Chapter 17 - 『Assimilation』

"Who… Who are you…?"

Jack just stared through the Cardinals who were taking in the sight of his wings. The holy radiance was enough to kill a low tier undead by simply looking at him.

"My name…?" He stared through the beings that were on their knees. Yet his eyes moved to those whom were now standing between him and the people of the highest oder within the Slane Theocracy's political structure.

He could only chuckle to himself. This was interesting. He didn't see a single player here, but everyone here was at abnormally high levels.

"Y-yes… Holy One..."

Jack's eyes slowly shifted to the weapon in his hand. He could devour them, but every-time he used the power to devour them he would end up having to wait another five minutest to do another.

At the same time, he could also assimilate them, but then he would have to wait thirty days in order to use that super tier spell again. A frown remained across his lips as his eyes rested on the spear which was pointed towards him. He could easily overpower this human being, he exceeded him in both magic and in physical strength thanks to his racial classes in addition to his jobs.

Absorbing them would only make him stronger and allow him to expand past the limits he had already surpassed in the game.

From what he could tell they were all below half of his level. Well, except for the Extra-Seat. Most of the magic casters in the Black Scripture could use seventh tier magic, but only if they weren't human.

If they had been a member of the undead or another Heteromorphic being, they might be able to use it.

However it was clear that since some of them were over the level of thirty six, they could indeed use sixth tier magic or have the equivalence in strength depending on their class. This meant that the physical resistance and immunities only cushioned the blows.

"My name… is Cipher." Jack stated with a monotoned voice before flicking his wrist slightly, planting the small blade of his spear into the floor by his feet. His eyes shifted to the half-elf once more who was holding her scythe. She clearly wanted to fight him, he could see the lust in her eyes. However, that wasn't all he saw. The bloodlust, she wanted more than just to fight.

However even then as he was looking down into her eyes, he wanted to slaughter the Cardinals, he wanted to slaughter the Scripture which stood before him.

"Cipher.." The Cardinal with the pointed beard tasted the name on his tongue. The other men soon following and repeating the name.

The man had shared his name and yet hadn't disappeared. Angels weren't allowed to use false names in the New World. The only way they could be here, was to etch their true name into the world itself. If they were sentient, as he appeared to be that is.

Jack to those around him seemed lax which was strange, even for someone whom may be confident with their own strength. However, he wasn't truly lax. His face couldn't be seen, his emotions hidden.

Zesshi began to walk in a semi-circular path around him. Glossening her teeth with anticipation. She only had the scythe on her, so she wasn't fully equipped.

Jack could sense the heat coming from her.

The Captain seemed to sweat seeing her like this. He knew that she couldn't handle him one on one without her gear. And even then, this man seemed much more powerful than anything he had ever seen.

The Cardinal named Raymond Zarg Lauransan slowly stood up, he was the commander of the Six Scriptures and the youngest member of the Cardinals. "Cipher-sama… We sincerely apologize for attacking your domain and inflicting pain upon the villagers."

Considering the situation, Jack was surprised he didn't raise his voice due to the angst he could see on his body language as Raymond stood there with his hands in front of him.

"Raymond was it?" Jack's eyes rested on the Cardinal with a dull tone, however he kept his peripheral vision on the encroaching Elf. "Worshipper to the God of Death…"

Raymond was a gasp at the fact that he knew who he was, having blinked a few times as he recited a little bit of information about him. Including his name and his idol of worship.

Jack's eyes then whisked over each Cardinal, reciting their names. "Berenice the Cardinal of Fire, Ginedine the Cardinal of Water, Dominic the Cardinal of Wind, Yvon the Cardinal of Light and Maximilian the Cardinal of Darkness."

He knew their positions due to the information he had received from devouring a Knight and a Commander from the Sunlit Scripture. He could only wonder what kind of information he would gain from devouring one of these individuals.

"I want to fight him! One on one!"

Jack's head turned to look at the Half-Elf who was grinning with this devious look on her face. She reminded him of a cat which was looking at her prey. To her, it appeared he was an oversized giant rat which could fight back against this house cat.

