The Ancient Genes

"Careful!"

Max's voice rang out and the trio immediately leapt in three different directions.

"Zmmn!!"

The next instant, a beam of ominous aura shot from the hole in the building. The beam decimated the entire street before colliding into the barrier behind and dispersing.

It was destructive bought to dig out the entire street and leave behind a few meet deep trail until it reaches the barrier.

Everybody fixed their gazes on the hole and finally a figure emerged from the shadow. His eyes has turned red and the ominous aura around him has multiplied several times....

The man had clearly undergone his demonic transformation and was standing taller than before. His skin had transformed into purple-black scales. His face had not changed but the scales around seemed to have formed a helmet-like structure around his head.

The man was bleeding, a portion of his face was chewed off and his hands were a bloody mess as well. Max's attack had opened up a hole in his arm and Bahamut too seemed to have done some damage which was clear from the cracks on his other arm.

"It's working at least…the boost in stats saved the day I guess…." Mr. Cool said as he looked at the man. It was good thing that their attack were able to break through his defense.

Max suddenly looked at Mr. Cool and then with his hands behind his back, he pointed towards a certain direction.

Mr. Cool looked in the direction and then smiled before nodding in understanding.

"He is coming…" Max said as he unfurled his wings and flew straight above.

Bahamut on the other hand smiled as he raised his club and dashed forward.

The man's claws swiped towards Bahamut as the dark aura whirled around bringing along a terrifying pressure.

Mr. Cool clasped his hands and the next moment, Bahamut who was almost about to collide with the man disappeared and Max's figure appeared in his place.

As the claws swiped towards Max, a thin layer of aura wrapped around his body and a faint crown appeared above his head.

With Max's senses sharper than ever, he titled his body sideways dodging the claw at the last moment.

"Whoosh!"

The dark aura whirling around immediately sliced Max, opening up his skin. But those were all but trivial….

The man immediately attempted to pull away, but the next moment, his movements slowed down.

The man immediately sent out his aura and shattered the spirit domain but Max had already grabbed his arm by then.

"You are not going anywhere….''

The man raised his other arm to attack but by this moment, a figure came falling down from the sky.

"Desolate club!"

"Boom!"

The club fell down on the man's head without him having enough time to react.

Max immediately shot back with cold sweat on his back. A little more towards the front and he would have been crushed underneath too.

"Mudification!"

Bahaumy suddenly yelled and the earth on his hammer immediately turned into mud.

"Petrify!"

With another yell, the mud suddenly turned into concrete.

'Don't tell me he broke through another level?' Max looked at Bhamut who suddenly seemed to have deepened his affinity and control over the earth.

"Spikes!"

The next instant, the shape of the concrete changed and it suddenly looked like a ball with spikes.

"Is he really a kid?" Max looked towards Mr. Cool who seemed to have doubts regarding Bahamut's existence.

"Yeah, but it's not much of a surprise. He was the only one with a proper nickname unlike our lame ones…"  Max said as he remembered being called Coward Cat ones…

"Yeah, I would have preferred handsome instead of cool…." Mr. Cool said with a sigh.

"That's still lame…" Max shook his head. He just couldn't understand what was wrong with the characteristic of his fellow Awakeners…

A Crazy Girl in Love, A Cocky Kid, and now A Narcissist….

'Let's just hope Average Man is a proper guy…'

"Bang!"

Suddenly a figure flew through in between Mr. Cool and Max before crashing into the cafe behind.

"That was strong…" A childish voice rang as Bahamut walked out and threw the broken defense artifact.

"You can't even take a hit?" Max looked at him, that was something which should have been used in an emergency.

"He targeted my arm, I can't just take that hit and lose my advantage…'' Bahamit said as he looked towards the guy.

The man stood there glaring at the trio, there were a few more wounds on his body. His head busted and was bleeding.. But nothing other than that seemed too deep. The spikes couldn't even open up an hole in his body.

"Why don't we stop it here?" Suddenly Mr. Cool said as he pointed his finger towards a specific location.

Everybody turned their gazes to the cute red fox which was sitting beside a person who seemed to be unconscious.

It was Werner.

"You were leading us away from that person, weren't you?" Mr. Cool said with a smile.

Max has indeed been pointing toward Werner. He couldn't make a move himself, because he and Bahamut were fighting in the front and Max didn't have his spirit snake with him.

The man looked at Werner before turning towards Max, "My orders were to kill you...your death is my first priority…"

Max really found it hard to believe but the man just outright ignored Werner and took a step towards them. It wasn't a joke it seemed…

"Well, then I will erase an unsightly being from my vision…" Mr. Cool said as he ordered the spirit fox.

As the spirit fox opened its jaws to bite the last breath out of Werner, it shattered into a million particles and dispersed through the air.

"I am sorry, but I need to take him alive today…..could you please not kill him?" A figure had appeared right before Werner.

The man who had been fighting the trio immediately looked at this new person.

"You sure have time to be getting your ass handed over?" The new guy said with a smile as he looked at the man with bloody wounds, "Not that I mind though, but that old man will die….it's three to one…."

The man frowned and looked towards the sky with a grim glint in his eyes before looking towards Max and the rest. There seemed to be a hesitation in his eyes but in the end, he chose his master over his orders and immediately flew away.

Well….that was….

"I don't know if we are saved or are in a deeper trouble now…" Mr. Cool said as he looked at the new person.

"I can't feel any demonic aura from him….do you sense anything?" Bahamut said as he looked towards Max. If he was a demon, then he was just too strong for Max and others to sense his presence.

"..."

Not hearing any reply from Max, both Bahamut and Mr. Cool looked towards him only to see him with staring at the new figure wide eyes. 

Max stared at the guy with a complicated look on his face, 'You gotta be kidding me?'

"Is there something on my face?" The guy asked, feeling Max's intense gaze.

Max sighed as he calmed down and looked towards him, "Why didn't you come to see Axel if you were alive all along?"