Chapter 286: The Assembly (Patreon)

Coop hummed to himself, unable to contain his delight, before summoning an Apparition to momentarily possess his form and empower him while demolishing another set of Primal Constructs.

His heavy morning star cracked as if shedding its ethereal shell, turning into a translucent weapon of black void and glittering stars that was cold within his palms. Coop was already swinging the weapon through his mists, challenging the invaders for the control point that they desperately held.

When the glassy mace slammed into the Field Boss that boldly challenged the Revenant, the muffled boom obfuscated the power in the attack. The weapon sent a cascade of intensifying gravity waves away from the point of contact. The waves were silent and invisible to the eye, but their progress was easily tracked by how the monsters repeatedly lurched, crumpling further into the soil with unmistakable crunches until they were ultimately defeated.

After one attack, he released the possession and slid into the objective. The crushed enemies he left behind dissipated into mana smoke on their own, leaving yet another control point transitioning to blue.

It didn’t take long for the joyful humming to return. Coop was in an immensely good mood. Africa was simply the best.

Sure, he had to wander through the tunnels on his own, unguided and relatively inefficient compared to his experiences with Neon Park as well as the entire continent of Europe, but the local factions were way too fun. His addiction to the grind was ultimately satisfied either way.

The locals chased him around, capturing the control points while challenging him to a series of specialized duels that Coop treated like sparring sessions. Once they caught onto his route, they had contenders arriving at nearly every settlement, sometimes multiple times, one after the other. They were genuinely interesting, and despite their hostility, they followed their own code, much like the EEC.

He had been mistaken when he assumed they had been influenced by alien factions when they organized their combat styles. What they had developed was entirely human. They had actually formed medium-sized squads around supporting individual warriors that excelled all on their own. Rather than balanced parties, they had large support squads dedicated to powerful individuals, but there were so many, the strength of their heroes had been almost standardized.

The primary warriors normally competed with each other, honing their abilities so that they were each worthy of being called champions, but with the classical definition as opposed to being people who controlled civilization shards. There were far more champions than there were settlements, and they seemed to largely be based around clubs and communities, maintaining more natural human connections than what had been forced upon them by alien influences. Every village had a champion, regardless of civilization shards.

He supposed such a structure came with more baggage, but from what he had seen, they maintained rivalries in ways that elevated them all.

They showed him all kinds of amazing skills, including him in the competition among their fighters, breaking up the monotony of the Underlayer with flashes of brilliance that activated Coop’s imagination for builds. It was a blast. The Assembly’s champions actually had him looking forward to defeating the monsters even faster to see what they had in store for him next.

Unlike the European Emergency Community, they hadn’t sent a single diplomatic official to meet with him the entire time he was in their territory. It was almost like they had no leaders at all. Instead, they repeatedly confronted him with warriors that he found far more relatable. It was like they inherently understood his style of diplomacy and played along, though that was purely a coincidence caused by how they separated their own roles.

He had learned bits and pieces about their overall organization in the moments before and after his duels. The gist of it was that Africa was simply enormous, populated by an extremely wide variety of people, and for the most part they were only loosely cooperating with each other.

The broader relationships between groups were driven by the regular people who naturally avoided larger conflicts, finding solidarity in their plights. They had a structure that was almost the exact inverse of Neon Park’s top-down leadership, though he wasn’t sure if even they were fully aware of their structure at all. The leaders were almost symbolic, debating and negotiating for their own visions of future peace while their warriors concentrated on the present dangers. More than anything, they all understood the real threats to their survival were external to Africa.

Sure, Coop was included in that analysis as an external threat, but generally, they were speaking his language. He was completely confident they would come around, even before Ghost Reef sent proper diplomats to meet with them. That’s because with every fight, he was being further integrated into their framework. He and their fighters were birds of a feather.

The EEC had been quick to adjust to Coop’s foreign presence, and in a way the Assembly was adapting in the same way. During some of the fights, he had even noticed how a handful of supporters gathered to cheer him on. Meanwhile, the leaders in name only had made no effort to understand Coop’s presence, seeing it as a simple problem to be taken care of so that they could get back to debating with each other. They were totally hands-off.

The Underlayer Event, for instance, was being entirely handled by squads from almost every group while their leadership remained on the surface, arguing about who was contributing the most. They were trying to clear the settlements in a certain very specific order, based on what the Assembly had decided, but Coop crashed the party.

He would have been more apologetic if he wasn’t completely confident in his ability to wipe out every monster that appeared. The order didn’t matter to him at all. But that didn’t stop the Assembly of Settlements from sending their people to individually challenge him over and over, either as punishment, to gauge his ability, or for a thousand other reasons.

It was awesome. Coop was in heaven. Maybe the only thing he would appreciate more than chocolates and orange slices was some engaging combat. He was finding interesting warriors in abundance. He was careful not to kill anyone, accepting their challenges while handicapping himself as much as possible. He used none of his skills and none of his equipment, just treating their duels as opportunities to spar.

