Ch 383: Hell

"I wish we could stay like this for a long, long time." sighed Xiao Qi.

They were riding on Noah's horse, him sitting just behind her, as they were making their way toward Vermillion Bird City. Xi Ling was flying around, grinding monsters, and Little Grey was running beside the horse.

"It's not like you don't see me in your sleep every day, and we often make it last a lot longer than normal." snorted Noah. "We can do a lot more horse riding tonight if you wish, but I'm guessing you'd rather be riding something else."

"You jerk!" giggled Xiao Qi. "Riding you isn't something I can do for long. But I'm increasing my Endurance, a little more every day! Eventually, we'll do it as long as I want!"

"You little succubus." smiled Noah. "A good thing you can't drain me dry… Did you have any more episodes since you signed a contract with me?"

"Yes." frowned Xiao Qi. "Once every two or three days, actually, but I can use Purge to evacuate the excess heat as soon as it starts, so I feel better overall. I think my improved body is stimulating my bloodline in some way. I also understand it a bit better, thanks to Greater Healing."

"The ice baths before were actually a problem. They helped me cool down before the burns became dangerous, but they also stimulated my bloodline in response to the cold. That's why episodes were growing more frequent."

"I see." nodded Noah. "Let's hope my friend's advice to take you to Vermillion Bird City will be a more satisfying solution."

"Yes. We're still about… half a day away?" frowned Xiao Qi. Unlike Noah, she didn't have a map of the Forgotten Continent's Southern region.

"This is about right." nodded Noah. "And the level of the surrounding monsters is steadily climbing. We're leaving the newbie region around Azure Dragon City and entering a mid-level one, it seems."

…

By the time they reached Vermillion Bird City, Noah's hopes for good Lvl 60+ monsters to grind were dashed. The monster's general levels had instead decreased when they came close to the city, plateauing at around Lvl 40.

He supposed that made sense, and that he would have to get well away from cities and roads to maximize his grind.

Vermillion Bird City was quite beautiful, with its buildings made of a reddish-brown stone, and an architecture style that was less majestic and imposing than Azure Dragon City, but more refined. They were relatively few Players in the city, as not everyone was ready to do over a day of travel by horse just yet.

Noah and Xiao Qi stopped at a merchant to buy some teleportation scrolls, then entered the city's main plaza. On the southern side stood a huge building reminding him of a Greek temple, surrounded by huge red and yellow crystals that seemed to glow with inner fire.

When they stood in front of it, they could feel intense heat coming from the Vermillion Bird's temple, like someone had just opened an oven.

"Alright, let's go meet the Vermillion Bird." smiled Noah. Xi Ling landed near him and transformed into her human form.

They entered the temple. To his surprise, there were no human NPCs in sight. But the Vermillion Bird must be present deeper in the temple, as Noah was starting to feel an oppressive aura reminding him of Tao Tie and the War Demon Beast.

"That's…" gulped Xiao Qi as her steps faltered. "How strong is the Vermillion Bird? If it wants to kill us, do we even have a chance?"

"Honestly, if he does, we'll probably end up dead." shrugged Noah. "We'll just have to deal with it. And look at the bright side, we both mostly wear Gold-Grade equipment, so we won't end up seen naked at the resurrection hall."

"I forgot about that risk." giggled Xiao Qi. "Alright, let's go meet the Vermillion Bird."

"Actually, Gold-Grade equipment only survived Xi Ling's Destruction Element because she's stuck at the Celestial Grade." snorted Qi Yue. "But the Vermillion Bird's flames have a Purification Effect, not a Destructive one like those of the Golden Crow and, to a lesser extent, the Phoenix. And that bird has a rather peaceful temperament. It shouldn't attack you, or I wouldn't have suggested for you to meet her so early."

"I'm glad to hear it." nodded Noah.

They arrived in front of a large door, and Noah politely knocked on the door twice, waited three seconds, then pushed them open.

Instead of a room, the doors opened to a circular courtyard, around sixty meters in radius, and surrounded with engraved stone columns. On the far side was a raised dais made of the same glowing crystals Noah had seen outside the temple, and a majestic, giant red bird rested on it. The tips of its tail's red feathers was glowing yellow, as it they were burning.

It, or rather she, decided Noah after Qi Yue gave him her gender, looked at them with black eyes betraying a deep intelligence. Noah used Scan on her.

[Vermillion Bird]: Type: Ancient Mythical Beast, Grade: Mysterious God, Level: ????, other information cannot be detected.

