**[Integration: 51%]**
The message was floating in front of Zeff, blue and insensitive. The damn thing was the whole reason he was in this trouble. He wanted to get rid of it, he hated when pointless things obscured his vision in the middle of the fight, be it insects or humans.
Actually, he didn't see the difference between the two. Zeff thought humans, weak and vulnerable masses, be it, thieves or heroes, they're all insects. Insects of greed.
Zeff was in the body of a human himself, a troublesome one in fact. Even so, his will to live, despite his loss of memory, remained intact as strong as a boulder. He didn't care what he was, human or monster. Didn't make a difference.
'I'll survive this and anything else. Leo won't be the end of me I'll make sure of it.'
Zeff used anything he saw as a useful tool. Daksha's loyalty to Kai, though the fox surely noticed it, was what he made the most use of.
And Daksha compiled since the devil in his master didn't do anything that would harm Kai. And Kai still had full control of his mind, his mental strength was not something Zeff would overcome by himself, the barrier it posed, unless Lai allowed it, Zeff would never feel the warmth of sun on his skin.
This time, using the magical amulet as a medium, Zeff tried to stretch his limits, only hoping it would allow him to use his last-ditch attack.
***
Boom!
Just when unexpected guests busted through the walls of titanium with their absurd firepower, the guards at the entrance were taken by surprise.
"Argh!"
One of the guards was hit by a fireball before he could blink. The other, who just saw his comrade burned to smithereens, lost the color on his face to a pale fear. Fear for his life.
A red-haired man showed himself on the other side of the melted wall. Red and got. He had piercings across his lips and eyebrows, and a tattoo on his face glowing red. His smile seemed as devilish as a monster's.
The soldiers nearby heard the commotion and came to check what was happening in the vicinity. Only to see a man with crimson hairs burning a soldier on his arms, grabbing in the neck.
Gulp!
The men around him gulped at the horrible scene. But soon, their anger clouded their fears. It only took them seconds before they pointed their guns at their new enemies.
Crimson smiled when he saw them, "Do it."
The man behind him, holding two knives, close inside his clenched hands, shot forward and and ended his attack right at the neck of his enemies.
Swoosh!
Blood squirted as two of the new reinforcements met their end, their necks slashed. But the black-haired young man did not stop.
Koul was violent by nature. He found the act quite thrilling. His awakened ability, 'Howler' as stated by the world system, allowed him to use any kind of sharp object, sword or stone, according to his will, with at most efficiency as he saw it. The ability looked like it was tailor-made for him. A killer at heart.
Koul joined 'The Spades' when he killed one of their staff 'accidentally'. At least he claimed so. Ever since, he worked for them. The paycheck wasn't bad, but more than money, he enjoyed his job. He was delighted every time one of them called him for 'work'.
The apocalypse came and ruined his 'peaceful' life. The guy is following Crimson everywhere for now. His missions. He knew what was best for him.
After all, what's the point of 'having fun' if you don't know you'll be alive tomorrow?
'The Zeff dude sounded like someone fun to kill, that's the whole point I followed the red guy on his mission. After all, you don't get to kill a class 5 criminal every day. The opportunity was too tempting to ignore.
I don't care what his past is, it'll only get in the way. Crimson gave me a green signal to fight. But I don't know how happy he will be if I kill him before the red.'
Koul thought, remembering how Crimson had a few things he wanted to settle before he killed Zeff.
Their mission was to bring in Zeff, dead or alive. And recover the AI weapon system in the secret base. Koul was more worried about the former because he wasn't alone in the competition.
For Crimson, the quotes 'might makes right' and 'survival of the fittest' was something he lived by every day of his life in 'Spades'. It was a rewarding job. but a dangerous one. So it made no difference. Not in the ruins of the world from what he was used to.
Crimson received no resistance as he blasted his way through the disarray of militants, a place without a commander. They were sitting ducks in his eyes.
Boom!
And Koul wasn't slowing down either. With his mastery in slashing (and his powers), he sliced through military armor like butter, with a smile on his face. Guns, advanced or not, made no difference in the wake of new enemies.
Soldiers fell one after another.
In the minutes since their new arrival, Crimson made Area 1 to 3, all dead soldiers, covered in flames.
"..."
When this storm passed after Area 2, One of the surviving soldiers, pretending to be dead, sounded the emergency alarm.
With his trembling hand, the soldier did something that would soon alert his lieutenant, the commander, and the entire base, that they had a new problem.
["Emergency!"]
An apathetic voice responded through the silent Areas.
["The Base is facing an assault!"]
["Lockdown; initiated…"]
Then, all doors, corridors, and paths, leading to the only possible exit, 'The Hatch', were shut down with a metallic clang on all sides.
It should be enough to restrict anyone's movement. But it was not true for these people with special abilities.
["Evacuating the Civilians…"]
["…Commencing…"]
***
If you find any mistakes in the chapter, please comment below so I can fix them as soon as possible.