"Oh God..."
Evans' breathing became unsteady.
"What the hell is that?"
His eyes remained fixed on the figure emerging from the Rift.
That's not a B-Rank beast.
It's something else...
Something far more terrifying than an A-Rank beast.
Every Sacred Warrior on the battlefield froze.
Even the remaining Grey Howlers became strangely still.
Then...
The mysterious figure slowly stepped out of the Rift.
A system notification suddenly appeared before Evans' eyes.
[Warning]
[Host must run immediately.]
[Current estimated chance of survival: 30%]
Evans' pupils trembled.
Thirty percent...?
He had never seen the system issue a warning like this before.
Then he finally got a better look at the creature.
At first glance, its appearance was almost human.
It possessed a slender humanoid body, long silver hair, and a pair of furry, cat-like ears protruding from its head.
Its eyes remained difficult to see clearly beneath its hair.
It wore clothing resembling a traditional kimono.
Yet there was something deeply unnatural about it.
Something that made Evans' instincts scream.
A faint smile slowly appeared on the creature's face.
Then—
The Rift behind it suddenly expanded.
Alex's eyes widened in horror.
"No..."
His voice trembled.
Then he gathered every ounce of strength he had and shouted.
"EVERYONE!"
"RUN!"
But before he could finish—
BOOM!
The Rift violently expanded.
Countless beasts poured through the opening.
The entire battlefield shook.
The Sacred Warriors were thrown into chaos as the creatures surged forward.
Screams erupted from every direction.
"HELP!"
"RUN!"
"PLEASE!"
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
Evans stood frozen as the battlefield descended into complete chaos.
What is happening...?
This was supposed to be a B-Rank Rift!
His eyes widened as he watched the Sacred Warriors desperately attempting to survive.
Alex shook his head in disbelief.
"No..."
"This isn't possible."
His eyes filled with tears.
"I won't accept this!"
He tightened his grip around his sword and launched himself toward the silver-haired creature.
But before he could reach it-
A massive B-Rank beast suddenly leaped into his path.
Its jaws clamped onto Alex's arm and sent him crashing into a nearby wall.
Alex cried out as he struggled to recover.
Blood trickled down his injured arm.
Two more massive beasts approached.
Alex stared at them in disbelief.
"There's more than one B-Rank beast...?
His voice trembled.
"Why is this happening?"
He forced himself back onto his feet
Despite his injuries, he gripped his sword with his remaining hand.
"I won't..."
"I won't let you hurt anyone else!"
With a desperate roar, Alex charged.
His sword pierced into the head of one of the beasts.
The creature roared in pain.
But before Alex could pull his sword free—
BOOM!
The second beast struck him and sent him crashing into another wall.
Alex collapsed to the ground.
His vision blurred.
His body refused to respond properly.
The beast advanced toward him.
Alex tried to stand.
He couldn't.
Then he heard Evans' voice.
"ALEX!"
Evans clenched his fists.
Rage burned through him.
"I'LL KILL YOU DAMN BEAST!"
He was about to charge forward when another voice stopped him.
A familiar voice.
A voice he had heard countless times before.
"P-Please..."
Evans froze.
He slowly turned his head.
His eyes widened.
Isaac was trapped by one of the beasts.
His body was completely limp, his expression filled with fear as blood dripped from his mouth.
He looked toward Evans.
"I..."
His voice trembled.
"I don't want to die."
Evans' pupils shrank.
"No..."
Isaac's voice faded as life finally drained away.
The beast disappeared into the chaos with him.
Evans stood completely motionless.
His hands trembled.
His sword slipped slightly in his grip.
For several seconds...
He couldn't hear anything.
Not the screaming.
Not the beasts.
Not even the alarms.
All he could think about was Isaac's final words.
I don't want to die.
Evans lowered his head.
His eyes slowly hardened.
The fear remained...
But something else had begun to rise alongside it.
Rage.
Evans slowly forced himself back onto his feet.
His mind raced as he desperately tried to figure out what to do.
But the screams around him only grew louder.
"HELP!"
"PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP US!"
Evans clutched his head tightly as tears streamed down his face.
"I can't think..."
"Please..."
"Just stop screaming!"
His breathing became increasingly unstable.
"I'm so confused..."
Suddenly, several beasts rushed toward him.
Evans was knocked to the ground as the creatures trampled over him.
Pain coursed through his entire body.
He struggled to move, but his strength was rapidly fading.
It hurts...
His eyes slowly closed.
If I transform, someone might see me.
Then my secret will be exposed.
But if I don't...
He heard another scream in the distance.
They'll all die.
His hands trembled.
No.
Even if I transform, I can't save everyone at once.
His expression sank deeper into despair.
Then what's the point?
What's the use of having this damn power if I can't even use it when I need it the most?
The despair became overwhelming.
Then—
BOOM!
A dark crimson aura suddenly erupted from Evans' body.
The beasts surrounding him immediately stopped.
The atmosphere changed.
Evans slowly rose from the ground.
