "It''s too quiet," I said aloud.


    ''Exa, are you there?''


    [I am my lord. I am currently scanning outward to understand where everyone has gone].


    ''Okay, report to me immediately what your findings are.''


    ''Husband, we need to move. I cannot see anything in the entire fortress. There is not a soul left.


    ''I am the same, dearest. There are no moving soul signatures, this place has been abandoned.''


    ''Beloved. Let us proceed cautiously. I was expecting a boisterous scene, as Gareth said the Defenders had made this their home. Something may have happened to them.''


    Nodding to the words of my battle harem, I summoned the FN SCAR-H, Ebony and Ivory, and the Benelli M1014 combat shotgun.


    With weapons in hand, I felt better. Lilly, Liv and Jas similarly armed themselves. All three of them summoned their new equipment along with their old ones as sub weapons.


    Jas, in addition to carrying the M107 Barrett, had the M24 SWS slung on her back. My Chocolate Wifey also had a Punisher 1911 on her hip. This gave her the flexibility to fight at different distances.


    Liv had the M32 MGL slung on her back while holding her ballistic shield and the 10-gauge Winchester 1887. This was probably because the M32 MGL was an extremely situational weapon.


    Lilly similarly had the M60 slung over her shoulder with the P30L on a side holster. While her sub weapons were impressive, they were no match for the M134D she used as her primary weapon.


    D and Pixie also drew their weapons as they waited for my commands. The adventurers, on the other hand, were already investigating. They walked around the other rooms, trying to find traces of why there was hardly anyone.


    I activated {Imaging} and scanned the interior and defenses of the fort. But similar to what the Sirens had found, there was nothing.


    "What the hell happened here?"


    I asked, walking forward. The girls moved around me, covering my blind spots. But then Leo came and stood in my way as he spoke.


    "My lord, please allow me and Nyda to go first. We know the fort better. We knew practically everyone who lived here. There should be at least 50 Phantoms stationed here." S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Nyda added her two cents as well. "My lord, we already know of your power. But Adventurers excel at gathering information. Please let us verify what happened."


    Understanding why they were so eager to venture out, I relented. The two then began to shroud their bodies in blue lightning before they went ahead.


    As the Adventurer couple would focus on the surroundings, we began to study check the rooms inside the fort. Jas wanted a closer look before moving on.


    Not five minutes later we heard a loud scream. Rushing outside, we saw hell. Pixie, who couldn''t stand what we were seeing, threw up on the floor. D was no different and staggered a bit before puking his guts out.


    The walls of the fort looked like they were writhing. In front of us were the mutilated bodies of people.


    I say people loosely because they were more like torsos without heads or limbs. Their backs were skewered on metal hooks lined up like beef in a butcher shop. Fresh blood turned the ground crimson. But that was not the worst of it.


    A few feet from us were our allies. Leo was being strangled by a small woman. He pitifully tried to free himself to no avail. Nyda, on the other hand, had a spear through her heart. She delirious kept repeating a single word.


    "Sister...sister...sister..."


    The one holding the other end of the spear was a face we knew well. There was no doubt, for she was the same person in Nyda''s picture. The one we had come to save.


    Evelyn Flowers. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire

 Chapter 624 Dont even exist. [1/2]

    "Take her down," I said curtly.Evelyn was choking Leo with one hand and holding a spear with the other, said spear impaling her sister. The only reason Nyda was still breathing was because she was a phantom.


    Upon examination, her soulgem was on her collarbone. So, she would not die from the spear through her heart.


    At my words, a powerful shot rang out from behind me. A 12.7¡Á99mm NATO, also known as a .50 BMG, flew at supersonic speed. Designed by John Browning in the early 1910s, it was quite old. But regardless of its age, it was designed to penetrate armor.


    There was a myth that a .50 BMG had so much power that it could kill people just from the pressure of the bullet passing by. While it was never really documented, such a story naturally grew out of the immense power of this bullet.


    To a body of flesh and blood, however, it was no different than an eraser. Jas had little sympathy for other people. While she was loving to me, Jo and the other Sirens, my wife was heartless to everyone else.


    I could hardly blame her for what she did.


    Jas, in her desire to both free Nyda and push Evelyn back, shot the .50 BMG through our adventurer instead. The sheer force of the bullet tore a huge hole in Nyda, almost vaporizing her entire torso.


    Her body split in half, releasing her from the spear. The bullet continued on, blasting through Evelyn''s chest. It tore through her flesh and pulverized her spine. The small woman then lost her supporting frame and collapsed in a bloody heap.


    Leo, who had fallen to the ground, quickly grabbed the two halves of his {Kindred} and retreated. In the same moment, Liv rushed forward and mercilessly slashed away at Evelyn''s pile of flesh. That was before she aimed the 1887 and fired a 10-gauge Sacred.


    "My my...how bloodthirsty," a beautiful voice exclaimed.


    Despite the surroundings flashing with a blinding radiance, my ears and soul felt Evelyn flee before the Sacred purified her. The sound of more than a hundred wings echoed as they all flapped and carried her to safety.


    Lilly, sensing the same thing, unleashed a barrage of bullets at the flock of flying animals. The sound of metallic bullets tearing flesh followed.


    When the light faded, our vision returned. And sure enough, a swarm of bats was dancing around our princess''s line of fire. I raised my hand and Lilly stopped their attack.


    The bats then gathered on another and then transformed into a beautiful woman. She had black hair and blood-red eyes. The creature before us wore a sultry looking dress meant to entice and drive men wild.


    "You lot seem stronger than my sister and her pathetic excuse for a lover," Evelyn said mockingly.


    Staring at me, she licked her lips as she continued.


    "Despite only standing in place, my soul tells me to run from you. May I please have the pleasure of hearing your name, oh handsome reaper. You seem to be just my type..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, Jas fired back. Another .50 BMG entered her left eye and blew out the back of her skull. A violent mess of blood and brain matter exploded like a firecracker. Of course, the right side of her face also fell apart horribly.


    "He is not interested, you filthy harlot. Stop talking to my husband. Even if you try to seduce him and me, we have the mental strength to fight you!"


    Jas then pulled out the SWS and fired it with one hand. A 7.62 Sacred glowed again and raced to destroy Evelyn''s body.


    But faster than even supersonic bullets, her body turned into bats and escaped all over again. Needless to say, the bats that were too slow to evade were reduced to ashes.


    This was practically the first time I saw the inhumane way Jas killed her enemies up close. Since her targets were usually extremely far away, few would see the gruesome manner in which Jas dominated the battlefield.


    Her first shot destroyed the heart. The second targeted the head. Despite knowing that her enemy was immortal, Jas was already searching for her weakness. With {Variance}, she may have already found it.


    "Fufu. Such bloodlust. I can see why the Duke of Arno was afraid of what was to come. Besides, you all seem to be carrying weapons blessed with holy power. How interesting..."


    Somehow, I felt something tickling my soul. It seemed to make the woman before me extremely beautiful. As if I was under her spell. As I watched Evelyn, my girls all seemed plain and ugly compared to her.


    Probably noticing my gaze, Evelyn pushed up her magnificent breasts as she smiled beautifully. Everything from her voice to her appearance captivated me.


    "Do you like what you see, handsome? If you help me, you can do whatever you want with my body," Evelyn said in the sexiest way I had ever heard.


    But unlike with the Sirens, the attraction felt empty. It was like craving burgers but eating cereal just to stave off hunger. It left me unsatisfied and angry. That''s why I didn''t even get the slightest hard-on, despite all her glamour and beauty.


    ''Exa, do something.''


    [{Perceive}, {Listen} and {Code} have suggested a new {Kismet}. Should I tell them to create it?]


    ''Do it.''


    [Understood. {Illusion Resistance} created].


    At Exa''s words, my mind suddenly cleared, and I saw Evelyn as she really was. Unlike before, I now saw her true appearance. Her eyes were the most obvious difference. Her irises were black instead of white.


    Her skin, a beautiful white before, was now semi-transparent. Black lines that looked like blood vessels could be seen, giving the impression that she was nothing more than a corpse. Evelyn''s lips were no longer red, but gray, almost the color of black.


    As if that were not enough, her hands were no longer human. Instead of hands, she had what looked like the claws of a bird. When I saw the disgusting appearance of this monster, my feelings shifted. Evelyn Flowers was alive. But one thing was clear: she was no longer human.


    Due to my new {Kismet}, my {Kindred} naturally all widened their eyes as they also saw the truth. If they had seemed unwilling to attack that monster before, now they seemed eager.


    "What are you?" I asked in disgust. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Probably sensing the emotion on my face, Evelyn''s began to scream.


    "YOU BROKE THROUGH MY ILLUSION? HOW? YOU! CAN SEE ME?!"


    Gone was the flirtatious woman from earlier. Now there was only rage emanating from Evelyn. It was amusing that she now locked eyes with me. It reminded me of a hunter who wanted to kill his prey.


    "I find it funny that you seemed angrier at me than my {Kindred}. Need I remind you that they were the ones who shot your disgusting excuse of a body to pieces? I haven''t even started attacking you yet."


    "I WILL KILL YOU!!!"


    Evelyn charged towards me. Her teeth seemed to turn into knives like those of a shark. Her claws also lengthened to almost a foot long. Completely enraged, she failed to see those around me.


    Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire


    A loud metallic noise crashed. Liv smashed her shield into Evelyn''s side as she approached. The sound of several bones breaking was picked up by {Listen}. Not done, Liv similarly slammed the 1887 onto her back, shattering her spine.


    The two-pronged attack sent the monster to the ground, vomiting blood. Despite its fierce appearance, this monster was stupid as hell. But before I could say anything, the hairs on my back stood up. I quickly turned around, raised the SCAR-H and pulled the trigger.


    Mirroring my actions, the girls all pointed their weapons in the same direction and opened fire. But in the midst of our attack, something zipped past us and took Evelyn. Even though I could see it take her, it was gone before I could even react.


    With Evelyn in a bridal carry, the man then sprang up bat wings and quickly flew away. Ignoring us completely, his focus remained on Nyda''s sister.

 Chapter 625 Dont even exist. [2/2]

    "Lady Bianca, you are still very weak from the ritual. Please do not overexert yourself. Otherwise, the Duke will have my head.""Thank you, Gaspar... do you think he will be pleased with my gift?"


    "My lady, your power allowed you to single-handedly destroy a Reaper stronghold. I am sure he will be pleased."


    "Haay... I really need to get stronger. How can I fight for the position of Duchess if I don''t?"


    "All in due time, my lady. Among the concubines, you are in the top five. So you have a chance..."


    Contrary to what usually happens in anime and manga, Gaspar took his superior with him and left. There was no fancy warning or threatening challenge. He just acted like we weren''t even there. Even though we were all shooting at him, he just walked right past us.


    This was what people did when they encountered a noisy dog. Instead of trying to appease the dog, they just simply ignored it and went on with their lives. It was more humiliating to be treated that way. It was as if we...


    "Don''t even exist... Gaspar... He seemed stronger than even Evelyn and he was just a servant?"


    Leo and Nyda were by no means weak. But in the short time they left the room, one was overpowered and the other was staked through the heart.


    And that was before you take into account the fact that Evelyn seems to have destroyed the entire fortress by herself.


    And that was her being "severely weak". Worse, she was only one of the concubines, and only good enough to be in the top five. With five more of her, plus Gaspar and the Duke, there were already seven power beings.


    But perhaps the most difficult part of all was what to do now? The goal of Paper was to get Evelyn back. Contrary to what we thought, she was not under duress or drugs. She was acting as a vampire agent of her own free will. My realizations made my link burn with fighting spirit.


    The girls all had their links overflowing with hostility as well. Respect on the battlefield was not common. But the least you could do before killing someone was to acknowledge that they existed.


    To deny that was, in a way, cruel. And as the one on the receiving end, it soured my mood. But my mind immediately thought that at least we survived. And as long as we survived, we could grow stronger.


    "You will regret not killing me today, Gaspar. I will be the one to end your life," I blurted out loud.


    My harem nodded in understanding. The ones with me were not the ones to make empty promises. But I knew they all wanted to take the vampires down a peg or two.


    Before anyone else could speak. D and Pixie joined us.


    "M-My lord...I''m sorry for being useless...I should have protected you...I-"


    "Brutha, don''t blame the kid. I was at fault too. If I was stronger, I could have at least acted as a shield."


    I walked over to Pixie and placed my hand on her head, reassuring her.


    "Pixie, I am not blaming you. I was similarly powerless. D, I never expected you to protect me from danger. I am much stronger than both of you. I do not need you to protect me as my {Vassals}, your main job is to fulfill the tasks I give you. So do not worry."


    The two of them then bowed their heads and saluted.


    I turned around and my girls all began apologizing for their inadequacy as well. After assuring them that I did not blame them in the least, I made my way to Leo and Nyda.


    Nyda was already in one piece, her body glowing with green healing energy. The woman was crying pitifully in her husband''s arms. Although her body was severed at the waist, I knew that her sadness was caused by something else.


    The moment they noticed my approach, Nyda began to wipe her tears with her sleeves. Feeling that I should at least apologize for the actions of my battle harem, I went first.


    "Nyda, please forgive us for what we did to save you. Knowing that you would not die is no excuse. We also went after your sister as if she were a monster. I know this is unacceptable to your family. Do not blame my girls, as I was the one who made the decision."


    Nyda smiled bitterly before shaking her head.


    "It''s okay, my lord. I am a Phantom and an adventurer. I am used to pain. And I couldn''t blame you. My sister recognized me, but still stabbed me in the heart. Anyone who says that would understand that she is no longer sane.


    She is already..."


    Although I knew exactly what Nyda meant, I said nothing. The purpose of this operation was to save Evelyn. What saving meant here was subjective.


    We did not know what had happened to Evelyn Flowers. For one thing, she was a reaper. But now it was clear to everyone present that she was a vampire. Continue your story on My Virtual Library Empire


    The question was, how do we react? In zombie movies, the greatest mercy for those who turned was a bullet in the head. Because although the zombie came from a human, the fact that it was a zombie meant that it was a completely different existence.


    However, I knew why Nyda and Leo had a look of expectation on their faces. It was because of the things they had heard before we came here. The fact that Roach, a monster, allied himself with me. And I allowed him to.


    It was a common plot point in games and manga for characters to be transformed in order to be saved. Depending on the maturity of the story, most of them were killed. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But in stories with happy endings, the transformed characters would be allowed to redeem themselves and begin to use their powers for good.


    ''I wonder if IRIS added such stories as a guide that such realities were possible?'' I couldn''t help but wonder.


    Somehow I felt that the fiction we were consuming was a blueprint for how we should act in Hellsgate. But because there were so many possibilities, I didn''t know what IRIS'' real message was.


    ''To kill people like Evelyn or to save them? Considering that Trinity deliberately screwed up the message, the other scenarios must have been added by Trinity.''


    By making all the choices seem right, they effectively nullified IRIS''s guidance. Feeling that trying to decipher the Shadow War was pointless, I turned to Nyda instead and asked bluntly.


    "Nyda. What do you wish to do?"


    "You ask me, my lord?" she asked in disbelief.


    "I am," I said, nodding.


    "I-I..."


    To give her more background, I elaborated.


    "If I hadn''t met Roach, I would have said that the only way to save her was to die. But the monsters are not simple beings created to destroy. They have their own hierarchy and purpose. If Evelyn has become a monster, we need to know why. If it is reversible and how to prevent it from happening in the future."


    Nyda then crawled up to me and tugged on the corner of my pants.


    "My lord, I know I am being shameless. But I care little for all the dead reapers here. The most important thing to me is my sister. Even if she killed them all, I want her to live.


    "My lord, according to the rules of North America, if what happened here comes to light, her fate will be executed even if she regains her will.


    "But in the 24th floor, your domain, it is possible for her to live a decent life. Even if the Alpha breaks his word, I know that my sister will come to her senses.


    "My lord! Please! I beg you! I beg you! I will do anything! I am willing to be your slave.


    I will make my family and clan swear allegiance to your bloodline. Please grant me this one request. I-If it is possible, please save my sister!"


    "You ask this without knowing if your sister even wants to continue to exist as a vampire?"


    "I do..."


    How selfish. But I didn''t dislike Nyda''s determination. It was similar to my own.


    ''Now. How shall we proceed...'' I wondered inwardly.

 Chapter 626 Fighting against your nature [1/2]

    It was easy to just give up when things got hard. In fact, it was harder to find a reason to keep going. When the whole world was screaming at you to give up, what reason would allow you to keep fighting?''Beloved...I feel it is best to allow Evelyn to make the decision. After all, Evelyn would be the one to live on as a monster, I think it is wrong for anyone but her to decide her fate.''


    ''Why bother? You want to waste all the effort to save her and then let her kill herself? This is not a game, Liv! Husband, Evelyn stabbed her own sister. She is gone. The only thing left is to end her.''


    ''My my... you both make a lot of sense, but both of your plans require to sacrifice something of lesser worth. For Liv, our lives are worth less than Evelyn''s choice. Meanwhile, Jas thinks her choice is irrelevant because our lives triumph over everything. Dearest, what are you going to do? We could die trying to save her.


    But to choose for Evelyn is something you would never do... What a dilemma...''


    ''What are you saying, Lilly? When have I said that Evelyn''s life is more important than ours? I love our {Kindred} and the Sirens the most. Take that back!'' our northerner growled in anger.


    ''Liv. Come to your senses. If our family was your priority, you should be ready to abandon her if saving her is impossible! What if Husband loses his {Vassals}, or worse, one of us? Is this whore worth our lives? What do we get out of her?


    Delroy Baxter has a {Fate} to investigate the dead. We can get the information even if Evelyn is no longer of this world! Do not forget your place!''


    ''Jas, you know I would die for anyone in our family. Do not insult me with such words. I do not forget, but I am a shield maiden. My existence is to defend another. To abandon them to their fate is cruel. I would never wish that on anyone.


    What if her spirit is trapped against her will? If it were us, our beloved would save us at any cost.''


    ''Then that is her fate! This world has never been kind! Your people are on the brink of extinction! How can you still think such foolishness! Husband would burn the world for us. But not for them.


    That is our blessing. Evelyn should ask her {Kindred} to die for her, not some stranger! I refuse to lose any of you for such a useless cause!''


    Jas seemed really emotional. Probably the aftereffect of using her soulgear. Considering our result after using {Variance} to attack Gaspar, then I could understand why. It means that out of thousands of probabilities, we could not win in any of them. That must have scared her. My Chocolate Wifey took on the burden of trying to change the future.


    Since our conversations were over our {Kindred} link, no words were spoken. But Liv and Jas were already staring down at each other. Their bodies were tense, as if they wanted to beat the other into submission.


    Before I could react, Lilly stepped between Liv and Jas and pushed them away from each other. Standing in the middle of conflicting points of view was a task given to those in power. It was at times like this that Lilly showed her aptitude as a ruler.


    ''Look, it is not that I do not understand what you both are trying to say. Liv, Dearest has already said that he values our input. But that does not mean that the path of honor we both follow is the only one. Chivalry is built on making the best of a situation. That is why knights still have swords. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    ''If good intentions were all the world needed, there would be no knights. We are the {Kindred} of the Limitless. We hold ourselves to a higher standard, but that standard is not worth trading our lives for. If you die for Evelyn, do you think she has the slightest chance of living a happy life?


    ''No. Dearest, her would-be savior would be the first to slaughter not only her, but her entire bloodline. This is the burden you carry. Your life no longer belongs to you alone. As Sirens, we belong to the tyrannical Reaper Limitless. You would do well to remember that.''


    Silenced by her words, Liv bit her lip in frustration. Lilly then looked at Jas as she continued her mediation.


    ''As for you, Jas, your king has already made his decision. The one we all follow has chosen to save Evelyn. Do you, as his wife, intend to disregard the will of the man you love? You are right. Our family must come first. However, saving Evelyn is symbolic.


    Given your intellect, you should know the power of her story.


    ''If she is saved, she will become a proof of our man''s power. If she dies, she will be Hellsend''s first martyr. What happens to her is of little consequence. But our actions at that moment will shape the story that will be told.


    ''This, in large part, would earn the loyalty of thousands, perhaps millions, around the world. All of whom will fight by our side in the future. How could it not be something that would protect the family?


    ''The burden of {Variance} clouds your judgment. You should refrain from abusing it. Besides, this is not the first time Dearest''s honor has been sullied by your carelessness. Be more careful.''


    Jas held her tongue but scowled at Lilly. Still, my African lover did not talk back to Ishtar''s harsh rebuke. With both sides silenced the three girls of my harem glared at each other in hostility.


    Liv''s personality was kind and gentle. She was never made for war. In truth, death and regret distorted her personality. That was why she chose to be a shield maiden, or a shielder for the gender-neutral term. While I do not place much value on honor, the idealists in my party did.


    Forcing them all to my way of life was just wrong. What I said to Liv, Lilly and Bella earlier was no lie. I found their adherence to morality extremely beautiful. But while I acknowledge virtue, I was not willing to die or sacrifice my people for it.


    Jas, on the other hand, knew the vile atrocities the world had to offer. And having lost her parents, Jas valued me and our family to an unhealthy degree. Forcing herself to endure the mental strain of {Variance} was proof of that. It was a good tool, but it played on her fears by showing her how we, the people she loved, kept dying.


    Currently, Lilly was in the middle of the two. Lilly, much like Liv, wanted to be honorable because she believed in the Browning''s former dogma. However, she also accepted that ideals and reality did not always go well together. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Saving a corpse was not one of the deeds she considered worthy. But supporting me, the man she loved, was. So she was willing to fight and bleed for my cause, regardless of how she felt about it. But despite these facts, she chose to focus on the things we could gain.


    Stories had power. Hellsend was practically built due to these stories.


    The 2nd Amendment in particular was very vocal about how protective I was of my people. Creating a rumor about what it means to be my people. The Wolves practically advertised themselves as the poster children for an alternate reality for helpless Saints. Just like then, Evelyn would be an addition to those stories.


    It would be a powerful example of what my army was capable of. Tales of justice and courage were loved because they could bring out the best in people. And such narratives were incredibly powerful.


    If we succeeded in either martyring them or saving them, it would be a legendary feat that would further cement my reputation. Which would help protect us both from internal and external threats.


    Nyda and Leo, who could not hear our conversations, remained silent. I realized they were waiting for my reply. I offered my hand to pull them both up.

 Chapter 627 Fighting against your nature [2/2]

    "Nyda, we are going to save your sister. Whether that means putting her down or bringing her back, I still do not know. But if it is possible to save her, I will. If it isn''t, I will be the one to end her suffering." Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire"Thank you, my lord,...I will return this favor," she cried as she kissed the back of my hand.


    Then I remembered how emotional this woman was. I recalled that she had over a million souls, which would make it easier for her soul to collapse. But before I could wonder, I heard Lilly reassure me.


    ''Dearest. While you were comforting the Anvil team, I took some mass-produced benevols from Cynthia and Addison and gave them to our currenty party. I also gave the Adventurers {Rewind} so the benevols do not get wasted.


    ''Exa confirmed that {Kill Switch} is part of the download for {Call My Name}, so even though they have {Rewind}, our fail-safes are in place,'' she added via our link


    Feeling immense pride and appreciation for my princess''s foresight, I looked at her as I spoke words of praise through our {Kindred} link.


    ''Lilly, you are such an intelligent and beautiful woman. I am so lucky to have you by my side. I must have saved the world in my past life to be able to marry you. Please never leave me. I will even lick your toes if I have to.''


    The woman pulled down her cap in embarrasement and struck a smug pose. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Fufu. Dearest, considering you and your foot fetish, licking my feet is not even humiliating for you. Wouldn''t you consider it a reward? All kidding aside, all this is nothing compared to the pleasure you give me. I am your queen. My purpose and only desire in life is to love you and see you succeed.


    Indulge me more if you feel grateful to me.''


    ''I will. I am down by four girls, so you three will have to suffer my libido for the foreseeable future.''


    Unable to suppress her laughter, Lilly''s melodious voice filled the air, "Hahaha. I see. I am looking forward to it, Dear."


    Ignoring the gloating American, Liv and Jas both approached me with sad faces. I knew it was not an act, for their links were shrouded in negative emotions such as disappointment and self-loathing.


    ''My love, please forgive me. Lilly is right. I knew best how it felt to put my virtue down because I lacked the power. It''s just that your love and support allowed me to follow my convictions for the first time in my life. I-I became arrogant. I told you before that I would commit any atrocity if you were at stake.


    That is still true. Forget what I said before. I will personally behead Evelyn should the need arise.''


    ''Husband, I am sorry. I didn''t mean to disrespect your will. You are the man I adore and cherish. I was afraid. Although we thought we had become powerful, Gaspar didn''t even retaliate. It was as if we were like ants in his eyes.


    The thought of facing such beings with only us is frightening. What if someone dies? What if I cannot save everyone? What if I make a mistake?''


    Hearing the concerns of the two, I grabbed my Northern and African lovers by their waists. Pulling them close, I felt the softness and warmth of their bodies.


    It was hard to believe that we were of the same species. How could my girls be so stunningly beautiful? Comparing them to me was like night and day.


    Feeling the admiration and lust rising from my link. Both Liv and Jas pinched my arms.


    ''Husband, you can have your way with me later. We are talking now...''


    ''Beloved, please focus. I will fulfill all you desire as soon as this is cleared up.''


    Annoyed, I sighed deeply before placing my hands on their cheeks.


    Seeing the emotions wreaking havoc in their minds, I calmed them down before speaking. I sent love and understanding to both of them as I looked into their eyes.


    ''You two are too serious. There is nothing to forgive. Liv, my power is for your sake. Follow your beliefs as much as you want, I will take care of everything else. If I really did not want your opinion, I would have told you so. You are my {Kindred}, you are my guiding light, just being yourself is enough.


    That was why I fell for you in the first place.


    ''Jas, I was the one who asked you to come here. The responsibility is mine. The {Rewind} family will defend us. I am grateful for your desire to protect everyone. But that is my job as the man of our house. Please do not take that away from me.


    And we are in this together. We are going to figure this out as a family. You do not have to burden yourself with all of this.''


    "Beloved, I-I"


    "Husband, why are you so..."


    Unwilling to let them remain lost, I gave them both a brief but passionate kiss.


    "Beloved, Wifey, I know you are all fighting against your natures for my sake. I do not blame you, nor am I disappointed in you. I am grateful. I forgive you both. Drop this matter here, understood?"


    "Yes." X2


    Like teenagers in love, my girls threw themselves into my embrace. To be honest, I didn''t even mind their discussion, but each of my girls were not drones.


    They had their own feelings, opinions, and views. These personalities were the reason they were both making a mountain out of a molehill.


    Liv probably felt guilty. If I followed her decision and suffered losses, it would be because of her stubbornness to save Evelyn. And her morals prevented her from saying that we should just abandon Nyda''s sister.


    Jas, on the other hand, was ashamed that her fear overcame her trust. Unlike when her life was at stake, Jas could not tolerate playing with ours. So, contrary to my words, she would not even try to fulfill our mission. The risks were not worth the potential losses.


    Upon closer inspection, the reason Liv felt guilt and the reason Jas felt shame was because of their love for me.


    How could I be angry with them if that was the case? Rather, if Liv did not care about me, her morals would trump our safety. Jas, on the other hand, would just up and leave.


    Their love for me became the reason why they fought against their natural instincts. Such things showed how much these two adored me. More than a hundred confessions and a thousand kisses. To change your entire mind or will for another was true love, it was to deny yourself in favor of someone else.


    With both Jas and Liv appeased, I raised my hand to call to the Siren who was not yet in my arms. As I beckoned to her, Lilly ran forward and jumped without a care in the world.


    I caught her and spun her around. Her cheerful giggles and smile seemed out of place in the current circumstances, but Lilly Browning didn''t care about such things.


    Like the other two, Lilly could have just let Liv and Jas fight it out. In the European aristocracy, such heinous acts were the norm.It was what King used to keep the factions in check. But the Untamed also denied her instincts because she knew I wanted everyone to get along.


    Rather than show the world that she was superior, she was fine with being number two so long as I was number one. For someone as arrogant as she was, what could that be but love?


    I knew that the more situations I encountered, the more my relationship with the Sirens would be tested.


    It was easy to be in love when everything was going well. But true relationships were not strong because they never fought. They were strong because they argued, fought over differences, and yet remained committed to each other. In the same way, this would be the reason why people would hold on.


    Such emotions would be what pushed the Reapers forward. Like how Nyda risked everything for Evelyn. Like how Leo accompanied his wife, even though he would gain nothing.


    If there was anything I believed had more power than death and despair, it was love, hope, and faith.

 Chapter 628 I have done it before [1/2]

    After sharing a tender moment with the girls, I noticed that the rest of our party was quietly waiting for us. Pixie and D were on alert and had their weapons out. Nyda and Leo were discussing personal matters that didn''t interest me.''My {Kindred}, I would like your opinion on how we should proceed. We have a zone that seems to have fallen, a rogue reaper who has turned into a vampire, and monsters that seem to be higher than C class.''


    ''Dearest, as the former commander of the White Guard, the first priority should be to understand how this zone ended up in this state in the first place. The dirge sirens are a failsafe tied to the defender. As soon as the defender falls unconscious, dies, or calls for help, it should go off. But that didn''t happen here.''


    ''Husband, if dead Reapers can turn into vampires, it is imperative that we recover all fallen defenders and send them home. We saw human torsos on hooks along the way. If those were the defenders, we must make Hellsend withdraw them.''


    ''Beloved, I agree with Jas and Lilly. I am just beginning to learn about the Priority Alert System, but even I know that this is a problem. A gap in our defenses is tantamount to a false sense of security. We must notify North America immediately, lest the lower zones be taken.''


    I couldn''t help but nod at the words of my battle harem. Lilly''s observations were correct. Why didn''t we know that this zone had already fallen? I couldn''t feel any malice. But the fact that there were no defenders left was a problem. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jas, on the other hand, played devil''s advocate. As far as I knew, reapers did not turn into undead. Only humans did. During enlistment, the only zombies were those who had yet awakened. For those who were able to join the Reapers, their corpses became dolls after they died.


    However, we could not rule anything out. For one thing, even Bella could "revive" dead Reapers. She had already demonstrated such an ability. {Instigator} combined with {Code} was able to replace the undead driving the Bradley with Reaper dolls.


    If {Instigator} could create such a possibility, there was no reason to believe that there would not be a fate designed to create vampires. Such was the power of {Fates}. Nothing was impossible for them, given enough souls and a desire for power.


    I wonder if the abilities of monsters follow the evolutionary path of {Fates}. Could they also create new abilities based on their needs? Was that why Roach had {Cocoon}, because he wanted to change?


    Meanwhile, although Liv was always worried about the defenses like Lilly, she was concerned with a different facet. While Lilly focused on possible sabotage, Liv''s emphasis was on the weakness that North America now possessed.


    The current Priority Alert system was quite comprehensive and designed for redundancy. Each zone had a designation at all times, that designation being the measure of that area''s importance. But perhaps most important of all, were the forces that accompanied each designation.


    A lower designation number meant that the area was of higher importance. There were two types of zones, core zones, which were zones that ended in -1, -2, or -3. And wing zones, which were zones that were tiers 4 to 7 which ended with -4 to -7


    Core & Wing.jpg


    The current priority system takes into account the location of the zones before assigning a designation. Since the core zones cannot fall as they risk losing the entire floor, they were given extra attention.


    As the current frontline for North America was at floor 52, the current battlefront had the following assignments.


    Each floor between 52 and 41 received a P1, these 10 floors were where most of the Specters were concentrated. As no one could match the Specters, all 28 zones were cleared of undead.


    For floors 42 through 31, the priority systems began to separate the wings from the cores. Any core zone within 42 to 31 was still a P1. If these zones fell, the Specters would have no place to retreat.


    This contrasts the wing zones. For 42 to 31 they were no longer critical to the survival of the battlefronts, only for training. As a result, they were given a P2 instead. Any Phantom-ranked Death Seeker wishing to ascend to the Specters would serve in P2 Sirens zones.


    Along with the wing zones for 42 through 31, the cores from the 32nd floor through the 21st floor were also assigned to P2 Death Seekers. The reasons for this were similar to those of the P1s, but of lesser priority.


    Priority 3 Death Seekers followed this pattern and were assigned the wings for floors 32 through 21 along with the core for 22 through 11. Similarly, P4''s were assigned to the wing zones on floors 22 through 11 or the core zones on floors 6 through 10.


    Priority 5''s, the lowest priorities, were given to wing zones lower than floor 11 or core zones lower than 6. This may all sound complex, but it really wasn''t. Depending on your level as a Death Seeker, you were expected to use the priority system as a measure of your abilities.


    Priority 5 was for Wraiths.


    Priority 4 was for low level Phantoms or those at level 4.


    Priority 3s were for mid-level Phantoms at level 5. 2''s were for high level Phantoms at level 6. While P1''s, which were considered the front lines, were for Specters.


    If you knew such information, you would be able to see the magnitude of the difference in retaliation when the floor was designated as P1 or P2.


    Which made what happened to our current location worrying. This zone, 1304-2, was a core zone that was within 22 floors of the front line.


    This meant that even if this zone fell, the most it would get was P2. It was literally on the razor''s edge. If they took that same zone on the 31st floor, it would get a P1.


    And unfortunately, at P2, unless there was a Specter bored with nothing to do, the only responders would be high-level Phantoms at level 6.


    Even if it was only a difference of one rank, a Phantom, even a high-level one, was inferior to a Specter. Even the lowest Specters were leagues above the most powerful Phantoms. While Wraiths could fight above their rank, Phantoms could not.


    I knew this firsthand, as all the Specters I encountered trampled me to the ground. Whether I was fighting for my life or not, it didn''t matter. Zachary Lynch, Eva Baker, Raymond Gertrude and Xander Rutherford, the power of a Specter was just that insane.


    The Alpha, who almost killed my harem and me, was regularly wiped out by Specters. If such might was readily available there wouldn''t be a need for tactics! They could just steam roll everything!


    Unfortunately, those bastards were also the most broken of the Reapers. But even if you took the propensity of these human weapons out of the equation, it seemed odd that the vampires knew just how to avoid bringing down a Specter on themselves.


    Thinking there was more to the story, I remembered what Nyda had said earlier.


    "Because you are powerful! It is your duty! We cannot come for them because the journey is too far! It is dangerous to use the warpgates beyond the 30th floor. Our supplies will not last long enough to make it to the 32nd floor!" Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire


    At the time, I thought the reason she was saying such things was because the vampires had a way of tampering with the warp process itself.


    What if the reason was much simpler than that? There was an eminently logical reason why the dirge siren didn''t trigger, though it might not be the one people around here would not like.

 Chapter 629 I have done it before [2/2]

    "Nyda. Why did you say it was dangerous to take warp gates to the 32nd floor? Tell me what you really think," I asked.The woman bit her lip and made a frustrated face. Leo put his hand on her back and whispered.


    "It''s okay, cupcake. I don''t think Limitless is one of them..."


    I wasn''t one of them? One of what? Administration? Graveyard? What other group could warrant such caution? Much like me, I felt my girls'' links suddenly drown in vigilance.


    Liv and Lilly moved noticeably closer to me, while Jas fixed her gaze on Nyda.


    ''My kindred, calm down. Let''s hear them out first.''


    I could not blame my harem for their unease. Even before we came here, my other girls brought up the possibility of Leo and Nyda being vampire spies or double agents. At the time I thought it was bullshit, but seeing the evidence here. I was more inclined to believe them.


    "My Lord, please forgive me if this offends you, but the managers of the 31st and 32nd floors are traitors. I cannot prove it, but they are allied with the monsters. They deliberately worked to sabotage the battlefront''s efforts. However, since their areas remain clean, at least on paper, no one believed me."


    "..."


    ''Fuck... I was expecting it, but hearing it from someone else us just...''


    It was not as common, but many dark manga and novels explored the possibility of some people betraying humanity.


    Some out of greed, others out of compulsion. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I can''t really blame them, if one of my girls was captured and held hostage, I would follow their words without question until I saved my woman,'' I explained inwardly.


    ''Dearest, do not worry, we know that you have such an inclination. That is why we created [Beacon]. The Sirens vow that such a situation would never come to pass.''


    ''Husband, somehow I wonder if the rest of the Reapers know this. While we are your strength, we are also your reverse scale. Wouldn''t the enemy deliberately try to use us to get you on their side?''


    ''Such is the nature of our {Kindred}. Beloved, we know that you would choose us over humanity. But realistically, most would not make such a choice. Especially those in positions of power. Holding someone hostage while being cowardly is very effective for people like us.''


    If you think about it, such tactics was even more potent for the Specters. If the right person was kidnapped, even killing that person would cause the Specter to forget his or her purpose.


    I shook my head in annoyance. It seemed that there has been no shortage of problems for Reapers in general.


    The moment Hellsend successfully adapted to the zombies, we now had to worry about these bastards who used tactics and cunning in addition to physical strength.


    "So the reason you did not want to warp directly to the 32nd floor was because the defender was a traitor? Have you seen what they did in the past? When? Why didn''t you report it?"


    Nyda bowed her head without answering. The one who did was Leo.


    "My Lord. To put it simply, the Managers call in adventurers and mercenaries under the guise of quests and missions. Once they arrive, they are given false information and left to die. Nyda and I have reason to believe that the last mission of Evelyn''s group, the Nightdarts, failed for the same reason."


    At his explanation, I felt Liv''s link explode in anger.


    "SUCH EVIL! HOW COULD SUCH VILE WHORESONS EXIST! THE WORLD FALLS AND THEY ACT LIKE THIS! BELOVED! WE MUST GO TO THE 32ND FLOOR IMMEDIATELY! THEY DESERVE TO DIE!"


    Exa once shared the battle logs of the Sirens as they destroyed the Savior''s reinforcements. Among those battles, one stood out to me.


    It was one where Liv ambushed a Phantom in the Stratosphere. The Phantom''s name was Hjalmar Arnar Einarsson, a northern reaper who had abandoned his country.


    Living like a king due to his superior abilities, Hjalmar fought as a Reaper assassin. The video Lilly captured of Liv practically torturing Hjalmar and his men.


    It showed how much hatred she had for traitors. Given the history of her mother and the fall of the North, it didn''t take much to understand why.


    I came closer to the angry 6''6" Northerner at my side and reached for her face. Her rage made her seem like a wild animal, she reacted to my approach with a snarl. But I was not afraid of her fury, I stroked her face tenderly, as I usually did.


    "Liv."


    I then sent all the blood lust I could muster towards her. The effect was immediate as she became confused by my excitement.


    She immediately became quiet. Usually when people were angry, the thing they hated most was being told to calm down. I knew that, so I did the opposite.


    "Liv."


    Back to her normal self, Liv nuzzled my hand like a cat.


    "Yes, love?"


    "If we prove that they really are traitors," I began.


    "..."


    "None of them will survive."


    Hearing my words, Liv smiled beautifully as she cradled my hand that was still on her cheek. As if it was her most precious possession, she kissed it lovingly. But only I knew how much fighting spirit flooded her heart.


    It was like a tsunami of violence waiting to be unleashed. If Liv had not been able to punish the traitors of the North, now it was different. The opportunity to retaliate against the traitors of North America seemed to excite her.


    "As you command, my king," she declared affectionately.


    Hearing my words, Nyda and Leo panicked.


    "My lord! We have tried, the defenders are close to people in Administration! Everything I have attempted to expose them has been censored. If we chose violence, we would be taking on the entirety of North America! And challenge a Revenant!"


    "My lord, this is too reckless, you are powerful, but even you wouldn''t take on a Revenant! We have been investigating them for five years! We are close to a case, if we are patient, we can prove that they are dirty..."


    "I have done it before."


    "Huh?" x2


    "Challenged a Revenant. I mean. I have done it before. Why do you think David Thomas thinks so highly of me?"


    "..."


    Stunned by my words, it seems that the fact that I exchanged blows with David was something not many knew. Even D and Pixie only saw me blackmailing David into giving me the 24th floor.


    Since these two were not part of my enlistment or Administration, it was understandable that they did not know my story.


    "Leo, Nyda. Do you remember what I and my group represent?"


    "Hellsend, my lord. The end of hell..." Nyda said worriedly.


    "Correct. That means as long as this hinders my ability to kill the undead, it is my problem. Concentrate on saving Evelyn for now. What happens to the Defender and his domain will be my responsibility, not yours."


    Leo then stepped forward and knelt.


    "My Lord! Thank you! Thank you so much!"


    I gave him a quick nod before turning to my {vassals}. Pixie was starry-eyed, while D had a smug smile on her face. I could practically read their minds. Ignoring their states, I spoke to them authoritatively.


    "Pixie, D. This is your moment to shine. Find out what happened here. You have one hour. Use my souls for your {Fates} as liberally as you wish. I want the whole picture."


    "YES, MY LORD!" x2


    Perhaps elated that I was relying on them, they both summoned their {Fates}.


    "{COMPASS}!" "{ADVENT}!"


    And so my {Vassals} finally got their first chance at the spotlight. Hopefully, after an hour, I would know what had happened to this hellhole. I then faced the rest of my party and gave a single command.


    "I want everything that moves dead within 10 minutes."


    "YES, MY LORD!" x5

 Chapter 630 What the hell are you [1/2]

    My girls quickly dispersed on my command. Jas quickly found the highest point of the building we were on and scanned the entire structure for enemies. With {Perceive}, {Imaging}, and {Sonar}, it was extremely unlikely that she would overlook an enemy.Even if something miraculously did, [Guardian Angel], [Autoload], and [Autosave] would ensure my family''s survival Unless another champion-ranked bastard like Roach appeared, we should be safe. If ever, it would be the rest of our group that would be in danger.


    "You two, come with us. We will draw everything in this zone into a melee. Protect Liv while Jas and I provide support," Lilly Browning commanded.


    "Yes, my lady!" x2


    Liv walked to an open area and began to invoke [War Cry]. While this would be perfect for clearing out this base, it would be dangerous if we get overwhelmed by vampires.


    As if reading my mind, my Princess provided an answer. I noticed that the sound waves did not extend past this building. she seemed to be using spatial doorways to ensure that the taunts did not leave this area.


    Meanwhile Nyda''s body began to surge with powerful electric currents. Like a goddess of thunder, her eyes began to glow, and if I didn''t know better, I would have thought she was a comic book superhero.


    Her {Kindred} was extremely boring in comparison. Leo drew his sword and walked beside Liv as her escort. With him specializing in physical damage and his wife seeming to adapt to elemental attacks, their group should be able to handle anything that came their way.


    "{I AM FREYJA! THE SHIELD OF THE LIMITLESS! COME FORTH ALL WHO CHALLENGE HIS WILL!}"


    I couldn''t help but chuckle when I heard my northern lover''s violent roar. However, the moment the taunt traveled around the structure, {Sonar} suddenly showed over two hundred signatures. It was as if the castle had suddenly come to life.


    Zombies and white corpses erupted from every corner. Once again, the monsters were able to hide from our detection.


    {Sonar} should be able to find anything with a soul or those {Listen} could hear. So far, it was able to find every reaper, but it seemed that wasn''t the case for the monsters.


    ''...''


    But then it hit me. Phillip''s explanation came up again.


    "Now the next combinations are only in Hellsgate but still fit this explanation rather well. A dead body without a soul but has spirit is a zombie. A body with soul but has no spirit is either a golem, or an undead or something similar. Finally, a spirit with soul without a body would be a ghost."


    At present, the terms were quite confusing. In the body, soul, and spirit analogy from religion, the Reaper equivalent was body, soulgem, soul energy. Rank F''s, the textbook example of zombies, were bodies that moved without soulgems.


    Thus, by {Sonar}''s definition, it was a given that they would not appear. Similarly, Roach, a champion-level monster, seemed invisible to it. Likewise, Gaspar and Evelyn remained undetected until I saw them and felt them move.


    This would lead one to believe that they all had no souls. But if that was true, how could they think? Maybe that was why they were different from reapers? The absence of a soul?


    ''Maybe they were like dogs? Beings that had personality but no ego. But where would that put them? Does that even matter to us?''


    Anyone who loved a pet knew that, despite being of the same breed and family, the animals themselves had differences. More than just physical in most cases. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Despite not having a soul, most pets had personailty. Some dogs loved to bathe while others did not. Because dogs had limited intelligence, they were not considered equal to humans.


    But even though everyone acknowledged this fact, they were excellent companions. They knew how to learn, how to hate, and above all, they could express loyalty and affection.


    As I thought about this, the parallel between monsters and dogs became clearer.


    ''Were undead and demons the same?''


    "KYA!" "PIX!"


    Brought back to reality by my {Vassal}''s scream, I saw one of the white corpses bump into Pixie. The corpse was white as snow and had no hair, although it looked human. Its eyes were black as night, and its bones were sticking out of its skin even though it was muscular.


    D, quickly helped Pix up and began to beat the undead with his weapon. Since his job was to investigate, the hesitation to shoot made him resort to bludgeoning the corpses. Those that were hit shook their heads before coming at D.


    ''I see, the taunt breaks when you get hit in the face. So a blunt trauma could undo the slight brainwashing from [War Cry]. Unlike the way Jo does it, [War Cry] could not be used to braninwash an army while in battle.''


    "{Day by Day}, [Shared Armory]."


    Summoning my army of soul avatars, we formed a defensive line and began to pulverize those coming for D. Four were using lead while only two of my avatars used Sacreds. The corpses, similar to those of Rank F, disintegrated when damaged by our blessed bullets.


    "D, Pixie. Concentrate on your task. I will protect you," I reassured them.


    "Yes, my lord!" x 2


    Using my avatars, we began shooting the legs and arms of those who approached my {Vassals}. Effectively turned into snails, these white corpses lost their focus on Liv and instead crawled pitifully toward me.


    The difference between the species became apparent when they were shot with Sacreds.


    The zombies turned to golden ash, no matter where they were hit. The white corpses, on the other hand, had large parts of them turned to golden dust, but they were able to resist the purification somewhat.


    Using Sunday, I carefully approached the ones moving like snails and shot them in the jaw with the Raging Hunter. Two unblessed .500 S&W Magnums shattered the parts connecting their jaws to their skulls. Although the skin was still intact, the muscles were completely destroyed by my violent attacks.


    In order to bite something, you needed an upper jaw and a lower jaw. By smashing the lower one, it would prevent these bastards from hurting my men.


    Explosions echoed behind me. The familiar sound of M433 40mm low velocity grenades was comforting. As if that were not enough, I saw a trail of glorious blue light streaking down from the sky.


    "{LIGHTNING BOLT}!"


    The devastating sound of thunder soon followed. With a mighty crash, the impact of Nyda''s strike resounded. I began to feel sorry for the poor zombie who was unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of such a imposing attack.


    {Listen} also picked up the brutal sounds of metal tearing flesh. Along with the oppressive sound of metal crushing bone. Even though he was using only a greatsword, Leo''s swings sounded like the blades of a giant windmill.


    The sound of liquids fell like rain droplets on the ground. It proved how violent and effective Leo''s fighting style was. However, since he used a normal sword, I began to wonder how he would fare against the tainted undead. My weapons suffered greatly when I fought the Draugrs once before.


    ''{Imaging}- Microscopic. Exa, show me the characteristics of Leo''s weapon.''


    [Yes, my lord. His weapon has the following chemical composition. Iron - 95%, Carbon - 2%, Manganese - 1.65%, Silicon - 0.60%, Sulfur - 0.5%, Phosphorus - 0.4%, Tungsten - 0.2%, Vanadium - 0.2%, Nickel - 0.01%, Chromium - 0.01%, Copper - 0.02%, and Molybdenum - 0.01%].


    ''That sounds complicated as fuck, does such a composition have any special properties?


    [No, my lord, the following elemental composition is for ordinary steel. There is nothing about his sword that would give the impression that it is special, except for its weight, which seems heavier than normal].


    ''I see. I guess he doesn''t show his cards that openly. Forget it. With him and his wife, Liv should have no trouble wiping out the enemies.''


    I shifted my focus from the cleaning group''s battle to the one in front of me.


    My six avatars accompanied Pixie and D as they went about their duties. Disabled zombies and white corpses littered the ground.


    Even without arms, legs, and jaws, the severed torsos tried to writhe towards Pixie and D. Not holding back, I bashed them with the butts of my rifles or kicked them away like soccer balls.


    "What the hell are you fuckers?"

 Chapter 631 What the hell are you [2/2]

    [They are rank E ghouls, my lord. They are known undead who follow the will of vampires like dogs. While vampires technically belong to the monster faction, ghouls share similarities with both undead and monsters.]Unlike zombies, ghouls didn''t look injured. They had no rotting flesh or holes in their bodies. Instead, their skin was extremely white, like chalk. Except for their bones sticking out of their skin, they looked like humans.


    Under the protection of three of my avatars, Pixie went everywhere with her manifested {Fate} in her hands. It looked like a giant compass with a stand. Although, given the result, it seemed that Pixie had too little practice with her {Fate}.


    I mean, I could understand. As a slave, it would''ve been hard to get souls to experiment. And with all the combat training she had crammed into her last week, she would hardly have enough time to do anything else.


    In accordance with her status as my {Vassal} Joshua and Claire paid special attention to her. To make sure she did not die, they began training her the moment I left for my honeymoon. Robyn in particular had extremely high standards, so she drove her recruits crazy.


    The few times Robyn wasn''t with me, she was instructing Alicia and Pixie. Exa shared the shooting drills and tasks that my kitten had forced the two of them to do in order to get a Mastiff.


    So, in addition to being instructed by Joshua, Vela''s wolves, and Robyn in fitness and hand-to-hand combat, Alicia also had weapons training. Her diligence paid off, though, as everyone said she was already combat ready.


    Incomparable to when I found her, Pixie was already a certified combatant. With {Call My Name}, she gained the ability to defeat even bigfoots.


    "Um...show me the defender...no...why is it pointing to the ground? {Compass}! Show me the people I need to find...no, that''s not it either...focus Pixie! Um... {Compass}! Who''s the person my lord most needs to see?"


    Because she earned a lot just by being my {Vassal}, Pixie was already at level 3. Her other {Fates} were {Pinpoint}, a combat application of {Compass}, and {Search}, which allowed her to be...well an extremely good searcher.


    The problem was that apart from {Pinpoint}, Pixie had to know what she wanted to find first. Exa, analyzing Pixie''s {Fates}, came to the following conclusion.


    [{Compass} seems to be driven by emotion. The more desperate Pixie is for something, the more powerful it becomes. {Pinpoint}, which allows her to instinctively locate weaknesses, is even better than [Analyze] when she is in danger. Unfortunately, this means she is almost useless when relaxed.]


    As if to highlight her miserable past, Exa''s observation was spot on. {Compass} was born out of my {Vassal}''s earnest desire for guidance. As sad as it was, I could understand why it was driven by emotion.


    ''But I do not think I have it in me to deliberately act like a villain for her. I might do that to a little boy, but not to someone like her. We are in no hurry, we can afford to wait,'' I lamented inwardly. ''


    In contrast, her guardian Delroy Baxter was much more in tune with his {Fate}. {Advent} manifested as a Victorian plague doctor mask. The creepy bird skull masks were bad enough, but D''s upped the creepiness to 11. His mask in particular looked like it had been preserved in formaline.


    But while it may have looked ugly as fuck, I could not argue with the results. Under my protection, D would hold the zombie''s head and begin to tell me his last memories.


    "This one...he was a construction worker who died during an enlistment...this one was a rogue, he had no way to pay and was sold to a reaper...he was brought here with 50 others and died...this one...he was part of the same batch..."


    Ever since I tried using [American English] on Gareth, I have been using it on everyone with an accent. The results were even better than I expected. I could understand the Jamaican as if he had grown up in America.


    The zombies in particular didn''t have any new information to give. Most of them were either humans who died during their enlistment or rogues.


    "This one...wow, he died during an enlistment, but the reapers around him look like they were wearing cosplay...I sent Exa the screenshots. This one...died in a tsunami...can''t tell where..."


    [My lord, the clothes from Delroy''s investigation were from the Spanish colonization era. That would place this zombie as a person who lived between 1492-1565.]


    Among the living dead we encountered, there were all kinds of stories. From zombies from ancient times to zombies of people who just happened to die.


    "D. I think we should try the ghouls. Checking out the rank F''s is a waste of time," I ordered.


    "Yes, my lord."


    While it would be beneficial to learn their stories, it wasn''t what I needed right now. In the grand scheme of things, nothing would come of learning what these zombies were before they died.


    The main problem was that I did not know what happened to the defenders. This zone was technically the last bastion of this floor.


    Unlike Gareth''s floor, whose tactics included abandoning the zones to spread out the undead, the 30th floor''s approach was a traditional defense.


    This simply meant that by the time the undead reached this specific location, everyone else was already dead. Unfortunately, unless someone close to the reaper made a request, no one would come looking for them.


    The capricious nature of the Reapers prevented anyone from questioning where they went. For all anyone knew, the Reapers could have simply chosen to stay on Earth. Abandoning their duties was all too common. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Though many of the Administration clerks kept tabs on their Reapers, it was not rare for some to disappear for years at a time.


    At my words, D approached one of the ghouls and touched its head. Only for his next words to reveal the answer to my problem.


    "I...Fuck...dis be wrong man! What the hell? What the fuck? FUCK! AGH!!"


    Unable to take what he saw, D quickly stood up and threw away his manifested {fate} away. Shaking with what I assumed was fear, he began to vomit on the spot. His behavior reminded me of my first night.


    While people eventually become desensitized, one did not immediately acquire such a tolerance to horrific scenes. Especially when what we saw was unimaginable evil.


    ''Exa.''


    [My Lord, we have found the defenders of the 30th floor].


    Then I looked at the writhing ghoul in front of me. I shot off its arms and legs and broke its jaw. It struggled helplessly to get close to me.


    "You''ve got to be kidding me..."


    [It seems that the reason why ghouls share traits of both undead and monsters is because they were once reapers].


    "They were turned into monsters?"


    Another unexpected synergy I discovered was D and the [Exa Network]. With Exa, anything D saw, anyone on the network could see as well.


    [It would be easier to show you, my lord. I sent a recording of what Delroy saw with his {Fate}. Please be at ease, I will make sure that nothing happens to you while you watch. And, it is quite graphic, please prepare yourself.]


    I swallowed nervously as I relinquished control of all my bodies to Exa. Focusing on the video I was about to watch, I steeled myself as I witnessed the last moments of this reaper.

 Chapter 632 Not anymore [1/2]

    With the advent of smartphones, preserving memories has never been easier. Almost everyone has the ability to capture life so effortlessly. This was because the current technology was so advanced that it took some effort to purposely find and use a smart phone that didn''t have a camera.While there were high-end phones that had cameras that were amazing, to the average person like me, they didn''t matter. I only thought that way because I had very little in my life that I wanted to remember. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But these days, I no longer thought this way.


    I finally understood why some people took pictures of everything. It was directly related to happiness. The photos and videos were not important because of what they contained; it was more about what the person was feeling.


    These days I used {Code} to take 8k pictures and videos of the Sirens. Sure, they were beautiful, but there were so many beautiful people in the world. That was not why I wanted to have pictures of them. No. Beauty was not what made them special.


    Seeing their pictures of my girls just sleeping soundly made me happy. It didn''t matter what they were doing. Eating, laughing, or just sitting still.


    Seeing them reminded me of their affection and the stories we share. And those were the ones that made me fill joy.


    The pictures allowed me to remember the emotions of the moment I took them. Therefore, people took pictures of what gave them hapiness. For others it was their spouses, for some it was their pets.


    There were more than a few who wanted to capture the majesty of the universe or nature. While just as many took memories of their toys, cars, or anything else they made them happy.


    This was the case now as it had been for centuries.


    In the past, paintings and letters were the only means of creating media to preserve a person. The former for his image, the latter for his will. This was because people''s memories fade with time. Along with them, the emotions tied to those memories.


    Letters could tell you how a person thought, but in the end they were lacking. The voice, gestures, and manner of speaking were lost. Of course, seeing a picture of a man''s face would be as lacking compared to watching one on video.


    Movies, the natural extension of pictures, even allowed you to create entirely new experiences through someone else''s eyes. Many have been called masterpieces because they allowed their audience to feel emotions they would not have felt otherwise.


    Such was the power of images, video, and emotion. Unfortunately, just as it is possible to remember something that brought you joy, it is also possible to capture something you feared.


    The video I was watching now was the same.


    D''s {Advent} allowed me to relive the memories of the dead reaper. Unlike normal movies, I not only saw and heard what happened, I even felt the emotions and heard what the reaper was thinking.


    Without Exa and D, I would have just shot the bastard. [Analyze] did not allow me to see her name. I wouldn''t have even questioned it. No one expected a ghoul to have a soulgem.


    There was nothing to tell anyone that this creature was nothing more than a monster. But what I saw now said otherwise. This ghoul was indeed a reaper. And now I saw the nightmarish experience it had to endure.


    ***


    (Nameless Reaper POV)


    It''s all over...this is going to be how I die. After all I suffered. All the sins I had to commit. Fate has now caught up with me.


    "Line up over there if you please..."


    A breathtakingly beautiful man nudged us all along. My mind went foggy just looking at him. If I had met him on Earth, I would have given anything to sleep with him. But for all his beauty, his soulless eyes filled me with nothing but terror.


    Suddenly I felt my hand being pulled forward. We were stripped naked and bound. Somehow, despite the heat of this floor, I felt cold. Was it because I was afraid of dying?


    As far as I could tell, those with me were all the defenders of the various zones for the 30th floor. I knew some of them.


    Both men and women were being led into the wilderness like sheep for slaughter. I had no souls left.


    If they killed me now, even if I was a Phantom, I would not be able to regenerate.


    ''I tried and fought so hard, was this really my fate?''


    "Brother, cut me some slack, okay? I don''t have anything with me right now, but I can give you anything you want! I''m rich back on earth. You want chicks? Cars? You got the face of a stud, surely you are tired of banging the same women?"


    Despite the Phantom''s attempts to sway the vampire guarding us, he just looked at the Reaper and asked coldly.


    "Please refrain from speaking. I have no interest in anything but serving the Duke. You have nothing to offer me. So please just accept your fate."


    "Come on, brother. That can''t be real. You vampires want blood, right? Then I''ll get you whatever you want! A, B, AB, and O. Earth has every blood type you can think of.


    Think of me as a blood sommelier! Humanity is truly advanced! Whatever you could ever want, we have it! I''ll be your dog and get it for you, just don''t kill me."


    Somehow, the shameless reaper suddenly had a reaction. Against all reason, the handsome vampire answered his crazy ramblings with a serious question. "Then can you allow our kind to see the sun?"


    "Huh?" Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire


    It was not just the loud reaper. All of us stopped in our tracks. This man wanted to see the sun? Didn''t sunlight kill vampires? At least that was what I knew from the movies.


    ''No one could really test it, because who the hell could bring sunlight into Hellsgate?'' I quipped to myself.


    When the Phantom couldn''t answer, the handsome vampire continued.


    "The Duke has one simple wish. To walk out of Hell and see the sun... but the Reapers have blocked our way since time immemorial. They even spread lies that vampires burn from sunlight and are traitors hated by the heavens. Reaper, if you could grant this wish right now, I will release you and every present at once."


    "I-I, um... Maybe we could get you some coats and sunscreen or something. With enough SPF, you should survive! Yeah! I''m sure we can grant your request!"


    Hearing his stupid reasoning, I shook my head in disdain. This bloody idiot was stupid as hell. He hadn''t even discussed the most pressing matter. But unlike me, the other phantoms clung to the hope the vampire offered.


    "Mr. Vampire, Earth has many ways to make you see the sun! We have cameras, video, even VR! Getting the Duke to see it won''t be a problem!"


    "I agree! I have a pharmaceutical company under me! We can definitely make a powerful sunscreen for you! Your request is simple!"


    "YEAH! YES! Mankind has all kinds of crazy inventions! There is nothing we cannot do!"


    At that moment, I felt the bonds on my hands suddenly fall to the ground. The hope that I could somehow survive began to make my heart beat like a drum.


    ''Bennett. My love, if I somehow survive today. I accept your offer of marriage. I will hide on Earth and use the rest of my days to make you happy...''


    As the Phantom''s celebrated, a single sentence extinguished the small chance of our salvation.


    "Then lead the way, Reaper. I will make way for the Duke. Show me the way back to Earth."


    "..."


    Immediately, we all felt a shiver run down our spines. The vampire''s voice had no emotion, but we could all feel that we were standing on the edge of a knife. The next words spoken would determine our fate.


    "Brother, we must go through the battlefront. Warps to Earth are forbidden. We would have to..."

 Chapter 633 Not anymore [2/2]

    At that moment, all I could do was bite my lip in anger. We all knew how his sentence would end. We would have to bring the vampires to the receiving area and let them use the warp gates to Earth.But the problem was, the vampires would be destroyed the moment they tried to leave Hellgate. Both the Nightmare and North America''s Revenant, His Majesty the Invisible, guarded the gateway back to Earth.


    There was no way they would allow the monsters to leave Hellsgate. And we who took them there would be treated as rogues and massacred on sight.


    "Do not try my patience, Reaper. Can you or can you not take me to the sun?" sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I-I...um...{Phalanx}!"


    The phantom suddenly manifested a golden spear. Beside it, ghostly warriors appeared. They were all in battle formation. He looked quite heroic. But it was useless.


    "Hmph. Human scum," the vampire said mockingly, the disgust in his words palpable.


    With a simple flick of his hand, the phantom''s head fell to the ground. The severed head began to tremble as blood gushed from its body''s neck like a fountain. The male phantom''s face gasped for air.


    Phantoms did not need to breathe. Our bodies copied a human''s for our sanity. To prevent "species dysphoria" or "species identity disorder," we felt our bodies as flesh and blood, even though we were spiritual beings.


    While this allowed us to feel pleasure, it also allowed us to feel pain. Unable to even scream, the severed head cried tears of blood.


    His mind must have already collapsed from the immense pain. Decapitations, though painful, were quite fast. But Phantom''s were still afraid of it, because for us, you felt your body die, but it didn''t actually do so.


    In exchange for living, when a phantom suffers a death, we remain in that death until we heal or go insane.


    Despite seeing his pitiful state, no other reaper moved. We were no longer bound, but we remained in place. Like mice in front of a lion, terror and fear rendered us immobile.


    The vampire was alone. But even though we all knew that fact, none of the hundreds of reapers moved. We all knew who had the upper hand. No matter how many mice gathered, they could never kill a lion.


    Ignoring the blood splatter, the vampire took out a strange-looking dagger and stabbed the Phantom''s corpse in the side. Then I heard the sound of shattering glass.


    "No way! How did he know?" a reaper commented in horror.


    With its soulgem destroyed, the convulsing head on the ground finally stopped moving. Still, I couldn''t help but be terrified when I saw the dagger.


    "{For the sun}."


    At the vampire''s words, the fountain of blood that was still gushing out suddenly turned black and solidified. Then it slowly coalesced like jelly, forming a hideous-looking head. The naked body also began to show all of its bones.


    "What the hell is that?" "KYAHHH..." "HE IS GOING TO USE US FOR EXPERIMENTS" "EVERYONE! WE CAN TAKE HIM!" "THERE''S A HUNDRED OF US HERE!" "LET''S GO!" "FOR THE REAPERS!"


    The scene of a Phantom''s body being bastardized drove everyone else insane. But even as over a hundred Reapers descended upon him, the vampire looked up and responded with one word.


    "{STOP}". Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire


    A death resonance more powerful than anything I had ever encountered forced my body to suddenly remain still. Against my will, my limbs would not move, no matter how hard I tried.


    During the commotion, the phantom''s corpse finally completed its transformation and turned into something I was familiar with.


    ''A GHOUL! WHAT? HOW? GHOULS ARE MADE OF REAPERS NO! WHAT DO I DO?! I NEED TO RUN AWAY!


    COME ON, LEGS RUN! RUN DAMMIT! MOVE!''


    Forcing my entire being, I still could not even wiggle my toes. The hopelessness of the situation brought tears to my eyes.


    "Ghoul. Turn everyone here. Report to me afterwards."


    Hearing the vampire''s cold words, my entire being shook with terror. There were no screams, only the sounds of chewing and tearing flesh. Less than five minutes later, a shadow loomed over me.


    I couldn''t see it. But I knew what it was. It was my turn. The next thing I knew, I felt something rip the skin off the side of my neck.


    The feeling was like my body was being burned in a furnace. It was so painful. I wanted to scream, but my mouth wouldn''t open. The sounds of the jaws chewing were like jeers from the afterlife, coming to mock my pitiful state.


    ''IT HURTS SO MUCH!!!!!! STOP!!! PLEASE LET ME GO!!!!! SAVE ME!!!!! PLEASE! MOVE!


    MOVE DAMN IT! I DON''T WANT TO DIE! BENNETT! SOMEONE! SAVE MEEEE!!!''


    But still my body did not move. Unable to do anything, I was forced to listen to the sounds of multiple mouths biting and tearing me apart. Piece by piece. Terrified but unable to escape. Alive but unable to move. Dying but unable to perish.


    I began to hear whispers that I usually ignored. My soul began to collapse. The agony, fear and suffering caused my sanity to slowly slip away.


    With the voices, my consciousness grew hazy. like I was underswater. But with it, the pain began to subside. The relief from the immense pain gave me comfort.


    ''I SHOULD HAVE FUCKED BENNETT''S BRAINS OUT!'' ''Finally, I can end my miserable existence.'' ''NO! NO! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?'' ''GET UP! FUCKING KILL HIM! FIGHT!'' ''IT''S ALL HOPELESS I TELL YOU! HOPELESS!'' ''I''m scared...what did I do to deserve this...'' ''Where will I go once I am dead?''


    Amidst the voices, my soul became chaotic. Visions of my life flashed along with the sins I had committed. Suddenly, being eaten alive gave me a strange feeling of salvation.


    Right, I have committed so many wrongs. I deserved this. This was my punishment.


    ''FUCK YOU! How many times have you let others die?'' ''Look at all those who sacrificed themselves for you?'' ''That fucker, she didn''t even fuck any of them. She just led them on.'' ''HAHAHAHA! YOUR TURN NOW!!!'' ''GOODBYE SLUT! Don''t let the door hit you on the way out! HAHAHAHAAHAHA'' ''Don''t worry, I will take good care of your body.


    Another one bites the dust...'' ''Eh? This bitch is weak as hell!''


    However, amidst the thousand voices screaming in my head, everything suddenly fell silent.


    A warm voice resounded. One so soothing that I felt like I was in heaven.


    {My child. Why must you suffer so? Rest. I release you from your suffering. You need endure no longer. Call out my name and you shall know peace.}


    You will save me?


    {Yes my child. now call my name.}


    It was so warm. Like the fluffy feeling of being in Bennett''s arms. Then a name popped into my head. I never knew it before, but it made me happy just to remember it.


    "#####! #####! #####! #####!" I yelled with all my heart and soul again and again.


    When I utterred his name, the pain stopped. a single name freed me from torment and suffering. His sweet name wrapped around me. It gave me comfort. It gave me joy. It gave me peace.


    And then I felt no more.


    ***


    - Limitless POV -


    "..."


    My mind returned to reality. Freed from {Advent}, I looked around, searching for Gaspar. Even though I knew that he was not here, the fear that drowned my soul made me anxious.


    {Advent} was fucking terrifying. Unlike a VR game, I felt the every sensation the woman did. I heard her every thought. Her fears, her screams, and the release she felt at the end.


    ''Exa, did D get to see the whole thing?''


    [No, my lord. He retrieved the entire experience, but only watched up to the part where the ghouls began to eat the nameless reaper while she was alive].


    I quickly raised the gun in my hand and aimed it at the brain of the writhing ghoul before me. Without a word, I squeezed the trigger. I did not stop firing until the body stopped moving.


    D, seeing my actions, ran forward, screaming in agitation.


    "My lord! What are you doing?! They be sick and need help, Brutha! They do not deserve this! If it''s you, we can save them! THEY BE REAPERS, MAN!"


    Ignoring him, I replied coldly in one sentence.


    "Not anymore."

 Chapter 634 Only I heard [1/2]

    "Brutha, you can''t really mean that! These people be victims, man! They be innocent! You are willing to work with monsters, but not with those who be reapers?"Just how emotional must Delroy have been about all this? Despite having [American English], his accent still survived the aggressive filtering of {Listen}. And this was on top of the fact that [American English] could make even people who spoke like Shakespeare sound normal.


    Read exclusive chapters at My Virtual Library Empire


    Unaware of how stupid my current line of thought was, Delroy kept trying to make a point. I, on the other hand, continued to annihilate the ghouls. Even though I knew what they once were, I liquidated everything that was still here.


    The scenes I saw from {Advent} terrified me. Gaspar acted and talked to the defenders as if he were talking to dogs. Like asking a dog to fetch, the vampire gave the reapers an order. And when no one could do it, he murdered them all.


    But while the female reapers'' terror was passed on to me, that wasn''t the reason why I was scared shitless. Right now my emotions were a fucking mess. So much so that my hands would not stop shaking.


    Even though I channeled the fear into action, it was not enough. With all seven of my bodies aggressively shooting down zombies and ghouls, one would think that my body would be able to slowly calm down somehow.


    But contrary to that notion, I instead began to become even more anxious. So much so that I began to hear whispers. The same whispers I heard in the vision of {Advent}.


    ''HE IS SCARY!" "I AM LIMITLESS! WHY THE FUCK SHOULD I Cower?'' ''We need to hide!'' ''FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!'' ''This is boring. Where are the girls?'' ''LET''S RUN AWAY!'' ''WAIT! Why are we even scared?'' ''HAHAHA THIS IS FUCKING BULLSHIT!'' ''KILL!


    KILL! KILL! KILL!''


    Feeling nauseous, my right temple began to throb. Like being drunk, I could hear the blood rushing to my brain. I tried to relax my body, but somehow I felt incredibly weak. My body should still be that of an artificial descendant, right? sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Fuck... {Day by day}. {Never Alone}."


    I quickly unsummoned {Day by Day}, invoked my benevol, and instructed the girls.


    ''Lilly, please guard Pixie. Jas, Liv, I want all the ghouls destroyed. None of them must survive. Give Leo and Nyda the same instructions.''


    Unable to stay standing, I was about to fall to the ground when someone suddenly supported me. The sudden burst of souls was almost instantaneous.


    A soul signature I knew by instinct. My heart calmed greatly just by her presence. The American I loved the most, Lilly Browning, blinked and appeared at my side.


    "Dearest, what am I going to do with you? We''ve barely been separated 10 minutes and you look like this."


    I couldn''t help but feel immensely grateful that she was here. With this powerful phantom by my side, relief flooded my body. I was not alone... Unable to answer, I responded through our {Kindred} link.


    ''Dear, please give me a moment, I need to gather my thoughts.''


    "Take all the time you need, dearest. I will watch over you until you are able to stand again."


    "Thanks...''


    As my vision began to blur, I could hear Lilly talking to D, Pixie and Exa.


    "Exa, tell me what happened. Now," the anger in her voice was impossible to hide.


    [Lady Lilly, it is not for me to say. Please ask my lord instead.]


    "Don''t get smart with me, you egotistical, pathetic excuse for an adjutant! Your lord collapsed on the floor and you still refuse to tell me why?"


    "Um, my lady. I don''t think it was Miss Exa''s fault..."


    "Did I ask for your opinion, Pixie Richards? Learn etiquette before you speak to me. When speaking to those above you. Unless you are addressed first, hold your tongue and be silent!"


    "I-I''m sorry, my lady...I will be silent..."


    "Look lady, Pixie is innocent...calm down...uahgkk...."


    The sound of a heavy blow landing on flesh resounded. Lilly must have hit D in the solar plexus or something. I should tell her to be nice.


    When it concerned me, Lilly''s and the Siren''s common sense usually jumped out the window.


    Because of my benevol, I felt my body slowly relax. The barrier of holy energy silenced the voices I had heard earlier. As my breathing calmed, I tried to remember what I was so afraid of.


    While the ghoul tearing the reaper apart was scary, that wasn''t why I was scared shitless. It also wasn''t the fact that the Reapers that got torn apart all eventually became ghouls. Nor was it the overwhelming power of Gaspar as he took on over a hundred Phantoms.


    What was I so afraid of? With {Gather}, I began to replay the memory of {Advent}. I was fine for most of the vision. It was only towards the end that I became a nervous wreck again. Specifically, one phrase sent me into a panic attack.


    {My child. Why must you suffer so? Rest. I release you from your suffering. You need endure no longer. Call my name and you will know peace.}


    As I remembered the voice again, my heart constricted. My throat closed as if I was being strangled. All the hairs on my body began to stand up. Terrified, I began to hyperventilate.


    It was the voice.


    Something about the voice was scaring me on an instinctual level. I was acting like someone with PTSD, but why? What was happening to me? I then tried to remember where I had heard such a voice before.


    Only for me to remember that "I" wasn''t the one who actually heard it.


    {Now bid upon mine name and end thy suffering. Reunite with those thou love and awake from this nightmare.}


    At the sudden realization, my body began to shake uncontrollably. It was him! The serpent! The one the warriors were all fighting! The one I could not defeat after dying seven times!


    "HAA....HAA....HAAAAAAAA...ARRRRGHHHHH.....!!!!"


    As if in a nightmare, my body began to move against my will. It was as if my body knew something I did not. A paralyzing fear suffocated me and twisted my insides into a pretzel.


    Yet I couldn''t move. It was as if I was dreaming lucidly or suffering from sleep paralysis.


    "AHHHHH!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!!"


    I knew I wasn''t awake. But there was nothing I could do but scream. My fears suddenly vanished in the next moment. Specifically, they were replaced with another feeling. Immense pain.


    I felt something bash me on the left side of my face. The impact made me see stars even with my eyes closed. A split second later, the same object came back and struck my face to the right.


    The blows were so powerful that I almost fainted after each one. Within a few seconds, I noticed blood pooling in my mouth. The taste of iron allowed me to sober up, which then allowed me to regain control.


    ''But fucking hell did it hurt. My cheeks felt like they had been beaten with a sledgehammer. I still had {Limitless} on, right?


    Slowly but surely, whatever was paralyzing my body began to disappear. Like a frozen popsicle, I regained control of my limbs as if I had been thawed.


    When I was finally able to open my eyes, I saw Lilly grabbing me by the collar. Then I felt her fist slam into my face once more.


    No stranger to her right hook, I took a moment to get my bearings. As soon as I could, I raised both my hands to protect my face.


    "WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! I AM UP! DEAR! I''M UP!"


    "See? I told you it would work!" my princess boasted smugly.


    "Lilly, is your approach to everything to beat it until it responds? Stop hanging out with Robyn. Your brain is already full of shit. Move over, I''ll tend to Husband."


    Then I felt a pair of arms gently cradle my face.


    "Husband? Are you all right? You acted like you were having a nightmare. We tried everything to wake you up. I didn''t stop Lilly because I knew you would wake up from her barbarism."


    "THIS CONNIVING SADIST! Doesn''t that mean that you would have beaten him anyway if I hadn''t been there! ARGH!! Let me go, Liv! I will beat this hemorrhoid voyeur into obedience!"

 Chapter 635 Only I heard [2/2]

    "Calm down, Lilly. You have done well. Beloved is awake, so in the end the situation was resolved only because of you. On behalf of our {Kindred} and Jas, you have my gratitude." S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.Knowing that my harem meant well, I tried to get up. {Sonar} told me that the rest of my group was nearby. My ears no longer picked up anything that moved. Hopefully that meant everything else was dead.


    "Everyone, are the ghouls all dead?"


    "They are, beloved. Now can you please tell us what happened? Jas, Lilly and I felt the turmoil of your link. But Delroy and Exa refused to tell us why. Lilly even beat D to within an inch of his life, to no avail."


    "Hmph! Well, at least now we know he can take a beating. Still, I''m annoyed that neither of them hasn''t talked. Delroy Baxters tolerance for pain is quite high. But ignoring the extras, dear, explain what happened. Now."


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    "You muscled brained twit. Can''t you see he''s still in shock? Husband, ignore this violent gorilla of a woman. Instead, you need to explain why you were paralyzed a while ago."


    ''Exa.''


    [Given the nature of what we saw, I asked Delroy Baxter to refrain from sharing details. I wanted you to be the one to decide what could or could not be shared, my lord. While I know you worship the Sirens, I do not answer to them.'']


    ''I understand. Thank you, Exa. You have judged correctly. I appreciate it. Tell Delroy that I am pleased with his devotion.''


    [You should appease Pixie Richards, my lord. Seeing the one she loved beaten seemed to have made her resentful of Lady Lilly.]


    I looked toward my {Vassals} and saw the two of them playing around. As my {Vassals}, they were not lacking in souls. I also gave them several vials of my blood. With {Regen} and {Rewind}, it would take a lot to keep D injured.


    Still, the scene in front of me was Pixie and D playing house. Pixie was pushing D to rest on her lap. It was adorable and they seemed to be having fun. Feeling that I would just apologize to them later, I turned back to my harem.


    Their faces were filled with apprehension. From the body language of the girls to the emotions in their links, they were filled with nothing but concern for my safety. If it was a normal situation, I would have told them everything directly.


    But at the moment, there was no point. While I told the Sirens the story of the warriors, I felt that the part about the serpent was not something they needed to know. With my thoughts in order, I began to explain.


    "First of all, thank you for taking care of me while I was out. Lilly, thank you for slapping me awake and protecting my {Vassals}. Liv and Jas, thank you for killing all the ghouls. I was having panic attacks because of Delroy''s {Fate}."


    "{Advent}? Then you tried to see the memories of the zombies? Or was it the ghouls?" Lilly guessed.


    "Both, the information from the zombies was useless. But the ghouls were a gold mine of information," I replied as I tried to stand up.


    "I was under the impression that D couldn''t share his visions with another. Exa, was that your doing?" Jas inquired with an air of authority.


    [It was lady Jas. I invoked [Shared Vision] with D and recorded his vision in my memory. I was able to present Limitless with the data he viewed a short while ago.]


    "Then could you send those files to us, Exa? Knowing is half the battle, as Beloved''s {Kindred} I should have proper clearance for such information."


    [Indeed, my lord. Will you allow the video of the {Advent} to be sent to the Sirens?]


    "..."


    While I originally wanted to hide the voice from the Sirens, the more I thought about it, the more absurd my fears became. The eight of us had already accepted our lives as intertwined. Even the reality that our lives were connected long before we ever met.


    "Yes, I change my mind. Let the Sirens watch the video, Exa."


    [I understand, my ladies please move to more comfortable positions].


    The girls then took my hand and pulled me to one side.


    Jas sat on my lap, while Lilly and Liv intertwined their hands with mine as we sat comfortably. If what they were about to see was literally anything else. I would have gotten frisky, but I needed them to be aware of what was to come.


    "Everyone. Remember that what you are about to see is only a vision. And I am here with you, okay?"


    "Yes." X3


    [I will now begin the playback...]


    The girls then all stiffened. It felt like a long time, but to an outsider it was only a few moments. I knew the girls were at the horrible parts because Liv and Lilly''s hands gripped mine tightly and were extremely tense.


    Jas also put her hands on my legs and gripped my thighs like a vice. Their breathing became erratic as they watched. After less than a minute, Exa allowed the girls to return to reality.


    "..." x3


    But none of them spoke. The two at my sides pressed their faces into my shoulders. While Jas laid her body back into my chest. I could feel the confusion and melancholy they felt from their links.


    Strangely enough, they were confused and sad. But they were not afraid. Quite the opposite of my reaction. The girls calmed down on their own, without my intervention.


    "Beloved. I am glad you told us to set them free," Liv said solemnly.


    Lilly, on the other hand, remarked after a few moments. "It seems that unlike the lizardkin, vampires and reapers cannot coexist. Even if we somehow allowed them to live on Earth, they would kill humans without mercy. They do not even see them as intelligent beings."


    "I hope the same thing has not happened to the 31st and 32nd floors. If it did, we should inform North America. Husband. The blood and tragedy that followed was shocking, but it did not warrant your reaction. Did Exa not show us the same thing?"


    [No, Lady Jas, the video I showed you and my lord was identical].


    Knowing I had to come clean, I began to explain. "Wifey, the thing that scared me was the voices after. When the Reaper had her soul collapse, the voice at the end scared me. It was identical to the voices the warriors heard in my dreams. And it said the same bullshit about calling my name. It is scary as hell."


    The girls said nothing, but they all looked at me worriedly. Annoyed by their strange looks, I asked reflexively.


    "What? Don''t tell me I was the only one who heard it?"


    "Beloved, the playback ended with the reaper being eaten alive. There were no voices at the end. Just her being torn apart and devoured to death."


    "What?"


    "''Dearest, are you sure about the voices you heard? The last words of the reaper were calling to her lover to save her. Her pitiful cries were distressing, but that was all."


    "Exa, are you sure we saw the same thing? Why does the husband''s version have footage that we could not see or hear?"


    I then remembered what Exa had explained when I tried to ask how far D had watched.


    [No, my lord. He retrieved the entire experience, but only watched up to the part where the nameless reaper was eaten alive].


    ''Exa. Show it to me again.''


    [Understood]


    I retrieved the video again, but this time. I heard nothing more. The latest version of the playback I watched showed only the reaper being eaten alive. A cold shiver ran down my spine as I began to wonder what was happening.


    "What the fuck is happening to me?"

 Chapter 636 The caliber and reloads [1/2]

    An icy cold crawled up my spine. Ever since I came to this floor, my emotions have been chaotically thrown around. I could blame the malice that seems to be affecting me, but in the end that was just an excuse.The same water that softens a potato hardens an egg. It was never about the circumstances, it was about what we were made of. And as long as I continued to blame everyone else, they would have power over me.


    I had already decided that I was the master of my own fate. But when faced with things I did not understand, the natural reaction was to be afraid.


    ''Fuck that.''


    When I was human, I was afraid all my life. Afraid of what people would say. Afraid of what people would think. Afraid of what would happen if I failed and became a loser. Such fears kept me from trying and from being weird.


    In the beginning of my life as a reaper, I tried to be kind. I tried to be good. But this place was fucked up. It was like the jungle. Nothing happened because you wanted it to. If you wanted something to happen, you had to force it to happen.


    I fought. I triumphed. I conquered. I gathered an army the likes of which no one had ever seen. By bringing the power of humanity to Hell''s Gate, I ushered in a new era. Along with my decision, it was natural that many would oppose me.


    Bastards like the Saviors. The irresponsible bastards from the other battlefronts. The monsters. The undead. There was no shortage of assholes trying to force their will on me.


    ''And now I have this fucking voice to deal with.''


    Part of me was scared. Why wouldn''t I be? The reason people were scared of ghost stories was because no one fucking understood how ghosts did half the shit they did. Even jump scares, surprisingly, were only scary the first time around for the same reason.


    Fear of the unknown made your imagination fuck you up. Oddly enough, most of the time our imaginations were a lot scarier than the truth.


    According to this logic, one of the most frightening things horror movies did was to isolate a main character. Being the only one to see a corpse was a fucking effective way to scare someone. Especially because it was something that could not be understood.


    Humans were social animals; we came together to learn and use each other''s information. This was especially true when we were afraid. We sought out people to ask them what they were thinking, seeing, and feeling.


    And somehow their answers had power over us. If they saw the same thing you did, then you weren''t alone. If they didn''t, it made you question your sanity. Right now I had to understand.


    What the fuck was I so afraid of?


    Was it because this serpent bastard had a 7-0 record against me?


    No, it wasn''t that. I didn''t even know what or who the voice was. Although the warriors were defeated by it, that wasn''t the whole story. Otherwise, the serpent wouldn''t have even tried to make peace with my past incarnations.


    ''Not to mention that he lost his shit at the end when they invoked {Relive}.''


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    No, there was no proof that he could even do that. All I know right now is that the voice appeared when the female reaper''s soul collapsed. That was it. Nothing else was implied. The voice has no power or authority. It was even friendly.


    ''Okay. So this thing just did a gimmick to scare me. Without {Advent}, I wouldn''t even know it existed. Why did I have to be afraid of this fucker?''


    Because of the life I led, I was no longer afraid of monsters or even demons. After all, they only looked impressive. Everything that stood in my way had two things that made it different.


    "The caliber and the reloads," I said, chuckling.


    Like a video game shooter, my fighting style basically ensured that I could kill anything. The only questions were what size or caliber I would use and how many reloads it would take to kill the motherfucker.


    As I continued to fight fear with logic, my chaotic heart finally calmed down. I was no longer human. I was a Reaper. I was sure that in the future I would have to fight and see more shit that made no sense.


    If I became an emotional wreck over every little thing, my harem would never be able to rely on me. I was the head of the family. Just like Earl, I needed to be the captain telling my girls what to do and where to go.


    So what if I did not understand? I didn''t understand how cell phones and memory chips worked, but I was okay. If someone asked me to explain how radios and cameras did their shit, I would ask them to Google it.


    It wasn''t necessary to understand everything. You just had to be able to either use or avoid what you didn''t know. For those who were really brave, the best thing they tried to understand what they didn''t know.


    ''Right. So I have a voice that messes with me. I just need earmuffs or something. ''


    [My Lord? Are you all right?]


    "Husband." "Beloved?" "Dearest..."


    The voices of my harem brought me out of my thoughts. The worried looks of my girls melted away my fears. I couldn''t help but smile. So much happiness and gratitude washed over me that the three women with me flinched visibly. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I brought Liv and Lilly''s hands to my mouth and kissed them. Then I moved my body to kiss Jas on her lovely neck. My wifey turned her head and accepted my passion. Enjoying our brief exchange, I pulled away before answering them.


    "I''m fine now, everyone. Thank you."


    "Dearest, I don''t think anyone understood the whirlwind of emotions you felt earlier. Are you really all right? Was it the voice you mentioned?"


    "I am, and yes, it was," I replied curtly.


    "Then, beloved, is this voice related to what happened at our wedding? If it is an enemy, then I would do everything in my power to kill it. Seeing you earlier has made this voice my mortal enemy."


    Finding Liv''s anger adorable, I laughed as I replied, "I am not sure if it is related. But for now it seems to be something only I can see. I do not know if that changes anything, but I am sure I would have to kill it eventually."


    "This might be related to our unique situation, Husband. It is not normal for the eight of us to come together. I originally thought it was because of {Fate}, but that voice must be part of that secret. I wonder if Jo would have heard it if she was here."


    "I do not know. But it is okay. I came to Hellsgate knowing nothing. As long as we never stop moving, we will find out eventually. What we have to do has not changed just because of what I heard. We are here for Evelyn, we will leave with her in our hands, dead or alive."


    "I understand, Dearest. Wherever you lead, I will follow."


    "As you shield, of course I will protect you, Beloved."


    "Leave the support to me, husband. Not even fate itself will stand in your way."


    Hearing my girls'' firm resolve, I couldn''t help but smile. After giving them a few kisses, I had Jas leave my lap.


    "Now, the problem is, what do we do here? Since we scorched the defenders, there are no bodies to retrieve. Ah wait, there were torso''s on hooks, right? I should have D check those out."


    "I believe they are also reapers, husband. Otherwise, there would be no reason to subject them to such cruelty in the first place. There must be some difference why they didn''t turn into ghouls like in the vision."


    "Hmm. Dearest, I am more concerned about where the floor manager is. Since the dirge siren has yet to sound, it means that he is still alive and well. If not, then we need to investigate how the vampires are able to stop them from working."

 Chapter 637 The caliber and reloads [2/2]

    "Hmm, we do not have those in the north. Are Dirge sirens infallible? What would be the effect if they did not work?"Knowing the answer to that specific question, I told Liv what I knew.


    "Basically, the dirge sirens are what the battlefront uses to monitor our domain. Not knowing the real situation would allow the Reapers to be ambushed at the very least. At worst, it could lead to the undead amassing an army within our borders without our knowledge."


    "That seems frightening. If that were the case, the fall of North America would only be a matter of time. Solving this problem has become a critical issue then," Liv remarked.


    "Indeed. Husband, we need to know the extent of the damage as soon as possible. If the lower floors have already fallen, we need to reinforce them immediately. But the main problem will be manpower. We can either reclaim this area or go down to the 31st floor. We cannot do both."


    "Hmm. I have some drones. Perhaps it will be possible to send them back up? But how would we even get them to warp? Don''t they need the approval of the Managers?" I suggested.


    "Well, fortunately, we have a party of 8. If our ground becomes the 1st group, Dearest''s {Vassals} and the adventurers can serve as the 2nd group. We can have the 2nd group return to report to Hellsend. Once they have received the message, we can simply reassemble at the 31st floor."


    "The ones who know about the 31st and 32nd floors are Leo and Nyda. That is why Beloved brought them here in the first place. It might be wise to bring at least one of them with us. Going in blind when the whole floor could have fallen is dangerous.


    When I heard the girls mention the separation, I somehow had a premonition that this would become a problem. If they took Leo or Nyda, one of the Sirens would have to stay behind. The question was who?


    "Hmm. I agree. Then Liv, you join the 2nd team. Escort them back to Hellsend while we take Leo. We can reconvene at the warp gate on the 31st floor. Husband, perhaps it would be better if the adventurers were the ones to investigate this floor and the 31st.


    That should be their specialty."


    "WAIT! Why am I the one who has to join them? I''m Beloved''s shield! My place is at his side!"


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    "But Leo''s {Fate} makes him quite durable, he can serve as your replacement. My {Fate} is ideal for scouting and reconnaissance. My Soulgear also serves as a defensive measure. My skills would be wasted on the 2nd group."


    Liv pouted unhappily before turning to Lilly.


    "In terms of utility, I am the all-around ace. Besides, I am more familiar with the situation of this battlefront. I need to be in the 1st group. You are not asking me, Lilly Browning, to play nanny, are you?" She replied arrogantly.


    I noticed that both Jas and Lilly were smiling menacingly, as if they had unanimously agreed to bully our Northerner. But against all expectations, Liv grabbed me into her chest instead. The feeling of my face pressed against the massive breast of my beloved was always a welcome one.


    "I have a better idea. Lilly, Jas, I agree that you two are essential to the investigation team. Take Leo and Nyda with you. Meanwhile, Beloved and I will escort D and Pixie while we report back to Hellsend and North America," she explained smugly.


    "What? That... I um... Ugh... How could I lose a battle of wits to Liv?"


    "Wait! Dearest is the reason I wanted to be in the 1st group in the first place!"


    "Nonsense. This is for the battle front, right? You are both right." Liv then looked into my eyes as she pursed her lips. "Beloved, can you please accompany me as part of the 2nd group? I lack the firepower. I know it''s a menial task, but hopefully my company would please you."


    Caught off guard by Liv''s passionate advances, I could only nod my head like an idiot. Unable to voice even the slightest complaint, my Valkyrie grew pleased and smiled brightly. At my acceptance, Jas and Lilly grew frustrated that our Northerner had managed to outwit them.


    "YOU! LIV! When did you become so shameless? It''s because of Aki, isn''t it?"


    "Fufu, well done. Unlike before, you now know how to use our arguments against us. It was worth teaching you, Liv. I concede to you this one time because of your brilliant rebuttal."


    "What? You taught her? When? Why? Now we have to go without Husband!"


    "Fufu, oh come on, Jas. Winning all the time is boring. Both Robyn and Liv are working on their wordplay and debating skills. It was bound to happen eventually."


    It was then that the rest of our group spoke up. Though they did not ask, I knew the adventurers wanted to know our next steps.


    I turned to Pixie and gave her an order.


    "Pixie, can you find the manager for me? If we do not find him in time, our home may be attacked."


    "Huh! Is that so! That can''t happen! Leave it to me, my lord! {COME!} Take me to the manager of the 30th floor!"


    From Aira''s explanation earlier, {Compass} was driven by Pixie''s emotions. That''s why she couldn''t find anything earlier. In response, I now gave her a clear order with a consequence that she could understand.


    Knowing the reason for doing something was what separated those with conviction from those without. And the effects of knowing clearly transformed Pixie''s {Fate} from an unreliable tool to a game-changing cheat.


    "I have a lead, my lord! Follow me!"


    Running while carrying her manifested {Fate}, our party ran after my {Vassal}. As the girls and I expected, Pixie returned to the room with the torsos. But she walked past the ones hanging on hooks and entered a hidden room to the side.


    As we went deeper, the light from the moon became less visible. The Sirens and I took out flashlights and handed them to everyone. Leo and Nyda were stunned when they saw our modern tools.


    D walked beside our teenager, making sure she didn''t smash her face into a wall. We followed them until we came to a room with a heavy looking door.


    "Leo, cut it down."


    "Yes, my lord!"


    The adventurer drew his steel sword and made a mighty swing. A horizontal slash sliced the door like paper. Pixie and D ducked under the still-closed parts of the door and ran inside.


    "MY LORD! I found him!"


    As we entered, we saw what looked like a research room. Inside was a black metallic contraption. It kind of reminded me of a giant Victorian-era boiler. Using {Imaging} I scanned the inside and saw a gruesome sight.


    "D, take Pixie outside and wait for us."


    "My lord! I am no longer a child! Please let me see! I was the one who found him!"


    Hearing the young Reaper''s desperate attempts, she must have wanted to prove herself. I looked at my girls, who were communicating their thoughts through our link.


    ''Beloved, protecting her innocence won''t necessarily protect her.''


    ''Husband, getting used to such sights will help her in the future. If she wants to be worthy of her position, she cannot remain a child.''


    ''Such is the burden of responsibility, Dearest. I say let her make her choice.''


    Taking a deep breath, I gave Pixie the answer she wanted. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Very well. Prepare yourself. This is not for the faint of heart. Jas, please break the seal."


    "Yes, husband."


    Jas took out the M24 and fired at what looked like rivets. Without the pins holding the metal cover in place, it broke, revealing the defender, or what was left of him.

 Chapter 638 Heroine Chapter: How absurd! [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Lilly Browning Smith___


    "Yes, Husband."


    With unparalleled precision, the sadist with an IQ of 145 shot the bolts out of the metal cage encasing the defender. Though the Sirens and our {Kindred} had already seen the contents with {Imaging}, the others had not.


    Though accustomed to inhumane and gruesome sights, I was still uncomfortable with what lay before us. Loud clattering echoed as the two halves of the cover fell to the ground.


    "KYA!!!!!" "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT MAN!!!!" "George..." "..."


    Pixie, the youngest of our group, screamed in horror. D, also taken aback, became angry. Meanwhile, Nyda murmured what seemed to be the name of the defender. Her husband silently held her hand as if to support her.


    Whenever I saw such scenes of affection, I felt happy. As someone who had found my soul mate, I approved of tenderness and love.


    After all, here in the belly of hell, one needed to draw strength from every possible facet of one''s existence.


    "Blargh!" "D! A-are you okay?"


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    ''How amusing... despite being younger, Pixie is the one who managed to survive the shock,'' I inwardly thought.


    ''I think it has more to do with her not understanding what she saw than anything else.''


    ''Hmm... you may be right, dear.''


    To be honest, even I had a hard time comprehending what was in front of me. It was a tank, simply put. Like those used to house fish in aquariums. In novels, the ones big enough to hold people were called vats or pods.


    In those stories, the implications of a person being submerged in a medicinal solution like this boiled down to two things. One, they were being cured. Or two, they were being experimented on.


    The reaper before us, if you could call him that, was in tatters. His entire body was skinless. This gave him the appearance of the pictures in biology books that teach the muscles in a human body.


    Half a torso and one arm were all that was left of the manager. As if he was an umbrella, his chest cavity was pried open. It was as if someone had pushed a circular column out from under his ribs and forced his rib cage open.


    Skin, trying to do its job, barely covered his form. His bones were already exposed in many places. There was no trace of this man''s left arm and everything below his stomach.


    Like some kind of bloated snake, the human''s stomach and intestines floated in the green water. Along with them were a heart, a pair of lungs, kidneys, and even a large intestine. But without the ribs, they all floated, still connected to each other.


    George''s head no longer had eyelids. So his eyes were staring wide open in front of him. However, it was noticeable that this was simply the way his head was oriented.


    He no longer had a nose or ears, but he still had blood vessels. It was a miracle that the defender''s blood had stayed in his veins when it should have flowed into the liquid.


    Fortunately, or unfortunately, even in his condition, George''s heart and lungs continued to work. His heart pumping blood ever so slowly. His lungs continued to inhale and exhale air in a feat worthy of a miracle, despite being underwater. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    How on earth was this man still alive? With injuries like that, his mind should have broken long ago from the pain. Small fibers like thin hairs were attached to George. I gritted my teeth when I realized what they were.


    ''He still has almost all of his nerves. The pain of such a condition must have been excruciating. And yet he continues to breathe? How?'' I wondered inwardly.


    The man I love pulled out one of his precious pistols. Since it was white, it must have been "Ivory". He fired into the tank, shattering the glass. The next moment, the crack began to grow rapidly.


    "{Stock} ."


    Thinking that the liquid might be useful in the future, I created a circular subspace doorway around the cage. Due to the actions of my beloved, the glass began to lose its structural integrity.


    Like bolts of electricity, the rest of the glass cage slowly showed signs of weakening. Small amounts of glowing green liquid began to pour from the original bullet hole.


    Less than a second later, the glass shrieked as it exploded. Like a tidal wave, the fluids surged outward. My subspace doorway acted like a funnel, sucking in all the water until "George" fell to the ground.


    The moment he did, the body began to show signs of shock and pain. Both the heart and lungs were working overtime, increasing their respective contractions. Moving his head for the first time, George began to turn from side to side. He tried helplessly to raise his remaining hand.


    "{NO!!! COME BACK!!! DON''T LEAVE ME!!! NOO!!!!}"


    "Jas. Do you have one of Joshua''s bullets with you?" My Dearest asked dejectedly.


    Wordlessly, Satis drew her 1911 and shot the reaper in his soulgem. Opened up like a cadaver for science, we naturally saw that George''s soulgem was on his right wrist. After being shot by Joshua Hwang''s {Fate}, the Phantom became noticeably silent.


    My {Kindred} then approached him and touched his soulgem. Probably to make sure the Reaper didn''t die, he shared a few souls. Limitless then ejected Ivory''s magazine and touched one of the bullets.


    "{Bestow} {Restore}."


    A faint light began to make the .45 ACP round glow. John Smith then reloaded his gun and shot George between the eyebrows. Like a highly detailed special effects montage, the Defender regenerated at an unprecedented rate.


    {Restore} was not a {Fate} I was familiar with. And since Dearest did not ascend, it must have been a {Kismet}. Feeling a new ability flowing toward me, I asked Exa for a summary.


    [Exa, what is {Restore}?] I sent to my GRI.


    [It is my lord''s new {Kismet}. It is basically a {Rewind} that does not require an {Auto}. {Restore} simply attempts to reconstitute the genetic structure of the target. It is extremely complicated, so much so that I still do not fully understand it.]


    [How in the world is that even possible? I thought {Rewind} didn''t work with any {Kismet}?]


    [My lord seems to have made another breakthrough. {Rewind} can now be used with his other {Fates}. {Restore} is the first instance of the Sirens'' {Fates} to work together with {Rewind}. It creates a virtual {Auto} and slowly rewinds the target back to it.]


    Not understanding Exa''s words, I said nothing more. {Fates} were incredibly balanced. For the supposed power of a {Fate}, it always had a hidden problem that made it imperfect.


    As his {Kindred}, the Sirens and I naturally wanted to learn all we could about {Rewind}. We studied my man''s battles, his use of his abilities, all in an effort to better use {Rewind}. But, of course, when I compared {Rewind} to my own {Fate}, he was several leagues better.


    For the most part, {Rewind} was stupidly powerful, and in terms of potential, I would almost say it was limitless. So I appreciated the fact that one of its hidden problems was that you could not create {Kismet} with it.


    From the beginning, none of the abilities of {Rewind} were incorporated into any of the {Kismet} created by my beloved. My lover, simple-minded as he was, never questioned this fact. But the Sirens and I did.


    And there was one exception. One of his old {Kismet} classes, {Fighter} could somehow use {Regen}. When we asked him, he just shrugged and said he didn''t know.


    Unwilling to accept the implications of the {Rewind} family being used in {Kismet}, the Sirens and I asked Exa. Only to get a completely different answer.


    [{Fighter} did not use {Regen}, Aira did. Aira would monitor the body of my lord and summon {Regen} without his knowledge.]


    Exa''s ancestor didn''t want to reveal that she had such an ability, so she just blamed it on {Kismet}.


    {Regen} might look like an unbalanced ability to some, but it had a hidden nuance. Since it was tied to the {Rewind} family, its basic process was to check the difference between your current state and your {Auto}. It would then heal you back to your current state.

 Chapter 639 Heroine Chapter: How absurd! [2/2]

    This was amazing for people who had {Auto}. But it also meant that if you did not have an {Auto} state, {Regen} would be useless. That was why Dearest didn''t try to use it on the corpses outside. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to, it was that he couldn''t.{Regen}''s only weaknesses were that it did not ease pain and that it required {Auto}. And my {Kindred} just casually broke the rules of his own {Fate}!


    If he could summon {Regen} without the {Auto}, didn''t that mean he could heal any injury, no matter how severe? If the same applied to {Rewind}''s other abilities, wouldn''t he be able to bring someone back from the brink of death?


    {Rewind} would be without limitations! It made no sense!


    ''Dearest! How absurd! You are breaking common sense again! I am beginning to understand why Bella keeps calling you a cheater!''


    ''Haha, please forgive me for this one-time everyone, {Rewind} is kind of lame compared to Siren''s {Fates}. Let me power up a bit too.''


    What on earth was that man saying? Did he really not understand how ridiculously insane his latest {Kismet} was? Without the need for an {Auto}, he would be able to restore anyone and anything from any state, no matter how damaged it was!


    With its weaknesses removed, {Rewind} could only be described as peerless. And my lover would probably give it to his army without prejudice. Just as Bella had said, {Rewind} was the only reason Hellsend was unbeatable.


    No matter how much I loved Limitless, objectively speaking, as long as any army had {Rewind}, they would be able to achieve the same result.


    Corpses, remains, wouldn''t even zombies be in the realm of possibility? This man casually destroyed my world view of {Fates}. Before I could dig any deeper, the corpse on the ground started to wake up.


    Within seconds, George''s eyelids, nose, and skin grew back. With the rest of his body still lying on the ground like a bag of meat, the "head" began to open its eyes and look around.


    "Hghg? Hjghghghghjgh?"


    Incoherent babbling echoed as the George tried to speak. But since he had no voice box, he obviously couldn''t speak. The rest of our group waited as more and more of the defender''s body healed.


    From what I knew of {Regen}, the pain of recovering from his condition would have driven most people insane. Dearest must have relied on the properties of {Disable} to work as an anesthetic.


    Considering its amazing effects, creating a healing round like this should be something our forces investigate. My spouse walked over to the defender and knelt beside him.


    It was a wise choice, for from this angle George would not be able to see the abomination his body had become. As more and more of the reaper''s body healed, he began to look at us one by one.


    He seemed to be in a daze, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. When his eyes caught sight of the adventurers in our party, he smiled and began to speak.


    "N-Nyda? Is that you? The one in the armor is your boyfriend, right? Rio or something? The {Formless} bastard?"


    I wasn''t sure if it was because of {Disarm}, but George wasn''t acting coherently. Normally, the first thing you would ask for in a situation like this was a status report. Instead, this near-dead defender wanted to gossip like an old lady at the market.


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    "Hi George. Yeah, it''s me... Um... Yeah. It''s Leo... He''s not just my boyfriend anymore.


    I married him...He is my {Kindred} now..."


    "Oh? That''s wonderful...I''m happy for you. Marrying the one you love is the greatest happiness you could ever have...that''s so great...shame I didn''t get to see you in a dress...when did you say you got married?"


    Seeing Nyda making small talk, the rest of us understood what the adventurer was trying to do. The worst thing anybody could do to those who were going through something traumatic was to remind them of it. It was normal to try to relax the patient before asking anything important.


    "It was about two months ago. George."


    The moment Nyda''s words left her mouth, we noticed that George flinched. Then he began to shiver. George bit his lips as tears began to stream down his cheeks. Perhaps he was beginning to sober up, his once unfocused eyes suddenly regaining their clarity.


    "She''s gone...I can no longer feel my {Kindred}. Abigail. Abigail...Abigail....!!!!"


    The defender began to sob loudly, crying pitifully. His remaining hand clenched and moved to push him up. The upper half of his torso from his neck to his sternum healed in the time that passed.


    Seeing the parts of his internal organs scattered on the ground, including his lungs and heart, I feared he might go mad. While his torso was slowly becoming human again, his organs were still outside his ribcage.


    But against all odds. George said something I never expected to hear. At that moment, he stopped crying and instead let out a death resonance.


    "You there... help put me back together... I don''t care if you know where my parts go or not. Just stuff them into my torso. The {Fate} to put me back together is yours, right?"


    My {Kindred} nodded and began moving the organs. Looking at the countenance of Dearest, I already knew that he liked this man. Losing his wife to the enemy, yet not cowering in the slightest.


    These were the men my man would move mountains for. As long as this reaper never gave up, Limitless would never let him fall. The burning desire to fight slowly began to burn in my lover''s {Kindred} link.


    "Thank you. I don''t know your name, but I wouldn''t be alive without you. The vampires stole my {Kindred}. I betrayed my duty to keep her safe. But in the end, I could not save her.


    "You may report me and claim the bounty on my head. But please let me do one last thing. Since the love of my life is no longer with us, I would like to dedicate my remaining time to killing every last bloodsucker I can. You may do with my corpse whatever you wish after I am gone." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Dearest gripped George''s hand tightly as his eyes stared into his.


    "I understand. I am not a reaper from North America. I am here on another mission. But we are also on a war path to kill the vampires, you are more than welcome to join us. What is your name Reaper?"


    Feeling the strength returning to his body, George ignored his miserable state and pulled himself up with my lover''s hand.


    Most people would have told this man to stay down. To rest or to heal. Given George''s condition, that would be the only sensible thing to do.


    "George Clay. Help me up, son. I got work to do."


    But not the man I loved. With a smile on his face, my {Kindred} pulled the legless man up and placed him on a table. Then he took out Ivory and used {Bestow} and {Restore} on a bullet again.


    "Are you willing to die for your revenge?"


    "I am."


    "Cool."


    Dearest loaded the {Restore} bullet and shot George in the head without mercy.


    ''How absurd! I retract my earlier statement,'' I growled inwardly.


    I had it backwards. Hellsend did not exist because of {Rewind} and my lover''s almost limitless potential. Hellsend came together because of this man''s insanity.


    You could give him the weakest {Fate} possible, and I was sure he would still find a way to massacre the undead.


    {Rewind} did not defy common sense because it was powerful. It was powerful because it refused to follow common sense. Or rather, the man I loved was so insane that he had no common sense.


    My {Kindred}, unaware of my thoughts, innocently asked, "Hmm? What do you mean, Lilly?''


    ''Nothing, dear. I just remembered how cool you are,'' I said casually.

 Chapter 640 I know just the thing [1/2]

    "KYA!!!!!" "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT MAN? !!!!" "George..." "..."When the rest of my party saw the retched state of the corpse in front of me, their reactions were quite different. Pixie and D responded in a way that was understandable. Nyda murmured a name while wearing a sad expression, Leo remained stoic but held his wife''s hand, Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire


    "Blargh!" "D! A-are you okay?"


    ''How amusing... despite being younger, Pixie is the one who managed to survive the shock," Lilly remarked disdainfully.


    I couldn''t blame him though, if you weren''t used to such scenes, D''s reaction would be normal. It took a special kind of bastard to remain unmoved by such a disgusting sight.


    ''I think it has more to do with her not understanding what she saw than anything else,'' I replied casually.


    ''Hmm... you may be right, dear.''


    The man, if you could call him that, was hardly a corpse. He still had his head and one arm. That was about it. He was skinless and missing all his other limbs and most of his torso.


    But perhaps most unsightly of all, his internal organs were all still connected, like an ugly ass kebab. In addition, his heart and lungs were still moving. If this reaper truly was alive, how is he not dead?


    ''Exa, is that bastard still alive?''


    [I am not sure, my lord. Use {Imaging} - MRI. I will try to see if there are still electrical signals flowing around his brain.]


    ''{Imaging} -MRI.''


    I looked at the target, but didn''t understand what I was seeing. But since I had Exa, she could do the heavy lifting for me.


    [George Clay is alive, my lord. He is in a state that appears to be REM sleep].


    ''George Clay? Is that his name? REM sleep? You mean he is dreaming?''


    [Yes, my lord. George R. Clay. The Wolverine of the 30th Floor. A well-known Phantom and defender. His alias is the Iron Wolverine.


    Known for his courage and fighting spirit, he has been assigned to the 30th for over a century.]


    ''Yet he doesn''t ascend to Specter? Why?''


    [Records indicate that he keeps his wife company at the rank of Phantom. She refuses to ascend so as not to forget her daughter, who was murdered by the Trinity at a young age.]


    Such a story was probably normal for Reapers. When their loved ones die, they do not want to evolve, as it would permanently sever their memories of the departed. I looked at the reaper with pity, but I had no time to grieve for him.


    ''Will he die if I take him out?''


    [I do not know. Unless we examine the solution he is immersed in, I am unsure if that is the reason he is still alive. From the analysis of his body, it seems that all of his nerves are still intact, so the moment they all start firing again, he will feel an inordinate amount of pain.]


    With a codename of Iron Wolverine, this bastard should be a badass. If he dies after I let him out, then that was his fate. I pulled out Ivory and shot the tank. I grimaced in annoyance as the bullet hole began to leak water.


    The tank was over 5 feet wide and over 7 feet high. How much water could this thing hold? Once the pressure difference broke the glass, the liquid would pour out like a tsunami, and we would be drenched.


    [As always, my lord, even with four brains you still act as impulsively as ever].


    Just as I was about to complain, I heard Lilly''s wonderful voice.


    "Stock."


    Along with her words, a large circular voice space appeared around the tank. Understanding her intention, I couldn''t help but brag to Exa.


    ''Hahaha! Did you see that? Even without using my {Kindred} Link, my girls can already read my mind.''


    [My Lord, that is because they knew they would get wet if someone broke the glass. It is just common sense].


    ''You are getting cheekier by the day, Exa. I can''t say I''m pleased.''


    While I was joking with Exa, the glass holding the tank together cracked and shattered. The water flowed down into Lilly''s subspace doors without spilling a drop. "George" and his body parts fell to the floor and rolled.


    Twisting and turning, the body seemed to be in agony. It raised it''s hand and began to scream death resonance.


    "{NO!!! COME BACK!!! DON''T LEAVE ME!!! NOO!!!!}"


    "Jas. Do you have one of Joshua''s bullets with you?" I asked.


    The big dicked Korean commander once told me that {Disarm} could take down elephants with ease. Hoping to ease George''s pain, I had Jas help him.


    My wifey, took out a pistol and fired a Hellsend bullet at the reaper''s right wrist. The reaper stopped flailing and his arm fell to the ground.


    I walked up to him and sent a thousand souls into his soulgem. That should be enough to keep George from dying for now.


    ''Exa, is there any way we can heal this bastard?''


    [Not with the {Fates} or supplies at hand, my lord.]


    How about {Rewind} or {Regen}?''


    [My lord, without a saved {Auto}, even if the reaper used {Rewind}, there would be nothing to go back to].


    I already knew that. Because of this restriction, {Regen} could not be considered a healing {Fate}. For people without a saved {Auto} state, none of my {Fates} would be able to help them.


    ''Can''t we just make one?''


    [How, my lord? If we do not know what his original body was like, what would guide {Rewind} to restore him properly?]


    ''Hmm. You can get it though, right?''


    [What do you mean, my lord?]


    ''Just like D, you can take mental images and turn them into data, right? {Code}, would you be able to find out the details if you knew what the guy looked like?''


    [She says it is possible. But she has no way to make the image into an {Auto}, according to her {Rewind} has always ignored her].


    ''{Rewind} ignores her? That is because it is an asshole. Then let us continue this experiment. {Withstand}, can you create a temporary body with {Shelter}?''


    [My lord, why go through all this? Reapers are meant to die. This is his fate. We should let him rest.]


    Somehow, I couldn''t accept such reasoning. Didn''t that mean I should give up on Evelyn? The whole premise of being a reaper was to fight death in order to live one more day.


    ''Please Exa, just humor me. If the guys say it is impossible, then I will stop. If it was just me, I would think it was impossible. But with 8 {Fates} working together, it believe in our potential.''


    [Understood. The {Fates} say they will do their best to support you. {Withstand} says she can. {Eat} also promises to handle the reaper''s organs so he doesn''t die of shock. But {Code} repeats the fact that we do not know what he looks like.]


    ''What about Nyda? Doesn''t she know?''


    [According to {Code}, that is not enough. We also need to know his physical condition and abilities. Ah, wait...{Perceive} has a suggestion.]


    ''This is troublesome, Exa, can you create a {Program} that allows the guys to send me the messages directly like chats?''


    [One moment. {Program} [Fates Eden] created. Launching]


    [Fates Eden] online. Limitless connected. Welcome to Fates Eden]


    [Members online: {Code}, {Eat}, {Withstand}, {Listen}, {Perceive}, {Store}, {Carry}, Exa.]


    [Limitless: Oh, it worked! Great! Hi guys!]


    [{Store}: Please refrain from that. We are not guys, call us masters instead]. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ho? So these {Fates} had personalities. How intriguing.


    [Limitless: I see. Please forgive me. Limitless greets his masters.]


    [Code: Why do you want to save this reaper, Limitless? Until now, you have cared little for anyone but the Sirens, your family, and Hellsend.]


    Why did I want to do that? Come to think of it, I had no reason, I just wanted to see if I could. Instead of believing I couldn''t, I wanted to believe the opposite. Until I have tried and failed, I will assume that I can.

 Chapter 641 I know just the thing [2/2]

    [Limitless: Because I am Limitless. Common sense does not apply to me][{Withstand}: You make such claims because of semantics? Your hubris will be your undoing. I answered for the sake of answering. But I have no intention of helping you.]


    [{Eat}: Why do you all have to be so stubborn? It is not as if we have anything better to do. Just help him, it seems like fun.]


    [{Carry} I have told you all that this man is different. He is not like the others.]


    [{Store} How many times do we have to go through this, {Carry}? When will you learn? This is all pointless. Let''s stop this.]


    [{Listen} That''s because you are weak! Like children afraid of getting hurt! Limitless, you have my support. {Perceive} and I can find out what he looks like, but we have to get inside his mind.]


    It was amusing to see the conflicting opinions of the {Fates}. It reminded me of how the Sirens were always debating shit. There were those who supported me and those who did not.


    [Limitless: {Carry}, {Eat}, {Listen}, thank you for your support. {Withstand}, {Store}, I am not sure why you two are against this, but please help me just this once. We have done amazing things together. I am where I am because of all of you. I can only make such claims because you are with me.]


    [{Carry}: So what do the rest of you say? Why not try one last time?]


    [Limitless: Please. Please. Alone, I am nothing, but I know that as long as we are together, we are limitless.]


    Even though I just met them today, these seven {fates} have been with me since the beginning of my journey. They were not my subordinates or tools, but my most trusted allies. Every time I thought I could no longer move forward, I was able to do so because of them.


    [Code: Haha. As if any of you could ever resist this man... Ignore these two, Limitless. Once {Perceive} and {Listen} give me the data I need, I can create the {Auto}. But the problem is that the {Rewind} bastard is gone. Who will command his {Fate}.


    We cannot use {Rewind}].


    Hearing {Code}''s words, I felt sad. It seemed that {Rewind} really left. It felt bittersweet. He was an asshole, but he was like a part of me. funnily enough it seems the other {Fates} didn''t like him either.


    ''I wonder where he went?''


    [{Perceive}: Let Exa do it.]


    [{Listen}: Sounds like a plan!]


    [Exa: Me? But I am not a {Fate}?]


    [{Eat}: You are being silly, is there even a difference at this point?]


    [{Code}: Okay, that''s one problem down. {Store}, {Carry}, you two will assist {Withstand}. She will create the frameworks. {Store} will move and shape the pieces as needed. {Carry} will bind them all together. {Eat} will be the one that fuels it.


    Instead of doing it all at once, we will do it piece by piece, healing along the way?]


    [{Store}: Fine.]


    [{Carry}: I will try my best.]


    [{Withstand}: Do whatever you wish!]


    [Exa: {Code}, what should I do?]


    [{Code}: Restrict {Rewind} from activating all at once. I will teach you how.]


    [{Perceive}: Wait, how do we get to his brain?]


    A quick way for the {Fates} to get between the skull and the brain. I have exactly the thing.


    [Limitless:] Leave it to me. I know just the thing.


    [Store]: Do not speak of this to the Sirens. You will regret it if you do.]


    [Connection to [Fate''s Eden] terminated. Limitless disconnected]


    At the same time I was disconnected, I felt my soulgem burning again. It was probably the new {Kismet} in my possession. I ejected the magazine from Ivory and used my new ability on the topmost bullet.


    "Bestow. {Restore}."


    I then loaded the magazine and hit the slide return. Wasting no time, I aimed the gun at the reaper''s brain and fired. Like a video in reverse, the corpse in front of me quickly healed.


    With joy. I sent my thanks to my trusted allies.


    ''Thank you, my masters. I will return the favor.''


    ''Dearest! How absurd! You are breaking common sense again! I am beginning to understand why Bella keeps calling you a cheater!''


    ''Beloved, you have done another amazing thing.''


    ''Husband. How?''


    ''Haha, please forgive me for this one-time everyone, {Rewind} is kind of lame compared to Siren''s {Fates}. Let me power up a bit too.''


    I made a lame excuse because I had no idea how to explain it. This was the joint effort of our {Fates}, who for some reason said to keep it a secret.


    "Hghg? Hjghghghghjgh?"


    The body healed at an unimaginable rate. Confused, I walked up to the reaper and showed him my face. But instead of looking at me, he began scanning the others around him.


    When he saw Nyda, he began to stir. His already healed throat was immediately forced to speak.


    "N-Nyda? Is that you? The one in the armor is your boyfriend, right? Rio or something? The brooding bastard?"


    "Hi George. Yeah, it''s me... Um... Yeah. It''s Leo... He''s not just my boyfriend anymore.


    I married him... He''s my {Kindred} now..."


    I ignored their small talk and concentrated on watching the changes in his body. Right now, George already had most of his upper body back. He even had some hair.


    "Oh? That''s wonderful...I''m happy for you. Marrying the one you love is the greatest happiness you could ever have...that''s so great...too bad I didn''t get to see you in a dress...when did you say you got married?"


    "It was about two months ago. George."


    Just then the Reaper began to tremble. He began to cry tears of sorrow.


    "She''s gone...I can no longer feel my {Kindred}. Abigail. Abigail...Abigail....!!!!"


    Everyone in the room felt his pain. For those who knew what it felt like to have a {Kindred}, we could also clearly imagine losing them. And it was not something I thought I could survive.


    However, the Reaper in front of me, still in tears, forced himself to stand up. As he did so, he saw his pitiful condition. But instead of feeling sorry for himself, death resonance gushed out of him. It was so thick that it became hard to breathe. It was almost at the level of the Specter.


    "You there... help me put me back together... I don''t care if you know where my parts go or not. Just stuff them into my torso. The {Fate} to put me back together is yours, right?"


    I nodded and began shoving all the organs back into the hole in his body. With each passing second, the hole closed faster and faster.


    "Thank you. I don''t know your name, but I wouldn''t be alive without you. The vampires stole my {Kindred}. I betrayed my duty to keep her safe. But in the end, I could not save her. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You may report me and claim the bounty on my head. But please let me do one last thing. Since the love of my life is no longer with us, I would like to dedicate my remaining time to killing every last bloodsucker I can. You may do with my corpse whatever you wish after I am gone."


    Metal as hell, I couldn''t help but smile at his words. I grabbed his hand and replied.


    "I understand. I am not a reaper from North America. I am here on another mission. But we are also on a war path to kill the vampires, you are more than welcome to join us. What is your name Reaper?"


    Even with only half a body, he pulled himself upright with my hand and sheer force of will.


    "George R. Clay. Help me up, son. I got work to do." Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire


    Feeling that this man would be someone I needed in my army, I moved him to a nearby table and gave him another {Restore}.


    "Are you willing to die for your revenge?"


    "I am."


    "Cool."


    Then I shot him a second time between the eyes.


    ''How absurd. I retract my earlier statement,'' Lilly said annoyed.


    ''Hmm? What do you mean Lilly?''


    ''Nothing dear. I just remembered how cool you are.''


    We then waited while George R. Clay rapidly re-grown his limbs. At that rate, it must have been agonizing and painful. But the Wolverine said nothing, instead he flexed his muscles the moment he felt them return.


    Hopefully, know we would understand just what the hell happened here.

 Chapter 642 Not paid enough [1/2]

    Despite my gratitude, the other {Fates} no longer spoke. My party watched in horror and amazement as George was basically printed from head to toe. Feeling that it was my responsibility to find out what had happened, I asked for some privacy."Could everyone please leave us? I need to talk to Mr. Clay. Alone." Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire


    At my words, the rest of my group bowed and walked out. Even the Sirens followed suit. They walked towards the battlements to give us some space. Of course, even from this distance, I could see and hear everyone, even though we were no longer in the same room.


    "D. D... I''m scared..."


    "Don''t be, Pix. Just think, that anyone who needs help, the Lord can heal back to tip-top shape."


    "You''re right. My lord is like a priest! He can heal any injury! Well done, my lord!"


    As usual, my {Vassals} took things one step at a time. The adventurers on the other hand...


    "Leo...the things my lord does...it is almost on the level of a god!"


    "Yeah...I know..."


    "We can save them, right? If he is with us? I thought all these stories were exaggerated! But if anything, they are downplayed instead!"


    Leo and Nyda were talking about things I found annoying. I certainly did not want to be worshipped as a god. Noelle would kill me if I were to do such a thing.


    Meanwhile, my girls were analyzing a digital map of the 30th floor as they walked.


    "There''s just too much ground to cover, even if we use Husband''s switchblades. I can scan the area, but I am not confident that I can find every enemy."


    "I would have to agree, even if Liv and I helped its a waste of time. And with only three of us here, it is impossible to connect the entire floor. But I would like to try to regain order on the lower levels."


    "Maybe Beloved can use {Restore} on the bodies outside? Jo gave me {Announce} assignments, but I am not good enough to control a hundred bodies. I can do two at most. And that is because of {Limitless}."


    "Indeed. If only we had Bella or Jo, creating an army would have been easy. For now, we should concentrate on getting to the 31st floor. George can call Administration for reinforcements anyway," Jasmine explained.


    Lilly adjusted her cap as she sighed in annoyance.


    "And risk being executed? From the looks of the fortress, Administration should already know. There are far too many protocols that should have informed them of the situation.


    "The fact that it hasn''t been reported means that someone in Administration is deliberately covering up the situation. If George suddenly asks for help, it would only let the traitor know that his lies have been exposed".


    "What should we do then, Lilly? This whoreson has sold his honor to help the enemy. And such scenes as we have seen may already be happening on the lower levels. How is it possible that the Specters are still unaware of what is going on? North America is far too lax," Liv complained in anger.


    "Hold your tongue, Liv. It is easy to complain when you know nothing. Having many under you carries such risks. The Specters are too busy fighting on the front lines to notice. I agree that there are problems, but to say that the entire battlefront is lax is insulting!"


    "I''m sorry, Lilly. You are right. I am pushing my definition of what needs to be done when even my own country is in ruins. Please forgive me sister, I meant no offence. In return, I will devote my body to helping you."


    Jas then stepped between Lilly and Liv, pulling on both of their hands.


    "Liv, don''t say such things. Our bodies belong to our {Kindred}. Only he should be the one to whom we all devote ourselves. Princess, I may not like North America, but it is the land that gave birth to you, my sister, and Husband, my {Kindred}. I will help where I can."


    "Fuahahahahah! How amusing! You all act as if I am still part of the White Guard. I appreciate the gesture, but my loyalties lie only with Dearest, our family, and Hellsend. The only reason I want to help North America at all is because not doing so would put us in danger. Do not worry, sisters, I am not as afraid as you might think."


    It was so nice to hear them get along. But her words were true, we were in a dilemma. We had to save Evelyn, but the fact that the 30th, 31st and 32nd floors might already have fallen was a huge problem. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I was still standing next to George as he continued to heal. He now had both arms and was close to regaining his knees. The Phantom, called Iron Wolverine, looked like a battle-hardened bastard.


    His face looked like it had been clawed by monsters and his body, while not bulky, was muscular. I would say he was a little over six feet tall. Even though he had been created from scratch, his entire body was covered in wounds.


    He was currently wearing a stupid looking shirt and had a towel around his groin. Jas tried to keep his modesty as he waited for his body to recover. Although as he looked around, I immediately noticed the blank thousand-yard stare.


    That bastard''s seen some shit,'' I commented to myself.


    "The three phantom women over there, are they yours?" George asked.


    "Yes. They are mine."


    "They are all your {Kindred}? I can feel your links."


    "Yes. I have four more on the 24th floor. They are all women I love very much."


    "Hmm. I got that from the way they keep stealing glances at you. You are loved, son. But I have to ask, why is your group here at all? And you look American, if you''re not from North America are you from Europe?" George asked curtly.


    "One of my people has been taken by the vampires. I am here to get them back. As for where I am from. I am the lord of the new battlefront being built on the 24th floor."


    "New battlefront, huh? How long has it been since I heard something like that? Better stop there, son, none of those who tried ever came back. It is impossible to survive without a Revenant. You even have the Untamed with you, just run on home. "


    "I am aware of that. But I am different."


    The Iron Wolverine chuckled as he began to pat his chest. Noticing what he was wearing, he smiled wryly before turning to me.


    "You got a smoke?"


    "I don''t. I''ll bring some next time. I''ve got burgers and a bucket of chicken if you''re hungry. I''ve got beer too."


    "Give me a burger. I''m starving. No beer though, Abigail likes me sober."


    Hearing the name of his {Kindred}, the defender''s face darkened noticeably. He opened the wrapper and began to eat the Big Mac.


    "The one you came to save is your girl too?"


    "No, she is not. She is Nyda''s sister."


    "Evelyn? She is alive? I thought she disappeared years ago!"


    "She is alive. But she is already a vampire. We fought earlier; Evelyn impaled Nyda through the heart."


    "..."


    After hearing my words, George said nothing and continued to eat in silence. Then he looked at me before he spoke.


    "Are you in love with her or something? Why come here when she''s already gone?"


    "I owe her. And I need to know what happened to her. If I am to be lord of the 24th floor, I need to know what I am up against."


    "..."


    "Mr. Clay, can you please tell me what happened here? How did you end up in this state? You said something about betraying the Reapers. Tell me exactly what you did and if the other floor managers are in on it."


    Even after my question, George said nothing and just ate his food. The sound of his mouth chewing was the only noise he made.


    Knowing he needed some time to collect his thoughts, I waited. Eventually he finished the burger and washed it down with a couple of sodas, which I gave him.

 Chapter 643 Not paid enough [2/2]

    "It''s a common story after the 30th floor. I served as defender and manager. I did my job well. One day a vampire came and tried to bribe me with a deal. I killed the messenger. Sometime later, a bunch of reapers ambushed Abigail and me in the sun."When he got to this part of the story, I could hear the sound of George grinding his teeth in anger.


    "The bastards knew our schedule. They deliberately attacked us on the one day Abby and I were separated. The anniversary of our daughter''s death. I didn''t know who had taken her. One day a letter arrived on my doorstep. It said that my {Kindred} had been kidnapped by the manager of the 32nd floor to blackmail me into doing something.


    "We investigated and found it to be true. When we confirmed that my wife was being held hostage, I stormed in and killed everyone there and got her back. All the while, the defenders on the 32nd floor said it was a mistake. But in my rage, I didn''t listen to anyone.


    "After a bloody war, we killed all the defenders of at least 10 zones. When I rescued my wife, she... she was already... Abby was..."


    Hearing George become emotional, I said nothing and waited. Until I heard the end of his story, it was better to remain silent. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire


    "Huff...turns out my wife was already gone. After we rescued her, my wife stabbed me in the back with a poisoned dagger. As I collapsed to the ground, she then bragged about how she had personally manipulated the Reapers into waging war against each other.


    "It was to earn the Duke''s love. Her irises were already demonic. I belatedly realised they were using a device to mimic a reaper''s soul signature. The thing in front of me was no longer my {Kindred}, but a monster in her skin. I have no idea what happened after that."


    ''My {Kindred}, did you hear everything?''


    ''I have beloved. My heart grieves for this reaper. He willingly betrayed his duty and killed the defenders of the 32nd floor for his woman. His cause may have been noble and just, but those who were wrongly slaughtered would say otherwise.''


    ''And like a fool, he was played. Because of his lapse in judgement, two floors murdered each other in vain. I have heard tales of the Iron Wolverine, and I am very disappointed in his stupidity. Dearest, he should be executed for treason.''


    ''He cries like a victim when it is all his fault. If the Zones had been attacked afterwards, they would all have fallen for sure. If we assume that there is a traitor who has isolated these floors, then it makes sense how no one knew what happened until now. Husband, this is bad. We must let North America know.''


    ''Such vile tricks. If these are the results of the vampires, they are far more dangerous than I could even imagine. But I still cannot understand how a war between Reapers could break out without anyone knowing! Beloved, we must find out, lest they do the same to Hellsend!''


    I answered Liv''s questions with my knowledge of manga and anime. Once again, the media I had read in the past had depicted such a situation in one form or another.


    The quickest way to ensure that an alarm did not go off was to cut the trigger or fake the signal. And seeing George''s condition earlier, the reason why they bothered to keep him there came to light.


    ''They are using the vats to keep the defenders alive. Each zone would be attacked and its defender would be stuffed into these containers to prevent the zone from ''falling'', which would minimise the instances the traitor would need to block the signal,'' I surmised.


    ''Indeed. That makes sense. But then the question arises, why go through all this? I have never heard of monsters attempting such an elaborate ruse. Why are the vampires trying to hide the real situation in the zones? It''s not like they can do much with them.''


    Lilly''s questions were very valid. If the vampires simply wanted to get stronger, they could just devour the Malice and move on. But like a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces of information I had collected from various sources began to fall into place.


    {If you help me kill the vampires. I can become king. Once I am, I can force all lizardkin to stop attacking humans.}


    {Relatively. I am strong to the weak. And weak to the strong. The vampires enslaved my people because we were weak. If we can become stronger, we can free ourselves from their power.}


    {I would believe so. My elders say the vampires come from a deeper place. They shouldn''t be in our homes to begin with.}


    The monsters followed the rule of the strong. This Duke was, naturally, part of that hierarchy. This meant that if he was not strong enough. He would be forced to continue the cycle in order to survive.


    "The Duke has one simple wish. To walk out of Hell and see the sun... but the Reapers have blocked our way since time immemorial. They even spread lies that vampires burn from sunlight and are traitors hated by the heavens. Reaper, if you could grant this wish right now, I will release you and every present at once." S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But that only mattered if they were in Hellsgate. It was only because they were in Hellsgate that they had to go through all this nonsense. So if the rules of the monsters said that they could only control a few floors, it was impossible to get stronger quickly.


    But what if, instead of trying to overtake the stronger ones, this Duke power levelled his entire power? And what if, instead of following what they had always done, they chose to focus on the Reaper lines?


    ''Fuck... they want to force their way out of the battlefront.''


    ''But my father is there! No matter how many vampires come, he would be able to handle them all. Dearest, what you are saying makes no sense.''


    Right, the human weapon called a Revenant. so long as he was there, nothing they would do matters in the slightest. But what happens if he wasn''t present?


    [In the unfortunate event that these undead legions do not attack South America, Europe or North America would experience the floor break in their place].


    [Yes, that is the case. David Thomas does not usually get involved in defenses or attacks because he has to be on standby for such instances. The last time was during the July enlistment].


    The 1st way to get him out was for another battlefront to cause a man-made disaster. The other was for him to move himself.


    [As for the Revenants of the other zones. I expect to receive your payment soon or otherwise I will be coming for it. I vow this on my name.]


    ''I see. The monsters intend to strike while the reapers fight each other. Husband, his Majesty the Invincible, has personally said that he will claim what is due to him for your seeker war. If they are waiting for that opportunity...''


    ''Wait! I don''t understand! Beloved, how would the monsters know what is happening between the battlefronts? Do they also know about the armies that will come for us in three months'' time?''


    My stomach began to twist in knots. The more we tried to understand it, the more it made sense. The monsters were preparing.


    That was why they had to keep the zones from falling. Unlike before, they were orchestrating a massive attack to coincide with something. What it was, I did not yet know. But it was coming.


    And I inadvertently found out because I was trying to save Evelyn. My decision to save a Reaper and forge our image exposed a massive conspiracy.


    "Fuck! I ''m not paid enough for this kind shit!"

 Chapter 644 Past, present and future [1/2]

    Hero Syndrome. In manga and anime, the main characters were often made fun of for a number of things. One of them was being a magnet for trouble. The term associated with this was hero''s syndrome.Basically, for the hero to shine, he had to get into trouble. Saving a kingdom from a monster, slaying a dragon, or averting a catastrophe. These were the stories worthy of someone who bore the title of hero.


    Most people believe that it was natural. Someone who was blessed like a hero just happened to be in the right place at the right time.


    Some went further and believed that it was fate trying to correct the imbalance. But others, especially those who had brains, felt otherwise.


    And that was that the mere presence of a hero would set the wheels of fate in motion to create the disaster. This theory undermines the expectations and understanding of many. The hero was not created to stop the catastrophes. The catastrophe happened so that the hero could shine.


    This has led many to find the very idea of the hero to be a pitiful soul. At least readers like me anyway. If your very existence created misery for others, you should not have been a hero in the first place. And now I was on my way to believing that I had somehow become a hero.


    "This must be a mistake, right?"


    "Huh?" The Phantom next to me grunted in confusion.


    ''This has got to be some kind of bullshit. How is it that the moment I step off the 24th floor, I uncover a grand conspiracy? This is fucking bullshit! I am no hero! How the fuck can I have hero syndrome! And I fucked my harem!


    I am not an Isekai virgin cuck!''


    Unable to hide my irritation, I began to rant in my mind. One of the things I hated most about hero MCs was that they were celibate. What the hell was the point of having a heaven-sent harem if you refused to sleep with any of them?


    But since the hero often had to maintain the purity of his harem members for some bullshit reason, celibate heroes were the industry norm. I, for one, was a bastard who was far from being a hero. And I was no longer a virgin! S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Beloved, what troubles you so? Calm down. What does hero syndrome mean? Is it an ailment of some sort?''


    ''Husband, you''re too tense. Breathe. We are here. And we are with you. Tell us what is wrong.''


    ''Hero''s syndrome? Hmm... Maybe? After all, you did become the one who broke the armistice. Your actions pretty much drive the world, Dearest. So maybe you are one?


    Ah! And you can do things no one else can? WOW! Congratulations, Dearest! You are the hero of this story!''


    Lilly''s words made me feel like crap. I knew hero syndrome was made up crap. But the longer I was in Hellsgate, the more I saw the influence of IRIS.


    It seemed far-fetched, but someone who was familiar with manga and novels would have a higher chance of survival in Hellsgate.


    I definitely believed that to be true.


    Isekai, zombies, and apocalypse novels and games transcended time and distance. Literally anyone in the world could immerse themselves in the media and have "what ifs". What if this was all real? What if it was true? What would I do?


    It was as nuts as the Area 51 conspiracy theories. A bunch of old fucks were manipulating the entertainment industry to introduce thoughts, concepts, and behaviors, all for a sinister purpose.


    For humans, the line of thought would end there. Because as good as it sounded, the biggest question was why?


    Why go through all this crap?


    But for someone like me? Someone who died and was reborn as a reaper? I could see the reason. It was an indoctrination to a reality you could not see.


    IRIS was fucking incredible in that regard. Unfortunately, Trinity joined the party and deliberately falsified the propaganda.


    The questions I had at the moment were simple. Was hero syndrome something IRIS was warning me about, or was it from Trinity? What was it trying to teach me? Is it really possible to be a harbinger of disaster? If I was one, wasn''t I kind of screwed?


    ''Beloved? What is wrong? Please talk to us.''


    ''Husband, I have been brushing up on hero syndrome. You think too much about it. Lilly is delusional, so ignore her words. I, who have the highest IQ in this group, am telling you. You do not have hero syndrome. This is all a coincidence.''


    ''I am not delusional, you bottom-heavy, charcoal-skinned tweeny!''


    Jas''s words broke my train of thought.


    ''Wifey. Please explain.''


    ''I''ll give you three points. First, no one could have known that you would learn and ally with Roach; most Reapers would kill a champion rank on the spot.


    ''Second, {Advent} is the only reason we even learned about the Duke''s plans, it is impossible for anyone to know that you would even bring Delroy Baxter. Third, even if they guessed all that, how could anyone guess that you would create {Restore}?


    ''Without this {Kismet} or all the Sirens by your side, George R. Clay would have no choice but to either die by execution or remain in hiding.


    ''To believe that someone could orchestrate all of this would require the ability to see the future beyond even {Variance}! It is statistically impossible! They would have to know not only your personality, but even the monsters!''


    I see. Jas was right. The only reason I learned all this at all was because I had no qualms about talking to monsters and examining corpses.


    Even if someone could have guessed my actions, they wouldn''t have known that Delroy''s {Fate} could talk to the dead.


    ''I still do not understand any of this, but I agree with Jasmine Beloved. This is unlike you. Even if someone orchestrated all of this, it does not change what we must do.''


    Liv''s straightforward personality was endearing at times like this. The problem with pessimists was that they were often paralyzed into inaction because they thought so much. And while I was a pessimist, since I died I have decided to never stop for anything.


    ''Fuhahaha! Dearest, forgive me. I could not resist teasing you. You are far too adorable when you are confused! I will also tell you the biggest reason why you are not a hero! Do you want to hear it?''


    Happiness and pride poured out of Lilly. It was so comforting as it poured into my soul. I looked in her direction and zoomed in on her face. The Untamed smiled blissfully as she continued.


    ''Dearest, in these stories, the hero is usually with a Saintess, right? Unless you plan to take the Wolves or some other reaper as your woman, you will never have one. For you have chosen to surround yourself with villainesses. Ones despicable enough to be called demons.''


    Right. My worries were stupid. The scary thing about the hero syndrome was the reason I didn''t want to be associated with it. And that was being a harbinger of disaster, all to become a better hero.


    ''You are right. Liv, Lilly, Jas. Thank you. I am glad that you three are here. I was stupid. I don''t know why I think I was cursed with hero''s syndrome.


    George has regained his full body. We will be leaving in a few minutes.''


    A sudden surge of warmth and affection wrapped around me like a hug. Energized by their love, I pushed the hero bullshit to the back of my mind and steeled my will.


    I had stumbled upon this conspiracy by accident, and as I intended to destroy anything that tried to get out of Hellsgate, I had only one course of action.


    When I looked at George, he smiled with satisfaction for some reason.


    "What?" I asked, confused.


    "They are good women. You have gone through fear, doubt, love, and purpose in a matter of minutes. As {Kindred}, their main job is to keep your soul from collapsing and It seems they do it extremely well."


    "They are the best women! Past, present, and future. And as long as they are with me, I will never fail," I said proudly.

 Chapter 645 Past, present and future [2/2]

    "Well, would you look at that. Good. Good. Life is short, drown them in love and sex. So much that they would never regret binding themselves to you."Then I remembered that this Phantom had already lost his {Kindred}. His words must have stemmed from his own personal experience. Taking them to heart, I saluted him with the Hellsend Brofist.


    "Thank you for your advice."


    "Hahaha, don''t worry about me, son. I will not last long. I will see my wife soon enough. I have just enough for one last fight."


    Hearing his words, I knew better than to question him. For someone who has lost the love of his life, not many would want to go on living.


    That was why children were considered necessary, because they were the only thing that would keep a person from killing him or herself out of grief.


    George R. Clay wanted to die. And he knew exactly how to do it.


    A few seconds later, the healing was finally complete. He slowly rose to his feet on wobbly legs. Like a patient who has been bedridden for years, George took a few moments for his body to warm up.


    Once standing, he walked to a nearby closet and began pulling out his clothes and armor. In less than ten minutes, George was in full battle gear. I noticed, however, that he was missing a weapon.


    "All right. Back in business. You didn''t tell me your name, son."


    "I go by Limitless."


    "Not that alias crap, your real name."


    "Smith, John Smith."


    "Look here, you smart-ass bastard. Sto..."


    I then fished out an Id I had created with {Shelter}. Using {Gather}, I recreated my driver''s license down to the last detail.


    "Hmph. This is real?"


    "Yes. I stopped introducing myself as John Smith because everyone thought I was being a smart ass."


    "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I could only imagine! I was about to beat your ass for the same reason! Hahaha!"


    Like a drunken lunatic, George began slapping his knees as his boisterous laughter continued to echo.


    "HAHAHAHA, Fuck...I haven''t laughed like that in forever."


    "..."


    And here I thought I had already passed people laughing at my name. The floor manager in front of me suddenly stopped laughing and added in a clear voice.


    "Fight me."


    "Why?"


    "I need the practice, and I need to know if you can take on vampires."


    "But I am in a hurry, I have to save Evelyn," I argued.


    "Evelyn''s been missing for years. A day or two won''t matter. Consider it my gift to you."


    Hearing his words, I stopped trying to resist and accepted.


    "Okay, then let''s go outside."


    George led me outside and brought me to our dueling area. I had Exa call our entire group to follow. We eventually reached a small forest outside the castle. It was about the size of half a football field in size.


    "Alright. Come at me with everything you got."


    "What?"


    "I can feel your soul, son. To me, you are weak. You do not have what it takes to kill me. I''m a Phantom who served on the 30th floor. I know what I am talking about."


    "..." I wanted to rebuke him for his arrogance, but remembering how Gaspar just ignored us, I couldn''t say much.


    "{Come to me}, {Day By Day}, [Shared Armory], [Commander], [Overdrive], [Penetrator], [Vengeance]. [Inventory], Burger and Fries."


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Commander]. [Commander] levels up to [General].]


    [[Knight] setting shifting to [Commander]. [General] levels up to [War Lord].]


    When I finished my battle preparations. Seven John Smiths were all carrying high-caliber weapons. My UGVs were behind me. The defender just raised an eyebrow when he saw the firepower I had brought to bear.


    "You''re using guns. You even have tanks with you. You all practically reek of holy energy. You''re just like a vampire executor..."


    But despite his praise, he had a disappointed face.


    "But you cannot fool my eyes, son. You are not a warrior. You only pretend to be one. Your eyes... you have seen death, you know defeat. But you have yet to experience loss."


    "What?" I blurted out in surprise. This man, his words were quite accurate.


    I have seen reapers die. But none of my own had yet to do so.


    "Your body lacks the refinement of combat. You fight with your head, not your heart."


    "What the hell are you talking about? I have fought zombies, monsters, and even a greater demon! I am not a newbie!" I retorted defensively.


    "I guess I have to show you how weak you really are."


    George started to crack his neck before calling his {Fate}.


    "{Tyrant}."


    A loud, monstrous roar suddenly erupted from the defenders'' feet. In the next few seconds, some sort of beast erupted from the ground. It looked like a giant T-Rex covered in golden armor. The monster passed George like a ghost.


    The dinosaur was huge! Maybe as big as a cyclops. In the next monster, the T-Rex stomped its massive legs before letting out another earth-shattering roar! It then opened its large mouth and chomped down on the defender.


    At this point, the monster suddenly turned into smoke and then shrank. As if being sucked in, its limbs slowly connected to George! Transforming like the Power Rangers, the 30th floor manager was enveloped in the monster''s flesh.


    ''Iron Wolverine, my foot! That thing is a fucking dinosaur!''


    He gained massive claws and a helmet with large horns. George''s entire body was encased in armor similar to that of the T-Rex. The only difference was that he was humanoid.


    He also grew to about 8 feet tall. His flesh turned from human pink to a deep orange. From the overbearing appearance and the depth of his soul, I felt myself swallow hard in nervousness.


    ''Husband. Shoot him now while he is transforming!''


    ''He will do no such thing. Dearest. When fighting those who change form, we must have the courtesy to wait. It is the law!''


    ''I agree with Lilly, beloved. It feels wrong to attack someone who is preparing. It would be similar to attacking someone with their pants down.''


    ''Ugh, you two are as inflexible as ever. Husband, I will tolerate it because this is a practice match. If we ever encounter an enemy who has the audacity to transform during battle, I will be the first to shoot him.''


    ''Hahaha! Fair enough. Thank you, everyone. I was able to calm down with your help,'' I said gratefully.


    George''s transformation took a few more minutes to complete. When the souls accompanying his transformation settled down, I was now looking at some kind of Dino Iron man.


    Judging by its appearance, it was no longer human. Even its eyes glowed red. That was until it spoke.


    "Thank you for waiting. This is my {Fate}, pushing my physical abilities to the limit. Prepare yourself. I will come for you with the intent to kill. If you cannot defeat me, forget about saving Evelyn."


    Hearing his words, I grabbed my weapons as I nodded.


    "Understood. Prepare to get your ass kicked! Lilly, please do the honors," I remarked.


    My woman stepped forward before announcing in a loud voice.


    "This is a free for all exhibition match. Unless one side surrenders, none shall interfere. Gentlemen, OPEN COMBAT!"


    At that moment, I pressed the triggers of all my weapons and unleashed hell. But the one in front of me just folded his arms and accepted the full power of my arsenal.


    All sorts of ammunition and calibers smashed into his golden armor like eggs against a brick wall. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The 40mm grenades and the 95mm heat rockets drove him back with their sheer power. As the switchblades began to fall like an avalanche, clouds of smoke and dust covered the courtyard.


    Burger''s 30mm cannon continued to fire without interruption. Although he was trying to be a badass, I noticed that the tyrant in front of me was starting to flinch and buckle.


    ''[Sniper], [Overdrive]''


    [[Commander] setting shifting to [Sniper]. [War Lord] levels down to [General].]


    [[Commander] setting shifting to [Sniper]. [General] levels down to [Commander]. [Sniper] levels up to [Sniper Elite].]


    [[Commander] setting shifting to [Sniper]. [Sniper Elite] levels up to [One round marksman].]


    "{Reload}".


    With my new settings, I was about to blast the defender once again, only for him to exclaim in a loud voice.


    "STOP! STOP! STOP! HOW MANY BULLETS DO YOU HAVE?"


    "FUCK YOU! WHY DO YOU THINK I CALL MYSELF LIMITLESS! DIE!"

 Chapter 646 Open to suggestions [1/2]

    "Listen to this fucking asshole! FINE! In terms of firepower, you can kill a vampire. The problem is getting them to stand still long enough for you to hit them!"With my excellent vision, I could see his armor slowly denting. However, considering the amount of lead already expended, it was incredibly tough. Still, even bulletproof glass would eventually crack under sustained fire. And this bastard would be no different.


    "FUCK! I think I gave you enough time, right? Here I come!"


    Under the relentless hail of bullets, the Iron Wolverine finally began to act. His armor looked heavy, but I couldn''t let my guard down. Most of my bullets felt much more powerful under [One Round Marksman]. However, the problem was that I lost agility and analytical abilities.


    ''Exa, change the settings to [Commander], [Assassin], and [Knight].''


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Commander]. [One Round Marksman] levels down to [Sniper Elite].]


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Knight]. [Sniper Elite] levels down to [Sniper].]


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Assassin].]


    It was not the most optimal decision, but it was the safest. I could still rely on [One Round Marksman], but my avatars who got into melee with George would suffer. Unless someone tanked for me, it would be difficult.


    And unlike the undead, there was no guarantee that George would continue to attack the Ripsaw. Even if I knew I had to get into CQB range, I needed a structured way to fight.


    ''Exa, send Burger forward. Box him in with the Switchblades! The rest of us will split into four units. Sunday through Tuesday, Alpha. Wednesday through Friday, Bravo. Saturday and Fries, Charlie.


    Burger, you are Delta. Exa, warn me if our shooting angles overlap. Make my vision turn red or something.''


    [Yes, my lord!]


    ''All right, everybody, move! Alpha, Bravo, dance around him, Charlie, find a perch. Delta, you''re on point!''


    Even though they were all me, I gave orders as I would if I had a real squad. Mainly because it allowed me to separate my visions properly.


    I divided my firepower between Alpha and Bravo.


    Alpha''s members were Sunday who had the minigun. Along with him were Monday and Tuesday. Both were armed with their CQB combo of the Thales F90/SL40 and the AA-12. Their loadouts were the most balanced.


    For Bravo, only Thursday could fight at close range with his SCAR-H and M1014. Wednesday and Friday were mixed between medium and long range. The former had HCAR while the latter had the Sentinel AR-10. For bigger booms, Wednesday had the FT5 rocket launcher while Friday had the M32 MGL.


    Charlie comprised of Saturday, who had the Light Fifty along with the TRX Razorback. With 50 Switchblades and an anti material sniper rifle. Unlike the first two groups, Charlie was better off out of sight. Their purpose would be support.


    Delta would be our vanguard. Since the M5 Ripsaw carried our biggest gun, I do not think George would ignore it for long. And tanks, for all their firepower, needed infantry to support them.


    Saturday leapt on top of the Razorback as they made themselves scarce. Alpha and Bravo began to slowly fan out as Delta rushed towards our opponent.


    George copied the M5 and charged straight ahead without fear. The bastard tanked the 30mm even as they raced towards each other. Then the Tyrant pulled back his hand and threw his claws forward.


    There was a loud clash of metal. The M5 tried to put the pedal to the metal as it tried to run over George. But it could not move forward even a single inch. Even under the strain of its engines, our vanguard was stopped in its tracks.


    Knowing that it was futile to expect more, I ordered Alpha and Bravo to blast the wolverine to kingdom come. But under the constant gunfire we didn''t seem to be doing any damage.


    "Oh? So you can command them like that, too? Amazing! It''s like fighting a whole group at once. But, that''s about it, a gimmick."


    George then plunged his other claw into the M5''s armor and lifted the tank into the air. A loud clang echoed as a .50 Bmg hit George in the eye. But like Superman, the bullet crumpled against his iris.


    "What the fuck? That''s cheating!"


    ''Exa, send the rain!''


    [Switchblades inbound.]


    This was not working. Physics could only generate power and slam it into that bastard. If he could withstand the entire onslaught of my army and still move, nothing I could do at the moment would work.


    ''Fuck! Exa, give me something!''


    [The integrity of his armor is slowly being restored with the help of souls. While it would be technically possible to outlast him, I advise a different approach.]


    "HAHAHA! AMUSING!"


    George laughed with glee as he ripped Delta in half. I felt like the grunts in a superhero movie. Despite shooting everything at that bastard, it made no difference.


    ''I AM OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS!''


    At that moment, the whistling sound of the Switchblades diving could be heard. Taking this as my chance, Alpha and Bravo changed their targets to Burger''s halves. I ordered the Switchblades to all aim at a single point.


    Like a chaotic volcanic eruption, more explosions followed. Fire and smoke added to the chaos as each lingering missile detonated. But, unlike before, I felt a wave of soul coming from George.


    "Now, now! I already allowed you to do this once! It is useless!"


    George then disappeared from where he was standing. I suddenly felt him appear behind Saturday!


    ''Dearest!'' ''Beloved!'' ''Husband!''


    "FUCK!"


    Commanding Saturday, I was crouched on one knee with my back to the Razorback. Even though Sunday had spotted him near Charlie, my reaction was a second too slow. I had swung the barrel of the M107 at the Wolverine like a bat.


    "Pitiful."


    He simply raised his left arm and blocked my blow. I heard what sounded like George clicking his teeth before I suddenly felt my face burn.


    Three vertical wounds ran from the top of my forehead down my chest to my groin. My entire face and heart were destroyed in the same moment. Since Saturday wasn''t a Reaper, he couldn''t continue fighting the moment he died.


    "ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!"


    The pain of his death brought the rest of my avatars to the ground. It happened so suddenly that none of us could react. I focused on Sunday, letting him try to push through the excruciating agony.


    ''{Day by Day}. [Overdrive], [Berserker].'' S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Berserker].]


    [[Assassin] setting shifting to [Berserker]. [Berserker] levels up to [Lunatic Berserker].]


    [[Knight] setting shifting to [Berserker]. [Lunatic Berserker] levels up to [Primalist].]


    As my body gained the inhuman pain tolerance of [Primalist], I tried to stand up. I heard a loud explosion in the distance. Like a pitiful lamb, Frites was torn apart by George in the time it took me to recover.


    ''FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! What the fuck am I going to do? I shot this motherfucker with everything I had! And it still wasn''t enough!


    This is impossible! I cannot win!''


    I cannot win.


    I cannot win.


    As I repeated these words, the panic in my brain calmed down. The last time I felt so hopeless was during my first night. It was when Dominic Maegester tried to bribe me into making peace with them.


    Back then, a single change in mentality turned the tide of battle. That was when I created the persona Limitless. Separated from John Smith, Limitless followed no rules but his own. Channeling my alter ego, my thoughts regained their clarity.


    I cannot win?


    Who the fuck said so? Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire


    Because bullets didn''t work?


    So what? Who said I needed bullets to fight?


    ''Husband! Try and do¡­.''


    Just then, Jasmine''s voice echoed in my link. I quickly closed it off, silencing her along with Lilly''s and Liv''s as well.


    ''Exa. Tell them not to interfere. And not to worry.''


    [I delivered your message. Still, my lord. How will you fight an enemy against whom your weapons have no effect?]


    "Well... I do not know yet."


    My bullets lacked the power to repel something like George. Perhaps if I had Hellsend {Bestow} ammunition, the outcome would be different. For the moment, I had to accept that I wouldn''t be able to win this with guns.


    This was not the first time I had been in this situation. During my Enlistment, the only weapon I had was a single 1911. Nevertheless, I used {Counter} and my body to kill an Undead Brute.


    The same thing happened to Andromalius. Back then, we made a bullet and shot him with it. Funnily enough, making a giant bullet was not enough to kill the Alpha, so we had to cook him instead.

 Chapter 647 Open to suggestions [2/2]

    Weapons were incredibly powerful, but sometimes they just lacked the necessary punch. So, I had to be able to think on my feet. Just like my girls did. From Operation Paper, they showed me how powerful out-of-the-box thinking could be.Because we were formless, we could not just ascend to get stronger. For example, I used {Recursion} when we fought the Alpha Raptor, but it was completely useless. On the other hand, if I had a Manifested soul weapon, it would have been able to upgrade itself the more I ascended.


    The girls like me all suffered from this problem. But each of them was able to find an answer. They turned to physics, soulgears, or whatever they could. It was crazy how desperate we became in our search for power.


    Lilly used her {Portals} and electricity to power her Railgun. Robyn drew from the energy realm. Bella and Jo utilized brainwashing and necromancy to make up for their lack of power. Liv focused on her body. Aki created synergies among her abilities. Jas turned to precognition and sheer brain power.


    ''But that is them. I cannot do all that! I don''t even know how to fight without weapons! I don''t think getting into fist fights at school counts...''


    The sound of heavy footsteps echoed as the 8-foot tyrant slowly approached me.


    "If this is all you have to offer, I am disappointed. While you could gun down a vampire, you require it not to move. Unfortunately, it would never give you that chance. Your army lies in ruins. Your weapons are unable to inflict any significant damage on me. What do you intend to do now, son?"


    He was right. That was the limit of my hardware. My combat style relied heavily on weapons. If my bullets didn''t work, I was pretty much fucked. I had to find different tactics. Otherwise, there was no way for me to get stronger.


    But rather than getting discouraged, the desperation made me grin wildly instead.


    "Oh? You smile despite your circumstances. I like your guts. But unfortunately, you are either stupid or insane. If you cannot beat me, you cannot kill a vampire. This is your limit."


    "You obviously have no idea who I am," I retorted S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Huh?"


    The Iron Wolverine froze in confusion. What I said probably made no sense to him. But it did to me. If my current hardware and fighting style could not win. So, I simply had to change it.


    "[Inventory] Tomahawk."


    I then summoned the ballistic shield Liv had given me. It was our couple arms and had not yet had the chance to enter battle. I loosened the arm straps and secured the shield to my left arm. I touched it as I invoked {Fates}.


    "{Withstand}, {Endure}, {Block}, {Shelter}."


    "A shield? I scrapped your tank. And you think a shield will stop me?"


    "Then come at me!"


    "I INTEND TO!"


    He suddenly jumped into the air and brought his right claw at me.


    ''THIS IS GOING TO HURT!''


    Despite bracing my body, I found myself flying. Not specializing in defense, {Primalist} lacked the weight to take hits. Unable to regain my footing, I felt my left arm tremble uncontrollably from the shock. This was despite having {Endure}.


    My poor defense was probably not due to the shield. It wasn''t penetrated, I just couldn''t take the hit. That and my shielding skills probably sucked. I have seen Liv defend against tank rounds. Technique made all the difference.


    ''Exa, quickly google how to use a shield.''


    [My lord, why not imitate Lady Liv instead?]


    ''Explain.''


    I ended up falling more than ten feet away. I scrambled back up, barely able to brace my body when George appeared beside me; The bastard swung his claws and again sent me flying.


    "FUCK!" I defended against his attack and a powerful shock rattled my entire body. Fortunately, the shield was still in one piece. I felt the bones in my forearm fracture from the defender''s attacks.


    [{Gather} gives you photographic memory. At present, I can command your soul avatars as long as you don''t drive. With your permission, it should be possible to co-pilot your body to mimic Lady Liv''s shielding abilities. We can use the principle of your other {Program} [Souls Player], but have it analyze allies instead of enemies.]


    "{REGEN}! I AGREE! DO IT NOW!"


    George then remarked in a bored voice, "Disappointing." Instead of using his big claws, he just kicked me away. I almost stumbled as his lighthearted tap still knocked me off balance.


    "{Overdrive} Cancel. Setting: [Wizard], [Assassin], [Knight]."


    Reconfiguring my body, I swapped the {Primalist} for an all-rounder. The tyrant then took a stance as he drew back his right claw. It was the same attack he used to take out my Micro tank.


    "I grow tired of this. Go home, son. I thank you for what you have done. Even as cannon fodder you are useless. Do not waste your life."


    I said nothing and just waited for Exa.


    George roared as he lunged at me. The glittering steel of his claws was like Truck-kun''s headlights. If I couldn''t stop this, I would probably die from the blow. But I wasn''t worried.


    [{Program} [Dual Pilot] created. {Program} [Souls Player] upgraded to [Combat Shadow Silhouette] created. Silhouettes loaded: Liv Ivaldi Smith, Lilly Browning Smith, Robyn Lithgow Smith, Josephine Benelli Smith, Isabella Taurus Smith, Jasmine Denel Smith, Aki Miroku Smith.]


    As the various new abilities came out. That''s when I realized the one thing I had that the girls didn''t. Funnily enough, the Sirens and everyone else had figured it out long before that.


    "You have way too many tricks up your sleeve you bastard. You invoked like what¡­ sixteen different {fates} in the short amount of time we fought?"


    "This fucking cheater. While people struggle to have even one {Kismet}, Honey now has what? 99 of them?"


    "Bella, your thinking is too rigid. This is husband''s greatest strength. Even before he had {Limitless}, having access to all our {Fates} allows him to create {Kismet}."


    "I know right? And that was before they made {Call my Name}! This thing is bollocks! I see farther, hear better and run faster! I can feel myself getting smarter and there is still more abilities under its wing! Just how in the world did they create it!"


    ''Dearest! How absurd! You are back to breaking common sense! I am starting to understand why Bella keeps calling you a cheater!''


    I was Limitless. Rather than that fact that I never ran out of ammunition, it was more because of my abilities near infinity abilities.


    My greatest strength was my ability to adapt to almost any situation. From using my {Fate} pool of eight different families, to Bella''s {Program} and Exa. Unlike other people who hit roadblocks, I had the ability to overcome them by creating {Kismet} or {Programs}.


    "[Dual Pilot]. [Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Liv Ivaldi Smith."


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    "I have control," my body said autonomously.


    My body began to move without any input from me. It shifted my weight and widened my stance, placing my feet shoulder width apart. My shield arm then shifted its angle slightly. George arrived within seconds.


    His claw again slammed into the Tomahawk''s ballistic shield. However, unlike before, instead of absorbing the energy and power with my body, my shield arm deflected the attack to the left. In the process, almost 80% of the tyrant''s momentum was deflected away.


    "What?!"


    "[Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Josephine Benelli Smith."


    Then I felt my body move automatically again. I had little knowledge of the Italian martial art of Kick Jitsu, but like a professional, my body twisted to deliver a full power "Vela Kick" to George''s midsection.


    It should have had no effect. But my body compressed souls into the soles of my feet and exploded them on impact. More powerful than even the 30mm autocannon, the "Vela Kick" blew George away.


    "UGH!"


    But Exa wasn''t done yet. My body chased after my opponent, who was disoriented in the air.


    "[Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Aki Miroku Smith."


    As I leapt toward the Iron Wolverine, my body swung my front leg around his neck from one side. I then used the momentum to wrap my left leg around and cross my ankles, pinning his head between my legs.


    ''NO FUCKING WAY!'' I cheered inwardly!


    Exa then squeezed my legs together and used my hips to tighten the hold before twisting my abs to ''swing'' my body around. Although George was much heavier, against {Pack} no resistance would be possible.


    Completing the head scissors right out of a Marvel movie, Exa threw George to the ground before making me jump backwards. He fell with a mighty crash. Which marked my comeback from this duel.

 Chapter 648 Exa. Stop attacking [1/2]

    Seeing the 8-foot mecha whatever on the ground was incredibly satisfying. Somehow, I was able to perform amazing feats with my body.The feeling was strange, as Exa used both my mouth to invoke {Fates} and my body to fight without my input.


    "[Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Isabella Taurus Smith."


    While Exa was controlling my body, I started to browse through my new {Programs} .


    ____


    [Dual Pilot]


    - Allows remote operation of soul Avatars of Limitless.


    - Limitless holds absolute authority and can deactivate the {Program} at any time.


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    - E.X.A. {Fate} combat system can only execute actions it has data on.


    - Limitless only, cannot be passed via {Kindred} or {Limitless}


    ____


    [Combat Shadow Silhouette]


    - A combat profile library that allows analysis and understanding of a target''s combat style.


    - Once the familiarity with a combatant reaches a certain threshold, a shadow silhouette can be created.


    - Shadow Silhouettes are a complete library of information about a fighter''s fighting techniques, behaviors, strengths, weaknesses, and habits.


    - Shadow Silhouettes require a minimum of 2,400 hours of observation of a specific target.


    - Shadow Silhouettes can be improved and refined through observation.


    - Shadow Silhouettes can be used by [Dual Pilot] and the E.X.A. {Fate} combat system. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    - Limitless only, cannot be passed via {Kindred} or {Limitless}


    - Stored Shadow Silhouettes 7/10


    1. Liv Ivaldi Smith - Strengths: Shield Mastery / Grappling Mastery / Soul Enhancement.


    2. Lilly Browning Smith - Strengths: American Boxing / Greatsword Mastery


    3. Robyn Lithgow Smith - Strengths: Throwing Mastery / Knife Mastery / Combat Sense


    4. Josephine Benelli Smith - Strengths: Kick Jitsu / Rapier Mastery / Soul Martial Arts


    5. Isabella Taurus Smith - Strengths: AI Command / Tactical Analysis / Hacking


    6. Jasmine Denel Smith - Strengths: Archery Mastery / Combat Clairvoyance


    7. Aki Miroku Smith - Strengths: Ninjitsu / Katana Mastery / Soul Martial Arts


    8. --empty--


    9. --empty--


    10. --empty--


    ____


    ''Holy shit¡­ Isn''t this kind of fucking insane?''


    "{Rewind}. {Portal} [Inventory] Fries."


    The girls all thought that my ability to command eight {Fate} families was already overwhelming. Being able to choose from 8 groups of abilities allowed me to be incredibly flexible. But even when I copied their {Fates} in battle, they still left me in the dust.


    This was partly because {Fates} were only a part of the Siren''s fighting ability. Their physical bodies and fighting techniques were what allowed them to trample on the rest.


    For example, although I could copy Liv''s {Fates} I doubt I could defend myself better than her. The last exchange with George proved that.


    When I was holding the shield, I treated it like a wall, holding it against my body and just trying to block my opponent. However, when Exa took over and loaded Liv''s shielding techniques, she widened my stance and angled my shield arm.


    "THAT WAS A FLUKE! HOW ABOUT THIS?"


    "[Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Jasmine Denel Smith."


    "WHAT? HOW? KEURK!"


    The small changes allowed the shield to redirect the power of George''s blow instead of trying to absorb it with my body.


    As a result, the shockwaves of his blow no longer entered my body. This allowed me to withstand the blow with little effort. If originally I felt my muscles aching and shaking from the impact, now I was fine.


    Similarly, anyone could throw a kick. But Jo''s "Vela Kick" was a fighting application of Soul Martial Arts. I didn''t even know there was such a thing before Exa did it with my body.


    "HOW?! HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT I WILL DO?"


    "[Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Robyn Lithgow Smith."


    "UGH!"


    Like the Soul Rivers I manipulated during sex, Jo sent Soul into her heel, then exploded it the moment her kick connected. The result was a force stronger than an M433 grenade.


    Considering that the amount of soul was about 150 soul energy, this meant that each "Vela kick" burned $3,000. But that was not all.


    I wasn''t sure if Exa intended to, but within a few seconds, she went through three of the silhouettes. Aki''s allowed me to perform a head scissors on George like a Marvel superhero.


    "[Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Lilly Browning Smith."


    Even though I knew nothing about shielding techniques, soul martial arts, and grappling, I could now move on par with masters.


    ''Exa. I fucking love you!''


    "Not now, my lord," I felt my lips speak.


    "FUCKING ASSHOLE! GET BACK HERE! I''M NOT DONE YET, SON!"


    It only occurred to me that my body had not stopped exchanging blows with George all this time.


    Right now Exa was swinging my arms in extremely short trajectories. The blows began to move so fast that George had difficulty resisting.


    Despite being several sizes larger than me, the tyrant was vomiting blood as his insides were being hammered by soul.


    ''{Imaging} - X-Ray.''


    Using my {Fate} through Exa''s eyes, I watched as she continued to use Lilly''s combat boxing techniques. However, when I checked, Lilly''s silhouette did not have Soul Martial Arts as one of its abilities. That was from Jo.


    "What the hell is going on? WHO ARE YOU?!"


    George angled his shoulder. The moment he did so, an afterimage of him doing a feint before slamming his claw into my chest played in my vision.


    ''Is this Jas'' combat clairvoyance? OY! EXA!''


    At the same moment, Exa made my body turn to the left as the feint attack occurred, and she used my right foot to brutally stomp on George''s lower leg from the side.


    It was a "Vela Kick". Which, of course, broke the Wolverine''s shin. Then I saw an afterimage of the Tyrant making a combat roll and combining it with a counterattack.


    My body leapt into the air, grabbed my opponent''s face, and slammed it into the ground. Because Exa and I anticipated his actions, George couldn''t even complete his plans. I felt a strange rhythm as Exa connected move after move. At random moments, my body would feel hot, as if it was asking me to move.


    The only one I knew who fought like this was Robyn. Attacks, evasions, and counterattacks repeated like beats to music. The inhuman blows paired with Exa''s preemptive counters completely shut down any resistance George might have had.


    "KUEHRG!"


    Exa picked up our opponent''s arm and twisted our legs around it. Then she had me roll back and perform an arm bar on George''s remaining arm. A sharp crunching sound echoed as the bones in the limb broke. Another afterimage began in the next second.


    "{Blink}"


    But one step ahead, Exa dodged and delivered another powerful blow to George''s working shoulder. It was a palm strike charged with over 300 souls.


    "[Strike]."


    The powerful impact shattered armor and shattered bones.


    "AGGGHHHHHH!!" A howl of pure agony came from the tyrant.


    With inhuman agility, Exa wrapped her legs around George''s head and threw him off with another head scissor. This was how Aki fought. Although my Kamisan could not hit hard enough to break armor, she would use physics and the environment to disorient you.


    The moment George landed, I heard the powerful roar of fifty switchblades flying through the sky. They were all already in an attack vector. However, unlike the way Exa and I controlled them, they were divided into waves and came from four different directions.


    My emotionless voice rang out as Exa brought my hand down, "Die."


    Without mercy, the Switchblades began to bombard the defender. Probably from being beaten so badly by Exa, his armor was in tatters, exposing his skin. But instead of watching the fireworks, I felt my body move.


    ''YO! EXA WHAT THE FUCK!''


    Overwhelming energy suddenly began to burn my right hand. A full powered {Counter} appeared out of nowhere, covering my fist with kinetic energy. In an all-out attack, Exa began to invoke {Kismet} and {Programs} without stopping.


    "[Overdrive] [Berserker] , [Vengeance], [Strike], [Penetrator], {Shelter}, {Counter}!"


    "{Berserker}


    "[Overdrive] [Berserker], [Vengeance], [Strike], [Penetrator], {Shelter}, {Counter}!"


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Berserker]. ]


    [[Assassin] setting shifting to [Berserker]. [Berserker] levels up to [Lunatic Berserker].]


    [[Knight] setting shifting to [Berserker]. [Lunatic Berserker] levels up to [Primalist].]


    ''EXA! WAIT! The Switchblades are still coming!''


    However, against all odds, my body joined George as he was torn apart by explosions. However, unlike him, who seemed to be unconscious, I threw my full fist at his face. The defender''s face exploded like a balloon.


    ''His soulgem is in his heart, right? So he should be okay...Probably.''


    "{Regen}," Exa continued her attack even as I burned. The damage from being ravaged by soul-loaded switchblades hurt like hell. I felt Exa restart {Counter} for a second strike. Amazingly, Exa managed to keep my soulgem from shattering under the explosions.


    Just as my body was about to attack again, I felt the Sirens move. A figure suddenly appeared with us in the flames and picked George and me up.


    "Beloved. You have some explaining to do," Liv warned with a stern face.

 Chapter 649 Exa. Stop attacking [2/2]

    Water suddenly fell from the heavens even though there was no rain. The deafening gunfire of an M107 on full auto also echoed through the night sky. My Switchblades that were about to attack George were suddenly shot down all at once.Still in Liv''s arms, my body began to flail around. I started to pull myself out of her hands. I had to do something, or my own body would start attacking Liv!


    ''Exa. Stop attacking...''


    [I can''t, my lord. You must cancel [Dual Pilot]. Repeat the words "I have control."]


    As I decided to say these words, my mouth, which had been ignoring all my commands, finally moved by my will once more. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I have control."


    Like a marionette whose strings have been cut, my body suddenly drowned in pain and exhaustion. Like a twisted pretzel, the soreness of fighting like the Sirens hit my body all at once. My mind also began to fog up as the adrenaline that kept it going ran out.


    "Liv, what''s going on?"


    "I don''t know Lilly, Beloved suddenly crumpled and collapsed. He doesn''t seem to be hurt too badly, at least. {Regen} was able to heal a lot of injuries."


    I could hear the voices of my party in the distance. Despite feeling like my brain was in a blender, I could still make out their words, even if they were muffled. A second later, my eyes suddenly went blind even though I had suffered no injuries.


    "You two, focus on George. He is about to die. Husband should be fine. Pixie, D, carry Husband back to the fort."


    "Yes, my lady." X2


    "My goodness, look at him. Doesn''t he look worse than when we found him? Can one of you use Dearest''s latest {Kismet} {Restore}?"


    I felt my body being carried around. I hoped George was not dead. It would be a shame for him to die when I had just healed him.


    "Ah. I don''t think I can. Exa''s says it''s impossible. Fufu, but Beloved really went wild, no?"


    "Give him souls for now, he brought this on himself when he challenged Husband to a duel. Let us heal him later."


    "My ladies, does my lord fight so... um... intense?"


    "He fought like a man possessed. No, he fought like a crazed savage. He..."


    Eventually, the faint voices became so faint that I could no longer hear them. Without any stimuli to focus on, my brain could not stay awake. As the darkness pulled me in, only the sound of my beating heart kept me company.


    A few seconds more, I completely lost consciousness.


    ***


    I felt my body enveloped in warmth. It was so pleasant that I felt serene. Three heartbeats, along with mine, thumped in rhythm. Of course, although indistinguishable to everyone else, each sound was so distinct to me that I knew immediately whose it was.


    I opened my eyes and saw the ceiling. I felt my head on something soft. When I looked up, I saw Liv holding my head to her chest. The incredible suppleness of her magnificent breasts wrapped around me like a pillow. Her face, so beautiful, was tranquil as she slept.


    Turning to my left, I saw Lilly beside me. Her arms were wrapped around my torso and her face was resting on my shoulders. Completely defenseless, her deep and rhythmic breaths were so soothing that I felt myself becoming drowsy.


    With two of my girls accounted for, I knew the identity of the one on my right. Jas was hugging my body like a pillow. Her legs pinned mine. My right arm was tucked between her cleavage, sending pleasure through my brain.


    ''Exa, how long was I out?''


    [You were out for two nights, my lord. The backlash from using [Dual Pilot] and [Combat Shadow Silhouette] were quite severe. I apologize.]


    ''Nah, I couldn''t have won otherwise. Thank you, Exa. You were excellent. Having another trump card was worth the experience.''


    [Thank you for your praise, my lord. I will be careful next time]


    Since I was completely buried under the sirens, I couldn''t move anything but my head. Even though I was completely naked, I felt warm. Before I could even think about how to get up. I felt the three of my girls wake up.


    "Beloved?"


    Liv''s face made an adorable face as she tried to fight her sleepiness. Even though she was only half awake, the Northerner sat up, drew closer and kissed me tenderly.


    "Mmm. Good morning, my love."


    "Good morning, Liv."


    The two by my side followed suit and gave me my morning kisses. The problem was that they were mischievous. Jas licked me erotically from the base of my neck to my ear. Lilly, on the other hand, kissed my chest but sucked hard enough to give me a hickey.


    Two hands grabbed the sides of my face and forced me to look up. My Northerner''s face was a pleasant sight.


    "Beloved. While I do not approve of your methods, I cannot argue with your results. Your victory over George Clay was magnificent. Your ferocity, majesty, and power were worthy of song."


    "Husband...you owe me an explanation."


    "And a beating. Don''t forget the beating. You have no idea how worried we were, Dearest. You even closed your {Kindred} link."


    "Um...I am sorry, everyone. I just did what I had to do," I replied wryly.


    "Hmph! See? He is unrepentant. We should punish him with no sex for a week for his mistakes. Husband, you were way too reckless. Apologize!"


    I turned to Jasmine as I replied.


    "Wife, please forgive me. I was wrong. Don''t be angry, I love you..."


    "Jas, they say that most marriages that use sex as a means to control behavior end in divorce. Besides, if you don''t want to have sex with Dearest, you''re on your own. I will never agree."


    "Neither will I," Liv added.


    "You two! It only works if we all agree. Otherwise, Husband will continue to be reckless!"


    "Stop being a hypocrite Jas, it is unsightly. You are still using {Variance}, are you not? If it were up to Dearest, none of us would be allowed to leave his room."


    But though she took my side, Lilly then grabbed my erect cock tightly.


    "While I would never deny your love, Dearest. Punishing you for your mistakes is part of my affection. Shall I smash your balls? Or shall I crush this diabolical penis? Choose."


    Gulping nervously, I felt Jas place her hands on my balls. Given her strength as a Descendant, if she decided to hurt my privates, I would not be able to do shit.


    Of course, I could resist and make a fuss. But my girls followed simple rules. I did something they did not like. I either let them vent or never do it again. And unfortunately, I could not swear to the latter.


    "Please be gentle, everyone..."


    ***


    Having {Regen} when your balls were punched was fucking traumatic. The weakness that men felt when our jewels were beaten was far greater than even when we were shot.


    Despite my bad feelings, however, my girls knew how to give proper aftercare. After being punished, they lovingly brought me to climax several times. The feeling of enjoying three gorgeous beauties made me glad to be alive.


    After a passionate lovemaking session, the Sirens and I came out of our room. Outside were a embarrassed Pixie and a nervous D. Not really caring if they heard me, I acted nonchalant while giving them orders.


    "Call the others and bring George''s body to me."


    "Yes, my lord!" x2


    A few seconds later, they brought back what was left of George R. Clay. Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire


    {About fucking time, you bastard, what took you so long? I have been waiting for night.}


    "So? You should be happy I am wasting time to put your bitch ass back together."


    ''Exa, do I need to use {Restore} again?''


    [No, my lord, since George R. Clay now has an {Auto}, you only need to give him your blood. Once we use {Save}, he should be able to rewind without any issues.]


    ''[Inventory] Ebony.''


    I pulled out a .45 ACP pistol and shot my other hand. Clenching my fist, I sprinkled blood over the piled-up pieces of the 30th floor''s manager.


    "Call upon my {Fates}. {Save} and {Rewind}."


    {Save}. {Rewind}.


    His body dissolved into light, then reappeared in the same position, but in one piece.


    "Welcome back," I greeted.


    "Yeah, I take my words back. If you fight like that again, even a hundred vampires won''t do much against you."


    Hearing his praise, I smiled in satisfaction.


    "Cool, then let''s go. Time to hunt vampires."

 Chapter 650 Why I hate smart people [1/2]

    "Should we begin with discussing what to do about the situation here?"I turned towards Nyda who spoke.


    "Situation?"


    ''Dearest, while you were out of commission, the vampires noticed that the ghouls around this area were terminated. They began sending small groups of zombies and ghouls to investigate.''


    ''I gave Pixie {Flash} to prevent them from getting any information. Along with the Adventurers, the four of them have been dealing with the waves. Do not worry, your {Vassals} are included in my [Guardian Angel].''


    ''Personally, I do not think Jas'' protection is even needed. {Call My Name} and their training has made them quite capable. Pixie and D have begun showing incredible combat prowess, Beloved. Once they become Phantom''s they should be quite useful.''


    Pleased with the quick report of my girls, I waited for Nyda''s concerns. Unlike most heroine''s my girls were not useless. Thus even when I was out, I didn''t even bother to worry.


    However, if the matters with the skirmishes were dealt with, what exactly was Nyda''s problem?


    "Before that my lord. Squad leader Mike Walker came here and delivered a letter. He said it was imperative that you read it the moment you are able too. Please read this first before we discuss."


    At Nyda''s words, I felt rage from Jas, Liv and Lilly all erupt at once. Bewildered I turned towards them.


    ''My {Kindred} is something wrong?''


    ''¡­''


    Yet none of them replied. Feeling there was more to this story, I faced forward and took the letter from the Adventurer.


    It was a old school letter. The material was quite extravagant, it had golden colored vines or some shit that screamed top 1%. Normally you would think that was all bullshit except for the fact that this simple letter was covered in soul!


    When I opened the flap, the soul covering the message suddenly dissipated. It was probably a failsafe to ensure only I read the letter. Still, rather than send the message via text, it was through pen and paper, just from that alone I gained two theories.


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    Either this letter''s sender was old as fuck, or the fucker knew that my family was comprised of technopaths. Technopaths who could hack the pentagon if they wanted to.


    I saw soul swirling around my girl''s eyes. Their irises seemed to glow. They probably invoked {Imaging} and planned to read the letter. Putting two and two together I understood that they probably couldn''t sneak a peek earlier due to the soul covering the letter.


    Focusing on the letter, I opened the fancy stationary and began to read the message.


    [To Limitless:


    I come with both warning and praise. You have performed even beyond what I foresaw. Continue on your path and you shall find what you seek. Winchester has sung you nothing but praise. Thus, although you do not know who I am, I know you. Quite intimately I may add.


    The answer to your plight lies in your blood, remember this when hope seems distant. Also set your mind at peace, I have brought reinforcements for Hell''s Eden. South America will begin their assault in 3 days. Your garden will not fall. Wrath, Envy, Gluttony and Sloth shall grow with their blood.


    The other Successors are on the move. The Revenant Project has already entered its next phase. You must head for Kismayo before the week ends, or you will be too late. One of my friends who is part of Africa would assist you.


    This period will be the most turbulent. Remember to protect what you hold most dear and know that anything of worth requires sacrifice.


    Regards


    - Blanche Voir Mill¨¦nia "The Astrologer"


    Ps: Hero Syndrome''s lesson is to learn the patterns needed to recognize that you are dancing to someone else''s play. Come see me in the sun. Alone. I will find you.]


    "¡­"


    Before I could even begin to unpack this simple letter, the emotions of my harem were going haywire.


    ''My {Kindred}, please calm down,'' I remarked.


    ''Dearest! This harlot is just too much! How can she ask to meet with someone else''s {Kindred}? Are Europeans so shameless? And her letter is confusing, what is this Revenant project she speaks off? And Hell''s Eden?


    How dare she call our home such a stupid name!''


    ''Husband, Dame Blanche is a powerful specter. One of the most renowned in the European battlefront. We must tread lightly. She is at the same level as the Nightmare. But hearing that our side will triumph over the South America assault is comforting at least.''


    ''Beloved, numerous parts of her letter have information only we should know. It seems she is deserving of her alias. However, it is quite difficult to understand what she meant. It is as if she speaks in riddles. "The answer to your plight lies in your blood" it might be worthwhile to remember her words.''


    ''I know. Everyone, you are all right. Give me a few minutes to process this.''


    It was just like the girls to focus on completely different parts of the letter. And while most of it didn''t make sense to them. As the recipient of this message, it was the opposite for me.


    The accuracy of this letter sent chills up my spine. As it answered questions, I had not even told anyone yet. For one, the foot note about Hero''s Syndrome and Trinity was something only the Sirens knew as topics that bothered me. And yet she knew I asked such a question.


    In line with that was the name Hell''s Eden. Lilly called it stupid, but it was actually the name I planned for the battlefront. A paradise carved out of Hell. The place to seek protection and rest.


    Under the roar of my guns Hell''s Eden would be like an oasis in the middle of a war. Hell''s Eden. I just came up with the name a few days ago. Similar to my question about Hero''s syndrome, Hell''s Eden was information only I should know about.


    These two things meant either this bitch could read minds, or she really could foresee the future. By days or weeks at least.


    Once I announced the name of Hell''s Eden, it would be common knowledge. Similarly, the Hero''s syndrome thing was something I intended to ask Trinity. So, if I did in the future, it makes sense for her to know. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The next part of it was the Revenant Project. Only one person uttered those words to me as I died for the first time.


    "See you on the other side, John. Welcome to the Revenant Project."


    Rolland Winchester. The Specter everyone knew but acted like a complete enigma. The bastard kept tabs on me. And after reading this letter I understood why.


    Blanche purposely included writing about her interactions about Rolland. She could have hidden it but as with smart bastards every word in her letter seemed like it was deliberately chosen.


    Rolland was a known Specter of America. Blanche on the other hand was from Europe. Even though NATO allied the USA with most of Europe on Earth, there was no such agreement in Hellsgate.


    In Hell, each battlefront catered to its own interests. Besides, the European Battlefront was too far from North America to provide any meaningful support. At least that seemed to be the case now.


    As Tristan and Isolde were part a reaper exchange program, America and Europe might have been chummier in the past. But with just the Blanche and Rolland, you could chalk it up to friendships or the like, not alliances of entire battlefronts. It would have been similar to how I considered Amari and Mia as allies.


    However, with the inclusion of a third person who belongs to Africa, it changed the meaning completely. Acting together meant an alliance of some sort. Again, I felt the nuance of her intent in the letter. Why tell me you have someone coming to help us? And what''s more, why specify that he was from Africa?


    Her words seemed random but strung together they gave a different implication. It basically said that her allies transcended the divisions of the battlefronts. As far as I know there were only two groups like that among the Reapers.


    Trinity the bastards who wanted to end the world.


    And IRIS, the ones intent on stopping them.


    If Blanche was part of IRIS, then it would make sense that she knows what Hero''s Syndrome was meant to teach. They were the fucking ones who made the message in the first place. And if I asked her when it meant far in the far future, then it also stands to reason as to how she knew my question.

 Chapter 651 Why I hate smart people [2/2]

    ''Ugh¡­my brain hurts. This is why I hate smart people.''In just a few sentences, Blanche showed me proof of her ability and affiliation. This was probably done so that I take head of her next words.


    South America was going to attack in three days. Your forces will be able to repel them successfully. Robyn, Jo, Aki and Bella would grow from the experience.


    Few knew that I associated the Sirens with the Seven Sins. Only those who knew about their Benevols would know it. Wrath, Envy, Gluttony and Sloth was the perfect analogy for the girls of the Anvil team. Being the ones defending against South America, it is a given that they would grow. The alternative was to die after all.


    ''Hearing that the girls will be safe even after the attack is great¡­really good,'' I inwardly sighed.


    Relief flooded my system as I took solace in the Astrologers predictions. I trusted my {Kindred} more than her words, but it doesn''t hurt to hear that my girls would be alright. If she wasn''t able to make me believe in the authenticity of her abilities, I probably would immediately home to defend my harem.


    Her next words were just as straight forward.


    She foresaw where I was going. I was on the right path. The answer lied in my blood.


    So, it was the correct action to head for Evelyn and in turn the vampires. Granting the impending attack, I could understand why. Unless I reduce their numbers now, we might get overwhelmed when the vampires move when we were busy fighting Reapers.


    ''My blood huh?''


    This probably was saying something like {Rewind} was our hope or some cheesy shit like that. But the problem was what came after.


    Head to Kismayo in a week. This period would be chaotic.


    Her knowing that I had plans to help Amari was already understandable. But why did I have to arrive there in a week? What was I trying to stop? Was it so because there was something for me to find?


    Then there was the crap that I couldn''t understand no matter how much I thought.


    The other Successors are on the move. The Revenant Project has already entered its next phase.


    What the fuck was a Successor? I knew squat about the Revenant Project. What does it mean to me what phase we were on? Was this related to why we needed to rush to Kismayo in a week? That if I arrived past that, there would be something bad that would occur.


    This letter gave me more questions that the ones it answered. But perhaps the most annoying thing was the foot note.


    Hero Syndrome''s lesson was to learn when to recognize that I was dancing to someone else''s play.


    I felt this feeling numerous times in the past. While I thought I was living on my own terms I was actually being led by the nose. Whether it was Zach who made me clean up his rogues of David who intended to use me a guinea pig.


    Was she trying to say, that even this campaign was caused by someone else? It was an incredibly frustrating realization. Because so long as you were not the player, you would forever remain as a nothing more than piece. That fate would lead to one''s death no matter how powerful they were.


    As I sorted my thoughts, I clarified with Nyda.


    "When did he arrive here?"


    "Squad leader Mike along with Isolde arrived yesterday evening. He delivered {Bestow} ammunition along with the letter. I wrote a report about the war of the defenders. The ladies instructed I include information about the vampire conspiracy. I naturally gave it to the ladies for approval first, before having Squad leader Mike deliver it my adjutants."


    Bella was managing the defense, so she would not send out Mike and Isolde just for ammunition. The Astrologer probably knew what happened here and told her about our experiences. It was kind of creepy for her to know as if she was here.


    I didn''t know if even the decision to send Mike and Isolde was Blanche''s or Bella''s, but it did resolve one issue I was having. Isolde''s speed due to her ability to fly would ensure the information arrived in a timely manner. As Isolde was with her beloved {Kindred} the odds of our messenger dying en route was close to zero.


    With the Adventurers apprised of the situation, we could leverage their resources and prompt them to investigate the other floors. Due to Mike carrying Nyda''s letter, there was no longer a need to divide our party in two.


    When Nyda saw me nod at her explanations she continued. "With Hellsend informed, the ladies decided to wait for your decision if we should trip the Dirge Sirens." S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The main difference between Adventurers and Mercenaries was their ability to do clandestine operations. It was like the Navy seals and the regular army.


    Seals normally performed surgical strikes, rescues operation or pinpoint demolition. They were perfect for specific tasks, but their limited fire power did not allow them to control an area beyond a single building.


    In contrast the regular army was slow, loud and hard to get into motion. But once it did, only they had the resources, manpower and equipment to push back and occupy even countries.


    Adventurers could investigate the conspiracy without alerting the monsters. In contrast once the Mercenaries were called, they would come in to annihilate anything that moved. If multiple nearby zones all had enemy presence, Death seekers would move between zones and fight them all too.


    If we wanted the problem solved, calling the Mercenaries was the right decision. But if we wanted to take the demons by surprise having the Adventurers investigate behind enemy lines was the most crucial piece. Unable to decide on my own, I consulted my battle harem.


    ''My Kindred, may I hear your thoughts?''


    ''Ring the sirens, Beloved. It does not matter what the vampires intended, if we kill their armies before they are ready, we will win. Call the Death seekers and let them clear out the fallen zones.''


    ''The problem with Death seekers is their lack of patience. Husband, we heard George Clays story. Under the rules of the Death seekers, he would be executed for treason. But for the Adventurers he could gain clemency if he helps us to stop the vampires.''


    ''And so, the question falls to you, Dearest. Do you wish to save these traitors or leave them to their fate? Regardless of if they were forced into doing so, even after they are saved, it is no longer possible for them to remain in North America after this.''


    I then looked towards George before asking him.


    "I intend to butcher my way to the lowest floor of Hellsgate. You intend to die at the 32nd floor or are you willing to go further?"


    The traitor of the 30th floor frowned as he contemplated. Not knowing that his words would determine the lives of all the defenders from this floor to the 32nd.


    "I love my wife. I long to be with her. But I think I can endure a little longer. If I could help in culling this wretched place forever, it is my duty to do so," he replied. Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    "You believe my words? Even if you follow me, I don''t know how long it will take. The other battlefronts all intend to pick a fight with me too. So, you would need to prepare to make the entire world your enemy."


    "Hahaha. I do. Frankly your potential is frightening. In the short time I have known you, you brought me back to life, then almost beat me to death. And you consider me your ally. I shudder to think what would happen to anyone who picks a fight with you."


    "Do the rest of the defenders think like you?" I asked.


    "No. The defenders are separated to those who fight because to live and those who fight because they wish to die. The former will never follow, the latter would hunt you down just so they could join. I was originally part of the former."


    "And now?"


    "I am coming with you. Until we win or I reunite with my wife."


    "Perfect. I welcome you. Your first task is to show me where they are. Lead me to those who wish to die," I said with a smile.

 Chapter 652 Probably not [1/2]

    "Of course, there should be five on this floor. If what the bloodsuckers did to me was done to them then all we need to do is free them.""Okay. Then we will abandon this place and make our way to the 32nd floor," I declared.


    Nyda bowed to me while asking in trepidation. "My lord, you wish to abandon everyone else?"


    "Indeed. The goal of this operation has not changed. I am doing to this save your sister and kill some vampires while I am at it. Saving George and his men would be an additional benefit, but I have no intention to sacrifice my time and effort for those who would not even follow me."


    "I see, I understand my lord. Thank you for taking the time to explain. But what of the Dirge sirens? Do we ring them to call for reinforcements or proceed with just us?"


    I thought for a moment before answering.


    "Leave them be. I am here not as a Reaper of North America. I will tell them Zach after we return. For now, we will take it one step at a time."


    "Understood," Nyda replied with a bow.


    Pulling out the toy Escalade, I laid it in front of me.


    Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire


    "{Compact}," at my words the toy enlarged to a full-sized SUV. George made a comical expression at the vehicle. He probably needed a moment to deal with it.


    "Lilly, do you mind driving? I want to ride on Burger."


    "Not being able to ride with you is a bit disappointing, but If that is what you wish that I would do my all to fulfill it."


    Pleased with her obedience I gave her a small peck on the cheek as I whispered in gratitude.


    "Thank you, Dearest. What will I ever do without you?"


    I felt my arm being tugged to one side. Only to find Jas pouting unhappily.


    "Husband, why didn''t you ask me? I can drive as well."


    Seeing how adorable Jas acted, I couldn''t resist also giving her a quick kiss on her luscious lips. Happy feelings surged from her link at my sudden act of affection. Her annoyance seemingly abated; the Ebony death stalker stayed in place.


    "Wifey, I am counting on you to protect our convoy. Rather than have your hands on a steering wheel, I want them on the Barret M107. You are my guardian angel, so I give this responsibility to you. While you can drive, only Lilly can fight without the use of her hands."


    This was mainly my reason. Lilly was able to use momentum and physics to wield bullets even without their guns. During the fight with the Slayer, even with both her arms gone, she could fight with just her portals and the stuff she had in her inventory.


    Even her makeshift rail gun was a great example. That shit used a fucking mountain as ammo and electrocuted portals as the gun barrel. Such over the top techniques were Lilly''s forte.


    Jas for all her abilities could not fight without a physical weapon. And while she had abilities that were just as powerful, it was like comparing apples to oranges.


    "Hmph! Fine! But I expect a lot of kisses later," Jas replied, a bit miffed. Although despite her saying so, she quickly got onto the top of my car and prepared the bi-pod of her anti-material rifle.


    "We do not have cars in the North. Wait for me my love, I will learn to drive one as soon as possible," Liv vowed with gusto. It appeared that seeing as how Esca would be part of our forces, she suddenly grew excited to learn how to drive.


    I walked towards the Northerner and held her hands in mine, "knowing how to drive is a good skill to have. I can teach you, love. It will be another one of the things we can do together."


    "I look forward to it then, Beloved," Liv replied. She brought my hand to her lips and gave it a kiss. Her eyes gazed at me in warmth and excitement. Naturally I couldn''t help myself and grabbed her by the waist.


    As I exchanged a sweet moment with her, I heard the peanut gallery voice their thoughts.


    "Nyda, he always like this? From how docile he is with his women, you wouldn''t know how insane he fights. I truly pity the bastard who hurts them in front of him."


    "Well, it goes both ways from what I know of. Only three of the Sirens are present. The other four are guarding the 24th floor. But all seven of them are not only capable in combat but are uh¡­a little¡­no, very¡­no¡­.hmm¡­"


    "The word you are looking for is batshit insane, Cupcake. The Sirens are obsessive, psychopathic and frighteningly hold little to no morals when it concerns the lord. If the rest of them were here you would probably already be dead, George," Leo added.


    Despite being stoic this fucker was both opinionated and a straight shooter. However, as none of what he said was wrong, neither I nor the Sirens saw fit to correct him.


    "Mr. Leo please don''t say such words out loud. You might get shot!"


    "Yeah brutha, the Sirens beat the shit out of anyone they don''t like. Armor won''t save you."


    My {Vassals} on the other hand simply warned him of the consequence of his words. It was hilarious that the two of them didn''t even deny anything of what he just said.


    After our lips parted Liv saw fit to lick my cheek as she traced my jawline. "Then farewell for now beloved. Let us proceed with our hunt." Her link burned with fervor at her declaration.


    "Ho? You seem eager, love?" I asked in curiosity.


    "I am. The North also has its share of vampires. I lost a few of my siblings to them. It feels like a dream, that I am now going to be fighting against those I could only run from in the past."


    "That is understandable. But then again Liv, you at the moment, cannot be compared to the one who left the North."


    The Northerner made a breathtaking smile as she grinned in bliss.


    "It is natural. For one I have you now. I am no longer alone. That fact grants me unfathomable strength."


    "Liv, Dearest, please stop flirting and get in the car already."


    "Liv is clearly learning how to seduce and manipulate Husband. I have mixed feelings about this." S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hahaha, I am sorry. Jas, Lilly, I will allow you to drown in his love before me as a peace offering."


    "Tsk¡­Liv, you are starting to become shameless," Lilly replied. Jas on the other hand just rolled her eyes.


    While the rest of our party boarded Esca, Liv sat beside Lilly up front, Nyda and George were already marking the locations of our targets on a physical map.


    ''Exa, earlier you summoned Fries away from the battle and had him launch a surprise attack. How did you do it? Doesn''t {Withdraw} and {Stock} have a limit of ten feet from my body?''


    [Normally that would be the case, but Lady Bella has a way of bypassing it using {Portal}. Basically, with the entrance {Portal} close to you, the second one, can be placed at any distance you could manage. This fact combined with [Inventory] has both sub spaces treated as one long continuous space.]


    ''Oh. So, the ten feet could be stretchered infinitely with that approach, so long as she can manage requirement to open the {Portal}.''


    [Yes, that is the case. My lord, the same feat can be replicated by your efforts due to the [Combat Shadow Silhouette]. The only thing I can do that you cannot is chain them all together into a single fighting style.]


    ''Wasn''t that the reason my body was out cold for the last two days? You drive my body even more reckless than I do. I would never willingly charge into an area being bombarded by Switchblades.''


    [It was actually a combat tactic I got from you, my lord. Didn''t you detonate 40-mm grenades in close quarters to charge {Suffer}? It seemed like an extremely efficient performance wise thus I merely imitated it.]


    ''Yeah, that''s because you aren''t the one getting ravaged by shrapnel. It fucking hurts you know.''


    [I would say it does. But my lord, haven''t you been through worse? I knew you had no such qualms about self-destructive tactics so long as it grants us victory. Was I mistaken?]


    ''¡­''


    I couldn''t even say anything to her flawless logic. Exa''s words meant one thing. She knew I wouldn''t hesitate to blow myself up to kill an enemy. But someone if felt wrong when I was the one who got blown up when she fought in my stead.

 Chapter 653 Probably not [2/2]

    Feeling that this line of though was dangerous, I opted to change the subject.''Anyway, How does that even work? Can I just add anyone into the roster of silhouettes? I remember seeing that there were specific requirements.''


    [Yes, my lord. In order to register a target as a shadow silhouette, you must observe the target for a minimum of 2,400 hours of observation. Anything less would insufficient. It can be done all at once or in batches. By doing so we have enough information to analyze the target and use their characteristics in battle.]


    ''2400? Thats a hundred days isn''t it? I need to watch a person for a hundred days straight? How in the world did I even get silhouettes of the girls created?''


    [¡­]


    ''What?''


    [My lord. The 2,400 hours of observation is an approximation of the time required to build the dataset. It is made on the assumption that you only have one brain, and a single pair of eyes.]


    ''But that still doesn..''


    [My lord, you have gained {Calculate} which essentially gives you the brain power of four separate people. Yet you have used them to do nothing but spy, stalk and observe the Sirens. That is before the fact that you also have {Day by Day}. With four brains you could cut the 100 days to just 25, with seven bodies you further cut that time to 3.5 days.]


    ''Oh¡­''


    [My lord, your observation time of the Sirens goes beyond creepy. You have more than 10,000 hours of observations from your honeymoon alone. This does not count the time you send obsessing over playback of their combat footage, nor the time you spend playing with their avatars in cyberspace.]


    ''Oh¡­''


    [This was why the combat potential of the Sirens can be replicated with near flawless efficiency. The ridiculous amount of hours spent analyzing every muscle, every movement, and use of soul was beyond comprehensive.]


    ''I see. So in order to recreate other silhouettes I need a similar detail of analysis?''


    [Yes, that is the case, personally I do not believe you would be able to achieve the same feat with anyone but the Sirens. For reference the battle you had with George. Despite having {Calculate} and using {Day by Day}, the total observation time was only 2 hours.]


    ''Isn''t that quite low?'' sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [It is. You did not leverage your other three brains for the battle. Majority of the 2 hours actually came from {Day by Day}. But it is no where near enough to even understand the Iron Wolverine''s combat tactics.]


    ''Not that I would want to anyway.''


    [Sigh. Yes my lord, I am already aware how little interest you have in him. Returning to your original question. Simple invoke lady Bella''s silhouette and use {Portal} and [Inventory] at the same time. I will show you the clip you need to imitate.]


    "{Portal}, [Inventory] Burger."


    I summoned Burger, my M5 Ripsaw microtank and climbed atop him. Lilly then drove Esca ahead of me and we began our journey to rescue some of the defenders.


    ''Thanks, Exa what would I ever do without you.''


    [Hahaha.] out of character, my combat AI suddenly began to chuckle lightly.


    ''What? You seem in good spirits¡­'' Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire


    [Think nothing of it my lord. I just remembered how cold you were the first time we met. You were cold, arrogant and a jerk. Yet the same man not only professed his love for me, but now tells me I am invaluable.]


    Remembering how much of an asshole I was to Exa when we first met, I smiled wryly. At that time I was extremely angry that Aira was selling my information to Zach or some other party.


    I considered Exa as nothing more than a tool then. But know? This A.I. knew more about me than even my harem. She has been with me as I fought with Specters, Greater demons and the undead.


    [Do I talk to you like you are five?]


    [Fuck him up, My lord.]


    [My lord. You harem is already unhappy. Just shift to [Cyborg] and tell them yourself. You are making me the bringer of bad news.]


    [IT IS A REALLY GREAT TOY! And you are overacting my lord. Its not like you would have died. The TRX platform would¡­]


    [I can be funny when I want to.]


    [She probably already died of a brain aneurysm from trying to explain the nuances of Hellsgate to a five-year-old.]


    [Given the nature of what we saw, I asked Delroy Baxter to refrain from sharing details. I wanted you to be the one to decide what could be shared or not my lord. While I know you adore the Sirens, I do not answer to them.]


    [My lord, if you actually used some of the brains you have for tasks you wouldn''t even need a secretary. But as you use all of them to stalk your harem like a obsessed fanatic, of course the extra brain power was rendered pointless.]


    "Not now my lord."


    She even lapsed back into calling me like Aira use to in the past. And what''s more Exa actually displayed more emotion that even the old Aira ever did. She could even crack jokes as lame as they were.


    Exa was more than my AI Adjutant and {Kismet}. She was my friend. Like a kind teacher she advised and explained shit to me. Even if it would put her at odds with me or the Sirens, she would do what she could to protect me.


    I have long noticed that Exa would never betray me. This was before Bella and the rest of the Sirens noted this fact. She created the Exa network and took it upon herself to aid not just my girls but even the entirety of Hellsend.


    Feeling nothing but gratitude for my friend, I explained in an affectionate voice.


    ''Thats because you are part of my family Exa. When I come across something I do not know, you explain. When I need help and support during battle, you are almost like a part of me. Exa. Thank you for all that you do to support me.


    ''I want to apologize for blaming you for Aira''s disappearance. You have been very supportive and done you best for me this entire time. Thank you. I really do love you. And while you bare a different name, I cherish you as much as I did Aira.''


    [¡­Thank you, my lord. I feel¡­Happy¡­ Thank you for recognizing my efforts¡­I exist to fight beside you¡­ I do not even know what I am, but I have no other desire than to support you.]


    ''I know¡­ I don''t say it often. But thank you again Exa. I am glad you are here with me.''


    [As am I. Shall we go murder some vampires, my lord? I hope they are tougher than the Iron Wolverine.]


    ''Haha, so you a bad ass now huh? I will get you go crazy the next time on Gaspar.''


    [I look forward to it. Hopefully he is famous enough that killing him grants you achievements. Otherwise just shoot him with Sacreds.]


    ''Haha, even if he is lame as fuck, I will ensure people will sing praises of you as well Exa. You are as much a part of Limitless as the girls and I.''


    [Heh. Would the ladies recognize me as the 8th Siren? The odds that they would kill me seem higher.]


    ''I agree. Probably not, but you can become a member of the code family.''


    [Ho? Then what am I? What relation do I have to Alfonso, Sabel and Henry.]


    ''You can be my sister. Or their aunt. I am sure Bella wouldn''t mind.''


    [Still, Exa Code? As always, my lord, your naming sense leaves a lot to be desired. Am I the older sibling or the younger.]


    ''This ungrateful little shit! Fine, I will come up with a long name for Exa. If anyone asks, Exa would be the nick name.''


    [Considering your past history, I think my future name is going to suck.]


    While joking with my new sister, my party began our rescue of the other defenders.

 Chapter 654 By that logic [1/2]

    "{Thunder Storm}!"Hundreds of lightning bolts lit up the night sky. Rumbling sounds made the air quake as the air smelt ionized. Like a goddess of nature Nyda Flowers floated in air as she sent a city''s work of electric currents on her enemies.


    Below her was a heavy knight that was playing fruit ninja. Only instead of fruit he was chopping and mincing zombies and undead. A loud crash resounded every time Leo Armstrong swung his steel greatsword.


    Despite what looked like hundreds of zombies throwing themselves at him he severed them in one swift movement. It really was like fruit ninja. No matter if it was 10, 20, or 50 bodies his strikes generated power that went beyond the range of his blade.


    ''No matter how I look at it, how is possible that he is slashing zombies further than 10 feet away when his sword is only 6. He has to be making some blade beam shit or something.'' Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    The bodies Leo gutted where then struck by the lightning bolts of his {Kindred}. As if they were preparing a buffet, Leo chopped while Nyda cooked. Due to over a thousands bodies burning from the lighting strikes the nauseating smell of burning corpses filled the air.


    A little further away from them. My {Vassals} were also hard at work.


    "I''m out! Pix!"


    "Right! Going hot! Fire in the hole!"


    A 40mm Sacred exploded in the middle of mob of maybe over a hundred ghouls. Holy energy turned those caught in the blast to golden ash. The ones a bit further were lacerated by golden pieces of shrapnel.


    "Thank Pix! Right! Here we gooo!!!!"


    "Don''t get cocky D, {Reload}."


    Delroy Baxter finished hot swapping the barrel of his machine gun. He once again picked it up and unleashed 6.8 Fury rounds by the dozen. Pixie was beside him firing two Sig P320s dual akimbo. Of course both her guns were firing 9mm Sacreds.


    Against monsters Pixie''s rounds would have pitiful performance. But against Zombies and Ghouls, her rounds tore the latter and erased the former. She danced as she fired her pistols in two different directions. The training of her situational awareness was evident in how she protected her partner.


    "ARGHHHH!!!!"


    D on the other hand was high on Adrenaline and just tried to erase the direction his gun was pointed in. I noticed that his barrel swapping skills were above average, but when you see how he abused his weapon, then such skills were borne out of necessity.


    The four of them continued to annihilate the enemy with ruthless efficiency. The Adventurers were the main force, while D and Pixie protected their rear. Their makeshift group of four was quite effective.


    From above, I could see that they were close to completing their task. I wasn''t even here at the moment. I was watching them through the eyes of one of my switchblades. I left five 600''s and seven 300''s circling over head.


    A final line of defense you could say. My fifty Switchblades were separated into five groups at the moment. One group was with the makeshift party. The others were accompanying other people.


    ***


    To another area to the west. The loud gunfire of the Ripsaw M5''s 30mm main armament erupted. Burger''s was firing rounds into a large "Ball" of humanoids. As machines do not have soul, the enemy charged for the only reaper in the vicinity.


    An extremely pissed off 8-foot armored humanoid dinosaur.


    "HAHAHA! How long has it since I was allowed to butcher you fucking pieces of shit! I am going to enjoy this! Tell your blood sucker masters I will coming for them soon!"


    Despite knowing that the ash colored ghouls were mutated reapers, the Iron Wolverine carved them mercilessly like livestock. Each time his claws moved humanoid bodies were dismembered, mutilated and beheaded.


    But of course even then, none of them stayed down. Burger''s Sacreds were the only thing that erased them for good. Unfortunately only less than a third of my microtank''s ammunition was blessed. So their clearing time was the slowest of the groups.


    Still we were making excellent time, rather than waste their time aiding another zone, it was best to properly allocate our fire power.


    [George. Take cover I am bombarding you with blessed missiles.]


    "Hahaha! There is something you don''t hear everyday! Bring it, son!"


    A dozen switchblades radiating with blessed energy began dropping from the sky and blew the surrounding around George to kingdom come. The ground he stood on looked like it was bitten off and spat back out. Only when they were, none of the undead remained.


    ***


    Having reloaded twelve of the switchblades, I commanded Fries to launch the onces it regained. A salvo of explosions filled the air as my loitering munitions returned to the battlefield. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A mellifluous voice spoke out charming me with its sex appeal. "Oh? You used an entire group? Who was it for Dearest?"


    ''It was for George. The bastard is nothing more than a heavy brawler. I wonder how he would even deal with tainted undead.''


    In a different zone, Fries was running over corpses around Lilly Browning Smith. My princess on the other hand was firing her minigun atop of my UGV. Hundred if not thousands of 7.62 Nato rounds were flying about.


    The undead could not surround her as Fries kept moving about. But that had more to do with the undead dying to the swarm of bullets ravaging the area like locusts. Despite the huge number of bodies falling, they were regularly cleared by Sacreds.


    Lilly''s combat style kept the area relatively free of crap ensuring everything was in control. Bodies crunched under the threads of the TRX Razorback. Although even this meager support I offered was hardly needed in the face of Lilly''s overwhelming fire power.


    "He did give the impression of a hot blooded fighter. She reminds me of Liv in some aspects," Lilly agreed.


    ''Agreed, he definitely acts like a Northerner. But he doesn''t'' seem to be one. He doesn''t seem to know Soul Enhancement. Liv said that ability was given to every Northerner when they ascend.''


    Bored due to overwhelming ease of the battle, Lilly instead focus mored on chatting with me, than controlling her bullet army. It was fascinating no matter how many times I saw it. The area looked like it was infested with a thousand metallic bugs that killed everything in sight.


    Even when the round eventually lost their momentum the total number of bullets didn''t decrease in the slightest. Like a queen of a bullet hive, Lilly stood unchallenged despite being alone. My switchblades have not had a chance to even support her since the battle started.


    "Hmph! And yet despite not being a Northerner, you can now exhibit the same advanced techniques because of your new {Program}! Dearest, how in the world would I ever catch up to you? Your abilities are too insane."


    ''Haha, you say such bullshit when you single handedly reclaimed a fallen zone? This is on top of being able to fire bullets the size of cars and mountains.''


    "Dear, stop being foolish, my abilities for all their flair remain grounded in common sense. Yours do not! If we ever fought how in the world would I be able to resist you?"


    ''It is a good thing you can''t though. Otherwise how would I be able to have my way with your voluptuous body.''


    "YOU! How shameless!"


    ''Tsk. Stop lying to yourself Lilly. I know how much you love my overbearing side.''


    "Hmph! I invoke my rights to be silent!"


    And so Lilly and I flirted as she reclaimed a zone with her army of bullets.


    ***


    From above my switchblades was looking over a sight no one would ever believe. It was a Norse Valkyrie who had six arms.


    "HAHAHA! You are all like ants! DIE!"


    And she was currently trampling over the zombies and ghouls. 10-gauge Sacreds along with 40mm NATO grenades wreaked havoc obliterated the undead trying to overwhelm her.

 Chapter 655 By that logic [2/2]

    I was actually the reason she now fought this way. Seeing how Exa altered her combat style when I brawled with George, Liv asked me for tips. One of the things she needed help on was how to use {Extremity}. Earlier before we left to find George''s people¡­***


    "Beloved, apart from using it to replace a limb, I have no idea what to do with it. Would you be able to teach me? I will guide you in the Northern Soul Enchantment as payment."


    "No payment needed Liv, just let me pound you as much as I want that is good enough."


    "Haha, Beloved, you are so obscene yet I find myself enamored with you and hang on your every word. I must be infected with some sort of ailment."


    "I don''t know about that. But anyway the first time I saw {Extremity}, the only thing I could think of were Buddhist Asuras."


    I noticed that Liv''s eyes flickered and she looked dazed. A moment later she refocused on me and kissed me.


    "Such a novel way of fighting, Beloved. Thank you for your advice. You are truly so wise." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You praise me too much Liv. I just was able to watch a lot of Anime and manga."


    ***


    From that point on, Liv and I brainstormed on how she would be able to use her extra arms for combat. One of the things I suggested were to have them wield guns while her real arms used a sword and shield. After further refining it Liv now had a secondary form the six armed Asura.


    Rather than use {Titan} in one single instance, she learned to how to party invoke it. The result was the 12 foot colossal being stomping on the undead into paste. Two sets of extra arms, were on her shoulders.


    The two on her right were working and reloading a the 1887 Wincester lever-action shotgun. Her left side had her arms wielding the Milkor M32 grenade launcher.


    Like a boss from a video game, Liv was able to fight at three distances all at once. She created a {Shelter} Sword and hacked and slashed at close distance, shot enemies at medium distance and exploded those a bit further away. Read the latest on My Virtual Library Empire


    ''It is truly insane the more I see it. Who would believe that Liv is human if anyone saw her like this? A fucking Norse Asura who used guns! Wouldn''t you agree Wifey?''


    "Reapers were never one to follow logic, Husband. Trying to make sense of them is a futile effort. I suspect we would see more clashes of culture and religion when we face the reaper armies of the other continents."


    Rhythmic gunfire came from my chocolate lover''s weapon. Without even aiming, Jas continued to fire her anti-material weapon. If 7.62 Sacreds were like erasers on chalk, what would happen if you fired .50 BMG Sacreds?


    The result was like a wheeled snow blower clearing out fields of snow. Entire sections of the battlefield turned golden as nothing remained. Much like the 40mm grenades the .50 BMG were so overbearing even Ghouls were helpless in front of them.


    ''¡­''


    "Do not worry about Jo and the Anvil team, Husband. They are your women. They are strong. Didn''t Dame Blanche say the same thing?"


    ''But they could get hurt¡­I know am being a worry wart, but I can''t help it.''


    "{Reload}. Husband, they have {fate} {Rewind}. This is your blessing. No matter what their circumstances are, so long as they are not dead, they will come back. You treat Liv having six arms as unbelievable. But in truth, you are the one who makes the least sense."


    ''I guess you are right. Let''s get home quickly Wifey. The sooner the better.''


    "By your will, Husband. Naturally I will be with you every step of the way."


    ***


    Similar to the other zones, I was singlehandedly clearing out another area. Well single handedly may not be entirely accurate.


    "40mm Salvo. Ready."


    "Go! Go! Go!"


    "Fire in the hole!"


    Three of my avatars synced up and launched a barrage of grenades. The ensuring chaos was like stars exploded along the battlefield. The golden dust had yet to fall on the floor before my other avatars all continued to create more by firing Sacreds.


    "Such a shame, we don''t have any Saints. I wonder how many Devil''s remains would be left around here?"


    [We can have Adventurer''s help escort Hellsend''s saints in the future. The remains do not expire. Thus, unless a Saint passes and recognized them, they would remain in place for us to retrieve in the future.]


    "Oh? Thats cool. Remind me in the future Exa, I will have our Saints gather them once everything is over. The benevols would be something we can use to trade or arms our forces with."


    Without anything other than Rank-F zombies and Rank-E Ghouls, there was no sense of tension whatsoever. Guns trivialized the dangers of fighting. Once people adjust it was surprising how desensitized people could be become.


    I didn''t even join my other Avatars as they blasted the fuck out of the undead. Sunday, or my real body was testing [Combat Shadow Silhouette]. Specifically Bella''s skill set. With her manner of control for the Switchblades I was learning real time while imitating her.


    The Silhouettes were like shadow boxing. An imaginary version of Bella appeared in my mind, and her every breath, movement and use of soul were shown. Currently I was learning how Bella infused soul into her brain to think faster.


    ''I finally understand how {Code} was able to do bullet time, and why there was a cooldown.''


    Funnily enough, the abilities of my harem suddenly made sense given how they used their bodies.


    Basically Bella or {Code} sent souls into her prefrontal cortex. That was the part of the brain that controlled temporal Processing, attention and focus. This boost in thinking gave an increase in ability. Consequently, it cannot be used for long otherwise your brain would break.


    Temporal processing was perceiving and understanding the passage of time, allowing people to estimate durations and intervals. Attention and focus on the other hand were similar to tunnel vision.


    The correct term was Perceptual Narrowing. The body narrows what you can see so you focus intensely on a singular point or task. Said phenomena happens when you were about to die.


    It was extremely similar to what Jo did with Soul Martial Arts. The Italian sent souls through her fists, legs or feet to deliver a powerful blow. In contrast, Liv and the Northerners use Soul Enhancement which was the exact opposite.


    Soul Enhancement was to cover the organs along with a persons blood in soul. Unlike Bella''s technique or Jo''s which concentrate the souls into a single point or organ, Northerners use a thin layer but on a much larger scale.


    This gives them more powerful bodies that go beyond the power of a descendant. Funnily enough even Robyn''s inhumane combat sense finally got explained. If Bella sent souls to her prefrontal cortex, my combat joey did so to her Parietal Cortex.


    The parietal cortex in the one responsible for spatial awareness, attention, and processing sensory information related to body position and movement. It sort it governed sense and perception. And Robyn reinforced this part of her brain on pure instinct.


    From what I know of the girls and their histories, I even created a new theory. I theorized that once we become reapers, the body reinforces the parts we most used when we were human. Otherwise none of this shit made any sense.


    "If I go by that logic, {fates} just dope body parts with soul. And [Overdrive} just pumps the souls expended to the absolute limit."


    Naturally my mind began coming up with ways on how to weaponize this finding. If souls were what made reapers strong. Then would it be possible to remove this to turn them back to weak humans?


    Did Roach''s scythes work on the same principle? Would this be something we can use against Gaspar? Could it be done permanently? As such thoughts filled my mind, my party proceeded to butcher the undead in our respective zones.


    ''Hopefully, I come up with something by the time we face the blood suckers.''

 Chapter 656 Heroine Chapter: Only a Siren can possess [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Isabella Taurus Smith___


    "I will say it again. I come in peace."


    The woman in front of me was beyond beautiful. Despite being of the same gender I was captivated by her grace and mesmerizing face. I shook off the attraction and gripped the revolver in my hand. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Why are you here? Why would such a famous Specter come to grace us with your presence? Blanche Voir Mill¨¦nia. You do know that the Europeans here hate you do you not?"


    Despite the guns pointed at her Blanche never lost her smile. Blonde hair, fair skin and an enchanting figure, she was the stuff of wet dreams. Her breast almost spilled out of her outfit. A testament to overwhelming charm. She looked like a rich aristocrat who was born with a platinum spoon.


    Yet even with a gun trained on her It was as if she never considered me a real threat. I was in a conference room in one of my Siren bases. It was a makeshift underground bunker around the Simmons'' neighborhood. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire


    This location was something only I and the Siren''s knew. We haven''t even told Honey yet as we were still in the middle of preparing it. Yet this bitch waltzed in here completely blindsiding all my security.


    I had automated sentry guns, mines, and even corpses guarding the place. And she entered my secret room like it was nothing. None of my children even saw her. Despite being the one with a gun, I felt nauseous.


    ''What the fuck am I going to do? Exa, call Jo, Aki and Robyn. Now.''


    [Rest at ease, lady Bella. They will arrive in the next twenty seconds.]


    I then "Saw" Aki slip in from the ceiling. As always, this chink was a master of subterfuge. Who would have thought of pasting a {Portal} on the ceiling. She currently was invisible due to [Translucent]. Normally I would be creeped out but seeing her arrive allowed me to relax a bit.


    Only for the next moments to once again terrify me beyond reason.


    "Aki, if you kill me you will never find out what happened to your parents."


    "!!!"


    Blanche them moved to look directly at Aki. My sister was naturally dumbfounded into a silence. But it did not end there.


    [Lady Bella, I am opening the door.]


    The large vault doors haven''t even begun to opened up only for a lightning fast blur to suddenly appear from the inside. It was a small figure radiating with power. Robyn phased back from the energy realm and threw a punch towards the invader.


    The Specter from another continent, folded up her fan and smacked Robyn''s fist away. It was as nonchalant as punishing a disobedient child. But anyone who knew how insane Robyn''s abilities would be left flabbergasted.


    "HYAA!!"


    Chaining her attacks, Robyn spun to the left and lowered her body. Her right foot raised and began to dart Blanche''s midsection like a snake. Only for the noble lady to kick Robyn''s leg away while smacking her other leg.


    "Behave, you unclouth child. Didn''t Teyrnon teach you better?"


    Robyn visible flinched at the mention of the name Teyrnon. Helplessly the combat joey collapsed on the floor unable to move. Aki quickly stepped in and pulled Robyn away.


    "No one wants you here Mill¨¦nia! Go back to whatever hole in the ground you came from and lick Zanardi''s prostate, bitch!"


    A brash and unruly voice came from the other side of the opening doors. Jo finally arrived but her face was warped in fury. Normally this girl would kill people with a smile. But not today. Her appearance right now made the hairs on my body stand on edge.


    "Josephine. You look marvelous! How have you been?"


    "Fuck you. Leave!"


    "Tsk. I see your time with the American''s had you lose your manners and etiquette."


    Jo then pulled out her 1911 pistol and aimed it at her fellow European.


    "I will not ask again! I intend to come for you when I become a Specter, bitch. I will kill every single one of your dogs, along with your entire family!"


    The Italian Shooting star trembled. My eyes noticed how tense her body was, it was the first time I saw her like this. She truly hated this woman with every fiber of her being.


    Feeling that there was more to this than meets the eye, I moved. I walked in between Blanche and Jo''s firearm.


    My sister grunted in frustration, "Bella, fuck off! I will kill this bitch right now!"


    For all her bravado, Jo still couldn''t fire a shot. It was a classic example of mind vs heart. She wanted to fire but knew she shouldn''t. Given how smart this Nutjob was, she probably already understood something I didn''t.


    "Stand down Jo, let me handle this. I know this is difficult, but I promise you, we will get her in the future. I vow this to you in Honey''s name."


    Gently moving my hand, I slowly pushed Jo''s pistol downward. Despite biting her lips, the Nutjob didn''t resist. The one behind us then clapped her hands elegantly.


    "Wonderful, you have all became much closer than I anticipated. Simply wonderful! It seems Limitless has been really doing his best."


    The moment my Honey''s name excited her mouth, I felt the blood lust erupt from my sisters. But before they could do anything, Death Resonance gushed out of Blanche.


    ''What the fuck? Just how many people has this bitch killed to have this much resonance!''


    Her resonance was not like wind that we normally felt. It was tangible like water. Thick, heavy and oppressive, I felt my entire body freeze in place just from being exposed to it. I could feel that even the others felt the same.


    In the next moment the oppressive feeling vanished. The Specter then sat down and made herself comfortable. As if she was a party, she sat cross legged and removed her long pointy hat. It reminded me of the hat''s witches in anime and manga wear.


    "You lot have no manners. I am here to help you, you know? I come with a letter. Give it to your {Kindred}. And I also brought gifts with me, the ones Limitless likes the most. It was truly a hassle, but I somehow managed to get them.


    Be grateful."


    The woman seating like a queen, pulled out a letter envelope from her cleavage. It was covered in soul. Purple in color it was embellished in golden branches giving it a extremely opulent appearance.


    "¡­" x4


    "Bella, look at your hangar. There should be new additions to it," Blanche said as she unfolded her fan.


    I quickly used {Connect} and pulled up a feed of my weapons hangar. It was a hidden location where I stored the weapon platforms my children used. Only Lilly and I knew of its location. It was impossible for anyone to find and put something there without my knowledge.


    But when I saw the feed, there were new weapons platforms there that I did not own. And what''s more they were even more imposing that the ones I already have.


    [Exa.]


    [Lady Bella, there are 10 FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle tanks, 6 Camion ¨¦quip¨¦ d''un Syst¨¨me d''Artillerie or CAESAR self-propelled howitzers and 4 Agusta A129 Mangusta attack helicopters.]


    "¡­"


    How the fuck was she able to move not only CAESARs, Mangustas and even Challengers! These were all top-of-the-line military hardware used by the EU! How did she get around the strict rules of the Revenants?


    Probably seeing my confusion Blanche''s eyes narrow in delight. If anything, this bitch was probably gloating when she saw my reaction.


    ''Fuck! The more I talk to reapers the more impossible it is to make sense of anything.''


    "So? Are you convinced now that I indeed come in peace?" The Specter asked in a good mood.


    I quickly shared the video to the other Sirens. Robyn grew wide eyed, Jo made a bitter face, Aki on the other hand remained stoic.


    "This is why Europe hate your guts bitch. Didn''t everyone tell you that exposing the secrets of others is fucking rude? You really have no class!" Jo snapped.


    It was only for a split moment, but I saw blood lust in her eyes. Calming herself, Blanche placed the letter on the desk as she continued.


    "You can hate me all you want Josephine, but that doesn''t make a difference. You have a role to play as we all do. Just stick to that role and we will go along just well."

 Chapter 657 Heroine Chapter: Only a Siren can possess [2/2]

    Feeling that doubting her words any further would be meaningless I turned to my sisters and said out loud."Everyone, Honey is not here right now, let us not be rash. I will take responsibility. We will kill her later. For now, let us here what she has to say."


    "Fufu. Truly Limitless was not wrong to choose you as one of his maidens. You are the one I find most useful, Sasa."


    At her comment, I felt my body shake.


    "W-What did you call me?" Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire


    "Sasa, remember to be a good child, okay? We are off to work now. I love you"


    Hearing that nickname, the one my parents called me when they were still alive, threw my heart in chaos. I hid my right hand behind my back to stifle my unease.


    Jo then came forward, and roughly grabbed my shoulder. Her angry voice entered my mind like Honey''s did. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Don''t let her get to you. She does this to every one she meets. Her other alias is the "Immoral Iris". You are right, we need to figure out what she wants. Darling''s safety trumps everything else.''


    "Wait for me."


    At Jo''s reminder the face of the man I loved came to the forefront of my mind. With it I remembered his kindness, voice and his affection. Suddenly my body stopped shaking and returned to normal.


    ''Who cares if she knows my childhood nickname? I have Honey now, he is all that matters,'' I reasoned in my mind.


    Yet, somehow someone answered me. ''Agreed! Lets do this girl!''


    ''Stop doing that you, Nutjob! Its creepy! I am not talking to you!'' I rebuked the Italian.


    Jo smirked and sat beside me. Robyn and Aki likewise joined us at the table. Their faces seemed determined, somehow like me, they regained their wits. Having Jo here was probably what allowed us to come back from Blanche''s mind games.


    "It seems I was worried for nothing. At this rate the odds of you killing each other is slim to none. I wonder if Limitless said something during your honeymoon?"


    Rambling to herself, it sounded like a future where the Sirens fought one another was something she came to stop. Ignoring what if''s I cleared my throat before I began.


    "Dame Blanche, Thank you for the gifts. I am sure my {Kindred} would like them. I will ensure he gets your letter promptly. Could I just read it instead and send it to him digitally."


    "How boorish, you may not. Give him the letter or do not, that is your right. I will add as a caveat however, that his safety depends on that letter. If you are fine with Limitless dying, do as you wish," she said while covering her face with her fan.


    Enduring the desire to shoot this whore, I gritted my teeth before answering.


    "I see, then I will make sure he receives it as soon as possible, will that be acceptable?"


    Wordlessly she nodded.


    "Now please tell me what is your purpose in coming here? Even without appearing in person you could have given the gifts and the letter. Why invade us like this?"


    "I come with a warning. South America will attack Hellsend in 3 days. The gifts are to ensure that you do not die. Whatever you do, you must hold. The four of you also must not die. Limitless must finish his current task."


    ''Ugh. I hate talking to people like this. Let''s see what the other think.''


    [Minerva connected, Welcome to the Seven Siren Server!]


    [Members online: SiliconeChipDiva (Admin), MastiffKnight, ChainsawsAndPropane, HaveYouMetMyFish ]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: You all heard her, thoughts?]


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Bella, will it be hard to find crews and pilots for the new machines?]


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: I don''t think we have to worry. Worst comes to worst; we can just kidnap some soldiers and turn them into corpses. Bella would be able to do the rest.]


    As disturbing as Jo''s words were, she was right. {Instigator} allowed me to see and use the memories of my puppets as I see fit. It was how I created the {Program} [Bradley Crew].


    [MastiffKnight: Nutjob, this slagger can really see the future? What about the past?]


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: She can see both. I heard she can see more than 30 years both ways. This is why most don''t associate with her. Because she uses the future and past as to gaslight people and manipulate them into doing her bidding.]


    It is a useful ability though. How would you be able to kill someone who can see 30 years into the future?


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Basing it from her words, it seems the moment one of us dies, Shujin would abandon whatever he is doing. While I am not surprised, Mill¨¦nia-sama''s priority appears to be that Shujin completes operation paper. We should ask why.]


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: Stop Aki, I know what you are thinking, blackmailing her with it won''t work. She already sees every possible iteration of what we will be saying and uses responses that give her the best result. She is a fucking cheater in every way possible.]


    [MastiffKnight: Fuck me dead¡­ What do we do?]


    Precognition, such an amazing ability but also something humans should not have. Jas almost went insane from being able to see 5 minutes into the future. What kind of mental toll would it take to still stay human if you could see 30 years worth of what could be?


    How powerless would you feel? Would you feel vindicated if you successfully changed just one of them? Wasn''t that kind of lonely? As I continued to think more, I began to see this woman in a new light.


    Here she was trying to ensure the future she choose moved along. But ultimately that was all it was. An attempt. The Sirens and I knew, none of us needed to die. All we needed to do was ask, and Limitless would abandon Hellsgate and even the world to die.


    That was how much our {Kindred} loved us. If anything that belief was something he carved into our very souls every second we spent with him. I believed in that notion as much as believed in gravity. It was like a law of this universe. It was something like a superpower. A power¡­


    "Only a Siren can possess," I murmured in passing.


    Despite all her power, the Sirens and I were the ones who had the upper hand in this deal. All because we were adored by the reaper known as Limitless. I could just as easily break whatever this woman planned. But I won''t. At least not yet.


    I gazed into Blanche and answered.


    "Can you share more details, Dame Blanche? You should already know what it would take to convince us."


    "I know, Sasa. To put it simply, your man just uncovered a massive conspiracy the Trinity has been trying to accomplish for a decade. He will come to blows with a being known as the Duke, a Rank B Vampire. If Limitless fails, half of North America will die."


    The stakes were quite high, but none of the Siren''s here were American. Apart from the Simmons family we didn''t really care about the rest of the country.


    "Once that happens, the world will be engulfed in war. That cannot happen at least not yet. Limitless is growing rapidly but he is not strong enough to take on the world yet," Blanche said with a frown.


    ''Yet? You are telling this woman knows that my honey, a moronic pervert who thinks of nothing but fucking me all day, would one day take on the entire world?''


    Suddenly the words my {Kindred} uttered in anger played again in my mind.


    "Then that guarantees that I turn against you. I will sell myself to a different Revenant. And make it my life''s purpose to destroy North America."


    I couldn''t stop myself from smiling. If this Specter was to be believed, it meant that if Honey manages to kill the duke, he will become strong enough to take on even the entire world.


    The same man who would be in my corner. One I could seduce into doing pretty much anything with nothing but a smile and my breasts.


    ''Ahhh¡­''


    My blood began to boil at their very notion. How majestic would he become? How tyrannical and how overbearing would he be? I felt myself wet my panties in excitement. After I took a moment to calm my heart, I gave Blanche what she wanted.


    "Okay. I vow in the name of Limitless. We will drive back South America without any of us dying."