Noah, followed by Xi Ling, Little Grey and Xiao Qi, slowly walked forward, stopped twenty meters from the dais, and made a polite bow.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Noah, and my companions are Xiao Qi, Xi Ling, and Little Grey. I hope you are not offended by our visit."

"I am not." nodded the Vermillion Bird, her melodious voice resonating in their heads. "I was waiting for you, the one fated to save our world. Someone from the Heaven Secrets Sect came a few days ago and warned me of your visit."

"I see." nodded Noah. The possibility that those guys might know about the Lunar Scourge didn't sit well with him, but at least, they seemed to be helping him. "I will have to thank them later for their assistance."

The Vermillion bird nodded, and its eyes shifted to Noah's companions.

"One with a variant of the Golden Crow's bloodline, the other with the Phoenix bloodline. And the descendant of the Holy Spirit. Those are quite the unique companions you have collected."

"What can I say?" shrugged Noah. "It seems that fate has something special in mind for me and arranged for those fortunate encounters. But Xiao Qi has issues related to her bloodline that are harming her, and I was told you might be able to help."

"I can, for both of them." nodded the Vermillion Bird.

"Me too?" exclaimed Xi Ling in surprise.

"If you agree to stay with me for a while, I will help you unlock that part of potential that still remains untapped. You will lose some levels but reach the Mysterious God Grade."

"…Oh! I…" started XI Ling before hesitantly looking at Noah.

"…I think it would be a great opportunity, Xi Ling." nodded Noah. "Something like this doesn't come often. I'll miss you, but I also am strong enough to survive, so you don't have to worry about me."

Xi Ling hesitated another second before nodding and turning to the Vermillion Bird.

"Thank you. I will be grateful for your help."

The giant bird nodded and looked at Xiao Qi, who cleared her throat.

"Ah, great Vermillion Bird, I do not understand. I am a Player, someone who uses a fake body to enter this world. How could you possibly help me with my bloodline, while my real body is back on my own world?"

"A true bloodline isn't only a blood inheritance, descendant of the Phoenix." replied the Vermillion bird with amusement. "It is, first and foremost, a special characteristic of the Soul. Your Soul is currently linked to the body in front of me, and that is enough. If you stay with me for a few weeks, I will help you obtain greater control. You will not be injured by your own power anymore, and I will teach you how to manifest it, both here and in your own world."

"That would be so great!" exclaimed Xiao Qi. "Is this also something I could one day teach to my own children?"

She wasn't sure why she had just blurted out that question, as she didn't expect the Vermillion Bird's teachings to actually help her, but to humor Noah, she was willing to give it a try.

"Yes, you will." nodded the Vermillion Bird. "Now, Fated One, you should go visit the White Tiger in White Tiger City, on the Eastern part of the Continent. The Heaven Secret Sect visited him, too, and he possesses something you will find useful."

"I understand." replied Noah. "I will pay him a visit very soon. Thank you very much for your help. Is there anything I can do to show my gratitude?"

"Saving this world should be enough." snorted the Vermillion Bird.

Noah nodded and stepped closer to Xiao Qi to hug her tightly.

"Good luck, Qi Qi." said Noah with a soft voice. "We'll see each other tonight."

"Yes." quietly nodded Xiao Qi. "Now leave, I'm not good with goodbyes."

Noah nodded and hugged Xi Ling next.

"I'll miss you, Xi Ling."

"I'll miss you a lot as well. It is for the best, Big Brother." bravely smiled Xi Ling.

…

Noah left Vermillion Bird City, opened his map, and rode north-east, in the direction of White Tiger City. Little Grey was running beside his horse, and they only stopped to kill a few monsters here and there and check what rewards Little Grey could generate by absorbing their corpses.

After a while, Noah frowned.

"Qi Yue, I have a couple of questions regarding Mystic Moon, and I hope you'll answer me."

"What do you want to know?" replied Qi Yue.

"The previous Shura became the Lunar Scourge's puppet, was defeated by the three Moon Goddesses, and the Lunar Scourge was next shattered, its main body and Orbs hidden in various places. Yet, from what you told me, the Moon Goddesses are really weak compared to the power someone with the full Lunar Scourge should reach. So how could they defeat the Shura?"

"There is a huge difference between someone possessed by the Lunar Scourge, and someone able to fully use it." replied Qi Yue. "The previous Shura couldn't summon the Lunar Scourge's Divine Armor and the Lunar Scourge's Divine Spear. And the Three Moon Goddesses weren't fighting him alone. They had the help of the Eight-Winged Divine Tiger, the strongest Saint-Destroyer Beast, and the Heavens were constantly raining down lightning at the Shura. That lightning is what did most of the work."

