NOVEL WEB The Southern Reach
"Please remain in your seats. All devices should be turned off to avoid interference from the powering reactor."
Luna leaned back in her seat, while she proceeded to turn off her communicator. As a VIP, she had been granted an entire cabin, ensuring her a comfortable journey to the Southern Reach, which was now classified as a red zone due to the formidable powers emanating from the tower. Ordinary machines were rendered useless within a forty-kilometer radius. The only transport machines capable of traveling through it were those that had zenshi assisting their reactors and granting them and the passengers protection from foreign powers like Black Ether.
An example of these special machines was the Trans-Continental Trains. These specialized trains were designed specifically to facilitate the evacuation of people and enable travel through wastelands affected by supernatural forces. They were armed with formidable weaponry and enhanced by advanced reactors to act as endless energy sources that kept them running for days without stopping.
As the behemoth began to move, its systems hummed to life, powered by the special magical reactor.
'I left the estate a month ago. Now, here I am heading to the Southern Reach.'
Luna sighed at the thought as she watched the images beyond the sealed window blur and pass by as the train slowly gained speed. Her journey to the soon-to-be wasteland had begun.
From what she had read from the latest reports, the situation around the tower had stabilized. The vassal clans had arrived a few days ago and were currently handling the mindless undead that occasionally wandered from the Tower and the infected humans. Both were generally weak compared to real cursed creatures so even regular soldiers were capable of holding their own against these lesser threats.
Over ten million people had already been evacuated from the nearby towns, a testament to the efficient coordination of the evacuation efforts. The overarching plan involved the Feng clan subjugating the primary threat by eliminating the Masters of the tower. Concurrently, Mao Feng was tasked with encasing the tower in an ice prison after defeating the masters. The strategic move was designed to neutralize its powers and prevent its malevolent influence from spreading further into the world since destroying it seemed difficult at the moment.
As Luna reflected on these developments, she felt a mix of relief and anticipation. The journey ahead was fraught with peril, but the measures in place provided a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. The tower's first two floors were expected to be relatively easy to conquer. However, beyond that point, only sorcerers and summoners were permitted to face the monstrosities that lay ahead. These beings were said to possess intelligence and unknown abilities, making them far more formidable opponents.
In any case, the subjugation of the Crimson Tower was not going to be an easy task. Yet, the Feng clan was powerful and well-equipped to handle and contain this threat. Their expertise and strength provided a reassuring confidence in the face of such a daunting challenge.
"I should rest." Luna yawned.
The ride to the Southern Reach was going to take two days at most. Luna planned to use this time to review the plan one last time, striving to understand how everything would unfold. Her mother had placed both her and Lena under General Astrid's command. A decision that puzzled Luna, especially given Lena's proven capability to fight alongside their mother.
Luna was part of a special force working directly under General Astrid. However, her position was unique; she was neither a captain nor a cadet. Instead, she served directly under General Astrid without a formal rank. In contrast, Lena held the rank of Captain, commanding a unit of one hundred ascenders and mundane soldiers under General Astrid. This distinction highlighted Lena's significant leadership role and the trust placed in her by the general.
General Mao Feng was in charge of the strongest unit, tasked with the complete subjugation of the tower. Her unit was specifically assigned to deal with the tower's masters on the third floor. This elite group consisted of thirty powerful ascenders with deadly abilities, seventeen summoners, and three sorcerers, including Luna's mother. The other two sorcerers were Zen Chau, known as the Phoenix, and Kaigen the Dragon. Both hailing from the most powerful vassal clans of House Feng. Together, they formed a formidable force poised to confront the greatest threats within the tower.
'The Phoenix and the Dragon. What a pair.'
Luna's gaze lingered on the images of the sorcerers displayed on her datapad. One depicted a young man in his late twenties, with long brown hair, piercing sapphire blue eyes, and a sharp, distinct facial structure. A small goatee adorned his chin, marking him unmistakably as Zen, the Phoenix.
The other image showed a handsome man with a tanned complexion and muscular build. Despite being in his late thirties, his short black hair and striking golden eyes conveyed a timeless youthfulness. This was Kaigen, also known as the Dragon.
As Luna studied their portraits, she contemplated the formidable powers and unique abilities these sorcerers would bring to their mission inside the crimson tower.
Sorcerers were the rarest of the ascenders due to how powerful they were in general. A summoner could call upon mythical beasts from a hidden realm while a sorcerer could bend Nature to fit their will through Zenshi. Opening the fourth Soul Gate meant that one had fully surpassed the limits of what the human body was capable of. In other words, sorcerers were closer to actual gods than anyone else. Unfortunately, the transcendence from the Third Soul Gate to the Fourth Soul Gate was difficult hence their rarity.
