Conqueror of the Time Apocalypse

Chapter 6. The First Harvest: City Monster Monument

“Your position, both of you, is fifty meters from the base of the Night Lion Statue. From there, we can monitor the three greedy factions already waiting on the perimeter,” instructed Maxwell Sullivan, his voice quiet but demanding absolute precision. They were hiding behind the ruins of a twenty-story central bank, in the middle of a Dead City filled with wreckage and debris. A thin blood rain still dampened the air, leaving behind a metallic scent and desperation.

“Three factions? Is this too much for just the three of us, Mr. Maxwell?” Johan asked, trying to peer into the distance with a pair of binoculars Maxwell had found from a destroyed military vehicle. His eyes widened at the sight of dozens of armed individuals and several Awakened with noticeable auras.

Viana Enderson shifted her gaze from the tablet Maxwell had given her. She had already memorized the data on the Night Lion Statue inside and out. “Not just us three, Johan. We have the Absolute King with us. And as Mr. Maxwell said, those three factions are nothing more than pesky vermin.”

Maxwell simply gave a small nod, as if a large massacre was an everyday occurrence for him. “They are all targeting the same thing: the Ring of Heaven’s Sovereignty at the heart of the statue. A relic that, in the previous timeline, triggered a nuclear war between nations before the System took over. And do you remember who failed to retrieve it, Viana?”

“The Prime Minister of Japan, Lord Shiroi, and his forces were utterly destroyed because they failed to realize that the statue itself was a sleeping monster. They thought there were only traps inside the vault, not a level 20 monument monster hiding there,” Viana replied without hesitation. “They only saw the statue as a relic vault.”

“Exactly. That’s why they’re here. Waiting to see who will be the first guinea pig to ‘open up’ the Night Lion Statue. We must precede them and make the ‘first harvest’ before they act rashly.”

“So, what's our plan, Mr. Maxwell?” Viana asked, gesturing forward with the digital tablet.

“Look at the statue’s breathing pattern, Viana. There’s a sub-audible vibration at 7Hz frequency. That indicates the statue has evolved into an Awakened Grade B: Living Statue, but is still in its ‘passive hibernation’ phase,” Maxwell explained, pointing to the towering Night Lion Statue, where he placed special glasses. “The ‘Steel Dawn’ faction is on the left. Awakened with Mana Deflect Armor. Main weapon, energy lasers.”

“My left side detects fourteen units, with five heavily armed Awakened and two defensive support classes,” Viana added, her gaze locked on the HUD in the tactical glasses Maxwell had just given her. “They have traps set around the plaza entrance.”

“The ‘Red Blade’ faction is on the right. Pure Mana user, fighter class. Reckless and aggressive. Main weapon, fire energy longswords,” Maxwell continued. “They don’t have traps; they rely solely on speed.”

“Thirteen units, four frontline Awakened, one low-level healer support,” Viana confirmed, her hand tapping the tablet screen, calculating their likely attack trajectory.

“And in the rear, the ‘Divine Shield’ faction. Fake humanitarians who are ‘securing the area’. Their leader is Captain Julian. A former special officer, he has access to mini monster-destroying missiles. A sycophant who once tried to run for president, now attempting to gather a following for legitimacy. There are also aerial traps, shock bombs, and ground traps,” Maxwell explained with disdain.

“Twenty units, six rear Awakened with one ‘strategic trigger’ (sniper), and two defensive supports. Main strength is Mana-powered micro missiles, dangerous for Corpse Spiders,” Viana accelerated her analysis.

“That’s good enough, Viana. Consider the Night Lion Statue as our ‘helper.’ Its power far exceeds anything they imagine,” Maxwell smirked slightly.

“Wait, Mr. Maxwell, you want them to fight the statue first? They’ll be destroyed, and we won’t have enough strength to pick up the remains,” Johan asked doubtfully.

“That is exactly our goal. They will destroy themselves, or at least weaken the statue. But I don't want them to get too close to the relic core inside too easily,” Maxwell said. “Viana, explain the enemy attraction tactics.”

Viana exhaled, her brain racing. This was the craziest management simulation she had ever faced. “We have two options. First, we create a disturbance to draw all three factions to charge the statue simultaneously, elbowing each other along the way and sowing suspicion among them. Or, we create a threat that provokes the Living Statue to awaken, making it blindly attack one of the factions and luring the others in.”

“Which option is most efficient, Viana?”

