"Haa... Haa..."
Paul's eyes were heavy, his vision was blurred as well.
Even though his senses were heightened, he couldn't combat the effects of exerting himself for so long.
His body shook, but he maintained his stance. It would all be over soon. That was the only thing keeping him standing—in addition to the numerous cheers of the people counting on him.
"Haaa... Not yet!" He gripped his trusted weapons with resolve.
In his right hand was a blade, and his left hand wielded a gun.
They stayed remained him as others ran out of durability.
Even his numerous Automatons had been decimated, and only a few were left.
The only reliable backup he had was Lily, and she too was at her limit.
'I can't give up now... not yet!' Exhaling sharply, he utilized his Gift one last time, combining the weapons he had in one fell swoop.
He also poured in all the Demon Cores currently in his possession, aiming to enhance the object beyond its current limits.
>SHIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG<
It worked!
The combination of his strongest gun and sharpest blade, along with other volatile materials, gave birth to the immensely powerful blade he had in his grasp.
"Huuuu..." Once again breathing heavily, Paul strengthened his muscles and kept his gaze on the enemy.
"Crimson Riderrrrr!!!" He roared, causing the air around him to undulate.
The one known as the Crimson Rider—War—the only surviving Horseman also responded with a battle cry.
His steed had already met its demise, leaving him to battle his opponents alone.
Several Gifteds had tried, but failed, to even land a hit on the powerful being.
The only thing they could do was face the underlings that War conjured as a result of his authority.
And so, as the Gifteds fought War's apparitions, Paul and Lily fought the Boss himself.
'We've handled the horse. His HP is also low. I can do this! They're all counting on me! I have to do this!' Paul growled internally, his white hair fluttering with the wind.
As the stench of death and violence tickled his nose, he made a rushing leap for the opponent.
"HAAAAAAAAA!!!"
War also lunged at the Gifted, and their clash caused everything around to disperse in shock and destruction.
"Lily!" Paul screamed.
"Got it!"
Her duty was to provide support, and she did.
>BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!<
Her job as a Mage was useful in scenarios like this.
Bombarding the enemy with her Skills and the most destructive Spells at her disposal, War could not help but let out shrieks of pain.
"<Deconstruct>!!!" Paul roared, pouring all his energy as he touched War's armor.
Instantly, lightning sparked and the whole thing broke apart.
'It worked! It finally worked!'
One of his Skills was <Deconstruct>, which allowed him to break down materials.
Of course, the effects were not 100 percent guaranteed.
If the said item was equipped, it would take a 50 percent chance.
And, if the object in question was equipped by someone stronger than him, the chances of success were 10 percent or lower, depending on their level of strength.
'It took so long, but the armor is down!'
Thanks to that, the Demon Boss was now more vulnerable, and its enhancements had gone down a great deal.
"Let's do thissss!!!" Another roar peaked into the air as Paul brandished his weapon.
This was a battle for humanity's survival. He was not going to lose.
***************************
"Haaa... Haaa..." A heavy breath escaped Paul's mouth.
He currently stood above the dissipating carcass of the enemy.
"D-do you see that?"
"H-he beat that thing! That impossibly monstrous thing."
"He saved us! He saved all of us."
Paul descended the Crimson Horseman, utterly spent and exhausted. His blade fell from his grip, and he would have collapsed if not for the support of Lily who remained by his side.
A soft smile appeared on his face and he struggled to raise one of his hands to the sky.
"W-we... We won..."
It began as a whisper, so many people didn't hear him.
However... his body began regenerating thanks to the Level Up and he gained enough strength to say what was bursting from within him.
"WE WON!!!"
The audience—those who survived the evil assault of the Demon Boss—all cheered and raised their hands in a joint sense of comradeship.
Their eyes were alit with both gratitude and awe toward the white-haired man who was smiling broadly before all of them.
"Everyone! We won!"
"WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" They all cheered, watching as their champion ascended high above everyone else.
The people raised their heads so they could witness his Majesty.
Without a doubt, this man had achieved the impossible.
He was their Hero, an impenetrable wall and unbreakable blade that defended humanity from the scourge of Demons.
"Today, we have cleared the first scenario! We have made a step closer to ending this hell, and we did it together."
Even though everyone knew who did the bulk of the work, they were happy to be included in the combined efforts to dispel the evil that was wrought.
After War was beaten, all his apparitions vanished, but that didn't mean the ones who fought those small fries didn't count.
Everyone was so touched that their champion acknowledged their deeds.
As Paul still gave his speech, encouraging the hearts of everyone who watched, several System Windows appeared all around—the sky especially.
Just as when the Tutorial ended, the System gave the appropriate report.
[SYSTEM ALERT!]
~First Wave Of Armageddon Has Ended~
~All Four Horsemen Have Been Extinguished~
<Congratulations! You Have Survived The First Scenario>
As the Gifteds viewed this, their eyes were wet with tears, and their bodies shook in relief and happiness.
"DO NOT WAVER, EVERYONE!"
