In the large and luxurious building that seemed to be made of gold, an invisible figure slowly entered. Though unseen, her muddy footsteps left a visible trail behind her.
"You finally appeared, queen of invisibility?" a mocking tone called out before she could even enter the most grand hall.
She paused involuntarily.
"I have a reason for not completing the task. Who are you, Jason, to question me? Do you want to die?" the invisible woman retorted, glaring at the man dressed casually with a distinctive tattoo of crossed bones on his forehead.
"Hahaha, your incompetence can only be excused for so long. That Ray is a serious threat to us, and there's already an inevitable conflict between us," Jason said with a sneer.
"You're not one to talk; you also failed to complete the mission because of your lustful nature," the invisible woman sneered.
"Is that so?" Jason snickered.
"I destroyed the city and took all the women as slaves instead of fully capturing the city, so it can be said to be half completed. However, you didn't just fail to complete your mission; you left behind a serious threat that has already grown to threaten us all."
"What do you mean?"
"In the past month, he's created a city that will probably surpass the entire country's population. It's going viral on the internet as a safe haven. It would be one thing if it were just normal people, but strong Awakeners are joining the place, which is a problem," Jason said, a flash of killing intent in his eyes.
"Can you beat Natalia?" the invisible woman asked Jason condescendingly.
"I can't beat her, but she can't beat me either," Jason said confidently, shaking his head.
"Ray defeated her. Her end must be miserable by now. If you want to call me a failure, how about you do it yourself?"
"You—"
Jason gritted his teeth, nearly jumping at her with anger.
"It's fine, let her enter, Jason," a sweet, melodious female voice said, pausing. "And if you dare to provoke her into fighting or cause any infighting again, I will take it as an act against me."
Jason immediately froze, his back shuddering in fright. His eyes widened with sheer horror as he felt the pressure that almost suffocated him.
"As expected from someone who has made the disaster of the entire world run for its life. He is not easy to kill," she spoke eloquently.
"I wanted to kill him, though. He's a variable. Is he part of the butterfly effect from me returning from the future?" she wondered silently.
In the future she had come from, there was no mention of Ray—his name was completely absent but now he has become the biggest name in the blink of an eye...
"We will put all other agendas aside for now and focus on hunting all the undead to increase our strength as much as possible. I will grant you my blessing to push beyond your limits. When the Level Three undead truly awakens, it might spell the end of humanity. For that, you must all prepare."
The golden-haired woman said, standing up from her seat.
Almost everyone's eyes brightened at her words.
...
In the light of day, a shadowy figure appeared atop a dilapidated building. He leaped from the structure, halberd in hand, and threw it at the enormous undead spider below.
The spider, at least three men in size, had red skin covered with a whirling, dense pattern. The most striking feature was the "2" on its head.
As the halberd cut through the air, leaving a trail of fire behind, it struck the spider with a resounding bang.
Cree!
The spider let out a piercing cry, its roar echoing as green blood gushed from the deep wound caused by the spear.
"This thing is quite weak," Ray thought with a hint of disappointment, slashing at the spider with his scimitar again.
The undead spider, enraged, spewed a large amount of cobwebs to entangle the scimitar. Ray tried to move, but the web was surprisingly strong; even with his strength, he couldn't break free.
"Weak," he muttered as a small fireball materialised in his hand, burning through the web and his hand in the process in almost an instant.
The thing which couldn't be broken by his terrifying strength was so easily broken now.
The temperature had little effect on his hand, though. But the same couldn't be said about the spider, flames spread from the web directly to the spider burning it.
"It's boring now," Ray said, extending his hand. A massive globe of fire formed and hurtled toward the spider.