Now thinking of the young boy, though, Charles hadn’t seen any signs of him. Curiosity and anticipation coursed through his body as he awaited the glorious entry of the one they owed everything to.
It would seem that in his desperation, Charles had forgotten about the death of Ana, and how he would explain her demise to Jeremy.
Searching through the group for signs of the boy of interest, the Camp leader was met with surprise, though.
‘He’s… not here…?!’
He counted the number of Gifteds who belonged to his Camp—36! His eyes spotted Lara, who was supposed to be a deserter, yet clearly allied with the team.
Seeing that she possessed the highest Level among those on his side, Charles knew better than to complain. If she was helping them, that was for the best.
Still, he couldn’t contain his surprise and confusion.
“Where is Jeremy?” His voice leaked out unconsciously.
He hadn’t meant to, but he couldn’t hide it anymore. Charles needed to know!.
As soon as he said this, though, everyone in the group of Gifteds, at least almost everyone, put on downcast expressions. Grief and regret appeared, and for a moment, they forgot about the battle that was supposed to be taking place.
“Jeremy is…” Daniel spoke up, deciding to own up to his errors like a man.
“Jeremy is dead…”
The bombshell landed, and for yet a few more moments, silence prevailed.
Charles couldn’t believe his ears. Perhaps it was due to his unstable mental state, but he didn’t even consider the fact that Jeremy had fooled everyone and faked his death. Daniel’s sincere words resonated deep within him, and he found himself accepting them.
‘N-no way…’
The fact that he did not see the Masked Hero around also proved that truly, Jeremy was no longer with them. Charles didn’t know whether to rejoice or be sorrowful. With the Camp member’s current strength, taking on Kevin didn’t seem impossible.
Plus, now that Jeremy was out of the picture, he could forget the deal he made with him. The Camp would return to normal and they even had new fighters with absurdly high Levels. Clearly, things had worked together for their good!
“Hey, Charles! You knew about this, didn’t you? You tricked me!” A loud, hateful voice pierced through Charles’ thoughts.
This caused the Camp Leader’s body to spasm, sharply looking in the direction of the enraged man who spoke to him.
Kevin growled and glared at Charles. His bloodshot eyes were proof that he intended to kill Charles. Even though it wouldn’t be by much, finishing him off would cause Kevin to Level Up.
He could use every little boost needed while facing the group before him.
“You’ll die now!”
Lunging his hand in Charles’ direction, Kevin intended to rip his head from his neck, squeezing his skull as blood would drop incessantly from it.
“Melissa!” Daniel yelled.
Instantly, just like before, a pink barrier covered Charles, shielding him from the onslaught of the extremely dangerous man.
“Don’t forget about us!” Tasha and Lara dashed straight for Kevin, closing the distance between them in a flash.
Since Kevin had turned some of his attention to Charles, he was a little vulnerable, and the two women had no intention of missing such an opportunity.
Tasha brandished her fist while Lara prepared a <Fireball> spell while holding a blade given to her by Jeremy.
With their combined efforts, and Kevin’s currently perturbed state, they stood a chance of winning.
Unfortunately, the slaughterer didn’t plan on going down so easily.
‘<Phase>!’
Kevin’s body turned intangible, allowing him to slip past the attacks of the two women and leap backward. Growling at the way they cornered him, also spotting that the remaining Gifteds before him all readied their weapons—bows and swords—to fight, the dark man now knew he was completely cornered.
Behind him was the Camp. He could try escaping there, but he didn’t dare show his back to a bunch of high-level enemies. Even if he used <Phase>, it would ultimately run out. Besides, his pride wouldn’t allow him to flee so shamefully.
They may have had him outnumbered, but he still had the highest level among everyone! Plus, with the true nature of his Gift, and the numerous Skills at his disposal, he could achieve victory.
‘I’ll kill them all! I should start from the Barrier girl. She seems weak!’ Kevin growled, darting his eyes to the girl who seemed to be concentrating and pouring her energy in Charles’ direction.
Since she was so focused on protecting another, that meant the girl most likely couldn’t shield herself and Charles at the same time.
Kevin also noticed her level and decided that, with his speed, she wouldn’t be able to react in time.
Once he dealt with her, no one would be able to protect themselves, so he would simply use the Stats and Skills in his arsenal to decimate the remaining enemies.
Taking a few steps back, Kevin calculated the position he would take and how fast he had to go. All he had to do was—
>BUMP<
His back suddenly bumped into something behind him… something that could only be human.
Having felt the flesh of countless people as he killed them, Kevin knew fully well the warmth a human generated. The one behind him was clearly one.
His body entered an excited state and, in reflex, he whipped through the air, swinging his caramel skin while also flexing his bulging muscles.
>FWWOOOOOSHHH<
He didn’t have time to control his strength, so Kevin just poured everything he could muster into the hit and gave a backstroke, generating an immense wind pressure.
>BOOOOOMMMM!!!<
Shockwaves reverberated across the area, breaking apart the very earth beneath everyone. Everything along Kevin’s axis broke apart and the loud bang of the impact caused every Gifted in the area to brace themselves in response to the impact.
Still… despite the rising dust, the sudden commotion, and the pressure that still lingered, everyone could vividly recognize the outcome of Kevin’s strike.
—And it was completely unbelievable!
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