Chapter 121The World is Approaching Doomsday(5/?)
Terry ran while Sam quickly chased after him. Terry smirked and fled as fast as he could. Even though he didn't know who this man was, according to the Beast, a rather powerful individual was approaching.
Terry could only wonder about the identity of this powerful person. Through his bond with the Beast, Terry sensed its fear.
The Beast was afraid. This was strange to Terry. After all, wasn't the Beast a Demon? Who could be coming that would even frighten a Demon?
"I won't let you escape!"
Terry squinted in irritation as he heard Sam shouting behind him. Who the hell was this bastard? It didn't matter—he was close. Once he reached the human settlement, they wouldn't be able to touch him.
"Just a bit more," Terry cursed under his breath and pushed himself to go even faster. But suddenly, he fell to the ground, confused by what had happened. He immediately covered his face with his hands and winced in pain as he hit the ground.
"Hold it right there," Ethan smiled as he appeared out of thin air. "This is the end of the road for you."
"Who the hell are you?" Terry cursed. The Beast, urging him to keep running, made his head pound. Terry tried to ignore the pain.
"Who are you people?" Terry snapped. Ethan merely smiled, offering no response. When Sam arrived, Terry realized he was cornered.
"Hermes, you're finally here," Sam said with a smile, his tone turning serious as he looked at the standing Terry. "Stop! Your mind is being controlled! Don't trust the Beast!"
"You came here to talk?" Terry frowned, his gaze shifting between the man who called himself Hermes and Sam. His expression was determined, refusing to back down.
"We want to help you," Ethan said gently. Seeing Terry's condition, he recalled the time he, too, had been manipulated. Letting out a sigh, he looked at Terry. "Let us help you."
"Don't listen to them, Terry. They're lying," the Beast intervened immediately, fearing Terry's thoughts might waver. "If they truly wanted to help you, they would've come sooner."
"They're dying to kill you," the Beast whispered darkly. Terry narrowed his eyes, glaring at Sam and Ethan as they cautiously approached him.
"I don't need your help," Terry said before sensing Gwen's presence. He turned his head to see the woman who had just arrived. "Three of you, huh? Fine, then I'll kill you all."
"Snap out of it," Gwen said, narrowing her eyes and approaching Terry. "There's someone who can help you. They can cure you."
"You think I'm sick or insane?!" Terry's anger flared at the way they treated him, as if he needed their help. "I don't need your so-called help."
"Don't make this harder than it needs to be," Gwen said firmly. Unlike her companions, she believed stopping Terry was the only solution. It was too late—Terry had already lost his sanity.
Gwen had little faith in Terry being saved. After all, even Ethan had been rescued only because of Jack. There was a difference. Ethan had surrendered to the Beast unwillingly, while Terry embraced it willingly.
"Running won't save you," Ethan said cautiously. "If you keep this up, you'll end up dead. Stop before it's too late and let us help you."
Terry froze, trying to figure out a way to escape these fools. All exits were blocked. It seemed there was no way out. He cursed under his breath. He had no choice but to fight.
"Enough of this! Die!"
Terry lunged at Ethan, who quickly braced himself and stopped the incoming punch.
"H-he's strong..."
Ethan was shocked by Terry's strength and struggled against him. As another punch flew toward his face, Ethan tried to retreat. Terry, however, smirked, only to be surprised when shadows coiled around his arm mid-punch.
"Not so fast," Gwen sneered, pulling her hand back and sending Terry flying. Sam's lightning struck Terry square in the chest, throwing him backward.
"That hurt!" Terry roared, glaring at Sam with fury. Sam's expression turned serious. "If you don't give up, it'll hurt a lot more."
"In your dreams!" Terry smirked before charging again, this time targeting Gwen.
As Gwen blocked Terry's absurdly strong punch, a kick to her leg landed. Meanwhile, Ethan turned invisible again, pulling Terry away from Gwen.
"Tch," Terry clicked his tongue, unable to block Ethan's invisible attacks. Each strike made his body ache as he squinted in frustration.
Sam hesitated to use his lightning, fearing he might hit his companions, which Terry noticed. Forced into close combat, Sam grew wary.
When Gwen's punch landed on his face, Terry lost his balance. Another kick struck his face, sending him stumbling backward as his arms were restrained.
"Sam! Hit him!"
Gwen struggled to hold Terry's arm as she shouted. Terry, still reeling from the pain, didn't realize what was happening. Sam hesitated, worried he might harm his friends.
"I'm afraid I'll hit you!"
"I said do it!"
Gwen snapped. Sam finally relented, gathering lightning in his hands. As it surged toward Terry, it was too late.
Terry headbutted Gwen, forcing her to release him. He grabbed her arm and flung her into Ethan's body.
Ethan lost focus and was forced out of his invisibility. Seizing the opportunity, Terry attacked Sam.
Sam released his lightning, a bolt striking Terry. Surprisingly, Terry blocked it with his arm, groaning in pain.
"Ahhhh!!"
As Terry advanced toward Sam, the latter increased the output. Terry was pushed back, dragged across the ground, but he still resisted the lightning.
"Grrraaa!!"
A beastly sound escaped Terry's mouth. He growled as black and red Mana surged from his body, canceling the lightning and hurtling toward Sam. A dark shield suddenly blocked the red Mana.
