Chapter 117 Blood bath

Chapter 117: Chapter 117 Blood bath

In the main hall, Luna’s companions were being taken to another section where they would be put aside with the other captured people. They were wounded—some of them barely able to walk—and the women in red uniforms were dragging them along like animals.

Rowan was groaning under his breath, his body aching from the injuries he had received earlier. Adrian was clutching his stomach as he walked, his face twisted into an expression of pain. Ethan was doing his best to keep his breathing steady while several of Naija’s bodyguards surrounded them.

Kai, however, wasn’t paying attention to his injuries. His eyes kept moving around the enormous hall. He was looking for something—anything. He needed to know what was happening, what their enemies were planning, and most importantly, when they could finally make their move.

Then, suddenly, something bright flashed outside the massive windows. Kai’s eyes narrowed. Fireworks. But that wasn’t a normal firework. He immediately remembered what Luna had told them before they separated. She had given them a signal, and this was it. Luna was done. Whatever sick journey she had gone on, whatever she had gone there to accomplish, she had finally finished it. Which meant they didn’t need to wait anymore.

Kai’s lips curled into a small smile. During the time they had been captured, he had already observed enough. He knew who the dangerous threats were. He also knew something else—these women weren’t as powerful as they wanted everyone to believe. The women surrounding them were only S-rank awakened. The servers were stronger, and some of them were clearly above the ordinary guards, but this entire group of people who seemed to ooze overwhelming power wasn’t as invincible as they appeared.

Kai’s eyes moved toward Adrian. Their gazes met. Kai winked. "It’s time, buddy!"

Adrian’s head immediately snapped upward. The movement was so sudden that the woman dragging him actually stumbled. Her eyes widened. Wasn’t this man just complaining about his stomach? Adrian was injured, yes, but thankfully the wound wasn’t deep enough to stop him. And after everything they had done to them, he wasn’t going to rest until he had the opportunity to disfigure these women’s faces.

Of course, Adrian wasn’t a woman beater. He hated hurting women. But these weren’t innocent women being attacked for no reason. They were armed awakened who had captured them, beaten them, and were now dragging them around like prisoners. They had chosen this fight. So Adrian wasn’t going to hesitate.

Without warning, he twisted his body and drove his foot straight between the woman’s legs. The impact was brutal. The woman immediately lost her balance, her knees buckling as she stumbled forward before falling face-first onto the tiled floor. CRACK! The sickening sound echoed through the hall. Adrian blinked. He hadn’t expected the kick to land that hard. His powers had become much stronger—apparently, even his physical abilities had been enhanced far beyond what they used to be. "Oops."

The woman didn’t move. The other guards froze.

That single moment of shock was all Rowan needed. He raised one hand, and a tiny ant appeared on the floor. At first, it was so small that nobody paid attention to it. Then it began to grow. And grow. And grow. The women standing beside Rowan stared in horror as the tiny insect rapidly transformed into a gigantic monstrous creature. Its body expanded until it towered over them, its armored shell shining beneath the bright lights of the hall.

"Oh my—"

One of the women tried to attack it. She released her ability, attempting to crush the insect before it could fully transform. Too late. The monstrous ant lunged. One of its enormous pincers clamped around her leg. She screamed as the pincer dug deep into her flesh, crushing through her toes and tearing at her foot. Her toenails were ripped away in the process as she desperately tried to pull herself free. "AAAAAAAH!" Her scream echoed through the hall.

The other woman immediately attacked. A powerful wave of wind exploded from her hands and slammed into the insect, forcing its enormous body backward. But Rowan’s creature was far more dangerous than she expected. One of its free pincers suddenly shot forward. It pierced straight through her skull. The woman froze. Blood sprayed across the floor before her body collapsed.

The sight sent panic through the surrounding citizens. More women in red uniforms rushed forward.

"Kill that thing!"

"Attack!"

"Don’t let it reach the others!"

They unleashed their abilities one after another—fire, wind, blades, lightning. The enormous ant was struck from every direction. Its body eventually collapsed beneath the combined attacks. Rowan watched it fall, but he didn’t look afraid. Because the fight wasn’t over. Not even close.

Across the hall, Ethan was surrounded. His ability couldn’t be used properly in this particular situation, and that had been a problem from the beginning. But thankfully, Ethan had never relied entirely on his awakened ability. He remembered his childhood. Back then, his tutor had been obsessed with teaching them how to defend themselves—kung fu, hand-to-hand combat, basic weapons training. The man had constantly warned them that the world was dangerous and that they couldn’t depend on supernatural abilities forever. At the time, Ethan had thought the lessons were excessive. Right now, he could only thank that crazy teacher.

His techniques weren’t perfect. But they were enough.

Ethan summoned a sword into one hand. A gun appeared in the other. The Naija’s bodyguards immediately surrounded him. There were too many of them. They attacked simultaneously. Ethan ducked as a dagger flew over his head. He twisted sideways as another blade sliced through the air where his neck had been a second earlier. Then he swung his sword.

