D.I.O

Chapter 189

Hey who are you? Minah asked after Merlin cleared the Infected from the area and also dealt with the series of Slayers which followed. She was the first survivor that Merlin had met after materializing on planet Ayan. Everyone else was too cautious and scared to go near him, as he seemed like a god in their eyes. Though the survivors all possessed special talents and spiritual powers, the abilities themselves and how they used them couldnt stand against Merlin. Essentially, Merlin was a being cut from a completely different cloth.

In simple terms, Im a fixer, a problem solver.

Where are you from?

At her question, Merlin looked up into the sky. Minah flinched.

Youre from outer space? Youre an alien?

An alien you can say that. Im definitely not from this planet.

Merlin wasnt the only one that found DIO a bit weird. The games operators and developers didnt seem to be hiding the fact that DIO wasnt a normal game anymore, and as more Master Level users appeared, a larger portion of the user base began to question DIOs origins and how it related to reality.

However, Merlin knew more than any of the other users. In truth, even if he only had a little information, Merlin could logically surmise the overall structure due to his affinity for deduction and reasoning. Moreover, he was an advanced mage that could peer into the [Knowledge of the Universe].

So, youre really an alien? Then, do you know where these monsters are from-

I can only answer up to here.

When Merlin cut her off sharply, Minah couldnt continue her line of questioning. Though Minah was exceptionally pretty and physically attractive, as she was a sort of celebrity here, Merlin didnt give her any attention because theyd never meet again after he completed the mission. Merlin wasnt aware of this, but planet Aya was several hundred million light years away from Earth.

Sickening.

Merlin stood against a wall and closed his eyes, remembering the image of Miho within the glass tube.

I cant do anything. My access to information is limited as well. Im like a monkey dancing on Buddhas palm.

Furthermore, even if he continued doing missions and gathered enough gem points to bring Miho back, there was no guarantee that shed be the same. Her memory could have been erased, or she could be another existence that only looked like Miho. In the worst case, she might be a spy put in place to monitor his every move.

Of course, as an advanced mage, Merlin could think of solutions to any problem, but what could he possibly do to those who had created the transcendent-like system that was DIO?

Creak.

Is it time already?

As he felt a disturbance wave in the surrounding spiritual environment, Merlin opened his eyes and stood. However, instead of finding any Slayers, Merlin saw Quiet Heaven approach him. Until now, the bird was flying around and helping the survivors.

Wait, the aura this time feels different, Quiet Heaven murmured.

Quiet Heaven chanted a few holy words and covered its body with a red-colored spiritual qi while Merlin turned his head and spoke to Minah.

Go underground. I sense something extremely dangerous approaching.

Huh? B-but, if its a dangerous enemy, then we should all pull together and-

Youre saying you can help?

When Merlin looked at her with an expression that seemed to state she shouldnt continue speaking nonsense, Minah flinched and took a step back. However, when she realized what shed done after Merlin gave her a condescending look, she grew angry.

Hey! Im being considerate, alright-

Its here.

Boom!

A space in the air split and a huge steel door emerged. At first, Merlin thought it was an oddly-shaped Slayer. The Slayers werent regular living beings, and they came in many different shapes and sizes.

Yet, the steel door wasnt a Slayer. It was truly a door.

Hmm? I dont feel good about this, Quiet Heaven commented.

I feel the same way. I should break the door.

Merlin immediately shot a magic bullet at the door. Since the door had appeared, something must be emerging from it, and in this situation, there was no chance itd be friendly. So, Merlin wanted to destroy the door in advance, but before he could, two Slayers materialized on either side of the door and blocked Merlins attack.

Hahaha. I guess this is the user they were talking about. We received the news late, so youve been able to deal quite some damage to our forces.

Union bastards theyre using all sorts of tricks now, arent they.

The new Slayers were terrifying beings who were comparable to advanced demons and angels at Level 14 to Level 16. Masters who fought these monsters for missions could stand up to them with no issue, whether it be alone or in a group. However, if one of these existences showed up on Earth, it would easily devastate and ruin an entire nation before it was handled.

