Chapter 242: Rushing Back to the Tower

The voice echoed through the ruined street.

"HELP!"

Neil immediately recognized it.

"That’s Christian!"

The group rushed forward.

They rounded the collapsed building and found Christian pinned beneath a slab of concrete, while another wave of monsters crawled through the ruins around him.

"About time!" Christian shouted.

Darren stared at him.

"You’ve been here the whole time?"

"I’ve been busy!"

"Getting trapped?"

"Yes!"

Alpha laughed while Neil drew his weapon.

"Enough talking. Let’s get him out."

The monsters noticed them as a dozen glowing eyes turned in their direction. Then they charged.

"Here they come!"

Alpha stepped forward, and his body instantly blurred.

BOOM!

The first monster was punched through a wall. Darren charged into the second. Victor and Natalia moved together, cutting down the creatures approaching from the flank. Neil reached Christian and grabbed the slab.

"Can you move?"

"Once this thing is off me!"

"I thought your ability was A-Rank."

"..."

Neil pushed, and the concrete shifted. Christian immediately rolled free.

"Thank God." He stood, dusted himself off, then looked around. "Where’s everyone else?"

"Still missing Salmoa and Peter," Neil answered.

Christian’s expression changed.

"Then let’s find them."

They didn’t have to. A voice suddenly came through the communication device.

"Neil?"

Everyone froze. Neil immediately grabbed it.

"Peter?"

"Yeah."

"Where are you?"

"East side. I found Salmoa."

Neil exhaled.

"Send your coordinates."

A few seconds later, the location appeared. Alpha smiled.

"Everyone."

"Everyone."

Neil turned toward the others.

"We’re regrouping."

***

It took them nearly twenty minutes.

The battlefield had become increasingly chaotic. The explosions around Blackridge Tower were now impossible to ignore. Every few seconds, the distant skyline flashed.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOOOOOM!

Even from kilometers away, the shockwaves could be felt. Peter looked toward the tower.

"What is happening over there?"

Nobody answered. Then Salmoa noticed something.

"Those aren’t explosions from monsters."

Neil nodded. "No."

Another enormous blast erupted, and a massive silhouette was launched into the air. Even from this distance, they could see it. Then it disappeared behind the tower.

Christian swallowed. "Was that a person?"

Darren stared. "I hope not."

Alpha smiled. "It probably was."

Everyone looked at him, but he shrugged.

"It’s Silas."

That explained everything. Neil rubbed his forehead.

"Of course."

***

Blackridge Tower...

The situation had become a nightmare.

Silas stood in the middle of the battlefield.

His pink hair was soaked from the rain, his clothes were torn in several places, and countless glowing threads surrounded his body.

Around him were students from several academies, and none of them wanted to approach. One student stared at him from behind a shattered wall.

"He’s insane."

Another whispered.

"He took down three A-Ranks."

"Those were the strongest fighters from Saint Meridian."

"I know!"

A third student looked toward the enormous crater nearby.

"And he did that with one attack."

Silas tilted his head.

"Are you guys coming?"

Nobody moved. He smiled.

"Come on."

Still nothing. Silas sighed.

"You’re making this boring."

A student finally stepped forward. His entire body became covered in metallic armor.

"A-Rank."

He charged.

Silas didn’t move. The moment the student entered range, several threads snapped around his limbs. He was pulled sideways.

WHAM!

His armored body slammed into the ground. Silas walked past him.

"Next."

Nobody volunteered. Silas looked around.

"Seriously?" He spread his arms. "I’m giving you opportunities here."

A girl from another academy whispered.

"Don’t."

"Why?"

"Because he actually means it."

Silas smiled.

"Exactly."

The students collectively took a step backward.

For perhaps the first time in the tournament, an S-Rank wasn’t being treated as someone they could challenge. He was being treated as something they needed to survive.

And then, a horn sounded from the distance.

Everyone looked toward the sound. Another academy had arrived. Silas turned, and his eyes narrowed.

"Oh?"

A group of students emerged from the trees.

They were battered and exhausted, their uniforms covered in dirt and blood. They had clearly fought through their own section of the battlefield. One of them looked toward the tower.

"The checkpoint is here."

Another nodded.

"Then we made it."

They stopped when they noticed the scene.

Silas stood alone, while several students were scattered around him. The ground was destroyed. The tower was partially damaged, and nobody dared to move.

"What happened?"

A student from the previous group answered quietly.

"That."

He pointed at Silas.

The newcomers looked at him, only for Silas to wave at them.

"Hi."

Nobody responded, but he just smiled wider.

"Don’t be shy."

***

Back on the other side of the battlefield, Neil’s group finally reached the coordinates where Peter and Salmoa were waiting. The reunion was brief. There was no time for celebration.

Neil immediately looked toward the tower.

"We have everyone."

Peter looked at the tower.

"Then let’s go."

They began running. The closer they got, the louder the explosions became.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Darren grimaced.

"He’s still fighting?"

Neil nodded.

"Apparently."

Christian looked worried.

"Against how many?"

Neil stared at the distant tower.

"At this point?" He sighed. "Probably everyone."

Alpha laughed.

"That sounds fun."

"No." Neil looked at him. "It sounds terrible."

They continued forward, but none of them realized something important. Silas wasn’t fighting everyone at the tower, not yet, because the other academies had begun arriving.

One after another.

Teams that had survived the exploding flame bees were converging on the same checkpoint. Some had heard the explosions. Others had seen the tournament broadcasts. And some had realized that the safest way to reach Stage Two was to gather at the tower.

The result was inevitable.

More students entered the battlefield. More weapons were drawn. More abilities activated. And more eyes turned toward the pink-haired S-Rank standing at the center of the chaos.

Silas looked around, and his smile slowly widened.

"Well..." He cracked his neck. "This is getting interesting."

***

Above the battlefield, the observation drones continued recording.

The tournament system remained silent. The checkpoint stood behind Silas. The route to Stage Two was open, but nobody was moving, because everyone had come to the same realization.

They couldn’t simply walk past Silas. They would have to get through him.

And now, there were enough of them to try.

*****

This is more of a spoiler:

As you can notice, Alpha’s character seems to be changing. His evolution is very close and might happen at anytime, even during battle. Anticipate.