Chapter 617: An Imminent Catastrophe

The next day,

In the center of New York, chaos and terror reigned as a Catastrophe Level quest unfolded with dramatic urgency. The streets, usually bustling with the vibrant life of the city, were now scenes of despair and frantic activity as people still continued to evacuate.

As if the threat of the Thundering Reaper wasn't enough, the devils had to play a cruel joke on them by putting up such an evil quest in their world. At the epicenter of this terrifying scenario stood a dark, ominous bomb, its stony shell black and intricately carved with eerie demonic runes that glowed intermittently with a fiery red light. The bomb, roughly spherical and about the size of a small car, sat heavily on the pavement, its jagged edges casting sinister shadows. Through its cursed, translucent crystal, a swirling vortex of dark energy pulsed and expanded, signaling impending doom.

Surrounding the bomb, dozens of draconians, fierce and strong, formed a protective circle. They were led by a draconian prince, Rhygar, whose presence was fiery and terrifying, a palpable force of malevolence and power like his dark gray leathery wings.

He could feel the tension yet excitement flowing through his veins upon imagining how his mother will finally acknowledge him once he returns triumphantly after succeeding a 'Insane' level quest like this. No draconian had done it in the last few years.

The air was thick with the tension of a battle that was about to begin, with the fate of the entire city hanging in the balance.

High above, media helicopters buzzed like agitated wasps, their cameras focused on the barrier that isolated the bomb and its draconian guards from the rest of the city. Inside this barrier, only one could enter - the Hunter who had accepted this perilous quest: Star Prince. His arrival was a flicker of hope in the enveloping gloom, his figure swift and resolute as he rushed into the barrier.

On the ground, a small crowd had gathered, defying the danger to watch the unfolding drama. From within the crowd, hushed voices spoke of both dread and awe, "Phew. A peak S Ranker like Star Prince should be able to easily handle them," one bystander remarked, trying to inject some optimism into the grim atmosphere.

"Yeah, but look at the number of those things," another countered, gesturing towards the barrier where the silhouettes of the draconians could be seen, "I heard that the draconian prince is quite strong and had killed a lot of powerful Hunters. And now he is guarding that big-ass bomb . No wonder this is a Catastrophe Level quest."

"We also haven't seen Star Prince in much action. But since he's an Evangelion, this will definitely be not that difficult for him."

"Still...shouldn't we evacuate like the others just to be safe?"

"Unless you are filthy rich enough to get a ticket to the safe zones they put up, I don't think the 'public' safe zones would have any space left for plebs like us."

Quite some distance away from the crowd were Amelia, Emiko, Yui, Asher, and Rebecca, standing just outside the barrier, beside a large black truck.

The faces of the three girls were masks of concern and anticipation, their eyes fixed on the display of the tablets in their hands to see what was happening through Arthur's bodycam.

Rebecca seemed bored, while Asher looked satisfied since he could indirectly get rid of Rhygar. How fortunate that such a quest dropped at a time like this.

"Will he be alright on his own?" Amelia's voice was a whisper of worry, barely audible above the closer murmurs of the small crowd, "If only the quest allowed more than one S Ranker or at least an A Ranker to take part..."

"Why wouldn't he be? This should be a piece of cake for an Evangelion like him. Rhygar is just all bark and no bite, and he isn't even a peak Soul Devourer. Even if he has some sly plans up his sleeves, it will be all good as long as Arthur bulldozes through them," Asher remarked, his voice tinged with confidence as he glanced sideways at Amelia.

Amelia, her expression one of concern, shook her head slightly, "But Arthur is a newbie Hunter and from what I have seen, it feels as if he doesn't have much experience despite being a peak S Ranker. His mood also didn't seem good this morning and appeared quite distracted. I feel he took on this quest without thinking about it properly. It must be because of what you said about his mother yesterday. Did you really have to go that far?" she queried, her tone questioning and slightly reproachful.

Asher let out a heavy sigh, his eyes briefly closing as he composed his thoughts, "I didn't expect Rachel to tell you about that, but I guess it isn't surprising," he admitted, his voice a mixture of resignation and mild irritation.

"I think you should apologize to him lest he holds bad feelings towards you," Amelia suggested gently, her gaze steady on Asher.

"Apologize? For all we know, he could be Derek's lackey, waiting to backstab us all," Asher scoffed, dismissing the idea with a wave of his hand.

