Apocalypse Baby-Chapter 265: When We Meet

A faint frown tugged at the demon's lips.

His voice came cold. Curious.

"Why are you smiling?"

Alex didn't answer.

His grin only widened, a glimmer of challenge lighting up behind his eyes, like he was daring Malik to find out.

Malik's brow twitched in irritation.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

Then his arm moved, invisible flaming blades slicing through the air, thin and clean.

FLASH.

There was no warning, no wind-up, just a blur of motion and the same deadly flicker of crimson energy that had carved Brakka into pieces, shooting towards Alex.

SHNK!

But Alex was already a step ahead.

[Omnigaze] had shown him everything.

Ten seconds ago, he'd already seen this.

The attack had played out in his mind like a simulation—frame by frame, each blade's path burned into his memory like glowing lines.

So when they came, Alex reacted.

He dropped low to the left, the invisible blade slicing past his shoulder with a hiss, leaving clean, melting slices across the stone.

In the same motion, his fingers snapped up—frost already blooming across his knuckles as he activated [Cryoforge].

Crackling ice wrapped around his hand like armor, glowing pale blue. With a sharp breath, he thrust his palm forward.

FWOOOM!

A blast of sub-zero mist exploded outward, roaring from his hand like a cannon shot—a wave of icy fog howling across the floor, the force pushing dust and debris aside as it surged forward.

KRSHHH!

Frost surged around the demon like a tidal wave of winter, swallowing Malik whole.

Spikes of jagged ice burst outward, growing into a frozen tomb.

Alex didn't wait to see it hit.

He leaped, body twisting mid-air, his coat flaring behind him, and he landed several feet away in a low crouch.

Alex's breath misted in front of him.

Still, he didn't relax.

Eyes locked on his target.

Then he saw it.

A flicker.

Movement where there shouldn't be any.

From the edge of the icy storm…

Malik stepped calmly into view.

Untouched.

Unharmed.

Alex's heart skipped.

He hadn't frozen the real Malik.

Just an afterimage.

Malik's hands came together with slow, deliberate claps.

The sound echoed through the room, sharp and mocking.

His lips curled into a smirk.

"Impressive…" he said smoothly. "You read the strike. Even countered it. Most wouldn't have the chance to blink before they died."

Alex's eyes narrowed slightly.

That tone.

That expression.

It was like Malik was testing him.

"You've got potential," Malik said, voice smooth like oil over fire. "And raw instinct. I like that."

Alex didn't reply.

Didn't move.

He just watched him, heartbeat thundering in his chest, every nerve on edge.

"Let me make you an offer," Malik said, his tone cool and composed. "Join the Demon Faction."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

His stance didn't change, but his attention sharpened.

"Demon Faction?"

Malik nodded slowly.

"We are led by Azroth. A deity unlike any other—not one of the System's puppets, but something… beyond. A being who mastered Emi without needing the system's restrictions."

He took a step forward, each movement smooth and grounded, like a man certain of every word he spoke.

"He embraced chaos. Harnessed it. Dominated it," Malik continued, eyes glinting with reverence. "He became one of the most feared deities in existence. And if you find it favorable to join us, Emi could be yours to wield. Without chains."

Alex listened, arms loosely folded, but his face didn't change.\\

Malik closed more of the distance between them, now only a few feet away. His voice dropped lower, more personal. More persuasive.

"Under Azroth's banner, you'd grow twice as fast. No system limits. No humanity to weigh you down."

He stretched out a hand, open, steady.

"You'll gain power… true power. The kind that tears through rules. That reshapes worlds."

The words lingered.

Then, still holding the offer out, Malik asked:

"What do you say, Alex Knight?"

Silence fell for a beat.

A heavy, thoughtful pause.

Alex stared at the outstretched hand.

Like he was genuinely considering it.

Then he chuckled.

"Tempting, really," he said, a spark in his eye. "But no."

His voice was calm. Certain.

Malik's hand didn't move.

It just hovered there, caught mid-offer; he hadn't expected such a clean refusal.

Alex shook his head, slow and firm.

"I'm not interested in giving up my humanity for power."

"Besides… I'm already growing twice as fast. I don't need to turn into a lava-skinned demon to do it."

That line hit.

A tiny twitch flicked across Malik's eye.

Quick. Subtle. But definitely there.

For a second, the space between them tightened, like the tension might snap into violence.

But Malik didn't move to attack.

Didn't lash out.

Instead, he lowered his hand… slowly.

The glow beneath his ember-cracked skin faded as he retracted his offer without a word.

His eyes stayed locked on Alex, gaze sharp and unreadable.

Not angry.

Not disappointed.

Just… curious.

Like he was watching a puzzle shift into a shape he hadn't predicted.

Then, without warning, he smiled.

It wasn't forced or fake.

It was real—and somehow, that made it even more unsettling.

"Very well," Malik said, voice smooth as molten steel. "I'll convince you when we meet on the battlefield."

Alex's brow lifted slightly at that.

When we meet?

Not if?

That meant Malik believed...