Chapter 79: Man vs Nuke
The city crumbled behind them.
Basil and to jumped from one Parisian buildings roof to the next in an epic show of parkour. Century-old houses copsed in their wake. Walls of stones were crushed under a steel titans feet and rusted cars ttened on the pavement.
Hes gaining ground on us! to warned as the frantic race went on. Indeed, the rumbling noise of Apollyons footsteps grew ever closer behind them. Faster!
Gh! Basil grunted. He was already running as fast as he could while under the influence of Hasten. The world seemed like a blur around him, but his tiny legs could hardly help him outspeed a two hundred meter-tall titan. Apollyon covered more ground in one step than the Bohens in a hundred. Keep going!
Basil looked over his shoulder to survey the distance between their pursuer and them. Apollyon was growing closer, but they still had arge head start on him. A squad of monstrous wasps escorted the Horseman of Famine while the rest of the army struggled with Basils allies around the rift. Kalki had managed to draw some of the swarms forces away to the south and put them in range of Nerias artillery. Explosions and shes of light rocked the horizon.
But neither projectiles nor the avatars presence would distract Apollyon from his quarry. The colossus shrugged off all bombardmentsing his way, his eyes firmly set on Basil himself. Apollyon approached closely enough to trigger Monster Insight, and new information filled Basils mind.<blockquote><strong>Apollyon, Horseman of Famine</strong></blockquote><blockquote>Level 60 (70-10) Elite [Bug/Artificial]</blockquote><blockquote>Faction: Apocalypse Force.</blockquote><blockquote>HP: 38500/39500.</blockquote><blockquote>Immune: Critical Hits, Insta-Death, all Ailments.</blockquote><blockquote>Resist: Physical, Corrosion, Metal, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Light, Mythic.</blockquote><blockquote>Weak: Bugyer, Artiyer, Wood, Fire.</blockquote><blockquote>The ten gues of Egypt all rolled into one nasty mechanical package, Apollyon is one of the toughest bugs in the multiverse. His exoskeleton shrugs off almost anything and his heavy artillery hasid waste to entire worlds; only crippling both with supereffective attacks will ensure victory.</blockquote>
The good news? Apollyon wasnt immune to any elemental attack and he feared fire, which Basil appreciated.
The bad news? <em><strong>Everything else</strong></em>.
I hate raid bosses, Basil cursed. Apollyon had nearly ten times more health points than his entire partybined. Basil could only hope the neutron bomb would be a powerful enough insecticide.
Although hundreds of meters still separated the hunter from the hunted, Apollyon went on the offensive. His eyes firedsers of crimson light at Basil and to, the duo leaping onto an 18th-century buildings roof to dodge the attack. The house they jumped from was vaporized in an instant.
The monstrous wasps escorting Apollyon opened fire at the duo as well, unleashing lethal poisonous darts. These monsters were below level thirty, just powerful enough to inflict minor wounds but too weak to provide experience. Basil and to had little difficulty shrugging off or dodging their attacks. The buildings they ran through, however, trembled from the onught. Basil shot the wasps down with hisser pistol while to did the same with des of wind. Each blow killed one of the critters, sometimes two.
Basil, we have a problem! to shouted, pointing at the path ahead of them. Look!
Basil clenched his jaw. They were fast approaching the former <em>Esnade des Invalides</em> park. Formerly a greenndscape in the middle of the urban jungle, the dungeons influence had turned it into an open desert of sand bordering the dried-up Seine river. There were no buildings to run on, no ce to take cover. Apollyon would have no issues shooting them in it.
I have an idea. Basil put hisser pistol back into his inventory, leaving one of his hands free as they leaped into the Invalides desert andnded in a dune of sand. Elemental Orb: Water!
A sphere of focused liquid materialized in Basils palm. He immediately threw it at the sand beneath their feet. The water evaporated under the searing heat of the desert field, raising a cloud of steam. Basil kept throwing more orbs around to obscure the duos movements.
Follow me, Basil told to, who could rely on his sense of smell to follow his best friend. Stay close.