From the information on the datapad, Zen was incapable of dying and could manipulate fire and lightning with the help of his fourth gate. And Kaigen was a sorcerer capable of changing his physical form to that of an actual dragon with the ability to manipulate wind which was his Aura.
General Astrid or the Moon Siren was also a sorcerer with the ability to control minds since her Aura was [Authority]. Her sorcery could affect memories, emotions, and thoughts--making her one of the strongest and most terrifying ascenders in the world. There was more to it, of course. No one else in the world possessed [Authority] so there was no way of knowing how strong she truly was.
'I wonder if Lena will be as strong when she opens her fourth Soul Gate.'
She let out a heavy sigh as she placed down the data pad and yawned. All that information was a lot, even for someone who took on a hobby of memorizing cheat codes. Luna then leaned back in her seat and stared at images passing by. They were already out of Hansho and the night was approaching.
After several hours, they were out of the populated districts and were now crossing some deserted areas. Most of the vegetation looked dead, with only the strongest vegetation surviving. The earthen soil looked black and barren due to the constant exposure to foreign energies from the divine realm. The worst of those energies was Black Ether which was responsible for corruption in mortal creatures and mutations. The foreign energy had only descended the world shortly after the Fall. And whoever was touched by this foreign energy would turn into an "Infected." Luna had never seen an infected before. But she was informed some mundane humans and soldiers had been touched by the Black Ether. Meaning she was going to see an infected soon.
'I should get some sleep.' She pulled her bed cover and closed her eyes while trying to forget she was probably traveling to her place of death.
Just before drifting off, the train's defense systems activated, bathing her cabin in a stark red glow. Startled, Luna's eyes snapped open to the cacophony of massive gunfire.
'What the...' Before she finished that thought, thermal beams erupted from the train's defenses, targeting and incinerating the approaching horde of infected monsters with precision. Immediately after that, the train seemed to slow as more and more of its defense systems came online.
Luna quickly looked out her sealed window and almost gasped at the sight. The train was being attacked by strange-looking creatures. They appeared to be a hybrid of wolves and bears, possessing large, muscular bodies and canine faces. Their skins were mottled and rotten, their eyes an eerie shade of purple. White bone spikes protruded from various parts of their bodies, giving them a grotesque and formidable appearance.
'I guess I get to see infected this early, how lucky of me.' With that thought, she was about to open her black briefcase. But a robotic voice sounded from the small speakers in the corner of her room.
"All mundane humans stay in your containment areas to avoid infection."
"Designated tier level: Two."
"Threat: Infected."
"Situation: Contained."
"All ascended with range abilities are requested to assist the security unit."
As soon as the final message rang out, Luna witnessed a spectacle she had never expected to see so soon, a battle unfolding right before her eyes.
Amidst the chaos, she watched the largest of the infected bear wolves being hurled into the ground with a single devastating punch that killed it instantly. The assailant was a woman clad in a sleek black nanoskin uniform. Her short black hair framed her face with sharp bangs, and her piercing blue eyes blazed with a haunting intensity that matched the ferocity of her attack.
Without hesitation, she propelled herself towards another bear-wolf, closing the distance in an instant. She then grabbed it by its tail and launched herself into the air. She ascended higher than expected. But Instead of falling back down immediately, she hovered in mid-air with effortless grace.
She could fly.
While still in the air, she released her grip on the bear-wolf, letting gravity take over as she descended upon her other targets with formidable force. Like a missile, the woman streaked through the air with breathtaking speed, leaving a resounding bang in her wake as she intercepted another pack of creatures charging towards the train. With a powerful clap, she unleashed a sonic shockwave that reverberated through the air, causing the very train to shudder beneath the force. The creatures were obliterated in an instant, their forms scattered and torn by the sheer impact of her attack.
As a spectator, Luna's jaw almost fell. 'Incredible.'
As if the woman's devastating attack wasn't enough to decimate the swarm of infected abominations, waves of radiant arrows rained down from above. The sky momentarily blazed with golden light as each arrow found its mark, obliterating every abomination with precision and finality. Upon impact, the arrows seemed to disperse the black ether within the creatures' systems, ensuring their complete annihilation in a single strike.
'Wow…are these the guys helping us out in the Southern Reach?'
If they were, then Luna had no reason to worry much because what she had just seen was incredible.
In mere moments, the swarm attacking the train was no more. And their bodies started to crack and crumble to dust since the ether couldn't keep them together or alive anymore.
The train soon regained its speed once again and shot forward now that the reactor was no longer powering the defense systems.
The robotic voice sounded across her room and the entire. It was making an announcement:
"The threat has been subjugated."
The red beams of light shut down and the silence once again knocked it.
That night, Luna slept like a baby.