Static feedback could be heard from all the loudspeakers placed around the city. "Attention citizens of Crimson City, the Class C breach has been contained and it is now safe to exit the shelters. The Class C breach has been contained and it is now safe to go back outside."
A light breeze blew through the city as a flyer that was caught in the updraft slapped against a building. It was information released by the military and read 'Know Your Enemy!'; it had several depictions of clip art characters with wings:
[ Know your enemy!
2 wings = Angel *Typical Class C Breach*
4 wings = Archangel *Typical Class B breach*
6 wings = Seraph *Typical Class A breach*
No wings = God or other higher entity *Typical Class S breach* ]
Meanwhile at the battlefield, Axel was fixated on the floating core left by Malakah's death. The only way to draw out a core was to slay a higher ranking divine being with a cursed or blessed weapon. For lower ranks, only the experience from slaying them will strengthen your connection.
He stepped closer to the core and reached out his hand towards it.
"Stop!" Jun's voice echoed out.
Axel turned his head towards Jun as the other slayers were also approaching.
"Hm? Oh! Good job surviving through that. Looked rough." said Axel as he turned his attention back to the core.
Jun pointed his blade out in front of him at Axel. "It's against the slayer bylaws to consume a core. I assume that's what your plan is here?"
"Sigh." Axel turned towards Jun. "And what of it?"
"Like I said, it's against the law to do so. We'll take the core in so it can properly be destroyed."
"As if! There's power literally sitting in front of us and you would want to turn your nose up at it? Ha! I'll never understand why someone would willingly be a slave to the government when they don't possess the means of stopping you." Axel replied in a frustrated tone.
There was more than one way to upgrade the God Core System, but cores provided the only substantial source. Experience from battles was the second most yielding method.
"Because it's not our job to try to become some sort of twisted God - it's to protect these people FROM them. We are not to use the God Core System in that fashion!" Jun shot back.
"And what could possibly make them think that?" Axel responded, raising one of his eyebrows in confusion.
"Maybe, I don't know, the first slayers that appeared? The first freelancers." Jayden spatted. "We all know what it was like. They gobbled up every core they could and soon they no longer cared who was an angel….or not."
"That's why the contract program started. To prevent yet another enemy to mankind from arising." said Jun.
For divine beings, cores are everything. They are the very essence of a holy/unholy being's power. Every core connects back to the One Core, this allows them to wield their weapons, perform Arts, as well as enhance their own body.
All high ranking demons/angels, Gods, and slayers have an innate core that serves as their connection to the system. Lesser angels and demons have cores that hold holy/unholy energy but are not directly connected to the core system.
Mortal souls are not meant to have access to this system, but the God Core System is a hijacked connection to the One Core that allows slayers to consume other cores in order to strengthen their connection to the system - they could even reach the Gods themselves.
Contracted slayers have to abide by certain bylaws in exchange for certain rights, one being that they are unable to consume cores.
"Iris." Jun called out.
"Got it." Iris stepped forward, her right arm still covered in the black armor.
"Iris is able to grab the core without releasing its energy as long as she's wearing her armor. That way we can take it safely back to HQ."
In most cases they are to take the core back to HQ to be properly processed and dispersed to the various uses it has - reinforcing the structure of buildings, creating anti-angel weapons, etc.
"Sorry, you should know that the loot belongs to whoever beat the baddy. Which in this case would beeeee," Axel quickly reached out and grabbed the core tight within his grasp, "me!"
"No!" Jun yelled.
A burst of wind shot out from around Axel as the core immediately reacted to his touch and enveloped him in a pillar of light. He closed his eyes as he surrendered himself to this all familiar feeling.
It felt like he was light as air and his body was no longer tangible. As if he was a spirit himself. For a slayer and other unholy/holy beings, to strengthen the spirit is the way to achieving true power. The body was just a vessel along for the ride.
He opened his eyes and all he saw was an astral form of Malakah - it just stood there behind the core silently. Everything else around them was blank whiteness.
< You who would enter this spiritual realm, what do you seek? > A bodiless voice spoke around him.
"Oh come on Admin, you know what I want. It's my answer every single time. Power." Axel confidently answered.
< And you know it's protocol that I always ask this. The God Core System is fueled by divine power but driven by intention. Power is what you seek, then you shall have it. Core initialization has begun. Transferring all relative energy of archangel Malakah to the unholy slayer, M- >
"Shhhhhh!! No need to finish that. Just gimme gimme my power up!" Axel interrupted.
<...very well. >
The core floated over from in front of the spirit of Malakah and then absorbed itself into Axel.
< Transfer has been completed. Finalizing upgraded connection to source…..upgrade complete. Farewell, 'Axel'. >
The landscape around him faded into nothing and his eyes flew open in the real world. "AHHHH, this is the best feeling!" Axel grinned as his pupils lit up and energy coursed around his body and sank through his flesh.
The light then disappeared and all that was left was Axel with his arms wide open and his face lifted towards the sky with a relaxed smile.
"Hallelujah."
The other slayers stood stunned at what they just witnessed.
I-incredible, thought Jayden. With celestial vision I can see that his power increased leaps and bounds! Is this the kind of power that we've been missing out on?...
"Jun…what do we do?" Iris whispered to him.
Jun was silent as he, like Jayden, could see the boost in power that Axel just received. But…this wasn't how they operated.
"Axel." Jun called to him.
Axel lowered his arms and looked at Jun. "Yes?"
"Exactly how many cores have you consumed?"
He reached down and grabbed the handle of his sword - the blade shrunk back down to the size it was initially. Axel slung the dull edge of the blade against his shoulder as he rubbed his chin.
"Hmmm. That's a good question."
Based on what he displayed against the archangel, this has to be at least his third or fourth core. Jun thought.
"I honestly don't know. I kinda stopped counting around twenty. Seemed pointless information to keep track of. Like algebra."
"Twenty?!" Jun said out loud.
"How's that even possible?? I mean, you're not a part of a group. Are you telling us that you-" Iris started.
"Yup. Soloed every last one of them. Took the experience and cores all for myself!" Axel proudly stated with a wink.
Jayden clinched down on his teeth in frustration. "That's…that's not even fair."
"But it's all mainly been low level trash and newly promoted archangels. I'm sick of dining on imitation crab meat when the ocean is right in front of me with its bounty of delicious buttery crab meat. Which is why I came to New America in the first place."
"For…crabs?" Iris asked.
"Seriously? I've been traveling all over the world looking for the prime location for IT to show up. And New America just so happens to be one of the biggest hotspots for angel activity right now. So it only made sense. Seems like it's not my lucky day today though."
Axel turned his back towards the slayers and began to walk off.
"W-wait! What exactly are you looking for? You just easily took out an archangel. Are you really trying to test your luck against a Seraph alone?" Jun inquired.
Axel stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"A Seraph? No, I'm aiming higher!" He said with a smirk.
"Higher?.." Jun mumbled. "Wait. You can't possibly mean what I think you mean."
"Yessssir. I'm here to draw out one of the big game predators. I want to go up against a God."