"What if Lord Aurora refuses?"
"What if I can't defeat the Angel?"
"It's fine. I won't blame you, brother, no matter what."
Chino was resolute.
But Shino couldn't bring himself to do it.
Chino quickly understood. "You're still hesitant, brother. As I expected."
"That's why I prepared a backup plan."
Huh?
"You have another plan?"
"Yes. I anticipated you might not have a chance to seal me, so…"
...
Atlantic Ocean.
007 Siren and 027 Leviathan lurked in the deep sea.
"Are you sure it's okay to have that many Fish-Men inside you?"
Vespa's eyes narrowed. "It's fine. Besides, they aren't contained within me. They're in a separate dimensional space."
"I thought you'd refuse him," Siren said.
"I was a Fish-Man once, and frankly, I deeply admire Lord Sea King. It's a heartfelt admiration," Vespa said.
Vespa admired Chino—his personality, his cunning strategies, and more.
Perhaps the Sea King wasn't perfect, but in Vespa's eyes, he was.
Even before the Sea King's unsealing, Fish-Men had told him about a large being in the sea.
Chino found Vespa, who accepted his identity and pledged loyalty.
Unfortunately, his transformation didn't significantly increase his combat power, and he remained bound to the ocean.
Chino had separated about 30,000 Fish-Men from himself.
He said, "Vespa, all you need to do is consume these Fish-Men. That will be fundamental assistance to me."
As for Siren…
Chino called her important but not fundamental.
It was a rhetorical device. "Important" didn't fully capture her role. Saying she was useless was wrong, but her contribution was limited.
Only "fundamental" indicated a decisive factor.
But everything was subject to change. Chino couldn't guarantee Vespa's internal safety. Could the Angel access that dimensional space?
The world was unpredictable; no one could predict the outcome.
...
Meanwhile, the Angel, wielding the Trident, blasted a swathe through the Red Mist!
She seemed to be searching for something—the sealing object.
Shino, unlike Chino, hadn't kept his sealing object on his person; it was hidden elsewhere.
Underground.
After a fruitless search, the Angel turned her gaze. "Shall I come find you, or will you come out yourselves?"
Silence fell.
The Angel's wing cleaved through a building. The Queen Bee emerged hastily. "Don't be so dramatic."
Seeing her, The Vermin appeared in the sky.
Though he used mental contamination to disguise himself as a human, the Angel saw through it.
"If you don't show your true form, I'll find you."
The Vermin's face changed. "…Perhaps we should discuss what you want, and skip to the bargaining?"
The Angel spread her wings.
Without a word, she attacked the Queen Bee, instantly pulling out her brain!
Splash!
"Bring your true forms to speak with me. Consider this my final warning."
This woman?!
She could see through their disguises?!
This time, the Queen Bee sent out a clone, but the Angel saw through it!
Frankly, the Queen Bee and The Vermin were terrified. They wouldn't dare reveal their true forms.
If they did, wouldn't they be torn apart in minutes?
But even without their true forms, the Angel could find them.
Seeing the Angel prepare to strike, The Vermin charged!
They had no choice but to fight!
The Queen Bee gritted her teeth, sending out another clone to join The Vermin's attack!
There was no choice!
They both attacked the Angel, who simply raised a hand, effortlessly deflecting their attacks.
Supernova!
The Angel's body was enveloped in energy, instantly pulverizing The Vermin and striking the Queen Bee's true form with the Trident!
The Queen Bee recalled her clone, but the Trident's power and speed were terrifying!
She couldn't dodge. The Trident struck her head, impaling her to the ground!
...
From afar, Zero watched the Angel's carnage.
She single-handedly dispatched the monsters.
Impressive.
Unfortunately, her motives weren't for humanity.
Zero hadn't expected the Angel to be this strong.
After eliminating the Queen Bee and The Vermin, the Angel turned to Zero, her expression suggesting she'd only just noticed him.
