'Started?' Nyx snorted while Lily gave Malcolm the promised rundown on what she discussed with Leo. 'Those people were at war ever since the Emissaries attacked their safe zone. Now, it's just moving to the next stage. I can't wait.'

He rolled his eyes. Of course, you can't. What happened to being careful and not taking unnecessary risks? I thought you wanted to stay away from those people.

The feline gave him a side glance. 'That was when we were tired from killing the Treant. I never said we should avoid them. With us at full power, we could have slaughtered those humans without too much effort.'

I guess so. Leo had to give her that. Though I'm not sure about the 'slaughtering' part. You heard my sister. Just like her, those people are most likely still being manipulated. Killing them on sight just because of that is... wrong?

Nyx bristled, her frustration flowing into their link. 'Please don't tell me you will try to save all of them. You will only make our lives harder if you fight against them just like you did the last time. They are enemies, not friends you have to rescue.'

I know! He growled, trying to keep his face expressionless. I don't plan to go out of my way to rescue them. I'm no hero. I'm just saying there is no need to kill everyone. I will if I have to, but in the end, those Emissaries aren't the main problem here; the Supercluster is. If we want to destroy or contain it, we will need more people.

'I... I understand,' the feline muttered after a moment. 'Just promise me you won't let them walk over you. At the end of the day, your own survival is the only thing that matters. Even if we fail here, you can always take your sister and escape. The Supercluster and the Emissaries can go to hell.'

Leo chuckled internally. You have my word, then. Now, pay attention. Lily should be done in a moment. And remember, if you want to say anything, just tell me. I will relay everything to them.

True to his words, not even a minute later, his sister finished speaking. At the same time, Malcolm leaned back into his chair, massaging his brow.

"Well fuck," the Abyss Walker snorted. "I expected a lot, but an ancient god getting involved definitely wasn't on my list." He then turned to Leo. "How the hell did you even learn about all of that? Lily was one of them for a time, and even she couldn't tell us why they were different from other survivors."

"The Void merchant I met on the way to London," he lied, keeping Nikra's involvement secret as planned. "For a small fee, he also warned me what shit I'm stepping into... Though he also told me not to take the info about the god's involvement at face value. It isn't confirmed yet."

"It would be best if it never was," Malcolm sighed. "We have enough to worry about. A meddling god is the last thing we need right now. Like why the fuck would someone so powerful even target Earth? Is it because of the Supercluster?"

Leo shared a quick look with Nyx. "I have no idea," he lied again. Not that the truth really mattered now. He could bet that this group of Emissaries also didn't know why they received their special power. Lily, after all, didn't know anything, and she was supposed to evolve into something stronger than the other Blessed.

"Makes me wonder if Payne knows anything," the Abyss Walker muttered.

He raised an eyebrow, looking between the man and his sister. "Who?"

"The Emissaries' leader and a major pain in our arses, Michael Payne," Lily scowled, clenching her fists. "I never thought I would ever wish for someone to just drop dead, but Payne? I would slit his throat in the blink of an eye if I could."

Leo's eyes widened at the hate dripping from his sister's words. Never in his life had he heard her speak like that. It was the complete opposite of her usual happy-go-lucky attitude.

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Just what the hell did this guy do? He frowned, shooting his sister a firm look. "Tell me about him. Don't hide anything."

It was Malcolm who spoke up instead. "He is a cold and calculating bastard, and a powerful one at that. His evolution is called the Winged Messenger, apparently one step higher than what Lily was supposed to become. I have faced him a few times, and each time, I barely escaped with my life."

Right. That doesn't sound good. Leo grimaced. "What about his abilities? Level? Affinity? Everything you know."

"The last time we fought, he was at thirty, and that was almost three days ago. He could be even stronger than you are at this point," Malcolm revealed before turning towards his sister. "As for abilities? Lily, you know more about them than I do."

The woman sighed. "He was a warrior in the beginning, so his Might is higher than any other attribute. It doesn't mean he is slow or has small Essence reserves. Quite the opposite, in fact. I'm a speed-oriented fighter, and Payne has never had an issue matching me. And the less said about his affinity, the better."

Leo was ready to ask her to elaborate, but Lily was faster. She raised her hand and summoned a golden dagger above her palm. It shone brightly, but among the light, he could spot black specks, some sort of impurities.

"Every Blessed received a minor light affinity when we awoke," she continued, spinning the dagger. "It's far from perfect, but it does the job quite well. Payne though... Payne was given a true affinity. There is nothing minor about it."

Explains why he is the leader. He noted. "How strong is it?"

"Enough to obliterate a level twenty Brute with an attack he can throw as fast as I can shoot arrows. And when I say obliterate, I mean it. There was nothing left of the Voidling," Lily elaborated, gritting her teeth. "Humans don't fare much better. Payne almost singlehandedly killed everyone who tried to fight back during the raid on the safe zone. He didn't even spare the kids... All because they were cursed by the Void."

The shard in Leo's chest stopped beating for a moment, and his entire body froze. "Kids?" He whispered. "You have kids here? How are th-"

"Had, Leo. We had kids among us," Lily cut him off, the golden dagger shattering. "Two teenagers, to be exact. They adapted to this world better than all of us, but against Payne?” She chuckled bitterly. “They didn't stand a chance. Nobody did. I tried to save them, but I arrived too late."

"It wasn't your fault. We've talked about this already," Malcolm said right away.

"I know, I know. Sorry," she shook her head, wiping away a stray tear. "I just hate it so much. We should be fighting together, not against each other. And yet that... that bastard would kill us all with a smile on his face if he could."

"Not gonna happen," Leo growled, pulling the room's attention back to him. "I will kill him, rip him apart if I must. Even a god won't protect him."

Many would call it an overreaction to something that didn't really concern him. Yet, nothing could be farther from the truth. After all, he understood the odds of a child surviving the Outbreak. Hell, he carried one inside his soul. So for someone to just kill two due to their evolution?

No, this Payne forfeited his life the moment Leo learned about him. Even his bloodlust screamed for the man's death, and this time, he would gladly listen. Manipulated or not, that man was going down.

'Don't let your emotions and instincts cloud your judgment,' Nyx interjected before his bloodlust could consume more of his thoughts. 'I agree this human needs to die, but running off like a mindless beast won't achieve that.'

Leo shut his eyes, taking a deep breath. Only when his bloodlust backed off did he speak up again, addressing everyone and not only the feline.

"Sorry, I got slightly carried away," he explained, seeing the wide-eyed looks from Malcolm and Lily. "But I still meant what I said. I will deal with Payne. And not only because of what he did. He is still a danger to everyone here and needs to die. Unless you are willing to move to another city, that is."

This time, the two other survivors shared a look before Malcolm shook his head. "Even if we did, it won't matter for long. The Supercluster is growing stronger and bigger with each day. If we don't do something about it, the entire Earth will be doomed anyway. Like you told Lily, we have to destroy or contain it. And we don't have much time left."

Leo frowned. "Why?"

"A few days ago, I went inside to scout any potential threats," his sister took over. "It was horrible. Nightmares and Voidlings are more powerful than any other on the surface. Yet nothing scared me as much as the three Dimensional Void Gates at the bottom of the pit."

Oh...

"How long?"

Lily looked him right in the eyes, her own gaze hard as steel. "Two weeks. After that, the portals to the Void will open."

Shit.