Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

Footsteps sounded outside.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Axel’s calm voice rang out.

Sergio nearly sighed in relief. Finally—someone sane.

Axel stepped forward with a polite smile and—

BANG.

He slammed both massive arena doors clean off their hinges.

Axel froze, then slowly turned his head.

The Soul Devouring Blade strapped to his back had scraped straight through both doors.

“…Uh,” he said awkwardly. “Sorry.”

Seeing Axel walk in with two mangled doors still hanging off their hinges—while Kenneth occasionally twitched and let out strange noises beside him—Sergio covered his face in pure exhaustion.

“…Axel,” he said, rubbing his temples, “your entrance is certainly… distinctive.”

Terrence, on the other hand, lit up the moment he saw Axel. A faint but unmistakable fighting spirit flickered in his eyes.

“Axel! You’re looking sharp. I can feel it—you’ve gotten stronger.”

Sergio was far more practical. His gaze shifted toward the entrance.

“Who’s the woman you mentioned? Is she really strong enough?”

“Lilith,” Axel replied calmly. “Captain of the Whisper Syndicate. There’s no point in me hyping her up—you’ll see for yourselves later.”

Hearing that Lilith was willing to show her strength in person, Sergio finally relaxed a little.

“Axel,” Terrence said eagerly, cracking his knuckles, “how about we spar first?”

“Let’s skip it,” Axel said, shaking his head.

Even if they’d all grown stronger, they were still no match for Lilith, who had been a mid–Rank Five for a long time. Fighting Axel right now would only crush their morale before the real test.

“Right,” Sergio agreed quickly. “We still need to find the craftsman. Best to conserve Force.”

Nigel snorted, eyeing Axel with interest. “If Terrence somehow beats him, I’ll have to get in on the fun too.”

“We can skip the fight,” Terrence said reluctantly, then scratched his head. “But how about we compare Force output?”

Nigel’s eyes immediately lit up. Sergio opened his mouth to object—

“Squeak… eh… I agree.”

Kenneth suddenly spoke, his previously dull expression turning oddly fervent.

Sergio sighed. “…Fine. It is a good way to see how much everyone’s improved.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Terrence shouted.

Boom!

A powerful surge of Force erupted from his body. He controlled it well, keeping the pressure contained to just the five of them.

Nigel refused to be outdone.

“So that’s all you’ve got? Bring it on!”

Kenneth didn’t say a word. The armor beneath his clothes glowed faintly, and a heavy wave of Force burst outward.

Axel felt the pressure immediately. His eyes brightened.

Four thousand-plus Force… every single one of them.

“The treatment heirs get really is something else,” Axel murmured. “But this is perfect.”

Among the four, Kenneth’s Force was the most oppressive—dense, heavy, almost crushing. Though the difference wasn’t huge, the overlapping pressure made breathing difficult. It felt like standing in the middle of a violent storm.

And yet—

Axel stood calmly between them, not releasing a shred of his own Force.

Terrence was the first to notice.

“…Axel? Aren’t you going to—”

Nigel frowned. “Is it because of his physical and mental stats?”

Sergio and Kenneth both turned to look at Axel, suspicion written all over their faces.

Axel smiled faintly.

“Alright. I’ll play along.”

His expression sharpened.

Boom.

The moment Axel released his Force—over six thousand—the delicate balance between the four pressures shattered instantly.

Terrence and Nigel, closest to him, felt as if a tornado had slammed into them head-on. Their faces flushed deep red as their Force collapsed in chaos.

Sergio and Kenneth weren’t much better off, both stumbling back two steps before stabilizing themselves.

“…That’s impossible,” Nigel whispered, all thoughts of showing off evaporating on the spot.

Kenneth tilted his head, suppressing a convulsion, staring at Axel as if he were looking at a monster.

“This kid…” Sergio thought grimly. He alone remained relatively composed. Axel had clearly encountered some extraordinary opportunity—otherwise, he wouldn’t have dominated them so thoroughly back at the peak of Rank Four.

“Over six thousand,” Sergio said quietly.

