Chapter 109: A Flash of Lightning

Moments before Greydon Meng's defeat, the Aragarian had finally reached the final stages of his preparations.

Pridgeon stared at the Qilin's Horn. The electromagnetic pulses it gave off was getting more and more powerful that the building he was on started to shake intensely. Even the enclosed space wasn't enough to hide the clashing noise that added to the vibrations in the area. Pridgeon had to spend more energy and depleted his suit as he used the stored energy in his suit to boost the charging phase of the Qilin's Horn.

The appearance of Richie shocked him that he no longer felt like a god on the planet they called Earth. And with how Richie treated Meng with such reverence, he was afraid that perhaps even in this situation, both Meng and Richie, could find a way to disrupt the launch.

Despite the weapon being hidden deep underground, the loud sound of crushing and grinding of metals continued to echo out as the launch pod had slowly opened up allowing the sound to leak out.

Pridgeon's suit was just minutes away from total shut down. He continued to move frantically as he kept checking the battery. He sighed in relief. Luckily, he was able to finally assign priority in targeting the detected enemies which were hidden above and below ground just in time.

The coordinates of the attack were decided. Pridgeon had set the weapon to prioritize going over to the location which his drones reached before encountering a strange field which led to its destruction.

Pridgeon had set the Qilin's Horn direction of where it would be launched and the path that it should take and massacre whoever it meets.

It was to pass through the entrance and eliminate all of Richie's disciples and Meng's assassin. Afterward, it was to continue its path and drill its way underground eliminating everybody within the area. The complex path it had would also change if ever it detects any nearby heat-signature and eliminate it.

It also emitted a strange electrical charge that would somehow distort the imaging feeds that most video cameras had. The technologies that this device had would certainly stun and surprise the other nations should this information be leaked.

"This world is stronger than we thought. If they have more people like Meng and Richie, then we need a Principal to assure victory!" Pridgeon cursed as he recalled his helplessness against Richie.

"If only I had more technologies!" Pridgeon vowed to acquire more technology once he wins this battle.

BEEP!

His suit had suddenly stopped functioning. Pridgeon rushed out to the outside of the building.

"Activate Emergency protocol!" Pridgeon's eyes were grave. Every second from this moment on would cause his suit to use the solar energy of the sun. Who would have known that the Aragarian's have used their technologies to change the sun that it started to give off strange energy?

Only one Aragarian among them had the technology to harness and use this energy. And though all the Presiders were equipped with the technology to harness and use this power, they would be forced to pay a fee to that Aragarian in order to use it.

Usage of this was also limited to emergency situations. 

With how paranoid the Aragarian's were with their identity, using this solar harnessing technology on Earth was dangerous. Who knew if even a second of harnessing this energy would be noticed by the world? But with how things were, Pridgeon had decided to use it now and pay the price later. he was confident that though Garenjazz had warned him, it wasn't easy for the sciences of Earth to detect the solar energy that the Aragarians they have been hiding.

His suit started glowing as it started to powerup. The energy percentage rose to one.

"Activate Quick Absorb!" Pridgeon cursed out. He knew this would be noticed by his peers and would later be chastised by Garenjazz. He would then not only pay him the usual amount but because he used Quick Absorb on Earth the price that Garenjazz would demand would significantly increase. The energy percentage quickly rose to five percent.

"Stop!" Pridgeon called out and returned inside.

Pridgeon quickly uses his suit to activate the console that controlled the Qilin's Horn and made sure to check all the settings he placed to ensure that they were without error. After he noted the final preparations and was finally confident that nothing could go wrong, he utilized his suit and immediately escape the building.

The suit had also been tasked to locate the nearest functioning transport that could get him out of this place as fast as possible.

As Pridgeon escaped, a large horn-shaped metal slowly emerged from the silo. Unlike a regular missile, this weapon moved slowly.

Killing humans have become a form of art as wars progressed. The weapons that were developed became more and more sinister as technology continued to progress. During the Post-Modern Era, many countries, particularly the poorer countries, rejected the need for weapons of mass destruction. But when the Third World War occurred, these nations were either immediately conquered and even some were wiped off the map.

The destruction of several nations eventually forced the other nations to create weapons of mass destruction. Some had long developed it, while the more endangered smaller nations had allied or became one to pool their finances and technologies to develop their own. Due to the lack of uranium, nations had threatened each other to drop more than just nuclear bombs as the more advanced nations had the capabilities of shooting down these nuclear weapons which were launched and detonated through a missile.