Clever, Bohen! Apollyon shouted behind them. The titan ttened thest buildings of the 7th Arrondissement and walked over the Esnade des Invalides. The sand flowed between his legs servos with a screeching noise. But I do not need to see your monkey face to kill you!
The Horseman of Famines mandibles vibrated at an insane speed, enough to rival that of the Hasten Spell.
Sonic Shock!
Apollyon screeched and Paris trembled.
The air itself vibrated at high speed, spreading a mighty sonic shockwave through the park. Sand and steam alike were blown away, followed by the Bohens themselves.
Basil screamed in agony as the shockwave hit him. The vibrations traveled through his flesh and bones; he could almost feel his bones creak and crack. The terrible, droning noise of the swarm echoed inside his skull like a maddened scream. The pain was indescribable.<blockquote>Supereffective [<strong>Wind</strong>] damage! [<strong>Madness</strong>] Ailment negated by [<strong>Lethal Vigil</strong>]!</blockquote>
Basil stumbled on the ground, and then it copsed beneath his feet. The earth beneath the desert crumbled under the power of Apollyons attack. Basil and to flew down into a waterfall of sand and hit the steel ground underneath.
Basil gritted his teeth to ignore the pain and immediately rose to his feet. He immediately recognized the area as Paris sewers. Arge hole let the eldritch light of the spatial rift from above and into the tunnel below.
to, are you all right? Basil nced at his cat and barely managed to dodge a sword strike. to, what are you doing?!
His feline friend ignored him. The Rakshasa Kitten hissed at Basil with maddened eyes and swung Joyeuse at him. Although he looked less hurt than his Tamer, to still suffered from the Madness ailment.
The irony of being attacked by to after doing the same while Berserk wasnt lost on Basil but unlike the battle with Tamura, the Tamer had an ace up his sleeve.
Monster Cure II! Basil immediately healed to of his wounds and Madness ailment. His best friends eyes regained a sliver of sanity. to, are you all right?
What the to shook his head. What happened?
Basil opened his mouth to answer, but a colossal shadow loomed over the open tunnel before he could say anything.
Acting almost entirely on instinct, the Bohens rushed into the sewer tunnel ahead of them. Apollyons colossal hand punched through the hole in the ceiling a secondter with enough strength to cause an earthquake. The blow sent a cloud of stones and dust flying through the sewers, with Basil and to running through the tunnel to avoid being swallowed by it.
Thats right, weaklings, scurry away, Apollyon mocked them before inhaling like an asthmatic Darth Vader. Bio-ster.
The Horseman of Famine exhaled a cloud of green gas into the tunnels. The noxious toxin swiftly spread through the sewers, rusting steel and consuming the leftover waste. The Horseman of Famine was trying to gas Basil and to like cockroaches.
Keep running! Basil told to as the ceiling trembled above them. Apollyon was walking right above them, trying to locate their position; and the gas cloud continued to spread.
Worse, the world started to slow down around them.<blockquote>Your [<strong>Hasten</strong>] buff has run out.</blockquote>
Basil cursed under his breath and looked over his shoulder. Without the speed boost provided by his buff, the toxic cloud gained ground on them. to turned around, swung Joyeuse in a circr fashion and unleashed a st of wind behind them, causing the noxious fumes to recede.
The duos happiness was short-lived. The ceiling kept trembling with pieces of steel and stone falling left and right. The tunnel behind them copsed as Apollyon punched through it. The Horseman of Famine was trying his hand at a deadly game of whac-a-mole.
The Bohens managed to evade him for a time, until they reached the end of the sewer. A metal grate stood between them and the dried Seine River beyond. The Louvres ruins awaited on the opposite shore.
Nowhere to hide, Basil said with a scowl. The dried riverbanks revealed an open space without any cover. Apollyon would have an easy time shooting them down. Itll be suicide without Hasten.
I have a n, to said. Gimme the bomb. Im faster than you. I can do this.
Its me he wants, Basil pointed out.
to answered by casting an illusion spell on himself. The feline vanished in the blink of an eye. In his ce stood a near-exact mirror of Basil himself. The resemnce was so lifelike that Basil wondered how many of his friends would mistake the two; to even managed to mimic his best friends more subtle facial expressions.
