Gray skidded back, almost stumbling to the ground.
"Are you alright, sir?" a soldier asked.
"I'm fine!" Gray snapped, his voice filled with fury, causing the soldier to back away immediately.
At the base, their commander was a terrifying force.
His combat abilities were unmatched, and he wasn't just any soldier—he was a follower of a God.
The OPS organization might hunt champions and even Demigods, but they knew they stood no chance against a God.
Instead, they operated in the shadows, biding their time until they could challenge one.
To win against their enemies, OPS created powerful soldiers of their own.
For Commander Gray, being pushed back like this was rare.
The last time it had happened was during a brutal fight with a Demigod—and even then, the Demigod had come out on top.
Now, standing in front of Gray, about a meter away, was an individual with a sinister smile that could haunt a weaker mind with nightmares.
"How interesting," Azrael said, his smile unwavering. "Hmm, I thought that punch would've made your insides burst. Oh well."
Gray stared at the figure before him. The man's presence gave him chills, and the atmosphere seemed to turn ice-cold.
Everyone felt it.
Azrael appeared to be just a guy in his early twenties, with short black hair and a strong, good-looking physique.
Yet there was something deeply unsettling about him, practically screaming danger.
"Who are you?" Gray asked cautiously.
But Azrael ignored him, turning his attention to Evan.
"You're quite pretty. And since this body has some attachment to you, you could become a liability. I can't have anything ruining my fun."
Before Evan could react or understand what was happening, Azrael struck her in the neck, knocking her out instantly.
She collapsed into his arms.
He gently carried her over and placed her against a hut, far from the burning wreckage.
Gray watched, fury boiling in his veins, but he remained cautious.
'Why does he have a godly presence? Don't tell me... is he the one Lord Zeus placed a bounty on?' Gray thought.
'Well, looks like I'm about to collect that bounty.'
In this world, whether you joined those who opposed the gods or sought to overthrow them, the moment you were granted a power by the gods, they owned you.
The power originated from them, and no one could escape that bond.
Zeus had sent information to all his direct followers, which included the Demigods and Olympians.
Now, it seemed Gray had crossed paths with the target.
Azrael smirked, sensing Gray's thoughts. "Ah, an Olympian. So a bounty's already on my head, huh? You might fool your fellow soldiers, but I know you'll always be a dog of the gods."
**[Your body needs rest. Excessive usage depletes life force.]**
'I need to leave quickly,' Azrael thought, already planning his escape.
'He's probably already informed Zeus of my location through God Link.'
God Link—a skill all gods possessed to connect with their followers and see through their eyes.
It activated whenever a follower prayed, which Gray had likely done the moment he felt Azrael's divine presence.
"Well, mortal, our little date will have to be put on hold for now," Azrael said, activating a skill.
Thanks to his temporarily enhanced body, it would work.
"Just know, I'll devour you the next time we meet."
As Azrael finished his sentence, two black thunderbolts struck from the sky, hitting him and Evan, and in an instant, their bodies vanished.
[First quest failed.]
**[Punishment: Evan must not die at any cost and will follow you on your journey to godhood once again.]**
'Damn it! I hate this system,' Azrael cursed internally.
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"What the heck just happened?" Gray said, confused.
He had been expecting a fight with a god, but the so-called god Zeus mentioned had fled.
"What a disgrace."
The villagers wore horrified expressions as one of their protectors, the last one still alive, abandoned them.
They all knew their end was near.
A cloud suddenly darkened, corroding the others around it and halting when it spanned about thirty meters.
Thunder rumbled in the sky as intense winds blew violently.
Every human in the village sensed danger.
They felt the chilling presence of an entity—familiar yet foreign—because the only time they had felt it before was when the first god descended to earth.
This being was known as the God King, Zeus.
"WHERE IS HE?!"
An intense roar of anger and murderous intent rained down on everyone beneath the clouds.
The pressure was so profound and overwhelming that those standing collapsed to their knees.
"My lord, he just escaped," Gray grunted, trying not to resist the pressure so his bones wouldn't fracture.
From the screams behind him—whether from his men or the villagers—he could tell they felt it worse.
Some had probably dead.
The air became dense and suffocating, killing each of them as the pressure shattered their bones.
Only Gray remained alive, barely holding on.
"You seem useless to me now. I see no reason to keep you alive," Zeus said.
It was simply his roar that had ended everyone's life.
From the pool of blood and the dying screams, Gray could already tell he was the "lucky" one.
"Wait, wait! I will find him for you and bring his head. Please, let me see the light of day," Gray begged for his life.
"Hmm, find him. Bring him to me alive, or your life ends." Those were the last words Zeus said before the cloud disappeared and everything returned to normal, except for the mangled corpses and pools of blood surrounding Gray.
---
Far away from the massacre that was once known as the 'White Wolf Clan,' an individual stood on a mountain with a calm and warm smile.
His body was riddled with stone-packed muscles that no bodybuilder could possess, and a smoky aura seeped from his skin like steam.
"Interesting... Zeus, the all-powerful God King, fears a being's existence in this world. I must know that individual, kekeke."
***
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