Since there were two of these monsters, even Merlin had to be vigilant, and he was a member of the group popularly known as the Heaven Above the Heavens.

Well, this is unpleasant.

Yet, Merlin wasnt focused on the two Slayers. He didnt approve of the developing situation because he guessed that the door and this new enemy did not show up for the other users. It seemed that the management team, the Noblesse, were testing him.

What are they trying to test? My overall power level Combat power? No. They would already know those things about me my tendencies? My mental state?

Merlin wasnt sure what the management team was aiming for, but he didnt like any of the possible theories he came up with. Alas, regardless of his dislike, he could not prevent the situation.

How displeasing.

As Merlin muttered, one of the two Slayers stepped forward to face him. The Slayer was in human form, but in contrast to a typical human, he had ten pairs of arms and gray skin.

Fufufu. To be honest, I dont understand why two Numbered Slayers like us need to be mobilized to fight such a lowly being. I suppose its because there are a lot of us Numbered.

Clank! Clank!

Ten black swords suddenly popped up in the air, and the Slayer used all of the hands from one side of its body to grab them. Soon, it started to move freely, creating a bloody sword wind.

Hahaha! Good! Shall we dance then, human!

The Slayers eyes burst with an overflowing sense of madness. The Slayer was a murderous executioner who had slaughtered countless living things, living on others pain and sorrow as if it were food. Even if someone had a firm will, once they met the Slayers gaze, they wouldve collapsed in fear. Yet, Merlin just laughed.

What the hell are you blabbering about, you handicapped SOB.

Bam.

An almost imperceptible sound was heard. It sounded like a saturated sponge being lightly tapped with the palm of ones hand. However, after it briefly felt itself lose control of its body, the Slayer looked down at its chest.

There, it saw a deep palm print.

Like an explosive weapon that inflicted physical damage, Merlin had forcefully penetrated his opponents body and inputted his own energy into his opponent to cause Qigong Deviation. It was similar to Penetration Power in that it bypassed the enemys defense and inflicted enormous internal physical damage like the Great Strength Vajra Hand. Moreover, since this attack could be used over a long distance, it also had properties of the Great Tantra Hand.

If any martial artist had seen this attack, their mind wouldve fallen into disarray. The ability used numerous martial art principles, but at the same time, it was nothing like them.

That attack was the culmination of the true meaning of Strike, which Merlin realized after seeing Lancelots stab attack.

Huh, what is this?

Merlin answered the groaning Slayers question.

This is the apex principle that cannot be understood, defended against, or avoided.

A Woong sound rang out in the area.

I call it the Irrational Hand Strike.

Boom.

As soon as Merlin finished speaking, a ghastly shock pierced through the palm print on the Slayers chest and exploded out its back. Merlin had amplified ten years of internal energy into 20 years through Mercury, 40 years through Venus, and then 80 years through Earth. Eventually, his initial ten years were amplified to 160 years once it passed Merlins fourth planet, Mars. In other words, the power behind his strike was nearly three full cycles of internal energy.

Three cycles of internal energy was a monstrous amount to release in a single blow, so the Slayers internal body was ravaged beyond recognition. Of course, the Slayer had strong defensive abilities, both physically and spiritually, but Merlins strike broke through every single one.

Clang!

All ten swords fell to the ground as the Slayer collapsed, and at that moment, Merlins two spirits, Younghwi and Shining, retrieved the blades and put them into Merlins inventory. After watching the unfolding scene in a leisurely manner, the remaining Slayer shot up in surprise.

H-hey you!

Penetrate through.

However, the Decian Bow abruptly appeared in Merlins hands. When Merlin cracked a yellow topaz, a terrifying electric shock reverberated around the area.

/Lightning Blade of Zeus!/

Rumble!

Lightning struck down. Of course, the Slayer couldnt avoid the sword of lightning, which moved at the speed of light. It was one of Merlins howling spells, the strongest Howling spell that he had for use against an individual opponent.

T-this is absurd.

With a moan, the Slayers body turned to powder and scattered. Merlin mumbled as he swapped out his bow with a gear change.

What a waste. It takes so much time to make these magic stones.