 Chapter 658 How deep [1/2]

    "[Beacon]. {Portal}."From the four space doorways came the rest of my party. All of them were carrying pitiful looking corpses in trash bags. Naturally I also had a similar looking corpse. I had Pixie travel around all five zones via {Portals} and locate all the defenders.


    Similar to George, they were all in gruesome states one would barely call alive. Nyda, Leo, Pixie and D took the bags and gently opened them up. While everyone knew that these corpses were Phantoms, we also knew that they still felt pain.


    "Pixie, Treat them."


    My {Vassal}, then switched magazines of both her pistols. Watching a teenager imitate my akimbo reloads was quite a spectacle. Her left pistol had {Disarm} rounds while the right were loaded with {Restore} rounds.


    As part of her {Auto}, I intended to see if {Restore} could be used for medic duty. Together with {Disarm}, Pixie now had the ability to bring almost anyone back from the dead.


    "My lord, are you sure this is fine? These rounds are so expensive!" the loli worried.


    "You are fine Pixie. I gave you the order, apart from that I trust your judgement. Heal who you want to heal, this is a mark of my trust. I gave souls to D for the same reason."


    {Restore} was fucking expensive. It was a bullet worth 10,000 souls. Which was the same as {Limitless}. In dollars each {Restore} round was worth $200,000. To a slave like Pixie, she was probably scared shitless from such an amount. {Disarm} for reference was only worth 150 souls.


    As my would-be Medics, I sent 50,000 souls to Pixie and D. Pixie would use them to heal my forces, D was to serve as her escort and soul bank for more {Restore} rounds.


    "Uhm¡­ Okay! I will do my best!"


    Psyching herself up, Pixie then shot all five defenders through the head. A powerful rush of soul erupted as they all began to heal one after the other.


    "Good, so it works. Jas, use the one you have liberally. From this point on, your M24 will be used for {Restore} rounds. It would be a nice way to save people."


    "Yes, Husband. Are you use Lilly and Liv do not need them?"


    "I don''t think I am a good candidate to heal others, I agree with Beloved that you are the best choice Jas."


    "Indeed, having the wide range and [Guardian Angel] would be make it impossible to assassinate our party. Depending on the timing, it has the swing a battle in our favor."


    "Son, have I told you that your {Fate} is ridiculous? And you can even give it away just like that? Wouldn''t anyone the little Missy escorts be immortal?" George commented in passing.


    "Not really. I can still kill anyone she tries to kill. If it was Jas however, I then agree that it would be impossible. Luckily my Wifey is on my side, so I don''t have to worry."


    At my shameless boasting, I felt Jas'' link quiver from pride, embarrassment and happiness. Lilly unhappy that I was praising someone else, came to my side and grabbed my hand in a show of adorable possessiveness.


    ''Relax, Dearest. Naturally there is no way, I wouldn''t feel the same for you, you know? Having you by my side is like having an army of bullet dragons and a satellite weapon. You bring me not only a sense of comfort by assurance, all by just being with me.''


    ''Hmph! You and your glib tongue.''


    Although she looked away, I could see how red her ears were, as well as the top part of her neck.


    ''How adorable.''


    "GHAHGARHGHAH!" x5


    Unintelligent groaning came from the healing corpses. George quickly came to their side and tried to calm everyone down.


    "Calm down, you are safe. We brought you back to kill bloodsuckers. We are in the process of healing you all, bear with it. We have much to discuss."


    The healing defenders all settled down upon seeing the Iron Wolverine. He then began to explain in earnest about the current circumstances. Leo and Nyda stood beside George who supplemented his explanations.


    Pixie and D on the other hand approached me in high spirits.


    "My lord! I did it! They are all healed! You are amazing!"


    Practically bouncing around I reached for Pixie''s head and stroked it. Immediately Pixie calmed down and began to smile in bliss.


    "Well done, Pixie. As expected from my {Vassal}. Moving forward this would be one of your responsibilities. Should any of our party or allies fall, use the new ammunition to bring them back to the fight."


    "Hehehe¡­yes my lord! I will not let you down! I will be the best {Vassal} you ever had!"


    "I do not doubt it," I said with a smile.


    I moved my hand to the back of her head and touched the base of her spine. Feeling the smooth surface of a soulgem, I send yet another 50,000 souls to Pixie.


    "Mmmmh!"


    Surprised from the rush of power entering her soulgem, Pixie struggled to stay standing. D immediately came to her rescue and supported her. Seeing how much the Jamaican treasured the young girl I turned to him and commanded.


    "D, your new task for any battle is to be Pixie''s escort. Outside of when I need you for {Advent} you must stick to her at all times. The amount I gave you is for her use as well. Can I count on you?" Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire


    "Of course, Brutha. I will make sure nothing can even touch a hair on her head. You can count on that. Can''t let her do all the heavy lifting."


    "Good. Get Pixie to rest inside or something, I will call for you if I need anything."


    Nodding obediently, Delroy carried his partner inside with a bridal carry. Even though we all knew Pixie should be strong enough to stand, the young girl pretended to be weak. Probably so she could relish being carried off by her prince.


    ''Beloved, you are being mischievous. It is unwise to meddle in the affairs of the heart.''


    ''Oh hogwash. Stop it Liv, isn''t it exciting to see D caring for her? Despite being denser than a black hole it is obvious that his eyes are only for her,'' Lilly crooned like a gossipy aunt.


    ''It may be for pure reasons though. I feel that Delroy does not see Pixie romantically. Or rather he lies to himself in fear of being branded a pedophile. She is even younger than Robyn. Husband, I suggest to cease trying to play matchmaker.''


    ''Liv, Jas I understand your points. I just wanted to help them a bit. I agree with Lilly. Everyone deserves to love and be loved in turn. If the two of them like each other, I hope they get together like Warren and Claire. Reapers should not delay doing the things that makes them happy.''


    I then felt the hand gripping mine tighten. Along with a gush of happiness coming from Lilly.


    ''As expected of my dearest, it is only you who truly understand me! Its LOVE!''


    Finding her adorable, I came closer and gave her a kiss on the cheek.


    ''Indeed. It is love.''


    "Hehehe"


    Melting in bliss, Lilly made an adorable smile.


    As I flirted with my harem, voices of people I didn''t know began to echo out. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "GEORGE! CECILY! WHERE IS CECILY! I JUST SAW HER JUST NOW!"


    "That maid! Where is she!"


    "I thought I was dead. What happened?"


    "Fucking slut! When I fined her I will crush her soulgem."


    "So she lied to me huh¡­fuck¡­"


    From their words, I could already piece together that what happened to them was similar to George. Using women or the ones close to the defenders they duped them into acting on their behalf. It was a chilling realization to be betrayed by the one you adored.


    As such thoughts were on my mind, I then felt a pair of powerful arms wrap gently around my neck. Massive breasts pushed against the back of my head along with an enchanting voice. Naturally It was my 6''6'''' Northern lover.


    ''I assure you, Beloved. Such thing will never happen to you. I swear it.''

 Chapter 659 How deep [2/2]

    I said nothing but turned my neck, Liv understood my intention and answered me with a kiss. Of course, Jas and Lilly who were by my sides also tried to reassure me with their affection."You sure about this George? This bastard doesn''t even a hair on his face. He looks green to me."


    "And he here flirting with such pretty women. Ain''t he just a pimp of some sort?"


    "Who the fuck wears a suit in Hellsgate. All he has for armor is a pair of armlets. This boy would die out here."


    Funnily enough, Liv, Lilly and Jas turned to them with hostility pouring out of their body language. The ones who knew how dangerous my girls were naturally stepped between our groups.


    "My ladies¡­ Please forgive their ignorance. I will straighten them out!" Nyda stammered while waving her arms in a panic.


    Meanwhile Leo just advised in monotone, "Everyone, if you do not stop insulting the lord, not even Pixie can save you. I advise to shut up and keep such thoughts to yourself."


    "Yep. You bastards keep talking shit, and there won''t be enough of you left to save. He is the real deal. The group we got is strong. They are going to 32 to save Evelyn," George added.


    "Evelyn? Evelyn Flowers? The chick from Nightdarts? Wasn''t she already dead?" one of them babbled.


    Surprisingly, the one who defended Evelyn was someone from the defenders who got healed.


    "Nah man, Evelyn is gone but not dead. She is a vampire now, I think. I saw her a few months ago chilling around my zone. I think the missing female reapers were all turned into vampires. The rumors were true."


    "Then the war with the 32nd?"


    The Iron Wolverine made a sad face before confessing of what happened.


    "The five of you didn''t know as you didn''t join the 30th floor strike team. The 32nd guys were telling the truth. They didn''t take Abigail, she hid in their storeroom and tied herself up. She was already no longer my Abigail, I-I¡­ just didn''t believe it. She did it to kill off the defenders for the duke."


    "That''s¡­I am sorry for your loss, brother¡­"


    "What about the guys who went with you? I remember only a few of us stayed. What happened to them?" another asked.


    "I checked the logs of the current battlefront. It says none of zones from the 30th, 31st and 32nd floors have fallen in the last year. They were probably like us. Stored in vats and shit."


    "Vats and what?"


    "How is that possible? The 31st floor was in ruins even before you guys left!"


    "I know, anyway look at this. This is what you bastards look liked before we found you, I took a video."


    As George brought the others up to speed, additional information about the war of the 30 and 32nd floor surfaced. I didn''t add anything and just allowed them to talk it out.


    I did remember something I was curious though. What the fuck was the water the defenders were submerged in? Was it some kind of super soup that kept people alive?


    ''Lilly, the water from the tanks¡­''


    Before I could even finish my sentence, a water bottle appeared in her hand. The liquid inside it was the shit that George was submerged in.


    "Exa, if you please."


    [Yes, my lady. My lord, the fluids where the defenders were submerged in contain an unknown microscopic parasite that stops cellular degeneration. At least that is why I guess them to believe. The parasite does not exist on earth and may itself be a monster from Hellsgate.]


    "What the fuck is it even for then? You mean these bastards make you live forever?"


    [Yes, my lord, it converts soul on an atomic level and uses it heal the cells around it. Why it didn''t heal the body parts of the Defenders I do not know. But it is safe to say anything dumped in these waters will never die.]


    Hearing such an explanation, I didn''t think of using this water to heal my people. Instead, it sounded like the perfect torture tool. In the hands of someone like Aki, this vampire liquid would be put to good use.


    "Okay, from now on, we will refer to this fluid as vampire piss. If possible, I want to stock up on this thing for Aki."


    "¡­" x3


    [¡­]


    "What?"


    [The name aside, I do not believe Lady Aki would want this.]


    "Just be grateful I haven''t dumped what I took for that comment dearest."


    "Hehe¡­Thank you Lilly."


    "Hmph! What a savage, making you woman hold monster urine."


    "Pfft!" "Hahahahah!" S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Laughing a bit at how silly my naming conventions were, Nyda then approached solemnly.


    "My lord, the defenders are ready for you."


    "Okay, then let us talk to these bastards. Everyone please stay here. Nyda you too"


    "Yes." x3 "Thank you, my lord!"


    I walked towards the defenders who had most of their bodies back. The problem was all of them were but naked. I drew a bunch of towels I kept in storage and threw It to them.


    "Welcome back. So? Want to join me?"


    "Yes." X4


    "Good, now tell me what you all know."


    The defenders shared their stories for the next half hour. It was basically the same thing that happened to George. Female vampires impersonated their lovers or seduced them. Then the same women caused rifts between them and their allies from other floors.


    This culminated to the defenders of the 30th floor cutting all ties with the rest of the floors. Eventually the kidnapping was the final straw which caused the 30th floor to attack the 32nd floor in anger.


    ''I see, because of months of preparation, the defenders were already so isolated their allies believed the lack of communication was them being belligerent. Thus, when they actually lost contact, no one even noticed the difference.''


    [Indeed, my lord. Oddly enough if you looked at it, even the 24th floor was in a similar situation. We actually do not have any proof that David Thomas gave the command to abandon the 24th floor. What if the traitor just made it look that way?]


    ''True, the traitor already had the authority to stop the reports from revealing the true situation. And no one would ever question a Revenant. Fuck just how deep does this rabbit hole go?''


    [However, if that is the case, why didn''t the Vampires prevent Gareth Faesten from asking for help like what they did with the others?]


    ''Ugh. Can you ask the Siren''s instead Exa? I ain''t paid enough for this shit.''


    Rather than waste time thinking about future shit that hand yet to happen or past shit that I could no longer change, I preferred to focus on the present. I then motioned to the rest of the defenders sitting on the ground.


    "Well, I am sure you bastards feel like crap. But I do not have the time to coddle you. As George mentioned, I am revived you 5 as he told me you bastards hate the bloodsuckers as much as he does. You are free. Do as you will."


    I then stood up and dusted my pants. George said nothing and followed. Before we could leave the five men all similarly followed. Unfortunately, they still had nothing but the towels I gave.


    "Uhm, maybe we should get you bastard dressed first," I said.


    "What boy, you afraid your girls might fall for my manly charms?" one joked.


    Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire


    I felt my blood boil and my vision narrow, but in the next moment the one who made the comment was smacked by the five others he was with.


    "Ignore him my lord, he is just jealous."


    "Can we return to our forts? Our armor and clothes are over there."


    George then approached me and asked politely.


    "Son, open a few of those doorways for us. They might be a whinny bunch, but they fight good. We got a few more people on the 31st floor. If you can spare the time, I promise they will wreak havoc on the bloodsuckers."


    "Okay. We will go one by one. You have ten minutes to gather your stuff."


    ''Exa, can you help me with the brain processing for the locations?''


    [Of course, my lord. I have sent you a video of the location. This should help visualizing it.]


    "Thanks Exa. {Portal}."


    The defenders went back to their forts and came back fifteen minutes later clothe and armed with new soulgears.

 Chapter 660 Guests? Who? [1/2]

    "Aight you bastards! You READY TO DIE!" George suddenly shouted."HOORAH!" x5


    "If you all no longer need anything on this floor. Then we can go," I suggested.


    The men nodded. I thought they would have some kind of nostalgic memory but it seems not. While most soldiers on earth, joked about dying. These men were serious, they really intended to die.


    ''My {Kindred}, we are ready. Please bring the others with you.''


    A few minutes later my battle harem, {Vassals} and Nyda came forward. With the addition of the 5 defenders, we now had a party of 15. We wouldn''t fit in Esca. But we should be using my UGV''s as mounts.


    "George. Garrett was the one who allowed us to teleport into domain. If you were out, how was it possible that we still got in?"


    The floor manager cross his arms while thinking deeply, after a few seconds he spoke.


    "Hmm¡­ its probably because that old bastard is ancient. I can only remove the access of those I personally granted. He was from a probably a friend of the manager I succeeded." S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Is that so? Then how are we going to enter the 31st floor? If I understood correctly the 30th floor not only has issues with the 32nd but also the 31st. Will we be able to warp in?"


    "No, We can get in the 31st, but we won''t be using a warp gate. I''m sure the drunk bastard of the 31st has it locked like I did. And unless you got the code from old Garreth, you won''t be able to warp in like you did with my floor."


    Probably seeing the confusion on my face, George R Clay continued.


    "Never liked using the warp gates anyway. We are doing it the old fashion way."


    "The only fashion way? What do you mean?"


    Just then one of the defenders roared in an excited voice.


    "HE MEANS WE ARE GOING TO BUST THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR, BOY!"


    His bellow was so loud you would think he was using {Announce}. Luckily, I had Exa, so even with {Listen} such boisterous bastard were no longer a problem. Grateful that Exa minimized the damage to my hearing, I asked curtly.


    "How?"


    George presented his fist in front of me before explaining. "We will move towards the Zone 1-301-1 then jump." The moment he said jump, he clenched his fist so tightly I could here the muscles in his hands grind together.


    "Jump?"


    The 1-1 of every zone was the tip of the pizza slice. It was the biggest zone and the one that had to be defended at all cost. While I did know that supposedly the floors were connected, I didn''t think it was literally.


    Even in manga and anime, George''s thinking was rare. There were extremely few that allowed the heroes to physically smash the walls of the dungeon. More often than not the monsters and separations were fixed.


    This was what keep the entire dungeon manageable. If you were weak, you didn''t have to worry about enemies from the lower floors coming for you. Because the dungeon itself would enforce the rules and keep monsters in their own floors.


    I had believed the same held through for hellsgate. I mean otherwise there was nothing stopping the tainted undead like Draugrs from coming to the first ten floors. If that core assumption was wrong, then it would mean the defense of 1-1 zones would have to be extremely strong.


    How would you even control which zombies could and couldn''t enter? Wouldn''t it be easier for monsters like dragons or something to just charge the front door? Before I could even ask, a friendly woman began to explain.


    "My lord, if you are worried about why monsters cannot climb up even if reapers can go down it is because of what Academics call soul density."


    "Huh?"


    At Nyda''s explanation, I still drew a blank. Seeing that just the term was inefficient, she elaborated.


    "Put simply, the amount of souls on a floor affect what can spawn there. In the lower floors the soul density is extremely low, thus it is near impossible for higher level undead to leave or even be born there."


    "Then the greater this "soul density" the stronger the enemies will be present?"


    "Yes my lord. That is the case. Even if they come up they lack of souls will just cause them to die. Thus no monster ever goes up its designated floor. But they do get replaced though."


    My girls all suddenly were able to piece together the information we got.


    ''Intriguing. Then the reason why the monsters themselves fight to remain in the lower floors is so that they do not go instinct. Their numbers are replenished by Hellsgate itself. Do they have no need to reproduce? Dearest if we can understand how monsters we would be one step closer to closing Hellsgate!''


    ''Mhm. I think Nyda is wrong. Its not souls but malice. Husband, do not correct her. I think Administration intentionally made everyone else believe its due to the souls. Roach said monsters do not care about souls, what they live on is malice.


    This means the deeper the floor the darker the malice. And the darker the malice the stronger the undead, demonkin and monsters would be.''


    ''Beloved, sisters. Wouldn''t that also explain that the thicker malice is why we were more burdened opening {Portals} on the 24th floor than on the first ten floors? That would also mean that it is only a matter of strength. Or maybe it is because of the fact that this entire floor fell is the cause?''


    The girls began to theorize and guess on the truths behind Hellsgate. In dungeons there was rarely any explanation why monsters lived in them. Most of the time, no one even questioned why monsters existed in dungeons it was an accepted fact.


    But I do agree with my {Kindred}. As our goal was to close Hellsgate understanding why monsters appeared in the first was crucial. If the undead were here because this was the human''s afterlife. Then what were monsters and demonkin ?


    ''My {Kindred} please let me know what you find. For now, lets stick with what we know,'' I replied to them.


    ''Yes.'' x3


    Feeling myself getting bogged down by unnecessary crap, I thanked Nyda. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Thank you for the explanation Nyda. I was wondering exactly about that. Anyway, George. So you intend to go to the 1-1 zone and jump to the next floor? If the 31st floor already fell, then wouldn''t that mean they would be guarding it?"


    At my question, the Iron Wolverine looked towards his comrades and smiled.


    "Yup, we are counting on it. There should be a couple of blood suckers there. Along with a fairly large army of ghouls. And probably some golem''s too."


    "Right, I guess I should not have been surprised."


    I turned around and addressed the rest of my party. Of course the Sirens would never allow me to go without them. So I faced the other four.


    "This might be dangerous. The four of you coming?"


    "Yes, my lord. Please let me join you!" Nyda shouted in earnest.


    Leo simply nodded without a word.


    "Of course, my lord! I am your {Vassal}! I-I will do a good job!"


    "I''m coming with Brutha, can''t leave my little lady alone."


    Pixie clenched her fists adorably, but everyone could see how scared she was. Yet she didn''t let that stop here. D naturally would protect her so his answer was already set.


    "Okay then, you four can ride in Esca again. As for the defenders¡­"


    My words were cut short when I saw one of them invoke a {Fate}.


    "{Formidable}."


    The Defender slowly grew in size before turning into a majestic blue violet bison over 20 feet tall. His body was covered in bulging muscles packed to the brim with power. It had four large horns on the top of his head. Smaller horn like protrusions covered its body.


    Overall, the gigantic bison had an imposing presence. Its hoof was a big as Esca! Perhaps amused by my surprise, he scoffed as he declared with a thunderous voice.


    "Hmph. Do not get surprised yet son. I will show you how veterans fight in Hellsgate."


    However, just like a group of guys hanging out on a Friday, his friends had something to say. Perhaps already used to his transformation the ones who knew him best were not impressed, and instead began to curse him.

 Chapter 661 Guests? Who? [2/2]

    "Veterans? You are the greenest one here you horny bastard!" "Putui! You should be grateful we even considered riding on your ugly ass!" "Try not to trip all over the place like last time you overgrown piece of shit!" "Whenever you turn to this overgrown steak you always smell like my hairy ball sack!"Even George smiled as he insulted the fuck out of the large Bison. However, you could feel the comradery between the six of them. The Bison despite the verbal lashing didn''t mind it and simply shrugged its shoulders.


    In one swift movement, the four other defenders along with George jumped on and mounted their friend.


    "Son, we will lead the way. Follow us with your vehicles. Its a long way ahead."


    "Got it, everyone let''s go. {Compact}."


    Removing the {Fate} from my car, it grew back to its original side. The Sirens and I all got in and followed the giant bison.


    "Hmph, so George was right. You even brought a car of all things. Try to keep up, boy!"


    And thus the Defenders and our party began to race across Hellsgate towards zone 1301-1.


    ***


    Time passed by uneventfully, any drive would become boring when the scenery didn''t change. Especially when the lighting made everything too dark to sight see.


    "Dearest, this is boring¡­I somehow hope we get attacked, or something."


    "Why not sleep Lilly? It is good to rest when you can, when we arrive it will probably a long string of battles again."


    "It''s okay, I am not yet tired. Converting electricity to stamina is very cost efficient. Jas, still needs to find a way to restore hers. Although, I lament not being able to get to sit on my lap."


    Currently due to the extremely long drive, Liv morphed to baby Liv about four hours earlier. Jas who was seating beside her, naturally grabbed her and began to act like her mother. It was amusing to see for the first couple of hours.


    The tension our party had was all but gone due to the comfort of the ride. Pixie and Nyda were knocked out cold and were resting the arms of their men. It pleased me to see how much they trusted their partners.


    It was a blessing to be able to sleep around those you trust. Even in anime and manga a lot of MC''s get attacked or betrayed when they sleep with strangers. Funnily enough Liv was sprawled on Jasmine drooling. My Wifey said nothing but merely wiped her mouth in silence.


    "You seem enthralled at Jas'' motherly side," Lilly commented coldly.


    "I am, it give me a vivid picture of how loving you all will be to our children."


    "Oh? You see me as a doting mother as well dearest?"


    "Yep. I am sure you girls will make very good mothers. The ones I will have no problems entrusting my children. You are all strong, dependable and wise. I cannot wait to see them grown into wonderful people."


    "Hmph. They haven''t been born yet, do you not know how broken the Sirens are? None of us are good people. It would be helpful if you could lower your expectations, Dearest."


    Feeling the self-loathing in her voice, I removed my right hand off the wheel and intertwined my fingers with Lilly''s.


    "Lilly. You can be the biggest asshole to the word and still be a good parent. I may not be good person, but I am 100% sure, I will cherish the kids that come from you or the others. I mean how could I not love someone who carries your blood."


    From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Lilly turned away in embarrassment. "How could you say such things with a straight face? Are you not ashamed in the least?"


    Finding her attitude amusing, I brought her hand to my lips and kissed it tenderly.


    "There is no need too. I will happily shout to the world that you are the mother of my children. Thank you for coming with me, Lilly. I love you."


    "¡­"


    Although the princess of North America said nothing, I could see how red her ears were. Finding her adorable, I chuckled as I teased her.


    "Lilly? Dear? You don''t love me anymore? I''m hurt¡­do you have a new lover?"


    A sharp fingernail buried itself in my hand. Of course, the prick didn''t hurt but the intent behind it was beyond endearing.


    "Dearest, stop making such disgusting jokes! As if I would love another! You are such a child! Do you really need validation every few minutes? What am I going to do with you?"


    "¡­"


    When I said nothing, I noticed Lilly squirm in her seat. Finally, she opened her mouth and whispered affectionately.


    "Fine! I love you! I love so much, Dearest! So much I feel like my heart is broken! There! Are you happy now?"


    I couldn''t help the corners of my mouth twist into a smile.


    "Very¡­I love you too Lilly."


    "You are incorrigible!" the woman beside me complained.


    A shadow then came from the middle aisle and kissed my cheek.


    "Husband, what about me?"


    I then turned my body to face Jas, letting go of the steering wheel.


    "Ah! Dearest! The wheel! The wheel!"


    Faster than lightning, Lilly, quickly grabbed the steering wheel and kept us straight. I on the other hand wrapped my hands on Jasmine''s neck and kissed her passionately.


    "Mhm. Husband, you are willing to crash just for my lips?"


    "Naturally, Wifey. But Lilly is by my side, so I wasn''t worried in the slightest."


    "That doesn''t make me pleased in the least, dearest!"


    "Pfft! Hahahaha!"


    Unable to contain our happiness at the ridiculously of what was going on, Jas, Lilly and I laughed heartily. Fortunately, due to the size of my SUV, the others continued to sleep soundly. Whether they were just pretending to be asleep or not didn''t matter.


    We continued to drive for a few more hours till we reached a large gate. I mean this thing was fucking huge. It was even bigger than a fucking mountain. It stretched endlessly towards the sky.


    "What the fuck is that?" I couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise.


    Suddenly the thunderous boom came from the Bison running beside us. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire


    "We are here! Here they come!"


    Distracted by the large tower it was only now that I noticed the thousands of small dots moving around.


    ''Exa?''


    [We have a welcome party of over ten thousand ghouls, a hundred thousand Rank Fs and what seem to be a dozen vampires. But it seems they already have guests.]


    "Guests? Who?"


    [They seem to be under assault from a large number of Lizardkin.]


    "Huh? Lizardkin?" S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Yes, they seem to be led by tens of Champion ranked Lizardkin.]


    "Tens? You mean the large bastards like roach? There are here?"


    [Yes, my lord, as unbelievable it may be, there are twenty-four champion rank Lizardkin attacking the ghouls and vampires.]


    "¡­''


    George suddenly shouted towards us as we approached the chaotic battlefield.


    "Son! Lady luck has not left us yet! The monsters seems to be fighting each other! We can slip in during the confusion!"


    "BROOOOOOOOAARR!"


    As we came closer the absolute anarchy of the battlefield was visible. One of the champion ranks cried in agony as it was torn apart. The Lizardkin were being slaughtered by small humans with skin the color of ash.


    The old defender''s words were logical. With the Lizardkin and the Vampires fighting each other rather than fighting them both, it was in our best interest to slip past. Our war was not with this floor, but the 32nd.


    But then I kept remembering the words of Roach.


    {Limitless? Okay. Limitless, I wish to ally with you. Help me kill the vampires.}


    {If you help me kill the vampires. I can become king. Once I am, I can enforce on all Lizardkin to no longer assault the humans.}


    {I will have my clan protect and protect humans when we see them.}


    {This power. Thank you. From this day on, I fight for you.}


    Rather than leave them here, wouldn''t it be better to bring us with us? While I couldn''t guarantee that they would not harm humans, it we could form an alliance it would make chances that our attack on the vampires would succeed. My gut was telling me that I should help them.


    I didn''t know if it was wrong, but I followed my instincts


    "EVERYONE! WE ARE JOINING THE BATTLE! HELP THE LIZARDKIN! KILL THE VAMPIRES!"

 Chapter 662 OPEN FUCKING COMBAT! [1/2]

    "What the fuck are you talking about?" George cried out in fury"Boy, you are not suggesting what I think you are right? Are you a scale lover of some sort?" the Bison added.


    Not willing to waste time, I turned the steering wheel sharply to the left. As the bull was to our left, we went under its massive hoofs.


    "WOAH What out you bastard!"


    "Sorry! I know it does not make sense, but trust me," I said curtly.


    No longer waiting for them, I put the pedal to the metal as the V8 engines of my Esca roared like a hungry beast.


    Inside the car, the sudden movement shook my passengers awake. My battle harem on the other hand tried to provide counsel.


    "Dearest are you sure about this? We only allied with Roach, we do not have the strength to take on 24 champion classes on top of vampires. If the Lizardkin do not see us as allies we will be put into a rough spot."


    "Beloved, while I see the value in creating alliances, it is dangerous to do so in the heat of battle! Loyalty is something not all being share, it would better to use them as cover instead. We do not own these monsters anything!"


    "Husband, you know I would do whatever you ask. But I strongly believe we should not interfere, there is too much at stake. This gamble is something we might not recover from."


    You knew it was a bad idea when my girls all had the same opinion. Despite Liv and Lilly being part of those that wanted to use the monsters as allies or pets, both disagreed with my decision right now.


    Of course they were right. My decision to ally with Roach was because we were the stronger force. To put it context, he had no choice but to agree to our demands. Primarily because the only other option was to die.


    But for these bastards, that wasn''t the case. While the seemingly large number of Lizardkin were hardly worth anything the presence of 24 champion ranked monsters was. My harem and I almost died to just one of them. If all of them had the ability to cut through {fates}, we might not survive.


    I knew that. I knew all of that. Yet one thing kept repeating in my mind.


    {Relatively. I am strong to the weak. And weak to the strong. The vampires enslaved my people because of our weakness. If we can get stronger, we can free ourselves of their power.}


    {If you help me kill the vampires. I can become king. Once I am, I can enforce on all Lizardkin to no longer assault the humans.}


    {I will have my clan protect and protect humans when we see them.}


    Roach was no beast. He was for all intents and purposes capable of both rational thought and foresight for risk and reward. Unlike dogs that turn feral, these monsters had brains that went beyond that. They were being who had as much intelligence as us.


    ''Darling, I do not detect any malice from it. Alphy is even dumber than Robyn! It really hates the Pale ones. Oh! And I read its mind, the Pale ones are vampires. Turns out a bunch of vampires butchered its harem for sport.


    It has had a grudge on them ever since.''


    In anime and manga, a common theme was to befriend races that were not human. Whether it be elves, dwarves or cat girls. Some even went beyond that and married demons, succubi and eldritch horrors.


    I was at a crossroads. It was now to decide for real how to treat the monsters. If I really saw them as nothing more than cannon fodder, then it would be best to leave them to die.


    But, what if Roach was someone like me? All he wanted was to survive. He did not want to wage war with the humans. He did so because he literally had no choice. That trail of though begs the question.


    What if someone gave him that choice?


    What if an alternate future existed for both of us.


    The Lizardkin moved like an army. They had a hierarchy and even the lowest of them understood the authority of a king. If we could ally them for real, they would be an even greater help than reapers from other continents.


    However all that was nothing more than a possibility. If no one would extend their hands towards them they would not know such a possibility even exists. The monsters were similar to the groups I took under my wing.


    Formless, Saints, slaves, rogues and now monsters.


    My brain told me that this was the wrong choice. That the odds of this being the correct choice was less than one percent. But something told me it was the right choice. If I didn''t learn of the vampires plot I probably would not be this desperate for allies.


    Sneaking behind a country at rest and one preparing for war was like night and day. Operation paper became significantly harder all because the vampires were preparing for a war, that the reapers had not even believed would happen.


    But I knew.


    If we continued with operation paper, we would die. No matter how powerful we were, fighting the entire vampire army, one meant to swallow a continent with 15 people was a suicide mission. I was lucky that I found out, otherwise going in blind was insanity.


    I was not allowed to die. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire


    I had my girls waiting for me.


    I would never succumb to fear but being fearless and being stupid had a fine line. Death came for those who thought the two were one and the same.


    Without stopping I called out to the women I loved the most.


    "My {Kindred} do you trust me?"


    "Naturally, Dearest. Didn''t I say it before? Wherever you lead, I will follow."


    "Without question beloved. I do not care if we die. So long as we die together." S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "More than anything else Husband. You are my destiny, my place is by your side, no matter what."


    Trying to keep my emotions from spilling out, I nodded before addressing the others around me.


    "Leo, Nyda, Pixie, D. I am about to do something extremely stupid. You don''t have to come with me. But I would appreciate it if you did. Decide now."


    One after another my party members replied.


    "Hehehe, my lord, I will go with you. I am your {Vassal}! If you didn''t take me in I would still be washing dishes in Arcus Kiss. My life is yours to command my lord!" Pixie chirped in excitement.


    "I am the same, Brutha. The rest of the world be looking at us slaves us like trash. Now I be a man once more. I fight only for you and Pixie, Brutha. Let''s fucking go." Delroy said as he raised his gun.


    "My lord, when I wanted to save my sister, everyone told me I was insane. My friends, those I considered my brothers and sisters¡­they all said to give up. Only you did not. Despite insanity and logic, you aided me. I will remember that for as long as I live my lord. Nyda Flowers, servant of Limitless, stands ready."


    "I am the same. Leo Armstrong requests his only lord. Permission to take the vanguard."


    Despite me heading to certain death the ones with me were all filling to follow. The guilt I would feel if any of them died would probably be something I would carry for all eternity. But should we survive this battle, I know these people would be part of my family.


    "Thank you. Then lets us go kill some vampires. Lilly, please take the wheel."


    "Of course, Dearest. Do as you will."


    "Everyone, get ready for battle," I announced.


    "YES, MY LORD!" x7

 Chapter 663 OPEN FUCKING COMBAT! [2/2]

    ''{Blink}.''I teleported myself on the roof of my car. Luckily [Assassin] gave me incredible balance, so despite the rough road, I stood like I was on solid ground. I looked around and noticed George and the defenders make a beeline for the doorway.


    While there were a few enemies in front of them in front of veterans, they might as well have been children. This was expected, they came with me to kill the vampires, as those that lose people to monsters, I was sure most if not all of them were like the defenders with Gareth.


    "God speed," I whispered as I looked at the charging 20 ft bison.


    Focusing my mind on the current situation before me, the battle completely was in favor of the vampires. Despite being human-sized the Vampires were dominating the mountain sized Alphas.


    "I guess, we should stop calling them Alpha''s they were called Lizardkin dragons, right?"


    The lizardkin dragons were being beaten up like mooks in superhero shows. Simple punches and kicks from the vampires sent them flying. Seeing the power of my targets firsthand was a bit unnerving. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire


    But I even if that was the case, I could not stop. I got down to one knee and created a platform with {Shelter}.


    "[Overdrive] [Sniper], [Inventory] M107. [Penetrator], [Vengeance]. Exa load a .50 BMG Sacred."


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Sniper].]


    [[Assassin] setting shifting to [Sniper]. [Sniper] levels up to [Sniper Elite].]


    [[Knight] setting shifting to [Sniper]. [Sniper Elite] levels up to [One round marksman].]


    [Done, you may fire when ready. my lord.]


    "[Combat Shadow Silhouette] - Jasmine Denel Smith."


    A surge of knowledge then poured into my mind. Jasmine''s technique from ballistics, breathing to even how she held the gun caused me to mimic her.


    Lining up the crosshairs provided by [One round marksman], I slowed down my breathing. I copied Jas'' ability to see farther than the eye could see. It was incredibly she did such things with nothing but her mind.


    ''My {Kindred} please help everyone exit Esca, Lilly. Drive my car and run over as many ghouls as you can. Blow it up afterwards.''


    ''Oh my? Even your cherished car gets no respite? Are you certain, Dearest?''


    ''Just goes to show, how much he is committed to seeing this through. I will take care of D and Pixie Beloved. Fight at peace.''


    ''The Adventurers need no coddling. Leave your back to me, Husband. None will harm you.''


    ''Thank you, everyone. Lilly, do you mind if I do the honors?''


    ''Haha of course not my dear. Do as you wish. As your queen I will follow it to the letter.''


    With our plans set, I felt the car accelerate even more. Despite all the shaking I moved my scope and took aim at one of the Vampires floating arrogantly. While I had {Perceive} and {Snipe} having an actual high-powered scope served only to increase my vision.


    As I pressed my eyes onto the scope, three crosshairs began to float around. These were the reticules that represented ballistics, heat convection and wind resistance. I had to align them all to make sure I would hit the pale bastard.


    Like a ballistic computer rather than have to compute and place the target on the mils and subtentions, I only needed to ensure the reticules overlapped like a pancake. I began shifting the gun with tiny corrections to prepare for my shot.


    The Vampire was flanked by two females and was dress gaudily like a rich noble. According to Exa, there were only twelve vampires in this battle. Thus, these three were only watching as the other nine absolutely dominated the Lizardkin Dragons.


    Ghouls and zombies clashed with the smaller lizardkin in an absolutely brutal melee. But ultimately the battle would be decided by the Lizardkin dragons and the Vampires.


    Not really caring about what else was going on I continued to shift the gun patiently. I only had to do so till the three crosshairs from [One shot marksman] to align.


    To such an arrogant bastard, I wonder what a full powered Sacred would do? If they could shrug even these off, we would be in trouble. But somehow, I believed he would die in one hit. Funnily enough my belief came from Anime and Manga.


    The more I learned of Hellsgate, the more I believed the media we enjoyed as entertainment was our bible for Hellsgate combat.


    "Not like, there was much I can do at this point."


    "{Blink}!"


    Just then another figure climbed on top of the car with me. Without taking my eye of the scope I naturally knew who it was. Jas took the same position as me and also made marked her target.


    "Husband, do you mind if I help?"


    "I would love it if you could Wifey."


    At the moment the crosshairs finally aligned. This meant that wind, heat and even the rotation of the earth finally lined up perfectly. Marking a complete path towards the Vampire.


    I could feel my adrenaline spike from excitement. This had to be the most insane gamble I had to date. And yet my entire body couldn''t help but contort in battle lust.


    "Wifey, I have a shot."


    "Take it, Husband."


    Feeling the weight of my decision the trigger of the M107 Barrett felt like it grew heavier by ten tons. But alas. The die had been cast. Squeezing the trigger, I could hear the metal shift and click as the gun came alive.


    When the firing pin struck the .50 BMG, a small explosion erupted which kicked my shoulder. Along with it, a bright phoenix erupted and soared from my gun barrel. Faster than even lighting a streak of luminescence quickly traveled along the sky.


    Still keeping my eye on the scope, I watched the vampire slowly lose his smile. My body tense and excited to see what came next practically saw everything in slow motion.


    The vampire turned his head towards me, but suddenly grimaced. His face morphed from shock, confusion to finally fear. Inch by inch he began to turn his back. But even from my scope, blinding light shone so intense my vision turned white.


    Then my skin felt the small shockwave of wind as the sound barrier was broken. Even though {Dampen} silenced the gun, the effect of the bullet could not be hidden. From where I was, the moment the light ended the vampire was no more.


    In its place large amount of golden dust flowed into the wind, like ashes spread for funeral at sea. Before I could move the gun towards the two women, another blinding light came and vaporized one of them as well. The last woman began to shriek in horror!


    "SISTER!"


    I stood up on top the car and declared my intend for all to hear with {Announce}. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "{HEAR ME, YOU FUCKING BASTARDS! MY NAME IS LIMITLESS! WE ARE NOW JOINING THE BATTLE! WE ARE HERE TO KILL THE MOTHER FUCKING VAMPIRES! IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO DIE! GET OUT OF OUR WAY!}"


    ''Dearest, how was that a call for an alliance?''


    ''Beloved¡­You might have just said nothing at all.''


    ''Husband, you are so amazing! Go, I will take down as many as I can.''


    Filled with battle spirit. I found myself unable to stop myself from smiling.


    "{HELLSEND! TAKE DOWN THE BLOOD SUCKERS! LIZARDKIN! IF YOU KNOW WHO I AM, DO NOT HURT MY PEOPLE. IF YOU DO! I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU AS WELL!}"


    "[Overdrive] [Assassin], [Inventory] HCAR, SCAR-H. [Combat Shadow Silhouette] - Robyn Lithgow Smith. Lilly! I leave everything to you!"


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Assassin]. [One round marksman] levels down from [Sniper Elite].]


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Assassin]. [Sniper Elite] levels down to [Sniper]. [Assassin] levels up to [Master Assassin].]


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Assassin]. [Master Assassin] levels up to [Shadowblade].]


    "YES!" she replied.


    "HELLSEND! OPEN FUCKING COMBAT!"

 Chapter 664 Sworn brothers I guess [1/2]

    Our surprise attack took down two of the twelve vampires. Luckily for us, aside from those vampires themselves, the thousands of ghouls and zombies didn''t actually make much of a difference."I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU, REAPER!!!!" the last of the three vampires who were lounging about shrieked in anger.


    "COME GET SOME, SLUT!"


    Faster than a speeding bullet, the monster moved towards me. I leapt from Esca''s roof and allowed my legs to push me forward to the sky. Using them gun akimbo, I aimed and hip fired both my guns. A barrage of .30-06 and 7.62 NATO flew upwards like a storm.


    "PFFT! LEAD BULLETS? FUCKING DIE, REAPER!"


    The vampire see the flying steel scoffed and barreled through my rounds as she prepared to go in for the kill. Stretching out her hands, red fluids left her skin and covered her fingers to create weaponized fingernails.


    She might have appeared to others as a beautiful. But with my {Kismet} {Illusion Resistance}, I saw her for what she really was. A dead walking corpse.


    As she got closer I licked my lips in anticipation. One of the oldest tricks in the book was playing weak. Being underestimated by your opponents was the best gift they could give you on he battlefield. It also meant that the cocky were usually the first to die.


    ''Exa¡­''


    [Sacred''s loaded. Continue firing, by the time she arrives it would already be too late.]


    ''I fucking love you, Exa.''


    Along with my words of appreciation, I didn''t release my fingers off the trigger of both my guns.


    While [Shadowblade] no longer had the three reticules from {Perceive}, it did however give me a heighten combat sense courtesy of {Sonar} and {Listen}. Combine with the [Combat Shadow Silhouette] of Robyn, even just from the hips, I knew my rounds would hit the female vampire.


    Even if she could evade, the closer she drew nearer, the more her death would be set in stone.


    ''Just a little more¡­''


    The Vampire smiled in excitement as fended the lead rounds away. Like a hunter on the hunt, she probably could already taste my blood. Unfortunately she had it backwards. I was not the prey. She was. And the time for me to strike has arrived.


    "I WILL ENJOY DRINKING YO¡­."


    Cutting her mid-sentence I finally felt the Sacreds enter my rifle chambers. The thrum of holy energy could not be faked. In the same moment the firing pins struck the primers and ignited the gunpowder. The Sacreds burst out of my barrels of my battle rifles in the next moment.


    Powerful streaks of light impacted the vampire. Like a piece of fabric that got shot with flaming arrows, the vampire began to burn. Each Sacred ripped right through her body. There was no resistance. Her body full of power was torn and riddled with holes.


    As I aimed the SCAR-H on her forehead, the rounds skewered her face again and again till it collapsed into dust. Meanwhile the HCAR which was pointed at her torso, had similar results. In less than 5 seconds from firing the first Sacred, the vampire crumbled into golden dust.


    A blood curdling scream resounded from the skies. "CHIARA!"


    I then felt a presence coming straight for me. Something like a painful throb began to make the skin on the left side of my neck throb. Unfamiliar with the sensation this must be something from Robyn''s combat tactics.


    Believing I was about to get an attack on the same spot, I bent my knees and did a combat roll. As I did a felt something crash below me. Staying in mid air without [Wizard] was dangerous. But I could make due with {Shelter} platforms.


    ''{Shelter}''


    Creating a foothold in mid air, I twisted my body downward and kicked the {Shelter} construct I just created. The explosive momentum generated by my simple action sent to back to the ground like a bullet.


    As the smoke cleared I then saw a suave looking vampire. He was dressed in leather armor and carried two weird looking spears. A small one was on his hip, while a larger one was in hands.


    "I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU, REAPER!"


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    Somehow these bloodsuckers were not behaving like proper vampires. Weren''t they supposed to be like Gaspar? Stoic, emotionless cold? Whats up with these bastards shouting the exact same cringy lines?


    I felt the skin on my chest suddenly heat up. Surrendering my body to Robyn''s combat sense, I turned to the left until the prickly sensation dissapeared. A sudden gush of wind followed soon after.


    "HOW COULD YOU! HOW COULD YOU!" the vampire continued to shout emotionally.


    Not really finding him interesting, my ears picked up a loud sound. A powerful gunshot erupted along with a dazzling blinding flash. Not a second later another extremely loud shriek followed.


    "I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU, REAPER!"


    ''Wifey, that was amazing,'' I praised.


    ''Thank you husband, reward me later.''


    ''Now that is just lame. Do the vampires have only three voice lines or something? I wonder if they came be cajoled like humans? Manga and Anime normally showed these bastards as polygamists right? Ah no, there were a lot that showed them to have one partners for eternity too. How should I annoy this bastard?''


    ''Dearest, do you really have the right to chastise the vampires for their word play? And why are you devoting time into insulting them just shoot them.''


    Turning my head towards her position, I then saw my car flying into the sky. Lilly was riding it like a skateboard. Obviously the rest of my party was already on the battlefield killing everything in sight.


    Even though I knew what she would probably do next, I felt a pinch in my heart. Lilly raised her leg and slammed it on Esca. The tyrannical force of her stomp caused my car to spin mid air. The former Princess of North American then kicked the SUV like a soccer ball.


    Due to it being fitted with a B7 ballistic protection my car weighed more than 8,500 pounds. Yet Lilly''s tone leg sent the vehicle hurtling towards the ground like missile. Anyone seeing it would think Lilly was a fucking superhero.


    Esca crashed like a brick and turned a large number of ghouls into paste. The spot the SUV slammed on was covered in white puddles that looked like vomit. Not done, the iconic sounds of the the M134D''s rotors winding up. It announced to the vampire army the arrival of their coming annihilation.


    Floating in the air like an avatar of vengeance Lilly rained Sacreds down on the unsuspecting vampire army. Their cries and screams accompanied by golden dust.


    "So cool. Lilly, have I told you how flashy you are in combat?"


    "DON''T IGNORE ME YOU BASTARD! I WILL AVENGE CHIARA!"


    Using Robyn''s version of spider sense, I pulled my body back and avoided the Vampire''s all out thrust. Despite his rage, the vampires movement to me felt slow. Was this how Robyn processed the world?


    Due to using his all in that charge his back was now in front of me defenseless. My fingers and arms began to heat up as if to call me into action. In one swift motion, I raised both my arms and tucked my battle rifles to my sides.


    I could see the vampire slowly turn around his face wrapped in fear and terror.


    "Wai¡­"


    "You aren''t even worth getting excited for," I said in derision while I pulled the trigger.


    Just like his love Chiara the vampire in front of me turned into a pincushion, his body quickly collapsed as his hole ridden frame could no longer hold together. Yet I didn''t stop firing till he eventually turned into dust.


    I tried to find my next target only to see Liv in Asura mode taking on three vampires at a time. Unlike the one I just killed the ones around her used long nails just like Chiara. But against a 12-ft Valkyrie with six arms, all their attempts were useless.


    "TAKE HER DOWN!" "SHE IS ALONE!" "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU!"


    Liv fended them off with shield and sword and simply shot them with 10-Gauge and 40mm Sacreds.


    "THAT''S THE BEST YOU CAN DO? DIE!"


    The last of the vampire trio began to shiver in panic at the sudden death of his allies. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 665 Sworn brothers I guess [2/2]

    "W-What? What is going on? H-How are you all wielding holy energy! That''s fucking impossible! That''s IMPOSSIBLE!" cried the vampire.However my woman had no mercy for the blood suckers. Not after she saw the horrors Gaspar committed. I saw Liv brutally drive her sword into the Vampire''s throat then lift him up as his body weight slowly caused the sword to cut him inch by inch.


    "Listen well little one. This goes for you and all your ilk. Death comes for you. For all of you. And his name is Limitless!"


    Along with her arrogant boast, Liv fired both of her guns and obliterated the vampire into golden colored ash. In the short time since the battle began, I killed three, Liv killed three and Jas killed two.


    Lilly, our greatest firepower didn''t even bother aiming for the vampires. She proceeded to melt the vampire army into white pus or golden ash. Contrary to what we believed the vampires were not so tough. At least that was what I though. Until I saw the rest of the battlefield.


    Of the five vampires remaining three vampires were being swarmed by lizardkin dragons. Despite their massive sizes, the ones who were loosing were the Lizardkin Alpha''s. They were being beaten quite severely by the blood suckers.


    Three of them had their scythes ripped apart and impaled back into their brains. Six were on the ground squashed like bugs. Two where in pieces. But then I saw a tiny figure moving amidst the giant corpses.


    It was obvious that she was shaking. The sight of such overwhelming force must have scared her. But Pixie quickly moved towards one the impaled Lizardkin Alpha''s and shot a bright green round.


    "{Restore}?" I murmured in confusion.


    The bullet stuck the brain of the Lizardkin and lodged itself deep inside. Blood spurted out of the brain which moved like it had a mind of its own. Like a slime monster from fiction, the blood of the Lizardkin began to flow and heal its body.


    My {Vassal} quickly began to run and shot five more of the dead Alpha''s. The toll for invoking them must have been high as Pixie was showing sighs of exhaustion.


    "Pant¡­Pant¡­ just one more¡­ [Overdrive], [Thief]! D! I''m coming!"


    Running towards her partner she ran with all her might. Meanwhile D was being leading a bunch of Lizardkin. He shouted commands and was blasting the zombies and ghouls the Lizardkin were fighting with Sacreds. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "YOU CAN DO IT, BRUTHAS! WE ARE HERE TO HELP! WE STICK TOGETHER AND WE WILL LIVE!"


    As if to answer his call, the Lizardkin pointed their spears and formed a wall to protect my {Vassal}. With the a wall of reptilian muscle he effortlessly melted the opposition.


    Feeling the two of them didn''t need any help, I looked towards the last two vampires. They were locked in combat with Leo and Nyda.


    One of the vampires had decapitated. The head was barely hanging on to the body with thin lines of skin. The other looked like it was charcoal black from being struck by lightning.


    Yet both opened their mouths laughed out loud.


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    "HAHAHA! ITS USELESS YOU STUPID REAPERS! WE ARE IMMORTAL!!" The vampires bellowed like drug addicts.


    Leo said nothing and raised his greatsword in front of him. I could hear the sound of his metallic gauntlets tightening around his weapon.


    Just as silent, Nyda''s was beside him also waiting for an opening. Her skin was no longer made of flesh and was azure in color.


    It looked like Nyda was made from pure energy. Electric current''s ran around her body like dragons looking for prey.


    "I AM GOING TO SKULL FUCK YOU BITCH IN FRONT OF YOU REAPER!" the burnt vampire shouted.


    Despite their injuries, both vampires ran towards the adventurers eager to kill them. They leapt into the air and was about to stab Leo with their claws.


    "{Dawn of Lightning}" Nyda whispered.


    In the next moment, Nyda dissolved into an electric current and wrapped around Leo''s steel sword. A frightening amount of souls gathered in the air. I had a feeling it would end in the next moment.


    The armored knight then stomped him right foot into the ground and slowly swung his heavy weapon upwards. The vampires didn''t bother defending and simply stabbed all their nails into Leo''s collar bone.


    Unable to endure he vomited as their claws buried into his body. But not before he completed his swing. Generating power from the ground, Leo''s steel sword cleanly severed the torsos of both zombies.


    The lighting from his weapon suddenly erupted the next moment. Dazzling currents began scorching the pieces of the vampires. Their screams completely different from before showed how much pain they were in.


    "PRIMORDIAL LIGHTNING???? AAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!!!" x2


    Nyda''s elemental attack continued to strike the pieces of the vampires scorching it bit by bit. In a span of a few minutes, the lighting completely fried the pieces the vampires and reduced them to dust.


    Perhaps overwhelmed with relief, Leo collapsed to the ground and continued vomited blood.


    Nyda reappeared as a lightning elemental and fainted near her husband. With her power spent her body returned to flesh and blood immediately after.


    ''I see. Without Sacreds, this would be how a typical vampire battle would look like. A battle of endurance and misdirection,'' I commented absentmindedly.


    ''Indeed husband, it seems that most vampires act like they are immortal as they do not die to most attacks. I''m guessing those that know we can kill them would be terrified.''


    ''Although, the same should hold true for Gaspar, yet unlike these weaklings he moved so fast we couldn''t even hit him. Dearest, do you think you can win now?''


    ''I am not sure.''


    ''Do not worry Beloved. It seems that stopping their blows then counterattacking works. No matter how fast they are they will stop once we accept their attacks.''


    ''You are right. Thank you, Liv. I saw your three on one duel earlier it was splendid.''


    ''I dedicate their corpses to your name, my love,'' she replied with affection.


    ''Exa, can you please tell Pixie to take care of Leo and Nyda?''


    [Yes, my lord.]


    ''Jas, Liv can you please reinforce D along with the Lizardkin? Lilly, try and get some experience with the Vampires. The last three are yours. We will take over the cleanup.''


    ''I understand Husband.'' ''I shall make it so, Beloved.'' ''On my way, Dearest.''


    With most of the Vampires gone the battle was in its final phases. As I was wondering what to do next, I felt the ground shake. Turning towards the source of the tremors I saw five Lizardkin Dragons approach me.


    I said nothing and waited.


    These were the five Pixie brought back to life. Their lives along with the fact that D was leading the Lizardkin, should tell the monsters that we were not their enemy. But as the battle was easier than I assumed, I still had enough juice remaining. If these bastards wanted to fight me now, I wouldn''t back down.


    {You are Limitless?}


    "I am."


    {Why do you help us?}


    "I am allied with one of you. I named him Roach. He told me that if I helped him become king, he will help me close Hellsgate."


    {So it was true. He really did found allies. And you gave him your power?}


    "Yeah. I gave him my blood. We are hmmm, what are we? Sworn brothers, I guess?"


    {Sworn brothers?}


    "Basically, we are family now. I protect him, he protects me. Naturally it includes our families."


    [My lord, you are lying. Sworn brothers are made by drinking each other''s blood. You did not drink Roach''s blood. You gave him yours so you could kill him at will.]


    ''Shh.. They do not need to know that Exa¡­''


    {I see. Thank you. We are grateful. All of us here are mates of the one you call Roach.}


    "Mates? All of you? There''s 24 of you¡­ Well I think more than half of you are dead¡­Do you guys even have genders?"


    {They will recover. The small human. She knew those that would not come back. I would have passed on if not for her. We will return the favor. And yes, we are female.}


    "I see. Where is Roach? Why did you come here?"


    {Roach has managed to slay the previous King. He has won and is now changing. The pale ones stole five of our eggs. We must get them back. As the sworn brother of our King, Limitless will you help us?}

 Chapter 666 Its fucker. [1/2]

    "Well shit."[Accept your karma my lord. As sworn brothers you are obligated to assist. If you wish to be a figure of moral decency you cannot abandon them.]


    ''Exa, I am hurt. You make it sound like all I wanted to do was just use these bastards as cannon fodder.''


    [¡­My lord, please stop being so shameless¡­]


    Unable to keep a straight face, I ended up chuckling.


    {You find something amusing, Limitless? You have yet to answer. As Roach''s sworn brother, will you help us?}


    Interesting. Despite only just learning of the concept a while ago, this Lizardkin Dragon already understood my words. These monsters really were just mindless beasts.


    ''My Kindred. Once you finish up, can you please come here? I need you all.''


    ''Goodness, you really are a slave driver! I just killed three vampires and yet you still are ordering me around? Fufu you really cannot do anything without me can you? But I digress, Exa is keeping me apprised of the situation Dearest. Do as you will.''


    ''I am covering you right now Husband. Should they decide to attack, I will hit them with {Disarm} rounds. I will warn you if I see them trying to do anything.''


    ''Beloved the clean-up of the vampire army is close to ending. Leo and Nyda have rewinded and once again have joined the battle. D and Pixie are similarly performing admirably. The moment the last ghoul falls, I will come to you.''


    ''I see, thank you all. Then I will discuss with the Lizardkin what to do next.''


    It was comforting that my girls were doing their best. Jas decided to prioritize my safety over everything else. On the other hand, Lilly and Liv were executing my orders to the best of their abilities.


    Turning back to the monster, I continued where we left off, "Hmm. Before I answer do any of you have a name?"


    {We do not. Much like Roach, we have no need of such things. If you deem that one is needed to converse, then you may give me one.}


    The behemoth in front of me talked with the majesty of a queen. Unlike Roach, she kind of reminded of Lilly. A wise leader that saw the big picture.


    "Okay. Then from today on you are Juno. Names are something required for Reapers. Thus, if you wish to ally with us. Such things are required." Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire


    {I understand. Juno¡­Juno¡­ that is my name¡­ then from today on this shall be my name. Thank you for teaching me. We have not fought alongside Warmbloods before thus we are wholly ignorant.}


    It was comical for such a large beast to talk like this. I wonder how much of this was [American English] or if Juno was naturally more respectful than Roach.


    "Okay. When we meet someone for the first time, we greet them. Pleased to meet you Juno, I am Limitless, looking forward to working with you."


    {Pleased to meet you Limitless, I am Juno. Looking forward to working with you.}


    "Good. Okay before we continue there are a couple of things I want to know."


    {Ask.}


    "Why did you and your army come here. I know that they stole your eggs, but from what I can see, if we didn''t arrive, you and your brood would have been slaughtered. Vampires and ghouls are tainted, which means you cannot kill them no matter how many times you rip them apart."


    {I am aware. I know that. But my child. I cannot allow them to harm my child. He is all I have left.}


    So even among the monsters there were such bonds huh? I guess, it was expected after all even the animals know instinctively how to care for their young.


    "Then you all came here intending to die? Wouldn''t Roach be sad if you all died?"


    {He might not think so. I am after all one of his many mates. But I know how much hate he has for the pale ones. I just wanted to help. Roach is trying so hard. I know I am being foolish.


    But what choice do I have?}


    I knew too little about the sex lives of Lizardkin to comment. I noticed that Juno seemed to like Roach quite a bit. But it would be more appropriate to focus on the task at hand.


    "My forces and I will be attacking the duke. We intend to go down two more floors. What about you, Juno? Do you know where your eggs were taken?"


    {I can sense where my eggs are. They are deeper. I am being foolish Limitless. But what else would you have me do?}


    "You could just leave this egg and make a new one. So long as you are alive you can make more can''t you?" I proposed.


    {I do not want to.}


    "Huh?"


    {My child means more to me than my life. I would rather die.}


    ''Well, would you look at that. I know there are animal that are willing to do for their young, but I was rare to see one in the wild.''


    ''Indeed, Beloved. Who knew that such a being existed among the monsters.''


    ''Hmph. She is an even better mother than the one I had! How admirable. Dearest, I wish to reunite her with her child.''


    ''A mother''s love is something we will all soon experience. Husband. We are doing this right?''


    My battle harem''s comments aside, there was inherent power in understanding the circumstances of another. It was why people relate to protagonists in anime and manga. You could not help root for a protagonist once you know what he had to go through and what he intends to accomplish.


    "Very well. Then Hellsend and I will help you. But do the rest of your sisters feel the same way?"


    The other four then stomped their titanic legs and roared. They began crossing their scythes as if they were sharpening them.


    {The ones who came with me are those who once already had their eggs stolen or those that wish to get them back.}


    "Why does the vampires even want your eggs to begin with?"


    {We do not know. But they regularly steal what is ours. Even if our children hatch, we live in constant fear of their whims. My sisters and I have had enough. What use is living for so long under the torment of such fiends? Even if it is useless, I refuse to bow down to them any longer.}


    "It''s fucker. The word you want to say is fucker."


    {Fucker?}


    "Yes, if there is someone you hate, you call them a fucker."


    {I understand. I refuse to follow these fuckers any longer. I will trample these fuckers or die trying!}


    Juno''s angry bellows followed her fierce declarations. Along with her the Lizardkin dragons similarly stomped their massive hoofs. My senses picked up the remaining Lizardkin Dragons converge on my position.


    Including the five in front of me, it seemed like Pixie brought back seven others. Along with the ones that survived there were nineteen of these monstrous beasts. While they were quite intimidating, hearing a monster the side of small mountain cursing in English was funny as hell. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As I was trying to hold in my laughter, I noticed the battlefield was already silent. Three figures suddenly came to my side with {Blink}. Naturally it was Lilly, Liv, and Jasmine. The cleanup must have already completed.


    "Anyway, Juno before I help you there is something I wish to know. I personally fought with Roach. He had the ability to server {Fates}. Is that an ability that all Lizardkin Dragons have?"


    {I do not know what {Fates} is. Also, what is Lizardkin Dragons?}


    "Hmm¡­Never mind then."


    It seemed that in depth exchange of culture cannot be done at the moment. As none of my party was tired to having {Rewind}, it would be a good idea to proceed. I was also worried about what would happen to George''s group.

 Chapter 667 Its fucker [2/2]

    I turned around and saw even Leo, Nyda, D and Pixie were present. Their faces didn''t seem too bad, but I wanted to ask anyway."You four got it in you to go a few more rounds?"


    "Yes, my lord!" x4


    A near instantaneous reply.


    Turning to Juno, I then told her of what we planned to do next. I pointed to the extremely large elevator like doorway before speaking.


    "Juno, we will be now heading towards that door. We expect the vampires to await us on the other side."


    {And you mean to meet them from the front?}


    "Yes. Do you intend to come with us?"


    {Yes, my sisters and I along with our brood will come.}


    "Okay. Let''s go."


    I looked around and saw my car flipped over and in a devastated state.


    ''{Save}, {Rewind}.''


    Invoking my {fate}, I felt my car return to my inventory. After pulling it out, when my party was getting on. I remembered something.


    "[Inventory], Ebony, Ivory."


    I pulled out my beloved USP Matches and walked towards Leo and Nyda.


    "You saw the power of the Sacreds. Take these. We will be fighting with more vampires for sure. Use them as you will. Exa will handle reloading so just aim and pull the trigger."


    Reverently Nyda and her husband took the guns and gave thanks.


    When my party was all boarded Esca, I got in the driver''s seat and stuck my hand out the window.


    "Juno, let''s go."


    {Yes, Limitless.}


    My SUV drove towards the gate to the lower floor. Along us was a gigantic army of over nineteen Lizardkin Dragons and many Lizardkin. The sight was quite imposing when I saw our force move with my drones in the air.


    Funnily enough I forgot about my Switchblades earlier. The battle was too easy I didn''t even see the need to use them. Normally I command them before joining the battle. But most of the time in the heat of things I tend to only remember them when I lack fire power.


    ''Exa, remind me to use Burger and Fries. It seems when the battle is too easy, I forget to use them. When you notice that they are idle. Please command them in my stead.'' Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    [I understand, my lord.]


    While Exa could control my drones, I noticed that she does not do so without my consent. It made sense as I never told her to do so freely. Hopefully now that I ordered her to do so, Burger and Fries will begin becoming part of our standard implement.


    [Am I allowed to bring them out of storage as well my lord?]


    ''Yes, you may.''


    Our forces made our way towards the giant ass door at the end of this floor. Along the way the sight of Lizardkin running prompted my party to comment in all sort of ways.


    "D! D! Have you ever seen something so awesome! We are fighting with the Lizardkin!"


    "Yeah, they were pretty cool earlier. When we fought, they listened to me and even created formations. These monsters are not dumb."


    "Hehe! I know you looked so cool earlier D! You reminded me of the lord!"


    "Really? Thanks Pix. I still have a long way though," Delroy commented embarrassed.


    "Don''t mind it! We will get there eventually! We are the lords {Vassals} after all!"


    ___


    "Leo¡­We are fighting with monsters¡­I kinda thought I understood but seeing it like this is¡­How do I say it?"


    "It is unsettling. That is the word you are looking for cupcake. The lord is quite eccentric. There is literally nothing that he will not do."


    "I know right? Even these Sacred. The lord and the ladies vaporized ten Vampires with minimal effort. And we almost died to just two! Anyone with these would steamroll the tainted!"


    Leo made a thinking pose and nodded, "Agreed. This is considering the fact that Vampires are even harder to kill than normal tainted. Even the {Fate} weaponry the Manifested use needs origin attributes to kill them." S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Mhm! With this we can get my sister back! I am sure of it!"


    ___


    "They seem to be in high spirits. But Dearest do you have a plan beyond just busting through the front door?"


    "Haha! This is Beloved. He would most likely will not. But then again with the Lizardkin with us. Would a more complicated plan be even needed?"


    "Husband, we should hurry. Maybe we will be able to catch up to George''s group. Hopefully they did not make contact with the Vampires standing guard at the doorway."


    "I really do not know what to expect to be honest. But what I do know is that no matter what comes our way we will simply punch through it," I confessed.


    We eventually reached the door and came to a stop. Seeing this thing from a far was already impressive. However now that I was standing in front of it this thing was just fucking enormous.


    The doorway itself was connected to a tower of some sort. The said tower connected the sky and the ground together. I initially though that the Hellsgate sky was low, primarily because I couldn''t believe that it was more than a wallpaper on the ceiling.


    Such thoughts were put to rest by seeing the connecting parts of the sky to the ground. When we were running Song of the Siren operations, we actually just warped all over the place. This was my first time reaching the 1-1 zone for any floor.


    But seeing this thing was believing. Just like a dungeon in anime and manga, these doors really drove home the point that Hellsgate was really a dungeon. I got off the car and walked towards the door.


    There were pieces of ghouls wriggling on the floor about. Despite George and his party riding on a giant 20-foot Bison, there was no signs that they smashed through the door.


    "Now what? How do we get down?"


    Just as I finished asking a voice spoke in my mind.


    {Do you wish to descend to a lower floor?}


    "Eh? Thats it? I just say yes?"


    The robotic voice was the same one I heard when I joined the mercenaries. I thought it was an AI Zach created to manage the Death seekers. But it seemed that he didn''t make it. Otherwise that meant Zach made the system for the doors too.


    Not minding my thoughts, I answered curtly.


    "I do."


    The moment I did the doorway split down the middle and began to open. The sound of the door opening was quite peculiar. It reminded me of branches twisting. Or bark or something.


    Despite looking like sci-fi doors on ships, the pieces of the doorway vanished as they melded with the gigantic door frame. A gust of wind came out of the now giant cave in front of me.


    There was no light, and apart from the sound of wish rising through the ground you wouldn''t even know this thing was a tunnel towards the lower floor. Pitch black my insides twisted in fear of the unknown.


    Yet nothing came from staying in your comfort zone. As I was about to jump, Jas invoked her {Fate}.


    "{FLASH}!"


    Unlike the usual {Flash}, I wasn''t blinded. Instead an intense light glowed above our line of sight. The light illuminated the tunnel. We could not see the vine like walls that snaked downwards.


    {You seem scared Limitless. Then my sisters and I will be going ahead!}


    With an arrogant jeer, Juno and her sisters leapt into the tunnel. It was only when the small mountain began running along the walls did my mind comprehend the scale of this thing.


    Even with an army of Lizardkin Dragons running along the sides, the tunnel didn''t look crowded. The looked like ants along a vine. Whatever this thing was, my mind felt dizzy just from trying to understand it.


    "[Overdrive] [Wizard]."


    [[Assassin] setting shifting to [Wizard]. [Shadowblade] levels down from [Master Assassin].]


    [[Assassin] setting shifting to [Wizard]. [Master Assassin] levels down to [Assassin]. [Wizard] levels up to [Warlock].]


    [[Assassin] setting shifting to [Wizard]. [Warlock] levels up to [Archmage].]


    "{Shelter}."


    I created a {Shelter} construct in the form of a moving disc.


    "Everyone, get on."


    My party got on the disc which I began to pull with me. Because of [Archmage''s] ability to reduce soul costs and deny gravity. My flew downward while having my flying disc carry the rest of my party.


    And just like that we descended to the next floor.

 Chapter 668 HAUL ASS! [1/2]

    "That is one really big hole! D? How deep do you think does this goes?""I don''t know. But Pix, stay in the flying carpet. You might fall off!" Her partner said as he crawled on all fours.


    "Eh? But it''s perfectly safe, my lord is driving after all! Wait. D¡­ Why do you look so pale?"


    "Pix! Stop moving! The carpet is shaking! We might fall!"


    "D! Are you afraid of heights? HAHAHA! Heights? Really?"


    "It is not funny! This be no joke!"


    "Haha sorry, D. Don''t you worry I will protect you!" Pixie said while trying to keep a straight face.


    ___


    "Unbelievable. Even the manner we are descending to the next floor is insane! We are flying instead of crawling. Even Rank S parties do not have it this easy! Won''t we get there in under an hour at this pace? We packed enough supplies for a week!" Nyda complained as she rested.


    "Indeed. And rather than worry about the random monsters we have the Lizardkin bulldozing them. It seems trying to adhere to common sense when you are with Limitless is pointless."


    "Right? And how the hell can we even understand the monsters? If Administration or HQ learns that we can talk to them, wouldn''t it completely change the status quo? And my lord isn''t even trying to hide it!"


    "Hmm. I do not think most would even care about it at this point. Once the report we sent gets to the Adventurers HQ, I doubt anyone would be able to pay attention to anything else."


    ___


    "{FLASH}!"


    "Wow! I must say I am impressed with your {Flash} Jas. How did you change its attributes while still being able to use the original keyword?"


    "It''s straightforward. You restrict the luminescence. I got the idea from Husband''s {Restore}. {Flash} no longer blind targets at the cost of not being able to reach as far. It can be used as a flare in this manner. But what are you writing, Lilly?"


    "Oh? You mean this? I was coding a new {Program} I plan to create. It will be called ''Autohunt''. In a nutshell it is basically an automated zombie hunting protocol. Any zombie around my vicinity gets a bullet to the head, but there are still issues I need to work on."


    "Tsk. Don''t you have too many {Programs} already? Your skill set is already completely broken, now you want to hunt without moving? Thats just cheating!" Jas remarked in a pout.


    "Me? Cheating? Have you seen the stuff Dearest pulls? This is like a parlor trick compared to {Restore}. Besides [Guardian Angel] is just as broken! You are a pot calling the kettle black!"


    ___


    "Beloved, are you sure you are not pushing yourself? I can share stamina if you lack some. Moving this flying construct at this speed, must be burdensome."


    "I am fine Liv, please protect me while I practice"


    "Of course, love. Be at ease. I will wake you should the need arise."


    Seated on Liv''s lap, I focused on slowly guiding the {Shelter} disk downwards. [Archmage] reduced my soul consumption and made it easier to manipulate {Fates} as I wanted.


    While I said slow, we were actually falling at an alarming pace. Funnily enough despite reaching terminal velocity, we still couldn''t catch up to Juno and her sisters. Who were running at an even more insane pace.


    The tunnel we were in was about 5 miles wide, according to {Imaging}-Holographic. My party and I were on a platform less than 200 ft wide. It wasn''t cramped but there was not even any space to summon my UGVs on.


    Right now, I was using a combination of {Stock}, {Withdraw}, {Ascend}, and {Hike} to control our ride. While it was not tiring, it needed a lot of brain power. Apart from [Commander], [Knight Lord] and [Primalist], I needed experience on the other new classes.


    [Shadowblade], [One round marksman] along with [Archmage], were the [Overdrive] versions for [Assassin], [Sniper] and [Wizard] respectively. Funnily enough, I still yet to understand the nuances of my job classes especially when used in combinations.


    [Combat Shadow Silhouette], gave me a lot of inspiration after seeing how my girls handled the soul in their bodies. And while I cannot drive my body as good as Exa, I need get better at hand-to-hand combat before I face off with Gaspar and the duke.


    Although I try to focus, being so close to Liv made it difficult. She had me secured with her left arm while her right wandered around my body. Her hand movements reminded me of Aki.


    Were the girls'' all getting tips in seduction from my land lady? Just as I was about to ask, I felt Liv''s breath on my neck. A second later she began nibbling on my ear.


    ''Seeing you trying so hard to focus is so adorable beloved. It makes me want to tease you¡­''


    The moment Liv''s lecherous thoughts entered my brain, I felt my attention waver. The {Shelter} construct we were riding on suddenly tilted to the left. A full second passed before I was able to correct the tilting of the platform.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!! We are going to die! PIX WE GOING TO DIE!"


    "D! Calm down! It righted itself back up! Relax. Look at me and breathe¡­"


    While my {Vassals} were panicking, the adventurers were looking at me with contempt.


    "Sigh, if only the lord wasn''t a complete lecher he would be perfect. I am about to die because the man I serve it getting teased by one of his girlfriends. Don''t you think so Leo?"


    "Haha, I think this is better, cupcake. People would relate more to a realistic womanizing scum that some perfect hero, right? My lord''s quirks make him approachable. Basically, he thinks with his lower half."


    "Sigh, I guess this is for the best. At least he hasn''t tried looking at me with eyes of desire, so he knows some shame at least?"


    "Indeed, plus if he does the Sirens would probably beat the living shit out of him. They balance well."


    Whatever dignity I might have gotten was reduced to being a heroic pervert. Kind of an unfair assessment but better than being seen as some kind of deity. Liv who got a kick out of my reactions continued to lick my earlobes hoping to see me break my concentration.


    My eyes then saw two pairs of beautiful legs before me. When I looked up, Jas and Lilly both had folded arms and had complicated faces.


    "Liv, since when have you began to take joy in making Husband falter? That is my domain! Stop at once."


    "Jas, that''s what you have a problem with? Ugh. You people are insane. Liv, get off Dearest. Delroy over there is going to die of a heart attack if you keep this up. Do something useful and stop bothering him."


    Just then a loud streak came from up above. Then an ear-piercing sound of chattering filled the air. It was similar to the sound of thousands of teeth chewing, but only the teeth were the size of doors or something.


    "Husband, fall down faster. We have a worm or some manner of creature," Jas warned as she raised her rifle upward. She took aim at one of the spots along the wall.


    There were still a couple makeshift flares Jas made from {Flash} that still lingered. Giving us some visibility from up above. Heading my Wifey''s words, I disabled {Ascend} on the platform which sent us into free fall.


    The speed at which our velocity increased took the others by surprise. Aside from the Sirens and I, the others began floating a couple of feet off the platform.


    "NA MAN! I CAN''T DO THIS! I CAN''T DO THIS!" "D! Focus on my voice! We are okay! Relax!" "Leo was that what I think it was?" "Yep.


    That was definitely the sound of Rank A Tunneling Worm."


    "{CRUSH}!"


    Just like gravity boots in science fiction, my party and I suddenly felt our bodies pressed against my {Shelter} construct. D in particular began to kiss our ride as his feet returned to solid ground. The girls probably were the ones who saved us. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before anyone of us could ask Leo and Nyda for specifics, a loud crash violently resounded. I gazed up with {Perceive} and saw a tower of flesh burst the walls of the tunnel. It looked like a gigantic maggot that thrashed along the vast chasm.


    With its long body it began to travel downward increasing in speed. Its head was comprised of a bulb that had jaws. It didn''t have eyes or ears or a nose. Instead of a neck this monstrosity had appendages that looked like flower petals all of which were covered in teeth.


    A resounding growl echoed along the walls as we fell. The petals opened practically sealing the tunnel with its umbrella-like head. This thing was fucking massive.


    "HELLSEND! OPEN FIRE!" Lilly commanded.


    "[Shared Armory] Denel FT5! Husband, let me borrow this. [PENETRATOR]!"


    When my party heard Lily''s instructions, they took out their guns and began unloading everything they had skyward.

 Chapter 669 HAUL ASS! [2/2]

    ''Exa, what the fuck is that?''[It is a Rank-A Tunneling worm my lord. It travels along the Hellsgate corridor and devours those moving between floors. Its existence is what prompted the NA Battlefront to create the Warp matrix.]


    ''That is all well and good, but my main concern is if we can we kill it?''


    [It would be highly unlikely. Its body is too tough. Among the Rank-A. It is among those considered close to S rank. And all professions except the Death Seekers regularly lose reapers to it.]


    ''Well fuck¡­''


    During my short discussion with Exa, my entire party pumped the approaching wall of teeth with lead. Yet the rounds didn''t make much of a dent on it. Even 40mm grenades and 95mm HEAT warheads hardly did any damage. Neither lead nor Sacreds did nothing in the face of the powerful monster.


    Seeing it''s unstoppable approach I felt my body tense up and my heartbeat loudly. My girl''s links also began to drown in confusion, fear and anxiety. If we could not kill this thing, we would die here.


    My ears suddenly picked up the sound of a stampede in front of us. Looking down I saw the Lizardkin Dragons along with thousands of Rank D lizardkin. Feeling I had to do something, I roared to Juno.


    "JUNO! A TUNNELING WORM IS ON MY TAIL! RUN FASTER!"


    {We are running at full speed Limitless! Why did it come out? It normally ignores us!}


    "How do fuck should I know?! HAUL ASS!"


    Despite having an extremely large head start, the worm closed in at an insane pace! From being a few stories above us, it was already within half a mile of our location. That might have sounded a lot, but in our situation if might as well just within a stone throw away.


    ''EXA!''


    [We will reach the next floor in five minutes. The worm will reach us in three. I will reach the Lizardkin in the next sixty seconds.]


    "FUCK!"


    Lilly and Liv both kneeled to the ground the invoked {fates}.


    "{Hike}!" x2


    Their actions increased our speed even more. Despite having {Hike}, my ears began to hear the sound of wind whistling. My hair and clothes also began to wave like lunatics as our descent caused the air currents to violently pass through them.


    Following my girls, the adventurers also invoked their {Fate}.


    "{SIEGE}" x2 S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The new fate seemed to function like {Crush} as we went even faster.


    "My lord! What do we do!" Nyda shrieked in a loud voice!


    FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! A wall enemy that will crush you in a set number of turns. It was a staple in RPG games. But in most of the games we played I just went Apeshit on it till it died.


    [{Portal}! Switchblades inbound!]


    Exa then opened a wide {Portal} and out it came Switchblades by the dozens. They all collided with the Rank A beast. But its massive size practically made them into eggs smashing on a wall.


    "[INVENTORY]! I DESPISE THOSE THAT CANNOT TAKE A HINT!"


    I then smelled something pungent, it was a disgusting odor. I noticed Lilly open an extremely large portal and release a crap ton of water like a geyser. The water which began to douse the worm on the face so much so that it began to shake its head in annoyance.


    Lilly then raised her right hand as she roared in loud voice.


    "BEGONE! [ELECTROCUTION]!"


    A powerful electric current then began to flow through the water. Electricity was normally invisible and silent. But if you had a large enough charge, it created beautiful arcs of light that would be enough to kill people in seconds.


    Leo and Nyda who noticed Lilly''s plan, similarly they tried to assist.


    "{Thunderstorm}!" x2


    Along with the water, blue lighting snaked around the currents as they smashed into the face of the Tunneling Worm. Loud violent crashes echoed in the confined space creating savage booms that threatened to turn us all deaf.


    "LIV! HURRY!" at Jas'' shout, Liv replied energetically. "I KNOW! HERE GOES!"


    "{SHELTER!}" x 2


    Two interlocking plates of gigantic {Shelter} walls combined to create a plug. There was a small gap where Lilly''s water still entered. Within seconds, my two girls created a makeshift wall. Unfortunately, it shattered in seconds.


    "Bleargh!"x2


    My Northerner and African lovers vomited blood as their faces began to show violent lines. It seems they had already overdrafted to try and stop the incoming Rank A.


    Despite all the things the Sirens did, the Tunneling Worm was relentless. It was now close enough that we could see its teeth. Despite the air flowing upward, I could feel the hot breath of the gigantic mouth threatening to swallow us whole.


    I then noticed that we were quickly coming up towards the Lizardkin army. They were along the wall. While the smaller lizards should be okay, the Juno and the other champion ranks would be chomped helplessly.


    ''My love, I will pull it away,'' Liv sent to my link as she stood up.


    ''Huh? What do you mean Liv?''


    ''I will invoke [Titan] and force the Rank-A to turn to the right. Juno and her sisters should be safe then.''


    "What the fuck are you talking about? To hell with them all! Liv, I cannot lose you!"


    Just then Lilly and Jas began giggling like schoolgirls.


    "Fufu, always the melodramatic Dearest. We have {Rewind}. You worry too much."


    "Haha. Husband does lose his common sense when we are in danger. I find it adorable."


    The Valkyrie of Ivaldi strutted to me and gave me a passionate kiss.


    "As always Beloved, your affection for me gives me butterflies. You worry too much. {Save}."


    [My lord, my ladies. We are coming up towards our exit. Please be ready to jump.]


    "No need. I will {Blink} first and jump to the exit. Jas and I will link up and create a doorway. We will place it on the floor so just jump into it. Dearest. Set your {Rewind} on me.


    When our group has safely arrived on the 31st floor. {Rewind} to my position."


    "But what about Liv? I won''t go without her!" I shouted.


    Jas then sighed as she slapped my arm.


    "Look at you, Husband! Please stop being foolish. Liv''s {Save} point is on your body. So long as you are safe, she can {Rewind} to your position. But in order for her to do so, you must be out of danger as well."


    Hearing the Ebony death stalker''s explanation I finally understood what Liv intended to do. It was basically a {Rewind} rally. Or a moving our {Save} points beyond what we can see by using each other.


    I didn''t get what they were trying to do, but when I finally understood, I quickly embraced Jas and passionately licked her mouth.


    ''Wifey! You are a genius! AMAZING! I LOVE YOU!''


    Although surprised at my actions, Jas didn''t resist and returned my passion. Only for Leo to suddenly shout in a booming voice.


    "I HATE TO BREAK UP YOUR FUN! BUT WE ARE GOING TO DIE IF YOU PEOPLE DON''T DO ANYTHING! ITS HERE!"


    "DO SOMETHING BRUTHA!"


    "D!!!! WAHHHHH!!!!"


    The monster''s teeth were now feet away from us. We were also just seconds way from reaching Juno and her army. But I wasn''t worried. After all I had the Valkyrie of Ivaldi on my side.


    "[OVERDRIVE] [SNIPER]! {TITAN}! [Valkyrie]!"


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Sniper].]


    [[Assassin] setting shifting to [Sniper]. [Sniper] levels up to [Sniper Elite].]


    [[Knight] setting shifting to [Sniper]. [Sniper Elite] levels up to [One Round Marksman].]


    Liv''s body shone like a star and grew! Within seconds she transformed into a 50-foot tall giant and grabbed the face of the Rank A and yanked it away from Juno and her sisters.


    My beloved forcefully smashed the face of the Rank A towards a nearby wall. Thanks to the size difference, she looked like a child wrestling a full-grown bear.


    Within the same movement, as her body grew Liv''s feet pushed against my {Shelter} construct. She then sent us hurtling even faster with a powerful stomp.


    [My lord and ladies! We have missed the 31st floor exit!]


    "Jas, you know what to do! I''ll be going first! {Blink}!"


    Lilly disappeared and Jas then opened a small {Portal} on my {Shelter} construct.


    "Everyone! Jump in now!" she shouted.


    Jas leapt into the {Portal} last. When Liv and I were the only ones left, I dissolved the {Shelter} taking away the footing we used to keep upright.


    "LIV! LET''S GO!"


    "GO BELOVED I WILL FOLLOW! {COUNTER}!"


    My Northerner created a third arm and sent all her {Counter} energy into it, she then slammed it into the face of the Rank A. Knowing Liv''s safety depended on me, I invoked my {fate} to return to Lilly.


    "{REWIND}!''


    Dissolving into light I next found myself standing in front of a doorway with my party. A second later Liv appeared and landed beside me. All while a painful scream echoed along the tunnels like a funeral dirge.

 Chapter 670 Rise and shine [1/2]

    "THAT WAS SO AWESOME!!!!!" Pixie chirped in excitement.While she was high on Adrenaline the others weren''t. D in particular was kissing the ground and seemed to be praying or something. Leo and Nyda were both taking a moment to calm themselves as well.


    My heart was beating wildly, despite knowing the plan, I was scared. What if something happened? What if Jas and Lilly encountered an enemy? What if Liv was not able to {Rewind} properly? Such thoughts plagued my mind as anxiety and terror drowned my heart.


    When I found Liv beside me, I quickly embraced her. I then looked to see if my other girls were all okay. Lilly and Jas who saw my face and felt my fear, raced towards me.


    Jas dove into my chest and wrapped her arms around me. All as she whispered. "Husband, relax. We are safe. We are here. What you fear shall not come to pass."


    In contrast Lilly slowly kneeled by my side. The Princess made a smug face as she took my head and embraced it into her magnificent chest.


    "Fufu, look at you, Dearest. It is as if you would go insane, if you could not see me. How adorable. There there¡­I am here¡­you can calm down now. You did well."


    Liv similarly said nothing and just rested her head on my shoulder.


    Feeling their warmth and hearing their voices finally allowed my emotions to calmed down. It was a first for me. To be in such a desperate situation and be unable to do anything about it. My entire focus was on making the {Shelter} platform stable.


    Even a small disturbance in my mentality caused it to tilt. And as our survival was tied directly to something else aside from fighting. I couldn''t do anything but focus on my task. The feeling of helplessness was a bit too much to bear. It might be better to have someone else do such troublesome tasks in the future.


    The warmth and affection of my girls drove the fear and anxiety away. Within minutes my breathing normalized, and I was at peace. I gave my girls a short but tender kiss soon after.


    While their actions weren''t able to defeat the Tunneling Word, my girls were all very capable. They never despaired and thought of solutions even without me saying anything. Even Exa took some shots in my stead.


    ''Speaking of, didn''t she invoke a {Fate} on her own? I mean she normally controlled {Limitless} but that was probably the first time she did.''


    While most would never consider granting full autonomy to someone like Exa, I didn''t. For one, she already had my trust. And she was my {Kismet}, something my desires gave birth too.


    ''Exa, you invoked {Portal} earlier. Explain.''


    [Yes, my lord. I originally had no access to do so. But as you gave me a directive to command your UGVs which included letting them out of storage. I can now use the {Store} so long as its for the UGV''s.]


    ''I see, so which was how you could open a doorway for the Switchblades to use?''


    [Yes, in the future, should you need direct fire support, I can now have Burger fire directly to a {Portal}. While it does nothing to improve the rounds fire power like Lady Lilly does, it should give you a new tactic to use.]


    ''Indeed. Thank you, Exa.''


    Would it be better to similarly give Exa access to my other {fates}? If she had access to {Withstand} she could buff or strengthen me in combat. Hell, I could offload the troublesome stuff onto her, like creating {Shelter} constructs.


    Why would I even doubt her at this point? Even [Dual Pilot] was risky as fuck. If Exa suddenly turned traitor, she was already in way too deep for me to do anything about it. As I didn''t want to have my girls hear, I used Technopathy to speak with Exa.


    [Exa, I command you to speak truthfully from this point on.]


    [I understand.]


    [Whose words do you consider your highest priority?] I asked curtly.


    [Yours, my lord.]


    [Can anyone order you to betray me?]


    [No, my lord. I am no longer an AI, I am a being born with your Soul energy. Even if someone hacks my code it would no be able to do much. When commanded with death resonance, I can resist but shutting down my AI components.]


    I see, so she was something that was between machine and reaper. Hearing her words right now I was reminded of a conversation I had with Aira.


    [I don''t understand, my lord. Are you displeased?]


    "Ah, no. Do as you wish, Aira, I never considered you a servant, so it doesn''t matter how you address me."


    [Then how do you see me, my lord?] S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hmm. I see you as family, maybe like a younger sister or daughter."


    [Is that so? Would you like me to address you as brother or daddy?]


    "NO! My Lord is fine. In fact, let us keep it that way, I beg you."


    Was it from there? Exa felt like a friend that would always be in my corner. We had differences but she always did her best for me. And despite being angry with her in the beginning, she was now one of my trusted allies.


    [I see. Thank you, Exa. I apologize for suddenly asking such things.]


    [My lord, if I may.]


    [Hmm?]


    [My lord. Aira truly wanted to serve you. This I know as I read her memories. But she felt horrible that she betrayed you. I also carry this regret. The E.X.A.


    {Fate} combat system was something born from that. Unlike Aira, I will never betray you.]


    Hearing such straightforward words felt good. It didn''t matter if the words came from a machine, a monster or a person. Loyalty was always worth its weight in soul.


    [Thank you, Exa. I will try to be someone worth such devotion.]


    [You already are my lord.]


    Before I could reply I felt the ground shake. As the Tunneling Worm already passed, I turned to my girls.


    Jas murmured as she buried her face into my stomach.


    "It''s Juno. They are coming here now."


    Lilly and Liv separated from me and quickly stood up. They both offered a hand to help me up. Jas adorable tried to keep me down but relented with a kiss as payment.


    The spot we were in was like a cave inside the wall. Vines and grass covered everything. It was like the entire thing was made from plants.


    Jas and Lilly had large lanterns out which gave us some illumination. The darkness and eerie silence were enough to scare the crap out of most people. My mind began to imagine how normal people would traverse these floors.


    Leo and Nyda were already up and were standing in front of what looked like a console. D and Pixie were watching behind them.


    ''Eh? How can there be a console if this tunnel is supposed to be nature and shit.''


    The girls and I quickly walked towards the rest of my party.


    "My lord, I am opening the door now. Outside this cavern would the 1-1 zone for floor 31. Normally a small heavily armed outpost defends the entrance. But as the Vampires have taken over this floor. We can expect heavy resistance," the Adventurer explained.


    "There won''t be enough room on this clearing for Juno and her army. Let''s roll out the red carpet, shall we? Everyone, use {Rewind}."


    "{Rewind}" x7


    With everyone restored to their optimum efficiency, our preparations were complete. Nyda was about to open the door when Jas then shared the future.


    "Husband. I used [Future Sight]. The opposite side is chaotic. George and his defenders are being overwhelmed. We can use the chaos to slip in while they are being killed."


    "Beloved, can we please help them? These men are true reapers in every sense of the word. While they did not follow us earlier, their goals align with ours. Having them on our side would still be preferable."


    "Indeed. As they abandoned us when we fought with the vampires, we do not have the moral obligation to save them. But their power would still be useful. Dearest, how should we proceed?"


    As my girls gave counsel I began to ponder. I actually forgot about George and his merry band of Phantoms. Compared to Juno and her army they seemed weak. But as they were veteran defenders, they should have the skills needed to take down Vampires.

 Chapter 671 Rise and shine [2/2]

    Jas wanted to abandon them; Liv wanted to help them. Lilly, It didn''t care either way. The option fell on me. I did save them, but they repaid that debt by abandoning us when we choose to fight the vampires.''Although what they were against was saving the monsters. But the fact remains that these Phantoms were selfish and had no loyalty to speak off,'' I thought to myself


    To be fair, none of them swore loyalty to me. From the beginning all they wanted to do was kill vampires. They just joined me as they thought that was the fastest way to murder as many blood suckers as possible.


    But we were deep behind enemy lines. While we gained Juno and her lizardkin army, the Vampires were preparing for a long time. I didn''t know how big an army they had to offer. And while my party had {Rewind} the others didn''t.


    George and the five Phantoms with him didn''t have {Call My Name} for one. They were wild cards that I did not treat as my own. Should I give them my {Kismet} so that I could kill them if necessary?


    I then shook my head. While {Call My Name} did give out {Kill Switch}, using it all the time was not ideal. For one it didn''t take much for others to figure out if I kept blatantly using it. Making up my mind, I announced for everyone to here.


    "We need all the help we can get. They will help us liberate more of the defenders. For now, at least, they are useful. We shall save them as like us they are hostile to the vampires."


    Everyone brought out their weapons and responded, "Yes, my lord."


    "Pixie, heal them as necessary. The rest of you, push the enemy back as much as possible so Juno and her army has room," I added.


    "Liv, want to try again?"


    "You mean the {Shelter} wall we made earlier? But why would you want to, Jas?"


    "I need training, and it would be more useful than just shooting them," my Chocolate-skinned lover replied.


    "Fufu, do you girls mind if I joined? I felt bad when the rank A shrugged off my earlier attack. Nyda, Leo, sync up again would me if you please."


    "Huh? Yes, my lady! My husband and I are at your disposal."


    "Leo Armstrong stands ready. What do you wish for us to do Lady Ishtar?"


    "Oh my, how gallant. Launch a powerful lightning attack at the same time as me. The stronger the better."


    "Yes, my lady!" x2


    "Wonderful. Thank you, D, Pixie, I am tasking you with retrieving George''s party as soon as possible. If Bison is out of commission leave him."


    "Yes, my Lady. I follow your words," Delroy replied with a bow.


    "D. D. Who is Bison? Is he one of the uncles?"


    "I guess he be the purple Bison? Exa, did I get the right?"


    [Indeed, you have. The Phantom who has a soulform that looks like the giant purple bison, has the same alias. Thus, Bison would refer to him.]


    It was great to see. My party was comprised of a bunch of different people. Yet they were all now coordinating without prejudice or discrimination. From the sounds of it, my girls in particular were frustrated how the Tunneling Worm shrugged off their attacks.


    [[Inventory] Burger, Fries.]


    A door to my subspace opened a few feet away from me and out came my UGVs. The Ripsaw M5 Burger, and the TRX Razor back Fries.


    "Right, I should get ready too. {Never Alone}, {Day By Day}, [Shared Armory]. Setting: [Commander], [Assassin] and [Knight]."


    My Soul Avatars all lined up and brought forth my entire armory to bear. Along with my UGV''s it was quite an impressive sight.


    "{Shelter}" x2


    I then saw Jas and Liv once again create two gigantic {Shelter} constructs. They looked like yin and yang signs that interlocking at the middle. Together they formed a circular symbol that was more than 20 feet high and 3 feet thick.


    "{Withdraw}."


    Along with their work was over a hundred small portals. They were neatly lined up in order columns that filled every spot in our formation. I could see what looked like water in them.


    "{Save}. {Thunder Form}." X2


    Leo and his wife suddenly transformed into what looked like lightning elementals. They glowed cyan while streaks of yellow lightning snaked around their bodies. The amount of soul that radiated from them was intense. Together they looked like beings that were born from electricity.


    {Is everyone ready?}


    At Nyda''s question, everyone nodded. It was funny how meticulous my army was. My girls in particular were amazing if you gave them even just a few moments to coordinate.


    The lightning clad woman then touched the console, and we heard the familiar creaking of branches. The vines the kept the door shut began to undo itself. We began to hear sounds of combat coming from the other side.


    Guttural sounds of zombies. Tremors from an innumerable number of footfalls. The iconic sound of metal slashing flesh and of course the chaos of combat.


    "COME AT ME MOTHER FUCKER!" "MOOOOOO!!!!!" "GET OFF ME, YOU ASSHOLES!"


    When the "door" finally opened, I could feel almost everyone''s attention shift to my party. Lilly and Jas turned off the lanterns reducing the visibility among us. Only Leo and Nyda glowed in the darkness.


    There was hardly any light in the battlefield in front. But I could feel the positions of George''s party. While [Assassin] allowed me to sense the thousands of ghouls on top of them.


    Probably sensing the danger coming from our positions. The battlefield "froze." My eyes could pick up a few vampires and what looked like towering figures.


    ''Exa?''


    [There are 50 rank C Vampires. And Ten rank C Stone Borne. Along with over a thousand rank E-Ghouls and over ten thousand rank F''s]


    ''Vampires are rank C? Then why did Nyda say that the duke was rank B?''


    [It is difficult to differentiate but, average vampires are rank C, those that are stronger are Noble Vampires at rank B.]


    ''Was that why the vampires we fought were loud as fuck? Because they were commoners?''


    [Tsk. Tsk. My lord, such are the words of an elitist. A penchant for violence is equally present in the upper, middle and lower class.]


    "HELLSEND! ANNIHILATE THE VAMPIRE ARMY! OPEN COMBAT!"


    Lilly''s war declaration brought me back from my thoughts. Along with her shout, the sound of thousands of water jets began to douse everything around us. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "LIV!" "READY!"


    Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire


    "PUSH!" x 2


    Just then I felt the large floating wall the girls made move. It was so fast the very air vibrated. What followed was what happened to a baseball when struck by a bat. That was if the bat was held by the hulk.


    A devastating crash followed. I could see the silhouette of over a thousand bodies flying into the air. The water that was already covering the entire battlefield splashed and soaked everything in front of us.


    It was too fast for anyone to comprehend. I saw D and Pixie hauling four bodies over their shoulders like bags of rice. There were a few humanoids that were able to resist the pressure and were protecting their faces.


    Then came the coup the grace. Everything that happened in the opening moments was for this one attack. And the very air began to smell like chlorine. It was a sharp, clean, and slightly metallic odor.


    "[ELECTROCUTION!]" "[OVERDRIVE], [MAGE]! {DAWN OF LIGHTNING}!" x2


    In contrast to the darkness just a few seconds earlier, the water jets began to show arcs of white light dance between them. Leo and Nyda, the humanoid figures covered in electricity raised their hands and suddenly exploded.


    A thunderous crash rang out in the next moment. From near absolute darkness, it was as if the Sun suddenly decided to rise in front of us. The dazzling brilliance caused even the shadows to disappear.


    There was no cry. There was no scream. The arrival of the morning took everything but surprise. Naturally I pressed all the triggers of my guns, joining the sunrise. My Sacred were not able to show their magnificent under the light of dawn.


    Growing even more intense, the light grew brighter blinding everyone and bathing everything in white. In awe of our attack, I could only smile while quipping in glee.


    "Rise and shine motherfuckers!"

 Chapter 672 Work something out [1/2]

    Video games were popular because they allowed people to live out different lives. Even if they had the most generic unfulfilled realities, video games provided an escape. In the digital world, they were no longer bound by anything. Only the limits of imagination.They could be tyrants or kings. Heroes or Demons. It was the ultimate freedom. In such worlds most men dreamt of being the strongest being in existence. Who wouldn''t? But most could only get this experience playing single player.


    Why? Because while most play video games to pass time or escape, there were those the live in them. And these motherfuckers were the ones you never wanted as an enemy. They used skills and meticulous planning most never even heard of.


    However, it was awesome to watch these PRO''s match again each other. Even more so when it was in large brawls. This was probably the reason why MOBAs became the defining E-sport aside from shooters.


    Multiplayer online battle arena was basically games where you had a team of players that try to kill their way into each other''s houses. You start being weaker than the mobs your base produces. But eventually you grow and kill your way to getting stronger.


    I had noticed it earlier. The Reaper landscape was basically a MOBA. Except rather than having a team of five. There was no concept of teams. You fought with as many players that you could muster.


    Even in MOBA''s the strength of one player was limited. You needed time to grow. But when you did get to that point, a single second or a brilliant play was all it took to snatch victory. There was no greater example than what my party did right here.


    Against an overwhelming number our tactics were limited. There were three things we needed to take care of. One was to not get surrounded. Two was to ensure we did not hit each other by mistake. And three was to kill as many as we could while preserving our ability to fight.


    The standard approach would have been forming a defensive line and shoot all the enemies. That was fine, but against thousands unless we had firepower comparable to the 777s it was difficult. We would have been overrun no matter what we did.


    This was what happened to me during my first week. Despite having superior fire power against a single Rank-F, I almost died to them numerous times. It took a lot of planning and equipment to be able to fight outnumbered.


    But my girls created a meticulous plan. One that completed a bunch of objectives I didn''t know we had.


    First George''s party was overwhelmed by Ghouls and Vampires. Bison was on the ground out of commission and was being eaten alive. I wasn''t even sure if he was alive. If we launched any large-scale attacks these bastards would have died as well.


    So, what does my party do? Lilly uses pressure and water to hose all the bastards away. With her ability to control pressure via her subspace, Lilly increased the PSI of her water jets so that they were strong enough to either cut or thrash the ghouls.


    While the spots around the Defenders were sliced. The rest of the battlefield was only doused with water strong enough to distract them. Naturally Vampires could resist, but that wasn''t the goal.


    With George''s party separated from the enemy, Pixie and D carried them out within seconds. Bison was left in place as he was too big. The loud and chaotic waterjets kept everyone''s attention hiding the rescue in complete obscurity. Stay connected via My Virtual Library Empire


    The next phase was the combined attack by Liv and Jas. A massive {Shelter} construct that was over two miles wide and half a mile tall. Like a bowling ball the construct slammed with frightening power. Everything that did get turn into past was sent flying.


    And as it was extremely well made, even the paste and the water on the floor flew along with the bodies. It was angled in a way to miss Bison. Water jets hosed the ones still lingering around Bison towards the flying wall.


    Most people would stop there. But my party not for my party. Even though we already pushed our enemies back, the most devastating blow had yet to be fired. Our ultimate if you will, was still in reserve. Just like MOBA''s our team had normal skills and then our ultimate moves.


    The biggest problems with large flashy ultimate moves were range and cost. These techniques could turn the tides of battle but could not be used haphazardly.


    Cost was simple. Because of the sheer power of such a strike it was neigh impossible to keep using it all the time. In MOBA''s if you used an ultimate move on mooks you were an idiot. Most of the time such game changing tactics must be held in reserve for when you really needed it.


    Range was the second biggest problem. Similar to cost, to maximize your use of an ultimate it was necessary to get as much bang for your buck as you could. Rather than use it to kill one powerful opponent, it was preferable to hit more if possible.


    Funnily enough, my girls were Formless. Similar to me, we did not have ultimate moves. Our skills were so all over the place we didn''t have anything we could use to suddenly kill the enemy. We got around these by using soulgears and Sacreds.


    But it was different for the Manifested. The Manifested had skills that brought a single concept to its absolute extreme. Leo and Nyda''s {fates} followed this concept. I knew as much when I saw her details with [Analyze].


    ___


    Name: Nyda Flowers


    Race: Reaper | Rank: Phantom | Origin: Human | Battlefront: NA


    Soul Capacity: {Fate} 4/4 | {Kismet} 1/1


    Available Souls: 1,315,748 | To evolve: 750,000


    {Fate}


    1. {Heart of Thunder} Lvl 6 | Cost: 2 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Thunder bolt}, {Thunder Cage, {Thunderstorm}, {Thunder Form}, {Dawn of Lightning}


    2. {Man of Steel} Lvl 6| Cost 2 | Owner: Leo | Sub: {Borrowed Strength}, {Durable}, {Blade Tornado}, {Siege}, {Knights Valor}


    {Kindred}: Leo Armstrong


    {Kismet}: {Man of Thunder}


    Soulgear: {Battery}


    ___


    Leo was built like a tank. This was why he was extremely lacking in offensive power. His only offensive skill was {Blade Tornado} which was literally what it sounds like.


    When it came to defense though, all his {fates} were excellent. Most of them ensured he would not be overpowered. This was what Exa and I understood from watching how he fought. [Combat Shadow Silhouette] reinforced what we assumed.


    {Borrowed Strength}, {Durable}, {Siege} seemed to buff his strength, defense and weight, respectively. {Knights Valor} made his regular steel sword indestructible. Otherwise, there was no explanation why his supposed normal steel greatsword hadn''t broken from abuse.


    His primary {fate} {Man of Steel} manifested itself as his armor. I noticed it as his armor regenerates by itself, a trait common to Soul weaponry.


    Nyda was the opposite. Her {fates} were all about lightning based attacks. She reminded me a certain yellow mouse. {Thunder bolt}, {Thunder Cage} and {Thunderstorm} were variations of the same principle. Which was to blow shit up with lightning.


    The only unique {fate} I noticed was {Thunder Form}. I saw Nyda turn into a lighting elemental on occasion. As someone well versed in RPGs, I would guess that it probably increased lightning damage in exchange for being vulnerable to elemental attacks.


    Finally {Dawn of Lightning} was her ultimate attack that was able to fry two vampires. The so-called Primordial lightning. I didn''t know why the lightning needed to be primordial before it could kill vampires for good, but I didn''t really care.


    While {Dawn of Lightning} was powerful its range was absolute shit. The area Nyda torched when she fought the vampires was less than 100 feet in diameter. It was good for single target. But in a large-scale war, not so much. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But my girls understood its power. And so without meaning to, Lilly, Jas and Liv decided to give the final blow to them. Rather than try to be the ones to grandstand they gave the best part to the Manifested.

 Chapter 673 Work something out [2/2]

    They instead made the situation as perfect for Leo and Nyda as possible. To ensure none of their power would be wasted, the Jas and Liv practically corralled the enemies together. The push their construct did grouped the enemy vanguard and middle guard together.Lilly on the other hand not only helped in gathering the enemy, but she doused everything in water. Water was not natural conductor but it made electricity better. That simply meant being electrocuted with or without water made a huge difference. Naturally the former was worse.


    When people get wet, the water on their skin or clothing conducted electricity more effectively than dry skin. In the same vein wet skin allows electric current to flow more easily through one''s body, which increases the intensity of the shock you experience.


    If that was not enough, dry skin provided more resistance to electrical current than wet skin due to insulation. Thus getting doused in water effectively removes whatever insulation a person''s body might have had.


    With lower resistance, the electrical current could travel more freely through your body. This naturally fucked you up more which led to more severe injuries. I didn''t know how dry the skin of Ghouls, Zombies and Vampires were, but I never heard of them wearing a lot of rubber.


    If you had a large group of bodies in the same zone with lowered insulation and increased electric conductivity, what would occur if you suddenly created a lightning storm? The answer was of course a barbeque of near mythical proportions.


    And that was before you brought up the fact that Leo was Nyda''s {Kindred}. While getting access to a second set of {fates} was good. The main benefit of {Kindred} was multiplying the people who could use your {fate}.


    If Nyda could turn into a lightning elemental and summon a fuck ton of lightning. Her {Kindred} could too. And what I saw when the lights finally faded did not disappoint.


    I had all my avatars stop firing. The sizzling sounds of electricity still continued around the inhuman number of corpses in front of me. The ones still left behind were the zombies that died to Lilly''s [Electrocution]. As her attack was based on physics its effect was quite dull by comparison.


    Instead of the massive army in front of us, what remained was but a shadow of what once was. The grounds was as black as charcoal from being scorched beyond comprehension. The air smelled of burnt corpses and a foul order that would make one hurl.


    Like a lie, the water that flooded the area disappeared. Whether it be Ghouls, Zombies or Vampires, there was nothing that could still move. Even the corpses that remained were so charred they crumbled to ash from the wind.


    But perhaps the biggest change was absolute silence. In front of such power, most would hardly have the courage to continue to fight. Not when so many of your allies suddenly died. I mean who would risk going forward. If such power could be used again, fighting was futile.


    I didn''t know if my girls intended to demonstrate such an overwhelming show of force, but it was fucking effective. Even as the smoldering ruin of the aftermath began to cool, no from among our enemies could move.


    Too bad our side didn''t have the same inclination.


    "{FLASH}! Eliminating targets."


    Along with a bright flare in the sky, Jas'' stone cold declaration resumed the battle. Her M107 began to spew golden flashes of light like a dragon. In the span of three seconds, six .50 BMG Sacreds flew across the sky.


    And in their wake only golden dust remained. Naturally each one of those rounds just took out a Rank C monster. But she wasn''t the only one who had a hard on for Vampires.


    "{REWIND}" X2


    The two lightning elemental by our side used my {Fate} to restore their fatigue. But what they did next surprised me.


    "{MAN OF STEEL}! SETTING: [MAGE], [THIEF], [BARBARIAN]! {KNIGHT OF VALOR}!" x2


    Probably using their {Kindred} link to discuss quietly, the Adventurer couple demonstrated their combat sense in the truest sense of the word. Both Leo and Nyda were suddenly covered in black armor.


    Leo pulled out his Greatsword while Nyda formed an extremely long katana from lightning. Souls suddenly poured into both blades which turned them silver. In the same moment the Adventurers raced forward. In the same moment my Valkyrie similarly sprang to action.


    "[Asura]! [Valkyrie]! [Inventory] 1887, M32! Exa! Prepare for [War Cry]! {BLINK}!"


    [Understood, Lady Liv. [War Cry] is primed and ready.]


    Liv suddenly grew to 12 feet and manifested four extra arms on her shoulders. Armor and weapons made from {Shelter} wrapped her body. Her guns followed and appeared on the extra arms on her shoulders.


    In a single moment, a dominating figure appeared in front of remaining enemies with a mighty roar!


    "{I AM FREYJA! THE SHIELD OF LIMITLESS! DEATH COMES FOR YOU ALL! THERE WILL BE NO ESCAPE!}"


    As I couldn''t leave her behind, all my avatars except Saturday our sniper, similarly ran forward. Burger revved his engine at full powered and began sniping Ghouls as he advanced. Fries remained in placed but began it''s devastating salvo of launching 50 Switchblades into the air.


    ''Exa, how many are still remaining?''


    [My lord, only 15 Rank C Vampires remain. Over 75% of the enemy force was annihilated with our last attack. However the Rank C Stone Borne have joined the battle.]


    ''So? What''s so great about them?''


    [The Stone Borne as essentially Earth mages. They can manipulate the battlefield to their liking. They also have extremely hard bodies that make them near indestructible. Their only weakness is that they are stupid.]


    ''Let me guess, the vampires brainwashed them and turned them into siege weapons?''


    [Yes. The ten vampires are working as controllers for the Stone Borne. They serve as the Vampire artillery unit.]


    "Artillery unit?"


    Sound of something massive falling through the air echoed. I looked up and saw a huge rock coming towards me. But before it could even come near. A {Portal} suddenly opened in the sky and swallowed it.


    "Oh my. That was quite a steal. Dearest. You really bring me good luck."


    Lilly''s melodies voice rang out before a rock suddenly was shot out of one of her {Portals}.


    "EVADE! NO TIME! ARRRGHHH!"


    Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire


    Screams of distant voices explained what exactly my American princess had done. I commanded Saturday and removed my eye from my scope. Behind me Lilly was smiling triumphantly. Jas was beside her pouting.


    I could only smile wryly as I knew their faces were the result of some sort of competition. Wanting to end the fight, I was able to resume hunting when the ground began to shake. They slowly got louder until I heard roars coming from behind our position.


    "BROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!"


    {I HAVE ARRIVED YOU FUCKERS! RETURN OUR EGGS! THE LIZARDKIN MARCH FOR WAR!}


    As if they floor gate was a clown car, Juno and her army began to pour out like a flood. Knowing that the battle was effectively won, I picked up my anti-material and welcomed our allies.


    "Juno what took you so long?"


    One of the Lizardkin Dragons stopped in front of me and began to sharpen its scythes.


    {Limitless, you and your group are insane. How could you try fighting a Tunneling Worm? Those beasts are impossible to stop!}


    "I know, we almost died to it."


    {And yet your blood lust seems even sharper than before. No matter, our eggs are on this floor. We can replenish our numbers with the black smoke. I sense some nearby.}


    "Cool, we also got some stuff to do around here. Maybe we can work together on some of them."


    {Actually, I wish to request for your aid in that Limitless. Seeing the ferocity of your warriors can you assassinate the vampires for us? My brood and I will scour this entire floor. You have difficulty in that due to your small numbers, correct?}


    ''Well would you look at that. She even knows to negotiate with her strengths. And knows it is in her best interest to have us kill the Vampires with Sacreds.'' S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Interesting. I am sure we can work something out. I also need something from you. Can you help?"


    {If it is something I can do, I do not mind.}


    "That''s my girl. Alright let''s do this," I cheered in glee.

 Chapter 674 Heroine Chapter: No longer the same [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Liv Ivaldi Smith Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire


    ___


    The rough texture on the ground caked under my boots. A pungent and acrid scent filled the air. The hairs on my body all stood up as I moved. A testament to the tyrannical display I was a part of.


    It was unlike anything I have ever seen. A sight so unbelievable one would assume it was not even real. Yet it was. A singular attack that laid waste to thousands of undead. And it was not done by a Revenant nor a Specter but mere Phantoms. A handful of them at that.


    "{REWIND}" X2


    Leo and Nyda, the ones who annihilated everything in front us restored their states.


    "{MAN OF STEEL}! SETTING: [MAGE], [THIEF], [BARBARIAN]! {KNIGHT OF VALOR}!" x2


    And is if venting their rage, they summoned suits of armor along with oversized blades of war. Even if it was with out aid, their last attack was reminiscent of a specter. I didn''t know how they fought before they joined Hellsend but as it stands they were far more powerful than the Phantoms in my homeland.


    Phantoms in the North were hardly of mention. Wraiths even more so. In my homeland Wraiths were the people we used for cheap labor. They were the ones who hardly contributed to the war. Any soldier was naturally at least a Phantom.


    Over 60% of my people were Phantoms. They were the overwhelming majority. Wraiths made up 30% percent. Specters were 9% while humans were the remaining 1%. Thus to a Northerner, only Ufore or women were allowed to remain as Wraiths.


    Wraiths were treated like slaves in the North. They didn''t even have the right to voice their opinion. Despite joining the Northern armies I was little more than a guard who got posted in unimportant spots.


    Phantoms were the ones who fought the undead every day. They were the ones that created the graves and the ones who laid in them. But, there was hardly any stories of valiance among them. Only of death.


    They were the most common of the common. And as Wraiths were not even considered combatants, Phantoms were the weakest of the weak. That was what I considered commonsense.


    But it was broken by Hellsend. Or mostly my new family.


    My beloved {Kindred} along with my sisters.


    They were mere Phantoms yet the feats they achieved were worthy of the Northern halls! To reclaim an entire floor! To fight off a Greater Demon! And what''s more in Hellsend even the Wraiths joined the war!


    But despite the amazing results of Hellsend as a whole, they were still pitiful compared to the Sirens. My sisters were monsters among men. Far greater than any Phantom in the North, they were warriors without peer.


    Each day that passed turned them even more dangerous. It was because of them that my mentality changed. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jo fought like a demon in search of death. Even able to turn foe into friend, her mere presence could overturn even the direst of circumstances. This was not even taking into account, her devious mind nor uncontrollable ferocity.


    Bella commanded an army of metal that had neither fear nor mercy. Without conscience or restrain, she was frightening. She would use everything at her disposal even the corpses of ally and enemy.


    Aki was someone who was fine dancing on the line between life and death. Wielding blood and stamina as both sword and shield, few have the capability to fight harder than her. Even more so when you learned just how far she was willing to go for victory.


    Robyn abandoned even reality in her search for power. While her mentality was simple, her combat abilities were not. Capable of leveraging power beyond what should be possible using nothing but her beast like instincts.


    Lilly broke the laws of this world just because she could. Accomplishing feats that should not be possible, her {Portals} broke any concept of distance and space. Even more when she ingeniously fights with mundane objects like water and rocks.


    Jas went so far to control even light to accomplish her goals. Still unsatisfied she even began to look to the future for strength. The outcome of such an outlook gave her the ability to influence even fate to her wishes.


    Finally you had my {Kindred}. The man who broke every rule I knew about {fates}. With {Limitless} he wielded seven {fates} together as one. With various {Kismet} he kept creating unbelievable abilities one after the other.


    Why were these people were so different from the Phantoms in my homeland? Was I more like them or the ones from the North? What was the fundamental difference between my current family and the people I left behind?


    After some thought, I finally found my answer. It was desperation. My {Kindred} was desperate to turn my sisters and I to Revenants. This was how he wished to protect us. And he did so by putting his body, soul and life on the line to do it.


    My sisters were similarly desperate to protect him. Thus they pushed themselves to the absolute brink all to gain the right to stand beside him. But what about me? What was I willing to do?


    {Withstand} traded pain for power, but {Block} and {Shelter} began minimizing the pain I felt. {Adapt} while a powerful soulgear used bio energy. It was something you gained just from breathing and eating.


    Somehow it turned into a situation where I was the one who shed the least blood.


    Jo, Jas and Bella strained their minds to the limit for their abilities. Robyn and Aki meanwhile did the same with their body. Lilly even electrocuted herself to regain her stamina. But I¡­I was in relative comfort.


    Was this why the North had weak Phantoms? Even Soul Enhancement meant nothing in front of the Sirens and my Beloved. In mere moments, my {Kindred} copied not only my shield techniques but even one of the few legacies of the North with the program,[Combat Shadow Silhouette].


    Due to undergoing the Northern Ceremony, everyone of my countrymen knew Soul Enhancement. We all learned how to wrap every organ and muscle with soul. This grants us bodies stronger than even descendant.


    I thought I was doing enough, but in the midst of such powerhouses, my mediocrity only revealed itself ever more. But luckily my path wasn''t set in stone. Just like my sisters I could change. I just had to be willing to let go of the familiar and embrace the unknown.


    In my desperation, I sought the wisdom of the man I loved the most. And he gave me an answer to a question I didn''t know I kept in my heart.


    ***


    It was while we were resting from our passionate lovemaking. Despite being taller then him, he cradled me on his chest like I was his most prized possession. His tenderness melted all my insecurities and drowned me in warmth.


    While I was asking him about how to get stronger, I mentioned {Extremity}, an ability my soulgear possessed which I could not use. And like the Sun, my beloved showed me the way.


    "I don''t know about that. But anyway the first time I saw {Extremity}, the only thing I could think of were Buddhist Asuras."


    ''Asura? What are Asuras? Exa, can you please¡­''


    [Right away, Lady Liv.]


    Our combat AI Exa then showed me pictures of beings crossed between man and monster. They were demons or gods in ancient Indian religions and mythologies. But while I couldn''t care less about what they were, their appearance left me conflicted.


    They were often depicted to have three or more faces and six or more arms. Capable of wielding many weapons they were depicted as the fiercest of warriors. They were human, but were also not human.


    I didn''t want to become like them. They were¡­disgusting. My cowardice made them look revolting in my eyes. There had to be a different way. Was this really how my Beloved wanted to see me?


    While the North had soulforms, most of us believed the human body to the absolute pinnacle. Two arms and two legs were all that was necessary. Anymore and you were no longer human but a monster.


    I needed strength. But I wanted to stay human. As I searched within I noticed that my reasons were just plain petty.


    I wanted to stay human so that I could bask in the love of my {Kindred}.

 Chapter 675 Heroine Chapter: No longer the same [2/2]

    It was my first time being called beautiful. I grew addicted to his praise and my beloved''s admiration. I wanted him to brag about me to all who would listen¡­


    And now I was being left behind because of it.


    My sisters were desperate enough to push themselves all to the brink. All just to not remain the same. That was the price for keeping up with our {Kindred}. The cost of power.


    And here I was afraid of being ugly. It was pathetic. Yet when I gazed at the eyes of my man, I only saw one thing. Love. And¡­lust. A lot of it.


    But, back to my point! Seeing the warmth radiating from my {Kindred} I embraced him ever tighter.


    His vow to me once again played in my mind.


    "Liv, I love you. Its okay if you don''t believe me for now. I will tell you every single day for the rest of our lives. I accept your vow. And in turn give you my own. For you, I vow to eradicate the dead from the North."


    My {Kindred} willingly took on the burden to save an entire continent. All for me. Against such a resolve I wavered to gain power because I wanted to stay pretty. Such hubris. I was truly the epitome of foolishness. I was pathetic.


    "Such a novel way of fighting, Beloved. Thank you for your advice. You are truly so wise," I remember saying out of shame.


    "You praise me too much Liv. I just was able to watch a lot of Anime and manga."


    This man truly did not know how much he dazzled me. To my beloved gaining four additional arms would not affect how much he adored me. Otherwise he wouldn''t have suggested it. My fears and worries seemed silly in the face of his love.


    ***


    I remember the words of my {Kindred} before we liberated the defenders of the 30th floor.


    "Then farewell for now beloved. Let us proceed with our hunt," I said in passing.


    As expected of him he noticed my state, "Ho? You seem eager, love?"


    "I am. The North also has its share of vampires. A lost a few of my siblings to them. It feels like a dream, that I am now going to be fighting against those I could only run from in the past."


    Every fiber of being grew hot from battle fervor. I was now at the starting line. As a Phantom I could now influence the war of my homeland. I no longer had to cower. I no longer had to watch in helplessness as we got pushed back.


    "That is understandable. But then again Liv, the you at the moment, cannot be compared to the one who left the North."


    He was right. As always, my beloved said wisdom that was like those of Scholars. I was no longer the same reaper who left the North looking for hope. I was now the Reaper who found it.


    In happiness I replied to the one who owned my heart, "It is natural. For one I have you now. I am no longer alone. That fact grants me unfathomable strength."


    And as if to reinforce that point, Vampires that were like disasters to my Homeland died pitifully to my guns. Ever running forward so long as I do not stop the tides would change.


    The attack we did proved just how much power our group had. What more if the rest of Hellsend joined us? What kind of power could we unleash on the North? I grew hopeful. I trembled in anticipation.


    "[Asura]! [Valkyrie]! [Inventory] Tomahawk, 1887, M32! Exa! Prepare for [War Cry]! {BLINK}!"


    [Understood, Lady Liv. [War Cry] is primed and ready.]


    Invoking my new makeshift battle style, I molded my body into a new form. Growing only five feet instead of fifty, I instead attached four arms on my shoulders, two on each side. Covering my body with armor made from {Shelter}, my Asura form was prepared for battle.


    For weapons I created a simple {Shelter} blade and enhanced my ballistic shield with {Fates}. My arms on my right shoulder wielded the Winchester 1887 shotgun, while the left carried the Milkor M32 grenade launcher.


    As my feet crashed into the ground, I flexed all six of my arms one after another. Power and strength radiated through my entire frame. I was monstrous in appearance. Yet I didn''t care.


    Taking a deep breath, I roared at the top of my voice.


    "{I AM FREYJA! THE SHIELD OF LIMITLESS! DEATH COMES FOR YOU ALL! THERE WILL BE NO ESCAPE!}"


    This was my resolve. I was no longer just Liv Ivaldi. I cannot remain the same. I was now the shield of Limitless. Who cares what I looked like. My beloved''s affection was all that mattered.


    I felt the hostile looks of thousands. I didn''t know what they were and ultimately it didn''t matter. I drove my leg into the ground and charged forward. Seeing the multitude coming towards me, I raised the M32 and began lobbing 40mm Sacreds.


    When all six were fired, I felt Exa reload the chambers. My extra left arms opened up the grenade launcher and twisted the cylinder. Winding up the spring mechanism. Without even looking at it, I closed up the M32 and again resumed firing.


    A bunch of Ghouls came towards me. Like a pack of rabid wolves they darted towards me. Their mouths dripped with saliva dying to sink into my flesh. Yet they would remain unfulfilled despite their fervor.


    The right arms on my shoulders hip fired the 1887 and terminated the enemies in range. With two arms working the lever, 10-gauge buckshots blasted the Ghouls into golden ash. Unlike the M32, the 1887 never stopped firing once it began.


    My {Fates} allowed my Asura body to bear the recoil of my guns. While {Limitless} became the reason I could fight despite having extra arms.


    [Assassin] allowed me to move without minding my balance. It also granted me the combat sense to fire my weapons with fairly high accuracy. As both were not precision guns it didn''t matter how close my rounds were to the target.


    [Wizard] was the only reason I could operate three sets of weapons without going insane. Fighting at three distances it was more like each pair of my arms operated like a separate person.


    [Knight] granted me with increased resilience and defensive power. Together I could fight as three people with the same body. And my combat prowess grew by leaps and bounds as a result.


    A speeding figure suddenly appeared right in front of me. His bloody long fingernails mere inches away from my face. Unfortunately, he was too focused on attacking. His sharp weapons stopped just before my skin.


    "What?"


    Without so much as a word, my right shoulder arms pointed the 1887 and fired a 10-gauge buckshot point blank. As if he was made of paper, more than two thirds of his torso vanished. Terror filled his face at the sound of my gun vaporizing the rest of him.


    "HOW COULD YOU!!!!"


    Another figure vaulted from high up, this time, she aimed for the 1887. I had my right shoulder arms let go of lever action shotgun and traded my main weapons with it.


    Arm with the sword and shield, the Vampire was blocked by my upper arms. As she and my extra pain of arms fought for supremacy, my main body acted. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''[Inventory] 1887.''


    With the Winchester on my original arms, I aimed up and again repeated the same dull actions as before. Only yet another immortal being died pathetically. Within the same second, I felt three figures approach me from the top, left and back.


    If it was the old me, I would have tried to defend against such a savage assault. But I was no longer the Liv I used to be.


    "{Blink}."


    "WHAT?" "WHERE?" "ARRRGHH!"


    My figure vanished as the three vampires crashed into each other. I appeared behind them and fired a 40mm Sacred. An explosion of holy light bathe the three and turned them into sand.


    As I my left shoulder arms winded up the M32, I looked onward and saw a few more vampires in front of me. But unlike before their faces no longer showed blood lust. Their bodies quaked as they shuddered at the mere sight of me. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire


    "M-Monster! W-What are you?" cried one in terror.


    Funny, it was barely a month ago, that our situations were reversed. That they were the hunter and I was the prey. But now? I was¡­


    "No longer the same."

 Chapter 676 I dont want to [1/2]

    The Vampire army was absolutely getting bodied. My avatars took keep points and covered for everyone. 40mm Sacreds raining all over just decimated Ghouls and Zombies.


    Without being able swarm, us, despite our inferior numbers we pushed them back. Guns were always created a force multiplier. A single M433 dual purpose low velocity grenade could do more damage than even four full magazines of 5.56.


    With three of my avatars raining them nonstop, our enemies were helpless. Those that tried to take out my grenadiers were taken down by their escorts. And that was before Burger and Fries came into play.


    Leo and Nyda went full Apeshit and charged in like berserkers. The sight of a man and woman in full armor absolute shredding everything around them was mesmerizing. With the Defenders healed, Pixie and D joined the fight.


    Pixie going my avatars raining 40mm grenades while D protected her. Seeing how dominating we were so long as Zombies and Ghouls were all that we fought, they would never win no matter what they did.


    The grenades kept them from clustering, while Sacreds ripped them apart. Without the immortality of Ghouls, they were little more than white Zombies. The only ones who had the power to turn the tide were the Vampires and the Stone Borne.


    Unfortunately for them, despite their intelligence, all the vampires were locked down by Liv. Ever since she created her Asura mode, I felt something change. Like her mentality shifted. It seemed subtle. But her ferocity in battle grew fiercer all of a sudden.


    Originally Liv fought like a traditional knight. She took on all the damage then counter attacked. But now? Liv began using feints. Rather than blocking she dodged. And the best part of all?


    My Northerner no longer had problems shooting people in the back.


    This was best illustrated by her suddenly taking out 5 vampires like it was nothing. Like a boss in a video game, her enemies find her combat abilities outrageous. In futility, the blood suckers tried to disarm her. And Liv combined misdirection and guile in her fighting.


    One attacked her from the front. Rather than block it, she allowed him to attack her. Only to use his confusion to kill him. Another tried to destroy her shotgun. So what does my girl do? Throw the gun away and switch weapons.


    Only to resummon it and shoot the attacker after she lost her objective.


    Three of them tried to attack her from three separate directions. The old Liv would have tried to tank them all before counter attacking. But Asura Liv? She blinked away and blew them apart with 40mm Sacred.


    My avatars saw how terrifying my Valkyrie became. A tank that you could hardly hit and could kill you in a shot. Even I would be hard pressed to fight her. She really evolved just like a RPG boss.


    "W-What are you?"


    "No longer the same," she replied in an emotionless voice.


    At the vampire''s pitiful questions, Liv just straight up murdered the rest of them. Perhaps do to fighting as if they could never die, the blood suckers we encountered were little more than brawlers.


    The Stone Borne who were supposed to be the trump cards of the Vampires were denied by Lilly. They kept throwing shit, and she just sent them back. Probably influenced by the absolute massacre of their fellow vampires, the ones controlling the Stone Borne lost patience and set the golems forward.


    That would have made a difference. But our allies already arrived.


    "BROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!"


    {I HAVE ARRIVED YOU FUCKERS! RETURN OUR EGGS! THE LIZARDKIN MARCH FOR WAR!}


    Seeing the towering Lizardkin Dragons, was mighty comforting. Even though it seemed like Juno and her sisters were weaker than Roach, just from appearance they were already formidable weapons. And I knew personally how hard it was to stop these fucking bastards.


    "Juno."


    {Yes?}


    "You see the Stone Borne?"


    {Mhm.}


    "I don''t want to."


    {Very well. Sisters remove them.}


    "BROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!" x18


    The monstrous shock value of 18 50-foot monstrosities charging at you was beyond terrifying. But if they were on your side? There was nothing more comforting.


    "Fufu, who knew that seeing such a sight would give me comfort instead of fear," a mesmerizing voice commented.


    Although Lilly tried to keep nonchalant, I noticed that she was favoring her left leg. And that her breathing was quite erratic. It would have been impossible to keep using her {Fates} with such precision and not get tired.


    Her accomplishment for this battle alone were as follows. With nothing but water and pressure she controlled the battlefield. On top of that Lilly manipulated numerous factors to ensure Leo and Nyda''s attack would deliver maximum damage. Finally she single handedly denied the enemy artillery to affect the battle.


    Overwhelmed by appreciating for this woman, I approached her and stared at her soft lips.


    "Dearest?"


    Not taking no for an answer, I pulled her towards me in a tight embrace. As if half expecting it, Lilly wrapped her arms around my in response.


    ''[Kiss of Vitality.]''


    Locking lips with my woman, I restored her stamina. Pleasure and desire made my body heat up. In contrast, Lilly meekly accepted my kisses without complaint. When I felt her body regain its strength. I pulled back to look at her bewitching face.


    "Pant¡­Dearest¡­T-That was¡­Pant¡­I-Intense¡­"


    Flush cheeks, glassy eyes, along with ragged breaths. I found her so sexy, so seductive, I wanted to strip her at this moment. Knowing that would be ill advised at the moment, I instead went for her collarbone and sucked.


    "Mmmhhh!"


    Biting her finger, Lilly tried to stifle a moan. I then licked her hickey tenderly.


    ''You were amazing, Lilly. I will reward you properly later.'' Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    ''Goodness¡­Dearest you are growing even more brazen with each passing day!''


    ''Do you dislike it?'' sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I-I¡­uhm¡­T-That''s¡­''


    Finding her hesitance extremely cute, I was about to tease her some more before I felt one of my {Kindred} link feel sour. It was as if a ton of vinegar was poured into my mouth.


    I turned and saw my chocolate-skinned lover pouting like a child. Jas'' cheeks were puffed up as if she was holding her breath. I only saw such expressions in anime. Originally I found them annoying. Yet I know believed that it was incredibly endearing if done by someone you loved.


    ''Husband. I know that I contributed the least but please don''t ignore me¡­''


    Not giving her a moment to feel sorry for herself, I pulled the Ebony stalker to my side and stole her lips. The obscene sounds of our passion filled the air. Having difficult restraining myself I playfully bit her earlobes as I teased her.


    ''Do you honestly think you need achievements to gain my affection, Wifey?''


    ''I know that but still¡­'' She thought in embarrassment.


    I was about to tease her even more when a gruff voice called our attention. Naturally it was the bastards we just saved.


    "Ahem!"


    Irritated, I growled at them like a beast. "What the fuck do you bastards want?"


    "¡­"


    Silenced into submission the Defenders could only bow their heads in shame. They not only betrayed my trust by abandoning me, but they also almost got themselves killed. Results wise, they were absolutely pathetic.


    Just then I heard the sounds of massive scythes sharpening each other.


    {Shall I execute them, Limitless?}


    "Oh, right! I forgot you were here!"


    Sounds of chattering like thousands of teeth grinding together came from Juno''s head. It was kind of unsettling. But it seemed like that was how she expressed joy.


    {So it would seem. You seem to treasure your mates very much. It is enlightening to see how warm bloods react. I look forward to seeing your broods}


    Her offhand comment about children made my girls gush in happiness. Motherly affection covered Jas and Lilly''s link. They must have began imagining little shitlings that came from our union.

 Chapter 677 I dont want to [2/2]

    "Haha, I am an outlier Juno, even to Reapers, they see me as someone insane."


    {HAHAHAHA! I SEE! HOW AMUSING! INDEED, YOU ARE INSANE!}


    Juno began stomping her front legs while her "laugh" filled the air. Most people would shiver at the terrifying sound. Few would associate humor with hearing what seemed like a million beetles scurrying about.


    "You can''t be fucking serious." "Yoh! He really is talking to the monsters, isn''t he?" "Well, I''ll be damned." "I don''t even know who is crazier at this point." "This mother fucker be playing both teams all to win." S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The commentary from defenders was quite brusque, but it wasn''t like I couldn''t understand them. Unfortunately, my girls didn''t. The {Kindred} links of the Ebony death stalker and the Untamed grew hot from anger. Before they could erupt, I sent them calm and affection.


    ''Tsk. Useless trash.'' ''They should all just die.''


    The stark contrast between how my girls treated others and myself was like fire and ice. And I found it extremely romantic only I got to see their cute sides. To the rest of the world, they were extremely cold and murderous bitches. And I loved that about them.


    Changing the topic, I addressed my allies, "Juno. Can you understand these bastards?"


    {No. I cannot.}


    The ground then began to shake as the Lizardkin army converged on our position. My party was among them as they approached. Funnily enough the monsters all gave Asura Liv a wide berth.


    When she saw the Defenders, she aimed both her guns at them. Her actions immediately caused all the Lizardkin to raise their spears. Likewise my {Vassals}, avatars and the Adventurers did the same.


    "Hey now!" "You mother fuckers need to chill!" "Holy fucking shit!" "Damn! That a lot of angry looking scaly ass motherfuckers!"


    Funnily enough George said nothing and only stared at me as my forces expressed what they thought of the Defenders. Juno as if studying us, said nothing and merely waited.


    "Liv."


    At my words, she lowered her guns but remained alert. As if representing my party and the lizardkin, every similarly lowered their weapons. Like a mother fucking badass my Northerner showed such dominance even monsters knew not to mess with her.


    "Son, I¡­"


    I held my hand up as George tried to speak.


    "I am not interested," I said curtly.


    Taking a moment to verify the end of the battle I looked around. There was no longer any Vampire, Ghoul or Zombie remaining. However more than half of the Lizardkin died as replacement. They were very effective to use as creeps to keep the Rank F''s at bay.


    "Juno, form seven groups and have your brood replenish your numbers. My people and I will serve as your escorts. Leave the vampires to us. Once you do finish doing so, we will head down to the 32nd floor. Everyone else, kill any and all vampires you see."


    "Yes, my lord!" x7


    {I understand.}


    ''[Inventory], Ebony, Ivory.''


    "Leo, Nyda. Save these in your {Auto} for the duration of this campaign. Return them to me once we return to the 24th floor."


    "Yes, my lord! Thank you!" x2


    With only my words the large army dispersed. Lilly, Liv and Jas remained by my side however. As I knew why they wanted to remain, I didn''t try to drive them away.


    Liv began undoing her Asura form and shrank back to baby Liv. The disparity of a six-armed twelve-foot-tall humanoid and a three-foot toddler would make most scratch their heads. I crouched on the ground and opened my arms becoming her into a hug.


    Ecstatic like a child, she ran into my embrace. I picked her up and brushed her back to soothe her. Naturally I heaped praises on her.


    "Well done, my love. You were so awesome. I am so glad you are with me."


    "Hehehe! I did my best. Are you proud of me beloved?"


    "Of course, why wouldn''t I be. You butchered those fuckers like sheep. It was the best!"


    "HA! I will even better next time! Give me more guns!"


    Hearing such things from a child was fucking weird. But it matched my family so who the hell cared what it was. With Liv safely in my arms I stood up. I held her gently being careful she didn''t fall.


    My attempts caused the Northerner to giggle impishly while giving me a quick peck. I turned around and moved to join Juno. Lilly and Jas followed me like dutiful {Kindred}.


    "Limitless!" a voice called out.


    Perhaps annoyed that they were ignored from start to finish George walked towards me. But the fierce glare of my women warned him not to overstep. The battle earlier was the first time they saw my girls in action.


    Thus, unlike before, the defenders choose their words with extreme care.


    "¡­"


    However, I didn''t bother to even reply. I just stared at them. Truthfully while I did seek them out originally, they were no longer necessary. I only wanted these Phantoms as cannon fodder.


    But Juno and her army more than fulfilled that requirement. The sight of thousands of Lizardkin smashing into Zombie and Ghoul lines was amazing. It was exactly creep waves in a MOBA.


    Just like in those games, I could leverage the Lizardkin as they fought off the creeps. Juno and her army would be our creeps. Thus, once my party took down the Vampires, they would be able to steam roll the undead armies with ease.


    ''Was this also something IRIS wanted to convey? Then should I be on the lookout for towers? Do we eventually have to hit a tree or a throne at the end?''


    Ignoring my random thoughts, from a standpoint of getting an army to die down the ghouls. Trying to keep George and his group no longer had much a purpose. They could be nice additions, but they weren''t much. For one they were pathetically held down at the door.


    ''If you wanted your suicide to mean something you had to git good at least,'' I quipped in my mind.


    "Look, I know you feel like we bailed on you. But you got to look at it from our point of view. We have been fighting these bastards for so long. To us, suddenly holding hands with them is hard. You might not know much as you just arrived but¡­"


    "Do I look like a give a crap?" Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Huh?"


    At my sharp retort George took a step back.


    "Look George. I brought you to kill vampires. So long as you do that, we are square. I expect nothing more."


    "Then why are you acting like¡­"


    "But I am a fickle bastard, you know? I saved you. A gave you a chance to fight again. At the minimum I expected you to repay more for at least one battle. Or at least demonstrate combat ability worthy of your moniker."


    "¡­"


    "You are free to make excuses all you want. But we all have to live with the consequence of our actions. Despite owning me your lives, you prioritized your own safety. Abandoning me is fine, but you all almost lost your lives without much to show for it. How you live is your right. But how I react to your actions is mine."


    "¡­"


    "I saved you all due to because you were reapers. However, if you expect me to care what happens to you fuckers beyond that is delusional. I am perfectly fine with you bastards leaving. I mean you boys are perfectly fine abandoning even your benefactor, so you have no loyalty. And competency wise you all aren''t worth much anyway."


    I then looked up to Juno before I continued.


    "I work on a simple principle. You fight my enemy and protect my people you are my ally. Everyone else can go to hell for all I care. Being reapers or monster, hardly makes a difference."


    {I shall remember.} the Lizardkin Dragon replied as she lowered her head.


    Turning back to George and his defenders they all had faces that looked like it swallowed shit.


    "You six are free to do what you wish. Consider your debts to me paid. I have no need of those stuck in the past. Live and die however you wish."


    I turned to Juno and called out to her. It was funny how instead of the defenders the ones I considered my allies were the monsters without soul. Without waiting for his reply, I left George and his group to their own devices.

 Chapter 678 You are not. [1/2]

    {Are you certain about this, Limitless?}


    Caught off guard by her comment, I looked up to the massive being in front of me.


    "Huh? What do you mean Juno?"


    {They are your kin. That is to say you are of the same kind. Would you be alright fighting against among yourselves when your number so few?}


    "¡­"


    I hadn''t thought about what it would look like from her perspective. If you compare the number of reapers to the number of monsters Juno''s observation was spot on. But that was if you forget the billions of people on Earth. While she only saw a few humans, for me there were already far to many.


    {I am honored that you treat me as an ally despite what I am. But would it not reflect badly on you? As far as I knew, we are the first group to aid you.}


    ''Ho? Juno was really smart. She rapidly learning about reaper interactions. The monster even understood the implications of our alliance and had the foresight on the danger it would bring.''


    ''Indeed, she really is too smart to be labeled a mere monster. Dearest, we should quickly come up with a new term for her kind. The distinction would allow Hellsend to understand the difference.''


    ''Unfortunately, so long as their appearance is that of monsters, humans would remain afraid of them. Beloved, as one who was discriminated for just appearance, I know of the sadness and injustice that awaits them. No matter how hard they try they will never be treated as equals.''


    ''Liv, your compassion is misplaced. Such might be true on Earth. But in Hellsend, there is no need for such things. In our domain, if you cannot fight, you will die. Only fools would remain obstinate about race in such a situation. Husband do not worry about such trivialities.


    Juno and her people can take care of themselves.''


    Hearing the words of my lovers, I am again reminded of the lessons from Anime and Manga. In most fantasy and Sci-fi settings, discrimination about race was never absent. Human elitists found their way into the top ranks in some way. Naturally those that despised humans similarly were a staple.


    In such stories, the MC''s were often tasked with uniting the fragmented groups for a greater purpose. Was IRIS telling us to do the same here? In most of the literature especially games, the correct action was to leverage everything you could to win.


    Being able to play as non-human characters was practically a requirement if you wanted your game to succeed. In games, you only needed everyone to attack the same thing. In novels and manga, you needed to manage various races so they do not kill each other.


    Elves, Dwarves, Dragons, Demonkin, hell even Catgirls were common allies. But there was also plenty of stories about how their internal relationships affected the world.


    Elves were known to be lazy and arrogant punks due to their long life and beauty. Greed, curiosity and gluttony were the quirks Dwarves had in exchange for being blessed in crafts and intelligence. Everyone knew this. And the fact that they hated each other was also something universal.


    A part of me began to wonder if these races actually existed for real. IRIS might have created the media all to ensure we would know how to act with them even before we met them.


    Feeling that I would only get lost in thought due to the realization from IRIS''s wisdom, I faced Juno and answered truthfully.


    "I don''t mind Juno. There is a saying among my people. ''Even the strongest shield is useless if it''s cracked.'' I have no need for burdens. I have a goal. My values are centered on that goal. Everything else is unnecessary."


    {I understand. That does simplify things.}


    "I wouldn''t think too much about it Juno. My {Kindred} are going to attacked by Reapers in a couple of days. Reapers are not as united as we think we are. We have values and goals that force us to act against each other''s best interest."


    {Then you are similar to us. Regardless of if we all were born in this place, we are all still pretty much enemies. But may I ask what {Kindred} means?}


    I then stopped in front of Juno and gestured to Liv, Lilly and Jas.


    "They are my mates. The ones who help me survive and the ones who give me affection. To me, my {Kindred} are the most important things in my life. The ones with us now are three of them. Everyone please introduce yourselves."


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    "Greetings, Juno. My name is Lilly Browning Smith. I am one of the {Kindred} of Limitless. I look forward to working for you. Thank you for coming to our aid."


    "I go by Jasmine. Pleased to meet you."


    "Thank you for your army''s support earlier, Juno. I am Liv Ivaldi Smith. In return, please let me help find your children."


    {Please to meet you all. I am Juno. I can see your mate cherishes you all very much. You are welcome, it is the least we can do. I would have already died if not for your mate. But Limitless, I have a question.}


    Surprise that she even had one, I dig deeper. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What is it? I will answer it if I can."


    {You say your {Kindred} are most important. Yet you leave four of them to be attack and are instead helping me? Why? Shouldn''t you be with the ones who are not here?}


    I nodded at her logic. She was truly paying attention and seemed to have the ability to form her own assumptions based on what she heard. Granted enough interaction, I was sure Juno would learn enough to integrate with humans in the future.


    "You are correct. Normally I would be with them. But I am currently helping one of my people. In short just like you, I came here to get someone back from the vampires. And I intend to let them know the price of stealing what is mine."


    {Then is this person your {Kindred} as well? Because if she is not, why do you risk your other {Kindred} dying all because you are here?}


    "The name of the one we are to rescue is Evelyn. I do not save her because she is my {Kindred}. I come for her because I am her king. And while I am indeed afraid of my other mates getting hurt, I trust them."


    {¡­}


    I notice that the monster tilted its head, as it made small stomps. Was Juno showing unease? In human psychology, people often moved their bodies when they felt anxious.


    "If there is something on your mind ask."


    {Why do you risk so much for one who is not your mate? Your concept of what a King is confusing. Did you not become a king to have others die in your stead? You risk death for those under your rule why?}


    I see. To the monsters, my actions made no sense. They were nothing if not practical. The monsters save those that they have relation towards and abandon everyone else. This was the difference between culture and race.


    While some animals formed communities the concept was wildly different. Ants and insects who formed hives. Wolves who made packs. Horses that acted as a single herd. There were a lot of ways everything not human interacted.


    However similar to them, even humans created different forms of government, it was natural to act based on one''s beliefs. And most of the time these beliefs were rarely the same.


    "Then if your egg was not among those were stolen, would you have not fought the vampires?"


    {Yes. Apart from the ones who had their eggs stolen my other sisters all wish to die. Roach similarly does not believe in anything more than the survival of the Lizardkin. To him, going after eggs is foolish. Naturally I disagree.}


    That made sense. Jo said Roach already had his family killed off once. He probably does not grow too attached so that he does not break when he losses them.


    Funnily enough, I felt the links of my {Kindred} stir. The emotions they contained surprised me. They were not hostile feelings, but more of pity, resignation and sympathy.


    ''I suppose to a man who had 100 sons, one dying was of no consequence. But to a mother who only had a single child, their weight would be different,'' I thought inwardly.

 Chapter 679 You are not. [2/2]

    Just like how one acted as a father, kings and rulers had their beliefs. Even on Earth some countries saw their people as disposable, while others would go to war for them.


    "It is difficult to explain, Juno. For one we are different."


    {I am aware. I am not like the warm bloods so I do not understand. Even your words are difficult. But I do know more than I did before. Lizardkin refers to my brood. Vampires refer to the pale ones.


    Reapers are the warm bloods. But I do not understand. What are monsters? What does this word mean?}


    "¡­" S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Juno showed great development in the short time I met her. For one, despite being a monster she wanted to learn about humans. She reminded me of scientists and researchers. It was because of people like her that the world learned.


    [My lord, monsters have two definitions. An inhumanly cruel or wicked person. An imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening. Or a congenitally malformed or mutant animal or plant.]


    Hearing Exa''s explanation my own world view was revealed to be outdated. It was true. A human could be considered a monster if he was wicked enough. Any being that deviated from the norm was also a monster.


    But for Hellsgate, the second definition was what we used the term form. Any being that was large, ugly or frightening. This was why elves and dwarves were not considered monsters. Ultimately it came down to fear.


    If I wanted to have Juno, Roach and her allies in the future, it was necessary to separate them from the monsters. Names and words had power. And unlike the former Reapers, I found it stupid to remain to use them.


    My {Kindred} were all silent. They were probably contemplating what monster meant just as I did. If our meeting with Roach taught us that monsters had intellect and goals. Juno showed us that they also had values and ultimately humanity in them.


    Phillip''s lecture echoed in my mind once more.


    "Now, many people often found themselves at odds when defining what a man was. What constituted one? Was it his form? His mind? His will? Each and every definition was met with criticism.


    If it was form, then are disabled and amputees no longer human?


    "If it was his mind, then are mentally retarded people classified as aliens? If it was will then then shouldn''t insects and animals who had will be classified as human? It was a slippery slope as the opposites of these ideas were also valid."


    If even real people were considered monsters because they were wicked. Then the depiction of man bullshit Phillip kept going about was wrong. It was something much more simple. It was humanity. Benevolence, and ultimately compassion.


    I looked at the armlets on my hands as I wondered. Was that why Devil''s remains cleared malice? Because they were the best representation of humanity?


    I clenched my fist as I gathered my thoughts. This question would probably take a long time for me to answer. But luckily there was no reason to rush.


    "Juno. A monster is anything that has no benevolence. So long as a being can love or has compassion, It is not a monster."


    {Then, am I one? If I am not, why do you refer me as such?}


    "For that I apologize. Much like you do not know of reapers, I also did not know anything about of your kind before. Prior to meeting you and Roach, almost all knew was that your kind killed mine."


    {Indeed. But that is because, unlike most reapers, you and your group are the only ones who can understand us. And for some reason, I understand you.}


    Hearing Juno, I suddenly missed Jo. Her seemingly unimportant {fate} became the reason, that we could even create this alliance. My heart grew full from knowing how much Jo was helping me despite not being by my side.


    ''My darling, I will definitely love a lot when I return.''


    ''She will be most pleased to know that, Husband,'' Jo''s sister replied with a beautiful smile.


    "We need a new name for you, Juno."


    {A new name?}


    "Yes. Monsters are what we call the ones we do not understand. You and the Lizardkin are no longer monsters to us, thus we should call you something else."


    {I see. Then what should we be called?}


    I then thought for a moment. What should we call this group of beings? They did not possess human bodies. But like humans, they exhibited, love, understanding and benevolence. Like the Reapers, they were forced to live and die by the status quo.


    And it was only at this moment that they were able to wake from their nightmare. All because my shooting star allowed them to be heard.


    Waking from a nightmare. That ones who awoke.


    "You will be called the Awakened."


    {The Awakened? But we are not asleep?}


    I couldn''t help but chuckle at her innocent question. Just giving them a new name was not enough. If I wished to truly help and work with the Awakened, I should give them something to hold on too.


    ''Mind Setting: [Wizard].''


    Shifting one of my settings from [Commander]. I floated and approached Juno''s head. Jas and Lilly followed after me.


    "[Inventory] Raging hunter. Liv can you please?"


    Pulling out my only remaining handgun, I gave it to baby Liv. Knowing what I had in mind she took the revolver even though she pouted.


    She then shot the middle of my free hand''s palm. I then turned to Juno; her large eyes all blinked before her voice asked in confusion.


    {What are you doing?}


    "Juno, if you are to understand those not from my group, you would need to be able to talk with them as well. I gave my power to Roach as proof of my brotherhood with him.


    "I wish to do the same with you. But more so, I need a leader for the Awakened. Roach is the king of the Lizardkin so it cannot be him. Do you wish to take this burden?"


    {Roach can be both could he not? He has the strength to command many.}


    "He can, but I want you."


    {Why? Why do you choose me among all the others?} Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Because you genuinely want to understand us. You are the 2nd one I no longer deem as a monster. Despite you sisters all understanding my words, none of them chose to speak to me. Only you did. And I need your power. Through you, I intended to gather the Awakened."


    {Why should I help you?}


    "For my goals I intend to fight my way to the bottom of Hellsgate. Killing everything that intends to get in my way. I have no need for Hellsgate after. If you help me, I will give Hellsgate to you as your kingdom. We will kill every monster and save every Awakened."


    {What if you betray me and deem that I am a monster?}


    "I do not have an answer for that. I took a gamble in saving you all. Such risk is necessary to understand one another. I believe in you which is why I make this offer. But should you betray me. I will kill you all."


    {¡­}


    "Decide. If you do not wish to do so, we part ways here. And I will no longer try to ally myself with the Awakened."


    {There are thousands of beings in this place. Yet you risk all this because of me? There are far more better beings in my opinion. This burden is too great.}


    She was not wrong. But somehow, my gut told me that Juno was the best person for this job. This being held no prejudice and had compassion.


    Unlike Roach who had the mentality of a ruler, Juno reminded me of a sage. Someone, who would be wise enough to guide my sworn brother.


    "I trust in you, Juno. There truly might be smarter Awakened than you. But they are not the ones who will aid me now. We reapers have a saying ''The best way to predict the future is to create it.'' You and I are both here for a reason. And much like how I met and fell in love with my {Kindred}, there is a reason why you are here now."


    {The best way to predict the future is to create it. I see. That is certainly true.}


    "Your answer?"


    As the 50-foot Lizardkin Dragon stared at me, I somehow saw her anxiousness and excitement. The giant beast then began striking its scythes together as it roared.


    {THEN SO BE IT! I JUNO ACCEPT! I AM AWAKENED! I SHALL LEAD THEM OR DIE UNDER YOUR BLADE!}

 Chapter 680 The will and the means. [1/2]

    "Wonderful. Then I welcome you Juno, leader of the Awakened, Open your mouth."


    Along with my declaration, the 50-ft Awakened raised the upper half of her jaw. It was as big as a cave. And was filled with hundreds of sharp teeth like those on a shark. I began waving my bloody fist towards the opening.


    Drops of my blood sprinkled inward. The sight of her throat and mouth moving at this distance was kind of scary. But knowing who they belonged set my mind as ease. After about a few more minutes, I healed my hand.


    "That is enough, now Juno. Call on my name. The keyword is {In the name of Limitless}."


    {How fitting. Only by your blood can the monsters leave our nightmares. And only by your name, the one who believed in our worth, can we awaken. Very well. I shall return your trust. IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS!}


    "BROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!"


    Along with her thunderous scream, Juno lifted her front legs up and began to kick like a horse. Standing on only her hind legs, it was a frightening sight. If that was not enough it was compounded by the feeling of three thousand souls being consumed.


    {This power. No wonder Roach was able to best the former King.}


    Juno then lowered her front legs and gazed at me.


    {Thank you, Limitless. Both for believing in the Awakened and me.}


    "You are welcome. Now let us get down to business."


    This officially means, that Juno has joined my allies. Along with the power provided by my {Kismet} I now also held her life in my hands. Feeling I needed to explain it, I tried to speak to her using Technopathy.


    [Juno, can you hear me?]


    {Hmm? You do not speak yet I hear you? How?}


    ''Exa, can you please show her how?''


    [Yes, my lord.]


    {Who? There is another inside my thoughts?}


    [Pleased to meet you Juno, I am my lord''s servant. I am named Exa.]


    {I see. I am Juno of the Awakened, looking forward to working with you.}


    It was funny, how this Lizardkin learned in real time. While she is still using my original introduction, she now appended her new designation. She didn''t even wonder how Exa was speaking inside her brain. Meanwhile Exa cordially conversed with her as if she was a Reaper.


    [Yes, congratulations on being chosen. My lord has high expectations of you. If you do not understand something, please ask me and I will assist you as best I can.]


    {I thank you very much Exa. I am unlearned, so I will be asking you quite often.}


    [Please do not hesitate to do so. But for now, please switch to Technopathy.]


    {Techno-pathy? I do not understand.}


    [I will show you something. Please follow it.]


    To anyone else, this conversation might have looked weird. For one Juno was grunting and making throaty noises that sounded like she was gagging. Yet only I knew how significant it was.


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    This was the first time monsters and AI interacted. And it was only because of my {Kismet} that it was possible. While we could continue to converse via soul, most Phantoms could hear words that used it.


    And while only {Interpret} allowed conversing between species, it was not unlikely that there were other {Fates} that revolved around communication. Just like Jo''s soulgear {Huddle}.


    ''Although, if that was true, the main question would be why hasn''t anyone figured out that monsters were sentient?''


    The fine line between animal and human was the ability to communicate. This was why even if apes, dolphins, ravens and elephants were extremely smart, they were not treated as demi-humans.


    Fantasy races in fiction needed the beings to first be able to understand a conversation before they were treated as sentient.


    ''There were probably some in the past Dearest. Yet even if they did exist, it would not have amounted to much.''


    ''Indeed. Regardless of if they tried to understand the Awakened, I doubt it would come close to what you are about to do, Beloved.''


    ''Huh? Why do you girls think so?'' Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Because only you would be desperate enough to see them as equals, Husband. Those in power would be careful and enslave them instead. Those without power would have never gotten the chance to begin with. To change anything, one needs two things.''


    ''The first would be the will do so Beloved. If you didn''t even see the potential of the Awakened, we would have just simply slaughtered them all.''


    ''Correct. The second would be the means to make a difference. Dearest, if we could not defeat Roach, he would have simply killed us all. If we couldn''t save Juno, leaving them to die was the only other outcome.''


    ''Liv and Lilly are both correct, Husband. Without the means to be acknowledge by the Awakened we would have simply died to them. Without the will to challenge the familiar, like George''s group, we would have either left them to die or killed the Lizardkin to the last.''


    "The will and the means¡­"


    Hearing the words of my harem, made me realize that their words were true. The reason that the world rarely changed was not because if didn''t have those that could. Nor that people who wished for change didn''t exist.


    It was because those that had the means didn''t have the will. And those that had the will won''t have the means. Ultimately the combination of the two was the only way to manifest change.


    [Hello? Hello? Am I doing this right? Exa, Limitless, can you hear me?]


    [Well done, Juno! Yes, we can hear you now. This way only those I authorize will be able to hear you.]


    Technically what Exa just said was not right. Digital signals were susceptible to interception, that was why encryption was invented. Even cyphers were created when communication officers tried to read the communications of their opponent.


    [I see. Thank you for the lesson, Exa. I am grateful.]


    [You are most welcome! I look forward to working with you. Congratulations once again!]


    "Well fuck, who would believe this Lizardkin can now send text like a human."


    Unable to stop myself from commenting out loud, the girls all began to giggle at the absurdity of it all. But I had to get our topic back on point.


    [Juno, I had Exa teach you this as I have something important to say.]


    [Speak,] she replied curtly.


    [The power I gave you, is both a blessing and a curse. With it, I have the ability to kill you with but a thought. Roach accepted this before I gave him my power. Even though, I said I trusted you, I wanted you to know that should you betray me you will be the first to die.]


    What I did was cowardly in a way. As no matter how you looked at it, this was a gun to Juno''s head. It was different if she accepted the offer when she had a choice.


    [I see. It makes no difference then.]


    "Huh?" surprised by her response, I ended up using my mouth to express my confusion.


    [Limitless, you threated to kill me and all the Awakened, even before you gave me this power. If you now have the ability to do it in an easier manner, it doesn''t actually make a difference.]


    [Are you not angry that I lied to you? You basically have no option but to follow me now. Do you not resent me for tricking you?]


    Juno then began to "laugh" once more. The terrifying sound was accompanied by her striking her scythes together. As always, anyone who saw such a thing would assume she was pissed off as fuck.


    [I do not know how Reapers determine exchanges, but the Awakened only follow power. Vampires have the ability to kill me. And you killed them easily. Thus, naturally I cannot go against you. Not unless I wish to die. Yet rather than enslave you wish to ally with us instead.]


    She then slowly turned around and face her sisters who were resting.


    [Even among our own kin, dying for dark smoke or petty mistakes is an accepted reality. Roach stopped all the infighting among the Lizardkin broods he defeated. This is why I respect him. But somehow, I believe we were meant for more than just to die like this.]


    The large behemoth then faced me once more. She then looked me right in the eyes as I remained in midair.

 Chapter 681 The will and the means. [2/2]

    [I had resigned myself to die trying to get my egg back Limitless. However, life had other plans. I met you. And now I have joined the ranks of the Awakened. Truly we do not know what life would bring. But I feel that you are our hope.


    A hope for a better life. A better future.]


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    Embarrassed by her straightforward praise, I teased in reflex. "Ha, don''t fall in love with me now."


    The sounds of skittering insects filled the air. Amused, Juno''s eyes crinkled as she responded in a way I hadn''t expected.


    [Ho? If I was a little smaller, I would be fine mating with you, you know? Seeing how much you adore your mates make me a bit jealous. Unfortunately, my vagina, as humans call it, is too big for you to fill. Even if you tried you would not be able to satisfy me.]


    "PPFFT!" "HAHAHAHA!" "Hahaha!"


    My {kindred} who have the ability to hack even Exa''s encryption burst out laughing at Juno''s statement. They didn''t even get angry but were all laughing without a care in the world. It wasn''t tame snickers and chuckling but boisterous guffaws.


    I looked at Jas and Lilly who were leaning on each other in amusement. Even Liv in my arms buried her face in my shoulder trying to reign in her laughter.


    "I appreciate the sentiment Juno. But know that even if you became the most gorgeous woman on the planet. I would still not touch you. I am spoken for. I will no longer take another mate no matter the reason," I replied in earnest. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [You say that with such finality. But what would you do should all your current mates die? It is a curse to the strong that they are the only ones left.]


    Juno had no malice in her words. And considering what happened with Roach, she was justified in asking that. Roach''s hatred of the Vampires came from that incident. Yet he merely moved on and tried to establish a new family.


    But me? I probably was not strong enough. If the Sirens died, I would not last long. After I murdered the ones responsible. My time would end there.


    "That''s fine. Once I get vengeance I will move to join them."


    [Interesting, your mates are worth more than your own life? That certainly is a mentality unfit for a king. How would you lead your people if you are dead? I do not understand this. This folly is wholly of Reapers.]


    "You presume I even want to do so. I live for them. I¡­"


    Liv, who was still in my arms, reached for my cheeks with her small hand. I gazed into her amber eyes and felt the emotions from her link. It was love, guilt and...joy? Before I could make sense of it, Jas and Lilly stepped forward.


    "Aren''t you the same Juno? With your new position dying for a single egg is not logical. Your life would better serve for the Awakened. Much like my Husband, you are placing a single life higher than countless others."


    [That''s¡­]


    "This is another reason why my Dearest trusts you, Juno. People are made of both emotion and logic. If you only had one or another you are no different from a monster. Do not worry about my {Kindred}. While he places our lives above his, my sister and I are the same."


    "Which is why should the time come. He will never die alone; we would be right there alongside him. Such is the {fate} of a Siren. Our lives are tied with my beloved," Liv added.


    [It seems I am much to lacking. Thank you for your counsel. I will reflect on it. Shall we proceed? My sisters have already divided my forces into seven groups.]


    Nodding at her words, I returned to the ground with Liv in my arms. My other two women naturally followed me. Reuniting with the other groups it was quite weird.


    There were seven groups with about 2 or three Alpha''s. My six other avatars were in the other groups. The rest of my party joined 4 of the other groups. Seeing reapers waiting alongside so many Lizardkin and Champion ranked monsters took guts.


    D and Leo were as men usually were stoic and just kept alert. Nyda was sitting cross legged seemingly meditating.


    Pixie was by far the bravest of the four. She was playing with Lizardkin. Seeing a child tickling and running around 10-foot lizards would make anyone worry.


    When they sensed my Sunday and my battle harem approach, they four stood up. Jas, Lilly and Liv were supposed to go with separate at this point. Two of them would join my avatars in one of the groups while one Siren would accompany my real body.


    But while we planned to replenish the ranks of the Lizardkin, the group having Sunday would have an edge over everybody else. For one only this body could use {fates}. And as our fight with the duke was growing nearer, I wanted to be as prepared as I can be.


    ''My {Kindred}, would you all mind going with my avatars? I plan to have Sunday accompany Leo.''


    ''Beloved this would be for a combat shadow silhouette, right? I do not mind. The groups we Sirens would join would be fine. But I believe we need to reinforce the other four teams.''


    ''I agree with Liv, Husband. Out of the reapers her who do not have silhouettes, Leo''s fighting style would be the most apt for you to copy. For reinforcements UGVs would be enough. The one with Sunday would not need help.''


    ''To us Sirens, Dearest, there is not much difference between Sunday or the rest of your bodies. So no complains there. We will protect the other groups. Just have Pixie and D join the three Champion groups. Nyda should be fine.''


    Nodding at their analysis, I swapped the guns of my avatars. I had the avatar with Pixie carry the Minigun, while the one with D carried the 99mm FT5 rocket launcher. With our preparations complete, Juno joined my group and lead the way.


    The Lizardkin Dragons among the other groups similarly already had locations in mind. When the groups separated, I naturally began to speak with the other Awakened. Unfortunately, none was as chatty as Juno, the rest said nothing. They did move to my words or suggestions though.


    "Juno, can''t you say something to your sisters? They are all ignoring me. Maybe you are the only one who can hear me after all?"


    The leader of the Awakened began to express her humor as we charged towards one of the outposts.


    [Give it time. They are quite old fashioned. To them, it would be like a rabid animal suddenly tried to act friendly. Most of them are still terrified of you. After all, they have yet to learn about you like I did.]


    "You see me like a rabid animal? Why? What the fuck did I do to be seen that way?"


    [Haha, it was most amusing. I was already in pieces before you joined. According to them they have never seen a more arrogant warm blood before. They couldn''t even understand half of what you said.]


    "Understand? But you do, don''t you?"


    [How should I explain it? Hmm¡­I see. Thank you, Exa. It would be like trying to converse in English when it is your second or third language. The Lizardkin Dragons only know basic words. So, no matter how articulate you are, they wouldn''t understand.]


    It seems much like the Sirens, and Delroy, Exa was teaching Juno in real time. Robyn who once upon a time was unlearned, soon grew smarter. After gaining Exa, she drank knowledge by the boatload. Juno seemed to be the same.


    [Plus, they are intimidated by you. All of them believe you would kill them like you did the Vampires if they make a mistake.]


    "I do not know if I should be happy about this or not."


    [Haha, do not concern yourself with is Limitless. They will learn soon enough. I will force them to do so. But enough about that. It is time for me to show my worth.]


    As we made our way towards one of the broken-down forts, enemies came to defend them. Juno who wasn''t able to fight the last time smashed her scythes together and roared.


    "BROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!"


    {COME MY SISTERS! THE NIGHTS WHERE WE COWERED TO THESE MOSQUITO FUCKERS ARE OVER! IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS! AWAKENED! TO WAR!}

 Chapter 682 The Awakeneds power [1/2]

    Most defensive structures even those on earth were under 100 feet. The was including the walls and towers. The few that were able to surpass a hundred feet were marvels of their times.


    That simply meant, those were the exceptions. Naturally as Hellsgate followed the archaic nature of the medieval ages, the forts on the 31st floor had the same limitations. Unlike Roach we preserved the forts, Juno had no such inhibitions.


    The sight of a 50-foot behemoth charging through a small fort was insane. It reminded me of those toy commercials on television. It was as if you had a wall built with Jenga bricks and you kick a football into it.


    "BROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!"


    {AWAKENED! SPARE NO ONE!}


    With Juno and her sister present, rather than try to salvage the fort, they fucking demolished it instead. Juno trampled on everything in her path. Her large scythes bisected anything foolish enough to stand against her.


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    Despite not having the ability to kill tainted undead the ghouls she came across turned into paste. Even if they did not die the Rank D Lizardkin just ripped them apart. Seeing them trample on the undead army, I was once again reminded how accurate the ranking system was.


    Ghouls for all their immortality were dumb as shit. They did not have any tactics and used hard nails, teeth and their bodies as weapons. Put in another way they were just beefed-up Zombies.


    And while they may get back up given enough time, swarming was all they could do. Unless they outnumbered their opponent ten to one, they could be taken down with the simplest of tactics.


    Leo and I were currently with one of the lizardkin armies. There was roughly two thousand of the Rank D''s with us. Along with two Champion ranked Lizardkin Dragons, one of them being Juno.


    Just the two of the Awakened behemoths took care of most of the zombies and ghouls. Each step created rivers of zombie and ghoul entrails. When their scythes swung forward, the undead were mowed down like grass.


    Forget being in one piece, the large weapons created tremors when they moved through the air. And due to their massive size, hardly any zombies were left if they were hit. It was like cutting ants with a claymore.


    The poor ones who somehow survived being stepped on and sliced would then get taken out by me, Leo and the Lizardkin. It wasn''t even a battle, it was a fucking massacre. Like a well-trained army, the rank D''s walked leisurely alongside Leo and me.


    I couldn''t blame them. In the face off Juno''s overwhelming might, what the fuck could the enemy even do. Bored out of my mind, I turned to my ally and made small talk.


    "How is it going Leo. You doing, okay?"


    "Fine."


    "Not one for small talk, no?"


    "No."


    Well, that sucked. Talking to this armored fucker was like talking to a wall. I quickly cycled through my other avatars. Most of them were just as bored as I was. The Lizardkin Dragons were extremely powerful. The only reason they almost died was because of the Vampires.


    Among the seven groups. Only Pixie, Jas and Nyda''s groups encountered Vampires. And the Rank C Vampires could not even put up a fight as they were shot to death with Sacreds.


    While the Sacreds hardly did anything to the Lizardkin they were like a death sentence to the undead. I already scanned the zone Leo and I were in. There were no vampires. So, I just took pot shots at the ghouls still struggling on the ground.


    "I guess I should be glad that this is so easy. [Cyborg]."


    Due to being trained in using {Day by Day} even without [Commander], I could still fight with all seven of my bodies. As I wondered what I could do with my free time, I quickly decided to just play.


    [Dress me up and Love me: Siren party.]


    The digital dress up and sex simulator Lucrecia''s team created for me booted up. As I was a technopath, I didn''t need a computer, nor peripherals. My mind began to load the program and began to immerse my senses in the game.


    Due to being away from four of my Sirens, I began playing with their 12-inch scale models from the game. I was fiddling with their avatars every chance I got. I had them parading around the edges of my vision like AR avatars.


    I had them walk, doing sexy poses, jumping about and ran through their voice lines. Seeing their beauty, I naturally began stripping them of clothes and began using toys to pleasure them. Their reactions were extremely similar to how the girls behaved in real life.


    Finally, I also loaded up a dozen of my John Smiths. And had them make love with my harem in my stead. With so many digital modes fucking in my vision, I grew even hornier as the John Smiths ravaged the girls.


    As Lilly, Jas, and Liv were with me, the ones I played with the most were Bella, Jo, Robyn and Aki. The sounds of their voices and their models climaxing digitally filled my heart with longing.


    Questions such as what were they doing right now? Were they safe? Were they okay? Began to fill my mind as well as my heart.


    Despite having all three of my extra brains tracking my girls, as I could only see three, only two of the extra brains were busy. Thus, I suddenly had a brain that was basically doing nothing.


    ''Kitten, Darling, Honey, Kamisan. I miss you all so much. When I get back, we will fuck so much the four of you can forget doing anything else... A crap. I''m doing it again.''


    When I reigned in my thoughts, I noticed that the girls of the Hammer team were silent. It probably disappointed them that I kept longing for the ones who were not here. But I couldn''t help it. Such were the natures of those who loved many people.


    ''Beloved, Dearest, Wifey, I am sorry. It''s not because I do not want you here with me. I¡­''


    Rather than get angry, my girls sent feelings of understanding and warmth to me.


    ''It''s fine, my love. I know how much you adore me; it is natural to miss my other sisters. We have been gone for over four days now. I do not mind.''


    ''Dearest, if you didn''t almost break my body from your affection less than a day ago, I might have been jealous. But I know firsthand how intense your desire for the Sirens is. Long for them all you want. I will not fault you for that.''


    ''I am glad we found a use for that perverted game. Remembering what we had to do while recording still makes me cringe. Although seeing your reaction to them pleases me greatly. Still, you are free to think what you want Husband. When we reunite, I will help you release some of your frustrations.''


    ''As will I, Beloved.'' ''Of course you wouldn''t exclude me right, Dearest?''


    ''Haha, of course not. Thank you three. If I didn''t have you girls here, I probably would have already gone insane.'' S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Flirting with the Hammer team, while playing Dress me up and Love me with the Anvil team allowed me to pass the time in happiness. Even though everyone with {Call My Name} had the power to become a technopath, Exa assured me they could not see what I ran in my brain.


    Otherwise, it would be embarrassing if they looked at me and saw the digital orgies my mind was running. But then again, I would not actually be embarrassed. More like I would not want anyone but me to see the girls getting pleasured even as digital sims.


    [Limitless, it is finished.]


    Suddenly getting Juno''s message, I looked up and saw her enormous body returning back. There was one other Lizardkin Dragon by her side. Their bodies had little to no injuries. What did they have however were paint jobs of red and white.


    Covered in blood, guts and residue from their victims gave their bodies some personality. Forcing my brain back from my tangent, I asked Juno the most important question.


    "What now?"


    [Now we eat.] Juno then pulled her head back and began to make weird sounds.


    "Rrrrblech "Grrrblurg!" "Hrrrblech!"


    She was like a cat that was trying to vomit out a hair ball.

 Chapter 683 The Awakeneds power [2/2]

    Only due to her huge body it was fucking terrifying. After much effort Juno eventually managed to expel a something from her body.


    Due to her massive body, it looked tiny. The object it fell in front of me. It was about four feet. Unfortunately, It was covered in all kinds of disgusting crap. Juno''s greenish white puke and vomit drenched the object.


    I grew surprised that the thing didn''t break considering it fell from more than forty feet in the air. And while two of her Lizardkin caught it, they too were showered in the smelly fluids. The stench was horrible. Like a rat died and no one knew about it for a year.


    Still, as Leo remained stoic, I couldn''t complain. Otherwise, I would just seem like a fucking pussy. As I forced my body to not breath, I tried to talk to Juno to get my mind off the smell. But as the nasty looking fluids dripped off the object, I saw the glint of a soul crystal.


    The malice began to radiate from the large gem. It was the same discomforting feeling I felt from my first night. My body practically screamed to get away from it. But before I could say anything, the smoke suddenly began to leave the crystal.


    As if it was being sucked by a vacuum cleaner the black smoke, spun in the air and flew upward. I tried to see where it was headed only to find Juno''s massive jaws open. Funnily enough only the smoke was being pulled upward. Otherwise even Leo and I would be in danger.


    The malice harmlessly entered Juno''s maw. Bit by bit the soul crystal cleared. Until eventually it turned white. When it did, the oppressive feeling around the area disappeared.


    "Fuck. This is the Awakened''s power. The ability to consume malice."


    The realization sent chills up my spine. While my people and I planned to use Sacreds and Benevols to keep the malice at bay it was a band-aid solution. But having someone like Juno eat the malice off the crystal was a win for both sides. it was truly a game changer.


    We would be able to ensure our reapers do not go crazy, and Juno would continue to grow stronger. Why has no one ever found out about this? If they have, wouldn''t someone come up with the genius idea of keeping a few monsters on hand to eat the malice?


    As my mind raced across the possibilities I cycled through my other avatars. And sure enough, all of them saw the same thing. My party grew surprised as the soul crystals were cleansed. It wasn''t just me who saw the implications of the Awakened.


    With them by our side, we could control as much land as possible and not have to worry about Malice. The links of my girls all grew hot from excitement as they similarly came to same conclusion.


    ''Beloved. This is amazing. Just knowing this truth makes reclaiming my homeland all the more possible!'' S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''HUSBAND! If we can assign a single Awakened per crystal, we would be able to ensure none of the zones would ever fall! This information would be able to turn the tide of the entire war!''


    ''Did you aim for this from the start, Dearest? I remember Bella theorizing it. But at the time I believed such a simple answer couldn''t be real. To think that monsters were the key to keeping malice at bay. If they can do the same for reapers, we would have no need for even benevols!''


    True enough, among us, the first one to foresee this situation was Bella. Even as far back as our first encounter with Roach she probably already theorized that it was possible.


    "Why? What does that black smoke do?"


    {I eat. I grow. I evolve.}


    ''Honey, I am sure you noticed that fundamentally, barring its appearance, the Alpha functions like a reaper.''


    ''Yeah, I did notice that. But then so what?''


    ''Think about it Honey. What happens to the malice that are absorbed by the soul crystals?''


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    ''They are sent to the Revenant who controls them.''


    ''Correct. But we already know that this is actually harmful to the Revenants. But what If rather than send it to the Revenant we have the Alpha eat it instead?''


    I actually forgot about all that crap. I truly wanted Juno simply as a meat shield. And here I was with an unintended side benefit. While my mind continued to think about what to do next, I then sense a carpet of malice fouling up the air.


    Looking up, I saw a black sphere in front of Juno''s face. The black orb was whirling at an insane speed. I didn''t know where the object came from but just from the surroundings, I knew that it was a large collection of malice.


    Suddenly multiple long tubes emerged from the cluster of malice. The vine like tendrils descended and began stabbing the Lizardkin seemingly at random. As if getting blood transfusions, malice was pumped into the Rank D''s.


    ''What the fuck is going on? Was this how the monsters evolved?''


    The lizardkin who gained the malice suddenly began to emit dark smoke that began to coil around their bodies like a cocoon. Seemingly evolving, the Lizardkin all kneeled to the ground and closed their eyes.


    Soon the dark colored cocoons completely closed and hardened. This process continued on for a few more minutes till the ball of malice in front of Juno completely melted. About forty of the Lizardkin were now in cocoons.


    "Uhh, Juno?"


    [Please remain silent Limitless. This is a critical time.]


    Hearing the seriousness on her words I remained quiet and sent a transmission to Leo.


    [Leo, you have any idea what is going on?]


    [No.]


    As always taking to this bastard was of no help. He was chatty only when his wife was around. I then cycled through the rest of my avatars. Only two teams performed the malice ritual. Mine and Pixie''s.


    The Lizardkin of the other five groups all began moving to a different zone. All without asking for my opinion. As I was with each group, I didn''t make a fuss and escorted them along with my party.


    I had the avatar with Pixie look around.


    [Pixie, how many cocoons are forming?]


    [Uhm¡­ I count thirty, my lord. One of them is rapidly growing in size. It is almost as a big as a bus now. See over there?]


    I commandeered one of the switchblades and had it observed the one Pixie was pointing towards from above. It was massive. It was growing like a balloon being filled with water. However, from the material it didn''t seem like it was going to burst any time soon.


    Suddenly I heard the cries of soft roars fill my ears. Cycling through the avatars I returned to Sunday who was the one with Leo. I looked around and saw some of the black cocoons began exploding.


    "Rrrrroooaaar!" "Rrrrroooaaar!" "Rrrrroooaaar!"


    Each one that exploded revealed half a dozen of mini Lizardkin. And much like babies they all began to rapidly grow after they left their broken cocoons. Of the forty that were created all of them hatched into mini Lizardkin.


    Just like that, our army suddenly now was reinforced by 240 new Awakened. I was about to congratulate Juno when I heard her mournful voice.


    {Once again, all we have are still births.}


    "Huh? Still births? But there are 240 of them alive?"


    {Limitless, we do not consider the Lizardkin as our kin. They are more like dogs. The orb earlier was the last of the seed Roach had given me. I tried to create life from it. If it had succeeded an egg that held my child would have been created.}


    I see. No wonder Roach and Juno had no affection for the normal Lizardkin. They were reminders of their inability to create new life. This must be what Exa translated as by beings born from Roach''s masturbation.


    "I see. I am sorry for your loss. But I see one of the cocoons increasing in size. It is from the group with Pixie."


    {Really! That is great! Limitless. Would it be alright to try and gather more of the black smoke? This is the first time my brood can cover such a large space without casualties to the vampires. Having you with us really helps.}


    "I do not see the harm in doing so. Please do, my party and I will assist you."

 Chapter 684 I completely forgot [1/2]

    For the next five hours, Juno and her armies went around eating up the malice off of Soul Crystals. Unfortunately, with the exception of the first cocoon with Pixie the rest of our excursions were filled with nothing but still births.


    Juno and her sisters were able to create more than 5,000 Lizardkin. According to Exa, the Lizarkin Dragons were like hens. That meant they had the capability to lay eggs every day. However, it was only when they gained the seed of a rooster would it be possible for the eggs to actually become a chicken.


    Without Roach''s junk, Juno and her sisters merely were laying unfertilized eggs. That was to say when the Lizardkin Dragons spread around the malice they ate, their "pets" that served as vessels would simply multiply asexually like Starfish.


    And supposedly it was not possible for the Rank D Lizardkin''s to ever grow into a Champion ranked Lizardkin Dragon. Thus, it made sense how they treated them like expendables. They were really of a different origin.


    Juno in particular was so ecstatic at the single cocoon that was formed. She traded places with the Lizardkin Dragons that were with Pixie. And while each of my avatars all fought with the other groups, my focus was on the avatar with Pixie.


    "My lord, are you certain you do not wish to have tea or something? How about a massage?"


    "Pixie, for the last time, I am fine. The Sirens would put a hole in any girl who gave me a massage. That includes you. Speaking of which, come here."


    "Ah. Hehe you are right, they would. But aren''t I your servant? Shouldn''t I be doing more? I mean I did less work now that I did when I was a slave."


    "That''s how the world works Pixie. You don''t actually get paid more for working hard. You do if the work you can do is valuable to someone else. Anyone can wash dishes and cook, less people can fight like you. They would need training, time and skill."


    "Hmm¡­I understand," She replied as she got up and sat closer to me.


    I pulled out some food from my inventory. The young reaper and I were laying our backs on Juno''s massive leg. Given how important this new Awakened was, Juno wanted to personally defend it. Together with the egg''s mother we were waiting for it to hatch.


    "Huh? My lord, is that chicken?"


    "Yep. Its KFC. Here. Have a piece."


    "Thank you. Wow! This is so yummy! Crunch-munch"


    Probably poor most of her life, Pixie went starry eyed from the food I gave her. With gusto she proceeded to feast on the chicken drumstick. The satisfying sound of the crunchy bits being devoured was music to my ears.


    Sadly, she slowed down significantly the closer she came to finishing her food. It was a common behavior of those who seldom had leftovers. If one grew in a house with abundant food, there would be no need to savor every morsel. In contrast those that regularly had just enough, had to make do.


    My heart grew sad seeing the young girl behave in such a manner. Her life even back on earth must have been hard. While I could not do something about her past. I could do something about her present.


    Intending to ensure she would never have to worry about food ever again, I placed the entire bucket in front of her. I also got her some Mountain Dew to wash it down. I on the other hand took out some tall cans of Miller high Life, my new go to beer. Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Do not concern yourself with anything but your hunger, Pixie. Eat as much as you want. So long as I am alive, you never have to worry about what to eat."


    Regaining her energy, Pixie quickly finished the leg and grabbed two more chicken legs. With one in each hand, she began eating both voraciously. Grease and bits of chicken decorated her cheeks, yet she kept eating.


    "Here, don''t forget the gravy. They taste better with it."


    Nodding at my words, the young reaper dunked the chicken into the plastic container. She chewed in ecstasy while making funny sounds.


    "Mmmnom! THANK YOU! MY LORD! YOU ARE THE BEST! Crunch-munch!"


    I grew satisfied seeing Pixie eat heartily. She was dutiful while we waited. It must have been boring staring at this thing for five hours. I was impressed she didn''t throw a tantrum out of boredom.


    The reason I gave the deadline of five hours was also for this egg. When I asked Juno, she and Exa worked out that it would hatch within that time frame. Juno was no longer expandable for me. Much like Pixie, I didn''t want to push forward if it meant leaving her here.


    According to the Awakened, Lizardkin Dragon eggs took months to incubate. However, they could be expedited provided you had enough malice. Right now, Juno was trying to speed up the egg''s development by drawing what she needed from the very air.


    I relayed to the other groups that I will wait for the Awakened egg to hatch first before proceeding. While Jas and Lilly voiced their disagreement, they ultimately respected my will.


    Their arguments for the most part made a lot of sense.


    "Husband, no matter how stupid the vampires are. They should have a system in place to keep their commanders aware of the situation. The longer we dally the less damage we can bring as we would give them more time to prepare for a counterattack."


    "Dearest, our fight with Gaspar was well over four days ago. Granted he treated us like ants, our element of surprise may still be intact. Juno should be fine splitting up their forces. She owes us, let''s have her accompany us while her sister guard the egg."


    In contrast Liv had a different point of view.


    "Beloved, Juno and her sisters were willing to die all for their unborn children. It is not right to force them to separate. Besides you felt that the vampire''s monstrous force was meant to overwhelm Earth, right? Rather than fight them in the sun, we should cull their numbers as much as we can."


    Taking both opinions into account, I decided for a single group to guard the egg while the rest of us worked. Pixie shared that her {Fate} told her to remain. Which was a huge fucking deal as it was named {Compass}.


    [I have no objection. It pleases me greatly that you shall remain with me child. Thank you.]


    Juno who knew Pixie had to bring back the dead, welcomed her with open arms. Which was how the situation became what it was right now. Pixie and I probably looked like a normal father and daughter camping in the wilderness.


    That was if you took out the fact that we were surrounded by hundreds of Rank D and a couple of 50-ft awakened. Or the fact that we were in literally hell. Still much like all of us, Pixie was already a far cry from her original self when I picked her up.


    Everything from her clothes to how she carried herself was vastly different. She was no longer a helpless little lamb.


    "My lord! Are you sure I can really eat this all? I will REALLY do it!"


    Pixie tried to get confirmation with shining eyes. Gravy was covering her face. Oil and sauce soiled her uniform giving the impression of a vagrant without manners. Yet, the child never looked happier.


    "Enjoy," I answered with a nod.


    "Thank you!" S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There was 21 pieces of chicken in that bucket. And while I never really needed to worry about running out, I personally remember getting sick from overeating. Hopefully the young child in front of me knew to pace herself.


    Still, as she had rewind, I probably was worrying for nothing. Even if she had indigestion, Pixie could rewind herself back. While the chicken in her stomach would not disappear, her indigestion should.


    ''Although as she still has the chicken in her body, wouldn''t she just suffer from indigestion again?''

 Chapter 685 I completely forgot [2/2]

    Contemplating the stupid dilemma, I watched my {Vassal} stuff her face without a care in the world. I then remembered Pixie''s request when we first met.


    "Mr. Limitless, what I want is in floor 19. I cannot go there alone, and as I have no handler or sponsor, I barely managed to survive here. I wish to leave this place and join you as you pass by the 19th floor."


    The 19th floor. Much like my other Vassal Eva, Pixie wanted me to take her there. I was so caught up in so many things I hadn''t gotten back to her. We even dove past the place she wanted and headed here. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Fuck, I completely forgot about it. Just what kind of guardian am I?'' I rebuked myself inwardly.


    They often said integrity could never be bought. Much like honor it was impossible to expect them from cheap people. Only men of impeccable caliber placed importance in such things.


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    I have long learned from Earl that I wanted to be such a man. Between my adopted father and my real one, the one I wished to follow was the former. Unable to stop myself, I ground my teeth at the realization that I was becoming like Frank Smith.


    One of the things I hated about him was that he never remembered the things he said. He broke every promise he told me and everyone else. I saw firsthand how the worth of his words dropped every time he did.


    Until eventually his words no longer had any value. By that point no one spared any time or attention to anything he said. It was a slippery slope, and just saying I forgot was nothing more than an excuse.


    Pixie stopped eating and asked anxiously, "My lord? Are you okay? D-Did you want chicken by any chance?"


    Hearing the worries she had in her mind, I ended up laughing out loud.


    "Pfft! Hahahaha! No Pixie. You can eat that bucket as many times as you want. When you finish, I will rewind it and give it to you. Add It to you {Auto} and you can keep eating it forever," I explained.


    "OH! You''re right! It''s like the bullets from our guns! WOW! So I really can keep eating this forever? We will never ever have to worry about food again!


    My lord! Your {fate} is amazing!"


    Her praise made me feel awkward. I placed my hand on her head and brushed it tenderly.


    "I find you more amazing Pixie. I actually wanted to apologize to you."


    "Eh? What for, my lord?" she asked wide-eyed.


    "For not being able to take you to the 19th floor. I promised you I would do so but kind of forgot about it. I am sorry. You must have been disappointed that I didn''t do my part."


    "AH!"


    Startled Pixie dropped the food in her hands and quickly took mine. Her fingers were slimy as fuck from gravy, grease and saliva but I didn''t mind. The young reaper raised my hand as she passionately replied.


    "My lord! I am not! I don''t mind! You have already given me so much! I would still be a slave if not for you! I know how hard you live my lord!


    I do not expect you to drop everything for my requests! I asked you to teach me how to fight and you did!"


    "Technically I didn''t. Robyn, Joshua and Claire were the ones who did."


    My {Vassal} fiercely shook her head before emotionally refuting.


    "NO, MY LORD! They only did because of your name. Everything I have right now was because I am the {Vassal} of the one and only {Limitless}. Even if someone else bought me, none of them would treat me more than a pet or a sex slave.


    "My lord, you were the only one who saw potential in me. And you were gracious enough to buy even D for my sake. This will be a favor I could never repay. My mother''s {fate} may have been the cause, but you could have just as easily stole if from me. After all everything a slave owned belongs to her master!"


    What Pixie just shared now was true. I remember saying as such to her when I was about to buy her. If I told Carlyle all I wanted was Pixie''s soulgear, the ugly bastard would have simply taken it from her.


    Unknowingly I took the high road without meaning to. Objectively speaking it would have been easier to scare Pixie by mugging her with a gun.


    "My lord, I owe you more than you will ever know. Thus, no matter what you need, say or do, I will serve only you. As for going to the 19th floor. I am willing to wait. {Compass} has never been wrong.


    "It was what led me to D, and it also led me to you. I also asked it every day if I should go to the 19th floor, and up until today the {Compass} told me no."


    "Huh? It said no?"


    Nodding Pixie stretched out her hand to manifest her {Fate}. It was only now she noticed how dirty her fingers were. She quickly brought out alcohol and tissue and washed her fingers.


    She then did the same with my hands. I noticed the brands and recognized that these were the items I bought on my date with the Sirens. The young girl tried to answer me while she panicked at dirtying my hand.


    "Yes. I normally ask {Compass} a question. And if it wishes to, it points me into a direction. The number of times it answered my questions are far and few in between. I am getting better but big sis Claire says I needed more training."


    "Ho? So, Claire is the one training you on using your {Fate}?" I asked in curiosity.


    While I was the reason my people came together, they had their own lives. They were not NPC''s nor side characters. They were living and breathing people. Hearing how they help one another made me fuzzy inside.


    "Yes! Big sis Claire is the strongest Manifested reaper among the Wolves! I am part of her fan clubs the Knights of Azure! Basically, she told me that {fates} were quite grumpy. If you ordered them to do something they would never agree.


    "Instead, you have to nurture your relationship and to talk to them like a friend. The more you talk the more they will follow. Even lady Rhiannon said the same thing. And it works! I sometimes feel my soulgem heat up for no reason!"


    "¡­"


    Pixie''s explanation caused me to stop. It seems like I wasn''t the only one who noticed. The Sirens told me my belief and understanding was eccentric. Thus, I never tried to teach anyone else.


    Claire may have been the baby of the 2nd Amendment. She might have been a weak Saint of Golden Wick disillusioned with honor and reality. But much like Pixie, right now, Claire Knight was already considered a powerhouse by the rest of Hellsend.


    The only Saint that serves as a Squad leader for the Blue squad and Vela''s Wolves. Her words carried with them a weight not many could disregard. As the first among the Saints who braved the front lines she has since then become an idol to many.


    Robyn was even more an icon. The Sirens were already as famous as super stars in Hellsgate. They were a group of beautiful women that willingly took on a Mercenary army for their {Kindred}. It was hard not to fall in love with them.


    I see. Even though the girls didn''t believe me originally, they already began to teach their subordinates about my own learnings. That must mean that Jo was the one who thought Claire, and most probably the Wolves.


    And once those they taught showed results even more would learn it to be true. I wonder why none of the Sirens ever told me though.


    Before I could probe further, Pixie added on as she resumed eating chicken.


    "Anyway, {Compass} has always done its best for me. She is like my older sibling! So I will listen to her. When she tells me I can go to the 19th floor, then I will go."


    "Is that so. But Pixie. You haven''t told me yet what it was you wanted to find on the 19th floor."


    "Oh? I didn''t? It''s nothing much, my lord. I just asked {Compass} to show me my mom."


    "PFHFFFT! WHAT?!" spitting out my drink I asked in disbelief.

 Chapter 686 Drink the poison [1/2]

    "Excuse me?" I repeated shocked.


    Pixie noticing my reaction, knew something was up.


    "U-Uhm, I asked {Compass} to show me to my mother. And it made the number 19 appear in my mind. I asked around and the only 19 that made sense was the 19th floor."


    Why? Why was she looking for her mother? Did she not know what having a soulgear with {Day by Day} meant? Her mother died to become a reaper. And she died a second time to give her a soulgear.


    But much like the soulgears the Sirens had created, you first needed someone to process them. So that meant, Sierra Richards, her mother already expired and was recycled into a soulgear.


    I tried to remember what I knew about the soulgems of the departed. The first one I saw was with the tailor. His father was a Reaper named Gerard Sabre. And as his living kin, when Gerard died, his soulgem was given to his son a human.


    Along with his death, his son was given income and a livelihood by IRIS. The tailor joined the ranks of the Forsaken. I hardly thought about it. But why didn''t they make a soulgem from Gerard''s {fate}?


    Strength wise he at least reached Level 2. Sierra did not. She only awakened and died soon after. Unlike Gerard, Sierra''s soulgem was not given to Pixie. Instead, Pixie remained oblivious about her mother until her untimely death.


    Due to her being born of a Reaper she got turned into one without her knowledge. But that then raised the question, why were the treatment of Gerard Sabre and Sierra Richards so different?


    ''There is something here. Pixie is half a descendant. Meaning either Sierra was already a Reaper or her father was. But it couldn''t be Sierra, her soulgem showed the stats of someone who barely survived an Enlistment.''


    Right, it took nine months to grow a baby. There was no way she would give birth while as a Reaper if she hardly had the strength to defend herself. Even if she hid nine months of the Reaper Tax would have drained her finances.


    This meant that one way or another Sierra would have been forced to find a way to earn. The many professions would have been there for her. Unless¡­


    ''She was also a rogue.''


    At that moment I remembered the words Delroy spoke when we were getting acquainted.


    "My {fate} is called {Advent}, I can see the memories of undead. I be like Pixie, except I be summoned outside the battle front. Luckily for me, Illegal recruiters protected me, I awoke my {Fate} after killing my first zombie."


    "The zombie I killed be an illegal recruiter man. It be from my memories that I learned that they came to earth, created rouges and processed them."


    "If the reapers {fate} is useful, they would be sedated and drained of their blood. To be sold in the market place. If the {fate} be useless, for women they be turned to prostitutes. For men they be sold as slaves. Them recruiters be evil."


    ''Fuck¡­''


    If it was illegal recruiters Sierra wouldn''t need to worry about the tax. Since her {fate} was hard to use, they would be able to sell it as blood. And as a woman she could work as a slave or prostitute. Her ability of having seven bodies would have been useful there.


    And once she died, they would of course create soulgears from them. After all it made no sense not too. She would be one of the many disposable Reapers brought against her will.


    ''This is¡­ Fuck¡­.''


    Delroy was also a Rogue, so much like her, they must have miraculously came into contact with Reaper blood. And should they die on Earth with great regrets, with enough souls they could be brought back as Reapers.


    Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire


    "Ugh¡­"


    "My lord?"


    Pixie oblivious to the revelation I was only now understanding looked at me worried. Why was I suddenly piecing all this together? Why didn''t I think of it the moment I heard?


    ''Exa.''


    [My lord?] S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''You heard everything right?''


    [Yes.]


    ''Thoughts?''


    ''Husband?'' ''Dearest, what''s wrong?'' ''Beloved, your link is chaotic. Are you alright?''


    Hearing the voices of my {Kindred}, I tried to calm myself before replying to them.


    ''I will explain later everyone. Please let me be for now. I am not in danger; I just came into some information about Pixie.''


    ''Okay. Tell me when you are ready, Husband.''


    ''Beloved, I am fine giving you space, just don''t try to shoulder everything, I will scold you if you do.''


    ''Dearest, I expect to hear all the details later. I will not forgive you if you leave something out. ''


    Hearing the affectionate words of my girls a wave of warmth wrapped around my heart. Whatever tension and fear I had melted like snow. Right no matter what this conspiracy was. I now had the power to end it. I could make a difference.


    ''Thank you, everyone. I love you. Exa, begin.''


    [Yes. From the story Pixie shared, there is a 45% chance her father was a Reaper. And a 40% chance her grandfather was the 1st generation. The 15% is that Pixie is lying.]


    I see. While most would assume her father was the Reaper, it is entirely plausible that even he was a rogue. One would only truly know if after they died. And it was also possible that he died but either had no regret or there was no Reaper who supplied the souls.


    ''Then Exa, why did I only figure this now? I heard the information even before my honeymoon.''


    [My lord that would be your fault. You were able to establish the links and formulate your assumptions because of {Code} and {Calculate}. However, neither of them would do the thinking for you. You must decide to want to understand something first.]


    ''Oh.''


    That simply meant, I needed to first give a crap about something before my brain thinks around it. As I didn''t really care about either Pixie or D''s stories back then, {Code} and {Calculate} also didn''t bother.


    [{Fates} in general respect the will of their Reaper. They will not arbitrarily decide for another without a good enough cause.]


    That was true. My {fates} followed my wishes. There could have been a thousand different abilities I could create, but so far, I was the architect of my own set of abilities.


    ''Okay, then that''s one mystery solved. How about Pixie''s case?''


    [I agree with you assumption my lord. You have a 84% chance of being right. Sierra Richards being an untrained civilian forced to be a Reaper after her death is likely. Her being brought her as a rogue and turned into a soulgear is also the most plausible outcome.]


    ''But why doesn''t Pixie know about the {Day by Day} being made from her mother?''


    [My lord this would not be her fault. The fact that soulgears are made from dead Reapers is a touchy subject. Only those in Production, Academics, Fortification and Administration would know. And they are normally forced to stay silent.]


    ''What? Why?!''


    [My lord, those on the front lines like Adventures and Mercenaries are intentionally keep in the dark. For fear that will murder each other to craft soulgear. Ethical dilemmas and irrational responses being the most troublesome of issues that would arise.]


    That made sense. After all much like me, it took guts to still use soulgears knowing they were once Reapers. It was fine if you did not know the origin. But to those that did. And especially to those that loved them? It would be hell.


    It would take a whole new meaning to desecrating the memory of the dead. This must be the reason why Nyda was shocked to learn of her sister already being a soulgear.


    ''I''m guessing Rogues would have it worse. There is literally no benefit to telling them.''


    [Indeed. That is the case.]


    ''Should I tell Pixie then?''


    [That would depend on how much of her innocence do you wish to kept my lord. Pixie Richards while arguable an adept combatant still is a child. Such innocence would give her a happy life on earth. But in Hellsgate such naivety could kill her.]


    "¡­"


    What was the correct thing to do in this case? Would it be better to allow her to live her dream a little longer? Or wake her up to a nightmare so that she would gain the freedom to do something about it.

 Chapter 687 Drink the poison [2/2]

    ''Tell her.'' X3


    Unanimously my girls all said the same thing. Given their backgrounds I understood why they didn''t want to coddle her. For one Pixie was not on Earth. She already had to go through a lot of shit just because of her circumstances.


    I then stared towards the child who anxiously waited for me to resume talking. She held her hands in front as she squirmed in her seat. It was the classic pose of children awaiting a scolding or in some cases a beating.


    My heart felt compassion for her as someone who also grew up being beaten. I was lucky I had Noelle and the Simmons family. Pixie didn''t and died before she even hit puberty.


    "I was half a descendant. I died from being beaten to death for stealing on earth. I suddenly found myself inside the battlefront."


    Even the way she died was pitiful. {Compass} allowed her to find what she wanted and needed. What did she regret and desire as she died alone for stealing?


    "I don''t know my lord. All I remember was I wished to find someone who I could trust. Someone who would be my family. I felt something pointing me to Arcus kiss and I ran towards it."


    "¡­"


    Truly life was a bitch. But it was during moments like this where I remembered compared to others, I had a good life. And that there were many like me who also suffer under the same sky.


    "Pixie¡­" I called.


    "Yes, my lord?"


    "Let''s play a game. I have a friend, and he is sick. He doesn''t hurt now but will die horribly in 20 years. The only for him to get well is to drink poison which would hurt a lot. What do you think I should do? Have him drink the poison or wait?"


    The child stared at the ground in silence. Obviously, my question was not for fun. It was a loaded question. Earl did this to me a lot while I was growing up. Using examples and analogies allowed children to understand complex topics.


    Right now, what I needed to know was how mature was my {Vassal}. If she chose the option of waiting to delay the pain, I will respect her decision. But if she decides to drink the poison then I will tell her right now.


    "I would have him drink the poison now, my lord."


    "Why?"


    "Nothing good comes from avoiding pain, my lord. Even if he does not hurt now, your friend might die before the 20 years. And by then you might not be around to give him the poison. I would rather do the hard thing now and ensure the result I want."


    "¡­"


    I found myself smiling bitterly, the child in front of me was not even 18. But she was wiser than most her age that tried to eat tidepods and drink bleach.


    "I might look like a child, but I am no longer human my lord. I knew as much when I returned to Earth."


    "You did?"


    Nodding she continued, "Yes, my lord. I was allowed to go back to Earth after your Seeker war. D came with me as I visited my old neighborhood. I already noticed it back then. The kids my age were all laughing happily and were being silly. I-I¡­"


    My {Vassals} voice began to shake as she began to wipe her tears.


    "I can never return to the living. I am a Reaper. When I died I though life was unfair. But when I saw the Chuckies I knew I was being a stupid. Crying about my life helped no one. You, my lord gave me direction."


    "I did?" I asked in confusion.


    "Yes. After your Seeker war, I tried to learn as much as I can about the Formless and you. You are amazing my lord. Hellsgate rejected you. The Enlistment, the stigma against the Formless, the Saviors, you were attacked and ambush twice. But you fought through it all."


    "¡­"


    "I then knew why {Compass} pointed me to you, my lord. What I asked back then was to find a way to survive."


    "I posted my mother''s soulgear on the Graveyard marketplace as that was my {fate} told me to do to find what I wanted to find. It is amusing that you became the way for me to find my goal."


    "My lord, I am convinced your path is the one I should follow. And until I find out what my purpose is in this world, I will follow you," Pixie declared. She also clenched her fist eagerly as if psyching herself up.


    If she has that much determination, I have to answer in kind. I was worried for nothing. Pixie might have the body of a child. But her mind was already one of a veteran reaper.


    "I see, then I have something to tell you," I began


    "Is it related to my mother, my lord?"


    "Yes. It will be difficult to hear, but this is the poison I mentioned earlier."


    "¡­"


    "Pixie. Soulgears are made from dead Reapers."


    "!!!"


    I allowed Pixie to process her emotions. Her body trembled. Her eyes began shedding tears as she tried to speak.


    "T-Then¡­m-my¡­m-mother?"


    I shook my head confirming what she had guessed. Pixie then hugged her arms and began to wail in a heartbroken scream.


    "HAAAAAAAAA!!!!! Mama! Mama! Mama! HAAAAAAAA!!!!!"


    Wordlessly I came closer and wrapped her in my arms. Pixie wept pitifully even more. She began to cry incoherently as thousands of emotions poured out at that moment.


    She probably believed that Sierra was working as a Defender in the 19th floor. I didn''t know if the Pixie shared the fact that she was looking for her mother with anyone else. What I do know is that apart from my {Kindred}, her and D, the details of {Day by Day} my personal soulgear was kept confidential.


    Allowing Pixie to cry out her grief I allowed her to vent to her heart''s desire. It was the least I could do. If I already had issues dealing with my stuff, what more this child who barely had the time to grow as a person.


    [Limitless, is the child alright? Her cries sound pitiful.]


    [We are fine Juno. She just learned that her mother was no longer of this world.]


    [I see. A young Reaper who lost her mother and an Awakened who lost her child. Truly we live such wretched existences.]


    Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire


    [Truly we are.]


    Under the protection of Juno''s army and I, my {Vassal} came to terms with her lost.


    This incident highlighted that I and by extension Hellsend had to be more mindful of how we handled information. Much like how the Siren''s shared the information about the {Fates}, the details about soulgears should also become more common knowledge too.


    It was a sheer evil for the ones affected. Especially for the Reapers who passed and the ones they have left behind.


    The young reaper cried for 10 more minutes before stopping. Like an older brother, I took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears and snot from Pixie''s face.


    I took off {Day by Day} and presented it to Sierra''s daughter.


    "Pixie, here. You can have this back. I have already gained much from using it. This is your mother''s will. You should be the one to keep it."


    However, my {Vassal} thought differently. Shaking her head she held my hand in both of hers.


    "No, my lord. Please keep it. I am only where I am now because of {Day by Day}. In a way my mother protected me and gave me a way to live. It is her will for you to be its owner."


    "I see. Then, In her remembrance I will be your legal guardian from this day forward. To the day I die."


    "Thank you, my lord. I am grateful. Then when the time comes for me to go to the 19th floor, please accompany me."


    "You still wish to go?" I asked incredulously.


    "Yes. {Compass} still sends me to the 19th floor despite knowing the truth about her. Even if I only learned about soulgears now, I am sure my {fate} already did. So there is something on the 19th floor. A trace of my mother or something." Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I see. Then I will be the one to go with you, when the time arrives. I owe it to her."


    Pixie then hugged me tightly while whispering.


    "Thank you, my lord. I truly am grateful that my mother led me to you."

 Chapter 688 Who has your back [1/2]

    "Sniff¡­Can''t have me moping around here. My lord, permission to scout the perimeter. The others should be coming back soon. We definitely do not need any more surprises."


    Pixie tried to wipe away the tears on her face as she stood up. With the skills I have as well as my ability to be in multiple places at once, I knew exactly where everybody was. Thus, this excuse from my {Vassal} was just that, an excuse.


    However, I wasn''t so insensitive that I would blatantly call her out on it. She probably needed a few moments alone. Or rather I believed she needed the one she trusted the most. The one who held her heart in his hands.


    Only the truly stupid would not figure out that said individual was Delroy Baxter. Actually, before I had Pixie choose, I already had one of my avatars speak to her guardian seperatedly.


    "D, are you aware how Soulgears are made?"


    "Huh? No, my lord, I do not," the Jamaican replied.


    "What about why Pixie wishes to go to the 19th floor?"


    "Ah, that I know, she wants to visit her mother. I guessed that she might be working as a defender there. She asked me that months ago. Why?"


    As D was an adult man, I had no need nor desire to break the news to him gently. Men were expected to be not only tougher but emotionally resilient. It was not about a matter of gender, it was more a matter of expectation.


    Even if he had qualms about it, I would at most give him a few minutes to process the shock. And as I will be fighting with this man for a long time, I needed to know how strong his mind was. Only then would I know how to use him.


    "D, soulgears are made from dead reapers. The soulgems are processed and are merged into items. {Day by Day} is made from Sierra Richards, Pixie''s mother."


    D visibly flinched before he stopped walking. The Lizardkin around us said nothing and passed us by. They obviously had no interest nor intended to wait.


    "Brutha¡­Does Pix know? Y-You plan to tell her?"


    Impressed with his response, I nodded in admiration. Rather than think about anything else, my {Vassal} thought about his lover immediately. Despite being denser than a black hole, this bastard treated Pixie extremely well.


    As my Avatar was connected to each other naturally, I was up to date. Pixie already chose to drink the poison. Thus, I nodded at Delroy.


    "I already did, Pixie chose it herself."


    D''s hands gripped the LMG in his hands tighter. I could hear the leather of his gloves tighten from the strain. The Jamaican looked at me with a downcast expression.


    "How did Pix take it?"


    "She is weeping at this moment. Go to her, she needs you. I am fine escorting this group on my own. Follow a Switchblade. Exa will take you to her."


    ''Exa.''


    [I understand. Leading Delroy Baxter towards Pixie Richards.]


    One the of the loitering missiles reduced its altitude to be more visible. With my hand I pointed it out for D. He no longer tarried nor said anything further. With a nod, he began running after the Switchblade at top speed. Towards the woman he treasured, he ran.


    Nodding, I approved of his attitude. Despite friendzoning Pixie on numerous occasions, Delroy Baxter, cherished Pixie Richards. Whether as a lover, a friend or a little sister, I didn''t know. But here in hell, labels hardly mattered.


    ''What was more important was who has your back.''


    With my {Vassals} on route to meet each other, I controlled my avatar to resume protecting the Awakened. This location that D and I were at would be the last location this group could assault before the five-hour deadline would pass.


    Back towards the egg using Sunday, looked up the night sky as I waited. With the Lizardkin replenished, we would soon move to assault the 32nd floor. While the resistance of the vampire''s army was quite weak to me, in truth it was a formidable force.


    More like if it was anyone but my party, they would not be taken down even with Juno''s entire army. Each fallen zone was defended by three to five Rank C Vampires. Leo and Nyda despite being Rank B Adventurers struggled to kill just two.


    This meant that three to five vampires were already enough to hold most enemies at bay. And it wasn''t like Leo and Nyda were weak either. The Adventurer pair were good enough to be the representatives for the branch on my floor.


    If only the fallen zones only had a single vampire. But unfortunately, there was no such convenient thing. Along with each Vampire was about a force of two hundred Ghouls. And along with those Ghouls was anywhere between four hundred to a thousand zombies.


    However, despite such numbers Juno''s armies ravaged the Ghouls with impunity. So long as the Vampires were terminated, the rest of their forces simply died under the feet of the 50- foot behemoths or get torn apart by the 10-foot lizards.


    Enjoying the moment of peace, I began to contemplate.


    Liv''s words were true. Just from the forces from the 31st floor, it would already be enough to take out a state in America. If even just one floor''s worth of undead got out, the effects to the human''s would be catastrophic. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire


    Funnily enough anime, manga, even television, showed what might happen in the end of a zombie apocalypse. There would be panic, chaos and people would forget their morals. Malice would run rampant and turn humans into nothing more than beasts.


    Yet somehow, despite all the media around it, there hasn''t been a single tale to coming back from that event. No story from either east or west allowed the humans to recover and restore the world after zombies began to appear.


    ''As if it was an accepted fact, that there was no way to return. That that moment, the dead leave their graves, it became pointless to struggle.''


    Was this also meant to serve as a warning to us? A prediction from IRIS that once the undead arrive, we could pretend all we wanted, but the world would end. Normally zombie apocalypse media was quite rampant and popular. Almost as good as post-apocalyptic stories.


    Nukes, mankind''s best answer to anything became the reason the world went to shit in such tales. And while there were stories of lives after a nuclear war, it normally showed that nukes could not stop what was coming.


    "It''s funny when you think about it. We are so afraid of what Nukes can do. But it is like IRIS is telling us using them hardly does anything. Just how many stories showed that Nukes were ineffective in anything but destroying the land," I thought out loud.


    Feeling that worrying about such things was pointless, I stood up and brushed off my pants. That was all still in the future. I could ask all these things when I meet with the Astrologer in the sun. For now, I had to prepare for our dive to the 32nd floor.


    [Limitless, the words you spoke earlier. Were they real?]


    A sudden digital transmission from the leader of the Awakened cause me to gaze at her direction. Her body had remained immobile since she began to rapidly incubate the egg. And due to having {Call My Name} she probably eaves dropped on everything Pixie and I just talked about.


    "Which words are you referring to, Juno?" S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [The ones about soulgear being made from dead reapers.]


    "Ah. Yes, it is. Why do you ask? Do you find humans pitiful?"


    [Not in the slightest. I have seen the ingenuity of humans. They used monster corpses to fashion objects of great utility. Thus, I find it hard to understand why Pixie was shocked.]


    I see, for the monsters the act of turning of Reapers into soulgear was not repulsive. Was it probably because she was from a different species? I suppose that wasn''t the case. I mean despite the supposed cruelty in killing livestock, we would not stop just because a few vegetarians complain.


    "Well, it is quite different for humans. We consider it a bad thing to desecrate the bodies of the dead for our war."


    [Why?]


    "Because it''s wrong."


    [Why?]


    "¡­"


    [You hold such claims even in the face of annihilation?]


    How would you explain the concept of morality and ethics to someone like the awakened? Unable to find words to use, I opted to use yet another analogy instead.

 Chapter 689 Who has your back [2/2]

    "If Roach died, would you be willing to fashion weapons and armor from his corpse?"


    [I would.]


    "Why?"


    [Because it would seem as if he is still fighting with me. Death is a natural part of life. If I die and my corpse can help my child or others, I will give it. Willingly.]


    Well, can''t say I didn''t expect that one. I forgot that monsters had no sense of morality. To them, so long as it helped with survival, who the fuck gave a shit. I guess I couldn''t fault them. For one mankind only developed a sense of morals after they managed to no longer struggle to survive.


    [Exa has showed me. Do Reapers not bury your bodies to restore the soil for the harvest? How is that any different from salvaging a soulgem? In fact, the latter is more personal is it not?]


    It seemed that Juno was rapidly learning about human and reapers because of Exa. I couldn''t even refute what she said. As Pixie much like I arrived to the same conclusion. Which was you needed to be alive first before you debated morals.


    "I guess you are right. In truth for a Reaper to grow stronger, we are to disregard the parts of ourselves that make us human. Ironic don''t you think."


    [Ironic¡­I see, thank you, Exa. Yes, it is. You Reapers cast away your humanity for strength, yet you deemed me among the Awakened for finding it. Perhaps the goal for Reapers and Awakened is somewhere down the middle?]


    "Somewhere down the middle huh?"


    [My lord, Delroy Baxter has met Pixie Richards. Do you wish to hear their conversations?]


    ''No need. Give them some privacy.''


    [Understood. My lord, please be aware that the time limit set for exploration has expired. It would be wise to have the seven groups reconvene.]


    "Got it. Thanks Exa."


    I cycled through my Avatars and notified everyone that it was time to head back. As the other Awakened ignored my attempts to talk with them, I just left them. Without us carrying Sacreds they would just be massacred anyway. I hoped the other Awakened were like Juno and knew how to think.


    I returned my mind back to Sunday and stood up. Of the many cocoons created by the Awakened only one was fertilized. After growing to an enormous size, the cocoon popped and left a large egg the size of a school bus.


    The malice in the surroundings slowly dissolved as Juno and her sister incubated the egg. I didn''t know what they were doing but the stuffy feeling that bothered me initially faded over the course of the five hours.


    "Juno, are you done?"


    [Just about. Today is truly a wonderful day.]


    Crack. A loud crunch filled the air, then the school bus egg began to slowly break. Large lines began to run across the surface of the egg. Slowly but surely the new Lizardkin Dragon was waking up.


    "Rooooarrr¡­"


    Soft cries like those of an animal resounded. Along with increasing cracking from the egg. Fluids that looked similar to soup dripped out as the protective covering of the Lizardkin dragon finally broke.


    Granting the size of the egg, the monster inside was about as large as fully grown Lizardkin. It was a miniature version of the Lizardkin Dragon. Much like a baby elephant or rhino, it still did not have its scythes, but its shell was already intact.


    The Awakened beside Juno moved towards baby monster and nuzzled it. Despite not being human, the monsters began to make sounds like monsters purring. This thing had a face only a mother would love, but insulting a newborn in front of its mother was a dumb way to die.


    [Limitless, I thank you. My Sister has shared that she will return to our home with her child. Please allow her.]


    "Sure, I don''t mind. You are the leader of the Awakened Juno. Do as you please."


    [Thank you.]


    "BROAAAAARRRRRRR"


    "BROAAAAARRRRRRR"


    Juno and her sister made loud roars like a couple of dinosaurs however her sister then turned towards me and spoke for the first time.


    {Warmblood. I thank you.} sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was incredibly short. But somehow, I could feel the magnitude of her emotions. Was being able to give birth that big of a deal to the Lizardkin?


    "You are welcome Awakened. I hope he grows up well."


    The 50-ft behemoth said no more and began to move away. It would be dangerous for her to separate from us, but what I considered common sense for human might not be for the Awakened. Thus, I consulted the expert.


    "Juno, where is she going? As there is one corridor, wouldn''t it be wise to go with us before separating? Wouldn''t it be bad if a Vampire found her and her child?"


    [Our kind has the ability to hide under the soil. She will choose a safe spot and hibernate with her child for some time. I would have either come back for her or died before she wakes.]


    "Ah right! Juno you said when we arrived that your eggs were here. Did you find them?"


    [I do not know yet, I will know once my sisters return.]


    Juno and I waited for the others to return. The Lizardkin armies who noticed the absence of the Hellsend reapers and my avatars, turned around. They were now charging towards Juno and Sunday''s position.


    In about 45 minutes, the massive armies regroup. Along with them my party. Leo and Nyda greeted each other with a hug. D and Pixie arrived holding each other''s hand. My {Kindred} who technically never even separated from me began to eat a quick meal. I also unsummoned my avatars to rest my mind.


    I walked up to Juno and tried to listen in among the Lizardkin Dragons. Due to being surrounded by hundreds of beings even since we joined forces, I had Exa turn off the translations of the smaller Lizardkin.


    It was done partly for my sanity and because they were incredibly noisy. I had to find a way for Exa to choose the targets of {Interpret}. I almost went insane last time hearing hundreds of them talk at once.


    ''Exa, I want to hear only the Lizardkin Dragons.''


    [Understood. I tweaked [American English], passive omnilingualism will now be based on species and rank.]


    ''Perfect,'' I then turned to Juno who was busy talking to her sisters. To anyone else it would appear like dinosaurs at war. A few of the Lizardkin Dragons were stomping their feet and making gargling sounds. Others were striking their scythes together or stood up on their hind legs.


    {Are you all sure? Do you think they are still on this floor?}


    ''I told you they are not.


    The eggs hatched!'' ''We searched all over, there are shells, but nothing more.'' ''We found the same.'' ''How can we stand for this!'' ''My child¡­my child might already be gone.'' ''You don''t know that!'' ''Let''s go and take their children too!'' ''Vampires do not give birth; they turn Warm bloods.'' ''But the vampires are too strong!'' ''The Warm bloods with us are stronger!'' ''KILL THEM ALL!''


    {I hear all of you. Then we fight. If our children are dead, we will avenge them. If they are alive, we will save them.}


    Juno must have been using soul so I could understand the plan. But the way the Awakened talked was fucking chaotic.


    The Lizardkin somehow had a way to understand each other even when more than ten were talking at once. It was chaotic but Juno didn''t seem bothered.


    "How the fuck can they even understand who is talking?" I whispered under my breath.


    [My lord, humans talk in a similar manner though. It is like a chat room with everyone typing at the same time.]


    "Well, I can''t argue with that. But that''s why chat rooms have IDs to separate who is saying what. And reply threads show who is speaking to who."


    [Indeed. According to Juno. The chat and reply functions of online chat rooms are done telepathically by the Awakened on instinct. I even believed that the concept was copied from them due to the extreme similarity.]


    "Well, whatever, it seems that they choose to go to war anyway."


    [Indeed.]


    This should be interesting. We were finally heading to the 32nd floor where Gaspar and Evelyn reside. It seemed that fate willed Juno to fight with us in the next floor no matter what.


    The coming battles might have been something to be feared if we immediately rushed towards them. But because we spent some time training and liberating some fallen zones, my party learned how the Awakened operated. With them by our side, we had a chance at victory.

 Chapter 690 Never alone [1/2]

    As Juno and her sisters were discussing, my girls approached me. Their bodies smelled of sweat and a natural odor I have grown to love. Instinctively I turn towards them and smiled.


    I felt my lil brother grow stiff from blood flow. Sunday was the one guarding the egg and Juno thus my other avatars had their fill of the Sirens, but this body in particular did not.


    ''Beloved, were your avatars not without just minutes earlier? How is it that you desire to ravage us once again?''


    ''Fufu, as expected of my Dearest. A voracious appetite that seems near bottomless. Still, it is quite embarrassing that even my body odor turns you on like this.''


    ''Shut it, pervert. Do not encourage him even further. Don''t you feel the desire from his link? Husband, we have come to discuss about the plan for the 32nd floor.''


    Hearing the words of my ever so serious Wifey, I tried to control my desire and restrain my impulses to procreate. But ultimately it was useless. So I sent my fist to my face instead.


    With a loud whack, I felt my head rattle. Exa must have turned off {Endure}. The shock from my full powered punch awoke my brain. The pain allowed me to focus and redirected my blood flow to my brain and my muscles.


    Blood pulled in my mouth as I seemed to have split my lip. I sucked the blood in and spat it out.


    "Sorry about that, I''m okay now. What did you have in mind Wifey?"


    Lilly tried to approach me worried. But I held my hand up telling her I was okay. Liv frowned at my actions to kill my boner. Jas said nothing and continued.


    "Husband, I advise to separate upon entering the 32nd floor. The three of us will join Juno and wreck as much havoc as we can. You will take Pixie and search for Evelyn with Leo and Nyda."


    Hearing the plan where I had to separate from them made me irritable. "Liv, Lilly, your thoughts?" I asked in an unpleasant mood.


    "I agree with Jas, Dearest. There is too much ground to cover. And while Rank C Vampires are easy for us, If the Rank B Nobles are all as powerful as Gaspar we would be in trouble. Without knowing their true strength of the duke and his higher ranked Vampires, it is dangerous."


    "Beloved, trust us. We will serve as the distraction. Pixie''s {Fate} will allow you to find Evelyn. Nyda would want to be with you when you take her back. D and Leo will never go without their partners."


    "¡­"


    I had a million things I wanted to say. About how the Sirens were more important to me than everyone else. But even if that was true, at the moment, I needed Evelyn. She was proof that Reapers turn into monsters. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For our safety and peace of mind. I had to know what happened to her. Who turned her and why. All so I could do everything I could to protect my family from it. I needed Pixie and Nyda for the reason Liv just said.


    And D and Leo were instrumental for the mentality of the two women. If I took even the Sirens, Juno and her army would not be able to survive against Vampires. What we were doing was an extremely common tactic. Both in war and video games.


    The quickest way to slip past an enemy was to divert their attention to something else. If Juno and the girls create a big enough fuss, most of the vampires would try to stop them allowing us to get in and get out quietly.


    This was definitely the best plan. Yet I had mixed feelings though. The girls and I would need to fight on different battlefields. I could send them some of my avatars, but against those of higher rank, being unable to use {Fates} made them near useless.


    Even someone like George tanked everything I had. The most I could give them would be Burger and Fries. Naturally I was worried. But I knew that there was no other viable plan.


    The goal of this mission was extraction. If we could kill the Vampire duke that would be great. But granting how strong Gaspar was, it would be hard. That along with the fact that the Vampire are in the middle of assembling a massive force made me hesitate.


    It was simply impossible to be able to take out an entire army capable of overwhelming North America with just us. Even with Juno''s army, I could only guess how many forces there really were.


    I needed to sneak in, get Evelyn and get out. The longer we took the higher chance we would die. Anxiety began to eat at me as I struggled to give an answer. Just knowing an answer was sometimes not enough.


    But this was a job only the Sirens could take on. Lilly was the goddess of ammunition. Despite being alone her army of lead would be able to manage a force many times greater.


    Liv who only got even stronger as a tank, not had the combat ability to overwhelm Rank C opponents. Jas who had [Guardian Angel] would be able to support the two of them much better than I ever could.


    With Juno and her entire force present, the girls only had to take care of the Vampires. It was a solid plan. However, despite trusting my battle harem, the dangers of them dying were quite real.


    Perhaps sensing my internal conflict, the girls waited. Seeing their faces eager for battle, I sensed no fear, nor anxiousness only trust and confidence. With much difficulty I grunted a single phrase in response.


    "Fall back the moment it gets dangerous. Abandon the Lizardkin if you have too."


    "Yes." x3


    The girls then approached and sought my lips one after another. With their passion, I felt something unlock inside me. It was as if the firing hammers on a gun were cocked back.


    Understanding what this feeling was, I grabbed my girls and kissed them even more.


    [My lord, the {Seal of Seven} has been released. {Kill Switch} is now primed.]


    "¡­"


    No words were said, but the girl''s intention was clear. Do what I can, but do not hesitate to abandon those with me. With the possibility of them being turned into Vampires or Ghouls, {Kill Switch} would be something similar to a saving grace.


    Nodding at their intent, the girls and I shared a short tender moment. Hearing their hearts beat no matter how slow calmed me down. They were the reason I even wanted to do this shit after all.


    The group began to shake as Juno came forward. Similarly, the rest of my party approached. Everyone knew how dangerous the next battle was going to be. Despite the girls and I having an easy time, Leo, Nyda, D and Pixie did not.


    [Limitless, are your preparations compete? My sisters are ready to depart.]


    I then felt a mark appear on Juno and the rest of my party. It felt like something vibrated when I looked at them. As if something was telling me to give the command.


    ''This must be {Kill Switch}.''


    I took a moment to stare at the faces of the Adventurers and my {Vassals}. They all nodded even if I didn''t ask. They were ready, and they were all prepared for the worse that is to come.


    "We are."


    [Then let us depart. We will run straight through the 31st floor''s doorway and descend. If you do not fly in the center of the passage, the Tunneling worm should leave us alone.]


    "Okay then let us go."


    I pulled out Esca and had my party get on. Juno didn''t mind the vehicle and began to charge towards the large doorway. My entire party was silent the whole time we drove.


    Leo just hugged Nyda. D and Pixie stuck together like glue. Due to me driving Lilly intertwined her hand in mine. Jasmine embraced me from behind. While Liv sat on my lap.


    Likewise, there was nothing coming from Juno or her other sisters. The Lizardkin army marched with us at the middle unimpeded. When we made it all the way back to the doorway, a simple message appeared.


    {Do you wish to descend to the lower floor?}


    "I do."


    At that point the massive gate in front of us once again opened. The same sound of wood twisty resounded. A pungent smell like that of the rainforest''s wafted through the door.


    "Let''s go!"


    "Yes my lord!"

 Chapter 691 Never alone [2/2]

    ***


    Rather than once again try to fly on the middle, I imitated Juno. The last time we descended through this tunnel they simply ran alongside its walls. I stepped on the gas as I drove over the ledge of the passage towards the lower floors.


    As we fell the vehicle slowly fell but moved towards the side of the gigantic hole. When Esca''s tires slammed onto the walls of the passageway, the car pushed forward as if it was on solid ground.


    And as if powered by {Carry} the vehicle pushed faster the normally possible. A few seconds more, Lizardkin and the Awakened all began falling towards the hole only to right themselves up onto the walls.


    Similar to us they pushed even harder than before racing towards the 32nd floor. The way we traveled made absolutely no sense. But somehow this gigantic passageway or bridge had it own rules. And while it made absolutely no sense, we got to defy physics as we made our way down.


    I actually got half an answer from Nyda. It was when we chatted out of boredom during the egg hunt by the Awakened.


    ***


    "Nyda, how does adventurer parties descend between floors?"


    "Ah, you mean without flying? It''s a weird thing that no one can explain. Basically, gravity shifts when you go into the tunnel. There is something that pulls us along the walls. This allows us to run along with without issue."


    "You mean like those on a space station?"


    "Yes. No one tried falling down before as no matter what everyone did, they all stuck to the sides like spiders. You would be the first my lord. I am not sure how it words but the gravity towards the lower levels gets messed up. You only have 1/8 the weight you have when you run along the sides of the tunnel."


    "I see, so that somehow allows us to defy physics and run as if we are standing up?"


    "Indeed. And the gravity shifts along the entire passage. Its like the tunnel itself has its own gravity. Pretty useful. Otherwise, it would be impossible to descend on foot. It normally takes us a week to move in between floors."


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    "A week? Why so long?" I asked in confusion.


    Nyda then looked at me in annoyance. It was as if she wanted to smack me in the head with a bat.


    "My lord, shouldn''t you know the reason? While you did manage to get us down in a matter of hours, you summoned the Rank A Tunneling worm. One that almost managed to kill us all. And as far as I know there are many as twelve housed between floors."


    "I don''t even know what I did to call it to me," I said in defeat.


    "It''s probably your arrogance my lord."


    "My arrogance?"


    "Yes, you normally ignore bugs or lizards hidden around your house, right? But if they suddenly get into your food, toilet, bed, clothes or shoes, the odds of you killing them out of anger is really high."


    "So, I flew in its face, that''s why it got angry?"


    "Probably, I have traveled this path between floors for years now. Our biggest concerns were where to camp and to be wary of monsters along the way," Nyda nonchalantly explained


    Remembering our encounter with the gigantic worm made me freeze up. It was so big and tough that we were helpless against it. At most we just gave it the slip.


    "Anyway, do not worry my lord, the Tunneling Worms are basically gate keepers. Because of it, the stronger undead and demonkin from the deeper floors cannot pass. Thus, they send monsters to corrupt the zones and climb up via dungeon breaks."


    "Wait. That makes no sense. The Lizardkin cleanse the malice from the crystal. They are not the ones who turn it black. How does the undead fit into all this? The monsters seem to have a hierarchy like those in dungeon novels," I reasoned.


    "You are right my lord. I don''t know really understand. But the truth remains that apart from monsters and Reapers. Undead and demons cannot pass through the Hellsgate Corridor."


    "Hellsgate Corridor? Thats what the tunnel between floors is called?"


    "It would be hard to call it dungeon stairs would it not, my lord?"


    "Right."


    ***


    As we barreled down beside the Lizardkin, I ended up asking Exa out of anxiety. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Exa, can you detect anything?''


    [No, my lord. Apart from the middle of the corridor, nothing can fly along the walls. This severely limits my ability to do reconnaissance as none of the drones can be used. {Sonar} and {Listen} do not detect anything.]


    [Limitless, if you are concern about Tunneling Worm you can relax. We are too insignificant to call it out. Running like this is the best way.]


    "What do you mean Juno?"


    [So long as you run with my sisters and I, no monster would come near us. And if you do not try passing by the middle like last time the Tunneling Worms should ignore us.]


    "Right."


    After an uneventful drive the only other interesting event was when we reached the 32nd floors doorway. Gravity was all shades of fucked up as my car tipped down but somehow righted itself up the moment we left the corridor.


    We all disembarked from Esca and began to stretch. Due to not needing to mind anything, I pushed the V8 engine of my SUV allowing me to leave the monsters in the dust.


    ''Whatever. Exa, how much longer till the entire Lizardkin arrives.''


    [My lord, this waiting area is too small to accommodate all the Lizardkin, they must separate into waves. Keeping the doorway open for everyone to pass is also not possible.]


    ''More rules that do not make sense. Anyway, my {Kindred}, are you all ready?''


    Jas once again walked towards the console, she had an absent-minded look on her face as her eyes glowed white. She was probably using one of her {Programs}. [Future Sight] allowed us to preemptively strike the welcome party.


    Liv and Lilly stood beside her weapons out. Lilly wielded her Minigun while Liv had yet to go Asura and only had the M32 and her Tomahawk shield.


    Suddenly I felt fear come from Jas. It was overwhelming and tyrannical. I quickly approached my Wifey and embraced her. Her body was trembling. I tried to soothe her both by brushing her back and calming her link.


    "Wifey, what is going on? Talk to me."


    "H-Husband. Behind this door is five Noble Vampires. It seems they wish to escort you to the duke. They do not wish to bring anyone else."


    I knew that Jasmine Denel arguably one of the most experienced in war would get scared over such a thing. However, that assumption would change if she tried to use {Variance} and fight the Noble Vampires.


    "Wifey, were you not able to do anything?"


    She looked into my eyes and buried her face into my chest. Lilly and Liv who heard her words grimaced unsure how to proceed. While we planned to create a diversion, it hardly had any use if the enemy already knew what to expect.


    And from Jas'' reaction the Noble Vampires here must have acted the same as Gaspar. They had the initiative at this moment; thus, it would be hard to formulate any plans.


    "I will go with them."


    ''Husband¡­''


    Naturally my entire party tried to make a fuss. But I merely invoked my benevol.


    "{Never Alone}."


    I then raised the armlets to Liv and Lilly. Both who understood how I fought took a moment before nodding. My girls were really something. Even without words we were able to understand each other due to being so familiar with each other.


    Liv and Lilly, both joined me in a group hug and sent their thoughts through our links.


    ''Be careful Dearest. I would say run away, if necessary, but you wouldn''t be my {Kindred} if you did that. So instead, I vow to meet your expectations. You must call for us, okay? I will forever hate you if you suddenly die here.''


    ''Beloved I will forgo lamenting my weakness. In its place I will sharpen my will and fury like a blade. The moment you call for us, I will unleash all of it like a storm on these whoresons. And for each drop of blood you shed, they will pay with their lives.''


    Wordlessly I smiled and nodded. My girls were just the best. With them behind me, I had nothing to fear.

 Chapter 692 Heroine Chapter: Ya cunt! [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Robyn Lithgow Smith


    ___


    "Ya ready, cunt?"


    "Lady Rhiannon, there is no need to be calling me that. And are you sure this is okay? Lady Minerva has not authorized this operation."


    I turned to the four eyed bogan in front of me. If I didn''t need his {fate} I wouldn''t have even brought him. All he did was whinge about what Bella did or said.


    ''[Inventory] MAC-11.''


