Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

“You’re really enjoying yourself, huh!” Terrence marched up, looking like he’d just swallowed a lemon. “What a damn waste of time when you could be cultivating!”

Axel chuckled and shook his head. Of course he couldn’t tell them that about Saint. “Why are all of you here?”

“We just advanced to Level Five,” Terrence said proudly. “Had a couple drinks, then went back to training.”

Axel’s pupils tightened. Level Five already? Sergio and Terrence were faster than he expected.

“Congratulations,” Axel said. He was still thinking it through when Sergio spoke, looking strangely conflicted.

“Axel… I owe you an apology.”

“It’s about the Weapon King challenge.”

Terrence scratched his head awkwardly. “We might have to break our promise. We… didn’t think things through.”

Originally, Sergio had planned to wait for Axel’s advancement. But once they returned home, reality crashed down fast.

After Sergio and Terrence hit Level Five, the family assigned them two teammates immediately—one of them was Nigel. That meant they were only missing one more. Sergio insisted on keeping Axel, but the other candidate strongly disagreed.

That disagreement turned into a full-blown fight between Sergio and Nigel—and Sergio lost.

Looking into Axel’s unusually calm eyes, Sergio let out a quiet sigh and explained everything.

“I get it,” Axel said. “The guy didn’t want me because he’s afraid I’d slow you down and he didn’t want to wait?”

“That’s part of it,” Sergio admitted. “But since Nigel’s a tank already, Kenneth wants a teammate with better offensive power.”

Terrence flinched like he’d been stabbed. “We argued. Really! But… I’ve never lost that badly. It still hurts.”

Axel narrowed his eyes. Terrence was a training maniac—he didn’t even blink when Axel beat him before. For him to look shaken…

Just how strong was this new candidate?

“Axel, I’m really sorry,” Sergio said again.

Axel thought for a moment, then spoke evenly. “What if I beat him?”

Nigel burst into loud, obnoxious laughter. “Dude. The only reason you beat Terrence last time is because he didn’t know you had a fire spirit! If he’d known, you probably wouldn’t have taken him down at all.

But Kenneth? That’s suicide—”

“Nigel!” Sergio yanked him back and turned to Axel seriously. “Axel, Kenneth is already a Level Five Awakener. Forget talent—just look at his record against Terrence and me. Do you really think you have a shot?”

“Give me three days to reach Level Five,” Axel replied calmly. “As for whether I’m confident… you’ll see when we fight. What do you say?”

“That’s… a fair point.” Sergio scratched his chin.

Seeing him waver, Axel reached into his coat and pulled something out—a small, shimmering branch.

Nigel’s jaw dropped. “Holy—A Saint Sea Twig?!”

Sergio and Terrence stared at him as if the entire world had tilted sideways.

“Is this guy really a commoner?!” Nigel muttered, irritated. First Axel pulled out Original Instruments during the Terrence fight, and now he had this?

Sergio’s eyes brightened. “If you can beat him—or even cause him trouble—Kenneth won’t object.”

Cause trouble? And Kenneth would accept that?

Axel’s curiosity sharpened. What kind of person could make Sergio and Terrence both respect him?

Axel nodded. Sergio’s attitude toward him immediately improved.

“In that case,” Axel said, “help me arrange a match. Also… do you have footage of Terrence’s fights with him?”

Sergio nodded, but Terrence groaned and covered his face.

“Two recordings. They fought twice. Neither lasted long. I’ll send them to you.”

“Alright.”

Terrence looked pained at the thought of his humiliating defeats being replayed, but then something fired up inside him again.

“Nope—no drinking tonight. Total waste of time. I’m going back to train. Tell me when and where. Don’t forget.”

And off he went.

“I’ll go discuss it with Kenneth,” Sergio said. “Nigel, go… do whatever you usually do.” Then he turned to Axel. “Axel, no matter how this turns out, Terrence and I owe you one. We weren’t reliable this time.”

Sergio left with Axel, leaving Nigel behind.