"…I see." nodded Noah. "I guess I'll have to try to increase my resistance to lightning as much as possible. A good thing I can craft great gear."

"And your second question?"

"It's about the way an item in a VR game will help me fight the Mad Scientist and your Sister in the real world. Isn't it time you told me how that actually works?"

"…You already have the clues to find the explanation." sighed Qi Yue. "You just didn't pay enough attention. Let's see if you can connect the dots before you complete the Lunar Scourge. If you don't, I will tell you then."

Noah bit down a retort and sighed. After getting the truth out of her about her sister and Qi Xing's genocidal plan, he didn't see why Qi Yue was still trying to act all mysterious on the little details. But he supposed that was for the best. Having something to ponder about would be good for stimulating his brain, and he could multi-task well enough that it wouldn't cause him to be distracted at the wrong time.

…

An hour later, Noah still hadn't found the answer, when he heard someone shouting in the ears of his real body.

"My Lord! There's an emergency! Eve and Ruo Ruo are in danger!"

Noah cursed as he immediately logged off.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Noah jumped to his feet. Liliana was there, dressed in a black latex nurse uniform, and she didn't waste time.

"Bing Yao asked Ruo Ruo for help. Eve and her friends are attacked by one man, and he's too strong for them. Ruo Ruo immediately teleported to Bing Yao to help."

"I'm going." nodded Noah, feeling like his heart was gripped with an icy hand.

The only man that even Eve couldn't deal with had to be the Mad Scientist, and he wasn't ready for that fight!

But ready or not, there was no way he was going to abandon his women. Noah gritted his teeth and teleported to Eve.

He found himself in a park at night, illuminated both by distant streetlights, and a few trees that were burning. A line of skyscrapers could be seen beyond the treetops, making Noah suspect this was Central Park in New York.

Shuiruo, her face tight with focus and anger, was using a spear and two Light Swords to keep at bay a tall, well-built man with a tanned skin and short black hair. The tip of her spear was moving at supersonic speed, and yet, the man was evading her attacks with apparent ease.

Eve, a dagger in each hand, nodded to him once before she silently rushed to take the man's back, using the shadows to cover her approach as much as possible. But when she got within two meters of him, the man barked a short laugh, threw his right arm backward at an angle that should have dislocated his shoulder, and a wave of compressed air burst from his right palm, impacting Eve like she had just run into a wall, and the wall had won.

A little farther away, Bing Yao, her face pale, and a nasty wound on her stomach, was being carried away by the twins, Qian Mo and Yao Ying.

Noah immediately activated Augment and took from his inventory the shield and sword Scathach had deemed suited him best. The shield was coffin-shaped, its sharp edges on the lower half and narrow shape making it suited for both offense and defense. The sword was the size of a longsword, straight and double-edged.

Scathach had suggested for Noah to use an even bigger sword like a Zweihander later, to exploit his great strength, but only after he learned to manipulate inertia like Seifuku did to cancel the loss of speed inherent to using a huge sword compared to a lighter one.

Noah used Flicker to appear on the man's right side and tried to bash him away with his shield. The man, who obviously had seen Shuiruo use it before, was fast enough to throw a punch at Noah's shield.

To Noah's surprise, the man was also strong enough to stop his shield bash.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Noah, making the man snort in amusement.

"I am Hell. And I came for those traitorous disciples of mine. Don't butt in, or I will end you."

The man, who still had his fist pressed against Noah's shield, opened his hand, showing his palm, and Noah instantly shifted his footing as he understood what was about to happen.

The same blast of compressed air impacted his shield, and Noah braced himself as he angled the shield slightly upward. He was still pushed three meters away, his feet drawing shallow trenches on the beaten dirt part.

The man raised an eyebrow for an instant, surprised that Noah hadn't just been blown away like Eve.

Noah glanced at Shuiruo for a brief instant.

"Who is this guy?" asked Noah.

"I don't know for sure, but it seems his name really is Hell, and he called Sister Bing Yao his daughter. And Bing Yao and Eve had killed him once."

"He should be dead. I slit his throat!" gasped Eve as she took a combat stance again, standing three meters from Hell and on his flank. But the last hit had left her winded. "He's the one who kidnapped us and brought us to the Mad Scientist!"