Upon hearing the loud voice of their hero, the hundreds of thousands of humans looked at him once more.
He was shining gloriously, glowing white as he looked at them with both confidence and compassion.
"The next scenarios will be even worse. To combat them, let us all combine forces. Let us form a joint front and fight the Demons together."
At this point, no one could refuse.
They could see the effects of working as a team, and if they had the strongest man around suggest it, then the Gifteds knew they were in capable hands.
"I make this vow to you... I will never leave nor forsake you. We will face this disaster together... and we will all survive."
After witnessing his overwhelming strength, no one could argue with him.
They simply wanted to follow his lead.
"My name is Paul, and I promise to lead you all into paradise."
More cheers resounded.
Paul smiled at everyone, and they returned his goodwill to him.
His smile especially rested on Lily, who was actually tearing up as she witnessed her partner's charisma.
Upon seeing the girl, Paul was reminded of just how lucky he was to have her... as well as the person responsible for both their sufferings.
A wider smile formed on his face as he looked at the audience laid out before him.
"Humanity needs to stand as one to fight against the Demons. However, there exists a deviant among us... the one responsible for a lot of our misfortunes, as well as the same person who hoards all the necessary materials needed for survival."
Paul could see anger develop on the faces of the people he spoke to as he continued.
"He calls himself the Hoarder, and indeed he takes everything for himself, not caring for humanity as a collective."
More dissatisfied faces developed, until everyone was visibly upset with the one Paul spoke of.
"For the kind of world we desire, we need all the help we can get. We need to grow as a people, and use our combined efforts to defeat the enemies."
Nods proceeded from the audience.
"But, this man refuses that obvious logic. He selfishly wishes only for his survival, and he would rather condemn everyone else to death."
Annoyed roars echoed from the people, forming music in Paul's ears.
"And so, there is only one thing we can do to this deviant among us... and that is to purge him."
Silence. Unquestionable silence pervaded the people.
"We will remove the tumor that is forcing humanity to remain stagnant. By doing that, we will grow to be more powerful. We will survive, and we will thrive."
Still, the silence continued.
"It's him or the rest of us. I pick the latter. What say you?!"
After a second—no, even less—of remaining silent, the multitude of people burst out with the same words.
"WE PICK THE LATTER!"
This caused Paul's grin to widen even further. Everything was coming into place.
'Humanity is unified under me... and together we will work together to rid this world of you...'
"Very well. I accept your resolve."
Everyone kept their gazes on Paul as his curled lips parted and uttered the words they were all waiting for.
"His name is Jeremy Lewis, the Hoarder, and enemy of mankind..."
Raising his hands to the sky, Paul gave one final shout of resolve.
"... And we will bring him down. For the sake of humanity... for the sake of the world!"
Roars of approval rang from everyone, and Paul basked in the noise that was showered on him.
In his mind, he couldn't be more pleased.
'I lost to you that time, Jeremy... but not again.'
He underestimated his power, but Paul now understood what needed to be done.
'I'll turn the whole world against you, Jeremy... let's see how you handle that!'
That's right, Paul now represented the will of humanity—he was on the side of good.
'And you, Jeremy... you're evil.'
It was also a trite law which had existed since the dawn of time... that when good and evil clashed...
'... Good will always prevail!'
That was it—the only way to win against the absolute evil known as Jeremy Lewis.
This would be the downfall of the Hoarder.
*****************
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
~The Second Wave Of ARMAGEDDON Will Commence One Week From Now~
<Please Prepare Within That Time>
[Details On The Second Wave Will Be Given Below]
[SYSTEM INFORMATION]
<Second Scenario: Let The Sky Fall>
[Scenario Information]
<Week 1>
There will be a great earthquake.
<Week 2>
The sun will turn black like sackcloth made of goat hair
<Week 3>
The whole moon will turn blood red
<Week 4>
The stars in the sky will fall to earth as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.
<Week 5>
The heavens will recede like a scroll being rolled up and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
[Quest Update]
~Quests Have Been Received!~
<Quest 1>
Survive The Five Weeks Of The Second Scenario
<Quest 2>
Challenge The Five Mysteries Of The Five Miseries And Solve Them
<Quest 3>
Defeat The Boss And End The Scenario
[Rewards Such As Karma Points And Items Will Be Given For Each Quest Accomplished]
~BEST OF LUCK!~
********************
[Image Of Jeremy Lewis as a (G) Human]
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[End Of The Third Arc]
[Fourth Arc: 'Hoarder On The Run' will resume after a hiatus]
Thank you all for your support, and for reading.
I honestly appreciate it.
If you've made it this far, all I can say is that you have my respect and thanks.
A lot of things have happened since I started writing this book (Since December, I think), and I really want to continue it.
Don't worry, I will.
But, life has a way of making plans seem obsolete.
I have to take a break to deal with stuff irl. Once it's settled, I'll resume uploading.
I'm very excited to start the next arc, and I hope you are too.
Once again, thank you all for your support.
Till then, everyone.
Cheers.
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