She raised her hand, about to attack, but Zero struck first!
Absolute Terror!
With Zero's power activated, the Angel froze.
Because the massive scythe of Death descended before her!
Absolute abilities worked regardless of the target.
Of course, all absolute abilities had flaws.
009 Black Arrow, for example, was Absolute Hit, but if the target didn't exist, it couldn't hit anything.
From an Absolute Hit perspective, it hit its target—the air.
Zero's Absolute Terror, however, was ineffective against targets lacking consciousness or emotion.
But the Angel clearly possessed both.
She feared Death, or perhaps no one was immune to the fear of death.
However, relying solely on Absolute Terror, Zero didn't believe he could intervene in the final battle between these monsters.
Zero raised his adamantine sword.
Legend had it that this blade was blessed by an ancient race, granting courage and strength to its wielder.
After three indirect transfers, it fell into the hands of a Paladin.
The Paladin imbued the sword with a powerful strike magic.
Zero attributed thirty percent of his power to that magic.
To unleash it, he needed the scabbard.
This wasn't a problem for Zero; he effortlessly removed the scabbard.
Upon merging scabbard and blade, golden runes on the scabbard glowed!
Energy surged towards the blade!
Zero leaped into the air, wielding the sword with both hands!
He struck at the Angel!
During the strike, the scabbard was flung away, revealing the energy-imbued blade, shimmering with golden light!
A power called Divine Glory elemental magic erupted!
But Zero, being a demon, was the first to suffer!
The divine glory seared his flesh, causing black smoke to pour from his body!
Zero gritted his teeth, his skin cracking!
His flesh withered, leaving only bone!
But it didn't matter…
As long as he could unleash this strike!
"Holy Slash!!"
A golden beam of divine light flashed, striking the Angel!
The terrified Angel, as the attack neared, abruptly reacted, activating Supernova to fully defend against the strike!
Her feathers and body were enveloped in energy. The two powers collided, triggering a massive explosion!
Boom!
Golden flames shot towards the heavens. Zero's sword fell from his hand, leaving only a burning bone.
This strike could kill any 4th Step being!
A 5th Step might not survive it either!
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to kill the Angel.
As the light dissipated, a large, shimmering fissure appeared on the Angel's body!
The fissure ran from her shoulder to her chest, reaching her heart!
A golden heart was exposed, beating frantically beneath the fissure. The Angel's countless feathers fell to the ground.
Her expression was contorted with pain and fury!
What kind of attack was that?
The Angel didn't understand its origin but seemed to possess immunity or resistance to this holy power.
Even so, this potent glory energy had gravely wounded her!
It could have been far worse. Without her resistance, she would have been obliterated!
"Was that your surprise, Zero?"
"I underestimated you."
Zero's arms hung limp, his demonic wings, seared by the holy power, flapped weakly.
"Even that couldn't kill you…"
"Seems that magic is unreliable."
The Angel touched the fissure. The wound was difficult to heal; the holy power continued to sear her flesh.
Intense pain consumed her.
"Can you use that attack again?"
Zero's withered bone hand fell away.
Two blood-crystal hands instantly replaced them.
"Perhaps…"
Zero's voice was weak, turning the Angel's anger to amusement. "Seems you're quite injured as well."
"Your body is reaching its limit. Another attack like that, and you'll be killed by the backlash before you can strike. But even if I take another one of your attacks, I won't die."
Whether she could die or not was uncertain; the Angel was simply trying to goad Zero.
But she was merely feigning nonchalance.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be wasting time talking; she would have attacked!
This was the subtle art of combat rhetoric.
When you can't fight, you taunt your opponent, implying you're not even tired, while they are.
The Angel maintained her composure, but Zero remained motionless.
She guessed correctly; he couldn't use that attack again!
It wasn't due to physical limitations.
If another Holy Slash could kill her, even if it meant his death, Zero wouldn't hesitate.
