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You are receiving more chapters than normal since we hit a hundred chapters respectively on the GILGAMESH and KEVIN fanfic. So in celebration of that, you get chapters till Saturday, enjoy.
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"Damn it!" Finn grumbled as Rust regained consciousness, his eyes fluttering open weakly.
"Hold still for a second, then get us out of here… I'm already losing… my breath," Rust muttered, his voice faint as his vision blurred.
"You got a plan?" Finn asked, glancing back at Fate, who was quickly closing in, one of her axes hovering beside her as she flew.
A brilliant light filled Rust's body, gathering strength, before transferring that light to the severed arm he carried. With all his remaining strength, he hurled the arm straight at Fate's face.
Fate merely smiled, interpreting Rust's action as his final, futile struggle. The arm flew toward her and exploded on impact.
"Haha. I like a man who knows how to dance," Fate chuckled, her face completely unscathed by the blast.
"Damn it, Rust! You know we can't damage her!" Finn scolded, frustration creeping into his voice.
"Wait for the signal, then leave," Rust instructed before letting go of Finn's leg. One of the Tetramand females holding onto Finn quickly reached out and grabbed Rust with one of her arms, keeping him from falling.
"Haha, now it's your turn, Fox!" Fate taunted, her pace quickening as she closed in on Finn.
"What's that?" Fate murmured, suddenly feeling an itchy sensation on her face. Her four eyes widened in horror as she realized what was happening.
"SPIDERS!!!" Fate screamed, her shriek sending shockwaves that propelled Finn and his companions forward at breakneck speed.
Finn smirked at the sight, shaking his head in disbelief. "Rust, you bloody rascal," he muttered, admiration in his tone.
In an instant, Finn and everyone holding onto him turned to ash and vanished from the scene.
"SPIDERS!!! SPIDERS!!!" Fate's panicked voice echoed through the skies as she fired energy blasts from her mouth, wildly slapping at her face with her hands.
"I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!!! WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS!!!" Fate roared in rage, unleashing a torrent of energy blasts that rained down on the planet below, scorching everything in sight.
---
"Anyway, that's how Rust lost his arm. Now for the story of my two lovelies," Finn said, turning to Camilla, who giggled in response.
"No, I'm good," Varrick interjected quickly, not eager to hear another tale.
"Wow, you guys actually met Fate and survived!" Varrick couldn't help but praise Finn, genuinely impressed by their harrowing escape.
"And surviving Fate changed all of us. We trained harder than ever before, got stronger, and acquired better equipment and cruisers to help us escape her the next time we meet," Camilla finally spoke up, her voice filled with determination.
"Not just escaping her—soon, we'll acquire weapons capable of destroying her!" Finn declared firmly, his eyes gleaming with resolve.
Varrick could sense that these two weren't joking. He felt a deep gratitude toward Rust, who, despite everything, still accepted jobs from the very people who had banished him. Varrick couldn't have asked for a better, more experienced partner than Rust.
"Rust is resting now. The surgery is complete," Alexa announced as she entered the console room, sitting down next to Finn to cuddle up beside him, with Camilla joining them.
"Good. We move once he awakens," Finn declared, his voice steady and assured.
"How did you even know about the parts you weren't present for?" Varrick asked, his brow furrowed in curiosity.
"In your story—how did you know what happened during the times you weren't there?" Varrick clarified, his question pressing.
"I told you, I was part of the security team installing the latest firmware on each planet that was booked for the anniversary. That means I was the only one alive with access to the camera feeds, apart from the couple who hosted the anniversary and fled. But they couldn't get their hands on a copy since I deleted it and sent the footage to my cruiser," Finn explained, his tone matter-of-fact.
"Your living quarters are over there. Just follow that door, and the system will guide you," Finn said, nodding toward an exit. Varrick thanked him for his hospitality before leaving the console room.
"Alright, ladies. We're finally alone," Finn grinned, leaning in to kiss his companions as the lights in the console room dimmed.
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Kevin's phone had been off ever since that day, making him unreachable to anyone. His car automatically drove Ben and Gwen to the location they had given and even towed Ken's car back to Gwen's home. After dropping off Ben, the car returned to Kevin's place.
Kevin secluded himself once more, diving deep into cultivating the mana he had been granted. Each time, he would delve into the memories, knowledge, lost techniques, and forms contained within the Philosopher's Orb, causing his migraines to worsen with every dive.
During Kevin's seclusion, Ben met Julie and was thrilled to find a partner, along with a strange alien dog that bore a striking resemblance to an alien he had once called Upgrade.
Kevin wasn't involved in that adventure, and Gwen eventually discovered his location. However, she decided against disturbing him, choosing to wait until he was ready to talk.
A month passed, and Kevin never left his house. His unusual behaviour didn't go unnoticed—Kate reported it to Giovanni, who instructed her to prioritize her safety and avoid getting too close to Kevin's territory. Giovanni provided her with military-grade binoculars to observe Kevin from a safe distance.
Day and night, Kate monitored Kevin from eight kilometres (roughly five miles) away, ensuring her safety while upholding the integrity of the Alphonso pack she represented.
"I'm sure now that he isn't sitting on a transparent chair or something… He's just floating with his legs crossed like those who do yoga," Kate reported to Giovanni. He noted her observations and instructed her to return to the hotel since she had been gone for too long, promising to assign someone else to watch Kevin.
Eventually, Kevin emerged from his seclusion, and more of his hair now turned white. He could sense the presence of another person on the planet, similar to Gwen, but with mana that was more refined and plentiful. Right now, what he needed was more energy, and this person seemed ripe for the taking.
But that would have to wait. First, he needed to shower and order some food.
Kevin stepped outside with a fresh change of clothes, clean and scented with nice cologne. As his hair danced in the wind, he took a deep breath of the fresh evening breeze. The vegetation around him grew a few half-inch taller, and the colours became more vibrant. He had reached another level in his cultivation journey—one his late master had described as the intermediary stage.
Without wasting time, Kevin spotted the person watching him from miles away. He flashed a toothy smile and gestured that he would address them later. The man behind the binoculars gulped hard, too shocked to move after witnessing Kevin's impossible gesture.
"Dinner is waiting for me," Kevin murmured, smacking his lips as he climbed into his car.
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