Limitless The Strongest Revenant

For some reason, Wil exuded energy when I asked him to stand in for Phillip. It was not until I started running an organization that I understood why CEOs and top executives got secretaries. When you have so many things to manage, it could be quite overwhelming.

'Why doesn't {compute} help me in that regard I wonder.'

[My lord, if you actually used some of the brains you have for tasks, you wouldn't even need a secretary. But since you use all of them to stalk your harem like an obsessed lunatic, the extra brain power was naturally rendered pointless.]

"..."

'Exa, I somehow feel that you are starting to get really snarky lately. What happened to my oh so kind and hardworking AI?'

[She probably died of a brain aneurysm trying to explain the nuances of Hellsgate to a five-year-old].

"Pfft...Hahahahahaha!"

"My lord?"

Finding Exa's jabs entertaining, I asked Wil to lead me into meeting room three.

As I entered the room, I immediately felt the presence of a Phantom. A handsome man in heavy armor stood up. He was dressed like a Knight from MMO RPGs. He wore heavy looking armor and looked like the type who could take a beating from a demon.

"Gareth Faesten, I presume."

"Yes, my lord. I am he."

'I am he? How old is this bastard? Reapers do not age, is this person like Isolde or something?'

"Let's skip the formalities. I know I kept you waiting. In the interest of time. Tell me what you need. Hellsend will be moving to the 24th floor in two days. What is the current situation?"

"My liege, the 24th tower is besieged by lizardkin. They are potent creatures of Rank D, working in cohorts. Each lizardkin towers over the common man, muscles bulging, granting them strength to subdue Wraiths and withstand blows from even Phantoms.

"We are in dire need of succor. Many zones lie forsaken. The Tier 1 zone linked to the 25th tier hath succumbed ere my departure. Of the defenders, 70% are unfit for battle. 'Tis a blessing that no soul hath perished thus far, yet they all languish ensnared within my fortress at this hour."

'Hmm, that was an impressive feat. Each floor has 24 zones, divided into 7 layers like a cake. It is amazing that despite losing the zones, no Reapers have died. I wonder why that is?'

Hellsgate Floor Partial.jpg

Experience tales with empire

[My lord, among the floors, those that are shared with other continents are usually housed by veterans. These people are used to overrun zones, so they are experts at bleeding the undead rather than defeating them completely. The 24th floor has almost fallen several times, but always manage to bounce back].

'How do they do that? Wouldn't the zones that fall become beachheads for the undead?'

[Yes, my lord. They do, but the undead are less of a problem in the 20+ floors. The main problem are the monsters that come up. They are what overwhelm the defenses. Usually, when the leaders of the monsters are killed, the rest scatter.]

'I see, it is like the idea of goblin kings in manga. The goblins are weak individually but come together when a leader is present. So, I guess if I can kill the lizard king, the rest should scatter?'

[Correct, my lord. These lead monsters are usually called Alphas. Once the Alpha has been dealt with, the undead alone cannot stop the veteran defenders. This dance has been repeated in Hellsgate for years.]

'I see, thank you Exa.'

"Where is the Alpha?"

Gareth's face softened considerably when I mentioned the term for the boss monsters.

"I perceive thou dost not readily credit hearsay. I arrived hither anticipating a Phantom besotted with his own might. Any soul acquainted with an Alpha hath surely delved deeply into knowledge.

"I am beholden to thee, my lord. Truly, I feared thou had forsaken us. When tidings arrived of the 24th tier passing into the hands of a new sovereign, our hearts were heavy with concern."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

'Whew. Thank you, Exa. I seem to have dodged a bullet.'

[I exist to support you, my lord. I am just doing my job.]

Somehow, I could feel Exa's happiness at my gratitude.

Gareth pulled out a paper scroll and spread it out on the table. The scroll itself looked very old, for one thing it was yellow-orange in color. How many years has it been since this thing was made?

The general manager then began to point around his archaic map and explain the situation.

"Mine castle, the final bastion, doth lie within zone 1244-1. Ere my arrival, 'twas proposed to bar the gates and bide our time 'gainst the foe. We possessed provisions sufficient for a month, yet our reserves of healing draughts were like to dwindle anon.

"The latest missive spoke of the Alpha traversing each fortress, tainting the very essence of soul crystals with its own hand. Though I fashioned mine castle to stand as the ultimate refuge, its endurance wanes sans reinforcement."

'Exa, how many reapers are there on the 24th floor?'

[My lord, there are a total of 200 reapers registered. Most of them are veteran defenders. If you include the non-support personnel present, there should only be 50 or so. For a total of 250]

"I see. Then this is fine. We will come for them as soon as we finish our preparations. Where is the warp entrance for the 24th floor?"

"'Tis but a stone's throw from zone 1247-1, lying just beyond its borders. A journey from the warp gate unto mine castle would consume nigh unto a week. Should we embark forthwith, we stand to arrive ere the Alpha completes his vile corruption of the neighboring crystals."

The more I listen to Garreth, the more I notice the tactics of the 24th floor. They even anticipated the Alpha's behavior and deliberately left the zones to waste it's time. Meanwhile, the defenders will hole up in the center of the zone and wait for support.

While their plan was good in that it reduced the number of casualties, the rating I would give their defense would be extremely poor. For one thing, they should only be focusing on one thing, preventing the defenses from being taken in the first place.

Granted, I could understand why they acted the way they did, using such tactics to keep their people alive. But it was too dependent on two external factors. First, that the forces beyond the 24th floor would not fall, and second, that a powerful force would be available to help them.

'They probably expect a Specter to be deployed. After the Specter finished off the Alpha, the defenders would begin the counterattack. By spreading the monsters all over the floor, the Alpha will have to disperse its forces to cover more ground.'

[Indeed, my lord. This would essentially be "pushing in too deep."]

'Yeah. Such tactics will have to change. If I am to live in this place, I cannot allow my land to be ravaged by monsters just because an Alpha bastard appears.'

Unconsciously, I had already begun to refer to the 24th floor as my land. My enemies were not limited to the monsters and undead. In two months, I would also have to deal with three separate Reaper invasions.

I felt I needed my most trusted allies right now, so I invoked my benevol in response.

"{Never Alone}."

The cufflinks transformed into armlets that protected my forearms. I then called to the women I loved most.

'My {Kindred}. I need you.'

"[Beacon]!"

At my words, seven {Portals} opened around the room. Wil and Gareth were surprised and visibly frightened. Gareth even drew a dagger and faced the portal closest to him.

"Stand down Gareth. These are my most trusted companions."

A second later, my battle harem in tactical gear emerged from the portal. They were all dressed in shades of black and gray. Each of their outfits had a design that followed the color of the rings I had given them.

"Sirens, time to work," I called with a smile.