“Option two is better,” Viana answered quickly. “Provoking the Living Statue sooner will flush out those ‘vermin’ from their hiding spots. The Living Statue is Grade B, meaning it takes several Awakened Level 15-20 to seriously wound it, not the low levels we see here. The Steel Dawn faction relies heavily on Mana Deflect Armor; the statue’s energy attacks will reflect back toward them.”

“Brilliant, Viana,” Maxwell gave a small nod. “But don’t stop at theory. How do you make the Night Lion Statue ‘wake up’ and choose its first target, especially the Steel Dawn faction located on the southwest side?”

Viana narrowed her eyes. “The statue has a ‘primordial control’ hidden by the Creator system. The nerves beneath it are sensitive to low frequency and abundant Mana, especially pure Mana from high-level energy Cores.”

“And the Red Blade faction on the right has that Core in the form of their pure Mana Fire Swords. They often show it off,” Maxwell interjected, providing a small piece of information based on his knowledge.

“So, we will make Red Blade release their pure Mana power massively around the Steel Dawn faction’s trap area,” Viana continued. “This will be the most effective bait. They are reckless Awakened. Just a minor provocation will make them impatient to demonstrate their strength.”

“How do we provoke them and ensure the Living Statue rises according to your target?” Maxwell asked. “Explain in detail, Viana.”

Viana took a breath. “I see several city clock towers near the southeast intersection. Their frequency is high. They normally control time, but were modified by the Creator system to store residual Mana from the 0:00 Apocalypse hour. I will fire a high-frequency electromagnetic signal from a hidden clock tower. This will break the silence and draw the attention of all factions. But I can manipulate it to sound like one of the Divine Shield faction’s aerial traps activated first.”

“The Red Blade faction will overreact, attacking in the direction they suspect, which is Divine Shield,” Johan interjected, looking more confident.

“Exactly,” Viana nodded. “Their pure Mana Fire Swords attacking near the Night Lion Statue and close to the Mana trap area belonging to the Steel Dawn faction will wake the statue. The statue will sense the surge of Mana nearby and, being disturbed from its ‘hibernation,’ will attack the closest source of the most abundant Mana.”

“Which is either the pure Mana Fire Swords of the Red Blade faction, or the Deflect Aura from Steel Dawn that happens to have a Mana-triggering effect,” Maxwell countered.

“Correct. Because Red Blade's attacks tend to be concentrated and possess significant pure Mana, they will be a far more attractive target than Steel Dawn’s traps,” Viana added.

The detonation effect of the awakened Night Lion Statue and the battle between the Living Statue and the Red Blade faction will trigger an alarm from the Divine Shield faction, which they will then misinterpret as an inter-faction war.

"All the factions will destroy each other, and we will harvest the remains," Johan mumbled, his eyes gleaming with the brutal understanding he was beginning to embrace.

Maxwell asked, his gaze fixed intensely on Viana. "Execution time, Viana?"

"If we activate the hidden clock's trigger five minutes from now, everything will proceed according to plan. It will take ten seconds for the Mana wave to activate the Night Lion Statue. Twenty seconds for the Red Blade faction's chain reaction, and fifteen seconds for the Divine Shield's panic response."

"Forty-five seconds is a tight window for a large-scale riot," Maxwell smirked. "Execute. I want the statue's core. Once they're destroyed, you and Johan collect every drop of Mana Energy they release. Even if they're still alive, let them witness the true horror, Viana."

"Understood, Mr. Maxwell. Johan, follow my instructions and position yourself fifty meters southwest. You must fire two small arrows that I've coated with the frequency from a small Energy Core. We'll make one of the Divine Shield communication towers emit static sparks. Make it look like a misfire from a distance. We need to ensure the war starts as quickly as possible," Viana ordered.

Johan immediately nodded and quickly descended the building. "Ready to proceed, Mr. Viana!"

Maxwell simply observed Viana, his hand touching his chin. "There are absolutely no flaws in your plan. No regrets about death, I assume, Viana?"

Viana lifted her head, her eyes cold. "I view the apocalypse not as destruction, Mr. Maxwell, but as new ground. New ground that needs to be planted with the seeds of our sovereignty, even if it must be watered with blood. Regret is a luxury reserved for those who fear death. I am no longer that kind of person."

"Very well, then. Prepare your Mana pistol, Viana. There are things that cannot be entirely entrusted to a low-level Awakened like you, or Johan's axe," Maxwell said.

"What is that, Mr. Maxwell?" Viana asked, cocking the high-Mana energy pistol she had just realized was surprisingly light and compact.

