What the hell made Kael Voss snap like this?
He took a deep, shuddering breath, voice low and gravelly with suppressed rage.
Then—crash!
He knocked over his chair with a crash.
Then stormed off, every step oozing fury.
Seconds later, everyone in the dining hall let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Captain Reno, what's wrong with the boss?"
"Gods, that scared the shit out of me! I didn't even dare breathe!"
"Phew… The boss's aura is getting scarier by the day!"
Reno Stark's mouth twitched, voice sharp with irritation.
"Quit yapping and eat up! The boss is in a shit mood—don't ask for trouble!"
Elara Voss left Champs-Élysées.
Before she'd walked far, a scene of feverish activity came into view.
Safe Zone construction had reached a fever pitch.
Except for the elderly and children, almost no one was idle.
Under the direction of technical staff, men sweated profusely.
Trucks of all sizes were loaded with sand and cement.
Several water tankers darted back and forth, engines roaring.
Sieving sand, mixing cement, building walls—hundreds of people worked in every direction.
The air was filled with a roar of voices.
Yet there was no chaos. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
At the Safe Zone gate, the guard room and monitoring room were already completed.
Five guard-like figures stood at the entrance, eyes sharp and alert.
The four-meter-tall main gate was tightly shut.
Only a narrow side door—barely wide enough for one person to pass through—was open for entry and exit.
Survivors streaming in from all directions lined up.
They registered one by one at the guard station.
The registration was simple: basic personal information.
The focus, though, was on professional skills and expertise.
This way, assigning suitable jobs within the Safe Zone would be easier.
The Safe Zone provided housing, but rent was required.
Nowadays, RMB was worthless paper.
Beast Cores had become the hard currency.
Additionally, rare items like Mutated Beast hides, tendons, and horns could also be used as money.
Specific values could be consulted and evaluated at the Safe Zone's Appraisal Center.
Elara Voss wandered around the Safe Zone.
The basic facilities were already in place.
Beyond rushing to complete the city walls, the next step was to standardize management.
A series of measures and systems needed to be established—things that would improve over time.
For now, the Safe Zone's prospects looked promising.
Kael Voss was indeed capable—no denying that.
Elara nodded silently.
Suddenly, she thought of Kael's dark, brooding face and shook her head with a sigh.
Fine.
She'd go explain things to that stubborn fool.
Arguing with him wasn't worth the hassle, but it had to be done.
Besides, Elias Voss and the others needed their weapons forged using Kael's fire Superpower.
When she returned to Champs-Élysées to find Kael, she ran into Reno Stark head-on.
The moment Reno saw her, he let out an involuntary sigh of relief.
He hurried over.
"Miss Elara, you're back! The boss and Young Master Jaxon are going at it—hurry over, or someone's gonna get hurt!"
Elara's heart skipped a beat.
She quickly followed Reno.
They reached the specially designated office.
As soon as she pushed the door open, Elara's breath caught.
Kael was swinging a fist at Jaxon Hale—his knuckles wreathed in a thin, nearly invisible layer of black flames, the aura of his fire Superpower blazing!
Elara's heart jumped to her throat.
Shit! If that punch landed, Jaxon would be reduced to ashes—no one could survive that fire!
What infuriated her more? The man about to be incinerated didn't dodge or flinch.
Unaware of the danger, he stood tall and faced Kael head-on!
"Tch! You're Elara's brother, so what?" Jaxon sneered.
"I'm not afraid of you! Elara chose to team up with us, not you!"
Just as the two were about to collide—boom!
Elara kicked Jaxon out of the way.
"What the hell are you doing now?!" Elara snapped, voice cold as ice.
Elara chased away the aggrieved Jaxon.
Once they were alone in the room, she looked at Kael's somber, dim-eyed face.
She rubbed her brows, asking in exasperation.
"Do you realize he'd be dead if that punch hit him?!" she pressed, tone icy.
"What's so unspoken that you have to resort to violence? Can't you talk like a normal person?"
She'd intended to berate him.
But thoughts of their past lives made her sigh.
Fine.
She owed him after all. She'd soften her tone.
Kael's eyes flickered, a hint of surprise in them.
Had Elara's temper always been this mild? No—more precisely, had she ever been this gentle with him?
He parted his lips, voice gruff and unyielding.
"He deserved it! That bastard's clinging to you like a leech—I'll crush him if he dares get close again!"
Elara rolled her eyes.
In this guy's eyes, almost everyone deserved a beating!
"I've decided to make Dorian Hale the Deputy Safe Zone Leader."
"He can't handle everything alone—there's too much work."
"I suggested Jaxon be his assistant."
"They're cousins, so they can trust each other."
"But he refused."
"Said he'd rather follow you—swore he'd stick by your side no matter where you go… That damn guy!"
Kael's jaw tightened, black flames flickering at his fingertips again.
Kael's gaze turned sharp as a blade.
He clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on his knuckles.
The air around him grew colder with his rage!
Elara shook her head.
After a moment's hesitation, she stepped forward and took his hand—the one that looked ready to lash out at any second.
"The White Tiger Squad I formed with them is under your command."
"Beyond the Safe Zone, you need your own private force."
"I've thought about it."
"You have fire Superpower—your force will be called Blaze Legion."
"And our White Tiger Squad will be its first elite team."
"They're skilled and trustworthy—rare talents."
"Let them be the backbone of Blaze Legion, working for you."
What do you think?"
Kael whipped his head around to look at her, eyes wide with shock.
