Chapter 116: Cyrus Vs William
While Leo lay unconscious inside the truck, recovering from his injuries, trouble brewed on the western side of Rendell City.
Inside a modified off-road vehicle, Cyrus, captain of the Freedom Convoy, sat in the passenger seat while Rex drove. Rex kept his eyes on the road, his mind buzzing with complaints. Ahh... out of everyone, why do I have to get stuck with this pushover?
Cyrus turned his head, locking eyes with the driver. "Did you say something?"
Rex went rigid. "No, no. Nothing!"
Cyrus gave him a long, suspicious look before facing the windshield again. "Is this the place?"
Rex nodded. "Yes."
"The military has issued a huge bounty for investigating this area. Apparently, something is wrong with the entire western region," Cyrus said. "The troops and scouts stationed here have all disappeared without a trace. Even the survivors who entered this region never came back." He let out a sigh. "The military is already stretched thin, especially after last night’s attack. So they’re offering a handsome reward to anyone who can identify whatever is causing this and provide proof."
Rex glanced through the windshield at the desolate surroundings. The deeper they drove, the heavier the silence grew. No zombies. No survivors. Not even the faint pop of distant gunfire. A chill ran down Rex’s spine.
"Captain..." Rex murmured. "This place gives me the creeps. Why don’t we turn around and let someone else handle it? No matter how big the reward is, it won’t matter if we’re dead before we can spend it."
Cyrus shook his head. "No. We can’t do that. This is punishment from Aunt. And we have to complete it."
Rex’s face shifted into a bitter scowl.
Cyrus continued, "Besides, our supplies are almost completely exhausted. We need the reward to exchange for more supplies."
Rex let out a heavy sigh, knowing further argument was useless. Damn it. Why couldn’t I have been assigned to someone sensible?
Out of nowhere, Rex’s eyes widened. He stomped on the accelerator. "Hold on!"
The vehicle surged forward. A dark shadow plummeted from the sky. The asphalt where they had just been driving shattered under a heavy impact. Rex pushed the car another dozen meters before ripping the steering wheel to the side. Tires squealed against the pavement as the vehicle skidded, drifting in a tight arc to face the way they came.
He stared at the dust clearing in the middle of the road. "What the hell is that? A new zombie variant?"
Cyrus pushed his door open and stepped onto the street. "Whatever it is..." His jaw tightened. "I think we just found the reason for that bounty."
Standing a few dozen meters away was a horrifying figure. A man—or at least, something that had once been a man.
William stood perfectly still, his clothes and skin caked in dried blood. Strapped tight to his back was the zombified Lily. Pitch-black eyes stared out from pale, lifeless skin, and jagged claws extended from her fingers. She gnawed and scratched at William’s shoulders, yet he carried her without a flinch.
"Hehehe... Food... More food..." William’s twisted, gravelly voice echoed down the empty street. He tilted his head toward the two men. "Lily... Don’t they look delicious?"
Cyrus and Rex locked eyes, a shared realization dawning on them. The creature they thought was a mindless zombie could speak.
Cyrus shifted his weight, dropping into a low fighting stance. "Rex. I’ll engage him. You provide support."
The loud roar of an engine cut him off. Cyrus froze in place, turning his head inch by inch. The engine noise was already fading. Rex had the truck in reverse, backing away at full speed.
The driver leaned out the window, waving a hand. "Captain! This guy looks really strong! And you know how much I hate fighting in places this quiet! I’ll go get backup!"
Cyrus could only stare. "You—"
The tires spun, and within seconds, the vehicle vanished around the corner. Cyrus stood alone on the cracked asphalt. The heavy silence rolled back in. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. "That bastard..."
Opening his eyes, Cyrus focused back on William. "Fine." He popped his knuckles. "Let’s get this over with."
William launched himself forward, and Cyrus met his charge. The gap between them vanished in a blur of motion. William threw a heavy, looping punch, and Cyrus answered with a strike of his own. A brilliant golden light flared around Cyrus’s knuckles.
