Chapter 266: A Very Powerful Opponent (5)

Chapter 266

Alex slowly turned toward the voice, and then his jaw involuntarily tightened on its own the second he saw George standing several steps away, looking as relaxed as if they were discussing about something as casual as the weather.

The sight of that stupid smile made Alex’s blood boil hot. He had just watched himself kill this cockroach of a man. He had even felt the impact, seen the body fall, and believed for one brief moment that the nightmare was finally over. Yet the damned bastard stood there without a scratch, thanks to his ability.

"You’re really enjoying yourself, aren’t you?" Alex asked, forcing his voice to remain steady.

"And why won’t I," George replied. "It isn’t every day that I meet someone who can make a conversation this entertaining."

Alex clenched his fists. "If you think you’re so superior, why don’t you stop playing all these cheap mind games and kill me like a real man would?"

George glanced at him with what looked like mild curiosity, then let out a small laugh.

"That is an interesting suggestion, but I don’t see why I should make things easier for you. Besides, I believe you misunderstand our situation. You aren’t in a position to demand anything from me."

"Afraid I’ll beat you if you come out and fight properly?"

"No." George’s answer came without the slightest hesitation. "And if you’re thinking you can provoke me into acting rashly, you’re sorely mistaken. Insults and childish challenges won’t make me abandon a perfectly sound strategy."

Alex’s lips twitched with frustration. He had hoped the taunt might get under George’s skin, even a little. If the man became angry enough to make a mistake, Alex might have a chance to exploit it. But George didn’t even seem offended. He looked almost amused by the attempt.

Dammit. Alex lowered his gaze, trying to think past the now fading pain in his stomach. Every attack he had made so far had been nothing but useless. Worse still, he still couldn’t tell which parts of the battlefield were real and which parts George had fabricated. Maybe even most of the bodies might have been nothing more than pieces of a carefully constructed illusion.

So far, he had found no flaw in George’s ability. No blind spot to take advantage of. No obvious delay that could give him even a slight clue. Even he had to admit it, George’s ability really was insane.

But maybe, just maybe if he could find a way to make George react instead of simply controlling every exchange, he could learn something. Perhaps the illusion had a limit he hadn’t discovered yet. Perhaps George had to remain close to maintain it, or needed to focus on Alex to keep the deception convincing.

Alex carefully studied the man in front of him, searching for the smallest sign of strain. George’s breathing seemed normal. His shoulders were relaxed, and his expression held the same irritating calmness as before. There was nothing to work with.

Then a sharp pain exploded in Alex’s chest.

His eyes widened. Something sharp and capable of bypassing his insane durability had just pierced him from behind, driving deep between his ribs. For a heartbeat, he could barely breathe. He looked down and saw the tip of a pitch black narrow blade with glowing purple intricate lines, protruding through his clothes, with dark blood now spreading around the wound.

"Urgh!"

Alex let out a muffled groan, but he refused to scream. Though his body instinctively tried to recoil, he forced himself to endure the pain since a very good opportunity had just arrived. He reached down, wrapped his fingers around the weapon, and gripped it as tightly as he could.

The blade was real. Or at least it felt real enough to tear through his flesh.

Is this another illusion?

He couldn’t afford to hesitate. Alex pulled hard on the weapon, trying to drag it downward and wrench it out of his chest. The attacker seemed to expect the move. The moment Alex tightened his grip, George released the weapon and stepped back, narrowly avoiding Alex’s desperate counterattack as the blade swept down.

Alex staggered forward, blood running beneath his shirt. He turned sharply, but the George behind him was already several steps away, watching him with a thoughtful expression.

"Remarkable," George said. "Even when you felt my blade pierce through your chest, you still tried to use the weapon against me. I must say your tenacity and determination are quite impressive."

Alex pressed a hand against the wound, his breathing rough. "Keep talking and maybe you’ll bore me to death before you finish the job."

"Still trying to provoke me?" George asked. "I must admit, your persistence is admirable, even if it is rather pointless."

