Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

Axel replied without hesitation.

“They left a mark on me. I can activate or suppress it whenever I want.”

The realization clicked.

“The Saints are arrogant,” Axel continued. “They don’t shy away from traps. And in the Abyss, they’re even bolder—because they believe anything below Level Six is irrelevant.”

Lilith’s eyes narrowed.

“So that was your plan from the beginning. Draw them into the Abyss.”

“This time, we’re here to kill,” Axel said flatly. “If they arrive in small numbers, or before they regroup, we crush them with overwhelming force. Don’t talk to me about fairness or honor in a situation like this.”

Nigel exhaled slowly. His nerves finally began to settle.

Axel turned toward the Abyss.

In the distance, the sky remained blood-red. Gray clouds and thick mist churned over the shrouded region, radiating an oppressive chill.

“I wonder how Mr. Victor’s doing,” Axel muttered.

If Victor could sense him, that would be extra insurance—but Axel wasn’t counting on it. Victor was almost certainly occupied with something far more important. The surge of killing intent here was likely connected to him already.

.......

Far away, in Dune.

A petite girl—barely 1.55 meters tall—sat quietly on a stone bench. She wore a black top and cropped casual pants. A faint mist of blood clung to her body, and pale purplish-red patterns crawled across her skin, like a curse being etched into her flesh over and over again.

Her aura swelled.

After a long while, she opened her eyes. Her pupils glowed a mesmerizing purplish-red, hypnotic and dangerous. But as the patterns faded, she returned to her usual harmless appearance.

Annabelle turned toward the corner of the room.

There stood a man with his arms crossed, wearing a bronze mask.

By instinct, she bowed respectfully before walking over to pour tea.

“You’ve grown quickly,” the bronze-masked man said. “Your path differs from that of ordinary Awakened Ones, but you already possess the strength of a mid-tier Level Five.”

Annabelle paused, then smiled sweetly.

“Really?”

“Just like your brother.”

The man wasn’t fooled by her smile. He knew better than anyone how cautious—how cold—she truly was beneath it.

“I came because of something important,” he continued. “Your brother has gone missing.”

Annabelle’s hand trembled slightly as she poured the tea, but she steadied herself almost immediately.

“What happened?”

The bronze-masked man stood.

“From the very beginning, he never planned to rely on others to capture the Saint. For three months, he’s been strengthening himself while deceiving everyone around him.”

Annabelle listened intently. She hadn’t seen Axel in three months.

“I know you have faith in him,” the man said. “But even so, he may not be a match for a Saint. I came to you hoping you might have an idea—something that could help us find him before it’s too late.”

Annabelle thought for a moment, then shook her head softly.

“I usually just follow what he does.”

“That’s more or less what I expected,” the bronze-masked man said. “Then all we can do is hope your brother’s plan doesn’t go wrong.”

With that, he vanished—just as he always did.

Annabelle stood, bowed again, then returned to her seat.

She turned on her computer and opened the Awakened Forum.

Her eyes scanned the screen, calm on the surface, turbulent beneath.

Half an hour later, Annabelle closed every door and window.

Purplish-red patterns crawled across her skin once more.

In her inner world, the ancient tree had changed again. Now more than forty meters tall, its bark and branches were stained a deep blood-red, as though soaked in countless sacrifices. The transformation brought with it a new clarity.

After her recent breakthrough, the tree had finally awakened to a new stage.

Through it, Annabelle could sense a life force that had already submitted to her—now dormant somewhere within Everton.

And more than that…

Her blood surged.

Her spiritual power flowed through the blood-red tree, spreading outward as she searched for a familiar presence.

Axel’s aura.

For the past three years, Axel had bled for her—again and again. That blood, that bond, had long since merged with her very existence.

Buzz.

Her gaze snapped toward the northwest.

“Northwest… dealing with the Saints.”

She remained perfectly calm, seated on the sofa in the posture Axel was most used to seeing. The bronze-masked man’s words replayed in her mind, while countermeasures assembled themselves one after another with chilling efficiency.

At last, she stood, walked to the computer, and opened a post.

“Abyss open. Recruiting teammates.”

Click.

A knowing smile curved her lips.

“Brother… I know where you are.”

Moments later, the computer shut down.

The room was empty.

......

Krythos—deep in a remote, ancient village.

Savannah, Lorenzo, Pheasant, and Blacksnake stood together, draped in scarlet cloaks, animal masks gleaming faintly in the dim light.

“Axel’s aura has surfaced again through the spacetime worms,” Savannah said calmly. “And it hasn’t dissipated.”

The others’ eyes sharpened.

“This is obviously a trap,” Pheasant snapped.

Lorenzo cut in. “Yes. It is a trap. He’s inviting us.”

Pheasant and Blacksnake exchanged looks.

“I don’t know if he’s bold or just stupid,” Blacksnake hissed. “Does he really think we’ll fall for it?”

Savannah glanced at them coolly.

“We will. Even if it is a trap, it doesn’t matter—because he invited us from inside the Abyss.”

“Abyss?”

Pheasant and Blacksnake froze, then slowly smiled.

“This is an open provocation.”

“There are no Awakened above Level Six inside the Abyss,” Lorenzo continued. “He’s created conditions we can’t refuse.”

Their smiles widened.

Pheasant cracked his knuckles. “Mr. Scott was summoned by the Master and left Everton. If he were still here, he’d definitely approve.”

“The Abyss’s terrain is complex. Spacetime is distorted,” Lorenzo said. “Only Savannah can track Axel. We regroup first—then capture him.”

Blacksnake’s forked tongue flicked out beneath his mask.

“Is that really necessary?”

“Don’t underestimate Axel,” Lorenzo replied coldly. “He could very well be the next Sethan.”

“Once we enter the Abyss, we’ll leave our blood behind to mark our positions and regroup as fast as possible.”

As he finished speaking, a helicopter descended at the village entrance, rotors whipping the dust into the air.

.......

Buzz.

After a brief wave of dizziness, Axel stepped onto solid ground.

“…This place again.”

Before him lay a withered giant tree, its massive trunk covered in moss and fungus. Birds perched along its branches, preening quietly.

Not far away lay several skeletons. One was missing a chunk where the chest met the shoulder.

“Torren…”

This was the island where Axel had once seized the Heavenly Spirit Fruit. A year had passed; only faint remnants of that battle remained.

He dug a shallow pit and carefully buried the bones he hadn’t been able to collect back then.

Axel closed his eyes briefly, then opened them, clarity returning as his mental power spread outward.

He sensed the others.

“Lilith and Kenneth are a bit far… but the rest won’t take long.”

Four hours later, Axel had regrouped with all five.

Along the way, he’d killed several Level Four mutated beasts, harvesting a handful of life crystals. He examined the pale green crystal in his palm, then shook his head.

At his current level, their energy barely mattered anymore.

They were now in a hilly region, primal energy thick in the air. Everyone could feel it—raw, abundant, intoxicating.

“Should we cultivate a bit before the Saints arrive?” Nigel asked eagerly, rubbing his hands.

Sergio glanced at Axel. Strengthening themselves was fine—but if their cultivation gave away their presence and alerted the Saints too early, the entire plan could collapse.

“It’s fine,” Axel said calmly. “You can cultivate. Let’s move somewhere more secluded.”

Nigel and Terrence lit up immediately.

Lilith frowned and stepped closer to Axel. “Priorities.”

Axel smiled faintly.

His Force surged—and Group Silence spread instantly.

The effect was immediate.

Lilith felt as though an invisible barrier had wrapped around her. The others felt it too.