"The Void Devourer. A Class S Dimensional creature that feeds on chaos will arrive within seven minutes after the main Mana wave overflows from the Night Lion Statue. If we don't handle it, it will devour all the Mana Cores that should belong to us. The monster has no physical weakness, except for a concentrated Mana blast to its dimensional eye. And that will draw in the heavy factions."

"A Class S monster in such a short time?" Viana tensed slightly, raising an eyebrow. That was a threat far beyond her calculations.

"You've lived under the conglomerate's protection for too long, Viana. The apocalypse system works faster than you realize," Maxwell smirked slightly. "But there's no need to worry. That creature is also part of our 'harvest.' You just need to help me focus."

Maxwell reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a dark purple crystal shard that pulsed faintly—a Cosmos Fragment, an unlimited energy source Maxwell found in the ruins of a library. He placed the shard on the perimeter of the Night Lion Statue, pointing directly at the center of the Steel Dawn faction's horde.

Swoosh! The crystal emitted a faint electromagnetic pulse. No one would see it, but this energy would passively 'attract' the attention of the Night Lion Statue. A masterstroke from Absolute Knowledge.

"Alright, execution time has arrived, Viana," Maxwell stated, glancing at his digital watch.

Viana took a breath, her eyes filled with determination. "Initiating clock tower interference in three, two, one."

She pressed the activation button.

Click!

Four kilometers to the southeast, the bells of an ancient clock tower rang out loudly, erratically, and deafeningly. The next second, static sparks burst from the Divine Shield faction communication tower to the north, exactly as Viana planned.

"They're messing up! Get ready!" someone from the Steel Dawn Faction shouted.

"Those Divine Shield bastards! It's an ambush! Attack!" yelled a blonde man from the Red Blade faction, swinging his Mana fire sword into the air and releasing a wave of fiery energy toward the Divine Shield communication tower.

BOOM! Boom!

The large wave of Mana fire zipped through the air, scorching the section of the tower that was emitting static sparks. A small explosion occurred, increasing the chaos.

Just as Viana had anticipated, the massive surge of Mana power dispersed into the air. The vibration and overflow of pure Mana from the sword immediately awakened the Night Lion Statue from its hibernation.

Crackle! Rumble!

The entire statue shook, large cracks spreading across its stone body and revealing orange energy streaks radiating from within. The statue's lion eyes opened, glowing bright red. It let out a terrifying roar that shook the earth.

"MONSTER! THE STATUE IS ALIVE!"

"Cracks! Damn it! The Red Blade Faction woke it up!"

Total panic erupted. The Steel Dawn faction, located near the statue, was immediately struck by a gravity pressure wave from the awakened Night Lion Statue. Some Awakened wearing Mana Deflect Armor were thrown back as their Mana aura collided with the gravity field.

"We're in danger! Don't attack randomly! Use defensive traps!" yelled the Steel Dawn leader, seeing the statue raise one of its city bus-sized arms.

The Divine Shield faction, which had been attacking Red Blade, now stopped and went into total panic as their micro-missiles proved ineffective against the Night Lion Statue's hard skin.

"Divine Shield attack! They're using light bullets!" shouted someone from the Red Blade faction. "They betrayed us!"

Instead of uniting to face the Night Lion Statue, the three factions grew suspicious of each other and turned to attack one another amid the debris from the statue's rampage. Energy arrows from Steel Dawn traded fire with fire swords from Red Blade. Divine Shield missiles struck blindly.

Viana smirked. "98.3% efficiency," she whispered, satisfied.

"Satisfactory enough," Maxwell commented. "However, there are other dimensional creatures being drawn in. Watch out for that."

From the center of the sky, a dimensional rift as dark as a shadow began to form. From within, transparent tentacles writhed, trying to swallow debris thrown from the battle.

"The Void Devourer," Viana whispered, focusing on the HUD in her glasses.

"Johan, now it's your turn! Come out of hiding and show these 'heroes' how to die properly. I want the Living Statue's core not just drained by them, but also separated intact!" Maxwell ordered, his voice rising an octave, his absolute authority so palpable it shook the soul.

"Ready, Mr. Maxwell! My axe will dance today!" Johan shouted from below, his voice already full of excitement for the apocalypse. He immediately jumped into the middle of the chaos, bravely confronting Awakened and soldiers from the three fragmented factions, while occasionally striking the Living Statue to keep its energy core centered.

Viana watched as Johan fought with renewed spirit, as if every swing of his axe was a promise of newly found loyalty. She herself prepared her Mana pistol, observing the Void Devourer.