Poland was the first to develop a weapon of mass destruction which dwindled the sources of food of their rival nations. At the collapse of Germany's resources, Germany had surrendered from the World War and became subjugate to the then United Kingdom.

Soon, the development of non-uranium grade weapons that were either slightly weaker or stronger than an average nuclear bomb came into the light which havocked destruction all over the Earth.

As the technological possibilities increased, the term "weapons of mass destruction" eventually evolved and had several classifications.

Destructive weapons that could create large scale destruction in a country were the first of the types.

The second was the environmental weapons that were designed to either harass a nation's environment resulting in famine, plagues, and other environmental threats.

Biological attacks were attacks that brought chemical agents that would poison people. Strains of unique viruses which were airborne or easily passed were also used. Viruses that would kill, cause insanity and even instill unnecessary phobias which led to Austria's downfall arose brought shock and disgust to the world.

The last of the classifications belonged to the sure-kill weapons which could not belong to any of the above categories but still could kill over a hundred thousand in one use. This theoretical category was believed to never see the light of day as each country had already developed various means to defend themselves from all sorts of imaginable attacks.

What they didn't know, was that China had developed such a weapon.

Back at the main entrance of Meng's mansion, the Assassins and the Unlocked continued to discuss the strengths of the weapons.

"The Qilin's Horn is a killing machine. It is made up of Prime Almetal but rumor has it that the recent version should be equipped with a stronger metal."

"Supra-Prime Almetal? Impossible. Even my father can't create that." Arthur frowned.

"Whether or not that is true, we do not know. As for its traits, the Horn is not launched like a regular missile but it could be likened to a robot that has been assigned a path. It has the capacity of moving from one point to another and kill everything and anything in an assigned path."

"So if it can kill everything, just how fast is it?" Lander immediately asked.

"It's faster than a Jet-Powered Exoskeleton."

"What? How can it kill everything with certainty if it moves at that speed?"

"The secret of the Qilin's Horn is that it is equipped with the secret technologies that other countries have."

Lander was shocked at the revelation. Even Australia wouldn't dare steal or imitate another country's Technological Possibilities. The existence of a weapon that has two Technological Possibilities could lead to another Continental War, yet this weapon has more than two.

"That's crazy! You could start a World War with that weapon! If the World Governing Powers find out-"

"If they find out. The Qilin's Horn is designed to kill everything deemed as an enemy within an area. Once launched, it is assumed that there are no survivors. This way, no one can find out the existence of this weapon."

"But it can be detected!" Lander argued.

"It has a cloaking technology similar to the SPU's tech and is even equipped with Russia's Distortion fields. It uses weapons that are virtually untraceable, America's Miscellaneous Molecule Bullets. And therefore it will have easily over a million bullets at its disposal. Combine it with our Rail Technology, it can accurately shoot down Jet-Powered Exoskeleton's traveling at full speed and its attacks can penetrate through Shield Armors."

Lander was shocked at hearing the description of the weapon.

"Which direction can it shoot?" Arthur asked.

"The entire rocket can shoot in every direction. The Molecule bullets are fired through the small pores all over the rocket and as it is shot out, it forces bonds with the atoms in the air and creates larger bullets."

Suddenly, several figures were walking out the broken down main door leading to the mansion.

"Arthy!" Meryl smiled as she called out.

"Good. Your fight finished earlier. I assume you know what's coming?" Arthur asked.

"Yes. You owe us for not telling us that Zeek's back." Lynd complained.

"You must be Typical." Arthur ignored Lynd and turned to Typical.

"How strong are your needles? Can it pierce through Almetals?" Arthur immediately asked.

Typical gave a curious look at Arthur surprised that Arthur was well-learned of the skills which he had been keeping a secret all of his life.

"No. Almetal's made of a different molecular composition. Even my needles can't pierce through it."

"Our parents?" Meryl immediately interrupted.

"Kristine already picked them up and they should be rushing off the safe zone of this place."

"I doubt our shelter can hold." Typical shook his head.

"The Qilin's Horn was designed to be able to penetrate and dig through rubble and tons of metal at a terrifyingly dangerous pace."

"Africa's Impact tech?"