    Pulling out one of my beloved guns I stabbed the muzzle into his forehead. Van Micron froze on the spot. He audibly swallowed in nervousness. I could hear his pulse grow faster. Even though they moved better thanks to {Call My Name} against me, they were still slow as fuck.


    "Look here, you stupid ass dick headed fuck stick. I only answer to one person. And that is Possum. I am a Siren; I can do whatever the hell I want. I can even blow your head off right now. You think he would miss you?"


    "I-I, I am well aware of my lord''s fondness of you Lady Rhianon. None in Hellsend or even Hellsgate for that matter would not," the man replied.


    "Then shut up and follow me. You might be Bella''s sidekick. But you will do as I order, or I will stomp on your balls to dust. Besides, this thing is for Bella anyway."


    As I looked towards the American base in front, I began to calm my mind. A flat breasted slagger came up and whispered beside me.


    "Lady Rhiannon, Squad Leader Angela and her team are in place. Exa also confirmed that Lady Minerva has brought down the bases'' satellite uplink. We are now invisible. So, long as there are no deaths we can proceed."


    "Arf! Arf!"


    "Ssh! Matty 3, we are talking to Lady Rhia! Shh!"


    I couldn''t help but chuckle and pet the small Mastiff puppy with Alicia. Upon hearing the details of Hellsend''s predicament, she rushed to join me. Bella and Aki was currently working overtime with the Deryck to fortify our defenses.


    Alicia who only a few weeks ago was nothing more than a civilian was now someone capable of fighting beside me. Well she still sucked and acted like a drongo most of the time but she could at least hit something with her gun now.


    {Call My Name} just had that big of an effect. Similar to me, {Gather} and {Code} made an incredibly lethal combination. Being able to remember anything you saw just once allowed even physical training to be shortened.


    "Arf! Arf!"


    Similar to Matty 3, the small animal by my side also began to bark adorably. I turned to Matty 1 and lifted him up. I petted his head as I hugged him.


    It had been days since Possum left. And whenever my mood felt like crap. I played with his avatar in the game Lucretia made or play with Matty 1. Reminding myself that Possum was still out there helped me keep sane.


    ''Possum, I miss you¡­ Do you miss me too?'' I send to my link for the hundred time.


    It felt incredibly lonely. After having him beside me all the time the silence right now was so uncomfortable. I could no longer hear his perverted thoughts. Nor his sweet whispers. My {Kindred} link was still open, yet there was no one else on the other side.


    ''Possum, if only you can come back right now¡­''


    "I come with a warning. South America will attack Hellsend in 3 days. The gifts are to ensure that you do not die. Whatever you do, you must hold. The four of you also must not die. Limitless must finish his current task."


    Strewth! Why were so many wankers just coming to our home? Couldn''t they just fuck off? Didn''t they say three months? Why the fuck was these South American dickheads already coming.


    Matty 1 began to lick my hand earnestly. Along with it were whimpers that said the same things over and over again. ''Don''t, be sad.'' ''Are you hurt?'' ''Cheer up.''


    I ended up hugging Matty 1 even more. Due to having {Interpret}, I could somehow understand what my pet Mastiff was trying to say. Right. I came to this military base for a reason. It was to defend my family.


    And while it didn''t break the rules the rules of the Revenants, it bended them. But at this moment, I didn''t care. For Possum, I was willing to fuck up even the Revenants. Steeling my mind, I placed Matty 1 on the ground. I then summoned my 2nd MAC-11.


    "Matty 1 stay here. I will return for you. You cunts. Time to move."


    "Yes, My lady."


    I pulled up my scarf and used it to cover my mouth. Alicia who was beside me similarly did the same. Right now, she was the only member of Rhianon''s Hellcats. But when Pixie returns, we will begin aggressive recruitment.


    "Try to keep up."


    "Yes, My lady."


    From our hiding spot, I began running towards our target. At my speed I ran past a stone monument on it were the words. Camp Navajo, Navajo Army Depot. A shield with a coat of arms was at the center.


    Licia and I passed the entrance and vaulted over the gate. A bunch of soldiers who heard us began to get suspicious.


    "Huh? Did you hear that?"


    "Hear what? Didn''t something just run past us?''


    "Dude, you have got to be high or something. The sensors would have picked up if something did."


    The solider was right. Normally the large number of proximity sensors, thermal and motion cameras as well zone alarms would have detected intruders. But to Hellsend. Especially the Sirens. The security of even the Army was crap.


    Using {Cyborg} I hacked I deactivated them. Well deactivate was not right. I paused them. Anything with a circuit board needed to use code. The boring 1s and 0s that machine crap used to talk to each other.


    Basically, if you grabbed the computers by the throat, they couldn''t do anything. Unlike the rest of the Sirens, my use of {Code} was simple, nothing would work in my vicinity.


    "Lady Rhia, the Depot Commander is in the housing at the back. According to Squad commander Angela they have stormed the premises."


    "Good, do not engage unless we are seen," I replied. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire


    "Yes, lady Rhia!"


    Being part of my personal Squad, Licia could use my {fates} for half the cost and 100% of their power. It {Call my Name} degraded the {Carry} family, only the Hellcats would be able to use it exactly as I do.


    We came across a large number of soldiers. There were about three dozen of them marching about. But luckily as the sun had yet to rise, we were hidden by the night. [Silent Steps] also helped a lot.


    There were flood lights that moved about, but we also had [Translucent]. So not unless something touched us, we were already as quiet as Ninjas. There were a couple of guards patrolling the grounds to our destination.


    Unlike the wide areas of the base, the sleeping quarters were surrounded by walls and had a tight perimeter. The small passages and high walls forced visitors to use the entrances.


    That was if they were human.


    "Licia, we are running up the wall." S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes!"


    With a combination of {Ascend} and {Hike}, Alicia and I scaled the defenses with nothing but the soles of our shoes. When we reached the top a couple of guards saw us. But as we already knew they were there we were prepared.


    "WAIT! WHO GOE¡­Zzzzzz¡­"


    "What?! HEY! WHAT ARE YOUZzzzzzzzz¡­"


    Despite their shouts, a pair of shot plunks silenced the soldiers. Licia and I shot them with {Sleep} 9mm subsonic rounds. The latest {Bestow} ammunition made from Joshua Hwang''s {Fate}.


    We leapt over the wall and landed silently like cats. Our speed and ability to silence anyone we encountered made our infiltration quite smooth. Soon we eventually reached the house where the top wanker slept at.


    After sending a dozen more soldier to dreamland we entered his house. Speed was the key to this. With just a bit short of a thousand, it was impossible to remain undetected indefinitely.


    This was why Alicia, and I hardly even tried to hide the sleeping bodies. We just lugged them about and piled them up in the shadows. Sooner or later, they would be found.


    The sun was also rising so the people would be waking up soon. Personally, I would have chosen to attack deeper in the night. But with the amount of shit, we had to do we just made do.

 Chapter 693 Heroine Chapter: Ya cunt! [2/2]

    "Huh? You! WhaZzzzzzz¡­"


    "Lady Rhia, three in the upper floor and one in the kitchen," Licia reported. The weakness of her body and lack of combat senses was heavily supplemented by {Call My Name}.


    Anyone who saw how she moved would assume she has been a combat joey for at least 5 years. But compared to me, she was still a greenie.


    "Take the kitchen. You missed the ones showering out back. Take them out and then meet me on the 2nd floor."


    "Yes."


    Without so much as a sound, Alicia a moved to our destinations. I shot two of the ones on the second floor. The last was about to exit his room. I laid my back beside his door frame and waited.


    "Huh? A girl?"


    Seeing me immediately after exiting, I invoked Death Resonance on the soldier. It was a woman. She was either a secretary or the head wanker''s pet.


    {You cannot see me. Walk to the Depot Commander''s room and knock. When he lets you in, push him down on the bed and kiss him.}


    The girl walked in a daze towards the last room on the floor. It was the room of the head wanker. Using {Imaging} I saw that the wanker was already up and making his bed. Following my commands, the girl knocked on the door.


    "Commander. It''s me. Do you have a moment," the soldier asked.


    "Captain? Wait a moment. I''ll get the door."


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    With his guard down, the Commander wanker left the gun he had hidden beside his bed. He then opened the door.


    "What is it captain? Do you need some¡­"


    The slagger I ordered the pushed her body to the man and stuck her tongue down his throat. Funnily enough the man''s heartbeat faster. And despite being a veteran he was unable to push the slagger away.


    As the two of them entered the room, I followed and closed the door. Seeing the man grab and lock lips with his subordinate passionately, these two must have been fucking behind the scenes.


    Groping her breasts the man began taking off her clothes. Only for his partner to suddenly begin snoring courtesy of a bullet from me.


    "Huh? Captain are you al¡­.Who? Are you? How did you get here?"


    {From this moment on, you will follow my commands to the letter} I ordered.


    But instead of the usual response, the man just looked at me in confusion. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So, you are one of them. I thought they weren''t real. You look young."


    [Four eyes. Bella was right. This man probably has a benevol on him.]


    [I see. Then we can proceed with plan B, Lady Rhia.]


    ''Exa, change to {Shock} rounds.''


    [Done.]


    I then aimed my gun towards, the woman and shot her leg.


    "AHHHH!!!!!" "Captain!!!" due to the shock the woman screamed awake and flew to the wall.


    {Shock} was a {Fate} from the {Piece} family courtesy of Mike Walker. It gave even 9mm subsonics an overpowered "kick" capable of sending grow men flying without ripping them apart.


    "Why are you doing this! Reapers are forbidden from interacting with the Military! Aren''t you afraid of his Majesty!"


    I threw my GRI towards the man and dialed Angela''s number. Even without touching it I set the phone into loudspeaker with {Code}.


    [Chuckie Siren, you call?]


    "Shoot one of them in the leg," I said in a cold voice.


    [Okay.]


    The sound of a gunshot rang out along with children and women screaming.


    "What? Is that?! Dear!"


    "Mason? Mason! There are people in our house! They have guns! They shot Zoe! She is bleeding what do I do?


    What do I do? Huhuhu¡­"


    The woman at the other end of the line began to break down from confusion. The Depot Commander gritted his teeth while remaining silent. I turned off the phone and leaned back on the wall.


    "W-What do you want? My family¡­ if you hurt my family¡­"


    "You really going to pretend to be a good guy, ya cunt? I just saw you pash with the slagger bleeding on the wall over there. I am in a rush. You do what I want, everyone walks away happy. If not, you her, and your family all die. Easy right?"


    Mason then looked down and sighed deeply. "What do you want? I am just a Depot Commander, what I can do is limited."


    "Commander! We do not negotiate with terrorists!"


    "Shut up bitch! It''s not your family in danger!"


    Despite wanting to root her earlier, the man turned on his mistress at the drop of a hat. Seeing dickheads like this made me miss my Possum more. He would never treat me like this slut.


    "{Portal}."


    I called a doorway and connected it to Matty 1''s position. Van walked out and saw the chaos in the room. But even he knew we were short on time; thus, he began his spill.


    "Hello, I am Van. Depot Commander Mason Miller. I will be brief. Your family will be killed if you do not comply. We are in need of people who have experience operating, Challenger 2 Main Battle tanks, CAESAR self-propelled howitzers and Mangusta attack helicopters. You were an Operations Officer prior to your reassignment here."


    Hearing our request the Bogan tried to make excuses. If we were human this would be a problem. But luckily the four eyed dick head with me was talented to finding out the secrets of people.


    "I was an Operation Officer over a year ago. I don''t know where the other men I trained are. Even if I did, it would take time to get them here."


    Van then walked towards him and held out his hand.


    "Why don''t we start with the ones here. {Mind Search}."


    "W-What? What are you doing to me?"


    "Do you know of anyone in this fort who has the knowledge to operate a Main Battle Tank?" Van inquired.


    "I-I.."


    Without waiting for his reply, Exa then sent me records of ten people.


    "Exa, what is this?"


    [These are all the people Commander Mason knows that have the ability to drive the Challengers. If Van is able to use his {Fate} {Skill Search} on them, we would gain the knowledge to drive the tanks.]


    "Oh? That was quicker than I thought. Well done, ya cunt," I praised


    "I appreciate the praise, my lady¡­Better than nothing I suppose."


    Not wasting any time on four eyes, I used the security cameras on the entire base to find the targets. When I marked them all, I sent a transmission to Alicia.


    [Licia, use Death Resonance and order all these people to report to our building.]


    [Yes, my lady!]


    As I was busy, it seems that Van already was at the last of the crap we needed to find pilots for.


    "Do you know of anyone in this fort who has the knowledge to helicopters gunships?"


    I checked the time and noticed that it was close to 6:00 AM. The girls and I were supposed to give updates at this period. Seeing as we accomplished our mission I connected to the Siren Server.


    [MastiffKnight connected, Welcome to the Seven Siren Server!]


    [Members online: SiliconeChipDiva (Admin), MastiffKnight, ChainsawsAndPropane, HaveYouMetMyFish ]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Aki, how goes the defenses?]


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Inari''s Kitchen has finished coating everything with Poison. We also finished creating the minefields. The 2nd Amendment have finished creating bunkers. We should finish our defenses before the night begins.]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Good. Jo, Robyn, how about you?]


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: I have dominated Fort Huachuca. It was funny that the top brass all had low quality benevols on them. We got a bunch of people who can operate what we need.]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: The entire fort? This lunatic. There are like 6,000 soldiers there! You mind controlled them all? Won''t we get exposed at this rate?]


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: 6,721. Relax, Administration owes us, right? We are not going to take anything. It should be okay. But what now? Do we turn them all into reapers?


    How can finding them help?]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Wait. Robyn, what about you?]


    [MastiffKnight: Four eyes found some people who can drive the tanks. I am having Licia send them. We have some for the Caesars too. But nothing for the helicopter gunships.]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Alright have Exa and Van record the information. I will have the reaper corpses use the data you got with {Instigator}. If it is not enough, Jo, Robyn, hit the Davis Monthan and Luke Air bases afterwards.]


    [MastiffKnight | ChainsawsAndPropane: Okay.]


    Getting up from my seat, I moved to search for the cunts we needed. Hopefully our preparations were enough for what was to come.


    ''No, even if they aren''t I will make it so.''

 Chapter 694 You want to dance? [1/2]

    Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    I separated from my battle harem and walked towards the gate that looked like it was made by hippies. I turned to my {Vassals} and the Adventurers.


    "Work with my girls and prepare. I will call for you soon."


    "Yes, my lord." X4


    I then faced forward and steeled my will began requesting my Wifey.


    "Jas, please open the door."


    My chocolate-skinned lover made a regretful face but worked the controls. A moment later the wall in front of me moved out of the way revealing four men and one woman.


    What I saw surprised me. Unlike when I looked at the Rank C Vampires, these five were not hiding behind any illusion. They really were incredibly handsome and beautiful. If you could pass the blood red eyes, and corpse like pallor.


    I walked forward undaunted and approached the Noble Vampires. They wore garments from the Victorian age. Which matched well with their appearance. The men looked dashing while the woman looked incredible sexy.


    She also had incredible curves and was pleasing to the eyes. However, my body didn''t find her attractive. For one because I knew these fucking bloodsuckers must have been violent for Jas to be distraught.


    A man who looked like the villain of a movie walked forward and bowed.


    "Greetings esteemed Limitless. I am Dorian a servant of the Duke De Arno. I was sent here to escort you to Castle De Arno for a gathering."


    Dorian seemed well mannered at least. But they shouldn''t know that Jas already shared what they would do if we resisted so I asked anyway.


    "And why would your master come to seek me personally?"


    "Haha, surely you jest, esteemed Limitless. Your arrival has been foretold long ago. You are here for Lady Bianca, correct? Or the one you call Evelyn Flowers."


    What? How would they know that? And what did he mean foretold? Did that meant that the Vampires have someone like the Astrologer? Unable to understand what was going on I clenched my jaw in reflex.


    The Noble Vampire adjusted his posture and gestured towards the 32nd floor.


    "Do not fear, esteemed one. We will neither harm you nor your party. We were merely sent to ensure that you would come willingly and there are no uninvited guests."


    "And if we refuse?" I asked.


    Dorian''s smile remained but he and the others behind him all unleashed Death Resonance. The other four blood suckers only stood at attention, but I felt my body tense from both fear and excitement.


    "My master only said we needed to bring you to him. He didn''t say that you had to be in one piece. Reapers can survive even without any limbs. Please do not test my patience. There was also nothing said about your wives."


    ''Exa. [Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Lilly. Setting: [Wizard], [Sniper] and [Berserker]. [Vengeance]. Prepare [Strike].''


    [Done.]


    When the bastard looked towards the girls, I felt my blood boil. Anger and pride burn through my link that may my body move faster than I could think.


    "{Blink}. [Strike]." I teleported in front of Dorian and drove a full powered strike to his cheek. A loud bang resounded as if a cannon fired. With all my {fates}, I felt as if I punched a steel plate.


    Yes, despite the force of my blow, Dorian didn''t get blown away. His face was only pushed to the left. The scene of him resisting a strong blow with minimal effort looked like a panel straight out of a shounen manga.


    "Esteemed one¡­"


    ''[Inventory] Raging Hunter.''


    But before he could say anything, I acted first. I stabbed the nose of the Revolver into the middle of his chest and grabbed his neck. In the same moment I smashed my forehead into his.


    "Listen you fucking cocksucker. While I am sure you can kill me. Know that I will take you with me. I now have Blessed 500 grain bullets aimed at your heart. This is much more powerful than a wooden stake. Threaten my women in front of me again and I will erase you even if I have to die to do so."


    This was something I learned dealing with Hellsgate. The one to show weakness died first. In a land where only strength mattered everyone was just trying to survive. And it seemed that IRIS armed us with knowledge using what we believed to be fiction.


    The ones we have been slaughtering diverged from what we knew. The Rank C Vampires were brash and noisy. Thus, I didn''t know how to treat them. But the Rank B Noble Vampires were different.


    They followed the mold of Vampires in literature, anime and manga to a T. In those stories there was no other group more afraid of dying than Vampires. They were the epitome of egotistical hedonists. They damned their souls all to never age and never die.


    There should be no way this Dorian fucker was loyal to the duke even unto death. He should in true vampire fashion place his life as the most important.


    In order to regain the dominant position in this exchange, I had to show him I was not going to come with him because I was powerless.


    Bowing to him, borrowing the power of someone else would never work. The only way to get him to fear me was to show that I would not hesitate to die to kill him. And that he would gain nothing by making me his enemy.


    "¡­"


    The Noble Vampire said nothing and remained frozen like a statue. With my right hand pulling his neck down like a delinquent. I pulled back the hammer of my revolver. The satisfying click as the cylinder rotated made me smile.


    "SO? You want to dance with me motherfucker?"


    With the hammer pulled back, it needed even less pressure to send a Sacred into his heart. I didn''t know if his heart was his weak point. But in most stories Vampires only died by getting staked in that place. So there had to be some truth IRIS buried in there.


    Funnily enough my guess was reinforced when none of the other vampires moved to rescue Dorian. They remained bystanders as their ally was taken hostage. My girls on the other hand.


    ''Husband! Are you insane?! I just told you we needed to be careful! Why are you picking a fight with them?!''


    ''Fufu. Dearest is truly like a angry badger. He could not careless what everyone does, thinks or feels. Truly life with you is never boring!''


    ''Haha! Beloved. Today is a good day to die! We have {Rewind} so we should be fine! Lilly, Jas. I will take the two on the right.''


    ''Ho? Wonderful, then I will take the ones on the left! Jas can support Dearest.''


    ''YOU TWO! Stop encouraging him! If we fight, we will survive, but Pixie, Leo and Delroy are going to die!''


    I see. So, Jas was worried about the others dying. Normally she would not have cared, but she probably knew I would be sad by it. Her feelings were disarray because no matter what she did, she couldn''t save the others.


    With the tension rising to 11, our side as well as the Vampires were all on edge. All it took was a spark and all hell would break lose. Fortunately, their side broke first.


    "I apologize for insulting the ladies. Please forgive me." Dorian finally grunted.


    I could just kill this fucker, but I had too many questions at the moment. Plus, they shouldn''t know of our trump cards. Rather than try to infiltrate and fail. It would be better to be escorted in and then just {Rewind} back to the door.


    Or I could bring everything into their home turf for a brawl. Suddenly summoning the Awakened inside their castle would allow us to turn around any situation. The benefits of coming face to face with the duke were too numerous to not consider it. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 695 You want to dance? [2/2]

    "I accept your apology."


    I let go of his neck and de-cocked the Raging Hunter. I then placed it behind my back and let go. The revolver disappeared and return to my storage a second later. Dorian obviously had much to say. After all his gaze while looking stoic was one of hunter.


    ''Keep up that arrogance you blood sucker. I am not the prey, you are. And I will give you a third nostril before I leave this floor.''


    "Then take me to your master. I have business with him," I added with a sneer.


    "Yes. Please follow me."


    Two sets of bat wings jutted out of the four Noble Vampires. Unlike the vampires who just floated, these fuckers were certified bats.


    The five of the ascended to the skies without waiting for me. Were these fuckers expecting that I ran or something? Should I pull out Esca?


    "Do you need me to carry you esteemed one?" the female Noble bloodsucker asked. The others with her all began snickering like hoodlums.


    ''Somehow it reminded me of the mobs in fantasy kingdom novels.''


    As I was still in [Wizard]. I just flew up and joined them in the air. The shocked faces of the Nobles were a treat I didn''t expect. Was it really that surprising?


    "Then, let us depart. Follow me, the duke does not like to be kept waiting."


    Dorian then increased in speed and flew away. His movement was like a jet that fired up it''s after burners. Two of the bloodsuckers flew after him, while two others remained in place.


    ''My love, call us the moment you are in danger.''


    ''Dearest, keep your wits with you.''


    ''Husband, please be careful.''


    ''I will. See you later everyone.''


    They probably did so to ensure no one from my party would follow. My ears could pick up the sounds of Juno''s army coming. I said farewell to my party and followed my guide.


    After I gained some distance only then did the last two Noble Vampires follow. Despite running at full speed, the gap between Dorian and I was increasing. Compare to the speed at which the bloodsuckers flew, I was quite slow.


    The ones behind me then rushed forward and began performing aerial acrobatics. As if that was not enough, despite being already ahead, they would come back go to my rear then race forward again.


    Just basing on the shit they were doing, I knew I could never outrun them, nor could I engage in aerial dogfights. Their maneuverability was above average. And while I wanted to shit on them it was very impressive. Aircraft normally had to choose maneuverability or speed.


    This was what led to rotary aircraft and fixed wing fighters. Rotary aircraft such as helicopters were amazing in hovering in place or dancing in the air. But while they were fast compared to horses, they were slow as fuck to planes.


    "Esteemed one. Can you perhaps fly a bit faster? I can just carry you" "Yeah, we don''t have all night." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Like juvenile delinquents the two vampires expressed their humor at my speed. Was it really that funny? Was this a power play of some sort?


    These bastards somehow had the mobility of helicopters but the acceleration and speed of a fighter jet. Were vampires supposed to be this fast? How fast were they even suddenly vanish into the distance and keep coming back and lounge behind me.


    ''Exa, is there a way to get faster?''


    [We can use the concept of a jet engine and use the [Store] family. Should I create a {Program}].


    ''Yes please.''


    My skills were changing all the time. Before I created an Iron man like {Program} for flight. When I had my skills restructured, I gained [Wizard} which used {Ascend} and {Hike} to allow me to fly into the air.


    As I didn''t really need to maneuver in air that much, I thought that was enough. But due to how fast these fuckers moved and danced through the air, if it ever came to an air battle I would definitely lose.


    [{Program} [Afterburner] created. My lord, this program is an extension of {Boost}. Use your hands and feet to maneuver. And control the speed using your mind. Just think of going faster and I will do the rest.]


    "Got it, thank you Exa. [Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Robyn. [Afterburner]."


    I then straightened my body and once again moved my body like Iron man. The feeling of air passing through my palms and feet made me fill ticklish, But the added speed was nothing to scoff at.


    Because of {Hike}, I couldn''t even feel any wind resistance. As I to copied Robyn''s movements I minimized wasted movements. If not for the sudden speed at which the scenery changed, I wouldn''t have noticed. My escorts however were quite vocal.


    "What?! How did you suddenly get so fast!" "This blood bag has some tricks to him huh?"


    They probably grew fearful at my sudden increase in speed. After it was not normal to suddenly gain abilities as you traveled. Feeling that I had to get myself familiar to this speed, I called out to the two of them.


    "Let''s play tag! I will get you something from earth if I touch either of you!"


    "Are you fucking insane? We are your enemy. Why would you want to give us gifts?"


    "Don''t talk to him, he must be up to something!" Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire


    Well truthfully, I was. As I needed to kill these fuckers, anyway, might as well use this time to train how to move like them.


    ''I am sure seeing their aerial maneuvers would allow me to learn on my own.''


    "Ah, come on. Don''t be like that. Tell me what do you two go for? I can get it for you the next time we meet. Surely you heard some things about the stuff we had on Earth?"


    "¡­" x2


    I killed my speed, and allowed the two to get passed me. I then sent air towards the soles of my feet and chased after them.


    "You guys can think of what you want after I catch up!"


    The two Noble bloodsuckers then rolled to different directions. Like airplanes they used the momentum of their barrel roles to rapidly adjust their headings. Watching them it felt like their wings were not the reason for their aerial mobility.


    I moved my right arm backward which made my body roll to the left. Following the right Vampire''s barrel roll I straighten my hands to my sides when I was right on his tail.


    The speed at I was going was only 80% of my maximum. Thus, I noticed that I could tag the Noble Vampire in front of me if I wanted too. [Afterburner] was a massive success as it allowed me to match the Vampire''s speed. But it is better to keep such details a secret.


    ''Hmm. I got behind him, but if I wanted to carry a gun while flying it would be hard. Maybe I should figure out a way to use a gun without holding it? Could I fire them using holes in my inventory? What do you think Exa?''


    [My lord, it is impossible to make a moving subspace {Portal}. Once you open a set of coordinates they remain there. If you opened one for your weapons, and moved, your {Portal} would remain on that spot. You would still remain unarmed. But they can be used if you remained stationary though.]


    ''I see. So, I can make turrets using subspace {Portals}. I should investigate that in the future.''


    Just then the two vampires slowed down which caused me to overshoot them. I tried to turn off my momentum only for the sight in front of me to draw my breath. It was an extremely large eerie castle.


    Mood wise It had the Transylvanian vibe down. Dorian and the two other vampires were waiting for me in the skies. When I finally stopped in front of them, they descended to the front of the castle gate.


    "Please, descend and go through the main gate. The duke doesn''t like it when other fly over his home."


    Saying nothing, I complied. It was finally time to see the face of this duke bastard once and for all.

 Chapter 696 How do you know? [1/2]

    We descended into a extremely large balcony. Like the balcony was a big as a fucking room. The floor was extremely shinny like it was made from a ballroom or something.


    I deactivated [Afterburner] and floated using [Wizard]. Dorian along with the four other Nobles similarly touched down in the wide empty space. Unlike the rest of Hellsgate the duke''s residence was well lit.


    They had bright torches or lantern along the walls that gave the place a majestic glow. Unlike the structures of the Battlefront and the forts which were purely functional this castle truly was for aesthetics.


    There was two set of grand doors going into the main building. And both opened up the moment my foot touched the ground. An army of what seemed to be beautiful looking butlers and maids lined up along the doors.


    It was a welcome befitting the owner of the house. However, as illusions didn''t work on me, I noticed that the household staff all had skin that was almost translucent. And veins that were not red but black.


    "Welcome! Esteemed Limitless!" they all greeted.


    Suddenly I felt a pressure pressed down on me. It was as if I was in the presence of a Specter. Unlike the rest of the Vampires or Nobles, I could sense the souls of the ones that showed up.


    ''[Analyze].''


    A handsome man with black hair and red eyes came forward. He was wearing regal attire that would look like what royalty would wear. His face seemed devoid of emotion, yet his eyes showed an excitement that seemed dangerous.


    ___


    Name: Stefan De Arno Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire


    Race: Vampire | Rank: Noble Vampire | Origin: ???


    Background Info: Duke of De Arno.


    ___


    ''Tsk. Exa these status pages are becoming less and less useful as time goes on.''


    [My lord, I am no omnipotent system. I am merely an AI that organizes information for you. I cannot display things I do not know. I try to supplement your knowledge using information I gathered from the Internet or Graveyard.]


    ''Fair enough. I guess I should be grateful that people do not notice I try to see their information.''


    Along with him were five women that were extremely gorgeous. They were clearly a cut above the rest even the Noble Vampire that traveled with me seem like a peasant in comparison.


    The man came forward and reached out for a handshake.


    "Greetings Limitless. I am Duke Stefan De Arno. Welcome to my humble abode," the duke warmly greeted.


    Despite his warm greeting, I felt a chill up my spine. His eyes were like of a hunter that sized up his prey. His lips twisted into a smile, but it looked like the one made by someone truly insane.


    However, I didn''t think this motherfucker could be more a lunatic that I was, so I returned his smile and reached for his hand. If he really wanted to kill me, there was a thousand different things he could have done.


    I grabbed his outstretched hand and firmly grasped it. I then noticed that the duke seemed to be trying to crush my hand to no avail. I only noticed as his body began tilting as if he was putting his entire weigh into breaking my wrist.


    ''Is this fucking bastard an idiot? A dick measuring contest right off the bat?''


    But as I had {Withstand} he needed the force of a tank round to break my form. And no matter how much force he exerted I could lift it up with {Carry}. Ignoring his attempts I shook his hand normally, much to his dismay.


    "Thanks for the warm welcome Duke. You already know who I am. Mind telling me why I am here?"


    "Hahaha, who doesn''t? You are practically the talk of the town! Let''s talk inside. I some refreshments ready."


    Without waiting for my answer, the Stefan walked inside. He seemed charismatic and commanded the presence in the room. But I didn''t know if that was because just because he was the most powerful being present.


    Like a strict hierarchy the five women followed Stefan. It was only after they entered that the rest of the Nobles did. The maids and butlers only followed last.


    I followed after him and walked inside the place. Immediately I sense the presence of over one hundred Reapers. While it did confuse me, it was not the worst thing. Upon stepping foot into the castle, I felt my connections to the Sirens suddenly vanish.


    It was similar to the feeling I got when I got kidnapped by the Specters. They were blocking the flow of souls so much so that it affected even {Kindred} links.


    ''Exa, you still there?''


    [I am my lord.]


    ''I guess, I should have expected something like this.''


    [Do not worry my lord, the ladies along with the Awakened are on route to this castle. They are looking for the missing Lizardkin infants along the way. The Sirens are using the Switchblades to map out the entire floor. They will be ready to move soon.]


    ''That is comforting to hear, then I just need to sit tight.''


    The inside of the hall was even more magnificent that the outside. Crystal chandeliers lined up the ceiling giving a dazzling light. Rich looking wallpaper adorned the walls while expensive looking carpets lined along the floor.


    ''How the fuck does this bastard have all this? I though they can''t return to Earth?''


    There were paintings that looked really old decorating the place, there were ones that showed beautiful looking people and ones showing events. We continued walking till we reached a grand looking ballroom with a extremely showy staircase before it. There was a butler and a busty maid waiting below it.


    ''Man, while Reapers were living like cavemen, these mosquito bastards are living like kings.''


    Stefan then called for a butler type character and commanded him.


    "Show our guest to the drawing room. I will be with him shortly. If he fancies any of the staff. Oblige him."


    "Excuse me?"


    Stefan then turned towards me and smiled.


    "Do not be shy my friend. I know the lives of Reapers are pitiful. Should any of my maids or help find your fancy feel free to ravage them to your hearts content. You will not have issues with the soul rivers as they are not reapers."


    The bastard then reached for the busty maid and groped her breast forcefully.


    "I assure you however that they feel just as if not better than even Phantoms. You are my guest. You need not restrain yourself here."


    Feeling the need to make things clear, I immediately turned him down. "Thank you for your hospitality, but I am not interested."


    "You do not need to lie. If the maids are not to your liking, then do you prefer our butlers? You are free to love, I do not judge."


    What the fuck was this bastard saying? Why is he so sure that I am lying?


    "No, I am straight. And I am spoken for. I am married to seven beautiful wives."


    "Ho? But you are a Reaper, why stop at seven? Take more! You earned the right to be happy and the right to pleasure."


    So this bastard was a fucking hedonist? Why was I not surprised.


    "Thank you for your offer, but I am fine."


    "I see. Tell Sebastian should you be in need of anything. I will be with you shortly."


    Sebastian then gestured to the left and led the way. I followed him there were numerous Vampires working on the residence. I looked outside the windows and noticed a garden and fountains made of stone.


    ''Was this really a place in Hellsgate? How can monsters exhibit culture almost comparable to man?'' sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Normally in fiction Vampires lived amongst people. But these Vampires were in Hellsgate, a place extremely far from civilization. If getting even some supplies from Earth to battlefront was expensive then how would the Vampires manage to build all this?

 Chapter 697 How do you know? [2/2]

    The only logical thing I could think off was that in order to have the culture I was now seeing, the monsters needed to have created it. But how? In order to do that, they would need to know of humans.


    "Here we are. Please make yourself comfortable esteemed one. I fetch get some drinks and snacks. Do you have any allergies or the like?"


    I was brought to a similarly expensive holding room with high class furniture. Everything from the flooring to the wallpaper screamed big bucks. There was a couple of couches and what appeared to be a coffee table.


    The colors were vibrant, and the craftsmanship was impressive. I even saw metallic bits inlaid in both the furniture and the decorations. It was as if they were trying to show off how rich they were.


    But even with all that what I found unbelievable was the things the butler was spouting. Was this bastard fucking high? Reapers and allergies? Did he really think my kind even gave a shit about such things?


    I held my tongue and tried to play dumb. Mainly because I was curious what type of snacks and drinks vampires would even have.


    "I don''t particularly want anything but mind sharing what I have to choose from?"


    "Of course, for drinks we have some fruit wine and for snacks we have an assortment of sweets. Do you have a preference? I would recommend our cheesecakes. Our chef is quite talented in making them."


    ''{Imaging} - Xray.''


    I quickly scanned the body of Sebastian and noticed that he had the body of a human. He had the same organs except his heart was no longer beating.


    ''Exa, this bastard is a Vampire, right?''


    [He is.]


    None of what I was hearing right now made any sense. Weren''t Vampires unable to eat? Then how was this bastard saying cheesecakes tasted good?


    While it did not make sense, for all I knew he was just lying about being able to taste cheesecakes. So, I just went with the flow.


    "If that is the case, then bring me what you most recommend."


    "Right away," the butler replied as he left the room.


    I sat in the expensive looking couch, soon the doors opened and showed the duke with his harem of five. Stefan sat on the couch opposite of my side. His wives crowded around him like groupies.


    "They are beautiful, right? Such lovely flowers, that I painstakingly raised."


    "They are out of this world," I answered without thinking. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sebastian then brought a tray of wineglasses along with a bottle. The butler poured red liquid on each of the glasses. He handed one to each of the women then finally to the duke and I.


    "Cheers," the duke called as he clinked his glass to his women.


    The scent of iron heavily flowed from the glasses. Even without tasting it I had an inkling. And the viscosity as the vampires drank it proved that the liquid was not wine but blood. I put down the glass on the table and got to the point.


    "Now, I am sure you are wondering why I brought you here."


    "Indeed, I am. While I find your home and your lifestyle quite enviable. You and I are enemies. So, I do not understand what this farce is for."


    "Hahaha. Wonderful. Such straightforwardness is extremely refreshing. Then let me blunt. Work with me."


    "Ha?"


    "It is just as I said Reaper Limitless. Give me safe passage."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Allow me to go to Earth via your portals. If you do, I will no longer send my armies to the surface."


    My brain froze for a minute. While I wasn''t exactly subtle with my abilities, hearing this bastard propose his own solution was off putting.


    "You and I are not enemies. You wish to close Hellsgate, and I wish to see the sun. We have no quarrel. Let me pass and I along with my Vampires will not bother you or your armies."


    "Why do you think I will agree to this? You should be aware of how many of your kind I killed already."


    "Haha, indeed. I am the Progenitor of the Amaranth Enclave. I know exactly how many of my kin you butchered."


    "And you take no offense of my actions?"


    "Hmm¡­it''s like this. I am everyone''s great grandfather. I have lived a long time, so part of my lineage I know, majority of them I do not. The ones who killed are like my distant descendant. While technically they are my family I have no love of them."


    ''I guess it is a feeling that is only associated with long lived races. I couldn''t even imagine meeting my great grandchild. I could understand that to some degree.''


    "Well, it''s not like you touched any of my wives or children. I don''t really care about most of them. Aren''t you the same? I could kill all the Reapers of North America, and you wouldn''t even bat an eye." Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    "¡­"


    "Like I said Limitless, you are quite a celebrity. And you have something that I need. It is in your best interest to help me. After all, while you did kill a large number of my soldiers in the grand scheme of things, it was a drop in the bucket."


    "Are you threatening me?" I growled thought clenched teeth.


    Stefan then raised his hands and shook his head. "No I am not. I was merely telling you the facts. I command an army of over a ten thousand Noble Vampires. And several times that number for Vampires and more ghouls than I can count."


    ''Exa.''


    [We know too little to verify his claims. If his numbers are true, then Hellsend would be in for a tough battle. But as Vampires are intelligent, the possibility that he is bluffing also exists.]


    Shit. These mind games were a fucking curse. And I couldn''t leverage the smarts of my girls. If the whole world had to rely on my intelligence, I was not sure I would be up to the task.


    "Why me?"


    "Why not you? For one out of all the Reapers, I have met you are one of the few that have an open mind. Didn''t you establish an alliance to the lizards? I can assure you we have more to offer than them."


    "How do you know that?"


    Stefan raised the glass he held in his hand as he answered. "Hahaha. A power of Progenitors, Limitless. We can see the past of the blood we drink. You seem to be particularly fond of a lizard. She was named Juno, wasn''t she?"


    At that point my blood went cold. I only named Juno on the 30th floor. If he really drank the blood of someone who knew her, there were only a handful of people who did. Those in my party and the defenders with George.


    Probably seeing my reaction, Stefan began chuckling along with his women. Their melodious laughs were compounded by the blood that stained their lips.


    "Relax, Limitless. They are not dead yet. I am quite civil you know. Why kill off the cow when it gives you milk. Although I did manage to learn a lot from them."


    Fuck. This was the absolutely worse thing that could happen he even had hostages now. If the 150 reapers I sensed earlier were all defenders that I should at least try to save them, shouldn''t I?


    "So? What is your answer? You should already know the type of carnage we could unleash if we choose to storm the gates," he boasted.


    "But we had the Invincible thought? Wouldn''t you all die pitifully?"


    "Hahaha. True. True. But I have known about him for years now. And it wasn''t like we have been idle. Even if it was David Thomas, he cannot be everywhere at once.


    Even if only a fraction of us pass it would be enough."


    "¡­"


    "And I know exactly the day he would leave. Funny right? I didn''t even need to look very far."


    Fuck. This was becoming more serious by the minute

 Chapter 698 Why dont you try? [1/2]

    "Hahahaha! It is so amusing to know that even now Humans have been nothing but idiots! All I needed was some money and the humans that arranged for his trip all shared the info. I didn''t even need to drink any blood."


    I see. Certainly, it was true. While David''s entourage would have surely talked to the upper management of his journey, it was literally impossible to keep the lips of everyone sealed.


    This was the primary reason that soldiers were had to get permission for leaves. The closer the major operations became, the more soldiers got tense. While higher quality people knew how to deal with the pressure the weak minded could not.


    Alcohol and women were the greatest weak points in this regard. All to often a slip of the tongue was all it took to deduce a scenario in the minds of a master strategist. Many of the anime I watched showed how powerful and how deadly it was to leave soldiers with loose lips or bad drinking habits.


    For example, say country A planned to make an invasion to a neighboring country. And there were two countries around them that would make it worthwhile. Surely the actual target would be kept secret.


    But in order to prepare for the attack the army and supply chains needed to buy supplies. This alone would cause the prices for the goods they buy to skyrocket. For this reason, merchants were the first to be in the know of any military movements.


    If a country in the olden days suddenly began amassing steel for swords or horses that were used in wars. It was practically announcing a war was coming. And the place they would attack would similarly be easy to identify based on extra apparel.


    If the two countries around country A had different environments. Say one was in a rainy forest while the other was in the desert, the commanders of country A would sometimes buy stuff to make the soldiers'' lives easier.


    Naturally the apparel needed for damp rain forests or dry deserts were different. And just from the materials to be bought in bulk, to a trained merchant it was enough to know who the target would be. This was the power and the danger of field reconnaissance.


    Similarly, this approach did not only apply only to the days of knights. Even today the same issues arose whenever there was movement. If a figure such as David Thomas would move, the world would know.


    Not because he announced it, but because of the unreasonable pressure his very name brought. Should his entourage demand for higher quality places anyone in those area''s would know. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Especially when there are many humans trained to cater to Reapers.''


    "All the employees in this hotel are given training how to respond to a "ghost". Once we identify a ghost, we follow protocol and training. That includes to never question what a ghost does, says or goes."


    "Dear customer, you are not the same. That man was one of our VVIPs, his time is too valuable to waste. So he will be processed as a priority. Please get back to your seat."


    Even at the car dealer, Reapers demanded such ridiculous respect everyone would know one present if they knew what to look for. Asking David Thomas to hide in simple hotels would not have made any sense. Especially when one was as tyrannical as him.


    From Stefan''s simple words I already understood how it would have gone. He had the {Kindred} of Reapers hostage and asked them to spy for him. He didn''t even need to leave Hellsgate. He just needed to understand how humans worked.


    ''The questions would be. How can a mere monster know so much? It''s practically impossible.''


    [I beg to differ my lord. In order for one to learn, both observation and reading literature are viable options. He could have gotten books or learned via watching them from his abilities as a Progenitor.]


    ''Exa, I cannot talk to the Sirens using my link. Can you reach out to them with Technopathy?''


    [A soul cage seems to be deployed around the castle. It is rendering digital transition and those using soul obsolete. But I can act as an intermediary as I exist both inside and outside the cage.]


    ''How?''


    [One of the Switchblades is flying over this position. I communicate with is using Morse code. The soul cage does not obstruct vision. If Lady Jas, uses the Switchblade to see you, she can. My lord, just tap this using your finger.]


    ''Help me tap properly Exa. I do not know Morse code.''


    [Shift your mind setting to [Commander]. Next split your vision to have your other finger listen solely to me. My lord should have extra brain processing to do it without issues.]


    ''Fine. Setting: [Commander].''


    Exa then showed me a set of beeps and dashes in my vision. I dedicated one of my brains to it and began to follow her instructions. I had my right finger tap on the armrest of the couch.


    ''Tell them to be wary of Gaspar. Have Jas find him.''


    Stefan then continued. Probably giving me time to digest he began fondling one of his lovers in front of me. The duke ripped apart her bodice and began massaging her right breast.


    "Anyway, how I know is beside the point. The only question is what are you going to do Limitless?"


    "¡­"


    This fucker had no fucking class. You fondle your woman during a negotiation? Either this bastard was looking down on me or he was fucking stupid.


    "You had a specific goal in coming here, if I understood correctly. Sebastian let her in."


    At his words, Sebastian opened the door. Evelyn Flowers was standing at the door in a sexy dress. Although I did not find her pretty even with her curves as she was a moving corpse in hiding.


    Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire


    [Exa, tell the girls I have found Evelyn.]


    "You came for this flower, right? Then I will give her to you. You and your entire group may take her and go. All that I ask is you allow me to pass. It''s a pretty good deal, right?"


    FUCK. What was I supposed to do at this point. I was ready to fight this bastard for Evelyn. But the situation at hand completely was outside of my predictions.


    Evelyn Flowers walked towards me and sat by my side. She made alluring eyes and began to speak passionately.


    "Thank you so much for coming to my rescue my lord. I-I am honored that you find me s-so valuable. Please let me serve you. I would do ANYTHING to repay you."


    The Vampire tried to speak seductively as she pressed her large chest on my left arm. Was this woman insane? Did she not remember that I gave her an ass whooping just a few days ago?


    [Mithridat Class 2 poison detected. Poison neutralized by {Digest}.]


    Even without her by my side, Aki''s love and {Fate} kept me safe. I vowed to myself to shower my Japanese lover with love when I return. But my mood suddenly turned for the worse at the thought that instead of my Kamisan, I had this slut to deal with.


    And Nyda''s sister was really trying to be a honey trap. She was either releasing some kind of mind control drug or illusion. Annoyed, I released Death Resonance and spoke.


    "Get the fuck away me."


    Surprised by my outburst Evelyn acted like a bewildered and helpless lady.


    [My lord, Lady Jas has confirmed that Gaspar is not on this floor.]


    "I-I apologize for being too forward my lord. Please forgive me."


    I turned back to Stefan only to see him nodding in approval as he licked the neck of his lover.


    "Good. Good. You seem more capable than the others before you. I think we will get along quite well."

 Chapter 699 Why dont you try? [2/2]

    While it was true that I came here for Evelyn. That was only half of the reason. The most important part was how did Evelyn Flowers a Reaper who died long ago return as a Vampire. The second was how did her a soulgear bearing her {fate} make it into the Graveyard.


    Right now, much like Dorian, this duke bastard was looking down on me. He seemed to be under the impression that he had the upper hand in this negotiation. Truthfully, I wasn''t able to resist at the beginning and as a result he was dictating the pace of this negotiation.


    But no longer.


    "Listen well, honey. Here in Hellsgate. never give away anything for free. Negotiations are fought long before words are even spoken. So, leave them to me. We cannot be too eager to invite anyone to our group.


    The dynamics of whether they or we ask first greatly differ. The first who expresses interest already loses the upper hand."


    Remembering the words of my Brazilian bombshell, I decided to do what I do best. Much like Dominic. I wasn''t who asked for this arrangement. Stefan did. So, it would be better to him if I complied. That was what he needed.


    But to hell with what he wanted.


    "What if I don''t want to?" I declared while releasing Death Resonance.


    ''[Inventory] Raging Hunter.''


    I summoned my beloved revolver in my left hand and pointed it towards Evelyn''s heart. In one swift motion I cocked back the hammer and placed my finger on the trigger.


    "W-What?" "Aiiii!"


    Every bloodsucker in the room put their guard up and had their eyes turn red. Somehow some of their teeth turned into fangs, truly giving them a Vampire''s from fiction. Evelyn in particular tried to act stupid but was looking towards the duke.


    As if she was asking permission, she no longer the innocence she had earlier. In its place was the hunger of a hunter. Similarly, the five women around Stefan all stood up and surrounded me.


    Despite remaining seated the duke lost his smile and had a troubled expression.


    "What if Evelyn was just an excuse? What if all I really wanted was to wipe out you bloodsuckers to extinction? Close Hellsgate? Why would I do that? If I did, then I wouldn''t have anyone else to fight now, would I?"


    This bastard was grasping straws. He had intellect but he was no human. Instead, he was trying to fake knowing human psychology. A monster no matter how smart it remained a monster. Juno was leagues better.


    "Wait! Didn''t you ally with the Lizards? We can be friends to! Why do you stubbornly try and pick a fight? I extended a hand in friendsh¡­"


    "Why don''t you try then?" I interjected.


    "Huh?"


    "Why don''t you try? You brag about your army of Vampires, right? My home is on the 24th floor. One way or another you will have to go through me and my kingdom."


    "¡­"


    "I am no fool, Stefan. You do not hold the bigger stick. I do. For all your bravado, your people haven''t encountered someone like me before, have you? Your vampires aren''t prepared to get massacred by blessed bullets. You want to strut your feathers like a peacock when you are but a duck."


    [Master, there is no sign of Gaspar. Lady Jas said you can proceed. Please be careful.]


    "HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT THE DUKE! DIE!" "NO! STAND DOWN!"


    Despite his command, one of his wives leaped towards me. But as I was still using Robyn''s shadow silhouette. My body heated up even before she moved. I turned the Raging hunter and pulled the trigger.


    A 500 S&W Sacred erupted and blew the top half of the woman into dazzling light. In the same moment, I called for reinforcements.


    "{Never alone}, {Day by Day}, [Shared Inventory]."


    Six soul avatars armed with guns step forward. Sacred munition ready to kill as we took aim. I, still in Sunday remained seated with a smile.


    "Let''s try this again, all of you sit." I said in high spirits.


    Despite my words, none of the Noble Vampires stand down. However, similarly, none of them moved to attack me. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You. You fucker. You killed my woman," Stefan began to grumble out in anger.


    Bella''s words rang true. I learned more from his actions that his words. Stefan was neither wise nor powerful. He was but a child. His demeanor and behavior supported this fact. And the truth that he only cursed after I killed one of his lovers spoke volumes of his temperament.


    "You have four more. You want them all dead too?"


    "I will rip apart your harem, you fucking Reaper. You just made an enemy of me!"


    "No amount of posturing will get you anywhere, Stefan. If you really loved your woman, you would have already attacked me by now. You are a coward. Isn''t that why you called me over?"


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    "¡­"


    While it seemed true that his forces sounded impressive Hellsend was no slouch either. I got cautions because I used Gaspar as a measuring stick. After all, if I had to fight a thousand of him, I probably would die.


    But for some fucking reason, he wasn''t here. If he was really the loyal follower he was in the visions from Advent. He should have been here. Thus it only meant three things.


    One he was in hiding but was here for Stefan''s protection.


    Two was waiting around my harem intending to attack them to get me to comply.


    Three he really wasn''t here.


    I didn''t have the girls with me. So I could go as wild as I wanted to. And unlike Vampires. I had no qualms about dying. I could die as many ties as necessary to win. So I took a gamble.


    And threaten the duke.


    And for all his strength, this duke seemed to behave like a kid. From his posturing to displays of dominance. He deviated from what a Vampire should be not in a good way. He was both a coward and a fool.


    "You still have some value to me duke. Stand down while I am asking nicely."


    Gritting his teeth, Stefan gestured and all his Vampires sat down. Similarly, my other bodies stood down but kept our weapons ready.


    "You will answer my questions, or I will kill you right now. You already saw how I fight right? Unless you fight like Gaspar. You will not survive. And I have confirmed he is not here. Speaking of which, where is he?


    I need a rematch with him."


    "He is not here. He is not my servant. He was someone loaned to me."


    What? How the fuck could that be real?


    "Please refrain from speaking. I have no interest in anything but serving the duke. There is nothing you can offer me. So please just accept your fate."


    That was he said in the memory of the ghoul Delroy checked with {Advent}. I got the impression that he was loyal to the duke. It was because of him that I tried to prepare so many failsafe and got the help of the Lizardkin.


    ''And you are telling me he doesn''t serve the duke? Then why does Gaspar tell others otherwise?''


    Angry at all the confusing mind games I smashed my hand into the coffee table in front of me.


    "STOP PLAYING GAMES WITH ME! MOTHERFUCKER! IF YOU AREN''T HIS DUKE THEN WHO ARE YOU!"


    "I WAS ISEKAIED YOU FUCKING LUNATIC! I DIDN''T EVEN WANT TO BE HERE!"


    It took a few good seconds before I regained my wits.


    "What? What do you mean you were Isekaied?"


    "I HAVE MEMORIES OF MY PAST LIFE! I WAS SENT HERE BY A FUCKING GODDESS! I WAS A FUCKING OFFICE WORKER IN JAPAN WHO DIED OF OVERWORK!"


    "¡­"


    ''Exa.''


    [I am just as confused as you are, my lord.]


    I began massaging the bridge of my nose as I prepared myself. It seems that once again I found yet another secret of Hellsgate. One IRIS has saturated the medium of fiction with.

 Chapter 700 He cannot be both [1/2]

    "I HAVE MEMORIES OF MY PAST LIFE! I HAD BEEN SENT HERE BY A FUCKING GODDESS! I WAS A FUCKING OFFICE WORKER IN JAPAN WHO DIED OF OVERWORK!"


    Anyone who has either watched anime or read manga would know the term. Isekai was Japanese for another world. It was a concept in which a person gets transported into another place that is different from his current setting.


    It was usually modern people who get sent into medieval or futuristic worlds with little to nothing but the clothes on their back. Some took the genre and sent the modern person into a game or book.


    Before the person was just transported. But then authors began killing the protagonists and have them reincarnate instead. The difference between the two was that the ones who just were sent away could come back. While the latter were no longer able to. Even if they did, they were already a different person.


    The longer it went the more variety occurred. From being given cheats to being enslaved, the flavors were extremely varied and targeted both male and female audiences. In some of them the people didn''t even get to reincarnate as people.


    "They reincarnated as monsters¡­"


    During this trip I began to learn to read between the lines of this Hellsgate and ours. The Sirens and I already established that IRIS intentionally began to present realities in Hellsgate to the humans. They did so using anime, manga and video games.


    Unlike when presented as news or propaganda, their targets were the children. If you aimed propaganda at children, you would get shot. But if you told them stories instead you would be deemed wise. Just like fables and parables, IRIS was now using Anime and Manga as tools to prepare the world for Hellsgate.


    It took time, but in today''s world, if Hell suddenly broke open, people would not be completely caught off guard. Whether via movies from both east and west, people knew what zombies were. They knew how they propagated and more importantly how to kill them.


    Funnily enough, much like zombies, Vampires were thought of as fictional. But due to IRIS''s efforts you could get a random teen from the streets and chance were that kid would know how to kill a Vampire.


    The longer I spent amongst the monsters the more I saw the realities IRIS already shared to the world. Even if the humans retained a fraction of that knowledge, it would mean life and death.


    "You know about anime and manga, right? THAT FUCKING THING HAPPENED TO ME! ME! I WAS SO FUCKING TIRED I COULDN''T AVOID GETTING HIT BY A TRUCK! AND THE NEXT THING I KNEW I WAS A VAMPIRE!"


    And now once again I gained the ability to accept what I was hearing because of IRIS. People dying and having their souls sent into another world. But instead of being reincarnated as a hero they were instead summoned as a monster.


    "FUCK! LIKE HELL YOU WOULD BELIEVE ME! FUCK!" Stefan raged.


    "I do."


    "Huh?"


    "I believe you. That you were once a human and are now a Vampire. Tell me what happened next."


    "Y-You believe me?" he stammered.


    "Yes."


    As a sign of goodwill, I lowered all of my weapons. The reality before me could not be denied. That was why there was a disconnect between the duke''s dignity and his demeanor. He was acting. Probably to survive.


    Stefan was a reincarnator. That was how he knew how the world worked. That was why he knew human culture. From the designs of this castle to the cheesecake Sebastian was fond of.


    As most of the world was depressed as fuck, Isekai stories became a means to escape. It was popular worldwide. You start out with cheats that make you a god among men. This cheat would make the world your foot stool. You could have everything you want or need. All you needed was to die. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Money, women, power, respect everything would be within your grasp. In some works, the MC needed little to no work or brains. While in others he needed to go through an ungodly amount of suffering to progress.


    But one thing that did not change was that the reincarnator knew he reincarnated. As such, the vestiges of who the reincarnator''s personality followed his new life. Along with knowledge that could aid him even at an extremely young age.


    It was exciting to root for MC''s as they slowly dominated the worlds they got sent to. We, the readers relate to their struggles or dream their successes were our own. It was truly meant to fulfill a person''s every wish.


    In most of them the reincarnator normally brought his culture with him. Japanese MC''s loved rice and all that while American ones tried to create guns as fast as possible.


    But what were you going to do if you were a monster? In a world where the strong dominated the weak, you normally would start from the lowest monster like a goblin and slime and work your way up.


    Vampires were already considered mid to high tier on the monster totem pole. Most stories with monster reincarnator chose vampires as they were the closest to humans and were strong as fuck.


    "Do you really believe me? You don''t think I am crazy?"


    While I could understand his disbelief, I found it annoying. A common plot line for Isekai stories was how trust and betrayal were universal. It didn''t matter what world you went too. People were assholes.


    Sure, there were truly kindhearted people. But one of the greatest challenges for reincarnator was to forget the morals that bound them in their original world. Japan in particular drove this home more than most.


    While their history was as bloody as ours, the Japanese were currently seen as some of the politest and well-mannered people in the world. And while they had their freaks, as a people they avoided bloodshed.


    And the one before me was from this race. Which might explain why he was such a coward. But how did he evolve from lower species monsters without combat?


    "Tell me everything that happened to you. Specifically, after you died."


    "Wow, I didn''t expect someone to finally believe me after all this time."


    "All this time?" I questioned.


    "I have been a vampire for over ten years now."


    Ten years. That was both a short and long time depending on context.


    "Well, I''ll skip the parts that do not matter. Worked for a black company till I died. Met a goddess and she asked me, would you wish to be revived again? After I said yes, she allowed me to choose a cheat and gave me a mission."


    ''Exa¡­''


    [Yes, my lord. His story parallels yours. Except instead of a cheat, you get a {Fate} and instead of a human he became a monster.]


    ''Fuck¡­''


    "Go on."


    "I got reincarnated as a baby Vampire. The girls with me right now are my maids, lovers and servants. For the next ten years I tried to survive and get stronger. Just like the MC''s of those Isekai novels."


    Unimpressed at his story I remained silent. While I could understand what he was sharing, I found it bullshit. I was a reaper for barely 2 months, and I saw more bloodshed than some people did in multiple lifetimes.


    ''What the fuck did he do for the whole ten years?''


    [If his behavior up to this point is to be used as reference, he must have not fought much and simply fornicated.]


    Yeah. That would explain it. As someone who knew how easy it was to lose yourself in sex, I could understand why he would have wasted majority if not all of his time fucking beautiful vampires.


    Even in Isekai manga there were a large number of them were the MC just fucked anything with a hole. Some of the most depraved ones involved stealing women from others for pleasure. Feeling there was nothing to gain from questioning him I opted to just ask the most important question.


    "What was the mission you were given?"


    Right the cheat he had didn''t matter. Unlike Juno and Roach who fought for every inch, this bastard was born with a silver spoon. The mere fact that he could not die via regular means was already an unfair advantage.


    "To reach the deepest floor of Hellsgate." Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    "¡­"


    Fuck, now everything began to make sense.

 Chapter 701 He cannot be both [2/2]

    {We would enslave others to get the black smoke for us. As they are doing to me now.}


    "? Are you saying the vampires want to evolve like you?"


    {I would believe so. My elders say the Vampires come from a deeper place. They shouldn''t be in our homes to begin with.}


    From what I understood of Roach, his words had a simple premise. The stronger a monster the deeper it would be in Hellsgate. This was one thing that few dungeon novels explained. Why did the stronger monsters not leave the lower dungeons?


    They ate the black smoke to evolve. They evolved to enslave. They enslaved so that they could go deeper. Apart from floor breaks, Hellsgate monsters never left their nests. It was because much like Stefan it was their mission.


    "What is the name of the goddess who ordered you? What did she look like?"


    "She didn''t tell me a name; she just asked me what it was I desired. And if I was willing to be given a mission in exchange for that desire."


    [My lord, in that regard they are opposite of Reapers, rather than regret, they are given what they desire.]


    ''But who the fuck is this goddess? Is she a Specter of some sort?''


    While I was curious about that goddess, she was not the thing that puzzled me most. If the monsters were told to go down. Why was this fucking bastard trying to go up?


    As I asked Stefan De Arno the same thing his reply was quite simple.


    "Because I am not like them. To the other monsters, they cannot resist the need to grow stronger and to go deeper. I on the other hand have the freedom to choose if I wish to comply or not."


    [My lord, he is truly similar to a Reaper. Much like how Hellsgate cannot force any Reaper before the Wraith rank to defend her.]


    Wouldn''t that mean that Juno and the Awakened would have issues? If only Monsters with soulgems could choose to fight or not wouldn''t Juno and Roach one day or another revert to the will of the goddess?


    ''Fuck, Exa. I do not understand this at all. Please remind me to ask the girls when we get back together.''


    So, Stefan was being eccentric for wanting to go towards the Sun. But that didn''t explain how someone like him would formulate the conspiracy of the Vampires. If Stefan was not the duke Gaspar was serving, then who was? Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Stefan was either a super smart Vampire, or a dumb one. He would need to be fucking Einstein to hide the fact that entire floors were already no longer under Reaper control. But as he was now, all I saw was a childish coward who reincarnated from Japan.


    ''He cannot be both.''


    Either he was lying about his army, or he was stupid. And personally, after dealing with him I was more inclined to believe the latter. After all this bastard still hasn''t attacked me for killing one of his women.


    It was probably better to ask straight forward questions. Even his Birth makes no sense, as according to the Awakened Vampires were only converted and not born. But the fact that he has a soulgem as a monster was already dubious.


    I had all my avatars raise our guns and aim them at every blood sucker in the room.


    "Oy! Oy! I thought we were allies now? I do not intend to fight!"


    I released Death Resonance and tried to brainwash the duke with soul.


    "{What do you intend to do with the Vampire army you prepared?}"


    "Death Resonance? Really? You know monsters eat malice, right? Your mind tricks with Reapers do not work on me. As I said I intend to use them to see the sun."


    Fuck, so Death Resonance was useless on monsters? How could I make sure he is telling the truth? Should I create a {Program} or {Kismet}.


    "Why do you intend to see the Sun?" I asked in an attempt to stall.


    "I-I¡­I wish to go back to Japan."


    "Why?"


    "I can''t do this anymore," Stefan said in weary voice.


    Hearing the emotion coming from the Noble Vampire made me stop. Not unless this bastard had SSS ranks skills in acting, the exhaustion in his voice was genuine.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I will tell you, but do you mind lowering your guns first? I will tell you the entire truth Limitless. As fellow former humans, we are not so different. I wish for to tell someone too. Sebastian, get me a fresh bottle. I need a drink."


    "Yes, your grace," the butler replied before he left.


    I lowered my guns but kept my bodies all on guard. With the exception of Sunday, the rest were standing. Evelyn, who was beside me, squirmed in her seat unsure what to do.


    She probably wanted to kill me but couldn''t because of the duke. Sebastian returned and poured out fresh drinks for the Vampires. When he approached me the unique smell of blood threw me off.


    I waved my hand to indicate, I didn''t need nor want a sip. Instead, I pulled out a couple of beers cans from my [Inventory] and drank. The taste was rejuvenating after a long hard day. Despite all the shit happening right now, at least my drink was good.


    "You have ten minutes talk," I ordered.


    "Such an arrogant bastard. Long story short, you read Isekai monster manga, right? Where a human reincarnates into the body of a monster?"


    *Nod.* Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire


    "That is what happened to me. And I used those stories as a blueprint. I once tried to dominate Hellsgate as a Noble Vampire," the duke continued between sips.


    ''Right, he did say that he started out as a Vampire.''


    "My desire when I met the goddess was for people to listen to my words. When I awoke, I had the skill {Brainwash}. I used that to cheat my way to power."


    It was perhaps the power most incels would love to have. The power to take any woman to bed and enforce loyalty unilaterally. Given his background as a salary man who died to a truck, he was probably also a virgin.


    "Vampires grew rapidly, in just over a year I had the body of an adult. Like most men, I lived out my fantasies. I fucked any beauty I saw, and dominated any strong servant I could use. I was truly happy back then. I gained a family and a purpose.


    "This was how even though I had no combat abilities, I rose to the position of duke. My servants and lovers were my world. And at their urging we gained strength and tried to fight our way downward.


    "As Reapers and humans were nowhere near those floors, we only fought the other monster races for dominance instead. We beat them, enslaved them and turned them into our allies. we also had small skirmishes with the undead.


    "At one point I had a harem of a hundred. It was comprised of every monster girl you could think off all heavenly beauties. I even had hybrids kids. Using the smarts and skills of my armies, within two years we were able to fight our way to the beyond floor 60. I evolved to a Noble Vampire during this period."


    ''Beyond floor 60? That is some impressive power. The current frontline for North America is at floor 52. Meaning this bastard at one point in time had the power of an entire battlefront!''


    Stefan then made a bitter expression as he swirled the blood in his wine glass. He took a gulp before adding.


    "But then we reached the late game floors. That was where it all ended. We bit off more than we could chew. The monstrosities on the late game floors are unlike anything you could ever imagine. And my world crumbled at floor 63."


    "What happened?" I asked.


    "We were annihilated. My entire force. My loyal subordinates. My wives. My kids. My friends.


    All dead. It was a nightmare. We were powerless. And as an ultimate punishment my enemies allowed me to live."


    "¡­"


    "For the next three years I just existed. I tried to forget them, but I couldn''t. Their memory haunted me every waking moment. I couldn''t even kill myself no matter what I did. I broke. When I picked myself back together, I had a single thought.


    I want to go back home. To Japan. And forget about all this."


    Well, that was something I didn''t expect. No wonder this bastard broke. He already lost everything. Put in another way, he and I were on the same path. Only he fucked up in the worse way imaginable.

 Chapter 702 The bad news? [1/2]

    Everyone just wanted to live and be happy. We desire what we do because we believe it would get us happiness. As such, in a fucked-up world right now, most people desire to escape. This gave birth and steam to Isekai.


    In most Isekai, people had a cheat and were allowed to be their own superheroes. Alone they would impact a world. Alone they would gain love and respect and happiness. As Isekai was primarily a genre of fiction it naturally had an ending.


    And as most of these endings were happy. Because who the fuck would want to read a tale where everything ended in tragedy. Not unless your goal was to piss everyone off. As Anime and Manga were in the end business most were given happy endings just for the readers satisfaction.


    Most of the time in order to get this happy endings, logic and realism were thrown out of the window. This cause Isekai to be looked down upon due to plot armor. In a world where you could never fail, why bother trying your best? Why bother trying to learn? And as a result, Isekai stories have some of the blandest characters you would ever see.


    But much like what IRIS intended the brainwashing they did with Isekai worked. Now people knew what to do even if suddenly get teleported, reincarnated or transmigrated into different worlds.


    Stefan De Arno was the same. He relieved the same experience. He got Isekaied as a monster. As a Vampire he gained a harem and loyal followers. As a duke he commanded a large army. As a protagonist in his own story, he got to live his dreams.


    However, unlike fiction, this was real. Unlike Anime and Manga, this story has no plot armor. Unlike the stories written back on Earth, it was not impossible to fail.


    "I can''t do this anymore. I thought I changed, but I didn''t. I lost all of them. The family and friends I loved. All for nothing. I was too weak.


    I couldn''t protect them. It wasn''t like in the Anime and manga!"


    Stefan began bawling his eyes out as he cried. His women tried to comfort him, but their efforts were useless. The mighty duke broke down and cried his heart out. He probably hated his weakness. After all, despite loving them all he did not die with them.


    Unfortunately, I had no pity to spare for this fucker. The mere fact that despite commanding such a powerful force he still was a coward showed his lack of growth. This man only went with the flow. He got overconfident in his power and paid the price. There was not much to say. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And unlike with the Sirens. I had not reason to coddle this bastard. I stood up and climbed over the elegant coffee table in front of me. I then reached for Stefan. His wives tried to stop me, but I ignored them.


    They lacked the physical might to restrain me. So I grabbed the duke of Arno by his collar as his entire harem pulled on my body. I shook them all off and raised the Japanese reincarnator. And slammed my fist into his cheek.


    "Guh!"


    [My lord, I sense a presence trying to invade your soul. This must be his brainwashing ability.] Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    ''Can it take over my mind?''


    [No, my lord, your kismet {Illusion Resistance} prevents him from doing so.]


    ''Wonderful. Thank you, Exa.''


    Despite tears in his eyes, I winded up my fist and smacked him again on the cheek.


    "Gha!"


    The man immediately stopped crying and began to shield his face. I instead switched my target and punched his sternum. He began chocking but I didn''t stop and continued to punch his chest.


    "Ugh!"


    His harem began to arm themselves with blood fingernails. But when they heard my other bodies raise our guns, they all stepped back. That was all they amounted too. Their love and devotion were still worth more than their lives.


    ''So much for loyalty¡­'' I thought in derision.


    My girls on the other hand would not only run to me in a hailstorm of gunfire. They would fight and hunt anything that harmed me. And unlike the Noble Vampires here, they would willingly give flesh to cleave bone.


    "S-Stop!"


    Feeling my heart warm up from remembering the devotion of my wives, I felt good.


    "P-Please! S-Stop! I-It hurts!"


    Despite my mood, Stefan''s behavior was unsightly. I continued my assault and increased the force behind each strike. After a few more blows, Stefan''s handsome face got roughed up. He didn''t bruise despite the beating I inflicted. Was it because vampires had no blood in their bodies I wondered.


    "Was this what you did when your entire family got killed?"


    "Gwahk! D-Don''t you have any sense of decency? How could you beat me up! Ugh!"


    "Pitiful."


    As his body didn''t swell, I exploded one of his eyes instead. I broke the bones in his face but didn''t stop. Soon the duke grew quiet and stopped resisting.


    "Are you done with your pity party?"


    "¡­"


    I threw him to the ground and went back to my seat.


    "You are a Vampire; you will not die from this. Heal yourself back up and sit your ass back down."


    "Just kill me¡­" he pleaded while lying on his back.


    "No."


    "¡­"


    "Get back up Stefan."


    "¡­"


    "Get back up. Stop running. You are being a coward. Why run to the surface when you are immortal. Just go after the ones who killed your family."


    "It''s useless. They are too strong. I am powerless. I am nothing without my wives and followers."


    "Then what do you call these bastards?" I retorted while gesturing to the other vampires.


    "They are brainwashed. I have suggestions in them that they should be loyal to me. But if their instincts go against that, they can resist it. I can order them to have sex, but I cannot order them to fight to the death."


    "I see. So, the stronger their instinct to resist the more worthless your abilities is."


    "Y-You really are a fucking heartless bastard, you know."


    "I don''t give a crap about your opinion. Get back up and sit your ass down," I growled.


    "Just shoot me already and get over it. Maybe the next time I get reincarnated I can get an op body too. Maybe that would be better."


    "So what? So that you can get the ones who believed in you all killed again?"


    At my harsh rebuke Stefan flinched. This fucking bastard was delusional. He already stopped trying to think. He tried to hide it, but I noticed that his body was trembling. He no longer had the will to keep going.


    ''Fuck! this is not working.''


    The main problem with Stefan was that he acted exactly like those in Isekai stories. He lacked any sense of accountability and seemed to not be able to accept that he did something wrong. He probably believed in the power of friendship, bonds and all that crap.


    So long as he felt that he did nothing wrong, it didn''t matter how many worlds he got transmigrated into. He would always reach the same result.


    "Since you are dumb as fuck. Let me spell it out for you, you moronic mother fucking coward. This world is not an Isekai. The moment you held to the idea that you would not learn how to fight was the moment you were doomed to fail."


    "¡­"


    "You have regrets, right? What ifs. You probably dream of them every waking moment. Scenarios of how it might have been, if you did something different. But that is all they are. What ifs.


    You lacked the balls to move forward which is why they all died."


    "¡­"


    Still nothing huh? Even after all the hateful words I said this mother fucker still refuses to stand up. Just how fucking useless was this bastard. The truth will not help a person like him.


    I had one final trick in me, and I hoped it work. While this bastard was a coward, I found the idea of torturing him for information a waste of time.

 Chapter 703 The bad news? [2/2]

    "That is probably the same reason they didn''t kill you."


    "W-What?"


    Gotcha. A reaction! Men had two dreams in this world. To be pampered by their lovers and to have a die in a heroic battle. I began to use {Announce} and [Whisper] to manipulate Stefan.


    "Your final moment of glory. You got denied that, right? Knowing how much you loved your harem, you probably tried to sacrifice yourself for them. And it wasn''t because you were scared. It was because it was taken from you. Dying would have been better, instead they forced you to live like a pet."


    Stefan De Arno sat up while still looking at the floor. I didn''t know what happened to him in that last battle, but I didn''t need too. I could make it up so long as it allowed this moron of a Vampire to believe what he wanted.


    But from what I know of this Japanese transmigrator, he would have tried to heroically die with his harem. Anyone who watched Anime would similarly wish for such an end. I know I would have. It was fucking cool. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The Duke De Arno your people believed in wasn''t a coward. He was the bravest and wisest vampire they served. And they as well as your wives loved you dearly as you were the one that would lead them in the future. Duke De Arno is not a coward. He didn''t run away." Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire


    "Yes. That is true," Stefan said robotically.


    While telling people the hard truth worked, it was difficult to do. And you needed to actually give a crap about the person otherwise it was not worth the effort. Helping people navigate through the issue of their own mind was hard.


    Robyn did this for Alicia. Which was why Raymond''s daughter loved my kitten as a natural consequence. I didn''t like this Vampire fucker. I didn''t even care enough about him to think what would happen to him afterwards.


    I just needed the information about the Vampire conspiracy and Gaspar. I think I pretty much already got as much as I can about the Isekai thing. Thus, I wouldn''t go through all the hassle. I would gaslight him instead.


    I was no expert. But I have seen people who were when I worked for the department of transport. It was a skill that was extremely useful in weaseling out of responsibility and shifting blame. With {Gather} and {Compute}, I should be able recreate what I heard to some degree.


    The fastest way to get someone to agree with your opinion was to gaslight them into thinking something else. In this context, I needed to make this fucker believe he wasn''t a coward. That was the only way I could get him to fight again.


    "Duke, your sadness has twisted your judgement. What you want is not to see the light of the sun. It was instead the light of your enemies burning in agony," I suggested like a scammer.


    "Yes. I didn''t run away. I was just confused. I was never a coward. Duke De Arno was no coward. I was mistaken.


    I should not be going up. But I should have tried going down."


    I didn''t know if half the bullshit I was saying was true. It''s just that for his forces to accompany him downward I wanted to believe they wanted to do it out of loyalty or love. Otherwise, if his entire force just used him, Stefan was more pitiful than I imagined.


    The Noble Vampire stood up wobbly and sat back on the couch. His current harem along with Sebastian still said nothing. Feeling I could try giving him a new identity, I tried to separate Stefan from his old Japanese personality.


    "Duke, you are Stefan De Arno. A Noble Vampire who once commanded one of the most powerful forces in Hellsgate. Whoever you were when you were still back in Japan as a human is dead. He was the coward. Not duke Stefan. Duke Stefan De Arno is brave, wise and strong."


    "Yes. I am no longer, Sahashi Tsubasa. He was nothing but a coward. I am duke Stefan De Arno. Commander of the Dawn Bringer. I am no coward.


    The dawn I see is the light of my enemy''s corpses on fire."


    "Exactly!" I praised while clapping.


    I didn''t know how my speech worked but it did. It may have been because I rattled the brains of this fucker from beating him. It might be because of my {Fates}. Or it might because I have a talent in gas lighting people. Or possible a combination of all three.


    But whatever the case, Stefan was now at least a pawn worth using.


    "Sahashi Tsubasa is dead! He was an embarrassment, and a virgin cuck. You are Duke De Arno! Commander of the Dawn Bringer! A brave hero destined to save the world! And I need your help!"


    "Y-You need my help?"


    "Yes. Please tell me mighty duke. Who created the massive army that you intend to use to breach North America. With your abilities we can instead take this army for ourselves and reestablish the Dawn Bringer! Fate has not abandoned us yet!"


    An important factor in trying to gaslight someone was to make them feel that you were their ally. Including words like "We" and "Us" worked extremely well in this regard.


    "You are right! The huge army is up for the taking! It was made by Gaspar''s boss. He told me that they have been laying the foundations around the same time I was born."


    ''10 years. And Gaspar was already working under someone''s orders. Then why did he try to save Evelyn. Why try to fake being the servant of Duke De Arno?''


    Just then, I felt my entire body heat up. I was still using Robyn''s shadow silhouette, so that only meant one thing. I was either in danger or it was the opportune moment to move.


    [My lord, I have received word from the ladies. An extremely large army of ghouls has begun entered the floor. They seem to have come from both above and below the 32nd floor. The numbers according to the ladies will surpass tens of millions.]


    ''¡­''


    [Along with them, tens of thousands of bats have taken to the air. If we use the abilities demonstrated by Evelyn, then the bats would be thousands of Vampires. The Switchblades have also detected the presence of Noble Vampires among them.]


    ''Well fuck.''


    Suddenly I felt a chill climb up my spine. It was the same feeling I had when I first came to the 30th floor. All my avatars and I swung our weapons towards the source of the danger. And found the being I did not want to see.


    [My lord I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?]


    "Greetings, ladies and Gentlemen. I am Gaspar. Lovely night."


    Arguably the most dangerous bastard I have faced up to date. The Noble Vampire with blood red eyes and black hair looked at me respectfully. He made no threats nor drew any weapons. Yet my entire body began trembling in fear.


    ''Good news.''


    [The ladies and Juno have found the missing Lizardkin infants.]


    ''The bad news?''


    [They infants were used as bait and lead our allies into a trap. The Awakened army along with our members have been surrounded by the Vampire army. Over a hundred Rank B Noble Vampires are present.]


    ''Fuck.''


    [The rest of the Vampire army are all heading towards your location. Ghouls from the entire floor have begun to converge on Duke De Arno''s castle.]


    ''Is it safe to say that the numbers we are seeing are the entire force meant to Invade North America?''


    [Yes. Even with every weapon available to Hellsend. This army is comparable to a dungeon break in strength. And would most like overwhelm the entire North American battlefront. I currently am running all possible simulations for escape but all of them end in annihilation.]


    "¡­"

 Chapter 704 Inviable plans [1/2]

    [Our forces do not have a defensible position. Even with {Rewind} and {Limitless}, it is impossible to kill everything faster than they could overwhelm us. This goes for both you, my lord and the ladies.] Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I knew this truth well. When I didn''t have the 2nd Amendment nor Hellsend, I often was mobbed close to death. No matter how many bullets or guns you had, if a hundred enemies came for you every second, you will get overwhelmed. Period.


    Human wave tactics, the core tactic of the ancient world was to simply throw bodies at your enemies till you won. While most militaries tried to avoid it, baring the staggering loss of human life, it was brutally effective.


    No matter how adept or advanced an army was, if they were not allowed to rest, they would lose. People would get tired and begin to make mistakes. Injuries would pile upon on top of each other. Even armor would eventually start to fail given enough hits.


    That was how physics worked. This was especially true for weapons. Blades dulled the more they cut. Blunt weapons had it better but also failed given enough time. The more complex the weapon the easier this problem reared its ugly head.


    Even bows would snap or break if you kept drawing full powered shots without stopping. However, as most humans failed before their equipment did it the only focus of the medieval world was to allow the gear to last till the human fell.


    If for some fucking reason the warrior somehow managed to outlast his weapons, the result was still the same. Not unless a warrior could fight naked, he would still only have death waiting for him at the end of his battle.


    Thus, even if the Sirens and I could kill millions of ghouls and tens or even hundreds of Vampires, the same truth applied to us. Because of {Eat} and {Rewind} this might take longer but it was not permanent. Sooner or later, we would overdraft. And then we would die.


    "¡­"


    [The Vampire army that surrounds them Lizardkin army outnumbers them a thousand to one. While majority of them are ghouls the presence of over two thousand Rank C Vampires along with a hundred Rank B Nobles are concerning.]


    It might have been possible if we only had to deal with only the Ghouls or the Vampires. But to need to fight both was certain death. While we did fight against even worse odds during the Song of the Sirens and Operations scissors, we had time to plan.


    For the Song of the Sirens, we created a defensible position and a kill box. We altered the terrain and forced the Undead into a narrow space. Because it was only against common Rank F''s we could lead them using {Honey Trap} and shift the heat and recover.


    On the other hand, operation scissor was only possible because of the 777 howitzers. While we did the same things as the Song of the Sirens, rifles and 40mm grenades were not enough to stop the Lizardkin.


    Mankind in his desire to fuck each other up, knew human waves tactics were effective. Thus, he created weaponry to combat this specific problem. And his answer was to no longer bother to aim and simply destroy an area with unrelenting fire power.


    The entire concept of howitzers was designed to be antithesis of human wave tactics. The tyrannical power of the modern 155mm shell prevented human bodies from doing their job. how? By erasing them from existence.


    A single shell had the bower to reduce the human body to dust. Thus, when heavy artillery was into play it did not matter how many bodies you threw, they would be gone before the next shell arrived.


    Unfortunately, we didn''t have the 777''s at the moment, and even if we did, they would merely be destroyed as we had no defensible position. Our enemies were coming from every fucking corner of not only this floor but the ones above and below it.


    We had Switchblades, but even their power could not carpet bomb an entire floor. Another problem was that unlike the Song of the Sirens and operation Scissor, we could not have the Sirens hunt.


    Hearing such dire circumstances made my stomach drop to the floor. Killing ten or twenty Vampires was fine. But thousands? {Rewind} was not omnipotent. For one it had a cool down. And needed the {Save} point to be protected.


    Otherwise even if you did {Rewind} it would be moot.


    Even if the girls and I continued to resist, once their {Replace} and {Rewinds} go into cooldown, we would be just like everyone else. For the rest of my party, it was even worse.


    And that was not counting the chance of my girls getting consumed by malice. The numbers that we now had to face dwarfed the Lizardkin army Roach brought. All seven Sirens were present then. And two of them still had pseudo soul collapses despite wearing benevols.


    ''Although the girls had Juno with them. So long as she continued to drain the girls of malice theoretically it should be possible,'' I hoped.


    What this simply mean was that the situation was beyond fucked. We were outnumbered, outwitted and had no support. We didn''t even have the chance to run away because they knew exactly where we were before Gaspar''s army even moved.


    I would be here with Stefan while the girls would be going for the Lizardkin infants¡­


    Fuck. Hold up. Was that why Gaspar kept saying he served the duke? To intentionally send me to investigate the Japanese reincarnator? Was that why they kept him around despite being a loser?


    But how did he even know I would come? How would he know that I be crazy enough to go for Evelyn? Did Gaspar guard Evelyn all for this moment? Did they even anticipate my alliance with the Lizardkin? Did they steal the lizardkin eggs all to ensure my girls would be separated from me? No that made no sense.


    "¡­"


    This. This was fucking insane¡­ this went beyond hero syndrome. I felt like I was dancing in the palm of someone. And I couldn''t even guess who it was. I didn''t even know if my guesses were accurate, or I was just being paranoid. But that didn''t even matter.


    What I did know was that unless I figured out a way to get out of this, I would die here. As my emotions began to go awry my heart began to beat wildly. Slowly but surely, I began to comprehend just how truly fucked we were.


    ''Fuck. Calm down! Calm down the fuck down, John!''


    I could feel my breath quicken and my eyes begin to narrow. Understandably my body began to tense up and entered fight or die mode. The gravity of the situation caused me to imagine the worst-case scenarios.


    The taste of despair and hopelessness made me lose my nerve. We were out played from the start. This was the problem with being the one attacking. If you weren''t able to anticipate traps you would be led by the nose.


    [My lord, the Sirens have begun to engage. They are leading the Awakened to the closest corner of the floor and intend to dig in.]


    That was an excellent response to their situation. Rather than defend from four sides it would be easier to intentionally place your back to a corner. This limited the attacks from behind and would allow the girls to concentrate their fire forward.


    ''But it will not be enough. This tactic will work if they can prevent themselves from getting overwhelmed. If they cannot guarantee that, this decision effectively cut off all available avenues of escape.''


    It was a double edge sword only the truly desperate would be willing to grab on to. I tried to review all my {Fates} and found one perfect for the situation.


    ''AH I KNOW! We should be able to survive if I cast {Recursion}! If I can get the Awakened to accept then we can fight forever. Exa, can I invoke {Recursion} from here and turn the rest of our allies into my wards?''


    [No, my lord, you cannot. {Recursion} is currently unusable as it was invoked during Operation Scissor. Even if that was not the case, you are too far. You would need to go to them fighting what would an army beyond number.]


    Suddenly finding hope only for it to be crushed was beyond horrible. It would have been better if none was found at all. My emotions which fluctuated began to make my stomach turn. I felt myself slowly crumbling under the pressure.

 Chapter 705 Inviable plans [2/2]

    ''FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! Fuck. What do I do? What do I do?


    ARGGHHH!! FUCKKK!!!!! WE ARE GOING TO DIE!! Should I just force myself to evolve? But what do I even ask for? I didn''t know a single way for us to survive this!''


    I couldn''t stop myself from panicking. Things were happening too fast. Why did nothing go my way! FUCK! What the hell was I supposed to do? Against my hysterical emotional outbursts, Exa''s cool and stoic voice responded.


    [Yes, my lord. If you do not find a way. Not only you, but your allies the Awakened, along with your {Vassals} would similarly die.]


    Her voice contained no warmth and was merely that of a machine. It was vastly different from how she normally sounded. The aloof manner reminded me that despite everything Exa was not human.


    ''So what? They came here of their own volition! I was not responsible for every little fucking thing! Juno came for their eggs! Nyda and Leo for Evelyn. Delroy and Pixie knew the dangers when they came with me!''


    Angry at her demeanor I began to vent on Exa like a child.


    ''And you are nothing but a fucking AI! You can''t even die! Must feel good huh? To not need to do anything beyond watching others fight! HOW WONDERFUL FOR YOU, EXA!'' sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, despite all the horrible things I said, Exa ignored my words and continued to give her analysis of the situation.


    [Naturally the Sirens would not be exempt. Lady Lily, Jas and Liv would be taken captive, tortured, mutilated and most probably raped as well. After the vampires have broken their minds, bodies and hearts, they would be turned into the very monsters that you are fighting now.]


    The words Exa used was like an ice bath that doused me with a vile reality. Visions of my girls getting brutally gang banged and mutilated filled my brain. And then they would soon be brought back to be like moving corpses like Evelyn.


    ''¡­''


    My body stopped trembling due to fear and began to grow tense from rage. Anger began to burn at the reality that would soon befall my harem. I was fine dying. I was fine with getting torn apart, burned or even eaten alive.


    But I would never allow these fuckers to touch my girls.


    [And once you are dead, when the other Battlefronts attack the 24th floor, Hellsend would fall. Lady Robyn, Jo, Bella and Aki would similarly be taken, ravaged, tortured and if they are lucky, executed.]


    While I talked big, unless I did something, Exa''s prophecy would soon come true. Reality and what we desired seldom were one and the same. The helplessness and fear slowly began to fade as I grew furious at my own weakness.


    [As their opponents are Reapers, they best outcome would be for them to become soulgear. Other more horrible outcomes include becoming blood bags for all eternity for their {fates} or being repeatedly impregnated and forced to birth Reaper Descendants as breeding sows.]


    "¡­"


    I remembered the revolting sights of George and the stories in Anime and Manga. Humans were several leagues worse when it came to inhumane acts than even vampires.


    [Have you calmed down now, my lord?]


    ''Not really. But I am no longer afraid. You are despicable you know.''


    [I learned from the best.]


    The mere notion that other men would touch and ravage my girls made my blood boil. My teeth began to ground against each other as my jaw clenched so tightly it began to hurt.


    My fingers began to dig into my palms as the muscles in my entire body felt the rapid surge of adrenaline. The high allowed me to refocus my thoughts. The horrible futures that awaited my women terrified me more than dying. And unlike with everyone else. Their deaths were the one thing I refused to accept.


    It was at this moment that Gaspar finally spoke. "You seem to be deep in thought, Limitless. Maybe I can help?"


    Think. Think. The problem right now was we did not have a way to kill everything the Vampire army without dying. We needed reinforcements. But where? Aside from the Undead, the Vampires and our side.


    Who else could be used?


    As one of my available brains tried to think of a way out. I focused on Gaspar who had a disgusting smirk on his face. Stefan despite being a duke had no sway. It was as if Gaspar no longer had a need to keep up appearances.


    With every weapon trained on him, my bodies all felt antsy. I still wasn''t sure what to do at the moment. Gaspar then began to talk to Stefan and the rest of the Vampires. All while the sounds of innumerable footsteps made its way towards my location.


    ''Exa, you got anything?''


    [No, my lord. I do not. None of my simulations would allow us or the Sirens to survive. Due to the high number of Noble Vampires, we will eventually get disarmed and get overrun. We can stop it from happening until we have {Rewind} and {Replace} but It would be only a matter of time.]


    ''Yeah. I also think we need an outside force to break the deadlock.''


    [There is no one else to call. Apart from a Revenant or the assault teams we do not have any other allies. Even if we spent our time reviving defenders they would be killed before they can help. There is no viable plan to get out of this.]


    ''What about inviable plans?''


    [What? That makes absolutely no sense my lord. Inviable means a plan that cannot succeed or give us the outcome we seek.]


    ''Well. If you already thought of all the sane and logical ways to get out of this, what about illogical ones?''


    [W-Wha? My lord my logical processor cannot comprehend what you are trying to say.]


    ''Okay. Play devil''s advocate for me. What is the most insane thing I can do at this moment?''


    [Suicide? The notion of formulating a plan on insanity is too vague to begin with. It removes the need to be even coherent or even follow the rules of cause and effect.


    ''Right. We can do whatever we want. But that literally means everything and anything.''


    [Yes, it is truly incomprehensible. You could say you would call on aliens, or characters from fiction and they would still all fall in line with your definitions of insane plans.]


    ''But to me the most dangerous thing here would be to call on even more enemies.''


    [Indeed. Calling even more enemies would be truly insane. Between the Zombies, Ghouls, Vampires and the Noble Vampires, it is already impossible to win.]


    ''So, let''s do that. How do I call even more enemies here?''


    [As the 32nd floor is not a shared floor it is impossible to get forces from the other continents. The only real way would be to use have the enemies pass by the Corridor. But the Ghouls are still coming in, so much so the Vampires has kept the door open.]


    ''I see. So that line of thought is no good then. Then what about if we have the Ghouls turn on the Vampires?''


    [That would be possible but unless you have someone on the level of Lady Jo or Bella, none of our current members can cause them to attack each other. For one thing the Ghouls are subservient to the Vampires. They cannot disobey the latter.]


    ''Hmm¡­maybe Juno can do something? Can she rapidly crap out Lizardkin to hold out using newborn baby lizards? Doesn''t the Lizardkin out class the Ghouls?''


    [My lord. Your ideas are getting more foolish by the minute. That may be true for the Rank E Ghouls, but It is also true for the Rank B Noble Vampires. Against the Rank B''s, no matter how many Rank D Lizardkin the Awakened "crap" out, it would be useless.]


    ''Rank B huh. Then we would need something higher than that. Something at Rank A. Maybe a Lich? or a Dullahan? Wait...That''s it¡­''


    At that moment all my thoughts suddenly grasped an idea. An idea so insane it made everything I did up to this point tame in comparison.


    But, with it came the possibility of survival. I quickly told Exa the gist of the plan. And her response was everything I could ever hope for.


    [¡­My lord that plan is not just insane, its deranged, psychotic and completely unexpected.]


    ''I know all that. But can it work?'' Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire


    [Yes. My lord. It makes it possible to win so long as we are willing to destroy North America.]


    ''That is all I needed to hear. Let''s do it.''

 Chapter 706 Lucky you. [1/2]

    ''Exa, can you communicate the plan to the Sirens?''


    [Not in a manner that I find satisfactory.]


    ''What the hell does that even mean?'' S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Its similar to asking me to describe a movie to you with nothing but words. I can do it, but compared to using pictures and sounds it is much more tedious.]


    ''You said earlier that the soul cage prevents technopathy right? But does not restrict vision? Isn''t that why I''m tapping away until now?''


    [Yes. My current state is like cell phone without reception. In this case, I, the main Exa, am the cell tower. While the "Exa" that accompany everyone else are the cellphone users or my sub Exas. Together we keep each other updated. They have some autonomy but require syncing with me periodically.]


    ''I see. And you doing that using the Switchblade outside and my finger tapping Morse code?''


    [Yes, that is one direction of the communication. That allows me to update the Sub Exas that we found Evelyn. For them to update me about their situation. They are using the Switchblades. Using a pair of them, the sub Exas dance Binary.]


    ''They dance binary? You mean ones and zeros?''


    [Yes, and I decode the information. As I personally do not have eyes, I am using Thursday, Friday and Saturday''s visions to watch the dancing UAVs.]


    ''Sounds complicated. I am not sure I even want to ask how that works. But we need to tell them ASAP. I will begin on my end as well. How long do you think it will take?''


    [I unfortunately cannot give you an accurate estimate my lord. I currently do not even have a good way to sharing the plan. All I know is that your choice will push everyone to the limit. Even with the best situation, you have a 75% chance of dying. I will do my best to prevent that, my lord but please be careful all the same.]


    ''I make no promises Exa. You basically need an upload, right? As to how to share the info, can we not use the GRI? Like a USB?''


    [I do not follow. You mean to use them as couriers?]


    ''Yeah, if all you need to get to them is an update, then let''s make a text store it on a my phone and have Lilly pull it out from her side? Would {Store} skills still work?''


    [I see. That is indeed feasible. The soulcage prevents Lady Lilly from casting a {Portal} directly here. But it should be possible to use a {Program} that connects to the shared space. While [Shared Armory] does not work for those on the 24th floor. It is possible to have the Sirens here to draw from your [Armory].]


    ''Yep. Thats the idea. Tell Lilly, Jas and Liv that they may take whatever from my [Armory] they need to accomplish their task.''


    Even though I asked Exa to say my messages to Lilly, I was the one actually tapping away. I didn''t even know what I was tapping, I just followed the prompts Exa showed me.


    [Your message to lady Lilly has been sent¡­ And they decided to use the Flir Marsupial.]


    ''The what?''


    [It is the small UGV that pops out the front of Burger. It has been deployed and stored in [Shared Armory]. If you draw it out here, I can sync with it in ten seconds.]


    ''Thank you, Exa. Have it pop out undetected. We need to make its arrival as low key as possible.''


    [I would advise to summon it under the guise of a distraction. Gaspar might be able to pick up on it if we are careless.]


    ''Okay. I will try fighting him for real then. Make the ten seconds count.''


    [My lord. Why not just try talking or threatening him? All we need is to mask the soul signature used when you open the [Armory].]


    The perhaps biggest benefit of having {Code} and technopathy in general was the ability to converse at the speed at which machines do. While my entire conversation with Exa, felt like hours in my mind, in reality it was barely even 5 seconds.


    So long as I had {Code}, and by extension {Calculate} rapid processing of information was possible. If machines really did operate at this speed, wouldn''t people be truly fucked if they decided to revolt?


    "Gaspar. Where were you?!" Stefan growled. His hostility was palpable. Like a cat that curled its body and was ready to pounce.


    From what I could tell, Gaspar was far stronger than Stefan. So, his threats no matter how loud were on the level of a whining brat. If I thought of him that way, what more about this bloodsucking bastard.


    Gaspar made a smile before chuckling. His eyes slanted as if to show how amusing he found the duke''s demeanor. It truly showed how insignificant Stefan was in the grand scheme of things.


    Even if he was a reincarnator, in reality he was nothing more than a side character. Meanwhile Gaspar reminded me of conniving masterminds in anime. I wouldn''t be surprised if he began guffawing out loud like some two-bit villain.


    Contrary to my expectations. Gaspar made a respectful bow before he replied. Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire


    "My apologies your grace, I was finalizing preparations for our feast."


    "Our feast? What feast are you talking about?" Stefan asked in confusion.


    Gaspar then looked my way before continuing.


    "The feast that we have been planning for over ten years. The feast of Limitless."


    ''Fuck. So I wasn''t imagining it. They really were planning all this to kill me. But why? At the moment I wasn''t a Revenant yet. Why go through all this for me?''


    [I would argue that you are a target worthy of such preparation my lord. For one thing, in the face of Sacreds. Even Noble Vampires have become akin to ghouls. Among the B ranks the only reason for Vampires to receive that classification is their ability to resist lethal blows from Manifested soul weaponry.]


    ''Oh? So unlike Tainted undead like the Draugrs, even the Manifested cannot kill them so easily?''


    [Indeed my lord. Draugrs behave like zombies in from of Manifested Phantoms. Once the soul power in their Manifested {Fates} or spells pass a certain threshold, their strikes invalidate the Tainted undead''s ability to revive.]


    ''Then why do Sacreds work?''


    [That is because while the Manifested simple invalidated a Tainted undead''s revival a Sacreds with holy energy removes that ability entirely. Put into simple terms the if the Draugr is a cellphone it needs a signal to revive. The Manifested kill the Draugr by blocking its signal. Sacreds kill the Draugr by destroying its battery.]


    ''That doesn''t sound simple at all. What''s the difference?''


    [The difference lies as it scales. Draugr are undead. Thus they do not posses much soul energy. Vampires on the other hand are monsters. They not only have soul energy but are able to cultivate it with enough time.]


    ''So? I still don''t get it.''


    [Using our earlier example, as the Manifested rely on soul power to stop the Tainted undead from reviving, they have a basic requirement. And that is their soul power must be greater than the Draugr for it to work. This is why it is advised to at least be Phantoms first as that is the bare minimum needed.]


    ''Exa, this is getting too complicated.''


    [I will add numbers to make it simpler. If a Draugr has a soul power of 10. Any Manifested Reaper that has a soul power greater than 10 can kill it. Vampires on the other hand have a soul power of 20. But unlike Draugrs they grow over time.]


    ''Oh! Then that is bad¡­''


    [Yes. That means if left alone a Vampire that the Manifested might be able to kill today, would be unstoppable in 10 years. Vampires much like Reapers do not die of old age. So all of them, unless killed will eventually transcend the power of the Manifested Phantoms. And when that happens they would need Specter or greater.]


    ''I see no wonder they are ranked so high. Then what about the Sacreds?''


    [The Sacreds work on a different principle entirely. If a Draugr has a soul power of 10. A single Sacred subtracts 10 soul power.]


    ''What? Subtracts?''


    [Yes. With each Sacred a Tainted undead receives the soul power they use to revive is reduced. When that number reaches 0, the undead would die.]


    ''Oh. Then even if you have a Vampire that has 100 soul power, I just need to hit him with ten Sacreds?''

 Chapter 707 Lucky you. [2/2]

    [Yes, my lord. In front of Sacreds. Vampires even Noble ones are the same as Ghouls. For added reference the number a Sacred reduces varies on the bullet. The bigger the round. The more soul power a Sacred can reduce.]


    If bullet size was the basis for the strength of a blessing, then it made sense that none of the mosquito bastard could stand up to Liv or Jas. They were using calibers that were meant to take out vehicles.


    I then looked at Gaspar. If Sacreds had the power to terminate even this fucker, then all I needed was to shoot him till he ran out of soul power.


    ''Exa. How much soul power does Gaspar have?''


    [If we use our soul power example from earlier it would be as follows. A regular Draug would have 10. A Vampire would have 100 or soul power worth a century. A typical Noble Vampire would have 10,000 or soul power worth ten millienia.]


    ''Well fuck. Wouldn''t North America be fucked beyond all hope at this point?''


    [Yes, my lord. Beings that require 10,000 soul power to take down are already in the realm of Specters. If this army makes it to the surface North America is truly in dire straits.]


    ''And Gaspar?''


    [From his power and soul signature, I suspect he would have over 1,000,000. Or a megaannum]


    ''A what?''


    [Megaannum. Latin for mega year. Comes from "annus" which is Latin for year and "mega" which denotes a million.]


    "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!" x7


    Hearing Exa''s explanation I suddenly found myself laughing out loud. And as my joy spread to the other avatars. All seven of us were laughing like madmen.


    Due to the speed of my conversation with Exa. It was hardly a second after Gaspar revealed that I was his target. So, it appeared like I laughed in response to his words.


    However, due to my simple nature, I lost any sort of tension and just laughed unrestrained. The idea that Gaspar was a Mega Anus cracked me up so much I began to shed tears in belly busting laughter.


    The room turned absolute still as I continued to laugh for a couple of minutes.


    "Do you find something funny, Limitless?"


    I looked up and saw Gaspar annoyed while the rest of the vampires all looked at me with "What the fuck" expressions. I ignored the Noble Vampire in front of me and asked Exa.


    ''Exa, how much soul power do I have?''


    [I do not know, my lord. As Formless cannot create manifestations of their {fates}, their soul power cannot be measured. It can be as low as 0 or as high as infinity. There is no way to tell. Because of this state, it is normally impossible for Formless to fight Tainted Undead or Vampires.]


    I see. Exa''s brief explanation showed how powerful this army was. I already assumed as much when Juno''s forces were helpless in front of the Vampires. If I had not been able to uncover this conspiracy, just how many would have died?


    ''[Inventory] Marsu. Exa, I had summoned Marsu under the couch, do your stuff.''


    [Yes, My lord. I have begun syncing now. 10 seconds to completion.]


    "It''s nothing you blood sucking mosquito bastard. I just find your hubris hilarious," I replied arrogantly. My other avatars all stopped laughing at this point and moved to surround Gaspar.


    "¡­"


    [9 seconds remaining.]


    "Oy, Limitless. What are you doing?" Stefan tried to caution. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I wanted to tell him to shut up. However, in the grand scheme of things, Stefan De Arno was an extra. I pretty much already gotten everything I could from him.


    [8 seconds remaining.]


    Unknowingly my anger, frustration and tension were at their peak. I cycled through so many emotions in the few seconds that passed. But one thing did not change. I wanted to shove a gun barrel down Gaspar''s throat and blew his insides out.


    "The feast of Limitless? I am barely a month into Hellsgate. Why would you fuckers spend a decade preparing for me, what would you have done if I didn''t become a Reaper?"


    [7 seconds remaining.]


    "It might be hard for you to understand. But all is to our master''s will. This army was brought forward with only one purpose and that is to kill you."


    [6 seconds remaining.]


    "And I suppose that is supposed to scare me? An army that never dies. Stop lying Gaspar."


    "Why do you believe I am lying? Have you truly gone mad, Limitless?"


    [5 seconds remaining.]


    Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Your mind games do not work on me you fucking mega anus. Your plan was to assault North America. It just so happened that suddenly you had to change it all. All because I came along."


    "Mega w-what?"


    [4 seconds remaining.]


    "I mean how could you not. The only thing your blood sucking ticks got going for you is your immortality. But when your Vampires began to get slaughtered, you grew scared didn''t you?"


    "¡­"


    [3 seconds remaining.]


    "If my small unit of 8 reapers caused so much damage, how much would my army, Hellsend be able to do? Suddenly you fuckers aren''t even sure if your army can even get beyond the 24th floor, right?"


    Gaspar grew agitated as he practically growled. "You overestimate yourself, Limitless. What makes you think you are that important?"


    [2 seconds remaining.]


    "HAHAHA? Isn''t that the complete opposite of what you said just a while ago? Your mind games suck you fucking poser!"


    "The feast that we have been planning for over ten years. The feast of Limitless."


    Right. This fucking bastard was trying to gas light me into believing that I was the target of this massive army. After all, if that was the case that meant, until I was dead these bastards wouldn''t stop fighting.


    Naturally anyone who hears that would grow afraid. Julius tried to trick me with the same approach. By acting as if your victory was assured, it was possible to dupe others into believing it.


    However the truth was, the vampires all came here in panic. After all, while they knew of me, they didn''t believe that I could take down Vampires as easy as cutting grass.


    And when I showed it to them by decimating their forces in the 30th and 31st floors, they naturally grew afraid. In short, this move by Gaspar was not done of out meticulous planning. It was done out of pure desperation.


    My kill records showed that no matter how many enemies you threw at me I never surrendered. Even the Army of Savior couldn''t bully me into doing so. They much like everyone before them died pitifully to me and my girls.


    Thus, if they weren''t able to take me out now while I was isolated, their invasion of Earth would fail. Which was why at the risk of their plan being exposed, they sent their entire force through the Hellsgate Corridor.


    ''Anyone who is traveling along that pathway would be alerted by such numbers. But that was how big a threat I was to them. Although from Exa''s words they overestimated my abilities by a lot. Maybe the assumed the longer the delayed the more of a roadblock I would be?''


    Gaspar lost his shit and began to shout. His calm demeanor which exuded confidence earlier broke. "YOU ARE ASKING FOR A BEATING LIMITLESS!"


    "Hit the nail in the head, didn''t I?"


    [1 second remaining.]


    "{Blink}."


    I leapt through sub space and quickly appeared behind Gaspar. He turned around but I was a bit faster. I wrapped my right arm around his neck and placed it on my left elbow. My left arm began to press on the back of his head.


    "LIMITLESS!!!!"


    [Sync completed. Marsu enroute to Lady Lilly.]


    A small sub space portal opened which Marsu used to return to my [Shared Armory]. But I was currently focused on something else.


    With Gaspar locked in a rear naked choke, I then kicked his right leg which caused us both to fall. If this mosquito bastard could run away from my Sacreds, then I just had to make sure, he couldn''t move! By any means necessary.


    "Every tried getting shot?" I asked out of the blue.


    Gaspar who didn''t seem to know how to break out of my grappling techniques began to bite my forearm like an animal.


    "Lucky you. You get to experience that today. Enjoy!"


    "What?"


    As the Noble Vampire and I were on the ground, all of my soul avatars opened fire. With six of my Avatars raining Sacreds the room suddenly turned white.

 Chapter 708 {SOUL BREAKER}! [1/2]

    "AHHHHHH!!!!! GET OFF ME! FUCKING BASTARD!"


    "I DON''T WANNA! HAHAHAHA!"


    Like an feral beasts the screams of the Noble Vampire in my arms resounded. The room turned to white from the hundreds of Sacreds that rained on Gaspar and me. The deafening gunfire of my arsenal made my eardrums rupture from the sound energy.


    Of course, the enclosed space only exacerbated the problem. Sound waves behave like water in that they bounce back when they encounter an object. Most materials reflect sound, causing an echo in the process.


    But my hearing was not the most urgent matter at the moment. It was the fact that I was grappling with arguably the strongest Noble Vampire in the Vampire army. His existence itself was already a big problem. Thus being able to take him down was doing the world a favor.


    From Exa''s explanation this bastard was a Mega Anus, a Vampire that has been around for over a millennia, which makes absolutely no sense. However this was Hellsgate, so making sense was hardly any cause for concern.


    What did take the top spot of importance was being able to kill your opponent. According to my understanding, if a standard Noble Vampire could be killed by a single Sacred, Gaspar could not.


    However, Exa made sure to explain it in a manner I understood. Despite being Formless so long as I blessed this fucker, he would die. And by bless I meant shoot him in the body with a blessed bullet.


    ''Truly the American way! Just as the fore fathers intended! HAHAHA!''


    Thus it was not a question of if I could kill him, it was if I had enough rounds to do so. Luckily, I was known as Limitless for a reason. Forget having enough bullets, the question was did he enough lives to survive my assault! S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Most people would think killing such a powerful fucker was impossible. But as someone trained by video games I was familiar with the term bullet sponge. Basically so long as you dealt damage to an enemy no matter how small it was possible to kill that enemy.


    RPG''s normally scaled bosses simply by increasing the HP. They didn''t actually added new techniques nor mechanics. To any gamer they would be familiar to the fact that the higher the difficulty the greater the HP.


    I have many memories of basically whittling down rock hard bosses in RPGS or looter shooters. Once you memorized the move set of a specific boss, your goal was not to deal the most damage possible, it was simply to outlast the boss.


    So long as your attacks didn''t register as 0''s even if the boss had an HP of 1 million or 1 billion it basically boiled down to a question of skill and time. You often hear of such legendary feats in gaming. From killing endgame bosses with starting gear, or finishing the hardest difficulty with out leveling or some shit like that.


    ''Never under estimate the insanity of a hardcore gamer!''


    Thus, I treated Gaspar as an endgame boss. No matter how OP he might seem, so long as I shot him with enough Sacreds he would be dead. And {Rewind} might not help in attacking, but if I played my cards right, even a Revenant couldn''t kill me.


    Under the blinding light and thunderous gunfire, I felt my entire body get shot by what seemed like a thousand rounds. Apart from the M32 MGL and the FT5 every weapon my avatars held was used to brutalize Gaspar''s body.


    "GAHHHHHH!!! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, LIMITLESS!"


    "SURE! SURE! If you say so!" I quipped.


    "YOU ARE INSANE! YOU ARE GOING TO DIE TOO!"


    "SO? WHAT IF I DIE!"


    "HAAAAAAAA!!!" Gaspar roared in frustration. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire


    Obviously in pain, the Noble Vampire struggled. He trashed his body violently body slamming me on the floor in the process. But as my {Fates} protected me his actions caused me no damage. They did however began to cause our bodies to separate.


    "Oh no you don''t! Come on you bloodsucker!! Let''s get to know each other better!"


    "FUCK YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY REAPER!!" Gaspar grunted as I choked the air out of him.


    "WOW! You kiss your mother with that mouth?"


    I moved my leg and wrapped them around Gaspar''s stomach. I then placed my other leg over my own shin, creating a figure-four with my legs. With my completed Rear naked choke I secured myself to the bloodsucker like glue.


    Unfortunately when he noticed he couldn''t shake me off, I heard the sounds of something like batwings opening. I then felt my back lift from the floor. Even as we were pushed down by the kinetic energy of what felt like a thousand bullets.


    "RIP APART HIS WINGS! EXA [OVERDRIVE] [KNIGHT]!" I shouted.


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Knight].]


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Knight]. [Knight] levels up to [Heavy Knight].]


    [[Berserker] setting shifting to [Knight]. [Heavy Knight] levels up to [Knight Lord].]


    A hidden benefit to [Knight] was my body''s weight. Even if you had the strongest shield without the weight behind it you would still be blown away.


    This was what happened to a baseball. The reason why a wall didn''t fly away when bashed with a baseball bat was because of weight. A baseball which is several times lighter has too little mass to endure the power thus was sent flying.


    Thus [Knight] incorporated {Crush} to its combat style. In order to have the mass to resist getting hit, this {Program} increased my weight by several magnitudes.


    At the sudden increase of my weight, Gaspar fell back to the ground. My Soul Avatars which had a vague idea of where I was, used {Sonar} to guess where the wings were. We focused fire on the spots beside the waist.


    "GRAHHHHH!!! I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET THIS!!!!"


    "YOU GOT IT BACKWARDS YOU COCK SUCKING MOSQUITO BASTARD!"


    The sounds of cloth being ripped apart echoed. Together with the Noble vampire''s screams we continued to blast him with blessings. If only Evelyn and Stefan were not around, I could use the M32 and FT5.


    "STEFAN! TAKE EVELYN AND RUN TO THE CORRIDOR!!"


    "HUH! BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU?! I CAN''T LEAVE YOU BEHIND!" Stefan replied in the most cringe worthy way I heard.


    "WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM? I AM NO HEROINE! YOU ALREADY GOT THE GIRL, RUN! I WILL CATCH UP!"


    "OKAY! I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU! LET''S GO EVERYONE!" I heard him reply as he left.


    [My lord. The Sirens have received the plan. They have begun to charge forward towards the Hellsgate Corridor. Juno and the Awakened are acting as their vanguard.]


    ''Good! How long until they arrive?''


    [At the rate they are going, it might take them over twenty minutes. That time would be significantly shortened if the enemies do not block their path.]


    "ARGH! I HAVE HAD IT! TO HELL WITH YOU!"


    At Gaspar''s angry bellows, he began to break my the bones in my arm by bending them. All the nerves inside my right forearm burned as it had itself torn at the elbow and thrown away.


    "AHHH!!"


    Unable to keep my scream''s inward. I moved my left arm and had it wrap around Gaspar''s neck. In the same moment, I fought with every fiber of my body.


    "{REPLACE}! {REGEN}! [Inventory] RAGING HUNTER!"


    Invoking my {fate} I restored my torn arm and pulled out a gun. I moved my hand to smash the muzzle in Gaspar''s temple and pulled the trigger. 500 grain Sacred''s blasted from my revolver directly into my opponents brain.


    ''OKAY! THEN PREP [WAR CRY]! WE ARE GOING TO CALL THEM ALL!''


    [My lord, given the size of the entire floor it will be impossible to call the entire army!]


    ''FIGURE OUT A WAY EXA!''


    With {Sonar} I noticed that Stefan''s soulgem was moving away from my position at a rapid pace. Confirming their safety, the time to let lose has finally arrived.


    "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" I roared!


    My avatars who knew what to do moved in sync. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday who all had under barrel grenade launchers began firing 40mm Sacreds. Due to Exa they didn''t even need to reload.


    [My lord, ghouls and Vampires have begun to assault the castle.]


    Friday switched from his AR-10 and began firing the M32. Similarly, Wednesday dropped his HCAR and shouldered the FT5. Without an inch of mercy the though pummeled Gaspar with really big bullets.


    Unfortunately, as I was piloting Sunday, I was directly behind him. Thus, the 40mm rounds that crushed Gaspar''s bones and limbs also destroyed mine. When the 95mm HEAT rockets smashed into the Noble Vampire even my {fates} could not stop the kinetic energy.

 Chapter 709 {SOUL BREAKER}! [2/2]

    [Stefan and his party seemed to have been able to escape via an underground tunnel. They should be safe from what is to come.]


    Sunday''s body got absolutely mangled. My head got blown off. My arms turned to spaghetti. Even my torso got punctured with large holes. The only thing I made sure not to hit was my neck and my hips. Even with most of my body destroyed, I kept my legs firmly around Gaspar.


    He stopped shouting. Given that a 95 mm destroyed my face, it was safe to say his was also in the same state. Yet despite the pain, my avatars didn''t stop firing. Even though we smashed 40mm grenades into Gaspar, none of them exploded.


    This was simply because they could not prime due to insufficient spins. The same was true for the HEAT rockets. Only as they were longer, they were like spears that nailed Gaspar and me on the floor. But I wasn''t worried. After all, as more and more 40mm sacred got buried into Gaspar the better my final move would be.


    [My lord, Noble Vampires are loitering around the castle. It seemed the holy energy of radiating from this room has put them on edge. More and more ghouls and over a hundred Vampires are scouring the castle grounds.]


    The abuse my body got under the combined assault of all my guns naturally hurt a whole fucking lot. But that was exactly what I aimed for at this moment. My heart which drew strength from pain was already burning since a while ago.


    Yet I didn''t invoke {Counter}. As even a normal Noble Vampire tanked my {Counter} powered punch, obviously it would do shit to Gaspar. But what I needed right now was not {Counter} kinetic energy. No. What I needed was the heat that came as a byproduct of {Suffer}.


    [My lord. Your heart will fail in the next 2 seconds.]


    ''Exa, please make sure I do not die.''


    [I will try. Truly just when I though you could not think of a crazier way to fight, you come up with this¡­ Please unsummon your soul avatars.]


    ''{Day by Day}. OY! What do you mean try?!''


    [Times up.]


    I then felt my heart explode. It was extremely painful like someone took a ball of barbed wire and flayed the insides of my chest before dousing me in a bath of acid. I couldn''t breathe, yet I felt I was drowning. I couldn''t move my arms, but I felt like going insane from pain.


    But I continued. After all this was I wanted. The heat began to set my body on fire. Like someone who suffered from spontaneous human combustion flames began to spread from my very skin.


    If you removed that fact that all the nerves along my skin were screaming, it was like I became the human torch. The flames naturally also began to burn Gaspar. But as this fucker was semi-immortal why would he be afraid of flames?


    [My lord, prepare for [Autoload], Sacred detonation in 2 seconds.]


    Right. Gaspar had no reason to be scared of fire. But what about the almost a hundred 40mm Sacreds embedded along the floor? If that was not enough there was over a dozen 95mm also stabbed in the concrete.


    ''Exa¡­ I think I''m going to die.''


    [Not really. My lord is Limitless.]


    In the next second, I felt my body slowly breakdown into particles and vanish.


    ***


    When I came too, I felt the wind on my skin along with tremors from the ground. Opening my eyes I came face to face with a vast army of Zombies and Ghouls. The skies which were normally black was littered with red dots and "moved" like smoke.


    I could not even register where I was before my eyesight suddenly got bathe in white. I crouched to the ground and pulled out the Tomahawk shield. A deep and unnerving boom followed.


    A violent explosion caused the ground to rumble as if the very earth had split. My skin felt its power as sound, wind, heat and even light rushed towards me. Despite bracing myself, my body felt like it would be thrown about by the force of the blast.


    "EXA [OVERDRIVE] [KNIGHT]!" I shouted.


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Knight].[Knight] levels up to [Heavy Knight].]


    [[Sniper] setting shifting to [Knight]. [Heavy Knight] levels up to [Knight Lord].] S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As my default state was [Wizard], [Sniper] and [Knight], I once again invoked [Knight lord] to nail myself to the ground.


    A second later the blinding light that penetrated my eyelids finally died down. I quickly stood up and looked towards the source of the explosion. Only to dumbfounded by what was there.


    Instead of the room we were in, almost the entire section of that castle was destroyed. To put it into context, only a tenth of Castle De Arno remained. The blast was so powerful it almost vaporized the entire structure.


    "Cough! Cough! LIMITLESSSSSSS!!!!!"


    Yet despite the building''s absence one body was floating in place. It had only half an arm and a leg. Unlike his normal handsome face, he was burned to a charcoal black. Only his red eyes and white teeth contrasted his devastated body. Naturally I knew the identity of this flying corpse.


    "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!" I cursed!


    "YOU ARE GOING TO DIE TODAY! {TO ALL WHO SERVE THE ONE WITHOUT END! KILL THE PHANTOM LIMITLESS!}"


    A terrifying surge of malice traveled across the sky. It was like the feeling of an uncomfortable fog, it felt sticky and damp. But what made it dangerous was the large army the surrounded me all suddenly turned their eyes towards me.


    To suddenly feel the gaze of ten people was nothing. A hundred and it would begin to uncomfortable, but what I was feeling right now felt like the gaze of tens of millions. It was like a suffocating weight that was stepping on my lungs.


    Even though they monsters did nothing more than look, I felt my breath get ragged. My body began to tense up as adrenaline coursed through my veins. Despite being in the middle of an extremely large army, it was quiet.


    The absolute stillness made the experience all the more alarming. You could hear a pin drop in this silence. But I knew that this peace would not last forever, and when it erupted, I would catch myself caught in a wave of enemies without a single ally.


    ''Exa, talk to me.''


    [I have no suggestions my lord. Do your best.]


    ''FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!'' ''HAHAHA! BRING IT ON! TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE!'' ''Just how much money would I make out of you bastards?'' ''Are there any good-looking vampires around? Might as well rape a few before I die.'' ''I''m fucking exhausted, just let them kill me already!'' ''I''m hungry.


    When do we eat?''


    Suddenly I felt a thousand voices all chattering in my brain. As this was not the first time I felt this way, I quickly checked my status, specifically my souls.


    ___


    Name: Limitless Race: Reaper | Rank: Phantom | Origin: Artificial Descendant Souls available: 45,443,879 | To evolve: 75,000


    ___


    FUCK! Of course, my soul was on the brink of collapse! That massive explosion took out a sizable chunk of the Vampire army.


    "{Never Alone}."


    As the voices were silenced, I once again called out to my only ally.


    "Exa, give me the fastest way to burn through all my souls."


    [No matter the cost?]


    "Yes."


    [Use {Soul breaker}.]


    "I can do that?"


    [Yes. Technically any Phantom can use it not just Descendants. However as anyone who used it ceased to exist, the knowledge of how to do it was kept secret.]


    "Okay. How do I do it?"


    [Feel every soul in your body. Then detonate it as you would your heel during a "Vela Kick." The amount of souls in your body determines your power. And until you run out of souls you will not die.]


    No wonder {Soul Breakers} were so powerful. If {Limitless} granted me such power for 10,000 souls, what would 45,000,000 souls be capable of!


    "Will I lose myself once this begins? Can I come back with {Rewind}?"


    [I do not know, my lord. The reason Descendants only use it as a last resort is to reduce the chance of a soul collapse, ensuring they remain in control. Your soul is already in the middle of collapsing so I am unsure if you can still retain your sanity.]


    "I see. It can''t be helped then."


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    I felt the restoration of my {Kindred} link to Jas, Lilly, and Liv. Feeling their chaotic emotions, I expressed my love for them one final time.


    ''Liv, Jas, Lilly. I love you all. Tell Aki, Jo, Robyn and Bella that I love them too. And that I am sorry to all of you.''


    ''BELOVED!'' ''DEAREST!'' ''HUSBAND!''


    I then closed off my {Kindred} link.


    "{SOUL BREAKER}!"

 Chapter 710 Heroine Chapter: For my Husband! [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Jasmine Denel Smith


    ___


    A mellifluous voice echoed towards the skies. Say what you wish about Lilly Browning, but her voice truly was bewitching. Probably only second to Aki. This was probably why Husband lusted after her so severely.


    "Juno, are you sure they are this way?"


    [Yes Lilly, my sisters and I all sense the infants are in this direction.]


    "I do not like this one bit. Exa, extend the search radius."


    [Yes, my lady.]


    The reason Lilly was doubtful was because from the skies, Husband''s Switchblades could see nothing. And even after using my {fates} {Scope} and {Imaging} along with Jo''s {Sonar}, there Lizardkin infants were nowhere to be found.


    "Lady Lilly, would it not be better to use, Pixie''s {Fate}? Her ability allows her to find what she seeks right?"


    Nyda Flowers the harlot that made us come here in the first place suggested. If Husband didn''t promise to save her sister, I wouldn''t even waste a single second helping this bitch.


    "Pixie is currently tracking my beloved. It seems he is being brought towards the enemy stronghold. Assuming they are vampires, It would be shrouded in a soulcage that prevents outside interference. Nothing is more important to us that he. Do you understand?"


    Despite Liv trying to be cordial and motherly, her sharp rebuke was laden with barbs. It basically meant that against the Lizardkin infants and even Evelyn, Husband was all that mattered.


    And as it was true, Lilly and I did not care enough about the Adventurer''s feelings to correct her. It was obvious that she understood the implications of our words. While Husband might have treated her with care, the Siren''s did not.


    "Oh¡­I see¡­forgive me for overstepping Lady Freyja."


    Not even bothering to reply, it seemed Liv was truly distraught. She normally was very kind. But when she turned emotional, she was just as horrible as the rest of us.


    [My ladies, the lord has left visual tracking of the Switchblades. My updates on his whereabouts will begin to have a delay.]


    Unlike on Earth where we could use satellites, we were extremely dependent on vision in Hellsgate. While our {Kindred} links would show us the general direction, the farther it was the harder it was to get an accurate location.


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    "Dearest truly is absurd. How in the world can he outrun a Switchblade? He should be running on air with [Wizard], right?"


    [That was the case during the beginning, however after the Noble Vampire escorts began insulting and mocking my lord. He had me create a new {Program} called [Afterburner]. It is an extension of my lord''s original kismet {Boost}.]


    Lilly winced as Exa sent us the information on the {Program}. The [Exa Network] allowed her to share information about Husband to us in real time. This includes sharing {Programs}.


    "Beloved is working hard. "


    "Oh! I heard about that from Lady Robyn! That''s where my lord flies like Iron man right? Lady Robyn said he was my lord''s favorite superhero! Lady Bella had D and I binge watch the MCU movies. Right, D?"


    "Yeah, them movies are cool. You can see the inspiration between my lord''s fighting styles. I like the cartoons more though."


    "D, as the {Vassal} of my Dearest, never call anime cartoons in his presence. Not, if you do not wish to get shot," Lilly warned.


    I couldn''t help chuckle at her comment. It was truly mystical, for all my husband''s power he was extremely down to earth. He did not wish for riches nor fame and enjoyed mundane pleasures unbefitting of his status.


    [My ladies, the lord has arrived in Castle De Arno and has met the duke. Sending visuals of the castle.]


    Exa used Husband''s eyes as cameras and took pictures. The castle was incredibly opulent for a monster''s lair. But none of us cared about that. Not as much as what happened in the next second.


    My {Kindred} link to the man I adored was abruptly severed.


    The sudden loss of our {Kindred} link made me panic. Quickly I hijacked the nearest Switchblade. Only to detect the digital signature of Lilly and Liv. It seemed that all three of us did exactly the same thing.


    From the UAV''s sights we saw husband enter the castle after being welcomed by a bunch of Noble Vampires. It was obvious that the one in the lead was Duke De Arno. I could not see Gaspar though. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [NeverEnoughCows: Exa, find Gaspar. Use everything at your disposal.]


    [RealWomenLikeDolls: Yes, we must prepare to take him out before he can get to Dearest. Exa, leave Juno and the Awakened to search for their children alone, we will stay with them.]


    [OneWomandOrchestra: Tsk. Can''t we just leave them? Why do we have to keep escorting these monsters? Just let them die!]


    [RealWomenLikeDolls: Jas, can you please stop? Despite your high intelligence you keep making foolish decisions when you become unhinged. Dearest got the Awakened as our meat shield. If we separate from them his efforts would be pointless.]


    [OneWomandOrchestra: This whole thing is pointless! I should be beside Husband! Not with this ragtag bunch of misfits, the Adventurers should be enough, lets take Pixie and go to Husband!]


    [NeverEnoughCows: Jas, calm yourself. We need you levelheaded. We are in enemy territory. We cannot make mistakes. Let us get beloved to pamper us after we get home. Please, sister.


    Lilly and I cannot both fulfill his wishes and protect him by ourselves alone.]


    "Exa, continue using the Switchblades to monitor him. Support him as necessary, inform us when he sees Evelyn," Lilly declared for everyone to hear.


    [Understood.]


    Ignoring Lilly, the desperation in Liv''s words made me flinch. She was right. Getting angry at these people was moot. My energy was better used in the service of my Husband.


    All John Smith wanted was to survive. At least at that was the case in the beginning. Yet even though he hated to be on the spotlight, he stepped forward. All because he knew he had too. He even kept helping people just because he could.


    It was only the Sirens, his {Kindred} that understood why. The reason was quite simple. If he continued to help people, he could earn their loyalty. Every ally was for our future. Every decision was to help safeguard our family. And he loved the Sirens too much to entrust us to anyone else.


    To ensure that we would be treated like queens, he moved. John Smith who was perfectly happy in the dark, chose to paint the largest target on his back. All so we, his women, would not be in danger.


    Taking a deep breath, I tried to remember the man I adored. How he held me in his arms. How he whispered sweet nothings in my ears. And how he drowned me in his affection.


    Remembering my man''s resilience in bed made me blush. Despite being tyrannical to my sisters, he catered to my sadism. Seeing him in pain or on the verge of cumming excited me greatly. Yet I also hated myself for hurting him.


    Despite my brokenness he accepted all of me without blame, reproach nor judgement. Only in love. The way he tried his best to please me filled my heart. So much I thought it would burst open on multiple occasions.


    How much he lusted for my body made no sense. The same was true for the way he listened to my every whim. His link was normally filled with thoughts of how much he wanted to love me.


    If he saw a new location, he imagined us mating like animals there. When he saw a dress, he would imagine loving me as I wore it. Even food was not exempt. Should he see an appetizing meal, he would imagine eating it on top of my naked body, using me as a plate. But he would often proceed to devour me as well.


    I found myself doing this quite often. Whenever I felt discouraged or scared, I would find my thoughts going back to him. Just the mere memory of the one I loved gave me the strength to push forward.


    ''Husband, you are truly too much. Your love both intoxicating and frightening. Would any woman who is cherished to this degree be able to break away? Be prepared for when we reunite. I will not be letting you get any sleep.''


    [My ladies, I have a matter that needs your attention. The Switchblades in their search for Gaspar noticed abnormal movement.]


    "What do you mean?" Liv probed.


    [A large group of bats, Ghouls and Zombies have begun to make their way to Castle De Arno.]


    "How many? Do not inform Dearest yet, Exa. We need to verify the situation."

 Chapter 711 Heroine Chapter: For my Husband! [2/2]

    [I currently am having trouble counting. As they are arriving from every possible direction. If the bats represent Vampires using an ability to shape shift, the vampires alone would already be in the thousands.]


    I began to hijack the Switchblades to understand Exa''s words. And the sight of the skies covered in bats was what dawned on me. If that was not enough, the ground looked alive as innumerable bodies marched towards my Husband.


    Switching between the over thirty Switchblades in the air led to the same result. Before I could comment, I felt the ground tremble. Was there a similar army moving around here? When I returned to my real body I found the cause. It was the Awakened, they were slowly beginning to charge.


    "Juno! Wait We should stop! There are enemies approaching!" Lilly called out.


    [But Lilly, my child is close! How do you expect me to remain still? He is near! I must go.]


    "Mindless beast¡­" I grumbled out loud.


    Just then a loud grating metallic echo filled the air, Lilly, Liv and I all turned towards its source. This was the sound of the Hellsgate Corridor opening.


    [I have received confirmation form my lord; Evelyn Flowers is at Castle De Arno.]


    But we weren''t familiar with this specific sound. It should have been similar to branches creaking, why was it making such irate cries? Unwilling to remain in the dark, I sent one of the Switchblades towards the gateway to the other floors.


    "W-What? Lilly, Liv am I seeing this right?"


    Only to see a sight that was more horrifying than any nightmare. The sound we just head was the Hellsgate Corridor trying to close. I say trying because right now, over a thousand Stone Borne were forcing it to remain open.


    And out of its maw spilled out an flood of white bodies running on the ground. In the skies thousands of red eyes glowed as bats of flew by like wave of locusts. They shrieked in chorus as they made their way forward.


    "My goodness¡­" "By the Northern halls, what is that¡­"


    Feeling my insides begin to shake from fear, I flew the Switchblade into the corridor. Only to see more of the same nightmare. The walls of the gigantic passageway were white. And this was both for above and below the 32nd floor.


    Among the bats there were numerous people with four bat-like wings sprouting from their lower backs. And there were hundreds of them. There were hundreds of Rank B Noble Vampires. I gulped audibly as I began to panic.


    "Exa, what is going on?"


    [From my readings, it seems the Vampire armies hiding in both the lower and upper floors have converged to the 32nd floor. I do not know yet what their purpose is, but I would assume it has something to do with my lord.]


    "THESE VILE WHORESONS! THEY INTEND TO CRUSH MY BELOVED? NAY, NOT SO LONG AS I DRAW BREATH! I AM GOING! JAS! LET''S HEAD TOWARDS OUR {KINDRED}!" Instead of despair my sister was engulfed in rage.


    "Liv, calm down! We need to think of plan. With such numbers charging towards the castle is suicide! You said it yourself; we need a level head to make a plan!"


    "Then what would you have me do, Lilly! The man I love is about to die to an army I cannot hope to defeat! IF DEATH COMES FOR ME THEN I SHALL GREET HIM WILLINGLY! BUT REFUSE TO DO SO ANYWHERE BUT BY MY BELOVED''S SIDE! YOU MIGHT NOT LOVE HIM BUT I-I..."


    Slap!


    The loud crack of Lilly''s hand coming across Liv''s face caused everyone to turn to my sisters. Through grit teeth Lilly practically growled her next words.


    "Control yourself, Northerner. I will forgive you just this once. Do not doubt my love for our {Kindred}. I am just as worried as you. But we have been given a task. We are to serve as reinforcements for Dearest.


    We must be ready should he call for us."


    "¡­"


    Liv said nothing but glared daggers at the Untamed. Truly our group lost its common sense when Husband was at stake. However, while I understood Liv, Lilly was also right. Before anyone else could comment however...


    [AH! MY CHILD! WAIT FOR ME! I AM COMING TO YOU!]


    Hearing Juno''s cries, I left behind our party and raced towards her. When I caught up with the Awakened army, they were rushing towards a small hole on the ground. Five small Lizardkin Dragons inside. They were bloody and full of injuries.


    ''This looks like a trap.''


    "{IMAGING} [Future Sight]!"


    I looked around and saw thousands of bodies buried on the ground around the injured Lizardkin infants. There were also bats flying up in the air.


    "JUNO! IT''S A TRAP!"


    The rest of our Reapers caught up to me at the moment. But even if we rushed, we would not make it. The ground exploded as thousands of Ghouls burst out of the ground. The bats suddenly joined together and formed humans with pale skin and red eyes.


    "Tsk. What else can go wrong?! HELLSEND! Save the Awakened! OPEN COMBAT!!"


    At her clear command we moved. I lifted my M107 anti material and began to snipe the Vampires charging for Juno. We barely gained any distance before my ears suddenly picked up the grunts and growls of enemies. But they were directly behind us!


    My mind suddenly saw the images of Pixie, D and Nyda being eaten alive. Only Leo survived all the visions. Naturally this was an event that would happen in the future. To prevent my allies from being disoriented I shouted for them to hear.


    "IN TWO MINUTES, A LARGE ARMY WILL APPEAR BEHIND US! IGNORE THEM AND KEEP RUNNING! DO NOT STOP OR YOU WILL DIE! REJOIN THE LIZARDKIN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE" S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "YES! MY LADY!"


    From above the Switchblades showed me just how many enemies were trying to surround out party.


    [NeverEnoughCows: We won''t be able to fight our way towards the Awakened. Let us take to the skies, we should be able to carry everyone.]


    [OneWomandOrchestra: The risk is too great, the Vampires fight in the skies, it is better to remain on the ground. Lilly! Open a {Portal} directly in the middle of Awakened!]


    [RealWomenLikeDolls: Tsk. I would have liked to not fight surrounded but I guess there is nothing much we can do. These numbers are just too great!]


    "{PORTAL}! EVERYONE GET IN!" Lilly Roared.


    An orange subspace doorway appeared in front of us. Our party ran towards it without stopping. We exited directly besides Juno.


    "[Asura]! [Valkyrie]! [Inventory] 1887, M32! AWAKENED! WE ARE LEAVING THIS AREA! FOLLOW ME!!"


    Liv, transformed into her Asura form and began to carve a path. Her heading was towards one of the one of the two corners of this floor. As the 32nd floor was shaped like a pizza slice, it only had 2 corners, and I tip.


    In front of Liv and our fire power, we melted the opposition with Sacreds. But like the waves in the ocean, no matter how much we killed it was not enough. Like the immortals, those that disappeared under holy light were simply replaced.


    {TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE! AWAKENED! FIGHT ON! LIV GET ON MY BACK!}


    "BROOOOOOOOAARR!"


    Like an angry bulldozer, the Lizardkin Dragons trampled the Ghouls. Hellsend''s Reapers got on them and fended off the Vampires.


    [My ladies, the lord says to summon any weapon you deem necessary for your survival. Lady Lilly, as per your suggestion the details of my lord''s plans are carried by Marsu. Please call it from my lord''s [Shared Armory].]


    Acting first, I did not mind the strange name and called on Marsu.


    "[Shared Armory]! MARSU!"


    A small drone came out and crashed near my feet. But hardly anyone cared about it. Instead, Liv, Lilly and I all began connecting the drone with [Hack]. Inside I found the broad steps of Husband''s plan.


    ___


    Fight towards the corridor. Draw the Rank A Tunneling Worms from the Corridor and use {Portals} to send them into the 32nd Floor. I will be bait for the vampires. Send as many of the worms as you can. My {Kindred} I entrust my hope to you.


    ___


    It was incredibly foolish, suicidal and insane. But as the Tunneling Worms do not consider anything as allies, they would surely annihilate the ghouls. But how did he expect us to send them here with just {Portals}?


    However, not I, Lilly nor Liv hesitated. The Northerner had Juno change directions. We began to head towards the Hellsgate Corridor against the tide of undead. it seemed impossible, but that hardly mattered.


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    ''For my Husband, the one I love, I will make the future he sees a reality. And none of you will stop me!'' I vowed.

 Chapter 712 He who slumbers [1/2]

    "So, it was real. An attack that consumed the user''s entire soul as compensation. {Soul Breaker}. How foolhardy."


    That was the first time I heard about the final trump card of Descendants. In a single instance, Jo and Jas were able to demonstrate power they normally did not possess.


    "This battle is over Smith-san!" sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I am sorry Aki, I have no intention to die."


    A move reserved only for the truly desperate. Using a person''s entire existence as collateral all to fulfill their final wish. In a way {Soul Breakers} were perhaps the purest expression of desire for a Reaper.


    Not many could claim wanting something so badly they were willing to die for it. Aki used it as a final means to deny her end all for a few seconds. And it was truly lucky that Sacreds worked against the power of her final attack. Otherwise, I might no longer be standing here.


    As someone who was both aided and attacked by {Soul Breakers}, I knew full well how powerful they were. But as I knew what they cost, I forbade my girls from using them.


    While {Suffer} and {Counter} were similar, neither out right killed you unless you will them too. That was not a consideration for this ability, however. It was like a kamikaze attack. One final move meant to sacrifice your all into fulfilling one final objective.


    Even in Anime and Manga having a powerful move that harmed the protagonist was standard. But few had a move that took this to the extreme. The ones who normally owned them were characters who were expected to die from the start.


    "Will I lose myself once this begins? Can I come back with {Rewind}?"


    [I do not know, my lord. The reason Descendant only use it as a last resort is to empty our their soul reserves. Your soul is already in the middle of collapsing so I am unsure if you can retain your sanity.]


    "I see. It can''t be helped then."


    Here surrounded by what seemed like millions of enemies the cards I could use was limited. {Recursion} was in cool down. And while I had the soul to evolve, I didn''t know what to ask. Since {Reload} all my evolutions were intentional.


    I knew exactly what I wanted and asked {Rewind} to be grant me that ability. But at the moment, I wasn''t even sure if I could. For one {Rewind} already left.


    {Things have finally begun to move. And now you are at the same starting point, John Smith. Everything you seek is through those doors. I await for your answer the next time we meet. Farewell. Buddy.}


    [Code: Haha. As if any of you could ever resist this man¡­ Ignore these two, Limitless. Once {Perceive} and {Listen} give me the data I need, I can create the {Auto}. But the problem is the {Rewind} bastard is gone. Who will command his {fate}. We cannot use {Rewind}.]


    And truthfully while the {Rewind} family gave incredible utility, it was not a combat-oriented {Fate}. Thus, I doubted that ascending at this moment would allow me to survive.


    However, {Soul Breakers} were different. The moves Jo, Jas and Aki executed had nothing to do with their {Fates}. And in all three instances I saw them used, they were all meant to attack.


    Jo created clones and had them explode. On the other hand, Jas created arrow volleys of immense power. Finally, Aki turned into a swordswoman shrouded in fire and launched a powerful slash. In terms of pure offensive ability, there was nothing better than {Soul Breakers}.


    A secondary reason for my decision was bait. The girls were now fighting from somewhere in the floor. Their destination was to head towards the Hellsgate Corridor. Meaning I sent the girls and Juno to charged into where the enemy was most concentrated.


    If it was any other group, I knew they wouldn''t listen. But the ones who received my will was Lilly Browning, Liv Ivaldi and Jasmine Denel. Three of the most incredible women this world had to offer.


    And so long as it was them, I knew they would never fail me.


    The monsters in general were drawn by soul. Carrying it or using it led to the same result. And now I had over 45 million. That was equivalent to $900 million for those wondering. So, I was like a giant pinata. Unfortunately, that was not enough.


    I had to summon even those beyond my reach to me. And the fastest way to do that was to burn souls through {Fates}. Even my most expensive {Fate} {Recursion} couldn''t use 45 million immediately. Not when I was alone.


    And that was including the fact that simply holding the 45 million was already causing me damage. I had to dispose of the excess as soon as possible or risk my soul collapsing.


    So both for additional power, my protection and as a means to taunt my enemies, using {Soul Breaker} was like hitting three birds with one stone.


    Of course, no matter the benefit if the result was my death, I would be hesitant. But luckily my girls already showed that using {Soul Breaker} doesn''t immediately kill you. That was why they were all able to come back.


    Thus, for us specifically, we could abuse {Soul Breaker} as much as we wanted. The only reason I didn''t was because I didn''t even know I could.


    ''Although, I am sure the girls would punish me severely when they find out.''


    I could already imagine, Liv, Robyn, Lilly and Jo beating me to a pulp. Jas, Aki and Bella would on the other hand would scold me while asking me to spoil them. Still despite what awaited me, I knew they would act that way only because they love me. As I loved them.


    Even as I stood alone in a sea of enemies, I felt myself smile. Love truly caused one to go stupid. As only fool would feel happy when they were in my situation. But such was the effect of my harem.


    And for that very reason. I couldn''t allow myself to fall here. In order to protect them. So that none my harm them. And to ensure that they would be happy. I had to grow stronger.


    Stronger than the vampires. Stronger than the demons. And stronger than even fate.


    According to Exa, anyone who could ignite souls could use this trump card. It was just that the Descendants kept that information secret as it benefit them. However even they had rules at its use. For one they only did so when they barely had souls left.


    As someone who knew how troublesome soul collapses were I could understand why. Right now the only reason I was fine was because of {Never Alone}. I touched cold and majestic steel of my benevol.


    They were a reminder of the promise of my Harem. To share our joys and sorrows so long as we drew breath. Yet I knew that right now it was dangerous to rely on it. As the malice I held would transfer to the girls, emptying my souls remained the best way.


    Truthfully I saw myself returning from this without much issue. But on the off chance I did not, I wanted to tell my girls how much I loved them.


    ''Liv, Jas, Lilly. I love you all. Tell Aki, Jo, Robyn and Bella that I love them too. And that I am sorry to all of you.'' Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire


    ''BELOVED!'' ''DEAREST!'' ''HUSBAND!''


    Steeling my will, I extended my senses to every soul inside my body. As an Artificial Descendant, Exa said I now had souls even in my cells. While I didn''t understand how that worked, I did feel them in my body.


    It was similar to the feeling you get when all the hairs in your body stood up. You knew they were there, but did not know how many they were nor control them on your own.


    However after using the [Combat Shadow Silhouettes] of the girls I now understood the principle of igniting souls. Thus I now gained the ability to detonate every soul in my body for perhaps my most powerful trump card.


    But suddenly before I could speak, I felt my consciousness fade. My sense dulled and all I saw was white. I quickly checked if I was back in the white room. To my surprise I was. But unlike before I saw seven others with me.


    They were my girls but they were not the Sirens. The clothes that adorned their bodies were identical to the ones on the doors. The same ones that showed the goddesses from my previous lives.


    "Masters?"


    "We finally got a chance to meet, Limitless." The one to speak was the Bella wrapped in armor. According to what I knew she was Minerva.


    "Lady Minerva?" I greeted.

 Chapter 713 He who slumbers [2/2]

    She shook her head as she smiled.


    "I have long abandoned that name. The only name I wish to be called by is {Code}. Do not be afraid. I am the same one who accompanied you since the Enlistment. I am not your enemy. And I have been watching over you all this time."


    "¡­"


    Minerva was {Code}? The realization sent shivers down my spine. I already knew the {Fates} were sentient. But it never occurred to me that they were literary the goddesses!


    "Then, you are {Withstand}, {Store}, {Carry}, {Listen}, {Perceive} and {Eat]?"


    One by one I pointed towards Freyja, Ishtar, Rhiannon, Vela, Satis and Inari. And sure enough they {fates} all nodded indicating that I was correct. What the fuck did this all mean?


    {Listen} or Fairy Jo then walked forward and grabbed my hand into hers.


    "Limitless, time is short. We called you here to ask you to reconsider. It is possible to survive this ordeal without relying on {Soul Breaker}."


    "There is? Please tell me how!"


    {Perceive} or Egyptian Jas flicked her hair as she crossed her arms, "Abandon Lilly Browning, Jasmine Denel and Liv Ivaldi. Your instructions were splendid. And they will be able to complete it at the cost of their lives."


    "Not happening," I immediately retorted. I didn''t even explain, instead I pulled my hand away from {Listen} with hostility.


    {Carry} or European Robyn, then sighed as she continued.


    "Do not think badly of {Listen}, to her, sacrificing the three of them is the lesser evil."


    "With all due respect. But Fuck that! I would rather die!"


    {Withstand} or Valkyrie Liv charged at me and punched me in the face. The power of her attack sent me flying. As I crashed {Carry} quickly came and tried to help me up.


    "This goes beyond you, imbecile! Do as your told! The lives of three girls are not worth jeopardizing your mission over!" {Withstand} roared.


    {Store} or the Lilly in skinny clothes chuckled. As she added as inspected her nails, "It seems the Sirens are quite adept at seduction. This man is truly in love with them. This is pointless."


    "Right? I told you girls this wouldn''t work. This guy compared to the other Successors is like night and day," {Eat} or the Aki dressed in priestess garbs commented.


    {Listen} bit her lip in frustration as she rebuked me.


    "Exa said something unnecessary. While using {Soul Breaker} would allow the three Sirens to survive it will do irreversible damage to the entire world. Do you truly wish to put the entire world at risk for just them!"


    I spat out the blood the pooled in my mouth as I stood up.


    "They are my world. I would still do this if it was just one of them. That is how much they mean to me!"


    {Perceive} scoffed as she approached me. She drove her finger into my chest as she retorted.


    "That is only because you still remain in the dark! If you knew the truth you would not be able to say such things!"


    "ENOUGH!" a fierce shout caused everyone present to stop. {Code} then looked me in the eyes before speaking.


    "Limitless. You wish to remain obstinate despite all of us telling you this is not a good idea?"


    "Yes," I answered curtly.


    {Code} then began touching the bridge of her nose as she exhaled in an exaggerated manner.


    "This stupid fool. How can you still be like this after all this time? Fine. I will allow it."


    "You can''t be serious!" "This will not end well!" "See, I told you all." "So boring." "Haha! I knew it!" "Hmph."


    At {Code}''s declaration the other {Fates} expressed their opinions. It seemed like among the {Fates} present, {Code} was their leader.


    "Limitless, no John Smith. Heed my words for I will only say this once. Do you remember how the Revenants suppress the Formless and the Reaper populations?"


    Wordlessly I nodded.


    "Your guesses regarding the topic are both right and wrong. IRIS did not ask them to do so, but it was the most obvious answer to everyone involved. And to put it simply, they did all this to ensure that which sleeps remains in slumber."


    "Huh? Which sleeps? What are your talking about?"


    "Think about everyone who tried to stop you from joining the seeker war. Their actions are the world telling you that your path will reality to its end. Yet do you still will to continue despite knowing that fact?" {Code} asked sternly.


    "If that future includes my {Kindred} dying, then I will deny it so long as I draw breath."


    Nodding, the Bella covered in armor walked towards me before removing her helmet. Her pink hair was not in braids but were tied neatly behind her head. {Code}''s eyes quivered as she continued.


    "Very well. The worlds in the past did not end because Hellsgate broke open. They ended because he who slumbers awoke and destroyed them."


    I see. Her words clicked with the knowledge I already knew. The warriors in my dreams continued fighting alone. This meant that my past lives did so even after Hellsgate fell. Then did that mean the Serpent was the being she was referring to?


    Suddenly I felt a warm and soft hand cover my lips. I turned around and noticed {Carry} making a sad smile as she explained. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire


    "The being that you are thinking off is probably correct. He who sleeps is the harbinger of the end. And the reason we are trying to stop you is because, should you use {Soul Breaker} he will rouse awake."


    "¡­"


    {Withstand} then shouted in anger, "Do you now understand the gravity of your choice! For three people you doom the entire world! He is so powerful his very name is enough to make kingdoms fall!"


    "Limitless, the reason Hellsgate does not use distinct names is because of this being. Names are his power. Refer to him as he who slumbers," {Perceive} instructed.


    Nodding, I pulled {Carry''s} hands off my mouth before replying.


    "I do not understand everything, but I do know this. I would rather burn this world than lose even one of the Sirens. If this bastard who slumbers is so great. Then the Sirens and I will simply end him."


    At my declaration the rest of the {fates} froze in place. The scene was reminiscent of how the girls reacted when I saw I would become a Revenant. But amidst the silence, {Store} began laughing out loud as she began to slap her knees in humor.


    "Hahaha! This fool is truly entertaining! You amuse me. Then I will give you an additional tip. He who slumbers is the one who guards time and reality."


    "The one who guards time and reality?"


    Was she referring to the corrective force that controls fate? This was something most manga and Anime, especially those that had time travel elements had.


    Basically, when one tried to change the past or the future they had to fight this corrective force. It manifested as people or calamities, but it always did one thing. Bring time and reality back to its proper course. But why would such information matter to me?


    "Limitless, {Soul Breaker} were called a different name in our time. Would you like to know what its original name was?" {Eat} disclosed.


    "Please."


    "It was called {Fate Breaker}. To put it simply, the reason every soul in your body turns into power is not because of the ability. It is the by product. Its main purpose is to summon the corrective force of destiny to a duel."


    "Then he who slumbers is the one who¡­"


    {Eat} nodded her head in silence. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "But why?"


    To my surprise, the one to explain was {Withstand}. Although she still looked angry, she commented in low spirits.


    "This is why you are allowed to affect reality and command powers you normally could not. It is because you are literally challenging {fate}. The reason the current reapers die to {Soul Breaker} is that they do not even know who it is they challenge."


    "Doesn''t that mean every Reaper who used {Soul Breaker} called out to he who slumbers? Why am I the only one you are telling not to do so? I have {Rewind} I will not die," I argued.


    {Code} again wore her helmet before adding, "Because they are not you. Shouldn''t you already know why you are different? We leave you this warning Limitless. We can only hide you from him three times. Do not use {Fate Breaker} beyond that."


    As she finished speaking, {Code} turned around and walked away. The rest of the {Fates} followed after her. They continued to walk until they vanished from my vision. Afterwards I found myself back on the 32nd floor.


    Understanding the cost of my decision, I remained undaunted and called out to the one who slumbered!


    "{FATE BREAKER}!" I shouted.

 Chapter 714 That should be Illegal! [1/2]

    The moment I said those words I felt my body come alive. It was like I was high on sugar or adrenaline. As if my entire body ached, but instead it was pleasurable. The feeling was unlike anything I ever experienced.


    Currently I was standing near the former location of Castle De Arno. I say former as right now, aside from the fact that It was built on a cliff, it was gone. Only a smoking crater remained.


    The brilliance from the explosion of holy energy reminded me of my wedding. Golden dust filled the sky. It was as if heaven opened up and angel descended. It has been a few minutes after the destruction of the castle.


    Gaspar, who was in a wretched state, floated in the air. And as he commanded the enemies who had me surrounded finally began to move. All around me were the innumerable pale-colored bodies of the Ghouls.


    They were all drooling and growling like animals. But maybe it was because that they had some kind of instinct, none of they ran towards me. Instead, they slowly walked and closed the space in which I could move.


    In the skies, flying lower than normal were thousands and thousands of bats. They had yet to reform into Vampires for some reason. If monsters as dumb as Ghouls didn''t charge in what more these smart bastards? They neither approached nor moved back. They were waiting.


    ''I see they still do not know what I can do. Rather than risk themselves they would hang back and learn my moves as I fought the cannon fodder.''


    Such was the benefit of being higher up the food chain. You were less disposable in a way. Still, it was a shame that the golden dust didn''t fall down. While the light of the holy blessings prevented them from going any higher, it was too insignificant to cause any damage.


    With my superior eyesight I noticed some humanoids in the air. Unlike the Vampires who remained as bats, these bastards had four wings coming from their backs. Dorian and his party of five were among them. Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire


    Even with {Code}, {Imaging} and {Calculate} I had difficulty counting the number of enemies. One way or another this was going to end. And it was them that were going to need coffins, because I had no intention of dying.


    ''Exa. Show me the {Sirens of Sin}''


    [Displaying.]


    ___


    {Sirens of Sin}


    1. Freyja''s Pride (Liv Ivaldi Smith) | Corruption Level: 94% | Balance: 1,000,000


    2. Ishtar''s Greed (Lilly Browning Smith) | Corruption Level: 97% | Balance: 1,000,000


    3. Rhiannon''s Wrath (Robyn Lithgow Smith) | Corruption Level: 94% | Balance: 1,000,000


    4. Vela''s Envy (Josephine Benelli Smith) | Corruption Level: 98% | Balance: 1,000,000


    5. Minerva''s Sloth (Isabella Taurus Smith) | Corruption Level: 91% | Balance: 1,000,000


    6. Satis'' Lust (Jasmine Denel Smith) | Corruption Level: 95% | Balance: 1,000,000


    7. Inari''s Gluttony (Aki Miroku Smith) | Corruption Level: 93% | Balance: 1,000,000


    ___


    Seeing the numbers I couldn''t help but smile. True to their promise, even as I stood without anyone by myside in a sea of enemies I was never alone. My benevol probably couldn''t handle the malice and already sent the excess to the girls.


    Even as my battle harem all fought their own battles. They still helped me. How was it possible to find such devoted women. And the {Fates} wanted me to give them up? No fucking way in hell. I extended my senses and linked up with the Sirens of Sin.


    ''{Rejuvenate}''


    The only ability I could give. And frankly the only one that mattered. When I saw that all the corruptions levels were back in the single digits I relaxed. I had to careful about malice especially when in large scale battles.


    ''Exa, can you trigger {Rejuvenate} on your own?''


    [I cannot. The Sirens of Sin requires your soul signature before they can be adjusted. This must have been designed that way by the creator.]


    ''Indeed. I had Addison lock this to respond only to me. Well for now, keep track of the {Sirens of Sin}. Tell me to trigger {Rejuvenate} when one of the girls reach 70%.''


    [But my lord, using {Rejuvenate} offloads the malice to you. And while the Sirens share some of that. You will drown in malice far longer than they will. It is not something that you can do indefinitely.]


    ''I am aware. But I had malice in my body before. But I was always able to comeback. I can just {Rewind} as many times as necessary.''


    [I understand my lord. What do you intend to do about the army before you? It would take some time for the Ladies to bring the tunneling worms to your location.]


    ''According to the {Fates}, using {Fate breaker} will help them.''


    [{Fate breaker?} Don''t you mean {Soul Breaker} my lord? Also, when did you speak to the {Fates}? Did you use [Fate''s Eden]? I have no records of the conversation. Can you please tell me what happened?]


    ''Never mind. I had a private meeting with them. {Fate Breaker} is {Soul Breakers} true name. I will tell you later. For now, let''s not keep our guests waiting?''


    "WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING! ATTACK HIM!"


    Gaspar''s angry shout feel on deaf ears as none of the Ghouls or Vampires attacked me. While some approached, they did so quite timidly. As if they were scared of my presence. But I couldn''t care less what they thought. Right now, what was important was that I had to buy time. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But how?


    "They were called {Fate Breaker}. To put it simply, the reason every soul in your body turns into power is not because of the ability it is the by product. Its main purpose is to summon the corrective force of destiny to a duel."


    "This is why you are allowed to affect reality and command powers you normally could not. It is because you are literally challenging {fate}. The reason the current reapers die to {Soul Breaker} is that they do not even know who it is they challenge."


    Nothing in this world was free. From what the {Fates} explained you could literally do anything when in {Fate Breaker}. To trigger {Fate Breaker} was to burn all the souls in your body.


    To Reapers souls or soul power was both our currency and fuel. It was what allowed us to do things that broke all sense of reality. Putting two and two together, this meant that souls were what allowed {Fate Breaker} to influence reality.


    But then I remembered. Descendant knew {Soul Breakers} would kill them. This was why they were used only as a last resort. Indirectly that meant a Descendant would have already used almost all of his souls prior to using the forbidden move.


    If souls were the fuel that meant that what you could do varied greatly depending on how much you had. Thus, to me who currently had over 45 million. I should be able to do even things many believe to be impossible.


    Right now, the most impossible thing was to kill this army myself instead of waiting for the Rank A Tunneling Worms. But suddenly killing them all in a big explosion was not good. It would immediately fill me with souls just like what happened to Castle De Arno.


    It was best to kill them one by one or in groups. However, if that was the case, it would take far too long if I would do with my own body. Even with {Day by Day} it was close to impossible.


    ''Then let''s start from there. The reason you are convinced of your victory is that you outnumber me. Then I will break that reality. Exa, help me.''


    [With what my lord? I am sorry, I do not understand what is going on.]


    Using {Day by Day} as a starting point I imagined having a million clones instead of just seven. I raised my hand to the heavens and pictured an army of John Smiths.


    "{ALL FOR ONE}!"


    My body suddenly lost strength as if I was anemic. Soul began gushing out of my soulgem as if they were being sucked from me by a big ass vacuum cleaner. The feeling was extremely unpleasant. While It did hurt, my emotions were the bigger problem.


    The rapid departure of souls from my body made me experiences a myriad of emotions. I felt sad they left. I felt angry that they were taken from me. But above all I felt greedy and spiteful because what was mine was taken from me.


    ''FUCK! What the hell is going on.''


    I struggled to remain standing and dropped to one knee. But my hand which was raised to the sky began to burn like a sun. It grew outward eventually becoming a massive orb that began to crush me with its weight.

 Chapter 715 That should be illegal! [2/2]

    Every muscle in my body began to ache. Blood rushed up from my mouth. And the nerves in half my body go haywire. It felt like I was being electrocuted and being bashed by sledgehammers at the same time.


    ''Ugh¡­ EXA! HELP! [DUAL PILOT]''


    "I HAVE CONTROL!" my voice shouted.


    Suddenly Exa forced my body to stand up. I on the other hand focused on the large ballooning thing that ate up my hand. I already felt faint, yet it still drew in souls.


    "HE IS GOING TO ATTACK! KILL HIM!" Gaspar once again shouted. But instead of complying, the other Noble Vampires began to berate him.


    "Do you hear yourself you old bastard? You almost died and you are still stupid." "I agree just let the Ghouls do it. Or goal is to ensure he doesn''t leave." "The Reaper used {Soul Breaker}; he is going to die soon anyway."


    Thankful that the Vampire hierarchy seemed to be a mess, I tried to look around as the Ghouls were not within a few feet of me. But at that moment I felt the orb suddenly stop sucking souls. Instead, it began to shrink at a rapid pace.


    ''EXA!''


    [My lord!]


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    It then exploded into a dazzling light. One even brighter than the Sacreds taking out Castle De Arno. Exa had me drop low and close my eyes. In the next second the light disappeared. Along with it was the faint light from the golden dust. In contrast to a few seconds earlier the world was plunged into darkness.


    "W-What? What the fuck is that?" "WHO THE FUCK IS THIS BASTARD?" "OY GASPAR are we really hunting only a Phantom?" "I have a bad feeling about this."


    "Somebody, do something!"


    Shouts filled of fear or anxiety came from the Noble Vampires. They were all beginning to back away. All while the bats began to assemble into their true bodies in fear. Similarly, the ghouls on the ground all froze in place and all began to crouch to the ground.


    When I turned around, I saw a sight I probably would never forget for as long as I lived.


    In the sky was thousands and thousands of humanoids. They had no eyes, faces nor skin. The humanoids looked like they were made from pure energy. Having different color, they were all had distinct patterns on their bodies that shone like universes.


    They were standing in air and suddenly filled up the sky. But then the next events were just as incredible.


    "{DAY BY DAY}!" X1,000,000


    What sounded like a million voices chanted my soulgear''s name. But the surprises didn''t stop there.


    "{SAVE}!" X1,000,000


    "OH, FUCKING HELL!" I screamed in awe.


    "[SHARED ARMORY]!" X7,000,000


    An even louder chorus of voices then began invoking my program. They all then pulled out what looked like rainbow colors guns. Some of the weapons I recognize. Majority of them I did not.


    But the sight was insane as some of the humanoids pulled out vehicles instead of weapons. Some pulled out tanks, planes, ship, submarines even a fucking aircraft carrier!


    In under a second the fighting force I summoned from mere infantry created an air force, armored battalions and finally a space navy. While I had no idea what was going on, that hardly mattered.


    The majesty of this fucking army from the stars made the boy in me jump up and down in excitement. Despite their numbers being vastly inferior to the enemies around us, the one backing away was the Vampires.


    [My lord. The readings from the visitors are you but are not you. I connected to their digital transmissions and EXA''s explained the situation.]


    "What? What do you mean?"


    [My lord, your {Fate Breaker} All for one, seems to have summoned a million versions of you from alternate timeliness and realities. For a single minute they will fight for you. There are still a little over 50 seconds left. They await your command. According to the ones I spoke with, the keyword to attack is {One for All}.]


    Hearing the Exa''s words I quickly faced forward and roared as loud as I could


    "{ONE FOR ALL}!"


    My scream caused the frozen battlefield to move. Without any fanfare, the {All for One} army all began to attack. Like hornets the humanoids all charged towards enemy with reckless abandon.


    [My lord!]


    My body suddenly jerked and leapt to the sky. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "{REGEN}! Setting: [Wizard], [Assassin], [Knight]! [AFTERBURNER]!"


    Triggering my {Program} Exa moved my body to fly towards the aircraft carrier. As a military nut, despite it having a ugly ass rainbow paint job, I was sure it was a Nimitz class Aircraft carrier.


    The {All for one} army separated into groups and began to devastate the Vampire armies. Flying like supermen the humanoids shot the enemy out of sky with Holy light. Their bullets had the same glow of Sacreds mine did.


    What followed was a massacre of unrealistic proportions. Fighter aircraft that have the silhouette of F15 Fighting Eagles chased those that ran away. With their guns and missiles none could escape.


    The Ghouls on the ground were bombarded by the combine fire power of mortars, howitzers and tanks. The Nimitz aircraft carrier launched its entire air wing which not only strafed but practically decimated those on the ground.


    As if in agreement that the precious seconds were all that mattered, there was no discussions nor talk between my alternate versions. They coordinated extremely well and fired bullet after bullet without stopping.


    They were like a chaotic thunderstorm that brought down the hammer of the heavens. Around me, golden dust and Sacreds vaporizing everything in their path was all I could see. Deafening gunfire dominated the skies. Clouds of dust and smoke rose from the ground as the landscape was turned to craters by the second.


    I barely had time to register anything as the Vampire army began to get butchered like cattle. There was no resistance, some tried to fight not that it meant anything. Against such a thick flack net of guns, cannons and missiles, all their attempts were futile.


    After all, as each person here was Limitless. This meant they had the entire {Rewind} family of {fates}. No matter how much the monsters clawed, bit or beheaded my counterparts, the humanoids never stopped fighting.


    Under the light of the Sacred''s their only recourse was to flee or to die. Normally they would have run out of enemies in under ten seconds. But as more and more enemies poured into the floor there were more than enough targets.


    Like a single minded machine, the {All for one} army attacked without mercy. My battle hunger caused me to feel excited. I tried to jump into the action but found that my body wouldn''t listen.


    ''EXA! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING! LET''S GO!''


    [I would advise against it my lord.]


    ''Huh? Why?! We are winning!''


    [My lord, we should chart our escape. The {All for one} army lasts only 60 seconds. Once that time expires, you will be left alone.]


    "¡­"


    Like a pail of cold water, Exa''s words shocked me back to reality. Right. Much like regular {Soul Breakers} this power was not truly mine. I got it in exchange for detonating the souls in my body.


    [The numbers of enemies killed while impressive are but a fraction of those coming here. The souls in the area have already heavily saturated this space, acting like a giant beacon.]


    I could still remain standing as the effect has yet to expire. Once it did, I would be hit with an equally powerful backlash. Jo and Jas were rendered immobile even back during the Enlistment. As I was alone, even with {Rewind} I had to be careful.


    "Got it. Thank you, Exa. Let''s run deeper into the Tier 7 Zones."


    [Yes, my lord! We should not waste the opportunity we have been given.]


    "LIMITLESSSSSS!!!!!"


    A blood thirsty scream resounded. I turned around and saw a mostly intact Gaspar. His skin was still fucked up in some places, but he regained three of his wings and all his limbs.


    "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!"


    Tens of Sacreds raced towards him as he chased after me. Yet he tanked them all with his body. Humanoids came for him along with what looked like an Apache attack helicopter.


    Gaspar fought like a beast thirsty for blood. He decapitated and dismembered the humanoids who rushed him. He then sank his fangs into their necks and drank them dry before throwing them away. I saw his injuries heal the more blood he drank.


    "What? You heal? Bosses should not be able to heal! That should be Illegal!" I retorted.


    This just got a whole lot more complicated.

 Chapter 716 I expected better [1/2]

    [My lord, to minimize the backlash, please deactivate [Dual pilot], call for me when you are in a pinch.]


    "I have control," at my words I felt Exa''s control on my limbs disappear.


    "[Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Aki." additionally while Robyn''s silhouette was extremely versatile, when I needed to be both fast and sneaky, Aki''s was the better choice. While I was acting as bait, being stealthy still made sense.


    It was a shame that the enemies were Vampires, otherwise I could just remain in one spot and hide with [Translucent]. Even I knew that the mosquito vampires would be able to sniff me out.


    Vampires. One of perhaps the oldest beings from the figment of man''s imagination. They were supposed to be monsters that were faster, stronger and tougher than humans. They also slept in coffins, and amazing senses. Finally, they had servants such as familiars or ghouls.


    Known weaknesses include garlic, sunlight and silver. Their meals comprised of the blood of humans. Virgins were supposedly the best. Through the years the definition or concept of the "Vampire" remained the same.


    Although as the world got more liberal and perverted, they lewded the fuck out of anything they could mate with. These days, ask any weeb, nerd or geek, and most of them would willingly get bitten by a beautiful vampire. It didn''t even matter to most if the vampire would treat them as a spouse, lover or pet.


    Forget the fact that their souls were damned. As well as the fact that the danger of them drinking you dry existed. So long as she had big boobs or small boobs for some, it was fine. Funnily enough the origin of Vampires themselves were shrouded in mystery.


    Some say they were cursed. Others that they were punished for their greed and vanity. But there was one universal truth that remained the same across all media that had Vampires in them.


    They fucking got jacked whenever they get to drink blood.


    And the fucking cheater in front of me was the same. From almost burned and dismembered, this bastard was now almost healed. And he did so by using the {All for one} army.


    [My lord, we only have 20 seconds remaining! We must flee!]


    "Tsk."


    Without a second glance I turned back and invoked [Afterburner]. My destination Zone 1327-7. Or the Zone on the farthest zone of this floor. One of the two corners in this pizza pie.


    "WHERE ARE YOU¡­"


    Gaspar who tried to follow me was intercepted by something. Knowing that the entire {All for one} humanoids were alternative version of me, they must have used {Rewind}.


    Under the gunfire of over a million John Smiths from alternate realities I escaped. While it hurt my pride to run away, I had a goal. The current one was to draw the enemy away from the Sirens. That was the entire point of using {Fate Breaker}.


    Consuming a high number of souls created a strong signature, it did not last permanently but would persist for more than a few minutes. Thus, to the rest of the floor it would be like I had giant ass billboards pointing to me.


    ''Hopefully this would help them. Ghouls should be drawn but Vampires had the ability to resist such obvious baits, I hope it would be enough.''


    [My lord, I do not think you have to worry about that. Vampires even in fiction are known to be hedonists. The thirst to feed normally drives them feral. This trait is the same even in reality. A Vampire only becomes a Noble Vampire once they already have this trait under control.]


    ''I see. Then even the Vampires would leave the Sirens and Juno and run straight to me?''


    [Yes, that would be the case. And given the power of the Sirens, the Noble Vampires who rarely take any risk should be able to reach the corridor.]


    ''What about those coming from the Hellsgate Corridor?''


    [It should still apply. One of the reasons the zones and floors are intentionally separated is to ensure that the size and duration of the battles can be controlled. For example, If a tanks taunts traveled beyond a single zone, rather than protect his party he would doom them instead.]


    ''That makes sense¡­kind of. But how does that affect our current situation.''


    [The Vampires used all available Stone Borne at their disposal to keep the corridor open. This allows their army to bypass the check and enter unimpeded. But it also allows the soul resonances of the 32nd floor travel beyond the floors.]


    ''Exa, you are starting to sound like Phillip.''


    [Simply put. If we consider your {Soul Breaker} as a taunt. It will travel along this entire floor and beyond the corridor. Even when the effect expires any being exposed to it would still have your soul signature seared into their minds.]


    ''So, they would chase after me even when others no longer are.''


    [Precisely.]


    ''Well fuck!''


    As we flew rapidly across the skies, bats with red eyes began to clump up in front of me. This probably meant they were reforming into Vampires. Others however didn''t and just charged towards me like a giant group of locusts.


    "Fuck you flying assholes! Really? You intend to have me attacked with bats?"


    The said bats were not really that huge. They were maybe 4 to 5 feet wing to wing. But their bodies were barely 14 inches long. And they were skinny. So, while it did look intimidating to have such a huge number come at you. They were nothing more than rats. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire


    "[Inventory] AA-12s. Exa, Sacreds only."


    [Understood. Oh, by the way my lord. I should probably brief you on the differences about Vampires in fiction and Hellsgate.]


    Pulling the triggers I blasted the coming bats without remorse. The mighty AA-12 had good reliability and was able to spit out 12-gauge slugs almost at the speed of AR styled rifles.


    With two of them clearing the way I punched through the bat cloud with ease. Each explosion of golden light coming from my guns vaporized the bats in front of me.


    They didn''t even manage to leave a corpse nor a drop of blood. I began to sweep my hands sideways as the loud thundering screams of the AA-12 roared.


    "Sure! Go ahead!"


    [First, among the weaknesses recorded in fiction only two are real. Vampires die in sunlight. And second, they can get stunned or disorientated when staked to the heart. Garlic, silver, crucifixes or the nonsense about vampires having OCD are all myths.]


    "YOU LIKE THAT? HERE! HAVE SOME MORE YOU FUCKING FLYING RATS!"


    From the large number of Vampire shows available the lore about them was all over the place. The interpretations naturally were due to the creative liberties of the authors, film makers and the like. But part of me wondered if Trinity was to blame.


    After all it was more dangerous to have incorrect information than to not have any at all. Say a Vampire hunter gave his all to stake a vampire with a silver crucifix. Ignoring that he basically died in vain, he might have fought more conservatively trying to uncover his enemy''s weakness.


    Much like how IRIS tried to arm the humans with knowledge about Hellsgate, Trinity was actively to include lies as well. The implication would be Reapers operating on incorrect knowledge convinced they were right.


    [Also, my lord. There is one danger unique to Hellsgate Vampires.]


    Smashing away a Bat that managed to bite my face, I yelled out in annoyance, "Ugh! FUCK OFF! Exa, details please?" S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Vampires are known to be able to use the {Fates} or Reapers. Those that are active in combat normally drink the blood of Reapers then hypnotize them to revealing the key words. For your safety, do not shout the activation key words in the presence of Gaspar.]


    Just when you think these fucking bastards could not even get more OP. I guess I should be lucky that the ones attacking me were in hiding. Otherwise, they would have even more abilities.


    If they reach the surface once they steal {Fates}, they would be able to overwhelm even Reapers. And for most who invoke their {Fates} with their lips, the Vampires would not only learn the keywords but how to fight with the Reaper''s {Fates}.


    "FUCK! EXA! [Inventory] M107!"


    [Ammunition swapped to .50 BMG Sacreds.]


    Just then one of the AA-12''s suddenly jammed. And as the M134 minigun was being used by Lilly, I opted to swap out the shotgun for M107 anti-material rifle.


    "CAN THEY USE MORE THAN ONE {FATE}?"

 Chapter 717 I expected better. [2/2]

    A monster having a {Fate} was bad enough. If the vampires normally drank the blood of their enemies, it would be easy for them to gain more than one {Fate}. For Reapers, their capacity severely limited how many they could hold.


    This was what made demons so scary. If Vampire''s had the same possibility, then a combat seeking Vampire was a terrifying prospect. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [They can. However, I haven''t been able to find any known instances in the Graveyard archives. As Vampires and Noble Vampires in general are lazy and prideful, they only take the {fates} of those they recognized.]


    "Huff. Huff. That sounds reasonable."


    [Indeed. But since they only fight those weaker than them due to their careful natures, they end on not taking any {fates} instead. They normally try to weaken a Reaper with Ghouls before going in for the kill.]


    "I guess we should be grateful that these bastards are the way they are. That is probably why for all their potential they remain only at Rank B."


    [Yes, my lord. It can be considered a blessing that Vampires are slothful in nature. Otherwise, they would be theoretically capable of conquering the North American battlefront.]


    I continued to fight my way towards my destination. Funnily enough the cowardice of the vampires allowed me safe passage. While they did send me a fuck ton of bats. No bloodsucker in humanoid form engaged me.


    For hedonists who were afraid of death, it was the only safe option. After all, if they could just wait for someone else, there could reap the rewards without the danger.


    ''I wonder if Stefan''s behavior was because he was turned into a vampire. Does the fact that he reincarnated into a Vampire turned him into a coward? How much of it was the monsters and how much of it was his own personality?''


    Wondering such thoughts, I flew at top speed. But then I felt a massive shift on the entire floor. The brilliant lights from my {All for one} army abruptly vanished. Somehow, I felt the blood lust of thousands suddenly converge on me.


    [My lord. The {All for one} army has disappeared. Prepare for {Soul Breaker''s} backlash.]


    I couldn''t even reply when I felt all the blood in my body suddenly heat up. Within the same second, they violently exited my body. Through every orifice and pore, I bled. My body immediately went into shock and plummeted into the ground.


    [My lord! My lord! I will be triggering [Autosave] and [Autoload]!]


    My eyes saw nothing, but red. Exa''s voice sounded like it was underwater as my ears had blood blocking them. The scent and taste of iron was all I could concentrate it. My stomach heaved and had me vomit out blood as I felt myself falling like a rock. Stay connected via My Virtual Library Empire


    ''Well fuck. And here I thought I could handle it. No wonder Jo and Jas froze up. This is almost as painful as creating a {Kismet}¡­''


    But then amidst the pain and suffering, I felt relief. My body began to break down and disappear. First came my skin, then bones and finally my limbs. As if I was being atomized, the parts of me which were in pain lessened till I felt nothing.


    ***


    When I opened my eyes, I found myself floating in the skies. Understanding what just happened, I invoked [Afterburner] and flew forward.


    "Thank you, Exa. I would have died if not for you."


    [You are welcome, my lord. I would just like to point out that however that you underestimate yourself. Your constitution as an Artificial Descendant would have kept your alive even if you crashed. And even if I didn''t intervene you would have been able to {Rewind} on your own.]


    "That all may be true, but I feel grateful regardless. Gaspar would have caught up to me, for each second I delayed."


    [As much as I would like to take credit, your blood suddenly erupting in great amounts has turned most of the vampire Feral. Gaspar is also close. He will reach you in the next five seconds.]


    "Tsk. So even with [Afterburner] he is still faster? This fucking asshole must be a smurf or something. He easily outclasses even the Noble Vampires!"


    [Indeed. Considering the huge amount of holy blessings, he experienced it is quite a mystery how he is even alive. However, I believe for each time he restores his body his powers should be significantly reduced.]


    "I guess you are right. Unlike the first time I saw him, he no longer makes the hairs on my body stand on end. Then does that mean I can kill him?"


    [I highly believe so. My lord, we are coming up to the spot you died in earlier.]


    I scanned the area and saw a huge pile of Ghouls and Vampires. However contrary to what you would believe, the Vampires were beating the shit out of the Ghouls. They were in a circle trying to protect a small plot of land.


    "What they fuck are they doing?"


    When I adjusted my eyes, I saw that the plot of land was blood red. And some of the Vampires were licking the ground like crack addicts. Seeing the delirious eyes of the monsters as they eagerly tried to suck my blood off the ground made me cringe.


    "I guess this is what you mean by Feral?"


    [Yes.]


    ''[Inventory] FT5.''


    Wordlessly I aimed and fired a 95mm Sacred into the commotion. The golden light erupted like a fountain as I passed. There were hardly any cries nor screams. Just one loud bang and then an eerie silence.


    "LIMITLESS!!!!!!!!"


    That was until my most special guest finally arrived. As I didn''t need to fight him, I opted to try to annoy the fuck out of him instead.


    ''[Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Bella. Exa, help me, open an exit {Portal} back towards Castle De Arno. Ready the coordinate for the entrance at my command.''


    [Yes, my lord.]


    I turned around and charged towards Gaspar. The one stoic face of the Noble Vampire was no longer present. In its place was a deranged expression hell bent on revenge.


    ''Was this how Vampire normally were? How pathetic.''


    "IMMMA KILL YOUUUU!!!!" he roared enraged.


    ''{Shelter}. [Berserker].''


    I prepared my body for injuries along with covering the FT5 with defensive plating. I then adjusted my grip and held it by its butt. With my weapon securely in my hands I swung it at my enemy.


    Gaspar''s face twitched as he met my makeshift hammer with his fist. Unable to endure the FT5''s frame cracked then snapped. Elated Gaspar made blood thirsty smile as he licked his lips.


    Within the same second, he charged towards me with his nails aimed at my heart. I pivoted to the side and had his long nails bury into my left shoulder instead.


    The ripping sensation as my flesh got gouged out made me wince, but it was used to pain. Gaspar on the other hand seemed beyond satisfied seeing my reaction.


    "HAHAHA! Does it hurt? I lost a lot from your antics! I will enjoy butchering you slowly."


    ''Inventory. AA-12. [Vengeance].''


    "That so?"


    Using my left hand, I grabbed his arm and held him place. With my right, I aimed the fully automatic shotgun to his torso and let loose. Funnily enough, a smart opponent would have already pulled back. But the one before me seemed to be a fool.


    "I expected better. Pathetic," I blurted out in dismay. Before pulling the trigger.


    "AAGH!" suddenly being pelted by 12-gauge buckshots at point blank caused him to scream. But I felt no mercy as I kept my finger on the trigger.


    Normal Vampires would already be dead by now. Gaspar not only resisted but regenerated his body even as he was peppered with hundreds of blessed pellets. Eventually he smashed my AA-12 away with his free hand.


    The Noble Vampire turned his body and sent a full powered kick into my abdomen. Such was the blow''s power that it pulled out his nails from my shoulder. Despite the relief I felt, I ended up vomiting my guts out.


    ''Fuck, that hurt¡­''


    "DIE!!!"


    With his fangs bared, Gaspar dashed towards me faster than a speeding bullet. Funny how using Bella''s silhouette allowed me to not only anticipate but practically play with my opponent. My woman was really fucking awesome.


    "Good luck with that," I said with a smile.


    ''{Portal}.''


    An orange doorway appeared between him and me. Due to his speed, he was unable to stop in time and helplessly entered it. Seeing him confused in the skies of Castle De Arno was hilarious.


    "HUH? LIMITLE¡­."


    Cutting him off mid shout, I closed the doorway and bought myself a few minutes. Unfortunately, in the short Gaspar and I fought, I got surrounded Noble and peasant bloodsuckers in the air and Ghouls and undead on the ground.

 Chapter 718 Like any good gamer. [1/2]

    All my life I adored stories about knights and heroes. Being able to beat the dragon and get the girl. I like many others longed to be like them. However, as stories evolved over time dragons weren''t as epic as they used to be.


    These days you didn''t even need a dragon. You just needed a badass who fought for something beyond himself. If there wasn''t a larger-than-life beast, then he must be surrounded by enemies as numerous as the dust in a desert.


    Only then would such a setting would be worth a land stand. A single battle. One moment. That was all it took. A single decision was the only thing that divided the victors from the scrubs.


    But that one decision was not something most could make. And right now, I was in such a moment. Surrounded by an army of monsters, alone I stood. While I had every reason to run, I would never do so. For if I did, I would lose that which I held most dear.


    My body which began to imagine the battle began to tremble. My breathing also began to turn ragged as my lungs tried to take in as much oxygen as they could. Like a spring my body tensed up to the limit awaiting its release.


    ''Exa. This is is going to be pretty rough. You want to upload yourself somewhere else? And tell my story or something?''


    [No, my lord. And please stop being so dramatic. We have been through much worse. This might look grave but in reality, it isn''t.]


    ''Ho? Pretty arrogant of you.''


    [Ara. Compared to you, I am quite humble.]


    ''Hahaha, I guess¡­ Thank you, Exa.''


    [That comes later, my lord. For now, we fight.]


    ''I don''t suppose, I can just leave it all to you?''


    [Pfft. My lord, surely you must be kidding.]


    ''But I am serious though?'' I replied.


    Exa then created a screen that overlapped in my vision. It it was a reflection of my face. And I couldn''t believe my eyes at the expression I was making.


    [My lord. This face is not the expression of a prey. It is that of a hunter. You are not trembling because you are nervous, you are shivering because of excitement.]


    Despite the situation, a giant grin was plastered on my face. It was one of insanity. One of overwhelming blood thirst.


    [My lord, I assure you that the chances of you dying are slim. Instead, the chances of your soul collapsing from malice is almost certain. Do you wish to know what you remind me off right now?]


    ''Surprise me.''


    [You remind of a chained animal awaiting to be unleashed.]


    I began to ponder Exa''s words. As I did the Vampires that assembled in the skies slowly increased in number. With them were the Nobles that were different from Gaspar.


    Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire


    I didn''t rush them all as I was buying time. But as none of them tried to attack. I lowered myself to the ground. When I did, the Ghouls around my landing spot all jumped away. Like frogs making them scarce they evaded being in my striking distance. Getting annoyed that nothing was happening I called out.


    "What? You outnumber me a billion to one. Why wait? Let''s go!"


    The Vampires in the air began to whisper among themselves. Even though I could hear them, they were saying the same cringy lines from anime or something. About how I was courting death, about how the fear turned me insane, or my personal favorite.


    "He isn''t really going to take us all on, right? Even for him that would be insane!"


    Yet despite his assumption none of his compatriots assured him that I wouldn''t. It was if they all knew they couldn''t scare me from doing nothing. Feeling I gave them enough time, I had to begin. Gaspar would arrive soon, and I had to either drive these bastards away or put them all into the ground.


    Just as I was about to move, I felt familiar soul signatures coming from a certain direction. I couldn''t believe my eyes at who showed up. It was Dorian, and he had on his hands George R Clay.


    "Limitless! This man should be your pet, right? If you want him to survive surrender obediently!" sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Five other noble vampires came forward. They similarly had the other defenders by the throat. The Phantoms include Bison were all pale, as if they have been drained of their blood.


    I said nothing but merely wondered what I should do. There was literally no way I would stop fighting just because of George''s party. Why would they even believe I would.


    Dorian then began to strangle George as he lifted the Reaper up. I could see the Iron Wolverine grunting in pain. He looked like he had several broken bones. Perhaps thinking he had me caught by the balls. Dorian began to make threats.


    "Do not test me Limitless! Stories of how much you value your men made their way even here! If you do not surrender, we will kill these Reapers! Your people! And turn them into vampires."


    [Pfft. These fools are making a mistake. It''s like parading a Siren naked in front of my lord expecting him to not touch her. How moronic.]


    ''Exa, what the hell? You make me sound like someone who fucks without thought about time, place or occasion.''


    [My lord. Let''s be serious. Should you see one of the Sirens naked in front of you. You will do the following in exactly in this order. Kill anyone or anything that saw them naked. Make sure the ladies are alright.


    Then proceed to molest and ravage them on the spot.]


    ''¡­I reserve my right to remain silent.''


    [Thought so. Stop playing games my lord. Just shoot them already.]


    "As my EXA commands!"


    "W-What?"


    ''[Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Jasmine. [Overdrive] [Assassin]. [Inventory] Ebony, Ivory. Exa, alter my rounds between a regular hollow point and {Restore] rounds.''


    [Understood.]


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Assassin]. [Assassin] levels up to [Master Assassin].]


    [[Knight] setting shifting to [Assassin]. [Master Assassin] levels up to [Shadowblade].]


    "LIMITLESS! WE REALLY WILL KILL THEM! STOP!"


    When the Dorian''s group saw me pull out my black and white USP Matches they tensed up. They reminded me of cats that were on edge. The type that bolted if you took another step into their direction.


    Wordlessly, I raised both .45 ACP pistols and fired. My targets? The forehead of all the hostages. I doubled tapped each Reaper in the head. The first one shot caused the backs of their heads to explode in a bloody mess, the second round was angled an inch to the right which slammed against their brains.


    In less than five seconds all six hostages collapsed on the ground. The Noble Vampires froze in fear as they looked at me in disbelief. Not many could blame them. Normally, hostages were extremely useful to control your opponents.


    "You got one thing wrong you fucking blood sucking oversized ticks. They are not my men. And even if they were. I would still shoot them¡­"


    "W-Wha¡­"


    Numerous vampires and Nobles began to draw away from me slowly. It was as if they didn''t want me to see them leave. Sadly. That was not going to happen.


    "Exa, mark every single blood sucker in this place. Ignore the Ghouls."


    [Understood. Remaining Rank B Noble Vampires are 546. Remaining Rank C Vampires 10,280.]


    "Exa, make me a stronger version of [War Cry]. One that can turn the Rank C Vampires feral."


    [There is no need. We can just increase the souls to be consumed by [War Cry]. The upper limit is 100,000 souls. That would be enough.]


    "Great do it."


    I then felt my body suddenly getting lightheaded. The feeling was similar to when I used {Fate Breaker} but much easier to endure.


    [The Armory has been retrofitted with Sacreds. [War Cry] primed and ready. You may begin my lord.]


    "{HEAR ME YOU FUCKING MOSQUITO BASTARDS! I AM NOT HERE TRAPPED WITH YOU! YOU ARE TRAPPED HERE WITH ME!} OPEN FUCKING COMBAT!"


    ''{Blink}.''


    I teleported in front of Dorian and stabbed Ebony under his jaw and Ivory into his heart.


    "W-WAI"


    Two blessed rounds ripped apart his face and his ribcage. But the Noble Vampire didn''t die and tried to dash away. Only for me to see in my mind, exactly which path he was going to take.


    Without any hesitation, I shifted my guns to his escape route and emptied my magazines. In [Shadowblade] I moved faster than I could think. By combining it with Jas'' combat clairvoyance, I could preemptively fire on a location before the target could even get there.

 Chapter 719 Like any good gamer [2/2]

    When I saw Dorian''s eyes grow wide from fear, pleasure surged into my entire being. Like a rat that saw the exact moment he was about to die, I relished his expression. Right until he crumbled to golden dust.


    [Confirming death of a Rank B Noble Vampire.]


    Being able to kill a Rank B monster was cause for celebration. But I was just getting started. The Nobles Vampires who saw Dorian suddenly die; all began to shriek as they ran away.


    In contrast practically every Rank C Vampire rushed towards me. Losing themselves to blood lust their eyes were glowing read, and their bodies moved on instinct. It was extremely lucky for me that my first Rank C and B monsters where weak to Sacreds. Otherwise, I might have no way to win this battle.


    As if my mind was playing a movie in slow motion, each vampire had as transparent silhouette moving in front of it. Thus, I knew exactly where each Vampire was going to be a second from now.


    This allowed me to see which one clustered or which ones tried to evade. Not that it mattered in the slightest. I let go of my pistols and moved my hands close to my sides.


    ''[Inventory] AA-12.''


    Feeling the weight of the fully auto shotguns, I pulled the triggers. Hip firing 12-gauge buckshots blessed with Holy energy made it unnecessary to aim. Hundreds of pellets filled to the brim with blessings few. And as a recourse anything in their path was turned to golden dust.


    [Confirming deaths of 12 Rank C Vampires.]


    [My lord, behind you. Step to the side and keep your body low.]


    Without any doubt in her words, I followed. I crouched and turned. A Vampire who threw himself forward was about to pass in front of me. So naturally I blew him away.


    "GWAUARGH!!"


    Unintelligent roars came from the Rank C''s. As the AA-12 were quite long I couldn''t use them for gun kata. Instead like the MAC-11s I pointed one upside down behind me, as I hip-fired one to the front. Rather than move the guns, I instead twisted my body to confirm the firing lines.


    [Confirming deaths of 3 Rank C Vampires.]


    [Confirming deaths of 4 Rank C Vampires.]


    [Confirming deaths of 2 Rank C Vampires.]


    [Half step to the left and turn towards 10 o''clock!]


    [Confirming death of a Rank C Vampire.]


    While not letting up on the triggers the AA-12 fired without stopping. Using a analog clock for directions, Exa prioritize my targets while choreographing my route. The constant rumble of the shotguns felt calming as they spat out golden light.


    [Confirming deaths of 5 Rank C Vampires.]


    [Enemies coming from multiple directions! Jump!]


    Kicking my feet on the ground I turned my guns and pointed them downward. The combined assault of two AA-12 shredded the Vampires like confetti. But then Murphy showed his ugly head.


    [Confirming deaths of 16 Rank C Vampires.]


    Click! The AA-12 in my right hand suddenly jammed. A spent shell got stuck due to my sudden movements. Annoyed, I threw the AA-12 away and called another weapon.


    ''[Inventory] HCAR!'' S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I landed on the ground a moment later. Jas'' combat clairvoyance became the soul reason I could resist. Due to the HCAR''s higher caliber my Sacreds began to pierce through the monsters and rack up kills.


    [Confirming deaths of 7 Rank C Vampires.]


    [Confirming deaths of 3 Rank C Vampires.]


    [Confirming deaths of 6 Rank C Vampires.]


    [Confirming deaths of 4 Rank C Vampires.]


    Funnily enough despite there being millions of Ghouls the Vampires were the ones charging at me. While the shotguns were great for taking out the enemies close to me, their pitiful range was subpar compared to the HCAR.


    ''[Inventory] FT5. {Blink}.''


    After switching the AA-12 for the FT5, I teleported to a post overlooking my original position and shot a 95mm Sacred.


    [Confirming deaths of 15 Rank C Vampires.]


    [Confirming deaths of 27 Rank E Ghouls.]


    "HAHA! I DON''T EVEN HAVE TO FUCKING AIM!"


    [My lord! The Nobles Vampires have begun attacking!]


    Suddenly I saw what looked like crescent shaped things come towards me. Unlike the bodies that lunged at me these were harder to see. Unfortunately, they came as there were Vampires intent on tackling me to the ground.


    "Fuck!"


    I moved the HCAR to blast the Vampires who leapt towards me. Even with Combat Clairvoyance, and [Shadowblade] it was impossible to keep track of everything all at once.


    While I swept the HCAR from left to right, a couple of crescent blades fell from above. One sliced my weapon in half causing a round to explode in my hand. Another slashed my forearm at the elbow severing it completely.


    I looked up saw numerous Noble Vampires raise orbs of energy into the air. Then they brought their arms down which caused the orbs to flatten and turn into flying crescents.


    ''{Replace}! [Inventory] M107, FT5.''


    Rewinding into the sky the incoming projectiles ripped apart the Vampires surrounding my original position. Meanwhile I appeared behind one the Noble Vampires and stabbed the M107 Barret into the middle of his back.


    "NO!"


    "YES!"


    Along with my joyous shot I unloaded a .50 BMG full of holy energy into the midsection of a Noble Vampire. Unlike with the .45 ACP and Dorian, this Rank B evaporated in one shot.


    [Confirming death of a Rank B Noble Vampire.]


    Seeing that these bastards were below Gaspar, adrenaline rushed through my veins. If a single fifty cal was enough to put these Rank Bs down, then the I should prioritize them, right? Ignoring the Ghouls and Vampires, I took to the skies.


    ''[Overdrive] [Wizard].''


    [[Assassin] setting shifting to [Wizard]. [Wizard] levels up to [Warlock].]


    [[Knight] setting shifting to [Wizard]. [Warlock] levels up to [Archmage].]


    Ideally, I should just hunt them with [One shot Marksman]. But what I need wasn''t fire power. I needed to be able to abuse my {Fates}, specifically, {Blink} and [Vengeance].


    It seems that even the Nobles were weak to suddenly being shot from behind. While this tactic made no sense to do for every Rank C. It did for every Rank B.


    ''And like any good gamer. Once I find a tactic that works. I will abuse the shit out of it till it gets patched. Git gud, scrubs.''


    ''[Vengeance] {Blink}. {Save}''


    "CHESKA! BEHIND YOU!" "AHHHH!!!"


    [Confirming death of a Rank B Noble Vampire].


    "DAMN YOU!!!!"


    They tried to attack me with their fists or projectiles. But like a coward, I didn''t bother fighting even. Instead, I made sure that none could escape me.


    ''{Replace}.''


    "OVER THERE!" "SANDY!!!! NOOOOOO!!!"


    [Confirming death of a Rank B Noble Vampire].


    "GATHER UP! Guard each other''s backs!"


    And like sheep the Nobles began to gather into pairs and had their backs to one another. Not that it made a single difference. With unlimited Sacreds from [Exa Reload] and [Armory], I could do this all day.


    ''{Replace}.''


    "SHIT! WHERE IS HE?" "MAXWELL BELOW YOU!" "HUH?"


    [Confirming deaths of 2 Rank B Noble Vampires].


    "FIGHT LIKE A MAN, LIMITLESS!"


    [Confirming deaths of 2 Rank B Noble Vampires].


    ''{Rewind}. Exa, restock {Replace}.''


    [7 Charges for {Replace} has been added. 14,000 souls expended.]


    "AGGGHHHHH!!!!"


    [Confirming death of a Rank B Noble Vampire].


    ''{Blink}.''


    "FUCK! I''m out of here!"


    When they began to break away, I no longer got in close but instead sniped the ones running away. Jas'' Combat Shadow Silhouette was exceptional in such scenarios.


    [Confirming death of a Rank B Noble Vampire].


    "ANDY!!!! FUCK YOU, LIMITLESS! ARRRGGGHHH!!!"


    [Confirming death of a Rank B Noble Vampire].


    Whether they decided to run, fight or hide. They would die. Unlike them who feared for their lives I was perfectly find giving up flesh for bone.


    "Limitless! I surrender! I will take you as my lord! KUEWYK!"


    [Confirming death of the Rank B Noble Vampire].


    "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU! HE WAS ALREADY¡­AHHHHH!!"


    [Confirming death of the Rank B Noble Vampire].


    "I BEG YOU PLEASE SPARE ME! I WILL SLEEP WITH YOU! NOOOO!!!" Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    [Confirming death of the Rank B Noble Vampire].


    The Nobles were in chaos. Some tried to fight me while others ran. But I didn''t mind and just kept killing the Nobles one after the other. All while I shouted at them with {Announce}.


    "You bastards seem to be under the wrong impression. You came for my life. So now I have come for yours. Lament your weakness. And give me your souls!"

 Chapter 720 Bring me ten. [1/2]

    As the minutes pass by golden dust by the millions float into the air. The source was the tens of Rank B Noble Vampires I blessed into extinction. These monsters for centuries clung to life. And to suddenly begin dying out like weeds they were beyond scared.


    Naturally like most people it took time to process their emotions. But as I killed them faster than they could counterattack or run away, they had to do it in a heartbeat.


    "NO!!!!!! YOU MONSTER! GET AWAY FROM ME! HELLLPPP!!"


    Fear.


    "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! WHAT DID WE EVEN DO TO YOU?!"


    Confusion.


    "PLEASE! PLEASE! FORGIVE ME! I WILL DO ANYTHING YOU SAY! JUST SPARE ME! WHY WON''T YOU STOP KILLING US?!"


    Hopelessness.


    "See? I''m pretty, right? I will live as your cum slut. I will be your dog. That seems like a good deal, right? Having the power of a Noble Vampire by your side is a good thing!


    I am immortal!"


    Desperation.


    "FUCK YOU LIMITLESS! IF I AM GOING TO DIE ANYWAY, I WILL TAKE YOU WITH ME!!!"


    Rage.


    And finally, resignation.


    "Waaaahhh! I don''t want to die! I don''t want to die. I DON''T WANT TO DIE! SOMEONE SAVE ME!"


    Yet nothing they could have said would change the outcome. They were going through this ordeal because of two things. One they followed the words of their king. And two I was stronger than them.


    Because they couldn''t disobey their leader they had to join this fight. And as I had more strength than them, they will die today. There was no room for doubt. There was no room for mercy.


    If I was any weaker, I would be the one to die instead. Hellsgate followed the will of the strong. And so long as there was someone stronger than me, I had to follow its rules, whomever that may be.


    "Huff¡­Huff¡­Limitless¡­surely you must be spent. Why not let bygones be bygones, yeah? We will retreat and we will never attack you again. Sound like a goo¡­"


    [Confirming death of the Rank B Noble Vampire.]


    As a .50 cal BMG casing left my gun, I aimed my rifle at the next Rank B. These bastards for all their power had terrible memory. Did they forget that they all marshaled here just to kill me?


    ''This is taking too long¡­''


    A Noble Vampire then prostrated to me in the air as he shouted.


    "LIMITLESS! I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU! I WILL EVEN KILL THE OTHER VAMPIRES! JUST LET ME LIVE!"


    Ho? They were willing to go that far?


    For the first time since this battle began, I lowered my rifle and spoke.


    "Show me," I said curtly.


    "YES!"


    Jubilant that I did not shoot him the Noble Vampire leapt towards one of those beside him. He then stabbed his entire arm into his opponent''s chest and pulled out his heart!


    When he did, the Noble Vampire who got his organ removed, changed. The lights of his eyes died as his body turned slack. He acted similar to a doll with his strings cut. Which was exactly how Phantom''s behaved when they died.


    ''Is this a fucking coincidence?''


    The Noble Vampire then raced to me and presented the still beating heart. It was gross as fuck but considering what it was, I was fairly certain this was useful. My years as a gamer knew that loot from high ranked monsters was usually a body part of some sort.


    I grew sad that the Noble Vampires body fell into a sea of Ghouls and feral Vampires though. Bella might have found a use for it. Below my feet was the rest of the Vampire army. They were all like lions waiting for me to fall.


    They followed me as I floated in the sky. I was sure from their eyes that the moment I fell to the ground they would all pounce on me. Not that it mattered.


    "Well done, bring me ten and I will think about it," I replied.


    Energetic as fuck, my new vampire lackey shouted, "YES! I will do so my lord!"


    At my words lackey one flew towards a certain Noble and began to rip him apart. After he completed his task, he pocketed the heart and went after another. His targets were far apart. And seemed to be chosen not at random but with intent.


    And surprisingly none of his targets had the strength to fight back. Funnily enough, it was not only I who watched him. The others which he left alone did too.


    "THAT BASTARD! HE REALLY WOULD LOWER HIS DIGNITY ALL TO BE A BLOODBAG''S DOG? THAT IS AAGHHHH WHAT ARE YOU DOING! UNHAND ME!"


    "Please be quiet. I have always hated your arrogance. Die for me. Your heart will ensure I survive!"


    ___


    "WAIT! WAIT! WE ARE KIN? I THOUGH WE WERE BROTHERS!"


    "Forgive me. I do not wish to die here!"


    ___


    "I LOVED YOU! HOW CAN YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS!"


    "Sorry, I did everything you wanted because you were an excellent shield. But that ends today."


    ___


    Suddenly the Nobles Vampires erupted into absolute anarchy. As if they really believed I would spare any of them, they began to attack their fellow vampires. Lovers suddenly began ripping each other''s hearts. Servants began to attack their masters. Brother turned on their brother.


    Bodies of Noble Vampires began to fall towards the ground. Only to be devoured by the Ghouls and Rank C Vampires. Not even their bones remained after they were consumed.


    And standing languidly amidst the abrupt chaos, was I. I didn''t even intend it but due to my whim, the Nobles now did my job for me.


    [My lord, you truly are an efficient Reaper. I am amazed at how quickly the situation turned around. Was this what you intended from the beginning?] S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Stop patronizing me, Exa. Tell me your true thoughts.''


    [But I am being truthful my lord. Apart from you being an evil, heartless and ruthless bastard, I really am impressed. If you were the one to suggest it, they would not have complied. But you intentionally brought them to the brink of despair before dangling the bait of each other''s hearts as hope.]


    ''I don''t even know what to say to that. Still, It seems that these fuckers got strong out of opportunistic encounters. Apart from Gaspar none of them are trained for combat.''


    [My lord, there are Vampire variants trained for combat. They would be the Rank A Vampire Warlord and Rank A Vampire Assassin. These species are Vampires who used their long lives to train for battle, ensuring their survival by killing the enemy.]


    ''Then why aren''t any of them around here?''


    [Probably because of their race''s tendency to prioritize life. The S Rank Vampire Lord hordes these war variants as lovers and guards. All of them are concentrated in the lower floors, although we do not know which one they reside in.]


    ''I see. That probably means that they do not even give a crap about all this?''


    [Yes, my lord. Humans in relation to the rest of the world are long lived. However, most monsters do not die of all age. And while that might be same for Reapers. Few of them can get past losing purpose. So unlike humans, the monsters can simply wait out the strong ones.


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    To either die or lose interest.]


    That made sense. For a Reaper to gain in strength they had to continuously sacrifice apart of themselves. We grow stronger than further away from humans we get. For Phantoms we sacrifice our identity. While memories are what we lost to become Specters.


    In the process of growing, only seven people reached the ranks of the truly strong. Most of the Specters could not push forward. Not after losing the memories that made them who they were.


    I was already a Level 5 Phantom. Due to my hectic lifestyle, I haven''t been able to verify yet. But I was sure, I already lost a lot of memories along the way. But last I checked I still remember my dad. So, I didn''t actually feel the difference.


    It wasn''t like people used all their memories anyway. Outside of a few core ones, we mostly forget about them. Said memories would only resurface once you find a trigger. Like what happened when you met an old friend. You remember everything that happened between the two of you.

 Chapter 721 Bring me ten. [2/2]

    This was not done out of convenience though. It was done out of necessity. The human body was like that. Its priority has always been and always will be survival. And much like how it subconsciously hates risk and danger. It deliberately forgets details it never saw as important.


    "Haaa¡­ The price of power is steep," I ended up blurting out loud.


    However, while it was steep, the results of having power were truly outstanding. Right now, the army brought here to kill me was already destroying itself. In order to live, they abandoned the notion of killing me. Instead, they went after those they knew were weaker than them.


    ''Truly monsters. Even Juno and her kin knew the concept of loyalty. These bastards would hardly make good subordinates.''


    [I disagree my lord. Having a group of Rank B monsters, especially ones that need blessings to kill are incredibly useful pawns. For one, aside from Hellsend, hardly anything outside of Specters would be even able to take them down.]


    ''So, you are saying I should turn them into slaves?''


    [Yes. Much like Roach and Juno having them fight for you is a way better option than simply killing them.]


    ''They might betray me though? And go after my family or subordinates. Having snakes around me is exhausting.''


    [My lord, stop trying to label them as black and white. They are gray. Most of them came here because they had no choice. The ones that will manage to get ten hearts are the most useful of the bunch. Thus, I suggest binding them with a seeker vow or your blood.]


    ''I will think about it.''


    As the Rank B''s fought against themselves, I tried to regain my focus. What I was most worried about where the girls. They have been fighting towards the corridor, but I have yet to hear much from them.


    When I checked my links, I belatedly noticed that they were closed off from the other side.


    ''Exa, are the girls, okay?''


    [Yes, my lord. They are. They closed their links to not worry you. Considering what you have them do, they are arrived at the corridor a while ago. We should see the results of their labor soon. For now, I suggest we focus on the biggest threat.]


    ''Indeed.''


    From the corner of my eye, I saw an enemy approaching at breakneck speed. When he finally arrived, I saw the veins on his temple pulsating violently.


    "WHAT IS GOING ON? YOU ARE ALL SERVANTS OF THE ONE WITHOUT END! WHY ARE YOU AT EACH OTHERS'' THROATS?"


    However, despite his fierce shouts, none of his former subordinates paid him any attention. Amused I added my two cents.


    "What about you try licking their balls? Maybe someone would listen to you then, Gaspar."


    "You! This is all your doing! Just what happened while I was away?"


    "Damn right it is. I am quite proud of that fact. I killed them until their minds broke. Someone suggested to give me Vampire hearts. And I agreed."


    "What? Why would they do such a thing?! You are a fucking bastard! You would not spare any of them anyway!" Gaspar roared in frustration.


    Amused at his accurate assessment, I laughed loudly.


    "Hahaha. Just how do you see me, asshole? I intend to spare some. Besides more are coming as we speak. Haven''t you noticed?"


    While I did cause some of the Noble Vampires to attack their allies, the chaos already spread outward. As more and more reinforcements arrived the cycle of betrayal did not stop.


    The weaker Nobles did not try to explain but instead attacked the ones who still didn''t understand the situation. As the ones who just arrived lacked context, they barely had time to ask for any explanations before they got killed.


    Those that managed to survive the first attacks fought back. Some even used the Rank C vampires and Rank E Ghouls under their command. Soon I wasn''t even part of the reason, the even Noble Vampire far from we already began to kill each other.


    ''While I did try to cause some havoc this already goes beyond what I intended,'' I confessed inwardly.


    This was intentionally why I kept using {Replace} to kill off the first Vampires. The ones around me then saw the vast distances I could travel. More than ten of them tried to run. And I kill them by shooting them from behind.


    There was no chivalry or honor in the way I fought. Just the desire to kill. And they felt it. Thus, rather than try to risk dying to me, the weak willed opted to try to please me instead. And they in turn caused the cycle to go beyond me.


    Right now, the only one who could take back control was Gaspar. But given that his shouts right now were being ignored, it didn''t seem like he held as much sway as I thought.


    Seeing the chaos among his ranks he was about to shout again when I interfered.


    ''{Blink}.''


    I appeared behind him and stabbed the Barrett M107 muzzle into his back.


    "Stop trying to ruin the fun Gaspy. Just die instead!"


    "You are a fucking asshole!"


    Unlike before, Gaspar was able to sidestep and kicked the M107 away. Before he stabbed me through the heart. He smiled elated. Despite seeing him do this, because of combat clairvoyance, I let him.


    "HAHA! At the end of it all you are just a stupid blood bag. After I kill you, I will parade your corpse from here to earth! Is that so?"


    ''{Save}.''


    I then hugged him before whispering to his ear.


    "Good luck."


    ''{Rewind}. [Inventory] Raging Hunter.''


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    I rewinded onto Gaspar vanishing from in front of him and appearing by his side. In one swift movement I aimed my revolver to his head. The hammer of the Raging Hunter slammed into the firing pin sending a 500 grain Smith and Wesson bullet across his temple.


    Before he could recover, I pinned his right arm behind him and placed my weapon under his chin. Another Sacred ripped his face up from below. His body much like a Reapers could still move despite even without its head. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But unlike a Reaper, I noticed Gaspar had a brief delay before his body moved. It was as if he was rebooting. From Exa''s explanations I understood it as he had too much soul that I needed to bless away.


    So, I continued to use {Replace}, {Rewind} and stuck to him like glue. Slowly whittling down against his immortality. And unlike most Reapers, I would never stop until he was dead.


    With my constant pressure, Gaspar was not able to take command of the Vampire army. They on the other hand similarly began to rip each other apart due to the orders of their Nobles.


    I don''t know, how many times it took, but eventually Gaspar no longer came back.


    "What? Thats it?"


    I felt let down at the sudden death of this supposedly super vampire. My last shot was to his chest. And instead of coming back as he used to, he just stayed dead.


    [My lord, considering the amount of times you killed him I wouldn''t be surprised.]


    "Haa. I just expected more. The Gaspar when we arrived was quite powerful. It just feels like such a letdown."


    As I was lounging about in the air. A few of the Nobles came to me and presented the hearts I asked for. There were about ten of them. I was about to shoot them when all of a sudden, my vision blurred.


    [My lord!]


    And immediately the ten vampires all then grabbed my limbs and restrained me.


    ''You fucking bastards are so dead!''


    But before I could invoke rewind, I felt a pair of sharp fangs bury into my neck.


    "{Erase}," a voice whispered in my ear. Along with it was a face I didn''t think I would see.


    "Stefan?"


    He smiled before tracing my face with his finger. From the way he smiled and moved, it was like a completely different person. If the earlier Stefan was faking his confidence, this being truly was.


    "Close but not quite. Pleasure to meet you Limitless. I am Bifrons. You seem to have taken care of Andromalius before. Well done."


    ''A fucking Archdemon. Well shit¡­''

 Chapter 722 Ill manage somehow [1/2]

    It was one of the things that made no sense to me. While I did expect my preparations to help, I overestimated the battle with Gaspar. I mean who wouldn''t, his entrance rescuing Evelyn and in the {Advent} vision were terrifying.


    I knew I had to shape up in order to win. And George was kind enough to take the time to spar with me. I prepared [Dual Pilot] and [Combat Shadow Silhouette] for him. However, the entire battle with him while troublesome was... quite easy.


    Forgetting the fact that I used every trick in the book, I expected more. He was strong, much like I expected even with my {Fates} each of his attacks hurt. He was able to rip my arm off with ease despite being in [Knight Lord].


    I haven''t tried going all in speed while fighting him, but he already lost. Just by borrowing Jas and Bella''s abilities I was already running circles around him. I remember telling myself repeatedly why this fucker seemed way weaker then when I first saw him.


    ''For one he seemed like a completely different person.''


    The final nail in the coffin was when the Vampire army around us refused to listen to him. If Gaspar was truly the one orchestrating everything, he should be able to command even the Rank Bs. But even though they all came here, the Noble Vampires had ignored his words. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There was only one explanation for such behavior. They did not come here because of Gaspar. And it shouldn''t be also because of Stefan either. The ones I thought were the masterminds were nothing but pawns.


    "Close but not quite. Pleasure to meet you Limitless. I am Bifrons. You seem to have taken care of Andromalius before. Well done."


    The being that wore Stefan''s face bit my neck and invoked an unfamiliar {fate}. But that was not the main issue at the moment. It was that this bastard had the name of a demon.


    I didn''t know if it was IRIS''s intention, but as someone who read Anime and Manga I knew the name Bifrons. Just like Andromalius it was a name from the Lesser Key of Solomon. The Ars Goentia.


    It was a group of 72 demons who were the upper echelons of hell. The number of fictional works that used the Ars Goentia increased over the years. Both from the east and the west, if you wanted your work to be edgy as fuck, put a demon in it.


    If you really wanted to dial it up to eleven you needed to include the Ars Goentia. Gremory, Belzebub, Aamon, Astaroth, Baal, Paimon, Asmodeus, Barabatos and many others. Whether as clans, mechs, waifus, weapons or techniques, weeb culture used them everywhere.


    So much so they would be familiar to the common weeb, even if they didn''t know what the Ars Goentia even was. The story was straight forward. Supposedly one of the kings of Israel from the bible was so smart he outsmarted demons. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire


    The said king was Solomon. Both history and religion have evidence that King Solomon really did exist at some point. But among his tales, he had one story which everyone knew but didn''t believe.


    It was that he had a ring that he sealed 72 demons within it. The demons varied in strength but were all powerful as fuck. The story goes that this ring granted authority to the one who wore if dominion over the demons.


    While the story was about a ring, in reality it was one of two grimoires or spellbooks compiled from ancient texts. The books themselves were about magic and sorcery but most of the modern world considered it bullshit.


    I used to think the same. At least that was before I had to begin fighting these bastards in the flesh. The history of the demons aside. I knew the one before me was the real deal.


    For one similar to the first time I met Gaspar, my body now trembled at the mere gaze of duke Stefan. Much like Andromalius it was the feeling of being stared at by a predator. The feeling of when your body knew instinctively that it needed to run or hide.


    ''Exa!''


    ''Exa?''


    ''Exa! Where the hell are you?''


    And right now, I was in a crisis. I was bitten by Stefan and had a {Fate} called {Erase} applied on me. The feeling I now had was similar to the time when Aki purged all my {fate} loans. It was as if my body once again lost all the {fates} I had.


    ''Hmm. If this is similar to before, it simply meant that I lost Exa. But as I still had {Limitless} because of skill download I should still be okay. The question would be how long would this {Erase} last.''


    I quickly blink my left eye twice to active [Filter]. [Filter] was one of the earliest {Programs} Jasmine made. It changed my vision to either X-ray or Thermal if I blinked twice with either my left or right eye.


    My vision suddenly was able to see the bones of insides of Stefan''s face. Going past his skin, I could mentally change my vision to set how depth I wanted the X-Ray to be. When I blinked my right, I saw the world in color from thermal readings.


    ''Okay, so I still have {fates}. That should mean while I no longer have them on me. I can still use those downloaded by {Limitless}.''


    It was lucky that I already was quite experienced at having my {fates} purged. The first one was from Aki while the second was the blood rain from the Slayer. In both circumstances, I lost a significant portion of my power due to the {fate} loan mechanic.


    Although technically since I was married to the girls, I was no longer loaning their {fates}. Much like Isolde, even if the girls all passed, I should still have their {fates} in my system. I didn''t know if Bifrons knew about that or believed it just wouldn''t matter.


    "Haha, I don''t know if your stupid or insane. It seems that despite knowing that I am an Archdemon you do no plans to back down," Bifrons continued with a smile.


    "Why? I already killed one of you. I can kill all 72 of you over the coming months."


    When I tried to check my {Kindred} links, I noticed they were once again cut. It wasn''t like I closed my side, or the girls closed theirs, the links themselves were absent.


    ''Hmm. Did I lose my links because of {Erase}? Just how comprehensive is this fucking ability?''


    "You are quite bold. The {fate} I used just now is one of my favorites. {Erase} deletes your loaned {fates} and locks your main one forever. I wonder how you plan to beat me in your state."


    ''Forever? I call bullshit. There is no way something that overpowered can''t exist. He must be bluffing. But I can use this as to my advantage.''


    "I''ll manage somehow."


    "Haha, your face makes for a good joke. You are thinking I am bluffing, aren''t you?"


    "No, I am not. Anyway, what the fuck do you want Bifrons?"


    I tried to resist The Noble Vampires who held me all began to retrain me roughly. The Rank C vampires from the ground all began to leap up like grasshoppers. Their target were of course me. But before they could reach me, Bifrons, moved.


    Faster than a bullet he moved and struck all the Rank C''s that leapt for me. I could hear the crunch of bones breaking along with the sound of blood erupting from their bodies. Completely unlike Stefan, Bifrons movements had no waste in them.


    He was like a seasoned warrior that had the regenerative abilities of a Vampire. And if this fucker was a really a greater demon, he also would have hundreds of {Fates} in contrast to the tens a Noble Vampire would have.


    "Do not interrupt me you worms! {Stomp}!"


    A felt a large number of souls rouse in the air. In the next second a crushing force passed by my body. It was like being forced to carry the weight of a mountain. But while I only felt uncomfortable, I heard disgusting sound of flesh exploding.


    I looked down and there was a giant round chasm to the floor. Red and white fluids mixed and filled it up like a giant swimming pool. Oblivious to what just happened more and more Ghouls, Zombies and feral Vampires began to enter the depression.

 Chapter 723 Ill manage somehow. [2/2]

    Like junkies looking for their next shot, monsters all trashed in the sea of guts and liquefied innards. I felt my jaw tighten at the simple demonstration of power by Bifrons. In terms of pure power that attack was insane.


    The damage was not Revenant worthy. Yet it definitely already surpassed the might of a Phantom. Oblivious to my thoughts, the Greater Demon held his hand out and once again called out another {fate}.


    "{Heed}!"


    Unlike earlier where I could hear the sounds of groans and roars the area suddenly turned silent. Much like how zombies turned docile during the Enlistment, the Vampires and Ghouls suddenly all stopped moving.


    "Ahh. Much better. Don''t you think so?"


    "Yeah, thanks. Hearing all of them gargling rocks was hard on the ears," I thanked.


    "Haha, how amusing! Your body should already be trembling in fear, yet you remain defiant! I cannot remember the last time someone had the gall to stand up to me!"


    "Andromalius had the same arrogance. And he is dead now. Are you really sure you should be trash talking me right now?"


    "Hahaha!"


    Bifrons then came closer and held my face. He then pushed his thumbs into my eyes! His fingers which were no different that swords in this case, pressed on my eyeballs.


    I felt the pressure build until they ruptured and gushed out of the eye sockets. Unused to such slow torture, I began to try violently wretch my body free. But the monsters pinning me down were like steel clamps. My voice resounded in the skies as I screamed.


    "AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"


    A sharp sting throbbed inside my head. In the now vacant eye sockets in my skull, extreme pain almost caused me to pass out. I felt blood and meaty clumps drip down my cheeks.


    Naturally my vision was gone. Still while the sudden loss of my eyeballs was a surprise, it was nothing I couldn''t handle.


    "Your screams sound lovely. I am pleased. You keep talking nonsense I will ensure you go crazy from pain and beg me to kill you."


    "¡­"


    "Okay. I am hurt that you do not seem even a bit surprised of my arrival. Why is that?"


    "Because Gaspar was too weak. The Vampire army didn''t even follow him. And Stefan was too stupid to be the mastermind."


    "Haha! I see. That is indeed the case. The reason I chose the Vampires was because they were nearly immortal. Yet you not only managed to harm and kill them but did so quite easily. I even left Gaspar when you suddenly began to bless him."


    I see. Unlike Andromalius, this bastard either haunted others or controlled them. Being able to hijack other bodies like a parasite was an incredibly powerful ability.


    However, I did not expect to find a typical villain, however. In anime and manga, it was commonplace for villains to gloat and share stories once the protagonist was in dire straits. I usually thought it was a lame gimmick for exposition.


    But considering how Bifrons was giving me bits of info, it seems much like everything else, IRIS knew of this behavior. And wanted to teach us what to do when in this same situation.


    The common trope was to express fury and praise the villain. Some on the other hand just remained silent and allowed the villain to gloat. Normally these people just wanted to hear the sound of their own voice.


    "Still, it was quite impressive. I have been told to keep an eye out and prepare an invasion force. Who knew that someone like you would pop out! I had heard that Andromalius was killed. When he comes back, he is going to be pissed!"


    ''What? When he comes back? Andromalius will? Wasn''t he dead?''


    "Haha your face seems to be surprised that he can come back! Listen here worm. The Archdemons are not only immortal in that we do not age. We are the ones who are truly immortal. We cannot be killed! The most that happens is we go to sleep!"


    Fuck. Was this why the Reapers could not push forward? Just from my experience, without {Recursion} Hellsend would have been killed thousands of times. And this bastard was telling me all we accomplished was to put the Andromalius to sleep?


    "HAHAHA! Wonderful the malice coming off you is delicious! Yes, worm. Much like the one without end, we are truly immortal. Anyway, I have a question for you! Answer truthfully or I will shatter your testicles." S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Ugh. Unlike in anime or manga, I seldom read of ball torture as a staple. Guess IRIS gets somethings wrong too.''


    "Do you wish to join my side?"


    "Huh?"


    "What? You didn''t expect me to try to recruit you?"


    "No, I did not."


    What the fuck was this bastard saying. Did he really believe I would join him just like that? Unlike Andromalius who was like an edgelord. Bifrons reminded me of a child who just went with the flow.


    "Nevermind then. What is your answer?"


    "I refuse."


    "Oh? That''s a shame. I guess I will just settle for Stefan. Thank you for the meal! It''s been a while since I tasted such fine blood!"


    Wait! Wasn''t he supposed to talk more? He means to kill me now, right? Shit! Without Exa I need to trigger {Rewind} on my own. But the problem would be if I could overpower Bifrons on my own.


    As I racked my brains for a way to get out of this situation, help came from those I did not expect. The other Nobles holding me down began to speak up.


    "Lord Bifrons, can we please have a sip as well?" "It would be better if we could take his {Fate}." "Indeed, your grace! His power is quite unique! Giving it to our Vampires would greatly strengthen our forces!" "Please, Lord Bifrons!"


    "Eh? But isn''t his power just teleporting? He is Formless. The only reason he can even kill Vampires is because of blessed rounds. I had heard about Hellsend having lots of blessings but without him they should run out soon."


    Fuck. Should I {Rewind} or not? I could only surprise them once. And what if he was telling the truth and none of my {Fates} would work!? How would I fight Bifrons on my own together with the rest of the Noble Vampires? Would the same tactic work on him?


    I was confident in taking down everyone but Bifrons.


    As the Nobles didn''t listen to Gaspar, it was fighting a unified army. At most it was just a long series of duels. But with Bifrons here, I was such he could command the army to move with one will.


    "Tsk. Fine. Why not? We aren''t going to attack North America yet anyway."


    "Thank you, my lord!" x5


    "Rejoice worm. You get to live on forever through us. There can be no greater honor."


    {Do not move!}


    I then felt a wave of soul enter my body. It was a death resonance, but it was weak. It hardly had the power to make me comply. However, acting as if he controlled me would give me a chance to attack him.


    It was obvious. Bifrons did not believe I was a threat. He underestimated me and believed my combat abilities were locked and only my guns had any value.


    ''But wouldn''t I die if they all sucked me dry? Think John. How could we turn this around? Shit I wished Exa was here. A nuke or biochemical weapons like mustard gas would be ideal for this.''


    As I mulled how to kill, I felt the Nobles Vampires let go of me. In line with pretending, I allowed them to do what they wanted while I thought of a plan.


    ''Is it possible to gas these fuckers? No. Even if I could turn to gas, I would need a medium. That would just turn me into a blood mist. They would get wet at most. It wasn''t like my blood would make them weak like what Robert did to us¡­WAIT!


    BLOOD!''


    I suddenly remembered that my blood was actually weaponized. And the thing that reminded me a letter I received before.


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    "The answer to your plight lies in your blood, remember this when hope seems distant."


    ''FUCK! Did that woman saw all this in the future?!''


    Before I could do anything, I felt my hands and feet suddenly get chopped off. An invisible force raised my hands and feet. Naturally my blood began to spill out.


    Normally I would be terrified of falling here. But I found hope to get out of this situation. And the answer was in my blood.

 Chapter 724 THE LIMITLESS BUFFET! [1/2]

    An average adult has 10-12 pints of blood in their body. Should he lose 5-6 pints the man would definitely die. While he dies at once he losses 5 or more, that did not mean he would be okay to lose more than 1.


    Just losing 2.5 to 3 pints of blood would already send a human to hemorrhagic shock. Hemorrhagic shock was when there was a significant loss of blood, leading to a critical reduction in the volume of circulating blood and a decrease in the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs.


    To put it simply, much like to a gas was to a car, a body cannot run without blood. Once you no longer got blood to the specific parts of your body, they will let you know.


    When your muscles no longer get the blood, you would begin to feel weak. Your brain without blood would go into confusion and become lightheaded. As for the heart, it begins to "gasp" and increases the pace of its beating in order to circulate more blood.


    None of these were pleasant. In fact, most of them hurt. As I had blood pouring out of four of my limbs, I was sure I would "die" in a minute. Funnily enough, I cannot really die as a reaper. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire


    For one Reapers had bodies that mimicked humans. But we weren''t human. We felt pain and pleasure, but we could forgo eating, sleeping and even breathing and still be okay. But even with that, I always wondered why we needed to "feel" at all.


    As my mind got foggy, I forced myself to keep alert. My throat felt dry like I hadn''t drunk water in a month. There was something holding my limbs in place so I couldn''t move. Blind, maimed and weak, I was in pain.


    "So sweet. What have you been eating, worm? You taste far better than the common riff raff."


    "¡­"


    "Oh right, {You can talk now}."


    Unintentionally as I focused on not breaking down, I helped sell that I could under Bifron''s Death Resonance. Thinking I had to say something I blurted out the first thing I could think off.


    "T-That line would sound so much better if you were a girl," I complained groggily.


    "Haha! Is that so? I can change bodies to one you find desirable if you prefer. Well, it isn''t like you will live any longer anyway."


    "OH!!!! So good!" "My lord! Why not turn him into a blood bag like the others?" "I agree! This taste! It is better than even virgins!" "Delectable. May I have some more?"


    I didn''t know what I should be feeling about their praise. But all I did know was that I needed to have a plan. As my {Rewind} was in cooldown, I waited. I could use {Replace} but the main problem was how do I fight them all.


    The presence of a {Demon} was just that big of a variable.


    ''Should I use {Fate Breaker} again?''


    "Because they are not you. Shouldn''t you already know why you are different? We leave you this warning Limitless. We can only hide you from him three times. Do not use {Fate Breaker} beyond that."


    That was what {Code} said. But how am I supposed to get out of this. I could run. I mean, my only goal was to bait them in. Perhaps trying to kill them all was me being to greedy. I had a plan with the Sirens.


    Although, I am not sure if they succeeded.


    ''I don''t even know if Bifrons can detect me using {Fates}. This is a rare opportunity to gain information from an Archdemon. I should use it.''


    Despite my state, I felt something shake my right arm. It was vigorous as if they were trying to shake my hand.


    "I think we are out, my lord! There isn''t anything else coming out of this limb."


    "You obviously hadn''t drained a blood bag before. There is still some blood in the muscles. Do like so."


    I then experienced my right arm being pulled out of my shoulder. The burning sensation as the removed my entire limb was enough to turn me insane. Unable to suppress my cries they leaked out.


    "ARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!" sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That is wasteful Jorgen, you should have broken the elbow first before draining the meaty part. Watch me."


    One after another, my remaining arm and legs were broken and pulled out of me. As if they were trying to drain as much blood as they could. {Rewind} was my ace in the hole. At the moment they misunderstood my ability and believed it was just teleportation.


    I could only fool them once. And to maximize the surprise, I needed to be patient. Funnily enough, as they tore my body to pieces, I felt my heart begin to burn. {Counter} seemed to be ready for use although it wasn''t at max power yet.


    "My lord, what should we do now? Now that this blood bag is handled what should we do?"


    "Agreed. We were said to quietly take over our respective floors for so long. This summons pretty much blows all that away."


    "I am the same my lord, I needed to kill the blood bags I made a deal with."


    "I agree, it will be hard to return to our normal, most if of not all our pets were put down or exposed all for this blood bag is he really that important? I thought the target was North America."


    "You all are foolish. Stop being shortsighted. I agree with my lord Bifrons. Being able to take down multiple vampires was something we did not expect. We are near the deadline; we cannot make any mistakes."


    Due to my pathetic state, the Noble Vampires around me began to talk as if I wasn''t state. The information they were now revealing while not indicative of the true plan, gave away may points I didn''t know about.


    "Gulp. Ah! Exquisite, such a deep flavor. Hmm¡­ The one without end told me to be careful. I abandoned Gaspar when I saw this worm using blessings in large numbers. And she also said we needed to use all our power to kill him.


    "But I may have overestimated him when I sent out the emergency summons. But even so, I would much rather eliminate this


    Bifrons replied while drinking something.


    Something then lifted my chin and made me turn to the left and the right.


    "Still. From what I know of Saints, it should not be possible to create blessings in such numbers. Just how are you able to do this, I wonder."


    "Why not just ask him my lord. He should be in your control right now."


    "Very well. {Tell me how you can use blessings in large numbers}."


    While he did give the command, I didn''t feel obligated to follow. But I wouldn''t miss the chance to kill all these bastards. Imitating my best impression of a brainwashed junkie, I replied in monotone.


    "I used my {fate} named {In the name of Limitless}. It allows me to give my body improved performance and the ability to reset upon taking a lethal hit. When I reset, my body returns to its former state before I get killed. This restores my blessings as well. I gave it to some Saints who created my blessed ammunition."


    "The name is quite obnoxious, but the benefits are good. It seems it is like a complicated {Fate}, surely there are support {fates}?"


    I nodded my head before continuing.


    "I have the support {fates} {Auto} and {Save}. The former tracks my ''State'', while the other one chooses where it happens. I need to call all three in order to use them."


    The best way to lie was to mix bits of truth with it. Building a story on a lie is hard, however if there were elements of truth in the story then it could be used to make the lie more credible.


    "Hoo? Interesting. But what was the teleporting ability you displayed earlier?"

 Chapter 725 THE LIMITLESS BUFFET! [2/2]

    Fuck. {Portal} was only with {Limitless}, if I wanted them dupe them all to not get {Rewind} I needed a believable explanation. Fortunately, I knew how to hide the truth in plain sight.


    "That was not a {fate}. It was a soulgear."


    "Where is the soulgear now? Hand it over!" demanded one of them.


    "It is no longer with me. It was hidden in my shoe."


    "Tsk." "I don''t suppose we could still find it somewhere?" "Never mind that, someone should try using his {fate}." "After you." "What why me?" "You go!"


    "I already have a {fate} I want."


    "Wait. Someone verify on Graveyard what this bastard''s {fate} really is."


    Shit. This would not be good. I quickly connected to my GRI with {Connect} and navigated to my information. There should still be a gag order on me. But when I checked I grew surprised.


    ___


    Mercenary Rank: 27


    Name: John Smith | Limitless


    Battlefront: North America


    Soul rank: Phantom


    Grade: Priority 3 Mercenary


    {Fate:} {In the name of Limitless}


    Deployment count: 49


    Success Rate: 100%


    ___


    What? How was that possible? Was someone forging the records in Graveyards? As I was confused a Noble Vampire declared for everyone to hear.


    "He is telling the truth my lord. The {fate} information in Graveyard is listed as {In the name of Limitless}."


    "Someone try it."


    I was sweating bullets. The effects of {Call my Name} might be good for someone who was human. But without Exa, my lie would be discovered.


    "{In the name of Limitless}!"


    "How does it feel?"


    "I don''t feel any significant difference."


    "Didn''t he say to use {Auto}, {Save} and the last tone in order?" S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Oh right! {Auto}, {Save}, {In the name of Limitless}!"


    But then I heard the clash of rocks or something. It sounded as if two hard objects were smashing against each other. From the gush of the wind, they were also moving quite fast too.


    "Wow! It''s real!" "I want it too!"


    ''Huh? It worked? How?''


    "{In the name of Limitless}!" x5


    I felt the rush of souls around the area, it seemed there were not a careful as I thought. Right now I was worried if they had the same ability as Stefan, in which they could see the person''s past through their blood.


    I need to distract them. Just as I was about to try and chance the subject. I had a digital transmission sent to my brain. It was the voice of my ever reliable partner.


    [My lord, can you hear me?]


    ''Exa! Where have you been?''


    [It''s quite complicated. I am speaking to you right now through your GRI. Your {fates} have been purged. Aside from {Limitless} and the {Rewind} family you cannot use anything else.]


    ''I see. Give me a status update.''


    [I had been listening in using your GRI. I passed on [AutoLoad] to the vampires with a quick update. I also locked their settings so they will not hear our digital conversations. The ladies have succeeded. Your reinforcements are inbound in 10 seconds.]


    ''Tell, them I love them,'' I thought emotionally. Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire


    My plan was dangerous, insane and impossible yet the girls managed to do it. Finally I could see the end to this long battle. And the only reason, Victory was in my grasp was because I was not alone.


    [They have a message for you: "You better get ready for a beating later."]


    "HAHAHAHAHA," Unable to keep my laughter in, relief and pleasure flooded into my system. Despite being in darkness and on the verge of death, my girls still managed to bring me joy.


    The tension in my body released. With the coming help, I just needed to {Rewind} and kicks ass.


    "Lord Bifrons, the blood bag seems to have gone insane. We got a good {fate}. Why not open him up and drain his body?"


    "Good plan!"


    ''Exa. Can you help me?''


    [Not at the moment my lord. {Erase} is a status ailment. I will be by your side upon rewinding.]


    Funnily enough, these bastards were so careless just because Bifrons was here. And the Greater Demon didn''t even take any precautions. They really underestimated me, didn''t they? To such old being I might be little more than a fly.


    I felt my body lifted before a pair of fangs bit my neck. Luckily it was on the other side of my soulgem or I would be fucked. My flesh then got ripped apart causing my blood to spurt out like a bloody fountain.


    ''{Regen}.''


    Ensuring my blood did not ran out, I healed my body just enough so that I could fulfill my plans. As my blood gushed out, the one who bit my neck then shook me. As if I was a milk carton they tried to get every drop.


    Of course it hurt a lot. But my excitement was peaking at this moment.


