“Pereyra.”

“Servant Tewfik,” declared Pereyra with a slight admonition in his voice, focusing on his surveillance of the joint defense establishment at Ordo University. “Berate me in the absence of my splitter, Ikeya has that place. Within two turns perhaps, three at the latest, but please, harm this form with your elucidation.”

“To have reassurance of your competence, my arrival says,” answered Tewfik, pacing in Pereyra’s demesne within this accursed city. “Of chance's currency, shall rust fade and edge gleam by the day’s end, and dusk shall come to Dawns. Whether the fall be glorious or pyrrhic, that is the question. How goes your eyes?”

“As expected. The human children flounder in the prospects of my power, so well-known yet ignorant, a splendid terror that fuels their existentialism. Particularly so in addition to the miracle that our friend, the good Wonder, had created. If his abilities had truly matched his pride, then the entire cosmos would fall.

“Yet…” Pereyra turned, eyeing his comrade. Tewfik uneasily stood, felt his ally’s gaze piercing into his core, centering itself on the visible scar in his chest: a handprint that had scorched itself into a consistency like boiling magna. It pulsated, beating as though alive. “It is peculiar, Tewfik, that you ask of my competence. That man permanently lives within you as a memory.”

Aiden Kang, Firebrand, had scarred Tewfik shortly before his death. What a poisonous skill given from the Unnatural.

Tewfik scowled beneath his hood, glancing down at his wound. Hideous. Had Wonder seen it, he’d surely berate his fellow servant for being so presumptuous with his victory; nothing more than, what did the humans call it? the pot calling the kettle black? What a fitting idiom. “An insignificant, nothing more.”

“Strange, your words conflict,” mused Pereyra with a slight snark in his voice. “An ‘insignificant’ that I surely ought to never pay the tender of my thoughts? Said you, the wise and brave and courageous Cutter, wounded?”

Tewfik took unkindly to his sarcasm and huffed, turning to some indiscriminate wall and gazing at particularly nothing. “You speak nonsense. I speak the truth. I have noticed, Pereyra. The others go ignorant. Aside from our leader, Kreutz, servant of the Lord of Many.”

Pereyra went silent at the accusation. His other eyes honed in on the working humans, these pitiful soldiers and plague-carrying warriors, the weeping, useless denizens of Ordo and the despairing folk whose eyes had gone dark and blank. Yet there were a few who persisted in the mind-boggling expanse of the multiverse.

“Will he be a nuisance?” asked Tewfik, a tinge of anxiety bubbling underneath. “Alexander Shen?”

Since the beginning, Pereyra kept at least a dozen eyes on Alexander Shen to catch every angle (though impossible sometimes, though those moments were brief). As they spoke, Alexander was navigating through several blue screens, most likely communicating with the other Slayers. Due to the limitations of the Watchers, Pereyra didn't know what was being said. Everything else, however, was fair game. The Slayer System was the sole saving grace for these people.

“No,” said Pereyra. He had casted aside his fear once before, with Kreutz. “He is weak. He cannot hope to wound us. Not in his state. However, will you accept a confession?”

“A confession? Of what?"

"Of needed concern." After all, Ordo University was not a monolith. It stood united alongside dozens of other establishments within the borough and throughout the city. Millions lived here, with a significant percentage having careers in worldly defenses. From Seraph's orders, Ordo had diverted their energy from preemptively assaulting the Kreutz Sungrazers into defending key infrastructure, namely the Five Pillars (they'd never find Pereyra's demesne anyhow).

Thus...

"Thousands await our arrival at Pillar Dawns," stated Pereyra, after hearing scores of chatter. "They anticipate us. They fear us. Upon clear roads, hearing the angel's order, so they shall be sent to Dawns. Shameful as I, the Lesser Watcher, my eyes reach a little beyond its borders and be blinded furthermore. Of Ordo University and the operational leader, thus too blinded, having been shielded by the Unnatural. A glorious or pyrrhic victory? The latter, as we are two. You, the warrior of the Kreutz Sungrazers, the bloodied one, expect tribulations and struggling 'insigificants'. You, the prideful star, will find a shriveled fortune.

