Apocalypse Baby

Authors Note: Big shoutout to IcyShadow2323 for making this chapter possible! Thanks for the pizza, you're the MVP at the moment!

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Alex's mind was a storm of conflicting emotions as Edgar inched closer.

The man's boots crunched against the grass, each step loud enough to rattle Alex's resolve.

A voice deep inside whispered temptations:

Just let them go. Let them kill your colleagues. It's not your problem.

The thought sent a shiver through him.

Alex clenched his fists, shaking his head violently as if to physically shove the idea away.

The right choice was clear.

He needed to stop these murderers, here and now. Anything else would be a betrayal—to Jonah, Nancy, Evelyn, and himself.

But the fact that such a selfish thought had even crossed his mind forced Alex to confront a darker question.

Is this what I've become?

Someone so desperate to avoid pain that he'd let others die to protect his own feelings?

He gritted his teeth, fury bubbling beneath the surface. His fists clenched tighter, his nails digging into his palms.

It wasn't who he was. Neither was it who he wanted to be.

Cowardice would be the easy path, but it was a path Alex refused to take.

Letting murderers run free, letting Jonah, Nancy, and Evelyn be hunted down—he wouldn't allow it.

No matter how much Alex tried to deny it, he cared about the three of them—Jonah, Evelyn, and Nancy—more than he wanted to admit.

As for Thompson and his lackeys? They could burn for all he cared.

But Nancy... she was different.

Alex couldn't pinpoint when it started, but he'd begun to feel something for her. In this brutal, unforgiving environment, those kinds of emotions were risky—maybe even dangerous.

And yet, he couldn't ignore them.

So when he heard Luther mention that Nancy was his ex, it struck a nerve.

A pang of jealousy flared within him, unexpected and sharp.

Luther and Nancy seemed like complete opposites, their paths too divergent to make sense together. But then again, what did Alex really know about her?

Who is Nancy, really?

The thought gnawed at him. Could she be like Luther, a killer who had abandoned morality to survive? Or worse, a spy—a mole sent to betray the group all for tutorial points?

He didn't have the answers.

And honestly, Alex realized he didn't care.

Nancy's past, her connection to Luther, her reasons for being here—none of it mattered.

She wasn't just anyone to him. She was someone he cared about, and that was all he needed to know.

Alex took a deep breath, his fists tightening.

He couldn't stand by and let innocent lives—let Nancy—be wiped out by these monsters. If he had the power to stop it and did nothing, he knew he'd never forgive himself.

"Hey, Edgar, be careful!" Kiev's voice rang out, laced with a deep sense of unease as he watched his teammate steadily advance toward the bushes.

His eyes narrowed, searching for any signs of danger, but the quiet stillness of the surroundings made him feel more uncertain with each passing second.

The rest of the group hung back, their weapons drawn and ready, every one of them alert, eyes darting across the terrain in search of any potential threat that might be lying in wait, just out of sight.

The air was thick with tension, each of them sensing that something wasn't quite right.

Despite the weight of the situation, Edgar remained unfazed.

His movements were deliberate and calm, his fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.

With each step, his boots crunching softly against the earth, he closed the distance between himself and the trembling outline of a figure crouched low behind the bushes.

The figure barely moved, its form quivering in the shadows.

Edgar's gaze hardened.

A coward, he thought with a flicker of disdain.

Hiding behind a bush, thinking it can escape. Pathetic.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, his eyes scanning for any signs of threat.

He didn't feel fear—no, just the anticipation of dealing with this weak prey, an animal too scared to even stand its ground.

It was the type of prey he enjoyed the most.

"Come on out," Edgar growled, his voice low and menacing.

His hand stretched forward, fingers splayed as he reached for the collar of the hidden figure, ready to yank them into the open with a forceful tug.

But as his fingers brushed against the edge of the figure's clothing, everything shifted in an instant.

