From his eyes, two blazing crimson beams of energy erupted, burning so hot they seared the air itself.
Unlike the ordinary fire vision, these beams were thin, precise, and unimaginably destructive.
With a thought, the two beams merged into one, creating an edge of pure, concentrated energy.
Wherever his gaze moved, ants were reduced to ash. The beam sliced cleanly through their chitin, their bodies turning into nothingness in mere deciseconds. The ground below glowed faintly from the residual heat and the asphalt melting under the intensity.
Tens of millions of ants were wiped out in minutes.
As Merit soared northeast, the eerie silence that blanketed the area only sharpened his focus. From above, he could see the remnants of a brutal battle.
Craters marred the earth, smoke billowed from scorched structures, and shattered weapons littered the streets. But what caught his attention was the small group of human, soldiers it some kind of elite unit, fighting for their lives.
At the center of the group, an 11-year-old boy, clad in light combat armor smeared with dirt and blood, stood surrounded by the bodies of fallen soldiers.
His trembling hands held a dagger that was far too small against the looming threats before him: hulking ant creatures almost three times the size of their smaller counterparts.
The boy's sharp eyes darted between the monsters, his breathing heavy and strained. He was no stranger to danger, but this?
This was a death sentence.
His guardsman had already been slaughtered, their broken bodies piled around him in a macabre circle.
The monsters advanced, their mandibles clicking ominously, their chitin gleaming with an unnatural energy that made even the strongest awakened fighters struggle to pierce it.
The boy gritted his teeth. His mind raced through every tactic, every possible escape route.
He'd been trained for scenarios like this—his family had ensured he could handle himself in combat—but this?
However, this was beyond anything he'd faced. Even so, he refused to give in to despair. His parents and sister are waiting for him back home.
"If this is how it ends," he muttered to himself, raising the dagger, "then I'm taking at least one of you with me."
From above, Merit listened and observed everything.
The boy's bravery caught his attention.
Despite the overwhelming odds, the child refused to run.
He stood his ground, dagger poised, even as his entire body trembled.
But Merit could also see the truth. The boy's bodily energy reserves were nearly depleted, and his fear, though suppressed, is clearly displayed.
Against creatures like these, he didn't stand a chance even if he was at his full strength.
Merit descended like a meteor, the air trembling with his speed.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the earth groaned under the impact, sending a small shockwave rippling outward. Though he landed quite heavily, the force in the landing was concentrated downward.
Dust and debris swirled, cloaking him in a veil of obscurity.
The boy flinched at the sudden arrival, his eyes widening as the shockwave staggered him backward. The boy nearly fell.
His heart raced and struggled to process what had just happened. Someone, no, something, had landed just beside him.
Slowly, the boy turned his head, his movements cautious. What he saw left him momentarily speechless.
A man stood there, impossibly handsome and composed, his presence radiating a quiet, unfathomable power.
The dust settled around him, revealing his perfectly formed physique, the strange cloth-like armor clinging to his frame and moving as if alive. His sharp gaze, glowing faintly with an otherworldly intensity, seemed to pierce through everything.
Then he appeared directly in front of the boy.
The boy's voice trembled as he took a step back, clutching his dagger tightly. "Who… who are you?" he asked, his mind racing.
This man wasn't part of the Dominion.
He most likely wasn't even human, not entirely at least. No awakened fighter could exude that kind of presence. It was almost godlike.
Merit didn't answer right away. Instead, he studied the boy with quiet curiosity. For all his fear and exhaustion, the child's eyes burned with extreme intelligence and courage.
Even a stubborn refusal to submit, even in the face of death lurked beneath his eyes. It reminded him of something, someone… perhaps himself?
'Who knows,' Merit mentally shrugs his shoulders as thinks to himself.
"You should leave," the boy said suddenly, his voice firmer than before. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the dagger. "This isn't a place for civilians. You'll only get yourself killed."
Merit blinked, surprised. Despite his trembling frame, the kid had assessed him quickly and rationally, even making the logical assumption that he was an untrained bystander. Though, he wasn't entirely wrong, but this was still quite astounding.
The corner of Merit's mouth twitched into a faint smile. He shook his head, his voice calm but carrying an grace that couldn't be ignored.
"Why would I leave?" he asked, his tone almost playful.
He gestured with a thumb over his shoulder. "They're already dead."
The boy frowned, confused. "What are you—"
Before he could finish, he noticed it. Behind Merit, the hulking ants stood eerily still.
A faint crack spread across their carapaces, branching out like spiderwebs.
One by one, their massive bodies crumbled, collapsing to the ground with sickening thuds as individual body parts landed. Green ichor spilled onto the earth, pooling around their remains.
The boy's dagger slipped slightly from his grasp.
CLINK-CLANK
The dagger slipped through the boy's fingers onto the ground, breathing hitched. He hadn't seen Merit move.
The man had been standing exactly as he was. No punches, no beams, no explosions—nothing.
And yet, the monsters were dead.
"Wha…" the boy stammered, his words caught in his throat. "When… how did you…?"
Merit tilted his head slightly, his calm expression unchanging. "I moved," he said simply, as if the explanation were obvious.
The boy's disbelief deepened. He hadn't seen it. No blur, no distortion—nothing. He knew from his sister's showcase at full speed, even while unawakened, the boy could see a distortion in the air.
Not a blur, just distortion. Unlike her, he didn't feel or see anything all.
It was as if the monsters had died of their own accord. And yet, there was no doubt in his mind that this man—whoever he was—was responsible.
The boy hesitated, his hand that once held dagger tightened to a fist. "I don't know what you are," he said cautiously, his voice steady despite the storm of emotions swirling within him. "But you're not… normal. You're not Dominion. And you definitely aren't an awakened fighter."
His sharp eyes narrowed, his youthful features hardening. "So what are you? Why are you here?"
Merit regarded him for a moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he took a step forward, his movements slow and deliberate, so as not to startle the child. He crouched slightly, bringing himself closer to the boy's eye level. A simple feat of speed the boy did not question as they were once 10ft across from each other.
"Oh, I was just passing through," Merit said, his voice quiet but carrying an undeniable weight. "And I decided to help."
The boy frowned, unsure whether to believe him. "Help?" he echoed. "Why would someone like you care about a place like this?"
Merit smiled faintly, standing upright again. "Why wouldn't I?"
The boy didn't respond immediately. His heart was still racing, but the raw, suffocating fear that had consumed him moments ago had begun to fade.
He glanced at the corpses of the monsters around him, then back at the man who had killed them so effortlessly.
Finally, he sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "If you're here to help, then… I guess I should say thanks on behalf of the Dominion." He paused, his voice softening. "You're strong."
Merit chuckled softly, his gaze shifting toward the horizon. "Hehe no problemo, kid," he replied, his tone light. "Trust isn't something you give lightly, especially in a world like this. Next time, be a bit more cautious."
The boy's eyes followed Merit's gaze, his sharp mind already wondering how someone so powerful could exist without anyone knowing about him.
His logical mind told him this man, this force, wasn't from the Dominion. And yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that Merit was something beyond even the SSS-class awakeners.
The faint hope that had flickered within him earlier began to grow, its warmth easing the cold grip of fear on his heart. He had long since sent a distress beacon.
Merit didn't wait for further questions. His gaze hardened as he sensed more enemies on the move in the atmosphere.
With a faint hum of energy, his figure blurred, disappearing into the sky.
The boy stood there for a moment longer, staring at the empty space where Merit had been. His dagger hung limply at his side.
"Who are you?" he whispered to himself, the question hanging unanswered in the still air.