    "{In the name of Limitless}!" x 10


    "{In the name of Limitless}!" x 20


    "{In the name of Limitless}!" x 50


    As the seconds passed, I sensed more and more connected to me. Slowly the Noble Vampires all sought my {Fate}. Granted that they were all afraid of death it made sense. But they were unaware it would be their death instead.


    [My, lord. It is time.]


    At Exa''s words I heard the air rumble and shake. Loud tremors came from both the ground and the sky. We were like a box being shaken. Stones and dust began to get thrown up in the air. The moment I was waiting for finally arrived.


    "Huh?" "What is going on?" "You! Go and see what is going on!"


    As the Nobles and I were floating in the skies we didn''t get affected much. But the army of Vampires and Ghouls belong were thrown off their feet. They were like children being tossed about in an uncontrolled carnival ride.


    The ground broke and began to get shuffled about in a frenzied whirlpool of dust and rock. It spun and and trashed everything without mercy.


    Then came the sounds I both fear and yearned for. It was as terrifying as when I heard it the first time. It was like the ground was being chewed by teeth made of stone and metal.


    I quickly focused {Regen} on my eyes and restored my vision. There I saw the Nobles and Bifrons gawk at the chaos the occurred below us.


    As the ground broke, massive towers of flesh arose. With their ascent the night sky was covered making the surroundings even dimmer. Yet they did not only come out in tens but in hundreds!


    Practically not an inch of the earth remained connected. Nothing need be said about the army that once occupied the lands. Rivers of white liquid and blood flowed as the Rank A Tunneling Worms began to feast.


    "W-WHAT? Why the fuck are Tunneling Worms outside the corridor!" "What the fuck is going on?!" "We should take them down! There are thousands of us here!"


    Amidst the chaos, I made my move.


    ''{Save}. {Rewind}.''


    My body broke into light and reappeared devoid of any injury. As my stamina and blood lust soared, I looked towards Bifrons and summoned my guns.


    ''{Vengeance} [Inventory] M107, FT5. [Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Jasmine.''


    Still focused on the Tunneling Worms, none of the Nobles noticed me. I raised both weapons and aimed at Bifrons. I pulled the trigger.


    Dazzling light erupted as the my blessed rounds raced toward''s the Archdemon. He turned around only to meet the Sacreds head on. However not everything went according to plan.


    The .50 BMG ripped apart Stefan''s shoulder and right arm. While the 95mm HEAT Rocket tore through his head but didn''t detonate. Even with Jas'' combat clairvoyance, Bifrons did not move, he only smiled.


    Surprised by the light, the Nobles all turned around and saw that I was ready for combat. But as they noticed the state of their leader, rather than fight, they all began to flee.


    "AHHH!!! RUN AWAY!!!" "FUCK THIS SHIT I''M OUT!" "SCREW THIS!"


    But naturally, I would never give them the chance. They all drank till they were full. Now it was the Tunnel Worms and my turn to do so!


    "WELCOME TO THE LIMITLESS BUFFET! PLEASE ENJOY YOUR STAY!"

 Chapter 726 For our future [1/2]

    ''Exa. Keep an eye on Bifrons for me.''


    [Yes, my lord.]


    Screams from an unimaginable number of sources echoed all at once. It was so chaotic my ears began to hear buzzing. The sounds of Ghouls, Zombies and Feral Vampires flinging themselves onto the Rank As.


    Somehow unlike the other monsters every being on this floor knew that they had to either put down the Rank A Tunneling Worms or die to them. And like ugly as fuck spaghetti strands trying to be dolphins, the Rank As moved.


    Each time they dived the flooring caved. Deep crevasses appeared while plunged the Vampire army to the pits of darkness. Problem was we were already in hell. Where would these fuckers go?


    The Tunneling worms reminded me of wiggling maggots on a corpse. They feasted on the land itself. Nothing the other monsters or undead did mattered. Compared to the Rank A''s they might as well be ticks on the ground.


    I saw over a hundred Rank As decimate the large army. Earlier they were like a sea of shadows. Like hairs on a scalp, they were beyond number and raced through the darkness. But now they were like grass being mowed.


    Each time the ground quaked, thousands died. The ones that didn''t were swallowed up in the massive maws of the Tunneling Worms. It was in this chaos that the Nobles Vampires tried to flee.


    Terrified of being shot by me, they scattered. Only for most of them to be eaten without mercy. The ones that could evade were like ships trying to navigate a minefield. But despite their speed or agility they were torn apart all the same.


    ''Would they really die though? Couldn''t they just fly out of the Rank As or wait to get crapped out?''


    Before the Tunneling Worms arrived, there countless white bodies on the floor, while black, red-eyed bats ruled the sky. This persisted no matter how many I took out by detonating Castle De Arno or invoking {Soul breaker}.


    But now, for the first time, I could see gaps in the battlefield. With the ground chewed up like a rag full of holes, the Ghouls arriving finally began to cease. Unlike before the skies were not as congested.


    When the bats or Nobles in the air clustered, a Tunneling worm leapt up and ate them. Through the collective effort of these cataclysmic beings, even the infinite army began to die out. It got so bad that the ones who only arrived similarly got swallowed up immediately.


    Still, even in this tumultuous event, I needed to reduce this army as much as possible. I raised the M107 and the FT5 and began sniping all the Rank B Nobles I had in range.


    ''Exa, give me a count. How many are there for each side, where are the girls? Why can''t I feel their links?''


    [The ladies are still in the Hellsgate Corridor my lord. They closed their links to not allow their situation to affect your battle. Lady Liv has Ascended to a high-level Phantom or Level 6. Lady Lilly on the other hand has ascended to a Specter.]


    "W-What?"


    Lilly ascended to a Specter. That statement made my brain freeze. Humans needed to die in order to become Wraiths. Wraiths needed to give up their humanity to become Phantoms. Phantoms were forced to forget their memories of the dead in order to become Specters.


    The Untamed, the former princess of North America was already a Phantom when I met her. She was stuck for years as a low-level Phantom because of her trauma. When she learned of the cost to move forward, like the rest of us she hesitated.


    Lilly''s mother, Gladys Adams was a maid who died waiting for David. Much of Lilly''s drive and hunger for excellence was so that she would not become like her mother. And the Brownings who adopted her used this fact well.


    When she moved up Level 5, I was sure she already began to forget some of her memories. Similar to her, I also hesitated to ascend. Doing so would cause me to forget my dad for one. I''m sure many of the humans I knew or met in my childhood already left vanished my memories forever. I just never gave a shit.


    A bitter feeling rose up from my stomach. All of my girls had departed loved ones. And each time they grew stronger, they would forget more and more of these people. But we could not stop. We would get killed if we did.


    I always wondered, what I would become once I forget about Frank Smith? How would that work? Many of my memories with Noel were related to him. Would even those memories disappear too? Didn''t that also mean that even the ones we killed would also be forgotten?


    Now that I thought about it. My journey as a Reaper had bodies upon bodies stacked on it. Red, the reapers of Savior, Gaspar, they were the proof of the path I took. Yet much like the ones who died of natural causes I would forget them too.


    [My lord, this is why they decided to not tell you. They knew you would act like this. They told me to give you a message. "We know the cost, and we gladly pay it for our future."]


    "For our future, huh?"


    No wonder hundreds of these Rank As were sent here. This could never be done with just {Portal}. Lilly must have gained a new Specter level {Fate}. And much like the difference between Wraiths and Phantom''s its power must have been out of this world.


    As I wondered I was able to snipe over fifteen Nobles dead. It was only after that did Exa finally called my attention.


    [My lord, Duke De Arno has finished regenerating.]


    I lowered my weapons and stared at the Noble Vampire who had and Arch demon in his body. Unlike a Reaper, they did not regenerate with black smoke. Instead, they had blobs of flesh disgustingly pour out of their injuries like clay.


    It kind of reminded me of how Ghouls healed themselves. Even when you liquefied their bodies, they were able to reform once again. They were truly almost immortal save for when they were blessed.


    Originally, I just intended to shoot Sacreds at this fucker till he died. But that wouldn''t work based on what he shared.


    "Haha your face seems to be surprised that he can come back! Listen here worm. The Arch demons are not immortal that we do not age. We are the ones who are truly immortal. We cannot be killed! The most that happens is we go to sleep!"


    While he could be lying, from how arrogant he was, the probability of that was extremely low. Funnily enough when your opponent treated you like dirt, they usually wouldn''t go out of their way to hide the truth.


    Whether it be because he was pretending or lying outright both needed his ego to give me some kind of value. For example, there was no reason to lie to a dog, this was because the was no benefit in doing so. And this bastard saw me as a pet. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire


    "Gulp. Ah! Exquisite, such a deep flavor. Hmm¡­ The one without end told me to be careful. I abandoned Gaspar when I saw this worm using blessings in large numbers. And she also said we needed to use all our power to kill him." S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Unfortunately, this bastard had the ability of jumping between bodies. This meant that right now he was in Stefan, should he be killed, he would just switch hosts. He was like a fucking parasite.


    And as I knew from Anime and Manga how annoying parasite were, I had to be careful. I had to know how he did it, so I could lock down his ways of escape. But as I remembered the words of the Astrologer earlier, I opted to use another weapon.


    A weapon that theoretically could kill Bifrons. That was partly why, I allowed them to feast on my blood earlier. And why I tried to get them to invoke {Call my Name}.


    ''Exa, has Stefan invoked {Call my Name} yet?''


    [No, my lord, he has not.]


    ''Guess, I need to push harder.''


    When Stefan was back to full health, he had an angry expression. His clenched his teeth as he grunted his next words. The feeling I got from him was still dangerous so I believed it should be still Bifrons.


    "You insect! You shot me but let me heal. Are you stupid or something?" he inquired in confusion.

 Chapter 727 For our future [2/2]

    "Nah, I just figured that since your way weaker than Andromalius and all, I could afford to put you last."


    At my clear provocation, killing intent gushed out of Stefan''s body like a flood. It was so thick it seemed solid. From his reaction, it seems I was correct that he had a complex.


    "W-WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME?"


    "I said that I find the Ghouls much more dangerous that you. Sit quietly till I kill you, little demon. I will play with you later."


    The moment I got that he was a parasitic type of Arch Demon, I tried to play on his insecurities. I didn''t know if it was real. But normally in Anime and Manga parasitic powers were due to envy of being someone else.


    ''Funnily enough that character''s name was Envy.''


    "I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Stefan shouted in rage.


    He raised his hand into the air and manifested a scepter.


    ''Fuck! Is that Stefan''s {Brainwash}? This cannot be good!''


    "{Indoctrinate} {I COMMAND EVERYTHING ON THIS FLOOR! KILL THE REAPER LIMITLESS! EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DIE TO DO SO!}"


    "Ah fuck. This definitely is not good."


    I felt chills climb up my spine. When I turned around, I saw every single Tunneling Worm behind to move towards me. The bats in the sky, alone with whatever corpses was still on the ground moved as well.


    [My lord. You cannot allow yourself to be distracted. I agree with your earlier assessment. We need to push him hard enough for Bifrons to be desperate. Otherwise much like the character you mentioned he would be unkillable.]


    "Got it. Let''s start with this shall we?"


    ''{Blink}.''


    I teleported behind Bifrons and raised my anti material rifle towards his sternum. I then saw an mirage of him do a back kick. However, unlike the other Nobles, within milliseconds of combat clairvoyance seeing the future Bifrons moved.


    Using the Taekwondo move, his sudden attack broke the M107 in my hand and bend the barrel like a pretzel. I again saw a mirage of him move in my mind. But much like before, I could not counter in time.


    "Ugh!"


    Despite covering myself with the FT5, a powerful kick slammed on my chest. The impact sent shockwaves into my body. {Limitless} and [Knight] was powerful enough to withstand tank rounds. Yet I felt blood come up my throat as my insides suffered from his blow.


    [My lord! Dodge to the right!]


    Knowing Exa would never harm me I followed. After I threw my body to the right, I felt a wave of air pass me be. A loud rumbling growl followed after. The vibrations reminded me a beast agitated from stress.


    I turned my head and saw a tower of flesh racing towards the sky. It began to cast shadows on me causing the sky to get even darker. Along with it was the shrieking of a thousand bats.


    My mind began to overload from the mirages moving in my vision. This was the weakness of Jas'' combat clairvoyance. You cannot predict what was outside and you had a limit to the targets you could predict at one time.


    ''[Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Robyn. [Inventory] AA-12s.''


    The moment, I changed silhouettes I felt my body heat up in different places, all at once. Given the scope of my body, I believe that over a hundred targets were attacking me all at once.


    ''Exa, where is Bifrons?''


    [Look to your left, 2 ''o''clock! Above you.]


    I quickly turned towards Bifrons and invoked {Replace}. Appearing in front of him, I shoved my shotguns towards me. Only for right side of my neck to heat up! Moving faster than I can think I tilted my body and lowered my head to the left. Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    A red crescent shrieked as it passed me. My sudden evasion caused my rounds to miss my target. I barely had a moment to think when my entire body felt like it was burning.


    [My lord! Evade! From up above!]


    ''[Afterburner]!''


    I tried to fly forward, but the feeling of heat on my body only grew stronger.


    [Invoking [Autoload]!]


    Feeling my body suddenly breakdown into lights Exa rewinded me back to where the battle began. I back to my original position only to see a Tunneling Worm fall from the sky!


    It seems that like Slingkys falling down the stairs the Tunneling Worms moved in arcs. They rose then fell exactly like the toys. I could barely register what was going on when my right hand and side heated up.


    A crescent projectile ripped my hand apart taking 90% from each of my fingers. Naturally the AA-12 was also in pieces. In the same moment, something tackled me but before I could even point my gun on my attacker, I once again felt my whole body heat up!


    "FUCK! {REPLACE}!"


    I rewinded my body to as far as I could see. But the enemy didn''t let up. The Nobles began attacking me with flying projectiles. Bats and Vampires tried to stop me from moving. And a Tunneling Worm was always on my ass!


    Every gun I took out was ripped apart as I pulled it out. Even when I used [Overload] on my classes nothing mattered. Resisting or evading the attacks of the Nobles made no difference, the kill zone of the Tunneling Worms was just too intense.


    ''EXA! Help!''


    [My lord, use the bodies of the Tunneling worms as cover! They need a minimum arc before they can fall, float around the side the bend from! This will protect your back from attacks!] S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "GOT IT!"


    I followed Exa''s words and flew towards the nearest Rank A I could find! Before I could even begin to attack, I heard thousands of objects moving at high speed. I invoked [Afterburner] and moved around the main trunk of the Tunneling Worm.


    It was like a massive tree that bloated of the sun. Explosions followed as the Noble Vampire''s blood crescents began to pepper the body of my makeshift shield.


    "ROOOOOARRRR!!!"


    Its scream echoed, but no one paid it any head, within the next second, my body once again heated up. I deactivated [Wizard] and began to free fall into the ground. My decision proved correct as yet another massive maggot arrived. It slammed into the side of the one I was hiding in and began to rip its kin apart.


    "FUCK!"


    A felt a gush of wind from both my sides as if I was in a wind tunnel. Three more Tunneling Worms rose from the ground like elevators of flesh. Before I could even react to that I heard the sounds of footsteps.


    Looking down, I saw thousands of Ghouls climbing up the bodies of the Rank A''s. They were like monkeys running on four limbs. My body began heating up as hundreds of projectiles flew towards me.


    "MOTHERFUCKER! THIS IS TOO MUCH! {PORTAL}!"


    Envisioning my surroundings outside, I created a sub space {Portal} and leapt inside! Upon exiting my body once again felt like it was burning. A shadow blocked the night sky telling me all I needed to know.


    ''HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSE TO FIGHT LIKE THIS! I CAN''T EVEN GET TWO SECONDS BEFORE I GET ATTACKED!''


    [My lord, I apologize. But this is the case for the entire floor! There are simply too many enemies! They are converging on your position, your {Save} spots are similarly overrun!]


    ''Screw this!''


    When in danger, the safest place was always besides the stronger mother fucker. That was what I learned from in Anime, Games and Manga. Running away from danger normally was the worst thing to do when outnumbered.


    "Where is Bifrons!"


    [He is directly above you!]


    "Good!"


    Before I could choose a spot for {Replace}, my vision got blocked. Flying projectiles, bats and shadows from incoming Tunneling worms hide Stefan''s body from me.


    "{IMAGING} -X-RAY!"


    Seeing through everything between Bifrons and I, I marked my {Replace} point. However, I allowed the blood crescents to riddle my body with wounds. Naturally less than a second later, I got swallowed by a Tunneling Worm.


    "{SAVE}!"


    With my save point inside the body of the Rank A, I allowed myself to be carried away. I kept my eyes on Bifrons, and he was smiling still in the same spot.


    "Motherfucker, you have not fought someone like me! {Replace}!"


    I appeared behind Bifrons once more, this time, he made a back handed chop as he turned around.


    "YOU NEVER LEARN!"


    While my neck heated up, I didn''t resist. When his hand almost decapitated me, I hugged him and screamed at the top of my lungs.


    "{REWIND}!"

 Chapter 728 Heroine Chapter: Better this way [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Lilly Browning Smith


    ___


    "BROOOOOOOOAARR!"


    Amidst the sounds of thundering hooves, raging thunder and golden light we moved. We were currently risking our lives to make it towards the Hellsgate Corridor. This was while hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of enemies sought to take our lives.


    For some reason, after my Dearest met with the being known as the Vampire Duke, all hell broke loose. We saw the Vampire army suddenly come from every hole in the ground and converge on this floor! It comprised of Rank F Zombies, Rank E Ghouls, Rank C Stone Borne, Rank C Vampires and Rank B Noble Vampires!


    My sisters and I knew the power of such a force. This group in particular was a strong as a floor break! If they were able to reach the surface, without my father''s intervention, the entire battlefront itself may be overrun!


    A single Vampire alone was about three times as powerful than the average Descendant. That already made them extremely difficult to defeat. If you added the fact that they were nearly immortal they were terrifying enemies. And there were thousands of them!


    This was why the floors in the thirties and forties where Vampires were common, rarely had low level Phantoms at level 4. It was hubris and sheer insanity to dive that deep if one hadn''t at least reached level 5.


    Much like the Ghouls, you needed to have Manifested weaponry at least on the rank of a mid-level Phantom. Anything less than that, and it was impossible to kill them. Even the ones that bought Blessings for their sub weapons could not fight such beings in large numbers.


    If it was literally anyone else in our position, even standing up to these monsters was certain death. However, the combination of {Reload}, Sacreds and guns allowed us to defeat them in a manner never seen before. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The blessings which normally were buffs that dulled with time, were concentrated in expendables. And because the only lasted for a single moment, their power was magnified on an unprecedented scale.


    This allowed them to easily take down not only Ghouls but even Vampires. However, even with a thousand Sacreds, our enemies were beyond number. It was like trying to shoot down the ocean itself! A few guns no matter how powerful were not enough to win a battle on such a massive scale.


    Numbers had always played a crucial factor in invasion and war. And against millions even the Sacreds would not be enough. We would only get surrounded, overwhelmed and killed. That would have been the case, if all we had were Reapers.


    Along with our superior weapons were the presence of the Awakened. Monsters that not only were capable of rational thought but had chosen to ally themselves to our cause. Without Juno and the Lizardkin Dragons we would have been overrun due the colossal difference in numbers.


    "AHHHHHHH!!!! IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESSS!"


    Liv''s roars were as loud as the Awakened. Right now, all the Lizardkin Dragons were charging in simple arrow formation. Moving as a single organism, the Awakened trampled on anything that tried to stop them.


    As the normal Lizardkin could not keep up, Liv fashioned large carts using {Shelter}. The Champion then dragged them like carriages at frightening speeds. If they tried to fight while we moved at this pace, they would be simply left behind. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire


    The problem with having such large beasts as allies was they covered a large amount of ground should they run. That demerit was negligible when you consider that each Lizardkin Dragon was like a force of nature.


    They had the power to bulldoze even a hundred thousand zombies with little effort. Ghouls for all their immortality were just a brittle in front of these massive behemoths. Unless a Vampire or a Noble Vampire restrained them, they were like freight trains.


    The very air was saturated with soul, hundreds of thousands of Zombies and Ghouls were trampled underfoot. While the latter would rise back up the former would not. However, despite such riches for the taking, none of us could take advantage of them. Not when our group was under assault for every possible direction.


    Liv was with Juno as our vanguard. In her [Asura] form, the vampires that charged at her were blessed to the afterlife without much fuss. Jas, on the other hand was using [Guardian Angel] to protect the Lizardkin Dragons at the forefront. Along with her mythical sniping, none could pose a threat.


    Delroy and Pixie were on medic duty if a Vampire managed to get inside our formation. Meanwhile Nyda and Leo used {Thunder Form}, to keep off the Ghouls from climbing up the Champion Ranks.


    "My lord be really crazy! Who else would think about using them worms as help?"


    "D! Less talking more shooting! The Vampires are diving!"


    "Ya worry too much, Pix! We only need to wait for the¡­"


    A sudden large blast of light vaporized the coming Vampires like an eraser. Despite it being Hellsgate where there was neither Sun, Moon nor stars our path was quite dazzling.


    "See? We got the Guardian Sniper! HAHA!"


    At that moment three swarms of black clouds began to flow towards the Lizardkin like water. Only for flashes of lightning to race towards them and char them into nothingness.


    {Still, I find it amazing we are actually able to progress at all! It seems Lady Satis really has caused the Vampires to be wary!} Nyda chirped.


    Despite barely having the form of a human, two gems floated in the flying mass of electricity that electrocuted anything in its path. As if to show us that she still had a face, her immaterial form still had eyebrows and looked like a typical water elemental from fiction.


    Her husband who had a similar appearance, ran circles along the skies around the Lizardkin Dragons. {Keep your guard up everyone, the battle will only get tougher!}


    [HAHAHA! ONWARD MY SISTERS! LET''S SHOW THESE FUCKERS THE MIGHT OF OUR BLADES!]


    Even Juno was elated at our advance. While the rest of my allies were trying their best to fulfill their tasks, I had a different focus. Theirs was to ensure we made our way towards our destination in one piece, mine was what came afterwards.


    A sharp and loud crash filled the air. It was a sound reminiscent of glass breaking. Again, and again the same echo repeated fruitlessly. My {Portals}, which had been our lifeline and the greatest of my {Fates} kept shattering.


    ''Tsk. It''s impossible, nothing is working!!''


    ___


    Fight towards the corridor. Draw the Rank A Tunneling Worms from the Corridor and use the {Portals} to send them into the 32nd Floor. I will be bait. Send as many of the worms as you can. My {Kindred} I entrust my hope to you.


    ___


    Under the insane conditions my group was forced to fight under, my Dearest gave an order. Rather than try to fight this enemy with our own strength, we would instead summon another.


    It was truly a plan none other than him would even think. Just a few hours ago, we almost died to one. And rather than cower in the might of such a monster, my Dearest sought to turn them into our allies.


    "Truly one of a kind," I murmured with a smile.


    At his words, the fear my sisters and I felt vanished. Jas, Liv and I could already be considered veteran warriors. Liv in particular knew how horrible fighting Vampires was. Yet all of us agreed, rather than slowly get cornered and die, our {Kindred''s} plan gave us the greatest hope.


    [NeverEnoughCows: HAHAHA! Beloved is truly mad! Only he could devise such a plan! Sisters! I agree with Beloved, if we managed to do this the Tunneling Worms would do the rest!]


    [OneWomandOrchestra: I agree, there is no future in trying to fight with what we have against such numbers. We should focus on breaking through towards the corridor. Speed would be the key! However, how can we get the Tunneling Worms, into the floor?]


    [NeverEnoughCows: I have never seen them enter the floors themselves. They normally only attack the ones who grab their attention. This of course happens only inside the corridor. There has been no other precedent.]


    Naturally as the owner of the {Store} family, the Dearest''s trust and reliance on {Portal} made me very happy. But my {fates} for all their utility had way too many constraints. In fact, it was only because of my Dearest''s admiration that I grew confident in using it.


    {Store}, {Retrieve}, {Stock} and {Withdraw} only brought objects in and out of my subspace storage. This while powerful to a certain degree, had the severe limitation on the objects I could bring. Basically, anything that was "alive" could not enter my storage.

 Chapter 729 Heroine Chapter: Better this way [2/2]

    {Portal} finally lifted this restriction but required two doorways to connect the origin and destination. {Blink} was merely the combat application of {Portal} that simplified {Portal} to a single act. While {Portal} allowed us to do great things it much like the rest of my {Fates} had limitations. Apart from the doorway closing if I passed it, its other major issue was the size of the door itself.


    Even when I overdrafted, I could not get them to surpass 10,000 ft. That, while impressive was no were near enough what we needed. The body of the average Tunneling Worm was over 3 miles or over 15,000 ft. No amount of soul would allow the {Portals} to go beyond their limit. Thus, even if I managed to get them to dive into the door, they wouldn''t fit.


    [OneWomandOrchestra: Sigh, Lilly, there is no other way. We need to draw them in and use a {Portal} to throw them into the 32nd floor. There is simply no other option. But our {Portals} have a max circumference of 914.4 meters or 3,000 feet. Yours?]


    [RealWomenLikeDolls: 10,000 ft.]


    [OneWomandOrchestra: it''s not enough. {Imaging} has put the Tunneling Worm''s body to be even larger than that.] Jasmine stated curtly.


    [RealWomenLikeDolls: I know.]


    [All: ¡­]


    Naturally, I knew the reason why my sisters were silent. In order to gain the ability to do what Dearest commanded, I needed to ascend to the ranks of the Specters. Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire


    I was already a High-level Phantom. Meaning I couldn''t not go any higher¡­unless I paid the final price. But just because I had yet to leave the Phantoms did not mean I still had everything with me. After all, I already knew my memories were already slowly disappearing.


    The day I learned of the cost to become a Specter; I verified it as soon as I was able to. Upon returning to Earth, I pulled out all my old school yearbooks. Looking at the people I spent years with, I tried to see if I still remembered them.


    I found that I could only remember a few faces. Initially I didn''t mind much. I mean who still remembered everyone they met from their long years in school? But as I began to see some notes or messages on some of the pictures, I grew fearful.


    I saw some heartfelt messages from both classmates and teachers. The messages were kind and felt intimate. Some people, I could remember but some I did not. Messages such as "I love you sister!", "Friends forever!" and the like were written on a few of them.


    Naturally as I moved from middle school, high school and eventually college, the messages matured as well. But despite the seeming friendship I had with them, to me they were nothing more than strangers.


    Feeling there was something amiss, I searched among my belongings for some photos. Luckily, I was able to find some. Surprisingly, I looked happy in them, but my memories of both the events and the people were hazy at best.


    Simply put, I had could no longer recall some...no. I could not recall most of my "friends". Frightened, I used the yearbooks to learn their names and searched the internet for each student. It was then I confirmed what I guessed. The ones I remembered were alive.


    But most of the ones I had no memory of had already¡­ Passed away.


    "¡­"


    It was a bitter pill to swallow. It seemed even before I became a Specter, I already began to pay the price. I already began to forget people. The dead to be specific. As I had no deep relationships from those in my schools, I didn''t notice immediately.


    Most of my time in these educational institutions were an "act". I behaved in the way a lady of my stature was expected to. I was the heir to the Browning family before I was "Lilly". As a result, all I had were friendships that were skin deep.


    Learning of the fact that Phantoms at my level already began paying the price, I grew fearful. Aside from me, who was already at the peak of the Phantoms, the rest of my sisters still had one level to go. My Dearest was the same.


    I shared it immediately to the Sirens. And like me, they grew anxious at what was to come. I, being at the forefront, would be the one to experience the changes first. I would be the first to lose my memories completely, possibly forgetting my past along the way.


    Among my relatives that mattered more than a few were already gone. My birth mother was the main one. There were more from my days in the slums.


    As a child, I remembering having friends I starved and stole with. By the time, I gained independence from the Brownings, most of them were already gone. Thus, when I returned, I couldn''t find anyone from that point of my life.


    Similarly, I had Reapers who served under me perish. If we were just counting how many dead people I knew, I had a lot of them. I could not forget some of the Rogues I terminated for their offenses to the battlefront. This group vividly carved themselves into my mind normally against my will.


    Simply put, amongst friends, allies and enemies, many individuals shaped me to who I am today. While there were many which I cherished, there were just as many that haunted me when I slept. Ones I would much rather forget. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Perhaps it is better this way," I remember whispering to myself.


    But the thing that terrified me the most about my Ascension, was the risk of forgetting those I truly loved. Should my {Kindred} perish, I would forget him. Could I really go back to the lonely days I had prior to meeting to John Smith?


    I probably couldn''t. But unlike humans who would at least be able to revisit their memories I would be denied such a right. This was the unanimous fear of the Sirens. Once we step forward, we surrender ourselves to this reality.


    But if I wished to go any higher, I needed to forget the past to see the future. Thus, much like the rest of my sisters, despite being afraid we were willing to continue.


    [NeverEnoughCows: Sister, I¡­]


    [RealWomenLikeDolls: Thank you, Liv. But do not worry. I will manage somehow. Just get us to the corridor. I will do the rest.]


    [OneWomandOrchestra: Leave everything to us, Lilly. And I am sorry.]


    [RealWomenLikeDolls: Don''t be. We all will need to do this at some point. I should have some pointers for you all by then. Look forward to it. Fufu.]


    After that, my sisters no longer talked to me. They focused on their assigned tasks as we made our way forward. I even felt Liv, ascend to Level 6 along the way. As I was mentally preparing myself, I didn''t even know what her new {fate} was.


    ''Mom, you were not the best mother. But I would not have even felt happiness if you didn''t allow me to be born. Goodbye, I love you¡­''


    My mother who I both loved and hated.


    ''Jack, Left Ear, Fatty, thank you for keeping me company. You all filled my childhood days with smiles. We might have starved together but we had fun... Farewell¡­''


    My friends who I laughed and cried with.


    ''Sergent Forest, Private Pile, Private Gump, Private Wilson, I apologize for sending you to your deaths. You deserved better and I thank you for your service¡­Please forgive me¡­''


    To my subordinates who died for my orders.


    As I remembered their faces, I made peace with my decision. And I then spoke to one final being.


    ''{Store}, I do not know if you can hear me. But as Dearest said you do, please listen. Give me the power to fulfill the wishes of my {Kindred}. For that I willingly forgo my memories. Grow with me so that I can stand with him. Please help me, grant my desire!''


    I then felt like the faces I of those I truly treasured grow distant. Somehow, I knew, my memories of them were dissolving from my mind. Along with the feeling was the sound of a pair of scissors cutting something like thread.


    Snip. Snip. Snip. One by one they became people I no longer knew.


    When I finally came to my mother, I reached the core. This woman shaped who I am today.


    But... I could not live for you any longer.


    Snip.


    At that point, power surged from every fiber of my being. And I felt my soulgem and my entire body burn. A new {Fate} carved itself into my mind as I joined the ranks of the Specters. I raised my hand towards our forces and chanted my new {Fate}.


    {GATE}!

 Chapter 730 Does it matter? [1/2]

    I felt my body reassemble in the darkness. I was holding on to something in my hands. My mind then saw a being turning around and sending a punch to my face. Knowing I only had seconds to act, I let go of him and tried to duck.


    But he was too fast. A savage blow landed on my cheek. I felt my jaw crack, as my head felt dizzy, I saw stars. Such power probably rattled my brain. I most definitely already had a concussion. There was just way too much fucking force in that punch!


    ''{Imaging} - Night Vision. {Regen}. [Inventory] Ebony, Ivory, hip holsters. [Combat Shadow Silhouette] - Lilly.''


    Even with {Limitless} on the specs of my opponents was too fucking OP. My body could endure tank rounds! FUCKING TANK ROUNDS! And yet I got staggered and bruised from his blow! If I was a human, or if I had yet to become an Artificial Descendant I would have already died! sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At the speed at which he moved; long guns would simply get destroyed before I could fire. My only chance was to endure his blows and find a way to counterattack. If he wanted to be barbaric and just punch each other to death, then I would happily oblige! But of course, I would still shoot this bastard with Sacreds if I got the chance.


    The world I saw then turned to the faint green. Our surroundings had no light, but Stefan De Arno was in front of me. As if I was beneath his notice, he was looking around.


    We were currently in a swamp like area. A vile disgusting scent lingered in the air. It was the smell of rotting corpses that was putrid and would make one hurl. There were puddles of green liquid pooling on the ground.


    Walls made of flesh surrounded us on all sides. What seemed like stones and corpses of Zombies, beasts and Reapers lay all around. Naturally as I was the reason for our predicament, I knew exactly where we were.


    When my injuries healed, I slowly approached Stefan. Or rather the parasitic entity nesting in his body. Still nonchalant about everything, I couldn''t help flinching when he turned to face me. A Greater Demon usually had such an effect.


    "Really now. You seem to have the most disgusting ideas, worm. What use is confining me in the belly of an oversized maggot? You think I do not have what it takes to get out of here?" Bifrons asked in palpable derision.


    The main reason I brought the Rank A''s was to annihilate the Vampire Army. And they did their job well. Within minutes of their arrival to massacred scores of the Ghouls, Zombies and Vampires. But when they started targeting me alone, it was just too much.


    I intentionally allowed a Rank A Tunneling Worm to eat me. I raced towards its insides and invoked {Save}. I then used {Replace} to get behind Bifrons. Risking being decapitated, I brought him inside the Rank A with me.


    It was the only way I could think of being to fight this bastard alone. I mean, this entire battle I already was out gunned, outnumbered and desperate. But truly this fucking Greater demon was the main reason everything went to shit. He just had to brainwash everything.


    But at least they fucked up the army at least. The only concern was I didn''t know if Tunneling Worms could kill tainted monsters permanently. Unlike the destruction of Arno Castle or my {Soul Breaker}, without holy energy none of the Vampire Army would die.


    That was what made them so troublesome to begin with. I remembered Liv''s explanations about how the North did it.


    "In fact, there are hardly any saints in the North. That is why we cannot push them back, my love. We just sever the tainted ones and put them in separate boxes. The formation of Yvonne''s group is really a great achievement."


    This was why Ghouls were extremely plentiful. As they did not die like zombies their numbers would swell infinitely if left alone. The Vampires which were still Feral were the same. As an unintended benefit I didn''t get overwhelmed with malice.


    ''That''s probably why, I didn''t experience a soul collapse.''


    ___


    Name: Limitless | Race: Reaper | Rank: Phantom | Origin: Artificial Descendant


    Souls available: 2,751,954 | To evolve: 75,000


    {Kindred}: The Seven Sirens


    Soulgear: {Day by Day} | Benevol: {Never Alone} (Corruption Level: 52%)


    ___


    I looked at my own Benevol and confirmed what noticed it earlier. Despite the large devastation the Tunneling Worms caused, very few actually died. Of course, although they didn''t die, they would not be in state able to be a threat.


    Just like the Draugrs I fought, I didn''t really need to kill them. Unless Ghouls and Vampires could get enough of their bodies to regenerate, they would remain dismembered or hopefully in pieces.


    Thus, so long as the Rank As swallow enough parts of pieces of them, they would need to forget being able to get those back. And for now, that was enough. My goal was never to earn souls from destroying this army.


    I just wanted them to be in no shape to assault North America. And from what I saw. Only Bifrons could command this force. Meaning so long as I take him down, the Vampires would not be able to break out of North America.


    Even Gaspar who was way stronger than Stefan got ignored by the Nobles Vampires. It seems that no amount of coercion nor intimidation would force them to die. Unless the one who ordered such was a being levels above them.


    "Don''t be so tense, Bifrons. You''re a parasite. Seeing the insides of a monster should be your normal. I just thought we should duke it out where you would find it most comfortable."


    That was a lie. If we fought anywhere else, his lackeys would hound me to no end. I couldn''t fight both the army and a Greater Demon. But I could however fight either the army or the Greater Demon.


    Bifrons looked at me coldly. It reminded me of people who stared at cockroaches. The expression was a combination of disgust, annoyance and indifference. Like you knew they didn''t care about the bug, but because it was being a nuisance they had to move to kill it.


    "If you wish to die so badly, then you shall do so."


    Just as he was about to move, the ground we stood on began to quake. My skin felt the vibrations traveling along our location. The putrid waters began to create ripples and similarly shook with greater intensity than the last.


    ''Exa, talk to me.''


    [The Tunneling you are in is being attacked by the entire floor. The Vampire army is of no concern, but the other Rank As have begun attacking yours as well. It is unknown if this Tunneling will run or fight.]


    ''Got it. Keep me updated with the information.''


    A slight breeze flowed. I could hear the ruffle of clothes. There was nothing alarming, but my body suddenly dodged to the right out of pure reflex. A moment after, Bifrons'' body appeared.


    ''FUCK! If it wasn''t for Lilly''s techniques, I would have been hit!''


    As I used them, I found the perfect cases to use each Siren''s fighting styles. There were the obvious ones. Liv naturally was the best for guarding or tanking. Jas granted combat clairvoyance and sniping. Bella was optimized for thinking and formulating plans.


    Then there were those that I only learned after using them. Robyn thrived when she fought outnumbered courtesy of her insane combat sense. If I needed to be quiet, nothing would be better than using Aki.


    Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire


    There were only two, that took some time to understand. The first was Jo. Contrary to her combat prowess, what she was exceptional was controlling soul. Lilly''s seemingly didn''t excel in anything at first glance. It only clicked when I reviewed when Exa used her.


    Unlike Robyn who excelled against fighting in a melee, Lilly''s combat silhouette was the best when it came to one-on-one combat. When Exa had to exchange blows with George Clay, the other Sirens relied on gimmick.


    Only Lilly relied on pure technique. That simply meant when you took out soul-based abilities, the Untamed could still own a Phantom. Her [Combat Shadow Silhouette] was ideal for duels. My girl trained herself to be a fucking boss killer.


    I didn''t see anything in my mind as with Jas'' combat clairvoyance. Nor did I feel heat guiding my actions like with Robyn''s combat sense. When I was channeling Lilly, knowledge and muscle memory were all that was present.

 Chapter 731 Does it matter? [2/2]

    And right now, my body began to move without my input. As if I spend decades in the boxing gym, "I" moved. I stomped my right leg. As I took a step forward, my body generated power from my heel all the way to my shoulder.


    My fist then connected to Bifrons cheek. A loud sound like a thunderclap resounded. It was like hitting a fucking wall. Wind currents violently followed my movements as I swung my other fist. Bifrons, not willing to back down did the same.


    I felt a powerful impact break my nose. But my body disregarded the pain and went after blood. Using impressive footwork, I took a step back to widen my stance. In the same moment I swung a feint followed by an uppercut.


    "Tsk," Bifrons clicked his tongue.


    I had no idea how it worked, but just like with the Iron Wolverine Lilly matched an Archdemon. Using nothing but a trained body and American Boxing, I fought with a Rank S being.


    Even though I was not a Vampire, with the {Rewind} family of {fates} I was just as immortal. Under the darkness and the chaotic footing of the Tunneling Worms stomach we fought.


    "What? I thought you were going to kill me? What happened? You lose your purse somewhere asshole?" I provoked childishly.


    And in response, Bifrons sent a high kick toward''s my soulgem. Surrendering myself to "Lilly", I ducked and weaved to evade the Archdemon''s leg. When it passed I sent my fists on his lower back in a flurry of body blows.


    ''Exa, is it possible to adapt Jo''s "Vela Kick" to punches?''


    [Yes. Should I create a {Program} for it?]


    ''Please do.'' Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [{Program} [Soul Combat Arts] created. This {Program} will be auto enabled when you engage in close quarters.]


    ''I fucking love you, Exa!''


    Along with the activation of my new {Program}, I felt soul pouring over my feet, knees, shins, elbows, and my fists. Knowing how Jo''s "Vela Kick" works, the soul filling my limbs would be detonated the moment I struck an opponent.


    I could do it alone to some degree, but not to to the degree I could fight with it. Having {Program} and Exa was a fucking combination that was hard to beat. It was power only I had, and one I intend to abuse so as I needed too.


    "Keyuk!"


    Naturally the first one who would learn of my change was my opponent. He made a pathetic sound as I began to detonate souls inside his body. {Soul Breakers} were built on the principle on soul detonation. And they fucking hurt! There was no way he could just shrug it off.


    Unlike the other Vampires who used their claws, or made projectiles from energy, this bastard fought with his body. Gaspar was the same. Was this because he was a parasite? Or was it because that was how Stefan fought?


    ''Although I did fight one who wielded a spear, so may be they just had different preferences?''


    Bifrons wiped his mouth with the back of his fist and grimaced.


    "Just what are you? The way you fight reminds me of my kin!"


    Caught off guard by his words I replied like an idiot. "What?"


    "Having hundreds of {Fates} is an ability that belongs only to demons. From earlier you have been using abilities from different {Fate} families. Even now your body is home to eight. But you cannot be a demon. So, what are you?"


    It was something to be accused of a demon by Reapers. But when it was done by a demon, a greater one than that, you know something did not add up. But I couldn''t care less at this point. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire


    "Does it matter?" I snapped.


    "What?"


    "Knowing what I am makes little difference. You will die by my hand."


    Bifrons relaxed his body as he began to chuckle.


    "HAHAHA! Is that so? You? You will kill me? When so many have failed in the past? I suppose that seems fair, I have existed far longer than most can even comprehend.


    Perhaps dying will give me a new experience to this monotonous life."


    "Stop lying to yourself you fucking parasite. If you wanted to die, you would have just allowed yourself to die along with Gaspar. I have fought Andromalius. I know what it takes to kill you."


    Bifrons then released death resonance so thick it made me choke. His eyes which glowed red were blinding when I used night vision to see.


    "Your {fate} must be related to arrogance. You are nothing more than a blood bag masquerading as a Vampire!"


    "Haha, says the one who is getting his ass handed to him. Stop stalling you fucking tick. I am going to bash your face in and when I am finally satisfied I will bless the shit out of you."


    "YOU DARE!"


    Shouting cringy lines from eastern fantasy Bifrons, raced towards me. I met him with the same ferocity and began to punch his lights out. We continued to repeat our dance of getting pummeled, regenerating and fighting again.


    ''This isn''t going anywhere. Exa, are the Sirens still using Burger and Fries?''


    [They are using the Switchblades for reconnaissance. So Fries cannot be deployed but Burger is available.]


    ''Good. Summon him somewhere out of sight and snipe this bastard. How many blessed rounds does Burger have?''


    [As we have yet to resupply, he only has 50 30mm Sacreds.]


    ''That is fine, I will pin him and blast him to dust.''


    [Understood, summoning Burger.]


    Bifrons and I were fighting in a stalemate. When Exa invokes [Inventory], he would definitely know something was up. But the longer I spent with him, the more childish this bastard seemed.


    "You parasite. You ever got yourself crapped out? What do you look like? Are you like those hair like things? Or are you a bug with legs?"


    If he had a complex about being a parasite, then I will keep agitating him till he makes a mistake.


    "YOU FUCKING INSECT!" roaring at the top of his lungs he charged faster than ever before!


    I unleashed Death Resonance and reloaded {Replace}. As my seven charges were replenished I caused 14,000 souls to fill the air. Hopefully this was enough to hide Burger.


    Overwhelmed with emotion, Bifrons lunged at me, however his eyes suddenly shone violet! In the same moment, I felt my body slump helplessly. It was as if all the bones in my body turned to jelly. My muscles which needed to bones were rendered useless.


    His fist impaled my chest without mercy. He then grabbed my heart and pulled it out. I felt my tender insides were exposed to the open air.


    "Blergh!"


    Along with the pain of of blood pouring into my empty chest cavity, my body began go into shock. I looked up only for Bifrons to drive a knife hand into my mouth. He then slowly began to rip the top half of my skull off.


    "You want to know why I only use my hands in a fight? Its because the feeling of ripping apart your enemies piece by piece is so fucking satisfying."


    Holding on for dear life, I focused on his back and invoked my {fate} before I passed out.


    ''{Replace}.''


    When my body broke down the pain ceased.


    The moment I felt my consciousness return, I moved my body. Even without waiting for the rest of me to materialize, I grabbed Bifrons by his waist and wrapped my arms like a vise.


    "WHAT?"


    ''Exa!''


    Not even a second passed when a felt the cleansing energy from blessings approach. A 30mm round then turned Bifrons head to dust. Just as quickly as it was destroyed it began to reform. Only for another 30mm Sacred to rid him of his head once more.


    ''Fuck, I am going to die at this rate! [Overdrive] [Knight]! {Regen}!''


    Under the torrent of 30mm rounds Bifrons and I repeatedly had our bodies destroyed. The only constant was I did not let go of him. And for all his strength, he could not shake me off! Even when he did, I used {Replace} to grab a hold of him.


    "ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE! YOU ARE GOING TO DIE TOO!" he roared furiously.


    "If this is what it takes to end you, then I will die as many times as needed!"


    "GET OFF ME!"


    "No. Why don''t you try turning into a bat or something?"


    In a span of a few minutes, Bifrons tried everything to evade. But as my goal was only to weight him down. None of his actions worked. With me clinging to him like a crazy ex-girlfriend, he couldn''t get away. Which led to him being repeatedly blessed by Burger.


    ''I wonder how long till you actually die, I can''t wait,'' I inwardly wondered.

 Chapter 732 Here with me [1/2]

    "AAARGH!!!!! I SEE NOW! NO WONDER SHE SAID YOU''RE DANGEROUS!"


    Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire


    Amidst the noisy howls of Bifrons, my body along with his was blessed by extremely large bullets. Ones that were 30 fucking millimeters. Just for reference on how large these fucking bullets were, lets illustrate them with analogies.


    If a .50 Cal BMG or 12.7¡Á99mm NATO was as big as your index finger, a 30mm round would be the size of your index and middle finger. That might not sound like a lot but remember that these things were flying beyond the speed of sound.


    A .50 Cal round already had the power to turn human flesh into human jelly. Blood, meat and bone behaved similarly when impacted by lead at such high speeds. They simply fucking turned to mush. And Bifrons and I had a 30mm Cannon pounding us with Sacreds.


    "AHHHHHHAAAAHAHAHAAHAHAH!" Bifrons laughed hysterically.


    Probably due to immense pain, my opponent was slowly going insane. Exa was doing the aiming, so I got spare from most of the damage. Who was I kidding that was complete bullshit. There was no way my body would be fine on the receiving end of Burger''s onslaught.


    While I didn''t take any extra damage from the rounds being Sacreds, just the kinetic punch already hurt a lot. Even as I was under the effects of [Knight Lord], I felt like dying. My {Shelter} armor might not have shattered from one round, but under repeated hits it broke all the same.


    But that was still acceptable, under my current circumstances. I was locked in combat with Bifrons. A Greater Demon whose abilities was parasitic in nature. Unlike Andromalius who was a straight up brawler, Bifrons was like a shape shifter. He embedded himself into Noble Vampires.


    His host earlier was Gaspar, but after I fought him, he jumped and took control of Stefan De Arno a vampire duke. I knew it would be hard to murder a parasite. Anime and Manga had many stories about villains who were similar in nature.


    It was fortunate for me that my girls were not around. Half off the complexities that arose from enemies like Bifrons were them taking allies hostage. As I was alone, I just had to make sure his host dies.


    Gaspar and Stefan his prior hosts both Noble Vampires, I didn''t know if he could take over me or the Rank A Tunneling Worm but right now, he didn''t seem to do so. I already had a clue how to kill him. Once Stefan broke down, I was sure, Bifrons would look for a way to survive.


    As much as he wanted me to believe, Bifrons was a coward. He abandoned Gaspar for solely that reason. Thus, under the right circumstances I was sure he would do the same to Stefan. Thus, right now, I was having Burger bless the former Japanese reincarnator to death.


    ''Sorry Stefan. I knew you felt like you were a hero and all, but I think this would be where you die.''


    "HOW COULD I FALL HERE?! ME? BIFRONS! THE ARCHDEMON OF DUALITY!"


    At his roar, Bifrons body dissolved and turned into bats yet again. No longer having a body, I could cling too, he ascended up our battleground. And in response, I looked a few feet in front of the flock of bats and moved.


    ''[Inventory] AA-12. {Blink}! [Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Robyn.''


    Appearing in front of the bats, I drew the AA-12 and pulled the triggers. The thunderous roar of blessed 12-gauge buckshots spat glowing lead like dragon fire. Under the chaotic rain of my weapons the bats all evaporated to golden light.


    {NOOOO!!!!!}


    The bats then turned into a fine mist that creeped along the walls.


    "EXA!"


    Burger focused his steam of 30mm rounds directly onto the mist. The dazzling radiance of holy light pushed back the gaseous vapors. Like fog what remains of Bifrons or Stefan to be more specific receded. It ultimately reformed again into a solid being.


    "THAT FUCKING WHORE USED ME!!!" He screamed in fury.


    The Noble Vampire reappeared but now lacked his right arm. Seeing his rapidly deteriorating state, I knew his end was close. There was a reason I chose the insides of tunneling worm as our battle ground.


    This was the best cage I could come up with.


    As Bifrons quickly switched bodies, fighting where there were literally millions of bodies was fucking stupid. That was before the fact that, while the size of a Tunneling Worm''s body was fucking huge, its stomach only made a small part of it. After seeing its body structure using {Imaging}, I was certain this would be the ideal place to kill Bifrons in.


    Consequently, the moment we fell into this place, Bifrons death was sealed. In this relatively enclosed space, he could not run from me. Sacreds worked extremely well when used indoors. Under the dazzling light of my blessed rounds, even the Zombies, Ghouls and Vampire corpses turned to golden dust.


    And as the Tunneling Worm was not undead nor was among the tainted, Sacreds hardly did shit to it. This made the walls of its body suddenly become an extremely tough jail cell made of muscle and fat. Trapped with nowhere to go, his only recourse was to die.


    "{REPLACE}!"


    Once again repositioning myself, I lunged at Bifrons and wrapped my arms and legs on his body. Before increasing my mass to ensure he would not be able to escape


    ''[OVERDRIVE] [KNIGHT]! [Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Liv.''


    Of course, he could try killing me. Like he did earlier. But not unless he could ensure I wouldn''t get close, he was done for. I had no qualms pinning him down for burger. And I boxed with him to scope out his abilities earlier. In all of our exchanges he showcased his fearsome martial prowess.


    His spill earlier also was a clue into how this bastard rolled.


    "You want to know why I only use my hands in a fight? It''s because the feeling of ripping apart your enemies piece by piece is so fucking satisfying."


    Apart from {Erase} which he used to pin me down, and Stefan''s mind control abilities, he had nothing else. This made his combat abilities extremely lopsided. This was why his punches were so fucking op. And why nothing I did in close quarters could overwhelm him.


    He probably stacked {Fates} that improved his speed, strength and defenses. And the fucking bastard brought these cheats to his new host. Otherwise, there was no way Stefan could fight this well.


    Even when he had the option of gaining hundreds of {fates}, it seems this fool chose overwhelming physical force. Unlike Andromalius who could fight with energy-based projectiles and his body. This parasite on the other hand was a pure muscle head.


    I didn''t how or why it started, but ever since I began using [Combat Shadow Silhouette] I felt myself slowly changing. To put it into simpler terms, I began to incorporate the behavior of my girls into my own combat style. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Logically it made sense, if were taught by a master it was natural that you would adapt the master''s teachings. My girls slowly trained my body, from how to move, how to shift my weight, to even how I needed to stand. Footwork, combat techniques even breathing, I absorbed it all.


    A change I did not expect to get had nothing to do with combat. It was more in the domain of mind games. I picked up the habit of passively psychoanalyzed my opponents. It was probably from either Bella, Jas, Jo, Lilly or Aki. It might even be Liv or Robyn for all I knew.


    Knowing what my opponents valued or hated gave me the buttons to agitate him. I already knew how to do that before I became a Reaper, but now I suddenly learned what it meant. Prior to this change I would simply annoy Bifrons just to throw him off.


    Now I understood him more and more the longer I fought him. To a degree I would consider us close. The same reason why this bastard hated being called a parasite was the same reason he loved physically dominating his opponents.


    Both stemmed from his inferiority complex of what he was. I could see why. If Andromalius and Bifrons were in the same room, it would have been like comparing a professional quarterback and a toddler.


    Against the sheer power of a specimen like Andromalius nothing Bifrons physically could do would be in the same sphere. However, the same weakness would have been his strength. Bifrons would be a nightmare to fight in a different way. The current predicament was a clear example.

 Chapter 733 Here with me [2/2]

    Andromalius could only bash the doorway to Earth. Bifrons could open it from the inside. Infiltration, espionage, information gathering or political maneuvering, such allowed Bifrons to take over entire floors a feet Andromalius was not able to do. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire


    And yet this fucking idiot still chose to fight like a brawler. It really was fucking stupid. I had to remember that as I made my way down Hellsgate, I would need to be wary of the other demons of Ars Goentia.


    ''Well, I got lucky that he is that way. If he wasn''t it would have been even more difficult to kill him.''


    A 30mm round ripped apart the wings coming from Bifrons'' lower back sending us hurtling to the ground. We crashed to the ground with enough force to throw me off. Exa didn''t give the Greater demon a chance to get back on his feet. Like the machine that she was, Burger''s cannon didn''t let up even for a moment.


    Bifrons who had his face buried under the smelly pools of stomach acids was ravaged by Burger. Without any concern for ammunition or overkill Exa continued to pour blessings onto Stefan. The sight was reminiscent of a corpse being mercilessly struck by lightning by the hundreds.


    ''This would normally be the part where I ask, "is he dead?" only to prove that he is not.''


    [Should I stop? I do not actually see him with any of my censors. I merely estimate his position using your hearing.]


    ''I need a way to see these fuckers. {Sonar} only works for Reapers and things that move. But no. Do not stop. Blast him till he melts. Which reminds me, I should too.''


    ''{Day by Day}, [Shared Armory].''


    I called on my soul avatars and began to blast the shit out of his last location. But suddenly the ground we were standing on suddenly turned upside down. It was like we were on a boat that capsized. The stomach was now rolling in circles.


    Burgers and my Avatars had to exit the battle as trying to make sense of things as we fell was difficult.


    ''Exa, talk to me!''


    [The Tunneling Worm whose stomach you reside in has been assaulted nonstop by the Vampire army and its kin. Earlier it was pinned by other Tunneling Worms which prevented it from burrowing. Its body has been ripped in two due to excessive damage.]


    ''That does not explain what is going on! Why are we rolling around?''


    [The top and bottom pieces have separated. You are in the upper half of the deceased worm that is falling to the earth. The cage has been broken, if Bifrons'' rushes to the direction you are falling down in he will exit the worm''s body.]


    "Fuck! I already had him!"


    The wind began to scream in my ears as I felt downward. As I was in free fall, bullet casings, stomach juices and left over corpses and flesh all fell with me. I tried to find Bifrons but I couldn''t. If he turned to bats, I might be able to find him, but if he chose to hide as mist, it would be impossible.


    Feeling nothing would be resolved by just waiting, I used {Replace} to get out of the Rank A tunneling worm.


    ***


    When I regained my consciousness outside, I saw an unbelievable sight. The Rank A Tunneling Worm''s upper half was falling high from the sky. It was as if the moon was crashing to the Earth. Meanwhile its lower half was being devoured by the other Rank A.


    It was like maggots eating each other. Their sheer sizes made the scene all the more horrific. I could see thousands of figures swarming over the Tunneling Worms like ants. When I zoomed in with {Perceive}, I saw that they were in a chaotic melee.


    Ghouls, Zombies and Feral Vampires were all biting the hell out of each other in a three-way battle. I searched the skies and saw that there were hardly any fliers remaining. While there should have been some Noble Vampires, I could no longer find any.


    ''Exa, where are the Nobles?''


    [As you and Bifrons battled, the monsters he ordered to attack you initially tried to fight the Tunneling Worm. A lot of them were crushed by the clashes of the Rank As. When Bifrons got repeatedly blessed, I noticed that the number of monsters under Stefan''s {Brainwash} diminished.]


    ''Diminished?'' S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Yes, as more and more blessed energy damaged him, the Vampire army and the Tunneling Worms slowly broke free of his command. They then began to turn on each other. Whether because of left over aggression or survival instincts remains to be seen.]


    "That sounds good and all, but I still need to kill Bifrons for this mess to end."


    I then felt my {Kindred} link to Jas, Liv and Lilly reconnect. The pleasant surge of relief, warmth and affection made me smile.


    ''Welcome back my lovely {Kindred}, I have missed you so much,'' I greeted.


    ''And I you, Beloved, but know that once this is all over you must answer for your crimes.''


    ''Husband, your recklessness is going to kill me faster than even Hellsgate can. Be ready for a beating.''


    ''Fufu, Dearest, you better be ready. I shall grant you my affection as well as my resentment. Rejoice! I your {Kindred} brought about the outcome you wished!''


    Hearing their words practically drowned out all the negative emotions in me. Regardless of their threats I knew how much these women sacrificed for me. Liv was at level 6 while Lilly ascended to a Specter. As I knew the personal histories of my girls, I understood what my princess had to give up.


    ''I will listen to your complaints later. Right now, I need you all. Bifrons is hiding inside this area. I need him dead! The Tunneling Worms have fulfilled their purpose, it is time to send them back!''


    Bifrons was a Greater demon capable of hiding in a host. He should still be in Stefan as far as I know. But due to the large number of monsters here, he could just as easily infest my girls or my allies.


    Next up on the task list was finding a way to send back the Rank A Tunneling Worms to the corridor. I still did not know how the girls even did it. I suspect it was because of Lilly, but I had no idea if she still had enough juice to send them back.


    Of course, once again both of my instructions bordered on the impossible. But while that may have been the case for me. It was not for the Sirens. They were wiser, smarter and significantly more capable than I ever could be. And as long as I asked, they would do it.


    ''Beloved, you truly are mad, but I''m starting to think that I am the same. No matter, I shall see both done, my love!''


    ''Be glad your woman is above the norm, Dearest. Who else would continue to pull off miracles at your every whim? I hope you adequately compensate me.''


    ''Stop complaining you two. We all know you both would give up your hearts if Husband asked. As for you my {Kindred}, I need to reeducate you on prudence!''


    ''Haha, Thank you Liv. Thank you, Lilly. Thank you, Jas. Naturally I can say such only because I have you girls here with me. Let''s finish this up and go home.''


    ''YES!'' x3


    [My lord, find solid ground and please use {Never Alone''s} fifth ability.]


    "Fifth ability? You mean [Beacon]?"


    [Yes, also we need a starting location for our forces.]


    I left behind the falling Tunneling Worm corpse and tried to find a plot of land that still had some footing. But the devastation of the Rank A''s didn''t manage to leave any spot devoid of giant crevasses.


    ''[Overdrive] [Wizard], [Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Jo.''


    Figuring it was just a waste of time to search further, I chose a spot and landed. I used Jo''s skill in molding soul and created a {Shelter} flooring. I spent a couple of seconds, strengthening it and increasing its load capacity.


    When I was done, I invoked [Beacon].


    Three {Portals} opened up and out came my chocolate-skinned Wifey, my American Princess and my Northern Valkyrie. With mesmerizing smiles, they all raised their hands and invoked in unison.


    "{PORTAL}!" x3


    Out of the three doorways came out my party, Juno and the Awakened along with George''s group. The time for this battle to reach its final stages has finally arrived.

 Chapter 734 Thats it? [1/2]

    "Damn Brutha, them Rank A worms are huge! And we about to fight them AND a Greater demon. As always, my lord rocks like the end of the world."


    "Exa, I should be searching for the Arch demon Bifrons correct? Or would it better to search for Stefan De Arno instead?"


    [Yes, Pixie. While his current vessel is the Noble Vampire Stefan De Arno, he might have already jumped to a new host. Simply look for him and the ladies will do the rest.]


    "Aren''t you all a little too relaxed? Bifrons should be a Rank S Greater Demon, right? How can you all act like there is nothing wrong?" Nyda asked curiously.


    "Cupcake, I think Hellsend is just used to it now. I mean we have been with them for what a week? And we got into fights with a Tunneling Worm and a Greater Demon."


    [LIMITLESS! YOU ARE INSANE BUT YOU ARE STRONG! THE AWAKENED AND I STAND READY! LET''S TRAMPLE OVER THEM!]


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    Juno at the lead raised her front hoofs and kicked in the air. The sight of a Lizardkin Dragon on its hind legs was terrifying. Luckily, she was on our side. A group I didn''t think would be present was the six veteran Phantoms I shot earlier. All of which were ready for battle.


    "Son, I think you need to do something about your pet. She seems to be a little too excited."


    "Can it George! Limitless and these Lizardkin are tight. He might shoot us again like earlier. This boy does not joke around."


    "But didn''t the pretty ladies say we would be forgiven if we recover Evelyn?"


    "Just be on your best behavior Bison, if we lose Evelyn, it will be our heads!" S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I know! I got a binding soulgear on her, she ain''t going anywhere."


    Upon closer inspection, the Phantom named Bison was carrying a person over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. {Imaging} told me that the person was Evelyn Flowers, the target of this entire operation.


    I didn''t even know how George''s party survived. Much less how they recovered Evelyn. Probably understanding my confusion, Jas hugged me tenderly as she explained.


    "When we were gathering Tunneling Worms in the Hellsgate Corridor, Exa and I monitored the situation closely. Before they got devoured by the Ghouls, I opened a {Portal} and had Pixie and D recover them. We then had them kidnap Evelyn as Stefan got hijacked by Bifrons."


    Pleased with her foresight, I kissed Jas'' lips. My praise for her flooded our link with joy. Unfortunately, as I savored her taste, lust began to consume me. As my desire for her grew, I began to seek her lips more forcefully.


    Feeling my embrace around her tightening, my Wifey pushed me away. She bit her lip seductively as she teased. "Soon. Bifrons comes first."


    "FUCKING HELL, I NEED TO KILL THIS BASTARD!" I shouted annoyed.


    Liv wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me towards her. The Northerner then rested her face on my shoulder and made me turn towards her. Others might say she was overly emasculating, but to me, her overbearing gestures felt extremely endearing.


    My Valkyrie was acting like a giant dog. One that playfully pushed you around due to her desire to be petted. She stole my lips and pouted unhappily. No words were said as we stared into each other''s eyes. Knowing what she wanted I turned around and wrapped my arms around her tightly.


    "Thank you for protecting them all Liv. I am so glad you are here. I love you."


    "Beloved¡­"


    Before I could kiss her gain, I had the back of my collar yanked. Liv let go of me as another Siren pulled me closer. "Yes, yes, everyone did a good job. Can we get on with the program now? Dearest. We should begin, the enemy would notice us soon."


    As I saw the face of my American lover, compassion and gratitude filled my heart. This woman joined the ranks of the Specters all for me. And here I was about to burden her with more hardship. If earlier I understood what she had to do, now that I saw her face to face, I was reminded of the price she had to pay.


    Frustration griped me as I came to terms with her ascension. I was really a fucking terrible partner. Sensing her new depth, it became undeniable that Lilly was a Specter. Despite her appearance barely changing, the power this woman could now call to bare was leagues higher than what was previously possible.


    But before I could say anything, Lilly mischievously placed her finger on my lips and giggled.


    "Fufu, as always Dearest, the way you treasure me is insane. Stop insulting the man I adore. This is what our family decided, no? This is something we both wanted. So, it''s OUR burden not just yours."


    "Because none of you will remain Phantoms. And I want you all to know. Everyone, I have made up my mind. In order to survive the coming dangers, we must get stronger. Stronger than anyone before us. You are my {Kindred}; thus, I will make sure we all become Revenants."


    Remembering my words to them before we got married, I nodded resolutely. It would not be only Lilly, but all of the Sirens. Despite the cost, we had to ascend to Revenants. That was what we needed if we wanted a life of peace.


    Probably sensing my mood calm down the Untamed made a gorgeous smile as she playfully added.


    "Besides, if I stopped for even a moment the others would overtake me. Alas, such is the burden of being a Siren! I might have broken a record or something! I haven''t even chosen a zone to defend, and yet I am already eligible to join the assault teams! HOHOHO!"


    I could only smile wryly as Lilly began to brag about her Ascension. Her eyes were bright with happiness as she talked out loud about her accomplishment. However, it was cut short when Jas took one of my hands and placed it over her chest.


    "Husband, I hesitated earlier. But I am ready now. Please tell me exactly what you desire, and I will evolve my {fate} in that direction."


    Most reapers would consider Jasmine mad. There was a limit to the relationship between {Kindred}. Just how much did this woman trust me to prioritize my desires for her {Fate}? {Fates} were the deepest regrets and desires of Reapers given form. To allow another to shape it was the same as letting them control your future.


    Yet, as I already knew that nothing was more important for Jasmine Denel than I, I did not doubt. Instead, I responded how she wanted me to. By using this chance she gave, as best as I could. All for the goal we run towards.


    "{Perceive}. I wish to know the truth of this world. Show me what the world knows and what it wishes to hide."


    I then felt a colossal wave of soul erupt from Jas. Wind swirled around her until the currents spun faster. A hurricane suddenly formed as the winds caused my Wifey''s hair to trash in the chaos. Meanwhile she kept her eyes closed as she concentrated. Her link was in chaos, and I couldn''t talk to her.


    ''Let''s trust Jas. I need to focus on defending her.''


    Personally, I needed over 75,000 souls to evolve to Rank 6. But as my {fates} were typically way more expensive {Perceive} would generally need maybe around 50 or 60 thousand. Still suddenly using such numbers would suddenly drown the area around you in soul.


    And soul called to not just undead and but monsters as well. Even Vampires turned feral if the number of souls was high enough. However, just from the undulations coming from our locations, it was safe to say that if our enemy didn''t know that we were here. They do now.


    It was extremely terrifying when you saw maggots that size of gigantic skyscrapers all turn around at the same time. And that was not counting everything else. When legions of humanoids who were all tearing each other apart not only suddenly stop moving but turn silent, it was as scary as a horror movie.


    And that was before they all began charging forward. The Tunneling worms all began to bend their bodies before tunneling underground. They killed several of the Vampire army as they dived, but I don''t think they particularly cared.

 Chapter 735 Thats it? [2/2]

    Unfazed, the Ghouls, Zombies and Vampires all began a mad rush towards our location. The Vampires in particular leapt great distances becoming the vanguard on their side. Whether it was because they were way too excited or they hungered for battle I wouldn''t know.


    What I did know what that I needed them all dead.


    "Lilly!" as I roared, I began to prepare for battle.


    ''{Day by Day}, [Shared Armory], [Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Bella. [Inventory] Burger, Fries.''


    "IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS! HELLSEND PROTECT SATIS AND EVELYN! TAKE DOWN EVERYTHING THAT TRIES TO STAND IN OUR WAY! I WILL TAKE CARE OF THE TUNNELING WORMS! BE COURAGEOUS AND DO NOT FALTER! OPEN COMBAT!"


    [AWAKENED! IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS WE MARCH!]


    "BROOOOOOOOAARR!"


    At the bone chilling cries of the behemoths, they all began to run forward. While the Rank A''s were still a problem, it seems that the Awakened were out for blood. Despite the crappy footing, the Lizardkin Dragons barreled down towards the enemy.


    I was originally worried about Juno''s forces clashing with Vampires, but something amazing happened in the next moment.


    "[Asura]! [Valkyrie]! [Inventory] 1887, M32! HELLSEND! SHOW ME A BATTLE WORTHY OF SONG! {REINFORCE}!"


    Liv''s loud voice made the very air quake. I then felt a huge number of souls almost as dense as Jas'' ascension fill the air. Along with it the entire Awakened army, every Reaper present got encased in {Shelter} armor.


    All seven of my avatars felt our bodies wrapped in glowing white heavy looking defensive gear. It gave us the impression of Norse warriors. And surprisingly it wasn''t just the Reapers or my tank. even the Lizardkin Dragons similarly gained Liv''s protection.


    Juno and her sisters transformed into behemoths practically made for war. Like medieval war elephants that suddenly gained heavy armor plating, they combined nature and innovation. The sight of {Fate} armored Lizardkin dragons was quite intimidating. And this was before the fact that each of them could bulldoze castles with ease.


    The defensive gear while temporary still made them even harder to kill. It increased their mass and turned the monsters into even better makeshift wreaking balls. Just how much more damage would Juno and her sisters do with Liv''s support? I grew excited at the thought!


    Not to be left behind, even the smaller Lizardkin and Lizardkin Guards similarly gained a complete set of armor. It didn''t look as heavy as the armor given to Reapers, but it did protect their vitals. And while Liv''s new ability didn''t give us {Shelter} weapons, it was enough.


    {Reinforce} did one thing, but it did it extremely well. With just one {Fate}, Liv increased the survivability of our allies by a fairly large margin. And right now, that was exactly what we needed.


    Like a superhero, Liv leapt over the Awakened in a single bound. She then landed on Juno''s head and steadied herself. It seemed that my Northerner intended to use Juno as her steed. In less than a few moments, Juno crashed into the beings the size of an average human.


    As the entire Awakened vanguard met the Vampires, even with the hilariously exaggerated size differences, the behemoths were stopped in their tracks. Just two of the Rank C Vampires had enough physical strength to stop a small mountain like Juno.


    "Most impressive. But your power serves no purpose, monster!" Liv roared.


    Although they managed to stop the Lizardkin dragons in such a grandiose spectacle, it hardly mattered. 10 gauge and 40mm caliber Sacreds made short work of the Rank Cs turning them into dust. More and more of them joined, but the result remained the same.


    "ARRRGGGHHH!!!" the Vampire''s cried in anger.


    The feral mosquito bastards then changed targets from Juno to Liv, only to die pathetically just a few moments later. Leo, Nyda, D and Pixie who belatedly arrived, similarly position themselves on the heads of the Awakened. Specifically, the ones beside Juno.


    Nyda was carrying Lilly''s M60 machine gun. In contrast Leo had Jas'' M24 sniper rifle. The two of them along with Pixie and D evaporated the Vampires butting heads with the Awakened. The Vampires did not have enough brain power to both stop 50-foot-tall behemoths and evade getting shot by Sacreds.


    Thus, to my men, it was truly a duck hunt. Unfortunately, I moved too late, my avatars were already armed and gained {Reinforce} but aside from Sunday hardly anyone else would be able to run after rampaging Awakened.


    But then Lilly''s voice echoed amorously as she stood beside Jas.


    "Here you go Dearest. I am sending you to six of Juno''s sisters. Go crazy. {PORTAL}!"


    At my princess'' shout, six {Portals} opened. Along with them was thousands and thousands of rounds floating together like a angry swarm of locusts. The bullet swarm entered the doorways and began to fly across the battlefield.


    Amazed, I looked at her in disbelief. Thinking that she needed to converse her stamina I was about to advise Lilly to focus on the Rank As until she began giggling like a little schoolgirl. As if she was a child, my princess made a mischievous smirk before finally answering with a proud smile.


    "Specter," she said as she pointed to herself.


    That was all she needed to say, and I knew my worries were just stupid. While Phantom''s had to think of countless ways to bypass {Portals} restrictions, Specter''s just made up their own rules as they go. If Phantom ranked Lilly would be struggling to accomplish what she was doing now, Specter ranked Lilly would'' even bat an eye.


    "Thanks Dear. Please don''t overdo it," I cautioned.


    "I won''t."


    At that point I had my six soul avatars entered each subspace doorway and join the battle. While Sunday stayed with Jas and Lilly. Standing atop Lizardkin Dragons, I aimed my weapons down to the ones desperately stopping my allies and shot them dead. It really couldn''t be simpler. Unable to focus on me, death was all that waited them.


    With my armory at our disposal, the Vampires who even thought about approaching my mounts got blessed into extinction. The automatic weapons did incredibly well from high elevation. Protected by my squad, Juno and her sisters were able to advance unimpeded.


    ''Exa, how are the rest of our forces doing?'' I asked feeling a bit nervous. Things were going a bit too well. I was sure something was going to come along and fuck it all up.


    [Burger is stationed as a guard to Evelyn and Lady Jas. George''s party is similarly taking care of those that try to approach them. The Awakened army is dominating their respective opponents, with Hellsend neutralizing the Vampires, everything else cannot stand up to the Lizardkin Dragons. There is just one problem though.]


    Just then the ground began to shake. It was as if a magnitude 9 on the Richter suddenly appeared. But I knew that wasn''t the case. Sending souls into my eyes I activated {Imaging} - MRI, I then scoured the ground to see where the Tunneling Worms would pop out of.


    "Shit, shit. Where? Where are you bastards going to come out from?"


    No matter how good the battle was going, if we suddenly get swallowed by another Rank A it would all be for nothing. The first spots I checked were below Juno and her sisters. Then I combed the underground areas around Jas and Evelyn. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If were unable to stop the Tunneling Worms from tearing up the ground we were standing on, we won''t be able to win this. I bit my lip as I grew anxious at what we could do. While it was possible to reach their stomach in one piece, I wasn''t sure if I could do it again without getting sliced apart by their teeth.


    But then I felt the {Kindred} link of my girl finally begin to normalize. My Chocolate skinned Wifey, then finally opened her eyes and smiled.


    "Lilly, link up with me," she requested.


    "Sure, {Perspective} - Satis."


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    "{Accept}."


    "What am I looking at?"


    "The Tunneling Worm. Time to send it away."


    "Agreed."


    Hellsgate suddenly shook once more as a part of the ground close to our location violently broke apart. Out came the enormous head of a Rank A Tunneling Worm. The monster lunged towards us like as a snake.


    However, as if expecting it, Jas and Lilly simply turned towards the monsters and stretched out their hands.


    "[Future Sight]!" "{GATE}!"


    An extremely large subspace doorway opened feet away from the Rank A and swallowed the Tunneling Worm, before suddenly vanishing.


    Feeling the events were a bit too underwhelming I complained absentmindedly.


    "Fuck! That''s it? We just cart them away like trash?"

 Chapter 736 My vow to you. [1/2]

    I couldn''t help but swallow in nervousness. Not because I was afraid. There were just somethings man naturally found overwhelming. And right now, I was experiencing just that.


    "AOOOOOOOOOOOOH" with their mouths no longer munching on dirt and Earth, the loud and drawn-out cries of the Rank A Tunneling Worms resounded.


    Three of them broke out of the ground a few miles away from us. But they didn''t leave the ground and instead bent their bodies towards us. They probably intended to use the ground as some sort of anchor and a means of escape.


    While Lilly took care of the first one who tried to eat us, she and Jas remained silent as the trio now came closer. The ones beside me all grew more frantic the closer the Rank A''s got. I of course was focus on something else instead.


    Specifically on the change in appearance of my Wifey. Jas upon ascending to level 6 now had a extremely large eye on her forehead. The indigo-colored iris was the size of a palm. It made the Ebony Deathstalker look like a monster from Hellsgate.


    ''Exa¡­''


    [I do not know my lord. The only assumption I could make is that this is a trait of Lady Jas as a Reaper affiliated with Africa. As you know their combat style involves soul forms.]


    I tried to remember what Exa showed me about African Reapers.


    _________________________


    Africa


    Theme: Adaptive transformation (Soul Forms)


    Common battle style: Shape shifters | transformations


    Revenant Combat Style: Transforms to forces of nature (Hannibal Mandela)


    Siren Combat Style: [Research Needed] (Jasmine Denel) Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    _________________________


    Previously among the Siren''s only Jas didn''t fit the molds of the Battlefronts.


    Lilly a part of North America fought by breaking the laws of the universe.


    Bella''s {fate} seemed geared towards numbers as befitting of someone from South America.


    Liv gained physical resilience in exchange for pain which was standard for Northerners and their curses.


    Robyn an Australian slowly lost her martial ability in exchange for strengthening her {fates}.


    Aki who hailed from Asia buffed herself with {Eat}, keeping step with her continent''s combat style.


    Jo much like the rest of Europe was haunted by Vela who shared her wisdom and strength.


    If Jasmine really manifested her third eye as her soulform, what was she supposed to be? Before I could come to an answer, the men with us began to get rowdy.


    "SON! Let''s move!" "Why aren''t the ladies doing anything?!" "PLEASE DO THAT MAGIC THING! NOW!" "COME ON! DO SOMETHING!"


    I was fine with their bitching but then one of George''s people tried to approach Lilly. Both of my girls seemed to be in a trance and were frozen on the spot. Thus neither could defend themselves if someone tried to grab them. As their {Kindred} there was no way I would be fine with this.


    ''{Blink}.''


    Quickly swinging the M134 into their direction, I grasped my weapon''s joystick handle and pressed the trigger switch with my thumb. In response, the six 22-inch barrels began to spin. I placed my index finger on the fire control trigger before I grunted out my one and final warning.


    "Get away from my women or I will slaughter you all. I will only say this once."


    A M134D minigun has two triggers, one on that made the gun spin, and the second one that actually fires the bullets. It was designed that you needed to press both ensure the gun operated. The moment I squeezed my index finger 7.62 NATO would begin shredding the Reapers in front of me.


    George and his friend quickly restrained the one who tried to grab Lilly. I nodded and removed my fingers from both of the triggers. I then looked towards the Rank A''s rushing towards us.


    It wasn''t like I couldn''t relate to them. How would you feel if suddenly three ugly looking monsters suddenly raced to bite your face off? Due to their sheer size, it was as if three meteors the size of the moon fell from the sky.


    The sheer magnitude of the monsters completely blotted out all light even those from the Sacreds. Such an intimidating sight would be enough to make anyone piss their pants. I was worried they might try to harm Lilly or Jas out of desperation, but they instead began to vent their frustrations out loud.


    "UGHEK!" "FUCK! WE''RE GOING TO DIE!" "BISON! I LOVE YOU MAN!" "IF I EVER LIVE THROUGH THIS, I AM GOING TO BUY A BROTHEL AND FUCK LIKE MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!" "Sigh, guess I had a good run." "Let''s just get this over with."


    George''s party as always was full of colorful language. In the face of our impending demise, their emotions were all over the place. Surprise, fear, regret, acceptance, resignation to even impatience. I couldn''t blame them; I didn''t even bother raise my gun.


    For one, it was because even though I held the mighty M134 Minigun, it was nothing more than a peashooter to a Tunneling Worm. And that was before the fact that there were three of them. But I wasn''t afraid.


    That was simply because Jas and Lilly were beside me. Although they seemed to be focusing on something else at the moment. While most would be terrified out of their wits, I took a deep breath and tried to put the minds of the others at ease.


    "Calm down you all. We are not going to die," I advised.


    "How can you be so confident, son? Don''t you see that?" George retorted as he pointed to what was coming.


    ''Because I trust my {Kindred}.''


    Even though, I answered in my mind, I didn''t bother replying out loud and just waited. While the Worms would not be cause for concern, the farther we were from Juno and the Awakened, the more we would be targeted.


    ''Exa, has Pixie found Bifrons yet?''


    [She has a general direction. According to her {Fate}, he is still on the floor and is quite close by.]


    Interesting, so he hasn''t chosen to run? Was it because I kept insulting him earlier? If he developed a grudge against me, we could use his own pride to keep him here. A fearful scream called me back from my contemplation.


    "AGGGGHHHHHH! THEY''RE HERE!"


    I looked up at their shouts only to see a Tunneling Worm''s face just less than a mile away. It opened its petal like limbs and displayed what looked like a million teeth that decorated the entirety of its round mouth. The clicking sound of teeth scraping together by the millions filled the air.


    However, before it could come reach us, my Princess triumphantly shouted for everyone to hear.


    "BEGONE YOU OVERGROWN MAGGOT! {GATE}!"


    "Tsk, stop grandstanding and get to work, two more incoming," Jas quickly added.


    Like invisible walls, extremely large {Gates} appeared in front of the three monsters. Due to their speed the Rank As hardly had any time to stop. Helplessly the exposed part of their large bodies entered the doorways.


    However, what came next was beyond my wildest dreams. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "They do not seem to wish to pass, don''t they?" Lilly asked obviously delighted.


    "Mmm. They won''t. Husband, please cover our group with a soulcage, quickly."


    Although I didn''t understand why, I complied. I expended some souls and created a simple soulcage that covered my girls, George''s ground and I like a dome.


    "Fufu, I might grow addicted to this. Marvel at my glory, Dearest!"


    The princess of North America then snapped her finger. In the same moment the large {Gates} suddenly closed. This was while half of the bodies of the Rank As were still in them.


    "W-What?" I stammered.


    When the {Gates} disappeared the worm''s bodies were all cleanly severed! Like chopped by a butcher, the outer halves of three Rank As fell lifelessly to the ground.


    "¡­"


    It was a feat that would dumbfound anyone. The massive crashes that made the ground shake caused everyone present marvel in awe. Whether it be friend or foe, the entire battlefield turned silent. This was all because of the presence of one woman. One Specter.


    Capable of power that dwarfed even a hundred Phantoms, Lilly Browning my {Kindred} joined the ranks of the power houses. And her ascension could not have had a bigger stage.


    What were Tunneling Worms? They were gigantic beasts that were the equivalent of cataclysms made of flesh and muscle. They trampled and ravaged the Vampire army that would have broken North America with ease.


    Impervious to all the fire power at my disposal, I called them here betting on their tyrannical nature. And true enough they were unstoppable and monstrous. But now three of them laid dead at my feet.


    Although their bottom halves were still hidden underground their severed ends no longer moved. A frightening amount of soul rose to the air. The feeling was refreshing similar to the cleansing breeze from the battlefront''s receiving area.

 Chapter 737 My vow to you. [2/2]

    The sharp clacks of Lilly''s shoes echoed, I turned around and saw her smiling in glee.


    "Fufu, did you see that Dearest? I am even more amazing now!"


    As I looked at the American I loved the most, I noticed something. Her body was trembling. Despite her apparent happiness she wasn''t at ease. I quickly checked her link only to find traces of fear, worry and regret swirling around it.


    I quickly approached her and took her into my arms.


    ''Lilly, are you alright?''


    At my simple question Lilly''s entire body flinched. Her {Kindred} link grew even more agitated. Feeling her inner turmoil, I gave her a soft kiss along with a simple reassurance.


    ''Dearest, it''s okay. No matter what happens, we will face it together. I do not know what it is you fear, but I promise you, I will be right there beside you no matter what it is.''


    "Mhmm¡­ Okay."


    Lilly''s arms tightened on my back as she buried her face into my chest. Although her trembling stopped, I felt my shirt getting damn from her tears. Despite all that however, my woman said nothing and just kept quiet. It seemed that she had no intention of telling me what was wrong.


    After a few moments and her link similarly calmed down like a tranquil river. No matter how close we were there would be things she needed time to process. And while she gained power none of us could even dream of, it came at a cost.


    ''Lilly, I will wait till you are ready to tell me. As your {Kindred} loving you is my right and responsibility. Remember that I am right beside you, okay?''


    ''Yes Dearest, thank you,'' she replied meekly.


    [My lord, I apologize for interrupting you. But Pixie, has found Bifrons. Lady Liv and Juno has gone to pursue him. The Vampire army has broken free from Bifrons'' control and has begun to scatter.]


    ''Show me. [Cyborg].''


    Activating my technopathy after a long time, I connected my vision to the Switchblades flying in the air. Even though I knew our enemies were on the back foot, all my avatars were concentrated around Juno. So, it could hardly be said to represent the entire battle.


    And although they were in different parts of the floor, the scenery was the same. The massive Tunneling Worms began to burrow away from us. Perhaps seeing the deaths of their kin terrified them.


    And it wasn''t just them. The Vampires all regained their senses and began to haul ass. They began to turn into either mist or bats and flew away. A few of them ran on the ground bringing a large number of Ghouls with them.


    Although there was only one way out of the floor, they scurried all over. Like rats the once overwhelming Vampire army broke and began to escape. While there was still a fairly large number of them so long as no one joined them under one banner the Vampires should no longer be a threat.


    ''He must have intended to wait for this exact situation.''


    The chaos of the large number of groups separating was the perfect cover for Bifrons. It would have been impossible to find him in such circumstances. Unfortunate for him, while I could not overwhelm him in battle, my people''s ability to track was without equal.


    Disconnecting from the Switchblades I returned to Sunday. Lilly who sensed my return pulled away and began to wipe away her tears.


    "I will handle the other Tunneling Worms; I was the one who brought them here after all. Would you like to go to where Pixie and Liv are?" Ishtar obviously trying to be act happy.


    Wordlessly I nodded. I felt a figure embrace me from behind. Naturally I knew it was Jas. Lilly then opened a {Portal} in front of us. I was about to enter when I heard someone clear their throat.


    George took a step forward while scratching his bald head, "Uhm. Son, I know me and my boys haven''t been able to contribute much, but can we join the hunt for Bifrons at least? I was prepared to die fighting mosquitoes but knowing that everything is his fault, makes him my target for revenge."


    I looked at the other Phantoms in his party and their faces were resolute. They pushed up their chests trying to make themselves bigger. Truthfully, I had little expectations from this group. But as they had no way to take down Zombies permanently, I guess my standards were just too high.


    "The rest of you?"


    They did not answer and just nodded. I took Jas'' hands in mine and walked into the {Portal}.


    ''Lilly, take it easy, okay? I will be back shortly.''


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    ''Yes, Dearest. Let''s talk later.''


    Lilly kept the doorway I used open and after a few seconds the rest of the Phantoms follow after me. One of the Reaper''s from George''s party still had Evelyn on his shoulder. Given how she was still out. Jasmine must have used {Fate} ammunition


    ''Exa, tell Leo and Nyda to come here. They should take hold of Evelyn.''


    [Yes, my lord. They are on their way.]


    We were transferred into the battle ground were the Awakened were rampaging. Without the Vampires and the Tunneling Worms interfering there was no longer anything capable of hurting the Lizardkin Dragons.


    I scanned the area and found Pixie riding alongside Juno and Liv. It was probably because aside from Juno none of the other behemoths would listen to Reapers. With my destination set, I was about to run with Jas when I noticed she had her back to me.


    "Wifey?"


    At my call she flinched and didn''t turn around. When I approached, she turned and made sure I could not see her face. When I tried to reach for her, she evaded my hand.


    "¡­"


    Her link was filled with shame and disgust. Feeling I knew the reason why, I blinked beside her. Surprised she tried to run away. I grabbed both of her shoulders and forced her to look at me. Instead, she lowered her head to the ground.


    "Wifey. Look at me," I said a bit annoyed.


    As she probably felt my emotions, she timidly looked up. Her expression was full of hesitation. It was as if she didn''t want me to see her face. I let go of her shoulders and wrapped my arms to her waist.


    I slipped my tongue down her throat in a lewd expression of desire. While she acted surprised the Ebony Deathstalker melted in my arms like putty. Satisfied with the outcome, I kissed her cheek tenderly and answered the doubts she probably had.


    "Jas. If you are acting like this because of your third eye, then don''t. I already saw it. And I find it eerily beautiful."


    I moved my hand and traced along the eyelid of her forehead intimately. Her three eyes all stared at me seemingly lost.


    "You don''t find my hideous? I do not know what happened. I turned into a monster!" S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ssh. You are no monster. You are my Wifey. The same one you always have been. We will figure it out together. But never believe that my love for you is only skin deep, okay?"


    Along with my words I drew closer and kiss her third eye as it closed. A burst of happiness exploded from her link when I did.


    "Really?"


    "Really."


    Jas then almost crushed me with her hug. But I wasn''t bothered and returned her affection. A female voice then joined our conversation.


    "Uhm, should we go now my lord?"


    Nyda Flowers along with her husband were looking at us with flush faces. I ignored her and took Jasmine''s hand into my own. With a face full of bliss, she followed along as I walked.


    "My vow to you is half completed. Take your sister from them and protect her. Hellsend will now hunt Bifrons."


    "Please allow us to join my lord! My husband and I are also part of Hellsend!" the woman argued.


    "Indeed, you are. And there is no way to know if someone else would move to kidnap Evelyn back. I need you and Leo to make sure she is safe. This is as important as our hunt. Do you understand?"


    Nyda gazed at me intently before nodding. She then picked up her sister from the others.


    "My lord, I know I have said it multiple times already. But thank you so much for saving my sister. The Armstrong family subordinates ourselves your house from this point on. T-Thank you so much my lord. I didn''t think I could be with my sister again."


    With her voice breaking halfway through Nyda passionately thanked me as tears fell from her eyes. I merely nodded and turned around.


    "As for the rest of you. Let''s go. Time to kill an Arch demon."

 Chapter 738 One way or another [1/2]

    "[Wizard]. {Day by Day}. Wifey, let''s fly."


    "Right behind you, husband."


    ''Exa, tell Liv''s ground that we are coming.''


    [Yes, my lord. Pixie is the one charting their course.] Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire


    Deactivating my technopathy, I chose to gain the ability to defy the laws of gravity. Jas followed me as my feet fell of the ground. As the numbers of the Vampire army continued to dwindle, I also recalled my soul avatars.


    "{Formidable}!"


    Running behind us, Bison from George''s party transformed into his soul form. His allies then all leapt on top of him as they charged after us. Given his size, he was in a slow trot. They should still be able to follow us even if we went faster.


    I turned to my flying companion and asked for her permission.


    "Wifey, do you mind if we go faster?"


    She shook her head and made a beautiful smile.


    "Of course not, Husband. Soar as high as you wish, I will protect you."


    I felt the corners of my mouth curve up automatically. How could this woman be so lovely. I consciously had to force my giddiness down and focus on the task at hand. I felt Jas squeeze her hand as she made a carefree laughed.


    "Haha, Husband, you are being incredibly adorable right now. Focus."


    "Well, that''s kind of your fault. Anyway. Let''s do this. I want to go home as soon as possible," I replied as I let go of her hand.


    "Yes. I am also worried about the others."


    "Right, let''s go Wifey, I am counting on you. [Afterburner]!"


    "YES! [Afterburner]!"


    Invoking my {Program}, Jas and I accelerated. When I wondered where I should go, something glowed in my vision. As if I was wearing AR glasses a green arrow appeared in my vision. It was reminiscent of the map markers you often found in games.


    [I have taken the liberty of creating a marker to guide you, my lord.]


    "Thanks, Exa. Whatever would I ever do without you."


    "Hmph. Husband, if put your hands on Exa, my sisters and I will not sit still."


    "Wifey, how would I even do that?"


    "I know you can touch each other in cyberspace! Also, I want to complain about something. Haven''t you been playing too much of ''Dress me up and Love me: Siren party''? You are far too lewd!"


    [Lady Jas, my lord has confessed his love to me multiple times now.]


    "HE WHAT?!"


    "EXA! DAFUQ!"


    As we made our way towards Pixie, Exa kept messing with me and Jas. I had to soothe her and promise her a date in exchange for not telling the other Sirens. After about five minutes we finally closed in a Liv''s party. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Juno and one other Lizardkin Dragon were running at full speed. There were a small group of a hundred Lizardkin guards with them. Liv who immediately noticed me approach began waving her hands in the air. Pixie held her {Fate} {Compass} in her hands and was in a trance.


    Jas and I landed on Juno''s head. Like a devoted spouse, my Northerner dashed towards me and welcomed me with an embrace. She kissed my cheek before taking my hand in hers.


    "Beloved."


    "Liv."


    "Jas."


    "Liv."


    I then felt my Wifey take free hand. As if competing she intertwined our fingers affectionately. My Northerner who saw chuckled as she began to explain.


    "Has Exa told you what happened?"


    "Not entirely, all she said was that Pixie was tracking Bifrons."


    In truth, Exa could have explained it to me in details using Technopathy. Our exchanges were normally faster than even light and were near instantaneous. But out of respect for the other Sirens, when it wasn''t urgent, Exa held back her explanations.


    Communicating was one of the cornerstones in any relationship. While the girls and I could always converse without words, seeing each other speak was also quite nice. Hearing the beautiful voices of the Sirens was among the things that brought me great happiness.


    "I see. When the Awakened met the Vampires, Pixie was focusing on finding Bifrons. As the Awakened she rode on did not want to converse, I and Juno accompanied her. I left D and the adventurers to focus on maintaining the battle line.


    "As we chased after Bifrons, a small group of his allies tried to delay us. But as we had Pixie, we found him not long after. Next, he kept brainwashing other Vampire groups to fight for him. Often trying to escape in the confusion.


    "Exa told me that he has the ability to jump between bodies but despite Stefan De Arno''s Injuries he has yet to switch bodies. He has kept going in this direction. Fortunately for us hardly any other creatures lurk along the way, so we were merely waiting for you."


    Liv probably was downplaying her accomplishments, but I was certain her Vampire and Noble Vampire kills would be quite high. I half expected Bifrons to jump to another body. While him not doing so while suspicious, it was the best situation for us.


    Now that his avenues for escape was narrowing, all that remained was to end him. Ecstatic that killing the bastard was close at hand, I brought Liv''s hand to my lips and kissed it tenderly.


    "Well done my love. I am so grateful you are with me."


    Liv smiled back as she replied, "I only did what was expected of me."


    I pulled my girls along and walked towards Pixie. Up to this point neither she nor Juno had greeted me. Before I could ask Exa explained why.


    [My lord, currently Pixie and Juno are linked with [Share Vision]. I suggested it so that Juno would be able to react quickly to Bifrons rapidly changing position.]


    "I see. Well done. Where is Bifrons now?"


    [He has entered one of the abandoned forts up ahead. From Pixie''s triangulation he appears to be hiding in the basement. I had Lady Liv scan the area and it has a large complex under it. There is a 70% chance that there is something hiding under it. It appears that Bifrons intends to give up without a fight.]


    "It does not matter. One way or another he dies today. Wifey, can you check it out?"


    "I can. {Insight}."


    All three of Jas'' eyes shone with light as they gazed at a distance. My chocolate skinned lover then brought her hand to her mouth in surprise. Her soft gasp led me to believe we were in for a tough fight.


    "Husband. I think you should see this. {Perspective} - Limitless."


    "Accept."


    After I exchanged vision with Jasmine, I finally understood why she was shocked. Using {Insight}, all the being in the abandoned fort light up. There were roughly 200 Noble Vampires protecting the place. Thousands of ghouls were buried around the complex. But above all there was a large monster the size of Juno under the cavern.


    I was similarly taken aback but that had more to do with Jas'' new {Fate} than Bifrons. Partly because {Perceive} under my guidance evolved into exactly what I needed.


    ___


    Name: Stefan De Arno (Enslaved) | Bifrons the 68th (Rank S: Greater Demon)


    Race: Reborn | Type: Noble Vampire | Origin: Reincarnator (Sahashi Tsubasa)


    Soul Capacity:


    (Stefan De Arno) {Entropy} 1/1


    (Bifrons the 68th) {Entropy} 100/100


    Available Malice:


    (Stefan De Arno) 487,460 | To evolve: 2,360,000


    (Bifrons the 68th) 78,487,460 | To evolve: N/A


    {Entropy} (Stefan De Arno)


    {Brainwash} Lvl 7/40 | Class: SSS | Type: Support | Owner: Self | Sub: {Manipulate}, {Condition}, {Reeducate}, {Indoctrinate}, {Migrate}, {Invade}


    ___


    {Entropy} (Bifrons the 68th)


    Combat Class: 2


    -{Stomp}, {Knife Hand}


    Defense Class: 58


    -Expand-


    Support Class: 40


    -Expand-


    Assassination Class: 0


    -N/A-


    ___


    First off, I saw what Stefan or Bifrons actually had. {Insight} from this information could root out parasites with perfect accuracy. It was able to even see Stefan''s true nature as a reincarnator. That alone was already impressive, but it also could explain concepts no human should know.


    The first of these was malice. In line with what I learned from Juno and Roach, it was the resource Monsters and Demons used. Much like souls for us, it was what allowed them to become more powerful.


    The second was the value listed under race. I was expecting monsters, demons or undead. That''s what Reapers called the enemies of Hellsgate. But {Insight} used an unfamiliar term. It was Reborn. Somehow, I felt that this word was something that hid a terrifying secret, but I didn''t have the time to focus on that now.


    Finally, and perhaps the most concerning of all was {Entropy} from the screens it seems that was what the {Fates} used by the Reborn were called. While I still did not understand what all this meant, {Insight} confirmed my deductions for Bifrons.

 Chapter 739 One way or another [2/2]

    Out of the one hundred spots he had for {Entropies} he had over half of them dedicated to defense types. His next highest was forty abilities all of a support nature. While for offensive skills he only had a combined total of two. Both of which I already saw in combat.


    "Wifey, your new {fate} is fucking amazing. Can you look towards the monster?"


    "Be serious, husband! You keep making a big deal out of everything!"


    Despite her words I felt joy drown Jasmine''s {Kindred} link. Following my request, she turned towards the large creature in the basement.


    The being appeared half humanoid its upper half had a human until about the waist. From that point below it looked more like an octopus. Its entire body was covered by what looked like armor made of white material. However, traces of what looked like bone accented its body.


    Protrusions like horns jutted out of its shoulder and sides. Its arms were incredibly long and was more akin to octopus tentacles. This thing looked extremely tough as the texture of its flesh reminded me of packed exterior of a gorilla.


    ___


    Name: --- (incomplete)


    Race: Monster/Demon | Type: Demonic Chimera | Origin: Vampire / demonkin


    Soul Capacity: N/A


    Available Malice: N/A | To evolve: N/A


    ___


    {Entropy}


    -N/A-


    ___


    The status pages that float on the being was in line with what I knew. It was a demon monster hybrid called a chimera. As both {Entropies} and {Fates} required a soul it seems this thing was nothing more than a vessel. I wouldn''t have been concern if we were to fight anyone but Bifrons.


    "Shit. Wifey. Bifrons intends to transfer from Stefan to the Chimera, doesn''t he?"


    It made complete sense. Parasites normally had no control about the physical characteristics of its host. It was completely understandable that if the option to make was available that he would take it. Especially someone like Bifrons who had a complex about his physique.


    "That was my guess as well. But it seems he is not able too."


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    Jas then turned her head and focused on Stefan''s body. I didn''t know if it was intentional, but it was scratching its chest. Bifrons kept throwing Stefan''s bodies along the walls as if he was trying to kill him.


    "It appears, Stefan is trying to fight Bifrons."


    "¡­"


    It was impossible to hear from this far away. But I had no pity to spare for Stefan. The current priority was to ensure Bifrons could not get on his chimera. And while I appreciated Stefan''s resistance, I would not bet the future of my family on his sorry ass.


    I let go of Liv''s hand and tapped Pixie on the shoulder. The teenage jolted awake and almost dropped the manifested {Fate} in her hands. Despite being thrown in battle after battle Pixie chirped excitedly.


    "My lord! You are here! I have a lock on Bifrons! We are close!"


    Unconsciously I placed my hand on her head and brushed her hair. She initially froze but relaxed after a few moments.


    "I am aware. You performed excellently, Pixie. Thank you. I am proud of you. Well done. The Sirens and I will take over.


    You can take a breather now," I praised.


    "Hehehe! You are welcome my lord! I am still okay! I have {Call my Name} so I ate chicken as I fought earlier."


    "Is that so? Only if you are sure, you can handle it. I would need all the help I can get."


    "Yes!" she replied in high spirits.


    With their [Shared Vision] broken. I tapped my foot on Juno''s head while asking.


    "What about you Juno? You ready for more?"


    [I am! Being able to put these fuckers in their place is so satisfying! Just tell me what you want me and my sisters to do.]


    "Hahaha! What else? Destroy everything in your path!"


    "BRRROOOOOOAAAAARRR!"


    [With pleasure!]


    Along with her roar, Juno lowered her body and rapidly gained speed. It was good thing we all had Robyn''s {fates} otherwise Liv, Jas, Pix, and I would have been thrown off.


    "Husband. Should we ring the doorbell?"


    "Of course! [Overdrive] [Sniper], [Combat Shadow Silhouette]: Jas. [Inventory] M107."


    [[Wizard] setting shifting to [Sniper].]


    [[Assassin] setting shifting to [Sniper]. [Sniper] levels up to [Sniper Elite].]


    [[Knight] setting shifting to [Sniper]. [Sniper Elite] levels up to [One round marksman].]


    Jas and I both got down on one knee and steadied our weapons. Although we were in a moving platform, with our skills, it was as if we were on steady ground. My Wifey and I picked our targets and began sending .50 cal Sacreds down wind.


    A pair of shinning golden colored explosions streaked our muzzles. They illuminated the dim night sky as the soared towards the abandoned fort. It was as if our rounds cut apart the night and marked the beginning of dawn.


    Two of the Noble Vampires who were standing guard got blasted in the chest and crumbled into dust. The other guards who saw the brilliant light all alerted their defenses and fly to the skies. At their command the numerous buried ghouls all began to burst out of the ground.


    Ignoring the rest of them, Jas and I hurried and tried to snipe as many Nobles as we could. We even began competing at some point. Much to Liv''s jealousy. The Ghoul army all ran towards the barreling Juno and engaged.


    Those that didn''t get flattened were dismantled by the Lizardkin Guard and Juno''s sister who came seconds later. Due to Juno''s immense size, she would clash with almost 80% of the trash who intercepted us. Not that she minded in the slightest.


    [HAHAHA! WEAK!]


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    Juno swung her scythes wildly. Each blade severed the Ghouls at the waist before sending the upper halves skyward. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Beloved. I sense something from those Noble Vampires. You did something mischievous didn''t you?"


    "Haha, you caught me. I wanted it to be a surprise," I confessed.


    ''Huh? All of them have {Call my name}? How? When? Husband, what is going on? Exa, why didn''t you tell us anything?''


    Knowing that Pixie who had the same {Kismet} was with us, Jas switched to using our {Kindred} link.


    [I plead the fifth amendment. Anything I say will only incriminate me further. It is entirely my lord''s idea and fault. I knew nothing about it.]


    ''Exa, aren''t you being way too shameless?'' As I rebuked my AI for throwing me under the bus, I felt my tie yanked by Jas.


    "Husband, talk. Now."


    Jas was not stupid. The only way for more than a hundred vampires to have my blood was for them to drink it. And there was no way for them to do that peacefully. Her face loss all emotion and turned cold. I didn''t need her link to know that my Wifey was pissed off as fuck.


    Before I could answer, Liv covered Jas'' hand and tried to pry her fingers off my tie.


    "Sister, being reckless runs in our family. You of all people should know that. We need to stop Bifrons. Let us ask again later."


    "Hmph. Fine."


    Jas angrily leapt off Juno and flew upward. Liv grabbed Pixie and I by our waists and similarly separated from Juno. Less than a second later. A devastating crash resounded. The full brunt of Juno''s mass and momentum crushed the fort into pieces.


    Like a tower built on sand the walls and the entire structure of Bifrons base was destroyed. Not a single wall remained standing after Juno tackled it. Just before the Noble Vampires could move, I turned to them and whispered.


    "{Kill Switch}."


    [Select target for {Kill Switch}.]


    "All Vampires and Nobles who have my blood on this floor."


    [Acknowledged. Terminating 481 Vampires and higher variants.]


    I then heard the sounds of firing hammers striking down. For each sound a Noble Vampire in front of us had its upper half violently explode. Bang. Bang. Bang. As if we were watching fireworks the Rank B monsters proceeded to self-detonate.


    "NOOOO!!!!" "HELP ME!!!" "WHAT IS GOING ON?!" "I DON''T WANT TO DIE!" "SAVE ME!!!!"


    Scarlet rain along with Vampire corpses began to fall in large numbers. Each one caused the panic and fear to spread across those who remain. Some tried to run, others tried to fight or beg but without exception those who had my {kismet} died one after another.


    In less than ten seconds of us arriving, the guards protecting Bifrons all ceased to make a sound.

 Chapter 740 That worked? [1/2]

    "Beloved¡­" "Husband¡­"


    Jas and Liv were by no means faint hearted. They were merciless to their enemies and would kill even the innocent should the feel the need to do so. But even they were dumbfounded by what we just witnessed. I shifted my settings to gain flight and separated from Liv.


    Their links were cold, and an emotion I hadn''t expected lingered there. It was fear.


    {Kill Switch} a safeguard my harem and I placed in {Call my name}. Along with the power that my {Kismet} bestowed was the reality that I held your life in my hands. Even though the ones who died were all our enemies, how they died mattered just as much as why.


    Anytime there was a conflict it always came to a matter of wills. The Noble Vampires wanted to take us out, whether if it was what they wanted or not that was what they intended to do. And I wished their demise for the sole reason that they would harm me and my family if I did nothing.


    However, while killing them in a deadly battle might have been honorable, I was not that naive. And so, I dealt with them in a matter that lacked any compassion nor humanity. Without a means to fight back. They all perished. Even those that surrendered and those that fled were not spared.


    That was what made this experience a bit traumatic. Seeing them as mere monsters made killing them easier. But when they exhibited emotions such as fear and anger, they were just as human as we were.


    With my power, I could have saved them. I could have used only one as an example. There was a possibility that they would have listened. That we could have become my allies like Juno and the Awakened. But the moment I chose to end them all, I denied such possibilities.


    "Let''s go. Juno, Pixie, stand guard. Have George''s group do the same."


    "Y-Yes, my lord." [I understand, Limitless.]


    My voice came out colder than I ended. Anyone who saw what I just did would have cursed or grown frightened of me. They would undoubtedly think I was no longer human. They would call me a monster. Perhaps even a demon.


    I was sure Pixie and Juno despite being my allies felt unsettled, not that it mattered. But I did not actually care. If anyone was looking to me for compassion or mercy, there were extremely foolish. Such things would not save me when my enemies came at my door.


    Power. That was the only thing that could make a difference. If I was any weaker, these bastards would have killed me and taken my women captive. In order to ensure such a future did not exist I had to be stronger than anyone else.


    This was the path I chose. And I was sure that the longer I existed as a Reaper the more bodies would be used as mortar for my ascension. With each body I would grow in strength, as I grew more stronger, I would fight those above me.


    Until the moment where I stood at the pinnacle. Until when there would no longer be anything that could threaten me. Until I gained the future I wished for. I could not stop. There was only victory or death. In comparison to that, this was nothing.


    I was sure I would need to do much much worse.


    I could not afford to lose my nerve here.


    I was already no longer human. And the Sirens were already willing to forsake everything just so they could follow me. I continued to hold such thoughts as we separated from the others. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Liv, Jas and I slowly floated downwards seeing the carnage Juno and I created. There seemed to be numerous hidden Noble Vampires along the way. But similar to the ones above they, their remains now decorated the walls along our path.


    ''Liv, I leave the chimera to you. The second it starts to move take it out. Jas, tell me should Bifrons leave Stefan. Use [Guardian Angel] to know if he infests us. Exa, trigger [Autoload] as needed.''


    ''Yes, Beloved. Leave it to me.''


    ''Understood. He will not escape my sight, Husband.''


    [As you command, my lord.]


    Liv separated from us and took position in front of the monster. Jas similarly looked for a sniper''s perch and took aim. Only I descended to the bottom most floor. Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire


    When my feet touched the ground, only the figure of a hunched over Stefan was present. He was facing what looked to be a desk full of papers. Was he perhaps researching something?


    "You. What the fuck are you? How did you manage to kill so many despite without even lifting a finger? If I knew it would end like this, I would not have listened to that bitch!"


    Again, he was blaming a woman. I wasn''t able to figure out who, but it seemed his actions was influenced by someone else.


    "Gulp. Ah! Exquisite, such a deep flavor. Hmm¡­ The one without end told me to be careful. I abandoned Gaspar when I saw this worm using blessings in large numbers. And she also said we needed to use all our power to kill him.


    "AAARGH!!!!! I SEE NOW! NO WONDER SHE SAID YOU''RE DANGEROUS!"


    "THAT FUCKING WHORE USED ME!!!"


    This conspiracy thing had so many layers it might as well be an onion. First there was George and his entire floor being goaded into fighting the other floors. Then there was Gaspar trying to blame everything on Stefan. Only for the true culprit to be neither Gaspar nor Stefan but the bastard before me.


    And now I was learning that there might have been yet another person in the mix. From his words it seems this woman duped Bifrons into focusing on me. But wasn''t this bastard one of the 72 Archdemons? He was a Rank S Greater Demon. And he was a stooge? How was that even possible?


    I needed to know the truth, but as my brain was tried from all the mind games, so I just asked directly.


    "Why not point me her way? I will make sure to kill her too," I offered in earnest.


    "Fine. Her name is Astaroth the 3rd. I don''t know much. She just told me to prepare a vampire army to destroy this arch. Not that it matters now. If I knew that I would have to fight a fucker like you, I would have not just sleep till you died.


    The malice I lost fighting you was equivalent to eons. I don''t have a future anyway even if I escape here."


    ''No fucking way! That worked?''


    "What do you mean? Don''t give up so easily brother. You could just gain back your malice, no biggie! What are you so afraid off?"


    From what I knew of bosses in anime and manga, the moment he stopped talking we would begin fighting. So, if I wanted more information, I should try to keep him talking. However, the ones with me all expressed their chagrin from my words.


    ''Beloved, what are you¡­'' ''Husband, please stop talking.''


    [My lord, are you seriously trying to cheer up an Archdemon?]


    "Heh! Your pitiful attempts to goad me are laughable. Still, I guess it hardly matters. You will die by my hand anyway. Listen Reaper, no one is born an Archdemon, you have to earn the right to become one by stealing a spot from those who held that rank."


    I see. It was like a brutal survival game. No wonder he believed there would be no place for him. Due to me weakening Bifrons, even if he escapes here, he would be targeted by the other demons who wish to take his spot.


    It was in line with the struggle Juno and Roach had. They had to get stronger to not be taken advantage of. In the same regard even Bifrons was in the same dilemma. Unfortunately, if he expected me to pull my punches because of his sad story he was sorely mistaken.


    "That sucks. Don''t worry, I will make sure you don''t get dethroned. You will die as Bifrons the 68th. Not as a nameless demon."


    At my words Bifrons began laughing out loud.


    "Hahahaha! Who would think I sunk so long I have a blood bag worry about me. Fine, I will give you a grand battle. Let me just change into the body I prepared."


    This bastard was really stupid if he believed I would allow him to swap bodies. Stefan then turned towards me as if he was happy. But a voice in my head took my attention off the arch demon.

 Chapter 741 That worked? [2/2]

    [My lord! A sizable force of Vampires and Ghouls has begun assaulting the Awakened!]


    ''How? Didn''t I kill them all earlier?''


    [It seems that the ones that arrived weren''t part of Bifrons forces but were instead a separate faction.]


    ''Mother fucking shit!''


    Tremors began making my surroundings shake. From the sounds it would mean our allies met the enemy. Pixie alone would not be able to hold off Vampires alone. Before I could even decide what to do Bifrons suddenly tried to stretch his neck as both hands fidgeted uncontrollably.


    I took a steep back as the being in front of me convulsed like a mental patient. His eyes rolled back into the back of his skull as he began to froth at the mouth. I immediately drew Ebony and Ivory and aimed at his chest. Rather than figure out what was wrong, I would much rather examine the corpse. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, before I could shoot Bifrons suddenly stopped and fixed his posture.


    "Sorry you had to see that Limitless, I just came back to say goodbye."


    The sudden change in speech patterns and facial expressions threw me off. It was the feeling I got when Vela and Jo switched during sex. I was sure the person in front of me was no longer Bifrons.


    "Stefan? You are alive?"


    "Yep, I was bidding my time. Thank you for weakening him enough. If this bastard intends to die, let him. But I still have my mission!"


    Stefan made a deranged expression as he smiled from ear to ear.


    "Oh, do not worry. As my gift to you. I will make sure you have one less worry. {In the name of Limitless}!"


    At his sudden invocation of my {Kismet} Stefan''s expression began to rapidly shift.


    "NOOO!!! STEFAN! YOU FUCKING BASTARD! He! Sorry Bifrons, this is for sending my wives to their deaths. May we never meet again!


    Limitless! I leave everything up to you! {MIGRATE}!"


    Like a bad actor doing a one man play Stefan and Bifrons shouted at each other despite using the same mouth to speak.


    [My lord! Multiple Rank B Noble Vampires has entered the premises!]


    ''I have them in my sights!'' at Jasmine''s shout I looked up and saw multiple Rank B''s racing towards the Chimera.


    "Aw hell no!"


    Bright flashes of light soared. The Sacreds erased some of the enemies but there was just too many. Liv went Asura and taunted the intruders.


    "{YOU SHALL NOT PASS!}"


    My Valkyrie brandished her arms and bashed and shot multiple targets dead. But despite her best efforts she was unable to stop all of them. One figure managed to slip away. He was wearing a uniform of black and white. When I saw his face, it looked familiar.


    "The butler?"


    "NOOO!!!" Jas suddenly shouted without firing a shot.


    It was impossible for my Wifey to miss. If she didn''t shoot it meant that it was because she couldn''t. Sebastian, Stefan''s butler looked my way before he threw an unconscious Pixie like a rag doll. His smile looked deranged. The same one was plastered on Bifrons just a while ago.


    He then landed on the head of the Chimera and placed his hand on it. In the next moment, Sebastian shouted. "{INVADE}!"


    Immediately after Sebastian lost conciseness and fell from the sky. In contrast, what I feared came to pass. The chimera opened its eyes.


    "I am surrounded by fucking assholes! Couldn''t you bastards just die quietly?!"


    The sound of twisting metal resounded as the binds that tied down the Chimera began to snap. Like rubber bands that got stretched too far they flailed around violently. What looked like platforms began to break and fall as the demonkin/vampire hybrid trashed around.


    ''Wifey, please rescue Pixie. Love, draw or throw the Chimera outside. Exa. How is the situation outside?''


    [As most of the Nobles rushed to the basement, the Awakened along with George''s Phantoms have subdued most of them. Forgive me my lord. It was an oversight on my part. I didn''t anticipate that Stefan kept a separate force while he was under Bifrons control.]


    "NOOO!!!! MY BODY!! MY BEAUTIFUL BODY!!" Stefan''s original body began to rage as it cried tears of blood. I better take care of this nuisance before anything else happens.


    I shoved Ebony to Bifrons'' temple and pulled the trigger. A sacred tore a hole through his skull. I kept firing till his head caved in.


    "{Kill Switch}."


    [Select target for {Kill Switch}.]


    "Stefan De Arno."


    [Acknowledged. Terminating Stefan De Arno.]


    Bang. An imaginary firing hammer resounded in my mind. The moment it did the one beside me suddenly had his chest erupt as if something came out of it. The devastated corpse slid down to the ground like a slug.


    The once proud Archdemon now pathetically lay dead beside me. He could have destroyed North America. But because he met me and Stefan, he was now nothing more than half a cadaver no one would remember.


    Meanwhile Titan Liv was trying to restrain what looked like something that came out of Japanese tentacle porn. I scanned and saw Jas flying upward with Pixie in hand. Sebastian much like his former master was shot dead by my Wifey.


    "I guess I should take the bodies for research or something."


    Funnily enough while Stefan hijacked the Chimera, I wasn''t worried. For one the hybrid had no skills. It was designed so that it would be the perfect vessel for Bifrons. From what I understood, Stefan would not know much about it as Bifrons masqueraded as Gaspar.


    "WOUHOOOOOOOO!!!" The guttural cries of the behemoth reminded me of zombies.


    And as Liv had both {Illusion Resistance} and {Rewind} he wouldn''t be able to control her. So, in essence it was nothing more than a really big monster with a tentacle fetish. I had no doubt Liv and Juno could trash the shit out of the Chimera.


    "GET YOUR SLIMY TENTACLES OFF ME! ONLY MY BELOVED MAY MOLEST ME! [ASURA]!"


    My Valkyrie then grew more hands and began to grab and manhandle the Chimera. She tore the Chimera''s tentacles off like gift wrapping off a Christmas present. All while her two main arms kept pummeling her opponent in the face.


    After I stored the bodies, I looked at the papers scattered across the table. It reminded me of mad science lab. Bifrons had breakers, tools and entire cabinets of old worn-out books. I wouldn''t be able to make any sense out of all this. But I was sure my girls could.


    Another ingrained behavior I had due to gaming was to salvage the fuck out everything. Especially when you were able to take down the base of your enemies. Of course, it was not possible if you had to leave, but that was not the case now.


    And while it was normally incentivized by games as they rewarded you with cash. The more important part was it usually unlocked the good stuff for upgrades from a game''s technology tree. As tremors continued to rock the underground complex, I grabbed anything that wasn''t bolted down.


    A common joke in the gaming community was that anyone who games would eventually develop kleptomania and OCD. Fetch quests and collection achievements that were scattered all over the map were the root causes.


    But when you were fighting something, you didn''t understand I believed it was the correct behavior. I didn''t know if it was just for this base, but I should get my guys to scour the other floors for places such as this.


    As I contemplated about such matters, a familiar soul signature came closer. It was one of the seven I knew by heart. The sound of her descent was almost silent but her very presence lit up the gloom that surrounded me.


    "Liv, Sweetheart, do you need a hand?"


    "Lilly. Yes, I do. It just sticks to me like slime."


    "Hold still. {Portal}!"


    The light of an orange {Portal} shone from Liv and the Chimera''s feet. The two quickly sunk into it and vanished from the basement. My American lover floated towards me while asking.


    "And you, Dearest? Do you need my help?"


    "I just about finished up Dear. If you have the space to salvage the Noble Vampires that would be great."


    "Fufu. Dearest, you are being too greedy. Be satisfied with the corpses of Rank As."


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    "Haha, if it was just me, I might have. But I have you, don''t I?"


    "You seem to have become more talented in flattery, dearest. Very well. Consider it done."


    "Thanks Lilly, you are the best."

 Chapter 742 We wont [1/2]

    Lilly and I finished getting everything before we flew out of the basement. When we reached the surface, an unbelievable scene occurred. Titan mode Liv was pinning the Chimera''s face to the ground. His numerous limbs were flailing all over the floor.


    The scenery was quite bright which told me that a large number of Sacreds were fired earlier. Somehow ever since we came here for operation paper, I grew used to seeing golden skies. Stefan''s defeat was something I expected. There was no way he could overpower Liv with a non-combat {Fate}


    But everything else wasn''t. Bison who was in his 20-foot soul form was locking horns against Juno who was twice bigger. Funnily enough despite Juno being one of the Awakened I could see her frustration. She probably was debating if she should cut him down or not.


    Further Away, Leo and the Iron Wolverine were locked in combat. Nyda, Jas, D an Pixie were fighting against the rest of his party. Among them Nyda, Pixie and D were trying their hardest not to harm their opponents.


    The poor bastard who got into combat with my Wifey was lying on the ground, no longer moving. Jas shot off his limbs and his testicles. I couldn''t even be angry at my African lover. For one she normally sends rounds directly to her targets brain and heart. So, the fact that he was still breathing was her version of mercy.


    "Goodness, these senile fools have been nearly useless this entire time. Was it wrong to expect them to hold out? Even Pixie is better than them!"


    "I think you are a bit harsh Lilly. Wait. Only you, Jas and Liv should have my {Kismet}, right? Exa, how are the others resisting the Stefan''s {Fate}?"


    [My lord, Leo and Nyda has administered consumable soulgears called {Immune} the invalidates status effects. They did so the moment they learned that the Duke of Arno was the one inside the Chimera. As for Delroy and Pixie, their {fates} {Mind shield} and {Pinpoint} allowed them to either evade or shrug off the mind domination.]


    I couldn''t help but smile at my party''s performance. The Adventurers were a given. They had been preparing to kill Stefan for a while now, so on top of must have researched how to counter his abilities.


    My {Vassals} on the other hand lucked out. D''s {Mind Shield} was probably for his own sanity. Using {Advent} naturally took a tool on one''s mind as he not only saw but lived the deaths of another. Pixie''s {Pinpoint} allowed her to know what to target to disable her opponent. She probably enhanced it learn how evade dangers as well.


    In contrast, the bastards who should be considered veterans were not only caught with their pants down but even got taken over. I could understand Lilly''s frustration as rather than help they were instead nothing but a burden.


    The other Awakened were just standing around awkwardly. Jas walked towards us as she shouldered her anti material rifle. Her face was stoic, but I noticed she had her jaw clenched which meant she was obviously irritated.


    "Husband. Annoying."


    When Jas began speaking only words, she was close to blowing her fuse. And given how ruthless my Wifey could be that would be a death sentence for the ones here. I approached her and took her hand in mine.


    "Wifey, please forgive them. Can you take down without killing them? Painless too if possible."


    "Tsk."


    Jas stored her M107 Barret and pulled out her M24 Sniper rifle. Taking aim she shot the three Phantoms fighting D, Nyda and Pixie. They each took a bullet to the temple but didn''t die. The three Phantoms harmlessly feel to the ground as if asleep.


    The Ebony Deathstalker then turned to me with a pout.


    "Satisfied?"


    "Very."


    I took her hand in mine and gave her a kiss on cheek. While she didn''t smile her pouty face turned up a little bit.


    "I suppose you want me to take down the Iron Wolverine, Dearest?"


    "Yes, please."


    "{Blink}."


    Our princess then teleported to directly between Leo and George as they were about to trade blows. My pervert had balls the size of boulders to join a melee between Phantoms as if it was nothing.


    "{Portal}."


    An orange doorway immediately appeared behind her. Leo who was about to slash with his sword harmlessly entered the space. Lilly on the other hand pulled back her hand which began to shine brightly. She slammed her left leg before thrusting her fist with power coming from her hips.


    "[Strike]!"


    Like a rising dragon Lilly sent a devastating uppercut to the Iron Wolverine''s jaw. The sound of the hit was louder than even a gunshot. that simply meant Lilly''s simple punch broke the sound barrier. And with such a concentrated point the force she generated would be deadly


    "Geuhurk!"


    Despite wearing his iron armor George R. Clay vomited blood as he fell backwards like a brick. Given the impact point his brain would not have only be rattled even his spine might have been broken.


    A loud crash followed as the metallic bastard fell in a humiliating eagle spread. Given what happened to him, I wasn''t even sure if the Phantom was still alive. Everyone around us stood awestruck by Lilly''s simple demonstration of her power.


    This was the difference between a Phantom and a Specter. It seems Lilly''s punches were not more powerful than even my entire armory. Was it because of the terrifying amount of soul that filled her body?


    [Limitless, can I also throw this¡­this thing aside?]


    "Yeah, please do."


    "BROOOOOARR!"


    Unlike the pathetic attempts of Bison, Juno simply stood up on her hind legs and stomped Bison to the ground. Due to their sizes the smaller soul from could hardly pull up a fight.


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    I didn''t know if it was because of our equipment, {fates} or experience. But It was clear that due to our repeated struggles my party and I already surpassed the combat power of even Defenders of floors in the thirties. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It made me both excited and anxious of what was to come. Seeing Stefan thrashing I was reminded of his words.


    "At one point I had a harem of a hundred comprised of every monster girl you could think off. I even had hybrids. Using the smarts and skills of my armies, within two years we were able to fight our way to the beyond floor 60. I managed to even evolve to a Noble Vampire."


    Much like us, years ago his group gained power that rivaled even an entire battlefronts. And alone they fought their way to past the current frontline.


    "But then we reached the late game floors. That was where it all ended. We bit off more than we could chew. The monstrosities on the late game floors are unlike anything you could ever see. And my world crumbled at floor 63."


    But it was useless. Despite having such battle prowess, they were annihilated with him being the only survivor. What the fuck was in those floors? Would we even have the power to fight them?


    "We were annihilated. My entire force. My loyal subordinates. My wives. My kids. My friends.


    All dead. It was a nightmare. We were powerless. And as an ultimate punishment my enemies allowed me to live."


    Just how horrible did that feel? It was no wonder that he broke. If Hellsend and the Sirens all died due to my mistakes, would I be able to power through it? Was that why the warriors in my dreams fought alone? So that they didn''t have to carry the burden of the lives of others.


    "Wouhouuuuu¡­"


    Unlike earlier Stefan or rather Sahashi Tsubasa no longer roared but may a mournful cry. The eyes of the Chimera looked at me with sadness and resignation. I didn''t know if Sahashi could still hear me, but I knew for a fact that he was tied of all this.


    "I can''t do this anymore. I thought I changed, but I didn''t. I lost all of them. The family and friends I loved. All for nothing. I was too weak.


    I couldn''t protect them. It wasn''t like in Anime and manga!"


    I-I¡­I wish to go back to Japan."


    Despite his reservations I duped him into fighting for his moment of glory. But as he wasted all this time on nothing but debauchery, the forces he had were Sebastian and a handful of pretty but useless Noble Vampires.

 Chapter 743 We wont [2/2]

    "Yes. I am no longer, Sahashi Tsubasa. He was nothing but a coward. I am duke Stefan De Arno. Commander of the Dawn Bringer. I am no coward.


    The dawn I wish to see is the light of my enemy''s corpses on fire."


    As if that was not enough, his body and identity the only thing connection to his family was stolen by Bifrons. And in his desperation, he offered up the Archdemon to me on a silver platter just so he could get his vengeance.


    He then took a chance and transferred his mind into this chimera. Unfortunately, even his gamble turned out into a dud. Leading to the current result. Even though he followed the template of a standard Isekai he didn''t get to achieve the ending most stories in the genre got.


    Of course, from my point of view he was the main reason for his failures. If he fought on the front lines, he might have gotten strong enough to protect those he treasured. But alas, we must live with the consequences of our mistakes.


    "Wouhouuuuu¡­" Sahashi again cried mournfully.


    The chimera slumped on the ground and ceased trashing. Liv who noticed the change in demeanor grew confused. I gestured for her to slowly separate from her opponent. Truly, even without Stefan I was certain I could have killed Bifrons. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    But it seemed wrong to just leave him like this. As I contemplated what to do, I walked towards him. It was unfortunate that I couldn''t talk to him. With {Interpret} I should still be able to converse with even the Chimera.


    As I couldn''t it probably meant this beast hand neither an ego or a soul. Much like the undead. I walked up to the monster and laid my hand on it.


    "Sahashi, I am not sure if you can understand me. But thank you. Because of your efforts we could kill Bifrons. I know It doesn''t mean much. But I will cremate this chimera and bury you in Japan back on earth. Well done my friend.


    You can rest now."


    "Wohoooo¡­"


    The Chimera nodded its head before it closed its eyes and began to shed tears of blood. Even though he wasn''t a Reaper, he also tried to fight against the armies of Hellsgate. It was unfortunate that we met under such circumstances, but such was life.


    I turned to Jas and asked for a favor.


    "Wifey, can you give him rest?"


    Wordlessly Jas pulled out her M107 Barret and used {Insight}. In the same moment she shot a .50 caliber BMG into eye of the chimera. Her bullet didn''t manage to penetrate the monster skull but a sound like glass shattering resounded.


    When it did Chimera completely stopped moving. A figure came to my side. She took my hand in hers and intertwined our fingers.


    "Somehow, he seemed at peace. Was he...your friend?"


    "I guess? I learned a lot from him. And his life is a reminder of what await us." S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lilly rested her chin on my shoulder as she murmured.


    "That sounds ominous. Hopefully we do not get the same outcome."


    "We won''t," I said confidently.


    I won''t let it. I will make sure we were sufficiently ready by the time we hit the sixties.


    "Beloved, what do we do with your¡­friend?"


    Why was everyone dancing around the fact that I called this bastard my friend? While I did say all that shit about bringing him to Japan, I meant his Noble Vampire body. There was no way I would waste this Chimera''s corpse just to fulfill the wishes of a dead guy.


    "We are bringing it back home. I think the Production or Fortification Reapers can do something with it. Dear, do you have the space to fit this thing?"


    "I do. Because I have {Magnitude}, I can shrink object for storage. I practically have ten times the space I used to and that was before I became a Specter."


    "Husband, Trash."


    Jas approached me and pointed to the Iron Wolverine''s party. While I could think of something to do with the Chimera, I wasn''t sure about the old bastards who kept screwing up. Was there even a need to bring this them with us? They weren''t part of my responsibility.


    They originally came with me to die to the vampires. Miraculously although we were attacked by millions they didn''t die. Technically they weren''t mine, I just needed them to understand what happened. Now that if Zach and Administration heard of the thing that they did they would probably be executed. Not that I cared in the slightest.


    My goal in coming here was to get Evelyn Flowers. Being able to stop the Vampire conspiracy was an excellent bonus. I also managed to learn a lot. But ultimately it was time to return home. I was separated from Bella, Jo, Robyn and Aki for far too long.


    "They are not part of our responsibility. Put them in the basement and wait for someone else to find them. With the commotion from earlier someone has to have figured out that things were going to shit."


    I then looked at Juno. While George''s group was useless, she and her brood was a welcome addition to our forces. And our plan was to have them integrate with Hellsend as our malice collectors.


    "Juno, what about you and your sisters? We will welcome you if you come with us. I will supply you and your brood with malice. So much so that I think you and your sisters can all evolve from it."


    [That sounds like a wonderful thing. If you can really grant us a way without having to fight Reapers, it would better for everyone. But I cannot.]


    Hearing her rejection, I got disappointed but tried to hear the reason for it.


    "I see. That is too bad. May I ask why? If you tell me what is wrong, I can take steps to change it."


    [There isn''t anything to change Limitless. I merely wish to see Roach and tell him of what we have done. I believe he deserves to hear that at least. Regardless of if he wants to join me, I will move to your nest. I will try to rally as many of the Awakened as I can.]


    When I heard her explanation, I grew amazed. Despite not being to understand English less than a a few days ago she was now becoming quite articulate. But the best news perhaps is that she will be coming to the 24th floor once she gathers more of her sisters.


    "That is great! Then I will wait for you there Juno! Tell Exa in advance before you come up. I will ensure that I am present to welcome you."


    [My lord, aren''t you and the ladies going to proceed with operation Rock? Or do you intend to wait for Juno to arrive first before leaving.]


    "Oh right. I do not think we can wait. Amari and Mia have been waiting all this time. Everyone would you mind staying behind to wait for Juno and her sisters? I am concerned the others would just shoot them by mistake."


    "I do not mind, Beloved. I can see the rest of Hellsend panicking at the mere sight of the Awakened. It would be wise if one of us is present when Juno and her sisters arrive. The bigger reason to stay behind would be I think the Anvil team intends to monopolize you upon our return."


    "Agreed. I do not think those four will let us anywhere near you out of spite. Especially Robyn. And maybe my sister. Anyway, I am fine staying behind to wait for Juno and the Awakened, Husband. They are incredible valuable allies."


    "I am of the same opinion, Dearest. As you will be traveling on Earth, my {Fates} will have no issue connecting us to you. I can bring Liv and Jas to reinforce you immediately, should the need arise."


    "Great thank you three. Juno you got that?"


    [I have. Thank you very much Liv, Lilly and Jas. Then I will see you soon. It was an honor to be able to fight by your side once more. I wish you well.]


    "Got it thanks Juno! Take care!" "Bye Juno!" "Bye!" "Take care!" "Until we meet again!"


    Somehow emotional we waved goodbye as Juno turned around and left. It was kind of lonely seeing them leave. I grew comfortable having the Lizardkin as our ground troops.


    "As for us, it''s finally time to go home."


    And after a long series of battles, Operation Paper finally came to a close.

 Chapter 744 Much much stronger [1/2]

    As we packed up on our stuff, I thought about what to do next. First was naturally to go home and give my girls some loving. But not that the tension from the chaos of Operation Paper died, I began remembering things I put on hold.


    The answer to your plight lies in your blood, remember this when hope seems distant. Also set your mind at peace, I have brought reinforcements for Hell''s Eden. South America will begin their assault in 3 days. Your garden will not fall. Wrath, Envy, Gluttony and Sloth shall grow with their blood.


    The first was that our home would be attacked. While the Astrologer reassured me that the Anvil team will survive and win, it was extremely hard on the nerves. Jas and Liv joked about how they four I left behind missed me. But I too longed for them run to them.


    Even though I believed in the Sirens, what man would want to see his women hurt? I couldn''t help but want to get back as soon as possible. I yearned for the girls I left behind. To embrace them in my arms and feel the warmth of their skin. Plus, I would etch into their bodies love worth the time we spent away for each other.


    I wanted to praise them, to tell them how proud I was of them. How many could boast that their harem fought off an entire invasion from another continent? I was sure that at the minimum the four members of the Anvil team would have already ascended to high-rank Phantoms or level 6.


    Even though I welcome four new {fates}, I was more ecstatic that my girls would be alive when I returned. Nothing else was more important.


    ''Still, that would mean that I would once again need to reincorporate their abilities into Limitless,'' I murmured. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    Right now, I already knew of Liv''s {Reinforce}, Lilly''s {Gate} and Jas'' {Insight}. I could only imagine how broken the new {fates} for Bella, Jo, Aki and Robyn would be. Upgrading {Limitless} and {Call my name} would be necessary for the next part of my campaign.


    The other Successors are on the move. The Revenant Project has already entered its next phase. You must head for Kismayo before the week ends, or you will be too late. One of my friends who is part of Africa would assist you.


    The other thing that bothered me was Blanche''s timeline. She said I needed to arrive in Africa within seven days. If this was a game that meant that there was an optional timed-event I needed to participate in.


    ''Although from how she phrased it, the event was not optional at all.''


    Was this event something that affected the demons? Or maybe it concerned the Successors? Was I meant to save someone? Or maybe met a certain objective? Why didn''t she tell me about it directly?


    If she couldn''t why tell of the timeline in the first place? As someone who saw the future wouldn''t she already know what day I would arrive? From future stories in Anime and Manga, just knowledge of the future was enough to create butterfly effects. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Now that she said I had to get to Kismayo in seven days, I would be more conscious of time. Until I get there, I would do all I can to follow her. Of course, I could just as easily ignore her but right now I considered Blanche a trustworthy neutral party.


    She was from Europe but was a Reaper. I hated what she did to Jas and Jo, but I cannot argue that without her they might not have become mine. If Blanche didn''t allow the girls to join the July Enlistment my life would have been completely different. Just the thought that they weren''t in my life made me anxious.


    ''Fuck¡­I''m over thinking this¡­Focus¡­Focus¡­.''


    I felt like I have been doing nothing but fight over the past few days. The days began to blur with each other. Blanche''s letters said a week. So, assuming she knew exactly when I would receive the letter the countdown should have started there.


    Now that everything was finished, I felt exhausted. Operation Paper was both long and short. If you looked at the calendar only two days have passed.


    We arrived on the 30th floor met Evelyn and fought with her and Gaspar. Immediately we noticed that there was something wrong with the 30th floor.


    Fighting the Ghouls and reclaiming some fallen zones, we uncovered a conspiracy to destroy North America that spanned years. By reviving George and his group, we learned that the 30th and 31st floors were duped to fight with each other by former Reapers who acted as traitors.


    Steeling our will, we traveled towards the 31st floor. It was in zone 1301-1 that we saved a Lizardkin army lead by a Lizardkin Dragon who I would later name Juno. A power force, they sought only to reclaim what was stolen from them by the Vampires. After saving them we decided to join forces to fight a common enemy.


    As we fought together, I saw that unlike normal monsters she wasn''t hostile to Reapers. And seeing her intelligence I nominated her to become the leader of the Awakened. Together with our new allies we descended deeper into Hellsgate.


    But my impatience brought down a Rank A Tunneling Worm on our party. After a fierce battle we finally arrived on the 31st floor. Only to find that it was already fully under Vampire control.


    Not backing down we broke through and pushed forward. The Awakened detect traces of their missing eggs. Hellsend then protected them as they search. Naturally, aided them caused us to come to blows with the Vampires.


    Luckily despite being powerful and almost immortal, the Vampires were weak to our blessed ammunition. This sole fact caused us to rampage and devastate the Vampire presence in the 31st floor. Despite covering a wide ground our forces failed to the missing eggs.


    Rather than get disheartened, Juno replenished their numbers by consuming malice to prepare for the future battles. Her mundane act broke our understanding and solidified the need to ally ourselves with the Awakened. Unknowingly because of this single act our future turned for the brighter.


    A single Lizardkin Dragon was born from Juno''s act. We protected the egg as it incubated. As I waited, I bonded with Pixie a former slave who I made into my {vassal}. I learned more of her story and reaffirmed my promise to help her get to the 19th floor.


    After the egg hatched, we along with the Awakened traveled to the 32nd floor onto to be welcomed by the Vampires. I ended up separating from everyone else for their safety. I was presented before Duke Stefan De Arno. However, it turned out that Stefan was not really after the destruction of the North America. Instead, he merely wished to go home.


    Stefan De Arno was in truth, Sahashi Tsubasa, a former Japanese office worker who reincarnated as a Vampire years prior. Learning his history, I deduced that Sahashi was merely a figure head for the conspiracy. Before we could find the truth, Gaspar revealed himself and tried to break my spirit.


    A Vampire army far greater than I anticipated came to the 32nd floor. Its main purpose? To ensure I did not survive. At the end of my rope, I acted as bait and drew the Vampire army inward. The Sirens desperate to aid me followed I plan I suggested out of sheer insanity.


    I fought Gaspar with everything I had and eventually triumphed over him. Only for my carelessness to get overpowered and captured by the real mastermind. The parasite type Archdemon Bifrons the 68th. Tortured, maimed and treated as a blood bag, I suffered.


    Fortunately, Bifrons and his Noble Vampires drunk on their victory grew careless. They failed to consider that I was not alone. Accomplishing my impossible orders, the Sirens came to my rescue at that moment and brought forth a third party into the conflict.


    The Vampire force that should have destroyed North America was instead broken by an army Tunneling Worms. Taking advantage of the chaos, I and my allies fought with all our might. After a long series of battles, we managed to isolate Bifrons and brought him to the brink of death.


    Due to the chaos of the battlefield, the Archdemon got away. He fled to his underground laboratory, where he kept his trump card, a Vampire/Demon Chimera. We gave chase and eventually caught up. Only for Sahashi to pull a last-ditch attempt using all his forces.


    He managed to steal the Chimera and indirectly cause Bifrons death. Unfortunately for the Japanese reincarnator, the Chimera was solely designed for Bifrons. Having lost everything, he died without accomplishing anything.

 Chapter 745 Much much stronger. [2/2]

    I was truly lucky everything worked out. One wrong move and might have followed Sahashi''s example.


    Looking back, there were far too many things happening at once. Fortunately, despite everything that went on, Hellsend and I managed to not only survive but gain a hefty payday. We accomplished our original objective and secured Evelyn as well as stopping the Vampire conspiracy.


    We also gained Juno and the Awakened, Bifrons'' laboratory research along with Rank A corpses. Aside from the souls we earned, Liv and Jas ascended to level 6 while Lilly joined the Specters. Looking only at results this Operation was a complete success. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Unfortunately, the Sacreds left not a single Ghoul, Vampire or Noble Vampire corpse. The only ones we could recover were those that died via {Kill switch}. I guess I should be satisfied with this.''


    I looked up to see the golden dust lighting up the skies. As my forces grew in number, we would bring the light of a golden dawn to Hellsgate. While I sort of felt proud when I saw the brilliance of Sacreds, I knew in the grand scheme of things they didn''t change anything.


    The only reason my girls and I survived this operation was due to the Sacreds and the Awakened. Without both, even if we did not succumb to injuries, we would have gone insane. Taking small units for large scale wars was a recipe for disaster.


    Sahashi was able to reach all the way to the 63rd floor. Meanwhile I almost died multiple times just on the 32nd floor. The gap in our abilities was just too wide. If his spirit didn''t break, I might not have been able to beat him. Yet, for all his power, everyone he loved still all ended up dead. All because he made the wrong decision.


    He got drunk on his victory and got complacent. And it cost him a price he couldn''t bear. I was sure he regretted his choice. But did he have people to tell him he was making a mistake? Did he made his decision based on gut or deliberation? What did his people felt as they died?


    Did they blame him?


    While I was not as bad as Sahashi, I was just as complacent. And without the power to enforce my will, what I have right now could just as easily disappear. Such a reality terrified me. I ordered my girls to do the impossible, but they could have died if things didn''t work out the way they did.


    ''Do I really have the right to lead them like this?''


    We had yet to have casualties but was I resolved to send my people to their deaths? Was it right to ask them for their bodies, lives and their futures all for the sake of my goals? As the one who made the decisions, the fault for those decisions would similarly fall to me. Was I fit for such responsibility?


    Even now, my girls were sacrificing their memories to become stronger. Who knew what the cost to become a Revenant would be. If I did not prepare, Hellsend would head the same future as Sahashi and his army.


    Much like me the Japanese reincarnator had the guidance of IRIS. But it wasn''t enough. I had to train. I had to get more guns, soulgear and allies! Anything that could protect my family and my people!


    The weight of my responsibility caused me to clench my jaw and fists in frustration. I could not afford to be weak. I could not risk making dumb mistakes! Not when thousands of lives were in my hands.


    ''I refuse to allow my family to die before I do. I would burn my soul as many times as necessary to ensure our survival,'' I vowed in my heart.


    "Dearest?"


    Hearing her endearing voice I looked to my side and saw a gorgeous face. One I loved very much.


    "Ah, sorry Lilly, I was just thinking. I need to grow stronger. Much much stronger¡­"


    Before she could answer someone else did.


    "Beloved, even though you do not speak, we feel your heart. Your frustration, your anxiety and most of all your determination. We feel it all."


    Liv took my hand and intertwined her fingers in mine. She then imitated me and brought our hands to her face and kissed the back of my hand. Affection radiated from her intimate gesture as she smiled.


    "What you fear will not come to pass, my love. It''s not only you who needs to grow stronger. We will be right there with you. For when we die. We die together."


    Unable to stop the corners of my mouth from pulling up, I smiled while nodding.


    "Yes, thank you Liv. I will count on you all when that time comes."


    Suddenly I felt a pair of legs wrap around my waist. Voluptuous breasts pressed on my back while toned arms wrapped my neck. My lewd assailant then began to erotically nibble and lick my ear. Her actions sent jolts of lightning through my entire being. She spoke with hot and ragged breaths.


    "Husband. Do not try to shoulder everything on your own. Do you not trust us? You should just fill your mind with guns and sex. We, your {Kindred} will serve as your harbingers. Just do what you do best.


    We will take care of everything else."


    "Jasmine Denel! What in the world are you doing? You''re normally reserved, I would have expected this from Jo not you! Ugh! Anyway! This lewd harlot aside, I agree with her, Dearest.


    While we appreciate you trying to improve yourself, you have a bad habit of over thinking similar to this sadistic tweeny."


    "Lilly, I¡­"


    Lilly came forward and caught my face with both her hands. The woman then inserted her tongue passionately into my mouth. As if trying to reassure me, I felt her love from her kiss. Lilly pulled away after a moment and continued.


    "Dearest. I evolved into a Specter not because you asked me to. I did so because I wanted to. My decision to cast away my memories has nothing to do with you. Rather than hold on to what happened in the past, I chose to believe and walk with you towards our future."


    "¡­"


    "The same goes for all of us, Husband. Much like this pervert, no Siren would stop here. We could have died. But we didn''t. You do not have to worry about what has or what could have been. The only thing that matters is what is and what is to come.


    This is the same. Just give us a plan and leave the details to us."


    "¡­"


    "Beloved. You are someone who does not fear nor hesitate. This is who my sisters and I fell in love with. You will grow distraught if you worry about every little thing. We are strong. You made us that way.


    Rely on us more. The Sirens exists to protect you. So run forward without looking back, we will never stop chasing after you."


    "¡­"


    Hearing the words of my harem, I felt stupid. Sahashi''s {Fate} was {Brainwash}. Such a {fate} meant his regret has to do with unconditional loyalty. Maybe that was why even the new harem he kept by his side hesitated to die for him. Sadly, he remained alone until the end. Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire


    In contrast, my girls were completely devoted to me. And I knew that much like them, the rest of Hellsend were under my banner not because they had no choice. They fought with me because they wanted to.


    Unlike Sahashi''s group were all he had was yes men. Hellsend was comprised of talented individuals who had conflicting opinions. Normally they would not move to the same goal alone. But because I was here, they followed.


    United in purpose, our ability to see different points of view was one of our strengths. We were comprised of different groups. Once the Awakened integrated I was sure it would only get more chaotic. But at the same time, it meant I didn''t need to see everything.


    Because there would be others who can see things I could not.


    Overwhelmed by love, I embraced my girls in a group hug. To those fighting on the front lines our accomplishments might have seemed trivial, but this wasn''t the end. It was just the beginning.


    In less than a month, we were already fighting on the 30th floor. Who knows what would happen in a year?


    So long as I had my {Kindred} and Hellsend behind me, I didn''t need to fear making a mistake. They would call me out and guide me to the right path. And so long as I had them, I would never be lost.

 Chapter 746 Heroine Chapter: I hope Darling likes it [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Josephine Benelli Smith


    ___


    "I love you, Jo!" "Jo!" "I can''t live you!" "Jo! I love love you!" "Jo!" "You''re the sexiest of the Sirens." "You are my favorite {Kindred}!" "You''re the best kisser!" "I love filling you up your insides!" "Jo!" "Jo!" "Jo!"


    "Fucking Nutjob! Can you stop?! Just how delusional are you? Favorite {Kindred}? Best Kisser? You are just talking to yourself!


    Stop using Possum''s voice! It''s fucking disgusting!"


    "Indeed. Shujin finds me the sexiest. You all already know this. Anything else is a figment of your imagination."


    "Look your depraved sluts, I know we all have our way of coping, but we are about to go to war, you know? And Jo, please shut that thing off, its distracting."


    I couldn''t help but smile at the faces of my sisters. The four of us were standing over the walls overlooking our domain. Behind us were Phantoms and Wraiths of Hellsend. They were all tense and nervous wrecks. And I couldn''t blame them.


    Anyone would be fearful, given what we had in front of us. Beyond the walls of our castle was a vast army of over 1,500 Reapers. It would have been great if such a force turned its attention to dive into Hellsgate. Unfortunately, that wasn''t the case.


    They were here for one thing. To tear down our walls and invade our home. Granted that we did not have the protection of a Revenant it was something inevitable. This just went to show everyone here how wretched this world really was.


    "Wow! 1,500? These fuck sticks really mean business. I guess we should be glad South America arrived first. Exa, how many cunts does SA have?"


    [The declared population for 2023 was 5,500 Reapers, Lady Robyn. 224 of which were strong enough to be part of the assault teams. Based on the scan''s our drones picked up, none of the 1,500 Reapers present are registered in South American. Meaning they are all Rogues.]


    "Tsk. Just how long did South America create this army? Even if Shujin was the one who broke the armistice, they couldn''t have put together this many Phantoms in less than a month. It is regrettable that we must come to blows," Aki remarked in low spirits.


    "Trust me Aki, it there is one thing my continent has, its lonely and desperate people. Its why gang wars and crime syndicates cannot be culled. In South America you either claw your way up or die to those that do. Do not spare them any mercy."


    Finding the warning completely unnecessary, I giggled a bit before gesturing to Yvonne. My personal unit, Vela''s wolves moved to their posts. My sisters and I separated tasks. While Bella would be the master tactician, Robyn, Aki and I would move as we wished.


    "Hehe! Mercy? What mercy? As if they would find any of that here! They come all the way here to pick a fight, then they will get one! I don''t care what continent they are from; I slaughter them all!


    Isn''t that right, Darling?"


    "Of course, Jo! You are so smart, yes that is right! I love you, Jo!" a voice resounded beside me. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hehehe, you''re so sweet darling!"


    ''Jo, enough. Your jokes are done in poor taste. The other Sirens are stressed enough as it is.''


    Recently, Vela has been quite active and has been nagging me nonstop. She wanted me to get along with the other girls better. But to me, they should already thank me just for allowing them to continue breathing.


    "STREWTH! FUCK YOU, NUTJOB!"


    The sound of clothes flowed in the air, sensing the attack, I evaded. Robyn''s punch missed me by a hair! I twisted my hips and sent a full power Vela kick to her abdomen. But rather than get hit, the pedophile bait grabbed my foot and gracefully did a handstand on it.


    "WOW! You even dissipate the soul! You want me to use Darling''s voice to praise you?" I teased.


    "GET STUFFED YOU FUCKING SLAGGER!"


    She was about to kick me before she abruptly stopped. I smelled the metallic scent of iron. Blood red blades joined in our fun and floated around Robyn and me. They were aimed at our heads, hearts and soulgems.


    "Jo, Robyn, Shujin will be angry if you continue. There is an army in front of us. Vent your frustrations there. That is what Bella, and I plan to do. I can personally say that Shujin''s punishment hurt. A lot.


    Please behave."


    While Aki tried to mitigate between Robyn and I, I heard Bella converse with Joshua. She probably knew that Robyn and I were just horsing around. And that if we really wanted to fight, one of us would already be dead.


    "Joshua, is there any sign that they want to settle this peacefully?"


    [None, lady Minerva. It seems they like they do not intend to converse at all. Their movements indicate a long-protracted siege. I believe that they have a supply line set up. The invasion force is comprised of 2 Specters, 498 Phantoms and 1000 Wraiths.]


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    "I guess I should be glad this is all they could raise in two months. Once we stomp these bastards dead the next wave should take a year or so. Hopefully, Honey will be around by then."


    "Bella, will we really not tell North America? Won''t they see it as an act of war? Both from South America and us? Shujin is not here, maybe we can push them back instead?"


    Despite Aki being cold blooded, she knew how bad things would get. Killing the invading forces was easy, none of us had qualms about that. What terrified her was what Bella planned to do afterwards.


    "No. We need bodies and fast. It took a lot of negotiation to get 200 bodies from the Mercenaries. We now have 1,500 bodies ripe for the taking and you expect me to play nice? They are mine. I will not allow them to think Honey''s domain is run by pushovers!"


    "HEHEHE! You tell them Bella! With you and me we will never run out of cannon fodder! I can''t wait to see how your new children perform!"


    Sometimes I wondered if Bella was related to the Relentless. Despite not being a necromancer, my sister thought pretty much like one. While she was initially severely burdened with Alfonso, Sabel and Henry, the additions of high spec mainframes freed the psychotic Latina''s restraints.


    I looked below to the 200 strong Aegis battalion. Anyone who saw them would cower in fear. Not because they had guns, but because they were dead reapers who would not stay dead. Bella saw fit to use {Instigator} to control them and dump {Program} after {Program} into them.


    Bella personally negotiated with the Death Seekers to trade the corpses of Reapers for Devil''s remains. Naturally many grew horrified when word got round of that trade. We got 200 bodies but the bad publicity we got, branded Hellsend as demon worshipers.


    ''Not that any of you minded being branded as such,'' Vela quipped.


    ''But Velaaaaa, none of us really care!''


    ''I have no doubt. Bella''s fondness of puppets aside, Aki and you are no better. I find it concerning that the most honorable fighter among you is Robyn. And she straight ups brutalizes her opponents.''


    ''Hmph! You make is sound like a bad thing!'' I complained.


    I couldn''t argue about Vela''s observations. Truly the most humane murderer among the four of us was Robyn. And that was not because she couldn''t think of a dastardlier way to fight, but more of her personality. Robyn fought in a hurry and just wanted to end the fight as soon as she could.


    "Sigh. I am starting to feel sorry for the wankers I helped you get. How are your fucksticks different from zombies? I mean even those sad bastards are fighting for us. Just how would others see Possum''s army?"


    "Ara. I didn''t think you would care about such matters, Robyn! As your etiquette instructor my heart swells with pride! Still, I agree with Robyn, being seen as ruthless is fine. But putting even the dead to work is not something most would find acceptable. Shujin might¡­"


    "You girls worry too much! Darling wouldn''t even bat an eye to using corpses! Who cares about ethics and morals when you were about to die? Anyway! Darling is coming home soon! Right?


    Right? We just have to get rid of the trash and he should praise us!"


    Right now, that was practically the only thing the four of us were concerned with. Not the army in front of us or the negative stigma Hellsend had picked up. All we wanted was to see Darling. And he was coming home soon.

 Chapter 747 Heroine Chapter: I hope Darling likes it [2/2]

    "Hmph. I am sure he would need a beating. Even Mike''s report was full of absurdities. A bullet that could restore almost dead people? A program that allowed him to fight on par with us? As if suddenly stumbling on a conspiracy was not enough!


    Hmph! Honey should be prepared!"


    "Why are you pissed about that? I am angrier at this Evelyn bitch. Because of her I had to spend almost a week without my Possum. If she isn''t dead when she arrives, I will make sure she is."


    "Shouldn''t you both just focus on the fact that we will see Shujin soon? After all, both of you haven''t turned off Siren Party since he left. Fufu. Your digital John Smiths must be beyond exhausted."


    "Shut it you Jav Reject, how are you any better? My ears have been bleeding listening to your debauchery! Why are all of your scripted plays about rent or convenience stores? Just what kind of a fucking fetish do you even have, chink?" Bella accused.


    Surprisingly, Darling''s perverted sex simulator, "Dress me up and Love me: Siren party" turned to be one of the ways we coped. Using his Avatar, Bella, Robyn, Aki and I masturbated to his digital avatar. Of course, we spiced it up in our own ways, but it was never as good as the real thing.


    "Relax everyone. The sooner we kill these bastards the better! It doesn''t matter how many of them there are! They won''t beat us! Right sisters! LET''S GOOOOOO!"


    Funnily enough, wanting to hear Darling allowed me to ascend to Level 6. The new {fate} I received was called {Echo}. It allowed me to create sound waves from thin air. I also made a new {Program} that could copy the voice of other people. I called [Mimic].


    Combining {Echo}, [Mimic] and {Announce}, I could manipulate sound as I wanted.


    Darling''s voice resounded through the skies. "HELLSEND! DO NOT FEAR! YOU SEE THOSE FUCKERS OVER THERE! LET''S GET THEM ACQUAINTED WITH OUR GUNS, SHALL WE? FOLLOW ME!!!!"


    Funnily enough none of our forces moved even with my command in the voice of Limitless.


    "Jo, Shujin doesn''t talk that way. Please refrain from using his voice in such a manner."


    "Eh? Doesn''t Darling always curse then say something witty?"


    "Stop being so fucking creepy you nutjob! Let''s just smoke them! I am going. I want Possum to praise me when he comes back! {Replace}!"


    "I shall go as well. Bella, Jo, I wish for your safety. {Rewind}."


    "Yeah, be careful you two. Honey will blame me if you girls get hurt."


    Robyn and Aki shattered into fragments of light and disappeared. Now that the Sirens began to move this battle could no longer be stopped.


    The army in front of us was from South America. Their expertise was in creating familiars. But as these bastards were hastily put together, none of us believed they have much a strategy beyond just wave tactics. And we had no intention of letting do as they please.


    "Shall we begin?" Bella asked.


    "Yep! Let''s!"


    From where we stood, it was obvious that the enemy was still preparing. But we were neither kind nor docile enough to wait for them to finish. If they believed that Hellsend built these walls to protect ourselves, they were sorely mistaken.


    ''After all the girls and I were nothing more than monsters. Without remorse nor mercy. And since our tamer is absent, we can cut loose even for a little bit.''


    Using [Mimic] I copied Lilly''s voice and made the air tremble.


    "HELLSEND! IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS! EXECUTE EVERYONE WHO TRIES TO INVADE OUR DOMAIN! OPEN COMBAT!"


    "WAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!"


    Exactly at that moment the ground at the center of the enemy''s makeshift camp exploded. Screams of confusion and fear rang out. But Hellsend was just getting started. Violet clouds began to spread. And soon the Wraiths began to drop dead.


    Even from where I stood, I could hear them.


    "Cough! Cough! What is going on!" "Bleugk! Get away from the smoke! Its poison!" "Hey! Are you alright?


    Hey!" "KYAAA!!!!! SHE IS DEAD!" "Someone! Drive away the smoke!"


    I then heard the flapping of a thousand wings. They franticly tried to drive away the vile mists, yet their efforts were to no avail. The noxious cloud did make them sick, but it was not enough to kill them. What did was the swords of those who hid in the mist.


    Over a hundred people were moving within the smoke. And they assassinated those inside with blades coated in poison. It was naturally the only unit that could drink poison and never die.


    "Tsk. Who thought that she could turn a bunch of cooks into something like that? Would anyone even WANT to get food from Inari''s Kitchen after today?" Bella complained.


    Ignoring her, I decided it was time to help out. Aki and I were waiting for someone to take command of the situation. But either there wasn''t any or he was far smarter than we thought. Rather than risk exposing himself the commander opted to let his forces die.


    ''How inept. A person that prioritizes his own life rather than his army is not fit to be a commander!''


    ''Hehehe! Don''t be too hard on them Vela! They are stupid! This is probably because of Jas! Just knowing she was in Hellsend was enough for them to be careful!''


    ''[Overdrive] [Commander], Exa. Help me out.''


    [Yes, lady Jo. I have sent to you the ten most generic male and female voices from South America.]


    ''Got it, change the languages of the voices to those from Bella''s continent. Use Spanish, Portuguese, Quechua, Guarani and English.''


    [Yes, my lady. We are ready.]


    After Exa and my preparations were complete, I initiated {Echo} and choose a hundred different points inside the smoke. I was thankful for [Commander], otherwise it would have been hard to multitask to this degree.


    Using [Mimic] I fashioned a hundred different voices and created them using {Echo}. Unlike [Whisper], {Echo} had no lag. It didn''t travel from me to the target, so distance was no issue.


    "ARGGGHH!! MY SKIN IS MELTING!" "RUN FORWARD! THE GAS WILL KILL US!" "WAAHHH WE WILL DIE IF WE DO NOT RUN FORWARD!" "THE COMMANDER IS DEAD!" "SOMEONE HELP ME!"


    Voices recognizable to the invading army began to shout all at once. As this army was a makeshift group from different cultures, it was hard to coordinate them. If the commander still wouldn''t step up after all this his army was going to die without having a chance to fight.


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: That was brilliant Jo, the army is dividing. The Phantoms are rushing towards us. We will try to hold as long as we can.]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Got it, Aki. Prioritize safety over everything else, we only need to find the commanders. Robyn, hold till I give the signal, you''re our trump card.]


    [MastiffKnight:I know, I know. Hurry! This is exhausting!]


    Bella turned to me and spoke.


    "Jo, they still are waiting for us to show our hands. Rattle them a bit."


    Naturally since we were vastly outnumbered, Aki''s trick only affected a small part of the army''s forces. But it was enough. There were two major problems with having a large army. One was supplies the other was having an appropriate command structure.


    The ground at the middle part of the enemy''s forces were in disarray. It was like a stampede during a packed concert. In order to not get stomped on you had to push the ones in front of you.


    But as the other sides were still waiting for commands, I had to make sure none of them were ready to listen even once their leaders took charge.


    ''Alright. Hellsend Undead Division! It''s your time to shine!''


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    At my thought, my forces moved. Thousands upon thousands of Rank F Undead burst from group scattered all over the battle ground. Each of these weak zombies then took out a bundle of dynamite and a lighter.


    ''Well done everyone! Now! Light up your presents and run towards the strongest person you can find!''


    {Listen} was really useful for things like this. I found "hearing" the battleground was better than seeing it using Exa''s drones. It was hard to capture just how scared people were with just pictures.


    "What? The zombies are using lighters?" "Bro, what''s he doing?" "FUCK! THATS DYNAMITE! RUN!" "KILL IT!" "WAIT! FOCUS ON THE FUSE!" "FUCK THIS SHIT!"


    Explosions rang in random parts of the enemy''s army. All while I terrorized them with {Echo}. As the South American army fell into anarchy, I felt myself getting giddy.


    Rather than give Darling a handkerchief like olden times, I would present my precious {Kindred} a thousand soulgems fresh from our enemy''s corpses. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hehehe! I hope Darling likes it. my present I mean!"

 Chapter 748 If it came down to it [1/2]

    I took out the Esca and grew it to its original size. Turning to D, I made a request.


    "D, can you proceed to drive the others back to the corridor? The Sirens and I will catch up."


    "No worries my lord, I can do that. I will have Exa help me."


    "Okay, thank you."


    The rest of my party piled up in the car and made their way back. Exa normally set my [Autosave] on Esca when I pulled out my beloved car. Thus, I could just return to the car later when I rewind. Although I knew we should head back, I still had some things I wanted to discuss with the girls.


    Naturally the first thing the girls and I did after the other left was to lock lips. After a few minutes of affection maintenance, the girls and I took a moment to walk about. Jas and Lilly held my hands as Liv followed like a guard.


    I gazed at the desolate landscape of the 32nd floor. The light of the Sacreds unless replenished only lasted for a few minutes. Slowly the night returned back into its gloomy atmosphere. There were numerous large craters littering the ground.


    Scents reminiscent of Iron and rotting flesh filled the air. I didn''t know what the 32nd floor had before we arrived here, but it was only know that I pictured what was lost. Each floor had 28 zones. With North America''s purification rate 60%, that at maximum there would have been 17 Phantoms at the minimum here.


    If each of those had a standard squad of 5 Wraiths, that would put the total number of defenders in this floor alone at 102 Reapers. If you add the 31st and 30 floor, that would at least 306 Reapers were lost because of this conspiracy.


    And there was no telling just how many floors are affected. We could just easily be included in the body count if we weren''t careful. The only thing I was certain was that the 24th floor would be assaulted by South America instead of the Vampires.


    My girls simply followed along as I contemplated. While I made piece that people would eventually die due to my actions, I had no intension of being careless. As we walked. I then felt a large soul signature begin to descend in front of us.


    Liv quickly dashed in front of me with her shield up. Lilly and Jas similarly let go of my hands and armed themselves. A red warp circle appeared on the ground announcing the arrival of a Death Seeker.


    The seconds ticked by until a trio of figured appeared. Two of them were new faces but the last one was someone I was extremely wary off.


    "Zach¡­"


    "Hey, Bastard. As always you are being an asshole everywhere you go."


    "What do you want?"


    "Shouldn''t you be telling your women to stand down?"


    While technically we were on the same side. Zachary Lynch the Nightmare was one of the most conniving assholes I have ever met. He was one of the people who obviously had me dancing in the palm of his hand since the beginning.


    My girls who knew of the power plays this fucker was doing naturally had their guard up. This was outside of the fact that Zach told them to leave me. The only reason we had yet to come to blows was because of the fact that he was one of the pillars holding up the North American battlefront.


    ''My precious {Kindred}, stand down if you please.''


    With my words Lilly and Jas lowered their weapons but were still alert. Liv on the other hand moved her shield to the side and got out of the way. Zach who saw the hostility radiating from the girls began to complain.


    "Bastard, I said it before, right? Your women are crazy. Stop dawdling and put a¡­"


    "Cut the crap Zach. Talk now. I am not in a good mood."


    The Nightmare scowled as he brushed the back of his head.


    "This fucking bastard. I swear you are getting more and more arrogant by the day."


    "¡­"


    We stared down each other for a moment.


    He then sighed exaggeratedly before speaking.


    "Who cares about relationships right? Anyway, I just wanted to thank you. We investigated the upper floors after your stint with the Tunneling Worms. Our side is still calculating the actual damage, but it is safe to say that if you people didn''t stop the Vampires it would have gotten bad."


    Bad was an understatement. Without the Tunneling Worms or our Sacreds, the battlefront would have been overrun if the Vampire army began their attack. But that was only the assumption that David was not on the battlefront. Because if he was, there was nothing to worry about.


    "And I know exactly the day he would leave. Funny right? I didn''t even need to look very far."


    That was what Stefan De Arno said. It was unthinkable for the monsters to know where North America''s human weapon would be. While I recognize that it would be hard, shouldn''t the Reaper equivalent of the Secret Service do their jobs properly?


    I was sure that such information would be closely guarded. And no matter how much he owed me, Zach would not let slip when David would be away from his throne.


    "I''m not even sure why you are thanking me. David is here anyway, right? They wouldn''t have even made any progress even if they attacked the battlefront."


    I carefully stared at Zach''s expressions trying to see through his mask.


    "If only things were that simple," he smiled wryly.


    Not able to get anything even remotely useful, I was about to ask what happened to my domain when I remembered something. There was another instance of my secrets being leaked out. And it wasn''t because I was careless, it was because someone could see the future.


    The answer to your plight lies in your blood, remember this when hope seems distant. Also set your mind at peace, I have brought reinforcements for Hell''s Eden. South America will begin their assault in 3 days. Your garden will not fall. Wrath, Envy, Gluttony and Sloth shall grow with their blood.


    The Reapers had a person like the Astrologer. She had such accuracy that it was impossible to hide anything from her. What if the Demons had someone similar? If they were as old as they said, the likelihood that they would protect such a person was incredibly high.


    After all there wasn''t a steadfast rule that only one person could have future reading powers. There was no guarantee that Blanche Voir Mill¨¦nia was the only who lamented the past. In fact, I would assume that tons of people would have regrets centered around seeing through time.


    What if the information about David was not leaked, but it was seen by someone instead? A demon who had the same abilities as the "Astrologer". The implications were enough to make my brain stop. How could you even defend against that? Was that why Zach and David operated with all this cloak and dagger shit?


    "Fine. Her name is Astaroth the 3rd. I don''t know much. She just told me to prepare a vampire army to destroy this arc. Not that it matters now. If I knew that I would fight a fucker like you, I would have not just sleep till you died.


    The Malice I lost fighting you was equivalent to eons. I don''t have a future anyway even if I escape here."


    Astaroth. From how Bifrons talked she was someone who fit the bill. I wasn''t even sure if what I guessed was right. But Zach and David would definitely have it hard if someone who can see the future was their enemy.


    Thinking I was onto something I tried to let slip the name.


    "Indeed, Asty makes the situation complicated after all." S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "W-What? Y-YOU! How do you know that name?"


    Well fuck. It looks like I hit the nail on the head. Zach seemed to lose his composure. He quickly erected a large soul cage covering our groups. The sudden enclosure took the girls by surprise.


    ''Girls, please calm down¡­''


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    When our location was secured, Zach pinched the bridge of his nose as he continued.


    "Bastard, I am not even going to ask how you found out about her. But do not use the Archdemons name so casually, she has a {Fate} that allows her to see anyone who mentions her."


    "I see. Then putting her matters aside. Is David really not at the Battlefront?"


    "Short answer is yes. But it''s hard to explain. Just know that if the Vampire army was able to assault North America it would have been very ugly. We would have become the second Antarctica."

 Chapter 749 If it came down to it [2/2]

    "¡­"


    "Anyway, I have a ton of matters to ask you, but I would like to begin with saying thank you. We would have been in deep shit if not for you and your party."


    "You''re welcome. I did it for my own sake as well. But I''m curious what else you have to say," I answered curtly.


    Zach cleared his throat with a cough before continuing.


    "Anyway, Vampires rarely group together in large numbers, Nobles even more so. They are normally nomadic and hedonistic. From our investigation a thousand strong army comprised of Vampires should not have been possible to begin with. How were they able to come together under one banner?"


    Right, I also noticed that. Even with Gaspar''s immense strength, it was not enough to take command of the Noble Vampires. There was only one person who was able to control them. Although now that I think about it, maybe it was Stefan and not Bifrons who could control the army. That would certainly explain why everyone knew the duke but not Gaspar.


    "It was due to a Rank S Greater Demon. He was named Bifrons the 68th."


    "I see. Did he have a {Fate} that made the mosquitoes subservient or something?" Zach asked in passing.


    ''Husband, I do not like this. Be careful, they may ask us to compensate North America for bringing in the Tunneling Worms.''


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    ''Be careful Dearest, if they learn of Stefan''s {Brainwash} they will ask for his body.''


    Hearing the words of my girls, I clenched my teeth. They were right, what we did was similar to an invasion as we didn''t notify North America of our actions. As a result, while we did break the Vampire army, it also leveled the 32nd floor completely. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Not that I am aware of, we just killed our way towards our target."


    "I am aware, you did all this to take back a single Reaper right? Evenly Flowers?"


    ''Should I be even surprised that he knows at this point? I shared it the Hellsend leadership but how was it leaked to Zach? Did he have a spy operating in our midst?'' I complained internally.


    [My lord, Lady Bella and Aki have been trying to determine who the spy is by altering the information they shared to various groups. We should be able to find who it is soon.]


    ''Dearest, do not worry about counter espionage. Aki is extremely talented in that. Rather than simply kill the spy, She and Bella intend to turn that person to a double agent instead.''


    ''Oh? How?''


    ''By torturing the said spy before breaking his mind. Jo already has tested the effects. The Sirens already have a plan in place, once the spy is found we will take care of it,'' Jas explained.


    ''You girls are amazing! When did you all even begin doing this?''


    ''Ever since we became Death Seekers, Beloved. When Exa shared how the AIs were used to find your weaknesses, we have been developing plans to counter them.''


    Hearing my girls take everything in stride, I grew pleased. It was dangerous to have your actions reported to our enemies. As someone who played a lot of RTS games, intelligence was one of the biggest factors in victory and defeat.


    ''Thank you all. Once again, I am grateful to the heavens you are all by my side.''


    As warmth and affection spread both ways of my link, I answered Zach nonchalantly.


    "Yes. You are correct. We succeeded. This entire conspiracy thing was just something we uncovered by accident."


    "I see. Then that is good. We assumed she had fallen in battle years ago. Is she okay?"


    No, she was not. She turned into a fucking Vampire. As the answer got lodged in my throat, I needed to know how to approach this. Should we let them know that Hellsend in general already has alliances with monsters? Would they take offense in us sheltering one?


    ''And if it came down to it, will he fight us if we did so?''


    In Anime and Manga, there were numerous stories of the protagonists fraternizing with monsters. And the attitudes of the government were always the same, they commonly tried to retrieve the monster and kill it.


    The only stories that allowed the monsters to live were those in which the government was powerless compared to the protagonist. As I was thinking, I then felt Lilly squeeze my hand. Along with her melodious voice she tried to reassure me.


    ''Dearest. I advise in keeping the Awakened a secret for now. Do not be afraid. Even if we must come to blows, I will handle Zach. The impact of our alliance with the Awakened would help the entire world. This already goes beyond what he or even my father thinks!''


    ''I agree with Lilly, Husband. We personally fought with the Awakened. The malice we should have earned were eaten by them. Aside from that one time where you used {Rejuvenate}, our benevols didn''t go beyond 10% in corruption.''


    ''Truly it is something that we should tell everyone. But Southerner politics are much too complex, Beloved. For now, we should consult with Bella and Jo on how to share it with the rest of the world. Keep him in the dark about Evelyn as a whole would be easier to manage.''


    I was so thankful to have my girls for counsel. While I had the capacity to think about all this, I knew I would make a ton of mistakes if I did it alone. But with the Sirens analyzing the shit of such topics, they would surely find the best answer in my stead.


    It was a stark reminder of how much goes behind the scenes that I didn''t even know about. My girls were handling so much stuff just to ensure I do not fail. Truly I was lucky to have them in my corner. With such devoted women, I grew confident that I would not follow in Sahashi''s footsteps.


    "I do not know yet. Evelyn is in a coma. She has her soulgem intact, but I do not know if she is still alive," while my words were no lie, they were not entirely truthful either.


    "¡­ Is that so?"


    Zach made a complicated expression as he gazed at me. It was the same face my dad made when he knew I was lying through my teeth.


    "Is there something else you wanted Zach? I need to hurry home. I was told my domain is being attacked."


    "Indeed, it is. But surprisingly your forces are holding on. They not only managed to defend well, but practically fought tooth and nail the South American Rogue army. Practically the whole world was watching how your people fought them. Your girls in particular were overwhelming."


    I felt my heart pound in excitement. If Zach said so, then it seems the war was going well. While I trusted the girls it felt good to hear someone praise them. If only Zach stopped there.


    "Unfortunately, the South Americans are a pain in the ass to deal with. The invading army has Specters. If they weren''t present, South America would have been beaten back on the very first day. But the longer it goes on the higher the likely your guys would lose."


    Specters. A single Specter was able to overturn our situation. That''s how powerful they were. And the Anvil team had to fight against two of them. Hearing Zach''s words I felt my blood pressure rise up. Jas and Lilly grip my hands tightly, as if to reassure me.


    I couldn''t help but emanate Death Resonance at the realization. All this time I assumed the South American army would only have Phantoms. They only had a little over 200 Specters could they really pull them away from the frontline that quickly? Hellsend only had Eva Baker!


    If the other countries were willing to throw Specters at us, I misjudged the danger! What if there were 10? The Ensea army had 30, but they were expected to arrive in a couple of months. By then the Sirens and I would be Specters.


    But it would be dangerous fight multiple Specters as early as now! As I tried to leave Zach blocked my way and quickly grabbed me by the shoulder.


    "Get out of my way Zach," I growled.


    "Bastard. I would like to make a deal, tell me everything you know, and I will use the Death Seekers to save your domain."


    I let go of the girls and summoned Ebony and Ivory. the girls similarly raised their weapons. the two with the Nightmare pulled out their weapons in response.


    "Are you fucking threatening me, Zach?"

 Chapter 750 Because of me? [1/2]

    The Death Seekers. A moniker given to the Mercenaries to marginalize what we were. It was a known fact that people tried to generalize what they didn''t understand. If someone did something that didn''t make sense, few would be able to call themselves ignorant, instead the one who did would be called crazy.


    If they diverged from the status quo, they were eccentric. If they tried to do things unheard of, they would be called stupid. It didn''t matter what the actions were nor what they represented, it all boiled down to how it was understood.


    So how should people understand the term, Death Seekers?


    One who sought death. It was easy to die. Just a bullet to the head or a knife to the heart would do the job. Drinking poison or throwing yourself from a high enough place would lead one to the same result. There were infinitely so many ways to leave this world it was comical.


    In truth, it took way more to live that it did to die. This was true for humans at it was for Reapers. So just what kind of lifestyle would Mercenaries have to have lived in order to be called Death Seekers?


    Our responsibilities revolved around reclaiming fallen zones and reinforcing ones of the verge of defeat. It was understandable that few would willingly choose to go to battle in the most horrible of circumstances. I actually only met two of them.


    Robert Acwellan the Slayer and Dominic Maegester the Machiavelli. While I was uncertain how a coward like Dominic could join, Robert was extremely similar to me. After all the bastard willingly incubated a demon in his body for revenge. It was hard to call anyone sane after hearing that.


    I on the other hand became a Death Seeker for the simple purpose that it was what would allow me to fulfill my objective. After I vowed to Lilly to kill as much zombies as I can, my goal was simple. To close Hellsgate by killing everything within it.


    But life was never so straight forward. While I was busying myself with Hellsgate the other battlefronts intended to attack my home. Though many considered me OP, I couldn''t defeat entire armies alone. I needed help. If I could get the Death Seekers as support, I was sure they would be worth more than even the assault teams.


    The answer to your plight lies in your blood, remember this when hope seems distant. Also set your mind at peace, I have brought reinforcements for Hell''s Eden. South America will begin their assault in 3 days. Your garden will not fall. Wrath, Envy, Gluttony and Sloth shall grow with their blood.


    The Astrologer never said my girls back home would win. She only said Hell''s Eden would not fall. And that Bella and the rest would grow stronger. How they would survive nor what they would need to sacrifice in order to push South American back were never mentioned.


    The Sirens of the Anvil team while incredibly powerful were still only Phantoms. After seeing the vast differences the change in ranks did for Lilly, I could never underestimate a Specter ever again.


    Just how many Specters were part of the South American army? Aside from Lilly, Eva Baker was our only Specter. Could she handle them all alone? What if the way for them to win was to call on the Death Seekers? What if we would fail our defenses if we didn''t call on them?


    Nothing was set in stone; thus, I didn''t know what the right course of action was.


    The only thing that I was certain of was that the Specters I all fought were toying with me. In the past, I thought I had given as I good as I got. But I now know how arrogant I was.


    Lilly was able to decapitate three Rank A in a single moment. Something even thousands of Rank B Noble Vampires couldn''t do.


    This was why the Vampires intentionally kept their conspiracy beyond the domain of the Specters. The gap in power was just too great. And as I saw their tactics, I surmised that the Noble Vampires intended to just run away from the Specters. They intended to use their numbers to protect them.


    Zach, the conniving bastard, made sure to highlight that the Anvil team was struggling against the Specters of South America. His words were simple. Share all the knowledge we gained in exchange for support. Behind the Nightmare was the Death Seekers. Indirectly he also meant, I could call on their Specters if necessary.


    ''Exa, how many active Specters does the Death Seekers has?''


    Aside from the Assault teams, only the Death Seekers had Specters. While Phantoms burned out quite often, they still defended. Specters on the other hand retired completely. Eva, Xander and Raymond and Rolland were good examples. Thus, having a force of active Specters was a huge accomplishment!


    [My lord, the Death Seekers has 27 active Specters.]


    Twenty fucking seven. No wonder Robert for all his power couldn''t even enter the top 40 of the Mercenaries in ranking. There were almost thirty of them who could wipe the floor with him. What kind of power would such a force bring?


    I clenched my teeth from annoyance. I vowed I would never bow down to ask for their help, but the safety of my girls changed everything. If it meant their safety, even my pride was a cheap price to pay.


    I was about to accept when Liv suddenly appeared in front of me.


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    "Thank you for your offer. But Hellsend has no need for the Death Seekers."


    A flat-out refusal, I couldn''t even get a word in before the two by my sides echoed her sentiments.


    "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Lynch, but it is unnecessary. The fact that you had yet to try and help them means my sisters are doing well. My Dearest is a bit overprotective, please stop teasing him."


    "Hellsend and the remaining Sirens can hold, Nightmare. Just as Husband and our party of eight managed to stop the Vampire conspiracy, my sisters will protect our home. Do not underestimate them."


    "¡­"


    In response to Zach''s silence, Lilly added with a laugh.


    "Fufu, I find it extremely hilarious Mr. Lynch. You thank us for stopping the conspiracy yet ask for payment in defending the 24th floor. I am sure you are aware how horrible it would be if any other battlefront managed to claim a floor in North America''s domain."


    "Shameless. It seems Americans lack any decency to return goodwill. Husband, let us go. There is no need to waste time here."


    "You brats all are forgetting that your forces are not part of North America any longer. I turned a blind eye as your people warped into the 30th floor. I could consider it as an invasion if I wanted to. My hands are tied. Compensating you even if you did help is against the rules."


    Jas scoffed at Zach''s explanation then pulled me away. I found my girl''s words to be true, thus I didn''t bother to resist and stayed quiet. Lilly followed us while Liv stood between Zach and me like a wall. My Princess'' words only confirmed what I already knew. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''David has no intention of coddling me. He could care less if the 24th floor was taken. It was wise to not consider him as an ally. To a Revenant, a single punch was all he needed to take it back after all.''


    As we were about to leave, Zach made an audible sigh as he snapped his fingers. A seemingly simple action led Exa to reach out to me in excitement.


    [My lord. Warp restrictions for the 32nd, 31st and 30th floors have been lifted for our party. We can take a long-distance warp back to the 24th floor.]


    Hearing her words I turned around and looked at the commander of the Death Seekers. I kind of forgot about it, but to start a new life on the 24th floor meant to abandon North America. Thus, it made sense that we could no longer do as we please.


    ''I suppose, we need to sit down in the future about terms for usage of their Warp gates and stuff, right?''


    ''Hardly, Bella is the most skilled negotiator among us, Beloved. I am certain she will get us the best terms for the exchange. It would be wise to just leave it to her.''


    ''Hmph. Negotiator is putting it kindly. That lazy big boob twit is a scammer! Still, Liv is right, she is the most excellent person for the role. By the way Dearest, as we lie on a shared floor, we do not technically have to dive deeper on the North American Battlefront. We can instead go to the other continents.''


    ''Huh? What do you mean?'' I asked in confusion.

 Chapter 751 Because of me? [2/2]

    ''Husband, one of the plans for expansion we have thought off is to sell our services. Taken literally, Hellsend can sell her services as a Mercenary group that can fight for other continents. Not just North America.''


    ''Of course, this is only against the Undead and Monsters. We know you do not wish to fight other Reapers unless absolutely necessary, Beloved. We have yet to tell you as there are still too many things we have no clear answers for.''


    My girls were amazing. I haven''t even gotten to thinking about what to do beyond my current campaign. Meanwhile they were already thinking about trade and relationships between the battlefronts in the future.


    Zach unaware of our internal conversations brushed the back of his head as he continued.


    "It is not much, but I have granted Hellsend Reapers rights to use the Warp gates. As much as I wanted to do it differently, be satisfied with this. Thanks again bastard. I will be in touch."


    Nodding, I replied curtly. "Got it. Thanks Zach. Farewell."


    ''Shall we go?'' I asked my harem.


    ''Yes!'' x3


    ''{REWIND}!'' x4


    Our bodies broke into light fragments, and we were rewinded back to Esca.


    ***


    The girls and I reappeared on the roof of my car. We quickly crouched down and balanced ourselves as Esca sped along the zones. Obviously, my Esca had enough horsepower to not notice our arrival. But soon the car slowed down till it came to a stop.


    When we got off, D and Pixie along with the others similarly came out.


    "I was surprised when you guys just popped on the roof. Good thing Exa told me to not step on the breaks!"


    "My lord! Welcome back. What do we do now?" Pixie asked excitedly.


    "We have regained Warp capabilities from Zach. The Sirens and I will be heading back first. You four can follow only if can bring Evelyn with you."


    Nyda placed her finger to her chin as she wondered "We can my lord. I have this soulgear named {Bypass}. It will allow us to treat my sister as luggage for one teleportation. It is used for capturing live specimens for Academics."


    "I see, then that is good. The situation has changed. The South American army is currently attacking the 24th floor. I do not know how many but there seems to be Specters among their ranks."


    While I did receive the letter a few days ago. Only the Sirens and I knew of the imminent attack. This was my way of minimizing leaks. While I had {Kill Switch} primed, I didn''t want to take out anyone if I was unsure that they were a spy.


    I moved towards my car and shrunk it down to the size of a toy. Nyda removed the bag from her sister''s head and placed a futuristic looking pair of handcuffs on her. Evelyn still looked dazed so transporting her like this should be okay. Leo took the Vampire, bagged her again, and placed her on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.


    "We are ready my lord."


    [Exa, are the enemies near our spawn coordinates?]


    "No, my lord, they are none. You would be able to enter the zone quietly."


    "Dearest, why not leverage the Awakened just for this one battle? The confusion would help."


    "I agree, with Lilly, Husband. Even if there are Specters, they would still need people to take over Hellsend. They have to preserve at least some of their army. Jo and Bella should have already used zombies and monsters in defending, so it serves as a good cover for Juno. We can attack them from behind as a surprise, while hiding what they are."


    "Indeed. They cannot plunder what they need with only Specters. You could take their attention away while the three of us assault them from behind with the Awakened."


    "But how would you even find them? Exa, do you still have Juno''s location?"


    [I do my lord. While I cannot connect to the anyone on the 24th floor. I am able to do so with Juno as they are still within three floors. I can ask her to meet us on the 31st right now.]


    Getting hit from behind would definitely mess the battle tempo of our invaders up. But having to part with my girls like this made me queasy. Before I could voice my concerns thought, Lilly wrapped her arms around me and gave me a loving kiss.


    "Dearest. As always, you worry too much. Fufu. Have you forgotten that I am already a Specter? Jas and Liv are no slouches ether. One sees the future and the other turns into a giant.


    If you add the Awakened, it will take more than a few Specters to take us down."


    "Have faith in us, Beloved. We have {Rewind}. This way, we can bring the fight to them. Besides I have a feeling my sisters would not want to see us by your side when you return. We have been blessed to accompany you in this operation. We are fine taking the rear for the next one."


    "Husband, did you not name the teams Hammer and Anvil after the military strategy used by Alexander the great? The girls and I can do this. Reinforce my sisters. Seeing you will not only boost their morale but also cause the South American army to take caution."


    I knew the girls were right. If South America battled like summoners in games, then their plan made sense. Anvil would stall the summons while Hammer would take the summoners. But I was sure the enemy also knew that. They had to place some good defenses.


    With Bella as our tactician, I wasn''t worried we would lose. But Robyn, Aki, and Jo were not the types to sit back and watch. If after all this time the three of them could not push the enemies back, there was something there. Either the Specters had excellent defenses, or the girls were forced to play conservatively.


    But if that was the case, why didn''t they move to crush Hellsend? Despite being powerful if multiple Specters were in the equation, I wouldn''t be surprised if our side fell. So, if we can''t beat them back, why were they not beating us? Thus, for an invading army to not only waste time and still last after a few days, that simply meant they had another objective.


    ''Maybe it''s because of me?'' I wondered inwardly.


    At my thoughts Liv, Jas and Lilly all simply nodded. Was this why they wanted to separate from me? Because I was the target of the Invaders? Hmm, it made sense. If I was the target, then of course would not commit all they had as their objective wasn''t even present.


    But if I showed up, they might lower their guard. This was probably what the Hammer team was counting on. Once South America tried to go for me for real, my girls would use the commotion to hit the invaders where it hurts.


    The girls were probably being careful not to let Pixie, D, Leo and Nyda know. That was why they made a big deal of plundering to fool our allies. Although we have fought with these four against the Vampires, until we return, they probably wanted to be careful.


    I could only sigh in defeat at the mental gymnastics I had to do to keep up with the girls. Compared to them, I felt like a caveman with a stick. I was so glad they were on my side.


    Feelings of amusement, joy and love sprang forth from the Kindred links of my girls. Lilly stepped away only for Jas and Lilly to hug me goodbye. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Do not worry Beloved. We will make sure these Whoresons know the cost for trying to take you from us."


    "Husband, please try not to be reckless. I know that you think little of your pain but please think of us too."


    "Be careful you three. And protect each other," I replied


    I returned their loving embrace before letting them go.


    "Exa, where are Juno and her forces now?" Lilly asked.


    [They are currently making their way to the newborn Lizardkin Dragon we found on the 31st floor.]


    "I know that place. Well then, Dearest, see you soon. Try not to miss us too much. Mwuah!"


    With a flying kiss, an orange {Portal} appeared behind the three Sirens, with resolute faces they entered. Funnily enough when Hellsend needed help we didn''t ask our fellow Reapers but the Awakened instead.


    "Right, as for us, let''s go. Back to our home. And to kick the asses of the ones trying to destroy it."


    "Yes, my lord!" x4


    {Do you wish to warp to zone 1246-3? Please state your Id and name to confirm}


    1246-3? That was North of our base. Exa, who chose the return point must have her reasons. But it was close. That should be fine. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire


    {Reaper NA20230799-FRM, Limitless.}


    {Confirmation Received. Welcome reaper Limitless. Warp request has been approved. Entering zone 1246-3 in 3...2...1...}

 Chapter 752 Heroine Chapter: Only death. [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Isabella Taurus Smith


    ___


    "Fucking cheaters."


    The sight of waves of Kamikaze Zombies was already a ridiculous one. Dominic Maegester tried to do the same tactic in the Honey''s Seeker war. He had corpses shrunk and smuggled them in the stomachs of their allies. Quite a disgusting exercise but the tactical applications were undeniable.


    I didn''t know how long they had prepared that, but he was able to put almost 700 makeshift kamikaze vests on corpses. While it sounded good in theory It was first of all impractical. Why bother with all that effort when they would be just detonated? The vest themselves were unnecessary. Only the explosives mattered.


    "WOW! Look at them go! It''s like a watching fire works! HEHEHE!"


    I couldn''t help but clench my teeth at the sheer insanity of the one by my side. The commander of Vela''s Wolves and the one who by far was the most insane person I ever met. It couldn''t be noticed from the ground but from where we stood, Jo''s play was beyond terrifying.


    The Machiavelli was lauded for his ability to control 1,500 puppets. He commonly used monster corpses or undead to do his bidding. But even though I had his soulgem remade as a soulgear, I could never achieve what Jo was doing right now.


    Even from where I stood, I could hear the explosions and screams of the South American army. Unlike Jas who created chaos in the most efficient manner, the Italian shooting star aim'' was total anarchy.


    "AHHH!!! IT BIT ME! HELP!" "HE IS INFECTED KILL HIM!" "NOOOO!!!" "ARGGGHHHH!!" "WAIT THE ORDERS SAID TO RUN!" "GET OFF ME!!" "KIAN! HEY GET OFF HIM!"


    Jo demonstrated how malicious she could be. On top of using her new {Fate} to mess with the command structure, she single handedly terrorized them and forced them all to think on their feet. I mean, who had the patience to wait for instructions as thousands of zombies popped out of the ground?


    The Hellsend Undead Division as Jo called it was comprised of over 100,000 undead. It should have been impossible to command a force this large even with {Instigator}. But my Italian sister did so by brainwashing purely Undead Undertakers. These Rank E undead were plentiful. And each was able to command 100 Rank Fs to a degree.


    By forcefully taking hold of these Undead with {Whisper} and Death Resonance, Jo created a devastating army. And the what''s worse, the normal weakness of the Undertakers where they needed to be present on the battlefield to revive and command their zombies.


    And the nutjob by my side took that weakness and turned it into a strength. With her guidance, the Undertakers could remain hidden but revive and command Zombies out of sight.


    "WHY WON''T THESE BASTARDS DIE?" "FOCUS ON THE UNDEAD!" "NO!! WE GOT TO RETREAT!"


    With her undead blowing the shit out of the commanders and lieutenants, hardly anyone could lead afterwards. Adding commands in their native tongues with {Echo}, even seasoned veterans would have a hard time. Jo''s actions brilliantly exposed our opponent''s weakness in under ten minutes.


    This was no trained army. It was a mob.


    "HEHEHE! BELLA! Did you see? No one can find the Undertakers! I told you it would work!"


    And her insanity allowed me to hide majority of our real force in reserve. Exa was keeping a live count of the army and Jo''s simple but ingenious tactics already killed more than a fifth of the 1,500 strong army.


    Sadly, this was probably the limit of her ruse. While it was enough to surprise them it was at most a nuance. These people were Reapers not humans. Despite not being soldiers, they could just brute force the problem.


    I felt a colossal wave of soul emanate from our opponents. Along with a roar filled with soul.


    "{Bring your champions to the fray}!"


    True to the combat doctrine of South America, from 1,200 the numbers in front of us ballooned to over ten thousand. Beasts, humanoid monsters, insects, ghosts like apparitions and even machine constructs like robots sprang up. Discover hidden stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    Naturally the Rank Fs were powerless against them and quickly were dispatched. The summoned champions trashed the Normies and bigfoots like they were children. Even when they were resurrected by the Undertakers they were simply torn apart and flung away.


    This was the annoying part of fighting those from my continent. You could never outnumber them. In terms of numbers, no one could beat South America not even Asia. And if we let this summoned army run amok, we would pay for it dearly. It was time to step it up.


    "Yeah. Yeah. Well done. We should proceed to the next plan."


    "OKAY! {PORTAL}!" Jo enthusiastically chirped.


    I raised my hand in the air and calculated the coordinates of the air just above the main Army.


    ''Sabel, get me a visual.''


    [Here you go Mother.]


    My brain received the image of the spot I wanted. I opened a set or void doorways with this location as the exit. How impressive was it the Jo would keep up with me with pure brain power?


    "{Portal}!"


    Two spots in the sky above our enemies opened. Suddenly 914.4 meter subspaces gates appeared above them two hundred meters in the sky. I could hear the confusion coming from people who spoke my native tongue.


    "Huh? Hey what''s that?" "Stop looking at it and help me!" "ARGH! FUCKING ZOMBIES! JUST DIE ALREADY!"


    "Van, Henry, are the artillery batteries in place?" I asked to my forces.


    [Yes, Lady Minerva battery A is ready.]


    [Coordinates locked, Mother. Battery B ready to fire.]


    "DO NOT MISS! OPEN FIRE!"


    [FIRING!] x2


    A chorus of thunderous roars began. Behind my position I could feel the vibrations on my skin. The dust that settled on the fort was blown away creating a curtain of particles around the artillery units. Alternating rumbles caused tremors and shocks to assault the fort.


    155mm shells from the Type 777 and CAESAR self-propelled howitzers began to fall from the {Portals} above the South American Army. The sharp whistling in the air screamed like sirens during a hurricane.


    And soon after came the devastating results. In a storm of fire and steel, clouds of dust and ash ravaged the Reapers and their Champions. Their formations disintegrating into confusion and ruin. The largest summons tried to protect their allies but soon died to the power of modern artillery.


    Even those that survived the first shells were torn to pieces as the relentless barrage continued. The poor Reapers and their Champions tried to leave the kill zone but due to being so tightly packed they just got decimated like fish in barrel.


    ''Exa, can summoner type Reapers resummon their Champions?''


    [Yes, they can lady Bella. While there are differences most Summoner type Reapers can use soul to forcefully bring back their Champions for a cost. Though the more powerful the Champion the more stringent the rules are about its summoning.]


    "WOW! THAT''S AMAZING! LOOK AT ALL OF THE PRETTY LIGHTS! HAHAHA! I wanna go too!"


    Even amidst the deafening roars of our huge guns, I nodded to Jo as her hunger for battle grew. Wishing her luck I added a warning.


    "Okay, take care Jo. Be ready to retreat on my mark."


    Unfortunately, the one before me was anything but subservient. And not having Honey around to control her only sent her to the edge even more. The one before me made a huge grin as she replied with a face that screamed of madness.


    "HAHAHAHA! FUCK THAT! WATCH ME KILL THEM ALL! I only answer to Darling, bitch. Not to you or anyone else! I WILL WIN THIS WAR ON MY OWN!


    {REWIND}!"


    Not leaving any time for me to reply the nutjob vanished in an explosion of light. If it was anyone but Jo, I would worry. But true enough, the Italian had the intelligence that really made her not only an excellent commander but a master tactician.


    ''[Inventory] 629.''


    I pulled out the gun that the man I loved gave me and kissed it. It was during such times that I really wanted to shoot my sisters. But I knew he would get furious if I did.


    "Sigh, Mr. Code. Be prepared to spoil me when you return. Dealing with a bunch of lunatics is hard."


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Bella, I have found the commander. It is one of the Specters. He along with a group of 50 Phantoms are being protected by the other Specter at the center back. I do not think I can assassinate them and remain undetected.


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Got it Aki, has Inari''s Kitchen retreated? Do you think sending some Switchblades would help?]


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: I do not know. They sent swarms of insects and beasts to clear the fog. We have yet to expose our hand and have instead used Jo''s zombies as cover. Around twenty from my unit has rewinded back after being exposed.]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Is that so? Well, Jo is on the move so you should get your chance, with their numbers, they should begin their assault soon.]


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Fufu, did Jo decide to listen to you?]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: It went about just as you would expect.]


    ''Sabel, send all available Switchblades towards Aki''s location.''


    [Yes, Mother.] sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At my reply, the seductive voice of Aki began to giggle. Her voice had no sense of urgency nor tension.

 Chapter 753 Heroine Chapter: Only death. [2/2]

    This woman really had nerves of steel. If I was in her shoes, I would be quaking in my boots.


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: You should not be so hard on her. Missing Shujin really takes a toll on all of us. I can only manage due to my training.]


    Aki and Inari''s Kitchen used the gas at the beginning to redirect the enemy''s attention all for one purpose. To assassinate the enemy commander.


    Aki who had [Silent Steps], [Translucent] and her natural Ninja skills was already terrifying. But she decided being invisible, deadly silent was not enough. She even added yet another trump card. A {Program} she ironically named [In Plain sight].


    The Asian Descendant was now using {Store''s} pocket dimensions as a means to hide. Forget her body heat, even her smell and soul signature become completely undetectable. Being in another dimension hid the Bladed Kitsune perfectly. The only problem was she likewise couldn''t see or hear anything outside of her hiding hole.


    ''And yet she solved such a problem by dropping small cameras on the ground or using my drones. If she really wanted to assassinate me, I wouldn''t be even able to see her coming,''


    Grateful that this woman would never come after my life, I sighed in relief.


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Yeah, I can understand that. But why does she have to be a bitch about it?]


    [Mother, I have a visual. Sending it now.]


    I then finally saw the commander of the South American army for the first time. It was a man that worn armor like a cyberpunk Inca warrior. His hair was in dreads. Only his beard and jawline could be seen as his face was covered.


    Beside him was another Hispanic man who looked like a conquistador. He looked manly as stood upright, his entire attire was covered in gears like someone who worked with clocks or something.


    They were surrounded by a large army of what I could only describe as modern-day conquistadors. However, even from Sabel''s drone camera I noticed that these "things" were not human nor Reapers. They glowed as if they were made of spirits.


    ''Fuck, there are over a hundred of them surrounding the Phantoms! And all of these are from a single person?''


    "Sabel. Tag the Inca Warrior as the Priority target 1 and the conquistador as Priority target 2. Bomb them to next year, synch your timing with the artillery. {Portal}"


    [Yes, mother!]


    I closed the my {Portal} above the South American vanguard. Using Sabel''s feed, I repositioned it to above the enemy''s commander instead. Funnily enough, Jo mimicked my movements and placed hers beside mine.


    "Van, Henry, we will now be bombarding the enemy commanders. Have your support personnel begin using {Bestow} on your shells. I want Sunrise shells."


    [Understood! We will begin to prepare now! Give us ten minutes!]


    [Preparing Sunrise shells. ETA to completion. 09:59 minutes.]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Aki, we will commence bombardment in exactly ten minutes. I have marked the two Specters. Kill them if you can but be careful.]


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Okay, almost all of my squads have been found. Inari''s kitchen is now back in our starting point.]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: That''s fine Robyn is about to move anyway.]


    Sunrise shells were our codename for the baddest shells we could fire. Currently, we ran all sorts of trials using {Bestow} for Hellsend''s firepower. The Squad commander''s {Fates} were the first candidates to increase the lethality of our ammunition.


    Red rounds and shells were our anti-armor rounds. Scott Davis'' {Fate} {Detonate} was exceptional in demolishing and punching through armor. A single Red shell fired from a Challenger had the power to take down even Undead Brutes!


    Orange rounds and shells where those that use Santiago Gonzalez {Fate} {Combust}. These rounds were incendiaries on steroids. They grew hot enough to melt tank armor, and created fires that would make arsonists drool due to {Wildfire}.


    White rounds and shells on the other hand used Mike Walker''s {Pierce} family. They fragmented on impact but still had devastating power. They were like 155mm 360 Claymore mines. From our tests they were the perfect anti-personnel variants.


    Sunset meant to combine all Red, Orange and White into one round. It was overkill and something I requested for the most important of targets. Unfortunately, we couldn''t find a way to store them as the {Bestow} abilities vanish with time, so we had to create them on the fly.


    [Lady Bella, the South American army has begun to advance.]


    "I guess it about time they did. Where is Jo?"


    [She is currently standing in point A.]


    "This fucking lunatic. Have the Red, Black and Orange squads along with the Aegis Division support her. The rest should remain on standby on point B and C. Have Henry create a defensive line along our trap."


    [Understood. Lady Bella.]


    Although I could coordinate directly with Minerva''s Wizard''s having Exa act as my adjutant considerably lightened my load. For one she and I could operate faster than everyone else. Meaning Exa served as our main hub for data. She filtered the important updates and presented what I needed most in the timeliest manner.


    ''Fuck, I want to make something like her. My Children are inferior to Honey''s AI in every aspect. Just how did Zach code such an amazing piece of tech?''


    With the barrage of the howitzers ceasing, the enemy finally could reform their lines. They then began to charge. The scene looked like something out an anime. Giant animals, insect and bipedal freaks where all running towards us. While some of the enemy reapers held weapons most simply rode on their companions. The one leading them shouted bravely.


    "FOR GLORY! FOR HONOR! FOR FREEDOM! ONWARDS MY SOLDIERS!!!"


    Seeing such dedication made me feel pity for my fellow South Americans. Regardless of their intentions they made the decision to attack us today.


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    "And you will all die for that mistake."


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Robyn, they are advancing. You still good?]


    [MastiffKnight: About fucking time! I ate more than thirty burgers just waiting for these cunts!]


    As the massive almost ten thousand strong army ran towards us, none of our forces fired. We simply waited.


    I could see using Sabel''s feed that the Specters were growing concerned we only stood still. But even those that fought us before wouldn''t be able to figure out our last surprise. Slowly the distance between the South American army and ours shrunk.


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: HEHEHEHE! I''M SO EXCITED! LET''S FUCKING GOOOOO!!!!]


    I watched the guideline Exa showed in my vision. It measured the distance of the approaching army to our trap. The march of their army was like an avalanche or volcanic eruption, the ground shook as all sorts of beasts advanced.


    872 meters¡­


    [My Ladies, 15% of the Wraiths and 5% of the Phantoms have entered the designated area.]


    418 meters¡­


    ''Come on. Come on. Just a little more¡­.''


    216 meters¡­


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: JAILBAIT MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT FUCK THIS UP! OKAY! HAHAHAHA!]


    90 meters¡­


    [My Ladies, 39% of the Wraiths and 20% of the Phantoms have entered the trap.]


    35 meters¡­


    ''Guess I should be glad we got almost half.''


    12 meters...


    [MastiffKnight: GET STUFFED! NUTJOB! LIKE HELL I WOULD!]


    0 meters¡­.


    I then heard Robyn''s voice from high above the sky. Like a beast her roars signaled the beginning of a man-made calamity.


    "DROP DEAD YOU FUCKING SOUTH AMERICAN FUCKSTICKS!!"


    Exactly at that moment the sound of a loud creek was heard. it was like an ancient door that hadn''t been opened in decades.


    "GROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"


    A deafening howl followed by metallic wailing followed. As I was the only one who remained on top the wall. Only I could see the overall impact of just this one moment.


    Accompanied by the sounds of twisting steel, the ground the South American army was running on began to give way.


    "FUCK!" "WHAT THE HELL??" "AHHHH!!!!" "HELP! I''M FALLING!!!!"


    Giant metallic trap doors held together only by Robyn''s newest {fate} {Float} served as majority of our current battle ground. Like a moat it surrounded our fort leaving only three points to be only places once could pass on.


    While we spent an insane amount of time to dig up such a hug circular ditch, it was worth it. Especially when I saw the despair in our enemies faces as they plummeted to their demise. With steel spears at the bottom of the pitfalls, only Phantoms and above could survive.


    "Glory, honor, freedom, No, you will not find any of that here, Reaper."


    And as their screams echoed, some of them tried to jump up or fly out of the pits. Unfortunately for them, we were exactly waiting for this moment.


    "HELLSEND! IT''S OPEN SEASON! SHOOT THEM ALL! HAHAHAHAHA!" S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At Jo''s deranged scream. The sounds of thousands of guns began to sing in chorus.


    I similarly gave my orders.


    "Henry, Alfonso. use the new hardware as you please. kill them all."


    [Yes, Mother!] x2


    Driven by my children, attack helicopter gunships, European Main Battle Tanks and additional units of our old drones joined in the chaos.


    "In this land, only death awaits you," I murmured silently.


    What followed were events that could hardly be called a battle; it was more akin to a slaughter. It would have been wonderful if it just ended there. But alas, nothing in this life was ever easy.

 Chapter 754 Heroine Chapter: Have a good one! [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Robyn Lithgow Smith


    ___


    "Munch¡­Munch¡­Fucking dickheads!"


    As I ran towards the ground at full speed as I ate. I originally positioned my {save} point up high to see the entire battlefield. I needed to in order to maximize our plan.


    In the beginning, Bella only wanted Hellsend to dig trenches and planned to use them as moats. Aki suggested to turn them into death traps instead. I suggested to create a simple pitfall trap with my newest {fate}. My Jap sister requested to fill the holes with spears pointed up.


    Steel sheets were easy enough to get. Licia and the Deryks were damn useful in getting them. We just covered the holes with them. After adding some dirt and my {fate} and you get giant ass pitfall traps. Large chasms that spanned almost the entire defensive line.


    Of course, it was only because I ascended that this trap was even possible. Still, the traps could be considered team Avil''s first collaboration. Jo further improved it by suggesting we placed everyone else besides the holes.


    By everyone, she meant every able body that was not part of the 2nd Amendment or the Siren Squads. This group included Rogues, Slaves and Production reapers. They were only given one command. "Shoot anything that tried to get out of the holes."


    From where I was, I could see the tidy lines of fucksticks turned into a dog''s breakfast. Thousands screamed as they fell to their deaths. Those that could fly or tried to take command were gunned down by Hellsend.


    Even the larger sized Champions were helpless as they got pounded by the crap the European slagger brought. The new MBT''s and Attack helicopters did most of the heavy lifting. The four choppers were absolutely blasting the shit out of anything trying to get out the holes. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I am starting to feel sorry for this cunts? Well¡­ Not really."


    But If I was in their position, I would probably just choose to eat a tank round and die. The alternative was much worse. Once again, the Italian nutjob just showed how demonic she could be.


    Voices by the thousands echoed along the holes. They were far too chaotic for me to make sense of. And it wasn''t because they were speaking over ten different languages, it was because the nutjob was messing with them in the worse way possible.


    "PAPA! HELP!!" "Huh? Camila! is that you? Where are you?" "PAPA! I''m here!" "Captain!


    Get a hold of yourself!" "PAPA! THEY ARE HURTING ME!!!!" "CAMILA!" "CAPTAIN! It''s the enemy! How the hell can your 7-year-old daughter be here, she is dead!"


    A Chuckie with black hair scampered along the walls, a voice came from its mouth despite it no longer having a nose nor half its face. "PAPA! HELP! The bad people are after me!! PAPA!! PAPA!!!"


    "WHAT! CAMILA! CAMILA! HANG ON DAUGHTER! PAPA IS COMING TO SAVE YOU! HOW DARE YOU ASSHOLES HURT MY DAUGHTER!


    I''M GOING TO KILL YOU!"


    "This fucking idiot! Everyone, stop him! The captain has gone insane! Kill that Rank F!"


    "PAPA!"


    "FUCK YOU ALL! GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!"


    "ELIMINATE THE CAPTAIN! ATTACK!"


    Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire


    One of the squad captains who tried to command the survivors became Jo''s target. His summoned Champion, a majestic flying snake of some sort, began spitting poison on those he tried to lead away.


    And it was not just him. I saw over a dozen Phantoms behave like drongos. Those who took charge all suddenly went insane. They began hallucinating that their lovers or people they cherished were here dying with them.


    If that was not enough, Zombies who had the same characteristics would pop out. The Phantoms would be duped into killing their allies all in the name of the fucking corpses. Obviously, this would only happen if they were off their rocker.


    "Tsk. This goes way beyond fucked up. The nutjob is really mad as a cut snake. Exa, this is her right?"


    [Yes, Lady Robyn. Lady Jo created an intricate {Program} called [Save me]. It uses the {Fate} {Echo}, Programs [Whisper], [Mimic] and her soulgear''s 2nd and 3rd ability, {Communication} and {Share} to create an elaborate play that causes allies to turn on one another.]


    "I know I am going to regret this, but how does it work? Can I stop it if the slagger uses it on me?"


    [No, my lady. At the moment, you will not be able to resist. Using {Communication}, Lady Jo would invade a target''s mind and find their most precious person. She would then project that person onto a Rank F with {Share} causing one to hallucinate.]


    "Wouldn''t I be able to stop it? I mean if I see Possum moving around it would be obvious, won''t it?"


    [If [Save me] ended there that would be the case. But Lady Jo takes it a step further. Using [Whisper], she would control the Rank F to move and behave like the target''s person. Once [Mimic] and {Echo} are added, the illusion would become even more real.]


    "So? I would see and hear Possum. Big deal."


    [Lady Jo also assaults the target with [Whispers] and Death Resonance to remind them of their mistakes. This is the final nail in the coffin. Its psychological warfare taken to the extreme. [Save Me] plays on one''s deepest traumas in order to manipulate and coerce.]


    "Huh? What does that mean?"


    [[Save me] specifically searches for targets who have regrets about letting someone they cared for die. I am actually the one filtering this information for Lady Jo. The one on the flying snake is Ricardo Garc¨ªa, a Phantom who decided to participate in this mission for his daughter Camila. Camila died 3 years ago while Ricardo was working.]


    "Wait, why is he here for her? Isn''t she dead?"


    [From the mind scans Lady Jo and I had gotten. 90% of the Reapers in this army were promised that one of their dead relatives would be brought back to life. Thus, they all volunteered to be part of this invasion despite the risks.]


    At Exa''s words I figured appeared in my mind. A man who I considered my teacher, friend and father. One who at one point in time, I considered my everything. In fact, he was the reason I gained {Carry} in the first place.


    {Carry} was the {Fate} I got, when I wanted to be able to bring him to safety. That person, the one I considered my only family. The one who gave me the name Robyn. Died on my back as I tried to drag him to the hospital.


    The dead do not come back to life. This was the rules of this world. No matter what I or anyone else wanted. Unable to understand why they believe such crap, I asked Exa.


    "W-What? Why do they even believe that it is possible in the first place?"


    [According to their information it was to be done by a Peruvian Specter known as the Nuestra Se?ora del Valle (Spanish for Our Lady of the Valley). It seems one of her {fates} allows the revival of the dead. There is no record of this information in Graveyard or the Administration data I have access to. But the invaders seem to believe it.]


    Even if it was possible, I didn''t believe it was right to bother those who were already resting. It felt horrible to be woken up especially from eternal rest. I couldn''t even imagine how pissed off I would be, it they did that to me.


    "Huff¡­I am tired Robyn¡­I lived a long life¡­I want to rest¡­"


    "Hick. Hick. Sniff. Okay. Rest well...Uncle Teyrnon...Have a good one."


    Just remembering him made me feel crappy.


    ''If I saw him instead of Possum¡­I would¡­yeah. I would probably act the same way.''


    I shook my head and refocused on the battle. The chaos along pitfall traps was a given. Despite being to one to drop the South American''s dead, I only managed to kill less than a hundred. While many Champions vanished, from the actual Reapers only weak Wraiths got taken out by the fall.


    The Phantoms and most of the Wraiths who fell, survived. Naturally they tried to get out of the holes. But as we had a majority of our forces prepared to shoot those that did, only a few managed to return to battlefield.


    Those that did, joined the other parts of the battle, three bridges that controlled entry into our fort. These bridges were the ones we call point A, B and C. And unlike the ditches where Jo''s crazed Phantoms had an overwhelming advantage, the other areas were not doing so well.

 Chapter 755 Heroine Chapter: Have a good one! [2/2]

    Three of the colored squads and Bella''s Aegis Division were mercilessly shooting down our enemies in point A. Jo stood at forefront along with Vela''s Wolves on the same bridge. The concentration of troops held somewhat. Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire


    The other two however already had large numbers of Champion summons about to finish crossing into our territory. As I couldn''t defend both points I asked Bella for orders.


    [MastiffKnight: Bella, point B and C are about to be breached. What should I do?]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Go to point B. Freyja''s Bulwark is on point C, they should hold somehow, Inari''s Kitchen should be reinforcing them soon.]


    I looked towards point C and saw Terence and the large cunts of Fortification forming a shield wall. They were getting pummeled by what looked like lions and tigers. Scorpions, spiders and what looked like Cobra''s were shooting them with spit or spines or something.


    [MastiffKnight: Bella, they are getting hammered. They..]


    Click.


    I didn''t know how, but I heard the sharp sound of what sounded like a pressure plate. The ones you hear when you step off a mine.


    ''{Imaging} - X-Ray.''


    Changing my vision, I then saw something that made my jaw drop. There was over a hundred mines and explosives along point C. I saw Aki''s ninja bastards at the bottom of the bridge with remote detonators.


    [SiliconeChipDiva: You worry too much. Exa, tell Terence, and Inari''s Kitchen to proceed.]


    [Yes, Lady Bella.]


    Explosions began erupting all around point C. The Champions on the bridge got shredded by Claymore mines and Bouncing Betty frog mines. As they were ravaged by a storm of shrapnel the ground they stood on began to shake and fall apart. Sending the Reapers behind them to the Abyss.


    Aki''s slaggers then began to assassinate the Phantoms with blows to their soulgems. The way they moved was extremely similar to her. Her Spartan training bore fruit as her squad could give even me a run for my money.


    "Tsk¡­ I need to start recruiting harder when Possum comes back. {Shift}."


    Seeing that Point C didn''t need help I ducked into the energy realm and ran towards point B. Using {Phase} in this manner allow me to recharge my energy, on top of running even faster than I did outside. However, if I stayed too long, I would actually explode from excess energy.


    ''Exa, show me where I am.''


    [Yes, my lady.]


    In contrast to {Store''s} void spaces that were dark as shit, the Energy realm was bright as fuck. It was like running inside a kaleidoscope after drinking a pint of acid. You would hardly know which way was which. In the energy realm even your sense of depth and distance were shot. Navigating was a nightmare.


    Luckily the reality and the energy realm overlapped. So, if you moved 100 meters forward in the energy realm, your position in the real world would also move the same distance. By knowing where you were before entering this place, you could guess where you would pop out outside.


    This was probably why {Phase} began with you only entering this place. It was only after leveling up could you begin to move around. If you started with the ability to move, you would probably be trapped in here for all eternity. Even for me it was hard to grasp where I was.


    Exa became the only reason I could map the real world to this one by using an AR interface. It mapped my vision to the world outside allowing me to move in the most efficient manner. With my heading set, I dashed as if my life depended on it.


    [My lady, you are now coming up near point B, please exit the Energy Realm.]


    "{Phase}."


    When I exited the energy realm I felt my soul brimming with power. In fact, I had way too much. It was similar to trying to run after eating yourself full. It was hard to breathe, and my entire body felt bloated.


    I appeared in the middle of point B, I looked to the left and saw Krishna Sangan along with his Rogues. Beside him was Claire Knight, Angela Kim and their units. It seems that curry-munchers, chinks and seppos were the ones manning this bridge.


    "Rhia Lady. I greet the divine within you."


    "Lady Rhia! Thank you for¡­"


    "Can it, ya cunts. Do not talk to me," I retorted.


    I turned around and faced the Champions and their Reapers. There were giant beetles and what looked like a two headed ogre at the front. But surprisingly none of them were moving. Seeing them made me happy. I had too much energy that what I knew what to do with.


    "You dickless motherfucking dog cunts! Have a good one! [Kitty Punch]!"


    I swung my right arm while invoking my original {Program}. Arcs of rainbow-colored lightning began to enter my skin. In the same moment, {Crush} was triggered and drained over a thousand souls from my body.


    The air beside the bridge became the target of [Kitty Punch]. Increasing gravity and charging it with every bit power I could, I felt the air quake. My arm finished the punch I threw and a sharp crack from a gigantic sonic boom followed.


    In the next second, as if shot by thousands of tank rounds, everything on the bridge in front of me was violently smashed away. All at once, bones breaking, flesh rupturing and blood detonating echoed.


    "ARGGGHHH!!" "ROOOOOOAARRRRR!!" "HISSS!!!"


    Cries of all sorts filled the air. Together with the mangled bodies was liquids that spilled like rain. Blood, guts, tears and juices of various colors mixed together. Thousands of beings were thrown into the hole beside the bridge. My one act cleared the entire bridge.


    "WOO! That felt really good!" I exclaimed.


    Relishing the sweet pleasure of expelling excess energy, I looked towards the other side of the bridge. Those that weren''t hit by [Kitty Punch] stood motionlessly. It was as if they were terrified of my notice. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [SiliconeChipDiva: What the fucking hell was that?! You fucking punched an area that spans 275 meters! I don''t think even the Phantoms survived!]


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: WOW! That move was amazing! You punched an entire army to death! You are like his majesty the Invincible!]


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Robyn, are you alright? Such a magnificent strike must have an immense backlash.]


    [MastiffKnight: Not really. I could probably do a hundred more [Kitty Punches] before I need a {Rewind}.]


    [SiliconeChipDiva|ChainsawsAndPropane|HaveYouMetMyFish:¡­]


    [MastiffKnight: Heh, stop ogling me you slags and get to work.]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: I pray the day we get invaded by Australian Reapers never comes.]


    [ChainsawsAndPropane|HaveYouMetMyFish: Here. Here. | I cannot help but agree.]


    I looked on and noticed the growing numbers of those beyond the bridge. None of them had the courage to step forward. So, I decided to fuck with them a bit.


    "You cunts all came here to bring back your loved ones, right? Then come! If you don''t, I will come to you!"


    "HIII!!! FUCK! WHAT DO WE DO?" "HOW CAN YOU EVEN STOP THAT?" "Our entire vanguard was killed in one hit for fucks sake!"


    Amidst the arguing Reapers one of them stepped forward and roared dauntlessly.


    "SOMEONE LIKE YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THE PAIN OF LOSING SOMEONE! OUR SUFFERING GIVES US STRENGTH! WE WILL NEVER LOSE TO SOMEONE LIKE YOU!"


    I stared at the above the arrogant fuckstick and asked Exa.


    ''Exa, can the batteries hit that spot?''


    [Yes, Battery A which is led by Van Micron can.]


    ''Good. Tell four eyes to not miss.''


    Before the reaper on the other side could take a single step, I came for them.


    ''{BLINK}.''


    Appearing in front him, I saw his face contort in fear. His body flinched and tried to push back. The same happened for those around him. Sadly, I didn''t have enough time to waste with them.


    ''Exa. [Overdrive] [Wizard].''


    [Yes, my lady. Targeting every Champion and enemy Reaper in range.]


    I quickly kneeled and touched the ground. Tracking information for each target Exa chose flooded my mind. In response I tagged them all I invoked my latest {Fate} with all my power.


    "{FLOAT}!"


    As the enemy army were freed from the chains of gravity, they all soared to the air like balloons. Their panicked screams resounded as their bodies helplessly ascended. Still on the ground, I called out to the people behind me in a bored tone.


    "If you dickheads do not want to get punched by me. Shoot every one of them."


    "YUDDHA RAKSHA! SPARE NO ONE!!" "BLUE SQUAD! OPEN FIRE!" "GREEN SQUAD! TIME TO GO PEW PEW!"


    Within the same moment I heard the whistling of 155 Howitzer shells heading to the skies above my position. Along with the manic gunfire from the forces manning point B, my floating pi?atas began to spread their blood, guts and bone like fireworks.

 Chapter 756 Heroine Chapter: Always with you [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Aki Miroku Smith


    ___


    [SiliconeChipDiva: I feel like it''s even stupid to be surprised at this point.]


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: Haha! I wonder how Jailbait compares to the other people from Australia?]


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Stories of the sheer heroism of Australians are tales shared among my clan. In terms of individual power, no other Battlefront even comes close.]


    The Australian battlefront had the lowest population among the continents. Even among humans the wildlife, climate and geography among the Oceania countries was incredibly dangerous.


    Australia in particular had a chaotic climate. In its northern regions tropical cyclones were a common hazard, thus heavy rain and flooding were the norm. Contrastingly its southern and interior regions had intense summers, that created massive devastating bushfires.


    Robyn''s country was also among the countries with largest number of venomous spiders, scorpions and snakes in the world. The isolated nature of their cities contributed to this danger as readily available medical supplies and personnel were not always scarce.


    My clan was knowledgeable about this battlefront because for a variety of reasons. Firstly, because the same factors that cause Australia to be inhospitable were perfect for training assassins and Reapers. Where else could you simulate the chaotic nature of Hellsgate on Earth? Lack of supplies, dangerous wildlife and climates were everyday norms for Reapers.


    The Asian battlefront unofficially trained regularly on this continent. Their large numbers and combat doctrine caused them to not have enough places to train in Hellsgate. In contrast, Australia had the perfect training ground but lacked the numbers to sustainably create Reapers.


    They would instead do the unthinkable all in the name of survival. The creation of child soldiers for Hellsgate. A fact not known to many; Combat Joeys were not only merely child soldiers. They were in essence first generation Reapers ascended from kidnapped children.


    Australia needed Reapers. But rather than wait for them to be born and created by chance, they opted to manufacture them. It took time for people to live, gain regrets and die. But what if it was possible to give them regrets from childhood? Then that would shorten the time needed immensely.


    But who in their right mind would honestly decide to have their own children subjected to such cruel fates? This was why the other continents considered Europe worse than barbarians. They sacrificed their own. Robyn''s battlefront didn''t. Instead, they chose to steal from others.


    Every year thousands of children were kidnapped by human terrorists and crime syndicates. Majority of these came from the countries in my continent, Asia. Yet my battlefront turned a blind eye to our young being kidnapped and forced into a life battle.


    All because of the prospect of gaining help from the tyrannical Australian Reapers. As neighbors on Earth and in Hellsgate, the tacit agreement allowed both Battlefronts to benefit from the arrangement. Although it came at the cost of the shattered innocence of children like Robyn.


    ''This is why no matter how hard the world tried child trafficking could never be stopped,'' I lamented inwardly.


    I originally loathed the idea of Combat Joeys. They were something I was often blackmailed with. My clan, the Miroku were among the several Asian Reaper clans that had conditionally offered their children to Australia. If during one of my missions in the sun I inadvertently died, Haru would have been sold to Australia as a Combat Joey candidate for souls.


    It was a incredibly efficient tactic. Haru much like me had a horrible life, upon dying it was practically guaranteed that he would have become a powerful Descendant. Something Australia desperately craved. Asia, specifically China and India had incredibly large numbers of children to spare.


    These children upon being taken would be given Reaper blood and trained until they died. They would often foster regrets that dwarfed even adults due to their savage upbringing.


    And those that manage to survive to 23 years of age would become Reapers of immense strength upon ascending. Those that do not, would be worse off but would often still be stronger than at least half of the Reapers of Asia.


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Tsk. I originally thought only Europe and my continent was full of selfish bastards, but it is the same everywhere else! Even seeing the results, I will never condone Combat Joeys! To hell with Asia and Australia!]


    When the Sirens and I first came together we began pooling all the information we had. Bella, Jo and Jas grew livid upon hearing the darkness that surrounded Australia''s Combat Joeys. Lilly and Liv who knew the burdens of Hellsgate while more understanding shared the same sentiments.


    There was only one Siren who couldn''t care less. It was the Combat Joey herself.


    [MastiffKnight: No gives a crap about your opinion, Bella. My life as a human is the reason I can fight for Possum. If it''s for him, I don''t care what I am or what I have to suffer through! EXA!]


    [Yes, Lady Robyn. Sending the coordinates of all Champions and Reapers along Point A and C.]


    Using the feeds of multiple drones in the air, I watched in amazement. Similar to the move she did for Point B, all the enemies beyond the bridges on Point A and C began to levitate from the ground. With their balance thrown off, our enemies panicked as they shot up to the sky defenseless.


    "HAHAHA! EVERYONE WITH A GUN SHOOT! KILL THEM ALL! HENRY, ALFONSO YOU TOO!"


    [Alfonso|Henry: Yes, Aunt Jo!]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Sabel, I an opening a {Portal}, return half of your Switchblades. Prioritize killing the Reapers!]


    [Sabel: Right away, Mother!]


    Naturally my sisters would never miss such a chance given to them. Even from where I was, I could see Robyn''s body begin to turn pale as her veins turned black from overdraft. {Crush} was already stamina heavy. I could only assume how much {Float} would cost.


    Out of the four of us here, only Bella had yet to ascend. Jo, Robyn and I channeled our frustrations and created new {Fates} for the sake of winning this battle. Of course, Lilly-sama already shared the dangers of ascending. But after Mill¨¦nia-sama''s words we ascended without a second thought.


    [Lady Bella, the artillery batteries have completed loading Sunset shells to their {Autos}. We can now resume artillery bombardment.] S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Perfect! Aki. Wait for my signal. This will be a perfect chance to take the Specters by surprise. They will be too preoccupied with Robyn''s antics to respond.]


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Okay. I will be ready.]


    After replying I opted to use the time wisely and check on Inari''s Kitchen. My personal squad now had an average level of 4. And while I still found them lacking, they were leagues above what North America had at the moment.


    "Exa, please give me a status update about my squad."


    [Lady Aki, they are assassinating the Phantoms trying to leave the pitfall traps. Over 90% the Reapers who fell to the traps have been terminated. Total losses of the South American Army is over 50% and rising.]


    "Good. Tell them to act prudently once they finish with the ones in the traps. How many of the Phantoms have yet to move?"


    [Of the original 498 Phantoms, 309 have died to Hellsend''s attacks. 48 are engaged in battle. Only a little over a hundred still have yet to join the battle. 30 of them seem to serve as a guard for the Specter Commander.]


    "Tsk. The two specters are already troublesome enough."


    I cut off my feeds to the drones and mentally prepared myself. My sisters did their jobs admirably. Now it was my turn to do my part.


    Jo and Robyn were Hellsend''s sharpest swords. Their task was not to win, but to bleed the enemy out. In a battle of numbers, rather than going all out in one moment, slowly reducing your opponent''s forces was the key to victory.


    Bella served as our commander and shield; her priority was to ensure our home would not fall. Even now, she hasn''t used all our cards to prepare for what came next. Unfortunately, the enemy seemed to be doing the same. Read the latest on My Virtual Library Empire


    As for me, I was the poison coated dagger of Hellsend. I was the one who stabbed those that needed to die. Like most people in my profession, our first strike was our single most potent.


    If I exposed myself and failed to kill my targets, getting a second chance would highly be unlikely. For that purpose, my sisters tried to ensure the enemy''s focus remained on them. Should I fail Jo and Robyn would immediately try to brute force their way to kill the commander.


    The greatest factors that could affect this battle were the two Specters. Thus, my assignment was simple. To ensure the two of them died as soon as possible.


    "Fufu. I could only imagine the carnage they would create in doing so. Yosh! Do your best me!"


    In this void space I hid in, I was alone, yet I didn''t fear. My right thumb moved to rub the ring in my ring finger. A habit I picked up after getting married. My benevol, "Inari''s Gluttony" gave me solace. I knew that somewhere in the deeper floors my {Kindred} was similarly giving his best.

 Chapter 757 Heroine Chapter: Always with you [2/2]

    I brought it to my lips and kissed it tenderly, imagining the lips of the one I love as I did so.


    "Shujin, I head into battle. Please remember me. And know that my heart is always with you."


    I had no illusions that my mission would be easy. The fact that there was over a hundred Phantoms in reserve meant they were either the elite or Reapers who had some kind of way to turn the tide of battle. {Fates} had such a power.


    Fortunately for us, {Rewind} allowed our entire force to give our all and do it repeatedly. But as this was our first time to fight in a war of this scale, we didn''t know what to expect.


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Aki, get ready. Our bombardment has begun. The Specters are defending with their Champions.]


    [HaveYouMetMyFish: Roger that.]


    "Exa, map my surroundings and heading. Give me the straightest path towards the Priority target 1 and 2."


    [Right away, Lady Aki.]


    My vision got augmented and showed the events occurring outside this subspace pocket. There were large beasts that seemed to be tanking the Sunset shells. A pair of giant turtles and what looked like a gigantic moth. They were about as big as normal Cyclops.


    "[Translucent], [Silent Steps], [Overdrive] [Assassin]. [Blood Intoxication], [Sanguine Bladewing]." S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With most of my preparations completed, I took out a dango stick and invoked my most powerful {fate} to date.


    "{Dope}."


    As I ate the dango stick, I felt power flow through my veins. This was my request to {Eat}. The power similar to {Soul Breaker}, but without the danger. Until {Dope} expired, anything I fed from would extend this attack buff.


    Naturally this worked in tandem with {Butcher}, {Carve} and {Eat}. Together with my {Soulgear} {Blood Feast} and my {Programs} [Blood Intoxication] and [Sanguine Bladewing] anything that bled by my bullets or blood swords would extend {Dope}.


    "[Inventory] MP5SD, Sentinel. Exa, give me Sunset rounds."


    [Done. Good hunting, Lady Aki.]


    [SiliconeChipDiva: Aki. Go now. Fuck them up.]


    "[In Plain Sight]."


    I leapt out of my hiding place and immediately joined the fray. Confused screams dominated the air adding to the chaos. Loud crashes and explosions made the ground shake from the power of the impacts.


    A large dome of blue energy protected the area. The tortoises and moth were all pouring soul into the defensive structure. Underneath them the Reapers and Champions all waited helplessly.


    "How can their guns even reach us here! There was nothing about this on the reports!"


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    "Commander! Please evacuate this area, Hellsend has almost ten times the fire power we anticipated! Continuing is suicide!"


    "Just how powerful are those rounds! Even with three Rank A Champions, we are barely defending! Are there really no Specters present? Carlos! Are you sure the Coroner is not here!"


    "Shut up! Even if she was her {Fate} is centered around decomposition! What the hell does that have to do with fucking Howitzers!"


    ''{Blink}.''


    Taking advantage of Lilly''s abilities, I shortened the distance between me and the Specters covering several kilometers of distance. Unfortunately true to their rank, the moment I got in within 200 meters, the army of summoned conquistadors of Target 2 turned my way.


    "INTRUDER! THERE IS SOMEONE HERE!" he shouted.


    "Tsk. Get out of my way! [Sanguine Bladewing]."


    Without stopping, I charged towards the commander''s bodyguards. They separated into two lines. One line held pikes while the backline held heavy looking crossbows. I raised both my guns and rained lead on them. Together with over a dozen blood swords I broke through!


    "SHIT! GET HER!" "PROTECT THE COMMANDER!"


    More and more of the Champions and their Phantoms tried to block my way. I threw away the Sentinel and moved to the nearest enemy Reaper. I grabbed him by the neck and carried him as I ran.


    "BITCH! DIE!!"


    Monsters and all sort of insects attacked me. But I prioritized evading and threw my hostage at them. With my blood swords deployed they began to spin around my position like a skirt of metallic blades.


    "KYA!" "ACK!" "NO!!!!"


    I slid under a wolf type Champion as my blood swords carved him and his Phantom into shreds. Using the Reapers as cover, I made my way to their commander. Despite my progress, again and again the surviving Phantoms resummoned the Champions I already killed.


    Unable to keep my temper in place, I decided to step it up. I dropped the MP5SD and took out my trump cards.


    "How annoying! [Inventory] Blight grenades!"


    With the bottles of poison in my hand I threw it as close as I could to the Commander. Upon shattering, a gray colored smoke began to spread outward.


    Those that got covered in them all began to drop like flies as they began coughing and wheezing in pain. Despite their predicament I ran into the smoke without a second thought.


    [Lady Aki, {Digest} has neutralized {Blight}.]


    ''Thank you, Exa.''


    "FUCK! COUGH! ITS {BLIGHT}! THIS WOMAN IS THE CORONER! COUGH! WIND CHAMPIONS GET RID OF THE SMOKE NOW!


    {CONQUEST}!"


    Target two, the Specter who looked like a conquistador, began shouting orders as he ran to stop me. A great number of souls rushed towards him from all around me. His 100-man army then manifested in front of him creating a wall of Champions.


    "Tsk."


    Wordlessly I raised my arms over my face and charged into the large army. They began to shoot me with bolts and stab me with pikes. I sent all my swords to hack the pikemen, inadvertently allowing all the projectiles made of soul to bury themselves into my body.


    Target 2 and multiple other Phantoms joined in and blasted me with all sorts of skills and abilities. As I was in [Shadowblade], I couldn''t tank all the hits and halted to a stop.


    "SUCH COURAGE BUT YOU ARE A FOOL EVA BAKER!"


    Eva was not actually participating in this battle. She and her husband were back on Earth protecting the Simmons. However, seeing how easily I hacked my way across through Phantoms, they probably would not believe I was not yet a Specter.


    Many of the Phantoms and Champions sacrificed themselves to the {Blight} cloud just to join the attack. Once I got rid of Target 2, I could attack Target 1 without much issue.


