Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

He looked up, genuinely earnest.“Please enlighten me.”

Butcher’s face twitched violently.

Behind him, Riley stared at Axel with a look that was… difficult to describe.

After a long silence, the two spoke at the same time.

“Pervert.”

“…Uh.”

“Kid,” Butcher said, his voice cracking, “do you have any idea how long it takes to even touch the surface of a combat technique? And how long it takes to truly master one?”

He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

“Is this what a real genius looks like?”

Axel wanted to explain that he wasn’t a genius at all—just someone who brute-forced his way forward with unfair advantages.

“It’s… fine,” he said instead.

That humble tone nearly sent Butcher into a rage.

“If I were a Saint, I’d arrest you too,” Butcher snapped.

After a long sigh, he forced himself to calm down.

“At this level, you’ve already crossed the entry threshold. What comes next is continuous exploration—application, refinement. I’m done teaching you.”

“…Huh?”

.....

Seven days later, Axel was jolted awake not only by Sergio’s call, but also by a courier shouting outside.

“These guys finally hit mid–Rank Five,” Axel muttered.

His life crystals were almost depleted. If Sergio and the others took much longer, his cultivation speed would take a serious hit.

He checked his stats.

Physical Strength: 6329 / 6394

Force: 6114 / 6210

Spirit: 6144 / 6206

Lilith had warned him before: if you had access to spiritual treasures for Deep Awakening, don’t wait until all three attributes exceed ten thousand.

After Deep Awakening, most absorbed Force went into nurturing one’s natal treasure. The moment that treasure fully formed, you officially entered Rank Six.

If you waited too long, your body’s Force tolerance would cap out at Rank Five before the natal treasure had time to mature. The result?

Two Rank Six Awakeners—worlds apart in combat power.

“Lilith, meet here.”

Axel forwarded Sergio’s location to her, then went to answer the door.

“You must be Mr. Axel.” The courier stood straight, respectful. “Two packages. Please sign.”

Riley glanced over with interest. The man was clearly a specialized Intelligence Bureau courier—at least Rank Three, trained to transport sensitive items.

“Two?” Axel frowned.

One of the packages was long and narrow. Even wrapped in thick leather, it radiated a vicious aura.

Soul Devouring Blade.

That much was obvious.

But the other box was small.

After signing, the courier left without another word.

Axel ignored the blade for now and opened the smaller box.

“…The Krythos Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons Medal?”

He froze.

He’d heard of the award, but back in Whisper Syndicate, Millers had once said that something requiring nomination and official selection was completely out of reach for people like them.

“I didn’t even know I was nominated,” Axel muttered. “Millers really does think too extremely.”

Beneath the medal was another package.

He opened it—and stared.

An old, gray radio.

“…That’s it?” Axel said. “This is the reward? At least give me a TV. And this thing’s ancient.”

“This is a B-grade Original Instrument,” Riley said calmly as she walked over.

Sure enough, a beautifully printed instruction card was attached to the bottom.

Old-Fashioned Radio — B-Grade Original Instrument

Effect: When activated, randomly generates different sounds that inflict negative mental states on enemies.

Axel’s eyes lit up.

Combined with Return to Origin, this meant he could now heal allies and debuff enemies at the same time.

“Let’s test it.”

He channeled Force into the radio, targeting himself.

Bzzzt…

A mournful, crackling old song spilled from the speaker.

Instantly, a crushing sense of despair washed over him—thick, suffocating, like his heart had been wrapped in lead. His limbs went weak, strength draining away.

“…Holy shit.”

“Hey, listening to music?” Butcher’s lazy voice drifted over from behind. He had just arrived and caught Axel standing there with a painfully cheesy love song playing. “Didn’t expect you to be this childish.”

“I’m testing an Original Instrument,” Axel replied flatly.

“Original Instrument?” Butcher’s eyes immediately dropped to the old-fashioned radio in Axel’s hand.

