Lords & Towers: God Of Speed

A few days had passed since the first wave, and as expected, the world had changed completely.

With at least 0.01% of the global population dead and no functioning devices, humanity had practically returned to a forced medieval state. In numbers, it seemed small, but that meant at least 500,000 people dead in just a few hours, from plane crashes, vehicle collisions, hospitals without power, and so on. Something of this magnitude just a week ago would have been completely unimaginable. Even a direct fight against the aliens would have been less deadly.

Contrary to what anyone might expect in an end-of-the-world scenario, people did not turn against each other. At least, not yet. The world did not fill with thieves, rapists, or other criminals. The reason was simple: even without proof, everyone knew who was responsible. It was the Others, and if they were capable of causing so much damage, humanity feared what they might do next.

And the answer did not take long to arrive. Days later, massive movements of water triggered catastrophic waves across the globe.

In isolated areas, small rivers became torrents that swept away everything for miles, forcing people to seek refuge at higher ground.

Near the oceans, the situation was an absolute catastrophe. Tsunamis hundreds of meters high destroyed everything, leaving almost no survivors. Nature makes no distinctions: elderly people unable to run, children separated from their parents, those who could not escape in time… all were dead. Even those who knew a tsunami was coming could do nothing unless circumstances coincided perfectly to save them. The few tall buildings that withstood the waves served as shelters, but they were very few.

Compared to the first wave, the destruction and death toll of this one were on a completely different level.

After the first wave, any device had become useless. Even if some had alternative power sources, the internet did not work. If it had, the world would have been in shock to discover that while massive countries were nearly wiped out due to their proximity to water, two large islands survived almost without casualties.

We are, of course, talking about Great Britain and Japan: the birthplaces of Kaito and Mashiro. The reason they only saved these two had nothing to do with racism. Simply put, even with their abilities, they could not stop the second wave entirely. Knowing they could not save everyone, they chose to save their own.

Stopping the movement of the water was not easy. In fact, it was impossible. They opted for the same method as the Others: moving large masses of water to redirect it. But while the Others did it randomly to create chaos, they redirected the water to avoid, as much as possible, the destruction of both islands.

For Mashiro, it was easier. With absolute control over multiple elements and a vast mana capacity, she worked constantly for days, using wind and water magic to divert the waves.

Even so, that was not enough. However, she managed to reduce the size of the waves and then created enormous earthen breakwaters. Water still came through, demonstrating the catastrophic power of the wave, but its intensity was now manageable. Mashiro completed her work using fire magic to evaporate the remaining water, ending the small flooding.

Her intervention could not be ignored. Many, upon seeing her with her angelic and pure appearance, along with her pure energy wings, knelt and prayed. As she used her powers to save lives, her presence conveyed a sense of divinity. Appearing right when she was most needed, the people of Great Britain came to a conclusion:

"If that is not an angel, then nothing is."

In Japan, the situation was similar yet different.

Unlike Mashiro, whose goal was to save out of kindness, Kaito had a different reason. According to information from Koneko, at some point this world could come back to life and somehow merge with Gaia. Kaito did not know which version would appear, but based on Koneko's appearance, he suspected it would be the same version he was currently in. For that reason, he decided to save at least Japan, rescuing as many people as possible while building a reputation as a savior.

Without elemental magic like Mashiro, Kaito's methods were direct: he fought the tsunami… and won.

First, he used his speed to create an effect similar to the first season of Flash, where Flash generates his own tsunami to stop another, omitting the time travel aspect. With more time than Flash had, Kaito managed to create a larger wave, but after a while, its growth slowed, so he gave up on that technique.

The wave he created was only about a quarter of the original size, slightly reducing the tsunami's power. Kaito had to start using all his attacks and abilities, pressing every "joystick button" and casting every spell he had to stop it.

Mashiro would never have done that. She would have researched for days in books before attempting to stop the disaster. Kaito, on the other hand, had no moral weight forcing him to save everyone. He was not a psychopath, but neither a saint. Once freed from those restrictions, everything became much easier.

For almost an hour, Kaito created whirlpools of varying sizes in the tsunami's path, ran along the base of the water, launched energy, and used his shadow magic to form bombs and walls that reduced the wave's strength. Finally, he discovered the most effective method: creating small mana-filled shadow spheres and detonating them to disperse the tsunami.

As he moved back and forth across the massive tsunami, the explosions detonated seconds after landing, reducing the water's power more and more.

Finally, a wave about 10 meters high reached the coast of Japan. Kaito made a final effort and deployed a huge shadow shield that acted as a breakwater.

Unlike the angelic image Mashiro projected in Great Britain, the people on Japan's coasts saw a demon. Every attack radiated negative energy, his appearance was beautiful but dangerous, and he laughed while attacking the tsunami as if he were enjoying himself. His attacks could have destroyed entire city blocks if they had hit an urban area.

When people thought all was lost, with a single motion of his hand and a bored expression, Kaito deployed the shield that protected everyone.

This cemented the perception that he was merely having fun, even though he could have saved them earlier. The image of a demon who helps on a whim, not out of kindness, was etched into most minds. In another era, some might have condemned him, but now no one dared.

Whether out of gratitude or fear, most knelt before Kaito as he hovered in the sky, watching them for a moment before disappearing into the distance.

Among the incredulous murmurs, one stood out:

"Even though I have always believed in God, in the end it was not God who saved me, but the devil."

Kaito, oblivious to their thoughts, flew back to the United States while contemplating the need to learn magic from other elements.

Unfortunately, in Gaia, you cannot learn magic on your own. Special items or circumstances are required, such as Mashiro's Queen Fairy race, or a level 4 or higher mage, like Sonya, to teach that element. The exception is, of course, the system.

Still, after this, Kaito decided to find a way to learn other types of magic.

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