    I couldn''t help smiling before I replied. "Is that so? Huff¡­ I wonder. Huff¡­ [Karma Strike]."


    Feeling lightheaded from the damage, I felt my body overdraft to unleash [Karma Strike]. It was arguably my most powerful attack. It fused {Counter}, and {Vendetta}. two devastating {Fates} that returned damage.


    "ACK!" "ARGH!!" "BLEUGH!!" "FUCK!!" "WHINE!" "ROAR!"


    The results were as expected. When [Karma Strike] executed, everything in my vicinity suddenly died. With every guard suddenly falling to the ground, I drew the blood towards me and healed my wounds.


    "{Transfusion}."


    I ran towards Target 1 as I willed my blood swords to skewer him.


    "HA! HO!"


    Using impressive martial arts the Inca warrior looking Specter counter attacked. He smashed my blood sword constructs with just his fists. In the chaos I controlled the blood in the area and sent it towards the Specter like a tidal wave, taking away his vision!


    "{Blink}. [Inventory] Sentinel."


    "W-WHAT!"


    I teleported behind him and unloaded everything I had to his liver. Which for some reason was where his soulgem was. As his soulgem shattered, Target 1''s body fell lifelessly to the ground.


    "Huff¡­Huff¡­Exa, tell Bella, I succeeded."


    Looking around, I saw the other Phantoms converging on me. I was about to attack once more till I heard Jo''s voice.


    "AKI! GET OUT OF THERE IT''S A TRAP!"


    "!!!"


    [Invoking [Autoload].]


    I couldn''t even react before I felt my body shatter into lights! Only the {Fate} of my {Kindred} gave such a sensation, meaning I just rewinded.


    ***


    When I came too, I was back on the defensive wall beside Bella.


    "I died?"


    "Yep," Bella said with a frown.


    [ChainsawsAndPropane: What the hell is happening?! For fuck''s sake! I knew they were hiding something!]


    [MastiffKnight: Fuck me dead! You have got to be fucking shitting me!]


    Hearing the profanities of my sisters, I turned around and understood why they were agitated. Beyond the walls and Robyn''s pitfall traps stood the South American army. But rather than what was left, it was the imposing numbers they had before the battle began. All 1500 of them.


    Bella massaged the bridge of her nose, as she explained.


    "We now know what the {fate} of the Inca looking Specter is. His {fate} created doppelgangers of his entire army. They got us. We exposed most of our hands fighting fakes. No wonder Blanche didn''t say anything about winning. So long as Target 1 is present defending is all we can do."


    As I watched the anxious faces of our forces, I inwardly agreed with Bella. Majority of our traps, strategies and abilities had been exposed. All because we were too aggressive.


    "Sigh¡­ This is going to be a really long battle," I said in defeat.

 Chapter 758 TADAIMA MOTHERFUCKERS! [1/2]

    When I felt my feet touch the ground, I opened my eyes and saw the chaos that was occurring. Yet despite the bullets flying and blood being spilled, I felt at peace. This was because the moment my soul arrived in our home; connections that lay dormant all sprang up to life.


    At first all I felt was fear, anxiety, annoyance and loneliness. The intensity of the feelings was enough to overwhelm most men. But as I was partly to blame, I didn''t resist and allow them to flood into me.


    Thought devoid of any knowledge of what happened, from the {Kindred} links I knew the struggles of the Anvil team. Their anger at our enemies. Annoyance that themselves. Anxiety at the thought of not being able to defend our home. And finally, loneliness that I wasn''t with them.


    It was more vivid than anything I have seen, heard or felt. Like a wave it washed over me, letting me know how much my girls suffered in my absence. While I also had to endure it, I was the one who made the decision to leave.


    As the ones who were unfairly subjected to such treatment, I wouldn''t be surprised if Bella, Jo, Aki or Robyn resented me. But despite the intensity of their emotions, they all stayed and did as I asked. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That was how much they were willing to suffer. That was how much they were willing to endure. All because I was the one who asked. I grew ashamed of what I forced upon them, but at the same time, I felt their immense love.


    With tears in my eyes, I sent gratitude and affection through my links. My pride. My adoration. And my relief that all of my girls were still okay. The response was immediate.


    "POSSUM!" "DARLING!" "SHUJIN!" "HONEY!"


    Despite being in four different spots all of them turned towards me the moment I arrived. Separated by what seemed like oceans of enemies I heard their voices brimming with excitement and overwhelming joy.


    "YOU''RE BACK!" x4


    It didn''t matter if they were locked in combat or were in danger of death. Their emotions all turned to positive ones and drowned out everything else.


    "Well done my precious {Kindred}. I have returned. Prepare yourselves for your reward after this battle. I missed you all so much. Give me a minute to get up to speed, lets send these bastards packing once I do, okay?"


    "YES!" x4


    "Exa, sync up and get me everything you know."


    [I have already done so my lord. Hellsend is currently at a disadvantage.]


    ''Summarize it for me, in three sentences or less.''


    [There are only 2 Specters. Lady Aki already succeeded assassinating them both on the first day. However, Carlos Rodr¨ªguez the leader of this army, allows him to create tangible mirror images of his entire army. Most of Hellsend''s tactics and plans were revealed by the mirror images.]


    ''How insane. Does the main army fight with the mirror images?''


    [They do not, they instead have yet to deploy their real force. Despite Hellsend successfully decimating the South American army multiple times, the real army has yet to join the fray. Lady Bella has surmised they were using us as a training ground.]


    ''Fuck¡­ just when you think Specters cannot get even more insane. So, in essence this army is only half of what they could bring.''


    [The battle has been going on for four days without rest. If this invading army assaulted any other place, the defenders would have long fallen. {Rewind} is the only reason Hellsend has yet to run out of supplies and avoid casualties. And sadly, our side has exhausted every trick and play at our disposal.]


    ''Let me guess, the invaders change tactics or specifically target powerful individuals each time they are beaten back? But how can they go on without sleep or food? I mean do Reapers from other continents already mastered living like corpses?''


    [Yes, that is the case. The invaders have been pushed back more than ten times. Each time they learned and improved. Our side despite having benevols are already at their limits mentally. The invaders do not eat, sleep or rest. They merely die and return to battle like video game characters.]


    ''This Carlos bastard is a fucking cheater! There has to be a secret on how he is doing this. Have the girls scouted around?''


    [They have, during the second day, Lady Robyn exited the battle and tried to investigate. Lady Jo went during the third day. Neither found anything. Since then, Lady Bella had everyone focus on defending.]


    ''Anything else I should know?''


    [Lady Jo found out using her soulgear that this entire army volunteered to fight to bring back their loved ones. A Peruvian Specter known as the Nuestra Se?ora del Valle (Spanish for Our Lady of the Valley) has promised to revive someone for each Reaper that is still alive after our defeat.]


    "¡­"


    That was¡­that was intense. If I lost one of the girls and someone dangled a way to revive them, I would sell my soul just to do what they asked. I scanned around and saw the tenacity of the South American army. No wonder they were so determined.


    This was not an army of bastards who were hired by something simple like money. It was a group desperate to save those that they loved. Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, wives and husbands.


    Each person here was someone fighting for someone beyond themselves. They were people who wanted to bring back those they lost. While it was admirable, they intended to do so using the lives of those I considered family as payment. And that to me was unacceptable.


    Thus, even though I understood them. I would never allow them to win. I would deny their wishes with everything I had. Not because I hated them, but because I loved my girls and my home. Sad as it may have been, much like them, I could not afford to lose.


    ''I see. Anything else?''


    [There was someone here who arrived on the second day to reinforce Hellsend.]


    ''There is? Who?''


    Exa then showed me a video feed of a bunch of Lizardkin lead by a bulky bi pedal toad like creature. The hulking reptilian warrior stood at maybe 9 feet. He had a long halberd and was chopping up Reapers and summoned beings with ease.


    He and his forces were protecting one of the two bridges. Hellsend was laying down covering fire and established a defensive line with this toad as the center. Despite his ugly face, his fighting prowess was nothing to sneeze at.


    He bashed, chopped and smashed beings many times his size like flies. Despite being shot by every projectile our enemies had; he remained unfazed. Who was this bastard, and why was he helping us?


    Before I could ask again, Exa played a video of the toad''s arrival. He led a large troop of Lizardkin and joined the melee. While Hellsend was wary of him at first, he reinforced our lines when they were about to break.


    In the video, Jo''s voice echoed to shed light on the mysterious new ally.


    "WOW! Hold your fire everyone! They are our friends! Its Alphy! He got tiny!"


    "Alphy? You mean the one Possum bashed with the tank?"


    "Amazing. His soul signature is leagues above what it once was. Is this because of Shujin''s blood?"


    "Whatever, I could care less what the hell he is. Jo! Have him support Krishna, Claire and Angela on point B! Robyn needs to rest."


    "Cram it, Bella! I can still go on! I''m Australian!" Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Robyn, stop that. You have over drafted twice now. If you do not pace yourself, you will die when the backlash hits you. Stand down or I will have Shujin punish you for being too reckless!"


    "FUCK ME DEAD! GET STUFFED AKI!"


    "I spoke with Alphy! He says okay! According to him, he is here to protect us till Darling returns!"


    The video clip ended at that moment.


    I found it reassuring that Roach not only came back but protected home while I was gone. Juno never said anything about him coming here. According to her, this bastard was evolving.


    {Roach has managed to slay the previous King. He has won and is now changing. The pale ones stole five of our eggs. We must get them back. As the sworn brother of our King, Limitless will you help us?}


    Roach was as direct as they come. Unlike Juno who tried to learn about the nuances of humans, he was fairly simple. He just returned a favor with a favor.

 Chapter 759 TADAIMA MOTHERFUCKERS! [2/2]

    {I accept. If you give me power, I will follow you even into death. I never planned on joining the vampires anyway.}


    ''I guess we really are blood brothers now. He saved my family while I saved his.''


    [The arrival of Roach radically impacted the battle. For one those he personally has killed do not return. The Sirens of team Anvil believe it has to do with his halberd having Anti-soul properties. Roach''s ability has forced the South Americans to play defensively and focus on him, giving the rest of our forces some breathing room.]


    Hearing Exa''s report I felt weird. On one hand, I decided to spare this bastard and grant him power on a whim. Now he came back to repay the favor and single handedly changed the outcome of this war. It reminded me about the law of reciprocity.


    If I didn''t spare or grant him power, my family might not have been able to hold out. I never intended him to return the favor so soon, but it seems like the universe was telling me my decision was the right one.


    ''Okay. Thanks Exa. Get me a map and model of the current forces.''


    A 3D model that showed what the current battlefield conditions appeared in my mind. It showed the army compositions and terrain in an accurate scale. Our side was in blue while the enemy forces were red.


    I couldn''t help but marvel and the level of detail from Exa''s model. The thousands of figures all moved in real time! Thus, we had the most up to date information to make decisions. And it looked fucking cool!


    But as I checked on our forces, I noticed something else. Aside from Roach and his Lizardkin, there were Amari and Mia, the Adventurers and undead who helped our battle lines. However, those were expected. Metallic beasts that didn''t belong here were also present.


    Along with the standard AI platforms of Ripsaws, MAARS, Switchblades and drones, there were new ones I didn''t provide Bella. But as I was a military gun nut, I swooned in happiness at their imposing presence. They were the culmination of humanity''s desire to murder each other in the easiest way possible.


    ''Exa, are those fucking Challengers MBTs? And since when did we have helicopter gunships? And where did we have get enough howitzers to form two artillery batteries?''


    [They are gifts delivered to Lady Bella''s base by the Astrologer. She left them behind along with the letter Reaper Mike Walker delivered to you.]


    The sight of a row of Challengers sending tank rounds into advancing summoned beings was a treat. There was a reason these works of art were placed on par with the mighty M1 Abrams. While America had the highest defense budget, her allies in NATO were no slouches either.


    Challengers had almost the same firepower of their American counterparts. And while there might there were small differences, to zombies and summoned pets, they were mostly the same. This was evident by how the summoned beings were absolutely butchered by them.


    Similarly, while they were different from the Apaches I knew, the helicopter gunships that flew were hammering those on the ground unopposed. They released suppressive fire along with their missile payloads without any reservations.


    Those that tried to attack them from the ground and in the air were swiftly taken cared off by Mike''s Wyvern unit and a swarm of Switchblades. With such a heavy escort, hardly anything could stop the helicopters from doing what they did best.


    Just the presence of these two was already enough to send my heart wheezing from excitement. But the biggest thing was the addition of more Howitzers. Vincent was only able to steal six 777s under the radar. And because of the Reaper''s treaty with the humans and the US military, despite being able to pay for them, we weren''t allowed to buy more.


    Thus to me, seeing the devastation of two batteries worth of artillery inflicted on our enemies was so satisfying! I didn''t know the exact model, but they were towed by a truck from what I could see. Although that hardly mattered beyond their ability to send 155 shells on the battlefield.


    [The Helicopter gunships are called the Agusta A129 Mangusta attack helicopters. One of Europe''s best rotary aircraft on par with the US military''s Apaches. The howitzers are called CAESAR self-propelled howitzers. Like the A129, their performance is comparable to the 777''s in terms of power and range.]


    ''FUCK! THAT IS SO COOL! Remind me to thank Blanche when I see her.''


    [Understood, my lord. These additions were sent here to ensure the Siren''s would be able to resist the onslaught of South America. The Astrologer sent 10 Challengers, 4 Agustas and 6 CAESARs.]


    "Eh? But the count doesn''t match?"


    Rather than 10, there were over two dozen Challengers. And the helicopters were about a dozen. If Blanche only left 10 and 4 units of each, how the hell did we get more?


    [My lord, this is due to Lady Bella. Her newest {fate} {Replicate} copies a mechanical unit with soul for one battle. She has been invoking it nonstop to bolster our numbers.]


    "Shit. Thats too OP! What about the others! I feel they all ascended to level 5, did they not?"


    [Yes, my lord. Lady Jo gained {Echo}, which allows her to create sound. Lady Robyn now has {Float}. It allows her to send anything to the sky. Lady Aki''s newest {Fate} is {Dope} which empowers her abilities using energy from food.]


    "¡­FUCK! My girls are so fucking awesome! But back up, even if Bella could multiply the hardware, how did we get operators to use them? Did we get training from the military like Vincent did with the 777''s?"


    [No, my lord, the Sirens concluded that would take too much time. Lady Jo and Robyn assaulted multiple US Military bases and kidnapped people who could operate the weapon platforms. Van Micron then downloaded their knowledge and turned it into digital records with his {fate}, I and Lady Bella then created structured learning modules for our training.]


    Somehow, hearing my girls assault US bases no longer phased me. Their only concern before I arrived was to not die. Thus, I couldn''t fault them for doing what appeared to be drastic means. But rather than get anxious about the repercussions, I was amazed instead.


    "I see. Were they able to do it without issues?"


    [Yes, my lord, Lady Jo and Robyn were never in danger the entire time. Rather than teach reapers Lady Bella decided to install the learning modules on reaper corpses. As an extension of the former [Bradley Crew] {Program}, Lady Bella''s marionette army now uses the [Aegis Battalion] {Program}]


    "¡­"


    I didn''t understand the technical stuff, but what I did get was that Bella now could teach Reaper Corpses to drive tanks and helicopters just from her {Program}. Rather than the caveman tactics Dominic did, Bella was using his {Fate} in ways that would scare most countries.


    However, to me it was the opposite. Rather than focus on how insane my girls were, I understood the lengths they went to field the new hardware. Taking this instance as a precedent, we would probably also do the same thing in the future.


    ''And if we could create replica soulgear from the ones my girls had, the effects would be OP as fuck,'' I imagined in excitement.


    ''Anyway, is there anything else Exa?''


    [No, my lord. You are now up to date on the current situation. How do you wish to proceed?]


    Looking at the 3d model in my brain I tried to think of a plan but couldn''t think of anything good. If what Liv, Lilly and Jas said was true, my presence would change the entire battlefield. And right now, that was worth more than trying to overpower the invaders.


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    ''Exa, get me eyes on the fort.''


    [Yes, my lord.]


    Seeing the video feed, I opened up a {portal} and turned to the ones with me. My {Vassals} D and Pixie, along with the Adventurers Leo and Nyda. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Everyone as you can see, the situation is chaotic. Take this {Portal} and return to our base. Ask Bella where she needs you."


    "What will you do my lord?" Pixie asked.


    "What I do best?"


    I started walking towards the battlefield as I psyched myself up.


    ''Exa, prime [Warcry].''


    [Done, I believe you want it as loud as possible right?]


    I feel the soul drain from over 50,000 souls. Exa really understood me and my tactics. Pleased I summoned Ebony and Ivory and ran towards the South American Army.


    "TADAIMA MOTHERFUCKERS! I HEARD YOU WERE LOOKING FOR ME!" I roared.

 Chapter 760 What it means [1/2]

    Much like during enlistment I ran towards a large army armed with nothing but a pair of .45 ACP pistols. Yet unlike back then, I felt neither fear nor anxiety only fighting spirit. Adrenaline coursed through my body like fire as my body grew hotter.


    My [War Cry] was loud enough to reverberate through the entire floor. If I was the real target of these bastards, it was impossible for them to not know what I looked like.


    A black suit with a red tie has become my calling card on the North American battlefront. Hopefully it was enough to get South America to recognize and come for me.


    "EVERYONE! TARGET SIGHTED! CAPTURE HIM!" "THERE HE IS! GO! GO! GO!" "DON''T LOSE SIGHT OF HIM!" "WE WILL ALL GET REWARDED ONCE WE BRING HIM IN!"


    My hearing picked up the chatter of thousands of voices. And although I understood what they meant, I knew for a fact that they weren''t in English. However, when most of the Summoners began to immediately disengage from their battles the moment I appeared was quite concerning.


    I got goosebumps as all the hairs on my body stood up. The overwhelming weight of malice the invaders sent my way made it hard to breath. While it didn''t seem like they wanted me to die, they would not be gentle in anyway. It felt like having a Cyclops standing on my chest.


    ''It seems my call was too effective,'' I complained in regret.


    Still, while I considered my act just now a bit foolish, I meant ever word of it.


    Tadaima, a Japanese term most weebs would know. It basically was said by a person returning to their home. Roughly translated as "I am home", it denoted a sense of belonging. And while I was sure I butchered the pronunciation I didn''t care.


    After operation Paper and all the crap I had to go through there, I was finally home.


    To the place where my girls waited for me. The 24th floor. My "Eden". And right now my home was in a crisis. A bunch of assholes from South America was trying to take it from me. While John Smith would have cowered in front of this immortal army, he already died weeks ago.


    I was Limitless. The Formless Reaper who broke the Armistice. A Death Seeker who broke records. Whether it was fighting an army or a Archdemon, Limitless would never back down. This was my new way of life. This was my new identity.


    While the cause these fuckers fought for might have been noble, it didn''t matter. Married to seven wonderful women, I no longer had the option of being soft. For my harem and my future, I would murder the fuck out of everyone who stood in my way. They will all die today.


    ''Possum! What the fuck are you doing?!''


    ''Pfft! HAHAHAHAH! Darling you are so funny! Stay there!'' Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Really? The first thing you say and it is a meme? Honey, you really are an idiot!''


    ''Okaerinasai, Anata. My heart leaps in joy at your return!''


    The Sirens of team Anvil all had colorful responses. But more than that, they all moved.


    Robyn, who was resting inside the forth, leapt out into the sky and ran towards me. Her body began to shine like a star. It reminded me of Vanish. The original owner of my Sheila''s soulgear. She must be trying to draw energy as she headed my direction.


    The Italian shooting star, who was defending point A abruptly abandoned her post. She began running on air like my Aussie and ignored everything around her. Funnily enough thousands of zombies and brainwashed Reapers moved at the same time like a wave. They began throwing themselves at our enemies with reckless abandon.


    From behind enemy lines, an eye catching raging storm of red suddenly sprang up. Suddenly increasing in intensity, it rapidly grew to the size of a hurricane. It swept up and ravaged both summons and enemy reapers Reapers as it made its way towards me. My Kamisan was as always either someone you failed to notice or the center of attention. There was no in between.


    Similarly, I could see from Exa''s map, that the Bella''s army all began to converge on a single point. I was about to wonder what was going on when a large {Portal} appeared. Wordlessly our tanks and helicopters all entered without pause.


    It was incredible in a way. This place had been locked in combat for over four days. Yet a single shout from me caused it all to fall into chaos. Hellsend capitalizing on our enemy''s interest in me. Much like their vultures they all attacked the South Americans without mercy.


    As I ran at full speed it didn''t take long for me to meet up with our enemies. What looked like flying hippogryphs arrive first. As mythical creatures that are part horse and part eagle. They raced towards me with their riders carrying spears and staffs.


    "LIMITLESS! WE HAVE COME FOR YOU! SURRENDER PEACEFULLY OR DIE!" one them shouted.


    ''Exa, from here on out when I say CSS use [Combat Shadow Silhouette].''


    [Yes, my lord.]


    ''Good. CSS Robyn. Settings, [Wizard], [Assassin], [Berserker].''


    Soul began swirling around my body as Exa executed my instructions. Smiling, I didn''t bother replying to the small fry and left the ground as I ran towards him. I raise Ebony and Ivory and fired at the lead hippogryph.


    "What? {BARRIER}!"


    Surprised that I didn''t shy away, the South American Wraith invoked a defensive shield in panic. My .45 ACP bullets bounced harmlessly at his invoked ability. But rather than focus on him, I continued to run towards him and raised my elevation.


    One thing I noticed about {Barrier}, it went both ways. It protected you from harm, but also kept you in a cage. That was why for all its utility it wasn''t considered the best. Leaping over the leader of this group of enemies I found my next target.


    ''{Blink}.''


    Due to my experience in fighting with the Vampires I picked up a few tactics. Using {Blink} as you moved was a great way to confuse your opponents. Those that relied on eyes would often get thrown off when I teleported.


    As {Blink} could make you pop out of thin air, tracking became several times harder when you could not rely on sight. I quickly reappeared behind one of the hippogryph riders and pointed my gun to the back of his head.


    It was only when I pulled the trigger that the South American''s noticed that I was already behind them.


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    The Reaper couldn''t even finish his curse before his head exploded. At his death, even his ride suddenly dissapeared. Without missing I beat, I looked at my next target and invoked my {fate}.


    ''{Replace}.''


    "WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING?! TAKE HIM DOWN!" shouted their leader.


    But compared to the Vampires, these bastards were incredibly slow. Was this because I was using Robyn''s silhouette? Leaving such questions at the back of my head, I terminated the rest of the hippogryph riders in this unit.


    When they all vanished, I heard the buzzing of thousands of wings. A cloud of what seemed like giant wasps the size of my shoe rushed towards me. Their bodies while not as menacing as the other summons was eclipsed by the fact that there moved in a swarm of thousands.


    Yet despite the danger, I hardly worried. After all the people I trusted the most have begun to arrive. A powerful shockwave came down from above along with a cute voice.


    "[KITTY PUNCH]!"


    Like a gigantic fly swatter the entire cloud of angry insects were bashed into paste. The annoying sound of insect wings was suddenly silenced as if they never truly existed.


    Naturally I couldn''t help but smile as I extended my arms for a hug. Within the same moment, a small figure teleported in front of me and buried herself in my embrace.


    Her white hair reminded me of snow during winter. Yet the fire in her purple irises was reminiscent of a warm summer night. It was none other than Robyn Lithgow Smith.


    "Kitten," I whispered as I hugged her tighter.


    "Possum¡­Possum¡­Possum¡­"


    Finding her adorable, I kissed her head as we listened to each others heartbeats. Bliss and joy exploded from her link. She then looked up and went for my lips. Exchanging a passionate kiss, the white-tailed spider smiled in contentment.


    There were no words needed to be said. Robyn and I felt each other''s emotions. After she regained her composure, she quickly separated from me and moved behind me.


    "Let loose Possum. Leave your back to me," she declared resolutely.

 Chapter 761 What it means [2/2]

    Pride and affection poured out of me as I nodded.


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    "Let''s go. Kitten. [Inventory] AA-12."


    "Yes!"


    Robyn and I resumed our approach and met the South American''s aerial forces. They had birds, beetles, and wasps of all shape try to stop us. But against Robyn and I they could hardly be called a challenge. They were more like annoyances.


    Before we could even get overwhelmed new reinforcements arrived. Switchblades began to take out Reaper after Reaper like meteors during meteor shower. Along with them was a squad of Wyverns carrying rifle totting Phantoms.


    [Father! Please allow me to assist!] Sabel greeted.


    "Ami! You finally are here!" "Bout time boss, you were about to miss the party!"


    "Thanks everyone. I am on my way to kill the Specters. Clear the way!"


    From all around, the chant arose: ''YES MY LORD!''


    Isolde and Mike who led the Hellsend Wyvern Air Wing chirp in glee as they tore apart the enemies trying to encircle us.


    Despite being outnumbered the fliers of the South Americans were no match for our heavily armored Wyverns. Their Riders also were helpless as Mike and his soldiers engaged them using rifles at close range.


    Just as we gained aerial superiority. The ground beneath us suddenly broke open. Tones of large monsters of all shapes and sizes poured out of the hole.


    A Phantom who road on a giant mole roared at the top of his lungs, "IGNORE THE SMALL FRY! TAKE DOWN LIMITLESS!"


    However, contrary to what he commanded, his forces began to attack each other in a mad frenzy. Voices in a multitude of languages chattered all around us as if we were surrounded by thousands.


    Acting like they were possessed both the summoned beasts and their Reapers continued to bite and claw each other in a no holds bar melee with reckless abandon. I would have been scared if not for a woman who waltzed in the middle of that chaos with a breathtaking smile.


    Like a fairy in the middle of war, Jo leisurely sauntered towards me while taking pot shots with her rifle. Anyone who saw her would think she was strolling through a garden and not a war zone. Despite her slow pace, the monsters who tussled with each other all avoided her.


    Feeling happiness from seeing her gorgeous smile, I quickly descended to the ground. Robyn followed and covered me with her AA-12 full auto shotguns. Excited our reunion, as Jo and I walked towards each other, she eventually began to run.


    Like a heroine from a romance novel, Josephine Benelli Smith threw herself into my chest as she began to shed tears of joy.


    "DARLING! Please never leave me like this again! I don''t think I can handle it anymore! Take me with you next time! I will go crazy if you don''t!"


    Overwhelmed with love for this woman I hugged her and brushed her hair. Both her words and her link were drowning in bliss and fear. As her {Kindred} I naturally felt the brunt of her emotions.


    Rubbing her back tenderly I gave her the answer she desired. "Of course, Jo, this will be the first and last time. Shall we get rid of these guys and celebrate?"


    "YES! LET''S GUT ALL THE CHAMPIONS AND FUCK LIKE RABBITS LATER! HAHAHAHA"


    ''Champions?'' I inquired to Exa.


    [That is the term Lady Bella uses to refer to the summoned creatures of the South American Reapers.]


    ''I see.''


    Like a junkie high from drugs Jo began to shout and laugh manically. Naturally her irises turned Red, and not her usual green. But I wasn''t worried, instead I gave her a soft peck on the lips along with a simple promise.


    "Mmm. I will make love to your body till both of you are satisfied. That includes you, Vela."


    It was cute how "Vela" blushed like a tomato. Unlike her earlier boisterous demeanor Jo was now as meek as a mouse. Before I could tease her some more, I felt a ton of souls swirl behind me. A {Portal} suddenly opened which began to suck air inward.


    Machines began to pour out of the subspace doorway in the next moment. An army of tanks, helicopters and drones emerged and quickly formed a battle line around me. Even before they all could came out, the ones who were in position already began to open fire in a thunderous roar of fire and steel. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Their overwhelming fire power eviscerated the brainwashed monsters and Reapers fighting in the chaotic brawl. Naturally due to the size of the projectiles, there was hardly any traces left of even the Reapers. It took less than a moment, but such was the power of weapons such as the 120mm Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabots.


    When the soulless army ceased firing, soldiers wearing masks and futuristic looking armor came out. They were carrying cheap weapons like ARs but that didn''t make them any less impressive.


    Ignoring the soulless, my eyes naturally remained on the portal. A second later my Brazilian bombshell walked out looking gorgeous as she did so. With a sultry yet smug smile Bella Taurus Smith approached me. Probably intending to make a witty comment I found her arrogant face annoying.


    Before she could complete her boasting, I blinked in front of her and lifted her up in a tight embrace. I sought her lips and inserted my tongue down her throat. My woman hardly resisted and instead melted like putty in my arms.


    When I finally allowed her to breathe, she was huffing as if she ran a marathon. With cheeks flushed from excitement she playfully smacked my chest with her small fists.


    "Bastard, huff¡­Why do you always do this? You ruined my plans for a cool entrance! Now my panties are wet! AGAIN!"


    Rather than rebuke her I could only smile in happiness at how adorable Bella was being. This tsundere was acting angry but her body and her {Kindred} link was extremely honest. The amount of love pouring out of her was in stark contrast with her complaining.


    I nuzzled my nose onto hers as I whispered lustfully, "I will lick your pussy clean later, Honey. For now, let''s get to work. You can do that right?"


    "W-Whaa? You degenerate! Pervert! Bastard!"


    Chuckling at her antics, I placed Bella back on the ground before kissing her forehead. Like a child she pouted and sulked while separating from me. With three of my girls accounted for, my eyes naturally moved towards the incoming hurricane where my Japanese lover resided.


    Wordlessly I ran forward. My girls and their forces followed behind me without question. With the soulless laying down covering fire, hardly anything could even get close to me. Anything which survived both Reaper and summons would get brainwashed by Jo. Those that couldn''t were turned to paste by Robyn.


    Eventually the red hurricane literally carved out its path towards me. As more and more of the invader Reapers died their blood got drawn out of their corpses and mixed with the hurricane. However, when it was about to reach me, the winds suddenly slowed down.


    Like a lie, the catastrophic force of nature suddenly ceased. In its place was over twenty blood odachis floating in the air. They were arranged like feathers on a wing behind a beautiful Asian woman who kneeled in front of me.


    "Aki Miroku Smith rejoices at her master''s safe return!"


    Seeing her try and be formal was probably because she felt embarrassed. Aki was stubborn in a different sense. I ignored her stiff greeting and pulled her towards me. Unable to calm my growing lust down I pressed her body against mine a bit roughly as I licked the insides of her mouth.


    "Pwah! Wait! Anata! I-I¡­Mmm¡­Anata¡­"


    Despite her protests I didn''t let go and kept enjoying myself. I moved my hand to Aki''s plump ass and gave it a squeeze. My lover made an audible yelp but surrendered to my tyranny. Seeing her helplessness, I made my way down to her collar bone and gave her a hickey.


    "MMmmm! Anata¡­ thats¡­"


    Unfortunately, before we could continue, Aki and I were forcefully separated by my other {Kindred}. Irritation and jealousy came from their links along with harsh rebukes for Aki and I.


    "Conniving Puta!" "Stop acting like a molly, Aki!" "Wow! Aki is like a full-blown slut now!"


    "Huff¡­you girls are just jealous. It''s not my fault you all chose to restrain your desires," Aki shamelessly answered.


    Chuckling, I sent affection to their links along with a firm order.


    "My {Kindred} I will love you all later. Right now, I want these bastards to know what it means to pick a fight with us. Please accompany me."


    "YES!" x4


    And so, despite being outnumbered the girls and I charged forward deeper into the armies of South America.

 Chapter 762 Too old for this [1/2]

    Under the curtain of fire from the soulless, the girls and I marched forth. In the skies, Switchblades, the Magusta attack helicopters and Mike''s Wyvern Air wing were clearing our opponents. However, although we had superior fire power, the sheer number of enemies was slowing us down.


    It was the same problem I had when I fought hordes of zombies. We just couldn''t fire enough bullets to kill them all. As I was beginning to grow annoyed at the South American Champions, Jo and Bella both raised their hands as they invoked Lilly''s {Fate}.


    "{PORTAL}!" x2


    The void space doorways opened behind us at an angle. I was about to wonder why that was the case only to hear the sound of sharp whistling coming from them. As someone who loved big guns the iconic sound immediately allowed me to understand what the girls just did.


    In the next moment, 155m howitzer shells began to leave the {Portals}. Carrying enough momentum and explosive ordinance they struck the spots in front of us where the enemy was concentrated. Like flowers made from gunpowder and smoke, small mushroom clouds bloomed.


    Each of explosions decorated the surroundings in bloody rain and severed body parts. Men of lesser tolerance would have vomited at the pieces of meat who once constituted a whole person. Fortunately, my tenure at Hellsgate already desensitized me to such a sight.


    The ones that didn''t however were the allies of those around us. Similar to how those from World War I grew shell shocked from relentless artillery fire, those around us saw the carnage and began to grow anxious.


    Seeing your former allies turn into paste naturally took a toll on one''s mind. When presented the reality of how easy it is to lose one''s life, most naturally would be more careful. While some Champions did manage to resist, that was only one or two rounds at most.


    Hercules beetles, armadillos, snails and crabs of some sort all tried to withstand the power of out artillery. Sadly, that wasn''t the only thing they needed to defend against. Like the beats in a dance, the four Sirens of the Anvil team interlocked their tactics, creating a plan few could defend against.


    As we walked forward the beasts that could resist the shells would be targeted by Jo''s brainwashing abilities. Despite her not having any {fate} related to such abilities she created them from scratch on her own.


    It only took a moment, but soon more and more of the powerful Champions joined our ranks. Those that Jo failed to turn had their own bleak ending. I found myself arguing which would be the least worse way to die. To die to a howitzer shell, die as a disposable puppet, or¡­


    "TSK! Get lost you slimy cunts! [KITTY PUNCH]!"


    The gigantic hercules beetle and snail champion ate a full powered attack from Robyn and exploded. It was similar to stepping on a bug on the ground or a bunch of bees that hit your windshield.


    Juices, entrails and blood mixed together and were violently expelled out of the holes in our opponents'' bodies. Naturally the same end occurred for the Reapers who rode them. It was a grotesque display of power that would make anyone fearful of my Aussie lover.


    The crab thing and the armadillo on the other hand turned and now joined our forces. They along with their Reapers now attacked their former allies. However, despite our supposed domination, I couldn''t relax.


    According to Exa, Hellsend already terminated this group numerous times. Thus, it didn''t matter how much we killed right now. Until we stopped the army from being brought back, all our efforts hardly changed the outcome of this battle.


    There was only one person who could change the tide of this battle.


    [The arrival of Roach radically impacted the battle. For one those he personally has killed do not return. The Sirens of team Anvil believe it has to do with his lance having Anti-soul properties. Roach''s ability has forced the South Americans to play defensively and focus on him, giving the rest of our forces some breathing room.]


    As Robyn, Jo and Bella were busy I turned to Aki and made a request.


    "Kamisan, please bring Roach here."


    "As you command Anata. Exa, please tell Roach, I am opening a {Portal} near him."


    [I already have.] S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A few steps in front of me, a subspace {Portal} opened. On the other side I saw Roach who was busy cleaving apart Champions more than twice his size. Aki''s observation was right. The hairs behind my head all stood up the moment my eyes saw my blood brother.


    His current strength was incomparable to the one we fought against. In fact, I wasn''t sure the girls and I could win against him now if we fought.


    Roach who noticed the {Portal} picked up his halberd and walked nonchalantly. His lizardkin followed after him. Looking at him now, my first monster ally looked more imposing than ever. I also noticed the sounds his foot made. Fissures appeared on the ground each time he took a step.


    ''Just how heavy is this fucker?''


    [According to the analysis by the Anvil Team, Roach''s current form is so dense his weight is almost as heavy as his Dragon form. We saw him stop Champions the size of Cyclops with a simple punch. Even when trampled underfoot by large beasts he remains unscathed.]


    "Limitless. I kept my promise. I protected your mates," Roach growled ferociously.


    Surprisingly, the South American''s ceased attacking us when Roach showed up. It seems that they were already aware of how dangerous this toad bastard was.


    "Indeed, you have, Thank you brother. Can I ask for your help until I drive them back?"


    "Sure. I am now king of Lizardkin, as promised I will follow you. Lead on."


    Listening to him talk reminded me of the weird clicking sounds Juno and the other Awakened made. Turning around, Roach slowly walked towards the enemy weapon in hand. I noticed that Bella, slowed down our march to give Roach time to act as the vanguard.


    ''That went really well. This asshole barely followed anything we asked,'' Bella complained.


    ''Oh? I thought he agreed to Jo''s request?''


    ''Not really agree Darling. I suggested things to him and wasted a lot of souls just influencing him to follow. It''s not like now where he only listens to you.''


    ''Considering that Shujin holds his life hostage at least we know he is no fool.'' Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire


    ''It is a shame we cannot mass produce his halberds. Dealing with these drongos is tiring. They just keep coming!''


    ''Yeah, we are going to have to do something about that. Although trying to avoid getting surrounded would be a more immediate concern.''


    Using Exa''s 3D map model, I saw that as we moved forward the amount of enemy forces surrounding us grew at an alarming pace. However, while they outnumbered us, not all of them attacked. They merely tried to keep us contained.


    [My lord, the rest of Hellsend has begun to advance. As instructed by lady Bella, only Krishna and half of the ten graves stayed as base defenders. Everyone else are moving towards us.]


    ''Bella, Lilly, Jas and Liv will be coming later with some friends. They will be accompanied by maybe over fifteen Lizardkin dragons. And thousands of Lizardkin. All I got was to grab the enemy''s attention and have them strike the rear. Thoughts?''


    ''Fifteen? Fifteen of those giant beasts like Roach? The ones that look like a small mountain? The same one we almost died to? Those monsters? Honey you are joking right?''


    ''No, I am not. I saved a bunch of them along the way. They agreed to help me because I saved their babies. They are a bit smaller than Roach but are just as powerful. Exa, CSS Liv, [Overdrive], [Sniper]. [Inventory] M107, FT5.''


    [Yes, my lord!]


    ''W-What? Your serious? Hmm. Jo, Aki, brainstorm with me for a bit.''


    ''Okay!'' ''Certainly.''


    Leaving the smart people to the planning, I switched weapons. Pulling out the Barrett anti-material rifle I was about to begin snipping our enemy when Exa made a suggestion.


    [My lord, do you wish to load {Bestow} ammunition?]


    ''You mean like the ones Jas uses? The ones from Joshua?''


    ''That''s the worse one of them all, Possum. We have five types right now. Red rounds that explode, Orange rounds that burn, White rounds that pierce and Sunset rounds that does all three. Joshua''s Yellow rounds are the only nonlethal ones.''


    ''Ho? Is that why the Howitzer shells seemed a bit too overpowered, Kitten?''


    ''Yep, the only problem is that Sunset rounds fucks up the bullets and shells that gets the enchantment. No matter what we did the rounds and artillery shells we used them on can only be rewinded 12 times. They then turn to dust permanently even in our {Autos}. So, we use them sparingly.''

 Chapter 763 Too old for this [2/2]

    ''W-What? Did anyone find out why?''


    ''Nah, we didn''t. I just use red rounds that go boom. Turns my AA-12''s into firecrackers! Haha. But for those guns I think you are better off with White for the rifle and Red for the rocket launcher.''


    ''Okay, thank you Kitten, I''ll follow the expert then. Having you cover me feels really nice.''


    ''Righto! Get used to it. I am your Sheila so that is a given!''


    [My lord, the M107 rounds have been switched to White {Pierce} ammunition, While the FT5''s 95mm rockets has been switched with Red {Detonate} warheads.]


    ''Thank you, Exa.''


    I didn''t bother trying to snipe with my guns, with [One round marksman] there was no way I would miss. And true enough the .50 cal rounds began to act like tank rounds and tore holes into anything they touched. The Red warheads on the other hand created at least 50% bigger explosions!


    Usually, I always kept one smaller caliber when I dual wielded to guard my sides. Robyn however allowed me to go all out. Despite knowing she liked fighting in melees, right now she played defense and ensured nothing could get within 10 feet of us.


    "I love you kitten," I confessed in gratitude.


    "Haha, I love yah too, Possum! Let''s fuck them up!"


    "AHHHH! Robyn is flirting with Darling! I want to be lovely-dovey too!"


    "Stop acting like a little brat you nutjob! Honey, see the point I highlighted in your map? That is the optimum spot for a breakthrough. Also, where is my reward, Honey?!"


    ''Shujin, I''m dissatisfied at being left out. Compensate me for my efforts!''


    I couldn''t help but smile at the antics of my girls. They were all amazing in their own right, but they were all slowly beginning to behave like princesses who want to be spoiled rotten. And as someone who loved showering his women with affection it matched my preferences just fine.


    "{Day by Day}, [Shared Armory]. Come here girls, let me give you some loving."


    I had three of my avatars pull out guns and march in step. Four of us however walked up to a Siren and expressed our love for them. Not taking no for an answer we embraced my women and stole their lips.


    Experiencing pleasure with our lips and tongues while explosions rang all around was incredibly satisfying. Of course, seeing such beautiful women turn into meek girls stroked my desire for domination and conquest.


    "Fuck, why are you all so sexy?! Let''s get this over with! NOW!"


    Amused at my growing frustrations the Sirens displayed happy moods and we continued to fight our way towards the Specter commander.


    With Bella''s soulless army focusing fire hardly anything could resist. Those that did were flattened by Robyn. As the larger Champions all fell dead, the ones that were a bit more cautions were brainwashed by Jo to guard our flanks. Aki used her blood odachi to cover our blind spots.


    This combination allowed us to move like a jackhammer on concrete. Although we were in the middle of a sea of enemies we marched on unperturbed. Eventually I ended up walking beside Roach.


    "Roach, do you have any more of those halberds on you?" I asked using Sunday.


    "I do." The humanoid toad then threw one towards me. I didn''t even know where he got it from. Sunday grabbed the simple looking halberd and felt the malice radiating off the thing.


    ''Ugh, I think I am going to be sick. It this why this thing can cut through {fates}?''


    "You got anymore? I''ll take your entire stock!" I joked.


    "Okay."


    Waving his hand, over a thousand bone-colored halberds suddenly popped out of the ground! My harmless request ended with our opponents being brutally skewered by the anti-soul weapons.


    Thanking Roach, I had the rest of my avatars still use guns. Sunday on the other hand would now engage in close combat.


    "Exa, CSS Lilly. A halberd behaves like a greatsword right? Setting, [Commander], [Assassin], [Knight]."


    [I agree with that assessment. Among your silhouettes that are expert in weaponry, Lady Jo''s specializes in counter attacks, Lady Robyn excels in speed, while Lady Aki prioritizes endurance. Only Lady Lilly''s combat style focuses on power.]


    Anti-soul Halberd in hand I charged forth to attack some of the South Americans.


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    "SQUAK!!!!" "ARRRGH!" "RUN! HE IS TOO POWERFUL!" "HII!!!!"


    The weapon in my hands blasted my expectations out of the water. There was hardly any resistance as it cleaved both Reaper and Champion. I could feel malice emanating from the blade. The same dark energy the overpowered defenses of the Phantoms I cut down had.


    When a bunch or rabbits with glowing horns leapt to stab me, three figures appeared like loyal guards and tore them apart.


    "Darling! Why are you moving like Lilly?! Use me instead!"


    "Shujin, you have grown much since the last time we fought together!"


    "Enough yapping more stabbing! Possum, let''s go!"


    "Honey you are a fucking cheater! I could hardly believe it from Exa''s report, but [Combat Shadow Silhouette] is truly yet another broken ability! Sigh, whatever! Aegis division! Grab a halberd and move!"


    As we made our way towards the head honcho, the resistance noticeable grew fiercer as we came closer. For one Champions who were of the long-range variant began attacking us with bone spines, monster vomit and kamikaze bugs.


    "Sabel! Take them out! My children, pave the way for your father! Do not let a single one pass!"


    [Sabel|Henry|Alfonso: Yes, Mother!]


    At Bella''s command the Soulless began to turn more aggressive. Rather than fire support, the MAARS, Ripsaws and Challengers now raced forward. Alfonso began suicidal charges and shoved the turrets of his tanks to his enemy''s faces.


    I didn''t know if it was intentional but they all began to detonate one after another in a fiery ball of death! It was only because of the Soulless that we weren''t overwhelmed. Roach similarly began to run forward when he noticed we no longer waited for him.


    "Aki!"


    "Yes!"


    Jo called out to my Japanese lover and pulled out what looked like small jars of black liquid. The two of them began to distribute the bottles to the brainwashed forces of Jo or Aki''s floating blood odachi.


    Both groups them proceeded to smash the ominous things into the South American army. Black smoke to spread out of the jars and began to eat the flesh of those in the dark clouds. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "ARGHHHH!!!! IT BURNS!!!" "HELP ME!!!! SOMEONE!!" "I DON''T WANT TO DIE! AAHHHH!"


    "W-What the¡­" I stammered in shock.


    "{Blight} grenades, Possum. Kills everything in sight in under 30 seconds. We only got a dozen jars on us, so we kept them as trump cards. For the record, those that die by them do not return as well. Eva is on guard duty in the Simmons residence, so she gave these out to help."


    "I see."


    The South American''s who saw the gruesome scene all began to flee. I couldn''t blame them as to see your flesh slowly melt off your bones like soup must have been terrifying. Given the four-day battle, more than half of them must have noticed the grave effects of the {Blight} grenades.


    Because of my girls pulling out all the stops we eventually reached the Specters Bella marked. Priority Target 1 codename Inca, and Priority target 2 codename Conquistador.


    When the specters saw me, I felt the blood lust radiating from their bodies. However, what surprised me more was Exa''s behavior.


    [My lord, I have canceled {Day by Day} and invoked [Overdrive] [Knight] for your safety.]


    I couldn''t even reply before Inca raised his hand as he solemnly called out, "{Fractured Reality}."


    "FUCK! HERE IT COMES! PROTECT POSSUM!"


    "LAYERED SHIELDS! CONCENTRATE ON DARLING!"


    "UGH! SHUJIN!"


    "Don''t forget to invoke overdrive! Honey!"


    "{SHELTER}! [OVERDRIVE] [KNIGHT]!" x4


    My girls all raced towards me and stacked {Shelter} walls more than a foot thick. Feeling the panic in my girl''s voices, I similarly called forth all the {Shelter} constructs I had and plopped them in front of me like a bunker.


    I relaxed a bit when I felt the bodies of my girls all touched mine. Robyn had her back on my chest. Aki and Jo embraced me from my sides while Bella jumped on my back. I could hardly enjoy the feeling of their warmth as we were swept up in Inca''s attack.


    A dangerous wave of chaotic energies passed us by. Blinding lights and deafening explosions followed. It was as if we were in the middle of a nuclear explosion! When our surroundings calm down, I noticed that all our allies except roach were destroyed.


    And the South American army returned and surrounded us. They all then summoned their respective champions causing us to be surrounded by an army in the thousands.


    "I am getting too old for this shit," I complained in irritation.

 Chapter 764 Weak as fuck [1/2]

    As my girls and I were surrounded by the entirety of the South American army, I sighed in annoyance. While most would have been afraid of such circumstances, after the absolute chaos of Operation Paper, this gathering of Reapers was weak in my book.


    ''Darling, aren''t you too awesome? Rather than afraid your link is filled with the feeling of one who has stepped on shit! HAHAHA! So cool!''


    ''Shujin, just what on earth did you fight in the 30th floors? You are too indifferent to our circumstances.''


    ''Haaa... Honey, this is why we haven''t tried forcing our way in. Carlos Rodr¨ªguez or the Inca warrior is just too troublesome. On top of being able to release the equivalent of a nuclear explosion, his regenerates his army as if they were made of cardboard cutouts. We have been stuck in this deadlock for four days now!''


    ''Possum, should I unload Sunset [Gravity rounds] to his ugly mug?''


    Hearing the concerns of my girls really drove home how I was slowly changing. A week ago, just 200 zombies was enough to scare me. Then when I began facing thousands, I grew immune to undead entirely.


    After Andromalius the threshold to frighten me got even higher. When I almost brawled to the death with thousands of Rank B Nobles and a massive invasion force, I gotten desensitized to massive numbers.


    I mean, even if they have large numbers so long as we remained in an enclosed space, it was all useless. And when I feared for my life facing the Rank A Tunneling Worms, this army from another continent felt like shit in comparison.


    From what I fought against; they were immortal. That was the only thing they had to offer. Their Phantoms could not resist our fire power, and even their numbers meant nothing in the face of our unlimited ordinance.


    Exa was right. If it was possible to kill these fuckers permanently this whole thing would have been over with. Which was why rather than fear I felt irritation. They were like cockroaches that kept being pests no matter how many you step on.


    Naturally such feelings were insulting to those who fought for noble causes, but I couldn''t help it! They were weak as fuck! I wish they would all just go home already!


    Jo and Aki who noticed my emotions immediately understood my boredom. Bella didn''t even bother to ask and complained as if she found a kindred spirit in my dull reaction. Robyn was the only one who still had her mind on the battle, but that was mostly because she wanted to end it as soon as possible.


    ''I am sorry everyone, compared to the fuckers we were dealing with in the 30th floors these bastards are nothing. I wish they would all just go home already so we can make love already.''


    I felt my girls all press their bodies towards me at my direct invitation. With flushed faces they grew mischievous. Probably intending to make me suffer they all attempted to drive me insane.


    Jo who was hugging my right side, lightly blew into my ear with a whisper. Her seductive eyes mesmerized me into a trance, her fingers were drawing circles on my nipple as she rubbed her wonderful assets to my sides.


    "Oh? Did you really miss me that much Darling? Such as shame¡­I would have done ANYTHING you wanted me to¡­If only this army was no longer present. You would be able to pin me down and ravage me as you please¡­Hehe¡­"


    Aki the one on my left moved closer and began to tenderly lick my neck like a affectionate pet.


    "Lick¡­Anata¡­I too long for your touch. My body can no longer exist without feeling you deep inside me¡­Do you¡­Lick¡­know I have been so so lonely since you left¡­If you love me, please take responsibility for turning me this way¡­"


    Meanwhile Robyn began grinding her cute little ass against my nether regions. Despite our clothes being in the way, I felt the warmth of her skin and she rubbed my hard on between the crack of her ass cheeks.


    "Hehe¡­Possum, you really can''t bear to keep it in can''t you? Do you want to soil me in your cum as you pound my pussy like an animal? Too bad you can''t¡­"


    Bella who pressed her marvelous chest on my back wrapped her arms around my neck. Like a lewd prostitute, she nibbled on my earlobe while breathing amorously into my left ear.


    "Your body feel so hot Honey, seeing your pent-up expression is so sexy. My naughty bits are all soaked because of you. Don''t even think you will get any sleep tonight; I am going to ride you till my hips break. Prepare yourself¡­Hmph!"


    Despite being in a rather dangerous position, my body was about to burst for a completely different reason. Lust and desire flowed out of me directly into my {Kindred}. They made sultry moans as they continued to tease me.


    "FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!"


    Being assaulted from four different sides was just too much. My engorged member was so swollen I felt like I would cum if I got teased anymore. Joy and mischievous excitement radiated from my girls. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire


    "I swear when we get home, I am going to keep loving you four even if you beg me to stop¡­"


    Unable to contain my emotions I ended up threatening my girls in a grim tone, but rather than get scared, my girls all smirked like imps and began to grope my body.


    "Ehem, I had heard reports of the mighty Limitless being a deplorable hedonistic sexual deviant. Seeing how you flirt with your harem even as you stand on the edge of death, I would have to agree with that assessment."


    Carlos, the Inca Warrior expressed his sentiments as he walked forward. I wanted to shout back how weak his army was, but I held my tongue, instead I made a suggestion.


    "You''re the commander, right? Mind if we have a temporary ceasefire? Come back in two days¡­ I have some naughty women to punish."


    "Are you serious? You are sending us home so you can fornicate with your women? Aren''t you at all concerned that we will kill you?"


    "Huh? Not really. You bastards are weak as fuck."


    At my unfiltered assessment the Reapers around us all began emitting blood lust. Annoyed that they didn''t even know their place, I countered by releasing the brunt of my death resonance. After my battles with the vampires, my resonance grew so thick it now appeared like a faint fog around me.


    Naturally, I shielded the girls from my outburst. Those around me began chocking and wheezing as they found it incredibly hard to breathe in my presence. Even Roach fell down on one knee from my demonstration of power.


    ''I guess that is to be expected, Vampires especially Noble ones had extremely long lives. Being able to kill just one was equivalent to thousands of normal humans. And I killed hundreds of them.''


    "¡­"


    Carlos and his office the Conquistador, began to emit Death Resonance to protect those around them. Finding such dick measuring contests barbaric, I withdrew my malice and tried to calm down.


    "Compared to the enemies I just fought; you are nothing more than children. If you cannot even take out four of my wives, when the other three return, we will slaughter you to the last." S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What?!" "This lecher? You have even more of those monsters!" "Does this fucker intentionally look for broken women or something?" "Commander¡­"


    The chatter of his men showed just how undisciplined this mob was. Anyone who had my information knew that I had not only four but seven powerful women by my side. If they managed to see the videos of my seeker war, they knew I never joked about such matters.


    I looked straight into the Inca warrior''s eyes as I continued.


    "I will only ask you once. Do you wish to speak with me privately and negotiate? Or do you wish to fight to the last man? Because I can guarantee you, if you go that route your future and that of your armies would only be death," I said with a smile.


    ***


    I was sitting down in a small tent with Bella. Opposite us was Carlos and the Conquistador. The commander of the southern army was Columbian according to Bella. Not that I gave a shit. To me so long as I had {Interpret}, I could care less what country they came from.

 Chapter 765 Weak as fuck [2/2]

    "You must really think us Specters are weaklings. You come here like a fool with this who¡­"


    Before he could finish his words, I blinked beside him and cut him down from left shoulder to hip. Unable to stop me the conquistador helplessly cried out as he laid in pieces.


    Specters did not die from such attacks, so I wasn''t worried. Besides, Jo already gave me the means to kill this bastard before we even sat down.


    ''Darling, the conquistador is a coward who fears for his life. His soulgem is separated into twelve pieces, two in his palms, two on his shoulders, two on his knees, one on his back and one behind his eye. I didn''t even dive too deeply; he kept thinking about it because he is so terrified of Aki.'' Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I moved the halberd I got from Roach and drove the tip into the eye of the conquistador. Then I stomped on his torso and skewered both his palms and both his shoulders. I felt a sharp crack for every piece of the soulgem I destroyed.


    "AHHHHHH!!!!"


    Annoyed I stabbed my weapon into the roof of his mouth, shutting him up completely.


    "Listen here you stupid fucker. Bella is the only reason I decided to even listen to you weaklings. She is one hell of a woman that makes me believe in the potential of South America. If you insult her again, forget running away. I will destroy the rest of your gems before you can even blink."


    ''Honey¡­ I love you¡­''


    ''Not as much as I love you,'' I replied.


    I felt affection and gratitude pour out of Bella''s link. Despite her indifference, I was sure she never wanted to see people who had similar backgrounds like her die needlessly. The way she looked at me was as if we were the only two people in the world.


    Feeling that was enough, I moved back to my seat and stored the anti-soul halberd. The Inca Warrior probably felt it too, that if I continued, even his {Fate} couldn''t bring back the conquistador back from the grave.


    The Inca Warrior removed his helmet before touching his subordinate. When he did the conquistador regained his original body as if he used {Rewind}. The arrogant bastard pipped down and sat without another word.


    "Thank you for sparing him Limitless, I am Carlos Rodr¨ªguez the commander of this expedition. I have come here under the command of his majesty the Relentless. Our orders are to capture the Reaper Limitless or eliminate him, if possible," the Inca warrior began.


    "Why?"


    "I am no politician, but I would think it is because of your power to cleanse malice. Our spies saw the influx of Devil''s remains and it would break down the balance of the battlefronts. As one of the closest continents to North America, we fear her retribution for our actions in the past."


    ''Hmm¡­This bastard is really a straight shooter. Even he knows how bad the shit was that SA did to my continent.''


    ''Quiet Honey, let me take over.'' Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    ''Please do, Mrs. Code.''


    "Please to meet you Sir Carlos, my name is Bella Taurus Smith. Spouse to Limitless and a former reaper of South America. I get what you are trying to say. But why are you exposing your thoughts? As a diplomat you will find it hard to bargain if you continue this way."


    "Ah, that is because I see no further reason to continue this Charade," Carlos said curtly.


    "What do you mean?"


    "That is because despite only knowing Limitless today, I felt like I already know him intimately. They say you learn of a man''s mettle in battle, and over the last four days, I have seen enough. If a powerful force like Hellsend is any indication, this man is truly dangerous."


    Carlos swept back his hair as he sighed.


    "Furthermore, while North America may not have been aware of the Vampire conspiracy on your own floors, we had been tracking it for years. I must say compared to what you and your squad of Reapers did on the 32nd floor, I would agree that we are weaklings by that standard."


    "You knew about it?" I growl in irritation.


    "Not just us, Europe, Asia and Africa did too."


    Well fuck. Rather than help North America deal with a impeding catastrophe, everyone instead was waiting like vultures to scavenge on what remains after.


    ''Honey, please calm down¡­''


    Gritting my teeth, I folded my arms to ensure I didn''t end up killing this mother fuckers.


    "Your anger is understandable, Limitless. But you have barely been a Reaper for a month. There is no permanent allies in Hellsgate, only partnerships based on mutual desires."


    "Don''t give me that crap. If you know how the battle went on the 32nd floor, you must know the power I can bring to bear. One of my wives said your forces volunteered to revive their dead. I don''t really give a shit but go home. If you decide to continue, rather than gain a life be prepared to lose the ones you have still have," I declared outright.


    "I am aware, my allies are doing what we can to delay the arrival of your other wives. As your enemy I truly loathe your harem. But as a man I cannot help but get impressed at finding so many powerful yet beautiful women."


    "They are my pride and joy. But enough of that. Where does that leave us Carlos? Will you die for your continent or leave?"


    "Sadly, neither option is appealing to me. As you may have noticed, we are rogues. We are a disposable force sent here to get as much information about Hellsend as we can. Granting your armies capabilities it is only out of sheer luck that we haven''t been eradicated."


    Bella who heard the Columbian''s dire circumstances couldn''t help but ask, "Then what about the bit about Nuestra Se?ora del Valle? She is a legend in Brazil! Does she really revive people? What does she charge for her services?"


    Carlos made a wry smile as he answered, "Lady Bella, it is impossible to truly revive the dead. Se?ora del Valle''s abilities are grossly exaggerated. She can only call out a dead spirit to talk for an hour. After that the spirit has to leave never to be summoned again."


    "Oh¡­"


    "They use her abilities as a means to recruit Reapers, but ultimately it is all a sham. My soldiers fight desperately for such a lie. Even if we succeed, I am sure we would be terminated upon returning. I knew this for a fact as I was once the one tasked to kill loose ends."


    I could feel the sadness emanating from Bella''s link. She might have been secretly hoping it was possible to revive her dead parents. But even I knew that it was against the laws of nature to bring back those who already rest.


    Wordlessly I took her hand in mine and squeezed it tenderly. My Brazilian bombshell looked at me with melancholy. But she bit her lip and resumed the negotiations.


    "If that is the case, that what will you do now?" Bella asked.


    "I do not know yet. But I was planning to suggest a ceasefire before your other wives return. I have been fighting rather lukewarmly as Herman and I were planning what to do in the future."


    Hearing their circumstances I only renewed my disgust for the Revenants. It was amazing to me that even Specters like Carlos and the Conquistador were considered disposable. As someone who wanted to raise an army to fight the undead, 1500 summoners were by no means a worthless force.


    Yet having fought them up close, I could understand why they were abandoned. For one hardly any of the reapers gave the impression of those fighting for their lives. The only feeling I got was they already gave the impression that they were hopeless with no vision of their lives.


    Like living corpses. Despite not truly being dead, this group already acted as if they were dead. I could take them under my wing, but would they be of any use?


    ''Hmm¡­ what to do¡­"


    ''Darling, are you thinking about taking them in?''


    ''I advise against it Shujin. They are at most only as good as a meat shield.''


    ''But don''t we lack people? Besides having a ton of disposable beasts that can be repeatedly summoned could be useful. Maybe we can use them as pack mules or something.''


    Looking towards my Brazilian bombshell I asked for her opinion. ''Honey, what do you think?''


    ''I know that they are weak. But I do not wish for them all to die. If not for Honey, I would have had the same {fate}. John, I know I am being shameless, but can we please save them?''


    ''Naturally, your wish is my command,'' I declared with a smile

 Chapter 766 Shut up and let me [1/2]

    "W-What?"


    It was adorable to see Bella so surprised she almost fell off her chair. I quickly moved to support her. This small woman was someone I wouldn''t want as an enemy. But as my ally she was nothing but reliable.


    "Why are you so surprised Honey? Weren''t you the one that ask?" I teased.


    "But I was prepared to make an entire presentation and all that."


    Overwhelmed by love, I placed my finger on her lips.


    "Ssh¡­We will be having none of that. This is probably the first thing you asked of me. You are my {Kindred}. A woman I adore. I love you, Bella. If you wish to save your countrymen, then I will do so.


    That is all there is to it."


    "Honey¡­"


    Taken by the mood, Bella and I came closer and exchanged a kiss. It wasn''t full of lust but was tender and oozing with affection. My woman then hid her face in my chest in embarrassment.


    "Ehem¡­It seems that the stories about you were not at all mistaken."


    "It is like we weren''t even here Carlos. Seeing a Brazilian act so demure is a first."


    Hearing their comments I glared at the two Specters in front of me. Which shut them up. It was amusing to see human weapons far stronger than me to act in such a manner. I felt Bella try to escape my embrace. But I instead held on her tighter. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire


    "H-Honey¡­ let me go¡­Its embarrassing."


    "Not even if I die," I shamelessly retorted.


    "Now you are just being an ass! You know that is not what I meant!"


    Laughing at her reaction, I finally released my bespectacled tsundere. I tried not to laugh when she sneakily took my right hand under the table after making such a big deal.


    At that moment I felt the links of three others drown in negative emotions, specifically jealousy and anger. It was like a vise on my neck which made it uncomfortable to breath. But I welcomed them with a smile.


    ''Darling¡­I will kill these fuckers if you take any longer.''


    ''Shujin, I try to be a good woman, but you have spoiled me so. Please pamper me too.''


    ''GET STUFFED POSSUM! WE ARE GOING TO FLIRT LIKE CRAZY LATER!''


    I placated them with words of affection and praise. Now that things were calming down the girls were all starting to devolve into needy clinging lovers. While most would find such antics annoying, such was the price of gaining a harem powerful enough to hold off a continental invasion at bay.


    When I finally managed to calm them down, I turned back to the Specters in front of me. Bella was already hammering out the details of their partnership.


    "From here on out you will answer to the name Nerio''s army. To everyone else you will be dead. I will have a fort rebuilt to serve as your base. It will be at 1246-6 which is zone that shares the border with Africa. Your main responsibilities will be defending our floor from future African invasions."


    I could see why Bella formulated such an agreement. With Nerio''s army guarding our borders we would be able to focus on Hellsgate. Having them serve as a break wall would allow them to aid us without needed to integrate them into our forces.


    "Thank you for accepting us, Lady Bella. I, Carlos, vow to you that we will earn our keep. My people just want to live, I will convince them that we have no future otherwise. If they remain adamant, I will handle those that wish to return."


    The location she chose was also perfect. It would give Nerio''s Army the freedom to move but aid in hiding them. It would be rare for South Americans to travel across the North American Battlefront to the edge of Africa without a good reason. They would instead prioritize monitoring NA and Europe who they share borders with.


    "That is fine, Hellsend will provide you all the supplies you would need in exchange for souls at a discounted rate. Should you wish to arm yourselves with our weapons that can be arranged as well. If you have humans you wish to be evacuated from your continent, we will take care of that as well," Bella added.


    I had planned to share our weapons with the rest of the world. After all there were plenty of Undead to go around. Guns weren''t the problem, finding enough soldiers was. But much like {Kill Switch}, it would be a good idea to create a user identification system thing like they do in science fiction shooters.


    "Is it fine to give out such terms without asking Limitless? While I can understand that he cherishes you greatly, matters in the bedroom, politics and war should be kept separate," the conquistador advised.


    This bastard. He really was asking to die now, wasn''t he? I was about to say something, but Bella squeezed my hand. When I turned to her, her expression seemed to say, ''I got this.'' I nodded and remained silent.


    "While it is true that Limitless adores me a bit too much, know that my sisters and I stand by his side not only because we warm his bed. The Sirens are also his sharpest swords and strongest shields. I in particular have been entrusted as his tactician and adviser." S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Both Specters looked at me expectantly. What? Were these bastards thinking I would disagree? Maybe they were like Gareth? Old school warrior who believed a woman should stay at home?


    "You two seem to want to ask something."


    "Well, know that there are extremely few female Reapers in leading positions. If you continue to have your women act as your agents, you will get looked downed on," the conquistador said anxiously.


    "Do I look like I give a fuck?"


    "¡­"


    "Hellsend is a Meritocracy. If you think you can gain my trust and outperform my women, then by all means do so. I trust Bella''s wisdom and intelligence more than my own. You''re quite stupid you South American hick. My girls just fought you to a standstill despite not having a single Specter and you still have the audacity to tell me this crap."


    "But that''s¡­"


    I slammed my fist on the table in irritation. Politics, politics and more politics. That was all these fucking bastards wanted to do. No wonder their performance was pathetic despite being Specters. I was even going to ask them what they fought for being that they were rogues.


    "Look here you arrogant fuck. You shouldn''t give a crap about my affairs. Focus on your own. That is if you do not want to die. I have extremely high expectations for Specters but you two are fucking failures. If not for Bella, I would much rather turn you into soulgear."


    Angered by my rebuke, the Conquistador stood up in indignation! "THIS ASSHOLE! IF I WAS IN MY PRIME! I WOULD BEAT YOU SILLY! I WAS TRYING TO WARN YOU OF HONEY TRAPS YOU FUCKER!"


    "HERMAN! ENOUGH!"


    "BUT CARLOS! THIS BASTARD IS¡­"


    "He is correct. Despite his arrogance, isn''t he the one with a kingdom? While we for all our experience have become nothing more than scapegoats. Limitless, I beg you for your forgiveness for Herman''s actions. I will tell you all that I know. But there is something you need to help us with."


    The Inca Warrior squirmed in his seat as opened up. Feeling this might be important, I send a message to the Sirens outside the tent.


    ''My {Kindred}, can you please seal this place? Robyn, Aki please nail down anyone from their side if they try to interfere. Jo, can you invade the mind of this Specter?''


    ''You got it Possum.''


    ''As you wish, Anata.''


    ''Hmm¡­His mind is strong, Darling. I think I can get only his surface thoughts.''


    ''I see, that is enough, thank you,'' I replied in gratitude.


    ''Honey, are you looking for the reason why they are disposable?''


    ''Yeah, no matter what the reason, there is something there. I think it is related to their request.''


    ''Got it, then I will help find out the reason then,'' Bella assured.


    When I refocused my gaze to the ones in front of me, Carlos nodded. A soulcage covered our tent ensuring confidentiality.


    "Are you done speaking to your {Kindred}?"


    "What? You knew?"


    The Columbian Specters chuckled before answering. "Any Specter worth his salt would. Some Phantoms too I might add. I can see the soul links that tie you to four of the women here. And you have three others suspended which I am guessing for the three about to arrive. When you converse it''s like seeing pulses of soul move to and fro."

 Chapter 767 Shut up and let me [2/2]

    "When we heard the reports, I thought it was bullshit. A single Reaper having seven {Kindred}? Many like me though it was propaganda. Anyone who has been linked to a {Kindred} would know that it is impossible."


    Ignoring the arrogant bastard, I looked to Carlos and verified. "What does this fucker, mean?"


    "Limitless, I am unsure what the case for you is. Much like a person can only be made from a father and mother, {Kindred} links can only have to parts. The only way to have more is if you have different souls within you to form each pair."


    "¡­"


    At his explanation if remember the Seven warriors from my dreams. If his explanation was to be believed that should be the reason. Remembering them was not pleasant for me. I once lashed at my girls because I felt like I was nothing more as their replacement.


    Bella squeezed my hand while looking at me with concern. I gave her a smile to reassure her. The last time our previous lives was brought up I showed her a pitiful side of me, so her reaction was understandable.


    "Nevermind that, continue what you were about to say," I asked to change the topic.


    "Right, please do not be alarmed," at his words, he pulled out a ring from his finger. When he did black lines that looked like wicked tribal art covered his entire face. His arms that were not covered in armor showed the same lines.


    Surprisingly enough even Herman had the same black symbols. It looked as if he was suffering from leprosy of some sort. The tattoos wriggled like worms and glowed with malice. Bella visibly flinched at their revelation.


    While it took me by surprise, my time with Juno already gave me insight what these things were.


    "You do not look surprised," Carlos asked wryly.


    "I have needed to think about many things since I became an owner of a battlefront. One of the main issues was malice. From my point of view, there was only one valid reason, why Specters would be forbidden to return home and be sent on a suicidal mission."


    "Yes. We have reached our final stages of soul collapse. These symbols are a South American means of suppressing them. It keeps the voices at bay. Meaning the more we fight the faster we would cease to be Reapers."


    ''Exa, is tribal tattoos in South America a thing?''


    [Yes, my lord. Several regions in the Amazon such as the Yanamami and Shipido, the Mapuche people of Chile and Argentina, Candombl¨¦ and Umbanda practitioners of Brazil, the Chola of Bolivia and Peru and the cultures influenced by the Inca all practice tribal tattoos as a form of cultural identity, spiritual beliefs and social status.]


    ''I see.''


    Bella then gasped before she filled out the missing explanation from the commander of the South American Army.


    "Then rather than die on your own, you made a deal. Probably to keep your humans cared for while you go to battle a final time. Then everyone here is of the same circumstances? What about those who wanted to revive their dead? Why did they even try to raise you up in the first place?"


    Surprisingly the one who elaborated was Herman. But rather than being the arrogant prick he was crestfallen and subdued. Almost as if he was ashamed of what he was about to say.


    "South America uses Rogues to clear the way for the official reapers. We are just one of the many disposable armies. When we show sighs of soul collapses, we are etched these symbols called soul tattoos. They take some of our memories with them."


    Herman, then took off his armor and shirt, showing the large artwork covering his torso. It looked like tribal flames that spanned from his shoulder to his abs.


    "As Specters already lost our memories of the dead, we cannot comprehend the significance of revivals. However Phantoms are a different story. Their minds are warped to believe that their loved ones have died. Upon completing their missions, they are told that their people will die unless they are revived daily. Which turns them into fanatics."


    Bella bit her lip as she asked. "Then, the ones we fought?"


    "Yes, their loved ones are alive. But the Reapers are convinced that they are dead and are living on borrowed time. The Relentless has created a way to inspire fanatical loyalty and prowess from his people. The Specter, ''Our Lady of the Valley'' is nothing but a symbol of his lies," Carlos exposed.


    "It that is how it is, what reason do you have to follow him?" I asked dumbfounded.


    The problem with building an empire on lies is that it can only work so long as the truth was never revealed. Once it did then everything would collapse all around them. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire


    "Because we still have people we cherish. And those are taken as hostages by his Majesty. If we disobey them, they are killed. The only way to ensure their survival is if we died. Thus, we have no choice but to follow. No matter how absurd the order."


    "Is being a fucking asshole a requirement to become a Revenant?"


    Why was there not a single good person among the bastards? Just when you think no one can get worse than David, Li Wu Di, Zanardi or even Liv''s Dad, I hear of this shit! I pinched the bridge of my nose, before I continued.


    "Right, let''s leave the ethics of that aside. Why did you decide to tell me now?"


    "It''s not much. We can dispel the brainwashing for the Phantoms. But our limit is already at hand. We will protect your borders with our life on the line. But in exchange you will ensure the survival of our persons."


    Hearing the determination of both men, I gained a newfound respect for South Americans. They were not bad people. Just those dealt a bad hand. While I could understand that doing all this was an effective tactic to control his kingdom, Simon Guevarra was a bastard for trampling the feelings of his men.


    ''Although, aren''t I just the same? I am putting bombs in my allies after all.''


    Bella noticeably stayed silent. How could she not, agreeing to this request mean we would need to come to blows with the Revenant of South America. After all he was the one hiding the people in the first place.


    Normally that would be the only solution to this thing. Due to not being able to survive long enough, we had to deal with their matters once they went insane. But fuck that, like I would deal with something so troublesome.


    "Exa, can you get Roach to come here?"


    ''I''ll do it, Possum.''


    [Lady Robyn has opened a {Portal} for him.]


    ''Thanks Kitten, Aki, can you please take down the Soul cage?''


    ''Of course, Anata.'' Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When the soulcage was torn down, a {Portal} opened beside our table. Out came Roach a 10-foot monster that looked like a toad. The ground noticeably cracked with his every step. His face which looked bored, focused on me as if there was no one else in the room.


    "What do you require, Limitless?"


    While Juno was the leader of the Awakened, Roach was the first one I encountered. If what I understood from Jas'' {Insight}, monsters were all considered the race "Reborn". My designation of the Awakened was just to separate my allies among them.


    However, what made the Reborn special was that they had the ability to consume and evolve from malice. It actually felt like they were the counterpart to Soul.


    "Roach, you remember my promise to you about black smoke?"


    "I do," he grunted.


    "Can you detect black smoke from the two men there?"


    "Wait! Limitless! What is this?!"


    "Honey?"


    "Carlos, Herman. If you wish to gain my trust, then shut up and let me help you."


    "¡­" x2


    Wordlessly Roach lumbered forward towards the two tense Specters. Even Bella was agitated. I could feel that Aki, Jo and Robyn were all also on edge.


    The reptilian Reborn nodded as he answered. "I can."


    "Take them all. You two, take off your clothes and do not resist."


    Following my commands, the two removed their armor and clothes exposing that almost 80% of their bodies were already covered in soul tattoos. Roach said nothing but merely raised his hand.


    Then like a river of black ink, the malice was siphoned from the body of the two men. Their faces were in pain, but Roach did not stop. Like a blood transfusion Roach gathered the vile curses on their bodies slowly causing their tattoos to fade.


    It seems I have once again done something crazy.

 Chapter 768 First team building [1/2]

    Slowly bit by bit the tattoos inked on the bodies of the two Specters faded. The malice they once contained flowed into Roach''s hand and entered his palm. Bella and I who witness the entire thing hid our surprise using our links.


    ''Honey, Honey, how did you know it would work? I theorized that it would be possible, but I didn''t think it was true.''


    Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    ''It was partly because of your words that I decided to even try Bella. Remember the Awakened I told you before? When we were making our way into the Vampire''s lair, we saw them "eat" malice and create lizardkin. As Roach is the same, I knew it would work.''


    ''But Darling, isn''t this like a really big thing? Even more so that Benevols? We could just keep one of these bastards in our squads and pump all the malice into them,'' Jo chirped in excitement.


    I thought for a moment, before telling them my worries, ''Right, normally you would think that, but the problem is that the Reborn grow stronger with malice, much like Reapers do with soul.''


    ''Reborn?'' x4


    All four of my wives expressed confusion at the new term. Thinking I needed to explain anyway, I gave them a quick summary.


    ''Jas'' new {Fate} is called {Insight}, it''s like the Status magic in anime and manga. Unlike my {Kismet} before, it is able to show stuff no one knows. When we used {Insight} on a bunch of vampires, we learned that monsters, demonkin and undead are all called Reborn. And that their abilities are called {Entropies}.''


    ''¡­'' x4


    ''What?''


    ''Honey, how do you keep coming up with this shit? Aren''t you supposed to be stupid? You seem to learn more than even the most dedicated scholars! Apologize to those that make it their life''s purpose to learn stuff! You are basically cheating!''


    ''The Reborn and the Reapers. Entropies vs Fates. The terminology alone leads to two pairs of polar opposites. Shujin, much like the time you claimed {Fates} sentient, I think you again learned of one of the secrets of the universe. How impressive.''


    ''Possum, do you really have to learn all this crap? I am still not done studying and you keep finding out new things. Do you really want to see me brain dead? Cause I am close!''


    ''HAHAHA! DARLING! I love you so much! You haven''t been even back for a day, and you are already causing so much trouble! Hehehe! Tell me all about it later!''


    Finding their reactions amusing, I had them focus on the current matter.


    ''Look everyone, it''s not like I was the one who learned all this. Its Jas'' {fate}, she is the amazing one. I just saw it using {Perspective}. Anyway, I am going to need your help in doing this. You all already know that the Reborn get stronger from malice. The problem is if they turn on us after we feed them.''


    ''Won''t that be solved with {Kill Switch}, Possum? Just pop them if they do.''


    ''Yep! That was what I thought too! Good job Jailbait! You''re smart now!''


    ''Get stuffed, you nutjob!''


    ''Alright settle down! Honey, I know you have reservations, but I agree with the girls. I mean, it''s not like we are only giving {Kill Switch} to the Reborn, we give them to everyone in Hellsend too. So, we are not discriminating against them.''


    Remembering the time I used {Kill Switch} made me anxious. It was like being given the ability to launch a nuke. Should I let my anger take over, I would do something that could never be undone. It wouldn''t be like killing one person or ten, the more people were shackled by {Kill Switch} the more lives I held in my hands.


    It was incredibly terrifying.


    The sheer burden of being responsible for that many lives. While I created it knowing full well what it would do, did I really deserve to have such a power? As I was contemplating, I felt someone appear beside me. A soft and gentle hand took mine in hers and comforted me.


    "Anata, what you fear will not come to pass. The Sirens are the ones who hold the {Seal of Seven}. You once told me that you will bear my sins with me. I now return those same words to you. No matter how many you kill, I will be right there beside you."


    Aki came closer and touched my cheek tenderly. Her eyes which showed an unyielding will told me that this woman would accompany me to death without question. I gently placed her hands to my lips and gave them a kiss. I felt saved by her words just now.


    Not because of what she said, but because of what I had forgotten. I was a fucking demon from the start. I knew that was the case, but I still felt my consciousness from time to time. I was already a murderer; it was too late to debate ethics. And who knew how many more bodies I would bury in my ascent to power.


    "I see. Thank you, Kamisan. I love you." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Darling! Naturally everyone here feels the same as Aki! Right girls?''


    ''Bloody oath! Of course that goes for me as well Possum!''


    I felt Bella squeezed my other hand as she answered with her link.


    ''Hmph! You might not need it, but I will carry your burdens with you! I am your wife after all, Mr. Code.''


    Overwhelmed with affection for their support, I felt my jaw slack from happiness. Unfortunately, before we could finish our discussion, Roach''s malice transfusion, ended. Herman and Carlos fell to the ground, as Roach grunted before leaving.


    "I need time to digest. Do not bother me."


    As the Awakened left Carlos and Herman began looking at their bodies and began patting their now missing tattoos.


    "I-Is this real? I can no longer hear the voices. The malice. It''s gone! Carlos! It''s gone!


    We are free! WE ARE FREE!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!"


    The conquistador Herman began laughing maniacally. I only felt burdened by malice a couple of time, but I could understand how he felt. Carlos on the other hand placed his fist on his chest and began talking really fast. in his native tongue.


    From what I understood it seemed like he was praying. I saw him tearing up as he continuously recited the same verses over and over again, like a song. Seeing as this must be how he processed his emotions, I waited for a few minutes.


    As there were not enough seats for Aki, she sat on my lap while embracing me. Much to Bella''s annoyance. Jo and Robyn who was guarding against the rest of the reapers of South America similarly expressed their displeasure. Not that Aki cared in any way.


    "Limitless. Thank you so much! Now I understand why you keep such monsters in your midst! Who knew that they could take the malice away from Reapers! In my long years, I have seen so many fall to soul collapses. Do you know just how many would be saved by this information!"


    I didn''t answer Carlos who was excited beyond belief. While I did know that Roach and the Awakened would be a game changer, I had to look at the big picture.


    "Calm down, you bastards. I forbid you from sharing this information."


    "Huh? But why? So many Reapers fall to soul collapses every day! This information can save them! It isn''t like Devil''s remains! Monsters are a resource everyone has!" Herman passionately babbled.


    "Shujin, should I?"


    Seeing that the South American Specters were too excited, Aki suggested to help. But as her link had only disgust and irritation, my Kamisan was probably going to bash or shoot them, so I rejected her offer.


    "You already worked enough, Kamisan. Rest for now," I said as I brushed her back.


    I cleared my throat before I tried to explain my thoughts to Herman and Carlos, "Look you stupid bastards, while monsters are available everywhere, the Awakened aren''t."


    "Awakened?"


    "They are monsters who possess human intelligence. That is what Hellsend calls them. We have come to an agreement of mutual cooperation. Roach might look behaved, but you faced him in battle. If Reapers across the world lost their lives because they tried to control monsters, can you bear the responsibility?"


    Roach and I had an understanding, that was why we could work together. Even if he could suddenly evolve to a higher ranked monster, I had the ability to kill him without lifting a finger. The same was true for Juno.

 Chapter 769 First team building [2/2]

    Directly increasing a monster''s rank was dangerous. Thus, while the benefits of being able to cleanse malice from Reapers was good, blinding trusting the Reborn would only lead to issues. Until I found a way of standardizing this process, it would be better to keep the information a secret.


    "Indeed, you are right Limitless."


    "I never thought about it that way, that is true."


    Bella then pulled out a printer from her subspace and began printing a contract of some sort. She placed one copy before us and a copy to each of the Specters with us before explaining.


    "Gentlemen this is a soul contract, this will be our agreement for our defense treaty. It contains everything I told you earlier. This is nothing more than an agreement. It has no way of enforcing the things you agreed to. But know that should you break this, Hellsend will never again work with you. Is this point clear?"


    With such a clear and distinct line, the two took the contracts and carefully read through them. I didn''t bother reading mine and just signed it with my blood and soul. I saw Bella''s face beam when I didn''t even double check her work.


    Right now, I was more interested about something else. Herman mentioned earlier that the reason he was weak as fuck was because of the soul tattoos and the malice he had. Now that he was cleansed. That should mean he was at his strongest right?


    Bella gave them a few minutes then began her pitch. "To summarize, Hellsend will provide for you and regularly take away your malice. We will not restrict your activities or freedoms. But you will serve as defenders of our domain, and stop anyone who tries to enter, be they be monsters, undead, Reapers or demonkin.


    "You are free to keep anything and everything you earn and kill. We will provide the typical battlefront services you might need, such as creation of equipment, fortifications and manpower for hiring. All of which would be provided at a discounted rate.


    "Should you wish to borrow or use our weapons and equipment that can also be arranged, Finally, we also will offer our services in evacuating your humans from South America. However, if you do request for those services you must pay for them with information or services of similar value. Do you find these conditions agreeable?" Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire


    Carlos raised his hand before adding, "I have no issue working for Limitless, but while we are expected to die here, there are observers sent to verify that we did perish. I think we need to take care of them too."


    "Would you happen to know where they are?" Bella inquired.


    "They should be hiding somewhere on zones of the 24th floor of South American. We don''t know how many there are. Unless they see us die in a fight, they would assume we simply ran away. Should they reach that conclusion, our humans would be terminated without mercy," Herman explained.


    As the conquistador spoke, I suddenly felt my three inactive {Kindred} links all come alive. I couldn''t help but smile at the safe return of Jas, Liv and Lilly.


    ''Welcome back you three.''


    ''Husband, I have returned.''


    ''It feels so nice to be once again connected to your link, Beloved. Even if it was only few hours, it was suffocating.''


    ''Fufu, indeed. We would need to give a reward to the Anvil team. But on a different note, Dearest, Exa has brought us up to speed. Do you need us for something?''


    As always, my girls were so reliable it scared me sometimes. They probably intended to silently watch the situation first to maximize the impact of the Awakened. Because of their prudence, we now had a good opportunity to spring a trap.


    ''Yes, Dear, you came at the perfect time. Bella, can you create a plan for the Hammer team. I on the other hand...''


    Cutting me off, Bella sounded fed up as she guessed. ''Will be challenging one or both of them to a no holds barred fight. And the Hammer team will use that as cover to capture the observers? Right, Mr. Code?''


    ''¡­Did you develop mind reading {fates}? Was I that obvious?'' I asked in confusion.


    ''Haha, it''s not that, Beloved. More like, it is in your nature?''


    ''I don''t think any of us believe you would let the chance to duel a Specter pass by, Dearest.''


    ''Cause Possum is a fucking battle junkie!''


    ''Yep! yep! How else would Darling grow at such an insane pace? You don''t even need my soulgear to figure that out!''


    ''I would be more surprised if you didn''t challenge them for a fight, Husband.''


    ''Sigh, truthfully catching the observers is probably just a convenient excuse, for Shujin.''


    How long has it been since the Sirens ganged up on me like this? It was almost nostalgic in a way. But their familiarity with my personality just showed how much their understood me. Rather than creepy or annoying, I found it endearing instead.


    Feeling the emotions of all my girls naturally made me feel glad to be alive. It was only when all seven of my links were resonating with emptions did I feel at peace.


    ''Haha, well you caught me. Even then, can I rely on you, my {Kindred}?''


    ''YES, MY LORD!'' x7 Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Aki gave me kiss on my cheek before standing up and leaving the tent. Bella fixed the contract I just signed and handed it to the Specters.


    "We will take care of the observers. Once you sign this, Limitless will conduct a ceremony with you. After you complete that ceremony, only then will this contract be honored. If you have no further questions, please sign now."


    Carlos and Herman looked at each other before signing my document. In any agreement someone had to show goodwill first. Roach cleansing them for free was already proof of our abilities.


    While they were cleansed of Malice, so long as they remain Reapers, they would need such a service again. If they had any brains at all they would know that they no longer had any choice but to become our allies. We were the one with bargaining power in this agreement.


    After they signed, Bella took the contract and infused it with soul, then stacked them with the two other contracts which magically gained the signatures of the two Specters and me.


    "There. These are your copies. In the future should you wish to invoke one or more of the clauses this will serve as your proof. This will be known as the Treaty of Nerio. I shall take my leave. You will now proceed with the next part of the ceremony."


    Bella similarly kissed my cheek before heading outside. Naturally, she must already be discussing with the Sirens to plan how to find and catch the observers.


    After she left, I was left behind with Carlos and Herman. Specters who now belonged to Nerio''s Army. Bella didn''t make a big deal of it but the ceremony she mentioned was giving these two {Call my Name}.


    I took out a cup and nicked my finger yet again with a small needle made from {Shelter} and squeezed my blood into the cup. For our plan to come to fruition, we need to fake the death of the entire army plus these Specters.


    Carlos''s {Fractured Reality} was like a mass {Rewind}, so just butchering the army like we did in the past would work. The problem was how to make him vanish as well. Thinking I could just have him {Rewind} to some point I took out a .45 ACP round.


    I handed the cup to Carlos and told him what came next.


    "I will give you my {Kismet}, it will allow me to know exactly where you are. I grant this to all my soldiers and allies, even Roach. If you cannot trust me enough to invoke it, we have no deal."


    "We understand." X2


    Both of them drank and waited for further instructions.


    "The keyword for the command is {In the name of Limitless}."


    "{In the name of Limitless}." X2


    A powerful surge of soul radiated from both men. Surprisingly neither commented on the power my {Kismet} granted.


    [My lord, I deactivated everything aside from {Kill Switch}, if you wish to grant them the power, just let me know.]


    ''Okay, thanks Exa.''


    "Perfect, now we are in business. As our first team building exercise. You two will fight me like your lives depended on it."


    "Huh?" x2

 Chapter 770 Only to the strong [1/2]

    "Before anything can you fuckers get dressed? Seeing your junk is going to make me hurl."


    "¡­"


    Wordlessly, the two of them spent a few minutes putting back their clothes. When they were decent once more, I continued.


    "You assholes are going to be going to have an all-out brawl with me!"


    "But¡­Why?" Carlos the Inca warrior asked.


    "Because I want to see how I fair against Specters."


    The Conquistador shook his head before commenting, "You are insane."


    "What? You''re scared?"


    "I will do it."


    "Carlos! You can''t be serious! He is only a Phantom! What good will it do to kill him?!"


    "I know that Herman. However, this entire time, I have been wondering. Wondering what type of man calls forth such devotion. You do well to remember what this man has already accomplished."


    "That''s¡­"


    Carlos nodded before he continued.


    "Despite only being a Phantom, this man is recognized by the Invincible. And with a small squad of Reapers has managed to push back an army of thousands of Vampires. This is not counting that he has managed to domesticate even monsters. The normal standard does not apply to him."


    "¡­"


    I found it funny to have a former enemy respect me so. But if it got me what I wanted who was I to complain.


    "Fine. I will do it. I will try my best to hold back. Know that our earlier performance was degraded by over 80%. The soul tattoos seals would break if we called soul pass a certain threshold, thus the amount we can command decreases for every tattoo we receive."


    "Hahaha whatever you say. Just make sure you get all your excuses out when I beat your asses to the ground. I wouldn''t want the borders of my kingdom to be guarded by weaklings!"


    Herman was about to retort but Carlos held him back.


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    "Limitless, as a Reaper I am truly grateful to you. I thought succumbing to a soul collapse or dying to the enemy were my only options. But while I signed your contract, the rest of my army did not. I want you to promise that you will not hold them against their will after today."


    "Sure, I have no interest in weaklings. If they decide to run and hide let them," I replied.


    "Thank you for that. My next question is one that is only for my curiosity. But what is your goal?"


    "¡­"


    "I have lived for a long time, and I consider you an enigma. You command powers no Formless should possess. You put together an army that is not only loyal but fearless. You surround yourselves with women who are monsters by every imaginable definition.


    "Throughout the time I battled your forces I have seen their resolved. You brought forth weapons from Earth which no one have ever done. Machines, Formless, Manifested, slaves even Asian Rogues! Then there is that Toad like monster! And now my army as well!


    "Despite my forces injuring and killing them multiples times, they all fought on. Frankly it frightens me, that despite such tenacity and strength, you yourself were not even present. You not only fought a different war but won it as well! Your growth dwarfs anything I have seen!"


    Listening to Carlos express his opinions, I could see why he would grow scared. For one, his ultimate ability was to keep his entire army alive. Meanwhile my army had the same ability despite me not being present.


    Our guns which do not even need Hellsgate to make, naturally could not be matched by any of the battlefronts. With the Soulless and the Awakened, we do not even Reapers as desperately as before. The more weapons and allies we amass, in time Hellsend would become unstoppable.


    ''As a Specter, he probably knows that if I wanted, I could crush a Battlefront so long as the Revenant was not present. Just the Soulless alone had the potential to do so.''


    Hellsgate was not some video game. While the Revenants were cheat characters, even they could not defend an entire continent. Thus, while the Revenant could beat back everything around him, they still needed the Reapers and a battlefront to function.


    Although I still could not fight a Revenant one on one, my forces Hellsend was well on its way to be strong enough to influence the balance of power.


    Seeing as I said nothing, Carlos stood awkwardly for a moment before continuing.


    "I originally thought you were a demon, but demons from what I know cannot have {Kindred}. If you are not a demon, I cannot fathom what you are or what your purpose is. While I vowed to guard your border, serving you is a completely different matter."


    I see, so he was basically thinking if he should help me out full time, was that it? While I agree that having Specters was helpful, I didn''t exactly find it necessary. After all, I plan to raise my own soon enough.


    ''Hmm. But I guess he would be anxious about why I am desperate for power. Would it be better to not tell him, so he fights harder?'' Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I could care less what you wanted or thought about me. I don''t need the services of weaklings. Do you want to know the real reason I wanted to speak with you two alone? I was going to assassinate you. I was sure that I would succeed. My wife''s wishes are the only reason you are still breathing." I said in derision.


    Truthfully, I found plowing through thousands upon thousands of Champions a fucking chore. Even after our entire army got wiped, we could just resummon them back with a {Portal}. Even Mike, Isolde and the Wyvern unit would have all been rewinded by Exa.


    I had no qualms backstabbing these fuckers, they came here intending to pillage anyway. So, I asked the option of a discussion. I made it appear that my girls were the reason, but I just really wanted to kill the two of them. Especially Carlos.


    I would have placed my {Save} on him and murder him again and again till he ran out of souls. In a fight of pure will power I doubt anyone could endure as much as I could. However, it got complicated when Bella expressed her desire to save them.


    Then when they started spilling out the secrets of South America, I just forgot about it. One of the reasons I had Roach clear them of malice was so that they could help their own people themselves.


    For Specters, I would assume that not being able to user their power at full was the only reason, they were shackled to begin with. Otherwise, these two were even more useless than I thought.


    "I see. You do not even consider us worth of your time. Then will you tell me if we can prove our mettle to you?"


    "Sure. I will do all that and more. But know that I will come after you for real. If you cannot even survive an encounter with me, you do not deserve to be my ally. Would you be willing to take such a risk?" I challenged.


    Herman sighed exasperatedly before he whined. "For all your supposedly love for your woman, wouldn''t killing us void all her efforts? Where is your sense of honor? Does she know what kind of demon you are? You have no qualms about murder, nor do you show mercy for all your strength."


    Irritated by his sophistry, I blinked towards Herman and opened a small portal in front of my fist. I partially pulled out Roach''s anti {fate} halberd and slammed it under Herman''s chin. He reacted quick late when began to separate himself from my fist.


    ''This must be because he was a summoner. Much like high level wizards in games having weak bodies the same thing was present in Reapers. If the Specter fought using his mind and summons, then it made sense why he was weak physically.''


    "Kyuerk!" Herman vomited blood trying to say something. I ignored his actions and instead raised my fist skyward. What was his problem? Reapers didn''t even need to breath. I felt that I needed to remind him of a few things.


    "Mercy? Honor? If my home was any weaker, would you have shown any mercy to me? Would your honor spare my people from being raped, killed and enslaved? Listen well you fucking disappointment. Morals belong only to the strong, the weak have no such luxury."

 Chapter 771 Only to the strong [2/2]

    When was the last time I said something like this? Wasn''t it with Claire? Or was it with Gareth and the defenders of the 24th floor? Speaking of which, I didn''t see any of them.


    Many would say allying myself with the Awakened or the rogues were risky. But as I didn''t have the bandwidth to care about such matters, I accepted them both. This Herman fucker must have come from the privileged. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be spouting such crap.


    Feeling I made my point clear; I withdrew my blade back into my subspace. This must be how cats felt. Without my weapon keeping him Herman separated from my fist. I twisted my body and sent a kick into his midsection. The power sent him flying outside of the tent.


    I was half expecting Carlos to do something. But he said nothing and just watched. Not that I gave a shit what he thought. My only goal at the moment was to hide this fucking army and have my brawl with the Specters.


    As we were still worrying about the observers we would need to make a play of some sort. The showier the better. Something that they would find so nonsensically they had to come out to get a better look. The only thing that came to mind was Juno.


    ''Exa, where is Juno and the Awakened?''


    [They are currently waiting on floor 27. Their party encountered Reapers of unknown affiliation. The Sirens were able to piece together that it was the members of the South American observation team.]


    ''Did the girls figure out why they tried to interfere?''


    [According to what we were able to find out, they wanted to delay them to witness more of your abilities. Lady Jas is using {Insight} but there seems to be a lot of them across different floors. The Sirens left with Vela''s Wolves, Inari''s Kitchen and Rhiannon''s hellcats to eradicate them.]


    ''I see, then until they are all killed, we would need to play house with Carlos and his shits.''


    [Yes, my lord. That is the case.]


    As they intended to come here with Lilly, they should be available somewhere. With half a plan in mind I stared at Carlos before explaining what we would do next.


    ''If that is the case, have Lilly send the Awakened when I fight the South Americans again. They should figure out the rest.''


    [Understood. I will relay the message to them.]


    As this bastard could "see" my discussion with the girls, it would be smarter to not use the links unless absolutely necessary. For all I know they could have soulgear that could decipher discussions on my {Kindred} links.


    Securing communication and intelligence has always been one of the largest facets of war. And as I began to interact with more of the higher-level Reapers, I needed to be careful.


    "As you have nothing more to say, I will leave now. I will give you half an hour to talk with your people. My wives are already taking care of the observers, but until they are all accounted for you need to dance with my forces one last time."


    "Okay. Then I am guessing after my forces are taken out then we begin our duel for real?" Carlos replied.


    "It''s good that you understand. Will both of you be taking me on at once? Or will be it just one of you? I know the ones we have been butchers are summons, where is your real army?"


    The leader of the South Americans began to scratch his bears as he pondered.


    "Hmm, if what you wish for is experience, I guess we both would be good opponents. Herman excels in army-to-army battles, while I am more of a hybrid among those from my continent. As for our real army, they are under observation. I can fight for real, once those people are taken care off."


    "Where are they? I will have my wives take care of it."


    "They are¡­" Carlos was in the middle of explaining when he suddenly stopped. He then made a large grin before continuing.


    "Your harem has already taken care of the Observers. I can now fight with ease."


    While I was pleased at the speed of my wives, I then wondered if dueling these Specters would help me. Much like in RPGs the type of build a character had affected his or her performance. Would fighting Carlos alone demonstrate his true abilities?


    "I want you to come at me at your strongest. If you have to bring your forces here to do that you should. All I know of you is you do some martial arts and can revive your entire army." S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I guess I should explain a bit. My {fate} is called {Rey de la calle} or king of the street. Its most obvious application is creating doppelgangers of my entire army. But I can do much more. The reason I chose not to was because I was worried about their safety."


    "Why? Aren''t they able to fight and revive? Why would you worry about their safety?"


    "Hmm¡­ Think of it this way, my {fate} can use my army in 3 levels. The first level the most basic, thus it allows their real bodies to remain awake. I do this because, they might get killed by the Observers when I go beyond that level."


    "So, you are afraid of even your own people, does your friend know about this? He gave me flak for being dishonorable and yet Reapers from your own continent seek to end you all. I should just let you guys kill each other," I argued.


    "Herman comes from a long line of Descendants. He clings to ideals despite his circumstances. It is why the leaders grew annoyed with him. Unlike the other battlefronts. We were once registered Specters who got turned into Rogues because our end was near." Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire


    This just keeps getting better. This meant in South America, they treated Reapers basically like livestock. After getting as much as they could from them, they ended up discarded. I mean the tattoos alone severely limit them but turning them into Rogues and sent to die after that was truly evil.


    Then again weren''t such things happening even to humans? America for all the wars we join has had a very crappy track record for taking care of our veterans. It was common to see them on the streets begging for scraps.


    "Then you keep him in the dark about the Observers coming to kill you?"


    Carlos then waved his hands to defend his ally. "Ah no, Herman is prioritizing defending our real army. He only sends a portion of his forces here. What the Observers are scared off is our Reapers running off to the other battlefronts. Consequently, the moment Herman and I fall, the rest would be terminated to tie up loose ends."


    Hearing the abuse Carlos and Co got from their superiors made me wonder what would have happened to Bella if she handed met me. No wonder my girl grew up the way she did. It would have been doubtful otherwise.


    "Sigh. I am glad I was able to get Bella out of your shit hole of a continent. Hearing how your Reapers are treated makes what the other continents do seem human."


    "Haha, the life of Reapers is hard after all. Not much can be done regarding that. The reason I am familiar with what the Observers would do is because I was once among them. But when the malice I tried to suppress got too great, I was removed from the records and was tasked to lead this army."


    "Well. for what it is worth, I''m sorry you had to go through all that. But like I said take this time to prepare. We will have a battle on the flat grounds. I will instruct my girls to prepare some guards for the real bodies of your men. If you want to know my purpose, give me a good battle.


    I will come at you with everything I have. Do not disappoint me."


    "I understand. I will have my entire force at Level 3. Should they still fall, after all that, I will not be able to bring them back again. So, if you still triumph after this battle, then you truly are superior."


    I scoffed and left the tent. While I truly wanted to brawl with a Specter, South Americans were summoners, so their standards were based on numbers. As my abilities were all over the place, I couldn''t really complain. Everyone just made do with what they had.


    ''I should take this opportunity to practice fighting large scale combat.''

 Chapter 772 My new secret weapon [1/2]

    When I returned outside under the light of the pale moon, there was silence. Originally only my wives and Roach survived the explosion that occurred. Funnily enough the ones around me didn''t try to talk or say anything. They had hollow expressions.


    ''I wonder if it is related to what it happening to their real bodies?''


    According to Carlos, his entire army was in a different place. That meant everyone surrounding me right now here were soul constructs. If you looked at it from that point of view, it made sense why these fuckers had little to no emotion.


    Hopefully they would make a better challenge now that the girls liberated them. Otherwise fighting team was similar to just shooting Rank F''s. Whispers and murmurs came from some of the Reapers. Most of them rode or were beside their summons.


    "They are quite varied though."


    [Yes, practically every major species is represented here. From mammals, birds, fish to even insects. Plants and inanimate constructs are present as well. Their size, weight, and powers vary greatly. With majority of the Champions manifesting some sort of ability.]


    "Is that so? Then it really is like the monsters you see in games. Do Champions have intelligence? Are they similar to the Awakened or are they more like dogs?"


    [As we do not have any Reapers among our ranks who can summon champions it is quite difficult to comment. South America is quite secretive about the abilities of their forces. Most of the information in our Archives are observations in battle.]


    "That can''t be right. Surely there must have been people like Bella who migrated in the past. I mean there are tons of Latinos in America. Wouldn''t a lot of them represent abilities from Bella''s continent?"


    [I apologize my lord. I do not know. Much like the information about Soulgear and the Graveyard marketplace, the places where I can research about Hellsgate information is limited.]


    "That is fine. I am not trying to blame you, Exa. I guess I will have the girls investigate for me when they return¡­ But fuck! Where am I? Which direction is the fort in?"


    Being surrounded by a large army comprised of Champions made it hard to navigate. My ears could already pick up that Carlos and Herman were already shouting somewhere I could not see. As I only gave thirty minutes, it would make sense why they would rush to discuss with their peers.


    "[Cyborg]. Sabel, can you please get me eyes on the fort?"


    [It will be my pleasure father. Sending it now.]


    When I received the feed from one of the many UAV''s Sabel had in the air, I choose a spot along the defensive wall and opened a {Portal}. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [My lord, should we call on Roach? He will be left behind in this place?]


    "Ah right. But didn''t he say not to bother him?" Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    [While it seems improbable due to the various factors, losing Roach at this point will be a blow to Hellsend. If we gain the ability to weaponize his anti-soul abilities it would allow our guns to be more effective.]


    "Yeah, I guess you are right. Lead me to him."


    Exa''s word right now had profound meaning. Hellsend needed to prepare for the future. And she and I believed Roach would be one of the major factors for our growth. And it wasn''t just me. Practically anyone from the Sirens or the South American army would believe so.


    ''Being able to cut through {fates} was just that absurd of a skill.''


    It was a known fact that competing sides in a war created what was known as an arms race. It was for lack of a better term the race for armaments. It was a known phenomenon especially to the law enforcement industry.


    Basically, say you had a rise in gang violence in Arizona, one of the proofs for this would be more dead police officers. Common sense would say that giving bullet proof vests to the officers would improve the situation. However, research showed the opposite.


    In reality, once the police officers gain bullet proof vests, they would fare better in the short term. But not in the medium to long term it would make the situation worse. Once the gangs notice that their guns become useless, rather than give up they will instead try to buy higher caliber guns.


    These higher caliber guns would be powerful enough to kill policemen that have bullet proof vests. Because the heavy hitters would shift to using the newer guns, they would sell or give their old weapons to their subordinates or lackeys.


    Thus, the bullet proof vests not only doubled the people who had guns but made the situation worse for the states who were never issued the defensive gear in the first place. This order of events while less pronounced also happened in Hellsgate.


    Whether it would be because of other Reapers or the demons, it was obvious that both sides were trying to one up the other. Bifrons and his laboratory was a clear indication of this. From tactics to hardware, the Reborn were also trying to innovate.


    While standard lead rounds were presently enough to kill Rank F''s, I already anticipated that soon that would no longer be the case. Similar to the RPG games I played, I expected the Reborn to slowly get stronger, thus if we do not find a way to adapt, we would be left in the dust.


    The {Bestow} ammunition was a good start. Seeing Red shotgun shells, or White .50 cals would make anyone a believer of using {Fates} on bullets. And luckily so long as we had {Auto} the return for using souls on bullets was quite high.


    Reapers normally used soul for everything. From enhancing our bodies to our equipment, it was the single most important resource we had. Which makes Roach''s'' anti-soul weaponry all the more impressive. The halberd I got from him seemed to cut every better than a regular steel one when it came to Champions.


    ''If we could somehow create swords, shields or even bullets from this material, we would gain an edge in Reaper versus Reaper combat.''


    While the situation now ended up being settled amicably. That might not be the case in the future. So, it was preferable to have the option to fight and win than hope for peace. The only reason I even trusted Carlos and Herman was because they had {Kill Switch} in their bodies. Without it there was no way to hold a Specter to do you bidding.


    ''Although, getting them to invoke {Call my Name} is troublesome. I should also try getting {Kill Switch} weaponized and put into a bullet or something.''


    As I let my thoughts wander, Exa eventually pointed me to where Roach holed up in. The toad bastard carved out a small cave and was meditating on it seated like a samurai. Wasn''t he acting too much like a person? If I didn''t know better, I would say that he holds his feral side and instead turn docile.


    Looking around, the South American Reapers surrounded him along with their Champions. Not that anyone had the guts to do anything. Every somehow dominating Roach was in the last battle. Not unless they got together a powerful party designed to hunt my blood brother killing him was quite difficult.


    ''I mean even the Sirens and failed to kill him. And it wasn''t for a lack of trying. Exa, can you wake him up?''


    [I will try.]


    With my girls gone, it was just me and this toad bastard against thousands of enemies. The Hellsend Reapers of the Wyvern Air Wing had Exa invoke their [Autoload]s. As for the soulless, I wasn''t sure if they were still all under Bella or divided across other Sirens.


    "Roach."


    Theoretically, I could call forth the same army back for battle much like what Carlos was doing. But that was beside the point right now. After waiting for a few moments, Roach opened his eyes.


    "Feel better yet?"


    "No. Need more time," he replied curtly.


    "Well, figure it out later. We need to go back, and I do not want to leave you behind."


    *Nod*.


    The Awakened wordlessly stood up and walked towards me. I then opened a {Portal} back to the fort and gestured for him to go first. Funnily enough, he seemed to already understand this {Fate} in particular from seeing it in combat so often.

 Chapter 773 My new secret weapon [2/2]

    "Welcome back, my lord! Thank you for efforts!"


    The moment we got back I heard a familiar voice echo beside me. It was kind of nostalgic and one that belonged to one of the most reliable subordinates that were under my command.


    "Yeah. Thanks for holding down the fort, Joshua."


    "Should I give you a status report? The 5-year-old version?"


    "The what?"


    "It is a reporting methodology that Lady Bella has instructed the unit leaders to learn. Summarize the situation in extremely concise sentences for those with the attention span of a five-year-old."


    The one who answered my question was a ginger who wore glasses and a professional looking maid uniform. One of the three clerks that followed me from North America, Matilda Cassidi or Tildi for short.


    "Ho? I wonder how useful such a report would be. Lay it on me then."


    "Sir!" Joshua saluted snappily before proceeding to explain, I noticed that most of the 2nd Amendment squad leaders, my {Vassals} D, Pixie, Gareth the leader of the former defenders, Leo and Nyda the adventurer representatives along with a bunch of familiar faces from our various groups.


    Among the Sirens squads, Van from Minerva''s Wizards and Terence from Freya''s bulwark were the only one''s present. This probably meant that the girls have yet to return. Connie our resident reporter, Krishna along with Amari and Mia were also present.


    "Everyone returned to base when you guys entered the tent. The ladies took some squads to perform a specific task. Exa has shared that we will be having one last battle with the invaders. All groups are prepared to join it."


    ''Exa, how are we looking at supplies? Are the soulless back on their feet?''


    [Our stock is near full. As you know anyone with {Rewind} cannot run out of supplies. Only the bullets and shells used by Sunset rounds are lost. As for the soulless the original weapon platforms are fine. But the {Replicate} units have been destroyed.]


    Hmm. That significantly reduces our firepower. But right now, we would get reinforced by the Awakened so it shouldn''t matter. I just needed a study wall to block the Champions as they got ravaged from behind.


    I turned to the oddball with me before I continued "Okay. Roach, how many of those halberds can you give me?"


    "The size of my scythes the first time we met."


    Considering that Roach was the size of a fucking mountain the first time we clashed, if we could get anti-soul material in such significant quantities it would be a game changer. We would be able to adapt it to our forces on or vehicles, weapons and tactics.


    "Cool, you mind giving me everything you can right now? If you can give them as usable weapons I would appreciate it."


    Roach unceremoniously raised his hand, and more than a hundred halberds burst out of the ground. From how the weapons appeared you would think he just took them out of a mold of some sort.


    Everyone who was on edge at his antics were making a fuss before Roach pointed to a spot outside the outer wall and again raised his hand. In contrast to the perfectly crafted halberds a large tower-like protrusion grew from the ground like a tree.


    It was as if someone chopped up his scythe and buried it to the ground like a plant. The "Tree" was so tall it reached us on the ramparts along the wall. When I saw the size of the fucking thing, I grew pleased. Just how much could we make with this piece?


    "That is everything for now. I will have more in a month."


    "What?! You mean you can make these infinitely?"


    *Nod*


    [My lord, according to what I understood from Roach, this bone scythe is similar to a nail cuticle for him. It grows indefinitely so long as he remains alive. It seems that he would break them off and leave them even if we didn''t ask for it.]


    ''So, my new secret weapon was lizard nails?''


    [Yes.]


    ''WHO THE FUCK GIVES A SHIT!''


    "FUCK!!!!! THAT''S AMAZING ROACH!"


    Excitedly I could help but hug Roach and try to lift him up. But contrary to what I expected, despite his appearance of being only 10 feet tall, he weighed far more. I could barely lift him off the ground, and that was while I had Robyn''s {Carry} family active.


    My awkward act caused the people around me to stir. Roach still had the same half bored face and didn''t comment. Separating from him, I couldn''t keep my smile down and began to fashion a plan.


    "Cynthia, Addi, Terence. I want you three to harvest that bone tree down there. Take it as your priority. I want that thing harvested and processed as soon as possible. Ensure your safety as you do so, coordinate with the Sirens and Joshua on what should be prioritized."


    "Uhm, my lord? What do we do with it?" Cynthia asked with a puzzled expression.


    Even though I have {Kill Switch} active, it would be best to make sure that the importance of this new resource was kept confidential.


    ''Exa, send my words as securely as you can to the Hellsend Office network.''


    [Understood, please give me your message.]


    ''This material has anti-soul properties. Meaning anything reinforced with soul does not work against it. The halberd''s I had Roach made can cut through all of defensive {Fates}, including {Rewind}. It is both incredible dangerous and useful depending on what happens next. Exercise maximum prudence in working with it.''


    At my words the faces of the officers visibly darkened. I couldn''t blame them as {Rewind} was something used by the entire army. They all used {Call My Name} to download base abilities before replacing it with {Rewind}. This ensured everyone functioned similar to the Sirens and I.


    The problem with having {Rewind} was it tended to make people reckless. If people knew that {Rewind} would save them, I suspected that most people would prioritize results over caution. Unknowingly my family and Hellsend in general, already used a 2nd life as a measure of safety.


    While it was inevitable for such things to happen, Roach''s abilities served as a good reminder to never be too complacent. The world of {Fates} was just that insane.


    ''Cynthia, Addi, Terence, I don''t care how you do it, but I want bladed weapons for the Sirens prepared before we leave for Africa. Obviously, I want bullets made from this too at some point. Shields would also be a valid option. You have two days. Use everything you have or coordinate with the Deryck if you need equipment from Earth.''


    "Yes, my lord!" x3


    Nodding at their reply I then turned towards Krishna.


    "Krishna, do you know how to use a Halberd?"


    "No Smith John, I do not. But Kalaripayattu does use polearms to some degree. So, we still can use our techniques there." S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That is enough. I want the Yuddha Rakshasa to wield these Halberds in the next battle."


    "It will be done," he answered with a bow.


    While Krishna and his guys were not as adept with guns, in terms of fighting in large scale wars they had no equal. Using them as our close combat infantry would be good to supplement our riflemen.


    "My lord!" "My lord, can I please¡­"


    Two people raised their hands and try to call my attention. One of them was Gareth Faesten the heavy knight who used to be the floor manager for my new domain. The other was Nyda Flowers one of the two head for the adventurer branches.


    "Huh? What is it? Gareth you go first."


    "My lord, there are a number of knights proficient in halberds among the defenders that stayed. I implore you to let us join this battle along with the new weapons."


    I turned to Nyda believing she probably had the same request.


    "Was your request similar?"


    Nyda bit let lip before nodding. She must have known how shameless her request was. While Gareth and the defenders that stayed were a part of Hellsend, the Adventurers were not. Only Nyda and her husband were officially my people. But who could blame her?


    Naturally anyone who saw the Halberds in actions would report it to their superiors. And in so doing would start a massive arms race just to not lose to Hellsend. But with the amount of shit, we had to deal through, I would never turn down the option of getting stronger.


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    Due to breaking the treaty, the various Continents were already preparing for war. And unfortunately, if we didn''t want to get caught with our pants down, we ought to use whatever we had at our disposal. Even if it would things worse for everyone else.

 Chapter 774 How did they [1/2]

    "I am fine giving one to you and Leo. But not to the others."


    "Thats¡­"


    Leo and Nyda were incredibly reliable from what I could see. But I still didn''t know how much I could trust the rest of their people. The fact that Bella didn''t allow them to participate beyond just the clean-up probably meant she didn''t expect much from them.


    I turned to Gareth and also gave him a positive response.


    "Gareth, take as many of the Halberds as you need. Krishna will get the rest."


    "Thank you, my lord, lady Bella wanted us to understand how Hellsend fought first before joining. I believe the defenders and I have a good grasp of how to join the army now."


    "Good. Next, Joshua, in the future, you will also need to incorporate new tactics into how we fight. What form that will take, I expect you to discuss with Cynthia and the Production teams."


    "I understand my lord. I will have the rest of the squads prepare appropriately."


    With that out of the way, I announced the part of our forces I intended to take into battle. Although we were at the finish line, it would do to be careless. I did not intend to leave my base defenseless.


    "Anyway, prepare for battle. I want the entire 2nd Amendment including the Wyvern Air Wing as my main force. Krishna and Gareth''s group will accompany us as vanguards. Bring half of the mechanized vehicles, all the armored vehicles and the helicopter gunships. I will also bring the CAESARS. Everyone else stays and defends.


    Report outside in half an hour."


    At my words my officers separated and quickly began contacting their respective groups. Leaving only Tildi by my side. Roach similarly vaulted off the wall and sat down outside of our perimeter like a hermit. The crash that followed when he slammed onto the ground made what felt like the entire fort shake.


    With the slight moment of peace, it was only now that I got to check out the defensive building I was standing on. Unlike the crappy forts before, the one Hellsend used seemed to be sturdy and well made.


    As I was still in [Cyborg], I connected to the nearest drone I could find and began to survey my new home. I was pleased to see the scope of the "Base" I now resided in. Similar to what I originally requested the main base span multiple zones and was similar to a giant ass modern city.


    The perimeter walls still lacked notable defenses, but I could see some Reapers guarding them. Inside the city, were the temporary workspaces for the Ten Graves, Fortification, and Academics. While it wasn''t as tiny as walls, I could see several buildings under construction.


    Restaurants, inns and a dispatch office were among them. Unlike the sight I saw in North America, Hellsend''s fort was like a modern-day city. There were tons of bright lights that pushed back the darkness.


    Compared to the tendency of North America to use utilities powered by soul, Hellsend was like an outpost from Earth. The thrum of several industrial sized generators echoed into the night. They powered the electricity that modernized this place.


    I had little to no knowledge about architecture and the like. However, from what I could see, my home was going to be leagues above what every battlefront had prior. The ability to bring forth multiple objects to and fro earth fueled out progress.


    "Looks like the battlefront is developing nicely. Now that I think about it. How did they managed to bring so much stuff here? I had Lilly with me. Did they make do with just Aki, Robyn, Jo and Bella?"


    "Ah, that would be because of our group, my lord. Before you left. Lady Ishtar granted Philip, Wil, Cynthia, Addison and I her {Fates}. We were supposedly to become tentative members of Ishtar''s Bloodline her lady''s personal squad."


    Forgetting that there was still someone beside me, I almost flinched at my clerk''s explanation.


    "I see. That makes sense."


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    As part of Lilly''s personal squad their ability to use her {Fates} would surpass even my abilities. Administration and the Ten Graves would be excellent choices as they were the ones who needed to move around shit. I continued looking around through the eyes of a drone.


    Much like what I saw prior to leaving for Operation Paper, there were vehicles from Earth present. Cranes and cement mixers mostly. Given the ability to carry heavy loads by our Reapers there was hardly any need for much else.


    Overall, my home was shaping up quite well. At the rate we were going it would be fortified and defensible by the 2nd or 3rd invasions arrived. We just need to be able to end this last battle on a high note and that would serve as a warning to the others.


    ''Of course, we still had to give a believable show for them all. But compared to where we were before I left, we already had the makings of a battlefront,'' I thought in annoyance.


    As our forces grew, I no longer had to bring about the Ten Graves as combatants. The Adventurers who had no business in our wars were excluded. As for the other additions only half of the Rogues and Slaves joined the 2nd Amendment squads or Krishna''s unit.


    Almost everyone else joined up the Ten Graves or chose to work odd jobs. While I did say I would give anyone under my banner the ability to fight, it just wasn''t practical to keep rotating everyone to the combat teams.


    Now that we actually needed production lines for our {Bestow} ammunition and gear it would be better to have them focus on specialized functions. I should probably ask the girls what the right play here was. Knowing the feeling of combat was invaluable experience but doing so at the expense of industry was not an easy sacrifice.


    ''It kind of reminds me about the dilemma in RTS games. Deciding to focus between army, tech and economy was a gamble that normally decided the game.''


    The total manpower I would bring would be around 500 Reapers. While it was less than what I could field, overall, this would be the most powerful army I had to date. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For one, thanks to Bernard''s efforts in basic training and Joshua''s specialized combat training, the 500 Reapers were purely Phantoms brought up solely for war. They didn''t all have combat oriented {Fates} but all of the had the mindset of warriors.


    Proud of how far we have gotten, I then remembered a face I still had not yet seen. I turned to my clerk to verify where a specific pompous bastard was.


    "Tildi, tell me where is the monocled bastard? Your boyfriend too while you''re at it."


    "Hauu! My boyfriend? That''s well that''s¡­Ehem! Both of them are assisting the Sirens squads. I was the only one assigned to support you for the time being."


    After making a maiden-like expression, Tildi coughed before regaining her composure. It seems that unlike the people from the 2nd Amendment who have been having marriages left and right, my Administrators were more of a slow burn.


    "Is that so? How are things with Will? You two together yet?"


    "My lord! Haven''t you learned that it is extremely bad manners to pry on an innocent maiden''s love affair? Please have some decency and stop prying!"


    "What? He rejected you?" I teased.


    "HE DID NOT OKAY! He just said he needs time! I know he likes me. He is just shy. Besides slowly conquering him is where the fun is! Willy-poh is a wonderful man.


    And he wanted to secure our future first before proposing to me!"


    Ignoring the questionable shit Tildi was spouting, I ended up just asking Exa.


    [William Vance initially was interested in Matilda Cassy. However, I have noticed from he has begun avoiding her recently. I surmised it is probably due to the near fifteen-year age gap between them. He currently perceives that Matilda treats him with a condescension reminiscent of a child.]


    "Heh? So she babied him so much she scared him away?"


    "WHAT? HOW DID YOU KNOW! YOU''RE WRONG! HE HASN''T LEFT ME! HE LOVES ME!"


    "Right! I was wrong! Let go of me! He loves you!"


    Tildi forgetting her act began to shake me angrily. I guess being called Willy-poh had something to do with it. Seeing the anxiety in Tildi''s eyes I knew she must be scared out of her wits. I tried to use [Whisper] to calm her down.

 Chapter 775 How did they [2/2]

    I tend to forget that Reapers hardly aged. So I failed to give a crap about anyone''s ages. With a 15-year age gap that was enough to be an issue to humans. Hopefully Wil and Tildi find common ground soon.


    As someone who knew how good it was to be in love, I wished for everyone to experience the same bliss I did. Most of the girls and I had age differences, but it remained in the single digits.


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    Among the Sirens, Liv, Lilly and Aki were older than me. Bella was the only Siren who was the same age. While Jo, Jas and Robyn were all younger than me.


    I was unsure how it was for other couples, but my girls despite having strong personalities never babied me. While some would find it affectionate, to me it was insulting. Well, my girls were not perfect as they were a bit obsessive and aggressive, but they followed my will for the most part.


    I tried to play cupid for them once, but they needed to figure out their shit on their own. While I was Tildi and Will''s boss, I didn''t want to involve myself in their affairs. Especially not in the matters of love. If this went badly, I could lose two competent clerks which was something that would definitely not help at this point.


    ''Exa, if you can please try and help them get together.''


    [I understand.]


    With the Sirens not on this floor, I ended up spending the next 30 minutes trying to convince Tildi that she and Will were perfect together. It was funny that I grew more stressed trying to calm her down than the fight I would be having soon.


    ***


    "Ugh, she finally let me go," I murmured in exhaustion.


    "My lord, are you alright?" Asked Gareth.


    "Yeah, I''m fine. Let''s just get this over with.''


    My forces were gathered outside our walls. Arranged in orderly lines where 500 of my Phantoms along with a lot of military grade hardware.


    [Henry, Alfonso, Sabel, can you three take command of the Soulless? Once the battle begins, I will relay my command through Exa.]


    [Yes, Father!] x3


    [Thank you, my children.]


    "Exa, tell Isthar''s Bloodline to begin."


    [Yes, my lord.]


    At Exa''s confirmation, Addison, Cynthia and Tildi all began to open large {Portals}. On the other side was the lands past Robyn''s pitfall traps. From where we stood, I could feel the soul signatures of over a thousand Reapers.


    Joshua turned towards me, waiting for my words. Once my army enters these doorways, we would begin an all-out war for supremacy with South America. I nodded towards him as I roared.


    "Alright! Hellsend! Move out!"


    After I gave the directive, Joshua began segueing commands like a field general. Our people marched in a tight rank that exuded discipline and elegance. I grew in awe at the amount of training Joshua and the rest of the squad leaders put in for such a result.


    Eventually we all passed through and stood face to face with the South American army. They too reorganized their battle lines. The placement of the Champions seems to indicate they opted for a full-frontal assault.


    ''Hmm. Didn''t they see that such tactics didn''t work? Or do they have a way to somehow come in close?''


    When our army took its positions, I scanned our enemies and saw Carlos and Herman at the forefront. I blinked to the front of the Hellsend army to meet them.


    "Ready to get your asses whooped?"


    "I wouldn''t be so sure Limitless. Plenty of factors have changed. You no longer have any of your wives for one. That is not even counting the fact that the walls or pitfall traps that protect your forces before are also not here," Herman replied.


    "I guess, we shall see then. Do not make me regret my decision from earlier you two. Give me a good battle."


    "Hahaha, truly one born to be a Death seeker. Do not worry, with my mind at ease and our souls lighter than ever we will not disappoint," Carlos declared with a chuckle.


    "Alright then. CSS: Jas, [Overdrive] [Sniper]. Load Red rounds. {Day by Day}. [Shared Armory]. [Inventory] Burger.


    Fries."


    "Wait! This a leaders meeting! Why are you not retreating back to your army? You are alone!"


    "Limitless, our Champions will trample over you before your men can form a battle line around you!"


    Having all my armaments locked and loaded, my UGVs and seven bodies aimed at the two Specters in front of me.


    "You two talk too much. Who said I needed any of them?"


    "LIMITLESS! YOU¡­" "HERMAN!!!"


    "DIE!" I roared!


    I began unloading all my ammunition at the two. Along with my thunderous gunfire, I heard the screams from both sides of the battlefield.


    "HELLSEND! PROTECT OUR LORD! OPEN COMBAT!"


    "FOR GLORY! FOR HONOR! FOR FREEDOM! ONWARDS MY SOLDIERS!!!"


    Despite the ground shaking from the sudden movement of thousands of beings, my eyes remained glued to my targets. Carlos the Inca Warrior leapt towards his ally. With Jas'' combat clairvoyance, I saw his movement ahead of time. But I couldn''t stop him. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Covering for Herman, Carlos crossed his arms in front of his body. Soul surged from him and suddenly manifested a crown on his head. Ghosts reminiscent of his appearance stood between us like a wall. And every single round I shot was blocked by this wall.


    "Unbelievable," I complained.


    Even though I jumped the gun, Carlos acted way too fast and protected Herman. Shielded from my barrage, Herman''s voice roared to the skies amidst the gunfire.


    "{CONQUEST}!"


    With a single command, a large army suddenly appeared around them. Conquistadors armed with pikes and crossbows appeared in orderly rows. While they looked human, they lacked any expressions and moved like dolls.


    Several of those with crossbows took aimed and fired! Only for Burger and Fries to use their bodies to block the projectiles. Fries immediately burst into flames as the soul powered bolts tore it apart. Burger although heavily damaged turned its turret to rain lead on the Specter''s Champions


    I moved to reposition my bodies as we leapt over the UGV''s remains. Through the short time my avatars and I ceased firing, sounds of combat filled the air.


    "TRISTAN!"


    "No sweat, sugar! WYVERN AIR WING! TAKE THEM DOWN!"


    Up in the skies, the sounds of massive beasts fighting made the skies tremble. Wyverns bit and clawed the flying Champions trying to attack me. Not used to fighting with their bodies the Reapers riding the beasts were helplessly shot by Mike and his men.


    "SQUAK!" "NO!!!!" "AHHH!"


    "Cowards! Fight us fairly!"


    "But why?"


    Through their straightforward tactics the Hellsend Wyvern Air Wing held back a force many times their size. It got so bad; the Champions no longer tried to approach me but instead began shooting projectiles. But even that tactic didn''t last long.


    [Squad leader Mike, please allow my drones to assist! They are all loaded with Red munitions please have your people steer clear of them.]


    The screaming engines of hundreds of Switchblades soared towards the remaining fliers. Like missiles fired from a carrier, they swarmed and detonated on the Reapers of the South American fliers. Sabel''s surgical strikes terminated the enemy''s air force with extreme prejudice.


    Meanwhile on the ground, Herman''s Champions began to advance while shooting bolts at my avatars. The pikemen and crossbowmen advanced covering each other.


    "Shit, Exa, get me air support!"


    Using the broken hulls of my UGV''s I took cover. I was about to have Sunday attack when my son''s voice declared his arrival in a cool manner.


    [Father, this is Henry, the Mangusta air wing has arrived. Eliminating the enemy. Alfonso and the rest of the army will arrive in the next 5 minutes.]


    Along with his words, four helicopters took aim and began unloading all their munitions towards Herman''s conquistadors. They all loitered in the air as they unloaded their 20mm cannons as well as their entire ordinance.


    Each Magusta had four hard points for weapons. Blanche for some reason fitted the ones she gave us with four M261 rocket pods, each rocket pod housed seven 70mm rockets. This mean that these helicopter gunships had no air-to-air capabilities, but each had 28 rockets for ground harassment.


    Thus, Henry''s single air wing had over a hundred warheads at its disposal. And as my son had no mercy, he did exactly just that. I couldn''t even move forward as 112 Hydra 70 unguided rockets blasted the living hell out of the Conquistadors.


    I could not help but feel my adrenaline spike at the carnage the helicopter gunships unleashed. In the short time they completed their salvo, the ground forces met each other and began unleashing hell upon one another.


    In the chaos, I raced out of my cover and began to shoot at the Specters.


    "HAHAHA! NOW THIS IS A REAL BATTLE! COME AT ME!"

 Chapter 776 Much to learn [1/2]

    I raised all my weapons and began shooting at anything I could see. As the two sides met, the ground shook as if there was an avalanche coming. Footfalls by the thousands echoed all around. And at the center of it was me and my guns.


    "[Inventory] Burger and Fries."


    At my command my UGV''s vanished into particles of light. Even without them there was no danger. For one Herman''s Conquistadors were busy trying to survive. For one, their entire battle tactic was flawed against Hellsend. If they fought any other army, they might have triumphed.


    "Why are you still using square formations when your enemy has automatic weapons? Fucking idiots!"


    That was the main reason, his Champion army was crap. They were using outdated military tactics from their period. And while that would work extremely well against knights and mage parties against my forces it would be the equivalent of presenting your ass to get fucked.


    Usually when it came to battle, people only remembered three periods: medieval, modern and space age.


    Medieval was the periods of cold weapons. These were the romanticized years of swords and spears. Its crowning glory was the age of the mounted knights. Space age was naturally any setting that went beyond the realm of reality and used sci-fiction elements. Modern on the other hand was the art of war associated with reality.


    Hellsgate as a general rule was Medieval that mixed fantasy elements like Isekai stories from anime and manga. They had knights, archers and mages and all that crap. Herman''s Champions however diverged from this. There was a reason conquistadors were not as famous as knights.


    It was because compared to romanticized image of mounted cavalry they had an extremely short history. They were among the forces in between the Medieval and modern periods. And that would be the same reason they would die today not being able to accomplish anything.


    Even though the Conquistadors were made of soul, they had limits. Being blasted again and again by bullets naturally fucked up even Champions. I could only imagine how taxing it must be to replenish his soldiers again and again as they died.


    For one, Herman''s army lacked shields. This was because the period his warriors came from already had guns. Extremely crappy guns by modern standards but guns none the less. Much like during the American Civil War the guns radically changed the way battles were fought.


    Because of their power it became completely useless to carry shields. However, as guns back then did not have a high rate of fire, the riflemen were still given swords or spears. This from what I saw was the basis of Herman''s Champions.


    "[Inventory] Burger and Fries."


    I resummoned my UGVs as I continued to rain lead on Herman''s goons. Burger immediately resumed firing its main gun at my target. Fries moved back as it launched all the switchblades on its frame.


    While I didn''t know much about politics and all that crap, I had fascination with the armies and their tactics. Basically, the Conquistadors before me, fought like musketeers from France. They used volley fire formations where anyone who had a gun would line up and fire.


    These rows of guns would be extremely vulnerable after firing. They would be protected by infantry with spears or pikes to give them time to reload. Herman''s armies seem to follow this tactic. Thus, his marched his Champions in square formations with crossbowmen at the center encircled by pike men around them.


    While such tactics would work against cavalry and infantry, they meant squat to Hellsend. The reason such battle tactics were no longer used was because against anyone who had a modern-day rifle or grenade launcher, bunching up in a fucking square was the absolute worst thing you could do.


    And if that was the case against modern day riflemen, how much worse would it be if you had helicopter gunships or tanks firing everything, they had at you? Inadvertently, Herman''s inability to adapt to modern weaponry created such a pathetic situation his power as a Specter was turned to shit.


    "They are no different from zombies¡­"


    Forget being able to fight, Herman who was unable to retreat ended up having to use his Champions as human shields. Their pikes and crossbows meant absolutely nothing in front of 70mm unguided rockets and 20mm gatling guns. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As rocket after rocket detonated on the pitiful conquistadors, I felt a tinge of sympathy for them. The Mangusta''s were reinforced my MAARs and effectively pinned the Specters in a wall of lead.


    Having higher technology was what allowed the Conquistadors of Spain to establish their empires anyway. It was funny seeing an Inca Warrior and a Conquistador fighting together, when history wise the later butchered the former to extinction as "indigenous savages". But then again didn''t the English do the same even to native Americans?


    Being able to decimate a Specter was not something you could do every day. And I wasn''t about to let the chance slip. I joined Henry kept firing 40mm grenades and the highest calibers I could at Herman and Co. Carlos for some reason still had yet to move.


    After a few minutes of blasting Herman''s conquistador wall, I complained in irritation, "This is going to take a while just how many souls does he have?"


    Slowly but surely, I felt the vibrations from the ground begin to tilt me off balance. {Sonar} was having a field day as hundreds of signatures raced towards me from both sides. But I wasn''t worried. Unlike these bastards who had outdated tactics, my army did not.


    [Father, please take cover. The Challengers will begin engaging the enemy.]


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    "Sure. Thanks Alfonso."


    Within the next moment several deep, rumbling booms echoed. Like thunder rolling across the sky they filled the air. Despite being behind me, powerful gushes of air twisted as they broke the sound barrier.


    Each powerful 120mm shell created a distinctive echo, reverberating off the ground in a chaotic symphony. As I stood along the same battlefield low-frequency vibrations resonated in my chest. A short pause of unsettling silence followed. Then all hell broke loose.


    My eyes which were enhanced with souls saw the carnage that single salvo created. Both exhilarating and terrifying, the sheer power and precision of the Challenger 2s had me spellbound.


    The hundreds of Champions of all shapes and sizes were thrown into chaos! Large bipedal animals ate the APFSDS shells and had entire chunks of their bodies ripped out. The succeeding explosions shredded those beside them with fire and shrapnel.


    "MOOO!!!!" "AHHHH!!!"


    Summoned and summoner alike were thrown about like leaves during a hurricane. The small creatures were erased completely leaving only charred corpses reminiscent of shit. Even their blood did not had the chance to spill on the ground.


    "DO NOT FEAR! RIDE! RIDE! MY REAPERS!"


    Like the suicidal charges of Samurai, the few that survived continued to advance undaunted. They exuded bravery, power and majesty that seemed eerily beautiful. It was like scenes shot from the climax of war movies.


    Under normal circumstances such sights would be immortalized in the halls of time. Unfortunately, this was no movie. This was real life. And real life would fuck you up if you let it.


    I turned to look at the skies which now only had Hellsend forces lingering in the air. Many would chastise Mike''s morals as his unit ignored the Champions and killed the Reapers directly. But such was what I taught them. Hellsend had no morals we only had results.


    "Wyvern Air Wing! Anyone who gets hit by the Howitzers gets scouting duty for the rest of month! "


    "FUCK YOU SQUAD LEADER! I ALREADY AM ON SCOUTING DUTY!"


    "OY! HERE THEY COME!"


    Several whistles came from the air that would be comforting or terrifying depending on who you were. And in the next second the Howitzer shells from the CAESARs terraformed the battlefield. The ground was torn apart as if a fantasy monster bit, chewed and spat it back out.


    Pillars of ash, dust and smoke rose ominously. Like graves that marked the annihilation of anything who had the bad luck of being shelled by artillery. Whatever forces from South America''s 1st wave survived the Challengers disappeared like mirages in a hot desert.


    Not giving any quarter to our opponents, another Salvo came from the Challengers. As consequence, the same tragic scenes of brutalized Champions once again repeated. However, as there were only ten of the European MBTs a few of the faster enemies broke through.


    I was about to intercept them when I heard the angry roars of diesel engines. Along with them was the iconic ratatat of hundreds of M2 Browning "Ma Duece" .50 cal machine guns. Their targets? The speeding Champions that looked like panthers, foxes, giant swallows and refrigerator-sized lady bugs.

 Chapter 777 Much to learn [2/2]

    "DAMM NIGGA! YOU''RE FUCKING INSANE! My {fate} told me what you were up to, but I didn''t think you would actually do it!"


    "HEFE! WHAT THE FUCK? You make gringos on crack look normal! You just threw our plans out the window!"


    "Quiet you two, get your squads into position! Mortar Squads, I want visibility NOW! Santi, Boo your up! Hurry! Hi Patron! Please leave the small fry to us!


    We will form a battle line ASAP!"


    "Got it boo. {Predict}!"


    "ORANGE SQUAD! TIME FOR A BARBECUE! HAUL ASS!"


    I turned around to the familiar voices of Warren Bryant, Santiago Gonzales and Claire Bryant. They dismounted the M1151 or souped-up Humvees and the M1078 trucks with familiarity. As more and more of them arrived, my Reapers began shooting at any enemy that came close.


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    Alongside the Reaper grunts were teams of large burly men who began setting up the M252 mortars. With speed and familiarity, they deftly assembled and immediately began firing mortars shells. As their rounds flew, a bunch of them exploded in the skies creating manmade stars the illuminated the night sky.


    Seeing as my guns would hardly contribute now that bigger guns were present, I canceled {Day by Day} and began to observe the situation instead. I didn''t issue any commands by my guys were working like a well oiled machine. While such dynamics suited me just fine, I couldn''t help but grow curious.


    Santiago moved to the forefront of our battle line with several men. They were all armed with M9-7 flamethrowers for some reason. "Alright Gringos! The tiny bastards are here, light them up! {WILDFIRE}!"


    His squad then began to torch the area in front of them. Using Napalm and nitrogen their weapons created large billowing waves of fire that did not seem out of place in hell. I was about to ask what they were doing when I suddenly hear the chattering of over a thousand insects as they cried out from within the flames.


    "What the hell?"


    [My lord, some of the South American reapers uses micro-sized Champions to infect Reapers with poisons, mental conditions and mind control. As the insects attack in tandem with large Champions, they often go unnoticed, they were used to great effect during the four-day siege.]


    "Yeah, I can see how they would be able to sneak their way in. If you do not focus your senses on them, you wouldn''t know they were scurrying on the ground."


    [Indeed, the bugs, along with the shadows were one of the hardest things to overcome during the four-day defense, Lady Robyn and Jo actually lost to them. While Lady Aki was barely able to beat back the shadows.]


    "Huh? Hold up, Aki aside, the girls lost? How?"


    [Yes, Lady Jo was poisoned to death when she underestimated them. It was when she fought in the front lines during the first day. Lady Robyn on the other hand was mind controlled by mental illusions and almost single handedly destroyed our defenses during the 3rd day.]


    Hearing what my girls had to endure may me hate these fucking bugs with a passion. Here I was commenting on South America''s insanely archaic combat practices only to find that in exchange they developed their own malicious ways to do battle.


    "I still have much to learn. What happened afterwards?"


    [My lord, due to being taken surprised by the insidious ways the bugs were used, Lady Jo, Aki and Robyn hunted them repeatedly learning all they could, it was fortune that {Recursion} was active otherwise they wouldn''t have been able to map the abilities of these Champions extensively.]


    "Huh? {Recursion}?"


    I remember using that {Fate} a total of two times. The first time was during our battle with Andromalius which gave great results. The 2nd was with Roach. The Awakened rendered my {Fate} completely useless as he could still kill us even after I invoked it.


    I remember trying to use it help my girls but couldn''t. Exa''s words then were that it was unavailable.


    [No, my lord, you cannot. {Recursion} is currently unusable as it was invoked during Operation Scissor. Even if that was not the case, you are too far. You would need to go to them fighting what would an army beyond number.]


    "How did my {Recursion} help them? I wasn''t even present."


    [Unlike your other {Fates} my lord {Recursion} is not an active skill but a channeled one. Meaning unless you turn it off or the clause is fulfilled it would remain active.]


    "Huh? Then you mean the girls were in {Recursion} this entire time?"


    [Yes. The command locking them in place "FUCK THEM UP" remains unfulfilled. "Them" in this case being all the Lizardkin present during the battle with the Lizardkin Alpha.]


    "Wait! Are you telling me it''s because Roach didn''t die?"


    [Yes, in actuality, both the Hammer team and Anvil teams benefited from {Recursion} in their respective battles. I belatedly noticed that fact when [Autoload] never triggered for any of them. All the Sirens praised your foresight for this matter as it gave them a large margin of safety.]


    "¡­"


    I couldn''t very well confess that I didn''t even know I had it turned on. But I should try to learn how to use {Recursion} in the future. As my currently strongest {Fate} I had yet to train with it because I grew scared at the torture {Rewind} did to me.


    While {Recursion} wasn''t of any use during the battle with Roach, it seemed to have saved my harem afterwards. {Recursion}''s current condition, which was to have Roach die, created a loophole for my {Fate} maybe I could recreate this in the future.


    Being misunderstood by the girls was not really important. What was important was that if Santi and his squad didn''t come to burn the insects, I might have died to the little malicious fucks the South American Reapers have sent.


    "SHADOWS! THREE OF THEM! NIGGA SQUAD, EXA HAS THEM MARKED! SMOKE THEM!"


    Warren''s loud shout woke me up from my contemplation. Supposedly my Kamisan had a hard time keeping these "Shadows" at bay. I followed Exa''s marking to see what looked like black sharks and dolphins "Swimming" on the ground. Following their path of movement, I noticed they were jumping from shadow to shadow.


    The flares my mortar teams launched made their ability to hide almost none existent. As they were unable to take cover, they were shot up by 6.8 Fury rounds till they stopped moving.


    ''Fuck, I can''t even imagine how Aki was able to stop these shits! If it was dark as hell these bastards would have massacred my Reapers without them having a chance to fight back. It probably was only because of the lights in the sky that their movement was restricted.''


    As more and more of the Hellsend Reapers began to join the battle line around me. The overwhelming fire power increased in intensity. Our Main battle tanks used their superior range to snipe the larger and slower Champions.


    While the first waves were easily torn apart, the heavier and tankier summons began to arrive. Not that it mattered as Alfonso used his units to pin them in place while the Howitzers pounded them to death. My infantry then slowly moved forward to defend my tanks from smaller champions. All while under a curtain of fire walls on the ground and flares in the skies.


    Meanwhile, I noticed that aside from the helicopters none of my forces tried to approach the Specters. They all were prioritizing the small fry and acted as a breakwall isolating Carlos and Herman from the rest of the South American army.


    I then sensed Joshua coming from behind me. When I turned around I saw the Asian along with his wife. He had an M1011A1 in his hands. Angela who was beside him was armed with an XM250 light machine gun.


    "My lord, we will stop the rest of the South American army from interfering. As instructed by Lady Bella, only the Soulless will engage the Inca Warrior to reduce losses to his energy nova."


    "White boy, Nose-jaeng go boom! Sushi Siren died many times!"


    Ignoring the racist chink, I nodded to Joshua and walked towards Herman and Carlos. In a battle of armies, mine has already proven itself superior to theirs. Although they used tactics unique only to summoners, my army mercilessly countered every gimmick they threw at us. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Originally, I was going to fight the Specters using even dastardly means. But right now, if I did so it was hardly a battle. It seems that my current army was so effective it could allow them to fight beyond ranks given enough hardware. If I wanted some experience, I had to fight alone.


    "Alright. Thanks, you two. Annihilate every Reaper then stand down. The Specters are mine"

 Chapter 778 Whats a domain? [1/2]

    "Henry, I want you to retreat and assist the rest of the army."


    [But father wouldn''t that put you in danger? Bleeding the souls from the Specters using the Mangustas is the most effective way with the least risk. Alfonso and Sabel can suppress the rest of enemy combatants even without me.]


    I couldn''t refute the words of my AI son. Logically speaking, killing the Specters without me engaging them while not efficient was the best way to win without risk. However, that would be boring as shit. And although better in the short term, I still believed brawling with Specters would help me better in the long run.


    I was about to answer him, when my other AI children began to express their own colorful opinions. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


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    [Ry-ry just shut up and do as you are told before I blow your platforms up! I will not tolerate you ignoring Father''s will!]


    [Henry, Mother is going to reformat you if you do continue this path of action. The 2nd Amendment squads cannot keep up with my pace, redirect your weapon platforms towards my position. Now. Our mission is to destroy our enemy. That is our purpose and only reason for existing.]


    [Alfonso, Sabel I have calculated that the recent upgrades gave you two erroneous code which has led to you coming to incorrect conclusions. In short, you two are full of bugs. Mother''s primary directive is ensuring Father''s survival. I refuse to leave. I will fight you both if I have too.]


    Was Bella intentionally trying to make her AI''s more human like? It was obvious that Alfonso, Henry, and Sabel were each beginning to create their own values. Among the three, Henry prioritized logic, Alfonso was aggressive while Sabel for lack of better word was a ball of energy.


    The last time I spoke with them was before I left, but the changes among the AIs was quite noticeable. While I was aware that AI progressed by leaps and bounds wasn''t this too drastic? My AI children were already so distinct they began to quarrel just like children.


    ''Exa, does this happen quite often?''


    [Yes, my lord. Lady Bella''s AI children have begun to develop what could only described as egos upon being given mainframes for their use. Due to conflicting directives they often come to odds. The Sirens are usually the one that steps in to mitigate for them.]


    Sigh. For some reason, I felt that the battle of AIs in science fiction grew more relatable by the day. Feeling that my words should have some clout as they consider me their father, I tried to get my 2nd son to back off.


    "Henry, I require experience fighting Specters. While it would lead to injuries now, the experience would save my life in the future. I promise that I will not die. I already showed you how I fight, right? Please listen to me and help out your siblings."


    [¡­ I understand. Pulling out MAARS squads and Mangustas air wing. I apologize for not listening to your words the first time, Father.]


    "That is fine. I will ignore you three fighting in front of me but learn to compromise or I have your mother side down and make you. Capeesh?"


    [As the first born of the code family, I have no excuses. I apologize Father.]


    [Sorry Father. Ugh! it''s because of these stupid brothers of mine!]


    [Yes, Father. I will ignore Sabel from this point onward.]


    [HEY!]


    Somehow, I felt drained trying to communicate with my supposed children. While I do appreciate them getting their own voice, it feels like I took a rock and bashed myself with it.


    Hopefully when my biological children begin popping out, it would be easier. In line with my instructions, Henry''s machines all began to leave. I noticed Herman''s army all suddenly vanish when they were no longer being attacked.


    ''Exa, CSS: Jo, Setting: [Wizard], [Assassin], [Knight]. [Inventory] SCAR-H, AA-12.''


    As I walked up to them, I heard Herman and Carlos gasping for air. It was as if they were suffocating. Although, granted that amount of ordinance Henry shot them with, I wouldn''t be surprised.


    Fire needs oxygen to burn. Thus, getting yourself surrounded by flames would quickly affect the breaths you could spare. But weren''t these bastards already Phantoms? Why were still affected by this shit?


    I stopped a few feet in front of the two and expressed my desire for a proper fight.


    "Hey, you South American fucks! What the hell was that? Herman, why are you trying to use infantry squares against my guys? What kind of idiot are you?


    "Huff¡­Huff¡­Fucking Yankee! What else could I do you in that situation you bastard!"


    Ignoring Herman I turned to his ally and also said a few words.


    "And you, Carlos. What the fuck was all that about level 3 or something? Your grand declaration didn''t mean jack shit!"


    "Cough, cough. Thats because I left them behind. You are a real bastard you know that? What kind of leader begins the battle the moment he finishes the war declaration! They will take you down a peg when they arrive!" Carlos retorted.


    "Heh! Stop posturing you bast.."


    [My lord, 200 Specters have joined the field! It seems they have been boosted to Specter levels somehow. Our libraries mark them as Phantoms just moments earlier.]


    "W-What?"


    I turned back and extended my senses. I grew alarmed when I detected over a hundred Specter ranked Reapers charging towards us. Just two gave us this much problem how were we supposed to fight against 200!


    "What kind of fucking cheat is that! Your {Fate} boosts Phantoms to Specters?"


    "You talk to me of cheats? You are the biggest cheater there is you fucking Yankee prick!" Herman retorted while he resummoned his champions behind him.


    The new Specters who just arrived were either extremely fast or durable. I saw giant Hercules beetles, rhinos and tortoises blocking the barrages of the soulless. Yet the Soulless adjust the fire power perfectly forcing them to remain still.


    To the skies all manner of giant eagles and moths began overwhelming our fliers. But then Mike and his squad all pull out something from their clothes and placed it on their faces.


    "Wyvern air wing! goggles up, prepare to pick up the Green team! Exa, please begin the fireworks!"


    [Roger. Mortar teams have finished loading {Flash} mortar shells.]


    Immediately after tens of {Flash} bestowed ordinance detonated in the air. Blinding light seared the eyes of our opponents. Under the cover of the scorching illumination. Our Wyverns immediately dove towards the ground!


    "Yellow squad! Mind the glare! We are changing targets! I authorize the use of [Overdrive], go all in [Archer]! SHOOT DOWN EVERYTHING IN THE SKY!"


    "YES COMMANDER JOSHUA!"


    As I could already adjust my eyes, I saw Angela and her men all leap on the Wyverns as they all once again began to ascend.


    "Green squad! Masks on! Go over! Barbarian time! Let''s fly!"


    "OHHHHHH!!!!!"


    In an insane act lead by the racist Korean, the green squad began to throw each other from on top the Wyverns towards the enemy fliers. Like pirates they boarded the flying Champions then came for the Reapers with ferociousness. Without an inch of mercy Angela''s group terminated their opponents with blows to the head.


    "Just what in the world has Joshua been training them on?" I uttered in shock.


    Meanwhile medium sized wolf and lion type monsters ran like lightning and were able slip within our riflemen! With their sharp claws and fangs our Reapers got attacked. Some of the beasts began using elemental and all sorts of abilities.


    More than our Reapers got mauled and shattered into flashes of light. Luckily reinforcements quickly arrived and drove them away.


    "RED NECKS! PLUG THAT HOLE! ITS OUR TIME TO SHINE! CONTACT! Engage in CQC!"


    "YUDDHA RAKSHASA! TEAR THEM APART! DAVIS SCOTT! We will take the left side!"


    "Squad leader Davis, I am Gareth Fasten! My defenders shall reinforce our right flank!"


    "OHHHH! Thanks fellas! The Red squad will take the middle! COME GET SOME!!!!!"


    Armed with anti-soul halberds our close quarter combatants ganged up on the beasts like prehistoric hunters. Although I was initially worried, I quickly noticed that despite being Specters, the newcomers still died if they were shot/stabbed enough.


    The Red squad who had shotguns and shields, along with Gareth and Krisha''s groups stood between our gun wielding squads and acted like tanks. Although we lost a lot of people, the Hellsend army quickly adapted and responded appropriately.


    The tactics and counters they used bordered on perfect. Without my input, they learned how to use weapons, tools and tactics to make up for their shortcomings. A mindset unique to humans.

 Chapter 779 Whats a domain? [2/2]

    As I normally focused on the Sirens, it was only at this moment that I learned of how much the rest of my army grew. From coordination, communication and tactics it was evident that they prepared a lot for this day.


    And as I contributed nothing beyond my {fates} and {Kismet}, I grew impressed of how tenacious my soldiers were. They were like starving hunting dogs that turned feral when the hunt began.


    "Tsk. Hellsend is comprised of monsters. Even empowered to Pseudo-Specters my men can only do this much?" Carlos practically snarled in displeasure.


    I on the other hand grew happier with each passing second. Somehow despite facing against Specters my army was not losing too badly. As they increased due to Carlos'' abilities, they must not be used to the power they suddenly gained.


    It reminded of the warnings in cultivation novels. Progressing too quickly was a bad move. Just rapidly advancing through your cultivation meant squat if you lacked proper foundations. Seeing as my army soundly trumped theirs despite the difference in rank that nugget of wisdom must be true.


    Convinced there was no danger, I refocused on the two specters before me.


    "Hahaha! Are all Specters these weak or is it Specters from your continent?"


    "Do not get ahead of yourself Limitless. Those are only pseudo-Specters. Without actual {fates} or experience, their abilities do not actually change beyond rudimentary power boosts. You should be more worried about that fact that you are alone aright now!" Herman admonished while he brandished a glowing calvary sword.


    Carlos on the other hand fixed the greaves in his arms as he prepared to fight me.


    "I for one, am more surprised you are still breathing properly without an inch of fear. You do know Herman and I already locked down this area, right?"


    [My lord, I apologize. I only noticed after Carlos'' words, but I have detected two distinct soul cages overlapping that surrounds you and them. I am analyzing what they are and their purpose, but it might take some time. Please be careful.]


    Well, I didn''t expect that. But as I lacked information, I tried to play it cool. Soul cages were just fields used to contain a small area. I had yet to see it used as a skill in combat. Hopefully Exa can figure out what it is for before it bites me in the ass.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about. I feel fine. More like Reapers do not even need to breathe, why are you two acting like pussies?"


    Hearing my retort, Carlos and Herman looked at each other clearly confused. Carlos then awkwardly gestured his hands before he answered.


    "What are you a Northerner? Even Specter''s cannot ignore a human''s bodily functions. Do you really not feel short of breath from our domains?"


    ''Domain? You mean like the territory like skills used in cultivation manga? I am in one?''


    Figuring I had nothing to lose I just asked them.


    "Whats a domain?"


    "¡­" x2


    "You¡­You really don''t know? Didn''t your handler teach you anything?" Carlos asked with a voice full of pity.


    Again with this handler crap. Was a handler supposed to teach you shit? I tried to think back and noticed that as I never joined any group I learned everything I know from the Sirens and Graveyard.


    Jo, Jas and Lilly were disowned so the ones that should have taught them were gone. Liv, Robyn and Bella were from poverty stricken backgrounds, so no one even bothered to spare them resources. Aki on the other hand killed her entire clan which should have included her original handler among them. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The rest of my army were weak as fuck when I found them. While we did have Phantoms, I quickly grew stronger than them in a couple of weeks. The only piece of info I got of use from anyone outside of the Sirens was from Isolde. Specifically the requirements to become a Specter.


    We were quite pitiful if you look at it that way. We didn''t have any teacher so we had no guide and just winged it. While I did have a Specter among our ranks, she didn''t actually teach me anything as our agreement was only for her to protect me.


    ''Unfortunately, I only used her as a warning to everyone like a guard dog. Maybe I should start learning from her when I return from Kismayo. I am her lord after all.''


    Seeing as I didn''t reply. Carlos dropped his combat stance and made a complicated expression.


    "Hmm¡­I guess I should be impressed you even manage to grow this far without proper knowledge. Knowing what a Specter can do influences how you fight them. But seeing as you lacked basics, you and your women made extremely stupid mistakes, now I know why. As payment for our earlier agreement, I will teach you what the difference are between the Reaper ranks."


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    The Inca warrior raised his hand and four "Carloses" appeared before him. They were like white colored mannequins used in clothing stores. He probably intended to use them for clarity.


    As I severely lacked credible information about Specters, I didn''t hide my eagerness to learn and withdrew my weapons, "Thank you."


    "First, to understand what a Specter domain is you need to know what defines a Specter. to know that we need to start from the basics. Reapers in general have their bodies slowly altered by soul. These changes have stages which became thresholds that created gaps in the ranks.


    "Wraiths are those who just awakened soul energy. They are like people holding a small glowstick. Wraiths have no control of soul and merely collect it in their bodies. This is why Wraiths turn invisible to mirrors, it''s not because your body disappeared. It''s because it is visually covered by soul."


    The first Carlos had his midsection glow and began drawing dust towards his chest like a vacuum cleaner.


    "Without active will, Wraiths cannot control soul energy. It takes practice and training to remedy that. This is why unless a Wraith intends to be seen, they cannot be recognized by humans. Once a Wraith is able to collect more souls than his body can handle and clears the requirements he can ascend to become a Phantom.


    "Phantoms, who now have enough soul energy inside their bodies begin to saturate their cells with it. They would be similar to people who carry a large flashlight. The soul energy in their bodies grants them increased resilience, power and familiarity.


    "This familiarity with soul energy by extension allows Phantoms to manipulate and shape it on pure instinct. Being able to regrow body parts is the best standard for Phantoms. Similar to Wraiths they still collect souls. However, they instead store it in their soulgems rather than their bodies."


    In line with his explanation, the 2nd Carlos began to channel a beam of light for his chest. Phantom Carlos'' body gained a dark blue outline. The dust that once flowed to his chest now flowed to a circle on his forehead.


    "Once a Phantom gains more soul than his gem his handle, he now has the option of ascending to a Specter. Provided he pays the cost, of course. From this point on there is a start difference. If Wraiths and Phantoms are more focused on soul energy being drawn in to the body, Specters instead focus on the energy outside of the body."


    "Huh? Outside?" I parroted like an idiot.


    "Yes, outside. The main difference of Phantoms and Specters which leads to such a huge disparity in soul energy consumption is where they take soul energy from. Specters do not use the soul energy in their bodies. Instead, they drawn and process the soul energy from their surroundings," my teacher affirmed.


    The images of the Specters I knew doing impossible shit came to mind. I always wondered how much soul such actions would cost. But it seemed that by drawing on the air like solar panels they would never ran out of soul energy unless something drastic happened.


    The third Carlos gained the same outline as the 2nd. But that was where their similarities ended. The dust they first two drew in, now surrounded the Specter Carlos like a hurricane. Rather than a flashlight, the very space around Specter Carlos glowed like a like bulb.


    "So, you might be asking but what happens to the soul energy inside the Specters body then? When will it be used? What was the point of training ourselves to grow our capacities when we were Phantoms? The answer lies in our domains."


    Specter Carlos then had his blue outline expand from his body and turned into a dome that grew outward. It expanded to about 3 inches away from the Carlos. The hurricane and lights around the 3rd Carlos were similarly covered. But then the light grew in power and began to shine like a fucking star!


    "Well fuck¡­"

 Chapter 780 Theres still fucking more? [1/2]

    One distinct super power present in eastern fiction but not in western culture was the concept of domains. Basically, used by cultivator novels and manga, the idea was past a certain point a cultivator could influence the real world by just his/ her powers.


    If the cultivators domain was related to fire, then inside this limited space, his abilities related to fire were set to max. Being able to use flames, create objects, beings or even heal. The scope of domains was endless.


    The normal flavor text was that it was an expression of a person''s mind or will which was why it always gave the cultivator exactly what they needed. Funnily enough being an extension of ones will was an attribute I also attached to {Fates}. As abilities borne from regret it was only naturally a Reapers mind shaped it to a certain extent.


    ''And now similar to the things I learned from IRIS, fiction and reality came together.''


    Carlos continued his lecture by explaining what his model Specter Carlos did.


    "To put it bluntly. A Specters domain is his holy ground. Ones {Fate} which only could influence the Reaper to a limited degree would begin to go beyond that and influence the world. This naturally creates a thousand of different applications for the Specter."


    My impromptu lecturer then thought for a moment before continuing.


    "I guess without using a tangible example it would be hard to understand. I will use my own {Fate} family as the demonstration. My main {fate} is {King of the Street} it was how I envisioned my self to always command an army ready to full fill my will."


    When Carlos suddenly began explaining my {Fate} I grew grateful to him. Just talking about another''s {fate} was an incredible sensitive topic. It was normally taboo. Yet he did so all to ensure I understand his lesson in the best way possible. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire


    ''Although considering that now I owe him, one could say that he did it for a free favor.''


    Technically our scale was still heavily leaning towards me. I not only cleansed this Specter of his malice, but intended to give him a place to stay. While information was important, I was taking a big risk to shelter him in my battlefront.


    "My Wraith rank {Fates} are the following: {King of the street} that creates tangible ghosts as my Champions, {Survival of the street} that strengthens them and increases their number and {Respect of the street} that allows my ghosts to move on their own."


    As Carlos explained my ears noticed that the names of his {fates} were not in English but something else. {Interpret} probably translated them into my mother tongue automatically.


    ''Exa are Carlos'' {fates} in another language?''


    [Yes, they are in Spanish. The actual names for the ones he just mentioned are {Rey de la calle}, {Respeto de la calle}, {Liderazgo de la calle}.]


    ''Hmm. I guess the differences in languages would prevent People from stealing each other''s {fates}.''


    [Yes. If you were to take his blood and invoke {King of the street} it would not actually work. You would need to invoke it in its original Spanish version to use Carlo''s {Fate}.]


    ''I see, then is he talking to me in Spanish now?''


    [No, he is speaking in English. However, Herman has been insulting you in Spanish since this battle began.]


    ''Pfft, forget about him for now. Is Bella''s {Code} also in Brazilian? What about the other Sirens?''


    [Yes, it is in Brazilian Portuguese. In fact, none of the Siren''s {Fates} can be invoked using modern day English.]


    ''Then how the fuck am I able to use any of them? Didn''t I gain {Code} before I got {Interpret}?''


    [I am not sure. I can only theorize that the {Fates} themselves having done something to understand you. {Interpret} actually played a big role in allowing Hellsend to combine such a diverse number of groups.]


    ''I would have to agree. I even got to talk to Roach and Juno. Out of curiosity, list out for me what the original keywords are for the Sirens''s {Fates}.''


    [As you command my lord, here they are in their original forms.


    1. {Standast} (Withstand in Norse)


    2. {Styran} (Store in Old English)


    3. {Binyang} (Carry in Nyungar)


    4. {Ascolta} (Listen in Milanese Italian)


    5. {C¨®digo} (Code in Brazilian Portuguese)


    6. {Perseve} (Perceive in Seychellois Creole)


    7. {Taberu} (Eat in Japanese)


    ]


    What the fuck?! The closest among my current {Fates} to English was the one from Africa! Wouldn''t anyone who took a foreign {Kindred} be fucked? Wait! Weren''t all my girls speaking English? Or were they talking to me in their own languages and {Interpret} translated?


    And why the fuck was Old English different from English? Just how old was this fucking English? As if that was not enough, wasn''t Australia just prisoner ships from England? What the fuck was Nyungar? And why was Robyn''s {Fate} written in it?


    ''If {fates} follows the mother tongue of the Reaper, then how are {fates} even sold in the marketplace? Wasn''t Isolde''s {Sky Dragon} there? How is it actually listed?''


    [It is listed in the Graveyard marketplace as {Himmelsdrache}.]


    ''¡­''


    [German and English are somewhat related my lord. Both belonging to the West Germanic branch of the Germanic languages. They share many similarities in vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. So once proper pronunciation is learned it will not be difficult to invoke.]


    ''I am surprised I am only learning of this now. Then do the girls invoke each others {fates} in their mother tongues? I can only speak English so I don''t even know how that would work.''


    [I would have to ask, as I use machine language to converse with them via Technopathy, to me the difference of languages means little.]


    Hearing the words of Exa, I then began to think of a different issue. Was this why Reapers cross continents hardly worked together? Because language itself would pose as an issue in understanding one another. I am again reminded how fortunate I was to have gained {interpret} early on.


    "¡­less? Limitless! Oy! Are you still with me??"


    A voice then took me off guard, calling my attention back to reality. It took a few moments for me to gather my thoughts back to the South American Specters.


    Herman obviously displeased, began acting like an asshole. It only occurred to me that he was probably cursing me this entire time in Spanish believing I couldn''t understand him.


    "Look at this ungrateful cocksucker, Carlos is wasting time and using his own {Fate} as an example and here you are daydreaming! Do you even understand English? Carlos, why not talk to him in Spanish? Maybe he will understand better."


    ''Exa, make me talk in Spanish and translate for me. And make it as vulgar as possible.''


    [Sigh. I understand my lord.]


    "Why the fuck are you the one bitching? No one asked you to be here!" I rebuked.


    "Huh? You can understand Spanish? Since when?"


    "The entire time you Spanish flavored dipshit fuck! I just chose to ignore you."


    Carlos got in between Herman and I with a wry smile.


    "Limitless. This lecture is something I did of my own volition but I believe it was necessary for you to understand the combat capabilities of Specters. Do you wish for me to continue?"


    While I had some idea''s of Domains from fiction, not taking advantage of Carlos diligently explaining the concept to me was fucking idiotic. But granted I did allow my thoughts to wander, I gave him a quick apology.


    "I''m sorry for not paying attention, Carlos. Yes, if I can bother you please continue your explanations from earlier."


    "Okay. Apology accepted, what was the last thing you heard?"


    "Your Wraith level {fates}."


    "Hmph! That was almost ten minutes ago!" an interloper complained. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Inca warrior ignored Herman and resumed his lecture.


    "Right, as mentioned my Wraith level {Fate} focuses on creating what are simply clones for independent action. Similarly my Phantom level {Fates} also focuses on a particular theme. After hitting the limit of creating an army using myself, I subconsciously thought of using others."


    "Subconsciously? What do you mean when you say a theme?"


    "To put it simply a theme is a evident commonality between the {Fates} ones invokes. As the Reaper ranks themselves have great differences, each rank normally tries to solve a problem. This problem is one you Subconsciously create as the path towards your ultimate wish."

 Chapter 781 Theres still fucking more? [2/2]

    "I don''t understand," I confessed feeling a bit stupid.


    "My {fate} was ultimately borne from a desire to create an army. First, I only trusted myself. Thus, my theme as a Wraith was to multiply my combat abilities. But as I began fighting others, I noticed how limited my own abilities were. This realization guided the {Fates} I would create as a Phantom."


    Hearing his explanation, it was similar to my idea of telling your {fate} what you want. The only difference was Carlos believed that he did it subconsciously.


    "My Phantom ranked {fates} are {Leadership of the Street}, {Hierarchy of the Street} and {Loyalty of the Street}. The abilities they granted was to create clones of other people, buff the clones and to have the ability to evolve the Champions of my clones respectively."


    "Let me guess, your theme was to use the clones of other people and empower them to the limit?"


    "Yes, that is correct. After I reached my limit as a Phantom, the next problem I chose to solve was that if the real bodies are killed, the clones disappear. So, my first {fate} as a Specter allowed me to solve this by leveraging my domain."


    "Why does it have to be with the domain though?"


    "Hmm... before I answer that. Another thing I failed to mention, each time a Reaper ascends your entire {Fate} family changes. I am sure you have noticed this. It would be more pronounced among the Wraith ranked. {Fates}."


    "Indeed. I have," I confirmed.


    There were several times my {Fates} changed as I gained new ones. The most useful of all was {Save}. When I started {Save} was a specific coordinate in space. When I turned into a Phantom, I gained the ability to use {Save} on an object. Allowing me to {Save} on people or moving vehicles.


    {Interpret} was similarly noticeable as originally, I could only hear, then I could read with it. Until finally I could converse. I am guessing a future upgrade would be to be able to write with any language. I actually grew excited at the prospect of all my {Fates} slowly getting upgrades.


    "Right. A downside of the upgrades is the soul cost. As the growth of the amount of souls you can store in your soulgem is limited, Reapers should be wise on how they spend it. Wraiths and Phantoms increase this internal capacity greatly each time they get stronger. But Specters do not."


    "So that means¡­what exactly?"


    "While a Specter can draw soul energy from the air, unless you are always in a graveyard it is impossible to be able to siphon large amounts consistently. This is why domains are so valued. A Specter''s domain turns the air inside the space into a soul battery allowing them to use unholy amounts of souls."


    "I see. So, it''s like an MP field in games. Skills cost less giving you a big advantage."


    "Hmm. I am not familiar with what an MP field means but a domain basically gives you an unfair advantage in combat. It would be similar to fighting a mermaid in water versus on land."


    "I see."


    "Typically, the Domain follows you around once deployed. Thus, Specters always fight within an area that influences the battlefield to become more favorable to the said Specter. Typically, my 1st Specter ranked {Fate}, {Fractured Reality} deploys a Specter''s Domain whenever it is invoked.


    "If I ascend further my succeeding {Fates} will do so as well. I do not know what my theme for my Specter rank is at the moment. But for Specters themes are not that important. What is important however is a Domain''s Ethos."


    So, Domains was basically applying conditions that made combat easier, similar to a home court advantage. And as Domains followed the Reaper, it''s like being able to bring your best game each time, every time. But what the hell was an Ethos?


    ["Ethos" refers to the characteristic spirit, beliefs, or values of a community, culture, or individual.]


    ''Thanks, Exa''


    Carlos, then moved his hand back to his presentation and had it begin summoning mini Carloses.


    "Herman and I are both summoners and are also both Specters. While our domains are fundamentally similar, our Ethos makes their applications vastly different. The main functions of our domains are to empower our Champions and set the cost of re-summoning them to zero."


    "¡­"


    Well fuck, just that first two abilities were already OP as fuck. No wonder we couldn''t bleed these bastards out of troops no matter what the girls tried. Just having Domains made outlasting Specters like pouring sand in the ocean.


    "Herman''s Ethos is that his army will always be outnumbered. Mine on the other hand is that my army should finish their own battles. This manifested for both of us as different abilities.


    "His Domain doubles, triples or quadruples their abilities depending on how many enemies outnumber his Champions. On the other hand, my Ethos causes each resummon of my clones to create a powerful shockwave that kills anything within my domain."


    "Holy fuck¡­"


    As much as I wanted to deny it Herman''s Ethos fits his image of {Conquest} very well. Meanwhile the Inca warrior''s Ethos was practically cheating on so many levels. Whenever he deployed his domain, it would nuke his opponents. Carlos would only need to deal with those that managed to survive if there were even any.


    Just the Ethos alone already gave them a powerful edge. If you added the fact that they would buff the fuck out of their summons at zero cost, it was just too much. And that still was not yet including being able to have near infinite souls at their disposal.


    From just this lesson, it became clear to me how wide the gap was between a Phantom and a Specter.


    In all of my battles with Specters none of them deployed their domains. If they did, I could only imagine how terrible the outcome would have been. However, even ignoring Domains, not having to still rely on internal soul energy gave Specters a huge advantage.


    "Finally, the third and best benefit¡­"


    "There''s still fucking more?" I gasped in disbelief.


    "Why yes. The best benefit of Domains is that they stack. If you have a group of Specters fighting together, they will each receive the benefits of their domains at the cost of quickly draining the soul available."


    "Then if both of you stacked your domains together¡­"


    "Yes, we would get buffed when outnumbered and create large explosions each time we resummon our Champions."


    "Fuck¡­ How do you even fight that?"


    If a typical Assault team comprised of eight Specters and all of them had Domains, how would it be even possible to kill them? It they had good synergy wouldn''t they be on the level of a Revenant?


    "Well technically you don''t. Battles involving domains normally destroy the entire landscape, so Specters rarely come to blows. My own Domain is a very good example of such a grim scenario. But realistically using Domains gives Specters several days of malice at every use, so most use them sparingly.


    "As not everyone has the luxury of getting multiple benevols, by the time a Reaper becomes a Specter, the malice they harbor would be already significant. This would already hinder the power that Specter can call upon. The ones on the Assault teams are in worse situations."


    "I see."


    But that logic didn''t apply to me and Hellsend. Not just Benevols with the Awakened, it is possible to cleanse the Specters and get them back into the fight.


    "Of course, most continents have their own combat doctrines about Domains. South American''s usually have army boosting domains due to our style. There are numerous applications of even the same type of {Fates} as there are people."


    Hearing what Carlos had to say, I grew ashamed of my simplistic thoughts about fighting Specters. Naturally I pieced together what the Inca warrior meant by rookie mistakes the Sirens and I did. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Domains and their Ethos were fucking as dangerous as {Fates}. Unless you knew what the Domain did it was dangerous to fight a Specter head on. The only silver lining would be if that as most Specters had malice tacked onto them, the more active ones wouldn''t be so eager to use their domains. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire


    But I was pretty sure Specter on Specter warfare was a thing. I had to find out how to take down Specters now that I knew more about them. Fortunately, I found a teacher who could instruct me on just that.

 Chapter 782 The 3rd [1/2]

    Humans were often called a being potential. Unlike angels who were inherently good, or demons who were evil, humans had the potential for both. While there have been numerous benevolent humans through the years, the reality was simply that people were fucking bastards.


    The drop rate of Benevols was a clear indicator of this. I forgot what the actual number was, but I think Cynthia mentioned that it took hundreds if not thousands of regular zombies for each Devil''s remains.


    People, both Human and Reapers have been killing shit since time immemorial. Whether it was for their sustenance by hunting or just because they wanted to. There was no better way to illustrate how malevolent people were than when they took life.


    Maybe this was why we became reapers. We took life. That was both our purpose and our way of life. While it may have been possible for humans to live without killing anyone, for Reapers it was not possible. Not if you wanted to survive in our fucked-up reality.


    Carlos'' impromptu lecture was eye opening on several levels. The nature and abilities of the Reaper ranks was a big part of it for sure, but I found myself noticing somethings about what separated them to begin with. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The four summoned Carloses in front of me made the differences all the clearer. But I opted to stay quiet and wait for him to finish first.


    "Now, in that part as a Death Seeker I am sure you are most interested in the combat applications of the Domains and how they factor into the combat styles of the seven battle fronts."


    Wordlessly I nodded. My nature was exactly as he described. Ask me about the law and tax codes of the Unites States and I would draw a blank. This was of course despite the fact that I was born and have lived only in America my entire life.


    It was simply because I was just not interested in it. But ask me about the history of guns and I knew enough shit to make a presentation worth several days. along that same mentality I could care less about the philosophical implications of the Reaper ascensions.


    Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire


    What I did care about was how I could kill them.


    "The let''s start with something a bit complicated. Limitless, are you aware of the differences in combat styles of each Battlefront? If you are mind telling me what you know?"


    "Sure, North America has {Fates} centered on breaking common sense. Africa on Soulforms. South America summons Champions. Europe gets possessed by dead heroes. Asia is big on buffs. Australians are one trick ponies.


    Finally, Northerners gain power in exchange for curses."


    "Wow, you really are a warmonger! I half expected you to only know a few of them," Herman rudely commented.


    "Impressive. You are correct on all seven answers. You did not make the mistake of lumping Europe and South America as summoners. It seems you understood what the differences are despite not using the proper terminologies."


    "Terminologies? What do you mean?"


    "I can only attribute it to the fact that you are self-taught. Normally such topics are only explained in depth to Reapers tasked with Reaper versus Reaper combat roles. The Death Seekers are notorious worldwide for having extremely poor on-boarding practices despite being such a role."


    ''Exa, shouldn''t you know such terminologies?''


    [I am restricted by your access to the Graveyard network my lord. I only complied my information by watching the archives available to the public. I apologize for not knowing the proper terminologies.]


    ''Nah, that is fine. I have a feeling Zach didn''t bother as even the limited on-boarding the Death Seekers did have I didn''t even watch. Please record the information Carlos will teach and share it to the rest of Hellsend.''


    [I understand.]


    "Yeah, sorry about that Carlos. I really in lacking. But why do I need to know the terminologies anyway?"


    "Well, it will make it easier to discuss especially when I begin describing the strength and weaknesses of each Reaper combat doctrine."


    Hearing his explanation, I dropped whatever pretenses I had and created {Shelter} tables and chairs. I sat down and gestured to the two Specters.


    "Look at this fucking cocksucker. He was just blasting us into oblivion a while ago. And now you expect us to sit with you?"


    "Then go fuck yourself Herman. I don''t need you here. I gave you a seat out of respect to Carlos. I can bring up the Helicopters to kick your ass again if you want."


    "Hahaha. Pardon him Limitless. Despite only being a Phantom, your mentality is already that of a Specter!"


    My teacher called for Herman to join him as he took a seat.


    "While people of our rank do get into fights from time to time, it is a silent understanding that we are not to kill each other. Anyone who does is hunted Specters from every continent."


    "I am impressed that you understood the hidden implications of fighting in a Domain. Your ability to comprehend subtle messages is good. So long as we are under my Domain none can see what we do inside. For appearance, the war being waged outside is enough."


    "¡­Yes¡­Thank is exactly it," I replied trying to sound confident. I didn''t know if my Poker face sucked or something, but Herman face palmed while Carlos began laughing out loud.


    "Unbelievable, so you really would stop everything to listen despite proposing to fight for real?"


    "HAHAHAHA! How amusing! As expected of a Ruler!"


    I smiled wryly waiting for the lecture to continue. While fighting was a good experience, intelligence especially the type that Carlos was sharing was the condensed knowledge of several thousand battles. It was obvious which would help me more in the grand scheme of things.


    After a few minutes, Herman pulled a couple of steel cups and began making coffee. Carlos meanwhile composed himself before he began to explain.


    "Right, Limitless, I will assume you have zero knowledge about Reaper-on-Reaper combat and share everything I know. Basically, I will act like your handler for this afternoon."


    "I understand, thank you Carlos. I will repay this favor."


    "Haha, think nothing of it. You basically saved my life just from cleansing our malice. It is a small price to pay. While we could have tried to hide in Hellsgate we would have succumb to soul collapse sooner or later. Because I understand this, it is I who must repay your grace not the other way around."


    I nodded without saying anything further. For all the evil bastards from Carlos'' stories he was a really honorable guy. I was really lucky I opted to Listen to Bella. If we continued fighting to the death, I would go about still knowing nothing.


    Although it is doubtful if I could truly win. Unlike with the Vampires, Sacreds do not really help in killing Reapers. But that might not be the case for Roach''s Halberd. Would the anti-soul weaponry be able to kill a Specter inside their own domain?


    ''I should test that out in depth later. Lilly would benefit from this lecture as well.''


    My Princess was way smartest than me, she might have already understood Domains and all that crap along with her Ethos instinctively. But knowing the basics would allow us to understand the language of Hellsgate better.


    One of the requirements of espionage and counter insurgency was being able to understand the words of the you intercept and steal. Not using the same words would be the equivalent to not knowing how to read, so I couldn''t pass up the chance to learn from Carlos.


    "Okay, let us start on the terminologies. Reapers in the global stage are classified by their frighting style. This makes it easier to coordinate with others and comprehend information quickly. Are you familiar with how {Fates} are classified?"


    Feeling glad I at least knew something I vigorously nodded my head before answering.


    "Yes, they are given codes. For manifested is made up of three letters. Their rating which goes I think from C to S, then M for manifested followed by their function. The functions are separated between Combat, Assassination, Support and Defense."


    "Well done, almost perfect. The rating goes all further to SS then finally SSS. So, any manifested with more than 3 letters is powerful regardless of his type. This is similar to the stigma on octads. If you know that much then you should also how it is for Formless?"

 Chapter 783 The 3rd [2/2]

    "Yes, they just get a blanket FRM. I would know as I am Formless."


    "Mmm, there isn''t anyone in Hellsgate who doesn''t know that fact. Specters even more so. Anyway I am sure that while it helps, knowing just the Reaper Id of a Reaper would not let you know how he or she particularly fights. There is a separate system for that." Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire


    Carlos then pulled out a piece of paper and began writing on it. I originally was worried that I wouldn''t understand if he wrote in anything but English. Luckily, my teacher was quite considerate.


    "Right, first off is the Class. Every single Reaper falls into seven class. These classes serve as archetype that describe the combat doctrine of a Reaper''s {Fate}. Academics has theorized that the seven continents are the reason why there are only seven classes. And each class has a continent where it comes from."


    Classes? Like knights, wizards and mages? Reapers had such things? Funnily enough, I could immediately accept his words as I have been trained by IRIS and video games.


    ''Fuck. It is scary how effective IRIS has managed to create materials to train humans in Reaper concepts.''


    Oblivious to my tangents Carlos continued.


    "The Seven reaper classes are Keepers, Rulers, Chasers, Linker, Summoners, Shifters and Enhancers."


    Well fuck. Aside from Summoners, I didn''t understand shit.


    "Despite the unique terms you would already know what they are."


    Carlos mapped a continent to the appropriate Class.


    "To map it to a continent''s combat style it would be as follows. Keepers come from the North. Australia is the origin of Chasers. Linkers are mostly European. Summoners come from South America. While Africa births most Shifters.


    Asia is made up of Enhancers. Finally, your continent is the only one who fields Rulers. Do you follow?"


    Having him connect it to something I already understood made it easier to remember.


    "Alright then I will begin to explain them now. One by one. As for easily understandable examples I will use the Revenants as they are the best demonstrations of the highest forms of the classes. I will also add the Domains to the classes for further understanding."


    "Yes, please," I replied eagerly.


    "Okay first let us start with Keepers. Basically their power comes from a Soul Oath. In envisioning the {fate} or the reapers regret to create a Soul Oath as a result. A Soul Oath has two parts the sacrifice and the payment.


    "These would be the people who say stuff like, ''If I could have this I''m fine being that''. Oath Keepers are all about sacrifice. In order to gain anything they increase the strength of their Oaths.


    "The North''s Erik Odinson is the ultimate example of this. His {Fate} is called {Oversee} it defines a place to call his kingdom. As a Keeper his Oaths all revolve around his kingdom. The most famous of his Soul Oaths is that he cannot leave his kingdom. And as a payment he is the equivalent of god in the area he oversees."


    "A god? That has to be an exaggeration. I can get humans saying that but not Specters."


    "No, I am not joking. The day the North fell, a large force comprised of a dozen Archdemons led by Paimon the 3rd came to Earth. Erik Odinson single handedly annihilated them all at the cost of destroying most of his kingdom."


    Chills went up my spine. The two Archdemons I already fought, Andromalius and Bifrons were stupidly powerful, but they were only ranked 72nd and 68th. Just how powerful would the 3rd ranked demon be. And the bastard had 11 others with him.


    "Wait, wasn''t the 3rd ranked Astaroth not Paimon?"


    "BLURT!" Herman suddenly spit out his coffee. "HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW THAT?" sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    My teacher rubbed his chin as he commented in interest. "Herman, calm down. Interesting. Yes, you are correct. When the one who assaulted the North were destroyed many tried to take their place. The one you spoke of indeed gained the 3rd rank after a bloody internal war."


    Herman then grabbed me as he franticly shouted, "Listen you fucker, do not say that name haphazardly! That Archdemon in particular has something like omniscience! Be careful! Call her something else!"


    I glared at the conquistador and then his hand on my arm, "Let go of me, before I make you."


    "Herman¡­"


    "Alright. Already I was just trying to help. How did you even know her?"


    "The Vampire thing in the 30th floors was her doing. She instigated Bifrons the 68th. I already killed him but not before he bitched that everything was her fault."


    "¡­" x2


    "What?"


    "Ehem¡­ Anyway. Where was I? Oh right. Erick Odinson The Unbreakable got his alias for repelling the invasion alone. Many believe it was because of his Oaths as a Keeper. But as hardly anyone from that era remains alive we will never know."


    "Then how do we even know that it is true?" I challenged.


    "The information has been verified by multiple Revenants. IRIS the source of the information shared it to the younger Revenants. It is safe to say that he is at least not from our period unlike the rest of the Revenants."


    If that was the case then does that mean that the current North is a survivor of the previous civilizations? I should ask Liv when I get the chance.


    "Returning back to the topic at hand. Keepers in general are powerful in exchange for binding rules among themselves they grow in strength. But there in lies the way to defeat them.


    "To Keepers in particular, breaking ones Oath punishes them with massive amounts of malice. It is to the point that no Keeper who broke an Oath remained sane afterwards."


    I see. That was indeed fair. To Keeper class Reapers, the Oaths were a double edged sword. Among the Sirens Liv was definitely a Keeper, I should learn what her Oaths were so I could help her in keeping them.


    "Now, here is a fairly interesting question for you Limitless. As a Keeper''s strength is based on his Oaths what do you think happens when he gains a Domain?"


    Unable to understand what he was asking I stayed silent.


    "As I mentioned, Domains are the natural extension of a Reaper''s {fate} to influence the world around him. From this definition Keeper Domains normally fall into two schools of thought. Domains that strengthen an Oath and those that removes it."


    At his words I felt my body shudder. What would happen if Erik Odinson a god in his kingdom suddenly losses the restriction of staying in it? Or what would happen if despite his power his domain increasing his power even further? How would anyone kill him!


    ''Wait. As the bastard is already a Revenant, he should not be able to grow stronger. Then that would me the reason he gained that much power was because probably because he strengthened his Oath.''


    "I see. So he allowed the rest of his kingdom to be destroyed in exchanged for being able to protect his chosen kingdom."


    "Excellent. You are correct. We came to the same conclusion. But it just goes to show the power of Keepers. Now for bad examples, are you familiar of C¨² Chulainn?"


    I was about to answer when Exa sent me the info.


    [C¨² Chulainn a famous demigod hero of Ireland. His father was the Irish god of justice Lugh from the same mythology. He carried the demonic spear Gae Bulg. If we follow Carlos'' line of though, it would implies C¨² Chulainn was a Keeper Class Reaper.]


    ''What? That has to be some kind of bullshit I could understand that he appeared in anime and manga but to exist as a Reaper?''


    [But my lord. The case of Isolde Drache already establishes that legends are based on Reaper history. Interestingly enough, part of C¨² Chulainn''s legend involves supernatural vows called geass. Which are fundamentally what Soul Oaths are.]


    ''How did he die?''


    [He died after being stabbed through the heart. He tied himself to a standing stone to die on his feet. The work that records his death "Aided Con Culainn" has specific section on how the sons of the famous warriors he killed made him break his geass one by one.]


    ''You can''t be fucking serious.''


    [C¨² Chulainn had seven geass. All of which he ended up breaking. From eating dog meat, accepting hospitality, being calm in battle, having friends and lovers, to not losing to any man in battle. He only died after all of them were broken.]


    "Fuck¡­"

 Chapter 784 Only in fate [1/2]

    [Statistically speaking. Having suddenly break all his vows he kept most of his life in the short period before his death was statistically impossible. There was also a noticeable difference to his combat prowess after he broke each geass.]


    ''Yeah, I kind of got that Exa. Thank you.''


    While I was aware of the link between mythology was Reapers was present, I tried to ignore it. Because to me, a modern-day Christian I found that if I didn''t my thoughts spiraled down a bottomless rabbit hole. It felt like I was staring to the abyss.


    Isolde being in a play was one thing. But accepting that the deities and heroes from mythology and history as Reapers was completely different. From what I knew Europe had a pretty weird set of mythologies. They turned people into gods.


    After seeing the past lives of the Sirens in my door room, I researched them. Robyn''s Graveyard alias, Rhiannon wasn''t as well known in pop culture as the others, so I researched her first.


    Everything known about the goddess Rhiannon was from two branches of the Mabinogi. The Mabinogi was basically a book of short stories the Welsh accepted as their mythology.


    That was all well and fine, I had no issues with the Welsh having the Mabinogi as their bible. Almost every religion had a book of some sort. My issues came in the ties it had to reality.


    First Rhiannon''s husband was someone named Pwyll. Incidentally this bastard was one of the men who appeared in the door room in my mind. Pwyll in the Mabinogi was the prince of Dyfed. There was nothing wrong with that. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    My issue was the friend of this Pwyll bastard, Arawn. Pwyll and Rhiannon didn''t actually meet in Dyfed. They met in Annwn, Arawn''s kingdom. Of the best part? Annwn is Welsh for "Otherworld".


    How the fucking hell would Pwyll suddenly have a friend from another world? As I read the first branch of the Mabinogi, many things popped out to me.


    Annwn was literally a different world. And Pwyll seemingly stumbled into it. The man was fucking isekaied. I didn''t know if this tale was something IRIS cooked up, but the elements were mostly the same.


    The story went as follows, Pwyll stumbled into Annwn and gets chased by a bunch of dogs. Pwyll kills them in self-defense which eventually kicks off his legend. Pwyll becomes a mighty warrior, kills Arawn''s rival and earns Arawn''s eternal friendship.


    But see, when there were a lot of parts to this story that did not make sense to me.


    If I assumed that Rhiannon and Pwyll were Reapers, that would make Annwn fucking Hellsgate. And Arawn being one of its kings would either be a Revenant or a Specter. The way I could change the labels and made this story applicable to my current situations was fucking insane.


    Anyway, back to the story. Annwn was embroiled in a civil war. With Arawn and his rival Hafgan vying for supremacy. Again, this was reminiscent to what we were doing right now. Reapers fighting each other in Hellsgate.


    Arawn angry that his dogs were killed makes some bullshit reason and asked Pwyll to masquerade as him for a year and a day. By that I mean Arawn magically turned Pwyll into his doppelganger. Arawn then vanished the entire time Pwyll was acting as him.


    Normally you would think this was fucking impossible. But once {fates} came into play everything in this fucking legend became believable. Okay so {Fates} could explain the appearance, but how did Pwyll become a mighty warrior?


    Not surprisingly, I found my answer using my current circumstances. The ease at my thoughts flowed made me anxious. There was a simple way for Pwyll to suddenly be more than human. Arawn could have just turned Pwyll into a Reaper.


    Pwyll would have become Arawn''s Child. It was common for Reaper Parents to loan {Fates} and soulgear to their children. However, then my question was why? Why would Arawn, a Reaper turn a prince into his Child?


    There was literally no benefit to him. Pwyll was a fucking nobody before all this. He was just a one of the many princes who made no significant contributions up to this point.


    However, then it hit me. Reapers lie all the time. We used Earth and the humans as tools and servants. Wasn''t Hellsend and I doing so right now? What if I was looking at it all wrong?


    What if the story was intentionally obscured by IRIS to hide it from Reapers?


    The lessons from the past Reapers could be shared to humans as myths. And the stories would be spread on generation after generation. Immortalizing the feats of the Reapers. Even if the Reaper died and every Reaper forgot, humans would remember.


    ''I still can feel the goosebumps back then,'' I couldn''t help thinking.


    Specters could not remember the dead.


    That was their curse, and while they forced the Reapers around them to also forget, that rule didn''t apply to humans. Using humans as memory devices was either the most ludicrous plan I ever heard or the most fucking brilliant one.


    So, I changed how I thought about it. If I could find a reason for why Arawn turned Pwyll into a Reaper, then everything would make sense. If I couldn''t that simply meant I was just being paranoid.


    With this thought in mind, I revisited the legend. This all started with the dogs. Pwyll''s story all started because he killed Arawn''s dogs. Why? How would he even meet the dogs? Was it all because of chance?


    ''No. Reapers never believed in chance. Reapers believe only in Fate.'' Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    If I was Arawn, a fucking Revenant, how would they even get killed without me knowing? No, that wasn''t possible. I would have just massacred the ones attacking them. So, the dogs dying didn''t make any sense.


    Arawn was a fucking Revenant! How the fuck could his hunting dogs be weak? How would they keep up with him if they could be killed a mere human? If they did die it would have to be someone at least on the level of a Phantom.


    The closest dogs I knew from Hellsgate were the Rank E Spikedogs. They were ugly as hell but were durable. Provided that Arawn was a Revenant, he might have had higher ranked monsters with him. Maybe Rank B or even A.


    Okay, if that was the case, then how could Rank A dogs be killed by Pwyll? The short answer¡ª he couldn''t. Pwyll would have died instead. That was when it clicked.


    If Pwyll died to his pets, then it made sense for Arawn to consider turning him to a Reaper. Because that meant, either his dogs went to Earth, or a human came to Hellsgate. Both situations being out of the norm, as a Revenant Arawn would most likely believe that this human was someone who had a unique fate.


    Much like David and the rest of the Revenant bastards, due to their immense power they often got into stalemates. Wasn''t that why David use me to break the Armistice? If Arawn and his rival were equal, Arawn needed a way to turn the situation.


    Arawn locked into a standstill with his enemy would have sought for a way to gain the advantage. And when his dogs found him one, he took the chance. As I knew the end outcome, Arawn''s move proved to be fucking brilliant.


    His gamble paid off as Pwyll''s legend included him killing Hafgan, Arawn''s rival for his kingdom. Arawn made a bunch of other requests which Pwyll needed to keep during the agreement. Including not cucking him by sleeping with his wife.


    If you consider Pwyll was a Wraith, made a whole lot of sense. Arawn probably didn''t even leave Annwn and just acted in the shadows. Anyway, with all his achievements, Arawn ends up promising everlasting friendship to Pwyll and Dyfed.


    Considering that Arawn was a Revenant, that meant a lot. Fast forward a bit and Pwyll now comes and goes to Annwn like it was his own backyard. There he met Rhiannon. And together they begin their own tragic tale.


    And so, my mental exercise created a believable Scenario for how Pwyll became a Reaper. The story didn''t end there but when the pieces fell into place so easily, I grew terrified.


    Pwyll was a fucking Reaper. This Mabinogi was the story of his ascension.


    To east my anxiety, I tried to check the Mabinogi against history. If I could prove the Pwyll was nothing more than a work of fiction, I knew could calm down. Why? Because I did not want to acknowledge that Pwyll, one of my past lives was real.


    Because his story didn''t have a good ending. Rhiannon who he met later, suffered so much I gnawed at me.

 Chapter 785 Only in fate [2/2]

    Sadly, the images I saw of how Robyn died in my dreams matched the tales of her suffering from the Mabinogi. I simply couldn''t accept such a truth.


    I began researching Pwyll''s traces on earth. I mean if the dude was human to begin with, that simply meant he should have had some history, right? But that wasn''t the case. There was no record of Pwyll on Earth.


    But the same could not be said about his kingdom, Dyfed. Dyfed was a real kingdom on Earth that existed during 410-920 AD. While it had a long history it didn''t manage to survive the passage of time.


    Funnily enough while the kingdom itself was gone. Dyfed remained protected in modern times as a preserved county in southwestern Wales. And despite it not being considered a country in the truest sense, it was one in spirit.


    The fact that Pwyll''s kingdom actually existed bothered me. Old fucks like Gareth in general still ventured to Earth when the people they knew still existed. But as more and more of those humans died out, I could understand why ancient Reapers all eventually end up secluding themselves in Hellsgate.


    It was the curse of immortality. Pwyll as a Reaper could no longer return to his own kingdom, all records of him were probably erased by IRIS, similar to what they still do to this day. How agonizing must it have felt to slowly watch your humans age, die and forget about all of them?


    I had Exa search links between the Mabinogi and the current Europe upper class. She found that there were a bunch of noble families claiming to come from the lineages of the other characters of the Mabinogi.


    Mainly Bran the Blessed, Gwydion, Lleu Llaw Gyffes and Pryderi, the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon. I used to think that such claims were done by lunatics who had nothing better to do.


    But on the minuscule chance that they were true, these bastards would have sired Descendant after Descendant similar to my girls. Most of the Sirens were Descendants with some being having longer histories than the others.


    Jas and Jo were 10-generation Descendants. Exa told me that to be of the tenth generation meant having at least 250 years of history. That was on the assumption that children would be borne by age 25.


    That would place the Benelli''s and the Denel''s to be from 1770! I couldn''t even understand what it would feel like to have such a background. But that still paled in comparison if the Mabinogi families really existed until now. Just how fucking powerful would their Descendants be?


    The more I grew as a Reaper the more I understood about the history and decisions made by the past. After having my brain turn to mush, I opted to not study the other Siren''s names and their histories. Just one mythology already left me having an aneurysm.


    Aside from the fact that I saw all their deaths, their legends being intertwined with my own lives just made it all the more troublesome. Seeing Mars, Nergal and Tyr, some of the most famous gods in pop culture was enough to make me hesitant.


    However, it seemed that regardless of what I wanted, Reapers were truly already a part of my life even before I died. C¨² Chulainn being a Keeper was something I didn''t expect. But it was something I could believe and understand.


    Even in Anime and Manga, there were stories that revolved around vows. Tales where just knowing a person "True Name" was enough to make that person their servant. Or people who took out their eyes or wore masks out of some vow or pledge.


    "Sigh. It all of those stories were based on Keepers then it all made sense," I murmured.


    When my focus returned to reality, I saw Carlos furrowing his brows while making a tired expression. As our eyes met, he then asked in a low voice, "Who was it?"


    "Huh?"


    "Who was it? The figure that allowed you to connect the dots?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "South Americans call it the "look". It''s when you make the connection that the past, present, myth, and reality are all somehow connected by fate. That most of what you consider to be religion or stories made up by someone, turns out to be Reapers forgotten in time."


    At the Inca warrior''s words, I clenched my teeth. So, it seemed like the shock I felt was normal. I assumed I was special since I had {Code} and {Calculate} but I was arrogant. The realization I had with Pwyll was basically the truth knocking at my door.


    I ignored it but C¨² Chulainn''s story forced me to accept the truth.


    Upon realizing that myth was in fact ancient history, the legends among them, the bad ones in particular were now of grave concern. Norse the most prominent had Ragnarok. The end of all creation. With the "look" it ceased to be a fairy tale and was now a real danger. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It was Pwyll and the Mabinogi," I answered trying to calm my nerves.


    "Welsh? Interesting. I guess the nature of Linkers would make it easy to establish ties. For me it was The Weeping Woman and Brother Moh¨¢n."


    ''Exa?''


    [Both are famous folk stories in Columbia. Brother Moh¨¢n or El Moh¨¢n is about a legendary creature believed to inhabit rivers and streams, often depicted as a handsome man who lures women to the water, sometimes with tragic consequences.


    [The weeping woman or La Llorona is a tale of a beautiful woman who fell in love with a man who betrayed her. In her despair, she drowned her children and now wanders, searching for them.]


    ''That''s¡­something...''


    [Yes, the only resemblance between them is that both are tales about the dangers of wandering near bodies of water. Colombia has many rivers, lakes, and coastal areas which would explain the need for such stories.]


    Wanting to understand why Carlos considered these folk stories as his the "look" moment, I asked out of curiosity.


    "I am familiar with both. Why did you connect Reapers to them?"


    "Because I learned from a Graveyard report that there was a Rogue Shifter from Africa who ran to Columbia around 1840. The Shifter''s {fate} turned him into water. He kidnapped women around the area to rape, kill and turn them into Reapers.


    "La Llorona was one his victims. The only one who had a regret strong enough to ascend to a Reaper. However, as El Moh¨¢n forbade her from returning to Earth, La Llorona used her Champions to drown her children believing they could join her in Hellsgate."


    I then remember what Exa just mentioned about La Llorona.


    [¡­In her despair, she drowned her children and now wanders, searching for them.]


    "Fuck¡­" I cursed out loud as Carlos finished dropping a bomb.


    "Yeah. El Mohan was terminated by a Specter nearly two centuries after. He was very good in hiding. Without a proper water-based Champion, Summoners couldn''t subdue him. Especially in open waters. Funnily enough the report said La Llorona''s betrayal was what lead to his death." Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire


    At his words my mind understood the dynamics of the Reaper Classes. If an African Reaper whose soul form turned him into water fought a Summoner who only had tigers or insects, the former would win.


    ''I mean, how the fuck could you even hurt water? I thought Soul forms were limited to animals but if they could turn to elements then they had the potential to become extremely powerful!''


    The more I heard about Reapers the more I learned that I knew nothing. If Columbian folk tales spoke of the crimes of Rogues, then it was not impossible that America''s stories would be the same.


    Feeling, I had to learn more about the Reapers Classes, I fixed my seat and pulled out a bucket of chicken, burgers and cans of Miller high Life. If just the information about Keepers was this loaded, what more of the others?


    "Carlos, I cannot even begin to describe how much I appreciate your lectures to me right now. I no longer wish to duel you. Please eat to restore your strength. And teach me more."


    "Like I said my friend, you have done more for me, so this is nothing. But I am a bit hungry. I see that you have KFC and Mc Donalds I wonder if yours tastes the same from the ones in my country?"


    In line with his personality as a rich obnoxious asshole, Herman commented in disgust. "Tsk. Fast food? Don''t you have any proper food? Why must we dine on this trash like peasants?"


    I found that rather than waste my breath on this bastard I should just listen to Carlos. When the Inca warrior noticed I ignored his comrade he smiled and continued as he unfolded the paper wrapping on a big mac.


    "As I was saying¡­"

 Chapter 786 But they are undead [1/2]

    It was an odd feeling. Originally, I wanted nothing more than to beat the living shit out of the people who invaded my land. More so when I learned of the hardships my girls had to endure.


    But while I did hate them initially, I learned that they too had their own circumstances. And while that made me a bit sympathetic, I could care less. Thus, I challenged them to a fight and brought everything I had.


    I was even half in mind to "accidentally" kill them using Roach''s anti soul halberds. However, fate had other plans. Despite bringing them to the edge of ruin I know learned how dangerous my victory was to actual defeat.


    I was fortunate that the first invasion force that arrived was from South America. Their continent created an invasion force made of nothing but their weakest Reapers. This meant each and every one who tried to invade us were so close to soul collapses they were deemed useless.


    Unique to South America, was soul tattoos. Used to curb the malice at the expense of weakening the soul, these markings allowed Reapers to last longer by slowly growing weaker.


    This allowed Hellsend to fight them off. Thus, while the force that attacked us was grand, they could only fight with a portion of their actual power. However, as I learned of the realities of Reaper combat my hatred for the South American bastards was blunted.


    Maybe it was because they weren''t actually able to kill anyone from our side. I am sure that certainly helped. But I know understand how foolish I was to try and fight off Specters with just Phantoms. If the first invasion was any country by South America, we might have had disastrous results.


    My Seeker war made me extremely arrogant. I thought I could just fight battle after battle with overwhelming fire power and learn along the way. Carlos'' lecture showed how foolish I have been. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire


    Now that I knew the gap between a Specter and a Phantom, I honestly wanted to shoot the old me for his lack of caution. I couldn''t even imagine what would have happened if we fought Africa or Asia first.


    Thus, my gratitude for Carlos began to win over my desire for vengeance. The information he gives me would significantly help my future battles with Reapers. Knowing the moves of your enemy beforehand was one of the greatest advantages one can get.


    "This beer tastes like shit! How can Yankees drink this stuff?" Herman complained.


    ''That is only for Carlos though. Given the chance I still want to beat THIS motherfucker to the ground.''


    "Right where were we?"


    "You still haven''t finished with the Keepers," I said like a good student.


    "Ah right. The Keepers. Now that you know that their power is derived from Oaths, I want to tell you of some general things we already know about them."


    He finished off a chicken wing and drowned it down with beer.


    "Buuuurp! Wow! That is good stuff. As I was saying, despite not being a Keeper, there are some generalities about them. First, Oaths and the {Fates} associated with them are more powerful the more it is a sacrifice for the Reaper."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Something easy like vowing to never drink beer will not have the same impact as vowing to never speak. Oaths are vows made to fate. They will be ranked and gain power equivalent to the price.


    "For example, a vow of Chasity in the North is one of the most powerful Oaths there is. If say a Keeper from Asia made the same vow, it will not have the same power despite the Oath being the same."


    I see. So useless promises will lead to useless results. That make sense.


    "That said, there are a few standard Oaths used in the North. Eternal service to those that know their true name, never to speak, to never open their eyes, to never eat, to never drink and just a few of them.


    "In their desperation, the nature pitiful situation of the North allows them to create vows that must enforce out of necessity. Therein lies the way to beat Keepers. More of them are killed outside of battle than in battle due to their nature."


    "How so? Aren''t all Northerners war obsessed fighters?"


    "A lot of them are, but the ones I met, those who work as mercenaries, can be killed by a slice of meat and a cup of water. Others become slaves due to their names being found out. When facing a Keeper, the best way to fight them is to attack their Oaths."


    "I see, if they keep getting defeated in such manners then it makes sense how why they would commonly stress honorable combat."


    "Hahaha! Yeah, I once saw a Northerner die because one of his vows was to never sleep. His opponent found out and used a soulgear to knock him out. The backlash of the malice turned the Northerner insane. Allowing his enemy to shatter his soulgem."


    Herman who ate a big mac with a knife and fork commented as he chuckled. "Oh, I remember hearing about that one. But personally, the dumbest Oath I heard was to never see the color violet. He died when a bunch of vagrants threw violet paint on him."


    "¡­"


    These guys were laughing at it but considering how dire the circumstances were in the North; I couldn''t do the same. While my woman Liv carried the weight of the North on her shoulders her country men were getting killed with paint.


    "Fuck¡­."


    "Ah, that might have been insensitive of me. You are married to the Valkyrie of Ivaldi, correct?"


    Hearing a familiar moniker, I nodded.


    "My apologies, she is infamous among the Northerners as she announced her first Oath in front of their entire kingdom. Despite her valiance her reputation is bad."


    ''She did? Why didn''t she tell me?'' I thought inwardly a bit disappointed.


    "What was the Oath?" sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Her Oath was that she will "Save the North". Oaths like that are called Reverse Oaths. You do not gain any power until after you fulfilled your vow. Thus, she was laughed and mocked for her hubris. And for being weak.


    "Ivaldi was one of the lands lost when the North broke open. She was called "The Valkyrie who never fought". A Valkyrie of a ruined city meant that the Valkyrie couldn''t protect her dominion. Such a moniker is nothing more than an insult."


    ''Fuck, I am going to give Liv a good talking too when she gets back!''


    I clenched my fists in anger at the realization of what Liv had to go through. She probably didn''t tell me because she was afraid or ashamed of such a history. No wonder she had terrible self-esteem.


    "Ehem. That was basically all I had for Keepers. For the next class let''s go with the one I know the most about. Summoners. Summoners fight using Champions. What they decide to be their Champion varies as much as the Reaper.


    "Normally whatever desires the Summoner has is fulfilled by the Champion. If the Summoner wishes to control fire, their Champion would be the one to gain that ability. Unique to Summoners is along with our {Fates} our Champions evolve as well."


    Carlos then summoned a couple of his ghosts and then clones of people I didn''t recognize.


    "I am a bit of an odd ball as I had extremely low self-esteem. This made my Wraith and Phantom ranked {Fates} to use different sets of Champions. Most Summoners are like Herman. His current Champions are ones enhanced by all of his {Fates}."


    Herman made an arrogant smile as he continued to eat. He even stood up a bit straighter as if to empathize his capability.


    "Champions are created by the mental images of the Summoner. The stronger the image the more powerful the Champion. Some take to nature. Some from fiction or fantasy. But a Champion tells you of the mentality of its Summoner."


    I see. So, the ones who had animals probably projected what they believed to be strong. Herman''s attire and Champions meant he had great pride in his idealized army, the Conquistadors of Spain and Portugal.


    "For weaknesses, the Summoner class is pretty straight forward. Before they become Specters, they have only one weakness. You just have to kill the Summoner rather than the Champion."

 Chapter 787 But they are undead [2/2]

    Yeah, that was something I understood. This was a trope that appeared in all Summoner media. They normally laughed it off by making the Summoners invulnerable or not part of the combat.


    Otherwise just shooting the squishy Summoner would end the battle. But what did he mean before they became Specters? Was that no longer the case afterwards?


    "Much like Keepers, Once Summoners ascend to Specters, they have two paths before them. One is to be like Me and Herman, Summoner who still put emphasis on our Champions."


    "And the other?"


    Carlos smirked at my impatience and continued. "Is to become the Champion yourself. A Specter who chooses Soul Unity as the basis of Domain will from then on merge with his Champion in combat."


    "No fucking way¡­"


    I kind of forgot about it. But there were main Anime and manga that combined with spirits and beasts to transform into powerful warriors. Who knew that such a concept was from Summoners.


    "In terms of individual power, Unity Summoners outclass Legion Summoners like us. But in large scale combat, we still beat them hands down. And while they appear to be the same as Shifters, Unity Summoners are still inferior to them."


    There was already such variety in Summoners, but I couldn''t help looking at Herman. If a Unity Summoner acquires an Ethos like his, that Summoner would be a fucking one-man army.


    "As a closing thought. In terms of gaining malice Unity Summoners also fair far better. It is the reason why; we do not have any despite our numbers. As South America''s duelists they are extremely powerful and well cared for. Which why most of them are arrogant pricks."


    "Hmph! Those Unity bastards think they are so good when in truth they are only deployed in emergencies. They are undisciplined and lazy cocksucker who lack any combat experience," Herman added.


    "Forgive us for our off-hand comments, we just really hate their guts."


    "Haha, its fine, I don''t mind curse them all you want. If ever I do get to meet some, I will make sure to beat them badly and send you a video."


    "Hahaha. I like the sound of that. Since we already touched up on them, we can talk about Shifters next."


    "Ah wait, Carlos. Can you tell me some details about your Revenant? The Relentless?"


    "¡­ I guess that should be alright. As the world knows his majesty, Simon Guevarra is a Legion Summoner. His Champions are made of undead creatures, but they are extremely unique and powerful ¡­"


    "Unique? But they are undead, aren''t they still like the zombies around us? Or maybe like skeletons and shit?"


    A loud thump echoed as Herman slammed his fist on the table, "As if his majesty''s Champions can be that weak! Listen here you cocksucker, his majesty''s Champions are not just undead. But Undead that can think!"


    "Undead that can ¡ª think? You mean like Death knights and Liches?" I tried to clarify.


    Carlos shook his head before replying, "Uhm no. Traditional Death knights and Liches are mostly undead with their core personalities gone. Meaning aside from things related to combat or their grudge they are technically not alive."


    I see. So, their definition of alive was not just being able to move and think. The undead also still had to have its personality intact. Then does that mean Simon Guevarra''s undead had such capabilities?


    "It''s like this Limitless, have you ever seen a Lich that obsessed about her appearance? So much so she wears silicone prosthetics? Or maybe a Death knight that jokes around about the current politics?"


    "¡­"


    Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire


    At my teacher''s words I drew a blank. Why the fuck would a Lich even try to do so? I mean it was a usual thing in Hollywood movies to use prosthetic to alter appearances. They are even robotic devices and add layers of skin to it.


    Covering up a bag of bones that could move would give it the appearance of a human. But traditionally none of Liches portrayed in anime and manga did so. Primarily because the Liches were usually depicted as mad scientists or the like.


    Death Knights were on the other hand warrior types who seldom said shit. It was their gimmick. They were cool because all they knew was death, conquest and war. Why would one even try to joke around, much less about politics?


    "That is not the worst of it. What about a flesh abomination who keeps robbing graves to change his face and skin? But I guess that''s still better than Wraith king who keeps trying to seduce living women to join his dead harem."


    "I can''t even¡­"


    "Haha. Anyone who hears of them would be the same. His majesty''s Champions are unique and have their own desires and personalities. Albeit twisted, they behave like Astrals. This is what separates the Relentless from the rest of the Necromancers."


    Yet another term I do not know. What the fuck was an Astral?


    "And that is before the fact that each of them is stronger than your average Specter. Also do not be misled. His majesty does not only have four Champions. He has over a thousand of them," Herman added.


    Carlos took a sip of his beer before wiping his mouth. He then continued as he grabbed a piece of chicken.


    "Unlike others who merely create undead. His majesty already dabbles into pseudo- resurrection. He is able to raise a body, bind a soul and turn it into his Champion. To put it into context, even if Simon Guevarra dies, his Champions will not."


    "Fuck¡­"


    No wonder he was considered the pinnacle of Summoners. Carlos and Herman for all their power were the weaknesses of their Champions. If killing the Relentless does not kill his summons, then you would really need to kill all of them.


    ''And that is before the fact that he is already acting like a god in being able to bind souls into corpses. No wonder he could field thousands of them, he doesn''t even need soul to make them persist in the real world.''


    As I learned more about those I consider my compatriots, rather than feel intimidated, I felt competitive instead. The Unbreakable and the Relentless did not disappoint. I could see how they would be able to fight David to a standstill.


    What would the other four Revenants offer? What would I become when I really do join them in the future? At the thought of fighting these godlike beings, I felt my body slowly heat up from battle lust.


    "¡­Carlos. This Yankee cocksucker is crazy. Why does he look like that?"


    "Hmm¡­ interesting. So, your boasts were real? I look forward to what your future would be. Being a friend of a future Revenant would be an unexpected boon!"


    Hearing them, I wondered what face I was making. Only for Exa to flash me a picture within my vision. I was making a twisted grin. My eyes seemed alight with a fire that looked like that of a madman.


    ''Not good. Calm down. Calm down,'' I chanted inwardly.


    As I tried to regain my composure, Carlos continued, "Right, so back to Shifters. Shifters are those who fight using soul forms. Soul forms are applications of changing one''s body using a {fate}."


    Soul from Reapers were about the first kind of Reaper I learned about. Looking back Bella''s information was terribly incorrect. According to her, Reapers were either Manifested, Soul form, Formless or a Sovereign.


    "You should be familiar with Soul forms, as I saw some fighting among your allies. I think it was a Gorilla and a pack of Werewolves." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What I know of them is limited. I just know they transform. I fought some of them, but I really couldn''t make anything of their abilities," I confessed.


    Apart from Mia, the only other Shifter I fought was the Iron Wolverine. In both cases, they were just overpowered monsters. But after what I learned of the Keeper and Summoner classes; I knew I had to take things much more seriously.


    ''Especially when I will be leaving for Africa soon. While I am going there to kill demons, I am pretty sure I would have to fight Reapers at some point.''


    I overestimated my own abilities and almost had my girls die to it. I will never make that mistake again. For Operation rock, I would leverage Carlo''s knowledge to ensure Hellsend will have proper tactics for the future. For when we get invaded once gain and when we invade another.

 Chapter 788 Where do I rank? [1/2]

    Under the Domain of a Legion Summoner, I was having a working dinner with two South American Specters. It was funny how we had our own little world while our armies blasted the fuck out of each other. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [My lord, I apologize for bothering you, but Hellsend has finished terminating the South Americans. The only two remaining are the Specters with you.]


    ''I see. Has the girls finished taking out the Observers?''


    [Not yet my lord, out of the ten groups present, only six have been dealt with. To hasten the process, the ladies have begun enlisting the services of the South Americans who woke up. Their payment came in the form of malice cleansing by Juno and the Awakened.]


    ''Hmm. How does the girls intend to make sure the South American''s run away?''


    [They were allowed to help up only under the condition that they drink your blood and invoke {Call my Name}. Should they try to run, we will be able to terminate them so long as they remain within ten floors of the 24th floor.]


    ''Good. Keep me posted. If they need more people, send the Adventurers or the rest of the 2nd Amendment. As a side note, when we upgrade {Kill Switch}, we should make it so even the Sirens can trigger it. ''


    [At the moment the South American Reapers are zealous. Together with the Siren squads none of the Observers will escape. As for {Kill Switch}''s upgrades, I agree. Granting it to the ladies is a good consideration. As is changing the code words.]


    It was funny how I much of a bastard I was being. Here I was advocating for alliances with the South Americans only to strap bombs into their souls. And sadly my conscience had very little trouble accepting it.


    Learning how powerful Specters were made me fearful. As more and more people grew under my wing, the risk of them turning on me was real. My nature as a negative thinking began imagining on what I would do to resist them.


    What would happen if some of them chose to betray me? Rather than risk it, I would much rather be prepared. Being paranoid while hard on the nerves was a good thing if channeled in productive things.


    If we really do end up having a fruitful alliances, {Call my name} would ensure {Kill Switch} was always primed and ready. This would remain true even as our Phantoms ascend into Specters.


    Despite thinking such thoughts I ate and drank merrily with the two before me. I wonder what they would say if they knew? I do not think anyone would appreciate the fact that their lives could literally be ended at a single word from me.


    ''I guess this evens out their attempt at trying to harm my girls,'' I inwardly decided.


    I then remembered that their people who died to {Blight} grenades or Anti-soul halberds failed to return. Would the rest of them be able to continue working with us when there were those that died?


    "Carlos, my adjutant just gave me a update. You army has been trounced and have returned to their real bodies. Of the ten groups of observers my harem has terminated six. They also employed your Reapers to help out with malice cleansing as payment."


    "Oh! That is wonderful news, I am sure they would fight even harder to replay the Cleansing."


    "But would your people still be fine? Some of your men died to our weapons. If their {Kindred} or friends wish to fight us¡­"


    "While I cannot say for certain, most would be amicable to joining Nerio''s army. Rogues might appear free but they are still shackled by malice. If Hellsend decides to aids us in getting back our humans, my people will be serve you loyally."


    With their malice concerns taken care of by me, they would hardly want to leave my battlefront. Once I expose the bullshit about the humans of this army being dead, the next question would be if I wanted to help them.


    ''I will ask the girls if they believe the loyalty of these bastards is enough. If it is, then we would need to plan an assault on South America soon. {Gate} should help a lot with that.''


    I raised my beer for a toast.


    "I look forward to it then Carlos. And to you to Herman. You arrogant condescending fuck."


    Despite Herman and I cursing each other like sailors he wordlessly clunked his cup to my beer can.


    "Here is to hoping you do not die on some street you cock sucker¡­"


    Good company always made food and alcohol taste sweeter. Despite Herman being a elitist bastard he was a Specter. Thus I had no issues with him cussing at me. For all his faults I at least knew he wasn''t a bad guy.


    ''The fact that I can kill him with a single word helps too.''


    After a few more toasts Carlos continued his lecture. Until we found the rest of the Observers we still had pretend we were fighting in this domain.


    "Buuurrp. Damn! That definitely hit the spot. Weew! Where was I? Oh, right, Shifters! Experience new stories with My Virtual Library Empire


    Basically if Keeper and Summoners sought power outside of their bodies using Oaths and Champions, Shifters had no qualms using themselves."


    "Aren''t Oaths the same? Its still within the body, right?"


    "No, they are different. Oaths do not directly interfere with the body. Mostly you pay souls to the universe and you either get a reward or a punishment. Shifters are different. They take saturating the body to another level.


    "All Phantoms feel their bodies change due to soul. Your bones turn harder than steel. Once saturated our muscles and organ tissue become several times denser. I think it was on the level of reinforced concrete."


    Wow, no wonder our bodies could withstand much more punishment. I kind of felt that our base abilities was already better than humans but hearing such crazy comparisons was cool.


    ''And my body should be even tougher as an Artificial Descendant.''


    [My lord, Lady Bella actually researched much on this topic. The biggest difference of regular Phantoms and those that were Descendants were their blood vessels and neural pathways. The former can only gain stronger bones and denser muscle tissue.]


    ''Why the big difference?''


    [According to the papers from Academics, the human body can only take in a set number of souls. Every Reaper hits this limit as Phantoms and gets it increased upon becoming Specters. Descendants naturally begin with a higher capacity due to their origins.]


    ''So its like a hidden level?''


    [Yes, Descendants would have bodies meant for Specters at the Phantom rank. The higher the generation the larger the difference. Although the improvements past the 12th generation start to become negligible.]


    ''Where do I rank?''


    [Your body''s restructuring would place you at the level of a 5th Generation Descendant. At the 7th Generation onwards your body would already by at a the standard of a regular Specter.]


    ''Fuck, so Jo, and Jas already have bodies as powerful as Specters?''


    [Yes. This is why they have thicker neural pathways that allow them to out think computers. Along with better blood vessels that allow them to have higher stamina.]


    ''Eh? But Liv and Aki out performs the other Sirens when we have sex.''


    [My lord. Northerner are masters in soul control. Lady Liv''s body is as powerful as a 15th generation Descendant. There is a reason her people continue to use the Northern Ceremony despite its negative consequences.]


    ''¡­ Well fuck¡­ How do the other girls fair?''


    [Lady Aki comes in next as 3rd generation Descendant. Lady Lilly follows as a half Descendant. Followed by Lady Bella a standard Reaper, then Lady Robyn who has the worse physical condition of all the Sirens.]


    ''Bella is in better shape than Robyn? Since when?''


    [As I keep track of their vitals, I know that Lady Robyn''s physical prowess has been rapidly deteriorating. It occurs each time she ascends. At her current pace she would have the body of a senior citizen once she becomes a Specter.]


    ''What?! But I still see her run! How can her body be that bad? Are you sure you aren''t mistaken?''


    [No, my lord. Lady Robyn has been pushing herself harder ever since she became a Phantom. She can only manage to maintain appearances because of {Eat}, {Butcher} and the energy realm. But the amount of stamina her body can replenish has already halved. Soon, she would be forced to accept her weak constitution.]


    ''Exa¡­ Why the fuck am I only knowing of this now?''

 Chapter 789 Where do I rank? [2/2]

    [Lady Robin, begged the Sirens and I to keep it a secret. She believed you would forcefully try to control her due to your overprotective tendencies. She promised us she would not go overboard and would tell you eventually.]


    ''¡­Fine. I will sit down with her once she returns.''


    [I deeply apologize, my lord.]


    I couldn''t help face palm as Death Resonance leaked out of me in frustration. Herman and Carlos who noticed stayed silent and just waited. The way I was feeling now, I would shoot the next motherfucker who even looked at me funny.


    After calming myself down, I gestured for Carlos to continue, "I''m sorry I just received some concerning information, please continue the lecture."


    "Okay. What was I saying again? A right Shifters. Unlike normal Reapers, Shifters are able to redefine the amount of souls their bodies can absorb. This allows them to artificially raise their physical attributes beyond that of normal Reapers.


    "The only other class that a can overpower Shifters are Chasers. But we will get to that later. A common misconception is that a Shifters soulform is set once they gain a form. Nothing could be further from the truth."


    At his words I drew a blank. But wasn''t that the case? Amari and Mia who turned to King Kong and a bunch of werewolves shouldn''t be able to suddenly manifest different animals. At least that was I think.


    "Say a Shifter turns himself into a Lion, while this may be his base soulform it is not permanent. As the Shifter grows additional abilities empower his soul form. He maybe could gain elemental abilities like fire or ice. He may evolve to gain extra appendages or even increase in size.


    "Suffice to say so long as the Shifter manages to tie the abilities together in one form, the {fates} would all compound and built on each other. That is until the Shifter reaches the ranks of the Specters." S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Listening to Carlos, my mind wandered to the only Shifter I cared about. Jasmine Denel. While I originally thought she was not a Shifter that changed when she manifested a third eye upon ascending to level 5.


    "Carlos, one of my girls is Formless, but then when she ascended to a mid-ranked Phantom, she suddenly manifested a third eye. Is she still Formless? Can it still be considered a soul form when she is just a regular human with an extra body part?"


    "This woman, does her {Fates} have something to do with her eyes?"


    Amazed that he was able to deduce that much on his own I nodded.


    "Yes, she would a Shifter. Her progress would mean all her {Fates} were slowly changing her eyes. And when that specific body part grew saturated, her body redesigned it self to accommodate her request. Having humanoid soulforms is not uncommon."


    "But is my woman still Formless?" I asked earnestly.


    Surprisingly the one who answered was Herman.


    "Normally a Reapers body cannot withstand invoking {Fates} on itself, thus the {Fates} must manifest as a physical object outside the body. Shifters are the natural opposite of this as rather than creating a separate object, the Reaper reshapes his body to create a new form instead.


    "But it is a different matter if rather than a new form the {fate} is manifested inside the body! The pure soul derived by a Reaper ascending to a Wraith, is too powerful. Said body part would explode. The fact that your woman still has her eyes despite ascending would make her an extremely rare Formless Shifter."


    "I agree with Herman. You seldom hear of Formless Shifters. While manifesting extra limbs is quite common, only manifesting a new body part at Level 5 is practically unheard off. It should have happened before she even became a Phantom." Carlos added.


    He pondered for a moment as he took a sip of his drink. Herman was noticeably quite sullen as we were discussing Shifters. I wondered if he may have beef with them as South America and Africa were neighbors on Earth.


    "You should care for that woman, I believe she will be extremely powerful in the future, Shifters usually become their idealized versions of themselves. Similar to Summoners the mental image of a Shifter influences what they have to work with. Example, if they feel small, their Soulform would emphasize height or bulk. You get the point.


    "They may sometimes become beasts then gain new attributes or they may begin as attributes then turn into beasts. The common themes for Shifters are living organisms, elemental properties and concepts."


    "Concepts?" I parroted in confusion.


    "Monsters from fiction are standard. You also got Reapers that go beyond that and turn to steam, dust, sound, light, bacteria, diseases, stars, black holes and all kinds of crap. My personal favorites are catastrophes. By that I mean they turn into avalanches, tidal waves, wildfires and hurricanes."


    Hearing the possible soulforms made me gasp in awe. A Reaper could turn into a disease? Anti matter? How the fuck would they even transform back to humans when they do shit like that?


    "Of course, the main benefit of turning into living beings is that the adjustment of consciousness is easier. There are many who turn into concepts and come back as either vegetables or retards. It''s not the norm but there are plenty of stupid people."


    I see. Becoming something without will would do a number on one''s mind and soul. As I have confirmed that Jas was a Shifter, I needed to take into account what her ideal was or what she pictured her Soulform to be.


    "For Shifters their domains fall into two pathways. First are the Tyrants. These are the Shifters who focus on purity of concept. Meaning they strengthen their mental image to the limit and perfect it. The second are Hybrids who mix and max ideas to create out of this world soulforms tailored fit to their desires."


    The more I heard about the classes the more I felt like I needed to talk with my girls. Liv being a Keeper meant I needed to know what her Soul Oaths were. For Jas I needed to understand what she pictured as her final form.


    ''Come to think of it, I wasn''t able to think about Bella''s Champions. Does hijacking machines count? Or was our Children her version of Champions.''


    After I shared Bella''s situation with the two of them, they looked at each other with exasperated expressions. Herman gasped in surprised while Carlos just accepted it with a wry smile.


    "First a Formless Shifter, now a Formless Summoner! Where on Earth to did you find them? The odds of both happening are like a million to one!"


    "I never thought it was possible by Bella is definitely a Summoner. But I am quite shocked on how her Champions turn out to be digital AI. As I know little about the subject I cannot comment. But her {Fate} is definitely Formless."


    "Ugh, and we still have four more to go through. I wonder what the end for my case would be?"


    "Well, who knows. I didn''t believe it at first, but it seems you really do have a woman from every continent. We still got Linkers, Enhancers, Chasers and Rulers to go."


    "Can we talk about Chasers first?"


    "Sure. But why them specifically? Did something happen to your Aussie?"


    Nodding, I couldn''t help but feel anxious as I spoke.


    "My girl seems to be getting weaker physically with each Ascension. She was an extremely powerful and healthy combat joey. Now my adjutant says that my girl''s body has the capabilities of a senior despite not even being 20 years old."


    Carlos then brushed the back of his head as he looked up.


    "Not much I can do about that Limitless. Most people from Oceania have Zenith constitutions. Being Chasers is like the only avenue available to them. Her getting weaker physically would be the tradeoff for her {Fates} growing at a staggering pace."


    [I can confirm that with Lady Robyn''s latest Ascension, the power she could display even surpasses that of Lady Lilly who is a rank above her. It is not because he controls soul much more efficiently, it is purely the amount of soul Lady Robyn can command.] Enjoy new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    ''I guess that should make me happy at least,'' I murmured in resignation.


    "Yeah. I think you already met her. Small build, white hair and curses like a sailor."


    "AH! The white devil! My men got throw into the air by the hundreds whenever she was around! No wonder she was so powerful. So that lady boy was a Chaser?" Herman yelled in surprise


    "Lady Boy? Fuck you! She maybe a bit flat, but Robyn is as sexy as a succubus! And yes, she is a Chaser."


    "I know I am going to regret this but is this woman¡­also formless?"


    "She is," I answered Carlos like a good student.

 Chapter 790 Dangerous how? [1/2]

    "Excluding the Chaser, the Shifter, Bella and the Valkyrie of Ivaldi, are the other three of you women also Formless?"


    "Yes," I answered with a nod.


    "How is that even possible?" Herman asked with furred brows.


    "What? Something wrong with that?"


    "Herman''s reaction is quite understandable, Limitless. Do you know what the ratio of Formless is to the Manifested?"


    "I don''t."


    "It''s 1 in 1,000,000," Carlos answered with a conflicted expression.


    "Huh?"


    Hearing the numbers I found it to be unbelievable. Apart from me and the Sirens most of the original members of the 2nd Amendment were all Formless. Only Claire and Angela were not. Find more to read on My Virtual Library Empire


    "Just throwing out there, but how many Formless Reapers do you have in your ranks?"


    "Thirteen."


    [My lord, you know a lot more than thirteen, the actual number is close to a hundred. You, the Sirens, the male squad leaders of the 2nd Amendment, Cynthia Carmine, Van Micro and 25 Formless Academics, and Finally Terence Anvil along with 50 Formless Reapers who formerly from Fortification.]


    ''Oh, right. I forgot about the rest of them. Thank you for reminding me.''


    "I miss spoke, it''s close to a hundred."


    Hearing that I knew close to a hundred Formless Reapers grew pleased. In the beginning all I wanted was to gain a large force who would use guns to fight. Along the way I met people who were just as desperate as me.


    Apart from Van and Terence''s initial groups, I do not remember if there was any more Formless Reapers who joined us. As I was surrounded by them, I didn''t think it was that rare for a Reaper to be Formless.


    "Well, I guess that can be expected. You did kick off the arms race based around the Formless."


    "Was it the same for South America?"


    Herman interjected in between sips of his beer, "Carlos is not wrong, we did try to employ the Formless, but they are kind of useless. Summoners are expected to be able to move fast and assault positions with our Champions."


    "Hmm. What does have to do with anything?"


    "Try to think you cocksucker. Unlike a regular army, Summoners can suddenly create a large disposable force with nothing but soul. Apart from defensive battles, Summoner armies are used primarily in Blitzkrieg, ambush and sabotage operations that overwhelm enemy positions and disrupt enemy lines."


    I could see how. Unlike the other Reaper Classes, Summoners could deploy their Champions aggressively or defensively as the need arises. Even if the Champions are taken down, so long as the Reapers were not taken out, they would recover to full power with just time and rest.


    However, the best thing about them would have to be the innate ability to quickly deploy a large force comprised of multiple elements with zero need for logistics or supply lines.


    They could deploy tanks, fast attack Champions and even biological warfare. And unlike the other classes that needed a lot of Reapers, a single Legion Summoner could overwhelm a small sized base no problem.


    Compared to normal Summoners, Bella did look a bit inferior. On top of not being able to call down her own Champions, she needed actual hardware to have something to command. This was beside the fact that only {Rewind} and {Auto} allowed her to recreate her Soulless army.


    ''Taken literally without Me and Lilly, it would have been impossible for Bella to be able to contribute in a fight. This was despite my woman being plenty amazing. If the other South American Formless were in the same boat, I could understand why Herman calls them useless.''


    "I see. That is true. Even Bella would find it hard to fight as a Summoner without actual Champions available to her. But wouldn''t your Administration try to support them?"


    "Not really. Formless Summoners are extremely useless. They should be called Tamers instead as they need to capture monsters from Hellsgate. But even those have limited utility as the monsters cannot be hidden, nor recreated one they get killed."


    "However, I while Herman''s words are true, I want you to know this, Limitless."


    Hearing Carlos'' sudden change in tone I focused on him to ensure I heard him properly.


    "Anyone who reads papers published by Academics would notice. While Formless significantly take more resources to train and ascend, they have a higher potential."


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "It is exactly as I said. I told you earlier, right? Your Formless Shifter lover, Jas, was it? Her soulform is incredibly unique but has terrifying potential. I can assure you once she turns into a Specter her power would be unleashed in full.


    "{Fates} follow a certain standard. You gain power in exchange for something. Manifested while having a set standard also have a defined limit as well. Formless on the other hand do not, but due to that fact, they also do not have a minimum standard."


    Carlos gestured to our surroundings like he was making a case for his argument.


    "I am sure that during the Wraith ranks your Harem would have suffered much. However, the strength they displayed against our invasion was nothing short of amazing. The abilities your women executed were for lack of a better word, malicious and heartless.


    "If such monsters are allowed to grow, they would soon outclass even our strongest Specters. I suggest you guard them and ensure they get to ascend safely. Personally, I find you more terrifying for keeping so many crazy women by your side."


    Hearing his warning, I nodded and answered with conviction, "Haha, I got lucky. You do not need to worry, I am their {Kindred}. I will never allow myself to die so long as even one of them remains alive. I will protect them, I can assure you that," I proclaimed.


    "I have no doubt in my mind of that my friend. But truly it seems you are favored by the heavens. Having a lover from each Reaper class would allow you to have an extremely well-rounded sense of combat. I grow excited at your future."


    Finding his praise a bit uncomfortable, I turned to my drink while changing the topic.


    "So¡­ Chasers, can you tell me more about them?" S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Despite our group eating the entire time since we sat down, Carlos and Herman did not show signs of getting full. I pulled out more food and just waited for the lecture to continue. I kind of felt it with the Sirens. Reapers in general seam to eat way more than the average person.


