Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

The silence that followed was deafening. Tension thickened in the air. Everyone could feel it—Crowe was far stronger than anyone here. If he snapped, there was no stopping him.

Declan leaned in close, whispering, sweat glistening on his forehead. "Axel… you didn't—"

"I didn't," Axel said quietly, eyes locked on Crowe.

Crowe smiled—a crooked, knowing thing—and gently pressed his palm down.

In an instant, beams of silver light tore through the courtyard, slicing across the space like lightning. The ground cracked, the air sparked—and then came the smell.

Burnt flesh.

Before Axel could even react, three people near him collapsed, their bodies seared to blackened husks by the lights.

"Spare us! Please! Don't kill me!" A few people dropped to their knees, sobbing, trembling.

Crowe just chuckled, his voice laced with mockery. "Stop whining. If you didn't steal anything, why are you pissing yourselves?"

He hobbled forward a few more steps, then paused. "…No. Someone's still missing."

Axel's eyes darted toward the place where the dark-skinned man had stood earlier. No body. No ash. And then—

"Die, old man!" A blur of movement—too fast for most eyes to follow—flashed into existence right beside Crowe. The wiry man appeared as if summoned by shadow itself, blade in hand, striking straight for Crowe's neck in a flash of silver.

Damn, he's fast! Axel barely registered the swing before it landed. The blade sliced clean through, and Crowe's head dropped to the floor with a dull thunk.

Sparks flickered where flesh should've been. Everyone stood frozen.

"…Crowe's dead?" Grayson whispered, his voice hoarse with disbelief.

Even the attacker seemed stunned by how easy it was. He gave a low chuckle, wiped the blade clean, and turned to leave. But he didn't take a second step.

With a wet snap, Crowe's "corpse" convulsed—and split wide open.

From his torso, metal ribs shot out like monstrous tentacles, coiling around the man like a trap sprung shut. The attacker didn't even have time to scream.

The body was glowing now, red lights pulsing in its core like a bomb ready to go off. Axel's blood ran cold.

"Get down!" Axel didn't hesitate, and he yanked Declan down to the ground.

An instant later, a thunderous explosion lit up the sky. A column of flame shot upward, and a shockwave ripped through the courtyard like a tidal wave of heat and force.

People screamed. Some were thrown like rag dolls, others hit the ground hard, coughing up blood. By the time they staggered to their feet, the only trace left of the dark-skinned man was scattered chunks of burnt meat.

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The hiss of grinding metal echoed through the space. A series of waist-high robots rolled out from another sleek silver warehouse. They moved with eerie precision, sweeping up blood and gore like janitors on autopilot.

"I knew it. Some damn rats have been eyeing my research."

That old, gravelly voice rang out again. Dr. Crowe stepped out from the warehouse, looking exactly the same as before.

That was a decoy?! The realization hit all of them at once.

Crowe hadn't even been present. The man they'd watched get beheaded and explode had been a goddamn robot. One that looked and moved exactly like him.

The awe in the air turned to quiet fear.

He just smoked a Level 4 Stealth Awakened like it was nothing. If Crowe wanted them dead… they wouldn't stand a chance.

Axel narrowed his eyes, studying the "new" Dr. Crowe. The resemblance was flawless—but the aura was different. Subtle, but real. Having worked with life crystals for so long, Axel had developed a kind of sixth sense for human presence. This version of Crowe had… more life in him.

"Congratulations," Crowe said with a smirk. "You all passed my little test."

His cane clicked once against the tile as he stepped forward. "I've got a task that requires people I can trust. That's why I arranged this small… test. I assume no one objects?"

Object? Who'd be crazy enough to speak up after seeing someone get blown to pieces?

"Congratulations again," Crowe went on, "you've earned my precious trust. Now pay attention."

He pointed a bony finger toward the wall, and like magic, it shimmered, transforming into a massive screen.

Footage of two wrecked trucks appeared, smoke still curling from their twisted frames.

"Someone's been helping themselves to my shipments."

"I've sent trucks out of the city for materials three times," Crowe said, his tone colder now. "Each time, my people were ambushed. Each time, the goods were stolen."

His eyes glinted dangerously behind his glasses.

"Someone's jealous. Exotic Beast Pills are big business. But I haven't found out who yet. When I do… well."

He didn't need to finish that sentence. The smoldering crater in the courtyard had said enough.

"If my materials don't get through, I can't make the pills. And if I can't make the pills, no one makes money. That's bad for all of us."

That hit them at home.

"Tomorrow, I'll send out a fake shipment—something to bait the enemy," Crowe continued, his tone almost amused now. "But you will be driving the real ones."

"One truck per gang. Don't worry..... Bring them back safe, and you'll be rewarded." Crowe let out a raspy, humorless laugh.

Axel clenched his jaw. Shit. That wasn't good.

If he hadn't heard the full plan, he could've played dumb, maybe even walked away. But now? He was in it. Crowe had shared his secrets—backing out wasn't on the menu.

"Thank you for your trust, Dr. Crowe!"

"Who the hell's got the balls to rob from you?! We'll take care of it!"

The other gang leaders practically fell over themselves trying to flatter the old man.

"The opportunity has come!" The Exotic Beast Pill supply had dried up recently. He used to get a shipment every week. This past week, nothing. He thought he'd been cut out.

But now, Declan was excited. Axel stood in stony silence, arms crossed, eyes on the screen. The frown on his face made him stand out like a sore thumb. Declan nudged him hard with an elbow.

"What the hell are you doing? Wipe that look off your face!"

Declan's voice was hushed. He'd seen what Crowe was capable of—and the last thing he needed was Axel drawing heat for both of them.

Axel realized he was drawing too much attention with that grim expression and quickly adjusted, forcing a grin. "Someone dares to rob Mr. Crowe?" Axel shouted, his voice full of righteous fire. "We Steel Serpents won't stand for that shit!"

Crowe let out a dry chuckle. "Not bad, not bad. I like the fire."

His gaze swept over the gathered crowd, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. These were the kind of people he wanted—rough around the edges, not too clever, but obedient when it counted.

"In that case," Crowe continued, tapping lightly on his mechanical arm, "there's no reason to wait. Let's go make something big happen."

With a hiss and a rumble, the silver warehouse beside them creaked open. Massive, heavy-duty trucks rolled out one after another, polished metal gleaming under the pale sky. They were monsters of machines—built for power, not subtlety.

This was it. This was the real operation. Everything else had been just a warm-up. As the other Awakened began climbing into their trucks, Axel's gut twisted. Something felt wrong.