“Functional type? Where the hell did you get that?”

Axel shrugged. “Prize for the Top Ten Outstanding Youth award. I don’t even know when I was nominated. Probably the military.”

“Bullshit.” Butcher said it without hesitation. “You don’t just get something this good. Someone definitely pulled strings for you.”

Pulled strings?

Sergio and the others had been buried in cultivation this whole time—who would’ve done that for him?

Axel didn’t argue. He put the radio away and glanced at the long package beside him.

“That’s the prize from the Havoc Division sparring tournament?” Butcher frowned. “That thing reeks of bad news.”

Axel unwrapped the cloth—and paused.

The blade was nearly as long as the wrapping itself, close to 1.8 meters. Far longer than the Red Flame Blade. It looked impressive in hand, but portability was another story.

If he stuffed it into his Space Capsule, he’d basically be admitting he owned a spatial artifact.

The blade itself was bone-white, but veins of crimson ran across it like living blood. The hilt was even more outrageous—crafted directly from a skeletal tailbone, wrapped in mutated beast leather.

“…Can you even use something like this?” Butcher muttered. “Original Instruments this vicious tend to mess with the user’s head.”

Axel lifted it slightly. The weight pulled down on his arm. “About half a ton.”

As a Rank Five Awakened with a physique over six thousand, it wasn’t unmanageable—but it wasn’t light either.

“This thing’s considered oversized even by Original Instrument standards,” Butcher said.

As Axel channeled Force into it, a chill crawled up his spine. A violent, bloodthirsty urge flared in his chest—

Then cooled instantly.

The faint, clean presence of the Heavenly Spirit Fruit tree spread through his mind, crushing the hostility before it could take root.

From the outside, crimson light bloomed across the blade’s surface, wrapping Axel in a faint red glow.

“From slingshot to cannon,” Butcher said casually. “You’re really living it up in Everton.”

Axel nodded. “Yeah. If I stay here for a year, I’ll probably complete a full B-grade set.”

He packed the Soul Devouring Blade back into its case, strapped the leather harness across his back, and headed out of the villa grounds.

Riley watched him go, then glanced at Butcher.

“He’s not a kid. That comment of yours sounded intentional.”

Butcher chuckled, scratching his closely shaved head.

“I’m starting to think he never planned on running away in the first place.”

Riley’s gaze lingered on Axel’s retreating figure. She hesitated, then said quietly,

“…I hope so.”

“What do you mean they want to test me again?” Lilith snapped over the phone. “Are they kidding? A bunch of brats—do they even know my record in Havoc Division matches?”

Sergio had sent Axel the address of an indoor combat arena operated by the Havoc Division. To avoid trouble later, Axel had already warned Lilith about the others’ doubts.

“Try to understand,” Axel said patiently. “They all just advanced to mid–Rank Five, and you’re older than us. Don’t take it personally.”

“They’re not brats,” he added quickly. “They’re heirs of major families. Rational people.”

Lilith snorted, then her tone softened immediately.

“Tch. Axel, you really know how to talk. Fine. I’m coming.”

After hanging up, she reapplied her lipstick, spun once in front of the mirror, and headed out.

......

By the time Axel arrived, the entire floor had been cleared. Only Sergio and the others remained, chatting animatedly.

“Third-tier awakening skills are insane,” Nigel bragged. “My defense is ridiculous now. Terrence, there’s no way you can break it.”

“Keep dreaming,” Terrence shot back, grinning. “My third-tier skill exists solely to kill you.”

Sergio waved his fan with visible irritation.

“Thank God they cleared the floor. This would’ve been humiliating.”

His gaze shifted to Kenneth, who stood quietly nearby. Sergio’s expression softened a bit—at least someone was normal.

Then Kenneth’s neck twitched. His mouth spasmed twice.

“Zzt… zzt… ha~~”

Silence.

Sergio stared. His lips twitched.

“What kind of teammates did I end up with?”