Chapter 363

When the Stars Alight the Sky (I)

Mateo was leisurely sipping some tea in front of his team’s temporary lodge wedged in a valley between two sky-piercing mountains. It has been nearly five days since they descended from the 20th floor, participating in the building of the temporary town. It had grown considerably in size--after all, it didn’t only need to house the 80 raiders, but also many-an-aux, totaling in just shy of 300 people in total.

Nobody was quite sure as to the exact reason why they descended; though there were rumors that it was for the training, Mateo and most others have already figured as much since they weren’t making any progress on the fight. He himself was looking forward to it--after all, it was his chance to stand out. In the sea of 80 people that had to coordinate in a specific fashion, it was difficult to stand out and obtain greater role. This was especially because of his choice of subclass--mix-magic Archer. A lot of his hard-hitting spells had fire attached to them, which U’nul was effectively immune to.

However, he was absolutely confident in being able to catch the eyes of the top-rankers during the training. Looking out toward his left, he saw the several buildings where they were located--his and everyone’s inevitable envy. The main party that had single-handedly carved out a path to the 20th floor and earned themselves the title of the Chosen. Though Mateo was confident in facing them in a duel, his hopes were dashed very quickly--everyone in that party... was a complete monster.

Nonetheless, he still believed he had enough talent to, at the very least, eventually end up as the part of the group. As such, he was very much looking forward to the training--even if he was deaf to its details.

“Everyone, gather ‘round!!!” a call suddenly cried out, causing him to take the last sip of the tea and grasp his leaf-laden bow tightly. It was time, he knew.

Soon, heads came pouring out of the homes like a swarm, gathering toward the tiny town’s central plaza. There, a slightly elevated platform stood where, at the moment, only a single person could be seen--the group’s main leader, Emma. Or, as everyone in the raid called her--the Crimson Hammer. Though there was some murmur, most stayed mum, expectant.

“As you shitheads have figured out by now,” she said. “We’re here to train. Because we suck so much ass we can’t even beat that hot chick. Pun intended.” After a round of laughter, the plaza quieted down. “Well, I said train... but I lied. A bit. We’re here to get our ass kicked, time and again, until we are worthy of being trained.”

“...?” everyone looked at her inquisitively, wondering what she meant.

“Past this town, in the depths of a valley,” she said. “Is someone even stronger than U’nul.”

“!!!!”

“We’ll form the raid as-is and fight,” she continued. “For as long as it takes. The ultimate goal isn’t merely defeating U’nul--it’s the growth of everyone here. We are weak, all of us. As we are, we stand no chance against U’nul. And if she’s that difficult, you can only imagine what the higher floors of the Tower will look like. You all know that this isn’t the end--many of you probably have quests asking you to find something up above.”

“... who... who will we be fighting?” one of the people suddenly asked what everyone was thinking.

“... we’ll fight in the same groups for the time being,” she eluded the question, persisting. “The strategy is very simple--three tanks will be at the front, trying to soak up as much damage as possible. Healers, it’s your job to keep everyone above 5%. If they fall below, they will be considered as dead and kicked out. Though you won’t die in the battle, in many ways, it will be worse--since you’ll suffer the kinds of pain that will make your soul shudder and shiver. As for the damage dealers... well, uh, try to hit the vicinity. For starters. We depart in 5. Dismissed.”

Mateo frowned, as did many others, reeling in confusion; not only was it unbelievable that there was something on the 14th floor that was stronger than U’nul, Guardian of the 20th Floor, but there was also the very vague and ambiguous language that the Crimson Hammer used. However, nobody opposed; after all, she was well known in the circles to quickly beat people who voiced too many opinions too quickly.

Five minutes later, 80 people departed from the small town and began walking deeper into the valley. The trees and the grass thinned out until they were completely replaced by dust-filled dirt spanning on for miles in all directions. The very edge of the valley soon came into focus, and everyone began sharpening their senses, keying in on the singular shadow that they all spotted.

And yet, whenever their Mana washed over the place of the shadow’s origin, they found... nothing. The hearts of the Mages stirred, since they best understood that whoever--or whatever--had the capacity to so perfectly hide their Mana print was likely beyond their comprehension of strong.

The raid group came to a halt some four hundred yards away from the cliff edge, where the figure was seated. With some Mana reinforcement in their eyes, everybody was able to get a clear picture of a figure--it was a person... wearing a giant head. A few older folk immediately recognized it as the giant head of the younger, former president Bush, adding more to their confusion.

The figure was lazily dangling their legs off the ledge, appearing wholly ordinary. No, rather than ordinary, they appeared... dead.

Emma suddenly stepped forward in front of the rest, looking up at the figure with a strange look in her eyes. She held her gaze for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. Similarly, Senna groaned and averted her gaze; Jamal coughed as though he were hiding a laugh; Kramer smiled faintly at the figure; and several others of the main party had reactions wholly unbefitting.

“Everyone, in position!” Emma yelled out as the atmosphere mellowed. Though the group listened, they were quite unhurried and sluggish. “Aah, you should have been quicker...” she mumbled before suddenly taking out her massive warhammer. “Kramer, Chriss, on me! Yuki, guide healers to the rear! Senna--”

Before she could yell out any more commands, the world suddenly shifted--everyone felt it, even the weakest among them. It was as though the Mana that loved them and adored them and hugged them... suddenly betrayed them. The world around them, the very same one that obeyed their whims, no longer loved them.

The figure heaved off the ledge and floated, the kindling fires alighting the valley abruptly; it began to rain molten rock, but not the kind that they had seen before--no they weren’t rocks, they realized. The stars began to flatten from the sky and toward them, like the speedy bullets. They were human again, humbled by the gaze of something beyond their comprehension.

Emma and Kramer were the first to shake the feeling, both of them roaring as to try and dispel the terror of their souls. This was the first time, after all, in many years that they faced even half-serious Cain. It had been too long since they caught a glimpse of his peak--and even back then, he’d left them stunned and silenced.

Senna formed the array of weapons to try and guide the falling rocks of blaze away from the group while Yuki and Shawn grasped the moment, trying to shield as many people as possible.

The moment Shawn saw the figure sitting on the ledge, he knew it was Cain. And the moment he realized it was Cain, blood froze in his veins. He finally understood what Emma meant--though they wouldn’t die... they’d wish they could.

The daytime abruptly upturned as the rocks began blowing the valley into the land of craters. The lands hook and creaked and the chasms ripped the world asunder, like the gashes bleeding the dirt. It was night, all of a sudden, and the sky was full of stars. There were millions of them, each one alight in colors beyond all else.

Everyone, even Emma and others, suddenly paused, weak in their knees. Just before they fell down and bowed toward the sight, it all ended. They found themselves on the ground, their health pools dangerously low. What was the most harrowing aspect... the world around them was fixed. It was as though they hadn’t faced thousands of meteors. It was as though they hadn’t caught a glimpse of death itself.

All simply lay flat on their backs, shaking, shivering in cold sweat, dangerously close to dying. The tepid eyes scarily veered toward the ledge where the figure once again sat upon. The legs continued to dangle, and the atmosphere around still remained aloof. There wasn’t a trace of the majesty... but they could not forget. No, they would never forget. They caught the sight of something that would be their guide, they knew--their goal.

“Get up,” a voice from the abyss spoke, like a God delivering a message to his peoples. “We have only just begun.”