Two suns hung in the sky, with no clouds in the sky, periodically distorting the distant space.
Two Saint's bus dashed forward, descending and gliding on the ocean's surface.
Asher sat there with an ashen face, while Ms. Akira was healing his wounds.
Thinking of the scene from a few moments ago.
After receiving the storage ring, he was challenged by Javan.
"I'll admit I lost to you yesterday, but I want a rematch, worry not, I'll still uphold my end of the bargin." Javan proudly declared.
As soon as the fight started it was already nearing it's end and Asher understood where his confident stemmed from.
Javan had gotten faster, arriving at Asher, he unleashed a berage of attacks. Despite blocking, Asher's various bones cracked under the attacks. Not long after, he lost.
'Angels' truely benefitted from the baptism. The difference in strength was staggering.
He cleared his head and noticed the gazes being stolen from him. He understood their thoughts, he was going to have an angel in his pact, which was an envious thing.
"There you go, fully healed, but try to let your body rest, okay?" Ms. Akira's hands stopped glowing.
She changed buses cause Asher needed to be healed and she was a healer.
'system'
Asher's eyes closed, his consciousness shifted and his mind moved.
When he opened his eyes again, he returned to the barren mountain. This time there were dark clouds in the sky, depriving the land of warmth and light.
[ A temple is required!]
[ Build your temple.]
Seeing the flashing massages, he recalled his objective.
Looking at the adjacent mountain with a forest, he saw a paths that connected the mountains. He arrived on the other mountain and looked at the trees.
The were roughly the size of a man, besides their tall height. The bark looked dry and dead, the branches were devoid of any action, with not even a leaf.
Just as Asher remembered his lack of an axe, he recalled that he was pierced earlier but didn't die, not even gaining a tickle.
'Since there's no pain, I'll just use these.'
*Bam*
Lifting his fists, Asher struck the tree at full force, casing it to vibrate. As expected he didn't sustain any injuries, but neither did the tree.
*Bam* *Bam* *Bam*
Only after a few more hits, did damage started appeared on the tree.
Asher continued like this for over an hour.
Outside, unbeknownst to anyone, the passengers in both busses had fallen asleep, everyone besides the drivers.
At this point, the busses were flying over a forest, above them, the sky was covered in endless dark clouds, and the rain hitting the windows.
Back in the system...
Asher carried the last tree over to the other mountain.
'Before building, gotta figure a way to cut these.' He needed to change his approach as cutting didn't just require power but precision, of which he couldn't achieve with his bare hands.
Just then, he recalled the spikes he landed on when he arrived and walked there.
'Yes these'll do.'
Asher grabbed them, a few minutes later, he'd made a rock axe with a wooden handle.
He went to chop the woods accordingly. Moments later he'd also made other rock tools, like a shovel.
Without a blueprint to follow, he did what he thought was right, digging, making a foundation and building on top of that.
4 hours later, a house sized cottage stood in front of him, made of completely wood.
*Huff huff*
"Wait, I can get tired in here?" just as Asher was admiring his work, he made a discovery. He'd been to engrossed in work to notice.
I can get tired but can't die? That's odd to say the least! He thought.
He sat down to catch his breadth but it didn't help, he felt his body getting weaker and weaker.
Quickly, he shifted his consciousness and his mind moved, opening his eyes, he returned to the bus.
Taking a deep breath, Asher realized the air smelt funny.
"Gas or poison!?" He noticed that everyone was motionless.
Reacting quickly, he covered his mouth and nose with a jacket. Afterwards he checked and realized the others were asleep.
Looking around and even on the first floor, he notice that the driver was unaffected. The outside windows were blacked out, obstructing any outside view. Also, there was a person dressed in black on the first floor, walking back and forth.
Luckily, the floor was transperate, and he could see below, but that meant they could also see him.
'We're getting kidnapped?' Asher sensed a dark plot.
Hiding, he thought for a while.
Whoever these people were, they had bad intentions.
"Sir wake up." Carefully coming to Chase, Asher shook him a few times, even landing some slaps, but the man didn't flinch let alone respond.
Opening a bottle of water, he emptied it on him but he didn't wake up, he tried waking the others but none of them woke up.
'Some powerful stuff these guys prepared.' Asher didn't know weather to admire them or cry at his misfortune.
Lost at what to do, Asher opened Chase's bracelet and sent a distress signal to the school, sadly the bad weather was disturbing the signal.
'Technology still can't beat rain.' Asher thought, he needed to act.
My body's getting weaker and weaker, this gas is strong. No one's coming to help, no one ever does. Asher steeled his nerves.
Looking around, he saw an iron staff, he recalled a girl received it from an omega fruit.
