Chapter 170: The Next Step (4)

Luke and the others confirmed that something very bad had happened when they noticed that there were no monsters in the area around Chicago, and there was also a massive curtain of smoke emerging from the city. In the end, Luke decided to leave the others behind and approach with Artiuno. It would be better to escape if something happens that way… Once they approached, they saw a completely destroyed city. Practically all the buildings had fallen, and not because of earthquakes, but because something had hit them… something with a very hot body and massive. Luke found some pounds of lava in the shape of humanoid feet, and those were like twenty meters long… a titan had destroyed the city.

"It was him… it was him… it was him..." Rina said, and then she began to breathe hard.

"Hey, calm down…" Luke said. "Breathe slowly…"

Rina looked pale as a ghost. Luke didn't need an explanation to understand what she meant by that. The cosmic overlord that destroyed Chicago was the same that killed her parents and destroyed their base alongside many other elves. Although she could understand what Luke meant, her mind wasn't working properly… In the end, he hid her inside his cape to prevent her from watching that scene that would make her remember even more of her past. While Luke also wanted to leave, he had to confirm that the plane had no survivors.

According to Mark, the survivors were hiding in a stadium, and Luke didn't have a hard time finding it… at least half of it. Anyone could tell that something very big had stepped on it, and a cosmic overlord would only do so for a reason… he had found the survivors. Luke found some equipment destroyed and melted in that place, and there were no signs of people escaping from it.

"Let's leave… we arrived too late," Luke said.

The monsters had abandoned the area, so there was no other reason for them to stay there. Still, Luke couldn't help but wonder why the overlord wouldn't leave his troops behind and also make the crystal disappear… Maybe he just wanted all the experience and gold coins for himself. It was hard to deny the usefulness of an army of level one hundred monsters, but would such an army make any difference against beings of level five hundred and higher. There was also the fact that the more power they have, the more some individuals want. The worst traits of some people show up when they begin to think that they can do anything…

When Luke returned to the others, he just shook his head. There was nothing for them to see… it would be better to move on to their next destination as soon as possible. Rachel almost asked about when the overlord attacked, but Luke didn't reply. Considering his estimates, it happened three days ago… there was no point in telling that and making the whole group feel depressed over it.

"Sorry about before… seeing that made me recall some unpleasant memories," Rina left Luke's coat and then said it.

"Don't worry about it… someday, we will get that son of a bitch," Luke said.

Luke had no idea how he would face an opponent of that size, but it wasn't a question or if. It was a matter of when and how. Luke couldn't keep choosing his foes, so it would be better if he kept improving at that speed. Finding other overlords was probably the best method to keep that pace… but Luke couldn't neglect the small fries. Otherwise, they would keep spreading and increase their numbers until they become really troublesome.

After that incident, the group decided to hurry and leave the area, fearing that the overlord might return. Still, soon the sun began to set, and they had to stop. Luke decided to approach Richter and Rachel when they were having their meal because he had some questions.

"What do you know about them?" Luke asked while looking at Richter.

"Not much… this guy here says that I shouldn't keep thinking about them and should only focus on strengthening myself," Richter said.

"Hey, you… for how long have you been fighting?"

Much to Luke's annoyance, the shadow didn't reply. It seemed that it had a terrible personality… refusing to answer was one thing. Ignoring the question was another. 

"I suppose you aren't much ahead of them since you also decided to look for help on other planets," Luke said.

"Your taunting skills could need some work."

"It is that thing, Luke… powerful individuals, trying to become even more powerful and rule many worlds to rule the entire universe one day," Shalia said. 

"I get the overall idea, but it seemed too simple and boring for me… they only want power to stand above everyone else?" Luke asked. "That of goal seems incredibly stupid, even for my standards. There are so many things one can do and so much fun one can have with those powers… Wishing power for the sake of wishing for power is like a bad joke."

Luke read a book once. While it was a serious fantasy book with heavy themes and all that, the heroes asked the dark lord why he wanted all the power in the world. He wanted all the power in the world, to use it to gain even more power… it was redundant as it could be. That was why Luke believed that his enemies couldn't be that dumb. They had some sort of endgame that still was beyond everyone's comprehension. Even the shadow that was helping Richter.

In any case, the group resumed their travel, and after two days, they reached St Louis. While the place hadn't been destroyed by an overlord, four species of monsters and the skeletons were fighting against each other there.. Fighting them would take too much time, so Luke left Rachel's group behind and went to look for the survivors… he never found them.