Chapter 56: Reaper’s Wrath!

She knew she couldn’t fight them. She knew she couldn’t run. And worst of all, she knew nobody was coming.

The thought caused something inside her to break. A tiny sob escaped her lips.

The rat-faced hooligan reached out. "That’s better." His hand moved toward her...

And then...

BANG!!

The church’s heavy wooden door, as if struck by a battering ram, violently burst inward. Amidst the flying wood chips, a figure with cold killing intent stepped into this filthy place like the Grim Reaper.

The sudden crash of the door startled the three hooligans. They spun around abruptly.

Light poured through the doorway, illuminating the dusty church and casting Aiden Cross’s tall, grim silhouette across the floor.

His face was devoid of emotion. Only his eyes moved, cold and merciless as ten-thousand-year-old ice, sweeping over the three hooligans.

The moment his gaze fell upon them, all three felt as though they had been thrown into an ice cellar. Their blood ran cold, and an instinctive fear crawled up their spines.

"It’s you again!" the yellow-haired hooligan shouted, desperately trying to maintain his composure. "You better back off! You have no idea how strong we are!"

His words were bold. His trembling voice was not.

Aiden Cross didn’t bother answering. A level 2 player actually dared to boast about his strength in front of him. It was almost laughable. Even level 2 and level 3 players were nothing more than ants in Aiden’s eyes.

His gaze passed over the three hooligans without the slightest interest before finally settling on the girl curled up in the corner.

Luna Everhart. Her clothes were torn, her body was covered in bruises, and her breathing was so faint that it was almost imperceptible.

She was on the verge of death. The instant Aiden confirmed her identity, the killing intent buried deep within his heart erupted.

The temperature inside the church seemed to drop several degrees.

"Those who touch her..."

Aiden’s voice was quiet, yet it carried through the empty church with chilling clarity. "...die."

The words fell like the judgment of the Grim Reaper.

In the next instant, Aiden moved. His figure blurred.

A faint afterimage remained where he had been standing, while his actual body had already appeared before the yellow-haired hooligan.

The man’s pupils contracted. He hadn’t even seen Aiden move.

Then...

BOOM!

An overwhelming force slammed into his abdomen.

"Pfft...!"

Blood sprayed from his mouth. His body folded around Aiden’s fist like a shrimp before being launched backward.

CRASH!

The explosive force of kinetic smash was too much for him to handle, he smashed through a wooden pew, sending splinters flying in every direction.

His body struck the floor heavily and went limp. He was dead before he could even utter a scream.

[Successfully killed Player...]

[Soul Essence absorbed.]

[Strength +1.]

Silence descended upon the church. The remaining two hooligans stared at the corpse in horror.

Their faces drained of color. The bald hooligan was the first to snap out of his terror.

"Die!"

With a panicked roar, he swung his machete wildly at Aiden, the blade cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.

At the same time, the monkey-like hooligan made the only decision his terrified mind could think of.

He turned and ran. He didn’t even look back. The side door beside the altar was only a few steps away.

If he could get outside, perhaps... Perhaps he could survive.

Unfortunately for him, he had already forgotten one crucial fact. Aiden Cross had never intended to let any of them leave.

Aiden’s eyes remained indifferent as he sidestepped the bald hooligan’s frantic slash.

The machete cut through empty air.

At the same time, Aiden’s left hand shot out like lightning, seizing the man’s wrist with pinpoint precision. Then...

Crack!

The sound of breaking bone echoed through the church.

"AH...!"

The bald hooligan shrieked like a slaughtered pig as his wrist was violently twisted. The machete slipped from his numb fingers and clattered onto the floor.

Aiden didn’t give him even a moment to recover.

His right fist, wrapped in the cold light of the [Power Gauntlets] and the violent force of [Kinetic Smash], slammed directly into the hooligan’s temple.

BANG!

-101! (Critical Hit)

The impact was horrifying.

The hooligan’s head snapped violently to the side as the sheer force of the punch crushed through bone and flesh. Blood and fragments of bone erupted outward in a grisly spray, splattering across the floor and nearby pews.

His body convulsed once before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

The scream died in his throat before it could even escape.

His eyes rolled back, and his body went limp before dissolving into white light.

As for the monkey-like hooligan... He was already at the side door.

His trembling hands reached for the handle. He was almost out. Then the ground beneath his feet suddenly ruptured.

Several ink-green roots erupted from the cracks, shooting upward and wrapping tightly around his legs.

[Root Entanglement!]

"No! Don’t kill me!" The monkey-like hooligan struggled desperately, but the roots only tightened around him.

"I was wrong! I was wrong! Boss, please! Spare me!"

Aiden Cross slowly walked toward him. Each step echoed through the silent church. To the terrified hooligan, Aiden no longer looked like a player.

He looked like a demon god walking toward his execution.

Tears and snot streamed freely down the man’s face. His fear became so overwhelming that he wet himself, and a foul stench quickly filled the surrounding air.

Aiden stopped in front of him. His expression remained cold. There was no pity in his eyes.

Only disgust. He didn’t bother using the kinetic smash again.

Instead, he raised his right hand, palm facing upward. A flickering flame appeared above his palm.

The flame rapidly expanded, gathering into a blazing sphere of fire.

’Fireball!’

It was one of the skills he had only recently acquired. Compared to his overwhelming physical strength, its power was considerably weaker.

But against helpless trash like this, it was more than enough.