A sharp, deliberate exhale cut through the silence, like the hiss of a predator preparing to strike. The sound was so measured, so chilling, that it sent a jolt through Edgar's spine, a warning his instincts screamed at him—but it was already too late.

Whoosh.

The distinct hum of a blade slicing through the air filled the space, a lethal arc of steel cutting through the atmosphere with terrifying speed. The rush of air that followed was like a ghost whispering its final warning.

For a split second, there was nothing but silence—an eerie, unnatural pause in the action, like time itself had slowed, holding its breath.

Then came the heavy thud of Edgar's head hitting the ground.

His body jerked briefly, like a ragdoll caught in the last twitch of life, before it collapsed, lifeless, onto the dirt with a sickening thud.

The rest of the group froze in place, their minds struggling to comprehend what had just unfolded.

Eyes wide, their faces pale with shock and horror, they stared at the sight of their Edgar decapitated form, unable to process what they had just witnessed.

Ding!

The soft chime of a kill notification echoed in Alex's ears, but he paid it no mind.

Rising slowly from the bushes, he stepped into the open with a casual, almost lazy gait.

His demeanor was calm, but the tension in the air was palpable.

In his hand, the [Eclipse Edge] gleamed ominously as he pointed it toward the rest of the group. They stood frozen in shock, their initial disbelief giving way to a simmering rage.

"You guys brought this on yourselves," Alex said, his voice smooth yet cold, tilting his head slightly as if the entire situation bored him. "All because you mentioned Nancy."

"You bastard! Who are you?!" Jagger roared, gripping his massive hammer tightly. His booming voice did little to mask the anger—and a hint of unease—rising in him.

He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.

Edgar was one of their best, and yet he'd fallen without so much as a warning. The thought gnawed at Jagger, but he forced it aside.

Alex didn't even spare him a glance, his expression remaining detached as he continued in a weary tone.

"You kill your own kind for a few meager points and revel in the blood you spill. Now, it's time to pay the price for your sins."

"Enough of this nonsense!" Luther barked, stepping forward, his grip tightening on his spear.

He'd heard enough from this self-righteous stranger. Raising his weapon, Luther unleashed a volley of glowing energy beams, each one tearing through the air with a high-pitched screech.

The beams slammed into Alex with explosive force, the resulting blasts kicking up clouds of dust and debris. The shockwaves rippled outward, shaking the ground beneath them.

The sheer rage behind Luther's attack reverberated through the ground, the blasts leaving cracks and scorch marks where they struck. The air was heavy with heat and tension as the dust slowly began to settle.

Luther stood still, his spear lowered, convinced the problem was solved.

"This clown must've gotten lucky with Edgar," Luther muttered under his breath. "Overconfident fool. He probably thought we'd all be pushovers."

He scoffed, turning his back to the aftermath. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

The tutorial had only just begun, and Luther was sure no one could be at a higher level than his group. Edgar's death, he reasoned, was the result of carelessness, not skill.

But then—a cough.

Luther froze, his grip tightening on the spear. Slowly, he turned back to the settling fumes, his heart pounding against his ribcage.

And there he was.

The figure stepped through the dissipating smoke, completely unharmed. Alex casually waved his hand through the lingering fumes, clearing his line of sight.

"Nice attack," Alex said with a playful grin, his tone light as though he were talking to an old friend. But then his expression darkened, his eyes narrowing with a predatory gleam.

"But…" he continued, his voice dropping to a cold, menacing growl. "It's my turn."

Before anyone could react, Alex vanished.

Luther's eyes widened, his instincts screaming danger, but it was too late. In a split second, Alex reappeared directly in front of him, his movement so fast it was almost a blur.

Luther barely had time to flinch as Alex's palm shot forward, aiming straight for his face.

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Author's Note:

An ice-cold cola or a slice of pizza would totally make my day. Show some love to this struggling author, huh? No homo, just a hungry writer out here. 😎🍕