[Ding! Gamer Naoto has finished the battle.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Quest Log has been updated.]
[Ding! Current Task - Kill Garden of Sword Assassins: 13/30.]
[Ding! You have Leveled Up!]
[Ding! HP and EP have been fully replenished.]
[Ding! Current Level: 76 (300,000/600,400).]
[Ding! Ennea and Ines have finished their battle.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Quest Log has been updated.]
[Ding! Current Task - Kill Garden of Sword Assassins: 17/30.]
Sweet. Just like that, we're already over halfway with one of the four tasks I am required to do for this Emergency Quest. Task 1 and Task 2 are currently underway now that I have both Alisa and Sharon with me. I just need to make sure both of them don't die while we fend off the assassins. And while I don't get the benefits of not having a Party, the Gamer System still informs me of said progress. This is quite literally the grind~
Lunar Pulse is putting in work too. I was already dishing out 1-1.5 million damage every single hit on these goons, killing them instantly. They didn't even have a say in the matter. But once Lunar Pulse activated, I'm doing roughly 1.5 times more now, around 2-2.5 million damage a hit. Because every battle ended with one attack each, Nightingleam and Domination effects didn't wear off. If they did, I would do around a quarter less. I thankfully have multiple Skills that boost my overall Attack Damage, so even if Domination wears off, I won't feel as big an impact.
As far as Lunar Pulse goes, it's such a broken Skill, isn't it? I'll need to thank my Master again later for teaching me meditation.
And while I saw this happen, we continued upward and upward toward the rooftop. During this, I felt my stamina fill back up, making me even more invigorated. With this happening, it did confirm one thing. Every time I Level Up, the one requirement needed to cast my Crafts and Spells has its meter filled. You know what that means, right?
I'll be able to continuously use Crafts and Spells without issue. That is, as long as I Level Up. Since I don't have access to any Shop whatsoever, this is probably the offset to that. I know some Gamer Systems provide the Shop function while others don't. Besides that, apart from using Blood Spheres once and Crimson Wings twice, I didn't use any Spells. I may or may not. We'll see how it goes against this so-called final boss of this Emergency Quest.
The One of Swords.
Otherwise known as Ace Rayne, Nadia Rayne's biological brother. He's the One of Swords, while Nadia becomes the Nine of Swords, and Swin Abel, who also joins that shithole, becomes the Three of Swords. Ace is needed to make Nadia and Swin flee the Gardens, and that is exactly why I had asked such a thing before coming here.
I don't plan on killing Ace. He is needed to let all of that play out. The latter two play too much a pivotal role once Reverie begins. And it looks like they play big roles in Daybreak too, so all the more to not kill Ace.
Instead, I plan to recruit Ace to my side. We'll see if that ends up happening or not.
If this Emergency Quest dealt with monsters instead of humans, I would have brought Angelica and Kloe along, but sadly, that wasn't the case here. They are not used to the idea of killing as much as I am. That's exactly why I had joined up with Zephyr to gain practical experience on the battlefield. It isn't just any humans either. We're dealing with assassins. I did not want to put those two in danger. Ennea is another case entirely. She used to be an assassin herself, so I know I can trust her abilities.
While holding onto Alisa, I used this time to shift my attention to the minimap that encompassed the Reinford Group. More blue and blue dots showed up on the lower floors. There were no red dots. A few floors were now grayed out, likely as a result of the ongoing fire. The RMP was busy at work, trying to quench the flames I take it. The remaining twelve red dots were moving quickly amongst the higher floors. Two blue dots, likely Ennea and Ines, were tracking them, and met their pace. I could leave the rest of the assassins to them. They'll keep the rest in check.
My interest was instead drawn toward the sole dot which now rested atop the entire castle-like building. The dot's color was entirely different. It was purple, instead of red.
That meant it was a strong enemy. Typically in other games, the deeper the color goes, the stronger they were. They weren't the assassin goons. I very well knew what this purple dot represented.
"Hang on tight alright, Lady Alisa? Our target tonight is waiting for us, it seems. They expected us to come to the roof.", I said, causing Alisa to turn quiet.
"You mean the person who decided to blow up my home is waiting for us?", Alisa asked, and frowned.
"So it would seem.", Sharon said, who was nonchalantly climbing up the building alongside me. Seriously, are you a ninja, Sharon?
Hearing the two of us say the same thing, I felt Alisa's hand tighten her grip around me. We kept our bearings straight, and it didn't take long for us to finish our current motions. It didn't take long initially, since we were quite high to begin with.
Woooosh!
Just like that, using one final sprint of my stamina, I turned off Mana Walk and did a big jump, landing right onto the rooftop. After securing my footing, I let Alisa down, to which she swiftly ran behind us, creating some distance. Sharon arrived beside me.
Sure enough, we weren't alone.
"Well well well. I did not think you would bring such a gift to me. Not only did you bring me my target, you even brought the one I am supposed to kill. Are you that stupid? Or are you feeling confident enough to take me down?", A man's voice said, calling out to us. Alisa blinked her eyes at this figure. As did I.
