Ex rank talent Awakening: 100\% Dodge rate-Chapter 313: PULL YOUR WEIGHT

Brian rose slowly to his feet, his movements deliberate and heavy, his eyes dull and lifeless, as if the spark of vitality had been extinguished, leaving only hollow shells staring out into the void.

"Do you guys think he killed her?" Brian asked quietly, his voice barely rising above a whisper, the question laced with a raw vulnerability that exposed the fractures in his composure.

"Well, Greg is unpredictable at his core," Aaron admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as the group nodded in reluctant agreement, the floating island’s gentle breezes rustling their clothes.

"To be honest, we rarely know what’s brewing in his mind or what choices he’ll make in the heat of the moment," Aaron elaborated, the uncertainty thickening the atmosphere like an impending storm.

"He won’t," Cain asserted firmly, his conviction cutting through the doubt as he began to step back from the gathering, his boots scraping softly against the island’s ethereal surface.

"If the Greg I’ve observed is still the same, then he hasn’t gone through with it," Cain continued, his words carrying a quiet assurance born from careful observation.

"And how can you be so certain about that?" Thomas inquired, his curiosity piqued along with the rest of the group, their heads turning toward Cain as if he held a key to unraveling Greg’s enigmatic nature.

"Because he would have ended her right there on the spot, the instant he witnessed Jessica’s death," Cain explained, his tone steady and analytical.

"Just like how he savagely slaughtered Augustus without a shred of hesitation, brutal, immediate, and final."

"That’s unlike Greg," someone murmured from the group, the observation lingering in the air like an unsolved riddle.

"To show someone mercy like that, it’s out of character for him," another added, the words sparking a ripple of contemplative silence among them, as the implications of Greg’s potential restraint hung heavy in the mist-shrouded haven.

"Cause he didn’t," Cain explained matter-of-factly, his voice steady amid the group’s lingering tension on the floating island, where wisps of clouds drifted lazily around them like silent spectators.

"The fault didn’t lie with her," he continued, crossing his arms as he leaned against a shimmering barrier, his eyes scanning the faces of his companions.

"It rested squarely on Brian’s shoulders after all. So Greg showed mercy to Brian by sparing her. If he were to kill her, then he would have decided to end Brian too, without hesitation."

He was all too familiar with Greg’s intricate thinking patterns at this point, having delved deep into the man’s mindset through shared battles and quiet observations, because Cain understood better than anyone the raw anguish and seething anger that erupted from losing someone held so dearly, a pain that clawed at the soul like unrelenting thorns.

"So you all better stop acting spoiled and start pulling your weight," Cain urged, his tone sharpening with impatience, as he pushed off from the barrier and straightened his posture, the island’s ethereal glow casting long shadows across his determined features.

"He doesn’t want to plunge into that abyss again because of our complacency and repeat the same grave mistakes from times past," Cain added, his words hanging heavy in the air, laced with the weight of unspoken histories and the urgency of impending conflicts.

"I’m off to lend my assistance in whatever way I can, fighting in this war and claiming more lives to tip the scales," Cain declared firmly, his resolve evident in the firm set of his jaw. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

With a mere thought, he willed himself away, his form shimmering and vanishing in a swirl of digital particles as he dove headfirst into the chaotic depths of the Apocalypse world, leaving a faint echo of his presence behind.

"Well, you heard him," Thomas said, rising to his feet with a deliberate motion, brushing off the invisible dust of grief from his shoulders as he surveyed the group, the floating island’s gentle hum vibrating underfoot.

"And he’s right," Thomas affirmed, his voice gaining strength, cutting through the downcast atmosphere that had settled over them like a suffocating fog, heavy with sorrow and inaction.

"Enough of this gloomy haze," he encouraged, forcing a faint smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"Jessica wouldn’t want us wallowing in it either, she’d be pushing us to fight on, just like always."

With that, Thomas activated his dive, his body dissolving into a cascade of light as he too plunged into the Apocalypse world, the transition smooth and instantaneous, leaving the air slightly warmer in his wake.

"Don’t be too beat down about it," Aaron said softly to Brian, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, his touch firm yet comforting amid the island’s serene yet isolating expanse.

"You had no way of knowing it would turn out like this," Aaron continued, his eyes meeting Brian’s with genuine empathy.

"And she was only trying to protect her people, she’d already lost so many, her heart burdened by the endless toll."

"I should head out too," Aaron added, withdrawing his hand and straightening up.

"My eyes are needed out there, you know, dealing with the shadows and all."

He initiated his dive, his figure blurring and fading away like the others, merging seamlessly with the digital veil that separated realms.

And like a chain reaction igniting one after another, the rest of the group followed suit, each member shaking off their hesitation and diving into the Apocalypse world in quick succession, their departures creating a series of shimmering ripples in the island’s tranquil air.

---

"Augustus and Number Twenty are dead," Number One informed Rebecca gravely, his deep voice resonating through the dimly lit chamber where shadows danced along the stone walls like whispering secrets.

"Most likely killed by this Nemesis," he elaborated, his broad shoulders casting an imposing silhouette that loomed over Rebecca, who sat cross-legged on the cold floor, her focus intently directed inward on her meditation and the delicate healing of her fractured soul.

"The very person you visited some time ago," Number One added pointedly, his tone carrying a subtle undercurrent of accusation, as he shifted his weight, the faint creak of his armor echoing in the confined space.