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- Bentley Horne ~
*Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap* -Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck...- Curses rang through my mind as I sprinted across the tarmac with several guildmates. "Everyone split up and find the people that o get on the airship, ahem get on board! We o get off the ground ASAP!"
"""Roger!""" *Woosh* They all simultaneously disappeared as they darted off in different dires before I tinued up to the airship, rag inside and dashing straight to the captain's .
"Hey!" *WOOSH* A bst of air from my wake blew through the the moment I stopped. "What's the situation? We o start moving!"
Slightly pahe co-pilot immediately turo me. "W-We're trying! We are good ohe engines are still warm, and the vital systems are all funal again."
"SO WHY AREN'T WE MOVING?!"
The head pilot was quick to respond without taking his eyes off the panel in front of him. "We don't have a tow. The mana wave ruptured the remote trol artifacts, and the ATC lost tact with one of the only alternative super-heavy tow units, so we are trying to reach the military base a few kilometers southeast to see if they bring a truck."
"Tch..." It was the st thing I wao hear. "You turn the front wheel, right!? Ki those thrusters a us-"
"You wao spray molten gss over everyone ihe airport?!" He instantly cut me off with a gre. "These engines aren't the same as the dinky ones you're probably familiar with in Europe. These would melt that gss wall in a heartbeat and cook everyone inside."
*Creaaaak* "FUCK!"Leaving several deep gashes in the door from my hand, I jolted around, grabbing my head as thoughts bsted through it. -We 't wait on the military...-
But the hing I knew, I was breaking into a sweat and shivering.
However, it wasn't because I was cold.
It was fear.
Just moments prior, I was standing atop the roof of the airport, overlooking the tless people who had crowded there during the chaos while trying to calm the torrent of ay in my ow.
But that was when it happened. Out of the er of my eye, a streak of light zipped over the city so fast I didn't even have a ce to react before it passed over the horizon behi was so fast that whatever it was couldn't have been living. To simply remain intact at that speed a such a low altitude, the object had to be sturdier than a hunk of mythril.
However, while I felt uneasy after fruitlessly trying to track the object through the sky, even though I was fident in my speed, it didn't turn to fear until I looked back at where the beam inated, and I watched a se of the wall fall behind the horizon.
I knew first hand how strong the material the Uates used for their walls was. It was the same thing my guild used to struct h-level arena, a pown to tain the fights of level 300s with ease. -But that wall... It had to be at least thirty or fourty meters thick...-
Unlike our arenas that were meant to tain pyers, the wall I saw colpse was meant to stop monsters well in excess of level 500. -'No apparent threat', my ass... Whatever the Entity is, it's already iy...-
Biting my nails as I tried to use my stomach-ing ao fuel ideas, thoughts began burning through my mind faster than I could keep track of them, before suddenly, it felt like a fire was lit through my body.
"FUCK IT!" Turning around before either pilot could say anything, I funneled my fear into anger, preparing to turn that anger into fuel. "You just turn the wheel in the dire you o go, and I'll pull this giant hunk of metal myself!"
Both pilots immediately gave me a look like I was insane, but before he could say anything, I disappeared, darting out of the airship and zipping around the tarmac, looking for anything I could use to extend my reach before finding a rope the width of a watermelon. -That'll work...-
Bolting back to the front of the airship, I hopped up onto the massive tire, several times the size of me, and ran the rope through some old emergency tow hooks before jumping to the ground, ing my arms around ead of the rope and g them to my body.
-It's time for me to pull this shit like my life depends on it...- Digging my fingers into the rope, I quickly lowered my stance before trying to vert every emotion rampaging through my mind to energy and activating over a dozen skills simultaneously. *Blip*
*CH* The tarmac shattered beh my feet as my muscles multiplied in size, my aura exploded, and it looked like my body was engulfed in fmes. -Alright you fat fug airship...- *CH* Stepping forward with every speck of strength I could muster, I felt the pressure of the rope on my shoulders ease slightly. -Let's get the hell out of here...-
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- Evreir ~
"Hyup! HAH!" *Vwoom-ch* Hearing a man yell before a wave of mana blew over me, I gnced over to see a moderately tall man digging his feet into the ground, g onto a massive rope ected to the front wheel of the airship.
-Is he really trying to pull this thing?- Looking up the side of the airship, all it took was a g his presene to want to ugh, but...
