Reborn: Apocalypse

(No update tomorrow, today is a very busy day for me)

[Reposted chapter, slightly altered the phrasing of the ending]

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Micheal made fast progress across several bridges, moving from skyscraper to skyscraper. He avoided walking across towers where he could see people, while also trying to head in the direction he wanted to move towards.

Along the way, he killed three separate Morenkai, the shambling figures trying to murder him as he journeyed. The Points he got from them weren't anything crazy, but still worth picking up. He didn't run into any humans, though he did spot a group fighting a Morenkai and luring it into a skyscraper on the way.

Soon, he found an area on the crudely drawn map that he recognized, a building marked with a unique color scheme. Using that, he was able to track his way towards the last couple of skyscrapers.

'But… there's a team on each of the two skyscrapers that lead directly that way. I could run back the way I came and try to loop around, but the map has marked that these sets of skyscrapers and the ones in front belong to the Red Kilo Gang, a territorial team on the northern border of the central zone. That must be them.' Micheal frowned as he found himself stuck in a rut.

The skyscraper he was on was one of the smaller grey ones, tall, but not as tall as the surrounding ones. It had a unique blue and white striped roof pattern, with faded tiles that gleamed dimly in the last morning light.

A long, rickety rope bridge led to the skyscraper he wanted to get to. However, atop this skyscraper he could see a number of figures moving about, several armed with guns. They were dressed in dark colored clothing, wearing red colored bandanas.

'They have a watch placed on the bridge.' There was a man dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt standing guard on the bridge, wielding a semi-automatic machine gun.

He sighed.

'I can't block bullets from multiple guns easily yet. At least, I don't have the practice for it, even with my Life Orbs.' His eyes slid away from the bridge he was staring at, towards the lower portions of the skyscraper.

'It's not common to use ropes and cross to other skyscrapers, the Black Flag Pirates haven't set that precedent yet…' He walked over to the edge of the skyscraper he was on, ducking low. He was still on a skyscraper that was two away from the one with the guards. He had merely spotted them first, from a distance.

'Let's just fly around.'

He threw himself off the skyscraper.

A millisecond later, two Life Orbs flew out and landed under his feet, supporting him. Micheal's body began to sink as he descended a good dozen levels, till he was about a third of the way down from the roof.

He then began to fly along the skyscraper, moving quickly.

'I'd rather not get sniped and have to deal with the mess down below.' He thought, keeping his eyes peeled up above on the off chance a sniper decided to look down at the Morenkai-filled streets.


WHOOSH

Wind blew past him as he flew through one intersection and then another, making a hard right. Every time he reached the end of one skyscraper, he shot upward in a great leaping arc, gliding till he got close enough to a skyscraper for his Life Orbs to anchor.

Just like that, he managed to completely avoid interacting with the Red Kilo Gang.

'The versatility of flight… I really didn't consider how useful these Life Orbs are.' Back in his first life, he would've been forced to take the long way around or pay some kind of toll if he wanted to move through the team blocking off his path. Such annoyances had been a norm for him back then, especially considering his mediocre strength.

He didn't even hit B Rank until he was about to leave, after all, let alone A or S Rank, the two highest possible Ranks for humans in the First Layer.

After jumping to three different skyscrapers, avoiding all detection, Micheal opened up the map he had obtained, checking over its details.

'A dark green colored skyscraper with a light blue stripe around the roof.' He glanced at the skyscraper he was currently hovering right next to, floating several dozen meters off the ground.

It was a faded, but clearly dark green, with a long blue stripe edging across the part of the building that connected the walls of the skyscraper to the roof.

'This is it!'

He began to zoom up the side of the wall, climbing. As he accelerated upward, wind rushed against him, cool and refreshing. In just a few seconds, he had soared almost all the way to the top of the roof.

Before he went over, however, he paused, coming to a halt.

Faintly, he could hear two voices interacting atop the roof.

"…think that should be clear." A man's deep voice, full of energy and strength, rumbled out loud, continuing,

"We can help you find safety, grow in strength, and have power in numbers. Every pleasure a man or woman could want can be found here. We look after our own and we don't give up on our own. There is no better home to have, here among your brothers and sisters, living life." The man's voice boomed as he continued, carrying a sense of grandeur,

"We are men and women that shall sail through whatever troubles the First Layer throws at us, staying calm and steady in the storm. Lord Byron is eager to hear bac-"

"I already told you." A female voice interrupted the speaker, her tone calm and controlled.

"I am not interested in joining any group at all right now." Her voice brooked no argument.

There was a bit of an awkward pause as Micheal stood floating there, waiting patiently. He paid attention to everything he was hearing, his full focus on the roof above.

"Very well. I will return again after I have informed Lord Byron. Do not mistake his geniality for weakness, Mrs… I don't believe I know your last name." The male speaker paused, as if waiting for a reply.

