There were two women conversing inside an elegant looking apartment styled residential suites. Despite being caged inside the so called apartment, they lack nothing inside it. A perfectly soft bed, a kitchen full of foods and even a perfectly functioning bathroom.
These two were Misaka and Princess Aiburi. They were now DarkMonarch no, Stan's personal hostage. After being chased by General Ibulis last time, they were fortunate enough to be resqued by the elites of DarkMonarch.
"Gah, this sucks. Once again I'm stuck here in this very same cage."
"Sorry."
"Just stop. Your sorry wont teleport me out from this cage."
"…"
The phrase 'escaping the tiger to the mouth of crocodile' fits them perfectly. Princess Aiburi would end up in the same situation, treated as a hostage by whichever party which managed to capture her.
Only Misaka could be called fortunate in that situation. She at the very least escaped with her life intact despite being a prisoner of DarkMonarch. General Ibulis would without doubt kill her back then if the DarkMonarch didn't interfere.
This apartment suites these two was imprisoned in was actually an item from HeavensTale, one of the rare type mounts, the Shell House. The Shell House was a huge tortoise whose inner part of the shell was modeled into an apartment suites. Only the owner of this mount had the authority to open the door of this apartment suites.
"What did you do for them to imprison you previously?"
"…"
"Sorry."
"…"
Princess Aiburi tried to talk to Misaka but her action was proven fruitless. Misaka was in no mood to talk at all. Not when all her problem right now was literally caused by the princess. She didn't even recall the part where she herself agreed to the request in the first place.
This Shell House was currently inside Stoness Dukedom's capital city, the White Stone City. There were also quite a number of DarkMonarch's member at the area, guarding the city. Stan and the elites of their guild had gone out early in the morning to meet a certain someone. Nobody knew when they would come back.
At the moment, Stan was still at the city plaza, standing in front of Mays with a wry smile on his face. If this was still the game, he would not hesitate in the slightest to attack Mays. Mays was alone with another female player he didn't know of.
They didn't even have their spirits accompanying them, leaving them totally outnumbered. He on the other hand had his elite' guild members all ready on his side. This was like the most perfect circumstances for him to beat Mays easily.
But still, he decided not to. Even someone malicious like him knew not to poke a hornet nest. After considering all the factor, he came to a conclusion that it was not worth the effort to make enemies with the person in front of him. At least, it was better for them to work together for now.
"By the way, do you have a spirit rod with you?"
"I do. Why?"
"Gimme one. I got separated with my spirits when I entered demon continent last week."
"Heh, how careless. Here."
"Stop it right there!"
Surprisingly, Whacko who stood motionless not too far from Stan grabbed the rod before Mays as he shouted. His gaze was fixed at Mays, full of hostility.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Once again, Mays asked in his noncommittal tone. He knew that Stan was the shot caller for DarkMonarch, not Whacko. Instead of fighting this muscle brain in front of him for no reason, he preferred not to. This muscle brain always ranked third in PvP matches after all. He wouldn't admit defeat even after he got beaten into a pulp.
"Whacko! Give it to him!"
"Not yet! Not before I test his power!"
Whacko was quite adamant with his action this time. He even talked back to Stan. This was quite surprising since he was always the yes man for Stan all the time.
"Demonic Piercer!"
Whacko shoved his black lance forward, aiming at Mays's heart right off the bat. Nobody knew what forced him to act that way but he was dead serious about it.
"You dare?"
Mays just grinned as he watched the incoming lance. He was calm as always. In fact, he didn't even move at all even when the tip of the lance was about to pierce his heart.
------------------------------------------
Before Stan's lance hit the target, it was stopped midway. In front of Mays's body right now was a large great sword, covering half of his body.
"Hehe, thanks."
"What are you doing dozing off like that?!"
"Nothing really. I just knew that you would block it for me."
With a smile on his face, Mays replied to Hallel nonchalantly. At the moment, Hallel was in front of him, blocking Stan's lance with her great sword. Two handed weapon had higher chances to parry attacks back in HeavensTale but now it could even block attacks as long as the users was skilled to do so.
"Fuck off, woman! This is not a place for you to interfere!"
Stan was furious because his attack was blocked by someone he didn't know. The fact that he didn't notice the great sword until his attack was interrupted angered him more.
"Hey muscle head. You should watch your mouth. This girl here ain't your ordinary girl yo."
"You want a piece of me blockhead?"
Mays reminded Whacko not to anger the young lady in front of him but apparently he was a tad bit too late. Hallel was already pissed by what Whacko just said. She now stared dagger at Whacko as if she wanted to devour him alive.
"Come at me, bitch!"
"Try me, asshole! Sonic Slash!"
With Whacko adding oil to the fire, Hallel waste no time as she leapt toward Whacko while brandishing her great sword. A simple swordsman skill was executed perfectly forcing Whacko several step backward. Hallel didn't stop there as she rushed forward, attacking Whacko mercilessly from the get go.
On the side, Stan was quite shocked when he saw how Whacko got pushed back without any chance to retaliate. Whacko was not a push over and he knew that. The only person who could force him like that numbered only two, the Red Wargod and the Golden Reaper which ranked first and second respectively.