*Crrrrrreaaak* Almost immediately, the wheels started creaking, and sure enough, the massive ship slowly began to move, one hair at a time. -Wow...- Quickly opening his system panel, I curiously glossed over it to see that he was a level 278 Berserker. -But even if he has the strength to move it, how is the ground not just crumbling?-
*Crrrrrunch* With each of his slow steps, the tarmac was mercilessly crushed to less than dust, but oting about ankle deep into the ground, his footing firmed.
Out of curiousity, I gently tapped my toe into the ground, pierg through the dark grey ground before feeling something bend out of the way. -Huh?- It was a metal pte at least several timeters thick. -Is the whole airfield built on this?-
But as I was about to ask why, a grey-haired old man covered in wrinkles, donning an intricate white robe, walked up from behind me. "It's a giaromag, and it ruh the ey wherever vehicles pass over." His voice was smooth and calm.
-To be hiding your presence so btantly...- I didn't even have to look back at him to know he was moderately strong, at least on par with the berserker. "What's the point of it?"
"It works as a supersized emergency brake. It even bring these giant airships to a halt on small runways like these."
-Small?- I quickly turo look down what I thought was a gargantuan runway. -This is small?-
"The issue is when there is a meical failure, like with the other airship, the mag pulls the airship into the ground." He gently motiooward the neighb runway that looked absolutely destroyed before finally walking up to me. "In any case, my name is Ashford, Ashford Krariest of the Churichael." He gently pulled his hand from behind his back before reag for a handshake. "I happeo overhear that you were from the Church as well, I'm surprised I don't reize you."
Dulling my gaze, I looked up at his predatory smile before extending my hand as well. "That isn't too surprising." *pat* The moment our hands touched, I felt his aura try to flood into my hand, but it was like a ripple trying to push back a tsunami.
*WOOM* His fastantly went pale as his eyes shot open, and he gritted his teeth. "HUEK-!" Releasing my hand, he immediately turo the side and vomited on the ground.
"To throw up when shaking someone's hand. That's quite upsetting..." Looking at his system panel as he threw up and started sweating profusely, I quickly found that he wasn't actually lying about who he was, be it his name or about being a priest. -He must have thrown up because of my aura...-
Although it had been a long time, I was well aware of how it felt for your body to be flooded by an aura magnitudes rger than your own. It blurred your senses and made your ay explode as if everything inside your body was tied in a knot. -sidering I could ge the data on mana sensors dozens of kilometers from me, that rea should be expected...-
The thing that baffled me was that the rea didn't happen until he touched me. -sidering how big my aura is, everyone eveely near me should feel pressure from it...-
Yet no one showed aion.
"Haah..." -But I guess my fusion just means I have a lot to learn...-
However, as I let out a sigh and turned away from the priest to tioward the airship, he stood up, shaking. "You... What are you..." Fear filled his eyes as his stance remained lowered like a dog with its tail tucked.
But as I gnced back at him, I took a moment to think before a smile crept ay face. "Why don't you ask those mighty gods of yours?"
His face was nearly instantly lit up red by tless system panels appearing in front of him.
"And while you're at it, why don't you tell them to fuck off." Looking in the air behind him, my eyes fell on a cloudy, vaguely human-shaped figure before snickering. -He really left his avatar to die, huh...- Finally turning back to the airship, I pulled a bagel out of my iory before snag on it with an irritated expression. "The more they try and fight me, the more they will lose."
But even though I said that specifically for the figure floating in the air, I khey wouldn't listen. -If they're smart, they will leave me be... If they're dumb, they will lose everything they have trol over.- It was a gamble, one banking on them realizing fighting me was a fruitless effort.
But unfortunately, administrators were not beings I ko be smart... -I will be surprised if I don't have to kill a few more avatars before they realize...-
As I tioward the airship though, I felt the faint presence of the floating figure behind me vanish, and looked back to see its clody figure scattered like a puff of fog.
It was a sight that made my eyes go wide. -Did he just.. die?-
Not feeling another presenearby, I immediately tensed up.
But that was when 'he' appeared.
*Woom* Appearing in front of me instantaneously as the flow of time around me began to , I turoward the preseo meet the gaze of a tall man with perfect white hair, grey eyes akin to a blind man, earing a beautiful, ethereally white robe with a bright, blinding halo over his head, inparable to the likes of the avatar.
He was an administrator on a pletely different level from the one I had just seen.
