"Stop…"
Hearing that urgent sound, Xavier's punch froze in mid-air. Aron's face was pale as paper, his wide eyes reflecting Xavier's fist hanging in mid-air. For some reason, he had a feeling if that fist made contact with his head, it would be the end of him.
For a moment a slightly complicated look appeared in his eyes. He turned his head back to look at Mia standing behind him; she looked completely shaken.
Mia flinched immediately once her eyes made contact with Xavier. Although she didn't like Aron, but not to the point of wanting him dead.
Not just her, but Xavier could feel the entire crowd watching, their eyes having an evaluative look in them, as if Xavier's next actions would decide whether he was still human or Abyssal Corrupted as the authorities said.
This thought...! That look in the onlookers' eyes... caused a smile to appear on Xavier's face.
After what Aron had done to him multiple times, taking his silence as weakness, if he dealt with him now, it was bound to come back later and bite him in the ass.
But then came the next important question: could he really take human lives as easily as breathing?
At that thought Xavier's fist slightly shook. He was innocently thrown into the prison on false charges, but now was he any different from animals?
Oh my, I never knew you had such talent for acting as well. By any chance, your talent shouldn't have anything to do with acting... Or could it be your moral side only rises when dealing with humans? Why didn't you think about any of these questions while slaughtering those countless other living beings...
It wasn't clear whether Zerin was always waiting for such a moment to mock him or she was really pissed. Xavier didn't know; he wanted to instinctively retort.
It was in self-defense; they tried to kill me first... However, he didn't say those words out loud because he feared her response.
However, there was no need for him to say anything. Zerin guessed his thoughts and said in a snickering tone:
Oho... did he not do the exact same... threatening his life in critical moments... not just once but again and again, as if his life was worthless?
Should he just forgive Aron just because he was human? Humans were also the awakeners that he killed without blinking.
Argh! Countless thoughts appeared in his head out of nowhere, almost pushing him to the verge of going mad.
Yeah, why did he not think about all these things when killing those awakeners? Why was he contemplating the morality of actions when dealing with Aron?
Slowly the frustration was turning into anger, and before he could realize it, something happened.
Bang! Xavier's punch struck Aron squarely on the face. Following a guttural sound, blood and crushed bones exploded outward.
A simple system message made him realize what he had actually done.
[You have absorbed the Soul Record of Level 7 Human Aron. +1 Strength]
The last message almost made him laugh out loud. All this time Aron had been trying to put him down, while in death he actually increased his strength. The absurdity of the situation made him chuckle out loud.
He wondered if Aron knew of this, how would he react?
"NOOO!" Millie's loud, terrified shriek echoed in the pin-drop silence that had gripped the surroundings. The eyes of over dozens of people waiting outside the army camp were on Xavier, especially at his bloodied hand.
Gasp! A young man with a slightly terrified face gasped loudly and said, "He is really a monster; the tests were true..."
Maybe it was his words or Xavier's title, the "Bane of Humanity," that he had gotten at the start, but after those words, the eyes of everyone present turned hostile. Even for a very brief moment, he saw killing intent flashing in Millie and Jackie's eyes.
Look at the faces of all these people... for one moment they would not hesitate to rip you to shreds just to make sure they don't live with you...
It was Zerin again, that vixen. She never let go of any chance to mock Xavier. Her words were purposely worded to create a rift between these humans and Xavier.
Xavier was not stupid; he could understand what she was trying to do. As such, most of the time he tried to ignore her words. Although her words were said with ill intent, that didn't mean they were completely false.
He got up while slowly shaking his hand to throw the blood and pieces of flesh sticking to his palm. Without saying a single word, he started walking away, with each step moving away from the crowd and the army camp.
The irony of the situation was quite huge. Just a few moments ago, he was fighting tooth and nail just so that he can finally reach the camp. Now that he was here, he had no choice but to leave.
The thought made a small resigned smile appear on his face.
No matter what he thought, Xavier didn't turn his head back but continued walking. By this time the sun was completely below the horizon. Cold and dark night gripped the surroundings; the only source of light was the burning objects in this hellish landscape.
Millie and Jackie simply stared into the empty air, their minds still trying to process the situation.
It was at this time the main gate of the army camp slid open and Commander Jackson walked out step by step. His expression was cold and indefinite, but the fury hidden in those eyes was clear for everyone to see.
A random hobo had barged into his camp and killed his men without hesitation; he had no intention of letting this slide.
When his thoughts reached this point, he turned to Lucy beside him and said in a low voice, "This is your target. Finish him fast, and I will make sure that you see the face of your daughter before sunrise."
For the very first time, a subtle twitch appeared on Lucy's face. The next moment a terrifying pressure burst out from her, crushing the scattered pieces of stones into powder instantly.
Almost at the same time, Xavier felt her aura and his steps automatically halted.
Why did you stop, idiot! This is a Sequence One being... Don't even think about dealing with her... Zerin's slightly alarmed voice echoed in his head.
Jackie's head slowly turned toward Lucy then back at Xavier; a complicated look flashed in her eyes.
Millie didn't react, as if she couldn't watch this scene at all.
Meanwhile, Lucy's aura attracted the eyes of the crowd as well. The pressure radiating from her body was suffocating, especially for the ordinary people; all of them felt as if something had been placed on their shoulders.