Terrence and the others felt miserable. Before, they’d barely maintained equilibrium. Now, they were forced to actively resist Axel’s pressure just to stay upright.

For a brief, absurd moment, it looked like four people were ganging up on one—purely with Force.

A group of twenty-somethings, faces red, standing in an empty arena, pointlessly blasting energy at each other.

“…Should we stop?” Sergio began—

Footsteps echoed outside.

Lilith walked in.

Perfect makeup, flawless skin, and a figure that naturally drew the eye—she froze at the doorway, staring at the bizarre scene before her.

“…What the hell are you idiots doing?”

Her mind instantly replayed Axel’s earlier words.

Not little kids? Really?

“Ahem. Enough.” Sergio withdrew his Force first.

The others followed immediately.

Axel, of course, was the fastest to disengage. While he didn’t care much about being seen like this, Sergio and Nigel both felt a wave of embarrassment wash over them.

At least Lilith’s arrival gave them an excuse to stop—otherwise, they weren’t sure how much longer they could’ve endured Axel’s pressure.

“We were just… comparing Force,” Terrence said quickly. “Big sis, you’re Axel’s new teammate, right? Want to join in?”

Everyone except Kenneth stared at him.

Lilith’s smile vanished instantly. She glared at Terrence like she was about to skin him alive.

“Who are you calling big sister, you little shit?”

“Miss Lilith, please don’t mind him,” Sergio said smoothly, stepping in. “Terrence is all muscle and zero brain.”

Nigel, meanwhile, was staring so hard his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

He’d dated plenty, cycled through girlfriends like clothes—but a woman like Lilith?

He whistled softly.

“Axel… you’re not planning to use this lady as a stepping stone, are you?”

“Miss Lilith,” Sergio said calmly, “since we’re preparing to challenge Mr. Instrument King’s puppet formation, every step—and every teammate—matters. We’d like to see your strength firsthand. Would that be alright?”

Lilith studied him for a moment, then her expression softened slightly.

“Fair enough.” She smiled, then flicked a finger forward. “You. The one who called me big sister. Step out.”

Terrence blinked, pointed at himself, and obediently walked forward, completely lacking the arrogance one would expect from a noble scion.

“Alright! Let’s do this!”

Lilith motioned for Axel and the others to move back. After all, this was a proper combat arena.

The two faced each other.

Kenneth showed no interest whatsoever, fiddling with his mechanical gadgets while occasionally letting out faint hiss and click sounds.

Nigel leaned toward Axel and whispered, “Axel, if you’re trying to woo her, maybe pick a different strategy. Once Terrence gets physical, he doesn’t care about gender. Would be a shame to mess up such a pretty face.”

Axel shook his head lightly.

“Who’s breaking whose face isn’t decided yet.”

“Awakening Skill—Burning in Flames!”

Terrence activated his skill immediately.

The name alone made Sergio and the others exchange strange looks.

Burning?

Was this some kind of self-immolation skill?

The moment it activated, raging red flames engulfed Terrence’s entire body, turning him into a living inferno. His speed skyrocketed. With a single stomp, the specially reinforced alloy floor let out a sharp hiss.

“So fast…” A glimmer of surprise crossed Lilith’s eyes. “Starcrest family… Blade Warrior-type awakening.”

She retreated rapidly, summoning thick pillars of blood between herself and Terrence.

But Terrence charged forward like a berserk rhinoceros, smashing straight through the blood pillars one after another.

“His third-tier awakening skill really is terrifying,” Nigel muttered bitterly. “If it’s like this, I probably can’t beat him anymore.”

Nigel’s Mountain Giant talent turned him into a stone-skinned behemoth, able to grow stronger the longer he absorbed primal energy. In the past, he’d simply stalled against Terrence—Terrence couldn’t break his defense, and Nigel didn’t attack. The result was usually an awkward staring contest.

But now?

Bang!

Terrence closed in and slammed his golden knuckle dusters toward Lilith’s chest, the air itself tearing under the force.

“Bastard,” Lilith cursed.

Her figure blurred and vanished.

“Space-type…?” Sergio’s eyes widened. “A dual-talent awakener?!”