"Yes. Combined with Pangean Eradication, it can dig through the Earth at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour. Unless the shelter is made up of Pure Almetal then that weapon can't be stopped. Our walls may have been a stone-Almetal hybrid but it won't hold from the attack."

Everyone had a grave look in their eyes.

"How do we stop it?"

"The weapon must have a blind spot," Lowengren suggested.

"I just explained how it can shoot in every direction." One frowned.

"No. It has a blind spot. It's boosters. The tail is its blind spot. If we can get there we should be able to ready an attack." Typical suggested.

"But Young Master… the rocket uses our Rail Technology to navigate it. We won't be able to get to its tail! In fact, that device is designed to always protect the booster!"

"You can't. We can." Typical voiced out confidently.

"I can also cover those pores with my needles. Molecule bullets are weak if it doesn't leave their port and bond with the molecules outside. I could cover up several if I'm close enough. Meryl can use that same attack and shoot down its tail. Unless that attack can easily obliterate the weapon?"

Arthur's gave a curious look at Meryl. Meryl gave a teasing smile but shook her head.

"It's not that strong yet."

"Has your Path evolved further? Never mind. No time. Lynd, Meryl, Typical and I will attack it. The rest will act as a decoy. Group together and defend yourself from the attacks. Use all your skills and technology to block the attack. Lowengren, use the net lighting to disrupt the attack. If it uses Rail Technology, then let's hope lightning rod technology can disrupt it."

BOOM!

A loud sound was heard from afar.

"It's coming." One clenched his sword tight.

The group suddenly made their formation. Out in the front, stood One, Specter, Strike and Lander. The rest stood at the back.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt raced from one of the buildings outside of Meng's mansion and struck the skies above Arthur and his team.

A large metal pillar appeared. It was floating in the air as electrical charges kept charging it.

"Launch your strongest attack, Meryl!" Arthur cried in alarm as he dashed towards it. The moment Arthur saw it, he gave up the full list of plans that they had made and acted on his own.

The others were stunned at Arthur's change of plans. 

It was then that they noticed it. This Qilin's Horn had no boosters. It was a simple metal pillar that for some reason was capable of hovering and moving. They were wrong. They were so wrong. This weapon far exceeded their expectations.

The electric charges around the large pillar started to gather and then it was released.

Typical immediately attacked and created several needles that blocked the small pores around it but a strange shockwave tore his needles apart.

A continuous blast of electricity continued to rage and counter the lightning net that Lowengren activated.

Lynd rushed forward as fast as he could, but the rounds of attacks the Horn launched back were too many for Lynd to evade.

Arthur was unable to even move when he was shut down. The bullets shot at him causing Arthur to be thrown back by several meters.

Meryl immediately attacked as a fiery light rushed forward from her chest. Yet the Horn repositioned itself to another location where a trace of lightning once lingered. The fire blast missed and the rounds of molecule bullets struck Meryl down.

The Assassins and Lander couldn't even do anything and the rounds of molecule bullets struck them.

The light bluish lights which guided the molecule bullets through rail technology could be seen piercing everyone.

In a span of three seconds, Arthur and his team were all shot down.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The thunderous attacks continued. After a split second, the metal weapon stood in victory over the lying bodies of the Assassins and the Unlocked. Without wasting another second, a trace of a lightning shot towards another corner of the mansion and the metal disappeared from where it stood and reappeared to the side of the mansion. It continued to unleash the torrential attacks on all those in the area. It moved from one part of the base to the next utilizing a blindingly fast lightning technology.

After shooting and confirming the deaths of everyone above ground, the large horn started to drill its way underground and moved quickly through the levels shooting any survivors.

It caught up with Kristine and the Alean who were protecting the others and shot them down as well.

The Qilin's Horn had zoomed to and fro the upper areas before drilling down to attack those underground.

Soon the sound of the attacks and the penetrating sound of Qilin's Horn diving underground could no longer be heard.

Finally, the Horn reached the underground level. The stone and almost metallic walls were full of cracks and had shown signs of breaking.

"Those sure are terrifying sounds out there…" Richie frowned as he gazed towards the approaching weapon.

"Just play along. The moment I heard that crackle of lightning, I knew it was over." Seeker sighed.

Meng was sitting down at the corner and counting his last moments. It seemed strange that his captors ignored him almost immediately.

The Horn finally drilled its way towards the large, broken down room where Meng resided.