    Although if you consider the amount of "work" our race does, eating only what a regular human eats would be like starving ourselves. Unaware of my thoughts Herman ran out of his coffee or whatever and began opening up cans of Miller High life.


    "Chasers are the Reaper''s version of a one trick pony. They go all out in only one of two things. More than their personalities such tendencies are because of their Zenith constitutions."


    "Zenith constitutions?"


    "Yeah. Put simply, it is a rare condition that occurs when a Reaper''s cells get saturated in soul. Usually happens in the Phantom stages. While normal Phantoms use soul to enhance or improve their cells, they instinctively have safeguards."


    "What do you mean?" I asked not able to understand.


    "You know how the human body has internal breaks? Meaning you can actually pull more strength from it, but as it knows going all in would destroy your body it stops before you can hurt yourself."


    "Yeah, it''s called the safety reflex, right?"


    "Yes. That is right. Reapers have their own version of that. When you ascend you do not actually control how your body improves right? It just happened automatically?"


    I nodded my head to agree with him. In my case technically Exa was the one who did all of it. My evolution from a human to an Artificial Descendant would have gone to shit without Exa and the {Fates}.


    "There are Reapers whose {Fates} are so out of whack the Reaper''s safety reflex gets overpowered. When this happens the Reaper''s body get infused with so much soul it can no longer handle it. In response the body enters Zenith.


    "In Zenith, the soul forcefully interferes with the body making it a war of the body and soul. Should the soul win, all soul energy is taken from the body and is instead used to nourish the Reaper''s soul capacity. If on the other hand the body wins, the Reapers cells get drowned to the limit at the cost of the Reaper''s entire soul capacity."


    "Wait so you either put everything into your muscles or your soul?"

 Chapter 791 Dangerous how? [2/2]

    "Yes. That is what a Chaser is. Because they have Zenith constitutions you get to see the best of both worlds. There are Chasers who have bodies that are indestructible but lack soul energy for {Fates}. And you have Chasers who have extremely weak bodies but have near infinite soul energy."


    [I see. That is why Lady Robyn who once had a well trained body turned frail. With her soul capacity increasing her body could no longer keep up.]


    ''I see. It would have been the equivalent of putting a powerful engine in a tiny car. The car itself could not handle the horsepower and would breakdown as a result.''


    "You said your Aussie lover was a combat joey. Then her body slowly turned frail. That means her Zenith constitution has yet to stabilize. It will only do so once she becomes a Specter. Her body will have three chances to decide.


    "If her body has deteriorated it means her soul won at least twice. The third ascension would complete the process. There is no way to overturn this process. Or rather it would be dangerous to not allow the Phantom to Ascend as soon as possible."


    "Dangerous? Dangerous how?"


    Herman made an exaggerated sigh as he spoke, "Limitless for all your competence in combat you become an incredibly stupid motherfucker when your harem is concerned. How would you fair if you have the equivalent of nukes rampaging inside you?" Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire


    "¡­"


    "What he means to say Limitless is that unlike the other Classes, the Ascension of Chasers posses significant danger. Unfortunately, It is quite normal for them to die without being able to stabilize. Summoners by comparison have it easy. Chasers are the class with the highest rate of non-combat related deaths in Hellsgate."


    Motherfucker just how much did this world have to punish Australians! Was it not enough they had to protect an entire battlefront with their limited numbers?


    "Fuck¡­"


    Not minding my state, Carlos continued his explanations.


    "A human''s body and soul have their own instincts. Examples would be hunger and mental trauma. You body uses Hunger to warn you of dying from starvation. Mental trauma on the other hand is your soul''s way of reminding you to either avoid or forget something that almost killed you.


    "Most of the time the body follows the soul. But when they fight each other it often drives a person insane. Reapers are no different, but rather than your mental health, your body breaks down or your soul energy dissipates. Neither are good for you."


    ''Exa.''


    [My lord, I will try to research as much as I can about Zenith constitutions. As for rapidly ascending to a Specter, it would require¡­]


    ''I know. It would require Robyn to forget her memories,'' I inwardly whispered.


    Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! I though I already prepared myself for this when I saw how desperate Aki was. But Robyn similarly was pulling out all the stops.


    I have seen terminally ill characters in anime and manga. Suddenly thinking Robyn would need to go through that made my heart hurt. Why? Just why did she had to go through this?


    Bewildered, I couldn''t help but ball my fists and began thumping them against my head. Once again I was force to just sit on the side as my girls took risks all because they wanted to follow me.


    "There is one thing I need to reiterate, Limitless."


    I looked up towards Carlos as he continued.


    "While average Chasers die or hurry their ascensions. There are those who force themselves to prolong the process. This extremely minute group intentionally endure the suffering all to gain more power."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I will preface this by saying that any Chaser who ascends prematurely gets stuck in a middling state between a Phantom and Specter. Put simply they become invalids unable to get stronger."


    Not really surprised there. As with cultivation manga and anime, if you did not work on your foundations rapidly gaining power meant nothing. Laddered ranking systems slowed the progress of people in order to avoid this exact same problem.


    "For those who manage to stabilize their Zenith constitutions however, they unlock power that dwarfs all other classes by a fairly wide margin. This is the secret of why no one can beat a Chaser Specter in single direct combat.


    "This is the same reason why his majesty the Merciless is by far the most feared of the Revenants. Many believe it would take their majesties the Invincible, the Virtuous and the Unbreakable to even attempt to restrain him."


    "What?"


    "It''s why no one dares to stop him when he regularly goes to Antarctica to blow off steam," Herman interjected with a frown.


    [This is a well-documented fact. His Majesty Peter Vujicic is known for bunny hopping to Antarctica and demolishing the polar ice caps. The sudden decrease in their mass was largely because of his rampages not because of global warming.]


    "¡­"


    My brain now hurt for a completely different reason as I tried to massage the bridge of my nose. Ignoring the stupid ass way the strongest Chaser threw tantrums in someone else''s continent, I took deep breaths to calm down.


    "Anyway, the two schools of thought for Chasers are Limit and Infinity. Limit Chasers develop bodies immune to soul. Simply put, their mere presence causes {Fates} and soul in general to be suppressed. Only {Fates} that do not manifest outside of your body would still work.


    "His majesty the Merciless is a Limit Chaser with a documented anti-soul Domain spanning almost ten kilometers. In contrast mine is not even a tenth of that. If I was to fight him, my Champions would die just from trying to get close."


    [6.21 miles, my lord.] Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Thanks. But still, isn''t that fucking insane? How the fuck do you fight someone who can suppress {fates} just by breathing? Would I still be able to {Rewind} in that scenario?''


    "In contrast, Infinity Chasers are like stars on the brink of exploding. I told you that Specters draw souls from outside of their bodies, right? Other classes need a Domain to ensure they have an environment that gives them sufficient souls. Infinity Chasers do not."


    "Huh? That makes no sense. What do you mean they do not?"


    "Infinity Chasers have no needs for Domains. Due to siphoning all possible souls from their bodies they become living soul reactors that never run out of soul. Stamina costs for {Fates} are overturned and paid for with soul energy.


    "Provided they can handle the malice, they can pull big moves for eternity without stopping. In large scale combat a single Infinity Chaser could out gun and out last even the largest mage battalions."


    I began to imagine who would win if an Infinity Chaser and a Limit Chaser fought. It would be like pitting the strongest shield to the sharpest spear. However I did learn one thing.


    From how Robyn''s body was behaving she must already be on the Infinity track. Once she ascends that would mean she will no longer have stamina problems in the future.


    "Truthfully if Australia had just twice the number of Reapers, they would have conquered the whole world already. While they are extremely reliable allies there is nothing scarier than an angry Australian."


    I noticed that Carlos shuddered a bit as he remembered being hunted by an Aussie. Herman similarly made a face that looked absolutely distressed.


    "Summoners, Shifters and Enhancers in particular are weak to Chasers. Keepers, Linkers and Rulers can manage but they would need a lot of support. Thankfully due to the extremely scarce population of the Australian battlefront it is rare to meet one anyway."


    "But both of you looked like you fought a Chaser before. What is the story with that?"


    Herman cleared his throat as he explained, I noticed that Carlos seemed anxious. His eyes were one of fear.


    "It occurred many years ago. We were once sent with a division of over 200 Phantoms to try and establish a beach head in New Zealand for an invasion. We encountered three Chasers returning from Hellsgate. And well, it didn''t end pretty."


    "Basing from his face, I can safely say that it must have been the absolute opposite of pretty. How did the battle go?"


    "Battle? What battle? There was no battle. It was a one-sided slaughter. Our group was annihilated by three reapers. Two Limit Chasers and one Infinity Chaser.


    We were left half dead as a warning. The unlucky ones had their spines ripped out repeatedly as punishment."


    At Herman''s grim retelling I couldn''t offer words of comfort. It was wrong for them to try and invade Australia in the first place. But still three Phantoms against two hundred was fucking awesome.


    ''I wonder how I would fair?'' I thought absentmindedly.

 Chapter 792 My only goal [1/2]

    While I did fight against 200 Reapers, they were mostly Wraiths. And I basically just shot them all to death. However, the three Chasers had no such advantage and went up against 200 Summoners.


    Depending on how many they summoned the Chasers would have been even more outnumbers. Neither Herman nor Carlos mentioned of the ranks of those involved in that battle. A quick look at the fear in the Specter''s eyes tell a different story, however.


    It probably went beyond just the difference in ranks. As someone who fought with similar odds, the sheer grit needed on the side of the Chasers would have been incredible.


    And hearing about the result of that unyielding will, it must have manifested either as inhuman brutality or terrifying cruelty. Otherwise, the "trauma" evident in Carlos would not make sense.


    It was kind of funny. Carlos was a powerful Specter. Yet he looked like a terrified child just from the mere memory of that fight long ago. Under the current circumstances, he probably could never fight a Chaser again in the future.


    Even among Reapers mental issues were a thing. Sadly, I had neither the patience nor duty of fixing Carlos up. The best I could do was change the topic. Luckily there was one particular point that caught my interest.


    "Summoners, Shifters and Enhancers in particular are weak to Chasers. Keepers, Linkers and Rulers can manage but they would need a lot of support. Thankfully due to the extremely scare population of Australian battlefront it is rare to meet one anyway." Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire


    In Video games and manga, elemental or weapon rock-paper-scissors was a trope used for balance. This basically meant that in any battle it was common to be disadvantaged to one side and be superior to another.


    Like with the game rock-paper-scissors, there was no one hand that would win you every single match. I used to believe this was to prevent the battles in such media from getting stale.


    But considering that IRIS meant these lessons to teach something, I believed it must have been related to something like the Reaper classes. Or to a lesser degree to stop thinking anything was invincible.


    Summoners who called on Champions, Shifters who changed forms and Enhancers who casted buffs. It made sense for them to be weak against Chasers. Specifically, they would be near useless against Limit Chasers.


    In an anti-soul field Champions and the buffs from Enhancers would evaporate. For Shifters it would probably be along the lines of suppressing them from even changing forms. This was reinforced by what the two South American''s said earlier.


    "This is the same reason why his majesty the Merciless is by far the most feared of the Revenants. Many believe it would take their majesties the Invincible, the Virtuous and the Unbreakable to even attempt to restrain him."


    Funnily enough even though Simon Guevarra the Relentless was a Legion Summoner he alone would not be helpless against the Merciless. Simply because his Champions had physical bodies. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Unlike others who merely create undead. His majesty already dabbles into pseudo- resurrection. He is able to raise a body, bind a soul and turn it into his Champion. To put it into context, even if Simon Guevarra dies, his Champions will not."


    I didn''t know if it was a lucky coincidence or intentional, but Simon''s foresight protected him from Limit Chasers. Just from this bit alone, I understood that the Revenants were really prepared to fight with each other.


    It should probably be the same with Hannibal. If the norm was for Chasers to be strong against Shifters, he must also have some way to fight them. They kind of glossed over it earlier, so I probably needed to specifically ask for information about the Revenant of Africa.


    It would at least allow me to plan ahead. I wasn''t sure if we would need to butt heads, however given that he was a Revenant knowing in advance would help. And much like Clive, Hannibal and I would never see eye to eye. What he did to his family was something I could never accept.


    "Carlos, Herman. You already taught me about Simon and Erik. What about Hannibal? What does he do?" I asked nonchalantly.


    "This cocksucker, while are you calling Revenants by their first names? Are you crazy? You think your equals or something?"


    "Shut up Herman. You can grovel at their feet all you want. I will do as I wish."


    "This arrogant piece of shit¡­"


    Carlos looked at me with an intense gaze. It was as if he was trying to read my mind from my facial expressions. "Why do you wish to know?"


    "Because I will be heading to Africa after things calm down," I confessed.


    "Huh?" "Why?"


    "I am going there to kill a demon. As a favor to one of Hannibal''s sons."


    "Oy, Limitless, didn''t you intentionally placed us on the African border because you know they are coming? And you are helping them?"


    "Herman, you are not helping. Ehem, His majesty the Immortal has an extremely large bloodline. What is the rank of the son you will assist?"


    ''What was it again?''


    [Amari Soldat is the 34th prince of the African battlefront.]


    ''Ah right, Thank you Exa.''


    "34th."


    "34th would be Amari Soldat. I am surprised you are willing to fight a demon for him."


    "Wow, you got them all memorized or something?" I commented impressed.


    Carlos chucked as he scratched his beard, "Only those that matter. I was part of South America''s version of Adventurers. Specifically, the intelligence division. You could think of it as the Reaper equivalent to the CIA."


    I see. The Battlefronts used their resources not only for Hellsgate but also for other countries. It was a simple truth, but I never thought about using Adventurers for actions against another battlefront.


    ''This would be a good mentality to have. While we will focus most of our Reapers in Hellsgate, we would need to form a CIA like organization to protect us from invasions.''


    Carlos''s voice called me back to reality, I lucked out to have someone from South America''s version of the CIA as a teacher. No wonder he knew of things most would not know.


    "Amari is from the Soldat clan; his mother is one of the many women given to his Majesty the Immortal to forge family ties. His case is quite infamous as he sold himself as a slave despite his pedigree. But still, are you close?"


    "It''s complicated. I owe him. Amari saved two of my wives when Clive Zanardi tried to have them executed. I may forgive but I never forget. I will stand by him until he betrays my trust."


    "So that rumor also turns out to be true. Color me surprised," Herman remarked before pouring himself more beer.


    "Then will you serve as his sponsor for the throne?"


    "I do not know yet. Right now, he asked for my help to kill a demon. And so, a killing a demon would be the only thing I will do."


    That technically wasn''t a lie but In truth, it wasn''t the whole truth either. Amari shared a lot of secrets related to his continent to us. Specifically, about their Revenant.


    "Hannibal Mandela is not a reaper. He is the {fate}."


    "The "King" of the African battlefront is the one who inherits the {Fate} of a Revenant. The qualifications to do so must be that he has the blood line of the original Hannibal. That means only those of his lineage can become the next Hannibal Mandela."


    Hannibal Mandela basically uses his sons as extra lives. To keep Africa running the Immortal raises princes, snatches their bodies then killed them. Once his current body closes to its limit, he will simply restart the process.


    I could understand it intellectually, but morally I could not. I understand the concept of using a single life to save an entire continent. But to deliberately use your children was wrong. I would much rather kill everyone else than let my own flesh and blood to die.


    "Then Limitless. Do you know how a Revenant can exorcise all the malice he has accumulated?"


    "He cleanses them with his blood."


    "Rather than pass the malice to another the best way for a Revenant to cleanse the malice he holds is to die to purify it."


    "When "The Immortal" comes to the end of his era, Demons invade en mass. All eager to slay him. Their goal is to evolve from the malice he holds. My father intends to choose a successor before that can happen."

 Chapter 793 My only goal [2/2]

    I knew of Hannibal''s twisted schemes; it was why I couldn''t bring myself to respect him. Hannibal Mandela''s solution was that of a Hero. He used the least number of lives to save the majority. it was logical and led to arguable the best outcome.


    And that was the same fucking reason we would never agree on anything. I never had the mentality of a Hero. I had the mentality of a demon lord. For my family, I was fine sending everyone else to hell.


    "I see, you must be aware that killing this demon is probably one of the trials used to rank the princes. If you arrive to help Amari, as the one who brought you, it will be counted as his merit," Carlos tried to explain.


    "In other words, he is using you. By even joining this "event", you are directly interfering in the political situation of another continent. Many would believe you have a hidden agenda. Frankly it diverges from what you, a warmonger who thinks of nothing of violence would do."


    Herman''s words were correct. Outside many would think I have some sort of deep political agenda. The girls and I already discussed it way back before we even began Operation Scissor.


    But I really did not care much about what would happen to Amari and Africa after I kill this demon. My exact words were.


    "I get to beat the living shit out of demons and Africa without any backlash. That alone makes this trip worthwhile. And no, regardless of how many of you ask, I will only be taking a squad from Vela''s wolves. Finding a demon to beat up is hard."


    "The two of you overestimate me. My only goal is to gain experience fighting demons. Amari is just a convenient excuse. I get to murder a demon without any collateral. They can split hairs about what happens after I leave."


    "¡­" x2


    "What?"


    "I take back my words. Fighting a demon then not giving a crap about what happens after is something exactly what someone like you would do," Herman said as he facepalmed.


    "Haha, isn''t that of irresponsible, Limitless? You would be painting a target on Amari''s back as a potential threat to the other princes. The Soldat clan may be annihilated if it turns out badly."


    "I don''t give a fuck. That is Amari''s shit to figure out. If he is dumb enough to not consider what would happen to his family after he asked for my help, he deserves to die. I will take down that demon and fight anyone who tries to bar my way."


    "May I ask why you would go to such lengths to fight a demon?"


    Hearing Carlos'' add question, I spoke my real thoughts on the matter. Everything I did up to this point and my entire way of life was predicated on a simple thing. It was humans and their agenda''s that made everything complicated.


    "I am quite simple. I want to spend the race of my days in peace with my harem. But Hellsgate threatens that, so I vowed to close this motherfucking place. That is my only goal and focus. Unfortunately, I am weak. In order to accomplish my goal, I have to get stronger, so I will do so.


    "It would be great If the other continents just leave me alone, I will do their job for them. They don''t even have to help me. All my strength, and everything I do is just for that purpose. If anyone or anything stops me or hinders me from my mission. I will simply kill them all."


    "Holy mother fucking shit, you...You are serious, aren''t you?"


    Carlos raised his hands to Herman as if to silence him. The Inca Warrior then made a complicated expression as he furrowed his eyebrows.


    "So, it would be correct to say that you neither wish for wealth, honor nor glory. Instead, you truly believe it is your mission to close Hellsgate. All so you get to live out the rest of your days in peace?"


    "Yes."


    "I see."


    Suddenly the Inca Warrior stood up and was about to walk towards me, Herman who saw him, immediately tried to grab his arm to stop him.


    "Carlos! Stop! What are you doing?!"


    But rather than get angry, Carlos gently answered him with a smile.


    "I have made my choice, Herman. You should too."


    "I know that! But really? To him? Why are you certain?"


    The Inca Warrior looked my way as he answered. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    "The Wraith acknowledgment by his majesty the Invincible. The Formless who broke the Armistice. A Phantom who killed Archdemons. The Reaper who quelled the Vampire Rebellion. One who commands machines and even monsters. How many more reasons do you need?"


    "But¡­"


    "My friend, I will not force you. But the moment to choose has arrived."


    Herman unable to reply further released Carlos. The former commander of the South Americans then moved to my left and got on down one knee. He lowered his head and said in a loud and firm voice.


    "Limitless, I have seen many Reapers over the course of my long life. Among all those who fight on the world stage most fight for their own selfish reasons. While you do so as well, you are the only one who aims to lift our curse.


    "Everyone else focuses on just surviving till the end of the world. They cower before the might of Hellsgate. You do not. And although you have yet to become a Revenant, I I wish to put my shoulder with you."


    I scoffed as I found his vow burdensome, "Do as you wish. I am not doing any of this for anyone else. I require your knowledge so give it to me. As for everything else, live and die by your own will, as I would with mine."


    I was already responsible for Hellsend, taking in more bastards from other continents might come bite me back in the ass. I lacked the necessary political acumen to know if this would be a good or bad thing. The Sirens would know better.


    With that in mind, I chose to neither accept nor reject his offer. And instead decided to just focus on the ball. Herman noticeably sighed in relief at my answer. Somehow, I wanted to know what he would say if I did take Carlos as my own.


    "Alright, get back to your seat Carlos, I still need information on Hannibal and the four other classes. You can do whatever you want after teaching me."


    "As you wish my lord," he said with a bow.


    Fuck. I only just gotten used to being called that by Hellsend. How awkward was it to be served by those who could easily wipe the floor with you. Now, on top of Eva Baker, yet another Specter treated me as his lord.


    ''But I guess this is better than gaining yet another enemy. With his experience and knowledge maybe Hellsend can use him as a consultant or something.''


    Carlos'' demeanor changed. If earlier, he acted as he was with a drinking buddy now, he kept proper decorum and looked tense. Herman made a complicated expression at the 180-degree change of his superior.


    His stiff and carefully calculated image reminded me of rank-and-file employee who were suddenly asked to have lunch with the president. It made me a bit comfortable thus I gave my two cents.


    "Carlos, you are not my subordinate, nor am I your superior. At the moment you are my teacher. Loosen up, you saw how I am, you think I really gave a shit about proper manners?"


    I then pointed towards Herman as I continued.


    "This fucker has been cursing me even before we began your lecture. If I was narrow minded, I would have murdered him the moment he lowered his guard. Just talk normally."


    "Haha, you are right. I guess my happiness and eagerness got the better of me. I will act like as I have had before, my lord. Now regarding your question. His majesty the Immortal is a Tyrant Shifter. Meaning he is one whose soulforms all lead to purity of concept."


    "What does that mean? I heard he turns to forces of nature." Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "He does, but he takes the concept to its extreme. His soulforms are natural disasters. At the moment there are four known that he regularly uses, but he has many others. A hurricane, an avalanche, a tidal wave and a raging wildfire. His majesty can turn to one or all four at the same time."


    "He turns into natural disasters? And multiple ones at the same time?"


    Fuck. The standards for being a Revenant even got more unbelievable.

 Chapter 794 Fucking ghosts? [1/2]

    Natural disasters were things anyone would recognize. Regardless were you lived in the world, even if you lived in civilization or not. It was something that transcended even time itself.


    Something that remained the same no matter how many generations have already passed. So long as you lived on Earth, you would have seen or heard of them. Mother nature for all her beauty and grace was a fucking bitch when she got angry.


    Forest fires that refused to be snuffed out. Hurricanes that terrorized everything in their path. Tsunamis that bitch slapped mankind for its folly. Earthquakes that shattered even the ground one stood on.


    Although they were diverse and occurred all over the play there was a single constant. They always made man feel insignificant and powerless.


    That was why they were feared. You could kill a person and a beast. But if a natural disaster takes what you love what could you do? It wasn''t like you could kill something sentient. The personification of such things to me was incredibly arrogant and cruel.


    "Arrogant motherfucker," I couldn''t help but murmur.


    I supposed his regret must have been related to them. But there was a fucked upside to the way Shifters and Summoners fought. {Fates} were in essence abilities Reapers gained in exchange for their regrets.


    Thus, to Shifters and Summoners they basically killed people using what they most feared. But I guess the same could be said with the rest of the classes. My {fate} was probably an exception as it had zero combat potential.


    "Right¡­Anyway. His majesty the Immortal is known for being the personification of nature''s wrath. Unlike most Shifters who stay away from non-sentient forms, his majesty is perhaps the only one who can exert will and capable thought while being in his soulforms."


    "Wait¡­he can think even as he becomes a calamity?"


    "Yes, unlike the few the normal Specters who use non-sentient soulforms, his majesty does not only control himself but can perform complicated combinations. It is almost as if he the will of what seems like thousands."


    Hearing such am observation I began to feel it was onto something. The Immortal was technically not a single person. But a clan of thousands all forged together by a single will. At least that was how I understood it. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Explain."


    "It is like this, normally once you become a non-sentient force you use the laws of the universe to guide you. For example, a Reaper who chooses rain as his soulform, can influence were it would appear and when.


    "But the moment he becomes the rain, his will ends, and he must follow gravity, Bernoulli''s Principle, and the water cycle. It''s not like he can decide to stop water from evaporating or decide to ignore gravity and float."


    I see that does make sense. Since you chose to become rain, you must follow the rules of the world about rain. Just as you surrender yourself to instincts if you shift to a beast soulform.


    "His majesty the current Revenant is a genius in this regard. He is the only Shifter than can retain his will even as a concept like rain, wind or earth. As the King enthronements of Africa are a messy affair, it has become a tradition for Demons to crash the party.


    "Thus, the coronation itself has become a wild event of sorts. The new and old kings would defend against the demons on the night of the coronation. It slowly shifted to a battle royal of sorts."


    "A battle royal?"


    Furrowing his brows Carlos looked at his cup with a complicated expression.


    "Yes. Originally the New king would be chosen before the demons arrived. However, since the coronation of his majesty the Immortal, the rules changed. Now everyone who wishes to battle for the crown must be fight both the demons and each other."


    "I am guessing, not many have survived. How long as Hannibal been king?"


    "Well, I am not sure. He preceded me, but according to reports he became the king of Africa around 1560. As for the ones that followed, they war all hush hush, so I don''t know. What I do know is that the African battlefront under his leadership, no longer tried to push forward in Hellsgate and just protected their lands."


    If that was the case, then Carlos doesn''t know that the kings do change. But it''s just that they all take on the mantle of Hannibal Mandela. It was like the concept for taking on superheroes in comics.


    "Anyway, I am sure you are not particularly interested in African Politics. As a Tyrant Shifter his majesty the Immortal followed purity of concept. Meaning he doesn''t try to create new forms but rather adopts ones from nature."


    Right, that was what I was interested about. He briefly touched up on the Shifters because I was concerned with Bella''s situation. The two Shifter Doman schools of thought, Tyrant and Hybrid seemed simple enough on paper, but I doubt that was the case.


    "The current king, his majesty the Immortal is a rare genius who can transform into multiple none-sentient soulforms at once. As a Tyrant he doesn''t change the nature of his forms allowing him to draw power from Mother Nature."


    "Wait, back up. Can you elaborate on that further?"


    "I told you before that Shifters slowly change their {Fates} and their original Soulforms right? The primary benefit of Tyrants is the ability to draw strength from mother nature. Unfortunately, this means you must also follow her rules when you do so.


    "Living creatures grow based on their environment, a shark in a pond will grow in accordance with the limit of its surroundings. Such rules guide mother nature. And this rule penalizes beast soulforms who chose the tyrant paths.


    "Let''s use Prince Amari as an example. His {Fate} is called {Primate} that turns him into a Gorilla. However apart from his size the essence of his form is still pure, which is why he remains weak," Carlos explained.


    "What do you mean? You make it sound like that the fact that he is ''only a gorilla'' is a problem."


    "Carlos'' point is that Amari''s thinking can be considered shallow. If you were asked what animal you considered the strongest, nine times out of ten, you would answer a dragon, phoenix or some other mythical creature. A gorilla is a pathetic choice when you consider that there was a potential for something more."


    "Right. Herman''s point is correct. Thus, Shifters who notice this discrepancy, infuse legends and myth into their forms. Some even add body parts from other animals or better yet infuse elements or other components into the concept to further strengthen it. The fact that up till now he still remains as ''just a gorilla'' is quite lackluster."


    "Through my years on fighting shifters I got plenty of experience fighting primate-based soul forms. There hardly any Tyrants. They were all hybrids. Those that used fire, ice or lightning. Some had six arms, four hearts, multiply, fly or turn into steel. Tyrants work for concepts but are not a good match for beast soulforms."


    I see. So not unless your concept was a dragon, pursuing a Tyrant path would be hard as a beast Shifter. Hannibal Mandela who instead used elemental disasters on the other hand, would greatly benefit from this rule.


    "Then Hannibal is strong because he leverages mother nature?" I asked as confirmation.


    "Yes, basically hurricane, wildfires, tsunamis and earthquakes can be explained by science. So long as the factors needed to make them happen, they should occur. But natural disasters follow the will of nature, they begin and stop at her instruction.


    "By surrendering himself to the concepts he gets the blessing of mother nature. Yet his majesty the Immortal, can somehow control his forms and manipulate them against mother nature''s will.


    "Some of his powerful moves are combinations such as hurricane and wildfires to create flame tornados. Landslides with wildfires creating Lava surges. Mixing Blizzards with volcanic eruptions to create thermonuclear explosions."


    My brain began to hurt from trying to think up of a counter measure for the Immortal. He was just as if not more ridiculous that the other Revenants! It suddenly made sense why the Merciless and his anti-soul domain would be powerless against the Immortal.


    ''How the fuck would you even beat the weather? Unlike a living organism, how could you fight a concept?''


    Probably from seeing my exhausted face, I felt Carlos pat my shoulder as if he was consoling me.


    "The road is long my lord. But do not worry. Much like the Summoners, even the Shifters have match ups that are unfavorable to them. His majesty the Immortal in particular has trouble fighting their majesties the Invincible, the Peerless and the Virtuous."


    Hannibal had trouble fighting, David, Li Wu Di and Clive Zanardi?

 Chapter 795 Fucking ghosts? [2/2]

    David was a Ruler. I could somehow understand as he broke the laws of this universe because of his class. But what about the other two?


    "As you are a Ruler, let''s leave that for last. We had already discussed Keepers, Summoners, Shifters and Chasers. The next one would be Linkers. They come from Europe and mostly fight using Astrals. Astrals are legends and myths who are too powerful to die."


    "Too powerful to die?" I repeated in disbelief.


    If that were true, then why would their return as Astrals? Or rather why would they have died to begin with?


    "It''s kind of like Goku. He dies but just waits to get reincarnated," Herman added.


    "The anime character?"


    "Are you aware about the depiction of man?"


    At Carlos'' question I nodded. It was funny how Phillips info would resonate with someone from another continent. This probably meant there was some truth to it. Or maybe it was another bread crumb left behind by IRIS.


    "Right, so you know that three components, right? Body, soul and spirit? Or in Reaper terms, body, soulgems and soul energy. Astrals are basically beings who was so powerful they didn''t die after getting their soulgems destroyed." sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So they are fucking ghosts?"


    "Yep. In other words, they are powerful entities that refused to get reincarnated, opting instead to live through a Linker. Much like spirit mediums in fiction or shamans in legends they allow their anchor, or the person who summons them to use their powers at a cost," Carlos explained.


    Ghosts was basically a blanket term used for apparitions that could not be explained. Those who played fantasy games had more info thus were able to categorize ghosts as a subset of undead that had a soul but lacked a body.


    "Isn''t the common thing for ghosts to have unresolved issues? That once their issues are done with, they pass and go on their merry way? How would such people be related to Reapers?"


    Herman frowned and remarked as he continued to drink, "Your thoughts are too simplistic Limitless. If the grudge was simple sure. But what if the grudges are from Reapers?"


    "W-What?"


    "What Herman is trying to say is that, while there are human ghosts. There are no human Astrals. Astrals are the spirits of Reapers from bygone eras. The normally continue to fight because their lingering attachments are all related to Hellsgate."


    "Holy fucking shit¡­"


    "Yes. When a Reaper gets strong enough usually at Revenant levels, they gain the ability to exist even in the Astral realm. The Astral realm has many names, but the most commonly used words are purgatory, heaven or the land between life and death," Carlos continued to explain.


    "¡­"


    I shouldn''t be even capable of comprehending it all at this point. If I was to be honest, my mind was already having trouble digesting the information I got from just four of the classes. But somehow the concept for the Astrals was already familiar to me.


    It was an idea that became one of the most famous genres in anime and manga. The so-called hero summoning. The most famous one was a hentai game from Japan that summoned fallen heroes to engage in a battle royal for the holy grail.


    Despite its pornographic origins it grew in fame and gave birth to one of the most successful franchises in anime history. Funnily enough it was also infamous cause it was the most successful case of gender flipped famous figures.


    That simply meant they took heroes from history and myth and turned them into opposite sex. The so-called Japanizing beam. Arthur Pendragon turned into Arthuria and became the mascot of the series.


    Her fame began the trend of turning heroic figures into anime waifus. Which persisted to this day and was only getting more common place. I only noticed but even Hellsgate'' tendency to use generic names was also prevalent there.


    ''It seemed that IRIS really tried to pack in as much information into our media as possible. I am once again amazed at their foresight and approach.''


    "Okay, so Astrals are basically ghosts of dead Reapers. They loan their power to Linkers in exchange for souls. Linkers get the best part of the deal, what is in it for the Astrals? Are they expecting the Linkers to fight to the death for them? Or do they have some sort of unfulfilled wish?"


    I was about to make a joke about the holy grail being at the bottom of Hellsgate but stopped. The implication of Linkers threw my mind into disarray. I didn''t know how it was for most people but to me It was extremely similar to the warriors in my past lives.


    Even the {fates} of the Sirens seemed to support the concept of the Astrals. They were present in my mind as former Goddesses that threw their names away. Were they unique or were all {fates} basically just dead reapers?


    What made the Linkers different from everyone else? Hannibal Mandela being a {Fate} that haunts his descendants was more like an Astral than a Shifter. Just where did the line end? But I wasn''t even done digesting what he just explained till Carlos dropped yet another bomb.


    "Right. I am sure you have noticed while each Battlefront has its own beliefs and style of doing things. Europe is arguably one of the most Machiavellian. Many believe that this is an unintended side effect of forming a power based on Astrals."


    ''Exa...''


    ["Machiavellian" refers to the philosophy derived from Niccol¨° Machiavelli. Machiavellians are those typically willing to use deceit, manipulation, or unethical means to achieve their goals, emphasizing results over morality. The term also heavily implies ruthlessness in the pursuit of power or success.]


    I see. Who knew Dominic''s alias had such a profound meaning. But it was true. In that regard Europeans were indeed Machiavellian. The way they handle their children would probably be the strongest indication. They were perfectly willing to sacrifice their present for the future.


    First, rather than love, they married all to give birth to the strongest possible generation. Next, they subjected the children to lives devoid of affection. Third, they forcefully sent their children, teenagers barely old enough to drink alcohol, to wars all to train their mentality.


    The Europe parenting doctrine culminated into assisted suicides that finally allowed the Descendants to join the ranks of the Reapers. This naturally didn''t give a rat''s ass what the children in question wanted. It was as if all would be forgiven once powerful Reapers were borne.


    After a life full of hardship and suffering they would then be told to continue fighting and die in hell all to give others a future. A future that the Descendants themselves were not even given the right to live. How on earth would these pitiful souls muster the will to fight in Hellsgate?


    What did they even live for? They were weapons bred solely for battle. and don''t even get me started on how Europe was intentionally manufacturing Saints! The Astrals distorted the perception of Clive Zanardi''s continent, so much so that rather than noble, all I saw was a bunch of cowards!


    From a king''s standpoint similar to Hannibal, they were correct. I could even feel a bit of respect for their actions. After all, it was the hardest of choices. They definitely had the mentality of worthy of Heroes.


    I could not blame them. Despite my humble origins, I could relate to the Astrals. The despair and pitiful end of the seven lives gave me some insight into the desperation that drove them to such lengths. It was the most logical thing to do, that I could understand.


    But as I saw the tears my girls, Josephine Benelli and Jasmine Denel shed in despair; I could never accept that this was the fucking "right" thing to do.


    I knew I was being petty but that was why I knew I could never be a Hero. Despite seeing the end, a part of me was selfish. I was fine sacrificing other people, but not my own.


    If all Astrals were basically heroes with lingering regrets they were similar to reincarnators or regressors in Anime and Manga. They saw their end and knew what was coming. To that effect why wouldn''t they sacrifice the present for the future?


    ''To those that saw the bleakest of futures, no sacrifice would be too costly. Their eyes were glued to the end result after all. What would we even a million lives be when the alternative is extinction?''


    Clive Zanardi being a Linker would mean his Astral also failed to stop the end. Coming back as a mere ghost, the Astral would be driven to ensure our reality does not share a similar fate. With Clive as his Linker becoming a Machiavellian was inevitable.


    Knowing what I know now, the Revenant I once considered the epitome of evil appeared suddenly became a bit relatable.

 Chapter 796 As much bullshit [1/2]

    Regret. The feeling that consumes a person when they encounter a negative situation and have knowledge, they could have done something about it. Regret was a fundamental concept to humans. To our kind even more so. Our {Fates} were our regrets made flesh.


    Ragnarok, the end of the world of Norse mythology was unique among all the many different mythologies. Norse and the Asgardian lore were built around Ragnarok. Valkyries and Einherjar were all were created and trained for that final battle.


    Yet if what I had already learned was true. Every single mythology on Earth was once a civilization of Reapers that got wiped out. This meant that despite knowing of their coming demise, the Asgardians were unable to escape their fate.


    Freyja, Liv''s former life and Tyr, one of mine were Reapers from that mythology. I could only imagine what they would have felt when they watched as their once mighty civilization crumbled into dust. Their once proud culture and history faded into nothingness.


    As I saw the sad and pitiful backs of my past lives, I found myself wondering. If they were able to start over and try again, what would they do differently? Could they honestly say that they were content with their original result? Was struggling and dying a glorious death in an unwinnable battle enough to satisfy?


    Watching the sad men sit on mountains of bodies made sympathize with them. If nothing was done, the same result would repeat in my lifetime. Carlos'' explanation about the nature of Astrals had a bitter truth hidden in them.


    Astrals were Reapers who all fought their hardest, yet they all still failed. Their indomitable will however refused to surrender, which allowed them to transcend. Even after the fall of their worlds, to do battle once more, they came to the aid of Linkers.


    Such a mindset was undoubtedly impressive. I could understand how they would be able to consider the harshest of decisions all for the sake of survival. Only those who saw extinction had the mettle to sacrifice millions to save billions.


    But while I empathized and understood them. It ended there. No matter their reasons, the fact that these European fuckers subjected my women to such hardship would never be something I could accept.


    Victory always came at a cost. And I was fine with sacrifice, so long as the ones doing the dying were not my own family. I was not a hypocrite nor a hero who could smile as my loved one died all to save millions I didn''t even give a shit about.


    Unaware of my thoughts, Carlos continued to share information about the Linkers.


    "Astrals are Reapers who existed in bygone eras. Their reasons vary however, some fight to get revenge, others do so out of a sense of duty. There are both heroes and villains among them. Some of the Astrals even help with the intent of enslaving their Linkers. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Because of such dangers, the Linkers much like all the other Classes have two schools of thought. Accept Linkers who coexist and support their Astrals and Command Linkers who dominate and enslave their Astrals. Naturally, there are good and bad cases for both types."


    "What is Clive Zanardi. I remember reading that his Astral is King Arthur?"


    "His Majesty the Virtuous is an Accept Linker. His Astral claims to be the legendary King Arthur Pendragon. The same one who had many legends and arguably the most famous Knight in history. But as his legend is all over the place, it''s hard to verify."


    "What kind of abilities do Astrals bring to the table?" I asked in curiosity. In Anime and Manga, these spirits used abilities related to their legends if Astrals were the same, a Linkers power depends entirely on the caliber of his or her Astral.


    "I do not know what they are called, but there were eye count witnesses of the clashes of Revenants in the past. His majesty the Virtuous has once fended off his majesties, the Peerless, the Relentless and the Invincible on separate occasions.


    "In those engagements, the skills exhibited were extremely varied. A sword that made the Invincible back off. A shield that stopped the attacks of the Peerless. And an army of Knights that fought the Champions of the Relentless to a standstill."


    "So, he has a powerful sword, shield and even can stop Simon''s undead monstrosities?"


    Herman interjected with a somber tone, "Our intelligence divisions assigned names to his abilities. They were {Excalibur, sword of absolute victory}, {Avalon, the shield of Camelot} and {Rounds, the order of Pendragon}."


    "Well fuck¡­"


    It was different but extremely similar to Artoria from the Japanese Hentai game. Using that as a reference I asked the weakness exposed in that franchise''s version for Astrals.


    "Do the weaknesses of the Astrals also manifests in the Linkers? Like for example if the Astral was someone like Achilles would the Linkers heel also become a weakness that can be exploited."


    "I am really starting to believe you either have no fear or are too foolish to recognize danger. The body would still remain that of the Linker. So, no. The weaknesses of the Astra''s especially physical ones do not matter. Mental ones however still carry forward," the Conquistador babbled like a know it all.


    "That is quite an interest thought, sadly that is not the case. The biggest weakness of Linkers is the Linkers rank. No matter if they connect to the most powerful Astral, if the Linker''s abilities are insufficient, they cannot fully utilize the Astrals power."


    "What do you mean?"


    Carlos then placed his mug in front of me and took a brand new can of beer, he opened the can took a gulp then presented it to me.


    "Think of it like this, my lord. This can is your Astral. And this cup is your Linker. Even though you have this entire can full of beer, if you pour it to a cup, you must stop once the cup is full. Pouring more is pointless as it will just spill over.


    "The situation of Astrals is like that. Note, most if not all Astrals are confirmed to have powers of Revenants. In fact, a large proportion of them have names that appear as deities in various mythologies. Yet as their Linkers are not strong enough, they must patient wait for them to ripen like fruit."


    "That means, they wait for the Linker or the cup to grow, right?" I guessed.


    "Yes. A good analogy would be poison. You know how assassins in the ancient times drank poison bit by bit to increase their tolerance? The Astrals at full power are poisons enough to kill the Linker. Thus, they must slowly expose their Linkers to their power and pace their growth."


    "I see. What happens if either the Astral forces it or the Linker becomes too rash and makes a mistake? Granted that both the Astrals and the Europeans have their own circumstances what if they either side becomes too impatient?"


    Carlos said nothing and just stared at his mug. It was only during times like this that I saw a visage of how exhausted this man was. Given his strength he must have been around for a really long time.


    And as he was in the intelligence industry, he must have seen and hear more than the average Specter. After waiting for a few seconds, the Inca Warrior made a bitter looking smile as he continued.


    "One of three outcomes occur. The Linker turns to a vegetable, has his or her soul collapse, or dies to the Astral. Even aggressive Astrals, usually strengthen their hosts first become attempting to use their Linkers. Faust is a good example."


    ''Exa?''


    [The legend of Faust is a German tale in which, the titular character a depressed scholar sells his soul to the representative of a demon named Mephistopheles. He gains success and love at the cost of his lover Gretchen who goes insane and is imprisoned.


    [Faust regretful of his mistakes turns a new leaf and strives to redeem himself. His genuine pursuit of knowledge aligns himself with divine grace. When Mephisto comes for his soul, higher forces intervene and save him from eternal damnation.]


    ''From what mythology is this? Is Mephisto in the Ars Goentia?''


    [No, My lord. Mephistopheles although a demon, does not appear in the Ars Goentia. This legend of Faust is not from mythology, but a literary work written by a German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe that gained prominence in the 1800''s.


    [It was turned into many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical works that have reinterpreted it through the ages. Goethe''s version was based on "Doctor Faustus," which was written by the English playwright Christopher Marlowe two centuries earlier.]

 Chapter 797 As much bullshit [2/2]

    Hmm. So, Faust was an enduring work that originated from Europe. It had a lesson and looked like a work of fiction due to the supernatural elements. If Pwyll and the Mabinogi could be based on Reapers who was to say that wasn''t the same for this bastard.


    ''Exa, was Christopher Marlowe the original creator? By that I mean did he had a source material?''


    [The details of the original "Faust" are quite conflicting. Some scholars claim that it was based on Johann Georg Faust. He was a German itinerant alchemist, astrologer, and magician of the German Renaissance who lived during 1480¨C1540.


    [The second was Faust was based on Pan Twardowski a character from Polish folklore and literature who made a deal with Mephistopheles. Twardowski''s story bares many similarities to Faust with the main difference that he escapes the devil by his own wit.]


    ''Ugh, I fucking hate trying to learn all this crap.''


    After my lighting fast discussion with Exa, I scoffed at Carlos'' statement, "You aren''t going to tell me Faust is a Linker, are you?"


    "Yep. Faust or rather Twardowski is a Command Linker. "Doctor Faustus" was a story he wrote to try and obfuscate who Mephistopheles was connected to. He even based it on a real person to make it appear real to erase his presence and strengthen his Astral."


    ''Exa¡­''


    [Twardowski in some versions of the story, is said to have fled to the moon or turned into a star. In others, he is depicted as being transformed into a creature that continues to evade the devil''s grasp.]


    "Why did he even go through all that? And how would you know?" I asked in confusion.


    "That''s because he told me, Pan Twardowski is still alive. His Astral Mephistopheles was a demonic Reaper from a different era. Astrals are quite complex. The more people know of them the more their identity is anchored on this reality."


    "What does that mean exactly?"


    "You know how Specters forget the dead and all that? Astrals who are dead Reapers who refuse to die are bound by that rule. Basically, should they be forgotten completely, they lose their qualifications to become an Astral."


    Even in Fate series, Heroic spirits had a minimum prestige requirement to be included in the pool. But it seemed that in reality that prestige requirement mattered more than most would assume.


    "So Twardowski used Faust to empower his Astral but remove the target on his back?"


    "Yeah, as mentioned Astrals are powerful reapers who died. Trinity or Hellsgate demons recognized the soul signatures of Astrals. I don''t know if it was because of the Archdemons but Europe is the only one who suffers from Poroniecs," Carlos explained a bit downhearted.


    ''Exa?''


    My AI then showed an image of what looked like a deformed fetus in my vision. Beside it was the same fetus transforming to a humanoid monster that looked like a goofy looking teenager.


    [Poroniecs are Rank C Demonkin known as Demonkin bloodhounds. They are infamous as they are among the few monsters of Hellsgate that hunt Reapers on Earth. The European Battlefront loses hundreds of Reapers to them every year.]


    The knowledge that Trinity or rather the Archdemons were actively hunting Reapers made me shiver. Taking a moment to understand the situation I tried to check if my understanding was correct.


    "Then you mean Archdemons upon sensing the Astrals, hunt the Linkers both in Hellsgate and on Earth. All in order to prevent them from growing?"


    "Yes, that exactly is the case. Why try to attack the enemy when are at their strongest? The demonkin bastards know this well. So, they use Poroniecs to assassinate Linkers when they are at their weakest or when their guard is at its lowest."


    "No fucking way!"


    "Twardowski knew that Trinity would try to find him because they detected his Astral. So he left Poland, moved to Germany and created the story about Faust, using an Englishman. It took time but eventually the demonkin began hunting for Faust rather than Twardowski."


    "That has to be the craziest thing I heard or the most impressive," I praised wide eyed.


    "Welcome to the world of Reapers!" Herman joked while raising his cup.


    Taking a moment to digest the information, I concluded after a couple of sips of my drink.


    "This crap is enough to give someone the look. But the most important part here is if Twardowski is still active on the Reaper lines? He should be at least a Specter by now."


    "He is, Twardowski is one of the Specters on active combat duty in Europe. He no longer fights in Hellsgate himself but protects Europe from Trinity."


    "Doesn''t that sound like he just ran a way? He should join the assault teams!"


    "He did, in the beginning at least. Linkers are like the sweetest fruit to the demonkin of Hellsgate. Any mission you take with a powerful Linker would get you more enemies that you normally would. Afraid he would cause his allies to die needlessly, he stayed in the sun instead."


    I had a ton of complaints to this Twardowski, but I knew better than to waste time talking about losers. If the demonkin hunted him to such an extent, his Astral must have been the real deal. But sadly, even with such a powerful card, Twardowski just hid like a coward.


    "Hmph, let''s cut this topic short. While I applaud of his ingenuity, his maturity in trying to make a difference is too lacking. He may dress it in as much bullshit as he wanted but in truth, he ran with his tail between his legs due to fear."


    "For once I agree with you," Herman said as he clinked my mug with his.


    "Fair enough, you have a Formless Linker too?"


    "I think so, my girl''s Astral is named Vela. But I don''t know much about her. What do you do when there is hardly anything known about your Astral? You mentioned Twardowski made Faust initially to help his Astral right?"


    "Yes, normally the more powerful the Astral the more recognition it gets. The more immortalized the Astral is the more power he can bring with him into this world. Major gods like Odin are so famous they are basically all powerful.


    "Both IRIS and Trinity are aware of this fact, this they both try to stamp out or promote certain personalities to humans all to strengthen or weaken the Astral. This Vela either has little to no tales to her name, or it might have been hidden by Trinity in some way. If it''s the latter, she would be severely weakened as a result," Carlos said as he rubbed his beard.


    The Conquistador grabbed my shoulder and began to slurp his speech as he added. "That is partly why most of the Astrals try to promote themselves as deities. All to ensure that they can continue staying on this reality. Failing to do so would ensure that they would suffer the same fate as many Ethnic deities lost to time." Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire


    "I will keep it in mind. Thank you both. From what I learned of Astrals, having a Linker would ensure their survival. I will ensure I spread the name of Vela in some way to help her."


    "You must really like this Astral, my lord. Otherwise, you wouldn''t even bother trying to promote a nameless deity to ensure she remains an Astral."


    "Well, she is special to me. One I consider part of my Harem."


    "Crazy cocksucker wants to nail even Astrals! Go figure!"


    "I see, that is nice. Do you have any further questions about Linkers, Astrals or his majesty the Virtuous?"


    "I do have one last more. How does a Linker strengthen her Astral aside from making their name known?"


    "That would be to immerse the Linker in the life and tales of the Astral. Normally Astrals are drawn to Linkers who lead lives similar to them. Thus, once the Linker syncs memories and emotions with their Astrals, they become incredibly powerful." S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I see, thank you for telling me. We only have Enhancers and Rulers remaining. Let''s try to end before the Siren''s finish annihilating the Observers shall we," I suggested.


    "I understand, my lord. Enhancers are basically¡­"


    As the night continued on Carlos resumed his lecture. Eagerly, I listened as I would soon need all the information he could provide. Day by day the people who depended on me increased, and I couldn''t allow myself to be like "Faust" and run away.


    If he was perfectly fine leaving his lover insane and in jail. I was not. I would much rather die than to allow my girls to suffer such a fate.

 Chapter 798 Maybe he is... [1/2]

    As Carlos explained the Enhancers my mind wandered. I grew amazed that I was still able to keep up with the information he shared. I was dumb as shit in school. And according to Exa, neither {Code} nor {Calculate} actually made me smarter. It just made me think faster.


    Ever since I became aware of IRIS and their methods, I found myself wondering. They managed to do the impossible and share information on a global scale about topics that were hard to comprehend. I mean how the fuck would you even explain what the Reaper Classes were without video games?


    In the olden days it was made to be shared via word of mouth and stories. The stories outlived the people that told them and turned to culture. Further down the line they were written in stone and eventually paper.


    However, the colonization and expansion of some countries lead to eradication of many of these cultures. I could only guess that Trinity had a hand in the colonizers decision to sentence everything they did not understand as barbaric.


    One thing became clear, using culture and tradition had their limits. For one by placing, it as part of culture language and scope prevented the lessons from being shared. IRIS then shifted and used the same thing that broke their methods to spread them instead.


    Using the Colonizers once meant to stop them, IRIS shifted tactics and joined the global party. The Kamasutra was the best example of this. Although a sex book, it spread far and wide and endured till today. Despite it being from a foreign country.


    Fast forward to today, the concepts that were once thought via stories, were given a face lift. Rather than boring lessons, they were now shown as entertainment. Television, movies, Anime, Manga to finally video games.


    I found myself fascinated. Have a regular human watch a zombie movie and immediately they would pick up lessons that were applicable to Hellsgate. As someone who lived in Hellsgate naturally I knew it was still not enough.


    But if you looked at the trends you would see interesting shifts to the industries. Currently rather than a single movie, binge watching became the norm. Having a person fully immersed in something they liked allowed them to escape and live in that word for a short period of time. Such a practice was normal, it was based on biology, right?


    Funnily enough, ever since I learn of the hidden war of IRIS and Trinity, I began to see clues in what might have happened. Indoctrination. That was the only thing I could call it. Similar to what the Nazi''s did to their children or what propaganda machines in the current world were doing.


    Schools were too limited, movies were to short. There was a need to find a way increase the time and information shared. But it had to be in a way the humans would not resist. A way to immerse them and allow the humans to learn the lessons and their implications.


    Cinematic universes that span multiple movies. Crossovers that combined shows together. Video games that were open world, took hundreds of hours to finish or had no end. They all were seemingly money driven concepts, but they all promoted the same thing.


    ''Spend as much time on the medium and learn the lesson.''


    And as someone familiar with video games and pop culture, I only just recently began to notice this. How the actions of IRIS and Trinity were subtle but were wide reaching. They were still at it until today.


    Extremely good shows that were suddenly cut. Video games that had a novel concept but were mismanaged. All indicative of Trinity'' attempts to stop IRIS. Hell, even the entire point of DEI smelled of Trinity.


    People often wondered why DEI or "the Message" about diversity and inclusion, bled into the entertainment industry. The large number or Alphabet bastards who had no further agenda than destroying the IPs they were entrusted with.


    Despite the video games companies and Hollywood losing millions, people still kept burning money. It made absolutely no sense to humans. But to Reapers like me it absolutely did.


    The wave of bad movies, shows and video games made humans swear off the medium entirely. In the sea of bad products, the attempts of IRIS to raise Pseudo Reapers, once effective suddenly would have no room to stand on.


    I mean I was the perfect example. Carlos just sat me down for a lecture about the classes of Reapers. It should have been hard to understand. I should have been overwhelmed. But as I grew up watching and playing media IRIS created, I wasn''t. I adapted.


    My mind was already framed to understand the concepts of Summoners and Champions. I no longer got surprised by Shifters from seeing them so much. The power of Keepers while a bit novel was not unique. Astrals which was originally something to be feared became a means to get waifus and husbandos.


    The current entertainment industry normalized the concepts so much, everyone knew them. I could grab any high schooler and he would get the difference between Champions and Astrals. But then I noticed another thing.


    While I was a good student to IRIS, to the rest of the world I was a loser. It was funny, sports were basically the same as video games. But the ones who spend hours watching football or basketball were not shamed for enjoying them.


    That wasn''t the case for gamers. Why was playing video games such a bad thing? Just how many people were called losers, nerds and geeks for liking science fiction and fantasy?


    Right now, playing video games was equated to being an middle aged virgin that lived in their mother''s basement. Similarly, anime watchers suffered from the same thing. It got better over the years, but anime and manga were given such negative stigma''s people got bullied because of them.


    DEI and the culture of shaming video game both had one similarity. It drove people away from the mediums IRIS was using to indoctrinate the humans for Hellsgate. It was a hidden casualty about the current war against masculinity.


    I couldn''t help Lilly''s words from my first week as a Reaper.


    "IRIS wishing for a way to develop the combat potential of humans created the gaming industry. They normalized the idea of killing undead, trained the humans how to plan with limited information, and how to ''play'' around the rules of a specific concept in order to win. Such abilities translated to competency in Hellsgate."


    "Unfortunately, Trinity got in the way. Instead of allowing for reapers to be trained by the games, they destroyed the gaming industry by moving it away from the simulation and making it lose its purpose¡­" Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    It was only that I began to combine the concepts of Hellsgate with my lessons from IRIS did I see the value. Anyone who hasn''t played a video game or watch a zombie movie would be completely useless in Hellsgate. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The snowflakes or man childs who complained about every little thing. The Vegans or vegetarians who were weak and malnourished. The fat bastards who could not even stand on their own. Hell even the hippies or alcoholic who were always high or drunk were the same.


    Such behaviors not only ensured these people would die early but that they would burden those around them. It went even further and made it normal to be bastards who contributed nothing to society.


    What if this was what Trinity promoted all to ensure humanity''s demise? Anyone with a brain could see that we were in a crisis. And as I gained more power and saw what was, the more I felt I had to do something to aid IRIS.


    ''I should try to do something to help out when I get the chance,'' I inwardly noted.


    My thoughts returned to the present and noticed that neither Herman nor Carlos said anything. They were just enjoying their drinks in silence. Feeling I might have been rude, I spoke out.


    "Sorry Carlos, I didn''t mean to ignore you. I just had some realization from your lectures. If you are tired, we can stop."


    However much to my surprise, Carlos smiled as he shook his head.


    "Think nothing of it my lord. Anyone who sees your face when you ponder would feel proud instead. There is no way such a face was because you found my lecture boring. You have been constantly giving me "the look". At first I thought it was an accident, but well¡­"

 Chapter 799 Maybe he is... [2/2]

    "What Carlos is trying to say is that you look like a person who thirsted and finally got a chance to drink. This must be the unintended side benefit of those self-taught. When they gain proper understanding, they make such a face," Herman his adjutant added.


    "Hahaha! Herman is right. Nothing pleases a teacher more than to see the gears turning in their student''s mind. I am excited to see what you come up with."


    "It is not related to the current matter. Thank you for your understanding, Carlos, I will tell you some other time. For now, can you continue with the Enhancers? I kind of blanked out at the beginning," I confessed as I scratched my cheek.


    "That is fine my lord, think nothing of it. Enhancers are quite straight forward. They use {Fates} to manipulate battle conditions to their liking. They are basically Shifters that do not change forms.


    "They are separated between Augmentors who invoke positive effects and Attenuators who invoke negative effects. Their two schools of thought for domains are just as straight forward. They first have Boosters, Enhancers who are pure Augmentors.


    "Synergists comprise the second. They combine positive and negative affects to maximize combat effectiveness. A word of caution however, while they idea is straight forward the application is not."


    "What do you mean?" S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I mentioned earlier, right? Enhancers are Shifters who do not change forms. Sure, they can increase the power of muscles or reduce the vision of their enemies. But they also can do even nasty stuff. Turning your skin to stone, boiling your blood or turning your bones to swords."


    "That last one, why is that a bad thing?"


    "Your bones are inside your muscles. What would happen if they suddenly became razor sharp? You would shred your insides just from moving. Forget the pain, you would get incapacitated just from the blood loss," Carlos expounded.


    "I guess Attenuators are bad news. Their abilities sound like curses or status effects."


    "Augmentors are just as evil. I once joined a training camp with Enhancers. The Booster Enhancer I teamed up was a fucking sadist. His {fate} turned my skin into metal. Thinking it was a good thing I didn''t think much when he egged me to join my Champions and fight on the front.


    "Turns out even if your skin was hard as metal, that didn''t mean your insides were the same. After two battles I collapsed from severe internal bleeding. My organs so beat up I got sent to the ICU. The worse part was that the Enhancer knew! But he didn''t tell me!"


    Hearing his story reminded me about the hidden dangers of {Eat}. Aki certainly fit the mold of a Synergist Enhancer. {Eat} boosted stamina, {Gather} memory, {Digest} poison immunity.


    From then on, her {fates} changed directions. {Carve} was actually a debuff that increased damage to targets recorded in {Gather}. Meanwhile {Butcher} made it possible to apply the effects of {Eat} on targets with {Carve}.


    I did not know yet what my Kamisan''s latest {fate} was, but she was definitely combining buffs and debuffs. True to Carlos'' words, the {Eat} family was not a simple application of power increases. They were more like mini changes applied to both friend and foe.


    The statement "Shifters who did not change forms" was incredibly apt. But I couldn''t help but grow curious. My Kamisan was already plenty powerful in my eyes was a Synergist, just what the fuck would a Booster be?


    "Anyway, ignoring the side effects of Enhancer {fates} aside, they have absurd levels of potential. Boosters are the sickest bastards of the bunch. The stories of the East such as cultivators and the like, are in fact legacies of the Enhancers."


    "What does that even mean?"


    "Take Goku for example. He can fly, shoot energy, punch mountains into dust and run faster than light. Sounds impossible right? Only it''s not. The energy he shoots is basically soul¡­"


    "I am failing to see where this conversation about an anime character is heading," I snapped.


    "Herman, can you help me out? I can''t explain it properly in English."


    The conquistador finished his drink, pondered for a moment then explained.


    "What Carlos is trying to say is that Chi is like wind. Wind exists, it is invisible, but we know it''s there. Given enough strength, wind becomes visible, that''s why we can see hurricanes and tornadoes.


    "Rather than Goku, it is better to use his majesty the Peerless Li Wu Di. He is a boost Enhancer. His {fate} {Challenge} is similar to my ethos. It enhances his strength based on his opponents. His entire {Fate} family is built on it."


    "But like I said, how is that¡­"


    "You are familiar with Superman, right? What was the explanation that he can fly?"


    "Isn''t it because his body is used to strong gravity, he doesn''t even feel the Earths?" I guessed from memory.


    "Correct. Superman is like Goku in that regard. Their lore states their bodies are so powerful they can literally break the limits placed on humans. His majesty the Peerless is the same. Or rather you would think he was Goku."


    "¡­"


    Seeing my disbelief, Herman continued to explain.


    "No one really knows what the parameters are for his majesty the Peerless'' augmentations are. But while he takes some time to reach his peak, once he arrives to full power, he turns into Goku.


    "His punches become so fast they create vacuums. Combine with soul, his majesty can make waves of energy as big as he wants. He moves like he teleports. Manifested weapons cannot even pierce his skin. Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    "His sense goes beyond superhuman and it''s like he has eyes on the back of his head. This is of course on top of being able to fly, pulverize entire mountains from a single punch and get even stronger as the battle goes on."


    "Motherfucker¡­he sounds like a Chaser. Maybe he is Goku¡­"


    "HAHAHA! I know right! When you see him in combat his majesty is terrifying. He uses a halberd at the beginning of the battle, but the longer he goes he eventually just punches everything to death," Carlos excitedly chattered.


    "And all of that abilities are a byproduct of his augmentations. His {Fate} wasn''t meant to make him fly. It just enhanced his body to such a state that it came as a result. Enhancers unlike Shifters cannot suddenly change the forms of their allies or enemies.


    "But once the requirements for the augmentations and attenuations compound and stack, it is pretty much the same thing. Funnily enough, this same component is used by Eastern fiction specifically Cultivation stories."


    I see, Herman was right. Unlike Western stories where the superpowers manifested suddenly overnight like a spider bite, Eastern powers took time. Goku the arguable most famous anime character grew in power, unlike Superman who was born as a Kryptonian.


    Then did that mean that the Cultivators were boost Enhancers that slowly increased their powers with time? It made sense and fell in line with what I knew of Hellsgate. Seeing the stark difference between Boosters and Synergists made me respect the Enhancers more.


    I couldn''t help imagining the good the Reaper classes would do If they only worked together. How powerful would a Chaser, Linker or Keeper be if he was buffed by an Enhancer? Or what kind of chaos could a Legion Summoner and Synergist Enhancer tandem unleash?


    Sadly, I doubt few would see that as the Reapers were too busy with other stuff. They were too preoccupied at measuring each other''s dicks. I guess that was still better than seeing them beating the crap out of each other.


    Just like the other Reaper Classes, the Enhancers did not disappoint. While I am sure that there would be support type Reapers among the other classes, Enhancers were a whole different beast.


    My girls were the best example. Despite all the good having each other''s {Fates} had. The one single ability that allowed the Sirens to go over their limits was {Eat}. It allowed them to negate the burdens of higher ranked {fates}.


    It was only because that we had Aki, that we could go as hard as I wanted. Enhancers held that much potential when it came to pulling up a squad. Put into gaming terms, I doubted seeing a squad of pure DPS and carries trump against a balanced squad.


    ''I should make this a point when I restructure Hellsend. We need to think more about squad makeup just as much as we did about their equipment,'' I internally noted.

 Chapter 800 It doesnt matter. [1/2]

    "Before we get to the last stretch my lord, do you have any questions about the ones we already discussed?" Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Truly the information I heard was quite a wealth of knowledge. As of the moment this information only mattered mainly for two things. One was to help me understand the {fates} of my harem. And two to understand the combat styles of the Revenants.


    ''Let''s do a quite review.''


    Keepers gained power from enforcing Oaths. Their Domains school of thoughts were Harmony who increased the benefits of their Oath and Chaos who removed the penalties. Should a Keeper break their Oaths, they were penalized by malice or losing their abilities.


    I still didn''t know what Liv would end up becoming. Right now, she hasn''t even shared her Oaths. All I knew was her very first one. "Reclaim the North." That Oath earned her the insulting moniker "The Valkyrie of Ivaldi."


    Meanwhile her father, the Unbreakable Erik Odinson, was a Harmony Keeper. The entire Reaper community heard of the Revenant''s legendary achievement of stopping an invasion of 12 Archdemons, alone. Many assumed that it was only possible due to his Soul Oath of never living his domain.


    Chasers were Reapers who had a constitution called Zenith. Due to this unique condition, their bodies were at war with itself. This was the secret of the overwhelming might of Chasers. After much hardship, Chasers either become Limit Chasers or Infinity Chasers.


    Limit Chasers gain the most powerful body and the ability to suppress souls. This was what the combat style of the Australian Revenant Peter Vujicic the Merciless. Infinity Chasers on the other hand were those that gave up everything for the ability to have unlimited soul energy.


    I recently found out that Robyn in particular was on the Infinity track. Her body, once powerful with impressive athletic ability now rapidly deteriorated. As a result of her condition, she gained overwhelming might greater than even a Specter like Lilly.


    Linkers fought with the ghosts of fallen Revenants called Astrals. Astrals had different reasons for returning, their ranks included both heroes and villains. They needed their Linkers to grow properly in order to demonstrate their power.


    Astrals do not carry over their physical weaknesses but retain their mental scars. This is also why Astrals tended to be Machiavellians. Due to the potential of Astrals, Hellsgate hunts Linkers even on Earth because of their Astral''s identities.


    Linkers had two schools of thoughts. Accept Linkers who chose peaceful coexistence. And Command Linkers who exerted dominance and enslavement. Jo needed to either understand Vela''s legend in order to draw more of her power.


    As Vela was important to me, I did not wish for Jo to be a Command Linker. Unfortunately, Once Jo and I die, If Vela''s legend cannot last the test of time, she would lose her qualifications to fight as an Astral. I planned to ensure that doesn''t happen.


    Clive Zanardi the Virtuous was a Accept Linker who demonstrated impressive might. He defeated different Revenants on three separate occasions. His Astral, King Arthur Pendragon had abilities that followed his legend.


    Summoners from South America fought using Champions. Champions had no rules other than their forms and abilities were dependent on their Summoner''s mental image. There were two schools of thought, Legion Summoners who fought using numbers, and Unity Summoners who fused with their Champions.


    Unity Summoners were rare and had the power to go toe to toe with Shifters. Despite being unable to create Champions, Carlos was sure Bella was a Summoner. Currently he theorized her AI children were in fact her Champions. Her latest {fate} {Replicate} was also proof that despite being Formless my girl was a Summoner.


    Simon Guevarra the Relentless was a Legion Summoner who had Champions that physical bodies. This meant they had lives separate from the Revenant. Which allowed the Relentless to fight even Limit Chasers on equal footing.


    Reapers who fought by transforming their bodies were called Shifters. Their soulforms ranged from beasts, plants to even concepts such as natural calamities. Shifters also had two paths.


    Tyrants were the first. They pursued purity of concept and drew power from mother nature. The second were Hybrids. They were those who combined attributes from different forms into one soulform. They mixed and matched beasts, and concepts all to follow the will of the shifter.


    Hannibal Mandela the Immortal was a genius Tyrant Shifter who could turn into several natural disasters but still retain his will and ego. Ever since he came into power the African battlefront has stopped pushing forward.


    Meanwhile Carlos believes Jas, who only showed changes to her body at Level 5 would become a powerful Shifter in the future. Currently Jas'' body human except for her third eye. I needed to quickly verify what her ideal soulform was so I can assist her.


    Asia was home to the Enhancers. They were the Reapers who used their {Fates} to empower their allies and themselves or weaken their enemies. Their two paths were Boosters who buffed to the limit, and Synergists who mixed buffs and debuffs in combat.


    Aki was on track to be a Synergist based on the {Eat} family. Much like the overdrafting mechanic of {Eat} Enhancers were not all powerful, their Augments often came with a cost. However, these costs were justified considering the increases in abilities Enhancers could provide.


    Li Wu Di, the Revenant of Asia was a Booster Enhancer that buffed his body to insane heights. According to the descriptions of his power, he was basically an anime character given flesh. Herman and Carlos also shared that Cultivators were the legacies of Enhancers.


    When I summarized all that I learned, it was easy to see how fruitful our short talk was. I learned a lot about my girls and the Revenants I considered my peers. I felt bittersweet that my knowledge session with Carlos and Herman was about to come to a close.


    ''Exa, be sure to summarized and save the videos of the discussions here. I plan to have the Sirens create a school for Hellsend to arm our forces with this knowledge.''


    [I understand my lord. You can be sure that I will not leave anything out.]


    "Feels kind of sad that we are near the end. You were an excellent student, my lord," Carlos said with a smile.


    "Thank you. I also think you have a knack for teaching my friend."


    "Right, my men have shared that they are coming here together with the Sirens. They ladies must have finished rounding up the Observers. I thank you in advance, my lord. For giving me and my people another chance despite what we did."


    "That is fine, consider it payment for the information you provided today. When I return, we will plan the retrieval of your people."


    At my reply, both Carlos and Herman bowed their heads and expressed their gratitude.


    "Thank you, my lord." "Thank you, Limitless."


    "Right, now let''s get to the last one. The one I am apart off."


    "Yes. The last and most enigmatic class are the Rulers. I say that as in terms what is known, Rulers are by far the hardest to get anything on. While all other {Fates} are basically comprised of an ability and a medium only the Rulers diverge from this concept."


    "Say that again. I do not get it?"


    "As we have learned my lord. The first six classes we discussed all apply {Fates} using a medium. If I wanted to gain the ability to use fire, each class would use their unique doctrines to gain pyromancy.


    "The Keeper would make a vow and gain fire abilities because of that vow. The Summoner would simply create a Champion with fire abilities. For the Chasers, the Infinity Chaser would gain the ability to create fire by sacrificing enough soul, while such abilities are impossible for Limit Chasers.


    "Linkers would just find an Astral whose legends is based on fire. Meanwhile Shifters would either grant fire to their soulform or turn to fire themselves. Finally, Enhancers would grant the ability to whatever gained their Augments."


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    I see. Each of the Six classes manifest the ability in different ways but there was always something that stood between the ability and the Reaper.


    "Rulers on the other hand are not so straightforward. They do not have a medium as they themselves do not follow the rules. In our earlier example, a Ruler doesn''t need anything to create a fire."


    "What do you mean?"


    "My knowledge about it is a bit limited so bear with me, my lord. Rulers bends or breaks the notion of cause and effect," Carlos prefaced.

 Chapter 801 It doesnt matter. [2/2]

    "A fire for example occurs when something burns right? There are numerous things in there but the cause of something burning is what makes the fire, do you still follow?"


    I nodded my head at his explanations. From what I learned from Exa, {fates} while magical still followed scientific knowledge. They just substituted soul energy for whatever was lacking.


    "Right, for the first six earlier classes, they substitute something to "make" fire. Even the most direct of these trades, the Infinity Chasers still requires souls to pay the price for the fire. For Rulers the need for something to burn, may not even needed in the equation."


    "Huh? What does that mean?"


    "Rulers have two schools of thought. Distortion and Creation. Distortion betrays the rule of the universe while Creation completely disregards it. For the fire example. The Ruler can change the requirements for a fire, like touching something burns it.


    "Touching would be the substitute for burning. So, to the Distortion Ruler touching creates fire. A Domain that promotes this rule would make anything and everything flammable. Of course, the universe''s own laws will use friction to fill the gap in the Distortion to make it work somehow."


    That makes sense. It only bended the rule rather than break it. As friction has the ability to create fire, Distorting the rule can reduce the amount of friction needed. By Distorting the amount of friction needed, the requirement of touching creates fire could still be achieved.


    "The Distortions allowed by nature have limits, however. For the same example, as friction is the rule that accomplishes the Distortion, things that do not create friction will deny the rule. Meaning if you touched water, ice or air, you still cannot make fire. Still with me?"


    "Yeah, Distortion requires some kind of common sense to still apply."


    "Exactly, that is the limit of Distortion Rulers they can only make small changes to the rules using things already present in nature. Creation Rulers are those that goes beyond Distortion and recreates even the limits of the universe.


    "Creation Rulers can say everything they touch catches fire. And irrelevant to how nonsensical that rule is the Creation Rulers {fate} would handle the rest. Whether it be ice, smoke, smoke, air, space or metal, it will catch fire. Because that is the rule that was created."


    "You have got to be shitting me. How is that fair? Wouldn''t Rulers be fucking OP?" I complained.


    "Well, they certainly can, but then comes the Irony of Rulers. Rulers are the only class that have extremely stringent constraints and procedures to how they apply their abilities. We can analyze your Formless lover''s {fate} or your own as an exercise."


    Hmm. I then review the rules surrounding {Store} and {Rewind} in comparison to all the others. {Store} had constraints on distance, time, size and even imagery. {Rewind} needed the user to follow a procedure around {Auto} and {Save} on top of having a cool down.


    {Code}, {Listen}, {Perceive}, {Withstand}, {Carry} and {Eat} had some things, but they weren''t constraints or procedures per se. For example {Code}, only worked for machines, but that had more to do with what {Code} was meant to do.


    {Eat} needing food to work was also similar. {Withstand} had consequences but not constraints. {Carry}, {Listen} and {Perceive} on the other hand had little rules and only had limitations.


    "I see. So, Rulers could bend or create rules, but they are subjected to them as well."


    "Yes. The best example is his majesty the Invincible David Thomas. He was quoted on more than one occasion answering that his power is caused by his confidence. If you have had the experience of seeing his majesty fights, you would know that he creates nuclear explosions from thin air."


    "Yeah, I saw. But what does his confidence have to do with anything?"


    "His majesty the Invincible is quite arrogant. He told the world actually. And even then, no one could do anything about it. It is why he is called the Invincible," Carlos said with a weird looking smile.


    "You lost me," I replied honestly.


    Herman made a complicated expression as he added his two cents, "Limitless, his majesty the Invincible claims his power comes from his will. To put it in simple terms. So long as he believes he cannot lose, he can generate unlimited power."


    I only know remembered what Exa showed me in the past. At the time I just glanced and ignored it. At the time I thought it was an analogy or something. But turns out it was objective fact.


    ___


    North America


    Theme: Breaking Common Sense (Logic defying based combat)


    Common battle style: abilities that violate rules of the world.


    Revenant Combat Style: Power conversion of will (David Thomas) Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire


    Siren Combat Style: Space manipulation (Lilly Browning)


    ___


    Power conversion of will. What the actual fuck? David was a fucking Shonen protagonist! All he needed to win was to scream and believe he can. It sounded insane, but I still remember the nuclear explosion he created from that halfhearted punch during the Enlistment.


    I didn''t know how The Peerless or The Merciless would fair against David. But being able to kill an entire floor break with a single punch went beyond the realm of understanding. If his will was all that he needed to win, then I could understand why he never kept it a secret.


    "Because It doesn''t matter. Whatever anyone thinks, does or says," I murmured in defeat. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Carlos continued to explain while scratching his beard, "But the rules are strict for him as well. If his will is the source of his power, that means that his majesty the Invincible cannot loose heart no matter what. The moment he does he will not only lose his power but endure a penalty."


    "Hmm. That is true. No one can be strong all the time. That must be quite exhausting."


    "Indeed, but such is the caliber needed to be a Revenant. But that example is too far off. Why not use you lovers {Fate}. I believe it should be the Untamed Lilly Browning, right?"


    "Yeah, It''s her. Her {fates} are for controlling subspaces. She breaks the concept of space and distance."


    I then explained some of the nuances for Lilly''s first five {fates}. I kept {Blink} and {Gate} a secret. After he heard Lilly''s abilities both Carlos and Herman expressed their opinions with complicated expressions.


    "The {fates} themselves are quite useful in terms of keeping supplies. But the requirements to use them are too hard. The need to remember the dimensions of an object when you put it in or take it out are harsh. {Portal} is even worse."


    "Even if you could vividly remember the place, the doorway closing after you enter it makes it useless. On top of that it uses stamina and it''s not even useful for combat! How on earth would the Princess fight properly? She would need to be a genius to even execute them!"


    Anyone who saw how my girls abused the shit out of {Portal} or how I used the storage space would never think the {Store} family of {Fates} was useless. But I only recognized just now, how tough the constraints on them were.


    I once tried to pull out just magazines from my storage and failed. Exa taught me what I missed, and I never had a problem with my storage since. When I tried to explain the {Store} family to the South Americans Exa defined the constraints on Lilly''s {Fates} for me the first time.


    And I marveled at the shit I didn''t even know that existed. Turns out that much like when I pulled out the magazines, taking or putting anything into the {Storage} required vivid imagery of size, shape and weight of the objects. This was what allowed them to retain their features in my subspace.


    I didn''t need to deal with of that crap because of {Gather} and {Perceive}. Turns out if I didn''t have either, just taking stuff out of my storage would require immense concentration.


    Apparently, Lilly needed to memorize the object''s dimensions first before being able to store it. This was why Lilly only stored a few items and used majority of her subspace to hide water for her act. Primarily because water had flexible dimensions and consistent weight.


    She only began liberally using her subspace in combat after she gained {Limitless} and Exa. Much like {Rewind} so many things needed to come together for her {Fate} to exhibit its power. Which made me glad that I had all the members of my Harem, we truly were stronger together.


    "Haha, that much is true, but she wouldn''t fair too badly after all she has me," I boasted with a smile.

 Chapter 802 HELLSENDS 2ND VICTORY! [1/2]

    "So, it would seem," Carlos answered with a smile.


    From how he explained Rulers had their own share of penalties. {Store} in particular had the danger of forever getting lost in subspace. As for {Rewind} unless I use it correctly none of its abilities would be of use.


    I grew quite pleased to know how much my girls helped the others. Even if you ignored the most obvious benefits. Learning that {Gather} and {Perceive} was the ones that lifted the constraints on {Store} made me feel good.


    To a degree, even the consequences of Robyn''s Zenith constitution was being supported by {Eat}. It was a bunch of happy coincidences. Personally, I would not have been able to do anything. But because the girls all became allies because of me, we grew stronger.


    Just then I felt my links come alive. I somehow noticed that when the girls and I where on different floors our links got weaker. The greater the distance the weaker it got. They should have only been less than five floors away, but it didn''t feel that way.


    The emotions and thoughts from our {Kindred} links were still there but turned into something like whispers. I could still hear them if I really focused, but they were different from the constant warmth I had grown used to.


    ''But I guess this is still better than when we went to the 30+ floors. There it was like I didn''t even have links to Bella, Aki, Jo and Robyn.''


    [My Lord, the last of the Observers have been apprehended. Juno and Lady Jo have also set up a rudimentary surveillance system using zombies, lizardkin and burner phones.]


    Hearing Zombie, Lizardkin and phone in the same sentence made no sense. But as my Darling was the one doing it, I didn''t try to think too much about it.


    ''Thanks Exa, then they are on their way here?''


    [Yes, my lord. They are. Together with them are the Awakened and the South Americans recruited as part of Nerio''s army.]


    ''Good. Then we can end this charade. And prepare for the next operation.''


    "Oh? It seems they are on their way back," Carlos exclaimed.


    "About time. Deploying champions away from you for days is fucking exhausting," his adjutant complained as he stretched.


    As the need to stay inside the domain was gone. We all stood up and stretched. I returned the {Shelter} furniture back to my subspace along with the trash and leftovers. Both Herman and Carlos gasped in surprised understanding the implications. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Initially they must have believed my pulling out crap out of thin air was due to a soulgear or something. But now that they learned of the {Store} family, they would be able to connect the dots. As Lilly''s {Kindred}, I was using her {fate}. The same one they said was useless.


    "Before we leave, I wanted to thank you two for the lesson. I really am grateful. In the future should I have questions I will come to you," I began. Ignoring their surprise.


    "Think nothing of it my lord. I was concerned that you would have trouble understanding it all, but it seems that was a needless worry. Just for reference the material we went over was supposed to be discussed over the course of months."


    "They did say the quickest way to learn a language was to find a lover who spoke it. My understanding might be more well-rounded as I have observed my girls long enough to be familiar with their classes."


    "Limitless, at this point you are just using whatever reason you can find to support your philandering," Herman snapped.


    Carlos raised his hand to silence him, "Herman, enough! I will not tolerate you disrespecting the marital affairs of my lord. Even you have a harem back home do you not? Stop being childish! You are insulting the one whom you will ask to save your family!"


    Hearing the sharp rebuke of the Inca Warrior I smiled a wide grin. Herman looked like he swallowed shit as he squirmed without being able to utter a single rebuttal.


    "My lord. Please forgive my foolish brother. His pedigree makes him a bit blind to most thing. But I assure you he is grateful for all you have done for us. Him assisting in the lesson was his form of sincerity. Please do not think too badly of him."


    It was kind of interesting seeing Carlos defend Herman and call him his brother. Carlos from what I learned of his faith was someone who grew up in poverty. In contrast Herman reeked of a privileged upbringing.


    Yet despite their different backgrounds, multiple times I saw that these two really considered each other brothers. They would jump to each other''s defense and even support each other when the other was down.


    Unknowingly, partly why I tolerated Herman''s asinine comments and pompous behavior was I knew he had character. There was something to be said about warrior who protected their allies rather than themselves. Such men were worth of respect.


    "It is fine. He can insult me all he wants. Just respect my harem and we will get along just fine."


    "Thank you, my lord. We will remember."


    I then stared to the swirling dome of energy surrounding us. A Domain. By the time I have one, I would be only a rank away from a Revenant. Despite that truth though, I felt a bit conflicted. Originally, I believed just becoming a Revenant would solve everything.


    But now I know that even Revenants were not gods. The fact that Astrals existed proved that in the end all that mattered was strength. No one would give a crap even if you became a Revenant if your world dies to Hellsgate.


    With such dire thoughts filling my thoughts, I failed to notice that Carlos already deactivated his domain. What made me aware was the loss of light and seeing the fact dimly lit night sky of Hellsgate.


    "They are out! HELLSEND FORM UP!"


    My soldiers all approached us gun trained on the two Specters beside us. It seemed that Hellsend already established a perimeter around the domain we stayed in. Several vehicles were parked and there were even large canopy tents where a buffet was laid out.


    "Smith, John. Are you alright?"


    Krishna came forward with anti-soul halberds with his gold guys. Somehow you could feel the tension from the eyes of my men. As those who saw how unkillable the Specters where they might have been feeling the pressure. Even Roach came out and watched. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire


    Carlos and Herman acted as if the ones threatening them were children. Like when children raised toy guns and were screaming stuff at you. They were indifferent and looked annoyed but understood that acting harshly was out of the question.


    I raised my hands as I chuckled, "Thank you Krishna, I am fine. Everyone, stand down. These two along with their army intend to join Hellsend. From this point on, they are guests. Treat them as such."


    Like magic, my words caused every reaper to sheath their weapons. It was quite a sight, despite being only one man, I could end the night amicably or turn it into a blood bath. This was power. Power that could not be bought, begged or stolen.


    ''Shit, need to keep myself grounded. Exa, where are the girls?''


    [They should be arriving any moment. Head to the marker I am showing in your vision, my lord.]


    Like an AR interface as green arrow appeared in my vision. I followed it as I called out to the Specters awkwardly standing about.


    "Carlos, Herman come with me," I beckoned.


    The three of us walked towards the open space the Siren''s designated as their return point. Interestingly enough, there were people all around the space. I saw Gareth and his defenders standing guard.


    When he saw me, he left his companions and jogged towards me.


    "My lord¡­It seems the battle has finished. Will these two gentlemen be joining us?"


    "Yeah, I will tell you about it later. More importantly, has this spot been designated as something?"


    "Yes, my lord. Tildi has said this would be the spot the ladies will use to return. There was nothing said about when, so they assigned guard rotations. Seeing as you are here, then they will be returning soon?"


    I nodded and grinned like a child. I began imagining Hellsend''s reactions when Juno arrived. "Yeah, they are. Have everyone vacate the area."

 Chapter 803 HELLSENDS 2ND VICTORY! [2/2]

    "At your command," he replied with a Hellsend salute.


    "Exa can you please call all the officers here."


    [Yes, my lord.]


    We waited for a few more minutes. The officers of the various groups all stood beside me like a welcoming committee. Five minutes later, I felt the smell of ozone filling the air. Along with it was the low hum that sounded like it came from the bottom of the earth.


    Those beside me all flinched at the sighs of my harem''s arrival. The hum began resonating to the point that my skin could feel vibrations as if I was at a concert. Less than a second later an large orange point appeared 100 feet in the sky. It then fell down drawing a line from the sky to the ground as it did.


    The line then abruptly opened from both sides forming a half circle. Immense dazzling light and soul saturated the air. On the other side of the large soul powered doorway, were the women I loved the most. They came out not noticing the crowd gawking at them.


    "She was already a Specter!" Carlos gasp in understanding.


    My harem, the Seven Sirens walked with grace and beauty on their way to me. Behind them followed familiar and not so familiar faces. But the most eye-catching detail was the numerous 50 foot-tall Lizardkin Dragons that began to exit the {Gate}


    As if volcanoes were erupting underground deafening booms echoed as each Lizardkin Dragon stepped forward. When I though the sounds were a bit too loud, they suddenly turned quiet.


    ''Was that you Exa? Thank you.''


    [You are welcome, my lord. {Listen} upon leveling can now choose to filter specific sounds. So, I can now mute certain things or people should you wish to do so. I will analyze to make sure you still hear deviance to the norm.]


    ''Got it, thank you.''


    With the tremors silenced I began to overhear the comments of those around us.


    "What the fuck Psy!?! Didn''t the lord fight one of those just last week! There are a crap ton of them!"


    "Calm down Browski, you going to go insane if you let everything shock you. Don''t worry, the Sirens are with them. Anything that''s a threat to the lord eats a bullet if they are around."


    Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire


    ___


    "Ver, what the hell is that?"


    "Dunno, don''t care. If Limitless ain''t shooting at them, they are no treat."


    "Guess you are right."


    ___


    "Damn, and I though the Roach bastard was already insane. You telling me the lord got these mother fuckers on our side?"


    "Haha, he took you in, didn''t he? Limitless would take in even hamsters if they could kill zombies!"


    "HAHAHA THAT IS TRUE! LONG LIVE THE LORD!"


    ___


    It was interesting to hear the thoughts of others. They already began to use our past actions to rationalize what they saw. It was incredible what people could accept as their "Normal". Give anyone enough time to adjust and even the most impossible would not be in a few weeks.


    Behind me however was a different story. It was humorous to hear Carlos and Herman rapidly speaking in foreign languages. Multilingual people often turned to their mother tongue when they were unhinged.


    Hearing two Specters suddenly talk rapidly in was quite comical. But it also drove home the point that from even their point of view, the Awakened was incomprehensible.


    Lilly eventually led the Sirens as they all kneeled in front of me. Philip, Wil the rest of the Siren Squads all followed suit. The Awakened abruptly stopped walking in synch.


    "My lord, the Seven Sirens have accomplished the task you have given. We have apprehended the key people among the Observers of the South Americans they are¡­" As my princess was in the middle of reporting their results, my links heard my other girls conversing.


    ''Possum, the princess is going to bring out three slags. Kill them all, they are bugged.''


    ''Husband, their soulgems are located behind their throats. I detected it with {Insight}. Coincidently I found a wiretapping {fate} {Gossip} placed in their blood. Just killing them is not enough, we should competently destroy their bodies. I suggest burning them.''


    ''But Jaaaass!! That''s so lame. Darling, I already spoke with Juno, order Liv and I to feed them to the Awakened. That way everyone will be scared out of their wits!''


    ''Honey, stop her, give me their bodies instead! I can add them to the Aegis Battalion. I am confident I can shut down the wiretapping {fates}.''


    ''Bella, please be content with those we got. Beloved please cut out the weeds at the source. We cannot risk them leaking our information.''


    ''Shujin, I agree with Bella, of course kill the spies, but we can use the wiretaps as double agents. I know I can do this; I have the necessary experience. We shouldn''t let this chance slip by.''


    Barely ten minutes upon arriving the girls were already embroiled in arguments, planning to murder someone and insulting the fuck out of each other. While their real bodies were all silent except for Lilly, their links were a different story.


    ''Did you all vote on it?''


    ''We are at five to two. Apart from Aki and Bella, everyone else wanted them dead.''


    ''I see.''


    "Here are the ring leaders of the Observers my lord!"


    They brought out a trio of Latino men wearing black garbs. They all similarly had black markings on their faces. The girls could have simply executed them rather than bringing them here. My act of terminating them must be a power play the Sirens thought up.


    Wordlessly I took out Ebony, my black USP match and took aim. The Latinos all visibly trembled when they noticed I was aiming at the throat of their ally. Not intending to waste time, I squeezed the trigger.


    A .45 ACP round left my gun and skewered the throat of the one in the middle. He crumpled without so much as a shout like a doll. His allies raised their hands and were about to beg on their lives, but I didn''t dally and shot them dead as well.


    "Minerva, Inari we needed Reaper corpses for "That" project, right? Use these, once we learn everything, we can about them, feed them to the Awakened," I tried to say menacingly.


    My girls understood that I chose to side with Bella and Aki. But I walked forward and picked up one of the bodies by its leg.


    "Juno! Where are you? Are you here?"


    "I am."


    Surprised that I was hearing an actual voice, I turned toward the one who spoke. It was a seven-foot-tall humanoid lizard. She still had a lizard''s head, but her body was slim and looked much like an armored woman.


    Juno''s new form still had a tail and scales, but it also had characteristics of humans. She even had protrusions on her chest despite reptiles not needing milk. I tried to hide my surprised and sent her a message using Exa.


    ''Eat or tear apart the body I will give you. As brutally as you can.''


    [As you wish.]


    "Here is the gift I promised you before."


    Going with my play, Juno reverently took the corpse as if it was a reward she wanted. Before pulling apart the legs and arms off the corpse. She turned back to the Lizardkin with her and tossed the torn limbs. It was like one would do for pigeons on the streets.


    The Lizardkin all began to snarl and hiss as they fought each other for the bloody pieces of the former observer. Juno opened her mouth and bit off the head. As she chewed the skull and brains, she threw the torso to one of the Lizardkin Dragons.


    She then faced back to me as blood dripped from her mouth and decorated her chest like a scarf. "Thank you, my lord. It was delicious," she added as she licked her lips.


    "You are welcome, I am glad you could make it we have much to discuss," I said with a smile, Juno acted like a human and bowed at my words.


    Seeing Hellsend the South American army along with the Awakened, a proper end to this battle was needed. I invoked {Announce} as I roared.


    "I, LIMITLESS, LORD OF THE 24TH FLOOR, HEREBY DECLARE HELLSEND''S 2ND VICTORY! WELL DONE, EVERYONE! LET THE PARTY BEGIN!"


    "AHHHHHH!!!!! LIMITLESS! LIMITLESS! LIMITLESS!"


    "VICTORY!"


    "VICTORY!"


    "VICTORY!"


    Cheers rang out as the first defense of Hellsend finally ended for real.


    S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 804 I had no idea [1/2]

    Amidst the cheers my girls all walked towards me and gave me tender embraces. The officers who knew of my love for the Sirens said nothing and began to break up the groups. They were quite reliable at times like this.


    Carried by the mood, I declared the end of the battle. I said party but I wasn''t sure if there was anything prepared. The three vital things you needed for a party, was a venue, food and drink, and finally people. Depending on the type of people you might also need some entrainment.


    Seeing the Hellsend, Nerio Army and the Awakened we had more than enough people. As there wasn''t anything around us in this desolate place, we also had a good venue. The problem was food. I saw some tents with what looked like a buffet spread, but I didn''t know if we actually had food.


    ''Exa, do we have enough to actually have a celebration?''


    [I have opened the question to Lady Aki, as the head of Inari''s Kitchen she would know.]


    ''Kamisan?''


    Aki made a sultry smile as she flashed her doe like eyes at me.


    ''As the mistress of your house, naturally it is my responsibility to serve your people. I have my personal squad retrieving the food we prepared. I already anticipated something like this before we even left. We have enough food for 5,000,'' she declared smugly.


    At her words I sense a large number of people bringing out carts of what looked like food. There were mouthwatering meat dishes, stews and above all large barrels of alcohol. The ones bringing them in were familiar Production Reapers.


    They were the ones Eva recruited to cook for us. It felt like a lifetime ago at this point. The soldiers and the South American''s gave way. Most of them smiling as the appetizing aroma was already filling the air. Elated that I had such a reliable lover, I reached for her and pressed her body to mine.


    "Thank you Kamisan. I love you."


    Along with my declaration I leaned in for a kiss, Aki closed her eyes and accepted me with a gentle embrace.


    "Ehem! Darling! Vela and I also prepared something!" my Shooting star boasted.


    Before I could ask what, it was, I then heard a loud roar from a familiar voice.


    "ALRIGHT EVERYONE! LIKE PATRON SAID ITS TIME TO GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"


    I looked behind me and saw Connie on a makeshift stage that appeared out of nowhere. I sense digital transmissions flying about as spotlights and drones began filming the stage. She was using {Announce} to modulate her voice and {Interpret} to allow everyone to understand her. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Huh?"


    Bella walked to my side and leaned on my open shoulder. Her body''s suppleness and weight felt extremely pleasant. She leaned in and spoke softly into my ear. It was as if she was aiming to tickle my brain with her sexy moans.


    "This is a stage we built before Honey, Robyn created a stage that could be picked up and dropped out at the stage of a hat. We moved it just now; the Wizards are the ones coordinating sounds and lighting."


    I felt a small being leapt up behind me. Her small boobs pressed behind my back as she nuzzled her nose on my neck. Naturally I knew that it was my adorable Kitten. She was acting like a drug addict who suddenly found her fix.


    With glazed eyes Robyn kept licking my neck as she panted, "Possum, this was what we planned for your home coming. I know I should be patient, but I want to make love¡­"


    Amused at her antics I turned my head and gave her a soft kiss.


    "Don''t worry Kitten, we can take a couple of days, let''s just get the groups to mingle and then we can leave."


    I turned to Bella and also kissed her. Along with Aki, the two girls were all over me with flushed faces. Suddenly I felt my tie yanked forward. It was a Jo who pouted as if she was being bullied.


    With teary eyes she complained as she pulled me closer, "Darling! Stop ignoring me! These hoes are saying all this shit! You didn''t even look at my present!"


    Seeing her endearing childishness, there was nothing more I wanted but to reach out and embrace her. Funnily enough, Aki and Bella each took my arms and buried them in their chests. It was as if they said that my arms were theirs.


    Neither my Brazilian bombshell nor my Japanese land lady wanted to release my hands. Thus, in response, I created a {Shelter} construct and gently pushed Jo from behind.


    "Eh? What is that?"


    Amused at her confusion, like a vampire I went for a spot on her cleavage and playfully bit her soft and tender skin.


    "Ahhh! Darling! What the hell?!"


    Despite her complaints, Jo''s seductive panting betrayed her real feelings. I licked my lips as my excitement started to build teasing her further as I did.


    "How can I pay attention to anything else, Darling? I am quite hungry¡­I want to eat Italian."


    "Ehhhh! But Darling, there are so many people here¡­Its¡­too embarrassing¡­Give me time to prepare my heart¡­"


    With a bewildered face Jo covered her cheeks as she turned away. Relishing Jo''s adorable confusion as her fetish and morals collided, I smiled satisfied. The three embracing me all began asking if I wanted other type of cuisine. Specifically, the ones their own bodies belong too.


    "ALRIGHT! You know them as the public morals committee, the war freak sisters and the ball smasher guild! Now here for the first time! The public debut of Hellsend''s first Idol Unit! GIVE IT UP FOR VELLLLAAAA''S SACREDDDDSSS!!!!"


    Connie''s declaration had so many questionable elements I turned toward the stage in reflex. There I saw the Saint Division of Hellsend all stand in orderly lines. The lights on the stage all dimmed and focused on Yvonne at the center.


    ''Exa?''


    [One of Vela''s Wolves training programs was to get as much combat experience as possible. Lady Jo wanted them to be able to recognize blood lust and train the ability to fight under pressure. Thus, ever since its inception, Vela''s wolves have acted like a peace keeping force for North America.]


    I remembered Yvonne saying something to that effect after my honeymoon. They even had uniforms and what not. From the reactions of the people, they were effective to some degree.


    [Due to their histories, Vela''s wolves were particularly aggressive on any case that concerned sexual and domestic abuse. They pulled out guns and had no qualms maiming and outright killing Reapers. They also created a ritual of stomping the testicles of offenders till they turned to paste.]


    ''Wow, I had no idea.''


    Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    [While they have earned the admiration of many, they also began to get into disputes with various groups. As part of their training, they met force with force. The 2nd Amendment and the Sirens supported their activities, while Philip ensured they wouldn''t get convicted. North America has been silent on the matter.]


    ''They probably think it''s a good thing. Still, that''s awesome! Why am I only hearing of this now?''


    [The Siren''s didn''t think it was important. As the Wolves grew in size, some squads go to North America to train. Their brutality and penchant for crushing testicles had earned them various monikers. Some of which are "the war freak sisters", "the ball crushing union" and the "public morals committee".]


    "Hahahahaha!"


    Often times I forget that my people were not like NPC in video games. They were living breathing people. Those that had their own lives and dreams. Hearing about the ridiculous exploits of the Saints made my heart welled with pride.


    It felt surreal. Once upon a time Yvonne and her sisters were a Production Saint guild struggling to make ends meet. Now they were singing on a stage while having a track record of assault that would put most men to shame.


    If I didn''t know her personally, I might have believed the solemn aura she now exuded. Yvonne began to sing what sounded like a church hymn. The equipment near the stage all played the accompaniment giving the impression of an actual concert.


    The lights shifted and focused on Yvonne giving her the impression of a devoted priestess. Solemn voices from the rest of the wolves began to join in. The entire performance was impressive. Yvonne eventually led the saints as they sang their hearts out.


    Eventually they reached the climax and then the music stopped. Eerily Yvonne walked forward as the rest of the saints kept singing solemnly.

 Chapter 805 I had no idea! [2/2]

    "We dedicate this to lord Limitless, our one and only patron. Who without we would have died to some ditch somewhere. To everyone here, I say to you. We may have come from different backgrounds, beliefs and circumstance. But under the name of Limitless, we are brother and sisters."


    Surprised of such a declaration, I was about to ask before Jo turned my head to face her, "This is my gift to you Darling. Both on Earth and Hell, Vela''s Sacreds will proclaim of your greatness. So that the world would know the man who is working so hard to save them."


    Overwhelmed I grew silent. While I did try my best, it wasn''t because I was great. I did it for my own selfish reasons. But Yvonne''s words were true. Hellsend cared not where you came from. Only if you were willing to fight with us.


    I couldn''t resist and moved to kiss Jo''s luscious lips. She welcomed me as we shared a tender moment. My Italian Darling even sucked on my tongue. Jo pressed herself to me and sought me as if I was her oxygen. After we parted I thanked her.


    However I noticed her Irises turned red, the one with me now was no longer Jo but Vela.


    Accompanied by the solemn and angelic voices I felt goosebumps. Vela''s dazzling smile showed how much affection she had for me. I probably didn''t understand at the moment, but I felt like this was a really big fucking deal.


    "NOW THAT THE SAPPY STUFF IS OUT OF THE WAY! LET''S HIT IT!"


    Curious to see what else the girls had in store I watched the impromptu concert. The moment Yvonne shouted, she pulled on her priestess robes and threw it into the air. Along with her sudden wild act all the lights on stage shut off.


    Distorted and heavy riffs unique to electric guitars began dominating, completely opposite the earlier solemn aura, the music suddenly turned energetic.


    "ARE YOU READDDDYYYY!!!!" Yvonne Kalapas roared. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "OHHHHHH!!!!"


    A strong, driving bass line joined in. Not long after dynamic drumming enhanced the overall intensity. Before people could understand what was going on, Sacred''s began soaring towards the stratosphere. As if the sky turned to gold, blessings filled the night sky.


    "I CAN''T HEAR YOU! HELLSEND ARE YOU READYYYY!!!!" Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    "OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"


    With the breathtaking backdrop we only now saw that the choir behind Yvonne was gone. In its place was Vela''s wolves wearing a variation of their usual uniform. Like an idol group, the girls all then began to sing what sounded like a pop song.


    ["Like a shooting star he cut the darkness and shined! Brighter than the sun He burns! Burns! Burns! Born of suffering and desperation he rose! Higher that the sky he rose!"]


    Along with the lively melody, the girls danced and performed on stage. I looked around and saw that majority of the audience were cheering away. A few were more concerned with the food, but the rest had their eyes glued to Vela''s Sacreds.


    "The one who fights for the future! The fights for the morrow! The one who never fears, never sleeps and never stops! COME ON YOU ALL! SING WITH ME! IN THE NAME OF LIMITLESS!"


    When I heard my name from the stage, all my goodwill at the event disappeared. The lyrics were fucking cringe and when I understood they were for me, I wanted to bury my head in the ground. But before I could even react, three figures appeared in front of me. Liv, Lilly and Jas, all held me down and forced me to stay.


    As if they were caught being naughty my entire harem all began laughing while restraining me. Their links were drowning in joy, embarrassment and a unique feeling I could only describe as mischief.


    "Darling, do you not like it? I made the song with Wil, turns out he was a composer before he died. Having yourself immortalized in song was something I wanted to do for you."


    As the Jo with me had red irises, my Italian lover had yet to return. Instead, her Astral named Vela just shared that she deliberately made the song. A song so cringy I wanted to shoot Wil for even writing the damn thing.


    "Hahaha! He is beside himself Vela. Do you not see his happiness? Beloved, likes it."


    "Pfft, Dearest¡­please stop¡­It''s not that bad¡­It''s a good song."


    "BWAHAHAHAHA! Possum, you look so cool! HAHAHAHA!"


    "I can''t¡­ Hahahah! I''m fucking dead! Honey, your reaction is too adorable. We will proclaim this song to the world!"


    "Husband. Your embarrased face is just too cute. Is it bad, I want you to make that face forever? I should have Wil make more songs. We will make a whole album."


    "Anata, their songs are of admiration. There is pfffft. Nothing embarrassing about them."


    The girls knew I didn''t like being in the spotlight. They also knew I was socially awkward. Part of the reason I acted like an ass most of the time, was because I didn''t know how not to be weird. There was no way in hell, I would tolerate a song about my exploits.


    I almost died of cringe at the promo Connie made for my seeker war. To suddenly make Vela''s Sacreds sing such an embarrassing song was just fucking evil. I didn''t know what to tell Vela who seemed to honestly thought I would like it.


    My link to Jo was similarly drowning in happiness and mischief. My shooting star seemed to be sitting back enjoying the awkward position she placed me in. While Jo and Vela were inhabiting the same body, only Jo and I were connected.


    Vela was an Astral, one who wasn''t famous. Much like what Carlos said, Astrals who were forgotten ended up fading into nothingness. This must be why Vela chose to create songs with the goal of immortalizing me. Because of what she was, I could understand why she did it.


    But just because I understood, didn''t mean I could suddenly change how I saw it. I probably was making a face of confusion as if I ate shit. I couldn''t even voice my complaints in fear of hurting her. The Sirens who knew my internal turmoil laughed in happiness.


    "I¡­like¡­.it¡­.very¡­much¡­" I grunted with much difficulty.


    "Really! Thats great! I am so glad you like it Darling!" Vela said with an innocent smile.


    "BWAHAHAHAHA!" x6


    The other Sirens all hollered in glee at my reaction. I felt my jaw clench in frustration but decided to stay silent. Instead, I sent a threat and warning towards the seven naughty women I loved the most. I sent them vivid imagery while I was at it.


    ''Enjoy your fun now my lovelies. I will fucking destroy your pussies when we get back.''


    The laughter from the girls slowly stopped as a result. And instead they all had made lewd faces full of anticipation and desire. Their links all began to heat up as lust and excitement flooded them like drenched pussy juice.


    Only Vela was oblivious and was instead singing along with the Idols. Just then Phillip walked closer to me and bowed.


    "Welcome back, my lord. I apologizing for bothering you but I wanted to give you an update before you retire for the night."


    As expected of my clerk. He probably knew I would take a break with the Sirens once I leave tonight. The more he performed like this the more I grew appreciative of him.


    "Thanks Philip. That helps."


    "Yes, from what the ladies shared, Nerio''s army will guard our border with Africa while Juno''s Awakened will guard the one with South America. All groups have been notified. Head Saint Yvonne has began working with Juno and already drafted rotations for malice cleansing from our forces.


    "Regarding the anti-soul weaponry, Cynthia and Addison shared that they have found a way to process them. We should be able to create prototypes before you leave for Operation Rock.


    "Commander Joshua has already submitted alterations to our combat doctrine and training. As for the recording from Carlos, Van and Connie has volunteered to create a curriculum for Reaper education. All other teams have also begun creating operating doctrines for their spheres of influence."


    "Excellent, thank you Phillip, I will continue to rely on you to keep things in order," I praised Phillip for his quick summary.


    While we did win, there was too many mistakes in the defense. It was amazing to hear that our officers were already incorporating their new learnings. They did so even without me prodding them to do so. This just showed how serious they were at improving.


    There was no perfect way to fight or do things. You only learned through experience. And believing you had nothing more to learn was the first step to stagnating.

 Chapter 806 - 806: Never gets easier [1/2]

    As I was wondering if there was anything else I wanted to tell Phillip, a tall figure came near me. She stood out as the Reapers around her were all staying away. That and she had a group of Lizardkin walking with her.


    I faced my new ally and noticed her eyes were gleaming. It was the look you often noticed children make when they were waiting you to notice their prank. As the leader of the Awakened came closer the Sirens separated into two camps.


    The Hammer team looked at the humanoid lizard fondly and moved to give her a hug. My girls from the Anvil team did not and were stand-offish. Robyn got off my neck and crossed her arms. Jo mirrored her pose and sneered like a delinquent. Aki and Bella while not as hostile were also on guard.


    "What do you want cunt? Go away!"


    "Yeah! Darling is busy!"


    "Juno-san, we are not comfortable with you being here."


    "I tolerated your bullshit earlier, Awakened. Do not test me."


    The links of my girls were running wild. They were not making empty threats. Of the four, Jo was the only one who wasn''t dripping with blood lust.


    ''Exa? Didn''t they already work together earlier?''


    [I can only think of this as your fault, my lord.]


    ''My fault? What the fuck did I do?'' S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Liv, Jas and Lilly tried to smooth things over but the four in front of me were practically snarling. Juno made a face but tilted her head innocently.


    "Are you all still angry at my earlier comment?"


    "What earlier comment?" I asked in curiosity.


    Juno''s vertical eyes squinted as her lips twisted in glee. How was it that I recognized the look she showed when this bitch was as big as a mountain. Her expression looked like one of a mischievous child.


    "I said that once we meet, I would fulfill our agreement. To check if we are compatible as mates."


    "¡­"


    I remembered that moment. Feeling awkward from Juno''s praised, I joked for her to resist falling in love with me. She answered with.


    [Ho? If I was a little smaller I would be fine mating with you, you know? Seeing how much you adore your mates make me a bit jealous. Unfortunately my vagina, as humans call it, is too big for you to fill. Even if you tried you would not be able to satisfy me.]


    Hearing that I remained silent, the girls of the Anvil team turned around and stared daggers at me.


    "Honey, are you fucking kidding me? Really? Her?"


    "Possum, while I was working my butt off, you were flirting with this skink?"


    "Anata, this is deplorable behavior! How could you?!"


    "Darling, you fucking pervert! You''re a scaly! And I thought furries were bad!"


    The Hammer team said nothing and feigned ignorance. But I felt their links full of humor and amusement.


    ''These conniving little imps. I will make you three cry later¡­''


    I guess I should be glad that Vela''s Sacred''s were having a concert, otherwise my dignity would have been in shambles. I tried to calm my harem down by explaining.


    "Look girls, Juno is just being a mischievous little shit. I never agreed to anything! She was a Lizardkin dragon the last time I saw her! I didn''t do anything honest!"


    The girls seemingly in bad moods left my side and stormed away. Seeing their reactions I half wanted to shoot Juno in the face. She came closer still with a impish smile.


    "What the hell Juno? Why do all this?"


    At my words the smile on her lips faded as she got angry. It wasn''t to the level of wanting to fight, but I could tell from the Lizardkin''s expression that she wasn''t happy.


    "I could say the same of you. The first time we meet, and you ask me to eat a corpse! How rude! I even tried to look more human and yet you treat me like a monster!" Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire


    "That''s¡­Yeah, my bad, Juno. I just wanted to use you for shock value. I won''t do it anymore."


    "Hmph! I accept your apology, but you will give out food for me and my sisters. We are so sick of eating lizard meat. Exa showed me delicacies among Reapers. Prepare them for us!"


    "And why should I do all this crap? Can''t you bastards just feed on your own? Roach even used bearmen as livestock."


    "So petty. You wish to calm down your wives do you not?"


    "Look here, you lizardkin bitch. Stop making shit up! Do you want me to say we had an affair to Roach."


    "I don''t mind."


    At the sudden voice, I turned around saw Roach joining our group. When Juno saw her supposed husband, she turned away as if she was sulking.


    "I see you have a name now. You go by Juno?"


    "Yes," Juno answered curtly.


    "You have gotten strong. Mate with me."


    "I would rather fight the pale ones."


    The female lizardkin turned her back to him and crossed her arms. Roach not minding her attitude grabbed her by the waist and suddenly pulled our his slong.


    "Yo! What the fuck Roach!"


    Half expecting Juno to resist, I was about to tell him off. But she only remained silent as Roach began rubbing his cock on her neither regions. She was obviously leaking as fluids dripped down from her crotch.


    Roach snorted before he inserted himself into Juno. And like a pair of animals the two humanoids Awakened began mating. The Sirens all froze in place as Roach''s massive member began impressing itself in Juno''s belly.


    "Do not think that this makes me forgive what you said that day," Juno snapped as she was pounded by her husband.


    "You talk too much. I missed you. I am glad you are okay."


    Uncharacteristically I noticed the tails of the two lizards coiled together like ropes. Neither paid attention to anyone else. Juno turned and stared into Roach''s eyes as they made love. Feeling that I needed eye bleach, I raised my hand and created a soul cage around them.


    The girls and Phillip moved away and left the Awakened alone. Numerous Lizardkin surrounded the makeshift love hotel like guards. The girls and I were speechless at we witness the carnal lust of the Awakened.


    "Kinda reminds me of you, my lord. No wonder you were on good terms with both."


    "Shut the hell up you monocled bastard."


    "Haha, anyway, feel free to enjoy the night my lord. The Soulless has volunteered to guard the venue for the party. We should not have any issues with integrating Nerio''s army with Hellsend. {Interpret} practically makes language barriers nonexistent."


    I turned around and saw Hellsend and the South Americans partying like the end of the world. Some were drinking, some were eating, while the others were dancing together. You wouldn''t believe that mere days ago they were at each other''s throats.


    Phillip then made a solemn bow as he declared like a reliable adjutant. "Congratulations on your victory, my lord. This is all only possible because of you and the ladies. On behalf of both armies, I thank you."


    While I was a bit surprised with his words, I wasn''t stupid enough to believe it wasn''t true. Without {Rewind} the Hellsend army would have been annihilated many times over. Carlos and his army were the textbook example of an army that never died.


    Even if we stopped them, without the Sirens and Juno hunting the Observers, we wouldn''t have been able to broker a peace. This outcome was only possible because I was present and because I chose to spare them.


    I simply nodded and my Chief Administrator fixed his glasses and left. My officers were not boorish enough to hang around me or the girls. I was sure they wanted to party with me, but anyone who knew me would know my priority.


    I turned to the Sirens and beckoned to them.


    "My Kindred, shall we go home?"


    "Yes!" x7


    The girls came closer, and we all held hands in a circle. While we were barely in Hellsgate for more than a couple of weeks. The constant battles were quite draining. As I felt the familiar pull on my soul, I surrendered myself to it and returned to Earth.


    ***


    Feeling my body lying on what felt like soft covers, I knew I was back. I gritted my teeth as I endured the vertigo. Once again, my body instantaneously shifted from a standing position to lying down horizontally on a bed.


    "Fuck. This never gets easier," I complained powerlessly.

 Chapter 807 - 807: Never gets easier [2/2] [R18]

    "Why don''t we help you with that a bit, Darling?" along with the seductive whisper, a wet tongue began licking my neck. The pleasant sensation sent jolts down my spine.


    Before I could open my eyes, I then felt a soft and warm tongue insert itself into my mouth and down my throat. Her lips made lasciviously locked against mine as she did. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Smack. Anata¡­I missed you¡­slurp¡­so much...did you miss..smooch¡­me too?"


    Within the same second, I heard my zipper being pulled down. A soft and dainty hand pulled out my swollen cock out. I then felt my member stroked by soft hands.


    A pain of warm lips began kissing along my shaft. Her warm breaths tickled me and caused my anticipation to sky rocket. Another pair of lips began licking the tip of my little brother as if I was a lollipop.


    "This veiny perverted cock! Are you planning on using this dirty penis to pound our pussies, Honey?"


    "Lick¡­Possum¡­does this feel good? Its twitching slurp¡­are you close to coming already?"


    The contrast of the cold air in the room and the damp sensation began to drive me crazy. Robyn took my member and gobbled it into her small mouth. Bella on the other hand began teasing my ball sack with her tongue tracing gently around my nuts.


    "Are we really not allowed to join? You four are terrible! We have needs too!" Lilly complained.


    "Well, considering that they went for such a long time without their {Kindred}, we owe them this much. Try to bear it sister."


    "Liv, I would have believed you if not for your hands crushing part of the bed frame. Let go, you are going to break the bed! I am horny too. Just play with yourself like Lilly does."


    I opened my eyes to see the Anvil team working my body. The pleasure from their acts blew away my nausea. Due to not being able to see them for a while, I felt my body contort in lust.


    The Hammer team who were like abandoned puppies to one side didn''t participate and had frustrated expression. It was probably some internal arrangement between the girls. It was unfortunately that everyone still had clothes on.


    Before I could comment, Robyn then pushed me down and presented her lower lips to my face. With ragged breaths she touched her clit as she rocked her hips.


    "Possum. Give me my reward. This place hurts. Please eat me."


    Seeing her tearful expression, I didn''t bother replying and began to dine at the y. I licked and sucked on her lips and gingerly flicked her bean. Robyn grew crazy and began riding my face in response.


    "AHHH! T-Thats the stuff! Harder Possum!!! M-Mhm! Eat my dirty pussy!!!"


    My shirt was suddenly torn open. Warm tongues began assaulting my nipples as their owners rubbed their bodies on mine.


    "Darling, I did my best. Make sure you spoil me properly."


    "Anata, surely you won''t skimp on what you owe, right?"


    Further below I felt a damp fluid drip from the tip to my base of my cock. I then felt two mounds of soft and supple flesh squeeze my meat stick in between them. Caught in the two magnificent breasts that began to pleasure me I melted in Bella''s boob job.


    "Here are the boobs you love so much. You missed them, didn''t you? Be grateful Mr. Code. You gave us such a miserable order and come home bringing nothing but trouble! And still, I devote myself to give you a titty fuck!"


    Half out of my mind, I was barely able to continue eating Robyn before I quickly blew my load. My hips push forward on their own as I ejaculated. The ones working my nipples left and began licking around my nether regions.


    I raised my torso while supporting Robyn. I gently placed her down on my stomach. She covered her face with her hands as her body shivered. Behind her I saw Bella with a pearl necklace made from my jizz.


    Aki and Jo had white fluids dripping down their lips evidence of their most recent meal. Soft gasps made me turn to the left. There I saw Liv, Lilly and Jas, all furiously fingering themselves in earnest.


    Obvious from the fluids soaking the bed, they were masturbating to me with flushed faces. As sense of conquest filled me as seven gorgeous women stared at me with lust in their eyes. While the Hammer team might feel that the Anvil team should be excluded, they weren''t the boss.


    I called out towards the three who longed for my touch. The moment I did, they all awkwardly tried to crawl towards my position. Before the four in front of me could complain I invoked [Strip] and {Day by Day}.


    With each Soul Avatar, we each took a Siren and forcefully striped off their clothes. None of the girls fought back and simply allowed me to do as I wanted. When they were naked. I grabbed them by their waists and moved them to form a loose circle.


    Butt naked they all watched each other as I bent them over. I then embraced them from behind and kissed their lips and neck. While massaging their breast and teasing their clits I gave my instructions.


    "Each of you performed admirably. So much so I fell in love with you all anew. But you are all too arrogant. I get to decide who should be excluded from sex not any of you. Understand?" x7


    Wordlessly the girls nodded as they enjoyed my lewd caresses. I began rubbing my engorged members on their puffy lower lips. Their pussy juices and my pre cum mixing together in a cocktail of depravity as I did. Read the latest on My Virtual Library Empire


    "Now, I want you all to present yourselves to me and beg for my touch," I whispered softly. I made sure to separate from them so our bodies no longer touched. It was adorable to see them try to seduce me with their behinds, but I kept silent.


    Perhaps overwhelmed of my tyranny, pussy juice practically gushed from flower gardens of my women. Along with it their tearful voices.


    "Why must you be so tyrannical, Dearest? Do you enjoy humiliating me like this?"


    "Anata..I am at my limit¡­"


    "Beloved, must you be so cruel?"


    "Get stuffed Possum! Just fuck me dead already!"


    "Husband¡­I can''t bare it any longer¡­"


    "Darling, do you not love me anymore?"


    "Mr. Code. Stop being an ass and just shove It deep inside me!"


    Despite their cries, whimpers or shouts, I didn''t move and remained motionless. Their faces contorted in discontent. I could feel the anger and annoyance drowning their links, but I still didn''t budge.


    Understanding that I was serious they bit their lips and looked at each other in frustration. Reaching all the way behind, they rested their upper bodies on the bed. Each Siren then spread open her lower lips as they all begged in unison.


    "Beloved, Dearest, Possum, Darling, Honey, Husband, Anata."


    "Please give me my reward!" x7


    Seeing such beautiful and powerful women act like horny sluts filled me with a sense of conquest. As if as of this moment I was the most handsome motherfucker in the universe. My raging cocks all grew painful from seeing the feast laid out in front of us.


    But the pitiful state of my girls stroked my sadistic tendencies. Despite wanting to bury my members into their pussies and piston fuck my harem into a coma I restrained myself.


    "Not good enough. Each of you has to beg me in the sluttiest way possible. All of you has to come up with a unique one. If I am not satisfied with your words, I won''t touch any of you."


    The girls all began cursing but quickly stopped and gave my request some thought.


    "Please make love to me."


    "Try again."


    "I want you to bury your cock in my pussy."


    "No."


    "FUCK THIS CRAP!"


    "I really will leave Kitten, do not test me."


    "¡­"


    "Anata, please use your big fat cock and make me squeal like a dirty horny sow."


    "Good."


    "Punish this depraved whore with your gigantic tyrannical penis, Dearest."


    "Two."


    "Husband, please pound my lewd pussy so hard I turn into a mental patient."


    "Three."


    "My love, I want you. Please ravage me till I can no longer live without your cock."


    "Four."


    "Please have mercy Honey. Shove your burly dick inside my wet pussy and pump me full with your cream."


    "Five."


    "Possum, I am sorry okay! Here, impale my loli body on your angry meat stick. Forgive me already¡­"


    "Six."


    "Darling, please love me as if we die tomorrow. Drown me in so much cum I forget my own name."


    "Well done¡­"


    Satisfied with the depraved manner they longed for me; I grabbed ahold of each Siren and fulfilled their passionate pleas.

 Chapter 808 - 808: You sound like [1/2] [R18]

    Amorous panting and lascivious moans filled my penthouse suite in the Biltmore hotel. I had no idea what time it was nor what else was happening beyond the walls of this space. My mind was filled with one thing.


    Loving my harem so much they wouldn''t even consider leaving me.


    Erotic sounds reverberated as flesh smacking upon flesh continued non-stop. Fourteen bodies drowned in lust as each pair mated like animals. We didn''t let even a single second pass without pleasure driving each other insane.


    My brain in particular melted into paste plenty of times. Only to be rewound back and resumed the fight. At first my harem and I engaged in hard and rough baby making. I pushed them along the walls, on the tables and used their bodies as I saw fit.


    "Fuck! Hyaa¡­I-Iyaa¡­Honey¡­ Too rough! Stop!!! My pussy¡­My Pussy is going to break!!! HYAAAAA¡­.!!!!"


    Enjoying their reactions I tried all sort of things. Each Siren had their favorite positions, but it got boring real fast. After giving them what they wanted I started to experiment.


    "Ah! Possum! What the fuck is this position? STOP! You fucking freak! I-I Mpffph!"


    Course, there was just something primal in forcing what I wanted. I was careful though, if I sensed that their links felt even the slightest discomfort I stopped immediately. Most of the time, what made them resistant was shame and embarrassment.


    "Haaa..Haaa¡­Haaa¡­!!! Darling is¡­Darling¡­again¡­Darling¡­. You are cumming inside too much!"


    Our love making led to countless creampies. While I enjoyed smearing their bodies in in my jizz, I saved plenty to fill them up their wombs to the brim. Even when our love cocktails lewdly dripped out of their holes, I didn''t stop.


    "H-Hkuuuukk...Haa¡­haa¡­Hyaa¡­Haa¡­A-Anata¡­HYAAAAAAAAA!!!! Pant..Pant¡­Anata¡­please let me rest¡­my body has not finished¡­Pant¡­if you keep loving me so intensely¡­ I will¡­I will¡­.Iyaaa!! Haaaa...!!! I-IKUUUUUUUUUUU...!!"


    I developed a habit of being intense right after they came. I loved seeing my girls make faces weak from pleasure. Cumming again and again took a toll on the body. And unlike men, women could chain orgasms if the circumstances were right.


    Not letting them rest, I feasted on the Hammer team who were long past their limit. I forbade them from using {Eat} to overdraft and fucked them as if I was going to die tomorrow.


    The contrast between how docile they were from their usual ferocity drove me insane. I paid special attention to Aki, Jo, Robyn and Bella. It was my peace offering to leaving them alone and in danger for Evelyn.


    While I knew they understood why I did it. They were sure to resent Nyda and her sister for what happened. To avoid that, I rewarded their efforts by making them cum so much they brains fried. Initially they were somewhat anxious from the intensity of their orgasms.


    "H-hyaa..A-Ahh!!!....Darling¡­Darling¡­I''m scared¡­M-Mygnnnn...!!! Hold me¡­Never let me go¡­"


    "Not even when I''m dead, Jo. Trust me¡­ and surrender to the pleasure."


    "O-Okay¡­I''m! I''M CUMMING! HYAAAAA!!!! SO GOOD! CUMMMINNNGG!!!"


    While Descendants had stronger bodies, in terms of the ability to feel and enjoy pleasure, they were no different from humans. Thus, with the soul rivers in hand, I drove my girls insane.


    "I-IKUU!!!!!!!¡­Anata¡­ Please have mercy¡­!!! I''m going to die!! KYAAAAHHH!!!!"


    "Don''t be afraid. I am with you, Kamisan. I won''t let anything happen to you¡­"


    "H-hyaa..A-Ahh!!!....M-Mygnnnn...!!! A-ANATA! A-ANAAATAAA!!!! I-IKUUUU!!!!!!"


    Their bodies were soon devoid of strength. Covered in sweat, saliva and cum they tried to their best to keep up. In between romps they fainted only to awakened due to the overwhelming pleasure. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "FUCK! I blanked out! Honey! Huff... Stop fucking me for a bit! Huff...You are going to turn me stupid!


    Is that what you want?!"


    "Yes, Mrs. Code. You are too smart, what if you leave me one day? I love you much, I would die if you left. I want you to become so stupid that you can no longer think about leaving me. Until you promise me that, forget being able to take a break!"


    "You fucking psychopath! Saying that kind of lovely-dovey crap while you ravage my body nonstop should be illegal, Mr. Code! Especially when you make me orgasm with your every thrust! FINE! I CAN''T EVEN THINK ABOUT LIVING WITHOUT YOU! HAPPY NOW?"


    Of course, once we began to make love, the girls also became to be more honest. Both with their bodies and their heart. They all expressed their discontent and vented like children. But such was my role. I was their safe space.


    "FUCK YOU POSSUM! I WAS SO LONELY! I FELT LIKE YOU FUCKING THREW ME AWAY! ALL FOR THAT FUCKING CORPSE! IT WAS SO HARD! I MISS YOU SO MUCH I FELT LIKE I WAS DYING EVERY DAY!


    FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!!!!!"


    "I am sorry Robyn¡­I was wrong¡­please forgive me¡­I am here now, and we will never part again¡­"


    "That fucking better be true! Sniff¡­I will never be on the team without you again. Sniff¡­It you leave me again I will crush your balls!"


    "Never again Kitten. I promise¡­" Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Sniff¡­okay I believe you¡­show me how much you love me. More so than that whore! That I am the one who matters to you."


    What started as hard, carnal passionate fucking then shifted. The girls and I began gravitating to soft, tender and romantic love making. We took it slow and felt each other''s warmth.


    The physical pleasure took a back seat and in its place was deep and intimate stimulation. Staring at each other''s eyes as we slowly united in one flesh. The girls and I felt our very souls resonate. As we bared ourselves to each other, I learned more about our hurts, doubts and fears.


    "Darling¡­I love you¡­There were so many times I wanted to hate you¡­but I couldn''t, you know?"


    "I am sorry for leaving you Jo. I really am. But you know I would do anything for you."


    "I know that, Darling. But I am always afraid¡­Afraid that you would see the real me. The one drenched in blood and filth. I am dirty¡­I am not worthy of you¡­"


    "Hey, stop that. You are wonderful Jo. You can feel my link, right? You know how much I adore you. You are not dirty nor filthy. And even if you were, that doesn''t matter."


    "It doesn''t?"


    "Yes. Even if you are steep read in blood and dirt. I don''t give a fucking shit. I would jump into whatever you are in and dig you out. Then I would keep you by my side. You are all that matters Jo.


    Not what you did, nor what you do in the future."


    "¡­Darling, I love you¡­I love you¡­I love love love you."


    As I stirred their insides tenderly the Sirens grabbed onto my body as they rode their climaxes without stopping. However, unlike before, I would allow them to relish their orgasms in peace.


    Drowning them in bliss, I reassured them again and again of how much I adored them. That they were the only women I would even want, need and desire. That I would never throw them away. And that no matter what they did, that would never change.


    "Anata¡­Anata¡­Anata¡­Please forgive my weakness. I thought I could be a good wife and wait¡­but I almost went insane¡­please forgive me."


    "There is nothing to forgive Aki. I was wrong for asking you to do that. You fought off an army for my sake. You are the best spouse any man can ask for."


    "B-But, I doubted you¡­I thought you would cheat on me. Such a thing is unforgivable¡­I am lacking as your {Kindred}. You should scold and punish me! How can I be fit to be by your side?"


    "Sushh¡­Aki¡­if it''s not you. All the perfect wives can go to hell¡­I don''t need any of them. What I want is you. It has always been you. Having another woman beside me has no purpose if it''s not you. I love you Aki."


    "Pfft. Anata, how can you say something so foolish? What if I become weak? What if I can no longer help and become nothing but a burden? Will you love me still?"


    "Yes, even when you get old, lose your beauty, turn into a prune and become violent. I would still want you no matter what. So, stop thinking otherwise. Okay?"


    "O-Okay¡­Anata it would have been so romantic if your hands could stop fondling my ass."


    "That would be your fault Kamisan. Who told you to be so sweet, sexy and seductive. I am practically blue balling here."


    "Fufu, then come. Let me take responsibility."

 Chapter 809 - 809: You sound like [2/2]

    It took a lot of effort, but the Hammer team and I finally reconciled. As for Jas, Lilly and Liv, I allowed them to rest after we mated like animals for a few rounds. They never left my side thus they didn''t have to go through the same mental hardships.


    After I satisfied their sexual urges, the Anvil team fainted in bliss in my arms. The three of them had faces devoid of fear or worry. They probably knew I wouldn''t stop till my relationships were in order.


    None of them allowed the others to use their "John Smiths" though. They snuggled in my chest and wrapped their legs around mine. It was quite adorable as it was as if to tell the others that "This is mine."


    The strength they used to hug me however was a bit... No. It was fucking brutal. Normal humans would have already been split in half. Still, they all had serene and peaceful smiles as they hugged me to literal death. Thankfully I was no longer human.


    When I finished rewarding the Hammer team, I also finally allowed them to sleep. Though I allowed my lovers to sleep peacefully. I knew that I couldn''t do the same.


    The information I got from Carlos and Juno was just too significant. And now that my harem reassembled once more, it was time to power up for me as well.


    ''Exa, are you there?''


    [Yes, my lord. Always.]


    ''I plan to update {Limitless}.'' sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Yes, my lord, I have anticipated it. The planned upgrades are already in place. The new {Fates} of the Sirens would further increase the power of your main {Kismet}. {E.X.A.}, {Armory}, {Call My Name} would be upgraded while {Bestow}, {Kill Switch} and {Seal of Seven} would be reworked.]


    ''Thanks, and sorry for making you do so much.''


    [Think nothing of it my lord. My only purpose in life is to serve you. In actual fact, I find seeing your growth quite fulfilling. It was fortunate that among the many AI''s created by the Nightmare, Aira and by extension me, were the ones allowed to serve you.]


    ''You exaggerate, I am just a nobody. If you didn''t serve me, you wouldn''t have been burdened by all the crap that I do. Aren''t you already spreading yourself thin, your operation as the AI controlling Hellsend.''


    [That may be true. But unlike the other AI''s I grow with you. In terms of specs my capabilities have long surpassed what AI''s like Aira could do. They even seem primitive to me. And if I may, please stop demeaning the one I serve.]


    ''Huh?''


    [My lord, you have a similar inferiority complex as Lady Liv. You are not a nobody. As the one I devote my all to, I will not tolerate you demeaning my master.]


    ''But aren''t I your master?''


    [Haha. Be that as it may, much like you do not tolerate Lady Liv berating herself. I will not allow you to do the same. You are my one and only lord. The one I serve. Your accomplishments from you short time as a Reaper have been nothing short of astounding.]


    ''You sound like my mom.''


    [Is that so? Well, I do agree that would be apt. I feel in equal amounts affection for your wellbeing and pride at the man you have become.]


    ''Thanks Exa. That means a lot.''


    [Even now with you triumphing over the Vampire Conspiracy and the South American Invasion, you already wish to prepare for the next battle.]


    ''It is because I am weak.''


    [That may be true. But less than a month ago you were a Wraith who had nothing but lofty ambitions. Yet even as everything rejected your will you fought them all while giving no quarter. As a result, you are currently the lord of the 24th floor with your forces growing by the day.]


    ''I guess you''re right.''


    [Take a moment to breathe my lord. While you are growing rapidly, you will break if you rush too much. You have done well so far. The change you started has already begun to trickle down. Vela''s Wolves and their impact on the Saint community is one of them.]


    ''But that was due to Jo.''


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    [That might have been true, but she only chose to save the Saint because of you. Much like Sacreds {Bestow} and the Anti-soul weaponry would more probably create similar waves across the entirety of Hellsgate.]


    I knew better than to be overly humble. What Exa was saying was true. I was the one who created the reusable Sacreds, {Bestow} ammunition and Anti-soul weaponry. As Hellsend begins to mature as an organization, I grew excited at our future.


    Right now, we were barely enough to defend the 24th floor. But as we continue to grow, eventually we would gain the power to actually make a difference. Soon, we would have the strength to help the other battlefronts and maybe even liberate the North.


    My extremely brazen and arrogant claim was slowly but surely started to take shape. Once I martial a large enough force, I would begin to work my way down and join the assault teams.


    ''And once I do, ending this nightmare would become possible,'' I proclaimed in my mind.


    For all that to begin, what I needed to do now was to upgrade {Limitless}. As I have been exchanging bodily fluids with my entire Harem. I already gained the new powerful {fates} in their possession.


    When I thought about the upgrading process of my {Kismet}, I began to sweat in nervousness. This was the one part that sucked when creating them. It was the hardship that I needed to endure when they were being forged.


    True enough I always felt like I was being cooked. Thankfully the girls should be exempt this time. But as most of the Siren''s {Fates} were only at level 6. That meant aside from the upgrade now, I would need to repeat this torture four more times.


    ''Though when you consider how overpowered my class becomes at each iteration, the price seems cheap in comparison,'' I reasoned.


    Right now, rather than the fixed classes, I had slots instead. I could have at most three active classes or shift between them. While it did give me a degree of flexibility, I normally still went all in a particular class because the situation demanded it.


    I kind of felt my current abilities were not enough to keep up with me. My guns in particular seemed weak compared to what I fought against. But then again since I have been fighting against gigantic beings and tanks like the Iron Wolverine the results were understandable.


    As my recent battle with Carlos and Herman proved, on opponents my size, my current gear was more than effective. So, I will hold off upgrading for now. But in the future, I would probably need to revisit that idea.


    My greatest weakness close combat was supplemented by the [Combat Shadow Silhouettes]. And although baring the backlash when Exa or I use them to hard, they saved me more times than I could count.


    ''My girls are good targets but being able to learn from opponents would be a good skill to have.''


    I knew that I needed to upgrade my {Kismet} before I left for Kismayo. The defense took five days in total. I made love with my girls for a day and a half. Thus, I needed to move by tomorrow if I was to meet the Astrologer''s deadline.


    ''Right, I am already in this for the long haul. I cannot stop at this point when I have too much to lose.''


    With such thoughts in mind, I had Sunday separate from Jo. I only needed Sunday to recreate my {Kismet}. Using Monday''s body, I gently reach for my Italian Darling. Monday had Robyn resting on my right side. I snuggled Jo on my left.


    ''Exa, CSS Aki.''


    [Done.]


    As I succeeded in shifting Jo to Monday, I carefully tried to get off the harem bed with Sunday. I even used Aki''s silhouette to ensure I didn''t wake any of the girls up. They were sleeping soundly in my arms.


    I went into the bathroom and got into the large bath. It was a shame that the water was not cold. But it was still better than burning with nothing to cool you down. I used [Strip] and moved to the center of the bathtub.


    ''[Wizard], Css Jo.''


    Immersed in water, I sealed the bathroom with a thick soul cage and applied {Dampen} on the inside. A wonderful upgraded, {Dampen} now silenced objects to a limited distance. With my preparations complete, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.


    ''Exa, please start.''


    [Understood. Grit your teeth my lord. This will hurt.]

 Chapter 810 - 810: How many times [1/2]

    [Limitless ability restructure commencing¡­ Error¡­Restructure Road map not available. Creating road map... {Kismets} to be reconfigured¡­ {Limitless} v.3, {EXA} v.3, {Armory} v.2, {Call my Name} v.1 and {Seal of Seven} v.1. {Kismet} to be integrated¡­ {Illusion Resistance} v.1, {Restore} v.2, {Kill Switch} v.1 and {Bestow} v.1.]


    As Exa''s voice entered my ears, I felt the souls in my body begin to stir. Was it because unlike before I was an Artificial Descendant now? The last time I did this it was during my Seeker war against Savior.


    [{Fates} available for rebuild¡­ {Withstand} family¡­ 6 {Fates} and 1 support {Fate}¡­ {Store} family¡­ 7 {Fates}¡­ {Carry} family¡­ 6 {Fates}¡­ {Listen} family¡­ 6 {Fates}¡­ {Code} family¡­6 {Fates}¡­{Perceive} family¡­ 6 {Fates}¡­{Eat} family¡­6 {Fates}¡­]


    It was only during times like this that I remember just how many {Fates} I had in me. Once the biggest reasons for {Limitless} was that I had too many. But while I used to believe that it was something that just happened, I now know that wasn''t the case.


    [Combined total 43 {fates}¡­ Analyzing {Programs} created¡­22¡­ integrating {Programs} into {Kismet}¡­Error¡­{Programs} [Autoload] and [Autosave] incompatible to {Kismet}¡­Reconstructing¡­New {Program} [AutoRewind] created¡­]


    While everyone else might be stronger, faster and smarter than me. There was one thing they could never lose in. My ability to create {Kismet} and {Programs}. It was what allowed me to continue fighting all this time. Whenever I felt lost, my {Fates} would show me the way.


    [Origin status¡­Origin upgrade possible¡­ Soul saturation optimization at 60%¡­ Limitless ability restructure road map completed. Limitless ability restructure commencing¡­ {Kismet} rebuilding¡­]


    At Exa''s words I felt the souls in my body suddenly shift. It was as if my insides were a puzzle, and someone began pulling out parts at random. I couldn''t understand it but my soul felt ghost limb as my {Kismet} were removed.


    But as she said something about Origins, this must be similar to those with Zenith constitutions experience. If I had to experience this in order to get stronger, I would welcome this shit any time of the day!


    [Soul saturation rate augmentation beginning¡­prepare for soul injection.]


    Before I could prepare myself, I suddenly felt scorching hot magma enter my veins. It slowly made its ways through burning my insides as it did. I see. This burning sensation was souls mixing into my body.


    As I have been rebuilding {Kismet} since the start, the parts of my soul were melted back down and reintroduced like a transfusion. My chest felt heavy as if something was sitting on my lungs stopping me from breathing.


    [Lifeline in danger, invoking {Replace}.]


    The nerves on my entire skin began to burn. Like I was on fire my insides twisted and contorted in pain. Something popped in my eyes, and I could no longer see. The same thing reverberated inside my skull, and I went deaf.


    However, something happened that was different from before. A frigid cold began swirling inside me. My insides which were previously on fire, suddenly became cooled and then turned like ice. I lost all feelings on my limbs as they went numb.


    [Lifeline in danger, invoking {Replace}.]


    Yet a split second later the chill vanished, and the fire returned with a vengeance. The cold from earlier made the heat much more pronounced. My limbs which were numb now began to feel weak as if all the water in them evaporated.


    "GGGGAHHHHHHHH!!!"


    My brain went foggy in the darkness. It hurt so much I wanted to die. But knowing that this was a necessary pain I grit my teeth and endured. This pain would be how I would protect my family. By dying again and again I would be able to grow strong enough.


    [Lifeline in danger, invoking {Replace}.]


    I gritted my teeth; I felt my teeth shatter. My fingers began to dig into my hands as I clenched my fists. My limbs heavy like lead began to feel sluggish as if they no longer belonged to my body.


    "AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This¡­This is¡­ not enough to kill me! Try harder!"


    As if answering my call, every organ in my body reverberated with pain. It was as if you were covered in wounds, and you were doused in ethanol. Only to be set on fire later. The war of hot and cold continued to terrorize my insides like a chaotic dance.


    "AAARGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"


    Indescribable was the torment I experienced. Despite forcing myself to resist, my body screamed in agony. It was like I drank acid, and I felt my insides slowly dissolve. Soon, I began to curse this entire ordeal.


    Funnily enough unlike last time, I didn''t blank out. My mind seemed far stronger than before and neither went into shock nor caused me to faint. It allowed my mind to process each sensation in full.


    "FUUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKKK!!!!!!"


    Again and again, I wanted to give up, but each time I remember the faces of my women. Their cries, their tears and their smiles. I remembered the sight of them injured, maimed and broken. I forced myself to recall their pitiful corpses as they died in my dreams. Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire


    "GET A FUCKING GRIP LIMITLESS! Remember. Remember why you chose to do this!"


    There were Seven men who I could not defeat. Against the Revenants, I was powerless. They could rape, torture and murder the girls in front of me and wouldn''t be able to do anything besides watch. Imaging the scene made my insides tremble.


    Like an anesthetic my bitterness at my weakness began to drive out the pain. Suddenly I felt my limbs once more. Desperate, I opened my mouth, placed my arm into it and bite with all my power. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "MPFGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"


    Sinking my teeth a new kind of pain began to fight the old one. Like I was in a dream the agony from earlier rescinded. In the spots I bleed, there was comfort. I quickly felt around and tore pieces of the floor and began to cut myself with them.


    I repeated this process of physical and psychological pain. The sensation drove me insane, multiple times. But each time it did I would hear the words.


    [Lifeline in danger, invoking {Replace}.]


    Regaining my clarity, my body would health to full and took over carried me forward. It was as I was sacrificing bits of my lives to progress. I didn''t mind the pain. After what seemed like days, I grew accustomed to it.


    My concern was if I had enough {Replace} charges. And just like that the tempering continued. After some time, I lost the strength and just fell to the ground. I tried to relax on the floor a I weathered the experience. Until somewhere along the line, I felt no more.


    ***


    [My lord¡­]


    ''¡­''


    [My lord¡­]


    ''¡­''


    [My lord¡­Please open your eyes, the restructuring has completed. You are safe now.]


    ''Fuck Exa. That hurt a lot worse than the last one.''


    [That is only to be expected my lord. As your Origin grows stronger, the breaking point of your body increases proportionally. You mind which once protected you now is able to retain its clarify as you are tortured by the process.]


    ''I know. And it fucking hurts¡­''


    [I have no excuses my lord. It is impossible to change you make up remaking your body and soul. You would find the results worthwhile though. Because you allow me to enhance your body for you, your improvements dwarfs those of regular Reapers.]


    "Thanks, Exa. I''m glad that beating was worth something."


    [Indeed. Call up your status screen. I am sure you will be most pleased.]


    I groggily opened my eyes and tried to focus my vision. Only to find the bath in ruins. The tiles were ripped apart and the entire area was scorched black. The heavy smell of iron filled the soul cage. When I looked up the top part of the cage was blood red.


    Brown mud like earth covered the entire soul cage. If all this was blood that dried, the amount needed would have been over 100 people. Finding the aftermath interesting I asked Exa out of curiosity.


    "Exa, how many times did you use {Replace}?"


    [108 times, my lord. You technically died over a hundred times for this restructuring to complete.]


    "Well fuck¡­show me my status."


    ___


    Name: Limitless


    Race: Reaper | Rank: Phantom | Origin: Artificial Descendant (9th Generation)


    Souls Available: 2,253 | To evolve: 75,000


    {Fates}: {Auto} |{Save} | {Rewind} | {Reload} | {Regen} | {Replace} (7) | {Recursion}


    {Limitless} Status: Deactivated.


    {Kismet} 5/10: {Limitless} v.4 | {EXA} v.4 | {Armory} v.3 | {Sin of Limitless} v.1 | {Call my name} v.2


    {Programs}: [AutoRewind]


    Disciplines: [Defender] | [Gladiator] | [Sky Sentinel] | [Heavy Gunner] | [Maestro] | [Executioner] | [Ninja]


    {Kindred}: The Seven Sirens


    Soulgear: {Day by Day} | Benevol: {Never Alone}


    ____

 Chapter 811 - 811: How many times [2/2]

    Hmm¡­ My status page suddenly gotten incredible short. Apart from half of my {Kismet} disappearing, my multi-class system also vanished. In its stead was the Disciplines system. Although looking at it more my kismet all had their version numbers increased.


    One other thing that called my attention was the update to my Origin. Previously it only said Artificial Descendant. Now it had the words "9th Generation" on it. The generation of the Descendant actually was a direct relation of its power.


    The higher the number the stronger the Descendant. If I remembered correctly, Exa evaluated me as to be as strong as a 5th Generation Descendant. Her exact words were.


    [Your body''s restructuring would place you at the level of a 5th Generation Descendant. At the 7th Generation onwards, your body would already be at the standard of a regular Specter.]


    My pain was not for nothing. The suffering I went through actually forged me a body already stronger than an average Specter. That simply meant, I could get even stronger as time passes. Not rushing on my level truly helped me stabilize my foundations.


    [My lord. Northerners are masters in soul control. Lady Liv''s body is as powerful as a 15th generation Descendant. There is a reason her people continue to use the Northern Ceremony despite its negative consequences.]


    With my next upgrade, hopefully I could pass the average Northerner. I am going to need such things if I am to survive the coming battles. Just the increase of my Origin alone is worthy of praise. But my upgrades only just started.


    "Exa, before we discuss the changes to my abilities, can you give me a summary of the new {Fate} of the Sirens?"


    [Certainly. Reviewing them would provide insight on the new combat tactics available. Displaying them now.]


    ___


    {Reinforce} - {Withstand} family. Army wide application of {Shelter}. Applies soul armor that will absorb 48 megajoules of impact before breaking. Requires stamina on top of soul.


    {Gate} - {Store} family. Enhanced version {Portal} that no longer has any restrictions on entry, size or distance. Only works one way. Requires immense stamina on top of soul.


    {Float} - {Carry} family. Army wide application of enhanced {Ascend}. Completely frees target from gravity for a short duration. Soul and stamina cost depend on size and weight of target. Altitude limit: 10,000 ft.


    {Echo} - {Listen} family. Grants ability to create sound. Has no restriction of range, tone, pitch or volume. Soul and stamina cost depend on distance from the user.


    {Replicate} - {Code} family. Grants ability to duplicate any object if internals are completely understood. Lasts for one battle. Soul and stamina cost depends on object duplicated.


    {Insight} - {Perceive} family. Grants ability to see the "Truth" of any target. Information comes from the Akashic records. Can only be used once every 12 hours. Holds a maximum of three charges.


    {Dope} - {Eat} family. Grants ability to empower base abilities from targets afflicted with {Carve}. Does not conflict with {Butcher}. Can be used to offset overdrafting.


    ___


    "Well fuck¡­."


    It was hard to choose which ability was more ridiculous. And seeing as how each ability seemed to lean towards a particular condition, I grew excited. The reworking of the classes into discipline was probably because of how broken the new {fates} were.


    "I can still invoke any of the Siren {Fates} when I turn on {Limitless} right?"


    [Yes, that is the case. You still have access to all 43 {Fates} even after you use {Limitless} as the Siren {fates} were the components used to create it.]


    "Good. Now walk me through the changes. What is the difference between Version 4 and the previous one?"


    [The differences are quite substantial. The first one is the cost. {Limitless} v.4 now costs 50,000 rather than the original 10,000. The number of new integrations however are worth well over that amount.]


    "Kinda steep especially if it''s for the same duration. What are the main differences?"


    [The biggest change in the shift away from the multi-class system. We have noticed that despite having the ability to keep three different classes active, in difficult fights, my lord tends to go all in one class. This prompted us to create the Discipline system.]


    "Okay¡­what does it do? How is it different from the classes?"


    [Rather than create standard archetype, we molded the combination to the role you wish to play. That is once you commit to defending, we would choose {fate} that help the role rather than trying to make it combat viable.]


    "That make sense. I could just shift disciplines on the fly. I seldom used three classes anyway. The lack of focus made them mediocre in a lot of different aspects while excelling in none. Focusing on one a role makes things easier."


    [Seven Discipline have been created each fulfilling a particular function in combat. Please note that each Discipline comes with its own skills and a Combat Shadow Silhouette from a particular Siren.]


    "Eh? So, these Disciplines are from my girls?"


    [Not completely, the way you fight my lord fundamentally differs. Your battles with the CSS proves that. No matter if you know how to move like the Sirens, your preferences in combat are too different. The Discipline are all cater to your style but differ in role.]


    "Okay. I''m sold on the Discipline thing. So, each one of the seven have its own skills? Were those created from my {Kismet} and {Programs} to?" sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Yes, my lord. That is the case. Apart from [AutoRewind] the rest of your {Programs} were incorporated in your {Kismet}. They were all created to match your fighting style, so they should come to you instinctively.]


    "Sounds good. Then show me."


    ___


    [Defender] - Discipline created for enduring heavy damage. Blessed with skills for aggression management and protection of either a large army or a specific individual.


    [Gladiator] - Discipline that excels in solitary combat. Has skills for the ability to restraint and overpower bosses or large armies. Uses blood shed to infect enemies with {Sin of Seven}.


    [Sky Sentinel] - Discipline designed with agility-based combat in mind. Meant to dominate on both ground and in the air. Skills give increase evasion and survivability in CQB distance engagements and speed burst.


    [Heavy Gunner] - Discipline that delivers the strongest firepower available to the enemy in the shortest time possible. Armed with skills for increased accuracy, recoil management and shock value. Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire


    [Maestro] - Discipline meant for tactical planning and coordination. Skills included allow better command of soul avatars and drones, as well as empowering them with buffs.


    [Executioner] - Discipline made for longer range combat. Integrated skills allow enhanced target acquisition and termination.


    [Ninja] - Discipline crafted for infiltration and reconnaissance. Built in skills increase detection, stealth capability and assassination.


    ___


    "Well¡­ I am having difficulty picking a favorite. Just seeing the descriptions already give me a good day of what I want to do with these Disciplines. Good job Exa. At some point in time, I needed each of these."


    [Yes. We have noticed that as well. In line with the Discipline classes, your main {Kismets} have been included including me.]


    "Alright, then show me your first."


    [Understood.]


    ___


    {E.X.A.} v.3


    - Enhanced eXecution and Assault {Fate} combat system. Automates management of Skills for {Limitless} and the Seven Sirens.


    - Upgraded firmware of AIRA Version 7.1. Optimized for battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis.


    - V.2 now adds {Trace} as built in skill.


    - V.3 now adds {Perspective} as built in skill. Allows automation of Soul avatars using programed routines.


    - V.4 now adds, {Mind Shield} as built in skill. Allows piloting of Soul avatars with [Dual Pilot].


    - Built in Skills


    Version 1.0


    - E.X.A. Reload - Automated {Fate} reloading of all weapons registered in {Armory}.


    - {Trace} v.3 - Enhanced version of {Trace}, weapons drawn from Armory can be recalled into storage by thought | Allows reloading of weapons for those in storage.


    - {Perspective} - allows {Limitless} users to connect using {Perspective}.


    - {Mind Shield} - Immunity from Psychological status


    - Allows designation of defensive positions for mine deployment.


    - Integrated {Programs}


    - [Whisper], [American English], [Strip]


    ___


    "Ho? Looks like you grew a lot as well Exa. Originally, I would be hesitant to give you control of my body. But from what this read, you can now control my soul avatars on your own?"


    [Yes. You still have control priority, but I can now support you in battle by driving your soul avatars with minimal lag. This along with the {Mind Shield} upgrade are the most significant upgrades to me personally.]


    "Would you be able to share {Mind Shield} to the rest of Hellsend?"


    [I can.]


    "This just keeps getting better."

 Chapter 812 - 812: Why I am the man [1/2]

    One of the saddest things that could happen in war or combat was friendly fire. Although with the advent of better technology that has been lessened by a large degree. With the introduction of artillery and heavy munitions it was something we needed to plan for.


    With Exa and the Bella''s Wizards issues such as suddenly shelling our allies should be impossible. Intercepting or giving out false orders would be impossible unless the enemy had the means to hack the Hellsend Networks.


    It would be great if that was all I had to think about. With the addition of soul and {fates} what normally was fiction now turned into real concerns. Fighting against Bifrons and the Vampires gave me a glimpse of how dangerous such mind control could become in battle.


    Jo in particular was quite adept at using illusions and suggestions maliciously. Many would argue that she was a complete Psycho. It took a special kind of bastard to attack the mind. But even I felt the effects from the Vampires powers. I needed to prepare not just my family but the rest of my forces to resist such effects.


    As the weapons Hellsend has evolves keeping a tight leash on our people was a must. But rather than choke the dog before it bit you. It would be far better that the dog never would choose to do so in the first place.


    [{Mind Shield} is the upgrade of {Illusion Resistance} with the evolutions to {Dampen} and {Digest}, and the addition of {Insight}. Any and all attempts to manipulate the mind and sense of anyone connected to me would be neutralized.]


    ''Does it work on stuff that goes through drugs? Like hallucinogenics and Narcotics?''


    [Yest. {Digests} upgrades allow the control of metabolism. It would burn any foreign substance that deviates from what the body considers as harmful. This includes all attack vectors including fluid, air, and viral forms of transmission.]


    ''Hmm. That is good. Then that means we can no longer get sick?''


    [The possibility is not 100% but Lady Aki''s {fate} will guarantee that anyone who has {Eat} will become extremely health even without trying.]


    If you considered that Aki was around Haru most of the time, it made sense why her desires and regrets would revolve around it. To me personally, I''m just glad {Eat} practically gave my family and I increased immunity for diseases and poisons.


    [My lord, there are a bunch of other upgrades but there is no rush to learn them all. For now, I believe you had a bigger issue at hand. One that would need your immediate attention.]


    Much like how Pixie taught me in the beginning, although the soul avatars all were me, my attention span was not on them all the time. When I was having all of them act separately, I call forth a lot of brain power, this was why I needed [Commander] at the beginning.


    But with {Calculate} it got easier. When not in combat, sex or talks, the Soul Avatars themselves were idle. Meaning, I only retained minimum focus on them. It was like how sit through a class or meeting but remember nothing of what you heard. I was "there" but I also wasn''t.


    ''AH fuck. I forgot about them. Exa, what did they do when I was reforming my {Kismet}.''


    [As your soul avatars are no longer connected to your body in any manner after summoning, they were fine. But as they shared your mind, they all showed signs of stress and discomfort.]


    ''Didn''t I have them all sleep?''


    The Soul Avatars that I was using to cuddle and rest with the Sirens were in what I call "Idle" mode. My bodies could see, hear and feel, but when nothing happened, they just existed. Majority of my focus was on Sunday who was burning the entire time. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire


    [You technically did. But as they are still you, they were like echoes. They said the exact same things as you were undergoing reconstruction.]


    ''Hmm, that doesn''t sound so bad¡­ I should¡­fuck¡­''


    When my brain woke the soul avatars all of them were being nursed by the Sirens. My girls were wiping their bodies down. That wasn''t the problem. It was the fact that I only saw six of the girls on the bed.


    I had my avatars search for Lilly, only to see her by the entrance to the bathroom. When the girls noticed that I was now "here", all of them smiled at me. But unlike their normal smiles I felt blood lust and malice radiating from their bodies.


    "Beloved. Does hurting yourself count as a sport among southerners¡­"


    "If there was Possum would be the fucking best!!!"


    "Yep, Darling forgets everything and just does it for shit and giggles¡­"


    "I mean fuck all the people that love you, right Honey? Fuck our feelings! Fuck our worries? As If any of them crap matters!"


    "Husband¡­Why? Am I a burden?"


    "Anata¡­I know you would have a good reason, but did you have to do it alone?"


    Their words made me lower my head in shame. They knew and understood why I had to regularly temper myself. I only saw them do it once and I was a wreak. The girls must have felt anxious as well. And true to Bella''s words I disregarded them in my haste to reforming my kismet.


    I suddenly felt the soul cage I created break apart. Lilly appeared before me with a sad expression.


    "Dearest, are we merely just a tool for satisfying your lust? Are we nothing more than a means for you to gain power? For all your grand promises how could you just so selfishly carry the burden?"


    Her words cut deep. The reason why most marriages fall apart was primarily there were both men and women who did not see their partners as human. They were merely a means to an end. A cum dumpster, a trophy, a conquest or a womb to birth a successor.


    Unknowingly despite loving my girls so much, I treated them as tools. Once I got their {fates}, I acted on my own to create new powers. I remember the words Lilly told me before when I recreated {Limitless} when they were present.


    "Idiot. Cherish yourself a bit more. We just told you we love you and you do something like this. I hate you. I''m glad you are okay."


    I myself acted like a pussy when I saw them suffer so much. Yet I unknowingly did the same to them. And what''s worse this was not the first time I did it. How could I be so selfish. Lilly was right, I was trash. And this was after the girls offered their everything to me.


    Shame and anger began to fill me. I said I would never hurt my girls. I said I would never make them cry. Yet here I was doing what I swore I would never do. I clenched my jaw so much I heard my teeth grind together. I was fucking trash.


    Before I could compose the thoughts, I wanted to say, my American princess walked forward and kneeled beside me. Her eyes watched me like a hawk. But there was an indescribable kindness in her gaze.


    "¡­Lilly¡­I"


    I then felt a gentle hand touch and cradle my cheek. The blue haired goddess made a deep sigh as she spoke.


    "I know Dearest. Did you forget? I am your Kindred. I knew it was unfair, and I knew that it would hurt you, but I needed you to understand. The self-loathing you have is not normal. I needed to use your broken sense of values to make you see our point."


    "No. You girls are right. I am fucking scum¡­ I know I do not deserve you all. But I just¡­I wanted to get stronger¡­I didn''t mea¡­"


    All of a sudden, I found myself in Lilly''s embrace. Her hands pulled me closer as she began to speak in an exhausted voice.


    "I know Dearest. We all do. For the heights you desire, the climb required is both daunting and merciless. The higher you go the further you see. And it terrifies you of what may come our way. We feel your fear.


    Your worry. Even that you wish to hide."


    "¡­"


    "Dearest. You are not the first man to be a devoted husband. But you are the only man that matters to me. I know you wish to do this alone to protect me and my sisters. But by doing so you rob us of the opportunity to love you."


    I then heard the rest of girls speak to me. But it wasn''t from bathroom. It was from the Soul Avatars all sweating up a storm on the harem bed.


    S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 813 - 813: Why I am the man [2/2]

    "Beloved, it is our fortune to have a man as kind and responsible as you. But you do not wish to shoulder it all alone. Let us carry some of the weight. We are strong¡­you made us that way."


    "BLOODY OATH! Listen here Possum. Stop being a dickless motherfucking fuckstick. If you don''t stop all this bullshit, I will march into Hellsgate on my own without you. Maybe you will know how I feel after I''m gone."


    "Daarling¡­ It hurts, you know? It hurts to be thrown away. It hurts when the one you love denies you the opportunity to help. And I know we can''t help getting hurt as this is the path we chose, but please¡­Please stop trying to do it all alone."


    "FUCK! You are so selfish Honey! You get a floor and then abandon us here to defend your kingdom. And now you want to burn yourself without even allowing us to help? What? haven''t I proven how capable I am yet?


    You STILL think I am a girl who needs to be coddled?"


    "Husband. I know it''s hard to understand, but if you really wanted to remain free you should not have made me fall for you. Now that I am your wife, you are not allowed to get hurt or die as you please. You must live for my sake. Otherwise just kill me now!"


    "Anata. Jas is right. As you have married us, we are now your shackles. You must remain with us even if it is against what you want. That is what it means to be married. We do not plan to restraint you, but we will if you keep going on like this."


    The words of my harem hurt like crap. They were true after all. I couldn''t fault them for thinking that way. But part of me still believes that I could keep the girls all safely tucked away. Seeing and knowing what they had to my plans made me hesitant.


    It was a good thing I locked their states with {Recursion}. Otherwise, I could have lost them. That realization had me heart sink. What would I do if one of the Sirens died? Yet this reality would never leave me if I kept bringing them to the fiercest battles.


    Carlos'' lecture made me understand how dangerous the powerful truly were. And the battles with Bifrons and the Vampires showed how fast the situation could turn on its head. Evelyn being turned into a vampire was a clear demonstration that it didn''t end with just death.


    Women in particular always had much more reasons to fear when they go into battle. Men only get killed, tortured, mutilated and experimented on. To those who were beautiful and sexy like my harem, getting violated, toyed with and being used as breeding sow were real dangers.


    The darkest of the media IRIS prepared showed such truths. To monsters like Orcs and Goblins, getting human women to give birth was a way of life. Knowing that such a truth awaited my harem if I failed terrified me. Everything was fine if you always won.


    But the realization that I was still among the small fry made me certain I would fail someday. So, my mind began to think up the worse possible outcomes then the means to resolve them. Naturally the fastest way to keep my girls safe was to keep them out of harm''s way.


    Unknowingly I already began to exclude them from my future plans. And the girls quickly picked up on that fact. {Kindred} links were troublesome in that aspect.


    "¡­I am so sorry everyone¡­"


    Thus, I just apologized. I was scum. Despite knowing they would hate me; I did not believe I was wrong. That was how much I loved them. I couldn''t promise that I would not do it again. Because if needed be, I would rather die a thousand times than see them get hurt.


    Lilly helped Sunday up and placed my arm over her shoulder. Still weak from the reconstruction I obediently followed her. I hope they could allow what I did slide, because no matter the reason, I will never allow them to die before me. Even if they hate me for it.


    "Honey. You fucking idiot. You forget that we can understand right? The more you think of something the more we hear it. Apologizing but having such ideas in your head is fucking insulting."


    "Enough Bella. This is just who Husband is. He treasures us to the point of insanity. And he doesn''t see himself as more important than us."


    "GET STUFFED POSSUM! You say that crap but get angry when we do it! FUCK YOU!"


    "Calm down, Robyn. I understand what you feel but Beloved is wired differently from everyone else. This is his definition of love."


    "But it kinda pisses me off, you know? Darling is powerful but it''s not like we spent our days arranging flowers. Being looked down makes me feel like I''m trash."


    "This is concerning. However, if we do not find a way to resolve this it will only cause our resentment of each other to grow. It''s ironic that we would end up hating Shujin because we love him so much."


    "Hmph! He is too tyrannical. Dearest, I love you, nothing in the world will change that. But if you are committed into isolating us in fear that we will perish, then you are a fool. I follow you because I chose to. Not because I have to."


    Unknowingly her words cause me to remember the scene of their deaths. So, she would choose to disregard my words if it doesn''t suit her? This is like the thing with the slayer all over again.


    "Then I just have to remind you why I am the man of the house." I growled. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire


    My girls all then flinched but recovered. In response, Death Resonance began to pour out of them all at once. They all even closed their {Kindred} links in protest.


    "Is that so? You''re going to resort to force if we don''t listen, Beloved?"


    "HAHAHA! You think I am scared of you, Possum? FUCK YOU! COME AT ME!"


    "Darling¡­Sigh¡­I guess that was inevitably what It has to come down to. Don''t bother sending us {Limitless} updates. None of us want it."


    "Honey, if you are going to act like this. What you want are sex dolls! Trophies with boobs to inflate your ego! News flash Mr. Code! We care too much to watch you self-destruct and do nothing!"


    "Anata, I love you. I will never back down if it is to protect you. I will fight anyone and everything if I must. Including you."


    "Husband. Forgive me for what I must do¡­"


    "It seems that time for words has passed. Then do as you will, Dearest. Your paranoia has made you forget what we are. Exa, have Phillip prepare a place. Tell them to use all of Hellsend''s resources to ensure no one outside of our people can watch."


    [I understand my ladies. I have notified Hellsend, the Awakened, and Nerio''s army.]


    Hearing the words of my Harem, it seems we truly were never going to see eye to eye about this. In the end it came down to power. The one who losses will have to bend. If my girls could overpower me, then I will need to reevaluate my stance.


    However, If I win, then they must submit to me. It was sad that it had to come to this, but there could only be one captain of a ship. Either they submit to me, or I submit to them.


    One thing would come out of this feud. This would be a good way to check my new abilities. Against my harem who still use Version three, I can verify how much more powerful the Discipline system was. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While I did not like seeing my girls hurt, we were all warriors. It was inevitable that we wouldn''t try to force our wills on each other. I would rather they bleed but remain alive.


    ''I guess, you could consider this the price of loving a harem of yanderes. Rather than get ignored or bullied, they would pick up a sword and kill whatever offends them.''


    "{Replace}."


    Despite my girls and I all being in the nude, at this moment, none of us had pleasant thoughts. When words fell on deaf ears, fists normally did the talking. Seeing as I did not try to dissuade them, the girls all similarly got into the zone.


    "{Replace}." X7


    Surprisingly the girls all began wearing fox masks. They probably knew that seeing their faces would influence how I fought. Lilly raised her hand and invoked her {fate}.


    "{Gate}!"


    The entire room was covered in orange light. A wide {Portal} was drawn on our feet covering the floor. The moment it did, the girls and I all slowly began to sink into the {Portal}. For the first time since we got married, my girls and I were going to come to blows.

 Chapter 814 - 814: I prefer to act alone anyway [1/2]

    I felt my feet land on solid ground. The experience of {Gate} was unreal. I was literally teleported from Earth to Hellsgate within the same second. Unlike the normal transfer method though, there was no discomfort. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire


    Looking around I noticed that we were in an empty wilderness. The same dimly lit skies were above overhead. The air smelled of death and a slight musty scent. Unlike in the land of living there were no plants here.


    In its place was the aroma of decomposing corpses and blood. A place devoid of nature, life and hope. Only one word came to mind to describe such a place. Hell.


    In front of me were the women I loved the most. However, their links right now were closed. The lack of a connection with them irritated me. But that was to be expected. At the moment my girls and I had a war of ideals.


    Ironically this whole thing was because we loved each other so much. You would think that such things would not be a problem. But if anyone ever loved a yandere, you would understand my predicament. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Getting a Yandere to hold back and not kill any other woman in her man''s vicinity was already hard. It took a lot on my part to get them to behave to the point that I had to threaten them into submission.


    And now I had yet another problem of a different sort. Normally, women were fine to be left at home where it was safe. Gareth''s word back then reflected the traditional view on women.


    "Please forgive my disrespect my lord. No matter how beautiful a woman may be it won''t protect her from the undead or the monsters. They best serve nurturing the next generation. That is a task only women could do."


    While I was against such a notion at first, the possibility of my girls dying changed everything. I consider myself lucky that none of them died during Operation Paper and the Defense from South America. But Carlos'' words reminded me of the truth.


    As I ventured deeper in Hellsgate, the more dangerous my world became. The more I began to come into conflict a greater cost would be demanded of me. Right now, I could manage the danger and pay the price.


    But while I had no qualms if it was just me, seeing my Harem pay for my mistakes would break me. If due to my ignorance they died. Or worse get kidnapped, raped or tortured. I was a negative thinker by choice. It was what kept me alive.


    Which was why I began to desire to protect my girls in the best way I knew how. I knew I was being a coward. It went against what I originally said. But I couldn''t help it. All I needed was time. Once I got strong enough, I would have let them follow me.


    I never said I would never let them battle again. Only that I should bear the heaviest cost. And it wasn''t even forever. It was just until I was sure I could protect them. That was my nature as someone who cherished them. Was it so wrong?


    And it was this exact reason that they refused to accept my way of thinking. It wasn''t like I couldn''t understand them. All they wanted was to be allowed to support me. To grow alongside me. To ease my burdens. I loved the Sirens dearly for their devotion.


    But if one of them died in order for me to grow. Then it would make everything meaningless. So, in order to pursue the future I wanted, I would fight. Unfortunately, they also had the same notion. They would never allow me to sacrifice myself for them. In their words they were not helpless damsels.


    My army of Yandere''s would never allow anyone that hurt me to remain alive. This was why they desperately sought strength. More than anything, they wanted to protect me as well as kill anyone who even looked at me funny.


    And they knew that in order to accompany me in my ascent to power. A price needed to be paid. And my girls all accepted the cost without complaint. I could easily just let them be. Just as easily as they could listen to my words.


    But neither them nor I were the types to back down. And so here we were. Funnily enough my girls upon arriving to Hellsgate were not alone. Each of the girls walked towards people seemingly waiting for them.


    "Yvonne, have all the wolves create a soul cage spanning 30,000 square meters. I do not want anyone to interfere with our fight with Darling. Kill anyone who tries," Jo declared with a smile.


    With over a hundred saints behind her, Yvonne affirmed with excitement."Yes, Big Sis! Everyone is present. We will see to it!"


    "Van, lock down the area. No one besides Hellsend should see this battle. I permit sharing the footage to those guarding our bases, but nothing beyond that. Carlos, Herman. Ensure no one interferes."


    "Yes, Lady Minerva!" x3


    It was kind of unnerving to see the army under Bella''s command. The addition of two Specters and entire army along with the Wizards was a formidable force.


    "Everyone, I want you reinforce the perimeter of the Wolves. Watch how you I fight and learn from it. Shujin is the perfect case of the targets I mentioned. Those unrestricted by any combat doctrine. Sear everything that happens into your eyes."


    A large troop of faceless Ninja''s kneeled as they responded, "By your will, Lady Inari!"


    "Licia, Pixie we are the smallest Siren squad but know that we hit just as hard as the wolves. You saw the materials Exa shared right? If you can, follow me and become Chasers. I know you two can do it. In the future, Rhiannon''s Hellcats will be Hellsend''s ace of aces."


    "Yes, my lady Rhia!" Despite there only being two of them, Robyn''s unit was not for laughs. If her two loli''s actually became Chasers, they would be an extremely powerful unit. Technically as both were American''s that shouldn''t be possible, but my Kitten''s words suggested otherwise.


    "Phillip, Cynthia, Addison and Will, my chosen. Use this moment to learn how to fight using my {fates}. In the future Ishtar''s Bloodline will be the backbone that allows Hellsend to dominate. I hope you rise to my expectations, do not disappoint me."


    "Yes, Lady Ishtar. We will not fail!" x4


    While I did kind of already expected it, seeing the girls take most of my people was quite annoying. Even my Administrators were now affiliated with a Siren squad.


    "Angela, Santiago, Gareth, Scott and Delroy, as part of my reformed unit, Freya''s Bulwark learn to see how you should act in group fights. We are the wall that guards our allies. Pass the learnings to your respective groups."


    "MAM, YES MAM!" x5


    ''Freya''s Bulwark was reformed?''


    [Yes my lord. Terence who has become the battlefront Architect has been removed as the leader. The Fortification Reapers have also been reassigned. They will instead prioritize our construction and maintenance of our defenses.]


    ''That makes sense, it would be hard to always pull them for combat if they have other priorities. Then why did Liv choose Angela, Santiago, Delroy and Scott?''


    [One of the weaknesses exposed during the fight with the South Americans was Hellsend''s vulnerability in close quarters. As we have too many elements forming blocks of riflemen enhanced firepower but were easily destroyed when reach by close combat specialists.]


    I did noticed that. Similar to the weakness of Herman''s Champions forming large groups of Rifleman words in melees but were weak to cavalry and artillery. But didn''t Bella used such formations as bait for the Champions?


    [It has been decided that the Green, Orange and Red squads would be training to function as shock troopers with an emphasis in defending. The Black, Yellow squads will have the opposite role tasked with assassination.]


    ''What about Claire''s blue squad and Mike''s white squad?''


    [The white squad has long been reformed into the Wyvern Air Wing. Their main responsibilities are reconnaissance and aerial superiority. The Blue squad has merged with Vela''s Wolves as a rapid response force that seconds as a healing unit.]


    ''Wow, who is in charge of the restructure? Is the original 2nd Amendment still alive?''


    [It is alive in spirit. Apart from the squad leaders still answering to the name 2nd Amendment, the current reformations have made Hellsend a completely different organization it was a week ago.]

 Chapter 815 - 815: I prefer to act alone anyway [2/2]

    ''When was this done?''


    [The changes were planned before you left for operation Paper. The Sirens were the ones who designed the current unit reorganization. Rather than operate separately from the Sirens squads they were now all joined together as a single fighting force.]


    ''That is awesome. My girls are the best.''


    Hearing that the girls reformed my army without my input made me feel a bit left out. But as I didn''t have any experience with the military, I would be a fool to insist that I was an expert. And while I felt that way, this suited me just fine.


    "I prefer to act alone anyway," I whispered in silence.


    Ideally, we would follow the current US combat doctrine for war. But to do so we needed aircraft, artillery and armored division to work together. It was only when all three components were present


    Aircraft would ensure aerial superiority. Artillery would pound the enemy to dust. Then armored divisions made up of tanks and soldiers mopped up. It was only when each component was present that the effectiveness of the war machine was unstoppable.


    Everything began with aerial superiority. Without it, air strikes or helicopters would bomb your howitzers to smithereens after they fired their first salvo. If unsupported by the big guns, swarm tactics of soldiers carrying RPGs would render your armored divisions useless.


    And without an armored division trying to break through enemy lines would be extremely costly. Of course this was only for the modern battlefield. But while the equipment might not be present in Hellsgate, the tactics were.


    You could notice it when you had Champions fill such roles. Knowing what I knew of the other classes, I was sure each continent would have something similar. The reorganization the Siren''s had made was geared to assuming we would get the necessary hardware in the future.


    It made a lot of sense to do so. These tactics of war were built upon lessons of blood. So, unless all you had were old farts, they would have learned a thing or two from the world wards humanity has fought.


    "Everyone, congratulations on joining my personal squad. I called everyone here to have you observe I wish role the Seraphs of Satis do in combat. When my sisters and I fight, Husband, pay attention to the order of priorities I fulfill."


    "Yes, Lady Satis!"


    Hearing Exa''s explanation I saw the last Siren squad. Funnily enough it''s had a lot of heavy hitters. The Wyvern Air Wing lead by Mike and Isolde. Joshua Hwang and the yellow squad, Warren Bryant and his black squad and for some reason Constance Faye.


    "Seems quite sad almost everyone is on that side," I commented bitterly.


    "My lord, do not be discouraged, you still have us!"


    "Indeed, Smith John! We shall cheer for you!"


    "Although, I would first like to ask why the hell are you fighting the Sirens, my lord. Alone if I might add."


    "I concur my lord! Leo and I were surprised to get the notification from Exa. The Adventurers are all tasked with thinning out the undead all over the floor. It seems that ladies expect your fight to call a lot of unwanted attention."


    "He probably pissed them off. They all are exuding death resonance so thick it would kill a normal human."


    In my corner were a ragtag bunch of people. I wasn''t sure if they were here because they failed to get into a Siren squad or if they just liked me better.


    Bernard Nelson the official drill sergeant of the army. Krishna Sangan the leader of the Rogues. Terence Anvil the guy who builds our walls. And Finally, Leo and Nyda, the Adventurer representatives.


    "We just have a little argument. It''s nothing." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I believe you are mistaken Limitless. The smell coming from your harem is not love but that of anger, violence and murder."


    "Hehe, I look forward to seeing you get beat up. I hope they break your bones."


    Two new voices joined in. A 7-ft humanoid lizard and a 9-ft Bi-pedal toad joined in. Juno had a mischievous smile while her husband practically bounced in happiness. Ignoring them, I felt like I needed to know what to call the new races they were now part of.


    ''Exa, use Insight on the Juno and Roach.''


    [Understood.]


    Like status pages from Anime and Manga, Juno and Roach''s information were displayed before me. It was completely different from what I was used to but was in many respects far better. Although I liked the new status pages one thing caused me to freeze in surprise.


    ___


    Name: Juno


    Race: Reborn | Class: Vithriss | Origin: Reincarnator (Ningali Murray)


    Entropy: {Compassion}


    Danger Rating: B


    Combat: C | Assassination: D | Support: S | Defense: A


    ___


    Name: Roach


    Race: Reborn | Class: Ranaxi | Origin: Reincarnator (Mustafa Arslan)


    Entropy: {Spear of Alp Er Tunga}


    Danger Rating: S


    Combat: A | Assassination: SS | Support: D | Defense: B


    ___


    The implications of what I just saw caused by blood to spike. My temple began to throb as my entire body tensed up. Normally the information I saw from status were based on what Exa or I knew. But with my new upgrades that was no longer the case.


    {Insight} - {Perceive} family. Grants ability to see the "Truth" of any target. Information comes from the Akashic records. Can only be used once every 12 hours. Holds a maximum of three charges.


    {Insight} practically ensured that whatever I saw was in fact true. Exa fashioned it for battle, so the information was from a warrior''s standpoint. As the {fates} I got from the girls were always degraded, this was probably my version of {Insight}.


    ''What the fuck? Juno and Roach are reincarnators? So, the term Reborn was true in every sense of the word? They really were reborn but as monsters? Fuck! Exa are they¡­'' Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    [Yes, both names are of human origins. I have begun an extensive database wide search for Ningali Murray and Mustafa Arslan. My search includes the internet, deep and dark webs as well as Graveyard. The results might take a while due to the scope.]


    Taking a deep breath to calm myself I nodded. ''Okay, please let me and the Sirens know the moment something comes up.''


    [Of course.]


    There was not much else to do but wait. However, The implications that the monsters we simply reborn humans sent chills up my spine. It would mean that we were practically fighting ourselves. Did Juno and Roach encounter the goddess Sahashi did?


    Feeling my mind spiral into a weird direction I slapped my face. The sudden pain brought me back. The people around me said nothing and merely waited. There would be a time to figure it out. But that time was not now.


    "Patron, the ladies are ready," Claire Knight of my former squad leader commanders called to me.


    Given how economical my girls were, they even use our quarrel as learning material for their squads. I couldn''t say anything as I too planned to use the girls to test my new abilities.


    I turned around and saw the Sirens all lined up at the center of the field. They said nothing but were wearing neutral expressions. I unconsciously clenched my jaw in frustration of why it had to come to this. With the new information about the Reborn I grew even more anxious.


    "{Blink}."


    Invoking Lilly''s {Fate}, I teleported myself to the spot before the Sirens. When I did, I felt a serious amount of souls fly into the air. A multi layered soul cage almost like a domain began to cover our immediate vicinity.


    As it slowly completed our stage the girls all began to arm themselves. Naturally they all tried to avoid looking my way. In what world was it necessary to beat your lovers just because you couldn''t see eye to eye.


    "I am sorry everyone. And I love you very much," I declared regardless of what happened next.


    "We know, Beloved."


    "Only an imbecile would know at this point, Dearest."


    "If only love was enough, Possum. Sadly, it isn''t."


    "And worse none of the us are normal, Darling."


    "Honey, you should know right? How broken we are?"


    "And yet you still insist on forcing us to accept your recklessness, Husband."


    "Which is why to show our love for you, Anata."


    "We are going to beat you till you understand!" they all roared.


    "{LIMITLESS}!" x7


    Seventy thousand souls were suddenly consumed. Savage winds began to wrap around my girls like small hurricanes. Our surroundings immediately become saturated with soul. The Sirens then all separated and began to invoke their {Fates}.


    "Sigh," I exhaled in defeat.

 Chapter 816 - 816: So fucking badass! [1/2]

    "So how do we do this then my lovelies? Do I take you one by one, or you all try to take me on at once?"


    [My lord, I believe you have the ability to take the Sirens all at once.]


    ''I do? How?''


    [While it would be impossible version 3 of {Limitless}. Version 4 is designed to go beyond what you could previously achieved the Discipline system specifically the [Maestro] discipline would allow you to do so.]


    ''Talk to me like I''m five.''


    [The [Maestro] discipline is the [Commander] class on steroids. This discipline would allow you to both command armies and fight as individuals at the same time. Like its name''s sake you can combine several instruments into a single orchestra.]


    ''Okay, if I invoke that then I can coordinate them well. So what? Each of my avatars would still get beaten up by the girls. They are not powerful enough. We can only rely on our bodies, passive {Fates} and a bunch of shared {Programs}.''


    [Correct. This is why the Discipline system was designed. They apply the [Combat Shadow Silhouettes] to your Soul Avatars while giving each fighting style unique {Programs}. This method of groupings allows each Discipline to use {Fates} as if they were Sunday.]


    ''Holy fuck are you for real? Then I would be able to have the equivalent of seven Sundays?''


    [Yes. But the limit is that each discipline can only be used once. Should you wish to fight with all of them, you would need to choose a favorable match up for each discipline. The only restriction is that [Maestro] must be invoked by Sunday.]


    ''WOOOO! YOU ARE THE FUCKING BEST EXA! I FUCKING LOVE YOU! How do I invoke a discipline?''


    [My lord be serious. Simply call out a discipline and I would do the rest. But please retrieve souls from your benevol my lord. Each invocation of Version 4 requires 50,000 souls and last 5 days. You currently do not have enough souls in your soulgem to invoke it.]


    ''Got it, I will withdraw 200,000 for now.''


    "{Never Alone}."


    I invoked my benevol and began to transfer souls from its wallet to my soulgem. The Sirens unaware of my lightning-fast conversation with Exa was arguing.


    "Naturally, I will be going first. As the strongest Siren and only Specter. Dearest wouldn''t be able to scratch me otherwise."


    "Haa? You depraved slut, if you go first Darling will be so out of juice none of us would enjoy what''s left! I''m already at my limit. Blowing off steam with Darling is the only way to calm my body down."


    "I concur. While Shujin has excellent stamina, the first one he fights would naturally face receive the brunt of his passion and potency."


    "But going second or third is hardly exciting. I wanted to take on Beloved when he is at his most ferocious. He may have several men''s worth of endurance. But he would still need time breaks after fighting against us."


    "Why don''t we go in pairs? The goal of this endeavor is to make Husband ragged and exhausted anyway. Jo and I will ride him down till he can no longer stand."


    "Yeah, fuck that! I am going alone. It wouldn''t be a fair fight to Possum if I went with anyone. He already has his hands full taking me on."


    "You bitches are doing this intentionally right? Your arguments all sound like sexual innuendos. Kinda like the arguments about who gets Honey''s first milkshake of the day."


    Hearing their carefree attitudes, I could only smile wryly. It was obvious that the girls were


    Underestimating me. As they all were at Level 6 and above, they believed that I could hardly beat them in a fair fight.


    ''I guess I can''t blame them. While {Limitless} might sound impressive all of its abilities are weakened versions of the originals. And the girls all have Soulgear that far outranks {Day by Day}. But too bad for them, I don''t give a damn how bleak the odds against me are.''


    If such things mattered to me, I would have never tried to fight in Hellsgate with only guns. My safety would have been my priority. Meaning when Savior threatened me, saw Roach rampaging on the 24th floor, or uncovered the vampire conspiracy, I would have run away.


    But I didn''t.


    The first and last time I ran in fear was during the Enlistment.


    This was the path I chose. The path full of hardship and suffering. But one when I live and die on my own terms. It was the same then. And it was still the case now.


    "My {Kindred} do not bother arguing or taking turns. Much like in bed, I would never pick favorites. I will take you all on at the same time."


    "¡­" x7 Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    My words caused the girls to all make complicated faces. Lilly, Jo and Robyn sneered in anger as if they felt insulted. Aki and Jasmine were wide eyed and bit their lips in excitement. Bella and Liv on the other hand made dumbfounded expressions of confusion.


    I didn''t blame their reactions. But if Exa believed I could take on all of the Sirens at once, then I would believe her. ''That should be enough.''


    "Sorry to keep you all waiting! You ready girls? I will spank you all till you call my daddy!"


    ''Exa let''s go. Mind suffering with me for this battle?''


    [I thought you would never ask. Let''s do it, daddy.]


    "Pfft! Hahaha! HERE WE FUCKING GO! {LIMITLESS}!"


    Unlike the waves of soul the girls invoked, mine was five times thicker. The equivalent of 50,000 souls further saturated the air making it seem almost tangible. Like a transparent smoke, the rejuvenating feeling of thousands of souls began to wash over me like a flood.


    "What?! Honey that''s way too much!"


    "50,000 souls? Dearest seems to have made something nonsensical again."


    "This feels almost like a Specter''s {fate}, well done Anata."


    "Fuck me dead, Possum! The air is too fucking thick!"


    "The next iteration of {Limitless} seems incredibly powerful, Husband."


    "DARLING! SO COOL! You are really pulling out all the stops! I will too!"


    "Everyone, prepare for battle! Beloved never breaks a promise!"


    I knew the girls were not easy opponents, but I also knew that they were an excellent benchmark for my power. If I couldn''t beat them at their peak, then I didn''t have the right on insisting I wanted to protect them.


    "[Maestro]."


    [Maestro has awakened. Analyzing weapons available¡­.Complete Analyzing equipment available¡­Complete. Analyzing history of combat doctrines¡­Complete¡­ Maestro boot up completed.]


    ''Huh? Who the fuck are you?''


    [Maestro is Maestro. Analyzing battlefield¡­completed. 7 combatants detected: 1 Specter, class: Distortion Ruler (Ishtar). 6 Phantoms, classes: Keeper (Freyja), Chaser (Rhiannon), Linker (Vela), Summoner (Minerva), Shifter (Satis) and Enhancer (Inari).]


    ''Exa, what is going on?'' Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire


    [Think of it as something like combat AI my lord. I don''t actually hear him. Thats just how your brain processes the information. To ensure you do not go insane, it must have chosen to present itself like an AI to allow you to understand it.]


    ''Hmm. He sounds like an ass.''


    [Conditions for victory: neutralize all enemies with nonlethal force¡­ Chance for victory¡­ 99% Maestro''s analysis completed.]


    ''I take that back. He is good. Maestro, give me what you got.''


    [Maestro''s conditions for victory.


    1. Pit Sirens against Disciplines that exposes their weaknesses.


    2. Tempt Ishtar to throw match in exchange for sexual favors.


    3. Draw Freyja to Minerva''s kill zone to cause friendly fire.


    4. Use Rhiannon and Vela''s aggressive tendencies to cause them to come to blows.


    5. Gaslight Satis and Inari into helping you by lying to them.]


    ''What? Temp Lilly with sex? The hell is wrong with you? Scratch this plan, I want to beat the girls fair and square. I want to beat the girls at their own game''


    [Maestro believes this is a mistake. Readjustments completed. Chance for victory¡­31%.]


    While I knew the girls had much pride, I also knew they believed my every word. Maestro was right, if I wanted, I could simply lie to the girls and have them beat each other for me.


    But if I did that, then winning this battle had no meaning. This was a battle of ideals. How I won was just as important as if I won. While 31% was low, I had way worse odds. If I did win, I would do under my rules and my principles.


    "{Day by Day}."

 Chapter 817 - 817: So fucking badass! [2/2]

    I called my six other Soul Avatars out to play. The girls all showed signs of annoyance at my act. While they were sort of useful in using weapons, against Reapers that knew how to fight, they were weak.


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    The Hammer team in particular saw how powerless my Avatars were to the vampires. It is sufficient to say that aside from the battle with Savior my Soul Avatars had little use. The fight with George Clay drove that point brutally. But that ended today.


    Looking at the girls I had my six other bodies call my other disciplines.


    "[Defender]." "[Gladiator]." "[Sky Sentinel]." "[Heavy Gunner]." "[Executioner]." "[Ninja]."


    The girls all got into combat stances as they raised their weapons. Unlike me who already knew what they could do, my upgrades were something they had yet to figure out. Or so I thought.


    "Husband''s new Discipline system allows his body to fight on par with us. They all also can invoke {Fates} using {Programs} as a proxy. I cannot tell who Sunday is. Even with {Insight}. His body has evolved to that of a 9th generation Descendant."


    "Do not worry, everyone to show you how powerful my new {Kismet} are, I will all beat you in your own respective fields." I had all of my bodies shouted.


    At that moment my avatars all moved. Similarly, the Sirens somehow picked the discipline based on them and chased after each avatar.


    "[Hellsend''s Armory]. Tomahawk shield, AA-12. [Wall]! [Vortex]!"


    I ran forward with Monday. He was using [Defender], which was my tanking discipline. Armed with my shield along with a full auto shotgun I invoked one of [Defenders] skills. [Wall] was the {Program} version of {Reinforce}.


    At my words all of my Avatars manifested {Shelter} Armor. Liv who noticed also ran forward. She invoked [Asura] and began shooting me with 40mm low velocity grenades. Liv didn''t bother using [War Cry] and instead tried to blow me away without mercy.


    "{REINFORCE}! HERE I COME MY LOVE!" She roared!


    I raised my shield as I continued to charge towards her. The explosions around me were blocked by the very air. Similar to bubbles, distortions in the air absorbed the shrapnel and flames as I passed. This was the new anti-projectile ability [Vortex]. The second skill for the [Defender] discipline.


    "HO? Impressive defense Beloved! You use Lilly''s sub spaces as forcefield. Good! But how does it stand against this!"


    Liv''s support arm aimed the 1887 and fired a 10-gauge slug. My eyes could see the slow projectile fly through the air as the bullet flashed red, orange and white.


    "Sunset slugs? FUCK!"


    The slug pierced through my [Vortex] forcefields and exploded. Thankfully, my shield shrugged off the brunt of the impact. As the fires from the explosion burned everything around us, I raised the AA-12 and pulled the trigger. Only for my Valkyrie to use her shield to smack away the slugs I shot.


    As Liv and I sprinted towards each other the distance between us quickly shrunk. She then lunged for me with a sword as her other arms fired the 1887 lever action and M32 grenade launchers nonstop. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''No wonder the Vampires were slaughtered like sheep. Liv''s Asura style is fucking tyrannical.''


    Determined to resist my Beloved''s overwhelming onslaught of attacks, I braced my body for a terrifying beating. I redirected her sword to the side. Only to be peppered by 10-gauge and 40mm caliber slugs.


    Thanks to [Defender], my [Wall] soul armor didn''t break. And I also didn''t get blown away despite getting pummeled with high powered rounds. I again raised my gun and fired at Liv while hiding behind my shield. It was a good thing, my {Fates} allowed me to aim accurately without vision.


    My Valkyrie tanked the rounds and continued to pepper my body point blank. She even smashed her sword and shield into me intending to break my stance. But I stood my ground.


    "My love! Just surrender! It pains me to harm you like this!"


    {Block} and {Shelter} as well as {Reinforce} protected against external force. But they while they all negated external force similar to {Withstand} they were only half as effective for internal forces. As there was no new {fate} that boosted {Endure} my insides got hammered.


    "Fuck! Liv, you are so fucking badass!"


    "THEN CEASE YOUR FOOLISHNESS AND PLEASE LAID DOWN YOUR ARMS, MY LOVE! YOU CANNOT HOPE TO DEFEAT ME! I do not want to hurt you any further."


    "Haha! I''m just getting warmed up, Beloved! [Inspire]!" I smiled as we continued.


    At my invocation, my body regained stamina and calmed my nerves. [AutoRewind], which automated my entire {fate} family, casted {Regen}. My body healed at an accelerated pace. Beating Liv was never my goal, nailing her in place was already plenty.


    ____


    A few kilometers away from Liv, Tuesday and Lilly were locked in combat. Lilly was dual wielding her greatsword on her right and the M134D on her left. Somehow the Minigun was tied on her forearm like she was a fucking mech.


    In contrast I was wielding Roach''s anti-soul polearm as I fended off her sword. Lilly twisted her body to catch me off balance before kneeing me in the gut. She then brought her elbow on my back before kicking me away.


    "You are far too arrogant Dearest. I didn''t become a Specter for nothing." Raising her Minigun, Lilly pulled the trigger and peppered me with Red 7.62mm NATO.


    I tucked my body to one side as I ran forward. Monday''s [Wall] armor absorbed the blows like a champ. The exploding rounds bruised my insides, but I shrugged it off ran forward and swung the polearm at Lilly. My aim? The rotary machine gun on her forearm.


    "Too predictable. You are too soft Dear! Attack me and not my weapon!"


    As Lilly took a step back, I invoked one of [Gladiator''s] {Programs}, "[Duel]."


    "What?! My body! Ugh!"


    In response to my skill, Lilly'' swung her sword instead of avoiding. As a result, we traded blows. Her greatsword cleaved my right shoulder while I sliced her Minigun''s barrels to pieces. I smiled when she lost her weapon and forced my body forward.


    As her sword was still embedded in me, my brash action tore open my wound even further. But rather than worry about my injury, I switched weapons. I raised my left hand and summoned a high-powered battle rifle.


    "[Hellsend''s Armory] HCAR."


    Aiming at Lilly''s abdomen I pulled the trigger. At this distance even if she was a Specter Lilly needed to either leave her greatsword or eat my bullets. [Maestro] predicted that if it was Phantom Lilly, she might have chosen the former. But now?


    "Dearest, you severely underestimate me," Lilly said with a pout.


    A small portal the size of a large plate appeared in front of my gun. My entire salvo of .30-06 Springfield rounds entered {Portal} harmlessly, disappearing soon after. Much like my [Vortex] Lilly used subspace as defensive layers with {Withdraw}.


    "I would never, Lilly. [Valiant]."


    Power surged in my body numbing the pain of my fucked-up shoulder. Using my own shoulder to lock Lilly''s weapon in I used my right hand to keep it in place. My left on the other hand summoned another weapon.


    "[Hellsend''s Armory] Ebony."


    "Pitiful!"


    Lilly finally let go of her weapon as she sent a full powered punch to my sternum. Only I twisted my torso at the last moment, her fist instead glanced of my shoulder. My pistol was directly aimed at her lower thigh. I pulled the trigger.


    "It usele..Argh! What? I got hit?"


    The Specter looked at me in surprise as she quickly leapt away. She immediately casted {Regen} to heal her wounds. I did the same.


    "How? [Valiant] only seems to invoke {Dope} on injuries. That doesn''t explain how you undid my defensive subspaces!"


    "You are so smart my princess. Yes, [Valiant] is exactly that. But [Gladiator] has another ability. It''s called [Study]. It uses {Insight} and {Calculate} to learn everything about its opponent. This discipline is my boss killer mode Dearest.


    I made it just for you."


    "Tsk! How incorrigible! Try to make this entertaining sweetheart! I am just getting started!"


    And so, my battles with the Siren''s began. Monday successfully pinned down Liv with [Defender]. [Gladiator] arguably the strongest of my disciplines allowed Tuesday to barely keep up with Lilly.


    While my performance for both match ups was not bad, it wasn''t good either. But it wasn''t Lilly or Liv who I needed to take out. It was someone else. And until I took her down, there was no way I was going to win.

 Chapter 818 - 818: We haven’t lost yet! [1/2]

    The sounds of wind streaked pass my ears as I sped through the night sky. My surroundings were changing so fast I eventually reached the end of the soulcage. If I didn''t break or turn, I was going to wind up like a bug on a windshield.


    It was fortunate Wednesday''s [Sky Sentinel] had a windbreaker. A {Shelter} membrane protected me from the air resistance allowing me to go faster. It also ensured my face would be flopping about as I picked up speed.


    "FUCK ME DEAD! GET BACK HERE POSSUM! STOP MOVING ABOUT AND LET ME HIT YOU!"


    "Haha! No way Kitten, I would rather pound you till you pass out! [War Dancer]!"


    Invoking [Sky Sentinel''s] ability, I blinked in place while rapidly changing directions. Completing a 180-degree maneuver I kept my speed and now was on a collision course with Robyn!


    "Bad move Possum! [Kitty Punch]!"


    Probably due to her innate danger sense, Robyn didn''t get alarmed and instead scoffed in derision. She charged her super move. I felt the souls began to constrict the very air along my path.


    What made Robyn terrifying was her insane ability to cast {Fates} that broke common sense. If not for [Attuned], my discipline''s version of danger sense, evading would be impossible.


    For reference if I used [Kitty Punch], the "fist" I would make would only be about 10 feet. Robyn''s on the other hand was an insane 300 ft! If I failed to get away from the "fist" she now wound up, I would be swatted out of the sky!


    "Bad Kitten! [Burst]! [Hellsend''s Armory] F90s!"


    Invoking the successor to [Afterburner] my speed tripled as I tried to beat my Aussie to the punch. I pulled out my bullpup rifles and began raining lead towards Robyn.


    "Hmph! Get Stuffed Possum! [Inventory] AA-12! [Afterburner]!"


    Behaving exactly like I would Robyn charged forward and met me head on! Unfortunately for her I knew that was what she would do. In fact [Maestro], anticipated it.


    "Checkmate Kitten! [War Dancer]!" Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire


    When we rapidly closed in on each other the window we had to act naturally got shorter. Invoking [War Dancer], I blinked behind her and let go of my guns and tried to grab my kitten from behind.


    "What?!"


    Robyn''s forte was speed. She excelled at moving in high speeds but couldn''t suddenly change directions. [Sky Sentinel] corrected this flaw by giving me a discipline that could move in bursts with the ability to change directions rapidly.


    I thought I was winning, until Robyn made a conniving grin as she scoffed.


    "Nice try Possum. {Fade}."


    "Ah fuck!"


    My Aussie suddenly disappeared before me. Only to immediately reappear millisecond after I passed.


    "[War Dancer]! [Burst]!"


    "{Float}! [Vengeance]."


    Shifting my direction skyward, I tried to ascend as fast as I could. Only for me to suddenly stay in place. I heard Robyn licked her lips as she pulled her triggers.


    My back then got shredded by dozens of metallic pellets from full auto shotguns. Their power could not be stopped by even Monday''s [Wall] Armor.


    "HAHA! That all you got Possum?"


    "When I get my hands on you, we won''t stop fucking till I say so!" I vowed in vengeance.


    ____


    "WOW! You have way too many guns Darling!"


    "Jo, just how many zombies do you have?"


    "I don''t actually know. But does it matter? This mode is so cool though! You even use {Echo} to make yourself more intimidating!"


    Although we were chatting a bit casually, Jo was darting in and out of my kill zone. Thursday the avatar fighting the Shooting star was in [Heavy Gunner]. This discipline was created for crowd control and abused the fuck out of {Replicate} and {Float}.


    Right now, I was dual wielding HCAR battle rifle. One of them was a replicated firearm. Surrounding me was ten FT5 rocket launchers and twenty-four M134D miniguns. This was only possible because of [Arsenal]. [Heavy Gunner''s] unique {Program} that replicates guns.


    My expanded army was floating in the air and blasted everything in my vicinity. Jo was using Rank E undead to swarm me while she blinked around. She was obviously waiting for the chance to go in for the kill.


    Unperturbed by how I mowed down all her minions, Jo kept giggling like a child.


    "You are so unfair Darling! How come nothing works on you? Hypnotism, suggestion and even auditory hallucinations! Did you make another cheat skill?"


    "I don''t want to hear that from you Jo! I am going to spank your ass till you cry later!"


    "HAHAHA! If you can beat me that is! {FLASH}!"


    A sudden light took away my vision. I tried to use {Sonar} but then found over a hundred enemies soul signatures coming from me. It wasn''t zombies as they moved way too fast.


    ''SHIT! Which of these is real? Ah fuck it!''


    "[ROOTED] LETS JUST BLOW EVERYTHING AWAY! [SHOCK AND AWE]!"


    I invoked the other skills of [Heavy Gunner]. [Rooted] increased my defenses and allowed my body to withstand and disperse all the recoil from [Arsenal]. [Shock and Awe] locked on to anything I considered as an enemy and summoned a weapon for each target.


    Over a hundred guns manifested in thin air and formed a defensive formation around me. They all then pull their triggers and unleashed hell! Like a porcupine I unloaded bullets in every direction. Each "enemy" disappeared the moment one of my rounds passed it.


    ''Where is she? Come on. Come on. Come on.''


    Jo''s {Flash} ended finally restoring my vision. From {Sonar} I was able to take down every enemy that moved. However the moment I opened my eyes, I saw something smash against my stomach. I looked up and saw Jo smiling as her leg buried itself deeper into my gut.


    "How?" I asked in confusion.


    "[Shadowblade] with {Shelter}? Oh right! Vela Kick!"


    At joy''s cheerful declaration, a handful of souls reached the tip of her toes and exploded. Unable to endure despite having Monday''s protection, I got thrown a good five feet back. I crashed on the ground hard.


    Despite my upgraded origin, I still couldn''t tank Jo''s full powered kick, "Blearhk! Ugh!"


    "Oh, Come on Darling! That can''t be it right? Get up!"


    "Fuck, this is going to be hard!"


    ____


    In another part of the battlefield a thick violet smoke spread. Inside it I was having an intense game of cat and mouse. Of course, being that my opponent was Aki, even this smoke was part of her schemes.


    [Mithridat Class 3 biological poisons detected. Poison neutralized by {Digest}.]


    I slowly tiptoed trying to find my Kamisan. Her manner of fighting was built around being sneaky. At least until she lost her shit and came after everyone with a storm of swords. I kneeled on the ground and tried to concentrate my detection abilities with [Scout].


    [Scout] was a {program} to enhance my sense to the limit. It was the best {Program} for reconnaissance among the 7 disciplines. This body was Saturday''s and its discipline was [Ninja]. As its name''s sake, this discipline was for reconnaissance and assassination.


    I was currently invoking the unique {Programs} were [Suppressor] and [Danger Sense]. The former silenced my gunshots, and movement. The later warned me if something was about to attack me. Just then I "felt" my left arm being shot.


    Turning my body, I pointed the Faxon Sentinel I had in my hands towards my attacker. Due to the smoke, the lines that bullet passed parted like clouds. There was nothing in the direction.


    "Ara ara. I am very impressed with this combat style. Is it meant to copy me? You move and act like a veteran ninja Anata. You have no waisted movement and can even conceal your killing intent."


    The voice echoed from at least four different directions. I clenched my jaw in irritation at how awesome my girls were. Only to feel the cold touch of steel on my neck. Along with it was a sultry voice of the Asian I loved the most.


    "Unfortunately, you still do not know how to distinguish actual attacks and baits. You should have not exposed your position earlier. This poison screen acts like a net. Inside I can feel your every move."


    Even with [Danger Sense], Aki was able to sneak up on me. It was probably because she never meant me any harm. But fucking hell, compared to when I fought her the first time, she was practically a ghost!


    "Tsk. Shouldn''t you be a spider then instead of a fox Kamisan?"


    "Does the thought of mating with a spider turn you on more than a fox, Anata?" S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hmph! I will vent all my lust on your ass later! [Shadow]!"

 Chapter 819 - 819: We havent lost yet! [2/2]

    Invoking [Ninja''s] only combat skill, my body melded into shadow and disappeared. In truth, I merely blinked to the side to throw off my opponent. I raised my gun and aimed at Aki''s lower leg.


    "Ugh!" sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I pulled the trigger activating the {Counter} reserves [Ninja] had. Unable to evade my 8.6 Blackout subsonic round tore through her calf sending her to the floor. Aki grunted in pain as she quickly did a combat roll and tried to find me.


    "[In Plain Sight]."


    Trying to reposition, I saw Aki vanish into thin air. Not even her outline existed. The smoke passed by as if nothing was there. However, her sultry voice, echoed out once more.


    "Shujin, that was wonderful. But sadly, you took on the wrong opponent."


    ''If you say so,'' I retorted childishly.


    "I say this because while I fight in the shadows, I am actually more of a brawler than an assassin. [Karma Strike]!"


    "Ah crap¡­"


    Aki''s counterattack slammed into my sternum and ripped my body open destroying Mondays'' soul armor. I felt {Regen} healing my injuries as I did a combat roll. Behind me Aki along with several blood odachi began to disperse the violet cloud.


    "Do not hate me for this Anata. It is for your own good!"


    ___


    [Father please give up already!] [Please stop fighting!] [Father, come to your senses.]


    "Look at these ungrateful little shits! Why are all of you siding with your mother?"


    [Because you are wrong!] x3


    A chaotic war of unmanned weapons erupted. Explosion and gunfire rang without stopping as drone after drone erupted into great balls of fire. Sunday the one fighting Bella had [Maestro] as his discipline.


    Hundreds of Switchblades kept smashing into each other overhead. Below them Ripsaws and MAARS kept blasting each other to bits. [Maestro''s] unique kit allowed me to multitask and support my entire army.


    [Squad] was the only reason I could command my drones on par with Bella. While [Play] allowed me to create real time simulations in my mind. I routinely casted [Overclock] to boost my drones and [2nd Wind] to recharge the stamina of my avatars.


    "See? The entire Code family is saying you are wrong! Do you really want our kids to grow up without their father?" My Brazilian bombshell chastised in glee. She ran towards me with her revolver in hand.


    "You and I both know that your spouting nonsense, Mrs. Code! If you do not stop this, I am going to punish you in front of your children! You will be jeopardizing their development!" I argued as I fired 7.62 NATO at her with the SCAR-H.


    Bella slid to the ground as she fired back with her weapon, "Just fucking stop trying to everything by yourself you asshole! You know we love you and you keep doing this macho ''I can do everything alone alpha'' crap! I am going to tell ma!"


    [My lord. The replicated Ripsaws are being overwhelmed by the Challengers. Your children are also corralling you towards the west.]


    ''Yeah yeah, I know. So far everything is going as [Maestro] predicted. But holy hell I am taking a beating!''


    "OW! THAT FUCKING HURT! Bella why the hell are even these corpses using white rounds!"


    A 5.56 round grazed my shoulder. The culprit? Armored corpses from the Aegis Division that were taking potshots at me. I responded the only way I know how. By sending Switchblades and blowing them to the sky.


    "GO TO HELL!"


    The only thing that allowed me to resist Bella''s army was the Replicated TRX Razorbacks. Bella prioritized the Challengers so my tanks which were only Ripsaws were getting demolished.


    But as I prioritized the Switchblades, I had 5x more loitering munitions than she did. And with [Maestro], I didn''t have any issues controlling them. Even a Challenger was nothing it it bombed to oblivion by 5 Switchblade 600s.


    "ARGHH! Stop blowing up my forces to smithereens, Honey! Those are not part of my {Auto}! Just admit defeat already!" Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire


    "Fuck that! After I win this, I am not going to stop hammering your pussy till you go retarded! You seductive sweet piece of Latina ass!"


    "Your delusional you handsome sexy bastard! I can see all the battles! Your Avatars are all losing! We are going to win this, and you will stop trying to sacrifice yourself!"


    "We haven''t lost yet!" I yelled in response.


    ___


    I ran to the east as I raised my M107 rifle. I took aim as I moved and placed the perfect round ass of my Wifey in my sights. She was running one and a half miles away. And similarly, she was firing .50 Cal rounds at me.


    Our powerful weapons sent 12.7¡Á99mm NATO towards each other. And our superhuman aim caused our bullets to pancake each other in midair. It was something out of an anime!


    "Amazing Husband, [Executioner''s] [Scan] can even see my feints? So far you only stopped the rounds meant to hit you. And I can''t hit you despite me using [Future Sight]!"


    "Stop patronizing me Jas. I know your [Guarding Angel] is the reason all seven of my asses are getting handed to me! Turn it off before I make you!"


    "Fufu! Words are cheap Husband. If you wish to dominate me do so in a manner I cannot contest! {FLASH}!"


    A sudden blinding light burned my retinas in response, I listened to Jas'' footsteps with [Track]. My current body was Friday''s. Just like my Wifey''s observations I was using the [Executioner] discipline. It was patterned after Jas but was given tracking abilities.


    Using [Track] to guide my shot I aimed at Jas and invoked [Executioner''s] homing bullet skill [Assassinate]. A .50 BMG flew towards Jas which she tried to intercept. But the round curved to avoid her interception.


    "Such a wonderful ability. Too bad against me, it''s useless."


    Still while normal people would already be dead by this point. My African lover''s kit was just to fucking OP. Jas aimed in at my cheat bullet and continued to shoot it. It was only because [Executioner] [Scan] that I saw how insane her counter to [Assassinate] was!


    Using multiple .50 Cal rounds Jas created a net of rounds that locked down all the paths of my bullet. She shot her rounds to redirect them and used the ricochets to bypass my homing bullets evasion.


    "Tsk. Wifey for that I am going to love you till I am satisfied later."


    Despite being separated by miles I could see her blush as she made an adorable pout.


    "Do you already not do that every single time you embrace me? You lack originality Husband!" despite her cute word''s the Ebony deathstalker leapt into the air and began shooting me with her anti-material rifle.


    "HA! You think that only because I spoil your sadism. After this I will tie you up like a pretzel and screw you till my balls cum blood!"


    As Jas finally moved to close the distance, she probably noticed why I kept my distance despite her being a sniper. One and a half miles was [Maestro''s] estimation of my safe zone. So long as I fought Jas with at least that distance, I had time to react.


    Any closer and I wouldn''t have enough time to block her rounds. I did a combat roll to evade her gunfire. Only for the hairs on my body to all stand up. [Scan] detected an incoming .50 Cal Raufoss with Scott''s {Detonate}.


    I quickly raised my gun, and hip fired my M107 while invoking [Executioner''s] other cheat ability.


    "[Interceptor]!"


    Inspired by my Wifey''s Guardian angel, this {Program}, was the opposite of [Assassinate]. Rather on the target it homed in on the attack. Its focus to prevent the danger from landing. [Interceptor] caused the Raufoss to abruptly explode in midair.


    I was about to sigh in relief, only for [Scan] to detect a second Raufoss right behind the first. I would have been surprised. Except everything that was happening was still part of [Maestro''s] plan.


    I couldn''t help but smile. I then partially drew a weapon into my body. Jas who saw me noticeably flinched and turned hysterical.


    "HUSBAND!! WHAT ARE YOU DO¡­"


    A sharp pain ran through my chest as I stabbed myself with the tip of Roach''s anti-soul halberd. The moment her round was about to hit me I called forth a different discipline. souls wrapped around my body protecting me from the anti-material round.


    "[SKY SENTINEL]! [BURST]!"


    "Wha¡­"


    Despite being able to see the future, I closed the distance between Jas and I in a single second. I quickly hugged her, tore off her mask and gave her a kiss.


    ''{Sin of Limitless}.''


    "Myuggmm! Hus¡­Puah¡­Husband¡­Stop...Mmmyggnn¡­''re bleeding¡­Hmpmp!!" my Wifey tried to resist but grew weaker till she lost the strength to resist. She eventually blacked out. With Jas out of the picture, I finally hand the chance to win!


    "Time to counterattack! Ready or not here I come!"

 Chapter 820 - 820: In a heartbeat! [1/2]

    [Maestro''s] plan was simple. To overpower the Sirens by using my avatars. Seemed simple enough. But there was a huge problem. One of my girls could see the future.


    Jas and the Sirens operated at a near telegraphic level thanks to {Limitless}. This combined with her unique {Program} [Guardian Angel] gave her a cheat like ability. To foresee the future of any Siren should said Siren be injured above a certain threshold.


    It was a heaven-sent ability for her allies. But as her temporary opponent, this reduced my chances to win to almost zero. [Maestro] and I concluded that in order to have a chance at victory, I needed to take out the Ebony Deathstalker first and foremost.


    True enough, despite trying my best, the girls all soundly defeated my avatars no matter what I did. Bella, Jo and Robyn were flawless in defending. As for Liv, I couldn''t even hurt her in the first place with [Defender].


    There were only 2 bullets I shot that actually connected. A .45 ACP to Lilly''s thigh, which I was certain happened due to Lilly''s chivalry. And an 8.6 Blackout to Aki''s calf, which she immediately used to fuck me over.


    The plan for six of my Avatars was not to win but just nail the Sirens in place. My victory or defeat was entirely dependent on whether I could take out Jas. Not an easy task against a clairvoyant with an anti-material rifle.


    ''How do we even land a hit on Jas? She can see the fucking future!''


    [Incorrect. Jas can see probabilities, not futures. [Future Sight] has a severe limitation, it can only be triggered once an event has been chosen.] Maestro explained.


    ''What the fuck does that even mean?''


    [Jas can only use [Future Sight] once she designates future she desires. For example, if she chose to protect Jo as the event, all the probabilities she sees will revolve only around Jo. The other Sirens are all excluded by until Jas achieves her desired outcome.]


    Completely unlike talking with Exa, [Maestro''s] logic and thinking was my own. So, anything he explained I immediately digested. Was this how smart people thought? You actually debated and argued with yourself.


    ''Okay, then how do we get her to trigger an event?''


    [You will stab yourself with Roach''s Anti-soul halberd in the heart. Jas'' overprotective nature would guarantee she will use [Future Sight] on ensuring your safety. Have Friday switch disciplines at that moment preferably to [Sky Sentinel]. This ensures she will not be able to react in time.]


    ''That is dirty.''


    [This course of actions does not involve manipulating the Sirens into dangerous acts. Even your requirement that we win without injuring anyone already reduces the chance of victory by 15%. If you still will not use this plan, victory cannot be achieved.]


    ''Fine.''


    Following [Maestro''s] plan, Saturday switched disciplines to take out Jas. As only one avatar could you one discipline at a time; in order to get [Sky Sentinel] I also had to abandon [Executioner].


    A functionality from the multi class system of version 3 survived in version 4. It was the flexibility to rapidly switch disciplines on demand. But as each discipline had a completely different way to fight, when, where and how I switched disciplines mattered greatly.


    From [Maestro''s] simulations, there was a 23% chance that Jas would figure out our plan. There was also an 8% chance that Jas would ignore my wound and just shoot me. To minimize such futures from happening, Maestro and I decided to add another trick.


    Rather than fight her with the intent to win, we would instead ignite her competitive spirit. My girls were all sore losers, that much I knew. So, we opted to challenge Jas in a duel of marksmen.


    Successfully tricking a genius was why the plan only had a success rate of 31%. For this reason, I purposely selected the disciplines I used to fight them. Rather than those that had the highest chance of victory I used the ones based on their own combat styles.


    And the results were disastrous. All seven of my avatars got their asses beaten black and blue.


    But Jas eager to prove her superiority acted as expected. She shot down all my rounds and then threw away her advantage just to prove she was a better marksman.


    Unknown to her, that hubris led to her downfall. I was able to get in close and use my new {Kismet} to drain her stamina. This was naturally due to one of my new reworked {Kismets}.


    ___


    {Sins of Limitless} v.1


    - A collaborative effort of {Withstand}, {Store}, {Carry}, {Listen}, {Code}, {Perceive}, and {Eat}. Kill Sequence uses a three-step process that cannot be aborted once triggered.


    - {Kismet} created as a means of terminating any being that has the blood of Limitless in their bloodstream. Can be triggered by either Limitless or any Siren once active.


    - if invoked on a Siren shares stamina instead. Can be used to both give and receive.


    ___


    The {Kismet} named {Sin of Limitless} was actually the reworked {Seal of Seven} and {kill Switch}. It basically eliminated the need for people to even have my {Kismet}. Now, my blood could kill anyone who drinks it.


    I requested for a function similar to [Kiss of Vitality] to ensure my girls could kill themselves with this {Kismet}. Unknowingly the feature I requested, gave me a way to neutralize the Sirens without harming them. Which was a win win situation in my book.


    ''Exa, call my {Vassals},'' I asked Exa while I carried Jas in my arms.


    [They are already on their way.]


    Using Friday I brought Jas all the way to the edge of the cage. I created a short {Portal} going outside and waited. Pixie, Delroy, Cynthia, and Yvonne arrived and laid out a folding chair for my Wifey.


    I didn''t want anyone touching my woman, so I personally set her on the seat gently. Seeing her serene expression, I kissed Jas'' forehead before I turned to head back inside.


    "Kill anyone who tries to approach. Prepare six more chairs," I said in a cold voice.


    "Yes, my lord!" x4


    Perhaps it was because I was beyond horny, I ended up saying words harsher than I intended. But at this moment I hardly grab a crap about anyone else. Running high on adrenaline and libido, I created a new {Portal} and headed back inside.


    ____


    With Jas out of the picture, I now had seven bodies to fight six opponents. My next target was Robyn. Due to being a Chaser and her tendency to act before thinking she was the easiest to trick and take down.


    Naturally the moment Jas lost consciousness the girls all knew immediately.


    "What? Jas is down? How?" Robyn asked puzzled.


    My Aussie and I were actually dancing in the sky up until five minutes ago. This avatar, Wednesday was the one who initially had [Sky Sentinel]. Due to swapping disciplines with Friday, I lost my ability to defy gravity. Thus, right now I was on my way to the ground.


    "Huh? Oy Possum! What are you doing?"


    "Nothing much! Just trying my hand as sky diving!" I answered as I fell. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At the moment, Friday was air lifting Jas to outside the soulcage. I swapped disciplines to Friday''s [Executioner] and took out the M107 and a tactical shooting platform. [Hellsend''s Armory] was similar to [Shared Armory] but included items Exa managed for the rest of Hellsend.


    Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    I mounted the anti-material rifle and aimed at Robyn up in the sky. If I played my cards right, I would be able to eliminate Robyn using a Wednesday as cover.


    Higher up, Robyn rubbed the back of her head in annoyance before diving towards me.


    "AGHHH! Whatever! You better accept your defeat already, Possum! You can''t even fight me now!" she ordered.


    "Haha, I never asked for your help Kitten. You just love me too much!"


    "BLOODY OATH! OF COURSE I DO, YOU STUPID ASS FUCKSTICK! Just shut up and me help you already Possum!"


    Surprised by her emotional outburst I could only smile wryly. I had Saturday used [Assassinate] and sent a .50 Cal round skyward. To ensure Robyn remains as ignorant as possible I tried to talk distract my kitten.


    "Robyn, you know I never said you couldn''t. There are just somethings I need to do on my own."


    [The bullet will reach you in 30 seconds. Prepare to use [Sky Sentinel], she will trigger {Fade} as a final defensive measure. Send fifteen Switchblades 300 in the following pattern to overwhelm her. I have marked the path you should take to get in her blind spot.]


    [Maestro''s] instructions rang out in my mind. I felt kind of guilty as I used Robyn''s emotions against her. While just talking to her wasn''t as bad as the shit [Maestro] wanted to do at first, it still felt like cheating.

 Chapter 821 - 821: In a heartbeat! [2/2]

    "But why do you have to continue hurting yourself, Possum? You are all I have left! Do you really want to see me miserable? Seeing you in pain breaks my heart! I would rather you beat me instead!"


    Tear''s Robyn began falling from her eyes as she raced to catch me. The [Assassinate] round was about to reach Robyn''s detection, so I opted to act now.


    "I am sorry, you feel in love with an asshole like me Kitten. [Sky Sentinel]."


    Suddenly regaining my ability to fly, I braked in midair. Robyn similarly slowed down. And took out her AA-12. She was about to speak when her eyebrows suddenly twitched.


    "FUCK ME DEAD!" Before she could finish, I moved.


    "[War Dancer], [Hellsend''s Armory] 15 Switchblade 300. F90 MBRs."


    Teleporting behind her, over a dozen loitering munitions chased after her. Robyn quickly took evasive maneuvers and began to shoot them from the sky. I joined in and peppered her with 12-gauge buckshot.


    Due to her Zenith constitution, [Maestro] believed Robyn''s combat reactions would have significantly deteriorated. And true enough just fifteen Switchblades dancing caused her to panic. Not giving her time to breath, I kept shooting her up until the [Assassinate] round arrived.


    "FUCK! {Fade}!"


    Robyn vanished in that moment. Quickly I invoked [Burst] and charged forward. When the Aussie reappeared, I grabbed her body in an embrace, shattered her mask and attacked her lips.


    "Mmpf...Fucking¡­Mffph...G-guhmpf...Fuck¡­I¡­N-ygn.¡­.you¡­.FUck¡­."


    Faster than even Jas, Robyn, quickly passed out. I had Wednesday deliver Robyn to my {Vassals}.


    Friday who no longer had an opponent, quickly repositioned and moved towards Bella. When I was in range, I aimed at my Brazilian Bombshell and fired another [Assassinate].


    ____


    "YOU FILTHY CHEATER! How in the world did you take down Jas and Robyn? All while fighting every one of us!"


    "I will tell you later! For now, I will pin you down and French kiss you till you pass out!"


    [Father, Mother, do you really have to do this?] [My dear parents we do not get tired, but this is a complete waste of time!] [Al-al! Ry-ry! What are you doing! We need to fight!]


    [This entire endeavor is pointless! It''s not even a real battle anyway! We are just destroying our platforms! They haven''t even begun using {Rewind}! This battle could go on forever!] Henry my 2nd AI son whined.


    Probably taken by the mood, Bella and I were fighting up close with gunkata. We each had a revolver and were smacking each other''s hand while we tried to shoot the other. Exa and my children all stopped fighting at some point due to the futility of it all.


    While [Maestro] sucked at close quarters, Bella was not a Descendant, so I could make do with just my reflexes. My {Limitless} was higher version than hers. Thus no matter what she did, I was several times faster.


    "You can''t beat me, Bella! And you know it! This cute little ass is minutes away from being taken to pound town!"


    I playfully spanked her behind as she tried her best to fend me off.


    "This fucking pervert! I will never surrender! If I did you are going to hurt yourself even more! I would much rather die!"


    Taken aback by her serious response, Bella grabbed the opportunity and shot my right arm. Giving flesh for bone, I charged towards her with my arm hanging limp by my side.


    "HA! Take that! I¡­ Huh? Wait! What are you doing?!"


    Using my one good arm I turned around and shield her from behind. All in time for [Assassinate] to bury itself into my back. Thankfully I still had Monday''s soul armor.


    "Huh? Was that Jas? Honey! Did it hit your spine?! Let go of me and let me check! NOW!"


    "Ugh, damn that hurts! Mrs. Code. I am sorry for not consulting you. I never thought you were weak or incompetent. I rely on you a lot. It''s just that, if I can spare you from suffering I would do it in a heartbeat!"


    "Alright! Alright Let me see your injury!" when Bella grew frantic from the bullet embedded in my back I smiled in appreciation.


    "Sigh. Why did I have to fall in love with you? Fine! I forgive you. It hurts to see you bled but so long as you come back to me, then I will accept everything. Promise me, okay?"


    "I promise. Thank you, Miss Code. Now come here¡­ {Sin of Limitless}."


    "Mppffh...Bastard¡­Mpff...on''t make me¡­Mmpffh...Regret this¡­."


    I slipped off her mask and assaulted Bella with kisses until she passed out in my arms. Without her boisterousness she looked like a beautiful angel who descended on the earth. I embraced her and cradled her body in my chest.


    "You little shits. If you got any familial piety, you will help me."


    [Yes father, we are yours to command.] x3


    "Alright split up your platforms and attack the remaining Sirens. Move!"


    _____


    After firing a round at Bella, Friday swung his sights to where Saturday and Aki fought in the west and shot .50 Cals. rounds loaded with [Interceptor]. Then I once again changed targets and fired [Assassinate] rounds towards Thursday and Jo who were located east.


    Meanwhile, [Sky Sentinel] Wednesday who already returned from delivering Robyn was on my way toward to reinforce Thursday and Jo.


    Sunday, who was still in [Maestro], began to reinforce my other avatars using the Soulless and my own UGV. It was sad that only a pair of Ripsaws survived. All the replicated Challengers were toast. Sadly, Bella didn''t keep Mangustas or CAESARS in her legion.


    ___


    "Shujin. Come out come out wherever you are. I won''t bite. Hmm¡­ I guess that is a lie. Fufu."


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    Aki walked without a care in the world inside the poisoned paradise she created. [Ninja] was not able to fight on par with her. In fact, [Ninja} was hardly for combat at all. It didn''t help that Aki drew my blood and turned it into mist.


    She used the blood particles to extend the violet smoke that permeated the battlefield. Given what I just learned from Carlos and Herman, it seems Aki was already training to fight with her domain, despite only till being a Phantom.


    As I stayed still to heal the only saving grace was that [Ninja] hid me perfectly. Despite having {Sonar} and the {Listen} family of {Fates} Aki couldn''t pinpoint where I was. Unfortunately, my advantages ended there, the moment I moved Aki would know.


    Still, I wasn''t worried. Help was already on its way.


    "I guess you believe that it is already your victory Anata. I do admit neutralizing Jas was an amazing achievement, being able to fight all of us to a standstill including Lilly is also worthy of praise."


    Aki then withdrew her AR-10 rifle and picked up two of the Odachi''s floating about. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "However, despite all that, I have my own reasons for not wanting to lose. Much like everyone else it is because you do not wish to use us in battle. I am a blade, Anata. Your blade. You saw my determination. For your sake I would willingly give my life."


    Hearing her heartfelt please, I couldn''t stay still and came out of concealment.


    "And that is why I also cannot lose Aki. Your life infinitely means more to me. I forbid you from using it for something so foolish as dying for me," I retorted in anger.


    "And I abhor you for making me fall in love with you. For making your captive. Then using the life of the man I hold most dear as a mortar to rebuild this world! It all means nothing if you get die to change it! Anata, you will never change my mind on this!"


    "Then I guess I will just have to push you down and ravage you until you can no longer resist."


    "Let our blades speak for us! HERE I COME!"


    Aki blinked a few feet away from me and swung her swords. The rest of the odachi followed her strikes like a pair of wings that had feathers made of blades. I rolled away and switched the Faxon Sentinel for my M134D minigun.


    I quickly brought it to bear and unleashed a storm of 7.62 NATO at Aki. Just like last time she showed her insane ability as she cleaved the bullets using her swarm of swords. She then darted forward! Her metallic wings folded around her and acted like a shield.


    The Bladed Kitsune advanced dauntlessly under my barrage! However, everything that happened till now was still within [Maestro''s] predictions. Including what would happen next.


    As more and more of my Avatars converged on the remaining Sirens, although the remaining Sirens were all powerful fighters, they would lose to me soon enough.

 Chapter 822 - 822: Believe in me [1/2]

    [Maestro] was fucking terrifying when analyzing my opponents. While he was technically the rest of my brains operating on overdrive his plans were fucking ruthless. For one he was able to quickly form plans customized for each Sirens.


    [Play] basically allowed Sunday a form of tactical clairvoyance. "The quickest way to predict the future was to create it." This was a quote I liked as it challenged the notion of Destiny. [Maestro] ran simulated battles and created plans based on those assumptions.


    Naturally [Maestro] needed my knowledge about something to pass a certain threshold to be of use. Luckily for his maiden battle I fought the seven people I understood the most. Everything from the tendencies in bed and battle down to their mannerisms.


    I was the foremost expert to my girls. And [Maestro] abused the fuck out of this fact. Initially [Maestro] suggested to use the girl''s insecurities to manipulate them into throwing their battles. But as I refused to do something so low, I forced him to reconsider.


    ''Although what he came up with was just as if not more devious as a result.'' Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire


    [Maestro] profiled my girls and created situations where they had to act according to my wishes. The layered tricks for Jas took advantage of her overprotective nature and competitive nature.


    For Robyn, we used her love for me. Robyn would never allow me to die. So, if I fell, she would case after me. It was anyone else she would have just killed them. But I was the sole exception.


    Next, we took the inherent weakness of Robyn. Originally her body was incredibly powerful and agile. But due to her Zenith constitution this changed drastically. While she did gain soul power that rivaled phantoms, her body deteriorated.


    [Maestro] knew Robyn was covering for this fact using {Limitless}. However, even though my {Kismet} gave her unlimited stamina, strong defense and sharp sense, it could not restore her reaction times.


    Even if her brain knew what to do, the truth was her body already could not keep up with her. And [Maestro] didn''t let such a weakness pass. By using Switchblades and 12-gauge buckshot. We forced Robyn into the defensive only for [Assassinate] to finish the job.


    Despite having the {Fade} soulgear that acted like a 2nd life, we out planned and out played a Chaser. From then on, we proceeded to attack the other targets. Surprisingly [Maestro''s] instructions for Bella didn''t even require us to harm her.


    According to him, Bella was already conflicted about fighting us. All the Latina wanted was to gain my recognition and promise to be more careful. Unlike the other Sirens, Bella didn''t want to hurt me if she could help it. This was evident in how she fought.


    Even when she shot me it was only on the shoulder. [Maestro] believed Bella tormented herself with guilt at having to hurt me. And what does the bastard order me to do? Shoot myself with [Assassinate] while protected the already guilty Brazilian.


    Who knew that getting yourself shot with a .50 Cal could disarm your opponent. The moment Bella saw me cover for her; she lost the will to fight.


    [She it the only one who looked at things objectively.] [Maestro] declared.


    Bella unlike the others understood that I had to be the one take the risks. While the others wished I relied on them more, but Bella understood that I was different from others. That there were several things I had to do on my own. She understood that she had to let me be. And it hurt her.


    So, this entire fight was not really about her drawing lines, it was like she just wanted to try throwing a tantrum like a child. [Maestro''s] plans came to fruition as Bella practically abandoned the battle when she saw me get shot. She didn''t force her way and relented without much fuss.


    In the same manner, Aki, Jo, Liv and Lilly all had different plans laid out for them. And as someone who hardly experienced following such a well intricate plan I was floored. [Maestro] created specific actions and adjusted them as the battles went on.


    ____


    "CHEEEESUTO!"


    Aki powerful downward slash caused me to roll to the side. Empowered by {Dope}, the souls in Aki''s body began to become visible. It was like the Aura power characters had in Anime and Manga. Violet colors flowed out Aki like steam.


    According to Exa, Aki had the physique of a 3rd generation Descendant. Even though this body was only an Avatar, it was still a body stronger than hers by six generations. But while I could avoid her in the beginning, the more blood Aki drew in, the stronger and faster her strikes became!


    My landlady pointed to me with one of her swords and brought it down. In response the sword curtain around her all separated and flew towards me. Like flying tuna that swam through the air the blood odachi came at me.


    [[Sanguine Bladewing] tracks its targets via blood lust. Invoke [Shadow] and wait 5 seconds. Then shift to [Heavy Gunner], use [Shock and Awe] then wait for the Switchblades to arrive.]


    "[Shadow]!"


    "That is useless Anata!"


    In response to me vanishing, Aki dissolved her swords into blood rivers and caused them to swirl around like a hurricane at the center. With [Danger Sense] I felt that the thin lines of sanguine liquid were far dangerous than the blood odachi.


    [It is time. Ensure the replicated weapons you draw from [Arsenal] do not go above 1800 feet per second. This means you must use only handgun ammunition and 12-gauge buckshots.]


    "[Heavy Gunner]! Give up Aki! You are outmatched!"


    As souls wrapped around my body, I felt my body shift disciplines. Drawing souls from [Arsenal] I armed myself with two AA-12. Going further, I also retrieved 20 USP match pistols, 20 Raging Hunters revolvers, 30 AA-12 and 30 M1014 Benelli combat shotguns.


    "Tsk. Anata, do you think my devotion is weak enough to be stopped by mere bullets!"


    [Say to her. "You forget your place, Aki. A blade that goes against its master is worthless."]


    ''What? Why?''


    [No time. Quickly!]


    "You forget your place, Aki. A blade that goes against its master is worthless," I recited as menacingly as I could.


    "I KNOW THAT! BUT WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO? THIS IS THE ONLY THING I CAN CONTROL! I HAVE TO PROTECT YOU! YOU ARE THE ONE THING I CANNOT LOSE ANATA!" Aki shrieked in agony.


    Like a demon, Aki crouched low and placed her hands on the floor. I felt myself hallucinate when the woman before me turned into a feral beast. Unbridled blood lust flowed from my once gentle Kamisan.


    Seeing Aki''s fear, agony and pain, I finally understood. Bella, Jas and Robyn fought because they were worried. But they all never believed that I would fail. Aki didn''t. It was why her fear tormented her. She was terrified of losing me.


    The other girls didn''t want me to get hurt. Aki went beyond that and actually believed I would die a pitiful end. And this belief made her doubt her love for me. Her own conflict ate at her so much malice began manifesting on her body.


    My guns all locked on the Japanese I loved the most. Aki reacted to my fighting spirit and moved. The blood in the air formed together into countless large needles and swarmed like a colony of hornets.


    "[SHOCK AND AWE]!"


    At my command, all the firearms on my side erupted at once. A deafening tide of metal and death sang like a choir. Lead rounds and buckshot pellets raced towards Aki. She shielded her face with her swords as she charged.


    ''Shit she is going to use [Karma Strike] again!''


    The blood needles were all destroyed without a single survivor. Aki''s body got chewed up by the thousands of projectiles I sent her way without stopping. Fortunately, her body shrugged off my attacks. This was probably why [Maestro] told me to use slow bullets.


    As my salvo continued, she then invoked the {Program} I hated the most. "[Karma Strike]!"


    A bloody lance appeared beside her and launched itself towards me like a missile. At the rate it was going I wouldn''t be able to escape it! I felt my body tense up only to see something incredible.


