'Started?' Nyx snorted while Lily gave Mal the promised rundown on what she discussed with Leo. 'Those people were at war ever sihe Emissaries attacked their safe zone. Now, it's just moving to the stage. I 't wait.'

  He rolled his eyes. Of course, you 't. What happeo being careful and not taking unnecessary risks? I thought you wao stay away from those people.

  The feline gave him a side ghat was when we were tired from killing the Treant. I never said we should avoid them. With us at full power, we could have sughtered those humans without too much effort.'

  I guess so. Leo had to give her that. Though I'm not sure about the 'sughtering' part. You heard my sister. Just like her, those people are most likely still being maniputed. Killing them on sight just because of that is... wrong?

  Nyx bristled, her frustration flowing into their link. 'Please don't tell me you will try to save all of them. You will only make our lives harder if you fight against them just like you did the st time. They are enemies, not friends you have to rescue.'

  I know! He growled, trying to keep his face expressionless. I don't pn to go out of my way to rescue them. I'm no hero. I'm just saying there is o kill everyone. I will if I have to, but in the end, those Emissaries aren't the main problem here; the Supercluster is. If we want to destroy or tain it, we will need more people.

  'I... I uand,' the felitered after a moment. 'Just promise me you won't let them walk over you. At the end of the day, your own survival is the only thing that matters. Even if we fail here, you always take your sister and escape. The Supercluster and the Emissaries go to hell.'

  Leo chuckled internally. You have my word, then. Now, pay attention. Lily should be done in a moment. And remember, if you want to say anything, just tell me. I will rey everything to them.

  True to his words, not even a mier, his sister finished speaking. At the same time, Mal leaned bato his chair, massaging his brow.

  "Well fuck," the Abyss Walker snorted. "I expected a lot, but an a god getting involved definitely wasn't on my list." He then turo Leo. "How the hell did you even learn about all of that? Lily was one of them for a time, and even she couldn't tell us why they were different from other survivors."

  "The Void mert I met on the way to London," he lied, keeping Nikra's involveme as pnned. "For a small fee, he also warned me what shit I'm stepping into... Though he also told me not to take the info about the god's involvement at face value. It isn't firmed yet."

  "It would be best if it never was," Mal sighed. "We have enough to worry about. A meddling god is the st thing we need right now. Like why the fuck would someone so powerful even target Earth? Is it because of the Supercluster?"

  Leo shared a quick look with Nyx. "I have no idea," he lied again. Not that the truth really mattered now. He could bet that this group of Emissaries also didn't know why they received their special power. Lily, after all, didn't know anything, and she was supposed to evolve into something strohaher Blessed.

  "Makes me wonder if Payne knows anything," the Abyss Walker muttered.

  He raised an eyebrow, lookiween the man and his sister. "Who?"

  "The Emissaries' leader and a major pain in our arses, Michael Payne," Lily scowled, g her fists. "I hought I would ever wish for someoo just drop dead, but Payne? I would slit his throat in the blink of an eye if I could."

  Leo's eyes wide the hate dripping from his sister's words. Never in his life had he heard her speak like that. It was the plete opposite of her usual happy-go-lucky attitude.

  Just what the hell did this guy do? He frowned, shooting his sister a firm look. "Tell me about him. Don't hide anything."

  It was Mal who spoke up instead. "He is a cold and calg bastard, and a powerful o that. His evolution is called the Winged Messenger, apparently oep higher than what Lily was supposed to bee. I have faced him a few times, and each time, I barely escaped with my life."

  Right. That doesn't sound good. Leo grimaced. "What about his abilities? Level? Affinity? Everything you know."

  "The st time we fought, he was at thirty, and that was almost three days ago. He could be even strohan you are at this point," Mal revealed before turning towards his sister. "As for abilities? Lily, you know more about them than I do."

  The woman sighed. "He was a warrior in the beginning, so his Might is higher than any other attribute. It doesn't mean he is slow or has small Essence reverses. Quite the opposite, in fact. I'm a speed-oriented fighter, and Payne has never had an issue matg me. And the less said about his affinity, the better."

  Leo was ready to ask her to eborate, but Lily was faster. She raised her hand and summoned a golden dagger above her palm. It shone brightly, but among the light, he could spot bck specks, some sort of impurities.

  "Every Blessed received a minht affinity when we awoke," she tinued, spinning the dagger. "It's far from perfect, but it does the job quite well. Payhough... Payne was given a true affinity. There is nothing minor about it."

  Expins why he is the leader. He noted. "How strong is it?"

  "Enough to obliterate a level twenty Brute with an attack he throw as fast as I shoot arrows. And when I say obliterate, I mean it. There was nothi of the Voidling," Lily eborated, grittieeth. "Humans don't fare much better. Payne almost singlehandedly killed everyone who tried to fight back during the raid on the safe zone. He didn't even spare the kids... All because they were cursed by the Void."

  The shard in Leo's chest stopped beating for a moment, and his entire body froze. "Kids?" He whispered. "You have kids here? How are th-"

  "Had, Leo. We had kids among us," Lily cut him off, the golden dagger shattering. "Two teenagers, to be exact. They adapted to this world better than all of us, but against Payne?” She chuckled bitterly. “They didn't stand a obody did. I tried to save them, but I arrived too te."

  "It wasn't your fault. We've talked about this already," Mal said right away.

  "I know, I know. Sorry," she shook her head, wiping away a stray tear. "I just hate it so much. We should be fighting together, not against each other. Ahat... that bastard would kill us all with a smile on his face if he could."

  "Not gonna happen," Leo growled, pulling the room's attention ba. "I will kill him, rip him apart if I must. Even a god won't protect him."

  Many would call it an overrea to something that didn't really him. Yet, nothing could be farther from the truth. After all, he uood the odds of a child surviving the Outbreak. Hell, he carried one inside his soul. So for someoo just kill two due to their evolution?

  No, this Payne forfeited his life the moment Leo learned about him. Even his bloodlust screamed for the man's death, and this time, he would gdly listen. Maniputed or not, that man was going down.

  'Don't let your emotions and instincts cloud your judgment,' Nyx interjected before his bloodlust could e more of his thoughts. 'I agree this humao die, but running off like a mindless beast won't achieve that.'

  Leo shut his eyes, taking a deep breath. Only when his bloodlust backed off did he speak up again, addressing everyone and not only the feline.

  "Sorry, I got slightly carried away," he expined, seeing the wide-eyed looks from Mal and Lily. "But I still meant what I said. I will deal with Payne. And not only because of what he did. He is still a dao everyone here and o die. Unless you are willing to move to another city, that is."

  This time, the two other survivors shared a look before Mal shook his head. "Even if we did, it won't matter for long. The Supercluster is growing stronger and bigger with each day. If we don't do something about it, the entire Earth will be doomed anyway. Like you told Lily, we have to destroy or tain it. And we don't have much time left."

  Leo frowned. "Why?"

  "A few days ago, I went io scout any potential threats," his sister took over. "It was horrible. Nightmares and Voidlings are more powerful than any other on the surface. Yet nothing scared me as much as the three Dimensional Void Gates at the bottom of the pit."

  Oh...

  "How long?"

  Lily looked him right in the eyes, her own gaze hard as steel. "Two weeks. After that, the portals to the Void will open."

  Shit.

  Chaos65