"Yes, you slit my throat." smirked Hell. "And that you managed it makes me quite proud. You really were my best disciple."

Noah felt intense disgust at him. This man had apparently sent Bing Yao, his own daughter, into the Mad Scientist's clutches. How much of a complete psycho was he?

Hell's smirk left place to an intense coldness. As he glanced at Bing Yao, Yao Ying, Qian Mo and Eve.

"But you feral dogs dared to bare your fangs at your master! So I will put you down."

"How did you survive?!" exclaimed Eve.

"Oh, you very nearly killed me." smiled Hell. "But you should have beheaded me properly! I used a meditation technique to slow my blood flow and put myself in hibernation, and the Mad Scientist found me. He gave me a new body, one much better than my previous one. My skin is tougher than your daggers' blades, but try to resist as much as you want! I want you to feel despair."

Besides Shuiruo appeared five more people. Seifuku, Rin, Luo Hao, Erica and Liliana. Seifuku and Luo Hao crossed their arms, quietly conveying their intent to watch only. Rin, Erica and Liliana held their weapons in hand, ready to act if Noah requested it.

Hell glanced at their latex nurse outfits, respectively white and black, and snorted.

"Did I interrupt something?"

The girls shifted their postures slightly in embarrassment but didn't lose their focus.

"So a trashy father like you survived because they didn't behead you. You can be assured that I won't make the same mistake." nodded Noah. "Eve, I assume you and Bing Yao won't mind if I kill him?"

"Yes, please help us." nodded Eve. "But be careful. He already was the world's strongest killer before whatever the Mad Scientist did to him."

Noah nodded before propelling himself forward, deciding that unless the fight went badly, he wouldn't use any of his trump cards like Boost, Divide or Hole. There was always the chance that the Mad Scientist might be observing.

Noah lowered his center of gravity, quickly glanced to Hell's left side, and used Flicker again. Hell hadn't missed the slight shift in Noah's eyes and instantly punched left... Only to hurriedly raise his folded right arm and shoulder to guard his neck as Noah had reappeared to his right.

Noah hadn't aimed at the neck, but at Hell's left flank just above his hips, and he felt an abnormal amount of resistance as Hell was pushed to steps to the side by the impact.

His sword, that could easily slice through a thick layer of steel, had dug into Hell's clothes without resistance but barely managed to cause a scratch on Hell's skin.

"I almost felt it." laughed Hell before pointing an index at Noah. The tip opened, and Noah created several layers of Light Shields between himself and Hell. Light Shields much more potent than those he could create before doing his solitary training and reaching his MAG attribute cap.

From the hole in Hell's index came a red beam of light. It crashed against Noah's first shield, depleting most of it, but the shield held.

Hell frowned before going on the offensive with his fists and kicks, jumping at Noah on a trajectory so flat it seemed to violate physics.

Noah recognized Eve's unarmed fighting style, but Hell's movements were sharper and much faster.

Still, Noah was using his real body this time, and his speed gave him a clear advantage. Hell couldn't breach his defense.

Noah smiled coldly as he decided to put a stop to it. For a while now, Noah had learned how to infuse his Ki into his weapons, and with Luo Hao's help and a lot of experimentation, they had both refined their technique.

The sword Noah had created possessed miniature channels and grooves running through its body, specifically designed to guide Ki toward the edges of the blade. The same held true for his shield.

And with the quality of Noah's crafts, his sword and his shield could take on a lot of Ki.

Noah circulated large amounts of Ki inside his sword, following a pattern not unlike the Dark Knights arts Rin had taught him, making the grooves and edges glow with a bright orange light, and went on the offensive.

Hell possessed extensive combat experience. He could start evading or attacking by observing Noah's eyes and shoulders, or by reading his killing intent, and his body allowed him to react and move much faster than the average human.

But Noah had considerably more. His Soul Shards had accumulated an obscene amount of hours sparring with Scathach, Okita, Maya, Jeanne Alter, and countless other experts.

So what if Hell could read killing intent or eye movements? Noah could easily suppress them or mix false clues amidst the real ones to create openings.

Hell didn't have time to react when what had started as a slash to left arm suddenly changed direction and hit his right knee, penetrating the skin, metallic fibers underneath, and biting into the hard metal bones underneath.

His expression instantly turned to fury, and he tried to counterattack by raising his left hand and aiming the outer side of his forearm toward Noah.

Noah was using Promise and could "see" the inside of Hell's body. He had already noticed the concealed weapons embedded inside that forearm.