Coop figured that some of his advisors would disagree, but the structure of the African Settlements seemed perfectly appropriate under the conditions of the assimilation. The human politics that drove international relations were secondary to the peoples’ comfort and survival. It existed, but it was a sideshow until safety could be properly secured. The more local people he met, the more confident he was in their ability to motivate themselves in the same way that Ghost Reef’s residents had done.

Of course, it was only Coop’s interpretation of the dynamic between leaders and fighters. He was admittedly biased, firmly believing himself to be on the side of the combatants. The leaders were the advocates for their warriors, and it was certainly a combined effort that had allowed for a partially united Africa to rise up during the apocalypse. Looking at Ghost Reef, wasn’t that exactly what his advisors did for him?

It probably helped that the truly irredeemable or depraved ended up lacking outside support. The most evil, selfish, and greedy among them had unintentionally isolated themselves from the growing continental power in their quests for individual domination. They were gradually being wiped out as they became islands on their own, if they made it through the initial turmoil at all, opening up the possibility of a still delicate unity for the rest.

It was sort of a corollary to the rest of the planet, where people like the Endless Empire’s Chosen Champion ultimately failed to plant roots deep enough to survive. Coop believed that as the assimilation went on, humans were becoming more cooperative with each other while growing more defiant toward alien factions in a sort of forced artificial selection. It actually made him feel hopeful enough to imagine how humanity might look on the other end of the assimilation.

In the long run, even Coop could see that it would be better to avoid having fighters like him entirely in charge, so the existence of passionate leaders was fine. If might was the only determination for what was right, it would be too easy to slip into becoming a tyrant without the more diplomatic types being involved. 

“And anyone who disagrees with me can test their might against mine.” He chuckled, amused by his hypothetical hypocrisy. They’d have to come find him being a hammock tyrant on the beach if they got that far.

The truth was that he could see any one of his recent opponents pushing themselves to the point that they caught up with Coop’s progression. Just because he was currently far ahead didn’t mean he could slack off. In fact, by showing them the extent of his lead, many of them would be motivated to close the gap. 

Once Coop was finished with the monsters, yet another group was already waiting outside of the control point. Coop grunted as he observed the entire squad of men and women, pretty sure he had seen them on a television program in the past.

They held long narrow spears that were twice the length of his own as well as the typical shields of all the different groups he had seen throughout Africa, painted with their own matching patterns of red and blue checkers. As if in a uniform, they also wore loose red cloaks, and the ones without shaved heads had red coloring in their tight braids. They watched him stoically after jogging through the Underlayer to meet him.

The one who would fight stepped into the ring with confidence, arms hidden beneath her cloth covering. Coop looked up at her, realizing the ridiculous height difference between himself and that of his challenger. It was hard to tell when the whole squad was together, because they were all freakishly tall, but this woman was probably a foot and a half taller than Coop. Rather than have slender limbs and a lanky appearance, she was muscular to the point that Coop felt like he was in the presence of an absolute giant. 

The woman spread her arms wide, letting her cloak fall as she revealed an absurd wingspan and knotted muscles, but no weapons. A simple wrap kept her decent.

“Sorry, Outsider Coop. Your win streak ends today.” The woman announced as her supporters broke into hungry smiles and hooted in excitement.

Coop dismissed his equipment, feeling at least as excited as the supporters, but he wanted to clarify a few things first. Holding up one hand, he held his opponent back from starting. This was how he had learned anything at all about the region.

“How many more settlements are there in the Assembly?” He wondered. He’d been having his fun wandering around Africa for longer than he had spent in Europe.

The woman shrugged. “It seems like you’ve been to most of them, but many of the shards are concentrated in East and Central Africa. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and DR Congo, where our army has been fighting.” She pointed behind herself, helpfully. “The largest, Nyiragongo, is that way.”

Coop raised his eyebrows, recognizing one of the largest settlements was nearby. He figured he should hurry and take care of the challenger so that he could secure the Primal Constructs for Ghost Reef’s score. 

Coop nodded. “Alright. I’ll head that way after our fight.” He stated to the amusement of his opponent.

“Even if the rumors that swirl around you are true, I’ll be stopping you here.” The giant woman responded calmly. Coop inspected her, ready to get started.

[Human (Level 228)]

[Pacifist Soul (Body)]

[Spirit (Master)]

Coop grinned at his opponent’s level. This was a major reason why he believed in the warrior’s of Africa. While the global leaderboards were dominated by the residents of Ghost Reef and one or two scattered power houses from various places around the world, like Tzultacaj, Platinum, Hai Yun, or the Kitawa pair, he had met and dueled dozens of examples of extraordinary progression in Africa alone.

Instead of a single powerhouse representing their regions, many African warriors made up the bulk of the rising tide of levels, exceeding the standards set by the galactic community, and setting their own benchmarks among themselves. Even without the additional motivation of the Eradication Protocol, the motivation to exceed limits had come naturally.

He honestly thought they would be model survivors as long as they continued avoiding conflict amongst themselves. It seemed like they knew it too, which was the reason they resisted his presence so consistently. They acknowledged his aid while denying its requirement. He respected it, but he wouldn’t concede either. He wanted to be at the top as well, after all.

“Do it, then.” Coop spoke, inviting the duel to begin. “Show me what you got.”

