If anyone was deriving any enjoyment from this whole sh*t show, then it was Bella's mother. She was having the time of her life watching everything develop as it did.
On the other hand, everyone else—except for her equally troublemaking daughter—was in no way enjoying any of this. And soon, there would be one more added to the list of haters…
A long blood-red and obsidian katana effortlessly slashed through the short, gray body of an eerie Alien. Both sides of the Alien slid off one another, putting on display the blood and guts that once resided inside the body but were now outside of it.
As soon as this Gremlin's death was confirmed, a System Notification rang out in Cassius's head:
{[Task: Discover and kill [20/20 Gremlin Extraterrestrial Fiends]]} - [✓]
{[Reward 1 - [1000 AP]]} - [Y/N]
{[Reward 2 - [S-Rank 'Extraterrestrial Sight']]} - [Y/N]
{[Reward 3 - [200 Uncommon Evoballs]]} - [Y/N]
{[Reward 4 - [S-Rank 'Stellar Flight']]} - [Y/N]
[System Note: You actually completed this Main Quest?? Damn! I, the mighty System, thought you wouldn't be able to do it and would thus have to enter the Nightmarescape for longer— I mean, good job on completing the Quest, Mr. Competent!]
Cassius ignored the System and clicked yes on all of the rewards.
None of the rewards were particularly good for the current him, but something was better than nothing!
Well, actually, there was one reward in particular that brightened his face when he saw the Skill description connected to it...
[S-Rank 'Extraterrestrial Sight']
[Enables the User to see through vast distances or short distances and instantly tell if something is of Extraterrestrial origin or not.]
That was the segment that Cassius focused on. Just those words alone were enough to tell him just how effective this Skill would be for finding more Gremlin Extraterrestrial Fiends. Although he didn't really have a reason to continue hunting them, he—
{[Main Quest #6 'Thwart Alien Invasion' Activated]} - [SS+ Rank]
—[On the Trial Floor Area of the Ascension Tower of Humanity, locate and kill every single Extraterrestrial that holds hostile intent for your homeland]
[All Hostile Extraterrestrials exterminated - [0/1]]
"SS+ Rank??" Cassius's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "I haven't received a single SS-Rank Quest yet, and the first one I do receive is of the '+' Rank… My luck really is horrible."
But more importantly than that, what really surprised him was how high a Main Quest's rank could be while still within the bounds of Earth!
If based on the strength of the World-class Mage Lord, there should've been no way for anything on Earth to reach the SS-Rank. But if the Quest's rank was accurate—and it likely was—then that meant Aliens of the SS+ threat level had already invaded…
"But where are they hiding…? Perhaps Extraterrestrial Sight will help me find them?"
|S-Rank Extraterrestrial Sight|
The exact moment he used that Skill and amplified its range with his Magic Sense was also when he felt several extraordinarily powerful presences hiding out on a skull-shaped island. Located in the most isolated parts of the world, the skull-shaped island had lava pouring down the skull's various holes. And within that grim-looking skull sat terrifyingly creepy figures, each one scarier than the last.
Yet, right when Cassius honed in on these figures, he was forced to retract his Magic Sense, for they… were staring also right back at him.
But for some reason—even though they likely possessed the necessary capabilities to chase him down—they did nothing.
"You felt it too, didn't you?" One of the Extraterrestrials said while still staring off into the distance.
"Yes, but with our powers limited on this lower plane, I was unable to trace the Magic Sense back to its origin. The owner moved quickly… like a rat." One of the most powerful among them crackled his horns, his expression not so happy.
"Probably just some nosy worm or one of those World-class Hunter weaklings!" If Cassius were here, he would know this Alien as the one playing the part of his father. The only difference being that his human form constantly fluctuated with his Kaiju form, creating a spine-tingling sight. "Once I get that idiot boy to lure 'it' out, I'll personally head the execution of all the pesky rats on this lowly planet!"
A silent, beautiful figure in the back—yet also the strongest among those present—made no comment on the matter. She simply kept her eyes on where the invading Magic Sense last appeared, her thoughts unknown.
—Meanwhile, on a random street just outside Hoshito—
Cassius, who had just completed his third Main Quest and caught a glimpse of a peak beyond a peak, was now making his way back to his mansion home in the hills. The immensity of the auras he sensed still lingered in his mind, yet he decided to put the matter aside for now. If they had still not acted, then that meant they either couldn't or they didn't care. He was leaning toward the former option being the case.
However, suddenly, out of nowhere, a rippling blood-red human-sized portal appeared in the middle of the street ahead. Then, out walked two figures, one man and one woman, both of the pale-faced variety.
Cassius's eyes flashed with surprise. "...Bella…?"
"Yep, it's me, my Hubby!" Bella replied with hearts swirling around in her eyes. No longer feeling the need to withhold anything, she outright announced, "It's time to get married, my dear!!"
What the fck!? No really, what the fck was she saying!?? And who was the man beside her!??
That was when Cassius felt it.
An aura that enveloped the world…
An aura so powerful that no amount of plot armor could possibly hope to save him in a frontal assault!
The absurdities that had just left Bella's pretty mouth seemed to be all but forgotten when Cassius saw the monstrous being that stood before him. 'Tens of Thousands… No, millions… No, billions! Fighting him would lead to billions of deaths…!'
No chance! He stood no chance in hell!!
Their hypothetical exchange would not be a battle or even a fight… It would be suicide…