The reality was, that magic was a one-time use.
The energy within the magic had been completely depleted; Zero couldn't unleash another Holy Slash.
However, he had stated it was only thirty percent of his power!
Another thirty percent came from another ability.
Banishment.
If he could move the Angel, he could banish her to another dimension!
Provided her weight didn't exceed twelve tons!
Zero wasn't optimistic, however.
Because she might kill him before he could banish her!
But he had a backup plan!
This plan accounted for sixty percent of his power.
Seeing Zero's inaction, the Angel attacked!
At that moment, Zero reached out. "Borrowing this for a moment!"
A figure in golden armor suddenly appeared before Zero, looking utterly bewildered.
Even more bewildering was the Angel charging towards him, and…
"My sword?"
The figure reached out, and the adamantine sword flew into his hand!
Facing the Angel's attack, he wielded the sword, unleashing a surge of divine holy energy!
"Holy Slash!"
The Angel activated Supernova to evade, but Zero unleashed Absolute Terror!
The Holy Slash struck the Angel, its power exceeding Zero's previous attack!
Boom!
The Angel was thrown from the sky to the earth!
But she still lived, her life force stubbornly persistent!
Spitting blood, she soared into the sky, spinning and accelerating!
The moment the golden armored man moved, Zero threw him, sword and all, into another dimension!
Reaching maximum speed, the Angel attacked!
This time, she closed her eyes, relying on instinct and hearing to avoid being paralyzed by fear!
As she reached Zero, he reached out, and a figure in a black robe appeared, chuckling.
"Hahaha, watch closely, young man, my attack is… Huh?"
The old man was bewildered. Where was he?
Despite his confusion, his magic struck!
Dozens of dark green lightning bolts coalesced into a giant serpent, striking the Angel!
This was point-blank range!
The Angel couldn't dodge. The lightning serpent pierced her body!
"What?!"
The Angel's body began to crumble, dark green blood gushing forth!
"Thank you."
Zero sent the old man back.
The Angel fell from the sky, crashing to the ground!
She had taken three incredibly powerful magical attacks; Zero had summoned two of the world's top-tier powerhouses.
Zero descended. The Angel's fingers dug into the ground, gripping the earth.
"Those two… those… people!"
Gripping the ground, she slowly rose.
Staggering, she approached Zero. "Only 3rd Step… You… merely 3rd Step…"
"I'm 5th Step. How… how is this possible…"
Thump.
The Angel collapsed.
She might not be dead, but her consciousness had faded.
Next…
Several terrifying presences erupted behind Zero!
A mass of Fish-Men coalesced into a colossal sea creature, rapidly approaching!
A massive Red Mist solidified into a humanoid form!
A swarm of insects emerged from the void, forming a gigantic centipede-like creature!
Countless Queen Bees erupted from the ground, merging in the sky.
"Who would have thought? A 5th Step Angel, defeated by him?"
"I thought I was doomed."
"He truly played a different, unexpected card."
"Commander Qin, that battle alone is legendary! Legends always have a thank-you moment!"
"Thank you for eliminating the Angel, hahaha!"
"Excellent! Now for the biggest threat!"
The four monsters attacked Zero simultaneously!
At that moment, Zero used Absolute Terror again!
The four figures froze in mid-air!
A heavy breath escaped Zero's lips.
"I defeated the Angel; I can defeat you. I don't need to win many times; I don't need to always win. I just need to win once."
Zero reached out, plunging everyone into fear!
The terror of Death was overwhelming, even knowing it was Zero's ability, the fear was inescapable!
At that moment, the terrified Chino recalled something!
Could it be?!
"The one who defeated me over 17,000 times… wasn't the Angel?"
Not 4th Step…
3rd Step!!
...
It was worth noting that the Angel wasn't dead.
An evolutionary opportunity presented itself, and the four monsters lunged!
Even if they couldn't evolve themselves, they wouldn't let others do so!