It was a performance only a lifelong friend could achieve. One that could fool almost anyone including the giant monster outside.
No, the real Basil said immediately, as he understood his best friends n. No way.
Its fine, just teleport me back to you before the bomb hits, to said using Basils voice. His smile was almost too life-like. Besides, youre fragile. You can only die once, while I have six deaths to go.
Basil held his best friends gaze, before realizing he wouldnt budge on the matter. to was ready to give his lifeone of them at leastfor the cause. Although it bothered Basil to send him away on a suicide mission, he had no choice but to respect it.
Send me a message through the Logs the moment you need an emergency evacuation, Basil said as he unstored the Baguette from his Inventory. The ck briefcase appeared in a sh and snapped open. The antenna rose up and the screen booted up.
Basil entered Nerias code on the keypad, unlocking the device. The Magitek refinement option appeared in response on his System screen, much to his surprise.
How is it possible? Basil wondered. Its just the detonator, not the bomb itself. Would empowering it with a rune affect the device on the other end?<blockquote>Dismaker Labs wishes you a happy apocalypse.</blockquote>
At this point, Basil decided to ignore logic and embrace the absurd. Empowering a nuke probably vited all disarmament treaties in the world, but you couldnt really do war crimes halfway.
Magitek: Fire Rune, Basil said as he empowered the Baguette. Burning symbols appeared on the detonators surface, radiating warmth and light.<blockquote>Refinement attempt sessful! The [<strong>Neutron Bomb</strong>] will now inflict additional [<strong>Fire</strong>] damage.</blockquote>
Basil set the timer to ten minutes. The keypad glittered as the words Package Armed appeared on the screen alongside a countdown.<blockquote><strong>Quest: Goodbye Geneva</strong>,plete! Your party earned 30,000 Bonus EXP (5000 for you) and learned the [<strong>Mustard Gas</strong>] Alchemical Recipe! Dismaker Labs wish you happy war crimes!</blockquote>
I had forgotten this Quest. Basil squinted at the message. I thought I needed to create the weapon in the first ce?<blockquote>Refining a weapon counts as creating it.</blockquote>
Less questions, more action, to said as he closed the briefcase and grabbed it. He needed to use both hands to do so; his spell granted him Basils appearance, but not his strength. I think you should run in the other direction after Ive distracted the Bug Godzi.
Yeah. The neutron bombs radius would cover two kilometers ording to General Lenc; enough to wipe out a whole district. Remember, send me a message when the timer is close to zero.
Pinky swear, dog, to realized with a grin before cutting his way through the metal grate. Wish me luck.
Basil did. He watched his best friend jump into the dried up Seine River and run through the desert faster than the wind. Apollyon immediately noticed the disguised feline and jumped after him, blowing dust in all directions.
You will not escape me, Bohen! the Horseman shouted as he ran after the disguised to. He whipped up so much sand with his steps that Basil could barely see him through it. There you are!
Basil winced as he watched the steel titan run after to and he could do little more than that.
With Apollyon distracted, Basil emerged from one of the holes left by the Horseman and walked under the shining sky. He nced at the pir of light, which Rosemarine, the Steamobile, and Nerias CAESAR cannons kept bombarding from afar. Vasi, Leroy, and other flyers dueled the insect drones in the sky. The dead bugs formed hills of corpses, and yet they gained ground in spite of their catastrophic losses. Basils allies only had so many artillery shells to fire and SP to spend, whereas the bugs came in an unceasing tide of flesh. Eventually, the swarm would overwhelm their opposition under the weight of their limitless numbers.
There would be no victory so long as Apollyon lived.
Basil ran down the Esnade des Invalides and towards the southern part of Paris, as far away from the Louvre as he could. The earth shook as Apollyon fired his Gehenna Cannons at the Seine River and scorched the sand to ss. Basil desperately checked on tos vitals through the Party system, and sighed in relief upon finding him unharmed.
