"{Fast Forward}."
A chaotic explosion of guts and ichor followed. What used to be a powerful Specter of imnse power was now little more than dust and blood splatter. I couldn't help but stop and rest for a mont.
Maybe it was the fatigue or the malice, but my pity and compassion for Africa's heroes began to overwhelm . I often said people were bastards, but when one saw the opposite, it made one feel emotional.
"Exa, are there any more coming?"
[No, my lord. All the Artificial Arisen have been destroyed.]
"Do you know the na of the dragonfly?"
[Yes. His na was Baraka N'Thangu. A Congolese who lived in the 1400s. He was an African hero known as the Monarch Dragonfly. His na ans "He who carries divine favor through ti."]
"How apt. I am sure the rest of them have stories of similar weight and greatness."
[Yes. After your battle with Khaemwaset Sutekh, the Sirens ordered to show footage of the fallen African heroes to the African Reapers. If there was any doubt that Onye was a traitor, there no longer is.]
"Oh? What did the Africans say?"
[Those who did not participate in today's battle, like Pierre, Induna Nomvula, Kaziema and the rest of his conservative faction, took it quite badly. They are all weeping in the hall we left them in. Kaziema, in particular, went hysterical upon seeing the Shark-based Artificial Arisen.]
"Were they related?"
[No, but it seems that the Shark Specter was soone he looked up to too deeply.]
I didn't even see their cries, but I felt their sadness. I didn't even know the stories of these Specters, and I already felt bad. It made my mind rember the lengths our enemies would go to destroy us.
'I won't let them get away with it,' I vowed bitterly.
I turned around and knelt towards the battlefield I just fought in.
"I vow to save the holand you fought for. Please rest in peace; Hellsend and I will end this nightmare."
After taking a minute to give respect, I turned around and went deeper into the darkness. Exa piloted my clones and followed a good distance from .
Eventually, I ca to a large gate that had the picture of a snake eating its tail. Just from seeing the image, I already felt my insides boil.
"Fucking snakes! Exa, are you reading this?"
[Yes, my lord. It looks identical to the Ouroboros.]
"This must be the place, {Day by Day}. Let's heal up first."
I unsummoned my soul avatars to prepare for my next battle. Standing before the large door, I took out a bunch of packed lunches that Aki and Jas had prepared for . They didn't taste as scrumptious as fast food, but they tasted really good.
The one Jas made was European while Aki's was obviously Japanese. As I enjoyed a quick al and refilled my stamina. If this was a ga, there would be a save point just before this door, and either ammunition, health packs, or potions depending on the ga.
'Fuck, is even saving before a boss fight a chanic that IRIS wants to teach?'
As I mulled just how intertwined my combat senses were with IRIS's propaganda, I rembered everyone else.
"Exa, can you give a quick update on everyone's progress?" I said between bites.
[Certainly. Africa as a whole is in anarchy. The whole world has taken notice. The Wizards are trying to flood the internet with fake videos, but without Lady Bella, their efforts cannot hide the truth any longer.]
"And? Have the other countries reacted?"
[No, they are all hanging back and observing. While the human world is panicking at seeing the footage of African princes wreaking havoc, none of the other battlefronts have made a move.]
"Okay, have the Specters guarding the country moved to reinforce the capital yet?"
[No, due to Lady Bella's crippling of Africa's communication infrastructure, they are still in the dark and are holding their positions.]
"And those in Hellsgate?"
[According to mbers of Inari's Kitchen, they are still engaging with the overflow of Reborn from the lower floors of Hellsgate.]
"Good. Then the capital has to hold out with only the forces it has."
[Yes, almost 14 Specters have been sent to the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Close to 18 others had managed to resist the attempts to deport them. Almost all available forces are still in battle.]
Surprised at what I heard, I abruptly stood up! "Isn't that a total of 32 Specters? I know of the eight unaccounted for in the palace. Where did the other four co from?"
[One was on holiday with his family; Lady Lilly is engaging him. Two more suddenly returned without warning; Lady Jo is fighting them with Lady Bella's support. The last one has been defeated by Carlos.]
Hearing that our own side was giving as good as it got, relief flooded my body.
"Great, how are the girls faring? Do they need help?"
[No. The Evict team is faring well.]
I was about to cheer, but then I noticed the odd manner in which Exa worded her report. Before we began the assault, we divided into Attack and Evict teams.