Nigel stood there, dumbfounded. “Are you shitting me? You’re really leaving me alone?”

He kicked open the door of the bar next door, startling the manager.

“I’m paying for everything tonight,” Nigel declared. “Bring over the prettiest girls you’ve got.”

Axel didn’t open the video right away.

When Sergio first brought it up, Axel’s instinct had been to agree outright. But after seeing Terrence and the others in person, a different idea had taken shape—one that could bait the Saints into making a move, with a very real chance of success.

If they want me… then I’ll give them a reason.

“Since you’re insisting on doing me a favor,” Axel muttered, “I won’t stand on ceremony.”

Not long after, he returned to the villa district.

As Axel entered his room, two figures slowly emerged on the lawn below—Riley and Butcher, standing opposite each other under the faint glow of the courtyard lights.

After erecting a soundproof Force barrier, Butcher spoke lazily.

“That kid’s got some flair. Went to a bar, danced with a pretty woman, then spent a long time chatting with a few rich brats.”

Riley sat calmly across from him, fingers resting lightly on her knee. After a moment’s thought, she asked,

“What were they talking about?”

Butcher rolled his shoulders and sighed. “He stayed too far away. My job’s just to make sure he doesn’t leave Everton, right? I can’t get too close. What if there are military eyes on him and I get dragged in again?”

Riley frowned slightly.

“There are plenty of experts in Everton,” Butcher continued. “Not impossible. From where I stand, Axel’s trying to integrate into city life. That’s a good sign.”

Riley nodded faintly. “I hope so. But I can’t shake the feeling that he isn’t someone who’s easily satisfied.”

Butcher tore open a bag of snacks and started crunching away. “You intellectual types are always suspicious. Relax. I’ll keep watching him. Even if he’s got some scheme brewing, the moment he steps outside the city, I’ll drag him back.”

“Alright,” Riley said.

She dismissed the soundproof barrier and returned to the villa. Moments later, Butcher’s massive presence vanished as well, leaving only a scattering of crumbs on the grass.

.....

Inside his room, Axel had already seen them through the gap in the curtains.

He didn’t react.

Instead, he sat at his desk and finally opened the footage of Terrence’s fight with Kenneth. The screen flickered, then sharpened into focus.

“So this is Kenneth…”

Opposite Terrence stood a man with lifeless eyes—empty most of the time, yet occasionally flashing with a disturbing madness. He gave off a sharp, cutting presence, like a blade honed too long and too thin.

“Begin.”

The moment the fight started, Axel’s pupils shrank.

“This is—”

The battlefield exploded into motion.

Combat machines poured out in an instant—miniature tanks, surface-to-air missile platforms, suicide drones, reconnaissance units buzzing overhead. It was as if Kenneth had unfolded an entire army from thin air.

Boom. Boom.

The arena was no larger than a football field, yet the coverage was obscene. Firepower drowned the sky and ground alike, smoke rolling like a storm tide.

Terrence knew a mechanic’s greatest weakness was their body. He charged straight through the first barrage.

But even with his speed and power surging, he was already badly wounded by the time he broke through.

Kenneth didn’t retreat.

Every war machine locked on simultaneously, unleashing a second wave.

Terrence collapsed, combat-ineffective. The first match ended almost immediately.

Axel exhaled slowly.“No wonder Terrence developed a phobia.”

By the end of the first fight, Axel had drawn two conclusions.

First—Kenneth’s raw Force output was significantly higher than Terrence’s. Otherwise, sustaining control over that much firepower would have been impossible.

Second—Kenneth possessed a spatial artifact.

Unlike Millers, who fought like a berserker, Kenneth was an army. Every machine, every weapon, had to be stored somewhere.

Axel leaned back slightly.“Let’s see if Terrence got smarter the second time.”

He put himself in Terrence’s position and quickly mapped out a possible solution.

Curious, he opened the second video.

The moment the fight began, Terrence slashed his own chest with a blade.