The situation on earth had taken a turn for the worst. The casualties were catastrophic during the first few weeks of fighting, but had recently started to decrease. The prime cause of the decrease was not that the fighting had diminished. No, far from it in fact. The level of fighting had increased drastically.
The real reason for the drop in casualties was that of the remaining population, over 90% over the ages of 15 had become cultivators in some capacity. Most had become followers of Amana and Adamas, with men usually leaning towards Amana and women leaning towards Adamas.
Although that alone did not raise their cultivation levels through the roof, it raised their survivability.
The second thing that raised the survivability of the humans… was the appearance of a few devils, and a whole lot of demons. No one knew how they arrived on earth, probably in a similar fashion to the deities, but they strongly supported the factions led by the old powers of earth, namely Richard, Sam and Fateh the Fatty! Brandon and Elizabeth were the only ones who had not participated in this coalition.
Due to their long history and sudden increase in power, a large chunk of the surviving humans flocked to them as well. The deities also did not object to the devils, so that made it extremely convenient, although when news spread, the Jotun empire strongly condemned this action!
A strange power shift was occurring on earth these days, with the battle being slowly limited to a few regions on earth, and sometimes in space. The greatest change was the fact that the new powers, the deities and the devils, both restricted the use of golden keys to escape earth. The act of running away not only weakened earth, it reduced morale - at least according to them. As such, fewer and fewer people were running away from earth these days, instead choosing to stand and fight.
The situation seemed to have reached an equilibrium of sorts, despite the fact that the fighting never stopped.
Amidst all of this, there was one tiny power that had somehow survived, untouched both by devils and deities. The Kingdom of New York, under the rule and protection of King Marlo, its armies led by genius general Rafael, heir to the Kingdom, managed to protect its sovereignty using only its own forces.
There were also rumors of a special elite unit consisting of a samurai, a man of metal impervious to all damage, and the final, mysterious member known only as the Dark Invader, who seemed to have control over the darkness. This elite unit had no name, since officially their existence had not been announced, but those who whispered of their strength had started calling them… the Powered Rangers!
On a battlefield near Niagara falls, Larry was moving from one robot corpse to another. Although most of the initial invading force of these robot aliens had bodies made of organic matter and were varied, the ones who had been coming most recently had started to show signs of mass production and had more of a uniform structure. That also meant more common materials were used in their manufacturing - though common here was only a relative term.
Only an approximate 15% of their bodies were made up of metals, but that was more than enough for Larry. He would not let a single scrap of this metal pass him by, as these metals could not be found on earth. Moreover, they were excellent conductors for spiritual energy, and were thus excellent fuel for him to raise his cultivation realm.
His eyes were completely focused as he performed his tasks, but hidden deep behind them was an unwavering conviction. Jeffery had thought he was condemning Larry by having the planet invaded by aliens. Instead, he had provided him with excellent resources to power up, and once Larry was strong, he would get his revenge!
*****
"Lex, why don't you and I speak privately for a moment as well?" Jolene asked, winking at him.
Lex had already steeled himself by now, so he did not have a strong reaction to her antics. He was, however, somewhat surprised at her relentless pursuit, even though she was supposedly facing someone so dangerous. Even her sons, who were much stronger than her, acted with an air of caution while she completely maintained her role as a mama, looking for a husband for her daughter.
"Why not?" Lex said, as he erected Imperial shields around them and locked them in a separate space, much in the way he had done with Pvarti. Though he had no intentions of falling for her antics, he had to admire her commitment to the cause.
"I love my children, but sometimes it's good to just talk between adults, don't you think?" she asked with a warm smile, as if she were addressing an old friend.
"It is easier to talk to someone with a level head," Lex answered, completely ignoring the fact that despite being called an 'adult' among children, he was actually the youngest in the room.
"Before we get into the thick of things, shall we properly introduce ourselves? Everything has happened a little abruptly. I was not prepared to run into such a distinguished establishment out here."
"Of course, it is naturally for the best. After all, if you intend to hold your daughter's wedding in my humble establishment, then you must understand the place well. My name is Lex, as you already know, and this is the Midnight tavern. There's not much to tell, really. I enjoy the company of people, and bringing happiness and joy to all, so I opened up this little place where guests can come and unwind.
"Drinks flow freely, and though my selection is a little more limited for more distinguished guests, I do have something in the cellar that can be brought out for such a wonderful occasion. Although the Noel family has been very gracious to me, and even the crown prince of Hum nation is a good friend of mine, I prefer the simple life and tend to stay away from… unnecessary politics and strife. So long as no one comes and bothers me, or my guests, I will not bother anyone in return."