The best-case scenario was killing both Slayers with his Irrational Hand Strike, but unlike his first planet Mercury, which could always be used, his second planet Venus required a cooldown of half a second, and the cooldown was even longer for his third planet, Earth, clocking in at 30 seconds. Mars, Merlins fourth planet, required a cooldown of about 15 minutes. This sudden increase in cooldown time was because Merlins No Living World system entered a kind of discharge state after amplifying his internal energy through all four planets. Even after his system became stable, if Merlin continued to utilize his four-planet system, the cooldown would grow longer and longer.

Basically, his hand skill could be used as a surprise attack or one ultimate attack; it couldnt be used multiple times in one sitting. Most importantly, Merlins blood vessels screamed in pain whenever such a massive amount of internal energy passed through his system. If he used that attack three times in a row, all of his blood vessels would be torn apart.

Creak!

The door began to slowly open while emitting a loud noise. As he noticed this, Merlin placed his hand on the door.

Im not some main character of a special-effects film, so theres no need to watch this while standing idly by.

Crack! Crackle!

The surrounding mana was rearranged under Merlins control and soon began to erode the gates spiritual code pattern. Merlins ability to interpret and manipulate spiritual characters was already beyond common sense, so in just ten seconds, the door started collapsing.

Although Merlin was curious about what being would emerge from the door, as two Level 15 Slayers accompanied it as guardians, he didnt feel that it was necessary to know.

Theres no need to prolong the battle. Its not like Im a crazy fiend addicted to fighting.

Thus, Merlin led with the most formidable method he had, a technique that could be called his signature special move. If he slowly revealed his strength by fighting in moderation and used this attack later, the enemy would grow aware of his overall power and could possibly block his attack.

For this reason, Merlin used his signature move without hesitation from the start, and due to this, he successfully killed the enemy whod been looking down on him, needing only one blow. Merlins Irrational Hand Strike and the Lightning Blade of Zeus were both techniques that didnt require time to activate, so his targets wouldnt have time to prepare.

Crack.

The door collapsed under the pressure of Merlins magic power. The metal door, which was protected by a special ability, couldnt be easily damaged by normal attacks or force, but it was inevitably crushed by Merlins magic, as he had already understood the doors spiritual code pattern.

The door creaked as it tried to somehow open, but the pressure pushing on it increased at a rate faster than what it could handle, and the door broke in half.

N-no way!

The shout caused the surrounding air and space to waver. The heavy, bloody cry was strong enough to crush a beings soul, but Merlin calmly replied.

Yes, way.

Crack!

Finally, the door completely shattered. The warp gate that the door represented, which connected to an unknown location, was closed alongside the destruction.

Wow, something terrifying was coming but you resolved and cleared that up fairly quickly.

Merlin nodded after hearing Quiet Heavens comments. Quiet Heaven had been flying around the survivors and guarding them, and it now flew towards Merlin.

Also, I got some good stuff.

Good stuff?

When Quiet Heaven cocked its head, Merlin bent down and grabbed the door, which had become a hunk of scrap metal. Since Merlins magic power could crush it, the door wasnt made from a particularly durable metal, but it emanated strange energy. Merlin couldnt figure out what type of metal it was or its properties.

Fly into the air to an invisible place. My sanctuary.

As Merlin chanted and cast his spell, a space opened, and soon, the scrap metal vanished. As it saw this, Quiet Heaven made a puzzled expression.

Why did you put it in a subspace instead of your inventory?

I have my reasons.

Merlin made this decision because DIOs management would notice as soon as the item had entered his inventory. Quiet Heaven had seen Merlin grab the material, so it could leak the information to DIOs management, or the management team could be monitoring him through other means, but Merlin didnt fret, as he had to work through everything in a gradual manner.

Is it over now? Quiet Heaven asked.

Merlin used Enhanced Eyesight to scan his surroundings. Not a single Infected or Slayer was nearby. By all accounts, the mission was over.

I think so, but I cant return.

Merlin waited for a while, around ten minutes. Merlin was unaware of this, but when he handled the monster he was supposed to face, Madness, he instantly caused DIOs system to crash momentarily.

However, it was only a brief crash. A new text message showed in his mind.

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