Alex ignored him. He was trying to judge the depth of the wound and decide whether he could keep fighting. The pain was bearable, that meant he could still move. If he could use Eye Of Chronos first ability to see briefly into the future, perhaps he could have a slightly better chance than before.

Even with that he needed a different approach. He needed a way to kill George once and for all.

George suddenly tilted his head, as if hearing something and it didn’t exactly take too long for his pleasant expression to change. It wasn’t fear, exactly, but it still caused the faintest trace of irritation to cross his face.

"Oh," he murmured. "They’re coming."

Alex’s attention sharpened. "Who’s coming?"

George looked at him again, and the familiar smile returned as though it had never left.

"It’s a pity I wouldn’t be able to kill you in time. Wasting any more time here would be unwise, and I have other matters to attend to." He gave a small, almost apologetic shrug. "But don’t worry, Alex. I’ll be back for you."

"You’re not going anywhere!"

Alex moved forward despite the pain, but George had already reached into his coat and taken out a small device. It was a dark metallic object shaped like a flat disc, with its surface practically covered in what looked like fine lines that glowed with a pale purple light. George bite his thumb causing blood to appear before pressing that same thumb against its center.

After doing just that, the air behind him rippled as a thin circle of purple light appeared, then widened into a small opening. Beyond it, Alex could not see anything else other than the shimmering purple surface.

Dammit it’s a portal. Alex’s expression changed. He tried to force himself to move faster, but by the time he even got close, half of George’s body had already stepped inside the opening.

"Where did you get that thing?" Alex demanded.

George glanced over his shoulder. "Wouldn’t you like to know?"

"George!"

The man gave him one last pleasant smile. "I’ll return to finish what I started. So be good and try not to die before then. It would be disappointing to come back and find that someone else had taken the prey I’ve set my eyes on."

Then after saying that, he stepped through the portal. The purple light folded inward, shrinking into a thin line before disappearing completely, leaving no trace of George’s presence at all.

For several seconds, Alex remained where he was, staring at the empty space. His chest throbbed with every heartbeat, and warm blood continued to seep between his fingers. He wanted to chase George, to tear the truth out of him and make him pay for every moment of this nightmare, but he had no idea where the portal had led.

More importantly, he could barely tell how much of what he had just witnessed was real.

A distant rumble interrupted his thoughts, causing Alex to turn toward where the sound was coming from. As it turns out a helicopter was slowly descending beyond the ruined building. He recognized the markings on its side immediately after all he had personally seen it before. Didn’t It belong to Phil’s Squad? But what were they doing here? Or was it related to George.

The helicopter lowered into a clear patch of ground, and three people jumped out as soon as it was safe. They moved quickly across the debris with their faces all looking tensed as they surveyed the destruction.

Phil was the first to reach Alex. His eyes swept over the blood on Alex’s clothes, then moved across the broken buildings and scattered wreckage.

"What happened here?" he demanded. "And most importantly where is that Awakened called George?"

Alex gave him a bitter smile. He didn’t have the strength to explain everything right now, and even if he did, he wasn’t sure where to begin.

"He got away."

Phil’s face darkened. "Damn it!"

He looked around again, as if expecting George to emerge from behind the rubble. When no one appeared, he cursed under his breath and clenched his jaw.

"Looks like we got here too late." Carl sighed from the sides.

"Looks that way," Alex replied, though his attention had already shifted elsewhere.

Celine! The thought struck him so sharply that he almost forgot all about the wound in his chest. He turned away from Phil and hurried toward the place where he had last seen her, ignoring the sharp pain that hurt with every step.

"Alex, wait!" Phil called after him. "You need to tell us what happened. Was George responsible for all this? Are there any other enemies nearby?"

Alex barely heard him. He couldn’t spare the attention to answer, not while Celine was still lying somewhere in this ruined battlefield. He had come here to save her, and he wasn’t going to let another second pass without knowing whether she was alive or how badly injured she was in presently....