"The 'insigificants' scheme. They brood and they bite. They seek our heads. They, too, are warriors, as do pebbles in a sea of gravel."

Tewfik chuckled, undeterred by Pereyra's warning. "Speak, Pereyra. Of your wisdom."

"Shall we concede—?"

"No."

"Shall we look elsewhere—?"

"No, it is Pillar Dawns," so told Tewfik. "Rather, it is the human children. Destruction, Pereyra. Annihilation. For our lord's lord, Sirius Aethfell, the king who had been slain by Kosmos. The Pillars, powered by the grandest of crystals, are merely the swiftest road to the chasm. Death, foolish one. Slay Archknell, one of four houses is killed. Decimate their troops, and so the streets shall fall into anarchy. Slay Alexander Shen, and his rise is prevented. Reward them with total defeat and witness a satisfying, slow demise.

"See, do you?!" Tewfik raised his voice. "Why the great Kreutz placed you here and myself at Vesper? You say that thousands await us, good! We are ten thousand, one. Thus, raise your stave and slaughter the mortal insignificants! One body means two less hands!"

If Wonder heard this conversation now, surely he'd berate Pereyra just the same.

"I see..." said Pereyra, finally realizing. "I shall, servant Tewfik. No matter their plot..."

"Death, just the same," finished Tewfik. "Allow them to grow fond over their Pillars and forget who had constructed and nourished them."

~~~

[SUBQUEST]

The Night to Fell Comets

You have waged war against the Comets who have sieged your home, servants of Sirius Aethfell. Will you find a way to overcome such a perilous foe?

DIFFICULTY ??? VICTORY CONDITION

PEREYRA, THE [???] IS DEFEATED

TEWFIK, THE [???] IS DEFEATED

REWARDS

2,500,000 STANDARDS

TITLE - BLIGHT OF COMETS

~~~

9:51 AM

[Balance: 1,016,306st]

Jesus, I’m a millionaire. Alexander stared at his balance, shocked at how quickly it had added up. He earned five hundred thousand from the initial Operation Scorcher [Quest] then another five hundred thousand from [Subjugation: Tormented Flesh]. However, he needed to thank the Comets for one thing: the government was too busy to care about taxes.

Given how lucrative the Slayer System was—and given how the entire world’s safety depended on it—the government saw gold; thus, Slayers were taxed the most from trading to quest rewards, even [Slayer Requests]. Five hundred thousand standards was a lot of money ($10,000USD), so the government would take forty percent if Alexander remembered the tax rates correctly. It varied based on how much the quest rewarded you and other garbage.

If Alexander had one major reason to never become a Slayer, it’d be that: taxes. Also, managing his own transactions because the Slayer System had a lot of methods to earn standards. Governments needed the money to operate, yes, but at the same time, Alexander was convinced that it was one massive scheme for bureaucrats and politicians to embezzle money without doing a fraction of the Slayers’ work. Downright criminal.

He sighed. Archknell apologized after the second briefing; if he had known that the Tormented Flesh would arrive, he’d personally fund Alba and give them actual equipment. But the rewards the quests had given them were more than enough. Plus, according to [Survive the Siege], where the second stage required them to survive for twenty-four hours, they’ll receive [Slayer Gift 2] in the afternoon.

I guess the first order of business is to, well, get my stuff in order. Alexander opened his [Inventory].

[INVENTORY]

STEEL DAGGER HOBGOBLIN STEEL IRONCLOTH GAUNTLETS S68 RIFLE 6 S68 MAGAZINES

His [Steel Dagger] came from [Slayer Gift 1] when he survived for sixty minutes; he received his [Hobgoblin Steel] in System Articles; [Ironcloth Gauntlets] as a quest reward received during Black Paladin Station; and he stole an S68 rifle plus six magazines, all loaded. His [Inventory], as stated, only had five slots, so it made things tight. Normally, when you were an actual Slayer, you could earn more slots through [Duty Quests], but Pseudos didn't have access to them.