Especially The Vermin, who coveted the Angel's flesh!
While they spoke of targeting Zero, their true goal was the Angel's remains.
Killing Zero wouldn't provide sufficient rewards.
And this was precisely the scene Zero had hoped for.
He deliberately spared the dying Angel to draw these four together!
Clearly, they couldn't resist the allure of evolution.
Under the effects of Absolute Terror, the four monsters were frozen, and Zero prepared to summon another being from another dimension!
At that moment, two explosions rocked the sky!
Boom!!
Something had exploded above!
An intense gamma-ray burst instantly bombarded the planet!
Zero was the first to be struck!
His genes were instantly destroyed, blood gushing from his orifices!
Chino and the Queen Bee followed; their genes collapsed, the powerful gamma rays destroying their cells!
Genetic attack?
Chino's massive body began to disintegrate. Globally, Fish-Men and monsters began dying en masse!
The moment Chino broke free of Absolute Terror, he seized the Trident and sealed himself!
A massive vortex appeared, drawing Chino into its depths!
He sealed himself.
It seemed that all physical monsters couldn't withstand direct nuclear attacks.
Only the 5th Step Angel could withstand a nuclear bomb with her physical body.
009 didn't count.
But this global gamma-ray burst differed from a typical nuclear explosion…
"Cobalt bomb?"
Zero spat blood, his eyes and ears dissolving!
Those people… why?
There were still 61 hours until the scheduled detonation!
Why did they detonate the cobalt bomb early?!
"It was only…"
Splash!
Zero's body disintegrated. Nuclear radiation engulfed the planet, killing not only 4th Step and lower monsters but also animals, humans, and plants!
Everyone perished from the cobalt bomb's radiation.
Why they did it, Zero never understood.
What happened during that time would require further investigation, tracing back to twelve hours after Zero left GPA.
GPA was split into two factions: the conservatives and the progressives.
Neither faction believed Zero could accomplish anything, pinning their hopes on the cobalt bombs.
The progressives believed they shouldn't wait for Zero, fearing they'd miss their chance to detonate the bombs!
They planned to detonate a single 500-ton cobalt bomb!
The conservatives, however, considered the progressives too cautious!
Their opponents were monsters, not humans. After careful consideration, they proposed detonating two 700-ton cobalt bombs!
The conservative proposal passed. They prepared for six days, detonating two bombs simultaneously on the seventh night!
Two 700-ton cobalt bombs, detonated in the stratosphere!
Normally, 500 tons would suffice to kill all life on Earth!
This was an excessive, overkill detonation!
When the two bombs detonated, the intense gamma radiation triggered a chain reaction with an invisible low-level energy, dramatically increasing the speed and power of the gamma radiation!
A global radiation event!
And a double cleansing!
Chino sensed the danger and immediately sealed himself.
Shino, being intangible, survived, but the gamma radiation still affected his mist form, causing a dimensional transformation!
The Queen Bee had nowhere to hide, her body shattering after withstanding the double radiation blast.
The Vermin, however, rejoiced.
He absorbed the radiation, undergoing a radiative evolution!
Others, like 007 Siren and 027 Leviathan, perished amidst the widespread marine die-off caused by the radiation in the ocean.
The White Walker, upon encountering the nuclear radiation, instantly froze itself!
The 020 computer remained unaffected for a short time.
009, due to his immortality, repeatedly died and resurrected under the radiation.
001 The Imitator, along with the 024 Library, were in a special space, thus unharmed.
003, by entering her glass form, successfully avoided the radiation.
The cobalt bomb's impact on the marine series was devastating!
Even 005 The Metallomorph, symbiotic with Gluttony, survived by transforming into metal.
This was thanks to a warning from 005.
005 had foreseen that Gluttony's death would expose its body to intense radiation!
A single radiation exposure would kill him.
Even if he could Metalize again, the radiation had already penetrated his body. While Metalization maintained his form, what if he reversed it?