He flipped his hand, grasping her soft little hand tightly.
His voice trembled slightly with disbelieving hope.
"Is this true? You're doing this… for me?"
Elara smiled faintly.
"Naturally. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother with all this."
"Besides, it's the Apocalypse—loners don't last long."
Kael suddenly pulled her into his arms.
He held her so tightly as if he was afraid she'd slip away.
His tall frame trembled slightly, rage fading away, leaving only raw vulnerability.
After a long moment, he whispered, voice hoarse with relief and grievance.
"Elara, I thought you… didn't want me anymore."
I thought you didn't need me.
I thought you didn't want me in your world, your life.
I thought you were pushing me away.
Thank gods… thank gods you're not.
"What nonsense are you thinking?" Elara struggled free.
She shot the restless man a glare, but there was no real anger in her eyes.
"Enough stalling."
"I plan to forge some weapons today."
"While we have time, I'll make some proper gear for your men too."
Kael's mood lifted instantly.
The gloom on his face was chased away by a bright smile.
He looked like a kid who'd just gotten his favorite candy.
"Great. Let's go to the top floor."
"I have plenty of cold weapons in my spatial storage—should be enough."
Kael called for Reno.
He instructed him to survey his men on their preferred weapons and weights, then list them and send the list to the top floor.
Reno agreed readily.
Kael and Elara headed upstairs together.
Reno stood there, thinking.
If the boss and Miss Elara were personally forging weapons for the men… those lucky bastards!
This would boost morale like nothing else.
He grinned and hurried off to inform the others.
"Now that we've settled on the force's name, we need to make a logo quickly."
Elara sounded a little regretful.
"Too bad we can't stamp the Blaze Legion logo on these weapons."
"As for the logo…"
Kael thought for a moment, eyes softening as he looked at Elara.
"Gold base with a black flame in the center. We'll use that for the emblem too—all Blaze Legion members will wear it with pride."
He'd finalized Blaze Legion's logo.
"Gold base, black flame… Not bad."
"It should be eye-catching."
Elara suggested calmly.
"Right now, Blaze Legion is too small. We should recruit more people when we have time."
"We need strict assessments, and establish relevant systems and benefits—quality over quantity, no exceptions."
"Hmm, I have a plan," Kael nodded.
They found a large empty room.
With a wave of Kael's hand, over a hundred cold weapons appeared—machetes, iron rods, steel pipes, and more.
He snapped his fingers.
A cluster of pitch-black flames sparked at his fingertips, dancing wildly yet under perfect control.
Kael tossed it gently into the air.
The black flames floated there, flickering unsteadily.
Elara waved her hand.
A dozen machetes flew into the flames.
The moment they made contact, they melted into a pool of molten iron.
"Control the temperature—don't make it too high, or it'll vaporize!" Elara warned quickly.
Kael chuckled, a hint of pride in his voice.
He focused on the black flames.
They suddenly dispersed into a translucent hue, the temperature dropping instantly.
The molten iron bubbled and gurgled.
No sign of vaporization, though.
Elara was amazed by Kael's control.
She quickly channeled her metal Superpower into the molten iron, shaping the weapon with her ability.
It was their first time working together.
Yet they were surprisingly in sync.
In about twenty minutes, a pitch-black heavy sword was finished.
Elara waved her hand.
The heavy sword flew out of the flames into her palm.
Kael leaned over.
His eyes landed on the circular gold-and-black flame emblem on the hilt.
He smiled in satisfaction.
The gold represented Elara's metal Superpower.
The black flame, his fire Superpower.
This was their Blaze Legion—born from their teamwork, bound by their bond.
With experience, they worked faster.
Soon, a steel whip for Piper Thorne and a combat knife for Jaxon Hale were fresh out of the flames!
By the time Reno brought the list, the two were taking a break.
Looking at the pitch-black heavy sword, the gleaming combat knife, and the imposing steel whip on the ground, Reno's eyes widened.
He swallowed hard.
Gods, these were awesome! The craftsmanship was far beyond any ordinary weapon—definitely forged with Superpower!
"What weapon does Reno like?" Elara asked with a smile, noticing his gaze.
She'd always had a good impression of Reno—nothing romantic, but like a friend or family member.
He was loyal, reliable, and never shied away from danger.
In her past life, because of her, Reno had stuck by Kael's side through countless dangers and humiliations.
He never wavered in his loyalty, even when things were at their darkest.
In this life, he'd dropped everything in H City.
He'd raced to X City in an army truck at her word, no hesitation.
All these things made Elara care about Reno.
To her, he was a loyal subordinate—like family—deserving of special treatment and trust.
"Speak up. Don't be shy," Elara said gently, looking at the hesitant Reno.
"After all, you left everything in H City to protect my parents at my request."
"I've never seen you as an outsider."
"We're family. If you need anything, just say so."
Reno's eyes reddened.
He wiped the corner of his eye and grinned.
"I've always liked axes."
"But I want a big one—wide, heavy, with a sharp edge. That way…"
He swung his arm in a chopping motion, eyes lighting up.
Reno gestured, then sighed regretfully.
"But axes are only for close combat, not long-range."
"Still, they're heavy and sharp—good for chopping, smashing, slicing, hacking… all sorts of moves!"
"Perfect for taking down Mutated Beasts!"
Elara laughed softly, a rare warm glint in her cold eyes.
"Alright. Stay here and watch. I can adjust it anytime if something's off—we'll make you the perfect axe."