Consumed by anger, Azura glared at Zack with murderous intent.
It was unclear how the System would exact the penalty if he decided to run away instead of killing Zack, but he doesn't want to know. Even though it has only been a day, Azura already experienced all kinds of unbelievable things.
Regardless of the method, he was certain that the System could actually kill Caelum.
Due to that, a switch happened inside his burning mind.
No matter what, he would complete the Kill Quest, Zack must die right now.
"I'll kill you..." He uttered with a haunting tone.
Knowing how much Caelum has suffered ever since their parents died, Azura once swore to himself that he would give a world of happiness to his little brother. Even if the whole entire world was against him, there's nothing he wouldn't do for Caelum.
Almost instantly, the air around him changed.
Zack and Isadora could feel the change, and couldn't help but be surprised.
Looking at Azura's state right now, it was obvious that he was aiming for blood. His lower jaw hung low, his skin was reddening from the increased blood flow, and his pupils looked larger, the activation of his body's fight-or-flight response.
Both knew that Azura was a pushover, his timid nature was the cause of that.
Seeing him in this berserk state was foreign to them since no matter what kind of humiliation he suffered, he never once snapped like this. Even Zack, who always looked down on Azura, could feel a tinge of fear tainting his heart.
Alarmed, Zack lowered his stance and ready himself for the inevitable fight.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, his eyes widened seeing Azura confidently dashed straight at him.
Zack scoffed as it seemed anger would be Azura's downfall.
However, a frown soon formed on his face when he saw Azura's hand turn into a sharp blade something that Zack was not expecting. In addition, the surprise didn't stop there—a sudden focused howl echoed across the place.
Upon the howl, the brass-colored aura around Zack wavered and weakened.
Even Isadora was surprised at the sight of this.
'He has two skills?' She exclaimed inwardly. 'No Hybrids could have that many skills without the help of powerful factions. Matthew, the son of a high-ranking official in the Noble Knight faction only has two skills. So are you telling me he has that much influence?!'
Raising his arms to block, Zack grunted as he got viciously slashed.
But the following second, a painful scream escaped his mouth seeing his arms were severed.
Despite focusing his mana on his arms, Azura easily tears through.
It was not the pain that made him scream since he was a Zombie, but the shock made him.
'My- My mana! It got weakened this much from one skill?!' Zack cried inwardly.
Splash!
A horrifying scenery was presented, Zack's severed arms kept spewing out blood, creating a small puddle of blood around him. His entire body was shaking, even tears started to drizzle down his eyes as he sobbed in pain.
Just then, his attention was pulled at the sound of slow footsteps approaching him.
Azura approached him with the same murderous look.
Despite wanting to flee from this place, regretting to come and mess with Azura who turned out to also be a Hybrid, his body wouldn't listen to him and was rooted in place. Eventually, Azura gripped his head tightly.
Forcing Zack to look up into his eyes, he smiled menacingly.
"If you would just stop like I told you, this wouldn't be necessary..." Azura whispered lightly.
Upon hearing this, Zack gulped in terror.
Looking at Azura right in the eyes was akin to seeing death directly on its face.
With deliberate slowness, Azura's hand traversed downward from Zack's head to his neck—clenching it tightly, "But I suppose I couldn't blame you for acting up since nobody was there to teach you manners, because you see, I happen to know that you're also an Orphan"
Having the very words he had once uttered thrown back at him, Zack's expression tightened.
In addition, he was also surprised that Azura knew the truth.
Ashamed that he was an Orphan, and was mocked badly in high school, he decided to hide that fact and even bullied Azura to feel better about himself. He never once thought that by doing so, karma would bite him in the back.
"I'm- I'm sorry... Please, don't kill me" He pleaded, crying his eyes out.
But even then, Azura's expression remained cold.
"You didn't even listen to me and went in for the kill, and you're pleading for mercy? Sorry..."
"No! Ple-!"
Splash!!
Thud!
Ignoring his further plea, Azura ripped his throat, effectively killing him instantly.
[Eliminate all hostile entities: 2/2]
[Kill Quest completed! 200 adaptation points and 5 bonus stats have been rewarded!]
[Bonus stats can be allocated anytime in the status window]
Upon seeing these notifications, he could feel a very heavy weight being lifted off his chest.