Forty black darts burst from forty two-centimeter-deep holes at supersonic speed, tearing to shreds the sleeve that had concealed them, only to impact uselessly against the shield Noah had raised at the last instant.

Noah retaliated with a slash toward Hell's head, making him violently lean backward, but his compromised balance made him unable to avoid a thrust of Noah's shield into his right thigh. The sharp, ki-infused edge severed more metallic fibers, reducing Hell's mobility and ability to maintain his balance.

From there, it only took mere seconds.

Hell attempted to use more hidden weapons, including lasers in his eyes, tried more surprise moves using joint movements a human body couldn't replicate, but Noah instantly countered them all, punishing each of Hell's attacks with another deep gash, another reduction in Hell's ability to fight.

When Hell's ruined synthetic muscles on his arms and shoulders stopped him from raising his arms anymore, Noah used Light Blocks around his chest to pin him in position, and beheaded him cleanly.

Noah took both the head and the body in his inventory, to make sure the Mad Scientist wouldn't somehow revive him. He would dump them into a Hole later.

Although he couldn't quite rule out the possibility that Hell could have uploaded his consciousness into another body at the last moment, or that the Mad Scientist might have made copies.

Noah looked around, although that wasn't really necessary with Promise. Shuiruo already had healed Bing Yao.

Qian Mo and Yao Ying were staring at him with a mix of gratitude and admiration.

Bing Yao had a complicated expression, which was to be expected since her abusive dead father had returned from the dead, only to die again, but he didn't feel any hostility form her.

"I don't see any other enemy." said Noah to Eve. "Was he alone?"

Eve shook herself and nodded. "Yes, he was alone. Thank you, Noah. You just saved us."

"…The danger isn't quite over yet." sighed Noah. "The Mad Scientist must know your location, and I'd rather not be there when he comes looking. I'm not ready for that fight quite yet. I'll bring you all to that place for now, and we can discuss the future later."

The girls nodded, and Noah transferred them into his Sanctuary.

He immediately teleported back to the Dorm, took his smartphone, and called Director Anjou.

"Hello, Principal. I apologize for calling at this late hour."

"This is fine. I assume you have a good reason to call." replied Anjou. Noah didn't detect any traces of sleep in his voice.

"I wish to know if you would be willing to enlist a bunch of new students. Forty-eight of them, to be accurate, about fifteen men and thirty-three women."

"That many? And if they aren't all women, I assume this is different from you adding to your harem."

"This is different, Principal. Their leader is rather famous, I would say. A young woman with long, vibrant red hair."

"Eve? The Eve?" exclaimed Anjou, sounding eager.

"Yes. And her companions, who are all very skilled martial artists. I haven't asked them yet. I first want to know if you are open to the idea."

"What is the reason behind this?" asked Anjou as he calmed down.

"Me, Eve and her companions share a common enemy. A very strong one. That enemy just made a move on Eve and her closest friends, and their previous hideout is compromised... I'll be honest, if this enemy attacks the College, I am not sure my faction could stop him right now. That should change in the upcoming weeks, as we keep steadily growing stronger."

"…I understand." nodded Anjou. "I'll accept the risk. Eve and her friends are welcome, as long as they do not cause too much trouble with the other students."

"Thank you. I'll discuss your offer with them and keep you informed. Good night, Principal."

"Good night."

Noah entered his Sanctuary, just outside the living room where the girls were relaxing. Luo Hao was already talking with Eve about disciple this and disciple that, while Erica and Liliana were being asked about their outfits by the twins. Shuiruo was humming to herself as she served tea for everyone.

They all stopped and turned toward him.

"Eve, what do you think about you and your friends becoming students of Cassell College? I just talked to the Principal and he gave me the green light."

Eve frowned as she considered it.

"…It's more exposed than I'd like. We survived by staying in the shadows until now. And yet, Hell still found us, so maybe the College would be a better place… But when you said my friend, do you mean the five of us here, or…"

"All forty-eight of you." shrugged Noah. "If Hell and the Mad scientist could find you, I assume the others aren't safe either. The principal agreed."

"…Can Su Enxi come as well?" asked Eve. "The Mad Scientist may discover my relationship with her and target her."

"Sure." smiled Noah. "The Principal doesn't care when I add the occasional girl to my harem because the College grows stronger. I worst, I can use that as an excuse."

Eve's deadpan glare made clear that she didn't expect such an excuse to remain an excuse for long, and Noah fully agreed with her assessment!