Grim Reaper in the Apocalypse: Reaping Immortals

Atlan didn't know that there was such a rule in missions. But if that was true, then he understood why they limited the amount of Saviors in this mission.

If the City dispatched 50 Specialist-level Canzers, then that would mean that the Remedium could also have 50 Specialist-level Canzers waiting for them inside. No matter how strong humans were, they could not hold a candle against a Canzer's ability to regenerate or make clones of itself.

Yes, with 50 Saviors all working together to fight the Canzers, they might be able to subdue them for a long time. But, things could always go wrong. There could be an anomaly amongst the Canzers that the Operators had not prepared for.

It would be troublesome enough just to carry 50 constructs inside. Logistics alone would mean that at least half of the 50 Specialist Saviors needed to carry the constructs inside the Remedium. After all, they had no other Porters left in the City other than Atlan.

"The ideal composition of a team is 7 members, but it could be as high as 9 or as low as 4," Ninth explained. "We have 8 members right now, but since you will be going off on your own, we'll be left with 7 members. We'll need our full strength to deal with the Canzers that will try to pursue you."

He didn't know which one of them had a harder job. Ninth and her team would have to deal with multiple Canzers trying to break into the Church without any constructs to help them; it was a battle of attrition that could only either end in a draw or a loss.

On the one hand, Atlan had to shoulder the fate of the City in his hands; if he didn't subdue the Ifrit and it blew up the Door, then the whole City would turn into nothing but rubble and crater.

"Now that we've explained the basics to you, we'll proceed with the more advanced tactics we have prepared," Ninth said. "First, we'll have to discuss your arrival at the Church."

"I'll go straight to the basement, correct?"

"Yes—if you can find it, that is."

"What do you mean?"

"The Church Remedium will not perfectly mirror the real world. The doors that lead to the atrium will not lead you to the atrium.

We've told you before that the Remedium is hostile to humans, right? It will prevent you from reaching the basement in any way that it can. That includes turning the whole pathway into a topsy-turvy world where up is down, and left is right. You will lose your sense of direction and be trapped wandering in its halls. This is one of its tamer tricks."

Atlan was so focused on figuring out how to outsmart the Ifrit that he didn't think about how to get there first. He thought it was a straightforward path.

"Will you be helping me?"

Ninth shook her head. "You will have no one to help but yourself. We won't be entering the Church. We'll be barricading the outside and preventing the Canzers from infiltrating inside. They must not reach the basement. That is our primary goal."

Atlan took a deep breath. He wasn't confident about his chances of reaching the basement. After all, he had never experienced a hostile Remedium before. Heck, he didn't even know what the basement looked like in the Remedium. According to Ninth, it won't be a perfect mirror of the real world.

"Second, you must prepare yourself for an arduous task. This mission will take days, if not weeks to accomplish. We'll make camp in the Remedium, where we can rest and take a break. During those times, we will be assigning a lookout. They will alert everyone of a threat."

The thought of spending so much time in the Remedium unnerved Atlan. The longer they spent inside, the more he thought that an anomaly may spawn inside. He was already expecting them.

"Why will it take so long?"

"We must not rush the process. According to Carmine and his team, at least three Specialist-level Canzers are waiting for us inside.

We can't advance further unless we kill these monsters or else they'll cause further Symptoms in the real world. You've seen what happens; it's not good to let our citizens see any more desecration of our Church."

Although fighting Specialist-level Canzers was a terrifying thought, Atlan couldn't help but think of the silver lining in all of this.

If Ninth and the others were guaranteeing the death of the Specialist Canzers, then that meant that Atlan would be able to reap their deaths!

"You don't seem to be concerned about that," Ninth remarked.

Atlan showed no sign of distress when he heard it. And if he didn't have full control of his body, he'd be showing a smile on his face right now.

"I trust you and your team. You can kill those Canzers."

Ninth nodded and smiled. "That's good, but let's focus on the mission at hand. Once you have finished your duty and dealt with the Ifrit in the basement, you must immediately leave the Church and meet up with us. There can be no delay, understood?"

"Understood," Atlan replied.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Okay. I know that things always tend to go off course in the Remediums, so when you are forced to improvise, I hope that you use discretion. I have been told that you tend to make risky and hasty decisions—well, don't. You must always think about your own safety. Even if I or the rest of my team is in trouble, if I tell you to run, then you run. Do not try to help us, got that?"

Atlan was silent for a few seconds. He would not be able to promise that. It was in his principle to always help those who were suffering.

"I won't risk my life," Atlan said. As long as he was careful, he could save himself and others if he needed to. That's what his strength was for.