Chapter 39: Chapter 39 - Impending Interception
Yukio, Mayumi, Yui, Ambrosia, Cyprus, and now Hero, were all going to the Camp Alpha Grand Station to board a train to Camp Omega. Yui's sister, Yua Misako, was also being transferred there, so they would get to spend some time together.
Cyprus had plans of his own that he wanted to accomplish in Omega, things such as hunting water monsters, and training ranged heroes. Mayumi also had plans of her own. She wanted to continue to train with her sword, to become a better knight.
This would serve as an opportunity for everybody to train, and get stronger, knowing that The Zodiac was at large. By this point, the majority of the Hero Camp had been informed of The Zodiac, so everyone was on guard.
This also made it more challenging for the members of The Zodiac to hide, as the entire Hero Camp was now against them. If anything, the patriarchs would be much easier to apprehend, if sightings of them are reported frequently.
But, they were ready for it... unbeknownst to the Hero Camp, The Shade had plans of his own. Back in the Void Instance, he was now discussing matters with Cynthia, about her next mission.
"Take a seat, Cynthia. I'd like to speak with you about a few things."
"Sure, what's up Shade?" asked Cynthia.
Cynthia was a tall teenage girl with long scarlet hair that went halfway down her back, naturally curling at the ends. She wore a navy blue jacket with a gray shirt underneath and a black plaid skirt with knee-high socks. She had red eyes and small fanged teeth.
"Please, refer to me formally. I know you're the leading Patriarch, but I still want you to show a bit of formality around here."
"Apologies, my liege. So, back to it then, what's the word?"
"Well, I spoke with Henka earlier about our situation, I had Marius grab him from Mu, and bring him back. Now it's time for me to tell you what's going on as well."
"You see, we found Capricorn, which means our plans are about to go into full effect..." said The Shade. Cynthia's eyes widened.
"You found him!? Yay! ...that means all of the seats of the zodiac are now filled..." she said, in a deeper voice.
"Indeed it does. As you know, Capricorn has the ability to command monsters, which is integral in our operation. If we can recruit Yukio, that's his name, by the way, then we can finally begin our cleansing process..."
"Remind me again exactly what it is you want to do? You explained it to me before, but I just want to make sure we're on the same page."
"Of course. Our plan is simple, Cynthia. Allow me to explain it once more for you."
~~THE SHADE'S PLAN / THE ZODIAC'S IDEAS~~
The Shade's plan, and the ideas that The Zodiac revolves around, is that of converting humans into the very thing they sought to destroy, in order to protect them from it. The Zodiac and its members have done extensive research into the effects of consuming monster hearts, and have found that by doing so, not only can you achieve great power by turning into a monster, but your DNA will be modified, causing monsters to no longer desire eating you.
Once a human has been turned into a monster, they are free to turn back into a human whenever they please, and will no longer have to worry about being eaten by a monster again. Going about this though would require the mass gathering of humans to feed monster hearts, forcing them to turn into monsters.
However, not everyone is capable of turning into a monster, because some bodies are simply unfit and unable to handle the extreme transformation... in order to accommodate this, The Zodiac has simply decided that the best course of action, would be to convert all compatible humans into monsters, change their DNA, and allow them to reproduce, creating a new race of humans who are safe from monsters.
The rest of the population will simply die out along with the regular monster species, and in the end, humanity will be saved. It would come at the cost of millions of lives... but The Zodiac is an extremist organization, and they will go to great lengths to achieve their desired goal of world peace, even if their methods are twisted.
The one mystery in all of this though is the true identity of The Shade. He is a man so powerful, that all have questioned where he got his abilities from. Some of his abilities include, but are not limited to, summoning monsters, blessing others with powerful abilities, teleportation, phasing, and matter manipulation.
However, The Shade is adamant about keeping his identity a secret... he has not shared who he is, or how he became powerful with anyone, and he doesn't plan to...
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ah right, right, see, that's what I thought you wanted to do, I just couldn't remember if you wanted to slaughter those who go against you or not. See, I've tried to recruit people into our group, but they just keep saying no!"
"To be honest, it makes me feel kinda sad knowing so many people are turning down guaranteed protection, but like, do I kill them? I mean, they know who we are now, so killing them might make sense so they don't tell anyone important about us."
The Shade looked Cynthia in the eyes, with an unenthused grin. He had sent Cynthia on countless recruiting missions before, but most of the time, she returned empty-handed. She was unreliable...
...but, her abilities alone are enough to deter The Shade from kicking her out. Without her, The Zodiac would be in danger, especially now, since the Hero Camp is planning a full-scale retaliation against them...
"If Yukio hadn't come around yet, I'd call you a complete idiot, letting people roam free with the knowledge of our existence, but considering the Hero Camp is informed, along with the nearby population, you're fine..."
"Here, look over these documents, it details our new plan that we've been developing in case Capricorn were to be discovered. I'm going to need you to scout out a camp for me, Yukio will be there too..."
The Shade passed some papers over to Cynthia, who began to read them. She put on a pair of reading glasses and scanned the pages. When she was done, she set them aside, and rested her chin on her hands, looking at The Shade.