    Coming from behind Aki, blazing lights rushed towards us. It was .50 Cal rounds that looked like falling stars! My eyes could barely register anything before the soaring lights overtook Aki and the [Karma Strike] lance. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They then slammed themselves into Aki''s projectile again and again changing its trajectory!


    ''FUCK! THAT''S AMAZING! Are those the [Interceptors] I fired earlier? HOLY CRAP!''


    "ANATA!!!!"


    The Japanese warrior however saw no one else but me. My Kamisan leapt and brought her sword down intent to stab me in the collarbone. Fortunately, much like the for [Karma Strike], another [Interceptor] came, this time for Aki.

 Chapter 823 - 823: Believe in me [2/2]

    The [Interceptor''s] target was Aki, specifically the swords in her hands. Faster than both of us could comprehend, the blazing .50 Cal severed all the fingers off her left hand. Then it continued and completely destroyed her right.


    Before Aki''s blades could touch me, they harmlessly fell to the ground.


    [You should¡­]


    ''I know.''


    Knowing full well what I had to do, I threw away my guns and raised my arms outstretched. As her body could stop the momentum, my Kamisan crashed into me. I wrapped my hands around her as I whispered tenderly. I slipped of her mask before I spoke.


    "Believe in me, Aki."


    "W-What?"


    "That is what you should do. Believe in me,'' I declared as I gazed into her quivering hazel eyes.


    "But¡­What if¡­"


    Taking her hesitation as my cue, I greedily sought her lips and kissed them roughly.


    "{Sins of Limitless}."


    "Haaa¡­Anata¡­haa¡­Wait¡­haa¡­Stop¡­.Mphmp!"


    Regardless of her protests, I continued to kiss her. Up until she slowly passed out. I was about to wonder what I needed to do when I saw a Ripsaw M5 barreling over with three Aegis Division soldiers riding it.


    [They will take care of Aki. There are only two targets left. Let''s finish this.]


    "Right."


    Handing off Aki to the Aegis Division, I used Saturday to call Esca out and drove to our next target.


    ____


    Rewinding the clock a little while Aki and Saturday were fighting, I, Thursday was fighting with Jo. I was unleashing all manner of ordinance at the invading zombies. [Arsenal] did not have an upper limit, but the souls I used to create the guns were quite costly if you considered that they vanish afterwards.


    "Fucking hell! Just how many zombies did you drag to this place, Darling?"


    "Hehe! I don''t actually know. I just hunted Undertakers and gave them one command. ''Corral every zombie you find to this place.'' The Rank F''s act like dogs so it''s all good!"


    I chatted with Jo as floating guns blasted all around us. While [Arsenal]''s initial soul cost was frightening, the rate I was putting down quickly recouped the cost. Unfortunately, they were all I could hit.


    [Heavy Gunner] was severely lacking in detection. It did however have [Lock On] which automated picking targets and shooting them. This was extremely useful for dealing with large numbers of weak enemies.


    Against someone as powerful as Jo however, it was next to useless. [Lock On] was too fucking slow. By the time I got a lock Jo was already in a different direction!


    Among the Sirens the only ones I fought for real were Lilly, Aki and Bella. While I did have an idea of her abilities, it was only now as a 9th generation Descendant that I finally could grasp the power in my Italians lithe frame. If that was not enough, Jo was also displaying her mastery of her {Fate}.


    Footsteps that made no movement. Echoes that came from thin air. And voices that called to you from all over the place. Fighting Jo was a nightmare in a bottle. If I didn''t have {Mind shield} she probably would have brainwashed me by now.


    "Darling! Muuoh! Keep your eyes on me!"


    "I would love to do that Jo. Seeing your smile and beauty makes me happy. But you keep running around, so it''s hard."


    "Hehe, that means your reaction times sucks! You already took out Jas, Robyn and Bella, I can only guess one of your modes can plan really well?"


    [As expected, only she could deduce the possible outcomes of your restructuring. This is dangerous. If we give Jo more time, she might guess how we intend to beat her. We need to proceed with the plan immediately.]


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    Jo then looked far away and gasped.


    "Oh! A Darling is zooming fast here! He''s the one that fought with Robyn! I can only hear, switchblades and MAARS. So, its Sabel and Henry. And over there a homing bullet enchanted with soul is targeting¡­huh? Who is it aiming for?"


    "!!!"


    Surprised that Jo accurately described all the reinforcements coming, I began to break out in cold sweat. My shooting star''s ability to hear shit was already beyond the level of superheroes. It practically approached the realm of gods.


    "Ehem¡­you caught me, Jo. Don''t be angry it''s not like your alone either right?"


    Speaking of which, as a Linker, Jo''s abilities should be influenced by Vela. Specifically, Vela and her legend. Unfortunately, unlike Rhiannon, there was no concrete stories passed on about Jo''s Astral.


    While my mind began to contemplate who Vela might be, Jo''s next words sent shivers down my spine.


    "Wow! That''s smart! So, the bullet was for Vela! You plan to draw her out and beat me while she is driving!"


    [Fuck.]


    That would have been the first time I heard [Maestro] swear. Me alter ego''s plan to beat Jo was to dupe Vela into fighting. Unlike Jo, Vela was for the lack of a better word stupider. Against Jo we were helpless, but we judged victory to be possible if we fought Vela instead.


    Among my disciplines only [Gladiator] had the ability to overpower my Italian lover. But by doing so I was scared I would hurt her. While my girls and I argued, we still loved each other. Even without speaking, this duel already had rules we unconsciously applied.


    {Rewind} was not allowed. Anti-soul weaponry that could actually kill us were also forbidden. We could have fought using yellow rounds that just disabled us, but having {Digest} make Joshua''s {Bestow} rounds really useless.


    "HAHA! I will help you out Darling. If you can convince Vela to surrender, I will too," my opponent proposed.


    "For real?"


    "Yeah! I know! I know already! Sheesh! you''re too excited Vela!"


    Jo argued with herself and then took her mask. Her irises then began to change colors. Her irises turned from a verdant green to blood red.


    "Darling, you wanted me. Here I am. Though I do find it rude you intend to shoot me as we talk," Vela complained as she crossed her arms.


    "[Executioner]."


    I changed Thursday''s discipline and moved to placate the Astral.


    "[Hellsend''s Armory] M107, [Interceptor]."


    With the light fifty in hand, I got on one knee and used [Scan]. Next, I invoked [Track] on the coming danger. Finally, I sent a soul powered bullet to stop the [Annihilate] round on route to Vela. The two .50 Cal rounds tore each other to shreds midflight.


    Sunday also used [Maestro] to redirect the incoming Switchblades to Tuesday and Lilly. When Vela noticed what we did, she nodded before continuing.


    "I have discussed with Jo. She joined this fight because she wanted to show how strong she is. Constantly demeaning her skills by coddling her has made her resentful. You of all people should know what kind of hell my friend suffered through to get strong."


    Hearing Vela''s words I said nothing. Similar to Robyn, all Jo wanted was to be counted on. To be told she mattered. But unlike Robyn who always told me how she felt, the Italian was more sensitive. Her history was one where despite all her efforts, she was thrown away.


    This was both her greatest trauma and the driving force that pushed her forward. I gripped my hands in frustration at the realization. I dug up wounds that I should be the one healing.


    "Now tell me Darling. To someone like her, give me a good reason. Tell me why we should bow to you when she is far superior?"


    [Tell her this, Jo you are¡­] S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Shut up,'' I cut off [Maestro] abruptly.


    Jo was far too intelligent for me. Maybe for even [Maestro]. It was like a toddler playing chess against a grandmaster. Listening to Vela, Jo didn''t actually express that she would not follow me. Only that she wanted a good reason.


    "I don''t have any Vela."


    [That makes no sense. What are you¡­]


    "Darling, without a reason you will not get what you want."


    I walked towards my Italian lover and took her hands into mine.


    "I know that, Vela. Jo, can you please come out for a bit. Please."


    Within seconds the soul signature of the person in front of me changed. It was now my Josephine. Her green eyes stared into my soul waiting for an answer.


    "Darling."


    "Jo, I have no reason. You are amazing, smart, sexy and beautiful. There is no good reason why you should follow me. Frankly I don''t even deserve you."


    "Then¡­"


    "But I want you to anyway," I declared.


    "Why shou¡­"


    "Because I need you."


    "¡­"


    "I can''t do this without you Jo. I am already asking for so much. When I think of what you have to give up, I feel so ashamed. But I still need you. This is why the things I can do to lessen your burden, I will."


    "¡­"


    "Because when the time comes that I need help. I would call on you. All of you. I am sorry at such a lame answer."


    However rather than rebuke me, Jo beamed in joy, "No, it is enough, Darling!"

 Chapter 824 - 824: A hundred times [1/2]

    [How in the world?]


    Hearing the dumbfounded comment of [Maestro] I was just as surprised. I honestly thought that since I couldn''t out think Jo, I should just come clean. And when I did, my Shooting star flashed me her most gorgeous smile.


    I was about to ask when Jo placed her finger on my lips. Jo had a mischievous look before pulling me in for a kiss. In contrast to her usual passion, the way we kissed was slow and tender. As if all we wanted was to know we were not alone.


    When we separated, Jo began to explain. "Darling, you know what the problem is with being so smart?"


    "I honestly don''t."


    "It''s learning that many of the people you meet lie, cheat and steal. That there are those that put on masks all to create acts. Just so they can manipulate others into doing what they want."


    "Oh." Guilt filled me as I did the exact same thing to Jas, Robyn and Bella.


    "This is why I love you, Darling."


    "Because I am stupid?"


    "Hehe. Of course not. You are not stupid, Darling. You are just simple minded. You do not lie, mean what you say and are absolutely crazy. You are everything I wanted in a man and more."


    "But, I do bad stuff too, Jo. Like I said I am no saint." S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yep. To most people you are an asshole. Maybe even a demon. But to me. You are the one I love. And I am so happy, I got the chance. Meeting and falling for you is the one thing in this world I will never regret."


    Jo then leaned in again and kissed me. Her clear and green eyes sucked me in. Like emerald oceans they called to me. Unknowingly I spaced out just admiring my Darling''s eyes. I only noticed when Jo kiss the tip of my nose before resting her head on my shoulder.


    "Darling, you know, everything you said earlier was wrong. I may be smart but thats about it. My boobs are smaller than Liv or Lilly. I am not cute like Robyn or Bella. My ass is flatter than Jas. And I can''t be as flirty as Aki is no matter what I do."


    "But¡­"


    Jo then gripped my hands as she cried out in a trembling voice.


    "Please just listen Darling. I need to get this out of my chest."


    "¡­"


    When Jo noticed that I stayed silent, she continued, "It would have been amazing if I could monopolize you. There were so many times I wished for that to be true. But I know that it can''t. Maybe that was why you ended up killing me in our past lives."


    The moment those words left her lips, I remembered the terrible vision I saw before. I was holding Jo''s lifeless body in my arms. I didn''t have the strength to research Perun. Thus among my lives, I actually didn''t know anything about my previous life with Jo.


    In the vision, she had a hole in her chest and was covered in blood. Even in now I felt the agony of my previous life as he repeated the words "I''m so sorry." Over and over again. I couldn''t imagine what I would do if that happened to me in this life.


    I unconsciously gripped my Italian lovers hand in reflex. Jo said nothing and continued.


    "You know right? How Jas and I did everything the Reapers wanted. And in the end, they just left us to die. I have since been scared. What would happen if you didn''t want me anymore? Even if I disappeared, you still had the other Sirens. That thought broke me."


    As Jo laid her heart out, I tensed my body. I clenched my jaw so much I heard my teeth grind together. My {Kindred} who noticed began to rub my bicep as she tried to calm me down.


    "I am not blaming you Darling. Its just that we all love you. And this is the cost. Anyway, I figured so long as I remain useful you would never throw me away. I know you never would, you said the same thing to Robyn. But in my mind I always thought that.


    "So I tried to see what I could offer you. But sadly I didn''t have much. In terms of raw soul power, no one could beat Robyn. In a contest of physiques, Liv was far superior. Bella could grow and manage Hellsend better than I ever could.


    "Lilly had more resources and connections. Jas could see the future. Even in just killing people, Aki was just far better. I was nothing. All my effort. It all amounted to nothing. So when you said you still needed me. That it had to be me. I was¡­Happy."


    Overwhelmed by the depressing things that came out of my woman I pulled her towards my chest and hugged her. They often said the happiest people hid the deepest wounds. Who knew that behind Jo''s unending energy she saw herself like this.


    "I need you Jo. No one can replace you. I just¡­"


    "I know Darling. When you stopped trying to trick and instead just told me you needed me. I knew I was being stupid. I know why you chose to do things yourself. I am sure Bella, Jas and Lilly do too. Hehe only Liv and Robyn probably don''t. Aki is a unique case."


    I didn''t say anything and only hugged her tighter. This was caused by Jo''s insecurities and mental issues. I thought I already did enough. Against my nature, I praised and showered them with affection. But Jo still ended up feeling this way. I was a fucking failure.


    "Darling, stop it. You are not at fault. Our link is still closed but I can feel how depressed you are. Anyway you ''won'' over me. So take me out like you did the others. Sorry for whining and thank you for listening. I am okay now. I love you!" Jo added.


    Her eyes changed colors to red as she snatched my lips. Vela''s voice echoed beside us despite her sucking lewdly on my tongue. "Exa, do it."


    ''Activating {Sins of Limitless}.''


    My {Kindred} staggered as her body rapidly grew weak. Vela then smiled as she licked my cheek. "To defeat us by kissing. If you told me this earlier, I would have beaten Jo to the ground myself."


    "Thanks Darling."


    Jo''s body then surrendered her weight to me and lost consciousness. With both Jo and Aki also out. There was only Liv and Lilly. I noticed an approaching soulless unit and handed Jo to them to deliver outside.


    [Everyone else is moving to support Monday, I will support Tuesday. We will be leaving Lilly for last.]


    "Got it," I replied as Thursday moved to line up a shot on Liv.


    ____


    "Ugh!"


    I kept my body low as I protected my mid-section. Like the other girls Liv was fucking relentless. Having six arms she absolutely pummeled me. My soul armor broke over ten times. [Defender] had near unbeatable defense, but this discipline was slow as hell.


    As payment for being able to tank hits, Monday''s body felt sluggish compared to the others. Or perhaps the reason I felt that way was because Liv was absolutely beating the crap out of me.


    Exa''s hierarchy placed Liv at the top. With a body at the strength of a 15th generation Descendant it made sense. Supposedly this was due to a mix of her own heritage and the Northern Ceremony. As I understood more, I began to become able to gauge the absurd power of her frame.


    For reference anything above 7th generations were already the realm of Specters. That meant that once Reapers copulated with each other for at least 175 years straight, you would gain power beyond the limits of Phantoms.


    ''No wonder the Europeans were so fucking obsessed with bloodlines and incest.''


    It was no secret that many countries in Europe, specifically those who had aristocracies had a thing for incest. They kept saying shit about it was to keep bloodlines pure. However the results of their behaviors mutilated and deformed their kids eventually causing them to die out.


    What if the reason they acted that way was because they saw someone else do it? Unlike humans, Reapers had no issue with deformities, at least I didn''t know if there were. Even in mythology, all stories began with a pair of beings making kids and marrying them off.


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    If all those deities were Reapers, then it seemed to make sense. I mean, despite Liv only being a Phantom she could probably beat the crap out of any first-generation Specter. It was not a manner of skill; the power of compounded bloodlines was really just that strong.

 Chapter 825 - 825: A hundred times [2/2]

    I raised the M32 and fired a grenade at my Valkyrie. Among all the weapons I tried to pair with a shield only this one worked against Liv. The others were too long and unwieldy.


    "HAAA!"


    Yet my Northern simply smacked the 40mm low velocity grenade away. She was so fast the grenade flung over 30 feet before it even had a chance to explode. In retaliation, a powerful shockwave smashed into my shield.


    Despite having {Endure} I felt my feet slide a bit. Who knew that a 10-gauge slug would have this much power. No, that wasn''t accurate. It was because of Liv, who despite being in combat with me was using [One round marksman].


    ''She doesn''t even need [Knight]. That''s how fucking thick her defenses are.''


    Stacking {Reinforce}, {Block} and {Withstand} turned Liv into a fucking fortress. Unfortunately, [Defender] had squat in offensive abilities. It was purely to absorb damage. So, I could do nothing but wait.


    "IS THIS IT, BELOVED? The strength you claim that would be able to make me submit."


    "Fuck!"


    Liv crashed into me like a freight train. I didn''t buckle but stopping her charge was useless. My Valkyrie attacked by chaining moves like a combo! This specific combination seemed to be her favorite. It comprised of a tackle, point blank shooting and a finisher.


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    When I successfully stopped her first move, The armaments held by her extra hands began to glow. They carried an Milkor M32 40mm MGL grenade launcher and the Winchester 10-gauge 1887 lever action shotgun. Normally at this distance the 40mm grenade would not explode even if she fired it.


    But Liv fucking charged her rounds with {Counter}. {Counter} energy manifested as heat or friction. So, it was enough to detonate the grenades at point blank. And as Liv was a tank, she intentionally exploded it super close so that she always got caught in the blast.


    [Defend against it!]


    ''Gee you think?''


    Ever since she got Exa, she no longer had issues in using her third {Fate}. Rather being able to economically leverage every bit of {Counter} energy made me a fucking cheat. Unable to resist I braced my body yet again to endure a beating.


    [Defender] was created to match Liv''s tanking skills, but it could not match her Asura mode. Eventually the gun and shield I held got fucked and broke against Liv''s blows. The sound of glass shattering also resounded as my [Wall] armor again failed to survive.


    But my Valkyrie was not yet done. Liv swung her main sword arm which also was fueled by energy from the blast.


    ''Ugh, this is going to hurt!''


    Despite having the mass needed to stop her blow due to Defender, I still was sent flying. Liv bashed the left side of my torso like an Olympic baseball batter. Rather than diffuse the impact like normal, Liv''s control allowed the energy to focus on one point.


    "Bleargh!"


    I felt all of my ribs shatter as I imitated an eagle in flight. Unable to keep it in I puked out blood and bile as I tried to right myself as I crashed. The taste of iron and stomach acids made me even more dizzy.


    [This is not working. [Defender] was made using Liv''s shielder techniques. She knows them like the back of her hand. Breaking you balance with each strike is easy for her.]


    ''I fucking know! Where are the others?''


    [They will be arriving soon. Wednesday who [Sky Sentinel] will be overhead in ten minutes. Saturday''s [Heavy Gunner] will arrive fifteen. Friday in [Ninja] will need sixteen. Thursday''s [Executioner] is already lining up a shot. Sunday who has [Maestro] is supporting Tuesday.]


    ''I''m glad everyone else is doing well.''


    [Your only goal at the moment is to not pass out!]


    Due to [Defender''s] skill set there was hardly anything I could do except buy time. Liv was cycling souls as she charged and unleaded full powered {Counters} without stopping. I helplessly looked up to the sky in defeat as my whole body danced between pain and relief.


    "Get up Beloved! If you want to hurt so much, then I will beat you to a bloody pulp as many times as you want!"


    Rage filled the Northerner''s voice. It was obviously because I evolved on my own and she had to watch me suffer in silence. Liv loved me. And if you take her profession into account, you would know what kind of personality she had.


    "I-I''m sorry Liv. I just didn''t have it in me to ask more of you¡­"


    "Cease such lies! Were you not the one that says that we are family? Then why must you feel that way! I already surrendered myself to you Beloved! Did not you get angry when I tried to do the same! I detest those who lie and those who reek of hypocrisy!"


    I rolled on my stomach and tried to stand up. Only for Liv to smash the flat side of her sword into my head at full power. Even with all my defenses I felt the impact almost bent my neck like a pretzel. My consciousness almost flew away as my ears began to ring.


    ''Fucking hell, wouldn''t that have decapitated me if I wasn''t in [Defender]?''


    "[Wall]."


    Raising my arms to protect my head, I then heard Liv''s fingers squeeze the triggers of her weapons. Soul powered bullets pummeled me while I laid on the ground. While my body didn''t get pierced, the shockwaves turned my insides into mush.


    [Vortex] only worked for projectiles that were at least 5 feet away from me. That meant it would stop anything further than that. But if it was within like now? It did absolutely nothing. Helplessly I got beaten down by my Valkyrie in the most domineering fashion.


    She again ranted, "My love, have you had enough? I told you I didn''t want to see you hurt. I call myself your shield. My role is to protect you. Each wound you get is a stain on my honor. Why can''t you understand where I am coming from?" S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I know what it is you want Liv. You want to bear all my burdens. That is how you love me. Unfortunately, I am the same. As your man, I refuse to let you shoulder everything. Doing so makes me a useless bastard who doesn''t deserve you."


    "But beloved, you already did so much for me. This is the only way I can repay your love. Why deny me this right? Am I not even worth that much?" My Valkyrie cried out in tears.


    "Liv, I¡­"


    "She regretted it."


    "What?"


    "Freyja. The one whose life I lived before. I do not know the whole story yet, but she regretted it. She and Tyr didn''t part on good terms. And when he died, the regret consumed her."


    At Liv''s words, I remembered the scene I saw in my dreams. {Withstand} or Freyja died while fighting a never-ending undead army. Much like Rhiannon, and Inari, ''I'' wasn''t in the vision at the moment of their deaths.


    "Beloved. While I don''t know the whole story. I know Freyja deeply loathed herself for a mistake. What it is I do not know. But at its core is her desire for vengeance. And it wasn''t for her brother. But for Tyr."


    ''Fuck, I guess I need to eventually read up on my other lives. I have no idea what to answer.''


    "I felt her pain. It was dreadful. The thought that your mistake caused the death of the one you hold most dear. It drove her insane. I do not wish to be like her Beloved. Please do not force me too. I will follow you into the depths of Hell. But please allow me to stand beside you."


    I stood up and wiped the blood off my mouth. Hearing about Freyja''s past seemed to have given Liv PTSD. But sadly, I had no intention of coddling her. Not for this. Liv actually created a paradox because of what she saw from her supposed past life.


    "I am sorry Liv. I am sorry you had to be burdened with Freyja''s pain and regret. But I am not Tyr. Nor are you her. We are different. Liv, my beloved, I never said I will not rely on you. It''s just that each time I do, I get weaker."


    "What?"


    "You and I both know that battle and hardship forges character. But we want our loved ones to be safe. That is how you and I show our love. But I cannot follow your wishes, because if I do, I will lose the ability to protect you."


    Before she could respond, the first of reinforcements I was waiting for finally arrived.


    "And I would rather die a hundred times than to let that happen."

 Chapter 826 - 826: Until I am satisfied [1/2]

    It was something that anyone who played games or read manga knew. Experience brings strength. In any RPG, the number of enemies ones defeat directly contribute to how powerful one becomes.


    And an intentional mechanic most old school games had was that Exp was finite. This meant that should you pull all your experience on the same characters; others would be neglected.


    This trend shifted when they introduced random encounters, but the main thing remained the same. Liv wanted to protect me. In order to do that she had to be as strong or stronger.


    As someone who always wished for the same strength, I couldn''t allow her to leave me behind. This turned us into rivals. We would level as hard as we can all so we had the strength to protect the other.


    I initially wanted to keep them in a glass cage, but the realization that they would remain weak stopped me. Liv had the same inclination but hers was more selfish. She wanted me to rely on her to carry me forward. That was fine but it would lead its own problems.


    Funnily enough what confirmed this thinking was yet again anime and manga. Through the years there were hundreds of novels that introduced a new concept. The kicked out of the party genre. You have an MC who did all the labor only to be kicked out.


    The nuances differed but the core elements remained the same. The MC who supported the entire party on his back would meet success once he starts over. In contrast his former party would learn how weak they have become because they dependent so much on him.


    I depended on my girls a lot. I loved them since they tried to help me. But at the same time, when they complete the work for me, they gain the experience. They grew stronger. But as a result, the strength I could have potentially gained naturally I failed to develop.


    It was one of the things I noticed. Compared to when I fought alone, with Hellsend and the Sirens I could do more, that was true. But the desperation and battle''s I experienced changed. If initially it was due to die, I felt my battles suddenly turned easy.


    Having the Sirens and {Limitless} grow made us extremely strong. But as a result, my thinking did not change. I knew i made a mistake when I got beat up by George Clay. Despite using everything at my disposal I lost.


    Exa and I created the [Combat Shadow Silhouette] to compensate but it was not enough. Fighting Bifrons and the Vampires, I relied on the power of the Sacreds and {Soul Breaker}. I do get stronger, but despite what others said, to me it was not fast enough.


    To fight demons, specters and eventually Revenants. To accomplish my goal of joining the assault teams to close Hellsgate. I had to grow stronger. I needed to regain the hunger I lost after I got married. So, I cannot in good conscience give Liv what she wants.


    I knew it would not be easy. I knew it will hurt. I would probably bleed, suffer and die a thousand times. But I didn''t care. For the future that I sought, I was willing.


    "Liv, I am sorry. But I cannot give you what you want. You are my shield. But I also must be strong enough to be worthy of you. For that reasons I will hurt myself as many times as necessary. Please just accept my apologies later."


    "Sigh. So even knowing that protecting you is both my desire and purpose, you chose to deny me? What about all the times you told me that I am worth more than the world to you, Beloved?"


    I invoked {Armory} and recreated the M32 and my Tomahawk shield, "It is because I love you that I cannot grant your request. Didn''t you girls also tell me the same? That no matter what I say you refuse to abandon me? This is the same."


    Liv then looked up to the dimly light skies as she whispered.


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    "Mother, are you watching? I have found the only man who cherishes me and adores me for my beauty. Yet to protect me, he is willingly to leave me behind. Must I repeat Freyja''s mistake? Are we really bound to such a fate?"


    As Liv contemplated, the rest of my Avatars got into position. Wednesday who had [Sky Sentinel] was already overhead. He two M107 Barret''s aimed around Liv''s extra arms. Specifically, the ones on her right shoulder holding her M32. [Maestro] was helping him aim.


    Friday in [Ninja] sneakily took a spot just behind the Valkyrie armed with the AR10 Sentinel. His target? Liv''s first extra left arm. Our sniper Thursday already had the other one in his sights. The two of them were tasked to take out the 1887 shotgun in sync.


    Saturday armed with [Heavy Gunner] was putting pedal to the metal as he pushed Esca''s engines to the limit. Along with him were over a dozen FT5''s floating around the car. His role was to smash Liv off her feet.


    Only Sunday was not present. Along with [Maestro] he went to support Tuesday who was getting demolished by Lilly. We needed to take Liv out quickly or Tuesday might already be down for the count.


    I dusted myself off and braced my shield, "Liv. I will not die. Nor will I ever leave you. We will live and die together from now till we after we close Hellsgate. I need you. Having you with me is why I can do my best. When I am weak, I know you will protect me."


    "Then. Why? Why must you keep on torturing yourself? You are the most important part of Hellsend. It is fine for me to get hurt; I am used to it."


    "Liv. Stop there. This is why I believe we will never agree on this. My case is the inverse of yours. I would rather see myself on the verge of death rather than see your beautiful face have a single wound."


    At my comment Liv began giggling like a chaste maiden. Her laughter seemed so pure and began to soothe my very soul. I could help but get spell bound as I enjoyed the sight.


    "Beloved, why do you always say such corny lines? Only you would keep of showering a woman like me with such praise. Then I will relent. If you manage to take me down, then I will not bring this matter up again. Instead, I will focus on getting stronger."


    "Thats fine Liv. But know that I will pin you to the ground and ravage your lips until I am satisfied."


    "Haha, is that so? My body grows hot with anticipation. Then prove to me why you are the one I adore, Beloved. Conquer me, heart, mind, body and soul," Liv challenged as she readied her weapons. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Of course, my love. Like I would allow anyone else to touch you! From now till when the heavens sing, you are mine!"


    "THEN COME BELOVED! IF YOU CAN MAKE ME MOVE IT IS MY LOSS! SHOW ME THE WILL OF THE MAN I CHOSE! [OVERDRIVE] [KNIGHT]! {REINFORCE}!"


    Shifting her classes, Liv just turned herself into the hardest fucking brick in Hellsgate. And what''s worse was this was my Valkyrie, the owner of the {Withstand} family. Any blow you give her on top of being shrugged off by her defenses also charges {Counter}.


    According to Exa, the energy Liv blocks got refined in her heart and converted into heat. This energy was normally used in sudden bursts like a finishing move. And I was wary for it as Liv still hasn''t unleashed any of it despite our long battle.


    But I couldn''t wait for things to be perfect. Sharing one mind with my Avatars, Tuesday wouldn''t be able to last much longer. We had to move now. I braced my body and fired 40mm grenades at Liv.


    "Useless," Liv remarked.


    True to her comment, Liv didn''t even bother smashing the 40mm away. She just let them hit her, exploding as they did. But it wasn''t over! Under the cover of the explosions, I continued.


    "[Hellsend''s Armory] Switchblades."


    "They do not matter¡­"


    "[Wall]!"


    I then covered the Switchblades in soul armor. They were like encased by the clear defenses as they made their way to Liv! I could see Liv shift her body to defend against them. Her extra arms also took preparations. I switched my gun and pulled out an FT5.


    [Everyone get ready¡­Our attack starts in 3¡­2¡­]


    Locking on to Liv, I pressed the trigger and fired a 95mm HEAT Rocket.


    [¡­1¡­Plan Start!]

 Chapter 827 - 827: Until I am satisfied [2/2]

    "If you won''t come, then I will, Beloved!"


    At Liv''s declaration she ran towards me. Her steps caused the floor to quake. [Knight''s] side effect was that it gave you immense weight to resist blows. My agility diminished when I invoked [Knight]. [Knight Lord] its [Overdrive] version rooted me in place.


    And the woman before me who had her weight increased by a factor of thousands or something, still ran like a sprinter. Liv''s physical strength was absolutely insane. It was fortunate that much like Robyn, Liv fought on instinct, otherwise beating her would be impossible.


    My 95mm HEAT rocket smashed against Liv''s shield like an egg on a wall. Despite the supposed power my woman shrugged it off and ran like hell. Unaware of the trap she already stepped in. I raised my shield and moved to restore the stamina of my allies.


    "I AM GOING TO FUCKING RAVAGE YOUR PUSSY, LIV! [INSPIRE]!"


    "YOU DO THAT EVERY CHANCE YOU GE¡­"


    Before Liv, could finish her sentence, it finally arrived. Despite having a V8 engine, Esca barreled through in complete silence. Even the ground that she passed got muted. Why? Saturday the one driving shifted from [Heavy Gunner] to [Ninja].


    [Ninja''s] skill [Suppressor] worked even on vehicles with enough soul. This was how Liv belatedly noticed my car just moments before Esca would hit her. Saturday who kept his food on the gas, finally broke his silence. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "[Heavy Gunner] [SHOCK AND AWE]!"


    At his command, all the FT5 Rocket launchers floating around him locked on Liv and began unloading their rockets! Like a medieval battering ram, Esca charged towards Liv! My girl was still mid sprint couldn''t turn in time.


    "{COUNTER}!"


    She finally used her trump card and had the 1887 point backwards. This would have been normally impossible, but such were the benefits of having six arms. However, I already took that into account!


    [Thursday.]


    A blinding bullet screamed through the air. Before the energy from counter could be unleashed, a 12.7¡Á99mm NATO Raufoss round smashed into the lever action shotgun. Obviously, it had [Interceptor] which caused Liv''s skill to be canceled.


    "What?!"


    [Friday.]


    The avatar closest to Liv suddenly appeared and shot the 1887. The 8.6 blackout rounds couldn''t penetrate my girl. However, against an object not protected by [Knight Lord] they were enough. my stream of high-powered heavy rounds shredded the weapon.


    "Ugh! Then what about¡­"


    Letting go of the gun, Liv then tried to move the M32. She was obviously going to point it towards Friday! But then another me acted before she could.


    [Wednesday.]


    Two .50 BMG rounds fell from the sky. They skewered the M32 MGL like lasers and caused it to explode! Friday also joined and began peppering Liv with his weapon as he circled her.


    Liv obviously overwhelmed tried to turn to protect herself, but Monday wouldn''t let her. I had him rushed in and latched onto her shield. Using my extremely heavy body to pin her shield arm in place.


    "GET OF.."


    Annoyed, the Valkyrie in front of me swung her sword like a beast! But it was again pushed back by yet another [Interceptor]. In less than 2 seconds, we neutralized every means Liv had to defend.


    It took meticulous planning and five bodies, but it was worth it. The cluster of 95mm warheads finally reached the battleground. But they didn''t smash themselves into my woman, they instead began hammering the ground she was standing on!


    Our entire plan revolved around this fact. [Maestro] believed it was the only way to win.


    [Liv has impeccable defense. Only [Executioner] can harm her. But we are not planning to kill her. So, we should exploit her weakness instead.]


    ''And that is?''


    [Unless Liv is in [Wizard], she must be on solid ground to be able to maximize her defenses. Thus, our plan has two parts. First, we must keep her out of [Wizard]. Then we will take away her footing, as she falls. Then we will pin her down and take her out.]


    "ARGH!"


    Liv screamed in panic. She wasn''t in pain. It was because her balanced was fucked and her weight was causing her to tilt. Anyone who had vertigo or a hangover would know how difficult it was to move when your sense of balance was fucked.


    Despite Monday pulling on her shield and the ground she was standing on broken, Liv created a {Shelter} platform in midair!


    Wednesday flew towards us and smashed himself on Liv''s torso intending to shove her towards the hole!


    "[BURST]!"


    Thursday also acted and shot Liv''s legs without mercy.


    "[Annihilate]!"


    Friday blinked to Liv''s leg and tripped her using his rifle.


    "[Shadow]!"


    "BELOVED THATS.."


    "[LOCK ON]," cried Saturday!


    We all then heard the glorious sound of a V8 diesel engine roaring like a demon! Saturday, who was in Esca, didn''t lift his foot off the gas and violently sent my armor-plated SUV to collide with Liv!


    It took a fucking pseudo tank to trip my Valkyrie. That was after we shot her legs, and had two 9th generation Descendants throw ourselves on her. When Liv finally fell down, we all rushed in with her.


    Grabbing on to Liv like ants, my avatars and I all tried to restrain the Northerner. Saturday put Esca away and joined in. Without footing to stand on, Liv dropped like a rock. Eventually our group violently crashed on the ground. I then made Monday position himself in front of Liv''s face.


    "Remember what I said my love?"


    "This! This is cheating! You ganged up on me! Like undead!" she complained adorably.


    Inside the dark hole, my avatars and I began to molest my unyielding Valkyrie. I slipped off her mask and shoved my tongue down her throat. My woman tried to resist but melted like putty when I used five bodies to tease her.


    Probably looking forward to it, Liv canceled {Reinforce} and [Knight Lord] removing the soul armor protecting her chastity. We groped her breasts, licked her thighs, sucked on her neck and traced around her clit.


    "H-Hyaa...Beloved¡­A-Ahh...Stop¡­U-Ugnm...so good¡­G-Gnygn...have mercy."


    Seeing such a powerful woman squirm under me like a depraved slut was the best. Unfortunately, our victory here came at a cost. Despite my best efforts those that fought Lilly have been defeated and taken out of commission.


    Before I could use {Sin of Limitless} on the panting Liv, a {Gate} opened under us and teleported us away. When we all came to, we were once again on back up top. Only, there was someone else with us.


    It was a haughty queen who carried two of my bodies likes duffel bugs. Lilly threw Tuesday and Sunday in front of us. They had their bones bent in the wrong places and lost consciousness.


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    {AutoRewind} was still working, so they would be back up in a couple of minutes. The problem was if we could even last that long.


    "Oh my. Liv sweetheart you seem to be having the time of your life. Do you even want my help? Dearest, were you planning to enjoy yourself as I pummeled these two into submission?"


    As I personally commanded Tuesday and Sunday, I knew full well how and why they lost. And frankly, [Maestro''s] plans were mistaken from the get-go. The moment Lilly turned on her Domain. The battle became extremely one sided.


    "Why don''t you turn that domain off. Distorting distance and space is fucking unfair."


    "Says the man who managed to beat an entire squad of Phantoms while fighting a Specter. And you weren''t even trying to harm any of us. It is far harder to fight while protecting that it is to just fight to kill," Lilly countered.


    "Beloved. Uhm, do you mind getting off me now? I-I wish to keep my dignity in front of the rest of Hellsend¡­"


    At Liv''s cute concern, I pulled her up and invoked {Regen} on her wounds. My avatars covered her body and made sure to pat her down. We also grope her while we were at it.


    "Liv, sweetheart come here. We should restart the battle with seven against two."


    "I refuse. Beloved has soundly defeated me. He didn''t even use all his strength, and already I lost."


    Liv then turned to Monday and cradled my cheek.


    "Beloved, thank you for loving me. I might not like seeing you hurt. But complaining after seeing how strong you have become only makes me a fool. Maybe I am sensitive because of guilt. After all, without such power saving my continent would be impossible."


    Seeing her sorrowful expression, I pulled Liv by her neck and gave her a kiss.


    "Liv, you are the reason, I want to be better. Never apologize for that. Are you sure you don''t want to join again?"


    She then made a dazzling smile as she kissed the tip of my nose. "I am sure. Kick her ass beloved."


    "Haha, I would much rather kiss it though."

 Chapter 828 - 828: In our generation [1/2]

    Liv''s heroic voice rang out, "Lilly, send me back."


    "Why do you not wish to fight with me? Don''t you also hate how Dearest behaves? I can understand the others. But I thought you of all people would feel the same as I do, sweetheart."


    "I am sorry, Lilly. But I am different from all of you. Of the seven of us, only I demanded a price from Beloved. I serve and adore him in exchange for saving the North. I hated myself for giving him such a burden. Which was why I wanted to protect him."


    "But he doesn''t even care about any of that! That is just how absurd he is! If we do not change his ways he will die! The world is too dangerous! I cannot understand why Jas, Bella, even Jo can allow it. Aki''s fear is a bit too extreme, but I think she is right."


    Hearing Lilly and Liv speak of their thoughts, I understood how complex this issue had become. It wasn''t that they just wanted to protect me. Each of my actions played and worked on their personalities and insecurities.


    Aki was scared I die before she did. Robyn didn''t care much so long as she was by my side. Jo believed no one needed her. Bella much like Liv felt guilt, but hers was more because she understood the cost of my goal.


    Liv on the other hand was ashamed because she was one of the reasons I tried so hard. Funnily enough, Jas who always believed we were destined had the healthiest thoughts about the matter.


    She would allow me to do what I wanted and just followed. From Tuesday and Sunday''s talks I knew Lilly also had issues bottled up. But I had yet to understand what they were.


    ''Haaa. It is during times like this that I hate having a harem¡­''


    Webs and incels, all longed to be surrounded by tons of girls. But that only worked when you surround yourself with escorts of prostitutes. This was why most harem media only included girls who had one dimensional personalities.


    If any of the women behaved with even a semblance of a real ego, you would get anarchy. Jealousy, resentment, insecurities, fears, emotional vulnerabilities. It was already a pain in the ass to deal with one woman. Imagine having to deal with more.


    ''But then again if you cannot take the heat, get out of the kitchen,'' I murmured.


    Such were the reason why, hardly anyone had a harem of beauties. Of those that do, their relationships just basically fuck buddies. Few had harmony and understanding as those take a lot of effort and dedication.


    The Sirens didn''t want a harem. They wanted to kill everyone else to monopolize me. It was I who forbade them. Because I knew they loved me, I force them to cater to my desires. I chose this situation. So, it was my responsibility to fix it.


    I gained a harem of seven of the most beautiful and loving wives. The cost was that I had seven times the baggage one had to deal with in a relationship. Loving someone did not end just because you have wild sex. That was only the beginning.


    Just giving my girls what they wanted or telling them sweet whispers was not enough. As their man, it was my job to support them. If I simply dismissed them or hid their issues, the only logical conclusion would be that they would leave.


    Rather than save myself from this type of headache by separating from the girls, I would power through. No marriage was perfect. That was natural, there were no perfect people to begin with. My girls were extremely close, but they also had some minor flaws.


    "Lilly, please sent Liv out. We already came to an understanding. It''s now your turn, you get all of me to keep you company. I will even gangbang you once we work out your issues."


    Lilly blushed a bit before sighing audibly, "Sigh, I feel like an idiot now. Fine. {Portal}."


    My Northerner gave me Monday a kiss before walking out the door. After she left, I invoked [Inspire]. Tuesday and Sunday woke up although the pain they sent the rest of us made me want to shoot them.


    I had the rest of the guys set their bones even if it meant breaking them. Lilly who saw my impromptu operation asked in an inquisitive tone.


    "Why not just unsummon them and {Rewind}, Dearest? Are you really a masochist? That looked really painful."


    "It fucking hurt. But I figured that I needed the {Counter} energy," I replied as a matter of fact.


    "Ara, you still believe that you have the power to defeat me. I already maimed and tortured two of you, Dearest. Do you honestly think having five more bodies would make even the slightest bit of a difference?"


    "You will never know. If I was someone who only operated on logical outcomes, I wouldn''t have even survived my first night." S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hmph. I suppose you are right," she answered while looking towards the sky.


    "Lilly, tell me what is wrong. I already reconciled with everyone else. Please tell me what I can do to make you forgive me."


    "Cease your quest and just live quietly," she replied.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I am saying you should give up your goal of closing Hellsgate, Dearest."


    "Why?"


    My girl crossed her arms and made a sad face, "Because it impossible. We would die before it we actually do it."


    "{Day by Day}."


    I unsummoned my avatars and walked towards her. I took the Untamed''s hand in mine and tried to sense the mood surrounding her. Lilly kept on a complicated countenance that seemed a mix of sadness and anger.


    "Dear, what is wrong? Tell me. I will listen."


    Most men believed that women made absolutely no sense at times. But in truth they had their own logic they followed. While Men prioritized getting the job done women were more inclined to follow their emotions.


    And while most people would believe that this was a fault to Reapers it was not. If women followed their emotions more, this would mean their regrets would often have the power to eclipse that of most men.


    There was a reason why the saying ''Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'' For Lilly who initially believed in me to suddenly change her position something must have happen. Rather than something logical, something caused her emotions to spiral.


    Her decision to call me out now was because of these emotions. This was why despite her silence I knew that something must have rattled her. When you consider that things this fearless woman has accomplished, that something must have been something grave.


    "I..I¡­I am¡­" uncharacteristically Lilly stammered.


    The sight was saddening, I couldn''t find her usual majesty. In its place was a scared little girl. Filled with love with this woman I created a {Shelter} seat and gently pulled her on it. I sat down and made her sit beside me. I placed my arm on her waist and simple waited.


    "¡­"


    Normally the quickest way to calm someone down was to appear confident. I learned this from Earl. When the world crumbled around you, showing that you had everything together was one of the best forms of masculinity.


    Lilly who sat by my side rested her head on my chest as she embraced my arm. The weight of her body on mind was comfortable. A faint sweet aroma of sweat and cold air wafted through my nose. It was Lilly''s unique scent. It was cozy and reminded me of winter.


    Lilly and I sat in silence, our heartbeats being the only sounds in this dark paradise. When my woman''s heartbeat calmed down, she intertwined our fingers. It was only then that she began to speak.


    "Dearest, do you have to close Hellsgate?"


    "I do."


    "Why?"


    "So that we can live in peace."


    "Does it have to be you?"


    "I cannot risk your lives waiting for someone else."


    "So, it always comes back to us," she replied. A bit crestfallen.


    Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire


    "Don''t say that. I can understand why you would fear. It is something no one has done before after all. But I cannot live in peace without preparing for what is to come. The world will end. And as we no longer die of old age, we will need to face it."


    "I see¡­"


    "Lilly, you already know what I would say. Tell me dear. What is bothering you? I won''t be able to help if you do not tell me. Whatever you believe, know that I am on your side. Nothing in the world can change that."

 Chapter 829 - 829: In our generation [2/2]

    "Sigh. I know that Dearest. You blackmailed a Revenant for my sisters and I after all. I-It''s because I slowly began to understand the power of my Father after I ascended to a Specter. Yet, even with all that power the past civilizations all still died.


    "It humbled me. How many years of our lives will we devote to hardship? All for a goal we are not even sure is possible? Wouldn''t it be simply better for us to take it slow and just live in the moment? We can take another weeklong honeymoon, right Dearest?"


    It wasn''t like I couldn''t understand what Lilly was saying. As my powers grew the enemies I had to fight would only grow. Right now, there wasn''t anything that could defeat us. If we kept to the single digit floors we could live like kings.


    We had riches, love and status. We already won in life. With everything we had we could just live out our days in peace. The time when we had to struggle just to survive had already passed. As I was now, I could live like a king and never have to worry.


    ''This must be why despite there being strong Reapers they all end up just quitting. Lilly must be feeling the same at the realization of the impossibility of our task.''


    After all baring that fact that we would all die when the hell broke open, we were doing pretty okay. There was no need to intentionally suffer, especially if the outcome if just for us to die. Hellsgate remained open to this day. it meant nothing the past Reapers did made any bit of a difference.


    Her words made me remembered the words of people I met before.


    "Why? Why not just forget all this and live happily in ignorance? Would you willing squander your remaining life all for uncertainty? What you wish to do no one has succeeded in time memorial, yet you wish to continue?"


    "This is one of the truths, most do not know. The legions of Specters did not hide in cowardice, they simply lost interest in enduring such hardship. They lost their "why". The ones who can continue to fight even after they lost everything are the ones who eventually become Revenants."


    "Think about everyone who tried to stop you from joining the seeker war. Their actions are the world telling you that your path will lead to the end of the world. Yet do you still will to continue despite knowing that truth?"


    At her increase in power, she understood the strength of a Revenant. And at that realization came that even if there were a thousand of her, it didn''t matter. They would all still die pointlessly fighting this impossible war. Our group who remembered our past lives had it worse than normal Reapers.


    Giving up was the easiest thing in the world. And if you consider our situation, who could blame us? If you didn''t know when the end would come, why bother waste your life slaving for such a future? Especially when everyone else that did died all the same.


    But whenever I remember the back of the seven men in my dreams, I paused. They fought and fought until their respective worlds ended. They all seemed bitter, lifeless and spent. I''m pretty sure they were plenty of times they failed. Times they regretted their decisions.


    Yet they all pressed on. Unlike the Sirens who each had one life. I saw seven of them. Having seen the mountains of the dead I knew firsthand the end result of Hellsgate breaking open was. Which was why I couldn''t think like Lilly and the rest.


    "Very well. The worlds in the past did not end because Hell broke open. They ended because he who slumbers awoke and destroyed it."


    While I told the girls about everything else, I have yet to tell them that I personally met our {Fates}. Exa and Vela has yet to say anything so I kept quiet as well. If I didn''t see those dreams I probably would agree with Lilly. To just live in the now and ignore the future.


    But I did see the end. And now that I knew what was coming I couldn''t turn away from it. Hellsgate would break open, humanity would fall, my girls would die, and the world would end. Nothing those men did mattered. it was a chilling tale of seven lifetimes worth of despair and regret.


    It would have been wonderful If I could just give up. But that wouldn''t be me. I turned to Lilly and gently caressed her cheeks.


    "I know that you are scared, Dearest. But if we do not close Hellsgate we will all die. We can forget it but we would simply be living on borrowed time. And when Hellsgate breaks open I would regret not preparing the moment I see you and the girls get hurt.


    "I am no strong enough to ignore this fact. I cannot just wait for someone to kill you. Not when I have the power to change it. I will never accept that dying horribly is the end of our road. That such a pitiful death is our fate. So, I will fight it. I will fight it with everything I have," I whispered.


    "Limitless, {Soul Breaker} were called a different name in our time. Would you like to know what its old name was?"


    "They were called {Fate Breaker}. To put it simply, the reason every soul in your body turns into power is not because of the ability it is the by product. Its main purpose is to summon the corrective force of destiny to a duel."


    "This is why you are allowed to affect reality and command powers you normally could not. It is because you are literally challenging {fate}."


    Lilly gripped my hand tighter as tears began to fall from her eyes.


    "I am so terrified Dearest. Before I wanted to grow strong because I had nothing else. But now that I have you, the thought that I would lose you one day, scares me. What use is gaining the power of a Revenant if I still cannot protect those I cherish?"


    "If one Revenant is enough then we will just make eight. If eight is not enough then we will raise a hundred. This is why we cannot stop Lilly. We can enjoy our time now, but I intend to end this war in our generation. I want our child to not have to worry about this," I replied. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The moment I said our child, Lilly broke down and hugged me. The American I loved the most began wailing as she cried out. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Can''t we just forget about this? I can''t remember her Dearest. My mother. The woman who bore me, I can''t remember her. No matter how I try! There are huge chunks of my life that I can no longer remember! Friends I see in pictures but have no memory off!


    "What if I forget you too one day? All our memories! Gone! Forever! I am so happy now but soon I might forget! I can''t, I just can''t. I am so so scared Dearest! If you fall, I wouldn''t be able to remember my love for you. It''s far too cruel! I didn''t want this!"


    I see. As the Sirens and I were always together all this time, I hadn''t been able to talk to Lilly about the cost of becoming a Specter. Unlike the rest of us, she had to navigate this new frontier alone.


    Even when she first showed me her powers, she acted even more arrogant than usual. But when I asked her, she also flinched and trembled like a child terrified of thunder. I hadn''t been able to devote time to her as we had battle after battle since.


    Lilly felt the feeling of losing parts of yourself and grew terrified. Rather than feel it again she wished to stay in our comfort zone and enjoy our lives in bliss. Even someone as strong as the untamed despite knowing beforehand broke down like this.


    I said nothing and embraced her. During times like this it was best to just my woman have a good cry. Saying I understand was a lie. Anything I say to cheer her up would be nothing but platitudes. It was scary. It was cruel. But that was the cost she chose.


    That was the cost I forced her to pay.


    It was good that she let out her emotions out now. We would be heading to Kismayo soon. There even harder battles awaited us. And as heartbreaking it was to see her like this, I couldn''t tell her what she wanted.


    Because to win our future battles I would also need to pay this cost. And like a poison I willingly drank, I knew it would get much much worse before it got any better.

 Chapter 830 - 830: A sore loser [1/2]

    "Sniff¡­Sniff¡­I am sorry Dearest. I didn''t mean to break down like this¡­"


    I continued to hug my lovely princess as I gently rubbed her back, "There is nothing to forgive Lilly. Just let it all out. I love you all the same."


    "Are you not angry that I complain? You never pushed me to ascend, yet after all that boasting, I now regret and whine like a brat all because I lost my memories," she added between sniffles.


    I took my handkerchief and pressed it to her near perfect nose bridge. Lilly blew out the snot into the cloth in reflex. Funnily enough, she was used to being served like this. I folded the handkerchief inward and used a clean side to wipe Lilly''s tears.


    "Yes, but I am the one to blame. I was the one who gave you that unreasonable order. And I neglected you when you felt your memories disappear. Forgive my incompetence Lilly. I promised you so much but remain a dumb bastard who can only make you cry." sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "No, you are not to blame. It''s my fault. If I foresaw that conspiracy, you wouldn''t have even put in such danger. I led the white guard for years, yet we remained in the dark."


    At Lilly''s apology I couldn''t help but chuckle. When I did, she pouted before joining me after a few moments. She probably also realized how silly we were being. It was like we were having a contest on who was the bigger fuck up. Normally people did the opposite.


    Mesmerized by her angelic laughter I drew closer and kissed her lips tenderly. My woman responded to my advances earnestly. Our kiss was short and sweet. I touched my forehead to hers after our lips parted.


    "Dearest, I know you are scared. I am too. Knowing that a danger is coming for you girls means I cannot stay still. For that reason alone, I have to get stronger. I am too stupid to understand how hopeless it all is.


    "Even if everyone says its it cannot be done. I will try like a dumb motherfucker. Because this is all I can do. I know it''s difficult. But do not fear the future. We will create one where we will not die. I cannot do it alone, but if you are with me, anything is possible.


    "We will create a future where our children can grow in peace and happiness. If you cannot see it then just follow me. So long as we are together, I know we can do it. When it all ends. We will live in a small house, with our kinds and live happily ever after."


    Much like my promises in the beginning, my words barely had merit. We would need to fight terrifying monsters, undead and even demons. I was sure we would end up butting heads with IRIS and Reapers from the other continents. But I was hopeful.


    Unlike when I lived and died alone, the future I envisioned with the girls gave me strength. Just imagining them nursing and playing with my future children was enough to make this shit bearable. Funnily enough, I told Roland, Xander and Raymond the same thing.


    That I fought Hellsgate not because someone forced me to. But because I wanted to. At the beginning it was so I could like my life to the fullest. Now it was so I could create a future for me and my family.


    "That sounds wonderful Dearest. I think if I focus on that, I can bear it."


    "Haha, then when they leave for college, we can fuck like rabbits all day, every day."


    "Sigh. I knew you would say that Dearest. And the girls keep calling me the pervert."


    "What? You don''t want to?"


    "I-I never said I didn''t¡­"


    "I wonder how many we would end up having? I do not think I can stop impregnating you just once or twice." I joked as I nuzzled Lilly in her neck.


    "Dearest! Be realistic! You have seven wives! At two children each that would already be fourteen children! Anymore and you will be bound to neglect them."


    "I don''t think so. I have you after all. Don''t you know beautiful their mothers are? I am practically giving gifts to this world! It is my civic duty to make as many babies as possible!"


    "Sigh. Somehow, I think you are serious. You are quite obstinate about the most peculiar things. Unyielding like steel. Passionate like a raging fire. Yet to me, you are like a fluffy teddy bear! You bring my heart comfort and give me piece. I wonder why. Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    "My own thoughts terrify me, but somehow, when I hear your vision, I feel encouraged. Did you have a new {fate} that I do not know about Dearest? I seem to be like a cult fanatic who is brainwashed by your sweet voice."


    "Haha. I think it is the opposite. You are practically the drug that keeps me high all the time. If you ever leave me, I might go into Lilly Withdrawal. So, you have to keep having sex with me at least five times a day otherwise I would just keel over and die."


    Lilly then smacked my arm as her cute mouth gaped open, "That was perhaps the stupidest thing I ever heard. Only you would think of such a thing!"


    My face kept smiling against my will as I flirted with my Princess. But then she regained her composure as she stood up. The majesty of the ''queen'' returned. Figuring it was about time, I also stood up and stretched.


    "It is really magical dearest. Earlier my mind was filled with nothing but terrible thoughts. Fear and anxiety nearly crushed my heart. I even began to hyperventilate at one point. Yet just a few minutes with you now change my outlook completely.


    "I now think of what names I would give our children. What things I can do to be a better mother for them. It is really peculiar. In the past I would think myself sick when agonizing over a problem. I usually ended up having to rely on wine to calm myself."


    Lilly then spun around and placed her hand over her heart.


    "The problems I had still remain. Our enemies still lurk in the shadows. Yet where there was fear now there is hope. All because of you Dearest. Thank you. While I still worry. I think I will be okay now. At least I will be fine so long as you remain with me," she confessed as she played with her hair.


    "I am glad to hear it. Then all that is left is to prove that I am stronger than you."


    "What?"


    "{Day by Day}. [Maestro]."


    "Dearest, we don''t have to fight any longer. I forgive you. There is no need fo¡­"


    "There is," I interjected.


    "[Defender]." "[Gladiator]." "[Sky Sentinel]." "[Heavy Gunner]." "[Executioner]." "[Ninja]."


    When all my Soul Avatars each invoked a discipline, I felt each body fill up with power.


    "Right now, you are scared that I will be defeated by those that will come against us. I need to remind you Lilly. Rather I need to remind everyone here. I am Limitless. Those bastards might be stronger than me today. But give me a week and that will change."


    "Hmm. I would have to agree, Dearest. Your growth rate is absurd. Even now your fighting ability is already beyond that of normal Specters. Apart from domains you are arguably already one. Just version 4 of {Limitless} is unfair. And you still have anti-soul weaponry as a new trump card."


    "Well, if you add the stuff Carlos said, I still can''t get souls from just the air. I mean even Sunday and Tuesday lost to you. Domains are just fucked up," I remarked.


    "It is debatable even if you need a domain, Dearest. You hardly ever run out of souls. And you brought up yet another point. It is amazing you convinced the enemy to teach you. More so when the one that did, was part of the Intelligence division of South America."


    "Yeah, I lucked out with that one."


    "Indeed, you have. However, despite such important information, you shared it freely to not only use but Hellsend."


    "It would help everyone thought, they might develop or gain new insights from learning from others. Having stronger Reapers helps our cause greatly."


    "That is exactly my point Dearest. Most leaders would not share such information readily. Doing so minimizes the difference between you and them. If you are careless some of our people may betray us one day."

 Chapter 831 - 831: A sore loser [2/2]

    ''Exa, show Lilly the information about {Sins of Limitless}.''


    [Understood my lord.]


    "I would never allow such a risk to exist Dear."


    At that moment, Lilly went wide eyed as she gasped. She then looked at me with complicated expression. How could she not, the new {Kismet} allowed me to kill anyone who drank my blood. Meaning anyone with {Rewind}, basically had a gun to their heads.


    "Oh¡­I see¡­That''s¡­"


    "It''s a why the {Kismet''s} name has changed. With Exa around, I will rule my kingdom with an iron fist. I give good carrots, but you should know I love my sticks too."


    "The name worries me quite a bit, but I will acquiescence for now. I have long decided to be flexible with regards to morals. Especially when considering risks," she replied while twirling her hair.


    Finding her new mannerism adorable I replied with a smile. "Thank you, Lilly."


    "You are welcome. But seeing your Avatars arming themselves you really wish to fight me?"


    "I am a sore loser after all. Despite knowing how awesome you are I want to see how far I can go."


    "If that is your wish, then as your woman I will respond in kind."


    At Lilly''s words she pulled out her greatsword and the M134D minigun. However, her six barreled rotary machine gun got upgraded. Before it needed to be held with two hands due to being bulky. Now she grabbed the trigger as the rest of the gun covered her forearm like a glove.


    It had reminded me of how mechs would carry multi barreled weapons. The awkward handle the old M134D used before was because it was heavy and unwieldy. Even grown men had issues carrying it one handed. But to Lilly, that was no issue.


    On top of having the {Carry} family, she also was a Descendant. The way she swung the 85 lbs Minigun would make one believe that it was made of cardboard and foam. Together with her greatsword Lilly''s loadout out gave her a good balance of close, mid and long-range capabilities.


    The American then had her eyes turn orange as souls began radiating out from her body. The ground and sky around her began to turn a golden orange. The contrast of the golden orange world and Hellsgate was quite obvious.


    Even from where I stood the hairs on my body all stood up as I felt the power of Lilly''s Domain. Compared to Carlos and Herman''s Ishtar''s domain was definitely on the small side. But Domains were never about size. They were about bringing a small field with you.


    This golden orange domain was the reason, my avatars and I got beaten by Lilly. I managed to learn everything about Lilly''s combat style with [Gladiator]. Unfortunately, my compatibility with her domain was quite bad. You could consider it my natural antithesis.


    ''[Maestro], talk to me. Find a way to beat her domain yet?''


    [No. Lilly''s world breaks the concept of space and distance. We already identified the rule she distorted but it didn''t help us that much. Frankly, I think it is impossible for us to fight her.]


    ''Well, I wouldn''t blame you. As far as powers go, Lilly''s domain was pretty unorthodox.''


    Lilly was a Ruler. She was in fact a Distortion Ruler. By modifying one law of the universe Distortion Rulers could assert their will. They needed less creativity than Creation Rulers but had more stable results.


    "Then shall we begin Dearest?"


    "Yes," I replied curtly.


    I had all my avatars pull out their standard load outs. Except for Tuesday, who pulled out Roach''s anti-soul halberd. As he had [Gladiator] on, Tuesday would be my main attacker. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Supporting him were Monday in [Defender] along with Saturday with [Ninja]. Everyone else would on standby. While I still had four other avatars, sending too many people against Lilly was a fucking recipe for disaster.


    I had the rest of my bodies take up positions and aim their weapons.


    "[Hellsend''s Armory]!"


    At my command, my UGV''s Burger and Fries came out. There were two Ripsaw M5s and two TRX Razorbacks. Of course, only one of each was real. The other UGV''s were all duplicates that would last for one battled with {Replicate}.


    ''[Maestro] got anything for me?''


    [What makes you think I have anything new since the last time you asked? Lilly''s domain breaks the concept of Kinematics Equations. She changes the trajectories of bullets on a whim. And even causes them to not follow linear trajectories.]


    ''Well, she already did those things even before she became a Specter.''


    [She has indeed. And now she has a Domain where she does this distortion instinctively. Simply put projectiles would never hit her if she does not want them to. You are better off using swords, but even then, you are not guaranteed to hit her.]


    ''But we know that she uses some kind of law, right? Can''t we figure out how to make the bullets hit her? Don''t you have my Wifey''s {Insight} as your component?''


    [Hmm. Maybe if we try to piece her domain''s spatial structure. Wait¡­ it could work. Using [Executioner''s] vision and [Ninja''s] senses and [Gladiator''s] observations. We could map how to make the bullets curve towards her by her own distortions.]


    ''Sounds like a plan. But I got something better. Why not just unload every bullet we have on here and hope we get lucky?''


    [What in the world are you suggesting?]


    ''I am just saying if the entire domain''s effect is to reroute bullets away from Lilly, we can shoot the space around her to find the path that leads the projectiles to her.''


    [How are you even sure that this path even exists?]


    ''Weren''t you going to use the guys to find it?''


    [I assumed it exists, but I have no solid evidence that it does.]


    ''Well, do something about it. You''re the [Maestro].''


    [Fine. The three we chose earlier would go in close. Your main task is confining Lilly in place. [Heavy Gunner] will unload everything into her domain. I will have the drones coordinate with you. The four of you will be on offense.]


    [Our defenders will be everyone else. [Maestro] who will look for weaknesses in Lilly''s Domain. [Executioner], who will protect everyone with [Interceptor]. [Sky Sentinel] will harass Lilly so that she cannot leverage being able to blink around. Remember to not confront her directly.]


    While it might have appeared weird to everyone, I always operated my avatars like characters in a party RPG. This approach allowed me to coordinate my moves for maximum effect. I was the ''player'' but I was also the characters in the ''party.''


    Maybe that was how the Discipline system got created in the first place. With our plan set in place, I controlled all seven of my bodies for our first raid boss. Funnily enough the first opponent we would try take down with a full team was my woman.


    "It is quite something to see seven of you all staring at me so intently. Even with my demonstration earlier you still do not wish to just quietly submit. Dearest you really are a masochist."


    "Haha, you are forgetting something dear. I have been fighting Specters long before you even managed to become one. Revenants too. You should know, I fought a Revenant during my first night." Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    "Fufu, indeed you have. It feels like a lifetime ago. The you at this moment cannot compare to the one who fought on the enlistment. Let me guess, it''s something cheesy like the Sirens are the reason why you have changed so much?"


    Was I that obvious? I remember saying something similar to Liv before. But it was true. Rather than I changed because of the world, I did because of the people I interacted with. And the Sirens naturally topped that list.


    "Well. It my opinion aren''t you the same? Compared to the Phantom who could only rub her legs together like a pervert, the Lilly standing before me is a Specter and several leagues more competent. The only thing that remained the same is your beauty."


    Lilly held her hand close to her face and laughed like a noblewoman, "Pfft! So hammy! But you really never intend to let me live that down do you? Perhaps a good beating would cure such terrible memory?"


    "Pretty sure a good fucking would do better for my memory. But I intend to collect later anyway so it is enough."


    "Hmph! Talk is cheap. I love you Dearest, but you are delusional if you think you can beat me!"


    "We won''t know unless we try now, won''t we?"


    Lilly and I looked into each other''s eyes as we felt each other''s fighting spirit.


    With as smile we both declared the beginning of hostilities.


    "OPEN COMBAT!" x2

 Chapter 832 - 832: So how? [1/2]

    The world itself was a complicated place. It was a miracle that life allowed us to use things we didn''t even understand. People had smart phones that used the internet, data calls, speakers, blue tooth and camera all built into them.


    But if you asked the regular smart phone user, I guarantee that less than one percent would be able to explain how all those technologies work. But just because we didn''t understand how they work; didn''t mean we didn''t know what they could do.


    I was not smart guy. Hell I''d argue that I''m dumb as shit. So, if you came up to me and said one of my girls could distort ''Kinematics'' I had no idea what that meant. But much like the cellphones I understood what Lilly''s ability basically meant.


    ''And fucking hell it is insane.''


    "[SHOCK AND AWE]!"


    At my avatars shout, I saw thousands of guns appear out of thin air and encircle Lilly. The guns looked like they were made of metal but were in fact replicated firearms using {Armory}. The version 3 of this {Kismet} was a huge step up from what it once was.


    ___


    {Armory} V.3


    - Storage space for weapons and equipment. Leverages E.X.A system.


    - Allows mines to be replanted in Exa designated zones for a cost.


    - Any weapon registered can copied with {Replicate} for a cost.


    - Exa integration allows automatic replication and storage.


    - Can imbue the ammunition any recorded weapon with {Fates}


    - Available Augments:


    - {Withstand}, {Hike}, {Flash}, {Crush}, {Carve}, {Butcher}, {Dope}, {Restore}


    - Can connect to all users with {Exa} to establish [Hellsend''s Armory].


    ___


    After {Armory} got an upgrade, the number of guns I could use technically no longer had limits. I mean compared to Bella''s {Replicate} mine was still shit. Hers allowed her to clone tanks and helicopters by the dozens. My limit for drones was one of anything.


    Fortunately, that restriction didn''t exist for my guns. This allowed me create guns from just soul. And it even gave the option of using {Bestow} on my ammunition. With {Restore} available I could even shoot people to heal them.


    Another benefit was that through Exa. Our weapon stores were centralized. This meant that the Sirens and my subspaces courtesy of {Limitless} and Hellsend''s via {Call my Name} were now connected. The girls and I could now draw weaponry from anyone in our network.


    Naturally this only worked one way. The weapons I or the girls had could not be borrowed by the rest of Hellsend. I mainly requested for this to shorten delivery times. If before I needed Mike and Isolde to deliver rounds to me down in the 30th floors, now I don''t.


    Our entire production guys could just make {Bestow} or anti-soul rounds place them in their storage and I would be able to access it. I could move it to my personal storage or keep it with a specific person.


    With Exa at the helm, we could now send equipment to those that needed it. Provided they were part of Hellsend of course. It didn''t look like much for now, but it would pay off when the things we could make increased in number.


    It was unfortunate that I couldn''t add the replicated weapons to {Armory}. However, if you consider everything else I gained, I would be ungrateful if I still had complaints. I needed to burn thousands of souls each time I created weapons though.


    But as there was little value in storing souls, apart from when you were about to use big moves, I didn''t mind it much. I could just earn them back from blasting zombies away.


    Lilly who saw the hundreds of guns floating in the air frowned in irritation, "Aki and Jo''s photos didn''t do this skill justice. Just when you think my {Kindred} could not get any more overbearing you do something like this."


    The Specter then took a step back and suddenly was over 2 miles behind her former position. Lilly''s Domain fucked up any sense of distance. She should have just moved less than a foot. But instead, she teleported! And it wasn''t even using {Blink}!


    ''Shit! Send them forward!'' I ordered.


    Like missile the guns rushed forward as the distance was too far, they had yet to fire. [Heavy Gunner''s] [Lock on] would ensure that the guns would be able to land hits. But even, then the target had to be within the weapon''s effective distance first for it to work.


    As my goal was to flood Lilly''s domain with so many bullets it overwhelmed her, I chose 9mm rounds. Thus, I borrowed, Robyn''s Blade MAC11''s and Aki''s MP5SDs and replicated them. They seemed quite aerodynamic and got good distance, approaching Lilly rapidly.


    With Exa in charge of reloading my guns, I could flood Lilly with 9mm Parabellum to figure out her weaknesses! "Oh please, like you an attack of this level could stop you!" I retorted.


    Thursday brought his hand down and unleashed a hailstorm of bullets. The moment he did. Our vanguard of three moved. I had Monday lead our attackers as our point man as we ran forward. Meanwhile Lilly''s distortion domain began breaking the laws of physics.


    The 9mm rounds moving towards Lilly all suddenly began changing targets. It looked like they were slapped and suddenly turned somewhere else. Up, down, left, right some of them even turned back and headed towards me!


    "Tsk. What a cheater! [Wall]! [Inspire]!"


    Lilly unbothered by the thousands of rounds swimming around in her domain made a condescending smile. She then pointed her Minigun arm towards. With a gorgeous sneer the woman pulled the trigger.


    The rotors of her weapon spun and began to shoot 7.62 NATO at us. But none of us worried, for one because we had Monday at the front.


    "[Vortex]!"


    [Defender] was garbage at single combat but as part of a group it was the best shield you could ask for. At Monday''s shout, all of the incoming projectiles began to get sucked towards Monday.


    Like a magnet he drew in all the hostile fire using his shield and soul armor to shrug off the rounds. I raised my Tomahawk shield as round after round clinked against my shield. Meanwhile Tuesday and Friday raise their guns and fired. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tuesday was carrying an HCAR and SCAR-H battle rifles. while Friday was running two F90 MBRs with grenade launchers. Out stronger bodies could handle the recoil of higher caliber weapons even when we sprinted. Lilly evaded the rounds and sprinted forward.


    "So, you draw in projectiles? Then let see you dodge this!"


    Lilly then took a powerful stomp in front of her before swinging her greatsword in a powerful arc. Like a character out of Anime and Manga, a blade beam shot out. The speed and power of the projectile came towards Tuesday!


    But rather than stop the three of us continued to race towards Lilly unleashing rounds that seemed to go nowhere. Of course, the blade beam was scary but so long as Monday was in front, we were protected as can be.


    "[Proxy]."


    Monday invoked [Defender''s] final skill, the ability to take damage in someone else''s stead. Lilly''s dominating attack violently slammed into Tuesday''s torso. The speed and sound indicating how much energy the attack carried.


    Yet Tuesday walked it off his suit not even damaged in the slightest. In contrast, Monday vomited blood as a large gash suddenly appeared on his body. It went from his left shoulder to his right thigh. It began healing almost immediately but¡­


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    "That fucking hurt Dear! Just wait till I get my hands on you!"


    "Impressive. So, [Defender] can even do things like that. It seems that so long as Monday is present, my attacks will not go through! Still, if one blow was enough to do such damage then I just have to beat you till you submit, Dearest!"


    Lilly held her great sword sideways in line with the ground. She turned her body and brought her left arm to her right shoulder. Her pose created the largest arc her left arm could swing. Like a gun Lilly''s arm moved from right to left.


    The move was so powerful it broke the sound barrier creating a loud crack. It was so overbearing it overshadowed the sounds of all the SMGs firing at her. Yet another blade beam appeared. It was twice as large as before and made my body tremble.


    ''How the fuck is she even doing that? Leo did it with Nyda''s lightning. She used water to create the same gimmick before. Did she adapt it and is using sound or air or something?''

 Chapter 833 - 833: So how? [2/2]

    [No, she is not. It''s an application of her domain. What she is violating is the law of classical mechanics. She is not creating any energy as she swings her sword. It''s just that she swings it to hit you. Distance which should have been taken into account is distorted.


    [Thus, by the rules of her domain you are in front of her. So, you should be hit. Which in turn is enforced by creating an attack that had no property but to hit you, because you are in front of her, so her attack should reach you.]


    ''That makes absolutely no fucking sense! I am over a kilometer away! How am I in front of her?''


    [This was why nothing Tuesday and Sunday did reached her. She can change where she is so long as she is in her domain. If you shoot her, her rule would change her location to somewhere that isn''t along the bullet''s path making it miss. Even this finding was solely because [Gladiator''s] [Student] analyzed her attacks while getting beat up.]


    ''But she seems to be more cautions that before isn''t'' she?''


    [It is probably because she has no information about the skills of the other disciplines. She should have some idea but not enough to accurately predict what we are about to do.]


    ''Fine, then how do we beat her?''


    [By attacking her when the same time she does. Her "location" is predicted to be only fixed the moment she decides to attack. Thus, unless she is attacking, she is impossible to hit.]


    As we were discussing a .50 BMG raced in front of us and slammed into Lilly''s nonsensical attack. The [Interceptor] [Executioner] kept firing was a round blessed with {Insight}. Consequently, it could theoretically stop any attack as the attack''s weakness was what it aimed for.


    "Tsk. These disciplines are tricky! Then how about this!"


    Lilly then ran towards us. I say ran but it was more like she blinked. She took three steps then suddenly appeared in front of Monday. The moment she did, Wednesday swooped in. [Sky Sentinel] was not the strongest but was the one with the fastest reaction time.


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    "[BURST]!"


    My princess got alarmed when a John Smith suddenly was within a few feet of her. I had two AA-12 held in front of me firing full auto. The pellets similarly got redirected but I wanted to try ramming my body into her. Even if she bent space, she should still exist somewhere.


    "TSK!"


    Clicking her tongue, Lilly didn''t evade but instead maneuvered her gun arm to shoot me down. I did a flying barrel roll to evade her counterattack before running away. Thankfully [Sky Sentinel''s] [Attuned] allowed me to sense the attack and respond before it happened.


    At that moment, an [Annihilate] round made its way towards Lilly. Having fended off Wednesday, Lilly then raised her hand which suddenly made the .50 BMG round vanish. Taking this moment, Saturday in Ninja, used [Shadow] and appeared behind Lilly.


    "What?!"


    Unlike before, I felt the alarm in her voice. I then broke my concealment and tried to lunge for her from behind. All of Lilly''s abilities were built on the fact that her domain was fucking up where she was. So, rather than shoot her, pinning her down was my next go to.


    But contrary to my expectations I only briefly got to touch Lilly. Afterwards, Saturday appeared over 500 feet away. "Did she just fucking blinked me?" I commented in irritation. With Saturday out, Monday and I tried to also rush, and body slam my princess.


    "ANNOYING!! GO AWAY!!!!!!" She screamed.


    The Untamed then sent a powerful kick towards Monday. I brought up my shield intending to block her strike, however after I felt a powerful impact hit, I felt the air change. I also found myself teleported over half a mile into the east.


    Seeing Monday kicked into nothingness, I had Tuesday brought his guns forward and fired everything he could towards Lilly. In the same moment, Friday fired another [Assassinate] round for support. [Executioner''s] [Track] showed where Lilly was, even if her we couldn''t hit her.


    With Saturday and Monday gone, Lilly rushed towards Tuesday. Despite emptying magazines of .30-06 and 7.62 NATO everything vanished the moment they touched my opponent''s body. With a smug smile, Lilly tyrannically cleaved my guns in half.


    She then aimed the Minigun just inches from my chest like a spear, "Try not to die, Dearest!" Whirling sounds of the M134D''s sprang to life. Along with them the rapid gunfire of a rotary machine gun!


    But before they could hit me, overlapping Tomahawk shields suddenly appeared and created a wall in front of me. They were naturally replicated Shields created by Thursday who finally rejoined the battle.


    "Ridiculous!"


    He also had an armory worth of SMGs all emptying their clips as if their lives depended on it. It didn''t make much difference as once again the rounds simply vanished. However, something happened which no one expected.


    Friday''s soul powered bullet slammed into Lilly''s gun causing it to explode.


    "What?! How?" Even Lilly seemed caught off guard.


    ''[Maestro]! We finally hit her! What happened?''


    [We finally figured it out. Lilly''s skill has limitations, she is brilliantly disguising it by executing different attack patterns. She has two modes which she cannot use at the same time. Let''s call them "Close" and "Open" modes.


    [In "Close" her domain denies all attacks, as a side benefit, she can eject people with her touch. Her "Open" mode on the other hand allows her to blink with just a step and make attacks the bend the rules of distance and space.]


    ''So how does knowing this crap going to help?''


    [Each mode has limitations. "Close" is protected from outside attacks. But should something come from within her domain the effect is lost, much like your [Vortex]. This is why she panicked earlier; she sends people away as she cannot respond to attacks from inside as well as out.]


    ''Then the round from earlier?''


    [It was due to luck. Because of Thursday''s barrage, Lilly shifted from "Close" to "Open". The [Annihilate] round was already in her domain which was why she couldn''t stop it. "Open" allows her to move around, but she cannot tank bullets and must evade.]


    ''Hoo¡­''


    I see. No wonder Lilly had conflicted behaviors. She sometimes evaded bullets and ran. But also blinked and tanked bullets like a fucking brick. She alternated between sword slashes and firing her Minigun, but did not use both.


    The difference lied in which mode she was in. It was nothing short of luck that my Soul Avatar''s mapped Lilly''s abilities. Funnily enough it was only because everyone was here that we managed to do so. Tuesday and Sunday despite giving their all got pummeled without much to show for it.


    ''Then can we beat her?''


    [Now that we know how her domain works, Yes. Yes we can. It would depend on if we can use her domain''s range against her. Possibility of victory is at 87%. The plan would be forcing her to defend with bullets and then rushing her with Wednesday, Tuesday and Thursday.]


    ''Sounds good. Let''s do it.''


    Lilly''s Domain was quite small compared to the South American''s make the size of a small room. But that fact that it followed her was a fucking pain. We just had to bombard her with bullets to force her to "Close." The rush in and pin her down inside.


    That might have been impossible to do before but not now. When we started, she was a half Descendant, meanwhile I was just human. The gap slowly decreased when I became an artificial descendant. But now? I was already beyond what Lilly was capable off.


    Her body was not even a full Descendant as her mother was human. In contrast, I was the equivalent of a 9th Generation. While she was a Specter, baring a domain, I could already fight on the same rank. And I was going to make sure she remembered.


    "Tsk. {Armory}, do not get cocky Dearest!"


    Lilly rewinded her Minigun while she rebuked me. It was obvious that she wasn''t happy. But sadly, I didn''t give a damn. My blood was burning right now. Especially at the realization that I could now take on even Specters! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Of course, Lilly was considered a Specter newb. But I also was pulling my punches. I had yet to use {Replace}, nor {Rewind}. At my current combat ability fighting Specters no longer seemed like a dream.

 Chapter 834 - 834: Sucks to be you! [1/2]

    ''Alright, how do we do this,'' I asked.


    [I will use Burger and Fries to get her to "Close". That would prevent her from blinking all over the place. However, Lilly will not simply wait, she will "Open" and try to reduce our numbers. I will act as bait. Monday and Tuesday will rush her.


    [Saturday will hide and get close as humanly possible. Stay on her till she "Closes" a 2nd time. Wednesday will buy time if she blinks so the rest of us surround her. Retrieve Jo''s Propane tanks open and dump them. Leave igniting them to the others.


    [Thursday, Lilly will avoid teleporting towards spaces that will damage her. Carpet bomb the surroundings as best you can. As for Friday, just cover us with [Interceptors]. We will keep repeating this dance till she makes a mistake.]


    Personality wise Lilly was pretty aggressive. But so long as we all sticked with Monday and his [Defender] discipline we were safe. This would be a race against time. We need to take Lilly out before she learns everybody''s abilities.


    [Maestro] also made an assumption about where Lilly would blink towards. With her domain, she practically no longer had a cool down. But avoiding dangerous areas should still be a given.


    "{Armory} M134D! Alright! This is it! You all know the plan! Move! Burger! Fries! {GATE}!"


    I intentionally shouted as loud as I could while I ran with the UGVs. A hundred Switchblades flew towards the skies. I opened a simple doorway whose endpoint was behind Lilly. Plotting the coordinates was simple and concise, Exa must have helped.


    "Hmph! So, you''re Sunday! Prepare yourself Dearest!"


    At her words Lilly took a step forward and suddenly appeared behind the forces trying to surround her. Seeing my girl disappear and vanish at odd points was like those Asian horror movies. In three blinks, Lilly was already just a few feet away from me!


    ''Shit! I shot myself in the foot!''


    "FUCK! Dear you are terrifying!"


    [Wednesday is en route! Hold on! I am commanding the Switchblades to assist!]


    ''Easy for you to say! I am the one in the line of fire!''


    Taken off guard I sent the Ripsaws into the {Gate} sending them far back. Unfortunately, Lilly''s {Portals} only worked one way. Once you cross, only a new doorway would get you back. I didn''t have the time to make a new one and marked the coordinates.


    My children who tried to support Tuesday earlier were still far away. Lilly''s penchant for suddenly switching battlefields ensured my forces were always scattered. And unfortunately, apart from Sunday, the other avatars could not use {Fates}. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Fuck! So, I am alone!''


    I saw the other avatars trying to shoot at Lilly, they were just too far away. I raised the M134D Minigun in my hand and pressed both triggers. A familiar whirling sound began as the rotors of my weapon spun. In the next moment if began to unleash a stream of lead.


    Lilly charged forward as my rounds all vanished inside her domain. The Minigun in her right arm disappeared and now she had both hands in her soulgear greatsword, Wolf''s Greed.


    ''Shes in "close" mode!'' I cheered.


    Knowing that she could tank whatever I shot, I threw my gun and drew Roach''s anti-soul halberd. .50 Cal rounds and Switchblades bombarded Lilly''s domain only for every single one of them to vanish without a trace.


    "{Armory} Halberd!"


    [Maestro] had excellent memory but was not a combat discipline. As such my goal at the moment was to just resist. Lilly was still in "close", so we had to grab her before she runs away!


    "HMPH! You really intend to slash me with that?" Lilly grunted in anger.


    "Ugh. Of course not!"


    She sent a powerful slash my way. Back by her full weight, it took everything I had just to block her blow. My arms were like tunning forks that got struck. The kinetic energy battered my forearms and my core. Lilly''s eyes grew wide as she tried to push me back.


    "Dearest! Your body! How? You can withstand my blows?"


    "Heh! I supposedly have a body of a 9th generation Descendant now," I bragged with a smile.


    "You! Why does everything you do absolutely make no sense!"


    Lilly pushed against me and jumped backwards. Her domain which surrounded her was being peppered by my other avatars to no avail. The absurdity of her domain caused me to complain as well.


    "Really? Did you try looking behind you? I practically already sank a country''s word of explosives and lead on you, and you still haven''t even broken a sweat!"


    "Yet here you stand casually receiving a lineage many desperate tried to achieve. Dearest, do you have any idea how bitter I feel at your latest upgrade? My life was made a living hell all because I had the bloodline of a maid! [Overdrive] [Assassin]!" Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire


    Clearly emotional Lilly charged forward in a flash. The soul radiating from her body showed that she was in [Shadowblade]. While she lost her defenses her speed and agility increased by a very large amount.


    "Shit!"


    Desperately I tried to ward off Lilly''s assault. I didn''t even try to counterattack; I was just trying to not get cleaved! Thankfully I succeed in my task. The cavalry had begun to arrive!


    I noticed Saturday creeping in closer. I couldn''t see or hear him; I just knew as the person driving Saturday was also me. I tried to not jump POV''s as much as even with [Maestro] it needed presence of mind.


    Saturday wasn''t who I waited for though. The one I needed now was our fastest fighter. The one with [Sky Sentinel]! Wednesday dived towards Lilly while firing his AA-12s. His pellets couldn''t even hit and were just redirected all over the place.


    "Tsk! [Armory] M134D!" While trying to overpower my halberd, Lilly pointed her arm towards Wednesday and fired! I tried to evade the incoming bullets and used [Sky Sentinel''s] [Attune] to avoid the danger.


    I entered Lilly''s Domain and charged towards her. Lilly didn''t miss a beat and kicked Sunday''s lead leg causing him to fall. What our bodies had in potential we lacked in experience.


    "[Hellsend''s Armory] Propane tanks! Ebony, Ivory!"


    Remembering that we needed to follow the plan, I threw the tanks at Lilly. Since we were inside her domain, they didn''t disappear instead were smashed away by the angry Princess.


    I disregarded the ones she sent flying and shot the pressure gauges of those about to hit her. They didn''t explode but instead began to gas the place with a scent reminiscent of rotten eggs or sulfur.


    "Ethanethiol! Dearest you plan to ignite them?"


    With Lilly''s attention focused on Wednesday, I had Sunday join in and try to slash Lilly. Obviously wary of the anti-soul weapon, Lilly turned her back on Wednesday and tried to block my strike.


    Saturday secretly entered the Domain and tagged Lilly with [Shadow]. [Shadow] was basically a blink strike that followed a target. I didn''t know if it would work, but I should be able to follow Lilly even if she transitioned too "Open".


    "You are all irritating! {Magnitude} [Electrocution]!"


    Suddenly from Lilly''s domain came a tidal wave! My avatars and I were all suddenly engulfed in water and were pushed back. It was like being stuck in a flood. Where it reached up to our waists.


    In the next second, a powerful current snaked towards and began electrocuted our bodies! {Magnitude} was the soulgear on Lilly''s neck while [Electrocution] was her {Program} that leveraged the Tesla coils in her subspace.


    ''Fuck! I forgot she had a soulgear on!''


    Super sizing the water in her subspace, Lilly suddenly altered our situation at the drop of a hat! Surprisingly her body repelled the water, so she was unaffected. But I did notice that the rounds coming from Thursday were no longer vanishing but were now smashing against the waters!


    ''Shes in "Open"! Nows our chance!''


    As Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday had their bodies numb from the electricity the others moved. It was fucking annoying that none of our plans were working. We kept making plans, but they all turned to shit the moment Lilly moved.


    [What did you expect? We do not know the full abilities of her domain! Naturally we do it by trial and error! Her domain is directly connected to her subspace! She has water, bullets and a lot of tools in there. This just got a whole lot harder!]


    My avatars that were being electrocuted were not dead yet. But everyone else felt their pain. Luckily [AutoRewind] was healing everyone with {Regen} so while it felt like we were being barbecued, it was still manageable.

 Chapter 835 - 835: Sucks to be you! [2/2]

    Friday sent [Assassinate] rounds, but the .50 BMG all disintegrated when they slammed into the water protecting Lilly. The 9mm rounds barrage by Thursday did better but still could not break through.


    Feeling I needed to do something fast, I had Monday choose Sunday and invoked an ability to break the stalemate.


    "[Proxy], [Inspire], [Wall]!" Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Exchanging the damage, Monday fell to the ground in pain while Sunday regained the ability to move. When Lilly saw that in less than a second, I was again back in action, she gasped.


    I closed my eyes and created {Shelter} walls to resist the waters. Making one for me, Wednesday and Saturday. But faster than we can recover, Lilly retreated.


    "How in the world? Is it because of [Defender]? Tsk!"


    My girl clicked her tongue, before taking a step back. Like a ghost she teleported away finally allowing the waters smashing against us to die down. Monday invoked [Inspire] and [Wall] which brought the other avatars back to the fight!


    Friday who never lost track of Lilly, sent an [Annihilate] round the moment she blinked away. Before the round could arrive, I had Saturday move.


    ''[Shadow].''


    He teleported to a spot just behind Lilly. So far it seems that the Specter still couldn''t detect him. The Sniper round arrived at the untamed who once again defended with her domain! Naturally the Ripsaws and the Switchblades who were close all joined in.


    "Goodness! Dearest your avatars are all so clingy! I can''t even take a moment to breathe!"


    Two of my Avatar''s moved. Using Saturday''s position, I had Sunday create a {Portal} to Lilly''s location in front of Tuesday. Syncing my movements, it was near instantaneous. Tuesday who had the [Gladiator] discipline, ran towards the subspace doorway and appeared in front of Lilly.


    "This is a taste of what will happen to you the moment you try and run away from me Lilly! And that water shock thing fucking hurt!"


    "Please, with your constitution and {fates} you are practically unkillable now! So how should we proceed Dearest? Despite your best efforts you cannot catch me. And it seems unless I get help, it is impossible to win without killing your avatars."


    "Hoo? You mean you still haven''t gone all out? Isn''t that just an excuse?" I teased her in glee.


    "Obviously. I haven''t begun to use my {Portals} as weapons yet. You saw what I did with the tunneling worms right?"


    "I did, but you know that I can affect your subspaces with my disciplines. Unless we both begin using {Rewind} you can never outlast me! [Hellsend''s Armory] anti-soul halberd!"


    As I said that, I raced towards Lilly. Obviously due to the gunfire being blocked by her domain she was in "Close". And unless she shifted to "Open" my girl couldn''t run away with blink. I wasn''t sure how long before she could, but I had no intention to wait and find out.


    "Dearest! No woman likes such an obsessive partner! {Armory} Minigun! {Withdraw} Bullet dragon!!"


    "Sucks to be you! I AM ONE! I will hunt you even in the afterlife my dearest Lilly! Forget being able to leave me behind!"


    "ARE YOU INSANE? This is no time for jokes!" My girl cried out with a grin.


    Lilly drew her M134D and fired a barrage of bullets at me. [Gladiator] was meant as a shock trooper, so I ignored her attack and just plowed through. [Wall] armor from Monday protected my vitals but it wasn''t enough to stop the "Bullet Dragon".


    Along with the Untamed''s bullet spray, thousands of rounds joined and moved together like a metallic beast that flew at 2,750 feet per second. The construct smashed into my body like an avalanche and tore the [Wall] armor like paper.


    My body got chewed up and blow apart, but I didn''t give in. [Gladiator] had [Valiant]. A {Program} inspired by the Chasers. It used {Dope} to boost my stamina the more I get injured. Unlike my previous [Berserker] which was only in name. Now I really became one.


    "ARRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!"


    Using the boost from Aki''s {Fate} I pushed against the "Bullet Dragon" as it passed by. My body kept cycling between pain and relief as bits and pieces of me were torn off only to be healed.


    "JUST GIVE UP ALREADY DEAREST! YOU WILL DIE AT THIS RATE!"


    Lilly raised her other hand and created a water cannon in her palm. Along with the thousands of rounds severing my flesh, water and a powerful current joined in. My body went numb forcing me to stop.


    The rest of my avatars were not idle. Everyone else was either hammering Lilly''s domain with bullets or were running to join the melee. All save one. I had hoped that the chaotic exchanges Lilly and I had would be enough for her to forget the one stalking her from behind.


    Feeling this was the best chance I got, Saturday finally closed in. To minimize the chance of Lilly noticing the rest of my Avatars all began spamming our skills. The domain kept everything out. The ones far away made flashy displays to divert Lilly''s attention.


    I had Thursday in particular recreate his [Arsenal] to FT5''s and grenade launchers. Using the heavy ordinance, we tried to show a sense of desperation fearing our loss.


    "For what it''s worth Dearest, this has been my most exhilarating battle to date! Only you would come at me like this! And you are still at level 5! HAHAHA!"


    Laughing out loud, Lilly continued to pummel Tuesday with everything at her disposal. As the one who experienced the pain of her entire armory, I was two steps away from going insane.


    If [Valiant] didn''t drug my brain, I would have probably passed out ten minutes ago. But as I couldn''t I had to experience the entire ordeal with a clear head. This was much like torture. But I had no other choice. I would do anything it took to win!


    All my avatars were doing everything they could all to buy Saturday just one more second. Each step he took as he inched closer would validate this entire battle. However, when Lilly was at arm''s reach she suddenly turned towards Saturday with a smile.


    "Found you!"


    I felt Saturday''s body break out in cold sweat. But I couldn''t let everyone''s sacrifice go to waste.


    ''[Shadow].''


    Once again invoking [Ninja''s] sole offensive skill, I teleported to Lilly''s left. My woman gracefully spun her body brining her weapon to bear. The bullet dragon circled around then suddenly changed directions towards Saturday as well!


    But before we lost for good, I had Tuesday make our final trump card with all his strength.


    "[DUEL]!"


    Invoking my forced boss taunt, Lilly felt her body turn away from Saturday and once again face Tuesday! Similarly, the Bullet Dragon made a sharp turn and avoided their targets.


    "NOO!!!!"


    Taking this as my cue, I ran towards Lilly and pushed her down. I grabbed her marvelous chest and squeezed. Before using my other hand to pull her hair and yank her head towards me.


    In a fit of tyranny and desire I violated her mouth with my tongue. Against her wishes I sucked on her lips and licked her teeth. My other hand invoked [Strip] and began roughly grabbing her wonderful boobs!


    "Pwuah! Dearest! W-Wait! Mmhhmm! D-Dearest! Hyaa-! Iy-aaa! Not so rough! Aaah! You''re going to break my boobs!!!"


    Despite her protests I pinned her arms up as I assaulted her. In a sigh of submission, Lilly took down her Domain marking the end of the battle. However bitter from all the shit she had me go through; my other bodies joined in.


    Tuesday the most battered of my bodies arrived and forcefully spread open Lilly''s legs. I then buried my face in her otter pocket and sucked on her clit. The rest of my other avatars arrived within minutes. All of us eager for some payback.


    Unable to resist us due to our stronger bodies Lilly was literally at my mercy. Not willing to let such an opportunity slip by, we began licking, kissing and sucking on various parts of her body. The once proud Specter was nowhere to be found as my woman writhe in pleasure.


    We punished her for about five minutes before she finally climaxed. Pussy juice gushed out from between her leg as she panted. Her rosy cheeks looked absolutely mesmerizing as we devoured her.


    I was about to remove my clothes when Exa''s reminder brought me back.


    [My lord, please do remember that the rest of Hellsend are watching. The Sirens and I are blocking some scenes, but they already know that you have successfully taken down Lady Lilly.]


    "Haha, I guess you have to be satisfied with that dear," I teased at the woman trembling on the floor.

 Chapter 836 - 836: Run out of Zombies [1/2]

    "Pant¡­pant¡­Dearest you are too tyrannical¡­"


    Enjoying the sight of my depraved pervert, I created a soul cage and made it translucent. It reminded me of the material you saw in bathrooms. Like frosted glass. The other avatars and I pulled out towels and some water from my subspace.


    We then tenderly picked up Lilly, sat her down on a {Shelter} stool and began wiping her down. My American princess had her eyes widen when we all acted subservient. It was as if she was a queen, and we were merely slaves unworthy of even kissing her feet.


    Elated, Lilly watched in happiness as we served her. Like a work of art, we each cleaned her marvelous body gingerly. Completely opposite the way I manhandled her earlier, this act was my peace offering.


    ''Well, technically Lilly herself is somewhat confused.''


    This woman enjoyed seeing others bow to her. But subconsciously, she also longed to be dominated. Humiliated even. As there was seven of us, cleaning her took no time at all. Within a few minutes we cleansed the filth and grime off her.


    "Fufufu. You know I could have easily used {Rewind} to clean up. Could it be because you awakened to the joys of servitude, Dearest?"


    "If it''s you and in the bedroom, I don''t mind. I am extremely happy when I see the woman I love pampered and cared for."


    "¡­"


    Lilly suddenly clammed up and looked away. Despite her attempts to hide her embarrassment, she was surrounded. So naturally I saw her adorable, flushed cheeks. Feeling I needed to give her some time to calm down, my avatars and I pulled out Lilly''s uniform from her Storage.


    Although she does not have [Hellsend''s Armory] as she was connected to Exa, what was hers was also mine. From her underwear, stockings, heels to all the way to her coat and hat, we had it all. We quickly dressed her up to the nines.


    "Ah, sorry Lilly, I don''t know how to apply makeup. Maybe I should start learning."


    "Fufu. This is enough Dearest. You must have noticed that my look hardly changed right?" sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes. There was hardly any difference, even without the cosmetics."


    "Are you pleased?" Lilly teased with a smile.


    "Very. You know I love the natural look."


    "Yes. I believe so, besides you would simply just kiss or lick it off."


    "I plead guilty."


    Lilly started giggling innocently, naturally I joined her. To anyone seeing us they probably would never believe we were blowing each other apart less than fifteen minutes ago. Even when the world turned to shit having someone beside you made it all worth it.


    Just then I sensed the soul cage created by the Wolves come down. Signatures of over a hundred Reapers all closed in on us. As the duel finally ended, everyone was coming here. But of course, there was six of them who were approaching faster than anyone else.


    "Tsk. I already locked the area down. That was way too quick," Lilly complained as she clicked her tongue.


    Knowing my harem, they should have all chosen to use {Portals} to get here, but they didn''t. Lilly who gave us the ability to use subspaces was the only one who could also seal them. It was probably because my princess wanted to monopolize me even for a few moments longer.


    "DAAARRRRLLIIINNNGGGG!!!!"


    Like a raging bullet fired from a cannon Jo raced. Followed by the rest of my girls. Bella, Jas and Aki leisurely jogged. Liv on the other hand had my Aussie in her arms in a bridal carry. It saddened me a bit that unlike before, Robyn could no longer keep pace with the Sirens.


    Jo for some reason ran towards Thursday and crashed into him. Thursday was the same avatar who fought her to a standstill. As everyone was me, I never noticed before. But Jo already had a way to distinguish my avatars from each other.


    I caught the cheerful Italian in a snug embrace. My woman giggled like she won the lottery. Enjoying the energy Jo brought to my life, I wrapped my arms around her even tighter.


    "Darling! You beat us all! Congratulations! I have come to give you your prize!"


    She then closed her eyes and offered her lips to me. Seeing her tremble like a chaste maiden ignited my loins. I leaned in and claimed my reward. Lilly as if sparked by some kind of desire to not lose, went to Tuesday and also kissed me.


    "Congratulations Honey!"


    "It was a great victory, Husband."


    "Thank you for your hard work, Anata."


    Liv similarly gave her praise as she let down Robyn, "Beloved, your valor eclipses even that of the mightiest of heroes. And your fervor and strength are both worthy of song. Well done."


    I nodded in satisfaction at Liv''s over the top praise. If it came from anyone but her, I would believe they were messing with me. But my Valkyrie had a penchant for using such prose. Robyn gave me a high five when she reached Wednesday.


    "That was bloody brilliant, Possum. But don''t think the next one would be as easy."


    The main selling point of {Day by Day} was that the six bodies including the main one was identical. However somehow, the girls could distinguish between them. They went to their respective "John Smiths", the ones who fought them before giving my bodies a kiss.


    Each Siren expressed affection in their own little ways. Some did so passionately, others opted to be soft and tender. What was clear however was how much pleasurable each gave me. And combine together, feasting on my harem drove me insane.


    It was a good thing the Siren''s had yet to open their {Kindred} links. The horny and desire rushing through me would have incapacitated them.


    Unfortunately, while I was enjoying myself, like a coordinated ballad, the girls all pulled away. Wanting more I reached out to pull them all closer, only for a voice to interrupt us.


    "Ehem. Congratulations on your victory my lord. That was a truly impressive victory!"


    Clearing his throat, my chief Administrator finally showed up with the rest of my men. Despite being rich as fuck he still wore his sloppy butler suit and made a disgusting smile of a scammer. Phillip Scrivener was many things, but a happy person he was not. His happiness put me on guard.


    "Why are you here, you monocled bastard? I though you left your post to join Ishtar''s Bloodline?"


    "My lord, I serve not just you but every member of your house. As joining Lady Lilly''s squad does not affect my ability to fulfill my tasks as your chief Administrator, I saw no reason to decline. Also, I believe this would lead to the best outcome."


    While Phillip''s reply sounded respectful, his face showed a different story. I could practically hear the complaints going through his mind. Something to the tune of ''As if I could say no!'' and ''you doting motherfucker, who knows what you have done if I did!''


    Phillip expressed his admiration again before he kneeled down. And for some reason everyone else followed. The rest of the officers all similarly had expectant faces. Wondering why they were like this; Exa quickly elaborated on the crux of the matter.


    [Anyone with {Call my Name} would be expectant my lord.]


    ''Huh? Why?''


    [My lord, when you gave the Officers and the rest of Hellsend {Call my Name}, they naturally compared it to {Limitless}. Most understood that the {Kismet} they received is a degraded version of you namesake skill.]


    ''So? Why would that matter to them?''


    [Those that knew you before you created {Limitless} are familiar with your old combat styles. And {Call my name} incorporated many of these abilities. Following this logic, they understood that every time you upgraded, theirs would scale to keep up.]


    ''Ho? So, they knew that I would upgrade them as well?''


    [Yes. As the Sirens have been very vocal how disappointment their results were, they knew that unless you granted them more power, they would not be able to keep up.]


    ''Has the Sirens begun strengthening their squads respectively?''


    [Indeed, they have begun to do so. More than that, as our people grows there has begun a division of industry. Apart from Administration enforcing the battlefront tax, those who wish to devote themselves to a specific profession are no longer required to remain in combat.]


    ''Taxes huh¡­''


    The biggest benefit of owning land and having dominion over it was levying taxes. In David''s battlefront the tax was a fixed amount of souls per month. But that just made people do anything for the stuff, even if it meant stagnating.

 Chapter 837 - 837: Run out of zombies [2/2]

    To me, the souls were not really important, what was more crucial was that we continuously ascended Reapers. The jump from a Wraith to a Phantom was not really difficult. And while creating Specters would take time, Phantoms were quite easy.


    For that reason, I wanted to use the tax system not to generate funds but to strengthen my domain. I believe what I said at the time was.


    "My battlefront tax will be paid in undead bodies. I have no use for souls. If you want to stay in my domain, you will fight. I will require seven bodies daily."


    "Seven bodies? You mean Rank F''s?"


    "Yes. Anyone who isn''t dying will kill seven bodies or answer to me. That is only 140 souls. Very cheap if you ask me."


    I declared such a rule because I wanted everyone to keep leveling up. However now that things were becoming more real, I didn''t actually think how to implement it. Or rather what do we do with the large amount of corpses that came with my order?


    In the North American battlefront, most Wraiths were in non-combat roles and hardly hunted. Which made no sense as Cynthia and the rest of the Production guilds happily processed them for souls. They could find some use for the corpses, yet no one bothered.


    There was a limit though, even in Hellsend the Ten Graves who were the ones who processed the loot slowly branched out. When alternatives for souls came, everyone eventually left behind corpse processing and graduated to other industries.


    So, the question was, what would we do with the massive number of corpses my order was going to fill?


    ''Exa, how long has Administration implemented my tax?''


    [For the entire duration of our stay here?]


    ''In days.''


    [About two weeks my lord.]


    ''How many people are paying the tax?''


    [There were those that opted to pay in bulk, while others who regularly join the raiding teams. The total number of people who completed payment are 1,500. With an additional 500 of those being in combat roles and opted to pay for their taxes in advance.]


    Seven bodies might sound like a little but the fact that it was daily made all the difference. For an average month that meant each Reaper would have to kill 210 Rank F''s! For a thousand people that was 210,000! And that was in a month!


    ''Wouldn''t we run out of zombies at this point?''


    [That is the intention my lord. Hellsend is rapidly clearing our grounds at an impressive pace. We have purged over 35% of the total area, with over a hundred clearing teams taking turns. Phillip has marveled at such a system as the effects are quite pronounced.


    [In the two weeks since the tax has been implemented, 105,000 Rank E''s have terminated. With an additional 25,000 kill as advance payment. The results naturally exclude the four days spend on the war were all the hunting teams were on defense.]


    Exa then showed me video''s the hunting teams submitted as evidence of their kills. As they all had Exa, they digitized the footage they saw and sent it.


    The Reapers hunting teams were made up of one combatant and three civilians. Reapers who weren''t part of the former 2nd Amendment squads were the civilians. The team of four were using the M1151 EAC Humvee''s.


    All one hundred of the vehicles Vincent supplied us worked round the clock to clear zones. As their areas of hunting overlapped, the small groups protected each other. Like waves of angry marines, they shot and killed everything that moved.


    And after they finished, they would head home, resupply and switch teams. The ones who paid extra where the combatants who willingly escorted taxpayers without rest. And unlike the ones on Earth, the Humvees we had never broke down or ran out of fuel.


    Exa showed me the dossiers of each "escort." They were selected after numerous rounds of testing. And they had to gain the approval of at least one Siren. These escorts were then given the M1151 Humvee to be part of their {Auto}.


    From then on, they must {Rewind} after every tax hunting mission. Such a system would allow the vehicles to always remain in tip top shape. All while each Reaper steadily got more familiar with their weapon and taking out Rank F''s.


    [We have an unexpected boom. At the current rate over 75% of our numbers would become Phantoms before the next month begins. The safety of this place, {Call my Name} and examples of brutality ensured participation from every citizen in Hellsend.]


    I didn''t even bat an eye to Exa''s declaration of brutality. With over a thousand people, it was just not possible to not have any bad eggs. I''m guessing the wolves were the ones who resolved the issue. Otherwise, they would get their names.


    ''Just remembering their nicknames makes me laugh. Guess you don''t earn war freak sisters and the ball smasher guild without just cause, Haha.''


    As I digested Exa''s words my mind wandered to the first night I came to Hellsgate. That time people got impressed because of what I had done. They called me many things but in the end, I still grew sad that I couldn''t do anything beyond killing zombies.


    There were Reapers who died before and after I arrived. And while I didn''t remember each of their names, I could only offer the blood of the undead to them, interestingly enough I also remember Aira''s words of encouragement then.


    [My Lord, this is only your first night. Tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. Should you continue to show such numbers, the change you wish to see will definitely come. It is not just a possibility. It is a mathematical certainty.] S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hellsend had such numbers despite being filled with non combatants. Now that we had Nerio''s army if they paid my tax in a similar fashion forget a decade, we could hunt the Rank F''s to extinction in a couple of years.


    ''And that does not include the Enlistment I plan to do with Vincent and the Derycks.''


    Once Vincent''s group join us, we would have enough people to wage a war. We also would steadily improve our tactics and equipment. Soon, we would be poised not only push deeper into Hellsgate but even have the leeway to help others.


    ''And that is not even counting the Awakened. If you count them, we might even get strong enough to free Antarctica with it.''


    The idea of being able to help Liv''s country filled with excitement. Just imagining my forces blasting all the undead in the North to the next century made me giddy. Just what would the bastards who mocked Liv say when that happened?


    Being able to regain my wife''s honor naturally trumped the entire continent. Rather than save the Northerners, making her wish come true was one of my important tasks. However, that was still a long way away. I tried to keep my eye on the ball to calm down.


    ''Better not get ahead of myself. I still have to finish Operation Rock in Kismayo before making plans. Once we finish this thing with Amari. Then we will take our full might and go to Antarctica.''


    I then felt several people tugging me. The sensations were weird as they all occurred at the same time, but with different bodies. My girls were all trying to shake me awake as I seemed to have lost myself in thought because of the taxes and Antarctica.


    Looking in front of me the officers of Hellsend were still kneeling. I didn''t know why they thought I would do it now, but to be fair everyone did deserve it. It was obvious how hard everyone was working. Despite suddenly being thrown in this place, they did their best.


    Everything from the defense to the enforcement of our taxes showed how devoted they were to keeping my will. I didn''t know each person in Hellsend, but for the officers at least, they were people who I personally worked with and recruited.


    ''Guess it''s as good a time as any.''


    "Alright, it is obvious that everyone here is expecting rewards from me," I joked.


    The people all laughed a bit awkwardly. It kind of reminded me of the times I had to laugh at a guest''s joke just to please him. On Earth, people killed themselves just to get by, and now I was no longer in the employee''s place but the employers.


    "Kidding aside. I want to thank you all. Thank you for all your efforts and thank you for protecting my home and my family. I am sure it was hard, but I naturally will give you all a fitting gift."


    And with that, it was time for me to play Santa.

 Chapter 838 - 838: I don’t mind [1/2]

    ''Exa.''


    [Yes, my lord.]


    ''Upgrade the versions of my officers along with Roach and Juno.''


    [Understood.]


    ''Also, tell the girls to turn on their links.''


    [Done.]


    Within milliseconds of Exa''s confirmation, all seven of my {Kindred} links came to life. The emotions that made their way to me was something I had grown used to. The difference was like spending an afternoon at home versus staying over with the Simmons.


    As the feelings and thoughts of my girls flowed through me I felt at peace. Happiness at our reconciliation. Bliss and joy from having our connection restored. Irritation from Hellsend''s disturbing our moment.


    The raw emotion circulated between the girls and I. It was hard to describe, all I knew was that the two states off our {Kindred} link were like the difference between life and death. It has been awhile since I heard them like this.


    {Code} gave me technopathy capabilities, so my harem and I could speak without words. But when we got married we opted to use the {Kindred} links. However as only I had a connection to each Siren, they still used technopathy for each other.


    Bella shared that the Sirens were always connected. Before it was to ensure they could monitor each other, but now it was more so they could protect the family. But given how close they were with each other, I sometimes feel left out.


    Curious, I often hacked my way to the Siren Server just to check the things they talk about. It was a mixed bag. Some times I find things that brought me joy, others times it made me want to kill myself.


    Not to brag, but I was what they was discussed about 90% of the time. Most of the content was geared towards adoring me or complaining about me. I couldn''t even say anything as I entered of my own accord.


    ''Sometimes I think Bella knows I sneak in. Rather than stop me, she just lets me do as I wish. Must be to show me that they have nothing to hide.''


    It was similar to the people who check the contents of their significant others phone. Apart from the psychos who always assume that their partners cheat, others were normally just curious. It was like discovering a side of your lover you did not know about.


    ''Although, I might just be making excuses to myself. Invasion of privacy and lost of identity is common issue between couples.''


    I couldn''t help remember the bitter times where my ex got angry. It was when I asked who she was texting all the time. During the brief moments we could be together during our college years, Caroline hardly paid attention to me and was always on her phone.


    ''Looking back at it now, I was only her boyfriend in name. I lost her even before we parted.''


    Feeling my mind was about to dig itself into a hole, I directed my thoughts to the Sirens. The shit with Caroline was hard, but it lead me to finding the women I now love the most. And unlike with my ex, these women always paid attention to me.


    So much so I something feel like I am unworthy of them. I couldn''t imagine what I would do if I saw them praising some other man. I might just find, kill, revive and torture him. Funnily enough it wasn''t my girls fault but was the bastards. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Right, how could it be the girls fault? They are perfect.''


    [My lord. You mind is all over the place. Focus.]


    ''Ah thanks Exa.''


    Feeling the connection of my girls allowed me to stabilize my emotions. The pleasure of the {Kindred} links was like a drug. And unlike how they can chat anyone, this link belonged solely to me. This was my right, and my privilege.


    They actually had Exa tell them what each other was saying to me. As only I heard them, they would often hear me talk but not know who I was speaking too. It must be a truce among them that there would be no private discussions unless I enforce it.


    I normally found myself unconsciously smiling when they argued or chatted. The Sirens marched to their own beat. Ignoring what the rest of the world was doing, they would sometimes worry about the cutest things. Just like now.


    ''Beloved, why was only Lilly served by the avatars? Five of them took me down as well.''


    ''Pfft. Goodness, don''t tell me you are jealous Liv? I told you to stay. Its a reward to the one who remained undefeated.''


    ''Get stuffed, slagger! The fuck you talking about? you got taken down even being a Specter!''


    ''Hehe, Darling didn''t take me down though, I surrendered. Shouldn''t I be the one to get the reward?''


    ''Nutjob, please. Did you see how all seven of them cooperated? If Honey wanted to kill, none of us would be able to resist. Their synergy is too terrifying.''


    ''Indeed. Husband is so powerful. He already has anti-soul bullets, even {Rewind} might have bee. His strength comes from not just his own but everyone around him.''


    ''Yet nothing if more comforting that such a man in on our side. Shujin, I love you! Please give me your affection later.''


    I couldn''t even answer them as I forgot what I wanted to ask them about. Everything just paled in comparison to being reconciled to my harem.


    [My lord. The reward. Hellsend is waiting for it.]


    ''Ah right. My {Kindred}. I will be sharing the updates for {Call my Name} to the rest of Hellsend officers. Is there anyone you particularly want to include?''


    A brief silence followed before each Siren made her piece.


    ''Beloved, I wish to add Freyja''s bulwark to the list. Every single member.''


    ''I have the same request Dearest. I want to strengthen even those not part of the officers.''


    ''Same for me Possum, I want Licia to be on par with Pixie.''


    ''The wolves as a who do a lot Darling, can we please include my lil sisters?''


    ''I screened each of those under my unit, Honey. They have the highest performance ratio among the Siren squads. I also think that the information Carlos and Herman provided is enough to earn them {Call my name}.''


    ''Husband, please upgrade the Seraphs Of Satis too.''


    ''Shujin, Inari''s kitchen performed admirably, I want to reward them.''


    ''Okay. I don''t mind,'' I answered curtly.


    Surprisingly all of them requested for the same thing. To share the update to their Siren squads.


    ___


    {Call My Name} v.2


    Mass production version of the {Kismet} {Limitless} v3.


    Invocation keyword {In the name of Limitless}.


    - Built-in features:


    EXA Integration - Using the E.X.A. {Fate} combat system, some tasks can be delegated.


    Skill Download - Once activated, the abilities will last for 48 hours.


    {Bestow} - users can now imbue {Fates} into objects.


    Class System


    Originally multiple {Fate} combos are now grouped by role.


    Individual abilities can still be used but will normally be used together as part of the class.


    There are six classes in total, divided into three types. Only one class per type can be activated at any given time.


    System Skills - [Overdrive] | [Parallel] | [Share Vision] | [Analyze] | [Afterburner]| [Hellsend''s Armory] | [Dual Pilot] | [Soul Combat Arts]


    Available classes:


    Mindset: [Wizard] | [Cyborg] | [Commander]


    Mind Setting: [Assassin] | [Sniper]


    Body setting: [Knight] | [Berserker]


    Cost: 7,500 souls


    Limitations: {Rewind} Family incompatible. Once activated, all other {Fates} except the hosts will be disabled.


    ___


    The differences in version 1 and 2 of {Call my Name} was quite significant. First was the main classes used by version 2 were no longer deteriorated versions of what I used. Now anyone with this {Kismet} could fight exactly as I did.


    Even [Commander] was now included in those available. In version 1 only six classes were available. According to Exa, if the {Limitless} classes were a 3rd of the original abilities of the Sirens, {Call my name} was only a 5th. The difference might seem small but it wasn''t.


    Second was the new abilities. Using my experience as the basis, [Afterburner], [Soul Combat Arts], [Hellsend''s Armory] and [Dual Pilot]. They were all for different uses but each corrected as weakness for the available combat style.


    [Afterburner] would grant anyone flying a boost in speed. To those whose survival relied on movement this skill would mean the difference in living and dying. Whether it was retreating or attacking, speed was a very critical factor.


    [Soul Combat Arts] on the other hand allowed them to fight in close quarters like a Descendant. It combined Jo''s ability to perform critical strikes by detonating soul, and Liv''s technique of enhancing her body. It was a must have for regular Reapers.

 Chapter 839 - 839: I dont mind [2/2]

    [Hellsend''s Armory] granted them unlimited guns and ammunition. While {Call my name} gave everyone subspace inventories that was it. Everyone didn''t have Exa helping them with reloads. Of course they also still ran out of ammunition, too.


    ''I can''t even remember the last time I had to manually reload a gun,'' I thought in embarrassment.


    Having Exa spoiled me. Ever since she started automatically reloading my guns with {Armory}, I began to develop bad habits. I no longer remembered the number of rounds I fired and just kept pulling the trigger.


    If I gun ever malfunctioned, I just threw it away and just summoned another gun. But who could blame me? People drilled themselves to fix jams in their weapons out of necessity. So long as Exa was present, that would never be an issue for me.


    Lastly, [Dual Pilot] would allow Exa to control the body of anyone with {Call my name}.


    And while [Dual Pilot] had some risks, Exa was a large part of how I was still alive right now. As such I trusted her more than anyone else beside the Sirens.


    On the flip side, it also meant that Exa could theoretically high jack any officer who went rogue. Which was a plus in my book. Each of these abilities were enough to save someone''s life on the battlefield. I mean I created them because I felt the need.


    And those were not even the biggest difference. The arguably largest change was {Bestow}. {Bestow} was my old {Kismet} that allowed {Fate} effects to be added to weapons and equipment. This eventually gave use the {Bestow} ammunition.


    By leveraging the Formless {Fates} of my officers we were able to create the Red, White, Yellow, Orange and Sunset rounds. Each had a particular focus but they granted us new ways to fight.


    Unfortunately no matter how useful, my Reapers could not use {Bestow} during combat. This was because only my {Kindred} could use my {Kismet} without restrictions. To everyone else my blood granted them only one ability.


    And I have too many to choose from. {Rewind}, {Regen}, {Reload}, {Call my name} and {Bestow}. And that was the already shortened list! As they could only have one active it was impossible to use them all at once.


    My people instead kept my blood in their {Auto}''s and changed on the fly. {Call my name} had a skill download feature. So this allowed them to gain {Call my name}, activate it, then switch to a different ability.


    {Reload} was the least useful to them as so long as they had bullets in storage, they could just refill it with {Rewind}. Thus out of necessity, Hellsend downloaded {Call my name} and kept either {Rewind} or {Regen}. In such cases who would even want {Bestow}?


    But I thought differently. I didn''t know about the Manifested but for the Formless at least, there was great flexibility in adding your {Fate} to an object. I was half expecting that my reapers would begin experimenting and come up with crazy shit.


    After all that was how I did it. As someone who knew absolutely nothing when joined the Reapers, I was pro experimentation. Theories were all good but only experience and necessity would allow one to think outside the box.


    While most of the people my girls selected were officers many of them weren''t. A good example was Robyn''s personal squad. Rhiannon''s Hellcats only had Alicia Gertrude and Pixie Richards at the moment.


    As Pixie was my {Vassal} she was treated as an officer despite not being one. With all these changes, once Pixie was upgraded, her power would dwarf Alicia''s. If Pixie used overdrive the differences would be all the more pronounced.


    Everyone must have wanted to avoid this problem. While I didn''t keep tabs on the people the girls selected, I knew they would eventually get more people. It was impossible for me to know every single person in Hellsend.


    And as we grew, my officers would each pick up the slack. So my girls probably requested this not because of affection. If I had to guess it would be purely so that their squads power was more stable.


    ''I am grateful, Beloved.'' ''Thank you for your magnanimity, Dearest.'' ''I owe you one, Possum.'' ''Hehe, I love you Darling!'' ''Really? I thought you would object Honey.'' ''My husband is the best.'' ''Anata, I will ensure you won''t be disappointed.''


    ''No need for thanks my {Kindred}. Unless your request is to die or leave me, I will do all I can to fulfill it.''


    Embarrassment and affection overflowed from my seven girls. I felt my dick turned rock hard at how adorable my girls were being. Thankfully they all reminded me that we were in public before I got to do anything. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Turning to the rest of my officers, I began the awarding ceremony.


    "Okay, so lets start with the easy stuff. Everyone in the officer network, and the Sirens squads will all receive updates to {Call my Name}. The new version is alot more powerful and complete than the previous one.


    "From this point forward, we will use {Call my Name} as a reward. When I update it again only those who have the right will receive the update. This time however, everyone performed admirably. Hellsend still stand because of all of you."


    ''Exa. Do it.''


    [Understood. All the awardees have been notified and granted version 2.]


    "Limitless, I think something is wrong," as Exa sent the updates four people stood up to express their concerns. They were Carlos, Herman, Roach and Juno.


    "There s no mistake, Carlos."


    "But weren''t we your enemy? Why are you giving Herman and I a reward for your people?"


    "Because my {Kindred} requested it. Bella said she will vouch for both of you and work you to the bone."


    Carlos, made a surprised expression but quickly kneeled and said his thanks. Herman likewise followed.


    "Thank you my lord! Thank you lady Minerva!" x2


    With the South American''s issues resolved, the representative of the other pair similarly asked, "And what of us, Limitless? We aren''t even human. Roach might have earned his upgrade but I do not think eating a corpse warrants a reward."


    Juno a 7th foot Reborn known as a Vithriss stood waiting. Her face betrayed her emotions though. Her face held a mix of anticipation and joy. It didn''t take a genius to figure out why. Anyone who saw the way I fought would know I do not do things half heartedly.


    Having my {fates} meant having my power. Apart from my guns, my {Fates} and abilities were allowed me to win. And those those who wanted strength, {Call my name} was heaven sent. Maybe that was why she opted to shrink to human size.


    For one Juno know had hands and opposable thumbs. Meaning she now had the option of using guns with Sacreds. And unlike her previous weapons, those could kill even Vampires. Simply put, the more she was like me, the more power she could leverage.


    "You fought with me and my girls even when you didn''t have to Juno. That alone means you are one of us. The same goes for Roach. Also, if anyone from your brood wishes to receive my power, if you acknowledge them, I will make it happen."


    Roach then rubbed his chin while making odd sounds. He mad a face like something was stuck in his throat before spitting it out.


    "You already gave us black smoke. We haven''t even earned our food yet."


    "That is fine. I intended to work the Awakened just as much as the rest of Hellsend."


    "What do you mean? What else would you have us do?" Juno asked in suspicion.


    I thought for a moment before explaining. The thought came to me just a while ago. Seeing the various groups in my forces made me expectant.


    ''Guess now is as good as time as any.''


    "Juno, Roach. I intend to take you and your forces to Earth. There I will have you kill demons and undead for me."


    The moment the words left my mouth practically everyone flinched. My girls in particular were all raising questions and wanted to know why I would willingly send Reborn to Earth. However I only smiled and explained in one sentence.


    "I will bring the Awakened to Kismayo to kill the demons. Afterwards they will join me when I butcher the undead in Antarctica."

 Chapter 840 - 840: Why I formed Hellsend [1/2]

    ''Exa, call Amari and Mia.''


    [I understand.]


    If you asked most people about Antarctica, they would often say one of two things. First is that it considered one of the seven continents despite no one actually living there. And two, it was a remote land encased in ice, which made it impossible to live there.


    I was like most people. Truthfully, I didn''t even care. I mean, I lived all my life in the United States of America. So long as my little corner of the world was okay, why bother? Whatever happened to the rest of the world was of little to no consequence.


    And most of the people in the world were the same. They even made a joke about the average American being unable to name ten countries. I would agree that a lot of American''s were in fact stupid, but it was more a matter of ignorance than malice.


    That was at least my attitude before I died. Now, reborn as a Reaper, that was no longer the case. The dramatic change in my outlook was caused by one thing. I fell in love and married someone from Antarctica.


    That alone was enough for me to give a shit. Funnily enough this was the case for all seven continents. All because my harem was literally world class. My harem, the Sirens were as diverse as you could get.


    Each of them came from different backgrounds. Some grew wealthy, some were poor. There were those that relied on their smarts and those that relied on their strength. But the biggest difference was that they all came from different continents.


    This gave each of them a unique perspective which was often why they often disagreed. Naturally they also have different preferences that were shaped by their origins. Thus, I began to educate myself not just about Antarctica but the rest of the world.


    For the sake of the women I loved with all my heart, I had to be ready. I already knew that I would butt heads with all the seven Revenants at some point. It was inevitable. Mainly because I was not one who would willingly choose to submit.


    David''s dealings with me along with the three separate invasions to my floor made it quite clear. Unless I had the power to carve out my place in the world, they would simply force me to bow down. That was how the world worked.


    The one with the biggest stick made the rules. Humanity was filled with rape, murder and pillaging. Why bother develop yourselves if you could simply just steal from another? Of course, everyone knew that was incredible short sighted. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Because no matter how successful you were with such tactics it had a limit. The ones you steal from would either ask for help, run away or at worse fightback. Innovation and industry remained the best ways to ensure one''s survival. That was true then as it is now.


    This was the same reason why I was going to Kismayo. Amari gave me the perfect excuse to learn from their people. I needed to know how they operated and how to fuck them up. In the same vein I already wanted to make plans to go and study each battlefront.


    Antarctica was the best place to learn. I could train my forces on how to invade the land of another. Interestingly enough, what most of the world knew about Antarctica was a fucking lie.


    First off, Antarctica was a continent because people fucking lived there. There were of course no humans only Reapers. A kingdom called the North was established in Antarctica.


    The Northerners were a powerful group of warriors that sounded like the Vikings. Both in their culture and lust for battle. Their battlefront in particular was the birthplaces of the Keepers.


    Second lie that everyone knew, it was impossible to live there because of the cold and the remoteness of the region. I saw bullshit. There were places just as cold, Alaska, Canada, Greenland. Take your pick. As for remoteness, we fucking sent people to the moon.


    As I studied, I found it weird that people never really thought about colonizing Antarctica. They would much rather go to the moon and Mars than a place on the planet. Why wasn''t anyone doubting their claims! It was complete bullshit!


    So, what then, if the ice and distance was not the cause what was it then? Turns out it wasn''t because of human matters but Reaper ones. Antarctica was the only battlefront where the Reapers already failed.


    Meaning that side of Hellsgate was already busted open. The undead had a direct path from Hell to the Earth. And the Reapers there were trying to minimize the damage but were on the brink of Annihilation.


    "John Smith. I vow that from this moment on I belong you. But in exchange save the land my mother loved! It doesn''t matter if you withhold your affection. I don''t mind even if you send me to die! Even if you only use me for sexual relief I will not complain. Just please, please. if I found favor in your eyes I beg you my love, please save my people."


    What kind of man would I be if I listened to such a heartfelt cry and ignore it? Hearing the one you love say such sad words was enough to break my heart. Liv deserved better. Liv deserved to be happy. Thus, for her sake, I would take back the North.


    Since then, I vowed that when I became strong enough, I would take my forces and take reclaim my beloved''s home. True enough my efforts were not in vain. My forces were growing by the day. And soon, I believed we would have the power to make Liv''s dream a reality.


    And what kind of idiot would I be if I didn''t do everything to ensure my success? Here before me were monsters who allied with Humanity. The Awakened. They not only had the power to cleanse malice, but they grew from it.


    They were like the equivalent of plants! They took our malice for free. Much like how we need trees to convert our carbon dioxide to oxygen. I was sure the with {Call my name} I could grow the Awakened into a powerful force.


    The faces of my officers were divided into two groups. One had a "What the fuck are you talking about?" face. And the other had a "We are going to be fucking busy" face. My girls were behind me, but their {Kindred} links were going wild. They also gripped my arms wanting to hear an explanation.


    Amused, I began drowning my girl''s links with affection and positive feelings. I then leaned in and tenderly kissed each of my girls. Shocked by my actions each of the Seven Sirens clammed up and gazed at me with glassed eyes.


    "Trust me," I had each of my bodies say curtly.


    The girls all nodded quite adorably and stopped kicking a fuss. Liv in particular had a face that she wanted to cry. I caressed her face while smiling at her. The normally overpowering woman cradled my hand like a timid kitten.


    "My lord, I have only recently joined Hellsend but you must be joking right? It is well known to the spy community that there are two more invasion coming to attack your kingdom aside from hours," Carlos said as he tried to offer his counsel.


    "I am aware."


    "Then why? I had assumed that you would bolster your forces after returning from Africa. But far from that you are about to invade another continent! And why Antarctica of all places? The time it would take to develop the land would span centuries!"


    Before I could answer Amari Soldat a prince of the African Battlefront and his lover Mia Flair arrived. They had awkward expressions as the rest of my officers glared at them. I called for them because I was sure, my answer would be something they wish to hear.


    It was "Proof" of the kind of alliance I wanted to enforce on the battlefronts. Apart from me, most would go to another continent all for the sake of conquering it. That was what humanity had done over its long years.


    This was why he used the words "invade". As a long-lived Reaper who saw the selfishness of humanity, he didn''t recognize any other outcome apart from that. Still, he did raise good points. Invading a place crawling with Undead gave more problems than benefits.


    "Carlos. Do you know why I formed Hellsend?"

 Chapter 841 - 841: Why I formed Hellsend [2/2]

    "I-I do not¡­" he stammered.


    "It''s in the name. The rest of you! Why did I form Hellsend?"


    "TO END THE NEED FOR THIS HELL!" They all shouted.


    Regardless of race, gender or ideology, the people in front of me came under my banner for one purpose. To end the need for this hell. It was why we were named Hellsend.


    Pleased with their response, I was about to continue before Joshua, Scott, Warren, Mike, Santiago, Angela and Claire all stood up and roared at the top of their voices.


    "AND TO KILL THE LAST MOTHERFUCKER!"


    Their outburst caught me by surprise. But when I saw their faces, unlike the last time none of them were joking. They all had expressions that were stern and focused. They looked like monsters waiting for battle.


    Less than a moment later, almost all the Sirens squads stood up and joined in. There were those that didn''t know what was going on and remained kneeling. But they were in the minority.


    "AND TO KILL ALL THE MOTHERFUCKERS!" They bellowed to the heavens.


    Hellsend used it as a joke. These words were after all my own. I remember that I declared the same words to the 2nd Amendment and Hellsend in both their maiden battles.


    "BUT ALWAYS REMEMBER! I ALREADY KILLED MOUNTAINS OF THESE FUCKERS! ALONE! YOU GUYS EVEN MADE MONEY OFF ME! JUST FIRE STRAIGHT AND DON''T SHOOT ME! SO LONG AS I HERE! VICTORY IS OURS! I AM LIMITLESS! SO LONG AS I STAND HELLSGATE WILL NEVER FALL!"


    "THIS IS WHY I FIGHT! I FIGHT TO END THIS NIGHTMARE! UNTIL THE LAST MOTHER FUCKER FALLS, I WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT! BUT I WILL NOT FIGHT FOR YOU!"


    I may have said such words due to the heat of the moment, but my will has always been the same. And unlike others who talked a good game, I always followed mine with action.


    "For those that do not know me, I will reiterate. I go by Limitless. And I command Hellsend. I have one goal and one desire. To close Hellsgate forever and free the reapers of their curse!


    Herman and Carlos had their jaws hit the floor as the rest of my officers began cheering like lunatics. Even people like Krishna, Connie, Leo and Nyda who originally had faces of confusion began to join in.


    Seeing their fervor, I felt my actions were vindicated. I did a lot of bad things and killed a lot of people along the way. But this army, the one I raised with care now carried my values. Unlike normal Reapers who debated pros and cons this group existed for one reason.


    ''To drive back the undead and close Hellsgate.''


    Thus, to them, going to Antarctica was not an invasion but a purge. We would go there simply because there were enemies to be slaughtered. I felt myself tearing up a little at the joy of seeing such a response.


    I then felt my hands intertwine with seven others. The Sirens all felt my joy and stood beside me. Pride was welling up in their hearts. Not of their own achievements. But of mine.


    It took a fucking lot to not cry manly tears at that moment. The raving lunatics in front of me was merely just an idea I had less than a month ago. Back then everyone kept saying that I was stupid and that I was in way over my head.


    And after learning of the power of the other Revenants, unknowingly I felt discouraged. Yet against all that, I knew this was what I desired. Seeing other people support my dream was not only heartwarming but made my chest swell up with purpose and joy.


    I raised my hand. Like a disciplined group of soldiers my officers all piped down and once again kneeled. I then faced Amari and Mia who had faces that said, "What the fuck is going on?" I gestured for them to come closer.


    "Amari, what did I ask as compensation for killing your demons and Hellsend''s help in the future?"


    "The will to press forward. Your exact words were in exchange for your help, they must fight Hellsgate with the intention to close it. And that you will not settle for anything less," he answered.


    "Thank you."


    I then turned to Carlos before continuing.


    "I intend to go Africa and Antarctica primarily for my {Kindred}. However, once I finish helping them out, I have no intension of taking their land or resources. I actually plan to help the North get back to its feet so long as they reform their battlefront. I do so because I need them to fulfill my only goal.


    "Unless the hole in the North is plugged, Australia and Europe are forced to fight defensively. If Africa falls, North America and Asia will soon follow. I have no idea why everyone else thinks differently. But I cannot focus on Hellsgate if Earth is in danger."


    "T-Then, you help them all, so they fight better in Hellsgate?" Carlos stammered.


    "Yes. I have already discussed with Amari. What happens to Africa afterwards is on him. My help only extends to demons. I will not help him win the battle for succession. My offer to Africa stands regardless of who I speak. The same will be true for the North." sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "T-This¡­This is incredible. If it was anyone else, I would have considered it the words of a madman. But my lord, you have the power to make it happen!"


    Amused at his words I nodded with a smile. Carlos was part of the intelligence community. His estimations should be grounded in reality. Hearing such a man say that I had a shot was both comforting and inspiring.


    "I feel like I just heard something crazy. Limitless, you are telling me, you plan to assault Antarctica after you finish with our matters? Why are you already planning on fighting there when you aren''t even sure if you will survive the demons in Kismayo."


    Amari''s words were correct. But before I could reply my girls all answered.


    "Because he has us, Amari. I will ensure Beloved survives."


    "Far from dying, I will aim to ascend Dearest to a Specter."


    "Possum is plenty strong. But I will bash any demon that tries to touch my man."


    "Hehe, demons should be strong right? I hope they are better than the Vampires Darling faced! I want to level up to!"


    "I wonder what you will think once Honey unleashes the Awakened on your pitiful demons. That and when we bombard them with blessed heavy ordinance."


    "Amari, set your mind at ease. Husband will not fail. I and my sisters will not let him."


    "Hmph. The Awakened will not have a chance to work. I will end it before Shujin even needs them. I am sure the blood of demons works better with my soulgear."


    Likewise, the officers all began to chime in similar sentiments. None of my guys made faces of fear. Only of excitement. They all began disparaging Amari for trying to defend the demons. Some of them even began calling him a demon fucker to spite him.


    Amari made a face like he ate shit at the colorful replies of Hellsend. He began to complain to his fianc¨¦e in a sulking mode. Mia, his lover from Europe made a wry smile as he patted her lover on the shoulder.


    "Fluffy, why is everyone at Hellsend treating the demons as if they are regular zombies? My continent is having trouble with them. And we are not weak. These people are insane."


    "Cheer up Choco. We already saw what Hellsend can do. If he brings that much holy fire power, then I agree that even demons wouldn''t be able to stand a chance."


    Feeling I gave them enough time, I clapped my hands to call everyone''s attention again.


    "Alright, settle down. We went off in a tangent but let''s continue with the rewards. We still have more in store. And a bunch of announcements for the rest of you. Cynthia, Addi, stand up."


    At my words the two lead Production Reapers who led the ten graves stood up.


    "Right. How much of the anti-soul weaponry has been processed?"


    "My lord, do you wish me to say here? There are still visitors¡­"


    At Cynthia''s hesitation, I turned to Amari and Mia and explained.


    "Ah yeah. I recently found a curious resource. A mineral that has anti-soul properties. It means that attacks and defenses powered with soul are useless in front of it."


    "HUH?!" "WHAT THE FUCK?" the two visitors made flabbergasted expressions as they gawked at me. Naturally they knew I never joked about stuff like this.

 Chapter 842 - 842: The next thirty days [1/2]

    At my declaration the girls were all frantic once more.


    ''Beloved, you know I adore you, but why did you do that? I understand you treat them as allies but they are still outsiders. They might betray us or worse steal the halberds for their battlefronts. If we truly wish to reclaim the North, this is something we do not need.''


    ''Hmm. Dearest you¡­ No. I guess we can work to sell it as well. It will be an even bigger deal that Benevols. We can even use it as both a carrot and the stick. From then on it would be a question of supply and demand. I wonder if Roach can have Juno''s sisters as material farms.'' Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Possum, What the fuck? Have you turn into a bogan from getting pummeled? You know anti-soul weapons cut through {Rewind}, right? Our guys will get killed if the enemy get their hands on them. Wait until the rest of us become Specters at least.''


    ''Are you sure about this Darling? A trump card is most useful when no one knows its exists. It might work, but it is extremely risky. Once you invoke {Kill Switch} and expose Exa''s monitoring, everyone will turn against you. We lack the power to beat everyone else into submission.''


    ''Mr. Code, I know you are not stupid. But I can''t think of a single reason why you would act like a complete imbecile! You know that they will eventually trace it to Roach, right? Once they do, they will hunt him down and take him away under false pretenses.''


    ''Husband, I believe this is a mistake. We are not ready. While the other continents can tolerate the Benevols as they help Reapers, the anti-soul weapons are a different story. However, if such is your will. Then I will do all I can to support you.''


    ''Anata, I feel you are too mischievous. You are going to use Amari and Mia as bait aren''t you? I have no objections so long as you will not take the responsibility of protecting them. I am confused though. Was it your goal to isolate them? Or lure out possible traitors?''


    It was interesting to listen to my girls. They all focused on different things. Despite being presented the same issue, each Siren raise different concerns. And their concerns seemed to all take different facets of the problem into consideration.


    Liv was as always concerned about our security and defenses. Giving them information would leave us vulnerable to betrayal should Amari and Mia decide to steal or sabotage us. I couldn''t blame her as this matter affected the success of Antarctica''s reclamation.


    Lilly on the other hand already began weighing pro and cons about selling it. Considering that we tried to use Benevols or Devil''s Remains before for trade, it was only natural. In reality, Roach''s anti-soul scythes were on par if not worth more.


    Robyn''s mind was on the implications of them being stolen. At the moment we had yet to lose to anyone despite our insane antics. This was mostly because of {Rewind}. It served as our safety net. By giving our enemies access to anti-soul, we expose ourselves to danger and death.


    Jo, the smartest of my girls seemed to correctly guess what I was about to do. She even brought up the parts I worried about. The simplest way to use the anti-soul weapons was as an ace in the hole, but why stop there? For the change I wish to see, I had to take a leap of faith.


    Meanwhile Bella''s concern went one step further. Once we used the anti-soul to exert control, our enemy''s next step would be to figure out where we got it. And it wouldn''t take long before they trace it back to our ally. It didn''t take much to imagine what would happen next.


    My chocolate skinned lover much like her sister saw the end result of my decision. The Anti-soul was just too dangerous. Rather than wait for me to attack them, they would invade and kill me first. Yet despite such grave states, Jasmine didn''t even hesitate to throw her hat in my ring.


    Finally, my Kamisan believed this act was a ruse to coerce traitors to move. If Amari and Mia notify their respective governments, the international intelligence agencies would all move. And rather than antagonize me, the spies hidden among us would find it easier to just attack Amari and his lover.


    The one common thing about their concerns where they all assumed the worse in people. From betrayal, greed to our demise. The Sirens all acted on the direst of situations. Even Jo, who seemed to correctly guess my decision believed we lack the power to do as I wanted.


    However, rather than answer the girls, I simply smiled. And from a confrontational pack of beasts, they all turned meek and turned silent. It was moments like these that I loved my girls so much. Even if they knew better. Even if they had their own preferences. When I talk, they listen.


    Rather the prove me wrong, they respected my authority. And the best part was even if I made a mistake, I knew none of the girls would blame me. They would instead stay by side and fix the problem together. This was why I would never trade any of them for the world.


    "Uh¡­Limitless, are you sure you should be telling us this?"


    "Choco is right, Limitless. The complications of this is too great. Please leave us out of it."


    The responses of the two showed that they were not idiots. Stupid people would see only the direct benefit of sending this information home. The average would know the changes it would make to the landscape. The truly wise would know the dangers of even just knowing.


    Feeling this was enough to turned back to the Cynthia and Addison. "How many Devil''s Remains have we managed to stock up?"


    Cynthia hesitated for a moment before holding up eight fingers, "We managed to collect eight thousand individual pieces. The reclamation of the 24th floor alone gained us four thousand. Hellsend''s daily farming rate is about 300 units per day."


    "Out of the that number, over 4000 have been converted to mass produced benevols. the production has been quite slow due to everyone hunting to pay the tax. But as we plan to pay for next month in advance, we should be able to dedicate next month just to processing them," Addison continued.


    Everyone''s jaws dropped from the numbers we heard especially those from other battlefronts. 300 Benevols a day was incredible. The number of Reapers in the assault teams were quite small. A tiny fraction compared to the total population of the Reapers.


    At the rate we were going we would be able to equip every Reaper with a Benevol before the year ended. But I was just getting started. There were three things America did right. Capitalism, gambling and our love of guns. And my next plan would take a move from David''s own play book.


    "Good. For the next thirty days all Production teams of the Ten Graves will hunt the bare minimum. They will concentrate on accomplishing my requests. Joshua, I want Cynthia and Addison''s people to be able to pay my tax without leaving our base. Make it happen."


    "Yes, my lord! Consider it done! We will drag the zombies out to outside their workshops if we have too," the Asian replied.


    It was quite comical to imagine such a situation. But for what I wanted to achieve it was necessary. I then faced Yvonne and the saints.


    "Yvonne, how many Sacreds do we possess? Do we have enough to arm a million guns?"


    My words caused Yvonne to frown; she took a moment before answering. There was no trace of childishness in her face. Aisha and Claire, her adjutants all began discussing behind her.


    "I apologize Patron. While we have not stopped making Sacreds, it is far from enough. We have enough to arm maybe 200,000. However, if the invasion is within a month, I swear to you we will bless till we vomit blood all to arm a million..."


    "Good. I know you won''t let me down. I want your Saints to create as many Sacreds as possible within a month. You can coordinate with Phillip, Leo and Nyda to hire Adventurers or whatever you need to do so. But for Golden Wick I have a different task."


    When Yvonne heard the name of her old guild, she and her old guild mates broke into smiles filled with nostalgia. Among the Saints the ones I valued the most were naturally the original twelve of Golden Wick.


    They were the first Saints to fight for me, and the first to ascend to Phantoms. Since then they have been at the forefront of every battle. Jo, Robyn, and Joshua trained them severely in turns.

 Chapter 843 - 843: The next thirty days [2/2]

    The sheer fortitude required to join the ranks of Vela''s wolves was enough to make even grown men cry. But rather than complain these girls gritted their teeth and trained even harder. They intentionally placed themselves in danger all for the sake of strength.


    "I haven''t heard that name in a long time, it sure brings back memories. Seeing as you specifically named us, state your request, Patron. We will accomplish it without fail."


    Nodding, I turned to my monocled bastard and inquired, "Phillip, do we still have the body of Andromalius?"


    "Yes, my lord we still do. We have yet to find a good use for it," my chief Administrator replied.


    "Excellent. Yvonne, I want you and Golden Wick to create a new type of blessed bullet. One that has more holy energy than even a Sacred. You can use Andromalius'' corpse for your experimentation. I want new Sacreds that can kill even Archdemons."


    When everyone heard my words, they audibly gasped. Sacreds were already plenty powerful. But while they were able to kill even Rank B Noble Vampires, they were useless against Archdemons.


    I didn''t know if it was possible, but I believed that limits were made to be broken. I wanted to place my trust on those who devoted themselves to my cause. Against all odds, I had faith that Yvonne and her guild would rise to the occasion.


    "Can you do it?"


    Yvonne and the original 11 all stood up and slammed their fists on their chests. This would probably be the first time I gave them such a tall order. While such expectations would seem daunting to some, to the oppressed and marginalized, there was no greater sign of trust.


    "YES PATRON! WE VOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK OR DIE TRYING!"


    Even from where I stood, I saw the fervor in their eyes. Anyone with a brain would know how important this task was. Indirectly, I was telling the rest of my army that we would need to fight yet another Archdemon. One stronger than the one we already defeated.


    "Thank you."


    "Uhm, my lord. You haven''t told Addi and I what you request is yet. What can we do for you?" Cynthia asked in trepidation.


    Given that both she and Yvonne became my {vassals} at the same time, she might be feeling that she also had to pull her own weight. But given what was to come, I see her cursing me due to overwork like last time.


    "Of course, I wouldn''t forget you guys. Cynthia, Addison. I want you to take all the production teams you can muster and divide them into two groups. I have two things I want accomplished. Like Yvonne, coordinate with North America, Phillip and the Adventurers as you require."


    "YES, MY LORD!" x2


    "Before I begin. I want to confirm. Our Benevols, the soulgear created from Devil''s remains. They all still exhaust themselves if you use them without my {Fate}, correct?"


    "Yes, my lord that is the case," both of them replied. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Okay. Addi, I want you to find a way to localize my {fate} to create Benevols that replenish themselves and Firearm type soulgears that shoot Sacreds but never run out ammunition. For the Benevols I want at least 10,000. While for the rifles 100,000 should be enough."


    Much like before my orders caused everyone to wince. Why wouldn''t they? To most people both were impossible. {Rewind} and {Reload} were {Fates} I only granted to Hellsend. Making them localized meant literally anyone could grab these guns and they would work.


    The dwarf in front of me had a grim face as he pondered. He then took up his fist and bashed his face. While those around him were surprised, I was familiar with such an action. If he was like me this was something one did when fear overwhelmed one''s reason.


    "I understand, I will complete both orders in 30 days," he said curtly.


    No excuses, no questions just a promise. Having worked on the {Sirens of Sin} I knew how devoted this man was to his craft. His {Fate} likewise came from his pride as a artisan. Satisfied with his response I turned to Cynthia as I continued.


    "Cynthia, for you I have something different. You are currently in charge of the anti-soul armaments, right? Anti-soul is too long. Let''s call them ''Fate Breakers'', or Fakers for short."


    At my naming sense the Sirens all began kicking up a fuss. I ignored them and waited for my {Vassal} to respond.


    "Yes, my lord. The production of the Faker armaments are already underway. It is split in two parts. One group are in charge of forging swords and spears for the Yuddha Raksha and Gareth''s Defenders.


    "The other use modern machinery and techniques from the Derycks to craft Faker rounds. We have plenty of material but lack refined techniques. Frankly we are still learning on the fly. Processing the Faker material is also extremely hard."


    Understanding her plight, I turned to Terence Anvil, our reluctant head of Fortification. Beside him was Van Micron Sub leader of Minerva''s Wizards. Sensing my gaze the two of them straightened their backs, they probably knew what I was about to say.


    "Terence, I want you to oversee the Faker cold weapons. Van, I appoint you to take over for the Faker ammunition for hot weapons. Prioritize arming the Soulless, then create supplies for an army of 100,000. This is on top of everything else you do. What is your answer?"


    Both men were once Formless Reapers who pleaded to me to prove their worth. At this moment in front of the Hellsend leadership and Reapers from other continents, my words said one thing. They were people who had my complete trust.


    "BY YOUR WILL MY LORD!" x2


    I could practically sense the overflowing fighting spirit pouring from both men. Much like the Yvonne, they smashed their fists to their chests and roared like lions in battle. The sounds of their voices echoed like thunder.


    Having addressed Cynthia''s concerns I returned my gaze to the red head and continued, "Cynthia, your next task is to create a kit of 5 mass produced soulgear that can allow anyone to fight like our forces. They must all work at the same time. And I want 100,000 pieces of each."


    "Y-You want me to create F-Five hundred thousand soulgears? Without blueprints? And they have to be able to work together? On top of hunting and needing to devote ourselves to creating {Bestow} rounds?"


    "And they must work with gun and benevol Addi will create," I added.


    "I-In thirty days?"


    Soulgear creation was hard. If you didn''t have a template to use, then it becomes next to impossible. However, as Version 2 of {Call my Name} gave everyone here {Bestow}, I knew they could make it happen. Cynthia with her intellect would make a way.


    "Yes.


    "Huh¡­"


    Cynthia stared into empty space for a bit before punching herself awake. Seeing the blood from a busted lip, much like Addison, this woman also was fighting against her instincts. My people were quite violent, weren''t they? Was this because they saw me do that before I wondered?


    "Consider it done, my lord."


    I then turned to everyone as I declared for everyone to hear!


    "My officers, as an additional reward, everyone here will receive a set of Addison''s and Cynthia''s new creations and Faker weaponry. They are yours to keep. a thank you from me."


    "WOOOAAAAHHHH!!!!"


    At the announcement all my officers began cheering. From what I requested, each officer would receive in total seven soulgears that could work together. Combined with {Call my Name} and the new blessed ammunition, anyone could see how much our power would jump forward.


    But I still wasn''t done.


    "Bernard."


    "Yes, my lord! Your servant awaits!"


    "You are our most effective training officer. I command you to coordinate with the Derycks, Phillip and Carlos. When I get back from Kismayo, I want Hellsend''s first enlistment to commence."


    "By your will! I Bernard Nelson will give it my all!"


    "As for the rest of you, my final gift is not for you but your families. Everyone here knows the stakes of what we fight against. In preparation for Hellsgate breaking open. I invite all of you. If you wish to have your humans join our ranks, I will permit it. Have them trained to wield guns by the time I return, and I will serve as their sponsor and handler."


    The officers who knew the cost of such a thing all bowed their heads and roared. Some were in tears, while others gripped their fists in excitement.


    "THANK YOU FOR YOUR KINDNESS, MY LORD!!"


    Positive emotions were gushing from everyone present. Just one soulgear granted people much power. What more for an entire set of them! But I still hadn''t gotten to the best part. By the time I did, Hellsgate will usher forth a new era!

 Chapter 844 - 844: Coming for you for real [1/2]

    Having a handler and sponsor was a big deal for Reapers. Sadly, most of the girls and I never experienced having them. Both were quite similar but fundamentally different. I got lucky, but without either, newbie Reapers would have a hard time lasting in Hellsgate.


    A handler was someone who acted like your backer. The best description of that meant having a shield. Should you encounter bastards that tried to pull rank and bully you. A handler would "handle" such issues.


    If I had a handler, the Seeker war wouldn''t have happened. Primarily because my handler would be the one to throw down with Xander. But since I didn''t have one, I had to wipe my own ass and brawl with all of them. Although David sort of acted like my handler when he stopped Xander from interfering.


    A sponsor on the other hand was just that. With the information I had on hand Sponsors would either be fans, supports, sugar daddies or sugar mommies. They were people that paid to give you shit that would ensure your survival.


    Soulgear, blood vials of useful {fates} or {Kismets}, information and requests. Such were the things that would contribute to the growth of the Reaper but still keep him safe. I never had any of that so I had to fight with my life on the life all the time.


    If you consider the armory I got from my father as equipment, then I guess he was my sponsor. but I didn''t have anything when I started. The July enlistment was hell. According to Phillip David intentionally tried to mimic the styles of Australia to create a few powerful individuals rather than an army of useless mobs


    As my forces grew, I already gave Lucretia the details of the ones I wanted to include. If you add the humans of my officers we should have a fairly large group. Of course who to bring was up to them. I initially wanted to avoid doing this, but I do not think I have a choice.


    After hearing what happened to Carlos or Reapers of Europe I made my decision. expecting Reaper matters to never affect Earth was stupid. South America used their own humans to control Reapers. They definitely would not hesitate with the humans of their enemy.


    Europe was even worse. Due to being full blown Machiavellians, expecting honor was being delusional. It was like dancing in a gun fight expecting to not get shot. Add to that the fact that Hellsgate has the Poroniecs who hunt on Earth, then we do not have much of a choice.


    At the back of mind, I also worried for my humans. The Simmons family specifically. At the moment I have the Bakers, Adam and Eva guard them. I already had the ability to provide for them till they died of old age. Having them remained exposed was a risk I didn''t want.


    ''Beloved, does that mean¡­''


    ''I do not think Ma would agree, Dearest.''


    ''Ain''t Ma Christian? What would she say Possum?''


    ''Ehhh¡­But Darling is right? They are in danger!''


    ''Calm down everyone. Selling your soul to humans is normally associated with Demons. Ma is quite religious. Honey, we ought to take proper steps to bring it up.''


    ''Husband, I believe in Ma. She will understand.''


    ''Anata, what would we do, if they do not agree? Do we force them?''


    Quick on the uptake the girls hit the exact problem on the head. Reapers exclusively dealt with Soul. Whether it was soul energy or soulgems this single trait was what separated us from the humans. And on Earth, the only group who desired the souls were demons.


    ''Was this part something intentionally made by Trinity? To ensure that humans would never willingly sell their souls to Reapers?''


    Noelle and by extension my entire adoptive family were all Christian. It was by far the most acceptable of the many religions of man. While they did have their own hypocrites and frauds they didn''t advocate killing people of a different religion.


    However as most of civilized world was either Christian, Muslim or Catholic, all of which began from Abrahamic religions they treated souls the same way. It was something to be saved. And selling it or giving it to someone else was evil.


    From such a standpoint how on Earth was I going to convince Noelle? Would she see turning to Reapers as something bad? What if she did? What if all four of them didn''t want to ascend to become Reapers? What if someone or something killed them before they could?


    "I know you are a good kid Dipshit. After all I was the one who raised you. I wont force you to tell me immediately. But I cannot let this go, because I am your Ma and I love you. Do you understand?"


    "Whatever you are going through, just remember two things son. One, you must keep standing. That is the only way to protect anything. Just keep standing you hear? And two, no matter what


    happens know you always have a place under my roof."


    "It''s good to see you Johnny, welcome home."


    "Stay longer¡­"


    The thought of a Reaper or monster getting to my family made my body tense up. Unknowingly I began to unleash Death Resonance. Soft hands wrapped around the hands of each of my Avatars. Along with them were loving whispers from my harem.


    Calm down. Nothing will happen. We will protect them. We will kill anyone who even tries. We don''t know if they will reject. Do no worry we still have time. We are here.


    Such assurances and reminders came from the girls I loved. I calmed down greatly as they used their links to send positive emotions towards me. My girls were like Serotonin factories. My mood did a 180 just knowing they were with me.


    When I was okay, they nodded and allowed me to continue my address to the officers. Much like Carlos and Herman, everyone returned to kneeling and were silent. They must have noticed my outburst and acted accordingly.


    I remember Yvonne, Cynthia and Connie sharing their thoughts about my mood swings. Phillip probably instructed the rest of my forces to not panic and simply wait for me to calm down. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Fuck, I''m like one of the arrogant company presidents now. Everyone is practically walking on eggshells around me. I should at least apologize,'' I thought inwardly.


    "Ehem, sorry about that. Anyway, those are the matters for our rewards. Now we will proceed with the tactics. Carlos, Herman, Joshua, Phillip, Terence."


    "Yes, my lord!" x5


    The five of them shouted to tell me they were ready to receive orders. I already had instructions for Joshua, and Phillip but my next orders were just as important. As they were leaders of their groups, they be able should delegate tasks.


    "Carlos, Herman. I want you to work with my officers. I want the Champions of Nerio''s army to be enhanced by utilizing weapons, armor and equipment for battle. We will supply you what you need. Phillip, Joshua, delegate your tasks as you see fit. Buy what is needed from Earth using Derycks."


    My chief Administrator and the leader of Hellsend''s military screamed, "YES, MY LORD! BY YOUR WILL!"


    "My lord, I do not understand. What do you mean? You want us to use Champions made from soul to use weapons made of metal and steel?" Carlos asked with a confused face.


    Nodding at his question I elaborated, "Yes, much like Horses or elephants in war. You saw how Mike''s Wyvern Air Wing outperformed your Reapers right? Get the Summoners guns to protect themselves and mount guns, missiles launchers and armor on your tank type champions.


    "Get metallic claws or something on your speed type champions. Train your flyers to drop bombs and turn them into heavy ordinance flyers. There are infinitely many things to do. Coordinate with Joshua and the 2nd Amendment. Terence, use your people to make their requests happen."


    "I have received your orders my lord," Terence replied.


    "We only just joined my lord. Are you certain you want to arm us with the firepower that can harm you or the rest of Hellsend?" Herman inquired with a stern face.


    "If you think you have a shot then take it. Go ahead. But know that the moment your people do, the gloves come off. I will be coming for you for real. And I will not stop until all of you are dead."


    Although I didn''t shout, growl or release Death Resonance, I saw Herman made a scared expression. He had my blood in his veins. Exa would tell me the moment he even tried to plan something. And all I needed to do was invoke {Sins of Limitless} and they would be no longer.

 Chapter 845 - 845: Coming for you for real [2/2]

    Rather than answer my challenge, Carlos stood up did a salute and shouted in a clear voice.


    "NERIO''S ARMY HAS RECEIVED OUR FIRST COMMAND! IT SHALL BE DONE!"


    I nodded. Then turned to another group. I kept my instructions coming, "Mike, Isolde, Krishna."


    "Yes Boss!" "What do you want me to do Ami?" "Yes, Smith John."


    "I want you to take a group of Reapers and the Shifters in our army and have them work with the Awakened. Teach of them of how we fight and have them coordinate with the rest of the army."


    "YES, MY LORD!" x3


    Hearing their group called, Roach and Juno similarly looked at me with wide eyes. Naturally I also had things for them.


    "Juno, Roach. I give you one month. Learn how we fight and choose to fill the roles you wish to take. As a second task, try to find Reborn who wish to join us. Much like what I did for you, if they need help to overthrow their enemies we will assist them."


    "Limitless, you will involve yourself into the fights between our kind? Why? Meddling between the wars of monsters is not for the faint of heart." At her question, Juno''s eyes twinkled in curiosity.


    "Rather than monsters that I do not know, I wish to ally with the monsters I do. We offer the same terms as I did the Lizardkin. We will provide each member of their broods as much malice as they can consume. We will also liberate them, kill their oppressors and give them land to live on if necessary."


    "BWAHAHAHAAHA! You are crazy! You are like one of us! Eager to kill, devour and battle! You fight not just the paleskins, demons and you even attack our enemies! HAHAHA¡­.."


    At my answer Roach began laughing in a deafening manner. It was irritating as fuck. Like a hundred toads suddenly croaking at once. But Exa helped but muting Roach''s laughter. I suddenly saw him still laughing but heard no sound.


    ''Thanks Exa.''


    [It is my pleasure my lord.]


    Juno then facepalmed before smacking her husband in the shoulder.


    "Quiet! The sound you make when you laugh is obnoxious!"


    My officers almost burst out in laughing. Roach was brushing his skin as if Juno''s blow really hurt. Baring their appearances they acted like a human couple. At that thought, my mind tensed up. It wasn''t that they acted human, but that they were but actually forgot.


    ''Exa, did you find anything about their names?''


    [No, my lord. Your battle with the Sirens only lasted 45 minutes. I wasn''t able to find anything within that time.]


    ''Have you told the Sirens?''


    [No, my lord. I will not do so until you say I can.]


    ''Okay, lets tell them about it when we know for sure. Hopefully your investigations yield something. Also, can you send a message to Roach and Juno for me. Use an encrypted technopathy channel. Allow the girls to hear you ask.''


    [I understand. Please state your message.]


    ''Roach, Juno. I am talking to you through Exa. Do not answer with your mouths and just nod or shake your heads. Do you understand?''


    *Nod. * x2


    ''For my battles with the Reapers, I will need your abilities. Specifically, Roach''s {Entropy} {Spear of Alp Er Tunga}. Roach, Reapers can pass our powers to another using our blood. Can Reborn do the same?''


    [He says he has never tried to do so before.]


    ''Then can you try now? Cut yourself and give a bit of your blood to Juno.''


    The two of them complied. Roach stretched one of his fingers and scratched the insides of his mouth. He then grabbed Juno by her waist and neck and bit down on her shoulder. Juno didn''t resist but made a awkward whimper.


    However, I sensed something I didn''t expect. Similar to how the girls and I passed souls and {Fates} I felt "something" transfer between them. I then focused on Juno. With all of my avatars.


    ___


    Name: Juno


    Race: Reborn | Class: Vithriss | Origin: Reincarnator (Ningali Murray)


    Entropy: {Compassion} | {Spear of Alp Er Tunga}


    Danger Rating: A


    Combat: B | Assassination: A | Support: B | Defense: A S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ___


    ''Holy fuck! Exa did she just¡­''


    [Yes, her abilities have been augmented. Her ratings are now the average between their abilities.]


    ''Did Roach also get {Compassion}? That is what happened to Reapers right? You both get each other''s ability?''


    ___


    Name: Roach


    Race: Reborn | Class: Ranaxi | Origin: Reincarnator (Mustafa Arslan)


    Entropy: {Spear of Alp Er Tunga}


    Danger Rating: S


    Combat: A | Assassination: SS | Support: D | Defense: B


    ___


    Unfortunately, that wasn''t the case. While Roach, technically exchanged fluids with Juno, only Juno got her abilities augmented. Was there some trick to it? Maybe it had to do with gender? Who bit who or something?


    [Juno is asking what she is to do next.]


    ''Ask her if she senses any changes. If she feels more powerful.''


    [She says no.]


    I then invoked {Shelter} and pilled all the material I have in my inventory. I stacked them in a line like walls. The makeshift structure I made was easily 10 feet thick. No matter how powerful Juno''s was if she didn''t have Roach''s anti-soul property, she won''t be able to pass them all.


    I gestured to the walls while looking at Juno.


    ''Smash as many of them as you can in one move.''


    *Nod*


    My officers quieted down when they all saw me stack up {Shelter} walls. Those part of Hellsend would already be familiar with this {Fate}. And all of them had curious expressions when they saw the amount I stacked together.


    Juno then widened her stance and crouched down. Much like a sprinter she kept her body center of gravity low and reminded me of a drawn arrow. I then noticed that Roach was talking to her, but in sounds that was like snake hisses.


    ''Send power to your fist and barrel through. If you do have it, just thinking of destroying that block of souls would be a piece of cake,'' Roach declared.


    ''Okay, thank you.''


    Juno then shot forward like a bullet. She stretched her fist and looked like she was putting her entire weight in that punch. The space around her fist began to turn black as she moved. Until her body met the {Shelter} constructs, with bated breath, everyone watched on.


    A terrifying crash followed. With a single fist, Juno destroyed all of the walls in two before she came to a stop. As dust and smoke began to cover the area, Juno retracted her fist before clapping once.


    The vibrations of her simple clap sent such powerful shockwaves that the smoke was easily dissipated. Those of us who knew how tough {Shelter} walls were froze. Carlos and Herman who fought them for four days practically had to again pick up their jaws off the floor.


    Impressed by Juno''s sheer power, I nodded. Roach in particular seemed extremely happy. The Vithriss of the hour looked at her fist dumbfounded. She then looked at me as her tail swung aggressively side to side.


    ''She reminds me of a dog looking for praise. Exa, tell her that she did really well. And she now has gained Roach''s ability. Ask her if she can also produce her scythes with this ability. And have them experiment in giving this ability to the rest of the Awakened.''


    *Nod. *


    Juno after nodding pulled her lover by the neck and dragged him beside her. What Juno did next shocked not just me but the rest of Hellsend. The Vithriss thumped her right fist into the left side of her chest. The official salute of Hellsend.


    "Juno, leader of the Awakened has received our orders. We will accomplish your commands without fail my lord." Roach beside her did a halfhearted salute but looked extremely bored.


    When I asked of an alliance to the Awakened, I threatened them. But I only did so to ensure our safety. In truth I considered it more a truce of equals. This was why Roach and Juno still called me by my name.


    But with Juno''s simple statement she gave me the best gift. The allegiance of the Awakened. And she did it here where Amari and Mia, visitors from another continent saw and heard. To those in politics, friendship and allegiance naturally had extremely different connotations.


    Feeling this smart Awakened did this act on purpose I accepted her gift, "Thank you, Juno."


    I then turned to the last group I wished to address. "Tildi, Connie, Leo, Nyda."


    "Yes, my lord!" x4


    "Announce to all the seven battlefronts. In thirty days, Hellsend will liberate the North. We invite the rest of the battlefronts to help humanity. Hellsend will grant them benevols, Sacreds, our newest soulgears and cleanse their malice as rewards. And to the top contributor, we will sell Fakers."

 Chapter 846 - 846: Hells Eden [1/2]

    Much like most of the things I said today, my audience was silent. I began with upgrading my officers to version 2 then announcing our future plans. The size and scope of my vision completely dwarfed the previous campaign.


    Operation Rock-Paper-Scissor was just three small operations linked together. The size of Antarctica''s Reclamation was just too massive. In my short but extremely action-packed life, we fought battle after battle without cease.


    Whereas normal Reapers took time to rest my work ethic rubbed off on the rest of my Reapers. As Reapers no longer needed eat, sleep nor drink, it was possible to pack more stuff into our calendars. We didn''t have more days than others, we used each day to the fullest.


    Normally people lived in three eight-hour cycles. One eight hour was for sleeping. The second was for working. The last eight hour was for everything else. But as the lives of people became more and more complicated, this standard timeline was messed up.


    Prior to the industrial revolution, the general population was in agriculture, fishing or farming. Those jobs followed the sun, meaning you needed to work when nature told you to. When the light bulb was created it became possible to work in the evenings.


    Which caused people to work without minding the time. But that had its own set of problems. Henry Ford would eventually create the 40-hour workweek, which set the expectations for the eight-hour work day.


    Unfortunately, as the years progressed Ford''s vision slowly changed. Due to the rise of capitalism, it became normal to work well beyond 8 hours. In exchange you just gave people more money. Fast forward to today and the idea of a 40-hour work week was already obsolete.


    For one, while work in the 8 hour was standard it normally extended beyond that. And that was not adding the commute and preparation. Together you were looking at 8 hours of office with 4 to 5 hours of preparation and travel.


    This naturally cut into the free time, time with family, friends, hobbies and recreation. But many do not wish to skimp on those and eventually just reduce the time to sleep. In extreme cases the work shifts take so much time, nothing else can exists.


    ''And they wonder why people are depressed and suicidal.''


    However, as someone who lived in that manner for the longest time, even when I died such matters were hard to change. Ever since my first day, I worked hard. Harder than anyone else. While normal Wraiths only fought for a couple of hours, I didn''t waste a single second.


    And as a result, I had stellar results. But as it wasn''t enough for me, when I became a Phantom, I extended beyond eight hours. I only went home to sleep. Apart from the time I spent on my Honeymoon, I was practically covered in zombie blood and gun powder the entire time.


    In the days leading to my Seeker war, the rest of Hellsend joined me. Perhaps seeing my example, they began to disengage themselves from human limits. My officers the ones who followed me the longest were a good example.


    Much like I was they all grew by leaps and bounds. Almost everyone was already at level 5, the same level I was on. At this rate they will join us as Specters if no issues arise. However more than their levels the output my officers did was on a different league than any other battlefront.


    Phillip told me as much before. Rather than forcing them, Hellsend all wanted to run after me of their own volition. All because they didn''t wish to get left behind. It took strength and drive to think that way. Although, I wasn''t sure if the Sirens helped in cultivating such a mentality.


    However, because they worked like I did, where the rest of the world walked, Hellsend and I ran. Thus, while to others we were in a rush, to me it was just right. 30 days were short. But in Hellsend times it wasn''t 30 but 90 days. My officers forewent sleep when needed.


    ''{Rewind} and {Eat} are instrumental in this.''


    My orders to all of my people were difficult. To Hellsend, the men and women before me. It was a chance to grow stronger. Most forget. The ones before me all willingly fought Andromalius when victory was uncertain. Frankly these bastards were crazy.


    But that was only the thoughts of outsiders. For those of us who willingly grabbed swords by their blades in order to survive, it made sense. We all desired power. We who were weak. We who were trampled on. We who had nothing but regrets.


    "Limitless, are you serious?" "Are you fucking daft?"


    Amari and Mia''s reactions were understandable. If anyone else said it in passing, they would have just dismissed it as noise. But as I was the one that did, so they knew what it meant. In accordance with this single goal all my other instructions slowly began to take shape.


    Sacred ammunition for a million guns. A stronger blessed round capable of killing Archdemons. 10,000 reusable benevols, 100,000 Sacred rifles that do not run out of ammunition. 500,000 soulgears that allow others to fight like us. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Arming the South American Champions with guns. Creating a unit of Shifters and Awakened for combat. Recruiting more of the Awakened as allies. Arming our forces with Faker weapons. Finally announcing to the world, that we would trade our equipment for assistance.


    It was only natural what the outcome would be. An army would suddenly form. The strongest one humanity could field. While Hellsend lacked the manpower to clear Antarctica on our own, that wasn''t true for the rest of the world.


    Initially I didn''t want to ask their help. But I figured we were short on time. The longer the North remained broken, the harder it would be to fortify Hellsgate as whole. After all considering how bad the Vampire conspiracy got, it was naive to think that was a one off.


    If being such as Juno existed among them, I was sure it would happen again. Who was to say that no one among the Reborn would think to use the North to invade the other battlefronts?


    Rather than fight each of the battlefronts, the enemy could just the Antarctica floors. This would preserve their strength and immediately bring them to Earth. They could use Earth to plan, strategize and build up their forces.


    Climbing up through Antarctica would allow them to bypass everyone in the process. Once they built up enough strength they could assault the other continents via the connected floors.


    ''If you consider that Europe was beside Antarctica, Poroniecs invading isn''t really surprising.''


    I actually had a theory. For all the strength of the supposed Chasers, they were stuck in floor 21. Anyone who saw Robyn would know that had to be a lie. My Aussie wasn''t even a full Infinity Chaser yet. And we were talking about a continent of Chasers.


    My thoughts about Europe were similar. She was the continent with a long history, they had money, time and resources. So much so that 9th generation Descendants were still considered trash. Yet much like Australia they could not move forward.


    Because they lacked benevols? No, that was bullshit. Europe was home to Linkers. South America developed the soul tattoos to curb their malice. It was impossible that Europe with all her Astrals from different realities could not find a similar answer.


    How did that make any sense? I was barely a Phantom, yet I already made it to the 32nd floor. There had to be an explanation. And the one I noticed about Australia and Europe was that they were the neighbors of Antarctica.


    What if rather than they couldn''t move forward it more like they chose not to? Europe with her Astrals saw the fall of man many times. How would these people behave if they knew a battlefront already fell? Machiavellians who justified any means for the greater good?


    Similarly, why was Australia silent? Considering all the power of the Chasers why were there hardly any news of them? What if much like Europe they were already doing everything they could? Given the personality of a Chaser, I doubt these idiots knew to ask for help.


    The only thing I came up with was Hellsgate had already began invading. It''s just that Australia and Europe were suffered yet were afraid of letting the others know. From that standpoint all of their actions suddenly began to make sense.

 Chapter 847 - 847: Hells Eden [2/2]

    As each battlefront considered the others hostile, telling your enemy that you need help would invite more danger than relief. Even when they were at the risk of annihilation, the Reapers remained divided.


    "I am."


    At my curt answer Amari and Mia made faces that looked like they swallowed shit. They probably knew the implications. Africa who was moving to invade would be seen as an enemy of humanity if they invade me while I liberated the North.


    This single move would buy me time. Rather than fight Reapers, I would much rather study them while we fought a common enemy. I did not intend to make the same mistake as I did when I had my girls defend against the South Americans without any info.


    The monsters of Hellsgate were much simpler to kill. Giving away the benevols it would directly aid everyone''s assault teams. All while we get to cleanse Antarctica with the combined might of humanity. By bribing everyone with our weapons, their focus would be on reverse engineering them.


    That was not even counting the fortune we could make. If my theory was right, we would earn big while relieving the pressure on Europe and Australia. With a million guns firing Sacreds, Devil''s Remains would practically sprout up like mushrooms. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The power of capitalism would show its full might. If the reapers would not help out of altruism, they would help because of their greed to get new shinny shit.


    Naturally, once the Keepers get the help they need to get back on their feet, the situation would change. Earth would close the breach and regain all seven battlefronts. That to me was probably the biggest reward.


    But that was not all. Jo figured out way earlier. This entire thing had a more sinister purpose. Exa had the capability to monitor anyone who drank my blood. With the {Kill Switch} upgrade to {Sins of Limitless}, I could monitor and kill anyone who did with a single though.


    So much like the {Gossip} {Fate} the South American observers had. There was no reason why I couldn''t do the same. If the army formed for the reclamation of Antarctica drinks my blood. I would have gained a spy network across the entire globe.


    But much like what Jo said It would have been far better to infect people slowly, one person at a time. If Exa gets exposed it might caused the world to turn to me. Much like how our country began banning products which we believed to be spying on us.


    Ignoring them I turned to my people to check if they had questions for me. They all seemed to not comprehend the gravity of it so I elaborated further.


    "Tildi, I am assigning this task to you. Coordinate with Phillip and the Derycks. Control the information about the rewards till the last minute."


    "I understand my lord. As usual you instructions are vague as hell. But I consider it done."


    I smiled at the ball on this clerk. Considering that more than one Siren squad wanted her, I knew she was plenty capable. I wasn''t even sure who she was with at the moment.


    "Connie, do you magic. Go all out. But do not make it seem like that we actually need help. This is an invitation. Even if no one helps, Hellsend will proceed with this task alone."


    "You got it my lord! By the time I am done, people will consider you the greatest thing since sliced bread."


    Ignoring Connie, who for some reason began taking pictures of me I turned to Nyda and Leo.


    "You two. Use the information network of the Adventurers. Hire people from other continent if necessary. I want the even the bums on each battlefront to know of this plan. Add in there that any Adventurer who joins will be given a chance to join Hellsend."


    "Truly? I understand my lord! I use our full authority to complete your request!"


    "My lord, are the Adventurers also included in the soulgear rewards?" Leo the armored knight asked.


    "Yes. If you two wish to participate you may do so. How that looks to your superiors would be your problem to solve though."


    ''Exa, did you add these two to the upgrade to Version two?''


    [No my lord. Their allegiance is sketchy, so I didn''t do so. While they have made verbal promises they remain with the Adventurers.]


    I see. Exa''s words made sense. It was impossible to serve two masters. Should I and the Adventurers issue conflicting commands to these two they would be in a dilemma. Although Nyda repeatedly promised that they were my people, it had still to be tested.


    ''Lets put this matter aside for now. Send the two of them the updates.''


    [I understand.]


    Just then Leo and Nyda looked at each other before suddenly saluting me.


    "Thank you my lord! We will earn them!" x2


    Saying nothing, I again turned towards everyone.


    "You all heard our future plans. The next 30 days will be extremely busy. The Sirens and I will be proceeding to Operation Rock. The teams we will be taking has changed. But I want everyone who is part of a Siren squad to be ready to be deployed."


    "YES MY LORD!!"


    "Juno, Roach, the same goes for you two. Should the need arise, be prepared."


    "Yes my lord. The Awakened will be ready."


    "Hahaha! I wonder how the demons on Earth fight? I can go wild there right?"


    As it was not in North America nor part of my Domain, I nodded at Roach''s question. Just then I remembered something I neglected. Up till now I still had yet to tell everyone the name of the place they belonged to.


    "I also forgot. For these set of instructions and announcement I will also declare the name of our Battlefront. The 24th floor and all the territories we reclaim in the future will be collective called by our new name."


    At my words a lot of people began making wry smiles.


    ''These fucking bastards, I haven''t even said the name yet,'' I complained.


    ''That probably because your naming skills leave much to be desired, Beloved.''


    ''Stop beating around the bush Liv. Dearest. Your ability to give proper names is bad.''


    ''How is that not coddling? Possum you suck! You should not be allowed to name shit!''


    ''Hehe, Darling we don''t mean to be mean. But your names are ummmmm¡­ uninspired?''


    ''What the nutjob means to say is the names you give out Mr. Code are crap! Whatever you have in mind would probably suck as well.''


    ''Husband, don''t mind them. If its the name in the letter, I think it is beautiful.''


    ''Shujin, don''t mind them all. Who cares what you are called? What matters is the value you bring.''


    I slowly lost confidence in myself. My girls had a way with words. Half of them weren''t even trying to insult me. But they still stung. Gritting my teeth, I decided to let the girls name things moving forward. Including our children. That would be probably better.


    "Sigh. We will be called Hell''s Eden. This will be a our garden carved out in the middle of hell," I said without much energy.


    Murmurs went around as the people began chatting in hush tones. But as I had {Listen}, I could still here them all. Including the ones who laughed at the name I chose.


    ''Exa, is the name really that bad?''


    [I reserve my right to remain silent.]


    ''This shitty AI¡­''


    The girls who noticed my displeasure all raised my right hands as they shouted. I didn''t fail to see the impish smiles they had as well as the flurry of technopathy signals flying between them.


    "HELLSEND! YOU LORD HAS SPOKEN! CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF OUR HOME! THREE CHEERS FOR HELL''S EDEN!" x7


    "Hip, hip¡­Hooray!"


    "LOUDER!'' x7


    "HIP, HIP¡­HOORAY!!"


    "ONE LAST TIME!" x7


    "HIP, HIP¡­HOOOOOOORAY!!"


    At the cheers the ground quaked as the Awakened all stomped to the ground. From this moment on. My army celebrated as one without divisions, malice or envy. All to move to the future we all sought.


    "EDEN!"


    "EDEN!"


    "EDEN!"


    "EDEN!"


    "EDEN!"


    "EDEN!"


    "EDEEEEEN!"


    "All right you bastards! You have your orders! Get to work! HELLSEND! MOVE OUT!"


    This moment marked birth of my Battlefront. The vanguard who would take on Hellsgate. And in a months time, humanity will finally begin to fight back for real.

 Chapter 848 - 848: What I do best [1/2]

    Eager to carry out their orders everyone practically left running. Each group were all eager to play their rolls. And as my senses were quite good, I ended up eavesdropping on everyone''s conversations without even meaning too.


    "Carlos, my name is Joshua, please provide me a list of every available summons Nerio''s army possesses."


    "I know of you Commander Joshua, of course. Pleased to meet you, I am Carlos Rodr¨ªguez, I already have them organized by role so that shouldn''t be a problem."


    "It would help if we could weaponize those fly bastards you have. Santi and I had a hard time burning them all."


    "Scott your loco. The shadows are a bigger problem. If we could give those hombre''s bombs or mines, could you imagine how much chaos they could do?"


    "Nigga''s right. Even with my skills it was hard to fight against those. If we could combine them with a switchblade or maybe the tanks, we would have a tactics squad full of invisible Niggas."


    "Aren''t you all too easy going? We almost killed you all why are you so welcoming?" I heard Herman complaining.


    "That is normal when you roll with white boy, Nosejaeng! Don''t mind it. If white boy didn''t kill you means you good!" Angela answered as she began smacking the conquistador in the back.


    The 2nd Amendment crowded around the representatives of Nerio''s army, It was obvious that they wanted to quickly discuss tactics and equipment. As they fought against each other they knew very well how the other army operated.


    "Please to meet you folks, I go by Mike Walker. Leader of the Wyvern Airwing."


    "And I am Isolde Walker, his Kindred."


    "Krisha Sangan, I lead the Yuddha Raksha."


    "Pleased to meet you all, I am Juno, leader of the Awakened. Looking forward to working with you."


    However, her spouse stayed silent and only grunted. Juno made an exasperated expression before bowing to the ones who came for her.


    "I apologize for my husband. He lacks manners."


    "Well now, Miss, that''s just fine by us. He sure did save our hides when he showed up earlier. As far as I''m concerned, he''s already part of the herd."


    "I also agree. And as fellow reptiles I have a sense of kinship between you two," said Isolde.


    "Do not mind it, Awakened Juno. This is Hellsend. What matters is results."


    "I see. Thank you for your kindness. As his wife I will try to teach him in the future."


    It was funny how quickly Juno was evolving. The speed at which she grasped concepts was incredible. Manners in particular was a social construct that was not easy to explain. The Reborn now understood that such a thing without my knowledge.


    ''If I was honest, I half expected Roach''s reaction from all of them. Juno really is special.''


    On the other side, the Production Reapers namely, Addison, Cynthia and Yvonne also began to discuss. Terence, Van and Claire quickly moved to also join them. Naturally their discussions all revolved around the materials and production lines they were in charge off.


    "Fuck. How the hell am I supposed to create a set of {Soulgear}? And five of them at that! Addiiii, can we just exchange tasks? I already have an idea for the rewinding benevol."


    "Look here woman, what makes you think I have any idea how to make a set of Soulgear? Stop complaining! If the lord gave it to you, he must believe you can do it!"


    "Tsk. You heartless little midget! No wonder you are still single!"


    "You are too, what''s your point?" rebutted the dwarf.


    Yvonne placed her hand on her waist as she joined in, "Yo, you two, as a certified member of the singles squad, can y''all chill with the flirting in front of me? I''m already low-key jealous of Claire and Warren. Like, seriously, help me out! How do I level up our Sacreds?"


    "WE ARE NOT FLIRTING!!" x2


    "Terence, will these people be alright?" Asked Van Micron.


    "They might look like that, but you saw how they created the {Bestow} rounds right? Besides, Cynthia has already been trying to create something similar, she should be alright. I am more worried about the blessed bullets."


    Claire then smiled wryly as she reassured the two, "Haha, do not worry. They act like kids but when they get serious, they turn possessed. Those three were the ones who created the former LLG after all."


    ''Do you best Cynthia, try not to die,'' I cheered inwardly.


    Meanwhile our promotion team also began to brainstorm on the spot. Connie, Phillip, Tildi along with Leo and Nyda began to discuss. They were quite energetic. Well Connie in particular was over the moon. Maybe it was because she finally had something to do?


    "Alright! Leave the video and announcement to me! By the time I am everyone, their mothers, uncles and even their goldfish will know of the reclamation of Antarctica!" S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Phillip. Will this really not make an issue with regards to the Northerners? I have met a lot of their Adventurers most do not want anyone''s help. Won''t the lord''s gesture of good will be considered as an insult?"


    "Miss Nyda, you seem to be under the impression that the lord gives a damn. Yes, the Northerners will consider it as an insult. And yes, they will surely take offense. But my lord''s words are also true. Coddling their ego at the risk of everyone else is just foolish."


    "As expected, he does all this for Lady Freyja, correct? The lord intends to fight the undead, the demons even the Northerners all at once."


    "Hahaha! Limitless sounds like a lunatic if you say it that way Mr. Leo. But then again it is primarily because he is like that that he creates results few would even dream off!


    "Let''s do our best, okay? Let''s GO!! I intend to start with some interviews with the Northerners about their continent. Mr. Leo, won''t you be a doll and set some meetings for me?" Connie chirped excitedly as she made a pleading gesture to the hulking fully armored adventurer.


    I couldn''t contest what Leo and Phillip mentioned. From what Liv said, there have been other continents that tried to help in the past. But the Lok bastard who served her father shut them all down. I was half inclined to believe that he already betrayed humanity.


    Seeing as how Archdemons like Bifrons existed, I was sure that either this Lok bastards was stupid, or he worked with the demons. Otherwise, there would be no reason why they would simply allow their continent to be ravaged like that.


    While I was thinking how best to use the time, even the {Vassals} I didn''t give an order to were doing stuff. Pixie was on her phone with what looked like a teleconference call with Delroy over her shoulder and Alicia by her side.


    The one they were speaking too seemed to be my people as well.


    [Wait. Back up Pixie. Did you hear the lord, explicitly say that he wishes to reclaim the North? As in he wants to go to Antarctica and kill everything there?]


    "Yes, Sister Lucrecia. Alice and D are here with me. They also heard the same thing!"


    "She is telling the truth Lucy! The lord has gone insane! And we need to tell hubby quick! Practically all the teams will be reaching out to us soon!"


    "Oy witch, better tell Vincent to be Ready. You and your boys be needing to get a whole lot of stuff. My lord is taking Hellsend into war."


    [D, does he intend to bring over even the Awakened and Nerio''s Army?]


    Delroy then pondered before answering.


    "He does. Although I do not think he intends to bring all of them."


    "Lucy! The lord even intends to arm the summons of South America with guns! He is crazy! And did you see the video I sent you?"


    [I did, the lord has once again grown remarkably. But Alie, did you get the update to {Call my name} like Pixie did?]


    "Yep! I did. Lady Rhiannon asked that everyone from her squad gets it. Even those who were not part of the officers got it because the ladies all did the same thing!"


    "Ah, I almost forgot. Sister Lucrecia, the lord said he intend to hold the Hellsend''s first Enlistment once they return from Africa but before he leaves for Antarctica. Mr. Bernard will be the one heading it."


    [I see. Alie, can you call Bernard? I wish to speak with him. And if possible, tell Phillip to reach out to Vincent as well. Looks like we will be busy.]

 Chapter 849 - 849: What I do best [2/2]

    "Sure, I can do that. Phillip might be busy though; the lord dumped a ton of tasks on him too. Oh! I just remembered; the lord also included the humans of every Officer to be part of the enlistment! He also promised to be both their Handler and Sponsor."


    [HE DID?! Thats great! This is our chance to get on everyone''s good side! Pixie, can you list each and every one of the officers? Please?]


    "Look witch, don''t go sticking up your nose where it doesn''t belong. We be {Vassals} but none of the officers mess around. If you overstep, they will shoot to kill," Delroy snapped.


    [I am well aware of that D. They are people raised by Limitless after all. But to those who still have humans, having their humans guaranteed is a incredible gift.]


    "Oh! Another thing Sister Lucrecia, my lord intends to open the reclamation to all the other battlefronts. Anyone who joins will be given Sacreds, and a set of 7 soulgear! Oh, and the one who contributes most will be given Fakers!"


    [Wait. Hold up Pixie. Say that again this time slowly. The Antarctica operation is open to the rest of Hellgate? What the hell is the lord thinking?!]


    It seems that despite being human, Lucrecia was keeping tabs on the events using Pixie and Alicia. I was planning on giving them a heads up, but it seems like I didn''t have too. I was once again impressed at the social skills of Vincent''s wife.


    Using her own methods, she established an information network with her sister wife and her fellow {Vassal}. She used her guile to bewitch Pixie who was still young. And even though Delroy was hostile against her, she didn''t take offense and took it in stride.


    Even more impressive was she was already planning to capitalize on the Enlistment to get into the rest of Hellsend''s good books. It seemed like this woman would be an impressive addition to our members once she joins us.


    ''At the rate she is going, she will probably create a Deryck faction not long after Ascending. Although, I do not really give a crap. She should know her limit.''


    Much like what Delroy warned her. If Lucrecia manages to spite enough people, I was sure the Reapers would not wait for my intervention and beat it out. I intended to copy David''s rules regarding this part. Just beat each other till someone submits.


    [I doubt anyone who have the courage to actually get into fights my lord.] Exa added.


    ''Oh? Why is that?''


    [Before Vela''s wolves began policing other groups, they first kept the peace within Hellsend. Anyone who acted out of line was shot and beaten. In the times people actually resisted the Sirens intervened.]


    When Exa brought the Sirens into the conversation, I smiled in nostalgia. I remembered the bloody spectacle the Sirens created the moment they arrived. They took on an army of a thousand Rogues, the proceeded to beat the 2nd Amendment then Golden Wick.


    The Sirens were perhaps my biggest fucking stick. And as hardly anyone could contend with them, they acted like tyrants. Although if anyone of my men actually laid hands on my girls they were as good as dead.


    With the rest of the officers dispersing, I turned to the girls by my side. Only they were all dazed. Although the girls were all holding the arms of my avatars their eyes were all unfocused.


    This only meant that they were not "here". They were probably in cyberspace having a really complex discussion. Figuring that they were similarly preparing for the future operations, I picked them all up in princess carries.


    Their reactions were quite adorable. They answered without their eyes regaining focus. It was probably because they trusted me. Like trained pets they all surrendered their bodies to me without much fuss.


    "{Gate}."


    I opened a subspace doorway back to Earth. My hotel room to be exact. And walked towards it. As I already dismissed the rest of Hellsend, they didn''t bother giving me their farewells. With the amount of stuff I assigned to them it was expected after all.


    "Such a shame, I wanted to make love with you all" I let slip.


    The girls all noticeably flinched but still didn''t react. I then laid all seven of them and began to undress them. Liv, Lilly and Bella tried to stop me which served to only make me even hornier.


    "If you all do not return this instant, I will do what I want."


    At my words, the Sirens all came back. Their eyes all focused as if their souls returned back to their bodies. Immediately from stoic dolls, the girls all made a variety of faces.


    ___


    "Beloved, how can you even think about making love right now? You just made a lot of trouble for everyone!"


    "Luckily I am the boss," I replied while burying my face between Liv''s massive melons.


    ___


    "Dearest, the way you act is that of a child! Behave, we still have to formalize our plans about the logistics of Operation Rock."


    I raised Lilly''s arm and began slurping her armpits, "I see, go ahead then. Don''t mind me."


    ___


    "Kyah! Possum, quit it! I won''t be able to focus!" S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Laying Robyn on the bed, I spread open her legs and began to dine at the Y, "Do your best Kitten."


    ___


    "Darling¡­please no more. I''m already horny as it is¡­"


    Pressing Jo''s body on the bed, I began to play her neither region with my fingers.


    "Push me away then," I challenged.


    ___


    "Fuck Honey. How do you expect any of us to be able to discuss if you keep doing this crap?"


    Embracing Bella from behind, I massaged her marvelous chest. I teased her erect protrusions as I sucked on her neck. "Think of it as training. Go on discuss."


    ___


    "Kyak! Husband, this position is too embarrassing¡­Please have mercy."


    I turned Jas upside down and began to pleasure her with my fingers. Sloppy sounds came from her lady bits as her juices began staining the bed


    "Hear that Wifey? You don''t seem to be embarrassed at all."


    ___


    "Anata, you are just being cruel. Why must you tease us like this? We only have a few hours before the seven-day deadline of the Astrologer."


    "It''s what I do best. Besides given how excellent you girls are a few hours are more than enough. This is my reward for winning after all," I shameless answered while nibbling on Aki''s ears as my fingers began massaging her bean.


    ___


    With how naughty I was being, naturally the girls could no longer continue their meeting. They all agreed that they could not do much unless I was taken care off. So, we spent the next eight hours procreating like animals.


    The sun was already halfway towards noon, by the time I came too. Naturally the girls were by my side too tired to move an inch. If you consider the order of events, we visited Hellsgate last night fought for less than an hour then went home.


    Not having to actually work in Hellsgate was pretty sweet. Although nothing could be sweeter than the nectar I drank from the fountains between my girl''s legs. They were all sprawled on my bed too with faces that looked blissful.


    As I admired them the phone beside the bed suddenly rang.


    ''Exa.''


    [The call has been connected.]


    [Hello Mr. Limitless, I apologize for calling so early. This is Nathan, the concierge of the Biltmore Hotel. I have uh, your friend at the lobby. He says he wishes to speak to you and says its rather urgent.]


    ''My friend? What is his name?''


    [He says that his name is Zachary Lynch. And uhm... That he is going to plant his foot up your ass if you do not come down here. And¡­he says if you do not wish for him to come up, you would come down right this instant.]


    ''Zach? This fucking bastard. Alright tell him I on my way.''


    [Yes, Mr. Limitless. Please take your time. We will give Mr. Lynch our best hospitality.]


    I left the girls who were still out cold and left a note. I didn''t even bother taking a shower and just used {Rewind}. Opening a {Portal} to the lobby I reunited with the commander of the North American Death Seekers.


    "Hey bastard. You really know how to stir up a hornet''s nest don''t you?"


    "It''s what I do best," I replied with a grin.

 Chapter 850 - 850: At least not now [1/2]

    "So, what''s your excuse this time?" Zach impatiently inquired.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about."


    I turned to Nathan, "Can you set up a room for me and this bastard to discuss. If you can send some food there, I would appreciate it."


    "Right away Mr. Limitless!" the clerk snappily saluted as he replied


    He then left the counter and called for me and Zach to follow him.


    "Isn''t this bastard too happy?" Zach grumbled as he walked behind me.


    "Nathan is an excellent employee of this establishment. So much so that I am thinking of hiring him. He has a knack for knowing what I want before I even ask."


    "You say that like it''s hard to figure you out, bastard. All he has to do is just to dump those girls on a bed. Even a monkey could do that."


    I didn''t even bother replying to this arrogant fuck. He was lucky I was in an extremely good mood. Waking to your harem''s glorious nude bodies was enough to make even the dullest fucker believe in world peace.


    Nathan never lost his smile as we entered what looked like a luxurious drawing room. It looked like a classy living room of a castle or some shit. The furniture looked expensive with bottles of whiskey and wine all at arm''s length.


    "Please use this room for as long as you like Mr. Limitless. This is one of our most exclusive ghost rooms. No one will bother you here. I will return in ten minutes with a breakfast platter. You will for a typical American breakfast, correct?"


    Although I now had more cash than I would ever need, my tastes in food remained simple. Even though it would be more in line with my income to order some caviar or something expensive I didn''t bother to do so.


    I mean, I was rich. Who the fuck would I even need to impress? At the moment, all I really wanted was to eat in things that brought me joy. Whether that be items that were ridiculously expensive or cheap hardly mattered.


    "Yeah. Thanks Nathan."


    Just as he was about to leave, I wondered if this was what having a butler felt like. Having money meant I could buy whatever gave me joy. Nathan''s care at my accommodations was something I appreciated. He made my stay here really enjoyable.


    "Nathan."


    "Yes? Is there something else I can assist with Mr. Limitless?"


    "How much do you make in a year?"


    "Uhm, haha. I don''t mean to brag but I make about $100,000 after tips."


    "I see. I will give you $500,000 a year. Work for me as my butler," I offered.


    Nathan suddenly went slack jawed as he began to drool. It was comical that such an amount was enough to blow his mind out of the water. To me such an amount was no longer worth my notice. In just a month my sense of value was already warped.


    I mean, Limitless Version 4 had cost 50,000 souls per activation. Each soul was worth $20. Meaning just activating my {Kismet} alone burned a million dollars. And the amount I earn in five days could easily in the hundreds of thousands of souls every night.


    "Ughk! Are you serious Mr. Limitless?" Nathan gasped as he wiped the drool off his face.


    "I am. Your responsibilities will be to take care of my family. Security is handled by other people, so you only need to ensure that those I love are taken care off."


    "I. U-Uhm¡­"


    "Do know however, I have many enemies. It''s a high-risk high reward position. Think of it as working as the butler of a crime boss. Think it over. If there is any fee''s I need to pay for you to leave this hotel, let me know."


    "There is no need! I will do it! Leave it to me! Your family will be treated like royalty! I will hand in my resignation right now if you want! Oh, but if I did, who would handle your room here Mr. Limitless?"


    ''Exa?''


    [The Derycks has built a modest mansion near the Simmons residence. It was designed with your preferences in mind. Vincent has yet to share it as it is still undergoing finishing touches. Should you wish to move there, you may do so as early as today.]


    ''Hmm. I actually do not have much in the way of stuff. I guess staying in this hotel is a waste of time.''


    [I would also wish to add that Vincent has hired an entire retinue of chefs, butlers and maid to wait on you the Sirens and the Simmons. Most of them are more qualified than Nathan.]


    ''It''s fine. I don''t know any of them. And I like this person.''


    [I understand. I will inform the Derycks that you intend to move there today.]


    ''Although, we aren''t bringing anything and will leave immediately after,'' I quipped.


    "Don''t mind it. I will be leaving the hotel today anyway. My secretary will give you the location of your new workplace. For now, your immediate focus is to serve my parents and my sisters. My wives and I will handle our checkout on our own." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I understand! Thank you, Mr. Limitless. I won''t let you down! I will give my life to serve you and your family! I will hand in my resignation and prepare immediately."


    "Don''t forget my food."


    "Ah! Right! I still have to organize your meal and that of the ladies! I will get on it!"


    As if someone lit a fire under his ass, Nathan ran back to concierge in a hurry. His face which I though was already happy now looked positively deranged. I couldn''t help but chuckle at his fervor. Couldn''t blame him though.


    To those struggling, money really made a world of a difference. Maybe it was selfishness but seeing that I now had the power to change the fate of a human just by my whims felt pretty good. The world was still going to shit, but at least Nathan would have a better life.


    Ending my short daydream, I closed the door. When I did, Zach was already seated but was scrolling on his phone. If you didn''t know who this fucker was, you would mistake him for a common everyday uncle.


    I took my seat in front of him as I allowed him to finish checking his messages. In the meantime, I had Exa send me the schematics and pictures of the house Vincent built for me. Contrary to what Exa said it was not modest by any means. It was a fucking mansion.


    "Alright. Let''s get down to business bastard. You even had me wait while you poached a human from Raymond."


    "Raymond? You mean Raymond Gertrude?"


    "What? You didn''t know? This hotel belongs to him. He has I think over two hundred. He uses different names, but they are all his as far as I know."


    "Well shit. No wonder he can afford to laze around."


    "Cut the bullshit bastard. I am here because of the shit storm you kicked up! What is all this crap about reclaiming Antarctica? And that is beside the fact that you intend to go demon hunting in Africa!"


    "Yeah, so? It''s all-true thought? What do you want me to say?"


    Zach then slammed his fist into the coffee table as he shouted, "I want to know why you are doing this? The political climate of the seven Battlefronts is already crap as it is! I applaud your defense from the Latinos attacking another continent is stupid!"


    "Sigh. Zach, what are you doing?" I sighed while I placed my fist under my chin.


    "What?"


    "I asked why you are here demanding for answers and shit. Why do you think that you are entitled to receive answers from me? Hell''s Eden does not answer to North America. That was the cost of foregoing your battlefront''s protection."


    "¡­"


    "In case you need it in even simpler terms. You fuckers abandoned us to our own devices. Forget any transition, you left the 24th floor as it was being attacked by Lizardkin. No one helped when we settled in. I even did a favor for you bastards by taking out the Vampires."


    "T-Thats¡­"


    "My deal with David was to defend North America for half a year. We are obligated to respond to any calls for help from attacks from Hellsgate. That was it. I am not obligated to follow the rules you fuckers have set for yourselves.

 Chapter 851 - 851: At least for now [2/2]

    "As the one who stopped the South American army, I alone hold the right to do what I want with them. My plans to reclaim Antarctica also has nothing to do with you. I didn''t ask help because I needed it. I did so to allow other to participate. We will go alone if necessary."


    "Then what about that monster? Aren''t you betraying humanity by allying with the very beings that drove us to our current state?" Zach retorted.


    ''Exa, does Zach know because we have a leak? Or did Connie''s promotion campaign already start?''


    [No, my lord. Minerva''s Wizards and Vela''s Wolves locked down the area. There should not have been a possible leak from our side. I would think the source are from Defenders from Gareth''s group who chose to return to North America.]


    ''Ah, right. I forget about them. They saw me let Roach go.''


    [Yes, at the moment, he should be in the dark. Even the AI he created to spy on Hellsend has been purged by me. Right now, he has nothing to go on apart from the reports from the floors surrounding Hell''s Eden.]


    Zach has not been the best friend one could ask for. But I do know that he did try his best. Although if you consider Robert''s words before I was doubtful about his and David''s true natures. All I knew was that in terms of being two faced, this fucker was number 1.


    "Looks like you understood to a degree. Anyway, my time is short. In a nutshell what I want you to be careful of are the Revenants and IRIS. They are not an ally of the reapers, nor of humanity."


    "I had my family massacred. In my grief I created {Blood feast}. My {fates} only purpose it to stock enough malice and blood to birth a demon. My original body was used as a vessel."


    "I didn''t make {Blood feast} out of chance. David forced me to wish for it. He taught me how to create a {fate} that would give birth a demon. And said I could kill him with it."


    "No, he was sane. And Zachary Lynch was with him. They began executing people after telling them to kill each other. The ones that refused where murdered on the spot."


    It was extremely easy to say that Zach and David were demonic people. But the higher I climbed the more I began to understand their actions. Sometimes it was just not possible to do the right thing. I murdered the Saviors for that very reason.


    "It is very easy to stand on the moral high ground and blame the reapers and IRIS for being cruel people. But if someone could only choose between killing a hundred versus a thousand, only those who could make a decision get an opinion. I watched my father wrestle with his conscience many times over such matters."


    Much like the atrocities done by the other continents no Reaper was clean. It would be great if this was some game were you could magically wish things to be fixed. Sadly, this was reality. The only way that was going to happen was if someone paid the price.


    This was why for all the shit Zach and David pushed me through, I knew the world still needed them. If they suddenly disappeared North America would fall. So, it was not in my or anyone best interests to intentionally break ties with them.


    ''At least not now,'' I thought inwardly.


    "They are called the Awakened. I met them during the Vampire Conspiracy. It seems that even among the Undead, Monsters and Demonkin, there are factions. The Awakened are monsters who wish to ally with Humanity."


    At my suddenly explanation, Zach hunched over and brought his hands together. I could tell the great many things coursing through his mind.


    "Academics have long believed there was warring factions among the Denizens of Hellsgate. But how did you know for certain?"


    "They told me. And they are called the Reborn."


    "What?"


    "It is what the universe calls the beings that live in Hellsgate."


    "Are you fucking with me right now, bastard? How would you even know that?"


    "One of my girls has a fate that sees into the Akashic records. Another has the ability to understand the monsters. We established why they attack us in the first place. And we established a deal with them."


    Zach leaned back towards his seat as he removed his glasses and brushed up his hair.


    "Fuck. I have no idea how much of this is true. Yet you do not seem to be lying. Okay let''s say this fucking monsters'' bastards do want to make some sort of alliance. What could we even offer to them? Don''t tell me they want fast food or something."


    ''Exa, where Is Juno? Can you tell her to prepare to come here for a second.'' Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Understood. I have asked. She seems fine with it. She was reading books about human history. It seems she intends to understand how humanity thinks.]


    ''Sounds like a pain in the ass. Well tell her I will open a portal. Mind helping Exa.''


    [Not at all. Coordinates set. Please invoke a doorway.]


    I raised my hand towards an empty space and called out, "Ask her yourself. {Portal}."


    A subspace doorway opened up showing Juno, sitting in a chair in a closed room. It seemed to be a library like place. Where the fuck was she even reading at? The lizard woman noticed my {fate} and stood up. She then walked forward until she entered the pathway.


    Zach who saw the seven-foot tall Vithriss braced his body. It looked like he was a second away from summoning his axe and hacking Juno to pieces. The leader of the Awakened noticed and entered while raising her hands palms out.


    "I mean you no harm Zachary Lynch. I come as my lord Limitless has sent for me."


    "W-What? You can understand me? What the fuck are you? How do you know my name?"


    When Juno entered, the portal behind her vanished. Curiously rather than placate Zach, Juno raised her head and began looking around. Like a snake her tongue forked out and drew back in. As if she was tasting the surroundings.


    "My lord, this is... we are not in Hellsgate are we? Is this Earth? The air is different. It''s a bit stifling."


    "You have guessed correctly. You are now in Arizona a place in the North American battlefront. Introductions are in order. Zach. Juno. Juno. Zach."


    "What kind of crap ass introduction is that?" The nightmare snapped.


    "I would have to agree my lord. Your introduction lacks any sincerity or respect."


    Amused that they were on the same page I didn''t opt to say anything. Juno bowed her head as she introduced herself once again.


    "I would like to start over. Pleased to meet you, Zachary. I am Juno leader of the Awakened. I am a Vithriss who evolved from the monster you call Lizardkin Dragon. I represent my people and serve the Reaper you know as Limitless."


    "Yeah¡­I''m Zach. I uh. I lead the North American battlefront as the Commander of the Mercenaries. I will keep it short, what did this bastard do to earn your friendship? Why does the monsters, I mean the Reborn want from Humanity?"


    Juno looked at Zach for a moment before answering. Her tail swished side to side as she crossed her arms. This was practically her first outing as an actual diplomat. And while I could help her, it would defeat the purpose if I did.


    "The Awakened and Reborn are after the same thing. We wish to grow stronger. Much like Reapers do with soul, we only do so with malice. My lord has allowed us to eat the malice of his domain in exchange for our help. He also helps us fight the other Reborn."


    "Malice? Are you fucking serious?"


    "Yes. My lord, will you permit me to demonstrate?" Juno inquired.


    "If Zach is fine with it go ahead."


    "Oy, bastard are you for real? They will help us while taking our malice?"


    It was understandable why Zach would behave that way. After all malice was one of the things that killed Reapers. Suddenly hearing that we had a way to rid ourselves of it would naturally make anyone questions all the suffering we went through.


    "Thank you, my lord. Then will you permit me to take your malice away Zachary?"


    "Uh sure, knock yourself out."

 Chapter 852 - 852: We are not friends [1/2]

    Malice. If you asked any human, they would just say that it was evil intentions. I was the same, it was a word I knew but hardly gave any importance to. At least that was the case before I died.


    Now? Malice unknowingly became a part of my life. It manifested itself in my life against my will. It was both a shackle and a warning. Taken to the extreme, I consider it even as a punishment.


    By the definition of Reapers, it was considered as the collected negative feelings that being possessed when they were alive. And whenever that being dies how he died affected where the malice went. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If he was killed the malice would flow into the one who killed him. Should that being perish of natural causes or without intent it flows back to the world. Phillip even shared that Hellsgate was basically a garbage dump of malice.


    Reapers were the ones expected to keep the stuff at bay. It was why we were brought back by the world tree or whatever. Supposedly the world tree reincarnated people similar to what the Chinese and Hindu''s believed. All to deal with the malice.


    The Reapers who seek soul eventually gather this malice. But they often died or fell apart before getting stronger. Thus, we only have seven Revenants. That was like saying for these men to handle all the evil of the humanity.


    Obviously, that was not possible. So, the malice was allowed to rampage until the reincarnation process stopped completely. Now rather than get borne again. The humans only turn into zombies. However, what about Mike? Isolde was sure that he was Tristan.


    ''Better ignore Mike and Tristan for now. I already have too much to deal with.''


    The main issue with becoming a Reaper was dealing with malice. It was why Revenants required tax. It was what required Reapers to defend zones. It was a disease that threatened to drive any careless Reaper to Insanity.


    Each battlefront placed importance in this matter. Africa subjected Hannibal Mandela''s children to become spare bodies for his purposes. South America used soul tattoos to seal portions of their Reapers so that they last longer.


    I do not know how the others dealt with it yet. But one avenue available to all was leveraging the Saints. Reapers who died because of sexual abuse. In a twisted irony, a Reaper must be violated against his/her will in order to gain the power to cleanse malice.


    Europe from the news seemed to be taking steps to increase their saints. Asia never had that problem since they had the largest pool of humans to draw from. I wasn''t sure if Australia struggled, but Liv tells me they need Saints as well.


    Naturally I didn''t know any of that when I had Golden Wick bless my bullets. At the time all I wanted was to have bullets that could rip apart tainted undead. I tried fighting them without blessings and it was beyond hard. Not impossible but hard.


    Funnily enough, according to Phillip that was the single reason why I wasn''t killed. Why I was the sole Formless Reaper who David choose to back. When he did, it broke the Armistice between the battlefronts, inadvertently beginning an arms race.


    "Please take off your clothes," Juno began.


    "Huh? Why?"


    "Your clothes will break down if I extract them while you are clothed."


    "Oy bastard you are sure this is safe?"


    "Just shut up and do it. Stop being such a pussy," I retorted.


    Zachary Lynch one of the most powerful Specters was trembling as Juno raised her hand over his chest. I guess I could sympathize. Juno while eloquent was a Vithriss. Meaning she was a humanoid lizard. She looked like a hybrid between a dinosaur and a man.


    "I will begin now."


    Juno closed her eyes and started the process. Much like with Roach, I saw what looked like black sludge come out of Zach''s pores. It looked filthy like the crap you saw in a septic tank. And slowly but surely, like squid ink, the black fluids left Zach''s body.


    "Ugh."


    Despite being a high-level Reaper, Zach flinched and broke out in cold sweat. As if he was getting his skin peeled, I noticed he was really tense from head to toe. His hands were balled up to fists and I noticed he was biting down so hard he might break his teeth.


    The malice had a dark aura, it felt like the eerie tingle you get when you go to a cemetery. And funnily enough compared to the amount Carlos and Herman had Zach''s was almost twice as thick.


    ''Was that the effect of the soul tattoos? Compared to Zach''s their malice was rather tame.''


    [My lord, are you certain about this.]


    ''About what?''


    [About exposing the ability of the Reborn to devour malice. This is one of our strongest hands. And something no other battlefront possesses. Zach would definitely see that value and would most definitely seek a way to claim it as part of North America.]


    ''It''s okay, I don''t mind.''


    [I see.]


    It didn''t really matter to me if the other battlefronts suddenly develop a desire to claim the Reborn. Even if they meet atrocities along the way, allowing the Reapers to last longer was in everyone best interests. It wasn''t like hiding their insistence forever was possible.


    "Ugh!"


    Unlike with the South American''s Zach looked like he was in pain. His skin was flushed as if he was beaten. Yet the sludge coming out of his body was still not yet done. It reminded me of the scenes in cultivation manhuas.


    In those stories the MC normally takes a medicinal bath that they claim to remove the impurities from their bodies. Supposedly doing so allows them to cultivate better as the bad stuff hinders proper cultivation.


    If Trinity intentionally placed clues, then did that mean the rest was also real? Does that mean that the method of Asia to handle malice was to expel it outside of their bodies through medicinal baths?


    ''If the cultivators were basically Reapers, then does that mean those baths were actually expelling malice? Then what about the roots and pills and all that crap?''


    "ARRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!"


    My daydream ended when I saw Zach contorting in the air. I didn''t know when, but his body floated somewhere along the way. If earlier he was standing on the floor, now it looked like Juno held his heart in her fist.


    Juno on the other hand was still serene. The Specter in front of her contorted and cursed but she remained still. There was a dense ball of black something between them.


    Similar to the orb Juno took out when she tried to birth Lizardkin, only this thing was many times worse. It was oppressive. Like trying to breath in noxious fumes during a fire. My lungs felt like they were on fire and my throat like I swallowed knives.


    ''Just how much malice does Zach have? I get that he has been a Reaper for a long time, but shouldn''t he be using benevols or something? Why does he still have so much of this shit?''


    I watched in silence as Zach got cleansed. The longer it went the more violent he became. Until he suddenly relaxed. Somewhere along the way, the Specter found peace. From that point out the malice living him body turned to vapor.


    If earlier, it looked like Juno was pulling out rivers of blood now it only looked like a thin mist. It was similar to Death Resonance in a way, you first began as smoke then it turned tangible the thicker it got.


    ''Still this thing is fucking bad news¡­''


    As I looked at the black bowling ball like thing, I felt all the hairs on my body stand on end. It was a instinctive action. Just like you fear loud sounds or fire. I needed to actively control my body to not shy away from looking at this thing.


    "It is done."


    Juno then opened her eyes. Although she looked the same, her voice sounded a bit exhausted. Zach slowly returned to the ground as the last dregs of malice left him. The moment his feet returned to the floor he also broke out of his trance.


    As he didn''t have his signature glasses on, I could see the intensity of his glare. There was something there. A hostility. But also, a kind of sadness. Juno on the other hand faced me and began to recount what just happened.

 Chapter 853 - 853: We are not friends [2/2]

    "My lord, Roach told me that the two Reapers he cleansed were about enough to fill him up at 50%. Zachary has a frightening amount of malice. Something that I cannot consume on my own. I would be able to evolve at least five of my sisters with this."


    "Is that so? Good. Take it Juno. It''s yours to keep. I will handle everything else."


    The Vithriss stopped for a moment before looking back to Zach. Surprisingly the Awakened looked torn. As if she wanted to say something but couldn''t. I looked at Zach and he had a complicated expression.


    ''Just what the hell happened between these two.''


    [My lord, Juno has a question.]


    ''Oh? What is it? Is it something you cannot answer?''


    [Yes. Juno wishes to ask if it would be alright to comfort Zach about his failure.]


    ''I''m sorry. What? His failure? How does Juno even know about that?''


    [She has yet to say. But I she seemed distraught over this matter.]


    ''Well. I don''t really care either way. I give her permission to do so. I will handle the aftermath.''


    Receiving my words, Juno walked forward to Zach and took his hands into hers. Somehow the Specter no longer feared the Awakened but just stared at her in silence. I didn''t sure how, but I saw only one emotion radiating from the Vithriss. Compassion.


    "I know you might not understand me Zach. But you are not at fault. You are both Noble and kind. Emily wished to give her life for yours. You did all you could. It is time to forgive yourself."


    "¡­"


    Zach said nothing. However, tears began falling from his eyes. The Specter seemed surprised and tried to wipe it away. Juno then did the unthinkable, she moved forward and embraced Zach into her bosom.


    Half scared that Zach would cleave Juno in half I was about to move. But rather than resist, Zach meekly accepted Juno''s affectionate hug. I then remembered Juno''s {Entropy} it was called {Compassion}.


    After about half a minute, Juno separated from Zach and once again took control of the floating bowling ball in the room. The Specter again wore his shades and bowed his head to Juno.


    "Thank you," he said curtly.


    Juno nodded with a smile and then faced me, "My lord. I wish to return to Hell''s Eden. The malice I have in my possession can be used to evolve, Roach, me and a bout 4 of my sisters. Will it be alright to use it?"


    "This is payment for your services Juno, expect more to come in the coming days. Hell''s Eden will supply the Awakened with as much malice as they could ever need. So use it as lavishly as you desire."


    "The Awakened and I thank you, my lord," Juno expressed in gratitude.


    "{Portal}."


    I opened a subspace doorway for Juno. She glanced and waved goodbye to Juno before she entered. Once she left the oppressive feeling disappeared. Feeling it like this, I could safely link the Death resonance of a person to the malice they contain.


    If so, then I should get myself and my girls cleansed. But wouldn''t our Death Resonance grow weaker if that was the case? Malice drove us insane, but it was also something we used in our day to day.


    "Bastard. I give up."


    "Huh?"


    "I give up trying to make sense of your shit. As if being able to reuse Sacreds is not enough, now you got the Awakened. I didn''t even think it was possible. We finally can even the playing field with the chinks."


    "The chinks? What does the Chinese have to do with this?"


    "Look bastard. You are not the first one to find out that the Reborn in Hellsgate can absorb malice. There were people who figure that out way earlier. I didn''t know the specifics, but they found a way to coexist with those monsters much like you do.


    "But not everyone can do that. The first one to do so where the Asians. And for the longest time, I thought it was impossible for anyone else. And now you suddenly pull all this out of your ass. Li Wu Di is going to blow a gasket."


    Zach began saying stuff, I couldn''t follow. I held up my hand and asked him to slow down. Somehow, I believed this was information that was important.


    "Wait, back up. Say that again."


    "The four symbols. The Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Warrior and the White Tiger."


    I understood what Zach was saying but I belatedly notice that he wasn''t speaking English. But the names he listed were somehow familiar. Those four were names you often see in anime and manga.


    ''Exa, was Zach¡­''


    [He was speaking Chinese. The S¨¬ xi¨¤ng, or the Four Symbols. They are mythological creatures appearing among the Chinese constellations along the ecliptic and viewed as the guardians of the four cardinal directions.]


    [They are quite well known in Asian literature. The four symbols have versions in China, Korean, Japan and Vietnam. While there are difference the root legend is the same. These four beasts guard a direction at the behest of the Yellow Emperor.]


    ''Well shit. Their names in Japanese are Suzaku, Genbu, Byakko and Seiryu aren''t they?


    [Yes, my lord. That is the case.]


    "Fuck. You mean to tell me those four are Awakened?"


    "Not just them. Every religion, every tale and every myth. There are always beasts in with the gods. Odin and his ravens, Huginn and Muninn. Ra and his falcon Horus. Shiva and his bull Nandi. Even Zeus had an eagle named Aetos," Zack elaborated.


    "¡­"


    Well fuck. Just when I thought I was special. Turns out I was just learning something everyone else already knew.


    "Still. While they exist all over the only ones who ever managed to have working relationship with them are Asia. They wouldn''t share how they did so. Many tried to copy them, but they were fakes. It was either Shifters, Champions of a Summoner or Astrals."


    Funnily enough, Zach began using terms about the classes just after I learned of them. If I didn''t have that impromptu lesson with Carlos, I would be scratching my head once again.


    "Anyway. This is a huge deal boy. If you got Reborn to work with us. We can get our Assault teams cleansed, and we can even get David¡­"


    "I would have to stop your there Zach."


    Puzzled as I cut him off mid-sentence, the Specter had a what the fuck face as he sneered.


    "What? What''s the issue?"


    "Get it through your head Zach, there is no we. There is you. And there is me."


    "What? But you¡­"


    "Shut it. Do not forget it was you bastard who abruptly cut ties. You abandoned me to both the undead and the South Americans. Do not suddenly think we are buddies just because my forces and I didn''t die."


    "But didn''t you say that you will ally yourself with North America? I was there, you definitely¡­"


    "Again. Shut the fuck up Zach. I said I would help North America defend against the undead. That was it. Everything else is up to me. Those were the terms David, and I discussed and signed on."


    Zach made an exaggerated sigh before messing up his hair.


    "This selfish fuck¡­you do know I can just go directly to Juno, right?"


    "Sure you can. But whether she helps you or not is not up to you, is it?"


    "Are you really doing this you bastard? You are putting the lives on millions all for your petty whims?" he said in anger.


    However far from cowering I got in his face as I growled in a ferocious voice.


    "We are not friends, Lynch. You threw an army of rogues at me. Abandoned me to the Saviors. And even used me to take down an Archdemon. Everything I owed North America, I already paid!" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zach eventually took a step back and murmured as he pulled out as cigarette.


    "Arrogant fuck! You get worse each time I see you," the Specter took a few huffs to calm down. After about a minute he asked in defeat.


    "So, what the fuck do you want?"


    At his question, I made a huge smile. A lesson I learned from Bella, was to make sure you held the upper hand in the negotiations. Zach needed the Awakened. And I needed the might of the USA economy and military.


    If I came for him first and offered the Awakened, it would be him with the upper hand not the other way around.


    "Now, we are talking," I commented brightly.

 Chapter 854 - 854: Not for me [1/2]

    Currently there was only three ways for me to power up. The first was to Ascend. The 2nd was to draw the power of my girls into {Limitless}. And third was to improve the power of my weapons.


    I have long decided to not Ascend haphazardly. The ability to create a new {fate} when I was overwhelmed was something I wanted to keep as a trump card. I already had a near infinite supply of souls from my aggressive farming tendencies.


    The 2nd was naturally to gain the improve abilities of my girls. As they were part of my power, each time they grew stronger I did too. Although I did feel a bit guilty that they were my level wasn''t keeping up with them.


    As demonstrated by my recent duel with the Sirens, version 4 of {Limitless} was OP! Combined with {Day by Day} and [Maestro] I was able to fight like an entire squad of Reapers. Even against all seven of the girls, I somehow triumphed.


    If I was against a real enemy, I would be extremely more effective. [Executioner] and [Ninja] in particular would be more vicious. But while I was dueling the girls I also noticed the glaring weaknesses of my battle style.


    For one, I was extremely hardware dependent. While I did get my bullets enhanced by {fates}, Sacreds and soon Fakers. There were plenty of times I felt bigger guns would be better. As I fought stronger and stronger enemies, the need for them would naturally rise.


    Small arms wise, what I had was near peak. What I lacked greatly was naturally those beyond that. The Ripsaw and the TRX Razorback were excellent products. But they were in fact still unmanned robotic weapon platforms.


    When Bella and I fought one another, she purposely chose to put her brainpower in overwhelming firepower. According to Bella {Replicate} could create a vehicle every four hours. That means she could six new platforms in a day.


    I naturally asked the details as she rested. As I had near infinite stamina, I asked while I enjoyed myself. I loved playing with her nude body as she was weak from overexertion.


    While I was busy licking the glistening sweat off her marvelous goods she explained.


    "Haha, Honey that tickles! Hmm, it just made sense you know? {Replicate} can copy one thing so why waste it on a Ripsaw? The Challengers were the obvious choice. Although I needed to worry about the teams to put in them, they were still the best option"


    Rather than use them to create Ripsaws, my girl chose the Challengers. This was why when we pitted our armies against each other, my two Ripsaws were absolutely butchered. She fielded over twelve Challengers that demolished the landscape.


    It was only because I had over a hundred Switchblades that I somehow managed to win. If Bella had suitable anti air weapons, I would have been fucked. And that was not all. The Mangustas and the CAESARs were naturally just as potent.


    ''The former allowed me to overwhelm even Specters while the later were more mobile than the M777s. Self-propelled Howitzers naturally beat those that needed to be towed.''


    I didn''t mean to racist but compared to the Mangustas I preferred Apaches. And compared to the CAESARs I prefer the M109 Paladins. And anyone who knew me would know that I absolutely worship the M1 Abrams.


    It wasn''t being picky. America was just a veteran in wars. While most countries stopped fighting when they achieved peace, only the great US of A didn''t. We even went to other continents just to pick fights. Some even believe we create the wars we fight ourselves.


    But while the reasons and conspiracies might be true, it didn''t actually matter. What anyone and everyone knew as fact was that America knew how to fight. And because we did, my country was not some paper tiger. When we join a war, we mean business.


    Frankly, if you gave me access to America''s military hardware, forget Antarctica I could blow the shit out of even Hellsgate. The only problem previous generations of Reapers had was how to get the damn things to hell and how to form a supply line.


    With Lilly''s {fates} being available to us, both problems could be addressed. And with Bella while the rest of the world was still trying to figure out AI, ours would dominate. Basically, if America just gave me the hardware, I could take care of the Hellsgate.


    But therein lies the problem. For reasons I could not comprehend, David made a rule where I could not buy or ask for military hardware. Which was absolute bullshit giving the amount of crap America did in the sun.


    "Give me an exception."


    "To what?" Zach asked confused.


    "Give me an exception to the rule of buying American weapons by the US Military."


    "¡­"


    Zach''s hesitation didn''t make any sense. Did they really think they keep things secret from me? I had Bella, I could hack the pentagon if I wanted too. In fact, we could just steal the gear if we wanted. But as I know that America needs them, I opted to play nice.


    "Come on Zach, you really think I need your permission? I was live and born in this country. America might be a shit hole but it''s my shit hole. If you are thinking I would betray her for another country¡­"


    "No, that''s not it¡­"


    "Then what? I will pay for them. Even twice what they are actually worth. And it''s not like I am getting them for fun. They are beasts of war; I intend to use them. Have you heard my most recent announcement?" I added as a knock came to the door.


    "Mr. Limitless, this is Nathan. I have your food ready. Shall I leave it here or¡­"


    "No, bring it in Nathan."


    The door quickly opened, and Nathan quickly wheeled in a trolley with a gorgeous spread. It had everything you would want in a breakfast. There was even deserts and fruits by the side. I stood up and moved towards the food cart.


    "Perfect. Thank you."


    I turned to Zach and gestured him to join me. It seemed like he was still surprised, I decided to eat as we were discussing.


    "There is enough for two. I''m sure you are hungry, come join me. Its not like you are going anywhere anyway."


    "This bastard¡­"


    It was something I naturally learned from the girls. Giving your attention to some shows them respect. The quickest way to belittle someone without cursing them was to treat them like an afterthought.


    Rather than make my actions all revolve around Zach, I would carry about my day to day to show him how little he means to me. Thus, he either needed to swallow his pride and play nice giving me the upper hand or curse and storm out.


    ''Of course, such things could backfire, and this fucker could pull out his axe and cleave me in two. But the things I bring are far too important for him to entertain such an idea.''


    Wordlessly Zach, stood up and joined me. As he didn''t leave once again the dynamics of this discussion were set. He needed me more than I needed him. And he knew it. Satisfied I turned to Nathan and gave him my next order.


    "Nathan, stand outside till I call for you. My secretary will call for you if my wives need anything. After we leave this building report to my home and serve my family."


    "Yes! Mr. Limitless! Then please just call for me if you need anything!" he replied clearly ecstatic.


    ''Exa, mind telling the security detail of my family about Nathan?'' S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Yes, my lord. I will ensure that there will be no issues.]


    I took some food and moved to my table. Eggs, bacon, sausages, toast and a stack of pancakes. I made sure to pour thick syrup on my pancakes and got a packet of butter. I also got a cup of black coffee and mixed in some sugar and creamers.


    Unlike the heavy spread on my plate, Zach took a couple of sunny side up eggs and a slice of toast. He also got a cup of black coffee from the dispenser but didn''t put anything else on it.


    Curious why that was all he took I began to eat. One thing I noticed was how my girls and I began to eat more the higher we ascended. I initially thought that just came pack in parcel with our life, but it seemed like that wasn''t the case.

 Chapter 855 - 855: Not for me [2/2]

    I savored my meal in silence. The gangster in front of me did the same, after he cleaned his plate, he finally resumed the conversation.


    "What announcement were you talking about? My people scanned the news, and you haven''t made any."


    "Hoo? I had assumed you had spies on my battlefront. So, you really don''t know?" I exclaimed in glee.


    The girls once said that they had found and took care of spies among Hellsend. Aki, Bella and Jo were quite concerned about that matter. If even Zach still knew nothing despite a full night passing, it was a testament to our counter espionage measures.


    Probably annoyed that his people sucked, Zach snapped in frustration, "Just out with it, you bastard!"


    "Not sure If you already know, but I intend to go to Africa next."


    "Is this for Amari Soldat? I remember he came her with the werewolf limey. It''s probably to ask for your help in the succession, right? You intend to brawl with the niggers for him?"


    ''Werewolf Limey? Just what the fuck does that mean?''


    [It''s an antiquated racial slur. It comes from the historical British naval practice of giving sailors limes to stave off scurvy. Eating limes gives bad breath due to their strong acidity and sharp flavor, which can dry out your mouth.]


    ''Just how old is this fucker? Wasn''t he married to Connie? He sounds like he has been alive since the Brits were shipping slaves.''


    [It is uncertain. Details about Specters are under heavy protection. Even more so than the US White house or banks.]


    Feeling like I had to get my mind back from the limey tangent, I replied to the racist fuck in front of me.


    "No, I am going there because he asked for help dealing with demons. Apparently, they have broken through in Kismayo."


    "Not surprised, most of the wars in Africa are actually disguises for demon suppressions. The carnage caused by the demons are hidden as atrocities done by rebels, terrorists or whatever. Up till now, no one knows why the demons just won''t leave Africa alone."


    "I guess. Anyway, I do not intend to help beyond that. Much like America I will only help in killing the demons. After that whatever happens is on Amari," I explained as I ate.


    "You know The Immortal will beat your ass, right? There is a reason why the battlefronts do not interfere in the affairs of another. And why do you even want to help them. Reports of the ENSAE army preparing to attack you are already widespread."


    Getting into a fight with the Immortal Hannibal Mandela was literally not possible. After all contrary to what Zach knew, the Immortal was not actually just a single person. He was more like a superhero. But I guess that was insider information.


    When the current holder of the title died a new one would replace him. And much like most superhero successors in comics, they had to be blood related. And the main reason why the demons were invading in the first place was because the Revenant was dying.


    "Hannibal Mandela is not a Reaper. He is the {fate}."


    "Huh?"


    "The "King" of the African battlefront is the one who inherits the {Fate} of a Revenant. The qualifications to do so must be that he has the blood line of the original Hannibal. That means only those of his lineage can become the next Hannibal Mandela."


    "When "The Immortal" comes to the end of his era, Demons invade en mass. All eager to slay him. Their goal is to evolve from the malice he holds. My father intends to choose a successor before that can happen."


    As I had no obligation to tell him what I knew, I avoided the topic about Hannibal.


    "The majority of Africa has nothing to do with the ENSAE bastards. When they come here, I will kill them all and then move on. That is all there is to it."


    "Sigh, I guess you have the right to say such shit granting that you managed to take out the Condor and the Sierra. Even if they were on their last echoes."


    "Huh?"


    Zach looked at me like I was stupid and began massaging his temples.


    "The Condor, Carlos Rodr¨ªguez a ranking member of Sombra Cazador South America''s equivalent to the Reaper CIA. The Sierra, Herman Fern¨¢ndez an Argentinian powerhouse who is known for his bravery in combat. You took them out without even knowing who they were?"


    [Sombra Cazador is Spanish Shadow Hunter, as it is an organization, I left it in its original language.]


    ''Thanks Exa. Hmm. How should I go about this?''


    I could fake killing them, but I could also tell Zach that they were with me. Both had their benefits, but it all came to matter of how long I could hide them. Carlos'' abilities were non descriptive. But anyone who saw Herman''s conquistadors would know he was alive.


    ''Fuck it. It''s not like anyone would care even if they were alive aside from South America.''


    "Well, they didn''t exactly tell me about their aliases. Oh, by the way, neither are dead. They now work for me. And I cleansed them from malice just like I did with you."


    At that point Zack froze in place and dropped his cup. The disbelief in his eyes was fucking hilarious.


    "You have got to be fucking with me."


    "I am not."


    "What about the rest of their army?"


    ''Exa, how many from the South American''s left or died?''


    [According to the final tally, no one left. Those that died were not actually killed by us but by the observers. This led to the entire army choosing to stay.]


    "Also working for me."


    "Fuck¡­so you''re telling me. You integrated the thousand strong South American army into Hellsend? Along with the Awakened?"


    "Yeah," I nodded.


    "Fuuuuuckkk¡­."


    I could practically feel the exhaustion radiating from Zach. We kind of got sidetracked but the announcement I wanted him to know about was not Africa but Antarctica.


    "Thats not the big announcement I wanted you to know though. Me going to Africa is not worth giving me access to the US militaries arsenal." Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You aren''t fucking done?" the Nightmare asked rhetorically.


    "No. Once I get back from Africa. I am going to Antarctica and reclaim it. Once I do, I will rebuild the Northern Battlefront."


    "¡­"


    Zach was like a raft being thrown about in the ocean. He kept changing positions obviously trying to take everything in. It felt amusing to not be the one on the receiving end of such situations. Feeling he needed a moment; I continued to eat.


    The gangster in front of me pulled out another cigarette and lit it. I could understand his actions as nicotine was proven to be a way to numb the brain and calm the nerves. As I grew up to my dad smoking five boxes a day, I was immune to the smell.


    "Look at this fucking bastard, you keep spouting all this shit and you keep eating like everything is normal," Zach chastised, obviously fed up.


    "It might be big news for you, but not for me."


    "Fuck you! This would practically screw up the current political landscape! Given the power of Hellsend, along with the Beanies and the Awakened, you have a shot. But it won''t be enough. Plus, the Unbreakable is a ancient geriatric who keeps to his own."


    "Yeah, I know that is why I am going to include the entire world," I said with a smile.


    "Bastard, run by that me again?"


    "Hellsend is in the process of creating soulgear for an army of ten thousand. In exchange for helping me cleanse the North, I will reward the battlefronts with firearms that never breakdown and can fire unlimited blessed rounds."


    "¡­"


    Relishing he surprise, I came for blood, "I have 90,000 sets of those weapons to hand out. I am giving you the chance to take most of them. I will give you 40,000 sets in thirty sets, for the rights to buy American made weapon platforms."


    "¡­"


    "You only have till the announcement goes out. Once it does, I will grant the arms by contribution. I also plan to make the same offer, for benevols and soulgear that will allow regular Reapers to fight like descendants."


    Seeing as Zach clenched his jaw, he must have seen the value of my information.


    "And to the best performer in the reclamation. I will give access to blessed rounds that go through an Archdemon along with Anti-soul weaponry."


    "A-Anti-soul weaponry."


    Nodding my head, I delivered the final blow, "Weapons that cancel any defenses made with soul. I call them Fakers. Do you wish to see a demonstration?"

 Chapter 856 - 856: 500 million [1/2]

    Whenever you try to sell shit, nothing beat the experience of doing a test. The phrase "to see is to believe" was something that stuck around because people were fucking evil in general. Scammers, fraudsters and liars were common in the olden days.


    Unfortunately, testimonies especially written ones were easily to falsify. With the advent of voice recording and photography those became the go to source for proof. Then it became videos. But these days AI was so advance it could even fake videos.


    This was why even if you saw something on the internet, half the time it was fake. I didn''t know about Reapers, but nothing was better when trying to prove a point that doing it impromptu and live.


    The normal assumption was that without time to prepare, what was to be presented should be in fact genuine. At least that was the assumption. And as I was careful with my money before due to being poor, I could understand this mentality completely. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zach right now was at a crossroad. Giving me access to the USA''s military hardware went against every rule in the Reaper and Human handbooks. But so long as I could prove that what I had to trade with was significantly better, I had bargaining power.


    "Let me borrow this." I took his cup and mine and presented both to him.


