Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System

An intense heat filled the air, pressing against his skin before he witnessed what brought the rise in temperature. Through the middle of the bank to the right, the building of glass exteriors was burned through by a ray of solar energy.

Like a spear made of a star's fury, piercing through the building and boring right through the one across from it.

It forced the Radegast pilot to swerve, taking a detour on a left turn as sizzled glass trickled down the sky.

"That one seems problematic—the "Sun." Damn thing has no moderation!" Finn complained, ducking down as he clutched onto the mech as another beam of heat passed overhead.

There was no sign of when it was coming, or where the embodiment of the Sun even stood. It seemed like completely random, aimless destruction.

"It's not even aiming for us, is it?!" Finn shouted, having to speak over the chaos occurring within the city.

Arnold responded while maneuvering out of the way of falling debris as an entire building began to topple to the side, "—No! From our intel, the Sun takes a liking to mindless mayhem! It's a real pain in the ass—!"

"Yeah, I agree there!" Finn yelled, looking up as the beam of heat cut through through the needle atop a skyscraper.

All he could hope when seeing the chaos between the heat being thrown around and the small planet's wrath was that his comrades remained out of harm's way.

'Be careful, both of you,' he thought.

—

[Across The City, The Same Time]

"Hot! Hot! Hot!"

Sprinting desperately as his metal armor clanked, the Australian knight hurriedly slid himself behind a taxi parked beside the sidewalk. Right behind him, a colossal beam of solar energy burned through the street, carving upward into the left, cutting right through the gray building in a diagonal line.

He pressed his back against the old, yellow vehicle, praying it would somehow shield him.

'Shit, fuck, shit—! Why in the world is this guy hellbent on turning me into a crisp?!' Jasper questioned in a panic.

A thunderous rumble, that brought both him and the car he pressed against him upward for a moment, encouraged him to shoot up to his feet. He was looking back as he stood up, finally facing forward before–

"Gyuh?!"

He pulled the brakes immediately, coming inches from face-planting into a wall of fire. No, that wasn't quite it; a bright-orange element in the shape of a giant man, peering down at him.

[Special Entity Recognized.]

[Major Arcana: "The Sun"] [Level: 150]

Without touching the entity of monstrous presence, he could feel the sheer heat emitting from it causing his armor to blister. It was as though the blood that pumped through his body began to boil, feeling his own tears sizzling against his eyes.

[Deploy: "Armageddon Armor"]

—Before he could be cooked inside of his own equipment, he shifted his basic armor to that of bulky, sable metal.

It was unsalted craftsmanship; a barbaric design that left behind the graceful demeanor of a knight. The dark, studded armor with a flowing, scarlet cape made of an apocalyptic beast's hide.

The boiling effect of the heat was gone while wearing the beastly armor, though it still felt as though he stood in a sauna.

"Oh? Another human is able to stand in my presence." The Sun spoke with a bellowing voice.

Jasper watched as the cars parked on the street closest to the entity began to rapidly melt in its presence. Even the asphalt bubbled up as though it were fresh dough set in an oven.

'I'm surviving 'cause of my armor, but…this guy is bad news. I'd like to find my mates, though I wouldn't wanna get them crossed with this freak,' he considered.

When clad in the heavy-set, bulbous armor, the sword he wielded changed with it; a black blade extended from a burnt handle, wrapped in charred chains. The fire-formed figure didn't move, as though waiting for the "mere human" to make a move.

It was that, or the arrogant manifestation of the Sun believed the simple heat he exuded would be enough to handle the knight.

'--Fine then! I'll come at ya!--Not like I have a choice,' Jasper resolved.

["Spirit Fortitude"] ["Auto Shield"]

A protective layer of mana engraved itself into his body, allowing his shield to float on its own as it orbited his body with defensive commands. Standing there in that blistering block of the city, staring down the giant made of a star's fury, it felt as though he looked at a mountain that pierced the clouds.

"You won't run? Some may call a tiny human like you standing before me like this a foolish endeavor, but I can at least recognize it as bravery–I commend that," the Sun complimented him with a stern voice, keeping his arms folded over his flaming chest.

"Right…I'm damn near pissing my pants here. Thing is, I don't really care about your acknowledgement–I'd much prefer if you just up and left," Jasper responded, having to exhale to ignite himself with every ounce of courage within his body.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The half-hearted request was met just as expected; it spurred a rise in heat from the Sun as a wave carrying the violent warmth pushed outward with the expanse of that wild grin.

"Leave? Me? You misunderstand, human–! This is my purpose! My meaning! My joy!" Inspired declarations from the Sun exuded with a booming voice, carrying it with heat waves that caused the closest cars to be pushed away as their material melted.

All that filled his ears was the sound of asphalt melting, cars crinkling like popcorn, and the paint off the neighboring buildings peeling.

'Finn…This is the sort of crazy thing you've been doing since I met you. Always going headfirst into the most batshit insane enemies–it's not because you're a reckless idiot–well, that's part of it. But, it's because it's what you needed to do, isn't it? Well, I have to do this–I hate to say it, but I might be the best suited person to face this monster,' the hesitant resolve placed itself on the knight's mind.