However, you could purchase inventory slots with standards, starting at five thousand then gradually increasing from there. It had a maximum of one hundred slots. To purchase five more slots, totaling ten, it would cost fifty thousand. Since he had the money, he did exactly that. His [Inventory] increased to ten slots, and his [Balance] dropped to 966,306 standards.

Now that I have the space, let’s look at the shops.

Alexander had access to the [Slayer Shop], and one subsection was the [Ordo Shop], a special store created only during the current expedition. He checked there first.

[ORDO SHOP]

3x Survival Kit [6,250st]

3x Minor Healing Potions [12,500st]

x1 Protector’s Shortsword [12,500st]

x1 Protector’s Bow [12,500st]

x1 Protector’s Stave [12,500st]

Shop Reset: Stage 2 of Survive the Siege completion

Remembering correctly, the [Survival Kits] had food, water, and basic medical supplies, but he didn’t need any of them. Not right now at least. Nor the [Protector’s] or any [Minor Healing Potions]. Maybe the second stage of [Survive the Siege] will update the shop with valuable items, maybe not. Normally, having such a large amount of money, he'd buy both the kits and the potions, then having the shop restock them. But he needed good equipment first.

So unexpectedly, he turned to the real deal.

Everyone knew that the [Slayer Shop] was one massive ploy for beginner Slayers to spend their standards. At least, when it came to weapons, armor, or accessories. Things of that nature. Artisans provided a better deal. You could commission a piece according to your exact specifications. Additionally, there were sections for consumables, ingredients, or crafting components or even skill manuals if one wanted (all common, unoriginal skills however). Again, more or less a scam but it'd be useful here.

Alexander visited the consumables section and purchased the following: three [Healing Potions], one [Myriad Strengths Pill], and one [Flaming Blade Oil], all costing 115,000 standards. Expensive bastards. The other Slayers had raided the alchemy department, so there weren't any useful consumables he could grab here.

Now, he needed a good weapon and some armor.

He browsed through those sections. There were items up to A-Rank; however, not only were they expensive, Alexander hadn’t the stats to use them. Higher ranked items tended to have a stat requirement, so he excluded everything except for E through D.

This should be good enough.

[Weapon]

Captain's Broadsword [D]

A broadsword fit for captains. Whoever wields this becomes as dependable as their weapons.

Captain’s Call

Once per day, you may raise your party members’ Power by one level.

[Cost: 125,000st]

The shop provided the weapon’s appearance: a simple broadsword with a fine leather grip and pointed guards. Additionally, the [Slayer Shop] allowed Alexander to engrave something into the steel itself but he opted out (it’d be both tacky and more expensive).

He brought it.

“Alright then, that’s my weapon down. I’ll add this to my arsenal.” Alexander tucked it away in his [Inventory].

While he was browsing for armor earlier, he had found something he liked.

[Armor]

Full Combat Bodysuit [D]

With this, you are prepared for any battle. Woven with kevlar and other materials, this bodysuit is noticeably stab and slash-resistant.

Comes in various color palettes and accessories!

Accessories:

Utility Belt, Sword Attachment, Armpit Holster, Thigh Pouch

[Cost: 18,750st each]

[Cost: 150,000st]

Special Deal!

Purchase the Full Combat Bodysuit + all accessories for only 200,000st! Save 25,000st!

Alexander popped a vein. These fuckers are trying to bleed me dry. The suit comes with literally nothing. Nothing! Whoever created this shop is a scammer, I swear to God.

He hesitated, groaned, then pressed the purchase button, buying the special deal. Black and white palette it was.

It dropped into his [Inventory]. After all of his buying, he formally came to 526,306st. Good, he had enough money to buy what he wanted the most. From the beginning, he knew this accessory existed, but it was so damned costly. With the two quests, he could purchase it.

