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Chapter 18: War Machine

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It’s early in the morning and he’s already up against a real problem.

One thing that Siva had learned when fighting monsters is that if you reserve something like “appearance” in the face of adversary, you are sure to die.

When he first stepped forth in the forest of Kali outside of Aarun, he was so nervous that he run away at the first encounter against a Predator.

But then, when he remembers why he was doing this, he always stops, take a step back, look for a better angle of attack, then attack in full force.

It worked for a long time.

While he was searching for treasures to target, he was also training and learning the system that runs the game.

The mobs are different from one another. There are mobs that are the same race and size, but one is a lot stronger while the other more docile. He learned that it was a system of AI allocation.

At least, he deduced.

But with monsters, it’s a whole lot different dimension of a story. Imagine a hungry lion 3 elephant-sized, with the aggressiveness of a cheetah and wings of a dragon, glaring at you.

The fear created by the texture made by Virtual Reality is what gamers loved and hated at the same time.

It’s that exhilarating feeling of knowing it was a game, yet, it feels real to the skin. That’s why the fear of death can be felt by the player in half its real intensity.

The evolution of game! Before it was just pixilated remote controlled characters moving in a sandbox of a system, then it became HD, and now this.

Years gone by, the standards of gaming developed so dramatically fast, gamers’ standards went higher and higher, eventually resulting to the global hunger of that ultimate gaming experience.

So RPG: Terroa was released.

Now, Siva was facing a monster created with that same dream’s efforts converted into a real being, felt by his virtual reality-rendered senses.

The roar alone was enough to cause his blood-bathed skin to crawl up like a gooseflesh. But he persisted. He will kill this bastard first because this is the biggest hindrance in their duel.

A guy like Garin is the type to not stab an unprepared opponent in the back. He treasures the honor won by winning duels fair and square.

But he was also not the type to engage an enemy he is not prepared against. Unlike Siva, Garin is a “player” who hunts in numbers and not a hunter who chases a target alone.

Rex hunted monsters alone.

In the east and west Oz forests in Aarun, in the mountains of Walled City of Hagonoy, and in the vast seas of the Pacific Ocean.

He dueled a dragon, fought two Lapises, and freaking intervened in a war without asking nor needing anyone for help.

Although the latter ended up unexpectedly away from the goal he was tasked to do, the objective was still achieved and the war stopped before the worst—second degree worst—case scenario happened. Nevertheless, he did all those feats alone.

Siva knew the difference between their skill sets and abilities from the way they fought.

Yes, Garin’s attacks and actions are precise and skilled as a pro but his tactics and habits are only effective if he is being backed by a Mage or a Healer.

He knew that their duel would have to end in another day, if not today. He also knew that if he don’t put his full attention in the enemy up front, he’ll be devoured.

With a growl, the Lapis whose eyes indicated that he was charmed by the Killing Zone, steadily growled at him, retaining its trademark ferocity where it’s known.

But Siva was happy about something else too.

The reason was, right now, is a matter of life and death.

Only on these circumstances that his mind worked in its 100% capacity. He can think faster, react faster, his body moves before he could actually think.

Adding that he already activated that MOD. Artemis MOD ability, Transcendence.

Restrictions were now lifted. He is now a war machine.

“Haha… hahahahaha…”

Following the laughing voice, he released the guns. In his left hand came an E-grenade cast upon himself, on his chest, in that almost indistinguishable area where an orb was located.

The heart of the Dragunov.

With the growl as its nose were irritated with tiny bugs of the bullets, the Lapis sneezed like a real animal. At the opening given, the blue sparks traveled across Siva’s body, embracing his legs, arms, and disengaged the parts and properties that made up the Dragunov.

Where he next appeared surprised the spectators.

He was at the monster’s head, fixed on the skull, guns pointed down to the left eye.

A barrage of countless bullets escaped the muzzle, black and white guns spitting bullets in succession.

The clip emptied, 2 seconds had past. Even Siva was surprised at how much it had improved the last time he had used it.

The recoil was softer, as light as feather, burst fire was upgraded, sounding like an automatic rifle.

This is Janus’ skill in upgrades. It wasn’t his idea.

When the monster turned its head from the pain on its left eye, it roared angrily and the players hovering above all froze where they are.

It was the ability unique only to S-rank and higher grade monsters. Of all that he had fought, the Dragon in the forest at the top of the mountain in Hagonoy is the one with the most troublesome version of this.

«Pose of the King»

To those who sees this weapon will be frozen stiff for 10 seconds. It’s a paralyzing attack that gives a crucial opening for the monster to kill his adversary.

One reason why the Lapis is a terrifying opponent to the normal hunters is because of this. Unlike other S-ranked monsters, Lapis Lazulis tend to use this a lot.