His injuries began healing before their eyes.
The demonic markings spread across his pale face.
His short brown hair gradually lengthened, turning silver-gray.
His eyes opened.
Dark crimson pupils glowed beneath an emotionless expression.
The fear was gone.
The hesitation was gone.
Only cold determination remained.
Evans slowly raised his head.
"I can't save everyone..."
His voice was cold.
"But I can at least reduce their suffering.
His gaze shifted toward the mysterious silver-haired creature standing at the center of the battlefield.
"By killing the one responsible."
The crimson aura around Evans intensified.
With a single sweeping motion of his arm—
The beasts directly in front of him were sent crashing away.
Evans took one step forward.
But before he could take another...
The humanoid creature suddenly appeared directly in front of him.
Evans stopped.
The creature stared into his eyes.
Its yellow, cat-like eyes narrowed, revealing strange red irises.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then...
A small smile slowly appeared on the creature's face.
Evans' expression hardened.
Something about that smile reignited the rage buried inside him.
"You..."
He clenched his fist.
Then he lunged forward with tremendous force.
His fist shot toward the creature's face.
BOOM!
The impact shook the battlefield.
For a brief moment, Evans thought his attack had connected.
Then his eyes widened.
A severed hand spun through the air before disappearing from view.
Evans stared in disbelief.
What...?
The creature was still smiling.
Evans slowly looked down at his right side.
His eyes widened.
His right arm was gone.
"When did he...?"
He hadn't even seen the attack.
Before Evans could process what had happened, the creature raised its hand.
Its fingers sharpened into a deadly point as it aimed directly at Evans.
Evans' pupils shrank.
Wait...
Am I actually going to die?
The creature moved.
But before it could reach Evans—
"EVANS!"
Someone suddenly rushed between them.
Mike.
His entire chest was covered in his solidified green Sacred Energy.
Evans' eyes widened in shock.
"Mike!"
"Get out of here!"
But it was already too late.
The creature's attack struck Mike's armored chest with overwhelming force.
Mike was sent flying across the battlefield, crashing hard onto the ground several meters away.
"MIKE!"
Evans stared after him in disbelief.
For a moment, everything around him seemed to fade.
Mike had just thrown himself between Evans and death.
The realization struck him harder than any attack.
His hands slowly clenched.
The crimson aura surrounding his body intensified.
His expression became colder.
The rage inside him surged.
First Isaac.
Then Alex.
And now Mike had put himself in danger for him.
Evans slowly raised his head.
His crimson eyes locked onto the mysterious creature.
"You..."
His voice trembled with restrained fury.
"...You really are pissing me off."
The creature simply smiled.
Evans' aura erupted around him.
This time...
He wasn't fighting because he wanted to survive.
He was fighting because he refused to let anyone else fall.The creature was just about to smile again when—
Evans' right arm suddenly regenerated.
Before the creature could react, Evans launched a devastating punch straight toward its face.
The creature instantly raised both arms to shield itself.
BOOM!
The impact sent the creature flying backward.
A tremendous shockwave erupted from the collision, sweeping across the battlefield and shaking the surrounding buildings.
Evans slowly lowered his fist.
Dark crimson Demonic Energy radiated from his body.
As he walked toward the creature, the energy surrounding him became so overwhelming that several nearby beasts began to collapse.
Some struggled to breathe while others simply fell motionless.
Evans noticed what was happening.
Damn it.
If I keep releasing this much Demonic Energy, I could end up killing the Sacred Warriors too.
He immediately focused
The crimson aura surrounding his body began to shrink as he concentrated the Demonic Energy within himself.
I need to control it.
Meanwhile...
The mysterious creature slowly rose from the ground.
Its fur stood slightly on end, almost as though its body had instinctively recognized the danger.
Its playful expression had disappeared.
Its strange yellow eyes locked directly onto Evans.
For the first time...
It looked completely serious.
Evans lowered his stance.
Then—
BOOM!
He launched himself forward.
The ground beneath his feet cracked from the force.
His fist accelerated toward the creature's face.
Got you!
His fist was only inches away.
Then—
The creature disappeared.
Evans' eyes widened.
What?!
Before he could react...
The creature reappeared directly in front of him.
One smooth movement.
One precise strike.
Evans froze.
The creature's hand had pierced through his chest.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.
When did he move...?
I couldn't even see him.
His vision began to blur.
Did he...
Did he strike my heart?
The creature leaned closer.
Its face was almost expressionless.
Then, in a strangely calm voice, it whispered:
"Say hi to your friends.
Evans' eyes widened.
What...?
Before he could understand what those words meant—
The creature kicked him away.
Evans was sent flying across the battlefield before crashing heavily into the ground.
He lay motionless.
His vision slowly darkened.
I'm...
I'm really going to die this time.
His crimson eyes gradually lost their focus.
The sounds of the battlefield became distant.
The screams.
The beasts.
The destruction.
Everything slowly faded away.
And finally...
Evans' eyes closed.