The Achievement Junkie

Chapter 736  Bonus Quest: Devastation

Both invisible men sped through the open corridors. Sterfen was the first to arrive at his destination, rushing into the lab floor without any trouble. Not a moment was wasted while Sterfen scanned over the various machines to find his target.

After passing through a room will with microscopes and test tubes, Sterfen stopped at the whiteboards filled with chicken-scratch notes.

'... Nothing new…' sighed Sterfen.

Perchet quickly responded, 'Alright. Skaryn?'

'Just a moment…' replied Skayrn.

Despite his speed, he failed to fully inspect Nearon's quarters before the master of the base had returned. Skaryn spied from the side as Nearon casually entered and passed him by.

But Skaryn was completely calm. His breathing hadn't changed. He merely shifted his attention to the master of the base and what seemed most important to Nearon. At first, it was as expected with Nearon removing his coat and preparing a meditation cushion. Yet that gave Skaryn an idea.

'Perchet, how much longer should Jack be able to stall?' Skaryn asked.

'I'd guess a few minutes. Eventually, he'll be forced to act.'

Nodding, Skaryn grinned slightly. 'Let me know if something changes.'

Nearon only took a few moments to secure the door, change into more relaxing clothes, and take a seat on his cushion. By the time a minute had passed, Nearon was already beginning his breathing exercises to clear his mind.

Skaryn didn't wait any longer, slowly approaching the silent man. He gently but swiftly squatted at Nearon's side to test the man's awareness. Another few seconds passed and Skaryn decided to try his plan.

The moment Nearon seemed relaxed enough, Skaryn gingerly reached out for the man's hand. His fingers halted and hovered over Nearon's ring for a split second but soon touched down on the metal band. Smiling wider with each passing second, Skaryn finally showed an expression of excitement on his face.

'I've got everything we can possibly find.'

'Good, now get out.' Perchet needed no response from either spy before informing their inside man. 'Jack, you're ready to go.'

"OKAY!!!"

Staying his hand, Burja chuckled menacingly, "Oh? So you're finally willing to talk? Is that all the willpower you have?"

"Yes…" sighed Jack, disappointedly shaking his head. "I can't… take any more of this…"

"Hmm… And I was hoping to have some fun with you. But I suppose all of you lively ones are only bark and no bite." Shrugging, Burja leaned in close while keeping the electricity around his palms. "Now speak! Over I'll consider ripping off a limb."

"Fine, fine! But give me a moment to breathe…"

The interrogator snickered but allowed his captive a moment to regather himself. His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and child-like excitement to extract every bit of knowledge from his new plaything. Burja was in no rush to break the man, not without savoring the captive's despair first.

Jack took in one long breath, one obviously longer than necessary. But Burja waited eagerly and asked nothing of the guards either. At least, not until he saw Jack's pained expression become a jeering grin.

"LEEEEEERRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOYYYY JEEEEEEENNNNKKKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNSSS!!!"

There was one other thing Burja noticed as Jack shouted. Suddenly, faint spatial energy washed over Jack, fading fast. But as the energy vanished, a set of metal, battle plate armor surrounded Jack's restrained body, covered in toxic green runes. With no time left, Burja couldn't even blink in shock at the lack of storage items on the captive. Before his eyelid could wipe across Burja's eye, that unknown armor exploded along with Jack's body.

The ensuing shockwave pulverized the guards on standby. It decimated the cell and hallowed out the massive building. Burja survived the shockwave, but only barely. And that wasn't even the worst part of the explosion. It was the following wave of raw, cosmic energy that burned everything that survived the shockwave, reducing the entire main facility to half-evaporated, molten slag.

"REPOOOOORRRRT!!!"

A single shout followed after the violent explosion, immediately crossing the entire base. "ALL SURVIVORS! RETREAT TO THE WALLS!"

Finally taking a deep breath to help refocus himself, Commander Jirah relaxed his clenched, outstretched arms and dropped his energy barrier. He sighed and grimaced at the demolished building. The fast-acting commander didn't listen to his own advice as he dashed toward the center of the explosion.

Those at the outskirts of the building mostly survived, though with injuries galore. All guards rushed away from the explosion site. They let their superiors worry about the danger, accepting the chance to best guarantee their safety.

Jirah wasn't the only commander rushing to the source of the explosion. Half a dozen commanders had ventured into the remains.

"FOOLS!!!" Another familiar voice echoed, stopping all commanders in their tracks. "GET BACK! DON'T BREATHE IN THE SMOKE!!!"

It was Master Nearon's exclamation that helped the commanders shake off the last of their shocked feelings. They instantly felt the pain of hundreds of needles piercing the inside of their nasal cavities. Everyone capable among the remains immediately retreated from the green smoke.

"COMMANDERS! Search the facility for anyone you don't recognize and kill them on the spot! MEN! Bring gas masks and search for survivors!"

"Wow. You're a lot calmer than I expected."

"... Thanks… I guess…" Nearon felt his saliva catch in his throat, forcing him to blink and turn his attention away from the chaos. "So, this isn't just a bombing?"

"Nope."

With a quick scan of his surrounding area, Nearon sought out the man he was talking to. "Another raid? Like the others?"

"Yup."

"... Alright. Then I'll make sure to respect my enemy properly," whispered Nearon. Breathing in through his nostrils, Nearon showed no concern for the poison stagnating the air. "Can I ask for my opponent's name?"

"Ha, ha! Look up!" That void shouted and alerted the entire facility, causing all heads to turn.

Suddenly, something streaked through the sky and fell into the expanding, poisonous mists. It was black and purple. It was at least five meters tall. It had both fur and draconic wings. But no one was able to get a good look. Nearon only recognized the intruder after they had crashed into the ground, forming a crater large enough to fight in.

"... You're… Oli? …"