Chapter 119: Human Bomb (II)

For a brief moment, the entire battlefield seemed to tremble.

Despite the difference of only one minor realm between them, the gap in their actual strength was enormous.

The Desolate Troop Leader felt it the instant their fists met.

His expression twisted in disbelief as a terrifying force surged through his arm. It felt as though he hadn’t punched a human being at all, but a solid mass of iron that had somehow taken human form. The impact numbed his hand and sent a sharp, agonizing sensation racing through his arm.

“How can you be this strong…?!”

His eyes widened as he stared at Jackson.

Wasn’t this bastard supposed to be a weak First Sequence Awakened?

How could someone like him possess such terrifying physical strength?

Before the Desolate Troop Leader could make sense of what had happened, another shock struck him. The blood vessels in his arm began tearing under the immense force that had traveled back through their point of contact. Pain shot through his body, and his expression changed dramatically as he realized the severity of the damage.

For a brief instant, his mind fell into a strange calm.

The situation made no sense.

He had spent so much time tracking Jackson down, convinced that killing the young man would finally avenge his brother. Yet now, standing face-to-face with his target, he was the one suffering a crushing defeat.

What exactly was this monster?

Unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t have much time to find the answer.

Before he could gather his thoughts, a tremendous force slammed into his chest like a battering ram.

BOOM!

His feet left the ground.

The Desolate Troop Leader was hurled backward, his body cutting through the air before crashing into a thick metal pole. The impact bent the structure with a harsh metallic groan, and the man slid down its surface, leaving a smear of blood behind.

He struck the ground heavily.

Blood poured from the corners of his mouth as he struggled to recover his breath. His chest throbbed with every movement, and the hand he had used to attack Jackson trembled uncontrollably.

Jackson merely glanced at him.

There was no satisfaction in his expression, only cold indifference. The man who had orchestrated the kidnapping of his sister was already finished. Jackson had no reason to waste another second listening to his meaningless cries.

His spiritual force had now recovered completely.

A faint glimmer passed through Jackson’s eyes.

In the next instant, five invisible strands shot out from his spiritual space, extending across the battlefield before wrapping around five of the afflicted Bloodfang Gang members. Their bodies were lifted from the ground as though seized by enormous invisible hands.

Jackson’s expression remained unchanged as the five human bombs were dragged toward the fallen Desolate Troop Leader.

The process was swift and decisive.

More than thirty of the afflicted members were already being swept toward the same target, their bodies hurtling through the air as the countdown approached its end. Jackson had no intention of giving the Desolate Troop Leader another chance to recover.

Then the timer reached zero.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The first explosion tore through the abandoned facility.

Before the Desolate Troop Leader could even react, several more blasts erupted in rapid succession. Blinding flashes swallowed the surrounding ruins, followed by waves of scorching air and violent shockwaves that swept across the battlefield.

The explosions merged into a deafening roar.

The ground shook beneath the tremendous force, and the remaining pillars crumbled as chunks of concrete and twisted metal flew in every direction. Thick clouds of smoke billowed upward, swallowing the battlefield and obscuring everything within the blast radius.

In an instant, all fifty afflicted members exploded.

Their bodies, their spiritual force, and their mana were consumed by the violent detonations. The Second Sequence members caught within the blast had no chance to escape. Several were torn apart by the overwhelming force, while others vanished beneath the destructive waves before they could even scream.

The Bloodfang Gang’s carefully assembled forces had been reduced to a horrifying disaster.

Only a handful of figures remained outside the worst of the destruction.

Among them was the Bloodfang Gang Leader.

Having sensed the danger at the last moment, he had managed to retreat beyond the most destructive part of the blast. Even so, the shockwaves swept across his body, forcing him to brace himself against the ground as debris rained down around him.

When the explosions finally subsided, he slowly raised his head.

His eyes searched through the smoke until they found Jackson standing amid the ruins.

The young man appeared almost untouched by the devastation, his expression as cold as ever.

The Bloodfang Gang Leader felt his blood run cold.

He had no idea what had just happened. He couldn’t understand why so many of his subordinates had suddenly lost control of their bodies, nor how they had transformed into walking explosives. He had witnessed the entire disaster unfold before his eyes, yet none of it made sense.

But one thing was clear.

The moment Jackson had arrived, everything had gone wrong.

The man’s lips trembled as he stared at the figure standing amid the wreckage.

“D-Demon… You’re a demon!”

Jackson merely snorted.

He had no interest in listening to the ramblings of a dying man.

The next moment, a piece of solid iron shot through the air.

It traveled so quickly that the Bloodfang Gang Leader barely had time to register its approach. The metal fragment pierced straight through his head and emerged from the other side, ending his life before he could utter another word.

His body collapsed to the ground.

Jackson didn’t spare him another glance.

As the smoke slowly began to clear, the full extent of the destruction came into view. The abandoned facility had been reduced to a scene of bloodshed and ruin. Broken pillars lay scattered across the ground, metal beams twisted beneath the force of the explosions, and the earth was littered with shattered debris.

It was a sight that would have turned an ordinary person’s stomach.

Jackson, however, had grown accustomed to the brutality of the world beyond humanity’s walls. He had seen enough death to understand that hesitation could cost him everything.

Still, his gaze soon shifted toward the tower.

Aella.

He hurried over to his sister, who remained unconscious, her small body resting where he had left her. Her eyes were still closed, and she had yet to awaken despite the deafening explosions that had shaken the surrounding ruins.

Jackson crouched beside her and carefully examined her face.

Only after confirming that she was unharmed did he finally release a quiet sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

At least she hadn’t witnessed any of that.

The last thing he wanted was for his little sister to wake up and find herself surrounded by such a horrifying scene. She had already suffered enough, and he had no intention of letting the ugliness of this world scar her any further than necessary.

After ensuring that she was safe, Jackson returned to the battlefield.

There was still something he needed to do.

Loot.

He moved quickly through the wreckage, collecting the storage devices belonging to the Desolate Troop Leader and the other dead Awakened. Given the strength and status of some of his opponents, their possessions might contain something valuable. At the very least, he wasn’t going to leave behind resources that could prove useful later.

He had barely finished gathering the items when a sudden disturbance caught his attention.

Jackson’s movements stopped.

From somewhere in the distance, terrifying fluctuations of mana were rapidly approaching. The pressure grew stronger with every passing moment, suggesting that a considerable number of powerful Awakened were moving toward the abandoned facility at high speed.

His expression changed.

“Who… Reinforcements?”

He couldn’t be certain who the newcomers were. They might have belonged to Bigwig Corporation, or they could have been another force responding to the commotion. Whatever the case, he had no intention of staying around to find out.

He had already expended a considerable amount of spiritual force, and although he had recovered some of it with a potion, he wasn’t in any condition to fight another battle immediately. More importantly, Aella was still unconscious and completely dependent on him for protection.

He wouldn’t risk her safety for the sake of a few more kills.

Jackson quickly returned to his sister, bent down, and carefully lifted her onto his shoulders. After securing her firmly so that she wouldn’t slip, he glanced once toward the distant source of the approaching mana.

Then he turned and disappeared into the forest at full speed.

Behind him, smoke continued to rise from the ruined facility, marking the place where the Bloodfang Gang’s operation had ended in disaster.