Chapter 504 Mission: Annihilation (1)
Chapter 504 Mission: Annihilation (1)
"Secure the perimeter and treat the wounded."
Those were Ashton's first words as soon as he was out of [Valhalla]. Constantly using Grim Reaper's powers had taken a toll on him. But it wasn't the time to rest yet.
At some distance, he could see Mera treating Anna's wounds. Thankfully, her wounds weren't severe.
'Letting her borrow [Hydra's Scale Armour] ended up saving her,' Ashton took a deep breath to calm his raging heart, 'Thanks for the idea.'
[Since you now have the scythe, the armour would have been useless for you either way.]
After confirming Anna's status with his eyes, Ashton plopped to the ground. The battle had tired him out, both physically and mentally.
Apart from losing a few undead soldiers, his losses were more or less contained. That said, no money could compensate for the feeling of exacting his revenge.
Facing the night sky, Ashton couldn't help but remember his father. Finally, Johnathan could rest in peace, or so Ashton hoped. The revenge was far from complete and wouldn't be finished as long as Nirvana and its rulers were alive.
[Taking over a continent, eh? How fun!]
"Your excitement is giving away your intentions."
[Can you blame me? After you conquer those smelly bastards, we can engineer my body!]
"...stop drooling."
***
While Ashton rested, every outworlder's eyes were on him. Their faces were shrouded with complicated feelings towards him and his [Ghosts].
On the one hand, they were glad Reaper won the battle. But on the other, they couldn't help and felt intimidated by his strength.
Phantom was someone who had fooled the most influential forces present in the galaxy. Yet one man managed to get rid of him? It didn't make any sense!
On top of it all, it hadn't been long since Reaper had established his mercenary group [Ghosts]. Yet they were racking up achievement after achievement.
If things continued progressing as they were, it wouldn't be long before everyone would want to be a [Ghost]. Their influence in the Kernel tower was about to burst through the roof, and the mercenaries wanted a piece of it!
Seeing as neither Reaper nor his second-in-command Anna were available to discuss employment opportunities, they all rushed towards Ricochet. But they stopped once they realised it was the right time to make a good impression on him.
"Let's wait it out," One of the mercs suggested, "in the meantime, let's take care of clean up."
"Right!"
Even though they were 'helping' out the earthlings, their eyes could help but shine, imagining the ripples the news of Phantom's death would send across the Orion sector!
However, the surprises were far from over.
"Another spaceship?" Nora growled, gripping her warhammer tighter.
Nora's personality was somewhat similar to that of Mera, which was given since she was a clone. When it came to admitting defeat or acknowledging the enemy's strength, they both often chose to feign ignorance.
Regardless of how she felt, following the last battle, Nora could feel how pathetically weak she was against the outworlders. That's why seeing another spaceship had her standing on her toes.
But before she could unnecessarily rally the troops, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Stand down," Ricochet mumbled, "They're not enemies."
"What do you-"
"Don't put pressure on your pea brain," Ricochet interrupted, putting his finger on Nora's lips, "You can take charge in the bed, but here it'd be better if you follow my lead."
Following a thunderous noise, the ship landed next to Ashton, and over a dozen aliens sprinted out of it, weapons at ready.
Laihud was the first to take notice of Anna's condition and rushed over to help her. Vimur followed suit and walked up to greet their captain.
"Where is that Phantom!? I split his head in half-"
"Oi, rhino! Shut it!" Ashton grumbled in annoyance, "He's dead. But how do you know he was here?"
"That's on me," Otiga sheepishly emerged from the crowd, "Forgive my crude language, but you look like shit."
However, before Ashton could reply, a special guest knocked him over.
"Aegis! You've grown, little bud!"
"Whee~"
Having met his master, the furry beast squealed in excitement. Ashton lifted the evergrowing beast in his arm while scratching his head.
"Don't mind me spoiling your reunion, but did I hear it correctly? Sir, you killed Phantom?" Leon politely inquired.
No one could blame Leon's suspicion, as Phantom was more like an urban legend. Thus it was hard to believe he was gone. Not that anyone wanted him to be alive, but it was difficult to digest the news.
Ashton smiled. Knowing people won't believe his story; he had slipped one of Phantom's fingers into his inventory before leaving [Valhalla]. But that wasn't the only reason for taking the finger. Ashton also wanted to use it to claim the bounty on Phantom's head.
"Here, satisfy your curiosity." Ashton replied, tossing the finger to Otiga, "While you are at it, I was hoping you'll save me the trouble of claiming the bounty myself."
"Of course, you're my boss, and it's my job to aid you in any way you desire." Otiga jokingly bowed before rushing back inside the ship.
At the same time, someone else greeted the crowd with his presence. As soon as Vulcan appeared, everyone walked out of his path. Those who thought Ashton was strong a moment ago openly reverted their decision. Call it intuition, but everyone knew not to mess with the oldie.
"I can sense you have grown a bit since the last time." The dwarf mumbled, "Don't let it get to your head, and maybe you'll achieve a tenth of my strength."
"Thank you, master." Ashton respectfully bowed his head.
It was strange for the Lycanians to see Ashton treat someone with the utmost respect. Out of everyone, Mera was so surprised she gasped loudly.
While she had seen Ashton bow to a handful of people, it was always an obligation more than a show of respect. But this was different, and Ashton genuinely held the dwarf in high regard.
'Who is that man for Ashton to be so respectful towards him?' Mera thought to herself, but no answer popped into her mind, 'Should I try to investigate?'