"Shining Strike!"
A bright golden light accompanied her sword slash, sending Whacko a few meters away even after he blocked that slash. That slash couldn't be all more obvious. That was plain declaration on telling who she was to the world. That skill was after all a skill exclusively belonged to her hidden class, the Golden Luminary.
"That attack… Could it be?"
"Hehe that's right. She is none other than the Golden Reaper. Even I need to focus in a fight against her, let alone that muscle head of yours."
That attack was evident enough for her identity. Mays's line also confirmed it right away. The person fighting against Whacko right now was Hallel the Golden Reaper.
"Check that out. Whacko got his ass kicked hahahahha."
Obviously Mays was quite entertained by the fight between Hallel and Whacko. It was rare even for him to witness a fight on that caliber. Hidden class players seldom fight against each other.
"This…"
Stan was speechless. He never knew that after five years in this world, the gap in strength between Hallel and Whacko would be this obvious. Hallel was a woman even. A strong, athletic type of woman who normally wouldn't waste their time on useless thing such as games.
He thought that Whacko would for sure triumphed against Hallel and Mays when the game turned into reality. Whacko was after all a body builder who frequent gyms back on earth. Never would he had thought that Mays was such monstrosity while Hallel herself was also someone formidable.
"I'll help out just this once. I am the one baiting you to come here after all."
Mays sighed before he leapt forward. His destination was the location where both Whacko and Hallel were at. Stan who stood not too far from him just nodded without saying anything.
The crowd had long ago dispersed quite far away from the battle zone. Both Hallel and Whacko was not the type to hold back. They attacked with everything they got, at every chance they saw. It was a true match with the intention to kill.
"Sonic Slash!"
"Heavy Thrust!"
Both sides had no intention of yielding. One move after another, they displayed their skills in order to subdue their opponent. It was clear that Hallel was having the upper hand in the fight though. Albeit slightly, her overall power did exceed that of Whacko.
"Enough."
Just before the two of them clashed again, someone stepped into their fight and blocked both the great sword and lance. With one handed swords in each hand, Mays swiftly deflected the attack from both side.
"Shut up! Darkness Wail!"
"Demonic Illusions!"
Before Whacko's wailing demon could manifest, it was cancelled by Mays's [Demonic Illusions]. [Darkness Wail] was also an illusion based skill mostly used to mesmerize enemies, stopping them for several seconds. The same type of skills cancelled each other's effect even back in the game.
"Tch!"
Whacko's clicked his tongue before he took several steps back. He hated Mays for several reasons and this was one of the main reason, his battle prediction.
[Triple Strike], countered. [Death Lance], countered. Even his ultimate skill [Nether Burst] was interrupted before he could gather enough dark energy to cast it. It was as if everything he planned on doing was purposely interrupted in the nick of time just to provoke him. Mays was precise enough back when it was still a game but now he was even more precise with all his move seems practiced. How could he not be mad at someone who treated him like that?
"You piece of shit! Fight me fair and square!"
Unable to contain his anger any longer, Whacko bellowed as his hands never stopped moving, attacking Mays using his lance nonstop. Since his skills always countered and interrupted, he gave up on using them.
"Hahahaha how primitive. This kind of attack can't harm me at all."
Mays grinned as he mocked Whacko who tried his hardest to hit him. Hallel stood at the side, looking at Mays who stole her prey.
"You need to at least be able to do something unpredictable like this if you want to beat me, muscle head. Echo Slam!"
Tossing one of his sword to the side, Mays punched out using his right hand. The sword in his left hand was used to parry Whacko's lance. That punch landed perfectly on Whacko's torso, sending him flying several meters away.
"Taaam!"
Whacko landed on the plaza soon after, leaving a small crater at the area.
"There goes one."
Mays then fixed his gaze on Hallel before he started talking again.
"What?"
----------------------------------------
Chugging down a Greater Health Potion, Whacko staggered as he stood up. He was fuming with anger. Mays was totally toying with him previously. Even his last attack which sent him flying was actually not a serious attack.
"Stop it. You can't fight him, not someone like you."
He was about to rushed toward Mays before he was stopped by Stan. What Stan said made him realized how inferior he was when compared to Mays. Back in the game, it was not that obvious. But now, it was like heaven and earth.
As an elite players of HeavensTale, he knew that Mays's movement was not something attainable just from the status of players. That person named Mays was one hell of a guy back on earth for sure. Nobody knew what he did for his living or what sort of living condition he had but his strength was the real deal.
"Ya I know. He's one hell of a monster."
"Yep. A monster indeed."
Stan was not talking anymore but his mind was lost somewhere, thinking about something else. The move Mays just used against Whacko. That [Echo Slam]. He need to solve the mystery behind it.
Just like that, their focus then shifted to Mays and Hallel who was staring at each other without moving. These two appeared to be on friendly term but nobody knew what their actual relationship was like. They even seemed eager to fight each other at the moment.
"I'm just wondering, how strong are you really?"
