CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33 – THE TRUE MONSTER (PART 1)

Chapter 33 – The True Monster (Part 1)

"The powers of a God?" Jack seemed a bit taken aback. "How did I get such a thing?"

"If I knew that, I would’ve told you." Liliana ran her hand through her silky, smooth hair. "I honestly am finding it hard to understand what’s happening right now. You have no idea how absolutely important what you just received is. That very power is something every being in existence would want."

"..."

"If it becomes known that the Red Lightning has appeared again, you will be the most wanted being in all realms. The True Ones will try to find you and get you no matter what."

"What..." Jack was completely confused. ’It’s that crucial? I can see how strong it is... but to think this is something even Gods are seeking.’

He was having a hard time grasping everything, but he still gathered his thoughts quickly and took a deep breath.

"I see..."

"No, you don’t seem to comprehend what I’m saying, boy," Liliana said as she floated up. "That power must not come to light at all. Not a single person outside this world should know it exists. If they do, your life is truly over. Even I can’t protect you from the things that could happen."

Staring at the beautiful, divine being floating before him, Jack was silent for a few seconds.

"And how do I hide it?"

"Don’t show it to anyone who isn’t from Earth. I’ll try my best to protect you too," she said. "Though, I am limited by the Divine Records, so it’s mostly your task not to be foolish."

"I understand." Jack nodded. "But... if this power is truly as strong and as important as you say, why are you not trying to take it from me, Liliana?"

Granted, Jack knew that she was limited and couldn’t really hurt him. However, he knew there were other ways she could have done that — or she wouldn’t have been that worried about his power being discovered.

"Hm." Liliana hummed as she crossed her arms under her bountiful chest. "Struggles for power don’t interest me, Jack. I am not power-hungry like those old fools. They have dedicated their entire lives to being soulless Gods, while I dedicated mine to being myself. We are far too different."

"..."

The boy stared unblinkingly at the radiant being before him. The sheer confidence and absolute clarity with which Liliana uttered those words felt truly divine — a radiating light brighter than even the sun.

Even without showing power or saying many words, Jack could see why she was a ’higher’ being. Her very presence was superior. Still, that didn’t stop him from replying.

"You must be quite different, even by their standards."

Liliana smiled faintly. "If you only knew how true your words are." A bitter look flashed in her eyes before vanishing quickly. "Well, in any case, as I said, I’m only here to watch you and entertain myself. I will keep my oath — that I will not harm or try to hinder you. If anything..."

She leaned forward until her face was close to Jack’s. "I am even more curious about you now, Jack. If the Divine Records gave you such an unfathomable power, it must mean you are very special. No — a one-of-a-kind person."

"..."

"I want to see with my own eyes how this power looks. I would be the first in many generations to truly witness it."

"If you say so," Jack replied as he stood up. "And, ugh, I suppose you’ll be seeing this ability sooner than you expect."

"Hm? Are you going to use it immediately?"

"Yes, this is exactly what I need. This power has given me an idea," he said. "I know how we can infiltrate the building."

"Oh my." The demoness smiled. "Well, entertain me."

"Just watch."

"So cool~" Liliana said with a seductive tone as she licked her lips.

"Gather everyone. We’ll be moving soon," Jack said as he called for the group and looked down at the hordes. The situation was even more dire than before, and he could see that they were about to infiltrate the base.

’We need to hurry before they penetrate the wall.’

"What are we going to do, Jack?"

"Here’s the deal," he said. "I’m certain all of you saw that large creature at the far front of the horde."

"Yeah, that thing looks huge and powerful..."

"I absolutely don’t want to mess with that."

"We’ll have to take it down."

The different reactions didn’t make Jack change his mind.

"Is it stronger than you, Jack?" Luna asked seriously.

"Yes. Most definitely. It’s way stronger than me," he said. ’If I have to guess based on its presence, I’d say it’s level 15, perhaps.’

"Then how are we going to kill it?"

"Leave that to me," Jack said. "I’ll deal with that thing myself."

"What? We can’t jus—"

"I have a plan. What I want you to do is start cutting down the number of monsters from afar. That’ll make the soldiers inside the base move again. If the horde finally catches on to your location, then you must immediately move out and escape — and continue doing that. The monsters will naturally be drawn away from the base without you having to confront them."

One thing the group had now, unlike during the cafeteria situation earlier, was the high-rise skyscrapers. These large buildings gave them a huge high-ground advantage they didn’t have before.

Using that very advantage, Jack knew they could maneuver these monsters better and take down a large number of them without putting their lives at risk.

"I have received a skill that will help us," Luna said. "We’ll take down a good number of them."

Seeing the confident expression on the girl’s face, Jack nodded. "I’ll leave the rest to you, then. I’ll go deal with that huge one."

Since it was the most dangerous, and the one doing the most damage to the wall, Jack had to focus on it.

"But how are you going to attract it out of all the other creatures?" Alex asked.

"That... you’ll see in a moment."

With a mysterious response, Jack stood up. "Well, I’m going to head down now. Wait until the monster is finally locked on me, then begin the plan."

He turned around, took a deep breath, and left the rooftop. Walking down to the bottom floor, he exited into the main street — merely a few hundred meters away from the large horde.

Standing in the middle of the street, he pulled his sword out and closed his eyes. The image of how he was going to use Red Lightning appeared in his head.

Slowly, he channeled his Aether and activated the skill. Almost immediately, a big chunk of his energy vanished as he felt something course through his arm.

SIZZLE

A crisp sound filled his ears, and as he opened his eyes, he saw bright red lightning sparking light on his hand, coating it in its beautiful hue.

Jack was awestruck for a moment. It was gorgeous — the way it coiled around his hand like a snake and seemed to move to his will. He felt a sense of power he couldn’t describe.

’Magnificent.’

Then, he looked up.

"Let’s see what you can do. What the power of a dead God is capable of."