"Exa, what happened to the Attack Team?"
[I believe you should focus on the coming battle, my lord. Roach and the rest of the Awakened have won their respective duels and are awaiting your summons.]
"Exa… Do not play gas with ," I growled in impatience.
Despite my partner not being made of flesh, I could sense her anxiety. She took a mont to compose herself before adding.
[Lady Lilly, Jo, and Bella are dominating their battles. Lady Jas, although fighting above her weight class, is holding on. However, Lady Robyn, Liv, and Aki are not faring too well.]
Hearing her report, death resonance rushed out of like a tide. The very notion of three of my girls in danger made my blood boil.
"Where are they? You know what, I will check myself…"
I moved to check on the girls using our {Kindred} link, but noticed the Siren's side was platonic. Despite being in battle, there was no excitent, anger, or pain. I instantly knew that they were using dummy links.
"FUCK! I WILL SPANK THEIR ASSES WHEN WE ET UP! THIS IS THE LAST TI THEY WILL PULL THIS CRAP WITH !"
I normally used satellite feeds or caras along with my Kindred link to monitor my harem. But as we were in battle, I didn't try to find them when they vanished from my vision. After all, we were fighting all over the continent.
Seeing the fabricated links connected to , I felt enraged. They knew I would go to them the mont they were in danger. So they chose to lie to instead. Furious, I clenched my fist so hard it bled.
[My lord, please calm down. I have a ssage from the Sirens. They instructed that, should you go insane, I am to send it to you.]
I was about to rebuke Exa. When a single sentence appeared in my vision.
["We will return to you. Trust that we will."]
It was simple. But carried imnse aning. I felt my jaw grow sore from how hard I clenched it. Seeing as I couldn't control my emotions, I called soone who could.
"[Maestro]."
[Maestro boot up completed... Please state the combat situation.]
"Retrieve the situation from Exa."
[Hang on… Complete… What do you wish to ask?]
"Give one good reason why I should focus on Hannibal when my girls are in danger," I said through gritted teeth.
[Because doing so shows your contempt for the sacrifice made by your harem. If you truly wanted to help them, your goal should be to expedite taking care of Hannibal and killing whatever is pulling the strings.]
"Contempt? Are you fucking stupid!"
[No, you are. Your anger has impaired your ability to think. The Siren's purpose in this assault is to clear a path for you. If you abandon that path because one of them has failed, the whole mission will be put in jeopardy.]
"Who the fuck cares about the Africans?! What if one of my girls dies?"
[They won't.]
"Huh?"
[The Seven Sirens are a group of Reapers that gained imnse power in just over a month. They did so through diligence, tenacity, and sheer willpower. You know that best. Yet, you fail to see that because of your pride.]
"…"
[Acknowledging their strength ans they no longer need you, and that terrifies you more than their dying.]
"…"
[Trust in them. They are strong; they also have {Rewind} to protect them. While they needed your aid in the beginning, those seven had already begun to blossom into powerhouses. I assure you that a Siren dying at this point is a possibility with less than 0.000871%.]
I couldn't help but exhale the air from my lungs to calm myself.
"0.000871% huh? Fuck this. Did you pull that number out of your ass, or is it real?"
[It's real. They may be battered, bruised, maybe even broken. The {Rewind} family has granted them the leeway to learn from their mistakes. They might appear to be in danger, but they are not. They can and will reverse it upon calling {Rewind}, much like you do.]
Hearing [Maestro]'s explanations made feel better. So long as a bastard like Roach doesn't appear, the girls truly have an infinite number of lives. {Replace} alone gives such a possibility.
"Fine," I snapped. "I just need to go through this door and kill whatever is on the other side, right? Exa, get a pair of Faker maces."
I extended my hands and gripped the anti-soul weapons I had been using. Without any fanfare, I swung both down onto the wall before .
"{Fast Forward}!"
In a single mont, a ripple ran through the colossal door and turned it into rubble. I walked inside and scread at the top of my lungs.
"I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUT I AM GOING TO BASH YOUR FACE IN!"
An elegant, silvery voice answered back, "As always, your talent for poetry remains uncontested." I ca forward and saw three humanoid demons, all with handso faces.
"Welco, Limitless; take in the sights; it shall be the last you ever see."
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