"…"

Turning to look over at the Captain, he seemed uncomfortable. Jack chuckled a little under his helmet, his voice desynchronized and overlapping.

"Don't laugh at me! For if I am stronger, I will wear your wings! And if you are stronger, I shall make you my husband with all my might!" Her wild eyes were wide and that smile looked as if it was about to swallow the world in hellfire.

Leaving after images as she moved towards him, he could hear the movement of her scythe. And just as she was a few meters away from him. Jack vanished, completely disappearing.

"Teleportation!?" She shouted as she instinctively swung, only for someone to grab the butt of her pole arm's shaft. She turned her head as she felt herself being thrown into the air.

As she rose in altitude, her eyes locked on Jack who was a couple feet above the ground, hovering. Using her martial arts skills, she launched herself down towards him. Her weapon drawn to the side in order to swipe the blade of the war scythe through him.

However as the blade was about to make contact with him, Jack caught the blade between two fingers. His hand was shaking as well as the weapon as she continued to push.

She was at most twenty levels under his current level, but his divine armor and items that he had equipped kept him well above her level in almost every aspect. Perhaps if she was further equipped with items, she could at least stand somewhat against him.

Of course though, he could definitely feel her immense strength.

"Sorry Kiddo," he had no idea how old she was by just looking at her. However his voice sounded rather friendly despite the overlap in his words. "But you're dealing with a buffed Eleventh Tier Angel from the Heavenly Counselors."

According to the knowledge of the Slane Theocracy, the Dominion Authority which was the seventh tier summon originally given to Nigun, was supposed to be the strongest Angel.

"You have only met the Second Sphere," Jack's hand stopped shaking as he held the blade and started to spin the weapon over his head. He hadn't even lifted his own in the process. It was similar to watching a cat flying around a room with their tail tied onto a ceiling fan. Then when he finally let go, the Half-Elf would be thrown directly into the Black Scripture Captain and the rest of her colleagues.

The Cardinals went to flee out of the room, a snicker escaping his lips as he watched them struggle.

The force behind the throw was hardly enough to kill any of them. So he wasn't surprised as they were all scattering back to their feet. The Captain and the Extra-Seat were the first to raise, hand in hand.

"He's strong," Zesshi giggled to herself, running forward with her weapon. She was becoming more tactically sound as she charged him. She tried numerous times to jab at him. To hit him with the flat side of her scythe.

Every time he would either dodge or parry her attacks. He didn't try to grab her blade again. She had brute strength. Jack knew if she was able to get a direct hit, she would at least shave off some of his HP.

That was the last thing he needed.

"Your pathetic..." Jack uttered as he continued to move out of the way of each strike. She left after images every time she lunged forward. Yet he reacted to her in real time without a problem, without getting scratched easily.

"Zesshi!" The Captain shouted as she went to rush after Jack once more. "We'll hold him off for a little bit, go get the--" As he was in the middle of speaking, a spear ripped through his back and he was slowly lifted into the air.

Zesshi had stopped in her tracks as Jack had disappeared the moment she blinked. Slowly, she turned around as she heard the Eleventh Seat let out a sudden shriek.

The Captain who's eyes were focused on the ceiling now, slowly looked down towards Zesshi. His lower jaw was quivering from the pain which surged through his entire body. He could hardly move as he dropped his spear to the ground.

His plate armor was nothing special compared to the World Item, Azrael's Blade, which had impaled him. However within a few seconds, his eyes had already lost all the life which was inside of him.

The weapon itself had a near-instant death effect. It was supposed to be a spear which was derived from the scythe that belonged to the Angel of Death.

Jack then used his magic spell『Devour』to literally absorb the dead man's corpse, increasing his own physical abilities and job classes. Even if they were dead, he could still absorb them. Though he just wouldn't gain all their knowledge. Yet since he had absorbed him within the first ten seconds of death, he still gained what was left. However, he would sigh as he derived no pleasure in killing the young dark haired male.

Just as the Third Seat attempted to cast a spell on him, Jack swiped his spear aside and cleaved his head straight off his shoulders with the main blade of the spear. The shorter end of the blade would then sink into the sternum of the Second Seat which was about to try trapping and stabbing the Angel.

