As soon as Mayor Marks gave the order, the surrounding Enhanced surged toward Ethan again.
Ethan didn't hesitate—he activated [Teleportation] and reappeared right beside Marks, swinging his barbell bar down in another brutal arc.
But this ti, Marks was ready.
Vines burst from the ground, wrapping around him like a living shield.
BOOM—
The barbell bar smashed through the vines, snapping them apart, and sent Marks stumbling back a few steps.
"Damn, that actually works?" Ethan muttered, a little impressed. Gotta admit, the guy had so brains.
But before he could follow up, a wave of Tier 5 Enhanced closed in, their attacks slamming into him from all sides.
Ethan had no choice—he teleported out again.
The mont he reappeared, the Enhanced sward him once more.
"Yeah… this guy's not gonna be easy to kill," Ethan sighed. "Guess I need to pick up a heavy-hitting ability next ti."
Then, without warning, he teleported straight to Victor's side, leaving behind a cryptic ssage:
"He's yours. Just rember—don't kill the Light-type Awakened. Leave him for Miles."
Mayor Marks blinked, confused—then his instincts scread.
He dove to the side just in ti.
SHHK—
A severed arm flew through the air.
Even with his quick reflexes, Marks couldn't avoid it completely—his arm was sliced clean off.
"Sir!!"
Gasps erupted around him.
"There's an invisible Awakened! Protect the mayor!"
The guards instantly closed ranks around Marks, eyes scanning the area in panic.
A Water-type Awakened raised his hand, ready to cast a Water Barrier.
But before he could finish the motion, a dagger plunged into his throat.
"I've been waiting for you," a voice whispered in his ear.
The man collapsed, gurgling.
"Kill them!"
The surrounding Enhanced launched a barrage of attacks toward the source—but Chris was already gone.
"Listen to !" Mayor Marks shouted, clutching his bleeding stump, eyes darting around. "I'm the mayor of Starlight City! A governnt official! You don't know what kind of line you're crossing!"
Silence.
"I know Ethan sent you. But it's not too late to stop. The governnt will regain control soon. When that happens, people like you will be hunted down. I'm telling you—don't throw your life away!"
"If you stop now, I'll make sure you're protected. I can even make you soone important."
"You're wasting your breath," a voice whispered right in his ear.
"!!"
Marks's hair stood on end. He rolled instinctively to the side.
A dagger stabbed toward his neck.
At the last second, a white Energy Barrier flared to life in front of him—another desperate defense.
But Chris had seen it coming.
His dagger shimred with black light—and sliced through the barrier like it wasn't even there.
The blade plunged into Mayor Marks's throat.
His eyes went wide.
He couldn't believe it.
Just monts ago, he'd been riding high, calling the shots, playing king.
Now he was dying on the floor.
He had dread of becoming a warlord in this apocalypse, of building an empire from the ashes.
But he never even got the chance.
His eyes filled with regret and disbelief.
Why the hell did I ever ss with these people?
As Chris pulled the dagger free, Mayor Marks collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
For a mont, the entire battlefield fell silent.
Everyone stared, stunned.
"Mayor Marks is dead!?"
"He's dead!!"
"He actually killed him—Mayor Marks was the mayor of Starlight City! How the hell did he dare!?"
The Enhanced around them looked lost, their eyes filled with confusion and panic.
If Marks was dead… what about all the promises he made?
And when the state governnt found out—would they be held responsible too?
"He killed Mayor Marks! Don't let him get away! If he walks, the state will co down on all of us!" a woman suddenly shouted.
It was the secretary—the one in the sheer stockings and tight office skirt, the one who'd been "servicing" Marks earlier.
Her words seed to snap so of the Enhanced out of their daze. Their eyes hardened.
But just as they started to move—
SHNK—
Her head dropped clean off her shoulders.
"…"
That shut them up real fast.
If even Mayor Marks was dead, what was the point of fighting now?
"Don't be afraid!" shouted the Light-type Awakened in white. "He's just a rat hiding in the shadows! Force him out—we can kill him and avenge Mayor Marks!"
He didn't even finish the sentence before his arm went flying.
If Ethan hadn't specifically told Chris not to kill him, he'd be lying next to the secretary right now.
Chris might not be the best in a full-on brawl, but when it ca to assassination—no one could touch him.
After that, the rest of the Safe Zone higher-ups who'd been thinking about rallying the crowd all shut their mouths.
Now, they were just praying Chris didn't notice them.
The air turned thick with tension. No one dared move.
...
anwhile, Ethan had chased Victor all the way back to his residence.
By now, every one of Victor's bodyguards had been taken out. He was alone.
"Why…? What did the Harlan family ever do to you!? Why are you wiping us out like this!?" Victor shouted, face twisted with rage and disbelief.
"Honestly? I didn't have any beef with your family at first," Ethan said calmly. "But your son? He didn't know when to shut up."
"This isn't about wanting to destroy you. But you're the head of the Harlan family. You know how this works. Once there's blood between us, I can't leave loose ends."
With that, Ethan swung his barbell bar—and ended it.
Just like that, the Harlan family, which had survived over a month in the apocalypse, was no more.
...
Ethan returned to the battlefield.
The first thing he saw was Mayor Marks's corpse, lying in the open. No one dared co within ten feet of it, so it stood out like a landmark.
"Nice work," Ethan said, giving a thumbs-up to the invisible Chris.
The surrounding Enhanced didn't charge him. They just stood there, uncertain.
They'd seen what Ethan could do. Charging him now would be suicide. If even Mayor Marks was dead, who the hell would step up?
Ethan could read it all on their faces.
He raised his voice.
"We killed Mayor Marks to avenge Colonel Reyes. That's it. This isn't your fight. Marks is dead—that was between us and him. You all can relax. Go back to whatever you were doing."
"…"
"Who says Colonel Reyes was killed by Mayor Marks!?" soone called out, suspicious.
"I say so. Got a problem with that?" Ethan shot him a cold look.
The guy imdiately shut up.
"Mayor Marks was a governnt official. Aren't you afraid the governnt will co after you?" another voice asked.
Ethan chuckled. "That's not your concern. And Marks didn't represent the governnt. If you're gonna trust soone, trust the National Guard. At least the military actually gets shit done."
"The Guard will move in. They'll stabilize the zone. So go on—get back to your lives."
There was a long pause.
Then, slowly, people started to leave.
But just as one man with a severed arm tried to slip away—
"You there. Hold up," Ethan called out, pointing at him.
…
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