ARRRRGH, "You are so annoying." The chubby lady yelled while groaning in pain.
As if her body resonated with the anger that was deep within her, shadowy block smoke erupted from her body, poseesing nothing but the eerie intent of destruction a d behold the shadowy block smoke turns out to be Anthony.
He had red glowing eyes, which soon disappeared as he stood in front of Axel, both locked in an intense gaze.
The onlookers couldn't believe their eyes as they stared in shock, unable to cover their open mouths at the unfolding scene.
The plump woman, whom Anthony had just shifted away from, quickly ran to the other players, panting heavily for breath.
"What happened to me?" she asked the other players with a trembling voice.
"It's okay, you're fine now," the players consoled her as they gave her a hug.
Ding!
(The fourth game ends.)
(The fourth pawn had been discovered.)
"Never thought that you'd eventually be the one to reveal my true self," said Anthony with a smirk.
"You're one of the game masters. Who's the higher boss and how can we end this game?" Axel asked curiously, his gaze fixed on Anthony. "We all know this game is planned by humans like us now, so what's the secret? How do we end this game?" he yelled as he held Anthony by the shoulder, shaking him vigorously.
"Can you please be quiet!" Yelled Anthony, raising his hand towards Axel's face. His fingernails had transformed into deadly claws. "I could have killed you, but there's no need. What awaits you after I'm gone will be something you'll wish you could escape from," he added, before the sharp claws vanished.
"What do you mean?" asked Axel, looking confused.
"You're the one who revealed my true self. Just wait until I'm gone, then you'll understand," said Anthony with an evil laugh. "I should be sad about dying soon, but I'm actually happy."
*BOOM*
The sound of an explosion reverberated through the air, causing all the players to shut their eyes and cover their ears in fear, including Axel.
When Axel dared to look up, he was met with the sight of Anthony's headless body lying in a pool of blood.
Fear gripped every player as they witnessed the horrifying scene, but the terror was far from over.
BOOM.. BOOM.. BOOM...
The continuous sound of explosions filled the air as the remaining players' heads started to explode, their lifeless bodies dropping to the ground and joining the pool of blood. Axel and Ave covered their ears to shield themselves from the deafening noise.
When the explosions finally ceased, they both lifted their heads to find themselves standing amidst countless dead bodies, all headless and surrounded by blood.
There was blood splattered on the walls, ceilings, and even Axel and Ave were drenched in the dead players' blood.
Ave couldn't help but puke at such a gruesome scene. Witnessing countless bodies of people, with their heads separated from them, was just too much for her to handle.
Axel stood still, his hand massaging his forehead in frustration.
(Only seventeen players passed the fourth game. Players, please leave the church as it is about to be blown off in...)
Five...
Four...
Three...
Ave kept on puking, her face turning pale. Axel noticed this and carried her in a bridal style, running towards the church exit.
BOOM***
The church exploded, sending heavy smoke into the sky. Axel and Ave watched from a distance as the church continued to blow up, eventually crumbling to the ground.
The monsters had all disappeared, but the earth remained in ruins from their invasion. Lifeless bodies littered the dark night streets.
"They won't even get a proper burial," Ave said sadly, tears rolling down her cheeks. "How many more people will die in this game?" She added, now weeping uncontrollably as she knelt down, burying her head in her lap and crying.
"It's okay, Ave. We should be grateful that we won," Axel said, kneeling down beside her and patting her on the back. "We could have been among the people who died today if we hadn't discovered that Anthony was the fourth pawn. We should be grateful that we're still alive."
"I also want to die. Dying would mean I won't have to witness this bloodshed any longer. My heart hurts so much to see those innocent people die," Ave said, with a cracking voice as tears continued to roll down her cheeks freely.
"I understand you, but remember, we have to find the game master for this game to end. Trying to end your life right now would only mean cowardice. You're stronger than that, Ave. And if you really want to make these dead people rest in peace, we'll have to find out about the game master's hideout and take revenge on him," said Axel with a heavy sigh. "We should leave here and search for our remaining group member," Axel added as he helped Ave up to her feet.
"I can't walk, Axel. My legs are numb already," Ave said as she struggled to stand properly and could only lean on Axel.
Axel proceeded to kneel down in front of her.
"What are you doing?" Ave asked with a face full of confusion.
