Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

"Axel's been selected."

Jamin stood at the head of the room, looking like he'd aged a decade in the last month. But when he spoke, a vengeful glint returned to his eyes.

"Easton, your top priority is to eliminate Axel."

Across the table, a tall, composed young man gave a small nod. "Understood."

Easton was the Windsor family's golden child—their strongest next-gen talent. At just twenty-four, he'd already reached the peak of fourth-tier Awakener. He could have broken into fifth-tier two weeks ago, but he deliberately held back… for the sake of the Abyss mission.

"Axel's strength is different than we thought," said Brooks, a high-ranking elder seated near the top, passing out a thick stack of documents.

Jamin furrowed his brow and flipped open the file. Easton leaned over to read with him.

"Wait… he's only nineteen?"

"Technically, he turned nineteen just," Brooks replied calmly.

"His Awakening skill is All Things Simulation, a very rare ability. From the current reports, he's already shown two sub-skills: one is Recharge, which temporarily boosts burst power, and the other appears to be a self-healing ability."

"There's more. Just a few days ago, Axel killed a level-five chromatic dragon, alone."

"What?!" gasps rippled around the room.

If that was true, he was already operating at a level far beyond most of them.

Brooks held up a hand to steady the room. "The dragon was already severely wounded. Based on our analysis, Axel's real combat level is somewhere around mid-fourth tier. And only under specific conditions."

He continued, pointing to key data on the battlefield log.

"We believe he has a hidden skill that allows him to stack damage over time, then release it all in one explosive burst. The chromatic dragon's large body made it difficult to retaliate, and Axel's healing ability kept him alive long enough to wear it down."

The tension eased slightly, but Jamin's face remained grim.

"I don't care if he's barely fourth-tier or halfway to Godhood. This kid is a fucking threat. If we don't deal with him now, the Windsor family will live to regret it."

Brooks nodded slightly. Axel wasn't a threat to him personally… but if they had decided to make him an enemy, then there could be no mercy.

"Everyone else, leave. Easton, stay."

As the room cleared, Easton turned to face Brooks, his expression calm.

"Uncle, I admit Axel's talent is impressive—but he doesn't pose much of a threat to me. Is there something else you want to tell me?"

Brooks gave a small smile. He truly appreciated this nephew.

At a young age, Easton already exuded composure and control. When Brooks was gone, Easton would no doubt be the face of the Windsor family.

"Easton," Brooks said evenly, "when you fight Axel, avoid getting hit by his stacked-force attack. That ability is dangerous. And one more thing—Saint Sea Twig."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Easton's eyes narrowed slightly.

The Saint Sea Twig—a rare and powerful spiritual plant—was known to enhance second-phase awakening in fifth-tier Awakeners.

Once someone reaches Level 5, they can choose to deepen their awakening in one of three paths: physical, mental, or Force-based. But the most gifted among them can also trigger a second advancement of one of their Awakening Skills—something that happens in less than 1% of high-tier Awakeners.

Axel, for example, had already evolved his healing skill into Abundant, which allowed him to restore groups of people and increase Force recovery speed. If it advanced a second time, its effects could become game-breaking.

Even if one didn't consume it, the Saint Sea Twig could be used in meditation to stabilize the mind and enhance comprehension. But if refined and absorbed directly—it could massively boost the odds of a secondary Awakening Skill advancement.

"Didn't The Saint Sea Twig need nine years to mature?"

Easton wasn't wrong. The military and the Four Great War Academies maintained maps of where spiritual plants were likely to appear. According to records, it had only been six years since the last one was harvested.

Brooks's tone lowered. "Something changed in the Abyss. The Force concentration is denser. A squad we sent in confirmed the next Saint Sea Twig is nearly ripe."

"So, in addition to killing Axel, you keep an eye on that plant."

Easton nodded, a flicker of hunger lighting up his usually composed gaze.

.......

A week later, the Dune was finally unsealed.

Axel had spent the time absorbing the chromatic dragon's Level 5 Life Crystal, and the results were beyond expectations. In deep meditation, the ancient tree image within him—his inner world—glowed with renewed vitality.

> "Physique: 2567 / 2603
> Force: 2443 / 2519
> Spirit: 2478 / 2544"

Based on raw Force metrics, Axel had already surpassed the peak of Level 3.

"All that's left… is compression," he muttered, clenching the glowing crystal fragment in his palm.

But he didn't continue absorbing.

If he pushed just a little further, Axel could reach the 3,000 Force threshold—enough to begin compression and formally step into Level 4 Awakener territory. But with the Abyss looming, he chose caution.

Better to save that power for a life-or-death situation inside.

......

"Annabelle, be safe while I'm gone."

He left behind all the spare Life Crystals he'd collected during the slum clean-ups. They'd be her emergency reserves while he was away.

Then, without looking back, Axel boarded the military transport plane.

......

"The Abyss."

Before departure, Vince and Rosaline had spoken with him in private.

This time, only Axel and Millers were under the qualification threshold to be selected for the mission. Vince and Rosaline, both above the cut-off, were forced to stay behind.

But before he left, they handed him something—a map of the Abyss.

It was marked with the distribution of known spiritual plants, force clusters, and hazardous zones.

But Axel's true objective wasn't treasure or rare materials.

He was going in to uncover the truth behind Isaac's words—whether they were lies, half-truths.

...........

Everton.

Lying flat on the bed, Isaac pulled the black hood over his face once again.

The familiar dizziness came fast—his vision faded to black.

When it returned, the throne room was cloaked in shadow. The figure sitting atop the obsidian throne said nothing.

Isaac broke the silence first.

"Lord Aurelion, Axel accepted my offer."

The silhouette stirred slightly, the faint outline of a face forming in the gloom. His voice, low and sharp, echoed.

"Oh? Last I heard, the boy's a suspicious little bastard."

Isaac's breath hitched.

He hadn't expected Aurelion to be so well-informed about Axel's character.

"I had the same concern," Isaac admitted. "It may have gone too smoothly. Either he's got information we don't, or… he's already been piecing together the truth about Lord Liorael's disappearance."

The figure on the throne nodded, once. "Very well."

He waved his hand, and in an instant, Isaac's surroundings shifted—he now sat at the familiar round table with five other hooded figures.

Today, six of the council were present.

"We're deploying four this time," Aurelion said. "To avoid overlap and confusion, the operation's code is: The night has no eyes, but the wind still listens."

No one spoke.

"The next meeting will be two days from now. Once the Abyss opens… those who betrayed Liorael will begin to move."

Isaac's chest tightened.

If Liorael's research had ended up in the right hands, maybe—just maybe—the world wouldn't be crawling with the infected today.

.....

Western Bridgeport.

"Axel!"

Millers, wrapped in a stylish gray windbreaker and wearing sunglasses that screamed overconfidence, lit up with a grin as he spotted his friend.

"No one else is here this time. Just us—finally, we can have some real fun. I'm already in love with this place."

He lowered his sunglasses just enough to scan the crowd. "Man… the girls here? Absolute goddesses."

Axel had to admit—Bridgeport's crowd did seem... above average.

Millers continued cheerfully, "Let's go. I booked a hotel already. I'll introduce you to a couple of the guys when we get there."