The short blade suddenly elongated. The attackers closest to him hadn’t expected it. They thought they were dealing with an ordinary sword. They were wrong. The elongated blade spun with terrifying speed, moving almost like a propeller as it sliced through everything in its path. Two of the attackers barely had time to react before the blade swept across their necks. Their bodies collapsed.

Ethan continued moving. Luna had made sure the weapons she provided them were not ordinary. Every piece of equipment had properties that could rival an SSS-class weapon. That was why Ethan could fight enemies who should have been far stronger than him.

The enraged Naija’s bodyguards saw their comrades fall and charged him with renewed fury. Daggers flew through the air. Waves of wind exploded from their palms. Ethan ducked beneath one attack, stepped sideways, and fired his gun. Bang! One attacker dropped. Another blade came toward his face. Ethan moved, but his foot suddenly slipped. His balance faltered.

For one terrifying second, his body leaned directly into the path of another attack. He recovered just in time. But not completely. A blade still managed to catch his face. SHNK! The weapon sliced across his jawline. Blood immediately began pouring down his chin. "AAARRRGH!" Ethan stumbled backward, clutching his bleeding jaw. "Son of a bitch!"

Around them, the hall had descended into complete chaos. Citizens were screaming. People were running in every direction. Some tried to hide beneath tables while others desperately searched for exits. But anyone unfortunate enough to stand in the path of the attackers was cut down without mercy. Blood covered the floor. Bodies were scattered everywhere. The scene looked less like a battle and more like a civil war had erupted inside the hall.

Kai watched everything carefully. He wasn’t rushing in blindly. He was waiting—waiting for the perfect opening, the perfect moment. He needed maximum momentum. Then he saw it. The leader’s entire squad began moving toward Rowan and Ethan at the same time. Adrian immediately moved as well.

But something else entered the battlefield. The servers. The SS-class awakened. The moment they stepped forward, the atmosphere changed. Their pressure was so overwhelming that the weaker awakened around them immediately began struggling to breathe. One of them slammed her foot against the ground. BOOM! The floor shattered. A massive crack spread through the hall. Another stepped forward. The ground beneath her feet collapsed into a gigantic hole. Everywhere they moved, the structure seemed unable to withstand their power.

Kai’s expression hardened. "SS class, huh?" He looked around. His companions were already exhausted. Rowan was breathing heavily. Adrian was still clutching his stomach. Ethan’s jaw was bleeding. They couldn’t keep fighting like this.

Kai’s eyes suddenly turned cold. He raised both hands. The massive tanks positioned at the four corners of the hall began shaking. The attackers looked up.

"What is that?"

Kai smiled. Then he moved his fingers. BOOM! All four tanks exploded simultaneously. Instead of water pouring down, an enormous wave of freezing energy burst from them. The liquid instantly transformed. Ice spread across the hall. Massive icicles erupted from the ground, climbing upward like gigantic frozen spears.

Kai’s voice echoed through the chaos. "SS class or not, let’s see what people higher than you can do."

His hand snapped downward. The ice exploded. CRAAASH! Thousands of frozen spikes shot in every direction. The entire hall became a bloodbath. The ice pierced through attackers, shattered weapons, destroyed barricades, and tore through anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. But it didn’t distinguish between enemies and innocents. Citizens screamed as they tried to escape. Some were struck. Others were trampled in the panic.

Kai’s expression changed the moment he realized what was happening. "Damn it!"

One enormous icicle was heading straight toward Rowan. Another was heading toward Ethan. Adrian reacted instantly. He stretched both hands forward. Space twisted. A portal appeared. The opening swallowed Rowan first. Then Ethan. Then Kai. Adrian jumped through last. The portal snapped shut.

For several seconds, there was silence.

They appeared at the opposite end of the hall, far away from the worst of the destruction. Kai turned around. His eyes widened. The destruction was enormous. Bodies covered the floor. Blood ran between the tiles. Half of the people lying there had nothing to do with the fight. They had been innocent. They had simply been living inside this place. It had been Luna and her companions who had barged into their home because they needed their supplies and survival tools.

And now...

Kai’s body suddenly felt weak. He stared at the devastation. "What have we done?"

Rowan was breathing heavily. His hand moved to his chest. His lungs felt like they were struggling to pull in enough air. Adrian was the same—he bent forward, clutching his stomach as he gasped. Ethan stared at the three of them in horror. Something was wrong. This wasn’t ordinary exhaustion. Their breathing was becoming heavier by the second. Rowan’s face had gone pale. Adrian’s fingers trembled. Even Kai, who normally looked carefree no matter how dangerous the situation became, seemed shaken.

Ethan tightened his grip on his sword. "What’s wrong?"

Nobody answered. Ethan looked between them. His heart began pounding. "What’s happening to you?"

Kai tried to straighten himself, but his knees almost gave out. Rowan inhaled sharply. Adrian closed his eyes for a moment. The strange sensation inside their bodies was getting stronger.

Ethan looked toward the destruction again before suddenly remembering the person who wasn’t there with them. Luna. "Damn it..." His voice cracked. "Luna, where are you?"