"You survived unscathed, little morsel?!" Oephenius roared.
When I exited the truck, Oephenius was standing a good three meters away holding a plethora of vehicles in his hands like they were New Year presents. And like New Year's presents, he offered them to me by hurling them my way. The sky darkened from the hailstorm of vehicles being thrown with tremendous strength. I opened my Inventory and summoned a trusty Dao, just in time to jump out of the way and avoid a car that was about to crash on top of me. I zipped through the mess of cars, dodging and weaving as Oephenius continued throwing them as if they were snowballs. The Cyclops in front of me was getting slightly irritated as I evaded his attacks with ease.
"Insolent insect! Stop buzzing around so much!" It snarled. Oephenius reached down and grabbed the body of a locomotive train with only four train wagons attached. With a mighty roar, Oephenius slung the train in my direction like a makeshift whip. Since I couldn't go any higher, I willed the Dao to descend rapidly. Sucking in my breath, I ducked under the massive train. Some of the rust sprinkled on top of my hair, and I could feel the whole weight of the train over my head just as my scalp was mere inches from scraping against it. Once I got out of there safely, I rose again, gripping my weapon tightly in my sword arm.
"[Phantom Steps], [Aura Blade]."
I activated two of my most prized masteries. Mana coursed through my body as it enveloped the blade portion of my Dao, strengthening it. My presence was concealed, and my agility increased. The flying blade picked up even more speed, and I had already found myself face-to-face with the Cyclops. Time seemed to have slowed to a crawl. My arm was already outstretched, and the blade of my Dao had just touched the Cyclops' neck. When I peered into its single, giant eye, I could see many emotions swirling inside of the hazel iris. Shock, rage, annoyance, hunger, but most importantly, fear.
"How did you-"
Oephenius wasn't given the chance to finish as I swung my arm right through its thick neck. The Dao cleaved through the Cyclops with little difficulty, and before long, Oephenius's head was dismembered. Blood gushed out of his neck, resembling that of a small geyser. Not wanting to shower in my enemy's blood, I retreated as far back as I could and landed on the concrete ground. Oephenius's body slouched over, and its massive body plummeted to the floor, right in front of me. Oephenius' head rolled over to me, a permanent scowl etched on its shocked face.
"T-To have been defeated by an insignificant human!"
"You're still alive? That's new," I said as I stared at the talking head in awe.
"Don't get cocky, puny whelp. My Cyclopes brethren will avenge me! And so will the other monsters that have been imprisoned in the Labyrinth! Soon enough, your little world will return to how it was before the Great War of the Gods! Monsters and demons will return to being the dominant powers of the Hierarc-"
Oephenius' rambling was no more as I stabbed my sword right through its eye. The life in the Cyclops' eye soon flickered away, leaving only a sinister grin on its cracked lips.
"Monsters? Demons? As if I care if they return. Long as they can fight, I'll gladly accept the challenge!"
Once I retracted the Dao out of Oephenius, I wiped away a bead of sweat from my face. I caught a glimpse of my fingers, and they were twitching wildly. The adrenaline I felt coursing through my muscles was screaming at me to continue fighting! As much as I would love to find the nearest monster and issue a challenge, I have other things to worry about, and that being…
"Where the hell did Laila go?"
Scanning the battered parking lot, the woman was nowhere to be seen. She wasn't even behind the brick wall that I caught her sneaking behind of. Did she decide I could handle myself and left me all alone so that she could catch up with the others, or is she under some rubble from when the hospital collapsed? I sincerely doubt it's the latter, since that woman is much stronger than I am. She wouldn't die that easily.
Beep!
[Congratulations on defeating the first ever B-Rank Monster!]
[Participants in the fight include: Chen Ling]
[Calculating reward…]
Interesting! A reward for my efforts! Before I head over to the others, let's see what the S.O. will award me for taking down Oephenius…
****
"How could I be so stupid?! I can't believe such a crucial detail slipped from my mind! I hope I'm not too late!"
I shook my head at Sol's effort to reassure me.
"I'm sure that if the superhumans knew of the assassins beforehand, they could overpower her, but that isn't the case. An assassin is supposed to hide their presence and strike from the shadows. Instead of a head-on confrontation, she'd wait for the perfect opportunity and strike when Sam was distracted. I was too busy thinking about the Undead Ghouls, fighting off waves of creatures, and the Cyclops that I hadn't told them about the assassin. I really hope I can make it in time…"
"I have faith that he'll defeat that Cyclops without me. He'll be just fine. Chen Ling isn't weak in the slightest."
In a matter of minutes, I arrived at the Field House near the hospital. In front of me was a large peach-colored building shaped in an L. The parking lot was vacant. To the left of the building was an empty 80-foot pool. The glass doors of the building were ajar. Right as I was about to charge straight in, two figures burst out from the doors.
One of them was Sam, and the other was the assassin. They were locked in a heated exchange. Sam was blocking most of the assassins' quick strikes as he grimaced in pain from every impact. His left arm was doused in wounds and- wait, is that a watch on his wrist? How long was that there?! Ah, anyway, a faint blue aura was wrapped around his shield. I thought about calling out his name, but I resisted the urge, knowing full well that would distract the man. Instead, I sped forward and raised my rapier. The assassin quickly detected I was there and sprung backward just in time to avoid being impaled.
