Apex Star - Chapter 12: First Life and Death situation?

In a world of brooding heroes and dark justice, one mercenary stands out—not for his skill, but for his relentless sarcasm and love for chaos. A self-proclaimed anti-hero, he finds himself working with the Titans, much to their frustration. While undeniably skilled in combat and nearly impossible to kill, his real talent lies in driving his teammates insane with endless jokes, fourth-wall breaks, and questionable decision-making. Whether it’s swapping Robin’s gadgets with toy versions, turning serious battles into slapstick comedy, or giving monologues mid-fight, he thrives on pushing everyone’s patience. But beneath the humor, there’s a sharp mind, a tragic past, and a surprising willingness to do what others can’t. While the Titans may roll their eyes at him, they also know that when things get truly dire, he’s the wildcard they need. Love him or hate him—he’s here to stay, and he’s having way too much fun.

Six months ago, tens of thousands of black phantom towers appeared all over the world, floating above the cities. Chemists, physicists, religious people… all of them could do nothing.

In a world where power is dictated by gangs, cities, and families ranked from Tier 1 to Tier 6, only the strongest survive. In the Tier 4 city of Blackridge, fifteen-year-old Elijah struggles to find his place. With his mother working tirelessly and his younger sister depending on him, he has always kept his head down.Determined to rise above the chaos, Elijah and his best friend Kai decide to create their own gang from nothing. But strength in this world isn’t given—it’s taken. The gangs that rule Blackridge won’t tolerate competition, and even the weakest gang has more resources, manpower, and experience than they do. With no money, no reputation, and no clear allies, they must navigate a brutal world of betrayals, violence, and ambition, where every decision could mean life or death.But Elijah is different. He possesses a mysterious system that offers him power—at a cost. As he slowly uncovers its secrets, he realizes that survival is not enough. To protect those he loves, he must become stronger than anyone else. He must climb the ranks, crush the opposition, and seize control of Blackridge’s underworld.But in a world ruled by kings, warlords, and ancient families, the price of power is steep. And when the past comes back to haunt him—when whispers of a forgotten night resurface—Elijah must confront not only his enemies but the truth about himself.In the gang world, the strong rise, the weak perish, and only the ruthless reign supreme.And Elijah? He plans to reign at the very top

Aaron, a wildlife biologist, became a military strategist right after a global war between nations began.He never wanted to participate in the war but he had to, because he wanted to continue his studies on endangered species the moment the war was over, but to his surprise, everyone in his unit were killed, including him, and the next thing he knew, Aaron woke up in the body of a young noble having a similar name to his.However, he also noticed he had awoken in a world different from Earth.In this world, demonic beasts ran rampart with only one thought in mind, causing them to feed on anyone they see, be it humans, elves or even magical beasts as well.During his first encounter with a magical beast, Aaron awakened a system which allowed him to bond with magical beasts and to obtain terrifying abilities from these bloodcurdling magical beasts, so he used his experience as a wildlife biologist to help make it easier for him to bond with these beasts.However, Aaron also noticed he could evolve these beasts if their loyalty towards him had reached a certain level, so he vowed in his heart to grow strong enough to protect those he cared about in this world with the hope of living a happy, peaceful life where he'll be able to focus fully on his passion as a wildlife biologist.