"Apex variants aren't on or even rare, especially in the beginning. Of course, finding one or two in a or a Tainted Wastend shouldn't be a surprise, but outside of those pces, the odds of finding one are very small, probably not even one in a thousand. Some even pare this to the likelihood of finding a Void Gate, but those are exaggerations by people who have no idea what they are talking about.

  Now, as rare as Apex variants are, they still have nothing on Prime evolutions. Which, in hindsight, is uandable. After all, no Voidling bee a Prime variant of their race."

  ~Study of the Void by Unknown

  The saying "No pn survives first tact with the enemy" was undeniably great. It served as a stark remio those who pced excessive trust in their pns, cautioning them that unforeseen factors could derail even the most meticulously crafted strategies.

  Even more important, its relevaended beyond the realm of battle tactics. It resonated with the uability of life itself — a truth that people often vely overlooked.

  As life went on, the saying always lingered in the recesses of Leo's mind, particurly after the passing of his biological mother. To him, those words held an iruth, stantly reminding him that nothing could be taken at face value.

  Each time they reinforced the notion that the world could just take his pns and throw them into a grinder regardless of Leo's efforts. He could be careful and do everything step by step very slowly, and it still wouldn't matter. After all, life was a love-hate retionship that Leo had somewhat growo.

  The world was unfair, and the sooner people learhis hard truth, the better their life would bee... Probably.

  However, even accepting and embrag the world's unfairness couldn't prepare Leo for the clusterfuck that his task had bee. Things just escated a bit too much for his liking…

  Fuck, fuck, fuck. This one word, repeated endlessly in Leo's mind, summed up the euatioy well, all things sidered.

  How the fuck could I have known that those bloody buildings would colpse after a bit of abuse!

  Leo scowled, his heart thudding in his chest like a jackhammer on steroids. Every single muscle on his body burned as the bination of full power Reinfort and Limit Break tried to tear through all the fibers and tissue yers, some of which Leo didn't even know could hurt.

  heless, he didn't stop in his mad dash through the Wastend.

  Already over halfway through, Leo punched another Cursed Human that wao get in his way and quickly sailed over another fissure. The instant his feet made tact with the ground, a tremor reverberated through the earth. He knew what was happening, but Leo didn't dare to turn and look at the a buildings crumbling like a castle made of gss.

  The entire fug city must be hearing this.

  Leo grunted and slid between a Voidling's legs, sshing through its tendons as he went. At least his hands were free to do the fighting again. The wetness and gurgle ing from his pockets notwithstanding.

  Out of netting past Leo's temporary deafness and his ear band, a bone-chilling screech pierced through the air. It reverberated with an eerie resonance, unlike any sound he had entered before. Low and raspy, almost like the creature responsible had to fight itself to unleash such a sound from its throat.

  Despite knowing he shouldn't, Leo's head sowards the creature, eyes widening when he spotted the jagged on its head. Already the Voidling was gaining on him, the razor-sharp cws on its legs carving into the ground with each powerful stride.

  Shit.

  Sheathing his knives, Leo, in a matter of seds, closed the distaween him and the end of the Wastend. Don't you dare follow me! But he didn't turn to check, and instead, in two decisive steps, he leaped straight at the building oher side of the street.

  Leo's cws sank deep into the wall, their grip unwavering as his other hand sought leverage. With each grunt, he propelled his body higher, defying gravity's grasp. Despite the building's three-story height, Leo asded swiftly, surpassing even the most skilled climbers. It was as if he were s, c almost a whole floor in a single fluid leap.

  e on! e on! Leo gritted his teeth as he pulled himself onto the roof. Instantly he released the hold on Limit Break a Reinfort die off slowly.

  Leo's body cried out in agony as Essence receded bato his soul, leaving behind seared muscles and dulled senses devoid of the adrenaline-fueled rush. With a strained grunt, he trudged towards the roof's edge, his legs tremblih him. His gaze fixed upon the Apex Cursed Runner apanied by three minions, watg as they he very same wall he had just scaled.

  At least the other fuckers are running like headless chis with everything colpsing around them…

  As one unit, they followed Leo's steps and began sg the wall, only way slower than their prey.

  Now Leo had two options. One, he could turn around and run away as fast as his abused body would let him. Or two, he could stay here and py a game of whack-a-mole with the Voidlings, hoping against hope that they would give up sooner or ter.

  sidering Leo could barely run, the choice became obvious quite quickly. He had the advantage here.

  The Apex Runner was the fastest, climbing with a swiftness of a nimble moo reward the beast's dedication, Leo grabbed the rubble and hurled it directly at the monster's head.

  The Voidlied a low, menag hiss as it faltered, its footing slipping for a brief moment. Then with renewed focus, it quickly regais posure and propelled itself upward with a mighty leap, finally reag the third floor.

  Now that won't do. Leo grimaced and renewed his onsught. He seized anything within his reach, throwing it with whatever remaining strength he possessed at the swiftly advang Apex Voidling.

  However, his efforts proved futile.

  The creature let out a pierg screech, uerred by the barrage, and tis ast like any other relentless Voidling. Its climb persisted until its head emerged, peering over the rooftop, crimson eyes log with Leo's gray.

  I'm going tret this, but fuck it. Leo grunted as he pulled himself up and swung his leg. Limit Break to one hundred!

  With the renewed power surging into Leo's veins, his boot met the Apex Runner's head with a resounding crack.

  The beast's grip on the rooftop sed immediately, and a haunting howl erupted from its gaping maw as it plummeted toward the ground below. However, to Leo's disbelief, the Ruwitched and torted its neck, swiftly rising to its feet as if utterly unfazed by the fall, ready to begin the climb anew.

