The young man in front of them looked innocent and ordinary, he was not ugly but rather quite decent-looking. He had the look of a pacifist who could never harm a soul and with his innocent smile, he seemed to be screaming he was a good man.
Yet all five of them were at a loss of words at his innocent question.
'Where is Reaper?'
Rose and the others didn't know much about him, they only knew that he managed to eliminate a good amount of awakeners and awakened alike in a single night.
Only because of him was this mission even possible to succeed—
But unlike them Franz knew who the Reaper was— This caused all his nerves to be filled with tension, a cold sweat trickled down his neck as he continued to look at Victor.
"So... are you not going to answer?"
Victor again asked but this time with an awkward smile.
Licking his lips, Franz straightened his posture, and with a hand over his hips, he replied in a casual tone.
"Well, do you not think any one of us is the famous Reaper... We also entered the enemy territory, you know."
Franz did his best to waste Victor's time, he wanted to catch him off guard and deal a swift blow along with his team.
But it was an arrogant thought.
Victor didn't dwell or seem affected by Franz's words as he shook his head with a small smile before saying.
"No—I am sure no one among you is the Reaper."
Franz cursed his luck before speaking in a friendly tone of his own, keeping his voice in check.
"Why do you think that? If I was truly the Reaper I would be so sad by your words— That my fan doesn't know me."
He kept his voice low trying to imitate Asher's mocking way of speech. His team looked at Franz in disbelief for a moment before again focusing on the incoming threat.
"Haha— That was a good joke, I would tell my friends about it later... But none of you are Reaper after all he was not afraid even while being alone… yet"
His emerald-colored eyes narrowed as he looked at them in the eyes, before speaking in a clear tone devoid of its former warmth. "... All of you are afraid— Like cowards."
Saying that Victor frowned and looked at the sky, without any second thoughts he took two steps back as a sword of light hit the ground followed by a lightning strike.
"Wh-what—!"
Franz and the others were not lucky as Victor didn't manage to properly evade in time, resulting in them getting thrown back by the impact.
As the smoke cleared the sword of light shuddered, and with a rattling sound it again fled back into the sky avoiding the storm.
"Goodness... That was crazy, it really came out of nowhere."
Victor sighed in relief as he turned his head to look at the group of five... they were alive for now.
Clicking his tongue in frustration Franz and Rose stood up first. Not long after, the other three managed to position themselves strategically, spreading themselves on the battlefield.
"Franz... We can't avoid confrontation anymore." Peter muttered as he looked behind him, seeing tens of awakeners rushing toward them.
Boom—!
Another sound echoed in the air for a moment. They all forgot what they were doing as they looked above only to see Morgana gliding through the sky, cutting the clouds with her swords while Jacob, the boss of this whole escapade continued to throw bolts of lighting on her way.
"Are they even human at this point?" Tylor muttered under his breath— This battle was anything but ordinary.
They all were awakeners bearing supernatural powers but they can't change the rules of the world or act like a tyrant in front of the endless sky.
But the transcendents were different they looked like tyrants influencing the very fabric of reality with every step they took forward. Making the world bend to their will.
"Out of it—!" Franz's stern voice pulled everyone out of their thoughts. He was just as amazed as they were.
It was not everyday you saw two transcendents fly across the sky destroying a city in their fight.
"Are you all done?"
Victor stopped Franz from saying anything else. He stood there with a bored expression as he had already lost interest in them.
"Franz we will make way for you... All of us can't find the location— You will need to go alone."
The enemy had already arrived, Peter who had been watching from the sidelines knew that waiting anymore would be a foolish move. So he stated the obvious that Franz would not have said himself.
"...Alright." Franz after a moment of silence nodded gravely, his own cheerfulness nowhere to be seen anymore.
"I—"
Victor, who was going to leave, vanished as Tylor jumped at him with his double axe—shattering the ground on impact.
Rose and the others didn't wait either— The enemy had already started their attack. Rose instead of again creating a wall of wind toward the enemy used it on Nena giving her the push to jump above the building.
Thud—!
Landing safely Nena pointed her bow and arrow towards one of the awakeners simultaneously and released it.
Like darkness it vanished mid-way— Then it appeared from the other side hitting the enemy in the head.
"One down—"
Nena, who was about to celebrate her victory, jumped as a man threw a bolt of fire toward her. Engulfed in the frenzy fire she removed her jacket as it burned her skin.
"Goddammit!" She screamed as the fire grew around her.
Franz looked at them in worry, but he knew they could manage on their own. Without wasting the moment he dashed forward.
A hand came out of nowhere as it was about to pass through his chest, wind came from below him, throwing him off the ground.
"How rude," Victor muttered as his attempt to crush Franz's heart was stopped mid-way.
Thud—!
Rolling on the ground Franz didn't stop as he sprinted forward after regaining his balance. Before Victor could pursue him Tylor once again swung his axe— This time lighting crackled on its tip as a roar of thunder hit the ground.
