Apocalypse Baby-Chapter 186: Hubris

Alex quickly pieced together what had happened.

Dorion thought he had killed Onigi.

But he hadn’t.

And now? That mistake had come back to bite him in the ass... or maybe rip his head off.

"Either way..."

Alex folded his arm, a smirk on his face.

"This will be fun."

Like before, he had no intention of stepping in.

He was done fighting in this cursed place.

All he wanted now was to get out, convert his stat points into upgrade points, level up his skills, and start hunting the next Beast Lord.

Meanwhile...

Onigi’s voice cut through the silence, low and chilling:

"I told you… this ends with me taking your head."

Onigi exhaled sharply.

When Dorion injured him, the wound was severe and should have been fatal. But Onigi reacted fast.

He rapidly lowered the temperature of his wound, freezing it shut, and this stopped the bleeding instantly by sealing the torn flesh and blood vessels with a layer of ice. The ice also numbs the pain, allowing him to keep moving

He also faced undead players, like the rest.

The undead form of Kato and some of his clan members.

But had managed to defeat them all without much shake in emotion.

As he was only driven by one desire...

Revenge.

He’d seen the undead form of his daughter burst into ashes and that hurt him more.

His eyes burned cold as he stared at Dorion, and with a sneer, he taunted:

"To think you’d make the same mistake I did...Arrogant."

Dorion clicked his teeth in frustration.

Of all times for the old geezer to show up—it had to be now.

When his body was covered in injuries, thanks to that damned daughter of his. When he could barely move.

Why now?

His brow furrowed. How had the old man survived?

His eyes narrowed, tracing the wound he had inflicted on Onigi.

Covered in ice.

The old man had some kind of healing ability.

Of course, he does.

In a world where someone could come back from the dead twelve times…

And that someone being him—It was naive not to have considered the possibility.

Dorion gritted his teeth.

He couldn’t believe he could make such a stupid mistake.

Dorion shook his head. No point in thinking.

Onigi was alive.

And the old man’s intentions were clear.

Dorion’s eyes flicked to his weapon.

It was just within reach.

So close.

Gritting his teeth, he forced his battered body to move. Every muscle screamed, but he pushed through the pain.

His fingers stretched out—just a little more—

SHHNK!

A sharp, freezing pain ripped through his arm.

He barely saw the blur of Onigi’s katana before an arc of ice sliced clean through his wrist.

For a split second, there was no pain—just a strange numbness.

Then...

"AAARGH!"

The agony hit like a shockwave.

His severed hand hit the ground with a dull thud.

Blood. Ice. The burning cold of Onigi’s attack.

Dorion barely had time to process it before Onigi rushed forward, katana raised, ready to finish it.

But...

CLANG!

Steel met steel.

The attack was blocked.

"Nani..."

Onigi’s eyes narrowed.

His blade had been stopped. Blocked.

He turned his head, gaze locking onto the one who had dared to stand in his way.

Ezekiel.

Onigi didn’t know him. Didn’t care to.

But he remembered seeing him arguing with Dorion back in the maze.

And their connection—whatever it was—meant nothing.

What mattered was that this man was in his way.

Onigi’s grip on his katana tightened. His muscles tensed.

"What are you doing?"

Ezekiel gritted his teeth, struggling to hold back Onigi’s blade.

The old man was strong. Too strong.

Dorion’s agonized screams echoed behind him.

Blood gushed from his severed wrist, pooling at his feet.

Ezekiel’s arms trembled under the pressure. His stance faltered.

He gritted his teeth, forcing out the words:

"I can’t... I can’t let you—"

BAM!

Onigi didn’t let him finish.

With a swift, brutal kick to the chest, he sent Ezekiel flying. The force of the blow crashed him against the ground, sending him tumbling like a ragdoll before he skidded to a stop.

Dorion, his body still wracked with pain, realized something.

The only reason he wasn’t in pieces right now…

Was because Ezekiel had intervened.

And now he was down.

Dorion barely had time to react before Onigi charged, moving like a predator, his katana raised.

A deep, guttural growl rumbled from the old man’s throat as he swung the blade downward.

Dorion threw himself to the side, avoiding the attack.

And the blade slammed into the ground, cracking the earth where he had just been.

Rolling away, panting, sweating, bleeding, Dorion reached out and snatched his scythe with his remaining hand.

His body screamed in agony, his mind blurred with exhaustion.

But he had no choice.

He had to fight.

He felt it—an attack coming.

He tightened his grip on the scythe and whipped it up, desperately trying to block—

But...

WHAM!

Onigi’s foot slammed into his scythe, kicking it away. The weapon spun through the air before clattering against the ground, far out of reach.

Dorion hit the dirt hard, a pained groan escaping his lips.

Above him, Onigi’s katana whistled downward.

But before the blade could reach—

A deafening roar cut through the battlefield.

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THUD!

Ezekiel crashed into Onigi, tackling him at full force. His arms locked around the old man’s waist, driving him backward in a powerful charge.

The impact sent both of them skidding across the battlefield.

But Onigi was no easy prey.

With a grunt, he planted his feet and pushed back, forcing Ezekiel to a stop.

The old man’s eyes flashed with irritation.

Again.

Ezekiel was in his way.

"Tch—" Onigi clicked his tongue and shoved Ezekiel off him, sending him stumbling.

But Ezekiel wasn’t done.

With a grunt, he pushed forward again, determined to stop the old man.

But Onigi’s eyes narrowed and his katana flashed.

SHING!

SHING!

SHING!

A series of rapid slashes cut across Ezekiel’s body.

His knees buckled. His breath came out in ragged gasps.

Then, he collapsed.

Onigi barely spared him a glance before turning back toward Dorion, ready to finish what he started.

But...

"Kiri!"

Ezekiel’s voice rang out.

Onigi froze.

Slowly, he turned his head, his expression like carved ice.

Ezekiel coughed, forcing himself up on one knee. His eyes locked onto Onigi’s.

"Kiri... I’m also responsible for her death."

A tense silence settled over the battlefield.

Onigi’s grip on his katana tightened. His voice was low and dangerous.

"What did you just say?"

Ezekiel exhaled sharply, then forced the words out.

"Dorion wasn’t the only one who killed her... I did too."

His gaze didn’t waver.

"For nightmare points."