"I know you have a good reason to suspect, and I also did once. But...my gut is telling me that he is not a wolf in sheep's clothing. He genuinely and sincerely helps and saves everyone he can without caring whether there are cameras around. He has this look in his eyes that reminded me of..." Amelia trailed off, her voice fading as she gave a deep glance at Asher.

"Reminded you of who?" Asher inquired, his expression turning serious as he noticed Amelia's distant look.

Before Amelia could reply, a sudden exclamation from Yui cut through the conversation, "Oh no!" she cried out, her face a mask of worry.

"Sir! These draconians have put up a powerful barrier before me, with civilians trapped between the runes. Suppose I destroy the barrier through sheer force. In that case, those people will die," Arthur's urgent voice crackled through their earpieces, his tone laden with anxiety and a sense of immediate danger.

Asher and Amelia turned their full attention to the screen, which now displayed Rhygar, his face twisted into a malevolent grin as he stood behind a dark, fiery red barrier. The barrier wasn't just a simple protective measure; it was a sinister trap, powered by draconians standing in formation behind Rhygar. Groups of draconians were powering an array, and horrifyingly, each array connected to groups of civilians—men, women, and children whose faces were etched with despair and terror, their lives hanging precariously in the balance.

Asher knew they were the people who couldn't evacuate in time before the warning for the quest dropped.

But he couldn't feel less worried about this.

"Such cliche tactics. Just break down the barrier by targeting its mana connections, and the civilians will remain unharmed. It should be easy for you. There's no need to ask us," Asher instructed, his voice calm and casual, seemingly undisturbed by the urgency of the situation.

Rebecca, standing behind, shook her head in disdain, "Tch, these draconian pigs can't even do anything right," she remarked with a scoff, her contempt for the enemy palpable, "If it was me, I would—"

Her confident tirade abruptly halted, however, as she caught Yui's gaze. Instead of anger or confrontation, Yui looked at her with deep disappointment, a silent rebuke that somehow struck deeper than any words could have. Rebecca didn't know why she was feeling this bothered by the gaze of this weak human. But before she could say anything to her, Arthur's urgent voice once again echoed in their ear pieces, "Sir...How do I do that? I have never done something like that before."

"What the hell? You have to be kidding me," Asher muttered under his breath, his expression twisting into a mix of frustration and disbelief.

"Only 5 minutes left before the bomb goes off! What are we supposed to do?" Amelia interjected, her voice thick with anxiety as she glanced nervously at the looming countdown.

"We should leave before we lose our human avatar. It requires a lot of time and resources to build one. Let me know once this is over," Rebecca said, her voice edged with practicality as she started to turn away, ready to abandon the scene to protect her own avatar.

Yui, driven by a sense of urgency and moral obligation, stepped in front of Rebecca, blocking her path, "Please don't go. We can't abandon the people here," she pleaded, her eyes wide with earnest desperation.

Rebecca scoffed, placing her hands on her hips as she prepared to dismiss Yui's plea, "Are you seriously-" But before she could voice her retort, Asher's stern command cut through the tension, "Stay the fuck here," he ordered sharply, without even turning to face her.

Rebecca grunted in frustration, her instincts for self-preservation clashing with the direct order, "Are you mad? That thing will explode and level this entire city. Just remember that building new avatars could take days or months, depending on a lot of factors," she challenged, her skepticism clear.

Asher's expression flickered as he knew there was some truth to her words. Without an avatar, he can forget about stopping Derek's plans.

"Master, we can't..." Amelia latched onto Asher's forearm and added with a desperate look, "We can't let millions of people die. You can save them, Master. I believe in you."

"We also believe in you," Yui said fervently. Emiko also nodded, her lips pressed together.

Rebecca noticed Asher hesitating because of these pesky humans and interjected with a cold scoff as she looked at the main instigator, Amelia, "Your so-called Star Prince isn't going to save the day. So stop spouting foolishness unless you are that eager to die with these millions of insects."

"Then I will help him do it," Asher suddenly declared firmly, turning his attention back to the screen where the live feed showed Arthur facing Rhygar and dozens of draconians behind the barrier.

He addressed Arthur with clear, decisive instructions, "Arthur, Listen to me carefully and focus."

"Y-Yes, sir!" Arthur responded, his voice tinged with eagerness and determination as he prepared to enact Ash's plan, the scornful smile of Rhygar looming ominously before him.

Trivia - Insane Level Quest for demons is equivalent to Catastrophe Level quest for humans.