I have good or bad news, depending on how you look at it.
Today I uploaded more than one chapter: instead of just today's, I published four, and instead of the next one, I'll be posting three more.
At first glance that might sound positive, but the truth is different. These seven chapters make up a single arc, the third world, and I'm not at all satisfied with how it turned out.
Since I don't want many readers to get discouraged, because if I released them normally it would an three weeks focused on an arc that, in my opinion, ca out very poorly, I decided to upload them almost all at once.
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Ten days had passed since Kaito entered the third world in the Tower of Worlds. This ti, the mission was quite clear and direct:
Assassinate "the others." The more, the better.
At first, the term was confusing, since it could refer to any group of people other than himself. However, once inside, he quickly found his target.
This ti, the Lords were summoned to the United States. Kaito checked the chat in his free ti and confird that they were all sowhere in the country.
Although at first it seed like a normal world, everything changed just minutes after his arrival. They were not the only new guests on the planet: a gigantic alien ship appeared over the country, floating in the sky and causing global chaos.
Any attempt at approach, whether peaceful or hostile, was completely ignored by the ship. It didn't even try to communicate or defend itself, although, in reality, it didn't need to. No weapon was able to damage it, and its altitude made any attack even harder.
A few days passed without any movent. The governnt, unable to interact with them, nad the newcors "The Others." For any Lord, the na and the situation were more than obvious clues. If they arrive in a world invaded by aliens, what do you think the mission is?
However, Kaito was excited for another reason. With the confirmation of the nas and the current situation, he already knew where he was.
His current world was from a movie (or perhaps from the original book it's based on) called The Fifth Wave. The plot revolves around an alien invasion whose goal is to wipe out humanity and take over Earth.
But unlike other stories, the aliens here do not attack directly. Instead, they send waves:
First wave: an electromagnetic pulse that permanently disables any electrical device on the planet.
Second wave: natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis.
Third wave: a modified avian flu virus, much more contagious and deadly.
Fourth wave: the "Silencers," replaced and infiltrated humans who kill anyone they find.
Fifth wave: similar to the fourth, but with an important plot twist.
The story follows two main groups: Cassie, who acts on her own, and Ben, who joins the army to fight the infiltrators. Both face deception, betrayals, and dilemmas about whom to trust.
In Cassie's case, she receives help from a character who later is revealed as a Silencer, but who, after falling in love with her, decides to switch sides. anwhile, Ben discovers that the infiltrators are far more nurous than they imagined.
Unlike a conventional war, the enemy here is invisible. Even if you discover who is human or alien, you don't know which side they're on.
For a reader, this approach is what makes the story appealing. For Kaito, the reason for his excitent was different: this world isn't particularly dangerous. Even the aliens, in the end, have no physical form; they are a kind of digital life. Their entire existence is concentrated in the ship that arrived on the first day, and from there they control the waves.
In the original plot, the protagonists win by destroying that ship from the inside, though with a sacrifice in the process.
For Kaito, that ant he could destroy the ship at any mont, wiping out all the Others and Silencers in one blow, thus getting the maximum mission score.
So, why hasn't he done it yet?
"How much longer?" Mashiro asked impatiently.
"It should be very soon" Kaito answered.
The reason was her. Upon entering this world, he was surprised to appear alongside Mashiro. The system had explained he could bring his subordinate Lords with him, although he could disable that option and let them appear in random locations.
It's not that Kaito delayed the mission just to spend ti with her. Since this world is more about intrigue, betrayal, and relationships than direct battles, he saw it as an opportunity for Mashiro to grow. Her worldview was too simple, and she was naive.
The protagonists of The Fifth Wave discovered the truth only after a long ti and harsh experiences, so Kaito doubted that other Lords, without prior knowledge of the plot, could get that far. Maybe they would understand the nature of the fifth wave and use it to their advantage, but no more.
"This would be easier if we could go straight to their ship" Mashiro said with a slight pout.
"Yes..." Kaito nodded.
To prevent her from trying to go on her own, he told her he had already tried to infiltrate unsuccessfully. According to his checks, it would take at least a rank D to get through the defenses. Worldwide there were barely a few with that level, and on his server only four... including Mashiro.
Kaito, on the other hand, was rank C.
While thinking about that, the earth began to shake. It wasn't an earthquake tremor, but a deep vibration, as if sothing was happening everywhere at once.
Mashiro cast a stealth spell for both of them. Kaito spread his demon wings; she did the sa, though hers were semi-transparent, ford by pure white energy. They rose together to observe the situation.
Just as Kaito had predicted, the first wave was beginning.
Within seconds, the whole city lost power. Although it was dayti, the difference in the atmosphere was noticeable. There were chain collisions, people trapped in elevators, chaos everywhere.
But the worst was in the sky: a plane, suddenly shut down, was falling in a dive. With his senses, Kaito heard the screams of the passengers and the pilots trying to call for help on dead radios.
Mashiro looked at him, seeking his approval. Once Kaito nodded, she launched herself at a speed that would make any bullet train look slow.
Using wind magic, she slowed the plane's descent. Just before touching the ground, Mashiro transford the floor into a huge mud puddle to soften the impact. Then, she broke a piece of the roof to ensure the passengers could get out.
When the people, still terrified, began to react, Mashiro had already disappeared.
Kiloters away, Kaito greeted her as she arrived on top of a building.
"Did you do it?"
Mashiro nodded and sat next to him on the edge.
Kaito expanded his senses. He no longer heard engines, televisions, or phones. Only voices and nature.
Like the calm after the storm, the chaos began to fade. For the first ti in decades, Earth was silent.
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15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon/IAM26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)
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