Chapter 746: That’s Our Cue

Chapter 746: Chapter 746: That’s Our Cue

"Still nothing, huh? I really would’ve thought that he’d have made a move by now," I remarked warily.

"It looks like he’s steadily been building his forces. But we’ve constantly been one step behind, the handful of times where we’ve managed to detect him, there’s nothing but corpses left in those areas.

Although, over the last couple of weeks or so, it’s seemed like the area in which he’s been hunting Mutants has shrunk drastically. We might be able to narrow down his location and corner him before much longer," Responded Lachlan, sounding cautiously optimistic.

"Well, I guess that’s better than nothing, at least. Let me know if anything happens," I sighed, before hanging up.

"Gotta say, I’m surprised. While I haven’t really interacted with him, the couple of times I encountered him definitely gave me the impression that he isn’t exactly the patient type," Remarked Aria in bemusement.

"That’s certainly the vibe he gives off, but it seems he’s capable of exercising self-control when he wants to. He laid low for a fair amount of time in Sanctuary Alpha, before we cornered him and ended up helping him unlock his Hidden Skill.

And he’s been taking his time building his forces over the last two and a half months or so, while we still haven’t figured out a way to take him down when he finally makes his move," I responded grimly.

Today’s the 15th of July, 2172, around 5 PM or so. And a whole lot of nothing has happened since Leto got away. He’s managed to stay one step ahead of the HUC this whole time, the Teleporter he turned undead is probably a factor in that.

Tensions in the Sanctuaries have risen sharply, with curfews being enforced and increased security. Evacuation measures have been put into place and the people have been instructed to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.

As a result, everyone’s on edge now. Being put in a situation where they have to constantly be on high alert is definitely taking a toll. We don’t know when or where he’ll attack, nor do we know how strong his forces currently are.

"Worst case scenario, he could show up with an army of Catastrophe Level Mutants, that’d be an absolute nightmare. It might explain why he’s taking so long to make his move," Suggested Aria warily.

"Yeah, with the instant death effect of his Death Scythe, he wouldn’t need to actually fight them. If he manages to sneak up on them, all he’d need to do is land one hit and they’re dead," I nodded in response.

"Hm...do you think he has a Suppression Ring, though? It’d be impossible to sneak up a Mutant without one, wouldn’t it?" She pointed out thoughtfully.

"I’m not sure about that. His Mana is the inverse of regular Mana, after all, so Mutants might not react the same way to it," I mused uncertainly.

Normally, Mana is an energy with a positive life signature. But his is the opposite, his Mana embodies the energy of death. That could mean Mutants might react to it the opposite way that they react to human Mana.

If so, the question is, does opposite mean they run away from his Mana, or does it mean that they don’t even notice it? Hm, no, I’m making too many assumptions here, I could be on the wrong track entirely.

<If I’d had more time to analyze his Mana after he turned undead, I might have more info about it>

Yeah, he didn’t stick around for particularly long after his Hidden Skill unlocked.

"Well, anyway...what should do for the rest of the day? We’ve still got a couple of hours before dinner time, and I’m kinda bored," Aria sighed with a wry smile.

"I mean, we could just get stoned and put something on to watch," I suggested with a shrug.

"While that does sound good, I think we’ve been doing a bit too much of that lately," She pointed out sheepishly.

"Heh, yeah, fair enough. How about some training, then?"

"We already trained for two hours this morning. Really don’t want to get all sweaty again," She shook her head.

Yeah, I didn’t really feel like training either, it just happened to be the first thing that popped into my mind.

"Alright, then, how about...?" I trailed off suggestively, as I placed my arm around her shoulder and leaned in towards her.

"Mm...not a bad idea at all. But let’s save that for tonight," She replied, before giving me a soft kiss on the tip of my nose.

Hm, what else can we do to kill some time?

"Oh, how about-...?" I began, before trailing off as my I-Watch began ringing.

Hm? It’s Lachlan again. Could it be...?

"He’s made his move! He just launched an attack on Sanctuary Delta! We’ve alerted the other X-Aces too, we need all of you to get there immediately! Get ready as fast as possible, Miss Isla Hinger will be there shortly to pick you two up!" He exclaimed the instant I answered the call, before I could say anything in response.

"Got it," I responded, hopping off the couch and opening Treasury.

I generated copies of my and Aria’s sets of gear, before we quickly got changed and put on our armor.

"Any word on the numbers and strength of his forces?" Inquired Aria, as she fastened her gauntlets with a grimace.

"We don’t have an exact count yet, but hundreds. Three of which are Catastrophe Level Threats, a Dune Scorpion and two Omega Dragons. At least, among the ones he’s currently summoned and let loose in Sanctuary Delta. He may well have more up his sleeve."

"Alright, then. Unlike my Apostles, his undead forces can’t be brought back once destroyed...the fastest way to force him into a retreat might be to wipe out as many of his undead soldiers in as short a time as possible, and then kick his ass," I replied, Aria and I finishing getting ready, right as the doorbell suddenly rang a couple of times.

"Guess that’s our cue," Remarked Aria, cracking her knuckles with a grimace.

"Yeah. We’re off," I nodded, as we headed for the door.

"Best of luck, you two. We’re counting on you."