Second Genesis

Chapter 379: Seconds

Grey walked out of the ruin, rubbing at his head with a little bit of frustration on his features. He was supposed to have been pissing the Great Udon off, not himself.

’Whatever. I don’t know how powerful this Mechanical Jaw Frame is just yet. For all I know, it’s way more powerful than the other one.’

Honestly, Grey didn’t know how possible that could be. This Frame was so strong it had to be split into three parts. Grey didn’t know how Amunet got her hands on the first part, but he knew that she needed his help to defeat Esmeralda and the Vampire Lord before she got the second part.

He assumed that whatever challenge was waiting to get the third part was probably just as hard if not more so.

There was just no way that sort of challenge could come with a weak result. At least he thought so.

The Genesis System could be a troll, especially when the Producers were involved. But they shouldn’t be capable of doing something this ridiculous.

The most important evidence, though, was that ability of hers that had killed him once before already. It had literally triggered an Instance.

There was no way that was normal.

’Forget it.’ Grey thought for maybe the millionth time. ’There’s still time for me to switch.’

Honestly, Grey didn’t know if it was even going to be possible in the first place. The first two parts of the Lineage Frame were already in Amunet, so even if he got the third part, how was he going to get the other two?

Killing her? Would that automatically transfer it?

But he had already been in the presence of her death twice before and hadn’t sensed any opportunity like that.

’Fuck this.’

He knew the real reason he was frustrated. He didn’t actually care if he got the full inheritance or not. He just wanted to screw Amunet over.

But screwing her over couldn’t come at the cost of screwing himself over. If he gave up the Mechanical Jaw Lineage Frame, he wasn’t sure if he could get it back.

It was a dilemma as old as time. How petty did he want to be?

Grey was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even seem to hear the commotion going on around him.

Brad went flying by him, whizzing past like a speeding arrow, but Grey still didn’t look up.

"FUCK! GREY! ARE YOU GOING TO HELP?!"

Amunet’s roar came from the side.

Grey ignored it.

Brad smashed against a tree and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Grey..." he said weakly.

Grey scratched at his head, ignoring him too.

Mauve suddenly shrieked as a blade came for her head. She was out of stamina, and her magic wasn’t working on these people in the first place. They wouldn’t have tried to help out if it wasn’t for the fact Amunet looked like she was about to be overwhelmed.

But in the end, they just made everything worse.

That was when Grey’s head snapped up.

"Hey, what the fuck is wrong with you people?"

Grey flickered and vanished, appearing by Mauve’s side. His Pimp Gloves appeared on his hands, his Stamina spiking down as his stats shot up. His speed reached a wholly unconscious level as he snatched up Mauve’s waist, twisting to one side and kicking out at the same time.

His foot landed on a Holy Knight’s gut and they flew out like they had been shot from a cannon.

They died long before they hit the tree they landed against, but that final hit only added insult to injury.

The knight’s body shattered into blood and gore.

’Well damn. When’d I get that strong?’

Grey blinked.

He knew his stats in this form were ridiculous, but something still felt different.

A spark of electricity passed through his eyes and he finished the rest of his words.

"Can’t you see there’s a beauty standing here?"

Amunet was lost in a battle with three Holy Knights. Her rapier danced through the air, her body shifting through the shadows as she used a combination of trickery and illusions of the eye to counter their rain of strikes. But even one of them was too much for her to handle, let alone three.

Each of these Holy Knights was in the Vanguard Class, and though they weren’t quite Mid-Tier Holy Knights, they were definitely at the peak echelons of Low-Tier.

When she heard Grey’s words, she couldn’t help but grind her teeth in fury.

A blade suddenly cut into her side and blood spilled. Her shroud of shadowy energy was split by the Holy Energy, a seething, sizzling echo filling the air.

It was like she had been burnt with acid, but she didn’t make a single sound.

"Ugh," Grey groaned, then looked at Mauve. "Stay right here. I’ll be back."

Mauve was still a bit shell shocked. Just a moment ago, she thought she was dead.

A mixture of horror and embarrassment filled her to her very core. She couldn’t believe that her reaction in death was... to scream. She thought she was better than that.

Grey didn’t have the time to coddle Mauve’s feelings. That wasn’t the first near-lethal strike Amunet had suffered, but she probably couldn’t withstand much more than that. He still needed her alive to figure out what he was going to do to fill his last Frame.

Amunet was bumped out of the way. Her body went flying, only to land in a very uncomfortable bush. She coughed, her teeth grinding in fury, but when she looked up to see Grey’s battle, what rage she felt was doused in something else entirely. Something cold and reality-stricken.

Grey looked like he was moving amidst a trio of toddlers. He dodged blades, tripped them with a flick of his ankles and toes, sliding attacks between their defenses and made it look as though he was 10 steps ahead while they continuously stumbled further and further behind.

He smashed an elbow against one of their noses, caving their heads in. He side stepped a lunging thrust, grabbed the arm, and kneed upward, snapping it in two.

The Holy Knight didn’t even get the chance to scream in pain before Grey’s hips pivoted and he launched him overhead.

The poor man slammed into a tree, his skull shattering to pieces.

The last one immediately tried to run.

Grey kicked up a sword to the side and activated Last Sword with a casual flare.

He flicked his finger forward and nailed him to the ground.

The battle ended in seconds.