Chapter 92: Chapter 92: I Am Zero
Chapter 92: I Am Zero
FWOOSH. FWOOSH.
The thick, red fog of the Wildlands swirled aggressively outside the shattered windows of the pre-fall bank.
Inside, the squad was fast asleep, their exhausted breathing echoing softly over the CRACKLE of the dying campfire.
Draven stood alone by the broken vault door, staring into the dark.
In his mind, the golden interface of the World Map was blinking furiously.
Dozens of red dots were closing in on their coordinates.
The scent of the Rank-A Hive Mother’s core had drawn the scavengers of the dark.
Draven didn’t wake Aegon. He didn’t rouse Bram or Reina to form a defensive line.
CLACK.
Draven simply unsealed the heavy bank doors, stepped out into the toxic, freezing mud of Sector 44-J, and pulled the doors shut behind him.
He was going to handle this alone.
GRRRRR...
Low, guttural growls echoed from the ruins. Out of the red fog, a pack of thirty Corrupted Scythe-Claws emerged.
They were Rank-B predators, towering insectoid beasts with forelimbs made of jagged, rusted bone.
They saw the lone human standing in the mud. They shrieked and lunged all at once.
Draven didn’t draw his bow. He didn’t even move his hands.
VWOOOOOOM.
The air around Draven warped violently as he activated his new [Absolute Vector Domain].
An invisible, ten-meter sphere of absolute physical control expanded around him.
The first wave of beasts crossed the threshold.
"Reverse," Draven whispered.
CRACK! SNAP! SQUELCH!
The horrific sound of thirty monsters having their own kinetic momentum instantly turned against them echoed through the dead city.
The Scythe-Claws hit the invisible domain and their bodies violently imploded.
Their exoskeletons crushed inward, their organs ruptured under their own reversed force, and their limbs snapped backward.
SPLAT.
A shower of black blood and crushed bone rained down on the mud outside the ten-meter circle. Draven stood in the center, completely spotless.
The small fries were dead in a single second.
THOOM. THOOM. THOOM.
The earth suddenly began to violently shake. The red fog parted like a curtain.
Draven looked up.
Towering forty feet into the air was the pack leader. A massive, heavily armored boss-tier beast that resembled a demonic rhinoceros covered in dark, jagged volcanic rock.
[Target Identified: Magma-Plated Behemoth (Level 135 Boss)]
The beast roared, a deafening sound that shook the shattered glass in the nearby buildings.
It lowered its massive, glowing horn and charged Draven with the force of a runaway freight train.
Draven finally drew his black arrow.
FWOOSH.
Draven triggered [Void-Step].
He vanished completely.
The charging Behemoth slammed into the empty space where Draven had been standing, its massive hooves tearing up the concrete in confusion.
Fifty feet straight above the beast’s head, space rippled, and Draven materialized in mid-air.
He was already at full draw.
He didn’t just fire the arrow; he infused it with his [SS-Rank Vector Manipulation], accelerating its kinetic velocity past the speed of sound.
BOOM!
A sonic boom shattered the air.
The black arrow moved so fast it looked like a solid beam of dark light. It struck the Behemoth directly between the shoulder blades.
The hyper-accelerated kinetic force didn’t just pierce the beast’s armor. It obliterated it.
KRRAAAACK-KABOOM!
The Behemoth was driven straight into the earth.
The sheer force of the impact created a twenty-foot crater in the street, instantly liquefying the boss-monster’s internal organs.
THUD.
Draven landed gracefully on the edge of the crater, his black coat billowing around him. The beast twitched once and went still.
DING!
A massive, cascading golden screen appeared in front of his eyes.
---
[Target Eliminated: Level 135 Magma-Plated Behemoth]
[Calculating Experience...]
[Host Level Up! Level 85 -> Level 92]
[Stat Overview:]
Name: Draven Mordis
Level: 92
Mana: 12,500/12,500 (+4,000)
Strength: 850 (+150)
Agility: 920 (+200)
Skills:
- Vector Manipulation (SS-Rank)
- Radar (S-Rank)
- Void-Step (A-Rank)
---
Draven felt an incredible surge of raw power flood his veins. His mana reserves had expanded massively. The physical limits of his body were shredding away.
He dismissed the screen and looked at the mountain of butchered monster corpses surrounding him.
The sun was just beginning to rise, bleeding pale light through the red fog.
CREAK.
Behind him, the heavy bank doors swung open. Aegon walked out, rubbing his eyes, his Blood Fire spear resting on his shoulder. Reina, Lucien, and Cole followed close behind him.
Aegon froze.
The Strike Commander’s jaw literally dropped. Reina gasped, instinctively gripping her ice axe. Cole’s heavy rifle slipped an inch in his hands.