Their fists slammed together like a thunderclap. A violent ripple tore through the air, kicking up dust across the street. Cyrus braced himself, his eyes widening. What incredible strength...
Not giving the monster a chance to recover, Cyrus twisted his hips and drove a glowing kick into William’s side. William merely raised an arm, absorbing the blow, while firing his free fist straight at Cyrus’s jaw.
Cyrus brought his palm up in a calm, practiced motion. As flesh met flesh, golden light flared over his hand. The sheer force of the impact dragged Cyrus backward, his boots skidding across the pavement before he found his footing.
"Your raw strength is impressive," Cyrus said. "But your technique is terrible. You simply throw all your strength into every attack."
William offered no reply. He charged again. Cyrus retreated a step to create breathing room, letting the golden light wash over his arms and legs. He tapped his foot against the road, and in a blink, his figure vanished.
William faltered. Cyrus materialized right beside him, driving a fist hard into the creature’s face. Before William could so much as flinch, Cyrus vanished again, reappearing on the opposite side to deliver a second punishing blow. A blur of motion. Another strike.
Cyrus moved with such speed that he seemed to flicker like a ghost across the street. Left. Right. Behind. In front. The onslaught came from every angle. He wasn’t teleporting; his speed simply defied the eye.
At first, William could only take the beating. Yet, bit by bit, raw instinct took over. He raised an arm, blocking a strike. Then another. A third.
Cyrus narrowed his eyes. He’s learning.
Shifting tactics, Cyrus broke his own pattern. He attacked from jagged angles, stalling his strikes by half-seconds to throw off the creature’s timing. The moment William adjusted, Cyrus would change the rhythm all over again.
Without warning, Cyrus planted his feet and stopped. Golden light pooled around his right hand, thickening into a dense, bright aura. His features turned ice-cold. "Hollow Fist."
He vanished, reappearing point-blank to bury his glowing fist deep into William’s gut. The monster folded in half, spewing a mouthful of black blood onto the asphalt. William stumbled back, fighting for balance.
Cyrus watched him, his gaze calculating. "Your body is surprisingly tough. Even your internal organs." He flexed his stiff fingers. "Time to end this."
A short blade slipped from a hidden sleeve, catching the golden light as it flowed from Cyrus’s palm into the steel. Dropping into a low crouch, Cyrus sprang forward.
A primal alarm blared in William’s mind. He threw his weight to the side, trying to dodge, but the captain’s speed was overwhelming.
"Disintegration Slash."
The glowing blade carved through William’s shoulder. With a crisp hiss, the left arm fell away, severed clean through the bone. The second the lifeless limb struck the pavement, it crumbled into a pile of gray dust.
Cyrus maintained a calm exterior, though a thin line of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. "Still too much for my body to handle..."
Refusing to stall, he stepped in for the killing blow. Just as the blade neared William’s throat, the golden aura coating the metal sputtered. A heartbeat later, the light faded completely.
Confusion flashed across Cyrus’s face. What?
The air felt different. The ambient energy around them wasn’t fading or scattering—it was being siphoned away, pulled into an unseen void. Cyrus shot a glance at his surroundings. "What the hell...?"
With no time to pull back, his momentum carried the dull blade forward. It struck William’s neck with a sharp, metallic clang, stopping dead against the creature’s unbroken skin.
Cyrus’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. Impossible!
William seized the opening, driving a heavy right fist toward his attacker. Cyrus tried to push Aether into his legs to dodge, but his muscles felt hollow. Every ounce of energy he tried to summon was instantly drained away.
Panic crept into his mind. I can’t use Aether!
Left with no alternatives, Cyrus let go of his knife and threw both arms up in a frantic cross-guard. William’s fist battered into his forearms with the force of a wrecking ball. Cyrus launched through the air, slamming hard onto the asphalt. He rolled for several meters, fighting through the pain to scramble back to his feet in a desperate defensive stance.
But the road was empty. William was gone.
Cyrus scoured the silent, desolate street. Nothing remained. Not a single trace of the monster or the woman on his back. He rubbed his aching arms where the creature had struck him, his face settling into a grim scowl.
"What the hell happened just now?"