Asher tried opening the window but it was locked by the driver. He tried smashing it open with the staff but the windows didn't even crack. 'Damn reinforced windows.'
"Hey! Someone's awake!"
Just then, a man from the first floor, spotted Asher and shouted. The man fully clad in black stealth attire quickly came to the second floor.
Asher prepared himself but what followed shocked him.
The man clad in black, tossed a big can and closed the glass door leading to the first floor.
*Psssh*
The can released white steam that made the space foggy.
Asher tried closing it, but it didn't work.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
Asher tried breaking door but it was also made of reinforced glass.
"Fuc..." Asher's body became weaker by the second, until his body fell unconscious.
Before that, his consciousness shifted and his mind moved and he appeared infront of the temple.
*huff* *huff*
He gasped for air. Shaking his head a few times, he fought the drowsiness away.
'That sneaky bastard, fair play though.' Asher calmed himself a bit.
Have settled down, he noticed that the air here was normal, although it was difficult to breadth due to the altitude, he wasn't getting drowsy.
'Is this a different space? Otherwise how?' Asher contemplated the matter.
He didn't think his body disappeared when he entered the system, otherwise Rapheal would have noticed last time, and when he fell on the spikes, his tworn uniform had healed.
But then theoretically, since his body was left in the bus, how came the gas didn't effect him when he was in the system. Even chase was knocked out.
'This isn't the time for this, first I need to find a way to deal with these guys.' Asher cleared his head off distracting thoughts.
'That guy didn't even try to fight! Resorting to this. An effective strategy of dealing with a large group of students, but also a cowardice way of viewing things.' he thought for a while but then closed his eyes, his consciousness shifted and his mind moved.
He opened his eyes and his body was being lifted up.
!!!
*Bam*
The figure clad in black didn't have the luxury of being surprised before a fist landed on his face, sending him spinning and crashing into seats.
Before he reacted, Asher's foot connected to the back of his head, then a series of attacks started landing on his body.
Asher wasn't holding back, not giving the man a chance to recover, he was on him like white in rice, attacking continously.
Before Asher's muscles could warm up, the other party passed out on the ground.
'Wait, he's not a saint?' although relieved, he was confused. It was understandable why the other party chose this tactic.
He searched him, taking a gas mask and blood red dagger.
With that, he went to the first floor, appearing behind the driver, Asher placed the dagger on his neck.
"Do yourself a favor and open the windows."
"Please don't kill me, I was forced to do this, my daughter..." The driver jumped and pleaded but Asher cut him off.
Removing the drivers mask, he pushed the blade onto his skin, drawing blood.
His voice a bit chilly, "I said open the windows!"
The crux of the problem was the gas in the room, his sob story could be heard later.
*whoosh*
The windows unlocked with a click, the dark color returned to a transperate one and Asher opened a few of them, letting in fresh air, and a few raindrops.
Outside, the other bus also had it's windows tinted.
'We're almost back to the city.' looking at the ever so changing ground, Asher noticed a few landmarks. Plus he saw the city in the distance.
"Now, who are you people and where are we going." Returning, Asher placed his knife back to the drivers neck.
"Sir, I promise I don't know anything I was only hired today." the driver's stuttered and sweat tricky down his forehead.
"Hmph, what use do I have for you!" Asher's eyes remain the same.
The daggers point slowly dissappeared as a warm liquid flowed down the drivers chest.
"Wait! I'll tell you everything! It's Limate manufacture, that's the drop off location! They used my daughter against me sir, they set me up to this." tears flowed from the drivers eyes, staining his clothes.
"Continue!" Asher's hand had stopped moving forward.
"All I know is that they are looking for kids for some reason, healthy strong kids, please you hav-"
*boom*
*Bam*
Just then, the bus violantly shook with an explosion, send everything inside flying, before it crashed on the ground. Luckily it wasn't to high in the air.
*kkrrr*
Suddenly, the door was ripped off it's hinges. A burly figure wearing armor stepped in.
"I received the distress signal, what's going on." a familiar figure, Mr. Dandy looked towards the disoriented Asher.
"Yes, the busses were being hijacked and the enemy used some gas to knock everyone out. I took care of the 1st guy, then there's this driver." Asher explained shaking his head.
"Hmm, you did good, I'll go after the second bus you stay here." He was only half way through speaking before dissapearing, leave those words behind.
'Where would I even I go?' Asher shrugged his shoulder.
Turning to question the man, Asher's eyes widened, the man was dead.
During the explosion, the gently placed dagger was pushed forward, tainted even further with a red color.
*tink tink tink*
The knife dropped to the floor, as Asher's breathing increased.
This was his first time killing a person, and not a hostile one at that.
His journey was destined to be filled with blood, but he didn't want it to be human blood.