  Alright, that didn't work. Pn B.

  Leo, still fueled by Limit Break, brought out his bowie knife once more as a Tainted normie reached the top, barring its teeth. Uerred, he dashed forward and stomped down on the hand that g to the edge, shattering its bones.

  The Voidling immediately tried to answer with its other hand, but Leo quickly snatched it with his cws and twisted the limb. The bowie knife followed shortly after a straight through the roof of the beast's mouth.

  The Voidling fell, freefalling toward the ground. Yet, it didn't matter much when a shattering roar reached Leo's throbbing ears.

  The Juggernaut finally decided to join the fight.

  Oh fuck!

  The colossal Voidling reared its four arms and thundered forward, barreling straight toward the strip of buildings on which Leo stood. With each step, the ground quivered beh its undeniable power. Not even the beast's allies were spared from its rampage as the Voidling ruthlessly kicked or swatted aside anything in its path, most likely killing at least a few of its kind.

  With the Juggernaut rapidly closing in, Leo's mind finally caught up with the immi danger, jolting his body into a. Despite the searing pain c through his battered frame and the other Voidlings that were finally reag the top, Leo ran or rather limped away slowly.

  With strength still provided by Limit Break, Leo hobbled along the many interected roofs, begging his body to go faster. But his weary limbs could only carry him so far, and just as he he point of escape, with only two roofs left to reach the Vetilim webs that could lead him to safety, the Juggernaut struck.

  Leo didn't kly what happened, but he could imagine well enough with the way the entire roof shook. He barely mao stay upright, and going by the screeches behind him, the Voidlings on his tail weren't faring much better.

  Just a bit more. Leo pleaded as the roof trembled once more, a muffled roar ing from somewhere underh him. The Juggernaut raged, and he couldn't help but question who the fuck decided to give him the information about Tainted Voidlings no liking to leave their Wastend.

  Such bullish- Fuck!

  With a burst of adrenaline, Leo threw himself over a chasm that opened in the roof before him. Cracks began to spread over the building; eveilim and Corcera, which covered quite a bit of the structure, couldn't hold it together. The living matter simply withered and withdrew in front of his eyes.

  Groaning, Leo dove past the sounds of terror surrounding him from each side and pushed onward. First crawling and then once again hobbling toward the st roof as everything around him began to break. Vetilim, Corcera, crete. Nothing ared from the Juggernaut that raged ihose buildings.

  I hope it will bee your tomb, you dumb fuck.

  Limit Break fred to full power, barely giving Leo a spark of strength to be used. Yet, he still worked with what he was given and turned his hobble into a broken sprint as parts of the roof colpsed on each side. He could only imagine how everything looked behind him, and sidering the ck of screeg from the Voidlings on his tail, he had a good guess.

  Obviously, the Juggernaut wahe same fate for Leo as the moment only a meter or two separated Leo from an almost withered Vetilim web, the building shook for the st time.

  Everythi down, and Leo, with all his remaining strength, unched himself towards the web. His fingers ched tightly around the fragile matter, his grip unwavering even as the world around him crumbled and dust ed his vision.

  Leo began to fall right away, a scream leaving his lips as his body went into and straight through something solid, a crack eg in his ears. The way down didn't st long, and before he k, he crashed into something hard yet soft at the same time.

  Fuck! Must be the grass... At least I made it down... Leo thought through the haze of pain, his eyes shut tight. He could feel bruises and broken bones scattered all over his body, slowly bleeding out.

  I o get out of here.

  Yet as Leo tried to rise, his cursed arm the only limb capable of fully supp his weight, something struck him in the side. He screamed, eyes snapping open to the sight of normies surrounding him from each side.

  Fug hyenas... You won't take me out, you bloody wankers, at least not without dying yourself.

  Even as a Voidling struck Leo again, he just reached into himself and grabbed tightly all the remaining Essence he had. He eled every bit e, anger, pain, and hate into it before letting shadows cim the bubbling orb of power.

  Leo held it for a bit longer, and wheher Cursed Humans stepped even closer, he let go, ign another System message.

  Boom…

  At once, shadows exploded from Leo's every pore, hundreds of tendrils of a bck mass shooting outwards. The Voidlings all around howled like one unit as shadows speared their bodies, turning them into Swiss cheese.

  As fast as the shadow tendrils went out, they returned just as quickly, sinking into Leo's body. All the beasts colpsed one by one, and he joihem ba the bloody ground, now fully drained.

  Somehow silence fell uporeet, and Leo knew he could just close his eyes and sleep, but he mustn't. This was no fairy tale; no one would rescue him from the mohat would soon e. He had to get to safety.

  e on, body! You survived this much. What are a few more minutes…

  Leo's battered form quivered as he crawled, his flesh marred by tless wounds that seeped blood. The open building oher side of the street wasn't far, and he could get there even with his current speed.

  At least all of this wasn't for nothing. Leo grimaced wheill felt the familiar weights in his pockets. The hearts were probably squashed and barely reizable, but he wouldn't pin too much as long as they gave him the st evolution.

  pin too much. Ha! Leo snorted, wing at the paiion produced. I almost fug died for this... Hopefully, I heal. Your shard better get to work, Nikra, or your legacy will be dead before we meet. If you even care about that…

  'You are not a normal human anymore, Leo Hale. You will live. Just get to safety a. And please, ime don’t let your emotions dictate your as.'

  Even if his entire body told him otherwise, Leo chuckled faintly as he pushed himself into the building.

  I will do just that. Thanks...

  Chaos65