Even if it’s easy to read the behavior of this monster who only attacks head on, with this ability to freeze their opponents, they become nightmares on all hunting groups.

Garin was seeing it, he knew it’s the end for The Destroyer.

And just as he thought that the fight was over, not a second passed as the Lapis was still in its grand pose of power, Siva ignored what was supposed to be the start of the paralyzing attack and summoned the hammer.

«Mjölnir»

The weapon of the Norse God of Thunder.

He teleported unto the monster’s open chin and twisted in midair, dealing a massive uppercut echoing with a cracking sounds enough to make Samara almost puke.

It sounded like a fist who punched a wall and his bones crushed with the impact—multiplied by 10.

Volt’s mind, however, worked with the math of that last attack’s damage ability. Books in the Archive with topics pertaining to monsters, told of the weakness all S and higher ranked monsters share.

When they use their «Pose of the King» ability, they all become open targets.

Plus, adding Siva’s «Killing Zone» effect…

He couldn’t help thinking as if this single moment and weakness of the strongest monsters in the game were all to be exploited by players with Siva’s build.

If so, then what kind of build is it?

What kind of build allows you to defy this terrifying ability?

There was an explosion that followed the attack. The monster’s head swayed like a drunken man.

This is the stronger version of Air Shot that Siva himself experienced in close proximity not long ago.

Not giving it a chance to recover, Siva’s body vanished again, appearing at the monster’s right side of the face, holding the jet black sword while wearing a smile.

Everything was happening so fast no one was blinking.

“Hahahahahaha…!!”

A crazed laugh rattled the air. So loud in the silent forest, it echoed in the further areas.

The combined smokes from the sulfur gas and plasma smoke screen that Siva deployed earlier had reached the level of density that it covered the monster’s feet.

Still, the laughing sound persisted, the jet black sword struck head on at the monster’s trembling right eye.

“Gyahahahaha…”

GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…!!

What followed next was the loudest cry of pain they’ve ever heard in their careers. The monster trampled the land, into the still soft lava bombs on the floor, the charring embers of trees, and into the denser part of the smoke screen, reaching the monster’s chest.

It banged its head on the ground, the look and cry of pain can’t be mistaken.

Both eyes blind, it was a cruel way to disable a monster with the ability to swallow a person in one gulp. But for the spectators, this was one valuable lesson they cannot ignore.

No matter how strong you are, the eyes are still a big weakness if taken away.

Siva was in a distance, watching, eyes wide in delight, like a villain seeing his hero nemesis in great agony.

An ecstatic expression can bee seen drawn on his face, the Siva they were all seeing is a completely new person.

“Volt…” This time, Agatha was trembling. “What’s happening to him?”

As usual, Volt already understood this and he just bit his lips as he did not want to answer that question. The Dex in front of their eyes is the one who’s mind had been eaten away by the thirst for violence.

Volt had seen this coming. He had this tendency when he fought with them in Hagonoy. And even when he fought the Dragon of the lake, Volt had sensed that Dex wasn’t really playing the game. He was living in it and that he wasn’t in his top condition then.

But now, he was sure, this is his top condition.

This is the real Siva.

He could feel it crawling in their skin. He was planning something. That smile on his face meant that the large green monster had fallen on his trap.

“Get back…” Volt instructed his friends. “He’s going to do something. You might get tangled up in it.”

This decision was understandable.

Siva cast another E-grenade to himself, vanished with the blue sparks, and then appeared at the monster’s forehead.

In his body, the black martial arts gear appeared after a quick jolt. The next thing he did was to twist his body to give the monster a punch in the face.

BOOM! The sound of his fist reaching a moment near the sound of barrier. It was followed by the monster’s tongue going out and Siva twisted again with a kick that rose up on the chin.

Another explosion echoed and a mist escape the feet that made contact with the chin.

With another twist, the hammer appeared and smashed the head downwards with a loud BANG! An E-grenade was cast, and he vanished again, appearing below with another mighty twist with the giant maul.

With every four or three times that Siva vanished and reappeared, he switched from his weapons; hammer, sword, and martial arts gear, dealing critical strikes to the blinded, confused, and rattled Lapis Lazuli.

The sight of an S-ranked monster being toyed like a punching bag, not given a chance to retaliate, all attacks hitting a critical spot.

Blood began to spill out the monster’s eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, the sound of blunt bones that cracked, booming echoes of breaking the wind barrier, and the sharp tingling sensation of their own breaths escaping slowly in their noses…

Siva’s barrage of non-stop attacks wasn’t just a sight to see, it was a once in a lifetime spectacle to behold.

It was late for them to notice that the speed at which his attacks came and go had only been just about 20 seconds or so.

The monster’s feet were lifted off the ground, all attacks hit only the head and the neck.

Open wounds can be seen everywhere. Blood flowed like streams to the ground.

