Strongest Deliveryman In The Apocalypse

"Skriaaaaaakkkkk!!!"

The Chaos Angel screeched.

The sound rippled across the desert like the shriek of a thousand blades scraping metal.

Many Riders had scattered into the horizon, their engines roaring in panic, leaving behind only carnage and corpses. The caravan had split in many directions, and they were doing their best to create distance from the A Rank Monster.

However, against such a colossal beast, how far could they really go that could guarantee their safety?

As for Sobin…

The Angel's burning gaze settled on his vehicle.

Gary's blood was still fresh on its steps, staining the floor where he'd begged for his life. The creature tilted its head, wings twitching with an almost curious malice.

Then, with a lazy flap, it sliced downward.

SHRRRRANG!

The mobile prison exploded.

Steel warped and tore apart like paper, the vehicle's frame disintegrating under the storm of obsidian feathers. The ground trembled from the force, a dust cloud rising to blanket the wreckage. For a moment, it seemed nothing could have survived.

But when the dust cleared—

Sobin was sitting there.

Calm. Untouched. Not a scratch on him. The shackles that bound him hung loosely, one strap snapping off as if embarrassed to have tried.

"…Huh," Sobin muttered, blinking at the destruction around him. "Well, that's inconvenient."

The Angel froze mid-air.

Its aura, once exuding the indifference of a predator among insects, sharpened into focus.

This one—this man—had not only survived, but had done so casually. For the first time since its ascension, the Chaos Angel looked challenged.

Its wings spread wide.

"Ah." Sobin scratched his cheek. "Guess you're not gonna let me walk away, huh?"

WHOOSH!

As if to answer his question, the Angel dove.

Feathers rained down like meteors, each one sharp enough to pierce tank armor.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The desert floor erupted with every strike, sand turning to glass where the impact landed. A hundred, then two hundred, then thousands of feathers darkened the sky, falling in a black storm.

Sobin stood there, hands in his pockets. The feathers whistled toward him.

CLINK. CLINK. CLINK.

Every blade bounced off him. Some snapped in half. One actually spun around mid-air and buried itself back into the ground beside the Angel, as though ashamed.

Sobin sighed.

Usually, he'd be excited to put up a fight, but he was in a rather awkward situation.

"SKRIAAAAAKKK!!"

The Chaos Angel shrieked again—this time, much louder.

Clearly, small arms weren't going to cut it. Its chest pulsed, light gathering in a brilliant, searing orb between its wings. The desert dimmed as though the world itself was holding its breath.

Gary's body lay discarded in the dirt, but if he had been alive, he might've screamed: "That's not just a beam. That's a city killer."

The Angel loosed it.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

A column of raw destruction, wide as a fortress wall, screamed downward.

Everything in its path disintegrated.

The earth itself peeled away, the shockwave sending dunes tumbling for miles.

And Sobin?

Sobin raised one hand.

"Stop that." With a lazy swipe, as though brushing dust off a table, he tilted the beam.

The attack veered away violently, curving across the desert sky before slamming into the distant mountains. For a heartbeat, the range stood tall. Then—

FWOOMMMMM!

Gone. The mountains ceased to exist, replaced with a smoking crater visible from half a continent away.

Sobin looked at the absence of mountains, then at the Angel. He exhaled through his nose.

"That was dangerous…"

"...!" The Chaos Angel hovered, wings quivering with rage, power gathering for another strike.

Sobin, meanwhile, dusted himself off, looking around the wreckage.

"Alright… now where's Bessie?" He turned in a slow circle, ignoring the death machine screaming above him. His gaze followed the faint tire tracks etched into the sand where the caravan had dragged off his beloved truck.

"Figures," Sobin muttered. "They panic, they run, they take the only thing I actually care about." He sighed, tilting his head back to glare at the sky.

"System. You've been quiet for a while. Any advice?"

[Calculating.]

The voice in his head hummed softly, like an office clerk filing paperwork at the worst possible time.

"Take your time," Sobin said, rolling his eyes. "It's not like I was arrested and now I'm being targeted by a death-bird."

[My recommendation is that you wait a little longer.]

"…That's your grand strategy? Wait?" Sobin's eyebrow twitched. "And what of Bessie?"

[If my calculations are correct, this can serve as a Chain Quest that will be most beneficial to you.]

"Chain Quest again, huh?" Sobin pinched the bridge of his nose. "I guess I gotta go with this…"

Right as Sobin felt like he was about to die from frustration, he felt a strange hum.

It was loud… overwhelmingly loud.

The desert trembled violently—not from the Angel this time, but from engines roaring in the sky.

Sobin looked up. His lips quirked.

A fleet of flying vessels pierced through the clouds, sleek warships glistening under the sun. They stretched across the horizon in neat formation, dozens upon dozens, their guns bristling with weaponry.

Reinforcements from Sector E-46 had arrived!

"Finally," Sobin muttered.

"The cavalry." He leaned back on his heels, folding his arms. "Guess I don't have to lift a finger after all."

The ships opened fire.

A wall of artillery, missiles, and laser rounds poured downward in a brilliant display of firepower. The sky lit up brighter than noon, beams streaking toward the Chaos Angel with pinpoint accuracy.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

BAM! BAM! BAM!

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!

Explosions erupted across its wings, bursts of energy rocking the desert floor. For the first time, the Angel actually screeched—not in dominance, but in pain.

"Oh-ho! They actually nicked it." Sobin's eyes lit up. He grinned like a spectator at an arena match, leaning slightly forward.

"Looks like they'll be ending this pretty soon."

The Angel stopped moving at this point.

Its wings folded close, its body trembling with coiled energy. Then, with a sound like the sky ripping in half, it unleashed a single beam.

Not scattered fire. Not an area sweep. Just one.

The line of light carved through the fleet.

Every vessel it touched winked out of existence—first the lead cruiser, then the flankers, then the stragglers. Ships that carried crews of hundreds, bristling with weapons and shields, evaporated like dew under the morning sun.

In less than three seconds, the sky was empty. Not even debris fell. Just dust.

Silence stretched across the desert.

Sobin stared.

Then, very slowly, he scratched the back of his head.

"…Well." He clicked his tongue. "I stand corrected."