The giant woman didn’t need to be told twice, slipping into a crouched fighter's stance, hands held loose out in front. It was clear she understood the advantage she had in her extraordinary reach, but she still had to be wary of ranged abilities.

Coop stepped straight into the edge of her range, avoiding any skills at all, exploring what the Pacificist Soul class could even do. When the woman jabbed from what felt like eight feet away, Coop took a step back, but to his surprise, the punch still connected with his forearm with a crack of wind purely borne of his opponent’s strength.

Coop actually glanced at his feet in the moment afterward, wondering if he had failed to step back due to some Mind attack, but his footprints were as clear as day within the craters of his previous war with the Primal Constructs. When the woman jabbed again, Coop took a much more dramatic pair of steps backwards, using his speed to his advantage, but the arm seemed to stretch, chasing after him.

Coop slipped his upper body to the side, quick enough to change tactics and avoid the punch while it blasted through the air. He exercised the freedom that only came with his exceptional Agility advantage, but the punch turned into a grab as it bypassed him.

The woman snagged at the back of Coop’s neck, forcing his head down and his body forward while glowing with her own unique empowerment. Coop played along, letting himself be pulled, cooperating with the motion before lunging forward, using the momentum to his advantage.

He shot for the woman’s ridiculous legs, but she stretched away, pushing Coop down and sending him toward the dirt while using him as leverage to drag her legs out of reach.

Coop felt like he was fighting a giant spider that used its excessively long limbs to keep its distance while it waited for the opportunity to strike. Instead of boxing, his opponent was wrestling. Coop’s advantages were numerous, he was both faster and stronger, but he was so much smaller, and the woman knew how to take advantage of her superior reach after countless bouts with others.

Coop darted further forward, then bounced to the side before he could be wrapped up. When Coop jabbed at the woman’s outstretched arm, she used her flexibility to easily deflect the attack, then countered with a swift low kick that unexpectedly extended as Coop dodged, eventually connecting with Coop’s right thigh with a thunderous clap.

The crowd was quiet, mesmerized by the unusual spectacle of their champion combined with an unexpectedly scrappy opponent. Visually, Coop was the underdog, but that was hardly the reality of the situation. Still, it would be a challenge even for him to overcome such natural elasticity.

“Chick is made of rubber.” Coop muttered as they reset their stances.

Coop was the first to step back into range again, relentless as he was. He was studying how the woman moved, learning the rhythm of her grappling and defense. They went back and forth for some time with no obvious advantages being taken. The turning point came when Coop predicted another low kick and grabbed the extended leg. With his ridiculous strength he pulled his opponent off-balance, overcoming her limberness.

His supporters gasped as their champion was caught off guard and forced into a purely defensive position for the first time. Coop sensed the vulnerability and poured on the pressure, rushing forward as the woman struggled to hop with the shifting momentum. He could have attacked the leg, but he was playing by the unstated rules of their wrestling match. It was a spar for him, afterall, he didn’t want to cause too much damage.

The woman’s face was framed with frustration and in a final attempt to regain control, she leapt off her back leg and tried to drag Coop to the ground with her weight, aiming for some kind of leg-based choke hold that Coop was unfamiliar with. The Pacifist Soul was obviously confident in her ability to grapple, especially given her consistent size advantage, so she sought to turn the competition into a ground match where she could subdue her opponent.

Energy exploded within her limbs as she used abilities to empower herself beyond her previous limit, but Coop demonstrated the extent of his own advantages, reflexively shifting his weight to pull back and completely lift the giant off the ground before tossing her out of the arena, by her trapped leg, the way an irresponsible parent might launch their child into a pool.

The woman rolled through the dirt before hopping back up. She stood still, frowning while her supporters cheered her on, encouraging her despite how she had been pummeled. She was obviously capable of continuing, and it had only been one round.

Honestly, Coop was game. Grappling wasn’t something he had any real familiarity with, so he waited patiently for his opponent to return.

“I am completely outmatched.” She admitted, putting her massive hands on her hips as she caught her breath, to Coop’s mild disappointment. “Thank you for allowing me to keep my life.” She stated her gratitude to the surprise of her allies. It hadn’t seemed that dire from their perspective, but the woman recognized how Coop had held back from striking her in favor of competing in a wrestling match for no real reason other than sportsmanship. All of the fighters probably realized the same in the aftermath of their bouts.

Coop nodded as his spear manifested in his hand. “Let’s have another round later, when there aren’t any aliens to kill.”

After bowing to Coop, she sat in the dirt explaining to her supporters that she had completely depleted her reserves, and began to meditate.

He didn’t hang around, angling straight in the direction that would take him to Nyiragongo.

That was more or less how each of the duels went. Warriors with surprisingly high levels and their own unique combat styles tested themselves against Coop. He was like a wall of stats and battle experience. They repeatedly crashed into him before recognizing how far the difference had grown between themselves and the strongest person on the planet. Not a single one of them had seemed completely discouraged by the results. It was like every one of them thought that as long as they weren’t dead, they could climb to those heights as well.

Coop smiled to himself, welcoming the renewed competition. Meanwhile, in between duels, he was adding layers to the top of his wall. Leveling was what he did best, after all.