Inverse System

Chapter 39 - Volcanic Invasion (2)

The Crypt green squadron, the squad most fit for frontal assaults and battles during warfare. Their troops, overseen by Riskel the Cardinal, were usually put there due to lack of skill and Spring, which was made up by Riskel's Spring, which gives a universal buff to those around him who meet certain unknown criteria.

Throughout all of his battles, people haven't been able to figure out what the criteria was. The squad often picked its battles, avoiding enemies that met Riskel's conditions. Even in this battle, Riskel was very careful not to engage before assuring the enemies did not meet his conditions.

After Riskel heard Core's remark, he smiled nervously.

"H-haha! You utter fool, there is no strategy involved in this battle, we will destroy you in sheer number and power! There's tantamount to fifty enhanced soldiers in my army, your measly three will not stand a chance!" He laughed to himself.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you. How about we just cut the chatter and get on with the fight?" Proposed Core.

"Tch, are you that eager to lose? Fine then, bring it on!"

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Rein, Clyde, and Quint continued running down the tunnel, going deeper and deeper into the depths of the volcano. The cinnabar ore on the wall was increasing in quantity as they progressed, which was providing most of the light in the dimly lit tunnels.

"Damn, how far does this shit go? We've been running for ages now," Complained Quint, breathing heavily after running for a long time.

"Yes, but it's about time that we reach the central room of the volcano. It seems that we've been running on a slightly declining angle, meaning we are progressing further down into the core of the continent."

"I hope the others are okay. Maybe it wasn—!" Rein's speech was interrupted by a sharp screeching noise coming from his mind. He stopped and held his head, trying to make the noise go away. The other two looked at him with confused faces, questioning what he was doing.

"You guys don't hear it? The hell… Versys, is that you?"

"..." He gave no response.

"Versys? You there man?" Rein panicked.

"... Up. Familiar sound. Dig… Up."

As he heard those words reverberate in his head, the pulsing pain in his mind stopped, and he looked up to where the sound was coming from.

"Rein, are you okay? We must make haste," Clyde expressed, wanting to continue down the tunnel.

Rein flicked a small black box at Clyde, which he caught.

"Once you get to Quint's sis, open that box. You'll know what to do after. You guys go on without me, I've got some business to settle," he began carving out a tunnel leading up to the surface from his location. They'd been heading north this entire time, so Rein would emerge near the top of the river that intersected the pond.

"Wait, the hell's in the box? And where are you goin'?" Quint interrogated, trying to dispel the distrust that he still harbored.

"You'll find out when you get there. If you use what's in that box, I can guarantee the safety of your sister. Mark my words," he jumped into his upwards tunnel, and closed it after him, but not before smiling at them. After the hole closed, his smile faded away as he drilled his way up to the surface.

"Snap out of it Versys, the hell are you sensing?" Rein thought loudly in his mind, trying to wake Versys up while he was drilling.

"Huh? What's up Rein?" He responded normally.

"You're normal now? The hell was up with you earlier?"

"No way…"

"What? What's wrong Versys?"

"On the surface…"

Suddenly, Rein broke through the dirt, emerging into the cloudy weather. He saw a man with grey hair, and blue eyes floating in the air above him, waiting for his arrival. He wore a long, flowing black scarf, a black jacket with 2 rectangular holes placed in a symmetrical fashion at the bottom of the jacket, with a white undershirt. He wore baggy grey pants, with red anklets between his pants and his black shoes. He also wore 3 red necklaces on his chest, revealed by his unbuttoned jacket, and along with his normal weapon ring, he wore 3 more red rings on his fingers.

As Rein lay eyes on the man, he felt a pulsation through his mind as he put his hands on his head, the floating man smiling at him, amused.

"Took you long enough. Was getting really tired of waiting. See, I'm not the most enthusiastic person," he spoke with a raspy, yet commanding voice that seemed slightly familiar to Rein.

Rein looked up at the man.

"Who are you?" He asked him simply. The man sighed, then landed on the ground and stood in front of Rein. He put his hand over his eyes and spoke.

"The name's Luther. Honestly, I'm not even supposed to be here. Just came to see you in person, Rein Alister," he peered at Rein through an opening in his fingers, with his previously blue eye turning red.

Rein immediately summoned his sword and jumped backward, beginning to tremble against this mysterious enemy.

"Hey, no need to be scared. I'm not gonna kill ya, no, that'd be counterproductive. Just here to see if you're worth the fuss that woman always gives ya. Wanna see if your worth my time in other words."

"That woman? How the hell do you know who I am?"

"Don't worry, I won't spill the beans. You've been using an alias this entire time, right? My mouth is sealed."

"That's not the issue! Tell me who you are right now!" Rein was shivering in uncontrollable fear, scared and confused at all the hints he's gotten from his opponent.

"Oh, I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out who I am. I've given ya plenty of hints so far."

"..." Rein gulped the ball of spit that was forming at the back of his mouth, paralyzed with fear, understanding who his opponent was.

"Damn, you're scared shitless aren't ya? And here I was thinking your hatred for her was pure. Didn't know you harbored fear as well. Sheesh, I guess I overestimated ya. How're you gonna get revenge like this?" The man spoke as he summoned his weapon. A glaive spear that he spun around his head as he summoned it, readying it in fighting position.

"Those rings, their just like…"

"Oh? You've done this before with yours too? It's pretty convenient right? For me, it holds the Springs I take. I assume it has a different effect for you?"

Rein took a deep breath, stabilizing his trembling body, but not his fear. He was able to calm his mind so that he could ask questions and take some answers.

"You know my aunt? Melina Alister?" he asked.

"You sure you wanna ask that when you already know the answer? I'll give ya two more questions before I start the fight. Better make em count," the man laughed.

"Were you the one who made that noise? The one who forced us into the pond?" Rein asked his second question, assuming the answer to the last one was a yes.

"Yeah, that was me. Come on man, you've only got one more question, cut it out with these boring ones," Luther responded, getting slightly annoyed.

"You were flying earlier, and you said you store Springs in those rings… Could you perhaps be…" Rein's voice started trembling as it softened, then he stopped talking out of fear.

"Heh, now that's a good question. You don't have to worry about not saying the S-word with me. I wield the Steal System. We can talk freely about it, so don't hold back. I can take Springs and do whatever the hell I want with them. In this case, I infused them into these rings. That flight Spring was something I got a while back from someone I knew," Luther braced his weapons, readying himself for a fight. "That's all of your questions done. Get ready for a fight, Rein Alister…"