"Not that easy," Gwen said as she got back up, breathing heavily. Sam relaxed behind the shield, but Terry grew even angrier. The red Mana spilled from his arms, darkening the soil and withering the grass. Find your next read at empire
"Why won't you die?" Terry growled darkly, his eyes glowing with rage. "Why won't you die?!"
He roared like an animal and lunged at Gwen. She grimaced, cursing under her breath as she sensed Terry growing stronger with every passing second.
"Ethan, now!"
"Got it!" Ethan stood up, and together they attacked Terry again. Fists flew, and Terry was stronger.
His body was like rubber, capable of movements beyond what the human form should allow. As Ethan punched him, Terry suddenly dropped to the ground.
Using the momentum, Terry swung his body and landed a powerful blow to Ethan's head, landing on all fours.
Gwen barely had time to check on Ethan before Terry pounced on her, pinning her to the ground. "Die!"
As Terry aimed for Gwen's face, a bolt of lightning struck his body, throwing him off. Gwen exhaled in relief and looked at Sam with gratitude.
"Thank you."
"Save your thanks for later," Sam said seriously. Terry stood up, seemingly on the brink of losing his mind. Drool dripped from his mouth, and Ethan, Sam, and Gwen worried about how they would stop him.
Terry was growing stronger by the moment. Ethan, Sam, and Gwen had their limits. Even holding their ground against Terry was proving difficult.
"If just a fragment of the Beast is this powerful, how strong is its full form?"
Sam bit his lip in worry. Why was it so hard to defeat this creature? All Sam needed now was for it to simply die.
"Terry, he's coming! That man is coming! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run, Terry!"
"Shut up! You're giving me a headache!" Terry shouted angrily. He couldn't understand why the Beast was like this and grew frustrated. "I can't fight because of you!"
"Fool!" the Beast scolded. "That man defeated me even when I used all my power! Do you think he won't beat you? Get out of here now! Stop being so idealistic!"
"Tch! Fine," Terry said, preparing to flee, but there was no more time. As Jack descended from the sky, his gaze nearly made Terry tremble.
"You? You're the kid with that fragment, aren't you?" Jack smiled. Then, glancing at the exhausted Ethan, Gwen, and Sam, his eyes narrowed.
"Kids? I didn't expect you to come here without informing me." Jack sighed. He had a plan. He had already sensed the Beast's presence here. He wanted to set a trap for it, but apparently, his idealistic student heroes couldn't resist playing the part of heroes.
As Ethan and Sam stared at the ground, Gwen looked away. Despite Jack's composed expression, they could feel his discontent. They had come here ahead of time to destroy the Beast's fragment.
But it was a foolish idea. Schools were hubs of bullying and troubled youth. There were always some students dealing with issues in schools.
To think the Beast's fragment wouldn't corrupt a student was naïve. If they had stuck to the plan, they could have easily captured Terry.
"I'll deal with you later," Jack said, turning his focus to Terry, narrowing his eyes as he smiled. "You look tired and out of breath."
Terry tried to hide his trembling, feeling slightly relieved as the Beast fell silent. But his mind was still overwhelmed with fear, urging him to retreat from Jack.
"I-it's none of your business," Terry said with hatred. Jack only smiled. Slowly approaching Terry, he gently smiled. "I feel sorry for you."
Terry wanted to step back but found himself unable to move. His fear deepened as he struggled to command his body, but he couldn't even budge.
Jack gently placed a hand on Terry's cheek, looking softly at the younger, shorter boy. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Terry tried to speak but said nothing. He wanted to push Jack's hand away, but he was powerless, unable to move. Jack then gave a half-smile of mock disappointment.
"Thought so."
Jack's expression turned emotionless, and in an instant, he plunged his hand into Terry's stomach. Terry's eyes widened as blood spewed from his mouth.
Jack's hand emerged from Terry's back. As Jack attempted to withdraw, a bullet struck his leg, causing him to frown.
"Stop!"
"You again?" Jack narrowed his eyes at Vanessa and James. He was not pleased with these officers meddling.
Vanessa glared at Jack, who appeared to have just killed Terry. However, Terry was still alive. The Beast's power was keeping him on his feet.
"I think there's a misunderstanding here," Jack said, pulling his hand from Terry's stomach. James aimed his gun at Jack. "Are you mocking us? You just killed someone right in front of us."
"And you?" Vanessa turned to the others. Ethan, Gwen, and Sam looked down in discomfort, uneasy about how things had escalated.
"Enough, you're all under arrest!" Vanessa declared, now certain of their guilt. Jack rolled his eyes, sighing as James cuffed him.
"You're making a mistake. We're the ones on the right side here," Jack said seriously. He turned to show Terry, but the body was gone, and Jack's eyes widened with irritation.
"That boy escaped," Jack scolded James. "Uncuff me so I can catch him."
"Wait, where's the body?" Vanessa asked in surprise. Ethan, Gwen, and Sam were equally shocked as Terry vanished in the small window of distraction.
Jack cursed, muttering under his breath. How could he have escaped so quickly? He had been far too careless lately. The Beast's Mana had always made Terry easy to track.
But now, the Beast's Mana was undetectable. Jack realized the Beast must have hidden its energy to help Terry flee, and his frown deepened.
"We'll send teams out to find him," Vanessa said seriously. "And you're coming with us to the department."
"Again?"
"Yes, again." Vanessa ushered the group into her vehicle as Jack rolled his eyes. Then, he smirked and climbed in. Ethan and the others, pale and shaken, also entered the car as Vanessa started the engine.