Stonegate wasn't the only major city struck by the disaster. All over the world, tears in space opened passages to hell, allowing countless monstrosities to spill out.
Armies moved to neutralize the threats. Weapons that have been sealed after the Great World War were unleashed, and people who only worked in the shadows stepped out into the light.
A single fighter jet emerged from the smoke rising from Hope's End. Nothing in particular looked strange about it, except for the person standing upright at its nose, unbothered by the strong wind blasting their face.
She was a woman, or is supposed to be. One would find it difficult to see anything feminine about that wall of muscle, and the armor she donned added to the confusion.
On her back, a massive weapon rested. It was neither a rifle nor a canon but a lustrous black axe that appeared to be carved out of obsidian.
[Are you sure about this, General?] The pilot's voice came in through the earpiece she wore. [That was a tough battle just now. Don't you think a little rest is warranted?]
"A Lord candidate is this close and you expect me to sit still?" Contrary to the pilot's concerned tone, she spoke in quite the joyous one. "No way I'm letting such prey go t-"
Her words were cut by the appearance of a floating screen, and as soon as she read the contents, her smile stretched all the way to her ears.
"Hurry up, Lancer 01!" She crouched down and coated her body in a yellowish glow. "Things just got a whole lot better!"
~[ ]~
As a nineteen-year-old young adult, Mark had long since learned that he shouldn't trust the government. Whether it's the military or politicians, they were all liars who would stop at nothing to further their agenda.
The help they offered always came with strings attached, and knowing what would happen if they were to learn about his maid and System, Mark had no intention of sitting at the same table as them.
"Lara, change of plans." Once the crashed motorcycle disappeared from the rearview mirror, Mark tossed the earpiece out and spoke to his Maid. "We need time to reach the tunnels. Prepare yourself."
No sooner had he said that than a roar came from behind them. Malarack was back on the chase. Lara glanced at the side mirror and saw a black dot rapidly approaching. She kept her silence only for a moment before answering with a single "understood."
She repeated her previous trick and got on the roof of the car. This time, however, she didn't summon the spear right away. They were fast approaching a fork in the road.
Before the car made the turn, Lara leaped off of it and gracefully landed on a nearby street light.
The height she reached with that jump was astounding but was nothing compared to what she did next.
As if it was nothing strange, she made another jump toward a nearby building and smashed right through a window on the third floor.
~[ ]~
After getting rid of the annoying distraction, Malarak finally went back to hunting for his meal. His growing impatience caused him to remain close to the ground not caring for the buildings that grew in length along the way.
His only concern was the Awakened with powerful Soul running away from him.
Malarak saw his target turn a corner in the distance. Adjusting his sight a little, he peered through the concrete construct and saw that the vehicle took another turn before slowing down and coming to a stop.
With a guttural gurgle, the dragon sneered at his prey and its pathetic struggle. He had allowed it a head start and many openings, but until the very end, it still failed to entertain him.
His desire for a good hunt was destined to go unfulfilled, but Malarak didn't despair. A powerful Soul awaited him, and once he was done devouring it, his might would rise to new heights allowing him to challenge one of the Seven Lords.
Malarak gathered his wings and made a quick landing, scrapping the road with his massive claws. His prey seemed to have given up on escaping and was awaiting its fate at the same place it had stopped.
The ground rumbled as the giant black dragon marched across the streets. His limbs crushed anything they landed on and his tail swung wildly smashing buildings left and right. He took the first turn and leisurely approached the second.
The vehicle soon came into sight and so did the Awakened with the powerful Soul. Looking down at the puny human, Malarak sneered again. It was then that he noticed the human making a strange pose, pulling his right arm back while raising his left foot.
It looked as if he was about to throw something, but no matter what it was, Malarak was sure he could take it. The object was so small, after all. It couldn't possibly cause damage to someone as powerful as himself.
The object, a silver cylinder barely larger than a human hand, didn't even reach the dragon. But that was never its purpose.
It rose up in the air, enough to get to the dragon's eye level, and just when it did something suddenly burst out of it.
A surge of pure light exploded from the small object and swallowed Malarak's head along with the surrounding buildings.
"GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
For a being of darkness such as himself, the sudden flash was like a curse that robbed him of his sight. Anger replaced his hunger in an instant and in the next it turned into mindless rage.
The desire for destruction overwhelmed him and his mind turned to that of a beast once again.
Were there enemies waiting to ambush him? Or did the Awakened with the powerful Soul just use the bright light as a distraction so he could buy more time for his escape?
If he hadn't failed to maintain his calm, Malarak would've been able to find his answer. Nevertheless, the suddenness of the attack allowed the Madness to take over and the corruption to shatter his reason, filling him with boundless desire for death and destruction.
As he struggled against the decline of his sanity, the dragon failed to hear the footsteps approaching him.
A young girl donning a maid's uniform was running along the rooftop right beside his head, and the moment she reached the edge, she leaped into the air without hesitation.
The height she reached showed that she wasn't a normal human, and so did the bluish glow coating her entire form along with the spear she raised over her head.