I killed another human, but this is nothing as long as Caelum is safe.
Even though the hollowness and guilt were prominent inside him from killing another human being, he was at the very least glad that the Kill Quest was completed. But he decided that he would need to have a talk with the System.
He was fuming earlier, but it was not only directed at Zack but also at the System.
Including Caelum in the deal was not something he appreciated.
Sighing heavily, he raised his gaze before he made eye contact with Isadora on the side.
Upon catching her surprised gaze, Azura could only offer a wry smile as he gestured toward the two lifeless bodies sprawled on the ground. "Can you... Can you help me deal with this? I'm at a loss for what to do next"
For a brief moment there, Isadora looked at him with mixed emotions.
'After killing two guys brutally, he went back to his timid self. What is he, a psychopath?'
A moment later.
Both of them were now standing on the side while two guys who were wearing black trench coats were handling the two corpses, carefully stowing them into a bag before cleaning the blood that was spilled on the ground until it gleamed spotless.
Judging from the way these two guys operate, they seem to be experts in doing this.
Even the smell and blood didn't bother them.
Not stopping at that, there was also a truck that came and handled the destruction.
Aside from towing the destroyed car, Azura could see a person being able to mold the cracks on the wall with a mere touch, reminiscent of scenes from a fantasy novel. Every single trace of the battle was seamlessly repaired.
Only until the entire place was devoid of any signs of the battle that these people left.
One of the guys approached Isadora and extended his hand.
"Please make sure to make the payment, the time window is one day," He instructed.
Upon hearing this, Isadora nodded, "Will do,"
Throughout the encounter, Azura harbored questions, but Isadora silenced him with a gentle pinch and a subtle shake of her head, signaling that he should remain silent. Only after all of the mysterious people had departed did she release her hold.
"Who are they? Why didn't they ask questions?" Azura asked curiously.
It was weird to see those people cleaning the mess without uttering any questions to them.
This prompted Isadora to cast a weird look at him, "Do you really not know?"
"Nope, not a single clue" Azura shook his head.
After witnessing what she witnessed, Isadora doesn't trust Azura, suspecting him of playing with her. She finds it implausible that someone of his caliber, a young Hybrid that could take out two F-grade Hybrids—one of whom possessed a skill—to be clueless.
Someone like Azura would normally be a part of a powerful faction.
But it didn't seem like he was playing around, he was genuinely confused right now.
"You're not joking, huh..." She mused in disbelief.
Eventually, Isadora explained that those people earlier were from the Black Hands faction.
Azura uncovered the clandestine existence of Hybrids, hidden from society's view but quite pervasive in the shadows of the world. Those in positions of power—presidents, governors, or even influential businessmen—either were Hybrids themselves or possessed knowledge of their existence.
Only the strong could rule the higher positions.
Those who were not aware of this dark side wouldn't be able to climb the political ladder.
Moreover, these Hybrids were a part of a faction, essentially a powerful force of the world.
One of them was the Black Hands faction.
Based on Isadora's explanation, the Black Hands faction was the faction that handled the secrecy of this side of the world. Any incidents such as the one Azura did would be handled by them to keep the existence of Hybrids a secret.
Essentially, they are the powerful force that governs the border of the dark side.
Anyone could call them, but there would be a fee to pay.
Listening attentively to her explanation after he confessed that he was new to all of this, he couldn't help but take a deep breath. He was overwhelmed by the information, it felt like he was uncovering a forbidden side of the world.
Not once in his life that he even consider the possibility of this kind of thing in reality.
It was simply inconceivable.
Observing Azura's expression, Isadora commented, "You really are new, huh..."
"Why would I lie about that?" Azura retorted, shrugging his shoulders.
But then, Isadora remembered something, "So what are you doing in the park earlier?"
"I'm trying out a new technique to absorb dark mana" He replied truthfully.
Upon hearing this, Isadora was surprised—knowing that those who were compatible with the dark element are usually extremely evil because of the dark element's evil inclination, and it's also very rare for someone to have an affinity to the dark element.
Pondering for a moment, she then asked, "So, what is your avatar?"
Azura was silent when he heard this.
Giving her an innocent smile, scratching the back of his head, he replied, "I- I don't know..."
"Oh, so you're a-... what?! You don't know?!" Isadora gasped.