[Accessory]

True Protector’s Amulet [S]

A beautiful amulet with a star-shaped jewel as its centerpiece. When the wearer is struck with a fatal attack, it will be negated and the amulet will be destroyed.

[Cost: 500,000st]

It had no stat restrictions, but Slayers could only purchase three of these with the price increasing each time—first half a million, then a million, and finally two million. Considering its conceptual defenses, it was a steal no matter the price. Alexander didn’t hesitate to buy it. Finally, he was at 26,306st. His last purchase was three [Survival Kits] from the [Ordo Shop] for future-proofing.

Final total: 7,556st.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t a high enough rank to unlock the [Loadout] feature so he had to duck into a bathroom and change his clothes there. Putting on his absurdly-expensive bodysuit, strapping on every accessory that cost way too damn much, and now he came out costing a million standards but feeling like an idiot.

“God,” muttered Alexander, “I look like Damien, but worse.”

The [Full Combat Bodysuit] was majorly black, white in the inner regions, and as tight as Alexander expected. He put on black pants over the suit and strapped on the thigh pocket and the utility belt—had a holster for a knife too, so he tucked his [Steel Dagger] there. The sword attachment was an add-on to his utility belt, holding his [Captain’s Broadsword] through some sort of magnetism. What else? Had standard issue army boots too, couldn’t forget about that. And he wore his [Ironcloth Gauntlets] as well, tucked underneath the sleeves, and a holster securely fitted underneath his left armpit.

Well, he needed to steal a pistol then.

His current [Inventory], after off-loading what he could, looked like this:

[INVENTORY]

HOBGOBLIN STEEL 3 HEALING POTIONS 1 POWER POTION S68 RIFLE 6 S68 MAGAZINES 1 FLAMING BLADE OIL TRUE PROTECTOR'S AMULET MYRIAD STRENGTH PILL 3 SURVIVAL KITS

“Alright, time to steal a gun."

So he stole one. Again. Alexander asked around for the spare service pistols and took a Justitia S6, the standard-issue pistol given to regular troops in the Ordoian Army. Chambered in 9mm with a twenty-one round box magazine, reliable, and he knew how to use it.

He holstered it and took four magazines, stored them in his [Inventory].

Alexander came out of the tent while adjusting his sleeves, disliking how the [Ironcloth Gauntlets] scratched his skin. Then someone said his name. He searched but couldn't find them right away until they called again, to his left, and saw the girls he was searching for: Leona Ahn and Althea Shen.

Leona didn’t change that much appearance-wise. Simple, actually. Tight black pants and a plain white button-up. Just as he thought Leona was being (uncharacteristically) frugal about her spending, he noticed a shining blue brooch attached directly onto her collar and an ornate sword attached to her side, looking like an antique. That sounded about right. He didn't recognize the items but he trusted Leona's judgement.

Althea was wearing an open night blue jacket, two holsters at her hips that held twin daggers—similarly to Hidden—and underneath was a t-shirt that said “STYLE” multiple times diagonally—stupid shirt. She wore combat pants like Alexander, had a utility belt too, and her right arm was wrapped with her [Channeling Chain].

They saw him and stopped, glanced at each other like something was wrong. Alexander thought they were being weird again and called out: “It’s impolite to stare, knuckleheads.”

Althea sputtered and shook her head. “Uh…” And then she scratched her head, laughing to herself. “You look like a bad action hero. At least your outfit isn’t the ugliest I’ve seen; probably in the top ten, but still, not terrible.”

Alexander stared blankly at her.

“Ignore your sister, you look fine,” Leona said, pink running from her cheeks to her ears. She was blatant about her inappropiate staring: admiring Alexander's physique which was well-emphasized with the bodysuit, detailing every crevice and valley. “Mhm, you definitely look fine… If I had known you were going shopping, I would've given you advice, picked out a few outfits maybe."