A few seconds later he threw the second seat directly into the Seventh who attempted to run out the door. Taking her down, knocking her unconscious as she was slammed face first into the wall beside the door.

The Seraph continued to tear through the main members of the Black Scripture. Breaking their parrying their attacks, breaking their lower grade armor and weapons.

That's when his spear stabbed into the oversized hat of the Thousand Leagues Astrologer and tore it right off her head.

Jack's eyes washed over her busty form and scantily clad attire, before he tossed the hat to the side.

As he appeared distracted, that is when she chose to strike again amongst the crowd of her colleagues. It was clear she held little attachment towards them, she stepped over the wounded and dead. Her weapon came falling down towards his head.

『Flash Step』

Vanishing from where he was, he reappeared a few inches from where the blade was going to come down. His hand would come up and grab the neck of the weapon, followed by a sworn kick to her stomach. He stole the weapon from her grasp and sent her flying directly through the tall windows of the Cathedral. The stained glass raining down with her on her fall down to the grounds below.

Looking over the weapon, he turned his eyes towards those who were remaining and grinned widely. He made up his mind and he was getting tired of his charade.

『Assimilation』

This spell in particular allowed him to turn entire groups of NPC into experience potions of sorts, an area of effect version of Devour which is thousands of times more effective. However its cooldown was insanely high, being an entire month. Of course they had to be of a certain level beneath him and not his equals, otherwise they'd be able to break free.

As he cast this super-tier magic a shadow would consume the room, tendrils coming out from beneath his targets and tightly wrapping around them. His eyes rested on the old woman who had entered the room the moment he had cast this spell. She was wearing a World Item, a dress known as the Downfall of Castle and Country, a frown deepened upon his lips seeing it here.

The only reason she didn't use it on him, was because she couldn't use the item as she was already ensnared within the range of his spell.

These tendrils continue to wrap around their victims until they were entirely engulfed and within a few seconds from that stage of being, the tendrils became cocoons. These cocoons would become a bright red color and begin to shrink. The sound of crushing bone, squishing of flesh and the strong scent of blood would over take the room.

Yet there were no screams as in Death, there was only silence.

In the end, the cocoons shrank down into glass-like bottles with syrupy dark crimson liquid inside. The scent in the room, the blood and copper taste, was now gone and oddly replaced with parsley fragrance.

Raising one hand, he called the bottles to his hands, only to dispense each one into his item box. When he was putting the last one away, he turned his head and looked to the broken window.

Zesshi was standing there, blood tricking out from the side of her mouth. She seemed to be holding onto her stomach as she was walking towards him. Her attire seemed to have been torn by the glass.

Despite the pain, he could see that big creepy smile across her face. The shadow which cast over her eyes from her bangs made Jack just take a step back.

"As Expected of a Supreme Being, Cipher-sama..." The Devil in a suit and tie, stepped on the shattered glass, entering through the broken window. His long spiked tail ripping through the side of Zesshi's throat and lifting the Half-Elf off the ground. "Our worry seemed to be for naught," he pushed his bifocals to the bridge of his nose. Tossing the near-lifeless body of the once powerful being known as Zesshi to the side.

Jack turned his head to look at the Arch-Devil for a few moments before chuckling lightly, four of his holy wings retracting as the main set regained the dark turquoise complexion it had once before.

"Hm?" The Arch-Devil known as Demiurge raised a brow as he walked towards the Supreme Being, before kneeling before him with a bow.

"Rise, Demiurge. Now's not the time to be kneeling in this filthy place."

Raising his brows, the Floor Guardian would stand the moment he was given the order. He would watch as Jack walked over towards the childish elvish form which lay there gurgling on and squirting out blood. She still seemed to smile up at him, weakly reaching out and trying to grasp at his armored pant leg. She continued to do so even as the light in her eyes were slowly fading.

Jack just stood there and watched her die, and when the light finally went out and she lay there motionlessly with wide open eyes. He huffed, "Creepy..."

Kneeling down, he would cast an enchantment upon the body as he'd closer her eyes with his fingers. Her entire body lit up as he recited:

『Delayed Magic』『Nuclear Detonation』

"It's time to go..."