He would still die.
The cobalt bomb's half-life was long; 005 didn't know how long he'd need to remain Metalized.
So 005 planned to keep Gluttony Metalized for five, six, or even ten years, emerging once the radiation subsided.
At this point, there was no normal life left on Earth.
Humans, animals, and plants—all perished in the cobalt bomb's blast.
The GPA's plan succeeded.
Mei, observing from the sky, was unconcerned; perhaps she'd foreseen this destructive future.
The outcome remained unchanged.
"A pity."
"This experiment concludes here."
Mei rotated the Earth, reversing time!
The Earth reversed, the radiation receding back into the bombs, which returned to their launch sites.
The dead rose, moving backward in time.
Everything reversed. The dead monsters resurrected.
The only exception was the surviving monsters.
Except for one.
Zero.
Mei resurrected him but didn't reverse his time, bringing him to the Crack Space.
The resurrected Zero knelt.
"I still failed…"
"No, you succeeded."
A voice echoed from above.
Zero looked up, seeing a colossal eye floating in the darkened sky.
"You won, Zero. Therefore, I will grant you one wish."
"A wish?"
Zero looked up at the sky, not asking foolish questions about the nature of wishes.
He uttered the words Mei most wanted to hear.
"I wish for a chance for humanity to avoid such catastrophic failure, a world without monsters exceeding 3rd Step."
4th Step marked the beginning of a nightmare.
Once a creature reached 4th Step, it was beyond humanity's capacity to defeat.
Zero didn't make excessive demands; this was the wish Mei wanted to hear.
"Even if those people betray you?"
"Yes."
"Granted."
"Upon your departure, everything will return to a precise point in time. Monsters exceeding 3rd Step will vanish from humanity's sight."
"Unless humanity crosses that threshold."
"I promise you a world of dreams."
"And, as a reward for defeating the Angel, you'll receive a potion."
"Upon drinking it, you'll inevitably become a 4th Step."
"But you'll also vanish from humanity's sight."
Zero thanked Mei. He accepted the potion but had no intention of drinking it.
Simply put, as Mei said, becoming a 4th Step meant vanishing from humanity's sight.
At least, not yet.
Zero had much to do, even without 4th Step monsters. 3rd and 2nd Steps remained.
He needed to establish a foundation for humanity, rebuild Kitsune. Only once everything was stable could Zero leave.
After thanking the 'Goddess,' Zero departed from the Crack Space.
...
Even if he hadn't spoken, Mei would have done this, because Dreamland's descent was inevitable.
Mei wasn't granting a wish; she used his words to justify Dreamland's creation.
If anyone asked about Dreamland's origin, Mei would say it was a promise she made to Zero, fulfilling his wish.
Zero's wish was reasonable because he was intelligent.
He wouldn't make excessive demands; this was expected.
If he'd wished for godhood, Mei wouldn't have offered a wish.
Zero didn't comprehend the full picture, but he knew Mei's request wasn't arbitrary.
A wish for no monsters, for instance, was impossible.
Becoming a 5th or 6th Step was equally impossible.
Considering Mei's perspective, what kind of wish would she want to grant?
She sought a balance between her desires and his.
The answer: a world without monsters above 3rd Step.
Coupled with his own 3rd Step status and the continued existence of monsters, it was a balanced wish.
But Zero added a request for a chance.
Implying a time reset or humanity's resurrection.
This was acceptable to Mei.
She had already done it; Zero simply didn't know.
Mei's actions perfectly aligned with Zero's wish; such synchronicity was pleasing to her.
As the world rewound to a specific point, Mei lifted the restrictions on Dreamland.
Dreamland descended, layering the world into three overlapping realms.
These weren't parallel universes; they were interwoven, existing in the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds.
A three-layered structure.
Mei called the first layer the Mist World; 2nd and 3rd Step beings typically resided there.
But Mei granted Zero an exception.