With a sweet smile on her face, Hallel raised her great swords high up as she pointed it at Mays.
"Better don't. I don't wanna to hurt you."
Hallel revealed a slightly smug look on her face. Every time she fought Mays in the final, they ended up in a draw. The true winner had never been decided. But now, Mays's line clearly dictated that he was actually the better, stronger one. That blatant provocation was not something she could let slide. Her competitive side just couldn't ignore it.
"Heh, sorry in advance. Sonic Slash!"
Without wasting any time, Hallel leapt forward as she executed swordsman's basic skill right away. Mays who was her target shook his head and let out a sigh before he reacted. He knew that Hallel never listened to others. It was a miracle indeed for them to travel together in peace for one week.
Before the [Sonic Slash] hit, Mays jumped slightly to the left as he evaded the incoming sword. He then ran forward to close the distance between him and Hallel. Hallel was not doing nothing in the meantime either.
"Heaven's Lacerator! Shining Slash!"
Each and every skill executed by Hallel was perfect. Mays had no way to interrupt them at all. Even the skills which required one or two second cast time was executed without fail by Hallel. She kept distancing herself from Mays at every occasion. With her great reflect, even Mays was forced to seriously face her.
"See that? Mays isn't even serious when he fight against you."
"But… but… how come? There isn't much difference when I fight against that girl. And who is that girl? Someone this good can't be unknown!"
"It's Hallel. Apparently he is a she."
"HAAAA?!"
Both Stan and Whacko were observing the fight from the side. Whacko was dumbfounded for several seconds when he realized who Hallel was. If he was serious from the beginning of their fight, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage most of the time earlier.
He never thought that the person he was fighting was Hallel all along. The other members of DarkMonarch were also watching the intense fight between the two without blinking.
The movement displayed by those two were excellent. Perfectly executed skills, fluid motions, great counterattacks and every exchange was done at a fast pace, a pace not everyone present here could imitate.
"Master. Stop moving so much. It's inconvenient."
Drasca who was still on Mays's shoulder complained. It really was annoying for her when Mays moved too much. She couldn't even recuperate in peace. Mays shook his head when he recalled the fact that he was actually the master yet he was the one being scolded instead.
It didn't take long for Hallel to realize that she was not the match of the person in front of her. At first, her only intention was to show how strong she really was, she never intended to go full power against Mays. After one whole minute of trying, she noticed that even at her full power, she couldn't touch Mays at all. Hell, Mays didn't even use skills during their fight.
Mays's battle prediction was totally off the chart. He managed to calculate each and every attack his opponent used with utter precision. Every single move he made was the prelude of his next predicted battle scene. His elegance movement awed the spectators presents. He was a battle genius thorough and thorough. Hallel's great reflect paled in comparison when she was up against Mays.
"Golden Brilliance …"
"Satisfied?"
With Mays's blade under her chin, Hallel stopped her verbal chanting midway. From her point of view, Mays who was at least one meters away from her suddenly disappeared before he miraculously reappeared behind her.
That was definitely not one of the skills in HeavensTale, especially not Magic Swordsman skills for sure. Hallel already studied every single detail about Magic Swordsman in order to beat Mays. It could be said that there was nobody who knew Magic Swordsman better than her aside from Mays.
Tch, fine."
Hallel clicked her tongue before she swing her hand sideways. Her great swords immediately disappeared into her space belt.
"Glad you underUGGGHH!"
Before Mays could finish his line, Hallel's elbow found its way to his stomach, landing with full force. Hallel smirked as she turned her head to look at Mays's pained expression. She nodded in satisfaction as she walked away from Mays without saying anything else.
"Maaaaaan, that girl is like a wild beast."
Mays sighed as he rubbed his stomach at the area where it hurts. He never knew what that girl was thinking, doing anything as she pleased.
"It's your fault, bear with it."
Stan who approached Mays after the fight was over shook his head. He knew how much those headstrong people hate losing. Hallel might feel better if she got beaten fair and square like Whacko rather than being at the mercy of her opponent.
Behind Stan was Whacko who walked at the same pace as Stan. He then lifted his hand and tossed the spirit rod to Mays. He left right away after that.
"Is that guy always that awkward?"
"Hahaha, to others yeah. Not to me at least."
Stan chuckled at Mays's remark. He couldn't refute it though. Whacko was a bodyguard who was assigned to him since they were still kids. Because of that, Whacko basically had no friends hence his awkwardness.
"Well then, it's still early. Come to White Stone City after lunch. We can talk there."
"Okay."
"Also."
"Ya?"
"When I come, I saw three flies lurking not too far from here, eyeing you two. I've disposed of them though."
"Oh those guys. I planned on dealing with them later but thanks anyway."
With that reminder, Stan walked away from Mays toward the crowd of DarkMonarch's members. Truth be told, Mays couldn't sense those three because of their distance but Drasca reminded him about them the same day she awoken.
"Guys, roll out!"
"Yes sir!"
Stan's initial plan was the annihilation of unknown enemy who destroyed his skeletal zombie hence he brought the elites of his guilds together to this nameless city. Nobody would have guessed that they would meet other players here instead.