"You already defeated the Cyclops?!" she cried in disbelief. I didn't answer her and went for a slash. Like before, she dodged it nimbly and stepped back a few steps, eyeing me and Sam.
"Are you alright, Sam?" I asked, peering over my shoulder. Sam nodded and grunted.
"Aren't you just a thorn in my side today…" the assassin growled, pacing around with her daggers. I stuck my arm out protectively to Sam and kept my attention on the assassin.
"Sorry, but I'm quite acquainted with this man's friend and I can't have him dying on me," I said calmly.
The assassin clicked her tongue and stopped moving. "What makes you think you can defeat me?"
"Fight me and you'll find out," I snapped back.
We both stared at each other for what felt like hours. No one made a move or said a word. Sam's labored breathing filled the air, the only sound I could hear. Since he was very close to me, his breath was tickling the back of my neck, but I ignored it. The assassin took one step forward, and I followed suit. I thought the assassin was preparing her attack until a steady sequence of beeping caught me off-guard. The noise was coming from Sam. When I glanced at him, he was fiddling with the watch on his left arm. Since he only had one arm, he had to answer it by using his nose. Soon after, another beep came up and a familiar voice arose from the watch.
"Sam! Sam! Can you hear me?" said the clear but panicked voice.
"Yes. What is it, Joel?" Sam replied.
Joel? Wait, they can communicate through watches? I never knew that!
"I just confirmed with Sophie that she and Isaac are together and are safe for now. Darion and Camila are still with me and we're okay. What about Laila? Is she still missing?"
"I'm right here! No need to worry about me!" I shouted at the watch, keeping my attention on the assassin. I noticed a subtle shift in her shoulders when Joel proclaimed that all the Six Hunters were still alive. She lowered her daggers, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped them tightly.
"Laila? Thank god you're alright!" Joel said. Through the watch, I heard him breathe a sigh of relief. "When Sam contacted me a few days earlier about his situation, I had thought about sending Darion over once he completed the First Stage, but some things came up on our end. Anyway, Sam! Mr. Reed will be sending in personnel to evacuate everyone out of Galveston. The rest of the superhumans will take control and commence the clean up. So, until then, wait for further orders."
"Phew! That's great to hear!" I happily responded. I deserve a much needed break and need the other superhumans step up. What's even better is that we'll all be grouped together. That's when I'll be able to share with them the information I received during the First Stage. The others could even add in their little tidbits. I can see a small beacon of light on the horizon, and I intend to walk toward the light.
"Thanks for the info," I said to the watch. "You can sign off now. I'll take care of things from here."
"Okay. I'm counting on you." Joel replied. Another beep later, the watch was radio silent.
I smiled at the assassin and addressed her. "Well? What will you do no-"
In a fast motion, the assassin bounced on top of the Field House and glared at me while she stashed her weapons.
"You're only delaying the inevitable," she snarled. "Eventually, we will have our way. Especially after our new partnership with them. Until then, you better watch your backs."
The assassin reached into her Inventory and pulled out a tiny purple crystal. The woman then threw the crystal onto the ground, and a vapor of purple smoke fashioned itself into a portal. After stepping foot inside, she was gone in a flash.
"She's gone," I murmured.
Ignoring Sol's dirty mouth, I twirled around and faced Sam. He was staring hard at the spot where the assassin had escaped from. The man's face was pale. It looked as if he was on the verge of collapsing right on the spot, but he continued standing. Joel had told me that Sam was the strongest in America and was the shield of the team. No matter how dangerous the Dungeon, Sam would be the first to run head first, absorbing most of the damage and protecting the squad. He had the most endurance and durability out of everyone, which was needed for a tanker, as he said. If he were to fall, then so would his team. He had to be the last man standing, even if he was missing most of his limbs. "Sam, you alright?" I said in a soft tone. Sam met my eyes and nodded silently. "Hey guys!" A joyful voice from above shouted. We tilted our heads at the sky to see Chen Ling cruising along with his sword. He jumped off the blade and came down right in front of us, smiling. "I have just defeated the Cyclops. It was a great battle! I would like to thank you, Laila, for allowing me to fight it on my own." "Sure… no problem?" I simply said. I knew that Chen Ling can take care of himself, so it wasn't surprising that he came out relatively unscathed, for the most part. At least he enjoyed himself… "Sam, is Fiey alright? How come I didn't see her helping you with the assassin?" I asked. The man stashed his shield away and responded promptly. "…I told her to stay back and let me handle things. I knew the assassin wanted me and me only, so I led her outdoors, where she could cause no harm to her and the civilians." I pointed at the building and said, "So, what you're saying is that no harm came upon them and that they're inside?" "Yep." "Alright, let's go tell them the good news then." Sam nodded and took the lead. After confirming that the assassin had indeed left the scene and would not backstab us, the three of us strolled right through the front doors of the Field House in silence, waiting for Mr. Reed to come pick us up.