Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

“Everyone, don’t misunderstand!” Isos quickly tried to recover. “My concern isn’t selfish. We went on the same mission—so why are all my men dead while theirs are completely unharmed?”

He pointed sharply. “That’s suspicious! These people aren’t from the City of Sin. They have their own agenda. We have to be cautious!”

Axel let out a cold laugh. “Why?”

“Because your men were too weak.”

“The weakest among us is at least Level Five. Your men? Level Two. Level Three at best. You sent them into high-risk wilderness and expected them to survive?”

His gaze sharpened. “Not to mention—they were the ones who suggested splitting forces to lure a separate group of beasts.”

Before Isos or Valentino could retort, Axel pulled a small device from his coat and pressed a button.

A voice crackled through the air. “Mr. Yehuda… our overall strength is far inferior to yours, so we won’t stay together. We’ll lead off a separate group and lure away the weaker beasts…”

Watson’s voice. Clear. Unmistakable.

Isos and Valentino’s faces twitched violently. He recorded it. The split-force conversation—preserved as evidence.

“You say we have ulterior motives?” Axel stepped forward, righteous fury burning in his eyes. “We took the most dangerous assignment voluntarily. You suspected us and sent men to monitor us. We accepted that.”

“Now your people die because they’re underqualified, and you want to pin it on us?”

His voice dropped. “Do you think we’re easy targets?”

Behind him, Sergio and the others stepped forward in unison. They didn’t even release their Force. The sheer presence of multiple Level Six experts pressed down like a physical weight. Lower-level Awakened nearby felt their breathing grow tight.

“Yehuda…” Isos ground his teeth, rage flooding his face—but he was powerless.

“Hmph. The truth always surfaces. I hope you don’t regret this.”

“Enough,” Saka cut in, casting the two a dark look. “Everyone’s here. We move south as planned.”

The matter was forcibly buried. For now.

......

The migration began. From the very first mile, Axel understood something clearly.

The City of Sin was far richer in resources than he had imagined.

Moving tens of thousands of ordinary civilians should have been painfully slow. They lacked physical enhancement, lacked Force, lacked stamina. Protecting them should have dragged the Awakened down significantly. But instead—

The column moved at a speed that nearly matched Axel’s normal travel pace.

“This is because of the large-scale Original Instrument Morris left behind,” Lilith explained quietly at his side. “It’s called the Star Guide.”

She kept her voice low. “I don’t know its exact grade. But it enhances physical ability, amplifies Force output—even strengthens the effects of Awakening Techniques.”

Axel’s eyes flickered. “That kind of amplification across a group?”

“Yes. Though Awakened above Level Four feel minimal improvement.” She shrugged lightly. “It consumes enormous amounts of Primal Stones. But the City of Sin can still afford it.”

Axel glanced at the vast formation.

“Morris…” he murmured. Only someone on the level of Mr. Instrument King and the grandmaster craftsmen could forge something like this.

And Morris wasn’t Krythos’s Awakener. There was something hidden here. But that wasn’t today’s problem.

“What about Isos?” Axel asked quietly. “What are his talents and awakening skills?”

Lilith turned her head slowly.

“Oh?” A faint smile curved her lips. “You’re thinking of touching Isos?” There was amusement in her eyes. “Very on brand for you.”

“Don’t look at me like that,” Axel muttered. He felt his scalp prickle. The problem wasn’t her tone. The problem was—

She was currently wearing Saka’s appearance. A burly, bearded middle-aged man. Watching that face give him a sultry, half-lidded look was enough to make even Axel’s skin crawl.

“What?” Lilith fluttered her lashes—on Saka’s face—and leaned closer. “Something wrong?”

“There is a problem,” Axel said flatly, retreating half a step like he’d been shocked. “I’m a normal man.”

“Really?” Lilith covered her mouth and laughed softly. “You’re usually so unreactive. I was starting to wonder if you—”

A faint vein twitched at Axel’s temple. Before he could respond, Lilith’s smile vanished instantly.

