Chapter 356: Cliff Courting Death

Lara and Charm wore their Exoskeleton and were finally deployed. 

When they got to the sea, they were stunned at what they saw.

Over fifty Exoskeletons were chasing around the three. The majority was focused on the blue Exoskeleton. Several more kept shooting and harassing the yellow one who kept diving back and forth to them, and several others were chasing after a naked man who was swimming around and was using the red Exoskeleton to playfully boop those nearby.

Since there were many near it, the other Exoskeletons didn't rush in to attack the group as they were afraid of friendly fire. They kept urging the pilots to retreat so that they could attack the Red Exoskeleton from a distance, but the five Exoskeletons had gone mad and were trying to smash and tackle the pilot from the many boops and pats that he was doing.

Charm was amazed, but Lara was horrified.

Through her techs, she immediately knew who that naked man was. And the sight of five exoskeletons trying to tackle and break his body drove her to immediately move.

"SEEKER!" Lara shouted and began to shoot several rounds at the many Exoskeletons attacking Seeker.

"Seeker?" Charm was stunned at Lara's words.

Almost immediately, Seeker acted and began to board the Exoskeleton while punching, kicking, and even tackling the nearby Exoskeletons.

The quick movements of Seeker knocked the Exoskeletons around him and caused Lara's attacks to miss.

"Hey, Lara! Relax! I was having fun." Seeker chuckled.

"Ho-How did you know it's Seeker?!" Charm exclaimed. She was even more amazed that Lara recognized Seeker.

"Hey, Miss Lara Diamon-Carlean. Please let your fiance play and fight. Women these days... That's like his Bachelor Party." A loud broadcast was heard, and everyone froze.

Apart from the crazy words of the broadcast, the voice was of someone who had reportedly disappeared in Europe. But his voice was very famous among Pangea that his call to return to his country broke the hearts of many.

"Doctor Charles Lindmitt?!" Charm exploded in shock. 

"He's here?!"

"Did General Harker get him back?!"

"Of course, General would get him back! That man is a national treasure!" Another exploded.

"Zeek? What's going on?"

"Lara. My wife, let me show off a bit. I'll show you how awesome your future hubby is. You can try to shoot me too, by the way." Seeker chuckled.

"Lara Diamon, if you're not going to shoot your fiance, you better just go back to the ship. You can shoot Lynd and Meryl, though." Charles chuckled and continued to introduce the three.

Seeker smiled as he waved at Lara.

Lara turned towards the other three, who started to give off the usual spiel they do whenever they would stream their games.

The crowd was amazed.

"Phalanx Technology is an enhancement that creates humans with an enhanced perception of time. The five before you can see time faster than normal. This is one of the techs that the alliance of the WGP and the Progenitor! Please try to shoot them and do not worry. If it's just bullets, they can easily evade it with the techs in their Exoskeletons. Except for Crazy Carlean, who still can enhance time further when the more his adrenaline gets to him!" Charles began to explain.

The commotion erupted all the more.

The three people they were shooting at were Meryl and Lynd? Time perception that allowed them to evade bullets? These were all shocking things! The science of controlling the perception of time has long been attempted. But the constant use of it would create severe side effects to the brain, and most of the attempts were deemed dangerous.

"If you think that it is still as dangerous as it was, you're wrong. Seeker Carlean has been subject to this experiment being the Progenitor's descendant. Everything about him, his past, his crazy acts, and his victories were because of this. Lynd also won that gamble and defeated those hundred players because of this!" Charles explained further.

"My study, my science, has long been funded by that!" Charles explained further.

As Charles continued to distract everyone with his revelations, Cliff had already begun to command the three.

"Alright. From your current positions, we need to keep you three in parallel positions with each other. Following Zeek's plan, our main concern will be that Kid Alexander. I've already taken into consideration your skills. Seeker, you can do that thing that Suit of the Dragon's Fang can?"

"Yep." Seeker smiled.

"Lynd, can you copy that?"

"Yep."

"Seeker, can you use Realm to control the cells of the Exoskeleton and impute one of your personality in it? You already managed to use your split personality to control different devices. What if you use it to control an Exoskeleton? You don't have to detach from the Exoskeleton but can hold on to it."

"...That... I never thought of that..." Seeker was amazed at Cliff's suggestion.

"We just need it to do some basic movements all by itself. Lynd, can you still copy that if that's the case? You will be forced to copy two things at once."

"Interesting. I haven't tried it. Will my copy of Seeker change if Seeker actively uses two multiple personalities? That's a nice thing to try."

"Meryl, can you do what Seeker did?"

"What Seeker did? I can't control my Exoskeleton through Realm alone!"

"No. Not that. Can you strip like Seeker did?"

"What?!"

"Ara-Ara..." Lynd laughed.

"Cliff? Are you courting death?!" Meryl shouted hatefully.

"I'm serious!"

"I'm seriously going to kill you!"

"I mean, that if we want to attack that Alexander, you stripping is vital!" Cliff argued.

"What's vital is me to rip off your vitals!"

"You don't have to go naked! Aren't you wearing any underwear under that Exoskeleton?"

"Yamete, Cliff-Kun." Seeker shook his head.

Meryl began to curse at the very invasive and borderline perverted question of Cliff.