"Sophia is my name. That is all you need to know. Please leave." The woman's voice gave nothing away.

The man sighed,

"Very well. I shall return here soon…" His voice trailed off as the speaker left, his footsteps echoing fearlessly. They weren't technically in the central area anymore, so the risk of running into a Morenkai wasn't necessarily as high.

'It's her! The Irregular Sophia Morgan!' His eyes flashed as he realized this. He'd found his target, exactly where she was said to be!

'It makes sense that they'd meet in the morning. My timing to arrive was just fortuitous, though I wish I could've gotten here a bit earlier. Still!' He smiled.

'I wonder what caused her to change her mind and join Tobagin Party, in the original future?' He shook the question from his mind as he began to float upwards, his body slowly ascending alongside his Life Orbs.

In just a few scant seconds, he arrived right at the edge of the building. He put his hands on the side of it, holding on tight. He dismissed his Life Orbs, watching as they melded through everything he was wearing to make contact with his skin and vanish, their magical form as mysterious as ever.

He waited here for several seconds, his senses tuned to the maximum. He could hear the footsteps of the male speaker fade away, long gone. He hadn't heard the woman move yet, it sounded as if she was standing still. His senses currently weren't strong enough to hear her breathe from such a distance, but he figured she was still there.

In one smooth, leaping motion, he pulled himself over the edge, his body landing firmly atop the roof.

The rooftop of this skyscraper was similar to many others. He could see a single large shed, at least 4 meters wide and long, with a door leading to the lower portions of the skyscraper. Three separate bridges led to differing skyscrapers from this one, two of them rickety unstable ones and one of them built from solid wood.

Standing near the center of the roof was a petite, brown short-haired woman, currently staring at Micheal in shock. She had a small button nose and warm brown eyes, with a somewhat square jawline. She was dressed in a pair of tight blue jeans and a black midriff sweatshirt that exposed her toned stomach.

"W-huh?!" The woman stuttered out a response, looking at Micheal incredulously. He couldn't really blame her, his entrance had been rather… unusual to say the least.

"Hi, I'm Micheal, nice to meet ya." He gave her a casual, friendly wave.

She slowly waved back, still speechless. Her eyes were alert, however, distrust clearly present. She looked as if she was 20 or 21, a bit older than Micheal physically was. Her eyes, however, made her seem much older, far more mature than her age.

"They won't like your response to them, you know that, right?" He continued, watching her closely. His words seemed to set the woman off as she responded angrily, her arms crossed,

"Who the hell are you?! Look, I've already said my piece! I will no-"

Micheal cut her off, waving his hand,

"Hey, hey, settle down. I'm not here to convince you to join anything." He shamelessly lied.

Sophia stared at him suspiciously,

"Then what are you here for?" Her hand drifted towards a large, golden bracelet she wore on her hand, one that was set with a glowing green gem. A Mandorian Deflector Bracelet, a magical tool that she depended upon to protect herself from long distance gunfire.

The expensive Artifact was one of the big purchases she had made in the Shop that helped establish her reputation.

"Well, I'm not here just for you, that's for certain." Micheal said, shrugging,

"I'm also here for your sister."

Sophia's face twisted, her eyes going livid. A faint, pink hue began to color the back of her eyes, strange, alluring energy sweeping through the air.

Immediately, Micheal shut his eyes tight, refusing to open them. He kept his face impassive, knowing that she was still staring at him.

"What… Do… You… KNOW… about my sister?!" Sophia's voice was ragged as she spoke, her breath drawn out.

"I know many things, Miss Morgan. I know that you lost your little sister in the First Wave. I know that you have the Limited Fairy Eyes Ability, allowing you to create illusions so real the mind cannot perceive them as fake." He took several steps forward, moving away from the edge of the roof.

"And most importantly…" Micheal continued,

"I know the best way to help you look for your sister."

Micheal felt the world around him shiver, cold air drifting across his face.

The Fairy Eye Ability that Sophia had picked out cost well more than 100,000 Points. Encountering anyone with it on the First Layer was extremely rare, with the power it possessed matching its rarity.

Just opening his eyes risked trapping himself in a world of illusions, ones that would invade his mind and lodge themselves there, becoming incredibly difficult to shrug off. With his very average Soul stat, he didn't want to risk anything of the sort.

Thus, he went with the tried and tested counter to this Ability. Simply shutting his eyes.

"…"

"Who are you? How do you know all of this?" Despite her shock, Sophia's voice was collected as she questioned Micheal.

Micheal smiled, ever so slightly. Her calm response and adaptability, able to recover from her shock after just a few moments, truly lived up to the name of the legendary S Ranked Demon Fairy.

"My name is Micheal, but I know what I know because I have a rather unique power." He began, his voice confident,

"I am a Seer."

.