"I'll carry you. We have to get out of here and find the others soon," Axel said, his voice carrying urgency. Soon, Ave hopped on his back, and the two of them proceeded to look for the others.
Axel hadn't walked for more than thirty minutes when he noticed some people approaching.
The street was smoky and the night was dark, making it impossible for Axel to recognize the figures.
"Are they wild animals? Are we trapped?" Ave asked from behind, her body tensed up in frustration.
"Relax, Ave. The fourth trial has already come to an end, so there won't be any monsters or sort of danger," reminded Axel as he kept his gaze fixed on the approaching figures.
Soon, the figures were recognized to be Logan, Rosa, Florence, and Lionel, running towards them.
"Axel! Our group won!" said Florence, tears rolling down her cheeks as she approached Axel and hugged him.
By now, Axel had dropped Ave at her feet.
"But a lot of people died, Axel. I had to witness lots of bloodshed," said Rosa, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"It's okay! Let's find somewhere to stay, we can discuss this later, okay?" said Axel, as the others nodded in agreement and they all began walking down to the unknown apartment.
The players soon stumbled upon a building, which seemed to be in good shape, as if it hadn't been in Canada before or had just been built on that very day.
"How come it looks unscathed?" asked Rosa, with a confused expression as she stared at the tall building.
"The fourth trial has ended. So I don't sense any danger in entering this building to take a rest," said Lionel, as he approached the door and opened it. "I need to have a cold bath," he added as he entered the house.
"Considering the fact that it's the only house with electricity while the other buildings are dark shows that we can relax here and the system planned it for us," said Florence with a smile, as the others nodded in agreement.
Axel and the others soon entered the house. It looked like it had just been built, painted in white from the ceiling to the floor, even the furniture was white.
Rosa murmured under her breath, "I'm having a strange feeling about the white colors."
Ding!
(Congratulations on winning the fourth trial, dear players.)
The system notification sound caused the players to settle down on the sofa, their attention and gaze directly focused on the system before them.
Ding!
(There's a reward for Axel who killed the fourth pawn and also a reward for Ave since both of them are the one responsible for the succession of killing the fourth pawn.)
(Axel, you have obtained the freezing glittering axe 100/100)
The system announcement was followed by an axe appearing on the table before the players. The silver axe glittered and was able to light up a dark room.
"Woah! What is the system up to now?" exclaimed Florence with a smirk.
Ding!
(Ave, you have obtained the freezing glittering bow and arrow 10/100)
A silver glittering bow and arrow suddenly appeared on the table as well.
"You guys have your personal weapons now, isn't it?" asked Florence with a burst of laughter.
Ding!
(You can try it out, dear players)
Ave was the first person to stand up and grab the bow and arrow from the table. She proceeded to shoot fiercely, with the other players' eyes following as the arrow traveled through the air and pinned the wall.
The pinned wall turned to ice in an instant, making the players open their mouths agape in surprise.
"Whoever you shoot would become iced and dead in an instant, especially when shoot directly at the chest," exclaimed Rosa. "Woah," she added.
"You should try yours too, Axel," urged Logan with a smile.
"There's no need for that. It's no doubt that whoever I kill with the axe would also turn to ice, since that's the title attached to both mine and Ave's weapon," said Axel, while the players replied with a nod.
Ding!
The players attention was once again directed to the system.
(You have been further rewarded for killing the fourth pawn, Axel.)
(Player information in progress.)
(Name: Le Blanc Axel)
(Race: Human/Monster)
(Strength: 10000000000000000)
"Monster? When was that title attached to your name, Axel?" asked Rosa shifting her gaze from the system and directed it to Axel. She almost gasp at what she saw, and her eyes widened in shock.
Axel's eyes turned blood red as they burned with a primal intensity, like pools of molten lava. The skin on his face was covered in scales that shone like obsidian in the light, and each scale seemed to glisten and shift as he moved. The scales were so tightly packed together that they formed an impenetrable armor, and their jagged edges made him look as though he were always on the edge of a violent outburst. His face was contorted into a permanent scowl, and his expression was as unreadable as his intentions.
The other players' eyes widened in shock the moment their gazes fell on Axel, and they swallowed hard at the unfamiliar creature before them.
Ding!
(You've obtained the fourth pawn powers, Axel. You're now a shifter.)