"Meryl! It's the only way without you guys having to reveal any more powers! I can arrange the entire battlefield to be arranged so that a single barrage of attacks from these families will hit that Alexander! But to hide it, it has to be you! A sudden and surprising strip will shock her! No one has seen you're current form! It's already taxing for the Unlocking to make people like me not to have lustful thoughts after you!"

"Baka..." Seeker and Lynd chorused. Seeker actually face-palmed.

Meryl's anger exploded out.

"You want me to strip after confessing to lusting after my body!? Wait till I tell Charm of this! Change the plan, or I'll change Charm's boyfriend!"

"Zeek! Lynd! You have to help me out!"

"Hell no." Seeker and Lynd answered together.

"But I thought you were leaving things to me!"

"We are. This is part of your training. You could be commanding Overcomers, you know. Unless you are able to convince them, they might not listen to you." Seeker answered.

Cliff used his powers to enter his dream world. He was cursing. Leading these three was harder than scaling to become an Overcomer.

Cliff thought and thought of things that could convince Meryl.

Then Cliff realized it.

"It will make Danny make a move on you! And I mean, really make a move on you!" Cliff shouted.

Meryl's angry expression changed.

Cliff had gone through his memories of Meryl and Danny. The more he reviewed it, the more he was convinced.

"Apart from going on dates, Danny hasn't been bold in his attempts to get you, has he?!" Cliff questioned.

"Charles! Keep everyone busy! Keep talking more about the technology!"

"Alright." Charles agreed and continued to make a long talk and inserted some nonsense about his achievements in Europe. Because of this, everyone wasn't fighting. This gave time for Cliff to keep persuading Meryl.

Meryl didn't answer Cliff for the first time.

"I thought about it and placed myself in Danny's position. He got on a date with a beautiful girl that the Tyrant Empress herself praised! And what's more, you met the Tyrant Empress up close and personal, but you didn't seem affected by it! Why?!" Cliff asked.

"You went on that date with Danny almost immediately as if your longing for the Tyrant Empress disappeared. How was that possible? You didn't seek out the Tyrant Empress after meeting her in China! Seeker sent you out to the Arctic nations to keep you away from this place just in case, but it never bothered you anyway! But what happened was you became even more beautiful! Then I realized it! The lust of women!"

"The lust of women?" Seeker and Lynd were curious.

"Charm talked about it! She didn't get the enhancement despite being a noble family in Pangea. She was happy with it, but at the same time, she was envious. She then explained it me the kind of jealous lusting that she has! She wanted to have a beautiful body! That's what happened to you! You saw the Tyrant Empress, but while it did cause you to develop a form of attraction towards her, it was replaced to have a beautiful body that matches her! And it's killing you, isn't it? Despite that, Danny didn't do anything towards you!"

Meryl remained silent at these questions.

"Danny isn't making a move and may even be subconsciously limiting his attempts to court you because of this! Even if he is attracted and helplessly in love with you, he is using his Unlocking to put a lid on it! Because his boss is Arthur, and you are supposedly Arthur's future wife!" Cliff deduced it.

"True. Even I don't want to mess around with Arthur." Lynd sighed.

"Really? I'd take on Arthur, but not Lowengren. I can take being beaten before I even face him, but I don't want to be embarrassed by that mad lad." Seeker answered.

"Could you guys, shut up!" Meryl answered irritably.

Seeker and Lynd smirked. They realized that Cliff hit a vein.

"You have never shown... erm... a bit more skin to the world than you should. Fear is stopping Danny from making a move on you. But for men, what else can trump fear?"

"Right. Cliff agreed to various crazy stuff to have a shot with Charm. I guess he knows what can move Danny the most." Seeker realized that this was why Cliff managed to deduce what could help Danny overcome.

"And! If you do this seductively and willingly, it'll definitely get him! Your previous missions were all kept a secret. Although Danny knows you would be doing that, he knows that those guys will die! But now... it will be something that many will see! He will get jealous! And not only jealous, but he will also realize what he's been missing out on! So if you do what I said, he will chase after you! Isn't that your Path? Do you want to shine? And yet the shadow that grips Danny's heart to fear Arthur is over you! This is the answer! It might sound crazy, but strip!"

"You go, girlfriend! Get that Danny!" Charles couldn't help but interject as he found a moment to pause from his continuous explanation of the Phalanx Tech.

Meryl didn't fight back or curse or threaten Cliff.

"Ho-How sure are you that me stripping can... allow us to attack that Lanterk?"

"Very sure! I refuse to believe that your beauty is something common to the eyes of these aliens!" Cliff confidently declared. He had used these words to Charm when Cliff assured Charm that her beauty doesn't pale against the other Royals in their school.

Meryl paused for a bit.

"Zeek? What do you think of Cliff's plan? Will it really work? Isn't he a boy?"

"He's a Presider. He only has the appearance of the boy. And based on what we saw on that painting, that person is definitely not normal. He could be a hundred-year-old man for all we know."

"What about you, Lynd? You think that me suddenly stripping in front of that Alexander will shock him and allow our trap to work?"

"Worked on Kaguya..." Lynd shrugged.

"...Fine. Let's do this."

Seeker couldn't help but smirk as Meryl finally agreed. Seeker had long asked Meryl to make a more public reveal, but for some reason, despite the Path and desire of Meryl to shine, she kept refusing, and it even reached a point where the two fought. But now, Cliff did the impossible.

"Alright, Cliff. Let's see if you're plan is any good! If you complete this, then I have one less thing to worry about when we get to South America!"