"Hmmm."

Aron turned to look at him, then resumed strolling through the bustling market, scanning the crowd as if nothing had happened.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lordmoonlight called after him.

"Wouldn't you at least wait to know why that is?"

"Will that make a difference whether I know or not?" Aron replied dryly, not breaking his stride.

Lordmoonlight was stumped. "But..."

Before he could finish, the hat atop his head suddenly flared with light, and in the next instant, Lordmoonlight vanished, teleported a mile away from Aron.

Aron's danger sense flared a split second later.

Without thinking, he activated his Dome ability.

BOOOOOM!

The explosion's shockwave ripped through the plaza.

People too close to Aron turned into a mist of blood, dying instantly before they even realized what had happened.

The ground around his dome shattered, dust and debris blasting outward.

The sheer scale of the blast sent panic rippling through the market, people screamed, dropped their goods, and fled in every direction.

Some clutched whatever they could, others just bolted for their lives.

As the dust finally settled, Aron's eyes locked onto a bald man standing across from him.

Tattoos covered the man's entire head in strange rune-like patterns. His well-built frame was wrapped in clean, fitted clothes.

The hand he had used to strike Aron was still raised, veins bulging with power.

His eyes, cold and sharp as blades, stared directly at Aron.

Aron met his gaze with calm indifference.

Dropping his dome, he finally understood why his danger sense had gone off.

Even though he couldn't fully gauge the man's energy due to the difference in strength, Aron could tell, this man was likely at the peak stage of the Transcendent Rank.

That shouldn't have been possible.

No one could reach such heights given the current evolutionary stage of the apocalypse.

Yet here he was.

But after seeing the man's talent, Aron finally understood why.

[Name: Samson Keys]

Alias: D-One

Rank: Transcendent

Talent (Passive Authority): Rebate - Multiply self-gain by 100x

Bound:

[Name: ???]

Alias: Levi

Talent (Internal Authority): Godmode - Increase self-strength by 100x; consumes 500 years of lifespan every 10 seconds

[Name: ???]

Alias: Ana

Talent (Mana Authority): Transhost - Able to transmute or share any ability between hosts with matching symbols on their bodies

[Name: ???]

Alias: Jergenmay

Talent (Absolute Authority): Healer - Heal; activated when the word "Heal" is spoken aloud

****

Both stood in silence, eyes locked in mutual shock.

Aron didn't know what it meant to see so many Authority-class talents under one name, but one thing was clear, if his scan could reveal those details, it meant D-One had access to all of them.

Even though the tattoos marking D-One's body were small, almost invisible, Aron's sensory ability missed nothing.

The number of tattoos matched the number of talents listed on his scan, except for the one on D-One's bald head, which stood out the most.

His thoughts immediately connected it to the Transhost ability.

And when he saw D-One's main talent, everything clicked.

If D-One killed a zombie and earned 1 EXP, his talent would multiply it by 100x.

Aron, who had always considered himself broken, suddenly realized he was facing a monster on an entirely different level.

Four Authority-ranked talents... against his one.

This fight was going to be anything but easy.

As Aron analyzed D-One, the latter was doing the same.

--

Didn't you say you didn't give him any talent? D-One asked inwardly, his expression calm but his tone sharp.

I'm pretty sure he just used one.

I... I don't know how that's possible, a cool female voice answered inside his mind.

What do you mean you don't know? Aren't you the one who distributed the talents to those you deemed worthy? Or were you bluffing?

As I said before, I have no reason to lie to you, the voice replied.

You are my champion.

Even though I lost the power to monitor the world and all life within it when I fused with you, I can still recall fragments of fate.

According to those records, he wasn't even supposed to have a talent.

In fact, he was supposed to die on the very first day of the apocalypse.

I don't know how he's still alive... much less possessing a talent.

He's too unpredictable, she added. I advise you to rein in your anger and study him first before...

Wait, D-One interrupted. Are you suggesting I chicken out? Against someone ranked lower than me? Someone who killed my brother?

No, I'm just...

Tch

D-One clicked his tongue.

So much for divine guidance.

Being chosen as the Champion of Solara sure came with a lot of "useful" advice, he said sarcastically, cutting the voice off mid-sentence.

His expression darkened. It doesn't matter.

Either he dies, or he dies.

One way or another, he's not leaving this place alive.

He took a step forward, breaking the tense standoff between them.

"So, you are..."

BOOM!

Before he could finish, Aron moved.

The moment D-One entered range, Aron activated Death Speed.

Summoning all his strength into his right arm, he launched a surprise upward strike so fast it split the air.

His fist connected in a brutal uppercut, D-One's head swung upward as blood sprayed like rain.

[Claimable Ability Detected: Rebate (Passive)]

In one fluid motion...

[1 EXP consumed. Indestructor claimed.]

Aron summoned one of his knives from infinite storage and drove it straight toward D-One's heart.

"D-One! Dodge!" the voice in his head screamed.

Still disoriented, D-One reacted on instinct, leaping to the side.

The blade meant for his heart sank into his abdomen instead, meeting brief resistance before plunging deep.

"Gh...!"

Aron twisted his grip, widening the wound before D-One staggered backward, clutching his bleeding side, trying to stem the torrent of blood.

Aron stood before him, hand still gripping the knife, eyes cold and sharp as steel.

The market was silent now, only the howling wind and the metallic scent of blood remained.

...

..

.

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