A simple example:
Zero, a 3rd Step, was visible in the manifest world, but his demonic features were hidden.
People only saw a normal human, not his wings or other demonic traits.
He was concealed.
The Mist World was an outer layer shrouded in mist; invisibility didn't mean it didn't exist.
If Zero created a fireball that destroyed a building, people wouldn't see the fireball, but they'd see the collapsed building.
If they didn't see the fireball, it wouldn't harm them.
But the destroyed building could still fall on them.
2nd Steps were similar. A Fish-Man, for example, wouldn't be seen transforming into a Fish-Man by ordinary people.
If he strangled someone, people would only see a person strangling another.
The Mist World's restrictions were minimal for 2nd Steps.
This is all from the perspective of ordinary people.
If you weren't ordinary, if you were a monster, you could see the true forms and attacks of 2nd and 3rd Steps, and enter the Mist World.
But what about ordinary people who didn't use potions or become monsters to gain power?
It depended on their spiritual strength and life level.
Normally, even 1st Steps couldn't access the Mist World.
Only 2nd Steps, or those with sufficient spiritual strength, could perceive the truth within the Mist World.
The Mist World was a veil obscuring vision.
Deeper still was the second layer: the Reason World.
Everything in the Reason World mirrored the manifest world, but destruction within it didn't affect the manifest world.
Even if Chino destroyed a building, the outside world wouldn't see it; the external building remained unaffected.
But that destruction was preserved eternally within the Reason World.
Inhabitants of the Reason World couldn't attack the manifest world, except in one instance.
If you weren't a 4th Step but possessed sufficient spiritual strength to reach the Reason World.
The Dream World is infinitely close to the Spiritual World. A sleeping mind, during astral projection, also approaches the Spiritual World, thus accessing Dreamland.
The Angel reigns supreme in the Dream World.
Because she is alone there.
This three-layered world encompasses the Solar System; it's the extent of Mei's influence.
Any lifeform entering the Solar System is divided by these layers.
If aliens arrived in a spaceship, with some 3rd Step and some 4th Step beings, they would find some of their companions missing.
Those who entered the deeper layers would find everyone present.
But they wouldn't encounter the missing people; they would seem like ghosts.
This is because higher layers can perceive lower layers, but not vice-versa.
Upon leaving the Solar System, they would escape this layered division.
...
In the city.
The Queen Bee walked through the streets, touching people, her hand passing through their bodies.
She uprooted a lamppost, unnoticed.
"Why is this happening? What happened after that?"
"Why am I alive? Why is Earth unharmed? Why are some people alive, yet they can't see me? Where am I?"
The Queen Bee was utterly disoriented. She felt forgotten by the world.
Everything was meaningless.
Then, massive Red Mist appeared in the sky.
The Queen Bee looked up, seeing a colossal humanoid figure within the mist.
"Seems I'm not the only one forgotten by the world."
"The entire world has been forgotten."
Hearing Shino, the Queen Bee asked, "Why did this happen?"
Shino knew the truth.
"You can find Zero. He can't see you, but he can tell you the story."
"The gods fought amongst themselves, shattering the world. A higher god, unable to tolerate it, banished them to a forgotten world."
That's Zero's version.
Shino saw time reverse, the world splitting, all orchestrated by a colossal pair of hands.
Or perhaps, it stemmed from Zero's wish.
"Look at this world, a beautiful new world. People can't see us anymore; they don't have to worry about monsters attacking. Everything is calm."
"Zero did it. He brought peace to the world."
"I wonder how long this peace will last."
Shino left to find Chino. Chino had sealed himself; Shino intended to unseal him.
This was the Reason World; all the 4th Steps were here.
Including Ye Long, circling the sky, inactive.
No one understood the world's rules better than he. He sensed the world's state; they couldn't interfere, only interact with each other.
But this deadly competition was nearing its end, perhaps already over.
At one end of the Reason World, The Vermin's sister wove a massive net.
