"No."
Greg said with an insane grin on his face. He had no intention of letting Amy leave.
Grey sighed. "Then you leave me with no other option."
In a flash, he appeared before Greg and sliced off the arm he was using to hold Amy.
Greg screamed in pain as his limb fell off, blood oozing out. Grey then kicked Greg in the chest, sending him crashing into the glass wall behind him. He slid to the ground.
Amy began to cry, and Grey moved towards her, removing Greg's severed arm from her wrist and flinging it away.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, wiping the tears from her face.
"Tell me what happened."
She sniffed. "He and two others went to check what happened. But then he came back, covered in blood, and all of a sudden he tried to force himself on me. Then zombies appeared, and he had to let me go. We were forced to hide together."
Grey imagined how uncomfortable she must have felt hiding with the bastard who had tried to assault her. Worse, he had the audacity to refuse to let her go. Grey turned towards Greg with a glare and unsheathed his sword.
"You piece of shit."
"I didn't do anything, I swear!"
"That doesn't make you any less guilty, you trash."
"It's... it's not my fault."
"What?" Grey frowned in disgust.
"It's not my fault. She always looked down on me, rejecting me when I asked her out. I wanted to teach her a lesson."
"By forcing yourself on her?"
"Yes, I can do that now that there's cha—"
Grey didn't let him finish. He stomped on Greg's face, pressing his head against the wall.
"People like you, who think it's right to hurt others for your own perverse desires, do not deserve to live."
Greg grunted. "What's wrong with acting on my desires? Nothing ever goes my way! That's why I killed those two bastards. They would've stopped me from doing what I wanted with Amy."
Amy's eyes widened in disbelief. "You killed Finn and George?"
Greg grinned excitedly. "Yes. I stabbed George in the back and Finn in the neck. They didn't see it coming at all." He laughed. "I have to admit, it was fun. I would've killed you too, but you know I'm attracted to you. You wouldn't give me any attention, so I hated you, but my attraction was stronger. So when I got the chance to show you my passion, I took it. I have no regrets. And I'll definitely try again if I get the chance."
Grey stood silently, processing what he had just heard.
He lifted his boot off Greg's face and stepped back.
Greg exhaled in relief. "I see you understand where I'm coming from. Don't worry, once I'm done with her, I'll give you the chance to do whatever you—"
Sizzle!
Sizzle!
Sizzle!
Grey fired three merciless bolts of [Arc Flash] into Greg's chest. His eyes widened in disbelief before his heart stopped.
Grey watched Greg's body with an expressionless look on his face.
Greg was the first human Grey had killed, yet he felt nothing from doing it. He had expected to feel conflicted, to be overwhelmed by emotions, but he wasn't. He figured it was because Greg was such a filth.
Grey was about to turn away from the corpse when he saw Greg's body start to twitch. Apollo clicked his tongue.
"Hey, Grey, if you're going to finish someone off, do it properly."
"I did do it properly," Grey replied.
Greg certainly wasn't strong enough to survive three [Arc Flash] strikes to the heart. "Or did I unknowingly hesitate?"
Greg's body began to rise like a marionette, a red aura swirling around him.
"What's happening?" Grey asked, a twisted expression crossing Apollo's face.
"I recognize this. This is Soulbind."
"Soulbind?"
"Remember when I said higher powers would come after you? Well, it seems they're making their move earlier than expected."
Greg's body stood upright, then snapped its head up. His eyes were black, veins spreading beneath his eyelids.
"The necrotic heir and a celestial warden in the same place," Greg said with an eerie voice. "How odd."
"Who... what are you?" Grey asked but received no response as the possessed body charged at him.
Greg lunged, trying to bite him, but Grey evaded and landed [Overcharge]. Greg's body froze as electricity surged through him, but it didn't seem to affect the entity possessing him.
The creature tried to grab Grey's arm, but Grey struck it with [Static Surge], sending Greg flying.
The beast struggled to stand, but Grey unleashed multiple [Arc Flash] bolts, pushing it back. He continued firing as he walked forward, driving Greg back again and again, until he got close and swung the [Banesword] down, severing Greg's second arm. Grey kicked him toward the wall.
Now armless, Greg lay on the ground.
"This body is quite weak," the voice within said, struggling to rise without its arms.
"So, are you going to tell me what you are now, or should I end you here and now?"
"What am I? I'm just a pawn, like you. But you... you have a more important role. You're growing at a steady rate, which is good, but you should be more worried. Things are only going to get worse from here."
Greg then lifted his head and said, "Since you've bested me, I'll leave you a parting gift. Go wild."
Greg's eyes returned to normal, and Grey wondered what that was about. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a winged beast flying toward their location. His eyes widened, and before he could react, the creature crashed into the glass wall.
Ding!
[You have received a Battle Quest]
[Defeat Iron Feather Griffin]