"Viana. The Void Devourer cannot be hit conventionally. And its eyes keep changing. Absolute Knowledge, explain this Void Devourer's specific weakness," Maxwell instructed his system, but the explanation was immediately shared with Viana.

Its dimensional eyes were made of crystal fibers that could only be damaged by highly compressed Mana. It required two bursts within a 0.2-second window, followed by a three-second pause to unleash the final attack. Attacks would be blocked by dimensional interaction within 15 seconds. There were five pairs of eyes to destroy, the system stated with frightening precision.

Viana sighed. Five pairs of eyes. Two precise shots in 0.2 seconds, a three-second pause, then the third shot. It was nearly impossible. But with the synchronized Absolute Knowledge, it became possible.

Maxwell drew his short dagger. It wasn't just any ordinary blade, but the 'Void Cutter,' a legendary item forged from star fragments, capable of severing anything using micro-gravitational energy.

“I'll create a distraction on its floating main body, Viana. As for you... show them why you're the Operations Manager of this nascent kingdom. The eyes watching you will be the first proof. I will trap its body within my gravity field. Your focus is those specific points.” Maxwell leaped from the building, moving with strange speed toward the sky, toward the Void Devourer.

Maxwell Sullivan now leaped freely into the midst of the apocalyptic storm. With every jump, his body became blurry and unseen, moving through the ruins and chaotic air, straight toward the eye of the storm created by the Void Devourer. His gravity became a terrifying distortion for the Void Devourer.

Viana felt the weight of the task on her shoulders. The faction battles raging below were escalating into madness, with combatants killing each other before the furious Night Lion Statue. Johan was one of the most dynamic points in the chaos, draining energy whenever he managed to subdue an Awakened or damage a part of the statue.

Maxwell leaped, dodging the Void Devourer's tentacle attacks, moving around it like a ghost. Occasionally, his dagger stabbed into the transparent body, creating small spatial tears. This was done to attract its attention, focusing the Class S enemy on Maxwell himself.

“Now, Viana!” Maxwell shouted from afar, his voice echoing due to the telepathic synchronization of Absolute Knowledge.

Viana raised her pistol. Her focused gaze locked onto the moving coordinates of the Void Devourer's dimensional eyes.

Bang! Bang! Pause... Bang!

Three quick, precise shots were launched, hitting the first dimensional eye. Bullseye.

The Void Devourer shrieked at a soul-piercing frequency, its transparent body twitching.

“Again, Viana!”

Bang! Bang! Pause... Bang!

And again. Viana proceeded as quickly as possible; every pause between shots was a desperate calculation, racing against the 0.2-second and three-second time limits specified by Absolute Knowledge. She felt her brain working faster than ever before. It was exhausting, but the sensation... addictive.

All five dimensional eyes were destroyed in less than a minute.

The Void Devourer writhed in agony. The creature radiated an aura of darkness, and its Mana flooded the atmosphere. With one powerful slash from the Void Cutter, Maxwell tore open the Void Devourer's core. The creature disintegrated into motes of energy that were immediately absorbed by Maxwell's Sovereign Ring.

Maxwell landed lightly on the ground. He felt utterly peaceful, as if he had just finished a picnic. The fighting around him was still raging. Johan had successfully gained control over the Night Lion Statue using leftover traps from the Steel Dawn Faction, allowing Maxwell to slowly extract its power. The factions were slaughtering each other wholesale, fractured and directionless. No one succeeded in getting close to the statue or seizing the intended relics. All had been swept clean by the madness they created themselves.

Maxwell stepped toward the Night Lion Statue, placing his hands on the statue's slowly weakening core. Golden energy radiated from his body, absorbing the remaining energy of the Night Lion Statue and seizing every mana core and relic scattered from the fallen Awakened. This truly was the first clean harvest.

Viana approached him, her steps steadier than before, her breath slightly quickened, yet a fierce passion burned in her eyes. "Mr. Maxwell, mission completed. All factions here have been completely eradicated. There are eight Mana Cores successfully collected by Johan, six Awakened killed, and the Void Devourer."

"Good, Viana. But the harvest doesn't end there. Take everything. Every Core. Every piece of ammunition. Every minor relic from these losing factions. Then dispose of their bodies in the open sewers. Clean this area of our traces." Maxwell grinned; it wasn't a smile of happiness, but the satisfied look of an antique collector who had just stumbled upon his greatest treasure. "And check their wallets, who knows, there might be some cash left