Bullets were immediately fired and the two were shotdown almost immediately. Meng also received several of the bullets and fell back.

"ALL TARGETS ELIMINATED. COMPLETING VIDEO TRANSMISSION." A report was sent to Pridgeon and the weapon finally shut itself down.

There was silence for a few seconds.

Suddenly a crackle of lightning once more surfaced from the Qilin's Horn.

The bolts of lightning were endless but instead of spreading randomly, it focused on a single point.

A figure started to manifest itself from the lightning crackles.

It was made of pure electricity and slowly started to create something.

"Flashes of Lightning and Peals of Thunder. The last time I saw you two together was during the Rapture." Seeker laughed as he started to get up. He continued coughing as the bullets struck him in the chest. Strange energy was contained in the bullet that attacked them. It stopped their heartbeat but then strange energy left them refreshed and stronger.

Meng and Richie finally opened their eyes and stopped pretending. Both had a very strange look on their faces.

The two were also recovering from the damages of the previous sight. Meng had already begun the recovery in his heart and was no longer in critical condition.

Being monsters of their own right, they could easily expect the unexpected. But what they witnessed defied their expectations.

"Zeek. I get why you were confident that none of us will die now… but… explain what exactly am I looking at…" Richie laughed.

The lightning continued to gather and slowly started forming a figure. Soon flesh, bones, and blood started appearing in the midst of the concentrated lightning.

Meng and Richie stood in awe at the sight. A human being was being formed out of the crackle of lightings.

"Zeek?" Richie called out once more.

Seeker was also stunned by what he saw. Although they were already allies, Seeker had allowed only agreed to reveal the most minimum information about the Unlocking. But it seems that the mad scientist had gone a step further to secretly research everyone.

"He is another peer of yours, Richie. Another Element in the Seventh Trumpet Blast."

"Then going by that verse, he should be Flashes of Lightning. But how the hell is he doing this?"

"The Unlocking can allow a person to change their cells to a molecular level. Theoretically, you can change it to a different state… but that would simply be suicide."

The form of a man started to finally take shape amidst the lightning.

"After all, if you don't understand biology, physics, chemistry, and other sciences, if you make an iota of error when you command your cells to change, you could die. So although this theory is possible, its actually impossible. And what this guy is doing is something harder to fathom or explain. After all, while he became lightning, he also communicated with the Qilin's Horn and gave the orders to fake-kill us. This is a true Overcomer. We are nothing but foreshadows in front of him. Thank God he's on our side."

A figure of a naked middle-aged man started to appear. His appearance was similar to Arthur but had a deeper eye and silver-white hair. Slowly the crackling lighting around him started turning into clothes.

"Can you send forth lightnings that they may go And say to you, 'Here we are'?" Seeker laughed as he quoted a familiar passage that many in his future memorized by heart.

The remaining lightning slowly formed a pair of glasses that fit perfectly on the middle-aged man's face.

"Now what brings you here, Lennox?" Seeker laughed.

Lennox finally appeared in his complete form. A callous expression was worn but a hint of urgency could be seen in his eyes.

"Casual Carlean. You've messed up this time. She's coming." Lennox frowned as a grave look in his eyes surfaced.

Seeker's mind went blank at those words. Whenever the Overcomer's in his future would say this, it would only mean one thing.

"What?" Seeker wondered. Was this the same thing? Because if it was, then there was a chance that they all would be wiped out.

"I couldn't stop her. She's headed this way."

Seeker's body visually trembled. His worst fear was confirmed.

This reaction surprised both Richie and Meng. In all the horrors that Meng had displayed, it did not give off the same reaction that Seeker now had. Especially now, that Seeker had the mindset of an Overcomer.

"Richie, Meng. We have to fight together. If Lennox can't stop her then she must also be a genuine Overcomer like Lennox. Forget about revenge, for now, Richie. Survival takes priority." Seeker announced with dread.

An expression of fear and anger surfaced in Richie's face. Was he going to live the nightmare he once faced?

"Who is coming?" Meng finally asked.

Seeker was clenching his sword as he tried to resist the unconscious shivers that his body gave. Although he was on Overcomer, the memories he still had in his past life was engraved so deep within him that he unconsciously carried over the fear of his present life.

She was the most terrifying among all Overcomers.

"The Rider of Red Horse. The Tyrant Empress."