"Don't forget I am here you bastard!"
But it once again passed through Victor as he jumped back in surprise. Twisting his body as he let the attack pass through his body. He delivered a powerful kick on Taylor's knees from behind.
Tylor crumpled to the ground with a scream of pain as Victor stepped over him.
Peter watching this moved swiftly not letting Victor do anything else as vines shot from the ground grabbing his ankles.
Victor's eyes shot open in surprise—but he could escape from something as simple as this easily.
Seeing Victor stuck in the same place Peter dashed forward with his sword in hand— With a blurred motion he struck Victor's neck.
Instead of blood flowing out the sword once again passed through his body. Victor in return gave a gentle smile, his body moving through the grip of vines like passing through the air— he took a step forward, his hand moving towards Peter's neck as he was left stunned.
Tylor with a grunt gripped the axe in his hand— Lighting once again crackled in its tip— But this time it passed through him and then toward Victor striking them both at the same time—!
The lightning hit Victor, causing his body to spasm violently as he was pushed back by the sheer force of the attack. The ground around them both was charred and smoked.
"*Cough*–!" Victor hit by lightning vanished as he appeared far away from them on his knees.
"Are you alright—?"
Peter looked at Tylor his skin chared black and blue. His friend's eyes were wide with pain but he nodded back.
"For now— Let's help them" Tylor's body twitching in pain as he stood up. His blood veins were visible under the skin from the aftermath of the lightning.
Rose and Nena who had been keeping other awakeners from crossing them looked back as another lightning struck down followed by newly formed swords of light following them in their path.
Darkness filled the area surrounding Nena, blinding the enemy. She again stretched the strings of her bow and released the arrows hitting the enemy once again— But this time no one died.
Instead of killing them a wall of water erupted from the grounds stopping the arrows. Then instead of disappearing it flowed out as it filled the streets following that a man touched the water as he kneeled.
The water pooled over them sparkled in a white glow and froze in crystal-clear ice.
The splashes of water turned into icicles as they shot forward.
"Shit—!" Rose cursed out loud taking a strong step, her boots crushing the frozen grounds— Then her steps turned louder as spikes of mud struck the group of awakeners. Crimson blood spilled out as they fell—Their body stuck on the muddy spikes as they stood motionless.
Victor now better again stood up, Looking at them with a bored look. Most of the awakeners at his side were dead; it would be foolish to continue fighting.
Yet he moved and appeared beside Nena in the blink of an eye— His hand passed through her abdomen and she fell to the ground instantly.
Thud—!
"Nena!!" Rose called out to her as tried to run toward her fallen comrade— but then she found herself lying on the ground, her legs unable to move. She groaned as pain filled her—Following the sudden pain, she turned her head to look behind.
Victor was standing there in his hand was a small knife, blood slowly dripping from its tip. He looked innocent as always with a kind smile on his face, throwing the knife away he looked down at her.
Her eyes were now filled with fear as she looked at her legs but no injury appeared on them.
'H-He injured me from inside!' Following those thoughts, darkness came over her, as Victor kicked her face, turning it red in an instant.
"Raaa-!" With a loud war cry the ground shook as Tylor gave his frontal attack, swinging his axe like a madman.
Victor, seeing him,moved effortlessly as he either dodged the attacks or let them pass through his body. Peter not away again shot green vines toward him, only for them to pass through his body.
Tylor witnessing Victor flawlessly dodgeding every strike, increased his speed. His muscles bulging up as his face turned red in anger with every step the orange glow intensified along with his ever-increasing strength with blinding rage.
"...Let's end this" Saying that Victor appeared behind Tylor— His hand passed through his chest and came out with blood filling his hand.
Drip—
Drip—
Blood continued to drip from Victor's hand as he let the heart in his hand fall. Tylor face paled as his lips parted. The glow vanished from his body— As he lost his strength letting go of the axe as well.
He took a step forward with his hand touching his chest but he felt nothing and fell to the ground.
Thud—!
Peter's eyes widened in fear as he took a step back, seeing the heart on the ground he felt his stomach twisting inside, he fell on his knees grabbing his mouth not long before he vomited.
"Wah—!" Taking a deep breath he once again looked at his friends, then Victor appeared in front of him.
"I was about to leave without fighting but you idiots attacked me."
As Peter heard that his vision blurred—Was he telling the truth? That they doomed themselves by their own mistakes?
As these thoughts entered his mind, he felt something hit his head as darkness took over.
Victor looked all over the destroyed parts of Philips Street. Then at the awakeners hanging on the spikes.
He sighed.
"As I had said... you two should have become stronger."
Following that he looked at the sky where the transcendents were fighting a battle not in his reach yet.
Stretching his hand upward he tried to grab the sky but it was childish... he couldn't do this... not yet.
There was one more person left, who ran away but it was not his problem, humming a song with a small smile he walked away.