With the Baguettes countdown nearing its end, Basil leaped atop the ruins of a destroyed building. He had a good view of the area from there and watched Apollyon reach the Louvres remains. The titan sted the district left and right, oblivious to the fact he had been tricked.
Did he suspect a trap? Or was he arrogant enough to think he would survive whatever Basil had in store for him?
Come on, to, Basil whispered as he checked his Logs. Give me the signal
His heartbeat quickened and his body trembled in anticipation. The seconds stretched on, and yet to didnt send any message.
Come on! Basil cursed, watching the horizon with concern and impatience. What are you waiting for
The world was set aze.
An ocean of blinding light swallowed the horizon in the blink of an eye. Apollyon, the Louvre, and all of Paris 1st Arrondissement vanished in its ethereal phosphorescence. Time slowed down and all sound ceased.
Basil didnt see the ICBM hit. He didnt even notice it falling upon the Louvre. The weapon, fired from Bordeaux, had traveled across France in seconds and reached its target faster than the human eye could follow. It didnt even make a sound.
The st did, however. Basil covered his eyes as a mighty sphere of energy expanded in the heart of the light. The spectacle was as dizzyingly beautiful as it was terrifying, like the roar of a newborn star. Basil couldnt help but stare at it in awe and silence. The sphere expanded until it consumed all of the Louvre. The earth erupted like an open wound under it, the heat convection blowing up dust into the air.
When the light receded, a powerful shockwave of hot wind and sand washed over the city. Although Basil was at a safe distance, the boom made him wince. A massive cloud rose in the fireballs ce in a familiar mushroom shape.
Basil lowered his halberd in horror. The resulting devastation frightened him more than the next Systems notification.<blockquote>Rakshasa Kitten [<strong>to</strong>] has lost a life! Five remain!</blockquote>
Basil immediately summoned to through One for All. The Rakshasa Kitten appeared at his feet in a terrible shape, enough to fill his best friends heart with dread. mes had burned off his beautiful fur and exposed the skin underneath to melted radioactive ss. He had gone blind, and probably deaf too. Even though tos Nine Lives Perk had let him survive the st by recreating him afterward, he could barely breathe. Worse, his status screen showed an Irradiated ailment affecting him.
Monster Cure II! Basil wasted no time in healing his best friend. Monster Cure II!
A green aura covered to, lifting the Irradiated ailment and regrowing his fur. The Rakshasa Kitten groaned as the magic let him shed off the melted ss attached to his body and helped return his eyes to normal.
Why? Basil asked as he kept applying his Perk again and over again. Why didnt you let me teleport you? Did Apollyon block it?
The bug would have sensed a trap otherwise to coughed. Had to do it that hurt
You brave fool Basil shook his head as he treated his best friend. If we both live through the day, Ill serve you as much fish as you want.
Way to make me hang on to life, to replied with a grin. He had recovered enough strength to rise back to his feet and raise Joyeuse. Did we get him?
Basil nced at the horizon and cursed under his breath.
The neutron cloud had raised a sandstorm around the Louvres ruins, but Apollyons body shape remained clearly visible in its midst. The giant bug still stood proud and tall, though burning like a torch.
Hes still alive, to whispered in shock. Hes That cockroach is <em>still </em>alive after this?
Monster Insight provided more intel.<blockquote><strong>Apollyon, Horseman of Famine</strong></blockquote><blockquote>HP: 3503/39500 (critical health).</blockquote>
Barely, Basil whispered back. The Horseman of Famine walked the thin edge between life and death. Hes barely hanging on.
The neutron bomb had failed to kill Apollyon but it had made him vulnerable. It had made him <em>beatable</em>.
Handsome!
Basil raised his eyes and smiled. Vasi was floating down from the sky on her broomstick with an audacious grin.
Need a lift? she asked, all but begging for a fight date.
It was time to finish this.
With pleasure, Basil replied, his halberd heavy in his hand. Lets squash him for good.
Then lets go, she replied as she lowered her broom. Basil sat behind his girlfriend, with to leaping on his shoulders like a wild squirrel. The trio flew up in the sky and into the sandstorm.
Into the jaws of Hell itself.