Ohat was strong enough to put me on edge. -This administrator.. might be troublesome...-
But instead of finding myself several kilometers away, zipping through the sky from a punch, he gently pulled one of his hands out from behind his bad elegantly bowed, exposing a series of pure white feathered wings sprouting from his back. "~For a being of your stature to be curious ih. I'm honored.~"
His voice seemed to travel through a medium other the air, and while he gave off a great amount of light, the enviro hadn't lit up at all. "I could say the same about you." My voice was filled with skepticism. "What is an administrator like you doing in such a low rank world..."
He slowly looked up at me as if trying to gauge me before smiling. "~You say that like my strength is troublesome to you.~" He paused as he straightened his posture while darkening the expression on his face. "~Am I perhaps an obstacle for you?~"
"Only if you make yourself one."
He paused again as he took a moment to look me up and down. "~Five me for being blunt, but what is your purpose for being here..? It appears my subordinate mistook you for a Destroyer.. a being who revisits old worlds they have been to with the system to destroy their societies... But if you were a destroyer, the pself would have beehing to fall.~" His gaze slowly turned judgemental as he spoke.
"Earth is my home world, but I only now got the opportunity to return... It's been over 500 years. How could I not e visit."
"~500 years...~" His eyes widened. "~You must have been a part of one of the first groups summoned by The System when it was initially ected.~"
Not following what he was saying, I just tilted my head.
"~But while I do wish I could oblige and give you time to enjoy your return, it does not ge the fact that you ot be here.~" His tone firmed in an instant. "~You are no longer a being this world is capable of taining... If you remain here, this world will colpse.~"
"Hm.. that's a shame." I spoke without a hint of remorse. "Since my system was wiped when I returned here, I lost the ability to go to any other worlds willingly." I shrugged before looking up into his eyes.
"~Then I will forcefully transport you to a nearby system. I hope you will cooperate.~" He quickly reached out his hand and before what seemed like a system gate appeared around me. *Vwoop*
But by the time it closed, I was already behind him.
He noticed it as well. "~You ot stay here. You do not have a choice.~"
He likely thought I ying, and to aent, I was. "I do, actually. You know just as well as I that the only thing that would suffer damage with ht would be our surroundings."
Anger slowly began creeping into his expression. "~The longer you are here, the more your presence will raise Earth's rank within the system.~" His expression darkened in an instant. "~Even if I must forcibly relocate you, I will not permit your stay in this world.~"
He was serious. -Is that so...- "Then how about this." Not wanting to deal with such a troublesome administrator, I decided to promise. "If you permit my stay, I will let you give me quests." My smile slowly turned greedy. "If you permit my stay, I will kill whatever you need me tardless of whether it is something humanity handle, or not... Of course, with apt payment."
His expression ed as if he was ging.
"But don't worry, I'll cut you a deal. I don't want items old. All I want for payment is help, whether I need information, uidah the system." Gently setting my hand on his shoulder, I pulled it down slightly. "Touche?"
He paused as he fell into thought, turning his gaze away from me, and looking to the west, toward where I killed The Warden. "~Tch...~" The click of his tongue was loud. He was finally reasoning what it would take to get me off the world without my pliance.
Long story short, it was far more trouble than it was worth.
"~Okay...~" He agreed with reluce. "~What server are you using, and what is your System ID...~"
My smile quickly widened. "Evreir. tral Server."
He immediately tensed as his eyes went wide, quickly log onto me. "~As in.. 'The' tral Server?~"
I nodded.
And almost immediately I felt like I could see a bead of sweat form on his forehead. "~You will.. receive a 'Data Link' request in a moment... It will let me give you quests a you i with the local system as much or as little as you wish...~" His voice shook slightly.
"Is that so? That sounds quite ve." A hint of joy began creeping into my voice as I watched the man endlessly tio sink into thought. "If that's all, I will take my leave." Finally letting go of his shoulder, I tioward the airship, and time around me seemed to resume. "I look forward to doing business with you, Michael."
Idly gng down at my system while I walked, my smile only grew wider. -For administrators to have system paoo...- I simply couldn't tain myself. -How wonderful...-
System Name: Saint MichaelName: MichaelStatus: Stressed
Race: Argel (Bodyless)Age: 22,721 years
[Titles]
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Level2,827CssUpper Administratold47,927,791,436,243Sponsors
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