There were thirty crushed carcasses surrounding Draven, and a Level 135 Boss-beast smeared into a massive crater right at his feet.
"Draven..." Aegon breathed, his eyes wide with absolute disbelief.
"What... what the hell happened out here? Who did this?"
Draven turned around. He looked at Aegon, then at the rest of the squad. He didn’t smirk. He didn’t make up an excuse.
He was done playing the weak extra.
"I did," Draven stated, his voice cold, calm, and carrying an unshakable authority.
"Impossible," Lucien Vaelmont muttered, stepping forward, his silver eyes wide.
"That’s a Level 130 threat. You don’t have the mana output to leave a crater like that."
"You only know what I chose to show you," Draven replied flatly. He looked directly at Aegon.
"What do you mean by that, Draven?" Aegon asked.
"Captain. You survived the Beast Wave. You saw a Man who vaporized the Corpse Titan with a flick of his fingers." Draven said giving him a hint.
"What of him?" Aegon asked completely oblivious of the hint.
"Haah! You really are so dense, Captain! Do I need to say it myself?" Draven said as he was tired of explaining himself already.
Aegon’s breath hitched. His eyes darted from the crater to Draven’s unbothered face.
"The masked man... The Embracing Hands..."
"I am Zero," Draven declared.
The words hit the squad like a physical blow.
Estella covered her mouth in shock. Lyra’s manic grin vanished entirely.
Even Neville, commanded by his Sovereign soul, perfectly mimicked an expression of profound, shaking terror.
"You..." Reina took a half-step back.
"You vaporized a Titan? You are an apex?"
"I do not owe you an explanation about how strong I am," Draven admitted openly, his pitch-black eyes locking onto Aegon.
"You may be wondering why I am telling this to you. I could have kept this hidden too, but I believed if we wanted to grow strong faster than now I cannot help you with it unless I had to reveal myself." Draven said, but he was making a highly calculated gamble right now.
’This was the perfect time to showcase my power! I want to make this class into something I can hone! I want their loyalty solely towards me. They shall be my hands and feet, more than they will ever will be to this realm. They all are essential for the Threat coming up in a year. We have no time to form good ties, but what I know about Loyalty is that it cannot be based on a Lie!’
Draven took a step toward them, the sheer, oppressive weight of his Level 92 mana aura leaking out, pressing down on the first-years like a physical gravity well.
"You are going to keep this a complete secret from the Vanguard brass," Draven ordered, his tone leaving absolutely no room for debate.
"For now, at least. I know it is hard for all of you to get this right in your head that a student, who was among you was the one who had saved the Bastion from the Corpse Titan. What I want from you is simple. Join the Embracing Hands and our Leader shall bestow guidance upon you."
"And what if we don’t?" Aegon dared him.
Just as those words left his mouth, he felt a sharp object touching his neck.
It was Neville, his loyal dog.
"Do not move! Lower your Spear, Captain! Boss doesn’t want to make a mess with you."
Not just him, Cole, Lyra and Estella moved behind Draven as well.
"Neville! What are you doing?!" he asked.
"You might be wondering why Neville is helping me. Who do you think saved Neville from the clutches of the Church? It was us! The Embracing Hands!"
He chuckled as he spread his arms.
"You may have thought you had a chance in this fight. But it is not a fight that I want. You will not win even if you ganged up on me. A 10V1? Not a Chance!" Draven said as he mocked.
"Why have you revealed yourself right now? You could have kept up with the act. Also, I knew you were stronger than me and helped me win the tournament. We are not enemies. Why do this?" asked Aegon.
"Oh! No no no! What are you thinking? Do you think I am here to kill the young prodigies of the Bastion? Do I look like an idiot to you? I am not going to kill you. Listen carefully. What I ask is join Embracing Hands. Nothin more, nothin less." he answered.
He turned and looked at all of the Future prodigies who will make a name in the Future.
"All of you! I promise you power and help you reclaim the Humanity’s lands and I will personally lead you to gain opportunities scattered across these Wildlands. I shall make you stronger. Stronger than anyone in the Bastion. I will help you obtain the Seed of Valor. Just like how I have done. Take my hand, Aegon. Take the hand of your friend. We have no reason to be enemies."
Aegon gripped his spear. He looked at the boy he had trusted to be his Tactician. The boy who had saved his life at the gates.
Draven wasn’t just a classmate.
He was a monster wearing a student’s uniform.
Aegon slowly lowered his spear.
"Understood," Aegon said quietly, bowing his head slightly in a gesture of absolute respect.
"Zero. But you need to tell everything about your organization to us. We cannot work with someone we cannot trust."