"That sounds terrifying." Alexander was never one for fashion; he preferred keeping things lowkey. "Especially with the look you're giving me. You enjoying yourself?"

Leona smiled and nodded, having a sparkle in her eyes. "I am. It's a shame that I spent all my standards on these old things." She gestured to her brooch and sword. "If I had a little bit more, maybe I could've worn something that'll get your attention."

Althea eyed her brother but he brushed her off, doing his best to not get distracted by Leona's words. "Yeah yeah, stay still, you dork."

"Why—?"

Alexander approached Leona and plucked the brooch off of her collar. As he thought. Its mana steadily pulsated in his palm. “This. It’s smart to hide, you know, your only line of defense? You’re asking for it to fall off.”

“Are you calling me stupid?” pouted Leona, taking the brooch back and putting it inside her pocket. Alexander knew better: Leona was smarter than this; she most likely did it on purpose to get a reaction from him.

“Mhm, as stupid as the guy cosplaying as the next C-rated action hero.”

“Well, we can both be stupid together then. Would you like that?”

“I would love that, I—oh wait, before I forget…” Alexander took the [True Protector’s Amulet] out and turned to Althea; as he did, he spotted something hanging from her neck: a silver chain topped with a dazzling blue star-shaped jewel.

It was the same necklace.

Althea awkwardly smiled and held it up. “Leo beat you to it. That’s why we wanted to find you actually, but uh, guess we were too late…? Sorry you had to waste money.”

“Amazing, here I wanted to spoil you. Remind me to never buy anything for you again.” It’s not a total loss. The opposite really. “Leo, how much standards do you have left?”

“Close to zero,” she answered; he empathized with her pain. “I knew I should’ve texted you though. You went ahead and brought something so—“ Alexander put the [True Protector’s Amulet] in her hands, “—expensive.”

He cheekily said, "Looks like it's yours now. No offense but I wanted to get rid of it." A smile crept up on him. "Seriously though. Thank you for buying Althea the amulet."

Leona held the amulet in her hands, watching the cloud-like mana swirling inside the jewel like moving brushstrokes. She too smiled with such warmth that heated his chest. "Alex, I can't—"

"Wearing that will definitely get my attention," he insisted. "Since you're so needy and all."

They shared a laugh.

"Alright. I know better than to argue with you," Leona said and wore the [True Protector's Amulet]. "So—"

Someone cleared their throat. A certain brat who was watching this conversation with an amused smirk. "Hey, are we still gonna visit the juniors? That's what you wanted to do, right Leo? Or uh, do you want some alone time with Alex?" Alexander glared at her. "Look, I'm not gonna judge. I'm just a kid so as far as I know, you two are doing..." She shrugged. "Taxes or some shit."

Leona sighed, stepping a bit closer to Alexander. It seemed she had considered it for a moment—spending time with Alexander, that was—but stepped back the moment after. "It's inappropriate to tease us like that, Thea." Says the one who was gawking at me earlier. "Thanks for reminding me though. Alex, I was planning on visiting the juniors and see if they need any help or anything like that. Do you mind coming with us?" She paused, glancing at some random direction—wait, that was where Archknell's tent was. "If you don't have any current obligations."

Alexander hesitated. Sometimes, I wish you weren't so observant. "Not right now. I've been meaning to punch Victor again."

~

[EQUIPMENT]

FULL COMBAT BODYSUIT w/ ATTACHMENTS IRONCLOTH GAUNTLETS CAPTAIN'S BROADSWORD JUSTITIA S6 STEEL DAGGER

[INVENTORY]

BALANCE 7,566st HOBGOBLIN STEEL 3 HEALING POTIONS 1 POWER POTION S68 RIFLE 6 S68 MAGAZINES 1 FLAMING BLADE OIL TRUE PROTECTOR'S AMULET MYRIAD STRENGTH PILL 3 SURVIVAL KITS 4 JUSTITIA S6 MAGAZINES