She straightened, posture shifting back into Saka’s dignified bearing. Her tone turned serious. “To be honest, I don’t recommend you go after Isos.”

What a damn vixen, Axel thought silently. Outwardly, he remained calm. “Tell me. I’ll decide for myself whether it’s right or wrong.”

After the teasing died down, Lilith finally got serious. “Isos’s talent is called Immovable Vajra Body,” she said flatly. “His physical defense is absurd.”

“How absurd?” Axel asked.

“He can reduce any damage inflicted on his body by more than ninety percent.”

Axel stopped walking. “You’re kidding.”

“No.” Lilith shook her head. “And I don’t know what his upper limit is.”

Axel stared at her. Ninety percent damage reduction? That wasn’t defense. That was cheating.

“When I first learned about it, I had the same reaction,” Lilith admitted. “With every level, his defensive and survival capabilities increase abnormally. He can directly absorb damage. He can grow stronger the more he’s attacked.”

She paused. “And he has extreme self-repair abilities. The heavier the injury, the faster his body regenerates.”

Axel’s lips twitched. There was a saying among Awakened: talent, awakening skills, and even long-term development tended to align with one’s personality and will.

No one could prove it. But it fit most cases. If that was true…

Just how terrified of death did Isos have to be to become this?

“Even for Level Six,” Axel muttered, “this is ridiculous.”

“He’s not weak even among Level Six,” Lilith lowered her voice. “After I replaced Monica and investigated thoroughly… I found that he’s stronger than Saka.”

She hesitated. “Possibly stronger than Caroline.”

Axel’s eyes sharpened.

“Even Morris might not know the full truth about him,” Lilith continued. “He’s been deliberately suppressing his strength. Using Saka as a balance point to lull Morris and Caroline into a false sense of security.”

“That idiot Saka never realized it. He thought they were evenly matched.”

A faint sigh escaped her. “It was only through my Overlord Blood that I uncovered some of this. Even some commanders don’t know.”

Axel felt a headache coming on. What kind of snakes had Morris been keeping at his side?

“In short,” she said bluntly, “Isos is powerful. And he’s smart.”

She turned to him fully now. “I know your strength. Your attack method isn’t an awakening skill. It’s a special characteristic—probably from some spiritual entity. It accumulates power and then releases it in a single burst.”

Axel didn’t deny it.

“Ordinary people can’t withstand that kind of attack,” Lilith continued. “But Isos isn’t ordinary. Every strike you land will only make his body stronger. Even if your accumulated damage finally detonates, it will be significantly reduced.”

“You might not be able to kill him.” Her tone grew serious. “And if you fail… given your identity and current situation, things will become very troublesome.”

Axel’s eyes flickered. “Troublesome…” He went quiet for a moment. “You said he’s intelligent. Scheming. Strong.”

Lilith nodded.

“Then leaving him alive will only create more trouble for me.” He didn’t understand why Isos was so intent on eliminating him. But Axel had a rule. Anyone who harbored killing intent toward him had to be dealt with. And sooner rather than later.

Lilith’s expression shifted slightly. “Axel, I’m not joking. I’m seriously advising you to reconsider.”

“I know,” he said calmly. “But…”

He smiled faintly. “Do you really understand my strength?”

Lilith frowned. She interpreted that as youthful arrogance. Yes, Axel was strong. Yes, he had secrets. But secrets weren’t exclusive to him. She had them. Isos definitely had them too. This kid… is still too used to winning, she thought.

Axel read her expression instantly. With anyone else, he would’ve let it go with a smile. But Lilith genuinely cared. So he stopped walking and looked at her seriously. “Trust me.”

“I’m not being reckless. If Isos is exactly as you described, I’m one hundred percent confident I can take him down.”

“Even if he has other hidden cards… I’m still confident I can kill him.” He paused, then added softly: “And if something goes wrong, I have backup plans.”