"Hmmm, I see... you always think up the best plans, Shadie." said Cynthia, smiling.
"I told you not to call me that, gosh, you and Yurei are so annoying..."
Cynthia stood up from her chair and stretched. Whatever she read on those documents, it was written with the full intent of apprehending Yukio, were he to defer their offer to join them. They were legit operations.
"I'm going to send you to Omega today to intercept Yukio and his party. Be careful though, because the man in silver could be with them. If he is, do not engage in combat."
"Sounds good, and if he isn't there?" asked Cynthia.
"Then feel free to proceed as you see fit. Just be wary of the public eye, as well as other heroes he may have with him. If you need anything, use this to contact me..." said The Shade, pulling an RCD from his drawer, handing it to Cynthia...
Somehow, The Shade had managed to get ahold of a few RCD's of his own... with this newfound tech, The Zodiac would have a better way of communicating with each other, given the signal could reach the void instance.
"Marius picked a few of these off the ground before he retreated. He said they were dropped by some level 6 heroes who he scared off. I think they could be of use to us..."
"Oh really? I think I saw a few heroes with one of these before, what's it called again? Something like a..rapid connections-" Cynthia was cut off.
"A Rapid-Contact-Device. Hold down the button on the side to use it, but make sure you're connected to a private line, or else the heroes will hear what you're saying. I'm having Sagittarius work on developing one for us now." said The Shade.
"Ahh, right, right. Terry is real smart, he's developed some pretty cool things in the past for us. Anyway, do you want me to leave now?"
"You'll be leaving in an hour or so. Go make sure you have everything you're going to need with you before you go."
"Sounds good, thank you, my liege," said Cynthia, saluting The Shade. She turned around and exited his office. The Shade spoke to himself when she left.
"Good luck, Cindy... just don't blow it..."
Back at the Grand Station, the party is boarding the train to Camp Omega. Yui stepped onto the train and immediately noticed her sister sitting down. The seat next to her was open.
"YUA!" she yelled, running over to sit by her.
"Sister! You're coming with me to Omega!? How come?" asked Yua, beaming with excitement. The others entered the train and took their seats. Everyone's eyes shifted instantly to Hero, who tried to hide his anxiety.
"Oh lord, they're staring. Just act calm, and be friendly. It's not like you haven't been around people before..." Hero thought to himself.
"Well, Ms. Esper Witch made arrangements for us to come here for Yukio's training. He needs experience killing monsters still!" said Yui.
"Ahh, that makes sense! Welcome to the Hero Camp, Yukio! I'm glad you passed your exam!"
I took my seat next to Ambrosia, sitting across from Yui and Yua. They were twins, their features practically identical except for hair and eye color.
"Thanks, Yua, I'm excited to train and get stronger. I'm sure you heard about The Zodiac, right?"
"Yeah, the Hero Camp was informed VIA newscast of their plans. They're really scary, are you planning to take them down?"
"I am... it may not seem like it, but I have an ability very similar to theirs, and if I can use it against them, I think I can dismantle them. I just need to build skill and get stronger before I can do it."
"I see... well, seeing the people around you, especially that fancy boy sitting by himself, I think you'll have nothing to worry about," said Yua, pointing to Hero. He was sitting by himself, looking out of the window.
Hero looked back and noticed us watching him. His eyes widened, and he looked away quickly. He seemed nervous about something. I left him alone and continued chatting with the twins about their plans.
"So Yua, what are you and Yui gonna do in Camp Omega? I'll be training with Hero and Ambrosia, what about you two?"
"Ah, right. Well, I wanna show Yui how much I've grown in combat, also, I brought along our bathing suits so we can go swimming together at the beach! Doesn't that sound fun, sister?"
"It does! It sounds very fun, Yua! I'm excited." said Yui. Their voices were very similar, but they had a distinct difference. Yui's was slightly higher than Yua's.
"Maybe Yukio can come with us if he'd like..." continued Yui, both her and her sister were now staring at me.
My stomach sank, and my face started heating up. I was there to train, so I couldn't be bothered by these distractions! But then again, Yui in a bikini sounded like a wonderful sight...but I had to stay focused!
"If I can fit time to go with you guys, I will," I said. I blew it! That's not what I meant to say! But it was too late now. Suddenly, a voice came onto the intercom.
"Thank you for riding on the Omega Train! We will be arriving at our destination in 1 hour. Make sure you do not block the exits while in transit! Enjoy your ride with us today!"
...and with that, we were off. The train began to move, on its course to bring us to Camp Omega, the port city! What wonders would I find there? What sea monsters would I slay, and how much knowledge would I gain from my superiors?
I was thrilled, but nervous. Despite being a fresh level 2 hero, I was about to start training with the top two heroes in the entire camp. It was a blessing, but I knew that it meant I would be in for a lot of hardcore training...
"Hey Yukio, I wanna talk to you for a few, if that's okay with you?"
I turned around and saw Hero standing behind me. He had a serious look in his eyes as if he had something very important to get off his chest. I stood up and followed him back to his seat, where we both sat down, alone.
"Alright, so, let's talk about how you can become strong..."
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