After an uppercut came another kick sidewards, the monster following the direction of the kick with its face and neck. Siva landed on the ground and he bent his knees as if to jump.

Just then, Siva’s back was dyed with a transparent hue, like a water-like detail of skeletal wings, it was vivid yet looking only like an illusion. The orange aura that looked red flame gasses escaping his body gave the impression that he took the shape of an angel of death.

With his ragged cloak and blood soaked body, the waving smoke screens, and the gentle wind blowing his hair in one direction, the impression became solid, he was like a devil of death without a scythe.

“Wing sets?”

Garin’s jaw dropped right after he murmured and he gasped to see the entire impression it made.

Torn up cloak flowing with his movements, the wings unfolded upwards, or so it seemed, with Siva preparing to jump with the boost the motion will make.

But is it really just wings?

After his confused thought, Garin saw the monster’s head sway towards Siva’s direction and that’s where he jumped with the smoke around him subsiding with the burst of air.

An uppercut was dealt to the monster and the roars of pain vanished with the low growl.

The neck and body straight, the power of the attack was visible by how high the head had gone back and how high the legs were lifted off the ground.

Power and speed, a devastating attack made within the small seconds of opening. The monster’s head swayed left and right, limp, tongue out, its limbs all but lost its strength.

But, it was still alive. It was trying to stand and firm its bearing, an effort worthy of being a nightmare of a monster from the S-rank grade.

Siva did not land and instead threw a smoke screen bomb towards the monster.

The bomb merged with the sulfur gas remains of the earlier «God of Oblivion» field magic, dying the green monster in liquid white and grayish black smoke.

The winged human climbed up with speed, booming sounds echoing, until he vanished in the bright shine of the morning sky.

And then…

“What’s that sound?”

Like a plane in the sky that cuts through the sound barrier, the same sound registered in the spectators’ ears.

All eyes looked up, trying to find Siva, and when they saw the rings in the sky, it was too late then that a large explosion happened on the Lapis below.

Followed by a lightning after a loud meteoric impact, all is dyed in bright light as flames and thunder roared.

Everything was blown away.

Trees, debris, land, people—everything—was engulfed with the blue fire and an explosion more powerful than anything they had yet to encounter devastated the entire scene.

Hailing pebbles and debris flew, the smell of burnt meat and freshly boiled tar remained.

Clouds of smoke drifted idly with the dead wind, the tiny moments after the attack bade everyone to stay still and watch.

When they saw what’s up front, they could only hold the air they breathed. They gasped.

What remained in the fight between monster and man is a devastated forest not less than a hundred meters or so wide. One could only imagine just how far they were all blown away by that attack.

Impossible as it may seem, the great Lapis Lazuli, with a fame of being a nightmare of nightmares, only lasted a minute or less against a human.

Garin couldn’t believe his eyes.

He swallowed as he tried to find his footing in the ground where he was thrown.

Looking around, the size of devastation couldn’t even be measured. How far was he knocked off, he wasn’t sure, but he was positive. The devastation area was too big for any player spell he could fathom to think.

Or… could be an Ultimate Ability?

The legend of the Ultimate Ability. It was a solid fact that players can only achieve such skill with the help of the Skill Junction System.

But no one has yet to develop and find the right formula to create an Ultimate Skill. At least not when no one has yet to create a Tier-5 Accessory.

So he could only deduce that a destruction this size can be possible with two advanced field magic cast simultaneously beside one another.

No. The Destroyer didn’t have enough time to cast a spell while fighting the monster.

Despite all game logic he could think, the secret of this man’s ability, the actual skill to be able to use such powerful attack at will, and the destructive power it possess, all became meaningless.

Unfathomable.

His strength can’t be measured… no. Not by me.

“Is he even a player?”

This question isn’t impossible.

Players and NPCs, except when they are part of a group event like a guild war, there is no clear distinction that separates the two from one another.

There are NPC hunters and warriors, mercenaries that can be hired for an specific task. And when they mingle with the players inside the Walled Cities, an armed NPC can look like an actual user.

That’s why, in RPG: Terroa, there was an unspoken rule to never attempt to address an NPC as such, except when you are sure that he’s a player.

So with this defense, it could be possible that this guy is not a player but a strong NPC.

If so, then perhaps Senor Dante’s actions back then can be justified. Perhaps he’s an NPC and that he gives out rare missions that requires certain conditions to take.

Then maybe that’s also the reason why Cassiopeia run away because she knew he’s a Boss-level NPC and that they really made a “grave mistake” because they did not knew his identity until he revealed it?

Garin did not wait too long. He steeled his resolve and used his wings. An explosion of that magnitude will be sure to attract the attention of other monsters. It is now time to escape.

He only glanced over the remains of the Lapis, a chunk of burnt meat, powerless beneath the feet of a man playing a despicable soundtrack… that dreaded laugh.