We saw a person who was entirely clad in white, which made a stark contrast for the darkness of the night. He was wearing a white coat along with a hood, which covered most of his head. It didn't hide all of his hair, though. I could see it was brown. Apart from the obvious, gigantic broadsword hoisted on his back that he was carrying around like empty air, was the fact this guy was wearing a blindfold-styled mask. He completely hid his eyes away. Perhaps he didn't need them? That sword too...I could see a slick metal sheen to it. Not the type you'd see in your everyday market.
I could feel the hairs sticking up on my skin. The weapon felt powerful. This guy was no joke. He had that large build too. More importantly...My blood was churning in excitement. The last time I felt this way...Was it when I fought Randy, or the Red Ogre?
I remained calm after observing the tag above his head.
[The One of Swords - Level 100]
'Holy crap.', I cursed, seeing a huge disparity between our Levels. Is this the first time I've ever seen a Level in triple digits?
I even saw this person stretch his hands out, and did an overexaggerated sigh. "And here I was, wondering why my subordinates weren't coming. I didn't think you'd have the guts to rely on those snakes, Kreuger. Still, this does make it a tad more interesting."
"So you know where I came from then.", I stated, and took a few steps forward.
"Please. Gathering intelligence is child's play for an organization like us. Otherwise, we wouldn't even be here.", The man said, grinning beneath that blindfold of us. Hearing that, Alisa stuck her tongue out at him. Honestly, I'm not surprised. "And I could say the same thing to you. It's what led to this clash."
"Well, you aren't wrong. We knew your Garden was on the move. It was just figuring out when.", I said with a nod. "But enough of the pleasantries. We're not here to chat."
"Yeah! What he said. I don't know why you have dirt on Sharon but I won't let you take her away from me. She's practically my only family right now.", Alisa said, and lodged a complaint.
"Milady...", Sharon uttered, not expecting to hear Alisa say that.
"Hahaha!", The man said, suddenly laughing at us. "Oh dear. You actually don't understand what's going around you. Getting a chance to kill Kreuger is just a personal pleasure of mine. That isn't the main reason why we're here. Our target is you."
"...What?", Alisa responded, seeing the man point right at her. He didn't point at Sharon.
Regardless, Sharon's gaze turned sharp and the air around her turned icy-cold.
You managed to piss Sharon off. Fantastic.
"Over my dead body.", Sharon simply said, and drew out her dagger.
Now it's starting to make sense as to why Task 1 is Protect Alisa. The Gardens really want to kidnap her or something? I bet some bastard out there paid these guys a hefty sum to make sure it happened no matter what. Very similar to how Jaegers operate, but assassins operate on a different scale. This guy ignored Sharon's remark and instead, he looked my way. Alisa stood behind me.
"And you. Mr. Rulebreaker. Word travels 'round pretty quickly, you know? You're quite known amongst us. Didn't think I'd get a chance to fight you like this, but here we are.", The man said, and grinned again. In one motion, he brought out his broadsword. I mean the thing is gigantic. Might be even bigger than Agate's heavy blade. "You can call me Ace, by the way."
After Ace introduced himself to us, he swung his large sword around effortlessly. Definitely not of normal standards by any means. If you saw someone equip a weapon like this, then you'd better turn tail and run. Let alone Agate, Ace is giving off a similar feeling to that of the Thunder God, or the Jaeger King.
"Well, it's an honor that someone of your standing knows of me. They often say actions speak louder than words, so enough pleasantries. If you're here to fight, then we'll fight.", I said.
"Just what I'd like to hear~", Ace said, grinning again. "They say you rarely turn down a fight. Or do you prefer I call you by your other moniker, Mr. Phoenix?"
"Call me whatever you want, One of Swords.", I said, and brandished Glistening Moonlight. Seeing the two of us bring out our weapons, Alisa panicked again.
"W-Wait on a minute. You two are going to attack right here!?", Alisa exclaimed in shock.
"I'm not asking.", Ace said, and pushed his sword outward. He then glanced at us once more. "Oh, and by the way, you know that group you brought you? You can attack me altogether at once."
"Heh. Overconfident now, are we?", I replied, and grinned.
As if responding to that comment, I saw a Gamer Notification arrive, causing that grin to turn into a satisfied smile.
[Ding! Ennea and Ines have finished their latest battle.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Quest Log has been updated.]
[Ding! Task 3 - Kill Garden of Sword Assassins: 30/30 has been completed.]
"Master! We finished off the rest of them!", Ennea exclaimed from behind us. With a swift, shadowy blur, we saw two more figures arrive at our side.
Ines's eyes focused the moment her eyes saw the One of Swords ready to launch his first strike at us. I heard him click his tongue.
"Tch. Those bastards couldn't even last a single night against you. You're a freak.", Ace said.
"I could say the same to you.", I said, and unleashed my aura at this time. It was the same blood red aura that I use when I use Blood Magic. Adding some bloodlust to that can make it quite menacing. At least from another person's perspective. Even if it is just a farce. I haven't unlocked battle qi or anything yet. "I won't hold back.
TINK!
Just like that, we both moved at the same time. Ace vanished from his position, and appeared right before mine. We swung our blades at the same time, despite such a disparity in size. The two clashed head on. The fight had begun!