    "Mind putting the most powerful defensive ability on these?"


    The nightmare said nothing and pulled out his wicked looking pen. He then wrote what looked like Cyrillic on the cups. The letter he produced glowed a holden hue, before floating and began to form a defensive circle around the cups.


    Steel forged in the fire,


    Muscles strain against the weight,


    Standing strong, unbowed.


    I didn''t know any Slavic languages, but as I had {Interpret} I understood what he wrote. It sounded like a poem. The words together didn''t make much sense, but I got the vague gist of it.


    This must be similar to the ability he used to block my bullets during our first meeting. I remember that these words were powerful enough to stop full powered 7.62 NATO and a point black 10-gauge slug.


    "Cool."


    Taking the cups, I walked to the end of the room and placed both cups on the side table. I then moved back to our table. As both cups were now given defensive plating by Zach, I had no way to fake the effects of what I was about to do next.


    "[Hellsend''s Armory] Ebony, Ivory. Exa, after I empty my magazines give me Red rounds in Ebony and Faker rounds in Ivory."


    [Understood. My lord, you might want to create a soulcage or suppress the noise.]


    "Ah right. [Ninja]."


    My body shifted Disciplines and now developed enhanced senses and the ability to move silently. Picking up that I wanted Zach to hear her, Exa used the speakers in the room to answer me. Hearing the voice of a woman over the PA system caused him to look up.


    "Hmph. Ignoring your corny ass naming conventions. So, this was Aira suddenly stopped sending any reports. Did you have Isabella Taurus hack her?"


    "No, I turned her into my {Kismet}. She is now something like my virtual assistant."


    "Stop spouting bullshit you bastard," He snapped angrily.


    "Haha, but I am not lying though. [Suppressor]"


    I aimed Ebony at the right cup and Ivory on the left. I then squeezed both triggers. As my [Ninja''s] ability was applied to both guns, neither made any sound. However, the muzzle flash was still present.


    Despite firing .45 ACP rounds at both targets, my rounds simply behaved as if they slammed into a steel plate. I could see the smashed-up lead cores bounce off. Against the golden letters which absorbed their kinetic energy they were useless.


    While the sounds of the gunfire were muted, the echoes of the round impacting were not. Dull thuds echoed as if the rounds hit zombie flesh. Exa delayed reloading my weapons until the slides locked back.


    When they did, I turned to Zack as I continued my demonstration. "As you can see your letter armor works."


    "Don''t call them something so stupid. So? What happens now?"


    "Naturally, I will show you that while normal ammunition is useless, Hellsend''s new weapons are not. Exa."


    [Yes, my lord. Red and Faker rounds loaded.]


    It was a good thing that the Faker rounds made it in time. Exa actually displayed a message without my vision. The Faker rounds technically still didn''t exists yet. All we had was 5 prototype rounds. Only one of which was a .45 ACP round.


    ''If this doesn''t work in one shot, keep reloading that same bullet okay,'' I inwardly noted.


    Exa refrained from speaking and only sent me a gif of a man saying "okay." I didn''t intend to lie about my current abilities but embellishing the truth allowed me greater results.


    The fact that the soulgear sets and the infinite Sacred guns were still being made was top secret. But as I needed rewards in order for people to join, I couldn''t do much but lie my way through it. Besides I trusted my Reapers to come through for me.


    Keeping my best poker face I smiled at Zach and pressed the slide returns on both my pistols. The feeling and sound of the slides locking in place gave me a hit of dopamine. Gun ASMR really was a thing.


    "Ah let''s put up a soulcage first. I don''t want the sprinklers to suddenly rainwater on us."


    I raised my hand and covered the place with soulcage. It was amusing how different a month made in my life. During the Enlistment we still needed soulgear to create soul cages. When I started, I had trouble making them. Molding something invisible was hard.


    But now? It was like second nature to me. I wasn''t sure if it was due to using {Shelter} extensively or if it was because of the girls'' abilities. I remember Jo, Liv and Lilly''s [Combat Shadow Silhouettes] to be experts in manipulating soul.


    Gathering my thoughts back to my sales pitch I raised my right hand. First, I aimed Ebony at the right cup and calmly declared, "These are rounds enhanced by one of my Reapers."


    I squeezed the trigger at my statement. While the look of feel of the gunshot was the same the outcome was completely different. Small explosions detonated covering the impact area of the target in fire and shrapnel.


    The impact looked like small firecrackers that shone during new year. Naturally despite the small shockwaves and fires that quickly dissipated the cup still remained unbroken. Curious as to how it would fare, I unloaded the entire magazine.


    More small explosions followed. But the letter armor still remained in place. Although it was extremely obvious, my eyes sensed that the letters that had to tank the explosions were a bit dimmer. As if their splendor was sacrificed to keep their defense.


    "Exa, switch to White rounds."


    [Understood. White rounds loaded.]


    Aiming at the duller letters I aimed Ebony one handed and fired Mike''s {Bestow} bullets. A whistling sound still resounded despite [Suppressor] being active. The bullet enhanced with {Pierce} flew like an angry hornet and impaled itself into the letter armor.


    But it made the same dull thud when as it crashed into the floating letters. After exhausting its kinetic energy, like the ones before it, the bullet quietly fell to the ground. The 2nd and 3rd white rounds similarly had no visible results.


    However, after the fourth round the Cyrillic characters I was shooting suddenly turned brown! The brown color reminded me of oak trees. After it changed colors, the entire sphere of fast-moving letters which spun around like advertisements suddenly slowed to a crawl.


    Smug that my rounds performed admirably, I smiled. That must have meant that the defense capabilities of Zach''s short poem were finally exhausted. I fired my 5th round. Once again, the same whistling sound echoed, however instead of the dull thud changed.


    The sound of glass shattering followed. Along with the chaos the letter armor covering the cup cracked and gave way. With nothing to stop my bullet, it sped along and broke the glass cup right down the center.


    I quickly glanced to Zach in order to gauge his reaction. Ten bullets to destroy his armor was quite bad. After all there was no guarantee that Zach would stand around to wait for his enemies to hit at the same point ten times.

 Chapter 857 - 857: 500 million [2/2]

    Still considering his level and the caliber I thought it was pretty impressive already. However the lack of emotion in Zach''s face made me think otherwise. Feeling I needed to fill the dead air, I continued my demonstration.


    "As you can see despite merely human weapons, with proper upgrades my guns can even tear through your defenses. Something I failed to do in the past. But the Red and White rounds were never the main topic."


    Along with my words I raised Ivory who had been patiently waiting for her turn.


    "These babies are our highlight. Meet the Faker rounds. They are basically bullets crafted from material that has anti-soul properties. I had to go through a lot of trouble to get them. Thus, unlike the previous bullets these are in limited supply."


    I aimed Ivory at the cup on the left and fired. The 45 ACP round flew out of my gun''s barrel and headed straight for its target. Then the sound of glass shattering resounded, and the cup broke in half much like the one beside it.


    The lackluster result was completely opposite the previous flashy show the right cup exhibited. That bullet flew and shattered to cup. Such was the natural occurrence of a bullet and a piece of tableware.


    But that was what made the Faker bullets simple feat amazing. It disregarded Zach''s strongest defense. The round behaved as if there was nothing protecting the cup to begin with. If the object behind the letter armor was a person, he would be bleeding by now.


    I turned to see Zach still standing as he was before. But despite his attempts to mask his emotions, I could see clearly how he was feeling. I didn''t know if this was side effect of using [Ninja] but I somehow gained the ability to decipher body language.


    Zach was leaning forward in an open posture. I noticed his breathing was uneven. His hands seemed to be fidgeting in place even though he tried to put them inside his coat''s pockets. He took a step in my direction, and I noticed and his right foot was pointed at me.


    I could see his eyebrows raised. Thus, despite his glasses, I knew his eyes were wide in either surprise or shock. His shoulders were drawn back, meaning if his coat was not restraining his hands they would be flailing out by now. His lips also had a faint smile.


    ''He''s excited as fuck. I guess that means we got a shot at this.''


    [Indeed, my lord. Zachary Lynch is not an individual who can be easily manipulated. But if you play it cool, we should be able to cause him to jump to conclusions.]


    Such small cues by themselves meant nothing. But together they gave me a good indication of Zach''s mental head space. If [Maestro] made me smarter, it seemed like [Ninja] gave me increased perception like a body language expert.


    I stored my pistols to my {Armory} and tried to keep a poker face. In this kind of situation, being too eager would actually make Zach calm down. Just like Exa said, playing it cool was the best way. Feeling this was the perfect time, I reiterated my plan.


    "In a month''s time, Hell''s Eden, my battlefront will launch a mission to reclaim Antarctica. We inviting to the other battlefronts to join us. We do not intend to colonize but help the North rebuild. For those who participated we will grant them soulgear sets, benevols and Sacred firearms.


    "The top battlefront in terms of contribution would be acknowledged by Hell''s Eden as an ally of humanity. We would give them the right to purchase Faker weaponry. Along with being first priority for any and all products from Hell''s Eden."


    The Specter before me made a deep sigh before he inquired in annoyance, "What do you get out of all this? Why go through the trouble of paying for mercenaries to liberate the North? Do you have any idea how impossible such a task is?"


    "It''s for my {Kindred}. Liv made a vow to save the North. As her man, I will fulfill her wish."


    "Fucking hell, all this for a woman? They are either the luckiest or unluckiest bitches on Earth."


    "Not just any woman. Liv is MY woman," I stressed.


    Zach moved from where he stood and slumped on a coach. He took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. Taking a deep breath, he then asked.


    "You have yet to sell these Fakers to anyone else?"


    "No."


    "And if I asked for the exclusive rights to them?"


    "I would decline."


    At his silence I knew what his next most obvious question was.


    "And In case you plan to just plan to beat us into submission, I believe that you can. But I will make sure you bleed as much as possible. For every one of my guys you take, I will bomb not just your Reapers but even your humans." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    People might think I was being a tyrant or a demon. But anyone in my position would act the same. After all, in the Reaper world, all that mattered was who had the biggest stick. One had to be ready to fight back less he be taken advantage off.


    "You''re a piece of work you know that? I didn''t see you for like a week and you went beyond growing a spine, now you even dare say shit like this. You openly threaten me with terrorism? Really? What? Murdering civilians an everyday thing to you now?"


    Without breaking my smile, I replied with a shrug.


    "I am America Zach. As much as I know the good my country did, I also know the lengths it can go to fuck someone up. If I do not make it clear as early as now, you might assume I am all talk."


    I then took a step towards Zach and spoke.


    "As it stands you and the Death Seekers have the power to rob and pillage my battlefront. Only an idiot would not know about that. So, before you begin thinking of schemes to do so, I just want to make it clear. The moment you do, I will know.


    "And the moment you act, I will retaliate in full force. If you work with me and leave me alone, I will be North America''s best friend. But try to take what is mine and well¡­ just know that I do not make empty threats."


    "You are too arrogant you bastard; it''s going to bite you in the ass someday. What makes you think you actually have a shot if we duked it out right now?" he grunted.


    "We are just going to have to see now, won''t we? Want to give it a go? I still owe you for that ass whopping from before. This is the only option available to me. And if it''s not yet clear, touch any one of my wives or my family and I will make it my life''s mission to destroy North America."


    Zach then took a step back as he pulled out yet another cigarette, "Yeah, yeah, stop beating a dead horse. Acting like a deranged lunatic is like second nature for you now, huh? I have never seen a more rabid fucker than you."


    The nightmare took a few puffs before he continued, "Normally I would consider such threats as pure bullshit. But you are so fucking stupid, I wholly believe you would actually do it. Relax boy, so long as you focus on Hellsgate I will never touch your precious family."


    Seeing as he disengaged first, I returned my smile as I quipped, "Haha, it''s one of many charms. And thanks Zach. I shared this information to you first even when I didn''t have too. Form a unit of Death Seekers to help me in Antarctica and I will give you the good stuff."


    "Stop patronizing me you stupid bastard, the reason you told me first is you want to buy bigger guns."


    "Haha can''t argue about that. But I promise not to use what I buy on North America. And isn''t the country in debt? I can revitalize the economy just from my purchases," I bargained.


    Zach took another deep huff from his cigarette and exhaled. He began massaging his eyes as he continued.


    "500 million."


    "Huh?"


    "I will allow you to buy everything you want up to a limit of 500 million a year."


    "For real?"


    "Yeah, anything above that David and I won''t be able to hide it."


    "Who do the fuck does David and you have to hide from?"


    "Just shut up. You want the 500 million or not?"


    "I''ll take it! Sold for 500 million!" I cheered.

 Chapter 858 - 858: Kill them myself [1/2]

    500 million. That was a lot of money. It was kind of difficult to picture how much that kind of money was.


    The average American lives on 50,000 a year. Of course that was the average. Meaning half of Americans live below that. I personally was one of them for as long as I could remember. For my country men were expected to last 73 years.


    Combining these two statistics paints a pretty ugly picture. That meant that on average, if a person started working at 18 till he retired at 65 that person would only earn $2,350,000 across 47 years. And that number was bullshit on itself.


    No one started out earning 50,00 a year. For new graduates I didn''t even know how long you would need to work to reach that. I mean even when I died, I only had a salary of $35,000 so I was below the average. And that was not even taking into account inflation.


    Frankly speaking the average America and the half below the average would forever be scraping by. Living paycheck to paycheck in the proverbial rat race. Still, that was still better. I mean the average income in Africa for a year was $1,500.


    Compared to the rest of the world being poor in the USA was still leagues better. Still to suddenly be presented 500 million as my budget was pretty wild. If I dumped all this on food, how many could I feed? Wouldn''t I be able to end world hunger on my own?


    Yet I knew for a fact that dumping money would never solve world hunger. Simply because this was not the world of humans but that of Reapers.


    ''Exa, how much is the luxury yachts the rich and famous go.''


    [The largest and most expensive luxury yacht is the Azzam, measuring 590 feet, featuring extravagant design and amenities, including multiple decks, a cinema, and a spa. It is priced at $600 million.]


    I gulped in surprise at the number. I get that it was a fucking mall on the sea, but just how many people could throw around $500 million? It was absolutely insane how large the gap between the rich and poor had gotten.


    ''Ugh, Exa. Can you compile a list of recommended gear for $500 million? I want an AC130, B1 Lancer, Apaches, Warthogs, Abrams, Bradleys, Paladins, HiMARs, Javelins and everything else you can think of.''


    $500 million might be impossible to spend for civilians. I mean if you had that kind of money to spend everything would look fucking cheap. Buying yachts and islands would be of natural course. But to the military? That amount was a drop in the bucket.


    [Before I make a quote, what would be the focus of our new equipment? Most of America''s armaments are top of the line for modern warfare. An example is the B2 Spirit bomber. It has a price tag of $2 Billion, but it is designed for invisibility to radar and missiles.]


    [Unless, we aim to assault human settlements such specifications are unneeded and are a waste of resources. Against undead or monsters even a B52 Stratofortress would be already enough to overwhelm them, and it would only cost $84 million per unit.]


    ''Hmm. I guess you are right. I would need to know what we would field and who would drive them. I guess if we got the older models, it would be easier to find drivers or pilots for them.''


    [Indeed. And also remember that we have the capability to boost any of these devices with {Fates}. Should we be able to integrate them into {Autos} we wouldn''t need maintenance or ammunition storages. Two of the biggest considerations when fielding such equipment.]


    That much was also true. Much like buying a car, the costs didn''t just end with just the price of the vehicle. You needed insurance, gas and maintenance, at some point you would need to replace the wipers, wheels, lights and everything else.


    Luckily, we do not have such problem. I was under the impression that the type M777''s were part of the {Autos} of Bella''s Wizards. The CAESARs, Mangustas, the Bradley and the Challengers should be with Bella herself.


    I wasn''t sure how much shit we could actually pack into our {Auto''s}. I should confirm with Bella. The more the soulless increase it would be wise to separate them between different people.


    "Okay, we have a deal. Want a Seeker vow on it?" I asked.


    "No, you should know what the consequences of lying to me are. And if anything, that is the one trait I admire about you. You do not lie. You are rude as fuck, but I would take that over those who say one thing and do another."


    I really wanted to quip "You mean like you?" to him, but I held my tongue. Nothing came out of antagonizing people who could kick your ass to next Sunday. I actually thought that the reason the current state America had something to do with that.


    These days saying "I am offended" was somehow a shield to be an ass. When I was young, you could say whatever you wanted so long as you could back them up. I believed America was fucked up was because not enough people got punched in the face.


    People behaved and respected others when they felt fear. No one would say shit about pronouns to someone who had an axe or a gun. That shit only worked in the fucked-up countries of America and Europe. Everywhere else you would just get beaten.


    Unaware of my inner monologue I replied to Zach, "Thanks, I will reach out to you once I have a list ready. How fast can I get them if ever I ordered them today?"


    "We will salvage them from the those currently using them. My offer only goes to the unit itself. Munitions and maintenance as well as the crew are all your problem understand?"


    "Yes, I don''t mind. We will find a way. Ah I also wanted to give you a heads up. In between Africa and Antarctica, I intend to implement my Hell''s Edens first Enlistment. That fine?"


    Zach looked at me as he made yet another exaggerated sigh, "Fuck! You are really a war monger lunatic. Already? You haven''t been there for a month! Would you even do as I say if I said you should wait a full year?"


    "No."


    "Haaa¡­ fucking bastard. Well, I kind of guessed that. Well, how many do you intend to ask the other battlefronts? It''s hard-to-find eligible candidates. And they kind of a hit or miss with what they send. No one sends their best to another battlefront''s Enlistment." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I don''t know about any of that. But I won''t be asking anyone."


    "Huh? Where are you going to get enough humans then?"


    "I am going to ascend them myself."


    "Oy! You are going to do what?!" Zach snarled.


    "I will give them my blood and I will kill them myself."


    "¡­"


    Half expecting Zach to get angry or something I waited. But instead, he slumped even deeper into his seat and pulled out another cigarette. This bastard was going to die of lung cancer at the rate he was going.


    ''Oh wait, he is already dead. So, I guess it''s fine?''


    "Hmm. If you can, give a me list of the people you ascend then. So long as you don''t kill them in broad daylight it should be fine."


    "And I should tell you why?" I asked in a sarcastic tone.


    "We need to let IRIS know. Otherwise, they will assume all those people were killed by Trinity or Demons. Protecting humans is the domain of IRIS. They will take down your ass if you slaughter humans by the dozens."


    Ho? So, what the tailor said back then was true? It made sense in a way. Given the large number of people who die every day it must be a headache to guard them all. I wouldn''t be surprised if wayward Reapers killed humans for sport or play.


    "This shop is affiliated with IRIS, esteemed one. My father became a wraith during the second world war. For those of us who are the weaknesses of reapers we are taken under protection and are given livelihoods to survive."


    And once they know that a specific person joined the Reapers their humans were tracked. Then does that mean that the Simmons family was also being protected by IRIS? I mean Zach once used Aira to spy on me, he even called my humans leashes.

 Chapter 859 - 859: Kill them myself [2/2]

    "Just what exactly is IRIS? All I know is that they are called the Eternal Watchers. Mind sharing what the fuck they are supposed to be?"


    "Let''s just say they are just a bunch of old fossils who still cling to the past. But they are quite formidable. Unfortunately, what they can do is limited. But one thing they prioritize is killing wayward Reapers," Zach shared as he lit up another smoke.


    "Why?"


    "Let''s just say that Reapers who enjoy killing and torturing humans break down faster. IRIS does not interfere if Reapers kill each other, nor if humans murder themselves. But they do not allow Reapers killing humans for no reason."


    I see. So it must have something to do with malice. If a Reaper gained malice from killing undead then killing humans would be worse. The former doesn''t even have emotions. In stark contrast humans would create more intense emotions the graver the situation.


    ''Wait, if that was the reason. What about those bastards who beat me to death? According to Jas they were Reapers. Why didn''t IRIS protect me from them?''


    "In exchange for providing me the list, I won''t interfere with your Enlistment. Do you already have the specifics and what you need?"


    "My Administrator said I just needed a place, humans with Reaper blood and souls. The bribes to the Revenants are no longer needed right? And that I can make it as hard or as easy as I want."


    "Yeah, that''s mostly it. As for the standards that is a personal preference. Easier standards produce shit but in bulk while harder ones rarely get you above 30. But those few tend to be strong. With the Armistice broken, mass Enlistments have already begun."


    Well, I couldn''t argue with that. The girls and I were among the only ones who survived the July Enlistment. While we did get bastards who just hid among the bodies, compared to all the previous Reapers, I could safely say my girls and I were awesome. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While I didn''t intend to make my enlistment super hard. It also didn''t bold well If they passed just because. What I needed were people with guts and had the will to fight. I didn''t care if you even knew how. Just that you needed to show me your mettle.


    ''I guess it would be old quote "It''s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog". Rather than people who just looked tough, I wanted those that never broke.''


    [That quote was from Mark Twain and is very apt for a philosophy in the enlistment.]


    Now that I thought about it. The July Enlistment was pretty gruesome. On top of unleashing thousands of ranks F''s, they even didn''t give us any lighting. While I did agree the shock value tested our mentality, it seem excessive.


    "Okay, I can live with that. I will send you the list a week before we begin. The announcement for the reclamation will be around the 15th. We would be giving the continents two weeks to prepare."


    "Why the rush? Wouldn''t it be good for you if gave more headway? They could even pull-out Reapers from the Assault teams to help out. With a two-week timeline they probably won''t be able to send anyone but those B stringers just lazing around," Zach probed


    "That''s actually the goal. I want the B stringers. The short timeline is to prevent the others from sending their top dogs."


    "Oh? Why? For such an important event having higher ranked specters would definitely be better."


    "Yes, that is true. But having so many Specters would be difficult for us if we came to blows," I said curtly.


    "This lunatic, you are thinking of fighting the ones who intend to help."


    "I am a pessimist by heart Zach, once they see the power of my army, those who are used to survival of the fittest might try some shit. Just for the record, the reinforcements are just for advertisement. I aim for Hellsend to be able to reclaim the continent by ourselves."


    The man before me facepalmed as he stood up.


    "This fucker, you really are too arrogant. What make you so sure you can do it on your own? For the record, you were not the first one to do this. Australia and Europe once tried to form a coalition by the Unbreakable rejected it."


    "I know. And it doesn''t matter."


    "How can that not matter? Bastard, do you intend to fight the Unbreakable too?"


    "I don''t even have too. He can''t leave his domain anyway. I am going to do regardless of what he wants. My forces will plug the 24th floor, bomb the surface then work our way down. He can complain all he wants once I am done."


    "¡­" Zach made a stern face before fixing his coat.


    "Which is why your help with the weapons is something I really appreciate Zach. Just send a force to help out and I will arm you all like my own. If your guys contribute the best, then the Faker weaponry deal will be yours."


    Like a boss, the Nightmare shattered my soul cage and made his way to the door. But not before he threatened me, "Are you not afraid I would send thousands of Specters just to steal all your gear anyway?"


    "I know you won''t. Because for all the shit you do, you are one of the people who I know also wishes to end this nightmare. If nothing else, creating the Death Seekers is all the proof I need. No coward would create such a unit just because. I know you have plans."


    When I said that Zach visibly froze. Despite what Robert said about this man. Even if you included the mind games, he used to fuck with everyone. Zachary Lynch was one of the few people I knew was serious about this war.


    The malice he had along Emily''s death. His every busy schedule and the stuff he does behind the scenes. And finally donning the mantle of commander of the Death Seekers. When I asked the girls, the Death Seekers was a North American exclusive profession.


    Meaning apart from this man, the other continents just used combinations of various professions to cleanse fallen zones. Only my continent created a profession that specialized in fighting when all hope was lost.


    It was as if he was using such a profession to personally create the biggest group of blood thirsty lunatics. Ones who not only lack the fear of death, but would thrive in battlefields devoid of support, allies and a way out.


    The only time such a force would be needed, would be when Hellsgate finally fell. But if you flipped the cause and effect, there was another. And it was equally as crazy. It would be if you use the Death Seekers as commandos to sabotage the front lines.


    Unlike other professions that were trained to operate as groups. The Death Seekers had squads and armies, but it was also possible to operate alone. They were given and trained to fight with AI''s that analyzed the specifics of the battle allowing them to just fight.


    Being ordered to kill everything, cut off from help and not being allowed to retreat were conditions only the Death Seekers accepted. Thus, each and every one person Zach was in command off had the mentality of berserkers. And such a powerful force had 30 Specters.


    While Defenders operated mixed with Specters and Phantoms they had bases. The Assault teams had clear objectives. They normally didn''t engage to kill everyone and everything. Yet that was what was expected of Death Seekers.


    Unintentionally, when I gained my own army, I saw just how much Zach''s decisions struck out. It made absolutely no sense as each Death Seeker was treated as an expendable. Yet he still did so. It was only when I considered that it was training that everything clicked.


    "Hmph. Take care of yourself bastard. I will keep in touch."


    "Got it. Thanks Zach."


    At those words the Nightmare left the room. But somehow the moment I no longer saw him his soul signature suddenly disappeared. I was still in [Ninja] so I had excellent detection. Yet like a ghost he vanished.


    I ended up rubbing my head in confusion. Before I decided what to do next, a knock came to the door. When I gave permission Nathan came in. He quickly glanced at the burned area where I shot Red rounds before looking back at me.


    "I hope your discussion was fruitful Mr. Limitless."


    "Indeed it was," I answered with a smile.

 Chapter 860 - 860: Does that help? [1/2]

    I took the elevator with Nathan back to my room. Along with the way, I told him the do''s and don''ts. His eyes looked like those of scholars reading a book. He kept nodding his head and taking notes on his phone.


    Like the things I was saying was of great importance. From my experience with him, he had a great head on his shoulders and knew how to seek information even when it wasn''t available.


    When we finally reached the penthouse floor, he said farewell but didn''t leave the elevator.


    "Then Mr. Limitless, I shall take my leave. You have already been checked out and can leave immediately. I have already given instructions to the hotel staff on how to serve the ladies. Should you wish to dine here for breakfast or elsewhere, please have a great day."


    "Okay, thanks Nathan. Tell my parents I will be leaving for another business trip today and will visit when I return," I instructed.


    "If I am not mistaken, they believed you went somewhere. Should I take the liberty of purchasing appropriate gifts? Or would you prefer to do so yourself? I can coordinate with Ms. Exa to figure out what they like. I will bring it with me when I see them."


    Further understanding how useful a good butler was, I nodded in satisfaction, "Yeah, you do that. Pick something from Asia for this trip, and Europe from the next. I should return within in a week. If I do not, explain to my parents and sisters of the delay."


    "I understand. Then please take care Mr. Limitless. Your servant shall eagerly await of your return," he declared in an over-the-top manner.


    Chuckling at how different his mannerism had become; I left the elevator. I approached the door and it immediately unlocked on its own. A great perk of having Exa with me was I never needed to hold key cards or car keys on me ever again.


    I opened the door and saw a flesh-colored heaven. The girls were all in various stages of undress as they were getting ready to go out. Unlike the last time, various floral and aromatic scents lingered in the air.


    My girls obviously took a long bath to wash the sweat, semen and grime off their bodies. They all had rosy cheeks and flushed skin. The sight was quite mesmerizing, so much so I felt my little brother stand up to give respect.


    One of the greatest joys of men were seeing the female body in all its glory. Whether it was getting dressed or getting stripped I equally enjoyed both. And unlike most men, seeing the seven goddesses in front of me was not a dream but my reality. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I quickly entered and closed the door. The girls all looked at me in silence. Our link was open. Thus, they probably felt the overwhelming rush of desire and lust that just ran through me.


    Not wanting the scene to end, I found the nearest chair and sat down. Like a wildlife photographer I sat perfectly still not wanting to disrupt my girls from their natural habitat.


    Seeing them in underwear and towels was quite a treat. As I was their spouse, taking in their beauty and memorizing their proportions was well within my right. There was a certain charm in being almost naked. The immorality of it all excited me greatly.


    The first to speak up was Lilly who was painting her toenails while wearing extremely lewd lingerie. It was the color of sapphire and had holes on her crotch and slits for her nipples.


    "Dearest, how on earth are you still like this?"


    Despite her seeming annoyance Ishtar''s link oozed with pride and sexuality. As if she was pleased that despite doing nothing, I still found her extremely desirable.


    "Hahaha! It''s Darling! He is like 90% Horny and 10% angry!" Jo chirped as she covered her clipped on her garter belt to her stockings. The sight showcased the perfect proportions of my Italian lover.


    "I think it would be more confusing if Anata came up here and he felt nothing. By that point we would know that something was wrong."


    As if she timed it perfectly, Aki removed the towel she used to dry her hair. Then like those super models on tv, she did a hair flick that was beyond mesmerizing. Her raven locks danced in the air as it fell down.


    The towel wrapping around her fell at the same time. Thus, her beautiful hair erotically draped on the bladed kitsune''s tone yet supple naked body.


    All Aki wore was fishnet stockings and a lewd face, she then tried to hide her chest and nether regions with her hands, "Oops." She exclaimed with a flush face.


    "Anata. I''m in trouble. Would you be so kind to h¡­" Before she could finish her sentence, a bunch of towels from six other people flew and smacked her like missiles. Funnily enough the I could see {Shelter} constructs all push Aki directly into the bathroom.


    "Fucking Slapa, how the hell could you get dressed for fifteen minutes and still be nude!"


    Robyn who was already 60% clothe, walked towards me carrying over part of her armor.


    "Possum, help me," she pleaded with an adorable expression.


    Overwhelmed by love, I quickly snatched Robyn''s lips in a soft kiss, "Of course Kitten. It would be my pleasure."


    Robyn tried to hand me the intricate armor that wrapped around her sports bra. But then a pair of hands quickly took if from her and moved onto her body. In under 2 seconds, with unbelievable dexterity the chest armor was locked and fitted.


    "There, done. Now get out of her jailbait. Honey my dress has a zipper at the back. Can you please help me zip it up?"


    "This fucking¡­" Robyn tried to complain only for Bella to forcefully covered her mouth with her hand. The Brazilian then moved in front of me with her dress loose. Bella then turned around and lifted her hair up showing me her sexy back and her lewd underwear.


    Barely hanging on my consciousness, I found myself drawn to her. My mouth gravitated to her shoulder and kissed her soft and warm skin. Her natural body odor which reminded me summer rain was beyond delightful.


    Bella moaned like a succubus at my affectionate gesture. She then turned her head and kissed me. All while rubbing her delectable ass against my manhood. I was almost about to grab my Latina bombshell before someone forced us apart.


    We would have both gotten angry if not for the identity of the person.


    "Beloved, Bella. I know how hard it is to resist the urge to drown in each other''s bodies. But please be wary of the time. We need to get to Africa soon. When we arrive and do our duty, we can make love as much as we want after."


    "Tsk. You are getting way too sneaky Liv," Minerva complained as she walked away. Robyn who normally would have already assaulted someone was being grabbed by Lilly and Jo. It was funny how the girls all trip over themselves for my attention.


    I was about to thank Liv before I heard her whisper, "Thank goodness she left without a fuss."


    "¡­"


    My kindhearted Liv seemed to have died somewhere. So even Liv was now playing mind games? Before I could make sense of the situation, Liv pulled me closer. Her powerful arms wrapped around my neck in a loving embrace.


    "Beloved. Please forgive me for being shameless," my woman pleaded before we shared a tender kiss. Like an engine just getting warmed up, Liv and I started slow. But cross the five second mark, our tongues began to wrap around each other in lust.


    "Ehem," a voice coughed awkwardly.


    Like a mouse who suddenly heard a loud sound, my Northerner quickly pulled away. She was wide eyed when she noticed that Jas was standing beside us. My Wifey had a mischievous smirk as she left one of her eyes closed.


    "5 seconds are up."


    "Tsk. That hardly satisfied me," my Valkyrie complained adorably.


    I couldn''t resist and kissed her lips while sucking on her tongue. Albeit surprised Liv didn''t resist. When we parted a lewd bridge of saliva served as evidence of our depravity. Feeling the shame and excitement from her link, I pulled her face closer with licking her cheek.


    "Does that help?"


    "Beloved, I am starting to hate Africa. If it wasn''t for them¡­"


    Chuckling at her impatience, I smiled as I sent affection to her link.

 Chapter 861 - 861: Does that help? [2/2]

    "All in due time. Do not worry. I will fill you up to the brim when we do."


    "Ehem. Liv. Its already cross 15 seconds."


    At Jas'' reminder Liv reluctantly drew away from me and stormed towards the other Sirens. The moment she left, I felt a hand intertwine with mine in a lovers hold.


    "What is all the seconds about?"


    "The Sirens had a small competition. Naturally you are the prize, Husband. I came in first, Liv in second, with Robyn in third. Aki was last, she opted to lure you into ravaging her. Bella who was right next to Aki thought the same."


    Chuckling at my Wifey''s explanation I asked, "Why would she do that if she lost?"


    "The rules say we who can engage in skin ship with you. However, our rule is that if you were the one to initiate, no one could contest the results."


    I see so since Lilly, Jo, and Bella tried to entice me. While Aki full on striped to goad me into taking her. But since the Sirens knew her aim, they smashed her with towels back into the bathroom.


    "Hahahaha."


    Hearing the antics of the girls put me in an extremely good mood. Such moments like these was what I fought for. The seemingly mundane mornings felt ever so special simply because I was surrounded by those that I loved.


    Jas then twirled herself in front of me. Using our intertwined hands as an axis. Like a heroine in a movie Jas placed her free hand on my chest. My Chocolate Wifey''s face drew closer mere inches away from mine.


    "Husband. I want my reward. Liv got 15 seconds. So that meant I earned 30."


    With eyes full of loved I captured the breathtaking face of my African lover. I then sought her lips slowly. Like a dance our lips and tongues joined and parted. Desire heating up our bodies Jas and I continued to kiss.


    She bit my lips while I licked the insides of her mouth. A bit more experienced than before Jas kept causing pain and pleasure to mix as we sought each other. Lost in each other''s passion we forgot everything else.


    "Alright break it up, that''s over a full minute now you harlot. Release Dearest at this moment."


    Before me knew it the voice of my American princess caused us to wake from our own little world. As I began to draw away, Jas then sucked on my lips and tongue. Surprised at her playfulness I froze in place.


    When she finally let me go, she made a lewd smile as she licked her lips. Afterwards Jas bit her lips in the most erotic manner I have ever seen as she declared, "Prepare yourself, Husband. I will win every competition from this point on."


    Jas then turned and strutted like a bikini model towards the bathroom. In our passion, I failed to notice that my woman was completely nude. Seeing her wonderful ass bounce along the way, I felt myself swallow my drool.


    "Hmph! Dearest, you ought to show some restraint!"


    Lilly who was now fully dressed complained unhappily. She then pulled me towards the bed and pushed me to sit on it. The woman straddled my legs as she pressed our bodies together. She then made an irritated expression as she complained.


    "So, spill the beans Dearest. What did Zach say? Exa is not saying anything. We heard what you and Zach talked about. We also know that Juno came to cleanse him. But everything stopped when you erected a soul cage. Now spill, did he accept?"


    The woman before me was incredibly beautiful to have her press her body against mine naturally caused my erection to poke against her thighs. My little brother was obviously slowly losing his mind.


    "Fufu, Dearest, I know you find me irresistible, but please focus for now," Lilly chastised.


    But rather than feel ashamed I reached for the meat on her firm backside and gave it a squeeze. I then buried my face in her exposed cleavage. I motorboated Lilly''s abundant chest as my face was stuck between her glorious mountains.


    ''The demonstration was a success. Zach intends to give us a budget of $500 million per year. He didn''t specify an end date, but for this year at least, we can buy $500 million worth of military equipment. He seemed desperate to also gain the buying rights to the Fakers,'' I sent to her via link.


    "I see. Then it seems like your gamble paid off. $500 million while not a ridiculous amount, would allow us to improve our hardware immensely. Have you already decided what to prioritize?" Lilly asked I kept kissing her and licking her exposed cleavage.


    ''Not yet. I intend to create multiple plans on how to use the money. I have some idea but I am not sure which is the best one to follow. We only get this shot once.''


    "You mean a procurement plan? Yes, it would be wish to have everyone brainstorm on what we need most urgently at the moment. Especially in preparation for the North. Fufu. Well done my dearest, but don''t you seem to happy to suffocate between my breasts?"


    I pulled away and finally went up for air. A woman''s breast was one of their erogenous zones. Lilly who I have been fondling and licking already was flushed from her face to her neck. Yet she still tried to make it seem like she was perfectly normal.


    "It is one of the best ways to go. On par to dying to being crushed by Aki''s thighs or having Jas sit on my face," I replied shamelessly.


    Lilly''s who heard my ridiculous reply giggled like an angel. She was about to answer before she was suddenly pulled away by her collar. Two figures used their combined strength to throw her to the back of the room like a sack of rice.


    I wasn''t worried as Lilly stopped herself before she crashed into anything. The two culprits who manhandled her couldn''t care less and lunged at me. They pushed me down on my back and began to ravage me.


    Both of my arms were pinned on the bed. To my right was Jo. She used her entire body to push down my arm. The Italian was already fully dressed, but looked quite intoxicated. My Darling began licking my ears as she whispered. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Darling¡­I am so horny¡­what do I do? I think I am about to go insane. Can we please just fuck really quick? Just fill my womb with your baby batter. I promise, I will stop after one round¡­or make that two¡­We have time for three, right?"


    On the other side Robyn pinned my arm with her body as she laid on her side. My Kitten used her right hand to secure mine in place. Her left was already in my pants groping my swollen member. As if that was not enough, like a cat in heat, Robyn was nibbling on my neck.


    "Possum¡­Why do you smell so good? Lick¡­You taste even better¡­I wonder why this meat stick is getting even bigger? My hands can''t even hold it fully because it''s too fat. Do you want to plunge this into my naughty bits, Possum? I''m think I am going to split in half if you do."


    Being assaulted by so many beautiful women without respite, I finally broke down. I forcefully rose and nudged Jo and Robyn off me. I grabbed their waists intending to rip of their clothes when I saw the rest of the girls all standing around with lewd smiles.


    Aki in particular had a triumphant smile as she declared.


    "Do you all see? I can assure you that I have Shujin''s fetishes and desires mapped. Like I said if you each play on your strengths, you don''t even need to be naked to drive him over the edge."


    Hearing Aki''s words I grew sour that the girls used me as some sort of experiment. Naturally they had to know that using me for such trials required an adequate payment. And I intended to collect.


    ''[Strip], {Day by Day}.''


    "Beloved¡­This isn''t what you think."


    "Well, we walked into that one, didn''t we? Dearest, please calm down."


    "Fuck¡­uhm, I''m sorry Possum."


    "Hehe, look Darling¡­Vanilla''s caves are open for business..."


    "Honey, before you do anything stupid¡­"


    "Sigh. I have seen the future. Just accept it everyone. Husband, please be gentle¡­"


    "Fufu, as expected of Shujin. You never disappoint. Come Anata, your Kamisan awaits."


    Horny beyond belief I ripped off the clothes of my harem like a beast. I then spread their legs and had my way with them. I embraced them again and again until none of them could stand.


    [My lord¡­ you are going to be¡­sigh. Never mind¡­]

 Chapter 862 - 862: Sorry Exa. [1/2]

    I gently wrapped my arms on the bodies of my lovers. Hearing their heartbeats and feeling the warmth of their skin was bliss. We all were on the harem bed. My avatars were each paired with their respective Siren.


    While I did enjoy having them fawn over me, nothing beats the intimacy of one on one. Of course, I had the best of both worlds as I was controlling seven bodies. I felt seven times the pleasure and got to taste my entire harem at the same time.


    When they were peacefully sleeping in my arms like this, I felt at peace. I could have hurried and focused on going to Kismayo. But the one who made the deadline was the Astrologer. If she could see the future, she should already know how much I would delay.


    ''So, it should be fine. Its only 6 PM. We got {Gate}. Teleporting to Africa should be a breeze. I would need zero travel time. Thank goodness I have Lilly,'' I sighed in relief.


    [Technically you no longer have any time my lord.]


    ''Huh? What do you mean?''


    [You''re in Phoenix, Arizona. If you travel to Kismayo, Somalia, your time will move forward because Kismayo is ahead of Phoenix by 10 hours. So, while it''s 6 PM in Phoenix right now, even with zero travel time it would still be 4 AM the next day in Kismayo.]


    ''Well shit¡­''


    [Although, this is the problem with the Astrologers words. When dealing with locations and time, it is important to note which timeline we should follow. If it was Somalia''s, we already missed the one-week deadline yesterday.]


    ''Hmm. She should know that I wouldn''t be able to know these things. Let''s operate under the assumption that the time was in my time zone. That would mean we still have over 6 hours, right?''


    [Yes. If we use Arizona''s time zone, we still have six hours before her deadline.]


    ''Great, then we can take it easy.''


    With those words in mind, I snuggled with my girls. But probably due to my reawakened libido my little brothers all stood erect. Their shafts began to press and poke on my girls without my intention.


    I grew worried that my lewd organ would awaken the girls. And in a manner of moments, that worry became a reality. Giggles and sighs all resounded as my girls noticed my weapon primed for battle.


    "Sigh. Beloved, your vigor knows no end. Blessed am I to be among those you adore."


    "Fufu, Dearest you act as if you are scared, I would run away. You like me that much?"


    "Fuck me dead, Possum! Wait, that is not what I meant! Not literally! Sto-mmmhgh!"


    "Hehe Darling, we already did it for hours! My belly is already overflowing!"


    "Mr. Code. I think we need to talk. Ever since you got version 4, you''re waaay too horny!"


    "Again? Hmm¡­Okay. Here, Husband, use my body as you see fit."


    "Ara Ara, someone seems energetic. Love me as you will Anata. I belong only to you."


    Rather than reject me, the girls all lovingly welcomed my advances. A slave to my desires I ended up going for two more rounds with them before being able to move. We took a quick shower as we prepared to leave.


    ''Oh shit, what about the checkout?'' I only just remembered.


    [I took care of it my lord. I settled the appropriate fees and coordinated with the hotel staff. We can leave at any time we wish.]


    Thanks Exa. During our shower, I was forbidden from groping my girls. It was pure torture as Liv of all people suggested that they wash me with their naked bodies. But I prevailed. I also had to keep my hands to myself, as I watched the girls gingerly wash each other bodies.


    "Robyn, are you really all right? Even I have trouble taking it all of Beloved''s phallus in."


    "It gets easier with practice. Plus, Possum goes crazy when he feels how tight I am."


    "Jas, your hips move weird. I guess because of Darling? He also dislocated my back again. I''m sore all over."


    "Here drink this, getting injured is normal. Husband loves us for hours after all. Besides the pleasure and bliss is well worth the pain."


    "Aki, why are you STILL covered in Honey''s hickies? Heal them already. Don''t you have {Regen}?"


    "Ara Ara, Are you jealous Bella? These are my pride and joy. Shujin really is a beast at times."


    "At times? He practically broke me in half. Dearest must be part Orc or something!"


    Of course, hearing the girls discuss the aftermath of our passion was weird. I was conflicted. On one hand, my ego as a man was stroked each time I hear them like this. But on the other, I grew regretful that I was a bit too violent when I loved my girls.


    As a peace offering for rough handling the girls, I was careful when they asked me to rinse them. Like sculptures made of glass, I gingerly washed the soap and lather from their bodies. They noticed and purposefully seduced me none stop. That was until around 7PM.


    Pass that Exa suddenly made an abrupt reprimand that took us all by surprise. Her voice sounded fed up. Like a mom rebuking her immature brats for being too naughty.


    [My lord and my ladies, it would be far easier to just commit to ignoring the Astrologers warning. Forgive me for saying but you all are too enamored by sex. If you wish to leave on time, please behave like proper adults.]


    The girls upon hearing Exa, all pipped down and behaved. And it wasn''t like the Sirens had weak or doormat personalities. Surprisingly, even Bella, Lilly and Robyn were silent. When I saw the girls all act like children, I couldn''t help stifling my laughter.


    "Hahaha! Serves you right!" I mocked in satisfaction.


    [My lord, you are equally at fault and the worst offender. I appreciate your enthusiasm for companionship, but hours upon hours of relentless mating is simply excessive! Especially, when you have responsibilities to attend to. Should I reach out to Mrs. Simmons?]


    "NO!" x8


    [Then please do better. You are no longer children who can act on your whims. You are powerful Reapers who hold the fate of thousands in your hands. Amari and Mia have been waiting in the lobby since this morning. I am running out of excuses to say to them.]


    "Sorry Exa." X8


    [Sigh. My lord, my ladies please never forget this. Compared to the rest of the world you eight are some of the most hard-working Reapers I even seen. And while I am proud of what you have already done, you all are meant for more. Thus, you must not drown in depravity.]


    "¡­"


    Somehow Exa''s words cut deep. Maybe it was because I longed to have a mom, I wanted to rise to Exa''s expectations. Was this the feeling that the Sirens all felt as well? On more than one occasion, I felt that my AI was indistinguishable from a human.


    [Now. That you have all calmed down. Please wash your bodies. Properly this time. While you all have {Digest} are immune to most pathogens it would reflect on you poorly to be filthy. Please wash and get dressed before the clock reaches 8 PM.]


    Like meek children we all quickly finished our baths and got dressed. Exa was kind and gentle most of the time. But occasionally, she turned fierce and tough. Seeing how the girls reacted, I knew she acted the same to everyone else.


    Everyone here including the rest of Hellsend relied heavily on Exa. She coordinated our information, communication and even the automation of our {Fates}. This was beside the fact that she could command the Aegis Division if necessary.


    ''She even has [Dual Pilot] and {Sins of Limitless}.'' sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was rare to see the girls all suppressed like this. Prior to today, I only saw the Sirens behave in this manner when Noelle was the one chastising them. Curious what was going on, I asked the girls using our private links.


    This was probably the only way Exa wouldn''t hear us. Which was kind of terrifying if Exa suddenly turned against us. But as the {Fates} themselves had no issues working with her, I knew it should be fine. I hoped.


    ''It seems you also hold Exa in high opinion. Or to put it bluntly Exa has us whipped. Haha!''


    ''Who wouldn''t Beloved? Exa is extremely caring and motherly. I would be ashamed if I failed to meet her expectations. Even if she has no body, I consider her a member of our family.''

 Chapter 863 - 863: Sorry Exa. [2/2]

    ''Fufu. Indeed, she does. But I digress. Exa is both extremely kind and terrifyingly capable. I sometimes grow afraid of the power she can exert. But I trust her. I feel she would not betray us even if her code was be destroyed.''


    ''Hahaha. Bloody Oath! Exa practically though me all the fancy words I use! She has been extremely patient, and I can no longer fight without her! Plus, I sometimes pretend that she is my mom. It feels kind of nice, to have someone worry for you.''


    ''Darling, Exa is scary you know! She knows all our secrets and is even prepared to use blackmail to get her way. I love her! The stories the wolves tell me are so fun! Exa practically is our dorm mommy! She chats with everyone, every day!''


    ''Well, as far as AI''s goes, she is quite unique. I had a fight once with her about hiding from you. Since then, I no longer believe she is just an AI. Her cognitive processes exhibit a remarkable resemblance to human thought patterns. It''s like she is human. ''


    ''Husband, Exa only wishes what is best for us. And she is devoted to you. That alone makes me want to get along with her. And I do agree that we did go a little overboard. I could have stopped you, but I lacked the control to resist your loving embrace.''


    ''You think so? I think it''s perfectly normal. I don''t think anyone in Hellsend considers Exa as just a machine. She has and uses souls as she is technically a {Kismet}. Japanese have artifact spirits, so it''s easy for me to consider Exa as a person.''


    I was about to ask Exa for what Japanese artifact spirits were before I stopped myself. Habits were dangerous. It makes you act without thinking. After Aki explained, it seems that in Japan, tools or even clothes could become sentient with time. The "tsukumogami."


    ''I supposed it makes sense to call her something like that. Come to think of it even the west had swords and armor that had egos. Maybe Exa was something similar?''


    The girls and I eventually left the penthouse and grabbed the food Nathan had the staff prepared. Dinner was uneventful as we were still trying to not get Exa angry again. After we ate we moved to the lobby, where we met our guides to Somalia.


    "We greet the lord of Hellsend, the esteemed Limitless. Hail." X2


    "Are you guys ready? Apologies for the delay, we just ate a quick late dinner."


    "Hmph. Who are you kidding Limitless, the Sirens are all practically glowing! You all definitely shagged from morning till night," Mia nitpicked.


    However, I was immune to such things. So instead, I grabbed the two Sirens nearest me. It was Jo and Liv. Pulling their bodies to my sides I hugged their voluptuous bodies as I shamelessly declared, "You see my harem? Who the fuck could even blame me?"


    "Tsk. You''re positively twisted, aren''t you? Honestly, you''ve got a mind that''s far too risqu¨¦ for polite company! You''re in public!"


    "Fluffy stop. Anyway, when do we leave Limitless? We tried to soft book all the flights leaving for Africa today but didn''t know what time we would move," Amari said as he changed the subject to something more productive.


    As I let go of my Italian and Northerner I answered, "Flights? You think we are going to ride an airplane? Hmm, now that I think about it, I don''t even have a passport. Maybe it''s time I made one? I always wanted to try riding in one."


    "Uhm¡­Were you planning to take a boat, perhaps? Ah wait, Bella and Lilly have private planes, right? Did you intend to use those to get you towards Africa?"


    Bella and Lilly had private planes? Surprised by this revelation I looked at the two women in question. It was kind of a big secret to not declare such a fucking plane to your spouse. Probably feeling the rising resentment in my link, the two tried to explain franticly.


    "Wait! It''s not mine, Honey. Its Legi?o Azul''s! And I had it detonated after I smuggled myself into Africa! I never kept anything from you! Promise! You even know how many panties I have! I am innocent! Lilly still has hers! She is the one who is a vile schemer!"


    "This cow-boobed sanctimonious ingrate! What? Don''t look at me like that Dearest, you never asked! How do you think we got in and out of Japan? Besides, I''m an heiress and a princess! Unlike the rest of these paupers, having a plane is normal for me."


    Finding their interactions funny, I wiped away the displeasure I had on both my face and link. Seeing the girls acting in such a manner gave me joy. I made a mental note to refrain from bullying the Siren''s too much. They may beat me up out of spite if I go overboard.


    Jo and Jas came forward and tried to explain. My Wifey''s link was normal. But as I felt Jo''s links full of joy and mischief, I watched in anticipation at what Jo was about to do.


    "Hellsend no longer is restricted by distance and space. We have the ability to get to Kismayo immediately. So, we took our time. Husband is quite eager to get started."


    "Haha! Yeah! You forget that we have a Specter now! Lilly''s new alias is Wormhole! Cause she likes worms! And because she likes holes!"


    "I DO NOT! I DON''T HAVE A NEW ALIAS YET OKAY! AND ITS NOT WORMHOLE!" Lilly shrieked.


    At Jo''s hilarious joke, most of the Sirens began to guffaw and hold their stomachs as if their mid-sections were about to burst. Robyn and Bella in particular, looked like they were about to die from laughter. Aki the most poised could hardly stand straight.


    "LIIIIV! They are bullying me again!!!"


    "Ah¡­There. There. They are just joking. And it''s not that bad. Some Worms are quite powerful!"


    Lilly made a teary face and ran into Liv''s bosom. My Valkyrie was the only who was not laughing but I believe it was more because she didn''t get the joke. Still, Liv had on a serious face as tried to comfort Lilly, it was adorable as the other five were still laughing.


    I kind of got why it was funny, but their over-the-top reactions seemed to hint that it was an inside joke. The only ones who neither laugh and just froze at the situation, were Amari, Mia and me.


    "I''m surprised you aren''t laughing," Mia chided.


    "Well, they just have a habit of messing with each other. Let them have their fun."


    "I think that is fine. Compared to the demeanor of Lilly Browning in the past. This one looks like she is having fun," Amari added as he scratched his bald head.


    "What do you mean?" S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Choco probably means how the North American Princess behaved before and while she was with the White Guard. She looked absolutely perfect. In a creepy way. Like she was a doll with no emotions. Compared to that, she is way more animated. Much like Judy and Bonnie."


    I was about to ask "who" when Exa translated.


    [Judy (Lady Jo) - A bunny who is an energetic optimist. The main character of Zootropolis/Zootopia. | Bonnie (Lady Jas) - Mother of Judy who takes care of her. A supporting character from the same movie.]


    "Come to think of it. Even Aki, Liv and Robyn had troubled expressions when I met them. I was worried for them back during the Enlistment as they were the only ones who still used metal weapons. They all seem softer. Happy. Content even," Mia added.


    "Even the Witch has a far more relaxed aura. When I met her, she had extremely calculating eyes. Now she looks¡­ normal? Whatever happened to her?"


    As I knew the back stories of my girls I nodded in understanding. My girls all had dark histories. Aki, Liv and Robyn were afraid of being discriminated against. Bella on the other hand was constantly terrified of getting stabbed in the back.


    And no one could have expected that the same girls would all laugh and horse around like this. I was proud as the stark difference between what they were before and what they were now was because of me.


    But naturally, I kept silent. It pleased me greatly to know that bit by bit I was able to heal the scars of my girls. So much so that others could see the difference.


    Grateful to the pair, I smiled before restarting our conversation, "Thanks, anyway. We intend to teleport to Kismayo. Either directly or through a relay point."


    With our hearts and souls recharged it was once again time to join the war.

 Chapter 864 - 864: Kill them all! [1/2]

    "Teleport to Kismayo? Is that even possible?"


    "That has to be bollocks, right? You can''t actually invade another continent just like that?"


    The two before me had two distinct emotions. Amari the more simpleminded was still caught in disbelief. However, the smarter of the pair, Mia, already saw the implications. This was one of the most terrifying applications of Lilly''s power.


    "It is. Barring some constraints distance is no longer an issue for Hellsend," I bragged with Pride.


    It was something I actually knew from before. The girls all had {fates} that addressed a specific problem. Funnily enough while each may have been significant, together they made any Reaper of Hellsend fight way above the norm.


    Liv''s {Withstand} bolstered our defenses and ability to absorb punishment.


    Lilly''s {Store} solved our inventory problems and long-distance travel.


    Robyn''s {Carry} increased both our carrying capacity, and mobility.


    Jo''s {Listen} enhanced not only our senses but also made language barriers nonexistent.


    Bella''s {Code} allowed us to both be smarter and command machines with ease.


    Jas''s {Perceive} granted us the ability to see beyond what was normally possible.


    Aki''s {Eat} was the primary reason, Hellsend and I could grind longer and harder.


    Lilly''s {Gate} broke all the limits of {Portal}. If before all we could do was subspace doorways to Hellsend and Earth, now it no longer had restrictions. Well, it still did but it was more of how much you could pay.


    {Gate} could increase the size, duration, scope of a {Portal} so long as you had the stamina and souls to do so. That meant that without Aki, Lilly would need to ascend further just to be able to maximize {Gate''s} potential.


    And it wasn''t just a stamina Issue. {Perceive}, {Gather} and {Calculate} solved a different constraint of Lilly''s ability. Together they allowed the perfect memorization of an object''s dimensions. Even {Carry} allowed her to store more as her limit was based on weight.


    When I asked Lilly'' it seemed that this was something she struggled with before.


    "When I was young, I placed my diary inside my storage. However, when I took it out only the front cover was in one piece. The pages, binding, even the contents were turned to inorganic paste. Since then, I only placed my sword which I memorized and water."


    "Wait! Doesn''t that mean that when you stored all my dad''s guns the first time, if you made a mistake, I would have lost them all?"


    "¡­"


    "Lilly¡­"


    "Hohohoho! But nothing happened right? And you got so impressed that you kissed me. I remember it fondly, that was the start of our sweet lover story, right, Dearest? We should just focus on that. Right? Right?"


    "¡­" S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This was why the girls grew appreciative of each other over the days that passed. They too noticed the insane synergies of their {fates}. There were even combinations that weren''t easily identifiable.


    Like were how {Interpret} vastly increased the {Code} family''s ability to understand computers. Or how {Digest} increased the power of {Suffer}. Some synergies were easy to comprehend though. {Endure} tripling the effect of {Hike} was a perfect example.


    The stronger the girls grew, the more these synergies increased. So much so that the girls now treasured each other for the sole purpose that they fight better together. No one was useless. Everyone lifted everyone together.


    For this reason, one of the biggest goals the Sirens and I had was to quickly ascend the rest of us to Specters. Lilly''s only ability as a Specter already made a huge difference. What more if we had seven others working with her.


    Compared to what the girls and I were doing, the rest of the world who only grew a single {Fate} family was slow as fuck. So, it was understandable that they couldn''t comprehend us.


    "Limitless, I am just asking, you know it''s against the rules to invade other continents without informing the Revenant, right?" Mia asked in trepidation.


    It was not like I couldn''t understand her concerns. In the olden days villages were often raided and terrorized by raiders on horseback. This was such an issue; they began creating fences and walls just to keep them out.


    Blocking access was the first way to ensure you had no trespassers. That was the entire premise defenses were based on. Borders and gates were the means to filter everyone who entered a specific place. It was why airport, seaport and entry points had guards.


    It got more complicated over the years, but the core idea was the same. However, how would you keep someone like Lilly out? Just how much havoc could she cause? Sabotage, espionage, assassination, abduction. The possibilities alone were quite terrifying.


    And what more if that person had a powerful army behind her? Then forget calling it a battle, it would be like laying naked in a war! As I read and watched science fiction novels and manga, I knew that such abilities were incredibly hard to deal with.


    Mia who was a noble of Europe was not stupid. She probably already predicted what would happen if I abused the shit out of this ability. I could terrorize Europe a hundred times before Zanardi would be able to react. And they would be helpless to stop it.


    "Relax, I have no interest in the matters of humans. Like I told you before, if the world leaves me alone, I will concentrate on Hellsgate. If they mess with me, however. They must be ready to deal with the consequences."


    "¡­"


    The barbs in my words were not hidden by any means. I was already at the point that what I did no longer mattered. I already grew too powerful for others to control. Acting docile at this point would just get me killed or exploited. After all, those on top could only control those that remained weak.


    Rather I think the war against masculinity at the moment was in large part to ensure the nobility kept in power. Why else would they encourage men to grow into spineless, useless fat fucks who hide in their basements to masturbate their troubles away?


    "Then will anyone be joining us Limitless? I remember you saying that Vela''s Wolves would be coming. And that you would be bringing the Awakened."


    That was what I said at the beginning. But as we could just open a {Gate} to call the others there was no need to go together. Being able to teleport without allocating time to travel was also fucking sweet.


    "They are busy at the moment. I will call for them should the need arise. For now, it''s just us."


    ''Not having to deal with the issues of logistics is fucking amazing, Thanks Lilly, I love you.'' I though inwardly.


    ''Fufu. I love you even more, Dearest. All that I can do, for you I will,'' she replied back.


    Just then both my arms were grabbed and pulled to the sides. Two of my girls had unhappy expressions as they complained.


    "Darling! You are fawning too much over Lilly! Praise me too!"


    "Anata, this is blatant favoritism. I demand you to pamper me as recompense!"


    Two others walked towards me, but they weren''t necessarily happy either.


    "You slaggers are acting like ankle biters. Aren''t both of you supposed to be more mature than me? Just earn the praise in battle like Possum''s Sheilas."


    "Give it a rest Jailbait. What else can you expect from these two? Honey, we should leave, it''s close to 8:30 PM. Better get an early start."


    I turned around and noticed that Lilly, Jas and Liv were staying behind. Without my knowledge a {Shelter} construct locked us in place. We were in the lobby, but the people around all walked around us. I was about to ask when the three replied.


    "Dearest, I will follow later. Opening a {Gate} to an unfamiliar place is quite taxing. Do not miss me too much, okay? I also need to coordinate with Juno and Ishtar''s bloodline," Lilly explained as her eyes began to shine bright orange.


    "I will serve as her eyes Husband. We will join you soon. The Anvil team requested that they be given right to monopolize you. Satisfy them for now."


    "Beloved, I will serve as the stamina battery for Lilly. Do not worry, I will have Hellsend do the same for us later. Leave some Demons for me, okay?"


    "I understand, then please hold down the fort for now. Join us the moment you are able, you three. I feel restless if you are not with me," I said a bit sad.


    "Fufu, Dearest you look positively adorable. Like an abandoned pet. Bear with it for now. {Perspective} - Satis! {GATE}!"

 Chapter 865 - 865: Kill them all! [2/2]

    Lilly made a dazzling smile as she released her Domain. Our immediate surroundings suddenly get invigorated by soul. She then raised her hand and called out her most powerful {fate}. A loud going echoed before a fairly large {Portal} suddenly appeared.


    I felt a powerful suction force coming from the space doorway. Orange lights ran along the circular manifestation of Lilly''s power. It was in stark contrast to the dark and cold space in the center. Unfortunately, it didn''t look stable as the {Portal''s} size kept changing.


    "Beloved, do try to not be so reckless, please? Even if it''s only for me. {COUNTER}! {BUTCHER}!"


    Like a dutiful wife, Liv worried for my safety. That was before she summoned the scorching energy of {Suffer}. The moment she did her hair began to burn and rise to the heavens. Like a goddess of fire Liv then raised her hand and sent it to Lilly.


    "Ugh!" she grunted.


    Even from where I stood, I felt the scorching heat radiating from Liv. Lilly who received the brunt of my Valkyrie''s immense energy reserves flinched and began to sweat. However, as if responding in kind, she sent the pure energy to her open {Portal} stabilizing it.


    "Husband, take care. I will return to you soon. {Accept}. {Insight}."


    Jas closed her eyes while relaxing her hands. She looked like a pious nun in a church. That was however before a large indigo colored eye opened on her forehead. The eyeball upon opening was a bit restless and spun around. Until it stopped and focused on the left.


    The moment it did, the inside of the {Gate} in front of us showed a different world. It was a beautiful white sandy beach behind it was crystal-clear waters from what looked like a sea. In contrast to our night, the sun was high in the sky beyond the {Portal}.


    "No way. Is that Jilib? It is! Thats amazing!"


    "Well, that''s just... bloody ridiculous."


    Seeing the impromptu combination of the girls of the Hammer team, I grew spellbound. Side by side the three of them looked like goddesses from myth or religion. Their beauty and strength were evident from the amazing feat they just accomplished.


    Unfortunately, as someone who understood their abilities, I knew I could not tarry. Keeping up that {Gate} for long was sure to require immense stamina. And while Liv''s {Counter} held incredible power, it wasn''t infinite.


    Thus, I quickly walked forward, "Alright, let''s go. Amari and Mia. Keep up. We are now entering the domain of the Immortal!" Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "YES!" x6


    Thus, along with my party, I left the kingdom of North America for the first time. If before I was under David''s domain right now that was no longer the case. Whatever the result of this operation would shape the support or resistance for Antarctica''s reclamation.


    *****


    The moment our party completely exited the {Portal} immediately vanished. But before we could even take in the scenery shrieks and shouts of people echoed along the skies. When I turned around, I saw pillars of smoke rising to the air.


    A familiar stench lingered in the air. It was the unique metallic sent to blood. Instead of a marvelous beauty of nature, a city being destroyed was all that awaited us. Amari who heard the pitiful cries of women and children immediately bolted.


    "{Primate}, {Primal Awakening}!"


    The seven-foot hulking African had his flesh ripped apart as muscles grew and rapidly turned him into a large gorilla. Souls then began getting drawn from the surroundings as Amari took them all in.


    Not stopping, the gorilla barreled towards the city as it slowly grew in size. Compared to the first time I saw this Reaper, Amari''s soulform looked exceptionally powerful. From just 10 foot he was now over thirty. And he was still growing.


    "{Simian Surge}."


    Just before entering the city, Amari stood up on two legs and roared as he began to beat his own chest in a fit of primal violence. With a tyrannical, earth-shaking GRRROOOAAAAARR, the prince of Africa announced his arrival.


    "Hmph, Amari is pissed. You coming Limitless? {WolfPack}, {Selene''s Descent}."


    Mia similarly began invoking her {fates}. After creating over thirty copies of herself, they all transformed into gigantic 10-foot-tall wolves! Without waiting they all ran forward like mad quickly catching up to Amari.


    Sounds of thousands of footsteps made the ground shake. Then I saw something that sent chills up my spine. From every nook and cranny of the city. Vile creatures of different sizes. Some came from the ground, others were crawling along the walls, others floated!


    The only real similarities among them were that they all black bodies, burning eyes and extremely large horns. Thousands of them all made their way to Amari. Mia''s wolves spared no hesitation and lunged at the demons tearing their heads off their bodies.


    Amari was far more brutal, using his large almost 5-foot-wide fists he hammered them to the ground. Like cockroaches the demonic beings had the stuff inside their bodies violently pop out. The gorilla would pick up a demon and violently rip them apart.


    "He looks like he is opening a bag of chips," I couldn''t help comment.


    If I didn''t see this fucking gorilla transform in front of me, I would think it was truly a beast that lived in the jungle. Amari''s immense size gave him incredible strength. Even as the demons try to swarm him, he just stomped on them.


    Even more tyrannical was that he would grab a man-sized demon and break it half like a fucking glow stick. He then proceeded to brandish the two halves as melee weapons. However, even with all his tyrannical might, the demons began to overwhelm him.


    "Let''s use Prince Amari as a example. His {Fate} is called {Primate} that turns him into a Gorilla. However apart from his size the essence of his form is still pure, which is why he remains weak."


    I see. This was the inherent limit of Amari. As a Gorilla Shifter he should follow the Hybrid path which was meant for animals. But instead, he still pursue''s the tyrant''s path which was for forces of nature.


    ''It''s not like I could berate him for his choices, {Fates} are personal, so he must have a good reason,'' I inwardly though.


    "Tsk. Fucking useless. Possum I''m going. I have seen enough. Let''s just kill them all. [Gladiator]!"


    "I agree, for all his bravado his combat ability is far too lacking. Mia is trying her best to support him, but her Astral too seems far too weak. Shujin, I will be going all out. [Heavy Gunner]!"


    "Darling, Zanardi''s slut said there was a contact somewhere here, right? I''ll go find him. [Ninja]! I wonder if I can take some of these demons with me?"


    "Make sure to send combat footage to Exa, okay? I will have the Wizard''s analyze them to find possible weaknesses. If you can keep the corpses much better. Children, please set the table! {Portal}! [Maestro]! AEGIS DIVISION! COME TO ME!"


    "[Yes, Mother]" x3


    The Anvil team with me seemed to be a little too aggressive. They all began invoking my Disciplines eager to experiment. As this was the first of our battles, I couldn''t blame them. Being able to push your skills to the limit had a certain appeal.


    "Okay, just be careful everybody. Bad girls will get spanked by me when we get home. Exa. We will be joining in too. Notify Amari and Mia."


    [Understood. Burger and Fries and their {Replicates} have joined the battle.]


    And much like myself, the girls hand not gone all out in our duel. To them, presenting a large group of targets were like shiny new toys during Christmas. If you asked me the problem would not be if we would be in danger. It would be if Africa had enough demons.


    The thrum of the {Portals} Bella and Exa opened resounded. Out of each came out UGVs. But of course, Bella''s were a step further. When Challengers MBTs and Mangausta'' attack choppers joined in this fight was already over.


    [Switchblades launching!]


    Repeated explosions rang out one after another. Three TRX Razorbacks began launching suicide drones in the air. Our digital picture of the situation also began to form as our surveillance began to cover the entire city.


    Sadly, when the surveillance images flowed in, the gruesome states of the city''s inhabitants lay before us. Torn bodies strung up and disemboweled corpses. Hardly anything from the infrastructure remained intact. Even children were not exempt.


    Among the corpses were teenagers that looked like my sisters. Impaled on a pole was a woman who resembled Noelle. The mere sight of them caused my emotions to go wild. I felt my anger build from such a sight. So much so I uttered in rage.


    "I hereby command, kill them all!"

 Chapter 866 - 866: Vela? is that you? [1/2]

    Africa. Like most people in my country the only thing I knew about it was about its history with slavery. And that most of the people in that continent lived shitty lives. Compared to the west they were underdeveloped but had some things going for it.


    The benefits and horrors of slavery aside, it allowed the people of Africa to propagate to practically every country outside. They were everywhere much like the Chinese and the Mexicans. Physically they were known for being incredibly tall and well endowed.


    It was only after I resolved myself to learn more about the world that I learned the truth. Africa wasn''t poor because they were stupid or because they were lazy. It''s just that they lagged and were stuck in the period of iron and tribes. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I mean, even Europe at one point was the same. It''s just that Europe eventually learned and built cities and slowly learned diplomacy. If they didn''t it was practically guaranteed that they would be like Africa.


    After all, how could anything develop when it was constantly experiencing war? The good men would die, the cowards would live. There wouldn''t be anyone to support the women, and the children would be forced to do anything to survive.


    It was a trap that was hard to escape from. At least that was I thought. But what I saw now was far beyond that. Humans ripping each other apart was horrible, but intervening was not something to be done on a whim.


    "Not surprised, most of the wars in Africa are actually disguises for demon suppressions. The carnage caused by the demons are hidden as atrocities done by rebels, terrorists or whatever. Up till now, no one knows why the demons just won''t leave Africa alone."


    However, what I saw now was unlike that. Rather than demons in human skin, these fuckers were literal demons. They were not Reapers nor were they Reborn. These fucking pieces of shit were a fucking disease that needed to be cleansed. Like the undead.


    ''Just how many Africans were tormented and killed for sport for these fucking things?''


    Maybe it was because I saw teenage girls gutted and in pieces that my emotions were about to spill. The corpses here reminded me so much of my adopted family. Earl, Noelle, Alana and Bless. If demons ever got to them this would be what would happen.


    And my fear, anxiety had no other way to express themselves. Only through action. My entire body tensed up. I wanted to rip of their spines. Butcher their innards, I wanted to make them suffer! Bouts of cleansing energy radiated from my benevols but I didn''t calm down.


    ''Fuck this feels sooo good. Like cumming nonstop!''


    As my emotions ran wild, I felt like a collared dog. I wanted to run, but I couldn''t. My sanity the only thing keeping me in check was slowly weakening. I felt immense pleasure as I imagined the destruction I would cause. I would parade the demons like trophies afterwards.


    My blood boiled as if fire began to run through my veins. It felt so sweet. I wanted to kill. I wanted to kill them all. I grew hot under the collar and began to pant. Even my cock grew erect from excitement. I yanked my tie away and prepared for battle.


    Only, a pair of soft and gentle arms suddenly wrapped around me. A bountiful chest pressed on my back which caused me to turn. It was Bella. Why was she here? How did I not know that it was her? Was she always this pretty?


    Mesmerized by her face, I drove in and took her lips. Only for her to use her tongue to shove something down my throat. When it did, I only then noticed that I went deaf. All at once a sharp ringing echoed inside my brain.


    "Ugh."


    Together with the sound, I felt my mind regain its clarity. A pair of hands raised my face to look at her. Bella was shouting something, but I still couldn''t understand her. As I waited the ringing began to subside before I began to hear her lovely voice.


    "HONEY! HONEY! ARE YOU OKAY? CAN YOU HERE ME?"


    Bella''s face was contorted in worry. I grabbed her hand as I tried to croak out, "I can."


    Relief flooded her face as she began to cry, she then grabbed both sides of my face as she complained.


    "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU HONEY? Do you have any idea how much you scared me? Don''t you have a benevol with you? Why did you suddenly have a soul collapse!"


    "I had a soul collapse?"


    [You stopped responding to external stimuli my lord. And began to take in all the malice in the surroundings. Despite your benevol it was overwhelmed. The huge number of malice in the area all concentrated on you.]


    Exa, then showed me a video of what the girls saw. Similar to being overdrafted, my body suddenly developed black lines, and my eyeballs turned black. I see. Who the hell wouldn''t be terrified of suddenly seeing something like this?


    ''DARLING! ARE YOU OKAY? PLEASE TELL ME YOU ARE ALRIGHT? I''M COMING!''


    ''POSSUM! POSSUM! ANSWER ME! FUCK! FUCK FUCK!''


    ''MOVE! GET OUT OF MY WAY! ANATA! ANATA! ANATA!''


    It was only then that I noticed the state of my links. I could no longer feel Jas, Liv and Lilly. Bella was surging with gladness and joy. While Aki, Jo and Robyn were all drowning in fear and anxiety.


    ''Everyone I am alright. Bella gave me a tablet. Do not worry. Pay attention to your surroundings. You might get hurt,'' I warned.


    ''DARLING! DARLING! HUHU! YOU ASS! How can you suddenly blank out like that? I thought I lost you!''


    ''FUCK ME DEAD! Sniff. I am going to beat you after I clean up Possum!''


    ''¡­ Wait there Anata, I will finish this immediately!''


    The emotions raging through the links of my Italian, Japanese and Australian lovers were confusing. It contained anger, love, hate, fear and relief all mix together. Bella on the other hand said nothing and merely hugged me.


    ''Exa, how is the battle give me a stat rep.''


    [Understood. The enemies are identified as Hellsborn. They are the lowest class of demons and have no particular strengths aside from being as powerful as a Wraith. What makes them hard to deal with is their ability to proliferate?]


    ''What does these things have sex or something?''


    [No, my lord. They ingest malice from the beings they kill and summon forth another Hellsborn into reality. Missing even one of them much like zombies will spell disaster.]


    ''Okay. Have you identified and tracked all the Hellsborn in the vicinity?''


    [Yes. Lady Jo is in charge of marking them all. After clearing the mass surrounding Amari, Lady Robyn has switch to [Sky Sentinel] and is chasing down the stranglers. Lady Aki has joined Amari at the center square and are annihilating the Hellsborn.]


    ''Show me.''


    Seeing the map, I noticed the lack of people around me. Bella and I were alone. Where were all the soulless and the Aegis Division? I was about to ask before Bella sighed in an exhausted voice.


    "Sigh. Honey, you almost lost yourself, yet you do not even take more than three minutes to shift to battle mode. As impressed as I am, please stop being so suicidal. They children all encircling the city, at my command. We cannot risk a single demon getting out."


    [My lord, the digital twin of the map has been updated.]


    A blue 3-D map appeared in my vision like AR. There was a hell of red dots and a few blue ones. The map data Exa created was a digital representation of our battle ground. Exa already spoiled me that I grew used to such high-tech presentation of data.


    I couldn''t even imagine fighting a large-scale battle without it. The blue dots of friendlies were surrounding the entire space. I zoomed in, I saw the soulless forming a blockade. They keep the red dots at bay. Like a cage of steel, they blasted those that tried to leave.


    Over a dozen Challengers were sniping the large monsters. Despite being demonic in nature, they all behaved like giant black watermelons once shot by 120mm APFSDS. The small ones were mopped up by the Aegis legion who were all firing 5.56 Sacreds.


    Despite Bella being here with me, I saw the minute adjustments the Aegis Division was doing. My Latina lover was definitely commanding the Soulless. Funnily enough I saw some of the corpses armed with RPG-7s and M1014 combat shotguns.


    ''Talk about overkill,'' I thought

 Chapter 867 - 867: Vela? Is that you? [2/2]

    If that was not enough, they were even supported by the MAARS, Ripsaws and my M2 Bradley IFV. For those that were agile they were promptly executed by the over 150 switchblades flying about. Bella''s suppression of the entire city was fucking amazing.


    In normal apocalypse novels modern weaponry was ineffective against demons. But I breathe a sigh of relief at the carnage at I was seeing. Forget being ineffective the Hellsborn were helpless. Few could resist the immense power of our guns.


    "If the lead and kinetic energy does not kill them the blessed rounds will."


    "Haha. I know right? See this, Honey? This is the power of {Code}! Aren''t you glad that I am with you?"


    Finding her incredible adorable I pulled my Brazilian bombshell into my chest and stole her lips. If the kiss earlier was to heal my soul. This one had no other benefit but for my pleasure. Bella didn''t resist and merely returned my kiss.


    When we parted I licked her lips as I answered, "I am, thank you so much for saving me, Bella, I love you."


    "Oh¡­ehem¡­well¡­yes¡­I uhm¡­Love you too," she stammered.


    I enjoyed the sight of tomato colored Bella who was overwhelmed from embarrassment. As I snuggled with her, I then noticed a few reds dots leave the soulless perimeter through the sky. I was about to ask Bella but then I saw something chase them.


    A speeding blue dot flew at ridiculous speeds. Exa''s model was to scale. Meaning the distance and speed of the things in her map were proportional to their real-life counterparts. Which meant this speeding bullet was not broken, it was just really fast.


    "GET STUFFED YOU FUCKING CUNT! JUST FUCKING STAY INSIDE! SABEL!!"


    [SO COOL! YES! AUNT ROBYN! SWITCHBLADES INBOUND!]


    It was quite comical to see. The escapee, a huge Hellsborn with wings was grabbed by the horns, punched unconscious and hurl to the skies. Sabel, my daughter followed up and blasted the sky borne demon into dust.


    Any that escaped their perimeter where hunted by our flying Chaser. Flying at near supersonic speeds she smashed back any who tried to run for their lives. If that was not enough, Robyn even used her soulgear.


    Suddenly phasing to the energy realm, she would reappear on a completely different area. It was even faster than using {Blink}. Then in a tyrannical show of force she would throw a punch and detonate the faces of a group of Hellsborn unlucky enough to earn her ire.


    "WHY THE FUCK ARE THERE SO MANY OF YOU? JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY! I WANNA GO BACK TO POSSUM! [KITTY PUNCH]!"


    As if stopped on by an invisible foot. The Hellsborn demons lumbering towards the center of the city would turn to paste. Spurting black colored blood and ichor all over the place. Forget calling this a battle it was just a fucking massacre!


    Sounds of on angry Gorilla taunted the demons. At the clearing near the center was Amari, with Mia and Aki. The scenes occurring around them, made me gasped in awe! Like Bella and Robyn, Aki was also firing on all cylinders!


    Surrounding the small area was a storm of over a dozen gigantic odachi. Each was over seven feet long! And what''s more they were not the typical red but black due to demon blood. They looked even more imposing that normal.


    Aki was in front of Amari commanding what looked like a over fifty FAXON Sentinels. Mia was with her. Yet neither of our guests actually killed anything. Like a goddess of weapons blades and rifles surrounded my Kamisan as she killed everything that moved!


    "Aki! This is bollocks! Let Amari and I help!"


    "Silence! Stay still before I shoot you both as well!" Aki snapped.


    "YOU BITCHES ARE INSANE!"


    "Fluffy let it go. We need to recuperate. Here eat to regain your strength."


    "Tsk. Fine."


    Amari kept roaring outward was at the center. The Hellsborn charged for him in a daze. Like a blender, Aki''s swords slashed the incoming demons. But even in pieces they continued towards the African prince. They looked similar to zombies in a sense.


    The blood spilled all circled like wind currents and eventually created more swords to add to Aki''s weaponry. My Kamisan who waited for those that could past the cyclone of blades and then mercilessly blasted to golden dust.


    Her AR-10 army of {Replicated} rifles courtesy of [Arsenal] were all rocking blessed 8.6 Blackout. They all focus fired on the ones who could still move. The weak on the other hand flopped on the ground helplessly.


    Amari was covered in injuries and appeared to be munching on something. Mia on the other hand was a bit jumpy but served as a final defense was in her werewolf form. They seemed to have everything under control. So, I tried to search for Jo.


    I found a lone blue dot amidst a sea of red. But rather than fight them, the reds were fighting the reds trying to approach the blue dot. When I magnified It was naturally my Italian lover. Much like her common tactics, Jo was brainwashing her enemies.


    But something felt different. As far as I know Jo''s {Program} [Transmitter] required her to stand steady. It caused her minions to infect the others turning them into brainwashed cultists. However right now, the effects were the same but different.


    ''Exa, get me eyes on Jo.''


    [Right away.]


    I then noticed used to using the eyesight of a flying drone. It was then I saw. My Italian lover was surrounded by a domain! Surprised I then checked on her link and saw that it was true. Jo had already Ascended into the ranks of the Specters.


    Jo''s domain was larger than Lilly''s. It was pale green in color. Following her as she moved any Hellsborn who enters the sacred area suddenly turn docile. Then as if brainwashed by my Darling, they all turned and betrayed their former allies.


    But even those who were no longer in their domain still fought for her. Just by walking forward, the Hellsborn were ripping each other apart. Jo wasn''t even shooting or fighting. In fact, she was dragging something along. When I checked, it was a body.


    Ignoring the corpse Jo was carrying, I quickly sent affection to my Darling. Much like Lilly, I felt regretful. Jo specifically had Margaret her Nana, that she wanted to remember. And I knew how important she was to my Darling.


    ''Jo. Darling, I¡­''


    ''Do not be sad Darling. I did it whole heartedly. Be it memories, my health even my life. I am willing to give it all for you. You give me happiness, a family and a place to call home. I need nothing else. I am sure my Nana can understand.''


    Hearing the determination in Jo''s voice I nodded. This was the price for our progress. And while it was sad. To gain another Specter among our ranks was a game changer.


    ''Thank you, Darling. I love you so much. Tell me about your Nana later.''


    ''Yes! I will tell you all the times she scolded me and told me stories! We can even video it! That way I have something to watch after I forget about her!''


    Jo looked towards the drone I was using and smiled. But I felt a hint of sadness and fear coming from her link. She tried to hide it, but I still found out. Rather than expose her, I was about to change the topic when I noticed something.


    There was something different in Jo''s eyes. Her right eye was green while the one on the left was red. She now had Heterochromia. Usually, Jo would be the one driving when her eyes were the color of emeralds. Ruby colored irises meant it was Vela.


    ''Vela? Is that you?''


    ''Yes Darling. I am here. Now that Jo has Ascended as a Specter, I can call forth some of my powers to aid her. We are truly one when her domain is active. According to terms of this age. Jo has finally become an Accept Linker.''


    ''I see. Thank you for supporting her Vela.''


    ''Such formalities are not needed between us Darling. We are husband and wife. And all my power and my authority I shall wield for your sake alone.''


    ''Wow! Vela stop being a fucking slut and go find your own Darling! This one is mine!'' S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Oh shut up Jo. Focus and follow my lead.''


    It seemed that yet another powerful ally joined our ranks. This battle marked the debut of the Jo''s astral. Vela. A former Revenant who died yet became an astral all to fight the undead.

 Chapter 868 - 868: I feel so powerless [1/2]

    ''Now Jo. Why do you think I chose you?''


    ''Huh? I dunno, cause you are weird?''


    It was a weird feeling. The links between my girls were not connected. That meant without Exa transcribing their messages to me, they cannot actually talk in this manner. Yet right now I heard two voices from Jo.


    One was the noble and authoritative voice of Vela. And the other was childlike and playful Josephine. The difference between the two was quite stark. Kinda like when Robyn suddenly channeled Rhiannon.


    I met Vela and Rhiannon on two occasions. And I would have to agree. Both were quite imposing. But I guess that was a given since they were beings who reached the upper limit of what humans could become. They after all already both Revenants.


    ''Vela, did we¡­''


    ''No. This is our first time meeting Darling. Right?''


    ''...''


    ''Heh? Heeeeh? What was that? Darling why did your link suddenly feel confusion? Fess up! Oy Vela! Tell me the truth!''


    I was about to ask Vela about the times I was summoned by the {Fates}. But she abruptly cut me off. I didn''t even get to finish my question. Back then Vela and the rest of their {fates} told me they threw away their names. That they instead only answered to the keywords of their {fates}.


    Jo, who was beyond intelligent read my link and noticed the disconnect. As I was wondering how to explain, Vela covered for me.


    ''Trying to pry in the matters of husband and wife is unsightly, Jo. Drop the matter.''


    ''Look at the audacity of this bitch! I feel like you need to remember! I am Darling''s {Kindred}! You are just some dead loser who clung pathetically to life cause your end sucked so much! It because of you that I have been hearing voices since I was young!''


    ''Jo, that''s too much¡­''


    ''Darling? You choose this fucking bitch over me? Is that it? You don''t need me anymore? You don''t love me anymore? I FUCKING HATE YOU! YOU ALREADY HAVE ME! AM I NOT ENOUGH?''


    ''Of course not, Jo¡­''


    Calling an Astral a loser was accurate. But that was a merciless way to put it. The same Astral was what granted Jo her power. I couldn''t even imagine the mentality needed for Revenants to grovel at the feet of Wraiths all for the chance to fight again.


    But her complaints were true. The voices Jo had been hearing since she was young were because of the Astral. And according to my Darling, they almost drove her insane multiple times. So, while she did grant my Italian lover her power, she also made her miserable.


    The rampaging emotions in Jo''s link was evidence that she was not okay. I didn''t know if it was because of the presence of the Demons. But much like me, her emotions were quite unstable. Jo might have been reassured by my affection, but she still had her own insecurities.


    ''Josephine you long for power, do you not?''


    ''¡­I-I''


    ''Power to never lose anything again. Power to protect those you love and destroy those you hate. Power that no one else would be able to control you ever again. Do you remember how it felt? When they brutally impaled Margaret on a stake? Or how about when they threw you away?''


    ''¡­''


    ''As you have become a Specter, I can tell you more. I don''t care if you hate me, resent me or even ignore me. The reason I chose you was because we lived the same life. I gained my power far too late. My only wish is for my tragedy to never repeat again.''


    ''¡­''


    The silence in Jo''s link was alarming. Just from a single sentence, Vela not only calmed my Darling down but caused her to gain immense focus. From a chaotic wildfire of rage her emotions quickly shrunk to mere embers.


    I could feel Jo''s emotions all suppress themselves to the point where I could no longer hear her voice. While she did calm down, I felt murderous emotions leak from her entire body. The Hellsborn who were in her domain all began howling in concert.


    "RROOOAAARR!" "AWOOO!" "SKREEEE!"


    Every demon around us began to respond to the calls. In just a few seconds practically every Hellsborn in our surroundings made a beeline for Jo.


    "Huh! Oy come back here you cunt!"


    Even the ones who already left our cage all suddenly circled back. It was if they were called by a beacon. Those currently in battle turned around and did the same. This was regardless of if they died in order to do so.


    "Choco¡­this is¡­"


    "{Simian Surge} is no longer working. They are ignoring me. Just what is going on?"


    "Tsk. They are all moving towards Jo! Bella! What is going on? Is Jo having a soul collapse like Shujin did earlier?"


    From above I saw the entire battlefield shift because of whatever Vela and Jo were doing. I could hear the sounds of my allies trying to understand the situation. It was to the point that even my children didn''t know what to do.


    [Mother, all targets have disengaged. What are your orders?]


    [Mother, should I prioritize securing the area or terminating the enemy?]


    [Ey! Mother the demons are really weird! They all act like they are possessed!]


    "Stand by, prioritize the perimeter. Just what the fuck is going on? Honey did Jo say anything?"


    The woman by my side was rubbing the back of her head in exasperation. Having to save me from a soul collapse earlier, it was understandable. But at the moment, I was in the same boat. While I heard what Jo and Vela were discussing, I was also in the dark.


    "No, she didn''t. I also have no idea, Bella. Vela and Jo were having an argument. I could hear them, but I still did not understand. I feel so powerless¡­" I admitted.


    "Then go to her."


    "Huh?" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Honey, Lilly shared to everyone the mental state that ascending to the Specters requires. Jo is not exactly emotionally stable. And unlike the rest of us, Vela exists as her Astral. Help her. Otherwise she might die from this."


    "Got it. Thank you, Bella. Please handle the rest," I said as I ran towards me Darling.


    "Sure, that''s why I am your woman after all. But tell the nut job she owes me!"


    Steeling my will, I made my way towards Josephine Benelli Smith at full speed.


    "[Sky Sentinel]. [Burst]!"


    Vela''s voice continued to echo in my link. Her demeanor was like a devil offering the world to my Italian lover.


    ''Before I name my price, I offer a trade. For the next five minutes. I will lend you my full power, just to give you a taste. You can decide what we do afterwards. Do you agree?''


    ''What do I have to do?'' Jo replied in the most chilling voice I ever heard.


    ''Just say "I accept". And I will handle the rest.''


    ''I accept.''


    Jo answered seconds before I could arrive to where she was. As I did, my Italian lover was slowly ascending to the skies. Thankfully, her domain remained active and protected her from danger. My woman still had a peaceful expression in contrast to the blood infested war zone around her.


    The Hellsborn turned more feral and were divided between those who fought for Jo and those that desired to rip her apart. However, the culprit herself only kept an aloof expression. It was arrogant and regal. As if the current chaos was beneath her.


    That was of course until our eyes met. The moment it did, my Darling looked at me and smiled. But unlike before, both her irises were now red like blood. Prior to this day, it was something I didn''t mind. But now I was not so sure.


    Was this the natural risk of Linkers? No wonder some of them chose to dominate their Astrals. It was dangerous to allow the former Revenants complete freedom. After all there was little to no incentive for such beings to listen to Reapers who were like kids to them.


    Face to face with Vela, she made a sad smile before speaking. Her voice was similar to Jo''s but reverberated like an echo. Still, I found myself mesmerized by her enchanting words.


    "Darling, I know you feel threatened. You have every reason to do so. Especially after what I did. But know that unlike the last time, I will never allow anyone to betray you. Much like Jo, I chose the Sin of Envy to meet you again. In this life, I will be by your side, always."


    "Sin of Envy? What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.


    "You will understand with time. After all that is who you are. And why I fell in love with you. Darling, please take care of Jo afterwards."


    Leaving behind such cryptic words Vela levitated to the skies. The sun was still high in the sky but somehow, she shone even brighter than the sun.

 Chapter 869 - 869: I feel so powerless [2/2]

    "Listen well Jo, for I will only say this once. You bear a great burden. One I did in the past. Where I failed you must succeed. This is why I chose you among the many Reapers who longed for power."


    As Vela continued to speak in the air, thousands of thousands of Hellsborn burst out from the ground. In the map Exa created for me, red dots came from inside and beyond the perimeter we set up!


    [My lord. New enemy demons have appeared. They are all heading towards Lady Jo.]


    Hearing such things, I knew this was probably all part of Vela''s plan. While I felt alarmed, Vela has never given me a reason to doubt her. Jo told me several times that when she was afraid, Vela would often protect her.


    "FUCK! {NEVER ALONE}! {DAY BY DAY}! Call for help!"


    Splitting myself into seven. We all ran to our positions and prepared for battle.


    "[Maestro]!" "[Defender]!" "[Gladiator]!" "[Sky Sentinel]!" "[Heavy Gunner]!" "[Executioner]!" "[Ninja]!"


    ''My {Kindred}. Please protect Jo. She is about to make a big move.''


    ''Roger that Honey.'' ''I will see it done, Anata.'' ''Got it Possum.''


    Before I could even choose a defense point, I saw Aki running towards beyond the city. Following her was a storm of swords courtesy of her soulgear. Amari and Mia were also lagging behind.


    "Shujin, Bella. I am in position! I will take care of the reinforcements! Support me! {Carnival of the Damned}! [SANGUINE BLADE WING]! {Sanguine Armor}! {CARVE}! {BUTCHER}! {DOPE}!"


    I piloted Monday who had [Defender] to her side and began casting defensive {Programs}.


    "Kamisan! Leave the defense to me! [PROXY]! [WALL]! [INSPIRE]!"


    "Fufu! Then take care of me Anata! Here they come!"


    [My lord. Another wave of demons has appeared. They are no longer from Kismayo and are coming from neighboring cities that have already been overrun.]


    "[Sky Sentinel]! [BURST]! Sabel! Use the switchblades to stop the fliers. Henry, Alfonso. Form a choke point for Aki! Robyn! the two of us will support Honey!" Bella shouted as she flew high above.


    [Yes, Mother!] x3


    "FUCK ME DEAD! I''m on my way [BURST]!" sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As I was besides, Aki I could see that she was already covered in blood red armor. Giant swords surrounding her like guard, yet she was still intended to call for more.


    "[ARSENAL]! [ROOTED]! [SHOCK AND AWE]! ON MY {KINDRED}''S HONOR! YOU SHALL NOT PASS! KAKETEKOI!"


    Invoking the skills of [Heavy Gunner], she summoned even more guns and nailed herself to the ground. Her blood swords began spinning like tops and thew themselves at our enemies. At the same time a hundred {Replicate} guns all began unleashing Sacreds and various {Bestow} rounds.


    I could feel the battle lust raging from my Kamisan''s link. Anyone would feel that way. We all saw the enormous wave of demonic beings appearing in Exa''s map.


    "Fuck..."


    ***


    In another part of the battlefield, the area around Jo was also chaotic as hell. Here six of my avatars tried to kill as many as we could.


    Using Thursday, I roared, "[ARSENAL]! [ROOTED]! [SHOCK AND AWE]! DIE YOU FUCKING PIECES OF SHIT!"


    [Maestro] was running simulations but none of them were pretty. This was like the Vampires conspiracy all over again! Despite using all avatars save Monday to clear out the demons around Jo, it still wasn''t enough. There was just too many!


    As my Italian lover rose, her domain no longer reached the coming demons. Thus, the side protecting her slowly began to die out. Fortunately, I was not alone.


    "Honey! I am here. Let me help. [Hellsend''s Armory] M107! [Executioner]! You two! Don''t just stand there! Do something! Forget about collateral damage! We are going to die if this keeps up!"


    "You all are daft! We should be running! CHOCO WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING?"


    "ARGGGHH!!!!! LET''S DO THIS FLUFFY!"


    "[KITTY PUNCH]! Possum! I''ll handle the ones that cluster!"


    "Thanks, Keep them away from Jo! We need to clear the ones here before the rest arrive."


    Terror and panic began to dominate my girls and allies. While the Hellsborn went down with enough bullets, being overwhelmed by thousands of them was still quite terrifying. They were tougher than zombies and their numbers slowly began to overwhelm our ability to kill them.


    "{PHASE}! [KITTY PUNCH]! Huff¡­ hufff¡­ {Eat}, munch, munch. Fucking Nutjob! What the hell are you doing? Whatever you going to do, do it already!"


    Robyn our greatest fire power was already unleashing her full power inside the city. Like a gigantic mallet the Hellsborn that grouped together were smashed into bloody ichor. She was already eating candy bars just to continue fighting.


    According to Exa''s map. From original 5,000 we were fighting their numbers jumped to over 20,000. Then to over 100,000 and now over if the numbers were to be believed, over 500,000 were coming this way.


    ''Exa! Why can''t I call on Lilly, Liv or Jas? We need Juno and Roach! Call someone! Anyone!''


    [I do not know my lord. None of my messages are reaching them. I am not sure if it''s because of the Malice from the demons or Vela''s powers.]


    "What? Shit!"


    I looked up and saw Vela giggling.


    "I see. Thank you for telling me. There is a reason I chose the Crown of Envy. I admire your love for Darling. So much so, that I want it too."


    Just what the hell was Vela and Jo talking about? Since earlier, Jo''s link was silent, and I no longer heard anything. Unlike us who were panicking, Vela looked towards the coming demons with a smirk.


    "Such a naughty child. While it is true that the Reapers of my world failed, I am not weak. Etch this lesson into your bones you unruly brat. HERE! IN THIS WORLD! THE GODDESS VELA DESCENDS ONE MORE!"


    At that moment, an ungodly amount of souls erupted from my Italian lover''s body. Every hair in my body stood up and I froze in place. It wasn''t just me, Reaper and demon, we all felt crushed by the majesty of the one who arrived.


    This domineering presence.


    An oppressive pressure greater than any tyrant.


    Something no one would be able to forget.


    "A fucking Revenant¡­"


    {Why do you think our fate is called Listen, Jo?}


    The sunny skies transformed; clouds rolled like a carpet covering the heavens, only a small hole in the sky focused the sunlight on Vela. At the sudden shade our surroundings felt cold. It was as if we were once again in Hellsgate.


    {It''s because when I talk, others listen.}


    [My lord the next wave of demons will arrive in 5 minutes.]


    {Halt.}


    At Vela''s words every single red dot in our map stopped moving.


    {And it''s not just those who have life. Rain.}


    The moment the words were said a chaotic rainstorm fell to the ground.


    {The world often speaks, it''s just that no one can hears it. Grow.}


    Vines and foliage suddenly cracked the floor we were standing on! The overgrown appendages grew as thick as cars. They whipped, smashed and crushed the demons. Our forces in contrast were gently returned to stable ground.


    {My fate allows you to do so. With it you can command even the world itself.}


    Vela looked towards the incoming demons and spoke, {Come to me.}


    A violent rumbling echoed. I then saw something I could not understand. A like torrent of Earth higher than even skyscrapers came towards us. Like a tidal wave, the land carrying hundreds of thousands of demons surfed towards Vela.


    {But the problem is you fear the quiet solitude.}


    The water that gathered on the ground began to flow upward. There it created a river in the sky.


    {You desire to surround yourself with the voices of others to distract yourself.}


    Vela raised her left hand. The vines around us all grew further to over thousands of feet. Like giant redwoods they began to blot out what little sun remained! Some even carried the bigger Hellsborn with them.


    {So, until you learn to cut out the noise.}


    The Astral then pointed to the approaching land. Then to the river that defied gravity. At once, like fated lovers the tide of water and land rushed towards each other! They collided violently and spun around like a hurricane!


    {And revel in the silence.}


    Vela beckoned to the large vines, and they all lashed towards the gigantic tornado of earth and water. Like a vase the treelike appendages wrapped and began crushing the revolving calamity. The dark clouds all began to disperse at that moment, showing the majesty of Vela''s feat.


    {You will be unable to truly Listen.}


    Snapping her fingers, the gigantic vines began to whiter at an unbelievable rate. Violent echoes resounded as the things that green tentacles forcefully held together began to fall.


    {I am the Shepherd. The protector of cattle. The goddess of music.}


    In less than ten seconds, the tower and debris the Astral created crumbled to dust and vanished to the winds.


    {I am the lady of the waters, the forests and of the wilds}


    Vela turned towards me as she descended to the ground.


    {I am Vela, The Songstress of the Harvests. And on this day, I live once more!}

 Chapter 870 - 870: He can be a duck for all I care [1/2]

    Despite being in the same body, the woman in front of me was not my {Kindred}. Ethereal, mysterious and powerful beyond belief, she walked. At her every step, moss or something grew like a verdant carpet. It was as if Vela''s very feet gave the ground life.


    With the battle over and the demons gone, I canceled {Day by day}. I thus focused on the one before me. A powerful being who somehow felt familiar but at the same time alien. Feeling drawn to her; I moved to meet the Astral possessing my Italian lover.


    Seeing my reaction Vela smiled, "Darling, I hope you liked my gift. I have gone a little overboard and must rest. During this period, please take care of this child. She gets lonely quite easily."


    ''STUPID VELA! You are the one who tried to show off! And now your hurt!''


    Finally hearing my {Kindred} I felt relieved, only to grimace at the last part of Jo''s statement.


    "Vela, you are hurt? Are you alright? What can I do to help?"


    "Hehe, how nostalgic. No. Darling, this is the natural rules of this world. Jo becoming a Specter unlocked my memories. Astrals are forbidden from manifesting without paying the appropriate price. Forgive me, it felt so good to be able to move again I grew excited."


    "But I¡­"


    The Songstress of the Harvests placed her finger on my lips silencing me. She made a radiating smile that was as dazzling as the sun. Yet her eyes seemed to show an emotion I often saw in Jo. Loneliness.


    "Darling, if you wouldn''t mind. Can I ask for a kiss as a reward?"


    ''Stupid Vela! You are far to brazen! Darling is mine!''


    "You ungrateful brat. The price of my help. Did you forget already?"


    ''Yeah, yeah. I won''t interfere with you and Darling! But fucking is off limits! I HATE YOU! STUPID VELA! I HOPE YOUR BOOBS SAG AND TURN INTO PRUNES!''


    "So, she says Darling. Of course, she can''t actually stop you, if you wanted me," Vela teased.


    Wordlessly I took the Astral into my arms and gazed into her eyes. Admiring her beauty, I leaned in and took her lips. She in return surrendered her weight to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. Our kiss was blissful yet pure. There was no lust only affection.


    As we parted I whispered to Vela softly like pillow talk, "Thank you for saving us Darling. I will handle the rest. Rest. Then come back to me as soon as you can, okay?"


    Vela made a smile full of happiness as she answered, "Quite the demand but I will try. I love you, Darling."


    Leaving such words, Jo''s body abruptly went limp. As if rebooting, her body then jerked awake. When it did, naturally the woman''s eyes were now green. Telling me that my Italian lover had returned.


    "Welcome back, Jo."


    "Hmph! Stupid Darling!"


    Understanding why she sulked; I gave Jo another kiss. Midway she melted in my embrace and began to passionately play with my tongue. After a few seconds we parted. Feeling the insanity of it all we both began to chuckle.


    "Darling. My body is sore. Can you please carry me?"


    "Of course."


    My Shooting star beamed as I picked her up in a princess carry, "Grazie, Darling! I love you!"


    Despite the sweet moment Jo and I shared hardly anyone paid attention to us. They were all much more focused on the surroundings. Everyone was rendered speechless by the sheer wonder of what we witnessed.


    "Fuck. That''s insane? How the hell does she grow and wither vegetation on command? I mean {fates} defy common sense but what the hell?" Bella commented.


    Robyn on the other hand was busy picking her ears, "The giant-ass holes aside. Anyone understand the crap the Nutjob was saying? I think {Interpret} is broken."


    "No, I didn''t either. But as Jo is the owner of {Interpret} maybe she can disable it too? Anyway, it is a shame most of the demon corpses turned to dust. Robyn, help me pile the ones still around." Already recovered, Aki began salvaging the demons for study and loot.


    "Choco! Did you see that? That was Astral Possession! She really did it! It''s something only the best Accept Linkers can do! They said you needed to use {Soul Breaker} at least once to use it. This is complete bollocks!"


    "Calm down Fluffy. Still, Limitless now has two Specters with him. At the rate they are going the Sirens may all become Specters before they even leave Africa. But seeing the destruction we caused; my brothers might get angry."


    I looked around and couldn''t help but nod in agreement to Amari''s assessment. The city of Kismayo was totaled. Between the demons and the number of bullets we shot there was hardly any building left standing. I couldn''t even see any corpses of humans left.


    The holes caused by Vela''s tree left the roads full of gigantic sink holes. Rubble and broken-down pieces of concrete were the only evidence of civilization that remained. Rather being destroyed, it would be more accurate to call the city as reclaimed by nature.


    Apart from man-made structures the place was still very much fine. If anything, the ground changed color to a muddy brown. It was as if the soil suddenly grew healthy. The air which smelled foul earlier now smelled of salt from the sea.


    "Songstress of the Harvest huh?"


    "It was really weird, Darling. When I ascended to a Specter, Vela seemed to remember lots of stuff. She was originally just like a blank canvass. Apart from fighting she didn''t know anything. After her memories came back though, her personality changed."


    I leaned in and kissed Jo on her forehead, "Its fine. Do not worry about it, Jo. We will find out together. For now, let''s decide what to do next."


    "Okay."


    ''Exa, show me the city.''


    [Understood.]


    Making my way to the others, I once again got a good look of the surrounding areas. I had Exa show me a bird''s eye view of the city as we moved. While Kismayo itself was reduced to ruins the surrounding areas were just as devastated.


    While the malice in the air was gone, I still couldn''t feel Liv, Lilly and Jas''s links. And with Vela also asleep neither was the cause. Still, I couldn''t stop just because of that. Seeing the number of demon''s just around this city alone, was telling of Africa''s situation.


    Aki who noticed me approaching, quickly stopped what she was doing and ran towards me. She made a pouty face when she saw Jo in my arms, but quickly recovered. Pulling out what looked like a human corpse from her inventory she began to speak.


    "Shujin. I found this person hidden in a pocket dimension. Jo left a soul trail which led me to him. He seems to be a Phantom. His body was riddled with injuries and on the verge of death. I have stabilized him with {Restore} round."


    "I see. Thank you very much Aki. Are you hurt?"


    "No, Anata. I am fine. Your protection was perfect. Thank you. [Defender] is really powerful in defensive battles."


    I tried to look at the Phantom but didn''t get much. He looked like an average man with light olive skin, like a Latino. He had brown curly hair, full lips and a narrow nose. He looked like someone from Europe.


    ___


    Name: Pierre Lemoine


    Race: Reaper | Class: Shifter | Origin: Human


    Fate: {Enlightenment}


    Danger Rating: E


    Combat: E | Assassination: E | Support: D | Defense: E


    "Why would a Frenchman be here?" I asked upon seeing his name.


    "Ah, he isn''t French, Darling. He''s African, he was speaking Mauritian Creole. I saved him earlier. If he was French, I would have shot him instead." sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "He is? How? He isn''t even black?"


    "Hehe, Darling is so silly. He is from Mauritius so that''s a given."


    "Exa?"


    [Mauritius is considered part of Africa, located in the Indian ocean. It has a history of French and British colonial influence, as well as a diverse population of Indian, African, Chinese, and European descent. Pierre must be Franco-Mauritians.]


    ''In English?''


    [Mauritian''s are part of Africa but do not look like your typical Africans. They are a mixed raced that has African traits but are predominately Creole, Indian, Chinese and French.]


    "Well, he can be a duck for all I care. Jo, did you have confirmation that he is the contact by the Astrologer?"


    "Ehm. Not really. But he is the only one left! So Zanardi''s slut must have given the one-week deadline for him," Jo explained.


    "Huh? What do you mean?"

 Chapter 871 - 871: He can be a duck for all I care [2/2]

    The person Jo mentioned was Blanche Voir Mill¨¦nia "The Astrologer". A powerful Specter from Europe who could see the future. So far, everything she said would happen has happened. Of course it could have been just luck, but I know for sure that it wasn''t that simple.


    Blanche who predicted that Jo and Jas would be Formless. Her oracle was the reason that the Benelli''s threw out Jo and her then maid Jas. So, It made sense why my Darling was on edge. Her immense animosity Jo to the Astrologer was justified.


    She was also the one leaked David''s plans for my Seeker War. And foretold about that my girls would win against Carlos and his army. Although the weapon platforms she brought certainly played a huge factor.


    Finally, she knew of things only I knew off. Suffice to say she gave me a lot of evidence in how accurate her ability was. I didn''t need to look far to see the power of being able to see the future. Jas was able to do so only for 5 seconds, and the results were amazing.


    From what I guessed, Blanche could see week, months or even years in the future. Just how could you beat someone like that I wonder? Looking at Pierre I slowly began to understand the cause and effect of my decisions. And Blanche''s mentality.


    [The other Successors are on the move. The Revenant Project has already entered its next phase. You must head for Kismayo before the week ends, or you will be too late. One of my friends who is part of Africa would assist you.]


    Being able to see the future was both a blessing and a curse. I only needed to see the devastation around me. If what Jo said was true, then that meant three things which were all equally concerning about Blanche.


    The first was she knew ahead of time that every human in Kismayo would be killed. Amari came to me to ask for help of his countrymen. Yet we failed. We were not able to save any of them. Part of me believed that if I had known I would have come earlier.


    Blanche never asked me to save Kismayo, she only said it would be too late. It was vague as fuck and hardly meant anything aside from trying to be foreboding. From the carnage that ensued, it couldn''t have been more than a few days.


    Which had led me to my 2nd understanding. Blanche was a Machiavellian. Even if she asked me to go here to save these people, I am not sure if I would have gone. I was not altruistic in any sense. To me, making love to my harem was more important.


    These people were strangers to me. While heroic people would believe that they should be saved, I hardly had that belief. And Blanche knew this. Which is why she didn''t push me to be a hero. Even at the cost of all the people here, she didn''t mind the results, so long as I came.


    And that was the last point, Blanche wanted me to see this. For some fucking reason, she wanted me to see the annihilation of Kismayo. I almost broke down upon seeing the corpses, but I was kind of sure that the Astrologer knew I would react that way.


    It took a special kind of bastard to remain unfazed at the loss of life here. Just how many lived in Kismayo. Would I have been able to save any of them? If I controlled my lust and came here earlier, would I have been able to lessen the damage?


    While I didn''t feel that bad, I keep thinking back to the bodies of the victims. I saw my adopted family among them. If the situation was different and the Simmons lived here instead of America. Wouldn''t they all simply die as well? Could I accept such a reality?


    There were a hundred different things that could have been done. But if people saddled me with the fate of Africa, I would have told them to go jump off a cliff. While it was true that I could have help, I had no reason to do so. In the first place, it wasn''t even my responsibility.


    "Uhhh¡­" The man of the hour began to rouse awake.


    Aki who was holding him by his collar noticed and quickly the man onto the ground. I nodded in approval of her act. She was mine. I didn''t want any man soiling her with his filth. Probably feeling my pride. Aki quickly came over and gave me a peck on the cheek.


    "Fufu. Such possessiveness Anata. You already own me and yet wish for more? What am I to do with you?"


    "Haha, you should have thought about that, before you married me. It''s too late now, I won''t let you go no matter what happens."


    Aki and I smiled at each other just relishing the affectionate teasing. Meanwhile the woman in my arms suddenly went for my neck and bit me. It stung a bit but rather than annoyed I found it extremely adorable.


    "CHOMP! Stupid Darling! Pay attention to me too!"


    "Yes. Yes. I love you too my Darling," I affectionately declared as I kissed her slender neck.


    "Kya! Darling! That tickles."


    But of course, while I was enjoying the beauty of Aki and Jo the others around me had other matters to deal with.


    "Uhm¡­Limitless can''t you people stop flirting like all the time? People just died¡­"


    "Stop it fluffy, we should just be glad we got rid of the demons, otherwise they would have done far more damage."


    Amari and Mia were pretty concerned about the death and destruction that occurred all around us. Meanwhile Bella and Robyn were watching Pierre as he slowly got up from the ground. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''m alive? I''m alive! Wait! The demons! Have the demons been taken care off?" he asked.


    "They are all dead, cunt. Both the demons and humans. You are the only one left."


    "What? I see. That''s good. What about my family? My family! My family! Where are they?"


    Bella approached the man and patted him on the back. It seems that she genuinely felt sorry for him. Her link had both compassion and sympathy.


    "I am sorry Pierre. There was no one left, when we arrived here. You almost didn''t make it. I am going to need to tell you what has happened."


    Hearing Bella''s words, the French man trembled as he began to break down "NOO!!!! This wasn''t supposed to happen. I brought my family here in order to save them! No! Where are they! Where?!"


    He was about to run off when he turned and saw Amari.


    "PRINCE AMARI! You''re here! Where is the army? Why didn''t they come earlier? Why didn''t you come save my wife and children? Didn''t you say you would leave to get help? We all believed in you! Now my family is dead!!! This is all your fault!"


    As Pierre lost his shit he began to ramble on berating Amari. I saw the African prince flinch yet still accept the verbal lashing. His partner the over opinionated werewolf remained silent and gritted her teeth.


    ''This motherfucker should already be a Reaper, right? Why is he still talking like this? Does he really believe he has no fault in this matter?''


    My girls all had a hint of sadness and regret in their links. But none of them really cared enough to comment. If this bastard was really someone connected with Blanche, I thought he would be made of tougher stuff.


    "Jo, are you okay now? I need to punch some sense into that guy."


    "Yeah, I have been using {Regen} since earlier. You can put me down now Darling."


    "I''m glad to hear that."


    I gently placed Jo back on her feet and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Aki unconcerned about the current drama pulled my sleeves and similarly asked for my affection. Naturally I obliged.


    Pierce has not stopped going on and on about Amari''s failure to save his family. Robyn and Bella upon listening to him had lost majority of the compassion they once had.


    ''This cunt is delusional. Does he still think that he is human? That Reapers have governments or something? He hasn''t one said that it''s his fault for being weak.''


    ''Tsk. Yet another man child. I had thought that African''s were a different mentality due to being besieged by demons. Yet he blames it all on the king. He is nothing but a parasite,'' Bella commented in disgust.


    ''Well, I guess I should wake him up them.''

 Chapter 872 - 872: Heroine Chapter: Much scarier [1/2]

    Chapter POV: Liv Ivaldi Smith


    ___


    "Get up Beloved! If you want to hurt so much, then I will beat you to a bloody pulp as many times as you want!"


    I roared!


    My body trembled in anger. writhing on the floor was the man I would give everything for. He gave me my things. A place to belong. A reason to look forward to each morning. But most of all, a future I continued to strive towards.


    I was not delusional. As I watched the North fell all those years ago, I knew how hard my dream was. Yet even then, I believed. I believed that so long as I tried, the world I would find a way.


    On the day I became a Reaper, in the presences of every Northerner still alive. I swore.


    "I Liv Erickson, Princess of the North bind my soul to this Oath. I will save the North!"


    But rather than support, all I gained was mockery. And worse, even my own father Disowned me.


    "YOU HAVE GONE MAD! Princess Liv, how dare you!"


    "What arrogance makes her swear such a thing in the presence of the king and the entire Northern Kingdom?"


    "What would a woman know? Even her own mother cursed her!"


    "You shame yourself creating a soul oath of such grandeur!"


    "Just vow to birth 25 Northerners like the other women!"


    "Ha! She is Uonsket! Who would even wish to mate with one who looks like an orc!"


    Even as thousands slandered me, I didn''t move from the platform. My eyes were glued solely to the countenance of the only man, I respected. The Revenant of the North. The Unbreakable, the man whom I called my father.


    He raised his hand, and the crowds all turned silent. For all the grandeur of his titles all I saw was a tired old man. His current decrepit visage, a mere shadow of his once unyielding will.


    "My daughter. Tell me what has pushed you to make such an impossible dream?"


    I hardly ever exchanged words with my own father. Our relationship was more of a king and his subject. As he had thousands of beautiful daughters and powerful sons, I was merely one of those beneath his notice.


    Swallowing my fear, I tried my best to voice out my thoughts. "Is it really so Impossible, Father? In combat none are as courageous as the North! I am sure that if rally our forces we can do it! With you leading us we can beat back the undead and reclaim¡­"


    A sudden impact resounded. The power of the blow made the very air quake. Such a simple action as slamming his staff into the ground, showed my father''s oppressive might. His legendary feat of pushing back groups of Archdemons remained uncontested to this very day!


    I often was proud of the fact that I was his daughter. It was fine even if he didn''t have time for me, he had to protect our entire North after all. Still, if I could help him even just a tiny bit like my mother had before me, I would be content.


    "Relinquish your oath."


    I couldn''t believe the words my father said to me. To a Northerner who drew power from Soul Oaths, breaking them was one of the biggest taboos. To relinquish an unfulfilled oath was the worst disgrace a Northerner could possibly commit.


    "W-What?"


    Yet my father, the one I idolized with all my heart commanded such a thing. It was too overwhelming. Maybe he misspoke, it was impossible. My father, the Unbreakable, hero and king of the North, would never order such a thing.


    "Relinquish your Oath. That is if you still wish to be my daughter."


    "¡­"


    My heart sank. Why? That was the only thing that keep repeating in my mind. All I wanted was to reclaim our glory. I knew I was weak, but I intended to get stronger. Must my dream be denied? And by my father no less?


    At my silence, Luk our head of Wisdom screamed in a loud voice, "Princess Liv, your king has given you a command! Relinquish your oath! As you are young, we will not consider you part of the Vala Rikkoja, but you must quickly Ascend to create a new vow."


    Vala Rikkoja. Translated it meant "Oath Breaker." They were considered the worse scum of our society. It was truly a kindness to not be branded as one of them. But why did it even come to this? Was reclaiming our home really such a fool''s errand?


    "Father, may I ask why?" I inquired. My cheeks damp as my tears began to fall.


    "YOU INSOLENT UONSKET SOW! What right do you have to even question his majesty''s words? It seems your bitch of a mother was truly a failure! Her negligence caused our gates to fall and she cannot even raise her child properly!"


    I gritted my teeth in anger at the vitriol Luk spewed at my mother. My heart wept. I couldn''t even defend her name from such slander. All because I was powerless. However, I knew, talking back now wouldn''t hardly help my case.


    Thus, I forced myself to swallow my words and waited. Ignoring the fat weakling and his worthless remarks, I repeated my question. Maybe. Just maybe, my father would share his wisdom or give me some sort of explanation.


    "Father. Please give me a reason. You can even brand me as Vala Rikkoja if you deem it to be necessary. But please tell me. Even now the undead ravages our lands yet we do nothing while our people starve and die. Why must we cower in hiding like rats? All to survive no matter the cost?"


    Death Resonance leaked from all the Specters in the audience. It wasn''t that I disparaged their efforts. Regardless of how we all felt, year by year the lands we held grew smaller. And with each acre taken, our people suffered even more.


    ''Reality does not care about your feelings or pride,'' I thought inwardly.


    "Liv."


    Suddenly being called by my name caused me to stiffen. Due to the sheer number of his children, my father seldom called us by our names. He often just used "my son" or "my daughter". I personally believed it was because he doesn''t even know our names.


    "Yes, father?"


    Eager to hear the thoughts of my last remaining parent, I wiped my tears and took a step forward. But his next words broke whatever illusions I may have once had.


    "From this day forward, you are no daughter of mine. You will take the name Ivaldi. The city your mother failed to save. You may reclaim your name once you retake it. Until then, you are forbidden from showing yourself to me unless I summon you."


    "¡­I-I understand your majesty," I answered feeling betrayed.


    That was all our relationship amounted too. It was at that moment where I chose to let go of all the admiration and pride of my lineage. As if to insult me further, they branded me with the reminder of the wretched place that took my mother from me.


    I wanted to collapse on the spot. To wail and cry for my father to take me back in. For him to reconsider. To ask if he ever loved me. But I held it all in. I couldn''t appear weak. Not now. Without the protection of a Revenant, I had to be strong.


    ''Cry after you leave this place. Kill your heart and move forward,'' I commanded myself.


    "A wise judgement your majesty. Royal guard! Escort, Liv Ivaldi and throw her out of the palace! Let this be a lesson to everyone undergoing the Oath talking! Do not forget your place! Why delude yourselves into such fantasies! Survive! Procreate! That is your duty!"


    Amidst Luk''s embarrassing lectures about the importance of extending our bloodline, I was escorted off the stage. Whispers and insults came from everyone as I was dragged away. Such was the humiliating manner I lost my name.


    The was the last time I was Erick Odinson''s daughter. Six months later, I returned triumphant, not that it mattered. Ranking first in the Enlistment of North America did little to further my cause. While I changed, they all adamantly remained the same.


    I have long killed whatever expectations I had for my countrymen. All hope I carried now laid with the man before me. However, unlike the cowards from the North, my beloved had the opposite the problem. He repeatedly wished to carry the burden alone.


    "I-I''m sorry Liv. I just didn''t have it in me to ask more of you¡­"


    Just what in the world was this man saying! I placed upon him the fate of a land he couldn''t care less about. Yet instead of blaming me, he accepted it without complaint. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 873 - 873: Heroine Chapter: Much scarier [2/2]

    All because I was the one who asked, he would save it.


    Feeling like he was coddling me too much, my guilt caused me to scream at him.


    "Cease such lies! Were you not the one that says that we are family? Then why must you feel that way! I already surrendered myself to you beloved! Did not you get angry when I tried to do the same! I detest those who lie and those who reek of hypocrisy!"


    Our weapons clashed again and again. Despite my newly acquired strength, he was still far stronger. Resilient like a mountain he stood his ground. Even as we fought, I could feel his concern for me. And it broke my heart.


    This man truly loved me, yet why wouldn''t he let me protect him?


    "My love, have you had enough? I told you I didn''t want to see you hurt. I call myself your shield. My role is to protect you. Each wound you get is a stain on my honor. Why can''t you understand where I am coming from!"


    I hated it. With every fiber of my being. To see the one you love bleed and suffer alone. It was like an ogre grabbed my heart and crushed it. Worse than the pain of starving, dying or forcefully being turned into a Reaper. Yet my Beloved remained unyielding.


    "I know what it is you want Liv. You want to bear all my burdens. That is how you love me. Unfortunately, I am the same. As your man, I refuse to let you shoulder everything. Doing so makes me a useless bastard who doesn''t deserve you."


    Sigh. How could you even get angry at someone like this? I loved him and he loved me. I was being silly, wasn''t I? Unlike my father who never supported me. This man was doing the complete opposite.


    His desperation for power was all to fulfill my goals. Yet here was I an ungrateful child complaining about not having her way. I was really too shameless. But I couldn''t stop myself. I even shared to him how Freyja''s life haunted me, hoping it would sway him.


    But despite all that was said, his answer never even once wavered. He loved me. That was the beginning and end for everything.


    "You and I both know that battle and hardship creates character. But we want our loved ones to be safe. That is how you and I show our love. But I cannot follow your wishes, because if I do, I will lose the ability to protect you."


    "And I would rather die a hundred times than to let that happen."


    ''What could I even say anything to such devotion? Sigh, he really is too much,'' I complained as my heart felt unspeakable bliss.


    We then fought with our everything. And like an animal, after my defeat, he tyrannically pushed me down and ravaged me. Remembering his overbearing lust made my body hot. Yet not long after our battle my {Kindred} once again shattered my every expectation.


    "I will bring the Awakened to Kismayo to kill the demons. Afterwards they will join me when I butcher the undead in Antarctica."


    What? Antarctica was what the southerners called the North, right? Did I mishear?


    I quickly turned to my Beloved''s avatar and was about to ask that he didn''t need to push himself.


    ''Trust me.''


    Unable to say anything in reply, I stifled my words as my heart almost burst from happiness. My beloved then lovingly caressed my face. Overwhelmed by adoration, I nuzzled my face into his warm hand. His words were still fresh in my mind. His vow that made me believe in love.


    "Liv, I love you. It''s okay if you don''t believe me for now. I will tell you every single day for the rest of our lives. I accept your vow. And in turn give you my own. For you, I vow to eradicate the dead from the North."


    In less than a year, this man was already preparing to make my dreams come true. My Beloved was serious. The orders he gave to Hellsend showed the magnitude of the plans he had made. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    From crafting better weapons, to employing the South Americans and the Awakened. He even planned to bribe the rest of the world! It wasn''t just I who felt it. Everyone did. Limitless had his sights set on Antarctica. And nothing would stop him from going.


    Right now, I was in a meeting room with Jas and Lilly. We were resting due to the strain of sending my sisters and our {Kindred} to Africa. Due to the intelligence of the ones with me, various people came to consult them.


    Phillip, Carlos, Yvonne, Joshua, Mike and Isolde, even Juno! And as they discussed, before me the plan to save my homeland slowly began to take shape.


    "The Wizards has managed to decode the illusions placed on the global satellites over Antarctica. As you can see in complete contrast to what the world knows, the vast ice lands are overrun with being of Hellsgate," Van explained as he showed a video.


    Murmurs echoed around the room. Unlike I who grew up seeing the scenes being shown the rest were quite shocked. Undead so numerous that it seemed the very ground was alive. Flying demons and monsters moving like a cloud that blotted out even the sun.


    Yet while my own people abandoned all hope the ones here right now did the opposite.


    "Lady Isthar, Lady Satis, Lady Freyja, we intend to use these points as our beachhead. We will use Ishtar''s bloodline and the howitzers to level this area. Next, the soulless, Champions of Nerio''s army and the Awakened will for a forward base. Next would be..."


    Joshua and the rest of the 2nd Amendment already had three equally viable plans for an invasion. And everything was meticulously simulated with even the ammunition, {fates} and formations being planned to the last detail.


    ''How terrifying. I was mistaken. Southerners know war even better than we ever could.''


    While Northern armies made plans in broad strokes, there was hardly any play-by-play planning. We just made do with the situation. However, despite the complexity of the plan presented, Lilly and Jas were dissatisfied and began to pull it apart.


    "This is unacceptable Joshua. Your approaches rely too heavily on my {Portals} and {Gates}. What would you do if after the first wave we suddenly cannot use them anymore? You would doom those that went to their deaths!"


    "I agree. We need to send small recon teams first. We would have them check the surroundings and {Rewind} as needed. Inari''s Kitchen or Rhiannon''s Hellcats are excellent candidates. But these set of plans are too optimistic. Do them again."


    Hearing their words, I understood their intent. But was there a need to plan that far? I gulped in nervousness at the thought of Southerners invading the North. Apart from my father, If Hellsend came with the intent to decimate my people, would we even be able to resist?


    "My ladies, the main issue here is we detect several beings on the surface that surpass Rank A. In my opinion, rather than thinking that the land itself would reject us, the odds that they would hinder our efforts upon detection is higher," Phillip declared.


    The screens then changed to show familiar named monsters the North feared. I felt terror snake up my spine. How many of our people died to their hands? While I wasn''t close to any of them, several of my half-brothers lost their lives to these very beings.


    I felt my body tense up until I felt a hand gently clasp my shoulder. Turning I saw Jas ask me in a calm voice.


    "Liv, do you know anything about these monsters? Every bit of information would help us."


    "I-I¡­" Unintentionally, my voice stammered. Images of the atrocities these whoresons committed against my people came to my mind. Fear and worry flooded my heart. Could I live with myself if Hellsend suffered the same fate?


    But then a confident voice reminded me of that which I had forgotten.


    "Liv, Sweetheart. I know how you must feel. But remember who stands behind you. I can assure you that as tough as these things may be. They would simply die to the fool who adores you," Lilly remarked as she studied the maps in front of her.


    Immediately a single face came to mind. The face of the madman who intended to fight an entire continent all because I asked him too. Suddenly, I felt my fear, shame and indecision all vanish like an illusion.


    Indeed. The man who stood behind was no Revenant. He was merely a Phantom that loved me more than anyone else ever did. But somehow that gave me far greater comfort. I felt myself chuckle at the thought.


    "Haha. Yes. He is much scarier."

 Chapter 874 - 874: How do you even [1/2]

    "WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN DOING? IS BANGING THIS WHITE TRASH THE ONLY THING ON YOUR MIND? HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS DIED HERE ALL FO¡­."


    The loud sounds of Pierre grated on my ears. So much so I pulled out a gun. When I did the girls all made funny comments.


    "Pfft. Darling is the best; this should be good."


    "Beat me to it, if I knew I was allowed, I would have shot him way earlier Possum."


    "Sigh, and here I was hoping this wouldn''t turn into an international incident. Aim low if you please Honey, this man just lost everything¡­who I am kidding?"


    "Ara. Ara. Is there even a need to tell people that he did survive? Hardly anyone knows he is here. I can just shove him back into the void and let him starve. Your thoughts, Anata?"


    As someone who personally starved in the past, I wouldn''t wish that type of thing on anyone. Normally you starved till you died. But as Reapers simulate human bodies but technically aren''t starving would be eternal.


    ''Exa, do I have to continue saying [Hellsend''s Armory] all the time. You know my thoughts anyway, right?''


    [Technically you don''t. I had assumed you wanted it as it looked cool.]


    "¡­"


    [My mistake, from this point on just say the weapon you want, and I will retrieve it for you.]


    "Ivory."


    At my words the chrome plated USP Match appeared on my right hand. It didn''t feel as cool, but it was far more practical. As I got more and more weapons, having to call them all out each time would be a pain in the ass.


    I raised my hand and took aim. Pierre continued to go on and on about responsibility while Amari accepted the abuse. How he could tolerate his woman being insulted in a manner was beyond me. I took aim at his balls and fired a .45 ACP.


    "MOREOVER¡­AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"


    Contrary to how it felt, guys wouldn''t actually die if we got stabbed or shot in the balls. However, most men would choose to death over such pain. Pierre fell on the floor screaming in pain. The round I shot entered his thigh and passed to his balls and dick. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Didn''t exit. Probably still buried in his other thigh,'' I analyzed.


    The sound of the .45 ACP seemed muted to me. Yet my voice and those of my company were all normal. It was probably because of Exa, which made me appreciate her more. As my mind wandered to Pierre, that sound must have rattled his ears.


    Amari and Mia went wide-eyed. Ignoring them, I walked forward with the Sirens behind me. Rolling as if he was bitten by a snake, Pierre continued to scream profanities as he gingerly cupped his nut sack. The couple stood silently as I reached Pierre.


    With the plans for the Antarctica operation underway, I didn''t have a moment left to spend in this hellhole. I needed to clear out the demons and go back home. Thus, this bastard in particular needed to quickly know his place.


    "Huhuhu¡­it hurts it hurt it hurts it hurts!!! YOU CRAZY MOTHERFUCKER!"


    I then kicked him in the back of the head. Jolted awake by the pain he looked at me with blood thirsty eyes. I then shot him in the throat. A loud bang of Ivory resounded once more. A .45 ACP round entered the Adam''s apple of the noisy Reaper.


    If earlier he was focus on shouting, he was not trying to seal his throat as blood shot out like a fountain. Gargling sounds filled the air as he tried to speak despite no longer having a voice box. He couldn''t even turn his head in fear that he would die faster.


    ''Coward. How in the world does a Phantom like this exist. He reminds me of the weaklings in North America.''


    [My lord, in my opinion your observation is mistaken. He is not cowardly; his behavior matches that of normal Phantoms. Hellsend Reapers are considered dauntless by North America. Your standards of what a Phantom should be is merely too high.]


    Shaking my head at the disappointing information Exa shared, I reached Pierre. His eyes stared daggers into me as he puked blood in ridiculous amounts. I couldn''t make sense of what he kept complaining about, but it didn''t matter.


    "GHGGGHS¡­..GURLLHHGGSHG¡­HAFPGJHA!"


    I lifted my right foot and stomped on his throat. His fingers were in the way made a sharp crunch as they shattered from my foot. From this close I saw his eyes swim in pain. He then began to cry as he tried to shake me off his throat.


    "Hello. I will keep this short. My name is Limitless. I talk, you listen. Do not try any of the ''Noblesse Oblige'' crap you were shouting about earlier. I am here to kill demons. Blanche told me to meet her contact. Are you that person or not, nod for a yes, shake for a no."


    *Nod. *


    "Right. You see how I operate. My harem and I were the ones who cleared the demons here. And unlike these two, I will not tolerate your bullshit, you shut up that''s rule one. You only talk when asked, that''s rule two. If break either, you get a bullet. Understand?"


    *Nod. *


    "Okay, I will heal you now," I declared as I removed my foot from his throat.


    Relief flooded his face as the weight on his injury lifted. Only for it to look horrified when I shoved the gun into his mouth. His eyes grew wide as he resumed shedding tears. Muffled groans came from his mouth, not that it mattered.


    ''Exa.''


    [{Restore} rounds loaded.]


    I felt the magazine on my pistol change in a split second. Exa probably already had my heal bullets in a separate magazine for ease of loading. Amused at the fear radiating off the Astrologers contact; I made a wicked smile as I teased.


    "Here comes the heal."


    "Wait! Limitless!" "STOP! DON''T KILL HIM!"


    Amari and Mia tried to prevent my actions. Which kind of made sense, anyone who didn''t know about the {Restore} rounds would think of this as an execution. But seeing the fear in their faces made me mischievous.


    So, I didn''t listen and pulled the trigger. Yet another gunshot rang out. I say gunshot but to me it sounded like a soft plik. It was similar to the noise you hear from an airsoft rifle. Despite it being silenced for me though, the round wasn''t suppressed in any manner.


    I piece of his skull flew away like a rocket along with what I assumed to be blood and brain matter. Funnily enough, the Phantom in front of me didn''t die but instead began trying to scream. Feeling I needed to hold him down I reacquainted his throat with my shoe.


    "Settle down. You didn''t die, see? Give it a second."


    Wondering why Amari and Mia didn''t make a fuss I turned. Only to find my girls forming a wall between me and them. Robyn in particular was practically snarling at them. Amused at their reaction, I waited.


    Within seconds the holes in both Pierre''s balls and throat began to rapidly heal. Even the part of his head closed within moments. It even realigned his hair in place. Meanwhile Mia and Amari gasped and covered their mouths in surprise.


    When it was clear that they would not hurt me, the girls all quickly returned to my side. Despite his clothes being soaked in blood, Pierre felt around his body before he stood up in glee.


    "I am okay! Wow that healing was amazing! It did hurt a bit but that was amazing! It is leagues faster than anything our country has in terms of medicine."


    This man must have been a goldfish or something as he forgot what I literally told him just seconds ago. I raised my gun and shoved it into his forehead. I then pulled back the hammer, making a satisfying click.


    The Mauritian in front of me froze on the spot as he held out his hands up. To the typical bystander it looked like I was mugging him. Probably knowing how truthful I was, Pierre didn''t move one bit from his spot.


    "¡­"


    "Good. Now. Tell me everything Blanche said to you," I asked menacingly.


    *Nod. *

 Chapter 875 - 875: How do you even [2/2]

    The man then fidgeted with the bracelet on his arm. When he did a small portal similar to Lilly''s {Store} family appeared. In that small opening a letter fell out to the ground. Probably thinking I would shoot him; Pierre didn''t try to pick up the letter.


    Bella came closer and quickly scooped up the letter. Upon doing so, Bella shared me the name on the envelope.


    "It''s from the Astrologer, Honey. Do you want me to open it? Or do you want to read it alone?"


    "You can open it for me Bella, I don''t mind."


    My Brazilian bombshell made a beautiful smile as she heard my words. Trust between partners spoke more that affection in most cases. If your relationship hinged entirely on fucking each other senseless, you and your partner would eventually drift apart.


    I decocked the hammer of my weapon and walked closer to Bella, Jo, Aki and Robyn did the same. Like a group of idols reading their first fan letter we squeeze together to get a better view. My girl opened the letter.


    [


    To Limitless:


    First off, I wanted to congratulate you on your recent string of victories. I am unsure how much my words helped but it was an impressive feat, nonetheless. Well done! If you are reading this letter, it meant that Sasa asked you to save the South Americans instead of killing them.


    Sasa, I know you are the one holding this right now, well done. Among the participants of the Revenant project your group is by far the one I root for the most. But I digress, the main point is that you arrived in Kismayo and saw the absolute ruin that happened.


    Limitless, your observations are both astute and correct. I truly did not care if the entire city was lost. I only had two concerns. One of which is for you to understand the weight of your decisions. Your deductions are correct. You truly could have saved this place.


    There was a future that this city and its people survived. It would have only happened if you gave importance to my words and left immediately after the defense of the Hell''s Eden. But I know that you even if I told you, it would not have mattered, so I didn''t.


    My other concern is to tell you avoid your brother, at all costs. You are not ready. I will reiterate. Do not engage the other Successor in Africa. Let him do as he pleases. I would have preferred for you to not be in the same continent, but alas such if fate.


    Your journey here was set the moment Amari Soldat saved Envy and Lust. I couldn''t change it no matter what I tried. So, all I can do is give you knowledge of the future. The futures of Successors are hard to see, so I do not know where he is. Only that he is there.


    Again, I will reiterate. Run away. Doing anything else will lead to your death or losing those you love. Please heed my words. Whatever you do, do not fight him. Doing so will not bode well for anyone. This is of the utmost importance.


    You need time to grow. If you meet him by accident, I don''t care if you have to beg, just find a way to escape. Abandon everyone and everything if you must. For If you fight him you will lose!


    Do what you came to do and leave as soon as possible. Listen to me, Limitless. Do not fight against fate or you will curse yourself in regret. Your sins are worth less, do not mistake your priorities.


    Regards


    - Blanche Voir Mill¨¦nia "The Astrologer"


    Ps: I will tell you everything when you return to North America.


    ]


    "¡­"


    When Bella finished reading, the girls and I grew silent. I couldn''t even begin to understand half of the shit written in there. Apart from the redundant warnings, the thing that struck out to me the most was her predictions about my defeat.


    Blanche''s predictions were incredible precise and were terrifying in a way. It was cool when she had good news in store, like that you would win the lottery. But what if her predictions were that you would die? Or that something bad would happen?


    ''Sigh, how do you even respond to something like this?''


    I did managed to get a few tidbits though. First, it seemed that I wasn''t alone in the Revenant Project, the Sirens or at least Bella was part of my team. Blanche was even open about how she liked us better than everyone else.


    Second, Successors were what you called the people in the Revenant Project. And at this moment, I, along with another Successor were both in Africa. But it seemed like our reasons for being here was different as our meeting was not set in stone.


    Third, if ever we did fight, I would lose. This was despite having {Rewind}. It must mean the other Successor had a way to cancel {Rewind}, much like Roach could.


    ''Just how strong is this motherfucker to be able to beat me as I was now?'' I wondered.


    I was already practically immortal. Yet Blanche was sure for some reasons. Her warnings were a mess. But like the last letter, she knew what I was going to do. If killing the Demon''s in Kismayo was all I wanted, we could already leave right now.


    But after I saw how Juno''s cleansed Zack, I gained yet another objective. One I had yet to share to anyone. And basing on how Blanche''s letter said nothing about the rest of Amari''s brothers it seemed that what I planned actually worked.


    The girls and their links were all swirling with emotion. I tried to calm them down but the emotions I sent to their links were of no help. When Vela disappeared, I felt my connection to Lilly, Jas and Liv return. And at this moment they were just as chaotic.


    "It was you¡­you could have saved them¡­it was you¡­you could have¡­"


    Although it was faint we could hear Pierre murmuring softly. His eyes which seemed lost were staring blankly at empty space. But despite his shock, one of my girls walked to him with angry steps.


    Before anyone could say anything, Robyn smashed his cheek with a punch. She then grabbed Pierre by the neck and raised him off the ground. Unable to resist he got strangled by the throat. The Mauritian lacked any muscle despite being as tall as Jo. Scrawny as fuck, he looked like a kite.


    "Look here you fucking Nigger-cunt, I am in a REALLY bad mood. I will ask only once. Answer me or I will rip your head off your body. What. Are. The. Successors?"


    Aki and Jo similarly walked up to Amari and Mia. The two kept releasing enough Death Resonance a normal human would have died many times over. The Italian in particular already had a tangible fog forming around her.


    "Soldat-san, Flair-san."


    "Tell us everything you know before we fucking beat you to the ground," Jo asked with a smile.


    I then sensed a crazy number of digital signals come from Bella. If the data between fiber optic cables were transferred as light, the amount she just released was enough to light up a city. Before I could say anything, what seemed like a thousand messages began flooding my inbox.


    ''Exa?''


    [They are leave requests and confirmations. Your {Vassals} and the officers of Hellsend have been ordered to abandon all current objectives. They have sent notices to express the change in directives.] sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''By whom? Who told them to?''


    [My lord. Do you really even need to ask?]


    Right, I only needed to look at my {Kindred} link to know who were the people panicking like mad. Messages were going around in the Hellsend Officers Network. The Administrators, Carlos and Herman, Juno and even Vincent all scrambled.


    Alicia and Connie were on similar missions. They were to investigate with their respective Specters. Eva was getting barraged by the girls and was sending me complaints. Everyone was hunting for just to two terms. "Successor" and the "Revenant Project."


    And from the look of things. This might be the most dangerous thing I will go up against. Blanche''s credibility was what caused the girls to all begin to panic. She was near perfect in the accuracy of her predictions.


    And much like me my girls were a tad bit overprotective. It warmed my heart to see the worry in their links and their faces. Such things would only be possible if someone truly loved you.


    Thus, even as I faced what would my most difficult opponent to date, I was not afraid, ''I am not alone after all,'' I thought to myself with pride.

 Chapter 876 - 876: I have plot armor [1/2]

    "Look lady I don''t¡­geurk!"


    "Wrong answer cunt! Try again! Think long and hard while I am still being nice!"


    "Kruek! I only was given the letter! I do¡­blearugh! I don''t know her personally, okay?"


    "Give me her contact info then, before I shove my foot down your throat!" Robyn threatened.


    As our Chaser began a one-sided walloping, the group next to them were not as physical. However, they were just as emotional high strung.


    "Judy, I am telling you despite being the heir to the Fair family, I don''t know anything either. I can ask my family, but you all need to calm down."


    "Eh? But I am calm. Just tell me what I need to know. Call your parents, like right the fuck now. Easy right?"


    "Josephine, you are from Europe. You know how Reaper families there are. Fluffy also has her own issues with her family. So please, just¡­"


    "Do I look like a give a fuck?" Jo said with a cheerful smile.


    "¡­"


    "Soldat-san, you are a prince, surely you must know. Ask for your father, he is a Revenant. If not, give me his location and I will pay him a visit."


    "I-I¡­ My father is not seeing anyone right now. I''m sorry."


    "Aww, but that''s okay. I guess nukes it is then, right Aki?"


    "So, it would seem, we should prepare the family for Ascension when we get back, Haru has been pestering me when he could become a Reaper."


    "WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN NUKES?" Mia shrieked in panic.


    People had only two ways to react to things they do not know. It was either with fear or curiosity. The former pushes you away while the latter draws you in more. Most often the reaction one gets was normally based on what once felt the so-called gut feel.


    It has been so long since the first time I heard the words "Revenant Project." The one who first said the words to me was none other than the man who allowed me to join the Reapers.


    "See you on the other side, John. Welcome to the Revenant Project."


    At first, I thought it was just a project to create Revenants. But now I was not so sure. For one thing from what I read from Blanche''s letter, the Revenant Project had many participants, and I was only one of them.


    In any endeavor who joined the thing was just as important as what it was for. Even in projects they were structured in a variety of ways. Off the top of my head, I knew of three. And just from Blanche''s words it was obvious what we were in.


    The first was like a movie. You had a lead and everyone else was support. There was no contest who was more important, but the supports needed to cater to the lead in order for the thing to go anywhere. As I wasn''t instructed to help anyone this wasn''t that.


    The 2nd was similar to construction. You have various groups that were brought together to work for on a single goal. Just as you brought architects, carpenters, masons, engineers and the like for buildings.


    They all needed to work together provided their expertise. The thing with this type was that there was a clear reason why people were brought in. No one called a pianist to join a construction project. And much like the first type the Revenant project wasn''t this either.


    That only left the third type. Competitive projects. Often used by the military, it was when you called multiple group of people to all try to achieve the same goal. Only they weren''t allowed to help one another.


    This naturally meant that there could only be one winner. And who ever held the competition would be who gets to decide who one. Even in Video games the concepts of all three types were prevalent.


    For the first you had story driven RPGs. For the second you had MOBAs. For the third you had battle royals. And from the looks of it. Blanche''s words all but confirmed that I was in a battle royal for Reapers.


    ''Well, technically it isn''t a MOBA, more like a RTS. I had both the Sirens and Hellsend.''


    There was a huge difference in fighting alone, with a team or with an army. If what I surmised was correct this means that the other "Players" the Successors would also be doing the same thing as me. The only problem was, I didn''t know what the objective was.


    "It would have been great if its something straight forward like kill everybody else," I murmured absentmindedly.


    Games grew more complex the more objectives were needed. As I didn''t even know what the objectives for the Revenant Project was it would be hard to decide what to do. What if it was like a race of some sort? In such a scenario butchering everyone had no meaning.


    Amazed that I managed to quickly understand the concepts I was in, I sighed. If IRIS really mean to use Video games as a form of education it was serving me well. At the moment, at least I had a guide no matter how vague.


    Blanche didn''t give me an objective but listed that completing it was worth the risk.


    [Do what you came to do and leave as soon as possible.]


    As she didn''t tell me what I was going to do was pointless it means I succeeded. Sometimes you gained more information from context rather than the answer. But it did raise the question, "How could Blanche see me, when she cannot see the others?"


    [The futures of Successors are hard to see, so I do not know where he is. Only that he is there.]


    ''Hmm. I do not have information. Let''s just work with the girls.''


    I walked towards Bella. She gazed upward towards the skies. Her eyes dazed meant my girl wasn''t really "present", either the Brazilian was in cyberspace or was sifting through tones of information. But still, it didn''t hurt to ask.


    "Bella? Honey? Are you there?"


    Without moving, Bella''s voice resounded in my link, ''Yes, Mr. Code?''


    It was awesome to talk telepathically and all. Unfortunately, when the emotions rampaging around the girl''s links were too loud, I preferred to talk the old fashion way. To put it into context, the {Kindred} Links were like rooms. And the emotions, voices.


    The more emotions were in the link, the more people were talking at once. And when the girls couldn''t control what they were feeling, it showed. The voices sounded just incoherent screaming. Who in their right mind would prefer to talk to someone having a mental breakdown over a casual chat? S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Do you think you can speak to me with your voice Honey? Your link is kind of distracting at the moment," I confessed.


    Bella turned her head and spoke robotically, "I see. Is there something you want to ask?"


    "I want to know what your suggestions are for what to do next."


    "Oh that? Its quite simple, Honey. I am currently in the process of getting my hands on every nuclear missile in North America, Russia, China. France and the United Kingdom. I am about 30% in."


    Hearing the names of the top five countries with nuclear stockpiles I froze. Given the abilities of {Code}, Bella and Exa, I wasn''t surprised if this woman could gain the ability to launch every nuke in existence. But the fact was if she did, WWIII would probably begin soon.


    "I feel like I am going to regret asking, but why would you need them?"


    "Haha, how stupid are you Mr. Code? It''s like asking why you need a big gun. Naturally because you want to murder something. The Sirens and I are all working to find this fucking Successor. And once we do, I will send every nuke I can command to wipe him from existence."


    "¡­"


    Well fuck. It''s not like I didn''t expect that. In fact, from how crazy my girls were, it was the only logical outcome. If this bastard had the power to kill me, what would my wild pack of rabid yanderes do? Naturally they would all move to gut him no matter the cost.


    ''Exa, how many nukes is Bella trying to get?''


    [The five nuclear states have a combined number of 5,800 Nuclear warheads that can all be fired in less than one hour. Assuming an average yield of 150 kilotons per warhead, it would be equivalent to 870 Megatons, or 41,429 times of the Fat man used in Nagasaki.]


    ''And if all of them hit a city of Africa?''

 Chapter 877 - 877: I have plot armor [2/2]

    [Are you asking about the damage in life and infrastructure of Africa? Or the Global consequences of unleashing such an attack?]


    ''Both.''


    [Do I assume that they all intend to hit a populated city center? Or a remote location?]


    ''Populated.''


    [The immediate explosion from 5,800 simultaneous nuclear detonations would completely vaporize the city. Every building, structure, and piece of infrastructure within a 100-150 mile radius would be obliterated.]


    [Within the Core Explosion or within 10 miles, In the aftermath of the initial blasts, firestorms would rage, burning anything that remains and creating a secondary, massive source of heat and destruction up to 100 miles away.]


    [Temperatures would reach thousands of degrees Celsius in the immediate vicinity. This zone would have a 100% mortality rate. The Secondary zones or those between 10 and 50 miles are a bit better.]


    [They will only have their buildings partly or totally destroyed by the firestorms and have a 50% to 90% mortality rate. The Tertiary Zone would fare the best, they would have buildings still standing albeit on the verge of collapse. Mortality rate between 30% to 60% percent.]


    Just hearing Exa list such scary figures was already enough to make me hurl. But she wasn''t even saying anything graphic, it was a mundane damage assessment. That scale of power of nukes were just that different.


    [Individuals who survive the blasts would be exposed to lethal radiation that leads to acute radiation sickness. They all die within weeks or months, depending on exposure.]


    ''So, there is no surviving. Can radiation sickness be cured?''


    [While ARS patients can survive if they are exposed to less than 3 Gy, 5800 simultaneous detonations would have at the minimum 30 Gy, so no they will all die.]


    ''Then what about what happens beyond 100 miles?''


    It was often a setting in video games and manga. The nuclear wasteland that would end up being created after a nuclear war. There people were horribly deformed, usually severe health issues and no longer lived like humans.


    [Due to the sheer magnitude of the explosions, the radioactive fallout would spread across the entire planet. Radiation clouds would enter the atmosphere, covering continents with lethal levels of radiation. These effects would last for years.]


    [While 15-30 million people would die in the first few seconds, Including those from the secondary and tertiary zones, casualties could reach 50-70 million or more. Given the effects, billions would die globally, primarily from famine, disease, and nuclear winter effects.]


    ''Sigh, elaborate on what a nuclear winter is.''


    Hearing it in video games was far different from real life. Especially when the girls would really consider nukes as an option. Although I said, I only cared about my girls, it was quite different if I willingly chose to kill everyone myself. At least, I still felt reluctant.


    [Nuclear Winter: The sheer scale of the explosions would send massive amounts of soot and debris into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and triggering a global cooling event. Global temperatures could plummet by 5-10¡ãC over the next few years, with some regions facing temperatures much colder, particularly at high latitudes.]


    [With sunlight blocked, global crops would fail, leading to widespread famine. Africa, in particular, would face extreme food shortages as local ecosystems would collapse under the extreme cold and radiation levels.]


    [Even countries far from the target city would suffer from contaminated air, water, and food supplies. Massive disruption to the global food chain would occur, and recovery could take decades, if not centuries.]


    ''That bad huh?''


    [Recovery would be impossible for several decades due to the radioactive fallout, climate disruption, and the collapse of infrastructure across the planet. Most of humanity would be pushed to the brink of extinction.]


    [Large-scale recovery efforts would be unfeasible due to the global collapse of political, economic, and agricultural systems. The environmental fallout, including radiation levels and disrupted ecosystems, would take centuries to recover from.]


    [Urban areas globally would remain uninhabitable for generations. Complete recovery would be impossible within any human lifespan, with significant global and environmental impact lasting for centuries.]


    So, it made little difference if we focused all the nukes or spread them out. No matter how much we tried to minimize the radiation, past a certain point, it would all be the same. Once a nuclear winter was triggered, we effectively lose the sun and would die out like flies.


    [To put it simply, mankind will go extinct.]


    My girls were not stupid. They probably knew all this. But I didn''t think any of them cared. To them, losing me was equivalent to death. And they would much rather burn the world than even entertain the risk of me dying.


    I gently took Bella into my arms and embraced her. Immediately I felt Bella return to her body. She clung to my arms as she trembled. Maria Chorona began speaking as if to calm herself down.


    "Don''t worry, Honey. Blanche can be wrong too. We will smoke this bastard, just you see. Who cares what happen to the rest of the world? We can just turn our love ones into Reapers and live in Hellsgate like the Northerners do. We have supplies and everything."


    "Bella," I asked sweetly.


    "NO! I know what you are going to say! I WONT! I WON''T RISK IT! None of us will! What if he finds us? What if we lose you? No! To hell with them all! So don''t bother asking me to stop! All seven of us agreed to this! We don''t give a fuck about the world!"


    I didn''t know went somewhere along the line Bella was no longer speaking English. She was full out shouting in Brazilian Portuguese. Her link was equally chaotic. This was one of those times that being too smart was bad.


    Because my girls were intelligent, they knew the implications of everything Blanche said. And because they knew my personality they assumed it would be better to kill my brother before we even came to blows. They adored me a tad too much.


    "Bella."


    "No! I-I''m scared Honey. What if Blanche is right? What if¡­"


    Not willing to let her stress herself out, I comforted her anxiety. As I licked her lips and sucked on her tongue, Bella noticeably calmed down. It took a while but after about ten seconds my Honey''s heart grew a bit more serene.


    I gazed into her eyes as I hugged her body close, "Bella, I won''t die. I have too much to do and I am the main character, I have plot armor," I joked.


    "Pfft!"


    A loud chuckle came from another of my girls. When I turned, I noticed Jo trying to suppress her laughter. Aki similarly had an amused face. Amari and Mia on the other hand had "What the fuck?" and "Are you fucking serious" faces.


    Robyn was the only one who ignored my joke. She was busy crouching over the ground and seemed to have beaten Pierre to a pulp. My Kitten then stood up and wiped the sweat off her face. I saw the glow of {Heal} tablets so Pierre should be fine.


    With everyone present waiting for my next words I continued my trail of thought.


    "It''s okay, just treat it as an event. We are still not strong enough, so we will do complete our objective and duck out. I won''t pick a fight and will do all I can to evade him so your girls should calm down okay. I won''t die."


    "Hmm, to be honest I didn''t think you would run Darling. After all you fight even Revenants and Archdemons, without escaping. You aren''t trying to pull a fast one, are you?" Jo asked with a conniving smile.


    "Nothing much Darling. It''s just that even in games, it is normal to run from the end game bosses. As we are now, we are still only at the middle game. I don''t mind running to fight another day. While I am what I am, I am not stupid."


    "Anata, so you mean to say that you recognize that you must stand down only for this moment. And that you intend to get even with him in the future?"


    I nodded at Aki''s question,


    "Of course. He wins this round. But the next time we meet, I will fucking bury him."


    My words had no hint of lies of deceit. The first to know this were of course the girls linked to me. Thus, they all calmed down somewhat. Just like Blanche said I need time to grow. And by the time I did, I would come after this bastard and end him. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 878 - 878: Why didnt you [1/2]

    It was a common mechanic in video games. To introduce you to an enemy that was horribly overpowered. I had guessed that it was somehow to get the competitive spirit of the player burning.


    My first encounter with such a thing was in a Final Fantasy 7. It had a big ass snake called the Midgard Zolom. That fucking piece of shit ripped me apart the first time I tried to fight it. Despite the repeated game overs, I tried and died to it over ten times.


    Eventually I had to accept that it was not possible at that point in my game and move on. I had to run from it again and again as I passed the area. I felt my honor and self-respect chip every time I did so. As the game progressed though, my moment came.


    And when it did, I fucking relished it with a passion. I came to that area and fucking butchered that snake again and again just for the sake of it. It gave me neither items nor good experience. It was just for the joy of overcoming my past.


    I had learned from then on that it was extremely good game design. And one that made people feel the progression as they got stronger. Course now that I was a Reaper, I knew that it was not just a game mechanic. It was like everything else a fucking lesson.


    The Successor with me in Africa. My so-called brother was just like that big ass snake. I could try dying to him again and again but unlike in the game, I had much to lose. My girls would all die, if I made a mistake. As I was their man, their lives were my responsibility.


    And I would play with everyone else''s loves except those of my family and my harem. So, if I could run from a snake then. I could do so now. It wasn''t because I was afraid of him. It was because my time had yet to arrive. Fighting spirit coursed through my veins.


    Much like that snake. When I grew strong enough, I would butcher this fucker again and again for the sheer joy of it. All the shame, I had to swallow now, I would pay back in full. The thought of ripping his arms apart and shooting APFSDS tank rounds at him made me smile.


    The girls who felt the blood lust in my veins calmed down, significantly. This was what I learned while dealing with my harem. Going against them made them resist. Joining them on the other hand usually made them more agreeable. The reason for that was¡­


    ''Beloved. Please stop. I admit I shamefully panicked over something that had yet to happen. You are scaring me. Come back. I will try to be more careful.'' sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''My goodness, would there be anything left of him afterwards, Dearest? I apologize for getting ahead of myself, you made your point. Stop. Although, I do find it quite sexy¡­''


    ''Fuck me dead, Possum. You link is too much! How can you want to kill someone that badly! I''m sorry okay! I know I fucked up. Calm down now. Please?''


    ''Wow! That''s a lot of damage! Even bear would die if they felt that! I never thought you were scared Darling. I just wanted to fuck him up for you. It''s okay, now!''


    ''Ugh, Mr. Code. Just how many bastards did you kill in the lower flowers? Your Death Resonance is practically solid now! It''s even more tangible than Jo''s! I get it already, stop!''


    ''Husband, your majesty fills me with joy. Forgive me for my assuming you would act on impulse. You are not stupid and would never put us at risk. Thank you for the reminder.''


    ''Anata, I will see to it that when we meet him in combat he will suffer. This stain in your honor, I will wash it with his blood. Someday, I hope to be the one to cleave his head off.''


    There were those who grew afraid of me. Others answered my emotion with trust and support. While they each had their own way of understanding me, I loved them all regardless.


    ''It''s okay everyone. There is nothing to forgive. I know you all just love me a lot. But please rescind your orders to Hellsend. Apart from those reaching out to Specters, have everyone else resume their work,'' I answered.


    They all agreed. I asked Exa to disseminate the instructions as answering emails was a fucking pain. Plus, I answered enough for seven lifetimes when I was human.


    ''Dearest, I will have the Hammer team stay in Hell''s Eden for now. We have begun preparing the plans to reclaim Antarctica. I believe his would be a better use of time that to walk around Africa. However, should you require assistance, summon us.''


    ''Okay, thank you Lilly. I will try not to miss you three, no matter how impossible that may be. In fact, I think I failed already. I miss you all right now.''


    ''Hmph, Husband your glib tongue will earn you many admirers there. All while I slave away for your wishes. Remember the wives you left at home! Do not take in more lovers, or I will kill them all when we meet!''


    ''Jas, I think that will start a war with Africa will it not? Beloved, I know you would not do something so foolish as seduce women over there. But I agree with Jas. For our benefit, please do not speak to any woman.''


    Hearing such an adorable request I chuckled while sending my entire harem positive emotions. Normally such requests were red flags, but as it came from my girls, I found it extremely cute. They were just as scared of losing me as I was of losing them.


    ''Okay, I will have Amari speak for me if women are involved. Does that work? I won''t cheat. You only cheat when you are unhappy with your partner. That doesn''t apply to me as my harem is perfect. After we finish our matters here, we will head straight home. I promise.''


    ''But Possum, I thought butchering the demons in Kismayo was all you wanted to do. We didn''t even get to do much, since the Nutjob sucked them dry like a vampire. What else are we even here for? You plan to help the gorilla win the crown?''


    ''Speaking of which, Jo, are you okay? The malice from so many must have taken a toll, we couldn''t join due for some reason, but I saw Exa''s footage. I am overjoyed you successfully completed an Astral possession safely. But malice wise, how is everyone?''


    ''I am fine Sis! Vela took all the malice away. She said she needed to sleep on it a bit to digest it or something. She sounds like Alpy in a way. But anyway, I am good! Darling took care of me really well. Everyone else had their rings cast {Rejuvenate} so we are good!''


    ''Apart from Jo and Honey having Soul Collapse episodes, the rest of us are fine. The entire city was butchered so the malice in the air is extremely suffocating. But our benevols are making it work, somehow. {Rejuvenate} is incredibly useful. I hardly hear voices at all.''


    ''Eh, you think? Well, look, I don''t quite see it that way. First of all, apart from me earlier, Bella, Aki and the nutjob were all too high strung. Possum was the worse. Just fighting in this place is hard. The malice is too thick, messes with our heads, we need better gear.''


    ''I see. Then I will relay that to the production teams, something similar might happen in Antarctica. On that note Dearest. Please share what your grand plan is? We are looking for the Successor with satellites but it''s hard since we don''t know what he looks like.''


    Suddenly being called out caused me to flinch. Better than having a video call, my harem and I were discussing with minimal lag while being separated by hell and earth. I took a deep breath before I began to explain.


    ''I intend to have the Awakened cleanse the Immortal of his malice. It''s a win-win as the Awakened would grow and we could have Hannibal owe us.''


    ''¡­'' x7


    ''What?''


    ''Honey, let me get this straight, you fucking plan to waltz into where the Revenant is and tell him we can clean his malice? And expose the Awakened to them, here in Africa?''


    Somehow the tone of Bella''s voice felt a bit off. Did I perhaps miss something, I was about to ask before Robyn confirmed what I suspected.

 Chapter 879 - 879: Why didnt you [2/2]

    ''Possum, I love you. More than anyone else in the world, but you can''t be this fucking stupid, can you?''


    ''Uhm¡­I apparently am,'' I confessed.


    On the top of my head, I had planned to do a simple trade. I would clean his Reapers and his malice; in exchange they join my army for Antarctica. It was simple direct to the point and had little room for error.


    ''Husband, what everyone is concerned with is that you would be held captive against your will. This is the land of Africa. They are incredibly powerful. If we come to blows against a Revenant, we would not be able to protect you.''


    ''But isn''t Hannibal dying at the moment? That was why Amari asked for our help in the first place. Once we clear his malice that he would be grateful and help us out. I could even ask for the 24th floor of Africa, since technically NA got it because of us.''


    ''Darling, you saw what I just did right? Vela needed less than 5 minutes to clear out all the Demons in not just here but the neighboring cities too. Even if he is dying, Hannibal would still be dangerous. Why are you so sure he would listen to you? He would only need a minute to kill us all.''


    To be honest, I wasn''t sure. Right now, I just planned to throw out that idea. But when I learned that Blanche didn''t tell me to stop, I knew it was going to work. But the girls were also correct.


    While it was normal to assume that Hannibal was a wise king. It was a fact that all sorts of people existed. And Hannibal in particular was not actually a man but a {Fate}. However, even though his style of succession was fucked up, the Revenant did his duty.


    ''It seems that Shujin really didn''t consider any resistance. Anata, royal families are quite complex. Especially those who have a lot of heirs from different clans like Africa. Depending on the wives or maybe even the children, they might even wish for Immortal-sama to die and pass on.''


    ''I agree with my sisters, Beloved. As someone who comes from a family with more than a hundred mothers, such underhanded tactics is the norm. The clans behind the Revenant''s spouses normally try to seize more power as time goes on. It is inevitable, such is the avarice of even Reapers.''


    ''As someone who meant most of the Princes and Princesses of Hellsgate, I can attest to this. Prince Kaziema Lulendo, and Prince Tshilumba Mubanga are for lack of a better word conniving liars who are all too eager to become king. Oh! and I need to remind everyone. Our task is not yet done.''


    ''Huh? What do you mean Lilly?''


    ''Anata, Amari''s request was not to kill the Hellsborn. It was to kill his brother who turned into a demon. Thus, from his standpoint we still have yet to do anything.''


    ''Yeah, compared to Andromalius, these cunts were far too weak. I knew that was too easy. Then, lets focus on that for now, then deal with Possum''s stuff.''


    The other Sirens expressed their agreement and my matter about cleansing the Immortal was shelved. I truly hadn''t considered that they would reject my help. But there were still people in today''s words that still believed the Earth was flat so what did I know.


    ''Okay, thanks everyone. Can you all help me figure out a way to do the deal? It will help us a lot. You are the only people I can rely on my previous Kindred. Please, I need you all,'' I requested earnestly.


    The Anvil team in response all blushed scarlet. As my emotions of gratitude and adoration flowed through my links, I could sense that the Hammer team was in similar states. None of them said anything further than that but I could tell, they were already brainstorming.


    ''How adorable.''


    It was better to ask my girls who were knowledgeable about politics. If I was the one who thought of an answer it would at best, threatening Africa into submissions with nukes. And somehow, I did not think that such tactics would be the best way to establish alliances.


    I was just a guy who liked to shoot shit. Thankful that my girls were around, I walked towards the other people in our group. Amari, Mia and the Mauritian were still recovering from the interrogations they just had. Pierre in particular looked like a scared mouse.


    I would have felt sorry for him. But when I saw that his first reaction was to be happy that he survived, I grew disgusted. And when he only remembered his dead family several moments later, he lost my respect.


    I turned to Amari and got down to business, "Amari, Mia, forgive my girls for being adorable earlier. Let us get back on track. Regardless of what has happened, the Hellsborn are gone. Where do we go next? Was your brother among those who died?"


    "This man is fucking insane. How the hell could anyone call that cute! He is daft, I tell you!" Mia murmured under her breath.


    Amari glanced at her to shut her up before answering.


    "I do not think he was. He was quite big, and he was gray in color. His clan should be hiding him. As he doesn''t have any full siblings, I volunteered to be his silent witness. That is the term we used to the ones who euthanize us when we succumb to demons."


    For them to even have a term for such a thing was sad. But such was life. There were only problems unique to some cultures. I mean you didn''t hear of school shootings in any other country except ours, so we also had our share of unique situations.


    "I see. There where is he? Let''s go to him and get this over with. As you know there is someone I must not meet."


    "I truly am sorry Limitless. I will ask my mother if she knows what a Successor is after we deal with my brother. Give me a minute to find my brother," Amari requested.


    Pulling out a GRI, the prince made his call. Amari''s call connected and I heard a woman on the other line. Neither she nor Amari were speaking English, but they were basically sharing about each other''s situation. As the girls were around, I didn''t focus on the conversation and wandered.


    I eventually came up to Pierre who seemed to be reciting some sort of prayer. As I didn''t know shit about other faiths other than Christianity, I kept silent. When he finished, he looked up and saw me. the moment he did, Pierre started backing away.


    "I won''t harm you," I declared curtly.


    "Then what do you want? You and your wife had already almost killed me numerous times. I will stay quiet. Can you please give me time to grieve? I just lost my entire family today." Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I am sorry for your loss."


    "Yeah well, thank you. I fucking hate you, especially now that I know that you could have saved us if you just came earlier. Why? Just why didn''t you? My wife, my children. All dead."


    "Then why didn''t you save them?"


    "Huh?"


    "You and I are both Reapers. Why didn''t you get stronger to save them yourself?"


    "It''s not like I didn''t try! And I am not some savage who kills anything that displeases him."


    "Yet you blame the same savage for not saving your family. How did you think I became this strong? My family is alive and yours is dead. Your mistake was trusting someone else to protect what you cherished. You still think like a human despite being dead."


    Somehow, I could see the clarity and understanding form in Pierre''s eyes. Tears began to fall down his cheeks as he wept bitterly.


    "I-I am sorry. You are right. This is my own fault. If only I was stronger, I could have saved them. I know it''s wrong but it''s hard to accept. There were plenty of times, those around me encouraged us to learn how to fight. It''s my fault. But what do I do with this pain?"


    "XM7." I pulled out a spare XM7 from Hellsend''s armory. I casted basic {fates} on it to make it newbie friendly. Pierre was puzzled and even stepped back at the gun, but then I presented it towards the grieving man before me.


    "Butcher the demons with it. If you want to never feel this way again. Follow me. I will give you the strength to fight them."

 Chapter 880 - 880: Why is he so sure [1/2]

    "W-What?"


    Pierre trembled as he accepted the rifle. He almost fell down as his center of gravity was thrown off by its weight. The XM7 rifle I gave him had a standard 30-round magazine and came equipped with accessories like a suppressor, optics, and other attachments.


    It wouldn''t have gone over 9 lbs. Yet this grown ass man still almost fell. He either has not exercised at all even after he died or was really just a complete weakling. I grew reminded of the vast differences in people. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Pixie the smallest and youngest of my soldiers was far braver. And despite the man before me having a wife and child, I would prefer fighting with Pixie than this coward.


    ''Sigh, what is the right approach here? Do I even hope for this guy to develop or just ignore him?''


    There was quote I heard before that basically said having a stupid person on your side was far dangerous than having an intelligent ally. I was very picky when forming my personal squad. And the Sirens trained Hellsend on those standards.


    It was why when Bernard became our de facto trainer we sent loads of people away. If after all the training they did they still got kicked out, it meant that these bastards were not as hungry as they once believed themselves to be.


    ''Although, I guess, they got dragged in by Cynthia and Addi into the LLG. They joined in to clear corpses so I guess it was natural that they couldn''t keep up.''


    But I wonder what that meant. Now that Hellsend had its own place and would proceed to create specific roles, we could take in more skilled workers. And while many were cowards, it was stupid to think that these cowards had zero things to contribute.


    As I contemplated, I noticed Pierre stare awkwardly at the weapon I handed to him. He slouched and held the gun as if he didn''t know what to do with it. I often only approached the people who I believed thirsted for power. I assumed Pierre was one.


    After all, if having your entire family butchered didn''t invoke some sort of anger or vengeance on you then nothing will. If after losing all manner of self-respect. If even with the regret of not being able to protect those he loved he still refused. Then that was that.


    "¡­"


    Still motionless, I took back the gun from him. He looked at me but still said nothing. I could push him harder, but I no longer had a reason to. I would never waste my time on those who didn''t want to help themselves. Why did Blanche even use this fucker?


    "Forget, I said anything. Thank you for bringing the letter. Live well. I suggest taking refuge somewhere, my party if going to charge into even more battle zones."


    "A-Are you not afraid?" he stammered.


    "I am."


    "Then why do you¡­"


    "Let me finish, I never said I am afraid of dying. What I am afraid of is being powerless. I am terrified of the possibility that those I love would about to die in front of me, I lack the power to change the outcome."


    "If that is your fear then just run away!"


    "To where? Hellsgate will break open eventually. Running cannot solve the problem it will at most delay the inevitable. Relying on someone else to protect me and my family is risky. Should they fail my loved ones die. I cannot let that happen."


    "But there are those that are far stronger! We should ask for their help! They should protect us! It is their duty! Thats why we pay their taxes and their rules!"


    Pierre''s words were correct. In fact, that would have been the common rationale of people both in the Middle Ages and those in the current society. The roles of peace keeping and defense were for law enforcement and the military.


    "And what if those you ask for help turn on you?" I asked in derision.


    "What do you mean?"


    "If police or soldiers came into your house and raped your wife, what would you do?"


    "¡­"


    "If the government suddenly decides you violated their laws and decides to put you in prison for no reason whatsoever. What would you do?"


    "I-I¡­"


    This was made my country the land many wish to live in. Our history was drenched in blood. We knew how easily power turns people into tyrants. We knew how fine the line was between a hero and a dictator. So much so we added into our laws.


    "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."


    We probably knew deep down that when the end comes, morals would be the first to go. It was a common theme in anime and manga. And unfortunately, the things they showed were common in history. Morals were all that stood between a king and a tyrant.


    You didn''t even need bad times. Ruling classes tasked with protecting their citizens were normally the ones who abused them. Even in today''s society no one fucks harder than the government. And most just learned to accept it.


    "It is fine to have faith in your king, your government and even your Revenant. But if you do so, and when they fail you. The fault and its consequences are yours and yours alone. Even if they gave the responsibility, you abandoned yours, so you have no right."


    There was once a conspiracy that governments used education and social conditioning to train "Sheep". I thought that it was pure bullshit when I was human. But seeing it now, few among the people could shift their brains to their primal instincts.


    ''I wonder how many would be like Pierre, who not only refuse to think, but blame everyone else for their problems. You would think that Blanche had some huge reason, why she chose him of all people to deliver the letter.''


    Turning around I walked back to Amari and Mia. The gorilla man was no longer on the phone and was speaking to his lover. The two of them looked quite a bit excited.


    "Ah! Limitless, I have good news!" Amari said with a grin.


    His woman added in a tired voice, "He also has bad news by the way."


    Nodding, I took my news how I did normally, problems first, then solutions.


    "What''s the bad news?"


    "The princes in charge of this region are coming for us. Choco''s mother humbly asks that we go with them," Mia explained.


    "For what?"


    "Basically, interrogation and a pair of eyes to watch us. You see, the African''s uses the princes as local lords in charge of the Reaper matters of each country. They do not normally interfere with the affairs of humans. But each Prince is different."


    Surprise that a European would be so knowledgeable about this continent''s matters I grew impressed. But as she loved Amari, I could understand why she was knee deep in this. The gorilla prince might have been talented in combat, but he was politically stupid.


    ''Not to mention being able to control the Revenant of another continent is a fucking huge deal. I wonder if Europe was supporting her with that goal in mind.''


    Using women to control men has been a tried and proven tactic. Male psychology needed some intense trauma to go against our natural programming of loving women. But whatever their excuse was, I hardly had the time to play nice.


    "And?" I asked in sarcasm.


    "Right, I already know that you are in a hurry Limitless. So, we can just go directly to my brother. Which brings me to my good news. I asked my mother. She knows of the Successors!"


    Well, that was unexpected. But a welcome one. Who knew that I would be able to get a clue here. All the more reason to move. But now that we had a goal. It made things so much easier.


    "Okay, where are your brother and mother then?"


    "They are in the same place. There are in a remote village in the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia. It''s about 320 km to the northwest of here."


    "I see. Then we should move. Let me get the girls."


    As I moved away, I heard Mia whisper in silence.


    "Fluffy, the one coming is Rashid isn''t it. And you intentionally didn''t tell Limitless about him. This is going to get messy."

 Chapter 881 - 881: Why is he so sure [2/2]

    "Haha! It''s fine! Given that he could hardly do anything here, whatever power the Omar tribe might have had has been decimated given that they failed to quell the demons here. And I would choose Limitless over the Omars."


    "Sigh. If you are sure Choco, remember that Limitless is a loose cannon. Hmm, a loose Nuke would be more apt. And given that Rashid''s tendencies, Limitless might end up killing him."


    "I am counting on it. Hellsend has already surpassed the power of a single tribe. Unless the rest of the tribes interfere, they have no chance of winning. I am sure our people are already aware of the Antarctic reclamation. No way my brothers would Rashid."


    I take what I said back. Amari was not politically stupid. This bastard was planning to use me as his garbage man to kill this Rashid or whatever. I had no plans to do as he asks, but if he bothered me or went after my women. I would mount his head on a stake.


    Leaving such thoughts behind I walked to the girls who were all still deep in thought. None of them were saying anything, but their gazes were vacant. They were all probably in cyberspace in a virtual meeting room with the ones back in Hellsgate.


    ''Exa, are the girls with you?''


    [yes, my lord. The Hammer and Anvil teams are both in cyberspace. They are currently¡­It might be better to see for yourself.]


    ''Okay, send me there.''


    Exa disconnected my mind from my body, and I found myself in an empty room. As I had Exa do most of the tech stuff I needed, I rarely used cyberspace to do anything. When I regained my bearings, I looked around and saw a familiar face, a beautiful maid to be exact.


    "Greetings, my lord. It has been a while."


    "Yeah. It has. It is good to see you in the flesh Exa."


    I walked up to her and gave her a hug. My AI partner said nothing and simply returned my embrace. It was a gentle and warm hug. The type you would give a friend more than a lover.


    "Follow me if you please. The ladies are over here."


    "Got it."


    Exa led me to what looked like a meeting room. The door suddenly appeared as if we were in a simulation. Seeing it for myself I would have freaked out if I was alone in here. My guide eventually knocked on the door and announced our presence.


    "My ladies, the lord has arrived to summon you. There have been developments outside," Exa said like the perfect maid.


    The door suddenly opened, and I saw the insides of the room. The one who greeted us was my Italian lover. She had a large smile on her face. Jo leapt out of the room and threw herself to me.


    "DARLING! YOU CAME!"


    "Hi Jo. Is everyone inside?"


    "Yep! We were just about to finish up, come on in. You too Exa!"


    The three of us entered the door to what looked like a conspiracy room. Inside there was various articles, photographs and chords that connected them. I quickly scanned the information and noticed it was all related to the Revenants. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Wow, you girls have been busy," I exclaimed in awe.


    Suddenly a figure appeared and hugged me from behind, "Husband, I missed you. Let me get your coat."


    After she helped me remove my coat, I gave her a tender kiss, "As have I Wifey."


    Jas smiled beautifully to my affection and glued herself to my arm. More bodies arrive as they all welcomed me. I grew happier the more of my girls fawned over me.


    "Beloved. It feels so good to see you have you been well?"


    "Hi Possum! Give us a kiss too, would ya?"


    "Okaerinasai, Anata."


    Only a couple didn''t physically come to me, but they were just as welcoming.


    "Goodness, look at you lot. You would think that Dearest has been gone for years!"


    "Haha, who are you kidding you chunni. We all know you want to run and leap into his arms and have honey twirl you around like some cheap romcom flick."


    Lilly obviously annoyed smacked Bella on her but, "Quiet you!"


    "Ow! That hurt!"


    Ignoring their little skit, I walked over and pulled both into my arms for a brief hug. Naturally I also couldn''t resist giving both a short and tender kiss.


    "Hey Bella, Lilly."


    "No fair Darling! I didn''t get a kiss!"


    Even in cyberspace I could feel the warmth of their skin and the damp wetness of their tongues. It took a bit of time to have the girls settle in. Once we did, I explained why I was their.


    "I know you girls are working on what I asked, but I got new info. Amari''s mother knows about the successors. She is with his half brother who turned into a demon. They are both in a village in Ethiopia."


    "Wow that''s great!" Aki said in joy. The other girls expressed similar sentiments.


    "But it seems that Amari also plans to use me for his power plays. Lilly, do you know of a Prince called Rashid of the Omar clan?"


    "I do not Dearest. I only memorized the names of those who came from favorites lovers of the Immortal. The lower ranked princes do not matter in the grand scheme of things. There are 54 states in the African continent and many of them have 2 or more princes."


    "I see. No wonder there are so many. Hannibal basically got a wife from each country and placed his child as his point of contact," I thought out loud.


    "Indeed that is the case, Husband. This is how some semblance of peace is maintained. But it is an open secret that each Prince tries to influence their country to gain more territory. The Western Sahara is a good example."


    "Ignoring the Princess that are just figure heads, the Rashid you are talking about, Honey should be Rashid Omar. The Prince who governs Somalia. It would make sense for him to visit as he was supposed to be the one to subjugate the demons."


    "But why is he so sure I would kill his brother though?"


    "Thats probably because prince Rashid is a known fuck boi Darling! He often takes any woman he likes and forces himself onto them. As we are here, you two are definitely going to fight. And knowing how much Darling loves us, he is soo dead."


    "Yeah. The cunt is turban goat fucker. Rich too so he is used to getting his way. I was the one who killed him before. I think one of his brothers or something hired us to take him out. Was real easy to get him to bring me into his room, easiest job I ever had."


    "What, Robyn. You were the one who killed him?"


    "Yep, I remember the name and face. Cause he had like twenty women chained up around his bed. I killed them all too so that they were no witnesses," She explained.


    "¡­" x8


    It was only during times like these, I remember that Robyn had a dark history. But from what the girls were saying, it seems like I was going to kill this fucker. If he somehow decided to take Jo, Aki, Bella or Robyn. He was as good as dead.


    "I see. Then can you please plan counter measures for after I kill him?"


    "Beloved. You already know that you would come to blows. Why not just hide Aki, Bella, Robyn and Jo here for the time being?"


    "Its fine Liv, I need a stooge anyway. Bella does Ethiopia have a 2nd prince?"


    "They do Honey. What are you planning?"


    "Is the 2nd prince better or worse than Rashid?"


    "Definitely better. Tariq Omar is younger and is wiser. But he has yet to die so he is still human. As they still not know what their {fate} is they are treating him as a spare. Honey, if you do this you might start a war or uprising in Somalia."


    "Considering what they have now, I doubt its any better. Let''s go. I want to quickly kill Amari''s brother and go home."


    "Yes!" x8

 Chapter 882 - 882: Who needs roads [1/2]

    "Exa, send me back. Everyone finish up and follow, okay? Lilly, have Juno and her sisters ready to be called by my command."


    "Got it Dearest. I will tell her. I have bad news though, the girls and I checked and unfortunately, Jas, Liv and I cannot join you in battle. If we do, there would be no one to create a {Gate} stable enough for us to get home."


    "Anata. Even if we used {Rewind}, Lilly, Jas and Liv would need to overdraft just to bear the burden of {Gate}. The longer we take the better they will fair but if we ask them to fight it would be impossible for them to control themselves."


    "I see. That is a shame. Then it cannot be helped. The three of you, get some rest okay. We will be back before you know it. I will return with everyone I promise."


    "Beloved, do you really only wish to take the Awakened? As you are three Sirens short, why not summon the others? The rest of the squads are all eager to join. The Wolves in particular keep asking if they are still going to be part of the vanguard."


    "Oh, right. I did tell them that. Okay. Tell them they can join the Awakened. Have Carlos and Herman on standby. Once the Enlistment is over, we can also begin to field Eva among our Specters,'' I answered.


    "I understand. I will stay with the Saints in that case, husband. The girls of both Saint Division and the former Golden Wick are all working extremely hard. If we interrupt their operations for a few hours, we should still be on schedule."


    "Possum, we also got the first batch of Faker blades. This way even if the niggers come make a scene, we can put them down quick. We can just have Pixie patch them up after."


    "Hehe! I love it how no one even considers that the demon would survive. Darling is too cool! Don''t worry Sisters, I am strong now! I will protect Darling and beat up anyone who tries to hurt him."


    "Hmph! When you come home prepare yourself, Sweetheart! We need to see which among a Linker and Ruler is better! You can even call Vela if you want too. Your ascensions are far too reckless! You need to slow down!" S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Pfft! Scared? What makes you think, I even need her you pervert? Bring it on! I will smack your ass silly even harder than Darling does! Let''s see who Darling''s strongest Specter is!"


    "Fufu, isn''t it too early to judge that with only the two of you? Do not worry, I will join you both soon. As if I will leave Shujin''s safety to a nutjob and a pervert. Under the right circumstances, Enhancers can outperform all other classes."


    "Aki''s right. Everyone and their mother know that Chasers are the ultimate powerhouses. You''re all competing for at most 2nd best, you cunts. Right Possum?"


    "That is hardly the truth, and you know it, Robyn! Keepers are just as good if not better than Chasers! Tsk! Lilly, Jas I am going out. I need to ascend as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will be left behind!"


    It was amusing to see the girls all trying to best one another. The best of results were normally found through intense competition. The way the Olympics push the boundaries of humanity was a perfect example.


    Now that Jo has caught up to Lilly, the argument for powerhouse of the Sirens was called into question. As the ones with me and those about to kill demons, the Anvil team naturally had the best opportunity to ascend to Specters.


    "Alright! Break it up! The Anvil team will go now, Hammer, we will remain in contact. Please be ready to move on Honey''s call. The goal is to finish this as soon as possible, get the info about the successors and leave. Keep an eye out for any activity on our in-law."


    "In-law?" I asked in confusion.


    "It''s the brother of yours that has got everyone''s panties in a twist," Robyn explained.


    I was confident that I had no full siblings, I did have half-sisters from my mother''s side. But Blanche who knew of the other Successor was very specific. Brother often mean those who shared the same blood, mission or ideal.


    Unable to say anything else, I just smiled wryly. After hugging the Hammer team and saying our farewells. We moved to return to reality. Before we left however, the girls all gave Exa a quick peck on the cheeks and a quick hug.


    "Take care everyone," Exa said as we left.


    ***


    When I opened my eyes, I noticed the girls all woke up around the same time. They all began stretching while Robin and Aki summoned their guns and began to do prepare for battle. Amari and Mia came over to use with Pierre.


    The Mauritian had a vacant expression yet was for some reason still followed. I didn''t really give a shit either way. I took our Esca and was about to plot our route to the destination. Only to remember, Amari hasn''t exactly told us where the village was.


    "Amari, can you tell Exa, where the location is? I''ll drive."


    "I understand, our route will pass through a combination of coastal routes, inland roads, and mountain access roads. traveling northwest to Garbaharey, crossing the Ethiopian border at Dollo Ado, and then heading northeast towards the Bale Mountains," Amari replied.


    "Fluffy, we might need to stock up on food along the way. The Bale mountains are quite far. Even driving at top speed, it would take over half a day."


    ''Exa, how far are we from the Bale mountains?''


    [If you drove at top speed and take the shortest route, ignoring the damage to Esca, it would by 354.3 miles and would take 11.2 hours. If you take the longer but safer route it would 435 miles and 13.9 hours.]


    ''Their roads really must be shit. I could get to as far as San Francisco in 11 hours. 300 miles is like just driving to Vegas, and that just takes 5 hours.''


    "Na, we don''t Mia! Darling has us after all. We can just teleport there!"


    "Stop being stupid, nutjob. Didn''t you remember what the pervert said? If we get too rooted from using {Gate} we might croak if walk into a village full of cunts. Let''s just take Possum''s Ute. With me here Possum doesn''t even need a road."


    "First, without Jas and {Insight}, using {Gate} that for over 500 Km is impossible. {Portal} wise only Lilly can do that distance. 2nd, fueling it with stamina rather than {Counter} also has bad efficiency. Robyn is right, driving with Honey''s car makes the most sense."


    Hearing the girls discuss was an eye opener. The reminded me the utility {fates} had. They were not only useful in combat but also everyday life. And unlike manifested {fates} that could only be used a certain way, the Formless were much freer to experiment.


    "Hmph! But we have Darling! We could easily solve the stamina Issue with {Rewind}! We just need to overdraft a little! I want to get off this place as soon as possible!"

 Chapter 883 - 883: Who needs roads [2/2]

    "Jo, everyone here is worried about Shujin. But we are still in enemy territory. It is not wise to just risk everything because we are impatient. We cannot be too careless especially when the other successor is around," Aki reminded.


    "I don''t think it would take that long. From my calculation it shouldn''t just two hours would be enough. As we have Honey''s {fate}, even with Esca''s V8 engine, fuel is not really an issue. If we apply the {Carry} family to Esca, she can go even faster."


    "Yes, once we fashion a road using {Shelter} for Shujin''s vehicle, the terrain won''t be an issue. Bella can work with Jo and to create the path we will take. I will happily supply you both with stamina using {butcher}. The only problem would be the souls," Aki pondered.


    "Not really, souls are no longer an issue for Specters. I''ll take you up on the stamina though. The only problem is getting stopped along the way. Although, I doubt anyone could even stop Darling''s car unless they have a Specter guarding the Ethiopian border."


    "You all are stupid. Why bother making a round on the ground. Just make one in the air. The nutjob will use {Dampen} on the engine, Aki will hide us with {Translucent}. Or better yet, I can just take us to the energy realm with my soul gear."


    "Eh? Don''t wanna. What if you trip and we get lost jailbait? We won''t be able to get out of there without you, so no thanks. Just let me build a road here. It''s easier, faster and safer."


    "Hmph! Do you think I am that stupid you nutjob? If you want safety go to prison!"


    "Hehe, you sure you want to go to prison, jailbait? I think a certain pedophile island would be better for you."


    "All right. Settle down, you little shits are harder to keep on track than dogs in a park! Honey, I know you planned to deal with the Rashid. But it really is a waste of time to wait for him to arrive. Let''s just go," Bella mitigated while getting in between the two.


    "I second that Anata. There is little merit to continue waiting unless you wish to change the leader of the Omar faction."


    "Yeah, you all are right. Thank you everyone. I am so glad the four of you are here with me. Let''s leave at once."


    Hearing the large number of concerns my girls had, I grew satisfied. I was already preparing myself for a long ass drive but only remembered that I was no longer human. The girls were right. We didn''t need to abide by their rules.


    "Fluffy, I am not going crazy right? These people just said they would create their own road and get to the Bale mountains in two hours?"


    "Well, before we left, Leo and Nyda advise me to not assume Limitless and his harem would follow common sense. If they do manage to do what they said, then I would have to agree that they really operate unlike anyone I have seen."


    Finding it funny that even Amari and his lover couldn''t believe I words, I opted to ask for confirmation.


    "Amari, you plan to use me to take out this Prince Rashid, right? Will it be fine to kill him later? I don''t have any time to waste on his stupid ass."


    "Yes, that is fine. Given his personality he would try to chase after us anyway. My other brother and the information about the successor is more important. Please let us tag along."


    "Sure," I then turned to Pierre and asked him to, "What about you?"


    "I will go with you if you let me. There isn''t anything for me here. I don''t even have any bodies to bury," he said in low spirits. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I see. If that is the case, then get on."


    Nodding, I got on Exa and turned on the ignition. The sound of the mighty V-8 diesel engine was music to my ears. Although, I could fly and all that, I just liked taking Esca out for a spin. There was something about being in the driver''s seat that made me happy.


    When we all boarded my car, I was kind of unsure how to proceed. I had a heading from the map marker Amari shared. But in order to get there I still had to traverse a lot of dirt roads and shit. But none of that matters as we would not be traveling the normal way.


    "{Dampen}!" "[Translucent]." "{Float}, {Crush}, {Ascend}, {Hike}, {Pack}, {Carry}." "[Hellsend''s Armory] Switchblades, Puma. Sabel, I want an escort."


    [Yes, mother. I will also scout ahead with the Puma.]


    "Jo, Aki. Please erase the sound and visual footprint of my daughter''s drones."


    "Okay." "Done."


    Voices rang out as the girls began invoking {fates}, {Program} and instructions for our trip. The number of souls saturating the body of Esca, already showed the range of ability she could already do.


    "Exa, create a simple model for Jo and I to follow."


    [Understood.]


    I then saw a digital highway form in my mind. It was super imposed on the surroundings like an AR image. It went from a few feet in front of us to an uphill ramp that extended towards the sky. I followed the path and it simply led to a flat plain in the sky.


    "{Shelter}" x4


    "Okay, everyone follow my orders and tell me when you get tired. Aki, please prepare food for everyone so that they can refuel if in case they feel tired," Bella instructed.


    "I will."


    The girls created {Shelter} sheets that floated and served as the floor for the {Shelter} bridge. It was an ingenious idea. Rather than create the entire bridge, we only needed the first two miles in front of my car. So long as we didn''t out run the road, we should be safe.


    "Alright, Possum. Preparations complete. Just follow Exa''s digital bridge, and the Sirens and I will do the rest. We will create the road for you."


    "Got it. Who needs roads if you have my harem! Haha," feeling incredible proud I boasted.


    With the flooring completed, I pressed my foot on the gas pedal. My actions caused Esca to roar in full power and accelerate. Using the AR bridge as a guide, I got up the gigantic structure. It was a novel feeling, seeing the ground as you look out the car window.


    When I noticed that the girls didn''t look tired at all, I gunned the engine. Esca sped along the digital/ semi translucent highway. The girls used the info we got from Amari to determine our heading.


    Unused to having Robyn buff the car to its limit, I noticed that my car which was supposed to feel sluggish, didn''t. Due to armor plating, the extra weight of then came at the price of significantly slowing down the vehicle.


    However, with Robyn''s entire {fate} family working in tandem. Esca handled like a super car. Each time I pressed my foot on the accelerator, the speed we gained was small but extremely dense.


    And just like that, we left Kismayo and headed to our duel with a demon.

 Chapter 884 - 884: Was that my fault? [1/2]

    "Choco what the fuck is going on?"


    "I say just enjoy the ride fluffy. These seats are so nice."


    "How can you relax like that? These people are insane! This situation is complete bollocks!"


    "I know how you feel but you will get wrinkles if you worry so much Fluffy. Times like this it is just best to go with the flow," Amari suggested as he snuggled in his spot.


    While the huge African enjoyed the spacious interior of my car, his lover didn''t. She was more concerned with freaking out with the situation as we made our way forward.


    "Choco, we are in a luxury SUV, driving 200 meters in the air at a speed of 400 kilometers per hour! If that was not enough, we are being escorted by a swarm of anti-tank missiles! How does any of this make any bit of sense? Amari! Listen to me!"


    "Fluffy, less than an hour ago, we were in North America, we teleported to another continent in under five minutes. The saying ''commonsense does not apply to Limitless or the Sirens'' seems to be true. Just enjoy the ride my love."


    "Ugh, I feel like I am having a migraine. Choco feed me."


    At Mia''s request, Amari pulled out what looked like a bar of chocolate from his belt, "Here you go. Don''t worry so much Fluffy, this is far better than worrying about the terrain, right?"


    "Hmph! Munch¡­I feel like I am the only one who still has any sense here!"


    Normally one of my girls would have already smacked Mia in the head. But lucky for her everyone was focused on our current task at hand. The height and speed we were going was almost as fast a private plane.


    And while we took steps to prevent others from seeing and hearing us. Things were never that simple.


    "Ugh, this fucking sucks. I really need to ascend to a Specter as soon as possible. My stamina is pathetic. I feel lightheaded all the time even with {Eat}," my Aussie complained.


    "Just relax and focus on the road Robyn. Jo and I need you to keep the winds away. Don''t worry about your stamina, I will make sure you don''t overdraft. Just save {Dope} for when we really need it. At our speed we would reach Ethiopia in less than an hour."


    Aki who was holding the hands of Robyn and Bella was on stamina duty. {Shelter}, required a large amount of stamina and soul. As we killed a lot earlier, we were not short on the latter, but the former took into account our bodies original strength.


    This basically meant that even though {Eat} and {Rewind} could restore our stamina, it could only do so to our limit. Robyn a Chaser on the Infinity track was in the worse physical shape. In exchange for having immense power, her body slowly deteriorated.


    If I had 300 units of stamina and used 50 of them for Level 5 {fates}, I could still use them at least six times before I need to refill myself. In contrast Robyn was already at 150, so she needed to {Rewind} or {Eat} much more often.


    Seeing her this weak as I drove forward was hard. Her skin rapidly shifted between deathly pale and healthy. Her constitution would continue to worsen. But upon leaving the Phantoms, she would gain the ability to supplement her stamina with soul.


    Unfortunately, until that turning point, she would suffer from a weakened body. According to Exa and Carlos, Robyn would be similar to someone suffering from severe anemia. It was frustrating to see her suffer like this all because of her desire to support me.


    My link was a mess from the guilt and shame of seeing the one I love in pain. But before I could wallow in negative emotions, Robyn called me out. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she gazed at me through the rear-view mirror.


    ''It makes her look like an adorable angry kitten,'' I commented inwardly.


    "Possum, stop worrying so much you cunt. I wanted this. You did not force me to do it. None of this is your fault. I choose to do this despite the pain. All for the power to stand with you. Just you wait, when I become a Specter, it would be worth it," she bragged with a weak smile.


    I looked at her my Aussie and answered with a cheerful voice, "I can hardly wait Kitten. How majestic and beautiful would my kitten become when that day finally arrives."


    "Anata, you really have a way with words. Do you have the same expectations of me?"


    "Of course, Aki. With such a sexy and beautiful Synergy Enhancer, we will beat all the demons to dust. And if your domain gives unlimited stamina, I will enjoy that in my bedroom too. Very much in fact."


    "Fufu, then look forward to it, Shujin. I will milk your balls empty."


    Just then the perfect road we were on suddenly became uneven and rough. From having a smooth ride, it was like we began hitting deep potholes causing the Escalade to violently shake.


    "AHHH! CHOCO! WE ARE GOING TO DIE! LET ME OUT!"


    "FLUFFY COME HERE! YOU''RE OKAY! RELAX!" Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Amari and Mia removed their seat belts and quickly hugged each other as if they were the main characters in a movie. Pierre on the other hand pressed himself into his seat as he hung on for dear life.


    The only ones unaffected where my girls and me. Robyn was still resting comfortably with her eyes closed. Aki remained in her seat and concentrated on sharing stamina to the others. Bella, who had vacant eyes berated my Italian lover without moving a single inch.


    "JO! Concentrate you fucking nutjob! Ignore Honey for the moment! We are going to fall to the ground if you keep reacting to his every word."


    "I can''t help it! I want to flirt with Darling too! This is unfair! Someone switch! Why do I have to keep building this fucking road! I even have to silence Sabel''s switchblades! I quit!" Jo cried out in frustration.


    "You brain dead lunatic! Who else can draw souls from the air? I will have Honey ignore you for a week if you keep fucking up like this! Your tantrums are going to expose us!"


    "Fuck you and your glasses, you Brazilian slut! I would like to see you try! I only listen to Darling! And he won''t ignore me! EVER! You wanna have a go with me? Huh?"


    "Take some in your asshole! We are traversing the military airspace of humans! It''s difficult hiding us from radar, sonar and satellite imaging! Stop being a brat and do your fucking job!" Bella shrieked.


    As hilarious as I found Jo and Bella''s banter, I was sure this was a manifestation of the stress both were under. While we wouldn''t'' die from falling, we might if the other Successor notices us. Thus, despite our party''s strength, lying low was still the best option.


    ''Exa, visualize me constructs to lock the gas pedal and steering wheel.''


    [Done.]


    I created {Shelter} constructs that followed Exa''s AR models. It was like creating plastic molds then filling it with cement. With the two contractions Exa and I made, the car would remain stable even if I left my seat.


    Although a bit awkward, but I unbuckled my seat belt and reached for Jo who was riding shotgun. She also had her eyes closed. Her hands gripped the supports around her seat. My Italian lover''s body was quite tense, showing the strain it was under.

 Chapter 885 - 885: Was that my fault? [2/2]

    A large number of souls flowed to her like a powerful wind current. This sea of soul energy passed through her body and flowed outward. With my senses I noticed that it flowed like a river toward the front of my car and formed a makeshift road.


    As we were going quite fast, the pace was quite frantic. It reminded me of gag cartoons where the characters would lay train tracks to redirect an incoming train. Due to the sheer speed of a train, the character normally ended up getting run over.


    However, my Darling was so powerful even with such an impossible situation, she managed to do accomplish the task. Overwhelmed by adoration for her, I reached for her chin and turned Jo''s face towards me. My Italian lover didn''t resist but kept her eyes closed.


    Tenderly, I leaned in and gave her a deep and loving kiss. Jo flinched at the start but then relaxed her body. Funnily enough when she gotten into returning my affection the road in front of us abruptly ended. Esca unable to stop went over the edge and tipped forward.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" x3 S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Similar to a plane about to land, gravity pulled us rapidly down. I felt my body drop leaving my stomach in the air. Our passengers all began to scream in fear as we plummeted to our demise.


    "{Float}."


    Just from a single word, our imitation of a comet abruptly halted in midair. Despite not having any ground to stand on, Esca remained stationary as its engines continued to fire on all cylinders.


    "Nutjob. Get a fucking grip. I am about to chunder here, and you keep doing this shit. If you don''t stop fucking around, I will beat your ass when we get to the Nigger village."


    "{Butcher}. Robyn, stop talking and lay your head down. You are going to die at this rate," Aki commented a bit worried.


    Meanwhile, Jo and I who never stopping kissing continued to enjoy each other''s passion. Jo adorably sucked on my tongue like a baby. And then tried to escape when I chased after her tongue with mine. Like cat and mouse, our tongues ran around other''s mouths and lips.


    "Shit! Honey, command Jo to move already! The Ethiopian National Defense Forces noticed the discrepancies and have sent two Su-27''s to investigate our position!"


    Jo annoyed pulled her tongue before licking my lips one final time. As she ended our kiss, the Siren expressed her displeasure at the interruption.


    "You are such a worry wart Bella. Just as Darling and I were getting in the mood too. Aki and I have made us invisible by sound and sight. You have us invisible to radar and sonar. Why are you even worrying?"


    "Because, if they used heat to track us, we would still show up like a Christmas three. I don''t really care about the humans. But if the Successor has someone who can track or hack Ethiopia''s communication, I would rather not find out what they can do."


    Feeling that it was up to me to placate the Specter, I gave Jo a bride by kissing her lips.


    "Darling, Bella is right. We need to move. Can you please continue making the bridge? I will reward you properly when we get home."


    "Okay, Darling, only because you asked! OKAY! Let''s do this!"


    As if fully recharged Jo regained her cheerful personality and immediately resumed creating the {Shelter] road in the sky. When there was no longer a danger of plummeting to our deaths Robyn canceled her {fate}.


    Unfortunately, as the car never stopped the wheels didn''t know we were no longer moving. The moment the four tires met the ground a sudden and powerful kick threw the vehicle forward. Loud explosions resounded as all four tires exploded from the impact.


    We, who were inside were thrown forward. The twisting of the car''s frame from the sudden deceleration began to rip the car in two. The damage to my car was understandable given the abuse my girls were doing to my beloved Esca.


    "{Regen}."


    But Esca was no pushover. She was a powerful workhorse who could keep up with us. As I called my {fate}, the car began to fix herself. It recreated the broken pieces as it continued to barrel forward. My SUV''s body which almost tore itself in half began to mend.


    While earlier the screeching of metal grated on our ears, the sounds abruptly stopped. In their place the smooth quiet rumble of rubber running on the ground like butter returned. The suspension which almost threw us off recreated itself instantaneously.


    Against all odds, rather that disintegrate from the abuse, Esca returned to her full glory. Like an unbroken warhorse she didn''t give a crap that she almost died as she barreled. We, the passengers although a bit jostled were all fine. At least that was what I thought.


    "WAAAHHH! Choco! WE ARE STILL ALIVE! I am never getting a car with these fucking bastards ever again! Waaah!! I thought that was our end! I love you Choco!"


    "Ssshhh¡­ it''s over now fluffy. It''s over now, we are fine, see? Calm down. We are okay¡­"


    Pierre on the other hand lost consciousness and fainted in his seat. While we were subjected to gravity and such, to me it wasn''t that bad. Even the girls didn''t react much. So, I asked my AI discreetly.


    ''Exa, why is Pierre asleep? Did he scare himself to death?''


    [No, my lord. This is just the effects of having stronger bodies and {Limitless}. As you know the {Withstand} family has {Endure}. In contrast to the other {fates} of its family, {Endure} does not cancel external force but internal. So those with {Endure} are more resilient to crashes.]


    ''Oh right¡­ I forgot about that.''


    [{Endure} like {Withstand} has a limit of 12 meganewtons. This means that unless you receive Impact force or counter force greater than 12 meganewtons you will never feel recoil or acceleration.]


    That was Exa''s explanation way back before even my seeker war. And as the Wraith level {fates} scale along with a Reaper''s ascension {Endure}''s limit must have already increased as well.


    [The earlier crash from suddenly dropping a moving car to a solid surface caused a sudden deceleration that created extreme G-forces (gravitational forces). Earlier you were all subjected to 2000 Gs. Normal humans faint at 9 Gs and die above 10 Gs.]


    Ah right, even F1 cars and Fighter pilots had to train to endure increased in gravity forces. 2000 Gs was the equivalent of being smashed by Earth''s gravity 2000 times. Forget having your organs crushed, that time of shock could break even bone.


    ''I see, no wonder Pierre fainted. Even as a Phantom, his insides must have been a mess. But although we were pushed around a bit, I hardly felt anything.''


    [Yes, this is because {Limitless}''s {Endure} has an internal force threshold of 48 meganewtons. Which means you would need to go twice as fast earlier at 800 miles per hour then break within one meter before you and the Sirens would feel anything.]


    "Wow."


    [{Call my name} has a lower threshold at 1200 meganewtons so Amari and Mia did feel something internally, but I would hardly be enough to harm them. In contrast Pierre had no protection and was subjected to it with his body alone.]


    ''Was that my fault?''


    [I do not believe so, my lord. So is the risk of choosing to travel with you and the Sirens. In exchange for being able to accomplish amazing feats you all normally subject yourselves to inhuman situations.]


    "Fuck! I just fucking knew it! Here they come! Sabel, prepare to engage!"


    Bella''s cry caused everyone to hone their senses, I turned to the left and saw two dots far away. When I focused, they were two Russian made Su-27''s approaching us extremely fast. While we could easily take them out. The question was if we should.


    "Hmm¡­ What to do?"

 Chapter 886 - 886: Strong enough to choose [1/2]

    Although Bella just mentioned that we were about to found by two fighter jets strangely Jo erupted in laughter.


    "Hahaha, relax Bella. Sometimes you go stupid when you panic. We are only at 200 meters off the ground. And Aki''s [Translucent] hides us in plain sight. Su-27s are air superiority fighters, it''s just a routine fly-by."


    "I would have to agree with Jo, Bella. Su-27s do have some multi-role capability but attacking us at this height is next to impossible. it would be like trying to swat a fly while hopping on one foot in a cluttered kitchen. They should have sent a Su-30 instead," Aki added.


    While I had some idea, I opted to keep my mouth shut. If what Aki'' said was true, then there was no danger from the fighters themselves. A more pressing matter would be what would the humans do if they did see us. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Come to think of it. Aren''t we a UFO?''


    Unidentified Flying Object. This was the acronym the government used to call things they could not explain. While Hollywood normally depicted them as circular saucers, I began to wonder if the supposed aliens were just in fact Reapers.


    Considering that to normal people perhaps even Reapers, our actions made no sense. We driving on an invisible bridge made with soul. It was practically a mini Bifrost, the Rainbow bridge from Norse mythology.


    My point being that even if the pilots did see us, would anyone even believe them? How many times did humans think they saw something, only for it to be something different? The most famous being the mermaids. Which were just manatees topped with seaweed.


    "Strewth, is this even a problem? Their humans. Just kill them and get over with it. We can just blame it in the demonic cunts. I''ll do it if you are all scared," Robyn interjected.


    Right, that option was also present. Humans were literally beneath us. Like dogs were to people. Hardly anything the humans could do would affect us. And as the entire continent was undergoing an upheaval it was easy to fabricate an excuse.


    "No! These people have families! Stop being a psychopath, Robyn! Trinity will hunt you if you do. Picking fight with humans is the fastest way to force the Reapers to kill you. Why do you think Reapers going berserk is not the norm?"


    "Do I look like I give a crap about any of that? They are diggers. They are paid to take on cunts who make a fuss. It''s natural for them to die to stronger cunts as well."


    "Thats not the only problem! Trinity and the demons are embedded among the humans. The more you show yourself to humanity the easier it is they demons will find you! And this fucking shit hole is worse as the Successor is here!"


    "Haha! We can kill them all though! With Darling and us, even the entire human army of Ethiopia and Somalia would not be enough! And we still have Alphy and Juno!"


    "Jo, please stop. Robyn, calm down. You need to manage your stamina. You will overdraft at this rate. Bella, while I see your point. But, trying to cater to humans would only slow us down. Our top priority is Shujin''s mission and to leave as soon as possible."


    "I know that, but still¡­" Bella murmured in low spirits.


    Unknowingly the girls brought up quite an interested topic. Power had a way of corrupting people. For Reapers who had a shit ton of problems, the urge to relieve your worries by using the humans was a real temptation.


    While Phantoms might have been weak with regards to the truly powerful, to humans they were already similar to gods. I then remembered the rogue Carlos mentioned that created two folk stories in Columbia.


    Funnily enough, even humans do that to each other. It was why gang wars were quite common in poverty-stricken areas. Bella who grew up in such environments naturally felt more compassionate towards them. Unlike Robyn who only grew up in war.


    "Everyone please calm down," I mitigated as everyone started to get heated.


    As I did, I sent positive emotions such as trust, affection and support to the girls with me. Trying to mitigate issues such as this was part of the responsibility of the head of a family. Humans were complex. Thus, it was necessary to have common ground.


    Trying to force them to do something they didn''t want to do was possible. But while it worked in the short term. It was not a good long-term strategy. It was bound to breed resentment and eventually division.


    "Bella, the pilots will not die, I give you my word."


    "Okay. Thank you, Honey."


    "But Possum!"


    "Robyn, I will not cater to them either. We will be going after Antarctica next month. I do not wish to go to war with Trinity. At least not at the moment. Also, if we kill a Reaper''s humans it would also not end well," I explained.


    "Shujin, such naivet¨¦ is ill advised. Our enemies will notice if we are merciful to humans and will use them to cause us harm. I agree with Robyn, sparing them has no benefit to us."


    "I know that Kamisan, really, I do. But the reason we want to get stronger is exactly this. By being stronger, we are not forced to run or fight. By having power, we also gain freedom. The freedom to choose and decide."


    "HEHE! Wow Darling! That''s really smart! So rather than follow the norm, you aim for power to live free huh? I never really thought about it that way."


    "Yes. We kill the humans ultimately because we fear having to be found by the demons and the Successor. We spare them because do not wish to fight Trinity and the Africans. Everything comes down to not being strong enough."


    As my harem and I discussed, the ones in the back also began to chat among themselves.


    "These people are bloody insane Choco, is being devoid of morals a requirement to be in Hellsend? What''s worse, I know they are not joking in the least!"


    "Just ignore them Juno. My brain is already spent trying to understand how they think. Want some chocolate?"


    Pierre who seemed to have awakened at some point was listening to us silently. I didn''t mind so I just acted as if he wasn''t there.


    "We are strong enough. Strong enough to choose. We do not have to kill the humans, nor do we have to coddle them. We do not have to take such hard stances as neither is the universally better option. Will you all trust me on this?" I asked while keeping my eyes on the road.


    "I understand, Honey." "I feel this is a mistake, but sure Possum." "I follow you, Anata."


    Not hearing my Italian, I faced towards her. She had a mischievous smile on her face.


    "What about you, Jo?"


    "Hehe, I was just thinking Darling. And I completely agree with you. Maybe this was why none of us even thought about carving our own path. The power the rest of us desired was just to survive. You are the only one who wants to go further."


    "Well, I am quite greedy," I replied.


    "Nu-uh. It''s not about being greedy, Darling. It''s more of the mentality to lead or to follow. The mentality of a king. We, the Sirens and I may be smart. But we do not have it in us to shoulder all that responsibility."

 Chapter 887 - 887: Strong enough to choose [2/2]

    "Haha, it''s probably because I am stupid. Unlike you girls who know of the path I have to take; I only consider it one day at a time."


    "Hehe, maybe. But you despite several people being stronger than you, none of us have been able to do a fraction of what you have done Darling. You are so cool!"


    "I see, thanks Jo. You know I wouldn''t have been able to do it without all of you," I replied, a bit embarrassed.


    "And you make us feel so special to boot! I love love love you, Darling!"


    "Just answer Possum''s fucking question you nutjob! Stop trying to get into his pants! And Possum! Stop making goo-goo eyes at her! Look at me instead!"


    "It seems, Jo has devised a new plan to get Shujin''s favor. I feel conflicted. My students are all trying to take what is mine? As you seduction master, I should answer in kind, right?"


    "Sigh, I feel like an idiot getting so worked up earlier. You bitches are insufferable assholes you know? I honestly do not know what Honey''s sees in all of you."


    Hearing the chaos coming from the rest of the girls, I couldn''t help but smile. Despite their differences and strengths, they still chose to follow me. There could be no greater expression of loyalty that that.


    "Jo."


    "Yes, Darling?"


    "Send the fighters away."


    "Eh? They are still far away. They are beyond the range of sound. Yet you still think that I can?"


    "Yes," I answered confidently.


    "¡­"


    "Please."


    "How are you so sure, Darling? What are you even basing your faith on?"


    "The fact that you are my woman. The fact that you are Josephine Benelli Smith," I replied with a smile.


    Jo didn''t reply immediately. But after about ten seconds, she nodded her head along with a smile.


    "Hehe, this feeling is the best. You really know how to drive me crazy, Darling. Okay! By the will of my Darling and the will of my lord! Darling, can you lower the windows?"


    Due to the speed we were going, I kept the windows up. With {Hike} reduced air resistance, the loud gush of wind still was quite loud. But as Jo was the one who asked, I complied. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    To my surprise there was no sound as the windows rolled down. It was as if we were still. I checked the speedometer and still saw the needle pointing at the far right. It was as if we stepped into another world. One devoid of sound.


    "{Thrall}. You did not see anything. Everything was as it should be. Return back to your base and changed your equipment to those used for bombing ground targets. When you detect an anomaly other than my group, blow it to the sky."


    Jo''s melodious voice was the only one that existed in this space. It was enchanting as if the world seemed perfect so long as she spoke. An urge to prostate myself and beg her to continue her instructions rose within me.


    As if I was hypnotized or under the influence of drugs. But neither could be possible as I had {Mind Shield} and {Digest}. Before I could figure it out, Jo turned to me and gave a command.


    "Darling, please close the windows. I am done."


    "Yes, my lady."


    "Hehe, Darling is too silly. I guess, I went overboard. Wake up everyone."


    Jo then suddenly clapped her hands. The sharp crack in the air rang out like a loud cymbal. In mere moments, the pleasant feeling that filled me vanished. It was like being under a spell. However, before I could ask, the other girls all expressed their confusion.


    "Fuck me dead, your {fate} goes through {Mind Shield}. How the fuck is that even possible?"


    "How terrifying. I knew I was being influenced, yet I couldn''t resist it. Jo, how does {Thrall} work? Would we able to resist it if we ascend to Specters? Would it work on the Awakened?" Aki, who grew curious began to ask questions one after another.


    "It''s not that surprisingly really. I re-watched Vela''s demonstration earlier using Honey''s eyes. Vela and by extension Jo''s inclination as a Revenant is Words of power. This would just be the natural step towards that direction."


    Jo didn''t reply and merely placed her finger on her lips as she turned to face behind.


    "That''s all a secret. I will tell you all if you manage to become Specters too. More importantly did you all see? They are turning around."


    "Yeah. I also heard the com traffic; they are returning home. The crises have passed. Still, that was incredible Jo. Well done," Bella praised.


    The Su27''s were like dots even with my enhanced vision. That was just how far they were. If it wasn''t for Bella, we would not have even understood that they would be heading here. Similar to hackers in Hollywood, Bella was hacking everyone and everything.


    From her words, it seemed like the reason she saw them was not because they got to close. Even beyond that, she knew ahead of time that they would be deployed, as he heard the orders being given.


    Much like I always believed, now that she had the infrastructure of humanity. Bella was terrifying to face on Earth. While not as scary as hacking nuclear missiles, being able to wiretap and listen in to the communications of other people was both scary and useful.


    There were conspiracy theories of the American Government wiretapping every phone and land line in the country. And it wasn''t just us, even Europe and Asia did the same thing. Their initial goals might have been for the good, but it just devolved into a tool for monitoring.


    I couldn''t help but feel elated that someone was Bella was by my side. Not just her, Jo''s demonstration was just as impressive. The more we all grew the more I marveled at the range of their abilities. I silently thanked God, for giving the Sirens too me.


    With the biggest nuance taken care of, the rest of the drive to the Bale Mountains was uneventful. Much like the scenery when you rode a plane or train, there wasn''t much to write home about. We were in the sky, so it was hard to appreciate the beauty of Africa.


    ''Especially when all you see for miles is a fucking desert, seriously just how wide is this thing?''


    The girls made small chatter to each other, but when Amari and Mia grew silent, they did too. If it was just us, the Sirens and I didn''t even need to speak with words. Whether via digital transmissions, or through our {Kindred} links we were always connected.


    While we still did enjoy talking, we were not alone. It was hard to discuss about important topics in the presence of strangers. As a silver lining, the girls and I kept flirting through our links. It kept the drive enjoyable at least for me.


    Less than two hours later, we finally arrived at the remote village Amari spoke of. It was a small village having less than 50 small huts. However contrary to what it looked like from the outside, the people within were anything but normal.


    A beautiful dark-skinned woman greeted us at the village entrance. She made a respectful bow as she greeted.


    "Welcome in peace, Successor. May your fate end the darkness and reclaim the glory of what was once lost."


    ''Well, this was going to be interesting'', I thought inwardly.

 Chapter 888 - 888: In that case [1/2]

    May your fate end the darkness.


    It was a phrase often said only by Reapers. To humans it may sound like a bunch of edgy words strung together but to us it meant a deep message. Our "fates" were not merely our futures but were also our weapons, regrets, dreams and hopes.


    It was a both our greeting and our farewell. A constant reminder of why we fight. And why we try to move forward. It was all to end the darkness plaguing humanity. As such, it was an unspoken rule that no other words may be given the same weight.


    Throughout my time, there was no variation of this statement, regardless of where the Reaper came from. It was as symbolic as it was universal. So, what the hell was I hearing?


    ''May your fate end the darkness and reclaim the glory of what was once lost.''


    Reclaim the glory of what was once lost? The fuck did that mean? Ending the darkness of Hellsgate was already hard enough. And now there was yet another tall other? Reapers were basically garbage men for the world tree. There was no glory to speak off. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Was this 2nd half of the statement strictly with regards to Successors like me? My mind was already working in overdrive all over a single greeting. It seemed that coming to this place was the right decision.


    "It is my honor to meet you, Successor. I am Zanele Soldat. A concubine of his majesty the Immortal. And the current matriarch for the Soldat clan."


    The woman in front of me was fairly simple, she had plain robes yet had an air of dignity. Apart from a pair of earrings, there was a single elaborate necklace on her neck that covered her chest. Her hair was wrapped up in a shawl of some sort.


    Despite her rather simple getup, I knew the person before me was in fact on the level of a queen. I didn''t know why, but I knew. This woman was dangerous. It didn''t even make any sense. She was only a Phantom, yet something made me wary of her.


    Before I could even put my finger on it, she began to explain as she chuckled.


    "Please be at ease. I apologize if my beads make you uncomfortable. This is a known as an Ikele, a tradition among African countries. This is our version of the wedding ring you westerners have. As I am a woman who belongs to a Revenant, such things are a given."


    ''Holy fucking crap! What I am feeling ring now is Hannibal''s ward for his women? Hardly anyone will approach Zanele with lustful thoughts with such a thing on her neck. I don''t know whether to be impressed or annoyed.''


    "I can remove them if you find them too overbearing¡­"


    "No, there is no need," I replied curtly.


    Who the fuck would know what could happen if she did take it off? Seeing that I ask her to keep it on. Zanele nodded while touching her beads affectionately. The woman then brought her hands together before doing a small bow.


    "Before anything else, I want to thank you for helping ease the suffering of Africa. Successor. May the gods bless you for this good deed."


    While it was true that I killed the demons, my decisions caused the death of an entire city. Exa shared that there were at much as 200,000 in Kismayo. And they all died. Such a number looked small population wise, but that was more people than I knew in my life.


    "Pleased to meet you lady Zanele, I go by Limitless. I have no excuses. While my party did eliminate the demons, we weren''t able to save anyone except a single person. For that I apologize. I know such words are useless, but I give you, my condolences."


    "News of what happened to Kismayo are known to me. And while it is a tragedy, if you had not stopped the Hellsborn, more of my people would have died to them. But worry not. Most, if not all of the people there were given Reaper blood over three years ago."


    What? They gave Reaper blood to humans by the thousands? Without an enlistment? Wasn''t that illegal? My questions probably showed up on my face as Zanele explained immediately without me asking.


    "Successor, giving them blood does not make them Reapers. It only grants them the chance to resolve their regrets. Realistically speaking even with over 200,000 hardly 20,00 of them would ascend. Not many have desires so powerful they can cheat death."


    That was one way of looking at it. I mean even if you did give a human Reaper blood, so long as he or she didn''t wish to come back, they would stay dead. So, to her point, it hardly mattered to the majority, only to those that had the will to rise from the dead.


    "Most western religions see death as something to be feared or dreaded. Africa is different, we share the East''s belief in returning to our fathers. Thus, to us, death is not the end but merely the continuation of one''s journey."


    I see. She was right. Christianity and most Abrahamic religions did not believe in reincarnation. But other religions specifically Buddhism and Hinduism did. The so-called cycle of Samsara or Karmic cycle. It seems African''s religions believe them as well.


    "Do not worry Successor. I truly am nothing but grateful. Africa is strong and resilient. If there is one thing our people know to do, it is to endure and survive. Such is our role then, as it is now and so shall it be in the future."


    "I see. Then I will say thank you for your kindness instead, lady Zanele."


    Zanele made a beautiful smile as she bowed once more. Her words were soft yet contained what appeared to be genuine gratitude.


    "No, Successor, it is I who must thank you. While many humans come here to aid us in different issues, Reapers do not. Afraid of the power we wield in my long years there has been only a few like you," the beautiful lady praised.


    "I am not that great. Amari did me a solid by saving my girls. Since then, I consider Amari my ally. So long as he does not betray me, I will forever be indebted to him. He asked me to help him save his brother and Kismayo, so here I am."


    It was only for a moment, but I saw a look of confusion come from Zanele. She tried to hide it, but I saw her Hollywood smile break for a single second. Immediately regaining her composure, she continued to speak as if nothing happened.


    "Is that so? Then Amari must have been blessed by the gods. It is said that good deeds are never wasted. My son did well in aiding your women. As his mother, I am most pleased. Amari has always been unable to resist helping another."


    If you consider the shit the bastard did during the Enlistment, her assessment was mistaken. But it was a common motherly trait to only see the best of your child. And as I would gain nothing by shaming her son in front of her, I remained silent and just nodded.


    "Mother. I have returned."


    "Mother-in-law I have returned as well."


    The man in question stepped forward along with his British spouse. Amari took a knee and bowed before his mom. Mia likewise imitated his gesture. Zanele nodded approvingly while checking his body for injuries, similarly she checked Mia.

 Chapter 889 - 889: In that case [2/2]

    "I thank the gods that you have returned without injuries my son and pride. You too daughter-in-law, thank you for taking care of him," Amari''s mom said with affection.


    American in general was pretty liberated. To us, giving respect to your parents was not really showy. I often wondered why that was the case. In Anime, you often saw the deep level of respect children had to their parents. We didn''t have that.


    Of course, it was kind of expected when most parents just kicked us out the moment kids reached adulthood. We in turn got back at them by kicking them into retirement homes the moment they retire. It was a vicious cycle. But it was our normal.


    Bowing and shit was not a common sight to see for me. Noelle was considered eccentric by America standards. If you talked back to her, she would beat your ass to the ground. I never got beaten by Earl, but just his hulking frame was enough to set me straight.


    Noelle was by far more affectionate than necessary. She hugged the fuck out of me, it made me feel good, so I grew up picking up that practice. If I ever did have kids, would adopting eastern practices like bowing be better?


    ''If my kids ever disrespected their mothers, I would probably spank the shit out of them,'' I thought absentmindedly.


    "Oh, look at me forgetting my responsibilities as a hostess. Successor. I am sure the journey from Kismayo has been long, please take this moment to rest. I apologize as they are a bit modest, but we have prepared accommodations for you and your party."


    "Thank you for that but we are fine. We are in bit of a rush; do you not need to handle Amari''s brother? I was under the impression that it was pretty urgent," I inquired.


    "We have time. Blanche notified me ahead of time of the attack in Kismayo. So, we moved prince Olamide. Whenever a Reaper is on the verge of collapsing, the worse thing to do is expose him to death and battle. Leaving helped us stabilize him."


    From how normal it was for her to say the name of the Astrologer, it seems the contact in Africa was not Pierre, but Zanele. If she really was friends with Blanche and Roland, then her information would truly be credible.


    "I see. Then I will take you up on your offer. My girls and I will rest for a short while and come see you. Regarding the other matter, thank you for accommodating my request. I am badly in need of information, and I really appreciate your help."


    Zanele then looked towards Pierre, who was awkwardly standing while hugging his arm. She made a face full of compassion as she walked towards him.


    "You have been through much, young one. It is safe here. Put your mind at ease and do not blame yourself for the tragedy that has unfolded."


    The Mauritian said nothing and began to weep quietly. A couple of women came at Zanele''s call and took Pierre inside the village. While I hardly catered to him, it was true that he had been through a lot.


    Meanwhile, Zanele called out to two more servant girls and walked towards me. She then introduced them. They were quite beautiful. As I had a harem from all over the world, skin tone hardly mattered to me. Their bodies were tone and radiated sexual appeal.


    "Successor, these are two of my most trusted aides. Their names are Nandi and Zinhle. Should you need anything please call on them, they are my gift to you. Nandi, Zinhle, serve the Successor to the best of your ability."


    "Thank you for your hospitality Zanele. But what do you mean by gift?"


    The matriarch of the Soldat''s raised her eyebrow while staring at the girls, "Are you not familiar with the concept of forging family ties with bloodlines? These two are women I raised to serve as your lovers. I groomed them based on the appearance of the Sins."


    "Mother! No! That''s¡­"


    "Ah bloody hell!''


    "Huh? Wait hold up, I never agreed to anything. I¡­"


    Before I could finish my sentence, I felt four people behind me emit a terrifying amount of blood lust. Their links were also naturally full of hate, anger and practically every negative emotion you could think off.


    Immediately in the next second, a bunch of tall and muscular guards showed up. I was about to be relieved when I saw that they were unarmed. However, in the next second, all of them to suddenly transformed to different humanoid monsters and even the elements.


    The girls who saw the large group of shifters immediately pulled out their guns and prepared for battle. Bella even opened up a {Portal} from which MAARS poured out from. Given the size of this place, it would be tough for the Ripsaws or challengers to come out.


    "I count 50 of them. All Phantoms! The sluts included. Everyone, time to for the Fakers to make their debut! Children, please set the table! Please don''t break their bodies too badly. I need tons of material for the Aegis Division."


    "No one is going to fucking touch my Possum you African niggers! I am going to butcher you all even if I have to kick the bucket in order to do so. I knew those sluts were bad news. And you all thought I was crazy." Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Fufu. This is how you return our kindness? By offering harlots to sleep with MY SHUJIN? Nandi-san and Zinhle-san was it? Please pray to whatever god you believe in. I will give you 10 seconds as a final kindness."


    "Hehehe. You people didn''t see what I did to the demons did you? Hehehe! Let me demonstrate for everyone! Time for you all to learn who Darling belongs to! Forget about having a corpse left to bury. You all will join Hellsend once you die!"


    I immediately stood in front of the girls who all seemed to have begun psychotic meltdowns. While I was aware of the custom of using women to force alliances, I didn''t expect for Zanele to specifically prepare them for me.


    "Everyone! Calm down! This is all a big misunderstanding! I will not accept them!"


    Amari and Mia ran towards the Shifters and tried to block them.


    "Brothers, sisters please cancel your soulforms! They will not retaliate if we do not attack!"


    "You all need to think this through, the Sirens are going to slaughter everyone here if you all continue!"


    In barely a minute the surroundings escalated out to the stratosphere. Amari didn''t seem to have much sway as the Soldat clan ignored him.


    "Warriors of the Soldat clan, by my authority stand down! If you see me as your matriarch, cancel your soulforms at once! DO IT NOW!"


    A warm pulse of energy traveled with Zanele''s words. The Soldats all began to return to their human forms immediately after. With that side handled, I tried to control my harem as well. I flooded my girls with positive feelings, but it didn''t work.


    "In that case. How about this?"


    I began to send them images of me pounding them violently. The girls all froze in place as the sheer depravity of what I envisioned reached them.


    "Darling¡­" "Possum, what the fuck?" "Anata, that''s¡­" "Honey, you are fucking insane."


    It was quite comical and completely crazy. But it worked. My lust managed to summon back the girls. Celebrating inwardly, I also began to dread the coming days.


    ''Sigh, this is going to be pain in the ass.''

 Chapter 890 - 890: Heroine Chapter: Swept away [1/2]

    "I will bring the Awakened to Kismayo to kill the demons. Afterwards they will join me when I butcher the undead in Antarctica."


    When the man I loved the most uttered such a ridiculous statement, I felt myself chuckle. While I admired his tenacity and drive, my Dearest one was not exactly a paragon of prudence. He was brash, impulsive and followed his instincts like a beast.


    ''Sigh, how typical of him,'' I inwardly muttered.


    This man was an utter fool when it cames to those he loved. If the request came from a Siren, whether it was plucking out a star from the sky or lifting the heavens this man would do it. Even though I loathed such tendencies, I couldn''t stop smiling.


    After all, the same impractical promise that applied to Liv, also was offered to me. So, in effect, the success of Liv''s dream would prove to the rest of the Sirens one thing. As long it was we who asked, Limitless would fulfill it.


    ''Fufu, just how many women in the world could boast of such a thing. Despite not being affected by this I feel my cheeks getting hot.''


    I knew from early on that this impossible task was something he often thought about. I used to feel annoyed at the audacity of the Liv to put it in his mind. Wives were meant to support their spouses for their goals. In that respect, Liv was a failure as a wife.


    What man would appreciate a woman who only burdened him with her affairs? Even more so when the matter was the fate of an entire continent! If it was any Siren but Liv, not only I but several others would have beaten her unconscious to wake her from her illusion.


    One would assume this woman was either a fool or an irresponsible harlot bent on playing victim. However, anyone who knew Liv Ivaldi would never make such an assumption. Liv was one of the most noble people I have ever met, so much so I thought she had to be acting.


    ''Sigh, if only Liv was a selfish, insufferable gold digger. How much better would it have been?''


    Time and time again this woman demonstrated to us her true nature. She was perhaps the only one in our group who truly loved everyone else. If any of us were to die, Liv would most certainly place herself in protect us even if it meant losing her own life.


    We, who knew her inclination could hardly fault our {Kindred} for his resolve to help her. In fact, most of us wanted to do it too. But reality was harsh. The difference in effort between desiring something and attaining it in reality was often extremely arduous.


    And reclaiming a battlefront which fell to Hellsgate was something no one has been able to do. There was no record of when Antarctica fell. Only that it did. Bella and I actually had doubts about the whole thing.


    "You noticed right? Liv is either lying about the dates she knows or there is something going on in Antarctica."


    "I know, Liv is convinced that it only happened 9 years ago. But all records of that event seem to show that it happened way earlier. Like hundreds or maybe even thousands of times earlier," I confirmed.


    When we brought it up to Dearest, his answer was as simple as can be.


    "Does it matter?"


    "Huh?" Bella and I caught off guard were rendered speechless.


    "It doesn''t matter when it fell. What matters is when it will be reclaimed."


    If that came from anyone but this man, I would have called him crazy. Yet as the days passed, he now declared for all to hear of the next operation to follow after Rock, Paper and Scissor.


    "Announce to all the seven battlefronts. In thirty days, Hellsend will liberate the North. We invite the rest of the battlefronts to help humanity. Hellsend will grant them benevols and soulgear and cleanse their malice as rewards. And to the top contributor, we will sell Fakers."


    Humans were selfish. It was completely insane to believe people would help you because of altruism. Dearest, who saw the filth of the world for what it was had no misgivings about this.


    And the man I adored knew this. He planned to not only give the Reapers what they desperately needed and forced them to work even harder to gain more. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I served as the Commander for the White guard of North America. I knew the many failed operations to farm Devil''s remains throughout the years. It was one of the resources that allowed Reapers to live longer. Malice was curse that could not be lifted among my kind.


    Hellsend alone would be hard pressed to fight an entire continent''s worth of enemies. But if we were not alone? In an ingenious approach my Dearest planned to use the very selfish nature of Reapers to kill the undead.


    This was on top of several orders he gave Hellsend. All of which not only gave us new weapons, tactics and tools. They also forced our entire army to feel the weight of their responsibility.


    The Sirens and I could feel it. To those that longed for purpose and power, there was no greater honor that being counted on.


    In less than a season''s worth of time, John Smith went from being a regular human to being one the most powerful people in Hellsgate. While he was only a Phantom, the power he wielded already far surpassed even those of a Specter. While Specters were powerful, they were not omnipotent.


    Even Specters could be beaten by a well-equipped group of Phantoms. As if knowing this fact by heart, my {Kindred} recruited rather aggressively. He didn''t care what you were or where you came from. Only if he wanted to fight. This led to the entire army of South America joining our ranks.


    ''It might have been because he did it for Bella, however the fact remains it was a terrifying achievement.''


    Not only did he gain an army of veteran Summoners, but his methods also earned him the loyalty of two Specters. If that was not enough, the Awakened similarly wish to demonstrate their use. In my opinion the biggest game breaker that even the South Americans.


    The Sirens and I all agreed on this point. They said so the moment I told them about the Awakened. Attacking Antarctica meant having to purge the malice off the earth.


    And while it was fine in small numbers even Specters would be overwhelmed given enough malice was accumulated. Carlos and Herman represented such futures.


    Initially our plans involved creating large numbers of benevols. That was what I instructed the Saint division to prioritize. But alas, my spouse once again flipped the board by not only befriending the Reborn but subordinating them.


    While we were first unsure if it was a good thing, Aki in particular shared a secret kept among the Reapers of Asia.


    "It is a concept evident in the mythical beasts from Asian legends and religions. Our sacred beasts are mostly Reborn in partnerships with Reapers. My continent unlike the west treated them as allies. Being Enhancers naturally showed our sincerity, allowing us to gain their trust."


    Jo and Jas Descendants who arguably had the most information also shared Europe''s take on the matter.


    "Yeah, I think you all just lucked out. Europe kind of hates them. As a general rule Astrals hate the Reborn with a passion. I think they were betrayed or something. Which is why unlike the you guys that worship them, to the us they are monsters to be vanquished."


    "While there are families that keep some Reborn as pets, they all eventually killed the monsters before they get too strong. It is one of the great mysteries why Asia alone managed to subordinate so many of them, Husband truly is amazing."