She possessed a clear understanding of this world.
Her net bridged the spiritual and material realms; it served as a connection.
This net could link to the deeper Dream World and the outer world.
These different worlds were like islands, and her net was the bridge.
What happened after the bridge was built was obvious.
Powerful 4th Steps might use the net to return to the human world.
And Ye Long was preventing this.
The current situation might be the best outcome.
Since Mei established these rules, The Vermin attempting to break them and return to the human world would be an act of defiance.
...
Let's set aside the Reason and Dream Worlds for now.
Back in the new world, time had been reset to a vague point.
Many things were anachronistic.
Time seemed chaotic; some areas reverted to a much earlier time, others only a couple of weeks.
The same applied to people; some remembered the apocalypse, while others knew nothing of monsters.
Few retained memories of the pre-reset apocalypse.
Zero was one, but he was unique.
The other exceptions were mostly monsters, like the White Walker, who also retained pre-apocalypse memories.
The good news was that Kitsune hadn't collapsed yet. The bad news was that 009, along with his right-hand man and other monsters, had fled.
Zero made a decision. He disbanded Kitsune, merging it with the United Nations and GPA.
No longer needing to monitor the Sea King's seal, Zero intended to settle the pre-apocalypse accounts with those responsible.
...
009 took his right-hand man, Reinhard, but he didn't get far. He was suddenly pulled into a narrow alley.
The alley was filled with figures in black robes. They looked at Reinhard and extended their right hands.
Each wrist bore a tattoo: a serpent's head with numerous hands sprouting from its upper body.
"We are servants of the Great Serpent."
"The Serpent's Hand shall rebuild humanity."
What the…?
Reinhard instinctively took a step back. This organization wasn't even on the radar.
"…Hello."
The robed figures knelt. "We, the remnants, greet the Serpent Head!"
Serpent Head?
Reinhard took another step back. "Wait, let me get this straight. Serpent Head? Who's the Serpent Head?"
The leader looked up. "Didn't the Great Serpent inform you?"
"After the deaths of Adam and Eve, the Ten Men disbanded. High-ranking members died mysteriously, and their ancient artifacts vanished."
"The Serpent's Hand suffered an unprecedented blow. We despaired until the Great Serpent's voice returned."
"The Great Serpent chose three new leaders to guide us to our former glory!"
"You are one of the three chosen by the Great Serpent in its dream."
"You are Seth."
Seth?
Reinhard twitched. "I'm guessing the other two are Cai Yin and Abe, right?"
"Correct. You've guessed correctly."
"Please come with us, Lord Seth."
Two figures lifted Reinhard, one on each side. Someone draped a black robe over him, then the tattoo…
Reinhard: "…"
"My life is like walking on thin ice. Do you think I can reach the end?"
...
Unexpectedly, on a cliff.
009 stood atop a mountain, observing the town below. "Dying and resurrecting endlessly… but…"
009 turned, and Arthur trembled slightly.
"The Clown, if I kill you again, will there be a reward?"
Arthur: "…"
009 was merely stating the obvious; the deadly competition was over. He knew this.
Mei had resurrected all the dead monsters; it wasn't likely to set them against each other again.
The next evolutionary surge was unknown.
But it was likely that many new faces would emerge.
Conservatively, adding twenty or thirty monsters wasn't impossible.
"Zero is the biggest winner."
009 wasn't angry about Zero's win but furious about The Vermin!
He'd reached 4th Step!
"And I'm still not a 4th Step!"
009 turned, noticing two absences.
"Where did the White Walker and Nightmare go?"
009 didn't care about Nightmare; he wanted to know where the deserter had run off to!
The Swordsmith and Balance exchanged glances. "We don't know. Did you see them?"
"No."
"Speaking of which, when will Chaos Insurgency split again?" Arthur asked.
009 placed his blade at Arthur's throat.
"Perhaps you should die again?"